Sharath Jagarlapudi is a Post Graduate Mechanical Engineering Research student running for the role of Graduate Officer in the UCDSU elections. The new role of the graduate officer includes education, viagra welfare and social events. Sharath is running a campaign founded on his past experience, sovaldi sale and on a platform to extend graduate services through several simple initiatives.
With experience making up the backbone of his campaign, Sharath outlined some of his past work. “I have had personal experience as a student liaison: as an undergrad, between the students and the college. I did solve a lot of issues and set up a lot of societies and organizations. I had to liaison with the students, with the administration, with the faculty. In my first post grad I was a career officer for the university. And I deal with students on a day-to-day basis here, so I know what problems they face.”
Sharath is running a relatively autonomous campaign from the Student Union, and aims to bring in a fresh perspective, “making the gears move” and revamping graduate services. The social side to postgrad life is something Sharath is intent on improving in UCD, as he feels the workload can cause students to “miss what is important in life; having a break time, chilling with friends.” Some key initiatives Sharath proposes include providing common rooms for post grads, extending services like Copi-Print to more flexible hours, interdisciplinary social evenings, a shuttle bus between Belfield and UCD Smurfit campus, and communication aids for international students.
As an international student himself Sharath was quizzed as to whether he would be in favour of a SU sabbatical position dedicated to the welfare and integration of international students specifically. “While having a separate sabbatical position for the international students would be helpful. I don’t think that it’s really that necessary, most international students who come here for their studies are post grads. So the Post Graduate officer should be able to combine the roles.”
In the context of Sharath’s mandate to defend postgraduate services on campus, the recent controversy with the Arts and Humanities Postgraduate Research Centre in the James Joyce Library is acutely relevant. The decision to open the Research Centre to all post grads has been criticized by the Arts graduates as overcrowding an already limited resource. As a hypothetical Graduate Officer – Sharath explained what his policy response would be in resolving the issue. “While bringing in Post grad hubs for each discipline in the library is a cumbersome issue because of space. I feel that the Arts PRC area should be given back to them, If they agree to pay (a nominal fee) for it – as of now I understand that they are ready to pay for it, so they deserve to get it back.”
It is these key Graduate issues that Sharath believes his past experience will stand to him in resolving, and liaising if elected. Combined with his manifesto of moderate and cost-efficient reforms to develop post grad services, Sharath will run a close and competitive campaign against the opposition candidate Hazel Beattie.
