The Oversight Commission (OC) will now have to present a review of schedule four – the list of policies and stances that the union must push – to council every year, with recommendations for which mandates – if any – should be discontinued.
The commission’s recommendations will be based on whether or not it considers the mandate to be irrelevant to union administration or the “aims and principles of the Union, or is otherwise outside of the remit of council”.
Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) council tonight passed the new mandate. The motion was proposed by STEM Convenor Daniel O’Reilly and seconded by TCDSU President Eoin Hand.
Speaking in favour of the motion, O’Reilly described schedule four as an “absolute mess”, adding that it made it difficult for members of the union to “pay attention” to what they are meant to be doing in their positions.
The mandate, he said, was a “bit of housekeeping on our policy handbook”.
TCDSU Education Officer Megan O’Connor said that the motion was “really important”, adding that there were a lot of motions “that need amending”.
The OC is responsible for “managing and maintaining the Union’s policy”. The commission responds to students who want to learn more about union policy and whether or not the union is doing what it is mandated to do. The chair of the OC is also the secretary to council.
The main objective of the union, according to its constitution, is to “provide for and promote and defend the interests of its members”.
The union is meant to act as a conduit of information between College and students, while working for the “maintenance and improvement of the quality of education in the college and for an equitable education system”.
It also aims to “provide for the welfare of its members”, “provide social and recreational amenities for its members” and “provide commercial services”. It also works to “develop and maintain relations with other students’ unions, and the general public”.
