Welcome,
My name is Shane Murphy and I’m your Deputy President and Campaigns officer for the 2011/12 year. The job of Deputy President was split into two parts this year with the creation of the Communication and Commercial Officer. The new Deputy President has many different parts, which interacts with the student body in multitude of ways. Primarily my role is to represent students on a political and activist level, below you will find my job broken down into separate sections.
Campaigns Officer
Campaigns are the most visible activity the Union engages in, they range from mental health awareness campaigns to full blown protests on the streets. As Deputy President I am in charge of sourcing all material for whatever campaigns may arise. I am also responsible for strategizing how the SU campaigns on a political level in the fight against fees. While the Welfare and Education officers, as well as external campaigns from USI, usually choose the theme of a campaign, I determine the scope and scale of all campaigns and ensure that we have sufficient volunteers and resources available to accomplish the Campaigns goal. Campaigning takes two intertwined but separate formats; grassroots activism and Lobbying.
· Lobbying: As Deputy President it is my job to ensure that the media, political figures and the University are made aware of the hardship and danger facing the student body. With this in mind I sit on a number of committees and directly lobby the media and local politicians on student issues. I act in coordination with the National USI campaign to ensure that no further cutbacks are subjected on third level education.
· Activism: I am also in charge of facilitating and encouraging student activism on any and all issues that come before Student Council. Grass-roots activism is the historical basis of the Student Movement and its benefits are beyond measure. This can range from environmental concerns to the banning of Coco-a-cola on Campus. Any and all concerns are welcome before Student Council.
As you can see being the Campaigns Officer means I cover a number of broad issues that directly affect students and it is the epicenter of my role.
Deputy President
As Deputy President I work closely with the President in his work and when the need arises I deputize on his behalf. This normally happens when the President can’t do his job (which happens more than you would think), sickness or run of the mill delays etc but it also includes times when there is a conflict of interest between the President and his duties. Because of this I sit on a large number of committees and panels as the President’s nomination or alongside him so that when the need arises I can step into the role smoothly and with as little disruption as possible.
If you would like to contact me or get involved in any of the aspects of the SU I am responsible for, please contact me at the details on the right hand side of the page!
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I wish you all the best of luck in UCC and hopefully ill see you around.
Warmest Regards,
Shane Murphy
Personal Info:
Shane is 21 and from Carrigaline Co. Cork having gone though all three stages of his education here in Cork city. He studied Politics and History in UCC for the last three years. During this time Shane was involved in a number of society’s and student activates. He was the College representative for Arts, Celtic studies and Social science, committee member of Journalism Society, Hot beverages appreciation society. Shane was also heavily involved with the Peer Support Program since its inception acting a peer support leader to two years of incoming first years and sitting on its entertainments committee. His favorite moment in UCC was The Arts ball in his first year at college.
