Merger of DCU, St.Pats’ and Mater Dei will see shake up of SU structure

In September 2016, DCU, St. Patrick’s College, and Mater Dei Institute of Education will merge to form a new and expanded DCU.

The amalgamation will bring about some significant changes to the current structure of the DCU Students’ Union. As it currently stands, the SU is composed of a sabbatical team of three: President Kenneth Browne; Welfare officer, Eve Kerton and Education Officer, Gary Gillick. There are also four Faculty Conveners; the Clubs Officer; the Societies Officer, the Post Grad Officer, and the Chair of Class Rep Council. These eleven make up the main student committee in DCU, which will be known as the Exec.

The new SU will see the sabbatical team double in size to six officers, who will be based on both the Glasnevin (DCU) and Drumcondra (St. Pat’s) campuses. The new President, VP for Academic Affairs and VP for Welfare will be based in Glasnevin. The Deputy President and VP for Education and Teaching will have offices in Drumcondra. The final sabbatical officer, the VP for Student Activities and Engagement, will move between both campuses.

The merger will also see the unification of the clubs and societies of the colleges, meaning a wide variety of opportunities will be available to all students. Speaking to The College View, SU President Kenneth Browne says the move will equally benefit the colleges. “Each of the three colleges is renowned for its student-friendly atmosphere, vibrant campus and level of student engagement and we are looking forward to bringing all of these great qualities together.”

Any Student from any of the three colleges will be eligible to run for any of the sabbatical positions on the new SU next March, with the exception of the VP for Education and Teaching, which is open only to students of St. Patrick’s College.

There will also be an additional full time staff officer on the Glasnevin campus, bringing the total to seven full-time officers and eight part-time employees working alongside the Students’ Union to cater for the 12,000 students in the University.

Eoghan O’ Connor