IT is unlikely to be rushing towards reaffiliation with USI in the near future, following a debate on reaffiliation held in the university last week.

The debate, organised by the UL debating union, was addressed by USI president Colman Byrne and education officer Malcolm Byrne, who were proposing reaffiliation. Speaking against rejoining the national union were the president of UL students' union, Seamus Doran, and Diarmuid Conway, former president of UCC and a man who might seem unlikely to be given honorary membership of USI in our lifetime.

"It was generally good rumoured during the debate but it got a bit fiery when it was opened to the floor," says Doran. The reaffiliation motion was heavily defeated at the end of the evening.

"The longer we stay out of USI, the stronger the anti USI feeling becomes," says Doran. "At this stage, people don't want anything to do with it."

He said USI was still perceived by students in the university as a Dublin based organisation which was out of touch with students' concerns on the ground and represented "money down the drain".

"We came up against the usual stuff such as how the £20.000 affiliation could be better spent, but it either goes into USI or it doesn't exist," said Colman Byrne, referring to the fact that affiliation fees are paid through an agreed increase in capitation.

He described the debate as "constructive" and said that USI had not expected to win it, although even its opponents agreed the organisation was changing and improving.

. Next week's Campus Times will contain a special report on recruitment and graduate employment prospects. On that subject, a final reminder to students and recent graduates that the AIESEC Ireland Careers Fair takes place this Thursday, October 24th in the Gleeson Hall of DIT Kevin Street from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Over 30 companies will be in attendance and entry is free.