Realistic approach to Presidency wins election for Haughney | Stephen Barry

At 2am last Wednesday morning Pádraig ‘Podge’ Haughney was declared the new Students’ Union President outside of the Student Centre, bringing to an end a hectic two days of campaigning. It was a campaign which both started an ended in the freezing cold as snow showers hit the first day of the on campus campaign before the final announcement was forced outside by a fire alarm. But that moment was the undoubted highlight of Haughney’s campaign as the majority of his campaign team waited around for the announcement. Indeed that 74-strong group, which was also announced as the best campaign team, made much of the difference in the winning and losing of the Presidential election. Speaking on the Friday after his election, the Masters student in Business Economics was full of praise for his supporters. “Every one of my campaign team knew exactly what my manifesto was; they all read it; they all knew it inside-out; they all knew my policies. So when people actually came over to the table or were playing with the dogs, my campaign team was there. They were talking about my policies. They were telling people why they should vote for me and what I want to do.” But perhaps the most crucial factor in this year’s race for SU President was the Brookfield campaigns by the various candidates. Haughney won by 360 votes over Mark Stanton after four counts. However Haughney captured over 600 votes from the 790 ballots cast there having been the most visible presence on the satellite campus across the two days. “I was the only Presidential campaign to actually be down in Brookfield on both days from nine to five when the polling station was open.” However, with the campaign now behind him, Haughney must begin to look ahead to next year, a process which will properly begin with his training in June at the hands of Eoghan Healy, before taking over in July. “He [Healy] will be basically telling me the ins and outs of the job, how to respond to students, how to work with the different departments, the different buildings, introducing me to important people throughout the college.” Among his first acts as President will be the co-ordination of Fresher’s Week and the implementation of a Safe Sex Awareness Day in the course of that week. The focus of Haughney’s year will be on having a realistic attitude towards the role, in particular with regard to the prospect of fees rising to €2,750 in next December’s budget and to €3,000 the year after. “So what I want to do is identify to the government that it’s no longer a registration fee for the students, it’s an actual third-level education fee that the students are paying to go to college. Obviously students are going to have to pay a registration fee; it’s a reality at this stage. What I want to do is have a realistic fee charge. €3,000 is too much for a registration fee; it’s not a registration fee, it’s a third-level education fee.” “What I want to do is try to work with the government to actually maybe reduce the registration fee and cap it at €3,000 for the moment. If I can cap it in my time as SU President, I’ll believe I’ve achieved something and future Presidents then can work on reducing the fee, working with the government.” Given that the issues of fees and the maintenance grants were the two most raised topics in the course of Haughney’s campaign, it’s clear that he will be spending much of the year ahead working on ways to increase students’ incomes.