Trinity casts doubt over whether Erasmus programmes will go ahead

Global spread of coronavirus has made it difficult to guarantee foreign exchange plans, says College TSM office

Trinity’s TSM (Two Subject Moderatorship) office appeared to cast doubt over the possibility of foreign exchange programmes going ahead next year due to the coronavirus pandemic in an email circulated to all TSM Erasmus and Non-EU Exchange candidates in their Senior Fresh year. 

“Due to the current situation regarding the coronavirus,” the email read, “I’m sure we are all very unclear of what the future plans will be.” The TSM office has therefore decided to hold off on the normal procedure of asking students to choose their major subject for the upcoming academic year.  

They told students that the office would be contacted to continue with regular exchange procedure “if exchanges are going ahead”.

In normal circumstances TSM students going on exchange would need to select which of their subjects they are majoring in by the end of their Senior Fresh year (in some cases they might also decide to do both subjects equally), in order to plan their modules and credits for the following year abroad. However, with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down campuses around the globe, the office told students that “we don’t want to ask you to make the choice now”. 

Trinity’s Erasmus and Exchange students who were abroad while the COVID-19 outbreaks gained momentum this year were advised to “follow the guidance given to you by your host university and the local health authorities” by the Senior Tutor Aidan Seery but were not explicitly asked to return home by College.

Should study abroad exchanges and Erasmus proceed as normal, some students would have to leave as early as a couple of months time in order to take part in courses in the Southern Hemisphere. No timeline was given as to when students could expect to receive confirmation that their exchange was going ahead.

Madalyn Williams

Madalyn Williams is a Deputy News Editor for Trinity News.