Lobby by TCDSU has secured an additional student member of College Board.
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) Bill 2022 will be amended to include three student representatives on colleges’ governing bodies instead of two, following successful lobbying spearheaded by Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU).
The change will apply to every higher education institution in the country.
Proposed changes to the structure of college governing authorities, known as College Board in Trinity, originally provided for two student representatives on governing bodies, a change which would reduce student membership of Trinity’s Board by half.
The new amendment was confirmed in a phone call between Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation, Research and Science Simon Harris and TCDSU President Leah Keogh last night.
In a statement this morning, TCDSU said: “After months of lobbying, exhausting both local and national avenues, TCDSU has been successful in our campaign to fight cuts to student representation on College Board, not only for Trinity but for Universities across the country!”
The statement continued: “Crucially, the student voice will be stronger than initially proposed by the Bill on every University’s primary decision making body.”
“We would like to thank Students for Change, the Graduate Students’ Union and the Union of Students in Ireland for joining us in applying the pressure.”
In March, TCDSU submitted an amendment to the HEA Bill 2022 through the Union of Students’ in Ireland (USI) that would see student representation increased from two student members to three or four instead.
Harris previously rejected this amendment arguing that the decrease to student representation was generally proportional, but indicated that possible exceptions could be made for Trinity given the unique structure of its Board.
The change announced today will increase the number of student representatives on the governing body of all higher education institutions in Ireland.
