Annie Hoey has been elected President of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). She was the only candidate for the position.
All USI Officer Board positions were uncontested with the exception of the Vice President for Welfare, which saw two candidates compete for the role. Cian Power, the current Vice President for the Southern Region, beat current Vice President for Welfare, Aoife Ní Shúilleabháin, with 51 per cent of the vote.
Hoey ran on a platform of “a union with purpose”. In a hustings event held at USI’s national congress, she highlighted the higher education funding crisis, accommodation and the repeal the eighth campaign as the key issues facing USI in the coming year. Speaking at the hustings about the power of the student movement, she said: “I’m determined to lead a student movement that knows its lobbying power”. In the next year, while Hoey wants to lobby TDs and other government officials, she also wants “to be the president who paints their own t-shirts, whips out a megaphone from the back of my car and agitates on the street outside of Dáil Éireann”, she said.
She is currently in her second term as Vice President for Equality and Citizenship, having previously served as the Deputy President and Campaigns Officer of University College Cork Students’ Union.
Jack Leahy was re-elected Vice President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance. Leahy, the current officer, served as Education Officer of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union in 2013/14 and ran for the position a year after his term ended. Leahy wants to continue the work he has done in the past year, focusing on student partnership, passing the Technological Universities Bill and growing USI’s network. Speaking at the hustings, he spoke of the “supposed recovery” and the state of the higher education funding crisis: “It still isn’t good enough. Third level is in the middle of a crisis of identity and the thing that’s suffering is the quality of education.”
Daniel Waugh was elected for his second term as Vice President for Campaigns. Waugh emphasised his experience in his campaign for re-election, citing a lot of the work he undertook this year. At the hustings, he talked about how he wanted to “show the connection between local issues and national issues”. He spoke passionately about occupying buildings in protest against actions by the government: “Let them know that we’re dying because of their inaction and that we’re dropping out because they just don’t care.” Waugh is a graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology and University College Cork but never served as an officer in local students’ unions.
Power ran on a platform of accommodation, alcohol, health promotion and lobbying. Stressing issues students are facing at hustings, he said: “We have seen the life of a student dramatically change. We have seen waiting lists in college institutions. We have seen grants not supporting students sufficiently. We have seen students sleeping in cars, or worse: on the streets.” The outcome of the welfare race was particularly uncertain after Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union’s council failed to mandate its 18 delegates last week.
Síona Cahill, the current Vice President for Welfare and Equality of Maynooth SU, was elected Vice President for Equality and Citizenship. Cahill ran on the platform of breaking down barriers in education, emphasising issues that students with disabilities face, increasing access to education and lobbying the government to repeal the eighth amendment. Speaking at hustings, Cahill stated: “I’ve witnessed first hand what needs to be done and when it does get done, change can happen.”
Niamh Murtagh was elected Vice President for the Southern Region. She has served as Welfare Officer of IT Tralee Students’ Union for the past two years. Murtagh ran on a platform of continuity, support and part-time officer inclusion. Speaking at hustings, she said: “I feel I really understand the issues facing students and I’m ready for the challenges ahead.”
In the race for Vice President for the Border, Midlands and Western Region, Michael Kerrigan was elected. He has held several positions in Galway Mayo Institute of Technology Students’ Union (GMITSU). In 2013 he was elected Vice President for Welfare of GMITSU. The following year he served as the Vice President for Education. He currently serves as President of GMITSU. At hustings he spoke about the “lack of respect” for the role of Vice President for the Border, Midlands and Western Region and aims to ensure that next year, there will be “more than one candidate here and they will be proud to go for this position”.
Maria Schäler, the current Reachtaire (Auditor) of Trinity’s Cumann Gaelach, was elected Vice President for the Irish Language. Schäler stressed the importance of working alongside individual college Irish language societies. She also advocated for the implementation of a bilingual strategy and for an Irish Language Officer to be elected in each students’ union.
Edmund Heaphy also contributed reporting to this piece. Both are reporting from USI’s congress in Ennis.
