Comhdháil Amlé 2014 31 Márta – 3 Aibreán
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CONGRESS 2014 31 MARCH – 3 APRIL COMHDHÁIL AMLÉ 2014 31 MÁRTA – 3 AIBREÁN SHERATON HOTEL ATHLONE, CO. WESTMEATH SHERATON ÓSTÁN, BAILE ÁTHA LUAIN, CO. IARMHÍ CONTENTS 3 Welcome from President 4 Hotel Map 5 Welcome from Congress Director 7 Steering and Elections 12 How Congress Works 16 Officer Reports 44 Safety at Congress 46 Officer Board Elections 59 Motions and Policies 60 Constitutional Amendments 62 Accounts and Finances 64 Union Organisation 74 Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance 80 Welfare 87 Citizenship 88 National Affairs 92 International Affairs 93 Equality 95 Gaeilge/Irish Language 98 Policy Due to Expire 2 WELCOME FROM THE PRESIDENT OF USI JOE O’CONNOR A chairde, It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 54th Annual USI Congress. Every delegate attending Congress is representing over 1,000 of our 354,000 members across this island. This is an enormous honour for each and every one of you, and I would encourage you to utilise this opportunity to its fullest. Get involved in debate, learn from the ideas and experiences of others, and be inspired to use this week as a vehicle to make a difference. This is a time of great difficulty and challenge for Irish students and Ireland as a whole. A perfect storm of increasing fees, dwindling student supports, a saturated part-time employment market and reduced parental supports due to the wider impact of the recession is upon us. This means many of our members are either forced to survive in poverty or drop out prior to completing their studies. The Higher Education system is at breaking point, attempting to deal with increasing student numbers and scarcer resources, whilst trying to maintain quality and academic standards. We are facing a crisis as to how we fund Higher Education in Ireland, and a crossroads as to whether we view it as a public good or a private commodity. The biggest policy decision in two decades is upon us, and an enormous battle which we must be on the right side of. Equity of access to Higher Education can only be delivered through a system devoid of financial barriers and commercial influence. It is up to us to make the economic, societal and ideological arguments that engage public opinion and convince decision-makers. Many young people leave college to find the dole queue, precarious and devaluing work brought about by a rampant internship culture, or in many cases forced emigration, as their only options. Out LGBTQ brothers and sisters continue to be treated as second-class citizens, and we owe it to them to mobilise in full force at the ballot boxes to ensure everyone in Ireland has the right to marry the person they love. This is our country, and it is up to us to play our part in bringing about an economic recovery based on sustainable and equitable prosperity. We must now demand the society which we wish to live in, one which cherishes fairness for all above excess for some. USI has been to the fore since 1959 in driving social change. We believe in opportunities for all of our members, in gaining access to the education they deserve, in having a rewarding and fulfilling college experience, and in meeting their future ambitions in Ireland. Our fight is to break down the barriers that exist in our society that deprive some of their right to these opportunities. USI is about much more than the national representatives you will be electing this week. USI is each and every one of you, and the students you represent from 27 different colleges North and South of the border. It is our job to implement the policies, run the campaigns and deliver the results that you want to see. It is your job to drive us, assist us, and challenge us along the way. That is how a vibrant student movement can work, and has always worked. You must set the agenda over the next few days. With collective vision and shared responsibility, I have no doubt that we will succeed in bringing about the changes and in addressing the challenges that are important to our members. We cannot wait for anyone else to do it for us. The future direction of the student movement is in your hands. Shape it. On behalf of my USI Officer Board team, I am proud to bring you Congress 2014. “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal”- Vince Lombardi Beir bua, Joe O’Connor President 3 HOTEL MAP SheratonSheraton Athlone Athlone HotelHotel Gleeson Street, Athlone, Co. Westmeath Gleeson Street, Athlone, Co. Westmeath T. 090 6451000 F. 090 6451001 T 090 6451000 F 090 6451001 [email protected] [email protected] www.sheratonathlonehotel.com sheraton.com/athlone Abbey Phone Lines Flip Charts DeGray Air Conditioned Podium Natural Daylight Broadband Access Video & DVD Wheelchair Accessible AV Equipment Abbey & DeGray Suites - Lower Ground Floor To Pre-Function Lounge Hoey Suite 1 Hoey Suite 2 Hoey Suite 3 Main Hoey Banqueting Suite - 1 st Floor Exit to Private Roof Top Garden WC WC Siege Suite Fitzgerald Grace 1 Grace 2 Grace 3 Burke 1 Burke 2 Main Conference Suites - 2nd Floor 4 WELCOME FROM CONGRESS DIRECTOR On behalf of the staff of USI, allow me to the ninth person to welcome you to Athlone’s fabulous Sheraton Hotel and Congress 2014. I’m Ben Archibald, the General Manager of USI and USI Congress Director. My team of staff works for you – we work to guarantee your safety and security and the smooth logistical running of the Congress. We liaise on your behalf with the hotel and the committees of USI in order to ensure that the practical stuff like food and bedrooms are up to standard, that the technical parts of the Congress happen on time and everybody is comfortable. Basically, our job is to make sure everything else gets out of the way for you, the Steering Committee and the Officer Board to get on with the much more important job of deciding the policy and future of the Student Movement. I am your liaison with the hotel. If you have an issue, please come to me with it so we can resolve it quickly. We know from experience this works much more efficiently than direct discussion with the hotel. Please feel free to also inform your delegation leader or a member of USI Officer Board of any problems. Finally, and most importantly, safety. Safety is our number one priority. I’ll say a few words at the start of Congress about this most important matter, but between now and then, please find the Safety Statement for Delegates in the Clár and study it. We’ll require everyone to follow these basic rules. If you become aware of any situation which could make you or another delegate unsafe, please do not hesitate to contact me immediately to resolve it. The sooner you contact me, the sooner we’ll get it fixed. Have a great congress. Ben Archibald Congress Director Emergency Reporting Line: 083 146 2353 5 6 steering committee & elections sub-committee 7 WELCOME FROM CHAIR OF STEERING AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE A chairde, Ba mhaith liom ar son an Choiste Stiúrtha an deis seo a thapú le hi a rá libh agus cur síos beag a dhéanamh ar an ról atá againn ag Comhdháil AMLÉ. Beimid ag déanamh cathaoirleacht ar na seisiúin plé a bheidh ag dul ar aghaidh sa chéad chúpla lá eile. Ní mic léinn reatha muid ach tá muid tar éis a bheith mar bhaill den Aontas cheana féin agus bhí an chuid is mó againn mar oifigigh le hAMLÉ. Níl gach rud ar eolas ag aon bhall amháin den Choiste, ach eadrainn mar choiste, beimid in ann aon cheist a bhaineann leis an gComhdháil a fhreagairt. Táimid ag súil le díospóireacht bhreá i rith na Comhdhála agus ba mhaith linn iarraidh ar gach teachta meas a bheith agaibh ar a chéile. Molaimid gur chóir do gach teachta a bheith gníomhach sa phlé. Is cinnte go mbíonn sé deacair labhairt don chéad uair ach chomh luath is a bristear an leac oighir beidh sé deacair gan dul ar ais go dtí an póidiam arís is arís eile! Beimid ag coinneáil súil ar na cainteoirí ar fad agus beidh cúpla gradam le bronnadh againn ar an oíche dheireanach le haitheantas a thabhairt do theachtaí áirithe a sheasann amach thar thréimhse na Comhdhála. Ag súil le caint libh i rith na Comhdhála, On behalf of Steering Committee I would like to take this opportunity to say hi and to give you some info on the role we will play at USI Congress. We will be chairing the sessions that will be taking place over the next few days. We are not current students but we have been members of the Union in the past and the majority of us have also been USI Officers. No one member of the Committee knows everything, but as a committee, we will be able to answer any question with regard to the Congress. We are looking forward to good debating during the Congress and we would ask every delegate to respect all other delegates. We recommend to all delegates to take part in the debate. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to speak for the first time on Congress floor but as soon as you break the ice you’ll find it hard not to go back up to the podium again and again. We will be keeping an eye on all speakers and we will present a number of awards on the last night to recognise some delegates who stand out for the duration of Congress.