By Aimee Donnelly.
Voting begins today for your new Students’ Union. One of the more critical roles on the ballot is the VP for Wellbeing, responsible for implementing the DCU Healthy Framework.
In order to provide everyone a voice and a sense of belonging, this approach looks to integrate psychological, physical, social, and financial wellness into the educational process.
Here are the four candidates campaigning to be your new VP for Wellbeing.
Carine Mambou – “I don’t just want to listen. I want to turn those concerns into structured action”
Carine is in her 3rd year at DCU studying Economics, Politics and Law. She’s running a campaign that emphasises quantifiable results and student-led solutions. Carine draws on her background as a community organiser and wellness coach to emphasise the “invisible” constraints that students face, especially the decision that many must make between “food and rent” while they wait weeks for mental health care.
“No one should have to choose between food and rent, or wait weeks for mental health support while struggling alone”.
Her main objective is to create obvious and accessible support networks so that students are aware of where they can turn in an emergency. She has called for clear support service schedules and same-day crisis appointments in her manifesto.
Carine also discusses a subject she believes is frequently disregarded: visa-associated stress. She contends that international students require more intensive, focused help as they frequently make the journey from arriving to belonging in silence.
Carine plans to make sure the programming is “inclusive and culturally sensitive” during Shag Week while also remaining empowering. She believes sexual health, gender-based violence, and emotional safety for all identities must be considered holistic aspects of Wellbeing.
Hugh Emerson – “I will create Wellbeing supports that truly cater for the breadth of the student population, not just the few”
International relations 4th year student Hugh Emerson is next in the running for VP of Wellbeing. A familiar face around campus as EU Careers Student Ambassador, he draws from his own experience moving from a small Kerry town to the “scary” grandeur of DCU.
His campaign, which aims to eliminate the “student loneliness epidemic” and foster a sense of belonging through “approachable common sense” measures, is based on his early struggles to fit in.
The setting up of “Hidden Hero Awards” to honour students who help one another and a social welfare fund to encourage clubs and societies in organising events are among Hugh’s top priorities. To support student artists and foster community via art, he also suggests a busking series.
Notably, Hugh offers the electorate a “reality check” by claiming that certain promises made by his opponents, such as free medical visits, are not feasible given the “overwhelmingly underfunded” system. He determines that the university would lose more than €105,000 a year if the €20 consultation charge were eliminated, a sum he considers “not realistically achievable”.
To make materials less daunting for students who might find actual activities like “rodeo penis” stressful, he recommends switching to digital information packs for Shag Week.
Anna Balletbó – “I really want to give [students] a voice….empty promises are the worst.”
Anna is a Master’s student in Psychology and is a self published self-care author, bringing an international perspective as she is originally from Spain.
She contends that although DCU has a great sense of community, tiny, unresolved stressors, such as a “confusing” website or chilly facilities, limit students and lead to “big health problems” in the long run.
“Being confused about the website to get information about the scholarships or anything like this, you can end up overthinking things… and at the end of the day is a big health problem”.
Reducing the cost of food on campus is her first concern. The “cheaper option is normally chicken and chips”, she says, forcing students to forgo nutrition to save money. She wants to advocate for better vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian options.
Given that many students are unaware of where to turn for financial assistance, Anna is also committed to increasing awareness of scholarships. After coming from a university system where students had no voice, she says she is taking this post “really seriously” and intends to put pressure on management to make sure commitments are met, and that student views are heard.
Her practical goals are to keep giving out free condoms and to make sure students know exactly where to go if they have issues about sexual health.
Benjamin Watson – “Wellbeing for me… It’s a web, it’s a human body. It’s complicated.”
Benjamin is a final-year Economics, Politics and Law student. He sees well-being as a collection of “interconnected” elements in which academic, physical, and financial health are all intertwined. His recovery from a heart attack that required him to take a year out from school served as the inspiration for his campaign.
His goal is to bring the Students’ Union back to its beginnings as a student advocacy organisation.
A drastic change to the academic calendar, which is to move exam start times from 9.30 AM to 11.30 AM, is one of Ben’s headlining policies. He argues that students who work late shifts to pay for their living and expenses, and commuters, find early starts to be “inconducive” to their health.
His plan also calls for starting a walking club, creating a student mental health council, and making the campus doctor free.
Ben feels that consent training is “outdated” and “unsafe” at the moment concerning Shag Week. To shift away from a “heteronormative” perspective of sexual wellbeing, he intends to introduce affirmative consent training that is inclusive of students with disabilities and the LGBTQIA+ community.
He calls his initiative a “rolling ball of small moments” that contribute to an indisputable improvement in the quality of life for students.
Voting begins today until Wednesday, the 18th of February via Loop.
Image Credit: DCU SU