Having been told by the Troika that we can’t afford a graduate tax or loan scheme as we can’t afford to borrow any more money and either of those systems would not see a return for what, 15-20 years?

The Hunt report and the sustainability report implore the return of 3rd level fees, go on your sis web balance and tell me how much the hea’ free fees funding was and add that to the ‘student contribution charge and tell me what figure you get there?

According to Fine Gaels ‘the third way’ about 3rd level education suggest fees of 3,500-3,800 euro with increases in fees for other courses. The 5,000 euro figure is hypothetical because the USI have based and entire campaign on one source, who isnt even a government official.That’s what the articles about. A fitting headline/

Of course it’s a hypothetical figure, the budget isn’t out yet? If it was the real figure written in the budget it’d be all a bit late wouldnt it? Any figure is hypothetical until the budget is produced. shocking journalism.

The figure I would imagine is based around the hunt report stressing that we need a further 500m in education funding annually and a recent hea sustainability report that implores the reintroduction of fees. It’s 5k because we’re not talking about upping the reg fee a little, there is a serious risk if not this year then definitely next year of the return of third level tuition fees.

Rather than basing a campaign around the existing problems students face, USI officers chose to launch a campaign which revolves around a hypothetical figure, plucked out of the air by an anonymous source.

“Cynics”, as they’re being labelled, would argue that the idea behind using an inflated figure is that any increase in the student contribution below €5,000 can be spun by USI as an indication that their lobbying model is effective. Take last year as an example – the student contribution/reg fee saw it’s largest ever increase, yet USI officers still manages to save fave & put a positive spin on it – ” It didn’t go up as much as it could have.” It’s clear that the groundwork for a similar scenario is is already being laid for this year.

A couple of weeks ago. USI officers announced the “Freeze Fees, Save the Grant” campaign – a campaign whose primary aim was to maintain students fees of €2,000. Following criticism from USI members that this was abandoning the campaign against student fees, USI officers changed the slogan to “Stop Fees, Save the Grant”, in a move designed to appease students who believe that education should be paid for through public funding rather than direct student fees.

While the name of the campaign changed, the aim of the campaign did not.

The aim of the campaign is not to oppose student fees, but to oppose possible increases in student fees – USI no longer actively campaigns for free education. This is an undisputed fact.

Todays relaunch of the TellYour TD.com website contains a template letter in which USI calls on TDs not to vote for increases in the student charge, or further cuts to the maintenance grant.. There is no stated opposition to fees as they currently stand, or opposition to last years regressive changes to the eligibility critera for the non-adjacent maintenance grant.

The aim of the campaign is to maintain the status quo – €2,000 student fees, and an inadequate grants system.

Lets be clear about what the stated aims of USI officers, their “Stop Fees” campaign, and the up-coming national protest are:

1) Student fees are acceptable, as long as they do not increase above €2,000

2) The grants levels are fine as it is, as long as there are no further cuts (despite last years drastic changes to the eligibility criteria for the non-adjacent rate).

To answer the original question posed at the top of this comment – why doesn’t the campaign poster ask, “Can you afford a €2,000 student contribution fee?”

The simple answer is that USI officers do not publicly oppose the €2,000 student contribution fee, and would view it as a victory if students ‘only’ have to pay another 2 grand next year.

Nowhere in this campaign do USI officers argue what has been at the heart of USI policy since the 90s – that education is a social good, and should be paid for through public funding rather than student fees.

In USIs 1999 pre-budget submission, they argued for the abolition of all student fees – http://bit.ly/s5HmbF. This was stated policy in countless USI press releases & pre-budget submissions over the next decade. In USIs Lobby of the Oireachtas document (November 11, 2009, page 4 http://bit.ly/u1LDNE ) USI were still calling for the complete abolition of the student services charge. AFAIK, this was the last time USI stated it’s outright opposition to student fees in all forms.

USIs long-held policy of calling for the complete abolition of student fees has failed to appear in any press release, pre-budget submission or Lobby document, since Gary Redmond became USI President (AFAIK)

While Gary Redmond has argued in a recent interview/podcast the campaigning against student fees themselves (rather than further hikes) is “unrealistic”, it’s not up to him to to make that decision – it should be up to USIs membership.

If he holds that view, and wants to spend thousands to fund a campaign whose primary aim is to maintain a €2,000 student fee, then USI should organise referenda in constituent organisations to formally end the campaign for free education.

If students aren’t happy with the education system as it stands, and want to campaign for better conditions, they need to put pressure on their local SUs, and USI to do likewise.

USI was designed to be a bottom-up democratic organisation, yet there has been a slow, undemocratic change in effective USI policy since 2010.

Here are a few questions student journos should put to USI.

1) Up until 2009, it was publicly stated USI policy that the student contribution (formerly known as the student services charge, the registration fee, and the capitation fee) should be abolished

[sources: 1999 pre-Budget submission http://bit.ly/s5HmbF , 2004 DIT campaign material http://bit.ly/uEhTpc, 2005 press release http://bit.ly/veeGSJ , 2006 press release – http://bit.ly/udboE1 , 2009 Lobby of the Oireachtas document page 4 http://bit.ly/u1LDNE ]

Is this still USI policy?

If it is, why hasn’t it appeared in any campaign or lobbying material in 2010 or 2011?

If this is no longer USI policy, when was the policy changed, and who made the decision to change it?

2) Similarly, USIs publicly stated policy over the past decade, including the 2009 “Why Ireland needs to enact the Student Services Bill” document, has been that the maintenance grant should be brought in line with social welfare levels to reflect the cost of living.

[references: 1999 pre-Budget submission http://bit.ly/s5HmbF , 2001 article – http://bit.ly/tTrqIR , 2002 article – http://bit.ly/uu4Ciy , 2005 press release http://bit.ly/veeGSJ , 2009 “Why Ireland needs to enact the Student Services Bill” document page 3 http://bit.ly/uQPZP2 ]

Is this still USI policy?

If it is, why hasn’t it appeared in any campaign or lobbying material in 2010 or 2011?

If this is no longer USI policy, when was the policy changed, and who made the decision to change it?

This government is not “pro free/ universal education”.

Fine Gaels stated policy position is that third level education should be funded through additional graduate PRSI contributions, a policy labelled “The Third Way”.

Similarly, Labour do not believe in “”pro free/ universal education”” – they have no issue with partially funding education through direct student charges, such as the current €2,000 student contribution.

I don’t you’d be a cynic saying that USI are deliberately misleading their members but a realist.
Why are USI and UCDSU accusing the Labour Party of lying when it is themselves who are spitting lies to students. We have not had the budget, fees have not been increased, as of yet the Labour Party have not lied about anything.
Although there more than likely will be an increase to the reg fee it will not be anywhere close to the €5000 fee quoted. No sabatical officer has defended where they have gotten this estimate from as they realise it has been entirely augmented to create a sense of fear amongst students.

I didn’t see USI or UCDSU put out posters, such as these, when FF were in government, it is probably linked to the fact that USI and UCDSU is filled with, mostly, FF sabatical officers.

Hypocrits and liars the lot of them. The sooner USI stop speaking on what they think is what the student concensus is the better.