Provost to hold Zoom call with remaining campus residents

TCDSU President Laura Beston and and the junior deans are to also be on the call

Students who have chosen to remain in Trinity’s campus accommodation are to have the opportunity to speak to Provost Patrick Prendergast tomorrow on a Zoom call, according to an email sent to residents this evening.

The email from Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) President Laura Beston states that “following my meeting with the Provost yesterday we decided to reach out to those living on campus”.

College’s assistant junior deans are also due to be on the call.

The email continues that “we are concerned about students feeling isolated during this time”.

College drew criticism for requiring most students living on campus to vacate their accomodation, excepting those in certain circumstances. These included; students who face homelessness; who have the virus or are currently self-isolating, if their family at home has the virus; who have immigration, travel, and/or visa restrictions; whose home is in an area with extremely limited internet connectivity; and PhD students who must conduct lab or other research on campus that is required for their thesis.

In an email to residents, College stated: “The reality we face is that large, highly concentrated numbers of students will increase the chance of rapid transmission of [the virus], and our capacity to quarantine those who are sick and those who have been exposed is extremely limited.”

College later added to the list of exceptions to these requirements to allow students with immunocompromised family members and those on clinical placement as well as those facing travel restrictions to stay on campus.

Students living in Kavanaugh Court and Binary Hub were also informed that they did not have to leave, with this decision being left up to private accommodation providers. In an email to Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing, Eoin Ó’Broin, the Provost confirmed that students would not be asked for evidence in order to meet the criteria for staying on campus, saying that “We would accept students’ word and bona fide in this situation”.

Finn Purdy

Finn Purdy is the current Deputy Editor of Trinity News. He is a Junior Sophister English Studies student, and a former News Editor and Assistant News Editor.