SIN NEWS Student Union elections and referendum take place this week
Nuclear Power for Ireland to be Discussed in NUIG
By Grainne Coyne
‘Nuclear Power for Ireland: Facts
He continues: “Wind energy will not
and Fiction’ will discuss all aspects of
be able to supply even 40 per cent of
nuclear power as it relates to Ireland.
our electricity without major changes
The Student Union full-time elections
candidates speak and ask questions
Historically the Irish Government’s
to our electricity system, and even
this year are taking place around
during the SU Hustings on Tuesday
policy has been firmly opposed to
then it is not certain if this can be
campus this Thursday, March 10th.
8pm in the Kirwan Theatre.
nuclear energy on the grounds of the
achieved. What we can consider are
risks it poses, yet some argue that
modern safe reactors which would fit
Not only will students vote for who they wish to be full-time SU officers
The President of the Student Union
nuclear energy is one of the cleanest,
with little or no need for modifications
next year, but also on a referendum
is responsible for Union finances,
safest and economic forms of energy
to the National Grid. It would be
that will change the Student Union
campaigns and initiatives. The
available to mankind today.
possible to have a number of these
constitution.
Education’s Officer responsibilities
plants providing jobs and safe, clean
are with class reps, campaigns and
Professor Walton will be joined by
environments in a number of areas of
The referendum will ask students to
students difficulties with academic
Professor Ian McAulay and Mr Denis
Ireland. We would then have reliable
give a yes or no vote to the possible
issues. The Welfare Officer is
Duff to explain why they believe
energy, independent of dwindling
changes such as: a new part time
responsible for students in the areas
Ireland should adopt nuclear energy
fossil fuel supplies with their world
officer for mature students, college
of finance, study, accommodation,
as an important part of our energy
price fluctuations. For the sake of
convenors to be elected from the class
health and social welfare.
mix. All three are members of the
homes and businesses in the future,
Better Environment with Nuclear
the least we can do is to understand
Energy (BENE) group.
the fact from fiction in this whole
reps in each of the five Colleges of NUI Galway to represent the students in
Peter Mannion the Student Union
their College and a Board of Trustees
President told Sin: “Each elected
to hold commercial assets in trust for
officer has the opportunity to carve
According to Professor Walton,
The event takes place at 6.30 pm on
students and a Finance Committee to
out their own role and to have a
nuclear power has been employed
Wednesday, 9 March, in the Colm
oversee the SU finances.
significant impact on the students
successfully over the past 50 years by
O’hEocha Theatre, Arts Millennium
they represent. Though not all the
many countries yet Ireland continues
Building. To book a place at the
The current constitution was adopted
successes of officers make headlines
to reject it. He says, “We cannot
event, contact Adam Beatty, Physics
in 2002 and further changes were
or even attract the slightest bit of
afford to continue to reject this power
Society, NUI Galway, on 087 9055911
made in 2004 and 2006. The new
attention many of them have a huge
source out-of-hand, while we continue
or physicsnuig@gmail.com
constitution will introduce the
bearing on the students.”
to rely on fossil fuel imports for most
debate.”
of our electricity production. This is
possible transformation of the FCRC
simply untenable.”
(Faculty Class Representative Council)
The Part-time officer nominations
into the Student Union Council,
for Oifigeach na Gaeilge, Equality
which will act as forum for class
Officer, Student Development Officer,
representatives where all students are
Postgraduate Officer, Societies
allowed to attend but only registered
Chairperson and Clubs’ Captain will
Are you a student with a disability in college? Do you want to win an IPod Touch? Then take our short survey!
class representatives can vote at
take place on Thursday 10th March.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/aheadstudentsurvey
council meeting.
Mannion told Sin: “On a personal level working as a SU Officer is a great
AHEAD, the Association for Higher Education Access & Disability in conjunction
The nominations for Full time
privilege and challenge. I encourage
with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is conducting a survey of students
Students’ Union positions, for
all students to seriously consider
with disabilities in higher education across the Republic of Ireland. The aim
President, Vice-President/Education
running for a position on the Students’
of this survey is to find out how students are accessing supports in college.
Officer and Vice-President/Welfare
Union Executive. All of the officers are
The information gathered will then be used to inform the work of both
Officer closed last Wednesday,
available to discuss the various roles
organisations. All responses are completely anonymous. The survey should only
canvassing begins from Monday and
at any point.”
take 5-10 minutes to complete and once you’ve finished you will have the option
students will have a chance to hear
of entering our draw for a brand new IPod Touch!
SIN NEWS 37 students arrested during Mini-triathlon raises College Week nearly €2,000 By Méabh McDonnell
37 student arrests were made by the
student IDs as they entered Gort na
Gardai throughout College week 2011,
Coiribe. This policy move is very similar
prompting NUI Galway President, Dr.
to that of Corrib Village.
Jim Browne to call upon the Students’
By Conor Lane
The NUI Galway Mini-Triathlon took
at some of the busiest junctions to
place on Tuesday, March 1st in support
allow passage through. The 10km
Union to abandon College Week as an
There has been a call from residents
of the Alan Kerins projects, which
cycle brought the competitors down
event. When speaking to the Galway
around the area for a cessation to
helps communities in some of the
towards the Westside, through
City Tribune, Browne condemned
the week. Certain residents in Galway
poorest communities in Zambia, and
Letteragh, around Tonabocky and
the drunken nature of the week
have even stated that they themselves
Ability West.
finished with a long stretch through
and maintained that the cost to the
are considering finding new places to
college, the city and the residents
live, in order to avoid the prolonged
A rare sun-filled day saw a 5km event
of the city far outweighed the gains,
drunkenness and shouting, which
start the Triathlon with between 50
The Mini-Triathlon finished with 20
namely €20,000 for charity.
accompanies living near student
and 60 people taking part. The run
lengths (500m) of the Kingfisher
accommodation.
took the competitors past Corrib
pool with four to a lane. Since
Village, through Dangan, up and
only a few lanes were available to
NUI Galway were the recipients of
Dangan.
a particularly bad press during this
Over many years, there have been
around the rugby pitch and back
the competitors, congestion was
year’s College week. The various acts
frequent calls on the Students’
again in a loop. Once the running was
inevitable but overall it was a nice
of vandalism, including the much
Union to withdraw their support
over, a delay on the road meant that
finish to the day. The racers were
talked about fires in student villages
of the week, originally designed to
the cycling part of the event was put
each given a T-shirt and were sent
at the beginning of the week which
be a charity week. Each year, the
back by half an hour. Garda escorts
their times by email. The event was
caused problems with the fire brigade.
calls are the same – citing acts of
on motorcycles helped the cyclists
very well organised and raised almost
Reports continued from students in
vandalism and abuse. And each year
to start off with gardai stationed
€2,000 for the charities.
the week that the management of
the response is the same – that it is a
Gort na Coiribe had attached gates
small minority of students causing the
to the pillars and began asking for
problems.
The Rubberbandits, the highlight of College Week, played in the Black Box. See page 22 for pics and review. Pic: Melissa Mannion.
On yer bike for a Green Campus on March 9th By Mary Rose Bogan Cycle on Wednesday (COW) March 9th to college and you and your bike may be rewarded with a free bike accessory. A team of volunteers will be distributing freebies such as waterproof saddle covers on bikes parked around the NUIG campus at lunchtime that day. Park your bike in the main campus or between there and Áras Moyola or at the Clinical Science Institute for the best chance of receiving a free accessory. The accessories are produced by Galway Cycling Campaign under the Smarter Travel Funding initiative. The gifts are being distributed to acknowledge those hardy folk who battle in against cars to get to campus that day and every day. The COW event will contribute to NUIG’s plan to apply for Green Campus status as it is an activity that fosters environmental awareness across the campus. The volunteers will also be taking photos and trying to count the number of bikes around the campus.
Dear Sir, I am writing in response to a letter two issues ago on NUIG balls, the subject of which I couldn’t agree with more. The author of the article certainly has ‘unaccountable balls’. Personally, I consider it an insult to my intelligence that this person has written such uneducated lies, and
frankly they shouldn’t have been published. “Freedom of speech” you retort? Yes, it’s one thing to be free to say what you please, but printing falsities isn’t right. The amusing fact that this person has not even given their name to the article is a measure of their cowardice and uncertainty of their facts. Conversely, I am not willing
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to speak for others without actually doing some research. I can, however, assure you that the ‘guesstimation’ of attendees at Physics Soc’s AGM is inaccurate. Less than 30 people showed up to both AGM’s? Good Guess. While we’re on the subject of guessing, probably fewer than 30 people have ever attended a society AGM. Shock and horror, “a bloody outrage” I hear you cry.
no longer okay that this undemocratic situation is allowed to continue”. It must be violating some human rights, or something. Hell, I’m no expert, but for those of you who don’t know your politics, take a good look around. This is dictatorship at its very best, apparently. Can’t you see it? That is, of course, a lie, but lying seems to get you places. Ask last issue’s author, they should know.
On the subject of people appointing themselves, Physics Soc’s committee comprises of... students. They were elected to represent the students by... (yes, you’ve guessed it) students. For clarity, let’s summarise what has been said here. Students elected by the students to represent the students, no complaints so far. And so, I ask the author of the letter, did YOU attend both AGMs? I didn’t think so.
I think the best person to tackle this scandal is the very person who wrote last issue’s letter. They really seem to know their stuff, it’s just a pity we don’t know their name. However, let’s not forget this really is a herculean task. The students union cannot even get “a hold of the situation after all” and they “should have noticed this
To the author, however, I would like to wish the best of luck and I admire their sense of integrity. Obtaining a vote from every single NUIG student to elect next year’s Ball organisers certainly is no mean feat. That really would be a truly fair method of election. Spending weeks organising a ball for 800-odd students with no society profit is the best incentive imaginable for ensuring a night to remember. After all, it is the fairest way. It gives societies lots and lots of money to organise parties and meetings for their members, and really boosts their memberships. Don’t forget, they can also stuff money into their pockets and give free tickets to their friends, because that’s what really happens. Also, countless oppressed students have voiced that they feel violated after being forced to shell out their hard-earned cash to attend these compulsory Balls. Trust me, I’ve done lots of research, and I definitely know what I’m talking about. Furthermore, I would like to re-iterate the author’s point in saying that “It’s
fundamental flaw ages ago”. I agree “it will not be easy at first to set up a system”, but somebody should definitely set one up, yes somebody should do that. As long as it’s not me, I don’t care who does it, as long as they fix it. If it’s still broken, I can just anonymously point my emaciated finger of condemnation. But wait, there’s one fundamental flaw to this plan that could shake it to its very core. I cannot simply appoint that person to perform this upholding of students’ rights. They will have to be appointed by the students, since that is the democratic way. Yes, that means another vote from every single student. That is, if the students first vote that they want to vote for something to be done. After all, one cannot just decide to make all students vote. We better get voting. For anyone considering writing to a paper, consider this: Do some actual research, come up with real ideas, and stop writing lies and propaganda for the sake of sensationalism. Yours in democracy, Conor Sheil.
Leathanach Gaeilge
Le Senan Mac Aoidh
Coinnigh mar chroí-ábhar í! Léigh mé alt Mark Kelly ar na mallaibh agus rinne mé iontas de, é ag déanamh argóna ar son an Ghaeilge a bheith ina hábhar neamhéigeantach i scoileanna na tíre seo. Ní chuirfidh mé fiacail ann, sílim gur rud contráilte é seo a dhéanamh. Is iomaí cúis leis seo. Tá an comhionannas ag croí lár na ceiste seo. Má shíleann muid go bhfuil dhá theanga ag an tír seo, an Ghaeilge agus an Béarla, cad chuige nach mbeadh an dá theanga sin riachtanach do mhic léinn ardteiste? Maidir leis an argóint a dhéanann sé go bhfuil fadhb ann le múineadh na Gaeilge. Aontaím ar fad leis. Ní hé seo an dóigh le dul i ngleic leis. Tá polasaí cliste ag Conradh na Gaeilge a ba chóir dúinn amharc air. Molann siad dhá ábhar a dhéanamh de churiculum na Gaeilge. ‘Teanga na Gaeilge’ daofa siúd nach bhfuil an teanga acu agus ‘litríocht na Gaeilge’ do dhaltaí gaelscoile agus gaeltachta. Sílim go bhfuil an polasaí seo i bhfad níos ciallmhaire. Ar bonn comhionannais ní fhéadfaí an Ghaeilge a bhaint de chroí-ábhair na hardteiste a fhad is atá an Béarla go fóill éigeantach. Cé go bhfuil fadhbanna go leor le bunreacht an stáit seo, agus ní maith liom é a úsáid mar phointe thagartha, aithnítear an Ghaeilge mar chéadteanga an náisiúin seo
ann. Anuas air sin, is í fírinne an scéil gurb í ár dteanga náisiúnta í, níl bonn seasta aici in aon tír eile agus is dual dúinn aire a thabhairt dí agus í a chosaint. Ní thig liom a thuigbheáil cad chuige nach mbeadh céad-teanga na tíre riachtanach san ardteist, ní luífeadh se le ciall. Caithfidh ógánaigh arb í an Ghaeilge an chéadteanga acu an Béarla a dhéanamh san ardteist, níl an dara rogha acu. An mbeadh sé cóir go mbeadh an rogha ag béarlóirí agus chan ag gaeilgeoirí? Ní shílim é. Nuair a bhí mise 6 bliana déag d’aois, dá dtáirgeadh aonduine dom gan ábhar a dhéanamh, ba chuma céard é, ghlacfainn leis gan dabht. Má éiríonn le Fine Gael an polasaí bómánta seo a chur fríd, déanfar scrios agus slad, chan amháin ar líon na ndaltaí a dhéanann an Ghaeilge san ardteist, ach fosta ar eacnamaíocht na Gaeltachta, a bhíonn ag brath ar an teacht isteach ó na coláistí samhraidh, agus dá réir, ar an teanga ina hiomláine. Tá an feachtas ‘Guth na gaeltachta’ a cruinniú nirt de réir le chéile agus ag tabhairt dúshlán an rialtais. Tá an ghaeltacht agus an Ghaeilge faoi léigear ag an Bhéarla. Is é an Béarla teanga na cumhachta, na seanimpireachta agus an nua-choilíneachais. Níl
an Béarla faoi bhagairt ach tá an Ghaeilge, cé acu a ba chóir tacaíocht a thabhairt dó? Ná bímis géilliúil, seasaimis suas dár dteanga féin agus dár bpobail. Tá eisimirce as cuimse ag tarlú sa ghaeltacht, agus fiú le linn an ‘tíogair cheiltigh’ bhíodh lear mór daoine ag fágáil na gaeltachta. Tá géarchéim ann, géirchéim chultúrtha, shóisialta agus eacnamaíochta. Mháirseáil Mairtín Ó Cadhain agus Cearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta i 1969 agus ba frí streachailt a bhuaigh muid TG4 agus raidió na Gaeltachta agus rudaí eile. Ar bonn idéolaíochta anois tá Fine Gael ag iarraidh an obair sin uilig a chur siar. Tá idéolaíocht an aonteangachais taobh thiar den bheart seo. Is fearr i bhfad dúinn a bheith dátheangach, nó níos fearr fós, ilteangach. Ní nach bhfuil tearc ar chor ar bith san Afraic mar shampla nó fiú i dtíortha Eorpacha eile. San ísiltír, sa tSualainn, sa Danmhairg agus áiteachaí eile tá an Béarla ag moll mór daoine ach labhraíonn siad a dteanga féin sa bhaile agus i measc a gcairde. Seo an bealach chun tosaigh don tír seo ach má éiríonn le Fine Gael beidh iarmhairtí tromchúiseacha ann don chóras oideachais, don Ghaeilge, don ghaeltacht agus dúinn uilig. Seasaimis an fód ar
son na teanga! ____________________ ____________ I recently read Mark Kelly’s article and was surprised by his argument for Irish being a non-compulsory subject in the countries schools. No two ways about it, I think this is the wrong thing to do. There are many reasons for this. Equality is at the heart of this issue. If we think that this country has two languages, Irish and English, why would those two languages not be essential for the Leaving Cert.? Regarding the argument he makes that there is a problem with the teaching of Irish. I totally agree with him. This isn’t the way to go about this. Conradh na Gaeilge have an intelligent policy that we should look at. They propose making two subject of the Irish curriculum. ‘Irish language’ for those who don’t have the language and ‘Irish Literature’ for gaeltacht and gaelscoil students. I think this policy is much more sensible. On the basis of equality Irish could not be taken from the core subjects of the leaving certificate as long as English is still compulsory. Despite this state’s constitution being very problematic, and I don’t like to use it as a point of reference, Gaeilge is recognised
as the country’s first language. On top of this, the truth of the matter is that it is our national language, it hasn’t got a stable base in any other country and we are obliged to look after it and defend it. I can’t understand why the first language of a country wouldn’t be on its core curriculum, it wouldn’t lie with sense. Young people for whom Irish is their first language have to do English in the Leaving Cert, they have no option. Would it be just that English speakers would have the choice but not Irish speakers? I don’t think so. When I was 16, if someone was to offer to me not to do a subject, regardless what it was, I would accept without question. If Fine Gael succeed in getting this stupid policy through, destruction will be brought upon not only the number of students who study Irish for the Leaving but also on the economy of the gaeltacht that is dependent on the summer colleges, and following that logic the entire language is under threat. The Guth na Gaeltachta Campaign is building strength all the time and challenging the government on this. Irish and the gaeltacht are under siege by English. English is the language of power, of the old empire and of neo-colonialism. English
isn’t under threat but Irish is, which should we support? Let’s not be submissive, stand up for our language and our communities! There is off the scale emigration happening in the gaeltacht, and even during the ‘celtic tiger’ a huge number of people were leaving the gaeltacht. There is a crisis, a cultural, social and economic crisis. Máirtín ó Cadhain and the Gaeltacht Civil Rights campaign marched in 1969 and it was through struggle that tg4 and Radio na Gaeltachta and other things were won. It is on an ideological basis now that Fine Gael want to set all that work back. It is an ideology of monolingualism that is behind this policy. We are much better off being bilingual, or even better, multi lingual. Something that isn’t rare at all in Africa for example or even in other European countries. In Holland, Sweden, Denmark and other places many people have English but they speak their own language at home and with their friends. This is the way forward for this country but if Fine Gael succeed there will be serious consequences for the education system, for an Ghaeilge, for the gaeltacht and for us all. Let’s stand our ground for the language!
2011/12
What is THE
Students relevance Union
, d n a t S e w d te
Uni
l l a f e W d e d i v Di By James Mahon
In our first week in NUIG we are given an amusing and usually entertaining speech by the Students’ Union President which is usually a means to convey their presence in our new college lives; yet with elections approaching we must ask the tough questions such as do they perform any real function or merely mill around in hoodies giving out condoms and pamphlets? As a class rep for the duration of my degree and a former member of the Academic Council, I have never felt required to make the transition to SU officer, when I spoke to numerous students and staff members prior to writing this article I was met with a lot of the same indifference to their real function or purpose. The majority of students felt that the SU is to be judged by their RAG week (now of course College Week), yet the sustained backlash to this raise and give week that now seems more about college life and drinking rather than charity has left a lot of academics and students wondering why the SU should even exist other than to write apology letters to papers and radio shows. For all of the backlash they receive the money they raise has in the past been staggering and the success of the charity element has always managed to eclipse the unruly elements. Yet is the charity element now waning? The reality is that we as a student body need representatives and the
Students Union do act as a strong representation of many of the issues affecting us. However each administration has had numerous officer positions for example an equality officer and Irish language officer yet when I asked a group of second year students who were the SU or what impact had any of these people on students lives, they couldn’t name anyone except some guy called “Peter Something”.
of our ’s t n e d u St ? n o i n U
With the end of yet another college year fast approaching the question on everyone’s lips is who would be the best choice for SU officer for the next college year. However, there are many students of NUIG that do not seem to be so concerned with this matter. Instead we hear questions of, ‘well what does the SU actually do for me?’- To which there is not usually a set answer. The SU aims to provide a voice for the students in the various administrative and social parts of college life. If you were to ask a student around campus
By Christopher Cosgrove
what the SU has done for them you could find a very mixed or unsure response. What appears to be the case is that the majority of the student body is unaware of what goes on ‘behind the scenes’ as the case may be. In turn students may think that the SU have not really accomplished much and therefore are not as effective in achieving a voice and change for the students of NUIG as they have set out to do. Of course one should realise the hard work that is involved in running the SU and that they are of course limited
A Union or body can only be as good as the sum of its parts and we must take responsibility for our SU and play a function but if they aren’t inspiring or aiding us sufficiently then we must return to their manifestos or the lack of them. As our nation turns a corner and aims to move forward we need to give time to an even more pro-active SU that is felt around us every day, an SU that drives the college forward and pushes the boundaries to make differences; to walk the walk and not just talk the talk!
It’s no longer about Wispa bars or College Bars
it needs to be about sustained student support and presence as the Celtic Tiger’s cage lies empty and Ireland’s golden years lie in Facebook albums and Bebo memories maybe we need to re-assess the function of the Union that we are part of, but often don’t feel belonged to.
in what they can do and what they would like to do but even with this in mind it is clear that the student population are not able to see any apparent changes to their college. The fault of this some may believe lies with the high expectations the general student body has for the SU. Others seem to believe the problem is that the SU itself does not have the proper power or authority to make any major changes to the system.
No matter which the debate it is evident that the sentiment of many is that it does not really matter to them who is voted SU officer as the decision will not seem to be of any relevance to them. However, the easy solution to this problem is to better educate the student body and explain in full the authority power the SU has so as to avoid confusing their aims and dismissing their place as nothing more than an institution of title and not power.
General Meeting called to discuss referendum on universal gym membership EGM to be held Wednesday, March 9th at 6pm, Kirwan Theatre
A request has been submitted to the Students’ Union calling for a General Meeting of all students to discuss the proposal of a referendum on universal student gym membership. The request was accompanied by the required amount of signatures (200) and therefore the meeting will take place on Wednesday March 9th at 6pm in the Kirwan Theatre. All students are invited to attend the meeting. A summary of the proposal is the holding of a referendum to propose a €100 increase in the student levy to fund universal membership of the University Sports Complex. The full text of the proposal is below: “Implement €99.99 (CPI indexed linked) student Levy to provide for Universal Sports Centre Student Membership, any necessary development/expansion/maintenance of facilities required to cater to extra usage, the modification of the premises to provide an Administrative Home for the Committees of Sports Clubs, financing to purchase additional hours in the sports halls (taken from said levy) for Club activity and the elimination of the €2 entry charge payable by members of Sports Clubs who are not members of the Kingfisher Club (This currently generates approximately €8,000, as it is not routinely applied). The Levy is to be payable by all registered students of the University. Full-time students will pay the full levy, and part-time students to pay in accordance with ECT’s (The ECT based mechanism has already been agreed with the University as the basis for calculating the amount of other levies payable by part-time students).”
In advance of the meeting, Peter Mannion and Eric Coleman Brockie outline the reasons for and against the calling of an immediate referendum:
There will be an emergency general meeting to decide whether or not we should hold a referendum on the introduction of Universal Gym Membership for all of us students. The issue at hand is why hold a referendum now and not later. Will we continue to exclude the masses because of the issue of affordability? Ever since the sports complex was conceived the idea of having Universal Membership has been on the table. Currently for student membership in Kingfisher you pay €250. That is on top of the €100 you already pay out of your student levy for the construction of the building. That is €350. Barely 20% of our students can afford to pay that price now and has been the case since the doors opened according to membership figures. Lessons from UCC In UCC they have paid €149 as part of their the student levy since circa 2002/3. 4years ago they completed stage 2 of the expansion of the building. They have as of this month commenced stage 3 in the development of the building which boasts to increase floor space by almost 40,00 sq ft. All past developments and this one came at no extra cost to the students. They still pay €149. When is later? Why this needs to happen now is because it should have happened back when the planning for our complex happened. We want it made affordable for everybody, not just the privileged and we want provisions in place for the future development of our facilities. We should not stand idly by while another year of students are denied this service because they cannot afford it. Please come to the meeting on Wednesday to find out the finer details of the proposal, the facts and figures.
There’s no rush The current operator of the University Sports Complex has a contract for all of next year. No change could be made for September 2011 so there’s no advantage of acting quickly. If students want universal membership then time can be taken to work out a detailed proposal which can be put to the students at any point next year. The current Sports Complex is not big enough The University, the current operator and many users all agree that the current University Sports Complex is not big enough and doesn’t have enough facilities to accommodate universal membership. A significant expansion of the facility would be required. These plans would need to be considered carefully and designed to ensure that they accommodate the needs of all students. This work is not complete and rushing through this process would not ensure the best possible deal for students. Quality would deteriorate Under the current arrangement an operator has a financial incentive to ensure the gym is well run, adequately staffed, clean and responsive to needs of paying users. If a system of universal membership was introduced there would be a reduced incentive for an operator to do a good job as their income would be guaranteed! It may be possible to work out a system whereby certain targets must be met by an operator but none of that work has been carried out at this point. The SU and other student representatives would be put in a weak bargaining position If it was decided that students would pay an additional €99.99 levy for the University Sports Complex the Students’ Union, the ones tasked with ensuring the best deal for students, would be in a very weak bargaining position. It would be difficult to ensure the best facilities, the most demanding contractual requirements or the longest opening hours when the University and every potential operator already know what’s on the table. If this is to happen the detail should be worked out and then a motion put to students. €100 is too much money Many students are under unprecedented financial pressure and would struggle with an additional burden of this size. The current proposal is linked to inflation and would likely increase indefinitely in to the future. The cost of this will be prohibitive for many students.
Students’ Union Constitutional Referendum On Thursday 10th March - the same day you will be voting for the SU President and Vice Presidents - you will be asked to vote YES or NO on a proposed new SU constitution. Having debated the proposed constitution since December, the Class Reps Council and the Students’ Union Executive are asking you to vote YES. The following are the main changes that will take place if the constitution is approved by you: Students’ Union Executive Mature Students Officer A new part-time position on the SU Executive of Mature Students Officer would be created. This is necessary as the number of mature
students in NUI Galway is growing fast and we believe their needs should be represented on the SU Executive. College Convenors College Convenors would be elected from class reps of the relevant College to represent the students in their particular College on the SU Executive (Arts, Business, Public Policy and Law, Health Sciences, Engineering and Informatics, Science). They will also oversee the election of class reps in each class in their College and liaise with the Dean and College Office on student issues. Students’ Union Council Chairperson A new part-time position
on the SU Executive of Students’ Council Chairperson would be created. As part of the overall reform, the Students’ Union Council Chairperson will run the class reps system independently of the other SU officers, in order to allow greater scrutiny of what work officers have been doing or not doing as the case may be. To ensure class reps’ voices are heard by the President and other Executive officers, the Chairperson will have a seat on the Executive. Removal of the Student Development Officer The proposed constitution would discontinue the role of Student Development Officer (SDO) as a
part-time SU Executive position. This recentlycreated position has not been as effective as was intended, with the role being poorly-defined. With the increasing success of the ALIVE programme on campus, we believe the SDO position has become less needed. Students’ Union Council The replacement of the Full Class Reps Council (open only to class reps) with a Students’ Union Council (open to class reps and all other students), which will decide on issues that may arise, suggest new policies that the SU should adopt and mandate SU campaigns. Importantly, while any student can speak at a meeting, only elected
class reps can vote in the Students’ Union Council. Board of Trustees A Board of Trustees to hold all the assets of the Union - including the commercial assets like Smokey’s Café, the College Bar, the SU Shop and The Wall Café - in trust for the students of NUI Galway. These trustees will be from outside the SU and will ensure everything financial is above-board and accounted for. Finance Committee A Finance Committee which will oversee the SU finances and ensure annual budgets are sensible. They will have a say in big expenses and if the Executive Officers wanted to take
out a loan in the name of the SU. These changes are essential to ensure the SU is well-managed and accountable to you the students - now and in the years to come. The new SU Council will allow all students to have a say in how the SU is run, while the extra positions will allow more people to play their part as SU officers.
Note: the proposed referendum on universal student gym membership is a completely separate issue – please see page 7 for more information
SU Sessions: El Hombre Jokes
The Undergraduate Awards of Ireland and Northern Ireland
From the band’s formative years, El Hombre Jokes quickly made an impression especially on the live scene. The band had to wait until summer 2010 to release their debut single - the Double A-Side “Suicide Bomber / Something’s Got to Give”. The release was greeted with a sellout show in Dublin’s Crawdaddy together with a No 2, week one entry on iTunes Rock Chart. The band also decided to increase the spread of gigs outside of Dublin and visited some of the summer festivals. These ventures
The search for Ireland’s top students CONTINUES! Round 2 deadline is: March 18th. Would you like to be named one of Irelands Top Students? The Undergraduate Awards are looking for the best undergrads on the island of Ireland. We are proud to offer students the opportunity to submit their coursework for consideration for our 3rd annual awards due to take place later in the year. If you submitted an essay for which you received a high 2.1 or above during this academic year, then we would encourage you to enter your work at
have proved quite lucrative for the band. During the summer of 2010 the band sold in the region of 2,500 CD’s to its ‘busking market’ alone. This is a band to watch in the future with their eclectic and funky sounds. The SU Sessions are a free weekly event open to the public and hosted by NUI Galway Students’ Union in An Bialann (The Canteen NUIG) every Tuesday at 6pm. www.myspace.com/ thesusessions
www.undergraduateawards.com The next deadline for submissions (round 2) is March 18th. This award is open to all final and penultimate year undergrads, the awards aim to recognise Ireland’s brightest students, who have demonstrated innovation, originality and excellence in their coursework. Entries must be within 1750 - 5000 words. For more information about eligibility, categories and deadlines please see www.undergraduateawards.com or email Darragh the project coordinator, info@undergraduateawards.com
POSSIBILITIES 2011 Possibilities 2011 Social Forum with the Dalai Lama, Mary Robinson, Kila & more is on April 13 in Dublin. It’s brought to you by SpunOut.ie, Afri and Children in Crossfire. POSSIBILITIES aim to bring people together and explore how we can realise our power in tackling the enormous economic, social and environmental challenges that we are facing. 1/2 price tickets for NUIG Students. €25 each. Email info@spunout.ie for tickets.
Part-Time Elections: Officer Roles The nominations for the part time positions open up this week. Here is a brief guide to the roles of the part-time officers Oifigeach na Gaeilge Tá Oifigeach na Gaeilge freagrach as cur i bhfeidhm pholasaí dhá theangachas Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn, agus i gcur chun cinn an chultúir Ghaelaigh san Ollscoil. Bíonn siad i teagmháil leis an Acadamh sa Cheathrú Rua freisin. Tá dualgas orthu feachtas Seachtain na Gaeilge a chur ar siúl, foilseachán poiblí an Chomhaltas a aistrú, agus bíonn siad mar ionadaí don Chomhaltas i meán chumarsáid na Gaeilge chomh maith. Oifigeach na Gaeilge is responsible for the implementation of the SU bi-lingual policy and the promotion of the Irish culture in College. They should also be in communication with the Acadamh in the Ceathrú Rua. The Oifigeach na Gaeilge is expected to run a Seachtain na Gaeilge campaign and translate SU documents to be made available to the public. They also represent the SU in the Irish language media when needed. The Equality Officer The Equality Officer is responsible for seeing that all students are treated equally during their time in University. As well as this the Equality Officer will become involved in several committees and boards dealing with issues such as disability access to campus and dealing with various types of bullying. As well as this, the Equality Officer is the organiser of Equality Week, a week to celebrate diversity and inclusion in campus life. Casework is a huge part of being the Equality Officer, dealing with a wide range of issues. The Student Development Officer The Student Development Officers focus is getting students involved
in extra-curricular activities and encouraging them to engage with various volunteer organisations. The role of the SDO is generally purely non-academic. The SDO will work closely with the Alive Office to promote volunteering, social action and community involvement. The biggest date on the SDO calendar is Volunteering Week, a week where the Alive Office invites different volunteering organisations to come onto campus and persuade students to get involved. During this week, the SDO will help promote the event and get as many students involved as possible. The Postgraduate Officer The Postgraduate Officer is the representative of postgraduate students to the Students Union. The Postgrad Officer deals with the many issues facing postgraduate students, as well as organising social events where postgrads of different disciplines can meet and socialise. As well as this, the Postgraduate Officer will sit on various committees relating to postgraduate life on campus, and generally will work to improve life for all postgrads by promoting involvement and make their time at N.U.I Galway as fulfilling as possible. The Clubs Captain The Clubs Captain represents the Universities various clubs to the Students Union. The Clubs Captain will deal with issues such as funding for clubs, access to campus facilities and any general problems the clubs may face. As well as this, the Clubs Captain works to ensure that clubs are included in campus life wherever possible. The main event for the Clubs Captain is the clubs ball, which
is organised by the officer. It’s a chance for sports club members to socialise in a formal environment. The Clubs Captain also sits on various committees and is elected by a vote of the various Clubs Captains. The Societies Chairperson The Societies Chairperson serves as the representative of Societies to the Students Union. The Societies Officer will ensure that societies are kept abreast of all the goings on in the Students Union, as well as helping them deal with any problems they may have. As well as this, the Societies Chairperson will organise societies forums and will be in regular
communication with the Societies Officer, with a view to promoting student involvement in different societies activities and representing them to different bodies within the University. The Societies Chairperson is elected annually by the Auditors of the various societies.
shOUT! LGBT Youth Group shOUT LGBT hold weekly meetings each Saturday from 3:30 until 5:30 for people aged between 14 and 23. They’re based at Youth Work Ireland at 41 Prospect Hill and are open to everyone.
Patrick Conboy
Fees & Grants: I am strongly opposed to any re-introduction of fees or the increase in the student registration charge. If elected, I will lobby on behalf of you, the students, so that you are not made to suffer as a result of the recklessness of those in power.
Gym membership: The contract for the Students Sport Centre (‘The Kingfisher’) is up for renewal this year – I will ensure that the new contract will put students first! The current situation can no longer be tolerated. Every student is contributing €100 towards the Centre under the student levy, regardless if they use the facilities or not. Changes must be introduced that put us, the Students, first!
Student Dental Service: If elected, I would introduce the provision of dedicated dental facilities for students. This would be run in conjunction with the Student Health Unit. With a population of 16,000 students, the provision of dental treatments to students at a reasonable price will be one of my key priorities if elected.
Other Issues: 1. More support for our Sports Clubs. 2. Development of the Irish language on campus: work with Áras na Gaeilge to provide short courses. 3. College Week: don’t abandon, use high calibre acts to entertain students
Emmet Connolly
Fees & Grants: I will lobby the new government to reduce the €2,000 ‘Student Contribution’, or at the very least to freeze it at that level. I want to work with the national union to stop the proposed cuts in grants. Changes in the adjacent rate would force up to 400 NUIG students to drop out. Mature students on grants cannot take a 60% cut.
Gym membership: We need a fairer deal for the Sports Centre. I will look into ways of getting a fairer deal for students in the running of the gym – either through renegotiating a lower membership fee or by asking students if they want universal membership. Either way, as a gym member I can say the way the gym is currently being run is just not good enough.
Student Dental Service: I want to look into setting up a partnership with an existing dentist in Galway to set up a Student Dental Service where NUIG students would get discounted dental care by presenting their SU cards.
Other Issues: 1. Defending Student Nurses’ Pay: moral and legal argument that they should be paid for their work. 2. Organ Donor Week: use as positive publicity. 3. Buses to exam centres. 4. Reforming the Union: implement changes. 5. Price freezes where possible in SU outlets. 6. Taxi discounts with SU card.
Your Course, Your Choice: We, as students of NUI Galway must be given a greater say in what we learn in University – the introduction of a system which will allow undergraduate students, across all disciplines, can pick and choose specifically the modules or subjects THEY WANT to study regardless of their actual degree, within reason. I look to the ‘Horizons’ programme in place in UCD and the experiences that are enjoyed there by students. A similar system must be adopted here.
A more practical and pragmatic University: Properly accessible wireless printing locations particularly in the Reading Room. Improved study facilities across campus – more sockets, better seating, fairer access. Improved lighting and seating must be provided for, together with the creation of a study environment tailored to students needs. Consistent and high quality WiFi access.
Defending the Student Health Unit: I will protect the Student Health Unit as a free service – with me as SU President there will be no charges to see a nurse or doctor. I already helped stop charges being brought in last year and will continue to defend a free Student Health Unit. This is especially important when students can’t pay for a doctor or are suffering from mental health problems.
Voter Registration Campaign: I will hold a Voter Registration Campaign on campus to allow the growth of a student vote in Galway. This campaign should be held annually, possibly each semester. The building of a strong student vote will help us when we lobby our local TDs on student issues.
Paul Curley
Fees & Grants: Fight any increase to registration fee along with the graduate tax Fine Gael hope to bring in. Don’t let Labour repeat the mistake of the Lib Dems. Bring in advisory board on how to fight fees. Fight cuts to grants along with lobbying for the speed of grants to be improved. Use a text system nationally, as is used in Donegal.
Gym membership: I’m personally in favour of universal membership, but we must have referendum. In other Kingfisher gyms, there is the offer of 9 month memberships, so should we. Try to get semesterised memberships Got screwed over in last contract, reduce the next contract to 2 years and review.
Ents: The SU struggled this year to get good gigs at low prices. We should introduce part-time SU Ents Officer to correct this. The SU should sign a deal with an agency to get acts to NUIG. We should have an NUIG ball organised by an agency. Introduce an Ents card as in UCD. Establish an Ents crew.
Boost SU Profile: Get marketing students to do an extensive survey of students (creating jobs) SU officers should attend each ball and do more lecture shoutouts. We need to reduce the number of pointless meetings attended by the SU president. Improve class reps system – many are selfappointed, SU officers should ensure all elections take place. Change the ‘Equality Officer’ to ‘Equality and Disability Officer’.
Health promotion: Suicide awareness – overcome the stigma, work with USI, other SUs and schools, take a look at what was done with road safety Reform SHAG week – promote sexual health during first three weeks of the year, around Valentine’s Day and around RAG week. Promote STI screenings Work with the Welfare Officer
Oppose commercialisation in NUIG:
The Rent is Too Damn High:
Other Issues: 1. Jobs for students in Irish translation. 2. Try to reduce accommodation costs. 3. Look at USI commercial side. 4. Rag week. 5. Wheelchair accessibility: currently outrageous, seek to fix. 6. Greener campus. 7. Improve the SU website
Fees & Grants:
Joe Loughnane
Occasional lobbying and letter-writing has not worked. We have to build on previous protests to put pressure on the government. I will use my experience in FEE over the past 3 years. Involve lecturers and staff. Work with 2nd level. Work to increase the grant. Hold focus meetings with grant recipients. Ensure implementation of the Student Support Bill.
Gym membership: We must have a referendum on the issue – let students decide. Hold a special referendum day.
Student assemblies: To ensure we take advantage of all students who are politically aware of their surrounding local, national and global environment, I propose to hold Student Assemblies. The SU Crew needs to be made bigger and more transparent, which can come out of this process. Without the active interaction of our membership the organisation will remain a hollow tool for students’ rights.
Other Issues: 1. Local jobs database. 2. Extra training for class reps, like USI activist academy. 3. Monthly buses to the Dáil to confront TDs. 4. Constant access to local TDs. 5. Continue campaign for student nurses’ payment. 6. SU Student Assistance Fund. 7. Campaigns Crew. 8. Bicycle and Laptop workshops. 9. Forum for lecturers and students against cutbacks. 10.Book-swap and clothes-swap
Oppose the commercialisation and commodification of education, which will lead to the prioritisation of subjects and areas of research that are profitable for businesses, to the detriment of others, regardless of their value to society. Making a stand is important, internal lobbying and sitting on committees can only further out cause so far – our muscle is our direct action potential.
It is time a proper campaign was started that both pressurized landlords and the government to bring down the cost of living as a student. The quality of many student residencies is of very poor quality, and yet is still very expensive. A focus must be put on those properties all over the county that are lying uninhabited, with a view to securing cheaper rents for the student populace.
The race for President The boss, the chief, the head honcho, the big cheese - the Students’ Union President is the head representative of students in NUIG. This year, there are four candidates, each bringing something different to the mix. According to the SU constitution definition of the President: “shall be chairperson and shall have responsibility to uphold this Constitution and the terms of reference of all Union companies. The President shall be responsible for liaising with the appropriate staff members of the Union, the Union’s companies and with University management. S/He shall have responsibility for the finances of the Union in conjunction with the senior staff member and shall report to the Executive on this and the activities of the Union’s companies. The President shall also be responsible for ultimate coordination of Students’ Union campaigns and shall be required to act as a member of the Boards of Directors of companies owned by or related to the Union. S/He will represent Union members on University committees, and shall be the Chief Executive Officer and chief spokesperson of the Union. The President shall be the principal delegate to the National Council and Annual Congress of the Union of Students in Ireland. The President shall also be required to give a mandatory report on work carried out at each Executive meeting.”
The key issues: 1. Fees & Grants As in the Education race, each of the candidates is outrightly opposed to fees. However, the analytical point for us is how they propose to fight fees. On this point, we can immediately break the candidates into two groups of two. Connolly and Loughnane advocate an active, head-on approach, while Conboy and Curley appear to take the matter less militantly. Interestingly, Curley advises the formation of an advisory board to fight fees and suggested that another candidate – Joe Loughnane – be on this board. One could look at this move as stand-offish and dismissive of the issue at hand, or one could see it as incredibly genuine and honest. I’ll leave it up to you. Meanwhile, Connolly told Sin that he would use “national protest, local protest, occupations and other peaceful direct action” to fight fees. This would appear to be reading from the FEE and Loughnane hymn-sheet, which has been around for a few years now. Loughnane has a strong record of fighting fees and a range of other campaigns. Nonetheless, the Connolly and Loughnane approach is at odds to the Conboy approach, which advises “lobbying” and “keeping pressure on”, but does not make any concrete or more active proposals. The cuts to the grant, as discussed in the Education race, are a draconian measure of the previous government. Not only was the monetary amount of the grant cut, but the distance to qualify for the adjacent rate (€1200, instead of €3200) was increased to 45km. This means that towns such as Gort, Tuam and Headford are now considered ‘adjacent’ to NUIG and students from those towns will have their grant cut by €2000. Connolly pointed out that this will affect 400 students, quite possibly forcing them to drop out. Connolly continued that this was his main campaigning point. Curley and Loughnane mention these grant cuts, however do not appear to have the same knowledge or passion as Connolly on the issue. Conboy, on the other hand, failed to even mention the grant in his manifesto or interview with Sin.
2. Gym membership Technically known as the Student Sport Centre, the gym is home to the University Sports Unit and a gym, which is currently run by the Kingfisher company. Each registered pays a €100 levy towards the construction of the gym (and will continue to do so for many years), regardless of membership or usage of the gym. Student gym membership costs €250 (on top of the €100). This is paid to Kingfisher, who tendered and won the contract to run the gym. Kingfisher’s contract will expire next year. Although a side issue for the last few years, the price of gym membership emerged as a serious issue this year following a proposal from the Clubs’ Captain for a universal student membership fee of €100. The current situation is that there will be an Emergency General Meeting of the Students’ Union (open to all students) on Wednesday at 6pm in the Kirwan (see page 7) to decide whether a referendum will be called. Whatever the outcome of the meeting, and whatever the outcome of a referendum (should it go ahead), the next SU President will have a massive role to play in the future of the Student Sport Centre, the membership agreement and the negotiation of the next contract. Therefore it is very important that students are informed in the issue and are aware of the candidates’ positions. Curley is personally in favour of the universal membership charge, yet acknowledges that there must be a referendum on the issue. Loughnane was adamant that the decision must be left up to students in an informed and well-promoted referendum campaign. Connolly also emphasises the need for a referendum, but also raises the possibility of renegotiation with Kingfisher before their contract expires or waiting for a better contract and membership price from a new bidder in 2012. Conboy, again, was found wanting and did not give a direct answer to the question. He simply said that “changes must be introduced that put the student first”. This may mean a referendum, but is very vague.
3. Some campaigns Dental Service – proposals from Conboy and Connolly to introduce a system whereby students would get a discount from a local dentist. This would draw on the experience of the extremely successful Student Health Unit. Ents – this is Curley’s strongpoint. Curley is currently the auditor of the Ents Soc and has experience in this field. Conboy and Loughnane touched on the issue, but Curley has an advanced plan based on experience from UCD and TCD. Academic – Conboy appears to be the only candidate with a fleshed out academic proposal. His idea of ‘Your course, your choice’ may not have you on the edge of your seat, but it is a progressive idea that has been shown to work in other universities.
4. A fresh approach A trend of conversation that I have heard, and that many of the candidates have mentioned, is the need for a new, fresh approach to the Students’ Union and the office of President. The interpretation of this differs, but the overarching effect may be the same – the shake up of the union, the ending of a cosy relationship with university management and the drumming up of interest in ordinary students. Having been a sabbatical officer for the past two years, this appetite for a shake-up could well work against Connolly. Connolly completed a three year law degree between 2006-09 and some commentators have pointed out that should he be elected that he will have served in the SU as long as his degree lasted and that he may have lost touch with students. On the other hand, none of the other candidates have any experience of the SU executive and may take some time to learn the ropes. It’s the classic argument: worn-out v. enthusiastic or experienced v. naïve.
Fees and Grants: Not included in manifesto as everyone is agreed on these issues, will fight on them nonetheless.
Better Class Reps: Encourage greater feedback on college life and education by encouraging the various class reps to play a more vocal role in the class which they represent education. I will do this by outlining to a greater degree what the class reps job is at the start of the year , in order to get them working for the students earlier and more effectively.
More practical courses: To try and make courses much more hands on. I would do this my putting a greater influence on project work, with the assistance of a project head, and work experience. This would take away the high dependence of passing courses based solely on the final exam. I believe this will allow students a more rewarding educational experience as well as a less stressful one.
More active SU: Help the Student Union play a more active part in the social scene of the student body. I believe that at present this is very poor. The events organised are poorly advertised, poorly structured and on many occasions they do not interest the majority of students. I plan on doing this by getting better gigs throughout the year and events that are more interesting for the students.
Career Development Centre: To help the Career Development Centre to be involved to a greater degree when dealing with students and their subject choices. Many times I have heard people saying that they haven’t clue what they are going to do after college. I want to correct this problem in NUIG
Fees & Grants: Opposing all fees increases for University, both direct and indirect; Helping students transition to the new grants system; Fighting the change in college adjacency for
Study Facilities: Extending the opening hours of the Library; Fighting to bring back the short loan system and increase the stocks of high usage books; Extra study space for students especially
Making Education Affordable: Promoting and expanding the second hand book store; Ensuring SU outlets make college essentials as cheap as possible; Opposing the cuts to
Making the SU work for you: 100% dedication to student issues, no obligation to college bureaucracy; Protect the Bi-lingual policy of both the SU and the College;
Making the College work for you: Demanding the modernisation of teaching methods i.e: blackboard; Fighting for adequate class sizes and office hours;
grants; Defending against all cuts to the grants system.
during exams; More laptop power points and better wifi access across campus.
nursing placements; Fighting for payment of student tutors.
Greater student engagement through the class reps system; Skills workshops to help equip students better such as first aid training, computer classes etc.
Ensuring the necessary resources for you and your course; Acting as an advocate for you, the student
Conor Healy
Conor Kelly
David McLoughlin
Paddy Melia
Conor Stitt
Fees & Grants: Resist the introduction of fees and an increase in the registration fee I believe students are entitled to free education. Thus, I will continue the fight for students in opposing the introduction of fees and the increase of the registration fee. I believe the grants system must be reformed and must take into consideration of living for both students and their parents.
Class reps reform: Class committee of class reps should all meet and discuss issues and as a body bring forward the complaint to the relevant body. Sabbatical time for Class Reps at least every month where they introduce themselves to the class and make themselves known and available after class.
Accessible academics: Improved complaints system and academic support services. Similar to the current S.U. sabbatical hour, this should also be made available from the heads of academic departments which should help air the views of staff and students in relation to where the running of the department could be improved.
Anonymous marking: Fairer anonymous marking for students, based on the state examinations commission each student should be issued with an examination number along with their student number. This correspondence should only be communicated with the exams office to promote fairer marking among students.
Draw on experience: Current chairperson of Young Fine Gael in NUIG, led a branch of 380 to gain two seats in Galway West. Although will use political contacts if elected, yet interest will lie in the SU
Fees & Grants: Will fight tooth and nail to ensure NUI Galway students and future graduates do not pay any more for their education, I will lobby NUI Galway to cut their own admin costs
Launch ratemyclassrep.com I think class reps have a responsibility to their classes in terms of organizing great nights out, helping with queries etc. The majority of class reps
Create a culture of enterprise: 80% students surveyed want to start their own enterprise. - enhance SU enterprise awards - better information for students with an
Free calls to VECs: The student support bill has been enacted with a single unified grant scheme. The system will now be administered by local VECs. Although this is a step in the right direction, I still think
payment. Students who do not receive their grant can harass the VEC until they do.
and not the quality of services provided to students, lobby local Labour and Fine Gael TDs as well as work closely with USI to ensure no more damage is done to student education in NUI Galway.
are very good at this, however there are a minority of reps who ‘do it for the CV’, this has to be addressed and I think a rate my class rep website would help all students and allow good class reps to be rewarded.
enterprising idea - launch student enterprise week in NUIG, open to all students - launch ‘Your College, your Call’ - temporary trading licenses for student entrepreneurs in NUIG.
that there will be delays with the administration and paying out of the grants. In September, I will provide an area on campus with access to a free telephone for students who have yet to receive information/ confirmation of
for multi-disciplinary classes; Ensure NUIG-UL alliance is in students’ best interests; Mandatory module feedback for lecturers; Hold back to education seminars; End clamping in NUIG
Fees & Grants: Increased Fees would mean that many students will simply not be able to afford their registration fee. I believe Education is a right and not a privilege and if I am elected, I will fight fees by any means. I will pressure the new grant distribution administration into quicker grant distribution and at more reasonable times in the year.
Blackboard Requirement for lecturers: I find it appalling that while we have an extremely good online resource site for notes for students, lecturers still do not put up notes on blackboard. This is not acceptable in this day and age. If elected, I will seek to ensure all lecturers put their notes on blackboard.
University facilities: Extend the reading room opening hours. During Exam time, this is a necessity that yet to be addressed and If elected I address this immediately. Install a new library heater. Simple as, the heating in the Library in the last year or so has been too hot and very hard to study in. I will look into fixing the current system or getting a new heater.
Anonymous report system: If elected, I will set up a system in which students can contact me and the union anonymously if they wish. My hope would be that students can contact issues such as lecturers not teaching well, not putting notes on blackboard or bullying.
Other initiatives: Donation of Books/Book Rental; Replacement of Student ID cheaper; Repeat Fee accountability; Reg Fee accountability; Bereavement and Medical deferment on repeats; Programming exams must be on computers; Law exams, one question, one hour; Oppose the cuts in Student Nurses Wages;
Other initiatives: Greater access to funding for educational trips abroad; Lobby
The race for Education ‘Have you heard the one about the three Conors, the Paddy and the Dave?’ As was the case a year ago, students will have the choice of five male candidates for the position of Vice-President / Education Officer. Here we take a look at the bread and butter issues of the position and the position of each candidate. We’ll also look at the other issues – from ingenious to wacky. Firstly, let’s have a look at what the Education Officer actually does. According to the SU constitution definition of the Education Officer: “S/He shall have ultimate responsibility for the co-ordination of the CRC in conjunction with the Administrative Secretary. S/He shall provide a confidential listening and referral service for all Union members and represent members on various University committees. S/He also has responsibility for keeping the Executive and general student body informed on relevant educational issues and for dealing with individual requests from students. The Vice-President, Education Officer shall also organise and chair the Education Forum. The Vice-President shall also be required to give a mandatory report on work carried out at each Executive meeting.”
The Bread and Butter issues: 1. Fees Although the issue of third level tuition fees will be dealt with by the President, the Education Officer will also have a large role to play. This issue is dealt with on all but one of the manifestos and was the first question asked to each of the candidates in their interviews with Sin. Each candidate on paper, as one would expect, opposes the reintroduction of fees, the difference comes in how each of them dealt with the issue and how they propose to act if elected. As a member of Free Education for Everyone (FEE) and Sinn Féin, Conor Stitt was unsurprisingly the most anti-fees vocally. However, even his response on how to fight the current level and proposed increases left a bit to be desired. Stitt proposed continuing the student marches and promised to use his connections with many TDs (mainly SF, Labour and Independents) to voice students concerns. The other politically aligned candidate is David McLoughlin, a member of Fine Gael. As with Stitt, McLoughlin promised to use his political connections, but to put the interests of students above the interests of the party. McLoughlin, unlike his party, is personally against the introduction fees and promises to continue the fight, although gave no examples of how to do this. Conor Kelly and Paddy Melia also discussed fees, albeit more in a lip-service context. Conor said that he’d “oppose all fees increases for University, both direct and indirect” and Paddy said that he’d “fight tooth and nail”, however neither described in detail any practical measures they would take other than lobbying TDs, especially Labour. Finally Conor Healy, although acknowledge that fees were an important issue, chose not to include the issue on his manifesto.
2. Grants Recently, the Student Support Bill was passed by the Oireachtas – centralising the award of grants into one agency. It is hoped that this long awaited legislation will correct the delays in the awarding of grants. To this writer’s dismay, none of the candidates seemed to understand this reform or even pay it much lip-service in their manifestos or interviews with Sin. I hope that as the campaign progresses, as the debates unfold, and surely upon election, the officer will have better knowledge of the situation. That said, each of the candidates were familiar with the cuts to the grant rate and the extension of the adjacent distance.
3. Class Reps The Education Officer looks after the class reps system; in fact it is one of the most important of his/her roles. Should this week’s referendum pass, the class reps system will be reformed (again). Although each of the candidates raised the issue of class reps, I was not satisfied with any of their understanding of the broader class reps system or the proposed changes. Each of their suggestions, although good for the most part, centered on the election of more engaged, individual class reps and not the broader system.
4. Academic facilities and reform A selection of what the candidates propose: Conor Healy – more practical courses – continuous assessment, project work Conor Kelly – use of blackboard and email, library hours, study space, sockets David McLoughlin – accessible academics, anonymous marking Paddy Melia – integration of entrepreneurship in academics Conor Stitt – blackboard requirement, reading room hours, library heater Each year, some of the key education proposals include: - extension of library opening hours - more sockets in the library and reading room - more study space at exam-time In fairness to previous Education Officers, these have been worked on. The reading room is due to be refurbished during the summer and more sockets have been installed in the library. The other trend, as raised by Kelly and Stitt is the use of Blackboard by lecturers. A noble idea, but possibly naïve to expect that lecturers will succumb and that the uploading of all notes will not have an impact on lecture attendance.
Brian Grant
Finance: Recruit more part-time jobs for NUIG students. Students often waste their time out looking for jobs as there is often nothing going. I will go wherever, whenever looking for jobs for students. Introduce a weekly updated page on the website for jobs. Promote financial workshops (like MABS). This is not just education for college, this is education for life.
Gym membership: Lobby for student universal gym membership, also lobby for semesterised membership. Students should be encouraged to use the gym – healthy body, healthy mind. Universal membership would represent better value for students. Health:
Increase the promotion of health education on campus. Improve the promotion of SHAG week. Campaign for depression and suicide awareness. 42% of students in college are depressed several days a week. NUIG needs more promotions, especially in the first four weeks of college of both semesters – before assignments and work placements start to take place.
Accommodation: Student accommodation should be reviewed annually. Students get a bad name from a small minority, may not get their deposit back from landlords and are often manipulated by landlords. Will create a landlord forum with reps from the main sources of student accommodation and the SU.
Other campaigns: - Create games reps for each faculty to promote physical activity and the diversity of sports available. - Bring in a bike loan scheme on campus - Bring more student focussed events on campus - Take a more active and visible approach to the SU.
Conor Keane
Abby Noyce
Finance: Money Matters Mondays - learn about everything from budgeting to what a tracker mortgage really is. That the Student Assistance Fund will be maintained and fought for. No cuts against the vulnerable. To fight the changes in the grant adjacency zone. Tuam, Gort and An Cheathrú Rua are not adjacent to NUIG!
Compassionate Advocacy: Have Open Door mornings for students to drop in and meet me on any issue. Work tirelessly to ensure that Mature and Disabled students are represented, remembered and fought for. Provide an anonymous Instant Messaging for students who are afraid to talk. I will be there to listen. Be a tireless, compassionate advocate for the welfare of NUIG students and will fight tooth and nail for them. Look to have a Chill Out Room for students to relax, meditate and reflect established.
Health: Run the following campaigns: Sexual Health and Awareness - Mental Health - Men and Women’s Health - Exam De Stress Month during exam months. - Mind Body and Soul Workshops
Accommodation: Make sure an online landlord database and complaints system is set up. Work with housing and legal groups to ensure that the legal and housing rights of all students are known and published. Continue working with Residence Reps to better ensure the health, happiness and well being of students living there.
Save Our Services: Conor will fight to ensure that essential services like the Counselling Service, the Health Unit and the Creche are protected. I oppose all cuts to these vital services. Campaigns will be fought to ensure that we can save our services!
Finance: This is a big deal. Going to University is probably the hardest time you’ll ever have trying to manage your money. I’ll put in place Budgeting Skills workshops and I’ll help you to compare the loan and overdraft schemes that are offered to students depending on their needs.
Employment: This could not be harder to find. But there are always promotional companies offering a few hour’s work here and there, or pubs looking for bar staff. I would like to set up a Student Jobs network so that any company can click on and offer students any work that they can.
Health: Mental, Physical and Sexual. We all know it’s important, but we all know it’s not paid the attention it deserves. I hope to get a student cookery book up and running with cheap, healthy and tasty recipes for every kind of lifestyle. I would like to better publicise the free STI Clinic’s and Student Health Unit. With regard to the Kingfisher, there is consistent demand for better deals, so I’d make sure students here got the best price for NUIG’s University gym.
Accommodation: Too many students are being ripped off paying for overpriced and under-equipped apartments and houses. I hope to make you more aware of what your rights are and help you to make sure you get your deposit back safe and sound at the end of the year. I would also like to introduce a StudentTenant based website, which would include feedback for each property, plus space where accommodation can be offered to First Years especially who might not have a good knowledge of Galway city.
Travel: This economic standstill is making us restless. I will make information on J1’s and Visa’s easier to access, help set you up if you want to go couch-surfing and advise you where to get the best deals on loans.
The race for Welfare This year there are only three candidates for the position of Vice-President / Welfare Officer, the fewest since 2008. This race includes the only female candidate of the elections, a disappointing showing considering the increase in female general election candidates and TDs elected recently. All three candidates have a weight of experience behind them and fairly similar policies. This could be the closest contest this year. According to the SU constitution definition of the Welfare Officer: “S/He shall have responsibility for providing information and educating the general student body on welfare issues and to this end shall initiate campaigns on relevant and pressing Welfare issues. S/He shall also provide a confidential listening and referral service for members of the Union and represent members on various University committees. The Vice-President, Welfare Officer shall also organise and chair the Welfare Forum. The Vice-President shall also be required to give a mandatory report on work carried out at each Executive meeting.�
The Bread and Butter issues: The incumbent, Emma Conway, highlighted the following issues as being some of the most important for the work of the Welfare Officer: - Finance - Accommodation - Health So, let’s take a look at how the candidates compare on these issues.
1. Finance Finance can be broken down into a few key areas, probably the most important of which is – jobs. Conor Keane, although having a reasonably comprehensive manifesto, failed to highlight the issue of jobs. Grant and Noyce on the other hand proposed detailed, and similar, actions. Each raised the idea of a webpage for employers to advertise part-time jobs. Each also committed themselves to doing the dirty work for students – trying to find every available job. Their efforts appear noble, yet it remains to be seen whether the idea of regularly updated NUIG students jobs website will materialise and whether the elected officer will have the time to approach every business looking for jobs. The other side of the finance coin is the management of the money students do have. Over the past couple of years, some work has been done with MABS (Money Advice and Budgeting Service), however as financial hardship continues and becomes more acute, this work will certainly have to continue. Some of the candidates’ suggestions on this are: Brian Grant – promote MABS, more value for gym membership, bike loans Conor Keane – Money Matters Mondays, Student Assistance Fund, save services Abby Noyce – Budgeting skills workshops, compare loan/overdraft deals Conor Keane appears to be the strongest on this issue.
2. Accommodation Ever a vital issue, student accommodation has become a more difficult issue in recent years due to financial hardship and problems with the student residences. In my opinion, none of the candidates took a strong enough view on rent reductions in the student residences. Clearly this would be no easy task, but a combative Welfare Officer would fight Corrib Village, Gort na Coiribe and the rest by using negative publicity and information campaigns to achieve further price reductions and improvements in quality. That said, each of the candidates proposed novel ideas: Brian Grant – set up a landlord-SU forum Conor Keane – set up landlord database and complaints system Abby Noyce – tenant feedback website Perhaps, the best would be a combination of these three – some form of website where students can publically complain about their landlord, but the landlord is given an opportunity to correct and discuss the problems. We’ll have to call this one a tie.
3. Health As Noyce points out, health includes mental, physical and sexual health. Again, the candidates each make good points. Grant suggests that campaigns take place at more appropriate times of the year, Keane lists some previously run campaigns and Noyce adds promotion of cookery skills and the free STI checks. Grant and Noyce also raise the issue of a better deal for gym membership. As with much in this race, one would hope that whoever is elected will learn from the other candidates and implement the best overall policy for students.
A kind ear… Aside from the bread and butter campaigning issues, the key role of the Welfare Officer is to provide a kind ear to students, “a confidential listening and referral service” as the constitution terms it. To assess the candidates’ ability to do this, we take a look at their backgrounds: Brian Grant ran for the Welfare Officer position last year, narrowly missing out. That campaign started as a joke campaign (or at least appeared to), but quickly Grant brought a strong note of sincerity and performed well at the hustings debate. Grant has been heavily involved in clubs and has excellent leadership qualities as a result. Conor Keane is a soft-spoken and eloquent native of Carna, Conamara. He’s an active member of societies, particularly Lit & Deb. He is a proud Gaeilgeoir and has offered his services trí mheáin na Gaeilge (an attribute I believe he shares with Grant). Keane’s manifesto is built on “compassionate advocacy” and promises to provide “compassionate support and a caring atmosphere”. Abby Noyce is heavily involved in the theatrical side of NUIG. As a second year Arts students, she is most likely to be in tune with the average NUIG student. In her manifesto, she aims to develop “a comprehensive students’ union”.
By Darragh O Connor
There are two types of people who go to see The Rubberbandits live. One, the person who hopped on the bandwagon a few months ago and finds their gigs a great place to jump around to crude lyrics set to dance, jungle and hip hop beats. Two, the person who sees them for what they originally set out to be, a comedic duo that specialise in social satire. Although it definitely seemed more like a concert and less like a stand up gig (and make no mistake, they are a stand up act), I’m confident in saying that both camps were satisfied when the lads from Limerick performed for NUIG’s College Week in the Black Box Theatre.
Kicking it all off with the hilarious “Eamon De Valera Double Droppin’ Yokes”, Blind Boy Boatclub, Mr Chrome and their music maestro Willie O’ DJ began to bang out one brilliant tune after another. Highlights of the night included their new single “I wanna fight your father”, “Up the ‘ra”, “Too Many Gee” and my personal favourite “Bags of Glue”. Of course when they went off stage the crowd were roaring for one more tune, and sure enough no one was surprised when the boys came back on and did “Horse Outside”.
After hearing of a disappointingly brief performance at the recent Arts Ball, I’m delighted to see that The Rubberbandits haven’t lost their touch yet, and provided that they don’t veer too far away from their comedy roots I’m certain they’ll remain one of the best Irish live acts for 2011.
College Week review: The Rubberbandits
The 10th of March is a night to dig out your masks and call down to the Harbour Hotel wearing all your finery! The Italian Society will host their annual Carnevale Masquerade Ball which, will be held at the Harbour Hotel. This year the money raised will go to the Jack and Jill Foundation. Tickets are available at the socsbox for €45, this includes
a 3 course dinner, complimentary wine and prosecco reception and entertainment and begins at 7:30 pm. (There are also a limited amount of afters tickets available for €20). Come along for a night of decadence, magic and mystery. For more information on the society and the Masquerade Ball email italiansoc@socs.nuigalway.ie.
Fansci Society will be hosting Itzacon this year from the 11th of March to the 13th in Aras na Léinn or as it is known among a certain group: Aras na Fansci. There are lots of things to check out, everyone is welcome. This is just a brief overview of what to expect at Itzacon. To check out the events in more detail visit: www. itzacon.com.
RPG’s Itzacon is famous for its Convention Scenarios, mostly because it brings out the best of the best! The “National Game Writer Award” is presented at Itzacon to the writer of the best scenario. For too long writers have slaved over creating games only to see players have fun for three or more hours and win a prize for best roleplayer. Writers deserve recognition for the work they do and Itzacon seeks to reward this. Who will be this year’s winner? Only time will tell.
LARP’s Dress up, act it out. Requirements? None, just immerse yourself in the setting and let your imagination run wild.
Wargames Itzacon will be hosting Warhammer 40k only in tournaments however, people are more than welcome to bring their other armies (WH Fantasy
and LotR for example) should they wish to play some friendly games. Come and enter in the painting competition or try your hand at annihilating all enemy armies.
Card Games Magic: The Gathering.... well it wouldn’t be a convention if we didn’t have a draft or 20 of Magic! Check out the relevant section for details of the events!
Boardgames FanSci Soc has a MASSIVE collection of Boardgames from “Apples to Apples” to “Zombie Dice”. All our games will be available to play for a refundable deposit so come along and enjoy a game of Munchkin with friends or strangers! There will even be proper tournaments in the more popular boardgames.
Video Screenings Take a load off and relax while watching all the classic movies (ALL OF THEM!) to make you nostalgic.
Console Gaming There will be console gaming available in the Large Acoustic Room for all you console gamers. Soul Caliber II tournament is definitely confirmed.
The accident happens on the Tuam Road. The kind of story you hear every day on the news and think is just terrible, and so sad for the family. But it doesn’t really hit you until it happens to someone you know. My friend’s sister dies on the roadside. Hit and run. She is knocked clean off her bicycle. I am with him when he gets the call. His face changes colours so fast I think there’s something wrong with my eyes; red, white, silver, lime. He falls over and I rush to pick him up. But he’s too heavy so I just sit on the ground with him, ignoring the people as they walk past giving us strange looks. Some looks are of annoyance that we are in the way. Some looks are of pity, those who recognise that something is wrong. Some don’t even look. Later, back at his house, his aunt pours out the tea. His parents are at the hospital but he says he doesn’t want to go. He doesn’t talk. Mary, his aunt, makes inconsistent attempts at conversation. Mostly, she talks about how much tea will help and this one time when she was feeling really bad and tea made her feel better. He just stares at the television. Apart from slurring out the necessary polite responses to Mary, I am silent. I gaze into my teacup. All answers evade me. All words of comfort are just twisted whispers in the dark. I put my hand on his shoulder and he flinches. After a few hesitant seconds, I take it away. He continues to stare at the television. When his aunt gets a telephone call to inform her that his parents on the way back, I leave.
The next day, his father answers the door and lets me in without a word. He is outside, on the swings, throwing a tennis ball against the wall as he sways back and forth. The garden is bare, with only green grass underfoot and green trees all around. No flowers. I say hello and sit on the swing next to him. Somewhere in my head, a mean little man shoots me with arrows of inadequacy and guilt. I shut my eyes.
I tell him that if he wants to talk, I’m here. I open my eyes and see him nod. Then I tell him all the news I can think of, everything from films in the cinema to a friend’s recent run-in with the Galway City Council clampers. I ramble on hopelessly for about five minutes, then stop. He is still nodding, as though listening to music. I look for earphones; he isn’t wearing any. I become increasingly anxious. My legs won’t stop shaking, knees together, moving fast, like someone shaking a carton of orange juice to get the bits up. I grip the chains of the swings with clenched fists. I tell him that I am so so sorry. He nods. The trees at the end of his garden are beginning to lose their leaves and the fallen ones have formed a crinkled, beige and crimson blanket on the ground. A plane flies over our heads, the noise echoes around the garden like a gunshot. A wail is heard from within the house. He sighs. My right hand creeps compulsively to my hair, my fingers twisting its strands like a tornado. The light begins to slip from the sky and darkness edges up to us from the trees. The garden light has a motion sensor and comes on automatically as we swing. Mary comes to the back door and tells us that she has made food if we’re hungry, that it’s getting dark and cold and we should come in or we’ll catch pneumonia. He nods.
I keep glancing at him, hoping he will give me the opportunity to help. But he just nods and stares at his feet. I wait. I will not leave the swings unless he does. Darkness surrounds us now, though we sit in a circle protected by the garden light. The wind picks up and I shiver. He glances at me then, and with great effort lifts himself from the swing. I do the same, stretching my stiff limbs. I follow him inside. His parents are nowhere to be seen but his aunt is in the kitchen and, once she sees us, she dashes to the cooker and turns the heat on under a saucepan full of curry. She potters about, getting out plates and glasses. He has already retreated to the couch and I see him reach for the remote. I sit beside him. The lamps aren’t on in the living room, and I can only see him by the light from the television, which flickers and changes, growing dark and then igniting again. Mary arrives with the curry and rice and we eat in silence. I focus on the television, but pay it little attention. I stare as James Bond fights the good fight, equipped with one-liners and pretty girls and fast cars. Halfway through a boat chase, Mary comes in and turns on the lights. She chirps about needing better light for the sake of our eyes, and takes our empty plates away. I steal another glance at him. He finally looks at me. His face is grey and tiredlooking. He stares at me and I stare back. I take his hand and we turn back to the television.
Royseven recently played in NUIG as part of the SU Sessions. The guys arrived from Dublin where they were doing interviews ahead of their new album release for “You Say We Say”. Unfortunately two members were delayed in traffic but the others in the band adapted very well to being a four piece and played a really enjoyable gig. The album looks set to be a winner. After their set, I got a few minutes with Paul Walsh to talk about the band.
Katy: First off, how did you all get involved in Royseven? Paul Walsh: We were in a band called Jove together and the bass player left. We took on another bass player plus a guitar player, and decided it was time to change the name, change the sound a little bit and that’s how Royseven came to be. How the name came to be is another bloody story!
Katy: Where did the name come from? Paul: Well we wanted to call the band Roy after the first song we wrote together, but there were four other bands called Roy around the world, so for copyright reasons we couldn’t go there. Then we thought, well there’re six of us in the band, we could call it Roysix but that doesn’t work, doesn’t sound phonetically nice, in any way pleasant. I heard an interview with David Bowie, and he said “a song is never complete until somebody outside the writing process has heard it”, so we thought there’re six in the band plus the listener. So that’s Royseven. We think it’s a sweet little idea.
Katy: You’ve had great success, including meteor awards. Does that make it easier for the band? No. Not really. People expect more and then you have hiccups like today and people go “Oh my God, they won what? They shouldn’t have won anything!” So, no, it doesn’t make it any easier, no. I mean it’s probably easier from a PR perspective because it’s something to talk about but that was three or four years ago now, so we don’t really use it you know? We wouldn’t use it.
Paul:
Katy: After your debut album, “The Art of Insincerity” you went on tour for quite a bit. We didn’t intentionally take a break, we changed record companies, and we were waiting for a particular producer. So all in all, with signing the new deal, which took a year to negotiate, and waiting for this producer, which took a year, we starting recording in November ‘09 and finished in July 2010. So time just flies! The main thing is for us we’re happy with the product we have, we’re really happy with the album. The response so far has been really good, and positive from people.
Paul:
Katy: As your first album was received so well, was it nervewracking to go back to the drawing board and start all over again? No, because I think we’d learned so many lessons from the first record, so many things we could have done a lot better and we toured Europe with the first record, which is quite difficult because a lot of songs on the first album were quite mid tempo, and with this record we wanted to have songs that we could play live, that would get people moving, and more involved, and maybe more accessible to sing along, maybe not so heavy and introspective. So we kind of geared the album towards that. We were looking forward to a chance to prove ourselves that we could do something slightly different without completely reinventing the wheel you know?
Paul:
Katy: The first released single from this is “Killer”. What was the inspiration for it? Quite honestly, my manager joked with me one day and said. “Why can’t you write a song like the Killers?” and I thought, “Well we’re not the fucking Killers” and then actually, the word ‘killer’ seemed appealing and I liked that, and we’d be touring so I was watching Criminal Minds back to back a LOT. So I thought well I never usually do any narrative lyric, so I thought I’d just write a story about a guy. Yeah, it’s really weird, the way it came about, but it worked out and we like it so. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUvlRWskhVM
Paul:
Katy: Great. Now a few questions so people can get to know you better! Favorite You Tube video right now? I was looking at one today from American guys coming back from a bachelor party, and one of the guys is asleep in the passenger seat? So the others in the seven-seater car decide to all scream frantically like they’re about to crash, to wake this guy up. So they have the camera on him, and all you can hear is the guys going “AHHHHH!!”. So the passenger guy wakes up and automatically starts screaming as well because he’s taken up by this emotion you know? So that’s what I looked at today, that was really funny so I put that on my Facebook page.
Paul:
Katy: Cat or Dog? Paul: You see, traditionally, I’m a cat person but we have a dog at home the last few years and I really love the dog, so the dog’s kind of taken over now. You seem pleased about that. You don’t like cats at all no? Cats don’t give a shit. Cats are smart. I like the independence of a cat, I like that they’re sort of like “fuck you, I’m gonna do this on my own and if you want to throw me out, that’s fine, I’ll be fine!” whereas as a dog would be like, ‘Oh my God! Don’t throw me out!”
Katy: Maltesers of Minstrels? Paul: Maltesers. It’s the lighter way to enjoy chocolate. I love Maltesers. They’re lovely!
Katy: A line of a song that means something to you. Paul: “Before you slip into unconsciousness I’d like to have another kiss, another flashing chance at bliss, another kiss, another kiss”. “Crystal Ship” by The Doors. The first line, it’s a beautiful line.
Katy: Finally, what’s up next for Royseven? Paul: Rehearse! No, what’s up for Royseven next is, we’re off to Germany on Thursday because… But I can’t tell you why we’re off to Germany but there’s a press conference on Friday morning for something that’s happening for the band now, we’re really happy about it*. So then we’re over to Germany again, we’re doing the Ruby Sessions in Dublin next Tuesday, another acoustic thing. I promise it’ll be better than this. Then we’re back to Germany the weekend of the 11th and 12th of February to do two shows in Hanover. The album release then and gigs associated with that, so TV shows and all that kind of stuff. Then back to Germany Austria, Switzerland and try to make a go of it. Now if that all goes pear shaped, back to college! *It was announced on Friday that Royseven are the newcomer for Rock at this year’s VW Sound Foundation. They were chosen over 150 applicants.
Marc Mc Menamin looks at one of Corks up and coming bands Occupying a soundscape that lies somewhere in between the musical stylings of Kate Bush and Massive Attack, Cork based indie outfit Bona Fide Federation have been taking the Irish music scene by storm. Melding the best bits of a Jazz orientated classical background with a keen pop sensibility it is no doubt that the groups debut E.P. Night Train was described by Corks Evening Echo as ‘one of the finest E.Ps to emerge from the city in recent years. No strangers to the touring circuit, the group are a breath of fresh air to the hubris of the current Irish Music scene. Unlike most scenesters the group discards the NME flavour of the month stylings of some of the current crop of Irish musicians, refusing to be pigeonholed by genre, the group instead intends to invent its own. Bona Fide count support slots with Fred and O’ Emperor among their recent outings as well as a recent headline slot at Wexford Street musical haunt Whelans. The group’s most notable achievement to date has been being selected by a panel of judges from Phantom F.M. and Today F.M as outright winners of the 2010 Sea Sessions battle of the bands in Bundoran earlier this year. As a result of this the band will be playing on the main stage at this year’s festival, which is due to take place in June. A Bona Fide gig is an experience not to be missed, the aural bliss in siren like front women’s Triona O’Neill’s vocal is matched only by the prowess of her band which include renowned composer Pierre O’ Reilly on Piano and cellist
Jess Maderson on Cello, the rhythm section includes MacDara Lynch on Bass guitar and Peter Byrne on Percussion. O’ Neill’s voice is augmented by harmony vocals from all other members. With the obvious absence of a guitar the band has bucked the trend of the indie music scene with the most impressive results. The band has gone back to a roots based sound that is firmly anchored in melody. This produces a unique and refreshing sound, something that has been absent in Irish music for some time. Already earmarked by the music press as ‘one to watch out for’ in 2011 are continuing to achieve rave reviews for their gigs. With Galway dates scheduled for an upcoming tour to support a second E.P. and the release of a new single, expect to hear big things about Bona Fide Federation in 2011.
Meanwhile, you can check the band out at: www.breakingtunes.com/ bonafidefederation www.bonafidefederation. bandcamp.com
Be prepared for hilarity and sorrow in Paul Murray’s most recent novel. Set in Dublin, Skippy Dies follows the lives of several characters at Seabrook College, a prestigious private school for boys. Daniel ‘Skippy’ Juster has a lot of problems. His mother is sick; he is the star of the swimming team but would quit if it wasn’t for the pressure from his parents and coach; and in school, his As have slid down towards failure. The pills help with the panic attacks and he avoids thinking by playing video games and hanging out with Ruprecht Van Doren in Ed’s Doughnut house. But when he falls in love with Lori, things begin to change. The fact that Skippy dies is made obvious in the first chapter, as well as the title. The description of the death is unusually comical. Ruprecht, the all-round genius, has no bright ideas to help his dying friend and this flabbergastedness is perversely amusing. The reader has no connection with Skippy at this stage so the death has minimal emotional effect. However, as the book progresses,
we grow more attached to Skippy and comedy is subtly transformed into sadness and pity. Murray’s characters are simply brilliant. The reader is introduced to downtrodden teacher Howard the Coward, the hilarious Principal Costigan (think Superintendent Chalmers in The Simpsons), Carl the psychopathic drug abuser, and Skippy’s band of unhappy teenage companions. The sheer volume of information in the book is astonishing, as though Murray really is bringing the reader back to school. Through various characters, we learn about string theory, the First World War, Irish myths, pop culture, the priesthood (and all the connotations that now come with it – teacher Father Green is nicknamed ‘Pére Vert’), drugs and drug-dealing, depression, the breakdown of relationships, and love. This is a novel worth reading. It’s no surprise that it was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize last year.
Valentine’s Day was inadvertently the perfect day for one of the most loved footballers of all time to bow out. After an eighteen year career, Ronaldo’s body finally got the better of him after remarkably battling back from three crippling knee injuries. “It’s very hard to leave something that made me so happy. Mentally I wanted to continue but I lost to my body” shows that this was a man who wanted to keep on playing and unlike some football geniuses, he did not let paydays or demons inhibit his love of the game. Ronaldo began his professional career at Cruzeiro in 1993. They were based over 300 miles away from his home in Rio de Janeiro but Ronaldo was a determined individual. Infamously, his local club Flamengo rejected the chance to sign him as they would not pay his 20p bus fare so Cruzeiro stepped in. Ronaldo, at seventeen years of age, quickly became the focal point of their attack and scored an incredible 46 goals in 44 games. His trademark pace, finishing and off-the-ball movement were all evident-even at the tender age of 17. He was nicknamed the phenomenon or O Fenômeno and inevitably, comparisons with Pelé were drawn up. Ronaldo was part of the victorious Brazil 1994 World Cup squad but did not make an appearance. Despite this, being around the likes of Romário and Bebeto provided invaluable tutelage and the inspiration to
fire Brazil to a future World Cup triumph. Ronaldo’s amazing debut season did not go unnoticed and he joined PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 1994 for £4.7 million. Romário advised Ronaldo to move to PSV as coincidentally, it was his first European club and he had spent five successful seasons there from 1989-93. O Fenômeno’s astonishing goal scoring prowess continued in the Netherlands where he netted 54 goals in 57 games. However, he again outgrew his surroundings and Barcelona signed him for a then world record fee of £15 million in the summer of 1996. Ronaldo thrived in playing at the Nou Camp with stars like Luis Figo, Josep Guardiola, Hristo Stoichkov and Luis Enrique. He scored a magnificent 34 goals in 37 games and moments of brilliance were constant such as his spectacular individual goal against Compostela. Ronaldo ran forty yards and dribbled past six Compostela defenders before a trademark strike which infamously left Barca manager, Sir Bobby Robson, with his hands on his head. This outstanding form merited World Player of the Year awards in 1996 and 1997. However, a dispute over a new contract and the sacking of Robson led to Ronaldo moving again. He joined Italian giants Internazionale for yet another world record fee of £19 million in the summer of 1997. This was far from a step down for Ronaldo. The Italian league was considered the best in the world at the time with Zinedine Zidane, Alessandro Del Piero, Paolo Maldini and Gabriel Batistuta all plying their trades in Serie A. Ronaldo was gearing up for the 1998 World Cup and in prolific form with 34 goals in 47 games for Inter. Even at the delicate age of twenty-one, O Fenômeno was
central to Brazil manager Mário Zagallo’s hopes of winning the World Cup in France. It seemed Ronaldo would not disappoint as he bagged four goals and three assists which led Brazil to the final. However, on the eve of the final against France, Ronaldo suffered an inexplicable seizure. He declared himself fit but struggled in the match and was upstaged by a virtuoso display from Zidane in a 3-0 French victory. Misfortune continued for Ronaldo when he twice ruptured the tendon in his right knee between 1999 and 2001. Despite this, O Fenômeno showed incredible determination as he spent the best part of two years in rehabilitation looking to make Luiz Felipe Scolari’s 2002 World Cup squad. It resulted in a remarkable recovery and although he may have lost half a yard of his trademark pace, Ronaldo looked a much more complete player with his bulked-up physique. He won the Golden Boot with eight tournament goals and avenged for his 1998 Paris nightmare with both goals in the 2-0 final win over Germany. Ronaldo’s miraculous comeback was recognised in yet another World Player of the Year award in 2002. He was football’s hottest property. By 2002, Fiorentino Perez’s Galácticos project at Real Madrid was in full-swing with the likes of Zidane and Figo on board and Ronaldo joined Madrid for £35 million immediately after the World Cup. O Fenômeno justified the price. His signing led to a brilliant 104 goals in 177 games between 2002 and 2007 and unprecedented shirt sales. He won the first major domestic title of his career with the Primera Division in 2003 but the defining moment of Ronaldo’s time at Madrid was
a magnificent hat-trick against Manchester United in the Champions League quarterfinal at Old Trafford in 2003. Real won the match 4-3 and in each of his goals, Ronaldo showcased three signature attributes. The first goal was a trademark breaking of the offside trap coupled with a low strike past Fabien Barthez. The second was a ‘simple’ tap-in from a Roberto Carlos cross and the final goal was a breathtaking 20 yard strike. However, the Champions League trophy eluded him in an otherwise glittering trophy cabinet. Weight problems-due to both a wayward lifestyle and medication for his tender knees (which was rumoured to have sped up his metabolism) dogged the latter part of Ronaldo’s career. He did break Gerd Muller’s World Cup goal scoring record of 15 goals after netting three times in Germany in 2006 but Brazil underperformed and were knocked out in the quarter-final by France. After falling out-offavour (due to weight issues) with Real Madrid disciplinarian Fabio Capello, he moved to AC Milan in January 2007. Ronaldo scored 9 goals in 20 games but again adversity struck O Fenômeno as he ruptured the tendon in his left knee. It seemed Ronaldo’s career was over-at the premature age of 31. However, Ronaldo’s dream was to end his career in Brazil and he achieved this with a move to Corinthians in December 2009 where he scored 19 goals in 31 games. There is no doubt Ronaldo was one of the modern greats who played for the best teams in the world and won numerous personal, club and national honours. However, one wonders how unstoppable he could have been had he not had such terrible luck with injuries.
There is a real sense of excitement in the air as The Cheltenham festival is due to commence on the 15th of March. The Cheltenham festival is without doubt the greatest event on the racing calendar and can only be described as the equine Olympics. An estimated 210,000 racing fans are expected to congregate on Prestbury park and with St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th there is a strong Irish contingent set to make the journey across the Irish Sea to join the party.
By now opinions have been formed and wagers have been placed and members of the public will be making their annual visit to the local bookmaker scanning the newspaper for familiar names such as “Ruby” or “Mc Coy” to investigate which horses are worth following. Tony Mc Coy who is fresh from winning BBC’s Sports personality of the year award is set to enjoy a high class booking of rides throughout the week and perhaps his most important mount comes on 2010 Champion Hurdle hero Binocular for J.P Mc Manus. Binocular is a warm favorite at 3-1 to regain his Champion Hurdle crown but the Willie Mullins trained Irish raider Hurricane Fly looks more than capable of posing a serious threat at odds of 5-1.
Willie Mullins has yet another high class representative on Tuesday with Quevega, who has a chance to record her third successive victory in the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle. At prohibiting odds 6-5 with William Hill bookmakers. Defeat looks out of the question for this superstar mare who has been kept fresh this campaign in order to be in peak condition for this assignment.
The following day offers us a mouth watering clash between Master Minded and last season’s Champion Chaser Big Zeb. Trained in Wexford by Colm Murphy the 10 year old has been in sparkling form this term and was just touched off by a fast finishing Golden Silver in the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown last month. Following that defeat jockey Barry Geraghty admitted that he had made a mistake by asking Big Zeb for an effort too soon and perhaps Golden Silver was a little fortunate to come away with first prize. The trainer and jockey combination seem ultra confident following a smooth schooling session at Leopardstown racecourse and odds of 3/1 seems to be great value at this present time.
Thursday provides the idea of the festival “banker” with Big Bucks running in the world hurdle. A top priced 11/10 with English bookmakers William Hill , Paul Nicholls eight year old can maintain his unbeaten record over hurdles and earn his place in racing folklore by achieving his third consecutive World Hurdle. Despite stiff rivalry from ultra impressive Cleeve hurdle winner Grand Crus and Irish challengers Solwhit and Mourad , Big Bucks should defend his crown successfully and provide a smile for the punters celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
Friday holds the great spectacle of the Gold Cup where the Paul Nicholls duo of Denman and Kauto Star are set to lock horns again. Father time however seems to be catching up on the great Kauto Star who is now an eleven year old and on this seasons excursions Denman should have his measure. Last year’s winner Imperial Commander heads the market at 7/2 but the Leaopardstown Lexus Chase winner Pandorama could be exceptional value at 20/1 to be in the first three. Noel Meade’s chaser had to miss the Irish Hennessey in February through a minor injury, should he win his race against time to get Pandorama to the blue ribbon event in the Cotswold’s he should go very well.
The spectre of emigration once again haunts Ireland, this year the Central Statistics Office estimate that upwards of 500,000 people are set to emigrate. While the old hot spots of the American east coast, Canada and London are once again filling up with the sound of Irish accents, you may find it surprising to hear that Seoul, South Korea also has a thriving Irish community. With a population of 10 million, Seoul is one of Asia’s largest metropolitan cities. While a city with a population that dwarfs that of the whole of Ireland may appear daunting, it is in fact its sheer size which makes it so appealing. The cultural switch is made easier when you realise that everything considered ‘western’ is readily available in Seoul, though it’s far more interesting to stick to the quintessentially Korean ways of living, such as eating on the floor of a local restaurant, slurping up noodle soup with chopsticks or crooning away old to 80s tunes with friends at a local Noorebong- one of the many small karaoke rooms dotted around the city. For many people who have come to live and work in Seoul, particularly Irish, have settled in very well because they have found a home away from home. This sense of familiarity and comfort comes from Seoul Gaels GAA Club and all of its members.
Virtually every town and village around Ireland has a GAA club. It bridges divides, brings communities together and can form bonds which can last a lifetime. Togetherness is definitely something that can be felt amongst and experienced by club members in Seoul Gales a dtagann “Ó gach chearn den domhain”. GAA in Seoul promotes a sense of inclusiveness where everyone is welcome, no matter where you come from or whether you’ve played football before! Seoul Gaels members not only form a strong bond with each other but with many other players from different clubs all around Asia during competitions like The Asian Games. There are now GAA clubs in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and those are just some to name a few. Every year big and small competitions are organised bringing a large number of GAA followers together to experience what they love most. When one usually conceives of the idea of emigration, it is thought of in negative terms, of leaving ones homeland and the unknown. However working and living in South Korea, and being part of the large network of friendly and helpful Irish and non-Irish members of the Seoul Gaels football club, is a rich and rewarding experience, where many fond memories can be created.
For further information, please contact: seoulgaels@gmail.com www.seoulgaels.com
clubs page
NUI Galway Sports Awards 2011 On Thursday March 24th NUI Galway staff and students will gather to celebrate the 28th NUI Galway Sports Awards. Awards are presented to individuals and teams who excelled in their chosen sport in 2010/2011. Last year saw the introduction of a Club Captain award to highlight the enormous contribution made by individual students to the running of their Club. The highly anticipated Most Improved Club Award, is awarded to a Club who successfully raised the profile of their Club during the past year.
The Final Fun Run of this season is postponed due to the continuing Buildings work on the University. Due to take place on March 8th, the last of 2010/2011 will now take place on June 14th. Check out the ‘Off The Couch’ website – www.otc. nuigalway.ie for more news on Fun Runs and upcoming Golf lessons.
Sporting life in NUI Galway is not just for the elite athletes and this is reflected in the Outstanding Recreational Participation Award, which is open to any students or staff that participated in recreational activities throughout the academic year.
Ladies Rugby By Alison Nolan NUIG end league season with a win NUIG Ladies Rugby finished their college league season on a winning note by capturing all six points in their double-header tie with DCU in Dublin on Thursday March 3rd. NUIG started strongly and were rewarded for their persistent pressure after just ten minutes when Louise Fitzgerald crossed the line for the first try of the game. A lapse in concentration by the visitors and some smart play by DCU saw the home side picking up their own points just minutes later. NUIG regained their composure with Heather Cary and Mary Mahon stealing from rucks and driving forward. Olivia Quiney found herself just meters from the line on a number of occasions after some hard and evasive running. It was Hannah Smith’s turn to get her name on the scoreboard after three years playing with NUIG and the scrum half took her try scoring opportunity well. After the break, NUIG were straight
down to business gaining possession from the kick off and making good ground. A few infringements in the tackle and the ruck meant DCU were able to put pressure on the defensive line but the NUIG girls stood up well and after another steal by Heather Cary, the flanker left DCU for dust as she sprinted through for her own try. The restart saw the NUIG girls hungry for a fourth try and a bonus point victory and after a series of well won scrums by the pack and runs from Kerri-Lee Murray, Edel Siney and Captain Alison Nolan, vice-captain Louise Kelly backed herself and drove over the line for that crucial fourth try. After a poor refereering decision, a penalty was allowed to be taken inside the five meter line, DCU managed to grab a second try. The game finished on a 20-10 scoreline with NUIG picking up all points on offer and finishing the season in third place.
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Ladies Senior Football NUI Galway 4-14 DCU 3-16 NUI Galway’s Senior Ladies Football team booked their place in the O’Connor Cup finals in UL, which will be held on the weekend of 19th & 20th of March. Nigel Concannon’s charges will travel to UL with confidence, after defeating a talented DCU outfit, who are chasing a three-in-a-row of O’Connor Cup titles, by a single point in extra time. NUI Galway had a commanding 2-5 to 0-3 lead after 20 minutes, thanks to goals from Sinead Burke and Eilish Ward as well as points from Natalie Mchugh, Caoilfhionn Connolly and Edel Concannon. However late in the first half DCU launched a comeback, with a Fiona Mchale goal, a Cliodhna McHugh penalty and points from Ciara McAnespie, Roisin O Keeffe and Ciara Reilly which left the sides level at half time on a score line of 2-5 a piece.
Mens Soccer - NUIG narrowly beaten in Collingwood Cup Final A late UCC goal in the second half of extra time was enough for UCC to win their 11th Irish Universities Collingwood Cup and consign NUI Galway to their third straight Collingwood Cup final defeat at Trinity’s College Park last week. The game looked destined to go to penalties until Luke Burgess popped up to net the winner after 107 minutes. It was hard luck on the Galway side who battled hard in a
tight encounter and were unfortunate to lose out for the third time in a row. NUI Galway probably just shaded the game in the first 45 minutes and had the best chance of the half when Mikey Creane shot over just after the half hour mark. After the restart NUI Galway substitute Alex Lee had a couple of chances including one effort just cleared off the line. As the half wore on however, the Cork students
came back into the game. Into extra time and UCC again started strong, the Cork side had all the possession and went close on a couple of occasions before Burgess finally broke the deadlock after 107 minutes. Galway tried as hard as they could to find an equaliser but Cork wound down the clock and held on to take the spoils.
The second half proved a high quality affair with great football played throughout, including some excellent scores and passages of play as the lead exchanged hands on several occasions. A well taken point by Concannon and Ward free looked to have given the home team the win only for Ellen McCarron to level matters and take the game into extra time. After a bright start by NUI Galway, DCU student Ciara Hegarty’s point put the Dublin side in front and from which DCU took control and opened up a two point lead with 8 minutes remaining. However, an inspirational Maria Connell point followed by a penalty taken by Ward, sealed the win for NUI Galway. Best for the home side were Maria Connell, Marian Hernon and Dee Foley in defence, Ciara Hegarty was outstanding when moved to centre field, while in attack Edel Concannon, Caoilfhionn Connolly and Sinead Burke, as well as substitutes Cathriona Walsh and Niamh Cunningham all had fine games. Player of the match was Donegal sharpshooter Eilish Ward who scored 3-7, including two well taken penalties, five frees and two crucial points from play. However it was the character and determination showed by the entire team that saw them over the line against favourites for the competition.
Rowing - NUIG win national BC title NUIG rowers had a successful weekend in Carrick-on-Shannon where the National 4-Blades Head took place, with both the Men’s and Women’s Teams recording National wins. Throughout scattered showers and gusts of winds, NUIGBC Women’s Novice Four saw off competition from Garda Boat Club and successfully overtook the Carrickon-Shannon Rowing
Club, the home crew, to pass the finish line as the sure winners. The Novice Women’s 8 recorded good times, which shows potential for the upcoming Inter-Varsity Rowing Championships taking place in early April at the National Rowing Centre in Cork. There was not much competition in the Intermediate and Senior Women’s categories, however they still pulled in
some great times over the 5km course. On the men’s side, there was an outstanding performance from the Senior’s and a great timed performance from the Intermediate 8’s crew. The Men’s Senior Composite 8 of NUIG Students and the recently formed Gráinne Mhaol Rowing Club of NUIG Alumni recorded the fastest time of the day. While the Grainne Mhaol/
NUIG Men’s Senior Four Composite boat of James Wall, Cormac Folan, Alan Martin and Eddie Mullarkey raced superbly in dominating fashion to take the National Men’s Fours Title. With this great performance early in the year it promises to be an exciting season for NUIG Boat Club and Gráinne Mhaol Rowing Club. By Sinéad O’Connell
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