Ordhan Cassidy Workers Party Youth Spokesperson condemned the Ulster University expenditure on a trip to Washington DC for St Patrick’s Day as outrageous and an insult to students and staff .
Mr Cassidy has called the expenditure on this trip as outrageous, unnecessary and irresponsible. At a time when universities were seeking permission to raise tuition fees and cutting staff terms and conditions of service. It is unbelievable that the university is so out of touch with public opinion on the use of public funding.The Workers Party has spent many days on picket lines with staff at the university who had to take prolonged strike action to defend their pensions and other entitlements. Has the university leadership no shame how can they demand that students pay more in tuition fee's.
Mr Cassidy added staff and students are entitled to be angry at the university as the claim they have no money to spend on reducing staff workloads or other civic assets yet they spent sixty one thousand pound on one trip to Washington DC.
The Workers Party is opposed to tuition fees as it impacts on the life chances of working class young people and there is research that shows the decline in the number of working class students taking up university places based on affordability.
He added the behaviour of the university in relation to this exorbitant expenditure clearly shows a lack of governance and accountability processes that needs to be addressed.