Ricky McCormack
I don’t want to be your communications officer because I’ve climbed the right UT or SU ladders to get there. I want to be your Communications officer because I think there are problems in this college and that I can use the role of Communications to fix them.
Photo: Shauna Watson
There is a lack of interest from Trinity students in the affairs and activities of their Union. Every candidate in this election has acknowledged that. The role of the communications officer is not simply to pass on information to students about their union, but to make them care about it. I aim in making the communications officer an active role that truly engages with students, to let them be aware of decisions their union makes, to be answerable to the questions they want answered and most importantly, to make them want to engage in college more than simply coming to their classes and going home.
I have a large deal of experience in this college, with key roles in its largest societies and in College’s journalistic sphere, being editor of The Piranha and the Societies Yearbook. I don’t have experience with the SU or The University Times. My experience is as an outsider and a critic, aware of it’s actions, happy to laud it’s victories and equally quick to acknowledge it’s faults. This is what gives me the insight to be the most effective officer of the candidates in this race. This perspective has let me see what it is the union needs to do to connect with students and not, as some think, what students need to do to reconnect with their union.
My policies are moderate and achievable. It is not huge sweeping reforms that need to be made to increase inclusion and understanding in the union. It is simple steps that break down the information gap and increase accessibility to that information that will make more students feel enfranchised. Weekly clinics give a simple point of call for class reps and students to air problems. For outlying colleges like James’ Tallaght and even one’s as close as D’Olier street they give a message that student’s there are not forgotten and we want to hear their voices. Too many students I talked to there didn’t even know what their communications officer’s role was.
Financial transparency is a regular promise but it’s one I hold as paramount. If we’re going to actually make any money and improve on services we need intense scrutiny of the accounts. As Communications officer I would make these figures known and actively consult the student body in what we can do to improve student services rather than decisions affecting them being made behind closed doors.
Decisions made at council affect every student in this college, and it’s impossible to hope that all could attend. By taking the tiniest leaf out of the book of technical advances we can stream, save and condense council to give all students easy access. It is only through reading council minutes that I saw that the student internship program, a main policy on which our President ran, will not come to fruition this year. Information like that is of great importance for students to know and needs to be circulated, even at the cost of the union’s image.
The University Times has become a staple of Trinity life. It is seen by many as the main job of the Communications officer. That is a problem. When the focus of union to student communication gets overtaken by the passive medium of newsprint and blogs, the disconnect between union and students grows. The UT is one of the tools of communication, not the sole one.
To get more out of the UT we need to expand online and multi media platforms of communication. By increasing video and podcast coverage of issues more people can digest the information we feel is important in an easy and entertaining manner. The current writers pool is hardworking and dedicated but far too small. To get a real feel for Trinity life and what matters to students we need to widen the pool of contributors. With regular media training courses we can give the skills and confidence to more students from a broader spectrum of Trinity and increase the content, efficacy and value of our news coverage.
Sports and societies have a vibrancy in Trinity that no other college can boast. Their addition to college life shouldn’t be undervalued but currently is. I want to give them the recognition they deserve, not only for the hard work of those involved but to make more students aware of the amazing opportunities Trinity has for them.
If you care about a Student Union that connects with and works for students, vote for me. If you don’t care about the Student Union, vote for me and I’ll make you care.
