Manifesto for the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences

by Cian Power

My name is Cian Power and I’m currently a 2nd year Politics and Philosophy student in the College of Arts , Celtic Studies and Social Sciences. Since arriving in UCC I have been very involved with student politics and been heavily linked with the Students Union. As a Class Rep since first year, I have pushed the boundaries of student activism. In first year I was awarded the first year rep of the year award . This award highlights my drive and dedication to a role but also how I can adapt to a certain role. In second year I have campaigned and helped voice the students of my college. I am currently the Vice-Rep of Arts and I sit on Student Clinic and Student Council. With this experience I have pushed the voice of students on a college level to a national level. I have contributed massively to the development of the College this year by voicing concerns and also contributing positive feedback. I really feel that I am the ideal candidate to be elected as I have shown my skills and my passion throughout my time in UCC and I want to do more for my fellow students. My following Manifesto intends to do this.

This Following Manifesto is intended solely to help students and also strengthen the influence/presence of the Students Union in my College. The College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences has not evolved to the drastic change in economics, and due to this students and graduates are left unaware of educational/employment possibilities . In this current economic situation the College must alter its stance and develop to secure a high calibre of education. This manifesto is to help better the lives and secure more weight for student’s degrees in this time of economic uncertainty. The tasks which I wish to undertake to help the College body are simple and due able .The following manifesto is summarised in the following Bullet Points.

• Department Fare • Irish Language Development

• Campaigns Efficiency and Possibilities • Class Rep Training ,Workshops & Reps for all classes

• Meetings with Local Representatives • CV workshops for Final Years

1) The importance of employment is a fundamental factor when deciding one’s subject choices. The transition from first year to second year can be confusing, surreal but more importantly anxious. As a second year, I have dealt with the nerve raking decisions of choosing my second year modules and subjects, and particular deliberating over whether to do a major or a joint honoured degree. This is a huge

   

leap of faith for most students in our College and at times can be a life changing decision. If elected I will create a Careers department fare in which departments from the College of Arts , Celtic studies and Social sciences will get a chance to talk to students and to give them a clear indication in what they can do with their degree if they choose certain subjects. This fare will give students a better chance in finding employment after College and will also help students deciding what career path they will choose. With students been given proper employment figures and guidance through this period ,in the long road may help smaller departments such as European Studies and Chinese studies survive or provide a bigger range of module choices. The awareness on information will help students pick subject choices that they want to do, be aware of what is in store in the coming years, to help highlight what employers are looking for, but also to feel confident in their degree. The information at the start of the course will benefit students more at that time period rather than later, which seems to be the case currently. This will give students a more positive approach to study and help them give them more confidence in their future. To achieve this I will work with the Education Officer 2013/14 and also the careers office to work with the College of Arts, Celtic studies and Social Sciences.

2) The Irish Language is a part of most of the student body’s culture and heritage. It is a major part of our lives and is very important that we as a college preserve this culture. If elected I will personally work with the Irish Officer of 2013/14 on how to improve the Irish language on campus. I personally want to help create a better Seactaine na Gaelige in which all student bodies will be able to interact with. I want to help the Irish language grow within College as it is an important feature of University College Cork, and in turn helps promote the College nationwide as a home for Irish and culture. On another note, I will also ask the Irish Officer to sit on Clinic meetings as a representative of the Irish language in UCC. As the Irish Officer is a representative of this department of the Students Union, I feel that his/her presence on Clinic meetings could benefit the College Reps and also the Students Union.

3) In recent years the increase of college fees and the cutting of grants have affected all college students. It is my intention to work along with the Campaigns officer 2013/14 to help fight against education cuts. I wish to represent the college properly in this matter. To do this I will create campaigns like the letter campaign in which I created last year. Such campaigns which received over 600 letters from students helped the campaign against cuts and fees. If elected I will ensure that better campaigns and protests will be undertaken. I wish to rally students from the college of ACSSS to participate in such campaigns. By doing this I will create a campaigns core group within the College of ACSSS. This will help campaigns from lobbying campaigns,

   

mental health week to RAG week be run more efficiently. This will benefit all students, especially the College of ACSSS. This will also help the Campaigns Officer with Campaigns and also to help efficiency in running them. If successful, other colleges may take trend, this will hopefully influence working groups be situated in all College Campuses, thus helping with isolation issues in terms of events and campaigns.

4) The rep system is the core of the Student Union. I intend to help maintain a high calibre of training and communication for the reps, to do this I intend to help create a second rep day training to refresh training and to create better team skills. I want to be able to facilitate workshops for next year reps similar to PEER support. These Workshops will provide lessons in listening skills and also Interpersonal skills which are fundamental for Academic Reps. Such skills will benefit each class and year as Reps will be trained to support their students and help them with any problems that can arise. I will work with the President of the Students Union Education Officer, Welfare Officer and also UCC+ to try and achieve this. I also would like to create more reps for the College of ACSSS, as some classes and years are left neglected and forgotten with no class rep elections at the beginning of the Academic Year. With more Reps and more training, the Student Union will be stronger and the concerns and issues will be addressed more democratically and more efficiently.

5) The importance of using the student body’s voice on a local level and national level is at the utmost importance, especially during this economic depression. With the student body being a huge demographic for local representatives, I intend to hold meetings with them throughout the year. At these meetings I wish to discuss the current student issues being addressed in college. By doing this, the importance of education and the successes of the College will be discussed. This will provide clear cut information and it will address what is happening on the ground and it will also boost the position of the College. These meetings will help Advertise my College and it will also help grow a relationship which helps the voice of the student body be heard from a University Level but also the potential to be addressed on a national level.

6) Many students From the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences leave UCC without a proper CV. If elected I will ensure that all Final Year students in all aspects of the College of ACSSS get a workshop on how to create a proper CV. These workshops will give Final Years a chance to leave UCC with a better chance in employment. Seeing as employment is such a huge part of any graduates life, This workshop will help graduates express themselves as individuals, creative thinkers and innovators. This will make their job applications appear more professional. To do this, I will work with the College alongside The Careers Office, Education Officer and also the President of the Students Union.