Trinity College - Dublin
Evelyn Dina & Nicole Vaughan
After an overnight flight from Boston into Dublin, our group arrived at Temple Bar Inn and had a delicious breakfast. We prepared to walk down the road to our first visit - Trinity College. We were greeted by Simone Cameron-Coen, Civic Engagement Officer, and later met with Aine O’Gorman, student at Trinity and member of the Environmental Society. Our group was excited to receive a tour of campus and eat in the dining hall while we learned about the history, traditions, and student activism of Trinity College.
Trinity College’s campus is centrally located in the heart of Dublin City, where it’s historical infrastructure is connected to the city through the college’s main arch. The college prides itself in a world class education, international partnerships, and research. In its 425 year span the college has still held on to many traditions across campus, from the college buildings, faith-based traditions, and even a daily “commons” for the college’s scholars. Through its tradition of scholarship and fostering a liberal education, the college aims to enhance learning experiences through providing various student opportunities within research, student societies, and community engagement.
Through our conversations with Simone, much of the discourse regarding Trinity College within the community revolves around the perception of the institution being elite, exclusive, or not necessarily welcoming for those within the city of Dublin. Simone explained that much of the discourse has been controlled by the historical religious tensions that existed between the Protestants and Catholics. Catholic families had clashed with the Protestant religion that existed at the forefront of Trinity’s mission, therefore isolating those who did not align with that faith.
Our group also had the pleasure of meeting Simone’s son, Jack, who is a student at Trinity in his second year. Jack spoke to some of the civic engagement work he participated in through the St. Vincent De Paul organization that collaborated with youth groups in the city. Jack and his peers participated in leading workshops and activities for the youth in Trinity’s surrounding city; one particular example was the collaboration of a pantomime that allowed the children to participate in the creation and production of a parody-like show for the community. It was obvious that Jack was building meaningful relationships with the youth of Dublin through his work.
Though we had little time to dissect Simone’s role on campus through her work as the Civic Engagement officer, her enthusiasm and dedication for community relationship building was important for a college that continues to wrestle with historical and current perceptions of elitism and exclusiveness. Because of such perceptions, it seemed as though there was still work that needed to be done in terms of creating new pathways for bringing the Dublin community to the Trinity campus. By providing civic engagement opportunities, and empowering students to connect with their surrounding community, it was clear that there were intentional efforts to further build and sustain a working relationship between Trinity and the City of Dublin.
Aine and Simone both described their experiences and knowledge of the Student Union. In Ireland, the Student Union (SU) is different than Student Government in the US. Trinity College has a Student Union and a Graduate Student Union, for postgraduate students and research students. Every student is automatically a member of the SU. Currently, the SU is holding a referendum to decide whether or not students should be able to opt-out of this automatic membership. In addition, we were surprised to find out that the student accommodations tended to be for students who were very involved with societies or the Student Union and mostly in their third and fourth years.
Evelyn Dina & Nicole Vaughan
After an overnight flight from Boston into Dublin, our group arrived at Temple Bar Inn and had a delicious breakfast. We prepared to walk down the road to our first visit - Trinity College. We were greeted by Simone Cameron-Coen, Civic Engagement Officer, and later met with Aine O’Gorman, student at Trinity and member of the Environmental Society. Our group was excited to receive a tour of campus and eat in the dining hall while we learned about the history, traditions, and student activism of Trinity College.
Trinity College’s campus is centrally located in the heart of Dublin City, where it’s historical infrastructure is connected to the city through the college’s main arch. The college prides itself in a world class education, international partnerships, and research. In its 425 year span the college has still held on to many traditions across campus, from the college buildings, faith-based traditions, and even a daily “commons” for the college’s scholars. Through its tradition of scholarship and fostering a liberal education, the college aims to enhance learning experiences through providing various student opportunities within research, student societies, and community engagement.
Through our conversations with Simone, much of the discourse regarding Trinity College within the community revolves around the perception of the institution being elite, exclusive, or not necessarily welcoming for those within the city of Dublin. Simone explained that much of the discourse has been controlled by the historical religious tensions that existed between the Protestants and Catholics. Catholic families had clashed with the Protestant religion that existed at the forefront of Trinity’s mission, therefore isolating those who did not align with that faith.
Our group also had the pleasure of meeting Simone’s son, Jack, who is a student at Trinity in his second year. Jack spoke to some of the civic engagement work he participated in through the St. Vincent De Paul organization that collaborated with youth groups in the city. Jack and his peers participated in leading workshops and activities for the youth in Trinity’s surrounding city; one particular example was the collaboration of a pantomime that allowed the children to participate in the creation and production of a parody-like show for the community. It was obvious that Jack was building meaningful relationships with the youth of Dublin through his work.
Though we had little time to dissect Simone’s role on campus through her work as the Civic Engagement officer, her enthusiasm and dedication for community relationship building was important for a college that continues to wrestle with historical and current perceptions of elitism and exclusiveness. Because of such perceptions, it seemed as though there was still work that needed to be done in terms of creating new pathways for bringing the Dublin community to the Trinity campus. By providing civic engagement opportunities, and empowering students to connect with their surrounding community, it was clear that there were intentional efforts to further build and sustain a working relationship between Trinity and the City of Dublin.
Aine and Simone both described their experiences and knowledge of the Student Union. In Ireland, the Student Union (SU) is different than Student Government in the US. Trinity College has a Student Union and a Graduate Student Union, for postgraduate students and research students. Every student is automatically a member of the SU. Currently, the SU is holding a referendum to decide whether or not students should be able to opt-out of this automatic membership. In addition, we were surprised to find out that the student accommodations tended to be for students who were very involved with societies or the Student Union and mostly in their third and fourth years.
The biggest issue currently facing the students at Trinity is the implementing of €450 flat fee when a student has to repeat their exams. The students occupied the dining hall for two days; they blocked off the main gates of campus at one point and the Book of Kells as well. The college made this decision without the input of students. During this time, the provost was in the United States. After a phone call, the provost agreed to meet with students to hear their claims. Aine described the three demands of the SU: 1. Scrap supplemental fees; 2. End increases in the international fees; and 3. Have affordable accommodations (residence halls). While the protests have ended, the students are still upset that this decision was made without their input. The meeting with the provost is sometime in the next week.
We also learned about the Environmental Society through Aine, an active member. They have their own space in one of the buildings on-campus which was previously a women’s space in 1904. They host a variety of events on-campus to demonstrate the simplicity of being environmentally conscious. Some of the members also sit on the sustainability committee of the college. The sustainability committee has encouraged Trinity to stop investing in fossil fuels and create a plastic-free campaign, where students can purchase a glass at the pub and receive discounted drinks. At Trinity, the students are the ones holding administration accountable for the sustainability goals outlined in their strategic plan.
Our visit at Trinity was a great way to introduce us to higher education in Ireland. We learned about the power student unions can have, the rising concern for student fees across the country, and the importance of access to education. Through the connections made at Trinity, we were able to better understand access, student support services, student activism, civic engagement and how they influence and affect higher education institutions across the country.
One part of our trip to Trinity that stuck out to me was how Trinity views their relationship with the surrounding community. When a member of our group asked how the relationship between the college and the community was, we were told that it was not the best. We were then informed that it mostly had to do with how the community views Trinity and that since Trinity has an "open gate" policy, they were not at fault. This was very interesting for me to hear especially since one of my summer courses was about relationships between universities and communities. In that class, I learned that there are times where bridges between the university and the community were burnt and the university did not realize that they had burnt the bridge. This made me wonder if Trinity has done something to burn the bridge with their local community and they don't even know it. These then leaves me with a couple of questions. What can Trinity do to engage their neighboring community? How can they build a stronger relationship with community partners? While the Trinity does have tours of the campus available to the public, is that enough? These are just a couple of things that came to my mind when we talked about Trinity and their relationship with the community.
ReplyDeleteTrinity College was an institute of academic prestige, as well as steeped in rich tradition. I was very happy to hear about Jake's transformation and the community engagement program benefitting the community. It was mentioned that last trip he was a bit shy, but this time he now presented himself as an confident and engaging individual. This might be due to his community engagement experience at the local schools, where he volunteered and helped build up the students' leadership skills through theatre. I was also extremely impressed by Trinity's commitment to be eco-friendly. I have noticed that all the institutes that we had visited all strived to be green and prevent further waste. I was curious to know if renewable energy has been more utilized at these institutes, since gas and oil (including peat) is still used as a major source of fuel?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTrinity was the first Irish higher education institution I had ever been to. It led to the assumption that many of the other colleges would be operating like Trinity, when, now, Trinity seems to be steeped more deeply in their traditions and history than the other colleges we visited. We talked about civic engagement work and how the college had been positive educational experience for our guide, Simone, and her family. Our discussions included the perception of elitism and how some people perceive Trinity as exclusive. There was relevant historical context related to how the community could play a role in promoting the elitist stigma. With this, I think it is important that Trinity is conscious of this perception and then take the extra steps to promote inclusion. I do not think we spoke much about their direct partnerships with the community, so I would like to learn more about how the community and Trinity are engaging with each other.
ReplyDeleteHaving Trinity be the first stop to our tour of Ireland was a great starting point. It was really interesting to see the similarities to the old english universities of England, such as the University of Cambridge. Trinity was and is deeply set in its traditions and seems to be conscious of its history. It was really interesting to me that even with the modern distractions and activities, Trinity is still keeping up with the Scholar Dinners. It was evident from our meal in the dining hall, and our glance into the faculty bar and dining facility, that keeping students, faculty, and staff engaged and present on campus was a high priority for the college.
ReplyDeleteWhile keeping students and staff engaged once they are on campus is a high priority, accessibility to the campus prior to this point is still an issue for the surround community. However, Trinity is working on this perception and wants to be more accessible to the local community. I would be interested to see what the coming months and years brings not only for the community, but for Trinity and the work the students are doing redirect fees.
If you want to talk about starting in a hot bed for student engagement this would be the place! Trinity right off the bat showed me that the students here have a voice on their campus to make change and they gladly will do so. I think Ania, who has been involved with the Student Union, gave us all a good picture of how the students at Trinity College get their voices heard. When a group of students can accomplish changes in institutional fees in such a quick period I would think that is an amazing accomplishment. I would love to see this kind of engagement become more of a norm in the US with any type of important issue the students are able to raise. I think the students at Trinity really set a precedent for the rest of our trip when we meet students and hear about their campus engagement.
ReplyDelete