Improving INTRA, making lectures more engaging, including more options at careers fairs and the return of Shite Nite.
These are just some of the proposals made by DCU Students’ Union (DCUSU) candidate for Vice President for Academic Life, Kate Goodman.
Goodman is a final year Aviation Management with Pilot Studies student and is running unopposed for the role.
If elected, Goodman says she will establish a wellbeing support group alongside the VP for Wellbeing for students on placement. This group will provide support for DCU students to talk to other students about their experiences, according to Goodman’s manifesto.
She also promises to improve communication around INTRA and collaborate with the INTRA Office on improving the website.
Goodman says she will consult students who have already completed INTRA as well as students who will be applying for positions to assess what is needed.
According to Goodman, many students she spoke to have expressed concerns that the role that was advertised to them was not the role they actually had while on placement.
“I really want to make sure that what they’re applying for, the information is correct,” she said.
Goodman also wants to improve the connection between students on placement and DCU by making the supports clear for students.
“It should be really clear to know where to go if you’re having a problem,” she said. “I think that information has just been lost along the way and I think it’s really important that that’s communicated.”
Goodman has previous experience with student government having served as class representative during her first two years in DCU and then Faculty Representative for DCU Business School this academic year (2020/21).
She believes her experience as class rep will be “invaluable” to her if she is elected.
“Having that experience of working with lecturers in that regard and working with course heads, I think that’s invaluable,” said Goodman.
Goodman says that when working with DCU faculty she will go to them with the solutions rather than the problems.
“Normally it’s their first time hearing about the issue,” she explained. “So if you have a solution, I think most of the time the solutions are easy and a lot of the time it’s just communication problems as well.”
Her relationship with DCU faculty will also help her to implement more engaging lectures, says Goodman.
If elected, she will work alongside lecturers to reduce the amount of content that is read directly from slides and ensure a manageable number of assignments are assigned to students in semester one, according to her manifesto.
Goodman also promises to lobby the Government to pay student teachers and nurses and she believes that a strong push by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and other students’ unions will make a change.
“I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep. I don’t want to say ‘I’m going to get students paid, student nurses paid, teachers paid because DCU on its own can’t do that,” said Goodman.
“But I really do believe in the power of the student movement, and I think the USI is great at bringing us all together…If we work with them to run strong campaigns and get public attention from the media, I really think that way is how we get change,” she explained.
Goodman will also improve the variety of job opportunities at careers fairs. “I really want to make sure that not only every faculty but every course has something there for them,” she said.
Although Goodman has a passion for academics, she also has a love for Shite Nite, which she wants to bring back. In her manifesto she proposes the return of Shite Nite and aims to have a special event for final year students to experience one last DCU tradition.
Voting for DCUSU elections takes place on March 24th and 25th, information on all candidates can be found at https://www.lead.dcusu.ie/
Aoibhín Meghen
Image Credit: Kate Goodman