Mobilising the student vote: Students are about to rock some politicians' worlds, writes Richard Hammond, president of the Union of Students of Ireland
The dictionary definition of apathy is a "lack of feeling or emotion". Strange then that the word has often been levelled at students in this State, the implication being that this section of the population is content to lay back, skip lectures and let the world drift by.
One can only assume two things - the first is that the accusers are grossly under-informed as to the meaning of the word; the second, and more probable, is that they have had their heads in the sand for the last 20 years.
By the time the next general election arrives, few will dare to brand the State's 120,000 full-time students as apathetic - and members of the Oireachtas, in particular, will have learned to listen to the voice of students.
In recent years, USI has focussed on three main issues harming students. We've called for the abolition of the non-tuition charge for students, for the grant to come in line with basic social welfare payments and for direct investment in purpose-built student accommodation.
With regard to the non-tuition charge, many colleges remain tight-lipped as to where this money is spent. This is indefensible. If recent political and business scandals have taught us anything, it is that there must be complete openness and accountability where public money is concerned. The students who pay this charge have a right to know where their £312 is going, and why it has doubled since 1996.
There is a clear and wide gap between the level of student financial support provided by the Government and the cost of going to college for students. This gap has four significant negative outcomes.
It deters students from disadvantaged backgrounds from planning or working towards going to college.
It stops students who actually gain sufficient points for college from accepting places.
It leads to significant non-completion levels of students who actually make it to college.
It prevents students who make it to college from reaching their full academic and social potential as they are forced to work long hours to finance their way through third level.
The huge rent increases, especially in Dublin, have been well documented elsewhere. The argument for improved provision of purpose-built accommodation for students is one that will benefit more than just the student community. An improvement in this area will have a positive effect on the private-rented sector in general by easing the pressure on it considerably. This argument has already been conceded through Section 50 of the Finance Act.
The inactivity of successive governments on these issues has made us realise that it is time to go for the jugular. It was with this in mind that close to 20,000 students took to the streets last year to voice their dissatisfaction with the Government. I find it hard to see any "lack of feeling or emotion" in such a huge mobilisation of young dissatisfied voices, as indeed would any fair observer.
This unprecedented outpouring of anger from the student population was just the beginning. Successive governments have totally failed us and a general election is the best time for students to have their issues addressed.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) launched a successful voting registration campaign at the start of the academic year, and it is expected that the campaign will ensure the highest turnout of young voters in the history of the State. Now more than ever, politicians' attitude to students will be decisive in their re-election.
Our aim is to have 100 per cent of students registered by the election. The campaign has been hugely successful to date. So far, we have registered thousands of students, and the campaign is only starting. The next phase will involve representatives in all colleges ensuring that all students are registered. Each campus has been set a target, and the campaign will not finish until all targets are met.
A clear message will be sent out to all political parties that students will be voting on the basis of their response to our demands.
National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) research in 1999 found that 14 per cent of 18-to-25-year-olds were not even registered to vote, and the initial focus has been on the registering of these students. Once this is done, students will mobilised and educated to hit politicians where it hurts - at the ballot boxes. Politicians will no longer be able to ignore students on the grounds that they are unlikely to affect the outcome of an election. Some 135,000 third-level students - with their families and friends - can have a decisive role in who forms the next government.
LAST year, the politicians said that students were happy with their lot; that students didn't care about the issues that affected them; that the vibrancy was gone from the student movement. And then over 20,000 students took to the streets to prove them wrong. This year, the same students will prove highly influential in constituencies around the country. By using their votes, students will stand up for themselves once again.
The most worrying factor about overall voting statistics is that a government can be in power with less than 25 per cent of support in society. In this sense, USI's campaign also sends out a clear message to the rest of the population to claim this democratic society as their own.
Unity has always been USI's biggest strength, and the key to the success of this campaign is participation. Be assured that no commentator will dare use the adjective "apathetic" when describing the student population after the next election.
Unity is vital, and everybody needs to be on board and willing to participate. Encouragingly, there is every indication so far that this will be the case. The message to students is very simple: be heard, register and vote.
Through this active approach to civic participation the key goals of the student movement will be attained.
To the politicians and would-be members of the next Dáil the message is simple: students are voting - you have been warned.
