TCDSU part-time officers elected in online vote

Nine part-time officer positions were filled today

The nine contested races for part-time officers of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) have been elected today, with the other 16 uncontested part-time officer positions having already been filled last week.

The elections were carried out online due to the coronavirus pandemic which has caused the closure of Trinity and the cancellation of in-person Council meetings. These positions would usually be elected at the last Council of the academic year. 

Megan O’Shea has been elected Access Officer. O’Shea said she is passionate about the Trinity Access Programme (TAP), and plans on “bridging” the gap between TAP administrators and access students. 

Jacqui Whelan has been elected Arts, Humanities and Social Science (AHSS) Faculty Convenor. She has been a class rep for three years and was this year’s TSM and Trinity Joint Honours (TJH) Convenor. 

Jodie Milne has been elected Citizenship Officer. She wants to “work with the Ethnic Minorities Officer on an anti racism campaign”, hoping to inform students of the “growing problem of casual racism on campus”. 

Engineering, Maths and Science (EMS) Faculty Convenor saw three students run for the position this year, with Daniel O’Reilly securing the position. O’Reilly claims he wants to rebrand the STEM ball, and work on providing gender neutral toilets for EMS students.

The Environmental Officer will be Aine Hennessey. Hennessey is looking to introduce composting bins in both the Arts Building and the Hamilton.

Brian Hastings, a Senior Fresher Engineering student, has been elected LGBT Rights Officer. The position was the most contested race in this year’s part-time officers elections as five candidates ran in the election. Ciarán Butler, Brian Hastings, Darren Seán May, Sé Ó hEidin and Jamie Shields vied for the position. 

Tidgh Maguire has been elected next year’s Off Campus Officer. He has previously held the position of Off Campus Welfare Officer and Senator for School of Medicine.

Niamh Hebert has been elected Officer for Students with Disabilities. One of the main focuses of her campaign was to work with the Central Societies Committee (CSC) to make societies more accessible for everyone. 

The Undergraduate Studies Committee Representative role has also been filled, with Sameer Shaikh being elected to this position. He was this year’s School of Social Sciences and Philosophy Convenor.

Joseph Nocter was elected as the Health Sciences (HS)  Convener after Tidgh Maguire pulled out of the race earlier this week. 

Sean Gordon Dalton has also been elected an annual member of the Electoral Commission. 

Last week saw 15 students elected as part-time officers in uncontested races. Computer science student Yannick Gloster was elected uncontested as Chair of Council, with Cian Walsh elected as Secretary to Council. Current Mature Students’ Officer Jimi Donohue has been re-elected to the role for a second term, while Marian Lovett has been named Student Parents’ Officer. Patrick O’Mahony was elected International Students Officer, while Mairéad Ní Sheanlaoich was elected the next Oifigeach na Gaeilge.

Sierra Mueller-Owens was elected Gender Equality Officer, while Sunetra Das is to take over as Ethnic Minorities Officer. History and political science student Niamh Mullins has been elected as Volunteer Forum Coordinator for a second term. Jack Shields was elected as Community Liaison Officer.

Incumbent Secretary to Council Ellen McGrath is set to continue as an ordinary member next year alongside Lydia MacBride, while Alice Payne, current ordinary member Nicole Greenan and current Community Liaison Officer Emma Rossiter have been elected as annual members of the Electoral Commission. Laura Owens and Cian Fogarty are to continue in their positions as biennial members of the Electoral Commission until the end of the 2020/21 academic year.

Part-time officers are elected to assist and work alongside sabbatical officers on specific student issues. The part-time officers and sabbatical officers together form Union Forum, an executive committee of the Students’ Union.

Shannon Connolly

Shannon Connolly is the Editor-in-Chief of the 69th volume Trinity News, and a Senior Sophister student of English Literature and Philosophy. She previously served as Deputy Editor, News Editor and Assistant News Editor.