So this week the Student Assistance Fund is edging ever closer to payment. I had hoped it would be week 12, but we are assured that payments can be made beofre Christmas once we get people to sign forms of undertaking stating what they are getting money for.
So Monday was pretty routine, started out with a Sababt meeting, boring stuff. I had to call into my letting agent to get a new mattress as I was receiving no email reply. Dyno Rod also made a trip to my house and the mattress arrived on Tuesday...that little personal visit nudge worked out well!
So yesterday I did the annual pilgrimage to Musgraves to get small tokens of appreciation (small box of chocolates) for the people who help in the University throughout the year. There are plenty that do lots of unseen work and that are extrememly helpful and we like to show appreciation for that.
I met with Campus Life during the week about issues in the cost of on campus accommodation. UL On campus accommodation is the cheapest nationally, but I did point out that it is local comparisons that are needed. There are issues in service level that push the cost up and there is re-investment. Plassey is undergoing a complete refurb, from carpets, sinks, TVs, even kitchens and windows and that is 50% complete. The total cost runs over €2 million. Over €1 million will be spent next summer on Kilmurry and Dromroe on fittings upgrades. The rents facilitate this and the 24 hour in village support. I have however requested that rents be reviewed.
Budget 2011 was announced on Tuesday. There are a number of changes affecting students, but I'll look into that more whn I get a chance some time before Christmas hopefully.
Voter Registration is going well. Don't forget to call in next week on Tuesday evening 7-8pm to have the Gardaí stamp your form.
I've cleaned the fish tank in the office. It was really long overdue, I've bought a few new fish for it too as the filter eats a lot of them.
I've opened a feedback thread over on the UL Forum on Boards.ie for anyone who has any feedback for me. I can't please everybody adn I won't be able to give answers that people want, but that's not how I operate. I give the straight answer, not false hope.
Dropping my housemate to the airport this morning I came across an idiot driving a silver Mondeo. He was planted in the overtaking lane on the way to Shannon plodding along at about 90-100km/h. So I waited for him to pass the one car in the left lane, then put on my indicator and when he didn't pull in I flashed the lights. At this point there were 2 other people behind me trying to overtake also. HE BRAKED!!! Fucking muppet. I beeped and he EVENTUALLY pulled in about 2 km down the road. I beeped again passing and pulled straight back in. The 2 cars behind me passed and pulled in. What did he do?? That's right, Muppet MacCan't-Drive pulled back into the overtaking lane!! Dear idiot, I wish on you this Christmas 10 minutes on an Autobahn!! - There's my rant of the week! If I remembered his reg I'd have reported him for failing to keep left (which incurrs 2 penalty points). That, my friends GRINDS MY GEARS!
Tea, coffee and hot chocolate has been ongoing for the week and will resume from 1-3 on Monday in the SU Photocopy Room
Apart from that I now have to go and get Jeans for the staff Christmas party as all of mine have developed random holes over the past few weeks!
Have a good weekend!
D
10 December 2010
Drop in
Hey everyone,
My door is open this week if I'm about. Because of people trying to schedule meetings before Christmas at the last minute there are times I'll be out unexpectedly at short notice.
If you have any queries you can email me on suwelfare@ul.ie and I'll pick it up on BlackBerry.
If you need to drop anything in you can leave it with Reception if I'm not in my office.
D
My door is open this week if I'm about. Because of people trying to schedule meetings before Christmas at the last minute there are times I'll be out unexpectedly at short notice.
If you have any queries you can email me on suwelfare@ul.ie and I'll pick it up on BlackBerry.
If you need to drop anything in you can leave it with Reception if I'm not in my office.
D
06 December 2010
Drop in Week 14 (Exam Week 1) - Monday/Tuesday
Myself and Aoife will be about in CG-054/CG-059 tomorrow as well as time in the office. I'll be there from about 11 setting up tea and coffee for stressed studyers as well as those stressed coming from the exam they've just had.
I'll be there until about 1:45 as I have a meeting at 2:30 that I need to get sorted for.
Tuesday I'll be in CG from 11 setting up again until about 2 and in the office from 4-5pm
For those of you dropping in extra documentation for SAF, if I'm not there just make sure you hand it to Reception and tell them it's for me.
29 November 2010
So this is study week...
Right, so before I head home to get some dinner I've been threatening to update this for an age so I may as well do it now before I forget again.
I've reclaimed the whiteboard in my office fromt he serial doodlers and it now has a tiered to-do list on it which is helpful, but nothing is ticked yet, which isn't.
I was at Science Fun Day recently which went really well and showed the University very positively.
Waxathon was on Week 11 too and We reaised almost somewhere between €1,500 and €2,000 for our charities. €1,000 is ringfenced for Console as Tony Sheridan has requested that all of his funding go to them specifically and considering he raised so much it's only fair. Thank's to Mark Crowe for the idea and to Noelle O'Connor for doing a lot of running on it. Thanks also to Velvet Beauty at the Castletroy Park who provided the waxing for free!!
Register to vote. Viv is organising a Garda to come witness you sign your form this week and next and we'll update you on that.
The Student Assistance Fund is nearing completion, thankfully. I have to thank one particular member of staff for the effort on this one and that is Lee in Accounts who ahs been doing initial assessment for a number of weeks in addition to his other work.
So much gone one...so much that it's all a blur. I probably won't update again for ages, not because I don't mean to but because I get distracted by work and other such shiny objects.
D
I've reclaimed the whiteboard in my office fromt he serial doodlers and it now has a tiered to-do list on it which is helpful, but nothing is ticked yet, which isn't.
I was at Science Fun Day recently which went really well and showed the University very positively.
Waxathon was on Week 11 too and We reaised almost somewhere between €1,500 and €2,000 for our charities. €1,000 is ringfenced for Console as Tony Sheridan has requested that all of his funding go to them specifically and considering he raised so much it's only fair. Thank's to Mark Crowe for the idea and to Noelle O'Connor for doing a lot of running on it. Thanks also to Velvet Beauty at the Castletroy Park who provided the waxing for free!!
Register to vote. Viv is organising a Garda to come witness you sign your form this week and next and we'll update you on that.
The Student Assistance Fund is nearing completion, thankfully. I have to thank one particular member of staff for the effort on this one and that is Lee in Accounts who ahs been doing initial assessment for a number of weeks in addition to his other work.
So much gone one...so much that it's all a blur. I probably won't update again for ages, not because I don't mean to but because I get distracted by work and other such shiny objects.
D
26 November 2010
11 October 2010
Drop in Week 6
Hey guys,
I've been away for the last week, but any drop ins this week just give me a shout at the below times
Mon 2pm-3pm
Tue 2:30pm-4pm
Wed 2:30pm-3:30pm
Thu 2pm-3pm
Fri 11am-12pm
Reminder that Student Assistance Fund forms may only be returned from Mon-Thur this week between 2pm-3pm to cope with limited resources.
D
I've been away for the last week, but any drop ins this week just give me a shout at the below times
Mon 2pm-3pm
Tue 2:30pm-4pm
Wed 2:30pm-3:30pm
Thu 2pm-3pm
Fri 11am-12pm
Reminder that Student Assistance Fund forms may only be returned from Mon-Thur this week between 2pm-3pm to cope with limited resources.
D
07 September 2010
7 Important Things
It's nuts around here the last 7 days. The weather has finally returned to form after a savage few weeks of sunshine. Hopefully it'll imporve for Fresher Fest on Thursday!
Important thing 1 - REGISTER for modules this week!!! - There's a €30 fine otherwise
Important thing 2 - Get involved, volunteer, join some clubs and societies, become a class rep. Even if you're a 2nd, 3rd or 4th year, it's never too late!
Important thing 3 - Take photos of your house as it is making note of any damage that was done before you moved in. Checkout the accommodation page on ulsu.ie for some tips and downloads
Important thing 4 - Don't bring yourself to the attention of the residents or the Gardaí. For Education, Health Science, Medical and Law students, to name a few, a record can jeopardise your whole career as well as the ability to travel to the US, Canada, Australia and other countries.
Important thing 5 - As much as some people like to drink, others don't so take it handy and don't make a nuisance of yourself. You wouldn't like to spend your night minding a friend in the toilet, so don't do this to your friends. It doesn't matter whether you want them to or, not, good friends will always stick by you, just don't ruin their night by ruining your own.
Important thing 6 - We're here to help. I'll be posting drop-in times up here for each week of the semester. Reception is open until 11pm Monday to Thursday and you can get condoms there!
Important thing 7 - Enjoy the year!!!
D
Important thing 1 - REGISTER for modules this week!!! - There's a €30 fine otherwise
Important thing 2 - Get involved, volunteer, join some clubs and societies, become a class rep. Even if you're a 2nd, 3rd or 4th year, it's never too late!
Important thing 3 - Take photos of your house as it is making note of any damage that was done before you moved in. Checkout the accommodation page on ulsu.ie for some tips and downloads
Important thing 4 - Don't bring yourself to the attention of the residents or the Gardaí. For Education, Health Science, Medical and Law students, to name a few, a record can jeopardise your whole career as well as the ability to travel to the US, Canada, Australia and other countries.
Important thing 5 - As much as some people like to drink, others don't so take it handy and don't make a nuisance of yourself. You wouldn't like to spend your night minding a friend in the toilet, so don't do this to your friends. It doesn't matter whether you want them to or, not, good friends will always stick by you, just don't ruin their night by ruining your own.
Important thing 6 - We're here to help. I'll be posting drop-in times up here for each week of the semester. Reception is open until 11pm Monday to Thursday and you can get condoms there!
Important thing 7 - Enjoy the year!!!
D
18 August 2010
Leaving Cert Results
So the day has finally come. You are either really happy or rightly pissed off right now, whichever it is doesn't really matter as that little sheet of paper. You're college choices may be restricted, but the life choices before you still remain many and varied.
Enjoy the celebrations and hope to see many of you soon.
D
Enjoy the celebrations and hope to see many of you soon.
D
23 May 2010
Grants - Getting to grips with your application
Sorry it's taken so long to get this up. Anyway, it's here now.
The most important thing is to get your documentation together as soon as possible, definitely by the middle of July, this means looking for it now so that you can get replacements ordered i you need them.
You will find a list of what you need on studentfinance.ie on the Check your Documentation page.
If you are applying for first year you will need to fill in a form FA1 to show your acceptance of a course.
Remember that if you are delayed in submitting all of the required info, that everyone in UL receiving a grant may receive their grant late as a result of any delays.
Check back soon for accommodation info!
The most important thing is to get your documentation together as soon as possible, definitely by the middle of July, this means looking for it now so that you can get replacements ordered i you need them.
You will find a list of what you need on studentfinance.ie on the Check your Documentation page.
If you are applying for first year you will need to fill in a form FA1 to show your acceptance of a course.
Remember that if you are delayed in submitting all of the required info, that everyone in UL receiving a grant may receive their grant late as a result of any delays.
Check back soon for accommodation info!
29 April 2010
Accommodation - Know your rights and wrongs
Right...so it's come to the time of the year when everyone's worried about exams; and on top of that, finding someplace to live next year; and on top of that, worrying about getting your deposit back.
Getting Deposits Back
Okay...let's level. If a window or door or wall has been damaged in your house, you can be fairly sure that you won't be seeing that portion of the deposit back, or if there's an electricity bill due, you may not get it back immediately as the remaining bill may be deducted from it. Anything that's been broken or damaged will be deducted from your deposit, so make sure you take photos of the shiny sparkly cleanliness of the house before you leave as there's nothing that can be done if it's trashed after you hand back your key and the landlord has no proof that you didn't do the damage.
If you have proof that you caused no damage and left no unpaid bills and your landlord is still not paying the deposit back, then it's time to call in the solicitor. In previous years Welfare Officers would have phoned landlords endlessly, but we have no way of enforcing anything on them, so now it's a simple matter of going straight to our solicitor. The details are available from SU Reception or the Welfare Office.
You are entitled to view the original bill for anthing taken as a deduction from your deposit
Looking to next year!!!
If you are panicking that you haven't sorted yourself yet...DON'T. There is plenty of accommodation out there. The Accommodation listing for next semester will be out in mid May. I will post it to the student portal (link works on campus only) when I have a copy.
Checkout the student portal(link works on campus only) for attachments of what to look out for. There's a checklist in there!
Do NOT sign contracts that are not clearly understandable. Our solicitors will look over anything that you reckon might be strange. This advise is contained in teh Accommodation Advice booklet on the student portal and available from me via email.
Getting Deposits Back
Okay...let's level. If a window or door or wall has been damaged in your house, you can be fairly sure that you won't be seeing that portion of the deposit back, or if there's an electricity bill due, you may not get it back immediately as the remaining bill may be deducted from it. Anything that's been broken or damaged will be deducted from your deposit, so make sure you take photos of the shiny sparkly cleanliness of the house before you leave as there's nothing that can be done if it's trashed after you hand back your key and the landlord has no proof that you didn't do the damage.
If you have proof that you caused no damage and left no unpaid bills and your landlord is still not paying the deposit back, then it's time to call in the solicitor. In previous years Welfare Officers would have phoned landlords endlessly, but we have no way of enforcing anything on them, so now it's a simple matter of going straight to our solicitor. The details are available from SU Reception or the Welfare Office.
You are entitled to view the original bill for anthing taken as a deduction from your deposit
Looking to next year!!!
If you are panicking that you haven't sorted yourself yet...DON'T. There is plenty of accommodation out there. The Accommodation listing for next semester will be out in mid May. I will post it to the student portal (link works on campus only) when I have a copy.
Checkout the student portal(link works on campus only) for attachments of what to look out for. There's a checklist in there!
Do NOT sign contracts that are not clearly understandable. Our solicitors will look over anything that you reckon might be strange. This advise is contained in teh Accommodation Advice booklet on the student portal and available from me via email.
Anti-Social Behaviour & Discipline
This seems to be an issue that is constantly raising its head at committees throughout the University. I thought it was about time I blogged about it now that I have time.
If you are the victim of someone else's rage (i.e. you are attacked, bullied or otherwise injured) there are procedures in place in the University to follow in order to prevent it from continuing. You can come and see me and I'll talk you through it, or you can report it directly to the University Disciplinary Committee. This is the important part; you must do this IN WRITING.
The University has a duty of care to all faculty, staff and students. It's not fair that a minority of students get to rampage about and give 95% of the remaining students a bad name, so if you are a victim of anti-social behaviour (be it from a student, member of staff or faculty member), DO report it.
An example of one or two issues that can arise are; housemates making your life a misery by bulling or intimidation (be that on or off campus). Your landlord should be informed too.
A revised procedure is now in place which makes the process move faster, which is good if you've been accused of cheating in exams for having the room number or a shopping list written on your hand. This involves meeting with the Advocate who decides whether the Disciplinary Committee needs to see you. If you have "poprock" or some sort of collection of letters that can be determined to be of possible benefit in an exam, then you more than likely will get referred and suspended for cheating, however, if you have "EGO10 9am" written on your hand, you will still have to go and see the Advocate, but it is unlikely to go any further.
Also a reminder that any activity that may bring the University into disrepute (e.g. mooning traffic at 5pm on Groody Roundabout-Wouldn't recommend it!!!) can land you with a fine, get you suspended, or you may end up expelled.
NB - Education and Health Science students - your career in teaching or health care is at risk if you are arrested and charged for anti-social behaviour
NB - J1 Applicants - An arrest may hinder your chances of travel to the US for the rest of your life
If you are the victim of someone else's rage (i.e. you are attacked, bullied or otherwise injured) there are procedures in place in the University to follow in order to prevent it from continuing. You can come and see me and I'll talk you through it, or you can report it directly to the University Disciplinary Committee. This is the important part; you must do this IN WRITING.
The University has a duty of care to all faculty, staff and students. It's not fair that a minority of students get to rampage about and give 95% of the remaining students a bad name, so if you are a victim of anti-social behaviour (be it from a student, member of staff or faculty member), DO report it.
An example of one or two issues that can arise are; housemates making your life a misery by bulling or intimidation (be that on or off campus). Your landlord should be informed too.
A revised procedure is now in place which makes the process move faster, which is good if you've been accused of cheating in exams for having the room number or a shopping list written on your hand. This involves meeting with the Advocate who decides whether the Disciplinary Committee needs to see you. If you have "poprock" or some sort of collection of letters that can be determined to be of possible benefit in an exam, then you more than likely will get referred and suspended for cheating, however, if you have "EGO10 9am" written on your hand, you will still have to go and see the Advocate, but it is unlikely to go any further.
Also a reminder that any activity that may bring the University into disrepute (e.g. mooning traffic at 5pm on Groody Roundabout-Wouldn't recommend it!!!) can land you with a fine, get you suspended, or you may end up expelled.
NB - Education and Health Science students - your career in teaching or health care is at risk if you are arrested and charged for anti-social behaviour
NB - J1 Applicants - An arrest may hinder your chances of travel to the US for the rest of your life
Access Campus
The Tuesday meeting of GA Access & Student Affairs took place at the UL Access Campus near to Southill on the southside of the city. Members of the committee include; me, the Vice President Academic and Registrar, The Access Manager, the Director of Student Affairs, members of faculty and staff, as well as 2 external members.
We were first given a tour of the building, which houses both commercial and training activity. Chorus UPC is the biggest operator with over 450 staff there on a full time basis. Fáilte Ireland, FÁS and the AK Ilen project provide training opportunities and the Access Campus strives to gain community involvement.
The site is 16 acres and was left without purpose in 1999 following the closure of a manufacturing operation. The work being done out there is amazing, from study groups for Junior and Leaving Certificate students, to Irish classes for foreign national parents of primary school children to assist with homework, and social activities for the avtive retired in the area.
The University's involvement is to encourage participation in third level, though not necessarily in UL. By assisting this regeneration community (and others who come to it) the University is providing positive re-enforcement for a community and individuals who would not otherwise seek to set goals for themselves, be they to pursue an apprenticeship, take on a training course, or to go to university.
One striking thing is the individuality applied to each and every person who comes to use the resources. Their needs will be discussed with them one-on-one and considered.
There is so much more going on out there than I could possibly convey by blogging, but I just wanted to tell you all about the amazing work they do.
There are over 60 kids from 15 schools taking part in after-school study groups getting help from students. There is a waiting list of 40 more, so if you would like to volunteer, let me know and I'll get contact details for you.
We were first given a tour of the building, which houses both commercial and training activity. Chorus UPC is the biggest operator with over 450 staff there on a full time basis. Fáilte Ireland, FÁS and the AK Ilen project provide training opportunities and the Access Campus strives to gain community involvement.
The site is 16 acres and was left without purpose in 1999 following the closure of a manufacturing operation. The work being done out there is amazing, from study groups for Junior and Leaving Certificate students, to Irish classes for foreign national parents of primary school children to assist with homework, and social activities for the avtive retired in the area.
The University's involvement is to encourage participation in third level, though not necessarily in UL. By assisting this regeneration community (and others who come to it) the University is providing positive re-enforcement for a community and individuals who would not otherwise seek to set goals for themselves, be they to pursue an apprenticeship, take on a training course, or to go to university.
One striking thing is the individuality applied to each and every person who comes to use the resources. Their needs will be discussed with them one-on-one and considered.
There is so much more going on out there than I could possibly convey by blogging, but I just wanted to tell you all about the amazing work they do.
There are over 60 kids from 15 schools taking part in after-school study groups getting help from students. There is a waiting list of 40 more, so if you would like to volunteer, let me know and I'll get contact details for you.
09 April 2010
Week 12 - I'm out of Office All Week
I will be out of office on annual leave for all of Week 12. Please direct queries to Reception, where they will point you to the best person to answer them
National Body Consultation
This is still ongoing despite the deadline having passed. We'll let it roll to September now.
ULSU is looking for your views on what a national representative body should do for students and students’ unions. Please take the time to respond to us at national.consult@ul.ie with your ideas and suggestions. We have identified a number of areas that we consider would benefit the internal day-to-day running of ULSU and bring gains for members. The issues raised in the Executive’s discussion of the matter are available on the student portal on the Students’ Union panel or on ulsu.ie. We appreciate this may not outwardly seem to make any difference to the everyday life of a student, but if we are to approach the students’ unions of the other 6 universities and 14 ITs and, if you wish, other higher education institutions, we will need to have a broad view of what our students want. You can contact your class rep, write to us or email directly.
Final date for receipt of submissions is Friday of Week 8 this semester (Friday 19 March 2010).
Deputy President, Derek Daly has taken on this project in order to ensure that all students have an opportunity to contribute. If you have any questions you can email him Derek.Daly@ul.ie or SUWelfare@ul.ie
ULSU is looking for your views on what a national representative body should do for students and students’ unions. Please take the time to respond to us at national.consult@ul.ie with your ideas and suggestions. We have identified a number of areas that we consider would benefit the internal day-to-day running of ULSU and bring gains for members. The issues raised in the Executive’s discussion of the matter are available on the student portal on the Students’ Union panel or on ulsu.ie. We appreciate this may not outwardly seem to make any difference to the everyday life of a student, but if we are to approach the students’ unions of the other 6 universities and 14 ITs and, if you wish, other higher education institutions, we will need to have a broad view of what our students want. You can contact your class rep, write to us or email directly.
Final date for receipt of submissions is Friday of Week 8 this semester (Friday 19 March 2010).
Deputy President, Derek Daly has taken on this project in order to ensure that all students have an opportunity to contribute. If you have any questions you can email him Derek.Daly@ul.ie or SUWelfare@ul.ie
Lots of stuff to update
It's been a long long time since I posted and I've been up to a serious amount of stuff from MnMing for Charity Week, to attending an Alcohol Issues seminar, to being re-elected and so on and so forth.
For those of you who havent' gotten to see them, what I'm going to do since there's way too much to actually rember is copy and paste my An Focal articles and Officer Reports
Week 5 An Focal
Hey everyone, it’s been a busy busy two weeks since I last wrote. We had the UGM which was unfortunately inquorate. The main issue which was of concern to me was that people seemed bothered enough on Facebook to tell us that an increase of €4 in the price of an ID card is bad, but didn’t come to the meeting to back this up for us in a minuted meeting which I could act upon. This weakens my position when I bring the issue to the table with the Director of Student Affairs. I haven’t had a single email on the issue either. Maybe I’ll just have to stick around for another year for a quorate UGM.
On the plus side, I got through my officer report in less than a minute and it is on the student portal to be viewed in the Students’ Union box. If you have any questions you can email me.
There’s also a brief article in An Focal this week of a consultation we are engaging in with you, the student on a national representative body. The items discussed by the Executive are also on the student portal which might give you an idea of what you would like to add.
In terms of meetings, I’ve had loads. Under-Represented Students and Facilities and Services discussed Student Hardship at length last Monday. We are proposing to the university to get a significant increase given the part-time job market and increase in student service charge meaning students are in a far worse financial situation in some cases.
The Alcohol Working Group chaired by the Director of Student Affairs met again and I proposed a set guideline for students on Discipline which was sent to the Vice-President Academic and Registrar. This group is also looking at running some events such as acoustic gigs and quizzes in the main canteen during week 7, also election week.<
The Equality and Diversity Committee was happy to hear about Jason’s plans for Equality Week in Week 11. There is a Diversity Calendar at Students’ Union Reception for anyone who wants to check out what’s on.
Bagpacking in Weeks 2 and 3 raised over €1,300 for the Raising and Giving Charities. Get in and collect your entry forms for Tag, 5-A-Side, Sleepout and €5k 5km run.
Apart from that I spent a number of days in Week 3 interviewing candidates for Clubs and Societies Liaison Officer with Paul Lee (Clubs and Societies Development Officer) and Tomás Costello (Secretary General)
Charity Week went down a storm and we’re finalising fundraising figures. I can’t help but say that I’m extremely disappointed by the contribution of the average student. When special event collections and collections off campus excluded, the contribution per student is less than 20c. That is just pitiful. I have to congratulate those who did contribute as the charity take is quite good compared to last year with the recession and all and the charities will be very appreciative
Well, Alcohol Awareness Week seems to have gone down quite well and the Director of Student Affairs tells me she’s had some email feedback from some of you which is good! The debate was quite well attended from a wide range of areas and I’d like to thank Prof. Mary O’Sullivan for chairing and the Debating Union for a great debate. Little known fact to follow up on this; there are 2/3 of the calories of a cheeseburger in a vodka and Red Bull, so think about it next time you go for the extra drink. The Surprise Gig in the Red Raisins was reasonably well attended with Subway staying open until 9 for that and the quiz on Tuesday night. Winners have been announced by Facebook and email.
I spoke to a group attending the Irish Heart Foundation Happy Heart Talk in the Castletroy Park Hotel, which was well publicised on the ULSU website and Facebook, but few students attended. Facebook is one of our main forms of communication with students, so please become a fan of ULSU for updates. Anyhow, this was a very interesting talk and showed how a healthy heart and cardiovascular system is important to everyone, not just older people, I will see about getting the speakers back again next year.
From the election campaign it has been a bit clearer to me that people are sometimes unaware of what assistance we can offer in the SU. There really is only one answer that covers everything; if unsure and you have a problem, just come and ask. We’re not going to shout it from the rooftops that Jo Bloggs was in looking for advice on STI testing, or that Pat Soap was in asking what to do if he failed 3 modules. If you have a problem, ask us about it, we might not be able to help, but if you don’t ask, you’ll never know.
Again, lots of casework and committees attended, but nothing that’s going to affect any of you this year at least!
anyway...happy weekend
For those of you who havent' gotten to see them, what I'm going to do since there's way too much to actually rember is copy and paste my An Focal articles and Officer Reports
Week 5 An Focal
Hey everyone, it’s been a busy busy two weeks since I last wrote. We had the UGM which was unfortunately inquorate. The main issue which was of concern to me was that people seemed bothered enough on Facebook to tell us that an increase of €4 in the price of an ID card is bad, but didn’t come to the meeting to back this up for us in a minuted meeting which I could act upon. This weakens my position when I bring the issue to the table with the Director of Student Affairs. I haven’t had a single email on the issue either. Maybe I’ll just have to stick around for another year for a quorate UGM.
On the plus side, I got through my officer report in less than a minute and it is on the student portal to be viewed in the Students’ Union box. If you have any questions you can email me.
There’s also a brief article in An Focal this week of a consultation we are engaging in with you, the student on a national representative body. The items discussed by the Executive are also on the student portal which might give you an idea of what you would like to add.
In terms of meetings, I’ve had loads. Under-Represented Students and Facilities and Services discussed Student Hardship at length last Monday. We are proposing to the university to get a significant increase given the part-time job market and increase in student service charge meaning students are in a far worse financial situation in some cases.
The Alcohol Working Group chaired by the Director of Student Affairs met again and I proposed a set guideline for students on Discipline which was sent to the Vice-President Academic and Registrar. This group is also looking at running some events such as acoustic gigs and quizzes in the main canteen during week 7, also election week.<
The Equality and Diversity Committee was happy to hear about Jason’s plans for Equality Week in Week 11. There is a Diversity Calendar at Students’ Union Reception for anyone who wants to check out what’s on.
Bagpacking in Weeks 2 and 3 raised over €1,300 for the Raising and Giving Charities. Get in and collect your entry forms for Tag, 5-A-Side, Sleepout and €5k 5km run.
Apart from that I spent a number of days in Week 3 interviewing candidates for Clubs and Societies Liaison Officer with Paul Lee (Clubs and Societies Development Officer) and Tomás Costello (Secretary General)
Charity Week went down a storm and we’re finalising fundraising figures. I can’t help but say that I’m extremely disappointed by the contribution of the average student. When special event collections and collections off campus excluded, the contribution per student is less than 20c. That is just pitiful. I have to congratulate those who did contribute as the charity take is quite good compared to last year with the recession and all and the charities will be very appreciative
Well, Alcohol Awareness Week seems to have gone down quite well and the Director of Student Affairs tells me she’s had some email feedback from some of you which is good! The debate was quite well attended from a wide range of areas and I’d like to thank Prof. Mary O’Sullivan for chairing and the Debating Union for a great debate. Little known fact to follow up on this; there are 2/3 of the calories of a cheeseburger in a vodka and Red Bull, so think about it next time you go for the extra drink. The Surprise Gig in the Red Raisins was reasonably well attended with Subway staying open until 9 for that and the quiz on Tuesday night. Winners have been announced by Facebook and email.
I spoke to a group attending the Irish Heart Foundation Happy Heart Talk in the Castletroy Park Hotel, which was well publicised on the ULSU website and Facebook, but few students attended. Facebook is one of our main forms of communication with students, so please become a fan of ULSU for updates. Anyhow, this was a very interesting talk and showed how a healthy heart and cardiovascular system is important to everyone, not just older people, I will see about getting the speakers back again next year.
From the election campaign it has been a bit clearer to me that people are sometimes unaware of what assistance we can offer in the SU. There really is only one answer that covers everything; if unsure and you have a problem, just come and ask. We’re not going to shout it from the rooftops that Jo Bloggs was in looking for advice on STI testing, or that Pat Soap was in asking what to do if he failed 3 modules. If you have a problem, ask us about it, we might not be able to help, but if you don’t ask, you’ll never know.
Again, lots of casework and committees attended, but nothing that’s going to affect any of you this year at least!
anyway...happy weekend
08 February 2010
Drop in Hours
Due to a heavy schedule of internal meetings for interviews this week, My drop in hours will be limited for the remainder of the week.
Tuesday and Wednesday
11am to 12pm each day
Thursday
12pm to 12:30pm
Friday
12:30pm to 1pm
Tuesday and Wednesday
11am to 12pm each day
Thursday
12pm to 12:30pm
Friday
12:30pm to 1pm
Semester 1 Review 2009/10
Deputy President and Welfare Officer
Derek Daly
As I sit here typing, I have my manifesto in front of me, so I suppose I’ll go in the order that’s in.
MANIFESTO REVIEW
ACCOMMODATION
General Queries
This is the day-to-day stuff through my door, as suggested in the manifesto, the solicitor has dealt with a lot of the landlord and accommodation queries that I haven’t been able to advise on.
Accommodation Forum
I have had one meeting of this with landlords. Over 800 were written to over the summer, advising that they need a BER Cert and to register with the PRTB. I sent them a leaflet advising of their rights and obligations as landlords, though a small minority were less than impressed by this! I did a lot of work on getting them information in relation to insulation, heating and window upgrades, as well as discounts on oil and deals from Mr. Binman, this in turn was an effort to improve the standard of accommodation available to students. While I’m not sure what the final take up was; a good number contacted me about the Mr. Binman and oil discounts in particular. The forum itself proved a failure, with only 4 landlords attending out of the over 800 written to. I’m going to dump this idea for this semester, but I will be contacting the Enforcement Officer at Limerick County Council in relation to BER Cert.
Village Accommodation
On Campus
I met a number of times with representatives of Campus Life Services. Where issues have arisen on campus I have spoken directly to them and most issues have been resolved. I submitted a scholarship proposal during the semester which I will be following up over the coming months, and hopefully it will be in place for 2010/11. If I manage to pull this one off, I’ll post a specific blog update for it and a news item on the website.
Off Campus
Needless to say, as most of you know, the different villages vary widely off campus. A number of issues have arisen in each of the villages; most were easily resolved, though some solicitors’ letters were required, which soon saw the students vindicated.
WELFARE WORKING GROUP
While I haven’t followed the exact manifesto strategy, I have gone further than what I had planned and opened the group to the entire campus community. Welfare Crew has met 3 times, but attendance has been poor. If you want to get involved in this, it is something that is driven by its members, not my office.
A new Equality Officer has been elected and is quite proactive in organising Equality Week for Week 11, and this may re-ignite the interest of the members of this group. 2 Meetings of Welfare Crew have already taken place this semester.
Derek Daly
As I sit here typing, I have my manifesto in front of me, so I suppose I’ll go in the order that’s in.
MANIFESTO REVIEW
ACCOMMODATION
General Queries
This is the day-to-day stuff through my door, as suggested in the manifesto, the solicitor has dealt with a lot of the landlord and accommodation queries that I haven’t been able to advise on.
Accommodation Forum
I have had one meeting of this with landlords. Over 800 were written to over the summer, advising that they need a BER Cert and to register with the PRTB. I sent them a leaflet advising of their rights and obligations as landlords, though a small minority were less than impressed by this! I did a lot of work on getting them information in relation to insulation, heating and window upgrades, as well as discounts on oil and deals from Mr. Binman, this in turn was an effort to improve the standard of accommodation available to students. While I’m not sure what the final take up was; a good number contacted me about the Mr. Binman and oil discounts in particular. The forum itself proved a failure, with only 4 landlords attending out of the over 800 written to. I’m going to dump this idea for this semester, but I will be contacting the Enforcement Officer at Limerick County Council in relation to BER Cert.
Village Accommodation
On Campus
I met a number of times with representatives of Campus Life Services. Where issues have arisen on campus I have spoken directly to them and most issues have been resolved. I submitted a scholarship proposal during the semester which I will be following up over the coming months, and hopefully it will be in place for 2010/11. If I manage to pull this one off, I’ll post a specific blog update for it and a news item on the website.
Off Campus
Needless to say, as most of you know, the different villages vary widely off campus. A number of issues have arisen in each of the villages; most were easily resolved, though some solicitors’ letters were required, which soon saw the students vindicated.
WELFARE WORKING GROUP
While I haven’t followed the exact manifesto strategy, I have gone further than what I had planned and opened the group to the entire campus community. Welfare Crew has met 3 times, but attendance has been poor. If you want to get involved in this, it is something that is driven by its members, not my office.
A new Equality Officer has been elected and is quite proactive in organising Equality Week for Week 11, and this may re-ignite the interest of the members of this group. 2 Meetings of Welfare Crew have already taken place this semester.
NORTH CAMPUS
While I remain available for appointments on the North Campus, I am yet to receive one request. It is an aspiration of the sabbatical team to be able to have a presence on the North Campus; however the practicalities, not least as outlined in the manifesto, put a bit of a block in place. For those in other parts of the campus who cannot make it to meet me, I am also available to meet at Kemmy, or anywhere else on campus.
FINANCIAL ISSUES
Budgeting
Since last April (oh f***, that long ago) when the manifesto was printed, MABS has been under ever increasing pressure, so has been unable to come on campus, however, if you are having financial issues, they will be able to help on an individual basis; waiting lists are quite long though.
I have put together an excel file, which gives you a weekly budget for the semester. Aoife sent this to you some time last semester, if you need to get it again, just email me and I’ll get a copy to you.
Grants and Scholarships
This semester is when people need to be aware of availing of grants and scholarships. I hope to run a grant information evening at some point after the Easter break to give students PLENTY of time to get their applications in order. June is the time to get them ready, NOT August!!
SAA is also piloting a number of County Councils with direct bank payments to students, rather than cheques through SAA. You may not know this, but someone from SAA has to physically stand in the bank and lodge a piece of paper to the bank account of each student. In most other colleges, you have to queue to to collect the cheque and then queue to lodge it!
Scholarships are a different kettle of fish, all I can do with this is compile a centralised list, as most are provided externally by companies, but specifically for UL students.
Support Funds
The Financial Aid funding administered through the Union has been reviewed again during my term, the amounts have been reduced and bursaries withdrawn to allow the money to spread further in these tough times. I would like to thank the Financial Aid Committee members for their patience and co-operation in this.
In relation to the Childcare Assistance part of the fund, it is now operating in a way that can easily be audited by the University, where the money comes from, the next on the list here is looking at the back office stuff, which I won’t bore you with.
MEDICAL CENTRE
In relation to assumptions made by staff, I have raised this issue with both the Director of the Student Health Centre and the Director of Student Affairs. While staffing shortages throughout the organisation mean that it is not always possible to re-allocate people, students should just make the reception staff at the Health Centre aware of which clinic they wish to attend (i.e GP/Nurse/STI) as this will affect the waiting time for appointments. Following recent moves to charge for medical services in other institutions we will be opposing any such move here, unless directed otherwise by the student population. This has been made clear at senior levels of the University. ULSU will not accept the University conducting its future financial planning around current circumstances.
CHILDCARE SERVICES
Crèche
On further investigation, I found that the student places in Silver Apples are undersubscribed. Students, while paying the same rate as staff, are avoiding the industry norm, by having places held over the summer months without having to pay (Standard practice is that if you intend returning in September, you pay for June, July and August also.) Silver Apples is also comparable in price with other local facilities.
After School Care
In looking at this initially, I overlooked the fact that most students’ children attend school close to home, as opposed to close to the University, for this reason, this will be taking a back seat this semester, though it has not been forgotten. There’s also a distortion of competition concern from the Silver Apples Committee.
HEALTH
A number of attempts to run a healthy eating campaign have fallen through last semester. I hope to work with Helen from the GingerGirl stall in the Farmers market as a demonstrator and the rest of the stallholders as suppliers to get some healthy cooking demos going.
Cancer is still a concern, but has taken a back seat to mental health and will do again this semester. Cancer campaigns will be online only via Facebook and the info screens.
Sexual Health I think got a good awareness boos during SHAG Week and I put a serious amount of info in to the handbook and on the website. I’ve tried to de-bullshit everything, so I hope it worked.
Mental health was covered in the An Focal Week 1 edition. The ULSU/Please Talk Mugs have gone down a storm and there are a few here for whoever gets to them first after the meeting. The tea afternoon went off a treat. Thanks to the volunteers for that
OUTSTANDING ITEMS
The following manifesto items from above require further work this semester:
• Better utilisation of the Welfare Crew
• Grants and Scholarships
• Health Awareness
• Healthy Living
NON-MANIFESTO ITEMS
LEGAL AID
I undertook a review of the Legal Aid process in August 2009 with the help of Aoife Finnerty (Vice President and Education Officer) and Ruán Dillon McLoughlin (President). Following this review it was decided that we retain the services of the existing firm. As a result of this review, the firm is now also offering Legal Advice Centres once a month on campus. For further info, please contact me.
DEPUTISING FOR THE PRESIDENT
This is a larger portion of the job than I had anticipated. It has allowed me to gain a better insight into a small number of areas within the University which are no doubt important to the representation of the student view
COMMITTEES
Governing Authority takes place each month. There are 32 members of the Authority and it has the final say on any decision taken within the University. As a student governor, along with Ruán and Michael, I have been questioning presentations and putting views of those student who speak to me before it.
Access and Student Affairs – Governing Authority Sub Committee takes place 3 times during the calendar year. A new chair of this committee has been appointed and she is quite keen to use the committee to further the improvement of the life of each student. At the first meeting this year I presented on Student Hardship and the committee was quite appalled at some of the circumstances students find themselves in in this day and age.
The Student Experience Committee takes place bi-monthly and is chaired by the Director of Student Affairs. This is a committee established by President Don Barry to achieve his aim of making UL the ultimate institution for those seeking an exceptional student experience. My main achievement at this committee has been to put the driving of the President’s Award firmly back in the hands of the President for funding. The award structure had been agreed in principle over 12 months ago, and tied down by October. This award is due to commence this semester under the direction of a committee formed by Student Development Officer Aidan Healy.
The Silver Apples Crèche Committee sat for the first time since the 2006/7 academic year. While there are no issues with this committee, I saw a need for it to sit during each academic year to keep all members informed of progress. It also dispelled some myths that float around the place. I was made aware at the committee of a flooding issue that the chair of the committee is seeking to have resolved.
The Alcohol Working Group is looking at ways to promote responsible drinking and events where no alcohol is served. Options include acoustic or comedy gigs in the B1 Canteen and debates around alcohol issues. This committee spills over into the areas of discipline, student involvement and entertainment.
I am building a strong relationship wit the Equality and Diversity Committee which was formerly the EOpps Committee. The HR and other members of this committee were happy to see a student representative on this committee following a number of years absence. The Equality Officer is also a member, but the issue in the past, and currently is that it clashes with classes. This is a committee with some resources at its disposal that can be of particular benefit to the LGBT community on campus and I am focussing on that for the moment. There are other issues such as race and religion etc that the committee can help with in due course.
As such…a lot done…more to do. Here’s to another semester of hard work
D
02 February 2010
Drop in hours, today, tomorrow, Thursday
Hey all,
Apologies for the delay in putting these up.
Tuesday 2 Feb
14:30-15:30
Wednesday 3 Feb
11:30-12:45
Thursday 4 Feb
13:00-14:00
Friday 5 Feb
None
Apologies for the delay in putting these up.
Tuesday 2 Feb
14:30-15:30
Wednesday 3 Feb
11:30-12:45
Thursday 4 Feb
13:00-14:00
Friday 5 Feb
None
27 January 2010
Week 1 - Still Firefighting
So now we're back in week one and you might wonder what we've been at over ths Christmas holidays. Well for a start I headed away over New Years to Stockholm, but was back at my desk on the 4th.
A lot of that week was spent on operational stuff, but I had the odd meeting here and there.
Practically the whole of last week was taken up with Winter Conferrings, which I have to say were a great success, though I'm constantly amazed at how sitting down can be so tiring
As well as the day to day stuff, we have been talking a lot, in house, about how we can reconfigure to represent students better.
There's a great volunteer that I'll be working with on the Raising and Giving side of things for Charity Week (Week 9) who's going to help organise a lot of the fundraisingin events during the week as I was informed this week that I have a full day meeting on Tuesday Week 9 :(
A new Equality and Diversity Policy has been drafted by the committee of the same name. It will be the same policy for staff and students
Along with Ruán, I'm now putting pressure on in various different parts of the University in terms of the Student Experience, and put the question quite bluntly to the last committee meeting: Why did the Party on the Plaza and official opening of the Living Bridge take place while students were on holidays.
I know there's much more and I'll have a report next week on my manifesto progress, but for now, arreviderci
A lot of that week was spent on operational stuff, but I had the odd meeting here and there.
Practically the whole of last week was taken up with Winter Conferrings, which I have to say were a great success, though I'm constantly amazed at how sitting down can be so tiring
As well as the day to day stuff, we have been talking a lot, in house, about how we can reconfigure to represent students better.
There's a great volunteer that I'll be working with on the Raising and Giving side of things for Charity Week (Week 9) who's going to help organise a lot of the fundraisingin events during the week as I was informed this week that I have a full day meeting on Tuesday Week 9 :(
A new Equality and Diversity Policy has been drafted by the committee of the same name. It will be the same policy for staff and students
Along with Ruán, I'm now putting pressure on in various different parts of the University in terms of the Student Experience, and put the question quite bluntly to the last committee meeting: Why did the Party on the Plaza and official opening of the Living Bridge take place while students were on holidays.
I know there's much more and I'll have a report next week on my manifesto progress, but for now, arreviderci
New semester, little delayed
Hi guys,
apologies that I haven't updated here in a while. I'm not feeling the best this afternoon so I'm out of the office.
Drop in Hours for tomorrow and Friday are 12:30-1:45pm
I'll update this afternoon while I'm at home supping Lemsip.
apologies that I haven't updated here in a while. I'm not feeling the best this afternoon so I'm out of the office.
Drop in Hours for tomorrow and Friday are 12:30-1:45pm
I'll update this afternoon while I'm at home supping Lemsip.
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