Aleksandra Giersz:
Patrick Lavelle | Contributing Writer
Aleksandra Giersz is a 19 year old Junior Freshman French & Italian TSM student. Originally hailing from Poland, she has lived in Cork for the past 7 years. Her interests include theatre, art, film and music, and she hopes to pursue a career in event and backstage management in the future.
Since coming to Trinity in September, Giersz has been involved in Vincent de Paul as a Venue Co-Ordinator, searching for venues around Dublin and Ireland and helping to organise fundraising events. She has also gotten involved in the Students’ Union through her role as Class Representative for Junior Freshman TSM Italian.
If elected to the Ents Office, Giersz would like to organise a wider selection of events, in order to match the needs and wants of all students. She feels that while societies on campus do a great job at organising a diverse range of events, this is currently lacking in the Students’ Union. She envisages organising events that will bring the entire student community together, available to all students regardless of whether they are a member of a particular society or not. She also plans to improve communication between students and Ents, so that the opinions and suggestions of students can be heard and acted upon.
On a broader level, there are several areas which Giersz feels need to be changed in the college as a whole. She would like to see the introduction of Christmas exams, which she feels would relieve stress for the majority of students. She would also like to see changes to the Trinity website, in order to improve clarity of information and ease of use.
Finn Murphy:
Patrick Lavelle | Contributing Writer
Finn Murphy is a third year Mechanical Engineering student running for the position of Ents Officer. The 21 year old native of Rathfarnham is passionate about water and snow sports and his main involvement in College life has been in these areas. Murphy has previously held positions as Boathouse Captain for the DU Sailing Club and Safety Officer and Captain for DU Snow Sports. He also boasts experience in organising events, having being part of the Ents Crew, as well as having held the positions of Event Co-Ordinator for Surf Sail Salmon and Ents Officer for Fish Soc.
If elected, Murphy plans to work on the role of Ents Officer as a facilitator. He feels that while students may not necessarily be interested in going to weekly Ents events, many do want assistance in organising class parties, trips and balls. He therefore envisages setting up pre-organised deals in these areas.
Murphy is keen for students to develop a connection with the Ents brand. He envisages bringing back the ‘Ents Crew’, creating a number of roles within Ents for students. He also proposes creating a Live Music Officer, allowing students who are passionate about live music to access all the resources at the Ents Office’s disposal.
In terms of his broader views about the college, Murphy believes that more needs to be done to promote a sense of community in Trinity. Speaking to The University Times, Murphy describes how “rare occasions such as the Christmas Tree lighting, sunny days sitting by the cricket pitch or the Trinity Ball really give students a tangible sense that they are part of a huge community that is there to support them if they need it.” As Ents Officer he feels he could play a role in promoting a stronger sense of community through a diverse selection of events.
Ben O Mathúin:
Emer Gerrard | Staff Writer
Twenty-year-old BESS student Ben O Mathúin from Dublin is confident that he has what it takes to be an innovative, fun and organised Ents Officer. Running his campaign under the slogan BENtertainment, Ben cites his vast experience in the entertainment scene in Dublin; he has worked as a chef, barman and a waiter, as well as being a rep for many of Dublin’s well-known nightclubs.
Since starting in Trinity, Ben says he has organised many class parties and nights out across courses. Most recently he fronted a senior freshman night, which was attended by hundreds of Trinity students and was met with great appraisal.
As well as this, Ben organises class parties for students in UCD, DIT and TCD on a weekly basis, and works alongside students in NUIM to “bring them up to the Dublin nightclub scene”.
Ben’s manifesto includes ideas to create annual “cross-course” nights out, organise non-alcoholic events, establish a Students’ Union-organised club night and re-energise the Pav by arranging Pav pre-drinks and resurrecting Pav Fridays. He also believes that it would be beneficial to “make the Ents approachable” and suggests that “the Ents officer holds fortnightly meetings, open to all students”.
Ben also stresses his interest in music and states that “more live performances and off-campus festivals will definitely be supported by Ents if I’m there, as well as bigger and better balls”. He explains that “many consider me as someone who appreciates everything. From house, rock, indie, traditional to classical, I have you covered!”
