As UCDSU take part in a skydive for charity, Ruth Slamon looks at how effective the fundraising efforts have been.
This year’s Students’ Union, like many of the past, have come under fire at different points in the year about an array of issues. The minutes of SU executive committee meetings have been sporadically updated, while the executive meets weekly and is constitutionally obligated to publish minutes no later than one month after the meeting, but as the year draws to a close, the latest minutes posted online are still from September. The minutes of the last two SU councils have also not been published. The union’s sexual consent campaign, which consisted of a slutwalk in November and a recent survey, has also come under criticism. The fundraising efforts of the SU have also not been free from criticism, with many asking should more money have gone to students. And ultimately, was it really worth it?
The 2015/2016 SU mounted a year-long campaign back in November to raise €100,000 for YSPI (Youth Suicide Prevention Ireland) through a skydive challenge and other fundraising events. There is no question as to how vital charities like YPSI are in this country. Ireland has the third highest youth suicide rate in the EU, with young Irish males being more likely to die by suicide than any other cause. YSPI receives no government funding and relies fully on donations and campaigns like this one mounted by UCDSU. Many applauded the choice of charity by the SU, but questions have been raised about the cost of the campaign, and whether there should have been more of a focus for students on campus.
At the time of writing, this campaign has raised €101,852 for YSPI, with the cost of fundraising at €10,250. No one can deny the impact and help that the money will have on YSPI, but could this have been raised without incurring such high costs? Skydiving as a charity challenge is a good idea for gathering support and sponsorship, but it is an expensive activity. The cost of paying for 581 skydives amounts for a huge proportion in the cost of this campaign. The SU also made naked calendars in an effort to fundraise. While the Union received a cheap rate on printing the calendars, their popularity has become something of a joke on campus.
There is virtually no large-scale charity campaign that incurs zero costs, but €10,250 is a lot of money, which could have been used to fund much needed mental health services on campus. The current waiting list for counselling services in UCD is unacceptable, with many students being forced to seek help elsewhere. The University has a responsibility to make sure these services are available to students when they need them, and it would be wrong to make the SU responsible for these long waiting lists. However the union, as an elected body of representatives, has a duty to students to tackle these issues. It consistently raises the question that if the SU are going to raise such large amounts for youth mental health, should a large portion of this not go to UCD students, the people that UCDSU represent? How would €101,852 have driven down waiting times in UCD’s counselling service? While the effort to fundraise such an amount is commendable, much of the proceeds of the UCDSU drive will go towards secondary schools around the country, not to UCD students.
Despite the criticisms of the campaign, fair or not, over €100,000 has been raised for YSPI. This money will allow them to introduce their Free2Talk counselling service as well as providing an extra 150 school visits this year. The campaign mounted by the Students’ Union may not have been perfect and there have been legitimate questions raised over the cost, but any way UCD can help YSPI tackle the epidemic of youth suicide can only be viewed as a positive. With the current figures showing that 131 college students die by suicide each year, the SU and everyone involved in the campaign must be applauded for the money raised and the impact it will have.
For anyone looking to donate, the SU and YSPI have created a dedicated fundraising website, ucdsu.yspi.eu, or you can text YSPI UCD to 50300 to donate €4.
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