Trinity staff and students have raised over €16,000 for the postgraduate hardship fund by participating in the Great Dublin Bike Ride over the past weekend.
The campaign saw more than 60 participants from Trinity cycle either 60km or 100km around Dublin on Sunday morning, with various senior faculty members, including the Provost Patrick Prendergast, taking part. The fundraiser was organised by the Dean of Graduate Studies, Neville Cox, who thanked his colleagues as well as the various clubs and units within the college for getting involved in the event.
Cox told participants: “I know our students really appreciate the level of solidarity that is being shown. It is such a brilliantly collegiate effort, and this vital fund that helps students in horrendous circumstances is going to benefit inestimably.”
Money was raised through a GoFundMe page, with donations from individuals as well as Trinity groups. The Graduate Students Union contributed €1500 using money received from locker hire, saying that they would rather give money back to their students than take it from them. The School of Physics also donated €400.
The Post Graduate Hardship Fund aims to support graduate students who are struggling financially, and assistance is provided against certain living expenses. In recent years, applications have increased, but the limited size of the fund struggles to meet demand, and the number of recipients varies year on year. €16,000 will go towards supporting students with rent, childcare, and emergency medical expenses.
This year’s fundraiser has more than doubled the sum of €6100 achieved last year, which helped the fund to provide the average applicant €825.
Graduate Students Union (GSU) President Shaz Oye thanked everyone who donated, saying on Twitter: “Whether you contributed 5, 50, or 500, every single cent will be put to good use.”
The GoFundMe page for the event is still active, with over €1200 raised since Sunday.
