A number of College sports clubs are attempting to reorganize their governing body, The Dublin University Central Athletics Committee (Ducac). They say that they are dissatisfied with the way that Ducac is structured.
There was a meeting of thirty five sports club captains in May which was chaired by the current Students’ Union President Cónán Ó Broin who says he was ‘acting outside his capacity as Students’ Union President-elect.’
At this meeting the clubs discussed the problems they had with the way Ducac was being run. Among their main concerns was what they perceived as a lack of representation for students on the Ducac executive.
The minutes of the meeting show that the clubs were unhappy with the current executive structure whereby there is two executives, a student executive and a regular executive. However, it is noted in the minutes that ‘students are perfectly entitled to run for any position on the Ducac executive.’
The clubs have agreed a programme to reform the Ducac structures and make it student run. The clubs have formed groups with similar clubs for example a GAA group and martial arts group, and nominate from their groups one member for a position on the executive. There are fifteen such groups.
They have agreed to elect the ticket that is proposed when all the groups nominate their choice for the executive. This is intended to ensure representation of all clubs on the executive. The details of the nominees are not yet available.
The new executive will be mandated to rewrite the Ducac constitution to reflect the changes agreed at the meeting in May. The minutes of the meeting say the new executive ‘will make the accounts more accessible to the clubs.’
The new executive will also be required to make all club captains meet with the Ducac officers at the start of every year.
The University Times understands that there are a number of clubs that do not what to see a change in the way that Ducac is managed. The boat club was not present at the meeting of club captains. The captain of the boat club, Peter Croke was asked for a comment on the proposed changes to Ducac but no response was given.
Students’ Union President Cónán Ó Broin says that the current Ducac setup is ‘authoritarian and brow beats students involved in sports.’
Asked if it was right for the Students’ Union to be interfering in the internal workings of a separate capitated body in the College Ó Broin said that the Students’ Union was only trying ‘facilitate the sports clubs’ and that any change ‘must come from the sports clubs themselves.’
Dr. Trevor West, the chair of the current Ducac executive was asked for a comment on the proposed changes but refused to do so.
