Maynooth Has A Diversity Problem - But Does Anyone Really Care?

This article is an opinion piece

The Student Union election polls are closed and if you’re like me, you’ve been having trouble finding candidates that represent you. You’ve listened to lecture announcements, scrolled through posts on Instagram from candidates, and walked by posters with faces begging for your vote. You’ve seen the gimmicks, slogans, and promises and at this point you may have a vague idea of who you should vote for, but you still feel somewhat… jaded. You wonder if you’re even going to vote this year at all. Maybe you have a friend running for a position and you’ll vote for them because, well, you want to support your friend, don’t you? And it’s not like any one person running for Senate has wildly different beliefs and policy ideas to the next person. Frankly, no one has stood out to you and maybe you feel your voice doesn’t really matter here.  

TOKENISATION  

If you’re a minority, especially an ethnic minority, you might tend to look at SU elections as a white person’s club. Sure, the runners talk about commuting, inclusion, and accessibility, and some of those issues may very well apply to you, but maybe you can’t shake the feeling that you’re not the target audience. The feeling is inevitable. Maynooth University is overwhelmingly white, with a 2019 Equality and Inclusion report showing that approximately 89.3% of its student population are from white backgrounds. While I was unable to find any more recent figures or EDI reports on current students, it’s not difficult to see that students and staff of colour alike make up a minority of Maynooth’s population. The main opportunity to engage and be amongst other people of colour appears to be going to ethnic societies and events. And while these things are great, there seems to me to be a noticeable tendency to highlight their events and voices only when it comes to talking about “inclusion” and “diversity”. It's like giving your baby cousin an unplugged gaming controller to shut them up when they complain about not being included.  

The truth is, most students in Maynooth don’t feel connected to their university. This is especially the case among POC. How can we? POC are clearly not among the main concerns of the university or Student’s Union. Minorities who do run are mainly placed in “welfare and equality” or any other position pertaining to equality. There’s no real effort to include POC without tokenising them. The lack of real representation in the SU is abysmal and discouraging.  

THE SU AS A GATED COMMUNITY 

So why aren’t many POC running for SU positions in the first place? Well, the SU very much reflects the ethnic demographic on campus. Running for a position if you’re the only ethnic minority can seem scary. You may give up before even trying because, realistically, the chances of being voted in as opposed to your white opposition seem slim. There is also the pressure that naturally comes in being the only minority in a white space. You may feel like you must prove yourself more so than others. This is why POC experience imposter syndrome at a higher rate than white people. Being underrepresented, facing racial discrimination and micro-aggressions your entire life can lead you to question the validity of your achievements and goals. It’s as if you don’t belong in your field. Nobody talks about the fear and anxiety that can plague a person of colour when they strive for something big. And not talking about it perpetuates it.  

HOW DO WE FIX THIS? 

The solution, like the problem, is not simple. Chalking it up to just “minorities aren’t running” doesn’t address this issue adequately and is dismissive. You see, the lack of diversity in the SU is a result of a systemic issue in the university. While the university likes to advertise itself as a diverse space, minority students on campus remain marginalised. Most staff are white, with the 2022 EDI Staff Survey Highlighting that 93.6% of staff are reportedly from white backgrounds. Classes can be eurocentric, making it difficult for minorities to connect to their learning. We already know there is no lack of talent and ambition among minorities, but there needs to be an opportunity for people to actualise that potential.  

If people running in the SU are serious about enacting change, this problem needs to be addressed with minorities on campus. Funding and maintaining cultural societies and events, advocating for diverse lecture readings, demanding culturally competent staff and mental health providers on campus are among many things that can help minority POC be included. So, whether you’re voting or running this year, remember the conversations that are not being had even though they should be.