UL STUDENT Life, the representative body for students at the University of Limerick, has made a vote of no confidence in university president Professor Kerstin Mey.
UL Student Life held an emergency council meeting this past Wednesday (April 17), in which over 50 student representatives voted unanimously that they no longer have confidence in Professor Mey to lead the university.
The call centres around the ongoing governance issues at UL, with the university most recently overpaying by €5million for 20 houses development in Rhebogue for student accommodation.
This latest controversy came only a few months after the university acknowledged that it overpaid for the site of its City Centre Campus on Sarsfield Street by €1.5million.
In a statement, UL Student Life said that there is “anger and frustration” amongst its members about the issues at the institution.
“Our students have demanded clarity and transparency around past financial decisions and insist on a definitive, forward-looking plan to address financial management at the university.
“It is imperative that this is communicated transparently to the entire university community to ensure accountability and to rebuild trust.”
The student body representative said it is “deeply concerned” about the current financial situation within the university and its potential impact on students.
“It is imperative that students are not subjected to the financial fallout through increased costs or reduced student services,” UL Student Life said.
“UL Student Life calls for prompt, transparent, and fair solutions that assure students are in no way impacted by the university’s mismanagement of finances.”
A spokesperson for the University of Limerick said that the university takes the issue “very seriously”.
“UL takes these issues very seriously and is working with all stakeholders, internal and external, to chart the best way forward and to ensure the university continues to function as normal,” the spokesperson said.
“Meantime, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has requested that University of Limerick’s Governing Authority undertake a review of specific issues in relation to the acquisition of the Rhebogue properties and in relation to general governance and culture of the University. The terms of reference for this review are expected to be finalised shortly.”
