A block of 10,000 student voters will be mobilised to vote ahead of the Seanad referendum in two weeks’ time. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) warned the Government today (Thursday), that students are ready to demonstrate their electoral power in the upcoming Seanad referendum. With voter registration drives underway on campuses across the country, USI expect to have 10,000 students registered on the Student Elector Registration Database (SERD) by polling day on October 4th. Students who sign up to the database will be contacted by USI encouraging them to vote in the referendum and setting out USI’s position. […]
[…]cost of college according to DIT Campus Life’s ‘Cost of Living’ survey is €11,000 a year for students to live away from home, compared to €7,000 a year for those who live at home. Donoghue urged families and students from rural backgrounds to vote for a party who will increase students support such as the student assistant fund, grants (both undergraduate and postgraduate) and who will reduce the registration fee which currently stands at €3,000 a year. “For many families, education is already unaffordable.” Donoghue said. “It should be a right, not a privilege and while politicians say that free […]
[…]a more affordable option. In addition, postgraduate students will be able to borrow up to €7,500 and defer repayments for up to one year while they complete their course of study. Joe O’ Connor, President of the Union of Students in Ireland, said “The cost of studying at postgraduate level is extremely prohibitive for very many people, and this has been an ongoing issue since the removal of almost all postgraduate maintenance and grants in Budget 2012. The Bank of Ireland interest rate cut on postgraduate loans by almost half is very welcome and will help provide a much more […]
[…]on the website at once! In recent days, the Union of Students in Ireland distributed 21,000 flyers advertising the ‘rent-a-room relief’ scheme around university areas. This scheme allows homeowners to benefit from a tax-free €12,000 relief if they take in a lodger. USI president Kevin Donoghue said within a day, 30 new householders had expressed an interest in the scheme. He said it was often from families whose children had left home and who now had a room free. “One taxi driver said to me it was ‘empty nest syndrome’. He himself was doing it,” said Mr […]
[…]checked on the Register of Licensed Property Services Providers to ensure that the licence is not only valid and in date, but that the provider’s details match those on the Register. The Register can be found on the PSRA’s website, […]
