Daniel O’Brien ¦ Staff Writer
On October 23rd 2013, the University Times first reported a decision by the Board of Trinity College to increase Non-EU fees next year. In that article Students’ Union President Tom Lenihan commented that “the risk level that this would deter potential international students is low. It actually reflects how attractive Trinity is with our expanding international community.” In fairness to Mr. Lenihan, he has since clarified that he was responding to a question specifically about the announcement’s effect on the Global Relations initiative. The fact remains, however, that this statement represents the only public stance the Union has taken on the issue thus far. (Note: Hannah Ryan of the University Times now reports that Non-EU fees are expected to rise by at least €4,000).
The following day, October 24th, the University Times released a second article that provides a very interesting context to the above statement. This piece by USI President Joe O’Connor not only highlights the Union’s success in protecting Irish student grants, but also reiterates its commitment to reducing the Student Contribution Charge (due to hit €3,000 in 2015!) to pre-crisis levels. Mr. O’Connor’s vigorous defense of his constituents is admirable and indeed represents exactly the position a union would be expected to take in such a situation. The apathy displayed by Trinity’s SU, on the other hand, is indicative of a worrying lack of inclusive representation within the Union.
The apathy displayed by Trinity’s SU is indicative of a worrying lack of inclusive representation within the Union.
One of the few basic fees that all Trinity students have in common is a meager USI levy charge. Irish students can generally be sure they are getting a bargain out of this deal; for the cost of €8 this year they were able to fund Mr. O’Connor’s tireless efforts to protect their grants and keep their fees in check. For Non-EU students this exchange is much less favorable. They are effectively paying the same amount into the USI for the privilege of being the first group that both the government and unions agree should pay more.
It must be made perfectly clear here, if it has not already, that the issue is not and never whether the increased fees will deter future international students. Those students will have a rational choice to make, with the new fee numbers before them and the ability to budget out four years of their lives around such numbers. Current students, on the other hand, are left purely at the whim of the Provost as to what fees they should have to pay from one year to the next. They have already made a huge financial commitment to Trinity, and are very likely unable to afford starting over again anywhere else. The point that must be grasped by this university, its Students’ Union, and Irish society as a whole is that Non-EU students and their families are not low-hanging piñatas from which money can be endlessly beaten to cover up the major faults in Irish third-level education funding. These are families who are often putting more than one other child through university, often at a far higher cost than what they pay to Trinity.
The silence adopted by the Union on this issue ensures that no opposition whatsoever will be offered to these offensively and painfully draconian fee hikes.
An increase of €4,000 means additional years of student loans, or perhaps a sibling having to differ college or attend a cheaper and less desirable institution. The decisions made by this college have real impacts on the lives of students and their families; that is why we rely on the Student Union to be the voice in policy discussions that individuals cannot possibly achieve. The silence adopted by the Union on this issue ensures that no opposition whatsoever will be offered to these offensively and painfully draconian fee hikes.
Whichever direction the future of Trinity’s funding lies, the Students’ Union must ensure that all of its constituents are equally represented. It cannot accept the inevitability of international fee hikes without protest while simultaneously lamenting the hardship faced by Irish students paying roughly a tenth of what their peers are charged. The current reported fee hike of €4,000 represents an increase for Non-EU students of almost one and a half times the amount that Irish students pay in total each year. If Trinity is going to be forced to raise its fees to cover funding shortfalls, that burden should not be felt exclusively by those already least represented in Irish society. Trinity’s Students’ Union and the USI as a whole must consider the future of Irish third-level education and decide whether protecting extensive grants and miniscule student contributions for Irish students is really the best representation of all its constituents. After all, international students have a right to expect equal representation for their interests, especially regarding fee hikes. Presently, however, such support from the Students’ Union has not been forthcoming.
