Candidates take part in DCUfm debate as day 1 of polling closes

The candidates for the three sabbatical positions took part in debates on DCUfm this afternoon on the day that voting began across campus.

With Tommy Meskill chairing the debate Kenneth Browne, Allan Stevenson and Dave Whittle took to the airwaves in one last effort to clinch some votes.

Tommy started by asking them about the clickish nature that some students feel the SU has, with Allan answering first.

The Education race is a close one if the latest DCUfm polls are anything to go by.

Sean Rooney, Fionnuala Moran and Gary Gillick called into the studio earlier and were quizzed by Sean Defoe on why they should be DCU SU’s next Education Officer.

Welfare is the tightest race of the three with just one percentage point separating Ciaran and Eve according to yesterday’s figures.

Eoin Sheahan caught up with Ciaran, Eve and Catherine Conneely earlier in our final debate of the 2014 elections.

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Welfare and Education races tighten in final poll before voting

It’s a day before voting begins and the third poll of this campaign so far has now concluded.

There has been very little change in the Presidential race since the first figures were released on Sunday evening.

Kenneth Browne has 78 per cent support, down slightly on his 84 per cent yesterday but up 6 per cent overall since Sunday’s poll.

Allan Stevenson remains unchanged from the initial poll on 10 per cent support while Dave Whittle remains very much the underdog drawing just 2 per cent of the tally.

PrezThere is change in the Education race.

While Gary Gillick remains on top on 46 per cent, up one point on yesterday, there has been substantial change for the other two candidates.

Sean Rooney has seen a rise in support, jumping from just 2 per cent of the poll yesterday to 20 per cent in our latest figures.

Fionnuala Moran meanwhile falls from 40 to 21 per cent.

There is still 13 per cent undecided.

EducationThe race to be the next Welfare Officer has tightened considerably since the first day when 57 per cent of voters supported Eve Kerton.

Now however her lead is just one point over Ciaran Martin. Eve commands 34 per cent of the tally while Ciaran has worked his way up from 10 per cent initially to hold 33 per cent in this poll.

Catherine has 20 per cent of the vote this time however with 13 per cent undecided she could well still be in the frame when students hit the polling stations tomorrow.

WelfareThere is little change in the Societies Race.

Lindsay Butler leads the way 34 per cent while Jake Ryan is second on 21 per cent.

Mark Young and Niamh Lister are close on 13 and 10 per cent respectively while Erin Ni Raghallaigh has 5 per cent of the tally, up 4 points on yesterday.

There are still 17 per cent undecided which is enough of a vote to blow this race wide open.

SocsVoting begins tomorrow morning and continues until Thursday evening.

Tune in to DCUfm at 4pm tomorrow to hear live debates between the candidates on Newswire.

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Hub financing referendum 2014

The Hub financing referendum is running along with the SU elections over the next 2 days.

The vote is to facilitate the building of a new student centre. It would refurbish the old part of the Hub to include new service areas for students, Clubs and Societies.

A yes vote will provide the funds to re-develop The Hub. The student levy of €38 will be reduced to €35 and the duration of this loan will be extended.

A new four story development will then be built on campus.

A no vote will mean that the existing loan in place will not be changed, the fee will stay as is as will The Hub.

A video produced by DCU SU is available here with more information.

There is also a booklet with further information that has been emailed to all students by the Returning Officer.

 

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Societies Officer Candidate: Niamh Lister

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Niamh Lister is just about to complete her 2nd year of Communication Studies in DCU. After playing Miley Cyrus in the Panto this year, Niamh is an active member of Drama Soc, her committee experience comes from being the PRO for DCU Ladies’ GAA Club. “I am very involved in the GAA. I played for the O’Connor and the Lynch Cup teams last year and this year. I’m part of MPS, I’ve been in a few of their promo videos and I did a lot of work for DCUfm Sport.”  Lister described being apart of societies as “a big part of her university life”. She is hoping to be next year’s Societies Officer as “A lot of my friend’s I’ve made through societies and I spend a lot of time doing society work.”

 

If elected, Niamh wants to “create more of a link between DCU societies, internally and externally with DCU and it’s link colleges so St. Pat’s, Mater Dei etc.. I want to bring out more of an inter society culture in DCU so a lot of inter society games, Greek Week… I want to make societies more aware of funding and grants… I want students to really realise that they’re paying fees and a percentage of their fees goes towards the Clubs and Socs funding.”

Focusing her campaigning mainly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Niamh will be seen “sticking up posters, going around having a chat with people, going around to campus residences, you’ll see us buzzing around in our “Lister for Socs” tee shirts.”

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Societies Officer Candidate: Mark Young

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Multimedia student Mark Young is in his 2nd year in DCU. He is the PRO of Drama Soc and Music Soc and last year Mark was the First Year Sponsorship Officer of DCU Foto Soc. “I was also the First Year Rep of DCU Frisbee, I know that’s a club but I would still count it as a fair achievement.” Young is running for the Societies Officer position as he has “been involved in a number of societies both on committees and as a member and to be honest, they’re the best thing about my DCU experience and I just want to give more back to it and I just want to make sure that the level of commitment given by Eve is carried on and even improved upon.”

 

If elected as Societies Officer there are a couple of changes Mark would like to implement in the running of DCU Societies, “I would like to organise and email to be sent out, kind of like the old Soc email, every two weeks documenting the successes and completed events of various societies within the college. This will provide good PR for Societies and I think it will provide a good interconnection between societies as well and just give them a general morale boost which I think is important for the smaller societies as I often feel they get a little bit left out when it comes to bigger ones like Drama and MPS . My second point would be to improve communication between the SU and societies. From talking to a number of chairs(people), it seems that this year it was difficult for societies to express their queries or find a good time to meet with the Societies Officer. This year, I’d plan on setting aside two to three hours a week for any society to come and approach me with any questions regarding society life or problems they are having, in general any sort of queries. My last point is to organise a Pre-Freshers Day for societies to promote themselves without having to hassle students for the €4 at the same time. This is an idea that is still up in the air, it may just be an instructional video or interviews with the Societies chairperson but I think it’s important that they are allowed to express their societies interests without having Music Soc banging on the drums next to them taking all the attention, if you get me.”

Mark wants to leave his campaign plans as “a bit of a mystery. I plan on making a good promotional video… I don’t want to reveal much more than that but they will be crackers.”

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Societies Officer Candidate: Lindsay Butler

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Lindsay is currently studying for repeats in first year of Contemporary Culture and Society. She was the First Year Rep of the RAG Society last year, “my role this year is a more managerial role, it’s the Make A Difference Manager, I manage three different social projects with three different social project leaders.” Running for Societies Officer is something Lindsay always thought about doing “I thought about doing it last year but I thought ‘no I’ll give it another year’, there was lots more that I wanted to do before I went for that kind of a role.” Being involved in lots of different societies this year encouraged Lindsay to think she’d be a good option for this role.

 

Her manifesto consists of three main points, “I want to get more first years involved straight away because that’s something that I’ve noticed that first years don’t get involved until semester two or even second year. So it’d be nice to have an event just before Clubs and Socs Day or just after for each society to put on, to encourage first years to join their society or get involved. My second point is to have monthly meetings with Chairs. I’m only one person so there’s only so much that I can come up with myself that I think will benefit societies, so I want to have these monthly meetings so that Chairs of these societies, the people actually running the societies can come back to me and give me advice on how I can improve their society life.  The third idea is Inter Society events, I came up with this Greek Week, they do it in America, it’s a Society Week, different societies enter into this competition, we’d have a Greek Week Cup… just to get societies involved and get societies to know each other, it’d be a bit of fun.”

 

Lindsay says she has a “few photos going up now” for her remaining days of campaigning, “I’m recording my video today so hopefully you’ll see that tomorrow. (Tuesday)”

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Societies Officer Candidate: Erin Ni Raghallaigh

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Erin Ní Raghallaigh is in her 2nd year of studying Health & Society. Erin has first hand experience of society committees, being the chairperson of DCU’s Chess Society and PRO of the Mature Students’ Society. Erin told us the main reason she has put herself forward for Societies Officer, “I’m all about societies, love societies. I’m on two committees and have just always been a really sociable person.”

 

Erin detailed the highlights of her manifesto “I’d like to bring in a Societies Ball. I know there are Societies Awards but I would like a Societies Ball as well. I would like to have a Societies Promotion Week, where all the societies would actually come out and promote their society and show what societies can bring to DCU. I want to create online forums for members and committees of societies. A lot of problems that students have when joining societies is that it may clash with another one so I would like to make a structured timetable so students would know what society meets when and they wouldn’t have the problem of clashing up. I want to improve communications with all the society members, carry on Eve’s good work with what she has done, be visible to all societies. Ideally, (I would) meet with the chairperson of each society and have regular contact with them and promote more Inter- Soc events. And a lot of new committees, when they come in, they can find it quite daunting so I’d like to have a peer mentoring system for new committees to come in and organise workshops to that effect.”

 

Over the next week Erin has various strategies for creating awareness of her campaign for Socs Officer, “I have a raffle most days on the Facebook page, a ‘like and share’ sort of thing. It’s nearly daily raffles for the six days of it. I hope to be around campus meeting the students and hopefully have a few goodies to throw out there for them. Also the posters on campus but really just to get out there and meet the students.”

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Societies Officer Candidate: Jake Ryan

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Jake Ryan is a 2nd year Multimedia student. He is the chairperson and a founding member of DCU Friends Soc, which he helped to establish last year. When asked why he is running for the role of Societies Officer he said “Because I basically love societies, it’s the reason I love DCU. We’re the envy of every other college because of our societies and I really just want to get involved in societies.”

 

Jake went on to outline the main changes he would bring in if elected, “I want to try and get a Societies Calender going so that every society knows what the others are doing. Basically, it would work off the grant app and the dates given there and they would be subject to change but it would stop overlapping of events and it would allow Inter-Soc events to happen more easily. I also want to try and get better storage facilities. Underneath the Helix, it’s a mess down there it needs to be cleaned up and overhauled but I also want storage on campus because you can’t wheel anything out of the Helix because it’s so low in the ground. I also want more support for new societies because I have a special place in my heart for new societies. (Also) just a better link between the SLC and SU.”

 

For the next week before voting begins, Jake plans to have tee shirts for his campaign team and posters, “I hope people will like the posters when they see them. I have nothing too unusual planned yet but the competition is pretty tight so I think I need to get on that. We (his campaign team) will be out around campus so please come talk to us.”

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Office of Student Life candidate Rebekah Stacey

Rebekah Stacey is a 20 year old, 2nd year Communications Studies and was a class rep for her course during the 2012/13 academic year.

One of her main goals is to increase promotion of the Office of student life, particularly online. “I hope to promote the development of the OSL social media, because I think this can be easily improved and it could provide students quickly and easily with the information they need.”

She also hopes to encourage students to participate in the media crew and engage with other opportunities such as the Uaneen module and the Arts Bursary.  “The Uaneen module in particular, is an incredible thing for students who might not be that good at exams. Even for me personally, I would be more involved in societies and clubs. It’s great to know that that’s an option.”

Rebekah feels she’s a good candidate as she has experience representing students as she has been a class rep. “I know the inner happenings within the politics of the college, which is something a lot of people don’t see”

Here’s the full interview with Rebekah

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Office of Student Life candidate Megan Kavanagh

Megan Kavanagh is a 19 year old, second year Communication Studies student and a current class rep. 

She has many plans for the position of Office of Student Life Ordinary member such as increasing the visibility of the office online.

“The website for Office of Student Life isn’t as up to date as it could be. When you’re on it there’s links that you click onto and they lead nowhere. It just says page not found and I feel like we could update this website.”

Another key point of her manifesto involves increased promotion of the Uaneen module and the Arts Bursary.

“When talking to students, not many people are aware of them and I feel promoting them online could solve this problem.” She feels she could represent students well, making decisions that could benefit them.

“This is a great role as a voice for the student body. I feel that it’s important to express students’ individuality”

Here’s the full interview

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President Candidate Kenneth Browne interview

Candidate for President of DCU SU, Kenneth Browne

Candidate for President of DCU SU, Kenneth Browne

 

One of the first points in Kenneth’s manifesto is improving on the promotion of Mental Health Issue at DCU. He says that students must be encouraged to get involved in student life.

Kenneth proposes that all DCU teaching staff must undergo a presentation workshop. He believes that some lecturers are not up to scratch when it comes to communicating with their class. He rejected the idea that DCU doesn’t have the money to finance this.

Speaking on his plans to make the annual Summer Ball an Outdoor event. He denied that it was just a publicity stunt to boost his profile.

Here’s Kenneth’s full Interview:

 

You can vote in our opinion poll here to have your say in the last day before elections begin.

Remember all the candidates will debate live on DCUfm on Wednesday at 4pm.

 

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President Candidate Allan Stevenson interview

Candidate for DCU SU President Allan Stevenson

Candidate for DCU SU President Allan Stevenson

 

Allan is a third and final year student. He studies Education and Training.

He believes that the most important point in his manifesto is improving student engagement. He believes this can be achieved through introducing a Class Rep Buddy System and encouraging students to get in touch with the president through his Facebook page #AskAllan.

He wants to make it more accessible  for students to  find out what events are taking place on campus, on a daily basis. He plans on creating a new Website, which will serve as a hub of all information on DCU events.

Allan says that it is vital that the voice of DCU is heard within the USI.

Here’s Allan’s full interview:

 

You can vote in our opinion poll here to have your say in the last day before elections begin.

Remember all the candidates will debate live on DCUfm on Wednesday at 4pm.

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President Candidate Dave Whittle interview

Candidate for the DCU SU Presidency Dave Whittle

Candidate for the DCU SU Presidency Dave Whittle

 

Dave is a post grad student in the school of computing, having previously studied at UCC and UCD.

One of the main ideas in Dave’s manifesto is to increase the study week for students, if the proposed plans to bring the Christmas exams are put in place. Speaking with Tommy Meskill on DCUfm News, Dave was confident that this change would be in place by next year. Meaning the academic year could potentially in early September.

Dave hopes to improve the night life on DCU campus. He says he’ll attempt to re-introduce Toxic Tuesdays to NuBar, rejecting the idea that this will result in students returning to their previous trends of excessive drinking.

He also hopes to increase Bus Links to DCU, particularly to the Fingal area.  Where he believes there is huge demand for these services.

Here’s Dave’s full Interview:

You can vote in our opinion poll here to have your say in the last day before elections begin.

Remember all the candidates will debate live on DCUfm on Wednesday at 4pm.

 

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Welfare Candidate Catherine Conneely interview

Candidate for Vice President for Welfare of DCUSU, Catherine Conneely

Candidate for Vice President for Welfare of DCUSU, Catherine Conneely

 

Catherine Conneely is a final year Irish and Journalism student running for the position of Welfare Officer in this year’s Students’ Union elections in DCU.

Speaking to Eoin Sheahan in the interview below, Catherine has said that she can still use social media to include more students in SU activites and we haven’t ‘hit the glass ceiling’ when it comes to inclusion.

Catherine also defends her plans to build a better rapport with Campus Res by telling DCUfm News that this is something that Campus Res wants to do.

Regarding her society life, Catherine says in the interview below that her reasoning behind leaving the Drama Society committee was entirely down her academic commitments.

You can vote in our opinion poll here to have your say in the last day before elections begin.

Remember all the candidates will debate live on DCUfm on Wednesday at 4pm.

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Welfare Candidate Ciaran Martin interview

Candidate for Vice-President for Welfare of DCU SU, Ciaran Martin

Candidate for Vice-President for Welfare of DCU SU, Ciaran Martin

 

Ciaran Martin is bidding to become DCU Students’ Union’s next Vice-President for Welfare when voting commences this Wednesday.

Ciaran wants to introduce an ‘all-day Summer Ball’ but. speaking to Eoin Sheahan, he denied that it equates to an all-day drinking session.

As the current secretary of DCU Snowsports and last year’s Chair, Ciaran can understand why he has a connection to alcoholism considering the alcohol-fuelled video that emerged from the society’s trip to Val Thorens earlier this year.

Ciaran has also vowed to reduce the cost of the on-campus doctor from €20 to €10.

You can vote in our opinion poll here to have your say in the last day before elections begin.

Remember all the candidates will debate live on DCUfm on Wednesday at 4pm.

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Welfare candidate Eve Kerton interview

Candidate for the position of Vice-President for Welfare of DCU SU, Eve Kerton

Candidate for the position of Vice-President for Welfare of DCU SU, Eve Kerton

 

Eve Kerton is one of the candidates looking for your vote for Welfare Officer in tomorrow’s elections.

She said that if elected she would introduce ‘GratiTuesdays’ where she would go around recording what makes DCU students happy and then publish it on the SU website.

Speaking to Eoin Sheahan in this interview Eve said that she manages her time very well and says she has given 100% to all the societies in which she has been involved with this year. However she did admit that she did feel under pressure at the start of the year when faced with her societal workload.

Eve added that such initial problems wouldn’t arise if she is elected as Welfare Officer as it would be her ‘sole focus.’

You can vote in our opinion poll here to have your say in the last day before elections begin.

Remember all the candidates will debate live on DCUfm on Wednesday at 4pm.

 

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Education candidate Sean Rooney interview

Education Officer candidate Sean Rooney

Education Officer candidate Sean Rooney

 

Sean Rooney is one of the candidates for education looking for your vote in tomorrow’s elections.

Sean has said that he would focus on getting rid of some of the more annoying parts of courses, such as courses not being as described.

Here he answers whether it is more of a challenge without a large society backing, as the other two candidates may have.

You can vote in our opinion poll here to have your say in the last day before elections begin.

Remember all the candidates will debate live on DCUfm on Wednesday at 4pm.

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Education candidate Fionnuala Moran interview

Education Officer candidate Fionnuala Moran

Education Officer candidate Fionnuala Moran

 

Fionnuala Moran is one of the candidates looking for your vote tomorrow in the race for Education Officer.

She has a large manifesto which includes extending library hours. She says in this interview that she would work extra hours in the library herself to keep it open for students.

Her first answer is in response to the suggestion that her manifesto is too big to fulfil in one year.

You can vote in our opinion poll here to have your say in the last day before elections begin.

Remember all the candidates will debate live on DCUfm on Wednesday at 4pm.

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Education candidate Gary Gillick interview

Vice-President for Education Candidate Gary Gillick

Vice-President for Education Candidate Gary Gillick

 

Gary Gillick is marginally ahead in the polls in the race for Education Officer according to DCUfm’s latest opinion poll.

The 4th year Biotech student has said that he would aim to improve the access to grinds for students and make the SU more accessible.

Here Gary speaks to Sean Defoe, who started by asking is Gary’s manifesto light given that he gave very similar answers to the questions asked of him in Hustings.

You can vote in our opinion poll here to have your say in the last day before elections begin.

Remember all the candidates will debate live on DCUfm on Wednesday at 4pm.

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Latest poll shows big changes in Education and Welfare races

Following the first full day of campaigning after reading week and the Hustings earlier today the opinion polls show a shift in support in the sabbatical races.

All is as it was in the race for President of DCU SU as Kenneth Browne still has a sizeable lead in this poll. Eighty-four per cent said they would vote for Kenneth, up from 72 per cent yesterday.

Allan Stevenson has dropped from 10 per cent support to 7 per cent. Dave Whittle meanwhile draws just 1 per cent of the vote according to today’s vote, down from 6 per cent initially.

With just two days left until voting officially commences it is hard to look past Kenneth at this stage.

Prez 2

There’s a new leader in the race for Education Officer as Gary Gillick overtakes Fionnuala Moran. Based on today’s figures Gary has 45 per cent of the vote while Fionnuala has 40 per cent.

This is a change from yesterday when Fionnuala led by a 9 point margin, 43 to 34 per cent.

Sean Rooney sees the most substantial drop among the Education candidates, falling from 9 to 2 per cent support.

The undecideds are unchanged at 13 per cent, enough of a vote to swing it for Gary or Fionnuala, or to bring Sean back into the race in these polls.

EDU 2

In the Welfare race Eve Kerton still holds a lead but the gap has been cut by the other candidates.

Eve’s support fell from 55 per cent yesterday to 39 per cent today while Ciaran Martin’s support spiked by 19 per cent to 29 per cent.

Catherine’s support also rose 2 per cent to 25 per cent of the vote.

The undecideds make up 7 per cent, down from 11 yesterday.

Welfare 2

Lindsay Butler and Jake Ryan remain the favourites to be Societies Officer.

Lindsay’s support is unchanged at 34 per cent while Jake’s is down one point to 28 per cent.

Mark Young is in third with 11 per cent of the vote, down from 14 yesterday and Niamh Lister is up one to 9 per cent.

The other spike is in the undecided category where 17 per cent of people now say they don’t know who they’ll vote for.

Erin Ni Raghallaigh has just one per cent of the tally.

Socs 2

In the battle to be Humanities Convenor Peadar Gill and David Matthews lead the way with 34 of the 100 respondents naming them, though not all of those 100 were in Humanities.

21 of the 100 said that they were undecided across the campaigns.

Another poll will be available tomorrow for the last day of campaigning before the vote begins.

A Newswire special will be broadcast on DCUfm at 2pm tomorrow with interviews with all the candidates.

 

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Opinion poll shows early favourites in SU races

The first opinion poll of this campaign has given us a good idea of who the early favourites are for the SU positions ahead of the first full week of campaigning.

The Presidential race would seem to be very much a one horse race based on early figures.

Third year Communications student Kenneth Browne has 72 per cent of the vote. Allan Stevenson meanwhile has 10 per cent while Dave Whittle is the choice of 6 per cent of respondents.

Twelve per cent of voters said that they are undecided as to who they will vote for.

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In the race for Vice-President for Education meanwhile it is closer.

Fionnuala Moran has 43 per cent support while Gary Gillick is close behind on 34 per cent. Sean Rooney drew 9 per cent support in our poll while 13 per cent said they were undecided.

In what is the closest of the sabbatical races it is still wide open and the undecideds could change the race significantly for any candidate.

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Eve Kerton leads the Welfare candidates with 57 per cent. Catherine Conneely is second of the three with 23 per cent support. Ciaran Martin meanwhile has 10 per cent of the vote according to the poll.

There is still a sizeable vote to be won with 11 per cent undecided.

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In the Societies Officer race it is tight between Lindsay Butler and Jake Ryan. Lindsay has 34 per cent support while Jake has 29 per cent.

Mark Young trails them with 14 per cent of the tally while Niamh Lister and Erin Ni Raghallaigh have 8 and 4 per cent respectively.

Ten per cent said they were undecided, enough of a vote to give either of the top two an outright lead or to bring one of the other candidates to the fore.

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OTHER RACES

Megan Kavanagh and Rebekah Stacey have split the vote for Office of Student life. However with John Morrin pulling out of the race and two being elected they look set for the office.

The early favourites for the Humanities Convenor position are Peadar Gill and David Matthews with nearly half of respondents naming one of the two as their preferred choice.

With many campaigns still to start after reading week students largely responded that they were undecided as to who they would vote for in the races for Convenor.

We’ll have full interviews with the candidates on Newswire tomorrow at 4 while you can check out profiles of them in the SU Elections tab above.

Agree or disagree? Vote in our new poll now by clicking here to have your say. New results released at the same time tomorrow evening

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Business Convenor Candidate Jack Butterly

Business Convenor Candidate Jack Butterly

Business Convenor Candidate Jack Butterly

 

Reporting by Roisin Nestor

Jack Butterly is a 19 year old Global Business France student from Co. Louth. Jack is running for DCU Business School Convenor in the upcoming student elections.

“Since I’ve arrived at DCU I loved the aspect of getting involved in student life and I decided that this would be the best way to do it for next year,” Jack said, explaining why he ran for the position.

As he is the only student running for the position, Jack faces the challenge of reaching quorum, which is 10% of the Business school. He describes how he was a bit disappointed that there will be no competition but he is still going to run his campaign the same and put in the same amount of effort.

Jack's campaign poster which you may have seen on campus in the past few days

Jack’s campaign poster which you may have seen on campus in the past few days

 

As a First Year student he faces the difficulty that he is relatively new in DCU but he believes his free time and enthusiasm will aid him in his campaign. “I’m more than happy to try my best at the job regardless of if I was a First Year or a Final Year Student”.

One of the points of his campaign is the aim to work with the DCU Student Alumni Initiative to establish business links and let DCU students find out real information to help them in a working environment “Lets get in contact with old DCU students, find out where they are working and see if any current DCU students would love to get in contact with them”. He also proposes to organise a Business School Ball “I think it would be great to get the faculty mingling more”.

“The Student Union have been great since I arrived and I’d love to give back a bit and represent in any way I could”

Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm.

Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School.

For profiles on all  the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen.

You can vote in our poll here and be in with a chance of winning a €20 voucher

 

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Clubs Officer Candidate Ross McCarrick

Clubs Officer candidate Ross McCarrick. The Dominos man is not running for election..

Clubs Officer candidate Ross McCarrick. The Dominos man is not running for election..

Reporting by Jamie Concannon Who he is and how people in DCU would know him. Ross McCarrick is a second year communications student from Tubbercurry in County Sligo who moved up to Dublin last year after being accepted to Dublin City University. People might know him because he is involved in several different aspects in DCU, and was goalkeeper for the All- Ireland winning Fresher’s A Football team last year. He is also heavily involved with different group events involving RAG, Arts Society and MPS, and describes himself as “DCU’s biggest fan”. Ross is well known for his role in the MPS parody of the Anchorman fight scene, where he played a dejected Sligo IT student who only wanted “a bit of the action”. Why is he running for Clubs Officer? Last year he was a member of the Olympic Handball club, but this year they had to move off-campus because they didn’t reach the numbers required by DCU to remain an official club. He says that the reason why he wants to become Clubs Officer is so that he can represent smaller clubs like the Olympic Handball team, and allow them to remain members of DCU and be allowed access to the equipment they need.

Ross's campaign poster which you may have seen on campus in the past few days

Ross’s campaign poster which you may have seen on campus in the past few days

His plans for his campaign. He plans to talk to people around campus and allow them to get to know him, and what he is running for. He is going to put up posters around DCU, and hopes to get a video out to advertise his campaign and to publish a manifesto. You can follow Ross’s campaign on his Facebook page. Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm. Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School. For profiles on all  the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen. You can vote in our poll here and be in with a chance of winning a €20 voucher

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Welfare Candidate Ciaran Martin

Candidate for Vice-President for Welfare of DCU SU, Ciaran Martin

Candidate for Vice-President for Welfare of DCU SU, Ciaran Martin

 

Ciaran Martin is a third year engineering student running for the position for Vice President for Welfare in this year’s Students’ Union elections. He tells us why he decided that he would be specially suited to the role of Welfare Officer.

Ciaran is mainly known for his involvement in societies such as Karting and Snowsports and has attained a number of committee positions in such societies during his time in DCU.

Ciaran Martin's campaign posters that are dotted around DCU campus

Ciaran Martin’s campaign posters that are dotted around DCU campus

 

Ciaran has several ideas when it comes to the events side of the Vice President for Welfare role. He wants to see bigger acts brought in for the various balls that occur throughout the year as well as the introduction of a ‘Summer Day Festival.’

The daytime event would see stands set up throughout the Hub in a similar fashion to Clubs and Socs Days while bands perform in the NuBar. It will be part of an all-day Summer Ball with “a couple hours of a break before the actual Summer Ball.”

As well as the introduction of more water fountains and phone-charging facilities, Ciaran is also focusing on Mental Health with an aim to “decrease the waiting list on the counselling.”

Ciaran’s campaign Facebook page can be accessed here.

Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm.

Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School.

For profiles on all the other candidates for President or the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen.

Meanwhile here is the full interview with candidate Ciaran Martin.

Take part in our survey before the elections and you could be in with a chance to win a 20 euro voucher! Results will be released every evening in the run up to the election itself.

 

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Welfare Candidate Eve Kerton

Candidate for the position of Vice-President for Welfare of DCU SU, Eve Kerton

Candidate for the position of Vice-President for Welfare of DCU SU, Eve Kerton

 

Eve Kerton is a third year Communication Studies student running for the position of Vice President for Welfare in this year’s DCU Students’ Union elections. She told us why this particular sabbatical position caught her eye.

Eve’s face was also on the posters this time last year as she successfully ran for DCU SU’s Societies Officer. Eve feels that her involvement with individual Clubs and Societies has also been noteworthy.

Eve's poster that can be seen around campus during campaigning

Eve’s poster that can be seen around campus during campaigning

 

Mental Health forms an important part of Eve’s manifesto and she would like to ‘revamp’ the way it is approached in DCU by incorporating health and fitness into the issue and to subsequently make it a more positive experience.

One of her plans is to introduce ‘Gratituesday,’ a concept that involves the University’s student body telling the SU about what they are grateful for on that day.

Eve would also like to bring the idea of ‘Walk and Talk’ to the Welfare Working Group in DCU. The plan is to allow people to talk about their concerns while also engaging in a stroll with the group.

Eve’s campaign Facebook page can be accessed here.

Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm.

Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School.

For profiles on all the other candidates for President or the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen.

Meanwhile here is the full interview with candidate Eve Kerton.

 

Take part in our survey before the elections and you could be in with a chance to win a 20 euro voucher! Results will be released every evening in the run up to the election itself.

 

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Welfare Candidate Catherine Conneely

Candidate for Vice President for Welfare of DCUSU, Catherine Conneely

Candidate for Vice President for Welfare of DCU SU, Catherine Conneely

 

Catherine Conneely is a third year Irish and Journalism student aiming to become Vice President for Welfare of the DCU Students’ Union. Why is she running?

With involvement in Drama Society, An Cumann Gaelach, Media Production Society and indeed DCU SU’s events during her time in college, Catherine tells us about her contribution to campus life.

Catherine's campaign poster that can be seen around campus

Catherine’s campaign poster that can be seen around campus

 

Catherine has a manifesto that focuses on three main points: DCU Community, Student Support & Health and Social Policies

DCU Community means getting all faculties involved in student life while building an improved rapport between students and Campus Residences in the college.

Student Support and Heath involves physical, mental and sexual health as well as taking into consideration the financial needs of DCU’s student body.

When it comes to Social Policies and events, Catherine wants to maintain the same number of balls on campus per annum. However, she would like to increase the amount of “late nights” in the university’s social scene.

She would also oversee the introduction of vending machines that contain non-perishable goods such as noodles and “the go-to things that you need after Spar closes.”

Furthermore, there will be a focus on sustainability in the quest to create a greener campus.

Catherine’s campaign Facebook page can be accessed here.

Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm.

Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School.

For profiles on all the other candidates for President or the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen.

Meanwhile here is the full interview with candidate Catherine Conneely.

 

Take part in our survey before the elections and you could be in with a chance to win a 20 euro voucher! Results will be released every evening in the run up to the election itself.

 

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Education Officer Candidate Sean Rooney

Education Officer candidate Sean Rooney

Education Officer candidate Sean Rooney

 

Sean Rooney is a third year Law and Societies student and this is why he is running for DCU SU Vice-President for Education

But what exactly does the Education Officer do? Sean said that he believes that there are two aspects to the job.

“You have to deal with students who come to you with problems. As somebody who was sick in January I can only emphasize how much it means to students who find themselves in a position where they’re unwell or have to take some time out, what it means for an education officer to be there for them.”

He said that on another level the Education Officer is charged with “making sure that that one square foot of real estate that you come out of here with, the piece of paper that you get when you graduate is worth something.”

Sean says that there are three main points to his manifesto.

He says he aims to emphasize the importance of Clubs and Societies.

“The skills that people learn as part of Clubs and Societies are part of their education and it’s important that that is valued so that when I graduate I can say well I sat on a committee in DCU and I learned about fundraising, I learned about committee work, I learned about event management and those are all key things that people need for employment in the 21st century.”

Within the University he says he would like to see an end to some of the “more annoying practices that students have witnessed such as courses not being as they were described.”

He added that on a day-to-day level he would “just love to be there for students the way the Students’ Union Executive has been there for me in the past.”

 

 

When asked what separates him from the other candidates Sean said that he has innovation, drive and the experience in public policy to make a difference over the next 12 months.

Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm.

Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School.

Finally, this is why Sean Rooney thinks you should vote for him for Education Officer:

For profiles on all the other candidates for VP for Education or the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen.

 

Take part in our survey here before the elections and you could be in with a chance to win a 20 euro voucher! Results will be released every evening in the run up to the election itself.

 

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Education Officer Candidate Gary Gillick

Vice-President for Education Candidate Gary Gillick

Vice-President for Education Candidate Gary Gillick

 

Gary Gillick is a 4th year Biotechnology student and here is why he wants to be Vice-President for Education:

Gary says that if he gets elected he “would really like to work on a database system for grinds.

“I’ve been through exams, I’ve failed exams. Everyone has been in that position.

“The worst thing is whenever you’re left failing an exam and you don’t know what to do so you go looking at the walls in the library basically for little slips of paper to pull off. You’re left there ringing someone randomly.

“Sometimes it’s more stressful trying to find the actual people to help you with exams than it is to do the exams” he added.

He also wants to set up a peer mentoring system involving class reps, where class reps from second or third year would brief the younger years on the challenges they faced in that course.

He also said that the Students’ Union can seem daunting to people who have to go up there. He said “I’d like to maybe make the Students’ Union more approachable” and to make it a less formal setting for meeting.

“The more people we can meet, the more approachable we are, I think the better a Students’ Union we can be.”

 

 

When asked what sets him apart from the other competitors Gary said that he has been here a year longer than the other two.

“I feel like I have a good understanding of the exam system, the education system that is here because Biotech is pretty strenuous. So I feel like I’ve got a lot of experience to offer.”

Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm.

Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School.

For profiles on all the other candidates for Education or the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen.

Finally, this is why Gary thinks you should vote for him for VP of Education.

Take part in our survey here before the elections and you could be in with a chance to win a 20 euro voucher! Results will be released every evening in the run up to the election itself.

 

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Education Officer Candidate Fionnuala Moran

Education Officer candidate Fionnuala Moran

Vice-President for Education candidate Fionnuala Moran

 

Fionnuala Moran is a third year Communications student and told us why she wants to be the next Vice-President for Education

But what exactly is the role of the Education Officer? Fionnuala says that she thinks the most important aspect of the job is “the one-to-one consultation you do with students specifically on issues that they have.

“I think I’m a really good people person and a great communicator so I’d like that aspect of the job.

“As well I’ve seen Ciaran do great work this year reforming the class rep system and the convenor systems which I’ve been helping with as well so I’d really love to see that kind of solidified next year and just completed.”

Fionnuala’s manifesto is a rather long one by her own admission.

She says that she wants to look at fixing specific course problems in relation to MINT and Erasmus opportunities in courses.

She says also that she wants to see the college “in line with the e-portfolios that are being introduced next year for all the first year.”

She also wants more “online books as well for students because I know particularly with law students the books are too expensive and it is very hard for them to get them in the library because there is not enough copies.”

Fionnuala says she will look at library opening hours and reforming the extenuating circumstances system, among other things.

She gives a more in-depth outline here:

 

 

When asked what separates her from the other candidates she pointed to the massive amount going on in DCU at the moment and said that her experience on the Students’ Union Exec would stand to her in the job.

“I think it is absolutely invaluable that I have been on the Students’ Union Executive this year.”

Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm.

Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School.

For profiles on all the other candidates for VP for Education or the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen.

Finally, this is why Fionnuala thinks you should vote for her in these elections.

Take part in our survey here before the elections and you could be in with a chance to win a 20 euro voucher! Results will be released every evening in the run up to the election itself.

 

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President Candidate Kenneth Browne

Candidate for President of DCU SU, Kenneth Browne

Candidate for President of DCU SU, Kenneth Browne

Candidate for President of DCU SU, Kenneth Browne

 

Kenneth Browne is a third year Communications student and is running for President of the DCU Students’ Union. He told us why he feels he is the man for the job.

There are a number of things Kenneth says he would change if elected. One thing he would push for is lecturing requirements. “I would like lecturers to  have to go on presentation skills workshops on at the start of each year on an annual basis.

“I have lecturers who have all the knowledge and are brilliant communicators and I have lecturers who might have the knowledge and are just terrible at engaging with a room.

“If we’re paying top dollar for this we should be getting the best classroom experience so I would like to see lecturers undergo presentation workshops.”

He added that he would like to see it paid for with university money.

 

Kenneth explained how people may know him best from his three years in DCU.

Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm.

Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School.

For profiles on all the other candidates for President or the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen.

Meanwhile here is the full interview with candidate Kenneth Browne.

 

Take part in our survey here before the elections and you could be in with a chance to win a 20 euro voucher! Results will be released every evening in the run up to the election itself.

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President Candidate Allan Stevenson

Candidate for DCU SU President Allan Stevenson

Candidate for DCU SU President Allan Stevenson

Candidate for DCU SU President Allan Stevenson

 

Allan Stevenson is an Education and Training student in DCU. Here’s why he is running for SU President.

Allan told us that he wants to see more student engagement on campus and that is part of why he is running.

“I feel a lot of students might not actually want to speak face to face with the SU. They might be shy or they might prefer to write a letter or to do a blog or something along those lines.

“I’d like to implement different ways of communicating rather than just face to face.”

 

 

Allan outlined the reasons why he thinks that he is the best choice for DCU SU President saying “I’ve been able to help out many students over my 3 years as a class rep so I’d like to extend that to the University, not just my class.”

Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm.

Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School.

For profiles on all the other candidates for President or the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen.

Meanwhile here is the full interview with candidate Allan Stevenson.

 

Vote in the SU elections poll here

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President Candidate Dave Whittle

Candidate for the DCU SU Presidency Dave Whittle

Candidate for the DCU SU Presidency Dave Whittle

Candidate for the DCU SU Presidency Dave Whittle

 

Dave Whittle is a postgrad student in the School of Computing and is running for DCU SU President, here’s why

Dave says there are a number of changes that he would make if he was elected President.

“One thing I’d like to do is make sure that there is better entertainment on campus. I think the fact that DCU is so far from town, it’s a bit isolated and we need to have as much good entertainment on campus as we can.”

He said he would also promote access to mental health services for students with a particular focus on online resources.

He added that he would resist any proposed changes to the Christmas exam timetable saying that “there is plans to change the exam timetable to before Christmas and I’ll make sure that students still have a sufficient study week to study for them.”

Here is what Dave says he will support

 

 

Dave said that his face is not as well known on campus compared to other candidates, but that it shouldn’t be held against him

Voting opens at 10am on Wednesday the 26th of March and will end on Thursday the 27th at 5pm.

Polling stations will be located, but not restricted to the Hub, The Street (Henry Grattan) and a floating station between the Nursing Building, the Library and the Business School.

For profiles on all the other candidates for President or the other races visit the SU Elections tab at the top of your screen.

Meanwhile here is the full interview with candidate Dave Whittle.

 

Take part in our survey here before the elections and you could be in with a chance to win a 20 euro voucher! Results will be released every evening in the run up to the election itself.

 

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DCUfm Fresher of Semester 1

fffm

Although he couldn’t be here to accept his award, Here’s Aodhán Farrelly, the DCUfm Fresher of Semester 1!

Aodhán had great involvement with DCUfm since his start and has had a great contribution to the News team and the Station with great shows such as ‘Wake up with AIDZ’ and ‘Rediscover with AIDZ’.

Taken at DCU Media Production Society’s EGM. (Left to right) Brian Mcloughlin; Station Manager, Aodhán Farrelly; Fresher of Semester 1, James Shearer; Deputy Station Manager.

Photographed by Peadar Gill.

 

 

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Welcome to the new DCUfm Website!

Hi guys and welcome to the new DCUfm website!

We love the new look and we hope you do too. Here at DCUfm, we offer students the chance to hone their radio skills and prepare them to be ready for a professional environment. DCUfm offers something for everyone. We offer the best student-orientated radio shows in the country. This year is no different. We want DCUfm to continue its status as the best student radio station in Ireland and you can be involved.

If you have a show on DCUfm, we’ll be sending you an email on how you can log in to your shows’ page and upload content such as photos, info and on-demand episodes!

Email brian@dcufm.com or james@dcufm.com to get involved and make sure to like the DCUfm Facebook page for regular information on the station.

Get ready for an exciting year.

Brian
DCUfm Station Manager

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That’s all for now, folks!

A huge thanks to everybody who was involved with DCUfm this year! We produced tonnes of fantastic radio, learnt a whole load and our hosts won so many awards across the station that we lost count.

We look forward to seeing you all again, along with some new faces, next semester!

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DCUtv 24 Hour Broadcast

For the third year in a row, our media-buddies over at DCUtv will be doing a 24 hour live broadcast! This year, the broadcast is in aid of The Make a Wish foundation, and donations can be made by clicking over to the DCU MPS website and clicking one of the Donate buttons. You’ll also be able to watch the madness unfold, with over 35 different shows including a 24 hour Big Brother, starting at 23:59 tonight, the 19th of April. Also, there are many awesome prizes to be given away to viewers.

Plenty of the DCUfm team are taking part, so we’ll see you there!

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What do I love about DCUfm? – Jenny Darmody – Just Completely Mindblowing

Every day this week we will be publishing answers to a question we asked our members: “What do you love about DCUfm?”

If you want to share the story of why you love DCUfm, email it to Cian@DCUfm.com in 200-300 words!

“DCUfm encourages so much creativity. When I was assigned a show this year with three people I didn’t know, it led two of us to stick to it and create our own show in the next semester. We picked up two others who were fans of the show before and developed an idea.
The main thing that makes DCUfm so fantastic is how inclusive it is; it really is like one family. It brings people together. I’m in third year and the three people I work with in DCUfm on the show I met for the first time this year.
It also allows so much experimentation and is virtually limitless for determined radio presenters. On our show, we have decided to join forces with another great show for a two hour broadcast and that is only possible with the freedom of DCUfm, the talent it attracts and the friendly atmosphere it encourages.
It allows as much or as little input as students are willing and able to put in, which means very busy students can commit to as little as one news bulletin a week, but eager radio heads can push their radio show as far as possible and really create something original that they can be proud of.”

- Jenny Darmody

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What do I love about DCUfm? – James Keogh – LGBTA Weekly

Every day this week we will be publishing answers to a question we asked our members: “What do you love about DCUfm?”

If you want to share the story of why you love DCUfm, email it to Cian@DCUfm.com in 200-300 words!

“Setting up and hosting LGBTA Weekly in the second semester has been a fantastic experience. Not only is it great to broadcast opinions and play some of the best music going, the moments that matter to me the most are the interactions with listeners.

Be it through Twitter, Facebook or Ask.fm, responding to our listeners and supporters has been wonderful. Never in a million years did we think our Twitter account would get recognition from the Human Rights Campaign, the NOH8 Campaign or people such as Jay Brannan and Adam Bouska.

Through Facebook, we’ve been able to reach so many people, clocking approximately 844 people reached as a result of one of our Facebook statuses (yes, it was about one of our presenters doing to show in his underwear if we got enough likes, but still).

And finally, our advice section of the show enabled us to help those in need. By setting up an ask.fm page, listeners were able to anonymously ask us our opinions on their dilemmas. Hopefully, we answered the questions submitted carefully and appropriately. The feeling gained from giving people advice is truly something else.

All of these have made me love DCUfm. I’m so grateful to have been given this experience and so glad to have joined up in semester 2. I will most certainly be back for semester 1 2013!”

- James Keogh

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What do I love about DCUfm? – Declan Clarke, Joyride

Every day this week we will be publishing answers to a question we asked our members: “What do you love about DCUfm?”

If you want to share the story of why you love DCUfm, email it to Cian@DCUfm.com in 200-300 words!

“I’ve only been a part of DCUfm since second semester this year but I can honestly say that the last few weeks have been something special to me. I am the host of a live, electronic music mix show on Friday nights called Joyride. When I applied to DCUfm for the spot, it was for a couple of reasons. I love DJing. Its become somewhat of a passion of mine. I also felt that the station was missing something like live mixing in its schedule and I was also curious about radio in general. After getting the word that I’d be hosting my own show, my levels of excitement only skyrocketed.

I remember how surreal the first show was! I was so nervous because not only was it my first time ever on radio, I was going to be playing live to anyone who was listening. I was so nervous sitting in the hot seat during the couple of mins that transitioned between the previous show and my show. I’d been shown what to do and how everything worked, but we all make mistakes at first try. Our nerves get the better of us. When nine o’clock came around, it was game on! Dropping a bit of Alesso in the mix to kick it off, I uttered my first words into that microphone and suddenly my nerves were gone. I was there, I was in control and I was taking charge! Honestly, I hadn’t felt a rush like that in a while. I was on a little high. I think I knew at that point that this was something I wanted to keep doing.

When I’m there using my Traktor S2 controller to spin an hours worth of tracks, I can’t help but feel in the back of my head like there could be a crowd of people somewhere listening in before they head out for the night, and I’m providing them with substance to build up their night. I even had a crowd of people in the Hub one night dancing to “Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia :P I can honestly say, if someone asked me now “Is DCUfm good? Is it worth going for?”, I would give them a recommendation like no other based on the pure emotion that it releases on you when you’re there.”

- Declan Clarke

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What do I love about DCUfm? – Sean Defoe, The Shack

Every day this week we will be publishing answers to a question we asked our members: “What do you love about DCUfm?”

If you want to share the story of why you love DCUfm, email it to Cian@DCUfm.com in 200-300 words!

“To say that The Shack came from humble beginnings is a massive understatement. Eoin and I began our time in DCUfm the same way that every other first year does, with the assigned shows. Indeed the most memorable bit about my first few words on DCUfm was admitting to the campus that my initials spell STD. Then one day at the end of last semester we decided we would propose a show and from there we never looked back.

Following a few nights of throwing around crazy ideas over cups of tea and overloading a Google doc with plans we had a show proposal together. However since then the show has become so much more for us. People are really willing to invest in something if you give it the time and attention that it deserves and the fact that we have a loyal listenership who have helped us out with ideas and tips means a huge amount.

DCUfm is a culture in DCU and through it you make friends but more importantly you make family. You meet people who think the same way you think and who build a culture of support around each other. The Shack as a show would not be half as good without the help of other shows and the DJ’s from those shows. Everyone is willing to help each other out and it all leads to fantastic radio being made by fantastic people.

We were lucky enough to be chosen as DJs of the year at this year’s Hybrid awards, however our entry featured sketches that we did with other people from DCUfm and I’m certain we wouldn’t have won without them.

In less than a year the group of enthusiastic first years that landed into assigned shows with Eoin and I have become presenters and contributors that rival the standard on many professional radio stations. They have been trained to use the equipment in the studio that is the same equipment used by the likes of Newstalk and RTÉ but more importantly they have created a culture of professionalism, excellence and fun. DCUfm is a great place to be and I can say that my life would not be what it is today without the station.”

- Sean Defoe

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What do I love about DCUfm? – Sarah Stacey, The Rock Files

Every day this week we will be publishing answers to a question we asked our members: “What do you love about DCUfm?” 

If you want to share the story of why you love DCUfm, email it to Cian@DCUfm.com in 200-300 words!

“Before I came to college, I knew that I wanted to get involved with DCUfm. I’d always been interested in radio and had done a little bit of work experience in my local station, but I was otherwise a complete beginner. When I arrived at DCU last September, I was welcomed into the station along with all the other new people straight away. It didn’t matter how little we knew; we were shown exactly how everything worked by a fantastic team of people who made us all feel like we each had an important role to play in the station.

I’m now almost finished my first year here, and getting involved with DCUfm has been by far the best thing I have done. What I love most about DCUfm is how supportive and close-knit it is. There is always someone around to help you out if you need it, and you never stop learning. Everyone is so dedicated to what they do.

This semester a friend and I have been presenting a Thursday evening rock music show called The Rock Files, which is the highlight of our week. This is the kind of show I used to wish I could do some day, and DCUfm has given me a platform to do it. I know that I would never have been able to do this any other way, so DCUfm has truly been an amazing experience for me. I’m excited about continuing to be a part of this station for the next two years, and I know that the experience I’m gaining here will be vital for my future.”

- Sarah Stacey, The Rock Files

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Results of the DCUfm News/The College View DCUSU Opinion Poll

The results of the DCUfm NewsThe College View DCUSU Opinion Poll are as follows:

Total Votes: 234

Will you vote in the DCUSU 2013 Elections? YES: 97% NO: 3%

VP for Welfare: Total votes 219. Laura Rice 146 votes – 66%, Lorna Finnegan 72 votes – 33%.

VP for Education: Total votes 215. Ciaran O’ Connor 180 votes – 84%. Robbie Reid 34 votes – 16%.

SU President: Total votes 222. Aaron Clogher 104 votes – 47%. Colin Brennan 117 votes – 53%.

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Business Convenor Candidate

Alan Prendergast 

Alan is a 20-year-old second year Accounting & Finance student. He lives in Gorey in Co. Wexford but originally hails from Co. Limerick.

Alan is interested in sport and plays a lot of soccer and GAA and is a treasurer for his local soccer club. He will be completing an internship for Ernest & Young over the summer.

The main focus of his manifesto is the DCU Business School Entrepreneur of the Year. Alan hopes to use this award to find someone who has the potential to be the next big person to come out of DCU’s Business School.

He also hopes to set up mock interviews for people who are going for internships. He believes that with more preparation, people can come across a lot better in interviews.

If elected to the position, Alan also hopes to lobby the DCU library to extend their opening hours around exam time. He says that even if they just open the library for one more hour a day over the two weeks before exams, it would make a huge difference to students.

Alan Prendergast is running unopposed for the position of Business Convenor for the year 2013/2014.  

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DCUSU Opinion Poll Update

As DCU students prepare to go to the polls next week to elect a new Students’ Union, DCUfm and The College View have teamed up to run a joint opinion poll on who you will be voting for in the coming election.

The final results of the poll will be released on Tuesday night, but until then, we’ve summed up some of the early points of how campaigning for the three sabbatical positions has been going so far. We’ve also looked at who’s taking the early lead in the opinion poll.

Click the play button below to hear more

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If you have not yet voted in our poll, you can do so by clicking here. You can also read The College View’s analysis here.

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Vice President for Education Candidates

Ciaran O’Connor

ciaranedit

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Ciaran O’Connor, while not known around DCU for his politics, will certainly be a familiar face for those involved in society life – especially in his work in the Media Production Society.

As Manager of DCUfm, Ciaran has worked for the past 3 years within the station as a leading member of the newsteam, and has been at the heart of several award-winning programmes. So, does this media head have what it takes to match the experience of his rival candidate, Robbie Reid?

“The Students Union is something that has always interested me since my wide eyed, fresher days of First Year. For many, the Students Union is a voice; to help, to encourage, to sing along with, to represent and much more. I’ve always enjoyed helping people and going for Education Officer, that’s what I want the role to be all about.”

O’Connor, a final year Communications student, thinks that a few simple ideas will go a long way towards helping DCU students. His manifesto includes the creation of an employability (is that a word?) workshop, promotion of the Uaneen Module, better integration of Moodle, and also a commitment to further the cause of LGBT students in the university.

It’s all very well and good for a candidate to write down A, B and C and promise the world. I am not about that. The role of Education Officer is a demanding job and takes a strong and dedicated person to be able to do it, and do it well. I know I am that person. I think I would do very well in the job, I wouldn’t go for it otherwise.”

Robbie Reid

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Robbie Reid is currently a final year chemical and pharmaceutical science student. Heavily involved in DCUSU politics and Class Rep Council, he will be a familiar face to anyone who has already put a toe in the waters of campus politics.

Reid ran unsuccessfully for Science and Health Convener last year, but insists that he has learned from the experience.

“I’ve decided to run for this position because I have invested heavily in this union and I want to see it do it’s very best to represent and fight for every student. I believe on this union and I believe in the students.”

Despite being absent from the Hustings due to a chemistry lecture commitment, Reid impressed on air on DCUfm, and is clearly a strong contender for the post. As a Class Rep, and a former member of the Electoral Committee, Reid has a strong head for student political wrangling. His manifesto includes issues such as: “Increase of awareness of academic supports and services, fix the communications issue between the SU and the Students and more information on compensation for students.”

I’ve decided to run for this position because I have invested heavily in this union and I want to see it do it’s very best to represent and fight for every student. I believe on this union and I believe in the students. The reason I am running for the position of education officer is because, at the end of the day we are in university to learn, to be educated and to better our selves.”

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Candidates for Humanities Convenor

Finn MoranFionnuala Moran 

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Fionnuala Moran is a second year communications student who is involved in various clubs and societies including style soc’s Fashion Show event held recently. She says her class rep and electoral committee experience gave her an appetite to become the faculty convenor this year.

“I feel like I probably have the upper hand in that regard that I have more experience almost to bring to the job, just of the SU and how it works and different bits like that.”

Many students are not aware of the role that the convenor has and Fionnuala says that she wants to “revolutionize it next year and make it a very definite position and have the students to see me as someone they can approach easily.”

She says that there has been a lack of communication between programme boards and the students which she would seek to address. “It has resulted in things like theses being cut and the students are not happy with that at all but the information is getting to them too late to do anything about it realistically.”

Mark YoungMark Young

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Mark Young Is a first year multimedia student and an active member in societies such as Fotosoc and Drama soc. He says that he wants to run for the position of humanities convenor to provide a welcoming figure for people in the faculty.

“When I came to DCU I was approached by such lovely people who were intent on making sure that I had the best time as I could in college; I want to make sure that people in communications and the entire school get the most out of college life.”

A part of Mark’s manifesto is to set up a twitter page to inform students about issues in an informal way. He also raised the possibility of a website to direct new students who are not very familiar with the campus.

When asked if he thought the fact that he is a first year while his opponent is not would have an impact on voters he said it may hinder him at first but that “it would honestly not take me that long to catch up with that (Fionnuala’s experience) and from there on in I would do just as well.”

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DCU SU Election 2013 coverage

Like last year, DCUfm will be bringing you the most up-to-date and comprehensive election coverage for this year’s DCU SU Elections. Listen in to our hourly bulletins, Newswire and follow our award-winning newsteam on Twitter and Facebook.

We also are bringing back our GIANT Election Hub where we will be posting plenty of blog posts daily. Right now, there are interviews and profiles of some of the candidates, with more coming soon. Check out last year’s election coverage here, if you want to see what this hub will be in the coming days.

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Presidential Candidates

Colin Brennan

CB
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Galway man Colin Brennan is a final year journalism student and self-described “bit of a character”, who is hoping to take Paul Doherty’s seat as SU President in the next academic year.
Making existing services on campus more accessible is the leading point of his manifesto. He believes the medical, career, and counseling services need better publication, and that students are missing out on these.
Pending approval from next year’s management at the station, he plans to utilize a proposed Tuesday morning show on DCUfm, where he would present the news and issues of the week to students live on-air, and also hang around in the Hub providing tea, coffee, and a chat afterwards.
He also plans to take promote Clubs and Socs, improving on the existing structure and ensuring that more students actively take part in event, something which will hinge on his relationship with Eve Kerton and Kenneth Browne, who are set to become Societies and Clubs Officers respectively unless nominations in their category are reopened.

Aaron Clogher

AC
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Many will already be familiar already with Aaron Clogher, the current Vice-President for Education with DCU Students’ Union.
This means he has already performed the role of SU President, albeit in an Acting capacity when Paul Doherty was unavailable.
He believes his experience will be crucial next year when DCUSU amalgamates with those of St.Pat’s, the Institute of Education, and Mater Dei, as well as when the new Student Centre replaces The Hub.
Also he believes there have been a lot of success in the SU during his time as Education VP, but he feels that improvements can still be made in the SU and in the wider university to allow students to be better represented.
To do this, he aims to increase the prominence of class reps, a role which has been called into question recently with falling attendance at Class Rep Council meetings. This would become the most important function for the next Education VP, set to be either Robbie Reid or Ciaran O’Connor.

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Vice President for Welfare Candidates

Lorna FinneganIMG_0977

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Lorna is a 20-year-old third year Communications Studies student. She came to DCU when she was just 17-years-old from Virginia, Co Cavan.

In first year, Lorna joined DCU Ladies GAA, despite admitting to be ‘shite at football’. She’s also involved in the Raise and Give (RAG) Society, and coaches young people in Ballymun in football every week. Lorna is the outgoing DCU Clubs Officer.

Lorna says she has had the best three years of her life in DCU and believes that running for Welfare Officer in the SU is the best way to give back to the college.

Lorna says that she wants students to be aware of the support that is available to them, particularly sexual health education. She wants to make SHAG Week a bi-annual event.

She says if elected to the position, she would like to promote community spirit in DCU. She feels that this has deflated in DCU lately and needs to be re-boosted. Lorna believes that little things like setting up a car-pooling system within DCU would help to do this.

Lorna Finnegan is running for Vice President for Welfare in DCU for the year 2013/2014.

IMG_0976Laura Rice

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Laura is 21 years old and is also a third year Communications Studies student. She is originally a farmer from Fethard, Co. Tipperary.

Laura is a singer-songwriter and will be recording an EP shortly. She is the current station manager of DCUtv, although she has stepped down from this role for the duration of the SU campaigning process. She is also involved in MPS, Music Society, Drama Society, Karting Society.

She says she wants to help students and make the Union all about them.

Sexual education is a huge part of Laura’s manifesto, and she hopes to look at the more nitty gritty side of sexuality in DCU if elected. She also wants to set up safe spots around the area of the college, where students can go to get help if they are feeling threatened. She has vowed to bring back the Welfare Working Group if she is elected as Welfare Officer.

Laura says she is an extremely hard-worker and that there is a joke among her friends that there are three Laura Rices because she works across such a broad range of jobs and committees.

Laura Rice is running for Vice President for Welfare in DCU for the year 2013/2014.

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Candidates for Office of Student Life

NB: Muireann and Paul met on the afternoon of the hustings and agreed to run a joint campaign and to each take one of the two positions available within the OSL for the coming year.

 

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Paul Doherty

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Paul Doherty is a well-known face around the DCU campus. The Donegal student is coming to the end of his year as Student Union President. and will now return to complete his fourth and final year in his undergraduate degree programme.

While he will no longer be head of the SU he does want to remain, in some way, connected to the SU and staying involved with the OSL seems to be a logical and natural way to do that.

He is looking forward to taking a step back next year and getting back to his own education but still being able to keep “one toe in the water of the OSL” and remain connected to the Students’ Union, and therefore the students, in this way.

 

 

photoMuireann Morrisey

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Muireann Morrissey is a first year law student and is heavily involved with the DCU Surf ‘n’ Sail club. Her fellow club members encouraged her to get involved with The Office of Student Life and she views it as an opportunity to get diverse, hands-on experience within the Students Union but without having to pick a specific area in which to do so.

Muireann feels that becoming involved with the OSL will help to give her a voice within the SU. She also feels that every single club and society within DCU has a lot to offer but that some are not getting the funding and/or attention they need.

This is something she would like to explore further during her time with the OSL.

 

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And we’re back!

We are entering into week two of Semester 2, and it’s the earliest DCUfm has ever started broadcast! We have a record number of shows taking part, a record number of volunteers and will hopefully produce a record amount of fantastic student radio.

It took us a long time to schedule everything, but we managed to fit everybody who wanted to be on the station into the schedule at some stage throughout the week, and we are very excited to hear what you guys do with a fantastic resource for radio education.

See you in the studio,

DCUfm Management

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Show Proposals 2012/2013 Semester 2

It is time to propose your show! Closing date for show proposals is Friday the 4th of January or whenever our slots are filled (most likely well before that), so get these in ASAP. Everybody must propose their show, even shows that have been on DCUfm in the past, including last semester. Shows which are not proposed and just ‘presumed’ to be continuing will be cancelled, as we won’t have full record of them when we are building our schedules.

This semester, anybody who was part of DCUfm during semester 1 and who attended the training sessions can propose a show. If you’d prefer to be assigned a show, we will be reopening that process in the new year. If you have not been part of DCUfm before, you may not propose a show, and will be assigned a show. Simply reporting on a show such as Action Replay or Newswire does not count, as you are unlikely be be aware of how the majority of the station operates. Training sessions will be run again in the new year.

For more info, please click “More”.

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Rag Rumble commentary stream

The event is now over. Thanks to everybody who helped us pull it off! We hope to have the audio available in the coming weeks. 

DCUfm will be providing special live ringside commentary for the DCU RAG Rumble later today (Tuesday the 11th of December). The stream will be available from 8pm.

Commentary, stats and general ringside banter will be provided by Gavin Cawley and Barry Lennihan, of DCUfm’s Action Replay and Newswire.

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Managing DCUfm – What I do and What I love!

The main bulk of my work with DCUfm revolves around the day to day management of the station. This involves dealing with any issues that a member of DCUfm has. I’ve showed people how to take their show recordings off the system countless times, instructed how to use Music Beds effectively, plugging shows online and much more. The other large part of my ongoing work in the station is Scheduling. Music has to be scheduled for every day, but thankfully, this does not mean sitting down every night to plot the next days music.

Our system, RCS, does a lot of this work for us. You can tell it what it should play, and it works through random selection from there on. I can tell it to play Rock Music at 2.30 in the morning, and it chooses the song based on a number of different factors. Each show has what’s called a clock, so if it’s primarily a chat show, you schedule less music and leave more time for talking. This has to be done for every show. However, this is boring to talk about. A lot of my work is boring, essential work. I love it.

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Inside Management – Proposal Pitfalls

One of the most stressful times for managers of Student Radio Stations all over the world is the proposal process. I spoke a little bit about it in last week’s blog post, but here I’m going to go into much more detail.

The thing about student radio is that it is a constant battle between giving people enough freedom to have fun and learn, while still restricting them so that they don’t bore the pants off of the listener. Of course, there is no magic formula to this, but a solid show proposal is the first good indicator that a show won’t be too much trouble.

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Management Confessions

My name is Ciarán and I’m a Radio Addict.

These “Inside Management” posts will hopefully give a good insight into what goes on behind the scenes here in DCUfm.

However, a wee synopsis of my journey to date before I begin rambling. I joined DCUfm when I came to DCU in Septemeber 2010. I had no Radio experience whatsoever and chose Communication Studies because it seemed like it suited the type of person I am and the things I’m into. I started off dialling phones and scanning newspapers behind the scenes on Newswire, the flagship Current Affairs show on our beloved dear station. I worked and worked on that and I remember the sheer thrill of getting a high profile Politician on the line. It sounds very sad and pathetic. It is very sad and pathetic. I love it!

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Newswire 26th Nov 2012

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Róisín Treacy speaks to Michael Moynihan, Fianna Fáil spokesperson for Communications, on his letter to RTÉ and the BAI regarding the fallout from the Frontline Tweetgate.

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Should the Senead by abolished? 55% of those surveyed by the Irish Times said it should. Nicky Ryan spoke to Labour Senator John Gilroy on the issue.

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The latest from Bangladesh, Tahrir Square, and Catalonia with Ciaran O’Connor

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Minister for Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation, Richard Bruton was in DCU to launch a new cloud computing centre. Sam Griffin went along to find out more.

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Thousands marched against austerity on Saturday, Tiffany Moran got reaction from those on the ground

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Glued to Love/Hate? Barry Lenihan sat down with DCU’s media expert Mark O’Brien and crime and security journalist with the Sunday Independent Jim Cusack to find out if it was glorifying the Irish crime scene.

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ALONE launched its ‘Share the Christmas Spirit’ campaign today, to make people aware of the eldery who might spend this Christmas alone. Aoife Rice-Murphy spoke to CEO Sean Moynihan to find out more

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How to run a Student Radio Station – The Story so Far

Here at DCUfm, we regularly get emails asking how we do what we do, why we do what we do and the problems and pitfalls that we have overcome. “Inside Management” is a weekly series of blogposts which aims to compile as much information as we possibly can on what it takes to run a full-time college radio station, broadcasting from 9am until midnight every weekday. We’ll also be sharing fun behind the scenes moments, and a little bit of insider knowledge. For the first two posts, both coming this week, Ciaran and I will be discussing what we have done so far to get this year off the ground.

Firstly though, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Cian Mac Mahon, and I have been involved in DCUfm since 2010. In my first year of involvement, I started off simply rebroadcasting my podcast, View From The Quad, but near the end of the year became more and more involved in working on the website. In 2011, I was appointed Technical Manager, and was completely in charge of the website, as well as many of the technical hardware in the station. I rebuilt the site to be more streamlined and user accessible, a process that I hope to cover at some future point in this series. In 2012, I was elected Deputy Station Manager, and here I am!

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DCU Review 22nd November

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Former Editor of the College View, Brendan White, explains to DCU Review why he chose to step down this week.

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Roisin Treacy reports for DCU Review from this week’s debate on the Fees Referendum.

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An insightful look into the life of a cleaner in DCU, by Journalism student Celine Loriou.

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Eyewitness audio from the Nov 22nd DCU Robbery

On the 22nd of November, a robbery occurred directly outside DCUfm. The live show at the time covered it, and the DCUfm News Team obtained eyewitness reports directly after the occurrence. It was livetweeted on the @DCUfmNews twitter account.

 

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DCUfm News obtain eyewitness reports – Listen above, download here

 

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DCUfm news interview Hodges Figgis employee regarding the robbery, confirming the money was taken from them – Listen above, download here

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Newswire 19th November 2012 – Fees referendum

Students will go to the polls this week to decide their stance on the future funding of higher education.

The following question will appear on the ballot paper and students will answer in order of preference:

Do you want the Students’ Union to lobby for the:

- Introduction of means tested Tuition Fees
- Introduction of Graduate Tax
- Introduction of a Student Loan Scheme
- Student Contribution Fee of €3,000 (status-quo)
- Introduction of a fully free system funded by conventional taxation

On Monday night, a debate was held on the issue with speakers arguing the pros and cons of each topic.

 

First up to the podium was Jack Maloney of Debate Soc, arguing in favour of a graduate tax.

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Paul Henry of DCU Young Fine Gael spoke on the subject of the student loan.

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DCU Ógra Fianna Fáil’s Barry Gillen also spoke on behalf of the student loan.

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Ronan Horde from the DCU Socialist Party argued on the motion of fully free education.

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Chair of DCU Labour Sean Rooney concluded the debate, also speaking in favour of fully free education.

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Q&A

“Question 1 – Where will the extra income for free education come from?”

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Question 2 – How is the loan scheme different from just walking into a bank and getting a normal loan?

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Question 3 – How can we trust the government to use any kind of graduate tax to fund education?

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Question 4 & 5 – With the loan system, how do we guard against year on year increases? and Will people who graduated from college several years ago have to pay a potential graduate tax?

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Question 6 – Why isn’t education the priority for the government?

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Returning Officer Steve Conlon concluded the meeting by encouraging students to go out and have their say on Wednesday and Thursday.

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National Media Conference Liveblogs

We’ll be posting liveblogs of the two National Media Conference panels that DCUfm members are taking part in.

Why aren’t there more young people in National Radio? – Cian Mac Mahon, Deputy Station Manager – 15:00 – 15:45

Overcoming Limitations: What makes radio a unique medium? – Ciaran O’Connor, Station Manager – 15:45 – 16:30

Is Irish Radio failing it’s listeners – Russell James Alford (DCUfm Deputy Station Manager 2011/2012)

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Newswire US Election 2012 coverage

HENRY HEALY

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Barack Obama’s cousin, Henry Healy, tells Nick Sheridan about his most famous relative, and his hopes for the night to come. Recorded at the US Embassy Election Event at the Guinness Storehouse.

IVANA BACIK

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Senator Ivana Bacik talks Obama’s potential for the next four years, and why the Irish people love him. Recorded at the US Embassy Election Event at the Guinness Storehouse.

MATTIE MCGRATH

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Independent TD Mattie McGrath tells Nick Sheridan why he thinks Barack Obama will have the edge on election night. Recorded at the US Embassy Election Event at the Guinness Storehouse.

MICHAEL HEALY RAE

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Michael Healy-Rae explains the intricate connection between the US and Ireland, and how Barack Obama has capitalised on that relationship. Recorded at the US Embassy Election Event at the Guinness Storehouse.

SIMON COVENEY

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Government Minister Simon Coveney tells Nick Sheridan how he thinks the election will go, and what the result will mean for Ireland.  Recorded at the US Embassy Election Event at the Guinness Storehouse.
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Charity broadcast success!

The morning eventually came around for the tired Ciaran and the hoarse Colin. As the clock struck 9am, the Grand Total raised by them in their 24 hour stint was €830.62, which is all going directly to Headstrong.

Colin and Ciaran want to publicly thank everyone who donated not just money, but time as well. The 24 hours passed by in no time thanks to continuous visits, interviews and many sing-a-longs! As they made for bed Thursday, DCUfm kicked into it’s Morning schedule and shows fed off the atmosphere (and distinct BO smell) that filled the Studio during the night.

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DCUfm 24 Hour Charity Broadcast

As part of the DCU Students Union mental health awareness week we are doing two main events: a 24-hour Charity Broadcast on DCUfm( with Colin and Ciaran) and a 28-hour outdoor camping fast (with Neil Collins and Neil Mulhern) which makes up our 50 hour charity drive.

Headstrong is a very worthy cause and we would very much appreciate your support in helping us to raise funds for them, so donate around any of the buckets you can find in DCU, or online here!

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Custom Player

This theme includes an in-built and ready to use jPlayer plugin to display your playlists.

You can create an unlimited number of playlist, with self hosted songs, with a custom logo and options for each.

For each song, you can set “buy” links to itunes, amazon or your own store; You can upload an artwork for each track and even allow free download for chosen songs. Awesome, right?

And there is more!  You can share your hosted custom player’s url or embed code by simply clicking on the “share” icon on the top right of the player.

Any playlist can be embed anywhere!!! exemple here

More about the jPlayer

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Audio Post

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Gallery

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New Album Artwork Revealed!!

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The Future Forms of Life

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World Tour Dates Announced!

Europe

23.10.2012 – Totem – Pamplona, Spain
25.10.2012 – Capitol – Santiago de Compostela, Spain
26.10.2012 – La Riviera – Madrid, Spain
27.10.2012 – Razzmatazz 2 – Barcelona, Spain

South America

21.11.2012 – Teatro Caupolican – Santiago, Chile
23.11.2012 – Teatro Flores – Buenos Aires, Argentina
25.11.2012 – Carioca Club – Sao Paulo, Brazil
27.11.2012 – Club Platense – Montevideo, Uruguay
29.11.2012 – Cet.Conv. Scencia de la Molina – Lima, Peru
01.12.2012 – Club Peppers – San José, Costa Rica
04.12.2012 – Circo Volador – Mexico City, Mexico

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