NUACHTÁIN SAOR IN AISCE VOL.18 Issue 10. 28 FEB 2017
Student Independent News
SU President highlights role of the Students’ NUI Galway Alumni Award Union as election race commences By Sorcha O’Connor Thursday 23 February saw the start of another Student Union election race in NUI Galway. Students are competing for the role of President, Welfare Officer and Education Officer, the three full-time positions in the Students’ Union. As candidates launch their campaigns over the next week, Student Independent News spoke with current Students’ Union President Jimmy McGovern. Reflecting on his term as President, he explained his role, the importance of the Union, and why the 18,000 strong student population of NUI
Galway need to get out and vote for the candidates come Thursday 2 March. “It’s been the greatest experience of my life,” he said. “You’re the principle spokesperson and you’re the team leader of a democratic organisation of 18,000 members - which is huge. The biggest part of the job is learning about your members, the students and what their needs are because at the end of the day you’re going to be the person speaking on behalf of others in all the committees. It’s great that within the university we’re recognised, we’re put on to all the boards, right up to governing authority.”
Jimmy expressed how the role of President will be an extremely varied job for his successor. “It’s an incredible job,” he explained. “One thing we always say about our jobs is that if anyone could do them for one week every single student would run. “Although it’s hard to know what it entails, every single day is different. On a Monday morning you could be on Galway Bay FM or talking to the Irish Times or then you could be in a board room meeting talking about the finances of the university and then you could be at a disciplinary hearing with a student, you could have a student
SU FULL TIME ELECTIONS WHEN
Thursday 2 March
WHERE TO VOTE
An Bhialann (10am-7pm) Áras na Mac Léinn (11am-8pm) Engineering Building (12pm-4pm)
REMOTE VOTE
On the SU Website 10am-8pm (pre-registration required before midnight Wednesday 1 March).
REFERENDUM
Yes or No to the motion: “NUI Galway Students’ Union supports the reunification of the island of Ireland and calls on the State to hold a national referendum on the question of such reunification.”
MEET THE CANDIDATES Interviews with the candidates inside this issue of SIN. call in needing support for SUSI, or needing to appeal an exam. “Then you could be at a charity table quiz – it’s just constantly changing every single day. You’re working from first years who are just coming into college right up to the university president on a daily basis and it is an incredible experience.”
Irrelevant Jimmy was aware that some students may feel distant from the Students’ Union, think that it is irrelevant and may not feel the urge to vote. Continued on page 2
winners 2017 announced By Heather Robinson NUI Galway have announced the winners for the 17th annual Alumni Awards which will be presented on Saturday 4 March at a gala banquet hosted in the Bailey Allen Hall. The seven winners, including our current lecturers Mike McCormack in the English Department whose novel Solar Bones was voted Irish Book of the Year 2016 and Dr Eoghan Clifford in the School of Engineering, who won a gold medal in the Rio Paralympic Games 2016, have been chosen for the award based on their relevant successes in their chosen fields. There are six categories in the Alumni Awards and the winners are as follows; Mike McCormack for Arts, Literature and Celtic Studies, Tara McCarthy for Business and Commerce, Dr Tom Courtney for Law, Public Policy and Government, Ann Marie Farrell for Engineering, Science and Technology and in a joint award for Contribution to Sport there is Dr Eoghan Clifford and Deirdre Mongan. The Alumni Awards began in the year 2000 with only three categorical winners in Engineering, IT and Maths, Business and Commerce, and Health Care and Medical Science. It has since grown and developed to include a more diverse variety of categories and to recognise the achievements of a wider set of alumni. When speaking of the alumni award winners, the President of NUI Galway, Dr Jim Browne said “these awards celebrate the life-long value of an NUI Galway education and recognise individual achievements among the University’s more than 90,000 graduates worldwide.” The awards are sponsored by companies and foundations such as Bank of Ireland, Medtronic and the Galway University Foundation. Previous alumni winners include names like Uachtarán na hÉireann Micheal D. Higgins, Gráinne Séoige the broadcaster and Helen Ryan, a tony-award winning actress. The recognition of these three and of other equally successful winners brings further glory to the university. Young students who look up to these public figures and hear them honour their alma mater NUI Galway will feel pride that they are following in the same footsteps. Aside from rewarding alumni for their hard work and dedication, the Alumni Awards also bring hope and inspiration to young people. Tickets and booking information for the gala banquet can be found through contacting the alumni office at 091 494310 or email alumni@nuigalway.ie. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.guf.ie.