The University Times

Edmund Heaphy, Jane Fallon Griffin and Sinéad Baker

The past two days have revealed quite a lot in terms of where Trinity sees itself going in the coming years: how it plans to meet the objectives set out by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), how it plans to deal with the decrease in exchequer funding and how it seeks to “establish its position as one of the elite group of universities that shape our world”, which was the primary objective of the College’s 2009–2014 Strategic Plan, set out under Provost John Hegarty. The plan was widely regarded as the work of the then-Vice Provost, and current Provost, Patrick Prendergast, who stewarded the plan “from conception to completion”.

It’s poignant that as it’s revealed that Trinity has agreed to a multitude of initiatives that try to improve access to education, they are simultaneously introducing measures that are only going to be perceived as doing the opposite of that.

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It’s expected that the upcoming four-year strategic plan, due to be announced by Prendergast in August, will feature similar objectives. After all, all of Prendergast’s grand aims seem to fit under what he dubs “Trinity’s global reputation as a leading university”, and trying to further this reputation with mission statements and objectives that sound altogether profound. Yet the smaller aims of the university – the one’s that are probably more significant because of how much they can affect students – seem to run counter to any of these larger goals, even if superficially they seem to fit into this framework. As such, it’s poignant that as it’s revealed that Trinity has agreed to a multitude of initiatives that try to improve access to education, they are simultaneously introducing measures that are only going to be perceived as doing the opposite of that. The compact signed with the HEA in February, decisions made at the last College Board meeting and the increased levies for students approved by the Finance Committee on Wednesday allow us to get a glimpse into just where the Provost intends to go over the next four years, but we won’t know for sure until August.

Increasing Levies

A Students’ Union statement released yesterday evening revealed details from Wednesday’s College Finance Committee meeting, where the Vice-Provost and Chief Academic Officer of the College, Professor Linda Hogan, proposed the introduction of six new types of levies on students. Documents viewed by The University Times from the meeting show that the College expects to generate more than €700,000 in additional income as a result of the levy increases. It is understood that the committee almost unanimously agreed to the increases, and TCDSU claims that its President, Tom Lenihan, was the only member to dissent from the decisions, although The University Times was unable to independently confirm these claims.

Trinity is unique amongst its university counterparts in charging any fee for award ceremonies and conferring

On perhaps one of the lower rungs of the ladder of student financial difficulty is the increase in charge for replacing student cards. Once priced at €6, a replacement card will now set you back €20 – a proportionally large increase of fourteen euro for the exact same product. The largest projected income by the committee comes from the introduction of a fee of €250 for students sitting a supplemental examination, regardless of how many exams they sit. Based on the last academic session, where 1,679 students sat at least one supplemental exam, Professor Hogan, following a “thorough review of existing charges and potential for raising revenue” by Academic Registry, projected that this would bring more than €400,000 in additional income. In comparison, some other institutions charge a fee per module in repeat examinations. In UCD, €230 is charged per module, while the same figure is €160 in DCU and €60 in NUIM. NUIG charge a €200 flat-rate fee.

The committee also approved the introduction of a €75 fee for diploma and certificate awards ceremonies, where there has traditionally been no charge. Approximately 1,500 diplomas and certificates are awarded annually by the college, and up to €112,500 is expected to be earned from this fee. This was approved alongside an increase in the cost of commencement ceremonies, which is due to go up to €135 from €114. This will generate an additional revenue of around €84,000, based on a number of 4000 who graduate each year. Trinity is unique amongst its university counterparts in charging any fee for award ceremonies and conferring: UCD, DCU, NUIM, and NUIG do not charge any fees outside of costs associated with gowns and academic dress. DIT also does not charge a conferring fee.

The next-highest approved increase in income would come from raising the cost of the application fee for postgraduate applicants, which is due to go up to €50 from €35. Approximately 7000 applications for postgraduate places are received each year, meaning that this increase will generate €105,000 in additional income. UCD and DIT charge €45 for postgraduate applications, while NUIM, NUIG, UCC and DCU charge €50.

Finally, the committee approved an increase in the fee for duplicate diploma parchments from €20 to €100, and the reduction of the fee for duplicate degree parchments from €116 to €100, which is presented as a means to “standardise the charge for issue of duplicate parchments”. The fee for duplicate parchments is €50 in UCD, NUIM, NUIG and UCC – the standard rate for National University of Ireland constituent colleges – while €75 is charged in DIT and €70 in DCU.

Considering Prendergast’s stated aims and his agreement that access to education should be one of the be-and-end-alls of a university’s mission, it’s worthwhile to consider the students for whom college wasn’t the obvious or expected Post-Leaving Cert route. The University Times asked about the very real realities behind the increasing cost of college life and the perception that the college’s financial plan fails to recognise the true reality for students. One final year history and Spanish student explained: “From a lower middle-class background, I think it is absolutely disgraceful for Trinity to even consider increasing the said fees for the stated purposes. I found it extremely difficult just to get into Trinity due to the extortionate registration fees and the cost of living in Dublin, in addition to all the added charges. During my first two years at Trinity I was forced to work thirty hours per week outside of my studies to pay for food and rent, as well as applying for financial help from the College. I was unable to sustain any sort of social life in these years due to hours of work and lack of money. In the last year I have been able to work less hours, but the consequence of this has been living on €50 per week. I rarely eat three square meals per day and I can’t afford to buy new shoes regardless of the fact that all the ones I have have holes in them.”

Her final word on the matter seems to resonate no matter who you talk to: “To think that Trinity is considering increasing the fees for the sake of such superficial purposes instead of first considering the welfare of their students is absolutely unthinkable.”

Agreeing Initiatives with the HEA

The Higher Education Authority and Trinity’s “mission based performance compact” agreement, from Febuary 2014 and published on Thursday, sets out “to align the missions, strategies and profiles of individual higher education institutions with national priorities, and to agree strategic objective indicators of success against which institutional performance will be measured and funding allocated.” Similar agreements between the HEA and other institutions were also published. The compact mentions the obligation of the “overall higher education system to respond effectively to evolving and unpredictable societal needs.”

The HEA is a statutory body dealing with the improvement and promotion of higher education nationally as well as encouraging third-level research. According to the HEA, “It is only by placing the student at the centre of all activity, that the HEA and the higher education system can deliver on its responsibilities to the individual, society and the economy.”

Trinity has also agreed to increase the number of non-Irish educated students from 953 to 1874 by the end of the allocated timeframe.

The HEA has agreed on specific aims with all state institutions to individualise each college and improve the education system at third-level by 2016. With the HEA providing funding for such progress, failure of an institution to comply can result in penalisation by revoking up to 10 per cent of the initial funding supplied to fulfill the college’s objectives. Along with the HEA, College has agreed to a series of initiatives in an effort to provide expansion in research provisions. In line with the report, Trinity has agreed to implement, by 2016, improvements in return for the sum of €495,000 in funding towards these aforementioned aims. Nationally, the HEA aims to address the student dropout rate, increase the inclusion of minority groups and promote further research projects.

In terms of TCD, special attention in the report was directed towards areas such as e-learning, foreign student involvement and Erasmus programs. In relation to e-students, the college agreed to increase part-time students, e-learners and distance learners from 12 per cent of the student body to 14 per cent by the year 2016. Trinity has also agreed to increase the number of non-Irish educated students from 953 to 1874 by the end of the allocated timeframe. However, the college has also agreed to encourage Trinity students to embrace other college experiences through the Erasmus program by aiming to see a rise in numbers going abroad from 260 in 2010 to 312 by the end of 2016. Trinity also specified a determination to improve on the use of online resources for educational purposes, they agree to plan MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) – free college courses that are openly accessible. According to the report funding must be “fair and transparent’ while managing to “provide reasonable stability from year to year and in which funding follows the student.”

Seeking Exemptions

Approval was given to seek an exemption from the HEA after the Board approved a proposed salary of over €180,000 per annum for the appointment of a new Professor of Business Studies.

At the last Board meeting on May 28, approval was given to seek an exemption from the HEA on the Employment Control Framework for the Higher Education Sector after they approved a proposed salary of over €180,000 per annum for the appointment of a new Professor of Business Studies. A source from Board suggests that the College intends to cover the additional remuneration required – almost €50,000 – through non-exchequer funding. This would represent almost ten per cent of the total increases in non-exchequer funding provided for in the Finance Committee’s recent decisions.

As the proposed salary is not in line with the Employment Control Framework, College will need to invoke Section 25(5) of The Universities Act 1997 which allows for a university to depart from levels of remuneration “where the governing authority is satisfied that it is necessary to meet the objectives of the university”.

According to college authorities, and some other reports, the HEA have been notified of Trinity’s intention to offer a framework appointment to the candidate. However, The University Times understands that, as of yet, no formal request has been made, and that such a request is only required to be made after the college makes an appointment.

Although the salary is still subject to negotiation, a proposal of around €185,000 was approved at the meeting to attract a candidate that is currently working in a prestigious business school in Europe. It is understood that the candidate has received a competing offer from another university in the southern hemisphere in the range of €220,000. This appointment is considered “critical” to “attract a candidate with international experience and ability”.

At present, the rate of pay for professorships are on a six point scale ranging from €106,516–€136,276 since July 1, 2013. The professorship of Business Studies has been vacant since 2010 and was previously on a professional salary scale.

The Bigger Picture

It’s hard to argue that such decisions don’t reflect a trend by which the college fails to consult students and staff when implementing new measures.

Inevitably, these new decisions will be viewed as reflective of an attitude on behalf of college authorities that rejects input from the college community. Incoming TCDSU President, Domhnall McGlacken Byrne, has commented on how increasingly, “bigger decisions are being made by fewer people.” Indeed, if as Tom Lenihan claims, he was the only dissenting member of the Finance Committee to these measures, it is hard to argue that such decisions don’t reflect a trend by which the college fails to consult students and staff when implementing new measures. This year many decisions have been made in this manner, including the raising of accommodation fees, cuts to the scholarship fund, a five per cent cut of funding to the Capitations Committee, increased fees for non-EU students and the decision to push ahead with the Tobacco-free Trinity Initiative despite a student vote against it. These decisions have been met with criticism from staff, students, and college bodies as they failed to take into account the results of any consultations with or the opinions of the college community. For many, the promise that Prendergast made during his inaugural speech to foster the idea of Trinity as “a university which knows it can count on public support, because it serves the public good” has now started to ring hollow.