Toast 2.3 (Dec. 2009) by DIT Students' Union

vol: 02 issue: 03 the ‘crimbo’ edition

site guides - exams - elected officers - fashion - showcase - elections info - opinion

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welcome & Contents

vol: 02 issue: 03 the ‘crimbo’ edition ho ho ho or bah humbug to you [depending on your christmas outlook...] Welcome to the last issue of TOAST for 2009 and all the best wishes of the season to you from us here in the Union. For all you Grinches out there we have lots of things to turn you all Christmassy inside this issue - from dos and donts to Crimbo pressie ideas and recipes - and if you still aren’t convinced then check out some of the Christmas traditions from around the world and marvel at the weirdness. For those of you who need no convincing please note the Seniors Christmas Party on Dec 10 is still a few elves short of a grotto so bear that in mind if you are free to lend a hand that evening.It’s great fun and what Christmas should be about...eating, drinking and singing Of course here in DIT the grim shadow of exams looms over all our Christmas festivities but don’t worry - help is at hand - Check out the exam section on pages 14-21 to help you through and remember there is support here for you and it is possible to enjoy the break and still do well in the new year. Come talk to us in your local Union office about any issue you have. December also sees nominations open for next year’s Sabbatical Officers(3 fulltime )and Class Rep Convenors (6 parttime, one on each main campus) so if you are finishing college next year or could see yourself working part time for the Union while studying, check out pages 38-42 on details about the elections process and consider DITSU for 2010/11. The elections will be held in March so you have lots of time to find out more and get that application in. So, have a great Christmas, enjoy your break, stay safe and warm and see you all in 2010 Mairead

CRUMBS elected officer report: tracey elected officer report: sean elected officer report: jen WHAT’S THE WORD: All SITES CUTBACKS UPDATE STUDENT SUPPORT BILL SPECIAL FEATURE: EXAMS GUIDE FUNDRAISING: DANCE-A-THON OPINION: WATER WATER EVERYWHERE SHOWCASE: STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHY GOVERNING COUNCIL UPDATE ENTs UPDATE OPINION: NEVIN OPINION: MCGINgS MUSINGS FEATURE: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL FEATURE: SU ELECTIONS 2010 FOOD FOR THOUGHT FASHION OPINION: MARITIME MUSINGS PLEASETALK.IE COMPETITION

02 03 04 05 06 12 13 14 22 23 24 27 28 32 33 34 38 43 44 46 47 48

THE toast TEAM

[Editor] Mairead Butler [Sub Editor] EVE DONNELLY [Design] Eddie Corr

contacts

[General] toast@ditsu.ie [Advertising] communications@ditsu.ie [Design] design@ditsu.ie

CONTRIBUTORS

ERIC FITZGERALD, LINA HACKER, EMILY KEVEANEY, DEIRDRE MCGING, CIARAN NEVIN, KATHRYN Payne, COLIN STAKEM & CIúIN TraceY

COVER

Michaela Hordyniec was the winner of our competition to design this months cover. Well done to her, and thank you to all who entered.

get in touch

this is your magazine, and we want you to be involved. fancy writing an article, taking some photos or generally helping out? just drop us a line [toast@ditsu.ie]. feel the need to reply to any of the issues raised? just mail us. All rights reserved. the entire content is copyright ditsu. ltd., and cannot be reproduced in whole, or in part, without written permission. Views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily shared by DIT STUDENTS’ UNION.

crumbs- tasty news tid-bits Q6A: The Student Feedback Form

Calling all elves!

Giving students regular and meaningful opportunities to comment on the standard of their education provision is a fundamental principle of EU policy and third level education in Ireland. The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland is the body that monitors quality assurance in DIT are they are keen to see that effective procedures are in place to enable students to voice their opinions openly. The process currently is through the Student Feedback Forms – the Q6 forms.

The Annual DIT Senior Citizens Christmas Party will be held in DIT Cathal Brugha St. on Thursday 10th December. This is an evening where seniors from the area are invited into DIT to share a Christmas meal and have a few laughs.

For individual modules it’s a Q6A form – a chance to express your opinion on how the module was taught – everything from teaching methods, module content to facilities like the lecture rooms and the Library. Feedback on the entire programme is undertaken at the end of the academic year via the Q6C form. These procedures need updating and this year the Students Union are working with DIT to find a more effective and transparent means of gathering your views. We will be looking at best practice in other third-level colleges and asking students for their ideas on what would work best. But for now all students should to receive a Q6A form for each module from the relevant Lecturer(s), in hard copy, on Webcourses or by email to your student email address. It’s an important opportunity so when you get the form please fill it in honestly. If you were happy with the way the module was delivered then say so. If you weren’t, then spell out what was wrong clearly and fairly. You can have your say and improve your programme at the same time. The Students’ Union wants to know that the forms are being distributed. We are striving to ensure that every student has a direct say in how education in DIT is delivered. So if you didn’t get a Q6A form for all your Semester 1 modules, will you please let your Class Rep know (they’ll pass it on to us), contact your local Students’ Union office or email Jen Jordan at vpacademic@ditsu.ie.

We are always on the look out for volunteers to help us run the event smoothly. So, whether you feel you could hand out some plates of food, sing a few songs or wear a Santa costume with the best of them- we want to hear from you! Anyone who has ever been involved before always goes away feeling good, and there are always a few laughs to be had and some new faces to call friends. If you fancy lending a hand then give Sarah a buzz on 402 4370 or mail her at advisor.cbst@ditsu.ie Go on- help us spread some Christmas cheer!

Christmas Fair: Coming to your site Look out for the travelling Christmas Fair that will be travelling across the DIT sites. We will be selling cards, crafts and oodles of all things Christmassy! All proceeds will be going straight to Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, so there really is no need to hold back. So come on- do your Christmas shopping at DITSU! Christmas DAY: get involved! Each of the main DIT sites will be having a special ‘Christmas Day’ organised by your SU peoples. In years past we have seen ‘Selection Box Challenges’, ‘Festive Twister’ and ‘Pin the Tail on the Rudolph’- so who knows what will be dreamt up this year! So, keep an eye out for posters/announcements on your site and join in with the festive frivolities!

elected officer report

TRACEY FLINTER SU President WELL ALL, IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN! Where has the year gone? It felt like last week when all the students were back in and it was Freshers. This semester was madness with the all the goings on both internal and external to DIT. September kicked off with plenty of set backs but gladly we are up and running some what more smoothly. Classes are back to normal, Sports and Clubs are back up and running and we have the gyms and pool nearly sorted. The HEA and the Department of Finance are looking at our case in DIT and fingers crossed we will have the gyms and the pool back up and running some time after Christmas. There are a number of things going on behind the scenes! With the great news that a “new fee scheme” would not be introduced we still have a fight on our hands. As of today the Irish Government are looking to increase the current capitation fee (also known as the registration fee) is due to increase to €3,500 per college year. I knew it was too good to be true! We in the Students’ Union are working on all that we can to make sure that we have the most up to date and accurate information when lobbying the Government. This is one issue that we have to keep an eye on and make sure all TD’s are informed with the correct information. It is up to the student body to make sure that we have our voices are heard. If you don’t have €3,500 to pay for each academic year please contact your local TD and let them know. Grants, Grants, Grants, what more can I say about the current Grant system. Sadly we have a number of students in DIT that are still awaiting their grant. There are major issues with the current system and we have just the thing that will aid this slow and monotonous process, The Student Support Bill.

Words: Tracey Flinter Contact: president@ditsu.ie

As for the Students Support Bill we are making a move on it, we have been in correspondence with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Science stating that they are reviewing the Student Support Bill and hope to have it passed in February. To find out more on the Student Support Bill please look at page 13. Christmas means exams in DIT. Just to keep you all in the loop our great Academic and Student Affairs Departments have all the information your require when it comes to that stressfull time of year. The easiest thing is to keep the head down and if you are feeling stressed or under pressure please talk to someone. We offer tips on study techniques and to to relax before your time to shine. The way I always looked at exams as my opportunity to show the lecturers how much I knew about the subject rather than them testing me and trying to catch me out. It’s amazing how you can train your brain to make the best of a situation! And trust me it really helped. So shine on and remember we are here to help, no mater how big or small the situation! I am not all about doom and gloom trust me, just trying to keep you up to date and informed as to what exactly is going on. As for Christmas, its my favorite time of the year. We have the “Old Folks Christmas Party” which takes place in Cathal Brugha Street. I have volunteered for the past four years running and it is the best thing you can do just before Xmas to get you in the Christmas spirit. We sing, we dance, we serve an amazing Christmas dinner and give out some really great presents. The so called “Old Folks” show us how it is done with their own dancing and karaoke. It’s a really great night and you get a free Crimbo dinner out of it! I wish you all a joyful Christmas and I hope you get all you wish for! Best of luck with your exams and let me know how you get on! see you soon Tracey

elected officer report

Words: Sean Campbell Contact: vpservices@ditsu.ie

SEAN CAMPBELL su vice-president [s&t]

Yo Ho Ho! Well it’s hard to believe it’s Christmas time again. Where the hell has the year gone?...Well, Happy Christmas and I hope you all have a great one! Bet we’re all looking forward to that jumper you get every year and, of course, you’ve got to look like you love it! But it’s St. Stephens night down in the old local thats always the highlight, right? You get to see the person you used to kiss and you’re only to happy you’re not anymore! It’s all part of the Christmas experience. It is in Donegal anyway. In DIT there is lots to look forward to coming up to the Christmas Holidays. Keep an eye out for signs of your very own Christmas Day, with lots of fun and frolics to boot. Christmas Mayhem is also on the cards which will include some great gigs, just keep an eye on the wesbite follks! This year have been a blast so far – we’ve sold out almost every gig and you can’t ask for better than that, can you? Ulster Bank have been good to us this year and thanks to them we can keep our gigs cheap for you. The Japaneses pop stars were epic, yes epic. We’ve also had international nights out, a paint party, and of course RAG week is coming up in 2010 and it’s lining up to be brilliant. It’s all under raps at the moment but trust me I know what I’m doing! I’d like to thank few people for their hard work up to now, the machine that is DITSU doesn’t just happen! The convenors have been fantastic and thanks to all of them for their continued hard work! All DIT Campus Life and DIT Societies staff, they been cool and a great help. But most of all I have to thank the DITSU full time staff – you are legends, we ask so much from you so thanks a mill, big kiss!

Last and not least the beautiful ladies I call JenTracy. The work those two girls put into the SU is fantastic, they try so hard to make it all happen. They are like swans... calm on the surface but working away like mad under the water. So again, well done ladies! So it’s a Happy Christmas to you all and I hope you keep safe and don’t drink or eat too much like I do every year. You’ll suffer for Stephens day. Peace out people have a great one..... Seany P.S Good luck after xmas if ye have exams....you can do it!!!!

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elected officer report

Words: Jen Jordan Contact: vpacademic@ditsu.ie

JEN JORDAN su vice-president [asa]

YO YO! Get those halloween decorations down and start planning for Christmas parties, Christmas presents and the dreaded Christmas exams. We have plenty of things planned to keep you all in the loop about your rights as students within the rules of DIT.

sabbatical positions, so if you reckon you’d be good for the job make sure to call down and ask one of us about it. Remember we’re paid a decent salary for the year, it’s a brilliant experience and you get to rub shoulders with all those with influence here in DIT!

Our ‘What if...’ campaign will be launched during December so keep an eye out for the posters which are a step by step guide on how to handle any issues arising around the end of term and exams. For example personal circumstance issues affecting study whether it be a head cracking migraine in an exam or something causing you stress around exam time we can help you with anything that comes your way.

Our PleaseTalk Welfare week is just gone so if you have anything to say about it let me know by email or text. For any of you who happened to miss the free tea, coffee, fruit, massages, comedians, magicians and general antics, don’t worry there will be plenty more freebies and madness in semester two with Elections, Raising and Giving (RAG) week, Sexual Health and Guidance (SHAG) week and many more campaigns and events.

There are skills sessions on how to study and keep yourself stress-less being run by the counselling service so make sure to check them out and we’ll have all the advice and forms you need on the website (www.ditsu.ie) and also in all the offices. So call down to us or give us a text and we’ll sort you out with whatever help or advice you need to make exam time as easy as possible. I can’t believe it’s close to exam time already, you know the way you remember bits of dreams with loads of different things sort of merged into one, that’s what the last few months seems like. The time is flying past me faster than any other year in DIT. So fast that I feel like my time is nearly up and I’ve only had a chance to run a few small campaigns and two big ones...Inductions and PleaseTalk Welfare Week. But don’t worry, there’s a load more to come. The elections are only around the corner so have a think about what you would like to be doing next year. The nominations open in December for the

So for now I’ll leave you with what to look out for before the holidays, the big christmas night out, the senior citizens christmas party, and the giving tree for the Vincent de Paul. Maybe instead of Kris Kringle this year you can buy a present for a family in need. Thats it for now, I’ll let you get back to life and see you at the gigs. CHAT SOON Your Vice president, Jen P.S. A quick heads up about the General Assessment Regulations; this year if your results are not what you expected there is scope to have them re-marked as opposed to just re-checked. This essentially means the marking process is done again whereas before the given marks for each section were just added up again, this could mean big differences to those of you in shock after all your hard work!

Site reports

Words: Eric Fitzgerald, Class REP Convenor Aungier St. Contact: convenor.ast@ditsu.ie

WHAT’S THE WORD: aungier st. a delicious slice of danger goodness! I trust we’re all beginning with the yearly ritual? Yes, you all know the one I’m talking about...where we safeguard our homes to protect against the fat, white-bearded intruder. Seriously though, it’s nearly Christmas! Santy’s not going to be the only one giving ye presents this year...

men and women who represent you at DITSU’s highest decision making body can’t seem to sit still for one second, what with asking questions, proposing motions and just making sure that Aungier St has a loud voice at Council. If there’s anything you want them to discuss at Council, get in touch with one of them! You can find their names on the Aungier St segment on www.ditsu.ie. That’s all from me for the moment! So, have a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, a kwaazy Kwaanza, a tip-top Tet and a solemn, dignified Ramadan. until the next cartoon! Eric

We’re on hand here in Aungier St to make sure ye’re full of Christmas cheer before heading home for the holidays. Look out for DJ Soc doing remixes of Christmas classics, mince pie eating competitions, Gig Soc rockin’ the teach and a little something we like to call “Ready, Santy, Go!”...it has to be seen to be believed! We don’t expect ye to get up and make fools of yereselves for no reason, though...there will, of course, be fabulous prizes! On a more serious note, this is around the time where assignments are rearing their ugly heads and semester one exams are just around the corner. If you’ve had anything happen to you which you feel has affected your performance in an assignment or will affect how you do in an exam, call down to the office and we’ll sort you out with a Personal Circumstances form. Keep an eye out around Aungier St for the posters which will give you more information about those “What If...?” situations. On a democracy front, Aungier St councillors are collectively kicking ass at Governing Council! The fifteen

CRIMBO

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Words: Suzann Tutty, Class REP Convenor Bolton St. Contact: convenor.bst@ditsu.ie

WHAT’S THE WORD: bolton st. So this is Christmas, And what have you done Another year over, And a new one just begun And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun Yay Christmas is almost here!! Only a few weeks and we will all be letting out our inner childhood!!! I can’t wait... I’m such a child at heart but I think you have all figured that out!!!So it’s time to head home for a few weeks and spend time with the family! I bet your all looking forward to that home cooked Christmas Dinner!! And not forget the gatherings that follow... There are loads of things happening on site Christmas Week so I hope you all get involved I’m sure there will be lots of stuff up for grabs and maybe a few sweets so if you hear anything make sure you get involved! It will be worth it... And don’t forget the Christmas Ball which will be advertised on all sites! It promises to be a good one so I hope to see you all there ! Don’t forget that the DREADED EXAMS are only a few weeks away... Make sure you all have the necessary notes and so forth at home over the Christmas break... You want to enjoy Christmas not be stressing over things so make sure you have it all in the bag on your trips home on the 18th!! Believe me you don’t want to be worrying over repeats during the Summer... Especially if you want to go on a J1!!! So get the books out in good time and you will have nothing to worry about! If any of you have come down with the flu, have missed college or have personal issues which are affecting your performance or may affect you during your exams please pop into the office and we can sort you out with a PC1 Form –this is a Personal Circumstances form which outlines any issues which may affect your overall outcome and is submitted to the Exams Office either before your exams or NOT

LATER THAN 2 DAYS after your final exam... If you’re unsure about this and need some help just give myself or Dawn a shout. So Semester 1 is coming to a close and my god, has it gone so quick? It only seems like last week since I was giving tours or the college! It’s great to see that everyone has settled in well and that you have all found your feet! It was only this year that I ventured down to “The Dungeon” but don’t tell anyone! Everyone has been so enthusiastic this year and it’s great to see all the new faces about the SU! So keep up the good work and if you want to get more involved the Office is always open! Semester 2 is going to be Big and Bold with all sorts of stuff going on so keep the eyes peeled... There is RAG Week, SHAG Week and the Big Bash and not to forget the Dandelive Nights which will should have something for everyone!! This is only a taster as to what will be happening so keep your ear to the ground for a jam packed calendar!! As well as the annual elections for the SU Positions... where you chose who represents you! So get out and vote!This year our RAG Charity is Our Ladies Hospital Crumlin so please get involved and raise as much as we can for them! So if you have any ideas for raising money or if there is anything particular you want seen done then let us know... Guys that’s it I think sure if I forget anything just check out the Bolton St. Blog on the DITSU Website! merry christmas and a happy new year, suzann x

Site reports

Words: Nathan Cox, Class REP Convenor Cathal Brugha St. Contact: convenor.cbst@ditsu.ie

WHAT’S THE WORD: cathal brugha st. Howdy Folks, Ho Ho HO! Nathan, your friendly Cathal Brugha St. Convenor, here :-) It’s getting to that time again when all our fabulous festive plans are interrupted by all those pesky assessments and exams. But don’t worry it’s not all doom and gloom.........we in the Student’s Union are going to try make your Christmas month fun, festive and jolly any way we can. We’ve got lots on with the Christmas Ball, the Senior Citizen’s Christmas Party here in the Brugha and many many more things on every site. We’re also here to help with the serious stuff as well so any problems with your exams or assessments or anything else just drop in and let us know. Unfortunately we can’t do your assessments for you but other than that we’d be happy to help in any way we can. Everyone in the Brugha has been great this year and I’d just like to thank you all for making all our events such a huge success. During Welfare Week we had a Jam Session/Sing-Along in the SU and it was AMAZING!!!!! We had over 50 people singing their little hearts out and we got free pizza and drinks for all who showed up. Hope you all keep turning out in your huge numbers to help make the Brugha the best campus in all DIT! That’s about all from me for now so hope you all have a great Christmas and get everything you want from the Jolly Saint Nick. So now to sign off in the words of the immortal Porky Pig: Da da da da da da Da that’s all folks!!!!!!!!! Nate :)

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Words: Jon Hayes, Class REP Convenor Mountjoy Sq. Contact: convenor.msq@ditsu.ie

WHAT’S THE WORD: mountjoy sq. Hello Mountjoyeans! Right, lets update everyone as to what’s going on in Mountjoy Square. Well, our canteen is alive and kicking, it’s great. The new couch set up is working well and sure who doesn’t love to take a break and chill on a couch in between classes. You all seem to like them so much we decided we would get you some more! That’s right, more fantastically amazing old couches to lounge around on are on the way, whoo. If anyone knows a man with a van to help deliver these old couches Id be delighted if you pop into the office and let me know so we can cut down on the cost. I’m not going to lie, it’s a bit weird this year… we seem to be getting on reasonably fine. I’m not hearing of anything major happening onsite that’s drastically wrong. Don’t get me wrong now, I love it, smooth sailing is the best way for an academic year to run but it all seems a bit too good… unless I’m living under a stone and don’t even know it. If you do have problems, however big or small, come let me know, it’s the only way to get them resolved. Also class reps… do you have one? If not, again let me know and Ill be sure to pop up and we can organise an election, huzzah for democracy.

pain, if not, what is your secret? Well for those up to your eyes and ready to break, fear not, Santa is coming, and not just down the chimney, but to Mountjoy. We got him early this year and he will be onsite and giving out presents to all the boys and girls both good and bad. We will be having Christmas dinner for ye all as well and a few little surprises along the way… who knows, you might just find some cash in the cover of your book, or in the barrel of your toy gun. We wanted to give back to the students this year, as ye have all been so great. I think our Welfare Power Day proved that. Sure we all had a buzz and almost everyone got involved. Christmas is going to be great so keep an eye out for the posters so ye know what is going on. If you wanna help out, even better, pop into the office and we will give you fun stuff to do, like wrapping presents or decorating a tree, and you will probably get a free t-shirt along the way too. Ill be away for the early part of December but Maebh in the office knows what is going on so call into her and she will let you know all… Or else just pop in and say hi because I’m sure she will be lonely without me. Gotta run off and do the ol Christmas shopping! Fun times whoo!!! Happy Holidays! j

Well, now all the updates and serious stuff is over its time for… X-mas, or Christmas as some might say. Are we all stressed with deadlines? If yes, I feel your

elected officer reports

Words: Lorna Geraghty, Class REP Convenor Rathmines Contact: convenor.rath@ditsu.ie

WHAT’S THE WORD: rathmines. WELL, ho, ho, ho, hollo there! Yes its that time of year again where we eat too much and stress too much about those looming assignments and exams. Yep, we proably should have started studying, and doing work before now, but hey thats life right. We just have to bare down and hit the desks. Here in Rathmines though during Christmas week there’l be loasd of events at lunchtime to make your down time that bit more fesitve ans relaxign, from pinatas to all you can eat competitions. And as the third year drama studnets are fundraising like mad (to but the set for thier graudating production damn cutbacks, shakes fist) theyl be doing things like baking cakes and carol singing up to the break, so keep an ear out if you’d like to help. Also keep the eyes up for posters about the Rathmines Winter night out towards the end of term. Our part time officers on site this year have been beavering away in LPIT meetings this year in Rathmines (minutes of these and class rep meetings can be found on the SU website: ditsu.ie) which will mean more on site events and games this year. And thanks to our new Environmental officer were lauching a tidy the canteen campaign, rember guys leave it like you’ like to find it. And seen as how there’s a how clean is your campus competition on the way, I really think we could put Rathmines on the map, and get that gold. I guess to rap up the Christmas wishes I’d like to wish you all a vey merry break and to remember not to fear, the end of January will come and the exams will have passsed and will all still be alive, lol.

Ok, so time for a Christmasey joke; its like the goodness of a christmas cracker without the mortification of having to wear that silly paper hat: Q: What do elves learn in school: A: The elf-eh-bet Q: What’s the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the normal alphabet? A: The christmas alphabet has no L (noel) Q: Why are Christmas trees like bad knitters? A: They drop their needles Q: What does a cat on the beach have in common with Christmas? A: Sandy Claus Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa? A: Claus-trophobic Knock Knock Who’s there ? Wayne Wayne who ? Wayne in a manger... ! Roysh guys, think thats enough cheese to tide you over till next year! Have a good one lads, Lorna

Words: Eve Donnelly, Student Support Advisor Kevin St. Contact: advisor.kst@ditsu.ie

WHAT’S THE WORD: kevin st. HI ALL! It’s hard to believe that the first semester is nearly over and Christmas is just around the corner. At the moment most of you are just keeping the heads down, trying to finish assignments and survive until the Christmas holidays, don’t forget we’re here if you need us.

it, it’s just a matter of time before he gets his own reality show.

Us lot in the Students’ Union have been equally as busy. All Kevin Street Governing Councilors elected, 107 Class Reps elected and we’re also not looking to shabby on the GC subcommittees – although we still have some vacancies if anyone is interested. Our six Part-Time Officers have finally been elected and I think we can all agree that it’ll be nice not to have an election in the CRM, even if its just for a little while.

Enjoy, Eve

The myriad of issues that Kevin Street has been facing been facing this year coupled with the fact that our Class reps are an articulate bunch has made the Class Rep Meetings really productive. Graham and all Part-Time Officers are in the midst of planning Kevin Streets Christmas Day Extravaganza Extraordinaire! If you’ve never seen Christmas Day in Kevin Street then you’ve never seen Christmas Day – we’ll have selection box eating competitions, festive music, Santa’s grotto (enter at your own risk though), twister and lots more fun, games, mince pies and crackers in the Snackery on Tuesday, 15th December 2009, so don’t forget. Grahams been feeling poorly this week, so that’s why this section is suddenly of such high quality, just in case you’re wondering. But don’t worry I’m sure he’ll be back for the next edition to regale you with hilarious anecdotes from his chaotic life. Lets face

Have a great Christmas and a brilliant New Year! We’ll see you in January, you know where we are if you need us.

FACT:

CRIMBO o Christmas re tw There a The Christmas s Islands. Pacific Ocean wa the ati. Island in called Kiritim ian formerly land in the Ind . as Is re miles Christm 52 squa Ocean is

CRIMBO FACT:

7 out of 10 people who own dogs buy crimbo pre sents for their pooches!

student updates

t’s 11 of the academic calander and our gyms and swimming pool are still closed. When the doors shut in early October we hoped they would reopen in a number of weeks. Nobody knew it would take this long, especially me! There have been a number of setbacks to getting the training space open and getting the gyms back up and running. Sadly we are not the only Union in a power struggle. From the students perspective it is as simple as getting people to work in the facilitites so we can use them. That is not happening and there are a number of disputes ongoing between Trade Unions and DIT. As if that wasn’t enough of a problem, we have the Irish Government and the HEA not allowing DIT to reappoint the vital staff needed to run these crucial services.

cutbacks update

When Tom Boland (Chief Exec HEA) spoke on the RTE News at six he made it clear that the HEA was looking favourably on DIT and that the situation should be sorted in two to three weeks. That was on the 27th of October and today as I write this it’s almost four weeks later and we still are waiting .

I have sent a letter to Tom Boland asking him to clarify where exactly we lie on his priority list. Do we get a mention or will he continue to fob us off until we can no longer make headway on this issue. Currently the students are paying for services which have been removed. At the moment there are discussions in the Dáil and the Seanad about the Student Registration Fee and what exactly it is being spent on. I am sure the Comptroller and Auditor General will be happy to see where the money, paid by students, is being spent. We are currently being told that this money is lying in a bank account waiting to be used! Currently DIT are spending large sums of money on hiring facilities around the city to facilitate Sports Clubs and Societies. This is a ridiculous extra expense - to rent facilities off site when we have perfect facilities lying empty. I do not disagree with DIT providing these facilities to students but I disagree with the HEA and the Department of Finance making DIT pay the extra expense when they are the ones closing the doors on our pool and gym facilitites. Please check out my blog on ditsu.ie for more information! Your President, Tracey.

The Student Support Bill. In February 2008 the Student Support Bill was published by the Minister for Education and Science. It proposed a number of changes including: • A new single unified grant scheme to replace the existing 4 schemes • New scheme to be administered by the vocational education committees (VECs) • New independent appeals board to be introduced • New requirement to be resident in State for 3 of previous 5 years The four existing schemes to be replaced are: • Higher Education Grants Scheme • Vocational Education Committees’ Scholarship Scheme • Third Level Maintenance Grants Scheme for Trainees • Maintenance Grants Scheme for Students Attending Post Leaving Certificate Courses Currently the existing 4 schemes are run by a total of 66 bodies around the country by Co. Councils and VECs. The new single scheme will be administered nationally by 33 VECs. The Bill provides for a new single Appeals Body against all decisions with the objective of ensuring the application of the schemes on an equal basis nationally.Current residence requirements state that you must have been resident (or your parents if based on their income), in your local authority area since the October prior to coming to College. The bill changes this so that you must have been resident for 3 out of the previous 5 years. At the time of the publication of the Bill the then USI President Hamid Khodabakshi welcomed its publication saying; “On balance, the Student Support Bill represents a substantial improvement for students who depend on receiving timely grant payments.The legislation is imperfect because it won’t centralize the grants system under a single agency at national level. Ultimately that would be the best way of maximizing efficiency. Even so, there is much to welcome in this Bill. It responds to longstanding criticism of the present system – certainly by USI – by streamlining and simplifying.The Support Bill should slash delays to grant payments and cut administrative errors. It must be a stepping stone to centralisation of the grants system.” The Bill is currently at the Committee stage in the Dail. Following this it will go back to a final reading and then on to the Seanad. It is still open to amendments in the Seanad, before going to the President for signature. Aontas the National Adult Learning body has called for changes in the bill specially as it relates to non fulltime students . In particular the body has made the following specific submissions on the bill. In its 2007 campaign ‘Demand Your Right to Learn’ AONTAS called on Government to remove fees for part-time courses in Higher Education Institutions as a means of promoting access to lifelong learning and increasing third level participation for mature students and those in the workforce. If you are looking for more information on the Student Support Bill please check out our website on www.ditsu.ie

FEATURE

Your academic affairs team have gathered everything you need to know to give your exams the best shot you can.

christmas is coming... and then it’s exam time. We wish you all the very best of luck as you prepare for Semester 1 exams and assignments deadlines. Try to eat well, get regular exercise and sleep so that you keep the brain sharp for study. Make sure you know what the deadline requirements are for assignments, when your exams are on and where so that you give it your best shot! The Students’ Union officers and staff are available to clarify any aspect of the regulations that govern exams and assessments as outlined in the General Assessment Regulations. This year these Regulations have been updated and you can check out a copy on our website ditsu.ie. In response to feedback from student we have lobbied for students to have the right to have their assessments reassessed if they believe that the marks allocated were unfair. Happily this process is part of the new Regs. From now on Students can apply to have their assessments ‘Re-marked’, where previously only a ‘Recheck’ of how marks were calculated or that all elements/answer-books etc were accounted was available. The Recheck and Appeal options remain and the Personal Circumstances form also. If you have any queries call into your Students Union Office or contact Jen the Vice-President. We’ll advise you on your rights and help you find the best way out of any difficulties you might have with any exam and assessment matters. So read on and watch out for the ‘What If..’ posters and the leaflets or check out the FAQs on ditsu.ie. Your Academic affairs team: Jen Jordan Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs vpacademic@ditsu.ie Mary Scally Director of Student Academic Affairs academicaffairs@ditsu.ie

FEATURE The Students’ Union provides information on the rules and regulations that govern exam/assessments etc as set out in the General Assessment Regulations. Don’t worry if you’re unsure of how these apply to you. We’re here to give advice with any queries about the procedures and to help you find the best way out of any difficulties with exams and assessments. Watch out for ‘What If..’ posters & leaflets and lots of additional information on www.ditsu.ie

What if... Things go wrong... Personal Circumstances

Rechecks, remarks and appeals

Exam Boards can make allowances for any personal or other difficulties you may have had that directly affected your performance – accidents, personal difficulties, bereavement etc. It doesn’t matter what it is - if you believe your academic performance was affected you can make the Exam Board aware so this can be considered when determining your marks.

If an exam or assessment doesn’t go your way you have a right to get the marks Rechecked, Remarked or submit an Appeal.

To do so you must complete a PC1 form. These are available from the Exams Office, Students Union Office & www.ditsu.ie and hand it in to the Exams Office within working 2 days of taking your last exam or when you are handing in your final piece of coursework or assignment. There is no charge for submitting a P/C1 form. Make sure you have the correct supporting documentation (Dr/Hospital note/Letter from Counsellor etc) to confirm the details of the circumstances you have outlined. Remember if you miss the deadline your form will not be accepted and Personal Circumstances cannot be taken into account after the exam results have been issued. Finally, always keep a copy of everything you have submitted.

If you are disappointed with the marks you have gotten for an assignment or exam you are entitled to get detailed feedback from the lecturers. You should contact them straight away to arrange an appointment to go through the assessment. This will allow you to go though the work in detail and discuss your performance and receive an explanation for the basis upon which marks were awarded. It is advisable to do this as soon as possible as you may wish to pursue alternative channels (Recheck; Re-marking or Appeal). If you are still unhappy with your results there are a number of options:• • •

Recheck Remark Appeal

Make sure you take note of the deadline for each; once the time limit has passed you will have lost your opportunity and exceptions are never allowed. The clock starts ticking once the results are published online or on Pass Lists not when they arrive in the post to your house.

Recheck The purpose of a recheck is simply to make sure that no mistakes were made in the calculation of marks, that all answer books are accounted for etc. It is NOT a remarking of your paper. A Recheck costs €15 per module; this is fully refundable if errors are discovered. You must complete the A/R1 form and submit it along with the fee to the Exams office within 3 working days of the publication of your results.

information is provided that wasn’t made available to the Exam Board, i.e.: a lost answer book/assignment that wasn’t included in your marks etc These are the only grounds on which an appeal may be made. Grounds NOT to appeal on: •

If it turns out that errors was made, your Head of School will immediately notify the Exams Office to recall the Exam Board to revise your mark.

That the format of the exam wasn’t what you expected.

•

That someone who normally gets similar marks to you did better than you.

Re-mark - New for 2009!

•

That you didn’t get sample papers, no-one is obliged to provide these.

•

You had performed better in your continuous assessments.

•

That you missed a lab or class that was relevant to the exam, unless extenuating circumstances apply.

•

That you ‘think’ you did better than you did.

If you have discussed your marks in detail with your lecturer and are convinced that you should have received better marks you can get the work re-marked. You fill out the A/R2 form (available from the Exams Office/ Students’ Union Offices/ ditsu.ie) and pay a fee of €XX and submit to the Exams Office within XX days of the publication of your results. One thing to watch out for here is the possibility that your marks may stay the same or drop and you will have to accept the revised mark. In the event that the re-mark gives rise to a change of mark, the Head of School will arrange for the Exam Board to be reconvened so that the new mark will be recorded. Appeals The DIT Appeals process provides for appeal by a student against a decision of the Examination Board on fairly specific grounds. Grounds are: •

That the General Assessment Regulations have not been properly implemented

•

A circumstance occurred that is not specifically covered by the Regulations

•

New attested, documented and relevant

You have 7 working days from the date your results are published to submit an appeal form A/A1, available from the Exams Office/ Students’ Union Office and www.ditsu.ie. It costs €75 but your money will be refunded if you’re successful. When you’ve filled out the form you must hand it in to the Exams Office. Please contact us for advice on how to complete it or clarification on the process etc. If your appeal grounds are considered eligible you will be requested to attend a meeting with the members of the Appeals Board to give them an opportunity to discuss the details with you further. You are entitled to have Students’ Union representation at that hearing. for information on anything exam related or to pick up any of the forms mentioned here drop into your local su office or contact jen or mary (contact details on page 15)

FEATURE So off I went, still with a little doubt and only a little nausea and the results were so much better, I couldn’t believe it. Being honest, most people around me probably couldnt believe it either! Come on now Jen get to the bloody point....Ok here goes, below is a “Taking tests with less stress” advice piece from the councelling service. Don’t shy away because I said counselling, they know what they’re on about. And once you’ve read through this make sure to check out their study skills seminar (pg. 21) Oh how exams were the bane of my existence over the three of my four years studying in DIT...

Here are the points I found most relevant, i.e. Jen in study mode! •

The constant putting off of study, the useless and terrifying cram sessions. The nerves making me want to throw up both while I was studying and during the exams. Repeating the same saga over everytime another assessment was coming and having to pull all nighters. And then for my final exams in fourth year, divine intervention through an evening rant on the phone, solved the major problems with my study issues.

•

I was talking to Cecilia, a girl I went to school with at home in Cork and she told me about a module she was doing as part of her course which was essentially ‘how to study’. She gave me a basic background to the different methods and said how useful she had found it, so off the phone I got and after a quick shot of coffee, I googled a few of the things she’d been on about. Now I had always heard that different people learn through different methods, but to be honest I though it was all pretty much waffle and that because most of the people I knew just learned off information to regurgitate like in school, that that was the way it should be done.

•

Oh how wrong I was, there are so many different ways of teaching yourself something and training your mind to remember different bits of information. Sure it takes a bit longer, but once you’ve found the one for you it works so much easier. Now I’m not claiming it’s a miracle and that study is suddenly stress free. But it definitely beats the vomiting, the headaches, the procrastinating and general doubt in my abilities I had experienced for every set of exams prior to this one.

•

• •

Increased desire to put things off, my mind was always procrastination central I will leave it too late to study just like the last time Physical complaints...headaches, nausea etc Panicky and anxious feelings

And the tips that applied to me most from the counselling service piece •

• • • •

Positive attitude: I can do this if I really put my mind to it Picture yourself being successful and handling the test without excessive stress Anticipate test questions and practice samples Eat a Healthy breakfast, no that does not include sausage rolls!! Get a proper nights sleep, you need to be able to think on your feet in an exam Read the whole paper through and start with the question that you are most comfortable with (for those of you thinking ha I’m not going to be comfortable with any of them, suck it up and think of the exam as showing anyone you don’t think believes in you that they were wrong). Use educated guessing when your out of other options but avoid waffling.

Exams are never nice, they’re never a laugh but everyone in the Students’ Union wants to make it as easy for you as possible so if you need and help, information or just a chat pop in to us and take a seat or pick up the phone. Best of luck, jen.

coping with exam stress DIT counselling service shares some tips...

How to cope with test anxieties…..

STRATEGIES TO REDUCE TEST ANXIETY

Many students experience strong emotional, physical and behavioural reactions or anxieties when they are faced with taking tests or examinations. So if you are experiencing any adverse reactions or anxieties then you are not alone but the question you must ask yourself is what can I do about it?

There are strategies that you can use to prepare emotionally, physically and mentally for tests. However before you read about the right way to cope, it is important that you are aware of the wrong way to cope: Some students respond to feelings of anxiety by cramming. Cramming may put some information into memory but will not lead to thorough understanding of the material. Cramming can also give rise to the “blank mind” during examinations. So cramming as a survival technique in college is about as useful as an ashtray on a motor bike! What is worse is that it causes more anxiety as students become aware of how much they don’t know.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS? • • • • •

Panicky or anxious feelings Short temper or tendency to blame others Increased desire to put things off Negative self talk (see below) Physical complaints e.g. headaches

DO YOU RECOGNISE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING NEGATIVE SELF STATEMENTS? • • • • •

They are all smarter, more intelligent than me. I should never have taken this course, I know I’ll fail. What’s the point anyway. Why can’t I do better, my whole life is failure, I’m not capable of being good at anything. I will leave it too late to study just like the last time.

EMOTIONAL PREPARATION Use positive self talk and visualisations. • I can succeed if I really put my mind to it. • I am learning to use effective study strategies. • I’m learning how to cope with pressure. Practice visualisation techniques. Picture yourself being successful handling the test without excessive stress, or if you are feeling very uptight, try visualising an image or picture of a peaceful or tranquil place, such as a deserted sandy beach in summer, or the top of a high mountain, away from everyone. Picture yourself relaxing in this scene, and carry out the relaxation exercises.

FEATURE Relaxation techniques: One relaxation method is the “breathing by threes”. Inhale slowly through your nose as you count to three. Exhale slowly through your nose as you count to three. Repeat this several times. MENTAL PREPARATION Some preliminary steps that you might take would include: • Seek help from your lecturer and/or counsellor about study techniques • Get organised. Tidy up and organise your notes and other material. • Make a special set of notes that contain summaries of information that requires more of your attention. • Use study methods that give ample feedback. To help identify areas that need more review, have a friend or family member quiz you. • Anticipate test questions. Use information from your notes, lectures to predict test questions. Allocate some time each day to practising answering some of the questions. • Find out as much as you can about the upcoming test. PHYSICAL PREPARATION • •

• •

Get a good night’s sleep. Allow time for a healthy breakfast. Avoid sugary foods, they may give you an “energy boost” but the effects will wear off quickly and will leave your energy level lower than before you ate. Check that you have all the necessary supplies Allow extra time to get to college the day before the test.

4. 5.

the question that you are most comfortable with. Plan out each answer clearly before you begin. At the end always check over your answers and proof read for mistakes.

WHAT IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER TO A QUESTION? •

•

Use a delayed response for those answers that you don’t know right away. In other words, read the question a few times and try recall the information by linking or associating key works in the question to clusters of information that you have in your memory. Or try to visualise the notes that you made or heard when the lecturer was discussing the topic. If you are not sure of the answer, delay the response. Skip the question for now and return to it later after answering as many questions as you can. Use educated guessing when you have exhausted other options but avoid waffling.

after the test Tests are valuable learning tools. As soon as you can, after the test or assessment, make a list of the questions that confused you. Write down topics that you did not study thoroughly. Remember changing your approach to tests can take a little time. Making positive changes is a bit like climbing stairs, you have to take it one step at a time, but before long you’ll reach the top. For support/assistance, please make an appointment with your local counsellor by phoning 402 3352/ 086082054

USING TEST TIME WISELY: THE FIVE STEPS As you work through the test, following these five steps for answering questions: 1. Read the whole paper through and highlight and underline important words. 2. Check how many questions must be answered in each section and read each question again, putting a mark beside all that you might attempt. Now select those that you will answer. 3. Allocate time for each question and start with

BO FACT

CRIM es are edible as tre in! Christm So tuck

DIT Student Counselling Service

Count Down to Exams

Reaching your potential in Exams

The Student Counselling Service will deliver 2 distinct 1 hour session on:

Exam Techniques Time: 2.00pm-3.00pm

Managing Stress Time: 3.00pm-4.00pm

Date: Friday 11th December 2009. Time: 2.00pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4.00pm. Venue: Lecture Theatre 4027 Aungier Street.

For support/assistance, contact Student Counselling Service By phoning 402 3352/ 0860820543. www.dit.ie/DIT/counselling/index.html

FUNDRAISING

dancing shoes

make-a-wish dance-a-thon hits kevin street... Well done to all involved in the dance -a -thon held in the sports hall in Kevin St on Wed Nov 25th in aid of the Make A Wish foundation. For those of you Keviners who were wondering what was rattling the petri dishes that day with the loudest music ever heard in Kevin St booming out over the courtyard – don’t worry - it was in the best of causes. Hardy souls danced their socks off all day from 11 and were still going strong (as you can see from the photos) well into the afternoon. The money raised from this day will be combined with proceeds from other events all being organised by Jess Elmes, Katy Noonan and Lisa Byrne from the Hospitality Mgt Society in Cathal Brugha St. The Dj and Dance Socs got involved in the dance–a- thon and made sure Kevin St rocked that day. The Make a Wish foundation is a fantastic organisation which operates world wide and their mission is to grant wishes to children between the ages of 3 and 18 who are living with a life threatening illness. The result is fantasy into reality. A wish can provide a positive, often once in a lifetime experience, for the child and its family. Focusing the child’s attention away from the difficult routine of medical treatment and consultations, and the daily struggle against a life-threatening condition. The promise of a wish can have a remarkable effect on a sick child and has enormous impact on everyone close to them. A wish gives a child something to look forward to through their many months of treatment. See makeawish.ie for details on the Irish branch and give your support to Jess, Katy and Lisa if you see them about in their pink tshirts. Well done girls. Keep up the good work.

Opinion

water water everywhere Think the clogged drain in the shower is bad? Eric Fitzgerald talks about facing up to three foot of floodwater and waking up to find ducks in your back garden.

Ye Dublin types don’t know what hardship is! In the town of Clonmel, which I regrettably call home, we’re flooded about as often as...well, something that gets flooded very often. It’s tough to face up to it when you’re living up on the mountain, sneering down at all the riff-raff as they clamber helplessly for their Lidl dinghies...but enough about my inflated sense of self-importance. Clonmel’s built on a floodplain, meaning that we’ve essentially flipped the finger at Mother Nature and cried “give us your best shot.” Lo and behold, given us our best she has. Around twice a year we reach for our armbands, pull on our waterproofs and assess the damage. Be warned: here comes the serious bit! The main street of Clonmel is home to most of the small business which are on offer, with most of their basements, back yards and other assorted storage spaces located down on the quays. This often results in – you guessed it – fairly strong flood damage. Take for example my own parent’s shop. The water did not choose to come in the back door, that would have been far too unoriginal... Instead it chose to crack the concrete floor of the basement, surge up and leave us with 20,000 euro worth of damage. Sucks to be a small retailer. In fairness, you’ve got to give credit to the elements for being creative. Try telling that to my father as he literally tries to shout the water out of the bottom floor.

The solution of the powers that be? Build flood walls! Never mind that they’re taking so long to complete that they currently stand in dribs and drabs, like a child’s unfinished Lego house. They’re not so much flood barriers, as flood redirectors. What care we that Ardfinnan and other villages are now bearing the brunt of the flood water when we’re nice and (I’m hoping this will be the case once they’re complete!) dry? To revert to a previous point, it also results in a stronger water pressure, thus increasing the chances of the water coming up through the basement floor. Cue further welly-clad anger on behalf of Papa Fitz. Never mind businesses, what about residents? Every year there’s the obligatory news footage of poor elderly women being forced out of their homes for fear they wake up half the way down the river to Waterford. It’s a pain in the neck of epic proportions for all concerned. The kicker? Not a single company in Christendom will pay out flood insurance. Oh joy. My socks still need wringing out, so I’ll cut it off here. Best go prepare for the next flood. I could have sworn I saw Noah screaming he couldn’t find a female aardvark... E.F.

STUDENT SHOWCASE

Above: Untitled, Anna Wickham, BA Photography Yr 3. Below: ‘Waiting’, Ciara O’Halloran, DIT Templebar.

Above: Fashion Shoot, Ciuin Tracey, DIT Templebar. Below: Untitled, Anna Wickham, BA Photography Yr 3.

governing Council update

Words: Claire Healey Governing Council Clerk

What the H is Governing Council?

governing council Well, it’s been a very busy time in democracy terms, with another two Governing Council meetings held and another coming up on 8th December . At the meeting on the 4th November, we held elections for the Deputy Chairperson of Governing Council, and I’m delighted to announce that Graham Hayes was deemed elected to this position. We also had a hotly contested election for the Governing Council representatives on the Services and Trading Sub-Committee. Congratulations to all who were elected to all the Sub-Committees. At the meeting on the 25th November, there were 2 motions passed, and these can also be found on the website. The Student Support Bill was a contentious item on the Agenda, with pro’s and con’s being listed and debated. It was requested that a special sitting of Governing Council be held, where a formal debate can be had. We will keep students informed of when this will take place. I am delighted to say that we have elected 66 out of a possible 70 Governing Councillors. There are still a couple of positions left in Mountjoy Square and Bolton Street, so contact Claire Healey at administrator@ ditsu.ie to get involved. I am also delighted to let you know, that for the first time in DITSU history, all 4 of the Gov Council Sub Committees have sat – they are Academic and Student Affairs; Chief Ops and Communications; Clubs and Socs Guild and Services and Trading. If you would like to get involved or get more information on these, please pop down to your Students’ Union Office or visit the Governing Council section of our website ditsu.ie/governing-council where you can find all the relevant documents and contact details.

Emily Keveaney, a stalwart of Governing Council for 4 years now, gives you the low-down on what Governing actually is, and does... If you ask most people what council is, you’ll probably hear words like long, boring and sometimes interesting. That sounds like all my nine o’clock lectures and yet this will be my fourth year as a governing councillor. A tiny bit of me has to admit my continued attendance has some masochistic leanings. But why do I really go back year after year? Governing Council is the highest body within the Students Union. It is where students gather to decide things like the RAG charity, and to make sure the elected officers doing their job as well as addressing any problems within DIT and figuring out how to fix them. It can be fun listening to the debates as people argue over things like grants and clean campuses. You also get to challenge your site convenor if you think they don’t do enough or if they do something badly. We have our lovely chairperson who stops it from becoming a free for all. The rules ensure that every opinion is respected. Since our structure is similar to the governments it gives you a larger insight into Irish politics and why it can take so long to reach a decision. I’m not all that interested in politics but I am interested in equality and that is what holds my attention. You should find out what Council is for yourself - why don’t you attend and let me know? Council is open to any student who wishes to attend. E.K.

ENTS UPDATE

WHAT: CHRISTMAS BALL / XMAS MAYHEM / SNOW BALL WHERE: TBC [see posters] WHEN: 17 December WHY: All proceeds going to charity. Christmas ball / xmas mayhem / snowball Listen, call it what you will – and, being honest, as of this needing to go to print we simply haven’t decided what to call it yet - a ‘Christmas Ball’ is a Christmas Ball. . . it’s one last big blow-out before ye all head in a load of random directions for the holidays, trying not to think about the pesky exams looming after the aforementioned holidays. . .HENCE, the Christmas Ball / Snow Ball / Xmas Mayhem fun and games! It’ll be Thursday 17th (unless that changes. . . if it does change then we’ll look silly for having written this. . .but, sure, what can ya do?! As of right now it’s Thursday 17th. Just check the posters . . . For now all we can say is it’ll be even BETTER than last year’s ‘Xmas Mayhem’. And, yes, we are well aware how lofty an ambition that is. Last year’s Xmas Mayhem saw over 1300 of us hit Tripod and celebrate in style, partying like we hadn’t a Christmas care in the world! We’re working closely with DIT Societies Office as well as many of the larger societies to put this

together and we’re full sure it’ll rock. You’ll be unable to miss the hype in the weeks building up to it when we’re spreading the Christmas cheer. Proceeds from the fun will be going to two very worthy causes, namely this year’s RAG charity Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin as well as benefiting the SVP Xmas appeal. SVP Society put a lot of hard work in throughout the year, and especially around Christmas when it can be most needed, so we’re happy to be helping out. So, please, do what you can. Take a tag from the tree and buy a present or buy a ticket for the event and help that way. Spread the Christmas spirit of giving!! As somewhat of an aside, the week commencing the 7th may see some local Christmas-themed activity on your site so be sure to get involved! Depending on what site you’re on and when ye have hand-ups and assignments due you’ll be enjoying the Christmas frivolity the week of the 7th or the week of the 14th. Your local elected officers will be orchestrating the madness so get in there and give them a hand and build the local atmosphere! Sometimes, as the man says, ya gotta make your own fun happen!

WHAT: RAG WEEK WHERE: On-Site & Various Venues WHEN: 8-12 March WHY: All proceeds going to Our Lady’s Childrens Hospital. Did someone say rag week? yeah we did! Ya we’re talking about it again but only because we don’t want ye forgetting about it. RAG Week this year is Week 6 of 2nd Semester. That’s the week commencing 8th March and it’s the week right before Review Week. That’s no coincidence you know! We’re planning on sending ye off in style so that ye’ll NEED the week off to recharge the batteries. We’re looking to repeat the success of Freshers Week and put on as many wicked gigs as we can for your partying pleasure. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we get it wrong but we’re hoping our lucky streak hasn’t ended JUST yet. . . we’re already talking to agents and venues and such like things and things are shaping up nicely so far. . . RAG Week will of course include the usual charity features . . . the sponsored Swim / Dive in the 40ft and the bucket collection in Temple Bar – come one, come all, there may well be some free tickets in it for ye. . . that seemed to evoke peoples’ charitable natures last year! – being the two main ones. Those eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that I didn’t mention the Bungee Jump, which, we all

know, is probably THE most standard of charity ventures during RAG Week. Now, there’s a good reason I didn’t mention it originally, that being that we are actually working on an alternative to the Bungee Jump which should be an even bigger hit. . . keep your bits and bobs crossed that it pans out coz it’ll rock if it does!! Stay tuned. . . We’ll be publishing a list of fundraising ideas to get your creative juices flowing. We’ve already had approaches from various students with weird and wonderful plans for raising money and we’re encouraging as many of ye as possible to do the same! For the less creative among ye we’ll be publishing a list of ideas, like I said! So peruse and ponder and plan something splendid . . . almost perfect alliteration . . . couldn’t come up with another ‘P’ to work there – suggestions to events@ditsu.ie please!!

ENTS UPDATE Alright, so we’ve already mentioned RAG Week, but there’s a host of other things in the pipeline for 2nd Semester besides RAG. Now, we MAY have mentioned this before but 2nd Semester is gonna be EXTREMELY tight. . . stoopid Easter (sorry!) and stooped Review Week (ye do NOT need 3 weeks off in a month!!) are eating a month out of the calendar which is a month in which we can’t throw any parties. So, for better or worse, we’re gonna cram in as much as we can into the other 8 or 9 weeks and make it as fun-filled as we can! So here’s what we’re working on: Stevie Starr: The man who swallows and regurgitates all sorts will be back and this time he’ll be visiting the smaller DIT sites early in 2nd Semester! He’s not cheap. . . as he’s been on TV in every blooming country on the planet – Jay Leno Show (USA) 6 times, Late Night With Letterman (USA), Aresenio Hall Show (USA), Howard Stern Show (USA), The Big Gig (Australia), Supertreffer (Switzerland), Nippon TV Special (Japan), Mike Bongiorno Show (Italy). . . ah the list goes on forever, trust us! Check him out at ukstars.co.uk – just click on the ‘Stevie Starr’ link. There’s info and loads of video footage on there to whet your appetites! You know how they say ya gotta do some things at least once?! Well Stevie’s act never gets old! Oh, and he’s how we ended up with pet fish here in Bolton St. too. . . but THAT’S a story for another day. . . Aidan Killian Early in 2nd Semester we’re gonna get a nice man named Aidan Killian to come in too. He’s a funny man. As in, he’s a comedian. He gets paid to be funny. BUT, beyond being paid to be funny, he’s also a ‘Humour and Presentation Coach’. Now, beat that! He runs workshops where he helps people become more confident as presenters – which is definitely gonna be handy for ye all when it comes to project presentations and thesis presentations etc. - through a process he likes to call ‘Presentation Skills through stand-up comedy’ – very catchy title too! Anyway, the important part of this is, we’ll be doing a FREE class early in 2nd Semester for the first 8 / 10 people to express an interest. After that we may book in some more. Check him out at aidankillian.com for more!

Smash Hits 90’s Band If you haven’t already had the pleasure, then ye should check out the Smash Hits 90s Band. . . they all but stole the show in the basement during the Freshers Ball and THAT was no mean feat AND they made major party happen at the Class Rep Training Weekend, you lucky Class Reps so. . . we’ve been fielding requests from left, right and centre to get them to play a gig for the masses and it’ll be happening in Semester 2 so keep your ears to the ground. . .we’re toying with the idea of a ‘Naughty 90s’ night where ye can all dress up in naughty clothes (not entirely sure what that criteria covers, exactly. . . ) but, theme decisions aside, there’ll be a 90s night and it’ll be epic. . . in the meantime check out the band on the Youtube and the Facebook for a flavour of what to expect. . . you didn’t hear it here but the reason they’re so good MAY be because 3 of the members of the group are also members of another very popular Irish band whose name escapes me currently. . . or does it?! Point is – they’re good and you’re going to want to be there!! DandeLIVE Gigs The DandeLIVE gigs will HOPEFULLY come together in 2nd Semester. As you’re probably aware they didn’t work in 1st Semester for some very annoying but real reasons, but we’re already looking at scheduling them in after Christmas. Ye can expect appearances from The Coronas, The Chapters – can anyone say ‘Next Big Thing’?!?! and we’re talking to the Blizzards too so that should hopefully give ye all your fix of the best in established live Irish acts. It’s a simple formula – good live act, good friendly venue, good student-friendly drink prices and fun fun fun! Beat Torrent For any of ye lucky enough to have come along to the C2C show in RAG Week ’08 in The Village, then ye are in for an absolute treat. . . we’re talking to the Beat Torrent crew about coming back to do a show in 2nd Semester – possibly during RAG Week 2010. Beat Torrent is C2C and C2C is Beat Torrent. These guys are the best at what they do. Simple as. They’ve been DMC World Scratch Champions millions of times and the Beat Torrent show is one with a full AV element thrown into the mix. There’ll be 4 turntables, video mixers, laptops and god knows what else – I don’t understand half their tech specs!! We’ve seen a sneak peek of the visuals and they are simply awesome. They play all over the world and are busier

than the busiest of busy djs. Check out myspace. com/beatorrent to see them do their thing and pray to the dance gods that we can nail a date that works for everyone. . . DJ Woody Sticking with the same kind of theme. . . we’re looking at doing a show with DJ Woody. . . DJ Woody Madera has been tearing up dance floors all across the world and we’re hoping to bring him to a venue near you in the not too distant future. . . There’s not a lot I can say about him that’s not already been said, to be honest. The Scratch Perverts said it rather well when they described him as ‘. . . without doubt one of the most creative forces in djing the UK scene has ever produced’ while DJ Yoda has anointed Woody a ‘Demi-God against mere DJ mortals’. With recommendations like THOSE, I’m not gonna come up with words to describe him. We’re hoping to land the Dublin leg of his ‘Turntables in Technicolour’ AV Tour in 2010. Again, solid scratching and mixing coupled with inspired visuals are gonna mean one helluva a party! Check his sh*t out at myspace.com/ woodymadera Full Moon Paint Party Moving onto something a little less hardcore. . . the ‘Full Moon Paint Party’ will be returning. I won’t lie to ye – we didn’t expect it to ge as MASSIVE as it was in Freshers Week and we’re heeding your calls for another one. Again, it may land during RAG Week, depending on how other things pan out, but one way or another 2nd Semester will see it happen. There’ll be – no messing – TEN TIMES as much paint as there was in Freshers and we’re stepping it up with even more uv lamps too. . check out ditsu.ie/ photos to see how mental the Freshers Week party was and get ready for part two. . . we’re gonna EARN the title of ‘Greatest Paint Party EVER’. . . believe that playa! We’re gonna become known for them. Headphones & Heels Who said you couldn’t be pretty AND talented?! Un untalented hottie or a talented not-so-hottie I’d imagine. . . anyway, regardless of who said it we’ve got the proof to the contrary. . . shaking things up under the brand ‘Headphones & Heels’ with a new Ministry of Sound weekly residency announced too, models Sam Cooke (Sun Page 3 Idol Winner 2006 / Nuts / Zoo / Maxim / FHM), Kellie Acreman (FHM High Street Honeys Tour / Catfight / Nuts / Zoo /

Loaded), Lauren Pope (Daily Star Page 3 Winner 2004 / Playboy / Nuts / Zoo / Maxim / Loaded) and some more hot friends are making serious waves in clubs around the world. I’m not messing either. They’ve played MTV Official after parties, Boudoir and the 400 Club in Dubai at the Official Dubai World Cup After Party, PFA Awards Official After Party, BCM Mallorca, Ministry of Sound Egypt, Le Garage Chamonix in France. The point is these girls can actually spin. With a leaning towards electro, dance and house, they’re guaranteed to keep the floor full. We’re looking at a few dates as options in 2nd Semester so stay tuned. The BIG Bash The BIG Bash will be rolling around towards the end of April. . . early days as they say but work started back in September on different acts which are big enough to warrant a gig being called the BIG Bash. It’ll be the last big gig before the end of the Semester so we aim to make it a good one. Even More Stuff: Keep an eye out for Art & Design Week rolling around in 2nd Semester also! IT’s been a major event in DIT Mountjoy Square for the last number of years and this year we’re helping out the students who put it together in any way we can which will hopefully include bringing it to some of the other DIT sites to share the love as it were! SHAG Week will be back – fear not! For those of you who enjoyed what has been described most aptly recently by one of the students as the ‘tastefully erotic’ burlesque show the Tassel Club put on for us in the Button Factory, rest assured we’re working on some wonderfulness for this year too! We’re working some other angles too. . . some of which, as usual, will pan out and some of which won’t but we’re keeping busy and we’re determined to make 2nd Semester a fun one!

opinion: NEVIN

Words: Ciaran Nevin

a very civil christmas It’s with O’Leary in the grave...

Ah… this is difficult, not because this is my last ever article (although it is), but because I feel obliged to spread some Christmas cheer. This would be challenging enough for me on a good year, but this year it seems all too impossible. What is there to be cheery about? As a nation, we spent all of but a few days being cheery about our independence. Then we starting fighting with each other, and when that finished we were filled with joy that the fighting was over. Then came the emergency, where we had little to be joyful about, except that we were holding our own and not backing down to Britain. Then came the troubles, another aptly named period in our history, where once again this country or island (depending on your persuasion) tore itself apart. We were cheery when that finished too. We referred to a barbarous war where brother fought against brother as a ‘civil’ war. We referred to the most gruesome chapter in human history as the emergency, all because we had to ration our petrol and butter. The fact that a conflict stretching over 30 years on this island, killing over 3000 people was dubbed the Troubles, is indeed troubling to say the least. Our troubles were our own, and the troubles of the world mattered little...

The interesting thing though is that while as a nation, we always did our best to down play any event which was not to our liking or our pride, it was not so much out of badness as out of a feeling of inferiority. We never saw ourselves as major players on the world stage. Our troubles were our own, and the troubles of the world mattered little in our insignificant island cocoon. Paddy Kavanagh put it best when he said, “That was the year of the Munich bother”.

Then came our roaring Celtic Tiger economy and suddenly we felt that we belonged on the world stage. We deserved all of this wealth, all of this power and all of this influence. Ireland was a beacon of light to all newly independent countries in Eastern Europe. Every country wanted what we had. In the past couple of decades we have done well for ourselves, we have finally overthrown the shackles of religious rule. We have, to a large extent, moved on from Civil War politics, and we have managed to raise many of our people out of poverty. Once again, we did it in our own slow and understated way, inch by inch. But while all this was happening something caused a dramatic shift in the Irish psyche. Gone are the days where we put-up and shut-up - the days where shameful parts of our history were given bland names to help us live with them. People have a right to try and better themselves, and I’m glad they did.

We have grown proud, and we have come to expect a certain quality of life. Not the same quality of life for everyone, no country has ever achieved that. But the working class expected better treatment, better pay, and maybe a holiday once a year. The middle class expected more disposable income, more exotic holidays, and possibly a second house. The upper class, well those that had some class generally didn’t change their lifestyle that much, those that just had money often became tax exiles. With the exception of the tax exiles, I don’t have any

Words: Deirdre McGing

problem with any of this. People have a right to try and better themselves, and I am glad that people did. But with success can come a deafening sense of superiority. We lived the American dream here in Ireland, without ever boarding a coffin ship. Now though, the country has woken up to find that we may well have wet ourselves in our sleep, and we just don’t know how to clean it up. We have lost that casual “sur’ it’ll be grand” attitude, and have instead inherited that most American of attitudes; that being on top is our rightful place. I don’t think that this is necessarily bad, in fact I would say that unless you believe you should be successful, you will not be successful. But surely we can do it in a less annoying way. The French match was just one example. I, like most people (including the French) was disgusted with how the game was won and lost. 20 years ago however, we would have just wrote a funny song and sent it to number one in the charts, this time we made inter-governmental efforts to achieve a replay, we even protested the French embassy. As a nation we are working ourselves up into chaos when we once prided ourselves on working quietly through turmoil.

McGings Musings: The Curse of UGG-liness: Not only is the notorious UGG boot one of the most commonly requested Christmas gifts of all time, it also tops the poll for being one of the ugliest inventions in the world, possibly the universe. By now I am sure you are all aware (with the exception of a few of you who obviously live under a rock) that this hideous piece of footwear is usually sported by wealthy suburban girls with nothing better to spend their money on. Trust me, you will most certainly find an UGG girl in her natural habitat should you stumble onto a Dart on any given day of the week. Along with her unsightly sense of style, she may also be babbling: “Oh my gawd, these UGGs are loike totally soaking up all this water, loike, oh my gawd”. Men utterly hate these boots and many have the opinion that they resemble a dead sheep’s head stuffed with a repulsive foot.

Outside of the unfair world of sport, we have the unfair world of the economy, and there again our attitude has changed. We have done well over the past few years and now, understandably so, we cannot bare the thought of giving any of it up. The country is having little more than a verbal debate between the public and private sectors and yet it is being dubbed a Civil War. Years ago, when times were hard we gave very bad things boring names, now after a period of success, we give apocalyptic names to conflicts that in relative terms are quite minor. As a nation we are working ourselves up into chaos when we once prided ourselves on working quietly through turmoil. We have gone from one extreme to the other, and we need to find the balance. Right now we are getting nowhere while the country crumbles around us. If we keep stirring it up, someone will win, but will what’s left over be worth winning? So I suppose this is not a story of Christmas cheer, but instead a call for everyone to give a little, and talk a little less about giving it. Lets not return to civil war politics.

Be warned, these boots do not look attractive when worn with skirts, velour tracksuits, leggings, or any other form of clothing for that matter. They should never be worn for fashion, and the only time it is acceptable to wear them is if you are an old women with a broken toe.

Happy Christmas

These people scheme against us by treating their precious luggage like a person and place it on the filthy seat beside them so we can’t sit down (no matter how much we want to).

C.N. Note from the Editor: Sadly, this is the final article from Ciaran as he will be concentrating on his final year studies and his long running bid to be the first Leitrim Man in Space from here on in. Thanks and so long to Ciaran for all his articles over the years in Compact and Toast magazines. He has made us laugh, cry and more importantly think. His unique angle and take on life will be sorely missed by us all but a little bird tells me this may not be the last we hear from Ciaran.

Commuter Rage: How does one define a commuter? A true commuter is one that is exposed to a multitude of diseases whilst being shuffled back and forth on a daily basis. It is essential that this shuffling must take place on an over crowed train, Luas or a bean can of a bus in order to be classed as a commuter. In addition, true student commuters have to endure the agony of the non-student commuters every-single-day. We are a league apart from those business people who hobble aboard our bus and aggressively push past us in an attempt to claim an empty seat as their own.

Not only do we have to sacrifice the wonders of the true college experience (like sleeping in and walking to college), we have to endure the sound leakage of the guy listening to his mp3 player beside us and the middle aged pervert who is intently staring at our breasts. As they say: ‘What’s a commuter girl to dooo?’ D.McG.

christmas special Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow... Funny thing happened to me today, I was walking past M&S on Grafton Street lost in a world of Purple Rain when I realised that it was snowing. That’s right, for approximately one minute I was standing in a three metre radius circle of snowfall. I’m assuming that it had to be the work of a snow machine or else I was more stressed than I realised and was hallucinating. Either way for the rest of the day all I could do was daydream about a white Christmas and came up with my ultimate Snow Day. Picture this, an epic snowball warfare where it is the Northside versus the Southside (southside wins obviously) where trivialities like exams and reports are buried under a barrage of frozen weaponry and screams of excitement pierce the air. The day would end with all of us around a fire with hot chocolate and cake. Ok, the fact that the fire would have to be something like Dublin city burning to accommodate all of us but hey, it’s my imagination I can have impossibilities if I want. But riddle me this, considering how few people there are who like rain, why do people like snow so much? It’s just as wet and it’s also cold due to the whole frozen water thing. And come on, hands up, who has slipped and fallen on a patch of ice in front of THAT person. I know it’s not just me. So why do people like snow? Other than the fact that since most people my age haven’t seen real snowfall in Dublin it gives us permission to regress to a childhood state. When I see snow falling I remember when I was about six and a few inches of snow fell at about one o’clock in the morning. We were allowed out to play in it because we knew it would be gone in the morning. The entire street, about ten families, were out until three a.m. having a massive snowball fight and building snowmen and in the morning the snow had vanished like it had never been. So I say boooo to these adverts that tell us there is ‘snow’ chance of a white Christmas; and booooo to anyone else who wants to deny me my White Christmas. Come back Jackie Frost and let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. E.K.

From Grinch to Santa’s Little Helper... in 10 steps... 1.

Walk up and down Grafton Street, listen to all the Carol singing groups and rate them out of ten. Some may be good, some may be not so good, but hearing all those Christmas tunes is sure to give you some Christmas cheer! 2. Do something for charity. Give a present for the giving tree in college or help out with a charity Christmas fund-raiser. The DIT Senior Citizens dinner is a good one! 3. Youtube the Coca Cola Christmas ads over and over again! 4. Are they selling Christmas trees in your area? Go for a walk and smell the pine, it is such a Christmassy smell! 5. Walk through the city at night time. Check out how beautiful the city looks with all the Christmas lights. 6. Watch Love Actually on DVD, it is the most Chrismassy film ever... even the lads don’t mind it! But even if you don’t like it lads, a quiet night in with Love Actually and some chocolate will get you serious brownie points with your significant other! 7. Wear a Santa hat or Flashing Christmas earrings, not only will it make you smile but it will also make everybody who sees you along the way grin from ear to ear (and not just because you look at tad silly) 8. The Christmas edition of the RTE guide should be out by now and if you haven’t got it already... go and get it! Sit down and decide what films you want to watch and then make all your plans around them. 9. Smile, it doesn’t cost anything and it doesn’t take too much effort. Christmas isn’t an easy time for everyone and you would be surprised the difference a simple smile can make. 10. If all else fails pop down to your local SU Office and get your Convenor to do a Christmas dance for you! Ivana Hugginkiz

Words & Craft: Kathryn Payne

Needle and thread! Sew that plain old bag into something unique > > > > >

Plants- not the most exciting but nice for parents/family- find a quirky pot and TA-DA! < < < < <

handmade pressies Kathryn from our very own Art & Design Soc. shares some crimbo handiwork ideas...

Record bowl- any old records lying around? 20 seconds in a hot oven andthey can be moulded in a funky bowl. < < < < <

Personalise and embellish- cheap plain handbags can be unique with a little bit of thought. > > > > >

Cards can be special giftsadd scraps of paper and bits of broken jewellery for some sparkle! < < < < <

Jewelley- beads can be cheap enough if you just want to make a smallbracelet- and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l mean more than a bunch of penneys finest. > > > > >

christmas special

christmas around the world... You cant beat a bit of culture! Our very own Lina Hacker wanted to share with you all what Christmas is like back home in Germany, and that gave us a good reason to look at what happens in other countries around the world...

For us Christmas really starts on the first advent. What’s that? It’s the fourth Sunday before Christmas, this year the 29th of Nov. We get together with our families and light the first of four advent candles and one more is lit on every following advent, until finally all four are burning and Christmas is here. And of course, don’t forget the lovely homemade cakes and cookies.

walk, some families go to church or some just send the children out of the living room. When everybody gets back they will have missed “Weihnachtsmann” (our word for Santa), who left all the presents under the tree. Other families get a rented Santa Claus (often broke students), sometimes accompanied by an angel.

The next “stage” of Christmas, is St Nicholas Day, the 6th of December. The previous night everybody, especially kids, polish their boots and as many shoes as they can fit outside the door. The next day Nicholas will magically have left oranges, nuts and apples in the shoes, which nearly everybody throws away to get to the sweets and little presents at the bottom. Then the looooooooooooooooong wait (19 whole days!!) till Christmas Eve starts.

Once you can pry the kids away from the presents it’s dinner time! In big cities, like Berlin or Hamburg, we have massive amounts of sausages, similar to Frankfurters, but fresh from the butcher and of course way better, called “Wiener” (which is Viennese in English) and mountains of potato salad. The mornings of Christmas day and Stephen’s Day a lot of fairy tales and other nice movies are shown, which a lot of kids, and I am calling myself kid here, watch, while they stuff their faces with sweets.

On Christmas Eve we have a small breakfast before decorating the Christmas tree, a lot of people, including my family, still have real trees and real candles (and so far none of my family have set fire to their tree!). Then follows a small lunch, (You see a pattern here? I dare you to find out what it is!) after which the panicky preparations start for the guests arriving, generally an hour too early. At four the Big Eating starts, coffee and several different types of cookies and cakes are munched away. After this my parents used to, and still do, drag me out for a long

For lunch dinners are hosted for people who couldn’t make it to Christmas Eve dinner, or people visit other parts of the family. This is my favourite day of the year. It’s generally baked duck, either stuffed with apples, onions and herbs, or just the legs, with sweet red cabbage, boiled for days on end, and potato dumplings. For desert commonly a really nice chocolate pudding is served with vanilla sauce. Everybody lives on the left-overs until New Year’s Eve, when the next big party starts!

Japan In Japan, they never send red Christmas cards because that is the usual color of funeral notices.

Greenland

Venezuela

In Greenland, the Christmas feast includes Kiviak. Kiviak is a delicacy made from the raw meat of an auk (a diving bird ) Sounds yummy? Ah but wait! Kiviak isn’t ready until the bird meat has been buried under a stone encased in a sealskin for a few months. “Good” Kiviak is in an advanced state of decomposition and smells like old blue cheese.

In Caracas, Venezuela, people roller-skate to mass on Christmas Eve morning. With the streets closed to cars, people roll along blowing off fireworks and proclaiming ‘Jesus is born!’

Czech Rep. U.S.A. Kris Kringel, a man in his 40s, lives in North Pole, Alaska, and delivers pizzas for a living. He drives a 1984 Ford Tempo.

Slovakia In Slovakia, Christmas celebrants toss food. At the start of Christmas Eve dinner, the head of the family takes a spoonful of Loksa (bread )and throws it toward the ceiling. The more of the Loksa that sticks to the ceiling, the better the crops will be the following year.

Sweden Although it started as an act of vandalism, the burning of the goat has now become a tradition in the Swedish town of Gavle. The giant goat is made of straw and it’s erected at the beginning of the holiday season. The trick is to keep vandals from setting it aflame before Christmas. Since 1966 the goat has survived until Christmas day 10 times.

In the Czech Republic, single women go out on Christmas Eve day and toss shoes. With their backs to the door, they throw one of their shoes over their shoulder. If the shoe lands with the heel facing the door, she’ll find herself single for another year. If the shoe lands toes facing the door, it means she should start making wedding plans.

Spain The Catalan custom of the Caga Tió (the pooping log) is still celebrated in Spain. The log is hollowed out, with legs and a face added. You must “feed” him every day beginning on December 8th. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, put him in the fireplace and beat him with sticks until he poops out small candies, fruits, and nuts. When he is through, the final object dropped is a salt herring, a garlic bulb, or an onion. Oh yeah, there is a traditional song the family can sing to encourage the process. The Catalans also have an old tradition of adding a figure to the crib called the Caganer which is Catalan for “pooper”. The figure is depicted in the act of defecation and is usually hidden somewheer in the background. Children make a game of spotting the Caganer amongst the other figures at the public cribs and nowadays the caganer could have the likeness of a famous person - Nice. The origins of this ancient tradition are lost in the mists of time.

In your final year or finishing college next summer? Considering what to do next year? Would you like to work in a rewarding job with great people in a fun work environment? Are you up for a challenge and willing to eat a lot of free sandwiches? Yes! – well consider this then... 40

Each year, DITSU introduces new blood into the Union with the elections for President, VP Academic & Student Affairs and VP Services & Trading. The three Elected Officer positions are fulltime, permanent 12 month jobs from 01 July 2010 – June 2011. The Elections will be held from February 22nd - 25th The Union is run democratically, and the people who run it are chosen by you, the student body. By holding elections, we are not only fulfilling a constitutional requirement, but also ensuring that we get as many people as possible involved in the Union. The more students we have involved, the more democratic and effective your Union becomes. So we need people to nominate themselves and run for office in 2010. The nominations are open on Dec 07 and will close on Feb 05 2010– which gives you a good chance to consider this as an option for next year. The only criteria for these jobs are one you are a registered student of DIT and two – you would be willing and able to spend next year working for all the other Students of DIT. Whether you are in final year or would consider taking a very interesting year off from study, you should consider going for this job by running for Election.

You don’t need to know anything about the Union or have been involved with us before – as proven by the 2008/9 VP Dermot, who appeared in a puff of smoke and fought a nail bitingly close election against 3 others to become the Vice President for Services & Trading. The DIT Students’ Union elections are managed by an Electoral Commission, established under the DITSU Constitution (Article 17). This Commission sets out regulations relating to the running of the elections. This Commission is independently Chaired and has strong student representation present. All information and advice is provided by the Union fromn the start of your campaign. So, interested yet? If you are in your final year or could take the year off consider DITSU for 2010/11. For all the information from what exactly each job entails to how to put yourself in the running check out www.ditsu.ie/suelections or drop into any SU office and talk to the staff there and meet up with Tracey, Jen or Sean to get the lowdown on the job of DITSU Sabbatical Officer. This year for the first time ever we will also be running the elections for the 6 Part time Class Rep Convenors at the same time. Class Rep Convenors are full time students elected as part-time officers,

working a maximum of 10 hours per week and whose main role is local site democracy, campaigns and the management of Class Rep Meetings. Nominations for the sabbatical officer positions and the local Class Rep Convenors open on Monday 7th December 2009 and close on Friday 5th February 2010. The election will be held in February alongside the Sabbatical Election with the same rules and regs. As there are only 3 full time officers to serve all 22000 students of DIT , the Class Rep Convenor plays a vital role in keeping the democratic arm of the Union going strong. Full details of this exciting job are available on ditsu.ie/suelections. All students are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the candidates and attend the hustings (questions and answer session) at lunchtime on your site, where you can ask the candidates questions and see if they are worthy of your vote! Once nominations close on February 5th, watch out for the huge amount of posters from all the candidates, asking you to vote for them! Remember use your vote, have your voice heard.

Your Su Team 2009/10 Full Time Sabbatical Officers:

Jen Jordan

Vice President (Academic & Student Affairs) Tel: 086 603 1075 Email: vpacademic@ditsu.ie

Tracey Flinter

President Tel: 086 603 1213 Email: president@ditsu.ie

Sean Campbell

Vice President (Services & Trading) Tel: 086 603 1076 Email: vpservices@ditsu.ie

Part Time Class REP Convenors:

Eric Fitzgerald

Suzann Tutty

Nathan Cox

Graham Hayes

Jon Hayes

Lorna Geraghty

Class REP Convenor Aungier Street

Class REP Convenor Kevin Street

Class REP Convenor Bolton Street

Class REP Convenor Mountjoy Square

Class REP Convenor Cathal Brugha Street

Class REP Convenor Rathmines

Your Su Team 2010/11 Full Time Sabbatical Officers:

Your Name Here?

Vice President (Academic & Student Affairs) Tel: 086 603 1075 Email: vpacademic@ditsu.ie

Your Name Here? President Tel: 086 603 1213 Email: president@ditsu.ie

Your Name Here? Vice President (Services & Trading) Tel: 086 603 1076 Email: vpservices@ditsu.ie

Part Time Class REP Convenors:

Your Name Here?

Class REP Convenor Aungier Street

Class REP Convenor Kevin Street

Class REP Convenor Bolton Street

Class REP Convenor Mountjoy Square

Class REP Convenor Cathal Brugha Street

Class REP Convenor Rathmines

Election Schedule to run you need to be nominated.Visit ditsu.ie Nominations: Ifforyoumorewishinformation on the nomination process.

Nominations open: Monday 7th December 2009 at 10 a.m. Nominations close: Friday 5th February 2010 at 12 noon [sharp] Candidates meeting: Friday 5th February at 3p.m. is where the candidates deliver their manifestos in person and Hustings: This the student body has the opportunity to question the candidates.

Rathmines Hustings:Thursday 11th February.Time TBC Aungier St. Hustings:Monday 15th February.Time TBC Kevin St. Hustings:Tuesday 16th February.Time TBC Mountjoy Sq. Hustings: Wednesday 17th February.Time TBC Cathal Brugha St. Hustings:Thursday 18th February.Time TBC Bolton St. Hustings:Monday 22nd February.Time TBC DITSU & USI Hustings:Monday 22nd February.Time TBC all-important voting.There will be designated polling Voting: The station on your site and this is where you cast your vote.

Monday 22nd February: Temple Bar & Portland Row. 10a.m.to 4p.m. Tuesday 23rd February: All Stations* 8.30a.m.to 8.30 p.m.* Wednesday 24th February: All Stations* 8.30a.m.to 8.30 p.m.* Thursday 25th February: All Stations* 8.30a.m.to 11 a.m. * All Stations: Aungier Street,Bolton Street,Cathal Brugha Street,Kevin Street,Mountjoy Square.& Rathmines. * Rathmines:The polls in Rathmines will operate from 9.00a.m.until 5.00 p.m. count is carried out live in public,so fell free to pop along and see democracy in action. Results: The 44 The Election Count: Thursday 25th February 2010 at 1p.m. Venue TBC

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

crimbo treats Gingerbread Biscuits

[Makes 2 batches, preperation time 20 mins] Ingredients: 125g / 4 oz Butter 60ml / 4 tbsp. black treacle 225g / 8oz soft brown sugar 450g / 1 lb plain flour 15ml / 1 tbsp. ground ginger 5ml / 1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda 15ml / 1 tbsp milk 330ml milk 0.52c Method 1. Preheat oven to 170 C / 325F / Gas 3 2. Put the butter, treacle and sugar in a saucepan and warm gently until all the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Allow to cool slightly. 3. Sieve the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Put the melted mixture into the dry ingredients. 4. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the milk and add this to the mixture. Bring together to form a dough, adding a little more milk if necessary. 5. Place the dough in the refridgerator to chill for 45 mins. 6. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface to 5mm / 1/2” thick use the christmas cutters to create Christmas themed gingerbread. 7. Place the gingerbread decorations on a baking sheet lined with parchment / baking paper (or simply just grease the baking sheets with a little butter). 8. Bake in the oven for 12 - 15 mins until lightly browned. 9. Allow to cool before deciding whether or not to decorate! The whole thing comes to a total of €7.70 and that will get you at least two batches!! If you do choose to decorate the cookies all you’ll need is some icing sugar and food colouring. You can get Christmas shaped cutters in most shops for about €3

Snowball Cookies

[Makes 36 cookies, preperation time 30 mins] These cookies are rolled in powdered sugar and look like little snowballs. Ingredients: 1 cup Butter or margarine 1/2 cup Sugar, powdered; sifted 1 teaspoon Vanilla 2 1/2 cup Flour; sifted 1/4 teaspoon Salt 3/4 cup Pecans, chopped Method 1. Cream butter in large bowl. 2. Add sugar, cream until light. 3. Stir in vanilla. 4. Sift flour and salt; mix in. 5. Stir in nuts. 6. Shape into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. 7. Bake 15 minutes at 350. 8. Roll in powdered sugar straight out of oven. Roll again when cool.

Hot Mulled Cider

[Makes approx. 2 litres, preperation time 30 mins] A delicious brew for the holidays. Add a whole cinnamon stick to each cup or mug. Ingredients: 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 Litres cider 1 teaspoon whole allspice 1 teaspoon whole cloves 3 inch stick cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg cinnamon sticks for each cup, optional. Method 1. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and cider in a saucepan. 2. Put spices in a garni bag or tea ball. 3. Bring to a boil over medium low heat 4. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 5. If desired, put a stick of cinnamon in each cup

Photography: Ciúin Tracey Model: Sinead Kelly All featured clothes from WaWa, Aungier Street.

christmas sparkle

fashion

46 Red Satin Dress: € 45 Shoes: Models Own

Grey Dress: €10 Hat: €2 Gloves: €2 Trousers: €7 Earings: €3

Black and White Dress: €10 Earings: €3 Shoes: Models Own

Black and White Chiffon Dress: €30 Earings: €3 Shoes: Models Own

Grey/yellow dress: €10 Black cardigan: €5 Necklace: €1

maritime musings

Words: Colin Stakem

It’s not easy bein’ green; but it’s not impossible either Colin Stakem argues the case for a green christmas. “Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology towards the organic, the gentle, the non-violent, the elegant and beautiful.”- E.F. Schumacher. The above quote is taken from a remarkable little book I found in a sleepy little second-hand bookshop on a recent trip back home to Galway. “Small Is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered” is British economist E.F. Schumacher’s stimulating and controversial study of world economies and how Man’s current pursuit of pursuit of profit and progress, which promotes giant organisations and increased specialization, has in fact resulted in gross economic inefficiency, environmental pollution and inhumane working conditions. And it’s THE one book I wish every diplomat or bureaucrat on their way to the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December would read before even attempting to draft any type of agreement – if I may be so optimistic to harbour such hopes – on climate change targets and sustainable living in the twenty-first century. Failing that, hopefully you, dear reader, will be intrigued enough to search it out for yourself this Xmas – DIT don’t own a copy of it unfortunately so you’ll have to try other avenues. The outcome of the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit needn’t be radical... So I know what you’re thinking: That’s all fine and well but hasn’t there been a recent glut of such texts on the market? What makes this one so unique that you feel the need to write about it, much less recommend it? Well, dear reader, it’s not remarkable because it addresses its themes in a simple and thoughtful manner. Nor is it remarkable for challenging the doctrine of economic, technological and scientific specialisation using an intoxicating and refreshing everyman type of prose. It’s the fact that it was first published in 1973 – a full 35 years before the collapse of world economies due in large part to the same

systems that Schumacher so effortlessly argues against. And rather than offering no alternatives to these systems and waiting for the inevitable to happen, Schumacher proposes a system of Intermediate Technology, based on smaller working units, communal ownership, and regional workplaces utilising local labour and resources. The book is also remarkable for the simplicity of the solutions it offers and how much better off if the world would be if we didn’t use GNP as a measure of human well being. The outcome of the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit needn’t be radical; “Small is Beautiful” testifies to that. And instead of waiting on a poor compromise agreement between nations at Copenhagen to instil you with further cynicism for the future, why not cheer yourself up with a Green Christmas this year? We all know that there’s more chance of a (insert witty remark here) than a White Christmas this year. Here are a few Green Xmas tips: Buy recycled Xmas cards and wrapping paper Deck the halls with real holly Buy a real Xmas tree as opposed to an artificial one Buy an organic turkey or go vegetarian Recycle unwanted gifts Buy “Less is Beautiful” by E.F. Schumacher! Season’s greetings! C.S.

CRIM

On Christ BO FACT: mas Eve in Bethlehe 2001, the m Hote its 210 ro l had 208 of oms free

pleasetalk welfare week

so, what is please talk? Well, what is pleasetalk.ie all about? Please Talk was first launched in January 2007 in UCD. It was in response to the deaths of a number of students by suicide in the student populous. Please Talk urges students to understand that talking is a strength not of weakness, and if you’re experiencing problems while at college, there are people there who you can talk to. It promotes this message through a collaborative effort involving the various support services present in colleges up and down the country such as: chaplains, counsellors, student support officers, students’ unions, disability support services and many, many more. If students experience problems at home, college, or in their private lives, they can log on to www. pleasetalk.ie, select their college and identify what services that are available that they might want to access. Please Talk is supported by the HSE through the National Office of Suicide Prevention, and is part of the National Mental Health Strategy. Since it began, Please Talk has grown to reach 27 colleges throughout Ireland already, and thanks to funding from the National Office for Suicide Prevention.

What did we do in welfare week to encourage you all to talk and look after yourselves? We asked students to PleaseLaugh and generate some endorphins, so we had comedians across 4 of the 6 sites to make ye laughed and unwound at lunchtime. PleasePostIt- During the week we asked you to jot down your thoughts and off load what was on your minds on post-its scattered around the place. We hope to shred all of these and release them as confetti at one of our upcoming gigs as a release of your thoughts, a get it off your chest style approach. PleaseChillOut- We had hand and neck massages in SU common areas. And we gave out over 6,000 pieces of fruit. Thats right people, pears, mandarins, apples, bananas, oranges and even kiwis were given out FREE to anyone wandering the common areas during the Welfare promotion to encourage you all to get your 5-a-day fruit fix.The Health centre staff assisted us on site and focused on general student health: eating, living, physical activity, drugs and alcohol awareness. The Beer Goggle demonstration went down a treat (especially for spectators!) as students tried to walk along a straight line with the goggles on! A huge thanks must be extended to Louise, Deidre, Debbie and the entire health centre crew for hosting these stands over the week. PleaseWorkOut The (P)leisure management students(!) put on a series of aerobics demonstrations at lunchtimes which were hilarious. It has to be said that Mountjoy Square were the best to get involved in this with almost 30 students getting up to join in, now I’m not saying they weren’t bribed with ice skating tickets and t-shirts, but kudos to them anyway! The success of the aerobics is a credit to Seona, Nathan and Mr Motivator himself Eoin! So a huge thank you to them and all that got involved. They are setting the pace for getting fit across the sites, so lets keep an eye out for them over the coming semester. Last but not least the Irish Cancer Society and the Marie Keating Foundation came on site to demonstrate Carbon Monoxide testing and promote important health related information. We look forward to having them on site again soon and intend to host Boots Pharmacy on site next semester.

competition

read the charter... you could win €100. simples!

WIN CASH PRIZES - JUST FOR FINDING OUT STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW ANYWAY WE ARE SOOO GOOD TO YOU! TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE TO WIN ONE OF 5 X €100 PRIZES JUST ANSWER THE 5 SIMPLE QUESTIONS BELOW ABOUT THE DIT STUDENT CHARTER. 1.

In what year was the current Student Charter approved?

According to the Charter how many weeks notice of an assignment should students receive (at a minimum)?

The Student Charter not only outlines services DIT must provide for students but also what is expected from students in return, True or False?

According to the Charter part-time students cannot join a Club/Society? True or false?

What committee in DIT gave final approval to the Charter?

JUST FIND OUT THE ANSWERS AND FILL IN THE COMPETITION FORM ON WWW.DITSU.IE/TEA TO BE AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED INTO THE DRAW CLOSING DATE IS FEB 01 2010 - SO YOU HAVE LOADS OF TIME TO FIND THE CHARTER. THIS COMPETITION IS ONLY OPEN TO STUDENTS OF DIT. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PRODUCE YOUR DIT STUDENT TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE

nominations close: friday 5 feb at noon. see inside or visit ditsu.ie for more information