President:
Aisling Curtis | Senior Staff Writer
The first day of campaigning began positively for the three presidential candidates, Neil Cronin, Jasper Pickersgill, and Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne, with Pickersgill stating that it “went really well”. Campaigning focused primarily on the Arts Block and Hamilton areas on campus. McGlacken-Byrne also went door-to-door in Halls, and was “really happy with how today went so far”.
Each campaigning team had at least five volunteers in the Arts Block and Hamilton areas at all times throughout the day. The three candidates appeared frequently at cross-campus locations, interacting with students from 9am onwards. They also gave short 30-second speeches prior to a number of lectures. McGlacken-Byrne felt that this was “fantastic” as “students responded really well” to his various ideas.
The general student response was cited as “very positive” by members of the different teams. The poster run on Monday night was also called highly successful.
However, the poor weather impeded campaigning, with Pickersgill stating that he felt like he had “walked 8 miles” between the Arts Block and the Hamilton. Pickersgill’s campaign team have faced difficulties in acquiring their correct t-shirts, after a printing error left the font in the wrong colour.
Campaigners have also focused on developing their online presence. Taglines consist of McGlacken-Byrne’s “long name, big ideas”, Cronin’s “Crown Cronin” and Pickersgill’s “Pig for Prez”. All three have set up Facebook pages that feature ongoing updates regarding their campaigns.
Pickersgill plans to send some canvassers to Front Arch on Tuesday, and will campaign in D’Olier Street himself. His team also aims to organise some stunts in the Arts Block, possibly including choreography. All candidates will be speaking at the Dining Hall Hustings at 1pm. They also intend to appear at the student protest against the Sochi Winter Olympics at the Russian Embassy on Wednesday morning.
Communications:
Paul Glynn | Senior Staff Writer
With two very different campaign approaches, the Communications candidates of TCDSU’S Leadership Race both reported positive first days campaigning on campus.
PJ Moloney’s campaign presence was not immediately noticeable on campus, having decided to carry out his campaign online rather than through traditional on-the-ground canvassing. Nonetheless, Moloney considered his first day of campaigning a “tremendous success”, and added: “I think it is important to note that this [campaign strategy] does not mean that I am denying the importance of in-person communication, rather I believe that the SU in general does not make nearly enough of the communicative potential of online and digital media and I want to highlight just how useful it can be for spreading messages.”
The highlight of Moloney’s campaign so far has been a viral video released on YouTube shortly after the official start of the race, which at the time of writing has amassed over 1,300 views. Moloney told The University Times that: “The release of my ‘Trinity Can Be Happy’ video on YouTube was received very well by the Trinity community” and that he was “looking forward to seeing where the next two weeks leads us.”
Meanwhile, Samuel Riggs’s campaign maintained a steady presence across campus for much of the day. Sinéad Baker, campaign manager for Riggs, stated that Riggs had been doing lecture addresses on the hour, and that students had been canvassing for him in both the Arts and Hamilton buildings, predominantly in the former. Baker added that the campaign had been running smoothly so far with few hitches. Canvassers for Riggs carried a promotional hand stamp branded with Riggs’ campaign slogan “Rigg the Vote” as well as distributing manifestos.
Samuel himself was pleased with the campaign’s visibility across campus, and commended the work of his campaign team. He said: “I encourage students to keep an eye out on the campaign’s Facebook page over the next few days for updates, and to follow our team on Snapchat.”
Welfare:
Charlotte Ryan & Fiona Gribben | Staff Writers
The first day of campaigning was brisk for Dan McFadden, beginning in Halls in the morning, moving to the Hamilton at midday and then the Arts Block later. Yellow was the chosen colour for his campaign and his team were very visible numbers-wise. McFadden could be seen carrying his campaign mascot Kevin, a giant white bear from 1pm onwards in the Arts Block which coincided with his welfare blog ‘Sharing to Help’ going live. The blog, a key aspect of his campaign allows students to share their college stories and experiences anonymously, promoting welfare awareness in Trinity. The blog will be updated with new articles throughout the campaign week. McFadden said that he was ‘extremely proud’ of launching the blog, its first post detailing a student’s journey to overcome a fear of public speaking. Social media has been utilized to the full with Dan4Welfare campaigns on Snapchat and Instagram as well as Twitter and Facebook.
The day was equally hectic for competitor Ian Mooney, his blue-shirted team having positioned themselves among other campaigners in the Arts Block from midday until the early evening. Mooney partook in handing out a steady stream of pamphlets to passing students before dropping into lecture theatres to briefly outline his goals to classes. His proposal of handing out free condoms at SU events got a response, explaining that with one in 300 people in Dublin diagnosed with HIV it is a priority to spread information about safe sex. He also referenced his pledge to utilise concerts in support of mental health awareness, recalling a concert by James Vincent McMorrow during TCDSU Mental Health Week 2013. Bolstering this was the utilisation of Facebook and Twibbon to promote his campaign, under the slogan Mooney4Welfare. Ian also canvassed in Trinity Halls today; the reaction among residents was said to be “overwhelmingly positive” and the area “proved to be an almost separate entity from the college with its own questions and concerns”.
Education:
Sarah Ledden | Contributing Writer
After weeks of suspense, preparation and build-up behind the scenes, last night saw the Leadership Race officially open with the annual poster run and the official launch of Facebook features and the campaign material that will be seen floating around campus over the next two weeks. Katie Byrne, the uncontested Education candidate, and her campaign team will be seen wearing green t-shirts emblazoned with the pun “We’ll get you EduKatied”.
The first day of campaigning is never a dull one for candidates as their restricted preparations suddenly implode into actions. Byrne recognised the importance of physical presence, splitting her time between the Arts Block and Hamilton buildings and making appearances in lectures.
Byrne felt she had very positive experiences on her first day of campaigning, saying she is “delighted with the atmosphere and got a really positive response from lecture addresses and from talking to people.” The new-found recognition around College and seeing her face plastered on walls will take some getting used to, Katie says, but being described as “looking very wholesome” by a student eased the discomfort.
In response to being accidentally cropped from a published photo accompanying a report on the campaign launch last night, Byrne joked that it must have been an act of sabotage by “that divil RON” who she fears is “out to sabotage me at any cost”. A busy day is followed by a busy night as Byrne heads to Dartry Halls for further campaigning. With plenty of green t-shirts supporting Byrne in the Education race and a positive start, a keen momentum should build from this over the coming days of her campaign.
Ents:
Patrick Lavelle | Contributing Writer
The Ents race got off to a flying start, with campaigners for all three candidates out in force in the Arts and Hamilton buildings.
Finn’s campaign team could be seen on campus in their red t-shirts, complete with their logo, a shark. Talking to The University Times, Finn described the day as better than expected, with a huge amount of leaflets distributed to students.
Ben’s team also got off to a strong start. He said that he felt he got a very positive response and described his campaign team as having an amazing drive and sense of fun. Running with the campaign slogan #BENtertainment, Ben told UT that will bring ‘BENtertainment’ to Trinity.
Alex’s team were present in the Art’s Block throughout the day. As the only 1st year in the Leadership Race, Alex’s team had a particularly youthful edge. She is running with the slogan ‘Alex Fights for Entertainment’.
The main hype of the today in the Ents campaign was in relation to the nights being run by Finn and Ben. Both have their nights organised for Wednesday; Finn’s will be in the Village and Ben’s will be in the Palace, two clubs only a short distance away from one another. Ben’s night will be a UV Party, with UV paint, glowsticks and boilersuits, while Finn’s event in Village will have House music in the Mainroom and Disco music in the Warehouse. Both will be free in for Trinity students.
