Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union’s (TCDSU) council voted this evening to endorse Michael Kerrigan for President of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). Speaking in Trinity, Kerrigan emphasised that he would continue to fight for publicly funded education and oppose loan schemes.
Kerrigan, the only candidate for the position, spoke at council this evening, ahead of elections at USI Congress at the end of March. Currently Vice President for the Border, Midlands and Western Region in USI, he emphasised focused heavily on higher education funding, committing to maintaining USI’s fight for publicly funded education. “This is a fight we can win but we can’t do it alone”, he said, calling for students to “fight for publicly funded education”.
“This is a fight we can win, and I believe I am the person to achieve it”, he said.
In his manifesto, Kerrigan states that the coming months, as decisions are made on a higher education funding model, are likely to be a “defining moment in the history of education in Ireland”. This was a the focal point of his speech this evening, in which he emphasised how crucial it is to keep fighting against the threat of an income-contingent loan scheme: “I don’t want to spend my year fighting against something. I want to spend it fighting for something.” In his manifesto, Kerrigan said he wanted to ensure that USI were prepared for every possible recommendation from the Oireachtas Education and Skills Committee.
In his manifesto, Kerrigan also focused on ways to protect the autonomy of students’ unions. Last summer, Dublin Institute of Technology Students’ Union (DITSU) were left without funding after rejecting a new funding structure proposed by Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) that would allow the College to internally audit the union. Kerrigan’s manifesto emphasises that a lack of autonomy can “severely impact the running of a Students’ Union and has resulted in Unions being denied funding”. In his manifesto, he also committed to “outline best practices for models of accountability and funding from Students’ Unions nationally and internationally”, and re-establishing USI’s legislation working group which will be tasked with drafting a bill on autonomy and accountability of students’ unions.
TCDSU’s representatives to USI’s annual national congress, which takes place later this month, will be mandated to vote for the candidates that the union’s council endorsed tonight. TCDSU will have 18 voting delegates at the congress.
USI’s officer board will then be elected at the congress by representatives from all of USI’s member unions.
Kerrigan took a number of questions at tonight’s council meeting. In response to TCDSU Welfare Officer, Aoibhin Louglin’s, question on the promotion of consent workshops, he said he wanted to improve the communication of the message of consent workshops and encourage students to go, though admitted he wasn’t totally familiar with how TCDSU’s own consent workshops were run.
Responding to a question on USI’s stance on the reunification of Ireland, an issue that Trinity students are due to vote on next week, he said he didn’t feel it was possible for the union to have a stance on the issue. “The only way to do it would be to get rid of the NUS-USI agreement, which isn’t going to happen”, he said.
Council also voted to endorse Síona Cahill as she re-runs for Vice-President for Equality and Citizenship. Speaking at council this evening, Cahill said that “now is not the time to pause in our massive stride towards equality”, emphasising her work at the “forefront” of fighting for equal rights, noting that she was just appointed to the National LGBT Youth Strategy Group.
Council also voted to endorse Amy Kelly, President of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology Students’ Union (GMITSU) , for Vice-President for Campaigns.
Speaking at council, Dylan McGowan, President of Letterkenny Institute of Technology Students’ Union (LYITSU) was heavily critical of the annual USI demonstration, claiming that it is often seen by politicians as a “students’ day out”. Instead, he argued, the union needs to “lobby, lobby, lobby”.
McGowan was challenged by TCDSU President, Kieran McNulty, on his possible appointment to the position of USI officer for the Dublin region, with McNulty questioning his decision not to live in Dublin if appointed to the role. Responding to this, McGowan said that he will be living in Maynooth as it is “difficult to get housing” in Dublin. He assured council, however, that you “can get a bus at any time in the night” and reiterated the fact that he believes Dublin is being “under utilised” as a region.
Kelly told council that she was the only person in the race with “skills, knowledge and experience to undertake this role”, emphasising how many students she mobilise for USI’s march for education last year.
Addressing council, Sean Cassidy, who doesn’t currently hold a sabbatical position, emphasised his extensive involvement in student politics, pointing to the thousands of students he helped register to vote. Cassidy noted that he “didn’t know what USI was” when he was in first year and wants to “improve USI communication” so that more students can benefit from their work.
TCDSU Council also voted to endorse Niamh Murtagh, USI’s currently Vice President for the Southern Region, as Vice-President for Welfare. Daniel Khan, Welfare Officer for NUIG, told Council that he was an “active and dedicated volunteer” in his own college and, if elected, he would “work with the Vice President for Campaigns to focus on national campaigns”. For him, it’s important that USI “take action” before students issues “get the chance to manifest” themselves. Admitting that “it is a long year and it is tough”, Khan promised to “take action” on the big issues facing students.
Talking as someone who has “dedicated their life to the health of students”, Murtagh told council that she ha seen “first hand” devastation caused by drink, drugs and mental health issues. She feels that this role is “too important to not have the most experienced person at the helm” and felt that she was the “only person in this room with the relevant experience”.
The council meeting also voted to endorse Oisín Hassan, current Vice-President for Education in Queen’s University Belfast Students’ Union (QUBSU), for Vice-President for Academic Affairs. Hassan was unable to be present at council this evening, but TCDSU President, Kieran McNulty, read out a letter from him. In the letter, he said USI should continue to “advocate” for publicly funded education, and committed to exploring the reasons why students drop out of college.
The sole candidate for LU Don Gaeilge, Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha, was also endorsed by TCDSU’s council. She was unable to attend the meeting, but in a letter read by McNulty, she emphasised her passion for the language – as someone for whom Irish is a second language, she said she would work to break down the often negative stigma attached to the language.
The candidates will speak at four more students’ union councils over the course of the campaign, and Kerrigan has already received endorsements from every council the candidates have visited.
