Interviews

Name: Kieran McNulty
TCD Qualification: Law LL.B. (2016)
Title: President of Trinity’s Student Union
About: Trinity Students' Union (TCDSU) is the only representative body for all of the students of Trinity and its affiliated Colleges. It is run for students by students and provides a wide variety of services, including two shops, an accommodation advisory service, a multi-award winning newspaper and a confidential advice service.

What first sparked your interest in the TCDSU?
I became a class representative in first year mainly because I had moved away from home and wanted to get as much out of College as I could. It was when I became a part-time officer that I understood the importance of TCDSU’s work and the empowering environment that the society has created which supports people in making positive changes.

What makes TCDSU different from other Student Unions?
TCDSU has a long history of standing up for what its students believe in, this was shown most recently in the equal marriage referendum of 2015. It’s a place where a student can come and talk about an issue which affects them. It’s nearly 50 years old and has significantly developed as an organisation.

Tell us about being TCDSU’s Citizenship Officer last year?
The role was a new part-time position in the Union. I got to run a voter registration campaign, a national leadership debate and a homelessness sleep out for charity. The best part of it, really, was working with my predecessor to change the kind of projects which the Union normally takes on.

As TCDSU President for 2016-17 what are your ambitions for the year ahead?
We intend to lobby the government to support the higher education sector more, and to avoid introducing any increase in fees for students. I presented to the Oireachtas on this in December. I agreed a new student centre development on campus with College as our students need somewhere to go during the day, and presently there is nowhere that is sufficient. We are also working towards getting better accommodation for all students. No student was without a bed this year.

What do you enjoy the most about being involved with the Students Union?
It has always been about people for me. I’ve met some fantastic fellow students over the last couple of years, people who are very dedicated and committed to making College life better for students.

From your perspective what is the greatest challenge facing Trinity’s student body in the forthcoming year.
Our student services- particularly our Counselling service- is under strain, and may have to decrease the level of services they provide, which would be damaging to students.

Tell us why TCDSU is creating its first government lobby group?
I noticed that most of the campaigning we do rarely goes beyond social media or protesting. This lobby group will aim to introduce amendments to laws as they are being debated in Leinster House, and will hopefully benefit all Irish students.

What ways can alumni get involved with the TCDSU?
We’re nearly 50 years old, and we want to tell the story of TCDSU. We are currently building an alumni network and will contact all alumni members soon. In the meantime, if alumni want to help in any of our campaigns, please visit our website here. TCDSU only exists because of the superb people who got involved over the years, and we only grow because people lend their expertise, ideas and institutional knowledge. So please, don’t be a stranger!