Sabbatical Update – Summer 2025
It’s been a busy summer for all of us in Union HQ. The Sabbatical team and I have been working hard to deliver meaningful wins for students over the last three months, as well as putting all sorts of plans in place for the year ahead. As we kick off this term, we wanted to share some key updates with you. If there’s anything we can do to help, or if you are looking to get involved, please do reach out to us.
Fee Increase
In June, the Minister announced a student fee increase in direct breach of the Programme for Government. In response, we launched a strong media and lobbying campaign, engaging directly with the Minister and other key stakeholders. While a full reversal looks unlikely, we are confident the €1,000 increase announced in June will not go fully ahead as planned, and that additional supports will be made available. The fight, however, is not over.
Digs Drive
We ran our most successful Digs Drive ever this summer. We took to the airwaves, TV and the streets to encourage more community housing near UCD and along key bus routes. As a result, more accommodation has been made available to UCD students than in any previous year. It is by-no-means and ideal solution, however, in the absence of purpose built accommodation becoming available, this will hopefully ease the crisis for some students. It is frankly ridiculous we have to take these steps but that is the nature of the housing crisis.
Save Our Scholars
Over the summer, the Union worked closely with the Save Our Scholars campaign, UCD Global, and relevant government departments to secure safe passage for at-risk scholars from Gaza. Thanks to these efforts, several students have now arrived in UCD to continue their education, despite the extremely difficult circumstances they face.
Affordable Lunch Options
We’re delighted to introduce new €3.50 toasties in SU shops to make lunches more affordable. I’ve also been engaging extensively with the Wright Group, which has agreed to lower prices in the Village Food Hall to €5, €7, and €9 across certain vendors. While this is a step in the right direction, we’ll continue pushing to tackle the high cost of living on campus.
Housing
While Village Block 2 is set to go ahead, 30% of the new accommodation will be offered at a 30% reduced rate for the next 30 years, ring fenced for students in economic difficulty. This concession is welcome, though we remain committed to ending tiered pricing in UCD housing, no student should have to pay more simply because of the floor they live on. I recently appeared before an Oireachtas committee to highlight these issues directly. I hope to see UCD phase out tiered housing this year.
Christmas Day
Work is ongoing to bring Christmas Day safely back to campus. While I can’t give away too much just yet, I’m confident we’ll have good news to share soon.
Food Pantry
Next month the Union will launch its Food Pantry, an initiative to tackle food poverty and sustainability. This will be housed in the Engineering Building and will be open to students by appointment. It’s a sad but necessary step to take in our ongoing response to the cost-of-living crisis on campus.
This summer proved what we can do when we stand together: we pushed back on fees, opened doors to housing, and made campus that bit more affordable. But we’re only getting started. The fights ahead are real, and so is our determination. This is our campus, our Union, and our time to make change. I look forward to meeting you all over the coming year at our various events over the coming year.
Michael
UCDSU President
