Having overcome the “many challenges and hurdles” that the year brought, analytical science graduate Kim Sweeney prepares to see out her term as DCU Students Union President.
Her time in office was spent working on a number of proposals set out in her manifesto last year, most notably the encouragement and growth of the Irish language on campus.
In her election campaign she expressed a desire to work closely with An Cumann Gaelach and “to make the Irish language more common throughout campus on a daily basis.” It was Sweeney that had lobbied for an Irish officer on the SU and her idea to provide Irish-speaking campus accommodation.
Also included in Sweeney’s manifesto was the idea for a multi-purpose student card, which could be topped up and used to purchase a wide range of goods across campus. Though the idea was found to be too costly to implement, a Yoyo Wallet scheme was rolled out, allowing students to make card payments using a mobile app.
One of Sweeney’s biggest challenges of the year lay in her promise to make Uaneen a contributory module for engineering, computing, science and health courses. This was not implemented due to the strict course requirements of such courses and was “the most unachievable” item on Sweeney’s manifesto.
The outgoing President is, however, working on an “e-badge” system to reward the extra-curricular work of students. These virtual badges will appear on students’ LinkedIn profiles and will act as a positive addition to their CV. First to be rolled out is a “class rep badge”, followed by a badge for Uaneen involvement.
“I think people don’t get enough credit for what they do. Even if it’s just a small bit of volunteering they should still get credit,” she said.
Sweeney will continue her work until the end of June, after which she will be replaced by Dylan Kehoe.
Rebecca Lumley
Image Credit: Laura Horan
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