The Student Union governing organisation supports the rights and welfare of all the students in Colaiste Dhulaigh. SU executives Leaha Meagher, Emmet Hughes, Gearoid Nash and the SU President Jessie Howard O’Connell talked about student politics when I caught up them after the mid-term Break and I found out about the ‘Mystery Tour’ the big Christmas event coming up in a few weeks.
On the lower ground floor of the five story seventies office block behind the main Coolock Colaiste Dhulaigh building students are welcome to the social area at free time to socialise, play table tennis, pool or use computers to print out assignments. In here the student council members and all students can find the headquarters of the Student Union.
Before I could interview anyone in the SU they were having a meeting with Colaiste Dhulaigh staff. This was good timing because Coolock Vice President Leaha Meagher, Kilbarack’s Vice President Gearoid Nash, Emmett Hughes a Colaiste Dhulaigh staff intern working for the SU and the President of the Student Union Jessie Howard O’Connell where waiting for me to interview them for the Campus.ie.
“We make tea and have serious discussions about the day to day life of students, lol”
Jessie’s administration is made up by experienced students and some new students joining up this year. For the past couple of weeks all classes have been voting for their class representatives. So if you want to find out who your student union rep is or find out more about the Student Union go to the student union Facebook page.
Facebook Twitter Instagram link:
“There’s usually somebody available to speak to from the student union if you search around a bit. Everyone from the SU dedicates five hours a week so there is always somebody available. Being president requires me to be on the campus from Monday to Friday. If in doubt contact us through the Facebook page.” Jessie.
What’s it all about?
Jessie “The student union is here to represent the students. We are the student voice. If a student has a problem they can knock into us, we can help them try and sort it out, we are there for students, and remember we are all students as well.”
Emmet “We are all working for the students across all three campuses, so if a student has a problem we can give them guidance and help them, there is also a social aspect and we want students to interact with each other not just in their own class.”
Leaha “we will help people to set up social groups like rock climbing and the gaming club and we’re looking at the sports aspect as well, like five a side and to make college life a little more fun”.
Gearoid “basically we help students to relax and enjoy their educational experience over their college day. Given the time they need for themselves there are pressures which requires them to consider their own time management.”
If you want to be pro-active like setting up a society or something like that you can go to your class student union rep. They should mediate with the Student Union who will make an official application available to the class rep and for you. Make your proposal, return it to the student union who make it happen, or drop in and they will offer some guidance on whatever your trying to do. Right now there is a student rep in your class and if you don’t already know who they are ask in your class to find out.
Leaha Meagher the vice president of the Coolock campus who I’ve met at events like fresher’s day or last year I presented the candidates for the SU elections in the canteen. She says “We have achieved a bloody ton in the last two years; we organise events and we had people come to those events. When we started we had to reorganise the files and repaint the walls.”
Jackson Pollock style painted walls like an art installation caught my intention. Inside the SU headquarters every wall in the office is covered in blue, green, red and orange paint splashes that form an even pattern of chaos behind the print-outs and pin boards wherever you look. The first job when Jessie and Leaha began to work for the student union was to refurbish and reorganize the office space. This redecoration is how they started out on their student union careers.
Open minded and talented, Leaha is an ideal student union representative. Typically positive about my idea when I asked about the story, Leaha said “I’d like to do this but I want to include the other student union staff and the president, I’m just a girl with green hair”.
SU situations become available from time to time. Anyone interested in a career with the SU, officially. You have to get over twenty signatures from people in the college and not in the current Student Union to be taken serious.
“Working for the student union is a bit like socializing with a group of your mates but work gets done,” says Gearoid, adding, “And the mystery tour is coming.”
Vice President Gearoid Nash motions his concerns about homelessness and contraband in the counter culture. He raises questions to find out what the SU executive would say about decriminalization of drugs in the Irish society. The President is interested in these kinds of headlines in the media and in the news. Jessie mentions democracy and getting a grip but remains firmly independent, realistic and relies on the student union for support and for making tea; nothing else. Her experience of event management working for nightclubs and as a photographer has made her an effective player in the student union over the three years building up to the 2015/16 administration as president.
“Plans for a mystery tour is part of our Christmas shenanigans.” Jessie.
Two hundred students will get on a bus from Coolock approximately four o’clock on the day and they will have no idea where they are about to go. You’re allowed to drink on the bus and the name of the game is to have as much Christmas cheer as you can. There are three stops along the way and you will be dropped back to swords at the end of the mystery tour. The tickets are fifteen euros each which includes entry to the mystery locations.
