One step closer to USI vote

DCU is one step closer to having a referendum on USI – after it is set to have a public debate in two weeks time on whether the university should be a member of the Union of Students of Ireland (USI).

Both sides of the debate will be represented – with a member of USI being invited on campus for this first time this year.

However, according to the Students’ Union education and welfare officer John Murphy it “wouldn’t be realistic” to have a referendum this year and that it would be the “onus of next year’s team to push this forward.”

At Union Council last week, former SU president Niall McClave asked whether, in the wake of NUI Maynooth reaffiliating to the national students’ union it was worth, “starting a discussion on USI and asking what our position should be.”

SU president Alan Keegan told the meeting that he feels DCU does belong in USI, “just not in the current state it’s in.”

He said that before the university should come back, there is a need for officers to be stripped back and that, “one of the main reasons why DCU hasn’t come back in is because no one has made an attempt to contact us despite what you may read in the College View.”

John Murphy told Union Council that because of changes in the economy he felt the university needed to “look at” reaffiliation.

He said that the €5 fee it would cost each student to join would pay itself back in the material that DCU would receive from the national students’ union and that he, “could do an incredibly better job” and “offer better support to students” if DCU was a member of USI.

This unexpected development came after the USI had accused Students’ Union president Alan Keegan of refusing to allow DCU students the opportunity to consider a referendum on reaffiliating with USI.

In a letter published in this issue of the College View, the USI calls on Keegan to “present us with the opportunity to make a case to DCU students.”

The letter states that the decision to rejoin USI “rests solely with the student body of Dublin City University” and that “the DCU Students’ Union president has hitherto refused the opportunity to open a fair and proper debate on USI affiliation.”

Author of the letter, USI’s eastern officer Chris Bond told the College View that it is important to be aware that rejoining USI is a decision that can only be made by the student body.

He said: “There is a clear unwillingness on behalf of Alan Keegan to engage with us but it is important for DCU students to know that it is up to them if they want to reaffiliate with USI.”

DCU and UL are currently the only universities in Ireland that are not members of USI after 74% of NUI Maynooth students voted in favour of rejoining last month.

Sources within USI indicated this week that the issues of DCU rejoining the organisation and the alleged unwillingness on behalf of the SU to open the USI debate are set to be major talking points at the USI national congress this week.

One source said that there is “no intention to push USI on DCU but the ‘taboo’ that surrounds the topic has to be gotten rid of.”

Peter Mannion, the president of USI, told the College View last year that at present DCU is lacking a voice on a national level.

Commenting on his Facebook page, Trinity College SU president and one of the candidates for the position of USI deputy president, Cónán O’Broin, stated that “the reaffiliation of NUI Maynooth has sent out a message to other non affiliated colleges that the tide has turned and that affiliation to USI is their only option should they wish to have a voice at a national level.”

USI officer Chris Bond told the College View that the restoration of the Dublin Bus Nitelink to DCU would become a key priority if DCU reaffiliated.

He said: “We would certainly fight to restore the night link to DCU as well as continuing our fight to tackle the serious failures in the grant system. Any delay in the payment of grants is unacceptable.”