A motion proposing that Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) sabbatical officers be mandated to schedule two hours of office hours per week has been passed at the final meeting of Council of the academic year.
The motion notes that sabbatical officers “are frequently busy, either with meetings in their office or meetings and events out of office” and further notes that the accessibility of sabbatical officers to the students which they represent is “essential to the pursuit of openness, inclusiveness and student engagement with the Students’ Union”.
The motion, proposed by Deputy Engineering Mathematics and Science convenor Jason Leonard, mandates officers to allocate time in which they will be available for students to drop in.
The motion also mandates that these hours be publicised by TCDSU on such mediums as the TCDSU Facebook account and the Students’ Union email. Speaking in favour of the motion, welfare officer Conor Clancy noted that during certain weeks – such as busy campaign weeks or the week of Union of Students in Ireland (USI) Congress – it would be impossible for officers to hold hours, however Leonard argued that Oversight Commission could take this into account at the end of the year when examining the amount of office hours conducted by officers.
In the same council session, a motion to mandate the president, welfare officer and communication and marketing officer to organise a “campaign guide” was passed. This motion notes that “many factors, including College bureaucracy and the perceived stress of running a campaign can lead to a decline in participation [in campaigns] despite clear interest.”
This motion was proposed by citizenship officer and president-elect Kieran McNulty and was seconded by Gender Equality Officer Louise Mulrennan. The guide hopes to “give accessible information on how to organise a campaign” and “would include a sample campaign structure, key contact information and tips on how to run successful campaigns”.
In speaking on the motion, McNulty mentioned that the USI had previously published a campaign guide, however argued that there should be a “more Trinity specific” guide available to students. Welfare officer Conor Clancy speaking in favour of the motion, admitted that the guide had already been in the works for “about a month now”. He further commented “Vote for this, it’ll be grand”.
Also in response to the stress of student union campaigns, council has voted to “comprehensively review” the sabbatical, class rep and union forum elections and then issue a report on any proposed changes to be submitted to Council in the first term of the next academic year.
