Teni Shittu was elected Trinity Hall Junior Common Room (JCR) President on Wednesday, April 6, along with 10 other Officer positions on the committee for 2022/23.
Shittu, a law student from Co. Offaly, was elected on the first count with 89.68% of the vote, in a race which was uncontested.
Speaking to Trinity News after the result, Shittu said “the biggest feeling after winning is gratitude”. She plans to “build on the foundations” established by this year’s JCR committee and “work towards making halls a place that promotes inclusiveness and diversity by ensuring that there are events and facilities for all residents”.
Saul McCarthy, a physical sciences student, was elected Vice President/Treasurer, defeating opponent Alex Vilarin by a margin of 55.25% to 43.19%. McCarthy pledged to “provide financial advice” to incoming students during his campaign.
Alli Dixon, a MEELC student from the US, beat Annabel McAteer in the Secretary race, with the candidates earning 64.88% and 34.3% of the vote respectively.
John Garvey was elected Welfare Officer, receiving 60.93% and defeating his opponents Sarra Abdalla and Alex Duffy who received 12.19% and 26.88%, respectively. Garvey is an English and History student from Mayo and promised to bring anti-spiking lids to Hall and “institute bystander intervention training for instances of sexual assault and racism” in his manifesto.
Aoife Gileece, a MEELC student from Sligo, won the race for Ents Officer, beating opponent Sarah Walsh, a law student from Limerick. Gileece secured 65.07% of the vote, while Walsh received 30.15%.
Eduarda Reis Werneck, a PPES student from Brazil, was elected International Officer in what was an uncontested race. Werneck received 97.16% of the vote, the largest share of any race.
Yuv Garg, a global business student from New Delhi, won the race for Sports Officer, receiving 54.4% of the vote. Garg’s opponents, Noelle Dowling from Kilkenny, and Caoimhe Ryan from Westmeath, received 16.1% and 28.84%, respectively.
Catherine Joan Gale, a BESS student originally from the Philippines who was raised in the US, was elected Music Officer. Gale received 58.3% of the vote, while her opponent Loulou MacHale, an English and Philosophy student, received 40.08%.
All successful candidates were elected on the first count.
In addition to the eight elected positions, three committee roles were filled by appointment. Philip Gray was appointed Communications & Marketing Officer, Hattie Bilson as Publications Officer, and Elizabeth O’Sullivan as Tech Officer. All three positions were contested.
Campaigning for the election began on Sunday evening, with voting taking place between 7am and 6pm on Wednesday. Results were announced at Mother Reilly’s in Rathmines on Wednesday evening.
The JCR acts as a representative body for residents of Trinity Hall. It provides student-directed services and organises social events, as well as seeking to “represent Halls students’ needs within College, Halls and the Rathmines area”.
Additional reporting by David Wolfe.
