“It’s (a matter of) trust, accountability and transparency” - Charli Middleton on Running for MSU President

In light of the departure of MSU President Maeve Farrell, Charli Middleton – currently VP for Academic Affairs who, according to MSU’s website, advocates for “students’ rights in the classroom” – has been acting as president in recent weeks. Now, she is formally running for the presidency in today’s elections. As she is the only running candidate, students will have the option to re-open nominations (R.O.N.) in the ballot. I was fortunate enough to secure an interview with Charli and catch up on recent events, talk about her university background and see how she would lead the MSU if she secures her place. 

Finn: What is your name and the position for which you are running? 

Charli: My name is Charli Middleton, and I’m running for the MSU presidency.

F: Can you recall your first day on campus at Maynooth? 

C: I’m a local! I’m from Celbridge, which is a skip and a hop down the road, so I’ve spent a lot of time on Maynooth’s campus over the years. [On] my first day of orientation, I was […] so terrified about getting to know people, or do anything, and then I stumbled into academic and policy issues through the Clubs and Socs Fair by signing up to be an academic rep; I haven’t ever left since.

F: What department were you the academic rep of? 

C: I was the politics academic rep for two years, and then I was the social sciences faculty convenor in my final year.

F: Do you think that predisposed you to [confronting] a lot of the issues coming up in the MSU today? 

C: Definitely. I did a lot of casework when I was an academic rep on political issues. I got close with my lecturers, and it really helped me progress […] and understand that communication is the ultimate way to go when dealing with issues […] I had so much fun (with that), I enjoy helping people and I love [them] to have a good time, and I want people to do well academically.

F: Communication is especially crucial there; miscommunication [can] sometimes be the biggest roadblock in anything; not getting a point across or even being unable to at a given moment in time. 

C: One hundred percent, [when I was a rep and convenor] something might not have been communicated by a lecturer – something extremely important. It was the most important thing that we stressed to lecturers; (the fact) that you need to be crystal clear […] ‘Something you might know, a student doesn’t know,’ ‘You have to be incredibly clear so everyone’s on the same page.’ 

F: On a similar bent, what issues on campus – and in the university as a whole – would you seek to resolve as president? 

C: Definitely the parking shortage […] In my current role as VP for Academic Affairs, it’s something which we are actively trying to address. It’s a roadblock to students achieving their education here, especially because the overflow car park is becoming problematic as well. If students can’t get parking in the overflow car park, that’s a massive issue, because we don’t have [adequate] connection routes for them to commute (instead). It’s not fair to expect them to pay forty quid a year, then, to then avail of parking space which they can’t use […] they may miss their classes (too) and ultimately, may fail, that’s not fair on anyone. 

F: Absolutely not. Would there have been any further issues within the students’ union itself that drew your attention, during your time on the senate? 

C: There’s a massive issue with the amount of resits that happen […] I noticed that a lot when I was [academic rep and convenor] as well, there’s an issue with the lack of communication around it [too]. Just talk to people; I don’t see how communication can be so hard, [nor] having an effective role in people’s lives […] When we were revamping the academic rep system, I passionately wanted to push independence, accountability and transparency [to be given to] them. At the end of the day, they are signing up to do this role; it’s not their job, they’re volunteering. It’s my job, [however], to make sure they have the support, training, and facilities to do what they need to do.

F: What kind of facilities would you provide for academic reps? 

C: We would make sure they have two days of training [...] with the National Student Engagement Programme (NStEP), [where] they would come for an hour and a half [each day], to make sure that [reps] are accredited. That could be a badge to go on their CV! It’s great for leadership, advocacy and communication skills […] We would also provide EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) training for them. Commuters [could] pop in for just a couple of minutes to avail of these services and know what’s going on, [as they may] be unable to come in for the whole day, which is fair. 

F: A big question that came to the forefront at the hustings (which you can find our summary of here) was that of student engagement. So, how would you make yourself known to students – get your name and face out there? 

C: I think one of the main issues [with past] MSU Presidents is that they [didn’t make] themselves available. It is a very busy role and I understand that, just from being active president [over] the last couple of weeks […] but you must have the diligence and dedication to go out and talk to the students. [Over] the last couple of weeks, we’ve gone out every day to make sure that students are aware that the academic rep elections are happening. Student emails, [informing them of what is] going on within their union, and who their union officers are, are (also) incredibly important […] You don’t want to support a union that you know nothing about. [To have people] know our faces, and talking to students – not even (under the pretence of) introducing myself as VP for Academic Affairs, just as a person. I want to be a peer-to-peer with people; I don’t want to be at the top, I just want people to know we’re here, and that we’re here for the right reasons.

F: There have been a couple of issues with the website over recent months, as well; would you try to use that as a channel [for] further communication? 

C: That’s something I’m going to look at […] If I do get elected, I want to push that we supply the minutes of the student senate (as mandated by Article 14, Section 7 of the MSU constitution) and the executive; to ensure accountability and transparency, which are the main values of the Students’ Union. They should be shown to students [via the website], so they know what’s going on […] ultimately, it can also show if officers are being accurately held accountable. Nobody can know what we’re doing sometimes, which is fair – a lot of us don’t even know what we’re all doing – so it’s (a matter of) trust, accountability and transparency, which are incredibly important to us.

F: On the note of these quintessential values, how would you advocate for student rights and interests politically? Especially in light of the recent (2026) Budget permanently increasing fees for university students. 

C: I do think, within the MSU, we try to remain apolitical and not have a bias towards a party, because we want to [guarantee we] encompass everyone. We want to make sure that we reach out to all councillors and all TDs in the Maynooth area, to ensure we get accurate representation when we [resolve] to fix these issues.  

[The fee increases are] disgraceful; they say it’s a €500 decrease, but it’s actually an increase (as whilst tuition is now €500 cheaper, the government no longer waives €1,000 of its €3,000 cost: more info can be found here). That’s insanity; people now need to struggle to find that (extra) €500. These students are struggling [to work and learn] full-time […] that’s not fair, and I don’t think that should be expected when you come here to get an education.  

That’s something I would try working with AMLÉ (Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éireann, the national students’ union), to address, as [the MSU is] a member organisation […] I think it’s something we need to work on, and not just bring up the week of the Budget (announcement); [the increase] has been worked on from July onwards, and there should have been active protests against it [then].

F: Would there be a possibility of collective cooperation and action with other students’ unions [under AMLÉ] in light of a lack of protests? 

C: We all have each other’s numbers [and convene] once a month [at] a national council; we do bounce ideas off each other, but we also need to work as a collective group to fight against […] a €500 increase to the fees. Students are not going to be able to afford this, and it’s not something that families can pull out of nowhere.

F: That concludes the interview, thank you so much! I greatly appreciate you coming out today. 

C: Thanks so much for having me! 

Voting will be available both online (from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) and in person at booths (open from 9:00am to 7:00pm) in the Arts Block, TSI, Library, MSU Club Foyer, and MSU Info Centre - the latter will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.  Whether voting online or in person today, students are encouraged to take the time to review their options and make their voices heard. 

Happy voting!