The Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) has endorsed its president Gisèle Scanlon in the Trinity Seanad bye election campaign.
The union wrote on Twitter this morning asking for graduates to support Scanlon to ensure “a strong and independent voice is representing you”.
The tweet included a link to a fundraising page for Scanlon’s campaign.
The GSU is not constitutionally obliged to remain neutral in external political campaigns.
On the fundraising page, she said: “I am placing myself before the electorate of the Trinity alumni. I believe that Trinity College needs a strong independent, strong voice with courage and vision in the Seanad.”
“I am writing to ask for your help, as independent candidates like myself have to fund our whole campaign ourselves and through the kindness of strangers and friends.”
“It has been a privilege to serve as a strong representative voice within Trinity College over the last five years, from student officer through to President of the Graduate Students’ Union. As a fearless independent voice with a track record on equality and inclusion, I have always fought to protect the most vulnerable both within Trinity and beyond its gates. If elected, I will continue to champion crucial issues like quality employment, affordable housing and childcare for everyone in society.”
A number of other candidates have launched fundraising pages. As of this afternoon, the page has raised €10 with a goal of €8,500.
In an interview with The University Times, Scanlon said she has put in “over 2,000 hours, unpaid and paid”, to the GSU.
Scanlon believes that she has contributed to “thousands” of decisions in that time: “I brought change. Sometimes bringing change is tough because there’s resistance to change. I think that I can bring that out of Trinity and up to the Seanad to make life better for society.”
The author and three-time master’s student is running once again on her I-CARE platform: innovation, community, accessibility, research and equality.
@GoddessGuide and the GSU are asking for your support as our president is running for the #Seanad bye-elections. With your help, you will make sure a strong and independent voice is representing you ?https://t.co/IzlB6xmGhI
You can learn more on this link. #byeelections2022— Trinity GSU (@TrinityGSU) March 2, 2022
Last year, Scanlon’s presidency was riddled with controversy, including difficulties running class representative elections, a public spat with the TCD PhD Workers’ Rights Group – a lobby group in Trinity – over a survey it ran with the union, as well as attempts to separate from Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union and two EGMs mired in controversy.
The controversies culminated in April of 2021 with a petition to remove her as president. The petition reached the requisite 60 signatures to trigger a vote.
At hustings during her second presidential campaign, Scanlon claimed that impeachment proceedings cannot go forward until the union’s Board discusses findings of an investigation into an April EGM of the union. However, there is no constitutional basis for this claim.
This is Scanlon’s third year as a GSU sabbatical officer. She also served as vice president prior to her first term as president.
This year’s presidential race revolved primarily around scrutiny and criticism of Scanlon’s presidency this year, with debates about constitutional breaches and her possible impeachment dominating the hustings.
Ballot papers for the election, which can be returned by post, were sent to registered graduates last week. Voting closes on March 30th.
