Vice President for Engagement and Development Siobhán Nic Thaidhg’s term working in the DCU Students’ Union is coming to a close.
As only the second person to hold her position, Nic Thaidhg established the role as one of great importance in the eyes of students.
“My main goals for the year are to lay the ground work for the role of VP Engagement and Development,” Nic Thaidhg told The College View in September.
Nic Thaidhg’s manifesto focused on the class rep system, clubs and societies, volunteering and the Irish language. She also included her desire to make the SU more visible and approachable to students.
DCU has become more sustainable this year, with the introduction of the ‘DCU Goes Plastic Free’ campaign, removing all non-reusable plastics from all three campuses.
In September, Nic Thaidhg told of The College View, “I want a Green Flag for Pats campus and the return of the DCU reusable coffee cups.”
She succeeded in this, with DCU’s own branded reusable coffee cups back on sale and a Green Flag has been extended to the St. Patrick’s campus.
The class rep system, coordinated by Nic Thaidhg experienced serious delays at the start of the year, with some classes going almost nine weeks without a class rep.
This setback was due to a technical difficulty with the new online election process and she worked to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
In order to allocate necessary representatives, Nic Thaidhg visited some classes in person to carry out election, as recruiting and training class reps is an integral part of her role as VP for Engagement and Developement.
Concerning the visibility of the Student Union, Nic Thaidhg made it clear from the beginning that she wanted to be approachable and useful to students.
Regularly appearing on all campuses and engaging with students was part of this.
Though Nic Thaidhg could not deliver fully on all of her manifesto promises, she proved to be a valuable member of the SU, backing the students in issues such as the recent Shanowen Shakedown and promoting, supporting and attending events run by clubs and societies.
Róisín Phelan
Image Credit: DCU SU