Its Feedback Time - for your local Students Union!

Sully

So yeah, the Students Union in WIT have asked on Facebook for people to email (and only email, don't want it published in full view) their Feedback to the Welfare Officer Denise McCarthy.

What can we, WIT Students' Union, do to be a better Students' Union for you in 2011/2012.. Please do NOT comment here but email welfare@witsu.ie. Thank you.

So feel free to email them. I wont be deleting Feedback posted here, and I am sure it will be read by the team and taken onboard but they just prefer it was emailed onto them.

callaway92

also posted it on facebook.

Reduce the price of games of pool to €1. €1.20 is a rip off and just awkward. Spent at least €500 this year playing (Probably nearly €600). I know I don't HAVE to play for €1.20, but when ye have 3 hour breaks between lectures you have no other choice really!

MitchKoobski

FINALLY SOMEONE MENTIONED THE POOL

Finding that extra 20c in your pocket to play Pool is one of the biggest pet peeves of WIT.

MacGyver

Why dont they want it posted in public? they're obviously not expecting very good feedback then

Sully

MacGyver wrote: »

Why dont they want it posted in public? they're obviously not expecting very good feedback then

Aye well I am sure there are areas where they have been poor and they never like bad publicity so I can see why it would be done behind closed doors. Wonder will they delete what people put up on Facebook?

I wasn't impressed with how they handled with the WIT Card machine fiasco. Students for years have been calling for the system to be scrapped or changed, and when the college moves to stop people putting in euro coins the union seemed to drag their feet on the whole thing and it seemed (from being at the SU Meetings in the Auditorium) people needed to force the union to go back and ask them to bring back allowing Euros in the machine.

There was one particular issue the union were asked to help a student, and while it wasn't a walk in the park issue they let the student down big time. Completely failed to do their job on all counts in the end.

I would still also prefer they were more supportive of Clubs & Societies. They are fed up of me saying this, but I think it would be great if they supported and got a bit more behind Clubs & Socs. Likewise, having poster pouches throughout the college to advertise their events while C&S are only allowed put them up in one or two noticeboards seems daft - but that's a wider failing I think, but as a Student Union they should be helping address it.

Saying all that, they didn't try very hard to block the new college paper even when they had a bit of a dig at within and I think that has to be welcomed. Its about time we got an independent paper. I expected more resistance. There have been times where small issues were quickly addressed at least by Conor - for example, being asked to leave a Union meeting as I was not a class rep, and deliveries for Young Fine Gael that were refused (the delivery guy brought them to their office not knowing where to go, and in the end had to return the package as it was refused. The porters sometimes take them, or send them to the right location).

Bigger issues seem to be their downfall anyway.

MacGyver

I wont go into the issues i have with the students union as the issues i have with it are how little they interact with the students.

I haven't seen the new paper either but I hope for it's better edited and proof read. There was some really bad editing done on the student union one.

Sully

MacGyver wrote: »

I wont go into the issues i have with the students union as the issues i have with it are how little they interact with the students.

I haven't seen the new paper either but I hope for it's better edited and proof read. There was some really bad editing done on the student union one.

They shall only learn if you point out their problems, well at least they can only try.

New paper:: http://thewittyword.ie/campus_01.pdf

Only one edition, not bad for first proper attempt I think.

brian plank

clamping is a joke. it seemed like there used to be a bit of common sense applied and they only clamped people who were in the way. now if your not in a space your f*cked even if your not blocking anyone.

callaway92

Ya, the clamping is a money making scam to be fair. Really annoying. If your first lecture is at 11am onwards, it's so damn hard to find a parking spot. Sometimes parking in a spot not specifically designated for parking is kind of a last resort. What harm if you're not blocking anyone else imo.

TK422

Extend library opening hours, particularly around exam time. Having the library closed for "Easter holidays" for almost a week before 2nd semester exams was a ****ing joke. Spend less money on flimsy things e.g. WIT card machines, library entry machines, arrogant library staff, etc. and more on actually having a library facility that suits students and their needs.

Ensure that every class has Class Reps. Some classes were never notified about it until it was too late and these classes were unrepresented, so to speak, for the entire year.

Fix the pathetic excuse for Wi-fi in the college. It is highly erratic, temperamental and prone to constant crashes. Trying to get internet access on a laptop or smartphone became increasingly difficult as the year progressed until ultimately I ended up using my own personal 3G connection. University status anyone?

And a little trivial matter, the exam answer booklets are made of the worst paper imaginable. Its like writing on toilet paper. A nuisance when you're expected to complete a full one or more in an exam.

callaway92

+1 on the WiFi. Very often getting "limited connectivity".

Paddy001

The library opening hours need to be longer, 9PM is very early when coming near the end of term and there is alot of work to do.

The pathetic excuse for wifi is unreal, rareely able to connect to it, absolute disaster

Half the ESB plugs in the library dont work, it was a torment for me when my laptop only does 3 minutes on the battery, thankfully I have a new one now.

There's more but thats enough for now I think

stick-dan

I've since left but my 2cents from my final year would be.

1. Library Hours need to extended at least 2-3 weeks before the exams right through to the last exam. It gives those students who aren't last minute crammers more time to get some proper study done. The worst part of the short library hours is that you have too many people not actually studying and talking too loud in the library, affecting those who are genuinely trying. In my last year I lost hope with the library, especially seeing as discipline and rules were not being correctly Enforced. Surely the SU could wrangle up some volunteers to help man the library more around exam time.

2. There was an administration cost in my final year (of approx €10 for registered letter printouts) that were being enforced on students. In my opinion this was a low underhanded way of extortionating money from the hands of the students because the college knew that 40-65% of the college students would need letters for grant applications, F.I.S (family income support), Job seekers allowance. The college took advantage of students with this (I think they still charge it too, but open to correction, I'm speaking of 2009/2010) and I don't think the union stood up to this and protected the student body well enough.

3. Library also needs to have wired connection points downstairs for internet connection. The Wifi in Waterford IT is too inconsistent. A lot of people I knew used dongles to provide their own connectivity, which is a disgrace when you're fees to the college are supposed to pay for a decent infrastructure. Every network is allowed downtime but WIT's wifi is excessive and you are constantly fobbed off by WIT's Computer services. The students Union needs to put pressure on Wit's Computer Services to improve their wireless infrastructure or provide a decent Wired alternative.

Yossarian_Lives

Not to take away form her gesture, butI have been on the Union EXec a while ago and was a class rep for all my time in college. the same issues are always brought up again and again. So what she will hear this time is more than likely the same thing she would have heard last year and the year before that. they are avoiding the real elephant in the room. Which is the fact of the matter is the Union either is incompetent or unable to do anything.

I think many of the Union members have been out of their depth and were just incompetent in their job in general or when particular matters came up (not everyone but many)

Secondly, I think that there is a false impression on what the SU can actually do. Sure it can do things like sort out the price of pool etc but things like the library they really cant do much. So even if the SU person is good at their job there really is not a hell of a lot they can do.


I think there is an unreasonable perception on the student body that the Union can just make anything happen if then contact and argue with the admin of the college. Its always about compromise you want longer library opening house, a cut will have to be made somewhere else in the college with SU support. (when I was on the union I also pushed for longer opening hours for the libraries but paying for that came at a cost) same thing goes for Campus services. There is a give and take the Students must understand that.

Im not trying to have a go at anyone on this fourm or anyone particular in the Union (at the moment) just this is my experience of what happens.

x3wiggles

Meh. WIT is alright for an IT

BuilderPlumber

This was asked in the immediate period before WITSU became more authoritarian. The way poor James Lambe was forced out set in motion how things would be from then on and it ain't a pretty sight. I cannot see the current student union take ANY constructive criticism on board whatsoever. It is not in their nature. We need a mostly new set of people running it next year. Cassandra is ok but the others are lazy and often autocratic in their dealings.

brian plank

why did you complain in four seperate threads about the students union. its like your unhappy with them or something.

BuilderPlumber

brian plank wrote: »

why did you complain in four seperate threads about the students union. its like your unhappy with them or something.

Yes, I am very unhappy with student unions and have a right to complain. WITSU is a very poor SU at present. I know I know being a construction management student is not easy these days but support friends of mine have gotten from the student unions and my own experiences of support from them = NIL. Way too politicised (often they are little more than a platform for getting into national political parties!), way too much cronyism, way too little help or choice with how to solve problems and with tuition and advice. And anytime I call to their office, the right person to talk with is almost NEVER there!!

Sully

Please don't drag up multiple old threads to have a rant. If you want to make your point on here, create one new thread with your point. Thanks.