Following the launch of a similar campaign in University College Dublin (UCD), a petition has been launched that seeks to give students in Trinity the option to disassociate themselves with Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU).
As it currently stands, every undergraduate student in the College is automatically a member of the union once they register for the academic year. Funding for the union comes from the College’s general fund, which comes from student fees through the Capitations Committee.
On the Student Union Opt Out Project Facebook page, the group states its mission as “pushing for students to have the option to leave the Students Union should they choose to do so”. A petition requires 500 signatures to trigger a referendum.
The campaign page states that TCDSU is “not just a student union” but also a “political” one, and that students, if they choose, should have the right not to be affiliated with it.
As well as requesting a referendum on the matter, the group is also looking for more union accountability, a more efficient union and a clear report on union expenditure.
Correction: 17:10, November 15th, 2017
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the €8 fee paid by students at the beginning of the year went towards membership of TCDSU. In fact, this fee goes towards membership of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI).
