Sin Volume 13 Issue 9 by Student Independent News

FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER

VOL 13, ISSUE 9

13 FEB 2012

College Fees Set to Jump to € 3,000 By Marése O’Sullivan Taoiseach Enda Kenny, last week confirmed statements made by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn, indicating that college fees will indeed increase. The contribution charge for university students currently stands at €2,000. In spite of Minister Quinn’s pre-election pledge – made just four days before the 2011 election – that he would not allow the pay-

ment for education to rise while in government, he has admitted that fees will escalate by €250 for the next three years, making the cost €3,000 by 2015. The Taoiseach believes that having a top-notch third-level sector comes at a price, and that savings must be made in order to ensure its success. “We need to be right up there, even further up [than] where we are,” Kenny stated. “It’s part of my own philosophy that we

Students before they set off on their protest to the Radisson where Eamore Gilmore was speaking on 2nd February.

prove by 2016 we’re the best country in the world in which to do business. A really strong and vibrant third-level system is fundamental to that, and it’s got to be paid for.” In the December budget, it was indicated that fees were to rise, but this was only confirmed on Thursday 2 February, when Minister Quinn spoke to University of Limerick students. “We now have this €2,000 fee, [which will be] €2,250 next year and it is probably increasing up to €3,000,” he told them. “That is kind of the downside of the story.” When asked what his response was in regard to violating his ‘no fees’ guarantee, he had this to say: “With regard to breaking promises, I didn’t feel great about it all. I still don’t feel great about it, but I have to get on with it.” The President of NUI Galway, Dr. James Browne, commented on the increase in fees: “It

has been clear for some time that the state’s commitment to widening participation in third level, in the interest of citizens and of the wider society, is not compatible with the state continuing to assume the major burden of financing third level education. “I regret the fact that these increased burdens are being imposed on students, and particularly during very difficult economic times, but unfortunately I see no real alternative. At least by signalling his intentions in advance, the Minister is allowing students to plan for their future. I should also make clear that the increased ‘registration fees’ of recent years have not resulted in increased income for the universities. Increases have been matched by a corresponding reduction in Higher Education Authority funding.” Continued on Page 2

NUIG Post-graduate Scholarships

The Sin Business Post with BizSoc

Agricultural Biodiversity 10 at NUIG SU Update on Universal 13 Gym Membership Proposal Roses are Blue, Sin is 23 Red: Valentine’s Special Donegal Tuesday Survival Guide

How to Dress for Date Night

Sigerson Update: The Controversial Final Whistle

NUI Galway Honours Student Excellence By Martina Gannon

NUI Galway honoured students’ academic brilliance with a series of award ceremonies held in Aras na MacLeinn. The awards, entitled Entrance Scholarships, Awards Day and University Scholarships honoured Leaving Certificate students, undergraduates and postgraduates. On Saturday, 4 February NUI Galway awarded University Scholarships to 551 students who performed outstandingly in their pre-degree examinations. Four Entrance Scholarships for outstanding Leaving Certificate results were also awarded

as well as a broad array of prizes, medals and awards to various students for their excellence in performance in each of their individual subjects in the University’s five Colleges. Bríd Carr from the Records, Registration and Conferring office in NUI Galway explained that these awards have been run publically since 2004 but have been a part of the University’s strategic plan for years. She explained that they were made public to give students recognition as well as to encourage students to attend NUI Galway. She identified Arts as being one of the most popular and long-

standing awards. Each recipient is generally awarded €250. Bríd Carr explained what she thought it meant to the students: “ I t ’s a m a z i n g ! T h e y actually walk up to the president, receive their gold envelope and they’re photographed and with the economic crisis it (the awards/prizes) is even more important.” Tara Leydon another organiser of the event, spoke of the parents ‘huge excitement’ at the prospect of attending their sons and daughters awards ceremony and celebrating their success. Continued on Page 2

A piece from the Origami Installation as part of Múscailt Arts Festival 2012. Photo by Shannon Reeves.

{2} 13–09

G alway N ews

College Fees Set to Jump to € 3,000 Continued from Page 1 Minister Quinn emphasises that more than 40% of students eligible for grant support will not have to pay student charges. A spokesperson for the Department of Education maintained: “The Minister has made it clear on numerous occasions that further savings will have to be made in the Education budget in the coming years. In that context, a further increase in the level of the student contribution in future years cannot be ruled out. This is one of the options that was included in the Department’s Comprehensive Expenditure Review Report, published last December.”

The Education Spokesperson for Fianna Fáil, Brendan Smith, stated that Minister Quinn is showing complete disregard for the financial situation of Irish students. “[These potential] increases in third level registration fees […] was a ‘red line issue’ for the Labour Party. [Quinn] was quick to break this promise,” he said. “Students and their families are facing a 50% increase in the charge in the year ahead. It’s time for Minister Quinn to be honest with students about his plans for increasing the cost of third-level education. Students and their families need to budget and prepare for college, and right now it is impossible for them to

do so.” The President of the Union of Students in Ireland, Gary Redmond, said that he does not believe this increase in fees will improve the university experience for students. “Not a single additional cent of money has gone into the universities or colleges. The reality is all the Government [is doing is] transferring the burden onto families that are already struggling. […] What that will result in from September is students and families paying more, but we get a reduction in frontline services.” NUI Galway’s SU President, Emmet Connolly, declared: “The SU une-

quivocally condemns any suggestions by this Labour Minister for Education that college fees may increase beyond the already-toohigh €2,250 they’re set for next year. The Labour Party really needs to cop on and realise they are selling out the future productive capacity of this country – the highly-educated workforce they seek to create – by putting up these barriers to college. My advice to the Labour TDs is to either listen to the students’ unions and stop plans to increase the fee, or they should enjoy their time in Leinster House, because many of them won’t be going back after the next election.”

Four NUI Galway Students Receive Prizes from Health Research Board By Katie Finnegan Four medical students from NUI Galway were recently presented with prizes from the Health Research Board (HRB). The overall winner of the Watts Medal was fourth-year medical student Dympna O’Dwyer from Mullagh, Co. Clare, with second place going to Sarah Cormican from Oranmore, Co. Galway, a third-year medical student at the University. Fourth-year medical student Urszula Donigiewicz from Carrigtwohill, Co. Sligo was presented with first place in the Watts Poster competition and third place was awarded to third-year medical student Maria Duignan from Boyle, Co. Roscommon. The Watts Medal is an annual prize awarded for the best presentation of scientific work to a lay audience. Students who are eligible for the award are those who involved in the HRB summer scholarship programme. The scholarships are offered to undergraduate students in health-related disciplines to support their participation in research during the summer months. According to the HRB: “The purpose of

the student scholarships is to encourage an interest in research and to give the student an opportunity to become familiar with research techniques.” Scientists review entries for the awards, and the best entries are selected for entry into the Watts Poster competition. The top projects are then selected to compete for the Watts Medal. Commenting on the competition, HRB CEO Enda Connolly said: “The quality of the work on display both in the poster competition and the Watts Medal presentations was

truly astounding. The students have shown ingenuity, commitment and drive to have accomplished so much in the eight weeks that their HRB Summer Scholarships lasted. They have been able to tackle complex problems, come up with genuine solutions, and place their research into the wider social context of how it translates to making people healthier and delivering better treatments.” Professor Fidelma Dunne, Head of School of Medicine at NUI Galway, hopes to build further on

this outcome by encouraging clinical and biomedical research as an integral part of undergraduate medical education, “Research is an extremely important component of disease specific knowledge and treatment but also contributes significantly to population health and health services research. The awards have occurred as a result of the commitment of undergraduate students to research, the supervision and mentoring of students by staff within the school, and the high calibre of the research being conducted,” she said.

{sin} 13–02

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, I was surprised to read the complaint in the recent edition of 'Sin' about the use of the term 'knacker drinking'. I thought that there was nothing wrong with the use of this term since it was a quotation. Mr. O' Brien is taking this

out of context; The point of 'Overheard in NUIG' is to highlight stupid utterances from NUIG students. It does not represent the opinion of anyone who writes for the newspaper. Sincerely, Daniel Culkin, NUIG student

NUI Galway Honours Student Excellence Continued from Page 1 Conor Lane, a second year student currently studying Public Law and Social Policy received an award for having obtained a first class honours in first year. He said that getting the award meant that all his hard work was paid off: “All the little bits and pieces that were so annoyingly frustrating in first year like the late hours and handing in assignments were forgotten and it all came together nicely in that moment I got handed the certificate. It was a nice feeling!” Conor explained that the awards are a great incentive for students to work hard: “the certificate alone and the esteem of having gotten it and the €250 is a nice bonus as well!” Roisin Bird, a second year studying Economics and Spanish, was surprised by her award. She believes that it will encourage students to keep focused on their studies: “As the President of the

Roisin Reid, Laura Piggot, Jamie McGilligan and Emma Donnellan at the Law Ball in the Meyrick Hotel.

University stated on the day, receiving these awards this year can act as an incentive and encouragement for us to strive for the same standards for the next year. This can't help but make you think that if these awards were known of more generally within the university it could potentially offer the wider student body that same incentive.” Ammi Burke, a second year Legal Studies and Economics student also spoke of her delight at receiving the news: “I was simply over the moon! I was thrilled! It was great to get recognition for all the hard work and studying and a huge incentive for future study.” The main entrant Scholarship awards are held in October. This year there were sixty-four students in total awarded for their outstanding Leaving Certificate results with an individual cheque of €1,700 each. The Awards Day rewards first and second year undergraduates for their outstanding examinations results from the previous year. The selection process for the awards consisted of collating students’ results and matching them with specific criteria. The awards are funded by the various colleges and sponsors, depending on the criteria which are listed in detail on the university website. Information regarding categories, criteria and prizes for awards can be found on the site. Any students who are concerned that they may have been entitled to an award but did not receive an invitation can direct their queries to the Records, Registration and Conferring office (1st floor of Aras Uí Chathail) or direct their queries to: conferring@nuigalway.ie.

{sin}

G alway N ews

13–09

Editorial

13–02

UCD School of Law

Q: What do you get when your university paper is largely at the whim of a predominantly female editorial staff?

Graduate Studies Open Evening

A: A full page of Valentine’s Day Features. I tried to reign them in, I really did. I’m currently having second thoughts about our new Features Editor, Lia Stokes. She’s some kind of hopped up love fairy. She infected

{3}

them. Where are the writers griping about late grant cheques and rising fees? Where are the hard hitting investigative journalists? Where are the scathing movie reviews?

Fire Spinner Lindsay Hollingsworth of Juggling Soc. Photo by Joe Hyland.

Our last editorial meeting was bloody ridiculous. They were all chatting at once, telling stories, and flirting with each other. I saw one young lady actually flutter her eyelids. I spied one of my regular sports writers yawn widely, and casually drape an arm over a fashion writer’s shoulder. So I told our designer about it, expecting a roll of the eyes and a sarcastic remark. Not a bit of it! My Sin devils were replaced with little cupids and – you’re lucky you didn’t see this bit – he changed our trademark red header to pink. PINK! I don’t know why I expected more from Shannon. He’s worse than any of them. I think I know whom to blame for that too. Cupid my ass. It’s disgusting. It really is. I had nothing to do with any of it. I’m certainly not quoted in any of the articles. I assure you, dear reader, this w o n ’t h a p p e n a g a i n . The next issue won’t have any short mythical creatures at all. Our midMarch edition will be all about leprechauns. Oh brother… I’d like to apologise to Mark Kelly for the evil assignment I gave him (pg 22). I’ve been getting a lot of slack from the writers for this. The kid lost half a stone, and he’s all

Tuesday, 28th February 6pm – 8pm UCD School of Law, Roebuck Castle, Belfield, Dublin 4 Want to further your legal education? Interested in a career in Law but don’t have a legal background? Come along to our Graduate Studies Open Evening to find out about the programmes being offered to law and non-law graduates by the UCD School of Law. Information sessions on each of our graduate programmes will be held to give you a taste of the cutting edge issues surrounding each particular area of law. Academics and current students will be available to answer your questions and give you an insight in to graduate study at the School of Law.

To register: www.ucd.ie/law/openevening For further information on all our graduate programmes go to: www.ucd.ie/law/graduateprogrammes

Leading the Way in Legal Education pale and sweaty. As RAG, eh, Day, approaches, we hope that this gets you thinking about the very desperate situation many students are in financially, and be proud of yourselves for giving up a week of hedonistic partying for the massive boost to the Student Assistance Fund. If you are trying to save a few quid, Mark offers a dee-lightful pasta recipe. Though I should warn you, you won’t

score points if you told the object your affection that you are making them a very special romantic dinner and instead present them with Penne á la Mark. Finally, I wish again to congratulate our writers. We all know they are doing an exceptional job, but this issue they brought something extra. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the biggest issue ever. I do hope your arms

don’t tire holding it. So if you have a friend who writes for Sin, flutter your eyelids at them, shower them with chocolates and flowers, or just thank them for the amazing contribution they are making to their university. If you want to become a part of this amazing team you are very welcome to come along to AC214 for an Editorial Meeting on Mondays at 6pm. Flirting guaranteed.

{4} 13–09

g A LWAY n E W S

{sin} 13–02

NUIG Graduate wins National Engineering Award By Jane Kearns For the third consecutive year NUI Galway graduate Cormac Flynn has won the All Ireland Final of the Institute of Materials World Lecture competition. Cormac who is a third year PhD student in the University of Ulster’s engineering department will represent Ireland in the World Finals of the competition later this year. Originally from Clare, Cormac graduated from NUI Galway with a degree in Mechanical Engineering before going on to study in the Nanotechnology and Integrated BioEngineering Centre (NIBEC) where he is part of the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine research group. The focus of his PhD is the innovative role that tissue engineering plays in long term implants, skin growth and general

improvement of wellbeing. His winning presentation looked at how the success rate of biomedical implants could be improved. This year’s lecture competition was hosted by the Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP) and drew in entrants from universities across Ireland. Each participant had to give a ten minute presentation on their research and then answer questions from the judging panel which included representatives from Invest NI, Intertrade Ireland, Bombardier and the NISP. Chair of the judging panel and Chief Executive of NISP, Professor Norman Apsley, said the presentations were of the highest level and served to highlight the exceptionally high quality of research being carried out in this area. Cormac’s academic supervisors, Pro-

fessor Brian J. Meenan and Dr George A. Burke said his success in the competition reflects the growing value of both the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Group at NIBEC and the fundamental science required to underpin this major discipline. Apart from Cormac’s recent win this is a milestone year for NIBEC, as it marks the tenth anniversary of the highly successful degree in Biomedical engineering, which is now widely regarded as one of the top degrees of its kind in Britain and Ireland. As part of the ten year celebrations, NIBEC is hosting a set of three open lectures on topics reviewing core advances in Biomedical Engineering and looking forward to Cormac’s involvement in the World Finals of the Institute of Materials World Lecture competition.

Tesco Express Fails to Secure Beer and Spirit Licence By Patrick Higgins Tesco Express has failed in its bid to add beer and spirits to the shelves of its convenience store on Newcastle Road, following strong objections from both local

businesses and residents. Despite assurances from Tesco’s counsel that more jobs could be created by granting the licence, Judge Mary Fahy of Galway District Court has rejected the store’s application for a full

off-licence for a second time. The Judge found Tesco’s argument unchanged, and having failed to persuade the court, she refused to overturn the original ruling. Inspector Ernie Whyte, on behalf of An Garda

Siochana, believed the application had no justification, informing the court of the presence of two already existing off-licences at the other university exits, namely G&L and Topaz; as well as Londis and the River

Inn. His views mirrored those of the local community whose continued fears of the over-supply of alcohol and concerns of an increase in anti-social behaviour were taken into consideration by the court.

On 31 January, the NUIG Accountancy and Finance society presented a cheque to the value of €1,000 to Crumlin's Children's Hospital. The proceeds were raised from a number of social events the society hosted in Central Park nightclub. Pictured Left to Right: Ted Robers (Central Park Group), Catriona McGloin (Crumlin's Children's Hospital), Dr. Pat Morgan (Vice President NUIG), Sean Burke (President A&F Society), Damien Scanlon (Vice President A&F society).

Bernard Mahon, Tesco’s West of Ireland store director has expressed disappointment at the ruling: “The store has underperformed since opening (in 2010); customers were disappointed that we did not offer what they are accustomed to. We don’t envisage selling a lot of beer and spirits, but it will make a difference to people who wish to buy it.” It has been reported that profits at Newcastle Road are 35% lower than similar sized outlets with full off-licences. Tesco Ireland Ltd., with registered offices at Gresham House, Marine Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, sought an application for a certificate entitling and enabling them to obtain an excise licence to sell spirits and beer at 21 University Road. The company is currently considering its options following the court’s decision but has yet to confirm or deny plans for renewed application.

{sin} 13–09

g A LWAY n E W S

Facebook Page Announces RAG Week 2012, Despite Students Voting to Veto the Event A Facebook campaign looks set to ensure NUI Galway RAG week goes ahead despite having no approval from College Authorities or the Students Union. Last October college authorities came to an understanding with the Students’ Union to do away with College week, formerly known as RAG week. This move had been on the cards after a minority of students generated negative publicity with over 30 arrests made during the course of the week last year. A Facebook page entitled: ‘Rag Week 2012’, currently boasts nearly 2000 members and states: “We don’t need the college to approve us having a rag week, so lets just do it anyway, drinking all day everyday, lots of parties and out every night!” It was decided last October by a 95 per cent vote to accept concessions from the college in return for abandoning the festival. The concessions include an almost-trebling of the university’s contribution to the student assistance fund from €33,000 to €93,000, and a guarantee the campus

health unit will not introduce charges. The NUI Galway Code of Conduct was amended to ensure sites such as Facebook would not be used to promote or organise a similar event. This was done with the SU’s consent to include the following as a specific example of a breach of the Code: “Use of social media to organise, support or contribute to social events associated with the concept of "College Week/Rag Week" Sanctions for breaking this part of the code include fines, reprimands, suspension, disbarment from exams, and in the worst case, expulsion from the University. Speaking on Tuesday about the cancellation of the week, Students’ Union President Emmet Conolly explained: “I think the majority of students recognised that Rag Week had to go, and are quite relieved that the reputation of their University and their degrees are no longer going to be dragged through the mud each March. The deal we negotiated included an extra €60,000 annual contribution for the Student Assistance Fund, which is three times what

Rag Week raised for charity last year. Additionally, our replacement series of charity events will raise more than was raised last year’s Rag Week, so the deal was a win for students, the University and the wider community.” The Students' Union at NUIG insisted that the trouble was mainly caused by students from other parts of the country who arrived in Galway to "cut loose". The week, which was always focused on raising money for charity has in recent years turned in to a week-long session for many students and a nightmare for city centre residents living in the immediate vicinity of the university. Residents described the antics as “horrific” and “completely out of control”. Regardless of the measures introduced by the SU, some students still feel RAG week will go ahead. One final year Arts student said: “It is going to go ahead with or without support from the college. Students are still going to take a week away from the books to go drinking.” It remains to be seen what will happen come 19 February when the Facebook page

t a h w do Y We need volunteers to talk about college food.

Free lunch in exchange for your opinions on campus restaurants!

Monday 20th – Thursday 24th February 1 to 2pm each day. For more details, e-mail: claredoran@ireland.com or text (087) 235 6871 says the annual event will NCO-20120209_CateringFocusGroups.indd 1 kick off. For a more detailed look at the NUI Galway code of conduct, particularly Section 3, see www.nuigalway. ie/codeofconduct.

New Scholarships for NUIG Post-Grads By Colette Sexton A new scholarships scheme for postgraduate students has been announced in NUI Galway. 100 new scholarships will be awarded at €2,000 per student. The scheme was created after Budget 2011 cut higher education grants for postgraduate students. The scholarships are available to postgraduate students who are applying for a fulltime Taught Masters programme beginning in autumn 2012. Scholarships will be awarded to students accepted on a fulltime taught masters and who fulfil the criteria as

outlined by the University. The scholarships scheme was announced at the Postgraduate Open Day on Feb 1. Speaking about the initiative, President of NUI Galway, Dr Jim Browne, said: “The new scholarships were developed in direct response to the recent cuts in maintenance funding for postgraduate students. We know that more and more students are looking to postgraduate study as a means of enhancing their skills and their employability, but financial constraints are a big problem. We believe that these scholarships will enable

more of the brightest and most committed students to progress to postgraduate study.” Students applying for the scheme need a first class honours undergraduate degree. They must have been in receipt of a Local Authority Higher Education Grant for their undergraduate degree or must have been admitted to their undergraduate degree programme via an NUI Galway Access Programme or through the HEAR Scheme. There are some other limitations on who will be eligible for the scholarships. For example, students who have previously taken a

13–02

think? OU

By Katie Finnegan

{5}

postgraduate programme for which they had a Local Authority Higher Education grant or similar awards will not be eligible for a scholarship. Postgraduate students make up a large part of the student population at NUI Galway, with almost 4,000 students (taught and research) across all schools and disciplines. Interested students should visit the NUI Galway website for further detail about the scholarships and for information about the general postgraduate student application process: www.nuigalway.ie/postgraduate/scholarships

Smoke Without Fire

2/10/2012 1:05:19 PM

By Jessica Thompson Many of us have heard the stories going around campus. Apparently the chapel was set alight deliberately by some disrespectful students! We h a v e a l l h e a r d rumours that the chapel has been irreparably damaged. These vary from "some big expensive rug got damaged" to "someone set fire to the Book of Intention and it spread." There was talk of smoke damage and stolen tabernacles, not unlike the recent story of the stolen tabernacle in a church in Dublin. But what really happened? We may all be surprised to hear that there actually was not much to the story at all. There was merely a minor incident with some candles, which resulted in a square foot of the carpet being damaged

- but nothing serious. As Fr. Diarmuid said: "There really can be smoke without fire!" On a lighter note, the members of the chaplaincy in NUI Galway have taken this opportunity to begin the annual spring cleaning of the chapel, so the place is sparkling. All students are welcome to have a look, as the chapel is always open.

{6}

G alway N E ws

13–09

{sin} 13–02

NUIG Entrepreneur to win €20,000 Investment Fund Centre for Pain By Lia Stokes ing the way in creating the is headed up by Michelle supporting device and has Research to Bring Early big ideas that will help fuel Kelly a PhD student in been developed by BioThis year’s NUI Galway our recovery.” Applied Behaviour Analy- medical Science and Arts Intervention to Sufferers

Students’ Union Enterprise Awards competition is in its final leg as the eight remaining competitors battle it out for the €20,000 investment fund prize that could help turn their dreams in to reality. Each of the eight finalist teams has received an initial investment of €500, as well as a series of workshops from university staff and members of the local business community, to help further develop their social and business ideas in time for next month’s final judging session. SU President, Emmet Connolly said that they have been overwhelmed by the number and standard of competition entries again this year. Connolly also went on to say that, “At a time when real innovation and flair is needed, students are lead-

This year’s finalists are made up of a variety of social and business innovators: The Botanic Garden project is a social enterprise for education, research and the conservation of rare Irish plants. The Botanic Garden project team consists of Botany and Environmental Science students. Niall O’Connor, an MSc student, has developed SonorPlex which seeks to deliver services which enhance the learning and interactive experience of delegates at conferences, using 'smart' devices such as tablets and smartphones. Commerce student Marek Maciejczyk, has developed “On the Lips of Your Customers” a business idea using coffee lids as an advertising space. The ABA Ireland team

sis. ABA Ireland provides training and education to parents, teachers and other professionals who care for and serve children with special educational and behavioural needs using Applied Behaviour Analysis. H&D Security team of MSc and BSc students has come up with an innovative approach to home security, a central locking system with a smartphone app that can open and close doors and windows at the touch of a button. An Mheitheal Rothar (The Bicycle Gang) team of Arts, Geography and Environmental Science students hope to set up a free, student-run bicycle workshop at NUI Galway to promote and support the benefits of bicycling. Stapp is a new third level student-targeted application for use on any app

students. PhD student Cormac Ó Beaglaoich’s project ‘Tunes in the Church’, presents traditional Irish music concerts in churches around the country and has already been run in St. Nicholas Church in Galway. Last year’s winner Cian Brassil took home the grand prize for his Irish surfing website westcoastsurfer. com. Since winning the prestigious award, Brassil says the site has gone from strength to strength. “Winning the Students’ Union Enterprise Award has opened so many doors for the business. The media coverage received as a result of the win, along with the investment, has been invaluable to the success of westcoastsurfer.com.” This year’s winner will be announced on Friday 30 March.

Park & Ride Bus Service

By Patrick Higgins The Centre for Pain Research at NUI Galway is recruiting people suffering from back pain for a new early intervention trial. The Pain Disability Prevention Programme (PDP) offers patients with back pain the opportunity to avail of ten sessions with a clinical psychologist trained in pain rehabilitation. These sessions, provided free of charge, will focus on active rehabilitation, instruction in a range of pacing techniques, cognitive therapy to help identify negative thinking patterns, and the development of effective challenges, stretching and exercising to improve physical function. Researcher at the Centre for Pain Research of NUI Galway, Miriam Raftery, has explained the need for such a study: “Many people find that a combination of cognitive and

physical rehabilitation like the PDP programme enables them to take back control of their lives, to do more and feel better. By trialling this early-intervention programme we can assess if this type of service is beneficial for people with chronic pain.” The study, which is funded by the HSE, will take place in Dublin, Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Limerick, Cork and Galway and is expected to last 10-14 weeks. Researchers are specifically interested in hearing from people who have suffered from back pain for no longer than twelve months and have either ceased or reduced work as a result. The centre is encouraging GPs and physiotherapists to refer such patients to the study. For further information, contact Miriam Raftery, Centre for Pain Research, NUI Galway, email: miriam.raftery@nuigalway.ie, phone 091 495830, or see www.nuigalway.ie/pdp

Park & Ride Bus Service

Ride Bus Service Timetable - Semester 1, 2011 PARKPark&&RIDE BUS SERVICE

AN TSEIRBHÍS Park & Timetable RidePÁIRCEÁLA Bus Service - Semester& 1, TAISTIL 2011

Timetable - Semester 2, 2012

Timetable - Semester 1, 2011 Amchlár – Seimeastar 2, 2012

Peak Morning Service from 1, Dangan Carpark (every 15 minutes) Timetable - Semester 2011

8.00, 8.15, 8.30, 8.45, 9.00, 9.15, 9.30, 9.45, 10.00, 10.15, 10.30, 10.45, 11.00 Peak Morning Service from Dangan Carpark (every 15 minutes) 8.00, 8.15, 8.30, 8.45, 9.00, 9.15, 9.30, 9.45,

Peak Morning Service from Dangan Carpark (every 15 minutes)

8.00, 8.15, 8.30, 8.45, 9.00, 9.15, 9.30, 9.45, 10.00, 10.15, 10.30, 10.45, 11.00 Peak Morning Service from Dangan Carpark (every 15 minutes)

10.15, 10.30, 10.45, from 11.00 Dangan Carpark (every 30 minutes) Mid - 10.00, Morning lite Service

11.30, 12.00, 12.30 Mid - Morning lite Service from Dangan Carpark (every 30 minutes) 11.30, 12.00, 12.30

Lunchtime Shuttle Mid–Morning lite From Orbsen Building 13.00, 13.30

Lunchtime Shuttle From Orbsen Building

Lunchtime Shuttle From Dangan Carpark 13.15, 13:45

11.30, 12.00, 12.30 Mid - Morning lite Service from Dangan Carpark (every 30 minutes) 11.30, 12.00, 12.30

Lunchtime Shuttle From Orbsen Building

Lunchtime Shuttle From Dangan Carpark

13.00, 13.30

13.15, 13:45

Afternoon lite Service from Orbsen Building (every 30 minutes)

14.30, 15.00, 15.30 Afternoon lite Service from Orbsen14.00, Building (every 30 minutes)

lite

8.00, 8.15, 8.30, 8.45, 9.00, 9.15, 9.30, 9.45,

10.15, 10.30, 10.45, from 11.00 Dangan Carpark (every 30 minutes) Mid - 10.00, Morning lite Service

14.00, 14.30, 15.00, 15.30

13.00, 13.30

Lunchtime Shuttle From Orbsen Building

Bus ag Am Lóin ó Áras Oirbsean 13.00, 13.30

17.45, 18.00, 18.15, 18.30, 18.45, 19.00

The night time service is no longer running.

University is providing a free EMERGENCY taxi shuttle from Orbsen to the Dangan carpark (only). The night time The service is no longer running. 9pmaplease telephone 091-561111 to request the Dangan The University isAfter providing free EMERGENCY taxi shuttle from Orbsenatotaxi thejourney Danganto carpark (only). carpark. After 9pm pleasePlease telephone 091-561111 request a taxi journey to the Dangan note: No other to taxi destinations are possible and thecarpark. service is only available from 9pm to 11pm Please note: No other destinations are possible and the is only available from 9pm to 11pm Your taxi staff/student number and name willservice be requested by the driver, for our records.

Your staff/student number and name will be requested by the driver, for our records.

Bus ag Am Lóin ó Charrchlós an Daingin 13.15, 13:45

14.30, 15.00, 15.30 Afternoon lite Service from Orbsen14.00, Building (every 30 minutes) 14.00, 14.30, 15.00, 15.30

Peak Evening Service from Orbsen Building (every 15 minutes) Peak Evening Service from Orbsen Building (every 17.00, 15 minutes) 16.00, 16.15, 16.30, 16.45, 17.15, 17.30, 17.45, 18.00, 18.15, 18.30, 18.45, 19.00 16.00, 16.15, 16.30, 16.45, 17.00, 17.15, 17.30, 17.45, 18.00, 18.15, 18.30, 18.45, 19.00

The night time service is no longer running.

The University is providing a free EMERGENCY taxi shuttle from Orbsen to the Dangan carpark (only). The night time service is no longer running.

Ní seirbhís ar fáil After 9pmana please telephone 091-561111 to request the Dangan The bheidh University is providing freehoíche EMERGENCY taxiníos shuttlemó. from Orbsenatotaxi thejourney Danganto carpark (only). carpark. Afteran 9pm pleasePlease telephone 091-561111 to request a taxi journey toin theaisce Dangan note: No other taxi destinations are possible and ar thecarpark. service is only available 9pm to 11pm Tá Ollscoil ag cur tacsaí ÉIGEANDÁLA saor fáil ó Oirbsean chuigfrom carrchlós Please note: No other destinations are possible and the is only available from 9pm to 11pm Your taxi staff/student number and name willservice be requested by the driver, for our records. Your staff/student number and name will be requested by the driver, for our records.

a dhéanamh ar thacsaí chuig carrchlós an Daingin.Tabhair faoi deara: Ní féidir tacsaí

Dangan carpark. Please note: No other taxi destinations are possible and the service is student number and name will be requested by the driver, for our records.

foirne/mic léinn a lua leis an tiománaí.

Buildings Office, 2011; subject to change Buildings Office, 2011; subject to change

QR code timetable QR code timetable QR code timetable

13.15, 13:45

Lunchtime Shuttle From Dangan Carpark

Afternoon lite Service from Orbsen Building (every 30 minutes)

Peak Evening Service from Orbsen Building (every 15 minutes) Peak Evening Service from Orbsen Building (every 17.00, 15 minutes) 17.15, 17.30, 16.00, 16.15, 16.30, 16.45, 17.45, 18.00, 18.15, 18.30, 18.45, 19.00 16.00, 16.15, 16.30, 16.45, 17.00, 17.15, 17.30,

Lunchtime Shuttle From Dangan Carpark

Buildings Office, 2011; subject to change Buildings Office, 2011; subject to change QR code timetable

QR code timetable

{sin} 13–09

G alway N ews

{7} 13–02

A Ban on Freebies and Sponsorship: the SU Reviews Election Regulations

Cainéal iTunes U de Chuid COGG Seolta Beo ar RnaG

By Eistear de Búrca

Seoladh acmhainn foghlama nua atá forbartha ag Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge do scoileanna Gaeltachta agus do Ghaelscoileanna, Dé Céadaoin seo caite. Craoladh an seoladh beo ar RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta agus ba í Edel Ní Chuireáin, ceann an stáisiúin, a sheol é. Bhí an ócáid ar siúl in Áras Shorcha Ní Ghuairim, Carna, i gConamara. Tá acmhainní físe agus fuaime ar fail mar chuid de chainéal iTunes U COGG (An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta). Roghnaíodh na hacmhainní seo go cúramach ó chartlanna RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta agus Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh, mar chuid de thogra taighde a bhí ar bun ag Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge. I measc na trí chéad acmhainn nua, tá amhráin, dánta, scéalta, blúiríní eolais agus staire suimiúla sna canúintí éagsúla. An aidhm atá leis na hacmhainní seo ná forbairt agus foghlaim na

A meeting was held by the Students’ Union on Monday, 6 February regarding the upcoming elections and the way in which they are run at NUI Galway. The meeting was well-attended and a constructive, lively debate led to a list of suggestions which shall be reviewed and put in place by the Elections Committee. Various topics were covered including the issue of freebies and sponsorship. The majority of those present felt that the use of freebies by candidates during their election campaigns was inappropriate and served only to demean the standard of the election and indeed the function of the Students’ Union. While it was pointed out that often candidates will only get votes if they dispense freebies, the general consensus was that if freebies are banned, then no-one will be at a unfair advantage and a level, playing field will be created. According to Will O’ Brien, “up until now elections have been a

competition of resources, not a competition of policies. This is wrong as elections should be about policies and personalities, not about Mars Bars and homemade cupcakes.” The possibility of candidates coming together and bulk-buying a certain number of T-shirts, Flyers, and Posters with their respective policies was laid before the group and was received quite favourably as a potential part of policy in the long-term. For the present, the following points were agreed upon; electronic voting shall be put in place for students who are off-campus: there shall be photos of candidates on the ballot papers and candidates names randomized: freebies, charity support and sponsorship shall be banned: no-canvas zones around voting booths shall be extended: canvassing opportunities for the Donegal and Kerry campuses will be examined: the start time for canvassing shall be moved backwards and a daily meeting for all candidates during the canvassing week shall be

mandatory to deal with any problems arising during the day. There were concerns raised that the disqualifying regulations for anyone in breach of election rules were not being satisfactorily implemented; the SU president promised to investigate this matter with the Elections Committee. A final point concerning the use of animals as a way of raising support received some animated discussion. During last year’s campaign, one successful candidate enlisted the help of a big-eyed, furry puppy in raising support. General questions concerning the morality of such actions were raised and one member even suggested using a sheep painted with the words ‘Vote for Me’, and led on a leash around campus by the accompanying candidate dressed as Little Bo-Peep as an alternative to using puppies. However this suggestion was not regarded seriously by the chair of the meeting, Emmet Connolly, and other members of the Executive Council.

Le Meadhbh Ní Eadhra

Gaeilge a chur chun cinn i scoileanna Gaeltachta agus i nGaelscoileanna, go háirithe i ranganna a cúig agus a sé sa bhunscoil. Tá plean foghlama forbartha freisin, chun cabhrú le múinteoirí na hacmhainní a úsáid go héifeachtach sa seomra ranga. Dar le Muireann Ní Mhóráin, Príomhfheidhmeannach COGG, tá sé riachtanach go mbeidh acmhainní digiteacha d’ardchaighdeán ar fail sa seomra ranga. “Cuirfidh an cainéal nua seo go mór leis an lion acmhainní atá ar fáil do theagasc na Gaeilge i scoileanna Gaeltachta agus i nGaelscoileanna faoi láthair. Freisin, cuirfidh sé go mór leis an eispearás foghlama a bheidh ag na daltaí. Leis an caineál á seoladh ar fhéasta Lá Fhéile Bhríde, tá sé go hiontach an teicneolaíocht nua seo a fheiceáil fite fuaite lenár gcultúr agus oidhreacht shaibhir féin, chun acmhainní foghlama Gaeilge a fhorbairt ar bhealach éifeachtach, tarraingteach.” Agus é ag caint ar son fhoireann taighde Ollscoil

na hÉireann, Gaillimh, dúirt Séamas Ó Concheanainn go neartaíonn an togra seo ról an taighde in institiúid tríú leibhéil, agus iad ag iarraidh aghaidh a thabhairt ar na hacmhainní atá de dhíth ó bhunscoileanna, go háirithe acmhainní digiteacha den chéad scoth. “Tarraingíonn an togra seo ar an saineolas atá á bhforbairt sna daonnachtaí digiteacha in Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge agus ag Ionad an Acadaimh i gCarna, ach go háirithe. Tríd uirlisí foghlama comhaimseartha agus acmhainní traidisiúnta a chur le chéile, tá féidearthachtaí ann chun sealúlachas teanga a fheabhsú agus a fhorbairt. Mar sin, tá an togra seo mar cheann de phríomhaidhmeanna an Ionaid, sé sin an Ghaeilge a chothú agus a neartú sa Ghaeltacht agus ar fud na tíre.” Is féidir teacht ar an gcainéal iTunes U trí dul ar iTunes ar do ríomhaire agus cuardach a dhéanamh le haghaidh cainéal COGG. Tá neart acmhainní úsáideacha ar fáil agus beidh tuilleadh á shóláthar amach anseo.

Motions Decided at SU Council By Colette Sexton

Three motions were passed at the recent SU Council meeting on Monday, 30 January. The first motion was put to the council by SU President, Emmet Connolly on SU elections reform and was passed 52 votes to 2 votes. One of the main parts of this motion referred to the elections of a representative of the Sports Clubs and the Societies to the Executive Committee. These elections will now take place on the same day as the SU part-time officers’ election. Each club and society will be entitled to nominate one representative to vote for them. The elec-

tions of College Convenors and SU Council Chairperson have also been altered. Speaking about the motion, Connolly said: “It’s just a procedural change but its one that makes sense.” The change will come into effect in time for the SU elections due to happen in March. The Arts Convenor, Kevin Donoghue, put forward a motion that the executive would agree on a Code of Conduct for Officers. Donoghue described the code as “basically a ‘cop on’ agreement.” He said that is a simple concept and that many other Students’ Unions, workplaces and schools had them in place.

This motion was passed 47 votes to 7 votes. Based on the third motion passed at the SU Council a ‘Constitutional (USI) Review Committee’ will be formed. This motion was put forward by Paul O’Donnell and was passed 46 votes to 9 votes. He felt that the “new USI constitution was passed without adequate consultation with the wider body of students attending NUI Galway.” The Constitutional Review Committee will prepare a report for the Student’s Union Council explaining the recent changes to the USI constitution and the possible implications of it. All students of NUI Galway will be able to attend the committee.

Andrea Mitchell and Rob Walsh at the Law Ball in the Meyrick Hotel on February 2nd.

{8} 13–09

G alway N ews

{sin} 13–02

Support for Innovative Projects on Campus

Mark Little at the Huston Film School

By Ellen Leahy

By Kenneth Glennon

Funding is now available for new projects that may improve campus through the EXPLORE student staff initiative. EXPLORE will provide up to €1,000 in funding for twenty individual projects. The EXPLORE student staff initiative invites students and staff to work together in partnership to change the campus for the better by making it a more innovative place. It is a new venture between the Students’ Union and NUI Galway. The project can be on any topic concerning student life, must start now and finish in May to June 2012. Any projects that come from the EXPLORE student staff initiative can be led by either students or staff and focuses on the practical aspect of innovation around campus. It allows students to actively change the campus for the better by putting ideas into practice in any area of life, be it sport, health, learning, teaching, technology or civic engagement. As well as

encouraging students and staff to be active at university, the main requirements of the review panel is that the project is A) done in partnership between students and staff B) is innovative and C) is sustainable. The submission process is simple with just a short video or one page application form needed. The funding and support for the EXPLORE initiative comes from NUI Galway's Bright Ideas initiative and the student projects fund. Chris Curtin, Vice President for Innovation and Performance at NUI Galway says, “NUI Galway is committed to improving the performance of the University by bringing about change through innovation. I welcome the partnership with the Students’ Union in delivering the EXPLORE initiative. It is a practical way for students and staff to put their ideas into action whilst shaping the campus of tomorrow.” SU President Emmet Connolly also shows his support for this initiative: “This initiative is a new and exciting oppor-

tunity for students to really engage with their campus community in putting innovative ideas into practice. I would encourage all students to get involved.” The EXPLORE initiative is the first of its kind in an Irish university, and the initiative that is currently in NUI Galway is in its pilot stage with the hope that with interest and available funding it will become a permanent feature of the university. The initiative takes its inspiration from similar Initiatives in the UK, particularly the experience of Birmingham City University’s ‘Student Academic Partners’ programme and Exeter University’s 'Students as Agents of Change' programme. These programmes focus on learning and teaching but the EXPLORE programme takes this further by including all initiatives that would improve life on campus. Applications for EXPLORE are being accepted now. To find out more and download an application form, visit www.su.nuigalway.ie/explore

Last week Mark Little attended the Huston School of Film & Digital Media to discuss journalism in the digital age. For any NUIG students who craves a future in journalism the former Prime Time presenter, foreign correspondent and founder of the social media news agency, Storyful. com, offered encouraging words. Delving into his own work around the word as well as extraordinary news pieces captured by non-journalists on mobile phone cameras, the acclaimed journalist illustrated how the landscape of modern journalism has been forever changed by the advent of social networking. This has enabled members of the public to become active participants in storytelling as opposed to passive onlookers. An early example of this shifting role of the journalist occurred in June 2009 during the Iranian

protests. With journalists in the area prohibited from leaving their hotels it was teenagers operating with mobile phones who provided journalists with a live twitter feed, giving unmediated minute by minute updates as the events were happening. It gave the man before us the feeling that his game was up. Little’s work, our word and how we receive information was changing. This level of immediacy was central to Mark’s lecture and what he described as “the incredi b l e a rc h i v e o f n o w developing.” Every day over one hour of footage per second is being uploaded onto You Tube with news sites tasking themselves with monitoring relevant groups’ video. In his latest book, The New America, Mark examines the changes which led to the election of Barack Obama, whom he credits for playing

an integral role in the devolution of political powers. Obama bypassed traditional journalism by broadcasting on YouTube. As the lecture progressed, videos ranging from a Syrian activists daily YouTube uploads to a large scale riot by the river Nile captured by a man from a hotel window with his mobile, displayed how anyone with a camera phone and a You Tube account has the opportunity to participate in an interactive form of storytelling. Not without its faults, Little was keen to stress how reporters must not misrepresent what he referred to as “the authenticity of now.” With an increasing growth of technologies, variety of social networks and developing software that can be packaged into an iPhone, Little concluded that “it is a wonderful time to be telling stories. Better than any other time in my life.”

The Sin Business Post by Shane Reilly, BizSoc Man On 1 February the NUI, Galway Business Society launched its first ever Fantasy Stock Exchange game. The game is based on realtime, real-market prices and has been a great success so far, with over 250 students involved in the first week. The game enables students to trade stocks on the NYSE, The Nasdaq and the AMEX, with each player receiving a virtual $100,000 to invest how they see fit. The first few days of trading threw up a few surprises, most notably everyone’s favourite anti-capitalist Joe Loughnane who was leading the competition with a profit of $21,000. His moment of fame was short-lived however as he now stands in 47th place. It’s being a great week for

the markets, with the DOW being up almost 130 points since the game started. Over 70% of players have recorded gains with the top ten averaging a return of a whopping $400,000! The hot-stock of last week was UNDT, with a share price of $0.0002, many traders have taken the risk and being doubling their bankroll, which has resulted in a very top-heavy leader board! Remember though, only players who are students of NUIG and have emailed their username and real name to fantasy@ nuigbizsoc.com will be eligible to claim prize money, so it’s still all very much to play for. That might be it on the STX front, but with over two trading weeks left I’m sure we’re in for some more fireworks. Check out the Facebook page for market news, tips and more.

Professor Chris Curtin, Head of the School of Political Science and Sociology, with Synergy Project organiser and SU Posgraduate Officer, Richéal Burns at the Project Launch in Friar’s on 9 February. Speaking at the launch Professor Curtin promised the gathered PhD students that the time of hiding research away in library storage had passed, and congratulated the poster presenters on displaying their research proudly, encouraging them to attend conferences, and seek publication internationally.

{sin} 13–09

N ational N ews

Places Still Available on Click and Connect Course By Katie Finnegan NUI Galway has announced that places are still available on new computer training initiative aimed at people with little or no computer experience. Together with Limerick Community Connect, DCU and Age Action Ireland, NUI Galway will deliver basic computer training to 400 people between now and May 2012. There are currently thousands of people living in Ireland who are not fully computer literate according to Professor Gerry Lyons, Dean of the College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway. Speaking in relation to this computer training initiative, he said: “Older people will particularly benefit, as will unemployed people and

disadvantaged groups in the Galway region. These people miss out on opportunities most people take for granted. For example, those not yet online cannot send emails, do i n t e r n e t s e a rc h e s f o r products or information, or conduct Government transactions online.” Click & Connect, is funded by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and will be delivered by the Discipline of Information Technology at NUI Galway. There will be no charge for the course, which will be delivered by experienced tutors who will introduce learners to the basics of computers. Other activities will also be taught on the course including: surfing the web, setting up and using email, how to download photographs, and how to access

Government information on-line. Classes will be small and will be carried out in local, non-formal learning settings. The course is suitable for absolute beginners and support and encouragement will be provided as part of the course. The classes will be enjoyable as well as providing practical guidance for people with no prior experience of computers and the internet. The course runs for three weeks and classes will be two hours duration. If you would like more information on Click & Connect, or to register for the classes, please contact Trish in the Discipline of Information Technology at either 091 493913, 0870571967 or e-mail clickandconnect@ nuigalway.ie

NUI Galway Study Leads to Breakthrough in COPD Treatment By Louise France An NUI Galway study has resulted in a significant breakthrough in the treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The study revealed that COPD sufferers who attended the new treatment programme were able to cope better with their breathing difficulties than those undergoing regular treatment. COPD is a lung disease which makes it difficult to breathe and is not fully reversible. It is estimated that over 100,000 Irish people have the disease. Headed by Professor Kathy Murphy and Dr Dymna Casey, from the School of Nursing at NUI Galway, it is hoped that

the results of the study will greatly help those living with the condition. Professor Murphy said, “It makes a real difference to patients with moderate to severe COPD by improving their dyspnoea and physical functioning.” Funded by the Health Research Board (HRB), The PRINCE (Pulmo nary Rehabilitation in Nurse-led Community Environment) study focused on a community based approach. This involved nurses, GPs and physiotherapists working together to improve existing treatment for COPD patients The trial was made up of two groups of people with COPD. In one group, people were treated by a structured education pul-

monary rehabilitation programme. The other group acted as a control group and received the standard treatment. The structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme is made up of three elements; people are treated through a combination of breathing techniques, exercise training and medication management. After the eight week trial, during which two hours a week of treatment was given, patients showed the ability to manage their COPD better than those who did not attend. Professor Murphy added, “We both feel strongly that healthcare research must make a real difference to patients’ lives

{9} 13–02

Forward Planning to Make Coastal Risks a Thing of the Past By Sinead Healy A range of scientific resources and handbooks based on how to facilitate better coastal planning will be launched at a national seminar in NUI Galway on Tuesday, 21 February. The €1.9 million project was funded by the EU. It has assessed the extent to which coastal risks are currently considered in development plans. Although Europe’s Atlantic coastal countries have been advised at both national and European levels to have consideration for coastal risks, existing development plans are still lacking. The Atlantic Network for Coastal Risk Management (ANCORIM) project focuses on issues of erosion, water equality and planning. Using existing scientific knowledge and legislative instruments the ANCORIM project has developed a set of tools to improve the situation. The project collaborates with scientists and decision-makers from Ireland, Spain, Portugal and France. A partner in the ANCORIM

and we are delighted that the findings of our large trial does just that. Our study found that a community based pulmonary rehabilitation programme facilitated by trained physiotherapists and practice nurses who had no prior COPD expertise, is feasible, safe, and effective.” The study, which highlights the effectiveness of community based programmes and treatment, identifies the possibility of moving treatment from hospitals to patients own communities. Dr Casey said: “A key strength of this study is that by involving the practitioners who work within primary care and training them to facilitate delivery of the pulmonary rehabilitation programmes, we have helped to strengthen and build capacity within the Irish primary health care setting to manage COPD more effectively. Our work shows that it’s possible to expand the scope of pulmonary rehabilitation practice in Ireland from hospital-

project is one of our own, Dr. Kevin Lynch of NUI Galway from the Ryan Institute. He explains the challenges faced by coastal communities: “Every year, in Ireland, we are reminded of the threats posed by coastal risks to our communities, their economies and our natural environment. During the winter months, this usually surfaces in stories of coastal erosion, flooding, and storm damage, while during the summer months emphasis switches to reports of poor bathing water quality or ‘red tides’.” Examples of coastal erosion in Ireland are evident in county Wexford. The coast has suffered retreats of up to one metre a year in places. In recent times, the seaside town of Strandhill in Sligo has been affected by erosion of its sand dunes due to severe winter storms. However, Dr Lynch points out that there are other potential hazards for coastal locations: “Examples of other risks that are not always on our radar, but could potentially have considerable socio-economic and environ-

mental impacts, include major oil or chemical spills or ocean acidification impacts on calcifying organisms which play key roles in the oceanic food chain” The seminar on 21 February is aimed at all those involved in planning and managing our coasts such as county planners, managers, engineers and councillors. Also invited are the county environmental or heritage officers, NGOs, local development groups, commercial enterprises and associations, as well as land and homeowners are invited. To build a greater awareness two guides have been produced, outlining what coastal risks are and the issues associated with them for local communities. There is hope that a combination of general awareness of coastal risks in line with improved forward planning will help reduce risks in the future. To register for the seminar you can go to the Atlantic Network for Coastal Risk Management National Seminar website at www.conference.ie.

based to community-based programmes.” According to the World Health Organisation, the main cause for COPD is smoking, including second

hand or passive smoking. Occupational dusts, chemicals and recurrent lower respiratory infections during childhood can also lead to COPD.

ChaplainCy

www.facebook.com/chaplains.nuigalway.ie

scan this code with your smartphone

{10} 13–09

G alway N ews

{sin} 13–02

Professional Pickpockets target Galway Shoppers

NUI Galway Hosts Conference on Agricultural Biodiversity

By Katie Finnegan

By Ian Colgan

Customers and shop owners in Galway City are being urged to be on guard after several people in recent weeks have fallen victim to a group of professional pickpockets. The group, which has been targeting high value items, is thought to be of Eastern European descent. Objects such as iPhones, wallets and purses are some of the more popular items to be lifted. The group are also involved in reading card PINs (personal identification numbers), as customers key them in at shops, restaurants and bars. Another method being used by the group in order to gain PIN numbers is to watch over the shoulders of people keying in their numbers at ATMs. It has been said that they pretend to be texting while they take note of the number 273 being keyed Sin.pdf in by SU Firewalk the customer.

Local businesses last week invited a team of Gardai to outline the methods being used by the group in order to try to minimize the crimes. The Gardai told them of one case where a sum of €1,200 was taken from a bank account after one ‘texter’ had managed to copy down a PIN number as it was being keyed in. A while later, the card was then stolen from the pocket of the victim. Sergeant Pat Flanagan, Crime Prevention Officer in Galway, said these group members ‘lean up’ against the person and relieve them of their wallets. “Our intelligence tells us that they are targeting cities other than Galway, but definitely over recent weeks they have been here,” he said. He said that ‘real damage’ could be done when the gang gets access to someone’s credit card or laser card PIN. call it surfing. When 4“They 08/02/2012 14:09 someone realises their credit

card is gone, they never think of the PIN. This gang is young, of East European origin and is very well dressed. “They are professional and they could relieve you of your credit card when they are smiling at you. If they see that there are good pickings to be had here in Galway, they will be back. We think there are eight to ten males and females in the gang. We don’t want to see this developing in the city of Galway,” said Sgt Flanagan It is believed to be the same group from which two women were jailed for seven months in December after a number of similar incidents. Stanka Deneva (21) and Mariyana Petrova (33), from Bulgaria were caught on CCTV in the €2 shop on Eglington Street stealing women’s purses. Gardai are advising Galway shoppers to be extra vigilant with their belongings. To contact Milstreet Garda station phone 091-538000.

NUI Galway Students’ Union

Charity Challenge 2012 Sponsored Firewalk

The inaugural AgroBioDiversity Conference was held at NUI Galway’s Plant and AgriBiosciences Centre last Thursday. The free event brought people in the growing community of agrobiodiversity together for a series of inspiring talks the past and potential future of Ireland’s sustainable food and agriculture sector. It was a showcase for initiatives and projects in Ireland, and also looked at the challenges ahead, and opportunities in the area of genetic resources in food and agriculture for determining Ireland’s environmental security. “Since the early 1990s there has been a tremendous upsurge in activity to conserve Ireland’s rare livestock breeds and threatened crop varieties,” said Professor Charles Spillane, Head of Plant and AgriBiosciences at NUI Galway and organiser of the event. “Such agrobiodiversity conservation efforts have ensured that native livestock rare-breeds such as Galway sheep and Kerry

bog ponies and many threatened plant varieties have not become extinct over the past decade.” Agrobiodiversity entails a variety of animals, plants, and micro-organisms that are used for food and agriculture, as well as different genetic breeds that are used to provide fuel and medicines essential to our day-to-day lives. The AgBioDiv conference was billed by Ms. Angela Mina-Vargas, NUI Galway AgroBioDiversity researcher, as a chance to learn about Ireland’s actions and concerns regarding conservation of agrobiodiversity resources. “AgroBioDiversity conservation and sustainable use is critical to future sustainable development and to ensuring food and livelihood security in societies across the globe, particularly in developing countries,” she added. D r D a n n y H u n t e r, Adjunct Lecturer in AgroBiodiversity at NUI Galway, hoped the conference would “highlight gaps in our knowledge and provide a platform for greater networking among

partners to address these.” A total of nineteen speakers were invited to talk at the conference, including international guests from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Biodiversity International, and the National History Museum in Paris. A number of AgBioDiv experts from Ireland also spoke at the conference, on topics such as seed saving, forestry and tree conservation, seaweed diversity, energy crops, and honey bees. Ahead of the conf e r e r e n c e D r. H u n t e r highlighted how agricultural biodiversity is a key element in agriculture and food production, which contributes significantly to the €2.6 billion that biodiversity contributes to the national economy: “Irish agriculture and food security depends on […] diversity of animal, plant, and microbial genetic resources,” he continued. “However, these biol o g i c a l r e s o u rc e s a r e increasingly threatened and this requires urgent action to ensure they are effectively conserved for future generations.”

Postgraduate Students Elected to Academic Council By Katie Finnegan

REGISTRATION DEADLINE 5PM MONDAY 20TH FEBRUARY

Raising funds for Galway Rape Crisis Centre and Spunout.ie

Only 50 spaces available Register now and collect your sponsorship card from the SU Office or email “Fire” to studentsunion@nuigalway.ie for more information.

Deirdre Munro and Joe Toner are the two most recent postgraduate additions to the Academic Council for 2011-12. Michael Kavanagh, Academic Secretary and Returning Officer declared the two students elected on 31 January. These representatives are post-graduate students elected by fellow postgrads. They sit on many committees relevant to post-graduate issues such as the Research Committee, Library Committee, Quality Committee and others. The three pillars of the organisational structure of NUI Galway are Údarás na hOllscoile, the Academic

Council and the University Management Team. The Academic Council is the chief academic authority and, subject to review by Údarás na hOllscoile, controls the academic affairs of the University, including the curriculum, instruction and education provided by the University. Last year, postgraduate student, David McGuinness was elected to the council. Other students who have held the position include Kathryn Hughes and Arlene Smith. The Election is held in January each year where a ‘Notice and Nomination Paper’ is sent from the Secretary of the University via email to all Postgraduate Students informing them of the Election.

Údarás na hOllscoile Meetings are generally held 5 times per year in February, April, June, October and December. The current chairperson is Dr. Noel Dorr. The membership of Údarás na hOllscoile includes: The Chairperson, The President, The Acting Registrar and Deputy-President, 5 Professors/ Associate Professors, 5 Academic Staff, 3 Other staff, 2 Elected Officers of Comhaltas na Mac Léinn, 1 Postgraduate Student, 3 Nominees of External Organisations, 4 Graduates, 7 Local Authority Nominees, 2 NUI Nominees, 1 Artistic/Cultural Category, 3 Minister’s Nominees, The President of St. Angela’s College, Sligo.

{sin} 13–09

G alway N ews

{11} 13–02

Climate Change Debate in NUIG Martin Reilly Lecture Series Announced By Gerard Madden

Prominent climate change denier Christopher Monckton visited NUI Galway on Wednesday, 8 February. Mr (or ‘Lord’) Monckton, a former advisor to Margaret Thatcher and current deputy leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party, was taking part in a debate entitled ‘Is climate change a myth?’ hosted by the Law Society. Seeking to assert the reality of man-made climate change in the face of Monckton’s denials was UCD Professor of Meteorology Dr. Ray Bates, and Director of NUI Galway’s Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Physics Professor Dr. Colin O’Dowd. Dr. Bates spoke on the greenhouse effect and global warming, outlining how global heating is attributable to industrialisation, with it reaching “dangerous

levels” since the industrial era. Describing how Arctic sea ice has been in marked decline since 1979, he argued cogently that the Greenhouse Effect had a “sound physical basis.” Dr. O’Dowd, for his part, emphasised the universality of global warming across the world, quoting temperatures from both Connemara and across Europe. While displaying a graph that showed the increase of temperature on earth in recent times, he ridiculed the claims of some climate change deniers that temperatures have actually been decreasing. Mr. Monckton claimed he would be “plainer with you” than the two qualified scientists. He made the assertion that temperature rises over the last few years have not been beyond the “natural variability of climate,” and sought to downplay the rise

in sea levels and melting of solar ice caps. Claiming that Greenpeace and related organisations had spent “over a billion” on “climate change propaganda,” he railed against the “politicisation of science” by the “extreme left.” Monckton disagreed with one audience member who made the passionate statement that one could not put a “GDP value on a life,” arguing it is better to endure the possible hardships caused by climate change if it is cheaper than trying to remedy the problem. Frank Doherty, an audience member, challenged LawSoc on how they could invite someone with no scientific qualifications to debate authoritatively on such an important scientific issue. Monckton has faced controversy over his credentials

in the past, falsely claiming to be a member of the House of Lords and receiving letters from that body asking him to cease and desist from doing so. With LawSoc declining to respond, he defended his presence by asserting himself as a ‘policymaker’, citing his experience as an advisor to Margaret Thatcher and claiming he is consulted by governments worldwide on the issue of climate change. Some members of the audience were left frustrated by the debate, feeling that Monckton was given too much time to air his disingenuous views unchallenged, and that too few audience members were given a chance to speak. Monckton concluded by emphasising his belief that man-made climate change was not happening, and stated that even if it was, we should all sit back and “enjoy the sunshine.”

NUI Galway and Haiti-connect Host Ireland’s First Crisis-Camp By Martina Gannon A crisis-camp jointly organised by Haiti-connect and Crisis Commons will take place on Sunday, 26 February from 10am until 7pm in the Information and Technology building at NUI Galway. The aim of the Crisis Camp is to heighten awareness on how technology can be utilised to aid response to disasters as well as to build resilience and improve responses before a crisis. Crisis Camps are a series of international events organised by members of Crisis Commons, which is a worldwide community of volunteers in the fields of technology, crisis response organisations, government agencies as well as individual volunteers. This organisation has witnessed first-hand the benefits of technology and social media in disaster response and reconstruction scenarios, the organisation is therefore eager to elevate this awareness with the public. Crisis-Camp Ireland aims to connect “people, tools and resources to support crisis response.” It began in March

2009 as an event to connect crisis management and global development practitioners to the technology volunteer community. During the Haiti earthquake disaster response Crisis-Camp became a solid movement and added a response mechanism to the community in Haiti. ‘Haiti Connect’ has been running and supporting technology-based aid and rebuilding projects in Haiti since shortly after the earthquake of 2010. Through direct experience they have also seen and experienced the advantages of utilising modern and digital technologies in these environments of disaster and emergency. The founder of ‘Haiti Connect’, Evert Bopp said: “Through this event we hope to create awareness amongst Irish crisis response organisations, government agencies and citizens on how open source software and hardware can be used to respond to disasters. Working together with NUI Galway’s Discipline of Information Technology was a logical choice when organising this event. People in Information Technology and

other disciplines in NUI Galway’s College of Engineering and Informatics are already engaged in both research and voluntary work in support of crisis response. Through Crisis-Camp we hope to bring together people who are

working on these challenges and inspire others to apply their skills in this area.” Admission is free but those interested in coming are encouraged to register via the website www.crisiscampireland.com.

By Colette Sexton

A series of lectures dedicated to the piper, Martin Reilly, has been announced by the Music and Dance Studies at the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway. The inaugural lecture will take place at 6.30pm on Tuesday, 21 February in Galway City Library. Martin Reilly was a well known East Galway uilleann piper. He left a rich musical legacy to generations of pipers. In the lecture series, researcher-practitioners in Irish traditional music and dance will get the opportunity to present their findings in a public forum. Those attending the series will hear tunes and songs and will see some dancing. Waterford uilleann piper and researcher, Dr Jimmy O’Brien Moran, will give the first lecture in the series. Dr O’Brien Moran is renowned in the traditional music community. His talk, entitled ‘Folk Music Collecting in Galway before the Famine’, will focus

on the Galway piper Paddy Conneely and his collectors (Petrie, the Hudson brothers, William Forde and Henry Westenra aka Lord Rossmore). It will also cover some of Martin Reilly’s years as a contemporary of Conneely. Dr O’Brien Moran attended NUI Galway as a student and now lectures at the Waterford Institute of Technology. Speaking about the lecture series, he said: “It is an honour to be invited to give the opening lecture in the Martin Reilly series and I am looking forward to coming back to the City of the Tribes.” As a piper, he has given lectures, workshops and concerts all over the world from Seattle to the Seychelles and from old Zealand to New Zealand. A reception will take place before the talk at 6.15pm, when Jackie Small will officially launch the lecture series. All are invited to attend both the launch and lecture. Admission is free.

Des Dolan, Joe Dolan, Libby Maloney. John Tobin, Tracy Lynsky, Alice Dean and Rosie Dolan creating awareness of organ donation in Aras na Mac Leinn

S E G A P THE SU É Gaillimh O n in é L c a M a n s a lt a h Com ion n U ' ts n e d tu S y a lw a G I U N

www.su.nuigalway.ie

"The mission of the Union shall be to represent its members and promote, defend and vindicate the rights of its members at all levels of society." — Constitution of the Students’ Union

POSTGRADUATE EVENTS WITH THE STUDENTS’ UNION

Mathematical Concepts for Statistical Analysis & Modelling Seminar Series

Postgrad Presentation Skills Workshop

10am – 2pm Tuesday 28 February in MY127, Áras Moyola. This workshop is designed to train research students in the Art of delivering a presentation as well as developing a unique style of delivery. The workshop will include a tutorial on Presentation Skills, Slide Presentation, Guest Presenters sharing their secrets and group projects. This is a great opportunity for research students to fine tune their research skills in a constructive environment. This workshop is free of charge and lunch is included. Places are limited, please book a place by 22 February by emailing su.postgrad@nuigalway.ie

The Synergy Project Has Been Launched!

The aim of this initiative is to provide a forum for promoting academic collaboration within and across disciplines in NUI Galway in order to add value to and build upon the current practices with a view to enhancing the scope and quality of the research production process. For more information see www.nuigalway.ie/bright-ideas/ thesynergyproject.html

6:30pm-8:30pm Monday 27 February in the Cairnes Building (Room TBC). This is a 5 week seminar series on applications of conceptual Mathematics for statistical analysis for PhD students. This course will provide research students with the conceptual understanding of the Mathematical foundations of the techniques of analysis and modelling methods they employ in their PhD topics. This course is free of charge. Places are limited, please book a place by 22 February by emailing su.postgrad@nuigalway.ie Places are limited, please book a place by 22 February by emailing su.postgrad@ nuigalway.ie

Postgrad Sequels Movie Night (Rescheduled) Wednesday 22 February @ 7pm in IT125, First Floor, IT Building. Featuring Meet the Parents/Fockers. Admission is free and there will be popcorn!

The Postgrad Ball

Postgrad-AOKE Part 5!

6.30pm Friday 24 February. Postgrad Karaoke night in the College Bar with finger food, Giant Games and €10 Pizza & Pitcher (with SU Card).

Thursday 22 March in the Meyrick Hotel, Eyre Square. Featuring a sweets and bubbly reception, entertainment from Witless winners Gearbox, The Converse Allstars and DJ Kid Kongo. Not to mention a four course meal. Tickets €45 on sale on 23 & 28 February in the SocsBox Áras na Mac Léinn.

Update on the Universal Gym Membership Proposal The Current Situation:

At the moment, all students who pay the €224 Student Levy contribute towards the cost of the construction of the Sports Centre. €100 of this Levy goes towards what is essentially a mortgage repayment for the building, which began in 2007 and is scheduled to cease in 2025. Students who wish to actually become gym members must pay a separate, €250 membership fee, which lasts 9 months. • This €100 charge was agreed by student referendum in 2003 and came into effect once the Sports Centre opened for business in September 2007. It is important to realise that this charge only covers the cost of building the Sports Centre, and not the running costs of the centre itself. • If you wish to join the Kingfisher gym, you must pay €250 if you are a student.

The Proposal:

Essentially, the deal will involve a doubling in the size of the fitness suite in the Sports Centre to facilitate more users. Universal membership will allow students who are not currently members of the Kingfisher gym to have all the benefits which are currently available to gym members. As part of this deal, the University will also proceed with the construction of a Water Sports facility on the banks of the Corrib which will cater for the water-based clubs. • If a deal is struck with the University that is satisfactory to the SU, we will put it to the student body by way of referendum later this semester. • If the deal is passed in such a referendum, construction would begin on extending and improving the Sports Centre facilities and all students who currently pay the €224 Student Levy each year will become members in September 2014 (dependant on construction going according to plan, which it should). • Current members of the gym have a 9 month membership period. Under universal membership, we would seek to increase this to year-round membership, which should particularly benefit postgraduates and those living in Galway during the summer.

The Financials:

To pay for universal membership, the current Student Levy of €224 would have to be increased by approximately €50 to €274 per student, per year. This €50 would remain in place for approximately the next 20 years (i.e. until 2031) • This period from the launch of universal membership to 2031 would see a higher Student Levy of €274, all of which is linked with inflation, which would combine the current €100 contribution which students are currently making towards the construction of the Sports Centre alongside a subsidised charge for the actual running costs of the Sports Centre (i.e. the cost of universal membership). The running costs are approximately €90 per student, per year, at 2012 prices, but these will be lowered by extending the construction costs over a longer time period. • The running costs over this period up to 2031 would be subsidised by extending the timeframe of the current €100 mortgage repayments combined with the approximate €50 increase. These €100 repayments are currently scheduled to cease in 2025 but under this deal, that deadline would be extended until 2031. • Exact financial details will be released before you’re asked to vote, and will be published well in advance in Sin. • In 2031, the construction costs of the Sports Centre would be paid. 2031’s students would simply cover the running costs of the Sports Centre in order to continue with universal membership, or chose to revert to voluntary membership if they so wish.

Message from Emmet Connolly, SU President: Following a written request from 500 students, we are currently negotiating a proposal for universal gym membership with University management that we can then put to the student body by way of referendum later this semester. I want to take this opportunity to make some things clear to you all. Firstly, I want to make it clear that I am not in any rush to try and get a deal done before my term of office ends this summer, and if I am personally not happy with any deal agreed, I will call for a ‘No’ vote in any referendum. This deal involves millions of euro over many years, and if we need more time to negotiate a fair deal for students, so be it. I also want to make it known that we want a proposal that will be suitable to the great majority of students, and not just those who are currently involved in clubs or who are already members of the gym. Secondly, I am very aware of the financial pressures students are under at the moment, and therefore I am trying to see if we can reach a reasonable increase in the Student Levy which will be acceptable to the great majority of students, even those who are struggling. Finally, I want to make it known that if a deal is agreed between the University and the SU to put this to the student body by way of referendum, I will be insisting that the SU facilitates campaigns for both a ‘Yes’ and a ‘No’ vote, in order that students can make an informed decision, having heard all the facts. Ultimately, any decision on universal membership is up to you – the students. The SU will negotiate as fair a deal as we can, we will then present that deal to you in a referendum. It is up to each and every one of you to decide if the benefits of universal membership justify an approximate €50 increase in the Student Levy. As always, if you have any questions, clarifications or suggestions, feel free to email me on su.president@nuigalway.ie or call up to the SU offices in Áras na Mac Léinn. All the best, Emmet Connolly, Students’ Union President.

NUI Awards 2012 Three NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowships Each valued at €80,000 (over 2 years). Two are offered in the Humanities; including the inaugural Dr Garret FitzGerald Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities. One is offered in the Sciences.

Closing date: 27 April 2012

NUI Travelling Studentships Tenable for up to 4 years, valued at up to €64,000. The Studentships are designed to fund postgraduate studies at doctoral level. Four in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Two in the Sciences. Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI E J Phelan Fellowship in International Law Valued at €25,000 (over 18 months). This Fellowship is offered to NUI graduates at an advanced stage of their doctoral studies in any area of International Law. Closing date: 30 March 2012

Full details and application procedures for all NUI Awards and Scholarships are available at www.nui.ie/awards

Ollscoil na hÉireann / National University of Ireland 49 Cearnóg Mhuirfean, Baile Átha Cliath 2 / 49 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 Teileafón / Telephone: +353 1 439 2424 Facs / Fax: +353 1 439 2466 Ríomhphost / Email: awards@nui.ie

{sin} 13–09

N ational N ews

{15} 13–02

President Higgins Opens Munster ITs Seek First Trinity Economic Forum University Status By Marése O’Sullivan The inaugural two-day Trinity Economic Forum was launched on 3 February in the Science Gallery and Long Room Hub, TCD, by President Michael D. Higgins. Students from all over the country flocked to the opening of ‘Ireland’s first student-run economics forum,’ which marked the first formal visit to an Irish university made by Mr. Higgins since he became President last November. Friday’s events saw an opening address from the President, where he insisted that immediate action should be taken to rectify the economic mistakes of the past. “We know that the present economic morass through which we are struggling didn’t come about by accident. We know it came about because of a

failed paradigm of economic policy, undeclared assumptions, skewed values and the growth of a culture where our assets were valued and utilised on purely material considerations,” he said. “We are all now grappling with the enormous consequences of that failure and must now move forward to a better model: one that will build social cohesion and provide a sustainable basis for economic development.” There was also a panel discussion about public and private debt – entitled ‘De-leveraging Ireland’ – moderated by historian and RTÉ presenter John Bowman. The panel members included NUI Galway Economics and Finance alumnus Dermot O’Leary, now Chief Economist at Goodbody Stockbrokers. There were also a variety of talks, ranging from

‘The Global Economy’ to ‘The Future of News’ to ‘The Economics of Climate Change’. ‘The Intertwining Nature of Democracy and Technocracy’ was the subject of the panel’s debate, featuring key speakers such as NUI Galway’s Dr. John McHale (Head of Economics and Chairman of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council). The final discussion of the evening was on ‘Ireland’s Future – The Road Ahead’. The co-founder of TEF, Seán Gill, remarked: “It’s absolutely fantastic to be welcoming President Higgins to Trinity for the Forum. I’d like to think that the vision of the forum – of Ireland’s young people coming together to examine the problems we face and how we can fix them – chimed with the President, who has a real focus on the youth of this country.”

Ireland’s Bid for Green Finance Boosted by New MSc By Jessica Thompson A new MSc course in energy and environmental finance has been launched at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. This new course has been developed in an attempt to help Ireland become a greener country for business. The course will begin in September of this year and it will take in various graduates of finance, economics, engineering, environmental science and mathematics. The course aims to provide students with a detailed understanding of the financial processes associated with the energy and environmental markets sector, and a knowledge of the skills that will be needed for a future career in environmental finance. “This is a unique programme which encourages students to develop creative and analytical

approaches to problem solving in the energyenvironment sphere,” said Professor Ciaran O’ hOgartaigh, the Dean of UCD School of Business. “As Ireland’s global business school we strive to actively develop expertise in relevant areas of national and international interest. In particular, we are pleased to contribute to the area of energy and environmental finance as part of the Green IFSC’s strategic development.” The world is quickly transitioning towards low carbon, and Padraig Rushe, a member of the Green IFSC Steering Group said that “Ireland is in an excellent position to significantly grow its ‘green’ finance business.” He said: “Ireland needs to ensure it is always at the forefront of innovation in this sector and has the skills needed on hand as businesses develop. The new UCD MSc in energy and environmen-

tal finance will make a significant contribution to this goal.” This course will hopefully provide a major boost to Irish job creation and FDI, as, Accenture senior executive client director, Mary Corcoran, said. “We are delighted to support the launch of the Msc in Enerfy and Environmental Finance,” she continues, “as if shows great vision and is a fine example of industry and academia working together proactively to be ‘ahead of the game’ and to ensure that we position Ireland to deliver on the economic opportunities offered by the Green IFSC.” NUI Galway is also going green this week, as Green Week starts up. There will be a number of events during the week that will encourage students to be more environmentally friendly. See page 21 for details.

By Austin Maloney Limerick Institute of Technology, Cork Institute of Technology and Tralee Institute of Technology are hoping to take advantage of new government legislation to form a technological university. CIT, LIT and IT Tralee want to create a new Munster Technological University which could house up to 24,000 students on campuses in Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Clare and Tipperary. A statement from the three ITs said that the new technological university would provide “world class education and research, and support the development of enterprise across the region,” and that they wanted to seek the new status at “the earliest opportunity.” President of LIT, Maria Hinfelaar, said that LIT already had a history of col-

laboration with both Tralee and Cork and that the “Munster region quite naturally sticks together as a region and it is also a brand name that is clearly very strong.” A spokesman said “The MTU will build on the strengths of LIT, IT Tralee and CIT to create a large, effective and innovative university with the scale and level of activity which will allow it to make a significant contribution regionally, nationally and internationally. “We are confident that the MTU will meet the criteria for technological university status and, once the process for application is determined, we intend to seek designation at the earliest opportunity”. The application process is thought to be rigorous and approval will be needed from Minister for Education Ruarí Quinn. The whole process could take up to two years.

Waterford Institute of Technology and Carlow Institute of Technology are also hoping to merge and form a new technological university in the south east. However, the presidents of the existing universities have criticised the new technological university plans. “We know that the system is seriously underfunded. Within the system, there are indications that the IoT sector is relatively better funded than the universities. Therefore, any plans to establish new universities cannot result in a further hollowing out or cannibalisation of university funding. The issue needs to be addressed at an early stage with detailed, costed plans for any structural changes and transparency on how [and from what sources] these plans are to be resourced” said the presidents in a discussion paper last month.

Erasmus Programme Needs to be More Inclusive By Roisin Peddle In the run up to the twenty fifth anniversary of the Erasmus programme, one of Europe’s leading student advocates has said that the programme needs to be more inclusive. Allan Päll, of the European Students Union (ESU), made the remarks on 30 January in Brussels. The ESU is a Europewide federation of national students’ unions and represents over 11 million students. Mr Päll said: “Erasmus needs to become more inclusive - the grant scheme must set clear targets for disadvantaged students. “Erasmus student exchange has been wildly successful and proven the added value of mobility to students' personal development as well as towards instigating institutional change towards internationalisation. However, we can and must do better to make this experience accessible for all.” The Erasmus programme began in 1987 by the European Commission to help students experience life abroad

and to foster greater understanding of different European cultures. It was named after the Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus, who lived in a wide range of European countries. Most colleges across Europe offer Erasmus and other study aboard programmes in conjunction with language and humanities degrees. The Erasmus programme is also available to lecturers and post-grads in the form of internships. NUI Galway offers Erasmus with language, humanities, commerce and some science degrees. However, it must be applied for and destinations are limited. The University of Limerick offers Erasmus and other Study Abroad options as a core part of their humanities degrees. In 2006, 1% of the EEA’s student population took part in the programme. A grant of €1,000 is available to those on Erasmus to help with living and other costs. Alan Keane, an NUI Galway post-grad who studied in the Czech Republic during his undergraduate degree in UL, found his Erasmus was

not hard to finance. “I lived in Prague which is really cheap. I lived on half or even quarter of what I needed at home.” The disparity between cost of living across European countries can lead to some students finding Erasmus difficult. What should be a positive experience can turn into a financial struggle. “We were okay because we were in Venice but if we had been in Rome or somewhere like Sweden where prices are high we would have struggled,” Katy Quinn, a Masters student who studied in Italy, told Sin. “The grant helps to an extent but I think that it should be means tested. Cost of living, accommodation etc varies from country to country but it should be enough to cover your expenses. The colleges don’t do enough research into the countries they’re sending students to.” Katy added. However, according to most students who’ve spent a semester abroad, Erasmus was worth any financial hardship. “After all, money can’t buy experience,” Katy said.

{16} 13–09

N ational N ews

{sin} 13–02

High Court Sets Date for USI Case Hearing By Eistear de Búrca The High Court case currently being pursued by the USI concerning the new grants system has being set for hearing on Thursday, 23 February, and is expected to run into the next day. The judge may give a verdict straightaway or reserve the judgement until some later date; the actual judge taking the case remains as yet unknown. The USI counsel is stressing the urgency of this

case and will continue to do so throughout the process. Already many students around the country have been drastically affected by the heavy cuts to their grants, particularly those who live on the edge between adjacent and non-adjacent areas. Many students have had a 60% cut to their grant, i.e. from €6,100 down to €2,445, and there have been some who have had to drop out of their courses as a result of the increased financial pressure.

Since the more recent cuts outlined in Budget 2011, postgraduate students in particular are being targeted by the government: maintenance grants are no longer in existence and the registration fee was raised. This move has been noted as being particularly regressive and senseless, as the intellectual reputation of a country depends upon the research of postgraduate students, and indeed on the support which a government is willing to give to this valuable

sector of society. Whether the case will be successful or not remains to be seen; if the USI is successful the State has the right to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, but this would have significant financial cost and may not look politically appropriate for the government at this time. A successful verdict will also mean a back-payment for all those students who have had their grants cut but have managed to stay in education. For those

who have already dropped out, the situation will be a more complicated and will no doubt depend on the exact ruling of the case. In the case of an unfavourable ruling for the USI, it will be necessary to look at other options of opposition to the recent decisions of the State against those in higher education. At a recent meeting at NUI Galway, USI president Gary Redmond was asked if the USI had abandoned the radicalism it used to have in the 1970s,

and had fallen into the trap of respectability. Redmond’s response was that today the USI is in the decisionmaking room, working as a partner in drawing up higher education policies and performing an essential role there. He stressed the fact however that the USI has never lost its right to protest; it may be that a reinforced USI protest in the form of direct action be necessary if the government is to take the students of Ireland seriously.

Fight for Third Level Places is Heating Up By Megan Carey It seems that there will be another race for college places again this September as more mature students than ever are competing for third level places. Figures published by the CAO recently indicate there is a higher number applying this year over last year's 71,466 applicants. However, this does not beat the record high of 2010 which stood

at 71,843. The numbers applying this year is at 71,612, only 146 above last year but there seems to be an rise in those aged over twenty three applying for the first time. The numbers of those applying this year are recorded in line with the closing date of 1 February for the CAO. The current fight against the economic climate is putting continuous pres-

sure upon the education sector. Grant cuts and the reintroduction of college fees means more people are struggling to afford their place in college. In that respect it would be expected that there would be a fall in those applying for various courses around the country. But with a rise of mature student applications it can be seen that with fewer options open to Irish people; many will either

Members’ Disquiet About USI By Austin Maloney

The Students’ Unions of Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin may be leaving the Union of Students in Ireland. Both Unions are reported to have become dissatisfied with both the efforts of the USI in the campaign against fees and the costs of USI membership. The TCDSU president Ryan Bartlett is seeking a referendum on the Union’s affiliation with the USI. Bartlett’s main issues are planning and co-ordination of the ‘Stop Fees, Save the Grant’ campaign last year. He said “The national protest didn’t receive enough attention earlier on, which caused logistical difficulties and difficulties with

getting the message out there to students and really getting students to understand what the issues were what solutions were available and what the plan of action was.” “I’m not convinced that the “Stop Fees, Save the Grant” campaign has represented Trinity students and other colleges seem to have accepted that there is a different sentiment in Trinity. This means that students have to ask whether or not they want to continue being represented by USI.” Trinity College pays around €78,000 a year to continue membership of the USI and the feeling within the TCDSU is that the money would be better spent by the TCDSU itself.

Bartlett was also unhappy with the USI lead occupation of the Department of Jobs. “I think the execution of the occupation undermined the aims of it and thus it failed to achieve any of the proposed aims. It was something which I was concerned about all the time, the planning and the execution and these concerns turned out to be justified. Trinity students didn’t support it, from what we’ve seen”. Speculation is also mounting that UCDSU is considering leaving the USI. The UCDSU is currently experiencing financial difficulty and is recently closed its oncampus Copy Bureau, with the loss of three jobs. In this climate the costs of USI membership are coming under review.

immigrate or head back into education. It is obvious that someone with a degree will be more employable than one without in most fields. Mature students make up approximately 15% of those entering college for the first time. There has also been a drop in those applying through UCAS (the UK's version of the CAO) from the Republic of Ireland. More students are opting

to stay at home to study due to the financial advantages of grants (despite cuts) and the increase in fees in many UK universities. The fees in these universities can be up to €10,800 for certain courses and most Irish students cannot afford this. Staying at home and commuting to university is also another trend which may be on the rise in order to tackle the costs of university living. With the changes to

the grant distance ratio, it means that more people have no option but to commute as the cost of rent and bills would not be covered by the grant. Demand is up and places are limited so there will be a battle among the mature students and those sitting their Leaving Certificate this year. August will determine how the places in third level are spread among the applicants.

Funding Boost for Irish Software By Eileen Cameron Lero, the Irish Software E n g i n e e r i n g R e s e a rc h Centre based at the University of Limerick, has been awarded government funding. The Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), an agency of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, has awarded funding of €16 million to Lero. This will also be supplemented by an industry contribution of €6.4million. Lero is comprised of a team of 170 researchers and PhD students from UL, NUIG, UCD, TCD, DCU, and DIT. The centre carries out research in a number of different areas, including urban traffic control, corporate compliance systems, medical devices, financial services, ICT, mobile communications and space

missions. Announcement of the funding was made by Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock T.D., on Monday 30 January at the University of Limerick. Minister Sherlock commented: “This renewal SFI funding to Lero is in recognition of their research excellence and considerable impacts already delivered.” He added: “The progressive approach already demonstrated by Lero is just what the country needs. This SFI award, allied to the very significant industry involvement and contribution, now affords Lero the opportunity to further our economic rehabilitation – both regionally and nationally.” The €6.4 million industry investment will come from companies such as IBM

Ireland, Intel, Information Mosaic, JBA Consulting, QAD Ireland, Kugler Maag CIE, Almir Business, Movidius, Lumension Security Ireland, Vitalograph, Storm Technology and Fineos. The Director of IBM’s Software Lab Ireland, Bill Kearney, added, “We have a long-term relationship with Lero. We envisage future collaborative research with Lero in the areas of security, model-driven software development, cloud computing and large-scale software development. IBM has a long-running tradition of research collaboration with our colleagues in academia in Ireland. The goal of our collaborative initiative is to continue strong partnerships with the university ecosystem and ensure open innovation as a means to respond to our changing world.”

{sin} 13–09

F eatures

{17} 13–02

Prescribed Methodology for Explaining Research to Other People By Rosemary Gallagher This is it. It’s the night you’ve been waiting for. After months of playing avoid-the-supervisor you’ve submitted a chapter and its time to blow off some steam. Two other haggard PhD students accompany you, because all your other friends have emigrated or ditched you in frustration at your constantly ignoring them. “I’m sorry. I can’t tonight. I have a deadline.” After two drinks you’re pretty relaxed. You feel confident: young again. You spy a suave young man across the room. You smile. He smiles back. He walks towards you. You introduce yourselves. Then he asks: “What do you do?” Ever y research student has been there. That dreaded moment when you have to explain your bizarre existence to another grown

up. You can’t say you’re a student because you’ve been a student continuously for nigh on a decade and that’s ridiculous. You can’t say you’re an academic because you haven’t earned that yet. So you tell the handsome stranger you’re writing your PhD. They look impressed for a moment. Then, the make-or-break question: “What’s it about?” There is a huge difference between how you explain your research topic to someone in university, and how you explain it to a stranger in the pub. You have two choices. You can give a quick answer and get off the subject: “English. And what do you do?” Or you can give them your abstract: “I’m conducting a comparative analysis of the comedic mechanisms of Post World War American novelists.” If they haven’t faked a phone call and left by now,

they might pick up on the word ‘comedic’. They like comedy. They have some opinions. “Have you read Catch-22?” the handsome stranger asks, remembering the book from his teenage angst days. “No. No I haven’t,” you respond dryly. “Never heard of it. Thank you. You just saved my thesis. Allow me to buy you a drink.” I recently emerged from the Arts Millennium PhD Cave and headed to the Synergy Launch to meet some other PhD students and ask them how they handle this awkward social situation. The driving force behind Synergy, SU Postgrad officer Richéal Burns explained “My actual PhD is Economics based: ‘A Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Prostate Cancer Screening in Ireland.’” When explaining this to Joe Soap Richéal opts for a strained analogy

between large scale analysis of cost-effectiveness for the health services, and how likely you might be to fork out €20 for a doner kebab after a night out, even if you were really, eh, hungry. “The price could outweigh the benefit dramatically!” She explains. “I apply this logic to mechanisms for testing and treating Cancer." Richéal adds: “I also never tell people its specifically Prostate Cancer because they just walk away if I do. A female investigating Prostate Cancer is a bit hard for people to take in my experience.” Mairead Ni Chualain’s research on Taibhdhearc na Gailllimhe is also problematic, as there is a common misconception that her subject no longer exists. Mairead often tries to apply the “start with something familiar” methodology of describing research, only

to be met with blank gazes: Mairead: Do you know Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe? Randomer: Thai...what? Mairead: The National Irish Language Theatre. It’s beside Milano's in town. Randomer: It is? Mairead: I’m doing a history of the company from 1970 to the present day. Randomer: Oh yeah I know it... is it open? Meaghan Connell, in the English Department, lamented that she rarely gets to explain her actual research because she must first explain her field. Meaghan’s situation is unique. Being a linguist she is a strange hybrid of English student and scientist, with neither discipline fully understanding how to interact with her, or engage with her unusual ways. As a result she has had to develop coping mechanisms for explaining her

research not only to randomers, but also to other researchers: "So, you know literary dialect, right? Well, I'm designing and building a great big corpus of literary dialect so I can treat it like a real language and see what happens." She clarified that “see what happens” really meant conduct a lot of analysis. I mean, like, a lot. I felt Sarah Knight in the Ryan Institute summed it up best: “Whether the listener is drunk or sober, your granny or your lecturer, someone who cares or someone who doesn't, I think research should always be described in language suitable for a fourteen year old. Just because pints encourage someone to tell you how boring/incomprehensible they think what you are saying is, doesn't mean that it wasn't also boring/incomprehensible when they were sober!”

Do your thing right across Europe If you want to go interrailing, head off with the lads to a football match, hit a festival or soak up the sun we can help you go do your thing. There is so much happening across Europe between now and the summer you’ll kick yourself for missing out. There’s time for studying and there’s time for a well-earned break. So, go for it.

You could get there for FREE

Experience Europe with a free return fl ight to one of ten fantastic European destinations including taxes and charges, while stocks last (the offer is available to the first 2,000 who qualify). All you have to do is have a Bank of Ireland 3rd level student account and take out a student credit card or travel loan between 23rd January and 30th June 2012. You will need to be over 18 and a full time 3rd level student. All of our lending products are subject to credit criteria and there are terms and conditions. There may be a need for parental guarantee. So the destinations include Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Oslo, London, Frankfurt, Milan, Manchester, Madrid and Stockholm. A full list of terms and conditions for the free flight offer is available at any Bank of Ireland branch and at www.bankofireland.com/studentmoney

We’ve got student travel sorted Student credit card Security in your pocket When you’re travelling it’s always a good idea to have access to extra funds for flights, accommodation or extra spending money.That signed Barca shirt for your little brother or an Italian leather belt for your sister would make great birthday pressies. So for the times when you’d rather not carry lots of cash, a student credit card can come in really handy. Student travel loan Just what you need Here’s one with the interrailers in mind. Maybe you’ll get a taste for travel and want to stay a bit longer. Go where you want for as long as you want with a Bank of Ireland student travel loan. With no money worries and no hassle you can go do your thing for as long as you like. Go to www.bankofireland.com/studentmoney for more information. Travel insurance Take peace of mind with you Every trip will have its fair share of stories and unforgettable experiences. Just make sure yours are memorable for all the right reasons. From lost luggage, to an unforeseen illness, travel insurance is there when you need it. You can purchase travel insurance online in minutes, without the hassle of filling in loads of forms. Go to www.bankofireland.com for more information and an immediate quote.

Make sure you are one of the 2,000 lucky students! In four easy steps you could be winging your way to a top European spot. Here’s what to do: Step 1 If you haven’t got one already, open a Bank of Ireland 3rd level student current account. Step 2 Take out a student credit card or a student travel loan between 23rd January and 30th June 2012. Step 3 We’ll send you your flight voucher by post. Step 4 Complete and return your free flight voucher. You will be contacted within 28 days with an offer of a return flight and to discuss any other travel details with you. It’s easy to go and do your thing and even easier to drop into your local branch and get the ball rolling. So, if you’re waiting for an invitation consider this it! Share your travel stories and tips with us on our new Facebook app for students (www.facebook.com/smartlounge). With exclusive offers, information and deals on travel, food, movies and much more, Smartlounge has all you need to make the most of student life. Join our Smartlounge community today. Bank of Ireland is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

{18}

F eatures

13–09

My Cheap Week By Mark Kelly When I first took on this assignment, I thought how hard could it be? 20 quid a week, pah!, I could do that and eat well. I couldn’t have been more wrong. My week was full of hunger, drinking water (I hate water, I only like juice. What’s life without whimsy?) and having NO alcohol or chocolate. It was a week of stress and constant calculating, trying to evaluate what I could and couldn’t do with my money. Here is just a snippet… Sunday. I was really looking forward to this challenge. I had a big bowl of porridge and went to Tesco to buy my food for the week. I wandered for an hour, scouring for bargains and deals, comparing products in terms of weight and tastiness. If you actually spend your time bargain shopping, it can really pay off. You can make a nice sauce from the tomatoes, although adding onions, garlic, herbs and red wine make it taste a whole lot better. For the simple sauce, just blend the tinned tomatoes - half a can per serving should do. I went to bed craving chocolate, but full enough.

Monday. Why didn’t I bring more sandwiches? It’s 3 o’clock, I am stuck in here until 8 p.m., and yet I only brought two ham sandwiches. I am hungry! I put some water in a bottle to drink, that’s no bother, but the hunger! Anyway, I get home around 8, stick a nice Weightwatchers Spaghetti Bolognese in the microwave. Also make myself some tea and a sandwich before bed. I feel like royalty now. Tuesday. Eugh, I feel like crap. Without my fruit and veg, I am literally dying. I sound like Jamie Redknapp now! I make some porridge, which looks like crap and tastes like envelopes before heading to college. I have to buy some milk, which brings my tally near the €17 mark. I am finding it hard to concentrate: living on preservatives isn’t preserving my brain. I didn’t do very well in either of my labs, and my radio show was awful, I just could not concentrate! I make some pasta with the tomato sauce, and that makes me feel better. I go back in for Witless, where a mate of mine, seeing me suffer, kindly gets me a pint. I begin to perk up. Wednesday. I am not bothered to move out of my bed. The alarm goes

at 9:15, but I have neither the will nor the heart to go to college. I physically feel sapped yet restless at the same time. The porridge is really starting to get on my nerves now, but it’s the only thing that keeps me going. We have run out of butter, but luckily for me, a housemate picks up the tab, so I still have the €3 in the hole. I use 35c to buy an apple, and boy does it perk me up. I am a fruit junkie, I need my fix or I get super grumpy. I have my Weightwatcher lasagne for dinner, and go to bed wishing this ordeal, like Justin Bieber, would end. Thursday. I am on auto-pilot. I have no energy, I feel sluggish from just eating carbohydrates (I am a scientist, I will never say carbs!) and it’s just a struggle to move. I just either go to a lecture, or laze on the couch in Flirt FM. I am really craving chocolate, but the 90c bar would bring me below €2 and I can’t afford that. Instead, I get another orange for 35c, which gives me a massive moral boost. I make spaghetti Bolognese from the mince and tomato sauce. Again. I go to bed thinking only two days to go... Friday. GOD HELP ME!! I am stuck in bed til 3 the next day. I don’t feel well at all. The loss of vitamins, iron and too

many preservatives make me feel like s***. I have no energy left, I am pretty much hungry all the time. I would honestly prefer to be at home, in the middle of nowhere, with food than here at the minute. I buy three pieces of fruit and make a smoothie, and that gives me a kick-start. I had the Weightwatcher’s Chicken Tikka Masala and enjoyed it thoroughly. I go to bed, thanking whatever deity that I only have one day left. Saturday. All that is keeping me going is the thought of eating my way through a Candyshop tomorrow regardless of the cost. I buy more fruit and have my first non-porridge breakfast in a week. I have 3 cent left, but I don’t care. I finish the day with more pasta and tomato sauce. It has been an awful week, yet I go to sleep smiling, knowing that tomorrow I can get drunk and eat chocolate. The moral of this is, it is hard to eat well on €20 a week, yet some student out there live on that or less. If you are one of these unfortunates, steal as much food you can from your home, and beg your friends to get you beer and chocolate. Stock up on store-cupboard staples when your grant comes in. Shop smart. As for me, I’m just happy this week is over!

{sin} 13–02

Reality TV: Making Us All a Little Bit Brighter By Jordan Lillis “Hestatic is when you're super happy and like really happy.” This quote from Deena Nicole Cortese is from a little show called Jersey Shore. I have to say, I had quite a bit of trouble picking out one quote to start this article with. As you all know, stupidity is not a rare currency in the world of reality TV shows and, let’s face it, stupid is funny. Deena won the battle of the quotes though. You go Deena. *Merp* (Jersey Shore viewers will understand). If you’ve been living under a well-insulated rock for the past couple of years, then you won’t have heard of this show. Or Geordie Shore, the Newcastle version of the American hit programme. Notice how they changed the word Jersey to Geordie… because that’s what they call themselves? Geordies? I know, I know, it’s devastatingly intelligent. Or Tallafornia, (Lord have mercy on us), the Irish version, which I haven’t even attempted watching yet, as I feel I’ve lost enough brain cells already with the regular diet of reality TV I’m on. Then there’s Desperate Scousewives, (again we have some clever wordplay going on here), The Only Way is Essex, The Hills… the list goes on and on.

Conor Nolan, Grainne Feeney and Tim Feeney at the Law Ball on 2 February

So we live in a world with undeniable reality television fever. You cannot turn on the tube without seeing the Situation (Jersey Shore again) showing off his ahem, ‘hot’ and not-at-all steroid induced bod. Some people love it, some people hate it. Either way though, you have to admit it makes young people look alarmingly dim, uneducated and pretty much mindless. The scarier thing is some of them aren’t even that young. Some of the people are mid-twenties or earlythirties, and if I sound like Snooki when I’m halfway to thirty: kill me, please… What kind of effect is reality TV having on us as a generation? When our parents were growing up, MTV was a music video channel, without reality shows on it 24/7. And before that, our grandparents would’ve been lucky to have a radio in the house. “TV?! Will you stop, sure we never had a TV,” my Grandad said when I asked. Will it have an effect on us? Or will it have an effect on them the ‘cast members’? After they’re all finished being completely self-immersed and they eventually grow up and settle down to watch season after season of their own show, will they put their heads in their hands and say: “Oh shit. Is that really what I sounded like?” I watch Jersey Shore. Not the Scousewives or even The Only Way is Essex, but I will confess my undying love for Jersey Shore. However, I know when I’m putting it on that for an hour my brain will get to go on a little vacation, away from the land of the sane and living. It won’t need to do any work listening to Snooki go on about drinking too much in a club and then uncontrollably peeing her pants. I think a little reality TV is great entertainment, because at the end of the day, it’s their funeral. They’re the ones making complete t*ts out of themselves for our viewing pleasure. Happy days!

{sin} 13–09

F eatures

{19} 13–02

Road Safety: Putting a Face on the Statistics By Colette Sexton A glance at the radio. A laugh at a text. A peek into a passing house. A fleeting look is all it takes to change a life. Suddenly you look up and you are met with the horror of an oncoming car or a child running across the road. You violently turn the steering wheel. Your mouth is dry and your heart is pounding. Is this it? And then there is nothing but darkness. Driving is one of the biggest responsibilities you will ever hold. Each time you sit behind a steering wheel you not only have the potential to risk your own life and the lives of those in your car but also those of complete strangers. Galway Road Deaths were

up 100% for 2011. It is hard to put a face on a percentage but that is exactly what this article aims to do. Stella Hoffmann, a 25 year old woman on Erasmus in NUI Galway was injured in a hit and run on the Headford Road on Sunday, 15 January. On her way to dinner in her boyfriend’s house, Stella was crossing the road when she was struck by a car. As she came around, she became aware that she was lying on the ground, surrounded by blood and strangers. Though still unsure of how exactly it happened, she is certain that the driver was moving extremely fast: “I was totally in shock and not really able to realise what just happened” When she first got to UCHG she was told that she was lucky having escaped

without any major injuries. However, on further examination the doctors believed that the accident might have affected her spine, arms, leg, head and hip. When they came to the conclusion that her injuries consisted of a broken pelvis and broken nose, Stella was relived it was not more serious. However, a broken pelvis has seriously affected her day-to-day life: “I have a frame and I can use the frame or the crutches to go to the toilet, which is like maybe a metre but I am not allowed to walk. For three months I will be in a wheelchair. “I thought I would be able to use the crutches just hopping around and just need the wheelchair for longer distances. I wasn’t aware that I am not allowed to move very much that I

have to stay in bed most of the time.” Her mother booked the first flight to Ireland after hearing what happened and stayed for almost two weeks while Stella’s pelvis was being operated on. They had planned for Stella to stay in Ireland at the time but now that she has been informed that she will be in a wheelchair for three months it would be very difficult for to continue studying here: “I need help going to the toilet, taking a shower or preparing food. I am always afraid that one of my crutches will slip or I will fall and there will be nobody there to help me. “At the moment I would be quite a big burden.” Stella admitted it will be very difficult for her to leave Ireland, she met her boyfriend here and had plans to travel around the country for the remainder of the semester but she does not think she can handle living day to day without any support. “All of my plans are destroyed because I will need a lot of help or I will risk the proper healing of the bone.” It is also uncertain when she can fly back to Germany as flights and health insur-

Stella enjoying her Erasmus year in Galway before her accident. ance will need to be sorted, and her home made wheelchair accessible. She also needs to have more x-rays before doctors will allow her to fly. When it comes to crossing the road again, Stella admits that she will be cautious: “You can’t say ‘I will be afraid to cross the streets’ but obviously you have to cross the street but I think it will be weird.” When asked about the driver that knocked her down and then drove off, Stella said she is beginning to get angry about it because she cannot imaging treating an animal the way the driver treated her: “Obviously he or she thought I was dead already but even if I hit a

dog with a car I am so afraid and I am thinking about the poor creature and I am checking to see if it is alive, or if it is hurt. But a human being, I can’t believe it you know. It is weird how selfish people are.” When she first arrived in Ireland, Stella said she was intimidated as in Germany there are far more traffic lights and pedestrian crossings than there are here. She thinks that more traffic lights would be beneficial for both drivers and pedestrians: “I was paying attention, I did nothing wrong so it is hard to say you should pay more attention. In that case it was an accident, it was bad luck.”

Overheard in NUI Galway... Laura O Connor, Michelle Nee and Samuel William at the Postgrad Fair.

Gerard Madden “Muhammad Ali was an unreal boxer alright. I wonder who would have won between him and Cassius Clay?” Kamile Jucyte A guy in Smokey’s exclaimed loudly: ‘I smoke so much because I need the tar to fill the potholes of my soul’. Maggie Carty In O’Flaherty...

Kealinn Ross, Abigail Dunne and Denise Conway at the Law Ball on 2nd February.

Girl: I’m so glad I don’t have problematic nipples... Rebecca Ryan Girl outside History Lecture: Who is Mary Antoinette anyway? Guy: Ah you know, your wan out of the French Revelation. The lady with the buns. Guy 2: You mean cake? Girl 2: You mean French Revolution?

Eoin O’Sullivan In Smokeys: Guy reading newspaper: Its awful that still goes on in this day and age. Guy 2: What? Guy 1: Cock biting. No, fighting! Cock fighting! Just overheard coming from the College Bar: “Hi I’m DJ Byrno! Ye don’t have clue where the **** ye are and I am here to babysit ye for the next 6 hours.”

{20}

F eatures

13–09

NUI Galway Greenway and Footbridge

{sin} 13–02

Composting By Fiona Gillespie, Organic Gardening Society

Welcome Components of the Campus of the Future By Richard Manton It would seem that rumours of the death of the NUI Galway greenway and footbridge have been greatly exaggerated. Fears arose for the projects when funding was not drawn down by Galway City Council in the last calendar year, however Vice-President for Physical Resources, Keith Warnock, has assured Sin that the projects will proceed. The two projects are elements of a spate of construction which has recently resumed on campus. These projects will help to promote walking and cycling on campus by creating a route from the Cathedral through the University, approximately four kilometres north to Dangan. The greenway is a traffic-free route for walking and cycling, beginning at Fisheries Field (across from the Cathedral) on a preexisting three-metre-wide path, which encircles the field. Fisheries Field, which is under University ownership, was once considered for the construction of a concert hall at an estimated cost of €77.6 million. According to Mr. Warnock, the arena “was an idea of the Celtic Tiger and it won’t be happening anytime soon.” “Though,” Warnock continued, “Fisheries Field exists as a site for potential development in the future.” From Fisheries Field, the greenway will cross the currently-under-construction Eglinton Canal / Mill Race Bridge to reach the main campus. Construction on this bridge has only recently started and will be carried out by L & M Keating Ltd at a cost of approximately €1.5 million. The bridge will be constructed in two parts, crossing first the Eglinton Canal and then the Mill Race, starting near the Macnas workshop on Earl’s Island and finishing behind the Martin Ryan

Institute – a total distance of 40 metres. The bridge is due for completion this summer and progress can best be seen from upstairs in the Martin Ryan Institute or Áras na Mac Léinn. The greenway and bridge to this point will allow pedestrians and cyclists to get from the Cathedral to campus without having to use University Road and enter campus across from Ward’s Shop. This is a particularly welcome development for cyclists due to the dangerous traffic on University Road, though they will be required to dismount while crossing the bridge. Once behind the Martin Ryan Institute, the greenway will make its way through campus to the riverside path in front of the IT Building, though the exact route to this point has yet to be agreed and will depend on other construction on campus. The greenway will then follow the existing riverside path along the Corrib, under the Quincentennial Bridge, beside the Engineering Building and Corrib Village to Dangan. Its endpoint will be the entrance road to Dangan, which will allow connection to the N59 road to Moycullen.

Plans for the greenway don’t end there! The route will form part of the National Cycle Network. This network was proposed as part of the Ireland’s new national cycle policy with the aim of increasing the number of cycling trips fivefold. The flagship of the network will be the Dublin-Clifden corridor, passing through Mullingar, Athlone, Ballinasloe and Galway, and prioritising traffic-free sections like the NUIG greenway. At this stage the Galway to Clifden section of the corridor has progressed most, and will follow much of the old railway line, which closed in 1935. The railway passed through the University grounds and the piers of the old railway bridge can still be seen from The View in Áras na Mac Léinn. The current riverside path, for which the greenway is planned, runs close to the path taken by the railway, and it is hoped to continue the greenway as far as Moycullen. The resumption of major construction on campus, including the removal of many trees and green areas, has led to many students questioning the green character

of campus development and the ‘Campus of the Future’ plan. The greenway and bridge will hopefully buck this trend. Until now, University mobility management policies have focused on the provision of Park & Ride facilities in Dangan, but according to Keith Warnock: “The University will now focus more on the levels of walking and cycling in the University.” The projects will facilitate commuting on foot and by bike from Upper Newcastle, Dangan and Bushy Park to campus and the city centre. Although the new bridge will barely reduce the journey time from campus to the city centre, the reduction in interaction with traffic and the views offered will hopefully encourage enough people to leave the car at home and switch to walking and cycling, thereby offsetting the environmental cost of construction and moving towards a greener campus. NUIG Green Week will take place from 13-17 February and will include a lunchtime talk on sustainable transport research: 1-2pm Thursday, 16 February in The View, Áras na Mac Léinn.

Construction of the bridge from Fisheries Field to Campus is already underway.

We at the Organic Gardening Society are sprucing up our compost bins to improve the quality of and access to our organicallyderived compost. We have moved the bins to a better space in the garden and are building up the structures to keep in the great nutrients that are so important for a healthy garden. Composting doesn’t have to be so large a project, though, and some tiny steps will allow you to reduce your landfill waste by half. Simply placing your organic food wastes into a designated bin is a contribution to composting. With luck,

you’ll have a compost bin provided with your house or in your apartment block. Most organic food wastes can be composted – scraps of fruit and vegetables, eggshells, tea bags, ground coffee (an excellent fertiliser which improves nitrogen balance) and any garden waste. Do not put meat scraps, cooked foods or oil into your bin as these will attract rats. You can buy a home composter from Galway County Council for €45, which will ensure that you have a steady supply of compost throughout the year as your waste bills are reduced. Once your compost is ready to be used, add it to the soil in your garden beds for enrichment and better drainage. This simple change to your kitchen and garden will noticeably improve the quality of your soil and benefit your organic plants.

Cathy Moran and Niamh Fahy at the recent Commerce Ball. Photo courtesy of BizSoc.

{22}

F eatures

13–09

{sin} 13–02

Finding the Balance By Sinead Healy College is all about balance. You have to try and find the happy medium between studying and relaxation. Whether it’s having a few drinks one night a week or simply going to the cinema with a few friends. You need a bit of you time. However when you first start college, going out and heading to your lectures at the ungodly hour of twelve o'clock the next day is something that you should be damn well proud of. For most, there is no mammy to be shouting at you to get out of bed. You get up hail, rain or shine and walk that long distance that seems

never-ending, to your lectures. For others, morning time means dropping the kids to school, being stuck in hour-long traffic on the Quincentennial Bridge, and then trying to find an elusive parking spot. If you still manage to make it to college after all of that, well done my friend! Now you deserve a nice night out… On nights out in Galway, whether it’s a quiet night in Taffes or a mad one in Karma, you get the chance to meet people from all walks of life. You also have the chance of meeting a nice lad or lady. This can lead to something great like a relationship or even something better like a

free burger at the end of the night (and who said romance was dead, eh?). It can also lead to bad things such as having your shoes stolen (by a lad if you can believe that) after a night out. You can also be one of the unfortunate people who have experienced the washing machine kisser. Yes, there are people among us who are still doing that! Something else that is associated with nights out in Galway is the walk of shame: we may have done it, or witnessed it! Be it the innocent “I hadn't any money for a taxi to my own house” or not, for girls this act is a lot harder to do without being spotted. For lads there is no

shame involved. It is the stride of pride for them! If you have overindulged on one too many beverages the night before, which is something that can quite easily happen when trying to forget about Shakespeare’s sonnets or your masters’ thesis, the next day you may experience: the Hangover. And no, I’m not talking about the film. The hungover person is easy to spot. They are the ones that insist on sitting on the outside aisle in fear of projectile vomiting on the poor people in-front

of them. Beside them will be a litre bottle of Galway water, which was bought with the last remaining euro that was thankfully not spent in Supermacs the night before. If you look at their arms there will be at least ten stamps from Club K, Karma etc., due to the logic that when you found the stamp person after running up and down Shop Street you had to get extra stamps for all your effort. The next morning you may look like you got dragged through a hedge backwards, but hey, at least you made it in!

With Shag Week upon us you should have the breath mints on hand and a few one liners at the ready. “Have you got any land?” has been proven to work for one Sligo girl! Yes, college is all about getting a degree and furthering your education. But it is also about having the craic and what better college to be in to have that? It goes by way too fast, so enjoy it while you can. Just keep in mind: too many nights of fun can lead to one too many repeats in August. So be happy, be healthy and be safe!

InterRailing:Are you Brave Enough? By Esther Burke

Throughout Semester Two Sin is bringing you all the hints and tips for your best summer yet. I thought I knew everything about my mother but every now and then she reveals something else fascinating about her intriguing university days. One story she sometimes tells is that of her experiences as a fresh-faced, idealistic young person travelling on a train across the expanses of Europe for a few weeks. With a backpack containing the bare essentials, a map, and just enough money to get by, she and a group of friends cut ties with home (no mobile phones or internet in those days) bought a train ticket and did their best to see the world. They slept on the cold floors of huge ornate stations and in seedy, flea-ridden hostels where there was always a doubt about the cleanliness of the sheets, struck up conversations with any poor traveller who happened be seated anywhere near them. They escaped from vengeful dark-clothed men who took offence to their curious laughter, or moved rapidly and discreetly away from the embracing arms of some train passengers who were understandably taken with these pretty Irish girls.

They admired the glorious views from their ever-moving train windows, fell asleep in Bulgaria and woke up in Romania, watched in fascinated horror as communist police at a random border checkpoint came aboard with Alsatian dogs and removed a weeping young man and fell under the charms of peasant women selling roses and calling them beautiful. The travelling spirit must have been inherited as I too have been initiated as a European train traveller. I have stood at the open window of a quaint Czech train carriage and sung my heart out into the whistling wind as the beautiful Bohemian landscape flashed too quickly by; I have sat out the hours until daybreak in a barren German train station with some new Cuba-bound student friends, all of us having the common problem of not having enough money to get a hostel room for the night; and I have had so many unforgettable experiences trying to overcome language barriers and cultural obstacles. There is something special about inter-railing; you experience the atmosphere, culture and life of different countries in a way that is impossible from a hotel room or a package holiday. You can sit by the people themselves, strike up conversations with

young and old, discover what the travel books don’t tell you, learn the customs and attitudes by listening and watching and walk the roads the ordinary people walk every day. A special memory for me is experiencing an impromptu singsong on the train from Prague to Pilsen, where a rosyfaced farmer opened his accordion case and began playing the folk songs of his people. A small group of hitherto-strangers gathered around and sang out their hearts in the minorkeyed, heart-stoppingly beautiful melodies. I didn’t understand a word of course, but could identify with the feelings the music expressed and suddenly felt such a bond with these fellow-Europeans. So are you brave enough? Anything can happen on a train. You have to leave the prejudices behind, and realise that on a trip like this, very little can be planned in advance. The Global Inter Rail Youth Pass costs €175 and allows unlimited travel within and between thirty European countries. Websites such as HostelWorld.com offer accommodation options to fit any budget; all you need is a sturdy backpack, a good pair of shoes and a spirit of adventure! Will you take the challenge and go inter-railing this summer?

{sin} 13–09

F eatures

{23} 13–02

We Found Love in the Strangest Place All by Myself By Jessica Thompson

Falling in love: it happens to us all. We’ve all seen the teenage girl who blushes and hides her face from that one guy who doesn’t even know she exists. You can’t miss that clumsy colleague, who walks around with their head in the clouds, tripping over anything in her path. Then there’s the guy in a lecture who is caught smiling at the most inappropriate times, after receiving a text from a special someone. Most people imagine falling in love on a romantic island, or in Paris. But it isn’t always a cliché. In reality we meet our other halves in the strangest places, at the strangest times. While asking people about their sweethearts, I heard a number of stories about unusual meetings. Here are the top three: Va l e n t i n e ’s D a y. The 14th of February is the one day of the year where couples are all loved up, and single people are annoyed about it. Couples the world over are enjoying each other’s company, and celebrating their love, while singles look on in exasperation. But being single on Valentine’s Day isn’t entirely bad. Valentine’s Day is the day Cupid comes out with his little bow and arrow: it’s the singles that get the arrow in their butts. While questioning a number of loved up cou-

ples, I learned that many romances began on Valentine’s Day. Here’s one of those stories: “I met Nigel on Valentine’s morning, at 2am, outside his apartment block. We got talking because I was nagging him about wearing a t-shirt in the cold. “Then he stood outside for hours in that t-shirt, talking to me and then he walked me home and we went out that Valentine’s night and haven’t been apart since.” - Cassie. Social Networking Sites. Bebo came up frequently in my studies of human love. We all remember Bebo. It was a social networking site where relationships were formed and teenagers gave their three “bebo luvs” to that special someone. Many couples met over Bebo, and John was one of them: “It was during the height of the Bebo craze - roughly October, I think. Strangely, it was based on a V for Vendetta quote on my page. She posted on my wall with a quote that follows it, we soon became friends over our mutual love for V for Vendetta (initially) as well as many other things. The only problem is, she lived three hours away, and I was a poor Leaving Cert student who didn’t have the time or the money to travel down to Tipperary. “But anyway, we continued to be friends. We finally met up when we both went to the DCU

open day that year, and I think it was then that we fell for each other. We both knew each other’s personalities from talking non-stop, but that was the first time we saw each other face to face. “The next time we met up, Valentine’s Day incidentally, I asked her out and we were together for six months. Although that was a few years ago, we’re still friends today.” Society Meetings. College is a time to join societies, and meet new people, and this was certainly the case with our dear editor, Rosemar y, and her sweetheart, Simon: “Neither of us were in college at the time but all our friends were. They were all in the Italian Society (which was seriously good craic) and of course we were some of the few people that didn't speak Italian. It was in Massimos, and I sat beside Simon on the couch and just started talking. I thought he thought I was really quirky and friendly, but I found out later that my top was pretty much see-through. The rest wasn't quite history but its definitely not fit for the paper.” Not even our editor is safe from Cupid.

Of course, there are a number of other unusual places to fall in love; nightclubs after “getting the shift”, the local pub where everybody knows everybody else, another country, far away, (“You’re from Galway too?”). Or in strange lands that are made up on the spot when a journalist such as myself pries into your business:

By Rosin Peddle

“I met my wench in the midst of a mighty three-way battle between a zombie nun, a dragon and the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Yes, Chris, I still put it in the paper! You could turn around the next corner and bump into the love of your life. Until then, be openminded about love, and let the couples have their Valentine’s Day.

One is to sit at home, crying into a bottle of red wine, with Adele on the stereo. The second is to go out (or stay in) with other single friends. The third is to ignore it completely. The first option is a total non-runner. If you are contemplating this, or any version of it, let’s get the chat over now. You are not a failure if you are single. As a wise man (Baz Luhrmann) once said: “Your choices are halfchance. So are everyone else’s.” The right person is out there. And if you’re a college student – and you probably are, because you’re reading Sin – you have oceans of time to meet your life partner. So sitting at home feeling sorry for yourself is not an option. Nor is drunktexting the one that got away. Let’s face it, even if they respond, you’re still going to feel hideous the next day when you pick up your phone. Maintain your dignity and don’t give your ex an easy ego boost. Have a trusted

Celebrating Love, not Lovers By Marése O’Sullivan In a blaze of essays, labs and tutorials, the second month of the year has arrived. It’s been a whirlwind and the dreaded 14 February has ambushed us once again. NUI Galway has been hit by the Valentine’s spirit hard. While it’s not a bank holiday (shame), it’s a universal celebration, which makes its presence somewhat hard to ignore. Whether you believe yourself to be the

reigning King or Queen of Singledom, or you’re all coupled up with the love of your life, or even if your relationship status doesn’t fall into any category at all, you’ve been working hard since we started back from the Christmas break (ahem, ahem) and you deserve someone to soppily appreciate you, whether that be the other person in the relationship or one of your best friends. Right? I mean, you might be one of those people who

firmly ignore any existence of a romantic day in the calendar whatsoever (in that case, make a steaming cup of tea and enjoy having your warm electric blanket all to yourself) or you could be incessantly gazing into the eyes of your beloved (whose comfy hoodie can be robbed, preferably without their knowledge, excellent) – either way, you should have someone who insists that you put your feet up and relax.

Now, if that guy next door is being completely oblivious to your gorgeousness or the girl you met last night in Busker Brownes isn’t answering your texts (don’t push it), do something fun on 14 February. Instead of waiting for someone else to do it: treat yourself. Buy something new, get a piercing, or make your own cocktails… and just forget about the hassles in your life for a while, especially if one of them happens to be a gaping hole in your love life!

It can’t be escaped. Every year it rolls around, yet again, sticking its nose in, like that prying elderly relative that asks you “Any boyfriend?” It’s that dreaded day. Valentine’s Day. There are three ways to deal with Valentine’s Day if you’re single.

friend confiscate your phone if you feel worried. Option Two is most attractive. Option Three - total obliviousness - is a difficult one to sustain, unless you have the ability to tune out both the mass media and the utterances of everyone around you. (If you do master this skill give me a call, please). Instead, round up similarly single (or even cynically attached) friends. Stay in with a good DVD - maybe s o m e thing by Quentin Tarantino if you’re on an antiromance kick. You could even watch a romcom or two. In good company, you might even be able to laugh at your single status. Or head out on the town. It’s a Tuesday night, meaning the Roisin Dubh is hosting its weekly silent disco. Dublin band Sounds of System Breakdown are also playing that night. Doubtless, the rest of Galway’s pubs and clubs will be as busy as ever. Craic is bound to be had with other singles. A friend of mine gives some of the wisest advice I’ve ever heard on singledom. At college age, we will never be as young, attractive and free again. Why would we want to tie ourselves down at the best time of our lives? Of course, being part of a couple has its upsides. But being single has its positives too - chief among them: freedom. You can make decisions about your future that concern you alone. Putting yourself first means you can go anywhere, do anything, without having to consider someone else’s needs. Sounds selfish? Well, maybe. But it’s a sure-fire way to ensure that you can enjoy your early twenties without regret. There’s the rest of your life to settle down.

{24}

F eatures

13–09

{sin} 13–02

A World of Desert Islands Donegal Tuesday By Eistear de Búrca I’ve never visited one, but from photographs, desert islands simply look like a dream come true. Sometimes, like now, I just want one of these beautiful creations all for myself - a little patch of palmtreed land in the middle of an azure blue sea, with golden sands and beautiful sunshine all day long. There time stands still: no appointments to keep, no lectures to attend, no questions to answer, no issues to be concerned about, no people to be bothered by... ah yes, on some of these dark, wet February days when I find it hard to believe that spring really is here, I wish I had the wings of a bird and could fly away to my special place. The place where I choose everything myself and create my ideal world my very own desert island. But I know I'd soon tire of it. After about an hour, I would be walking to the edge of the soft, white sand and craning my eyes to see if there was anything interesting on the horizon, any ship I could call out to, any island I could swim to and explore. I would soon be restlessly pacing in the shade under the luscious palm trees, books thrown aside, sick and tired already

of my own company. Why? Because no human being is designed to be - as John Donne so wonderfully put it – “an island unto himself.” Human beings are social creatures. Human beings are designed to relate to each other, to be interested in each other and to interact with each other in order to reach their potential. Desert islands. Creating your dream life. Making everything fit perfectly, eliminating any distractions, any imperfections, anything annoying; pretending that the nasty things and the awkward people just don't exist; constantly reassuring yourself that the main thing that matters in this world is your own wellbeing. Deceive yourself if you want and ask the insolent question “Am I my brother's keeper, my sister’s keeper?” The fact is - you are; you have a responsibility for the person next to you – whether it's your brother, your sister, your friend, the girl in the tutorial that noone wants to sit beside, the sad young man in the train station with his head in his hands, the stressed out mother, the lonely pensioner on the bus who never meets anyone from Monday through to Sun-

day - all humans, all part of this amazing yet terrible world, all unique individuals. Would you believe it if I said – “You have a responsibility for your fellow man?” Because, believe it or not, you do. All you have to do is say hello, give a quick smile, listen to a rambling story, offer a word of encouragement, be there for a laugh and maybe some tears, send a text, press a 'like' button, retweet a tweet... or maybe you could go a bit further and ask “How are you?” Don't accept the mere platitudes, the meaningless “I'm fine,” the talk of things like sport or the weather or what happened last night on Coronation Street that evade real, honest communication. In a country where suicide rates are soaring, don't stupidly believe it'll never happen to one of your classmates, one of your friends, one of the group of guys you always hang out with. Ask the question “How are you?” and wait for the real answer – it will come if you wait long enough. The desert island is attractive – but just for a little while. Remember it is a desert, and remember that no-one is an island unto themselves. You are your brother's and your sister’s keeper.

Sin Sanctioned Procr astination This week we spoke Outreach Officer, to Dr. Sarah Knight, in Environmental, Marine and Energy Research. It’s 9.15. You have clearly been stood up. You are all alone in a crowded restaurant. What next? Being alone in a crowded restaurant wouldn’t bother me. However, presuming I went there to meet someone because I’d rather have company, then I guess I’d phone one of my other boyfriends and head for the nearest pub. Who should our next victim be? Dr. Jamie Goggins, Civil Engineering

We’re Comin’ From the Hills By Áine O Donnell On Tuesday 21 February, The Hole in the Wall will become the “Fort of the Foreigners” in “The City of the Tribes”. The annual Donegal Tuesday will gather all of Galway’s Donegal natives to celebrate everything about Ireland’s best county. This is a short guide on how to become an adopted Donegalian in time for the big event: 1. Are ye well? ‘Cause yer lookin’ well! An important part of every Donegal Tuesday is looking the part. The dress code is strictly Donegal jerseys only. Feel free to take it to the extreme… wear the full kit right down to the green and yellow socks, dig out your Donegal feather boa from the dashed dreams of Championship 2011 and take the face paint to Braveheart level. Anyone who chooses to wear another county’s jersey is told to expect the unexpected. 2. Yis sir! How’s she cuttin’? The most crucial aspect of truly becoming a Donegal adoptee is learning the native language of Donegalese. The complex usage of “she’s quare and…” and “the clean state of that doll” can bamboozle even the most

dedicated student. Always greet Donegal people with “yis lawd” and part with the colloquial “g’lack”. It is best just to throw in an “aye boy” or “jeez I’m foundered” whenever the natives begin to grow suspicious. 3. Thon juck is half cut. When Donegal people get together it is known to turn into a session. Expect a fun day of banter and “lushin”. Keeping it classy is very important as you may reveal your true identity once faced with an onslaught of Donegal slagging, which can range from “that one cannae haul her water” to “awk the poor wain is writ off.” You wouldn’t want to cause a handlin’! 4. Las Vegas in the Hills of Donegal. During the annual caucus, the Donegalians will break into song at a moment’s notice. An essential tune is the county anthem: “D-D-D-D-D-DONEGAL!” and repeat. The anthem will be sung many times and must be met with complete involvement. You should also review the poetic “Las Vegas (in the Hills of Donegal)” which is always a crowd pleaser. 5. Don’t chat! Generally, it will not be the least bit difficult to converse

with Donegalians, but if the person you are talking to is “dry” then you must be prepared with conversation starters. The majority of Donegalians will be eager to converse in certain topics like the recent earthquake, the glory days of 1992 and The Golden Grill. If you are in the mood for a challenge, bring up the topic of “shiftin’ n’ driftin” (not for the fainthearted). 6. This one doesn’t know her arse from her elbow. There are certainly some taboos when it comes to conversation. Never, ever ask a Donegalian to say “how now brown cow”: it will not end in your favour. A big mistake would be to assume Donegal is part of Northern Ireland. No, we did not have to change our currency in order to come to Galway. Referring to the natives as “rednecks” or “boggers” would also be a misstep. I wouldn’t mention anything about losing the All Ireland Semi Final, as its still a tender issue (disown any Dublin relatives for the day). As long as you avoid these topics, you will not provoke the Donegalians. And most importantly, always remember to keep her lit!

Focloir How’s she cuttin’?: How do you do? May be derived from the relative performance of combine harvesters. Quare: strange or odd. Clean state of that doll: Good grief! That young woman’s appearance/demeanor are most shocking! Yis lawd: A greeting. Literally: Yes lad. G’lack: Goodbye. Literally: Good luck. Aye boy: I agree. May also be a filler, such as the French ‘alors’. Jeez, I’m foundered: Goly gosh, I’m cold. Thon juck: That guy Lushin’: Excessive alcohol consumption. Cannae: Cannot. From the Scottish. Haul her water: To maintain one’s dignity while ‘lushin’. Literally: Hold her water. Wain: a child Writ off: Written off, as a car. Handlin’: An uncomfortable social incident. A ruckus. Dry: Boring Shiftin’ n’ driftin: To spontaneously kiss someone, only to be swept away like a dream, into the night air. But less classy than that. May also mean to kiss while driving, like James Dean. But less classy than that. Keep her lit: Continue as you are, or hurry up, depending on context and intonation.

{sin} 13–09

F eatures

What the Heck Happens in... The Mature Students Office? closes it slows a little, then in March I put on my admissions hat and start processing the applications with the relevant academics and the different schools in the University. Once offers are made in July the Mature Students Officer gets her holidays!

By Karen McDonnell, with Trish Hoare. What happens in the Mature Students Office? Its main role is to market, recruit and support full-time undergraduate mature students who are over twenty-three. The Mature Students office also gives one-to-one advice to pre-university mature applicants who may need to participate in further education, or Access courses, before beginning their full time studies: I coordinate evening courses for 140 such students. How many people work here? Currently there is just myself. Occasionally mature students lend a hand for Open Days and CAO advisory sessions. We’re always looking for excellent volunteers who can use their own experience to relate to the incoming mature students. New mature students love to see what the real-life experience is, and find all advice useful. So, what’s your year like? It’s a cycle, and you could say the beginning is where I plan the new mature students’ handbook around August, in advance of open days. October to January is key for recruitment and marketing: in the newspapers and on radio. Then there are the CAO advice clinics, and I travel around the country meeting students on adult courses who are thinking about going on to third level education. So you get a chance to breathe once the CAO deadline is met? Not really! After CAO

Then you return, hopefully refreshed, to greet mature students like me? Absolutely. I prepare the Return to Learning Programme, which I’ve evolved over the last few years to include campus tours, study skills, and maths and IT workshops. It’s a time to meet other matures who are just as nervous and excited starting this new journey. Unlike Leaving Certificate students they may know absolutely no one apart from me when they start college, so it is good for them to engage with likeminded students. By the way, I always need mature students to meet and greet the new students during those first days – to come and have a coffee and a chat. Having seen in a new bunch of mature students and settled them in, what then? The process starts again, drawing on the past year’s experience – which means it’s a constant review and redo. There are always teething problems for some new students who are overwhelmed by it all, so I have drop in clinics in the first semester: they can pop along and pick my brains. I may not always have the answer but certainly try my best, or refer them to the appropriate service or Government office. Would you say your role is primarily administrative? It is quite administrative at certain times of the year but I am also out and about locally, and nationwide, advising prospective students. I offer advice to new applicants regarding grants. Current students would be encouraged to

use their SU officer or Students Services regarding issues such as grants and counselling. Academic issues are dealt with by the student’s academic advisor and the College offices. However I do organise exam preparation workshops for undergraduate mature students during both semesters, coming up to exam time. How did you get the job? I was a mature student at NUI Galway. It was difficult at the time trying to hold down three jobs and attend lectures fulltime. I was unfortunate in the sense that I did not receive BTEA and so had to survive somehow. After that experience I appreciate how hard it is, and the commitment that is made by anyone returning to college to pursue their dream. After my degree in Arts – English and Irish – I went on to study IT and I became a teacher in this area. I got a job with the College of Arts IT Office and taught ECDL and IT courses. This post as Mature Students Officer opened up after a couple of years and I thought to myself that it was an area of work very close to my heart. I haven’t looked back since. Finally, what’s this I hear about scholarships? I work in association with the Marketing Office and the University management team on issues affecting prospective mature students. Due to changes in the grant system affecting new mature applicants, the University has decided to award scholarships totalling sixty thousand euro. I’m delighted to say that these scholarships are unique to NUIG. The rules and criteria are on our website www.nuigalway.ie/ mature. It’s important to note that the scholarships are not available to current undergraduates, or to post-graduate students. But if you have any friends contemplating third level education, pass on the good news!

Re:

{25} 13–02

New Public

Aung San Suu Kyi: The Lady of Burma By Cliff Turtle, Amnesty International Society Following intense campaigning by Amnesty International around the world Aung San Suu Kyi was finally freed from house arrest in November 2010. In Galway petitions were signed on Shop St and on campus at Smokey's in the weeks leading up to her release. The announcement of her release spread around the world within hours, followed by new hopes for change as this single woman inspires her whole nation to stand with her and the dream of democratic rule. Since her return to Burma from England in 1988 Aung San Suu Kyi has spent over 15 years under house arrest for her participation in prodemocracy demonstrations throughout the country. Despite her confinement, she continued to work for the National League for Democracy party (NLD) gaining support for democratic change in the South East Asian state. Aung San Suu Kyi’s father, Aung San, was a founding member of the Burma Independence Army and successfully negotiated Burma’s independence from the British Empire in 1947. Despite high levels of support for General Aung San’s party later that year, he was assassinated by political rivals who opposed his democratic ideology. Aung San Suu Kyi was only two years old. Following General Aung San’s assassination, Suu Kyi’s mother became a prominent figure in Burmese politics. In 1960 Khin Kyi was appointed ambassador to India and Nepal taking her daughter with her to live in India. Aung San Suu Kyi graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, in

1964 with a degree in Politics. In 1969 she furthered her studies in Oxford where she met her husband Dr. Michael Aris. She continued her studies in New York before completing her PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 1985. In 1988 she was informed of her mother’s ill health and immediately returned to Rangoon to help care for her. Upon her arrival she quickly discovered that her father’s work for democracy hadn’t been forgotten by many people. That year the head of the ruling party, General Ne Win, stepped down sparking national protests for democracy. The protests were brutally suppressed by the military. Despite the risks Aung San Suu Kyi agreed to address over half a million people at her first public appearance on 26 August. Although the protests had gained media coverage around the world, a new military junta took power in September 1988. Following the appointment of the new military junta Aung San Suu Kyi became a founding member of the pro-democracy party National League for Democracy (NLD). With its non-violent approach she travelled throughout Burma spreading the party’s policy of non-violence and civil disobedience, defying a ban on political gatherings of more than four people. After her mother passed away at the end of 1988 Aung San Suu Kyi remained in Burma to continue the NLDs campaign for democracy. Supporters suffered harassment, mass arrests and brutal killings by security forces, but support continued to grow. In an attempt to stop the NLD the government put Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for the first time in 1989. While under house

arrest she refused to give up on her dream and even held a hunger strike for imprisoned students and other political prisoners. As a result the government agreed to implement better conditions for prisoners rather than be held accountable for the death of such a prominent figure. In 1990 the Burmese government finally agreed to give into demands and held free election. The NLD won 82% of the vote without the aid of the confined Aung San Suu Kyi. However, the military refused to recognise the results and continued to hold complete control of the government. 1991 saw Aung San Suu Kyi awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work for democratic reform in Burma. Unable to leave Burma the award was accepted in Oslo by her husband and two sons, Alexander and Kim. The $1.3 million prize was used to aid health and education for the Burmese people. Throughout the 1990s the Burmese government tried to suppress Aung San Suu Kyi by repeatedly placing her under house arrest and refusing to allow her family in England to visit. In 1999 after four years of forced separation Dr. Aris died of cancer at his home in Oxford. Following years of campaigning by Amnesty International against Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest she was finally released on 13 November 2010. This year on 10 January she announced her intention to run for a parliamentary seat in the upcoming elections in April. The Burmese elections come at a time when the government is finally easing years of repression against its people. As the elections draw closer the world will watch as political change will finally come to this state, allowing for growth and reform.

{26} Arts & Entertainment {sin} 13–09

13–02

Little Cinema Pulls Big Crowds by Ian Colgan Many wise pages have been written about the direct relationship between the flourishing of art and harsh economic slides, and in Galway - at least - there’s enough evidence to suggest that it’s true. It’s a product of that trend, for instance, that lures people to the upstairs of Kelly’s bar on Bridge St. once a month to watch films. Over a hundred people flocked here on the last night of January, filling every seat and leaving a large crowd of latecomers standing at the back, their eyes fixed attentively

at the projector screen in front of them. They had come for Kelly’s Little Cinema Club. This regular monthly event showcases a diverse range of amateur short films from Irish talent — many produced locally in Galway — and offers more than enough entertainment value needed to defend the €3 admission fee: money that goes back into running the event. This night featured no less, or more, than a pre-selected twelve films squeezed into an hour. This was not enough time to screen all of the submissions, with a number of entries having to be turned

away as testament to the sheer plethora of creative output being churned out from our midst in these uncertain times. At least a couple of the films shown at this LCC gathering — The Irish Bailout and Luke Skywalker: 10 Years On — dealt with this grim climate in some way. Both funny mockumentaries, the former has the EU Bailout represented as a literal slap to the face of the Irish public, while the latter shows a dejected and pitiable out-of-work Luke Skywalker living in Dublin: part two of which will be screened next month. Some of the highest praise was reserved for

two documentaries that involved NUI Galway persons. A Woman Worth Her Salt, submitted by NUI Galway Women’s Studies, is a moving account of one Gort mother’s fight to gain rights for her autistic son; and Materials and Concepts by James Ward and William Smith is an insight into the practice of teaching and learning Chemistry in NUI Galway’s School of Science. Also with NUI Galway associations, to our pride or shame, was Rurfing (Surfing on Rivers); a film by ‘Glow Punk’ — a collective of former NUI Galway students — that shows the risk-junkies

indulging in surfing down the River Corrib. The footage of their bodies being violently propelled downstream like human twigs is entertaining enough to make up for any lack of reason why. Other films add to the diversity, from Sean O’Brien’s bizarre comedy Power of Aquarius, and Carla Maria Tighe’s more conventional comedy Moo! Love at Steak, to more serious pensive dramas such as David Thorpe’s Through and Mary Deely’s Living. The sequencing means that the audience is often being hit with a ‘serious’ punch followed by ‘humourous’ relief — a

drift that was very easy to settle in to. More key to LCC’s appeal, however, is the valuable outlet it provides for budding filmmakers to have their work shown and appreciated in public. It’s a format that’s been working for the last year and a half, and if the size of the crowd on this night is any indication, then it will continue to thrive, even into prosperous years. The next Little Cinema Club event will take place at the end of February. Keep an eye on its Facebook page to find out when: http://www. facebook.com/littlecinemagalway

the quirky silent flick The Artist is one movie that is sure to do well in all categories at this year’s awards. Jean Dujardin plays a silent movie actor fading into obscurity at the arrival of talking pictures; the story takes us from his fall from grace and through his troubled life as he tries to succeed again with the help of a rising young star and his faithful dog. This is the film to watch this year as it ticks all the boxes for an Oscar worthy movie; wonderful acting, interesting story, great production and most importantly, originality. Nothing goes down better at the Oscars than a

family drama, and this year there’s not one but two top notch family dramas, starring two of the biggest male stars in Hollywood. The Tree of Life and The Descendants are two very different films with one very important shared theme: family. Both are heavy weight runners in the category for best film, but The Descendants has the edge of being more current and having a more memorable story when compared to The Tree of Life. The Descendants is definitely one film that’s set to clean up at the Academy Awards this year. These films are all very deserving of their place among the nominees for

best picture, but what about the films that were snubbed? Films like Drive, We Need to Talk About Kevin and Shame were all left out in the cold in this year’s Oscar nominations which came as quite a surprise to many. But why were they left out? With their complex and controversial story lines these films were ignored in the race to the Oscars and instead more traditional stories were chosen. Perhaps the excess violence in Drive and We Need to Talk About Kevin, or the sexually graphic scenes in Shame meant they never had a chance, but if any films deserved recognition this year it was these.

Oscars Round Up By Jane Kearns The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of red carpets, acceptance speeches, designer gowns and after parties for the international film industry. There’s been surprises and snubs, tears, tantrums and everything in between, and this month sees the ultimate showdown - The Oscars. This year’s Academy Awards are set to take place on 26 February and the competition is stronger than ever. So what are the lucky few films that have been nominated for Best Picture this year? Nine have been selected, ranging from drama to adventure to comedy, and the competi-

tion is fierce. Here are some of the biggest contenders and some surprises for the best picture category. The Help is one film that has been garnering attention for some time now and has won many awards including best ensemble cast at the SAG Awards and best actress in a lead and supporting role. The story follows the lives of a group of black maids and the white families they work for during the Civil Rights Movement; Emma Stone is an aspiring young writer who decides to write a book detailing the maids’ view of the families they work for. The film is a major contender for the prize of best

picture at this year’s awards. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo is another film that’s been getting a lot of attention. The story deals with the a young orphan boy that lives in the walls of a Parisian train station. He befriends a young girl and embarks upon an adventure to repair a broken automation and introduce his new friend to the world of cinema. This is a touching story that is sure to tug at your heart strings and keep you interested throughout, and if the Golden Globes are anything to go by; Scorsese could be taking home his second Best Directing Oscar. Hugo isn’t the only picture in the race about film:

‘Close Encounters of the Galway Kind’ 1 & 2. Photos by Matt Burke.

{sin} Arts & Entertainment {27} 13–09

13–02

Galway Peace Proms Strike a Chord Marése O’Sullivan On 4 – 5 February, 2,000 children from primary schools all over the county came to NUI Galway to perform at gala concerts at the Kingfisher Hall as part of the musical education programme, ‘Galway Peace Proms’. Choirs sang their hearts out with the internationally renowned symphony orchestra, the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI), led by famed conductor, Maestro Gearóid Grant. The hit shows were described as featuring “family favourites and showstoppers, as well as powerful anthems from the Ulster Scots and Irish traditions.” The CBOI was formed shortly after the Peace Process as a peace initiative, with members from both sides of the Irish border. The aim was to “[bring] people together from different backgrounds and communities, through the powerful medium of music.” Composed of 130 young Irish musicians between the ages of twelve and twenty-

four, the CBOI is now acclaimed worldwide, and is the only amateur organisation in Ireland to have played sold-out shows in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Symphony Hall, and the Boston Symphony Hall. The youth orchestra has performed for past President Mary McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin, for EU Ministers in Slane Castle and for the British Ambassador David Reddaway at Dublin Castle. They have also played to special guests of the North South Ministerial Council in Armagh to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Belfast agreement. The CBOI was Ireland’s representative at a commemoration in Rome in April 2008 to mark the 400th anniversary of the Flight of the Earls, where they presented an especially commissioned composition. They have also been asked to perform again at the World Expo in Shanghai, China, in 2013, having been the 2011 winners of the ‘Most Outstanding Performance’ Award there. They will make

Review: The Descendants

their London début at the Royal Albert Hall this October. The young performers from ‘Galway Peace Proms’ will also get the chance to shine at other venues throughout the country. They performed at The Hub, Kilkenny, on Saturday 11 February, at the INEC Killarney on Sunday 12 February, at the Convention Centre Dublin on Sunday 26 and at the Ulster Hall, Belfast on Sunday 4 March. Their performances will include well-known names from the world of music, including tenor Emmanuel Lawler, uilleann piper Patrick Martin, and violinist Patricia Treacy. The CBOI is a registered, not-for-profit charity and all proceeds from the concerts go directly to the running of the ‘Galway Peace Proms’ programme, of which 7,000 children in total are annual participants. For booking information for their next shows, visit www.cboi.ie/tickets.htm. You can also check out their Facebook page at www.facebook. ie/crossborderorchestra.

By Gerard Madden, FilmSoc The Descendants is the first film in seven years by American director Alexander Payne, best known for About Schmidt. The movie tells the story of middleaged Hawaiian lawyer Matt King (George Clooney) whose wife Elizabeth has had a horrific boating accident. Matt is forced to bear the brunt of looking after his two daughters, a role which as the ‘support parent’ he has tended to neglect, while also caring for his wife. Complicating matters further is the fact that he comes from one of Hawaii’s wealthiest and oldest families, with a bloodline stretching back to the Hawaiian monarchy of old, and he must decide the fate of a huge tract of beautiful countryside he has inherited. While most of his family are keen for him to sell, the ordinary people of Hawaii are anxious for him to keep it. When Matt learns that his wife must be taken off life support, he takes his youngest daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) to Hawaii’s ‘big island’ to pick up the eldest sister Alexandra (Shaliene Woodley) who lives in an affluent boarding school, the expensive nature of which does not seem to have prevented her from becoming thoroughly dysfunctional (drink and older guys: tut tut!). King takes his family to the island of Kaua'i, to visit his family's tract of land and clear up the loose threads of his late wife's life. Alexandra's idiotic friend Sid (Nick

Review: Andrew Maxwell at the Roísín Dubh By Aine O Donnell The front runner of the Irish comedy circuit, Andrew Maxwell, performed an outstanding set at the Roísín Dubh with the help of Barry Murphy and Rory O’Hanlon. Maxwell’s unique and comical take on current events did not disappoint the crowd that flocked to Galway’s famous comedy venue. Our host for the night was Barry Murphy of Après Match fame. His approach was undoubtedly atypical but managed to get the crowd laughing. He plucked two unlucky students from the crowd and read hypothetical love letters they had sent to each other, with help from the very crass audience and the students themselves. Murphy also read poetry he had written, intermittent to the comedians. The hilarious poetry ranged from Galway specific jokes to gags regarding topical news stories. Rory O’Hanlon, a Dublin comic, warmed up the crowd with his self-deprecating brand of comedy. His act was mainly

anecdotal, his early male pattern baldness and his “ginger” childhood were among the highlights. O’Hanlon lacked the crowd interaction that his counterparts had mastered; the sense of engagement seemed to be missing from the performance. However, he provided a humorous set and will be a player in the Irish comedy scene for some time to come. The headliner, Andrew Maxwell, from the outset brought a relentless energy and spontaneity to the stage. He began by asking a young foreign woman sitting at the front of the stage about herself. Her reply, “I don’t speak f**king English,” set the tone for the rest of the set. Maxwell’s flow was upset by an annoying heckler: he met the rude comments with quick witted responses that had the crowd in rapturous applause. Maxwell proved himself to be a talented comedian by adapting his set to the audience. He would comment on current events or tell an amusing anecdote while berating the lady in the front row. The father of two closed

the show with an entertaining tale of his hedonistic past. He told the crowd of how he had randomly ended up on one of America’s top radio shows after taking ecstasy on St. Patrick’s Day in New York. The story was so ridiculous it had the audience in tears laughing. He left the stage to the sound of thunderous applause and loud cheers from the warm Galway crowd. The performance which had started off on a poor note had ended in triumph thanks to the gifted Andrew Maxwell. Maxwell and the other comedians stayed in the Roísín Dubh after the show for a few drinks but were interrupted by adoring fans looking for autographs and pictures. Maxwell never faltered from his comedic persona and was always happy to entertain his fans even letting one Sin journalist wear his hat. Andrew Maxwell proved after another phenomenal performance that he is a legend of Irish comedy and deserves his recent television fame in Britain and elsewhere. He truly is an abundance of hilarity in a very small package.

The lamp post in the Quad gets a makeover thanks to the Knitting and Crotchet society.

Krause) is dragged along for comedic effect. The film strikes exactly the right balance between comedy and straightforward drama, with the script ably done by Payne, and aided by writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, based on the novel by Hawaiian author Kaui Hart Hemmings. Clooney is excellent here, getting the character and the mood of the movie spot on with a suitably downplayed performance. Both Miller and Woodley are excellent in their roles; the only weak link in the central cast is Krause, but some character revelations in the film's second half cause you to warm to his character despite him coming across as an obnoxious, vacuous idiot. Meanwhile, Beau Bridges impresses in a small role as a seemingly affable cousin of King, as does Judy Greer as the betrayed wife that features strongly in the film’s second act. It helps that cinematic portrayals of Hawaii aren’t exactly two a penny, and the opening scene does well at stripping the island of romanticism, pointing out the dissonance between its lush landscape and the banality of many of its inhabitants lives. Krause aside, the tangent to Kaua’i comes across as the film's main flaw, tending to give the film an imbalanced feel, stunting the flow and a poor attempt to bulk up the movies running time. Ultimately, The Descendants is worth your time, with well-rounded, interesting characters and a good mix of humour, tragedy and warmth.

{28} Arts & Entertainment {sin} 13–09

13–02

NUI Galway’s Twelfth Annual Arts Festival By Katy Quinn Special guest, poet Rita Ann Higgins, launched the twelfth annual NUI Galway Arts Festival, Muscáilt, which ran from 6 - 10 February. ‘Muscáilt’ means to celebrate and inspire and that is just what the Arts festival achieved in their annual celebrations. The festival is a unique chance for NUIG students, both past and present, to display their work; be it in film, music or art. This year, the theme was Illumination/Soilsiú and some of the features included street art, pop-up art and a ‘yarn bomb’, where

Shaun Leonard & Helen Gomez at the opening of ArtSoc’s Derelicte exhibition. Photo by Matt Burke

you could see a number of structures around NUIG getting the knitwear treatment. Arts officer Fionnuala Gallagher commented before the festival took place, “Our theme this year … represents a bursting forth of ideas from all of the art forms. Muscáilt 2012 will be provocative and fun”. The organisation, which takes months of planning, is all down to the Arts and Theatre office at NUIG and was open to the public and students, with most events being free of charge. Special guests this year included artists like Sinéad Aldridge and Anthony J. Faulder-Mawson, music by Galway’s own Contempo Quartet and Pianist Rolf Hind in his rendition of ‘Debussy and Beyond’. Students also had a large part in the events, with the Bank of Ireland Student Theatre hosting the hit puppet show MiseScéalCailín, and Dramasoc’s performance of The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl. Current staff and alumni also got the chance to showcase their published fiction and poetry. Huston film school students presented a selection of their new work, while AnimeSoc

Shannon Reeves with festival co-ordinator Fionnuala Gallagher at the launch of the Origami Installation as part of Múscailt. Photo by Matt Burke and FilmSoc displayed their favourites. ComicSoc undertook the enormous challenge of writing, drawing, editing and publishing their own comic book in one full day, in the 24 Hour Comic Book Challenge. GUMS, Galway University Musical Society, fabulous performance of Spring Awakening kept the Town Hall Theatre buzzing each evening. The Witless Band Competition Final took place during the week in the College Bar with judges and a public vote causing massive excitement. During this week, NUIG was alive with activity and those just walking through campus could not help but notice that it was filled with large scale works of art proposed by five artists. “It really is a sight worth

seeing” commented NUIG Alunni Tara Daly on a visit to NUIG Campus. Some of the art exhibits were showcased in the University Art Gallery and the Zoology and Marine Biology Museum, in addition to Sin’s own Shannon Reeves’ stunning origami installation in the Bank of Ireland Theatre foyer. Not all of the events focused on art however. I was sure to catch the juggling and magic act by artiste Yann Frisch in his magic manipulation in the Bailey Allen Hall, which attracted very curious crowds. All in all, there was something for everyone to enjoy. Muscáilt is funded entirely by the Galway University Foundation and the Arts Office which makes this homegrown event all the more special.

No Rest for the Dead By Ashling O’ Loughlin This article, like the Human Body Exhibition itself, may make you a little queasy. –Ed The Human Body Exhibition made its world debut at The Ambassador Theatre in Dublin, on 2 February. The aim of displaying over 150 exposed cadavers is to try and teach people about the anatomy and physiology of the body, while also creating health awareness. It is an exhibition which manages to educate, unnerve and astound you all at the one time. The exhibition is laid out in nine sections, in a dark, spot-lighted gallery, which makes you feel a bit like you are actually in a laboratory. Each of the nine sections

explore a different aspect of the human body, including the skeletal and muscular sector, fetal life and the circulatory, respiratory and nervous system. After passing through the introductory section, the second gallery displays two bodies positioned in running motion, along with separate, singular pelvic and leg bones. The top layer of skin and tissue is carefully carved out to show the exact movement of the muscles in the legs, arms and facial expression. In the third gallery is another body, which is situated at a table playing chess. These carefully positioned stances of the body show the inner working of joints, muscles and bones that take place under our skin every time we engage in a different

activity. The underlying theme of health awareness runs throughout the exhibition. A contrasting display of healthy and blocked arteries show the dangers of obesity, while diseased hearts and livers show the awful effects of cancer. However, even more disturbing is the case which contains the blackened lung of a smoker, in comparison to the neighbouring creamy, healthy lung. The horrific sight of this tarred, spongelike object is enough to turn anyone off cigarettes. The Fetal Life gallery is another place that may shock attendees, as it displays containers holding embryos , formed from four to ten weeks. It does come with a sensitivity warning though, so attendees are

aware that the content of this one particular gallery may be disturbing. All the bodies are positioned in non-threatening positions, and are spread out through different sections so that you can really get up close and see every detail of the anatomy. The actual bodies featured in the exhibition were donated in accordance with Chinese law to the Dalian Hoffen Biotechnique Laboratory.

Review: Senna By Paul Varley Senna tells the story of the monumental life of Ayrton Senna, the fastest man in motor sport. The film charts his rise from a well to do family, to the Brazilian go-cart scene in the 70's and then moves to Europe where he impressed in formula three. Senna then made the move on to dominate F1 in the late 80s and early 90s, until his untimely death in 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix. The film charts Senna’s steady rise in F1, while also showing his charm and charisma, endearing him to people, and giving a jump start to motor sport. It also shows his uneasy friendship with Prost when they were team mates at McLaren, and their later falling out and bitter rivalry. Leading up to two collisions between the drivers, that decided the Drivers title at the Japanese Grand Prix in ‘89 and ‘90. During the ‘89 race Prost stormed to the steward’s office after a collision with Senna put him out of the race. Senna went on to win the race to keep himself in the hunt for the championship only to be disqualified for cutting the chicane, handing the title to Prost. Senna gets revenge a year later on the same track when he goes on to win the Drivers title. The real cartoon enemy of the film is Marie Balestre, the French president of FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile: Formula One's governing body). Balestre comes over as a monstrously overbearing, manipulative, prejudiced figure. She is incapable of responding to criticism, and there is a chilling and very amusing

exchange between the two at a drivers' meeting. Senna relies on archive footage from the hours of filming that was stored in the F1 archives. This footage includes interviews and home movies with no talking, heads reminiscing on the past. The fast pace of the film and relative interviews help it to flow and give a view into the fast and furious world of F1, during Senna's era. The interviews show him as a devote Christian and hugely spiritual. He is portrayed as a humble man, but also highly driven with a racing heart. This is seen in the interview with Jackie Stewart, a former F1 champion, who points out to Senna that he has had more collisions than any other driver. A noticeably annoyed Senna replies, "When you are a racing driver and you no longer go for gaps then you are no longer a racing driver." His answer spoke volumes about the man; as far as he was concerned he didn't have a choice - which was why he shone in rainy conditions. When other drivers took their foot off the pedal, he put his down. Senna is a beautifully shot and emotionality engaging documentary about one of the greats of his sport. The large jumps in time that are not explained can be frustrating sometimes for the viewer and leaves large portions of seasons unaccounted for. The enemies of the film are also largely over done, but do add to the story. Other than that, the film gives a wonderful insight into the life and death of the man who had the odds stacked against him in his racing life, and a wonderful humility in his personal life.

It is in this laboratory that human tissue is permanently preserved using liquid silicone rubber that is treated and hardened, this process is called the plastination technique. It can take over a year to prepare a full body specimen and when it is finished, it is like a body completely frozen in time. If you have a particular interest in science or the human form, then you would really like this exhibition. It really is educational and you will come

away with some interesting facts. But do bear in mind that it is not for someone of a delicate disposition. While it is undeniable that the artwork and science behind this exhibition is groundbreaking, there is just something a bit unnerving about walking around a theatre that is full of real dead bodies. Dead animals? Grand. Dead dinosaurs? Fine. Dead human bodies? A bit gory. And as for a ‘family experience’? Yeah, maybe if you’re The Adams Family.

{sin}

F ashion

13–09

Vero Moda Spring/Summer Collection Lands in Galway By Ciara Holmes With the recent re-opening of the Vero Moda shop in Eyre Square Shopping Centre it is clear to see this season’s trends are at the forefront of the collection. The Danish label, which has consistently grown over the last twenty years, showcases the newest trends such as pastel shades and vintage-inspired 1920s pieces, as well as continuing last season’s phenomenon of prints. The store is also still keeping us stocked with the everyday basics and accessories. If you are looking to feel pretty in pastel this season then Vero Moda offers a threequarter length blouse in shades of latte or rose for €29.95. If bold colours are more your style then why not check out their jeans in colours from fuchsia pink to poppy red (a bestseller on their website) to violet for just €34.95 a pair. With the super stylish Alexa Chung as their model this season, her influence on the range

can be seen with the rise of the Peter Pan collar. They are available as a detachable white collar which can be put onto other tops or dresses, or as a built in collar with some items. The label offers a range of tops and dresses in this style, from a black and white long sleeve striped top with a white collar for €19.95 to an elegant black dress with a built in white collar and white sleeves for €34.95. If elegant and classic is your style then the label’s take on 1920s elegance is one to look out for. The collection includes feminine pieces in black or dusky grey as well as black dresses with lace or ruffles attached. They also offer a number of printed tops, cardigans, dresses and skirts, with polka dots and hearts being one of the key prints. New items include a black skirt patterned with minuscule polka dots and hearts in red and black, is also available as a pair of shorts. As well as offering its take on the latest trends, the brand

also includes basics such as jeans, t-shirts, cardigans and accessories ranging from scarves to bags to head-pieces and jewellery. The shop’s prices are reasonable and student friendly, and even opened in Eyre Square with a 25% discount on most stock for the first weekend. Vero Moda is one in a range of shops which recognises a key demographic of its customers as college students and takes this into account with its 10% discount. Other high-street shops which include this discount are, New Look, A Wear, Born, Miss Selfridge, Oasis and Topshop. Vero Moda also has a frequently updated website with all the latest items and sales featured online at http://www. veromoda.com/. The website also offers a sneak peek into what will be coming soon into shops. With the variety in this season’s collection, as well as the influence of Alexa Chung on the brand, Vero Moda is sure to continue its success with its latest offerings in fashion.

Name: Aoife Murphy Cardigan from River Island. Skinny jeans and boots from Zara. Top from HMV. What do you think of the style in NUIG? I think it’s a lot better than a lot of colleges. You do see a lot of tracksuits and Uggs but at the same time there are a lot of people who’s style has lots character and edge! Describe your style? I like the bohemian look with a bit of bad ass grunge biker boots, leather jackets. I like to mix it up! And also laidback surfer chick: a pair of converse and skinnies! Do you shop often? I used to when I was in first year but not anymore, I think its great to re-use old stuff and buy a few staple bits that you can wear with everything!

13–02

Dressing for Date Night By Jane Kearns Nothing can be as daunting as finding the prefect outfit for an occasion, and throwing in a healthy dose of nerves and hormones can make it even harder. Rummaging through your wardrobe or hectically rooting through the rails at New Look in search for the perfect date attire is panic inducing. Whether it’s a romantic date with your boyfriend or a cinema trip with that hottie from your tutorial, having the prefect date night outfit is essential, especially on the biggest date night of the year Valentine’s Day. But what do you wear? What’s appropriate? And what should be avoided at all costs? Here are a few hints and tips on how to look fabulous on any date while still staying on trend. If you’re date is going to be a casual affair then you have to be casual too; if you’re going on a quiet lunch date or to the cin-

Style Spotter With Cayla Bloomer

{29}

Name: Ruth Storan Jacket from River Island. Bag from Mulberry. Shoes from New Look. Skinny jeans from Acne. Peace chain from Topshop. What do you think of the style in NUIG? #I think people are influenced by the group of friends that they are in depending on interests. I think people really tend to dress for their moods, relaxed style during exam time reflects that. My style totally depends on my mood! What inspires your style? I love Lookbook.nu. I buy a lot of fashion magazines to get inspiration but Lookbook would have to be the main place I go for that! Are you a big shopper? Yes, especially around exam time. I do a lot of browsing on Asos and Nastygirl, two of my favourite online shops.

ema, looking natural and keeping casual is a must. Jeans would be the best bet for a laid back date; a simple pair of skinny jeans teamed with a plain top and leather jacket or cardigan is always a good look that never goes out of style. But if you want to be a bit more adventurous there’s always coloured skinny jeans, denim shirts, oversized jumpers or blazers. Any of these items would add a cool or quirky touch to an otherwise laid-back style. If you’re wondering what colour to wear, neutrals are always best, but a pop of colour like pink, red or blue would make you stand out more. If a dinner date is more your thing a sexy dress will never go wrong. Body-con dresses are still in style this season and can give you that sexy silhouette you want on your big date night. When it comes to colours black is always best as it can then be teamed with colourful shoes or statement jewellery. But

if sexy isn’t exactly your thing simple loose fitting dresses in white or beige always look good, especially with gold accessories. If you’re looking for a more colourful outfit, adding a touch of pink or red to an outfit will instantly make it Valentine’s day ready. Then there’s those of you that just don’t know what your plans are for the big night, there may be a surprise in store or you’re just going to see where the night takes you, either way you have no idea what to wear. A casual dress is always a safe choice here as it covers both a formal date and a more laid-back one. Avoid bold cuts and keep it sweet and simple, think floral tea dresses in earthy tones or pastels if you’re feeling flirtier, team this with a cute cardigan and you are ready. And now that you’ve gotten advice on what to wear on your date, it’s up to you to figure out what you’ll be wearing when you get home…

Celebrate the Leap Year! with NUIG Clubs

Fun Run l i a r T e k i B n i a t Moun l i a r T e Treasur s t n e m h Refres Q B B r e t Win

y h F r e t a bru 29

12 – 3pm in Dangan Sports Pavillion

{sin} 13–09

S ports & F itness

Supplementary Health By Aoife Brennan To supplement or not to supplement, that is the question. We all know that we need vitamins and minerals to get our bodies in tip-top form but there have been many arguments about whether supplemental vitamins are something we should be taking. There are arguments over how much of each vitamin we should take, whether mega-dosing with vitamins is beneficial and the possible negative effects some vitamins if taken at too high a level. It all gets very confusing and for some of these questions there are no clear answers just yet. However, recent, largescale epidemiological studies involving hundreds of thousands of people have shown that there is no long-term benefit to supplementing with vitamins or antioxidants. The people studied were followed for many years and were not healthier or less likely to die of any condition when compared to people not taking vitamin supplements or antioxidants. But how can this be? We know what we

need vitamins and there is no doubt that we need antioxidants to target the dangerous, disease-causing free radicals in our bodies. The answer is a combination of things. Firstly, the research shows that it is people who consume lots of vitamins in the form of fruits and veggies that have the benefit of better health. This is thought to be due to the fact that those that eat like this, overall, have healthier habits. Other proposed explanations are that supplements block the absorption of naturally occurring vitamins or that people who care enough about their health to take a supplement are already eating well enough and the supplements make no difference. Secondly, fat-soluble vitamins can be dangerous. Vitamins can be either water-soluble or fat-soluble. If they are water-soluble it means that if you take very large amounts of them, the body takes what it needs to function and the rest is eliminated in the urine. Examples of water-soluble vitamins are vitamins C and the B vitamin group.

Interval timer: set for 8 rounds of 10 seconds (rest interval) and 50 seconds (work interval). This workout is taken from BodyRock.tv if you feel like checking out the videos for these routines. This routine is suitable for guys and girls of all fitness levels. Work hard but don’t push through pain or injury. Consult your doctor if you’ve never done intense physical exercise like this before. Do each of the following exercises for the 50 second interval, resting for 10 seconds between exercises. 1. S quat jumps: stand with your feet hip distance apart. Squat down to touch the ground, then power up into a jump. 2. P ush ups: do these with your knees on the

ground if your upper body strength isn’t up to full push ups yet. 3. Burpees: from standing, place your hands on the ground, jump your feet back into plank position then straight back up to your hands. Leap up into a jump. 4. High knees: jog on the spot lifting your knees as high as you can 5. Switch lunges: start in a lung position. Jump up and swap legs, landing with soft, bent knees. 6. Tuck jumps: from standing, jump high, tucking both knees towards your chest. Just get those knees as high as you can, regardless of your fitness level. 7. Triceps dips: facing away from it, put both hands on the edge of the couch. Lower your bottom towards the ground, keeping your elbows out

13–02

RECIPE: Carrot and coconut soup

However, if we consume too much of a fat-soluble vitamin (such as A, D, E and K) these are not eliminated but stored in our body fat. These vitamins are not found in very high levels in any naturally occurring food but the advent of supplements has meant that it is now possible to take too much of these. The same large studies mentioned above showed that overdoing it on vitamin A and E in particular may increase mortality in the long run. Scary stuff. So what to do?! My advice is skip the supplements and eat better. Most people I speak to about healthy eating know what to eat and what not to eat, but doing it is another thing! If you truly want to be healthy, make the effort every day to choose foods that will build a strong, fit body. Taking supplements cannot undo the effects of a bad diet; if you want the vitamins and antioxidants, go to the source: eat a wide variety of colourful, wholesome foods every day. Keep it simple, scrap the supplements!

Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves: 6

Method

Ingredients

For the soup: 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (buy a chunk and keep it in the freezer so it stays fresh) 1 tbsp olive oil 750 g carrots, butternut squash or pumpkin (or a mixture of all three) 1 tin (200 g) coconut milk 400 ml vegetable stock For the topping (optional): 3 tbsp desiccated coconut 1 shallot or some onion, finely diced 1 red chilli, finely diced (less if you don’t like it too spicy) 15 g butter Salt and golden caster sugar to season

1. Soften the onions and ginger in a little olive oil, for about 3-5 minutes. 2. Add the chopped carrots (or butternut squash or pumpkin), coconut milk and vegetable stock. 3. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the carrots are tender. 4. Purée until smooth. 5. To make the topping, spread the desiccated coconut on a baking tray and toast at 180C for 5-10 minutes until golden and crunchy. Don’t let it burn! 6. Soften the chopped shallots or onions with the chilli in a little butter. Once soft, stir in the tasted coconut and season with salt and golden caster sugar. 7. Scatter a bowl of the soup with this delicious topping and serve!

WORKOUT: Fit test! How fit are you? Equipment Needed:

{31}

behind you. The further your legs are away from you the harder this is. 8. Straight abs: sitting on the floor, legs bent and soles of the feet on the ground, lower yourself back towards the ground. Keep a straight

back and strong through the belly. Come back up and repeat. Repeat this sequence 2 or even 3 times if you have a higher fitness level and want to give yourself a killer workout! Plank Position

Triceps Dip

Straight Abs

{32} 13–09

S ports & F itness

{sin} 13–02

NUI Galway Host Equestrian Inter-varsities By Aisling Crowe NUI Galway’s Equestrian Club played host to a truly international inter-varsity competition last weekend. Competitors from Irish colleges competed against students from Poland, England and Belgium at the event, which took place in Duffy’s Equestrian Centre from 11 – 13 February. The students competed in three different disciplines over the weekend – showjumping, dressage and prix caprilli. Club captain Mary Murphy explains what prix caprilli is: “It’s like a dressage test with small low jumps as well. It’s for people who have only started riding in the

last year. It gives them their first experience of competitions.” NUI Galway was well represented in this international event with four teams and four individual riders competing in the various disciplines. The home side had two show-jumping teams and one each in dressage and prix caprilli. They also had two riders in the individual showjumping competition and a competitor in the individual prix caprilli and dressage competitions. “We were a good fifth last year in the team competition. Hopefully we will come home with a few rosettes. We have a good showjumping team too,” Mary added, speaking prior to the event.

The international aspect of the competition is new and adds even more intensity to the show. “We sent an email to the governing equestrian committees and sent out an invite to them to say they were welcome to come over,” Mary says. The standard of competitors at the intervarsity competition was also very high, with many of the students having ridden for their countries in international competitions. The judges were also internationally experienced with Irish international show jumper, Greg Broderick one of the most well known judges. There were a lot of logistical elements

involved in organising the competition, especially as the club had to source 100 horses locally for all of the competitors. The horses also needed to have a certain level of ability as the jumps in the final round of the showjumping competition stand at 1.30 metres. The response from local horse owners was positive. “We provide the horses for all of the students competing. We had to ask people around Galway to donate their horses to us for the weekend. We had to get decent horses to be able to jump that high. People have been pretty kind to lend us their horses.” As the riders had

never ridden any of these horses before the competitions start, it makes the classes even more difficult. “The judging is based on equitation so it’s the riding more so than the performance. Even if you do get a bad horse, you’re judged against people who have ridden the same horse as you, so it’s based on whoever rides that horse the best. It is difficult but it’s part of the competition,” says Mary. The club also managed to secure sponsorship for the event from Dubarry, Castle House Stud and Red Mills Animal Feeds. At time of print the outcome of the competition was unknown. For results, see www.sin.ie

In There Like Swimwear Alan Keane The latest in the series of sports technology seminars took place in the shiny new engineering building on Wednesday 31 January. Given by Dr. Gavin Corley – a lecturer in the engineering department - the hour long seminar was called “Re-engineering the Swimmer”. Walking across campus, I imagined we’d all be ushered into a lab, given white coats, big specs and a clipboard. What I envisaged was less a talk, more an experiment on some poor unsuspecting swimmer. Bionic arms and legs everywhere. Curse my imagination. I walked into a classroom, and not a metallic limb in sight. Instead, the room was filled with a mix of swimming types, and me. I began to wish I had worn my bright orange armbands, to prove that us non-gilled specimens could attend a talk on swimming, and understand the hell out

of it. For the next hour, I didn’t understand a lot. I’ll give you a summary of the words that baffled me, and you can google them in your own time. Paschal’s principle (bigger people float better), kinematic sensing (watching films with your eyes closed), wave drag (surfing dressed as a woman), and Bernouilli’s principle (I’ve got nothing). I’ll tell you what I did learn. Swimming is the most popular sport amongst adults in both Ireland and the UK. In terms of fitness, there aren’t many more beneficial endeavours. Swimming promotes joint flexibility, it’s great for your heart and – for athletes returning from injury – it’s a low impact exercise with which to regain some semblance of fitness. The main focus of the seminar was a discussion on technologies, which could benefit swimmers in terms of performance times. This was preempted by a summary

of how swimming technology has developed since before World War II. The Australians were the pioneers of the pool. Tom Hendricks, in 1952, became the first man to wear swimwear that would help improve his performance. His attire of choice? A silk bodysuit. Probably for the best that there are few surviving photographs. Fifty years after the silk suit, Adidas and Speedo

decided that they ought to make something less heavy. The results were extremely streamlined body suits. Speedo’s LZR Racer was developed with the help of NASA (all that experience swimming in the Sea of Tranquility). However they went too far. 92% of the medals won in the pool at the Beijing Olympics were won by swimmers wearing these suits, leading to the authorities banning

athletes in competitive events from wearing them. It remains to be seen whether the dearth of these bodysuits will lead to slower times in the London Olympics this summer, but as Gavin Corley pointed out, Mark Spitz set all his records in the pool with a moustache, so maybe being streamlined isn’t quite as important as it’s made out to be.

Triona Keane and Katie Menamin in Smokeys promoting Alcohol Awareness Day on 1 February.

{sin} 13–09

S ports & F itness

Women’s Relay Team Triumph in Nenagh By Daragh Small NUI Galway’s athletes managed a satisfactory ninth place finish in the indoor athletics intervarsity meet held on 4 February in Nenagh. The months of commitment, hard work and preparation put in by Gerry Reilly and Gary Ryan, the long distance and sprinting coaches respectively, truly paid off. Each year the event attracts the cream of Irish collegiate talent with NUI Galway sending sixteen athletes on this occasion. The standout performers from a NUI Galway perspective were the women’s 4 x 200m relay team. The team made up of Eilish Fitzpatrick, Louise Harvey, Steph Hulse and Alanna Quinn finished second behind DCU in a close final. Steph Hulse, an international student from Canada, described the jubilation of their achievement “it was a great way to get to know the

Irish students and the high energy and excitement after the race was an incredible way to bond with the team.” She also told me how the team’s achievement is something they will cherish “I think our second place finish will be something we'll never forget, and it's something that I personally will be able to take back to Canada and always share with athletes here at NUI Galway.” Meanwhile NUI Galway athletes Louise Harvey (400m), Ruaidhri Kedney (400m) and Barry Quigg (High Jump) all posted new records for the University. The aforementioned Quigg was unlucky to come home without any medals after he finished fourth in the triple jump. Ruaidhri Kedney, who has been part of the NUI Galway setup for six years now, was ecstatic in the wake of the time he posted in the semi final of the 400m. “I felt

that the race went well and I posted a time of 52.09 in the semi finals of the 400m, I was also delighted to hear that this was a college record.” Kedney who was running in his second race of the indoor season was given the difficult draw of lane one. However despite this, he only “narrowly missed out on a place in the final, finishing 5th overall.” In the past, NUI Galway have always had a proud history in athletics with Paul Hession and Oliver Loughnane having represented the University on numerous occasions. Events in Nenagh assure us that athletics remains as prosperous as it has ever been in the college. All in all, the NUI Galway athletes go home happy. They remained competitive throughout the Saturday and they certainly look to have big futures as athletes. Attentions now turn to the cross-country intervarsity meet in March.

Maughan Demands End to “Player Abuse” By Mark Kelly John Maughan, manager of the NUI Galway Men’s Gaelic Football team, has demanded that the G.A.A take action to stop young players from burning out, and to end what he is calling “a form of player abuse.” He made this comment just before NUI Galway’s slender victory over St. Mary’s in the first round of the Sigerson Cup. Maughan has asked that the G.A.A. sit down to discuss and thrash out a new schedule for the youngsters. “I would like to see Croke Park and all interested parties sitting down together, agree that what's happening is intolerable and plan a way forward, so that it's not repeated next year.” Some of the players have a hectic schedule. With the National League, Sigerson Cup and the U-21 championship to come, Maughan fears players will be worn

out come March. "You also have a situation at this time of year where lads are supposed to be match fit for their college teams, while being asked to do endurance work and strength and conditioning as part of a senior county panel. On top of all that, the U-21 championships are coming down the track. Any wonder so many young players feel they're being burned out?” He also points out that whilst these young players are eager to play and stay on the inter-county teams, they also have their academic careers to worry about: “In many cases, they are afraid to say 'no' to anybody, even if they're feeling wrecked. And then they have to find time to study." Some of the players who play at both Senior and U-21 level feel like they are having their “energy sapped” from multiple sides. “It’s extremely tough at this time

of year” says an anonymous source on the team. “You have the Sigerson matches during the week, then the next day you have training for the senior team, and you could have U-21 training also the day after that. On top of that, you have to go to lectures and do your assignments. I feel like I am having my energy sapped two or three times as fast as I can recover, and when you’re that tired, it’s hard to enjoy your football.” Maughan, a former inter-county manager, has put forward suggestions as to how to alleviate some of these problems: "Playing some National League games pre-Christmas or bringing Sigerson forward to January would ease the pressure. I also believe that with better communication, a lot of the difficulties could be avoided. What I'm certain about is the pressure being put on some players at this type of year is outrageous.”

{33} 13–02

{34} 13–09

S ports & F itness

{sin} 13–02

NUI Galway’s Men Through to Next Round of Sigerson After Controversial Final Whistle By Brian Grant NUI Galway: 0-6 St. Mary’s, Belfast: 0-5 When interviewing Christy Tyrell and Martin Newell, two former students and Sigerson medal recipients with UCG in the early 60s, they reminisced how once upon a time, the well-known Sigerson tradition was that the referee would be somewhat biased towards the home side. St. Mary’s College, Belfast will strongly argue that this tradition was once again repeated in Dangan on Wednesday, 1 February. NUI Galway were always prepared for a tough and tense battle with the Belfast students, a team that included a starring talent such as Tyrone’s Peter Harte. In the end, NUIG were perhaps lucky not to be facing extra time when the final whistle blew. The home side were the stronger team but could not convert nor reflect the amount of possession onto the scoreboard. Despite John Maughan’s men having had a rapid start,

with Jason Doherty sailing a long-range point from the right-hand side within twenty seconds of the throw in, NUIG manged to only point three more times in this half. The low-scoring tally was partially due to the negative tactical setup by St.Mary’s, but was somewhat due to them not capitalising on their chances with the slight aid of the breeze. Another two of their points came from dead ball situations that Neil Dougless casually pointed from the ground after Jason Doherthy and Fiachra Deasmhunaigh were fouled within the scoring range. The only other score that the Galway students pointed in this half was a wonderful long range effort from Ian Galvin. St. Mary’s had some chances in this half but only raised the white flag on one occasion when midfielder Conor McMahon found himself 21 yards out from goal. As NUIG’s wing-forward Kieran Conroy received his marching orders after a second

yellow card offence and with St. Mary’s now playing with the aid of the wind, the Belfast side started the second half the stronger side. In the first ten minutes, they narrowed the margin after Peter Harte cut open the NUIG defence on two separate occasions. Dougless broadened the lead back to two for NUIG, when he amazingly pointed from an acute angle off his left foot from play. Dougless once again pointed from a dead ball when Deasmhunaigh was once again advancing in on goal. After NUIG lengthened the margin to three points once again and with ten minutes to play in this low scoring affair, it looked like the home-side were comfortable and collective enough to see this one out. However, there was a late surge from the Ulster side when full-forward Michael Stevenson pointed from close range and following this, wing back Brian Doyle put the narrowest of margins between the sides to create a tantalising final five minutes. The

Northeners had their chances to equalise but were unable to find the target as it was only in the dying moments, when the St.Mary’s attack overturned possession and found themselves in a twoon-one situation with only the goalkeeper to beat. However, Donal O’Sullivan proved why he is the number one selection after pulling off a stunning save in the last minute of the game, parrying the ball out for a 45. The referee indicated that there was enough time for the 45 to be taken as St. Mar y’s goalkeeper, Niall Morgan journeyed up the field to find the leveller in an effort to push his side into extratime. Unintentionally, he mishit his shot but it fell into the waiting arms of his team-mate Brian Doyle. Before he had the chance to look at goal, the referee blew the final whistle. Violent scenes ensued, when a swarm of St. Mary’s players surrounded the referee. They verbally attacked him, expressing their sentiments of dissat-

MSc in Sports Performace Launched by University of Limerick By Alan Keane

The University of Limerick last month launched an MSc in Sports Performance, the first of its kind in Ireland. The post-graduate course is aimed at athletes and sports professionals, and can be undertaken on a full time (1 year) or part time (2 year) basis. “The course is very much researchinformed from the fields of human physiology, biomechanics and nutrition meaning that

the latest techniques and technology can be applied by the graduates as they become practitioners work ing with Irish teams and athletes, or further afield. The course balances theory and research with hands-on practical field work that Irish sports performers need from their support staff” said course director Dr. Ian Kenny. The course has modules focusing on speed, endurance, team and strength sports, with an emphasis also on

strength and conditioning methods. The students will have access to all of the University’s world-class sporting facilities. The Munster Rugby team train there on a regular basis, and the national side located themselves there for a week in preparation for the Six Nations tournament. The facilities on campus include the Video Performance Analysis Academy (VPAA). Video analysis has become an integral part of competitive sport in the past

decade, with an emphasis on highlighting weaknesses of opponents and also where an athlete can improve his or her own performance. Also on site is the National Strength and Conditioning Centre, where the likes of Jonny Wilkinson and Paula Radcliffe have previously received guidance. The Sports Performance course will hopefully lead to improved performances in the sporting arena from Irish athletes, as

isfaction as a result of being disallowed to continue their play, as they felt they were in a prominent scoring position. These violent scenes just added fuel to the fire to the current national media issue regarding the GAA and its fragmented disci-

pline code. As for NUI G a l w a y, t h e y c o mpletely had the rub of the green and will have to play to their full potential against Jordanstown in Dangan on 15 February, if they are to have any chance of reaching the semi-final stage.

Congratulations to the NUI Galway Pool Club on their first title win Full results from the HESPC Pool Inter-varsities, which were held from 3 – 5 February in Dundalk are as follows: Championship Winners: NUI Galway ‘A’ Runner-up: University of Ulster, Coleraine ‘A’ Intermediate Winners: Institute of Technology Blanchardstown ‘A’, Runner-up: Dublin Institute of Technology ‘B’ Individual Winner: Brendan Traynor (Dundalk IT) Runner-up: Chris Canning (UUC)

it will surely add to the plethora of talented coaches and sports scientists who can assist the nation’s elite in achieving their goals. It will also allow current athletes the opportunity to add another dimension to their illustrious careers, as the first cycle of 22 students includes some high-profile sports personalities, including Munster and Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery, and Irish Olympic rower Sean Casey. Competition for a place in the course

was fierce. “We were inundated with hugely impressive applications and CVs for the 2012 student entry. I receive several e-mails and telephone calls on a daily basis from both Irish and international prospective applicants so I fully expect a high application rate for the next cycle in 2013. We will open the University of Limerick’s online postgraduate direct application system from June to September 2012” confirmed Dr. Kenny.

{sin} 13–09

F inal W ord

{35} 13–02

What’s Happening in Galway: 13TH – 27th February By Katy Quinn Monday 13 February – Lohan’s Café host Cupan Tae Irish night @ 8pm. Free Admission. Tuesday 14 February – CoisCéim Dance Theatre presents Touch Me in the Town Hall Theatre @ 8pm. Tickets €18/€14 from www.tht.ie Wednesday 15 February – Engineering Soc hosts Quiz night in Busker Browns @ 7pm. Thursday 16 February – Talk by Tom Hart Dyke hosted by Botany Soc, AC150 @ 7pm. Friday 17 February – Music: Nicholas Collegiate Church host Paul Roe @ 8pm. Email info@the galwaymusicresidency.ie for more details. English Soc Hosts: The Penis Mightier than the Sword: An Evening with Erotic Fiction Writer C. Margery Kempe, AC201 @ 7 – 10pm. Saturday 18 February – Comedy: Michael Winslow in Roisin Dubh @ 9pm. Tickets €22.50. Sunday 19 February – Music: The Amazing Apples play Monroes Bar @ 11pm. Tickets €5. Monday 20 February – Potter Soc host Harry Potter Table Quiz, The College Bar @ 8pm. Four to a team, €5

CloakRumours A perfect storm occurs as the Novena and SHAG Week collide leading to students have sex in badly parked cars around the Cathedral. Puppies, barbeques and barbequed puppies all outlawed for SU elections. Bitter turf war develops on Presidents Lawn between Ultimate Frisbee and TAG Rugby players as the latter emerge from their winter hibernation. Protest by Vegetarian Society leads to David O’Doherty renaming his popular song My Beefs 2012 as My Tofus 2012. Large viewing deck for Jimmy Browne Memorial Hole in the Ground erected between Arts Millennium Building and Library. Debate on empirical vs theoretical research methods at Synergy Launch escalates beyond all proportion. One PhD and two post-docs rushed to UCHG with minor injuries. Careful analysis of “yarn-bomb” outside Moyola building

The NUIG ComicSoc Presents...

at www.tedfest.org. per person, proceeds go to Draoicht. Tuesday 21 February – Engineering Soc host NUIG Night Friday 24 February – Music: KeyWest play Monroes Bar at the Races at Galway Dog Track @ 12pm -Midnight. @ 9pm. Tickets €15. Tickets on sale soon. Saturday 25 February – Music: Spaghetti Western Wednesday 22 February – Music: The Underground Orchestra, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly tour at The Sound, Monroes Bar @ 9pm. Free Admission. Black Box Theatre @ 7.30pm. Tickets €25. Book 1 Challenging Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad Book 1 Fr. Ted Intermediate Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad 1 Converse Thursday 23 February – First day of Ted Fest, Sunday 26 FebruaryBook – Music: Allstars play The themed fun on Aran Islands. Tickets and more details Roisin Dubh @ 23.45pm. Free Admission. Sudoku #5

6 2

3 2

Sudoku #6#5 Sudoku

4 1 7

5 7

6 5

5 2 1 4

5 3

7 2

8 9

In politics, an absurdity is not a handicap. -- Napoleon Bonaparte

reveals dropped stitch. Exploratory surgery to uncover #8#7 Sudoku the stitch scheduled for next Thursday.Sudoku 7 6 1 17 SU Explore Initiative respond positively to 7 “Sustainable Food” project, only to discover immediately 9 4 5 2 prior to2 final approval that it entailed drying out and reusing 2 9 6 3 discarded Pot Noodles. Members of BisSoc and A&F square up in College Bar 6 3 7 9 dur-5 ing Witless heats: ensuing dance off totally out of sync 31 4 with rocking beats. Recent fixed: Emmet 1 ChessSoc elections 5 8 Connolly 8 8accuses 2 5 society members of gender bias. ChessSoc Constitution 9 1 5 4 66 to consider Gender Quota Clause following pressure from 5 activists. 7 4 23 7 fiddy:fiddy Builders bemused as building site included in Muscáilt bro-1 1 2 3 6 chure as “living art installation”. © 2011 KrazyDad.com Engineering and Nursing balls ends in total confusion when attendees realise both male nurses and female engineers actually exist. Well meaning student attempts to sign up to firewalk up Croagh Patrick and skydive off the top. Zoolander tells Art Soc they can dere-lick his balls. Sudoku #7

8 4

5 4 8 5 1 9 6 7 3 1 6 7 4 71 6 9 63 94 5 1 53 7 6 8 3 1 5 67 2 2 1 5 4 5 93 9 2

Sudoku #6#5 Sudoku

85 1 4 8 7 57 1 3 83 21 7 89 43 9 1 8 6 26 98 31 2 24 8 68 5 7 4 7 4 39 5 9 18 7 18 4 5 8 3 6 8 4 27

Horoscopes "It is love, not reason, that is stronger than death." -- Thomas Mann

Sudoku Sudoku #8#7

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 2 You are optimistic and enthusiast tendency to rely on luck since you of Sagittarians are drunks or dop laugh at you a gre

7 3 6 32 4 5 6 By8 Myles McKittrick 74 3 9 8 2 6 3 1 95 8 5 9 week or I’m never writing Aries [Mar21-Apr19] 7 Gentleness. 16 8 5 26again. Wisdomness. you a horoscope Peopleness. These words 6 5 2 24 11 82 guide you on the path to Scorpio [Oct23-Nov21] 5 3 Anyone 7 would 2 to 9 redemption… 13 8 8 love 2 1 you.49 be like Keep the head 77 68 Taurus [Apr20-May20] up, everything will turn out 9 55 2 4 Live like a butterfly and good in the end. 9 7 1 4 5 82 5 will never 3fall 6 shed 3 your down. Only the grass stands Sagittarius 5 3 8 3 5 9 47 6 1 8 4 [Nov22in your way. © 2011 KrazyDad.com © 2011 KrazyDad.com

Gemini [May21-Jun20] Apologies for last week’s horoscope. I was going to write you one but then I just carried on living my life… And yes, this is a bad reference from a terrible film. Cancer [Jun21-Jul22] Smile, everything looks better when you do. And it’s not just because you have an ugly smile. Leo [Jul23-Aug22] Writing this imagining I’m writing a horoscope for an actual lion. What would a lion want to know about the future? “You will catch an antelope today.” That sound good? Let me know. Virgo [Aug23-Sept22] I sell baby dogs to feed my family. I’d show you but I’d have to charge. Libra [Sept23-Oct22] Learn three languages fluently by the end of the

Capricorn [Dec22-Jan19] I don’t think you look like Brendan O Connor. You’re at least two foot smaller. Oh and he’s a guy and I think you’re a girl…? Aquarius [Jan20-Feb18] You should actually go and look up the star sign shape on Wikipedia. Did you know that all these signs are based on patterns of stars in our sky? You have to love stars like. Pisces [Feb19-Mar20] Two people you know have been on the Irish version of Take me Out and both of them got blackout’s. (Not passing out, just not getting a date.) You think this is ridiculous because the two lads are really nice people and the people who turned off the lights on each occasion were mingers anyway.

Go do your thing Get one of 2,000 FREE return flights to Europe

Offer available when you take out a student credit card or travel loan between 23 January and 30 June 2012. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to be over 18 and hold a Bank of Ireland 3rd level student account and there are lending criteria, terms and conditions.

Drop into our NUI Galway branch today Call Kevin on 087 7742206 or Bernadette on 087 7811318 Find us at www.facebook.com/smartlounge Bank of Ireland is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.