The University Observer sat down with Campaigns and Engagement officer candidate, Kelvyn Fields.
Kelvyn Fields is one of two candidates running for the role of Campaigns and Engagement Officer. He is a recent graduate of a Masters in Gender, Sexuality, and Culture. His manifesto focuses on the topics of housing, transport, Palestine, organising on a national level, fees, union engagement, and LGBTQ+ rights.
Within the Union, Fields has experience as a former class rep. Fields has previously served as the auditor of History Soc and the auditor of UCD Volunteers Overseas. Alongside this, he has organised with UCD BDS, “since its formation, pretty much,” and participated in the 2024 Palestine Solidarity Encampment, and is also an organiser with United Against Racism. Fields is a registered member of People Before Profit.
“Essentially, I have a lot of these political experiences in my pockets. These are things I've already done - and the knowledge and learning and experience that I've acquired from these roles, these positions, these experiences, are ones that I can directly bring into the role as Campaigns and Engagements Officer.”
However, Fields acknowledges that some areas of the role will be challenging, particularly regarding engagement. “Every year it comes up, the engagement of UCD students, and I do have plans in my manifesto that I think will address that. I probably would be more, not worried, but more apprehensive about the engagement aspect. Despite that, I'm still fairly confident I can definitely increase the engagement of UCD students.”
For Fields, the three biggest issues facing UCD students are housing, cost of living, and transport. On transport, Fields commented, “I think the Union was dead on last year in their vocality in opposition to the privatisation of bus routes . . . Public transport is public transport, it's not private transport - the clue is in the name - but increasingly it's feeling more like, just another commodity and not a public good. Another thing is about transport is increasing the amount of buses that come to and from UCD especially at peak times. Students are already facing radically long commutes, largely due to the housing crisis.”
Fields was also asked how he would respond to a mandate that he disagreed with being passed by Council. “I trust UCDSU Council to make good decisions . . . What I would do before such a mandate was passed, and that's go to council and speak against it in the case that I disagreed with it, and try my absolute best to put across my own personal views on it, and hopefully some people might agree with me there, but if they still disagreed with me and the mandate was passed, I'm but a servant of the students of UCD, so yeah, I'd do it, of course - I'd have to.”
Regarding AMLÉ (formerly known as USI), which UCD students voted to rejoin in a referendum last year, Fields remarks, “We have even more power if we are working with other SUs in other universities.” Field references his experience with UCD BDS and collaborating with other university BDS organisations, such as DCU BDS and TCD BDS. “It only makes our voices stronger. In terms of national campaigning, with Campaigns and Engagements, it's a lot easier to campaign nationally through a platform or a corridor that is AMLÉ. People have their qualms with it but first and foremost it's a very easy corridor for us to access information but other Students’ Unions, and I think for that reason it was a good idea for us to rejoin.”
Fields was asked about his ability to fulfill various mandates if he is elected to the role of Campaigns and Engagement Officer. Fields affirmed that he would follow the Union’s mandate to follow BDS and support Palestine. “Whilst I think it's good for BDS to have some degree of independence from UCD, working with the Union is absolutely integral. I was in the encampment not only in UCD but also in TCD and whilst an awful lot has been done in terms of the agreement implementation, and I'm incredibly incredibly proud of all of that, there is still a lot yet to be done.” Fields critiqued UCD’s academic ties with Israeli institutions. “In June [2025], Trinity College became the first university in the west to comprehensively cut ties with Israel. UCD has not - we maintain partnerships with Israeli institutions through the Horizons fund. In terms of BDS implementation, and us as a union working with UCD BDS, a big [project] that we're doing now is setting up a national campaign in Ireland as part of a European-wide campaign to exclude Israel from the Horizon fund. UCDSU will have a massive voice in that, as I say 30,000 strong, and AMLÉ provides corridors to other unions, and indeed other BDS groups around Ireland.”
The Union has also been mandated by the student body to provide gender-affirming products for trans students in UCD. On this, Fields said he would support the mandate. “When you look at the current climate, that unfortunately is, I think, getting worse in Ireland progressively. It's already horrific in the UK, for instance, when it comes to attacks on trans people. In the Union, we have to listen to our trans siblings.” Fields also noted that as part of his manifesto, he would like to “launch a specific policy on anti-transphobia, because it's an issue that is persistently getting worse for the trans community in Ireland.” Fields would like to launch a campaign against transphobia, and “[work] with trans students in deliverance of this.”
Fields also supports the Union’s mandate to address racism, anti-migrant and refugee views on campus. “It's extremely important we show up for minority groups within Ireland that are being highly racialised by the far-right and having horrific violence enacted towards them. I am a member of United Against Racism, and that's something that I really want to bring into the role in UCDSU to deliver on this mandate in particular.”
Fields believes that the two greatest challenges facing the role of Campaigns and Engagement is engagement with students, and that the role has been vacant in recent weeks. “it's going to have to be a hit-the-ground-running moment for me if I get the role. I'll have to essentially try and make up for those weeks lost . . . Aside from that, one thing that's constantly brought up is the lack of student engagement within the union. And that's why I really want to make accessible everything that goes on within UCDSU, especially, of course, for my role, if I get the job.” Fields believes he can improve engagement and accessibility through working with UCD Access and Lifelong Learning, along with holding regular town hall meetings.
When asked about certain strategies that he would use to address points of his manifesto, Fields cited the topic of housing as an example, “In terms of UCD specifically, lobby for a rent freeze, lobby for the insurance that any profits that UCD makes as a university from its on-campus accommodation is invested back into the accommodation. So, that means no rats, functioning plumbing, and better facilities, even working washing machines.” Fields then applied this approach to the national level. “I intend to work with other unions [in] lobbying the government for purpose-built student housing, especially in and around Dublin and other places in Ireland where there are third-level institutions and universities.”
In response to a question regarding three goals that Fields will be able to concretely accomplish within his tenure, he commented that one major area of focus would be “on-campus housing investments”. “Because if you're paying for something, you should be getting it. And my God, UCD students are really paying, but they're not getting.” The second major area of focus “is the full implementation of the encampment agreement”. “[UCD BDS] are already making huge strides on that implementation, but by the end of this year, I'd like to see it fully implemented.” Finally, Fields wants to focus on transport. “Especially again by working with other SUs, ensuring a decent and reliable public transport system. That means at least radically less ghost and canceled buses.”
When asked why he is running for the position now, rather than in March, Fields commented, “It was a consideration then. It just didn't come to fruition. Now, with the by-election and the fact that I do have more time in my hands, it is actually coming to fruition.”
Voting in the sabbatical officer by-elections is open online from the 22nd to the 23rd of October. Results will be announced on the 24th of October.