Kian Moyles
What made you apply for the role?
I chose to run for VP of Welfare and Equality as once I knew the details of what the role pertained I knew it was a role that was well suited for me. I am genuinely passionate about helping students out where needed and a lot of the work of the role actually aligns with the career path I hope to take after university, that being psychotherapy. Through my time in university, I have seen different issues and experiences which affect students on a daily basis that really should not be cause of concern but unfortunately are, and I feel that I have enough experience now to know what needs to fixed in order to make sure that all students have the best time they possibly can while in university and have the necessary supports in place to make that a reality.
Talk to us through your manifesto and the main thing you will work on if elected?
My manifesto covers a wide range of issues that are currently affecting students on campus and that I’m highly driven to solve and feel are actually realistic things to achieve but I suppose the main focuses of my manifesto could be summed up as better mental health, better safety and better social integration.
In regards to mental health support this is an area which I feel needs serious work done to benefit all students in the best possible way it can. At the moment both the university is lagging behind in the ratio of the amount of counsellors: students that they’re should be and this has caused an effect that can certainly be felt by students with the limits imposed in regards to sessions. Mental health support should be something that should be taken incredibly seriously by the university and should be available for students at all times when they need it and the whole idea of capping the amount of sessions possible does not benefit the students who require these services. Having using the counselling service on campus myself, I know what a great resource it has the possibility of being, however unfortunately I also know too many friends who could not gain the same benefits simply due to the session limits not providing them with enough time to deal with their issues and then they subsequently cannot afford to see a private counsellor and the issue still persists. This is simply not good enough. As I know the counselling building itself is already small and at capacity, I propose working with the university to bring in more external counsellors to provide online sessions to students in which that would benefit, which in turn would also open up the current counsellors employed in the university to see more students face to face as opposed to them having to juggle a mix of online and offline. Additionally in the line of mental health, I aim to bring a full time psychiatrist to the SHU. Public waiting times are literally years and the cost of going private is unobtainable to most students due to the cost of living, so by having a full time psychiatrist in the SHU this will provide an accessible point of call for the students who require it.
Better integration is required on campus for all students with a particular focus on International and non ethnically Irish students. With the majority of my close friend group throughout university falling into these categories, I have seen first hand the lack of engagement that exists from the university itself in terms of helping International students settle into life here. At current a sink or skim system kind of exists here where there is an international orientation their first week and pretty much nothing after that except for the occasional International only focused event. This has led to visible segregation on campus where you can see for the most part international students only hanging with internationals and Irish with Irish, not necessarily by choice but simply because the two groups have never been given a proper opportunity to mingle and get to know one another which is something I hope to change. We are all one as students of the University of Galway and so proper resources and supports should be dedicated so that we can all feel as one collective group as opposed to many sub groups.
What do you think the greatest obstacle will be in your term if elected?
I feel that the greatest obstacle that I will face will be getting students more involved in participating in the Students’ Union’s activities and just getting a greater overall involvement and communication from all students. Ultimately the Students’ Union is the point of contact for students in the university, it is the student body representative towards the Universities higher ups and therefore having all students being aware of different activities the SU are hosting as well as communicating with the union more is the only way in which issues affecting students on campus can be solved. Without the active involvement of the general student body, the union can not exist at its highest capabilities in ensuring that issues that are affecting students are addressed properly.
What is something you would hope to carry on from the previous officer if elected?
I think Izzy did an incredible job over the past year in her work as VP of Welfare and Equality and I think the main thing that I’d like to build on from her term is the Student Safety Watch.
Increasing the safety on campus after dark is something that I feel can still be expanded on both by increasing and having more students around with the safety watch to help those in need but even by getting more lighting and cameras on campus and its surroundings to ensure that all students feel safe when walking home after dark.
Often Galway is touted as a very walkable city, however unless the adequate safety measures are in place, students simply don’t feel safe to walk home. With the high costs of taxis and the lack of late bus services at night, students at current either have the option of spending money they may not have or walking home in conditions in which they don’t feel safe in.
A friend texting you they got home safe after a late lecture or event on campus or a night out should just be a nice courtesy for them to do, it should never be a requirement for you to actually know that someone has actually arrived home safely.
By increasing the safety measures in place the worry around being on campus after dark can at least be a bit eased and there can be more assurance for students walking that they are in fact safe from harm and thus they will hopefully feel more comfortable on their journey home.
Finally, why do you think people should vote for you?
I think students should vote for me as I have many different ideas and proposals that will benefit all students and I am incredibly passionate about bringing these ideas to fruition. Nothing I have put in my manifesto is filler, it is all issues in which I care deeply about and want to see change in, in order to give students the opportunity to have the best possible experience they can. Your university years are often regarded as being some of the best years of your life and I want to ensure this is a reality for all.
Additionally as I mentioned above, after university I plan on going into a career of psychotherapy and so helping students now with any issues that may be plaguing them in their current student life is something that I am dedicated to achieving as I truly believe the university has untapped potential for student life and student wellbeing that it is just not currently achieving in its current set up with the amount of different issues and causes for concern that exist. I truly believe that if given the opportunity, I would be able to make all students’ experiences at university a positive one through providing help in any possible way that I can.