Three postgraduate students are set to run for Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) President for the 2019/2020 academic year in what is typically a quieter race.
Shaz Oye, Gogoal Falia, and Michael Sonne are set to run for GSU President, while Gisèle Scanlon will run uncontested for the position of GSU Vice-President.
The four candidates draw on extensive experience within the GSU. Falia is running for a sabbatical position for a second year, having successfully been elected GSU Vice-President for the current year. He was previously a member of the GSU’s Electoral Commission, and completed a Master’s in Business Administration.
Oye, the GSU Equality and Diversity Officer, is a seasoned activist, having previously been employed as the Executive Director of the Dublin AIDS Alliance. She has professional experience in the music industry, having released her debut album “Truth according to Shaz Oye” in 2006.
Sonne is the GSU’s Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) representative. Sonne is undertaking a Masters in Philosophy and has previously worked in business. He completed his undergraduate degree in the University of Liverpool, where he was President of the Philosophical Society for two years.
Scanlon, the sole candidate for GSU Vice-President, is the union’s current AHSS Officer. Scanlon is completing a Masters in Art History, having previously obtained an M.Phil in Creative Writing. She is the Editor of the College Green Literary Journal and won the Spirit of Trinity award in 2018.
Current GSU President Oisín Vince Coulter was the sole candidate for the position last year, while the previous year saw two candidates run for President.
Speaking to Trinity News ahead of his election, Vince Coulter remarked that engagement with the GSU was steadily on the rise. “I think more graduate students are becoming aware of the GSU and getting involved in it,” he explained. “Part of that is that unlike the Student’s Union, the issues really affect the day to day lives of graduate students.”
The Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) represents Trinity’s postgraduate students. It is one of Trinity’s five capitated bodies, alongside Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), the Central Societies Committee (CSC), Trinity Publications, and the Dublin University Central Athletic Club (DUCAC).
Voting in the elections is set to take place on April 10 and 11.
