are you satisfied with UCDSU

AngelofFire

(1) No I am not satisified with USDSU

my union sub pays the women's officer who by her definition does not represent me

The Postion of womens officer is not a paid role, its voluntary

Samos

(1) No I am not satisified with USDSU

Red Alert wrote:

I think we need to scrap utterly useless positions like Women's Officerr (maybe replace with a part time equality officer - my union sub pays the women's officer who by her definition does not represent me).

The SU shops etc are really great and I'd hate to see Centra or anybody else that is 'in' with the commercial office of the college getting a foothold.

As far as I know, the Women's Officer is not paid, nor are the other non-sabbatical officers, like LGBRO, Environmental Officer etc.

I heard that there are currently discussions concerning revisions to the UCDSU Constitution. One of these will be the replacement of Women's Officer with an Equality Officer, and removal of some of those unnecessary positions like IT and Comm. Should these amendments be finalised, a vote of the student populace will happy, probably next term, on whether to accpet these proposed changes.

Chinafoot

Folks,

On a thread like this I'd like it if people could declare their position in relation to the Union. If you are a current council member, active within the union or running for election please declare it.

If anyone wants to know why then I refer you to this thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=206793


Thanks

Steph

Jonny Arson

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

No, I'm entirely satisfied with the UCDSU.

Why? My main gripe with the UCDSU is from my viewpoint it that sadly the UCDSU is nothing but a pathetic little political training ground/playground. I know not all of it's members are obsessed with Politics and showing off their ''I'm a rigthy loike, roysh'' or their ''I'm a lefty loike, roysh'' badges but sadly too many are.

Politics should have very little place in a student union apart from the education side of things. The only way a union can thrive is to do what they say on the tin and that is by being united and working with each other and not forming their own little lefty/right tribes.

Too much nonsensical protesting goes on against non-student issues such as Irish Ferries and against Bertie over Shannon last week. This is pathetic. These issues have got absolutely nothing to do with UCDSU, UCD, students or education whatsover. I certainly feel these individuals involved in these protests are doing it out of making a name for themselves more than anything. If they want to protest agasint these issues in their own free time then grand but to go to the UCDSU and ask for their backing or whatnot is as far as I'm concerned using and abusing your position in the UCDSU. The UCDSU endorsing the Bertie/Shannon protest last week was pretty much the final straw with me and my union.

I can tell you for a fact that the regular everyday student wants an apolitical UCDSU which devotes 100% of their time to doing their job. Sadly this won't happen and the UCDSU will never change. Even looking at hackweb the UCDSU comes across as nothing but a little clique filled with many arrogant and self-absorbed people. I've seen so much pathetic and spiteful political crap being written on that site it's unreal.

The people who I feel sorry for are the genuine people in the union who genuinely care about students and student issues. There are many of them and sadly they don't get the credit they deserve.

If the UCDSU wants to ever get in touch with it's own students then the petty political crap has to go first of all. Whether your left/right/centre should be irrelevant. Yeah the UCDSU does great work for this college but if it is ever to thrive and be taken seriously by students it has to be open to all students because they're nearly out of touch as much as Brady's administration is.

<let the inevitable flaming commense!>

Red Alert

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

I am not a member of the SU council, although I plan to become one next year if I'm still around.

Mr.Nice Guy

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

No, I'm entirely satisfied with the UCDSU.

Why? My main gripe with the UCDSU is from my viewpoint it that sadly the UCDSU is nothing but a pathetic little political training ground/playground. I know not all of it's members are obsessed with Politics and showing off their ''I'm a rigthy loike, roysh'' or their ''I'm a lefty loike, roysh'' badges but sadly too many are.

Politics should have very little place in a student union apart from the education side of things. The only way a union can thrive is to do what they say on the tin and that is by being united and working with each other and not forming their own little lefty/right tribes.

Too much nonsensical protesting goes on against non-student issues such as Irish Ferries and against Bertie over Shannon last week. This is pathetic. These issues have got absolutely nothing to do with UCDSU, UCD, students or education whatsover. I certainly feel these individuals involved in these protests are doing it out of making a name for themselves more than anything. If they want to protest agasint these issues in their own free time then grand but to go to the UCDSU and ask for their backing or whatnot is as far as I'm concerned using and abusing your position in the UCDSU. The UCDSU endorsing the Bertie/Shannon protest last week was pretty much the final straw with me and my union.

I can tell you for a fact that the regular everyday student wants an apolitical UCDSU which devotes 100% of their time to doing their job. Sadly this won't happen and the UCDSU will never change. Even looking at hackweb the UCDSU comes across as nothing but a little clique filled with many arrogant and self-absorbed people. I've seen so much pathetic and spiteful political crap being written on that site it's unreal.

The people who I feel sorry for are the genuine people in the union who genuinely care about students and student issues. There are many of them and sadly they don't get the credit they deserve.

If the UCDSU wants to ever get in touch with it's own students then the petty political crap has to go first of all. Whether your left/right/centre should be irrelevant. Yeah the UCDSU does great work for this college but if it is ever to thrive and be taken seriously by students it has to be open to all students because they're nearly out of touch as much as Brady's administration is.

<let the inevitable flaming commense!>

Before the inevitable flaming commences I would like to say that I agree with everything you have said.

WE WANT AN APOLITICAL STUDENT UNION.

scop

Then you might consider the insane idea of running or getting involved.

Jonny Arson

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

scop wrote:

Then you might consider the insane idea of running or getting involved.

Hence why apolitical people like myself and Mr.Nice Guy will not get involved in a political playground like the UCDSU.

AngelofFire

AngelofFire wrote:

The Postion of womens officer is not a paid role, its voluntary

Not wishing to add fuel, but is there a set budget for expenses for PT Officers?


I'm not involved in UCD,DSU, but I am involved in TCDSU

Chinafoot

Wouldnt the issue of grants be considered somewhat political?

How exactly would this apolitical union work?

And I meant what i said folks.....declare your association with the union if not already done.

Pythia

(2) They should not disaffiliate from USI

pigeonbutler wrote:

Some of the reasons you can't leave the SU is that as a student you are availing of its services. E.g. the subsidised condoms, would it be right for someone who's not contributing to the Union to benefit from such services? There's also other things like:

The Trap
The Copy Shop in the Library Tunnel
The Kiosk shop in student centre
Library Shop
Ents events

This year I've availed of none of those services.
But I think in my position, I get the money from the SU payment thing back so it's all good. (I'm not on a grant btw, I think they do pay it?)

I'm sure I can declare a few people for you peachy, if they won't declare themselves. :v:

scop

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

Hence why apolitical people like myself and Mr.Nice Guy will not get involved in a political playground like the UCDSU.

Then you are part of ze problem, offering not an iota of a solution.

Chinafoot

Pythia wrote:

I'm sure I can declare a few people for you peachy, if they won't declare themselves. :v:

Hehe....that could also work

Dave!

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

tribulus wrote:

tbh i blame the "school of chemistry and chemical biology" for that one. We were given less than a weeks notice , told it was abouu 25% of our grade for that part of the course (about 2% total for chemistry) then those who did sit the "exam" were told at the end it didn't count for anything!!! c*nts

I think the explaination given was that it was supposed to shock you into studying, which will in turn help you in the real exams. Most schools don't bother with that kind of stuff and just leave you to sink or swim really when it comes to the summer. And also, a fairly high percentage of the class wanted to sit the exam! I'm not saying it was a good or a bad idea, though; my beef was with the way the SU stood outside the lecture hall, and Dan Curran (dunno if that's his name) said something to the effect of "we can't make you boycott the exam; the only thing we can do is never talk to you again", and pushed the whole 'think of your classmates who aren't prepared' line, thus shaming and embaressing people who had actually done the work and were prepared.

So it may have been a bad idea to have the exam, but the way the SU acted 'on the students' behalf ' was out of order.

pigeonbutler

(2) They should not disaffiliate from USI

I'll declare since it's being harped on about. I've never hidden the fact (I even have disclosed it in another thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=3567997&postcount=12) that I'm a Council member, as one of the reps for 2nd Commerce. That's hardly a hugely influential position now is it. I've seen the anti-union sentiments that have been expressed in this thread and would agree with most of the rationally expressed and reasonable ones. I've argued in many threads before now that the Union is not there to protest about every sort of mad issue.

To those who think it's all a circus and so wouldn't get involved I'd ask you to grow up! There are just over 100 members of Union Council, less than 30 are the people that hijack it. So we need people who believe in an SU for student issues to get involved and stop that loud minority taking over. They are scared of their lives of normal people getting involved in the SU.

Here's an anecdote to support that: I'm a new rep this year. I'd posted on this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=3554839#post3554839 several times at the start of the year. Then walking out of only my 2nd council meeting I was very aggressively confronted by someone who basically tried to scare me off being vocally opposed to the Union supporting anti-deportation campaigns and Trade Union campaigns. I had lots of friends with similar views and I'm not one who bows to intimidation so I've kept active and kept campaigning for the sort of Union I'm hearing most students want.

Mr.Nice Guy

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

While not wishing to get flamed for this, is it really fair for UCDSU reps to vote in a poll saying that they ARE satisfied with UCDSU?

I mean if you were to ask the Irish public for their view on politicians, it wouldn't be very fair to go to a Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis for your answers.

I think it 's disappointing that Union reps voted in this poll as they are hardly unbiased.

Just my opinion.

Chinafoot

pigeonbutler wrote:

I'll declare since it's being harped on about.

I'm not harping on about it. If you read the thread I linked to you will see why I want everyone to declare it. This is not ucdsu.net and more specifically this is not the newswire.

pigeonbutler wrote:

To those who think it's all a circus and so wouldn't get involved I'd ask you to grow up!

I see your point but you have to try and see it from the average students position. The union comes across as completely inaccessible to anyone who doesnt fully agree with the political opinions of those that are most vocal and visible in the union.

pigeonbutler wrote:

I was very aggressively confronted by someone who basically tried to scare me off being vocally opposed to the Union supporting anti-deportation campaigns and Trade Union campaigns.

Sounds like its people like that that need to grow up, not the average student who (justifiably from examples like that) feel that there is little point in attempting to get involved.

Look at those running for the sabbatical positions this year.....the majority of them have been very vocal over the past year. Are they the ones who "hijack" the running of things?

Its very easy to say that we should grow up and get involved but when a non-hack tries to get involved and run for office they dont stand a chance.

AngelofFire

(1) No I am not satisified with USDSU

Since ive also posted on this thread I declare myself as a UCDSU rep for first Arts (Archaelogy, Politics, English)

Mr.Nice Guy

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

peachypants wrote:

Its very easy to say that we should grow up and get involved but when a non-hack tries to get involved and run for office they dont stand a chance.

I agree.

I don't believe it's possible to change the Union from the inside. I think any real change would have to happen through external pressure.

Red Alert

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

It's very easy for it to change from inside. For example I know one prominent apolitical class rep in engineering who really does seem to make an impression.

panda100

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

Kaptain Redeye wrote:

Things which I love the SU for:
Cheap / free condoms. I said in Pandas thread that its one thing Id love from the SU and now they're doing it. Hurray!



. Im not complaining about ban on nestle or coke but if they sold milk, bread, cornflaskes and sausages (yay they sell condoms now) Id be a happy camper. .

ooooooh somones getting a lot of lovin!!go you mr kaptain redeye:)

Chinafoot

Red Alert wrote:

It's very easy for it to change from inside.

Unfortunately getting into one of the big positions appears to be more difficult for those not closely associated with the Union already.

One thing that I really really hate on the day of voting is:
"Vote for me for president, X for deputy, Y for Ents....." etc etc.

That type of crap is absolute bullshít for a students union. And its that kind of cliquey arrogance that puts people off IMO.

Red Alert

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

i meant that it's probably easier to change it from inside than from a renegade external faction.

Chinafoot

Red Alert wrote:

i meant that it's probably easier to change it from inside than from a renegade external faction.

Oh yea I totally agree with you. I just think that breaking into it is the problem.

Red Alert

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

it's still better than giving up trying. i don't see why the hacks can't be faced down. i'm only sorry i didn't come up with that idea about 3 years ago when i would have had the time to seriously do something about it.

Mr.Nice Guy

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

Red Alert wrote:

It's very easy for it to change from inside. For example I know one prominent apolitical class rep in engineering who really does seem to make an impression.

One decent chap in a sea of hacks. That won't do.

Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. ~ Plato

Dave!

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

Fairly idiotic quote, no?

Mr.Nice Guy

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

DaveMcG wrote:

Fairly idiotic quote, no?

Why's that?

anonymous_joe

(2) They should disaffiliate from USI

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

Why's that?

Well if Plato was so smart, how come he's dead?

AngelofFire

(1) No I am not satisified with USDSU

One thing that I really really hate on the day of voting is:
"Vote for me for president, X for deputy, Y for Ents....." etc etc.

You`re right, How dare people put themselves forward for election, the SU should be a dictatorship:rolleyes: