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€7 Levy

As you may have noticed, there has been a €7 levy added to your student contribution fee.

The reason for this is that you are a member of the Union of Students of Ireland (USI). In May 2013, a referendum was held by MTU Cork Students’ Union to decide whether or not we would re-affiliate with USI after a 15 year exodus. The results of this referendum were conclusive, with approximately 85% of students being in favour of re-affiliation.

So you may ask why be part of USI? How will it ever affect me and my college experience? Without throwing out generic catch-phrases and buzzwords, here is the value we believe you are getting from USI Membership:

National representation

As the president of the Students’ Union I have a vote at national council, whereby all USI decisions and policies are passed. Since I am your elected representative for MTU Students’ Union, this means that your voice and the issues that affect you are being heard on a National level. Also, USI members (i.e. students of MTU) are represented on National issues that affect all students in Ireland such as cuts to the grant, fee hikes, the recent accommodation crisis, LGBT rights, higher education funding, etc. There are so many issues that will affect you throughout your time at MTU, which are shared by students all over Ireland. With USI membership, these issues also become USI’s issues. Therefore USI membership is essential for your issues to be resolved on a national level.

MTU SU Cork Executive

Throughout the summer all MTU SU Officers been provided with training courses that will equip us with the skills to perform to the highest standards possible for you the students we represent.

Without USI there is no formal training process for executive officers. Similarly there is no course in college that could equip us with the skills needed for the job we will undertake for the year. USI SUT (Students’ Union Training) gives us a crash course in the areas most relevant to our job such as:

  •   Public Speaking
  •   Policy Development
  •   Time management
  •   Handling student issues
  •   Negotiating with senior management
  •   Lobbying local TDs
  •   Event management
  •   Social Media
Comparative Research

Through the network we have built up a relationship with other colleges in USI , we can look at best practice in other colleges and use this to build stronger arguments when proposing change.