By Caitriona Murphy
Students active in building the College community will now be rewarded for their efforts with the introduction of the Dean of Students Roll of Honour. Announced in an email sent to all students last week, the Roll will begin this year and cover the period from April last to March 2011.
The Roll is a move by College to recognise that learning on campus stretches beyond the lecture hall and to acknowledge the vast amount of extracurricular learning that goes on within societies, clubs and external volunteer programs. The aim to introduce this recognition was set out in the Strategic Plan last year and has culminated in the Roll.
In a conversation with Dean Of Students, Gerry Whyte, he said that “there’s a whole load of learning that goes on for ordinary members of clubs and societies, but even more so those who move into officership positions. You learn organisation skills, leadership skills and communications skills”.
The Roll will have many benefits for both the students and the College. Students have the opportunity to be recognised for all the hours campaigning for the SU, rehearsing for Players or debating in the Hist and Phil and to receive credit for getting elected to officer positions within clubs and societies.
The scheme is not just limited to activities within Trinity, but also recognises programs outside the College that people do in their free time.
A significant aim of the College is to promote civic responsibility and the Roll encourages students to get involved. The most notable benefit that it can provide for students in the current climate is the boost which being on the Roll will give to their CVs.
Nikolai Trigoub-Rotnem, President of the SU, welcomed the Roll, saying, “I’m glad to see that College is acknowledging the extracurricular activities of students which help build the Trinity community.”
The requirements for entry on to the Honour Roll are basic as the College is keen to keep the Roll open to as many students as possible. Each student must participate in at least 20 hours a year of service for a club or society. These hours must then be signed off by the respective organisation. Students then fill out an application form that requires a certain degree of thought and planning. The applications will be vetted before being approved.
There is no cap on the amount of students that can be on the list and Dean Whyte welcomes a large response. The only students that cannot apply for the list are students that are paid to be in their officer position such as the SU sabbatical officers.
Students who are successfully placed on the list will receive a certificate and attend the inaugural Roll of Honour ceremony, anticipated to be held sometime in March.
Applications for the Roll will become available in Hilary term online at www.tcd.ie/Community and the closing date is in March 2011.
