Campaign Coordinators: Who They Are and What They Do
By Chloe Maguire Sedgwick | Feb 21 2017
THE campaign coordinators are elected at the last Students' Union council of the year. Each candidate has one minute to explain to council why they deserve the job, then the council votes for their preference.While all UCD coordinators have work to do, they do have some specific duties. This article breaks down the specific duties of each campaign coordinator as defined by the students’ union constitution and, where relevant, what the SU minutes have said about their efforts.Due to the layout of the SU minutes it is much easier to find out what each coordinator hasn’t been doing as compared to what they have done. Where a report is successful it is simply “taken as read” in the minutes, and where it is unsuccessful the campaign co-ordinators must explain themselves to the Council.The bulk of the information about what the campaign co-ordinators are up to comes from these explanations. Essentially, all the information you can acquire about the coordinators online is very limited. Gender Equality CoordinatorThe Gender Equality Coordinator’s role is to assist the Campaigns and Communications Officer in campaigning and lobbying for gender equality. They must organise events related to gender equality issues along with the CCO. They must encourage the equal involvement of all genders in SU activity and work with the CCO to encourage equal gender participation in the Council and the Executive. They must lobby for equality of opportunity for all genders in UCD.Vikki Banach haven’t run any events so far as they were on placement. They have attended meetings for UCD for Choice. They reviewed policy and campaigns for this semester, including the “Gender Equality to Me” and the “Don’t Hide Up” campaign. They are also working on street harassment awareness, a body image campaign and a no-make up campaign. Environmental Coordinator The Environmental Coordinators role is to promote awareness of environmental issues within the SU and UCD. They are responsible for organising publicity events to highlight environmental issues and promote environmental awareness. They promote recycling on campus and ensure these facilities are maintained.Shane Grogan has suggested introducing fines for students living in residences who are not recycling, but it was decided against and is not being implemented. There was discussion about doing a series of promo videos about environmental issues and the facilities already in place but so far they have not appeared. They have also encouraged the SU themselves to reduce the amount of paper they use in big campaigns and in meetings by monitoring their printing. Mature Students’ CoordinatorThe Mature Students’ Coordinators role is to represent and address the needs of mature students in relation to education, welfare and student experience. They must encourage the involvement of mature students in all aspects of SU activity. They must, with the CCO, advertise the campaigns, initiatives, events, services, policies, publications and activities of the SU to mature students.Niall Torris has tried to set up a base for mature students and a breast feeding facility. They attempted to contact the Mature Students society but haven’t been contacted back. They have had face to face interactions with mature students. This semester they are trying to keep outreaching to mature students and to start organising events. Mental Health CoordinatorThe Mental Health Coordinator role is to assist the Welfare Officer + the CCO in campaigning and lobbying in matters relating to mental health. They must organise events that promote positive mental health and that publicise relevant support services that are available to members of the SU. They must promote awareness of issues that may affect the mental health of UCD students. They shall attempt to undertake any training that is relevant to their role. They must attempt to develop a positive working relationship with UCD’s student advisors and peer mentors.They didn’t run the Good Samaritan Drive as they got the information too late and therefore weren’t comfortable running it. The Little Things plan seems to be in motion for this semester. LGBTQ+ CoordinatorThe LGBTQ+ Coordinators role works with the Welfare Officer and CCO regarding any matters that involve the LGBTQ+ community. Current coordinator Ruth Murphy is responsible for maintaining good relations with the LGBTQ+ community within UCD. They shall, with the CCO, organise campaigns in relation to LGBTQ+ issues. They shall promote and defend the rights of LGBTQ+ students. Disability Rights CoordinatorThe Disability Rights Coordinators role is to work with the Welfare Officer and Campaigns & Communications Officer on matters relating to disabled students. Current coordinator Lucy Doyle is to promote the integration of disabled students into all aspects of UCD. They are responsible for ensuring that all SU events are wheelchair accessible, as far as possible. They are responsible for maintaining good relations with societies that promote disability rights within UCD. They must also help the Welfare Officer organise publicity events that raise awareness and promote the rights of disabled people. International Students Coordinator The International Students Coordinators role is to maintain and create links with all organisations representing international students within UCD. They are to liaise with the University’s International Office and represent international students on any committees they sit on. They must help organise and publicise events that promote cultural diversity within UCD. Sports CoordinatorThe Sports Coordinators role is to liaise with the Athletic SU Council (AUC) and any sports clubs in UCD to promote the interests of said sports clubs. They shall help the Welfare Officer to promote of physical health. They shall organise casual sporting events. Societies CoordinatorThe Societies Coordinators role is to liaise with the Societies Council and any UCD societies to promote participation in and activity of UCD’s societies, and to promote co-operation between societies and the SU. They shall be a means of communication between the Societies Council and societies, and the SU. They shall help to organise joint campaigns and events between the SU and societies. Residences CoordinatorThe Residences Coordinators role is to represent the interests of on-campus residents. They must try to maintain good relations with the staff of the campus residences and foster a sense of community among the campus residences. They must help the Welfare Officer + Campaigns and Communications Officer with any community campaigns related to on-campus residents. They shall organise regular open meetings for each residence. Error Correction: Originally, this article said that Campaign Coordinators were appointed by SU sabbatical officers. This is not true. Campaign Coordinators are elected by Students' Union Council and was corrected in the article.