Jack Leahy | News Editor
A Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) survey of 400 students has ranked political and social campaigns as the union’s most effective activity, but among its least important. The survey was conducted as part of the union’s research for its forthcoming strategic plan and identified perceived gaps between objectives and realisation.
The consultation served as an exercise “designed to gather data on three main areas of strategic interest”, namely the purpose of TCDSU, its strengths and weaknesses, and its priorities for the period of the three-year strategic plan. The survey was undertaken as part of a wider process of consultation towards the union’s first ever strategic plan, a key manifesto promise of incumbent TCDSU President Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne. The process solicited 579 individual responses.
Respondents were asked to grade the performance of the union in a number of areas: welfare campaigns, College campaigns, student services, political and social campaigns, commercial services, representation, and communications and community.
Respondents deemed the union’s most important responsibilities to lie in the areas of representation and student services, the least important imperatives are those of political and social campaigns and commercial services.
One interview respondent posited that the reason for TCDSU’s existence is “simply to represent students. Administratively, the services and activities are all designed towards this” while a survey respondent defined representation as the duty “to voice and act upon the needs of the student body”.
However, when asked to rank the effectiveness of the union in relation to the same core activities, respondents assessed the “least important” functions as its most effective. Political and social campaigns and welfare campaigns were ranked the highest for effectiveness, whereas representation and student services ranked lowest.
When asked to identify the union’s primary strengths, 16.4 per cent of students cited the strength of democracy within the organisation, while 13.8 per cent consider its influence to be its trump-card. Campaigns (13.3 per cent) and services and events (12.9 per cent) also ranked highly.
Conversely, communications (18.8 per cent) and engagement with ordinary students (16.8 per cent) were ranked as the union’s biggest weaknesses. Respondents also reflected poorly on action upon student issues (11.9 per cent) and inclusion (11.2 per cent).
That its members rate TCDSU as an effective force for influence, but poor at acting upon student issues, will resonate with the authors of the plan. It is a clear message as to the union’s future direction. Likewise, the discrepancy between those activities deemed most important and the union’s perceived capacity to acheve in relation to them will be a cause for further examination.
The strategic planning process is expected to continue into the next few weeks. The plan is set to be approved at the final meeting of the union’s council.
Photo: TCD Communications
