Manifesto

EQUALITY - DEMOCRACY – INDEPENDENCE

Manifesto for UCD Governing Authority Graduate Elections 2004

My vision for UCD is based on egalitarian and democratic civic values. Education is a public good, and a component of social citizenship. As a public good, it should be properly publicly funded, equally accessible to all, and run on a democratic and accountable basis. The unique independent role of university in culture and civil society should not be compromised by private interests, nor reduced to a short-term and utilitarian role in the economy.

Equality of Access

The introduction of free fees was a progressive move, and it should be built upon rather than eroded with registration fees. Government needs to enhance the grants system, and outreach programs must specifically target the excluded. Grants must be extended to evening students. The resources of the university can be better utilized in providing educational resources for the wider public, including graduates. Libraries need to be resourced and allow cheaper full access to graduates and wider society. Lifelong continuing education should be the model, drawing in people at all stages of life, regardless of professional orientation. A program of outreach should promote inclusion of excluded socio-economic cohorts. New courses in non vocational subject areas should be designed to expand access to the wider community. The college needs to engage more fully with community groups in its hinterland. An anti drop out strategy needs to be devised.

Equality on Campus

Non discrimination and inclusion need to become embedded in college life. Universities need to lead social change in this area, rather than conservatively following private sector practice and minimal legal requirements. Adequate resources need to be applied, and the social scientific expertise in the college, e.g. Equality Studies centre, should be utilized. The input of those affected by policies and decisions should be properly sought and incorporated into governance.

Funding & Independence

In order to preserve the unique independent role of the university in society, funding must be primarily public. University provides a crucial independent arena for reflection and critique in open societies, and a context in which technical and other goals can be subjected to critical reflection. University inputs crucially into the civic and civil fabric of society, forming citizens and regenerating the public sphere. The humanities and social sciences input directly into the social fabric of society. Dependence on private funding is a recipe for the erosion of this unique historic independent role of the academy in society. In the sciences, the pure theoretic dimension of research is threatened, along with the likelihood that applied research will follow the agenda of private interests rather than public goods. Ethical, philosophical and democratic reflection on the research agenda is likely to be sidelined, demoted beneath corporate interests. The recent OECD report supports a model where universities are simply an arm of economic policy. Applying business values to the rating of universities leads to a situation where contributions in the traditional humanities are being devalued, simply because their value is not apparent in utilitarian terms. Thus, UCD, we are told is low in the world wide research league table, despite leading departments in the arts and social sciences. The USI summarizes it correctly: “Privatization of institutions, exploitation of international students and an emphasis on transforming the third level sector into nothing more than a business will destroy the very things that have transformed this country to the ‘Celtic Tiger’ it is today. We need to learn from the OECD report that what might make financial sense in a global economy is not always socially wise for a state or its people.”
As a minimum demand, any private sponsorship deal with UCD should be made
public at least a month before the deal is signed and sealed. I would like see a mandatory social impact, ethical and ecological audit and review process, with lots of room for accounting to the public at large.

Democratization

UCD should be governed in the public interest. The make-up, method of appointment, and procedures, of the governing authority need to be radically reviewed, and suggestions made for new legislation in the area of higher education governance.
Accountability and transparency need to be brought to the system. If elected I will publish as much of the proceedings as possible and seek greater involvement of all stakeholders on campus and beyond. I have committed to give account of my actions to SU council (I have undertaken to resign if called upon by an SU council motion of no confidence), and to be available to any students, staff or graduates to feed their concerns into the college governance system.

Symbolic moral issues

UCD should not bury its head in the sand as regards international human rights issues, and global corporate activities. Award of honorary degrees should be submitted to proper scrutiny so that legitimacy is not conferred on dubious activities. External corporate involvement in the college should be ethically audited. The appointment of a CRH director as GA chairman is a matter of concern, considering the statement of the International Court of Justice on the illegality of the Israeli security wall.