TCDSU Council tonight discussed the proposed changes to college assessments.
The changes include introducing supplemental exam charges and allowing students to repeat specific modules rather than the entire academic year.
College has suggested a new system of supplemental exams. This involves a charge for supplemental exams. An initial fee of €230 was rejected by TCDSU. The new system also allows students to pay to repeat the failed module instead of the entire year.
Currently Trinity College is the only college in Ireland with free supplemental exams after a failed first sitting. Failure of supplemental exams means a student must pay to repeat the entire year.
College has said the supplemental charges are to pay for the introduction of modular billing. Speaking during the discussion, Vice Provost Chris Morash stated that the reason modular billing had not been possible up until now is that the systems used by the Academic Registry “simply couldn’t allow for it”.
Morash continued, “I think this is fair, and I want you to think it’s fair too”. He said that the introduction of fees for supplemental exams to pay for modular billing was a “good quid pro quo arrangement”.
Senior Sophister German and Irish student, Shane Rice, also a TCDSU presidential candidate, disagreed with “reaching into students pockets”. He asked “why are we holding modular repeat hostage to students paying for repeating exams?”
In an email circulated to students by TCDSU Communications and Marketing Officer Úna Harty, TCDSU President Kevin Keane requested to be led by students in this matter.
Other university supplemental exams in Ireland charge various fees. UCD charge €230 per repeat with no cap on accumulating charges and DCU charge €190 per module. Some Universities charge per credits, UCC charges €35 per 5 credits with a €245 cap and NUIM charges €10 per credit with a €280 cap.
Additional reporting by Rory O’Neill, Aisling Grace and Peter Kelly.
