Is it a good thing or bad thing that Nuig doesn't have a ents officer?

Im not too familiar with the demise of the ents crew that was in galway.I presume there was a valid reason at the time.There will be no entertainment(alcohol-free) next year when the funding for tuesday night ents runs out.

Why don't we have an ents officer while practically every other college has one?

Ruadan

Paddy Reilley.

I like the guy but he's left the union in a mess (no i'm not just bitter cause he got rid of the EAO..)

Yeah he was very autocratic.Its going to be a huge problem for damien Corridan to keep control over everything paddy had control over.Plus you were always wrong with Paddy!Even though the increase in su fees was to pay the infamous six figure sum!

Ruadan

jaysus tell him that an he'll put ya through his office window....

Amazotheamazing

Is Paddy finally gone then? Thank goodness, he presided over the destruction of RAG week, he made several pubs in town that bit richer by the riduclous alcohol policy (though I think he inherited that one), and generally the SU grew even more distant from the students they nominally represent during his tenure.

wet-paint

Blah blah blah I know nothing about this, but I'll shove my opinion down your throat anyways...
The SU has no control over the aalcohol policy. That was brought in by the college. They support it as **** all people in college know how to drink.

The ents crew did a fine job with what they had, but at the time it was seen as a better idea to not renew the contract of the then Entertainments officer, and to run the thing themselves, as it would free up funds.

paddyreilly

I never ceased to be shocked by the nonsense I read here. So, to clarify a few things:

1. The position of Entertainment Manager was made redundant about 15 months before I became President of the Union. The Ents Manager and Ents Crew were removed because neither were contributing anything to campus life, mainly due to students' obsession with bars in town. We even had Snow Patrol a few years back. Nobody went.

2. RAG Week has been dying a death since about the year 2000. The biggest problem is that students don't really care about anything that doesn't involve getting loaded drunk. This is not the Union's fault.

3. Structurally, the Union is in excellent shape. We took some very difficult decisions over the last few years and made it through unscathed. The Executive will have additional staff support next year that really should've been hired years ago. In fact, the Union is now being taken very seriously by the university; that says a huge amount. In addition, the more professional attitude of the Union has seen a huge increase in the number of students seeking support from us.

4. The levy increase will see an extra ~€135,000 coming into the Union next year. This will be spent on alcohol-free entertainment (€27k), publications such as the SU diary and Sin newspaper (€27k) and the balance on new staff members and new representational activities. (For the record, the infamous six figure sum - which barely made it to six figures (work it out yourself) - was easily covered by the savings we made in salaries since last summer.)

5. The latest draft of the alcohol policy was agreed in April 2002. I wasn't even a sabbatical officer at that stage, so it's not my fault. However, the sentiment is correct, i.e. that events should be sold on merit and not on the fact that there's free drink available. Irish students have absolutely no idea how to control themselves when it comes to alcohol. It should also be noted that the Union received more funding from pubs in town this year for activities not related to alcohol than it has ever before. I think that's a good thing.

6. The changes to orientation that we've pushed through in the last two years have meant that students get to meet their Union officers on their first day in NUI, Galway, which is something we are regularly complemented on.

7. With regard to always being wrong when talking to me, I question people on what they say. I cannot stand people talking through the arses about something they know nothing about. If you believe in what you're saying, you'll say it and stand by it. Otherwise, keep it to yourself. It's a simple philosophy.


As I've said many times, the Union is not about me and the rest of the Executive. It's about students helping students and standing up for each other. How many of you have ever contributed anything meaningful to the Union? (And before anybody starts the whole "we pay your wages" talk, please note that each student directly contributes about €6 to the Union. Also, you pay us to lead and represent, not to do all your donkey work...)

po0k

Nice rebuttle.

Pity the same bullsh1t keeps coming up year-in, year-out from fresh crops of noobs.

It would be nice if they were just questioning authority - a healthy disposition, but it's the mass ignorance of the political (in the wider sense of the word) machinations in the college that grind peoples' gears.

Also, fúck Rag week. It had some positive contribution to society ten years ago but sadly no-longer. Irish Students are boring little self-obsessed sh1ts for the most part. Let's hear it for the Celtic Cubs and cultural suicide. Generalisation++

Amazotheamazing

Fair play for replying Paddy. Can anyone tell me how many people voted in the last SU elections?

It was something pitiful like 700 people!I voted but i was only one in group of my friends who voted!

To Paddy:Was it still not a bad decision on part of the union to fire this person without going to a solicitor?So this person you fired was earning over 100000 last year?

On a final note.You are an autocratical leader taking on much of the work of the student union.Do you really think Damien Corridan will be able to handle all the jobs that you have incorporated into President?You were able to handle it but you were a excellent president in most areas.

paddyreilly

We were brave, not stupid! Of course we sought assistance from a solicitor; two of them, in fact. And IBEC. And two HR consultants. That's a whole lot of advice! But they can't make decisions for you. so, you throw everything into the pot, weigh up the options and make a decision. Then you stand by it. We definitely did the right thing.

As for the salary, nobody in the SU earns/earned over €100k gross, but when you throw in pension contributions and employer's PRSI, a basic salary figure gets fairly expensive for any employer. Also, throw in the fact that other staff members retired or were made redundant and you have further savings.

Regarding the elections, the turnout was atrocious. I honestly think this is because students have it far too easy. There's nothing controversial to deal with. Or, more importantly, nothing to directly affect students' everyday lives. Take, for example, those damn steps. Students whinging about it for years. Nobody pays any attention to the fact that the university is slowly turning into a degree factory where students are just churned out like a processing line, with no transferrable skills and none of the attributes that employers want. But nobody cares about that, because that doesn't affect the here-and-now for students. Add to that, the fact that there's no chance of fees returning in the short term. Parking worked out reasonable well for students, especially when you consider most did absolutely nothing about it (save the five or so standing in the snow with most of the SU Executive in January 2005) and we were starting from a shockingly bad position. The incoming Executive has a lot of marketing to do, which is why the new communications staff position is vital. It's also important that the Union now have a good product to sell to the students. And seeing that Union now runs itself effectively and we have a hand in practically everything that happens in the university, nobody can argue that the SU does nothing for them.

As for taking on too much, I take on what needs to be done. I've spent the last year working with staff members, our Board of Directors and various advisors to get the right structure for our businesses, which was my biggest aim for the year. And we're within an inch of the finishing line with regard to the big changes, which is certainly timely given my impending exit. (Woohoo!) I've been the de facto Chief Executive Officer of our main commercial company for over a year which has added massively to my workload. The new Chief Executive Officer will take on all of this work, so Damien won't have to worry about it and won't be bogged down in financial reports, HR issues and every other sorta crap. Instead, he can deal with representational activities and allow the Board (which he'll chair) to run the businesses for the benefit of the Union and, as a result, the students. I've also spent time taking various responsibilities that used to be dumped on the President's desk and giving them to staff members, which will lighten the President's workload and allow him to properly prepare for meetings and to do some research, which is key to making progress!

Paddy!May i add that i wish you the best of luck in the future seeming as you will be finished as president soon.

Nice to see you sorted out things for Damien!