Oisín Vince Coulter has been elected Graduate Students’ Union President (GSU).
Coulter ran on a platform that encouraged activism on the part of the GSU, in a bid to prevent further increases in postgraduate fees. His campaign was at times combative and confrontational, including politically charged manifesto points such as the introduction of direct democracy proceedings, a review of the union’s relationship with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and attempts to have postgraduate students recognised as workers by Trade Unions as some of its key aims.
Under the GSU Constitution, the Electoral Commission stops counting results after the quota is reached if a candidate is uncontested, so no vote share was announced today for Coulter. The constitution states: “If exactly one nomination is received for a position, the candidate shall be deemed to be elected unopposed, unless the position is that of an Officer of the Union, in which case a plebiscite (yes/no) vote shall be held to ensure that he/she is acceptable to members of the Union. In the case of a ‘no’ vote, a vacancy shall exist which shall be filled in accordance with Article 10.”
Speaking to The University Times after the result, Coulter said: “It’s incredible, so grateful to the students for giving me this opportunity, this mandate. As I said in my speech this is only the beginning. We’re starting something here, postgraduates, undergraduates standing together to win – forward to victory!”
In an interview with The University Times Coulter argued that “we need a strong voice for post grads in order to fight against these fee increases, to fight for better services, to fight for better resources”, and stated that direct action could be the best way to achieve these ends. Coulter also promised to address the fact that “postgrads have been kind of disregarded, taken advantage of for the last few years”.
Coulter pledged his support for the proposed postgraduate strike, arguing that he’s “a big supporter of a grassroots student led movement fighting against these issues”. While striking is the main form of direct action being considered by the GSU, Coulter claimed that other forms of protests, such as sit-ins and lobbying, could be beneficial in the furthering its agenda. “They’re all things I would be willing to pursue to make the issue relevant, to make the issue pertinent, to ensure that College don’t continue to ignore it and kick it into the long grass”.
Coulter, a graduate in philosophy and classical civilisations, has a long history of involvement in college life, serving as editor of Trinity News, Correspondence Secretary of the College Historical Society (the Hist), Treasurer of the Publications Committee and Chair of the GSU. He is a founding member of the student activist movement Students Against Fees.
The role of president is one of two full-time sabbatical officers elected by the union. Coulter takes over from incumbent GSU President Shane Collins, who has held the role for two years running.
While this year’s GSU elections were arguably one of the most important in recent years, the election season saw something of a decline in engagement from the postgraduate community, with only 339 students turning out to vote.
