Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) have announced the creation of a full-time Martial Arts Officer role.
Like other sabbatical positions, the role will be held by a student elected by the student body, and “will be responsible for the teaching of self-defence” as well as mindfulness exercises for students who wish to participate.
Speaking today, a spokesperson for the union said: “We are proud to announce the creation of this new role. This is something which we feel is long overdue in Trinity, and something which we hope other universities in Ireland follow suit on.”
They continued: “Students have a right to feel safe on their campus, and basic knowledge self-defence is one way in which this can be improved.”
Incoming first year students will be mandated to complete two hours of training with the Martial Arts Officer in Freshers’ Week, and free classes will be run throughout the year for students who wish to improve their skills or refresh their knowledge.
While Trinity will be the first college in Ireland to introduce the role, multiple universities in the UK have introduced a Martial Arts Office on either a full or part-time basis, including the University of Manchester, Durham University, and the London Institute of Technology.
A TCDSU by-election will be held during the summer to fill the role for the 2023/24 academic year.
