A record 10 new societies were granted provisional recognition from the Central Societies Committee this year. In a statement to The University Times, the CSC stated, “the judges were highly impressed by the high standard of the many submissions we received for Society of the Year Awards this year, with every award being a very close contest”. 15 societies were proposed and a record 10 were approved, including Women’s Health, eSports, Dance, Geographical Society, Pool Society, Ukrainian Society, The Women’s Network, Filipino Society, Equality in Stem Society, and Turkic Society.
In statements made to The University Times, these new societies spoke of the elation being approved. The Filipino Soc called it “a testament to the hard work done by the co-founders Kyle, Trish, Lorraine and Nike that was put into making this Filipino Society a reality” and eSports expressed their excitement to “support the growth and development of eSports at Trinity and ensure anyone who wants to compete or learn has that opportunity”.
India O’Donohoe, president of the Women’s Network, told me “the entire Women’s Network committee put just the most insane amount of work in to receive that one email, and in pursuit of a mission that we believe in so immensely: women and gender minorities deserve, require even, a place on campus in which they are able to connect with one another, and constructively build upon their experiences in order to achieve equity upon their post-college entrance into the workforce”. O’Donohoe also revealed her relief at the society’s approval after the long and strenuous process.
The newly approved societies also communicated their excitement at the opportunities that await them as CSC official societies. Women’s Health plans to run events with “both healthcare providers and advocacy groups and activists in the future which will hopefully bring awareness to women’s health conditions and gender equality in healthcare”. Additionally, The Filipino Society hopes to provide a sense of community here at Trinity as the main goal of their society is to promote and celebrate Filipino cultures and customs. This includes bringing “in people of all ethnic groups that are interested together” as well as helping “people of the Filipino diaspora reconnect with the culture”.
The societies also shared their gratitude for the wider Trinity community, with Women’s Health stating, “we’ve had such a great response from students and so much support for the society, which really shows how necessary the community we’re building is, and we’re really proud and excited to be part of creating an inclusive space where students can support each other in talking and learning about women’s health issues, which aren’t necessarily given enough attention in wider society”.
With these 10 new societies added to the massive plethora of already established societies, students now have even more of an opportunity to find their community on Trinity’s campus. The passion demonstrated by these societies, both new and old, acts as a strong testament to the importance of society life at Trinity and gives all students much to look forward to in the future.
