SU Council proposes Levy reform

NUI Galway Students’ Union Charity Socks are back!

By Conor Brummell

Yes, you heard that right- the Students’ Union are releasing a range of charity socks again this year, just in time for Christmas. They will once again feature a tribute to the “Galway Yellow” sculpture (aka The Big Yellow Thing) on campus. The socks, a collaboration with Galway company Irish Socksciety, are on sale now for €9 a pair with all proceeds going to the SU charities, such as the Galway Rape Crisis Centre, Galway Autism Partnership and Helplink Mental Health.

The “Galway Yellow” sculpture outside the NUIG Library was created by artist Brian King in 1976 and has been a landmark and meeting point for UCG/NUIG students since then. It goes by a few nicknames most commonly “The Big Yellow Thing” but also “The Squiggle” and “Archimedes Balls”. The socks are on sale now from the SU website www.su.nuigalway.ie and the SU Shop at NUI Galway.

Students’ Union President Pádraic Toomey said: “We are delighted to relaunch our socks just in time for Christmas. They are a great Irish made gift, and will support the work of three very worthy local charities: Galway Rape Crisis Centre, Galway Autism Partnership and Helplink Mental Health. We hope past and present staff and students will love the socks as much as we do. We look forward to seeing them on cosy feet everywhere!”

The Charity Socks are among some of the charity fundraisers kickstarted by NUI Galway’s Students’ Union this year. During the month of November, students have been challenged to commit to completing several different kilometre goals each day throughout the month. The Kilometre Challenge as it has been dubbed aims to raise money for the SU charities and is one of the six charity challenges that the SU is hoping to run this year.

So far 185 staff and students have signed up take part in the challenge which runs until the 30th of November. Participants are encouraged to walk, run, or cycle, all within their 5km radiuses. The challenges will allow students to stay active and connected whilst also raising money for the local charities listed above.

Students’ Union Welfare and Equality Officer Róisín Nic Lochlainn stated that, “It’s great to see students and staff coming together as a community for a project like this even if we are apart. Turning exercise into a regular habit can transform your health, body, and mind. This year more than ever our charities need as much help fundraising as possible to keep providing their vital services.” €100 €90 €85

SU Council proposes Levy reform

Paddy Henry

The NUI Galway Student Council have passed a motion to reduce the Student Levy.

A motion was taken at a meeting of the Council to reduce the levy from its current total of €224 per annum for every full-time student, to €140.

The NUIG student levy is the second highest student levy in the country, dwarfed only by UCD’s €250 levy per student.

In the previous issue of SIN, we provided a full breakdown of the student levy., which sees students pay €25.14 to the Student’s Union, €19.28 towards Societies, €19.28 towards clubs, €17.23 for the upkeep of Áras na mac Léinn, €18.46 for the running of the Health Unit, €4.92 for the running of Flirt FM, €19.69 towards the Student Projects Fund and €100 in the shape of the University Sports Centre levy.

Any change to the levy will have to be put to the student body via a referendum, which SIN understand will take place in April.

The new proposal would see an eradication of the payment of the €100 Sports Centre Levy, which was agreed to by students via referendum in 2003 and implemented in 2007.

Other changes to the current levy put forward at council were an increase in funding of the Student’s Union to €40, as well as increases in funding for Clubs and Societies bringing their funding to €25 per student respectively.

CÉIM, the Student Health Unit and FlirtFM will also see their funding increased under the new plans, while the Áras na mac Léinn Fund and the Student Project Fund will be significantly reduced,

A €3 contribution towards the promotion of the Irish language will also be incorporated into the new levy.

NUI Galway Students’ Union President Pádraic Toomey told SIN that he is hopeful that voters would approve the proposal when it goes to Referendum

“It’s finally doing what students have asked for over the last couple of years which is reduce the levy. Students feel hard done by especially for the Sports Centre part of it. Which is a building that a lot of them won’t use. We could get into the logistics of why the €100 is there and why there is disagreement over why students should or shouldn’t pay it. But the real reason is if students feel like they shouldn’t be paying this large sum of money that they didn’t personally agree to, then we need to make it fairer, acknowledging that sports is important, but so is not being overcharged for things that we shouldn’t be.

Toomey also highlighted the benefits that the new levy will have on the likes of Flirt FM, Clubs and Societies

“Parts of college that we probably appreciate the most and we find are of the most benefit to students are being increased because they deserve to flourish and improve. We have over 220 societies and I think it’s important to nourish them all as they are where students make friends and gain the experiences that make college worthwhile.

The President defended the process behind the make up of the new levy claiming that it has incorporated the work of three SU Presidents.

“It actually has taken the work of three Presidents. Megan Reilly would have started this a few years ago with focus groups and Clare Austick carried them on too. We did surveys on it and found that €140 was nearly the magic number. It kind of became a thing that we found that we had to do a lot of juggling to find the perfect figure that we could get each group to slowly agree to. “It’s taken a while, but I feel like this year we will finally get it through. The students need to get on board and realise how good this will be, we are reducing the levy, while also increasing the important parts.”

€220

€200

€180

€160

Student Levy: Timeline

€7 increase in line with inflation plus €100 Sports Centre Levy. Levy remains unchanged at €224 since 2010-2011

Increases in line with inflation

€140 €120 Áras na Mac Léinn Levy: IR£30 (€38). IR£10 equally €100 spilt to supplement Student’s Union, Clubs, and Societies. Remainder pay fit out College €80 Bar. Funds after fit-out for €4 increase in line with inflation capital developments of plus €40 apportioned to the €60 student services nature. Students’ Union, Clubs, Societies €40 €6 increase in line with inflation €20 Increases in line with inflation plus €5 for USI affliation fees. 1997 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 Proposed new level of levy: €140

’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19 2020

and the Student Health Unit. €80

€75 €70 €65 €60 €55 €50 €45 €40

€35 €30 €25 €20 €15 €10 €5 0 Students’ Union

Current Proposed

€40

Breakdown of the levy, current and proposed.

€35 €30 €25 €20 €15

Áras na Mac Léinn

Health Unit

Student Projects Fund

€10

Sports Centre €5 0