ULSU Elections 2014 (Voting Thursday March 13) #VoteUL

djnr8

djnr8 wrote: »

No allegiances this year but keeping an eye on it anyway.

This has to be the most communist looking election poster I have ever seen

In Russia president pay you

Reiver

This is brilliant. Right down to the backwards style pseudo-Cyrillic lettering! Think I might go and watch Dr Zhivago again or The Battleship Potemkin.

I'd like the plaza to be renamed Red Square.

Jester252

Well I know who I'm voting for ULSU president and he didn't have to do anything to get my vote.

Tommy, haven't hear a single good word about him

Lorna, I want a leader not an activist. Can you clear up your campaign message? I'm not to sure if you're running for ULSU president or protesting the ULSU president.

RON, ULSU doesn't want to give students the option

Jester252

Facebook pages

President

Tommy Ó Bolgúir

Mark Nother

Lorna Bogue

Welfare

Caroline Hennessy

Shane McCormack

Education

Mike Forde doesn't have a page up yet, still required to inform students of his plans

Russellynx

As the great ULSU juggernaut drove itself into the ground, a phoenix was borne of the ashes. That bird has flown away but has left many fledglings to take her place. Not least of which, is Lorna Bogue.

Lorna Bogue is a leader and not just that, she is a courageous leader. We know this because she took on one of the most poisonous chalices in UL today, An Focal newspaper. While her tenure was not a complete success, we can admire her for taking on the role most others wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

Secondly, and what I actually like most about her is, she is surprisingly extremely literate and a very persuasive orator. Unlike other ULSU candidates past and present, who really couldn't string two words together, LB is a master of poetry and rhetoric. We see this through her success in the UL Debating society, competing in the world debating competition.

Why is this of any relevance? The most important aspect of the sU president is advocacy. They are our voice in the council chambers. In those board rooms and ante-chambers, our president is the SU voice and representative, it is the meekest voice and that with the least experience, so it's important we have a Tiger in there not a Cheshire cat.

The cornerstone of student politics, in Ireland, Europe, all around the world is Socialism and Socialist policies. Why do these values resonate with the student classes and why do they disintegrate as the same people grow older? That is beyond the scope of this boards post but what 'I will say, have you ever seen anyone with a stronger socialist policy than Lorna Bogue?

Forgoing the lion's share of her SU salary/stipend is really putting one's money where one's mouth is. I think it would bring a tear to even Stalin's eye. A voice of the people, for the people.

And Tyranny trampled them in Limerick's gutter
Until Lorna Bogue came along and cried
The call of Freedom and the call of Pride
And Slavery crept to its hands and knees
And 2014 cheered from out the utter
Degradation of their miseries.

jonny_bravo

Jester252

Better dead than red

Beargrylls01

I usually take little to no interest in matters in the student union, and have no idea who any of them are.
My housemate has an interest in it and I said I'd look into it a bit more.

I am sure every student in UL would rather she keep her 14 grand, rather than us benefit from the 1 euro 16 cent each, and do a real job getting things done. The facebook page says she will 'advocate' for things, which has always done pretty much nothing in the past.

I know people will say it's alright for me to say it from my armchair, but hopefully the others will offer real ideas rather than someone who wants to return the money allocated for the position because she doesn't seem confident in achieving any real change, perhaps it's a nice line on the CV.

Moxy Shazbot

Marks Manifesto

So What Will I Do For You??

Student Union & Council

Extended sabbatical officers office hours
Not your call, has to be agreed on by the sabbats afaik. Also office hours are 9-4? I believe but 44 hours has to be fulfilled
Improved rep-student communications
how?
Improve communications between you and your union
how?
Improved SU website features
really needs to be done but also, much?

Ents

Ents team/working group
Increase in Ents revenue
Improved events/line-ups
This has absolutely nothing to do with you, found out its keith whos employed full time to do this ie why the CSO was abolished (i think?) but a swift kick up the ar*e re charity week line up would be great! But yeah it does need to be looked at, woeful so it was. other then fresher/charity week who does he book? - sorry im going off point now

Library & Study space

Continue pressure on Library Issue
you kinda have to do that any way
Increased study space during exam periods
where?
Online study room booking
I like this idea but needs more expansion


Nurses

Strong vocal pay campaign
Placement quality review
Union representation at nurses forums
again isnt this academic officer? could be wrong but also like I said with lornas mentioned every year

Grants & fees

Pro-active campaigns
SUSI workshops
Extension of student emergency assistance fund
extension? doesnt actually exist per se, but any way not your job. welfare

Co-op

Student review group
Stream-lined website
whos gonna pay
Improved placement reviews
how? can't really force students to do good reviews

All in all, has some good ideas, but needs more explanation but it did say short one so I'm more than happy to be corrected. Seems to be involved and proactive over last year (How long was he planning I'd love to know)- but needs to stop using other officers jobs as points (as I pointed out in lornas)

He's got my No.1 ish... for now.. I need further explanation.. Now Next manifesto please.

djnr8

Jesus Lorna Bogue's campaign is like something from Triumph of the Will. It's literally like Nazi Propaganda! As artistic and all as it is (kudos to the designer, I like it), I can't help but feel she's giving off the vibe that she thinks she is a major international superpower.

Moxy Shazbot

djnr8 wrote: »

Jesus Lorna Bogue's campaign is like something from Triumph of the Will. It's literally like Nazi Propaganda! As artistic and all as it is (kudos to the designer, I like it), I can't help but feel she's giving off the vibe that she thinks she is a major international superpower.

LOL.... KOB the second coming.. I wonder if lornas middle name starts with an O. :pac::pac::pac:

FionnK86

Is there anyone campaigning to reopen the North Campus Spar, my friends all said they really need a shop closer than over the living bridge at night?

Anyone attempting to reopen could get a whole load of votes from those who have pre-booked to live their next year?

Well_Then

FionnK86 wrote: »

Is there anyone campaigning to reopen the North Campus Spar, my friends all said they really need a shop closer than over the living bridge at night?

Anyone attempting to reopen could get a whole load of votes from those who have pre-booked to live their next year?

The North Campus spar is what essentially nearly bankrupted the Union three years back. Anyone who campaigned for that would be called out very very fast and probably be seen as unsuitable for the job.

Jester252

Do you think that Bogue is pissed that Mark got the colour the red

Moxy Shazbot

Jester252 wrote: »

Do you think that Bogue is pissed that Mark got the colour the red

To be fair he did get it by default. :pac::pac:

Chimaera

There's always an element of the President overlapping a bit with the other roles so I'm not that bothered there.

Moxy Shazbot wrote: »

Lornas manifesto:
Action
My first action as President would be to donate my wages back to Student Services leaving myself with €150 per week take-home pay. This will represent a saving of over €14,000 to your Students’ Union. This is a personal decision that I will be taking and I wouldn’t expect anyone else to do it, however, I have personally taken this decision for several reasons
Eamon Gardner 2.0 Completely not neccessary from a financial aid point of view but hey her money
• Many students upon graduation are currently being expected to take a JobBridge position, or to accept a much reduced unemployment benefit.
Many? I think not.. UL has one of the highest employability rates in the country. Maybe their grades arent good enough? I don't know but I'd need to see her research
Taking this wage voluntarily means I will have a greater standing to campaign on a national level on these issues. The Irish state continues to fail us and your SU should represent you on a national level.
Pro USI? - Waste of Money
Student Nurses are also currently paid under the minmum wage for very difficult jobs. I would like to reflect the reality that they face in their working lives in order to campaign for them in an empathetic way.
Said every year
• Many current students are expected to live on a reduced grant payment while at the same time paying higher fees. This wage cut reflects that reality.
Many? once again wrong - figures speak louder
• The savings to the Union will be used to concretely benefit ULSU members. 50% will be given to UL’s disability services
fair enough
and 50% will be used to create an additional emergency student hardship fund, which will be granted without expectation of repayment.
Already in place just not advertised. Also isn't that the welfare officers role?
Furthermore, I will be pursuing higher contributions from the University
so more money from students? that's where it comes from.. alot of homework not done her.
and will be looking for contributions from other organisations.

I am not interested in being President for the pay, I want to put my money where my mouth is and work solely to benefit the students. I believe that this new approach to student politics will benefit students.

All this sounds lovely until you analyse it!

The problem with this idea is the difficulties it creates for the next President and the funds the money is diverted into.

She proposes taking a €150 per week stipend, which amounts to €7800 over the year, leaving €7200 to be used in her funds. €3600 is not going to go very far at all in Disability Services; neither is it going to help a lot as a hardship fund.

What do those funds do next year when the President decides they'd actually like to be paid for their time? It's not unusual for public services to be capped in their budget, so chances are the money put in by Lorna would be reallocated elsewhere and then the Disability Service have to fight to get it back next year.

Advocacy

<snip>

• A removal of the limit on the number of exams a UL student can repeat and a lowering of the cost of repeating an exam. Also, the removal of the payment on having exam papers rechecked. In UL we pay €171 for each exam repeated, with a cap of 2 repeats per semester. In NUIG by comparison there is no limit on the amount of exams you can repeat and a flat fee of €200 covers all repeats, regardless of how many you sit. In UCC there is also not a cap on the number you can repeat and individual repeats cost €50 with an upper limit of €240 in total. Our practices seem unusually punitive and I will definitely be questioning them at the highest levels.
fair enough

And we're done here! The reason for repeats being capped is to prevent unscrupulous individuals gaming the system.

With no limit on the number of repeats, a student could feasibly decide to fail half of their exams during the term and elect to repeat them. She at least doesn't mention removing the grade cap, though given the romantic nature of this proposal as is I'd wager it's on her mind.

Those who have had genuine problems and end up failing can redress this through existing mechanisms without having to pay for it (I-Grade system). Retrospective I-Grades are available.

Costs could potentially be looked at. But recall, rechecking an exam involves time on the part of staff/faculty both in the processing of the request and the checking itself. It's not unreasonable to be required to cover this cost. The cost of sitting the exam first time around is covered within the tuition and registration fees, so any additional work is chargeable.

Moxy Shazbot

Shanes Manifesto - Welfare

Mental Health
Increased awareness of services available
That's already the welfare role so that's a cop out
Continuous online campaigning
Already being done - cop out
Raised awareness of symptoms
I like this idea, but it is done on the website (but who visits that eh)
Bi-Monthly mental health awareness campaigns
I'll believe it when I see it but hey if you can go for it
Daily updated online blog where students post concerns annonymously with professional advice & feedback
Who's going to be giving the professional feedback?? because I can assure you it won't be yours - this needs to be expanded

Sexual Health
Reintroduce Shag week
did they get rid of it?
Marie Keating Foundation on campus
thats a just a phonecall away good name drop
Raise awareness of mens and womens sexual health issues
already a welfare officer role - cop out
Discreet STI packs available
there's a shed tonne of this info both in the welfare office and outside it
Free condoms during shag week
Is was informed there was no longer free mojos - thanks J - maybe bring back free condoms. I had no issue with mojo

Services
App: Find lectures/lecturers/ services available
First Seven weeks already did it! Maybe make it for an iphone
Online Blog/Site where users can post anonymously and get professional feedback and advice
you said that already, nice filler
Continue work with welfare team
thats your job - cop out
Make single semester housing more accessible
how? there is already single semester housing available although it could be revamped
Goating
fair enough
Easy access to transports services available
I'm sorry what? explain

Financial Aid
Raise awareness about financial supports within the college and on a national level
already the welfare job - cop out
Promote apps and services available to help with financial planning
fair enough
Inexpensive high quality dinners - suited for budgets and delivered for your convenience
interesting, but how do you plan on doing this what models have you looked at?
Source more supports available in the SU for those struggling financially
from what I remember last year the financial aid was the strongest in the country according to your man who was there. But hey go for it more money more help


All in all. I heavily doubt he'll be getting my vote or my support. Alot of the manifesto points are filler of what the role entails or at the very least some of his ideas which I like 2/3 need to be explained. Also, what does he study whats his background etc? don't really know anything about him.. but hey prove me wrong guy

Next Manifesto please.

Jester252

FYI the free Mojos where replaced by cheap Durex.

Moxy Shazbot

Carols manifesto!

Who Am I?
My name is Caroline Hennessy, best known as Carol, and I am a fourth year English and History student. I have been involved in Clubs and Societies since I started in UL in 2010. I am currently the Secretary of the International Society and have previously been involved in committees in the Debating Union and Fan Forum Society. I was a Class Rep from first to third year and am currently the Clubs and Societies Branding Rep.

Why Am I Running For The Position of DP/Welfare Officer?
I am putting myself forward for this position as a way of giving back to the UL community. I am so lucky to have had a wonderful four years here in UL and I hope that, should I get elected to this position, I can contribute to other students’ college experience. The student population in UL have great potential and I believe that we can use this potential to make the UL experience bigger and better. I am competent, enthusiastic and compassionate and feel that I would be an excellent addition to the Union.
I'm a big softy really. Atleast she has explained why she has running bit more info here then Shanes so thats a one up

Manifesto
• Welfare Walks and Chats with Carol- Visibility and connecting with the student body is of great importance to me. I would take an hour each week to walk around campus to talk to students, listening to their concerns and taking their suggestions on board. It is a simple idea but one which I believe will make a difference to the relationship between students and the Students’ Union. I also hope to encourage an increase in student feedback by placing ‘suggestions’ boxes in various places on campus – particularly North Campus which I hope to incorporate more into the Students’ Union activities.
Grand shane has this aswell, I'm just unsure if people will talk back.. I like the suggestion box idea but people could very easily take the pi*ss outta it. But hey go for it

• A Student-run Helpline - I would like to examine the feasibility of setting up and running a student helpline, something akin to the Samaritans model. I would like to explore this idea with help from the university. I feel that it is important to try to put something in place. I have examined helplines that other universities have put in place and would strive to work with them towards similar facilities. I would hope to run this in conjunction with students, in particular those from GEMS, the Nursing Faculty as well as the Psychology department within UL. I believe that these students, amongst others, have a wealth of information and skills which could be developed and used to create a service which aids fellow students.
I believe some one ran with this before I have my doubts but it seems there has been some research put into it. Quick one though, whos gonna pay??

• Campaigns – I hope to build on campaigns such as Mental Health Week and I would like to bring back a Sexual Health and Awareness Week. Both are issues of concern amongst the students of UL and I hope to highlight them. Campaigns would involve providing information on the topics and encouraging student engagement. I would also like to organise some long-running campaigns such as a Pay-It-Forward campaign.
already done as the welfare officer - but seriously whats happened to shag week? In terms of long running what do you mean and how would you go about it? - side note michael o mahoney from councilling had this up and running 2 years ago

• Because UL is Happy! - I hope to make UL a happier and healthier campus. I will strive to do this by simple methods such as having weekly campus runs with the aim of joining the Great Limerick Run.
that was previously done - was it successful?
The aim of the runs will be to promote physical and mental health and to raise money for the year’s chosen Charity Week charities. I will also provide information on healthy eating and talk to students about both physical and mental health.
already done so thats a cop out - again vast about of info sitting in the welfare office - but yeah go for it
Good eating habits and regular gentle exercise are proven to improve physical and mental health!

• Suicide Prevention and Support – this is a topic which is extremely relevant to UL. I would like to run suicide prevention campaigns with organisations such as Pieta House as well as raising funds for suicide prevention charities. I also hope to organise for a group from UL to take part in suicide prevention events such as the annual Darkness Into Light Walk/Run.
nice idea
An important part of improving suicide awareness in UL is working in conjunction with the Counselling and Chaplaincy services already in place.

• Improvements in Financial Aid
how would you improve it?– Financial Aid is an enormous part of the role of Welfare Officer. I hope to improve student’s awareness as to what kind of financial aid is available to them as well as fielding queries about grants.
cop out tis the welfare officers job


All in all not bad.. personally I think its better then shanes, more ideas rather than filler and buzz words and from the opening makes it seem like she cares. In saying that has to expand on a few points. At this moment she has my vote. But needs to build and expand on a few points.

when are the husts?

goldencrisp62

spoke to carol and shane, both seemed nice people. carol probably swayed me more than he did, although I am not a massive fan of the canoe club.

shane didn't have great sweets either tbh.

I saw some table handing out strawberrys and other healthy crap?! wtf.

there must be three or four teams wearing red t shirts is there, I've seen nothing but red all over the place hard to distinguish who is who.

nobody for president has campaigned me yet nor have I seen any of them, I'll probably vote tommy just cause he seems to enjoy a few tins and we need someone to keep the place lit now that Rockett is leaving!!!

definitely voting for him now that I've seen his video, hope he's half as good craic in real life.

Jester252

Tommy is a joke. Two days in and he still hasn't set up a table.

mahonykid

Jester252 wrote: »

Tommy is a joke. Two days in and he still hasn't set up a table.

Most people try to avoid the tables by the way, we only come up for the free sweets etc. his campaign is going viral, at least he took a bit of initiative and did something new, and for that he will be getting my vote.

Jester252

mahonykid wrote: »

Most people try to avoid the tables by the way, we only come up for the free sweets etc. his campaign is going viral, at least he took a bit of initiative and did something new, and for that he will be getting my vote.

It took him two days to get a video up and nothing else. The video is still not on his Facebook page which only has a picture of his arse. The only thing viral about the campaign is the sickness it has.

mahonykid

mahonykid wrote: »

Most people try to avoid the tables by the way, we only come up for the free sweets etc. his campaign is going viral, at least he took a bit of initiative and did something new, and for that he will be getting my vote.

He had a TV set up at a table in the SU courtyard outside scholars at 3pm and was playing his video on repeat. He was there dressed in the outfit from the video... he may be putting nothing forward to say he would be a good president and if anything the video shows him in an unpresidential light, however it is still hilarious and I wouldnt be surprised if it ended up on joe.ie. Should get the 'I dont really give a F about the SU but your man seems like a bit of craic ill vote for him' vote. Havent seen any on campus pressence of Lorna yet, but Mark had here tea and a couch outside the library earlier and he was free to chat to about his ideas. (sweets there too)

I have campaigned and fundraised for mental health in UL for 9 years and Carol approached me about this and we had a sit down over two hours about a month ago and I discussed possibilities and limitations with her. She is passionate and has but a lot of work into this campaign and has more than is put forward on what I think is a strong manifesto, shane's manifesto is very weak in my opinion, however I haven't had a chance to meet him in person yet so he could be the nicest guy going.

I want to see the education officers manifesto, I know he is in already but what is he going doing?

Jester252

Mike is required to set up a table to talk about his plan for next year

Reiver

Jester252 wrote: »

It took him two days to get a video up and nothing else. The video is still not on his Facebook page which only has a picture of his arse. The only thing viral about the campaign is the sickness it has.

The beauty of democracy. The people get what they deserve, for better or worse. Mr GAA pint drinker finds his campaign entertaining, they'll probably vote for him which is the reality. The other options being Comrade Leader Bogue or Mr Nother who actually seems to be making an effort to get out there.

Jester252

Reiver wrote: »

The beauty of democracy. The people get what they deserve, for better or worse. Mr GAA pint drinker finds his campaign entertaining, they'll probably vote for him which is the reality. The other options being Comrade Leader Bogue or Mr Nother who actually seems to be making an effort to get out there.

Thankfully Mr GAA is not a big voter.

MJFF

Hey guys,

Mike Forde here. I'm just here to make a quick post but first off I'd like to thank everyone that supported and encouraged me last week. Having gained the position unopposed and I promise everyone that I will do my very best.

Due to the fact I gained this position uncontested I am required to run an information campaign which I am quite happy to do. Over the past two days I've spent my time walking around UL between 10am-5pm engaging with students across campus but mostly so in the Courtyard, Red Raisins and in Lecture halls. Many of you would have spotted myself or a few others walking around wearing the Yellow t-shirts with the red writing.

Over the next two days I will continue to travel around campus engaging with students so if you have any questions or suggestions please do not hesitate to approach me as I'd be happy to answer and listen to them. My Facebook page and posters were also launched today so if you wish to take a look at what I hope to achieve throughout the year please click on the link below to see my bullet point manifesto.

This evening I also did an interview with An Focal. It was my first proper interview so I hope you are all happy with the answers given. If you have any further questions or suggestions I'd be happy to take them on my facebook page or in person on campus over the next two days (And following weeks to come).

Thanks guys,

Mike.


My Facebook Information Page.

Kelefants

So I'm supporting Carol(ine) Hennessy for Welfare in this election. I often read boards but I'm not really a contributor but I felt that I should give a bit of background on why I am supporting her.

So first off, I've known Carol for years. We went to school together, and to be honest I wasn't the nicest person in the world toward her. I treated her like crap for a couple of years which I'm not exactly proud of but I suppose it was my own teenage insecurities (I like to think that I've matured and thankfully stopped being a dick). Then second year of college rolled around and I went through what was quite a tough period of time with problems at home and a break up. So when I was at my lowest, Carol was there to talk to. She was someone I could vent to and she just listened and eventually after a couple of months things started to go better for me and the downward spiral stopped and everything improved. So Carol, the girl who, looking back on it in hindsight I probably bullied, was one of the few people who actually cared and was there for me when I needed it.

Over the years I've seen her do the same thing for many others. She's constantly been someone her friends can rely on, that they can talk to. This is why I know she will do an incredible job if she is elected. She is just one of those rare people who will do everything in their power to make sure everyone is happy and who does her best in everything she sets her mind to.

Her manifesto is strong and it's feasible, she's put a nice bit of research into it so if you have any concerns or questions I would recommend you go talk to her.

Kennedy

jonny_bravo

You like your stereotypes Jester eh?