Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Council has passed a number of motions at Council this evening, including one to support the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s (INMO) recent vote in favour of industrial action. The motion, proposed by Laura Killeen, Faculty Convenor for Health Sciences, mandates TCDSU to adopt a stance in support of this action.
Council also mandated that an invitation be extended to the JCR President to act as an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the Union Forum, the body of the SU composed of SU Part-Time Officers (PTOs) and Faculty Conveners. The Trinity Hall JCR, the student run body for the residents of Trinity Hall, currently do not formally represent the students living in Halls in the Student Union Forum. An invitation will now be extended to the JCR President to formalise the relationship between JCR and Union Forum, although the President has the option to reject the invitation.
In her sabbatical officer report, Welfare Officer Aoibhinn Loughlin, announced that a Peer Support Protocol is currently being drafted in collaboration with the Student2Student organisation. When implemented this will mean that there will be Peer Supporters in the Welfare Office outside of her current office hours. Loughlin also noted in her speech that only three people have used the Peer Supporter network this year.
TCDSU President McNulty also asked for all class reps to survey the students they represent on a new off-campus student strategy, which McNulty wants to bring before the last Council of the academic year. Separately, McNulty proposed for the chair of Trinity’s Volunteering Forum to be elected as a part-time officer at the last Council of the year. The forum is not currently supported by TCDSU.
In addition, a motion was also passed mandating that a permanent item of ‘Local Issues’ be added to the agenda of each subsequent Council meeting. Proposed by SU President, Kieran McNulty, ‘Local Issues’ would devote 10 minutes of every Council to discussing various student issues from different Schools and Faculties. The motion stated its aim was “to increase the diversity of Council speakers”. Speaking in favour of the motion, McNulty said the item would be “really great in terms of opening up council. It would make the SU more transparent and open up our processes better.”
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Paraic McLean, Convener of Creative Arts, spoke against the motion, noting that many of the issues which would tend to be raised are already done so at faculty assemblies. “I feel like dedicating 10 minutes is already pointless considering [the issues] are already discussed at faculty assemblies”, he said. Other students spoke both in favour and against the motion, though after a call to sum up and vote, the motion passed.
Additional reporting by Aisling Grace, Emma McCarthy, Cathal Kavanagh, Stacy Wrenn, Jane Purdom and Oisín Vince Coulter.
