College has outlined supports on offer to Ukrainian Trinity students and 18 Trinity students on exchange in Russia in an email to staff and students today.
Provost Linda Doyle has informed the College community that there are no Trinity students currently in Ukraine and support is being offered to Ukrainian students in Trinity.
This statement from Doyle follows College’s condemnation of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine last weekend.
College has outlined that their “immediate priority has been our students and staff”. They note that “we have no students in Ukraine, but we have students from Ukraine in Trinity who have been experiencing incredible anxiety and distress”.
According to email, “all students in Trinity who list Ukraine as their nationality were invited to a meeting at the weekend attended by the VP for Global Engagement, the International Student Experience manager, the President of the Students Union and the Pro Senior Tutor”.
Practical supports for these students were discussed at the meeting, which College “are responding to”. The Pro Senior Tutor then “contacted all College tutors that have students in their chambers from impacted countries” and “a WhatsApp group has also been created to facilitate daily communication with the students”.
Doyle informed students and staff that the Trinity Global team has been holding daily video meetings with 18 Trinity students currently in Russia and “assisting with travel arrangements and other support needs for those who are leaving Moscow and St Petersburg”.
“The Senior Lecturer has been liaising with the academic departments of these students to ensure their academic journey is not adversely impacted by their departure from Russia.”
College has “also contacted students in Trinity who list Russia as their nationality” and “the VP for Global Engagement and members of the Trinity Global team met with these students on Monday”.
“We must remember that many Russian people do not support the actions of the Russian Federation and are also deeply affected by the invasion and events arising from it. They too are experiencing stress and anxiety.”
The Provost also noted the impact on staff saying “we have people of both Ukrainian and Russian nationality working in Trinity and this is a difficult time for them all”.
“Through the HR Partners in each Faculty and Division, we have reached out to Heads of School and School Managers to assure staff affected that all the supports of the College.”
Doyle thanked Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) for their ongoing support and announced the establishment of “a ‘Global Incident Response Unit’ within Trinity Global, which will coordinate our response to this crisis, and to future international crises”.
College also plans to “evaluate our existing partnerships with academic institutions in Russia”.
At the end of the email, the Provost thanked the “many members of the Trinity community who have been working quietly but effectively over recent days to respond to this brutal invasion” labelling this time a “moment of crisis but it is also a moment of solidarity”.
“Trinity stands with Ukraine”, she concluded.
From this evening, the front of College will be lit in the Ukrainian colours.
On February 27, College officially condemned the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and pledged their support to those affected.
In a statement, College said that they stand “in solidarity with the Ukrainian people at this most difficult time”, and urged that “a peaceful resolution to the conflict is needed” now.
The statement noted that as a “University of Sanctuary” and “active member of the Scholars at Risk network”, they are exploring ways to provide “practical assistance” in this crisis.
Provost Linda Doyle added on Twitter that she is “utterly appalled” at the invasion, saying “this brutal invasion is destroying the lives of so many innocent people”.
Since the Russian Federation launched their large-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, Trinity students have been active in protests across the Dublin region.
On Thursday February 24, the Eastern European Society (EES) organised a protest outside the Dáil where students stood in solidarity with Ukrainian citizens. On Friday, students joined the Russian Society and Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSDU) in protest outside the Russian Embassy in Rathmines to “show solidarity with Ukrainian citizens and protest against WAR!”.
