By Clubs & Socs Editor Zöe Percival.

The Clubs and Societies Awards are held annually in March. This year will be different, with the announcement of The Student Impact Awards on the 24th of March.  

Una Redmond, Director of the Office of Student Life describes it as, “a new iteration of our awards”. 

The Office of Student Life is responsible for award ceremonies for clubs and societies, class representatives, peer mentors, and the arts bursary. 

“The idea was rather than Student Life having a number of disparate awards on different days that it would be a really good idea to bring them all together for maximum impact”. 

Redmond attends all of these ceremonies, “last year at the arts bursary awards, the recipients were all really talented, gifted, cultural, and artistic people, and we had a really small crowd”. 

“Someone said to me, it’s a pity more people can’t get to see it and that started the germ of the idea in my head, that it is a pity that more people can’t see everything that we do”. 

The decision was based around inclusivity and visibility. Previously the Clubs and Societies awards were held off-site, meaning only those involved would see the extent of it. This year will be different, with the ceremony being held in the U building, and the addition of an after party. 

“Most student life and student life activities happen here in this building, it feels right to celebrate it here”. 

Tickets for the afterparty this year will cost €5. Sarah McMahon, Chairperson of the Society Life Committee stated, “that was another motivator behind the change, we know the money struggles”. 

Previously, each club and society were entitled to one free ticket to the awards, as well as nominees of individual awards. The remaining tickets were priced at €30.

“Some people think it’s only €30, but you’re very privileged if you’re in a position to say that”. 

McMahon is optimistic that the changes in the ceremonies will open the awards to more students, “all the big societies tend to get the tickets because they put people up for award after award, so they all get to go. So many smaller societies never get to go”. 

She describes the awards as, “a recognition of the work they’ve put in. I’ve been on committees before where people are like, “what can we do to win an award?” but you’re on the committee to run the society for your members, you’re not running the society for awards”. 

“If a society has a clean sweep year, they’re a really well run society, and they’ve had the best event ever, they’re not participation awards, they get put forward for a national level award. We want to put forward the best that DCU has produced”. 

The BICS (Board of Irish College Societies) is an annual competition that celebrates the achievements, creativity, and impact of third level student societies. The winners of several categories of the Student Impact Awards will move forward to represent DCU. 

The nominations for the Student Impact Awards closed at 12pm today, with ticket information to be released soon.

Credit: DCU SU