[…]push the best and brightest to emigrate. USI fears graduates would be pushed out of the housing market as evidence from New Zealand shows that 51% of banks that received applications from clients with student debt had indicated that student loans were the contributing factor in rejecting finance – with 34% of those likely to be rejected being mortgages. USI is campaigning for the Government to rule out any possible introduction of an income contingent loan scheme in Budget 2018, and to reduce the Student Contribution Charge by a minimum of €250. The union is also calling for an increase […]
[…]yourself in the opening lines – tell them what your connection to them is e.g. ‘I live in x in your constituency’ or ‘I’m currently studying at X College in your local constituency’. Provide further context e.g. if you’re part of community groups or sports clubs, your family works in the community etc. Representatives are elected to represent their local constituency so all of this information helps to grab their attention. Explain why you’re contacting them – ‘I’m a student nurse currently on placement in X. The decision by the Government not to provide financial support to me and my peers is having a massive impact on […]
[…]‘Student Switch Off’ campaign will incorporate national-level partnerships with smart meter delivery agencies to show the benefits of smart meters and saving energy. The ‘Student Switch Off’ campaign will provide ongoing advice and support to students via energy-efficiency and bill management training, peer-to-peer advice sharing via video blogs and regular e-mail and social media communications. DCU, Maynooth University, NUI Galway and UCC are the four Irish universities taking part in the first year of the campaign. USI is the national representative body for the 374,000 students in third level education on the Island of Ireland. USI works to improve and […]
[…]the continuation of the National Student Accommodation Strategy policy of relying on the private market. There are quite a number of reviews and examinations related to the higher education sector detailed in the programme and the USI strongly believes that these need to be undertaken with urgency, and all relevant stakeholders including students, staff and student representatives included in the discussions such as the review of the Back to Education Allowance to ensure it can help those unemployed by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the lack of detail is again seen in the commitment to “ensure that mental health supports are […]
