News
INSIDE Students March for the Right to Say ‘I Do’
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Is There Life on Mars?
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Freshers’ Special
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when they complete their studies. What is to be done? USI, in collaboration with ICTU (Irish Congress of Trade Unions) and ISSU (Irish Secondary Students Union) are renewing efforts to stop the government's attacks on the Irish youth including third level students. Publishing a document entitled Locked out? Investing in a Future for Youth and collectively representing more than one million people, the three organisations set out a strategy to invest in and protect young people beset by youth unemployment of 35% of under 25s, including a number of key demands such
as a national jobs strategy for young people, jobs stimulus and s legal framework for work placements. Speaking on behalf of the Congress Youth Committee, Lorraine Mulligan said; “We cannot afford to lose a generation to precarious work, joblessness or emigration. We need a clear strategy to tackle the problems facing young people, including investment in a Youth Guarantee, offering employment or training opportunities and ensuring decent pay and working conditions for those in the labour force.”
Are College Years the Best Years of Your Life?
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Interview with Keith Barry
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Beautiful Skin: Foods That Will Make You Glow
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Style Spotter
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Review: Pain and Gain
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Dave Rudisha Visits NUI Galway
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All Ireland Preview: Dublin v Mayo
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Police Aprehend Anti-Social Pig at Campsite
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NUI Galway Students’ Union launched two new posters last week, urging students to get involved in the Pro-Choice movement. “It’s her choice. Let’s not make it for her.”
Final Word
sport
Fees are still set to increase to €3,000 by 2015 and at €2,500 this year are a full thousand euros from the initial hike in 2009/10 to €1,500. The eligible income thresholds for the student maintenance grant have been reduced by a further 3% having already been cut in the previous four consecutive budgets. This means some 800 second year students who received grant payments last year, will be left without this time round. It has yet to be seen whether this will be com-
pounded by the same delays and errors the underresourced SUSI grants system was riddled with last year when around 76,000 students depended on it. The 2012 budget had already abolished the postgraduate maintenance grant scheme and with interest rates at 10.8% for postgrad loans in Ireland compared to 1.5% in the UK, further study is being limited to the more well-off students. Some 35,000 young people emigrated away last year and around 65,000 remain on the dole queues and when asked, 57% of students feel they will have to emigrate
Lifestyle
By Frank Doherty
Arts
Students urged to fight for their future in USI campaign
Features
Free Student Newspaper | VOL 15, ISSUE 1 | 16 SEP 2013
Students to suffer financial difficulty as cost of living increases By Jessica Thompson The cost of living has never been low for students, who make little or no money while at college. But a recent report from Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) has confirmed that the cost, and therefore the financial hardship, is on the increase for the
upcoming academic year. The survey, conducted by DIT Campus Life’s annual Cost of Living Guide, suggests an increase in the average cost of living away from home to almost €8,000. The NUI Galway website estimates that the cost of living in Galway could come up to €9,000 for the year. This figure
is based on a high estimate of €340 for rent and €260 for food every month, along with other necessary costs. “ Fi na n c ia l st re ss i s becoming an increasingly pertinent issue amongst the counselling services in NUIG. Equally, all support services have seen an increase in their usage with no increase
being matched in funding. Part-time jobs have never been more difficult to acquire and for those who have them, they often find themselves struggling hugely,” said Sean Kearns, President of NUI Galway Students’ Union. This is by no means the full figure for one year of college. For the 70% of students
who will not be receiving a grant from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), there is the €2,500 Student Contribution Charge to think about. And if students are expecting to be in college for the next few years, that charge is set to increase to €3,000 by 2015. The 2012/2013 academic year was a disaster
for thousands of students who were waiting months to be awarded their grant. In fact, in July of this year to the beginning of August, there were still over 100 students in Ireland waiting to receive their grant for the last academic year. Continued on page 2…