The Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) returned a surplus of €2,938 for the 2021 financial year, which ended on August 21st.
Speaking at this evening’s GSU AGM, Treasurer Geetika Banga said the surplus was “directly attributed to the GSU President’s rigorous targeting of external commercial opportunities”.
Srikumar said the union was in a “healthy financial position”.
In July, College’s Capitation Committee said that the GSU’s funding would be suspended until it dealt with complaints relating to its controversial EGM.
Salaries topped the union’s expenses at €64,958. The GSU also spent €12,078 on administration expenses, €8,270 on events, and €5,710 on elections.
In her presentation after the budget was presented, Scanlon said “more resources need to be given to all capitated bodies”.
The GSU also voted to confirm members of a new oversight board in this evening’s AGM.
The new board includes former provostial candidate Prof Jane Ohlmeyer, Director of the Trinity Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Prof Sarah Alyn-Stacey and barrister Conor Duff.
All former board members were ordered to resign by Scanlon in an email sent in September. She wrote: “As you are most likely aware, the term limit for a position within the GSU Board is three years and as the current Board was constituted by my predecessor Shane Collins on July 5th 2018, your term in office has now regrettably concluded.”
According to GSU bye laws, “the mode of appointment of voting members of the GSU Board shall be through the Nominating Committee”, and the Nominating Committee “shall present nominees which shall be approved at AGM”.
The old constitution also does not indicate that the president has the power to dismiss Board members independently.
The new board members appointed today were Abhigyan Ashok, Prof Sarah Alyn-Stacey, Conor Duff, Ola Elian, Sonja Heppner, GSU Oversight Officer Jonathon Murphy, and Prof Jane Ohlmeyer.
According to an email sent out to postgraduates from the GSU, Ashok has “experience in economics” and works “primarily in the fields of freedom of expression, and private and commercial law”.
Alyn-Stacey is an associate professor in the Department of French and is the founding Director of the Trinity Centre for Medieval and Renaissance. Duff is a practicing barrister and graduate of both Maynooth University as well as Trinity.
Elian is a youth worker “skilled in advocacy, community outreach, and project management. Hepner is a trainee Solicitor at William Fry and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the School of Law.
Murphy is the GSU’s newly-appointed oversight officer who sits on the board as a representative of the union. Ohlmeyer is Erasmus Smith’s Professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin and the Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub.
Correction: December 10th, 2021
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the treasurer of the GSU is Anuj Srikumar. In fact, it is Geetika Banga.
