The union of Students in Ireland (USI) is in disarray after the resignation of its president, deputy president and western convener and a scathing report which suggests it is no longer taken seriously as a lobby group.
President Dermot Lohan resigned after delegates at USI's annual congress decided to amend the union's constitution to create a full-time position of equality officer, against his wishes. Lohan was opposed to the creation of the new post and a number of other reforms passed by this year's congress being carried out before a strategic review of the organisation was completed.
In his letter of resignation, written jointly with western convener Alan Kelly, Lohan said the decisions of congress "showed the lack of strategic planning and vision which has crippled this organisation.
"We feel we have done our utmost to reform this organisation to one that is professional and effective [but] we can no longer persuade students that their best interests are served by membership of USI in its current state."
Ross O'Daly, president of DIT students' union, said Lohan's comments showed a disregard for the democratic decisions taken by the majority of congress delegates.
Lohan's departure is likely to lead a number of institute of technology (IT) unions allowing their membership of the national union to lapse. Other IT student unions are considering complete disaffiliation.
The union's deputy president, Ronan Emmet, resigned before congress for "personal reasons". Kelly, a close ally of Lohan, resigned along with the president. Welfare officer Siobhan Fearon decided against running for re-election to the organisation's officer board; at present there is no one to succeed her in July, because nobody came forward to run for her position in time for congress. Nominations for the position re-opened yesterday.
Union officers are now operating on the principle of "collective responsibility" and were running the union as normal with the help of the union administrator, according to one of its remaining elected officers. Some presidents of member unions who voted against the union's incoming president, Phil Madden, at the union's annual congress earlier this month say they will not be able to rally behind him when he takes office in July.
Madden defeated UCD's Charlie McConalogue by 81 votes to 75; however, the winning candidate was not supported by the union of which he was once president, Carlow IT.
A number of other colleges from the southern area were also opposed to his election.
Meanwhile, the preliminary summary of the strategic review of USI commissioned by the organisation's trustees provided further bad news for the organisation. One of the authors of the report, Pat Montague, warned that "USI used to be rated as a serious player but is not anymore". Among people outside the organisation there was "a sense that until USI started taking itself seriously nobody else could".
Outsiders were "wary" of working closely with the organisation because of its "perceived unprofessionalism", Montague said.
The consultants interviewed current and former student activists, politicians, policymakers and "opinion leaders". Montague told congress that "so much baggage, so much history and so much personal animus" clouded current officers' views on the union that there was no point in consulting them during the review.
"There was greater good will and appreciation of USI" outside the organisation than inside, the report said. However, some of the outsiders interviewed said they "wouldn't go for information to USI" and that the organisation was "a PR nightmare".
While USI were held to have represented students well at local level, outsiders said the union should "be more active in the social partnership process".
The interim report recommends that the union strengthen its staff structures, make more effective use of the media and provide more counselling services for students. It also recommends that the union "concentrate on the basic issues of education, grants, accommodation and services".
