'Leaving USI Did Not Harm UCD'

UCDSU President Feargal Hynes talks to Barry Aldworth about the effect of UCD’s disaffiliation.A belief that there was a gap between the USI and the students it claims to represent was crucial to UCD leaving the union, according to current UCDSU President Feargal Hynes.In 2013 students of the alma mater of then USI president John Logue voted by a near two-thirds majority to leave the national union, with Hynes highlighting that two years later, there have been “no students calling for UCD to go back to USI.” The UCDSU President, who was himself involved in the 'No' campaign, added that whilst those in favour of disaffiliation supported the idea of a national Students’ Union, they believed mass reform of the USI was necessary for UCD membership to continue.

'...two years later, there have been “no students calling for UCD to go back to USI.”'

Prior to the vote, the 'No' campaign set out 10 ways the USI could be improved and, while the USI ultimately made an offer to implement these ideas, after the 'No' campaign had gained popular support among students, this decision came “too little, too late,” according to Hynes. A central reason for this was the emergence of a campaign led by “regular students who weren’t involved in unions before” but were more in tune with the problems faced by their classmates than the group campaigning for a ‘Yes’ vote, which was dominated by then current and former USI officers.Whilst Hynes acknowledged that there were consequences of leaving USI, such as a reduced number of seats at the USI’s annual Pink Training, the decision to leave has not impacted upon UCD and its Students’ Union in any great way: “I don’t think you could say that it [leaving USI] has benefited them [UCD], but I’m not sure to what extent it has harmed them either.”Hynes, however, did acknowledge that the decision to leave USI had improved the financial situation of the UCDSU. “The SU couldn’t afford to stay in USI at the time” and the decision to leave “has benefitted the Union by allowing it to pay off long term liabilities without having to pay the affiliation fees.”

“I don’t think you could say that it [leaving USI] has benefited them [UCD], but I’m not sure to what extent it has harmed them either.”

Whilst UCDSU did originally experience an element of isolation upon leaving the USI, with Hynes stating that they had “lost out on a sense of community,” he concluded that relationships with the Students’ Unions in other colleges were rebuilt through other forums, and the opportunity to focus on in-house issues was one UCD has not regretted.