Graduation is, for the majority of Trinity students, the final farewell to a place that has shaped them and their life immeasurably. A chance to catch up with old friends and celebrate a shared experience. It is also, College authorities have worked out, a last chance to make a quick buck from students.
If you’re in your final two years it’s too late for you. You’ve already been duped. You paid for your graduation with your fees long ago. But, in any case, let’s review what your €130 has bought you. A picture? No. That comes separately. The “licensed” (ie paid a bunch of money to be there) photographer charges €70 for a portrait in front of a cut-out of the GMB. The robes? Oh no, you can get that yourself. Your only option being the licensed supplier who will rent you a robe and cap for €35 for a maximum of four hours – and that is the only option: no robes, no admittance. The venue? Well, the ceremony itself takes place in the Exam Hall and is followed by a reception in the Dining Hall. Trinity owns both so the only discernible cost are the refreshments. All this means that your €130 has bought you a piece of paper and the most expensive sandwich you’ll ever have.
In addition to being ripped-off, prepare to be bored, really bored. The entire ceremony is in Latin, with the one exception of a speech at the beginning in which they explain why the ceremony is in Latin (tradition… Trinity is old and that makes us better… yada yada). With the exception of the point where you are called up to collect your piece of paper, you sit through a 90-minute ceremony that you don’t understand a word of. This boredom really kills the sense of ceremony and is compounded by the fact that the musical cues for the ceremony aren’t performed live, as they easily could be, but are played from an iPad and tiny speakers. This penny pinching highlights the hypocrisy of the “traditional” defence of the Latin. Trinity happily tosses tradition aside if it can save them a pretty penny.
With the exception of the point where you are called up to collect your piece of paper, you sit through a 90-minute ceremony that you don’t understand a word of
For comparison, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) graduations cost €70. Robes are included and, as DIT are between campuses, they have to rent St Patrick’s Cathedral as a venue. The ceremony is in English, the musical breaks are performed live by hired musicians and the ceremony is capped by a speech from DIT’s President (again, the English here is critical). All of this makes for a better ceremony and a better sense of occasion than what Trinity offers. Instead, Trinity graduates are likely to feel bored, ripped-off and excluded by language from their graduation ceremony.
There are some simple fixes to this. First, have the ceremony in English. Some Latin passages could be kept to uphold the College’s precious tradition but, ultimately, the experience could only be improved by having the attendees understand what is being said. Second, live music should return. There is a working organ in the Exam Hall, I imagine for just this reason, and a brass quintet or string quartet could be added, making the ceremony feel a lot less cheap. Finally, the fee paid by each graduate should reflect the cost of the ceremony itself. €130 is extortionate and every attendee is aware that they are being stiffed. Not only would these changes benefit those graduating, it would benefit the College in the long-run. These same graduates who the College are milking for one last bit of cash are those who the alumni office will be calling in 10 years time looking for donations. Trinity would do well to leave a better final impression.
