What is USI ?
USI is the national representative body for the more than 360,000 affiliated students in third level education on the Island of Ireland. We are a membership organisation – our members are our affiliated Students’ Unions around Ireland, North and South.
Democracy
USI is a democratic organisation. The supreme authority of the Union is Comdháil (Congress), which is representative of each affiliated students’ union, apportioned according to the size of the student body in each union. Each union also sends one voting member to Comhairle Náisiúnta (National Council) – the executive body of the organisation. Issues relating to governance are delegated by the National Council to a Governance Committee. Day to day management and policy execution are delegated by USI Comdháil to an elected committee of Sabbatical student representatives called the Coiste Gnó (Executive Team).
Northern Ireland
A trilateral arrangement exists between USI, the National Union of Students in the United Kingdom and NUS-USI, the Student Movement in Northern Ireland. NUS-USI was formed in 1972 to ensure that all students in Northern Ireland could be members of the national union movement without distinction as to personal political or religious beliefs, particularly on the Northern Ireland constitutional question. Check out the NUS-USI Website
Our members
Our members are the students’ unions recognised by the colleges below. Not every student body in Ireland is eligible for membership according to our constitution. We refer to our members as ‘Member Organisations’ or MOs’. Individual students gain their membership of USI through their membership of a local students’ union. We refer to individual student members as ‘Ordinary Members’
NUS-USI Region
- Belfast Metropolitan College SU
- Queen’s University, Belfast SU
- Ulster University SU
- St Mary’s University College Belfast SU
- Stranmillis University College Belfast SU
- College of Agriculture, Food and the Rural Economy SU
- Northern Regional College SU
- North West Regional College SU
- Southern Regional College SU
- South West College SU
- South Eastern Regional College SU
Dublin Region
- Dublin City University SU
- Technological University Dublin SU
- National College of Ireland SU
- Trinity College Dublin SU
- National College of Art and Design SU
- Institute of Art, Design and Technology SU
Southern Region
- Carlow College
- SETUSU
- University College Cork SU
- Technological University of the Shannon SU
- Munster Technological University Cork SU
- Munster Technological University Kerry SU
Border, Midlands and Western Region
- Atlantic Technological University SU Galway-Mayo
- Atlantic Technological University SU Donegal
- Atlantic Technological University SU Sligo
- Comhaltas na Mac Léinn, OÉ Gaillimh
- Technological University of the Shannon SU
- Maynooth SU
- Dundalk Institute of Technology SU
- St Angela’s College Sligo SU
Staff
- General Manager: Ben Archibald | ben.archibald@usi.ie
- Administrator: Denise Glover | denise.glover@usi.ie
- National Student Engagement Programme Training Co-Ordinator: Rachael Sarsfield Ryan | nstepdevelopment@usi.ie
- Student Mental Health Project Manager: Sarah Hughes | mentalhealth@usi.ie
- Public Relations & Communications Manager: Martina Genockey | pr@usi.ie
Governance Committee
Chair of Governance Committee: Dr Shane F McCarthy
President: Chris Clifford
National Council Members:
- Brian Jordan (TUDSU)
- Isobel Kavanagh (MTU Cork SU)
- Niamh Kennedy (TUSSU)
- Thomas O’Dowd (DCUSU)
External Members:
- Peter O’Neill
Accountant
Gareth I J Williams
Legal Counsel
Richard Hammond SC, Hammond Good LLP
Regulatory Information
The Union of Students in Ireland is an unincorporated entity and is neither registered as a company nor as a charity. It is a confederal organisation, created by and funded by Students’ Unions jointly through its National Council, which serves as the National Executive body of the organisation.
Address to which correspondence may be sent:
USI
Ceann Áras na Mac Léinn
12 Shamrock Villas
Harold’s Cross
Dublin 6W
D6W XH75