A petition has been created by a group of UCD students calling for the impeachment of controversial UCDSU President Katie Ascough.
Ms Ascough withdrew the university guide book Winging It due to the information about abortion it contained. The reprinting of the student’s guidebook is estimated to have cost about €8,000.
Speaking to the University Observer one of the creators of the petition, Amy Crean, said Ms Ascough was, “a president who has acted undemocratically, wasted student union money, and denied information about accessing basic healthcare”.
A petition is being launched calling for the impeachment of Katie Ascough. https://t.co/o06TLng9W0
— The University Observer (@UCDObserver) September 26, 2017
Speaking on her decision Ms Ascough said: “In my position as president and ultimate spokesperson, I then took the executive decision to redact the information.”
Ms Ascough is the daughter of former director of the Iona institute Tom Ascough.
In November 2016, the student’s union voted by a margin of 64 percent to retain a pro-choice stance. During the election campaign last March Ms Ascough vowed to “facilitate” the union’s pro-choice position.
Aside from withdrawing the student’s guidebook the group have accused Ms Ascough of withholding extra funding from the group UCD For Choice.
Ms Crean said: “She is mandated to support a union that actively voted to be pro-choice… If she had kept her views to herself and not let it affect her position as the president of the union it wouldn’t be an issue.”
The group have created a Facebook page called Impeach The UCDSU President with links to the online petition.
According to section 6.3 of the UCDSU constitution in order to call for an impeachment, a petition has to be signed by 3.5 percent of the union membership.
