Eoin McSweeney talks student welfare with this year’s candidates

Katie Quinlan

Q: Do you think that UCC has a drug problem?

Yes, I would see it as a big problem. The key to this is how you approach it and how you tackle it. There’s no point of taking this high road and saying ‘don’t do it, drugs are bad,’ that’s not actively informing someone. You have the inform students and give them the best information possible and then they can make an informed decision themselves.

Q: You’ve worked tirelessly in the past for students with disabilities. Do you think that UCC has an accessible campus?

Even to get to the Disability Support Service is a trek for a wheelchair. It’s a joke. When we did the video for the Breaking Down Barriers conference we couldn’t get to hub because Joanne O’Riordain couldn’t get to the hub. It’s something that I’m extremely passionate about.

Q: Why are condoms free from the SU and not the pill?

With the contraceptive pill, this is purely a funding issue, it’s not an issue of we don’t support women or anything. This is something I do want to lobby massively for. I do agree that the charge should not be there, it’s horrible. I’m all about direct promises and I don’t want to lead UCC students down a path where I promise them everything, but I do want to change it.

Q: What plan reforms do you have for an accommodation crisis?

With regards the shortfall of houses, there’s very little I can do in the sense that I can’t put houses there, but I do plan to work with the accommodation services and with the landlords of UCC.

Q: Do you think that the SU is too left wing in its views?

I wouldn’t say it is too left wing, it’s mandated by a group of people who have been elected by a class. I know that is a contentious, because not everyone agrees with the class rep system and that needs to be discussed too.

Q: Is UCC a male dominated campus?
Yeah. I’m a member of Fem Soc and I from that sense I think it is. It’s something that we’re tacking, without a shadow of a doubt. Women are running this year for the SU which is just fantastic.

 

Hannah Eames

Q: So you speak about self-defence classes in your manifesto, do you think that this training could be dangerous?

Well we’re not going to be preparing people so that they are totally protected, it’s just in case of emergencies. If it did happen, it’s better for them to be prepared if they were attacked and to know some form of defence.

Do you think there is a lad culture in the current SU?

There is a perception of that. I suppose this year there was a full male sabbatical and last year there was Annie Hoey, who was deputy. From my point of view, we need to have equality on the SU. When students leave UCC, they need to see that females can also be in leading roles.

Q: Why don’t you think more women are running?

I went to Women in Leadership, which was run by the SU and it was actually there that I decided to run. There were actually a number of candidates who are running that were there, so I think that’s a solution, if more things like that are advertised.

Q: How would you train your welfare ambassadors, because they are different to an ‘Ents Crew’ as they need to be more sensitive as to what they are doing?

The idea with the crew would be to provide them with safeTALK training, which could be done in half a day. The sabbatical officer can’t meet every single student in UCC, it’s not possible. I also have the idea of a welfare council, so if students have a problem they can come to me.

Out of the topics discussed in your manifesto, which do you think are the most important and why?

I have thought out a role model campaign. I think about my sister who is starting college next year and I worry about her going out and drinking. I then thought if I didn’t want that for my sister, why would I want that for myself or my friends?

 

Denis Savage

Q: You want to rebrand the role of Welfare officer, what is your vision for this?

So we’ve seen this year the successful rebranding of Ents and I want to bring that to welfare. On campus, a lot of people don’t know what the welfare officer does. So I want to create a welfare group. I want to get them involved with SHAG Week and Mental Health Week and everything else that we have on campus.

Q: Why do you think condoms are free but the pill isn’t?

Well I’ve seen Cian Power, last year’s welfare officer recently, and one issue is that it is medically sensitive. A condom can be just handed out, but there are medical questions to be answered with the pill. The other reason is that it is underfunded and oversubscribed.

Q: Do you think that the counselling services in UCC are understaffed?

I myself have been a user of the counselling service, and I’m well aware that they are understaffed and oversubscribed and they do have a waiting list. In UCC and Ireland we speak so much about mental health, but you can’t help much when these facilities are under resourced.

Q: Do you think that there is a Lad culture in the UCC?

I think that in the majority no, there isn’t a lad culture, but there is a minority.

Q: Do you think that UCC has an accessible campus for those with disabilities?

Well yes, but a lot of that is down to how the campus looks and how old it is, take for example the West Wing. I think a lot of good work has been done, but at the same time, more work can be done.

Q: If you were to pick your ideal SU out of the candidates running this year, who would they be?

I think that if I don’t get elected, Hannah or Katie will both do a great job. To be fair, this year there is a lot of great candidates, and I don’t think it will matter who gets elected, because they will all do a great job.