Unfortunately Welfare candidate Helena Hughes has pulled out of the Welfare Race.
Daniel McFadden:
Fiona Gribben | Staff Writer
Junior Sophister Social Work student Daniel McFadden is running for the position of Welfare Officer in this year’s Leadership Race. The twenty-one year old initially became involved in community work in his home of Donegal having taken part in a folklore festival which aimed to rejuvenate community involvement in a rural area.
Through his course placements, Daniel has had the opportunity to undertake professional placements in the areas of addiction, mental health and disability. In his second year he was elected to the position of JCR Welfare officer, in which he was responsible for running campaigns for Mental Health Week, Sexual Health Week and organised the first ever JCR LGBTQ* Allies night out.
Daniel is currently the Cancer Society Awareness Officer, responsible for organising campaigns such as Blue September and Movember. He is also the Junior Sophister Class Rep for Social Work, the Suas Global Issues Course Co-ordinator and was a job coach for the National Institute of Intellectual Disability.
If elected, Daniel envisages the creation of new avenues of awareness for students, primarily through the “Sharing to help” initiative. This would involve the creation of a nationwide Welfare blog which would allow students access to information through other students’ experiences.
Recognising the severe stress and anxiety caused among students by the accommodation crisis at the beginning of the year, Daniel believes the issue needs to be tackled further by the Students’ Union. Witnessing the brilliant work of the accommodation advisory service Daniel would like to broaden the avenues of help by establishing a “TCDSU Landlord Database”. This would involve Trinity students recommending landlords to the Welfare Officer. Once this landlord agrees he would be put on the database as a resource for students. As well as increasing Trinity students’ chances of attaining accommodation, this would ensure that each home is suitable and the landlord is trustworthy.
Ian Mooney:
Charlotte Ryan | Staff Writer
Vying for the role of Welfare Officer is 22 year-old Bayside native Ian Mooney, a fourth-year student in Science with a specialty in Chemistry. Mooney is well versed in the scheme of the Students’ Union, having sat on the Welfare Team, the University Council and the Student’s Union Executive over his four years in Trinity, as well as being a Class Rep for two years. This year he acts as Engineering, Maths and Science Faculty Convenor and S2S President.
Mooney has clear plans for developing and improving the functions of Welfare in the Students’ Union, focusing specifically on making it “more transparent and approachable”. He states that students feeling distant from the Union impairs them seeking assistance from it, a particularly problematic issue for Welfare. He proposes a Welfare Blog as the solution in an effort to keep students up to date with the goals of the Welfare Office, believing it will “help bridge the gap between students and union and encourage everyone on both sides to engage more.”
This aim of promoting engagement and accessibility carries over to his plans for the broader College community. As S2S President, Mooney advocates a Welfare Officer having “an aptitude in effectively spreading information among the student populace.” He intends to utilise social media, competitions, informative videos and inspirational speakers in achieving his aim.
Dedicated to providing the most cohesive support system for students, as well as information, Mooney is keen to protect and advertise key services offered to students in need by College such as the Student Loan System, Medical Centre and Student Counselling Service. He believes that this project is one the student body can get involved in to assist these schemes “reach their full potential in helping the college community.”
