Housing, transport, PhD workers rights, hidden costs of university, nature protections and community investment are all issues students are thinking about as Budget 2025 is released. The University Times has interviewed five Trinity students on what they’re looking out for in this week’s Budget.
Reflected across all conversations was a need for government to listen to the voices of students and a belief that many student concerns have been neglected. “I’m a little bit sick of having this conversation about the budget because we bring up the same things every year and nothing ever changes”, Síofra Delaney, a second year History and Politics student commented.
While students receiving financial support through SUSI grants and the Trinity Access Program felt grateful for that support, most felt that college was not receiving enough funding from government to adequately respond to their needs.
Charlie Beudelot – Second year Human Nutrition and Dietetics.
In our conversation transport and housing are issues that immediately come up. “For the first three months of my course I was commuting five hours a day from Offaly. My classes started at 9 am and finished at 7 pm so I missed multiple lectures. I couldn’t find affordable housing and I couldn’t get housing beforehand because I didn’t know what course I was going to get.” Charlie is looking to see tax breaks for landlords for bringing students into their homes and increased investment in affordable student specific accommodation. After finally getting accommodation Charlie began working in a nightclub, coming back from class only to face a four to eight hour shift. “I worked four different jobs over summer to save…education should not be limited to those who can pay for it.” Increases to student grants and entitling students under the age of twenty to the full minimum wage are policies Charlie is looking to see implemented.
Seathrún Sardina – Computer Science PhD.
Seathrún is looking to see a living wage for Postgraduate researchers (PGRs) being guaranteed in Budget 2025. While Trinity and many other universities continue to regard PGRs as students as opposed to employees, many PGRs earn below the minimum wage whilst working full time for the university. Describing how wages for PGRs can vary Seathrún describes that PGRs can go entirely unpaid or they could be earning ‘anywhere from €6,000 to €20,000 per year. Without funding from government, universities like Trinity don’t have the capacity to grant workers rights to PGRs. “We are workers, we are hired to perform a university’s research and are routinely evaluated on the quantity and quality of said research, just as you would be in any other job. We have working obligations at Trinity – but no contracts or right to minimum wage, sick leave, or parental leave.”
Anabel O’Hora – First year European studies.
Anabel says she will be focussing on what is included in the Budget in terms of nature protections. “It’s of special interest to me because last year I was at the economic dialogue with the National Youth Assembly of Ireland, so I felt part of that conversation.” Anabel has a background in environmental advocacy spanning back to when she joined her local Comhairle na nÓg (Youth Council) as a secondary school student. She is looking to see an increase in funding for education on sustainability. She speaks passionately about the need for the government to listen to the voices of students and young people. “It’s important to listen to people of all different ages because they bring something different to the table.” Anabel is looking to see increased funding for local community action groups and would like to see students given a chance to work with the local community and people of different age groups.
Síofra Delaney – Second year History and Politics.
In our interview Síofra talks about the hidden costs of attending university which go largely unsupported. “Laptops are really expensive, and I know they have computers in the library but they’re always busy or when you’re trying to write an essay and the library only has two copies of the book you need. So then people have to go out and buy the book, because you’re on a waiting list of like twelve people, for a book that’s required for your course.” For Síofra, the €1,000 reduction in student fees in last year’s budget made a big
difference, but more is needed. Transport is another issue thatSíofra feels strongly about. “When I go out my night bus only runs on Fridays and Saturdays so I have to pay for a taxi if I want to go out, on the student night out which is on Thursdays. I can’t afford to get a taxi.” Reductions in transport costs and improvement in services is something Síofra hopes to see in Budget 2025.
Heaven Curpen – Third year Sociology and Politics. “I really care about grassroots projects, taking care of the community, taking care of people on the ground level.There’s a lot of children and a lot of young adults who just don’t have things to do or engage with.” Heaven would like to see more youth spaces built where people like her younger sister can go to hang out. “I’m from the northside, my family didn’t really have that much growing up, I know what it’s like to not have much but really wanting community and wanting a space to be a kid but not really having that.” Heaven explains that she sees a lack of community as a ty
pe of wicked problem, meaning the problem has so many interdependent factors it can seem impossible to solve. Heaven notes a government failure to address problems like these and would like to see more community investment present in the budget.
‘You can struggle in this world but as long as you have community, as long as you have people who love you and care for you and actually see you as you are, when we have that we can move mountains,’ Heaven notes before the end of the interview. Life in college can often feel cut off from the rest of Dublin, and there are many reasons why students’ time in college can be an isolating experience.
The housing crisis and long commuter times present an incredible challenge to students. Increased financial support is needed for both undergraduates struggling with the cost of housing, transport, the general cost of living, and for postgraduate researchers facing similar financial pressures while working a job they don’t get adequately paid for.
But connection is another basic need that perhaps we don’t always think about. Students are also looking for investment in communities and to ensure there is funding and space for university students who want to get involved in public life.
