Interview by Sonny McGreevy
What, in your view, is the single biggest issue facing students right now, and how would you tackle it in practical terms?
“It’s an issue I’ve experienced myself, the commuting and renting crisis. I don’t think there’s a student on campus that hasn’t been touched by it in some way, and it’s central all throughout my manifesto. A rent registry will be able to map out where students are paying rent and how much they’re paying.
“If we can gather information on how our students are living and travelling to and from college we can lobby local government and the university better. We’re powerless as a union if we can’t emphasise what our members are going through.
“I’ve enunciated in my manifesto that I want to try and push for more dorms, we need capacity and functionality first and foremost. There’s a strong media element to methods like the rent registry as well, if we can harness the voices of students we can represent our members better, and that’s at the heart of what we need to do as a union.”
How would you describe your leadership style, and how will you ensure the SU genuinely represents students who feel disengaged or unheard?
“I’ve been lucky to experience dozens of leadership styles from our Students’ Union and my experience attending the national students’ union Comhdháil. I’m lucky to have been on the SU Coiste Gnó in second year in the role of Environmental and Sustainability Officer, dealing with accessibility and sustainability concerns. In addition to that I find I work really well as a conductor.
“It isn’t just the Peter O’Neill show here. We have a full committee of not just four full-time officers but 14 part-timers, and those part-timers have been underrepresented. I’d love to see them having more responsibilities if they wish – they’re studying to become professionals after all. And if there’s class reps that want to get involved I want to bring them along together.
“We often have to deal with students at their worst moments – when they succeed the university has them up on billboards but it’s the union that helps them in crisis. I want to make students prouder to be students. I love working with people and I want to bring clinics all across campus, making sure there’s at least an hour every month where you’re walking around the business or engineering buildings and there’s a table there with the SU representing you.
“I’ve been in classes where there is no class rep, therefore no direct representation. As a leader I hope to bring together more people, bringing us all along into a union that’s fundamentally defined not by four at the top but by its full membership of 20,000.”
What concrete changes should students expect to see by the end of your term if you are elected?
“Concrete changes are what inspired me to use the tagline the Real Deal, I am trying to bring real impact to student lives day in and day out. I do think we can organise better to provide actual real change for students. I’m interested in our older traditions such as providing more student events.
“One of my ideas is to bring together all the colleges in a Union Cup, providing fun competition which has been missing in the past. We used to have a strong sense of community and I want to bring that back. I want us to be the lifeblood of the student body here and represent students on good days and bad.
“That’s why I want to focus on real things like the rent registry, like student events such as the union cup, and the return of reading weeks.”
How will you hold the university to account on issues like housing, cost of living, and student supports?
“Again, representation. When we’re coming to the Academic Council and University Management Team we need to make sure that we’re representing our 20 thousand members. As regards accountability I always like to take the rough with the smooth. I don’t agree with the candidates that get up and say ‘if they hate us it means we’re doing our job well.’
“It’s in our constitution: we’re here to hold a harmonious relationship between staff and students caveated with continued action. Through my time as Environment and Sustainability Officer and as Class Rep I haven’t lost anything by working well with people. When that doesn’t work I want to be able to harness the voice of the student better and get more voices heard, there’s always going to be more of us than there is of them.
“The biggest tool that we have is the media. The whole rebrand we went through during Covid and a cost-of-living crisis, tearing down the old name of NUIG. And with this brand-new name and logo they go into contract with Technion, a university responsible for untold destruction and enabling of genocide. I want to publicise the legal advice given to [Prof] Burn and hold the university accountable. If they try to undermine us then we can use the media to fight back for what’s right.”
If you had to choose one promise in your manifesto to be judged on a year from now, what would it be?
“My favourite two R’s: Rent Registry. It will represent students in all aspects of their lives, whether you’re commuting, working or renting, there’s space here in our union. It’s part of the wider movement of being proud of students, taking control of our own destiny and making sure student money is controlled and shaped by student hands.”
