Kris McElhinney, a 23 year-old History and Politics grad from Waterford, is currently servicing as the Students’ Union President of University College Cork. He has taken the time out from to give you a detailed, colourful account of what may await you in this exciting university-centred city on the south-coast! What’s your city/town like? Cork is a vibrant, young city that offers all [...]

Who is Kris with a Kay Why I’m standing My name is Kris McElhinney and I am a candidate for the post of UCC Students’ Union President in the elections to be held on Tuesday 27th & Wednesday 28th of February 2007.I am currently Societies Guild President, and last year I was a sabbatical officer with the Students’ Union (Communications officer) Within the Presidential race I believe [...]

Food is always a big item on the agenda of SU candidates – but is rarely on the agenda for the University. For once this is a fixable problem. Between this SU and the next the catering contract will be renegotiated. It is essential to hit the ground running and I pledge to continue the fight to introduce competition for catering on campus, and to ensure that the price control mechanism remains are [...]

My philosophy with regard the students union is one of buy one get one free. When you pay into the Union you should get cheap and freely available entertainments – like an insurance policy you get the welfare and educational representation and support as the ‘free’. From special events like a student Gig on the Quad to regular entertainments that you can see all year round I want to build [...]

Simply put we just don’t have enough books and what we do have we need more of. While I would love to promise I’ll come to office with a van load of new books – I cant. It is essential though that the SU keeps up pressure on the college to provide the necessary resources. Our libraries must be the priority! As anyone in courses which have large classes like Arts, Law and Sciences will tell you. [...]

Printing Every year, 12 million pages are printed in UCC. On any given day of the week, students queue for printing facilities in UCC. Even in the run-up to exams, few if any queue for library space (where there is full library capacity). Hundred of hours of study time are wasted by queuing for printers this can only get worse in the current arrangement The number of printers in the open access labs [...]

Student Centre Thanks to the good work of past presidents Richie & Padraig the Student Centre Hall is gradually being opened up (as demonstrated during Rag week). This must continue. Things aren’t fixed just yet. Student groups like clubs and societies are still being charged for ‘set-up costs’ that they can ill-afford –this is money comes from you. Crazy when you think who paid for the [...]

At present, medical, music, ZEPS, and nursing students are isolated by their remoteness from central campus. The risk that they will be ignored has already been breached. The Students Union must actively reach out to students in these off-campus areas and improve their representation. They are paid up members too. An important aspect in over coming this neglect must be to provide the centres with [...]

UCCSU doesn’t have the resources and space to be a union like those in the UK but services should still be used to draw students in. For instance, space could be used to sell UCC merchandise for Clubs. At present it is just stored in the Mardyke. Schemes like the memorysticks should be continued – finding things students need then getting then at cost price. When I brough in memory sticks last [...]

Every academic year there are problems in the area of student accommodation, both in UCC Campus accommodation and with private landlords. From fires to unpublicised building work. Students are adults and pay a considerable rent for second class status. They should be treated as any other Tenant. They should have the right to decide what they do with their accommodation – e.g. be allowed to have [...]