Hailing from Palmerstown, Declan Harmon is a 21 year old JS Bess student who is a self-professed rugby and GAA fan.
A member of Rialto Vincent De Paul and treasurer of Ballyfermot GAA Club, he cites his involvement in community and voluntary groups as the best experience for the role of president.
“I think I have experience in managing money, whether it be as a treasurer of a GAA club, or as a member of a board of directors of a voluntary body that has a turnover of over a million a year. I have experience in positions of responsibility within organisations that are handling large volumes of money. Because I have that experience, I think I can deliver on the issues I’m putting forward in the campaign.”
These issues include better access to jobs and internships for all students and results on the library campaign. Harmon’s main policy, however, is that of ensuring greater accountability and control over how the Union spends its money. “We spend a lot of money on our union, around €400,000. That money doesn’t just fall from the sky. It comes from us, it comes from the students. I don’t think we’re getting as much out of it as we could be. I think that the Union could be much more effective and I think I could make it more effective. That’s why I’m running.”
Harmon went on to outline the ways he intends to make this come about. “I would publish the income and expenditure of the union each month on the union website. I would publish my salary and expenses, as president, online. I would ensure that finance is discussed at every SU Council and SU Exec, which does not happen at the moment. The people who are in charge of the Union have to be held accountable.” Harmon claims that this would give class reps “an element of control over where that money is going.”
Trinity SU’s membership of USI is also under scrutiny in Harmon’s plan. He cites figures from 2007/2008 (the last year that figures are available for) and goes on to say “we spent just under €70,000 on membership of USI. I don’t think we’re getting much out of that. USI is meant to be our lobbying arm at a national level. It doesn’t seem to me to be doing much except operating as an employment agency for aspiring politicians.” If elected, Harmon says he would make moves towards disaffiliating from USI.
Another primary policy for Harmon is increasing awareness of potential jobs and internships for Trinity students. Claiming that the worsening job market is “the biggest challenge we all face,” he believes that the Union should be informing students of internships in all areas of study, not just business and science. “The Union could and should be doing more to help students prepare themselves for going out into the workplace”’ he says.
Harmon thinks that current SU President Cónán has done a good job, particularly with regard to revitalising sports clubs within the college.
However, he thinks that the library campaign was a possible weak point, saying “The library campaign was a good campaign. It was well run. But I don’t think we’ve gotten results from it. That’s not necessarily Conan’s fault. It’s not necessarily anyone’s fault. But if I were to be elected, that is something I would keep up the pressure on.”
When asked to comment on his status as a relative unknown within the Union, Harmon is quick to dispel those who would paint him as an outsider. “I’m a member of the Union, like every student here.” Instead, he says, we need to ask ourselves why the vast majority of students in the college decide not to become involved in the SU.
