The Move Up
In 2013 DIT had planned to move 10,000 students up to the new Grangegorman campus by the year 2017. In 2014 they had successfully moved over 1200 students from Art, Design, Photography, and Social Sciences.
There are several reasons as to why any further move has been delayed. One reason I know of, is that last year legal action was initiated by an unsuccessful tender bidder. Another involves the speed in which the DIT can sell off current DIT sites. Kevin street and Cathal Brugha street were put on sale last year. These are just two broad examples which I know of.
So now the estimated date for the next big move up of students is 2019. DIT Kevins Street and Cathal Brugha Street are the two campuses set to move.
The Student Centre
In the late 00s plans were underway regarding the building of a Student Centre in Grangegorman. The student centre would be a place consisting of your Students’ Union offices, SU common room, Societies office, multipurpose space, blackbox theatre, and a student bar for example. Since 2007 your SU have made it clear to the DIT as to what type of Student Centre you want, and what facilities would best benefit you.
In October 2016, I was invited to a meeting where DIT told us that since we are an IT and not a University that DIT cannot borrow money to build such a Centre. Put simply, DIT cannot afford to build a Student Centre up to the size which was originally promised. Hence, they may have to have reduce the size of the Centre, and remove certain facilities.
By doing this, the quality of the student facilities you may be getting in Grangegorman will be lower, but the financial price you must pay to build the Centre itself through a proposed Student Levy may stay the same at a proposed 190 Euro per student for 20 years.
Now DIT gave us 2 options (which I have attached; slides 8 – 11) as to how we would like to see our Students Centre built once reduced in size. Considering the amount of money you will have to pay to build the Centre, the 2 proposed options are not good enough. We believe that more can be done to avoid the dramatic reduction of you Student Centre. On the 13th February, you SU will begin talks with DIT to find a better solution to the Grangegorman Student Centre situation.
The Levy
The Student Levy is an additional cost you must pay in the next year or two on top of your registration fee. This additional costs specifically go towards the building of student facilities in Grangegorman, this includes the Student Centre. For this levy to be introduced your Students’ Union must agree to host a Levy Referendum, where you and every DIT student decide on whether you want a levy or not . However, such a referendum can’t come until DIT agree to the policy terms proposed by your Students Council. In February, your Union will re-commence Levy negotiations.
You can find the Levy Agreement Draft here, which outlines the money you may have to pay if the levy passes, and, your SU’s policy regarding the terms of the Levy Referendum.
So these are the three big topics surrounding Grangegorman so far. I hope this gives you a better idea as to what the story is with the new site. I will be giving further updates to you as they come. If you have any further questions, please get back in touch with me. I am more than happy to answer.
This Article was written for DITSU News by SU President Boni Odoemene. You can reach Boni by email president@ditsu.ie and by phone 01 402 3057.
