Several candidates have put themselves forward for the different College Officers positions, while the Oifigeach na Gaeilge race is uncontested.
Oifigeach na Gaeilge
Kate Lawlor
Kate Lawlor is a second-year Irish and Irish Folklore student running for the position of Oifigeach na Gaeilge, the Irish language officer position. She has been involved in GAA, Irish music and the Irish language for years and is a current committee member of Cumann Gaelach. Lawlor’s first plan as Irish language officer is to introduce English and Irish signs across all campus buildings. She also plans to have all UCDSU communications on social media or via posters be bilingual and have an integrally Irish version of the UCDSU website. She also strives to introduce a 'Cúpla Focal' scheme where on-campus restaurants would “provide menus as Gaeilge”, and ordering in Irish would lead to a possible discount. This is in addition to promoting more bilingual events on campus and events with “less of an emphasis on Irish language and more on the culture” to make interaction with Irish more accessible and inclusive for students. Lawlor will also continue to advocate for a full-time Oifigeach na Gaeilge position, the same way the outgoing Officer, Aoibhinn Brenthall, has.
Arts & Humanities
Aaron Duke
Aaron Duke is a Stage 1 History and Politics student running for the Arts and Humanities college officer position. Firstly, he raises the issue of leaks in the Newman building as a significant cause of concern that needs to be resolved promptly. He is committed to “pushing the union” to dedicate resources to the Newman building. He also claims that “UCD has only contributed to worsening the situation” of current nightlife in Dublin, claiming ‘The Clubhouse’ bar does not have the “infrastructure or life to it to be able to host a real night out”. He wants to engage in movements such as ‘Give Us the Night’ (an independent movement campaigning for positive changes to nightlife in Ireland) to help provide a better college experience. Duke also wishes to create more social spaces around campus by using spaces in Newman and other buildings as communal spaces to promote community across campus. Finally, in the hope of increasing engagement with the UCD Students’ Union, he offers further promotion of UCDSU history, highlighting past achievements and clarity on “why union officers put as much into their work as they do”.
Alexander Dunne
Alex Dunne is a second-year History and Archaeology student who loves to cook, bake and row in his free time. He had the opportunity to represent Ireland in the 2023 World Rowing Championships. His manifesto focuses on four main points: the Newman building, accessibility and disability access, social and seating areas, and campaigning against alternative assessments due to AI. He believes that the current maintenance and state of the Newman building is “inadequate and frankly rather poor”. Therefore, he looks forward to “acquiring several updates and a greater level of maintenance” for Newman. Regarding accessibility and disabled access, Dunne pointed out that Newman generally is not as accessible as a modern university building should be. Therefore, he advocates making the lecture halls more accessible so that students with disabilities are not separated from the rest of the cohort. Currently, Newman needs more seating for students and space for social activities. Therefore, Dunne hopes to acquire more seating throughout Newman and “further develop the popular parts into areas for socialising”. Finally, Dunne plans to campaign with students against “implementing alternative assessments due to AI”.
Ava/Aobihe Doyle
Ava Doyle is a first-year Creative and Cultural Industries student running for the Arts and Humanities college officer. She is the current class rep for her course. She wishes to improve accessibility in the Newman building and create a greater sense of community in Social Science. Doyle aims to first "update the interior" of the Newman building through more seating and tables and permanent fixes to bathrooms and ceilings. She also plans to convert the basement into an area for students to share and display art. She wants to address accessibility issues such as locked accessible doors to lectures and broken microphones. She claims she would "let their [students] voice be heard" as her first step in the role.
Law
Aisling Maloney
Aisling Maloney is a third-year Law with Politics student running for re-election as the Law College Officer. She has been involved in various activities on and off campus. She currently serves as the UCD Politics and International Relations Society auditor, the National Youth Assembly, and organisations like Spun Out. She is focusing on academic support, specifically the academic advisor programme, securing lecture recordings, addressing “inconsistencies with exam grading," and providing tutorials for third- and fourth-year students. Maloney also wants to work on mental health, financial support, and social events such as study groups and non-alcoholic events. She aims to lobby for more diversity measures such as “automatic assignment extensions for students with disabilities”. She is also campaigning for more study and social spaces, further visibility of pedestrian crossing, and other facilities around campus. She wishes to help law students with career advice and events such as panel discussions and additional information about programmes like Erasmus. She is also committed to communicating with students on her Instagram and through class representatives.
Ben Casey
Ben Casey is a second-year Civil Law with Politics and International Relations student. He is involved with several student societies, such as the UCD Student Legal Service, the UCD LGBTQ+ Society, and the UCD Law Society. When asked by The University Observer to provide a full manifesto, Casey responded that he was “not at liberty to reveal all of my manifesto points at this time, as I fear for their safety”. However, he was happy to provide his main points and the overall theme, accessibility, for his manifesto: academic Support, welfare support, career events, social events, and facilities. He also commented that he would like to “promote engagement between students and the SU” due to the “failures of last year's election, such as failing to meet quorum on the constitutional referendum and the continuing ‘bad vibes’ that can often be seen directed towards the SU.”
Science
Aashna Khurana
Aashna Khurana is an international first-year Biology student from India. She has been involved in the SU as a class representative. She is “passionate about building a strong school community for science students” by improving campus life and representing science students and their needs and wants. She aims to increase student engagement by offering skills workshops, formal mixers, and networking events. She also wants to improve student support and academic resources by increasing library resources, exam support, and hybrid mode. Thirdly, she aims to bring student facilities to a higher standard by increasing the number of seating and studying spaces, bringing in “resting capsules” and more plug sockets. Fourthly, Khurana will empower the class representatives by giving them more roles and guidance. Finally, she will help combat living costs by advocating for a reading week and adding more microwaves.
Laura Lysaght
Laura is a third-year student studying Plant Biology and running for the position of Science college officer. She is the current events officer for the Sci-fi and Fantasy Society at UCD and has a passion for science. She plans to make the science building a more study-friendly space, by adding tables and cubbies that will make the building a “more helpful study space”. She also wishes to introduce better break periods, video recordings, the provision of lecture slides before lectures, and other support to students. Lysaght prioritises community and wants to make next year “a fun experience that brings the community together”.
Vanshika Sood
Vanshika Sood, a second-year international Biology student, is running for the position of Science College Officer. In her manifesto, she highlights various areas for improvement within the university. Sood aims to address seating arrangements by adding more seats, improving usability, and reducing clutter in the O'Brien Centre for Science. She also emphasises the importance of hygiene by repurposing hand sanitiser as a cleaning station and promoting hygienic practices throughout the campus. Additionally, Sood intends to enhance signage clarity, promote existing technological amenities, and foster transparent communication between the student union, staff, and students. She plans to investigate and potentially lower the prices of campus food options, offering more affordable alternatives. Lastly, Sood aims to improve the quality of tutorials through comprehensive training programs and peer-learning initiatives.
Architecture
Maxim Cojocari
Maxim Cojocari is a second-year Architecture student running for the position of Architecture College Officer. Cojocari aims to address various issues faced by students in Richview, including limited food options, insufficient ink and paper supplies for plotters and printers, the absence of a school shop, and inadequate communication with lecturers. Cojocari also highlights the importance of maintaining and caring for the plotters to ensure smooth printing processes. His goal is to enhance the overall experience of Architecture students in Richview.
Stephen Mullen
Stephan Mullen is a first-year City Planning and Environmental Policy student running for the Architecture college officer position. He is the current class rep for stage one of his course. He wishes to continue campaigns for a ceasefire in Palestine and LGBTIA+ rights, and secure more funding from UCD to address the UCDSU budget deficit. In addition to this, he is advocating for more options in the Richview cafe and an SU shop in Richview and Newstead, making the two buildings fully accessible and re-opening a direct pedestrian route. Stephan also wants to introduce subsidies for printing and have more school-specific events to foster community. He promotes himself as someone who has “paved the way for our [Architecture student's] independence and will continue to fight on behalf of everyone”.
Engineering
Donal Monahan
Donal Monahan is a third-year Electrical and Electronic Engineering student at UCD. Monahan is running for the position of Engineering College Officer and aims to support engineering students by addressing their challenges and improving their college experience. His manifesto focuses on various aspects, including academic support, facilities, and the student experience. Monahan promises to enhance lab and tutorial support, provide comprehensive online resources, and establish dedicated collaborative and study spaces. He also advocates for a spring semester reading week, curriculum review, and regular meetings to gather feedback from all class groups.
Siobhan (Surban) Black
Siobhan Black is a second-year Biomedical Engineering student running for the Engineering college officer position. She is running under the slogan “SiobhanBlack’s Got Your Back”. She has not yet commented to The University Observer.
Health Science
Noah Johnson
Noah Johnson is a Radiography student, and is running for the Health Science College Officer position. In his manifesto, Johnson addresses several crucial issues. He aims to abolish unpaid clinical placements, fighting against student labour exploitation. He also focuses on reducing fees for Graduate Entry Medicine and Radiography programs, advocating for fair access to education. Johnson emphasises the need for equitable accommodation support for students on clinical placements outside Dublin and plans to create a collaborative and welcoming atmosphere in the Atrium. He prioritises student well-being and mental health, advocating for increased counselling services and clinical preparation training. Johnson also aims to enhance collaboration and engagement opportunities and improve library facilities. Furthermore, he commits to building on successful initiatives such as the Clinical Care Packages program, uniform sales, and the survival guide.
Ramzy Zaki
Ramzy Zaki, a third-year medicine student, is running for the position of Health Science College Officer with the SU to address students' concerns and issues in the health science programmes. Zaki aims to enhance student experience and engagement by promoting unity and collaboration among students from various health science disciplines. He plans to work closely with societies, interest groups, and the SU to bridge the gap between students and create a sense of connection. Additionally, Zaki intends to tackle accessibility and inclusion issues, such as late arrival to lectures and the lack of exposure to pre-clinical skills in specific programmes. With a passion for advocating for student needs and a track record as a class representative, Zaki seeks to represent and empower health science students, setting an example for others to follow.
Business
(Jia Peng) Pearse Wang
Pearse Wang is a first-year Commerce student who is running for the position of Business college officer. He recently received the UCD Orchestra Scholarship at the UCD entrance scholars ceremony and is a consultant for the UCD I&E Student Management Fund. He is also the current class rep for stage one of his courses. He has not provided a comment to The University Observer at this time.
Social Science
Jan/Jamo Hatje
"Jamo" Hatje is a second-year student studying Economics & Politics at UCD. Running for the Social Sciences College Officer position, Hatje aims to prioritise the student voice and improve communication and representation within the union. He focuses on building connections between the union and students, promoting transparency and awareness of union activities, and creating a sense of community within the social sciences. Hatje pledges to gather feedback, enhance communication channels, and campaign for student support and involvement. He aims to ensure students feel represented and supported in their academic journey.
Peter Falvey
Peter Falvey is a first-year Economics student running for the Social Science college officer position. He currently serves as class rep for the first year of his BSc in Economics. He hopes to improve the awareness of the position through “regular and clear reports” on his actions throughout the year. He plans to facilitate discourse between Social Science students and himself through forums with class reps. He ensures he will “hold the Class Reps to a high standard” and encourage them to be engaged with the community. Falvey also wishes to introduce nights out for discount prices, especially a Social Science ball. He is committed to rising to the challenges in the “ever-changing landscape of UCD” and executing “the expected duties of the college officer to a high standard”.