Latest news with #UnionofStudentsinIreland
Irish Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Protest told students may be forced to drop out if college fees return to €3,000
Students are concerned they will have to drop out of college if student fees are returned to €3,000, a protest has heard. Students gathered outside Leinster House on Tuesday evening to protest against suggestions from Higher Education Minister James Lawless that the €1,000 reduction in college fees will not be repeated. The Government has insisted that it will honour its commitment to reduce fees but has ruled out reintroducing the cost of living package that saw the fees drop to €2,000 in recent years. The protest was organised by Labour Senator and former Union of Students in Ireland (USI) President Laura Harmon and addressed by members of the opposition. Alex Angland, President of the UCC Student Union, said that 'as the cost of living continues to increase, students are being pushed towards a breaking point'. He added: 'Education is a right, not a privilege. Yet the government continues to place undue financial burden on students and on their families. 'More and more students are forced to take on unsustainable debt, to work excessive hours, and in some cases, to abandon their dreams of third-level education due to financial hardship.' Matt Mion, Education Officer at UCD Students' Union, told the crowd that he had brought a copy of page 72 of the programme for government, which stated the Government would 'continue to reduce the student contribution fee over time'. He also read from the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil manifestos and the promises that were made during the election regarding fees, He said: 'What are they doing now? They're reversing. 'I have it here. I have the paper it's written on and it's not worth sh*t.' Maeve Farrell, President of Maynooth Student Union, said any decision to return student fees to €3,000 would be a 'disgraceful and unjustifiable decision'. She added: 'Myself and my fellow officers in Maynooth Students Union have been contacted by students who are devastated and terrified that this will mean the end of their studies.' Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty accused the Government of 'weasel words' and said they had made a promise to cut student fees in the Programme for Government. He said: 'The question I have to the Government is, what have the students of Ireland done on you? 'Just last month, you unleashed your Minister for Housing, which has unleashed the landlords and allowed them to jack up rent for students to whatever level they want. 'Now we have the Minister for Higher Education jacking up student fees by another €1,000 at a time when rents are up, prices are up and now they want to put student fees up. 'Enough is enough. Now is the time to fight back.' In the Dáil, Taoiseach Micheal Martin defended the Government's stance on student fees, saying there are 'lots of instruments' to help students make college more affordable. Mr Martin said: 'This time last year was exactly the same position because the previous year had not provided estimates for the reduction of €1,000 that happened last year. 'It was exactly the same position and actually Sinn Fein had a motion down this time last year as well doing the exact same thing. 'There is an estimates process and there will be a budget. We will look at the full range of supports, including fees. 'We will look at student supports and stronger supports for students with disabilities. 'We will look for stronger supports for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and we will look at progression into third level from different areas, and into postgraduate and research. 'There is a significant menu, and lots of instruments with which we can help students, particularly those on middle and lower incomes to make college more affordable. 'It is across the full gamut of instruments we have or provisions we can make in the budget.'
Irish Examiner
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Irish students cancelling J1 summers in Trump's America
Another exhausting exam season will soon come rolling to a close, heralding the start of summer for thousands of college students across the country. In years past, many would now be preparing to spend a good chunk of their break bussing tables or bartending in US cities like Boston, New York and San Diego on J1 visas. The programme allows students to work and travel in the States for up to four months. A rite of passage for more than five generations, a J1 visa is traditionally accompanied with a gentle reminder for students to watch their "ps and qs", have fun, be safe and to behave in front of the Americans. This year, however, the warnings are a little different. In April, Union of Students in Ireland (USI) urged students to be 'cautious and informed' of the potential impact activism could have on their visa status. In the days prior, US Citizenship and Immigration had announced it was to begin considering 'aliens' antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals' as grounds for denying immigration requests. The order immediately affected those applying for 'lawful permanent resident status, foreign students and aliens affiliated with educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity.' In the month since, some students have changed their travel plans, opting not to go and taking the financial hit as a result. A spokeswoman for the USI told the Irish Examiner that some have told the union they are reconsidering or cancelling their trips due to fears about how their activism, particularly pro-Palestinian advocacy, could be perceived by US immigration. One student told the USI: I had everything sorted for my J1 - job, accommodation, flights - but after seeing what's happening in the US, especially around how they're targeting protesters, I don't feel safe going anymore. Another said: 'I've been involved in Palestine solidarity work at home, and I'm worried that even just posting about it on social media could be used against me when I land in the States. It's not worth the risk.' This is just one ripple effect to reach our shores of the havoc the Trump administration continues to wreak on the entire US education system. Within his first 100 days in office, the Trump administration froze billions in education funding, threatened to defund public schools found to be promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or 'gender ideology', and signed countless executive orders that have left education institutions from kindergartens to universities reeling. Trump v universities Work is well underway to dismantle the US Department of Education, with Trump promising taxpayers they will no longer be 'burdened with tens of billions of dollars wasted on progressive social experiments and obsolete programs' by returning power over education to families instead of 'bureaucracies'. And less than a year after a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and protests swept across US college campuses, the US president has also vowed to cut funding to the universities that permit 'illegal' protests and deport international students who take part. He claimed universities such as Columbia and Harvard did not do enough to protect Jewish students during the protests, retaliating against the universities by slashing billions in federal funding. At least 1,800 international students have seen their visa status revoked often with little to no explanation, amidst continued crackdowns on immigration, according to figures compiled by Inside Higher Education. Students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally last month. On Friday, Trump threatened to revoke Harvard University's tax free status, the latest escalation in a war with the world famous Ivy League school over federal funding. File photo: AP Universities and students are attempting to fight back against funding cuts and executive orders in the courts. On Friday, Trump threatened to revoke Harvard University's tax free status, the latest escalation in a war with the world famous Ivy League school over federal funding. 'We are going to be taking away Harvard's Tax Exempt Status. It's what they deserve!' Trump posted Friday morning on Truth Social. Research cuts Meanwhile, US scientists continue to see their research funding cut. Almost 800 grants have been eliminated at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest source of funding for medical research in the world. The cuts have affected projects relating to trans healthcare, the health-related effects of climate change, HIV research and vaccine hesitancy. Sunghee Lee, a research professor at the University of Michigan, saw her $5 million grant from the NIH terminated in March under the auspices of being a 'DEI' study. Her project was looking at different risk factors for Alzheimer's disease across all ethnic groups in the United States. The news her grant had been cancelled came "out of the blue", she told The Conversation Weekly. "I can only speculate [why]. If anybody read an extract of this study, and if anybody had a scientific understanding of any sort of science, they would have known that this is not a DEI study." The study title uses the word 'Latin X' instead of 'Latino', she added. "Perhaps Latin X is a word that one shouldn't be using. That's the only thing that I can really think of why this was identified as a DEI study." 'Brain drain' Many academics here will be watching all this unfurl in the States. The US is often seen as a "paragon" for research, according to Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at the Clinton Institute, University College Dublin. "Now, I would say that the US has lost that position of being a world leader because what is being done to it by the Trump administration. You have American academics who now effectively cannot co-operate with researchers outside the United States because if they are in certain areas, such as researching climate change for example, they've been told to stop. 'The attempt to control universities under the guise of DEI and 'woke' is just a pretext, it has nothing to do with DEI. The whole question about whether you have freedom of academic thought, whether or not you have freedom of academic research, is now a very serious question.' Many academics, both here and across Europe, are now quietly cancelling plans to travel, he believes. "It's just not worth the risk." There are now European and Canadian universities actively advertising for American academics, he added. 'There are other universities that aren't necessarily advertising for that but letting it be known to colleagues in the States that they would be welcome to come across. 'You are going to have a 'brain-drain' from the United States, both of foreign researchers who work in the US and US researchers who are going to leave, which is really going to hit expertise. 'That's in addition to the fact that many universities are going to be crippled anyway by what the Trump administration are doing. The line in terms of what the authorities might consider to be inappropriate, that they won't tolerate, they can come in and create a charge for that." He added that he is grateful for the freedom he has in Ireland to criticise government policy. "I don't think you can necessarily have that level of honesty without retribution in the States now." "This is one reason why my friends are thinking twice about going across because they know that in the nature of their research they've sometimes criticised US government policies, and I'm not talking about Trump-specific [policies]. They could have undertaken research on immigration, research on climate change, research on covid and they know it doesn't fit along with what the Trump folks want." A spokeswoman for the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said: "There is definitely concern that students may be stopped, questioned, or monitored, particularly in light of the US administration's recent moves to screen social media accounts and former president Trump's comments around protest-related arrests." Read More The numbers that matter from first 100 days of Donald Trump's second term in office
The Journal
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Have you reconsidered a trip to the US?
UNITED STATES AUTHORITIES have implemented stricter rules for foreign students – including J1 visa holders – and others planning to visit the US. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) issued a statement last week to students traveling to the US on J1 visas about the potential risks of engaging in activism while abroad. Advertisement The warning came after several non-US citizens were arrested and threatened with deportation for participating in pro-Palestine protests at universities. Education Minister Helen McEntee added that all visitors to the US should consider their social media history when going before Customs officials. So today we're asking: Have you reconsidered a trip to the US? Poll Results: Yes (761) I don't plan on visiting the US (696) No (402) Possibly (104) Yes No Possibly I don't plan on visiting the US Vote
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
J1 visas: Irish students warned against 'activism' in the United States
Irish students have been warned to be cautious about "activism" while on a popular work and travel visit to the United States this Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has issued the advice following concerns about heightened activity by US immigration officials after President Donald Trump's promise to combat antisemitism in an executive order in a statement, the Irish students representative body said it "strongly condemns any attempt to restrict the rights of Irish students on J1 visas to engage in activism, including support for the Middle East".Thousands of Irish students take part in the annual J1 visa programme. The J1 Student Work and Travel Programme is a reciprocal cultural exchange arrangement between the US and Irish Governments, allowing American and Irish students to work and travel in each other's USI urged students to be cautious and informed during their said any restriction that threatened students' ability to freely express their views were "deeply concerning and undermine the principles of free speech and democratic engagement".The USI added that activism was a vital part of student life but students should understand possible consequences. In a statement, the USI said: "We call on both the US and Irish authorities to provide clarity on these issues, ensuring that students are fully aware of their rights and responsibilities while participating in the J1 organisation said it was "committed to supporting students in navigating these challenges, and we will continue to advocate for their safety, rights, and freedom of expression". What is the Irish government's US travel advice? Responding to the USI statement, Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris emphasised that the government travel advice for Irish people going to the US had not he said, the government will always "keep all of these things under constant review".Harris said he understood why people were asking questions about the issue following "scenes from across America in terms of protest", particularly in relation to PalestineThe Irish government's general advice to students travelling to the US on J1 visas points out that, as Irish citizens in the United States, they are bound by US government's advice also states that if any visiting students should be arrested for any reason while in the US, they will have to go through the local justice system and that could mean "fines, jail and likely deportation and exclusion, and crucially could adversely affect your chances of getting back to the US down the line".The general advice also tells Irish students: "It is really important for you to familiarise yourself with the laws that will directly affect you during your stay in the US."The J1 US visa programme has been regarded as a rite of passage for thousands of students from both sides of the Irish border for many years.
