Adam Balchin has been elected as the new Chair of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), replacing Emma Rossiter who stepped down in order to focus on their studies.
Addressing council this evening, Balchin said: “I want to commend Emma for the work she’s done throughout this year and throughout the four years she’s been working with the union.”
“I have been on the EC [Electoral Commission] for two years and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. A lot of people would not say that.”
Eoin Ussher, another EC member, also ran to replace Rossiter. Ussher told council that as chair, “you’re not really meant to engage in substantive debate.”
He added: “This forum has turned into a place where nonsense debates are kind of dominating. Ultimately, no one really cares about us.”
Standing in to chair council this evening, TCDSU Education Officer Bev Genockey announced Rossiter’s decision to step down for personal reasons.
Speaking to The University Times before Balchin was elected, Rossiter explained that stress related to their final-year project meant they needed to “take a step back from everything else”.
“Our supervisor was taken sick and we had no final year project for a while”, they said. “I do love the union, I love my EC [Electoral Commission] especially and I’m sad to be stepping down.”
“I don’t want to make a mess of the [TCDSU] elections because I’m stressed,” they added.
“There’s plenty of EC members and whoever wins the race will do a great job.”
This evening, the union heard that Students in St James’s are paying higher parking fees than students on the main Trinity campus.
The union’s Mature Students Officer Ailis Smith told council this evening that the discounted parking rate for staff and students in the Fleet St car park does not extend to the St James’s campus.
