President of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), Kieran McNulty, is to run for the role of Vice-President for Campaigns in the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), he announced tonight at a meeting of TCDSU’s council.
The position of Vice-President for Campaigns is a full-time position and part of USI’s Officer Board, which consists of the union’s full-time officers, including the President, the Vice President for Welfare and the Vice-President for Equality and Citizenship.
The position is currently held by Daniel Waugh, who is in his second year of the role.
McNulty graduated from law last year and was elected President of TCDSU last February after successfully running on a platform of empowerment, equality, college efficiency and accommodation, while also serving as Citizenship Officer of the union.
As President, he has created new student spaces and has managed to get a commitment from Trinity on a new student centre in the College’s Estates Strategy.
McNulty has also established eight TCDSU lobby groups and helped with the national student campaign’s increased focus on Leinster House. McNulty has prioritised higher education funding during his term as TCDSU President, lobbying TDs and meeting with members of the Oireachtas Education and Skills Committee to campaign for a new funding model for higher education that doesn’t include an increase in fees for students.
In 2016, McNulty represented TCDSU alongside USI at the Education and Skills Committee, calling on the committee not to support the introduction of student loans. Speaking to The University Times ahead of the appearance, he emphasised the importance of the “student voice” being heard.
As a student, McNulty was involved with Trinity’s Law Society (Law Soc), first as second-year rep and then serving as secretary during his third year. Within TCDSU, he held the positions of class rep, member of the Electoral Commission and Chair of the Electoral Commission and Citizenship Officer. McNulty was also actively involved with the Yes Equality campaign in the campaign for marriage equality referendum, as well as volunteering for ShoutOut, a volunteer-based organisation that provides workshops discussing transphobic and homophobic bullying in schools across Ireland.
Members of USI Officer Board are elected on an annual basis by delegates at USI’s national congress. Candidates for the positions address the councils of students’ unions of USI-affiliated colleges, including TCDSU, before the congress, which typically takes place around the last week of Trinity’s Hilary term.
While TCDSU officers traditionally have little history of running for positions on USI’s Officer Board, Jack Leahy, who served as TCDSU’s Education Officer for 2013/14, is currently in his second year as Vice President for Academic Affairs. Tom Lenihan, who served as TCDSU’s President for 2013/14, was to run for Vice-President for Campaigns, but pulled out of the race in March 2014.
