Starting college is overwhelming, confusing and scary: the events, the buildings, the admin, the people – so many people! It takes a while to get a hang of the way the college works. Familiarising yourself with Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU/AMLCT) is a good place to start.
TCDSU is the students’ representative body. Each Trinity student is an automatic member and pays a mandatory fee that goes toward their running. The union’s six sabbatical officers are elected by the student body each spring for the upcoming academic year. They take the year off their studies to focus wholly on their full-time job in the union. Here’s a quick and introductory guide to the the new faces of TCDSU:
THE PRESIDENT: SEÁN THIM O’LEARY
After a turbulent election in the spring, and a historic near-win for “RON” (re-open nominations), Seán Thim O’Leary was elected as the new president of the union on the third count with 51.28% of the final vote. Sean’s new role as president involves managing the union’s finances and overseeing their campaigns. They are the “CEO” of TCDSU. O’Leary, a third-year P.P.E.S. student and former chairperson of the Trinity Social Democrats, ran their campaign on pledges for improved student housing, student services and increased spending on higher education. About their upcoming time as president, they want students to know that “this is your college, and you deserve to have your voice heard and amplified. Your Union is there to work for you, and no matter what scale something is, you deserve our attention”.
THE EDUCATION OFFICER: BUSTER WHALEY
Hailing from across the Atlantic Ocean is this year’s Yankee education officer, Buster Whaley. The education officer also serves as vice president of the union. It is their task to organise student representation at the course, school and faculty level. The role exists to support students with any academic issues they have. Whaley won the election with a comfortable majority on the first count. His campaign centred around the introduction of modular billing – the possibility of retaking exams while proceeding to the next academic year – as well as improved dining options on campus. The new education officer wants to help students concentrate on their studies without the added stress of administrative issues.
THE WELFARE AND EQUALITY OFFICER: DEIRDRE LEAHY
As this year’s welfare and equality officer, Deirdre Leahy is there to advocate for students’ wellbeing. She represents students in college committees, such as the Student Life committee, and is there to help struggling students personally. The welfare and equality officer also aids the running of campaigns during the year and thereby works to spread awareness about resources available to students. Recalling her time as an Occupational Therapy student, Leahy says, “I was tired of seeing how inaccessible this college was, and wanted to do something about it”. During her campaign, she pledged to work towards making Trinity more accessible as well as digitising the booking system for the College Health Service.
THE COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING OFFICER: CHANNING KEHOE
After an uncontested race, Channing Kehoe was elected communications and marketing officer for the upcoming academic year. It is her responsibility to organise sponsorship and to communicate union activity to students via email, social media, print and the union’s website. Her former experience includes internships in law and public service, and positions in DU Boxing and Trinity Musical Theatre Society. She was the class representative for her course, Law and Political Science, for three consecutive years and is excited to “bring students fab deals while letting them know about the helpful services that TCDSU has to offer”.
THE EVENTS OFFICER: ORLA NORTON
As Events Officer, Belgium native Orla Norton oversees the best parts of college life: events, nights out, gigs, movie screenings and parties. The events officer’s most important role is in organising Pav Friday nights as well as the legendary Trinity Ball at the end of the year. Norton centered her campaign around sustainability, pledging to add a sustainability officer to the Ents committee, which will be chaired by her. Another focus of her campaign was welfare and equality, with pledges to provide anti-spiking lids at events and to improve crowd control at the Pavillion Bar. Previously, Norton served as events officer of DU French Society. She says she will use this experience to “create an environment where everyone feels safe, included, and has fun”.
OIFIGEACH NA GAEILGE: AOIFE NI BHRIAIN
Aoife Ni Bhriain is the union’s second sabbatical Oifigeach Na Gaeilge (Irish language officer). It is her responsibility to ensure the inclusion of Irish language in the union and advocate for the language across the college. In her campaign, she pledged to improve the accessibility of the Irish language room, and to provide STEM students with an Irish-English dictionary for terms pertaining to their field of study – “Ba mhaith liom a chinntiú go mbeidh an deis ag gach mac léinn an saol a chaitheamh trí Ghaeilge agus iad ar an ollscoil, más mian leo é sin a dhéanamh”.
