The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has postponed introducing a full-time position for postgraduate affairs until it is in a better financial position.
At its national congress today, USI voted to put off the decision, with Lorna Fitzpatrick, USI president of USI, saying that while “the spirit of the motion is what USI wants to achieve, but we’re not in a financial position to do it right now”.
She added that USI is “in a stable financial position to come through the challenges” posed by the coronavirus “with the current levels of staffing and fixed costs”.
Sara Dowling, USI vice-president for postgraduate affairs, said that USI must “be really clear with our members about the feasibility of this and make realistic and practical decisions going forward”.
Dowling also said that the issue would be revisited, reassuring supporters of the motion that she has “no doubt that when USI is in a position to implement a full time VP for postgrad affairs that we will”.
“Keep in mind folks, that this does not end today by any means”, she added.
Daniel Sogaolu from Technological University Dublin Students Union (TUDSU) spoke against the procedural motion to postpone, saying that USI “must acknowledge that for such a diverse and widely spread core of research student coming from every way of life, it makes no sense that postgrads are still being kept on the backfoot.”
Sogaolu singled out international students who would need extra help adapting to Irish universities.
Introducing a full-time officer to address postgraduate affairs in the USI has long been a point of contention between postgraduate students and the national body. A motion to introduce a full-time postgraduate officer was introduced in 2017, where Annie Hoey, president of USI at the time, recommended a postponement due to the need for the union to assess its financial position.
Elections for the Graduates Students’ Union (GSU) in Trinity have begun online and the results are likely to be announced on May 30th. The election comes after tensions emerged between GSU President Shaz Oye and GSU Vice President Gisèle Scanlon spilled over in the second term, leading to a public spat between them.
