University College Dublin Students' Union

University College Dublin Students' Union (UCDSU; Irish: Aontas na Mac Léinn COBÁC) is the students' union of University College Dublin. It is the largest students' union in Ireland.^[1][2][3]

The Union was founded in 1975 as the successor of the Student Representative Council, with Enda Connolly acting as the organisation's first president.^[4] Its primary role is to represent its members views and defend their interests.^[5]

All students of UCD who are studying for a degree or postgraduate diploma of the National University of Ireland are, on registration at the university, members. The Union is funded by a membership fee paid at the same time as the student services levy ("registration fee") at the start of the academic year. In addition to its campaign work the Union also provides many services, such as three shops; welfare and education services such as an online second-hand bookshop; and the provision of a full-time Accommodation and Employment Officer. UCDSU has offices in the Student Centre and hosts clinics down in Smurfit once a week.

History

The Union has been at the forefront of pushing social change in Ireland, selling condoms starting in 1979, when the sale of contraceptives without a prescription was still illegal. The Director of Public Prosecutions considered legal action against the Union but ultimately demurred, believing the Union was deliberately attempting to provoke a case and that the "clearly unconstitutional" 1935 law prohibiting their sale had "little or no chance of being upheld".^[6][7] The sale of contraceptives without a prescription was finally legalised in 1985,^[8] and their general sale legalised in 1993.^[9]

The Union was also at the forefront of the fight for the right to publish information about abortion. In 1988, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (Spuc) threatened the Union with legal action if information on abortion was published in its welfare guide.^[10] The Union went ahead and published information on abortion clinics in Britain and a case was taken against it, Spuc v. Coogan, that was later joined by the Trinity College Student Union and Union of Students in Ireland in Spuc v. Grogan. The case was initially dismissed in the High Court on the basis that Spuc lacked standing but Spuc ultimately prevailed in the Supreme Court leaving the unions involved with large legal fees.^[11][12] The case ultimately as far as the European Court of Justice,^[13] which established that under the Treaty of Rome abortion was a service and a Member State could not prohibit the distribution of information about a service legally provided in another Member State. While establishing the principle that Ireland could not block the publication of abortion information from foreign clinics or their agents, the Court found it was legal for Ireland the block information from third parties, so establishing a principle of freedom of abortion information but ultimately finding against the students due to their status as unconnected third parties and leaving them with their costs. The provision of information on abortion services legally available in other European Union countries was ultimately legalised in the 1995 Abortion Information Act.^[14][15]

In recent years the Union has had serious financial problems due to mismanagement. A 2012 audit found shoddy financial practices devoid of checks and balances since 2007, racking up €1.4m in debt including nearly €400,000 in liability to the tax authorities,^[16] ultimately requiring a bailout from the University.^[17] Following this the Union incorporated as a limited liability company in 2012^[18] and made €1.1m in its first year of operation as a limited company, recording a surplus of €81,738.^[19][20]

The Union has had a rocky relationship with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), disaffiliating and reaffiliating several times over the years.^[21][22] As of 2016, UCDSU is not affiliated with USI, having decided to leave in a referendum which was held in February 2013. Issues cited included the ineffectual leadership of USI and the large cost of affiliation. 67% of students voted to leave the national union. UCDSU ceased being a member organisation on July 1, 2013.^{[23][24][25][26]}

Structure

The main governing body of UCDSU, subject only to referenda and General Meetings of the members of the Union, is the Union Council, which meets every second week of term.^[27] The Union Council is composed chiefly of the Class Representatives elected in their respective constituencies. These constituencies are elected at a flexible ratio, far lower than a previously arbitrary ratio of one representative per 125 students. The power of Union Council is conferred in a de facto manner on the Union Executive outside of term. The Union Executive, composed of all elected Union Sabbatical and non-Sabbatical Officers as well as the Union Secretary, meets weekly during term and fortnightly outside of it. There are four Sabbatical Officers, who are involved in the day-to-day running of the Union. The President and two nominated Vice-Presidents, as agreed by the Executive, are student representatives on the UCD Governing Authority. A Sabbatical term of office is twelve months in duration and commences on July 1 each year, although the incoming officers are, in accordance with the UCDSU Constitution, given job training by the incumbents from June 15. Sabbatical elections take place in late February–early March of each year. Sabbatical officers take a year out from academic studies and work full-time for the Union.

The composition of the Union's Council includes:^[28]

• The four full-time directly elected Sabbatical Executive Officers
• The directly elected non-sabbatical Executive Officers, also known as Convenors.
• Class Representatives
• Ents Exec. These individuals are elected in at the last council of the year for the forthcoming year.
• Equality coordinators. These individuals are elected in at last council of the year for the forthcoming year.

The President is the first officer of the Union in accordance with the Union Constitution, and the other three Sabbatical Officers are equally ranking Vice-Presidents of the Union. The four Sabbatical positions are:

• President
• Undergraduate Education Officer
• Postgraduate Education Officer
• Welfare & Equality Officer

Sabbatical executive officers

Directly elected by Union members (1975–2015)

Other offices and administrators

The supreme judicial organ of the Union is the Independent Appeals Board as detailed in Article 18 of the Union's Constitution.

The individual who has been the longest involved and longest associated with the Union is Patrick J. O'Flynn, the Union's Chief Returning Officer and an employee of the University. Most of the ground-work involved in Union elections and referendums is performed by the Union Returning Officer, currently held by Morgan Shelley BBLS. Both of these office holders sit on the Independent Appeals Board.

The Union Legal Advisor is Richard Hammond.

The financial manager of UCDSU is Giselle Han Malone. She also acts as line manager to the other staff in the Union.^[29]

References

External links

• University College Dublin Students' Union — the official website of UCDSU.
• Union of Students in Ireland — the website of the Union of Students in Ireland
• UCDSU Constitution — The most recently amended form of the Union's Constitution.