Faye Ní Dhomhnaill
What made you apply for the role?
I decided to apply for the role as I’ve been working full time for students this year, and I’ve really noticed where students are struggling. I think the areas of Gaeilge, Accommodation, Sustainability and funding are definitely the biggest ones that have stuck out to me. I think I’m a friendly face around campus and I’m willing to listen to the issues coming from the university and the Union, and make college the best days of our students’ lives.
Talk us through your manifesto, and the main thing you’ll work on if elected.
What I think my main goal going into the new academic year will be accommodation. Seeing the Hubble rent hike and how accommodation providers feel they can take advantage of students and their need for accommodation is disgusting. I’ve already discussed the issue of accommodation in the Oireachtas with USI’s pre-budget submission. On top of this, I want students to be more central in the decision making and event planning process for the Union. We’ve seen how SOS and Hallows have been madly successful, and bring the students what they want. I think there should never be a night where Sult is empty, and all the acts we book should come from effectively enacting feedback from students. Another one of my main goals is to develop Gaeilge within the Union. I think because we have a full time Irish language officer people tend to push Irish to the side. I want to work alongside the Leas-Uachtarán don Ghaeilge to develop the Union as a branch of Conradh na Gaeilge, and to start acting as a truly bilingual Union.
What do you think the greatest obstacle will be in your term, if elected?
I think the biggest obstacle coming into the role will definitely be the accommodation crisis, and engaging University management and Government to give students the supports they deserve. After drafting and running the accommodation survey in semester 1 of this past academic year, I took it as an opportunity to get out, get talking to students, to hear first hand the horror stories that students are living through. When retelling the stories to university management and local politicians, they were met with disbelief. If elected, I want to rerun the accommodation survey, and start creating an annual accommodation report to continue lobbying for new, affordable, purpose built student accommodation.
What is something you would hope to carry on from the previous officer, if elected?
I think Dean has done absolutely stellar work in including more students in the Union. Everything he does places students in the absolute center of it. I want to continue along the same vein as the pints with the President scheme, and give students more informal opportunities to meet the executive committee. As well as this, I want to make the Union more visible for society events. This year I developed the “Gradam Gaelach” an award for societies that implement more Irish into their day to day use. I think students need to be rewarded for the contributions they make to the university community.
Finally, why do you think people should vote for you?
I think people should vote for me because I care about students. I’ve taken every opportunity I can this year to get out, get chatting to students, listening to their issues and finding solutions. I want to centralise students wants and needs into the unions decision making process, and let students see exactly how they are being listened to. I want students to feel like they are the owners of the Union, because they are! With no students there would be no Union, and I think that needs to be highlighted more.