Former SU Welfare Officer named new Student Budgetary Adviser
It was recently announced that former UCC Students’ Union Welfare Officer, and Union of Students in Ireland (USI) Welfare Officer Cian Power has been named as the new Student Budgetary Adviser. The Waterford native, who has previously been a member of the SUSI advisory committee, will succeed Evan Healy in the role after five years. Mr Power also sits on the National Youth Mental Health Taskforce.The role of the budgetary advisor is to “[provide] support to students in relation to their finances during their time in UCC,” to “provide information on budgeting,grants and fees to students” and to “liaise with the college and the Students Union regularly to best support students’ finances,” according to Power. Speaking to The Express, Cian elaborated on what drew him to the job: “I have always worked personally and professionally with the student budgetary advisor in the past, and when the position was vacant it was a no brainer. It's a role which I have always had the most utmost respect for and a role that is rewarding, so naturally I applied and was luckily appointed.”Logic would dictate that Mr.Power’s previous work in the Students’ Union here and in USI should help him in this new role, a position that Cian agrees with: “From working locally in UCCSU I have worked with students one to one, providing support and referring to services, and the knowledge of departments and processes from my time in UCCSU will massively help me get off to a good start in the role. From USI, I have worked with SUSI and was on the advisory board, so I have been lucky to work first hand with the grant authority. I was the policy officer that looked after finance in the National Union and I’m happy that the experience learned in Dublin will help me and students in UCC.”If you wish to contact Cian for more information about the student budgetary adviser, or how he can help you, you can email him on studentbudgetingadvice@ucc.ie or by booking an appointment through the UCC website. “I am delighted to be back in UCC and I am looking forward to the work that is ahead and I want to wish every student starting the best of luck in your journey in UCC, and to those who have been here for some time make sure to make 2017/18 the best yet!”