When we sat down with him, Michael Roche was in full campaign mode — fired up, manifesto in hand, and eager to shake up what he sees as a broken Union.
Outsider or Insider — Which Is Better?
Roche readily admitted he’s new to student politics, calling himself “an outsider,” but argued that this works in his favour. “If you look at my opponents, the two of them have been involved in the union — I think both since first year — and based on that, they have to take responsibility for the rock-bottom levels of engagement the Students’ Union has garnered.”
Roche referenced his experience with UCD societies, like L&H, noting they had much less money than the SU but managed to engage a much larger cohort of students.
He was quick to argue that his experience as a parliamentary assistant has given him the political contacts to get things done faster for UCD students — contacts he insists would “make a difference.”
“Campus feels very cold,” Roche said. “It’s built for the people who can afford to live on campus, which leaves many people out.” While he placed blame on the university, he argued the Students’ Union must still take responsibility: “The university itself is to blame for these problems, but it’s still the union’s responsibility to represent [commuters].” As one solution to boost engagement, he suggested UCD take inspiration from Trinity’s popular ‘Pav Friday’ and introduce a similar weekly event.
Roche was quick to point out, “It’s very easy — once you get someone to come on a night out, come to a coffee morning, come to a commute or breakfast — to ask them then, ‘Oh, get involved in the survey, get involved in this campaign.’ So that’s the engagement levels where I would come from.”
Accommodation and Accountability
While acknowledging the broader national housing crisis, Roche was quick to criticise UCD’s own accommodation costs, saying, “We pay, like, the most expensive rents in the country per square foot. In my opinion, that’s an absolute disgrace.” He placed blame on former UCD President Andrew Deeks, claiming he was “behind the Village scheme.”
“[The] Village was always painted and meant to be a luxury accommodation structure for students. I think that model is unsustainable,” Roche said. His manifesto calls for the SU to push for fewer luxury builds and instead advocate for a high-rise version of Merville — more affordable, no-frills accommodation that better suits students’ budgets.
A Failing Union?
“Representation, I think, has been abysmal,” Roche said, criticising the SU’s end-of-year report as “a euphemism for doing nothing” and dismissing it as “just page filler.”
“I don’t think they’re effective at lobbying the university. I don’t think they’re effective at bargaining with the leverage they do have — in terms of things like direct action. I just think they’ve been completely ineffective.”
On the USI Referendum
On the upcoming USI referendum, Roche didn’t hold back: “Now is not the time to have this referendum… engagement levels are so low, we’re in no position to be holding a referendum. Like, we had a referendum this year already — the one to lower the vote quota.”
Centra, Shops and Student Value
Roche was sharply critical of how the SU Shops are run. “Fundamentally, a shop run by students for students shouldn’t be making a profit. It should break even. I think the best way to get that is a discount,” he said. “But I think the other thing we have to do is source cheaper products to ensure students get the best deals.”
Bringing Campus Back to Life
As part of his plan to bring campus life back to students, Roche addressed one common myth: “One of the big misconceptions is that UCD is opposed to Christmas Day. They’re not. Estates believes that it should be student-led. The Students’ Union should be taking over the running and management of Christmas Day.”
He pointed to the square by the Clubhouse as an ideal venue, saying the only thing UCD wants is reassurance that property damage will be minimal. “That can be avoided if it’s planned properly,” he said.
Pointing to last year’s event, which was hosted off-campus, he stated: “There’s a lot of places I want to be at 12 PM,” he added, “but Diceys isn’t one of them.”
The Bottom Line
Roche said his top priority, if elected, would be student engagement. “If I’ve engaged more students than the SU has over the last, let’s say, 10 years, I think that would be a massive win for the Union,” he said.
He warned that without serious improvement, the SU risks becoming irrelevant. “If engagement continues the way it does, it would be very easy for someone to come along and say there is no point in having a union.”
Positioning himself as a break from the past, he criticised former SU presidents for overpromising and underdelivering. “I like to deliver,” he said. “If you look at last year’s election, there were so many promises around housing; it’s clear now that none have been actioned on.”
His final jab? “What do we get at the end of this term? We get a WhatsApp campaigning group and a bed sheet. It’s not good enough. Students should be demanding more off their sabbatical officers.”
Hannah Costello – Co-Editor
