Complaint about spiking of drinks at Trinity Ball
Worrying claim among almost 330 grievances to authorities at top university
DRINKS were spiked at the famous Trinity Ball, according to a formal complaint made to the country’s most prestigious university.
The serious allegation was one of almost 330 complaints made to Trinity College Dublin over the past two years.
According to the complainant, there was ‘spiking of drinks’ at the 2022 Trinity Ball, while a separate allegation of racial abuse was also made at the same event.
The revelation comes after the Irish Mail on Sunday last week reported how student union leaders and a leading sexual violence expert warned the ‘hidden epidemic’ of drink spiking has become ‘rampant’ in bars and campuses across the country.
Other complaints made to Trinity College over the same period related to issues including heating problems, pest infestations, and noisy construction work interfering with classes or study.
One college employee said they were subjected to ‘cat calling’ from construction workers on the university grounds.
Other incidents detailed in the log included ‘alleged garda abuse’ of a student, security staff entering a room uninvited, and housekeeping staff going into an apartment without a mask during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most complaints related to the temperature of rooms, with staff and students frequently reporting that lecture theatres, offices, or residences were too cold.
One plea said: ‘Is it possible to have the heat turned on in the Museum Building? It has gotten much colder a lot earlier this year and many of us are having to resort to wearing coats and blankets.’
One staff member wrote of teaching becoming ‘unsustainable’ if the temperatures dropped below a ‘certain threshold’. ‘Four-hour lecture in the room and there was no heating,’ they added.
In other parts of the campus, staff had taken to bringing in their own electrical heaters.
Another request said: ‘Can the heating be turned on in Foster Place, the staff are complaining and the students that have classes in the Banking Hall are freezing?’
Others, however, complained it was too hot. One entry in the log said: ‘Two lecturers complained that the Joly [lecture] Theatre was too warm.’
Other complaints included college residents who were unhappy with ‘questioning’ by security staff when returning to the campus after midnight, and the theft of a motorcycle from the college.
Noise was also a source of nuisance with multiple issues over early morning use of power tools.
Other issues included signage not in compliance with Irish language legislation, and complaints about a disability access lift that was out of order.
Asked about the records, which were released under FOI, a Trinity spokeswoman referred to a set of formal procedures for dealing with complaints.
These state: ‘Generally, complaints are resolved more easily and effectively at an early stage and by those who have a direct influence on the situation.
‘In the first instance, students should seek the advice of their College Tutor/Postgraduate Student Support Officer and use existing informal mechanisms to resolve difficulties.
‘The formal student complaints procedure is available when informal approaches have not produced a satisfactory resolution within a reasonable timeframe or when the seriousness of the complaint merits it.’
‘Noise was also a source of nuisance’