Trinity Students’ Union will secede from the Forum for University Students’ Unions (Fusu). The motion was passed at a meeting of the Students’ Union’s Council on November 17 by a unanimous vote. Under the terms of the motion the President of the Students’ Union is mandated to ‘take the necessary steps to withdraw from the Fusu.’
The Fusu was setup as a discussion forum between the seven universities. Four of the universities are constituent organizations of the Union of Students Ireland (USI) while University of Limerick (UL), National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUI, Maynooth), and Dublin City University (DCU) are not affiliated with the USI.
The President of Trinity Students’ Union, Cónán Ó Broin told the Students’ Union executive that the Fusu was ‘not an effective organization; having meetings with no agenda and no leader.’
After a discussion at Students’ Union executive it was resolved that the only advantage of Trinity Students’ Union’s membership of the Fusu was the contact it gave to Trinity with the members of the Fusu that are not constituent organizations of the USI.
Ó Broin told the executive that while working on the fees campaign he worked with the Fusu closely and in his experience they were an ‘ineffectual organization.’
During the fees campaign a full-page advertisement was taken out by most of the students’ unions and the USI.
It was agreed between the unions that payment for the advert would be based on the numbers of students they represent.
It transpired that after the advert was taken NUI, Maynooth have refused to pay their contribution to the cost of the advert.
UCD Students’ Union paid for the full cost of the advert and were reimbursed by all except NUI, Maynooth Students’ Union.
The University Times asked NUI, Maynooth Students’ Union’s president, Brian Murphy to comment on their decision not to pay for the advert but he did not answer.
UCD Students’ Union has also decided to leave the Fusu in a motion put to its Students’ Union Council which was held on October 27. The motion call ing for the withdrawal says that the Fusu ‘takes no formal action on any policies, is merely a “talking shop” for Students’ Union officers and in fact undermines the strength of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) through its inaction.’
Fusu was established in 1997 by five universities that had just disaffiliated from the USI with the hope of establishing a forum for communications between their students’ unions.
Fusu does not have any officers or staff to administrate its operations unlike the USI which employees elected officers to campaign and run its services.
Trinity Students’ Union’s president says that he will be formally notifying the students’ unions around the country that Trinity is seceding from the Fusu very soon.
