University College Dublin Students' Union

University College Dublin Students' Union

Institution	University College Dublin
Location	Student Centre, UCD, Dublin 4.
Established	1975
President	Marcus O'Halloran
Members	Approximately 30,000
Website	www.ucdsu.ie

University College Dublin Students' Union (UCDSU; Irish: Aontas na Mac Léinn COBÁC) is the Students' Union of University College Dublin. It was founded in 1975 as the successor of the Student Representative Council, with Enda Connolly acting as the organisation's first president. Its primary role is to represent its members views and defend their interests.

All students of UCD who are studying for a degree or postgraduate diploma of the National University of Ireland are, on registration at the university, members. The Union is funded by a membership fee paid at the same time as the student services levy ("registration fee") at the start of the academic year. In addition to its campaign work the Union also provides many services, such as three shops; welfare and education services such as an online second-hand bookshop; and the provision of a full-time Accommodation and Employment Officer. UCDSU has offices in the Student Centre and hosts clinics down in Smurfit once a week.

The Union was a constituent organisation of, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). UCDSU members decided to leave USI in a referendum which was held in February 2013. 67% of students voted to leave the national union. UCDSU ceased being a member organisation on July 1, 2013.

Structure

The main governing body of UCDSU, subject only to referenda and General Meetings of the members of the Union, is the Union Council, which meets every second week of term. The Union Council is composed chiefly of the Class Representatives elected in their respective constituencies. These constituencies are elected at a flexible ratio, far lower than a previously arbitrary ratio of one representative per 125 students. The power of Union Council is conferred in a de facto manner on the Union Executive outside of term. The Union Executive, composed of all elected Union Sabbatical and non-Sabbatical Officers as well as the Union Secretary, meets weekly during term and fortnightly outside of it. There are four Sabbatical Officers, who are involved in the day-to-day running of the Union. The President and two nominated Vice-Presidents, as agreed by the Executive, are student representatives on the UCD Governing Authority. A Sabbatical term of office is twelve months in duration and commences on July 1 each year, although the incoming officers are, in accordance with the UCDSU Constitution, given job training by the incumbents from June 15. Sabbatical elections take place in late February–early March of each year. Sabbatical officers take a year out from academic studies and work full-time for the Union.

The composition of the Union's Council includes:

• The four full-time directly elected Sabbatical Executive Officers
• The directly elected non-sabbatical Executive Officers, also known as Convenors.
• Class Representatives
• Ents Exec. These individuals are elected in at the last council of the year for the forthcoming year.
• Equality coordinators. These individuals are elected in at last council of the year for the forthcoming year.

The President is the first officer of the Union in accordance with the Union Constitution, and the other three Sabbatical Officers are equally ranking Vice-Presidents of the Union. The four Sabbatical positions are:

• President
• Undergraduate Education Officer
• Postgraduate Education Officer
• Welfare & Equality Officer

Sabbatical executive officers

Directly elected by Union members (1975-2015)

	President	Undergraduate Education (formerly Education VP)	Welfare & Equality (formerly Welfare VP)	Entertainments VP (formerly Social & Cultural VP)	Campaigns & Communications VP (formerly Deputy President VP)	Graduate Education
1975/76	Enda Connolly	Joseph Little	Billy McGrath	Billy McGrath
1976/77	Charles McNally	Joe O'Reilly	David Kavanagh	Marcus de Cogan
1977/78	Conall Ó Móráin	Mary Raftery	Tommy O'Connor	Anna Purcell
1978/79	Dave Waddell	Brian Macaba	Brighid Ruane	Kenin Higgins
1979/80	Chris O'Malley	Derek McDowell	Colm de Bhaldraithe	Oliver O'Rourke
1980/81	Marguerite Ahearne	Billy Linehan	Diarmuid de Paor/ Greg Byrne	Lughaidh O'Clerigh
1981/82	Conn Gregg	Aideen Hayden	Moire Leyden	Patrick Ralph
1982/83	Giollaisa Ó Lideadha	Tony Medhurst	Hubert Mannion	Billy Linehan
1982/84	Giollaisa Ó Lideadha	Catherine Neville	Rosa Meehan	Paul Hickey
1984/85	John O'Neill	Sean Kinneane	Josephine Kirwan	David Ralph
1985/86	Diarmaid Fleming	Sean Kinnane	Stephanie Walsh	Mickey O'Rourke
1986/87	Ulick Stafford/ Andrew Burke	Yvonne Judge	Finnola MacAodha	Andrew Burke
1987/88	Kevin McDermott	David Hughes	Belinda Flaherty	Dave Kilroy
1988/89	Diarmuid Coogan	AnnA Farrell	Anne-Marie Keary	Francois Pittion
1989/90	Tom Duke	Eoin O'Neill	Joan O'Connor	Lorcan Fullam
1990/91	Joe Delaney	Denis Murphy	Elaine Butler	Mark Collins
1991/92	Denis Murphy	Ollie Doyle	Muireann Grogan	Mark Collins
1992/93	Barry Roche	Liam Kelly	Cydney Foote	Karl O'Hanlon
1993/94	Liam Kelly	Shaymus Kennedy	Noeleen Hartigan	Paul Davis
1994/95	Aisling Ní Bhriain	Malcolm Byrne	Stephanie Leahgy	Conor O'Kane
1995/96	Loughlin Deegan	Garrett Tubridy	Shane Fitzgerald	John Mitchell
1996/97	Shane Fitzgerald	Cormac Moore	Fiona Hannon	Darragh Purcell
1997/98	Ian Walsh	Liam Dockery	John Nisbet	Darragh Purcell/ Niall Donnelly
1998/99	John Nisbet	Charlie McConalogue	John Moynes	Scott Millar
1999/00	Carol Fahy	Eamon O'Lionáinn	Alison Gibney	Niall Donald
2000/01	Eamonn Ó Lionnáin	Michael Shovlin	John Paul Swaine	Paul Burke
2001/02	Aonghus Hourihane	Aisling Maguire	Róisín McKeon	Eoin Holohan	Christian Hughes
2002/03	Aonghus Hourihane	Abey Campbell	Séamus Ó Maoinaigh	Marc Ryberg	Ross Higgins
2003/04	Paul Dillon	Oisín Kelly	Jennifer Allen	David Sherry	Aidan Regan
2004/05	Fergal Scully	James Carroll	Shane Hennelly	Gearóid Cashman	Ciarán Weafer
2005/06	James Carroll	Jane Horgan-Jones	Dan Hayden	Anthony Kelly	Dave Curran
2006/07	Dan Hayden	Brian Doyle	Barry Colfer	Holly Irvine	Dave Curran
2007/08	Barry Colfer	Ronan Shanahan	Vivian Rath	Stephen Quinlivan	Ciara Brennan
2008/09	Aodhán Ó Deá	Paul Lynam	Conor Fingleton	Gary Redmond	Dan O'Neill
2009/10	Gary Redmond	Donnacha Ó Suilleabháin	Scott Ahearn	Mike-Pat O'Donoghue	Paddy Ryan
2010/11	Paul Lynam	James Williamson	Scott Ahearn	Jonny Cosgrove	Pat de Brún
2011/12	Pat de Brún	Sam Geoghegan	Rachel Breslin	Stephen Darcy	Brendan Lacey
2012/13	Rachel Breslin	Shane Comer	Mícheál Gallagher	Eoin Heffernan	Paddy Guiney
2013/14	Mícheál Gallagher	Adam Carroll	Cian Dowling	Position Abolished	Position Abolished	Dylan Gray
2014/15	Feargal Hynes	Amy Fox	Maeve DeSay			Anabel Castaneda
2015/16	Marcus O'Halloran	Danielle Curtis	Clare O'Connor		Cian Byrne	Hazel Beattie

Other offices and administrators

The supreme judicial organ of the Union is the Independent Appeals Board as detailed in Article 18 of the Union's Constitution.

The individual who has been the longest involved and longest associated with the Union is Patrick J. O'Flynn, the Union's Chief Returning Officer and an employee of the University. Most of the ground-work involved in Union elections and referendums is performed by the Union Returning Officer, currently held by Morgan Shelley BBLS. Both of these office holders sit on the Independent Appeals Board.

The Union Legal Advisor is Richard Hammond.

The financial manager of UCDSU is Giselle Han Malone. She also acts as line manager to the other staff in the Union.

External links

• University College Dublin Students' Union — the official website of UCDSU.
• Union of Students in Ireland — the website of the Union of Students in Ireland
• UCDSU Constitution — The most recently amended form of the Union's Constitution.