Find information here about getting involved with one of our many interest groups!
Set up a Society
Have an interest that does not have its own group on campus? Find information on our site about forming your own group
Running a Society
The CSC is here to help all the way with the setup and running of a society. Need help with your chequebook? Your email account? Don't know how to run an EGM?
We here at the CSC are delighted to announce that we’re shaking things up this year and rebranding our annual Fourth Week as Societies Week, which will run from the 19th to the 23rd October!
We’ve asked each societies to run an event throughout this coming week which gives us all a glimpse into what societies are all about and over the course of the week we will be spotlighting each of those events on our social media channels. While, like everything else this year, our Societies Week will take a different shape than usual we firmly believe that the future of society life in Trinity this year is bright and exciting and we want you to come and get involved in all of the madness.
Stay tuned for events, Society Sessions and more as we delve into and explore the 120+ societies that make the student experience in Trinity one of the most vibrant fulfilling and dynamic experiences there is.
The CSC is holding this town hall to address any ongoing issues of accessibility and inclusivity within college societies. We want to hear from all those involved in society life to let us know what you think the CSC can do to facilitate making all societies as inclusive and accessible for all members of staff and the student body as possible.
All staff and students are welcome to attend and give their opinions and recommendations on how we can enable more inclusive events, activities and general engagement. Click here to register
The function of this meeting is to give society members a platform to inform the CSC on how we can facilitate an increase in accessibility across society life. It is integral that whatever work we do comes first from those in the societies. Because of this we urge you all to attend.
Your grant application will be made on cscgrants.com – if you don’t have your society’s log in for this page, get in touch with [email protected] and she will sort you out. While preparing your application, it is important that you bear in mind your society’s aims as set out in your constitution, as well as the grants policy document (which is available beside the application form on the website), as these are what we base our grants decisions on.
If you are the Treasurer of a society you will find more information on your role here
The CSC Treasurer, Sam, will be holding office hours each week in the CSC office in House 6 from 10am to 12pm on Mondays and from 1.30pm to 3pm on Tuesdays. This is an opportunity to drop in and have a chat with them about any queries you may have about your society’s finances, the CSC, or whatever it may be.
If these times don’t suit, or if you’d rather not meet in person for whatever reason, you can always email at [email protected]
The CSC Michaelmas TGM will be held on Tuesday 13th September.
At this meeting we will be electing a Chairperson, Secretary and a Treasurer. Please consider running for either of these positions. It’s a really good way to understand how societies work in College and to help foster the unique extracurricular life that we have here in Trinity. These positions are voluntary and probably require a time input of a aprox 5 hours per week – you will be fully supported by the three CSC staff, and be part of a great team. If you have been elected to a society committee this year, you know how much students get out of being involved – why not run as a CSC Officer and make things even better for your peers. Please get in touch if you want to know more.
We have sent out nomination forms to the Treasurers of societies – nominations will close at 5p.m. on Tuesday 6th September.
Log into your society membership mail management system myEmma.com
If you have any queries please contact a member of staff or the relevant officer – if you’re not sure where to direct your query email [email protected]
A representative from the Ability Co-Op will be present to introduce themselves and speak about their project – The Trinity Towards Inclusive Clubs and Societies Project, which aims to equip clubs and societies within Trinity College Dublin with the necessary skills and support to design their organisation to be accessible and inclusive to students with disabilities.
The CSC AGM on 29th March failed to meet quorum and will reconvene 6p.m. on 4th April via Zoom.
The election of the four CSC Officers and eight executive members will take place. The Treasurer of each fully recognised sodality/association has a vote – they will receive panelist invites on Monday afternoon.
Anyone may come along however it is the Treasurer that counts for quorum so please ensure that your society treasurer is aware of the meeting time and that they attend, or proxy their vote to another member of the committee before 1p.m. on Monday.
Non treasurers can register in advance for this meeting on Zoom – click link to register
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The CSC Society of the Year Awards 2022 will take place at 7 pm on 16th March 2022 in the Clontarf Castle Hotel.
Tickets go on sale 1st March – for more information on tickets check your society email address
Click into your society log in on the grant app page to find the eleven award categories and complete the nomination forms for your society. Nominations for the awards open via the CSC website today 17th Feb and the final deadline is 8th March at 5pm sharp.
This year the CSC has introduced an award in conjunction with the Ability CO-OP, recognising societies work in the area of disability inclusion and accessibility
We welcome back the ‘Go Green’ award, which recognises the work TCD societies do to promote and encourage sustainability and environmental awareness.
Approval for both outdoor and indoor non-academic events has returned to pre-COVID-19 procedures, requiring only the approval of the Junior Dean/Trinity Hall Warden. The procedures can be found on the Central Events website, the Junior Dean’s events/parties web page and events permission application checklist.
More information on booking spaces on campus can be found here
In line with the Government decision (of Wednesday 23 February) and with that of the College, face coverings will no longer be compulsory in Trinity from next Monday, 28 February, apart from in health care settings. In terms of society activity, this means that there is no longer a requirement for society members to wear a face covering to attend a society event. However, the College has said that “to continue protecting each other, especially the medically vulnerable”, the wearing of face coverings in its academic settings is recommended. As an extension of this recommendation, the CSC would advise the wearing of face coverings when in teaching spaces but does not require it. A society member may attend a society event without a face covering if they wish but equally may wear a face covering if they wish.
Designed to support committee members from TCD societies – hosted by Aoife Grimes Research Assistant, Sexual Consent Education and Sexual Violence Prevention, Student Counselling Services
TrinityTrust
Supporting Student Life
Deadline:Friday, 8 October 2021
Twitter @TCDTrust
The Trinity College Dublin Trust invites applications for funding from Student Societies, Sports Clubs and other organized Student Groups.
Extracurricular activities form an essential part of a Trinity education, but this aspect of student life has been severely curtailed in the past twelve months. Funding applications under any of the advertised criteria are welcome, but the Trust will particularly welcome innovative initiatives designed to enhance Student Life.
• How to apply? Applications are to be made via this link: TCD Trust Webform.
• What activities are eligible? The Trust’s standard Criteria for Awarding Grants apply. The Trust exists to support learning and education in College. Food and drink are not eligible costs.
• Deadline for applications: Friday, 8 October 2021
• Results of the funding call: Mid-November 2021.
• Informal Queries: Dr Peter Crooks, Hon. Secretary of the Trust ([email protected]).
All TCD society officers were invited to attend 9 information and training sessions, designed to support the society officers with running your society in 2021/22. If you missed it or wish to review the sessions you can access them via this link
Please note that Treasurer training is mandatory for new treasurers, pls email [email protected] if you missed last weeks session to find a suitable time.
The CSC hosted a handover information session for newly elected society officers online on the 27th April
This training is an introduction to the CSC and how we can help you run your society as well as tips and information to get you started in your roles. We were also joined by the TCD Ability Co-Op to advise on how societies can work towards inclusion for your members.
Note that Freshers Week 2021 is due to take place 6th September and obviously we do not yet know what format that will take, but we will speak about the options and the CSC will be working on planning a safe return to campus throughout the summer and will keep all societies informed.
If you have held your Society AGM please remember to email us with the name and email addresses of the newly elected committee.
If you missed the CSC Society of the year awards you can watch them above.
The Winners from the night are listed below
Best Virtual Production – TMT’s Into the Woods – Trinity Musical Theatre Society
Into the Woods was five months in the making and showcases the best of Trinity Musical Theatre. The show was organised, rehearsed, and filmed without any in-person contact, and the result was a stunning theatre piece that is unlike any Zoom-based theatre produced thus far.
Best Publication – TCD Cancer Society’s Cook Book
During Lockdown, many Trinity students obeyed the call to #STAYATHOME. Cancer Soc members took this opportunity to try out new recipes in their kitchens which resulted in recipes submitted by students from a diverse collection of Trinity clubs and societies.
Best Multi-Day Event – ‘Convergence’ – A DU Gamers Campaign – Gamers
Convergence was an eight week multi table Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) campaign, with an average of 54 players attending each event.
Best Online Presence – DU Film Society
The strange social environment of the pandemic required a new and welcoming online environment for their members. They rebranded their logos specifically for online use and engaged with their members via every platform imaginable.
Best Fresher – Peter Lennon from The Traditional Music Society
Peter is a huge addition to the society, both for his enthusiasm and positive outlook, and for his technological skills which allowed him to edit (so far) 15 tune class videos for society members
Best Individual – Ivan Rakhmanin – FLAC
Ivan Rakhmanin is the backbone of society life. It was FLAC that nominated him, but it could equally have been at least two other societies. He was PRO for FLAC and edited weekly videos for the FLAC Youtube channel as well as updating the society’s social media across the board. Eg. @trinityflac.
Best Small Society: Suas
In the past SUAS was centred on our volunteer programs in DEIS schools and our volunteer abroad programme. Obviously in a pandemic this wasn’t possible, so they held more events than ever before and focused much more heavily on issues of development and global justice.
Best Medium Society: DU Gamers
This year DU Gamers rewrote the book on how to run a society online. They have transitioned from being a society that branded itself as gaming without screens to one that relied solely on screens to interact with our members, but still providing regular gamers with a huge variety of the traditional RPG and card games.
Best Large Society – joint winner Free Legal Advice Centre, FLACANDDU Players
This year, FLAC adapted their events to an online format that was both engaging and accessible to the college community. They established a YouTube channel as a medium to deliver panel speaker discussions which ranged in topics from Women in Sport to Criminal Justice.
Players Put on 60 shows. 6 festivals, over 30 Wednesday Night Events. Two nine module training programmes with over 70 students a term. A Playwrights Programme. A sketch comedy series. A Youtube Salon series. A Scooby Doo puppet musical. A Willy Wonka Musical made in 24 hours! Safe spaces for Queer Identity talks. Lectures on modern feminism and gender. Plays about elephants, seagulls, Little Women, John Waters and identities of every shape, size and colour. And all of it, every single inch of it, online
TCD Community Award – Knitting Society
Knitsoc set up the Knitcord (on Discord) which has various channels sharing general info, patterns, works-in-progress and finished projects. This years’ membership is the highest it’s been in four years and all of them are engaging in this fabulous online community.
Best Poster– DU Dance HipHop Dance class.
Judges felt that this was vibrant, colourful and suggestive of what it was advertising.
Best Event – Trinity’s Hidden History – DU History Society
Trinity’s Hidden History was organised to act as a virtual tour of some of the more interesting places and tales of college campus Many of the attendees were first year students who got to experience the Trinity campus without actually being there.
Best Online Innovation – Virtual Exhibitions – Photographic Society
DUPA held three 3D online exhibitions of members’ work this year, titled ‘Home’, ‘Arrivals & Departures’ and ‘Bare’. The exhibitions were published on Kunstmatrix Art Space, which allows the pictures to be displayed in a virtual three-dimensional gallery space.
BEST COLLABORATIVE EVENT – Asian Week – (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Arabesque, South East Asian)
Each society shared part of their respective cultures with a Cultural Film Fair Night, an Asian Arts competition, publication of Daily Asian Recipes, a Cultural Gaming Night, and lastly a week-long movement to spread awareness of the rise in racism against Asians.
SOCIETIES’ CHOICE – was voted for by a popular vote during the awards. It was given to both the Players and Gamers Society!
The Executive Committee of the CSC is made up of Officers and the Executive. All twelve of these positions will be elected on the 6th April at 6pm. Click to view AGM
The four Officers are the Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary and the Amenities Officer and the eight other positions on the committee are Executive members.
The responsibilities of the Officers are as follows: Chairperson: Oversees the running of the committee and represents societies at the upper echelons of TCD.
Treasurer: Oversees the accounts and the grantmaking process, consults and advises societies on all things income and expenditure.
Secretary: Advises and oversees all things constitutional, supports societies with the running of general meetings and committee activities.
Amenities Officer: Works on behalf of societies to support and develop the facilities available to them. Think kettles, microwaves and bookable spaces.
The eight Executive members then function as what you could refer to as ordinary committee members. They decide on grant applications for societies, they approve new society applications and decide on and advise on every major decision and activity the CSC undertakes. In effect, they’re the lifeblood of the committee. If you are interested in running please get in touch Nominations must be signed by the treasurers of two fully recognised sodalities or associations, and nominations must be emailed to [email protected] before 6p.m. on Tuesday 30th March.
The CSC Society of the Year Awards take place online on 30th March 2021 from 7.30pm – shortlist is available here
Societies in Trinity have faced an incredible challenge over the past year – one that they have risen to and even capitalised upon, in order to create welcoming and nurturing communities for students from every discipline and with a vast array of interests.
GDPR Notice: This event will be recorded. Please feel free to keep your camera turned off should you wish.
Follow our Social Media channels for the announcement of the shortlists this week https://linktr.ee/CSCTCD
This year the CSC received a record 250 nominations in 16 different categories for the Society of the Year Awards. This is an astonishing accomplishment given the fact that no activity took place on campus.
TCD owes each committee a huge debt of gratitude for safeguarding our students’ mental health and our society communities in this past year, and it would be amazing if you could come and show your appreciation.
Netsoc and the CSC have cooperated to provide free web hosting for all societies on Netsoc servers. On the 25th of February, Netsoc will be hosting an event for societies to learn how they can migrate their existing website or deploy their new website to Netsoc servers. The event will cover an example WordPress site as well as a custom website. email [email protected] for more info
Workshop: Setting Up & Recording a Podcast From Home. 6pm 16th Feb 2021 on zoom. This workshop is free to society officers, but as spaces are limited, please register
This workshop will cover everything you need to set up and record a podcast from home. Topics will include tech (microphones and other equipment), online meeting/recording software, how to set up a “home studio”, how to get the best quality audio from your guests, and the best ways to record a show for ease of editing. There will also be lots of other hints and tips for making a great podcast, and lots of time for all your questions at the end.
The course will be taught by Conor Reid, from The Podcast Studios, a professional podcast producer (and Trinity graduate!). Conor has made podcasts for everyone from large corporations and government agencies to charities, arts groups, entrepreneurs, and individual podcasters.
Online – 25th January 2021 at 2pm the CSC officers and staff invite all TCD society officers to attend a Townhall meeting.
We hope to take this opportunity to reach out to those running societies and ask how they are doing in terms of adapting to running their society as well as events/activities remotely. To offer them support and give us all the chance to communicate and learn from one another. A zoom link will be sent to each officer and society email address ahead of the meeting.
Email e[email protected] with any queries or any particular issues you wish to see raised
Lisa Murray is a multi-faceted creator, music producer and audio engineer. Grad from TCD and M.M. in Music Production, Technology and Innovation Berklee College of Music, where she was awarded their Outstanding Woman Scholarship and received mentorship from world-class engineer Sylvia Massy (Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chilli Peppers). Currently an audio engineer at Camden Recording Studios.
Click the image below to register for this free workshop.
The workshop is open to beginners and advanced users and to all TCD members.
On 19th October 2020 from 6pm the CSC Officers and staff will run an online training session for those involved with running a society in TCD.
We will cover supports and help available, the role of the chair, treasurer (briefly), secretary in a society.
We will answer questions you may have around the running of a society.
Training should take no longer than 75minutes and a zoom link will be sent to the society chair, treasurer, secretary and PRO prior to training on zoom webinar.
Following the CSC TGM on Tuesday the 13th October at 5pm the CSC Treasurer Nathan and Finance Officer Lucy, will run a mandatory training session for all treasurers covering what you need to know for this role.
Grants – applying and claiming.
Society Acccounts – keeping accounts and submitting them at the end of year
With some 120 to choose from, Trinity houses an eclectic mix of societies that cater for all interests and passions. There is no doubt that this is a year like no other. However we believe that getting involved in societies is more important than ever! Over the past few months, the societies and the students and staff in the Central Societies Committee have been working hard to make sure that students will still be able to meet like-minded people through active involvement in society life. Society life creates many possibilities and those who graduate often reflect on it as being a real highlight of their time here at Trinity. Whether it’s hearing world-class speakers, meeting life-long friends, or learning to knit, the things you learn and the people you meet through societies make getting involved an absolute must. If the range of societies leaves you a little overwhelmed – just dive in!
Believe us as students who were once freshers, you can and will find your passions in Trinity. Sign up for 2020/21 is from Monday 28th Sep – click here
The CSC Annual General Meeting will take place on 30th at 6 pm.
The Committee consists of 5 Officers – Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary, Amenities Officer and Hon Treasurer; and 8 ordinary members of Executive. The position of Honorary Treasurer is a 3-year one, and is usually held by a member of staff or a postgraduate student. More information on these roles can be found here
If you would like to run for any of the above positions, please ensure that you arrange for the current Treasurer of a fully recognised society to nominate you and another one to second you.
The nomination form has been sent to the treasurer of each fully recognised society and the proposer and seconder will need to complete, sign, scan and email to [email protected] BEFORE 6p.m. on Wednesday 23rd September.
The CSC Society of the Year Awards 2020 will take place on 11th March 2020.
Nominations for the awards are now open HERE and will close at 5pm Tuesday the 3rd March.
Tickets for the awards are now on sale to TCD Society Officers and cost 25 euro from the CSC office
The evening of the 24th January 2020, the Central Societies Committee supported by Trinity Development & Alumni will be joined by the Provost and current members of College to mark 50 years of the Central Societies Committee, as well as to welcome back TCD Alumni and Staff who participated in the Dorian Gray project in 2009.
In November 2009, named after Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, the Dorian Gray Project was launched by the Central Societies Committee to celebrate student life in Trinity. Over 900 members of the Trinity community had their portraits taken in the Public Theatre in TCD. Each of these portraits, caught in an instant of time, has been incorporated into an image of Front Square below, to symbolise the living element that embodies Trinity College life, and is a testimony that College is more than just bricks and mortar, quads and cobbles – it is a living community.
All participants in the project were emailed in November 2019 with a link to their image as well as an invitation to return in order to celebrate, reconnect and reminisce.
From twenty two applications ten student societies pitched for sponsorship from Bank of Ireland yesterday in the BOI Workbench on Trinity Campus
Congratulations to all of the students who took part, representing their society. The judges were so impressed by the pitches that each society came away with some funding towards their respective event. Agriculture Soc, Biological Soc, DUPA, Fashion Soc, The Hist, Musical Theatre Society, QSoc, TAF, TEDx Trinity, Vegan Soc.
Application for Bank of Ireland for society sponsorship is now closed. Whether it’s for a society publication, an event (single or multi day), or simply for your society’s overall activities for the year, we look forward to seeing what plans you have.
Whether it’s for Michaelmas or Hilary Term activities, no sum is too small, and we are encouraging you to be ambitious! This is a great opportunity for your committee to think big and to push the boat out. We hope that it will really benefit your society, its activity and its members.
Applications should be completed using your @csc.tcd.ie address. Please read the terms and conditions and be clear on the type of events that will not be considered. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
– 4th October: Applications open.
– 13th October: Applications close at midnight
– Selected applications will receive your allotted time to present a pitch
– Societies will present a short pitch to a panel in the BOI Workbench. Proposed date 30th Oct TBC
– Successful applicants will be informed of the outcome at the pitching event or by the following day
This video was produced by the Trinity Global Relations Office and features just a couple of the 127 student societies in Trinity College. To find out more about each individual society click HERE and to find out more about joining a society click HERE.
The Michaelmas Term General Meeting will take place at 5p.m. on Tuesday 17th September in the Ui Chadhain Theatre, Arts Building.
The agenda, minutes of the last General Meeting, Reports from the Officers, and a copy of the current Grants Policy Document have been circulated to the society treasurers.
On the 14th September 2019 the CSC Officers and staff will go through each role and cover what the CSC can do to help you have a successful year. Training is designed for Society Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and some aspects may be of interest to PROs if they wish to attend.
the group training session will end by 12.30 and we’ll take a break for free lunch!
From 1pm there will be 3 separate breakout sessions, which will run until aprox 2.30/3pm.
Session 1 at 1pm – For Treasurers, covering the very important topic of applying for a CSC grant and how to keep your Society financial accounts. The treasurer must attend this session and the chair may also attend this session if they wish.
Session 2 at 1pm – For Chairperson, Workshop with the Director of Diversity & Inclusion in the Jonathan Swift
Session 2 at 1pm – For Secretaries, covering the role and responsibilities of a secretary in greater detail such as constitutions, GDPR, managing society communication to your members, and holding a society meeting in the Ui Chadhain
In the meantime if you need to ask anything please drop by the CSC office or email us.
You can also check out the Running a Society section on the CSC Website
The CSC office will open on a part time basis from the 6th May for the summer break. We will reopen as normal on 19th August, in time for Freshers’ Week 2018, which takes place 2nd – 6th September.
The CSC staff are available via email over the summer should you have a query – email addresses can be found here trinitysocieties.ie/about/csc-staff
A schedule of days that the office in House 6 will open is below.
This training aims to cover anything that newly elected society committees need to know to get started, and get you through to Freshers Week 2019. More in-depth training will take place at Officers Training later in September (date and location TBC).
We will cover information such as;
– Overview of the roles – Chair, Treasurer and Secretary
– Accounts/Grants
– The CSC office, services and facilities
– Your society bank accounts.
– Booking rooms on campus
– Freshers’ week
Supporting Diversity & Inclusion in Societies – organised by the CSC and the TCD Director of Diversity & Inclusion.
Date: 12th Feb 2019
Time: 4pm
Location: Room 2 The Atrium – TCD campus
This is an information session designed to inform and support student groups in TCD. The objective of which is to help societies, clubs etc to become more equal and inclusive places for all members of college. Delivered by the TCD Director of Diversity and Inclusion we aim to cover the following;
Making your communication and events more accessible
The Equality Diversity and Inclusion Polices and how they apply to you.
Challenging inappropriate behaviour e.g bullying, harassment
Supporting your society’s members
Diversity concepts (e.g. equality/diversity/gender bias/stereotypes/privilege
The inaugural Bank of Ireland TCD Society pitching event took place at 2pm on 12th November.
This partnership sees BOI, the official bank of TCD, commit to supporting TCD societies for 2018/19.
Applications opened on 16th Oct and 34 societies applied for sponsorship. From the 34 applications 11 societies were selected and invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of four to compete for a slice of the funding.
The judges were so impressed that they gave funding to each society who pitched.
Congratulations to
Trinity Arts Festival 2019
BioSoc MedTech competition
Chinese Society Forum
Dance Society equipment
Fashion Society Fashion Show
Film Society DU Film Festival
Indian Soc – Holi Law Soc – Diverse Careers fair
Players (summer festival)
TedX Trinity
Trinity Musical Theatre production
1st – 5th October is Fourth Week, Trinity’s dedicated Society Week.
All society events on the Fourth Week calendar are OPEN (you don’t have to be a member) and FREE of charge to all students and staff of TCD. It is an opportunity to experience the wealth of activity, enthusiasm, and creativity that our 126 societies have to offer without committing to join up.
Updates will be available on this site as well as on the CSC Facebook event and TrinityCSC on Twitter #GoFourth #FourthWeek.
It is not necessary to be a member of a society to attend its Fourth Week event. However, if you like what you see you can sign up on the day and come back later in the year for more.
CSC – Society Officer Training will take place on Saturday, 15th September 2018
The CSC Officers and staff will go through each role and cover what the CSC can do to help you have a successful year. Training is designed for Society Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and some aspects may be of interest to PROs.
Location: Edmund Burke Theatre, Arts Building.
Time: 10am training starts promptly, you may arrive from 9.30, go get in and grab a seat. At 12.15 the group training session will end and we’ll take a break for free sandwiches!
From aprox 1pm there will be 2 breakout sessions, which will run until aprox 2pm. RSVP to [email protected] by 3pm 11th Sep to confirm numbers from your society – so that we order enough food. Also let me know of any dietary requirements.
Session 1 at 1pm – For Treasurers, covering the very important topic of applying for a CSC grant and how to keep your Society financial accounts. The treasurer must attend this session and the chair may also attend this session if they wish.
Session 2 at 1pm –For Secretaries, covering the role and responsibilities of a secretary in greater detail such as constitutions, GDPR, managing society communication to your members, and holding a society meeting. This will take place in Room 2043: SL Thomas Davis Theatre
In the meantime if you need to ask anything please drop by the CSC office or email us.
You can also check out the Running a Society section on the CSC Website
Set up time for stands during Freshers’ Week 3rd – 7th September will be 8.30a.m. on the Monday and 10a.m. on the subsequent days. End time each day will be 4p.m.
In October 2015 the CSC was delighted to welcome past CSC executive member, ex-chair of the Young Fine Gael Society, the then Minister for Health, and current Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to launch the Society Alumni Testimonial Journal. He was joined by several other Trinity alumni who had been involved in societies in Trinity College.
The publication is a compilation of reflections by Trinity Alumni including David O’Doherty, Senator Averil Power, Paddy Cosgrave, Senator David Norris, Dylan Haskins, Senator Ivana Bacik, and many more. They each reflect on their time here and the invaluable and incomparable experiences they had while serving as society officers.
The Taoiseach noted the number of his political contemporaries who also came up through TCD Societies. He commended on the breadth and scope of societies present on campus today and spoke of the invaluable skills he developed while on a society committee that he utilises to this day.
This journal was compiled by the CSC as part of the Fourth Week initiative, which aims to highlight to College the value of student-led activities. The impetus that students get from having the opportunity to run a society, the feeling of achievement when a long-planned event runs well, and the knowledge gained about how to bear responsibilities have all been fundamental experiences which have led to the successes that these alumni have achieved later in their lives. These things all arise from the fact that students run societies by and for themselves, and we hope that continued facilitation of societies and support for the CSC by College will mean that future students will have the same opportunities for entrepreneurship.
Society Officer Handover training took place 3rd April 2018, this training aims to cover all newly elected society committees need to know to get them through to Freshers Week 2018.
The Equality Officer Aoife Crawford spoke about how societies can be more inclusive. Links she mentioned are below. Email her on [email protected] if you have any queries.
Fiona May was elected Chair of the CSC on 20th March 2018.
Hugh Fitzgibbon was elected to the position of Secretary, Ciaran Maguire was elected to the position of Treasurer and Ciara O’Leary was elected Amenities Officer of the CSC.
Those elected to the eight positions on the CSC Executive were Sophie Donnelly, Calum Fabb, Gill, Eoin Hannaway, Lauren McDonald, Georgie O’Sullivan, Eleanor Scott and Dahnan Spurling.
Please click here for a documents containing all the information that you need to know about running an AGM effectively. This links contains a sample Agenda for an AGM, as well as sample ballot papers that you may print in the CSC offices for use in your elections.
Once elections have taken place, please be sure to notify [email protected] and [email protected] of the newly elected committee members’ names and email addresses.
Calling and Running an AGM
Societies must hold an Annual General Meeting once a year. The procedure for calling an AGM or EGM is laid out in your society constitution; please ensure that sufficient notice is communicated to members (as per your constitution) by email and on the society’s poster- board (optional), stating the time, date and location of the meeting along with an agenda of what is to take place.
The agenda for the meeting should include an overview of the society’s activities, reports from the officers, amendments to the constitution (if applicable) and elections for a new committee.
Some society constitutions set out specific voting requirements, all other societies should follow proper procedure recommended by the CSC. Officers should ensure that individual, position-specific ballots are used –
Constitutional amendments drafted by a society committee must be put to a vote of the membership at a General Meeting in line with the society’s constitutional protocols and, if passed, sent into the CSC for ratification. It is strongly recommended that these changes are drafted in consultation with the CSC Secretary to ensure they are appropriate. If the AGM has not been conducted in a satisfactory manner the CSC will ask that it be run again, so it’s worth taking the time to ensure that the correct protocol have been followed.
If you have any questions about calling or running an AGM, please email the Secretary at [email protected]
Recommended CSC Procedure
Please note that following information is not compulsory, but rather a set of guidelines to help you run a smooth AGM. If your society constitution is considerably outdated, or simply does not contain the information referred to in the first page of this document, then please refer to the information below:
Checking Membership
An up to date membership list should be compiled and printed, or be made available in soft copy at the AGM. Membership should be checked as members enter the room for the meeting. Please cross check membership cards with the membership list. Anyone that fails either of these criteria should not be allowed to vote in any elections, or on any motions at the meeting.
Once membership has been checked at the door, please hand members one ballot paper for each election that is to take place. Contact the CSC Secretary for a ballot paper template.
Elections
Some society constitutions contain guidelines on what type of electoral system should be used. If that is the case, please follow those guidelines.
One of the following two methods, depending on the type of election or your constitutional requirements, will be relevant:
First Past the Post – This system should be used either: (i) when an election consists of two candidates, running for one position; or (ii) if your constitution requires that it be used for all elections. This simply involves members indicating a single preference. The winner is the candidate with the most preferences. In the case of a tie, you may decide either to offer the outgoing Chair a casting vote, or flip a coin.
Single Transferrable Vote – This system should be used either: (i) when an election consists of more than two candidates running for one position; or (ii) when multiple candidates run for multiple positions (for example, when 5 candidates run for 3 OCM positions); or (iii) when your constitution requires that it be used for all elections. The system works as follows:
Voters should be given ballot papers on which they may write the names of all candidates in the election, and express numbered preferences (1-8 where there are 8 candidates, for example) for as many candidates as they chose;
Ballot papers should then be collected. In order to be elected, a candidate must meet the quota of votes. The quota of votes should be calculated using the formula below:
The total valid poll is the number of votes cast (that are legible and have followed the instructions provided in denoting preferences), and the number of seats is the number of positions.
Proceed to count the number of first preferences for each candidate. If there is one position, and one candidate receives more first preferences than the quota requires, then they are elected and the election concludes.
If no candidate satisfies the quota, then the candidate with the least first preferences is eliminated. Please announce that, after the “first count”, [name of candidate] is to be eliminated and their votes redistributed. Please do this for every count (i.e. every time a count is concluded and a candidate is eliminated).
Once the candidate is eliminated, redistribute the first preferences that candidate received to those candidates who are marked as preference 2 on the ballot papers.
Repeat this process until the number of candidates required have satisfied the quota, or until there are only as many candidates as positions left.
The STV system is somewhat more complex, and as such, if you would like the CSC Secretary to attend your AGM in order to help run the election, please contact [email protected].
Please note two further things:
Order of Elections – It is important to conduct elections in order of seniority (i.e. Chair first, then work down), and to conclude each election and announce the winning candidate before proceeding to the next. This is to ensure that unsuccessful candidates in previous elections can put themselves forward in subsequent votes.
Hustings – If possible, you should offer an opportunity for candidates for Officerships particularly to speak to the meeting. These hustings should be kept brief, no longer than 2 minutes per candidate. You may decide to offer varying amounts of time depending on the seniority of the Officership.
Nominations for CSC Executive positions close at 5p.m. – Tuesday 13th March.
If you are interested in running for any of the positions: Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Amenities Officer or one of the 8 Executive positions, you can pick up a form in the office. You need to get it signed by TWO Treasurers of fully recognised societies
Then you need to drop it into the office before the deadline 5p.m. Late nominations cannot be accepted.
Please talk to the staff or any of the current officers if you want more information about what is involved in being on CSC Executive.
The deadline for submission to the Societies Yearbook is the 12th March. Please send your submissions in ASAP, this should be the event that you feel most showcases your society. Note that this year will be will not be accepting ‘trips away’ and ‘balls’ as entries, the event should convey the spirit of your society and its core aims.
Submissions are sent to yearbook@csc.tcd.ie . Your submission should be summary of one event only,no more than 150 words. Please include at least one photo from the event, photos should be in JPEG format, at least 160mm wide, and have 300dpi.
The Yearbook is a great keepsake for you, and it gets given out at several events during the year, including Freshers’ Week and the Open Day, so it is a great opportunity for you to showcase the work that your society does.
TCD Socs Week, otherwise known as Fourth Week is an entire week dedicated to student societies in TCD and an opportunity for students and staff of the College who may not have already joined a society to check out what you do without any commitment to join.
Message from Benn Ó hÓgáin – Chair of the Central Societies Committee
TCD Socs Week (aka Fourth Week 16th – 20th October) is all about exposing the amazing events and activities that take place across our societies on a weekly basis to an even wider audience than usual. It’s a great opportunity to try something new, or to get involved with societies for the very first time. I can say without question that my time in societies has made my College experience, and I wholeheartedly encourage you to sample just some of the vast array of activities taking place this week.
Trinity’s societies are nationally recognised, from debating to the Irish language, and from chess to animation there truly is something for everyone. Take off with Trinity Space Society, or join in a stich n’bitch with KnitSoc. Socs Week is also the ideal chance to find out more about that society you really wish you’d joined in Freshers’ Week. What are you waiting for?
There will be FREE – OPEN – EVENTS taking place all over campus for all members of the college community to enjoy.
Keep on eye on all of the links below for more information.
The CSC Officers and staff will go through each role and cover what the CSC can do to help you have a successful year. Training is designed for Society Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and some aspects may be of interest to PROs.
Location: Edmund Burke Theatre Arts Building.
Time: 10am training starts promptly, doors at 9.30. At 12.15 the group training session will end and we’ll take a break. From aprox 1pm there will be 2 breakout sessions, which will run until aprox 2pm.
Session 1 – For Treasurers, covering the very important topic of applying for a CSC grant and how to keep your Society financial accounts. The treasurer must attend this session and the chair may also attend this session if they wish.
Session 2 – For Secretaries, covering the role and responsibilities of a secretary in greater detail such as constitutions, managing society communication to your members, and holding a society meeting. This will take place in the Robert Emmet Theatre.
Well done to all of the societies nominated at the CSC Society of the Year Awards on making 2016/17 an amazing year for all of your members. Congratulations to the award winners.
Best Online Presence: TCD Law Soc , TES, Literary, DUCSS
Best Poster: Michaelmas Term Concert (Orchestra); AGM (Players); What Lies in the Wood (TAF); Mr. Burns (Players); BookBombing (Litsoc); Shedding Light on Eileen Gray (Architecture & DUGES); Carniv Law (Law)
Best Journal: The Attic vol XIX (Litsoc); New Traditional Irish Music Compositions of TCD (Tradsoc); Birds of Trinity (Zoosoc); In Focus (SMF); Writings About Music Vol 3, Issue 1 (Music)
Best Magazine: TEF 17 – Taking Economics Forward (TEF); The Player, Vol vii, issue i; End of Year Exhibition (Photographic); Stand (Suas)
Best Multi-Day Event: Trinity Arts Festival (TAF); Stories – Lives Transformed (Christian Union); Fringe Festival (Players), Éigse na Tríonóide (Cumann Gaelach)
Most Improved: Gamers; Italian; Physics
Best New Society: General Science; Musical Theatre; Space
Best Individual: Áine Palmer (Gender Equality); Alice Kearns (SoFIA); Allison Wheeland (Film); Blánaid ní Bhraonáin (Laurentian); Catrina Daly (Italian); Christina Fitzsimons (S2S); Christopher Claffey (Suas); Conor Leen (Entrepreneurial); Eoin Hannaway (Music); Fiona Waters (General Science); Fionnuala Egan (French); Giada Tossi (International); Hallie Tanner (Trinity FM); Hilary Hogan (Law); Huda Awan (Photographic); Jack Corkery (DUAMS); Jack Farrell (Architecture); Kevin Smyth (Historical); Lorcan O’Byrne (VTP); Matthew Caulfield (Orchestra); Matthew Nuding (Philosophical); Molly McAvoy (Players), Paula Tierney (Zoological); Rachel Brady (Cumann Gaelach); Sam McMahon (VdP); Shannon Buckley Barnes (TAF); Yvonne Ryan (Physics)
Best Fresher: Abdulqadir Abshir (Afro Caribbean); Aislinn Shanahan Daly (People Before Profit); Alexion Ramos (Computer Science); Bill Walsh (Cumann Gaelach); Caoimhe White (Zoological); David Callaghan (Singers); Jack Forrestal (Science Fiction); Jesse Russell (VdP); Jessica Howard (Trinity FM); Pádraig Power (SoFIA); Seán Duffy (Law), Sophie Coote (Players)
Best Collaborative Event: Bat & Deer Walk in the Phoenix Park (Zoosoc & Photographic); Hysteria (Comedy & TAF); Marakesh 2016 The Climate Games (SoFIA, Environment & Global Development); Shedding Light on Eileen Gray (Architecure & DUGES); Speak Me, I’m Irish (International & Cumann); The King’s Good Servant (History & Players)
Best 4th Week Event: 48 Hour Smartphone Film Competition (Film); Book Bombing (Literary); Mock Citizen’s Assembly (Law), Tasty Tune Crawl & Silent Trisco (Tradsoc); V(DiY)P Space for Change (VdP); What Lies in the Woods (TAF)
Best Medium Society: FLAC; French; Literary; SoFIA; Zoological
Best Large Society: Cumann Gaelach; Historical; International; Law; Players
Best Small Society: Afro Caribbean; Christian Union; Neuroscience; Traditional Music; Trinity Orchestra
Best Event: AfroJam (Afro Caribbean); David Bowie in the Exam Hall (Orchestra); French Intervarsities (French); Songs of Ice and Fire (Literary); The Eliz Inaugural – Women in Peformance (Philosophical); Trinity’s Best Dance Crew (Dance); Women in Business Conference (SMF)
I assent, subject always to the following provisions and conditions, to the implementation of a levy upon each student of the College for the purposes of the provision and maintenance of a Student Centre as a locus of student-led activity, for the enhancement of currently available space, and for the development of further spaces within current College space, for the use of the students of the College. The provisions and conditions shall be:
That the funds collected though the implementation of the Levy Fee be ring-fenced for the purposes of the provision and maintenance of a Student Centre as a locus of student-led activity, for the enhancement of currently available space, and for the development of further spaces within current College space, for the use of the students of the College;
That the Levy Fee shall be collected in twenty-two annual payments of €30.00 per student from the date of its first collection;
That the funds collected in the first two years of the implementation of the Levy Fee shall be used for the enhancement of currently available space, and for the development of further spaces within current College space, for the use of the students of the College;
That the funds collected in the remaining lifetime of the implementation of the Levy shall be the purposes of the provision and maintenance of a Student Centre as a locus of student-led activity;
That the Levy Fee shall first be applied only to those students commencing their first or second year of studies at the beginning of the academic year 2017/18, with the exception of those students commencing one-year postgraduate studies to whom it shall apply for those commencing from the beginning of the academic year 2019/2020 onwards;
That all Students deemed to be in financial hardship, as moderated by the Senior Tutor’s Office, shall be exempt from payment of the Levy Fee;
That the Levy Fee shall be overseen by Capitation Committee, or a duly appointed sub-committee thereof, and the appropriate personnel of the Financial Services Division;
That in the initial two year period of the implementation of the levy the prioritisation of the use of the monies for the enhancement of currently available space, and for the development of further spaces within current College space, for the use of the students of the College, shall be jointly developed by the Executives of the TCDSU and DUCSC, and presented to the Capitation Committee for its assent;
That the final configuration of the Student Centre as a locus of student-led activity will be agreed by TCDSU and DUCSC and presented to Capitation Committee for its assent;
That the future provision of the said Student Centre shall not in itself constitute the diminution of the status of House 6 as a locus of student-led activity, or in itself justify a reduction of the total space available for such student-led activities within House 6, or in any way or manner justify a reduction of the total space available for such student-led activities as is available to the Capitated Bodies at the time of the putting of this referendum to the Student body of the College.
The CSC Society of the Year Awards 2022 will take place at 7 pm on 16th March 2022 in the 
