Yuv Garg, a Senior Sophister student in the School of Global Business, is one of four candidates running in the upcoming Students’ Union Entertainment Officer (Ents) election. Serving currently on the Ents committee as the Welfare and Inclusivity Officer, he focuses on creating accessibility to venues and events, as well as helping to ensure student safety. He also represents College within the Irish Graduates Network. Last year, he served as the president of the Trinity Indian Society as well as the treasurer for the 2022-2023 committee. In 2022-2023, Garg was also the acting Sports Officer for Trinity Halls Junior Common Room (JCR).
Talking on his experience as the JCR Sports Officer, Garg spoke to the numerous events they hosted throughout the year and to the “sense of joy and accomplishment. When I saw people have that much fun, I felt accomplished that it was something done by me”. He said that has been his “main motivating point” and that he has tried to “remain active” within roles of student engagement and entertainment.
Within his role as Welfare and Inclusivity Officer for Trinity Ents, Garg highlighted the success of larger-scale events like Pav Friday and RAG Week under current Ents officer Peadar Walsh. “I think it’s just been a really amazing year, and I’ve worked on every single event and saw them firsthand.” Garg intends to build on that momentum if elected and advertised adding “bigger events, more genre to events as well as focus on accessibility. I would like to have plain text graphics and accessibility reports before the events.”
Taking a look at his manifesto, Garg’s platform is centred around the slogan ‘Bigger, Better, More’ and the expanding of variety and number of events within the College calendar. He promises for four Pav Fests, 2 each semester, that cater to more music genres and to work with the Pavilion Bar to ensure shorter queues. He also intends to increase collaboration with the Central Societies Committee (CSC) to create a college-wide events calendar about all Ents and society events taking place with weekly updates.
“I think one of the best parts about the campus is that it is so accessible to everyone,” Garg stated, “One of my main campaign points is to utilise more spaces on campus, not just the Pav. There’s the GMB, the Atrium, and the Buttery is also an events space.”
On addressing accessibility and inclusivity within the role, Garg hopes to represent those who do not drink by proposing more ‘sober sessions’, stated in his manifesto to be “music events in collaboration with societies” that are not run in a bar environment. He also commits to working with the Pav to introduce greater 0.0 options.
“Whenever we think of music, we go straight to nightclubs. I would like to change that perception that music events are not just Pav or club nights.”
He hopes that the decentering of nightlife and events would allow for more varied engagement with Ents and also “give an opportunity for students to showcase their talents, with DJs, trad music, as well as jazz house stuff.”
Continuing on his engagement and inclusion promise, Garg advertises an ‘Ents for all’ including hosting pre-Pav Irish language learning events in collaboration with the SU Oifigeach Gaeilge elect and monthly postgraduate events. With the introduction of an Irish Officer within the Ents committee in the upcoming year, Garg emphasises the need “to grow Irish events and make them even bigger.”
His manifesto also outlines sustainability and charity initiatives to give back to the community as an “integral part of the Trinity Ents identity” through the introduction of a deposit cup system at the Pav and collaboration with the Deposit Return Scheme, for which the funds would go towards the Return for Children charity. He also hopes to implement a year-long Party for a Purpose campaign and promises to host “two charity oriented events every month.”
On speaking to his passion and interest in running for the Ents position, Garg feels that it is such a “unique position that engages everyone with the SU” and that within the role he would utilise and have “so many resources to be able to give back to the college.”
Garg’s campaign also spotlights students outside the main campus with the introduction of events that cater to health science students on placement. He promises to work with Class Reps and health science students to plan events that fit around placement schedules when “the college is usually quiet” and do outreach events within St. James’s.
Continuing in his welfare efforts and focus within his current role in the upcoming year, Garg intends to implement mandatory peer support and bystander training for all members of the Ents committee. He wants to ensure that every Ents representative at events feel confident and comfortable serving as “points of contact for students in need” and that there be immediate support in cases of emergency.
Overall, Garg’s campaign focuses on creating greater diversity within the events and engagement with Ents, maintaining the momentum of successful events throughout the current year, and ensuring safe and supportive spaces for all students within Trinity. Bigger, better, and more.
“I really want to help students enjoy college life and have the best experience like I have had for these past four years, that’s why I feel like I would be the best person for the job.”
