Bev Genockey elected as next Education Officer of TCDSU

Genockey received 57.8% of the final vote

Third Year Zoology student Bev Genockey has been elected Education Officer after receiving 57.8% of the vote on the first count and surpassing her fellow candidate Daniel O’Reilly. 

O’Reilly received 39.5% of the vote, with the option to re-open nominations receiving 2.7%.

Out of 2,410 votes cast in the Education race, Genockey received 1,392.

Speaking to Trinity News following her win, Genockey said: “I’m just so delighted with it and so excited to get started, so grateful for the amazing work my campaign team did.”

Genockey added that she was “so grateful to everyone who voted, shared, reposted or told a friend”. She concluded that she was “ecstatic”.

A poll conducted last week by Trinity News indicated Genockey’s win, with a 17-point lead at 55.6%, alongside her opponent O’Reilly who gained 38.2% of the decided votes cast in the poll. 

From Kells, Co. Meath, Genockey has garnered experience with the union, working previously as a class Representative, and more recently as deputy faculty convener for STEM. Prior to her candidacy, she has also acted as chairperson for diversity in STEM and is a Laidlaw scholar. 

Genockey’s campaign placed an emphasis on inclusivity and diversity, with an aim to make education accessible to all. To achieve this, she hopes to improve the quality of Class Rep training and ensure that a Diversity and Inclusion document circulates teaching staff. 

Throughout her manifesto and her campaign, Genockey stressed the importance of increased awareness of students with disabilities, and proposed the possibility of a hybrid learning environment in which those with disabilities would have the opportunity to conduct parts of their studies online. 

Genockey believes that student engagement can and should be improved. She plans to address this by better informing class reps as well as running weekly feedback polls. She also hopes to encourage students to get involved in the union by running a ‘Run for Something’ campaign.

This article was updated at 8:19 pm to include a statement from Bev Genockey.

Bonnie Gill

Bonnie Gill is current News Analysis Editor for Trinity News and previously served as the College Correspondent. She is a Senior Sophister Film Studies and English Literature student.