October at the Union
10 October, 2014
Class Rep Recruitment
We have been legging it from one end of the campus to the other as well as being up and down between campuses to make sure that you guys are represented at the most local level – Inside your own classroom. We have just about managed to get to every first year class, but if we missed you guys, we apologise. Let us know and we will be sure to call in and elect a class rep.
We have also had our first Union Council with the new breed of reps, and I must say we were really impressed with the turn out and the enthusiasm shown by all in attendance. We have a feeling it is going to be a great year.
The National Campaign
So in the run up to the October budget we have been working very hard to make sure that CIT’s student voice is being heard on a national level to make sure that investment in higher education isn’t cut any further and that access to education is protected. Ciara has been involved from the get-go with USI’s campaigns sub-committee which has planned out the entire campaign that was rolled out on a National basis. We have also been lobbying TDs and making sure that they put the Ministers for Education and Finance under pressure to make sure that we are not subject to any more cuts. By the time you will have read this, we will have had our National Day of Action, the ‘Education Is’ Rally for Education up in Dublin.
Committees
It is that time of year again where the Sabbatical officers sit on all the various decision-making bodies in the Institute such as Governing Body, Academic Council, Strategic Development Committee, Finance Committee, etc. We will make sure that your voice is heard on each of these committees, so if you have an issue please communicate it our way so that we can deal with it at the appropriate level. We will also work hard to make sure that any decisions made are in the best interest of students at CIT.
Bus Issues
There have been a number of complaints that have come our way in the past number of weeks due to the unreliability of the buses serving CIT. It has taken up a considerable amount of time and to that I would say to you to keep these complaints coming at me. Michael who has taken four buses a day for the last five years he fully understands the frustration you are feeling. We have been putting fire under Bus Eireann to improve the quality of these services, and will continue to do so. If any of you are interested in helping out please get in touch at supresident@cit.ie. We cannot always be everywhere at once (as much as I try) and it would be really helpful to have students who might be able to carry out surveys of different bus routes during peak times, so that we have real strong evidence of just how much strain these services are under by the ever-increasing demand.
Manifesto
At the moment, things have been absolutely hectic. Exciting and challenging all at the same time. Now that the dust has settled somewhat, both for students and for us, it is time that we continue to work on our manifestos. So if you think that we are not working on what we promised election week, rest assured it is all in the pipeline and the Union Executive will continue to give you guys 100%.
S.H.A.G. Week
It is a few weeks back into term by now and we hope you are all enjoying your time in CIT and have picked up plenty of freebies already. Well now it is time for the first Welfare campaign of the Year and if you haven’t guessed already, it is S.H.A.G. Week.
From FREE condoms and Lube, to lots of paints, magicians and lots of fun and games. S.H.A.G Week will be taking place from the 13th to the 16th of October with lots of information stands in the Main Corridor and lots of events throughout the week. S.H.A.G. stands for Sexual Health Awareness and Guidance and this campaign will be interactive and will enable you the students to get involved in various activities throughout the week.
The aim of the campaign is for students to participate and visit the stands and events so that you can get educated on sexual health and to ensure that you are as healthy as possible when it comes to your sexual health. It is not all just about sexual health though it is about enjoying sex and maintaining a good healthy sex life. Be sure to check out our S.H.A.G. Treasure Hunt and be in which the chance to win a Sexual Health Hamper and many other prizes. We cannot wait to see your entries. We will also have our special guests Welfare Bear and Super Sperm along with our Welfare Crew who will be giving our lots of condoms.
Remember to stock up on condoms and lube during the week. You never know when you might need them. Don’t forget we will also have the off-sit campus days so keep a look out for them. Most importantly have a great week, enjoy it and remember always practice Safe Sex.
If you have any questions or want to join the famous Welfare Crew please don’t hesitate to email suwelfare@cit.ie or text: 0863842977
Rainbow Week
This is our first year running Rainbow week which is a campaign that we will be running the 29th and 30th of the October in conjunction with CIT LGBT Society. Our rainbow campaign will be run to raise awareness of the issues faced by the LGBT community on campuses across the country. The aim of ‘Rainbow Week’ is to inform and educate students on the issues that negative attitudes such as homophobia can have on the LGBT community and that there is no reason to label anyone as different. We will be running many events and activities during the week so be sure to join in.
All the best,
Michael, Ciara, Shane
