UCD SU Accounts 2009/10

Riamfada

UCD Students' Union
Draft Budget for Academic Year 2009/10
Income € € €

Capitation 690,000
UCD Ball 13,500
The Trap & Video 10,000
SU Print Centre 25,000
Student Travel Card 11,500
SU Bookshop 10,000
Total Income 760,000


Expenditure € € €
Publications (1)
Freshers' Guide - 7,000
January Magazine 5,000
What Is UCDSU? 1,330
Annual Report 2,500
Exam Guides 2,500
What's On Guide 8,750
13,080

Funded Media (2)
Belfield FM 10,000
The Univeristy Observer 50,000
60,000

USI (this is the part that personally makes me sick)
Affiliation Fees 96,000
UOS 1,760
50th Anniversary 2,000
National Councils 2,500
Eastern Area Councils 500
Congress 12,000
114,760

Sabbatical Officers (3)
Stipend 106,000
Expenses 5,000
111,000

Head Office Costs (4)
Staff
Seasonal ######
Permanent ######
Contract ######
110,500
Legal & Professional 15,000
Training 3,000
Transport & Deliveries 5,000
Stationery & Office Capital 12,500
Telephone & Postage 20,000
166,000

Class Reps (5)
Class Rep Training 15,000
Grants for Class Activities 50,000
Hoodies 3,000
Class Rep Packs & On-Going Training 2,500
70,500

Ents 60,000
Campus Media Advertising 4,000
Pens, Highlighters, Pencils 5,000
Banners, Promotional Posters, Promotional Media 8,000
17,000

Fees & Grants Campaign 20,000

Welfare
Campaigns 7,500
STI Subsidy 6,500
Nite Line 5,000
19,000
Campaigns
Programme Officers 2,000
Local Campaigns 14,000
16,000
Freshers' Week & Orientation Week
Orientation Week Marquee 8,500
Freshers' Week Campaign 5,000
13,500
Sundry
Nite Bus 15,000
Exam Bus 7,500
IT & Website 12,000
Freshers' Week Contribution 10,000
Forum Contribution 5,000
Musical Contribution 5,000
Newman Fund Contribution 10,000 64,500
Elections 40,000

Total Expenditure 785,340
Shortfall of Expenditure over Income -25,340

Red Alert

Can anybody explain why the staff cost breakdown is blanked out?

The other thing is that the elections are very very costly compared to a lot of other services provided on a year-long basis.

Mardy Bum

50000 for class activities i.e cans and vodka.

Sweet Jesus.

El Siglo

Grimes wrote:

Class Rep Training 15,000
Grants for Class Activities 50,000
Hoodies 3,000
Class Rep Packs & On-Going Training 2,500
70,500

You see, this gets me really, the figures seem incredibly rounded... without a doubt this reads like Al Capone or an IRA expense account. Seriously, 50 grand for "Grants for Class Activities", what a fucking joke. I can barely afford to live up in Dublin and these dicks are robbing our money.
Expenditure of €785,340, there's something totally wrong with this.

RandolphEsq

So long dental plan!

ironclaw

Someone should be shot for that... So much wasted money and some students barely able to make ends meet.


Class Rep Training 15,000 - WTF?
Grants for Class Activities 50,000 - Wasted money.
Hoodies 3,000 - Seriously WTF?

mtucker

Do they make no money on the huge amount of ents nights/gigs they run? Why is there no mention of ents (apart from the UCD Ball) in the Income section?

Also, €50,000 for the Observer when the Tribune can finance itself? Seems a bit generous of us students really.

dr gonzo

I know this is only a minor aspect of this disaster but 3000 for hoodies? Whose hoodies?

maccy

Budgets show very little.
A comparision of actual v's budgeted would prove a lot more interesting because I know one of the figures presented here is not the actual expense.

Riamfada

Pens, Highlighters, Pencils 5,000

Shit does need to be highlighted! You would need 5000 just to highlight the amount of bollocksology in the SU. Also that report above cost 2500 apparently.

Ginja Ninja

dr gonzo wrote: »

I know this is only a minor aspect of this disaster but 3000 for hoodies? Whose hoodies?

yeah,those SU hoodie wearing bastards......

the ents/welfare/class rep/employee/T-Shirts they hand out,maybe not the T's

but they give out a good 500 hoodies per year.

....not like I have one or anything....

El Siglo

Legal & Professional 15,000
Training 3,000

What fucking legal expenses have they incurred at our expense? Were they taking a high court challenge or something, or did Redmond go for a meal with Paul Anthony McDermott?
Also, training? What fucking training? Helper monkey training? Because that's what it looks like, a "nutless monkey" could do a better job.
This is totally indefensible so it is, absolute squandering of money. Time for some serious change, a plebiscite is in order because this isn't on. Absolutely sickening so it is. And what do we get for our money? Fucking Jedward!

dr gonzo

Ginja Ninja wrote: »

yeah,those SU hoodie wearing bastards......

the ents/welfare/class rep/employee/T-Shirts they hand out,maybe not the T's

but they give out a good 500 hoodies per year.

....not like I have one or anything....

Wow really, i wouldnt be keen to wander around UCD in an SU hoodie but i want my free **** too damnit!

Actually on second thoughts its not free, ive more then paid for a **** hoodie.

Niteline

I might point out that UCD have continually listed Niteline as costing €5,000 a year annually. It's actually €500 less than that, to which UCD also reclaim €600 in a rebate.

Unlike Trinity, UCD claim back a large part of their expenditure (something to the tune of 12%) so these figures are again less than the actual amount spent, or as many of you suggest, wasted

JIM71

UCD Students' Union

Capitation 690,000
UCD Ball 13,500
The Trap & Video 10,000
SU Print Centre 25,000
Student Travel Card 11,500
SU Bookshop 10,000
Total Income 760,000


Expenditure € € €

January Magazine 5,000

The Univeristy Observer 50,000

USI (this is the part that personally makes me sick)
Affiliation Fees 96,000
UOS 1,760
50th Anniversary 2,000
National Councils 2,500
Eastern Area Councils 500
Congress 12,000
114,760

Training 3,000 (???) - their piss up weekend? (cut to 500)
Stationery & Office Capital 12,500 (???) (cut to 2.5k)
Telephone & Postage 20,000 - 20k (???) (cut to 5k)

Class Rep Training 15,000 (???) - piss ups again (get rid of)
Class Rep Packs & On-Going Training 2,500 (on-going training??) (cut to 500)

Campus Media Advertising 4,000
Pens, Highlighters, Pencils 5,000 (wasn't there already stationary costs?)
Banners, Promotional Posters, Promotional Media 8,000 (could easily cut 3k off it)

[Welfare] Campaigns 7,500 (i.e. PleaseTalk) - total waste (cut to 2.5k)

Nite Line 5,000 (supposedly only €3900 according to above post)

Local Campaigns 14,000 (14k on what "local campaigns"?)

Freshers' Week Campaign 5,000 (could be cut to 2,000)

Nite Bus 15,000 (nice but not really a necessity)

Freshers' Week Contribution 10,000 (more freshers' week stuff?) (cut to 2)
Forum Contribution 5,000 (what?)

Elections 40,000 (this also pisses me off majorly) (cut to 5)

---

All in all €313,860 cut off the budget. May not all be that simple but they could at least wake up to the recession. A ridiculous waste of people's money.
Doesn't even account for the fact that the SU has little power or influence.

Mr.Nice Guy

Grimes wrote: »

Pens, Highlighters, Pencils 5,000

Shit does need to be highlighted! You would need 5000 just to highlight the amount of bollocksology in the SU. Also that report above cost 2500 apparently.

Well those toilet walls won't write themselves!

There does seem to be an astonishing amount of money being wasted. This to me is the most galling:

Elections 40,000

I'd like to see the whole election system overhauled. Replace it with a more straightforward system of reps and do away with this 'Vote for my mate who you don't know but who has a lovely smile' shite. These potential Haugheys of the future bug the hell out of me and are a blot on the campus, imo.

pljudge321

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Well those toilet walls won't write themselves!

There does seem to be an astonishing amount of money being wasted. This to me is the most galling:



I'd like to see the whole election system overhauled. Replace it with a more straightforward system of reps and do away with this 'Vote for my mate who you don't know but who has a lovely smile' shite. These potential Haugheys of the future bug the hell out of me and are a blot on the campus, imo.

The elections campaigns should be a simple pdf with each candidates manifesto sent to each e-mail account and a recorded debate between each candidate put up on youtube and a link provided in the e-mail. Ban all the posters, leaflets and hacks out pissing everyone off.

Ginja Ninja

pljudge321 wrote: »

The elections campaigns should be a simple pdf with each candidates manifesto sent to each e-mail account and a recorded debate between each candidate put up on youtube and a link provided in the e-mail. Ban all the posters, leaflets and hacks out pissing everyone off.

Ironically,The SU isn't allowed to use the email accounts to canvas for the elections/any solicitation of any kind at all,trust me you get in deep sh*t if you do.

I do think the elections are done in a really wasteful and pointless manner,spread it out a bit more and have the candidate canvas more in person than having an extra spot for posters put up just so they can be covered in expensive crap we pay for

rainbow kirby

pljudge321 wrote: »

The elections campaigns should be a simple pdf with each candidates manifesto sent to each e-mail account and a recorded debate between each candidate put up on youtube and a link provided in the e-mail. Ban all the posters, leaflets and hacks out pissing everyone off.

And then I could just direct it to my spam folder. Perfect avoidance of having to even look at any of this bull****. :cool:

33% God

Niteline wrote: »

I might point out that UCD have continually listed Niteline as costing €5,000 a year annually. It's actually €500 less than that, to which UCD also reclaim €600 in a rebate.

Unlike Trinity, UCD claim back a large part of their expenditure (something to the tune of 12%) so these figures are again less than the actual amount spent, or as many of you suggest, wasted

Hmm, interesting. Can we really trust these "accounts" at all then.

pljudge321

Hmm, I am just after exploring the new flashy SU website, which no doubt cost an arm and a leg. I saw a link for the latest officer's reports and clicked. None of them are actually up.

I then clicked on the Report & Minutes option underneath the UCD SU tab. There is nothing there. There was however a brief paragraph written in Latin.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum

WTF??

Anyone care to shed some light.

Riamfada

The direct link to the presidents report which was the link sent on to me seems to show that the PDF with the accounts on it has been removed. Was here. I am raging I didnt save the report. Facepalm.

Also when you run the Latin through a free online translator you get the President's actual report

Translations:

Lorem itself pain he is amet consectetur adipisicing elit , but to give her transitory incididunt when to sink and pain magna some. When in fact to in the least degree grace , anyone our work at ullamco labor if not when some out of this to make fit according to reason. Duis but irure pain upon reprehenderit upon pleasant skirmish to be cillum pain good to flee nulla to pay. To take out sint occaecat cupidatat not proident , are upon fault quae workshop to leave gently breath this is to sink

muffinman

pljudge321 wrote: »

Hmm, I am just after exploring the new flashy SU website, which no doubt cost an arm and a leg. I saw a link for the latest officer's reports and clicked. None of them are actually up.

I then clicked on the Report & Minutes option underneath the UCD SU tab. There is nothing there. There was however a brief paragraph written in Latin.



WTF??

Anyone care to shed some light.

Lorem ipsum is a dummy text used in web design.. http://www.lipsum.net

pljudge321

muffinman wrote: »

Lorem ipsum is a dummy text used in web design.. http://www.lipsum.net

I thought it might be something like that, kinda interesting that it dates back to the 1500's. I was hoping it was a latin savvy SU type having a laugh though.

mad lad

Grimes wrote: »

The direct link to the presidents report which was the link sent on to me seems to show that the PDF with the accounts on it has been removed. Was here. I am raging I didnt save the report. Facepalm.

Once something is on the net, it never really gets 'removed'. I've uploaded a html version of the UCDSU Budget for 2009/2010.

In the intro, Redmond writes

...the SU has been frivolous with its monies in the recent past. Expenditure has been high, its true value questionable, and saving has been minimal.

The bloated website was done by Paul Killoran of Starlight.ie & ex-NUIG. The 'IT & Website' budget is listed as being 12,000...and not a single meta-description in sight, or any concept of url canonicalization.

Plus 2 of the 3 images in the 'photoblog' scroller are PR images of Dermot Ahern and Brian Cowen.