Three UCC graduates set for USI positions

Following on from UCC’s decision to maintain its affiliation with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), a total of three UCC graduates are competing for positions on the officer board of the national union.The path to election appears clear for the three, Cian Power Annie Hoey and Dan Waugh, as all are unopposed in their respective races and have received nomination from all of the applicable member institutions.Power, the current UCSU Welfare officer, is running for the position of Southern Area Rep which is currently held by Martin Lynch, himself a candidate for the position of Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance. Power believes that the experience gained from having served as Welfare Officer will be highly beneficial to the USI moving forward.In a statement on his campaign page, he said, “From being heavily involved with my own Union for the full duration of my time in UCC, I feel that the position of the Southern Regional Officer is the vital for the national movement. Being a Welfare Officer and the wealth of experience I have mustered throughout my time in UCC has allowed me to see what the issues are, and I want to make sure these issues are vocalised nationally, especially with the upcoming General Election.”Hoey, a former UCCSU Deputy President and Campaigns Officer, is seeking re-election to the position of Vice-President for Equality and Citizenship, having held the position for the last year. In an email to the Express, Hoey noted on her plans for the role that, “This year my manifesto is a continuation on from last year, i.e. I will still be working on all the things I outlined last year as some of them are ongoing. This year's manifesto is highlighting very specific campaigns that I want to hone in on and focus on next year.”Having served as the Public Relations & Media Officer on the Societies Guild Executive while in UCC, Waugh, currently a DIT student, is seeking to be elected to the position of Vice-President for Campaigns, a position which will be under the spotlight in the coming year with a general election around the corner. In addition to national campaigns, Waugh stresses the importance of local efforts run by USI member institutions within his manifesto, stating that if elected he would “be a seamless support to local campaigns at the request of every SU.”The race for the position of USI President may be significantly closer than what has been seen in previous years. Of the five member organisations which have hosted the candidates and decided how they will vote, three (Cork IT, DIT and IADT) have supported Glenn Fitzpatrick, who is USI Campaigns Officer, with two (IT Sligo and Maynooth University) giving their backing to Kevin Donoghue, current Deputy President and Officer for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance.Provisional delegation sizes indicate a 35-16 lead for Fitzpatrick from those five colleges, although in the region of 120 votes would be needed for victory. NUIG, DCU and GMIT are among the institutions set to decide who to back this week.A date for hustings in UCC, who last year sent 20 delegates to vote for Student Council’s preferred candidates, has not yet been finalised, though it is likely to take place in a fortnight’s time.