Sin Volume 13 Issue 8

Page 1

FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER

VOL 13, ISSUE 8

30 JAN 2012

100% Graduate Employment in Electronic and Computer Engineering By Mark Kelly Students in the Electronic and Computer Engineering course (GY406) have had a lot of luck in the job market recently. The course has 100% graduate employment rate, one of very few courses in the country to boast this. Even more amazingly, over half the students usually have a

job secured before they are finished the course. While a report in October announced that 96.8% of NUIG Graduates were not currently seeking employment, last year only 47.5% of graduates had secured employment within the first year of graduating. However, 100% of students from the Electronic and Computer Engineering course

had secured employment within 12 months of finishing their course. With hundreds of thousands out of work, many of which are young people, it is surprising and uplifting to hear of such successful rates of employment. Dr. Martin Glavin, coordinator of the course, believes the employment rate is higher than 100%: “The actual rate would

be somewhere between 500% and 1000% because every graduate from the ECE programme now has a pick of five or ten jobs. Some of our graduates had jobs before they even sat their Christmas exams. Most companies are experiencing serious difficulties in recruiting good people in this space, because they simply aren’t there.” Continued on Page 2

Transparency, Accountability and Efficiency: The New USI Constitution By Eistear de Búrca The first major action of 2012 for the Union of Students in Ireland was to vote in favour of a new constitution, which has been developed over the past number of years. Its general aim is to make the work of the USI more efficient and effective, while at the same time anchored firmly in the democratic mandate of its electorate, the students of Ireland. At the SU Council of 16 January, quorum was not met to overturn the SU Exectutive’s decision to vote freely. However the votes that were received indicated a preference for free voting. At the congress the Constitution was passed. According to Colm Murphy, Vice–President of the USI, the Constitution essentially allows for a greater level of accountability. Motions for example will now be divided into two categories, officer mandates and student policies; mandates will be recorded and

always accessible online. “This will ensure that issues won’t be neglected – it will be easy to know exactly what any officer is supposed to be doing.” The Officerboard has been cut down to seven fulltime officers; one reason for this is to provide funds to hire more policy staff for research purposes etc, and thence increase the positive effect of the Union. Concerns have been raised by students that this move indicates a handing over of democratic power to unelected officials, but the USI has assured that Congress and the National Council are still in complete control and that all USI employees are completely accountable to them. Officers’ annual salaries shall now be matched to an equivalent grade on in the Irish Civil Service, and shall be cut by €100; the President shall be matched one grade higher than the other officers and shall receive an extra €400. Some issues have been raised in relation

to Art.5.12.3, which states that any Officer re-elected to a second or third term shall receive a long service increment. Re-elected Officers are deemed to

have more experience and knowledge of their responsibilities and thence due a higher salary – a potential increase of €20 a week. Emmet Connolly, NUIG’s

NUIG Campus Overrun by Bears

3

University Presidents Refuse Pay Cut

5

The University Bucket List

12

J1 Survival Guide

16

Election Special: ChessSoc Auditor

20

Style Report from the Commerce Ball

25

NUIG Student Scales Atlas Mountains

28

SU president expressed concern over this, saying that while it may be intended to increase institutional memory, “it seems to encourage people to run for multiple

terms, on promise of an increased salary, if nothing else.” However this did not prevent him from voting in favour of the Constitution. Continued on Page 2

Members of Slainte Society during the first day of the Teddy Bear Hospital in the Bailey Allen Hall.


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Sin Volume 13 Issue 8 by Student Independent News - Issuu