Unsurprisingly, housing has emerged as the central issue for this year’s elections. With each of the presidential candidates presenting different and sometimes conflicting solutions to a crisis that hits so many in DCU.
I was able to speak to a university source to shed light on why progress on housing has moved at a slow pace. The truth of the matter is, DCU holds planning permission for about 1,200 additional beds, which includes an initial phase of 450 beds announced on three separate occasions. The construction has been delayed because the government grant used to build this housing was never received, and without this funding, combined with rising construction costs, it will push rents beyond the reach of the average student, as the Higher Education Authority (HEA) deems the proposals as “uneconomic.”
It is in this context that I met the candidates running for President of our Students’ Union, with each of them presenting contrasting visions.
Sean Green
Presented the crisis as a direct result of inaction, pointing to the surge in the student population while affordable accommodation becomes scarce.
“It’s been 22 years now, the student population has quadrupled during that time, and people are paying more for less than ever,” he said.
Stressing realism, Green stressed what a one year term can achieve.
“I’m not gonna make any grandiose promise, I know you’re not gonna get accommodation built up within the year.”
Instead, he calls for long term strategy combined with new energy.
“I would love to see the union become a little bit more confrontational. The only real teeth we have are in the court of opinion.”
He believes a friendly relationship with the university can sometimes make the Union appear weak, arguing that it may be necessary to make leaders “a bit more uncomfortable” to force action.
Katherine McBride
By contrast, McBride has centred her campaign around pointed and direct political pressure.
“I am looking to lobby the government, and best believe I am a protestor,” she said. “The government will not stop hearing from me.”
Her key proposal is modular housing similar to what is seen in the Netherlands.
“They could be built quickly. They’re sustainable. They’re modern. Students enjoy living in them. It means we can have more students on campus sooner.”
McBride, a lone voice on this, is proposing a cap on campus rents and a plan to renovate existing accommodation, in relation to the rising service fees.
“The service fee has doubled, but we’re not seeing double the amount of service.”
She said she would personally lobby the Minister for Further and Higher Education.
“Oh, he will be sick of seeing me,” she said, describing housing as a deeply personal issue shaped by her own experience “Not enough is being done about it.”
Peter Lawlor
Took the most controversial position of them all, essentially arguing that the promises to build student accommodation are fundamentally misleading.
“Anyone canvassing promising to build more housing is a liar,” he said. “The Students’ Union does not have the power, nor the funding, to build more housing.”
Instead of pushing for more student accommodation to be built, Lawlor proposes focusing on the private rental market.
“I want the student union to act as a third party to chase, to hunt down any and all room providers and get them in contact with students.”
He holds sharp criticisms of the current Students Union for being passive, saying the Union waits for landlords to come forward instead of actively seeking them out.
Lawlor wants to combine accommodation platforms into a single hub and promote alternatives to campus housing, especially for vulnerable groups.
“Foreign students and first years should have an easier time finding accommodation,” he said, adding that creating competition would reduce the overall pressure.
Despite the contrasting solutions provided, all of these candidates agree on one thing, and that is that the housing crisis faced by the students of DCU is severe and not likely to disappear in the short term.
The context provided by my university source speaks to the bitter truth – that even though the plans for the building of student accommodation have been approved, financial constraints and ultimately government approval stand as a barrier.
For us as voters, we must decide which of the candiates offer the the best path forward: long term planning and public pressure, rapidly build accommodation and political lobbying, or a complete shift towards the private rental market.
