The University Times

In a race that is traditionally contested, this year does not disappoint. Last year was unique in that the current Ents officer, Jonah Craig, was the sole candidate in the Ents race, making for a less-than-exciting campaign period. The 2018 race, however, sees two very different candidates running quite similar campaigns. Common themes such as engagement, diversity, accessibility and inclusivity are set to feature throughout both campaigns.

Only a few years ago, the main concerns facing Ents candidates were student drug use and alcohol-free events, but today they must juggle questions about student activism and a range of social issues. If Ents was once home to laddish stereotypes, candidates have quickly become knowledgeable on issues like gender-neutral bathrooms and disability rights, as students demand better venues that reflect Trinity’s diversity.

In an email statement sent to The University Times, Craig said: “It’s great to see a contested Ents race this year, I’ve been in touch with both candidates and they both have some interesting proposals in their manifestos for the potential sabbatical year ahead.”

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Perhaps the varying answers come because Flood and Dundon’s backgrounds are in some ways poles apart

The lack of a contested race created a somewhat strange atmosphere last year, with Craig’s investment-inspired night out the sole event of the week. This year’s race will provide at least two evenings during which the candidates will get a rare after-hours chance to win over voters, with the success of these nights usually very telling of a candidate’s popularity.

David Flood is a third-year mechanical engineering student, Class Rep and Captain of Trinity Surf Club. The Dublin native is also involved in Trinity Arts Festival and co-hosts a radio show on TrinityFM called “De Boomtown”.

Matt Dundon is a co-founder of the Midnight Disco club night and a third-year PPES student from Limerick. He is the current Nights Officer for the Ents committee and has been involved with Ents since first year. He has also written for the music section of The University Times and was a member of the Dublin University DJ committee in first year.

If both candidates are passionate about the role, they come to it with different reasons for running. For Flood, he wanted to represent “as wide a base of students as possible”, while Dundon wants to take his extensive experiences and skills and “apply them officially to the college”.

If reputations precede Ents candidates – think Craig’s promotion of his role in Trinity Ents trains – it’s vision that wins elections. Two years ago, it was Padraic Rowley’s vision of a more inclusive Ents that offered live music alongside apps that charmed students. Perhaps the varying answers come because Flood and Dundon’s backgrounds are in some ways poles apart.

Flood’s time as Captain of Trinity Surf Club has seen him organise events such as “Wind Wave Rave” and the much-anticipated Morocco trip during Reading Week. He said that being Surf Captain has taught him a lot of transferable skills: “I have to work with a committee of 14 people, hear their opinions, get the most out of them, delegate, make them feel valued and included.” Flood also co-founded Dublin Walking Coffee tours in collaboration with First Draft Coffee. He is of the view that “there is more to Ents than just nights”.

“Free time is my role, that’s what I’m here to curate”, he said.

If Flood draws come from a society hinterland, Dundon is well-known for his involvement with the Midnight Disco night. In his opinion, the night’s success lies in the fact that he “saw what was missing in the Dublin nightlife market”. He has worked with a lot of “huge venues in the city” and already has experience, he says, when it comes to organising events.

Dundon is already an Ents stalwart, and as the current Nights Officer, he’s in charge of all night-time events. In that sense, Dundon may be considered the more conventional candidate compared to Flood. “I have a huge interest in music and that is a skill that is necessary to be the Ents Officer”, he said.

I’ve been in touch with both candidates and they both have some interesting proposals in their manifestos for the potential sabbatical year ahead

If Craig has tried to push the horizons of Ents – his gig in Meeting House Square was a first for TCDSU – both candidates seem to want to follow his lead. Dundon mentioned “unconventional spaces” around Dublin and their great untapped potential, emphasising a move away from nightclubs because “everyone goes to those all the time”. One of the benefits of using venues which are not strictly licensed, he said, was that “you can do bring your own booze events”.

Flood recognised that although there is strong support from students for Dublin-based nights out, there is also a need for Ents to expand and push boundaries. He believed it to be “wasted potential” if Ents did not pursue venues outside of Dublin and Ireland. “When you’re Ents you have a bit more leeway”, he said.

Ents candidates in recent years have made clear their commitment to inclusivity. Rowley devoted an entire section of his manifesto to “inclusion”, while Craig also mentioned it in his manifesto.

Both candidates seem to value its importance. Dundon spoke about his venture with Midnight Disco and argued that diversifying music styles results in more inclusive events. Flood, meanwhile, focused more on changes that could alter the image of Ents to represent a more inclusive body. Small details such as event descriptions all go towards making “someone feel welcome or unwelcome” and fostering a sense of community in College.

A constant area of importance for Ents candidates, non-alcoholic events have been a difficult point for past officers. Flood was certainly more enthusiastic on this topic, with Dundon suggesting that “a lot of things can be non-alcoholic events. I mean, that is a decision people really make themselves”. While this, unsurprisingly, has never been a central manifesto point for many officers, it’s always been a perennial question that candidates have had to address.

If Dundon doesn’t come from a society background, he wants to end an Ents culture that can overlook smaller societies. Flood shares this view and believes that collaborating with more societies “spreads exposure big time, it gets more people involved, it’s a much more diverse event that way”.

In recent years, campaign groups have realised the value of nights out. Pro-repeal nights replaced the “rock the vote” club nights for marriage equality, with Trinity Ents often acting as an incentive for students to attend the union’s activism-related events.

Even if Craig’s time as Ents Officer has seen nothing proposed on the same scale as Rowley’s planned festival in Fitzwilliam Sq, Trinity Ents will be expected to play its role in TCDSU’s latest campaign next year.

“I think the Ents officer should 100 per cent be working closely to the other sabbatical officers to raise awareness through an accessible way”, Flood said. Dundon stressed that there “is a really strong need for the Ents officer to become involved with activism issues”, arguing that the job of the Ents Officer “is to raise issues that are relevant to students”.

Trinity Ents will be expected to play its role in TCDSU’s latest campaign next year

For Flood, he returned to a theme that has occupied many past Ents officers. “The Ents officer should be able to be a service to the welfare officer, to the education officer, to the President”, he said. Ents should run more “politically charged events” that raise “awareness about certain issues”, Flood suggested.

Over the last few years, Trinity Ents has become a brand in its own right. Lending its hand to all kinds of events, from society partnerships to acoustic sessions in the College Chapel, Trinity Ents is often the force behind some of the biggest events on campus, including Trinity Ball.

Dundon is confident that his “clever brand knowledge” and experience in online marketing for the Midnight Disco qualifies him for the role of selling the Ents brand. If Dundon is about consolidating that brand, Flood has some tweaks in mind. There are some “real small changes you can make to Ents that improve the infrastructure”, he said.

“It will all come down to a few things: who has the stronger message behind their campaign, who can organise the best events throughout the campaign and who can keep their campaign teams as structured as possible”, Craig said.