By Editor in Chief Jack Brady.
Angelina Zhao; “Loving the people that I work with, I’d love to run for this position because you connect with other societies.”
Angelina has a lot on her plate. From HerCampus to Debate Society, to currently holding the position of Humanities and Social Sciences Officer, the candidate for VP for Diversity and Inclusion certainly knows her way around DCU. But how can this translate to election victory?
Building on the work done by current VP Malha Muhammed, Angelina believes that the sabbatical officer has “really been fulfilling her role”, and that she plans on continuing that legacy if elected herself.
This manifests in the continuation of promoting more quiet pods on Glasnevin campus, and providing more neurodivergent friendly spaces on campus which takes “maybe one semester” to achieve if following in Muhammed’s footsteps.
A key point of Angelina’s campaign is the re-introduction of free sign language classes and free Irish language classes.
“To create that inclusive space is important,” the candidate adds, before reflecting on the significant amount of government funding available to use for promoting languages in DCU.
The grant of more than €4 million specifically for Irish language digital projects in DCU was announced by the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary, last November.
Transitioning from various society roles, part-time employment, and other engagements to a full-time sabbatical position won’t be that daunting, as Angelina explains that her connections across DCU will help her represent a student body that she already knows so well.
Mohammed Azhar; “Diversity and Inclusion stands to every person who contributes to DCU.”
Mohammed is laser-focused on the task at hand. A masters student in management with operations and supply chain, the candidate’s plans are developed with pinpoint precision. He mentions the team he has around him, which makes sense of the holistic campaign.
Upon meeting him to talk about the election, he arrives with his campaign manager, a physical manifestation of guardrails through presumed glances I don’t quite catch.
The campaign, unlike fellow candidates’ campaigns, isn’t just geared towards students. Staff at DCU, the “unspoken voices”, as Mohammed states, are just as big a part of the diversity on campus as the student body.
“Can you imagine a day in DCU without Londis? Imagine a day without Nubar?” the candidate adds.
Talking with members of staff in the restaurant is how Mohammed cemented his idea for a card system that would allow students to top up their DCU food card, which they can then use in the restaurant, Londis, or even Nubar in order to get cheaper meals. Very basically, a Leap Card structure designed for students to pay less for more meals.
Setting up a feedback box in the U building on the same day as our interview, Mohammed is clearly driven by connecting with those on the ground, facing issues every day on campus.
One of Mohammed’s key points is to also give Professors more power in elections through nomination systems, which could spark debate about the role of lecturers in the running of a Student Union.
Despite completing an undergraduate degree outside of DCU, Mohammed believes that in his six months in DCU, he has spoken to enough students and Students’ Union officers to gauge the milieu of the university, an environment that has been a welcoming experience for the candidate.
Bhavya Tandon; “A little bit more accessible and a little bit more realistic”
Bhavya, like Mohammed, also completed an undergraduate degree outside of DCU, back home in India where she worked for a few years, having her “fair share of corporate life”, driving her pragmatic and professional character.
Surviving the transition to student life in Ireland wasn’t particularly difficult for Bhavya as she notes that she has “never met a more accommodating group of people”.
From this personal inclusion, the candidate was able to find a platform suitable to address some of the key issues DCU still succumbs to.
The first port of call for Bhavya is the inclusion of ethical choices in consumer habits on campus. Following on from the recently passed SU motion to consider the sale of Gaza Cola on campus, the candidate wants to build on that with more options such as Palestina Cola and Salaam Cola.
“We’re not going to be taking the choice away from students…we’ll put both the options in front of you, then it’s up to you”, she states.
As a fellow student in management of operations and supply chains, Bhavya holds an economical outlook on ethical consumption, focusing on options that students “can actually afford”.
Bhavya plans also to introduce a system in DCU that helps students find part-time work alongside their studies.
She references the model of TUS Athlone, which sends a newsletter to students on local businesses hiring part-time positions, adding that, “Take here for example [Tram Cafe], they’re going to hire somebody at some point. Why not us students?”
Continuing on the pragmatic outlook on inclusion in DCU, the candidate for VP for Diversity and Inclusion aims to galvanise awareness around the Safezone app to promote safety for all on campus, something she believes DCU as an institution has a responsibility to promote more.
Sustaining a safe environment on campus further relies on the VP to act as a “first friend” to students, something that Bhavya pledges to act as if elected.
Freddie Kagino; “I want to make it easier for students to still take the benefit of their courses no matter where they are located”
A masters in creative writing student with an undergraduate in law, Freddie’s focus is dead set on commuter issues. Whether it is adjusting timetables, making online attendance viable, or bringing audio recordings of lectures to every course, it all comes down to tackling a topic at the heart of every student; transport.
While studying law in Uganda, Freddie dealt with regulations, guidelines, and policy which has made the candidate “comfortable with the boring laborious aspects of leadership”.
The candidate’s commuter campaign is based on the unreliability of bus services in Dublin.
“I want the challenges that commuters face to be something that the university is conscious of at an institutional level,” Freddie adds.
An issue the candidate for VP for Diversity and Inclusion acknowledges is that of lobbying for more direct bus routes to campus for students. The “very ambitious” campaign is something Freddie has been “transparent” with students on, but still aims to bring it forward to DCU.
Adjusting timetables is a task Freddie is more confident in achieving however.
“I want timetables to be drawn with the awareness that a large percentage of students may be relying on fickle buses,” the candidate explains
Outside of specific commuter constraints, Freddie aims to promote the concept of students “owning” inclusion in DCU. But what does that look like exactly?
“I want students to take charge of inclusion,” Freddie explains.
“I want to create more opportunities for students to step out of their comfort zones and take that first step to approach someone who may look intimidating from a far, and yet perhaps equally desires to make more friendships,” he adds.
Creating opportunities for students to build meaningful relationships on their own accord, without peer pressure but with a welcome, is an initiative the candidate wants to build the groundwork for, so that students are empowered by their own decision making in creating an inclusive campus environment.
Voting is open today and closes on Wednesday, February 18th.
Image Credits: DCU SU