{2} E l E c t i o n S p E c i a l {sin}

Editor: Rosemary Gallagher | editor@sin.ieLayout: Shannon Reeves | contact via Ed.

News Editor: colette Sexton | localnews.SinEd@gmail.comFeatures Editor: lia Stokes | Features.SinEd@gmail.com

Fashion, Arts & Entertainment Editor: ashling o loughlin | artsEntertainment.SinEd@gmail.comSports Editor: Marian clohosey | Sport.SinEd@gmail.comWeb Editor: Jessica thompson | Web.SinEd@gmail.com

Photography provided by photoSoc | photography.SinEd@gmail.com

Contributors: ian colgan | Emmet connolly | Emma conway | Eistear de Burca | Kathy Dillon | Frank Doherty | Muireann o’Dwyer | Joyce Fahy | Martina Gannon | Declan Higgins | Jane Kearns | Mark Kelly | Kevin Kennedy | conor lane | cormac o Malley | timothy Morrow | colette Sexton | ciara Staunton | Michael talty

Editorial

How to PlayWhile the candidates may change from year to year, every Students’ Union Election has some things in common.

So here is Sin’s Election Special Buzzword Bingo. if you hear it, tick it! care to make it more exciting? Use your imagi-nations! We’re sure you’ll come up with something.

How on earth do you write an unbiased editorial for an election special? i know, i’ll just talk about myself.

i took up the mantle of Sin Editor in September, emerg-ing from my blissful postgrad existence like a butterfly from a warm cocooon.

i remember during my interview for the position i spun my utter ignorance of SU politics as a positive: “no i didn’t vote for connolly, but on the other hand i didn’t vote against him!” Evidently he liked that.

Student politics? i reme-mered them from UcD. But that was almost ten years ago! We had a lot more money. Sure, we campaigned against fees, but we also had an EntS officer whose sole purpose was to blow €100,000 on an epic Fresher’s Ball every year and try to out-do trinity (always unsucessfully). i was on a friend’s EntS campaign by virtue of being a member of craicSoc which basically organised parties in Gearoid’s house and occasionally in secret locations on the large Dublin campus. it was some-what controversial in that the college authorities thought we were trouble makers but most of the other students thought we were dorks. We mainly hung out in the Forum Bar and came up with inventive campaign slogans, eventually settling for “Bring the craic Back.” We thought that was hilarious, though it does give some indication as to why everyone thought we were dorks.

Gearoid got elected, started hanging out with his fancy new Students’ Union

friends, and quickly forgot about the minions who put so many of our limited brain-cells into coming up with his campaign slogan. Excuse me while i go remind him about this.

So when i, the beau-tiful butterfly from my earlier analogy, was forced to become involved in stu-dent politics again i was expecting to meet a bunch of self-obsessed idealistic young dorks like my eighteen year-old self.

i don’t know if it’s the tighter budget or if people are just better in nUiG, but the students i’ve worked with since September are engaged, passionate and opionated. they all want to change something, and while they may not always agree on what this something should be, when push comes to shove they all have the same interests at heart: You!

think of this Special Edi-ton as a catalogue of home appliances. We’re offering you a selection of products. not all of these products may be what you need. this one may be to big, this one to small. this one may address some of your needs but not others, and this one may address all your minor needs but not your major ones. this one has been withdrawn because it burned down a building. this one looks great but has terrible features. this one has a faulty off switch. this one has poor user-reviews because it doesn’t do what’s adver-tised. this one simply doesn’t work. Keep looking until you find the one that checks all your boxes. then open your wallet, take out your student card, and go vote, because if you don’t someone will choose the wrong product for you, and you’ll be stuck with a crappy appliance that burns your toast.

BINGObuzzword

24-hour library/reading room access

Fight Fees

improve grants system

reference to NUiG

“reputation”

Candidate spins

dubious past as positive

abolish Fees

Graduate tax “Unique”

Bigger better ENtS

Bigger Better ENtS to be

organised by candidate’s friend

(“their 21st was savage like”)

Something about

student nurses

Bring back raG

week

Keep raG week

cancelled

Support for the

irish language

Candidate offers practical suggestions for improvement

Cheaper booze on campus

Cheaper food on campus

“Change”New SU logo/SU Branding

Election poster

referencing Michael d.

Jobs for students

Better campaigns

Candidate was

member of lit n’ deb

Candidate cries before/during/after

Hustings

defaced election poster

“Commu-nicating”

with students

Student dentist

roof over Campus with future plans

to extend roof over Galway

“grass roots”

Candidate has radical makeover

{sin} E l E c t i o n S p E c i a l {3}

The QuIck aNd dIrTy GuIde TO STudeNTS’ uNION elecTIONS

By Ian Colgan

What’s Going on?this week you might find yourself

being approached suddenly by one of a small number of tense people zipping around the campus like frenzied hum-mingbirds; talking faster than you can understand, looking so fatigued and crazed that you might feel threatened, and so keen to ‘press the flesh’ that they may forget to introduce themselves.

there is no need to panic; these people are merely candidates in the upcoming SU Elections, and the reason they’re so wired is because the crunch is coming on hard and fast for those seeking the full-time officer positions. With only three days left until Election Day it’s almost too late, for some, to significantly alter the drift of student opinion that — when revealed after the counts come in on Friday — will either put them on the Executive committee for the year 1 July - 30 June, or reject them as hopeless failures not fit to represent a union of chain gangs.

candidates for the positions of presi-dent, Vice-president/Welfare officer, and Vice president/Education officer, are gear-ing up and bracing themselves for the cold-blooded lashing or outpouring of approval they’ll receive from the student body.

What does it all mean? Why should i vote?

in these teeth-grinding days of fee hikes, grant cuts, and the general purging of student spirit, the far-reaching implica-tions of SU Election results carry a knell too heavy to ignore. any student protest or demonstration is rendered meaning-less if the right people aren’t there at a basic Executive committee level in the first place. if a wave of apathetic, soulless dullards were ushered in to these posi-tions, such mass action might not even happen.

the SU aren’t some mob of whimper-ing paper pushers crawling around in a dark chamber beneath the concourse; they represent us, and have a direct impact on the day-to-day realities of our college experience. not many people would feel comfortable with a half-mad, yelping mutant speaking on their behalf in any personal or political spectrum, so there’s no reason to be offhand about the election of SU officers who reflect your views at both local and national levels.

in the last round of elections, some candidates ran virtually unopposed and

only secured a hundred-or-so votes, and the voter turnout was generally so low and poor across the board that anyone caught on their way to cast their vote was made instantly to feel like a junkie at their nephew’s christening slinking off to score some smack. Even at national level, in the recent real presidential elections last october, only 57% of nUi Galway students intended to vote, which was far below the national level of 74%. our friends in Ucc put us to shame with 96% of students using their voices, even if those voices were indistinguishable cork accents. it’s critical that you make whatever voice you have heard to reverse the declining admiration for democracy creeping into our national gait.

Explaining the Positions

it’s too late now, for anyone that might have been coveting any of the full-time positions and fancied entering themselves as a Jerry-Brown-style late runner, as nominations are now closed. it’s too late, too, for any current candidate who can’t get to grips with the very real possibility of humiliating defeat, as the deadline for withdrawals has also passed.

nominations for the part-time officer positions, however, are open until Wednesday, 7 March. these are oifigeach na Gaeilge, Equality officer, postgradu-ate officer, Societies chairperson, club’s captain, Mature Students’ officer, and the conveners for the colleges of; arts, Social Sciences & celtic Studies; Science; Medicine, nursing, & Health Sciences; Engineering & informatics; and Business, public policy & law.

Full-Time Officersthe SU president, Vice-president/Wel-

fare officer, and Vice-president/Education officer form the main muscle-axis, and if you’re going to vote in either of the two elections then this, as they say, is the Main lever. Between them they oversee everything from commercial services such as Smokey’s, the college Bar and the Wall cafe, to national lobbying, SHaG week, representing you at USi gatherings, and keeping you safe as you wander around the campus at night.

the president is the students’ mouth-piece on the Board of Directors of Seirbhisi comhaltas na Mac léinn, the Health Unit, and Flirt FM.

Part-Time Officersnext week’s elections will determine

the ‘supporting cast’ — the positions for the part-time officers, and anyone serious about who they want to see providing resources to clubs, assisting societies, championing student and minority

rights, or promoting irish culture, would do well to familiarise themselves with the current crop of hopefuls and their policies. past campaigns such as those for disability awareness, the society awards, and bi-lingual resources were all sparked by officers who filled these seats. the five convenors are the chairpersons for their class rep councils and represent them on the Executive committee.

How? Where? When?

So now that you’re cranked up to vote, it’s time to deal with the technical aspects. Voting will take place this Thurs-day, 8 March for full-time SU officer positions and on Thursday 15 March for the part-time officer Elections.

For any student that hasn’t voted in an SU Election before, the process is too simple to justify not doing it. Students can vote by seeking out any of the poll-ing stations around campus during their opening hours. these are as follows:

FUll-tiME oFFiCEr ElECtioNS 8 March 2012

Áras na Mac léinn (10am - 9pm)an Bialann (10am - 8pm)

Friars (11am - 2pm)acadamh (12pm - 1pm)

Part-tiME oFFiCEr ElECtioNS15 March 2012

Upstairs in college Bar (10am - 9pm)an Bialann (10am - 8pm)

Friars (11am - 2pm)acadamh (12pm -1pm)

after presenting your student card, you’ll be given a pen and ballot paper where you can select your preferred can-didate. or, if you decide that there’s more than one worth voting for, you can list them in order of preference. then, when you’ve made your choice, simply fold your ballot paper and slide it into the ballot box.

it should be noted that only one vote per club is allowed for clubs’ captain and one vote per society for Societies’ chair-person, and these are to be cast by club captains and Society auditors. likewise, the postgraduate officer is elected by post-graduate students.

THE SU SESSIONAN SEISIUN MOR

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C O M I N G S O O N

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{4} E l E c t i o n S p E c i a l {sin}

SO yOu WaNT My JOB?

By Emmet Connolly SU President, 2011-2012

“WheN I WaS PreSIdeNT...”

By Muireann O’Dwyer, SU President, 2008-2009

i’ve been asked to write an article on what the role of Students’ Union president actually entails, so i will try to give you an insight as best i can.

First, it’s a full-time, paid position. this means the elected student is going to have to take a year out of study or run in their final year and take up the position after they finish their degree. What does ‘full-time’ mean in terms of hours per week? Some parts of the year will understandably be very busy (such as Freshers’ Fortnight or in the run-up to a national protest) while other parts will be relatively quiet, allowing the president time to work on their manifesto ideas and catch up on paper work. a fair average would be fifty hours of work per week, not includ-ing breaks. For busy weeks this can easily turn into being in the office at 8am and leav-ing at 9pm or later each day, but this would be the excep-tion rather than the norm. a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon catching up on emails and reviewing docu-ments are not unusual. today for example, i arrived at 9am and will leave whenever i fin-ish this article, probably just before 7pm.

What do you need in order

to do this job well? to put it bluntly, you need a serious level of cop-on or common sense. Basically, the right candidate will have good organisational, leadership and management skills. this doesn’t mean they need to have single-handedly solved world hunger, but if they’ve managed their exams well, or been involved in running a decent-sized club or society

on campus, they are more than likely capable of doing the job.

the right candidate needs to be intellectually up to the job. i’m not trying to sound obnoxious by saying that, but they will find them-selves going through piles of government and University documents on their own, identifying the one line of text that could impact on stu-dents, and then putting that case forward in front of the University management, or the government on that issue.

the right candidate must have a genuine, general inter-est in student issues, from fees and grants to mental health

and improving WiFi and eve-rything in between. Everyone has their own pet projects and issues, the important thing is that you choose the candidate who you believe is running for the position because they have an interest and actually want to work hard for stu-dents.

the president needs know how to deal with the unex-pected. For instance, when i was running for president this time last year, i didn’t think i’d be overseeing the abolition of RaG Week or negotiating a multi-million euro deal for universal gym membership. So one has to expect the unexpected and be able to change plans at short notice. a lot of the national issues will of course depend on gov-ernment policies and what emerges from the Budget each December. this ties in with the role of SU president as the chief representative of nUi Galway students with the national Union of Students in ireland (USi), which were are affiliated with.

So overall, is it worth run-ning for? absolutely. it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that involves many different and interesting aspects, from

formulating education policy, to managing a €4million busi-ness, from leading hundreds of class reps to lobbying poli-ticians on student issues, and from sitting on management groups to organising student demonstrations. there’s no other job like it. the person you elect will be thrown in at the deep end and expected to be able to represent 17,000 students effectively and knowledgably from day one. it’s a tough but rewarding job, in which you’re more likely to get criticised for things which are out of your control than praised for genuinely worth-while work, but that’s the nature of the beast.

though few people will ever admit it, there is something excellent about being asked to prattle on about “in my day.” and so, i won’t even pretend that this won’t veer into the territory of aging ex-SU president talking nonsense about how her year was, with-out question, the best year. i would say that, of course. Mostly because: it was a great year. at least for me. those students we lost on that trip to Dublin might disagree, but since they’ve never been heard from since, i guess it’s my version that history can remember.

Giving a year to work-ing full time in the Students’ Union is tough, you learn very fast that very early mornings do exist, and they have a strange habit of combin-ing with very late nights. lots of people will try to trick you, or even to bully you at times to get what they want. But lots of people will want things that you are able to

give, and will, usually, be grateful. You get to have so much fun being a full time officer in Union – you get to meet lots of people, you get to work really hard at things you care about and hope-fully be successful, you get a serious amount of experience: some of it professional, some of it less so, some of it unfit for publication.

the things i remember the most from my year probably include such valuable life lessons as “write everything down,

your memory is nowhere near as good as you think,” “don’t drink Red Bull on a night out in the hopes that the caffeine will wake you up in the morning; you’ll just end up on a roof somewhere, declaring that you have vanquished the need for sleep,” and “if something

has been on your to-do list for over a month, it’s never happening.”

all that said, the role of president isn’t, and shouldn’t be, just about what you learn and expe-rience. the president, and the Students’ Union as a whole, does so much for students, and a lot of it goes unnoticed by most people. Being the president means under-standing that, and being willing to get shouted at in a meeting, or work really long hours in order to get the job done. But it

is worth it. in the September of

my year, the SU got an email towards the end of Freshers’ Fortnight from a first year student, who explained that they had been really nervous about moving to Galway for college, but had had such a great time in the first two weeks, and had already made loads of friends. and for that stu-dent, apparently, it had all started with the SU events. Since most of us can remember that nerv-ous arrival in Galway or nUiG (i made my par-ents park outside corrib Village for about twenty minutes before i was ready to go in!) it’s great to be able to make that easier for people.

it’s also great to see campaigns and events going well, and seeing students enjoying them-selves. that’s your job. Your job is to make life at nUi Galway better for students, and if you think you can do that, then best of luck! it obviously won’t be as good as my year, but at least most people in college now won’t remember that, so you’ll be fine.

So overall, is it worth running

for? Absolutely. It’s a once-

in-a-lifetime experience.

Giving a year to working full time in

the Students’ Union is tough, you learn

very fast that very early mornings do

exist, and they have a strange habit

of combining with very late nights.

{sin} E l E c t i o n S p E c i a l {5}

WhaT IT TakeS TO Be Welfare OffIcer

By Emma Conway, Students’ Union, 2009 - 2010

“ ”

“”

the role of Welfare officer was, for me, always about working for the stu-dents.

the Welfare officer is there to co-ordinate campaigns and sit on committees, which is all very important, but the officer is also there to pro-vide a confidential referral service to the students.

casework is the big-gest part of the job and it's really important for the new Welfare officer to know and understand that. Some of the ques-tions asked are simple queries but the other pieces of casework that arrive at your door require a lot of patience and sensi-tivity. the Welfare officer isn’t an 'oracle of knowl-edge' although they are

sometimes thought of as one. there will be times when something crops up that is completely out of your depth and when those situations arise you have to be able to say that this situation is beyond you and that you need help or you need to pass it on to somebody who is more capable. it is a chal-lenging role and anyone who says otherwise is completely oblivious to the amount of phone calls, emails, texts and appointments the Welfare officer has to deal with.

i think one of the most challenging things about the job was the sheer volume of stu-dents and parents with financial problems. Eve-rything comes back to

money or the lack of it. it is something that will be a problem for years to come and i think that a new officer will need to be ready for. Fees and grants are the big issue and new officers will have to be able to come up with solu-tions and plans to keep people in college, be it developing payment plans or something else.

i think a growing prob-lem for future Welfare officers will be students in rented accommoda-tion faced with letters from banks saying the

property has been repos-sessed. it was an issue that had started to increase by the time my term had ended and it is a problem that isn't the students' fault but which they get dragged into.

Mental Health issues are another massive con-cern. people know that there are counselling facilities out there, but getting them to use them is the problem. the stigma around mental health has got to be fought on and defeated.

i want to stress that

even though it is a tough job the Welfare officer is not alone. they will have the other members of the Exec with them and they do have supports on cam-pus to help out. there are also other Welfare officers in different colleges that they can talk to. i found bouncing ideas off them very beneficial and i know that they thought so too.

as challenging and difficult it can be, the moment you know you have helped a student and made their lives a lit-tle easier is one of the best feelings ever. it is a great position, i was fortunate to work with two great execs and it is an experi-ence i truly treasure. Best of luck to all those run-ning.

i was Education officer in 2007/8 and postgrad officer in 2010/11.

the main challenge with the role was definitely deal-ing with inept officers as well as the tensions that grow between officers dur-ing the year. poor working relationships between offic-ers are very common and can weaken the Union as a whole, not to mention the damage to the stu-dents they are meant to represent. if officers spent less time fighting with each

other and more time fight-ing fees we might all be better off!

the amount of meet-ings the Education officer is expected to go to is crazy. it’s really a case of “death by a thousand meetings.” they’re generally point-less, repetitive and boring but you really still have to go on the off-chance that an issue which has some relevance to students is dis-cussed. also the meetings provide the opportunity to get to know people who

can get things done. With this university it’s often not what you know but who you know so the personal touch is important. While you may want to come in fighting with everyone in sight on 1 July to prove that you “can stand up to the man,” you will have damaged any hope of a working relationship with the people who make the decisions which ultimately negatively affects students. Simply put, you have got to keep your temper and ego in check and play nice with the university staff whether

you want to or not, other-wise it’s the students who suffer.

one difficulty is gener-ally getting students to get involved in campaigns. While this may be due to the workload of students rather than apathy, you may spend weeks working towards a march (for exam-ple) and only get a couple of hundred people out. But you’ve got to keep moti-vated and not turn into a lazy officer during your term because once again it’s the students who will suffer if you decide to take your

pay check each week but spend your day Facebook stalking someone you saw in cps. at the end of the day it is a job and you must take your position seriously.

For the incoming Educa-tion officer i would advise them to worry about the education issues for the students of nUi Galway. While we all want to help the people of palestine, they didn’t elect you. the issues that affect the stu-dents of nUi Galway must always come first and only when they have all been addressed should you start saving the world.

the increases in fees and the postgrad grant cut are obviously the biggest issue the incoming Students’ Union Executive will have to deal with, but the fees campaign isn’t the only issue. You have to deal

with complaints about the library, complaints about lecturing standards as well as answering a couple of hundred emails a week that can be about anything. these are issues that are affecting the average stu-dent right now and must be addressed. in a nutshell - you do have to sweat the small stuff.

Your time in the SU will be a fantastic year. You will get to do things that you will never get a chance to do again as well as getting involved with campaigns that will potentially change the lives of thousands of students across the nation. You will meet people who you will walk over hot coals for and some who you will probably throw hot coals at. But work hard, play hard and fight the good fight!

The moment you know you have helped

a student and made their lives a little

easier is one of the best feelings ever.

BeeN There, dONe ThaT, STIll WearING The free T-ShIrTS.

By Ciara Staunton, Students’ Union, All the Years.

You’ve got to keep motivated and

not turn into a lazy officer during

your term because once again it’s

the students who will suffer.

{6} S U p R E S i D E n t {sin}

By Colette Sexton

only two candidates are running for the SU president election and they are polar opposites. Will o’Brien is anti-cap-italism and paul curley, well he is capitalism. He is treating this campaign as a business and the product he is selling is himself as “one of us.”

He wants to be seen as an ordinary student. Someone who likes to have the craic in cps while trying their best to pass their exams. He describes himself as a “rough fella” in first year. “i was a pisshead in first year, i won’t say i wasn’t,” curley explained, “We had the time of our times in first year with Gpo, RaG Week and what not.”

But there is another side to paul. He is driven and determined. He knows what he wants and he isn’t afraid to go get it.

He readily admits that he hates losing. He ran for SU president last year but lost to Emmet connolly and so continued into his final year. He took over the auditor position in BizSoc and is right-fully proud of what he has achieved this year. “i am arrogant and i am cocky but i have deliv-e r e d , ” h e asserted.

the com-m e r c e B a l l was a huge suc-cess but

that is not all BizSoc has done this year. all the academic societies were asked to set up a free grinds system, but accord-ing to paul, BizSoc is the only one that actually went through with it. as a result, the failure rate reduced in some modules. BizSoc has also organised the irish Student Business conference, which will take place on 31 March. paul claims that by the end of this academic year, BizSoc’s bank account will have increased twelve fold.

He has high praise for his twenty-five strong team in BizSoc and he has achieved a lot with them. But what happens if he is elected and that team are not there to support him anymore? He thinks that he will be fine and he will be able to work with the full time staff in the SU. “there is a team there of professionals,” he said.

His first plan, if he is elected, is to sit all of the SU members down to have a brainstorming session. “i’ve been here four years and i’ve seen so many empty promises,” he explained, “you haven’t

s een a S tudents ’ Union president in

the last few years that has deliv-ered.” He thinks that current offic-ers in the SU are failing the stu-dents and agrees

wi th the UcD s y s t e m o f

‘nam-i n g

and shaming’ officers in the college newspaper if they do not show up for work.

When asked about his previous experience in the Students’ Union, he explains that he was class Representative and a member of the academic council in second year. “i’ve seen how it works at the top boards and i don’t like it. they shoot down the students straight away,” paul said.

Several candidates run-ning in the SU election are from FEE backgrounds so if paul is elected, it is likely that he will have to work with members of FEE. However, he does not support them. “although they are trying to repre-sent students, they are not representing any regular students,” he argued, “i think it’s been seen this year that students, class reps council … don’t like FEE. they’ve reprimanded their two officers on the SU.”

However, he said that he has no problem with FEE being elected as long as they do not use their positions as SU officers while they are on FEE pro-tests. He alleged that this has happened this year with certain SU officers.

He acknowledges that differences of opinion and arguments will be inevita-ble in the SU president’s role.

“You are not going to always get on with people,” paul explains, “you’re always going to have issues, conflicts of personalities.

“You have to show restraint at certain stages and you have to show a certain sense of aggressive-ness at certain stages.”

He wants to be remem-bered as the president who kept his promises. “i’d like to be a president that everybody respected, everybody believed in and at the end of the year, eve-rything i said i got done and that i left the posi-tion in a better way than

i found it,” he said when asked what the theme of his presidency would be.

paul asserted that he will not lie to win this campaign. “i’m not going to make fake promises like reducing the [prices of] dinners to try and get people’s votes,” he said, “i think all the prices are decent on campus. the dinners for €5, you won’t get that anywhere else in Galway.”

He believes that other Students’ Unions, such as Ul and UcD, are seriously in debt because of these kinds of promises.

the improvement of SU council is one of his main objectives. He aims to keep each class Rep council to one hour. “You turn up on time, it starts on time, it finishes on time,” he explained. While he has not attended SU council since the start of last semester, he is not a class Representative this year due to other commit-ments.

His plans include a part time job initiative: going to local businesses and asking them to dedicate a certain number of jobs to students. He also has plans for a “Home and away” programme, which would see students helping mem-bers of the community, the elderly, people in their estates and neigh-bourhoods. paul thinks

that this would lead to less negative press about students. “You can create a feeling of good will,” he said. “that bit of good will goes a long way.”

paul intends to increase the numbers of students attending protests by creating more of a party atmosphere using drum-mers, floats and DJs. He acknowledged that the issue of student fees is very serious and claimed that “the more people you have out on the streets, the better it’s going to look.”

RaG Week is something that he does not believe he can prevent. “i don’t think that the SU can really stop students from drinking unless some sort of miracle happens,” according to paul, “the Students’ Union shouldn’t back it but it’s still going to happen.”

in his manifesto, he proposes to re-introduce buses to exam halls. He predicts that they will cost around €4 each way for students. the bus com-pany will make the profit but the SU will help them to organise the timetables.

“there are people with ideas. there are people who can do things. i can do both,” paul asserted, “i will be a different sort of SU president. i’m not going to follow the mould.”

Paul curley“I am arrogant and I am cocky

but I have delivered.”

Quick Facts

Name: Paul Curley

Age: 21

Course/Year: Final Year Commerce

Describe yourself in 3 words: Capable. Confident. Dedicated.

What are your top three goals as president?

Make sure every student is able to afford to go to college.

Get as many students as possible involved in the SU.

At the end of my term to be respected for the job I did and looked up to for the way I went about getting my policies done.

Pres

iden

t

{sin} S U p R E S i D E n t {7}

by Eistear de Burca

Will o'Brien cuts an interesting figure with his dreadlocks and ban-dana, and believes that without a doubt he is the best candidate for the future presidency of the Students’ Union at nUi Galway. Right now he is a very busy man; he is in the final year of a Bio-technology degree as a mature student and is also the current SU Equality officer. He is also an active member of FEE, the Free Education for Everyone campaign and is known throughout the country for his work as an activist.

Before coming to nUiG,

he completed a degree in the natural Sciences at the University of East anglia, worked off a stu-dent loan by managing a Dominos pizza outlet (a job he found very stress-ful), was employed for a year as a science techni-can in a high school where he had the opportunity to engage with many young people, and set up his own business in event manage-ment. He is 26 years old and originally hails from tipperary.

the theme of his campaign is ideas and Experiences; as a presi-dent he believes that he could vitally transform the role, making it far more effective. Will sees the Students’ Union as a mass of 17,000 students that would have tremendous power if motivated and activated in the best way possible, and is convinced that currently this poten-tial is not being realised at all. He describes the SU as the biggest representative union in the West of ire-land, requiring a president who has strong leadership qualities, innovative ideas and the desire to channel the power of the student body into an effective force for the better, espe-cially during this time of economic recession and cutbacks in education. He comments “i want the hardest job in the west of ireland.”

Regarding his relation-ship with FEE, he stresses the point that he will remain completely dedic-tated to its campaign; he stands totally against the commercialisation of edu-cation and believes that very single individual has the right to education. However he promises that the students of nUiG will be the only influence on him and that he will dis-tance himself from the FEE group if elected: “Having someone who is a radical as president of the Stu-dents Union but behaving himself as best as possible, is way more effective than

someone who’s outside the Students’ Union and is the most radical person on the planet,” Will remarks.

When asked how he would manage if, after the current round of Stu-dents’ Union Elections, a union divided in political ideoloogy should emerge, Will claims it is his aim to act as an honest facilitator of the democratic process and insure that everyone is listened to and has an equal say: “Everyone is right if they believe in something, there is no ultimate truth. i would embrace a very diverse union.”

He comments that the outgoing president, while keeping together an Executive that included different and at times antagonistic elements of the political spec-trum, acted too often in a reserved manner and failed to provide adequate leadership. He leaves no doubt as to the fact that he himself plans to be a radical president: “i have a lot of radical ideas as i read a lot of radical lit-erature; i am aware of the serious problems around us and i do believe radical action is necessary.”

Will stresses that he knows and respects that as a student representa-tive, “if students aren't comfortable with being radical, you can't do it.” While this sentiment is admirable and it is clear that, as president, Will intends to take his queues from the student body, his passionate displays at council meetings over the past year are still very recent history. as Equal-ity officer Will received a motion of censure by the current Students’ Union Executive for interrup-tions during a recent SU council.

o'Brien has a very ambi-tious manifesto and many ideas for the year ahead; these include a revamping of the class rep system so that it is made up of stu-dents who actually do

care about issues affecting them, the introduction of an Entertainment and communications officer as a full-time, paid posi-tion on the Executive, connecting with other unions and affected edu-cation groups in order to form a strong opposi-tion to austerity cuts in the education sector, and establishing an accomoda-tion register managed by the SU. one wonders if he is broadening his remit too much; for example he proposes joining with concerned groups who oppose the removal of Special needs assistants in schools because “people with special needs have a right to come to university just like anyone else.” in doing this he seems to be going beyond represent-ing the 17,000 students of nUiG, seeking also to stand for those aged between 5 and 18; accord-ing to Will however, this is a positive move – “Stu-dents need to come out in solidarity with all other affected groups and show that we realise that our cuts are just one part of a broader attack on educa-tion in ireland today.”

a k e y w o r d t h a t stood out for me whilst interviewing Will was ‘influence’. He believes that as the SU president he can influence people and give them confidence

in their ability to change the world. He is con-vinced that a progressive president can have an influential effect over key decision making, not only at university level but also at regional and national levels. His aim is to rede-fine the role into one of increased leadership and influence, just as he says he has greatly broadened the role of Equality officer this year. His mission is to facilitate a mass mobili-sation of students in the west of ireland to coun-teract all cuts to education and he believes that he i s the m a n to do this,

from the position of nUiG Students’ Union president.

Without a doubt , o'Brien is radical and pas-sionate about his beliefs; he definitely is not apa-thetic, and neither is he self-seeking. Questions such as his ability to work as a team leader with those of different persuasions to himself and the dan-ger of neglecting crucial problems at nUiG level in trying to achieve the aim of Free Education for Eve-ryone on a national level are not to be ignored. as a whole however, William

o'Brien comes across as a genuinely sin-

cere individual.

Will o’BriEN“I want the hardest job in

the West of Ireland”

the Students’

Union President is responsible

for:

The management of the Students' Union, including:

• Union finances• campaigns and initia-

tives

The President represents students' interests:• through meeting with

management• By participating on Uni-

versity committees

He/she is chairperson of Students' Union commer-cial Services, the company which runs the college Bar, Smokey's, the SU Shop and the Wall. He/she also serves on the Board of Directors of: Seirbhisi comhaltas na Mac léinn, the Health Unit and Flirt Fm.

the president is the spokesperson for the Union and leads coordinates lob-bying on a national level.

Quick Facts

Name: Will O'Brien

Age: 26

Course/Year: Final year Biotechnology

Describe yourself in 3 words: Experienced. Caring. Capable.

What are your top three goals as president?

To implement a massive campaign against all tuition fees and grant cuts

Ensure the Union is transparent and accountable to students it represents and who pay for it

Ensure that the SU caters for all of its members equally and is all inclusive in its services, events and

campaigns

{8} E D U c at i o n o F F i c E R {sin}

cONOr STITT:“No Issue is Too Big or Small.”

By Kathy Dillon

conor Stitt began his studies in 2007 and has been an active member in Sinn Fein since 2009. He is no stranger to either student or political life and argues that therein lies the secret to his suitability for the role. For those of you who may not be familiar with the details of the role, conor explained that the education officer is involved in every aspect of student academic life. From exam stress, grant queries to fighting fee increases, conor believes “no issue is too big or small”. What you the elec-torate need to know is what distinguishes conor from any other candidate.

When asked how he would respond to students who are sceptic of empty promises and overused political rhetoric, conor explained "i don't blame students for thinking that the Students’ Union is not as effective as it should be." conor understands the frus-tration felt by students who feel let down by their rep-resentatives and who feel that they have had to com-promise on their education.

So what can he do to really change how the Stu-dents’ Union implements the reforms it so desperately clings to? “i know the issues that need to be dealt with. i know how the political sphere operates and am well informed on the regulations of academic life.”

as a student, conor knows the areas of the academic system that are lacking. He wants to increase the effectiveness of student’s ability to apply their knowl-edge in a practical working environment, to increase their competitiveness in the labour market. through his party affiliation he has met education officers, both former and current educa-tion ministers and education spokespersons. this has afforded the opportunity to work with dynamic views and insights on education.

one of the main objec-tives of conor’s manifesto is his pledge to fight increas-ing fees for students. this may be a sentiment shared

by every Education officer for the past few years, yet despite the passionate pledges to defy increases to tuition fees, the registration fee has increased and fur-thermore grants have been cut. no tD is willing to stand by their pre-election promise not to increase fees. clearly campaigning isn’t enough. When asked if he could pro-vide an alternative approach conor acknowledged that campaigning is just one aspect of the battle against fee increases. He believes the reason for the govern-ments flamboyant attitude is the fact they don’t see the students as a united commu-nity on the issue. “i have the experience, i can rally people to do that. You have to know your politics, its vital if you want to get something out of this government.”

conor plans to achieve this by increasing aware-ness of the Students’ Union’s services. to many the Stu-dents’ Union is an abstract organisation that inhibits a room in aras na Mac leinn. He wants to increase the interaction of the Students’ Union with students on a daily basis through social networking sites, but also plans to reform the class rep sys-tem to facilitate this. class reps are a great way to make sure the Union are c o n t i n u a l l y kept in touch with the needs of students.

conor seeks to introduce a recall system for class reps that aren’t fulfilling their role. He maintains that class reps must hold regular meetings with both their class and the Union. as a former class rep, conor is aware of the support system the Students’ Union must implement, to offer adequate guidance to class reps.

conor has quite an ambitious manifesto. From creating a database for Stu-dents to upload their c.V’s, where employers can post job advertisements, to ensur-ing all lecturers are required to post their notes on blackboard. His manifesto embodies a broad scope of students’ needs. His com-mitment to these needs is further epitomized by the fact he plans to suspend his political membership. “if i am elected i will be mandated by the seventeen thousand students of nUiG. i want everyone to come into my office and feel that i have helped them, not given them excuses.”

ideas, experience, and organizational skills: conor certainly has the qualities necessary to take on the

role of Education officer, but does he have the

flexibility needed to meet his objec-tives? He believes so. conor claims: “if you don’t get somewhere with a solution, find

another approach.”

the Vice-President / Education officer is responsible for:

• co-ordination of the Stu-dents' Union council

• providing a confidential lis-tening and referral service

• Representing students on University committees which relate to academic life

• Dealing with individual requests from students

• Keeping the Executive and students informed of all edu-cational matters

• organise and chair the Edu-cation forum

• providing academic informa-tion through thepublication of leaflets and/or books

• Representing the Union in USi events and attending

USI events, especially in regard to the Education Working Group and other Education related areas

• Drafting education policy• Dealing with issues as the

arise within the University e.g. re-structuring

the position of Vice-president / Education officer means being up to date on academic policy, being a voice for students on academic issues and also being an impor-tance member of the Executive committee. as Vice-president, this officer is very involved with the day-to-day running of the Union, and helps with all Union campaigns and events.

Issues that previous Vice-President / Education Officers have worked on include:

• Developing a support cen-tre for Maths and English within the University.

• creating an informative grants booklet to make applying for the grant easier for students.

• lobbying the University for extended library opening hours.

• Encouraging students to use the available mechanisms for reviewing their lecturers.

• increasing the effectiveness of the class Representatives council

• Working with the national union (USi) to improve the grants system

• increasing awareness of stu-dents' rights in University

• lobbying for clearer and more frequent communica-tion from the University to students.O

ff

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red

uc

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{sin} E D U c at i o n o F F i c E R {9}

davId reIlly“I feel how much people are going to suffer from not getting an education.”

TaTIaNa BruSIlOvSkaya

“There are no dead end situations”By Joyce Fahy

involved with his second-ary school Students’ Union but sceptic about the way it was run, David Reilly, a final year Geography and Eco-nomics student, has become increasingly concerned with the academic problems con-cerning students. Due to his availing of the Higher Education access Route (a pro-gramme that aims to tackle educational disadvantage), David is thoroughly aware of the vital need for equal educa-tion for all students. His first hand knowledge of the “strain on resources that can exclude a lot of people” only adds to his vigour to address the aca-demic side of nUiG life, as it is very “close to home.”

primarily, David aims to tackle the fundamental issue of the lack of study space around campus. He is of the strong opinion that the library should have the same opening and closing times as the read-ing room, and if appointed, will aim to secure the opening of classrooms around college at later times to free up space. When asked how he would go about practically obtain-ing this for students David explained that “there’s a number of class rooms on the con-course or in close prox-i m i t y t o the reading room, that can be very easily

opened and closed by the security staff, who are on cam-pus 24/7. i believe it wouldn’t be major issue to implement this.”

With regards the confusion and fear surrounding the fee threats, David feels that we must take action by expressing and highlighting the under-stated negative effects this will have on people. David states: “i feel how much people are going to suffer from not get-ting an education. We can’t ignore that people’s well being is being affected.” along with the introduction of fees, he strongly opposes the reduc-tion in mature student grants and seeks to make people aware of the importance of such funding - which if taken away - will exclude a large number of people (than we care to admit) from being able to afford third level education.

Moreover, he has goals to implement tutorials as a more consistent part of academia, whereby the student could ask for advice on how to increase grades, how to refer-ence correctly, and recognise recurrent mistakes he/she may not have been aware of. nor

is this idle political rheto-ric: “i’m aware of the

practical issues that arise with this, especially with the size and numbers some classes hold. it is something that would

need to be looked at in terms

of the tutorial s y s t em

across the board and to come to some sort of consensus with each course regarding the resources at their disposal, to try and improve it.” He feels that these sessions would be beneficial to both the welfare of the lecturer and the stu-dent. in addition, he wishes to introduce ‘anonymous Mark-ing’ in all academic exams in order to provide a fair chance for all students of attaining a non-biased mark.

When asked to describe some defining attributes he would bring to the position, he hesitates for a moment before smirking and divulg-ing, “Well i’ve a lot of energy; i’m like a Duracell bunny!” His optimism juxtaposed with his determined ambitiousness, is not only contagious but is also inspiring. He is interested, not only in addressing such vital problems previously mentioned but feels the importance of the need to make education easily accessi-ble and comfortably attained. He stresses the value of creat-ing awareness of problematic issues, and how effective com-munication can be.

With regards the class rep-resentative system, David calls for better communication: “Some class reps are more active than others and a more proactive approach needs to happen across the whole system. also, the issue of com-munication between students and their class reps needs to improve. i have found a lot of students have had issues that needed to be directed towards their class reps but didn’t know who they were and how to contact them. this needs to be improved: for example social media is a very effective medium of com-munication. i have witnessed first hand how easily it works in my classes.”

on meeting David Reilly, he immediately exposed a genuine concern for the well-being of the student’s academic life. His innovative thinking on making life more convenient and positive for each individual may benefit the Students’ Union greatly. With future aspirations to become a teacher, he has stu-dents’ interests at heart.

By Jane Kearns

out of all the Education officer candidates tatiana Brusilovskaya was a somewhat surprising contender. tatiana, who is originally from Rus-sia, is currently enrolled in the Environment, Society and Development Ma pro-gramme here in nUi Galway. She hopes to work in this field in the future but would love the opportunity to live and work in ireland for the next year as nUi Galway’s Educa-tion officer. in the lead up to Election Day i got the chance to interview the candidate and learn a bit more about her plans if elected.

tatiana, a relative unknown in Students’ Union politics previously, explained her motivation to run for Educa-tion officer: “i’ve never been a class rep or anything like that but when i was doing my Ba back in Russia i was very active in organising extracurricular activities. this included class meetings and different kinds of fairs such an international fair which showcased interna-tional languages and cultures, including ireland.”

tatiana does not have any political affiliation: “i don’t think it’s a good idea to be honest. But as i said in my manifesto i support the FEE movement, it’s a noble cause.” She elaborated on her involvement in Free Educa-tion for Everyone: “i am just an ordinary member and i support the movement mor-ally, when i get a chance also bodily: for example i took part in their last protest. if i get elected i will certainly get heavily involved in their activities, providing them all support within my possibilities and powers.” it’s a cause she obviously believes in: “in my home country undergraduate education is free and i hope it will stay this way, so i see no reason why in a developed European country like ireland it should not be either.”

tatiana’s manifesto is very succinct but highlights the issues she wishes to tackle if elected. these include making the education proc-ess as smooth as possible for

students and acting as an efficient interface between students and various services and structures of the Univer-sity ranging from the library to clubs and societies. She also wants to put more focus on equality and takes a “there are no dead end situations” approach to equality issues. two of tatiana’s main points of interest incorporate some of the most pressing issues for students at the moment, which are the fight against fees and developing students’ skills relevant to their course of study.

tatiana’s manifesto men-tions promoting greater equality among students, the promotion of the irish language, an improving communication through irish among the Students’ Union and throughout the wider student body. She explains, “i am quite aware that there are a number of other officers at the SU with a wide range of functions, most of them engaged on a part-time basis. if elected i would be very happy to cooperate with all of them, organise and take part in vari-ous activities together with them, provide overall support to them whenever they need it from the side of Educa-tion.”

She cer-tainly has the expe-rience for the role, hav ing previously worked in a lan-

guage school which was part of a secondary school: “i have a good idea of what the education sphere is like from the perspective of both an employee and a student. i also worked for an nGo which involved a lot of training and educational activities.” But does tatiana have the right characteristics, the right quali-ties, to succeed as Education officer? “i think i would be the right person for the job,” she explains. “i have both relevant experience and i am sociable enough and attentive to peo-ple’s problems and needs. My attitude is; when someone comes to me as an officer with their trouble, i should do my best to help and be as resource-ful as possible in the search of the solution, not just send them further to someone else, saying it is beyond my scope of responsibilities.”

Finally, i asked tatiana about her campaign, com-ing from a low profile with no society affiliation. Did she think this would affect her chances on polling day? “i don’t think it’s a good idea to get support from a group or society; it wouldn’t be very fair to be honest,” she explained.

“i think that keeping a low profile this year

is something that is expected and

this way peo-ple will get more r ea l votes and the cam-

paign will be fairer.”

{10} E D U c at i o n o F F i c E R {sin}

wel

far

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evelyN feNNelly“I believe in the principal

of free education.”

rOry kITT“Honesty, Hard Work and

Approachability.”By Mark Kelly

Evelyn Fennelly has been involved in student welfare and education roles for a long time, and has now decided to take the leap and put herself forward to represent the Uni-versity as Education officer. When asked to explain the role, she says “the Education officer is extremely important in these times. they have to spearhead the fight against increases in the registration fees and cuts to the grant, as so many students – especially here in nUi Galway, which has the highest level of students on the grant – [are] on the verge of dropping out. they also have to deal with any academic issues students have, and voice student opinions on the aca-demic council to get the best possible academic outcomes for students.”

Evelyn is one of three Free Education for Everyone (FEE) candidates running for full time-officer positions. “i believe in the principal of free education. it is the right of every person; it shouldn’t just be reserved for the people who can afford it. people should not be restricted to come to college by fees. the cuts in education and raising of fees needs to be f o u g h t a n d resisted.” W h e n asked i f she

believed that student’s percep-tions of the group as a radical movement would affect her chances, she responded “i don’t think radical is neces-sarily a bad thing, we need radical action. We need a strong union who can cam-paign against education cuts and raised fees. We need peace-ful direct action, not letters to tD’s or ticks on a website from students and parents. it needs to be direct action, not sense-less rabble.”

one of the things that stands out on Evelyn’s mani-festo is that she doesn’t want “any interference from outside corporations.” When asked what she meant, she clarified the meaning of the point: “Students should be able to study what they want. course choice should not be driven by profit. college is reserved for knowledge, not profit, and research should be the same. i want to lobby every college about this issue, as it affects all students.” When challenged that it may not realistic to expect the Government to fund courses that have little hope of employment, and hence no promise of tax rev-

enue, she defended her stance: “We shouldn’t

be looking at things from a purely mon-

etary view. if this approach was adopted there wouldn’t be many col-lege courses

remaining.

choosing a course is a choice dependent on the individual, it shouldn’t depend on job security and level of salary after completion of the course.”

Evelyn has shown that she cares about education already. She is a volunteer with SUaS educational development, a movement dedicated to sup-porting high quality education in targeted under-resourced communities, with pro-grammes in india, ireland and Kenya. She also received fund-ing from the Enterprise awards to develop nurture. “nurture is a project for parents who are attending college. it is run in conjugation with the Health promotions office and is sup-ported by the SU. it is a drop-in centre, every tuesday from 12 to 2 pm in the Wellness centre and is a place where parents can discuss the problems they face with being in third-level education and raising children, with each other. We also run workshops and talks every three weeks. i came up with the idea because parents face additional problems, both socially and educationally. third-level is challenging and difficult enough without chil-dren, and they need help and support to get through it.”

another interesting thing on Evelyn’s manifesto is the idea to have a separate Stu-dent assistance Fund, which will be awarded late in Semes-ter one. She has a novel way of funding it: “Well, the funds will come out of mine and my running mates salaries if we are elected,” she explains “the lag of the Students assistance Fund is unacceptable, and can leave many students with no option but to drop out. this new fund will put students in a good position to continue their studies.”

She also plans to hold col-lege-wide assemblies “where students can discuss problems with her and other students” as well as making academic and social class reps. When asked why students should vote for her, she responded: “the prin-ciple of free education is one i am passionate about. i have experience in activism, volun-teering and SUaS and think i can bring a lot to the role and make a difference.”

By Declan Higgins

a theatre and performance student, Rory Kitt cuts an earnest figure as he speaks to me on the concourse benches amid the hustle and bustle of the college students he is seek-ing to represent. He hails from the well-known castleblakney political family and works, to support himself for Joyce’s Supermarket in his native tuam, co. Galway.

Somewhat of a lower pro-file than many of the other candidates in the race, Rory has been heavily in involved in societies such as DramSoc and GUMS. Having been previously involved in the campaigns of Emmet connolly and peter Mannion, Kitt says he brings a fresh approach to the issues facing the student body at nUi Galway. His can-didacy, he says, is borne out of a desire to give something back to the university that has been so good to him over the years while a student here.

He set out his stall with conviction, honing in on points he believe go to the heart of the role of Education office, including making the SU more visible and connected with students; the focus on the north of the campus, being an ambassador for the university and the students, issues and difficulties relating to exams and courses, placements and dealing with education stand-ards at the university.

When questioned about his stance on fees, Kitt said nobody could promise to bring down fees, but that he would do as much as possible to fight fees by means of intensive lobbying and the exploration of differ-ent avenues. this, he believes, can be brought about by unit-ing the student body into one representative group. this is crucial he believes, as students are “the future of our country.”

When asked to elaborate on his policies, Rory placed par-ticular attention on the north side of the campus, where the Students’ Union activity is not as strong, so that stu-dents who are based primarily there will also be afforded the full services of the SU: something many engineering and nursing students will be

glad to hear.When posed with the ques-

tion of the relevance of the SU to the student body and the class reps system, Rory said he believed the current SU worked very well, but that changes were needed to the class reps system. Rory believes that the system “need(s) to be simpli-fied,” that is to say that the structure should be easier to run so the most benefit for the students could be attained.

i could not allow the issues that arose in the aftermath of ‘unofficial RaG week’ pass this interview, and asked Rory for his views: “it was a small minority of troublemakers,” he told me. “Student’s are entitled to go out and enjoy themselves.” For the most part, there were no sinister or perverse motives at play, and he rehashed the now revered statement of pat McDonagh of Supermac’s in the irish times where he downplayed the whole affair. “Very little was ever paid to the sincere chari-table element of RaG week,” Kitt said.

Rory was eager to tell me of his novel ideas related to place-ments for students, something akin to the Jobs Bridge Government initia-tive, attempting to impart stu-dents with relevant ben-eficial work e x p e r i e n c e to assist them in terms of confidence and employability in their future

endeavours. When pressed on how this would be brought from theory to practice, Rory spoke of how large companies would have to be approached to secure such positions for students. this, he believes, will greatly benefit students in imparting them with skills, experience and insight early on.

While undeniably from one of Galway’s best known politi-cal dynasties – his grandfather being the t.D. and Minster Michael F. Kitt, his uncle is the former Dublin t.D. tom Kitt, Michael Kitt t.D. for Galway East is another uncle, and his aunt, aine Brady is a former t.D. – Rory insists his own opinions are informed by him alone. on the broader question of the forging of a link between national party politics and stu-dent politics, he believes that both should be separate and that the upcoming elections should not be obscured by extraneous issues and rather be more focused “on the people and the policies.”

asked to sum up why, we the student of nUi Galway, should vote for him, he said he brings three important

things to the campaign, and hopefully to the

office of Education officer; “hon-esty, hard work and approach-ability,” three qualities that typify what one

requires in as a Students’ Union

officer.

{sin} W E l Fa R E o F F i c E R {11}

• co-ordination and delivery of Welfare campaigns on relevant welfare issues e.g. SHaG

• providing a confidential listen-ing and referral service

• Representing students on Uni-versity committees in relation to student welfare

• Dealing with individual requests from students

• Keeping the Executive and stu-dents informed of all welfare matters

• organise and chair the Welfare forum

• providing welfare information through the publication of leaf-lets, posters and/or books

• Reviewing and drafting welfare policy

• Representing the Union in USi events and attending

USI events, especially in regard to the Welfare Working Group and other welfare related areas

• providing information on stu-dent entitlements and rights

the position of Vice-president / Welfare officer means being clued in to all student welfare issues, being a voice for students within the University and also being an important member of the Executive committee. as Vice- president, this officer is very involved with the day-to-day run-ning of the Union, and helps with all Union campaigns and events.

Issues that previous Vice-President / Welfare Officers have worked on include:• Ensuring students are well

informed about their accom-modation rights

• promoting an awareness of sexual health through ongoing campaigns and targeted cam-paigns such as SHaG Week

• Encouraging student well-being through the provision of infor-mation on the website and in the diary

• improving student safety by establishing the campus Watch committee and continuing to liaise with campus security and community Garda

• Working with Student Services to ensure adequate service for students in distress

• together with USi, working to improve funding for services in the University

• aiming to raise awareness of the many services available to students, e.g. the pleasetalk campaign.

the Vice-President / Welfare officer is responsible for:

Of

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eSarah MccarThy

“I believe in equality and basic freedoms and rights.”

By Conor Lane

the Welfare officer posi-tion in the Students’ Union is arguably the most emo-tionally and psychologically draining position to hold. From dealing with issues ranging from financial hard-ship, the death of a fellow student, or unplanned preg-nancy, it is not an easy job to undertake. i spoke with Sarah Mccarthy, at twenty year-old second year arts stu-dent, studying human rights with history, sociology and politics.

When asked about her political background, Sarah explained: “i’m an active member of FEE, putting myself on the left of the spectrum and i’m the audi-tor of the United left Society. i would call myself a social-ist. i believe in equality and basic freedoms and rights. i’ve been involved in a lot of different causes like palestine and FEE. i used to be a part of labour Youth but i left after Ruari Quinn didn’t reverse the registration fee after he said he would.” She doesn’t see the students’ union as a springboard to a poten-tial political career, as she describes herself as having no interest in irish politics: “i’m more interested in journalism or human rights work.”

When asked about the fact that there is a member of FEE running for every posi-tion, she says it makes sense because, “we’re all passionate about students’ rights and believe in the principle of free education.” She makes the point that the best way to do this is through the students’ union as they rep-resent students on a much larger scale. She is not sup-ported by any society or organisation for this elec-tion but has a close network of friends and members of FEE to call upon if she needs help.

Sarah’s campaign budget is relatively small in com-parison to some other candidates. She is encour-aged by the fact that a recent motion has outlawed the distribution of ‘freebies’ in

Students’ Union Elections. She does not believe it is nec-essary to spend more than she has to in order to win: she feels that the election should be about the issues at hand.

Sarah spoke of how she was inspired to run for Welfare officer around two months ago when she saw a video about the economic crisis in ireland. its descrip-tion of how the suicide rate among men in ireland, which has risen to an average of ten per week, while nearly 1,500 people are emigrating has made her want to stay in ireland and contribute towards a way of getting out of this mess. like the many of us, she’s not sure where she’ll be in five years but she thinks there’s a good chance that she’ll be doing some-thing with women’s rights or education, potentially in africa. Sarah is not aware of any trash campaigning going on but her motto if there is, is “rise above it and don’t engage in it.”

Sarah realises that the Welfare position is a particu-larly hard one to undertake, but she plans on bringing a friendly approach and emphasising the importance of talking to and addressing peo-ple. She sees no compli-cations in d e a l i n g with the d i f f e r -e n c e s between private

issues and public problems. there are, of course, many demands for the role. Should she be elected, she says she will undertake any course that could help her with the job, such as the assist Suicide intervention course, and also see what the Rape crisis centre has to offer for practical training.

Welfare has unquestion-ably become a tougher roll with each passing year. When asked how she would cope, Sarah responded that: “Working closely with the equality officer would be a big part of that. through hard work, bringing in all the part-time officers and making sure that all officers are doing their jobs. i’m per-fectly capable of doing many things at once although i’m not denying that it will be hard work”.

She believes the strong support of her friends and family will be the support she needs should she ever feel over-whelmed by the job and would have no problem in availing of the counseling services available in nUi Galway. as a mem-ber of FEE, she believes that campaigning and tactics need to be stepped up in order to fight issues such

as the postgraduate grant cuts and that when your protests

are strong enough and loud enough, they work.

{12} W E l Fa R E o F F i c E R {sin}

daMI adeBarI“If a friend calls and needs someone

to talk to I am there for them.”

rOBIN alleN“I’m going to keep going as long as I have

to keep going and further if I need to.”By Kevin Kennedy

Dami adebari is a third year public and Social policy student, and active member of the nUi Galway Soccer club. Dami, who is running for the position of welfare officer in the upcoming Students’ Union elections boasts a strong manifesto that will appeal to many students. We met to discuss the upcoming elections and the chal-lenges of the position.

Dami emphasises the Welfare officer’s role in making students’ aware of the services available to them: “there are many aspects to this such as campaigns in the areas of health, disability, career services and so on. it’s really just about getting the services out there to stu-dents.” He acknowledges that this role has changed in recent years, with the rising concern of the cost of education: “Fees and grants are also important as students who cannot afford to live may need assist-ance from services such as MaBS or monetary funds and budget services.” He sees the position as vital to students’ happiness: “the welfare officer is a role model and y o u h a v e to be there for the stu-dents. it’s a twenty-four hour job and you must be c o m -mit-

ted and willing to listen.”Dami believes he has

all the right skills for the job: “Firstly you need to be a leader but the major one is listening skills. You also need to have organi-sational skills, people skills and [be] hard-working.” He claimed that “commitment and compassion” are vital: “You can’t be in this for the money; you need to really care about the students.” He claimed that, “if the college announced that it would only pay for accom-modation but no wage, i would still run for this office.”

When asked about what inspired him to run for Welfare, Dami explained that he wanted “to make a difference and that dif-ference [is] to bridge the gap between students and services.” the university services in existence are a core part of his plan if elected: “the services are here in the college already, they just need to be adver-tised more because students generally do not know where they are. i want to be the link between stu-dents and services. […] i want to educate people on the services that are avail-

able to them. not all students are happy so i want to be the person that they can come and talk to and i can help them.”

Dami believes a new approach

is needed for the fees

issue: “ i n the

areas of fees and grants, i am more focused on proper representation and cam-paigns that work rather than going about it the wrong way, as we have been doing. the welfare officer must make sure that they can cater for every group within college soci-ety.”

the emotional demands of the Welfare officer pos i t ion a r e w ide ly acknowledged. Dami believes that “compassion, patience and a big heart are needed,” but will not shy away from the chal-lenges: “i have a lot of life experience and have been through a lot of rough patches. When i have an assignment to submit and i’m up all night writing it, if a friend calls and needs someone to talk to i am there for them. i might not finish my assignment but i have helped someone in need. life is like a 100m hurdle race: if things go well you’ll jump every hur-dle, if you fall, some stay down and some get up and lift their legs higher. that is the type of person that i am. My experience will help me get through the emotional aspect of the job.”

throughout his time at nUi Galway Dami has been an active member of the campus community. He has served as class Rep in first and third year. in first year Dami was elected to the union body, academic council, USi, and arts Rep: “any position within the Students’ Union that an undergrad could fill, i did it in first year.” He also works with sports and clubs. “i have a big heart and i am the type of person who would take the shirt off my own back and put it on your back.”

He has dealt with all aspects of the role of Wel-fare officer and promises to make serious and effec-tive change. He regards his promises as realistic and believes that he can achieve all of them if elected.

By Martina Gannon

Robin allen is “looking out for you” and intends to do this officially for students as welfare officer.

Robin first came to nUi Galway in 2008 to do his Ba, and is currently doing a Masters. He realised the importance of student rep-resentation when he became involved with the SU. He believes it is necessary for stu-dents have a voice, to prevent the government from walking all over them, and he wants to be that voice for students.

Robin believes he is 100% suited to the role in terms of approachability as well as his experience as Equality officer. He puts in long hours in the SU and says he has no problem with the immense emotional demands of the role. He believes that the most important thing is to be a strong enough charac-ter to deal with these issues, having some experience with student counselling from his time as Equality officer: “nobody is afraid to come ask me for stuff. i generally say ‘yes’ to people if it’s in my power to do it, even if it’ll take time.”

When asked about his motivation in running for the position he cites former Welfare officer, Emma con-way, and current officer Brian Grant as his inspiration. He adds that Emma “made it her life,” and that Brian was fan-tastic too.

His belief in his ability is rooted in his experience as Equality officer and deal-ing with related services on campus. He stresses that he will extricate himself from his Socs workload to focus on welfare if he wins.

Robin aims to expand Health and Well-being courses, increasing their fre-quency: “it gives [students] confidence because they are acquiring life skills not specif-ically related to their course.” He intends to increase adver-tising of counselling services to dispel any of the stigma attached.

Robin emphasises the progress he has already made

on his election promises. in his manifesto he promises to deliver a night Bus to corrib Village, and is already liaising with bus companies to get it started.

access for disabled stu-dents is a major concern for Robin. He aims to put pressure on the university to bring in assessors to look at disabled access, and also bring back equality forums. He recounts his experience during his time as Equality officer of shaming the uni-versity into paying to get a broken lift up and running that same afternoon.

Robin proposes the forma-tion of Welfare committees, made up of interested stu-dents and class reps from all years. “it will be open to any student. it will aim to solve the minor as well as the major problems students have.”

He is concerned about the student housing situ-ation, and promises to act as liason between students and corrib Village. “the fact that the university has taken over the management of corrib Village means they are the ones we have to go after.” He makes it clear that he has absolutely no qualms in “embarrassing” the univer-sity into getting what services are needed for students, and claims he will protest if these are not achieved. “i have conducted o n e - m a n protests

with placards and mega-phones.”

on the topic of his politi-cal background he openly admits he is a supporter of Fianna Fail, having recently returned though he disa-greed with their tactics a few months earlier. He main-tains that he does not think he will run for any political office beyond student gov-ernment.

on trash campaigning, Robin claims that “without naming names” he is “well aware of trash campaign-ing” from other candidates: “My response, if someone approaches me and says ‘i heard this about you,’ is to tell them to relate the story to eve-ryone, and also tell everyone who gave them the story.”

is he running to win? “My proposals are things i’m working on anyway and would like to get done regard-less if someone else wins the election.” But, he interjects, he is “definitely running to win.” He would like the chance to continue the work he has done before and the best way to do that is in an official position.

“i’ve worked all my life and i haven’t given up on anything i’ve started. i’m

going to get in there, i’m going to help people

and i’m going to keep going as long as i have to keep going and further if i need to. i’ll do

it!”

{sin} E l E c t i o n S p E c i a l {13}

NO PlaTfOrM POlIcy

Yes to the referendum: No to a Platform for Fascism and Hate

No to the referendum: Yes to Freedom of thought

the “no platform policy” will be put to a referendum on thursday, 8th March. though passed by the Students’ Union council on 7 november 2011, 500 members of the Students’ Union subsequently requested a referendum of the general student body on whether or not the no platform policy should be retained.

1. the Students’ Union will be mandated to automatically oppose any invitation to members of the organisations listed below to speak at this university.

2. Students’ Union officers shall be prohibited from sharing a public platform with members of the listed organisations.

3. organisations may be added and removed by ballot of nUi Galway Students’ Union council. proposals will be submitted by class reps or Students’ Union Executive officers.

4. the list of organisations under the no platform policy shall be reserved for organi-sations that are deemed to be fascist and/or racist by the Students’ Union council.

Organisations included in the No Platform Policy• Bnp• combat 18• Hizb ut- tahrir• Mpac UK (Muslim public affairs committee)• the national Front.• Democratic Right Movement• Mpac ireland• national Front parties from various other EU countries• the Racial Volunteer Force (Splinter group from c18)• Blood and Honour• British Movement/British national Socialist Movement• column 88

By Timothy Morrow

the no platform pol-icy passed by the Student council should be repealed. it is, in my opinion, an infringment upon societies on campus, a distraction for the Students’ Union and a denial of freedom of speech.

Firstly, the Students’ Union shouldn’t be interfering with student societies and their right to invite guests, which possi-bly only a few members of the union deem inappro-priate. i assume this policy is directed at societies, but it is unclear. the SU surely has more import things to be doing than screening guests, who may or may not, be deemed controver-sial.

the SU should not be mandated to ‘auto-matically’ oppose these organisations and its mem-bers. Shouldn’t the SU be a neutral voice, whose sole interest is the welfare of students? if elected mem-bers of the SU wish to campaign or protest against certain people invited into the university, they are free to do so. However, to say the entire union should be forced to will likely go against the views of some elected officers. the whole motion is so ambigous that it is unclear how far the SU would have to go anyway. By ‘oppose’, does it mean protest, censor or even ban? if passed, the no platform policy may give certain SU figures justification to inter-fere with societies and as it is so vague, they will claim the force of the union in doing whatever action they

feel necessary.the second clause is that

SU officers will be man-dated to not attend events and speak out against per-ceived racism. Wouldn’t it be more effective if SU officers engaged with these people and challenged them directly on their views?

the third clause gives Students’ Union class Representatives discretion to add or drop organiza-tions from the black list. if representative of 17,000 students from divergent political, religious and ide-ological backgrounds, how long will this list become? Who will be left to speak?

We cannot regulate freedom of thought. Uni-versities are a bastion of free speech. along with expanding your horizons and challenging both your-self and your beliefs, your time at university may be the only time in our lives where we can speak freely and discuss controversial issues. if you deny students the opportunity to decide for themselves whether a speaker is correct or not, the chances are that racist sentiment will increase as these views are left unop-posed. We give legitimacy to perceived racists when we won’t even point out to them and to each other, through debate, why they are wrong. You cead all the moral high ground.

there are plenty of organisations who we could deny a forum on campus. Why not sectarian or sexist groups for example? How wide should we cast the net? With 17,000 students to represent, agreement

within the Students’ Union will be difficult. the idea that all of these groups are unacceptable is, in itself a bigoted, belief.

Many of the groups on the banned list are of a right-wing persuasion. are we not discriminat-ing against students who ascribe to this ideology? Will this not lead to greater intolerance on campus where the SU gives sanc-tion that their beliefs are wrong? Wouldn’t you feel angry if your SU implied you were racist? Why not tackle racism head on, on campus and don’t force these beliefs underground where they become more dangerous? this very debate detracts from the campaign to end racism everywhere.

if a speaker is invited on campus, let them have their say and let the stu-dents decide for themselves what they think. if they really are racist, it will be shown. there is a difference between giving someone like nick Griffin a micro-phone and a platform from which to rally support, versus debating an issue against an informed oppo-sition. i have no doubt that any nUiG student has the intelligence to acknowl-edge as ludicrous many of the ideas nick Griffin and the Bnp hold.

History has shown that suppressing these views doesn’t work. Bring them into the open and chal-lenge them head on. Until you can prove why their opinions are wrong then, while we may disagree with them, we should defend their right to say them.

By Frank Doherty

this article argues for a YES vote in the referen-dum: “that the Students’ Union will be mandated to automatically oppose any invitation to members of the listed organisations to speak at this university.” opposition to the no platform policy is almost entirely based around lib-eral delusions concerning freedom of speech. in real-ity this is not a freedom of speech issue, it is a hate issue.

the majority will agree - freedom of expression is important in any soci-ety which refers to itself as democratic. However, affording platforms in a public forum to those spouting bigoted views on race, nationality, religion and a multitude of other areas of human concern is both irresponsible and naive. according to lGBt campaigner, phelim Mac cafferty: “it is a fact that when fascists are allowed to speak, racist and homo-phobic attacks, violence and intimidation increase, and there is a world of dif-ference between defending free speech and choosing to provide a platform for fascists.”

if a fascist speaks in nUi Galway, it could lead to a spike in hate attacks in Galway, encouraging those who already hold these views in a closeted fashion. Universities are intended to be institutions of informed and relevant debate: fascist ideas are neither informed nor relevant.

let us for a moment clarify the debate - who are

these fascists? in 2009, the literary and Debating Soci-ety invited David irving, a convicted Holocaust denier and fascist, to speak. the debate was cancelled due to security concerns, but he came very close to getting an opportunity to spread his repulsive ideas from a prestigious university plat-form. at that time, lit & Deb argued that they could make irving look like a fool and cut across his ideas, thereby discrediting him. However, as anti-fascist campaigners argued at the time, there is no debating with fascism and Holocaust denial.

according to the judge in the lipstadt trial, Justice Gray: irving’s “numerous mistakes and egregious errors are not due to mere ignorance or sloppiness: on the contrary, it is obvious that they are calculated and deliberate.”

the main aim of fascists is not rational debate. it’s about securing respect-ability in the eyes of the public and more impor-tantly using platforms to meet prospective followers.

a l t h o u g h f a s c i s m doesn’t currently have a foothold in ireland, for fascists it doesn’t matter whether they have a mass following or a democratic mandate, they start their programme of attacks whenever they get a group of thugs organised.

Secondly, there is a basis for fascism to grow in ire-land. the small groups of thugs currently active are sure to benefit from the economic crisis and growing alienation from mainstream parties. people

are angry and disillusioned with mainstream parties because of their role in the recession and are looking for alternatives. the story sold by the establishment is so contrasting with their everyday lives that they may find that radical ideas, however irrational, have appeal. tensions in ireland are increasing, with ethnic and other minorities regularly targeted. Similar conditions led to the rise of the Bnp in Britain, who now have an electoral base.

Since the 1990s the national Union of Stu-dents (nUS) in Britain have mandated a no platform policy. Union officers can-not attend events where a platform is given to a fascist or racist, as their presence could legitimise views being put forward. the growth of fascism in Britain is far more signifi-cant than in ireland but this does not mean that we can become complacent when it comes to the vali-dation of these abhorrent views.

John Stuart Mill is often quoted by those who argue for complete freedom of speech, but one important limitation to this rule, as stated by Mill, is that such a platform cannot be used to do harm.

Freedom of expres-s i o n i s a s m u c h a responsibility as a right and therefore harmful views must be obstructed. Facism is inherently harm-ful, and allowing it space to grow will limit the rights of others.

Hate speech, racism and bigotry cannot be allowed to develop on our campus.

{14} E l E c t i o n S p E c i a l {sin}

Understanding the USI

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By Kevin Kennedy

the Union of Stu-dents in ireland (USi) has been heard of by nearly every student on every college cam-pus across the country, but it’s a reasonable assumption that not many of these students know what exactly the USi is or does.

the USi was set up in 1959 as a body of representation for stu-dents across ireland. the real work of the USi is pretty similar to what you would find is being done by each Stu-dents’ Union, just on a wider scale. the USi fight across the board for many important issues of concern to students. the Union is an able representation

when it comes to issues such as the maintain-ing of equality within education in ireland, which allows all people the equal opportunity to attain a higher edu-cation irrespective of their race, creed, sex or what seems to be the most highlighted issue at the moment: eco-nomic circumstances.

the USi also work hard to represent stu-dents in other sectors such as housing, where they ensure that suita-ble accommodation is available for students across the country. training courses are also offered by the organisation to help develop the skills of those who are elected to individual Students’ Unions so that col-

lege goers can receive the best services and leaders possible. the USi employ an officer to each area of the country, so for us here in Galway we get the assistance of the West-ern area officer. the current Western area officer, and a familiar face at nUi Galway’s SU council, is Breffni Gor-man, a student from Sligo it who works closely with colleges in the west of ireland. She is running unop-posed for the same role, dubbed the Vice-pres-ident for the Border, Midlands & Western Region under the new constitution.

there are many posi-tions available on the USi, which are filled through an election

each year at national congress. Under the new USi constitution, adopted at a special congress last month, these roles include: the president, the nUS-USi president (essentially the northern area officer, representing students in north-ern ireland who fall between the USi and the UK’s national Union of Students), and six Vice presidents for: academic affairs & Quality assurance; Welfare; campaigns; Equality & citizenship; the Border, Midlands

and Western Region; the Southern Region; the irish language & culture.

the way the elec-tion process is run is quite different to that of any Students’ Union election as each mem-ber of the USi sends its chosen delegate to vote at national con-gress. the nomination of candidates for the USi is done by each member’s Students’ Union. in the area of campaigning the USi elections are much like those that you would see for any Students’

Union elections: can-didates must draw up a manifesto and put weeks upon weeks of work into campaign-ing for the positions. Many students of nUiG have been members of the USi officerboard in the past, most nota-bly Eamon Gilmore, who served two terms as the president of the USi and was also the Students’ Union presi-dent here at nUiG, and also more recently peter Mannion who also served as president of the USi and the Stu-dents’ Union.

A Power Above Power: The USI PresidentBy Cormac O’Malley

the talk of the town this past week has been about the Students’ Union elections, but to use a boardroom analogy, those upstairs, the USi, are also preparing to have their elections.

as would be expected, the person that we imme-diately see as being the face of the USi is its president. the USi president bears overall responsibility of the union, and allocates duties among officers. it is also the president who deals with the media when necessary and who repre-sents student views to the HEa (Higher Education authority).

the incumbent presi-dent of USi is former Vice president and president of UcD Students’ Union, Gary Redmond. He has been USi president for the past two years: having run unopposed in the electoral process for the 2011/2012 term. after increases in the student contribu-tion charge from €2,000 to €2,250 in last year’s budget, he has called upon Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn, to come clean about how these changes will affect students and their families nation-wide. all of this after Ruairí Quinn broke his promise

to students that he would not support any increases in student fees if elected. as expected all of this was quite rightfully scrutinised by the USi.

Gary’s Redmond’s posi-tion as USi president is now to be contested by president of Dit SU, ciarán nevin and John logue of UcD.

ciaran nevin, has a long history of involve-ment in student politics, currently serving out his second term as president of Dit’s Students’ Union. He has represented his college at national congress since 2005. in 2006 he was a founding member of Dit’s award-winning comedy Society, and is also a recepi-ent of a national Engineers ireland award.

UcD man John logue has previously served on the USi ovvicerboard, as deputy president/Eastern area officer in 2010-2011. He ran for the Educa-tion officer position on the Students’ Union at UcD in 2010 as a rela-tive unknown, described then by our colleagues in The University Observer as a member of the university’s Ógra Fianna Fáil group, the Kevin Barry cumann. He studied law in UcD and represented students there on the Staff/Student consultative Forum before

becoming involved in Stu-dents’ Union politics.

like any politician, the USi president regularly makes trips around the country, to members of the USi including nUi Gal-way and GMit. like other members of the officer-board, it is the president’s duty to leave their comfy seats in Dublin 12 and show support for events ranging from mental health to student marches- all of this accompanied by the kissing of the foreheads of 1st year arts students and what not.

We can find comfort in the fact that with a new USi come bright new ideas and new faces. With a new USi president, we will have a new figure in which we can place our trust our aspirations and our hope as they will represent us students on all levels - hav-ing said that, there will not be any reduction in our scrutiny of their achieve-ments.

When did this all become so complex? Well it never did and may never be, unless we have mock candidate who would win in both elections and humour us with their friv-olous proposals. Would that not brighten us all up and clear the fog of gloominess that exists? it certainly sounds tempting.

{sin} E l E c t i o n S p E c i a l {15}

You've read all the candidate profiles and you think you've decided how you're going to

vote. But anything can happen during election week, so keep clued-in, just in case it all goes horribly wrong for your chosen candidate.

FOllOW @SIN_NeWS, FOr UPDATES THrOUgHOUT ElECTION WEEk.

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The Sin SpectatorYou know that there

is an election on when posters of crooked smil-ing candidates are hung all around campus, when your doorstep is molested by cherub-faced students hoping to have you vote for them, so they can implement their ego-engineered policies.

this year’s candidates are particularly interest-ing. For president, we have the founder of Ents Soc and BizSoc auditor, paul curley, and current Equality officer Will o’Brien running for the position.

paul came second in the presidential Elec-tion last year, and had at the time as one of his policies a student music festival in Green-fields. Given that there are already the arts, commerce, law and postgraduate balls, hav-ing a student music festival is an odd prior-ity. Do students need another opportunity to further fulfill their bad name as alcoholic hooligans? However, in last year’s elections paul was one of the few candidates who consist-ently raised the issue of Gym membership and the need for a referen-dum. paul is a proven leader, and can handle the financial side of the Students’ Union com-petently. His ability to think fast and coordi-nate a large committee will serve him well.

Will, who is Equal-ity officer, is heavily involved with FEE. Being active against fees is very important, but one must question of Will, whether he is losing touch with the average student with his passionate activism. Being involved with so many protest groups also bears the question, while Will o’Brien may be against many things, what is he for? it’s been no secret that there has been a divide in the cur-rent Students’ Union Executive. if elected as president, Will must be more moderate, because

when students vote, it’s never for a disjointed committee. However, Will’s wearing his poli-tics on his sleeve may serve him well as vot-ers will respect that he knows what he stands for.

Running for Welfare are Dami adebari, Robin allen and Sarah Mcca-rthy. We cannot call this one.

Dami’s involvement with clubs may serve him well electorally, as it did Brian Grant. However Dami’s diverse background means he has no core group from whom he can guar-antee votes: the same applies to Robin. Dami is also involved with a lot of volunteering and has shown in the past his interest in student issues, given his attend-ance last year at USi congress.

Sarah Mccarthy, like Will, is very involved with student activ-ism, and took part in last week’s march. Her involvement with FEE and labour Youth shows consistency in what matters to her and oth-ers. However the Welfare position requires one-to-one student assistance as well as shouting into a megaphone.

lastly, former Equal-ity officer, Robin allen who is auditor of com-edy Soc has been around for a while. His previous SU experience and his heavy campus involve-ment make him a worthy candidate. While he has experience on his side, voters may wish for a fresh face. His Fianna Fáil background may not help him either, as opponents will take any chance any to grill him on that.

the race for educa-tion officer carries five candidates: tatiana Brusilovskya, Eibhlín Fennelly, conor Stitt, Rory Kitt and David o’Reilly.

tatiana is a mature student from Russia and has only been here since September which is not in her favour. She claims

to have no politics at all and this questions the quality of her candidacy identity and whether she is qualified for the job. She also claims to be involved with FEE which the group have them-selves denied, claiming her involvement has only been since last Wednesday’s march.

E i b h l í n a p p e a r s to have come out of nowhere and is a mem-ber of FEE. the group that she represents kicked fellow educa-tion candidate, conor Stitt out of their group because one of his policies is to introduce an affordable laptop scheme- FEE see this as commercialization, though such a scheme would be undoubtedly practical and beneficial for students.

conor is running for education for the sec-ond year in a row. one of his policies is to add to a Jobs.ie type page to Blackboard. this (like so many other policies) is something voters should challenge candidates on the practicality of. conor may find it hard to get elected without the support of FEE, how-ever it is fair to say he is a fore-runner in this race.

Rory Kitt is heavily involved with clubs and has very strong family connections to Fianna Fáil. Rory claims to be an independent thinker, but this does not mean that he has no politics whatsoever? Would this autonomy be foolish if elected? is he cutting of his nose to spite his face?

lastly, David o’Reilly is an interesting charac-ter, and seems to have education at heart. He wishes to introduce anonymous marking, but this is nothing new, it comes up every year. He also proposes extra tutorials for students. again, this is not within his power and appears to be more idealism on his part.

it’s understandable why some students do

not care about these elections, especially the monotony of it all: the leaflets, the embarrass-ingly bright t-shirts, the posters worthy of no art gallery in the lands. and last but not least, the policies that come up every year, most of which are quickly soaked up by the sponge of amnesia. it’s that same monotony that adds to the frivolity of it all. But cynicism aside, remember this: many students go to the Stu-dent Union throughout the year for help or to instigate change. Some of these matters are per-sonal, some are not and some are matters rele-vant to all students. it’s for those reasons that 9 March, the count, is a date to mark on the calendar.

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