UCC SU ELECTIONS 2023

WRITES JAMES KEMMY & ATAKAN UZUN | NEWS EDITOR AND DEPUTY

Last week saw the culmination of the annual UCC Student’s Union elections

These decide who will go on to form the SU Executive for the next academic term Voting took place online from Monday morning (March 6th) to Wednesday afternoon, with the results being announced later that evening by incumbent president, Asha Woodhouse in the New Bar

Seeing a much stronger polling turnout than previous, pandemic-affected years, this year’s vote suggests that the full return to campus has boosted students’ political engagement By use of a PRSTV (proportional representation through single transferable vote) system, the same seen for local, general and EU elections in Ireland, students were able to rank their chosen candidates by order of preference, with the additional option of re-opening nominations for each position

Following the hustings sessions which took place for the part-time reps and sabbatical roles on the 28th February and 1st March respectively, voters were able to gain a sense of what each candidate offered Hustings is an opportunity for those running for office to promote their manifesto policies and answer questions or concerns posed by students With a large turnout on the 1st March session particularly, there was vibrant debate and interest surrounding the future direction of the SU

SU Election ‘23 saw a wide range of roles filled, with the various branches of UCC student politics replaced with new faces These categories include six full-time sabbatical officers (including President), alongside three part-time campaign positions and four college representatives Details of the election results are categorised below:

President:

In a contested battle that generated much attention, commerce student Colm Foley was elected President over Alannah O’Connor, the current SU Welfare Officer

Speaking to the Express last week, both candidates discussed their manifesto priorities O’Connor emphasised aims of removing the student contribution fee, creating a social fund for trans students in the process of transitioning and renewing a formal role for the university in college Christmas events Foley’s campaign meanwhile focused on the promotion of the Irish language, reforming educational extensions policy and building solutions to the student accommodation crisis, primarily through incentivising digs arrangements for local homeowners

Deemed elected on the first count after surpassing the quota, Foley will go on to assume the office of SU President following the conclusion of this academic year, replacing Asha Woodhouse who has served the last two annual terms as head of the Union Closing his campaign, Colm stated: “I’m not representing any specific student group, but every student of UCC equally I’m being myself, my heart is in the right place and I genuinely care. It would be an honour to serve in 54 College Road as President of UCC Student’s Union”

Welfare Officer:

Aoibhe O’Brien, final year Government and Political Science student was successful in her campaign for Welfare Officer, a role contested by two other candidates- Brian O’Kane and Kacper Pilarek Aiming to address a widespread “welfare crisis” being experienced by students right now, O’Brien’s messaging was centred on securing paid work placements for all students, providing specialised sexuality and gender supports and enhancing counselling services on campus by promoting the need for more university psychiatrists

Entertainment:

Another category contested by three candidates was that of Entertainment (Ents) Officer A race that saw the withdrawal of a fourth candidate midway through the campaign, Jill Mortel ultimately won a higher share of the vote than her final running mates,

Editorial Team

Editor-In-Chief-editor@uccexpressie

CaitríonaNíChonaill

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EmerNeville

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JamesKemmy

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AtakanUzun

SocialMediaManager

EoinO'Brien

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ClaireWatson

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The Finish Line Is In Sight

CAITRÍONA NÍ CHONAILL | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Hi there

It’s getting to that point in Semester 2 where everyone is burnt out, cranky and seriously considering why they chose to do a degree in the first place We have snow in March for some reason and everyone is stressed I feel you, I really do However, we only have 4 more weeks left in Semester 2, then we’re into Easter holidays, study week and exam time

For me, that means I have 4 more weeks in my last semester in UCC, and then that’s it Then I have a thesis to write (no biggie) and I’m out into the adult world! I promise you that these last few weeks are going to go by in a whirlwind of lectures, society events, end of year celebrations and it will pass in the blink of an eye Hang onto it while you have it as you only have a select amount of time to spend inside this student bubble that, I can promise you, will be cherished as you are coming to the end of it!

Awards season is also upon us, and I’d like to congratulate our News Editor James and Features Editor Claire for being respectively awarded runner up and nominated in different categories at the Student Publication Awards The National Student Media Awards are also coming up, so be sure to stay tuned on our social media channels to see how we get on!

We have coverage of the SU elections this issue, and we also provided coverage of all the candidates on our social media pages as you may have seen Learn the dangers of essay mills with the Skills Centre, use your cúpla focail for Seachtain na Gaeilge in the collaborative articles between the Irish and Music Editors, and learn what UCC wishes it had learnt in Sex Ed, in a collaborative article between UCC Sexpress and UCC Feminist Society Happy Reading

A Love Letter To Writing

CLAIRE WATSON | FEATURES EDITOR

Hey guys! A bit of a bittersweet one, as this will be my last editorial of the year It’s been an absolute pleasure to spend another year writing on the Express, working with such an incredible team I’ve so many fond memories of goofing around in the newsroom, running around campus like vampires, and chatting to so many wonderful people; from artists and writers to our infamous UCC Confessions

I really want to thank the Express and its delightful readers for allowing me the opportunity to write so frequently and passionately Writing has always been an important part of my life, but it wasn’t until I made it onto the team last year that I really began to trust my abilities

I'm quite a timid person, and social anxiety has been something I’ve struggled with for as long as I can remember This year I wanted to climb outside of my comfort zone and start interviewing people Finding random people and shooting them that email has been nothing short of terrifying for me But getting to connect with strangers and hear their different stories and experiences, has been simply magical There’s nothing that excites me more than listening to others rant about their passions, and widening my scope of the world

I think that’s why I’ve loved every moment of the Express While I’m an editor, I’m a reader too I love flicking through those pages (both paper and digital) and seeing what all my friends have written about this issue It’s wonderful to watch everyone grow as writers Everyone brings something different to the paper, and everyone is brilliantly creative

Many thanks to the team, our readers and Chloe who if it wasn’t for her encouraging me to apply back in 2021, I would’ve missed such a wonderful experience