Zara Finn has been elected as the next President of the Junior Common Room (JCR) following vote results announced this evening.
Finn, a BESS student, was elected on the third count with 49% of the vote, narrowly beating out fellow contender Matt Fitzsimmons. In her campaign, Finn proposed the introduction of PJ, Tea, and Chats evenings in Halls every month, and to bring mentors out to Halls throughout the year to give advice to residents on their courses.
Speaking to Trinity News, Finn said she was “elated” at the result. “It was such a close race,” said Finn. “I really didn’t know going in because it was such a level playing field between the candidates.” Finn hopes to work with Education Officer-elect Niamh McCay to “bridge the gap” between Halls and Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU).
The Trinity Hall JCR election results were announced tonight at Mother Reilly’s in Rathmines. The campaign period lasted three days, with voting closing at 9pm this evening.
A total of 50 candidates ran in the elections, with over 500 Halls residents casting votes this week. The positions of Technology Officer, Communications and Marketing Officer, and Publications Officer were selected by a private interview panel, while the remaining positions were elected by Halls residents.
Brian Hastings, an Engineering student, was elected JCR Vice President and Treasurer. Hastings received 41.5% of the vote on the fourth count, beating out opponent Sean Dunne by 19 votes.
Medicine student Kate Sheehan successfully beat out six other candidates to secure the election for Welfare Officer. Sheehan was elected on the seventh count with 45% of the vote. Speaking to Trinity News, Sheehan said: “I’m so happy. I can’t believe I won. The other candidates did so so well, and it was a hard race.” She added: “I’m so excited to be on the JCR committee and be in Halls again, because I’ve literally had the best year of my life, I loved it.”
Julia Best, who studies Law, will be next year’s JCR Secretary. Best received 48.9% of the vote on the third count, beating contender James Osbourne by a margin of just 19 votes. Speaking to Trinity News, Best said: “I’m so surprised, I knew it was going to be so tight. James [Osbourne, fellow candidate for JCR Secretary], is the best competition ever.” Best hopes to hold more charity events and introduce “sharing pages” for Halls residents to share clothes and textbooks.
In the race for Sports Officer, Trinity Geddis was elected on the third count with 46% of the votes. Although she did not reach quota, combined votes for contenders Arianna Bettin and Jack Murphy, who received 22% and 23% respectively, did not surpass Geddis, securing her the win. Other candidates in the race were eliminated on the first and second count. Speaking to Trinity News, Geddis said the win came as a “shock”. Geddis said she was “so glad” to have taken part in the elections as she “met so many people in the process” and that hustings pushed her “out of her comfort zone”.
Tadhg Williams, who studies History, was elected as Music Officer on the first count, with 55% of the vote. Speaking to Trinity News, Williams said he was not “expecting the win” and had “no words at all”. He explained: “I ran with the intention of bringing more live music to Halls, and I ran with the intention of bringing more of a community to music players in Halls as well.”
Next year’s International Officer will be Nicolas Brennan Hernandez, who was elected on the fourth count with 48% of the vote. Speaking to Trinity News, Brennan Hernandez said he hoped to “make Halls a better experience for everyone” next year, and thanked his opponents for the race, which he feels made them all stronger.
Engineering student Colin Hart was elected Entertainment Officer on the second count with 55.3% of the vote. Opponent Ciana Luskin received 34.9% of the vote on the second count, while the remaining votes were non-transferable. Speaking on his win, Hart said: “Ah yeah [it’s] a good laugh. I suppose I’ve been involved in Events and stuff for quite a while so just happy to see the fruits of that come alive.” When asked about his plans for the next year, he commented, “there’s a few things I want to do. I do want to do a Halls Jailbreak, to do something similar to national Jailbreak. Maybe a Halls casino night, something like that – black tie – would be good fun. Good laugh, good vibes.”
Communications and Marketing Officer, Publications Officer, and Technical Officer were selected by an interview panel rather than by a student vote. Next year’s Communications and Marketing Officer will be Darragh Clark, an Engineering student. Speaking to Trinity News, Clark described that he was “ecstatic” after “putting in so much work”.
Sophie Treacey, who studies Law and French, won the role of Publications Officer. Speaking to Trinity News, Treacey said she was “beyond thrilled” as she “did not expect to get picked”, and is excited to implement her ideas next year.
Computer Science student Dominique Meudec secured the position of Technical Officer, taking the win over five other candidates in one of the most hotly contested races. Speaking to Trinity News, Meudec said he felt “really happy”. Discussing the campaign period, Meudec explained that it’s “fine up until you’re put up in front of everybody and then it’s very nerve wracking”.
This article was updated on March 14 at 12:32 to include the Music Officer election.
