The Union of Students in Ireland is in a stronger position now than it has been in a number of years.

Last year saw large scale demonstrations against the proposed reintroduction of third level fees around the country involving thousands of students, USI has got a considerable amount of media coverage and the debate around universality in third level education has moved into mainstream public discourse.

Due to the current economic situation, colleges are being hit left right and centre by cut back after cutback. Of course we recognize that some changes need to be made.

The cutbacks we are interested in fighting are the ones that affect quality, access etc.

This year USI aims to stand with the students of Ireland to demand:

• Equal Access to Education (Continuing the fight against fees, loans and graduate tax)

• A Decent Grant System

• A Cap on the Registration Fee