Debriefing all the best bits from the first day of Executive Elections College Officer Hustings
Law College Officer Hustings
College Officer Hustings got underway this afternoon, beginning with the Law College Officer race, contested by Stage Two Law with History student Aisling Murphy and Stage Three Business & Law student Ayman Memon. The hustings was chaired by the outgoing Law College Officer Aisling Maloney. It seems the requirement for becoming Law College Officer is the initials AM.
Memon started the hustings by stating what motivated him to run for the position. He says that having been around UCD for a while, and having spoken to people he has seen a lot of issues within the Law School that he wants to address by becoming College Officer. He argued there are barriers that currently prohibit people’s access to experiencing college “to the fullest extent.”
Murphy echoed this sentiment, adding that during her time as Class Rep this year she has encountered so many problems, which have been raised to her by her peers. She acknowledged there is a limit to what a Class Rep is able to achieve, thus setting out her intentions to be the next Law College Officer. “I just want to fix things,” she added.
When asked how she would advocate for her constituency within the union and on a University Admin level, Murphy highlighted a lack of engagement from the SU at times this year, but noted the potential need to elevate matters to the attention of a Sabbatical Officer if needed. She wants to “tackle the issues at point of contact”, improve facilities within the Law school, host more engaging events and raise career awareness if elected Law College Officer.
Memon stated that as part of the role, it’s about “being around for students” and prioritised reinstating the Law College Officer instagram account that was seemingly taken down this year. Noting that he is in the Sutherland building every day of the week, he highlights that he would run a “drop-in clinic” where students can come in and chat. He wants to utilise the different avenues across the UCD campus and student community, such as clubs and societies.
In order to engage with more first year and international students, Murphy wants to organise more social events, both alcoholic and non, so that students can meet and mingle. She argued that with first years and international students, communication from the union needs to be improved and proposed creating a google drive for all law students to access, with relevant resources and updates attached.
Memon noted four prongs on which the student experience for Law students hinges; Social, Careers, Culture and the dynamics of the Irish legal system. He again pointed to collaboration between the union and societies, “everyone has their platforms [...] there are lots of first year opportunities, it’s about making them known.” He added that as a Muslim student currently observing Ramadan, the law school needs to be more accepting of different cultures.
The age old question of SU engagement was mentioned in the hustings, with Memon highlighting “Engagement Problems” from the University Observer Hustings Bingo. He argued that students need to see tangible changes and need to see, “what the SU is doing for you.” He wants to work with societies to help make tangible changes that students feel are making a difference.
Murphy echoed Memon’s sentiments, highlighting the need to inform students about what their union is doing for them. She wants to hold union events “that people actually want to go to”, improve their promotion and added “transparency is important.”
On the issue of collaborating with societies, which was a prominent theme from the hustings, Memon referenced his societies background, serving as Auditor of the LnH last year. “Societies can be worked with,” he said, “dividing up the workload makes events easier to run [...] More money means more pizza and more wine!”
Murphy shared this view and added that collaborating with the College Officers for Quinn and Arts and Humanities would also be vital, as there exists a large population of students who experience a crossover in their degrees.
When asked by a member of the audience whether either of the candidates have reached out to societies to gauge interest in collaboration next year, Memon argued that Societies “do a better job than the SU” in terms of engaging students, and wants to learn from societies to improve the College Officer position. “The SU doesn’t have to do it alone. We can work together, let’s work with them to make the job and the experience together.”
Murphy referenced the historical divide between the SU and Societies, and acknowledged that she wouldn’t be sure if societies wanted to work with the SU, but that the union would certainly be willing to work with societies next year. “Combining resources means combining people and finances.”
In her manifesto Murphy says she wants to improve access to lecture recordings and materials. When asked by The University Observer how she expects to navigate the school if they are reluctant in sharing, she notes that lectures cannot keep ignoring this issue. “It’s about having open dialogue with lecturers who may not understand the gravity of the situation. Intellectual Property can be worked around, other lecturers have found compromises.”
Memon was asked by The University Observer about his plans to create a Law Library, which he admitted was a “lofty” goal but insisted that the improvement of increasing relevant subscriptions and increasing the availability of in-demand textbooks was vital and achievable.
Summing up, Ayman Memon wants equal opportunities for all Law students, and referenced his ‘Diva’ campaign saying, “If I can be a Diva, everybody in the Law School can be a diva too.”
Murphy acknowledged she did not have as catchy an acronym as ‘Diva’, but referenced her goals of improving social life for Law students and basic facilities in Sutherland. She closed, “Let’s Achieve with Aisling.”
Architecture College Officer Hustings
Bianca Munteanu and Mateusz (Matty) Polinski are both contesting for Architecture College Officer, with hustings kicking off 30 minutes late due the tardiness of the very apologetic current Architecture College Officer Stephen Mullen who stated “Fuck TFI”.
Polinski says he ‘has a lot of goals’, but would like to see the class rep constituencies split for City Planning and Environmental Policy and Landscape Architecture, as he sees a huge disconnect between the courses, who should have their own representation. Polinksi reiterates the other points on his manifesto, such as better facilities and getting a S4 bus stop by Richview.
Munteanu says she has noticed that the two candidates’ campaigns are similar, and she is glad as regardless of the outcome, “Richview is in safe hands”. She also has felt a disconnect among the Richview campus, and wants to build on community.
Both candidates are asked a question by current College Officer Stephen Mullen. To Polinski, how will you work to get an S4 bus stop, and what are the benefits? Polinksi states he would first turn to UCD Estates, and get them to lobby TFI and Go-Ahead. He references the huge walking distance from Richview to main campus, and the difficulty for students with mobility students, and also for students suffering from hangovers.
To Munteanu, how will you organise the charity events you have promised in your manifesto, and will they be linked to the SU? Munteanu says they could be for the SU Charity Partner, or for independent charities, and could see charity events being a collaboration with Richview societies to help boost community.
Both candidates are asked if they think the disconnect between courses is worth bridging, and if so, how they plan to achieve it. Bianca says that all these students will end up working together in the future, and Richview is a lonely place; having the opportunity to hang out with new people is enriching. Matty shares this view, and believes the way to achieve is through “events, events, events, events. Events.”
The University Observer asked if either candidate would be continuing their predecessor’s “snazzy” catchphrase. Though Bianca stated she would probably go with something more unique, like “fergalicious”, Matty committed to continuing the ‘snazzy’ tradition.