In an unprecedented level of criticism, Trinity societies have condemned the “disjointed” and “confusing” College bureaucratic system that they must navigate in order to host guests and hold events on campus.
Over 15 societies have spoken to The University Times, outlining the numerous and varied issues they have faced this year when dealing with the Enquiries and Junior Dean’s Office, both of which are responsible for booking rooms for student societies.
The problems faced by societies go beyond administrative or bureaucratic errors. Indeed, the picture painted by societies was a system where they face systematic hurdles to achieve their aims. Joining a society can be expensive and students often look for free money for college, so it’s frustrating losing money.
Speaking to The University Times, DU Zoological Society (Zoo Soc) outlined the severe pressure they have faced from College, including problems with insurance arrangements, last-minute approvals and event cancellations, all of which have seriously impeded the society’s plans this year.
During the organisation of one of Zoo Soc’s reptile-handling events, which frequently proves popular among students, the society faced many difficulties with College bureaucracy. The society is regularly required to fill out paperwork in advance of such events, and because a response normally takes some time, it has to be assumed that the event will eventually be approved. However, in February, the society was told that due to insurance reasons, the event could not go ahead.
This was despite the fact that the society has run the same event for the last eight years and that identical events are regularly held in Trinity, including on Trinity Open Day. Collie Ennis, a research associate in the Department of Zoology and treasurer of the Herpetological Society of Ireland, runs the Trinity events and also supports the running of the Zoo Soc reptile-handling event. The event is also held at Trinity stands at BT Young Scientist competitions and at Trinity Access Programme events. Pictures of these Trinity-run events have also featured prominently in Trinity promotional material provided to prospective students.
While the reptile-handling event was eventually allowed to take place at a later date, it was only after the society was forced to route their requests through several different College officials.
A similar situation occurs with the society’s falconry event. Despite that insurance and other related paperwork is always submitted correctly and on time, the society is consistently left waiting for approval until a day before the event and has received approval as late as the day of the event in the past. This makes publicising events difficult because the society is forced to either promote an event before it is approved or else wait for the event to be approved, which allows only a day, or a few hours, for promotion.
The falconry event was held during Fourth Week, where societies are encouraged to showcase their events. The society has also been reprimanded for not submitting fully complete paperwork on time in cases when all requirements have actually been fulfilled, simply because it had yet to be reviewed by the relevant officials.
In an email statement to The University Times about the issues Zoo Soc has faced, the outgoing chairperson, Fionn Ó Marcaigh, said: “Bringing students into contact with live animals has always been the most effective way to inspire this interest, and we are disappointed with how difficult this is becoming.”
He added: “For over forty years Zoo Soc has aimed to promote interest in zoology among the students of Trinity College, as is the first aim of the society laid out in our constitution.”
Ó Marcaigh put these increasingly restrictive regulations down to a “changing attitude to society events within the college”, which he claimed is “making it harder to fulfil our constitutional aims and is threatening to lessen the student experience that Trinity has to offer”.
Another consistent problem societies face is the lack of venues available for students on campus in which receptions are permitted. While this is partly down to a shortage of space in College, many societies have argued that this problem is made worse by the lack of flexibility when it comes to hosting events featuring food or drink.
Speaking to The University Times, Secretary of Dublin University Food and Drink Society for the 2014/15 year, Karen Slattery, said: “We’re definitely limited in terms of where we can have events.”
“People come to us and we say we’re going to do this great tasting and a cheese event, and then we try to get a venue and there’s no venue for over a month. We have to push things back and then people who were going to do them with us aren’t available anymore”, Slattery said.
Societies must request permission from the Junior Dean to hold a reception and the request form must be filled in and sent at least five days in advance of the event planned. This has been described by many societies as an unrealistic demand, which makes planning events difficult and deprives societies of much-needed flexibility when organising events.
As Slattery pointed out, the process is “time consuming”: “When you’re in final year you don’t have time to send ten emails just to book a room”, she said. This was a sentiment echoed by numerous society members, all of whom balance running a society with their College degree.
Rooms in the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) are also popular venues for societies to host receptions. Societies must first book with the Enquiries Office before confirming with the President of Dublin University Philosophical Society (the Phil) and the Auditor of College Historical Society (the Hist). Incoming Chair of Dublin University Fashion Society (Fashion Soc), Carla King-Molina, spoke to The University Times about the society’s experience booking the resource room in the GMB for their AGM. King-Molina is also Radius Editor of The University Times, the newspaper’s society, culture and events publication.
A member of Fashion Soc initially booked the room through the Enquiries Office but were told to confirm this booking with the Phil and the Hist. The Auditor of the Hist approved the event but due to the confusion of a Fashion Soc committee member, the Secretary of the Phil was Facebook messaged instead of the President.
King-Molina then had to send a Facebook message to Phil President, Ludivine Rebet, to secure the venue. Rebet told King-Molina that DU French Society (French Soc) had booked the room, but she wasn’t sure if that was still the case. King-Molina was then forced to contact the Chair of French Soc but was then told that they no longer needed it. However, it became clear that French Soc had not gone through Enquiries in the first place when booking the venue.
Speaking to The University Times about the process involved in booking the GMB, King-Molina described it as “confusing”. King-Molina pointed to a “lack of communication” between the different bodies involved in booking rooms in the GMB. She suggested a more straightforward way to deal with room bookings would be “for enquiries to tell security who’s going to be in the room”.
Responding to this in an email statement to The University Times, outgoing Secretary and recently elected President of the Phil, Matthew Nuding, noted that there has “been a large increase in the number of societies relying on GMB rooms this year as a result of space being less available else-where on campus which has led to increased pressure on the GMB room”.
While, in this case, Nuding was not at fault for Fashion Soc’s error, he acknowledged that, with such a large number of requests for use of the GMB, “human error” sometimes occurs. He said: “We always apologise in those cases and make genuine efforts to ensure societies who need rooms can get access at some point.”
Nuding also emphasised that this year the Phil has stood up “for other societies when it seemed like they had received unfair rejections from enquiries and exams office”. He also said the Phil consistently keep the CSC informed of their own issues and those of other societies when booking rooms.
As President of the Phil, Nuding promised to focus on ensuring “greater clarity to the procedure for booking rooms in the GMB”.
This year, Dublin University Law Society (Law Soc) also faced numerous issues with the Junior Dean and Enquiries Office when trying to co-ordinate events. Law Soc, who frequently host high-profile guests and are one of the largest societies on campus, were plagued by a number of clashes with both offices this year when organising events.
The most notable of these clashes was that with the Junior Dean over the hosting of former Scottish First Minister and former leader of the Scottish National Party, Alex Salmond, in November. The event, which took place in the GMB, saw Salmond being interviewed by Irish Times journalist, Mark Hennessy, and was attended by national media. However, while this interview was still taking place, Law Soc received a call from the Junior Dean’s Office instructing them to cancel the event and that it was not to proceed. The society was also threatened with sanctions if the event did go ahead.
The society also suffered during the year from booking errors on the part of the Enquiries Office. On the night of a debate in February, held between Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and Law Soc on the legal consequences of abortion, the audience was forced to move to another empty lecture theatre because the intended venue was double booked. This event had a number of high-profile guests including Prof Fiona de Londras from Durham University Law School and Prof William Binchy, the former Regius Professor of Laws.
The Arts Block lecture hall that was booked for the debate was double-booked with Trinity Economic Forum’s (TEF) committee meeting, which had no more than 25 people in attendance. TEF, however, were able to display their booking slip to security and the debate, which attracted over 150 students, was forced to find another venue at the last minute.
This double-booking occurred despite the booking by Law Soc of the lecture hall taking place over the phone four weeks in advance of the event, The University Times has learned. On the night in question, Law Soc were forced to answer questions from College security about the event, which was not on the bookings system. The event was threatened with cancellation, and security threatened to report the society to the Junior Dean.
Commenting on the challenges the society have faced throughout the year with College bureaucracy, a senior member of the Law Soc committee last year, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the Enquiries Office in an email to The University Times as “understaffed, under-resourced and very disconnected from other college offices”.
In their experience with Trinity bureaucracy, it was difficult to believe that “there is supposed to be one cohesive college community”. They added: “The administrative system certainly does not do anything to help student societies.”
Dublin University Alternative Music Society (DUAMS) experienced a similar double-booking error to Law Soc when trying to organise a film screening in a lecture hall in the Arts Block. On arrival to the venue, they found an external group, who had booked through the Department of Religion and Theology, holding one of their weekly lectures. However, this issue was resolved when DUAMS presented their booking slip to security and resulted in the group having to vacate the venue.
Speaking to The University Times, outgoing Equipment Officer of DUAMS, Ben O’Dwyer, echoed concerns about the lack of available reception venues, emphasising how rooms, such as the Eliz Room in House Six, often get block-booked by societies at the start of the year for weekly events. He stated: “It’s annoying that you can’t have a film screening in a venue where you are able to serve refreshments.
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However, it is not just booking rooms that has caused societies difficulties. Dublin University Sci Fi Society (SciFi Soc) faced numerous challenges when organising their annual RAG Week “Iron Stomach” event this year. After contacting the Junior Dean’s office to ask permission to hold the event in Front Square and filling in the event booking form three weeks in advance, they were forced to go through a lengthy back and forth with the Junior Dean’s office asking them for extended clarification about an event they host annually.
Speaking to The University Times, SciFi Soc’s Events Officer for the 2014/15 year, Dearbhla Murphy, stated: “She wouldn’t tell me whether we could use Front Square or not. She just kept asking questions about the event so I had to send her a list of all the food we were using. I had to describe in detail the nature of the event and even when we were trying to avoid saying ‘until someone pukes’ – we were trying to hint at it – she kept asking us to clarify what we meant.”
When the society was eventually granted permission to hold the event, they were told that the Buildings Office would sort out the logistics for it, such as barricades on the day.
However, a day before the event, the Junior Dean’s office emailed SciFi Soc and clarified that they should get in touch with the Buildings Office. After contacting the Buildings Office by email and being placed in a queue of enquiries, representatives from the society visited the office in an attempt to explain the urgency of the situation. It wasn’t until the intervention of TCDSU Ents Officer, Katie Cogan, that the issues were resolved, however.
In an email statement to The University Times, the Junior Dean, Prof Tim Trimble, referenced the progress made by his office to improve the situation and referenced the development of the improved Junior Dean website, which clarifies the bookings process. He did not, however, reference the specific issues faced by the societies or the threats of cancellation issued by the Junior Deans Office this year.
The newly developed website contains an events permission checklist, which outlines the steps that must be taken to successfully book an event. To book an event, students must complete the Junior Dean’s online event application, which is then submitted and checked by the Enquiries Office and are then forwarded on to the Junior Dean for review.
For routine events, the application must be submitted at least five working days before the event. For non-routine events, however, which include music concerts, outdoor activities or a fundraising event, a minimum of ten working days notice is required.
While acknowledging that the sheer volume of events the Enquiries Office must review may “impact from time to time upon limited shared space, and finite resources in College”, Trimble defended the work of College staff in the Enquiries Office, the Facilities and Safety Office, Security and the Buildings Office, who work with societies to facilitate events on campus.
He said that staff “work hard and at times beyond their remit, to ensure that these events permissions’ protocols run smoothly and that each event is managed safely for those involved”. Trimble also emphasised that in “most cases, 5 days advanced notice is entirely unrealistic in order to properly review the large numbers of events applications”.
The Central Societies Committee (CSC) stated that they are “well aware” of these issues faced by societies. In response to emailed questions from The University Times, the outgoing Secretary of the CSC, Liam Hunt, said: “We have been working with College to create an improved room booking system.”
According to Hunt, the CSC requested a meeting with the Dean of Students, Kevin O’Kelly, in June, to discuss the creation of a new booking system. This new system, according to Hunt, was put out to tender in December.
Hunt said: “We hope that it will be in place soon.”
The problems caused by the lack of a centralised system were raised by Rebet. In an email statement to The University Times, Rebet said: “There isn’t a clear channel of communication between departments, or any legitimate arbitrator, which means that issues are put on the long finger and we are too slow in achieving solutions to problems.”
These concerns were echoed by Secretary of the Dublin University Japanese Society, Sean Ward. In an email statement to The University Times, Ward said: “It does get very confusing when different rooms have different people we have to go talk to. The global room has it’s own rules, and the people we have to talk to for the CSC facilities changes depending on the time of day.”
While many societies hadn’t experienced major challenges, many pointed to consistent errors on behalf of the Enquiries Office. Speaking to The University Times over Facebook, outgoing Chairperson of the Trinity Economic Forum (TEF), Catherine Corrigan, said that while they hadn’t had any “major issues” with the Enquiries Office this year, they experienced difficulties finding venues due to the fragmented booking processes of venues on campus that are not controlled by the Enquiries Office. One such venue was the Science Gallery, which TEF attempted to book in September for their annual event which takes place in February only to find that it was already booked: “We were a bit shocked there was already something clashing.”
Other societies also alleged that the Exams Office block-book venues. Rebet pointed to “the struggle for room bookings and space on campus” and the “tensions” this creates between the Exams Office and societies.
This is an issue that Law Soc also faced repeatedly this year and were often told that they would not be able to book a room because an exam was in the afternoon, despite the event being in the morning.
Commenting on these difficulties, a senior member of the Law Soc Committee last year, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the Examinations Office as “extremely unhelpful”, and accused them of block-booking “multiple venues, months in advance, for weeks at a time to cover themselves”.
While several societies, such as the Dublin University Computer Science Society, the Russian Society and DU History Society praised the staff in the Enquiries Office, many also pointed to a system that made booking rooms and hosting events very difficult. Despite not every society facing major problems when dealing with the Enquiries Office and Junior Dean’s Office, most societies, including the Environmental Society and Trinity Yoga Society, pointed to a number of consistent errors and mistakes that capture a system that is routinely failing to cope with the demands of an active and thriving society culture.
Correction: 23:03, April 5th, 2016
Due to an error in information provided to The University Times by Fashion Soc, an earlier version of this piece suggested that a committee member contacted the Secretary of the Phil via email. In fact, it was a Facebook message. Nuding replied to this message.
