UU Jordanstown: Hundreds of PC's Wasting Energy

As part of the SDLP’s Sustainability agenda, SDLP societies at Queen’s and University of Ulster have requested that the universities in Northern Ireland carry out an environmental audit as a matter of urgency to establish how much Universities are contributing to wasted energy.

While the SDLP’s University groups do appreciate that some Universities have moved in the right direction the group feels that University’s can move much further, much faster and go greener quicker.

Commenting on the request SDLP Youth Chairman Peter Armstrong said, “The SDLP has long been committed to delivering a sustainable environment as part of our manifesto pledges.

“Through this campaign we aim to ensure that universities are cutting waste, by taking some actions as simple as not leaving hundreds of unused computers on standby, and that they are contributing fully to environmental protection. As economic development advanced in recent years, our efforts to improve our standards of living and enhance our education have had an adverse impact of the environment.

“We are now consuming more resources than ever and causing pollution through waste products. Now it is all our responsibility to do everything we can to protect our environment and as we strive to save the planet we will also save pounds in our pocket.”

Hey Guys,

Michelle here from SDLP!! Firstly, thank you for signing up to the SDLP at the freshers fair in Magee - hope you all enjoyed your rubix cubes!!

Now for the exciting news…..SDLP is finally coming to Magee for their first meeting this year ….why not come along for some information and show your support??

The meeting taking place on Wednesday 29th October at 3:30pm is just a short introduction which will last about half an hour and possibly elect a new executive…we need a President, Chair,treasurer and secretary…these posts are not time consuming at all…plus, it looks good on the CV! If you are interested, please email me.

Date of meeting: 29/10/2008

Time:            3:30pm - 4:00pm

Venue:           MIO22 Aberfoyle House

Please get back to me if you will be attending the meeting - email me

SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY!!!

Michelle

University & Colleges Officer
SDLP Youth

The University of Ulster Students’ Union is organising a protest against the extortionate ticket prices for the bus to Jordanstown.

Date: Thursday 16th October
Time: 1pm
Place: Outside Great Victoria Street Station, beside the Europa.

SDLP Youth will be participating in the protests so please come along and join us. Translink want to increase the bus fare to Jordanstown yet again, but students are already paying way too much. Stop robbing students!

Just a wee note to say thank you to any of you who helped out on the freshers days….we done very very well this year and I am so happy!! We recruited higher numbers than last year in Magee, Jordanstown and in Queens….with Queens being very successful!!

We will be having a meeting in Queens on Wednesday 8th October @ 3pm in Club Room 2 so a big turnout would be even better!!

Well done SDLP Youth….you’ve done me proud

More photos from SDLP @ Jordanstown here

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The SDLP branch at the University of Ulster’s Jordanstown campus have tripled their membership in this year’s recruitment drive.

SDLP Youth Chairman Peter Armstrong said, “The SDLP have recruited three times more members than last year at Jordanstown. We are delighted with the interest our stall has received. Young people are concerned about student top-up fees, housing and accommodation issues and student safety, and SDLP @ Jordanstown will be campaigning on the issues that affect students most during the next university year.

“Our team have been distributing new SDLP Youth booklets, chatting with students, answering questions and recruiting new members. We have also had local councillors speaking with students and listening to their concerns.”

Our members can attend meetings at Jordanstown or in Belfast if it’s more convenient. If you are interested in getting involved, at whatever level suits you, please contact us.

More photos from SDLP @ Magee here

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SDLP Youth today received a record number of new members to the SDLP branch at University of Ulster’s Magee campus.

SDLP Youth Chairman Peter Armstrong said, “We have recruited a record number of people to our branch at Magee than in any previous year. Our stall has been buzzing all day long and we are extremely satisfied. We have had a team of youth members at our stall distributing new SDLP Youth booklets, chatting with students, answering questions and recruiting new members.

“Over the coming months the SDLP Magee branch will be campaigning on student safety in Derry, student welfare issues, and housing/tenancy rights. They will be meeting with local councillors and Foyle MP Mark Durkan to discuss these issues, and also attending SDLP conferences and events, such as our annual Dublin Trip in January and our week-long Mystery European Tour.”

SDLP Youth are angry that the University of Ulster Students’ Union cancelled a cross-party meeting minutes before the meeting was due to take place without notifying political parties.

SDLP Youth Vice Chair Peter Armstrong said: “The University of Ulster Students Union today cancelled the review meeting of the Political Protocol minutes before it was due to take place. They failed to communicate this to political parties involved, and despite several requests they have been unable to explain why it was cancelled.

“SDLP Youth were joined by three other political parties in sending student representatives to UU Coleraine to meet with the Students Union. We had to find out from other sources that the Students Union had cancelled the meeting at the last minute and have since failed to return any of our calls to inform us why it was cancelled.

“This was a vital meeting regarding the Political Protocol - a University of Ulster policy document that discriminates against student societies. The Protocol censors student activities by banning societies from recruiting or campaigning. The University of Ulster has refused to put the Political Protocol through Equality Impact Assessments, realising that the legalities of the Protocol are highly questionable and arguably breaching several Human Rights laws.

SDLP University and Colleges Officer, Malachy Quinn continued:
“The SDLP have organised and chaired a series of cross-party meetings at the University which included two meetings in the past fortnight. Last month we took the campaign online and launched www.AbolishProtocol.com , and our campaign to Abolish the Political Protocol has majority support from all the political parties active at the University.

“A Political Protocol does not exist at any other University in the UK or Ireland. We just want a normal situation where groups of students can set up student societies. We want the Protocol abolished so we can have the same freedoms that societies at Queens University enjoy. We want an open, democratic and transparent Students Union that communicates and consults with all of the student groups. We have been protesting and petitioning for three years now. It’s time the UU Students Union listened to the students they supposedly represent!”

SDLP Youth has today launched an online petition at www.AbolishProtocol.com. The petition signed by students urges the University of Ulster to abolish the Political Protocol.

SDLP Youth Vice Chair Peter Armstrong said: “The University of Ulster Students Union has for many years caused problems for political societies who wish to organise on UU campuses. This campaign aims to change this by abolishing the Political Protocol and urging the Students Union to stop censoring student societies.

“We welcome the support of all students, of all political persuasions, who believe their freedom of speech is being censored by the University of Ulster at its four campuses - Belfast, Coleraine, Jordanstown, and Magee.”

University of Ulster student Mark McKeown added: “We have been trying to set up a society for years, but the Students Union banned us from recruiting, censored our campaigns and threatened to throw us off campus.”

“A Political Protocol does not exist at any other University in the UK or Ireland. We just want a normal situation where groups of students can set up student societies. We want the Protocol abolished so we can have the same freedoms that societies at Queens University enjoy.”

SDLP Employment and Learning Spokesperson Alex Attwood MLA led a delegation of SDLP Youth to the University of Ulster to meet with the Vice Chancellor and push for radical change in the University and Students Unions treatment of political societies.

The ‘political protocol’ is a policy adopted by the university and the students union to ‘govern’ how political societies function on campus. SDLP Youth have been challenging the protocol for a number of years at the University as it restricts very basic freedoms.

The protocol has caused much contention and SDLP representatives have been asked to leave the UU Campus, as it doesn’t allow representatives to be present on Fresher’s Fayre, a busy day for all societies.

Speaking after the meeting SDLP Youth representative, Councillor Matthew McDermott said,

“the meeting was very positive and productive. SDLP Youth have been at the forefront of fighting to have this restriction removed. It seems that there could now at last be movement on the protocol and restrictions on political societies lifted.

The Vice Chancellor acknowledged that the North has moved forward, that political activity at university was very important for students and that the ‘political protocol should be looked at.

He agreed to seek that the Student Union president revisit the area and hopefully this is the beginning of the end of the protocol and its arbitrary conditions.

Political activity is very important to many students and the protocol is unjustified, unfair and discriminatory against those who wish to express their political opinion. We have always argued for its immediate abandonment and for political societies to be treated like any other society.”

SDLP Youth Vice Chair Peter Armstrong has expressed concern at the University of Ulster’s Student Union after they began distributing Sinn Fein press releases from their website.

Peter said: “It would seem that Sinn Fein press releases can now be found un-edited on www.uusu.org . The UUSU claims to represent all students no matter what their political belief, but this practice goes against its own Diversity Statement.

“On Tuesday the NUS-USI organised a demonstration outside Stormont against student fees. Members from UUSU attended the demonstration which was addressed by Mark Durkan MP MLA, Dolores Kelly MLA and Alex Attwood MLA. It was also addressed by Anna Lo MLA and a Sinn Fein representative.

“Although it received this cross-party support, and although the UUSU had lots of their own spokespeople there on the day, they decided to simply cut and paste a press release from Sinn Fein HQ onto their website.”