Louise, if you’ll notice Catherine Wylie wrote the article, and before you point it out so did Brendan Hughes, but never the less am I to understand that Catherine Wylie is being sexist against women?

I don’t know about you, but every Thursday night the union is full of drunk students. We will get drunk whether drinks are £1 or £2.70. The only difference is will we have enough money left over for food the next day?

Often, the answer is no. I see no reason why the union shouldn’t provide a cheap venue for a night out so students on a low budget can still afford a good night out.

I however, do not agree that having cheaper drinks is going to reflect badly on the image of the union. If students are to go out and become inebriated then they will do so. This is why students tend to get carry outs. I’m not suggesting, nor appealing for £1 drinks, but a price cut in drinks would do no harm for the union.

The provision of bars and shops is simply an “add on” – they’re only only there to fund the good stuff.

Also, those college union bars that are slashing drink prices in GB are the failing union bars – 90p shooters all night does not work as a business model. The students’ union drink market has declined by 50% in the last ten years – fact.

Also, Danny should probably read some newspapers in order to see what reputation students have in the community. His comments are all too typical of the perceived selfish youth stereotype.

I have had to seek representation and advice from the Sabbs three times over the last couple of years, and on two of those occasions I felt they were friendly and provided useful information. At the same time, I do think the whole idea of student politics is something that remains completely irrelevant to most students because they are unaware of the actual purpose and processes of it all.

Whilst I think it is quite shocking that the prices in the SU are amongst the highest in the UK, I do realise that I might be willing to sacrifice the allure of cheap drinks in order to ensure the union retains a respectable image in order to give the Saabs some authority when representing students. I mean if someone is helping to defend you from Queens from accusations of unsocial behaviour from neighbours, it’s not really going to help if the union is seen to actively promote drunkenness? It would give out the message that the union is just as “guilty” as student’s neighbours often proclaim them to be.

Although I do think that the cause of the downturn in the union’s trade is more likely to be due to the recession, and the fact that many more students are struggling to manage financially, particularly with ever-escalating fees. Again, I very much doubt that where the Saabs choose to socialise has any impact on the majority of students, who would have difficulty identifying them, and is probably linked more to cost.

Perhaps they should focus on campaigning and energizing the student body to drastically reduce or abolish fees, then we might actually be able to afford to go out and socialise more. Since moving out, I have found it much harder to cover essential expenditure such as rent, electricity, heating etc., never mind having loads left over to drink with. I suspect many students are in this position because a lot of parents are unable to provide the same level of financial support, and particularly those second and third years who have probably run up debts from overdrafts and loans in first year. I’d definitely like to see more being done about such major issues which affect all students (especially given complete lack value for money our £3225 fees represent) rather than on driving down drink prices in the union which will probably attract more non-students and make the queues even longer.

A cheap bar is a fat lot of use to you if you’re struggling to pay your bills, or if you are being disciplined by the University, or end up in a dispute with a Tutor, or if QUB tries to increase fees, or if the much heralded and very expensive New Library turns out to be useless.

As it stands the Union, as a welfare organisation, has the resources to provide representation, advice and help to students.

For example, The Student Advice Centre (on the 2nd floor of the Union) provides financial advice to Students with the student’s interests in mind (even if that is not what QUB would have them do). The Student Advice centre will also assist you to defend disciplinary proceedings, or to take a complaint against the University. That’s just some of what the advice centre does.

The Union Exec has, for all of the criticism it gets (sometimes legitimately) taken serious concerns to the New Library and actually succeeded in expanding the 24 provision during exam times (a small victory, but significant in that it shows that the library are prepared to listen to students if we apply enough pressure). The Union Exec also secured funding for the Night Bus to provide FREE transport for Students in the South Belfast area who are on a night out. Think about how useful that is to most students. Walking home drunk is almost as dangerous as driving home drunk (and, according to a legal article I have just come across when I googled drunk pedestrians, possibly illegal) and Alcohol is, as I’m sure you’re aware, involved in more rapes than any other drug. By taking drunk students off the streets and providing them with a safe, FREE, way of getting home the Union has removed these dangers from those who wish to avail of this service.

Our representatives on the Senate and the Academic board are pledged to resist further cuts in provision and increases in fees. The Union is campaigning to give Students more of a say in how the University is run generally, and has successfully prevented the university from sidelining student representatives on university bodies.

If anything, the Union needs to increase its welfare work, not cut it. Things are tighter than ever financially for students with the cock-up surrounding loans and the increased cost of living. This will be exacerbated by the proposal by Russell Group unis (including QUB) to charge fees of £10,000 per year. It is essential to have a strong Union in place to fight that proposal at every step. It is equally essential that students have access to independent financial and personal advice, currently supplied by the Union.

But if you’d rather get rat-arsed, throw up through your neighbour’s letter box and wake up in a gutter wearing a dress with no recollection of what you did for the last 72 hours while simultaneously depriving the rest of us of sound advice, a strong voice and a good reputation then your option makes sense.

Perhaps lowering prices would bring more people in and the increase in business would have a positive effect on the profit margins. The fact is, imo we don’t have a student bar at the moment. We have an expensive bar located in the student unions. A student bar would allow us to get drunk on a tenner.

as for the gaa night in the bot???can someone explain to me how that undermines community relations?and perhaps if the queens student union gave us substantial sponsership to our club every year then perhaps we might consider it….

ps great night by the way, nice to see the 2 pauls and barry being allowed to enjoy themselves for once, they deserve it for all the hard work they do…..

Ha

SPOTTED Barry Duffy in the Botanic Inn downing sambucca shot number 72 and looking decidedly vomiticious. You know you love me.xoxo Gossip Girl

I’m afraid I’m guna have to have this one explained to me…clearly this is a win-win situation i.e. we get drunk and vomit all over the lovely union steps and you get my monies to spend it on pointless initiatives!

Viva le beer!

I think its apparent that the Students appreciate the fact that you do ‘give a crap’ about your work testament to being elected for a second year. Your role in developing community relation should be commended. However, do you feel your work to have positive relations between students and residents is being undermined as 3 of your colleagues organise a drinks promo night in the bot? Would this not imply that the Union Executive isn’t displaying solidarity on the issues you have worked so hard on?

Does some of the sabbs not give a crap?

Secondly, community relations are not “my” agenda, it is the agenda of the Union, it’s what I was elected to improve and work on and these changes were passed by students union council, so that’s what I am going to do.

Also yes we are a highly priced S.U, one of the highest in the UK. But if you look at the S.U bars in the UK alot are struggling to survive, some have shut down completely and they do not have sustainable profit margins. Any money we make is reinvested back into this building based on what you guys tell us, and if we started pints at a pound I’m afraid it would be a lose lose situation for everyone!

Despite this we still strive to remain competitive and provide a decent service for our students. Any thoughts, comments, whatever come into the Sabbatical office, second floor of the S.U. or call 02890971050. Laura.

Why don’t you write for The Gown!?

Or maybe help SU Mag out?!

If that’s what Students want then why do they consistently vote for representatives who put good relations with the University’s neighbors as a priority? Why has Ms Hawthorne been elected as VP community two years running?

If you don’t like it vote for something else.

Laura Hawthorne should be thinking more about the students she represents and less about resident groups.

The fact is we are students with very little money and our own students union decides for us that we cannot handle cheaper drink.

This is what happens when students elect christian union representatives onto the executive. You get people who don’t drink setting the drink prices.

If you asked every student if they would prefer:

A) Cheaper drink in the student union
or
B) Better relations with ‘community groups’

I have no doubt most people would vote for A, so why won’t the union reflect this. The high drink prices is bad for the unions profit margins and bad for students.

However I do agree that ‘a pound per pint’ is a terrible idea and would most definitely turn the Union into a free for all!

Please explain.