DCUSU Big Impact May 2015

DCU Office Of Student Life Biannual Activity Report VOL 3, ISSUE 2; MAY 2015

Letter from Editor DEIRDRE O’SULLIVAN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS CO-ORDINATOR Trying to sum up Semester 2 is a hard task but we hope to show you all the highlights of many weeks of hard work, engagement and most of all fun here in one report. A huge well done to everyone who got involved and contributed to the DCU student life experience this semester.

The Office of Student Life, DCU Clubs and Socs and DCU Students’ Union have had a hectic yet very successful second semester and looking back over everything makes us all very proud. .

Congratulations to Aidan Broletti who won a DCU Student Hybrid award for the last Impact magazine - you can see his handy work again in this issue’s layout.

We hope that you, the staff and students of DCU look back on the year with fond memories and are as excited as us to get stuck into it next year.

R E P R E S E N TAT I O N CHANGE OPPORTUNITIES AWARENESS COMMUNITY EVENTS HELP AND SUPPORT

KENNETH BROWNE PRESIDENT As a student I always found the latter half of the year to be far quicker than the first & this was no exception. Once Christmas is over it’s straight into elections and from that point on the clock is ticking on our time as sabbatical officers as everyone wants to know ‘how it feels to be leaving’.......even though we have months left.

There were some significant milestones in the last few weeks: the implementation of our new eVoting system, 27 election candidates, the first female President elected in 5 years, 2 successful referenda, 93% of students in support of same sex marriage, RAG & MPS taking the top 2 national society awards at BICS, the raising of the rainbow flag, a sold out Summer Ball & more trips to the Crown Plaza than I can remember!

PRESI DENT

If I had to sum up my feelings towards this place in a single word it would be ‘Pride’.

I’m incredibly proud of the achievements of the Executive & every student who engages and strives to make this University the best institution in the country. An individual can’t make or break DCU. We’re a collective body who learn together, develop together & instill values in the new troops each September and the process repeats itself. I’m grateful to everyone who contributed to my DCU experience & I couldn’t be prouder to have been a member of this community.

Keep her lit, Kenneth

EVE KERTON VICE PRESIDENT FOR WELFARE It’s absolutely Mad Ted to be writing my reflection of the year already, I’ve had a ball, surrounded by wonderfully inspiring people and working on some incredibly rewarding projects. We’ve had one elephant, two new flags, six puppies, ten trips to Aldi, dozens of Shite Nites, numerous Jack Slatts, zumba workshops, one thousand completed voter registration forms, visited all corners of Ireland to meet our USI counterparts, dozens of belly laughs every day and the occasional weepy moment, but it has been a truly life altering experience.

I’ve learned so much and gained so many life attributes, from a discerning sense of injustice to how to pay a gas bill...The people I have worked with upstairs in the SU, especially the boys, Deirdre and my squad, have always been a pillar of support particularly around stressful times. I’m so proud to leave DCU with both the Rainbow Flag and Amber Flag flying high outside the Hub. Equality and positive mental health were massive goals of mine and to have achieved both is so rewarding and I hope this ethos is maintained as I pass the torch in June. The promotion of ár dteanga, the celebration of our minorities and encouraging safe sex are some of my other goals achieved!

To end my time in DCU, I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone that voted for me last year, for your trust in me when sharing your problems so we could work together to fix them, for your constant support and encouragement throughout the year, I hope you have enjoyed your year and we have served you well. Le gach dea ghuí, Eve x

WELF ARE

REP RES ENT REPRESENTATION

ATI ON

GARY GILLICK VICE PRESIDENT FOR EDUCATION Out of my 5 years in DCU, this has definitely been the quickest! It’s been weird having the responsibilities of an adult - by that I mean a full time job - but still enjoying the life of a student.

As you can imagine… it’s been CLASS! I’m going to have some good memories of DCU with some of this year’s events standing out - USI Congress, Pop the Cherry Comedy, Fresher’s Fest, Class Rep Training, The Bro’s of Tralee, SU awards - and the friends I’ve made, both staff and students, are people that I expect to cross paths with in the future. But of all the things that I’ll look back on, one will definitely stand out to me: the Class Rep Council. I’ve spent 4 years looking at the CRC thinking, ‘BOOORRRIIINNNGG’, but when you really get involved and engage the system you’ll begin to see how you can meet like-minded people that you didn’t know existed, discuss topics that you didn’t realise were an issue, and make a significant difference, be it big or small. Granted there will always be a ‘hack’ or two involved (their words not mine), but once you get used to that I can guarantee you will be grateful for getting involved.

EDU CATION

With all that said, I’d just like to thank anyone that I have encountered over my time in DCU for making it the best experience in my life so far. I think I speak on behalf of every student when I say it’s been a major stepping stone towards bigger and better things.

You stay classy DCU! Gary

BRID BROWNE SOCIETIES

THOMAS GORMAN CLUBS

OFFICER

OFFICER

I am absolutely delighted to have been elected and so thankful for everyone’s support. My plans?

1. I’d like to meet with as many society committees as possible and hear their plans for the upcoming year as well as offer my services with organising events.

2. I hope to use Society Events as a platform for promoting Positive Mental Health on campus.

3. To encourage the set up of new Socs at the beginning of each semester to tell students how to set up societies!

I am so excited to be elected as Clubs Officer for the upcoming year, here are my plans: 1. More inter-club events to create a more fun environment in DCU Club Life.

2. Better relationships between Clubs and their CLC Reps to improve funding allocations.

3. Greater recognition of smaller clubs to help increase members and exposure.

I can’t wait to start working for students, not just in the Henry Grattan but also campus wide. Here are 3 things I’ll hope to do:

JORDAN KAVANAGH HUMANITIES CONVENOR

1. Create a mentoring system between course years. As part of it, set up a book exchange, because we all bought books that we don’t use, but someone new can.

2. Have a great relationship with class reps and faculty, to ensure that course needs are being met and that issues are fixed before they become problems.

3. I want to be a friendly face that all students know they can approach, with any issues or problems they may have.

CO NV EN OR

I’m delighted to have been elected Science & Health Convenor for the coming year. I feel that we have a dedicated and diverse team and I can’t wait to get started. My main goals are to: 1. Improve the INTRA system and communication between staff and students.

2. Make the Uaneen module contributory to more Science and Health courses.

3. Increase support for nursing students and awareness of their campaigns.

IVAN HYNES SCIENCE & HEALTH CONVENOR

I’m ecstatic to have been elected Business Convenor. I can’t wait to begin working for the students of the Business school and to ensure that they are being represented well at all times. Some of my goals for next year include:

ABIR ABBAS BUSINESS CONVENOR

1. Exploring new alternatives for postgrads carrying out PODs which include first & second year students being tutored with any modules they are finding difficult.

2. Pushing for improved IT facilities within the Business school 3. Working with other Convenors to increase communication links. between all of the different faculties within DCU to strengthen community spirit on campus.

I’m absolutely thrilled to have been elected the new Engineering & Computing Faculty Rep, there is so much I want to delve into!

My main aims this year are: 1) Organize a E&C fortnight during this week, where we have talks and workshops with industry, social events with Clubs & Socs and an event in the NuBar. 2) Work with the Class Reps this year, to bring the 3 Schools in the Faculty closer together, increase engagement in CRC and Programme Boards and assist them with their duties.

3) Focus on integrating first year reps and reps that are new to the job into the Faculty and SU. 4) Work with the Clubs & Socs that are active in the faculty to increase student engagement.

JAMES NOLAN ENGINGEERING & COMPUTING CONVENOR

YOUR NEW

EXEC

There are three full time Sabbatical poistions elected by the student body every year -President, Vice-President for Education and Vice-President fot Welfare. They start their term in June when the current team will hand over the reigns.

Each faculty is represented by elected convenors. They work with their faculty class reps and the Students’ Union to ensure the voices of the students in their faculty are heard. Club and Society members and Post Grad students are represented by Officers.

All elected, sabbaticals. convenors and officers sit on “The Exec” which is the main student committee in the Unversity and the SU. They discuss the issues that are important to the student body and make decisions to better student life.

KIM SWEENEY PRESIDENT

I am so excited to be back in DCU for another year, I just cannot wait to get started and thank you again to everyone who voted!

My Main Goals for the year are: 1. To work on all of the exec manifestos and ensure promises are kept so we fulfil as much as possible over the coming year 2. Introduce an online calender for all events throughout DCU to avoid overlapping, encourage attendance and avoid unnecessary amounts of emails.

3. Ensure that the Incorporation is a smooth transition for all students 4. Ensure that the students voices are heard and needs are met during the hub development.

I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment to date and have been given a new lease of life since the election. I feel massive enthusiasm ahead of taking up my post in the SU during the summer and I cannot wait to begin.

My biggest goals I hope to achieve include:

JAMES DONOGHUE VICE PRESIDENT FOR EDUCATION

1. Creating a better atmosphere during exam time by working closely with the Welfare officer and ensuring you look after your mental health.

2. Working with the careers office to provide an official SU careers week.

3. Making sure student tutoring services are visable and accessable to all students

DOMHNAILL HARKIN VICE PRESIDENT FOR WELFARE

I can’t wait to start my year as a welfare officer. The election for welfare was very close and I’m still in shock I got elected for the position.

I welcome anyone to come and talk to me with any ideas they have. I can’t wait to start and I’m sure it’s going to be a great year. Some of the goals I’d love to achieve are: 1. Lowering the doctors fee, I feel 20 euro is too much for students and acts as a deterrent for people going to the doctor I am going to be sure I do all in my power and lobby all relevant authorities and bring the fee back to 10 euro.

2. I also want to offer free STI checks for students, this is something I want to do once or twice a semester.

3. I want to improve mental health services for students and to offer more workshops and talks for students so we can learn more about and how to look after our mental health. Through my connections with spunout.ie, I’ve a whole range of contacts to make this happen.

USI CONGRESS Sean Cassidy, awarded at the SU Awards for his Outstainding Contribution to Class Rep Council, has been a very active member of the SU. In March he represented DCU along with 13 others at the The USI’s annual Congress which took place in the Sheraton Hotel in Athlone, between March 23rd to 26th.

He writes “The Congress is the most powerful body within USI where constitutional amendments and policy proposals are decided upon and where the following year’s national students’ leaders (Officerboard) are elected. Our delegates were pro-active in getting involved in debates and ensuring through their participation that DCU SU’s membership of USI was maximised. It was a profoundly powerful event. Our delegation witnessed some of the most personal and heartfelt contributions from student leaders across the country, while being vocal on the participation and inclusion of international, mature and LGBT students. The delegation also made strong contributions on the issue of female participation in politics and students’ unions. It was particularly noteworthy that the first year members of the delegation brought commitment, energy and ability that could easily be described as inspiring.

They and the entire delegation pro-actively represented and advocated for the student body. They are simply a credit to DCU Students’ Union! “

“The entire delegation proactively represented and advocated for the student body”

THE CLASS REP EXPERIENCE in September I jumped at the chance.

I can honestly say its been one of the best things I have done in college in first year. Not only have I got a really good group of friends from it, it has given me the opportunity to have a say in how changes in DCU are made.

These have included voting on the amendments to the new constitution to bringing forward my own motions on nursing fees and fee payment methods for students. I would recommend that people run for class rep if they have an interest in making changes in the college but would also let them know it is a committed job and can take up some time. All in all it has really added to my college experience.

This year the class rep network has been more active than ever. Sadhbh Candon who was awarded “First Year Rep of the Year” at the DCUSU Awards recalls her experience as class rep. “ Being Class Rep is one of the best things I’ve ever done. It’s a great way to get involved in college life and know everyone in your class and other reps. This year, along with my co-rep Helen, I’ve: attended CRC meetings and spoken for my class; organised events and hoodies; encouraged my class to participate in college events and voting. This experience was very rewarding and hopefully I get the same opportunity next year.”

Katie Dawson, has played a pivotal role in the Class Rep Council this year, serving as Chairperson for Semester 2 . “When the opportunity arose to put myself forward to be a class rep back

CLASS REP COUNCIL Gary Gillick, Vice-President for Education is very proud of how this year’s class rep network worked out. He writes “These are all figures which for me sum up a successful year for the Class Rep Council.

The SU budget this year saw an increase from €5000 to €25000 in the funds allocated

to the CRC. Although the entire allocation was not spent, it was a step in the right direction allowing improved training and incentivisation for reps to become active, both inside and outside the classroom. I can only hope that this is a foundation set for the years to come.”

307 Class Reps - 8 Class Rep Council Meetings - 14 completed mandates - 1 policy booklet formed - 87 Reps trained

A VISIT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF STRAVANGER On the 23rd of January 7 representatives from the Students’ Union in the University of Stravanger, Norway came to visit DCU. Along with DCU, their university is one of the 11 European members of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU). This was a great opportunity to meet with a union from a similar institution and we were delighted to show them around DCU. We spent the day swapping ideas and concepts that work for us. They were particularly interested in our approach to video content and social media. After a day at work,

we took them to Dublin City to the Jameson Factory and for dinner and drinks, just to make sure they got the full Dublin experience! The visiting Students’ Union President Amund Thomassen proposed setting up a way to maintain contact with the 11 ECIU University Student Unions so that we can continue to network and share ideas for years to come. Connections have been made via social media and DCUSU hope to foster this relationship, hopefully meeting more of the member universities in the coming years.

EVOTING DCU Students’ Union elections 2015 for first time ever, voting took place online.

With the help of Returning Officer Steven Conlon & Mark Glynn from the Teaching Enhancement Unit, a programme was written which facilitated not only evoting but multiple candidate preferences, eliminations & vote transfers.

We held 2 referenda & had 27 candidates running for 9 elected positions.

What are the benefits of eVoting? ● We saw a 19% increase in turnout with the highest total valid poll being 2989. ● There is no facility to spoil a ballot. ● There is no time spent on potential recounts. ● The results were generated instantaneously once polling closed. ● The system is secure and upholds the integrity of the secret ballot. Votes are not traceable.

CH AN GE “The results were generated instantaneously once polling closed.”

Sustainability ● No printing = 191kg of carbon saved ● We saved 38,500 ballot papers / 33,000 A4 pages ● We saved 150 hours of manpower over the polling days where previously students manned ballot stations & worked on the paper ballot count.

DCU SU FLYS THE RAINBOW FLAG IMPROVEMENTS IN THE UNION If students have not been on a tour of the union, sometimes they don’t know that they are welcome to walk right in past reception to talk to any of our Student Union Officers of Office of Student Life staff members.

By brightening the doors and using more signage we have improved the flow of the union and more and more students are coming straight into the offices with whatever issues they have or even just to use as a place to hang out in between lectures.

This year Kenneth installed chargers for mobile phones in various places aroung the union which many students have found very helpful.

One of Eve’s main goals in her position as Vice President for Welfare was to make DCU a more welcoming and equal place for all students.

She writes “With an overwhelming 93% of DCU students voting in favour of Marriage Equality and a mandate from Class Rep Council I set about getting a Rainbow Flag to fly with pride from the Hub. After many emails with DCU officials, pole distributors, a flag shop on eBay, phonecalls with construction workers, flag aficionados and members of USI Officer Board, we had a flag raising ceremony on April 16th, to coincide with our Register and Pledge to Vote Day. It was a fantastically cloud-less sunny day, with a wonderful atmosphere of community and solidarity as students, staff, lecturers and friends of DCU’s LGBT community gathered to celebrate the momentous occasion of support.”

REFERENDA

RE FE RE ND A

The fairest and most democratic way to get the student body’s opinion on a topic is through a referendum. This semester we had 2 referenda which ran in conjunction with our elections. The first was to accept proposed amendments to our current constitution, as made by the Constitutional Review Committee. The second was on marriage equality, asking if students wished for DCU SU to take an active role in campaigning for a yes vote.

Thanks to our eVoting system we had a 19% increase in turnout on the highest valid poll with students overwhelmingly voting yes to both.

93% of DCU students have voted in favour of supporting the Students’ Union campaign for marriage equality.

86% of DCU students have voted in favour of the proposed amendments to the DCUSU Constitution.

“The fairest and most democratic way to get the student body’s opinion on a topic is through a referendum”

OPP ORT UNI TI ES

MEDIA CREW With so many events happening in DCU, there are so many opportunities for budding videographers and photographers to showcase their skills and build up work for their portfolio. We are always looking for help and everyone is welcome to come try their hand at documenting the SU and Clubs ans Socs events.

Catherine Batstone, who was awarded Media Crew member of the year 2015 at the SU Awards writes “Working with the media crew is probably one of the best ways to get hands-on experience in the field throughout a Media degree. From taking pictures of world class DJs & top comedians, or filming students having the time of their lives at balls, it’s always a wonderful ride. It’s also a fantastic way to beef up that portfolio for free. Not only have I gathered great footage and some sweet shots, I’ve also learnt some important lessons that’ll definitely help me with a future career.

Be available, be flexible and don’t forget to wear earplugs when crouching down in front of the stage at a Darkness concert.”

OPPORTUNITIES

WELFARE WORKING GROUP One of the opportunites students really enjoy getting enjoyed with is working with is the Welfare Working Group who work with the Vice President for Welfare on the various campaigns throughout the year.

Eoghan Carroll was a member of the working group this year. “Being part of the Welfare Group was a fantastic experience. In this group you do a lot of important work.

This is work that will make a difference to student life in DCU now and in the future. This year seems to be one of the most important years in the welfare working group’s lifetime. The marriage referendum and the

growing concerns of suicide in the country were the main focuses of the Welfare Group. Getting 1000+ people to sign up to vote for the marriage equality referendum and the successful wellbeing week were a few of the brilliant achievements for the group, Eve and the college in general. Being part of the welfare group is a lot of work, but is one of the funniest and accepting groups in DCU. I would encourage anyone who wants to get involved in the Student’s Union next year to be a part of the Welfare Group. I certainly haven’t regretted it.”

ENTS CREW The Office of Student Life is proud to provide work for students wherever possible. With so many more events being run in The Hub, the ENTS crew have been kept busy this year. Shea McNelis, Events CoOrdinator for the Office of Student Life says “ENTS crew members are encouraged to learn about how the events are run from lighting and sound to set design and customer service. The team we’ve had this year have been excellent and helped the events run very smoothly” Suresh Singh writes “Joining the SU as an ENTS crew member was one of the best decisions I made, It not

only gives me opportunity to learn back stage management but also provides an opportunity to make so many new friends. In short this job was full of fun, adventure and in every event I learned something new.”

Gabor Romhanyi really enjoyed his time working with Shea and the ENTS crew “I can never thank the SU enough for giving me a chance to be a member of the ENTS crew because not only is it a paid position, but I get to be engaged with DCU itself. I get to work behind the scenes before events and learn about organisation while I enjoy what I do.”

Volunteering This semester saw the first Volunteer Abroad Expo in DCU on the 11th February. Ailbhe Garvey, from DCU in the Community, recognised a need for one after the Volunteer Expo in September. Many charities and organisations are looking for DCU students to volunteer with them overseas and were very encouraged by the students the met at the Expo.

Volunteering continues on a local level with many students offering their time to community projects every week. Deirdre O’Sullivan who volunteers with Enactus students at their weekly HeadsARTS activites, a programme for people with intellectual disabilites notes “So many DCU students volunteer their time every week, selflessly and it really makes the sense of community in DCU that much stronger”.

WHAT DCU CLUBS CAN DO FOR YOU Clare Grace from DCU Boxing Club is this years’ Club Personality of the Year. She outlines what Club life in DCU means to her.

“DCU club life is very special to me. Looking back to my first year, being a part of DCU Boxing Club played a huge role in helping me settle in to college life, meet lots of new people and of course get to take part in sport. In my second year I became a member of the

boxing club’s committee and became treasurer of the club. I had never been a part of committee before and it was eye-opening for me to see what we could achieve as a committee in a short year. After organising numerous events including the Darren Sutherland Memorial Cup we won Club of the Year in 2014, a title we regained in 2015 which is something as a committee which we are very proud of.

For my final year in DCU I will be Vice-Chairperson of the club and we will hopefully continue to be as successful as in previous years.

I’ve made some of my best friends through club life in DCU and I’m sure in the future when I think back on my years here, it will be one of my best memories of DCU. Seeing how much of an impact club life has had on me, I would encourage anyone to be a part of a club in DCU.”

GETTING INVOLVED IN DCU SOCIETY LIFE Dylan Kehoe, Society Personality of the Year 2015, spent this year as Chairperson of DCU’s largest Society; ESoc. He has some advice for anyone thinking about getting involved in DCU Society Life.

“During your first 2 weeks in DCU there’s 2 words you’ll hear more than any other: “free pizza”. Another popular phrase comes in the form of “get involved”! You’ll be told to “get involved” so much you’ll actually consider doing the exact opposite and becoming a hermit of Larkfield.

That being said, it’s without a doubt the best advice you’ll receive from your time in DCU. Societies can give you so

much during your time in university. If you just want to make tonnes of new friends and fill in some gaps in your weekly schedule; societies will take care of you! But they can offer you so much more than that. Societies can give you the platform and backing for you to do anything you want. Whether it’s to organise a movie ­night in the Mezz or the biggest social event of the year ­if you have an idea, you can achieve it with a society.

Take Style Soc’s Fashion Show that packed the Helix, MPS’s 24 Hour Broadcast that had the Henry Grattan abuzz for Semester 1 or Esoc’s charity hitchhike race across Europe;

#DCUBegBorrowSteal: at one point these were all just ideas. Now they’re some of the staple events in DCU’s calendar.

If you’re a seasoned society veteran like myself, sit back and take it all in; the events organised and attended, the individuals you’ve met along the way and of course; the ridiculous amount of pizza consumed! If you have yet to take the society plunge it’s never too late. Get yourself to an EGM next October, put yourself forward for a position on a committee and prepare yourself for the best year of your life.”

“Prepare yourself for one of the best years of your life.�

AW AR EN ES S AWARENESS

SEACHTAIN NA GAEILGE Seachtain na Gaeilge was without a doubt the highlight of the year for Cumann Gaelach DCU and it’s success was a testament to the great support the SU has shown for the Irish language on campus this year. For the first time in years Seachtain na Gaeilge was designated as an official SU campaign week on the SU calendar, which meant that so many more people were aware of it and we were also able to get official SU t-shirts for the week. SU created the posters and other publicity methods like the photography campaign at Shite Night. The photography campaign in particular had a huge impact; you really could hear people speak-

ing Irish in the NuBar which was a huge step forward in itself. During the week we did a bit of lobbying on SU candidates, and as a result nearly every campaign poster had at least one word of Irish on it, even if it was just “Vótáil”! All in all a successful week, which can only get better next year.

UANEEN AWARENESS DAY Edel Maguire, Uaneen Co-Ordinator ran a very successful Uaneen Awareness Day last March. She writes “On the 4th Of March Uaneen made it’s presence felt on campus, popping up with Information Points around the university. Mentors and past Uaneen students were on hand to discuss with non Final Year students the benefits, not only academically but also in terms of self development, of taking the module.

The Uaneen Module is a unique scheme that formally recognises the work done and learning acquired by students who engage in extra-curricular activity during their DCU years. The extra-curricular activity in which the student engages can be in the University and/or can relate to their outside involvement in clubs, societies, community work and extra-curricular activity in general. Depending on the degree programme, the Uaneen Module can be either a contributing 5 credit elective module or a non-contributing optional additional 5 credit module. In both cases, successful completion means that you will be awarded credits that are included in the degree parchment.”

As a former Uaneen student said “I think doing the Uaneen module, and setting out

to do it well, is probably the single most worthwhile thing a student can do while in DCU. It gives a student the structure to achieve the main purpose of college: discovering who you are and what you’re passionate about”.

If you are a non final year student and are interested in taking the Uaneen Module you can ‘Express your Interest’ by logging on to LOOP, searching for UM406 in the Search Box, located on the righthand corner of the screen, clicking on the heading UM406. You will then be asked for an enrolment key, enter uaneen406. Enrol me.

Once registered, you will receive updates and supports in relation to the Module.

Further details are available on www.dcu. ie/uaneen

MO TI VA TI ON

MOTIVATION WEEK

Eve Kerton outlines the campaign: “Motivation Week originally started as Health week, working with Deirdre, we researched ideas on Pinterest, Instagram, healthy recipe sites and reached the last page of Google in desperation for inspiration. We then realised health is affected by so many factors other than food. Fitness, your mental wellbeing, your environs, your goals, your finances, your grades and your social interactions all come together to play a huge part in your overall health.

It was a week jammed with events from a Swap Shop in aid of Enable Ireland, thanks to Style Soc, a zumba workshop with DCU Dance, a Healthy Food Fair with Food Soc, we launched nominations for SU elections and initiated a 10 week, free bus service to Aldi, so students could purchase cheap and healthy, fruit and vegetables and get home safely.�

REGISTERING TO VOTE This academic year was such an important time for the Marriage Equality movement.

After registering 800 students to vote before Christmas, we were empowered to do all we could to support our LGBTA students throughout the national Marriage Equality referendum. Eve Kerton worked closely with DCU LGBTA, YES Equality and GLEN (Gay and Lesbian Equality Network) to ensure we were relaying the most important information and resources throughout the run up to the referendum. We gave out hundreds of YES badges, postered the walls with Pledge to Vote Posters, bought

YES Equality t-shirts, circulated information on how to register and held another Register to Vote Day on April 16th, when we registered a further 200 students to the supplementary electorate.

All of these efforts were supported by DCU as the university led the way in Ireland by being to first to announce that they would not schedule any exams on the afternoon of May 22nd, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to be an active and engaged citezan and exercise thir right to vote.

DIVERSITY WEEK DCU DIversity week was a great way to celebrate the fact that we all come from different backgrounds and places but we all are a unique part of DCU. By asking student to fill in a piece of our jigsaw we were able to build a visual representation of this.

DIV ERS ITY

AMBER FLAG FOR MENTAL HEALTH The Amber Flag initiative aims to encourage schools, colleges & organisations to promote and actively bring about a culture change in the promotion of positive mental health within the educational system and other organisations. Positive mental health promotion is a huge part of my job as Welfare Officer, so having Amber Flag status as a goal, ensured that we would keep DCU talking about their mental health throughout the year, rather than just one isolated campaign week.

Along with the Welfare Working Group we did a full audit of DCU’s mental health services from the counselling service, to the Interfaith centre to the SU itself. We worked together to promote positive mental wellbeing throughout the year by initiating it in October with our ‘Elephant in the Room’ anti-stigma campaign, followed by exam de-stressers, Motivation Week, Random Act of Kindness Week, the national Chats for Change campaign along with positive online posts throughout year.

We are honoured to have been asked to host the Amber Flag awards in DCU, in association with Suicide Aware in May. Our indepth application was accepted and we are happy to say that DCU has been awarded Amber Flag status for excellence in the promotion of positive mental health. Huge thank you to Deirdre for her creativity and trojan work on campaigns and the Welfare Crew for being a huge help and support throughout the year! I know I am leaving DCU in safe hands while you all remain dedicated to sustaining the status we have so gratefully accepted!

BIKE SECURITY DCU Security in conjunction with DCUSU and An Garda Siochana ran a Bike Security Awareness Day. More and more students and staff are cycling to DCU everyday, which is great to see not only for our Green Campus status but for the health and wellbeing benefits too. DCU Security had noticed unfortunately that people were not locking their bikes properly which was leading to theft.

Through workshops and demonstrations, cyclists were shown the best products to use and the best way to lock your bike safely both on and off campus.

COM MUN ITY CHOSEN CHARITIES 2014/15 Our chosen charities for the year were Suicide or Survive, Irish Guide Dogs & Cycle for Life. Suicide or Survive was chosen because we placed a huge emphasis on mental health this year and their message tied in perfectly. Thanks to the work from Eve & the Welfare Working Crew we achieved our goal for the year in being awarded the Amber Flag for the Mental Health Awareness on campus. We paid a visit to Cork to meet the members of the Guide Dog training centre & were blown away by

the commitment & work they carry out. Cycle for Life was set up by DCU’s own Cormac Ryan & raises awareness for Sudden Adult Death Syndrome while raising funds for the Irish Heart Foundation, CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) and the Cormac Trust. We had several small fundraisers through the year such as the “Last Man Standing” game show & a Game of Thrones screening night.

MARCHATHON AND CYCLE CHALLENGE Marchathon is the annual Student Walking Challenge that runs in March each year.

The aim of the challenge is for students to clock up as many minutes walking as possible during the 10-day challenge.

It is open to all Third Level Campuses who are Partners of the Smarter Travel Campus Programme.

DCU entered a number of teams in the competition and we nabbed prizes in categories such as Best Team Photo, Best Team Captain and Marchathon story. We’re always looking for interesting ways to promote sustainability in DCU, the fun of a team challenge along with the incentive of prizes has proven a great way of doing so!

The Cycle Challenge is a fun, free event, for both experienced and new cyclists, where teams of 3-6 cyclists compete by clocking up trips by bike. DCU had some great successes including Colin Dowling who won a prize in Best New Cyclist Cycle Challenge Story.

SUSTAINABILITY

IN SOLIDARITY

DCU has maintained its Green Flag status throughout the year becoming one of the top 50 Greenest Universities in the world. DCUSU has helped out by encouraging students to use reusable water bottles, reducing paper and recycling at every chance. The biggest achieement this semester being the saving of 191kg of carbon and 38,500 ballot papers / 33,000 A4 pages due to the switch to e-voting.

On Friday 10th April DCU, in partnership with St. Patrick’s College Drumcondra, held an open air ceremony in remembrance of the victims of the attack on Garissa University in Kenya where 148 people were killed, almost all students. The Kenyan ambassador to Ireland Richard Opembe attended the ceremony which took place at the Rose Sculpture and Labyrinth in the Centre of the Campus. 148 white balloons were released in honour of the lives lost.

CAMOGIE: Hosted Centenary Ashbourne Cup. Aoife Bugler Ashboure All Star. Four members played in All Ireland Finals in September.

CLUBS HIGHLIGHTS

ARCHERY: DCU Communications & Marketing Award winners 2015 ATHLETICS: Road Relay: Men’s Team Champions & Women’s 2nd.Indoor Track & Field: Men’s & Women’s Team Champions for 8th successive year.

Cross Country: DCU wins overall Team Title. Outdoor: Men’s & Women’s Team Champions BADMINTON: SSI League Runners Up BASKETBALL MENS: 3rd place finish in the northern Division 1 league BASKETBALL WOMEN’S: Fresher’s Intervarsity Champions. Division 1 League Runners Up. Lindsay Peat, SSI Leadership Award 2014 BOXING: DCU Sports Club of the Year 2015. Claire Grace, World Championships 1 finalist and 1 winner (67kg) in the Leinster Championships. 4 Dublin Novices Champions (75kg, 71kg, 60kg, 54kg)1 Dublin Novice Runner Up (67kg) 2 Elite champions (54kg, 69kg) Over all Dublin novice champions highest scoring team 2 All-Ireland Intermediate Intervarsity Champions (75kg, 57kg) 2 All-Ireland Noice Intervarisity Runner Ups (60kg, 64kg) 2 Darren Sutherland cup winners (70kg, 67kg, 60kg) — won the Cup overall. Dublin City Cup: 6 semifinalists, 2 runner ups (62kg, 71kg)

FENCING: Women’s 2nd Place at Intervarsities GAA LADIES: DCU Lynch Cup :DCU Team of the Year 2015 O’Connor Cup Runners Up. Lynch Cup Champions.

GAA MEN’S: Sigerson A: Sigerson Cup Champions Sigerson B: Runners up Championship Final Fresher A: Lost Quarter final Championship Fresher B: Won League and Runners up of the Championship Rising Stars Football Team 2015 - Tadhg Lowe, Colm Begley, Conor Moynagh, Mickey Quinn and Enda Smith GOLF: Irish Colleges Stroke Play Championship: G&T Intervarsity gold medalists at Elite Ladies, team and lower level synchro. Niamh Egan 1st Overall in the ISTO Novice Category HANDBALL: Darren Doherty Ulster Under 21 40x20 Singles Champion.

Darren Doherty Open Singles Runner Up in Cavan. Terry McElvaney & Darren Doherty Runners up at Doubles Open in Wexford. 5 students competed at US Collegiates, Portland, Oregan. Niamh Farrell US Collegiates Ladies’ A Singles Champion. Niamh Farrell & Aisling O’Keefe US Collegiates Ladies Open doubles Runners Up. HOCKEY: MENS 3rd place in the Intervarsity Shield HOCKEY WOMEN: SSI League runners up5th place in the Intervarsity Cup MIXED HOCKEY: Intervarsity Runners Up

CANOE: 2ndplace in the Irish Kayaking Intervarsity. 1st in the international Liffey descent

HURLING: Division One Fitzgibbon League Semi Final Division One Fresher League Semi Final. First Fitzgibbon win in over a decade.Richie Hogan GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year 2014. Padraig Foley – Wexford Young Hurler of the Year 2014 Padraig Brehony – U-21 Rising Star Team of the Year 2014 8 Players have starred for their counties in Allianz Leagues KARATE: Intervarsity 4th place overall.

Sean Healy - junior team kumite silver.

Avril Jatariu - intermediate individual kata gold intermediate individual kumite gold. intermediate team kata gold. intermediate team kumite silver. Evan Hollywood- intermediate team kata gold. intermediate team kumite silver. Martina Brophy - intermediate team kata gold. intermediate team kumite silver.

Aaron Mc Loughlin - senior individual kata gold senior team kumite bronze.

RUGBY MEN’S: Colleges All-Ireland League RUGBY WOMEN’S: Student Sport Ireland Div 2 League Champions. Women’s rugby 7’s Champions.

SOCCER MEN’S: CUFL League Premier Division – Seniors (Quarter Finalists) B Team (Semi-Finalists) CUFL League Division 3 - Qualified out of their group (made the playoffs) Collingwood Cup – Plate final Runner ups. Harding Cup Champions SOCCER LADIES: Futsal Shield Runners Up. WSCAI League Semi Finalists.

SOCCER POWERCHAIR: AIPF League Champions 2015 Aoife McNicholl received the International Player of the Year Award in the “Football for All” category at the FAI 3 International Awards SQUASH: Intervarsity - Men’s D division second overall.

Men’s B team second overall.

SWIMMING/WATERPOLO: Swimming Intervarsities: Polo 1st place in Phizzfest’s 2014 .

Quarter-finals of the 2015 Intervarsities TENNIS MEN’S: Intervarsity Iveagh Cup Champions VOLLEYBALL MEN’S: 5th place Intervarsity VOLLEYBALL WOMEN’S: 3rd place Intervarsity. Student Sport Ireland League Champions WEIGHLIFTING: Intervarsity Vanessa Puzzuoli winning Gold in the womens 69kg class Robert Smith winning Silver, missing gold by 1k kilo in the 85kg class.

Leanne Spillz Hinch winning Silver in the womens 77kg class. Additional results Ian Darragh 2nd in u85kg class highest ranked junior 2014 2 national intermediate champions Patrick Keane (u85kg) and Tommy Mooney (u94kg).

SOCIETY HIGHLIGHTS “Every week at HeadstARTs is the highlight of my week but the summer showcase went above and beyond anything we expected. From dance to drama to art and music it was the proudest I’ve ever been of our members.”

ALISON RING ENACTUS

SO ET

“Becoming the Best Civic Society in the Country for the second year running” DARRAGH GILLICK RAG SOCIETY ‘The highlight of the society year for me this year was Best Dance Crew seeing Glenn Griffin perform Chandelier, brilliant!!’

STEPHANIE LARKIN DANCE SOC

“After four years of heavy involvement with societies, seeing MPS win at DCU Soc awards and then at BICS was an absolutely fantastic feeling, one of my proudest memories and a life highlight.”

JACK POWER MPS

“The highlight of my year was hearing the final song play in the 10th annual DCU fashion show, knowing that months of work had finally paid off” GARY GRIMES STYLE SOC

OCI TY

“Getting the opportunity to produce and perform in a full scale professional musical was one of the greatest feelings ever.”

JACK REARDON DRAMA SOC

“My society highlight was having a Lindt hot chocolate on the banks of the Rhine while in Cologne on the Fotosoc trip, being able to chill out with friends new and old” COLIN TONGE FOTO SOC

“The unerring, indescribable feeling of community during the rave at DCU’s Best Dance Crew” SHANE CARTER ESOC

“Society life help make the year go by quicker by giving you things to do outside of that boring college work” LORCAN BOYLE REDBRICK

“People say it’s society life but I’d like to think of it as community life.. we’re all one family helping eachother out” DAN DUFFY DJ SOC

“My highlight was the last lap of Relay for life, where we held a colour run, it was the perfect way to end an amazing event!”

DARA CAFFERKY CANCER SOC

CLUBS & SOCS WINNERS 2015 Most Promising Fresher Male : Darren Doherty, Handball Club

Most Promising Fresher: Cait O’Callaghan

Most Promising Fresher Female : Rachel Rafferty, Canoe Club

Individual Contribution to Society Life: Jake Ryan, Rowan Copeland, Stephanie Byrne, Stephanie Larkin, Katie Mannion, Jordan Logue, Rachel Wheeler, Jack Power, Darragh Gillick, Katie McGoey, Angel Cullinane, Luke O’Riordan, Emma Kearney, Glenn Griffin, Eimear MacCarrick and Dylan Kehoe

Individual Awards for Club Development: Ruairi Dooley (DCU Tennis Club), Philip Early (Archery Club), Niamh Quinn (DCU Ladies Rugby Club), Michelle Clarke (DCU Basketball Club), John Walsh (Handball Club), James Donoghue (Hurling Club), Glen Kelly (DCU Gymnastics and Trampolining Club), Cian O Dalaigh (Handball Club), Aisling Duggan (Gymnastics Club), Andrew Donohoe (Canoe Club)

CL UB S

Individual Award for Sporting Excellence: Robert Lennon (DCU Hurling Club), Niamh Farrell (Handball Club), Clare Grace (Boxing Club), Ceire Smith (Boxing Club), Senan Kelly (Boxing Club), Shane Little (DCU Canoe Club), Conor McGaynor (DCU GAA Club)

SO CS

Best New Society: DCU Cancer Society Most Promising Society: Cumann Gaelach DCU Best Society Event: Esoc Dcu Beg, Borrow or Steal Best Publicity Campaign: DCU Style Best Poster: DCU Lgbta Society

Best Photograph: DCU Cancer Society

Communications & Marketing Award: DCU Archery

Best Society Promotional Video: AF Soc Dcu

Team of the Year: DCU Ladies Gaelic Football

Best Society in a Cultural, Academic or Social Field: DCU MPS (Media Production Society)

Staff Contribution to Club Life: Mr. Jim Dowling Excellence in Coaching Award: Terry MacGiolla Mheana (DCU GAA Handball Club) & Derek Ahern (Boxing Club) Sports Scholar of the Year : Aoife McNicoll, Soccer Club Club of the Year: DCU Boxing Sports Personality of the Year : Clare Grace, DCU Amateur Boxing Club

Best Society in a Charity or Civic Field: DCU RAG Society Personality of the Year: Dylan Kehoe

EVENTS

EVE NTS

EVENTS

Every week of Semester 2 there was over 10 clubs and socs events happening. The OSL assists and supports the running of these events to make sure DCU students can have the best possible extra curricular time in DCU. By doing this we ensure that the vibrant and active culture of student life is maintained here on campus. Most people will remember the events they attended in university long after the lectures have finished and here in the OSL we do our best to cater for all students.

This semester we had comedy regurgitator Stevie Starr launch us back into semester 2 in Refershers week. It wasn’t long before our week long festival Spring Break rolled around. This was a festival to appeal to all types of entertainment. Monday night we had comedy with David O’Doherty, Tuesday was rock night with international sell out act - The Darkness. Wednesday was Indie night with Delorentos and Thursday wrapped up Spring Break with dance act 2manydjs.

The OSL also runs the many awards nights at the end of semester 2.

The Clubs Awards and the Socs Awards are two of the most anticipated nights of the year. These are followed by the annual SU awards.

Aside from the main events we had our Charity Gameshow, a charity Game of Thrones screening and an Outdoor Cinema and BBQ session as a thank you to all class reps.

The Summer Ball sold out again, with massive queues across campus for the hottest tickets of the year. International DJ, Basshunter headlined along with many more acts including G-MAN. Throughout the year we sold 9744 tickets to SU run events. Events co-ordinator Shea McNelis says “It has been another great year of events in DCU. The standard of the student led events is higher than ever and we’re always happy to led a hand or advice where ever its needed. We’ve been making an effort to appeal to students who prefer events during the day, and we hope to do a lot more of that next year.”

E V E N T S

E V E S T N

HELP & SUPPORT

HELP & SUPPORT EXAM SUPPORT Gary Gillick outlines the supoprts made available to DCU students during exam time: “During both the January and May study week periods we provided students with free fruit, confectionary and water to give that small bit of additional support during the times of high stress. We also set up our ‘Procrastisnaps’ Snapchat account to add some light hearted humour - because let’s be honest, procrastination and studying go hand-inhand!

Alongside the gestures to improve student welfare during exam time, we also provided academic support, creating an Exam FAQ poster and maps to show where your exams could potentially take place, and providing grinds through both our local tutoring contacts and Unituition - a company that we partnered with in the previous academic year.”

DCU Student Union Helpdesk The DCUSU Helpdesk provides students with many services - Bus tickets, leap cards, student travel cards, ticketmaster, event tickets, binding, SU merchandise, meeting room bookings and lots more.

SSOTS Every year, students are encouraged to provide their feedback to the University through the form of surveys. The data collected from these surveys can in turn be used to increase both the academic and social aspects of the University and therefore give us the best college experience possible!

On that point, it makes sense that with a greater amount of participation, DCU will have more data to consider and therefore a greater indication of the improvements to be made. BUT, in reality how many people actually like to fill in surveys?

In order to maintain and possibly increase participation rates, this year the SU worked with students to make promotional videos for both the Irish Survey of Student Engagement - a national survey available to all third-level institutions - and the Survey of Student Opinions of Teaching (SSOT) - the survey available to students at the end of each module. The end result: an increase of 600 participants for ISSE, and with SSOT results being released soon we expect to see the same. By working closely with students we can achieve the desired outcome.

LEADERSHIP POD The Leadership Programme of Development (POD) has been going from strength to strength with student leaders attending workshops and talks throughout the semester.

Being a student leader can be difficult, so through the Leadership POD. the OSL has been supporting students through skills workshops, graduate programme information sessions and motivational guests and speakers.

This semester, one of the most meorable sessions was when Henry Shefflin, the most decorated hurling player in the history of the game, came to DCU in conjunction with Bank of Ireland.

He spoke to 350 students about how to be a leader, how to stay motivated and how to maintain your drive and passion for what you do. The event was a great success and the OSL hope to have more speakers like him next year.

DCU Office Of Student Life

Email us : suhelpdesk@dcusu.ie Phone: 01 7005392