College will now begin to send out a weekly email, in direct response to an open letter signed by members of the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) criticising Trinity for a lack of communication with students over the summer.
The decision was made in an emergency meeting of the Phased Resumption of Activities Group at which the letter was discussed.
In an email to TCDSU, Provost Patrick Prendergast thanked the union for raising the issues, adding: “We do appreciate that it is a very difficult time for our students, and we will endeavour to provide as much reassurance as we can through increased communications.”
In the letter, TCDSU Communications and Marketing Officer Philly Holmes said that the College had relied too much on the FAQ web pages and social media to communicate with students.
“The information included in the FAQ sections affects every member of the college community and should be universally communicated with regular emails”, Holmes said in the letter. “This would dispel the majority of legitimate fears and confusion around a variety of topics.”
“This systemic issue is exemplified by the fact that the first publication of the revised Freshers week date was on Twitter and Instagram at 7pm on a Friday evening. That weekend, student publications and the Students’ Union were then left scrambling to reassure the student body and fill the gaps.”
“As of today (Tuesday 18th August), there has still not been any direct, official communication to students around this. It seems to be assumed that social media is an ample form of communication for such a monumental structural change. This is insufficient.”
Holmes also highlighted the increasing uncertainty for students as they return to Trinity, citing “a housing crisis, a looming recession and financial instability all alongside the imminent potential of a second lockdown as cases continue to increase” as sources of great anxiety for students.
“We understand that the college cannot have the answer to every question”, Holmes added. “The COVID-19 crisis is ever changing, but a college that is willing to communicate the current issues and deliver a more transparent communications strategy will be less likely to receive criticism for genuine mistakes or changes in circumstance.”
“The concerns of the college are the same as those of the students, and the current lack of clarity is only serving to heighten anxiety across the board. Now more than ever we need leaders, not lists on a website.”
