Members of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) council are to vote online for who to support in the Union of Students in Ireland’s (USI) elections, with hustings cancelled after the closure of the College.
The first instalment of these online meetings, circulated this morning, concerns the candidates Trinity delegates will vote for at the upcoming Union of Students in Ireland (USI) Congress, which is due to take place this month.
Lorna Fitzpatrick, the current president of USI, is running unopposed for a second term, while incumbent Vice-President for Academic Affairs Kevin McStravock is running for re-election against Fergal Twomey, from NUI Galway Students’ Union.
In an email circulated to council members, chair of council Sadhbh Brennan wrote that “due to the closure of College and many of us being in isolation at the moment, the final TCDSU Council of 2019/20 will be happening online in stages via email”.
“This is the first instalment – the election of next year’s USI officers”, Brennan said. “You, as Council members, get to decide on which candidates the Trinity delegation will vote for at USI Congress 2020 in April.”
TCDSU will have 17 delegates at USI Congress, which will also see Craig McHugh, USI’s current vice-president for the Dublin region, run against Aodhán Donnelly of TCDSU.
“Trinity’s 17 delegates at Congress will vote for the candidates chosen by Council, so please vote below”, Brennan said.
Included in the email was a link with a list of all candidates running for USI election, as well as manifestos for some candidates. Council members will vote via the link.
“Not all candidates sent in manifestos”, Brennan added, “but I am sure you can find others’ campaigns on social media”.
“Due to the cancelling of Council on March 10th we could not hold live hustings for this election, so please take a study break and familiarise yourself with the candidates before voting”, she said.
Brennan also said that emails will be circulated next week regarding information about running for TCDSU part-time officer positions.
Earlier this month, TCDSU cancelled its upcoming council as a precautionary measure, amid rumours that a person with a suspected case of coronavirus was present at the count centre for the union’s sabbatical elections.
In an email circulated to class representatives and school convenors in Engineering, Mathematics and Science (EMS), Daniel O’Reilly, the faculty convenor, said: “There is a rumor circulating that an individual in attendance at the Election Count on 27th of February has today tested positive for COVID19. The chair and secretary of Council have made the decision to cancel the council that was supposed to happen on Tuesday as a precautionary measure.”
The College has since closed entirely to limit the spread of coronavirus.
