Promise Okafor describes her bid for the position of Communications and Marketing (Comms) Officer of the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU/AMLCT), as coming from a feeling of disconnect she believes most students have with the Students’ Union, which has become hard to reach for off-campus students. Okafor believes that the range of experiences she has acquired during her time in Trinity will aid her in creating a more “fun, engaging and collaborative” Students’ Union.
Okafor has been involved in various campus services from the beginning of her time at Trinity. Her experience ranges from being an S2S Society Chairperson to a Social Media Ambassador for Trinity. This is not, however, why she deems herself fit for the Comms Officer role. “Before I joined the SU as a Class Rep, I had no idea what the SU was”, she confesses with a slight smile. Okafor believes that there is a serious lack of awareness of what the Students’ Union stands for amongst students, which makes the “Communications” side of the position she is running for particularly important. Her manifesto highlights the significance of social media in the SU, and how the TCDSU Instagram account should post more than “simple text no one cares about”.
A problem which is very close to Okafor is the lack of involvement of the students whose classes are not on campus in the College life. As a nursing student, she claims she is able to “recognise and understand what the actual gaps are”. “If I’m with my friend in the Lir, and then I see on the social media account that they’re doing outreach in the Arts Block, it’s like ‘Guys, when are we going to do it here? We’re over here as well’”, she shares emotionally. If elected, she vows to “bridge the gap” that exists between the SU and off-campus students. For Okafor, this means collaborating with Class Reps and various societies to create opportunities in places such as D’Olier Street building or St. James Hospital. When asked if she identifies with Grace McNally’s views on the disregard of off-campus spaces, Okafor stated that she supports McNally in her understanding of the feeling of being left out as someone who is not “on campus 24/7”.
Okafor believes that her experience as a Social Media Ambassador will be of great help in connecting with students. She credits her work with the S2S Services as allowing her to “understand what works and what doesn’t work”. She also trusts herself to deliver content which is “fun, educational, but also accessible” for those who need additional captions or subtitles.
Weekly emails, which are part of the duties of the Comms Officer, are particularly important for Okafor. She credits Aiesha Wong and Beth Strahan, both of whom are former Comms Officers, for revolutionising the idea of weekly emails as personalised and relatable to students, but admits that she hasn’t experienced that this academic year. She claims that it is important to inform students of any events happening on campus as a way of fostering the student community. Okafor believes that what she describes as “personal flair” is essential to forming a genuine connection with students. Open and engaging communication is needed so people “don’t think I’m a robot or AI”, she adds jokingly.
The SU website is another area which, in Okafor’s opinion, requires much improvement. Described by her as “old and outdated,” the website has potential which is simply not utilised enough. “It has some information on manifestos from people that graduated in 2011”, she says, “so if you haven’t seen the Instagram account, you wouldn’t understand what they’re actually working on, which I think is very annoying”. She emphasises the need to collaborate with the Careers Services in terms of advertising job listings for students on the website, and informing the student body of what the Sabbatical Officers are really working on.
The idea of highlighting the real work of Sabbatical Officers influenced Okafor’s proposal for a series of videos directly centering the members of the SU. Described by her as “Know Your Union”, the content would follow the behind-the-scenes work of each of the officers. Okafor believes that this is the way to inform students of the resources available to them in an accessible format. “I have no idea what Channing’s personality is, I only see what she posts on social media”, she remarks. Okafor believes that since “the Union is about students”, then the students should know what the person they elected is doing.
When it comes to her plans for the Marketing side of the position, Okafor’s focus lies in obtaining food related sponsorships. She believes that promoting discount codes for facilities such as dental services is quite redundant, when it is not what the majority of students are after. She notes that current student deals and discounts are “just services no one’s really looking for”. Instead, she wishes to reach out to students and secure partnerships that align with their needs and that “make sense for college”.
Running alongside three other candidates, Promise Okafor believes that the integral part of her candidacy is making the SU more welcoming to all students, regardless of where they are located. She considers herself “an outgoing person” who would be able to “communicate respectfully with everybody, get her reports on time, and try to make the Union a more fun, creative space”. She believes that her experience will allow her to target the forgotten and marginalised parts of campus and address the deficiencies within the Students’ Union.
