Damien McClean has been elected Welfare Officer for Trinity College Students Union (TCDSU) on the third count with 44 per cent of the vote.
Laura Grady came in second with 39 per cent of the vote.
On Monday The University Times, who polled 1,005 people over two days, predicted that McClean would come second to Grady with 32 per cent of the vote on the fifth count.
The fourth-year mathematics student and current Citizenship Officer in TCDSU focused on accommodation, representation and self-care throughout his campaign, with accessibility for students with disability bringing a unique angle to an often discussed issue. McClean stated that his previous experiences within the college, such as fighting for Marriage Equality and being on the Campaigns Committee, meant that he was well aware of what it took to run a successful campaign.
His background as former LGBT Officer informed his campaign promises for LGBT students, with a promise to introduce a map for LGBT students, “breaking down of what [an LGBT student] could possibly need to know” as well as a promise to bring rapid testing HIV tests to campus, one of the more stand-out points of his campaign.
McClean’s main policies centred around securing more accommodation for Trinity students in student residences such as the Binary Hub. With a focus on practical ways of affecting change on this matter, McClean noted that “we can fight towards long-term, start planning towards long-term but at the same time alleviate, try and alleviate, some of the stress right now”. Promising greater accessibility, McClean aims to make current accommodation is better equipped to handle students with different needs while also promising office hours outside of House Six for students who can’t access the Welfare Office. A Study Balance week and exam relaxation spaces were also cited by McClean as ways he would help students when if elected welfare officer.
Last year’s race was reasonably well-contested with four people running for the position of Welfare Officer until one, Tom McHugh, dropped out early on. Aoibhinn Ni Lochlainn was eventually elected on the first count to her current position of Welfare Officer with 60.3 per cent of the vote.
Donal MacNamee and Philip McGuinness contributed reporting to this piece.
