A College crackdown on “illegal’ postering has led to heavy fines, student rivalry and calls for more postering space in College.
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n an email from the Central Societies Committee last week, societies were warned not to put more than one poster advertising an event on a society board. After a first offence warning, societies will face a 10% cut in their grant.
SUAS was the first society to receive a warning for over-postering. Spokesman Shane Garahy said the society would not appeal the warning, “I think it’s fair that the regulations apply to all societies even those that are charitable organisations… If (the fine) was too small, people won’t take any notice.” Other societies disagree. Chair of PsychSoc Michelle McMahon says “the PsychSoc has received its first official warning and to be totally honest can’t afford to receive another which would result in a cut to our grant.” Thomas Kinsella, Auditor of the DU Historical Society, and Barry Devlin, President of the Philosophical Society, which societies boast the largest memberships in College, both agree that the 10% fine is “huge” and “disproportionate”.
Rob Kearns, Secretary of the CSC, said to Trinity News “Realistically, the best way to create a disincentive to break rules is to threaten to hit societies in their pockets, and that’s what we’re doing.”
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mma Matthews of the CSC stated that excessive postering was a major litter problem and that the time had come for tougher action. “They’re not new regulations,” she said, they’re just being more strongly imposed. The reason we’re doing it is because of the amount of postering around the campus… We’re doing it really because people are complaining about it”.
The CSC is encouraging student involvement in the policing of the regulations saying “if you pass a CSC board and you see a poster which you believe contravenes the rules, you may remove it and dispose of it in as environmentally friendly way as possible.”
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here are some concerns that societies competing for student attention and money may use the sanctions to engage in society warfare by tampering with rival posters. SU representative Stiofán Ó Broin, said, “People already engage in this type of thing, but I don’t think it’s malicious… it’s a waste of time, space and paper”
Mr Ó Broin noted that many societies place posters on the SU boards where they should be putting their material up on CSC boards. Mr Kinsella independently expressed an opposing view that the SU puts posters on CSC boards which is unfair to societies. The issue, he said, is not the sanctions but that there is a lack of postering space in College for events.
