Paul Glynn & Leanna Byrne | Senior Staff Writer & Editor
Criticism of the JCR “Strip Auction” developed last week after a series of emails from a Trinity Hall student was sent to Warden of Trinity Hall, Brendan Tangney, and College authorities. The strip auction took place before voting in the JCR elections on Wednesday night in spite of the student’s protestations.
The email in question was sent last week to the Warden and the assistant wardens, in which the student condemned the event as “extraordinarily shocking, disappointing, and generally unacceptable”, demanding that the event be cancelled.
Having received no response from Mr Tangney or the assistant wardens, the student forwarded the email to other College authorities on Saturday evening at 8pm. Included in the email was the Provost and Vice-Provost, the Welfare and Communications Officers and the President of the Students’ Union, the College Chaplaincy services, the Senior Tutor, the Senior Lecturer, the Junior Dean and the Community Liaison Officer, as well as some JCR members.
The student in question claimed that allowing the event to happen right before the JCR elections puts a “severe limitation on the ability of all potential candidates to take part fully”, stating on this point that: “this event makes candidates who, for ethical or religious reasons feel unable to take part in a ‘strip auction’, effectively ineligible to run for JCR positions.”
Similarly, on potential body-image concerns, they stated: “These people, who may have self-esteem issues to begin with, will essentially be made to feel that they are ‘too unattractive’ to be a member of Trinity Hall JCR, something which I find deeply regretful.” The student added that: “It is not clear to me whether it is obligatory for standing candidates to take part, but the pressure of having voting immediately afterwards, and the cruel expectations of members of Halls, will mean that even if not obligatory in any official context, this event is essentially compulsory for anyone who wishes to participate in Trinity Hall’s democratic proceedings.”
The student criticised the strip auction’s “encouragement of nudity in exchange for approval or benefit”, adding that it “helps create and perpetuate a stereotype of students as being rowdy, irresponsible, and lacking in ethics, with those who are most in possession of these qualities being given the wheel to steer the rest into the same ditch”. Furthermore, the student accused the event of cheapening the JCR elections and distracting from discussing policy and ideas.
Following the circulation of the email, The University Times learned that members of the JCR committee began contacting candidates asking them whether or not they would like to take part. According to sources, some candidates were unhappy to take part and expressed their wish for the strip auction to be discontinued.
When asked to comment, Conor O’Meara, President of the JCR, stated: “Normally, the event is a fundraiser for The Irish Cancer Society in conjunction with Cancer Society and aims to raise funds and awareness for the charity in the middle of one of JCR’s main events of the year – the elections. In previous years, it has been stressed that candidates are not forced or pressured to take part. If they do decide to take part, they only go as far as they are comfortable and normally a joke element is added to it to lighten the stressful election process atmosphere.”
An email issued to this year’s candidates in advance of the election night reassured them that the event would be “a bit of fun” and went on to say “many of the candidates last year took on a little bit of ‘liquid courage’, but seriously don’t overdo it. Do whatever makes YOU comfortable.”
At the time of publication Trinity Hall Warden Tangney was unavailable for comment. In addition, The University Times made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the student.
