Current Registrar of Chambers Philip Coleman has taken over as Junior Dean, after serving as an Assistant Junior Dean from 2016.
He will continue in his role as Registrar of Chambers. The two roles were separated a decade ago when Prof Tim Trimble and Prof Emma Stokes were appointed Junior Dean and Registrar of Chambers respectively.
In an email statement to The University Times, Coleman said that he “agreed to take on the two roles simultaneously partly because of the experience I have gained in both areas over the last few years but also because I already have close working relationships with colleagues between the Accommodation Office and the Office of the Junior Dean”.
Coleman said that it was “an honour to be asked by the Provost to take on a College Officer role, and as a Fellow I take seriously my responsibility to do what I can for the College when I am asked to do so”.
Aside from his role as Registrar of Chambers and an Assistant Junior Dean, Coleman was also Secretary to the Fellows from 2018 until this year, and is an associate professor in the School of English.
Coleman said that he believed that “every student deserves to be heard in confidence and without prejudice”.
“Since March I have been working closely with many members of the College community to make sure that the campus is as safe as it can be for all who live and work here going forward”, he said.
“Planning for this has involved difficult decisions that have drawn on my experience and knowledge across the JD and Registrar of Chambers roles to date”, he added. “In the current context, however, I think safety and responsibility must be at the centre of everything we do, and these are certainly things I will prioritise in my work and try to emphasise across College during my term as Junior Dean.”
Trimble took over as Junior Dean in 2010, and has been the subject of almost universal admiration among his colleagues. His approach to the job has been described as calm and fair, with colleagues also emphasising his listening abilities.
In an interview with The University Times in 2017, Coleman said that Trimble was great “because he’s very good at trying to get to the heart of a problem, to the heart of an issue”.
In 2017, Joseph O’Gorman, formerly an Assistant Junior Dean under Trimble, told this newspaper: “Tim is one of the good guys – and I’m not just saying that because there’s a recorder on.”
During his time as Junior Dean, Trimble oversaw investigations into incidents of hazing in the all-male, secret sports society, the Knights of the Campanile, as well as allegations of sexual harassment directed at former Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union presidential candidate Sean Ryan.
In the aftermath of the Knights of the Campanile controversy, Trimble ruled that “only that an unauthorized party was convened”. He did not, however, request any of the evidence gathered by reporters who witnessed the hazing rituals in question. Trimble also cleared Ryan of charges of sexual harassment, saying that “there was no case to answer”.
The allegations came to light in an article by Trinity News published on the second day of voting during the elections. Ryan decided to resign from the race the following day, with a statement released on his campaign’s Facebook page, saying he rejected the complaints made against him, but apologised “unreservedly” for any offence he may have caused.
The Junior Dean is responsible for investigating breaches of College rules and regulations by students and taking further actions regarding these breaches.
