THE
The official publication of Maynooth Students’ Union
Tuesday 13th December 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 6
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Maynooth Students’ Union stage occupation of local TDs Office AINE KIRWAN
In an attempt to prevent additional education costs for 3rd level students, eight members of the Maynooth Students Union occupied the office of Fine Gael T.D. Anthony Lawlor in Naas on December 2nd. As part of the ongoing protest against cuts to the maintenance grant and increases planned to be made in the recent budget to the registration fee, Maynooth SU President, Rob Munnelly and seven other members of the Students’ Union took it upon themselves to defend and speak for their students by occupying the T.D. office of Anthony Lawlor in the local town of Naas, Co. Kildare. The occupants believed this to be “the final option” after promises by T.D.s, including the Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, had been broken. They pledged that they would not see a rise in any student fees, and subsequently, a deduction to the grant scheme, yet this was a promise that was not to be kept. The students abruptly entered the office Friday afternoon and stated their business to the colleagues of Anthony Lawlor who were working in the office at the time. In an interview with Kildare TV, Rob Munnelly explained how “they were a little bit spooked but that was all over in ten seconds…we actually shared a cup of tea, had a few jokes, and had a full frank discussion on third level education”, and with that, made themselves at home in their new surroundings. The “Maynooth 8”, as they have been dubbed, came prepared with sleeping bags and enough supplies that would last them a week. Media attention began on Saturday morning which
created a buzz across the social networking sites. The students who were occupying the office stayed in touch with the student body and general public by tweeting how many hours they have been there and posting pictures from the Naas office. Anthony Lawlor spoke to the media on Saturday morning explaining that “the last thing I want is to get them in any sort of trouble because something like this could affect their career.” With this, the occupants were reassured that Garda force would not be used and they were consented to continuing their protest. With the occupation came overwhelming support from the public, both by social networks and personal interaction. The people of Naas were understood to be generally supportive towards the occupation, with some people even dropping by food along with well wishes. The occupants continued to remain positive in the office up to Monday the 5th, awaiting the results of the budget, hoping that the public outcry from the student body had been heard and that the actions from not only Maynooth SU, but unions all around the country had not gone unnoticed. After the budget released an increase of €250 to the registration fee, and a deduction of the maintenance grant by 12%, the Maynooth SU continued to occupy the office until later being removed by force by the Gardai in the early hours of Tuesday morning. This was not the only occupation that the country has seen in recent weeks. In Galway, nine students were arrested after they occupied a constituency office. In Dublin City, a number of students briefly
Photo Credit: Daniel Balteanu occupied the Department of Jobs and Enterprise, which a spokesperson for the department stating that “the occupation had lasted ten or fifteen
minutes and ended when the students voluntarily left the building”.
Further Blows to Third Level Education in Budget 2012 CONOR O’BRIEN News Editor
The fears of students nationwide – voiced by a vocal USI – were realised last week at the announcement of Budget 2012, which saw a €250 increase in the student contribution charge. This will see the cost of attending college grow from €2,000 to €2,250, an increase of 12.5% over the course of just a year. As of 2012, a 3-4 year college course will now cost €750 - €1,000 more that at present, a hefty sum for suffering families. This is half the €500 hike implemented under last year’s budget – with an identical increase under discussion this term – and a far smaller fraction of the gargantuan sums being recommended for the salvation of a cash-starved university sector, with prominent figures (notably UCC President Dr. Michael Murphy) arguing that fees of up to €5,000 or more may be needed to safeguard the future of Irish third level education in the wake of growing student numbers and inadequate infrastructure. As such, the €250 rise may seem miniscule, but the USI insists that it still represents a breach of key pre-election pledges by the current coalition – particularly the Labour Party, long noted for its
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enduring support for free education – with much derision being aimed at Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn. The Minister remains embroiled in a High Court case against the USI, whose trump card is a much-circulated photograph of Mr. Quinn pledging that no increase in the contribution charge would be registered during his tenure should he be elected. Since the announcement of the budget, USI president Gary Redmond has declared that the government’s reputation now lies “in tatters”. In addition to the contribution charge, last week’s budget also included a 3% cut in all maintenance grants, a move which could have serious implications for many current and aspiring students, incurring reductions ranging from €9.45 €93.6 depending on the type of grant being availed of. This bitter blow – to be implemented from January – follows on from the 4% reduction brought to bear under Budget 2011 and could further exclude grant-dependent students from college, with the USI adamant that this will jeopardise the educational aspirations of thousands of young people nationwide. In a further amendment, the means test for
grant allocation has been altered to include capital assets as well as income. Aside from the various awarding bodies devoid of centralized control, one of the primary criticisms of previous grant schemes was that they did not take into account the wealth of a candidate’s family in terms of capital assets, thus allowing students who did not necessarily need the grant to afford of it. Evidently, the government wants to eradicate this practice in the New Year, with more students likely to require the nowdepleted grant than ever before. The outlook is even bleaker for postgraduate students, whose much-needed grants have been axed altogether, forcing future masters/PhD students to fund their studies entirely from their own coffers. Previously, postgraduate students could avail of grants ranging from €315 - €3,120 depending on income, family size and the distance they live from their college, much like their undergraduate counterparts. Given the cost of pastgraduate courses, the scrapping of this scheme will have dire consequences for many future graduates seeking to further their education.
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