Buster Whaley has been elected as education officer of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), winning a comfortable 57.5% of votes on the first count.
Whaley received 1,549 votes while his sole competitor Conchúr received 984.
Out of 2693 votes, 161 students voted to reopen nominations (RON).
Whaley ran an unusually specific campaign, which has proved to be effective in connecting with the student body. His commitment to introducing modular billing and a new student run dining hall were the cornerstones of his campaign that promised “better change for all”.
Despite early stumbling blocks over an absence of Gaeilge from his manifesto, New York City-born Whaley recovered the misstep; noticeably incorporating Gailge into his social media posts. Throughout his campaign, he remained committed to “solving problems no one else will solve”.
Whaley’s narrow victory was predicted by Trinity News earlier this following a poll of 867 students.
He will begin his term in June, replacing outgoing Education Officer Eoghan Gilroy.
A previous version of this article mistakenly referred to Buster Whaley as Connecticut-born. Whaley is originally from New York City. Trinity News apologises for this error which has been amended.
