UCC VERGE TALKS TO COMIC BOOK ARTIST WILL SLINEY
EXPRESS
Tuesday, 19 November 2013 | www.uccexpress.net | Volume 21 | Issue 6
FEATURES INVESTIGATES DISABILITY ON CAMPUS
QUINN: DISAPPOINTED BY REFORM P17
P10
P4
Picture: Jim Coughlan
Haughney hits heavyweight heights in charity bout Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor @Aldworth_Barry
Fighting Fit: Charity Fight Night where over 500 students attended to raise funds for CUH Childrens Wing & Breakthrough Cancer Research
Society budgets capped at €20,000 Heather Steele | Deputy News Editor
@Heatherysteele
The Societies’ Guild has decided to cap society budgets at €20,000 for the first time. The cap has been introduced in order to address the disparity between the levels of funding different societies receive. “In previous years there has been, we felt, a very big gap between what some of the societies are funded,” explained President of the Guild Pádraig Rice. “Some of them would have received just under €40,000 whereas some societies would have gotten €500, which is a huge gap.” All of the society budgets are on or below the €20,000 cap with only four exceeding €10,000; The Choral Society receiving €15,000, Dramat getting €15,000 while both Philosoph and the Law Society were allocated the maximum €20,000.
These societies are the ones who have experienced the largest cuts due to the cap as in 2011 these societies shared €92,000 worth of funding. The average budget across the 99 societies who have received their allocations is €3,703. In spite of the increase in the number of societies, the average funding has continued to climb with this figure up by €532 in the past two years. Rice believes that introducing a cap could benefit smaller societies and allow them to grow; “What I said when I was running for the position was that I wanted to support smaller societies, to ensure that they develop and are on an even keel with the larger societies. “There’s a perception within some of the smaller societies that they’re always going to be small and they’re only entitled to a limited amount of
resources. I think that all the societies could have huge levels of engagement with students. If someone wants to do something it shouldn’t be limited by last year or the previous committee.” In deciding the budgets, the Guild assessed each request independently before evaluating them as a whole in relation to the overall budget. Priority was given to societies who requested less than €10,000 before deciding the exact allocations for the biggest societies, with the biggest societies having applied for up to €40,000. In addition to the cap, the Guild also revised the start-up grants that societies receive. “In previous years the start-up grant for societies was a flat rate of €500 but we amended that this year to be more progressive, so if the society was starting off on a good footing they got less.”
Last Tuesday, the Students’ Union’s first ever Charity Fight Night was held to raise funds for the Cork University Hospital Children’s Wing and Breakthrough Cancer Research. Held in association with the Clubs’ Executive, the event attracted approximately 500 people to The Savoy, eager to see how SU President Padraig Haughney would do in his bout against Olympic silver medallist Kenny Egan. The night also offered a challenge to the societal stigma which surrounds disability, as SU Welfare Officer David Berry squared off with College of Arts Rep, Cian Power in a wheelchair boxing match. Whilst a final figure had yet to be confirmed at the time of printing, the event is expected to raise several thousand euro for the two charities, through both admission prices and the money raised by the boxers themselves. On the night, however, UCC would reign supreme as Chris McCarthy’s victory over CIT SU President Danny O’Donovan was followed by a surprise win for Haughney. “I think the event was fantastic,” said Haughney. “Credit needs to go out to every boxer who took part; it’s not easy to go out in front of your peers and compete the way they did. It was a great night for all involved and at the end of the day we did a good deed and raised money for some very worthy charities.”
The Guild receives the majority of its funding from UCC. This year UCC contributed €402,000, made up of the core-University grant and money from the Student Contribution Charge. Overall the Guild devotes €300,000 to society budgets and special projects, with €44,000 dedicated to start-up grants. Other major areas of expenditure are the Guild President’s salary (€21,000), administration expenses (budgeted at €15,000) and promotional booklets and clothing (€12,000). According to Rice, the reaction to the cap has been positive; “Mostly the societies are happy with the new cap. In the past people have said that a handful of societies have retained most of the budget. But this year 95% For more on the Charity Fight Night, turn of people felt it was very fair budget.” to Sport on page 24
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