Ents Officer Katie Cogan has outlined her plans for the year, specifically a new ‘statement’ monthly hip-hop night on the second Thursday of each month. This is a departure from the traditional weekly night out of previous Ents Officers. A number of other themed events are planned; a ‘futuristic rave’ to be held in the Powerscourt shopping centre at the end of September, a “girls night” to celebrate International Women’s Week, a “trad and techno” session near Christmas and the staple Ents charity strip auction.
Another addition to the Ents calendar is a series of Harry Potter themed events in October, ranging from the sorting of students into school houses to an inter‐house sports day, concluding with a “Hogwarts Express” train ride for up to 1000 students. Players and Trinity TV are set to collaborate on these events, with Cogan explaining that the smaller events are to “get people to know each other and build a bit of craic” before the night out.
Cogan hopes that this variety of events will appeal to “many different strata of Trinity students”. She also plans to address issues around consent and drug usage, highlighting the importance of making “a noise” or “a fuss…if someone touches you in a way that you don’t like.” In particular she hopes to communicate this to first years who may be overwhelmed.
Cogan acknowledged the use of drugs within the student body, and was reluctant to condemn this: “people are experimenting, they’re curious.” She explained that her focus was to “ensure their safety”; and summed her policy up by saying “I just want people to be responsible about what they’re doing… It doesn’t matter if it’s drugs or alcohol, excess is not good.”
This comes in the aftermath of the National Student Drug Survey, in which over 80 per cent of respondents said they had little concern about the impact of drugs in their lives. Cogan will lead an ecstasy awareness campaign this year alongside Drugs.ie and USI.
