Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union’s (TCDSU) part-time officers, convenors and committee reps were elected at the last meeting of this year’s TCDSU council, with Rory Codd elected Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) Faculty Convenor, Sally Anne McCarthy elected Engineering, Maths and Science (EMS) Faculty Convenor and Naayema Hussaini elected Health Sciences (HS) Faculty Convenor.
Two candidates ran for each of the convenor positions, with the winning candidates focusing their speeches on improving communication between students and their faculties. With convenors often seen as the link between students and heads of schools, the roles are some of the most important in the union.
Codd, previously the deputy AHSS Faculty Convenor, said that he would like “to work on inviting students without positions in the SU to get involved” while McCarthy focused on making the union “truly intersectional”. Hussaini said that she understood that there were “widespread” issues across the faculty but she hoped to ease some of the concerns.
Rachel Merriman was elected to the position of Mature Students Officer, defeating Kenneth Kelly. Merriman, who took on the role of Mature Student Officer halfway through last year after Carly Bailey stepped down, sought re-election on the grounds of her experience with the role. Citing “inclusivity and representation” as key to the role, she proposed hosting a town hall event.
The current Welfare Officer of the Trinity Hall JCR, Aoife Grimes, was elected Gender Equality Officer. Running against Aisling Leen, Grimes cited her experience with the consent workshops in Halls this year, which saw over 90 per cent turnout. Pointing out that “there is no concrete sexual assault policy on campus”, Grimes was clear that this is something that Trinity should address.
The Trinity Hall JCR Music Officer, Niamh McCay, was elected Citizenship Officer after defeating Conor Reddy and Maia Mathieu. McCay complimented the Take Back Trinity campaign and said she would love to “take that power and give it to refugees”.
Laura Beston was re-elected Disability Officer, defeating Emily O’Reilly. Beston talked of her hope to introduce a disability SHIFT day and a committee to help the Disability Officer. “I have finally accepted myself as a person with a disability and I want to help others do the same”, she said.
Beating Gus Culbertson, Molly McCrory was elected International Students Officer. Admitting that her experience differed largely to most international students, she said that it is her intent to make Trinity “easier for everyone”.
Current Vice-Chair of Dublin University Central Athletics Club (DUCAC) Roisin Harbison was elected Sports Officer, defeating Rebecca Fahy. Harbison said that she had developed close links with the union through her role as Vice-Chair and said that she sees herself as “a perfect link” between Trinity Sport and TCDSU.
Daire Hennessy defeated Tidgh Maguire to become next year’s Access Officer. Hennessy, who was running for the position for the second time, said that “the position to study here isn’t given to everyone”. “Education changes lives, it changed mine, but everyone knows it’s hard”, he explained.
Speaking in Irish and English, the candidates for Oifigeach na Gaeilge emphasised the importance of growing the culture of Irish in Ireland. Cúnla Morris, who defeated Muireann Ní Corcráin, used their experience on the Éigse subcommittee as their platform to run for the officer position. Planning to make Irish events “more accessible”, they outlined plans to make Éigse one of the best events of the year.
In the last race of the night, Pola Radomska was announced Environmental Officer, beating Zahar Hyrniv. “The environment is my vocation in life”, she said. Speaking passionately about her experience in fighting for environmental issues, Radomska said that she wanted to talk to Bank of Ireland next year in the hope that they would sponsor biodegradable cups.
In uncontested races, Leah Freeman was elected the Student Parent Officer, Aaron Donnelly was elected to the position of LGBT Rights Officer, Navika Mehta was elected Ethnic Minorities Officer, Cal Hennessy was elected Community Liaison Officer and Clio Chatterton Dickson was elected Volunteer Forum Coordinator.
Taking over from Gillian Kiely, Stephen Sheil was elected Chair of TCDSU council for the coming year. Having held the position of Citizenship Officer this year, Sheil was uncontested for the position. Leah Keogh was elected secretary with Úna Harty, Ruby Barrett, Nollaig Butler and Jack Sheilds elected as members of the Electoral Commission, which oversees TCDSU referendums and elections.
Misha Fitzgibbon was elected to the Undergraduate Studies Committee as the union representative.
