For the past two years, Trinity Ents has had to grapple with its usual mandate being entirely upended: from the total closure of nightclubs to vaccine passes to students’ differing comfort levels in crowded rooms, next year’s Ents Officer will hopefully have a relatively normal tenure, but, as we’ve seen, things can turn very quickly.
This year’s candidates will be the first to battle it out in a race not completely defined by the pandemic, which gives them the freedom to focus on creativity. Indeed, all three students vying for the role are running on platforms of finding new ways to make Ents accessible and inclusive. While they have similar visions for what exactly “inclusivity” and “accessibility” mean, each candidate brings their own twist to those central tenets.
Ross Donnelly, a third-year computer science and business student, doesn’t shy away from the pandemic’s effects on students’ social lives. “Ents is a really great role, social events and social activities have such an influence over your college life. I know especially since we have missed out on so many of them.”
Donnelly is the current ents officer for Trinity Sailing, which he says has given him experience of organising social events, including smaller nights out to welcome freshers – as well larger events for all club members.
“A big thing I’m wanting to push is creative and collaborative events. I think sometimes you go to nights out and it’s the same night out you had but it’s got a different hat on it.” He also aspires to “change things up” by establishing a network of Ents organisers across College.
Third-year computer science and engineering student Max Lynch describes himself as a “go getter” and will be drawing heavily on his experience with societies such as DUDJ and Trinity’s Surf Club. In an interview with The University Times, Lynch says that “a big one for me is inclusivity”. He wants to make Trinity’s events more accessible to everyone, and has spoken to various campus stakeholders to find out how marginalised students can feel safe and welcome at Ents events. “Trinity ents is nothing without the students”, he says earnestly.
Lynch was adamant about continuing the daytime events that this year’s Ents committee ran during freshers’ week – outdoor screenings of films and concerts in Front Square. “COVID opened up new events and things we can do, people need to remember that Ents is for everyone.”
Nadia A, another third-year computer science student, says she is an “avid night-out goer” who has experience of helping to run nights out through her role as class representative and involvement with events such as the STEM ball.
Ents, in her view, suffers from “the same narrative of the same type of people and I’m different from that – I come from humble beginnings. I would represent change”.
She is confident her experience with TCDSU as class representative will serve her well adding: “I know what the SU is like, I know how they run.”
Safety on nights out will likely feature heavily in this year’s Ents race, given Ireland’s recent reckoning with violence against women. All three candidates are acutely aware that all those on nights out ought to feel safe – Donnelly says that, if elected, his main focus would be on safety, sustainability and accessibility. “They should be a given on a night out.”
He adds that he has been working with the social justice officer in VDP to look “for ways that we can strive for this to be a priority”. Some of his ideas to this end include establishing proper routes home, taking inspiration from services set up in some German colleges, as well as increasing accountability on nights out. Examples he gave involved getting private transport back to Trinity Hall and the main campus and providing welfare training for the events staff and ents committee.
Donnelly plans for this to be a particular focus during freshers’ week as, “realistically that’s going to be some people’s first nights out”. He added that proper communication through Ents will be important for ensuring safety. “There have been times when it’s been hard to know what’s going to happen.”
Similarly, A also wants to bring buses to and from Halls. She points out that this would help with sustainability, reducing carbon footprint and reducing costs of nights out, rather than solely acting as a safer way to get there and back.
However, she is keen to emphasise her commitment to students’ comfort and safety on a night out. She expresses concerns about all-male security teams in various venues, and describes plans to ensure there are female volunteers and first aiders at all events.
Having grown up in Egypt and being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, the candidate says: “I do appeal [to] all minorities.”
Her plans to make Ents more inclusive involve holding LGBTQ-friendly events such as drag shows and cultural days to celebrate students of all backgrounds. She notes that she’s not the first aspiring Ents Officer to promise these things, but points to past failures to deliver on such commitments. “people can see the culture and see the beauty and maybe allow these exchange students to feel more at home and appreciated.”
Lynch shares this desire too, stating that he “wants to make Trinity Ents a safe and inclusive place for everyone, where they have a place to relax and they have an event to go to.” In that vein, a major component of his manifesto is anti-spiking and safety on nights out.
He is also keen to work with the union’s events providers and booking teams to realise this. “I really want to strengthen our Trinity Ents relationship with our events booker, who works for Mother, a large LGBTQ+ night events company.”
“I feel like by strengthening that bond with him, Trinity Ents can learn a lot about how to run an event at a venue where everyone feels like they can fully express themselves. That’s one of the most important aspects of ents, ensuring students have a place to go.”
Current Ents Officer Greg Arrowsmith and his predecessor had to get creative amid fluctuating rules on nightclubs opening, leading to more of a focus on the Trinity campus as a venue. One of Donnelly’s main aims is to “put the Trinity back in Trinity Ents.”
“So many of Trinity’s facilities have been lying dormant”, he says.
A also aims to use Trinity’s spaces to launch a Sunday market, giving students the opportunity to sell their clothes and other items. “Not only would it promote sustainability with fashion”, she explains, “it will also give students a chance to earn some money”.
She plans to collaborate with the Fashion Society and Trinity VDP to launch this initiative, hoping to raise donations for charity through it too.
Lynch wants to make use of the campus locations and the talents of its students to run events similar to the ones seen during this year’s freshers and senior freshers weeks. “I feel like there’s such an abundance of talent in Trinity which goes untapped, we should definitely have more concerts, we could do stand-up gigs.”
“Trinity Ents isn’t all about clubbing – I feel there’s so many other non-alcoholic events we can do during the daytime around campus to make it a more exciting place to be”, he added.
Lynch also has plans to run lively events aimed at student nurses to thank them for their work during the pandemic. “Quite an important part of my manifesto is ensuring I talk to the relevant off-campus officers and class reps to make sure the people like the nurses, who aren’t centred on campus, also feel like they can be involved. They’ve worked so hard over the last two years for us, so they definitely deserve to relax at this point”
Lynch is also adamant that off-campus locations be included in student social events. “I feel so bad for the people who were in Halls during COVID – that was a completely backwards experience … I definitely think the Halls ball should stick around, potentially a freshers’ ball.”
Indeed, Trinity Ball, the jewel in the crown of Trinity’s event calendar, is set to return this year, having been cancelled twice due to the pandemic, and all three candidates have specific hopes for how they would plan the Ball if elected. Donnelly wishes to promote Trinity-based acts, not just to celebrate local talent, but to save money. “Trinity alumni acts and embracing Irish acts which should hopefully lower the costs a little bit.”
A emphasises plans to make Trinity Ball cash free and aims to promote sustainability through returnable cup schemes.
Returning to safety and accessibility, Donnelly again cites the use of Trinity facilities as one of his main objectives. “There’s plenty of options there for safe spaces.”
Trinity Ents is typically perceived as the liveliest aspect of TCDSU, with the Ents race usually lighter in tone than policy-heavy discussions for the other sabbatical roles. But recent events and conversations could bring a heavier tone to this three-way battle, as student leaders grapple with the reality that clubs are far from safe for many students.
