Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) education candidate Megan O’Connor has been handed a two-hour social media ban tonight, after a student posted in a Facebook group.
The union’s Electoral Commission this evening confirmed that O’Connor had been sanctioned. O’Connor confirmed to The University Times that she had received the sanction as a result of a student posting in a Facebook group.
Last night, at the second hustings of the election period, O’Connor sought to explain her plan to introduce a “buddy system” for students, arguing that it’s a “really valuable” system.
She added, however, that the programme “probably will not be hugely successful in its first year. It will be a long term project”.
She also said she wants to strengthen the role of the Irish language within the union.
In an interview with The University Times last month, O’Connor said: “I want to be hugely open in the role. Part of my manifesto is just kind of putting things back to ground level a little bit and more on grassroots. I think the students’ union could possibly engage a bit more with people on ground level.”
She also praised the impact of class representatives, which she called an “incredible resource”.
“I don’t think anyone in a sabbatical position can adequately address an issue in a school that they’re not 100 per cent familiar with”, she said. “So I think class reps are incredibly valuable because they can tell you realistically what things are like.”
However, asked about national higher education issues, O’Connor appeared not to have heard of the Cassells report.
She also said that “I don’t think I’d ever lobby strongly for free fees. I think it’s a great idea, but I think if we’re realistic and we want to consider the best possible option, then we should consider increased state funding”.
Correction: 20:24, February 19th, 2020
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that O’Connor had been sanctioned for canvassing before the start of the campaign. In fact, O’Connor was sanctioned after a student posted in a group on social media.
Matt McCann also contributed reporting to this piece.
