The college’s students claim that the university is putting profit margins before people.
A protest made up of Trinity College Dublin students took place in the vicinity of the college on Friday, to reflect the university’s students opposition to the proposed introduction of supplemental fees.
The original fee proposal was made by the Vice-Provost of Trinity College, Chris Morash, in January. The original figure suggested was €200 euro per exam, with a cap of €1,000.
Following this, the Union proposed the motion to the Student Council, and the decision was moved to a much-hyped, yet non-binding, preferendum. Out of a valid poll of 3,504 students, 82% voted strongly against the implementation of supplemental fees.
Despite a stalwart effort by the University’s students to voice their opinion on the matter, the decision to introduce fees was made by the College Board on 28 February.
The Board decided that, from 2019, a flat-fee of €450 for supplement exams will be introduced. The board has also noted that this fee will be capped at €450 and allocated to every student sitting supplemental exams, regardless of the number of exams they sit.
Prior to this, no fee was issued to those sitting supplemental exams in Trinity College Dublin. They were the only university in Ireland of its kind to implement this, allowing students to coin them as “freepeats”.
In an act of defiance, Trinity students took over the college’s campus on Friday afternoon demanding that their voices be heard on the pressing issue.
we have shut down front arch. we have shut down the book of kells. we will not accept a €450 flat fee for supplemental fees. we’re going to #TakeBackTrinity pic.twitter.com/J2ilDXPMon
— TCD Students' Union 🇵🇸🏳️🌈 (@tcdsu) March 9, 2018
Speaking from the protest, TCDSU President Kevin Keane chatted to JOE about how students believe that the Board is far more interested in generating revenue than student needs.
“Students in Trinity have been ignored by their University for far too long.
“For years, we have been asked to subsidise the college’s exploits – including a second home for the Provost – by reaching into our own pockets,” Keane said.
“They’ve squeezed every last cent out of us, and the latest outrage is a new €450 flat fee for supplemental exams. Enough is enough. We have no more to give. We’re here to Take Back Trinity, and we won’t stop until we have.”
phenomenal scenes as the group at front arch come to join the book of kells group! #TakeBackTrinity pic.twitter.com/hnn9Z3ZAQf
— TCD Students' Union 🇵🇸🏳️🌈 (@tcdsu) March 9, 2018
In a statement released by TCDSU, students mentioned that the lack of fees for this type of exam was “the only respite in an otherwise completely unaffordable education”.
Students said the cost of student accommodation has “risen starkly in the past number of years, beyond the means of students”.
The students taking over Trinity have issued the following demands to the College Board.
- Supplemental exam fees to be scrapped, with a written declaration promising they will never be introduced
- Affordable rental options for the full academic year to be introduced and offered for all students; rent increases for any and all student accommodation provided by Trinity to be rejected and condemned
- No more increases to any student fees in any form
“We will escalate our protests until our demands are met,” the statement said.
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