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ULSU Elections 2013 (Voting Thursday March 14) #VoteUL
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Well I don't know how many votes paddy got last year but woods got 900 which is a considerable amount in fairness0
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Hi Guys,
Adam here.
My manifesto has just gone live and is available here:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/adam-moursy-for-ulsu-president-201314/manifesto/500655696647866
I was going to post it in word format in here but it is quite long however I have attached my manifesto in jpeg format.
I'll be using boards throughout the campaign so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask them here or drop me a pm.
Thanks
Adam0 -
Just had a glance there, altogether a very comprehensive manifesto Adam.0
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Haven't read either manifesto yet.
As above there was only 200 odd votes between Woods and Rockett last year
She didn't look to have ran much of a campaign but she wasn't far off.
Don't know if there still around but a lot of people just dislike Rockett and vote against him to spite him.
already heard he's had posters ripped down0 -
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She didn't look to have ran much of a campaign but she wasn't far off.
Don't know if there still around but a lot of people just dislike Rockett and vote against him to spite him.
already heard he's had posters ripped down
I'm not on about last year though, talking about this year. I don't think even UL is small minded enough to vote for a clearly less qualified candidate out of spite.
Don't know if the posters thing is true, but I know for a fact that McCoy and James McMahon both have, because I saw a load of their posters hanging off walls in the main building this morning that were gone by six, so I wouldn't be reading into that too much.0 -
There are plenty of people that small minded. A number have already stated ridiculous reasons for not voting for a candidate
Just read Moursy's manifesto, thought it is very good.
It's a shame that it took until this week to find out about all these things the union have done.
Only major thing I kinda knew about was the reduction in medical center fees.
Also another win for students today
We will no longer be getting emails about everything that has been found in a 4 mile radius of castletroy0 -
I think the big issue back then was the view of myself as campaigns which is grand -I understand. Many people doubted my performance as Academic officer and that was a massive motivating factor in me doing as well as I did this year.
It can be summed up here: Done & Dusted
And when writing my manifesto this year I took into account alot of the things that annoyed me from manifestos I read in previous years, I am very confident that you can see that in my manifesto this year. Research and realism are the core of this manifesto
Got a good question off Tig Noonan about one of my more ambitious moves here
Might stir some debate.
Full Manifesto
As for posters being ripped down look.. campaign week is a fun time seeing so many people wanting to do their best in the roles they are running for.There is no malice from anyone, had a good craic with everyone down by the fountain for pictures.
Im not reading too much into anything ...although someone has stolen my blue crayon...0 -
It would be nice to see McCoy win .. to freshen up the SU ... Other than his library blind thing I think his manifesto is grand. Rockett will be hard to beat though.0
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Woods lost by 200 votes last year so I cannot understand why noboy is giving McCoy a chance, considering she had a small campaign. his manifesto seems reasonable to me. I wouldn't judge without speaking to him first. of course paddy has proved himself capable this year but can be do more this year? I just read Ronan manifesto and and I think it's hard to beat catriona, also her enthusiasm and passion for the role.0
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http://www.ulsuelect.com/2013/2013/03/karate-versus-nursing/
While it is a well written article, making valid points for and against each candidate, it would be nice for the one source of complete election source material to remain objective and indeed to include all running candidates0 -
Excellent manifesto from Paddy there. Anybody making a rational decision would surely know who to vote for (if based on manifestos)0
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http://www.ulsuelect.com/2013/2013/03/karate-versus-nursing/
While it is a well written article, making valid points for and against each candidate, it would be nice for the one source of complete election source material to remain objective and indeed to include all running candidates
Catríona Ní Dhonnchú is NOT the current Kayak Club secretary. She was a few years ago.0 -
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There are some very ambitious plans in the manifestos, most of which have appeared in one form or another previously.
I also want to state that at no point did I say Library changes were impossible as has been said by a poster here.
The main advantage the incumbents have is a realistic perspective on what is achievable as opposed to desirable. All of the manifestos have fantastically desirable plans, but achievability in a 12 month time frame isn't realistic in many cases, nor operationally unless money magically appears to make these things manageable.
One of the most soul destroying things in the middle of a sabbat year is the realisation that an idea will be a failure, not because of commitment, or because it's not in and of itself unachievable, but because the burden of work is so vast that other things take priority.
I'd rather not have spent weeks administering financial aid and building a proper welfare crew as Catriona plans (it was great for the short while it did work though), but then 60-70 people more than necessary may have had to drop out, I'd rather not have spent most of my term as president cost cutting, downsizing and worrying if there'd be enough money in the bank to pay the staff, but if I didn't I, and 8 other people ( most of them students) would now be undischarged bankrupts. I'd have preferred to get out with the specific goal of talking to students I'd never met before more than once a week, but there are just so many meetings that come with the territory that it's not possible.
All of these manifestos are fantastic, but time-wise, I'd have to be cynical and question the achievability. In relation to a lot of Presidential fantastic ideas, two 3 word combos will put a stop before you start:
"Buildings and Estates"
"Health and Safety"
So, I'd ask people when voting, not to look at who is offering most, but who knows how they'll deliver what they're offering in the limited time they have.0 -
There are some very ambitious plans in the manifestos, most of which have appeared in one form or another previously.
I also want to state that at no point did I say Library changes were impossible as has been said by a poster here.
The main advantage the incumbents have is a realistic perspective on what is achievable as opposed to desirable. All of the manifestos have fantastically desirable plans, but achievability in a 12 month time frame isn't realistic in many cases, nor operationally unless money magically appears to make these things manageable.
One of the most soul destroying things in the middle of a sabbat year is the realisation that an idea will be a failure, not because of commitment, or because it's not in and of itself unachievable, but because the burden of work is so vast that other things take priority.
I'd rather not have spent weeks administering financial aid and building a proper welfare crew as Catriona plans (it was great for the short while it did work though), but then 60-70 people more than necessary may have had to drop out, I'd rather not have spent most of my term as president cost cutting, downsizing and worrying if there'd be enough money in the bank to pay the staff, but if I didn't I, and 8 other people ( most of them students) would now be undischarged bankrupts. I'd have preferred to get out with the specific goal of talking to students I'd never met before more than once a week, but there are just so many meetings that come with the territory that it's not possible.
All of these manifestos are fantastic, but time-wise, I'd have to be cynical and question the achievability. In relation to a lot of Presidential fantastic ideas, two 3 word combos will put a stop before you start:
"Buildings and Estates"
"Health and Safety"
So, I'd ask people when voting, not to look at who is offering most, but who knows how they'll deliver what they're offering in the limited time they have.
well said0 -
There are some very ambitious plans in the manifestos, most of which have appeared in one form or another previously.
I also want to state that at no point did I say Library changes were impossible as has been said by a poster here.
The main advantage the incumbents have is a realistic perspective on what is achievable as opposed to desirable. All of the manifestos have fantastically desirable plans, but achievability in a 12 month time frame isn't realistic in many cases, nor operationally unless money magically appears to make these things manageable.
One of the most soul destroying things in the middle of a sabbat year is the realisation that an idea will be a failure, not because of commitment, or because it's not in and of itself unachievable, but because the burden of work is so vast that other things take priority.
I'd rather not have spent weeks administering financial aid and building a proper welfare crew as Catriona plans (it was great for the short while it did work though), but then 60-70 people more than necessary may have had to drop out, I'd rather not have spent most of my term as president cost cutting, downsizing and worrying if there'd be enough money in the bank to pay the staff, but if I didn't I, and 8 other people ( most of them students) would now be undischarged bankrupts. I'd have preferred to get out with the specific goal of talking to students I'd never met before more than once a week, but there are just so many meetings that come with the territory that it's not possible.
All of these manifestos are fantastic, but time-wise, I'd have to be cynical and question the achievability. In relation to a lot of Presidential fantastic ideas, two 3 word combos will put a stop before you start:
"Buildings and Estates"
"Health and Safety"
So, I'd ask people when voting, not to look at who is offering most, but who knows how they'll deliver what they're offering in the limited time they have.
Very well put points.0 -
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Hey Guys,
I'm Tim Foran, I'm a candidate for the Presidental elections, I've just uploaded my manifesto, and thought I'd post it up here also, and let you know what I was about. Any questions, please feel free to ask, I'll be on boards regularly enough, and if you see me come up and have a chat and ask me in person. Cheers!
Tim.
Manifesto:
About Me
Hi, I'm Tim Foran. I'm currently in my final year of studying History and Economics in Joint Honours. I've been an active member on campus through societies, and am also president of both History Society and Comedy society. Through this I’ve endeavored to integrate new students to life at UL as well as showing existing students a new side to the university experience, and now want to continue this work on a larger scale. In my work with numerous groups and events on-campus, I have always tried to bring a fresh, new way of thinking into the structure and running of everything that I do, I would love to bring this aspect of my work to the students union in order to bring forth a new era of involvement and activity in embracing the students and student life.
I've been involved with the Union since 1st year through Clubs and Societies, and in that time I have noticed how the publicity of the union has steadily declined throughout the years. While the students union has done some great work on some aspects steadying the financial turbulence of recent years, interaction with the student body is at an all time low, and there is no outlet for students to express their real concerns to the Sabbats who represent them. This year I tried to promote some goals of the the union through such things as mock UL, and found that, even when doing research for a show just before the referendum, I found it almost impossible to get any detailed insight into what the actual plans for the increased levy were. Issues such as charity week, health centre fees and failure to get both attendance at AGMs as well as failure to get a constitutional majority in the referendum all ties back to the fact that the SU has become separated from those it represents.
Health Centre
The lack of action taken against the implementation of fees in the Health Centre is unacceptable, as there was no campaign to rally the students against the fees. We need to bring one strong, clear message: in this climate it is not sustainable for students to pay fees for vital services when they already struggle to maintain their lifestyle. I realise a complete turn-around on this issue is not likely to be possible, but I will ensure our voice is heard to say the least. If elected, at the start of the new year, a campaign will be run to ensure no further increase takes place in the fees already implemented, that no charges are put to the other vital services in UL, and negotiations to reduce the charges will be made, backed by the power of the student body. Also, further examination of the Medical Card issue within the Medical Centre, and talks will be held to get the Medical Card accepted, and so decrease the pressure on large sections of the student body.
Charity Week
Charity Week has come under much scrutinization over the past year with a very real possibility of it being cancelled. This year was passed off without any major incidents thanks to the responsibility of the student body. However, the campus atmosphere was negligible at best due the repetition of reoccurring pillar events which have lost novelty to most students. We need to start bring students back on campus as much of the problems took place in the past off-campus. The Student Union has a great asset in Clubs and Societies, who in conjunction with the SU can organise events on campus in exchange for budget points. This measure will bring a broader range of events and a higher participation rate, as well as much needed donations. Also a concern in the Student Union is the fact that the Sabbats had little or no say in the organisation of events this year, it is paramount that those elected to represent the students have a say in what Charity Week entails and what exactly is provided for the students. Meetings between the Sabbats, the Events Officer, a Clubs and Societies representative and the General Manager of the Students Union can ensure that all views are represented and the students have a clear voice in providing the events that they want. Furthermore, organised buses to and from the city centre from campus will ensure safe passage for students and minimum chance of trouble for surrounding, uninvolved bodies.
Referendum
The issue of the new student centre and improvements to the arena/pitches is a controversial one and will be a central theme over the next year. A lot of students felt let down by the way the referendum was run, in that the SU attempted to push a yes vote and did not give substantial information for students to make up their own minds, from my own personal experience it seems that a lot of students voted no as they felt they were being coerced into a yes vote. Furthermore, there were no substantial arguments as to the benefits of students paying fees who would not see the befit of the improvements. In 2016 Atlantic Philanthropies, our main source of funding, will no longer be accessible to either the university or the union, therefore it is imperative that if a second referendum is held, it is within the next year so as to gain this funding. To ale the positives from the last referendum it did beta majority vote, just not a constitutional majority to facilitate its passing. In order to achieve this more information needs to be made available to students outlining both sides of the argument in undertaking such project and letting students make up their own minds. Lastly, a delayed payment of the fees can be examined so that the students who will actually pay those fees will be the ones to reap the benefits.
Support to the Smaller Clubs and Societies
Through my experience of Clubs and Societies, I have found that the smaller Clubs and Societies can be over-shadowed by their bigger counter-parts, and sometimes find it difficult to create a large profile on campus. If elected, I will strive to support the smaller clubs and societies, and have the union work in conjunction with them to promote them and run events throughout the semester, in a bid to draw interest from the student body, as well as display the depth of the C&S as a whole, and how it can cater to every students interests.
Open Union (SU&U’s)
All the issues outlined in this manifesto can be traced back to the fact that the Students Union didn't engage with the students on a satisfactory level during the last year. Any work that was done regarding these issues were behind closed doors and so made the student body feel misinformed, misrepresented and excluded from the issues relating directly to them. The Students Union is at crucial time where it needs to be far more public or risk losing touch completely with the students, and losing the support of the most powerful asset the Union has, the student body. If issues are to be tackled in the next year, they need to be done so with the full knowledge and cooperation of every student in UL, and so make the Union and Sabbats do what they were elected to do - represent. Little steps are vital can be taken to improve relations with students, such as hosting SU&Us - which can be anything from a meet and greet in Scholars to dragging the couches out to the Courtyard in good weather and providing refreshments. These will ensure a more personable and friendly approach from the Sabbats that are elected, and afford the students the opportunity to converse with the officers in a casual,friendly, welcoming environment.
Forums
Students face concerns on a daily basis that are rarely considered important enough to be brought to the attention of the Sabbats, and some of these issues can be fixed quite easily. Whether it is the flooding of paths around the campus, to concerns about some of the services provided by the University. I want to change this. A step forward to achieving this is using the much under-utilised ULSU website. A forum can be set up within for students to message the Sabbats (publicly or privately) to voice their concerns so that these problems can be solved for the betterment of the student experience. Also, several times a week Sabbatical Officers will hold online sessions to engage with and directly address the concerns raised by the students. This will bring increased funding to the Students Union through advertising generated through new hits to the site.
Removing the Intimidation
These steps will be taken in conjunction with other more general measures targeted to make Sabbats more approachable. There is a slight intimidating factor especially for first years on approaching sabots with their concerns, and small yet necessary can be implemented to combat this. Through my own personal experience I have found that approaching the Sabbatical Offices can be slightly unnerving due to the big heavy wooden doors that are in place there, these create a sense of exclusion, uncertainty and can be very unwelcoming. If elected, I will replace those wooden doors with glass doors to remove the sense of the unknown so the Sabbat can be seen and become instantly more approachable. In the cases where privacy is paramount blinds can be installed in the door to ensure confidentiality is not impinged upon. These measures will all insure a more open approachable and representative Union.
Exam Stress
Many 4th years have just finished their FYPs, myself included. I have felt the severe stress and pressure that results from this. Fourth years are not alone in feeling this pressure as in the middle of every term between assignment and midterm exams students from every year feel an increased sense of anxiety and worry. The SU can take measures to help students, even talks to improve the internet in locations such as Red Raisins would be of huge benefit, as during peak times it is virtually none existent, and hinders students greatly. Also to alleviate stress, I propose that a similar outlet to the Exam Hub that is implemented during exam time be initiated during the middle three weeks (i.e. midterm) of each semester, so that the students have a designated area to relax temporarily escape the pressures of deadlines. In addition to this a counselor from the Counseling service could be supplied within the Union to help alleviate the stress experienced by the majority of students at this time and offer much-needed support and advice.
Finance
While the Students Union has been somewhat steadied from its financial crisis due to budget readjustments and cost cutting, we have not yet turned a corner. The way forward is not to cut more but increase the income of the Students Union. There are ways this could be achieved, and one such avenue is sponsorship. One avenue of sponsorship can be seen in events and campaigns, for example 'Durex ShagWeek'. Furthermore there are many vacant spaces available in the Student Courtyard that can be utilised to increase investment and also improve services and the quality of life of students. Companies could be given incentives to start up with possibilities of vital services, for example a pharmacy.
For the last four years, through my involvement with clubs and societies, I have helped both new students and international students settle into UL, as well as enable current students to experience the university in a way they wouldn’t otherwise have, and want to continue to achieve these goals on a wider scale. I’m running for president as I believe that I am the best person for the job, as I will be completely committed to bringing the Student’s Union back to the students with measures such as the new forum and the SU+U’s, that will aim to encompass and represent every student in UL. With a more, open relatable union, key issues as outlined in my manifesto, can be tackled with the support of the student body. Furthermore, all the new steps to be taken will ensure the improvement of the quality of life on campus, and extend the amount of services available to students.
Can’t wait to get out and meet everyone! If you see me or my team of campaigners come over and have a chat with us, we’ll gladly answer any questions you have, and if elected, together we can put U back into the SU.
Tim.
Issued by Cian Grogan, Campaign Manager for Tim Foran.0 -
Haven't read either manifesto yet.
As above there was only 200 odd votes between Woods and Rockett last year
She didn't look to have ran much of a campaign but she wasn't far off.
Don't know if there still around but a lot of people just dislike Rockett and vote against him to spite him.
already heard he's had posters ripped down
This behaviour is absolute bull****. If you dont like him grand, su elections is not the place for you to air your dislike of him. Its hard to imagine paddy running around ripping down posters, so why do it to him."Buildings and Estates"
"Health and Safety"
Buildings and Estates is the ultimate dream killer0 -
Tighearnan wrote: »This behaviour is absolute bull****. Ya dont like him grand, su elections isnt the place for you to air you dislike of him. Its hard to imagine paddy running around ripping down posters so why do it to him.
You might want to re-read that:)
Then again, so might I. Did you add three or four words to the end of that? I may have lost the ability to read, though. Sometimes happens. Apologies if so.
Poster tearing-down is plain rude, of course. Having said that, it happens pretty much every year and isn't always done by people who are actually involved in campaigns. Sometimes it's done by students who don't like a particular candidate, the SU, student representation in general, democracy as a principle for all I know. Sometimes it's done by UL staff is the posters aren't put up on noticeboards (and, it being election week, they often aren't). It's one of the odder things that you could probably still find a poster from a campaign of five years ago somewhere on campus if you look hard enough but might see an entire board of posters pulled down after a few hours. It's not particularly polite, it's not kosher and it's not air but, then, some people involved in campaigns are also involved in campaigns for other things outside UL and know the effectiveness of removing a candidate's exposure completely. Almost impossible to pin it on anyone, no particular penalty for doing it and people who really want to do it tend to be particularly sneaky about it. It's not fair cricket, though cricket isn't what it used to be either (I once played cricket for UL, as it happens - no, that actually happened).
A pox on the houses of the poster-removers, at least the malicious ones (in other words, not security or the porters, they're just doing what they're supposed to do). There's not much that can actually be done about it though, apart from entirely reasonable annoyance.0 -
Any chance next years ERB could ban any reference to 'making the union more open'? It's filler for an A4 leaflet at this stage, seriously, who is going to put 'I'd like more time to myself' in their manifesto?
Also, with regard to the notion of freshening things up, that was fine when there were 5 officers (Campaigns officer was judged on RAG Week, a bad one and they're out; Communications was such a tough job no one wanted it again) but now there are only 3, they've found their bearings and know who to talk to and where to go to achieve their goals. Maybe one of the new candidates will get elected and do a good job, maybe they'll last a few weeks and quit (it can happen, no need for specifics), my point here is that you've got three guys willing to put their name on the ballot again after going through a tough year, which I think should be taken into consideration when people vote.0 -
Excelsior101 wrote: »Removing the Intimidation
These steps will be taken in conjunction with other more general measures targeted to make Sabbats more approachable. There is a slight intimidating factor especially for first years on approaching sabots with their concerns, and small yet necessary can be implemented to combat this. Through my own personal experience I have found that approaching the Sabbatical Offices can be slightly unnerving due to the big heavy wooden doors that are in place there, these create a sense of exclusion, uncertainty and can be very unwelcoming. If elected, I will replace those wooden doors with glass doors to remove the sense of the unknown so the Sabbat can be seen and become instantly more approachable. In the cases where privacy is paramount blinds can be installed in the door to ensure confidentiality is not impinged upon. These measures will all insure a more open approachable and representative Union.
>If elected, I will replace those wooden doors with glass doors to remove the sense of the unknown so the Sabbat can be seen and become instantly more approachable.
>I will replace those wooden doors with glass doors
>glass doors
Yeah, get rid of emergency fire doors as required by building regulations.
And do the sabbats not have an open door policy already? Any time I'm in the SU all 3 doors are open.0 -
>If elected, I will replace those wooden doors with glass doors to remove the sense of the unknown so the Sabbat can be seen and become instantly more approachable.
>I will replace those wooden doors with glass doors
>glass doors
Yeah, get rid of emergency fire doors as required by building regulations.
And do the sabbats not have an open door policy already? Any time I'm in the SU all 3 doors are open.
Not a massive obstacle, fire-resistant glass doors would satisfy those regulations, and even doors such as those into the C&S office would also be an option. And while that policy is in place, this is about improving it, as there are certainly times when the doors are closed, yet the sabbats are free inside.0 -
Excelsior101 wrote: »Not a massive obstacle, fire-resistant glass doors would satisfy those regulations, and even doors such as those into the C&S office would also be an option. And while that policy is in place, this is about improving it, as there are certainly times when the doors are closed, yet the sabbats are free inside.
And how exactly do you pay for these doors? The Union's flat broke.
EDIT: And as for having doors closed while alone in the room, did you ever consider that they might have to, at times, take calls of a very sensitive nature?
I agree with a previous poster up the page, who mentioned the fatuousness of this push for more openness. It's an easy, lazy target which sounds important to students, yet doesn't require them to think all that much about it.0 -
Excelsior101 wrote: »Not a massive obstacle, fire-resistant glass doors would satisfy those regulations, and even doors such as those into the C&S office would also be an option. And while that policy is in place, this is about improving it, as there are certainly times when the doors are closed, yet the sabbats are free inside.
While the finer details of health and safety are not an obstacle to a typical student, they are kind of a big thing when dealing with buildings and solicitors. Fire resistant glass doors may cost top dolla and may or may not be allowed.
As Derek said above, it could be a situation where you find you are not actually able. It's a good idea but maybe check out what buildings and estate have to say if you get time during the week.
Oh, and price them.0 -
Proposing to replace the Welfare office wooden door (in particular) with a Welfare office glass door might not be a good idea. Regardless of how fire-retardant it is. Unless it's a glass door that isn't see-through, of course, but at that point there's a perfectly good wooden door available and in situ to block the view from the outside.
Hey, I've just saved 33% of the cost of new doors.:)0 -
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