 Hi and welcome back. I'm Michelle Martin and with me here today is Matt Davy, the sole candidate for an ex-host position of education and placement. So Matt, this, with the incorporation, this role has only been here one year, so tell me a bit what your understanding of the position is in the job. Well just education and placement, so education, so just to make the experience of getting grades and all that as best as I can as an education and placement officer and then placement, just so not only you can help the students that are struggling on placement but the students who are maybe getting a 2-2 boost that up to a 2-1 or 2-2 up to 2-1 or 2-1 up to 1-1. So just really to help everyone out so that not just in the case of welfare that it's improved but that their grades improved too, so just to make their placement as best as possible. That's why I want to run. And a lot of Manus's work this year anyway was kind of behind the scenes, so how would you make yourself aware to students and to show that you're actually doing your job and you're doing stuff and changes are happening next year? I need to be seen on all campuses at least one day during the week, similar to what Sean Kers was saying in an office maybe on the All Hallows campus and be up here at least one day a week. Just get out, meet people, walk around and you know make yourself approachable so that they can come to you as well as just emailing you, you know come up to you and have a conversation with you, you know you're a human being, not just a computer worker so easy simple stuff like that. Yeah you seem like a chill guy so before we talk about your manifesto Lois mentions obviously you can see in your t-shirt, what's a quackwirt running with your friend, your Facebook page is the same name? Just like we know each other from the first week in college we're probably, there was three of us originally but the other fellow isn't running for instance so that means Sean and the sides run together. I know it's not usually done up here in DC but back in Pat's especially when we were in first year usually when there was a president and vice president going together they would always team up and they wouldn't always get in together but it's just good to have a partnership and you can kind of help each other out for the campaign and you kind of drive each other on. Obviously I'm not up against anyone but I'm still putting in 15, 16 hour days to help Sean get in. Yeah yeah and you don't think that it was a bit confusing for people at first to kind of see like who's going for opposition, who's who? Probably is but I think it's good for us in the long run because we just can help each other out and nearly have the work even though sometimes it does seem double the work. Yeah and because you are running alone if hypothetically you were running against someone what would make you stand out? How do you think that you would win next year or win if you were against someone? That's a very good question. I just like to be approachable as you said be chill not take myself too seriously and just really help people out. I just love helping people you know if you can help someone out they'll really appreciate it and it just makes yourself feel good and that's what I really love just to help people. So then do you want to tell me about your manifesto what you would do to help people particularly with interim placement because that would be the key the key element to your position? Yeah the main thing I really want to get is printing credit it was something that was available to us in St Pat's and we had five euro put in our account every month so like every month you might need to spend your five euro but that built up to the times when you really did need it myself and all four tier bids are out in placement in Dublin I was in Drimna and we spent an absolute fortune you know yourself printing worksheets and resources to use in class so I spent probably about a hundred euro in the last four weeks and I'll have to do that again when I'm out in Port Mariner because they're in next Monday so that's really something I want to get in not just for teachers but for everyone on placement who needs printing credit. I want to put a research into if there's funding available for that if that's absolutely a possibility. We need to look at that in July when the budget for DCUs decided and if it can't be raised then we'll have to look into it with societies and run events to raise that money so if it is for teachers maybe teachers have their own event to help raise money or nurses or business students. Yeah another thing you mentioned in your manifesto was a survey for people after INCHA and there already exists a survey for people to evaluate their employers so is that something that you knew already or were you hoping to take the survey in a different direction? I just really want to get the take-up of the survey a lot better so that you incentivize it and so that people actually like put effort into the survey so that as an SU we really can identify what the problems are and then work with small groups so we can actually fix them. What did you think about not sure if you were aware but last year in the science and the science faculty alone there was 18 people that couldn't get INCHA for their placement and this year there's 36 so far whether that goes down or not we're not going to know there's a lot of stigma especially with the science students with employers like not wanting to take students from DCU because of past reputation so do you have any idea what you would do with dealing with overcoming that kind of stigma and not allowing with what am I trying to say? How would you deal with students that aren't it's not that they're bad students and they didn't manage to get a position but that the employers are not willing to take people from DCU or that there's not enough jobs out there for the amount of people that are in the course? I wasn't aware of that but we could certainly do a placement drive and as an SU really actively look for places for those students not just say you know sort it yourself you know but really as an SU attack it early on in the year so that when it does come to placement time that it is sorted for them. So would you be willing to work with companies to go directly with companies? Oh we'll have to so we have to sort for students that's where students union we work for the students so we have to do that. As long as with the INCHA office as well yes people working closely with them yeah and nothing you had any manifesto was having a counsellor as well a mobile counsellor did you intend for one person to go on campus or like tell me how about that? That was particularly a problem with third year Beds we have a 10 week placement at home where we are there from September to Christmas in schools and it is very stressful you're very isolated you're at home and you're putting in probably 12 hour days at least between planning and teaching and a lot of people felt isolated and there was a survey done and I think 14% said that college services were adequate and to support them which is absolutely disgraceful I think that was from the year before last so I think that would really help students who need a counsellor like because especially I think there was a six-week waiting list in the on the St Pat's campus for a counsellor coming up to placement so a mobile counsellor should relieve some of that. Okay and then before we finish up is there anything that you want to get out there is anything that you want to say about yourself at the manifesto? I just think it's really important that everyone comes out and vote for every position just do even five ten minutes research look at manifestos get out talk to canis ask them why they should elect you and just really express your vote Okay cool thanks for talking to us today. Next up we have Sarah McLaughlin who will be moderating the welfare debate