A rudderrless Union...but it's okay, we're on dry land with 4 good tyres!

So it hasn't quite been a week but I can't sleep so I'm gonna update the world about what's up in the SU President's life considering there's so little going on in Derek Daly's life that falls outside of that. Well I did get 2 dinners over the weekend for my granparents' 50th wedding anniversary. So well done them. I'll keep the rest of that for my own blog.

AGM
WE MADE QUORUM!!!

As bad as it sounds to say that it is a massive achievement to get more than 200 people in a room to vote on Union policy matters, I haven't seen it done since 2008/9 and the last entirely busted quorum was 2005/6 when the VP/Campaigns & Services Officer


Congrats to all who aided the effort and we had a comfortable margin above 200 with 263 signatures and a few more than that counted in the room.

What it means
For a start:
Full time officer positions from 2012/13 will be

• President
• Deputy President Welfare
• Vice President Academic
• Vice President Communications
• Vice President Campaigns and Engagement

to more adaquately reflect what the respective officers do.

It also means ULSU currently has no Council (or Executive after the scheduled meetig on Thursday takes place) until new ones are put in place. In essence ULSU is like Libya at the moment, but without the war and bloodshed. Many didn't like this idea, but we're committed to making a reformed structure work and will have it in place ASAP. Over the coming days we'll be finalising when it will be possible for elections for Councillors to take place and opening nominations with job descriptions in toe. This means a lot of campaigns, but worry not, they'll more than likely be restiricted to online campaigning only so you don't get bombarded. We'll be finalising that ASAP.

As well as that it now means there are official sabbatical officers year round. We passed the housekeeping motion closing the gap whereby there were  15 days in the summer that nobody was in charge and also tied up toe Secretary General loose ends (this will mean nothing to most of you)

I was slightly disappointed that the majority didn't really want to know exactly what this meant for the Union, but the sceptical optimist im me hopes it was because people did the research before coming to the meeting.

Fresher Fest
Everyone involved deserves huge praise, but I have to credit Keith Quinlan for the huge amount of work he put in since starting only a few weeks ago. I'd never been to a silent disco and Bradley from S Club robbed my headphones to listen to Eminem while he made a trip to the jacks.

Hudson, S Club and 5ive kept the courtyard rocking and the Stables  and Scholars were delighted with their turnout too. The primary comment from the week was how well students behaved. We want to keep it that way so we can have more gigs throughout the year.

GOATing
This is a phrase apparently created in the UK to describe the process of getting out and talking to students. Kelly and I have partaken in the odd GOATing session since you guys came back. I'm not sure where I'll head to this Thursday, but the North Campus was a little more abandoned than the Kemmy when I was over there this week.

So your issues appear to be

• Student priced hot food on the North Campus
• Somewhere to sit and chillax on the North Campus (ironically I met the Facilities Manager when I was over there and this is planned as part of the Plaza when the Med School is complete)
• More indoor chillax seats in the IWAMD
• SULIS being a pain in the ass (email itss@ul.ie)
• A Clare entrance (an issue for various reasons but the University wants one too and I sit on one of the campus committees that is responsible for recommendations on it)
• More seats outside the shop in the Courtyard
• Hot food for evening students in the KBS
• Signage (finding things is hard on campus - there is a committee that doesn't like signage - there is a stalemate)
• Getting people to interact with each other (sit next to someone new in a tutorial this week)

Mentor
The General Manager has a mentor who I deal with regularly. He has been extremely helpful in identifying our strenghts and weaknesses as a Union. Our people are the key strength, our planning and engagement our weaknesses. We'll be looking a lot at this stuff up to Christmas and hopefully moving on it before then too

I'll do another blog before the end of the week because there's so much going on.

Musn't forget a video for you all:

Shattered like a window with a sliotar in it

So what have I been up to since Orientation Week. It’s been some hectic 2 weeks since I last checked in.

Keep an eye out in the Union for life size Kelly, Derek, Tara, Aoife and Paddy’s on the wall. They should be going up early next week!

This week is student safety week so keep an eye out for the videos Paddy is making on our YouTube channel youtube.com/whatshappeningulsu

All of the Freshers gigs are going fantastic. Lastnight and Monday sold out really fast. I was on MnM duty on Monday so only got to drop into the foam party for a small bit. It was savage and there were lots of people walking around soaked to the skin. FANTASTIC buzz in the Stables. The UV Paint Party in the Lodge was one of the best nights I’ve had in the last few years. I was wandering round writing and drawing all sorts on people and had to spend half an hour in the shower when I got home (then had a meeting at 9:30 this morning). There are about 500 tickets left for tomorrow’s gig with S Club, 5ive, Mr.Hudson followed by Silent Disco in the Courtyard and Transmitter in the Stables.

There are a number of issues raising their head at the moment. My main priority for the coming week is to bring you with me on the journey to a more inclusive Union. Though what we’re proposing is a vast improvement on what is already in place, we still need to be more accountable to students. We hope that the new Council if passed will increase accountability and make the Union run smoother. The VP Academic and Registrar is supportive of the plan and if it passes will be backing us to have that open access policy with heads of department.

Sports facilities for clubs have been raised at one or 2 levels and I met with the Sports Administrator to get an update on these. Part of the solution will have to be early morning training sessions as more and more clubs become more active. The extra goalposts have been removed from the astro behind the Arena now that the north campus pitches are open; this is to spare the astro damage from the goalposts being dragged across them. Much like the Arena, the north campus will have student pricing for any groups of students who want to use them for class games etc. This is yet to be finalised and I’ll be sitting in on a meeting where the proposals go forward.

A lot of the issues I’m currently hearing are budget caused issues.

I want to thank our MnMs for being so great in the estates the last few weeks. A reminder that you can be brought in front of Discipline even for things you do off campus if you are a UL student. I don’t want to see anyone suspended or expelled, so keep the noise down moving through the estates after 9pm and respect your neighbours.

Our General Manager's mentor was in yesterday too and had really productive meetings with almost everyone working in the Union building. He's been a manager of lots of students' unions for a number of years and is really impressed by ULSU. We have some issues to resolve, but we'll get there. It might not be this year, next year or the year after for some of them, but we'll be consistently improving.

I also joined some societies last Wednesday at the brilliant recruitment drive. When we have numbers for how many of you got involved I’ll let you know.

First Council was lastnight and went really well. It was a bigger turnout than usual for a Week 2 Council.

It’s been hectic round here. Still is. But I don’t think I’d have it any other way. Plus I'm pretty much hooked on this song....I know

Navigating a positive journey

So we’ve had a hectic 11 days since I last posted. Apologies for the delay but it really was absolute madness getting from pillar to post and getting to congratulate lots of people I’ve gotten to know through the years.

Conferrings
Last week was consumed mainly with watching over 2,000 people become UL graduates. I made 7 of the 8 ceremonies and it really did make me proud to be a part of what UL is all about to see so many people delighted to come get their parchment and shake the President’s hand.

There were moments when the heels trundling across the stage were almost taller than the person they were propping up which led to some near trips, but thankfully there were no actual trips.

Don shared some truly inspirational words last week. The sincerity shown by Don through his actions in his work backing up his words is rarely appreciated by students, so I would like to share some quotes:
“You cannot listen to what others say you should do or what society says you must do or what pessimists say you can’t do. The best way to be successful is to pursue what inspires you, what you love.”
“Nelson Mandela once said “There is no passion to be found in playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” And so I say to you: exhaust every opportunity, take every chance, and follow every road that will get you one step closer to where you want to be. This unfortunate situation our country is in will not last, it cannot last. So don’t lay the foundations of your future on it. Don’t settle because you think you have to. You have a long career ahead of you, a long way to go, so think BIG.”

“Find those who have so much potential but so little opportunity and do for them what your parents, guardians, teachers and supporters have done for you. Be as ambitious for them as all those throughout your education have been for you."

“We all share the responsibility to help shape a better future. The path ahead is not certain, however, I have confidence in the resilience, the talent and the passion of our students."

“….Ireland must develop larger numbers of indigenous companies. To our graduates let me say that each one of you has the knowledge, imagination, talent and courage to create and innovate- don’t be afraid to explore your entrepreneurial spirit, we need it now more than ever so dig deep and find it.”

“I have no doubt but that the talent required to deliver renewed prosperity to our country is sitting right in front of me. Over the last number of years we have seen you delight in discovery. For many of you I have seen for myself the results of your design and innovation through end of year shows and displays, projects and papers. All of us have been impressed by your inventive genius in the classrooms and laboratories. Please use what you have learned here in UL to explore your potential even further.”

**FUNNY ALERT**
Don also shared a much more light-hearted and humorous quote at the Grad Ball on Saturday:

“No, I do not have a lighter. I take out a cigarette, tell it I’m the President and it lights itself”

It is this quote that kept me laughing for a number of minutes when the story was relayed to me, and is the true measure of just what a down to earth character Don really is.

The Grad Ball was a fantastic event which went off without a hitch, apart from poor Aoife Kenny getting the wrong birthday cake and some unfortunate family with a baby called Ava getting a “Happy Birthday Aoife” cake for their christening the following day. That gave me a few laughs too.

Governors who travelled from around the country and around the campus to attend should also get a mention. I would like to thank them too. It really is important to the occasion that the stage has people on it and isn’t just a packed room with not many there from the University to show their appreciation for your hard work.

One other thing that was great to see some of the people who I have helped through my two terms as Deputy President\Welfare get to conferring. One of the most frustrating parts of the job is that when someone walks out the door chances are you won’t know what happened them after that unless you bump into them or see them around campus. It made a big difference to me to see some of those people there and I was really happy to see them get their parchments.

I think I managed to make about 3 meetings all of last week; one with the Gardaí and one Union meeting and one impromptu call about a crisis that wasn’t a crisis. Can’t even remember what it was now! It is a week that really shouldn’t be scheduled as a work week in the calendar as conferring takes up such a huge part of it.

Orientation
It has been a mad house around here since Tuesday when the first orientation groups started snaking through the campus. By tomorrow afternoon over 2,500 newbies will have been orientated and many of them disorientated.

My presentation from UCH is here for those that were there and were too bored or hungover to pay attention and for those of you who for some reason want to spend a minute or so flicking through it. I have a speech, but I don’t think anyone would really want to read through it, plus I do a bit of off the cuff stuff.

I’m really enjoying the buzz around campus this week and it has really tired me already. I’m wrecked!

Your Union – Get Involved
I want everyone to be involved in what we do as the Union this year, it’s not just about the ents and the craic, there’s a lot of influence from within the Union on University policy and you should have your say on that, you can get involved in campaigns, consultation teams or become a class rep.

We have the proposed new Council/Exec structure coming forward as described in a previous blog and we’ll be explaining that again in due course.

Clubs and Socs Fair is on next Wednesday the 7th September and I hope you guys will come along and join up. It’s a great way to meet friends and to get some personal development skills.

Your UL Path
I was at a graduate attributes seminar today with Kelly and Aoife where employers, teaching staff and administrators in the University came together and worked on what the most important things you need for them to hire you are.

A “spark” or “bit of whip” came out on top, academic performace ranked highly, as did adaptability. Employers are looking for people who take a task and make it their own. Initiative and adaptability are two of the main requirements of the modern workplace

One thing that came under fire was parents’ involvement in University life. I had to agree on this.You are all pretty much, if not, adults now; you have to stand on your own two feet, make your own phone calls and fight your own battles. You need to know how to properly construct an email.

First 7 Weeks
This programme allows you to settle nicely into UL, get familiar with the UL jargon like QCA, SAA, Campus Life, Aramark, KBS, UCH and the like. If you don’t know what they mean now, you will or should have been told by somebody by the end of week 7.

ULSU Services LTD.
Our services company is likely to have made a significant loss for the year to the end of June. Council will have to be informed of the figures before they can be made public, but this is going to impact on the level of gigs, services and campaigns we can provide.

The purpose of the company is to make a profit to put into those things so we need your help to turn it around. For the first time we have a dedicated Commercial Manager that has been tasked with turning a surplus for the company that can be re-invested in services for YOU.

I really need you to take up this challenge
While I’m not the most inspirational of people, I really am passionate about bringing your Union into the 21st century and bringing you as the navigator on that journey.

The calm before the storm

Last week I arrived back from my holidays (nowhere fancy...just Kerry. I can't afford fancy at the moment) to a pretty calm place. There were still relatively few students around so I grabbed Ms. Education for a cuppa tea and headed to Javas. Getting a catch up of what was going on in Aoife's world, out of the corner of my I spotted the front of the Irish Independent
"College fees to return and student registration to rise"
Now it won’t come as a surprise to many of you that university is already an expensive place to be, but I thought “Fuck, this one’s going to be a massive battle” The current government has a huge majority of 55. Effectively this means that for any legislation to fail, not only would 55 TDs have to not vote with the government, they would have to actively vote against it. In addition there are plenty of lobby groubs that will argue they need the money the government has more than students do, and I can guarantee that the media will take every opportunity to portray students negatively giving these people a huge advantage. One drunken student pulling up one plant in their own garden will become "Students uproot gardens after booze fuelled rampage". don't give them the ammo. Keep it civil, or it's more and more likely we'll be keeping it for fees!

So “what’s the best we can hope for if they’re gung-ho on this?” Taking to the streets in protest will be necessary, but it may not save us having “fees” (and to be straight about it the “Student Contribution” is fees anyway)

I met with Don on this last week and we had a conversation around the effects of such a plan on our students and on the University. there are concerns for all involved relating to the effect on students.

From a general standpoint the most worrying aspect is that the story printed hints at fees, but says that there won’t be any system for getting the money. That leaves empty spaces colleges all around the country, a bigger funding problem and a protracted economic crisis. Lots of countries have fees, the one thing that they all have in common is that they have a way for students to finance those fees. So even for those in favour of fees, in this case they will have to be against as there is no solution to the funding crisis in the proposals outlined in last Tuesday’s Independent, in fact it creates a deeper crisis in the sector. It will create huge problems for those struggling at the moment, there are those that can afford it, but the percentage is getting slimmer and slimmer.

Shoving more students in and making them make up the shortfall in funding is one thing, but making students pay the entirety is a little on the crazy side when they have no means to pay.

And all this from the people who proclaimed that fees were a no go area for them.

Thanks Ruairí

Your Union Needs You

This is going to be a short enough one.

I'm calling on all members to support their Union at this time.

Last week our new Group Accountant called me and the General Manager to meet him. The basic gist of it is the shops need to bring in more money to continue to operate into the future. This isn't really news to us, but the hours may have to be shortened and the shops in Cappavilla or Dromroe closed if the campus community does not use them more.

In April the new company structure was put in place that aims to bring you better value than before, deliver better levels of service than before and greater choice than before.

Where possible I am appealing to you to use the shops if you wish to keep this service.

Your Union needs you!

Borrowing from Obama - Change we Can Believe in

I'm not much of an Obama fan, never really was. There was a lot of style and hype about him, but with another election coming, very little of that style has turned into substance. Can I deliver "change you can believe in"? Well that's really up to you, because you get to vote on all change.

So this is where it gets exciting for the nerds and politicos.

During the elections in March one of my primary manifesto points was Democratic Engagement. I promised a new vision, structural reform and to make the Union about students not rules.

Notwithstanding that there are other hurdles for the Union to overcome this year the structure is extremely outdated and I'm very keen this be resolved. We've heard about change at a strategic level for the last 2 years, which is also coming soon, but the change at strategic level is pointless if the change at representative level isn't there to back it up.

Council currently has a mahoooooosive potential membership (I think I may have mentione that in last week's blog) of 566 members. What Aoife and myself have come up with is a Council of less than 80, based on the norm in a lot of the UK unions. What we haven't done is a complete copy and paste.

No two organisations are the same, and even if they were, who's to say the one being copied is doing things as best as possible.

What have we come up with so far?


Who will sit in the new Council?

1 member elected from each faculty by all students in the faculty - 4

1 3rd/4th year member elected from each department by all students with a module in the department (some students will have votes in multiple departments) - 28

3-8 Members for each of the following Special Interest Groups, elected mainly by all students.

1. Equal Opportunities


2. Postgraduate


3. Recreation


4. UL Experience


5. First Year

Operating the new Council

The new Council would meet at least 2 but no more than 4 times per semester and assume the parliamentary, oversight and policy development role of the Union.

Sub-Committees of Council would meet at regular intervals including

1. Finance



2. Academic



3. Equal Opportunities



4. Strategy



5. Recreation



6. UL Experience



7. Committees proposed by the Chair of Council and approved by Council

This, if approved, will give ULSU a more streamlined method of operating. Each committee will report to Council on its work at least once per academic year.

What about the current class rep role?

There will still be class reps, but they will not be council reps. They will carry out the functions currently carried out by reps in their classes.

Departmental reps will meet all class reps in their department regularly and the VP Education will meet with all class reps from a faculty each semester.

So whaddya think? Let me know on SUPresident@ul.ie

Slán

D

Chop SUEI - not the oriental meal it once was

**I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE FOR THE LENGTH OF THIS BLOG**

This blog aims to enlighten you about the Students' Union Evaluation Initiative. This is a process that we hope to enter into this year. It involves a lot of commitment and dedication from everyone who works at ULSU as well as each year's sabbatical officers. It's going to be long, so go get yourself a cup of tea/coffee/other beverage of choice (maybe a sandwich while you’re at it).

The process is highly commended and will allow us to see where we are doing well and what we can do better, more importantly it will flag what we are not doing at all and most importantly it will flag what we are doing that you don't want us to be spending your money on.

This is a positive thing for students as it is a chance for the Union to engage more openly with you. This will be an aim of my Presidency. Where the shit has hit the fan you will know about it, where there have been mistakes made, you will be informed and where things are going well this will be communicated to you to let you know exactly what it is we are doing both at our desks and all over campus.

The Goal

SUEI is a three year cyclical process. Once the accreditation period begins the clock starts ticking and we have three years to prove ourselves as deserving of an award. Getting to Bronze will be an aim of the first cycle, if we can achieve this, although I will be gone by the time it happens, I will be extremely proud of the staff and the sabbatical teams that have lead us to it along with all of the students who will have engaged throughout the process. The goalposts are constantly shifting and as the union sector becomes more effective at delivering membership services, the bar gets raised higher!

How it’s Measured

1. What’s so special about the Union?

o Participation

§ What is the level of democratic participation and engagement?

o Representation

§ How is the Union representing you, the student, to the University?

§ Is this effective?

o Governance

§ Is the system producing results for students?

§ Is the staff of the Union being monitored effectively?

§ Is there a balance of expertise with student interest?

We will be putting a proposal to the Executive this week which proposes radical changes to the representative structure which aim to make the union more effective at engaging people in areas of interest.

2. What does the Union aim to achieve?

o Vision

§ Is there a long term vision?

§ What is it?

§ How is it being implemented?

o Objectives

§ Are they linked to the Union’s strategic plan?

§ How do services and activities match the long term objectives?

o Membership Focus

§ Does the Union understand what members want?

§ Is it delivering on this?

§ Is there a sufficient balance between individual vs group needs (Equality Framework)?

§ Is there a sufficient focus on communications in officer training?

§ Are sabbats communicating with members effectively?

3. People

o HR Systems

§ Does the Union’s HR strategy link to the strategic plan?

§ Does the HR Strategy engender a member first ideology?

o Roles and Responsibilities

§ Does the Union’s staff feel the General Manager is leading them effectively?

§ Is there a strong working relationship between the GM and officers?

§ Is there an effective performance management system in place for the General Manager?

o Employment Record

§ Is the Union an employer committed to best HR practice?

4. Quality Outcomes

o Impact

§ Does the Union have a positive impact on its members’ time at university?

§ How does it know?

§ How has the Union improved as a result of member interaction?

§ What is the Union’s reputation amongst members?

§ Is it easy for members to find help at the Union?

o Activities

§ How successful is the Union at engaging members?

§ Does research show members are satisfied with the Union’s activities offering?

§ What is the Union doing to provide members with opportunities to grow their skills base and broaden their experiences?

§ What is the Union doing to enhance members’ employability?

o Services

§ Are membership services provided effectively?

§ Are membership services provided efficiently?

§ Are membership services providing value for money?

§ Are services provided in imaginative ways that are not building centric?

§ Is the Union capable of influencing and adapting itself to meet ever-changing membership needs?

5. What Underpins This Quality

o Communication

§ Is there a communications strategy?

§ Does it follow the strategic plan?

§ Is there timely and accurate communication to members?

§ Is it communicated through sufficient channels?

§ Is transparency and accountability promoted?

o Finance

§ Is there a long term financial plan?

§ Does the Union hit its financial targets?

§ Is there a regular review of finances?

o Partnerships

§ Is collaboration and partnership a priority?

§ Do partnerships form a part of future plans?

§ How are these partnerships built?

What are we doing on this?

1. What’s so special about the Union?

o Participation

§ We will be putting a proposal to the Executive this week which proposes radical changes to the governance structure which aim to make the union more effective at engaging people in areas of interest as well as slimming the governance process while devolving activities.

o Representation

§ This is bread and butter sitting on committees, contributing to policy.

o Governance

§ A separate proposal, constructed by last year’s team and amended by this year’s team, will be put to the Executive in the coming weeks. It is quite radical in its process and will initially raise some eyebrows.

2. What does the Union aim to achieve?

o Vision

§ A strategic plan is in development. We aim to bring this to you for consultation in semester 1 through the new Members’ Forum (Open General Meeting as promised in my Manifesto) which will not have any agenda items, just be where you come to tell us anything you want us to hear about the Union.

o Objectives

§ Objectives are currently derived from manifestos. There is a group objective which has been set by the Sabbat team.

o Membership Focus

§ This is an area requiring vast improvement. You need to feel that you can come and tell us what you want your Union to be. We are much more than aplace to coe when you have problems, but we need to communicate that to you more effectively.

§ Blogs, a proper engagement with Twitter (which has been poor to date to be polite about it), Facebook (which has been extremely interactive), getting out and talking to you and making more time available to you for Union development.

3. People

o HR Systems

§ Our new General Manager is working on putting robust HR systems in place that protect the staff and position the Union well legally.

o Roles and Responsibilities

§ The General Manager is new to the organisation, newer than most of the officers so it will take some time for him to begin to gain the leadership position in the staff team.

§ The President holds weekly meetings with the GM to discuss any issues that need resolution and monitor progress.

§ The governance proposals should place staff and GM performance on the agenda of a meeting with external professionals who will offer impartial advice to officers on this.

o Employment Record

§ The GM has been tasked with beginning the process of Excellence Through People for the Union.

§ The Commercial Manager has been tasked with beginning Excellence Through People for University of Limerick Students’ Union Services Limited.

§ An aim I set out in my first meeting with both the GM and CM was that ULSU and ULSU Services should both be included in Ireland’s Top 100 Small or Medium Enterprises to Work For by 2020.

4. Quality Outcomes

o Impact

§ We need you for this!

o Activities

§ Clubs and societies are our main skills offering at the moment.

§ This needs expansion and we need YOU to tell us how we should expand it!

o Services

§ We’re thinking on this, but again we need YOU!

5. What Underpins This Quality

o Communication

§ There isn’t a comms strategy; it is something that will have to be developed.

§ We know we are failing to communicate effectively to everyone, but we are getting to a lot of students, this needs lots of research and we intend on hiring casual labour for research purposes as well as interacting with relevant University departments to gain synergies.

o Finance

§ There isn’t a long-term financial plan. We will need guidance on this from SUEI.

§ The Union has been without an accountant since March, so targets will be reviewed as soon as the information has been put together by the new Group Accountant.

§ Under ordinary circumstances Executive reviews management accounts monthly.

o Partnerships

§ Collaboration is something that benefits both parties and where opportunities for this exist we will investigate them and if suitable initiate them.

§ Future plans, such as a redeveloped Students’ Union and enhanced campus facilities are collaboratively focussed.

The Plan

I aim to have the accreditation period started by March 2012; it will be a difficult process that requires us to ask some very unpleasant questions about ourselves. We need to identify key action areas, conduct market research with you the members and agree on visits and role of a SUEI mentor. We will have up to 2 years to hit all targets before a mentor visit that will assess success. After this we will have between 6 and 12 months to act on the recommendations of the mentor visit and we will then hopefully be awarded a Bronze Award, or Silver Award if we challenge ourselves sufficiently and achieve all goals.

SUEI will require a dedicated member of staff, so the cost is not just in accreditation, but I hope that it will drive improvement not only for the next three years, but indefinitely. The aim in my mind is clear; that your union will be the first SUEI accredited Union in the Republic of Ireland and will continue until it achieves a Gold award and is judged independently as the best Students’ Union in the Republic of Ireland.

See ya soon

D

Apologies again for the length of the blog, but I hope it’s been worth the read. It did take nearly three hours to write, so I really hope you’ll leave some comments.