USI Cash Crisis: Officers to be made Redundant in March

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday January 26, 2004 12:10 by Orbit

Only 2 National Officers Next Year

According to USI sources the USI President Will Priestley will be proposing an emergency congress before the Annual Congress in March.

There is a proposal to make all officers, except 2, redundant. The USI Annual Congrees in March will elect only 2 officers, presumably the President and Deputy President. All current Officers will no longer be paid after the Congress, however they will remain officers and members of the USI Officerboard.

These proposals are coming from the USI Finance Committee that met late last week. The USI have had a massive financial crisis over the past year. The USI President was in negotiations with the Department of Education to change how the capitation charge is collected so that the USI would be paid money directly from the department. The USI have also had taxation difficulties owing a 6 figure sum to the Revenue for a number of years non-payment of tax.

Over the past year the USI officerboard and staff has lost a number of people. The first to go was the financial administrator who left in the summer. The USI officers that have left have not been replaced. The Equality Officer, a full-time position, remains unfilled. The Environmental Awareness officer and the Disability Awareness officer have both resigned without replacement. Throughout this year the Officers have not been paid their expenses. And contraversially they have proposed that there is no Disability Conference or LGB Conference due to financial difficulties.