USI Policy Manual 2012/2013

Union of Students in Ireland Policy Manual July 2012 Long Version

Table of Contents Academic Affairs & Quality Assurance ................................ . 4 2012……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4 2011……………………………………………………………………………………………………..10 2010........................................................................................................ 20 2009........................................................................................................ 28

Welfare ................................ ................................ ........... 51 2012……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 51 2011........................................................................................................ 57 2010........................................................................................................ 63 2009........................................................................................................ 73 Equality ................................ ................................ .......... 81 2012.…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 81 2011........................................................................................................ 86 2010........................................................................................................ 90

Disability ................................ ................................ ....... 106 2010...................................................................................................... 106 Gender Equality ................................ ............................. 108 2010...................................................................................................... 108 International Students ................................ ................... 113 2010...................................................................................................... 113 LGBT ................................ ................................ ............. 116 2010...................................................................................................... 116 2009...................................................................................................... 122

Mature Students ................................ ............................ 1 27 2010...................................................................................................... 127

National Affairs ................................ ............................. 1 29 2012………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 129 2

2011...................................................................................................... 136 2010...................................................................................................... 142 2009...................................................................................................... 143

Union Organisation ................................ ........................ 1 45 2012 …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 145 2011...................................................................................................... 155 2010...................................................................................................... 159 2009...................................................................................................... 177

Constitutional Amendments ................................ ............ 18 0 2012 …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 180 2011...................................................................................................... 185 2010...................................................................................................... 196 Administration & Finance ................................ ............... 19 8 2010...................................................................................................... 198 Emergency Motions ................................ ........................ 2 01 2012 …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 201 2011 ……………………………………………………………………………………………….... 204 2010...................................................................................................... 205 Rúin na Gaeilge……………………………………………………………………208 2012 ………………………………………………………………………………………………….208 Citizenship…….……………………………………………………………………209 2012 ………………………………………………………………………………………………….209

Explanatory Note:

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The USI Policy Manual 2012 details all motions passed at USI Congress, USI Equality Standing Conference & USI LGBT Standing Conference for the past three years. USI policy has a three-year life span before it lapses.

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS & QUALITY ASSURANCE 2012 12/ AA 1

TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY STATUS

Congress notes Section 8.7 of the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 (The Hunt Report), which relates to the evolution of the Institutes of Technology in Ireland. The strategy makes the case for a new type of University, known as a Technological University, which would have a different focus to those Universities established under the Universities Act 1997.

Congress further notes That this development would help to bring about a parity of esteem between both the sectors, whilst recognising that they are different in nature.

Congress notes with concern The risk of the Higher Education Sector becoming divided over this proposal.

Congress further notes with concern The impact of this potential for division on the education sector, and the reputation of the education of our members.

Congress acknowledges A move by a number of Institutes of Technology to work together to establish Technological Universities on a regional basis.

Congress welcomes Efforts by the Department of Education and Skills to plan for Higher Education provision in Ireland over the next two decades.

Congress stresses The importance of engagement with appropriate student representative organizations throughout the implementation process.

Congress mandates All appropriate members of Officer Board to meet and discuss the impact of Technological University status with the Member Organisations involved in each potential Technological University on a case by case basis and to make representations on their behalf, at a national level. This mandate shall be fulfilled as required, and shall be presented for review on its expiration.

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12/ AA 2

ESTABLISHMENT OF AGENCY FOR STUDENT TRAINING IN QA

Congress notes That SPARQS was created in 2003 to support the greater engagement of students in the management of quality assurance and enhancement in Scotland's Colleges and Higher Education Institutions. SPARQS is hosted by NUS Scotland and is funded by the Scottish Funding Council for Further and Higher Education.

Congress further notes The advancement of student participation in the QA process in Scotland since the establishment of SPARQS. Congress notes with regret That little training is provided to students who are involved in the QA process in Ireland.

Congress welcomes The amalgamation of HETAC, FETAC, NQAI and IUQB into QQAI. Congress mandates The President and the Vice-President for Academic Affairs and QA to attempt to secure funding and lobby for the establishment of an agency similar to SPARQS to be managed by USI. This mandate shall expire after a period of 3 years if it is not re-approved by Congress.

12/ AA 3

GRANT CAMPAIGN

Congress notes That for the past several years USI’s officers have carried out a campaign of information evenings across the country in the months of late summer for those applying for the student grant.

Congress also notes That this has been a valuable service to society generally and to our members.

Congress also notes That a single governmental agency would be able to commit significantly more human and financial resources to such a campaign than this Union, and that with

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the creation of the single national grants awarding agency that such an agency now exists.

Congress therefore mandates The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance, Vice President for the Southern Region and the Vice President for the Border, Midlands and Western Region to work with the above named agency toward jointly provisioning the grant awareness and information campaign in the future. The first of these recurring campaigns shall be completed by October 2012.

12/ AA 4

TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITIES

Congress recognises That many Institutes of Technology are aiming to become Technological Universities (TU) in coming years.

Congress further recognises That should the number of Institutes of Technology which have currently declared their intention to seek TU status actually achieve that status, this would create a situation where almost every major provider of third-level education in Ireland would be some form of university.

Congress notes That the international recognition of all of our qualifications is vital in ensuring our graduates have a decent chance of employment, regardless of whether those qualifications are from a University, an Institute of Technology, or any other provider of third-level education.

Congress mandates the USI Officerboard To ensure that the National Council and the Member Organisations in general are kept fully informed of developments regarding the possible re-designation of Institutes of Technology as Technological Universities over the next three years To lobby the Government over the next three years to maintain the current criteria for the re-designation of an Institute of Technology as a Technological University, and to include this issue in future Lobby of the Oireachtas documents.

12/ AA 5

CONTINUED IMPROVEMENTS TO THE LECTURING STANDARDS IN HEI’S

Congress notes The importance of continued monitoring of the teaching standards of 3rd level courses, which contribute to the degree awarding abilities of all HEIs.

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Congress further notes The importance of lectures and tutors/mentors in students’ time in 3rd and 4th level education.

Congress notes with concern That any short comings in lecturers' attempts to continually develop their teaching methodology and knowledge in their chosen area will have seriously detrimental effects on their ability to assist their students’ learning.

Congress further notes with concern That, currently, no legislation exists which governs the need for lecturers to develop their teaching methodology and knowledge in their chosen area.

Congress mandates The USI President, following consultation with any representative union with 3rd level lecturing staff among their membership, to lobby the HEA to introduce and implement criteria based, Peer led Performance Review scheme to monitor the performances of lectures on an annual or biennial basis. Independent student feedback is to be an integral element of these criteria. This mandate should be fulfilled by June 2013.

Congress Further Mandates That the President lobby the HEA to establish a working group to form the framework and criteria for this performance review scheme, which includes, but is not limited to, representatives for students, lecturing staff and a national 3rd level Quality Assurance organisation. This mandate should be fulfilled by June 2013.

12/ AA 6

RE-INSTITUTION OF GAELTACHT GRANT FOR TEACHERS

Congress notes The benefit that time in the Gaeltacht affords trainee teachers Congress notes with concern Steps taken by government to remove the grant for teaching students to go to the Gaeltacht as part of their course.

Congress mandates The Vice-President for Academic affairs and Quality Assurance and the VicePresident for the Irish Language to lobby the department, and minister for education to reverse the decision to remove the grant, in order to ensure that trainee teachers may continue to attend the Gaeltacht during their course.

12/ AA 7

GRANT REFORM (ESTRANGED PARENTS)

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Congress applauds That the Student Support Act 2011 has come in to effect and that from summer 2012 the administration of the student grant scheme will be significantly more streamlined, and the application process more clear and user friendly for those applying.

Congress notes That for those whose parents are informally separated, or who have no tangible connection to one or both parents for whatever reason, and who are under the age of 23 applying for a grant remains impossibly burdensome due to the onerous documentary evidence obligation on the applicant.

Congress mandates The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance to propose an alternative method of proving independence for adoption by National Council before the end of December 2012.

And That a detailed submission be made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance and the President to government on this subject before April 2013.

12/ AA 8

MERGING OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Congress notes That discussions for regional clustering and merging of Higher Education institutions are currently on going.

Congress recognises The positive developments these institutions will bring to research, teaching & learning and provision of facilities and services.

Congress notes with concern That the individual nature of an institution’s ethos, identity and traditions may be lost in the creation of mergers and amalgamation of institutions.

Congress mandates Officer Board to keep an institution’s ethos in mind when in discussion with the HEA and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that that they are protected and to report back to National Council and the MOs who will be affected. The mandate shall lapse after three years from being passed at congress as discussions will be on going with regard to the future of Higher Education in Ireland.

12/ AA 9

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HEA REPORT FROM THE WORKING GROUP ON STUDENT CONTRIBUTION

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Congress Commends The work done by the group and the report it has compiled.

Congress notes The financial strain that student services are facing across the country, even with the increased contribution charge by students.

Congress notes with concern Varying practices between HEIs, which directly contradict the General Principles outlined in the report, much to the detriment of student services and students’ unions alike.

Congress Mandates That all USI Vice Presidents and President, where relevant, lobby the HEA to ensure that all HEIs adopt the general principles and recommendations of the report. By arranging meetings with the relevant senior HEA officials before the end of December 2012.

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Education 2011 11/ ED 1

MOTION ON PAY SCHEME CHANGES FOR NURSING STUDENTS

Congress notes The dedication of student nurses and midwives to their patients in the face of difficult conditions and understaffing in teaching hospitals and the number of unpaid hours put in by these students up to their final year.

Congress further notes The decision by An Bord Altranais to phase out the wage for the 36 week internship of final year nursing and midwifery students.

Congress recognises The essential role that nursing and midwifery interns have in HSE run hospitals and the level of personal and professional responsibility undertaken by these interns.

Congress mandates the President, Deputy President, Education, Equality and all Area Officers To lobby An Bord Altranais as well as the Ministers for Health and Children and Minister for Education & Science to reverse this decision.

Congress further mandates the President and Deputy President To liaise with the INMO and the INMO youth forum as well as all COs offering nursing or midwifery courses with regard to action to be taken by nursing students and the INMO to effect the reversal of this decision including but not limited to industrial action by nursing students during their internship.

11/ ED 2

THE HUNT REPORT

Congress notes The publication of the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 known as the Hunt Report.

Congress believes

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That all stakeholders, particularly students, will benefit from having clear, defined long term goads for the sector.

Congress recognises The impact that this Report may have on the education sector as a whole.

Congress mandates the President and the Education Officer To ensure that there is student representation at all levels of where authority to implement recommendations of the Hunt Report lies.

11/ ED 3 STUDENT CONTRIBUTION CHARGE Congress notes The scrapping of the Registration Fee and its replacement with the Student Contribution Charge.

Congress further notes That these increases will make attending Higher Education even more difficult than was previously the case.

Congress recognises That front loading of the Student Contribution Charge and other associated costs with attending Higher Education into the first half of the first semester further strains the budgets of students and their families.

Congress mandates the Education Officer To campaign to ensure that all colleges operate an instalment plan whereby students can pay the Student Contribution Charge in smaller lump sums spread throughout the Academic Year.

11/ ED 4

SUPPORT FUNDS FOR PART-TIME STUDENTS

Congress notes That a number of support funds including the Fund for Student with Disabilities, the Student Assistance Fund and the Maintenance Grant are only available for students studying on a full-time basis in recognised Higher Education Institutes.

Congress further notes That part-time students are not able to avail of the “free-fees� scheme.

Congress mandates the Education Officer, Welfare Officer and Equality Officer To campaign and lobby for support funds and the free fees scheme to be extended to include part-time students.

11/ ED 5

ECTS HARMONISATION

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Congress notes Irelands increasing compliance with the Bologna Process.

Congress further notes That the Bologna process has improved the level of transferability and comparability of awards across the European Higher Education Area.

Congress recognises That much work remains to be done to implement harmonisation of hours on work required to earn an ECTS credit.

Congress mandates the Education Officer To investigate the situation on a national and local level and ascertain trends in compliance by college and by broad subject area and then to lobby institutions to correct shortfalls and excesses that are present.

11/ ED 6

EXAM REGULATIONS

Congress notes That the regulations concerning progression, transfer and quality of awards subsequent to students having failed an exam in an award year differ between institutions.

Congress believes That this situation creates inequalities given that students who get the same results in different institutions will achieve different outcome which is contrary to national and international guidelines.

Congress mandates the Education Officer To investigate each institution, prepare and submit a report to National Council detailing which Colleges are deviating from national and international guidelines.

11/ ED 7

“YOUR FUTURE CAMPAIGN�

Congress notes The importance of informing students about their options after they leave college in relation to careers and job opportunities, increasing employability, postgraduate study and working abroad.

Congress acknowledges That in the current economic climate, there are a number of difficulties facing graduates, and a significant degree of concern exists among students in relation to this.

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Congress therefore mandates the Officerboard To run a national “Your Future” campaign and provide materials, information and contacts focused on this area to local Cos.

11/ ED 8

PUBLIC SECTOR MORATORIUM

Congress believes That the Public Sector Moratorium was a blunt tool used to reduce public sector staffing numbers that has ended up impacting frontline education and health services unnecessarily.

Congress also believes That the Moratorium is forcing many Irish graduates, that would normally be streamed into public service, to emigrate to countries like Australia, Canada and the UK. Congress notes USI’s policies on graduate unemployment, and the consistent campaign to create jobs for graduates in Ireland Congress mandates the President and Officer board To call for and work towards a re-negotiation of the Public Sector Moratorium to improve prospects for employment for Irish graduates with the newly formed Government.

11/ ED 9

GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT

Congress notes That Ireland is facing a major jobs and competitiveness crisis.

Congress further notes That over 150,000 people will emigrate from Ireland by 2015, a vast majority of which will be graduates. This figure is the equivalent of every graduate Ireland produces over the next five years leaving the country.

Congress believes That with almost 100,000 Irish people under the age of 25 on the live register it is imperative that all political parties recognise the severity of the jobs crisis among younger people and make the issue of graduate unemployment a main priority going forward.

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Congress mandates the Deputy President, Education Officer and Area Officers To continue working on tackling graduate unemployment by lobbying for the implementation of measures recommended in USI’s ‘Reigniting the Smart Economy’.

Congress therefore adopts The measures proposed in ‘Reigniting the Smart Economy’ as USI policy.

Congress further mandates the Deputy President, Education Officer and Area Officers To put pressure on the government to produce a comprehensive long-term strategy to tackle graduate unemployment.

11/ ED 10

EFFECT OF RECESSION

Congress notes There is a large, if relatively unknown body, of economic and social research statistics on the effects of the recession on businesses, families etc.

Congress also notes That in talking about how students, and the families that they are increasingly reliant on, have been affected, it is difficult to show comprehensively how the recession has impacted students’ finances along with their family finances.

Congress mandates Officer Board To commission/compile an impact assessment report on how the recession has affect student finances, and also how it has affected families supporting students.

Congress recommends That this report should take into consideration: public sector/private sector representation in supporting families and the recessionary impact on them, personal and national debt analysis and how over indebtedness affects people/families, geographic analysis of recessionary impact to aid regional COs, drop in student employment, and if possible the significant drop in student/family expenditure.

11/ ED 11

PUBLIC-FUNDING MODEL

Congress notes The large amount of motions in favour of publicly-funded educational institutes funded through progressive taxation measures, as opposed to tuition fee/loans scheme/mixed model of funding.

Congress notes

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The reports commissioned and compiled by NUS-UK i.e. ‘Broke and Broken’, on the UK funding scenario, and the effects of implementing higher fees/loans scheme etc that it would have on 3rd-level funding and equality of access.

Congress further notes That though there is a large body of research that the USI uses, there is not one comprehensive citable document which outlines the case for why public-funding through progressive taxation is a) more equitable and b) provides greater overall funding to the 3rd level sector.

Congress mandates Officer Board To compile a single comprehensive and researched document on the public-funding model proposed through various USI policies.

11/ ED 12

CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRANGEGORMAN CAMPUS

Congress notes That the development of the Grangegorman Campus is an essential cornerstone of Higher Education Strategy in Ireland, and that it will be of immeasurable benefit to the local community, and Ireland.

Congress further notes That DIT caters for approximately eleven percent of all Higher Education activity nationally.

Congress applauds The Government’s decision to approve the development, and the support that is currently present across the political parties.

Congress mandates the President, and Officer Board To lobby the Government and the HEA to continue to support the project, in conjunction with the DIT Students’ Union.

11/ ED 13

HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING DEBATE

Congress recognises The current economic climate and the effect it has on 3rd level funding, Congress notes That without the free fees system, Ireland would not have become such a large exporter of goods and services.

Congress mandates the President

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To organise a “Third Level Funding Debate”, where members of the Union, and other interested parties at the discretion of National Council, can put forward ideas about how third level education can be funded.

Congress notes The importance of this being an open forum, with all options being considered, and not being dismissed out of hand.

Congress mandates the President To develop a funding strategy based on this debate, and to present it to National Council.

Congress further mandates the President To have this completed by June 2011.

11/ ED 14

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND

Congress notes That since 1908 the National University of Ireland has graduated hundreds of thousands of students with approximately 250,000 still living both in Ireland and abroad, and that the NUI degree is an invaluable brand boosting employment opportunities and improving perceived esteem to graduates of the NUI than that of their individual constituent college alone.

Congress further notes That the proposed savings from abolishing the University are in fact neutralised by the need to replace the NUI’s key functions in all nine constituent colleges, and will save at most €18,000 to the exchequer.

Congress condemns The ill-conceived proposal by the then Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe to abolish the NUI which predates the state and has a long and proud history of supporting and fostering the Irish language, history and culture.

Congress mandates Officer Board To work with the Senate and Convocation of the NUI in opposing the abolition, in favour of pro-active reform, of the National University of Ireland.

11/ ED 15

RGAM

Congress notes The inequality in funding distribution currently practised by the Higher Education Authority under the auspices of the Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM), and the intention to expand RGAM to all higher education institutions in Ireland.

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Congress further notes That proposed alterations to the existing funding model to Universities made in November 2010 by the HEA will reward institutions with significantly higher proportions of students from more well-off socio-economic backgrounds while withdrawing funding from institutions who are meeting the applied targets in terms of access and social inclusion in the name of rationalisation.

Congress condemns The insistence of certain state agencies on modelling all funding provision systems on the UK equivalents, where social inclusion in higher education has in fact fallen steadily since 2003 under the supervision of those schemes.

Congress mandates the President and Education Officer To oppose the expansion of RGAM until the model has been re-evaluated and to encourage a full and meaningful review of RGAM before any further changes to funding of higher education institutions is enacted.

11/ ED 16

ANONYMOUS MARKING

Congress notes That the practice of students writing their names on exam papers remains.

Congress believes That anonymous marking removes the potential for bias and ensures the impartiality and integrity of the examination process.

Congress mandates the Education Officer To campaign for anonymous marking for written examinations in all institutes of further and higher education.

11/ ED 17

FUNDING FOR MATURE STUDENTS

Congress notes That in the past two years, there have been significant changes in rates and eligibility for mature students in relation to the Maintenance Grant, which have resulted in some students suffering a significant drop in funding.

Congress notes That thee automatic entitlement of mature students to the non-adjacent rate of the Maintenance Grant had been based on higher than average living costs, and this has now been removed.

Congress mandates the Equality Officer and the Education Officer To compose a policy document outlining a new method of support funding for mature students and non-mature students which will be assessed on a more

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individual basis to account for matters such as, but not limited to, the number and age of dependents and travel costs associated with dependents in pre-school, firstlevel or second level education etc.

11/ ED 18

MATHEMATICS BONUS POINTS

Congress condemns The decision by many higher education institutions in the past year to agree to a reintroduction of bonus points for higher level mathematics in the leaving certificate regardless of course of entry to higher education.

Congress notes The historical legacy of failure of the third-level sector in solving second-level problems by imposing admissions requirements on second-level students without engaging in wide-ranging consultations on curriculum reform.

Congress mandates the Education Officer

To prepare a policy document in accordance with this and previous national council motions on the subject and to lobby for the reversal of the decision to offer bonus points by the institutions concerned.

11/ ED 19

MAINTENANCE GRANTS 2

Congress notes The current situation of higher education maintenance grants criteria is firstly based on what education institution they attend.

Congress believes That third level education should be an open playing field for students and grants should be made available to students based on each individual circumstance on meeting the required criteria rather than on what education institution they attend.

Congress further notes That there should be equality and accessibility to education to everyone, for further progressing the opportunities available to students and that that the current grants system is inequitable, significantly unfair and is a barrier to those trying to attend third-level education.

Congress also believes That USI should be in a position to fight for equitable access to education grants in every circumstance.

Congress therefore mandates the President, Deputy President, Education Officer and the rest of Officer Board

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To take action in lobbying the Minister for Education and Skills, pursuant to Section 8 of the Student Support Act 2011, to provide that private colleges such as Griffith College are included in the Higher Education Grant Scheme.

11/ ED 20

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Congress recognises That we as a student movement must strive for real equality and equal opportunities at all levels in the Irish education system. We also recognise that whether or not a child will make it to third-level education is often determined many years before that child sits the Leaving Certificate.

Congress further recognises That many potential college students have not made it to third-level because they come from areas of socio-economic disadvantage, and thus cannot afford private schooling, or because the public schools in their areas are not adequate.

Congress notes The growth of grind schools and private secondary schools in Ireland in the past two decades, and that this growth of the private school sector has led to elitism among students at second-level and beyond, and has also resulted in many good public schools struggling to fill places and stay open.

Congress further notes That students attending private schools have access to an education that is partly publicly-funded, but which is only accessible to those who can afford it. This gives them a significant advantage over public school students in the CAO race for places in third-level courses.

Congress mandates USI Officer Board To campaign for the removing of state funding for private primary and secondary schools, and for any monies saved to be re-invested in the wider, publicly-funded and publicly-accessible education system including primary, secondary and third level education.

11/ ED 21

POSTGRADUATE LOAN SCHEME

Congress notes That the cost of postgraduate education courses can be prohibitive for many students.

Congress mandates the President, Deputy President, Education Officer and Postgraduate Officer To formulate policy that would propose a state guaranteed loan scheme for postgraduates who wish to avail of it.

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Congress further mandates Officer Board To lobby the department of Education and the department of Finance for its adoption.

2010 10/ED 1

FUNDING OF THIRD LEVEL COLLEGES

Congress Notes That the current policy manual contains many motions concerning the funding of third level institutions, the registration fee, fees, graduate taxes, loans and other means of student contribution. Many of these motions are repetitive and some contradictory.

Congress Further Notes The document entitled “USI: DEMAND A BETTER FUTURE” as published in February 2010. This document contains all previous relevant USI policies in relation to the funding of third level institutions and an explanation for them as well as up-to-date policies in relation to recent developments in this area.

Congress Mandates That the Officers of USI adopt the document „USI: DEMAND A BETTER FUTURE‟ and the policies in relation to the funding of third level education contained therein as USI policy.

Congress Also Mandates That the Officers of USI update this policy document if necessary and resubmit it to congress.

Congress Repeals 09/ED 1; 09/ED 2; 09/ED 7; 09/ED 9; 09/ED 10; 09/ED 17; 09/ED 22; 08/ED 7; 08/ED 8; 08/ED 12; 08/ED 17; 08/ED 20; 08/ED 21; 07/ED 7; 07/ED 10; 07/ED 11; 06/ED 7; 06/ED 9; 06/ED 12; 06/ED 17; 05/ED 3; 05/ED 12; 05/ED 19; 05/ED 23

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10/ ED 2

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROPOSED

Congress Notes That the current policy manual contains many motions concerning Quality Assurance, and that many of these motions are repetitive and some contradictory.

Congress Further Notes The document entitled “USI: DEMAND BETTER QUALITY” as published in February 2010. This document contains all previous relevant USI policies in relation to Quality Assurance and an explanation for them as well as up-to-date policies in relation to recent developments in this area.

Congress Mandates That the Officers of USI adopt the document “USI: DEMAND BETTER QUALITY” and the policies in relation to the Irish quality assurance system contained therein as UI policy.

Congress Also Mandates That the Officers of USI update this policy document if necessary and resubmit it to congress.

Congress Repeals 09/ED 8; 09/ED 15; 08/ED 2; 08/ED 11; 07/ED 8; 07/ED 9; 07/ED 17; 06/ED 3; 06/ED11; 06/ED 19; 05/ED 6; 05/ED 16; 05/ED 17; 05/ED 20. Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 20 - - 20 – 10/ ED 3

MAINTENANCE GRANT

Congress Notes That the current policy manual contains many motions concerning the maintenance grant, student support bill and subsidiary relief, and that many of these motions are repetitive and some contradictory.

Congress Further Notes The Document entitled “USI: DEMAND A BETTER GRANT” as published in February 2010. This document contains all previous relevant USI policies in relation to the Maintennence Grant, Student Support Bill and subsidiary relief and an explanation

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for them as well as up-to-date policies in relation to recent developments in these areas.

Congress Mandates That the Officers of USI adopt the policy document entitled „USI: DEMAND A BETTER GRANT‟ and the policies in relation to the grant, student support bill and other student finance options contained therein as USI policy.

Congress Also Mandates That the Officers of USI update this policy document if necessary and resubmit it to congress.

Congress Therefore Repeals 09/ED 3; 09/ED 6; 09/ED 16; 09/ED 20; 09/ED 21; 08/ED 1; 08/ED 13; 08/ED 15; 08/ED 16; 07/ED 5; 07/ED 6; 06/ED 1; 06/ED 4; 06/ED 10; 06/ED 20; 05/ED 4; 08/UO 8.

10/ ED 4

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Congress notes That every year a substantial number of International Students travel to Ireland to study within our higher education system.

Congress recognizes That these International students can pay large sums of money, on average €12,000 per year to study in our 3rd level institutions.

Congress further recognizes That there have been a number of issues with regards to these students arriving in Ireland with regards to Irish Customs.

Congress mandates The President to work on behalf of the International students to put in place an International Student Charter detailing student rights and responsibilities in the third level CO’s where they are studying. By the development of the framework each IoT and University would become responsible for the treatment of International Students when travelling to Ireland.

10/ ED 5

LEGAL PROFESSION

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Congress notes That to enter the legal profession in Ireland, one must overcome many financial and social obstacles.

Congress further notes That these obstacles mean that the majority undertaking a career in law are those who can afford it and who have pre-existing ties to the legal profession Congress notes with concern That such obstacles include

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Exceptionally high costs for postgraduate study in the King's Inns, with a one year degree course costing â‚Ź12,000. This course is also run during the day (as opposed to the evening diploma course) so people cannot work full time simultaneously.

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Barristers in their first year of practice must be able to afford to work for free during their year's apprenticeship, also known as 'devilling'. The apprenticeship must also take place in Dublin, thus increasing costs for candidates even further if forced to live away from home.

Congress believes That while the abolition of third level fees has delivered good progress in increasing access to education for people of all social backgrounds, more must be done to ensure that these artificial barriers to real educational equality of opportunity in certain professions are removed.

Congress affirms its belief that No profession should be the sole preserve of the wealthy and socially connected.

Congress mandates The President and the Education officer to give a presentation to the Joint Oireachtas committee on Education and Science on access to the legal system The President and Deputy to campaign and lobby for the extension of the higher education grants scheme to those taking barrister and solicitor courses.

10/ ED 6

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

Congress notes That Ireland currently has over 100,000 young people who cannot find work and are not in full-time education. Within this, the rate is a shocking 36.4% of people aged 15-19, and 23% of those aged 20-24, who are in neither full-time education or employment (CSO Quarterly Household Survey of July 2009).

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Congress notes That these figures are likely to worsen when more graduates are seeking employment this year, and that the persistent lack of opportunities for graduates of all disciplines is likely to lead to mass emigration, making future economic recovery more difficult.

Congress further notes Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 23 - - 23 – That up skilling of the workforce and capital investment is vital to secure the longterm stability of the country.

Congress mandates The Union President, Deputy President and Education Officer to actively campaign and lobby for: · Expand free third level tuition fees scheme to include part-time courses. · Provide funding for third level institutions to create part-time courses in targeted

areas for future national development such as green energy. · Increase the number of, and capacity of HEA educational courses to upskill

students in more sectors on a long-term basis. · Increase the capacity and diversity of work placement and labour activation

schemes.

10/ ED 7

STUDENT FUNDING

Congress notes That with the economy struggling, students need all the help they can get in securing funding in the form of grants, scholarships and other non-traditional forms of supports for college degrees.

Congress believes That USI needs to lobby the Department of Education to compile a list of all forms of funding for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees that is available to students in every third-level institute in the country.

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Congress notes That the studentfinance.ie website is a great resource for students and prospective students, and that it should be utilised more to help people looking for financial information before going to college.

Congress mandates The Education Officer to lobby the Department of Education to publicise the aforementioned list of funding available on the studentfinance.ie website.

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10/ ED 8

BTEA CAMPAIGN

Congress notes That the removal of the entitlement of Back to Education students to a maintenance grant will cost unemployed mature students in the region of €7,000 a year in expected income.

Congress firmly believes That the decision to bring in this measure was wrong, unfair, and is not in the interests of this country, either financially or socially.

Congress notes That for many people trying to go back to education, the Budget cuts represent a loss of over 25% in expected income Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 24 - - 24 – Congress mandates The Education Officer to organise a sustained campaign to reverse this decision before the Department of Education & Science finalises it‟s implementation over the summer.

10/ ED 9

MEETING FEEDBACK

Congress Notes That USI, as the National Union representing most students studying at third-level colleges in Ireland, holds seats on all the bodies charged with policy, funding quality assurance and regulation of the third level sector, such as the HEA and NQAI and others.

Congress Notes with Concern The lack of institutional memory in USI with regard to issues discussed at these meeting.

Congress Further Notes The importance of this high-level involvement for the constituent members of USI who pay an annual affiliation fee to USI.

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Congress Therefore Mandates The President and Education Officer to create effective briefing and reporting communication channels, pre and post these meetings which USI attends (Pre meeting to consist of a notification of agenda items, and what stance USI plans to take on each, and an aide memoir post meeting of the discussion of each topic, what USI represented to the meeting and what the outcomes was.) on behalf of COâ€&#x;s, and where matters relevant to the COs are decided upon.

10/ ED 10

NUI LEVY

Congress notes The Minister for Education has decided to dissolve NUI. Congress also notes Each student who is attending a college associated with NUI pays a levy from their non-tuition fee to cover the cost of that office.

Congress acknowledges That when NUI is completely dissolved, students affected will not be refunded their levy money and there is a risk that either the University or the Government will use that proportion of funding towards other resources without consulting students.

Congress mandates The USI President to draft a policy on where this levy money could be put to use for students when the NUI is dissolved. This policy proposal should be presented at National Council for members consideration. Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 25 - - 25 – 10/ ED 11

APPRENTICES

Congress Notes That over the past number of years the increase within the trades industry with regards to Ireland.

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Congress Further Notes That with the economic downturn many of these apprentices have been left with no job and in some cases incomplete qualifications.

Congress Recognises The need to provide further education opportunities in the face of the ever-changing employment landscape of Ireland.

Congress Mandates The President and the Education Officer to lobby the Department of Education and the Higher Education Authority to clearly state, in a national framework, the eligibility of qualified apprentices to progress into relevant degree courses.

10/ ED 12

BUDGETS

Congress Notes That the current volatile economic climate, each Budget is likely to have significant impact on students.

Congress Further Notes That the fear and worry caused by budgets may cause avoidable harm to the welfare to Students.

Congress therefore mandates The USI Education Officer, as soon as possible subsequent to the delivery each budget, to the write an explanatory memorandum of the impacts of the budget on student and communicate it to all CO’s.

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2009 09/ED 1

TUITION FEES

Congress notes That it has long been a core principle of the student movement that education should be accessible to all people.

Congress recognises That tuition fees constitute a serious barrier to entry into third level education.

Congress strongly believes That education is a public and social good, which benefits not only the individual but the wider society. It should therefore be paid through progressive taxation like all public services. Investing in education is one of the most important investments we can make; not only does having an educated population strengthen our economy, but graduates pay on average 70% more in tax and have thus directly repaid the cost of their degree through taxation within ten years. Importantly, providing a college education to all is an important factor in creating a fair and more democratic society with equal opportunity for all.

Congress further notes That the OECD's “education at a glance 2008” lists Ireland at the top of selected industrialised countries for “providing the most equitable access to higher education”. This shows that the abolition of fees has had a significant impact on increasing equity of access, despite successive governments’ failure to follow up the success of free fees with a corresponding commitment to educational equality across the board.

Congress further notes That in two decades Ireland has seen an increase in access to third level education from 20% to 55%, and that a large factor in this has been the abolition of third level fees.

Congress believes That the economic crisis means that now, more than ever Ireland must make education accessible to all, in order to equip our people with the skills and

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knowledge that will help them innovate, create new jobs and attract foreign investment. Ireland’s future depends on investing in its people.

Congress notes That the cost of going to college in Ireland is, according to bank of Ireland’s cost of college survey, €38,000 for a four year degree. This cost will rise significantly if fees are introduced.

Congress condemns The proposals by minister for education and science to reintroduce third level fees, and his attempts to raise the registration fee to €1,500 per year, which is a tuition fee higher than almost any other European country charges for their public universities and colleges.

Congress hereby reaffirms Its commitment to an equal, fair and accessible education system, and to the complete abolition of tuition fees, including the registration fee.

Congress notes The huge campaigns in 2002/03 and 2008/09 run by USI to oppose tuition fees.

Congress mandates USI officer board to redouble its efforts to fight fees in any guise and to continue to place this issue at the centre of its lobbying and campaigning efforts.

Congress calls for A commitment by the government to fund third level education and all essential services through progressive taxation, where those on higher incomes pay the most.

Congress urges All local students’ unions to recognise their central role in the national campaign against fees, and to make fees their priority as students’ union representatives and as members of the national union. The usi is not officer board – it is all members. Therefore all members are responsible for engaging with the campaign.

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09/ED 2

STUDENT LOANS/GRADUATE TAX

Congress notes That the principle that education should be accessible to all people, has always been a core value of the student movement.

Congress strongly believes That education is a public and social good, which benefits not only the individual but the wider society. It should therefore be paid through progressive taxation like all public services. Investing in education is one of the most important investments we can make; not only does having an educated population strengthen our economy, but graduates pay on average 70% more in tax and have thus directly repaid the cost of their degree through taxation within ten years. Providing education to all citizens equally is fundamental principle for any fair society.

Congress notes The 2005 study in the UK by Professor Claire Callender and Jonathan Jackson that shows that for those on lower or middle income backgrounds in the UK, the fear of debt is a significant barrier to entry to third level education in the UK. This is a result of the student loans system in the UK. Congress also notes The research by Professor Kathleen Lynch of UCD’s equality studies centre on the Australian HECS system, that shows the detrimental impact that a deferred loans system can have on equity of access to third level and on increasing student impoverishment.

Congress notes That Australia’s education minister Julia Gillard has described the HECS student loans system as “at best complex and at worst anomalous, inconsistent and irrational”.

Congress notes That the cost of going to college in Ireland is, according to bank of Ireland’s cost of college survey, €38,000 for a four year degree. This cost will rise significantly

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if a loans system is brought in, placing third level education out of reach for many.

Congress also notes That the fairest and most egalitarian way of paying for higher education is through a progressive taxation system.

Congress condemns The suggestions by minister for education Batt O’Keeffe that an Australian-style student loans system might be introduced in Ireland, at the same time as the Australian government itself is recognising that the system doesn’t work.

Congress also opposes The suggestions by some politicians for a graduate tax. Graduates already pay 70% more in tax than non-graduates, therefore a graduation tax is not necessary nor is it fair.

Congress mandates USI officer board to continue to oppose fees in any guise, including student loans and a graduate taxation system.

Congress calls for Investment through progressive taxation in a fair, equitable education system from primary to third level, whereby those on higher incomes pay higher taxes which funds all essential services. This is an investment in strengthening our economy as well as creating fairness in our society.

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09/ ED 6

MAINTENANCE GRANT

Congress notes That the maintenance grant is one of the most important issues for students in further and higher education as it is the primary source of financial support available.

Congress recognises That since the introduction of the maintenance grant in 1973, USI has been at the forefront in campaigning for changes to the maintenance grant to ensure that it assists as many students as possible, provides a decent level of financial support and that the administration of the maintenance grant is flexible, efficient and studentfriendly.

Congress recognises That these priorities have been consistently re-affirmed at numerous congresses through different mandates, highlighting the commitment of USI and constituent organisations to reforming the maintenance grant system so that it serves those who need it.

Congress regrets That while each of these mandates is laudable it has created a patchwork of twelve motions that, in parts, contradict each other and make the creation of a co-ordinated and effective maintenance grants campaign more difficult than necessary.

Congress recognises That in order for a campaign to be effective it requires clear, concise goals and a defined, unitary policy Congress therefore mandates The repealing and deletion from the USI policy manual of 08 / ED 3, 08 / ED 13, 08 / ED 18, 07 / ED 1, 06 / ED 1, 06 / ED 4, 06 / ED 20, 05 / ED 4, 04 / ED 1, 04 / ED 7, 08 / UO 28, 07 / EQ 3, 05 / WEL 10.

Congress further mandates the education officer and deputy president To conduct the maintenance grant campaign, under the auspices of the education officer, in accordance with the following policies: Grant payment levels & reckonable income limits Maintenance grant payment levels to be raised to that of unemployment assistance and to parallel any and all increases in it.

Income limits to be increased in line with average annual growth in income as determined by the central statistics grant office and, if annual incomes decline, for the limits not to be decreased.

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All payments to be made the same day to all recipients of the maintenance grant via electronic payment every month with a bonus payment in September to allow students to meet deposits for rented accommodation.

Family status The recognition of the circumstances of single parents and students with dependents A new category of ‘independent learner under 23’ to be created which will allow students under the age of 23 who are estranged from their parents and/or living independently to be assessed on their own personal income.

Approved courses & institutions The distinction between full-time and part-time courses to be removed and the term replaced with approved courses in order to allow students on part-time courses to apply for the maintenance grant.

Students in private colleges to be allowed apply for the maintenance grant Nationality status Dependents of refugees to be eligible to apply for the maintenance grant A change in the regulations to allow the non-national parents of Irish born children apply.

Residency requirement The ‘residency requirement’ for the maintenance grant to be abolished for all applicants with EU nationality The ‘residency requirement’ for the maintenance grant to be abolished for all applicants who is a spouse of an EU or Irish national and is or has been employed in the state The ‘residency requirement’ for the maintenance grant to be abolished for all applicants who is a child of an EU or Irish national and does not have emu nationality The ‘residency requirement’ for the maintenance grant to be abolished for all applicants who are nationals of the EEA or Switzerland Application process & awarding authorities The creation of a single agency to handle all aspects of the maintenance grant and for this agency to be under the auspices of the department of social & family affairs The application form to be revised, streamlined and simplified in consultation with USI

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Method for means testing eligibility for the maintenance grant to be reformed A simplified process of re-applying for students in receipt of the maintenance grant should be devised and they should be informed of a decision before the start of the academic year.

Applications for the maintenance grant should be opened immediately after the CAO closing date in February 1st and all applicants should be notified of a decision before the start of the academic year.

Official application forms should be made available online and an online application process offered.

Maintenance grant regulations.

The four schemes within the maintenance grant to be merged into a single scheme with the ‘best practice’ elements of each preserved.

Abolish the ‘continuous stream of education’ regulation and permit the status of a candidate to change once they meet the criteria for the new status.

Information for constituent organisations.

Provide a module on the maintenance grant/student support bill at UOS for education and welfare officers Update the USI education handbook annually with information on the maintenance grant and/or produce a short guide for CO’s Information for students Produce the USI grants poster and distribute to all third-level institutions Produce a USI guide to applying for the maintenance grant and distribute to secondlevel students through (where possible) ISSU, guidance counsellors, principals, teachers’ unions and the department of education & science.

Campaigning for change USI to lobby TDs, ministers and councillors to reform the maintenance grant in line with the above policies.

All awarding bodies that are late paying the maintenance grant to be publicly named and shamed.

Build alliances with relevant stakeholders to create momentum for the campaign to reform the maintenance grant.

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The deputy president/campaigns officer shall, with the assistance of the education officer, be responsible for the public aspect of the campaign including any and all public demonstrations, protests, poster campaigns, letter-writing campaigns etc.

09/ED 7

CAPITATION TAX DEDUCTIBILITY

Congress notes That traditional tuition fees are tax deductible whilst the capitation fee is not tax deductible Congress further notes That the recent increases in the capitation fee, and planned future increases, have brought it on a par with traditional tuition fees Congress strongly opposes The consistent increase in the capitation fee which has been done in such a manner as to bring no additional benefit or funding to higher education institutes in Ireland and is a severe financial burden on students Congress criticises The government for continuing to increase the capitation fee, which was introduced only as a temporary measure, and for not improving the grants scheme or changing the means tested level to assist those students who currently find the capitation fee a significant financial restriction Congress mandates The officer board to lobby the government that the capitation fee should be made tax deductible

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09/ED 10

REINTRODUCTION OF FEES

Congress believes That USI should be in a position to fight for a fair and equitable access system to higher education in every circumstance.

Congress therefore mandates Officer board to renew their fight for a fair grant system by researching and proposing a system that will work in a better way to the current System and in a way that will ensure equitable access for all to third level education.

Congress further mandates The president to as much as possible ensure that USI gains a seat at any government or HEA organised group set up to look at the change of the current or introduction of a new grant system. Â

09/ ED 11

BOLOGNA PROCESS

Congress notes That the bologna process has, since its inception in 1999, become one of the most important and dominant themes in further and higher education in Europe with significant reforms being introduced throughout Europe and here in Ireland as a result of the bologna process.

Congress further notes That the reforms introduced as part of the bologna process have seen a dramatic transformation in further and higher education, much of which has been positive.

Congress recognises That these reforms have, however, also introduced considerable uncertainty into further and higher education and there is a need to ensure that as part of the bologna process, the quality of education is not undermined.

Congress welcomes That the union of students in Ireland has been involved at both a national and European level in the formation and development of policy in the key areas of the bologna process.

Congress regrets That on an issue as critical as the bologna process, which is now entering second decade, USI does not have official, formalised policy on the bologna process.

Congress believes That it is imperative that the national students’ union develop policy on an issue that is having and will have a profound impact on its membership.

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Congress therefore mandates The immediate repealing and deletion from the policy manual of 08 / ED 6, 07 / ED 12, 06 / ED 7, 06 / 21, 05 / ED 9, 04 / ED 8 And 04 / ED 13.

Congress further mandates USI to adopt the following principles on the Bologna process to be implemented by the president and the education officer Bologna process (general principles) USI welcomes the creation of the bologna process and the importance of education and educational co-operation in the development and strengthening of stable, peaceful and democratic societies.

The bologna process should be based on creating opportunities for mobility within higher education in Europe and should not be focused on purely developing a higher education system that suits the needs of enterprise and employers USI strongly believes that the over-arching goal of the bologna process should be to create a student-centred learning environment that is flexible, transparent, accessible to all and encourages the development of lifelong learning.

Future development of the bologna process must be driven through consultation and cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, which must include student representatives.

The bologna process should aim for significant and continuous improvement in the standard of education provided to students and that students are full and complete partners within institutions and at sectoral, national and European levels. Education must also be transparent with embedded and appropriate QA mechanisms focused on improving standards and academic provision.

Social dimension.

Participation in further and higher education must be widened and the demographic of these sectors should reflect the diversity of the population of the signatory countries to the bologna process.

Further and higher education is a public good and should primarily be publicly funded.

USI is opposed to any and all attempts to privatise further and higher education.

USI strongly welcomes the commitment enshrined in the bologna process to student services and will work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that student services are adequately resourced and improved in line with the needs of students.

All obstacles to participation further and higher education should be removed and USI will campaign strongly on this.

The social dimension of the bologna process must continue to be one of the central action lines of the bologna process.

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Mobility Increased opportunities for student and staff mobility as a result of the bologna process is to be welcomed and contributes positively to the academic and personal development of students.

There should be a mobility target of 20% of the student population by 2020. The participative equity within this 20% must be improved and institutions must create measures to ensure that credits gained during mobility are recognised on return.

A central mobility fund should be created and contributed to by EHEA countries and financed according to the principle of public financing.

USI believes that higher education institutions should provide extensive language tuition to students to encourage and promote mobility.

The USI education officer and the USI equality officer shall campaign and lobby for the simplification of visa and work permit rules and procedures to allow for greater mobility and to prevent mobile students being subject to undue stress, difficulties and discrimination.

Qualifications frameworks and recognition.

USI supports the adoption and implementation of the ECTS credit system whereby each academic year is comprised of 60 ECTS with each module being in multiples of 5 ECTS (e.g. 5, 10, 15 etc.). An ECTS credit should represent 20 – 25 hrs of student input including, but not limited to, lectures, assignments, self-directed learning, study and practical classes and placements.

USI welcomes and supports the development of modularisation where a module represents a block of teaching and learning with a combination of linked modules constituting a programme.

Semesterisation, whereby the academic year is comprised of two equal length teaching terms, is welcomed by USI. However, there should not be a nationally standardised set of term dates.

USI welcomes the introduction of learning outcomes, defined as “learning outcomes are statements of what a student is expected to know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate after completion of a process of learning�. All modules, subjects and programmes must be designed around learning outcomes which are regularly quality assessed to ensure they are appropriate and fir for purpose. Learning outcomes must be used to create a student-centred learning environment and may not be used to create a b0ox-ticking environment.

USI continues to support the national framework of qualifications and shall campaign to ensure that learning outcomes align with the knowledge, skills and competencies associated with the relevant level of the NFQ.

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All qualifications in further and higher education should be comparable and readable so that a student’s qualifications can be mapped on to both the European qualifications framework and the qualifications framework of all countries in the bologna process with ease. The comparability should be verified for the student by the relevant authority (such as ENIC-NARIC) free of charge.

The USI education officer shall run a campaign, in conjunction with constituent organisations, to raise awareness of the NFQ and to ensure that no student is disadvantaged by its operation.

USI Bologna Process Campaign USI reaffirms that the bologna process is of extreme importance to the education that students will receive.

USI shall undertake all necessary effort, under the direction of the USI education officer, to assist constituent organisations in ensuring the proper implementation of all bologna process related reforms.

USI will promote awareness of the bologna process and of related reforms and opportunities to students through constituent organisations.

USI will work with all relevant stakeholders sectorally, nationally and internationally to ensure adequate student representation and that the bologna process develops in lines with the above principles.

The USI education officer will develop and regularly update a USI strategy on the Bologna process.

09/ED 13

EQUITY OF ACCESS

Congress notes That the introduction of the ‘free fees’ initiative was designed to widen access to further and higher education for those from traditionally under-represented backgrounds.

Congress recognises That while much progress has been made, with an overall participation rate of 55%, there are still a number of socio-economic and non-traditional backgrounds which do not participate in further and higher education at the level of other groups.

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Congress welcomes Recent moves to broaden the participation rate, in particular the creation of the national office for the equity of access to higher education and the publication of the national plan for equity of access to higher education 2008 – 2013.

Congress reaffirms That one of the fundamental principles of the union is that it strives for an education and training system open to all, irrespective of any consideration, including consideration of national origin, ethnic background, age, ability, sex, sexuality, creed, political beliefs or economic circumstances, so that each individual can realise their full potential.

Congress believes That in order to uphold and defend this principle, USI must have a co-ordinated policy on equity of access and encouraging the widening of participation in further and higher education.

Congress therefore mandates The immediate repealing and deletion from the policy manual of 05 / ED 22, 04 / ED 12, 04 / ED 14 and 08 / EQ 15.

Congress further mandates That USI adopts the following principles as its policy on equity of access to further and higher education to be implemented by officer board:

Equity of Access (General Principles) USI shall campaign for an education and training system open and accessible to all All sectors of society should have equal opportunity to participate in further and higher education Further and higher education institutions should take all steps necessary to encourage and broaden participation USI shall build links and work with all relevant stakeholders and organisations to widen the participation rate and address all obstacles that may prevent individuals from accessing further and higher education The USI education officer shall develop and regularly update a USI strategy for equity of access to further and higher education Targeted access funding and programmes must be expanded to ensure that all students who come from traditionally under-represented backgrounds are able to access further and higher education 41

USI fully endorses, supports and shall campaign to ensure the meeting of the targets as outlined in the national plan for equity of access to higher education 2008 – 2013 All cuts to the student assistance fund, access offices or strategic innovation funded access projects shall be vigorously opposed by USI All constituent organisations shall be supported by USI in promoting access within their own institution and in supporting the proper representation of access students through policy development, practice, promotion and partnership the USI education officer and the USI deputy president/campaigns officer shall develop a public campaign promoting access to further and higher education, highlighting the current obstacles and building momentum to have these issues addressed.

09/ED 14

Lifelong Learning

Congress notes That in recent years, the demographics of further and higher education has undergone rapid change with increased participation from mature students and adult learners.

Congress welcomes This development as it has opened up the opportunities afforded by further and higher education to whole sections of the population who previously did not have this option.

Congress regrets That despite this progress and the publication of the national access plan for equity of access to higher education 2008 – 2013, there are many obstacles that prevent adult learners from accessing further and higher education.

Congress recognises That there has been much work in the area of lifelong learning (ll) and the recognition of prior learning which allows adult learners to re-enter education at any stage and to receive certification for the knowledge, skills and competencies that they have acquired outside of the sphere of formal education.

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Congress reaffirms That further and higher education should be open to all, irrespective of age and socio-economic status. Furthermore, students should be able to benefit from flexible method of delivery for education.

Congress believes That those who avail of flexible methods of education, such as distance or parttime education, should not be required to pay fees and that any such fees should be abolished.

Congress regrets That at present, USI does not have a coherent policy on the issue of lifelong learning.

Congress believes That as the sole national representative body for students, USI needs to develop a coherent and strong approach on this issue. Doing this will aligns with the fundamental principles of USI as laid down in the constitution.

Congress therefore mandates The immediate repealing and deletion from the policy manual of 08 / ED 8, O7 / ED 4, 07 / ED 10, 06 / ED 5 And 04 / ED 10.

Congress further mandates The adoption of the following principles as the USI policy on lifelong learning and recognition of prior learning to be implemented by education officer:

Lifelong learning All individuals should have the opportunity to enter further and higher education at any stage of their life post-secondary level USI recognises that the process of learning and education does not stop in the classroom or at a certain age – it is a lifelong, enriching process As an organisation, USI is committed to opening up the opportunities that further and higher education offer to all individuals and shall campaign for an education system built on this principle There should be no tuition fees for those seeking to avail of lifelong learning through part-time or distance education and USI will lobby and campaign to have all such fees abolished USI supports the target of mature students representing 20% of full-time students by 2013 and 27% of full and part-time students by 2013 43

USI will campaign for a national lifelong learning strategy and to ensure the development of ‘programme for access to higher education’ (path) meets the needs of lifelong learners USI will campaign for adequate provision and funding of back to education programmes for lifelong learners and for adequate social welfare payments to ensure that those benefiting from ll are not placed in financial hardship by doing so Recognising that those from a minority background get particular benefit from ll, the USI education officer shall work with the USI equality officer to develop a campaign to ensure that they can benefit from the opportunities ll offers USI will work with all relevant stakeholders and organisations to progress lifelong learning and open further and higher education to all USI will work to increase its representation amongst the lifelong learning community and the USI education officer shall draw up a strategy to achieve this, in consultation with the area officers

Recognition of Prior Learning USI believes in the concept of recognition of prior learning whereby individuals can receive credit and/or a supplementary, minor or major award within the national framework of qualifications for knowledge, skills and competencies acquired in a non-formal education environment USI shall lobby to ensure that the department of education & science introduces a national RPL policy A national RPL policy should focus on the creation of an environment in which individuals are empowered to have their learning recognised and where this recognition is embedded into employment culture USI will work with all relevant stakeholders and organisation to embed the culture of RPL in both the further and higher education sectors and the employment sphere.

09/ED 15

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Congress notes That quality assurance is an increasingly important issue facing higher and further education and one which USI needs a strong, coordinated campaign on.

Congress also notes That USI currently has eight existing motions relating to the area of quality assurance, each with different mandates and emphases.

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Congress recognises That while each motion covers an important topic, it has created a disparate and sometimes sectoral approach to quality assurance that prohibits the development of a coherent campaign that could affect real change.

Congress also recognises That as USI represents students across all sectors of further and higher education, it must establish a common set of principles that will underpin and inform the organisation’s approach to quality assurance Congress therefore mandates The repealing and deletion from the USI policy manual of 08 / ED 11, 07 / ED 8, 07 / ED 9, 07 / ED 17, 06 / ED 3, 06 / ED 19, 05 / ED 20 and 05 / ED 24 with immediate effect.

Congress further mandates That USI adopts the following guidelines as its policy on quality assurance to be implemented by the education officer:

Aims and principles: ‘Quality assurance’ includes processes such as evaluation, accreditation and audit.

Students have a right to a high quality of education and to have that education reviewed and assessed regularly The interests of students as well as employers and wider society are served through good quality higher education Institutional autonomy, tempered by a recognition that this brings with it heavy responsibilities The need for external quality assurance to be fit for its purpose and to place only an appropriate and necessary burden on institutions for the achievement of its objectives Centrality of student involvement and representation at all levels of the quality assurance process QA mechanisms should result in demonstrative improvements and that these improvements should be communicated back to students All elements of the QA process shall be transparent and accountable Quality Assurance of Modules, Programmes and Academic Units (General Principles) Institutions should have policy, procedures and formal mechanisms for the quality assurance of their programmes and awards 45

Institutions should have a culture which recognises the importance of quality, and quality assurance, in their work Each institution should have a central quality assurance office and/or committee that oversees the implementation of QA; this body shall have student representation All panels formed to conduct a QA review should have student representation All panels formed to conduct a QA review should have expert external representation The quality of teaching staff shall be periodically reviewed as part of any programme, academic unit or institutional review and shall be commented on in the final report The quality of education provided should be the central element in a review and each module and programme shall be assessed as to whether it is meeting its stated learning outcomes The appropriateness of the stated learning outcomes as they support a high quality education should also be reviewed Any and all QA reviews should also examine the quality of resources to support student learning including information systems, library resources and any and all other relevant services Modules should be assessed annually with programmes and academic units reviewed on a cyclical basis with programmes reviewed at least once every three years and academic units at least once every five years All quality assurance evaluations (module, programme, academic unit) should be made available online and all module and programme reviews be distributed to the students affected Following each assessment an action plan and timeline to implement the recommendations should be produced and communicated to students

External Quality Review of Institutions (General Principles) All institutions should be subject to review at least once every seven years Panels should be chosen and overseen by the accreditation and/or awarding body All panels should have student representation from a different institution with the pool of student representatives drawn up in consultation with USI All panels formed to conduct an institutional review should have expert external representation All panels should be fully independent and free of any influence or conflict of interest Guidelines for institutional reviews should be drawn up by the accreditation agency based on standardised best practice, such as ENQA’s ‘standards and guidelines’ As part of the review process the institution should produce a self-assessment report which should include progress on the recommendations of the previous report

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The effectiveness and suitability of the institution’s internal QA policies, procedures and mechanisms should be assessed The review should also examine the overall quality of the student experience, learning resources, information systems, institutional culture (academic and professional) and academic structure All institutional review reports should be made available online and all module and programme reviews be distributed to the students affected Following each assessment an action plan and timeline to implement the recommendations should be produced and communicated to students and the institution

National Quality Assurance Agency USI will lobby for the establishment of one quality assurance and accreditation body for the further and higher education sectors There should be at least one USI representative on its main committee, and USI representation on all relevant sub-committees The body should have statutory powers with regards to quality assurance in the whole third-level sector and accreditation and delegation of authority in the IOT sector The body should be responsible for commissioning and carrying out all institutional reviews It should draw up a series of best practice guidelines for assessment and QA mechanisms and these should form the basis of QA policies and procedures in the third-level sector This body should seek membership and accreditation through the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) It shall be subject to review once every 7 years and this shall involve consultation with USI Student Participation in Quality Assurance Student participation in quality assurance is essential in order to ensure that any QA system is credible The institution seeks to enshrine the value of student participation in quality assurance activities at module, programme, departmental, faculty and institutional level.

Each institution should produce a guide for new students and should aim to produce a quality assurance handbook Student representation on all QA fora is essential The student representation system should be designed to afford opportunities for student engagement in decision-making and quality management arrangements USI Campaign on Quality Assurance USI will campaign to ensure high quality teaching and QA standards throughout the further and higher education sectors in accordance with the policies above

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USI will engage with the department of education & science, FETAC, HETAC, HEA and the NQAI and all other relevant stakeholders to ensure the above A survey regarding the different forms of QA used and level of implementation throughout further and higher education in Ireland will be conducted and the results distributed to CO’s USI shall produce, or work with any sectoral body producing, a handbook for students on quality assurance detailing the rights of students and the importance of student involvement in QA The USI education officer shall assist constituent organisations in developing and implementing QA policies in accordance with the above principles The USI education officer shall assist constituent organisations in designing and producing materials to inform students about QA procedures and their right to a high quality education 09/ED 18

POST GRADUATE WORKING GROUP

Congress notes That postgraduate students are often very limited in the amount of time they can dedicate towards ancillary roles in local unions and USI itself.

Congress further notes That the issues that postgraduates face are often hindered by a lack of continuity from officer to officer, and that issues that occur nationwide could be solved by an effective communication network between postgraduate officers.

Congress therefore mandates The education officer to create a database of postgraduate issues that arose, and how they were addressed at local and national levels. This database should be made available to all postgraduate and education officers nationwide.

Congress also mandates The education officer to ensure that contact details of all postgraduate officers are available in the database.

Congress further mandates The education officer to organize meetings with the postgraduate officers, if necessary, to address their issues.

09/ED 22

FUNDING FOR HEI’S

Congress notes That education and an educated workforce is one of the prime drivers of a successful knowledge based economy

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Congress further notes That higher education institutes (HEI) require adequate resourcing in order to deliver the quality of education required to allow Ireland to compete in the modern global economy Congress notes with concern That for a number of year’s higher education institutes in Ireland have been under-resourced in comparison with their European counter-parts Congress further notes with concern That the recent economic downturn will likely maintain, and potentially intensify, the under-resourcing of HEI's and has led to discussions regarding student contributions to 3rd level education Congress mandates The president, in conjunction with officer board and any relevant 3rd party organisations where appropriate, to investigate HEI funding across Europe and the world and to draw up a detailed proposal for presentation to the national press and government outlining alternate strategies for the funding of 3rd level education in Ireland.

09/ED 23

IREL INITIATIVE

Congress notes Irel is a national initiative by government agencies SIF and HEA to fund access to electronic journals, databases and e-books in science, technology and medicine, humanities and social sciences. It has proved to be an essential resource for students - both postgraduate and undergraduate. First set up in 2004 it is worth approximately €1 million per year to each of the 7 universities.

Congress further notes It was extended this year to include the 14 institutes of technology however these institutes were only given access to 2 collections of journals – giving a total of €211,000 to be shared between them all.

Congress believes That it is unfair to institute of technology students as they do not have equity of 49

access to such resources.

Congress mandates The education officer to lobby to ensure that the initiative as a whole continues as it is very cost effective through economies of scale and ensures that all university students have access to the same key resources.

Congress further mandates The education officer to lobby the government to ensure the initiative is extended fully to the 14 institutes of technology.

09/ED 25

POSTGRADUATE WORK PLACEMENTS

Congress notes The cost incurred by students entering into work placement positions. Often these placements take on the form of free labour for employers.

Congress believes That all students entering into work placements should receive payment for the duration of the placement.

Congress mandates the officer board To campaign for payment for these types of placement.

09/ED 26

Student Assistance Fund

Congress notes This year saw a significant decrease in funding to the student assistance fund with a cut of €1.2 million.

Congress further notes Now more than ever, we need to be supporting our students who fall into financial difficulties and require financial assistance.

Congress learns That this academic year has seen a significant increase in the number of students seeking financial assistance and we should be investing in students in difficulty.

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Congress mandates The president to lobby the government through all relevant departments and semi-state agencies to reverse the cut in the student assistance fund and no to reduce the allocation to SAF any further.

Congress recognises The considerable knowledge held by the both the welfare officer and education officer in relation to finances, grants, student supports and cost of living etc Congress believes That with the assistance of the welfare officer and education officer, constituent organisations can organise an effective campaign to ensure that institutions contribute to both the student assistance fund and to maintain financial supports for students in difficulties Congress therefore mandates The welfare officer and education officer to support co’s in pressing their institutions to support and contribute to student assistance fund and to maintain and increase their contribution to their own financial supports for students.

09/ED 28

POSTGRADUATE CAMPAIGN

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Congress notes The growing population of postgraduate students within USI Congress regrets That many postgraduate students feel disconnected from USI Congress therefore mandates The education officer to organise a promotion campaign within the first semester of each year, to highlight the success and the services of USI to postgraduate students specifically

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Welfare 2012 12/ WEL 1 STUDENT ASSISTANCE FUND HARMONISATION STUDY Congress notes with approval The recently announced increase in government funding to the Student Assistance Fund.

Congress however notes with concern That the source of this funding was reallocated from other student support funds, where the broad picture remains one of desperate underfunding.

Congress further notes That the Student Assistance Fund varies dramatically in its methodology of administration from institution to institution, and in some cases within institutions themselves.

Congress asserts That best practice in this area can be made common practice only with accurate data knowledge and effective monitoring.

Congress therefore mandates The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance and the Vice President for Welfare to carry out a complete study of the administration of the Student Assistance Fund (to be complete by the 31st of December 2012) and author a best practice framework for adoption at USI Annual Congress 2013.

12/ WEL 2

STUDENT ACCOMMODATION

Congress notes That a number of student accommodation villages have gone into receivership in the past couple of years.

Congress notes with concern That this has caused financial uncertainty for students and their families and that the welfare of students has been put at risk.

Congress congratulates The Welfare Officer and Officer Board for their dedicated hard work with regard to the introduction of the Deposit Protection Scheme and the production of the useful annual resource of the USI Rent Book.

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Congress mandates The VP / Welfare to formulate a policy document on the entitlements of students when their designated student villages go into receivership. This should involve offering support and advice to MOs if the situation arises and some points of information on the issue should be included in the USI Rent Book. The mandate shall lapse after three years from being passed at congress.

12/ WEL 3

SEXUAL HEALTH WEB SITE

Congress Notes There is large amount of paper material distributed in conjunction with sexual health campaigns.

Congress recognizes The lack of a one-stop shop for sexual health information and support services on line.

Congress mandates the Welfare Vice President

To develop an all-inclusive web site which will contain relevant information about sexual health that can be used in conjunction with sexual health campaigns.

Motion shall apply for 3 years.

12/ WEL 4

ALCOHOL ABUSE

Congress notes That alcohol consumption in Ireland doubled between 1970 and 2003, one the largest increases in the world during that period (Byrne, 2010).

Congress recognises Though consumption has fallen slightly since 2003, Irish consumption at 13.4 litres of pure alcohol per person is the second highest in the OECD (Mongan, 2007).

Congress notes with concern That the increase in alcohol consumption has caused a corresponding increase in alcohol related harms in Irish society, including alcohol related accidents and illnesses, alcohol related crime, alcohol related domestic abuse and alcohol related absences from work (Hope, 2008).

Congress understands That the Department of Health (RoI) and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (NI) have held a North South conference on alcohol misuse in January to explore some of the common issues in relation to the alcohol culture on

53

both sides of the border. Both Departments recognizing the scope for sharing information and evidence based material, on an all-island basis, in a number of areas including the tackling of alcohol abuse.

Congress believes That the issue of alcohol abuse significantly impacts on the welfare of our members.

Furthermore, that we as representatives; entrusted with protecting the interests our members, should be proactive in addressing the issue of alcohol abuse.

Congress mandates the President, the Vice President for Welfare To engage with the Department of Health (RoI), the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (NI), before July 2013 in addressing the issue of alcohol abuse.

12/ WEL 5

EXAM STRESS PACKS

Congress notes That many students experience, incidences of elevated stress and anxiety around the examination period.

Congress notes with concern The affects of increased stress and anxiety on students’ physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, and the subsequent impact on their examination performance.

Congress congratulates The Welfare Officer and members of Officerboard for their hard work in tacking issues surrounding students’ physical, mental, and emotional welfare.

Congress believes That students should be provided with adequate support and guidance around the issue of stress and anxiety, including how to diagnose the condition, what affects it has on students, what self help techniques are recommended, and general management advice.

Congress mandates the Vice President for Welfare To develop and source a stress pack and booklet to be distributed to MO’s before the winter and summer exams. These should be available for December 2012.

12/ WEL 6

DRINK RESPONSIBLY CAMPAIGN

Congress notes

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That alcohol consumption has increased substantially in the past number of years and Ireland now consumes more alcohol per adult than most of its European counterparts.

Congress is saddened By the linkages drawn between alcohol and related harm, with reference to a report by the HSE in 2008, including; injuries, hospital admissions, mortality, driving, street violence, domestic violence, and road injuries.

Congress applauds The Welfare Officer for engaging with Drink Aware, and other related groups in creating awareness about excessive alcohol consumption, and promoting the responsible consumption of alcohol.

Congress believes That the issue of alcohol abuse significantly impacts on the welfare of our members.

Congress further believes That as student representatives we should be proactive in creating awareness around the issue of excessive alcohol consumption, and campaign for responsibility in this area.

Congress mandates the Vice President for Welfare To develop and implement a USI National Drink Responsibly Campaign before July 2013, and to carry out same on an annual basis thereafter in order to create awareness around alcohol consumption rates, and encourage its responsible consumption.

12/ WEL 7

SUICIDE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN

Congress Notes The level of work the previous Welfare Officer has put into the Mental Health Campaign for the student population.

Congress also notes The difficulty in designing a campaign or highlighting the issue of suicide prevention/awareness which is not threatening to students.

Congress recognises That suicide remains a key issue for students.

Congress therefore mandates The Welfare Officer to organise, design and run a National Suicide Prevention Campaign that would be rolled out right across the Country on a Specific Day.

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12/ WEL 9

PHYSICAL HEALTH STRATEGY FOR USI

Congress notes 11/WEL 02 mandating the creation of a USI Physical Health Strategy.

Congress therefore adopts the proposed USI Physical Health Strategy 2012-2015 Congress Mandates The Welfare Vice President to both follow the USI Physical Health Strategy and assist local officers in following through with its recommendations by disseminating the strategy at the start of the year as well as providing support and training throughout the year.

This motion should apply for three years.

12/ WEL 10

ALCOHOL POLICY FOR USI

Congress notes 11/ Wel 4 mandates the creation of strategy documents in the main areas of work for the welfare officer, including sexual health, finance, physical health, accommodation, alcohol awareness, substance abuse and any others that are appropriate.

Congress therefore adopts the proposed USI Alcohol Policy 2012-2015 Congress therefore deletes 11/ Wel 11 Anti Social Behavior Campaign 10/ Wel 3 Student and Alcohol 10/ Wel 8 Anti-Social Behavior 09/ Wel 8 Drug Awareness 09/ 13 Alcohol Awareness Campaign Congress Mandates the Welfare Vice President To both follow the USI Alcohol Policy and assist local officers in following through with its recommendations and action points by disseminating the policy at the start of the year as well as providing support and training throughout the year.

This motion should apply for three years

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12/ WEL 13

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Congress notes That substance abuse is a growing problem in Irish society.

Congress further notes 09/Wel 5 – Counselling Service and 09/Wel 8 – Drug awareness mandates as these demonstrate the need for a formulated strategy document to be created in the area of substance abuse.

Congress mandates the Welfare Vice President To create a Substance abuse strategy document that would contain information in relation to drug awareness, campaigns, how to combat addictions and other items deemed essential to be included by welfare working group. Appropriate training should be provided for Welfare Officers over the summer period so they can handle cases in this area.

This motion shall apply till December 2012.

12/ WEL 14

EXAM STRESS CAMPAIGN

Congress notes The work that MOs put into Exam Stress Campaigns across the Country in the run up to Exams.

Congress further notes The lack of support on a National Level to the roll out of these Campaigns and the lack of an overall Exam Stress Campaign.

Congress mandates the VP/South, VP/BMW and the Welfare Officer To investigate the possibility of sourcing the materials, supplying and distributing ‘Exam Stress Packs’ to the MOs along with a resource pack that contains information on support services for the students.

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2011 11/ WEL 1

LEGAL ISSUES

Congress notes The regularity with which local welfare officers encounter situations with legal ambiguity e.g. cases involving sexual, physical abuse, accommodation issues etc Congress further notes Often welfare officers feel underequipped to deal with or are unaware of their legal responsibilities in these situations.

Congress therefore mandates the Welfare Officer To liaise with relevant organisations to produce a legal factsheet on the situations that frequently arise throughout a typical Academic year. The Welfare Officer should also provide training if necessary on certain legal aspects as requested by welfare working group.

Congress notes It is not possible for this factsheet to be exhaustive or to be equivalent to legal advice, but all efforts should be made to be as comprehensive as possible.

11/ WEL 2

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Congress notes The lack of mandates and policy on the issue of students and physical health.

Congress notes with concern The tendency of young people to sacrifice physical health for academic achievement through lack of sleep, lack of exercise and poor diet.

Congress further notes The diet, exercise and lifestyle play a vital role in a students’ ability to engage productively with their education.

Congress therefore mandates the welfare officer To design a strategy document on physical health, making reference to the following:- Stress Management - Access to healthcare - Awareness of prevalent illnesses - Cost and value for money of student gyms - Availability of non-competitive sport - Diet and nutrition - Sports Clubs - Training at UOS for welfare officers

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- Relevance of physical health to mental health.

- Body image and eating disorders This document should incorporate relevant mandates from the USI Policy Manual.

11/ WEL 3

UPDATING IRISH LAW IN REGARD TO SEXUAL ASSAULT

Congress notes The outdated nature of current legislation relating to crimes of a sexual nature.

Congress further notes That the number of people utilising the services provided by organizations such as one in four and the Dublin rape crisis centre is much higher than the number of cases of crimes of a sexual nature that are reported and that the number of reported cases that are tried are much lower again.

Congress regrets The inconsistencies with regard to gender, maximum sentencing and definition of sexual assault in Irish law in comparison with the law in other countries and the effect that this poor legislation has on the victims of sexual assault, rape etc.

Congress mandates the Welfare and Equality Officers To lobby the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for a thorough review of all legislation relating to crimes of a sexual nature and to liaise with groups such as One in Four, the IFPA and the DRCC in achieving this mandate.

11/ WEL 4

WELFARE STRATEGY DOCUMENTS

Congress notes The usefulness of a coherent, streamlined strategy in areas such as mental health, sexual health, finance etc Congress further notes The lack of coherent, streamlined USI policy in these areas bar mental health.

Congress therefore mandates the Welfare officer To create strategy documents in the main areas of work for the welfare officer, including sexual health, finance, physical health, accommodation, alcohol awareness, substance abuse and any others that are appropriate. This work should be done in conjunction with welfare working group and any other appropriate outside organisations.

These strategies should incorporate relevant mandates from the USI Policy Manual.

These documents should be brought for preliminary approval to National Council.

Congress further mandates the Welfare Officer To bring these documents forward to the nearest Congress for ratification.

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11/ WEL 5

USI MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGY

Congress notes 08/WEL 5 mandating the creation of a USI Mental Health Strategy.

Congress applauds The creation of Student Lives, Minds and Wellbeing – The USI Mental Health Strategy 2010-2013.

Congress therefore deletes: 09-WEL 10 – Free Pack 09/ WEL 7 – Headsup 09/WEL 6- Mental Health Campaign 09/WEL 5 – Counselling Services 09/WEL 4 – Mental Health Information Congress Mandates the Welfare Officer To both follow the USI Mental Health Strategy and assist local officers in following through with its recommendations by disseminating the strategy at the start of the year as well as providing support and training throughout the year.

11/ WEL 6

MORNING AFTER PILL

Congress notes 09/ WEL 1 Congress mandates: The USI Welfare Officer to co-ordinate with relevant groups to provide more comprehensive information on the different forms of EC. USI Officer Board to campaign for the introduction of 'over-the-counter' emergency contraception for people over the age of 17, as this is the age of consent.

Congress emphasises That people are entitled to complete control over their sexual reproduction and fertility, and that freer availability of ECs in Ireland is essential to this intrinsic right.

Congress therefore welcomes The recent decision by a leading pharmacy chain to sell the morning after pill over the counter.

Congress also welcomes Moves by the Irish Pharmacy Union to emulate this initiative in 1800 of their member pharmacies.

Congress therefore mandates the USI Welfare Officer: To continue to work with relevant organisations to ensure that the mandate from 09/WEL 1 is fulfilled.

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The USI Welfare Officer to work to make EC affordable and accessible to all who need it.

11/ WEL 7

EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVE PILL INFORMATION CAMPAIGN

Congress welcomes The introduction of the Morning After Pill (MAP) over the counter by Boots Pharmacies in the Republic of Ireland from January 12th 2011.

Congress notes That the Morning After Pill does play a role in the decrease of the amount of pregnancies among female students.

Congress further notes That many students are unaware of how the MAP works, when the best time is to take it and the issues involved in taking it.

Congress therefore mandates the Welfare Officer To run an information campaign about the Morning After Pill and to make it an integral part in future S.H.A.G campaigns.

11/ WEL 8

STUDENT ACCOMMODATION SURVEY

Congress notes That students moving away from home for the first time can have enormous difficulty with their accommodation.

Congress further notes The great work done by the USI Welfare Officers and local Welfare Officers on developing a Deposit Retention Scheme proposal for the PRTB. Congress mandates the USI Welfare Officer: To create an online nationwide student survey on student accommodation with the goal of finding out specific problems that students face, including cost, quality of accommodation and anti-social behaviour. This information could then be used in conjunction with the Deposit Retention Scheme Proposal and other accommodation campaigns in the future.

11/ WEL 9

MEN’S HEALTH

Congress notes The good work that the USI Welfare Officer and local Welfare Officers do in promoting positive mental, physical and sexual health amongst all students.

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Congress mandates the USI Welfare Officer To form a link with MHFI (Men’s Health Forum Ireland) and other groups associated with promoting better awareness of men’s health issues.

Congress further mandates the USI Welfare Officer To then use these links to provide campaign material, training and advice to welfare officers on how best to improve awareness of these issues to male students.

11/ WEL 10

DON’T WALK HOME ALONE CAMPAIGN

Congress notes The success of the "Don't walk home alone" campaign that has be run on a number of colleges throughout the county but most notable GMIT. Congress acknowledges The importance in educating our student to be safe when on nights out and they should take precautions to protect themselves Congress therefore mandates the Welfare Officer and the Area Officers To bring this campaign to a national level and to investigate if the "cab now, pay later" initiative can be implemented across all local CO’s.

11/ WEL 11

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR CAMPAIGN

Congress notes That unfortunately bad reputation students sometimes receive as a result of incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour.

Congress recognises The positive steps made by a number of local CO’s in tackling Anti-Social Behaviour incidents within their community.

Congress further notes That these initiatives have further helped create positive links with Students’ Unions and the wider local community.

Congress mandates the Deputy President and the Area Officers To work with local CO’s to establish proactive initiatives to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour.

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11/ WEL 12

MONEY MANAGEMENT AWARENESS

Congress notes The continuing financial strain that is being placed on families and students at this difficult time.

Congress further notes With these hard times, many students are withdrawing from third level college due to financial difficulties.

Congress therefore mandates the Welfare Officer To run a Money management awareness week and to also publish a financial guide to aid students with their budgeting problems.

11/ WEL 13

STUDENT ASSISTANCE FUND

Congress notes The importance of the Student Assistance Fund and the role it plays to support students across the Country.

Congress acknowledges That the Student Assistance Fund may be targeted in Government cutbacks.

Congress therefore mandates the President and Deputy President: To lobby against any cuts to the Student Assistance Fund and to campaign for increased funding for the fund.

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2010 10/ WEL 1

SEXUAL HEALTH

Congress applauds The fantastic work done by the USI welfare officer and welfare officers across the country with sexual health promotion.

Congress notes The enthusiasm, helpfulness and usefulness of agencies such as the CPA, and campaigns such as Think Contraception in the push towards safer sexual practices.

Congress notes with concern The spiralling rate of STIs, particularly amongst young people with 60% of STIs, on average, diagnosed in people aged between 20 -29.

Congress notes with horror The figures released by St. Jamesâ€&#x;s Hospital on World AIDS Day 2009 that revealed they have experienced a 20% increase in cases of newly diagnosed patients with HIV. Congress mandates The Welfare officer to work closely with national bodies concerned with this are to feed into all national education strategies to bring the emphasis in sexual health education on good health and consistent use of barrier methods of protection to prevent STI infection as well as regular STI Testing. The Welfare Officer to ensure that SHAG week material promotes sexual health testing and provides a list of local STI testing clinics in the vicinity of or on the campus of local Cos. The Welfare Officer to continue to make SHAG week inclusive of all sexualities and those for whom pregnancy is not a risk during sexual activities.

WEL 2: Student Pregnancy Proposed by UCC SU Congress notes The lack of policy and support in the area of student parenting, both for student mothers and students Fathers.

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Congress further notes That while staff who fall pregnant are recognised under equality law, students exist within a grey area of legislation in this sector and subject to discrimination as the college chooses in terms of concessions and special accommodations.

Congress applauds The efforts of institutions such as Mary Immaculate College in the formation of a student parent liaison officer.

Congress mandates The Welfare and Equality Officers to research best practice policies on student parents both within Ireland, the UK and beyond with a view to formulate a template for local COs to negotiate with their institutions.

The Welfare and Equality Officers to meet and work with relevant organisations with a view to formulating a policy document for Welfare officers and other relevant CO officers as to how best to support student parents and what supports are needed.

Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 14 - - 14 The Welfare and Equality Officers to HEI authorities for better provisions and rights for student parents.

10/ 02

STUDENT PREGNANCY

Congress notes The lack of policy and support in the area of student parenting, both for student mothers and students Fathers.

Congress further notes That while staff who fall pregnant are recognised under equality law, students exist within a grey area of legislation in this sector and subject to discrimination as the college chooses in terms of concessions and special accommodations.

Congress applauds The efforts of institutions such as Mary Immaculate College in the formation of a student parent liaison officer.

Congress mandates

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The Welfare and Equality Officers to research best practice policies on student parents both within Ireland, the UK and beyond with a view to formulate a template for local COs to negotiate with their institutions.

The Welfare and Equality Officers to meet and work with relevant organisations with a view to formulating a policy document for Welfare officers and other relevant CO officers as to how best to support student parents and what supports are needed.

Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 14 - - 14 – The Welfare and Equality Officers to HEI authorities for better provisions and rights for student parents.

10/ WEL 3

STUDENTS & ALCOHOL

Congress Notes The consumption of alcohol in Ireland is an issue that is reaching problem levels.

Congress further notes The consumption of alcohol amongst the student population can result in illness, absenteeism, anti-social behaviour and bad press because of a minority of students who are unable to control their drinking or behaviour whilst under the influence.

Congress observes The change in licencing laws resulting in 10pm closing time for off licences has changed the drinking culture in Ireland tremendously, with alcohol purchased earlier and in bigger quantities because of the lower prices in the off licences. Drinking at home has become a primary activity.

Congress strongly believes That it is only with leadership at a national level that this problem can be tackled.

Congress mandates The Welfare, Deputy President and Area officers to lobby the government to reexamine the licencing laws, and the laws surrounding the regulation of bartending certificates. The Welfare Officer to inverstigate alcohol awareness campaigns run abroad and how these can be adapted to Irish Campuses.

Congress also mandates The Welfare, Deputy President and Area Officers to investigate the effectiveness of the introduction of minimum price measures in other countries as a means of combating drink culture.

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10/WEL 4

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Congress notes The following USI Policies: 09/Wel 2 (Abortion Rights Campaign), 09/Wel 11 (Crisis Pregnancy Agencies), 07/EM 1 (Crisis Pregnancy Information), 06/Wel 6 (Abortion), & 06/Wel 11 (Pregnancy Counselling).

Congress welcomes The Human Rights Watch report published in January 2010 “A State of Isolation: Access to Abortion for Women in Ireland” and the recommendations outlined in this report.

Congress mandates The Welfare & Equality Officers to campaign for the implementation of the recommendations as outlined in the Human Rights Watch report in order to achieve the mandates set by the membership in 09/Wel 2 (Abortion Rights Campaign), 09/Wel 11 (Crisis Pregnancy Agencies), 07/EM 1 (Crisis Pregnancy Information), 06/Wel 6 (Abortion), & 06/Wel 11 (Pregnancy Counselling). Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 15 - - 15 – 10/ WEL 5

HEADSHOPS

Congress Notes The number of Smart Head Shops now opening across the country which sell psychoactive substances.

Congress Further Notes The dangers which these substances impose on today‟s society.

Congress Believes That more awareness of the components which form the base of the products sold in these stores should be highlighted to students.

Congress Mandates the Welfare Officer To run an awareness campaign which will identify the dangers of the merchandise sold in these stores.

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10/WEL 6

CERVICAL CANCER

Congress Notes: The expense of this vaccine amounts to approximately €550, including VAT and GP fees for non-medical card holders.

Congress Mandates the Welfare Officer: To lobby the HSE to provide this vaccine in all college and university health centres at an affordable price.

10/WEL 7

SEXUAL HEALTH

Congress Notes With Concern The worrying lack of information and knowledge among Student Health Services and other college supports about issues pertaining to lesbian sexual health.

Congress Further Notes That oftentimes, women who identify as lesbian, bisexual or queer are unaware of lesbian sexual health issues.

Congress Mandates The Welfare Officer to work with the LGBT RO to ensure that the sexual health module at UOS also covers lesbian sexual health issues; so that the welfare officers can be equipped with the knowledge to deal with these issues.

10/ WEL 8

ANTI- SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

Congress recognises The fact that a minority of students are causing problems, for local residents and for other students as well. These problems need to be tackled seriously.

That students‟ unions have a key role in educating future generations of tenants – both in the rules they should abide by, and the rights they have too.

Solving issues brought about by some students in local communities is about forming solid, long-lasting partnerships with other stakeholders, such as the local council, the Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 16 - - 16 - third level institutions, local residents‟ groups etc. in which the students‟ union is seen as a valued and respected player.

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Social pressure between students can alleviate a lot of problems, rather than discipline. It is about social regulation of students by students.

Congress mandates The deputy president/campaigns officer, the welfare officer and the area officers to assist local students‟ unions to tackle issues that arise from anti-social behaviour.

Congress also mandates The forementioned officers run a national information campaign to promote the idea of positive community involvement to the student body.

10/ WEL 9

TAX RELIEF ON ACCOMMODATION

Congress notes The existing Revenue policy that allows individuals to claim tax relief on rent in private rented accommodation.

Congress notes The large amount of students living away from home in private rented accommodation, for which their parents/guardians may pay.

Congress understands That in a case where a parent/guardian directly pays a landlord for rent on behalf of their child, they are not entitled to claim rent relief.

Congress notes the policy on third-level tuition fees, which allows parents/guardians who pay these fees for their children to claim tax relief.

Congress mandates the Deputy President to develop a policy paper establishing the Organisation‟s position on this matter, and to lobby members of the Oireachtas for its implementation.

Congress also mandates the Deputy President to investigate the feasibility of extending this scheme to students living in campus residences and „Section 50‟ apartments.

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10/ WEL 10

DEPOSIT PROTECTION SCHEME

Congress notes That the Department of Environment, Heritage & Local Governmentis conducting a review of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004.

Congress notes Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 17 - - 17 The large number of students who leave home to attend third-level institutes and who live in private rented accommodation.

Congress notes With grave concern the difficulties that students can encounter when attempting to rightfully retrieve their deposit. It is frequently reported that some unscrupulous landlords seek to withhold deposits in the hopes that students will not be fully versed in their rights and thus ignorant of the correct action they are entitled to take against these rogue landlords.

Congress further notes The financial difficulties facing students in the currentprecarious economic environment, and that a lost deposit on private rented accommodation would constitute a serious financial blow to a student.

Congress recognises The long-established and successful deposit protection schemes in operation in the UK, New Zealand and Australia, which offers a barrier to rogue landlords behaving in such a fashion.

Congress therefore mandates the Deputy President to prepare a policy document on the implementation of a deposit protection scheme in Ireland similar to those in operation overseas, and to lobby members of the Oireachtas for its immediate introduction.

WEL 11: Non- Academic Services Proposed by DIT SU

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Congress notes The current lack of quality assurance systems with regards to an Irish National Policy Framework for non-academic students services provided by the third level institution, such as health centres, counselling services etc.

Congress further notes The importance of quality assurance with regard to non academic aspects of student services.

Congress recognizes The value of the overall student experience within the higher education system in Ireland.

Congress mandates The President and the Welfare Officer to lobby the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education for the formation of a non-academic student services policy relating to quality assurance. Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 18 - - 18 – 10/ WEL 11

NON- ACADEMIC SERVICES

Congress notes The current lack of quality assurance systems with regards to an Irish National Policy Framework for non-academic students services provided by the third level institution, such as health centres, counselling services etc.

Congress further notes The importance of quality assurance with regard to non academic aspects of student services.

Congress recognises The value of the overall student experience within the higher education system in Ireland.

Congress mandates The President and the Welfare Officer to lobby the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education for the formation of a non-academic student services policy relating to quality assurance.

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10/ WEL 12

MABS

Congress Notes The continuing financial strain that is being placed on our students and their families during this economic crisis.

Congress Further Notes That these economic pressures are forcing students to withdraw from Third Level Education at an increasingly alarming rate.

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2009 09/WEL 1

EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION

Congress notes The continuing lack of Emergency Contraceptives available 'over-the-counter' in pharmacies in Ireland, and the continuing need for a doctors appointment for a prescription for the ECP which comes at an extra cost to the student.

Congress further notes Dependant on location, time of week, travel plans, unforeseen circumstances (i.e. sex without consent or awareness) etc that availing of a doctors appointment for aforesaid prescription may not be possible, and that the efficacy of EC decreases significantly over a 72-hour period.

Congress believes That people are entitled to complete control over their sexual reproduction and fertility, and that freer availability of ECs in Ireland is essential to this intrinsic right.

Congress welcomes Research carried out on the effects of the ECP introduction in Britain by the British Journal of Medicine that reported: a 10% decrease in the amount of teenage pregnancies with only a 2% increase in those using the ECP following its over-the-counter introduction no reduction in the usage of other contraceptive methods And the research document prepared for this debate on the myths, realities and physiological & health impacts of the different ECPs by UCC's Welfare Officer, Keith O' Brien.

Congress Mandate The USI Welfare Officer to co-ordinate with relevant groups to provide more comprehensive information on the different forms of EC USI Officer Board to campaign for the introduction of 'over-the-counter' emergency contraception for people over the age of 17, as this is the age of consent.

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09/WEL 2

ABORTION RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

Congress notes That USI is mandated to lobby the government and other relevant bodies to develop greater access to abortion services for all women within the state (06/WEL 6 Abortion).

Congress further notes That USI’s involvement in this debate in the past (SPUC vs. Grogan) led to the changing of legislation so that information about abortion could be distributed freely in the state.

Congress recognises That in many student unions abroad and indeed in many organisations worldwide the issue of abortion is viewed as an issue of equality and women’s rights .

Congress further recognises That the issue is one of concern for Welfare Officers around the country.

Congress is disappointed By the silence of USI on this issue for the past number of years.

Congress acknowledges The establishment of the Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign which aims to end the hypocrisy of exiling women in crisis pregnancy that choose to have an abortion. The campaign includes various strands, including a litigation strand, a public awareness strand and a national and international advocacy strand.

Congress mandates The Welfare and Equality Officer to work with the Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign to once again make this issue a priority for Irish Women.

Congress further mandates 75

The Welfare and Equality Officer to raise awareness of the Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign to USI members and to support the campaign in any of its actions.

09/WEL 4

MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION

Congress notes That there is a stigma surrounding the issue of mental health amongst the student body, and in Irish society generally.

Congress believes Welfare Officers of COs are very effective means of dispersing information to students regarding various issues, notwithstanding mental health issues; however issues around mental health still require coverage by Cos, mainly to provide factual information on various mental illnesses and to remove the stigmas associated with said.

Congress therefore mandates the Welfare Officer to provide supports to individual Students’ Unions by way of centralised sourcing materials and information, targeting the stigma surrounding mental health issues To further engage with relevant groups and NGOs to publicise the various means of dealing with mental illness to the wider student population To run a campaign on the issues raised above

09/WEL 5

COUNSELLING SERVICES

Congress notes The severe problem Ireland faces with a large population of alcoholic and drug addicts, some of whom are/will be parents.

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Congress further notes with concern The lack of supports put in place for the children of such parents, who in turn may be faced with mental health problems (such as depression etc.) that may affect them for the rest of their lives.

Congress acknowledges The availability of AL-anon, AT-Teen, Barnardos etc services in Ireland for these children. However the lack of supports from the HSE itself on a psychiatric & counselling basis along with an average 2 year waiting list for psychiatric evaluation, and how these psychological problems will affect the life of a student at 3rd level, must be realised and changed.

Congress therefore mandates Officer Board to lobby the relevant bodies to put in place funding for the introduction of counselling services for the children of alcoholic and drug addicted parents.

09/WEL 6

MENTAL HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Congress Notes The huge increase in numbers of international students now studying a 3rd level here in Ireland and how diverse the student population has become Congress also notes The huge impact studying abroad can have on a person and that adapting to a new culture, language, society and surroundings can have a significant effect on a students well being Congress recognises The strength and accomplishments of this year’s Mental Health Campaign Congress Mandates The Welfare Officer to work in conjunction with the Equality Officer to design campaign materials for the Mental Health Campaign which are specifically aimed at International students and the Welfare Officer in conjunction with the Equality Officer to highlight the specific issues surrounding the specific stresses placed on international students.

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09/WEL 7

HEADSUP

Congress notes: The inclusion of student services on the HEADSUP text service which is run by Rehab.

Congress further notes That ease of access to information is important for students in difficulty. This services offers information on resources that are available when students services are closed.

Congress mandates the Welfare Officer To continue to work with and promote the HEADSUP service as part of the mental health awareness campaign.

09/WEL 9

SHAG WEEK

Congress notes 06 / WEL 6 Congress recognises That throughout the year, and particularly during SHAG week, material is distributed by USI to students that contains contact information for crisis pregnancy agencies that only provide two choice information.

Congress mandates the Welfare Officer To only provide information from three choice agencies.

09/WEL 10

‘FREE PACK’

Congress notes The collaboration between ‘free’ and USI over the past three years in pushing to have the ‘free’ pack distributed in colleges nationwide.

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Congress applauds The dedicated hard work put in by Rachael Prendiville who designed the ‘free’ pack and notes that all the work and effort she has put into it was done entirely voluntarily with all money raised for ‘free’ going into the packs only.

Congress recognises The positive feedback received from Mental Health Organisations around the country as well as student services as well as students themselves Congress mandates The Welfare Officer to continue to work closely with ‘free’ and use the ‘free’ pack as the mental health awareness pack.

09/WEL 11

CRISIS PREGNANCY AGENCIES

Congress notes That there is no legislation controlling crisis pregnancy agencies in Ireland.

Congress notes with concern That as a result a number of rogue crisis pregnancy agencies have started up Congress recognizes That a rogue crisis pregnancy agency is one where the sole purpose of the agency is to prevent a pregnant woman from having an abortion. They misinform and intimidate women to achieve their aim, using methods such as harassment, bullying and been given blatantly false information. [Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA)] Congress acknowledges The work done this year by Choice Ireland in campaigning against rogue crisis pregnancy agencies Congress mandates the Welfare Officer To work with Choice Ireland, and other relevant agencies, to protest against these rogue crisis pregnancy agencies

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Congress further mandates the Welfare Officer To lobby for the introduction of legislation in this area 09/WEL 12

VIOLENCE IN YOUTH RELATIONSHIPS

Congress notes with concern That violence within youth relationships is not part of any current campaign within USI Congress also notes That statistics surrounding the prevalence of violence in youth relationships is scarce Congress believes That this issue needs to be highlighted among students Congress therefore mandates the Welfare Officer to work with various agencies to run a campaign on the issue of violence in youth relationships to investigate, with other relevant organisations and statutory agencies, sources of funding for research in this area to be involved at all levels of research carried out, if funding is acquired.

09/WEL 13

ALCOHOL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Congress notes 08/ WEL 7 (Students and Alcohol) which mandates the prioritisation of the alcohol awareness/reduction campaign.

Congress also notes The persistent difficulty in designing a campaign around alcohol awareness which is not patronising to or judgemental of students.

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Congress recognises That alcohol consumption and over consumption remains a key issue for students.

Congress also recognises That students are best placed to assist the Welfare Officer in designing a campaign on this issue.

Congress therefore mandates The Welfare Officer to hold 4 regional forums at the beginning of the academic year 09/10 to gather student feedback, opinions and ideas on how best to approach this issue and to present a campaign idea to Welfare Working Group before the end of the calendar year 2009 when the feedback from the forums is collated.

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Equality 2012 12/ EQ 1

USI SEAT ON THE BOARD OF MATURE STUDENTS IRELAND

Congress notes That this year the Equality officer has obtained a seat on the board of Mature Students Ireland.

Congress further notes The importance of this seat for maintaining good links with Mature Student Support Staff in all our Higher education institutions.

Congress therefore mandates The Equality Citizenship Officer to seek re-election to this board on a yearly basis.

12/ EQ 2

LONGITUDINAL SURVEY OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Congress notes The 2010 Survey of Students with disabilities which was facilitated by USI and Ahead.

Congress further notes The importance of continuing a similar survey on yearly basis. This will allow us to evaluate how services are changing for students with disabilities across the country on a yearly basis. This will allow us to campaign and lobby more effectively.

Congress therefore mandates The Equality and Citizenship Vice president to work with ahead to conduct this survey on a yearly basis.

12/ EQ 3

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TRAINING DVD

Congress notes That this year USI has begun an extensive project in conjunction with ICOS, Irish Council for International Students and the Department of Education and Skills.

Congress further notes How important this project is for training staff working with international students in the HEI sector.

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Congress therefore mandates The Equality and citizenship Vice president to continue to work on this project as a major aspect of their work over the coming year.

12/ EQ 4

LGBT

Congress notes with grave concern That despite our claims to be a progressive nation we do not recognise the rights of LGBT members of the community as being fully and unequivocally equal to those of heterosexual orientation.

Congress further notes The failure to recognise equality in our legislation undeniably leads to a failure to see people as equals in our classrooms, our lecture theatres, our campuses and our workplaces.

Congress believes This failure to lead both directly and indirectly to a lesser standard of living for members of the LGBT community. That it leads to the denial of rights to children raised by same sex parents and to gross negligence on the part of the state by indirectly condoning bullying and torment for people who identify as LGBT. Congress therefore mandates The President and the Campaigns officer to vehemently campaign on the full equalisation of rights regardless of sexual orientation, for full and equal marriage rights, full and equal adoption rights and for this Union to recognise LGBT members as full and equal members of society in recognition of the rights as laid out above.

Proposed Amendment Under the sub heading ‘Congress therefore mandates’, remove ‘The President & the Campaigns Officer’ and replace with ‘The President, the Vice-President for Campaigns and the Vice-President for Equality & Citizenship’.

12/ EQ 5

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

Congress notes The excellent work done by USI in the area of representation for students with disabilities.

Congress further notes That, in the past, campaigns re students with disabilities have tended to focus primarily on students with physical disabilities.

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Congress notes with regret The lack of attention which has been paid during this campaigning to students with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, autism, etc.

Congress further notes with concern That, for students with learning disabilities, services in universities and institutes of technology can be sorely lacking in some cases, thus placing a great barrier between such students and their access to education.

Congress reaffirms the notion That every student has a right to access to third-level education.

Congress mandates The Vice President for Equality & Citizenship to co-ordinate campaigns before March in each academic year on support services for students with learning disabilities and to lobby the Minister for Education to improve support services for students in these areas.

12/ EQ 6

GENDER RECOGNITION LEGISLATION

Congress notes That the Government’s commitment to introducing Gender Recognition Legislation is overdue and an important step in improving the lives of many Transgender people in Ireland.

Congress believes That the recommendations presented to the Minister for Social Protection by the Gender Recognition Advisory Group (GRAG) do not contain many of the concerns and issues raised by USI and other groups such as Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) and are not in line with the Yogyakarta Principles.

Congress further believes That the Irish Government has an opportunity to introduce Gender Recognition Legislation that is fair and reflects the real life lived experiences of many Transgender people in Ireland.

Congress mandates The VP for Equality and Citizenship and the VP for Campaigns to campaign for Gender Recognition Legislation that will reflect the real life lived experiences of Transgender people in Ireland and is line with the Yogyakarta Principles.

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12/ EQ 7

LGBT MENTAL HEALTH

Congress notes That the results of the Supporting LGBT Lives Study of 2009 showed serious issues for LGBT people in Ireland with regards to mental health and bullying.

Congress notes with concern That these results showed that “Almost 20 per cent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and Transgender people have attempted suicide and almost all saw this as related to their sexual identity and the experiences of being abused and feeling isolated�

Congress further notes The high levels of self harming within the young LGBT community and the levels of homophobia that still exist in many areas of Irish society.

Congress mandates That the VP for Equality and Citizenship and the VP Welfare engage with various LGBT organisations like BeLonG To, TENI and GLEN and develop policies for LGBT mental health and best practice for promotion of positive mental health for LGBT people.

12/ EQ 8

DIRECT ENGAGEMENT WITH STUDENTS ON LGBT CAMPAIGNS

Congress notes The important role the LGBT Campaign within USI has played in the on-going fight for equal rights for all LGBT people in Ireland and the world.

Congress further notes That through events such as USI Pink Training the LGBT Campaign has always been effective with engaging with students on grassroots level.

Congress notes in particular Campaigns focusing on Civil Marriage, the MSM Blood Ban, anti-homophobia and Gender Recognition Legislation campaigning have been successful but are still active and must remain so.

Congress believes That following the changes to the USI constitution and the merger of the LGBT Rights Officer Position into VP Equality and Citizenship role in order to continue the impact the course of LGBT rights in this country it is vital that forward planning takes place for the future LGBT Campaigns in consultation with students on a grassroots level.

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Congress mandates The VP Equality and Citizenship and VP Campaigns to write a campaign plan for the LGBT Campaign year at the beginning of every term.

Congress further mandates The VP Equality and Citizenship to hold consultation days in early July with LGBT students to access what the relevant campaign issues are for that year and to devise the year plan in conjunction with the rest of the consultation.

12/ EQ 9

GENDER NEUTRAL WELFARE CAMPAIGNS

Congress notes That gender and sexuality norms can have significant negative effects on some students particularly in the LGBT community.

Congress also notes That these norms can be reinforced and propagated unintentionally by USI publications such as the illustrations on the SHAG Week Packs for 2012 Congress believes That USI should lead by example in getting society to treat all students equally Congress therefore mandates That Vice President for Welfare seek the advice of The Vice President for Equality & Citizenship to ensure that USI welfare campaign materials are gender neutral, in advance of 5th February 2013.

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Equality 2011 11/ EQ 1

LGBT AMBASSADORS

Congress notes That many second level educational institutions do not have a formal LGBT bullying policy.

Congress appreciates That access to third level education by students identifying themselves as from the LGBT committee is influenced by the experiences of those students at second level.

Congress understands That third level students acting as LGBT ambassadors to their own previous secondary schools will help promote understanding and acceptance of LGBT students in the second level education system.

Congress thus mandates the LGBTRO, Deputy President and the Education Officer of USI To co-ordinate the campaign to promote third level students as LGBT ambassadors in second level schools across the country.

11/ EQ 2

LGBT STUDENT SURVEY

Congress notes There is very little statistical information about the experiences of LGBT people in third level education.

Congress further notes The serious lack of statistical information makes helping to improve the college experiences of LGBT students difficult.

Congress therefore mandates the LGBT Rights Officer To conduct a nationwide survey on the student experiences of LGBT students.

11/ EQ 3

LGBT SOCIETY MANUAL

Congress notes There is a considerable lack of helpful resources for those trying to start up and run an LGBT society.

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Congress believes It would greatly aid those wishing to run or establish an LGBT society if there was a comprehensive manual with information and resources for setting up and running society.

Congress therefore mandates the LGBT Rights Officer To produce a manual outlining ways to set up, run and maintain a successful LGBT society which can be used by Student Unions as well as students.

Congress further mandates the LGBT Rights Officer To update the manual annually with any new information and to ensure it is ready for distribution in September when the new college year begins.

11/ EQ 4

LGBT PACKS

Congress notes There is a serious lack of LGBT mental health, physical health and sexual health resources aimed directly at students in third level education.

Congress believes That an all round LGBT pack encompassing mental health and sexual health similar to the mental health packs and SHAG packs provided by USI to the general student body could drastically improve integration of LGBT students into the student body and improve awareness of the specific mental, physical and sexual health needs of LGBT students amongst non LGBT students.

Congress mandates the LGBT Rights Officer To develop and produce LGBT packs including information on mental health and sexual health for distribution in all COs. 11/ EQ 5

DIRECT STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Congress notes The effectiveness of the USI LGBT campaign in directly interacting with the USI membership through its links with student societies and USI Pink Training.

Congress believes The USI Equality campaign should follow a similar structure.

Congress mandates The Equality Officer to organise an annual intervarsity event for each of the equality sub sections.

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Congress further mandates the Equality Officer To enhance links with existing equality based student societies and to foster the development of further equality related societies in each CO. 11/ EQ 6

HETEROPHOBIA AWARENESS AT PINK TRAINING

Congress re-affirms the belief That all forms of discrimination are wrong.

Congress commends The sterling work of the LGBT Rights Officer in running campaigns to tackle prejudice against the LGBT community.

Congress notes with concern That heterophobia is unfortunately a real and existing prejudice.

Congress suggests That, like all forms of prejudice, that heterophobia can be removed through proper education and understanding in society.

Congress mandates the Equality Officer, in conjunction with the LGBTRO To structure an anti-heterophobia module, to be presented at Pink Training 2011 and all subsequent Pink Training events thereafter.

11/ EQ 7

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS

Congress notes The new immigration rules which came into effect on the 1st of January 2011 which change immigration regulations for non-EEA students.

Congress further notes That there are some regressive part of these new regulations including: • The inability of international students who avail of the graduate employment scheme in Ireland to immediately return to post-graduate education in Ireland after completing the scheme.

•

The fact that non-EEA students who have dependents in Ireland are unable to use public first and second level schools for their dependents, which causes major problems for students, particularly if their children are in primary school due to the small number of private first-level schools in Ireland.

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Congress mandates the Equality Officer To work with the Irish Council for International Students to campaign and lobby for changes to be made to the immigration regulations in relation to the graduate employment scheme and the use of public schools for the dependents of international students.

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2010 10/ EQ 1

CIVIL PARTNERSHIP BILL

Congress Notes That the proposed Civil Partnership Bill falls short of offering members of the LGBT community many of the same rights and responsibilities offered by Civil Marriage to the heterosexual community.

Congress Further Notes That as it currently stands the Bill is unacceptable to the LGBT community.

Congress Recognises That the LGBT campaign is an integral part of USI and many LGBT students would like to see a national campaign on this issue.

Congress Therefore Mandates The Deputy President, the Equality Officer and the LGBT Rights Officer to work together to roll out a national campaign highlighting the issue and to lobby the government on this issue.

Congress Further Mandates That the Deputy President, Equality Officer and LGBT RO work with other LGBT interest groups on the Civil Marriage campaign, for example LGBT NOISE and Marriage Equality.

10/ EQ 2

MIGRANT STUDENTS

Congress notes That Erasmus, EU and non EEA (European Economic Area) students have access to dedicated support services in third level colleges.

Congress further notes That there are clear policy guidelines on issues affecting Erasmus, EU and non EEA students with regard student fees, leave to remain in Ireland and the right to work while studying.

Congress recognises

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That the same level of service and policy does not exist for migrants, children of migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and/or children of same, some of whom are now completing primary and secondary education in Ireland.

Congress believes That these groups are entitled to receive a third level education in Ireland.

Congress mandates The Equality Officer to investigate what government and HEI policies exist in this area and to collate the responses in a position paper accompanied by suggestions for future actions. Such a position paper should be presented to National Council prior to Congress 2011.

10/ EQ 3

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Congress notes That in order to communicate with students with disabilities, the USI Equality Campaign is reliant on Disability Support Services and Access Offices in each third level campus. Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 51 - - 51 – Congress further notes That this year there have been significant difficulties in reaching out to students with disabilities in third level colleges.

Congress also notes That these difficulties are not specific to USI and are also experienced by other organisations working in this area.

Congress mandates The Equality Officer to make it a priority of 2010/2011 to design a system whereby USI Equality can connect directly with students with disabilities in third level and to seek assistance from members of Officer Board, USI staff and external organisations on how best to achieve this.

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10/EQ 4

Communicating with Part Time Officers

Conference notes That part time officers exist in each CO who work in the area of equality Conference also notes That these officers are elected at different times in different colleges and so it is difficult to organise a networking event at the beginning of the year Conference believes Part time officers stand to gain a lot from being involved with the USI Equality Campaign Conference mandates The Equality Officer to meet individually with relevant part time officers once they are elected and outline the positive benefits getting involved in USI Equality can have.

Conference also mandates The Equality Officer to maintain contact with part time officers by circulating a campaign update email once per fortnight Conference further mandates The Equality Officer to compile a contact list for part time officers and to circulate this to Equality Working Group as early as possible in the year 10/EQ 5

Negative Stereotypes in Irish Media

Conference notes That often minority groups are represented poorly in both national and local print media in Ireland Conference regrets That over the past 12 months there has been an increase in the number of such articles, in particular on the issue of access of third level education 93

Conference mandates The Equality Officer and all members of Equality Working to respond and counteract negative images and stereotypes of minority students in the media through letters to the editor of the publication involved.

10/EQ 6

Students Attitude to Equality

Conference notes The recent research by the Equality & Rights Alliance into Irish attitudes on equality Conference also notes The research is not specific to student attitudes Conference believes That the Equality Campaign cannot be effective in campaigning on equality until it establishes what students think about the issues involved Conference mandates The Equality Officer to commission a nationwide student survey on attitudes to equality in third level education and to use the results of this survey to inform the equality campaign going forward.

10/EQ 7

Online Campaigning

Conference notes The necessity for USI Equality to campaign through various online media, for example, Facebook, Twitter, Blogging.

Conference also notes The increasing success of the current online activities of the USI Equality Campaign

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Conference mandates Equality Working Group to continue utilising online media to further the aims of the campaign Conference further mandates All members of Equality Working Group to write a blog on an issue relevant to the campaign at least once a month Conference mandates The Equality Officer to run competitions through online media in order to encourage students to be more interactive with the campaign

10/EQ 8

Branding USI Equality

Conference notes The success of the rebranding of the USI Equality Campaign in rejuvenating the image of the campaign among students, COs and NGOs Conference mandates The Equality Officer and Equality Working Group to continue to use the new logos and colour coding in all aspects of the Equality Campaign 10/EQ 9

NUSUSI Collaboration

Conference notes That NUSUSI coordinates an equality campaign for the Northern Area Conference notes That the structure of the NUSUSI campaign is similar to the structure of the USI Equality Campaign Conference believes That it would be beneficial to both NUSUSI and USI if officers involved in both campaigns communicated regularly and shared ideas and experiences 95

Conference mandates The Equality Officer to organise one meeting per semester between the two campaigns to discuss possible collaborations and to provide support, if requested, to the NUSUSI Equality Campaign Conference further mandates All members of Equality Working Group to keep in regular contact with counterparts working in the NUSUSI Equality Campaign 10/EQ 10

Training

Conference notes That full time officers in COs are provided with in depth training at UOS Conference also notes That a similar event does not exist for part time officers and club and society committee members Conference acknowledges That the USI Activist Academy held this year provides a great forum and training opportunity for part time officers and club and society committee members Conference mandates The Equality Officer & Equality Working Group to run a training day for part time officers and club and society committee members at the start of each year and where possible to incorporate this training into an Activist Academy event. Topics for this training should include at a minimum: public speaking, campaign skills, running a society/club, chairing meetings and how to get involved in the USI Equality Campaign.

10/EQ 11

USI Equality Newsletter

Conference notes The success of the USI Equality monthly newsletter which started this year

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Conference recognises That funding is an issue for USI Conference mandates The Equality Officer to investigate offering commercial advertising space in the USI Equality Newsletter

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2009 09 / EQ 1

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES

Congress notes The budget cutbacks that are occurring across most 3rd level institutions.

Congress regrets That a lot of these cutbacks are disproportionately affecting vital frontline student services.

Congress recognises The effectiveness and importance of disability support services for students suffering from both physical and intellectual disabilities.

Congress opposes Any and all cutbacks in these disability support services across the country.

Congress mandates The Equality, Disabilities and Education Officers to actively campaign to ensure the rights of support to these students by lobbying the appropriate national bodies to provide ring-fenced funding for these services.

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09 / EQ 2

AHEAD

Congress notes Previous policy (08/EQ6) which mandates the President and Welfare Officer to open discussions with AHEAD with a view to working together on common areas of interests.

Congress further notes That the Equality Officer, who has the responsibility to support the autonomous disability campaign, and the Disability Rights Officer are best placed to build links with AHEAD. Congress acknowledges The work of the Equality Officer and Disability Rights Officer this year in achieving the above aim.

Congress further acknowledges The current work being done by USI and AHEAD in relation to compiling a guide for student union officers on how best to develop policy and services for students with disabilities.

Congress recognises That in the past number of months, support services for students with disabilities as well as the ‘Fund for Students with Disabilities’ have experienced cuts due to the current economic climate.

Congress mandates The Equality and Disability Rights Officers to: Continue to build links with AHEAD; Work with AHEAD to develop initiatives which can counteract the current cuts to support funds for students with disabilities; Oppose any further cuts to support services for students with disabilities; Promote and assist the development of student societies for students with disabilities; Work with AHEAD to organise an annual one day event for students with disabilities;

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09 / EQ 3

FRIENDS OF THE ELDERLY

Congress notes That Friends’ of the Elderly is a voluntary, non-denominational organisation that brings friendship and social opportunities to the elderly, especially those who live alone.

Congress also notes That many student members in the Eastern Area volunteer with Friends of the Elderly.

Congress further notes That this year a pilot campaign entitled ‘Open to the Elderly Week’ took place in USI member colleges. The campaign consisted of organising one afternoon of entertainment for the elderly who lived near each college and was developed following the success of similar afternoons in UCD. Congress recognises That such a campaign helps to combat ageism in our society.

Congress mandates The Equality Officer to continue to work with Friends of the Elderly.

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09 / EQ 4

USI RAINBOW WEEK

Conference Notes That “Rainbow Week” is not thoroughly recognised within all affiliated colleges.

Conference Further Notes That the USI does not hold a “Rainbow Week” of its own, unlike themed weeks such as Road Safety Week and Shag Week etc.

Conference Believes That “Rainbow Week” is a much needed awareness campaign to promote LGBT awareness and acceptance within all affiliated colleges.

Conference Mandates The USI Officer Board to introduce an official designated “Rainbow Week” on the campaigns calendar to raise awareness for the event and promote inclusion and integration of the LGBT community.

Conference Also Mandates The LGBT RO to communicate with the Students Unions and the LGBT societies and assist in the organisation of the Rainbow Weeks to those colleges that need assistance.

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09 / EQ 5

WORKING WITH DISABILITY

Congress Notes The excellent practices employed by the disability services in some higher education institutes Congress Further Notes The disparity that exists in disability services available to students in different higher education institutes Congress Mandates The Equality Officer and the Disability Rights Officer to investigate the various practices employed in by the disability services of institutes and, based on this, to construct a code of best practice for such services which shall be distributed to all COs and their relevant college authorities

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09 / EQ 8

IRISH TRAVELLER MOVEMENT

Congress notes That there exists policy (08/EQ2) mandating the Equality Officer ‘to lobby the government for the full and speedy implementation of the recommendations and conclusions laid out in the Department of Education & Science Survey of Traveller Education Provision.’

Congress also notes That while this motion is well intentioned, it does not provide the Equality Officer with a realistic mandate to address the issues facing members of the Traveller Community in third level education.

Congress recognises The work of this year’s Equality Officer in building links with the Education Worker of the Irish Traveller Movement.

Congress notes That the Irish Traveller Movement is a national network of organisations and individuals working within the Traveller community.

Congress mandates That the Equality Officer continues to build links with ITM and to formulate a realistic strategy for addressing the issues faced by Travellers in third level education.

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09 / EQ 9

FEMALE PARTICIPATION

Congress notes That there is a long-standing disparity between the number of female members of Students’ Unions and the number of females holding positions at decision making levels of Students’ Unions, particularly sabbatical officer level.

Congress notes That in the final report of the USI Participation Working Group it was noted that statistical evidence indicated that Union members were more likely to vote for a male candidate than a female candidate in cases where at least one of each are present.

Congress further notes That since the abolition of the Women’s Rights Officer there has been little in the way of gender equality campaigns run by USI. Congress recognises That the issue of female participation is not one unique to USI. It is an issue which is prevalent in many areas of Irish society.

Congress further recognises That there are many organisations and government initiatives which are involved in the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of life and some which are specifically involved in increasing female representation at decision making level.

Congress mandates the Equality Officer To run a campaign highlighting the persistent inequalities between men and women in Irish Society; To run a campaign to promote female involvement at decision making level; To work with organisations who share our aim of working for an equal society.

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09 / EQ 10

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Congress notes That the numbers of EU and non EU students in the Irish Higher Education have increased steadily over the past number of years Congress further notes That while these students share the same concerns as their Irish counterparts, they also need specific support in certain areas Congress recognises That these students receive a lot of support from both international education offices and international student societies Congress is aware That very few structures exist within both local students union and USI to cater for the specific needs of both EU and non EU students and that this has lead to very poor participation by international students at all levels of student representation (see USI Participation Working Group Final Report) Congress believes That Students Unions must cater for the needs of all their membership and that USI has a responsibility to support local unions in this and to lead by example Congress further believes That the current structures employed by students unions, both local and national, may need to be reviewed in order to serve the needs of these students more effectively Congress therefore mandates the Equality Officer To continue to sit on the board of the Irish Council of International Students (ICOS); To work with ICOS to create support structures for EU and non EU students within local unions and within USI; To compile best practice guidelines for local unions on how to make their union accessible for EU and non EU students;

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To continue to monitor changes in governmental & HEI stipulations for EU and non EU students; to publicise these changes to the membership; to lobby against changes which will have a negative effect on students and to be proactive in seeking changes which will have a positive impact.

09 / EQ 11 FORUM FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Congress Notes That participation in third level education among students with disabilities has grown in the last number of years.

Congress Believes That it is difficult to provide adequate support and representation for these students without their input into highlighting their specific needs.

Congress Mandates The Equality Officer and Disability Rights Officer to setup a forum in which students with disabilities can advise USI on the Disability Rights Campaign.

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Disability 2010 10/DR 1

Disclosure at CAO

Conference notes That the CAO provides students with an option to disclose their disability.

Conference further notes That many Leaving Certificate students may be uncomfortable making this disclosure, as they feel it may negatively impact upon them.

Conference therefore mandates The Disability Rights Officer to work alongside the ISSU and other relevant organisations to highlight the positive effects of disclosure.

10/DR 2

Know your Rights

Conference notes That funding cuts have affected all college services, including disability support services Conference also notes That Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) have a legal responsibility to provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities Conference believes That colleges must fulfil this legal responsibility to all students and that funding cuts do not absolve college authorities of this responsibility Conference mandates The Disability Rights Officer to work with AHEAD and other relevant organisations to run a ‘Know Your Rights’ campaign which highlights to students the legal responsibilities of HEIs to provide support and reasonable accommodations.

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10/DR 3

Information

Conference notes There are many different disabilities Conference also notes That sabbatical officers may not be aware of the different needs of all disabilities Conference mandates The Disability Rights Officer to provide information to sabbatical officers on different disabilities and the possible reasonable accommodations which a student may require

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Gender Equality 2010 10/GE 1

Reclaim the Night

Conference notes The success of the ‘Reclaim the Night Marches’ organised in the UK between the London Feminist Network and the National Union of Students in the UK (NUSUK) to highlight the issue of sexual violence against women Conference is disappointed By recent research from the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (December 2009) which outlined a poor conviction rate for crimes of rape and sexual violence in Ireland, inaccurate stereotypes of rape as well poor treatment of victims by members of An Garda Siochana Conference mandates The Equality Officer and the Gender Equality Officer to organise an annual ‘reclaim the night march’ for students to raise awareness of sexual violence against women in Ireland Conference further mandates The Equality Officer and the Gender Equality Officer to contact the Rape Crisis Network Ireland to explore possible collaborations on the issue of sexual violence against women.

10/GE 2

Advocates for Sexual Knowledge

Conference notes That USI has numerous policies on issues related to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) Conference also notes That USI has worked closely with the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) over the past number of years on SRHR

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Conference welcomes The establishment of a youth specific campaign (ASK – Advocates for Sexual Knowledge) within the IFPA Conference mandates The Equality Officer and the Gender Equality Officer to work with ASK to progress USI policy on SRHR issues.

10/GE 3

Childcare Facilities

Conference notes That access to affordable childcare is difficult in Ireland Conference also notes That access to flexible and affordable childcare is difficult for students Conference is aware That some third level institutions have crèches on or close to campus and that a number of places in said crèches are reserved for students Conference is also aware That childcare/crèche subsidy schemes exist in different colleges Conference believes That all third level institutions should provide a childcare facility for students Conference mandates The Equality Officer, Gender Equality Office and Mature Student Officer to lobby all relevant authorities to establish childcare facilities on all third level campuses.

Such childcare facilities should include both crèche and after school care facilities and should be affordable for students. Furthermore a majority of places in these facilities should be reserved for registered students of the institution.

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10/GE 4

Lack of legal protection from domestic violence in youth relationships

Conference notes with concern That young people in dating relationships are not covered by current domestic violence legislation because of strict cohabitation criteria.

Conference also notes That current Irish domestic violence legislation falls short of current UN Guidelines on Domestic Violence Legislation. These guidelines recommend that all individuals who are or have been in an intimate relationship, regardless of marital status or cohabitation, should be eligible for protection from domestic violence.

Conference believes That protection from domestic violence should not be contingent on current or previous cohabitation, and therefore Safety Orders should be available to all parties who are or have been in an intimate relationship, as is supported by UN Guidelines on Domestic Violence Legislation.

An opportunity exists under the current Civil Partnership Bill to make amendments to the Domestic Violence Act. Conference therefore mandates The Equality & Gender Equality Officer to write immediately to all TDs and Senators to encourage them to support amendments to the Domestic Violence Act under the Civil Partnership Bill that would extend protection under domestic violence legislation to those who are or have been in intimate relationships regardless of marital or cohabitation status.

10/GE 5

Copenhagen Declaration

Conference notes That USI has many motions and policy on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) Conference also notes That members of USI Officerboard were involved in creating a pan European political statement on SRHR (known as the Copenhagen Declaration) 111

Conference further notes The Copenhagen Declaration reads as follows: Conference mandates The Equality Officer to sign the Copenhagen Declaration on behalf of USI and to use it when lobbying on SRHR issues 10/GE 6

Campaigning for Women

Conference notes That USI had a successful Womens Rights Campaign in the past Conference also notes That in recent years there has been very little policy on Womens issues Conference believes That there is a problem with female participation in USI Conference also believes That the creation of a gender equality officer position in 2009 was a positive step to increasing female participation in USI Conferences further believes That current officers could learn a lot from the experience of past female officers, particularly those who were involved in the womens rights campaign Conference mandates The Equality Officer and Gender Equality Officer to convene a roundtable with interested ex officers to discuss how to progress womens involvement in the union.

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10/GE 7

Objectification of Women in Posters

Conference notes That images used by clubs, societies and students union to promote events have become increasingly sexual and objectify young men and women Conference believes That clubs, societies and students union should be leaders in creating a campus environment that is free from such overt sexualisation and objectification Conference mandates The Gender Equality Officer to highlight the negative impact of objectification to clubs, societies and students unions and to create a best practice promotion guide that student groups can use when advertising events and activities

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International Students 2010 10/IS 1

International Students Campaign

Conference notes That is important that international students have access to a campaign which represents their views to government and other relevant organisations Conference also notes That students should be able to access information about what colleges participate in the USI International Students Campaign prior to applying for a course of study Conference mandates The International Student Officer to highlight on www.usi.ie what third level colleges in Ireland are members of USI and active in the International Students Campaign.

10/IS 2

Changing Circumstances for International Students

Conference notes That the Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform (DJELR) are currently reviewing immigration procedures for non EEA students Conference also notes That the Department of Education & Science (DES) has established a high level group to coordinate the international education sector in Ireland Conference further notes That USI has worked closely with ICOS to secure a student seat on the high level group and has made a submission to the DJELR on the immigration proposals Conference is disappointed That the DJELR considers it adequate to promote such changes through a statement on their website

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Conference encourages The DJELR to be more proactive in consulting with students, who are the main stakeholders in this issue Conference mandates The Equality Officer and International Students Officer to a) seek a meeting with the DJELR to outline the need for proactive consultation with students on these issues and to establish such a system for consultation b) continue to work with ICOS on representing student views to the high level group c) seek student feedback regularly on proposals coming forth from either group/department d) advertise changes clearly on www.usi.ie and through all other available media

10/ IS 3

Information for International Students

Conference notes That many international students do not receive adequate information about Ireland and/or immigration procedures before they arrive here to study Conference believes This lack of information has a negative impact on the student experience for international students Conference mandates The international student officer to create an easy to read guide for international students on life in Ireland and immigration procedures and to make this available on www.usi.ie Conference also notes That many international students do not understand the role of the SU in the college environment 115

Conference therefore mandates The international student officer to create an easy to read guide for international students entitled ‘What is a Student Union?’ and to make this available on www.usi.ie.

10/IS 4

Finance for International Students

Conference notes That International Students face hefty fees for studying in Ireland Conference also notes That there is a lack of transparency surrounding these fees and how they are costed Conference believes That financial stress, caused by such large fees and the expense of living in Ireland, has a negative impact on the student experience for international students Conference mandates The Equality Officer & International Students Officer to always lobby for transparent costings of all fees charged to international students and that these fees are advertised well in advance of a student arriving in Ireland. Where possible, officers should lobby for a decrease in the amount charged to international students.

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LGB T 2010 10/LGBT 1

LGBT Interest Groups

Conference notes That the USI LGBT Campaign has been working closely with various LGBT interest groups over the past few years, to the mutual benefit of all organisations Conference applauds The recent USI roundtable meeting, which brought all these organisations together to the discuss the broader civil marriage campaign (which was the first meeting of its kind in over a year) Conference recognises That working with these groups is essential to the success of the campaign and as such should continue into the future Conference mandates The LGBT RO to continue to work and liaise with the likes of MarriagEquality, LGBT Noise, EQUALS, GLEN (the Gay & Lesbian Equality Network), the NLGF (National Lesbian and Gay Federation), TENI (Transgender Equality Network Ireland) and BeLonG To, as well as any other group which they feel can further the USI LGBT Campaign 10/LGBT 2

Homophobic Bullying

Conference notes That the results of the “LGBT Lives� survey (2009) show that 12 years old is the most common time for an LGBT person to come out to themselves, with 17 being the age most of them start to come out. This means most LGBT people are in secondary school while beginning their coming out process, or just starting college

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Conference further notes That over 58% of LGBT people reported homophobic bullying in their schools, and that 80% of LGBT people currently experience verbal abuse due to their LGBT identity in their day to day lives Conference believes That LGBT students can be victims of homophobic abuse in college Conference mandates The LGBTRO to work alongside the ISSU on a joint anti homophobic bullying campaign, covering both secondary school and college students to raise awareness of this issue Conference further mandates The LGBTRO to work with BeLonG To on this campaign, as they have established points of contact for the area of homophobic bullying.

10/LGBT 3 Students’ Unions Involvement in the LGBT Campaign Conference believes In order to have a real impact on student life, SU as a whole need to get involved with LGBT rights.

Conference mandates The LGBT RO to work closely with SUs as well as LGBT Societies.

10/LGBT 4

Anti-homophobia Campaign

Conference believes It should be obvious to all students in USI colleges that homophobia will not be tolerated in any form on campus.

Conference mandates The LGBT RO to prepare information leaflets or pack for a campus-wide antihomophobia campaign in all USI campuses on a certain day and to encourage all SUs to get involved.

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10/LGBT 5

Freshers Packs

Conference believes We constantly need to aim to reach all students who identify as L,G, B or T Conference mandates The LGBT RO to prepare information for insertion by all SUs for a section in their fresher's booklets on LGBT issues specifically.

10/LGBT 6

LGBT Working Group

Conference repeals The motion

09 06 06 06 06

LGBT LGBT LGBT LGBT LGBT

19 Working Group SSC 6 USI LGBT Working Group Team Dynamics 21 Sabbatical Officers on Working Groups 22 Working Group Changeover 23 Participation By Working Group Members

Conference notes That the LGBT Policy Manual makes numerous references to LGBT Working Group.

Conference further notes That this group no longer exists under the restructuring of the USI LGBT Campaign.

Conference therefore mandates The LGBT RO to go through the manual and replace every instance of “the LGBT RO and Working Group” with “the LGBT RO” Proposed by USI LGBT Rights Officer

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10/LGBT 7

Pink Training

Conference repeals The motions

09 LGBT 6 Financing of Pink Training 09 LGBT 07 Structure of Pink Training 08 LGBT 08 Lesbian Sexual Health at Pink Training 08 LGBT 12 Bisexuality Awareness at Pink Training 08 LGBT 19 Intervarsity Event Forum 08 LGBT 22 Pink Training Accommodation Requests 08 LGBT 23 Pink Training Workshops and Timetable 08 LGBT 25 Sexual Empowerment and Queer Studies at Pink Training 07 LGBT 03 Transgender Information for Welfare Officers 07 LGBT 10 Closed and Open Transgender Workshops at Pink Training 07 LGBT 11 Making Standing Conference More Accessible 06 LGBT 11 Biphobia 06 LGBT 12 Transgender Issues 06 LGBT 16 Pink Training 06 LGBT 2 Welfare Training at Pink Training

Conference notes That over the past few years, repetitive motions relating to Pink Training were passed at various LGBT Standing Conferences, which lead to the LGBT Policy Manual becoming very disorganised.

Conference recognises The importance of Pink Training as the single biggest gathering of LGBT people after Pride, and as such should cover many areas in which awareness needs to be raised.

Conference also recognises That delegates can be too tired to participate fully after a certain time each day, which can lead to a lack of engagement.

Conference further recognises That it can be difficult for new members to integrate at Pink Training. If a delegate is allowed specify one other delegate with whom they would like to stay, this may make the event less intimidating.

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Conference further notes That there may be Trans* students in attendance, and that they may not be out to their friends or fellow society members. As such, they should be able to attend a closed coming out workshop running simultaneously to several other workshops to prevent them having to out themselves.

Conference believes That the sexual health workshops are an integral part of Pink Training, and that these should all be run simultaneously with no other workshops at the same time, to ensure all delegates attend at least one workshop. Sexual empowerment workshops should also be part of the timetable, as it is important for delegates to be confident in their sexuality.

Conference further believes That the bonding and networking aspects of Pink Training are essential to the Pink Training weekend. As such, ice-breakers and society networking events should be a part of the timetable.

Conference therefore mandates The LGBT RO to: 1. Consult with LGBT Students prior to Pink Training in order to assess the kind of modules they wish to see for the weekend 2. Ensure that the Friday night consist only of opening speeches by the LGBT RO, the USI President and a guest speaker, and for these to be followed by ice-breakers 3. Plan the timetable so that the Sunday consist only of open spaces and light interactive modules to allow for winding down, and for these to start no earlier than 11am in order to facilitate students preparing to leave 4. Host a feedback session at the end of the weekend to assess delegates’ thoughts and feelings about the success of the weekend 5. Provide at least one meal which is to be included in the cost of the event 6. Timetable the coming out workshops to be an hour and a half long 7. That accommodation requests to share with a friend should be facilitated where possible Conference further mandates The LGBT RO to have, at a minimum, the following modules on the timetable: • Bisexuality Awareness (Covering Biphobia) 121

• • • • • • • •

Sexual Health Workshops (Both Men’s and Women’s) Coming Out Workshops Sexual Empowerment Queer Studies/Queer Theory Trans* 101 module, covering the areas of FTM, MTF, Intersex and Genderqueer.

A closed Trans* Coming Out Workshop, timetabled against several other modules to allow for privacy.

LGBT Mental Health LGBT Drugs and Alcohol Awareness

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2009 09/LGBT 5

DIGNITY AND RESPECT

Conference recognises the work done by COs to ensure that everybody feels equal.

Conference notes that some COs have policies that are open to misinterpretation and this may lead to unintended discrimination.

Conference believes that situations like this should never happen in any CO. Conference further believes that since it is against the law to discriminate, college officials should not be allowed to get away with doing so.

Therefore Conference mandates The LGBT RO to Draft up a generic policy on Dignity and Respect for use in CO’s that don’t have any.

Conference further mandates the LGBT RO and WG to ensure that every CO’s Union is aware of the existence of such policies and to ensure that such policies are being applied to everyone.

09/LGBT 6

FINANCING OF PINK TRAINING

Conference Notes That in previous years, many students who book places at pink training, never show up and as a result, never pay for the place they booked.

Conference further notes That in most years, the LGBT Campaign and USI have lost money as a result of this non payment.

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Conference Believes That the LGBT campaign should not financially suffer due to a non payment.

Conference recognises That it is a standard business practice that most costs allow a margin of error, onto the cost price, to allow for hidden costs and last minute dropouts.

Therefore Conference Mandates The LGBTRO and the LGBT Working Group to include as part of the initial payment, a margin of error fee of no more than 5 euro, to allow for some non payment.

Conference Further Mandates The LGBTRO to ensure that any money raised is returned directly into the LGBT Campaign Budget and is used for the printing of materials, attendance at a conference or any other event or training requiring financial assistance from the USI LGBT Campaign.

Conference Also Mandates The LGBTRO to ensure that, if the cost for pink training should ever exceed 90 euro, that the five euro margin of error is not included as the cost would be too excessive for students.

Conference Additionally Mandates That anyone who has not paid for more than two years or whose collective debts exceed 3000 EUR shall be refused entry to pink training until at least half of the money is paid off with a guarantee that the rest will be paid no more than one month after the event

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09/ LGBT 7

STRUCTURE OF PINK TRAINING

 Conference Notes That pink training is the perfect venue to provide support to LGBT people, sabbatical Officers and part time officers on LGBT Issues.

Conference Further Notes That this year a high number of sabbatical and part time officers attended Conference Believes That there should be an introduction module on LGBT issues as well as other modules aimed at supporting someone coming out to parents.

Conference Further Believes That Pink Training should be longer on the Saturday, but starting later and that no module should be run on the Sunday other than feedback sessions.

Therefore Conference mandates The LGBT RO and the LGBT Working group to: Ensure, where possible, that an Introduction to LGBT module is run at pink training Ensure, where possible, a breakdown of the legal, medical and social rights of LGBT people in Ireland Ensure, where possible, that a module on LGBT and Parenting is run at Pink Training Congress Also Mandates The LGBTRO to ensure that a booklet on pink training is produced on a yearly basis and that the booklet for Pink Training contains information on each module, includes an explanatory note on each module, speaker and WG member and that maps/timetables/etc. are included in the booklet.

09/LGBT 9

ADOPTION POLICY

Conference notes The controversial nature of the issue of gay adoption within Ireland.

Conference Applauds The work done in relation to this issue by organisations by way of debates and seminars.

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Conference Notes with concern the lack of protection to children offered by the civil partnership bill.

Conference believes That policy needs to be clarified regarding USIs stance on adoption rights.

Therefore Conference mandates The LGBT RO to ensure that USI lobby for better protections for children within the Civil Partnership Bill in the form of a Guardianship Rights Bill Congress Further Mandates The LGBTRO and the LGBT WG to form a campaign seeking to introduce full Adoption Rights and to only accept guardianship rights as a stepping stone towards full adoption rights Congress Also Mandates The LGBTRO to ensure that a brief synopsis of guardianship rights versus adoption rights are drawn up and distributed to the LGBT Societies and SUs to inform them of both the pros and cons of each system.

09/LGBT 13

MSM BLOOD BAN

 Conference Notes That the IBTS still has not reviewed its policies on Blood donation

Conference Further Notes That the NAT test has reduced the window of detection of the HIV virus down to 12 days.

Conference Notes with Concern The IBTS has passed obligation over to the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation. The IBTS will refuse to review the deferral criteria until the WHO and the Dept. require them to.

Conference Believes That the IBTS should set up a working group to investigate the viability of reducing the deferral period from an indefinite deferral down to a more reasonable timeframe Therefore Conference mandates The LGBT RO and the LGBT Working group to:

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Continue to letter lobby the Minister of Health, asking for a working group to be set up.

Write a submission to the Dept. Of Health, outlining current trends on HIV infection and HIV statistics and use this to seek a reduction.

Outline a deferral period of one year instead of a lifetime deferral Conference further mandates The LGBTRO to keep the information accurate and up to date with current statistics Conference Also Mandates The LGBT RO to lobby both the department and WHO for the setting up of a working group to review their own policies regarding blood donations from the MSM community.

09/LGBT 14

COMMUNICATION FROM LGBTRO

Conference Notes That there is little communication between the LGBTRO and LGBT societies in various CO’s.

Conference Believes That it is important that LGBT societies are aware of important issues to the LGBT community and also of work carried by the LGBTRO and the LGBT Working Group.

Conference Further Believes That communication is essential to ensuring participation in USI’s LGBT campaign at local level.

Therefore Conference Mandates The LGBTRO to send out at least a quarterly email to LGBT societies, CO Executive Officers and other relevant parties to update them on the progress of the campaign and the work carried out by the LGBT Working Group.

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Mature Students 2010 10/MS 1 Developing relationships with NIMSO & AONTAS Conference notes That USI benefits from having a positive working relationship with a number of external organisations Conference believes That the USI Mature Students Campaign would benefit from creating links with both NIMSO (Network of Irish Mature Students Officers) and AONTAS (the Irish National Learning Organisation) Conference mandates The Equality Officer & Mature Students Officer to meet with both NIMSO and AONTAS and explore possible collaborations in order to create a coherent lobbying effort on behalf of mature students across Ireland.

10/MS 2

Mature Students Officer

Conference notes The high increase in the number of mature students attending third level education Conference also notes That increasing access to lifelong learning and creating diverse student populations is to be welcomed Conference is aware That mature students have additional needs and that these are often not represented at local level in colleges Conference believes that In order to represent the needs of mature students, each student union should have a part time mature students representative

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Conference therefore mandates The Mature Students Officer to lobby local COs to create part time mature student officer positions and to assist all unions in the development of this position.

10/MS 3

Peer Support for Mature Students

Conference notes The success of peer support networks across Irish Third Level Institutions Conference also notes The difficulties faced by mature students returning to education Conference believes that other mature students are best placed to understand these issues and support mature students in first year Conference mandates The Mature Students Officer to lobby each college to establish a mature student’s peer support network.

10/MS 4

Social Events

Conference notes That often college entertainments focus on pubs and nightclubs Conference also notes That this may not appeal to mature students Conference mandates The Mature Students Officer to work with Entertainments Officers to create events which are more welcoming for mature students.

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National Affairs 2012 12/ NA 2

CHILDRENS’ RIGHTS

Congress notes The absence of legislation in Ireland in relation to the protection of children.

Congress further notes The contents of the Cloyne, Ryan and Murphy Reports.

Congress recognises That we, as a society, fail to protect vulnerable children.

Congress therefore mandates USI Officerboard to actively support the proposed referendum on childrens’ rights, to work with Campaign for Children and other organisations in favour of the referendum, and to actively encourage and facilitate MOs to get involved in the campaign. This motion shall continue to be in force for the next three years or until such time as the referendum has passed.

12/ NA 2

CROKE PARK AGREEMENT

Congress notes The Public Service Agreement 2010-2014 (Croke Park Agreement) imposes a moratorium on public sector recruitment and guarantees no compulsory pay cuts to public sector staff until at least 2014.

Congress notes with concern The lack of employment for graduates resulting from the recruitment freeze stipulated by the Croke Park agreement and that the public sector pay freezes have resulted in less money being available in the budgets of Educational Institutions for non-pay expenditure such as student services.

Congress believes That the Croke Park agreement has had a negative effect on students’ education and employment prospects.

Congress mandates That USI calls for the renegotiation of the Croke Park Agreement.

Congress further mandates

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The President to pursue a renegotiation of the Croke Park agreement at the Lobby of the Oireachtas & to propose a more student-friendly alternative which will still endeavour to respect the rights of public sector employees.

12/ NA 3

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Congress recognises That we as a student movement we must strive for true equality of opportunity at all levels in the Irish education system. We also recognise that whether or not a child will make it to third-level education is very often determined by the quality of their secondary education.

Congress further recognises That many potential students have not made it to third-level because they come from areas of socio-economic disadvantage, and thus cannot afford private schooling, or because the public schools in their areas are not adequate.

Congress notes The growth of grind schools and private secondary schools in Ireland in the past two decades, and that this growth of the private school sector has led to a divided student body at second-level and beyond, and has also resulted in many good public schools struggling to fill places and stay open.

Congress further notes That students attending private schools have access to an education that is to a large extent publicly-funded, but which is only accessible to those who can pay the private fees which run into the thousands each year. This means that all taxpayers are being asked to subsidise an education system that is only accessible to those children lucky enough to be born into relatively well-off families, and that this private education puts them at a great advantage in attaining higher CAO points and thus places on third-level courses.

Congress mandates Officer Board To campaign for the removing of state funding for private primary and secondary schools, and for any monies saved in this process to be ring fenced and re-invested in the wider, publicly-funded and publicly-accessible education system including primary, secondary and third level education. This should be completed within the next year.

12/ NA 5

REFORM OF THE IRISH CONSTITUTION

Congress notes The inherently Catholic ethos of the Irish Constitution/Bunreacht na hÉireann.

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Congress further notes USI policy in the areas of marriage equality and abortion.

Congress notes with concern That the Catholic nature of the Constitution prohibits any legislation which may seek positive, fair and just advancement in these areas, areas in which USI has campaigned tirelessly for decades.

Congress believes That the Constitution of Ireland should be wholly secular in nature, and that no one religion deserves constitutional supremacy over all others, nor should any one religion influence the laws of the State.

Congress Mandates The Vice President for Campaigns and the Vice President for Equality & Citizenship to lobby for a seat for USI on the soon-to-be established National Constitutional Review Committee and to make known USI’s desire for a secular Constitution, lobbying to ensure that areas such as the definition of marriage etc. are in line with USI policies. This mandate must be fulfilled prior to the national Constitutional review taking place.

12/ NA 7

ANTI-COUNTERFEIT TRADE AGREEMENT (ACTA)

Congress notes The importance of copyright law and the protection of intellectual property rights and the need of the Irish government to act on this.

Congress notes with concern The lack of public discussion on the ACTA Treaty and how it would be implemented in Ireland.

Congress further notes with concern The potential impact of any legislation around ACTA on students’ work, freedom of speech and civil liberties.

Congress therefore mandates The VP/Campaigns to campaign and lobby on behalf of the students of Ireland to prevent the ratification of the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement and the introduction of legislation to enforce it in Ireland.

Congress further mandates The VP/Campaigns to lobby and campaign for the next three years for a wider discussion on the issue of copyright infringement and counterfeit trade prior to the Irish government putting in place any legislation in this area.

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12/ NA 8

PUBLIC & CIVIL SERVICE RECRUITMENT EMBARGO

Congress notes The difficulties caused by the current Public & Civil Service Recruitment Embargo and the employment control framework in operation in the Higher Education Sector.

Congress further notes That Ireland has a huge problem with Graduate Unemployment and that many of our best and brightest are being forced to emigrate.

Congress therefore mandates The President and VP/Campaigns to lobby for a root and branch review of all areas of the public and civil service. This review would enable the Government to create a public and civil service that is appropriate for a modern Ireland. By creating a modern civil and public service the Government would be in a position to lift the embargo and recruit graduates into frontline services and other areas appropriate for a modern Ireland.

12/ NA 9

GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT & EMIGRATION

Congress welcomes: The progress made to the date on the implementation of the USI Reigniting the Smart Economy Policy adopted at Congress 2011.

Congress also welcomes The announcement of the Job Bridge, National Internship Scheme in June 2011.

Congress notes with grave concern Recent figures that over 100 Irish people are emigrating every day. Large scale emigration has hugely negative social and economic consequences for communities across the country.

Congress mandates The President and VP Campaigns to launch a large scale campaign to force Government to tackle the problems of Graduate Unemployment & Emigration and to create the appropriate environment for job creation.

Congress further mandates • The President and VP Campaigns to lobby for the following amendments to the Job Bridge Scheme.

• A reduction in the Job Bridge criteria from 12 weeks to 4 weeks.

• The modification of the Social Welfare Code to enable employers to give a modest • stipend to interns.

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• • •

That Job Bridge interns under the age of 25 qualify for the maximum rate of Job Seekers Benefit.

Vetting of Internships on Job Bridge site.

This mandate shall expire after a period of 3 years if it is not re-approved by Congress.

12/ NA 10 NATIONAL PROPERTY SERVICES REGULATORY AUTHORITY Congress notes The findings of the Auctioneering/Estate Agency Review Group established by the Minister for Justice and Law Reform, that the existing statutory framework for the property sector in the Republic of Ireland is outdated, inappropriate and inadequate for the present day market and does not provide any ongoing official supervisory, disciplinary or consumer redress system.

Congress further notes That to address these shortcomings, the Review Group recommended the establishment of a Regulatory Authority to achieve uniformity and transparency in licensing, regulation and provision of information to the public in relation to the property sector.

Congress understands That the Minister for Justice and Law Reform has established the National Property Services Regulatory Authority (NPSRA) as the agency to carry out this function.

Congress believes That this is a hugely positive step by Government to regulate the property sector. At a time where many businesses are facing liquidation, receivership, and other financial difficulties, adequate governance is required more than ever. Furthermore, the enactment of this legislation to empower this regulatory authority would provide a significant support to our members along with all tenants nationwide.

Congress mandates the President and Vice President for Welfare To voice the support of the USI; before the end of the calendar year 2012, for the establishment of the National Property Services Regulatory Authority (NPSRA).

Congress further mandates the President and Vice President for Welfare To lobby the Minister for Justice and Law Reform; before the end of the calendar year 2012, to ensure the swift and secure enactment of this legislation.

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12/ NA 10

MORTGAGE REPAYMENTS

Congress notes with concern Recent figures that 1 in 7 householders are struggling to repay mortgages due to the economic crisis.

Congress further notes That many students and families across the country have to make stark choices as to whether to pay the mortgages, pay colleges fees or simply put food on the table to provide for their families.

Congress also notes That many families are not in a position to meet mortgage repayments because they have been made redundant or have had to close their business due to the economic crisis.

At present, families are bearing the full responsibility, that is losing their homes, for what can now be described as excessive lending by financial institutions. It is estimated that 36,000 mortgages are in arrears of three months or more and that 17,000 households are receiving mortgage interest supplement.

Congress is concerned That the financial crisis being experienced by students and families across the country is resulting increased levels of stress, anxiety and mental health issues.

Congress mandates The President, VP Equality and VP Campaigns to work with external organisations to campaign and lobby the Government to introduce measures that support families in situations where they are unable to repay their mortgage and to ensure that families do not lose their homes.

12/ NA 12

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS CAMPAIGN

Congress notes The focus being put on producing work-ready, world-ready graduates by the 3rd Level sector.

Congress further notes The lack of clarity for many students around what graduate recruiters and employers are actively seeking in graduates Congress Mandates The Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance Officer and the Campaigns Officer to roll out a nationwide campaign before June 1st 2013 with the aim to inform students on what skills make them more employable and opportunities they have to develop them.

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Congress further mandates The Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance Officer to investigate the feasibility of a national career guidance database/website for 3rd and 4th level students.

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National Affairs 2011 11/ NA 1

ABORTION LEGISLATION

Congress notes The ruling in December 2010 by the European Court of Human Rights which said that the Irish State had violated the rights of one of the plaintiffs in the “A, B & C v.

Ireland” case.

Congress further notes That the “Attorney General v. X” case in 1992 highlighted a lack of clarity in the constitution as it gives equality in the right to life of both the mother and the unborn child, and recommended that legislation be introduced in this regard.

Congress mandates the Equality Officer To campaign for, and lobby the Government to legislate for abortion in line with the “Attorney General v. X” case judgement.

11/ NA 2

VOTER REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN

Congress notes The unusual political situation in the year 2010/2011 put USI under a lot of pressure as regards a Voter Registration Campaign in the run-up to a General Election.

Congress believes That a Voter Registration Campaign would be more feasible operationally if it was carried out at the start of the year instead of in the run up to the election.

Congress further notes That to encourage people to vote an organisation must be registered. If CO’s run a Voter Registration Campaign, it must be done through USI, who are registered.

Congress mandates USI Officer Board To run a Voter Registration Campaign every September/October, to provide help to CO’s running Voter Registration Campaigns, to make officers available on the ground to COs, and to approve all CO information etc for any Voter Registration Campaign.

11/ NA 3

An Ghaeilge don Ardteistiméireacht

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Aithníonn an chomhdháil Go bhfuil an Ghaeilge mar ábhar éigeantach don Ardteistiméireacht faoi láthair Aithníonn an chomhdháil ar lean Go bhfuil roinnt fadhbanna ann leis an curaclam mar atá sé agus roinnt moltaí ar conas gur féidir linn é a deisiú.

Creideann an chomhdháil go láidir Gur cheart don Ghaeilge fanacht mar croí ábhar éigeantach don Ardteistiméireacht Aithníonn an chomhdháil le himní Go mbeidh tionchar uafásach ag aon athrú ar staideas na Gaeilge don Ardteistiméireacht ar cúrsaí tríú leibhéil trí Ghaeilge agus todhchaí an teanga.

Sainordaíonn an Comhdháil Oifigeach na Gaeilge agus Oifigeach na bhFeachtas Le feachtas a chur ar bun chun Athchóiriú iomlán a bhaint amach ar curaclam na Gaeilge don Ardteistiméireacht trí í a roinnt i dhá ábhar 1Teanga na Gaeilge- ábhar éigeantach le béim ar scríobh agus labhairt na Gaeilge 2Saíocht agus Litríocht na Gaeilge- ábhar roghnach le béim ar filíocht, litríocht agus stair na Gaeilge.

Irish Language for the Leaving Certificate Congress note That the Irish Language is currently a compulsory subject for the Leaving Certificate.

Congress further notes That there have been many problems with the Irish curriculum in schools and many suggestions on how to fix the current curriculum Congress strongly believes That Irish should remain a central & compulsory subject for the Leaving Certificate.

Congress notes with concern That making the Irish language optional at Leaving Certificate level will have a disastrous impact on third level Irish language courses and the future of the language Congress mandates the Irish Language Officer and Campaigns Officer To campaign for a revamp of the Irish language for the leaving certificate by splitting the subject into two subjects.

1-

Irish Language- a compulsory subject with emphasis on speaking and writing the language

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2-

Culture and Literature of Irish Language- an optional subject with emphasis on poetry, literature and history of the language

11/ NA 4

GAELSCOILEANNA

Aithníonn an Chomhdháil An tábhacht atá ag Gaelscoileanna de todhchaí an teanga agus an fás ollmhór sa méid Gaelscoileanna le 20 bhliain anuas.

Aithníonn an chomhdháil le himní Go bhfuil géarghá le scoileanna nua in áiteanna áirithe agus go bhfuil éileamh ann i gcomhair Gaelscoileanna Aithníonn an chomhdháil ar lean le himní Go bhfuil tuismitheoirí ina dhiaidh scoileanna a bhunú iad féin gan aitheantas nó airgead on rialtas.

Dá bhrí sinn sainordaíonn an chomhdháil seo an Oifigeach Oideachais agus Oifigeach na Gaeilge: Chun stocaireacht a dhéanamh ar an Aire Oideachais le fáil réidh leis lánchosc atá ann faoi láthair agus le cinnte a dhéanamh go bhfuil an Ghaeilge curtha chun cinn tríd an córas oideachais ar fad Congress recognises The importance of Gaelscoileanna to the development of the Irish language and the dramatic increase in the numbers of Gaelcoileanna in the past 20 years.

Congress believes That every Irish citizen should be given the choice to Irish-medium education.

Congress notes with concern That in certain areas there is a need for new schools urgently and a great demand for Gaelscoileanna.

Congress further notes with concern That parents have had to take matters into to their own hands and set up unrecognised privately funded schools Congress therefore mandates the Education Officer and the Irish Language Officer To lobby the government and the Minister for Education to abolish the current embargo and to ensure the promotion of the Irish language throughout the education system.

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11/ NA 5

ROLLING REGISTER

Congress notes That the ‘door to door’ method of maintaining the electoral register currently used in Ireland means there is little public confidence in the current method of voter registration.

Congress further notes That responsibility for compiling the electoral register lies with individual local authorities rather than a central body. While this may seem like a sensible delegation of responsibilities, in reality the opposite is true. It has been shown that the current method of voter registration allows for: • Varying degrees of priority afforded to maintaining data; • Wide variety of practices among registration authorities; • Insufficient field-workers and door-to-door visits to obtain the necessary information.

Congress believes That transferring responsibility for managing the register away from the local authorities to a newly created Electoral Commission operating an individual, rolling register would greatly increase the accuracy of the electoral register. Furthermore, it would make the process of registering students in third level colleges much easier as only one authority would be involved in the registration process.

Congress mandates the Deputy President, Education Officer and Area Officers: To lobby for the creation of an Electoral Commission that would facilitate an individual, rolling register to ensure that the electoral register is up to date and accurate going forward..

11/ NA 6

MINIMUM WAGE

Congress notes That students lucky enough to secure part-time employment to supplement their income while engaged in education often earn the minimum wage.

Congress condemns The decision of the outgoing Government to cut the minimum wage level to €7.65 per hour.

Congress further notes That this decreased wage will have severe impacts on the delicate balance between academic study and work, and will force many students to work even longer hours to the detriment of their academic performance.

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Congress therefore mandates Officer Board To lobby and campaign for the restoration of the minimum wage to its pre-2010 level.

11/ NA 7: JOBSEEKERS’ ALLOWANCE & WORK PLACEMENT PROGRAMMES Congress notes That from January 2011, the Jobseeker’s Allowance maximum payments are as follows: Age 18 – 19: €100 Age 20 – 21: €100 Age 22 – 24: €144 Age 25 +: €188 Congress notes That the exceptions to reduced payments to under 25s are: • Claimants with dependent children.

• People transferring to Jobseeker’s Allowance immediately after finishing their entitlement to Jobseeker’s Benefit.

• People transferring from Disability Allowance to Jobseeker’s Allowance.

• Where an existing Jobseeker’s Allowance claimant is assessed at the higher rate of allowance gets work but loses that job and is back on Jobseeker’s Allowance within 12 months.

• People under 25 participating in a course of education, training or Community Employment. However, when the course ends you will return to an age related JA payment, if you were getting one before you started the course.

• You were at least 20 years of age on 30 December 2009 and became unemployed on or before 30 December 2009.

• You were 18 or 19 on 30 December 2009 and you became unemployed on or before 29 April 2009.

•

You are 22 to 24 and taking part in the Work Placement Programme run by FÁS.

Congress further notes The recommendations in the USI policy document “Re-Igniting the Smart Economy” include the provision of 20,000 graduate work placement places, and that the 2011 Budget included provisions for the creation of 15,000 places.

Congress believes That reducing social welfare payments purely on the basis of age is discriminatory.

That the limiting of increased payments for those taking part in the FÁS Work Placement Programme to the ages of 22-24 is discriminatory and should be extended to all under 25s as long as reduced payments for under 25s persists.

Congress mandates the President, Deputy President and Equality Officer

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To campaign for the abolishment of reduced payments for those on the Jobseeker’s Allowance based entirely on the recipients’ age.

And until such time as reduced payments for those on the Jobseeker’s Allowance based entirely on the recipients’ age are abolished, to campaign for the extension of increased payments to those on the FÁS Work Placement Programme to be extended to all those below 25, and to include those who have applied for the FÁS Work Placement Programme. They should also lobby and campaign for those participating in any national work placement programmes outside of FÁS to similarly be eligible for increased payments.

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2010 10/ NA 1

TV LICENCE

Congress Notes •

TV Licences are issued for 12 months

•

The onus to pay the licence is not on the landlord

•

The majority of students stay in student accommodation nine months

Congress Further notes In England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland students can apply for a refund of an unused portion of their TV Licence. If you have bought a licence at the beginning of the Autumn and do not remain in College accommodation or lodgings over the summer, you are entitled to a refund of any unused quarter (three full calendar months).

Congress mandates The Welfare Officer to lobby the Minister for Communication, energy and natural resources to implement a change in legislation that will provide students, and those who may be emigrating with a refund facility identical to the system used in England, Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland.

10/ NA 2

HEADSHOPS

Congress Notes The dramatic increase on the number of “headshops” opening around the country.

Congress Further Notes That there is currently no regulation of the substances which are sold in these shops and the potentially harmful effects that these substances may have on a person.

Congress Mandates The welfare officer to campaign for the regulation of these shops in line with the recent trends in other Countries

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2009 09 / NA 3

ORGAN DONOR STATUS

Congress notes 08/ NA 1 (Organ Donors) which mandates the area officers to promote the distribution of organ donor cards and organ donor information leaflets to each student member of USI. Congress also notes The successful implementation of this mandate by the Eastern Area Officer this year Congress believes That organ donor status should be included on student identity cards Congress therefore mandates The President and Welfare Officer to lobby HEI’s and any other relevant agencies for the inclusion of organ donor status on student identity cards.

09 / NA 4

ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN

Congress applauds The current USI policy on increasing the student vote Congress notes That a general election in the near future is very likely Congress therefore mandates The President to immediately begin lobbying all political parties with regard to student issues, specifically funding of third level education Congress further mandates Officer Board to prepare information regarding each party’s policies which relate to students so as to inform USI’s members

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Congress also mandates The President and Officer Board to immediately begin a campaign to improve student access to voting – through lobbying for weekend voting, on campus polling stations and re-instating the right to be registered at home and at college.

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Union Organisation 2012 12/UO 1

CODES OF CONDUCT

Congress recognises That there can often be disagreement and conflict within Students’ Unions, and that there should ideally be a system in place to deal with such situations.

Congress notes That the behaviour of elected Students’ Union officers can be seen to reflect the behaviour of the student body of that college as a whole.

Congress mandates the USI Officerboard To compile a proposed Code of Conduct for both the USI Officerboard and the Member Organisations, which the Member Organisations would have the option of adopting within their own organisation. This Code should be completed and presented to National Council by 31st December 2012.

12/UO 2

PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL SENT OUT TO MO’S

Congress notes Throughout the year a number of campaigns will require promotional material to be sent out to MO’s.

Congress recognises In the past there have been a significant proportion of materials wasted unnecessarily.

Congress mandates the Vice President for Campaigns To review in the first three months of their term the amount of materials each MO will need per campaign and ensure they adhere to this during the year.

12/ UO 4

STUDENTS’ UNIONS MERGER WORKING GROUP

Congress notes The recent publication by the HEA of a series of papers that outline the future landscape of Higher Education.

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Congress further notes That a number of HEIs are at advanced stages of mergers and that many other HEIs will shortly begin the application process for designation as a Technological University.

Congress recognises That designation as a technological university requires HEIs to have formed one single legal entity prior to the proposed technological university entering the final stage of the process. This single legal entity would have obvious ramifications for the students’ unions in HEIs who are considering a merger.

Congress mandates That the President and the Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance present a proposal to the first National Council of the academic year 2012/2013 for the establishment of a working group to prepare guidelines for students’ union mergers and to facilitate students’ union undergoing this process.

The membership of this working group may include, but is not limited to, members of officer board, representatives of member organisations and external persons with relevant expertise.

The work of the working group shall take into consideration international best practice in this area.

12/ UO 5

SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME

Congress notes Employers are seeking graduates with skills and experience gained outside of the classroom. The National Strategy for Higher Education states repeatedly that generic and transferable skills are essential for our future workforce and must be developed by the student alongside their academic learning.

Congress also notes The skills available in the collective student body are vast and impressive. USI undertakes and runs a huge number of campaigns covering a wide variety of topics each year which requires research and preparation. USI Officers are expected to keep up to date with legislation affecting students.

Congress further notes That successful summer internship programmes have been run in local MO’s in July and August 2011. This programme elevated the workload of the sabbatical officers, allowed the students involved to gain valuable insights into the running of an organisation and development of essential generic skills and the cost to run the programme was very low. Work included website development, national policy reviews, campaign planning and class representative system review.

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Congress mandates The President to co-ordinate a summer internship programme to be completed by September 30th 2012 in consultation with MO’s who have successful run programmes.

12/ UO 6

QUALITY REVIEW OF USI

Congress notes The strategic and quality review mandate (10/UO 1) for the President is a valuable exercise in evaluating the position, strategic direction and fitness for purpose of USI Congress believes Quality reviews should include a self-assessment report as well as a peer review exercise.

Congress further notes Such a review should focus on the both the strategic and operational structures of USI. Congress Mandates A quality Review of USI to include a self-assessment report and peer review group visit to be completed by March 31st 2013 and presented to Congress 2013. The peer review group is to include but not be limited to; • One former Officer Board Member • One Officer from an NUS UK CM • One student (non-sabbatical) from an affiliated Union • One Sabbatical Officer from an affiliated Union • One student from a non-affiliated college 12/ UO 7

FURTHER EDUCATION STUDENT REPRESENTATION

Congress notes That the provisions in the proposed Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011 would create a single agency from the functions previously assigned to HETAC, FETAC, NQAI and IUQB. This consolidation impacts on student representation as USI should be recognised as the sole national student representative body for students at all levels and in each sector of further and higher education.

Congress notes That work has progressing by recent Education Officers and Area Officer in the field of Further Education Student Representation, but that this Union currently is illequipped to deal with the significant demands that this places on the Union.

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Congress asserts and acknowledges Its moral obligation to provide the means for students in Further Education to represent themselves to their own institutions, to national agencies, and to this Union to the same extent as students in higher education.

Congress therefore mandates The VP for AA & QA to organise the creation of a Further Education Student Representative Sub-group of USI, made up of officers of Students’ Unions, Representative Committees and Guilds in colleges of further education nationally.

This Sub-group will be responsible for the promotion of, affiliation of, training, development and liaison between the Union and students in Further Education.

Congress further mandates The Education Officer and the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance Elect to develop a five year implementation strategy for USI’s FE subgroup, leading towards a fully autonomous FE campaign within USI, if appropriate at the end of that five year period.

Congress acknowledges Its own dearth of experience or expertise in this field, and Congress additionally mandates The President to allocate staff resources, as resources permit, to professionally manage this strategy, implement its recommendations and deliver its aims until such a time as the Union may elect a person to perform this role.

12/ UO 8

USI PUBLICATION

Congress notes That USI has longstanding difficulties communicating directly with its members.

Congress further notes The difficulties caused by this lack of communication in terms of accountability and getting students involved in campaigns.

Congress therefore mandates The President and the Officerboard to create a regular, professional standard publication, to inform students about the activities of the Union and events in the Higher Education Sector, to be distributed in time for Freshers Weeks in MOs, and to continue publication of issues until the end of the first semester when a cost/benefit analysis shall take place.

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12/ UO 9

PROMOTING THE USI

Congress notes The good work done by the Officer Board of the Union of Students in Ireland in promoting student rights and views and in advancing the student movement across the country.

Congress notes with concern That many ordinary members of Union of Students in Ireland are unaware of much of the work done by their national union and in many cases are unaware of whom their national elected representatives are Congress notes That the Union of Students in Ireland attends and addresses all Class Representative Trainings in each of the Member Organisations, however this represents a small cohort of our members Congress mandates The Vice President for Campaigns, the Vice President for the Border, Midlands and Western Region and the Vice President for the Southern Region to run a comprehensive USI awareness campaign for ordinary students incorporating Town Hall Meetings detailing the structures, purpose and functions of the USI and including information on the members of Officer Board for the next three years.

Congress further mandates The Officer Board to produce a short monthly report for the next three years which shall detail the current achievements, objectives and the month ahead in the Union of Students in Ireland to uploaded on a monthly basis to the USI website and links will be available from the various forms of social media used by the USI and circulated to all Member Organisations for optional inclusion on their website or in their union publications.

12/ UO 10

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS FOR THE USI

Congress notes The importance of producing promotional goods to promote the USI in each Member Organisation.

Congress further notes The importance of producing these goods in a timely fashion to coincide with Freshers Weeks across the country.

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Congress mandates The Vice President for Campaigns, the Vice President for the Border, Midlands and Western Region and the Vice President for the Southern Region to produce such goods by the end of July for the next 3 years.

12/ UO 11

ACCESS & INCLUSIVITY

Congress notes That this year USI has made a conscious effort to create an inclusive working environment to all Officers.

Congress Further notes How important it is to be at the forefront of an access and inclusivity for all officers.

Congress therefore mandates The President to ensure that USI continues to ensure that it achieves appropriate and reasonable accommodations for all.

12/UO 12 & 12/UO 18 MATURE STUDENTS CONFERENCE (passed together at Congress 2012) Congress notes The increase in the number of mature students returning to 3rd level education, and welcomes the national mature student conference held this year.

Congress further notes The national mature student conference will have less of an impact on mature students if it is held near the end of semester 2.

Congress therefore mandates The VP Equality and Citizenship Officer to hold the mature student conference in Semester 1.

12/ UO 13

VIDEO DEBATES

Congress notes The increased level of interest amongst our grass root members in USI and the election process for new Officerboard candidates.

Congress further notes Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union hold a very open and public Election Process that is well documented and welcomes interaction from all members along with a debate between candidates held.

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Congress therefore mandates USI Elections Subcommittee to organise video debates between Officerboard candidates at least 2 weeks prior to the Election at Annual Congress.

12/ UO 14

COMMUNICATION WITH MEMBERSHIP

Congress notes The lack of direct communication USI and its officers have with its members.

Congress believes That students will feel a greater part of USI and that they are receiving sufficient benefit from their membership fee if USI Officerboard regularly communicate with and inform the general student body of the work they are doing.

Therefore congress mandates That the President, Vice Presidents and Area Officers make and publish online videos detailing their work. These videos shall be published at least once per month.

12/ UO 15

ESTABLISHMENT OF A USI WORKING GROUP FOR MEMBER ORGANISATION ADMINISTRATORS

Congress notes That USI provides many opportunities for Students’ Unions to learn from one another, and share experiences, leading to a stronger student movement nationally.

Congress further notes That staff provide invaluable support and continuity to Students’ Unions throughout the country, often with a breadth of knowledge, which stretches over many years.

Congress notes with regret That at present, there is no USI forum by which staff of Students’ Unions can share information and experiences, for the benefit of Students’ Unions and the student body.

Congress mandates The President to establish a working group of USI, which shall have membership consisting of the staff of each Member Organisation. The working group shall be chaired by a member of USI staff and shall regulate its own affairs, but shall operate within the policies and procedures of USI.

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12/ UO 16

ONLINE PROMOTION & WEB DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Congress notes The importance of an effective online presence in today’s world of social media and daily internet users.

Congress regrets The attempts thus far made by USI to take advantage of the internet have been far from effective most notably the poor website layout and Facebook followers.

Congress therefore mandates The President and VP Campaigns to compose an online promotion and web development strategy by October 1st 2012 and report to Congress 2013 on the implementation progress.

12/ UO 17

CROSSOVER TRAINING

Congress notes The crossover period for incoming and outgoing officers is a significant training for the preparation for incoming officers.

Congress further notes USI have a national council in June, which has the potential to facilitate appropriate training for outgoing officer in how best they can prepare their own crossover with the incoming officer.

Congress recognizes The importance of UOS as it provides important preparation for incoming officers and allows them to grow in confidents in their new role.

Congress mandates USI President and Officerboard to develop a crossover programme at the last national council every year to best prepare outgoing officers in delivering their own crossover.

This motion shall apply for 3 years.

12/ UO 19

LGBT Societies

Congress notes That the LGBT societies are the main source of contact and support for LGBT students.

154

Congress also notes The great work done by USI in providing Pink Training which supports the LGBT community.

Congress believes That this training is a great advert for USI reaching out to students across the country.

Congress also believes That all LGBT students (and indeed many non LGBT students) could benefit from attending Pink Training.

Congress therefore mandates The Vice President for Equality and Citizenship to make contact with all LGBT societies about Pink Training at least 4 weeks prior to the date for the event, and offer non-affiliate rates directly to the society where relevant.

12/ UO 20

EQUALITY CAMPAIGN LAUNCH & HANDBOOK

Congress welcomes The creation of the new role of the Equality and Citizenship Officer.

Congress believes That the creation of this new role will provide USI with the opportunity to reshape and rebrand the USI Equality campaign.

Congress believes It is vitally important to raise awareness of the Equality campaign within USI and among the organisations and community groups that the Equality and Citizenship Officer will be liaising and working with.

Congress mandates The Equality and Citizenship Officer to organise an official re-launch event for the USI Equality campaign this autumn no later than November 1st.

Congress mandates The Equality and Citizenship Officer to fulfil the previous mandate of creating an Equality Handbook (09/UO 29) and to have this handbook ready to distribute at this launch.

Congress mandates The Equality and Citizenship Officer to ensure that representatives from all relevant organisations are invited to attend this launch.

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12/ UO 21

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

Congress notes The significant increase in the use of social media globally and as an organisation USI has lagged behind in using social media as a communications tool with its members.

Congress commends The on-going work by Officerboard and the social media working group in the creation of a social media strategy that will bridge the gap between where the organisation is and where it should be, to be working to the best of its ability.

Congress mandates The incoming officer boards over the next three years to implement the social media strategy when they start their positions with each member of Officerboard interacting on a daily basis with the USI social media outlets. This would include but not exclusively the VP of regional developments and the VP of campaigns keeping the news on each forum current with pictures of all relevant events that take place.

12/ UO 22

ÓGRA CONFERENCE

Congress notes The diverse range of political parties that exist in Ireland and acknowledges that many of these parties have Ógra branches operating in our members organisations.

Congress acknowledges That such a diverse organisation as USI represents members with a wide variety of political opinions and beliefs.

Congress mandates The President or Vice President Campaign of USI to attend all Ógra Conferences for the next three years when invited to do so for the next three years.

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Union Organisation 2011 11/ UO 1

MONEY MANAGEMENT TRAINING

Congress notes That student poverty and student financial difficulty has been more prevalent in the last 2 years than in previous years.

Congress further notes The complexity of financial difficulties can make it difficult for local welfare officers to provide accurate, useful information without proper training.

Congress mandates the Welfare Officer To provide money management training to the welfare officers at UOS or at an alternative date before the beginning of the Academic term.

11/ UO 2

CONSTITUENT ORGANISATION CONSULTATION

Congress notes The federal composition of USI. Congress further notes That each constituent organisation is independent and autonomous.

Congress therefore mandates Officer Board To liaise and seek permission of individual Cos when asked publicly about local institutional issues.

11/ UO 3

LOBBY OF THE OIREACHTAS/PRE BUDGET SUBMISSION

Congress notes That USI puts forward Lobby of the Oireachtas and Pre-Budget Submission documents every year.

Congress further notes The importance of these two documents to the national union and national campaign.

157

Congress mandates the President To establish a taskforce at the first national council to advise the President on issues for inclusion for these documents.

11/ UO 4

FINANCE GUIDE

Congress notes The increase in financial difficulties among students which are likely to be faced by Welfare Officers over the coming years due to the economic downturn and recent austerity Budgets.

Congress further notes The challenges and complications facing CO’s in dealing with the many issues surrounding student finance.

Congress therefore mandates the Education and Welfare Officer To produce a finance guide for local CO’s which details the grants system, assistance funding, welfare entitlements and other relevant information.

11/ UO 5

MEMBERSHIP WORKING GROUP

Congress notes That with the election of a new Government USI have 3 years to the next Local Elections and possibly 5 years to the next General Election, and thus a longer period before voter pressure can force pro-student concessions from political parties seeking election.

Congress believes That this period should be used for reviewing how USI engage and interact with its membership, with the view to creating a strong unified and informed student body that identifies itself with their national union as much as with their local CO. Congress mandates USI Officer Board To create a Membership Working Group reporting to National Council, which would be allowed to co-opt people outside of the USI membership that may be of strategic importance in carrying out its work.

11/ UO 6

TRAINING FOR PROTEST STEWARDS

Congress notes That USI have organised two large student protests over the past three years.

158

Congress further notes That 42,000 students marched on the Education not Emigration March, which exceeded expected numbers by almost 20,000.

Congress notes with concern That the students chosen as stewards by some colleges lacked the training and cohesion to deal with those kind of numbers.

Congress therefore Mandates Officer Board USI to consult with an events management company to draft a stewarding policy suitable for all major protests and events, to be presented to National Council before August 2011.

Congress Further mandates Officer Board To ensure that this policy includes recommendations with regard to the dissemination of this training to all stewards.

11/ UO 7

STEERING MEMBERS

Congress notes That Steering committee are very dedicated to the organisation and to its successful running. In order to ensure that there are active steering members there needs to be a proactive approach from Officer Board to encourage and foster networks with past expertise from the organisation so that institutional memory is still accessible to the organisation.

Congress mandates the deputy president To actively pursue new steering members in times of steering election and that they actively promote a network with ex USI officers.

11/ UO 8

FRESHERS’ PACKS

Congress notes That Students’ Unions across the country distribute packs of sample products under the name “Freshers’ Packs” to their incoming members as a gesture of welcome and as a positive first impression of the benefits of membership of their local Union.

Congress notes with concern The quality of product distributed by suppliers in recent years has been falling steadily, and the contents of many of the packs have included unsuitable material for students’ unions.

159

Congress further notes The ongoing challenge of USI in articulating its purpose and existence to grass-roots members before major national campaigns.

Congress therefore mandates the President and Officer Board To investigate the possibility of sourcing the materials, supplying and distributing “Freshers’ Packs” to COs by September 2011 for consideration at the first National Council of the 2011 / 2012 academic year.

11/ UO 9

PAYMENT OF AFFILIATION FEES

Congress notes That USI has numerous affiliated colleges.

Congress further notes That there are a minority of colleges who choose not to pay the USI affiliation fee.

Congress mandates Officer Board To investigate the plausibility of sanctions, including but not exclusive to, suspension or expulsion of those colleges from USI.

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2010 10/ UO 1

STRATEGIC & QUALITY REVIEW

Congress notes The extraordinary progress of the national student movement in the past 50 years under the leadership of USI. Congress further congratulates The successive Officer Boards and ordinary members for their valuable contribution to political and social Irish life, which has directly impacted on the lives of students in Ireland.

Congress believes It is important that the Union re-evaluates its position, strategic direction, and fitness for purpose, especially in the current economic and political climate.

Furthermore, that to re-evaluate this position, input and buy-in from every stakeholder in the national movement must be considered.

Congress mandates the President To lead a Strategic and Quality Review of the structure and operation of the Union of Students in Ireland, incorporating the views of external review bodies, similarly politically active organizations, ordinary members, past officers of Constituent Organizations, present officers of Constituent Organizations, current staff members, current members of Officer Board, and former members of Officer Board.

10/ UO 2

USI NEWSLETTER PROPOSED

Congress notes The success of the monthly USI Equality Campaign Newsletter (distributed via email) in increasing the profile of the campaign among the student body this year Congress mandates The Equality Officer to continue to produce this newsletter on a monthly basis and to increase the circulation of the newsletter Congress further mandates The Deputy President to compile a quarterly newsletter on all USI Activities & Campaigns and circulate this to the membership

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10/ UO 3

PRESIDENTIAL VISITS

Congress notes The importance of area council meetings, to address regional problems and to build links with COs in the region.

Congress further notes Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 27 - - 27 The need for the COs to have a direct link with the President of the USI. Congress mandates the President To attend, where possible, all area council meetings throughout the year.

10/ UO 4

PAST WELFARE OFFICERS

Congress Notes That the newly instated USI Welfare Officer would benefit immensely from the advice and guidance of the outgoing, and other previous, welfare officers.

Congress Acknowledges The vast amount of experience from previous welfare officers can be passed down to the newly instated welfare officer to assist them in carrying out their job efficiently and making improvements to the procedures involved in running welfare campaigns.

Congress mandates The USI Welfare Officer to utilise Cairde USI to convene a meeting with past and present USI welfare officers to learn from their experience of the job and to prepare for the challenges that they can expect in the coming year.

10/ UO 5

NON- AFFILIATES

Congress Recognises The difficulties in enticing Non Affiliates back into USI.

162

Congress Believes That however while there are difficulties in luring back non affiliates a different approach needs to be taken.

Congress applauds The work done by the President in completing an updated USI Re affiliation document this year Congress Mandates The President should make contact to the respective non affiliate Presidents and request to make a presentation to them, either in USI HQ or on the Non Affiliate Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 28 - - 28 – Campus itself. The President and Deputy President to develop a Presentation outlining what USI does for it‟s members.

This should outline: · · · · · ·

Free Materials distributed Training Events Organised Representation on National Committees General help Officer Board provides to COs Testimonials from Sabbatical Officers in COs As well as any further information the respective officers feel is relevant

10/ UO 6

TRAINING EVENTS

Congress notes The success of the Activist Academy and Green training hosted by USI this year.

Congress also notes That Pink Training remains one of USI‟s most prominent and foremost events and remains a unique selling point of USI to non-affiliates.

Congress mandates The President and members of Officerboard to

163

· Hold at least one Activist Academy and Green Training within the first two months

of college terms. · Present the dates for these events at the first National Council. · Investigate holding more than one Activist Academy in the first semester. · Heavily promote these two events for the years 2010 – 2012 in order to make it

synonymous with USI 10/ UO 7

NATIONAL CHARITY

Congress Recognises That each year USI chooses a National Charity which at the end of the year will receive any some of money raised by USI Congress Believes That there is huge potential to raise a very substantial amount of money for said Charity each year.

Congress Mandates

The Officer board, particularly the Deputy President to organise at least one large fundraising activity in the academic year, utilizing the large amount of students available from all across the country. The Deputy President will consult with all COs on this after the National Charity has been selected and will make a decision on when the event shall be held and what that event should be at the subsequent Campaigns Working Group.

10/ UO 8

OFFICER BOARD TRAINING

Congress notes The value of training events such as UOS for CO Officers Congress Further Notes That a similar training does not take place for those who take up positions on USI Officerboard

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Congress Mandates The President to organise an in depth training specifically for Officerboard before UOS on such issues as structures of USI, time and resource management and office operations.

10/ UO 9

TEAM BUILDING

Congress mandates the immediate repealing and deletion from the Policy Manual of 07 / UO 31 Congress Recognises The importance of having a strong Team Ethos on Officerboard in order to have a successful year and also the importance in developing trust among officers in order to work together successfully.

Congress believes That the simplest way of achieving this is by having a team building event consisting of modules based around, but not limited to Teambuilding. And to also have a meeting on the Officerboard’s first day of Office to discuss the plan of the forthcoming year outlining specific campaign ideas and dates for these.

Important Event Dates such as National Council schedule and other events such as possible dates for the Lobby of the Oireachtas, Activist Academy and Pink Training should be discussed and possible dates for these should be outlined.

Congress Mandates The President to organise this event for the Officerboards first week in office.

Congress Further Mandates The Officerboard to take part in a refocusing exercise in January consisting of a review of the first half of their term and lay out an updated plan for the remainder of their time in office.

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10/ UO 10

AREA OFFICER ROLE

Congress Recognises The difficulty for both COs and Area Officers in defining the role of the Area Officer and utilizing it to its full potential.

Congress believes That in order for the role to be successful, the onus should be on both the Officer themselves and on COs. However, this is difficult as there are no definite guidelines as to what an Area Officer‟s role is.

The following should be the minimum expected from an Area Officer: · A minimum of one visit to each CO in between National Councils. · A minimum of one week‟s notice to COs about this visit (unless CO requests Area Officer in a shorter period of time).

Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 30 - - 30 · To organise a number of bonding events throughout the year. This should be approved by all COs and ensure that all are available to attend. And if all COs cannot attend, that those not available are happy the event takes place without them. · To assist COs whenever requested in the run up to or during campaigns. · To organise a number of regional councils during the year - the calendar of these should be agreed on at the first Regional Council of the year. · That when requested, the Area Officer will attend Class Councils to update class reps on what USI has been doing and what the future plans of the USI are. COs are asked to invite the Area Officers to at least two Class Councils in the year. · To speak to the media on behalf of the region and act as the main spokesperson on issues effecting students of their relevant area. · To provide a detailed weekly report on their activities, both to COs and the President and Deputy President. · To assist the Deputy President in organizing any protests or rallies, which COs have requested.

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· To keep Officers based in HQ informed of the issues and activities happening in their area. · To give an adequate cross over consisting of any further advice gained from holding office to their successor outlining issues which may be ongoing in certain COs, the main issues they face as an officer that year and how best to interact with their COs. Congress Therefore Mandates The Area Officer to outline their role to their COs at the first regional council of the year.

10/ UO 11

SOCIETY TRAINING PROPOSED

Aithníonn an Chomhdháil Go n-eagraíonn Conradh na Gaeilge lá traenála do na hOifigigh Ghaeilge agus na Cumainn Ghaelacha i gcomhpháirt le Gael-eagraíochtaí eile.

Aithníonn an Chomhdháil chomh maith An fás agus forbairt ar an lá traenála le cúpla bliain anuas agus buntáiste atá sa lá do Oifigigh Ghaeilge áitiúla Aithníonn an Chomhdháil le h-aiféal Nach raibh AMLÉ i gcónaí páirteach i eagrú na traenála atá mar chuid thábhachtach de forbairt na teanga sna coláistí tríú leibhéal Sainordaíonn an Chomhdháil Oifigeach na Gaeilge le Traenáil Ghaelach a eagrú i gcomhpháirt le Gael-eagraíochtaí eile Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 31 - - 31 – Congress Notes That currently Conradh na Gaeilge organise a training day for all Irish Language Officers and Irish Language Societies in conjunction with other Irish Language organisations.

Congress Further Notes The growth and success of the training day in recent years and its benefit to local Irish Language Officers.

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Congress Regrets That USI has not always been involved with the organisation of this training which is a fundamental part in the development of the Irish Language in third level colleges.

Congress Mandates The Irish Language Officer to organise Irish Language Training in conjunction with other Irish Language Organisations 10/ UO 12

CAIRDE USI

Congress mandates The President and Deputy president to ensure that at least one Cairde USI social event is organised in the first semester of every year with the aim of: 路 Engaging with the experience of past officers to develop the collective memory of USI 路 Helping the current officers build a network of useful contacts 路 Fundraising for the organization 10/ UO 13

LOBBY OF THE OIREACHTAS

Congress mandates The immediate repealing and deletion from the Policy Manual of 08 / UO 22.

Congress commends The success of the Lobby of the Oireachtas in past years.

Congress mandates The Deputy President/Campaigns Officer to strive to organise two lobbies of the Oireachtas each year to give each local union an opportunity to meet and speak to their public representatives.

Congress recommends That that the USI Lobbies of the Oireachtas take place in the run-up to a national General Election wherever possible, and in late Autumn to coincide with the preBudget submissions.

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10/ UO 14

Former Presidents Council

Congress applauds The organisation for fifty years of making a difference in students‟ lives. Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 32 - - 32 – Congress believes That the fiftieth celebrations should be built upon and Cairde USI is a useful tool for the organisation in terms of institutional memory.

Congress notes The large and diverse roll call of former presidents.

Congress also notes That many of these presidents have offered advice, financial support, legal opinion, marketing expertise to our organisation at times when it was needed.

Congress mandates The president to organise a council of former presidents who will meet informally at least twice a year to capatalise on the advice, services and goodwill of these former presidents to further the aims and objectives of USI. Congress further mandates The president to ensure that this council of presidents exists under the umbrella of „Cairde USI‟.

10/ UO 15

FULL-TIME POST GRADUATE OFFICER

Congress notes The important role that a knowledge economy would play in strengthening Ireland‟s economic position and in providing opportunities for graduates.

Congress welcomes The work undertaken by higher education institutions in promoting graduate study to current students, and their work in attracting international students to study here.

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Congress notes External commentary predicting the number of applicants to postgraduate courses to rise as a direct result of the economic recession, with employment opportunities at a low ebb and the increase in understanding that postgraduate qualifications greatly aid career prospects.

Congress therefore mandates The President to investigate the necessity of creating a full-time postgraduate officer position based on these important developments in fourth-level education.

10/ UO 16

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

Congress Recognises The importance of a professional and easily accessed online presence for USI. Congress Realises Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 33 - - 33 That the current website and blogs for USI are quite fragmented and do not currently form a professional image for the organisation.

Congress Recognises That many CO memberships have a high level of knowledge of online communication strategies.

Congress Notes The advances in collaboration technology, including google groups, and teleconferencing that lessen the importance of face to face meetings.

Congress Therefore Mandates The President to form a working group on this issue, entitled “Cohesive Communication Strategy Working Group”, to be comprised of the president exofficio, ordinary members of the organisation as nominated by their CO‟s, and external experts in the field, all to be approved at National Council, with a total membership of no more than 10 and no less than 3.

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Congress Further Mandates That this group be setup be the end of July 2010, with the group to present its final report to National Council within 18 months of its first meeting with progress reports to National Council every 6 months.

Congress Further Mandates That this group be governed by their own terms of reference, and their remit to include, but not limited to, the search engine optimisation strategy, social networking, the current USI website and inter CO communications.

10/ UO 17

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW COMMITTEE

Congress Notes: That change is a powerful force for good.

Congress Mandates: The establishment of a Constitutional Review Board, membership of which will comprise of the President and Deputy President ex officio, three ordinary members from each of the four regions – to be nominated by COs, who will serve two year terms beginning July 2010 and ending July 2012, and ratified by their Area Councils and an Independent Chairperson, whose nomination will be ratified at National Council.

Congress Further Mandates: That this group be advised by experts with experience in the construction of organisational constitutions, and shall seek advice from organisations with knowledge of students’ union constitutions e.g. AMSU. Congress Further Mandates: The Constitutional Review Board to undertake a full review of the USI Constitution, to have its first sitting by July 2010 and present the amended document to USI National Congress 2012 for voting.

Congress Stresses: That the passing of this motion will not affect the ability of individual delegates to propose CAs.

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10/ UO 18

POLICY MANUAL REPORT

Congress notes The policy manual has many mandates which have not yet been fulfilled.

Congress believes Officer Board must refer to the policy document on an ongoing basis throughout the year to ensure that the objectives outlined by their members at Congress are being actively pursued.

Congress also notes Many incoming officers from around the country are not aware of the existence of the USI policy document and only become familiar with policies before congress.

Congress Mandates The President to issue each CO with a hard copy of the policy document at UOS each year and the policy document should be explained at a UOS session.

10/ UO 19

MANIFESTO UPDATES

Congress notes Important issues highlighted in the manifestos of elected members of officer board can be neglected as the year progresses.

Congress also notes The importance USI members place on the strength of the leadership of USI officer board and much of their confidence in an individual stems from the issues they pledge to attack/defend/promote in their manifestos.

Congress Mandates Each member of officer board to outline the progress they have made on their manifesto issues at national council twice annually.

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10/ UO 20

CENTRALISING NATIONAL COUNCIL

Congress notes That the cost in terms of money and time of attending USI meetings, and particularly National Councils, can be very significant for Students‟ Union officers.

Congress believes That regular meetings between USI officers and Students‟ Union officers are essential to Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 35 - - 35 build trust between our organisations and to ensure students are united on issues of national importance.

Congress mandates The President to examine the idea of holding all National Councils in one centralised location in order to cut down on travel time for Students‟ Union officers.

10/ UO 21

CAMPAIGN HISTORY

Congress notes USI has a long and proud tradition when it comes to running effective campaigns which gather media attention and brings our issues to national attention.

Congress also notes We rely on anecdotal memory of what photo stunts/campaign strategies have been used in the past. Often the issues are the same for example, fees, equal rights etc.

Congress mandates The Deputy President to compile a database of previous campaigns under relevant headings. By doing this, we are building on our knowledge of what USI has achieved to date. Also, we can learn from what media campaigns have worked in the past and why.

10/ UO 22

IT DATABASE PROPOSED

Congress believes That good communications structures are essential for large federal organisations such as USI.

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Congress notes Information technology advances such as Google Documents has made taking advantage of IT easy and cheap.

Congress therefore mandates Incoming members of Officer Board to, at the beginning of their term, create a list of policy documents and other such documents as they may deem fit which are in their possession and which may be of use to Sabbatical Officers in COs, and communicate this list to them as a matter of priority.

Congress further mandates Members of Officer Board to update this list and continue to communicate it to CO Sabbatical Officers on a bi-monthly basis during their terms.

10/ UO 23

Presidents’ Training Seminar

Congress notes The enormous benefits of a CO President who is able to provide team leadership and conflict resolution from the start of their term in office.

Congress congratulates USI Officer Board on their efforts in providing and highlighting this issue at previous Presidents Working Groups. Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 36 - - 36 – Congress mandates USI to offer to CO Presidents a full training program in Human Resource Management at UOS training conferences.

10/ UO 24

NON- AFFILATED CO AT TRAINING EVENTS

Congress Believes That the benefits of USI are for its members and the services it provides such as pink training, activist academy and more importantly UOS.

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Congress Notes Currently non-affiliated colleges are allowed to attend such events and training seminars organised and facilitated by USI. Congress Further Notes It is affiliation fees which help maintain the organisation and which help to provide these services.

Congress Does Not Believe That the fees charged for attending USI events such as UOS, reflects the true economic cost of hosting such events.

Congress Therefore Mandates Officer board to take such steps as they deem necessary to ensure that only affiliated colleges attend USI training events and conferences except where the President of the non-affiliated student union has furnished the President of USI with a written statement stating the intention to hold a referendum to re-affiliate to USI. Once sought, the President of USI must obtain the consent of USI National Council to allow the non-affiliate to attend USI activities.

Congress Further Mandates The President and Deputy President of USI to publicise the merits of affiliation to USI to incoming sabbatical officers in non-affiliated colleges.

10/ UO 25

ANNUAL VISIT

Congress notes That the president of USI is strategically located in Dublin as it is the capital of the country.

Congress further notes That residing in Dublin ensures the President of the USI is close to the organizations it petitions and lobbies on behalf of the students.

Congress feels The president is a leader of a national organization and should be visible and known to all of its members inside and outside the Dublin region. This visibility would increase the effectiveness of the office of President and increase the knowledge about USI at ground level.

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Congress mandates That the president of USI makes visits to each CO during the year.

10/ UO 26

UNION ORGANISATION

Congress notes That it is essential that each constituent organisation of USI can hold USI Officer Board to account.

Congress further notes That the current system of accountability is not adequate in ensuring that each member of Officer Board is meeting their mandates.

Congress believes That in the same way that Higher Education Institutes should offer a quality assurance scheme to its students; USI should provide its own quality assurance scheme as part of this effort for greater accountability.

Congress mandates Officer Board to establish a system of accountability, as detailed below, as part of an effort to improve accountability and quality assurance across the organisation.

Once elected, each member of Officer Board should present the first sitting of National Council with a plan of work for the year ahead, complete with key milestones and targets and displayed on a Gantt Chart, as is the industry standard for project management. This plan of work should reflect the policies laid down in the USI Policy Manual together with the tasks implied in the officerâ€&#x;s job description and these should be prioritised accordingly.

The National Council have the option to accept the proposed plan of work , or reject it in which case the officer must return to the next National Council with a new proposal.

Progress on each item against the original plan of work must then be made known to all Constituent Organisations by means of a newsletter from each member of Officer Board on a fortnightly basis.

Failure to meet these targets, within 20 percent of the overall time allocation of each item, should then result in the Officer being held to account at the next sitting of National Council, The Officer will be fully entitled to due process in line with Article 5.8 of the USI Constitution and the law of the land.

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Article 5.8 USI Constitution The right of the students, through their Constituent Organisation, to call to account and instruct those charge with office, within the Union, to discipline and ultimately dismiss those who fail to carry out their responsibilities.

10/ UO 27

UNION ORGANISATION PROPOSED

Congress Notes That USI and NUS UK work together on an ad hoc basis and that a semi-formal arrangement would be preferable.

Congress Mandates The adoption of the following memorandum of understanding between USI and NUS UK. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 38 - - 38 Between the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and the National Union of Students in the United Kingdom (NUS UK).

The USI and NUS UK recognise the need for inter-organisational communication and cooperation with a view to furthering both organisations‟ aims of promoting the interests of their members, building a strong national students‟ campaign and fostering strong local students‟ unions.

Due to the cultural similarities between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom and to the history of progressive cooperation between the USI and NUS UK, it is felt that the possibility of further collaboration could be of great benefit to both Unions.

Historical Context In 1973, USI and NUS UK jointly established NUS/USI to promote student unity across the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland and is still seen as a hugely progressive and effective initiative.

Since then, informal systems for further cooperation and exchange of information and ideas have been arranged by officers of either Union on an ad hoc basis depending on the need.

AIMS AND SCOPE The purpose of this memorandum is to formally recognise channels of communication and cooperation between USI and NUS regarding:

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- Training events - Conferences/Congress - Policy development - The European Studentsâ€&#x; Union It is hoped that relevant officers would be mutually invited to significant training events and that officers would be able to share information and best practice and seek input in relation to the above.

In this way, the knowledge and experiences of both organisations can be mutually beneficial to both.

It is not expected that either organisation will adopt any policies of the other.

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2009 09 / UO 8

REPORTING ON NATIONAL MEETINGS

Congress notes The importance of student representation on national committees.

Congress believes That COs should be better informed as to the business of these meetings and its relevance to the membership.

Congress mandates USI Officer Board to inform COs of upcoming meetings and where possible to convene working group and sectoral meetings to canvas opinion on upcoming agenda items.

Congress further mandates USI Officer Board to circulate brief reports on these meetings to COs within a fortnight of the meeting, taking due notice of any and all potential confidentiality issues associated with disclosing the business of a meeting.

09/ UO 11

PART TIME OFFICER NETWORKS

Congress Notes That issues which come under the remit of the part-time officers are highly important in the operation and relevance of the Union.

Congress acknowledges That any campaign is at its strongest when coherent and presenting a unified message, and that the sharing of ideas and methods between CO’s leads to a mutual improvement of campaigns throughout the country.

Congress thus mandates The Part Time Officers to compile a list of their respectively similar Officers in CO’s throughout the country, as well as national and international institutions and agencies who operate in their respective areas of interest, and to establish forums for Officers in all CO’s to network and share their opinions and experiences for their mutual betterment.

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09 / UO 17 Increasing CO Participation Congress notes The USI Participation Working Group investigated the participation of CO’s within the structures of USI. Congress recognises That for many officers USI represented creating links with officers in other unions and that the creation of such links was hugely beneficial as officers could brainstorm and problem solve together.

Congress also recognises That the geographical location of some student unions creates a barrier to their participation within the democratic structures of USI. Congress is also aware That in order to ensure participation from student unions in Northern Ireland, USI Campaigns, particularly Welfare & Equality, must be more relevant to students in Northern Ireland.

Congress therefore mandates The President to ensure a specific team bonding event, inclusive of all CO Officers and Officer Board, is organised to take place at UOS; Area officers to organise area specific team bonding events before September of each year; Officer Board to receive an induction training on NUSUSI before UOS takes place; Officer Board to consult the Northern Area Officer on modules being organised at UOS, in particular modules related to Welfare & Equality, to ensure that UOS remains relevant to our members from Northern Ireland; The Welfare & Equality Officer to consult NUSUSI when compiling materials for their respective campaigns; The Deputy President to gather feedback from CO’s once per year on the barriers and incentives to participating in USI and to bring any recommendations coming from this feedback to Congress.

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09 / UO 20

COMMUNICATION SUCCESSES

Congress believes SU officers are the best placed to communicate the successes and strengths of USI to its members Congress notes That it can sometimes be difficult for SU officers to list off successes and on going work within USI for various reasons.

Congress mandates The President to compile a brief list of achievements for distribution to all COs before the end of January in the second semester 09 / UO 26

PROMOTING USI

Congress Notes The good work done by the Officer Board of Union of Students in Ireland in promoting student rights and views and in advancing the student movement Congress notes with concern That many ordinary members of Union of Students in Ireland are unaware of much of the work done by their national union and in many cases are unaware of whom their national elected representatives are Congress mandates The Officer Board to run a comprehensive USI awareness campaign for ordinary students detailing the structures, purpose and functions of USI and including information on the members of Officer Board Congress further mandates The Officer Board to produce a short monthly report which shall detail the current achievements, objectives and the month ahead in the Union of Students in Ireland to be provided to all Constituent Organisations for optional inclusion on their website or in their union publications

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Constitutional Amendments 2012 12/ CA 1

EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS

Insert after Article 7 and renumber accordingly Article 8: External Organisations 8.1 USI shall be a member of the European Students’ Union (ESU).

8.2 USI’s membership of any organisation, group or external campaign other than those listed at 8.1 above shall require the approval of 2/3 of the membership of National Council. At least 7 days notice of any such motion must be provided to the members of National Council.

12/ CA 2

TYPOGRAPHICAL CHANGES

Delete: 7.1.2 The five Committees shall be: And replace with: 7.1.2 The ten Committees shall be: Delete 5.1.8 The Vice President for The Irish Language & Culture And replace with: 5.1.8 The Vice President for The Irish Language Delete: 5.9.4 The VP/Southern shall work with all Colleges in the Southern and Eastern Region to develop their Unions focusing on Unions who have been suspended or where a College does not have a functional Union, to assist the students of that College to establish one.

And replace with: 5.9.4 The VP/Southern shall work with all Colleges in the Southern Region to develop their Unions focusing on Unions who have been suspended or where a College does not have a functional Union, to assist the students of that College to establish one.

Delete: 4.1.5 The Annual Congress shall elect all members of the Officerboard excluding the

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NUS-USI President. Any ordinary member is entitled to contest and elected position at Congress. All registered delegates are entitled to vote in each election at Congress except in the case of the elections for the Vice Presidents for Union Development and Liaison. The electorate for the positions of Vice President for the Border, Midlands and Western Region and the Vice President for the Southern Region shall be the registered delegates from Member Organisations located wholly or mainly in that Officer’s region, as defined by Schedule G and the relevant Vice President.

And replace with: 4.1.5 The Annual Congress shall elect all members of the Officerboard excluding the NUS-USI President. Any ordinary member is entitled to contest and elected position at Congress. All registered delegates are entitled to vote in each election at Congress except in the case of the elections for the regional Vice Presidents. The electorate for the positions of Vice President for the Border, Midlands and Western Region and the Vice President for the Southern Region shall be the registered delegates from Member Organisations located wholly or mainly in that Officer’s region as defined by Schedule G, and the relevant Vice President.

12/ CA 3

SECONDING MOTIONS

Delete: C6.1 Member Organisations may submit five motions each and may second seven motions. All members of the Officerboard and each Committee they chair may all submit three motions, and may second five motions each. To be placed on the Clár, each motion must be proposed and seconded by a different Member Organisations or a member of the Officerboard. A member of Officerboard may not second a motion proposed by a Committee that they Chair or vice versa. From time to time National Council may establish ad hoc Committees/Conferences who shall have the power to submit up to five motions. These motions must still be seconded in the manner above.

And replace with: C6.1 Member Organisations may submit five motions. All members of the Officerboard and each Committee they chair may all submit three motions. From time to time National Council may establish ad hoc Committees/Conferences who shall have the power to submit up to five motions.

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12/ CA 4

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Delete article 8 and replace with below, replace all references in schedules as appropriate.

Article 8: Union Finances 8.1 The Finance Committee 8.1.1 The Finance Committee shall be responsible for overseeing the finances of the Union and shall advise National Council and Congress accordingly of any developments or initiatives taken.

8.1.2 The role of Finance Committee is to: 8.1.2.1 Draft the annual Union budget in consultation with the President who shall presentit for approval not later than the second National Council meeting of the academic year.

8.1.2.2 Monitor the budget on a quarterly basis. In the event of a significant deviation the Chairperson of the Committee shall submit a written report to the next meeting of National Council.

8.1.2.3 Examine the Union’s audited annual accounts and submit them with a detailed commentary to Congress for approval.

8.1.2.4 Determine, set and regulate the Officerboard’s terms and conditions of employment.

8.1.2.5 Oversee the general financial management and commercial development of the Union.

8.1.2.6 All decisions other than those specifically outlined in Article 8 or Schedule B taken by the Finance Committee must be referred to National Council for notation.

To overturn the decision and/or action taken by the Finance Committee a two-thirds plus one vote of National Council is required.

8.1.2.6 Set expenses rates for all officers, committees, staff and panels of the Union 8.1.2.7 Recommend the union’s auditors and accountants to National Council for ratification on an annual basis.

8.1.3 Finance Committee shall meet as often as necessary but at least once per quarter and not less than six times annually.

8.1.4 Finance Committee shall consist of at seven members who shall be: 8.1.4.1 The President of the Union.

8.1.4.2 The Chairperson of the Committee who shall serve a three year term and be nominated by the Board of Trustees and ratified by National Council. The Chairperson may only be removed from office during that term by a two-thirds plus one vote of National Council, provided that at least one month’s notice of such motion is given.

8.1.4.3 Two members, who must be members of the National Council at the time of their election, but not members of the Officerboard and are directly elected by the National Council. The first member shall be elected at the last meeting of the academic year and shall hold office for the following twelve months. The second member shall be elected at the first National Council of the academic year and shall hold office for the following twelve months. These members may be dismissed by a two-thirds plus one vote of National Council, provided that at least

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one month’s notice of such motion is given. In the event of a vacancy of either of these members it must be filled at the following National Council.

8.1.4.4 Three qualified people from outside the Union, who are not members of the Union but may be serving Trustees, who can contribute by virtue of their experience. They shall be nominated by the President and ratified by National Council. Such persons shall hold office for three year terms. These members may be dismissed by a two-thirds plus one vote of National Council, provided that at least one month’s notice of such motion is given. In the event of a vacancy in respect of any of these three position it shall be filled as soon as practicable.

8.1.4.5 One former President of the Union, proposed by the President and ratified at National Council and shall have a three year term and may only be removed from office during that term by a two-thirds plus one vote of National Council, provided that at least one month’s notice of such motion is given.

8.1.4.6 Staff members of the Union may attend at the invitation of the President when they deem appropriate and shall act as a secretariat to Finance Committee.

8.1.5 In the interests of continuity and cohesion, the President shall endeavour to arrange appointments to Finance Committee under Article 8.1.4.4 in such a manner as to avoid the likelihood of all three appointees departing from Finance Committee at or around the same time.

8.1.6 The Finance Committee shall have an audit and governance subcommittee who shall be responsible for ensuring that appropriate practices and procedures are in operation in the areas of corporate Governance.

8.1.6.1 The membership of this committee shall be 3 members of the Finance Committee other than the chair and the President. The President and senior staff shall have the right of attendance at meetings.

8.1.6.2 The sub-committee shall meet as often as necessary but at least twice annually.

8.2 The Board of Trustees 8.2.1 The President may seek the advice of the Trustees on any aspect of the Union’s affairs.

8.2.2 All the real property and investments of the Union shall be vested in the Trustees (whether directly or though vesting in the trustees the shareholding of any limited company holding assets of the Union) who shall deal with such property as directed by resolution of National Council or Congress.

8.2.3 There shall be no less than three Trustees of the Union who are ratified by National Council on the recommendation of the President. Trustees can only be removed by a two-thirds plus one vote of a quorate National Council. They shall continue to hold office unless they resign, are removed or are incapacitated.

8.2.4 The Trustees, from among their members, shall elect a chairperson and shall meet as a Board when necessary but not less than once per year.

Prior to Annual Congress, the Board, shall satisfy themselves as to the financial state of the Union. They shall communicate their satisfaction or otherwise to the Finance Committee and Congress.

8.2.5 The President and a Trustee shall sign all property leases upon resolution of National Council or Congress or in the case of a lease being entered into by a

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limited company for the benefit of the Union any such lease shall be signed by at least two directors one of whom shall be the President qua company director.

8.2.6 The Board of Trustees shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of the assets of the Union.

8.3 Financial Responsibilities 8.3.1 As the executive of the Union, National Council shall ultimately be responsible for the finances of the Union.

8.3.2 National Council shall have the power to borrow, raise or secure the payment of money for the purposes of the Union and with a view there to, to direct the Trustees to mortgage or charge any of the real or personal property of the Union. National Council for the purpose of such borrowing or raising or securing the payment of money for the purpose of the Union shall be empowered to authorise the Trustees and the President to act on its behalf and enter into the necessary agreements and sign guarantees 8.3.3 The Trustees and the President in acting on behalf of National Council shall be indemnified against risks and expenses out of the assets of the Union.

8.3.4 The Union shall keep an up to date governance manual including but not limited duties and responsibilities of trustees, duties and responsibilities of members of Finance Committee, procurement procedures and an internal operations procedure to be drafted by Finance Committee and approved by National Council at least annually and shall be included as Schedule J. 8.4 Incorporation 8.4.1 The Union may form such limited company or companies as shall be determined from time-to-time to be expedient for the administration of the Union’s financial affairs.

8.4.2 The Board of Directors of any such company or companies shall be the members of the Finance Committee together with such other persons, if any, as the Finance Committeemay from time-to-time nominate for appointment with such nominations to be approved by National Council and the implementation of such appointment to be undertaken by the relevant Board of Directors.

8.4.3 Departing members of Finance Committee shall be obliged to resign their position(s) on any Board(s) of Directors of any such company or companies upon ceasing to be a member of Finance Committee.

8.4.4 Any articles and memorandum of association shall be attached to this constitution as a sch edule.

8.4.5 USI shall aim to seek charitable status.

12/ CA 5

OFFICER CONDITIONS

5.12.3 – Delete the word ‘starting’ in the first sentence 5.12.3 – Delete the remainder of the paragraph after the sentence ending with ‘one grade higher.’

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Constitutional Amendments 2011 11/ CA 1

EQUALITY WORKING GROUP

At Article 7, Paragraph 2, Sub-paragraph e, delete: “S/he shall present a report on work carried out to each National Council and to Congress, in addition to each Equality Working Group & Equality Standing Conference. Reports to National Council should include details of work carried out by the Equality Working Group collectively.”

And replace with: “S/he shall present a report on work carried out to each National Council and to Congress. S/he shall also provide a report to each Equality Working Group and Equality Standing Conference. Reports to National Council should include details of work carried out by the Equality Working Group collectively. S/he shall provide, on request, the written reports of the Disability Rights Campaign Coordinator, Mature Students Campaign Coordinator, International Students Campaign Coordinator, and the Gender Equality Campaign Coordinator to constituent organisations.”

At Article 9.1, Second and third bullet points, delete: “Review the work of the Equality Officer and all elected officers of Equality Working Group (see Article 11.4 for membership of Equality Working Group); Elect the part time officers of Equality Working Group (see Article 11.4) for membership of Equality Working Group).”

And replace with: “Review the work of the Equality Officer and all elected campaign coordinators of Equality Working Group (see Article 11.4 for membership of Equality Working Group); Elect the campaign coordinators of Equality Working Group (see Article 11.4) for membership of Equality Working Group).”

At Article 11, Paragraph 4, Fourth bullet-point, delete: "Disability Rights Officer; Mature Students Officer; International Students Officer and

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Gender Equality Officer."

And replace with: "Disability Rights Campaign Coordinator; Mature Students Campaign Coordinator; International Students Campaign Coordinator; and Gender Equality Campaign Coordinator."

At Article 11, Paragraph 4, delete: “The minimum responsibilities of Equality Working Group members will be as follows: • To build sustainable links with students within their remit; • To attend Equality Working Group; • To represent the views and needs of students within their remit to the Equality Officer & Equality Working Group; • To implement and develop policy in their respective areas; • To provide a report of work done to each meeting of Equality Working Group and to Equality Standing Conference.

• Quorum for a meeting of Equality Working Group shall be half plus one of the total membership of the working group.”

And replace with: “The responsibilities of the Disability Rights Campaign Coordinator, Mature Students Campaign Coordinator, International Students Campaign Coordinator, and the Gender Equality Campaign Coordinator will be as follows: • • • • • • •

To implement and develop Union policy in relation to issues of discrimination and participation within their remit; To attend Equality Working Group To provide a written report of work done to each meeting of Equality Working Group; To provide a report to Equality Standing Conference; To represent the needs and views of students within their remit to the Equality Officer, Equality Working Group, and relevant external organisations; In conjunction with the Equality Officer, to coordinate any campaigns within their remit.

Quorum for a meeting of Equality Working Group shall be half plus one of the total membership of the working group, and Equality Working Group shall meet no less than once every two months.”

11/ CA 2

ENTERTAINMENTS WORKING GROUP

Insert into Article 7, Paragraph (2), Sub-Paragraph (a), between the penultimate and ultimate paragraphs the following:

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“The President shall nominate the Chairperson of the Entertainments Working Group who shall oversee its work. The function of Entertainments Working Group is to support local union officers in their running of entertainments events.”

Delete Article 11, Paragraph 1: “There shall be seven established Working Groups of which two are autonomous Working Groups.”

And replace with: “There shall be eight established Working Groups of which two are autonomous Working Groups.”

Delete Article 11, Paragraph 2: “2. The four Working Groups are: i. Campaigns Working Group, ii. Education Working Group, iii. Welfare Working Group, iv. Postgraduate Working Group” And replace with: “2. The six non-autonomous Working Groups are: i. Campaigns Working Group, ii. Education Working Group, iii. Welfare Working Group iv. Postgraduate Working Group, v. Equality Working Group, vi. Entertainments Working Group.”

11/ CA 3

NUS-USI

In Article 7, Paragraph 1, Sub-Paragraph f after “The Area Campaigns Officers, one for each of the Eastern, Southern, Northern” and before “, and Western regions.” insert as follows: “(referred to as the President of NUS-USI for the purposes of Schedule F)” In Article 10 after each appearance of the phrase “Northern Region” insert as follows:

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“(NUS-USI)” Insert the following as a new Article 14 and re-designate Articles 14 to 19 as currently appear or as adjusted by Congress accordingly: “NUS-USI The Students movement in Northern Ireland is administered jointly by USI and the National Union of Students UK (NUS-UK). This unique agreement shall be governed as per the provisions of the Tri-Lateral Agreement set out at Schedule F hereto.”

After Schedule E insert a new Schedule F as follows: “THE NUS-USI AGREEMENT PROPOSED REVISED TRILATERAL PROTOCOL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE NATIONAL UNION OF STUDENTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM (NUSUK), THE UNION OF STUDENTS IN IRELAND (USI) (THE NATIONAL UNIONS) AND THE NUS-USI STUDENT MOVEMENT OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF STUDENTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE UNION OF STUDENTS IN IRELAND (NUS-USI) ON THE OPERATION OF JOINT WORK IN NORTHERN IRELAND REGION (THE REGION).

PREAMBLE 1.1.

NUSUK and USI as sovereign and independent national students’ unions wish to further develop their unique relationship by working together to secure and assure the effective representation of the interests of students in Northern Ireland.

1.2

The objective of all joint work undertaken by the two National Unions shall be to promote defend and extend the rights of students and to develop and champion strong students’ unions in the North of Ireland. Both National Unions recognise that close co-operation over and above normal international contact is vital in pursuing these objectives.

1.3

The National Unions are committed to supporting and empowering local democratic self organisation and determination as being the most effective way to achieve these aims.

1.4

This agreement recognises the central principle of NUS and USI working within their own policy frameworks in the region and as such are committed to fully involving and supporting all students’ unions in the region in their respective national structures.

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1.5

To this end, NUS and USI hereby commit to working in partnership to create a thriving, active, democratic student association in Northern Ireland to represent, develop, unify and support its students and unions. Locally autonomous but centrally supported by a partnership between NUS and USI, NUS-USI is established and funded from affiliation fees, subsidy and other sources from the National Unions and locally.

1.6

In working together in these ways, the National Unions reaffirm their commitment to the goal of achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.

1.7

The National Unions respect each other’s views of their own national affairs and this agreement in no way affects the rights of NUSUK or USI as independent National Unions.

1.8

NUS-USI has been consulted on and hereby approves the contents of this agreement.

1.9

This agreement supersedes and replaces all previous bilateral agreements between NUS and USI. Its purpose is to set out the conditions upon which NUS and USI agree to support NUS-USI to exist autonomously.

MEMBERSHIP 2.1

The NUS-USI constitution shall include appropriate criteria for membership as well as procedures for application, withdrawal and suspension of constituent membership.

2.2

Upon acceptance into membership of NUS-USI under its constitution, membership of both NUS and USI shall automatically be conferred upon the constituent member.

2.3

Disaffiliation from NUS-USI in accordance with the relevant rules in the NUSUSI constitution will result in exclusion from membership from each of the National Unions. Similarly suspension or removal from NUS or USI under their relevant schedules of the respective constitutions would result in suspension or removal from NUS-USI.

GOVERNANCE AND OWNERSHIP 3.1

The constitution of NUS-USI shall provide for governance arrangements that assure absolutely the political autonomy of students and their unions in the region.

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3.2

The constitution of NUS-USI shall ensure that the political and representative bodies of NUS-USI shall be directed by students and their representatives.

3.3

The constitution of NUS-USI shall ensure that the administration of NUS-USI, whose purpose shall be to secure an organisational framework and facilities through which the aims of NUS-USI can be realised, shall be governed by a stakeholder management committee which shall include students, students’ union officers, appropriate lay members from the region, and representatives from NUS and USI. The constitution shall be subject to approval by NUS and USI on the basis that it reflects the provisions of this agreement.

3.4

The Constitution of NUS-USI shall form a schedule of the NUS Constitution and of USI Constitution.

FINANCES 4.1

The membership affiliation fee shall be set by the administering union of NUS-USI; save that it shall never be lower than the lowest rate of either of the National Union fees. The administering union’s hardship fund criterion shall apply equally to members of NUS-USI.

4.2

Before December 31st of each year the organisational members of NUS-USI shall provide to the management committee of NUS-USI evidence of:

4.2.1 the latest student numbers for that organisational member i.e. the student numbers from the previous academic year. NUS-USI reserves the right to contact the Department for Employment & Learning for official figures if required 4.2.2 details of the block grant funding received by that organisation.

4.3

The constitution or Standing Orders of NUS-USI shall confirm that failure to provide this information to NUS-USI by a member will result in the member being barred from taking part in any votes of the members of NUS-USI, NUS or USI.

4.4

The constitution or Standing Orders of NUS-USI shall state that the management committee of NUS-USI may take into account the financial information provided under clause 4.2 when calculating voting entitlements in NUS-USI, for the following academic year. Voting entitlements in NUS and USI respectively shall be determined by the relevant constitutional provisions in each union however, the provisions of clause 4.4.1 & 4.4.2 shall apply in the case of USI.

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4.4.1.1

Recognising the different method of affiliation fee calculation and varying permutations in relation thereto as between USI, NUS-USI and NUSUK, voting entitlement within USI for constituent organisations shall be determined no later than February of each year by the Finance Committee of USI (or such other entity within USI as may in the future assume the functions of the USI Finance Committee as currently comprised). The determination shall be issued to COs at least ten working days in advance of the next meeting of USI National Council immediately following the issuance of the determination. Such voting entitlement shall be effective from USI Annual Congress to USI Annual Congress.

4.4.1.2

The USI Finance Committee in reaching such determination shall consider the Full-Time Equivalent student numbers of each constituent organisation as certified by NUS-USI; the affiliation fees paid by each constituent organisation to the administering union and/or to NUS-USI; and any representations made on behalf of a constituent organisation. Having consider such factors the USI Finance Committee shall determined whether a constituent organisation has paid a fee commensurate with their student numbers ("a Full Fee") or a nominal fee in the context of their student numbers ("a Nominal Fee").

4.4.1.3 Where a constituent organisation is considered to have paid a Nominal Fee then that constituent organisation shall be allocated a minimal delegate entitlement on the basis of the minimum delegate entitlement prescribed in the USI Constitution applicable at the time.

4.4.1.4

Where a constituent organisation is considered to have paid a Full Fee then that constituent organisation shall have delegate entitlements on the basis of their Full-Time Equivalent Student Number being counted as "the number of ordinary members in respect of which affiliation fees are paid" for the purposes of the Table set out at Schedule C, Paragraph 3(a) of the USI Constitution (or for the purpose of any provision of the USI Constitution from time to time amending, repealing or supplementing same).

4.4.1.5

The determination of Finance Committee in this regard in respect of a constituent organisation may be appealed solely by that constituent organisation to the next meeting of USI National Council immediately following the issuance of the determination and in the absence of such appeal the determination of Finance Committee shall be final and binding.

4.4.1.6

In unusual circumstances it shall be open to Finance Committee to determine that a constituent organisation though not having paid a Full Fee, has in fact paid a fee in excess of a Nominal Fee. In such circumstances Finance Committee may recommend to USI National Council for approval that a constituent organisation shall receive a delegate entitlement in excess of the minimum delegate entitlement but not in excess of the delegate

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entitlement that would have been applicable had a Full Fee payment been determined by Finance Committee.

4.4.2 Recognising the part-time nature of many constituent organisations/constituent members, whilst still affirming their membership of NUS-USI, constituent organisations/constituent members will not be considered in USI structures for quorum purposes until they have submitted an Executive Committee list to NUS-USI and until the first USI event that delegates from the constituent organisation/constituent member attend in each academic/Student Union year.

4.5

A level of additional subsidy sufficient for the operation of NUS-USI which is reasonable shall be agreed by NUS and USI in accordance with clause 4.8.

4.6

The constitution of NUS-USI shall provide for one of the national unions to act as the administering union for each academic year of NUS-USI, and the process for determining which national union is the administering union shall be specified in the constitution or Standing Orders of NUS-USI. The role of the administering union will include any or all of the following activities on behalf of NUS-USI: • •

• • • •

The administration of NUS-USI affiliation fee income The operation of an NUS-USI account against which affiliation fees shall be accounted and from which expenditure on NUS-USI activity shall be financed The provision of NUS-USI staff and management support The provision of business development services and support including but not limited to IT, Communications and Purchasing The provision of senior management support for NUS-USI staff Financial management of NUS-USI’s affairs such that regular financial statements are created, proper financial control is maintained and that accounts are independently audited for each financial year

4.7

The real costs of providing these services including appropriate depreciation charges for capital equipment will be calculated each year and recorded/charged formally as a charge to NUS-USI under a formal “administering union” agreement between NUS-USI and the administering union.

4.8

The national unions hereby commit to providing a level of support to NUSUSI from their own respective funds to ensure its success in the form of Presidents salary 2/3rd NUS and 1/3rd USI. The level of this support in excess of this shall be ad-hoc and determined by the respective budgeting processes of each national

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union and communicated clearly to NUS-USI. Any “in kind” support should as far as possible be costed for transparency in accordance with clause 4.7.

4.09

The administering National Union shall be responsible for any expenses related to visits of their own Executive or staff members to the Region except in relation to formal joint meetings held under this agreement.

4.10

The national unions hereby agree that any surplus in the NUS-USI account should be ring fenced for the future benefit of NUS-USI. In the event of deficit, costs shall be borne in subsequent years from the NUS-USI budget; save that in the event they cannot be met from future savings

4.11

In relation to the administering union: • The terms and conditions of employment for staff of NUS-USI shall be the same as those for staff employed by the administering National Union •

Employees shall be encouraged to join the appropriate Trade Union

•

Administration of day to day employment and personnel matters shall be carried out through the line management structures of the administering union Clear lines of accountability will be established such that NUS-USI representatives will be actively involved in the assessment, development and appraisal of staff that have been allocated by the administering union to support NUS-USI.

4.12

The constitution of NUS-USI shall be established as a schedule of each of the constitutions of NUS and USI. In addition the subsidiary charity of NUS-USI is the vehicle through which the charitable activities of NUS-USI are run.

PRESIDENT / Northern Area Officer 5.1

The President of NUS-USI (referred to as the Northern Area Officer within USI Structures and the USI Constitution) and from time to time as determined by NUS or USI other officers of NUS-USI, shall be recognised as the representative of Students’ Unions in the Region and shall be granted full rights in the relevant structures of USI and NUSUK.

JOINT MEETINGS 6.1

A formal joint meeting of NUS, USI and NUS-USI senior officers and staff shall take place bi-annually. At these meetings representatives of NUS, USI and NUS-USI shall discuss any matters which require formal agreement but

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the meetings shall focus on joint work which could progress the aims of NUSUSI. 6.2

The National Unions are further committed to maintaining a high level of contact outside formal meetings and informal meetings shall be arranged as and when necessary.

6.3

Where possible, both National Union Presidents shall attend NUS-USI Conferences accompanied by other relevant national officers.

AMENDMENTS 7.1

Amendments to this Agreement shall be agreed at formal joint meetings but must subsequently be ratified by the [managing bodies] of each National Union.

7.2

Either National Union may withdraw from the agreement based on a decision of its relevant respective managing body but notices of such intention must be given at least 12 months before withdrawal. [Neither NUS nor USI may terminate this agreement unless the non-terminating party (i.e. NUS or USI) is satisfied that the termination of this agreement will not result in a substantial threat to the financial stability or continuance of NUS-USI.

GOVERNING LAW 8.1

This Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction of the administering union.

Signed and agreed by NUSUK ________________________________ date _______________ USI ____________________________________date_______________ NUS-USI ________________________________date _______________” 11/ CA 4

FORMALISATION OF PRESIDENTS’ WORKING GROUP AND ABOLITION OF SECTORAL WORKING GROUPS

Insert into Article 7, Paragraph (2), Sub-Paragraph (a), immediately before the ultimate paragraph the following: ““S/he oversees the work of the Campaigns Working Group of which s/he is Chairperson.”

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Delete Article 11, Paragraph 1: “There shall be seven established Working Groups of which two are autonomous Working Groups.”

And replace with: “There shall be eight established Working Groups of which two are autonomous Working Groups.”

Delete Article 11, Paragraph 2: “2. The four Working Groups are: i. Campaigns Working Group, ii. Education Working Group, iii. Welfare Working Group, iv. Postgraduate Working Group” And replace with: “2. The six non-autonomous Working Groups are: i. Campaigns Working Group, ii. Education Working Group, iii. Welfare Working Group, iv. Postgraduate Working Group, v. Equality Working Group, vi. Presidents’ Working Group.”

Delete Article 12 and re-designate Articles 13 to 19 as currently appear or as adjusted by Congress accordingly.

11/ CA 5

PROCEDURES WHEN GUILLOTINE FALLS ON A SESSION OF CONGRESS

Insert into Schedule E, Paragraph 5, a new Sub-Paragraph (c), the following: “If a motion is being discussed when the guillotine on that session of Congress falls, the Chairperson of the session shall immediately invite the proposer to summate and shall then proceed to the vote on the said motion. In such circumstances the session of Congress shall be extended for a sufficient period of time to comply with this provision.”

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2010 10 / CA 1

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

In Schedule C: In Procedures for Working Groups (47) change from „Within the four autonomous Working Groups‟ to „Within the two autonomous Working Groups‟ In Delegates at Standing Conference (57a) change from „Each Constituent Organisation is entitled to one fifth of their annual congress delegate entitlement, for the purpose of delegates at Standing Conference.‟ to „Each Constituent Organisation is entitled to one fifth of their annual congress delegate entitlement, for the purpose of delegates at Standing Conference, with the exception of Equality Standing Conference. Each Constituent Organisation is entitled to one quarter of their annual congress delegate entitlement for the purpose of delegates at Equality Standing Conference.‟ In Observers at Standing Conference (59) change from „All members of the equivalent autonomous Working Group shall have Observer status with speaking rights at Standing Conference, if s/he is not acting as a delegate for their Constituent Organisation.‟ to „All members of the relevant Working Group shall have Observer status with speaking rights at Standing Conference, if s/he is not acting as a delegate for their Constituent Organisation.‟ In Quorum at Standing Conference (61) insert „of‟ between the words „one‟ and „the‟ In Agenda at Standing Conference (65) change from „65. The Agenda for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Standing Conference shall be:‟ to „The Agenda for Standing Conferences shall be set by the coordinating Officer in consultation with the Steering Committee and must include at a minimum:‟ Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 47 - - 47 –

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In Schedule D: In Elections at Congress (9a) change from „Candidates for the office of President, Deputy President, Education Officer, Welfare Officer and Equality Officer must be nominated in writing by a Constituent Organisation before the date agreed by National Council which shall be not less than six days before the beginning of Congress.‟ to „Candidates for the office of President, Deputy President, Education Officer, Welfare Officer, Equality Officer & LGBT Rights Officer must be nominated in writing by a Constituent Organisation before the date agreed by National Council which shall be not less than six days before the beginning of Congress.‟ In Elections at Standing Conference (18) change from „The coordinating officer and the coordinating Working Group shall be elected at Standing Conference.‟ to „The coordinating Working Group shall be elected at Standing Conference. The Irish Language Officer & Environmental Awareness officer shall be elected at their respective Standing Conferences.

10/ CA 2

POLICY LAPSES

Article 6 – Structure of USI and its Governing Bodies Delete Article 6.1 (e) e) Congress policy lapses after five years.

And replace with e) Congress policy lapses after three years.

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Administration & Finance 2010 10/ AF 1 USI MEMBERSHIP CARD PROPOSED BY EASTERN AREA OFFICER Congress Notes The need for the Union of Students in Ireland to expand its stream of revenue. That the Union of Students in Ireland plays a great role in advocacy on behalf of its members, however in order to achieve a higher level of recognition it must look at additional ways of promoting the social and economic interests of its members.

Congress Notes The lack of commercial activity on the part of the Union of Students in Ireland.

Congress Believes That in working as both a union and a service provider USI and its day to day work will receive greater recognition. That USI s membership of over 200,000 students provides access to a huge market for potential commercial activity.

Congress Notes Attempts by USI in recent years to either abolish the Student Travelcard or to tender for its licence.

Congress Calls Upon USI to continue to tender for the licence for the travel card.

Failing that congress calls upon USI to set up its own discount card for students such a card could also act as a membership card.

Congress Mandates 路 The President to set up a working group to investigate expanding commercial activity 路 The President to tender for the Student Travel Card licence if possible 路 The President to examine the possibility of establishing a USI discount card.

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10/ AF 2

AFFILIATION FEE

Congress notes Policy 07 / AF 2 USI Affiliation fee, which states: Congress notes For the Union of Students in Ireland to reach its full potential, Officers must be supported by a full complement of support staff.

Congress recognises That existing elected Officers would be better able to work on fulfilling policy if the organisation had more administrative & support staff. Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 60 - - 60 – Congress mandates The President to propose to National Council to raise the Union of Students in Ireland membership fee to €7 per full-time student and €3.50 per part-time student.

Congress further mandates The President to propose to Finance Committee to use this extra revenue to employ a full time research executive and a communications / campaigns executive.”

Congress further notes That the economic climate is significantly different since this policy was adopted at National Congress in 2007.

Congress regrets That that Live Register currently stands at 12.7 per cent, 100,000 graduates are unemployed and 60,000 people emigrated last year.

Congress recognises That students and their families are under extreme financial pressure at the moment.

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Congress recognises That CO finances are also under considerable strain, and many of their commercial activities are facing difficulties. Cognizant of this; Congress repeals Policy 07 / AF 2 USI Affiliation Fee and in light of the above, mandates the President to liaise with the Finance Committee to investigate reducing the affiliation fee and report back to the first National Council of the 2010/2011 10/ AF 3

ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Congress notes The breadth of the Organisation, spanning every corner of Ireland, encompassing over 20 COs. Congress recognises That the Organisation has immense power as a standing representative body, and has established itself as a formidable lobbying body within the political arena.

Congress further notes that the Organisation has the ability to provide a number of additional services to its COs. Congress mandates Union of Students in Ireland Annual Congress 2010 Comhdhail Bhliaintuil Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn 2010 - 61 - - 61 The President to conduct a feasibility study in conjunction with the Finance Committee and relevant staff, to assess the provision of additional services to COs. The results of this study must be presented no later than at the second National Council of the 2010/2011 academic year, and must include at least the following: Commercial services such as bulk-purchasing Preferred suppliers of common services (e.g. printers, mobile phone providers, etc.)

Combined CO entertainments booking service.

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Emergency Motions 2012 12/ EM 1

VOTING DAYS

Congress notes The Fine Gael and Labour parties condemning of the Government of the day for holding voting on weekdays during the term.

Congress further notes That student unfriendly voting days severely reduce turnout among students.

Congress condemns The decision to hold the upcoming referendum on the EU fiscal treaty on Thursday, May 31st 2012.

Congress notes with concern That the turnout among students will be hampered as a result.

Congress mandates The VP for Campaigns and President to lobby the Government for student friendly voting days for all elections and referenda so students can exercise their democratic right to vote.

12/ EM 3

POLLING DATES

Congress notes That prior to the last General Election both Fine Gael and Labour called on the Government to hold polling dates on a weekend in order to facilitate students and other to exercise their democratic rights and vote.

Congress further notes The success of USI's 'Your Future, Your Vote' campaign.

Congress is outraged That in a blatantly cynical and hypocritical move, the parties now in Government have deliberately disenfranchised the very same voters they courted for support in advance of General Election 2012.

Congress mandates The President and Officerboard to run a register to vote campaign in advance of the Fiscal Treaty Referendum.

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12/ EM 4

CAPITAL ASSET TEST

Congress notes with alarm The recent statements of the Minister for Education of his intention to introduce a form of capital assets test for the Higher Education Maintenance Grant Scheme.

Congress notes That while the value of a family owned asset may be high, it is not an indication of income of ability to pay for Higher Education.

Congress mandates The President and USI Officerboard to do all in their power to campaign against the introduction of any form of a capital assets test.

12/ EM 5

CAP ON NUMBERS OF STUDENTS

Congress notes The recent statements of the Minister for Education in relation to the possibility of placing a cap on the numbers of students in Higher and Further Education in order to control costs.

Congress notes with alarm The immense damage that such a cap could cause to access to education especially given the continuing internationalisation of Higher Education.

Congress mandates The President and USI Officerboard to do all in their power to campaign against the introduction of any cap on the numbers of students in Higher and Further Education.

12/ EM 6

MINISTERIAL ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

Congress notes That Minister Ruairi Quinn, as the then Labour Party Spokesperson for Education, signed a pledge that his party, in government, would not increase fees. However since entering into Government he has broken that pledge and issued warning that he intends to increase the Student Contribution to â‚Ź3,000 by 2015.

Congress notes That the President of USI issued an invitation to Minister Ruairi Quinn in advance of Annual Congress 2012 and that invitation was accepted, and then reneged upon.

Congress notes That the President did everything possible to facilitate Minister Quinn addressing Congress including rescheduling the date and time, and offering to arrange

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teleconference facilities, however Minister Quinn failed to accept any of these alternatives and come before USI Congress and explain his actions.

Congress mandates The President to convey to the Minister, at the next available opportunity, our condemnation of his failure to come before USI Congress and explain his actions.

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Emergency Motions 2011 11/ EM 1

JAPANESE DISASTER

Congress notes The disaster that struck Japan recently Congress regrets The pain and suffering that has been inflicted upon the people of Japan Congress mandates officerboard To support any measures by the government to provide relief to these people.

11/ EM 2

TRAGEDY IN JAPAN

Congress notes The recent tragedy in Japan Congress is saddened By the loss of life and devastation Congress mandates The area officers to organise a charity event in each region, with the benefits to be donated to victims of the tragedy 11/ EM 3

NORTHERN IRELAND FEES CAMPAIGN

Congress notes The fight against fees that is being led by NUS-USI and the COs in Northern Ireland Congress further notes The statement by the minister responsible for higher education that he would freeze the fees level if sufficient funding is released from the NI executive Congress therefore mandates the USI president To work alongside the NAO/NUS-USI president to bring about as much support as possible for the release of this funding to Higher Education.

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2010 EM1: THE NATIONAL MATHEMATICS SYMPOSIUM Congress Notes: The appalling state of the teaching of maths in the Republic of Ireland, as noted in a report and at the National Mathematics Symposium on the 16th of March 2010, and that over half of maths teachers in the Republic of Ireland only have one year of third level maths.

Congress Believes: That without proper focus on a vital skill such as maths graduates will be unable to compete internationally and domestically for jobs and opportunities.

Congress therefore mandates: The Education Officer to lobby the new Minister of Education and Skills to ensure that adequate resources are put into the teaching of maths at second and third level.

EM2: DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SKILLS Congress notes: The recent reshuffle of Government ministers and the reorganisation of the Departments of state.

Congress notes with alarm and concern: The breaking up of the Department of Education and Science resulting in the move of responsibility for research and educational innovation to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Congress therefore mandates: The President to release a statement opposing this change and asking that it be reversed.

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EM3: NEW FUNDING MODEL Congress notes: That three of the primary source of revenue for 3rd level institutes in the Republic of Ireland are: undergraduate numbers, research funding and international students.

Congress further notes: That none of these sources bear a direct relation to the quality of teaching and learning at undergraduate or post-graduate level.

Congress notes with alarm: That because of this situation institutions are actually encouraged to treat taught students as revenue generators to subsidise research.

Congress also notes: This situation is resulting in a decline in the quality of teaching and learning in supports and facilities for taught students.

Congress also further notes: That this competition for funding will worsen significantly given the recent division of funding responsibilities in the cabinet reshuffle.

Congress therefore mandates: The Education Officer to lobby to bring in a new funding model which will be cognisant of the quality of teaching and learning as a factor in awarding funds to third level institutions.

EM 4: STUDENT HOUSING Congress Notes: The motion passed at the 2010 Sinn Fein Ard Fheis which calls for compulsory university regulated accommodation for first year students living away from home.

Congress further notes: That the complete text of Sinn FĂŠin Ard Fheis motion 149 (Education) reads: This Ard Fheis:

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• Recognises the contribution of universities to the educational and academic life of the country.

• Acknowledges the negative experiences of communities such as the Holyland in South Belfast.

• is mindful of the potential for communities in North Belfast to suffer the same erosion with the relocation of the University of Ulster.

The Ard Fheis therefore adopts a framework policy for the protection of residential communities which neighbour universities, which contains the following components: • Provision of sufficient university accommodation to meet demand, with compulsory university regulated accommodation for first year students living away from home.

• Compulsory landlord registration.

• Tighter control and regulation of houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs).

Conference recognises: That as Sinn Féin are members of the government in the North and have the potential to be part of a future coalition in the south that this posses an immediate threat to students across the island of Ireland.

Congress Mandates: The USI President and Officerboard to actively oppose this policy by demonstrating that it is unfair, unworkable and unreasonably restricts a young person freedom of choice.

Congress further Mandates: The USI President and Officerboard to lobby Sinn Féin elected representatives, both North and South, to secure a reversal this policy.

EM5: DOMESTIC & SEXUAL ABUSE Congress notes: That many students are, have been, and will become victims of sexual abuse in Ireland.

Congress mandates: The Equality Officer to actively lobby for the increased awareness of the above issue, and of the supports available as well as the legal options for victims of abuse.

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IRISH LANGUAGE 2012 12/ IL 1

SUPPORT OF TEACHING THROUGH IRISH

Congress recognises The special status of the Irish Language in the National University of Ireland, Galway and also the special recognition of the language in the USI. Feictear don Chomhdháil seo Go bhfuil meath leanúnach ag tarlú bliain i ndiaidh bliana ar líon na n-ábhar a mhúintear trí Ghaeilge ar phríomh champas Ollscoil na hÉireann Gaillimh. Anuas air sin, tá imeallú fisiciúil agus tíreolaíochta ag tarlú don Ghaeilge, tá sí á brú amach go dtí campais an Acadaimh sa Ghaeltacht agus de réir a chéile tá sí le cluinstin níos lú agus níos lú i hallaí léachta an phríomh champais. Cé go bhfuil líon mór scoláirí ag déanamh staidéir trí Ghaeilge sna campais Gaeltachta, is cúrsaí de chineál eile ar fad atá iontu siúd agus tá an teanga á ruaigeadh amach as na daonnachtaí agus na heolaíochtaí i gcampas chathair na Gaillimhe.

Congress opposes The move away from teaching through Irish on the main campus in NUIG over recent years, and furthermore the USI commits to supporting all campaign efforts to retain and restore the teaching of academic subjects through the Irish language.

Congress notes That under the 1929 University College, Galway Act NUIG has a special responsibility towards teaching in the native language. While it is no longer a requirement of the University to give priority to Irish speakers when recruiting academic staff, it is none the less required to support, promote and expand on the teaching of academic subjects through Irish.

Congress therefore mandates The USI Oifigeach na Gaeilge to campaign on this issue and to support the NUIG Irish language community and SU Oifigeach na Gaeilge in this campaign, within the next year.

Congress furthermore mandates The President to raise this concern on the board of the HEA within the next year.

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Citizenship 2012 12/ CZN 1

NATIONAL CHARITY FUNDRAISING DAY

Congress notes The importance of raising money for USI’s national charity.

Congress further notes USI’s ability to attract media attention, and organise mass student participation in groundlevel events.

Congress notes with concern The lack of publicity and fundraising currently given to USI’s national charity.

Congress mandates The Vice President for Campaigns, the Vice President for the Border, Midlands and Western Region and the Vice President for the Southern Region to explore the feasibility of a National Fundraising Day for the next 3 years, with the aim of involving all Member Organisations in dedicated fundraising activities once a year.

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STUDENTS IN THE WORKPLACE

Congress notes That in order to help fund their education, many students take up a part time job.

Congress welcomes The decision to reverse the cut to the minimum wage, which targeted students in part time jobs who are already struggling financially.

Congress notes with concern That in many of these jobs, trade union membership is absent and in some places discouraged. Furthermore, many students are unaware of what their rights and entitlements are in relation to time off, payment and hours.

Congress mandates The Vice President of Equality and Citizenship to better inform students of their rights in the workplace by providing information that is set out by the LRC, NERA and Employment legislation. This mandate should be completed within the first quarter of the Academic Year.

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12/ CZN 3

USI STUDENT PARTICIPATION AWARDS

Congress recognises A lot of unrecognised valuable work is completed by MOs of USI each year across a wide range of areas and that many students work tirelessly for the betterment of Students’ Union and Clubs and Societies.

Congress acknowledges That the range of work completed is diverse and covers a vast area of extracurricular activities and that there is little recognition for these students in a formal capacity.

Congress notes The success of the BICS Awards and NUS Awards in the UK. Congress believes That the students who work hard in these extracurricular activities should be recognised and acknowledged.

Congress therefore mandates Officerboard To organise USI Student Participation Awards whereby students will be accredited for their involvement in local Students’ Unions, USI Campaigns and involvement in Clubs and Societies.

The President and Officer Board to bring forward to the first National Council of 2012/2013 a cohesive plan for the Student Participation Awards which should include the categories that will be included in the Award Ceremony, who will be eligible, how they will be run and judged, deadlines and any other preparation needed.

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VOTING RIGHTS FOR CITIZENS LIVING ABROAD

Congress recognises That high unemployment has meant many of our friends, relatives and neighbours have been forced to leave Ireland in search of work elsewhere, and that as in generations past, we are exporting many of our best and brightest individuals, and that many of these will settle in their new homes and spend the rest of their lives there. This legacy of forced emigration has had an extremely detrimental effect on the life of our nation and our State, and that indeed; Ireland is the only country in the world which has a lower population now than in 1845.

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Congress further recognises That over the past twenty years, the various holders of the office of President of Ireland have reached out to the Irish abroad, and that Article 2 of the Constitution states how “the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage�. Despite this, Ireland is one of the very few countries in the world which still denies voting rights to those citizens who are not resident in the State.

Congress notes That there are over a million Irish citizens currently living outside the State, including many in Northern Ireland, alongside another two to three million people who have a claim on Irish citizenship. Congress also notes that as a community, these people are no less Irish and care no less about Ireland because they have emigrated, and that accordingly, they should not be unreasonably excluded from the life of the nation and the State.

Congress mandates the USI To adopt a policy which calls on the government to extend the right to vote in elections for the President of Ireland to all Irish citizens living outside the State. The exact mechanism to be used in such elections should be determined by the government, as long as it encourages as wide a participation among the Irish abroad in these elections as is reasonably possible, but with particular regard to the opportunities which technology offers in reaching these people.

To include this policy in future Lobby of the Oireacthas documents and to approach all the registered political parties seeking support on this policy.

Congress mandates the USI President To write to each of the elected officers of each member organisation in September 2012 asking them to present this policy for approval at their decision-making body of students, such as a class representatives council.

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