“Wait, Who’s In Charge of That?” - Explaining the MSU Ahead of Elections
Blink and you’ll surely miss it; Maynooth Students’ Union (MSU)’s March Executive and Senate Elections are here. We at Silver Hand Journal will give you all the election coverage you need to decide who gets your vote, and what that vote actually means for the campus.
Silver Hand are bringing the MSU elections back to the basics, breaking down who works where, who does what, and why things are the way they are within the branches and sectors of the Union. Nominations close Wednesday, 25th of February, so whether you are a seasoned voter or it’s your first time looking into student politics, start thinking about the issues the Union needs to address as soon as possible!
THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
The Electoral Commission is tasked with overseeing MSU elections and referendums in all areas, including electoral appeals, campaign expenditure, and sanctioning members. Within the Electoral Commission, a Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, and Secretary are elected by the Commission’s members.
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The purpose of the Board of Trustees is to oversee the long-term interests of the Union and have oversight and responsibility of the Union’s financial, trading, budgetary, and governance matters. They approve strategic plans and the Annual Budget, and issue policy with regards to audits, governance, facilities, and services. Members of the Board are appointed to a three-year term.
THE MSU SENATE
The Senate is the core of the MSU. Comprised of the MSU Executive, Student Academic Reps, and directly elected Student Senators, ensures a wide representation of student interests.
The membership of the Student Senate consists of the following panels:
Executive Panel
Faculty Assemblies Panel
Postgraduate Panel
Interest Group Panel
Independent Panel
Within each panel are Senators tasked with different areas of college life. A few examples would be the Commuter Senator on the Interest Group Panel, or the Oifigeach na Gaeilge (Irish Language Officer) on the Executive Panel. The Independent Panel is for those who want to be a voice for multiple college sectors, rather than one specific aspect
The Student Senate shall normally meet six times per academic year, typically with three meetings per semester. All members of the Student Senate are voting members, except for the following: Speaker of the Student Senate, Clerk of the Student Senate, and Clerk-Assistant of the Student Senate. The Speaker is an external position, like chairs of other SU councils like TUD and AMLÉ. A person sends in an application, and there is a selection committee to ensure it would not be a student going for the role, leaving it up to the Senate. The clerk is a staff member who maintains continuity between Senate sittings, along with the Assistant Clerk.
They ensure the MSU Constitution is upheld and adhered to, whilst holding the MSU officers accountable for their work and actions once elected.
THE MSU ELECTIVE
The MSU Elective sits within the Senate, comprised of full-time and part-time officers. In the past, there have been four full-time officer positions: MSU President, VP of Academic Affairs, VP, Welfare and Equality, and VP for Student Life. However, this year there will be 4, as the VP for Welfare and Equality is to be split into a VP for Welfare and a VP for Equity and Inclusion, respectively.. It is up to the elected President to decide who is appointed Deputy President and decide the order of succession among the VPs.
No individual may serve for more than two terms in any one part-time officer position and no more than three terms in any combination of part-time officer positions.
No individual may serve for more than two terms in any one sabbatical position and no more than three terms in any combination of sabbatical positions.
No individual may serve for more than four years on the Executive in any position.
As per the MSU, no current positions are up due to term limits.
Maynooth Student Union (MSU) election and Senate website, along with the full MSU Constitution, can be found here!
