UCD Invent Federation of University Students Unions only to withdraw from it

UCD Students Union have formally withdrawn from FUSU - or have they?

Unfortunately UCDSU weren't quite sure of what FUSU stands for. FUSU as we known it stands for Forum of University Students Unions and is a forum which allows enhanced communication between the seven universities SU's and DIT.

UCD SU fearing a threat from FUSU to USI decided to withdraw from it - through a motion from the UCD Union Council which f ormally gave notice of their intention to withdraw from the "Federation" of University Students Unions.

FUSU does not have a formal membership nor is it a formal organisation and is instead a forum which is open to the seven universities Students Unions around the country and DIT due to its size.

As it stands UCDSU have withdrawn from the Federation of University Students Unions and not the Forum of University Students Unions (FUSU).

It remains to be seen if it will be possible for anyone to withdraw from this informal forum and even if it; is it unlikely to have an impact on the remaining FUSU members as UCD has refused to turn up to recent FUSU meetings.

Three of the FUSU members UL, Maynooth and DCU are all non-affiliates to USI but in an "effort" to bridge the communications boundary between the USI affailates and non-affiliates UCD kindly suggested we all hold a referendum to re-join USI. They believe that in the current economic climate it would be advantageous to us. Another point of view is that in the current economic climate asking students to increase the levy paid to the Students Union to fund USI might be better spent elsewhere. Particularity as there is currently a place where the SU's can talk to each other for free... namely FUSU - the Forum of University Students Unions.

The PSA is not affiliated to USI but has been represented in the past at FUSU along with Trinity GSU the only other body representing postgrads in the country who are also USI non-affiliates - a point of contention between TCDSU and TCDGSU in the past.