Meet Your MSU VP Student Life Candidates 2023 - An Interview

Meet Your MSU VP Student Life Candidates 2023 

Carrie O’Neill 

Pronouns: She/her 

Final Year International Business & Chinese Studies 

Experience in MSU: Academic Representative, Charity Senator, Social Sciences Faculty Convenor, President Games Society. 

Kyla Henry 

Pronouns: She/Her 

Experience in MSU: Academic Representative, ASPC Faculty Member on Senate, ASPC Faculty Convenor. 

“For me I always had an interest of working with the SU and potentially getting a full-time role there. I have always been involved with different aspects of student life and always have loved going out and meeting new people. I was motivated as I have seen the great work of previous VPs and would love the opportunity to be able to do great work and potentially bring something new to the student life experience.” 

The Interview 

CIARA 

When you think of the SU and your involvement, like what does that mean to you and your time as a student? And what will that mean to you? 

KYLA 

Feel like I'm doing an exam like. 

CARRIE 

You know, this is a tough one. 

KYLA 

I mean, the first thing for me is it's allowed me to, like, kind of branch out, meet new people, pull myself up for things, because I probably wouldn't have done it if I didn't get involved with [the] student union. Kinda let me break out of my shell a bit more. Absolutely. It's one thing anyway. 

CIARA 

Yeah. Carrie, do you have any thoughts on this? 

CARRIE 

Yeah, I think, like, one, it's just from my involvement over like the last three years.  

I found that it's really helped me kind of become more, like, it's basically become, like, who I am today, like. I used to be a very reserved person, so now I'm, like, actually more outgoing, so it's kind of helped, like, personal development in a way, which, that would be kind of my, my kind of thing to say about it.  

CIARA 

Yeah, absolutely. And like  

how do you think those kinds of values and what you've learned will become encompassed in your role if elected? And you know like how would you sum up your role as VP for Student Life if you guys are elected? 

KYLA 

Um, I definitely [would] say, like with the role of Student Life, like I've had a lot of unique student life experiences I could say. And obviously that has helped with being involved with the Union. And I feel like, with that and the experiences I've had, bringing it into the [role] if I potentially get the role of VP Student Life, obviously learning from previous VPs, see what they've done, because I've obviously seen the work, especially this year, seen it on like a different level every year since I started. 

And just making it a good time for students. Making sure students do get involved and, like, appreciate the work that the Union does because (...) they don't feel the reward sometimes because maybe there's low attendance and stuff. So, try catering towards like all students and make sure they all feel involved and they're able to express themselves and break out of their shell, let's say, again. I don't know if that makes sense, 

CIARA 

No, that's totally that totally makes sense. No, 100%, don't doubt yourself. 

Carrie, did you have anything to add? 

CARRIE 

I think myself like, yeah, just from my own experience (...) if potentially, if I do get elected to the role (...) while I understand there's a lot of fun within the roles, there is a lot of seriousness within the role as well. So, I want to be able to, you know, use that position and basically advocate for students, especially for, like, very small kind of minute things that would be on campus. 

And yeah, just being able to foster this huge community of students, just to be able to bring them together and then also have them engage with the Union and understand that we're not just here for, well, yes, we have the pints, we're here to ultimately support the students in every way that we possibly can. 

CIARA 

100%. That kind of leads me, like, nicely on to my next question. I feel like there's a bit of a perception, um, maybe by the student body, maybe by people who've run for it in the past, that like VP for Student Life is really like the party. Or, like, let's try, like, the biggest bash, the biggest ball. Like how do you feel you're going to kind of branch outside of that and get down to, I guess, a bit more of like the nitty gritty student issues that we have? You know, we’ve really seen [it] highlighted with the Where’s My Levy campaign, like people were very vocal about issues that are affecting them.  

Like, is that something that you're interested in branching out in the role? Are you more here for the fun times, good times? 

CARRIE 

Definitely a little bit of both 

KYLA 

I'm going to take a little bit of both yeah, I can't lie, I do love going on a night out like. 

There's also the charity aspect and then, like, encouraging students that if they are interested in the likes of going to protest or whatever, like making sure students know what's happening and, like, there are loads of different aspects of student life. It could be, your student life could just be going to the library for the day and then going home, or it could be waiting until someone's having a prinks, go to the prinks, go to the Roost, Brady’s and then go to an afters. Like that's how, like, loads of people [are] doing life differently (...)  

[I’ll] look into all of the different types of student life using that, because like, it's so broad. Like, seeing what students would be interested in getting involved in, whether it's helping out with charity, having like activism, protest, all that. And then like obviously the nightlife because some people look at college and [are] like, oh yeah, loads of nights out on the beer, but there's a lot more to it as well, which a lot of students don't really realise. 

CARRIE 

Yeah, I would definitely say the same. Like, especially, I've been very big into charity, so that would be a very big focus of mine. 

Also (...) being able to branch out and having volunteering opportunities for students as well is a very big part because it helps them with their skills and being able to meet new people. 

But also, like just from seeing the things I've been doing [with] societies, and you see all walks of life going through the different societies that I've been involved with. 

And, also, a lot of the times I've seen some of my own members, that they're always looking for commuter events which, I think, we need to try cater towards, like, the commuters as well because a lot of times they can't get into the nightlife, you know. 

CIARA 

100%, yeah that's, like, such a tough thing, like, even [what] we're trying to do is like run commuter events but it's so hard finding the times that, like, suit everybody but no matter what you do, like, you just don't hit everybody. 

That again leads me into my next question. You're, like, so perfectly ending these answers into my next questions. It's great guys, but  

How do you think, within your role as Student Life, you would work to promote clubs and society participation on campus, especially after COVID, when a lot of students really don't understand what that encompasses? 

CARRIE 

I think just in terms of clubs and socs, like, just from the experience that I've had with it, I know that it isn't really in the remit of Student Life anymore because the University took clubs and socs away, I think four years ago at this stage. The VP Student Life still sits on three very big committees that are supporting (...) societies. So I think using that kind of like area and just being able to, you know, recognize that societies, being able to grant societies their special events and stuff like that, that's definitely one side to it, but then it's also using the All Clubs and Societies Mailing List that we have access to, to get in contact with the clubs and societies and just being like, hey, we're doing the likes of Where's My Levy, just to get as many people kind of involved with the Union as possible. I think that makes sense.  

CIARA 

Yeah. No, absolutely it does. 

KYLA 

Like, Carrie, you obviously had more experience with clubs and socs than I did. (...) with [my experience being] fully online (...) But I've always followed and seen what other clubs and socs have been doing. And um, yeah, like I hope to, like, just to keep a strong communication between MSU and clubs and socs despite not actually being associated together anymore. Like, I don't think they were together when I really started here, I don't know. 

I think they had already separated them and so obviously just keeping a strong communication between both the SU, clubs and socs, and finding that fine line of like adequate promotion. So, clubs and socs are doing events, sharing them. If they reach out and they're like ohh, I'd love for a bit more of a group to come, would you be able to share, just like a strong line of communication between MSU and clubs and socs. That's what I'd like to maintain because I think it's a good relationship now, but it could be better. 

CIARA 

Yeah, absolutely. Um, in terms, actually in that light, just makes me think of something in terms of communication. I mean, there's always lots of buzz around the students and students that we like, you know, talk to you from the Where's My Levy and interviews that we're doing now about kind of the communication and the transparency between the SU and the students. Obviously, in your role you're very, very busy. But I feel students, a lot of the time kind of (...) don't know what's going on (...) 

Do you think like those lines of communications, um, the good old MSU Vlogs, you think that's something, you know, that's in the back of your mind to, you know, reinstate or bring back or reinvent? 

KYLA 

Yeah, definitely. Like I know myself, I'm partial to making TikToks sometimes and whatnot. Like a lot of students will be using TikTok constantly. Like, you can't lie. You could be there in a lecture, just like, starting to scroll through TikTok (...) if you're getting bored or whatever. But definitely, even trying to bring back MSU Vlogs, whether it's just on TikTok, like not using the Instagram because some people would just click away through your stories if you keep posting. Essentially there's a TikTok if it's like a 30 second video of your day or, like, promoting something that's happening on campus. Like, I know a lot of people who wouldn't necessarily be very involved with the SU, and they only hear about stuff because I'm there chatting away about it and they're like, oh wait, what? That's happening? But like just making sure that students are getting flooded with the information (...) suits the sometimes, um, what's it short [attention span] that a lot of people have nowadays because of COVID. Really, like, you get bored and like, 10 minutes, so just (...) keeping a nice structure of posts and going down a different route, I think, to what previous teams have might have done. 

CIARA 

Carrie, do you have anything to add to that as well? 

CARRIE 

Kyla hit the nail on the head there. But I think, even, like, you know, having more open access to Senate because a lot of people, a lot of the students, don't really know what Senate is about and that's where, kind of, all the meeting things of the Union, yeah. 

Because I know, like, we do have a thing where we, like, during Senate, if something, like, it's confidential that's coming up, we do ask for, like, private sessions, which means that, like, people that aren't on Senate will have to leave. But at the same time, it's like, even when Senate is (...) an open space for observers to come in, there's people, a lot of students still feel, like, that maybe it's, it's still restricted. So, I think having that kind of aspect of letting students know that, oh yeah, this is the thing that you can come into and observe. 

And yeah, that would definitely, kind of, help the barrier between, like, the communication of students with students and the MSU. 

CIARA 

Yeah, absolutely. Especially, I mean, this year a lot of the Senate positions, nobody's running for them. And that's one of our questions, was to ask you, like, what does it mean for you guys and your role that 

There's currently nobody running for commuter senator, obviously, like, we're an 80% commuter population and the university continues to pledge that they're gonna take on more students despite the fact that we actually, we have no space (...) What does that mean for you, and in your role, that there's going to be no kind of, you know, senator for you to work with on those issues? 

CARRIE 

Makes everything a little bit harder because, like, you're kind of put in this position where you don't really have another person to liaise with and get the kind of more student voice in terms of, like, the Commuter Senator there. Which is why I, like, you need to do this really big push for by-elections, because there's always going to be a first year that'll come into the SU and see, oh, this is something that I might be interested in. It's like, I have no clue what this is. Let me do it. (...) 

It’s just like, the fact that if we don't have, like, a full Senate, it does mean kind of throwing them into the deep end if they get elected in October. So it does create a little bit of difficulty for both sides, absolutely. 

KYLA 

You know, I have to agree with that. Like, it is going to be difficult if you don't get certain positions filled. But like, we obviously won't know until the term starts and then we see, like, how many first years are going to be coming in, how many will be commuting, like what the housing situation is like, like if I didn't live in Maynooth I would also be a commuter coming from Cavan every day. Whereas like, I'm fortunate enough that I found housing not too far away, but um, yeah, like not having that person to discuss these things with, but hopefully then in October 

would be someone who come along (...), and then we'd be able to work on those issues further. But hard to say now, obviously, because we don't know who it could be. 

CIARA 

Yeah, absolutely. It's definitely been quite difficult, I'd say, to get the level of engagement that's needed in Senate positions this year. Like on one end, we have a lot of candidates running for those executive positions like no role this term is left unopposed, which is really, really, you know, usually unlikely, but for Senate people aren't. (...) But I think people are a bit, like, hesitant and a bit scared. Like a lot of the feedback that we would receive for people is that, like, they don't know what the issue is. They, they're kind of caught up in, like, the old ideas of maybe secondary school councils and they feel like it's kind of like the friend groups and they're a bit, like, hesitant and scared to get involved.  

So how would you encourage students, (...) if you are elected, to kind of be more open to being a part of the SU and joining those events and being, you know, interested in it? 

KYLA 

Every student technically qualifies as a member of the Union, and obviously students just see the SU and they think the bar, pints and food that are cheap, whereas there's so much more that goes on behind the scenes. Which is why, like, you would encourage people to get involved. Like, I started out being an Academic Rep, and then went on to Senate and then went on to Exec like (...) so I've obviously had my eyes open to it. (...) 

Even with my own campaign and going around talking to students, explaining what the SU does, how it's beneficial towards you in your student life, like your career as a student in Maynooth and just, like, talking to them about it. Because I don't think it's very clear to students what it all is. They just see all the posts and you're like, alright, like, swipe, but in reality, there's so much more to it, but it's hard to [engage] the students, unless we'd be able to talk to all the students in one room and talk to them. 

CIARA 

Absolutely. It's a hard one, like getting people engaged. It's very difficult. Like there was a temporary moment where we had everyone engaged during the levy thing. Now there's definitely a bit of a, a bit of a dip. (...) So our current VP for Student Life has been, you know, a very lovely support to our current journal and a big advocate and that's given us, you know, lots of help. Obviously, you know, it is now becoming a part of student life, a place where student voices are heard.  

Do you think that that's going to be something that, if you're elected, you'll be interested in, like continuing and maintaining a relationship between student journalism and student news and the SU?  

CARRIE 

Oh yeah, of course. Like it's definitely a vital thing, like to have that voice heard from all kind of areas, you know? So I definitely think it's, it is a worthwhile kind of thing to maintain. 

KYLA 

And honestly like (...) I didn't actually get involved with the journal because, I know I said I'm a media student, but like my interest is radio. But I would also like think of the idea of being, getting involved with [the] newspaper or like writing articles or whatever. And because like, with using Mars FM, I feel like you could be front running societies next year where it's like, that's where you get your information from. So definitely like, I'd love to be able to have the chance to work with yous properly and share your stuff (...) absolutely yeah. 

CIARA 

You can still get involved! We take article submissions; we have sessions every Thursday, a newsroom from 2 to 3. We're in the education building in room 235 every single Thursday. And we like to do article pitches. We write articles with people. We got them ready to publish there. We're also doing like a special edition print at the end of the semester, if you're interested in that at all. So that'll be quite exciting. 

KYLA 

Only time I'm free on a Thursday! Sounds perfect. 

CIARA 

Fate, meant to happen! 

That's all the questions I have. So, I'll let you enjoy the rest of the day. We’ll probably check in again, probably more during hustings, after hustings, we might catch you when some interesting conversations happen. But yeah, thanks so much guys. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day.  

KYLA 

Thanks for having us. 

CARRIE 

You too guys. Bye-bye.