Hustings Speech

My name is Desmond Mckenna. I am a third year single honours Philosophy student. I came to University as a mature student through the DACE access course. My motivation to run for president is that i feel the SRC will require a responsible and experienced set of hands to guide it through what will be a turbulent year.

I have served as a class rep in the past, and am currently one of the single honours Philosophy reps. I help out at the student disability service where i offer support in the form of scribing. I was the sole member of the Hetherington executive and as such was responsible for winding down the club. This was not an easy decision to take, nor was it a popular one. It was however the right decision to take. This has given me valuable experience in managing and co-ordinating an organisation within the university.

I was pleased to note that a number of the ideas i hope to pursue were mentioned at the non sabb hustings. A lack of inclusion, representation and participation were mentioned as big problems with the SRC and i will tackle these challenges head on through more direct engagement with the student body.

One issue that is currently a major concern of students is that of cuts. It is all very well to shout about cuts that have already been passed, but i think the focus should fall on how we can respond to future cutbacks at our university. Again this requires more engagement with the student body. we need to hear the opinions of all students and not just the few vocal groups that can at times seem to dominate the debate.

I will be pushing to reduce the carbon footprint at Glasgow university. I have ran a paperless campaign, that hopefully will be taken up by candidates in future elections. There is a lot of 'dead' space around campus and space around the halls of residence that can be transformed into student run allotments. More recycling facilities, lets not just send our recycling to landfill, but investigate more sustainable ways of dealing with waste. I would also like to see an end to the requirement for paper submissions of course work in favor of email attachments. 
Indeed the technology we have is not used to anywhere near its potential. Why not have a more interactive student networking platform where we can have podcasts and streams of lectures. One can go online and access lectures from other university's. Why not Glasgow? The dependence in terms of financial cost to the src just to hae the uni servers host the elections should be reason enough for us to seek an independent solution to our IT issues.

In closing i would like to state that although there are a lot of good things about the SRC; Strong and competent full time team, a fantastic location and a good working relation with the university, there are areas that require attention. The perception that the SRC is not representative of the student body needs to be addressed immediately. The domination of political factions has also been singled out as a criticism.
I offer a non-party platform in order to represent all students and foster a more inclusive and representative SRC.

Thank you.

Subcity Interviews

Now online. From 43:10 to 56:00.

http://www.subcity.org/shows/election2011/pres/

VOTE 2nd and 3rd March. Vote Des for Prez.

DACE

http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/adulteducation/

The Access course is a valuable resource that enables those who wish to enter into a course of undergraduate study the opportunity to do so. By doing access, I not only gained the qualifications required, but, i also received a grounding in what would be expected in terms of the level and depth of work.

"Established more than fifty years ago it aims to provide learning opportunities for adults in the West of Scotland and to widen access to University education to the community at large." 
(taken from DACE webpage)

Are we now in the business... of restricting learning opportunities and narrowing access to university education?

If elected I will be fighting to see the continuation of DACE. The threat to DACE along with the ever constant threat to local libraries will make education once again the preserve of the few. The voice of student opposition must be channeled through a representative and effective SRC.
 
The removal of DACE would be an act of vandalism against the community. Such an act must be resisted. 

manifesto

My name is Desmond Mckenna and I will be running for the position of SRC president. I believe that the SRC is a valuable facet of student life at Glasgow University; however I feel that it is not being utilised to its fullest potential. It has gained the perception of not being representative of the student body.

I am a third year mature, single honours Philosophy student. I entered my studies through the DACE Access course whilst continuing with full time employment. During my time at Glasgow University I have served as a class representative. I was also the sole member of the Hetherington Research Club executive and as such was responsible for winding down the club. The problems that faced the Hetherington are indicative of the problems facing this university and are the same problems facing the SRC. The lack of student participation and loss of budgetary control are the main challenges facing the SRC, as was the case with the Hetherington.

I will be pursuing a campaign based on the principles of independence. I have no allegiance to any political party and therefore will be representing all student needs regardless of political affiliations.

I will actively pursue a green agenda. This will begin with my campaign which will be paper free. No more wastage. I would welcome any individuals or groups who share this concern to work with me in making Glasgow University a green university.

I would also examine the use of space within the John Mac building, and seek to maximise it, and ensure that it would be used inclusively, focusing on cross group participation.

I thank you for taking the time to read this manifesto.

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