University of Limerick Students’ Union (ULSU) has rebranded itself as UL Student Life, according to an announcement on Facebook yesterday. UL Student Life is to use the new slogan “belong to the pack”. This rebranding also removes “Wolfie” as the SU mascot, leaving him as the symbol of the university’s clubs and societies.
The decision to rebrand was passed late last year after the re-submission of the plan following its rejection earlier in the year by the SU Executive. The executive consists of sabbatical officers and staff within the union.
It is believed that the decision was implemented to tackle low engagement with the union. It is has also been suggested that the decision was taken in order to remove the word “union”, which some believed overly politicised the union. These submissions come from the work of a marketing and consultancy agency in UL last year.
The move is believed to cost almost €20,000, and was carried out by an external company. It comes after a year of low engagement within the SU, with average voter turnouts remaining close to 10% and Union General Meetings struggling to meet their quorum of 100 students.
This came as only one of the marketing consultancy company’s many recommendations on various topics. It also recommended that the incoming building to house the SU should be given a neutral name to indicate that it belongs to all students.
The decision has been met with criticism on social media since its announcement. “Student Life” was officially rebranded yesterday morning and has since amassed over 150 comments on its announcement on Facebook, many of which are upset and confused over the move. The union has yet to make an official release on the topic addressing these concerns.
The news comes almost a year after UL’s Governing Authority approved the plans for a 3,529 square metre building which is expected to house the new “Student Life”. The facility is to include an activity area, games area and student services area.
UL Student Life did not respond to a request for comment at this time.
