Edmund Heaphy | Deputy Editor
Jack Leahy has been elected Vice President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI).
Leahy, 23, served as Education Officer of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) in the 2013/14 academic year, and is the current News Editor of The University Times.
Leahy received 144 of the total possible 211 votes from delegates at USI’s National Congress, currently being held over the course of four days in Athlone.
Leahy had received the backing of delegates from DCU, TCD, UCC, IADT, NUIG, GMIT, and DIT. Many students’ unions mandate their delegates to vote for certain candidates on the basis of hustings events held over the past number of months.
Separately, Kevin Donoghue was elected President of USI, while Annie Hoey, an uncontested candidate, was re-elected to the position of Vice President for Equality and Citizenship. Both Donoghue and Hoey had received the backing of Trinity delegates earlier this month. Aoife Ní Shúilleabháin, who also received the backing of TCDSU, was elected Vice President for Welfare. Dan Waugh, an uncontested candidate for the position of Vice President for Campaigns, was elected without issue.
Leahy has been an active campaigner since the beginning of his time in Trinity, and served in a number of key union positions during his time. A final year student in History, Leahy previously served as Finance & Services Officer and as secretary to TCDSU Council.
Leahy, an outstanding journalist, has also served in several senior editorial positions in The University Times. Currently News Editor for the second time, he previously served as Sports Editor and as Deputy Sports Editor, contributing significantly to the development of the newspaper. This year alone, he has broken several key College news stories.
He ran primarily on a platform of understanding that the issues faced by students in third-level institutions are similar, not coincidentally he said, but because of an ideology that is sweeping the country. He advocates the ending of fee exploitation of non-EU international students and said he would establish a voice for technological universities, among other things.
Leahy serves as News Editor until July 2015, when he will take up his position in USI.
Correction: 17:10, March 25, 2015
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that, in addition to being elected Vice President for Academic Affairs, that Leahy had been elected Deputy President of USI. In fact, a nomination for Deputy President will be proposed by the USI President and ratified by the union’s National Council, a council formed from members of the officer board and one delegate from each member union, at its first meeting of the next term.
