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Wednesday 25th April 2012
Volume XIII - Issue:12
Outgoing SU sabbatical officers Collie, Ed and Cillian look back on a year gone by
Results delivery to improve for summer By Brendan White Editor-in-Chief The release of DCU’s examination results could be set for a huge change after ISS revealed that a new system could be rolled out in time for results this semester. ISS confirmed to The College View that they are currently testing a new system for the delivery of results, but stressed that no final decision had been made. Serious problems in the release of examination results in semester one led to calls for a change in the deliv-
ery system. A motion, which was passed at last week’s Class Rep Council meeting, wanted a change in the delivery of the exam results, suggesting a move to a faculty-by-faculty release system. During the motion at CRC, DCUSU president Ed Leamy said that results would indeed be released on a faculty-by-faculty basis and would be staggered throughout the day to prevent the problems seen in semester one. Speaking to The College View, Leamy said that he was happy with the decision and that he believed that it was the right decision.
However, ISS have said that a final decision on how exam results will be delivered will only be made after all testing is complete. Once testing is completed, ISS, Registry and Senior Management will review the results and make the final decision. ISS have said that they are working hard to ensure the smooth delivery of exam results for the summer and beyond. Exam results were released for all DCU students at one particular time in February, causing a crash on the results page. A new system had been set up by Registry and ISS to deliver results in
what it described as a secure and reliable manner. The reliable manner proved unsuccessful despite the introduction of captcha technology, a system also used by ticketmaster, which asks for words on screen to be entered into a logon box. The new system was put in place to ease congestion and ensure the page didn’t crash when results went live. Despite the changes, the site crashed shortly after the release of results, which forced the site to be taken down for some time while the problem was rectified. While the system was down, an-
gry students took to boards.ie and twitter to complain about the system, many of which suggested the release of results should be somehow staggered throughout the day. The site was eventually put back online and students were able to retrieve results half an hour after the initial release. ISS are hoping to roll out the new system in time for the release of semester two results, if tests are successful. Semester two examination s begin on Monday May 14th and continue until Saturday May 26th. Results are available online from Thursday 28th June 2012.
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SU requests funding for Old Bar
EDITORIAL Last week’s Class Rep Council meeting was what I would call a very strange one. Numerous motions were passed and it struck me as a productive enough meeting in the general sense. Seeing motions being discussed and passed can often blur the real thoughts running through us. Having been to plenty of meetings in the past, whether open or in private, the running of a meeting should be exactly the same. It should have a structure and it should stick to it. It should aim to always be as professionally run as possible, whether there are two people there, or 200 people there. Meetings should be informative and should give us more information that we had on arrival. Unfortunately, this meeting
wouldn’t fit into any category. For an onlooker, somebody not involved in the council, they would perhaps have left straight away, probably more confused than when they arrived. While running a meeting with a room full of students may be difficult, it should never descend into a free for all. I have great respect to every person who gives up their time in college to get more involved, class rep council or other. The Students’ Union sabbatical officers are there as their job, but all other positions are given by people willing to give up their time for the good of the university. But this shouldn’t excuse a lack of professionalism; a lack of courtesy and a lack of respect to others.
Corrections? If you have any complaints about what we’re reporting, or have spotted any factual mistakes, please do not hesitate to contact the relevant section editor, or email editor@thecollegeview.com.
This issue of the College View was produced by: Editor-in-Chief: Brendan White Deputy Editor: Jenny Darmody Production & Layout Editor: Marie Lecoq News Editor: Aoife Mullen Deputy News Editors: Adam Higgins, Aisling Kett, Gillian Fitzsimons Travel & Food Editor: Emma O’Rourke Features Editor: Jenny Darmody Deputy Features Editor: Catríona Hughes Irish Editor: Derek O’Brien Deputy Irish Editor: Fiach Mac Domhnaill Sports Editor: Eoghan Cormican Deputy Sports Editors: Will Slattery, Tom Rooney Flux Editor: Valerie Loftus Deputy Flux Editor: Megan Ecock, Claire Healy Sub-Editors: Eve Kerton, Sarah Bermingham, Sarah Kirk Images Editor: Fiona Hughes Online Editor: Nicky Ryan Staff Photographers: Lorraine Walker, Viktorija Drozdova Printed By Datascope, with the DCU Journalism Society Thanks To Sportsfile, SPC, Office of Student Life
As the meeting moved through the different motions on the table, the meeting slowly but surely turned. Petty arguments, comments passed from the floor and even speakers deciding to get in on the act.It does not matter what level of meeting, or what level of committee it is, professionalism should always be on show. Witnessing people aiming sly comments at people while they have the floor is unacceptable. Seeing a Class Rep Council meeting turn farcical, at times, was disappointing. From seeing the work that people put into this, it was sad to see. We must strive to have a professionally run student support, run by the proper people. The most professional speaker on the night was SU President-
THE OPEN MIC
“I think the S.U. did do a good job but for RAG week, they didn’t promote it well enough. People only found out that RAG week was on a few days beforehand, which was very bad. But they did do a good job.” – Jessica Martin, BS1
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elect Paul Doherty. He challenged a motion, but did it in the proper manner and through the proper channel, without needing to rudely interrupt. He signalled his intent to challenge, then made his points. Patronising responses to valid points signalled the level of respect of some people who may not be what is needed for this council. The good work must continue but a sense realism is needed. Yes, it is student run and it is great to see so many involved. But if a single meeting can’t be held where respect is shown for others, then there lies a problem. Whether you agree with the others speaker is irrelevant, respect and courtesy are paramount to a properly run, and properly functioning Class Rep Council.
Do you thinks the Students’ Union did a good job this year?
“I’m not actually a hundred percent sure what they did do, but I was really impressed with what they did with Please Talk week when the Music Soc had the open mic night and they had the notes up on the wall.” – Elizabeth McCorkell, BS2
“They didn’t exactly advertise the events very well, so I hadn’t a clue what they were doing but generally, I thought they were okay.” – Aisling Duggan, AC1
“I think the Student Union did a pretty good job this year, especially making themselves known to the student body.” – Orla Healy, CS2
“I don’t really know what the S.U. did this year, they didn’t really advertise well.” – Aoife Kinahan, CES1
Brendan White Editor-in-Chief The Old Bar in The Hub in DCU is set to be renovated and could be back in action for next semester. DCU’s Students’ Union President, Ed Leamy confirmed that it would cost €30,000 to bring the old bar back to the necessary fire safety standards. He also confirmed that an application has been submitted to the Educational Trust for funds for the old bar. He said that, contrary to suggestions, no work had been carried out on the old bar. Mr Leamy said that a rumoured enterprise base with shops would also not be happening in the old bar. There was concern shown from the class reps that no work has started on the old bar. They felt that such a space could be used for many DCU’s old bar has been closed since November 2011 but could be set to be reopened next semester. Credit: Brendan White. different things and that it was currently being wasted. ly housed pool tables. ered. The 23 health and safety prob- been used for the ladies toilets from the front of the premises, lack of a Before being closed, the old bar The old bar has been closed since lems, which included a lock and the former Toxic Tuesday event in fire siren and a lack of smoke detecwas used by different societies for November 2011 after serious health chain around a fire exit door, forced the Nubar. tors were part of the reason to close events and activities. It more recent- and safety concerns were discov- the closure of the old bar that had Lack of fire extinguishers across the bar.
Students outsourcing work online By Ryan Scott and Jenny Darmody It has recently come to light that students have been attempting to ‘outsource’ assignments, by putting them up online and offering money to those willing to complete them. Exact essay titles from DCU course modules were found on studentoffortune.ie, a website, which offers “homework help.” While the site has an Academic Honesty Policy, in which it does not condone direct cheating, full essay titles have still been put online. Their Academic Honesty Policy states that people cannot post entire assignments, or even ask a question “unless you have your instructor’s implicit or explicit permission.” It also states, “If you simply turn in their help as your own work, you’re cheating!” One profile posted three assignments, all part of the one course, with a ‘bounty’ offered and the status of each assignment. The three assignments totalled a cost of $80 (approximately €60) to be completed. Exact assignments have also appeared on websites such as freelancer.com, a website designed to connect employers and freelancers. Freelancers have the opportunity
Students posted exact essay titles and personal details online to view potential jobs and bid on a price they would accept upon completion of the job. After inspecting the possible candidates and their bids, the ‘employer’ can then award the project to the most suitable. As well as exact assignment titles,
one user of freelancer.com, used their DCU username as their account username, as well as their real nationality and hometown in their profile information. Further down their profile, they state that they attended Dublin City University.
The user in question had posted the full essay title and was willing to pay as much as €250 for the 2,500 word essay to be completed. It is currently unclear as to how broadly this practice is taking place in universities. DCU’s policy on
plagiarism includes in its definition “the deliberate act of taking or using another person’s work as your own.” The College View made attempts to contact members of the Business faculty, but they were unavailable for comment.
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Ed Leamy: The Charming Man Ed Leamy turns up fifteen minutes late for his interview, forgetting that it was pre-arranged. He’s a busy man, always in demand and hard to get a hold of. I’m welcomed into his office and after he runs to find me a chair, we get stuck in. I start off by asking him what his highlight of the year was. “Of all the highlights, the little things affect me more and I’d be very proud of never turning a student away. I had an open door policy all year and any student that ever came in, I’d do my best to never turn them away. I did the best I could to point them in the right direction and I made sure they were ok.” Reflecting on his time in office and his role, Leamy says; “what I really loved about the job was that you forget about yourself for the year. It definitely makes you a better person, it’s not a job, it’s a vocation. There’s such a variety in the job, you come in and you don’t know what’s going to happen. “I don’t know if people know how many students came through the Students’ Union this year and really, it was an actual joy to help so many students. “Every student has a different story and no two incidents are the same, no two solutions to the problems are the same. You have to exploit your connections in the university and that’s why,” he says, “ it’s so crucial to have a good relationship with the university.” Leamy feels that there was the impression the SU were against the University a few years ago, but he tells me it’s not like that at all. “We’re so happy to work with the University and it was a pleasure doing so. It’s very empowering and very inspiring to students and me, as SU President. It’s lovely to see such a healthy relationship with the university.” He’s very complimentary of DCU President, Brian MacCraith, for his support of student activities and for answering questions at Class Rep Council meetings. Leamy says two things stick out to him as the hardest things he has had to deal with this year - the referendum on fees and the cancellation of Toxic Tuesday. “I stand over both 100%, they were very hard decisions.” Speaking on the referendum, Leamy says the SU really did their best to engage with students and get them to have their say and it worked, when they met the quota, “but because of a constitutional technicality it was deemed null and void.” Despite the failure of the referendum on fees, Leamy draws a positive out of the fiasco; “I think we’ve suc-
SU experience the key for Byrne Doherty By Aoife Mullen News Editor
By Aoife Mullen News Editor
Cillian Byrne is the experienced member of the SU this year as he begins to draw down his time in his second term in the SU offices. Education Officer, Cillian has enjoyed his second year in the union, but are there any highlights from the year? “Orientation is always a special kind of event and the opportunity you get when you get up in front of the new students. It’s always good because to me it’s when you know if they’re going to engage with us. Orientation is definitely the highlight. As a sabbatical member of the SU team, Cillian has a lot of hard work to do, but he knows that sometimes explanations can’t be given to deal with student complaints. “One of the hardest things to deal with is you know what goes on behind the scenes, in terms of events or even in meetings, especially with the likes of security briefings and events briefings. “It’s so difficult when you understand the reason why something has happened but you also understand the reason why people might not be
Ed Leamy prepares to end his year as DCU Students’ Union President. Credit: Lorraine Walker. ceeded if we’ve given people a bit of knowledge about fees that’ll stand to them in the future.” Leamy tells me he has resisted voicing his own opinions on funding third level education, but he believes students should be given a choice. “You can do the student loan system, you can pay up front or you can have a graduate tax, pick whichever one you want. Why does it have to be something that won’t suit someone but will suit others? I believe the government needs to give the option.” Moving onto Toxic Tuesday, Leamy says, “It grew and grew until it nearly became out of control and that was the last thing we wanted to happen. It was one of the hardest decisions we’ve made this year. “It became unsafe, we found a situation where every week we were bringing in more security, we had to install this graduated charge, of course all these were because of health and safety. It wasn’t about the money, it was never about the money for the Students’ Union, it was to try and encourage people to come earlier. But other things happened and unfortunately it became an unsafe environment.” Another point Leamy makes about Toxic Tuesday, is that he believes “it sucked the life out of smaller events” and not many people
turned up to them. Asked whether other events should have been focused on and promoted more than Toxic Tuesday, Leamy replies “Absolutely. But it came to the point where it didn’t matter because all the students wanted was Toxic Tuesday. If they had only tried the other things.”
“It grew and grew until it nearly came out of control and that was the last thing we wanted to happen” “Yes,” is his blunt answer when asked if he thinks he delivered on his election promises. His website, edleamy.com, which was set up for students to read his manifesto, is no longer accessible, but Leamy promises to email The College View a copy of it, an email we’ve yet to receive. He begins to go through his own
copy of it, which is stuck on the wall behind his desk, checking off all the promises he made. He has engaged with the clubs and societies as much as humanly possible, he tells me. “Society life is something I feel very passionate about. The amount of things they provide for their members, there is a super under current there in society life, whatever group you’re involved in, you can get fulfillment out of it.” Commenting on the difficult weeks when DCU student, Paul Bunbury, was missing, he says students in DCU pulled together for the greater good. “We provided for his family as much as possible. I was very heartened by the level of unity and harmony that was shown by DCU and I know Paul’s family were very grateful.” Leamy came into the job aiming to create more of an online presence for the SU. At the beginning of the academic year, the SU launched Greatcraic.ie, which Leamy said was meant to isolate the lighter side of the SU from the academic dcusu.ie. The initial idea of GreatCraic, was to have student deals and provide an entertainment guide to students. He acknowledges that the site hasn’t been a success and has fallen by the wayside. He pauses for a moment to think when asked what it was like to work with Cillian and Collie. “Cil-
lian is, I think, one of the best men in the world for sitting down and meticulously going through emails, working to a list and ticking things off. He’s also very knowledgeable about the university structures, very knowledgeable about anything academia related and students know that. He was very focused on his role and I think he did a great job at it. “Collie is a very approachable guy. Students love him.” He pauses for a minute and apologises, saying he doesn’t know why he is pausing. It’s the first time during the interview Leamy has not appeared confident giving an answer. “He’s a great buddy, great to have a pint wth. He has an entrepreneurial flair to him, great for viewing things in a different light, which is a fantastic ability.” Leamy points out that “we’re fine” in comparison to the UCD Students Union debt situation and puts it down to having no commercial activity, which puts the SU’s focus on the students. “How much of other Students’ Union’s days are taken up worrying about the finances and how their various franchises are performing, whereas ours is solely about representation and that’s the way it should be I think.” Did the job turn out how he expected it to? “No, you can’t say it did, the variety in this job is immense”. He finishes; “I expected it to be great and it was better.”
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able to know the full extent of it. “Toxic Tuesday is a prime example because there are a lot of reasons why that didn’t continue, but there are one or two elements that can’t be discussed. If they were able to discuss them I think people would be able to understand a lot better and a lot quicker. Working in the SU for his second year has helped Cillian deal with problems students may have, but he admits that it can sometimes be difficult to leave the job at the end of the day. “You hear some horrific life stories when you’re in office and I suppose hearing them is very hard and then being able to separate your work and your own life is also another hard element to cope with. “Having the first year under the belt, you learn how to deal with it a lot better. But when you hear certain things they do have an impact on you. It’s just about learning to cope with it, learning how to put on a brave face and keep smiling, It’s part of the job but it’s not all of it. “Student fees have been the big talking point from this college year, but Cillian believes that there should never have been any referendum on fees.
“I don’t think a first one should have been held. The whole of idea of a referendum with five options doesn’t make any sense to me; I think there are a lot of people it wouldn’t make sense to. “I would have thought, and would have suggested to council as well, it would have been better to have a survey you can send to all students.” Ruarí Quinn has been the man in the centre of the fees controversy, but Cillian believes that he was right to go back on his pre-election promises. He thinks that means testing is the way forward. “I am in complete favour of a means tested system, but it needs to be revamped. “It was silly for [Ruarí Quinn] to make the pledge in the first place, because he’s not going to fully understand the extent of the position he’s going to be in until he actually gets in. “In terms of the pledge, the way I understand it, he wasn’t going to have any other choice. It’s hard, if I was a first year again, I’d probably be going around calling him all sorts. I don’t know whether it’s the fact that I’m nearly finished with third level education that I’m a bit more
relaxed about or that I just see the shape of the nation in its entirety.” With the change to go back and do things differently, Cillian would refuse the opportunity. “I probably wouldn’t because, you want to have that drive and ambition to try and do something bigger. “ A long year in the SU is now coming to an end, but are there any regrets for Cillian? He pauses and ponders the question. “There are probably a few,” he says. “It would have been nice to see what it would have been like to swap the late nights in the office for early mornings in the office, it would be a completely different approach to the job. That would have been nice to have tried. “There’s always going to be regrets, there’s always going to be more that you could have done. If I sat here and said there was no more that could have been done, I’d be lying because there definitely was, but you get pulled so far away from something you’re trying to focus on with everything that happens around you. “My biggest regret actually is not planning enough. We didn’t take it far enough with the planning element in my opinion anyway.”
Collie happy with a job well done By Aoife Mullen News Editor DCU students will all have their own highlights from throughout the academic year. But while students look at their year from one point of view, as Welfare Officer Colin Oliver, must look at it from a different point of view. “I think we ran a really good Please Talk Week, I think this year compared to last year, we reached a bigger part of the student body. The Please Talk Week generated awareness for positive mental health amongst students in DCU.” Mental health problems have been the most commonly mentioned this year, but did Collie do enough to help suffering students. “I think 100% we did the best we could with our time, our finances and resources. It was in conjunction with Nightline, which we decided at the start of the year to sign up to and the reports I’ve gotten so far have been very positive. “One regret would be not getting the chance to run a second Please Talk campaign in semester two because of the way things fell.” Students have complained about the counselling service and the fourweek waiting list to see the psychia-
trist that only visits campus once a week. Funding is always an issue but Collie was pleased with the progress made in the area. “We done our best to try and reduce that waiting list. Unfortunately, to reduce it you’d have to hire an extra person and to hire an extra counsellor costs upwards of €50,000. “So what I have done this year and what has worked extremely well, is that I have managed to separate the red alert cases from cases that wouldn’t be immediately important. What worked well this year was we picked out students who were red alert, in dire need of support, and ensured they were seen, if not immediately, within the next couple of days. “There is a system there for students who do need it and it has worked extremely well.” The role of Welfare Officer is one that covers different areas of people’s lives, but while there is a job to be done, Collie admits that it can be tough to deal with. “Unfortunately we’ve had to deal with a handful of students who have been suicidal, students whose mental health has been extremely poor. It’s the hardest part of the job, it’s definitely a morale lowerer for me when a student comes in and is in real need of help and it has
happened.” “It did affect me because they’re my peers and I’m not a counsellor. We’re dealing with these students on a peer-to-peer level, these students who we socialise with on a daily basis and sometimes know very personally. “It has been extremely difficult this year, but you can’t let it affect it your job, you have to make sure you’re here to help the next person.”
“So to say that the atmosphere has been dull, i’d nearly take that as a personal insult”
At the recent Students’ Union hustings at the Class Representative Council meeting, some of the candidates and audience members said there was a bad atmosphere
on campus and more of a buzz is needed on campus. Collie strongly disagrees and thinks that it has been a busy year on campus. “I completely defend that down to the ground. Without being biased, I think this year has been the busiest year for social life on campus. We’ve had Toxic Tuesday all year, which has been a great success. We had upwards of 1,200 students attending on a weekly basis. It was a great social outlet for students and the bar was packed until recently when numbers dwindled because of measures that had to be put in place by the local guards and health and safety. “The clubs and societies activities were thriving; a lot of the events were sold out. So to say that the atmosphere has been dull, I’d nearly take that as a personal insult so 100% no.” Election promises are important when running for the SU, but does Collie believe that he delivered on his manifesto. “I think I have done roughly 95% of it and if I haven’t done it, it’s been done by someone else in the university. [Runs through his manifesto stuck on his officer wall] Campaigns, second hand books database, accommodation database, personal safety has been improved.”
elected Union President By Mary Mc Donnell News Reporter
The new Students’ Union was elected on Wednesday April 4th after a week of campaigns with over 2,300 students turning out to vote, an increase on last year. Paul Doherty was elected Student Union President with 55% of the vote on the first count. Aaron Clogher was elected Vice President for Education with 51% of the vote, ahead of Lisa Craddock on the second count. Neil Collins was elected Vice President for Welfare with 54% of the vote on the first count. Sean Cassidy and Steve Byrne were elected as student reps for the Office of Student Life. David Healion was elected as next year’s Society Officer, and Lorna Finnegan was elected as Clubs Officer. The SU consists of one President; two Vice Presidents for Education and Welfare; four convenors to represent each faculty; a Clubs Officer and a Societies Officer; and student reps for the Office of Student Life. Lorna Finnegan says she wants to focus on giving clubs more recognition through better events and more media coverage. She wants to involve more societies to give clubs and club events more attention. She says the campaign trail was “tiring and hard work” but “such a great experience and it is a great feeling knowing that other people want you and voted for you to take on this job”. The four convenors elected were Sarah Flano for Science and Health; Kenneth Browne for Humanities; Neil Mulhern for Business and David Cordial for Engineering and Computing. David told The College View; “I think it [the SU] is a very diverse team. I think there will be a lot of different opinions, which could lead to some clashes, but ultimately having a range of different viewpoints can only be a good thing. I think next year will be a good year for the SU, which will in turn make it a good year for the students.”
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Labyrinth committee
RAG SOC and MPS win at BICS
seeking a second referendum By Sam Griffin News Reporter The group campaigning for the construction of the €50,000 labyrinth say they hope a second referendum will be held on the issue next year after almost 70 per cent of students rejected a proposal for the SU to contribute €10,000 towards the project. Fr Joe Jones told The College View that he felt students were not informed enough when voting last time and says he will look at the possibility of holding another referendum for next year. He said: ”I think we can, at some point in the future, go to a referendum again. I’ve been told that is not beyond the boundaries. I hope in the next semester we might consider that. We’ll go back to the Student Union and see what the possibilities are and when we do that then we would look at campaigning.” Fr Jones thinks it would be fair to ask students to vote again because he believes a lot of students were not
informed on the issue last time. “A lot of students came to us in the days after the campaign asking us what had happened with the vote because they weren’t informed. That would indicate to me that there is quite a number of students who didn’t vote and didn’t see the importance of voting now realising they should have cast their vote.” However the Labyrinth Committee would require either the support of the Class Rep Council or a petition signed by 200 students in order for another referendum to be held. Fr Jones said he was very disappointed by the referendum result that means students will not contribute anything towards the project. “We are very disappointed with the loss of €10,000. That’s a serious loss to our campaign. But it doesn’t stop us from believing in the project and there are lots of people on campus in both the academic and student bodies who believe in the project.” Jones, who is also Head Chaplain of DCU, said it appears that there are societies in the University who
think alcohol and the provision of a second bar on campus to be more important than students’ emotional and spiritual health. Fr Jones would not be drawn on which society he was referring to. DCU Sinn Féin had been the most vocal opponent of the proposal for students to contribute towards the construction and had campaigned strongly for students to reject the referendum. However, the Chaplain went on to thank “one particular society that did actively promote people to vote no” for raising awareness about the Labyrinth issue. “There’s been a lot of major publicity and I really would say thank you to them because we could not buy that kind of publicity. They’ve actually helped us with the cause and I would appeal to them to look once again once more at what the labyrinth was all about.” The Labyrinth Committee will continue to fundraise and have decided on the green space in front of the library as the location for the labyrinth.
DCU students selected for WIP By Aoife Mullen News Editor
Four DCU Students have been selected for the Washington Ireland Program (WIP) class of 2012. Olwen Sheedy, Maria Kinsella, Aisling Fitzgerald and Fintan Phelan will all travel to Washington this summer to take part in an eight week program designed to improve relations between Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as develop leadership skills. Olwen Sheedy, a fourth year Business Studies student said she was delighted when she was selected. “I am aware that it is a very competitive process and that many were disappointed not to be chosen so I
consider myself very lucky.” She applied for the program because she believed that the WIP was “an ideal opportunity to learn more about sectarianism and violence in Northern Ireland”. Third year Accounting and Finance student, Maria Kinsella told The College View there were two main aspects of the program that convinced her to apply, the leadership curriculum and the program’s focus on cross boarder relations with Northern Ireland. She said she wasn’t expecting to be chosen and was shocked to be selected. Aisling Fitzgerald, a fourth year Economics, Politics and Law student applied because she “wanted to do something really challenging” and “wanted to be part of the leaders of tomorrow. Knowing how
lucky I am to have been selected I can guarantee that I am going to make excellent use of every moment and opportunity”. Third Year Economics, Politics and Law student, Fintan Phelan, who is currently on his year abroad in Paris, said it was his interest in politics that made him apply for the program. He told The College View; “I am delighted and honored to have been selected. The opportunity it presents to enhance and learn new skills is second to none.” The program will include an internship in Washington DC, a week in New York and the completion of a community service project. The students must also complete policy papers on three topics which will be presented to the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Irish Government.
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By Katie Coyle News Reporter
By Aisling Kett Deputy News Editor
There were seven contestants in total for Mr DCU . Credit Fiona Hughes.
John Whelan crowned Mr DCU 2012 By Gilian Fitzsimons Deputy News Editor
John Whelan was crowned Mr. DCU 2012 last Tuesday. The mechanical and manufacturing engineering student impressed the Hub crowd to win the coveted title. The Competition was organised by the DCU camogie team, raising €1,050 on the night. The event was hosted by the team’s chairperson Aisleen Sheehan and last year’s winner Micheal Downey. The hosts descended the hub stairs in typical X Factor fashion, the contestants were cheered on by the crowd as they made their entrance. The winning contestant described himself as a “simple man from Wexford” and provocatively pranced down the runway. Co-host Downey opened the night’s proceedings, explaining how the title changed his life, he said “It opened a lot of doors for me, no one used to know who I was, but I’m a big deal now, honestly”. He continued “I opened my local library...there are no books yet but it’s progress”. He provided much of the entertainment on the night with quirky, cheeky one liners. It was
easy to see why he was last year’s reigning champion as he connected with the crowd instantly. There were seven contestants in total, including DCU’s Students’ Union President elect Paul Doherty. They competed in various rounds like introduction, talent, bra removal skills, talent and cross dressing, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. The audience judged on the night and gave their votes at the end of proceedings. Team Chairperson Aisleen Sheehan said: “We really do hope to raise a good bit of money for our team, we hope everyone will enjoy a fun filled, safe night.” The event was attended by roughly 300 people, mainly female. DCU student Aoife Gray told The College View: “I attended the event last year, the camogie club here at DCU did a really good job. She continued, saying: “It’s a really clever, fun idea and hopefully they will raise a lot of funds as they have been quite a successful team this year”. The DCU camogie club won the Purcell All Ireland Championship and contested the Division 1 league final this year.
DCU brought home two awards from the recent (Board of Irish College Societies) BICS Awards. DCU MPS picked up an award, for Best Online Presence. On announcing the winner the judges said the society was on par with a national broadcaster, something outgoing chair of MPS, Robyn Keleghan said was “overwhelming”. Other DCU societies nominated on the night included DCU Dance Society for Best Society and DCU Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) for Most Improved Society. DCU GameSoc in association with DCU Redbrick were nominated for Best Event for Humans vs Zombies. The awards took place on Thursday 12th April and were held in Johnston House in Enfield, Co Meath. Societies from colleges all over Ireland were nominated and attended the awards. The nominations were divided up into separate categories for small and large colleges. Societies from colleges such as Trinity, Maynooth and UL were in attendance. LGBT UCC went home with the big prize of the night, Best Society in a large college. DCU RAG won Best New Society at the awards. Rónán Ó Dálaigh, outgoing chair of RAG, said the society were delighted and “over the moon” to win the award. Both DCU winners worked hard to win their respective awards. As one of its aims at the start of the year MPS wanted to improve their brand and online presence. Keleghan said the society’s 2011/2012 PROs
DCU Students pictured at the recent BICS awards. DCU brought home two awards on the day. worked hard to consistently achieve this. She said the society is “very technologically advanced”, something they emphasised in their BICS application. The society developed an app for DCUfm as well as maintaining websites and various social media sites. Keleghan also said that bringing home an award to DCU is always a great thing. The society won the Marketing and Communications award at the DCU awards the week before. Rag Soc also did a lot of work
throughout the year to win their BICS award. Ó Dálaigh said it was one of his goals at the start of the year as co-chair to win Best New Society at the BICS. He said the award is good for the society “as a whole, it validates the work we do”. It is also good for the RAG movement itself. A RAG society was recently set up in UL and NUI Maynooth plans to set one up next year. Ó Dálaigh said the society were afraid the society might lose out to other nominees in the category as they were up again other really good
societies. The society has plans to grow next year. Ó Dálaigh said they plan to have more events, to improve the rag brand and hope to get more students involved in the society and in doing volunteer work. BICS was set up in 1995 to provide “a national forum for the societies in Ireland’s Universities, Colleges and Institutes of Education”. The Board is “responsible for the promotion of interest in the activities of Irish college societies and of contact and cooperation between them”. The Board also organises the annual awards.
MPS 24 hour broadcast success By Aisling Kett Deputy News Editor The DCU Media Production Society has so far raised €2751.90 for Temple Street Children’s Hospital from their annual 24-hour broadcast. The broadcast, during which DCUtv continuously broadcast programs for 24 hours, ran from 8pm on Friday 13th April to 8pm on Saturday 14th April. The broadcast was streamed live on aertv.com as well as dcumps. com. Outgoing chairperson for MPS, Robyn Keleghan said the society choose the charity as it was a re-
Hybrids prove great success
ally good charity and one the society was interested in. The society had aimed to raise €4000 for the charity but Keleghan said they “knew we probably weren’t going to make that”. They instead worked on raising as much as possible and the fact that the society was able to make a donation to the charity mattered most. Donations were made through an online account set up for the broadcast and also via text. On the Friday the society collected money in Spar on campus. They collected €80 which was doubled by Spar. Local businesses such as the pharmacy and hairdressers on campus also
made donations. The broadcast had a crew of 60 members working to keep shows live on-air. A committee with positions such as charity liaison officer was set up to organise the event. The crew did a mix of work from vision mixing (switching between different video sources) to camerawork. Volunteer Eimear Phelan said that she learned a lot from doing the broadcast, “practical things you would never think to ask”. She said a lot of first years were able to be involved and that the broadcast showed the talent that exists in DCU. At one stage during the broadcast #DCUtv24 was trending second in
Ireland on Twitter. This was the second year the broadcast took place. Last year the broadcast raised €2000 for Irish Aid. The team aimed to improve the quality and variety of shows. Shows broadcast included Babestation, The Apprentice, Deal or No Deal and Loose Men. The broadcast also included a cinnamon challenge and live performance from Dublin band the 500 piece jigsaw. The broadcast took place in the TV studio in the Henry Grattan building on campus. It was presented by Laura Rice and Patrick Greene.
The Hybrid awards, DCU’s media awards event, took place for the third year running on April 5th. The night was organised by the Media Production Society (MPS) and was held in The Helix rather than the traditional ‘Venue’. Chairperson of MPS, Robyn Keleghan told The College View: “We aimed to make The Hybrid Awards a bigger and better event this year. Traditionally it has been held in the Venue but we decided to hold it in the Helix. This gave the event a grander feel and upped the anti”. The awards recognise and honour the best student media across DCU campus, including web design, television, radio, photography and print media. Categories also covered many genres, ranging from sport and entertainment to news and current affairs. Among these categories there are also awards for Irish media. Derek O’Brien was awarded Irish Language Journalist of the Year and ‘Freagraí na Seachtaine’ was the Irish language Radio Show of the Year. The competition was open to all students and was not limited to those in the School of Communications. There were a large number of nominees this year, across all categories. These included first years Aoife Mullen, who won Journalist of the Year and Mary McDonnell, who won the Blog of the Year award. Other winners included Brendan White for Sports Journalist of the Year; Jenny May Finn for TV Production of the Year; Valerie Loftus for Arts and Features Journalist of the Year and Kate Murphy for both Photographer of the Year and Themed Photograph of the Year. Barry Lenihan won the News and Current Affairs Radio award, while Darren Regan was awarded Radio DJ of the Year. The award for Website of the Year went to DCUfm.com, while the winning Poster of the Year was ‘MPS trip to Berlin’ and the winning Entertainment Video was ‘S.e.s.s.i.o.n.s’. There were a host of media professionals to judge the entries including RTÉ newsreader Bryan Dobson; TV3 producer Debbie O’ Donnell; Maeve McQuillan from Google; RTE presenter Laura Woods; Irish Times sports writer Gerry Thornley, and more. According to Keleghan, the event was a success: “Overall the event was a huge success and the feedback we have received has been phenomenal. It was a great night for all involved and a big achievement for MPS”.
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Davis visits DCU for Speaker Series
By Adam Higgins Deputy News Editor
News Reporter
Mary Davis visiting DCU as part of the Woman’s Innovation Speaker Series difficulties for being a female candidate in the presidential elections and used the case study of Heidi Moyson to explain her experience. The Moyson study revealed when a mixed university class was divided into two, one group reviewed business entrepreneur Heidi Moyson and the other group reviewed Howard Moyson. The results revealed the class was very critical of Heidi and liked Howard despite them both having the exact same person-
ality and credentials, Mary Davis believed that study could be applied to her presidential campaign. “When I think of that case study I think of myself because when I stood in the election for the president. Because I had networked, because I had sat on a number of boards how could have I perceived it, that I was viewed as that main offensive, as being out for myself. That I was an insider somehow and that I was on the link and greedy for what I have
DCU Sinn Féin launch No campaign to fiscal treaty By Aoife Mullen News Editor
DCU Sinn Féin launched their ‘No’ campaign on campus against the Fiscal Compact Treaty referendum last Tuesday. DCU Sinn Féin members hung a banner saying ‘Vote No to Austerity - DCU Sinn Féin’ off the Helix car park at lunchtime on Tuesday, before being asked by security to take it down. Chairperson of DCU Sinn Féin, Sean Tyrrell told The College View that security told them they could keep it up until they had finished handing out their leaflets, but then had to take it down. Sinn Féin distributed leaflets and Tyrrell said there was interest in
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UCD to help in SU debt bailout
By Grainne Coyne
President and Managing Director of Special Olympics Europe, Mary Davis, spoke about her experience as a presidential candidate in the 2011 election at the Women’s Innovation Speaker Series held at the Helix in DCU. The general of Special Olympics Ireland discussed her difficulty running as a candidate during the presidential elections. “One of the things I found the hardest when I put myself forward for the election, that I was going to have to concentrate and talk about me, Mary Davis. All the limelight was going to be on me, as opposed to say before that, on what I worked for or what I did. I did find that very difficult.” The Women’s innovation Speaker Series which is organised by the DCU Educational Trust has become an annual event since 2005. The speaker series gathers women from all positions within the world of work to come to share their experiences and challenges they’ve encountered as women. Mary Davis said she encountered
NEWS
them, with people taking them and asking questions about the treaty referendum. They had planned to use megaphones to launch the campaign, but they weren’t working. Tyrrell told The College View they’re not planning a big campaign because it’s coming to the end of the year. They will be handing out leaflets on campus and plan to set up an information stall in the Hub. Tyrrell, who has read the Fiscal Compact Treaty in full, believes the treaty is bad for students and it is an austerity treaty. He said: “The same people asking us to vote yes in this asked us to vote yes in the Lisbon treaty on the basis that it will bring economic prosperity.” He also made the point that the people asking us to vote yes are saying the treaty will prevent an eco-
nomic crisis happening again, but it’s the banking crisis that caused it, so it doesn’t prevent it from happening again. Asked if they were in contact with DCU Young Fine Gael (YFG) about holding a debate, Tyrrell said they were in contact with DCU YFG about a debate but that YFG had “dragged their feet” and so Sinn Féin came to the conclusion they’re not doing anything about it. Asked what he thought of Labour Youth’s decision to take a neutral stance on the treaty referendum, Tyrrell bluntly replied: “Taking no stance is as bad as endorsing a yes vote”. DCU Young Fine Gael are in favour of the treaty and encouraging a yes vote. Labour Youth will not take a stance on the referendum.
done. In retrospective I have asked myself if my name wasn’t Mary and if my name was Mark would my critics have held the same belief on my own history. I’ll never know.” Senator Marie-Louise O’Donnell, who was master of ceremonies for the talk, also spoke of inequalities women have undergo in Irish politics. “It’s a particular rant of mine Anglo Irish bank, bank of Ireland, the men have done it not the women and look at the Mahon tribunal too
but that’s a rant for another day.” The World Cafe was held for the first time in DCU and concluded the women’s innovation speaker series. The break-out sessions were organised by Kerry O’Keefe, director at T-Space. Those who attended the break-out sessions were able to doodle, draw or write whatever they feel on the particular topic being discussed which varied from politics, business and the community in relation to women in Ireland.
University College Dublin’s Students’ Union is €1.4 million in debt due to terrible accountancy practices with the Revenue Commissioner owed over €400,000 in unpaid taxes. Over 100 students attended a meeting two weeks ago where the union’s debt was explained after an audit of its financial affairs. The audit from 2007 to June of last year showed irregular book keeping and missing bank statements and paper work. The audit also showed that the union was paying employees without deducting tax. Speaking to The College View, President of the UCD Students’ Union Pat de Brún said there was a financial administrator who was an employee of the university that was in charge of overseeing the finances of the union over this period. He said that the union have undertaken huge reform to ensure this won’t happen again. They have introduced a new constitution that includes an independent financial committee in charge of overseeing the finances. “The constitution also contains the provision that the accounts must be externally audited on an annual basis. We have also created Union companies which mean that accounts must be filed with the CRO on an annual basis. Finally we have reformed our staffing structures so that now we have a General Manager who is a Union employee in place of the previous structure which had a university employee,” de Brún said.
Speaking at the meeting on campus Gerry McNally of McNally Business Services Ltd, told the students that he had been called in to “get a position in terms of what the financial status of the union was” and to “put systems in place to make sure that the problems do not go forward.” McNally said the union is a large business in Irish terms with an annual turnover of nearly €4 million and four retail outlets on campus. “There has been no real control of the day to day spending.” He said his team had uncovered a “really poor, or lack of management” in financial accounts. “We couldn’t find cheques written so we couldn’t find out who cheques had been written to,” said McNally. Nearly half of the 23,000 bank statements over a four year period had no explanation. While the investigation of the union’s books has been completed, it could take up to two months for an external accountant to sign off on the work. At the moment, the union is facing the possibility of taking out a loan of around €900,000 in order to pay back its debt. De Brún said: “We have not yet made a formal application but the prospect has been discussed. We are finalising a commercial business plan and awaiting the audited accounts before making a formal application.” When asked if he thinks it will be difficult to get a loan, de Brún said, “While there can be no guarantees in the current climate, I am confident that we will succeed. We have gone to great lengths to introduce
President believes focus should be on quality of teaching By Adam Higgins Deputy News Editor
President Michael D Higgins believes quality of teaching should be the main concern for Irish universities in maintaining standards of third level education. Speaking at the Union of Student in Ireland’s latest annual congress which took place recently, President Higgins said “very serious people”
in colleges have agreed with his opinions on teaching standards. Speaking about the management of Irish universities, President Higgins said that during his tenures on various college boards teaching quality was never a deciding factor when appointing staff. He said he disapproved of people who demoted teaching in favour of research and the furthering of their own personal careers.
comprehensive reform and tackle UCD has now been forced to bail all of these issues in order to ensure out the union. According to the Irish the long term future and stability of Independent, a university loan of the organisation.” €750,000 was approved early last
month and was given to the union as an ‘advance’ for the next year and a half. The union is now seeking a loan to repay the university.
USI’s preferendum on fees postponed By Adam Higgins Deputy News Editor
The Union of Students in Ireland’s (USI) preferendum to decide the national student stance on third level fees has been postponed until May 23rd. The decision was made at the last annual congress in order to give representatives from the USI time to educate their students and give each the option of healthy debate. The annual congress was held in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, from April 2nd to 5th. The preferendum will decide the USI stance on which third-level payment scheme they will campaign in favour of. There have been six choices put to union members. The first four choices are: 100% upfront fees; 100% exchequer funded; a student contribution/registration fee; none of the above.
The next choice involves a graduated tax that would come into play when a student begins to earn above a certain threshold after graduating and would remain in place until they have paid off a certain percentage of the cost of their course. The final choice is a student loan scheme that students would start paying off after they begin to earn over a certain amount post-graduation. Students will have the chance to have their say on the future of payment schemes for third level education in around seven days when a website will be set up to allow students to vote between the above six choices. The USI, together with the Higher Education Authority network, will set up a website where each student will have one vote and these votes will go towards the final decision of the USI’s stance on the matter. The option, which gains the ma-
jority of votes within a university, is the option that university’s representatives will lobby for when the preferendum is being decided on the 23rd of next month. Speaking to The College View, USI Deputy President, Colm Murphy said that the next meeting will be the final say on the topic, “It will decide the USI’s stance on third level fees”. He went on to say that it was lengthy and healthy debate on the choices at the annual congress which led to the motion being referred back in order for representatives to consult with their students. Speaking about the graduated tax choice, Murphy said all the issues have not yet been nailed down but the idea would be that the money from a student’s tax may not go back to their specific college but would be given to the Higher Education Authority who would then split it up between all the third level institutions in Ireland.
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FEATURES
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Gambling: A hobby or a habit?
DCU student Shane Flynn used gambling to pay his way through college Credit: Kenneth Allen
By Catríona Hughes Deputy Features Editor
S
ome people have no other option than to scrimp and save their money, while others can effortlessly squander large amounts of cash. But many Irish people now have no source of income other than that of social welfare payments. Yet there is one thing that people from every financial background are tempted by: gambling. There is no set monetary class to which a gambler belongs, which is evident if you walk through casinos in Dublin such as Dr Quirkey’s on O’Connell Street which attracts a varied crowd. This is also apparent upon entering bookies, especially around the time of massive annual betting events, where non-frequent gamblers come out to play. They play the game of uncertainty, which is essentially the main feature of the gambling world as you cannot be certain if you will win or lose. The thrill of simply not knowing the possible outcome and indeed the possibility of increasing your stake, entices many people to gamble. It seems every member of Facebook has, at some point, had a request to play “Texas Hold’em Poker” pop up in their side-bar. Hence, this displays that people are not only participating in physical gambling, but virtual gambling too. According to WinIreland.com, the pace for online gambling in Ireland was once slow but is now picking up, as people face no discrimination while gambling online and are able to place bets with global gaming sites as well as Irish bookmakers.
Well-known DCU alumni business studies student, Paddy Power, established his empire of licensed bookmaker chains in 1988. Paddy Power now offers elite online betting services in addition to Ireland’s largest telephone betting network. While a lot of people enjoy gambling and view it as a harmless pastime, others are unable to break away from the chains of the risky world. It is difficult to define gambling addiction but it has been interestingly defined by the Irish Addiction Advice Agency as: “a progressive disorder characterised by a continuous or periodic loss of control over gambling; a preoccupation with gambling and with obtaining money with which to gamble; irrational thinking; and a continuation of the behaviour despite adverse consequences.” Research has shown that there are six reasons why people possibly become addicted to gambling, such as: a means of coping with a traumatic or difficult life experience, as a method of coping with daily stress, in pursuit of thrills, the illusion that one can get rich, to try and win back previous losses or as a tool of selfdestruction. Gambling has a profound effect on the pleasure chemicals in the body and as gamblers experience this legal high, repeat gambling begins. Unfortunately, if the gambling continues to worsen, so do the serious consequences for the individual and their loved ones. Second year journalism student and Paddy Power podcaster, Barry Lenihan, shared his insights into the world of gambling with The College View, he feels that gambling is sometimes worthwhile. “Betting adds excitement to an event, whether it is the football on a Saturday or
two flies going up a wall, the adrenaline rush from willing your bet home is unbeatable, the feeling of winning and even the near misses. You just can’t match the excitement and the thrill.” Anyone who has ever
“Betting adds excitement to an event, whether it is the football on a Saturday or two flies going up a wall”
placed a bet is aware that there can be a great social aspect to betting. Lenihan feels that Ireland hosts some of the best festivals of racing, featuring “Galway, Leopardstown at Christmas and Punchestown, which is on this week”. He feels that gambling brings “retired fellas” and “fellas who are out of work” together as it allows them to socalise and meet new people perhaps in the local bookies. The Grand National for instance gained huge attention around the country as “everyone had their flutter” and “everyone enjoyed it”. Lenihan told The College View of his passion and ambitions related to the world of horse racing. “I just love the horses and the betting and
all that goes with it, I would love to have a broadcasting career involved in it.” However, he reiterated the downsides to the somewhat thrilling experience of gambling. “I’ve been at roulette tables in casinos and seen fellas lose thousands in minutes; you always hear stories about people who have had their lives destroyed by gambling.” In terms of reasons for increased gambling, he feels that the problem is time. “When I have lots of time on my hands, I’ll gamble. I’ll bet big and often. And often it’s people who have loads of time on their hands who’ll bet consistently and for them, betting becomes a bad habit.” After he reviewed both sides of the spectrum, Lenihan stated, “betting is a wonderful pastime, but we don’t have control over the impact betting will have on us.” In contrast, DCU student Shane Flynn views casino betting as a somewhat skillful way of making money quickly. “Before coming to college, I played as a professional poker player for about three or four years, and it’s what I used to pay my way through college,” said Flynn. He told The College View that he never
played for fun. “To quote the wire, it was business, always business.” As a former professional poker player, Flynn said that he doesn’t see gambling as “fun” because “gambling implies losing” and loss is something that the pro finds hard to believe is enjoyable. “I find it grating when someone describes playing poker as a living as gambling. It’s a negative connotation,” he says. “If you’re a winning poker player, like a casino you have the long-term edge, and no one considers what a casino does as gambling.” Unlike many people who become caught up in the uncertain realm, Flynn maintained balance as he didn’t find playing poker addictive and thought of it in the same light as “any other job”. He said that it never interfered with college work or any other aspect of his life and claimed that “one of the most important things about doing something like that for a living is discipline and balance.” He referred to playing professional poker as a “highly stressful and intense occupation,” a statement, which may come as a surprise to some. Flynn told The College View that he began to have a keen interest in poker during the time when a TV show known as “Late Night Poker” was aired and his brother played poker online as a hobby and was “successful” at it. Flynn recalls finding the idea “very exciting” and he began “studying the game intensely.” When he was 18, he left a minimum wage job following several successful nights playing poker at a local casino, and began his new career. “I played in bigger games, and then made the transition to online poker as it offered a much better lifestyle,” said a knowledgeable Shane Flynn. It may be somewhat hard to draw the line between what we define as gambling but it is clear that taking a daily trip to the bookies should portray a red light. Nevertheless, this is not to say that we can’t throw down a cheeky fiver each way in next year’s Grand National.
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Resisting the cheating temptation Fiona McGrath investigates students’ thoughts on the grey area of cheating.
T
he act of cheating isn’t so clear cut to some. For many it’s not a simple case of ‘You cheat, we’re over.’ But when you find yourself in this unfortunate situation would you just say goodbye to the one you loved if they betrayed you? It’s a lot easier said than done. A small Facebook poll of girls and guys aged 19-23 looked at opinions on cheating. Most came to the conclusion that once a cheater, always a cheater. The trust that was built in the relationship is completely wiped out. Tomás Ó Maolagáin, a 22-yearold UCD student believes cheating to be very black and white and says it’s always wrong, plain and simple. “It’s not excusable, doesn’t matter if you are drunk or sober and it does matter who it is because if you know them, you’ll more than likely have to see that person sometime again. What’s the point in making a commitment if you’re not going to adhere to the basic promises that come with that commitment? If you want someone else, end it with the
person you’re with because if you gave a damn about them you’d want to spare their feelings instead of being selfish.” On the same side, Matthew Farrelly, 20, agreed that there’s just no excuse for cheating. “The problem is that words and actions are often encouraged by drink. Fewer people want to tie themselves to relationships because of our desires to live a free life uninhibited by commitment, and the fear of cheating that is visible in the media every day. Nobody likes to be the villain of the story. Cheating is wrong and a betrayal of trust.” On the other hand you have people who aren’t really bothered about cheating and they don’t mind if they get with someone while they are in a relationship. John O’Brien (20), a Myerscough College student in Lancashire says, “Well, I think that if you don’t really like the person you’re with, it’s ok as long as you don’t get caught. Being young means having fun.” It’s true that a lot of people believe you shouldn’t get into a serious relationship during your college
Top 5… By Aoife Gray
T
here’s no denying that nearly everyone on this campus, or planet rather, has had at least one mortifying moment in their life where they just want the ground to swallow them up and disappear. For some, such as yours truly, it’s almost a daily occurrence, sober or otherwise. For many of us, Sunday represents a day of cowering in bed with ‘The Fear.’ What did I do? What did I say? But there’s no denying that sooner or later, we all face The Fear. Here are some cringe moments from fellow students who are brave enough to share their shame.
1. Conor Gilford,
Second year music student, BIMM “I once woke up on a sunny Sunday morning in a cardboard box outside the Royal College of Surgeons with my mate Baz. I can remember wondering why I was so cold and the sun was so bright. Needless to say, I can’t remember much from the night before.”
2. Sarah O’Connor, DCU student
“For as long as I live, I will never forget going downstairs to the kitchen in my boyfriend’s house in my underwear only to be greeted by his dad who’d just came home from a night out. Awkward moment does
years as it is the time to experience new things and in some cases, new people. A student from DCU, who wished to remain nameless, has cheated on his girlfriend of two years a number of times and she doesn’t know. “I have no idea why I do it, and I feel awful about it. I guess I could blame the drinking but we all know that’s a façade. I regret each time I’ve cheated on her, yet I do it again and again,” he says. “I like the feeling of having someone who is there for you constantly. But she goes to college up North so we don’t get to see each other that often. So I think knowing that I have this freedom, because she isn’t her, excites me. Or maybe I do this out of anger because she chose to go to college so far away when she could have stayed in Dublin.” According to the Facebook poll, 80% feel that cheating is the end of
Credits Shannon Palmer your relationship, while less than 20% don’t see the harm, or do see it and continue to cheat. The answer to cheating isn’t easy, it’s not always the end of a relationship and some-
times it can lead to the strengthening of one. But most would ask the same question, “Why be in a committed relationship if you are going to cheat?”
OPIONION POLL ON CHEATING
10% There is no escuse 10% It’s not a major thing It depends who 80% it was wit It depends on if the perso
There is no excuse
20% 80%
Not a major thing
Depends on their relationship Depends if the person was drunk
Guys
Girls
10% 10%
Cringe moments
80%
not even begin to describe the ordeal. Thankfully the fact that we we’re both still tipsy made it more laughable the next day.”
3. Niamh Kennedy, Second year Nursing student, DCU “I’d been out the night before with my friend and we ended up crashing with a mate of mine from college. I didn’t have anything to do the next day so I decided I might as well keep the sesh going. This soon turned into me drinking from a beaker filled with champagne, amarula and vodka at four o’clock in the day on the Luas red line shouting about how people in this country give the youth of today too much of a hard
time for their partying ways. As we approached Abbey Street the luas came to a sudden stop, which led me to projectile vomit all over the happy couple beside me. While they were mid-kiss.”
4. Stephen Colgan, Economics, politics and law, DCU “There was this one time I woke up next to a girl I’d met the night before. We were in her house and she got up, left the room and came back in with a bucket of water. Ironically, before she got to throw it on me she slipped and the water went all over her and her room. I casually left to the noise of her shouts. It was a little awkward.”
5. Emma Lyons, Arts student, NUI Maynouth “When I was on my Leaving Cert holiday in Greece a few years ago, myself and the girls got ready for a night out. Then of course, the predrinking began and the drinking didn’t stop when we got to the club “Cocktails and Dreams”. I blame the name. After hours of shots and cocktails we decided to walk home. I remember chatting to English guys on the way home but that’s it. The next day my friend couldn’t stop laughing at me and I had no idea why. Apparently I was going to take out my camera to take a photo of the hotel and I took an Always Maxi Pad out of my bag instead and kept trying to take a photo with it. Somehow I don’t think that photo saved.”
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TRAVEL & FOOD
Iasachtaí gach áit in COBÁC
Unmissable Irish summer 2012 events
Derek O’Brien
Eagarthóir Gaeilge
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ndiaidh roinnt blianta lán le míbhainistíocht, bhí ar Choláiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath tarrtháil a dhéanamh ar a Aontas na Mac Léinn féin. Ar shlí éigin, tharla sé go raibh fiachas timpeall ar €1.4 milliún ag an Aontas, suim airgid dhochreidte i dtréimhse na cúlu eacnamaíochta. Nochtadh coicís ó shin go raibh iasacht le luach €750,000 á fáil ag an Aontas ón gcoláiste chun réiteach a chur ar an staid uafásach atá ar a chúrsaí airgeadais. Dúradh go bhfuil an t-airgead tugtha don Aontas mar réamhíocaíocht ar chaipitíocht a raibh siad chun a thuilleadh don bhliain seo chugainn. Tagann an chaipitíocht as na táillí clárúcháin de €2000 agus faigheann an tAontas €35 as gach táille chun maoiniú as an mbliain. Tá iasacht bhainc de dhíth ag an aontas freisin chun an coláiste a aisíoc ach beidh aisíocaíocht bainteach leis sin agus beidh an figiúr gar do €900,000. Rinneadh iniúchóireacht chuimsitheach ar chuntais an aontais, le McNally Business Services i gceannas, agus nochtadh na torthaí ag cruinniú le mac léinn. Fuarthas amach go raibh easpa iomlán seiceála agus comhardaithe siar go dtí an bhliain 2007. I measc na bhfadhbanna seo bhí billí cánach ann nár íocadh as, bhí páipéarachas agus duillí seic in easnamh agus na mílte idirbheart bainc ann nach raibh aon mhíniú
curtha orthu. Bhí dliteanas cánach leis na Coimisinéirí Ioncaim ann le luach €400,000 ina dteannta sin ach tá an dliteanas sin íoctha acu anois. Dúirt an t-uachtarán atá ag dul ó oifig Pat de Brun go ndearna an tAontas nochtadh dliteanais shaorálach leis na Coimisinéirí Ioncaim ach nach raibh sé féin cinnte an mbeidh aon smachtbhanna eile curtha orthu. Dhiúltaigh na Coimisinéirí Ioncaim trácht a dhéanamh ach dar le de Brun go bhfuil dearcadh difriúil acu nuair is nochtadh saorálach é. Lean sé ar aghaidh le rá nach raibh tuairim aige go raibh na fadhbanna chomh dona sin. “Bhí ionadh an domhain orm nuair a thosaigh seo chun an fhírinne a rá. Bhí cúpla amhras agam nuair a thosaigh mé i mo phost mar uachtarán, agus bhí mé ag iarraidh imscrúdú a dhéanamh. Ní raibh a fhios agam go raibh an staid chomh uafásach sin”. Is ionadh sin é féin nach raibh na fadhbanna airgeadais ar eolas ag an uachtarán agus léiríonn sé go mba chóir do na hiarrthóirí ar an bpost níos mó taighde a dhéanamh agus níos lú ama a chaitheamh ag déanamh stocaireachta. “Bhí drochbhliain againn. De dheasca míbhainistíocht iomlán agus struchtúir agus cleachtaí olca, táimid sa suíomh seo”. Gealladh ag an gcruinniú a tharla coicís ó shin áfach, go bhfuil na córais agus na rialúcháin go léir i bhfeidhm anois ionas nach dtarlóidh an trioblóid airgeadais seo arís. Le cabhair óna chuideachta
Leas-Eagarthóir Gaeilge
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hol Feisire de Pharlaimint na hEorpa ar Chúige Mumhan, Phil Prendergast FEP, dlí nua atá curtha i bhfeidhm in Maryland sna Stáit Aontaithe. Cuireann an dlí nua seo bac ar fhostóirí ag iarraidh ar iarratasóirí ar phost dá gcuid pasfhocail Facebook, Twitter agus gréasáin shóisialta eile a nochtadh. Is é an chéad dlí dá chineál sna Stáit Aontaithe. Tá Prendergast mar chuid de Thoscaireacht Pharlaimint
na hEorpa atá bainteach le caidreamh leis na Stáit Aontaithe agus d’fháiltigh sí bac le fostóirí a bheith ag iarraidh eolais phearsanta agus príobháideach a fháil ar fhostaí agus dhaoine atá ag cur isteach ar phoist. Dúirt sí chomh maith go raibh iomaí tuairisc ann de dhaoine feiliúnach a dhiúltaíodh post a thabhairt dóibh tar éis ar fhostóirí a ngníomhaíocht ar mheáin shóisialta a sheiceáil. Bhí scéal mór ann sna meáin Mheiriceánach nuair a shiúil Justin Basset, staitisteoir lonnaithe i Nua Eabhrach, amach as agallamh poist nuair a iarradh air a shonraí cuntais a chuir ar fáil don agallóir chun eolas pearsanta Basset a léamh. Fadhb
By Claire Behan
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f you aren’t heading abroad over the summer, fear not, as there is lots of fun to be had here at home over the summer months. Our reporter, Claire Behan, discusses five different places you can visit over the holidays to make it a summer to remember. Electric Picnic 2012 – Music, Comedy and Arts Festival. In its 8th year residency at Stradbally Hall, County Laois, Electric Picnic takes place from August 31st to September 2nd and is an event not to be missed. The festival combines the best of alternative musical talent, eccentric comedians and hippie chic festival culture in one location. Ed Sheeran, The Cure, The Killers and Glen Hansard are just some of the talent that will be on display over the three days. Week-
end camping tickets €230, Sunday day ticket €99.50. John Hewitt Great Northern Irish Beer and Cider Festival. A 6-day event running in Belfast from the 4th to the 9th of July. There’s entertainment each day, from cider
Barnacles Hostel in Temple Bar tasting to live music from local jazz, blues and soul groups, with free admission to all events. You can sample the finest cider on offer from Ireland’s oldest independent brewery, Hilden Brewing Company. A must see for a cider enthusiast! Student
returns on Bus Eireann, from €22. Fin McCool Surf Lodge. Located right along the stunning Rossnowlagh Beach in Donegal Bay, Finn McCool Surf Lodge brings together two action packed holidays in one – hostelling and surfing. A popular location with international surf enthusiasts, the lodge boasts its own fully certified surf school for beginner and intermediate surfers. Rooms start at €20 per night whilst a 2-hour surf lesson with a fully qualified instructor costs €35. Paintball Ireland. For those looking for an alternative getaway this summer, you should consider a paintball adventure. Located in Tralee, Co.Kerry, this break is nothing short of an adrenaline pumping adventure. Available for the summer months, Paintball Ireland offer an unbeatable package: 1 night accommodation in Tralee, full Irish breakfast, 1
full day paintballing at Predator, an Army Tank Drive, group photo, free entry to both a nightclub and Tralee Greyhound Stadium, all for €69. Groups of 10 plus receive 200 free paintballs along with a Smoke Grenade. Achill Outdoor Education Centre. For any person looking for a holiday that encompasses the true beauty and exhilaration that Ireland has to offer look no further than Achill. Incorporating hillwalking, kayaking, sailing, rock climbing, archery, orienteering and canoeing, this is the ideal location for an outdoor holiday in the heart of Ireland. Located on the picturesque Achill Island, Co.Mayo, the centre is a lively part of the local community. Visitors are treated to memorable outdoor pursuits and can experience the famous Irish banter. Prices available upon individual enquiry.
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/apistudyabroad/ chuntasóireachta, tá bearta nua acu le bainisteoir ginearálta mar chomhshínitheoir ar chaiteachas an aontais, beart nach raibh i bhfeidhm riamh. Beidh cuntais bhl-
iantúla comhdaithe acu freisin agus iad ag iarraidh an tAontas a chlárú mar chuideachta oifigiúil. Léiríonn na fadhbanna seo go léir gur féidir le tionchar agus míbhainistíocht
na cúlú eacnamaíochta a fheiceáil taobh amuigh den pholaitíocht agus go bhfuil nasc láidir aige i saol mhac léinn.
Gluais Tarrtháil [bailout]
Iniúchóireacht [audit]
Caipitíocht [capitation]
Dliteanas [liability]
atá ann ná nuair a iarann agallóir ar do phasfhocal, tá brú mór ar an agallaí an t-eolas cuí a thabhairt toisc go bhfuil iomaíocht fhíochmhar ann chun post a fháil i láthair na huaire. Deir Facebook go bhfuil siad sásta dul chun na cúirte in aghaidh aon comhlachta atá ag iarraidh ar dhaoine a shonraí pearsanta a nochtadh agus dúirt said chomh maith go ndúnfar síos leathanaigh chorparáideacha Facebook na gcomhlachtaí. Dúirt Prendergast go bhfuil sí ag féachaint ar fhéidearthachtaí chun dlí den chineál céanna a chur i bhfeidhm san Aontas Eorpach agus sampla Maryland a leanúint. Dúirt an FEP gur ‘ciapadh ionad oibre 2.0’
Your guide to surviving a J1 By Emma O’Rourke Travel & Food Editor
Smachtbhanna [sanction]
Snámhaíocht in aghaidh an dlí sna Stáit Aontaithe Fiach Mac Domhnaill
TRAVEL@THECOLLEGEVIEW.COM
a bhí ann ceist a chur do phasfhocail nó eolas pearsanta. Cuireann sé ceist os comhair an phobail-an bhfuil príobháideachas pearsanta ann ar chor ar bith sa lá atá inniu ann? Nó an fearr gan a bheith bainteach le Twitter nó Facebook agus a leithéid más rud é go mbeidh eolas ar ghnéithe de do shaol príobháideach ar fáil d’fhostóirí? Caithfear a bheith cúramach ar Facebook agus a leithéid ó thaobh socraithe príobháideacha do leathanaigh mar go bhfuil tuairiscí ann go bhfuil fostóirí ag cruthú cuntais bréige ionas gur féidir leo ‘dul i gcairdeas’ le fostaí agus cead isteach a fháil ar a gcuid eolais, pictiúirí
agus a gníomhaíochtaí ar líne. Tá tuairiscí ann sna stáit Aontaithe freisin, go bhfuil an rud céanna á ndéanamh ag oifigí iontrála sna coláistí chun teacht ar eolas faoi mhic léinn reatha agus mic léinn ionchasacha.
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assport, check. J1 visa, check. Parents’ hardearned money, check. Have you got all of these in your suitcase? Well, then you are almost set to head off to the United States. However, here are some words of advice for those of you who are going into the unknown. It can be quite scary leaving Ireland for the whole summer and you may find yourself feeling out of your depth and longing for a hug from your mammy and a cup of tea. But don’t worry, we’re here to help. You may be jetting off to popular regions like New York, Ocean City, Chicago or Cape Cod, or you may be heading to the more quiet areas like Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard, both in Boston. Wherever you are going, try to secure a job and accommodation before you jet off. A few good useful websites for jobs are: craigslist.com, careerbuilder. com, j1jobs.com, summerjobs. com and usajobs.com. For accommodation try, campusrent.com, or sublet.com. If you are organising accommodation before you go, you need to be weary of the fraudsters out there. From my own experience, one woman tried to tell me that we each had to pay a €1,000 deposit for a house of eight girls, €8,000 in total.
Needless to say, we didn’t take that house. Most people are reliable but just make sure to double check everything. DCU student, Aoife Gray, recalls her own accommodation experience. “I would advise anyone doing the J1 to think twice before sharing a house with people you don’t know. I had a bad experience in New York, myself and my friend didn’t get on at all with the American girls we were sharing with, they didn’t appreciate our hectic social life,” she said. “It made the trip a bit less enjoyable so I would recommend anyone going now to live with the friends you know even if it means spending extra money.” In America, when you go out for dinner the portions are a lot bigger than what we get here at home. It can be easy to come home a stone or two heavier so be weary of eating unhealthy. Order smaller portions if you can and even then that might be too much. An American habit that is not done so much here, is that if they can’t finish their meal at a restaurant they bring it home to eat for lunch the next day in a ‘doggy bag.’ If, during your holiday you lose or spend all your money and your bank account has nothing in it, don’t worry. Western Union allows you to collect money transferred to you free of charge. That is if your parents are willing to actually transfer it.There are Western Unions in 450,000 locations all over the world so there is bound to be one nearby.
New York is currently one of the top J1 destinatioins. Credit: Jim trodel New York is one of the most popular places for students going on the J1. DCU student, Aisling O’Farrell, was there last year. “It’s an absolutely brilliant spot for a J1 but anyone with glamorous ideas of ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘Gossip Girl’ may as well get rid of them. You should embrace the city for what it is in the summer time – sweaty, smelly and exhausting,” she said. “Don’t waste time hanging around Midtown and Times Square, there’s so much more to do then what you might have done
on a 5-day holiday before Christmas time. Despite being a massive city, its parks in the summer are the best spots to get away from the heat. Definite things to check out are Bryant Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park where there are movies shown. “Renting bikes in central park for a few hours is great craic and take time to chill out by the fountain in Washington Square Park, not forgetting Highline Park over at Chelsea. For night life in Manhattan, there are some great spots down the lower
east side, it’s generally cheaper than midtown/uptown and if you can at all… avoid Irish themed bars. You left Ireland for a reason. The beer garden in Astoria, Queens is also worth checking out.” Take this advice on board and you’ll be able to fly over the Atlantic Ocean without a worry. Remember, Americans love the Irish accent so talk to everyone you meet and you will make friends before you know it. You’ll have the time of your life.
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THE COLLEGE VIEW 25/04/12 15
SPORTS
SPORTS
Celebrity Banisteoir proves a success for DCU ladies rugby By Will Slattery Deputy Sports Editor A ladies sports team, particularly rugby, can find it difficult to get a foothold in what is predominantly a GAA orientated college. One way to do it is by organising a fun event that the entire campus can get behind, which is precisely what the DCU ladies rugby team did with the Celebrity Banisteoir tag rugby charity tournament. “We ran a ladies tag rugby event in the first semester that got great feedback. The men’s team wanted to get involved too so the women’s team
decided to do a mixed event. We also got great support from the Students’ Union and that was when we decided on doing rugby Celebrity Banisteoir to raise money for charity,” said DCU ladies rugby Chairperson Sinead Byrne. Unlike the real programme, the DCU incarnation was able to round up a lot of famous names from Irish sport. Cian Healy, Conor Mortimer, Jamie Heaslip and Michael Murphy were just some of the athletes in the trenches inspiring, teaching and cajoling DCU students. The DCU line up was especially impressive considering the merry go round of C list
celebrities churned out on the RTE version. The appearance of “lawyer to the stars” Gerald Kean would hardly have set the collective pulse of the campus racing. When a sport is generally below the radar, any news can be good news, but thankfully from the DCU Devils perspective feedback was very positive. “The event was a great success, people really enjoyed it and we raised almost €500 for The Cormac Fund, which is a sudden cardiac death awareness charity. A lot of the staff members are talking about it and on the back of the event’s suc-
cess the clubs and socs awards will include a category for best event next year to encourage other groups to hold big events,” said Byrne. Celebrity Banisteoir wasn’t the only success that the DCU ladies rugby team had this year; they finished runners up to IT Cork in the Division Two All Ireland Final. However, despite the positive strides made this year, the lack of coverage and notoriety the sport receives around campus makes expansion difficult. “We wouldn’t get a whole lot of attention compared to the ladies GAA teams. In terms of attracting
girls down to play that makes it hard because they mightn’t be aware of the club to the same extent of some of the more prominent teams. To be honest I was even surprised that we were going to be in the paper because we haven’t really been covered much before,” said Byrne. Having said that, the big names that were attracted to the event and the good cause that it supported ensured that it received the appropriate attention from the college community. The success of the event was a nice way to cap off a year for DCU’s ladies rugby that now includes triumphs on and off the pitch.
Compensating flair with functionality With Euro 2012 just over a month away Mike Hurley talks with Irish Times soccer Correspondent Emmet Malone about Trap, his style of management and those that must not be left at home. In just over a month’s time, thousands of die-hard Irish fans will don the traditional garb – tricolour wigs, face paint and flag capes – and head for Poland to watch their team compete in a major tournament for the first time in 10 years. Bitterly disappointed after losing out in their controversial World Cup playoff three years ago, the boys in green set their sights on qualifying from a deceptively tricky group. Andorra, Armenia, FYR Macedonia and Slovakia were overcome in finishing second, before Estonia were dispatched to secure their place at EURO 2012. Trapattoni’s tactics in the qualifiers have divided opinion, with some criticising the managers overly negative style and others praising his ability to grind out results. Emmet Malone, Irish Times soccer correspondent, believes that the Italian maverick has his hands tied by the lack of quality available. “He’s very much not a ‘horses for courses’ type manager. He likes to drill a system into the players that he feels is adaptable to any game, whether it be playing against San Marino, Montenegro or even Spain. Trap has come out and said that he doesn’t have the kind of quality he wants in the selection pool so I think his tactics compensate flair with functionality.”
“It might not be the best to watch but the team’s high-pressure, counter-attacking football has got them important results. It’s not as defensive as it seems either - he’s playing two attacking wingers, something [Brian] Kerr wasn’t a fan of.” The emergence of a number of talented Irish youngsters in the Premier League has also put pressure on Trapattoni’s selection process. Sunderland’s James McClean has burst into the spotlight with a string of impressive displays. “McClean’s made a very strong case for himself and I think he will travel. He seemingly came out of nowhere and has been explosive really. I don’t think he’ll be first choice. It’s easy to predict the starting XI and I imagine the players on the bench will be almost carbon copies.” It’s widely suspected that the squad named for Ireland’s last friendly against the Czech Republic in February will travel to Poland/ Ukraine. “There’s 22 of the 23 man squad that are basically nailed on. I think the last spot is up for grabs, with the main contenders being James McCarthy and Paul Green. Green impressed on his debut [for the national team] and McCarthy has been great for Wigan, but you get the sense that Green seems to be more of a ‘Trapattoni player’. There’s also
Coleman who’s been exciting but hasn’t really progressed this season - maybe because of injuries.” “Marc Wilson has been an absolute unsung hero for Stoke City this season. He’s another one that Trap talks up consistently. He’s a left sided player, he’s strong, but most importantly, and he’s so versatile. He’ll play anywhere and that’s something the manager loves.” Traditionally, teams bring four forwards in their 23-man squad. Robbie Keane, as captain, is a staple, leaving Trap to pick three from Simon Cox, Shane Long, Jonathan Walters and Kevin Doyle - none of whom have been scoring regularly for their clubs. “I think he’ll bring all five. There’s versatility again with Walters and Cox, who can play wide. Keane, in a push, can play in central midfield if needs be. It’s not an embarrassment of riches by any means.” Another headache which has presented itself is Richard Dunne’s struggle for fitness. The Aston Villa stalwart has missed eight games since fracturing a bone in his shoulder against Man City. Ireland’s assistant manager Marco Tardelli admitted he fears the worst for Dunne, even going so far as suggesting the May 7th deadline for squad submission could be extended. Malone couldn’t stress enough how important the defender is. “He’s vital. Dunne has his critics, he’s prone to the occasional mistake but it’s difficult to point to a top class defender who isn’t. He always steps up it for the big games and he’s a born leader. My feeling is that he’ll be fine. The word from Villa Park is that they hope to involve him before
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What’s ahead for the summer of 2012? Former Offaly All Ireland winning manager and Irish Independent Columnist Eugene McGee casts an eye over the runners and riders for the Sam McGuire Cup.
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p to 2001, before the arrival of the All-Ireland Qualifiers, predicting the winner of the Sam Maguire Cup was often a fairly easy task with only four provincial champions left by July. The Qualifiers changed all that and opened the door for unexpected results which meant that at least the odd time a top team got caught on the hop by a perceived minnow. When Tyrone were All-Ireland champions, they travelled to Portlaoise to play Laois on a dreary, wet Saturday evening and lost their title in most inauspicious circumstances. We are entitled to regard Dublin as likely to retain their title; this is based not only on the nature of last year’s victory, but because of the ever-increasing strength of their overall panel. The biggest danger for the Dubs is a decline in the personal motivation of any player on last year’s panel as a result of having achieved their ultimate goal. Kerry are consistently regarded among the top three in the country and so it is this year. Despite many players like Moynihan and Dara O’Shea retiring, a couple of
newcomers reach the standard each year and Kerry’s record of winning regularly is their greatest weapon. Two others, Cork and Kildare are entitled to be next in line, with Cork having a powerful panel of strong athletic and talented players that any manager would be fortunate to have at his disposal. Kildare is the only one of this quartet not to have won anything substantial. And, unless a side have won the ‘Big One’ they remain unproven. Now considered genuine contenders, there is real pressure on Kieran McGeeney and his team to justify the hype. So much for the big guns, who else has a chance? Tyrone having won three All-Irelands in the past decade are an obvious option. However, teams in transition, as they are, rarely win the Sam Maguire and perhaps Mickey Harte and his players need to mature more as a collective. Obviously Mayo will be the best of the outsiders as they seem to be steadily improving. In modern times it has not been footballing prowess which has vexed Mayo but rather mental and psychological short-
Donegal’s defensive orientated methods has to change if they are to challenge the top teams. Credit: Sportsfile comings. Modern team preparations being what they are, can largely offset these deficiencies, therefore Mayo could turn out be a real handful come August-September. After going so far in 2011 Donegal also merit a place on the shortlist. Their problem is that the defensive orientated methods of last year will have to change if they hope to beat the other top teams. They sim-
ply have to create and produce more scores. For fans of the Dubs, their league performance should not be taken at face value because winning your first All-Ireland after so long inevitably takes a huge psychological toll on the players involved and recharging the motivation and fitness levels takes a long time. But they have time on their side they will still be the big-
gest threat to all others. The football cuteness that was instilled into players by Pat Gilroy and Mickey Whelan last year was in contrast to their previous five years and it was that which brought them the title in the closing stages of the final against Kerry. It will take a great team to knock them out of their stride in the concluding stages again this year.
‘Neglected sport’ taking shape in DCU By Eoghan Cormican Sports Editor
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“McClean has made a very strong case for himself and I think he will travel”. Credit: Sportfile. the season finishes, and I think you have to trust Alex McLeish who sees Dunne every day.” Ireland are longest odds to qualify from a tough Group C. They play Croatia first, Spain second and finish with Italy. “The order of the fixtures is not ideal. Croatia are the team we need to beat, but teams have a tendency to go into the first game of a major tournament looking to make sure
they don’t lose. Ireland have to try and win this first game. You’d want to play Spain third, when they’ve presumably already qualified. It’s going to be tough. Trapattoni would love to put the Italians out, but he’s got nothing left to prove against them.” Yet, whatever Euro 2012 brings, it is safe to say the landscape of Irish soccer is changing. All going well, it will be for the better.
ast October it appeared the formation of DCU Rowing club was a lost cause, a pipe dream consigned to the scrap heap. Seven months later, the foundations have been laid and when two of its members recently placed second at the intervarsities in Cork, it proved the perfect tonic. The acorns of success were beginning to grow. But, as noted, it was a much different and uncertain picture towards the beginning of the year as the person who had originally commenced establishing the rowing club appeared to lose interest and the knock-on effects were that those who had joined in the first place ceased attending training and the numbers dwindled week by week. According to John Cummins, the
affiliated club – Commercial Rowing club, Islandbridge – expressed concern over the state of club. “We really had no idea as we were just first year rowers and going to training,” said Cummins, adding, “in the end, Lukas Nahrgang and myself decided to organise things and see what stage the club was at”. “We found it would be easier to start from scratch with the club. We had to set up a new bank account, get the mailing list and details changed to our names and details. It took a very long time to put everything together. It was hard to get the details right for the bank and getting meetings with the people in the clubs office turned out to be a lot more difficult than we expected.” Though the start-up process took longer than envisaged, once all i’s were dotted and t’s crossed, the pair registered the club with the row-
ing union, paid membership to the commercial rowing club and entered the Dublin Head of the River competition. Initially, DCU joined forces with DIT, whose rowing club was also set up this year, to make an 8-man boat just to get some training in, but as membership began to increase, DCU were no longer forced to rely on others. Speaking on the increased membership, Cummins is optimistic that more people will take an active role on the club committee next year so the club can be further developed and DCU can increase their participation at future meets. “There is a demand for the club among students but it has been a neglected sport. Hopefully, after all the work this year it will keep growing and building each year.” Though Lukas and John will be
studying abroad next year, the pair have every confidence that lesser know lights within the club will step up to the mantle. “We have organised it so that the new chairperson and treasurer will have all the possible contacts they need and training times etc. will all be set up before we leave to make it as easy as possible,” said John. Away from the difficulties of earning recognition, on the water the club have enjoyed unprecedented success with John and Lukas placing second of nine boats in the men’s double schulling event at the intervarsities at the National Rowing Club in Cork. “We were delighted about it given that we were a first year crew and Trinity and UCD etc. have been training together for much longer. “We train on the water in Islandbridge, it takes about 25 minutes to
cycle there. In the mornings we use the rowing machines in the sports centre in DCU and also the high performance gym.” As it was only recently the club were allowed access to these facilities, prior to that those that wished to get in any sort of training had to travel to Islandbridge. This inconvenient situation more than contributed to the fall in membership as Islandbridge is more than an hour’s travel from the college. “By bus it takes over an hour and two buses, which is quite annoying.” Looking to next year, Cummins is succinctly determined to put the rowing club on the DCU map. “We want to build up the numbers, enter more competitions (including a national league) and try to firmly establish the club over the next two years so that it will continue in the college and rival some of the others.”
16 THE COLLEGE VIEW 25/04/12
THE COLLEGE VIEW
Eugene McGee writes exclusively for College View Sport
SPORT
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Peil in the Park Eoghan Cormican Sports Editor
DCU graduate Linda Byrne’s Olympic fate now lies in the hands of the team selectors. Credit: Sportsfile.
Olympic uncertainty for Byrne By Will Slattery Deputy Sports Editor
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ith all the doom and
gloom that surrounds Irish Athletics the situation of marathoner and DCU graduate Linda Byrne is a pleasant surprise. Ireland is rarely over prescribed for the Olympic quota in any event, which is natural given the country’s size and resources. Well not this year. At the moment four Irish ladies – Linda Byrne, Marie McCambridge, Ava Hutchinson and Catriona Jennings - have ran inside the Olympic marathon qualifying time of 2:37:00.
The problem is however, that a county can only send three athletes per event. In essence, one athlete will not be on the starting line in London. What makes Byrne’s story more impressive than most is that she ran inside the qualifying time in the first marathon she ever completed, which was the 2011 Irish women’s national marathon championship. She had previously pulled out of the 2010 event at the three quarter mark in accordance with her training regime. All things considered, it was a hugely admirable feat to qualify in her first completed marathon. Byrne was initially joined in the winners enclosure by Maria McCambridge and Ava Hutchinson and no doubt Athletics Ireland were thrilled
by achieving the maximum qualification. However after Catriona Jennings qualified in Rotterdam in mid April, they may have been thinking that less would have been better than more. There is no doubt that the establishment of the Dublin marathon mission, a group that provides resources to elite marathon runners, had a lot to do with these recent successes but even the AAI must be surprised at how quickly it has returned dividend. Given the small pool to pick from the AAI rarely have to undertake the unenviable task of telling someone “Thanks, but no thanks”. At the moment the fastest times from best to worst are Hutchinson,
Jennings, Byrne and McCambridge but unfortunately it is not just as simple as cutting the woman with the slowest (and ironically one of the fastest) time. President of the AAI and former Irish Rugby fitness Guru Dr Liam Hennessy is on the record saying that the final decision is up to the selectors. The selection process depends on quality and consistency of performances in 2011 and 2012, on statistical data (ranking/ performance lists, etc) and on history of performances at previous championships. Whatever the outcome, this is a much needed achievement that Irish athletics can be proud of.
First DCU Rugby, now DCU GAA - fundraising events in Albert College Park can’t seem to come quick enough these days. From 2-5pm today, Wednesday, a tag Gaelic tournament will be run of by DCU GAA. Teams consist of seven players and it costs just €10 to enter a team. Organiser Gavin Cawley decided to bring the initiative to DCU after being involved in a tag Gaelic tournament in Sligo. Teams can register at www.dcu. ie/sportsdevelopment with the top prize10 VIP tickets to the Leinster senior football final on the 22nd July 2012. Elsewhere in GAA news, seven of DCU’s Sigerson winning panel were rewarded for their outstanding endeavours when selected on the Irish Daily Mail Future Champions team. Goalkeeper Michael Boyle, Philly McMahon and Johnny Cooper featured in defence. Fiontain O’Curraoin was selected at midfield with Dean Rock and Paul Flynn occupying the wing forward positions. Eoghan O’Gara was also acknowledged at full forward. The team in full: 1. Michael Boyle (DCU), 2. Philly McMahon (DCU), 3. Kevin Fitzgerald (TCD), 4. Peter Crowley (UCC), 5. Sean Denvir (NUIM), 6. Johnny Cooper (DCU), 7. Ciaran McGinley (UUJ), 8. Conor Brophy (NUIM), 9. Fiontain O’Curraoin (DCU), 10. Paul Flynn (DCU), 11. Sean Hurley (NUIM), 12. Dean Rock (DCU), 13. Michael Newman (NUIM), 14. Eoghan O’Gara (DCU), 15. David Quinn (NUIM). Finally, Lindsay Peat tallied twenty–six points as the DCU Ladies Basketball team defeated University of Limerick to clinch the National Varsity title for 2012. This is the third victory for DCU, having won the title previously in 2007 and 2008.