[…]commitment and the commitments set out in their manifestos. USI welcomes political parties prioritising postgraduate education and viewing it as a national asset, not a financial strain.” In July 2012, the Chief Executive of the Higher Education Authority, Tom Boland, said that the government’s decision to cut postgraduate maintenance grants was ‘inconsistent with the national skills policy’. Mr. Boland said the HEA did not advise the then-Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn, on the issue of postgraduate grant cuts, but in his personal opinion the decision seemed at odds with the stated policy of the government to develop a smart economy. […]
[…]based on CPI and rent adjustment. Supply: To develop a coherent programme of conditional supply-side supports to increase availability of affordable rental housing, e.g. tax reliefs for renovation of vacant homes in the cities by the owners themselves. Proposing a diverse range of incentives for the landlords that should include, but not be limited to tax breaks (e.g. reduced electricity/gas charges or other benefits linked to social welfare payments’ system). USI welcomes the rent-a-room scheme, but believes that it may lead to driving-up the rental prices, therefore USI suggests the introduction of brackets that will be aligned with the number […]
[…]have been and must continue to be on the right side of history.” The motion calls for USI to inform members of the background to the situation in Israel/Palestine and to commemorate Palestine Solidarity Day, working with any relevant groups such as student societies and civil society organisations local to each of our campuses. USI will also support an Academic Boycott of Israeli Higher Education institutions complicit in normalising, providing intellectual cover for, and supporting settler-colonialism. This includes policies that amount to Apartheid, encouraging recruitment to the Israeli Defence Forces, and providing support to the militarist occupation of Palestine. USI […]
[…]spare rooms to students during the college term can avail of €14,000 tax-free a year from a rent-a-room relief scheme available. USI are launching the Homes For Study campaign with a free website, homes.usi.ie, as new findings from the Union show 1 in 10 students are living in digs style accommodation. Speaking at the launch, USI President Michael Kerrigan said, “According to our study, 66% of students living in digs are satisfied with their arrangements. Digs are becoming a real affordable and viable alternative accommodation because of the rising cost of living in the private rental sector, and on campuses. […]
[…]Shine, 2009). We must recognise the need to engage with young people where they are looking for information and support that is outside of the school/college setting. According to the My World Survey, 77% of young people surveyed reported they would be likely to use the internet as a source of help. In addition to this the young people were asked about ways that help them cope when things are tough. The most frequently reported ways of coping were friends, talking, music, family and exercise. We must use this when engaging with young people. We must commend the work being […]
