By Erin Miller and Amanda Uwase.
A motion was passed to mandate for a new full time sabbatical officer for Leas-Uachtarán don Ghaelige (Irish Officer).
The motion was brought forward from VP for Community and Citizenship, Emily Cathcart at the final Class Representative Council (CRC) meeting last week.
She believes that the campus would benefit from a sabbatical officer, as seen in University of Galway and Trinity College Dublin. The campaign would be run by the current Oifigeach na Gaeilge and VP for Diversity and Inclusion, due to Irish being a minority language.
This was brought before the council due to concerns over the “huge responsibility” of the current part-time position, and lack of facilities to lobby for the compliance of Irish-language legislation.
The motion passed at 98%, meaning the Students’ Union 26/27 will mandate for the role to be included.
The role would be included in the Students’ Union constitution which is currently under review.
A number of other issues were also brought before the council at CRC 8.
A new Chairperson was elected for the 2026/27 academic year, Robert Bryne. Lorena Hotea was also elected as secretary.
Student’s Union President Shane Murphy opened his President’s address outlining the ongoing developments in student accommodation. He notes that an additional 10,000 beds are expected through a public-private model, bringing the total to approximately 42,000 across Ireland by 2035.
Despite this, concerns remain around affordability, with a proposed €13,000 increase drawing criticism, including from AMLÉ (Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn), who agree the approach is unsustainable. Murphy acknowledged that planning challenges persist, stating that efforts to expand accommodation have effectively returned to “square one.”
A standout moment came from Part-Time Postgraduate Officer Josh King, who brought forward three separate motions, going well beyond the typical expectations of his role.
His aim to ensure that Students’ Union officers spend at least 20% of their time on St Patrick’s Campus highlighted a strong commitment to better accessibility and representation, an issue that clearly resonated with those in attendance.
This motion passed unanimously with a 98% acceptance rate.
Another key issue he raised was the fact that the Students’ Union currently does not have full access to the recovery email used for the Instagram account, and administrative rights.
The motion proposed that all channels of communication be under the control of the Students’ Union and that an internal handover of all passwords and administrative rights will be transferred each year. It passed with a 94% majority.
Finally he also brings forward that only the President is required to give an update at CRC meetings. This Item for Agreement would make it mandatory for all officers to give a report at the start of each CRC meeting. This was accepted with 89%.
Cathcart also proposes that the council mandates the SU Executive to publicly state its opposition to the prospective government removal of the ‘Triple Lock’ through the Defence Amendment Bill.
The motion also mandates the VP for Community and Citizenship to run a campaign to raise awareness among students on militarisation and the issue of the dismantling of the Triple Lock. President Murphy spoke in favour of the motion. The motion passed at 89%.
VP for Academic Life, Sean Greene, provided an update focused on academic resources, stating that providing individual Adobe subscriptions for students is currently not feasible due to licensing. Additionally, Greene has drafted a motion addressing unpaid internships, which will be brought forward to AMLÉ.
VP for Wellbeing, Lauren Joyce, delivered a brief but positive update on wellbeing initiatives, with particular focus on the continued development of Nightline services.
Malha Muhammed, VP for Diversity and Inclusion, reported on a wide range of initiatives, highlighting a busy and active term. This follows a busy week of Union-Society collaborations, including the LGBTQ+ society during Rainbow Week.