Student Activities post under review in May

Fears are mounting this week with the news that clubs and societies could be left without a Student Activities Officer next year.

Joey Kavanagh, Clubs and Societies Officer, first raised concerns on life.dcu.ie stating that the role of Student Activities Officer, currently held by Lisa Muldowney, was to be discontinued with effect from the end of this academic year. However, university officials say that this is a rumour and no such termination will take place.

Dr Claire Bohan, Director of Student Affairs in DCU, says that the role of Student Activities Officer is not being discontinued but is instead being evaluated by DCU as part of the Strategic Planning programme.

She says: “Nothing has been axed, it’s being re-examined. Clubs and societies will be catered for…I would be very confi dent that everything is back to normal come September.”

According to Students’ Union President Alan Flanagan, Campus Property Ltd. has pulled funding for the position and the current contract runs out in May.

He says: “If the submission for Budgetary Committee goes through, it still has to be advertised, interviewed and a position put in place and this could take a few months.”

The role of Student Activities Officer is outlined on the DCU website as being responsible for maintaining, developing and improving club, society an extracurricular activity within the university.

The position is also described as entailing the co-ordination of the Uaneen Module. The module is a scheme that formally recognises the work done by students with clubs, societies, community work and extracurricular activity. DCU is the first third level institution in Ireland to reward students for their extracurricular involvement in university life.

Flanagan believes that those wanting to apply for the module will suffer if funding is not sourced for the position.

He says: “We’re genuinely worried about anyone who wants to register for the Uaneen Module next year. If that post does take a gap of two months to fill, the co-ordination for an academic module which has a calendar, a timetable and a routine is something we need to worry about.

“Everyone’s worried that we’ll go away for the summer with a Student Activities Officer and come back with either something so different that it’s not the kind of support that we need or something that leaves a gap of two months in the meantime and the person won’t be prepared.”

A demonstration to express students’ concerns over the possible discontinuation of the position of Student Activities Offi cer will go ahead on Tuesday 8 April.

It was decided last week at a meeting of the Office of Student Life that a peaceful protest should be organised against the university’s lack of support for clubs and societies in DCU.

Joey Kavanagh says that a peaceful demonstration is the best approach to take, as he believes it highlights clubs and society activity best.

He says: “Unfortunately, many students in the university are unaware of the important work that the Student Activities Officer does so the Students’ Union intend to raise awareness of the consequences of losing the role as best they can. The demonstration is intended as a showing of solidarity in support of the Student Activities Officer position.”

Comments surrounding the decision by Campus Property Ltd. to pull resources for the position occupy a three-page thread on life. dcu.ie. The forum is where fi rst news of the planned demonstration emerged.

One student says: “The University is always quick to call upon societies for occasions like Open Days, but how do they expect societies to maintain themselves when they take away the person who is so important for their survival?”

Another says: “Given the university’s emphasis in its recruitment campaigns on the extracurricular aspects of studying here it’s a bit rich to get rid of a position that is integral towards the maintenance and development of those activities.”

The matter has also been discussed on national internet forum boards.ie.

For the demonstration, students are asked to congregate on the green outside Spar and take part in their club or society’s core activity. They are also asked to hang a sock from the washing lines that will be erected across the area as a sign of their support.

Kavanagh says: “The demonstration will hopefully strengthen our case when Claire Bohan puts forward a proposal to the Budgetary Committee in May. It will hopefully include a request for funding for the Student Activities Officer or an equivalent.”

Lisa Muldowney refused to comment on the matter.

Picture taken at the Save our Socs protest by David Kearns.