Eleven candidates to contest TCDSU Elections

Three candidates are to contest to the presidential election, while three races remain uncontested

Eleven candidates are to contest this year’s Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) elections. Three of the six races are uncontested, with only one candidate running.

The list was announced this evening on the steps of House 6 by Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) Emma Gallagher, which is a break from tradition. The Education Officer usually announces the candidates on the steps on House 6, however, with changes to Schedule 3 of the TCDSU Constitution, two thirds of references to the role of the Education Officer have been removed for this election period. 

A two-week campaign period is scheduled to begin on Monday, February 20, with voting closing on Thursday, March 2. The outcome of the election will be announced on the evening of March 2. 


President

Zöe Cummins

Zöe Cummins is currently TCDSU’s Education Officer, on a sabbatical year before entering her Senior Sophister year as an astrophysics student. She was the TCDSU Convenor for STEM students, as well as President of Trinity SUAS Society, an ambassador for Trinity Access, and a head mentor for Student 2 Student (S2S). Prior to these roles, she served as Secretary of TCDSU’s Welfare Committee and as TCDSU’s Convenor for the School of Physics, and was involved with Spunout.

László Molnárfi

László Molnárfi is a Junior Sophister PPES student and the current Social Sciences and Philosophy Convenor of TCDSU. He is the chair of Trinity Students4Change (S4C), a student rights organisation that Molnárfi himself founded two years ago. He previously served as a class representative for TCDSU and has written for both Trinity News and the University Times. Molnárfi is the secretary to the implementation group of Trinity BDS, and has worked with the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU). 

Tilly Schaaf

Tilly Schaaf is a Junior Sophister physical sciences student. Schaaf was the President of Zonta International of Area01 for a year, alongside having a mandate in the EU Youth Conference. Schaaf has also held delegate positions in Model European Parliament conferences.



Education Officer

Catherine Arnold

Catherine Arnold is a Senior Sophister sociology and philosophy student and the current Deputy AHSS Convenor. They have previously served as Joint Honours Convenor of TCDSU and as a class representative. They also have experience as a research assistant in the Young Women’s Christian Association and have served as Gender Equality Officer for the Labour Party.

Elizabeth O’Sullivan

Elizabeth O’Sullivan is a Senior Freshman political science student. She is a member of the University Philosophical Society (the Phil) and teaches secondary school debating outside of College. She is a member of the production crew with DU Players.

Welfare & Equality Officer

Aoife Bennett

Aoife Bennett is a Junior Sophister English studies student. Last year, she served as the Welfare Officer of the Trinity Hall Junior Common Room (JCR). Bennett also worked with the Trinity Hall UniCoV scheme, which distributed Covid-19 testing kits to students. She is a copyeditor and frequent contributing writer in Trinity News. She is also a volunteer with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).

Communications & Marketing Officer

Aiesha Wong

Aiesha Wong is a Senior Sophister law and political science student. She is the current chair of DU Dance, having previously served as public relations officer (PRO). She is the visual communications officer of DU Photography Association. Wong is a co-founder and current creative director of STRAY, a Dublin-based magazine documenting the city’s subculture and artists. She is a content creator for District Magazine and artists’ collective Grúpa. She also is a digital content creator for Pod Events, which oversees festivals such as All Together Now and Forbidden Fruit. She served as a first-year Law class representative for TCDSU.

Entertainments Officer

Sam Kelly

Sam Kelly is a Junior Sophister BESS student. He is the current Ents Officer of the College Historical Society (the Hist), having previously served as a Pro-Records Secretary for the society. He is also a youth volunteer within mental health charity Jigsaw.

Olivia Orr

Olivia Orr is a Junior Sophister PPES student. She is the current treasurer of Trinity Ents. She previously served as Entertainments Officer for Trinity Hall JCR. She was also a team supervisor for the Trinity Hall UniCoV scheme, which distributed Covid-19 testing kits to Halls residents.

Nadia

Nadia is a Senior Sophister computer science student. She served as a class representative for computer science for two years, and helped to organise STEM Ball. She has also engaged in event organisation work outside of college, including for promoter Bodytonic at its venue the Bernard Shaw. She previously ran for the position of Ents Officer in 2022.

University Times Editor

Clara Roche

Clara Roche is a Senior Sophister history and political science student. Roche has previously worked in UT as Deputy Editor, prior to calls for the current editor’s impeachment, which led to some senior staff being sacked. Roche has also been a contributing writer for Evergreen Trinity, and is an Editorial Board member of the Trinity Journal of Histories. Roche has also worked with Trinity disAbility Hub, as a student trainer and on the Schools Outreach Subcommittee. 


All Trinity students, undergraduate and postgraduate, are members of TCDSU and therefore eligible to vote. The union’s membership fees are charged when students pay their tuition. 

A re-open nominations option will be included as a candidate in each of the six elections.

The Electoral Commission (EC) oversees the election process and the campaign period, ensuring that no candidate breaches any of the rules laid out in the constitution and that all votes are counted correctly. 

Reporting by Shannon Connolly, Kate Henshaw, Ellen Kenny, Eva O’Beirne, Adam Balchin and David Wolfe. 

This article was updated on February 3 at 5.49pm to correct Elizabeth O’Sullivan’s profile.

This article was amended on February 3 at 9:51pm to correct Tilly Schaaf’s profile.