Students have probably noticed that Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) has been more active than ever on social media this year. But what may have raised eyebrows is the sudden shift away from professionalism. Featuring sabbatical officers dabbing, in-jokes (that even we sometimes don’t get), office pranks and once even an Instagram story of an office party in House Six, the union is clearly desperately trying to be cool. Not only is this exclusionary, but it also makes TCDSU seem like it doesn’t know that it’s possible to be both cool and professional. Most of the time, jamming your content with references to now-dated popular internet trends isn’t the way to go about it.
On Tuesday, Trinity students received an uncharacteristically clear email in their inboxes. There would, it said, be an earlier start to the 2018/19 academic year. Such information, the email pointed out, may be “useful in shaping your summer plans”. Quite right. Attached to the email was an equally uncharacteristically clear fact sheet about the changes to Trinity’s academic year structure, leaving very little – if anything – to doubt. In a university where students are often left waiting for examination timetables and where bureaucracy often gets in the way of common sense, this email, which came almost a year in advance of the change in question, should be tentatively applauded.
The first teaching week of the year saw TCDSU register nearly 500 students to vote. Between then and now, the union registered a further 700 students. This comes on the back of huge voter registration drives ahead of the 2016 general election and the historic 2015 marriage equality referendum. Ahead of next year’s referendum to repeal the eighth amendment, the registration of voters amongst this staunchly pro-choice student cohort will be crucial. But what is now clear is that voter registration, rather than being some kind of notable, momentous activity, has now become part of the fabric of TCDSU. And that’s how it should be.
