Sabbatical officers have received “no official complaints” from students who have raised concerns about “harsh” repercussions for breaking restrictions at Trinity Hall (Halls).
Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) heard this evening at Council that Halls residents would like to see the union “take further steps” on students’ experience in the accommodation campus.
Students have raised concerns this semester at a meeting of a student renters’ group, a Town Hall with TCDSU and the Junior Common Room (JCR), and tonight at SU Council around what they have described as a “harsh” implementation of Covid-19 restrictions at Halls.
Restrictions are in place in Halls in line with government guidelines in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
However, some students have recounted being left anxious or distressed by how the restrictions are being implemented, including accounts of being threatened and sworn at by wardens.
A Junior Fresh class rep raised the issue tonight of what they called “disproportionate and unfair punishments” in the enforcing Covid-19 rules in Halls.
László Molnárfi, a PPES class rep, said that the union was failing to properly engage with students and College authorities on this and other issues.
In his submission to Council regarding the situation in Trinity Hall, Molnárfi said that although there were reports of “abuse of authority in Trinity Hall by those in charge”, “empty threats”, and “disproportionate and unfair punishments meted out to those deemed a threat to students’ health amid lockdown” that “no change was made”.
Molnárfi, raising this issue, did acknowledge the steps taken by the union recently, such as TCDSU and the JCR issuing a joint statement and holding the town hall meeting of students in Halls last week. However, he said that the union needed to “take further steps”.
“Our union must step up,” he asked, saying that there is “no excuse for what is happening”.
Molnárfi read a statement from a resident of Trinity Hall, which said that “isolation can be as deadly as the disease we are isolating from”, and they were “ no way suggesting that Trinity Hall is above the law”, but that she was “concerned that many residents will struggle to cope with constant fear of discipline”, adding “my fellow residents need answers, need clarity, and understanding”. The testimony said that there is “also a mental-health pandemic”.
Welfare and Equality Officer Leah Keogh acknowledged this point of a mental health pandemic, and said that the union “have our empathy” on these issues.
Education Officer Megan O’Connor said that the union has “received not one single official complaint” regarding the situation in Halls. She said that the wardens’ role in Halls is intended to be a pastoral one, but “we cannot avoid the letter of national law in relation to Covid-19 restrictions”.
Megan O’Shea, Access Officer, also moved to emphasise that on breaches of Covid-19 restrictions, the union’s “hands are tied”.
Continuing this point, President of TCDSU Eoin Hand stated that this is “too dangerous and too risky to be playing with”, and when it came to fines, they were “bound to by law” to follow Covid-19 restrictions.
He said that claims of abuse can be investigated but that the union “can’t help you if you don’t reach out to us and make it known that you need help”.
Speaking to Trinity News before tonight’s council, Molnárfi said that he was raising the issue because he “believes our union needs to condemn this behavior, especially in the unprecedented times of Covid-19 where many students are already stressed out”.
“The union must step up and realize that the legal and moral necessity of following Covid-19 regulations is no excuse for what is happening within the walls of this Trinity-run college accommodation.”
“Students do not shed their constitutional rights such as the right to due process, fair trial and the inalienable right to treatment with dignity upon entering the dorm’s gates.”
Molnárfi continued: “The best solution, in my opinion, would be for a full investigation by our union, the report of which would be presented to those in charge, followed by a serious discussion which would catalyze a change of culture by the authorities.”
The Halls discussion has been ongoing since students began to return to their residences after the Christmas break.
In an interview with Trinity News, Halls Warden Roja Fazaeli said that “Trinity Hall is part of the same national fabric of this country, and I would hope that every student is able to acknowledge that some repercussion is justified for breaking the rules that apply equally to everyone”.
“I frankly do not want them to feel punished or caught, rather I want to come to a mutual understanding around why and how their actions were either dangerous or disrespectful to themselves and/or the greater community,” Fazaeli said.
“Having seen the way that this virus has ripped through other halls of residence around the world and moved into surrounding communities, I’m certainly determined to hold the line on non-residents and parties,” Fazaeli stated. “I believe that’s a position which the great majority of our student residents respect and appreciate.”
Speaking to Trinity News, a spokesperson for College said that Trinity has “been able to keep Trinity Hall continuously open as a student residence even in the context of a global pandemic because we know that for some students, it is home”.
“The Covid-19 environment, and the Government’s Level 5 restrictions have meant Trinity Hall residents have had – since Semester 1 – to follow stricter rules of conduct than normal to keep themselves and the community safe.”
Additional reporting by Sarah Emerson, Connie Roughan, Jamie Cox, and Kate Glen.
