Student Union Elections - Annoying?

Helpneeded86

Why is it that when a guest speaker comes they speak in the Auditorium? Why do the student union candidates feel like they are a special case and people have to listen to them while trying to eat.

If I want to listen to some speech I will go to it. I personally dont want my dinner ruined by it.

The fact the canteen was nowhere near its usually capacity should give a hint to these individuals. The clap at the end also should be a hint as to how much people care.

What is the % of students who cast a vote even?

wet-paint

I'd say try contacting the students' union, they'd be the ones with the answers.

callaway92

Helpneeded86 wrote: »

What is the % of students who cast a vote even?

I'd guess around 33% or so.

It's all a popularity contest. Shít way of running things. Welfare Officer's salary is €24,000. Person with loads of friends/is popular gets voted in without any previous work experience and they have a handy number for the year ahead. Shambles of a college.

. . .and not to poke or anything, but Christ, this years' Ents Officer had a suspicious amount of support slots booked for himself as the DJ over RAG Week just gone. The place must be pocketing a serious amount for themselves.

Hello_MrFox

callaway92 wrote: »

I'd guess around 33% or so.

It's all a popularity contest. Shít way of running things. Welfare Officer's salary is €24,000. Person with loads of friends/is popular gets voted in without any previous work experience and they have a handy number for the year ahead. Shambles of a college.

Wow i didn't know that. So they do the job for one year and that's it?

callaway92

Hello_MrFox wrote: »

Wow i didn't know that. So they do the job for one year and that's it?

Ya, usually taking a year off from their course I'd assume or else straight after finishing college. Doesn't have to be one year though. The girl who's the Communications Officer (I think) this year is going for Student's Union Presidency in the forthcoming elections haha!! Some life . . .

darragh o meara

callaway92 wrote: »

The girl who's the Communications Officer (I think) this year is going for Student's Union Presidency in the forthcoming elections haha!! Some life . . .

And she's a solo runner too

I was contemplating running in this years election myself and went about looking for information about how Id go about doing so. Could find very little information before the cutoff point..

As for this years entertainment officer doing the support act for rag week, well support Djs usually do the gigs for little or nothing. Ive been in the business my self for a long time and I've rarely seen anyone get decent money for a support gig, usually they will do it for the free publicity and exposure.

Helpneeded86

callaway92 wrote: »

. . .and not to poke or anything, but Christ, this years' Ents Officer had a suspicious amount of support slots booked for himself as the DJ over RAG Week just gone. The place must be pocketing a serious amount for themselves.

Ya, it would be interesting to see how many non WIT gigs he would get. I should state I have nothing against any of the SU members bar me considering the whole thing a joke. Do we not have a thread in the past that looked at weird happenings from WIT SU.....locked thread I suppose?

callaway92

Helpneeded86 wrote: »

Ya, it would be interesting to see how many non WIT gigs he would get. I should state I have nothing against any of the SU members bar me considering the whole thing a joke. Do we not have a thread in the past that looked at weird happenings from WIT SU.....locked thread I suppose?

Lol, just as I read this I see he's booked as the main DJ for the Biz Ball in April. You have to laugh really. I know as Darragh said above that support DJs would be looking for things to bulk up their CV moreso than a big payday but this fella must be having a very good time of it all the same. I mean him and his friends in the SU would be negotiating prices for the acts, therefore setting his fee. Easy money.

Disclaimer: Have never actually spoken to him or anything. Don't want people thinking I have some sort of beef with him and trying to give him a bad name.

KillMona

Not bothered voting, haven't heard a peep from them all year apart from now. Useless bunch, same story in nearly every college though.

MinisterJD

What is the combined cost of the official remuneration for all of the Student Union Full time/Part time positions ? (€60,000-€90,000 ?)

How exactly is this cost funded ? Do Union representatives receive any reimbursement for expenses in addition to their salaries ?

Have the salaries for the Full Time positions increased over the last 5 years, who decides this and what is the process ?

Apart from the day to day running of the SU, has there been any noteworthy achievements over the last 4 years?
I am sure the Dome Bar could organise the entertainment (a list of all individual entertainments costs is/should be available to students?) and the charitable donations for Rag week-It's a bonanza for them(referring to the Dome and not something more sinister).

The standard of the WIFI in the college is absolutely shocking. I am sure it is expensive to remedy, but for this to prevail over the last 4 years in any Third Level Institution is a disgrace.

Hello_MrFox

What about hiring someone to fill these jobs - as in not a student but some who could fulfill the positions on a full-time basis. I'm sure you could get someone decent for that kind of money and if they were doing it year after year then they could only improve getting better value for money. Maybe it has to be a student for some reason, I'm not clued-ed up on these matters this is merely a suggestion/idea.

Digital Society

MinisterJD wrote: »

The standard of the WIFI in the college is absolutely shocking. I am sure it is expensive to remedy, but for this to prevail over the last 4 years in any Third Level Institution is a disgrace.

Blocking torrent trackers (not URLs but actual trackers) would make a cheap improvement but a lot is down to architecture aswell. Most colleges are like lead boxes. Incredibly solid buildings that tend to block WIFI signals.

I reckon an access point in every classroom would be the solution. Those white Cisco boxes you see on the ceiling around the hallways. Put them in every room. Expensive but should sort it. There already ethernet going to all the projectors so maybe they can split the signal off of that. Not sure about that.

callaway92

Hello_MrFox wrote: »

What about hiring someone to fill these jobs - as in not a student but some who could fulfill the positions on a full-time basis. I'm sure you could get someone decent for that kind of money and if they were doing it year after year then they could only improve getting better value for money. Maybe it has to be a student for some reason, I'm not clued-ed up on these matters this is merely a suggestion/idea.

Don't think this could be done. Student Unions are kind of a 'for the students, by the students' type of thing. It's messy but what can ya do!

fergus1001

total poll cast was about 1500 out of about 10,000 students on college

i was hired for the day to do the polling stuff

callaway92

fergus1001 wrote: »

total poll cast was about 1500 out of about 10,000 students on college

i was hired for the day to do the polling stuff

That's lower than I originally thought it would be.

What made things even more annoying was after the week or 2 of 'canvassing', they were also canvassing on the day of the voting which should 100% not be allowed. I say canvassing lightly of course as it was more bombarding to get you to vote. Was nearly worse than chuggers....Tis all a mugs' game.