Transparency the key for Deputy Presidential candidates | Audrey Ellard Walsh

The only race in which a female is guaranteed a position, Deputy President/ Campaigns Officer election sees two seasoned candidates competing against each other. This is Annie Hoey’s second run for the role as she opposes current Entertainments Officer Aisling O’Hagan.

    Annie put her question to Aisling first asking what she specifically plans on doing to improve the Student Community Support scheme, something which falls under the Deputy President’s remit. Aisling praised the rebranding that the scheme underwent this year but highlighted the issue of confidence as one which she noticed through her work in Entertainments that needs to be addressed.

    “I would make sure that I enforced a confidence policy on the Student Community Support so that it will protect students at events and make things more transparent.”

    Aisling queried Annie’s manifesto point on Academic Transcript Recognition which aims to give an acknowledgement of student participation in Students’ Council or campaigns on their transcript, on the basis that the Union already offers students recognition through the UCC Works initiative. Annie responded that UCC Works is a great initiative that she intends to build upon, but that not enough students are made aware of it, even though they may be eligible to apply for it. She also pushed the merit of awarding students with informal awards too to acknowledge their participation in campaigns and events.

    Amongst a number of questions from students, the candidates were asked to choose one campaign or point from their manifesto that is most important to them.

    Annie believes that the biggest issue facing students at the moment is finances. “I think it’s really important that the campaigns officer and the Students’ Union take a united stance from the beginning of the year that we are going to have strong financial campaigns”. Her plans include bringing MABS on campus to give students budgetary advice and ensuring that SUSI is held to account.

    For Aisling, her number one goal is a “Know Your Union Campaign”. “I think we need to broaden the level of participation that we currently have with students. I’m not trying to say that every student needs to get involved in the Students’ Union but that we actually are engaging with students”.