A petition has been launched aiming to reform Trinity Ents and its associated sabbatical officer position. Yesterday morning, a new Instagram page entitled @savetrinityents_signpetition posted images promoting the petition and encouraging students to sign it.
The Entertainment (Ents) officer is typically elected by students in the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) elections and serves a sabbatical position for the following year.
The petition released yesterday morning, however, calls to “Remove the Ents Officer from the Constitution in June 2021”. Additionally, it hopes to restructure the Ents position in the TCDSU constitution and replace the single sabbatical officer with four part-time paid Heads of Ents.
The writers of the petition claim that a restructured Ents position comprised of four Heads would provide “a more revitalised and modern structure” for students and “ultimately [provide] better events for the student body”.
In return, the anticipated improved quality of events would “make higher returns for the SU”. The petition encloses statistics that the initial budget for Trinity Ents is €200,000 a year, and currently provides a return of €210,000 to €220,000. “More returns would provide the SU more resources to provide essential supports for students”, claim the creators of the petition.
In order for a petition to trigger a constitutional referendum, it must compile at least 500 signatures of students who are current members of the Students’ Union.
The petition was released as a Google Form and linked on the new Instagram page. In the form, students are asked to provide their name, student number, and proof that they are current members of the Students’ Union.
