lithium
17th March 2006, 01:12
Hey all,
I'm running for the position of Science and Health Convenor on the Dublin City University Students' Union. I've put up with a lot of crap in the university for a few years now, and I want to make moves to change it. I can be fairly militant, but the problem is, I'm in a uni where the SU is regarded as a waste of time by a lot of the student population here.
The major problems I want to deal with (if I'm elected) regard the nursing students here. As you may or may not know, student nurses do not have the benfits their professional counterparts have (students have to pay for vaccinations while pros get them for free, for example), and they do not get paid for any of the shorter work placements they have, which can last weeks on end (the year long placement is paid).
Most - if not all - of the student nurses in DCU are members of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), and the INO are currently pushing for more fair rights for the students. If I'm elected, I want to make the students much more militant and active in their struggle for their rightful... well, rights!
Outside my area - but still a big concern of mine - is the matter of so many companies in the university. Fair enough, there's a need for people to run services for students, but the prices they charge are way too high. For example, DCU is the most expensive third-level institute in Ireland for groceries/food (provided by an on-campus Spar store), and Campus Res Ltd charge ridiculous fines for the tiniest things, like having rubbish in your bin, or using a bleach other than a particular brand in your bathroom.
Like I said, the SU is regarded as a waste of time by a large number of students here, and that's something that I want to change. But how can I get an apathetic group of students to rise and speak out? If they get that far, how should I go about organising a mass demonstration or protest? I may be young and naive, but with a bit of guidance and advice I think I can start something real here.
Any help will be greatly appreciated,
Conor
www.voteconor.tk
I'm running for the position of Science and Health Convenor on the Dublin City University Students' Union. I've put up with a lot of crap in the university for a few years now, and I want to make moves to change it. I can be fairly militant, but the problem is, I'm in a uni where the SU is regarded as a waste of time by a lot of the student population here.
The major problems I want to deal with (if I'm elected) regard the nursing students here. As you may or may not know, student nurses do not have the benfits their professional counterparts have (students have to pay for vaccinations while pros get them for free, for example), and they do not get paid for any of the shorter work placements they have, which can last weeks on end (the year long placement is paid).
Most - if not all - of the student nurses in DCU are members of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), and the INO are currently pushing for more fair rights for the students. If I'm elected, I want to make the students much more militant and active in their struggle for their rightful... well, rights!
Outside my area - but still a big concern of mine - is the matter of so many companies in the university. Fair enough, there's a need for people to run services for students, but the prices they charge are way too high. For example, DCU is the most expensive third-level institute in Ireland for groceries/food (provided by an on-campus Spar store), and Campus Res Ltd charge ridiculous fines for the tiniest things, like having rubbish in your bin, or using a bleach other than a particular brand in your bathroom.
Like I said, the SU is regarded as a waste of time by a large number of students here, and that's something that I want to change. But how can I get an apathetic group of students to rise and speak out? If they get that far, how should I go about organising a mass demonstration or protest? I may be young and naive, but with a bit of guidance and advice I think I can start something real here.
Any help will be greatly appreciated,
Conor
www.voteconor.tk