ide ers’ Gu h s e r F Free 10 ber 20 Septem
Students’ Union Guide for Freshers
Hey Everyone, Emmet here, Vice President and Education Officer with the Students’ Union. This is the second year we’ve published Fresh and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to once again edit what is the crash-course in how to adjust to life as a first year here in Galway. Welcome to NUI Galway, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time here. As well as growing academically during your few years here, you will also grow as a person and by the time your graduate you will have achieved a lot and learned how to deal with the big bad world. The Students’ Union is here to help you if you have any problems along the way. If you have any questions or suggestions about Fresh, feel free to email me at su.education@nuigalway.ie Have a great year.
Emmet Connolly
The Full-Time Officers Every March, three students are elected to be full-time Students’ Union officers for the year (July 2010-June 2011 in this case). They take a year out from their studies and get paid a wage from the student levy you all pay in September. Here are the full-timers for your 1st year in college: Peter Mannion – President As this year’s President I’d like to welcome you to NUI Galway and to the Students’ Union. As President my job is to make your year as good as it possibly can be. I am responsible for all the activities of the SU from lockers, to the online bookshop to bringing top quality entertainment to Galway. I am responsible for representing students to University Management in order to achieve the highest quality of student life and academic standards for all students. I also oversee the running of the SU Shop, The College Bar, Smokey's Café and The Wall Café. If there is anything that you feel the University, the Students’ Union or almost anyone else should be doing better for you I want to know about it! Please call up to our office, send me an email on su.president@nuigalway.ie or stop to talk as I make my way around campus.
Emmet Connolly – Vice President / Education Officer First of all, welcome to the best few years of your life. You won’t regret coming to Galway. My job involves handling issues about admissions, fees, grants, exams, academic quality issues, organising the 400 or so class reps, helping the Academic Writing Centre (for help with essays) and the Support for Undergraduate Maths Students Centre (SUMS) as well as updating the SU Grinds Register. Basically, if you have any problems or questions about the academic side of life at NUI Galway, I’m your man. I’d encourage all of you to get involved in the Students’ Union this year. Maybe you could become a class rep and look out for your classmates, or maybe you could sign up to the SU Crew, where you can get involved in lots of one-off events, campaigns and suggest things for us to organise during the year. We as union officers work for you, so make sure to tell us what you want from us! Best of luck with the year ahead.
Emma Conway – Vice President / Welfare Officer Hey, I’m Emma, the Welfare Officer. So what does the Welfare Officer actually do? Its split into a few different categories, the first is committees. As your Welfare Officer I sit on a lot of different university committees that deal with loads of different things like Drug Policy, Health, Safety, Loans and Fees. The next thing I do is campaigns, like Mental Health, Healthy Living and SHAG week. These campaigns are there to highlight stuff that is important to you and I always love to hear your ideas on new campaigns. The third and by far the most important part of this job is casework. If you have a problem or you need some advice or you just need to chat to someone then call up to me or send me an email at su.welfare@nuigalway.ie Enjoy the year!
The Part-Time Officers . . . Every March six students are elected to be part-time officers in the Students’ Union. These officers continue their studies as normal for the year they serve on the SU, and do not get paid a salary. Here are the part-timers for the year ahead:
Melissa Mannion
Tadhg Tynan
Darragh O’Connor
Oifigeach na Gaeilge
Societies Chair
Development Officer
Deals with Irish language issues and translates
Helps the 100+ student societies on campus
Promotes volunteering and activism among
our documents into Irish. Also works closely
to promote themselves and arranges for inter-
students and works closely with the Alive
with the Irish-language campuses at NUI
society events.
program co-ordinator to achieve this.
Galway.
su.socs@nuigalway.ie
su.develop@nuigalway.ie
Robin Allen
Ciara Staunton
Eric Coleman-Brockie
Equality Officer
Postgraduates Officer
Clubs Captain
Looks after the non-traditional students, e.g.
Represents postgraduate students’ concerns
Works closely with the 40+ clubs to improve
LGBT, disabled, mature, internationals, and
and helps the recently-established
facilities and increase participation in sports.
represents their interests with the relevant
Postgraduate Research Students Society.
su.clubs@nuigalway.ie
people.
su.postgrad@nuigalway.ie
su.gaeilge@nuigalway.ie
su.equality@nuigalway.ie
Pub and
b u l C e Guid
nt cheque is a r G t n e d tu S r n time and you o in for a good y a g s s in e k o t a lo th e t ’r o u g o y You pocket. Now r u o y to show you a in e r le e o h h is a r g e in ic n ff r bu Education O r u o Y . n w to e night on th ments. . . h s li b ta s e e n fi few of Galway’s
College Bar
- beside Áras na Mac Léinn The first stop for the Fresher on the journey through a Galway social life. Your SU-operated bar has some of the cheapest drinks in the city, as well as the sacred €3 offers on Fosters. Watch out for the pizza & pitcher deals in the evenings which are fantastic value. The College Bar is ideal for class parties and club and society events, so contact the manager Cormac Donoghue if you’re interested in bringing a crowd and he’ll get you a good deal. The College Bar is the place to watch football matches on the big screen also. Throw in great sandwiches and carvery dinners and the College Bar becomes a fine place to spend your lazy afternoons on campus while striving for academic greatness.
Cellar Bar
- Eglington Street One of the first pubs you meet on the walk into town. Operated by the same group that own Cuba* and Bar 903, the Cellar is host to a decent crowd of students and young professionals most nights.
The Skeff - Eyre Square Located on pure-gold real estate on Eyre Square, the Skeff is more of an upmarket bar aimed at the ever-present young professionals and tourists. Still, it can be a good spot if you’re with a crowd. They sometimes have stamps and money-off concessions to their sister nightclub out the back, Karma. Bar 903
- Eyre Square The look here is sleek metal and glass. A good place to have a quiet pint while waiting for Cuba* to get busy or to listen to their regular jazz sessions. Decent cocktails also make this a nice bar.
O’Connell’s
- Eyre Square Located on Eyre Square, this is something of a hidden gem for the student looking for a quiet pint in their city centre beer garden. Although it doesn’t really aim for the student market, a lively crowd and really good Guinness make it a nice place on the weekends.
Róisín Dubh
- Dominick Street A more alternative crowd makes the Róisíin their home most weeknights (read: hippies, tourists and emos). You’ll find girls that look like boys and boys that look like girls in the smoking area, which strangely has few smokers. The Róisín is the place to see up and coming Irish and international bands. Never Mind the Buzzcocks’ Phil Jupitus sometimes DJs here when he’s in town. Cool.
Bar Number 8 (On The Docks)
- Dock Road As the name would suggest, this quirky little bar is located on the Galway docks. The decoration seems to be aiming towards GAA changing room, but it’s a cosy enough place for a couple of pints if you want to avoid the bigger pubs.
The Quays
- Quay Street A cavernous, postcard-pub located in the ground zero of Tourist Galway that is Quay Street. The crowd here is a mix of late 20-somethings and older American tourists. Decent trad music upstairs makes this one for the weekend. You’ve had a few in the Colege Bar, had a couple more in a pub in town, and now you’re ready to run the gauntlet of bouncers and queues. Let’s go clubbing. . .
Cuba*
- Eyre Square Located above Bar903, Cuba* is a club that can be all things to all people, and is my favourite spot. On the ground floor, you have Bar 903 if you fancy jazz music and cocktails and a Harvest off-licence if you just want some cans. On the middle floor you’ll find a nicer version of CPs/GPO, with the DJs playing whatever’s big in the charts. Meanwhile, on the top floor you’ll a more indie crowd and DJ set, where The Smiths and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs rule the day.
Central Park (CP’s)
- Abbeygate Street For you Dublin folk, CPs is Galway’s answer to Copper-Faced Jack’s. To some students, it’s the be all and end all of classiness and refined clubbing. To others, it’s a meat-market with bad music, too many farmers in maths-copy shirts, and girls wearing too much fake tan. However, most will agree on one thing: CP’s is the place to score in Galway. If you decide to visit CPs, have your ID in hand and remember the line ‘Just Two Pints in the Skeff’ for the bouncer.
GPO
- Eglington Street A first year favourite, GPO attracts a younger college crowd, with a good mix of NUIG and GMIT heads. Chart-toppers bellow from the speakers in what can be described as a mix of Cuba* and CPs. GPO generally has decent prices and a grand enough atmosphere. Strangely, they haven’t (yet) used the 1916 Rising as some sort of marketing gimmick.
Karma
- Eyre Square Located at the back of the Skeff, Karma is a bit of a GMIT watering hole, but does hold a good NUIG crowd on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The guys are generally dressed in the unstoppable pulling uniform that is vertically-striped shirt, blue jeans and gelled-up hair, while the girls similarly dressed to score.
Club K (Kennedy’s)
- Eyre Square This place is a real GMIT spot and is pretty much their version of GPO. They have some really good deals on cocktails sometimes so it’s a good pitstop on the way to somewhere else Good craic if you’re with a crowd.
Words: Emmet Connolly
09. Monday 20th
cd.. Tuesday 21st
Wednesday 22nd
Tuesday 21st Thursday 23rd
brought to you by
More info at www.su.nuigalway.ie
d e r e f f O s Service n io n U ’ s t n e d u t S e h by t
Words: Emmet Connolly
mmittee meetings and co es olv inv It g. rin bo d an s, ne SU officers is behind the sce fore they actually arise. be nts Most of the work done by your de stu for s lem ob pr l tia s; all aimed at eliminating poten d emails, telephone calls and letter areas of education (Emmet) an the in y inl ma , ce rvi se al err ref ing an advice and you we’ll know who can. Another key part of our job is be lp he n’t ca we if d an , us to me ve problems you can co welfare (Emma). When you ha
OnlinE BOOkSTORE
You can buy cheap, second-
The Students’ Union manage
If you’re having trouble with
hand college books from the
hundreds of lockers around
your course or want to be
SU offices. You’ll need to look
campus, and rent them out to
extra prepared for your exams,
up our website at
students on a first-come first-
you can look up the grinds
www.su.nuigalway.ie to see if
lOCkERS
served basis each September.
ThE GRinDS REGiSTER
register on our website. It’s full
the books you’re looking for
Lockers are very handy and only
of students who offer to tutor
are available and then call up to
most of them only cost around
others at decent enough prices.
the offices to collect them. You
€25 for the year. Again, you can
If you think you’d be a good
can also sell your books when
book a locker directly from the
tutor, you can put up and ad on
you’re finished with them.
SU website.
the website and earn some extra cash for the year.
If you plan on using Irish Rail
We operate a free-of-charge
Located downstairs in the
or Bus Éireann in the year
cloakroom in the library basement.
library, the SU Shop sells your
ahead, a travelcard is a really,
We can hold onto your jackets and
typical cornershop stuff like
really good idea. You’ll get
bags and you can come collect them
snacks, drinks and stationery, as
tickets a lot cheaper (up to STUDEnT TRAVElCARD 40% off) and you can also use them in other places like
later that evening. Keep an eye on ClOAkROOM
the closing times though. The full-
well as NUI Galway hoodies and SU ShOP
other branded merchandise. You
time SU officers (Donna, Emmet and
can also pick up cheap copies of
Topshop and Boots. Just drop
Emma) also hold ‘Sabbat Hours’
the national newspapers.
by the SU offices, fill out the
every Thursday in the cloakroom
form and Natasha will take
where you can drop by and ask
your photograph there and
them questions. No laptops in the
then.
cloakroom though.
That coffee place down the concourse? That’s Smokey’s. I’m sure that by now you’ve noticed the bar, which the Students’ Union own and operate
The one up in the fancy new
for your benefit. We aim to keep prices low and the quality high. We also serve really nice
Sports Centre? That’s The Wall.
college bar dinners and lunches, which are reasonably priced and will keep you going through the day. Free pints of water are available at the bar to go with your meals. COllEGE BAR
Both are run by the SU and are, SMOkiES, AnD ThE WAll CAféS
again, aimed at low prices and high quality. If you’re doing college right, you’ll spend many, many hours talking about nothing with your mates in Smokey’s.
The
t n e d u t S f o Ty p e s
The Lads
Fake Tan Girls
The Lads comprise most of the male population of NUI Galway. They live or used to live in Corrib Village and study Arts, Commerce or Engineering. For them, the average night out consists of downing six Bav with the flatmates before hitting the GPO or CP’s if they’re planning a big night. They pull girls that rank a solid 6/7 but have been known to stoop to a 5 or 6 on occasion under the (perfectly legitimate) excuse of being drunk. In terms of their degree, they get decent results but in exams, but only by cramming in the last few weeks of the semester, and never turn up for lectures on before 11am. Although they like to think like they drink and score like there's no tomorrow, they'll soon end up working in the civil service, living in a house in Newbridge with their wife and two kids.
Like a legion of Oompa-Loompas with more money than style, the Fake Tan Army can be seen during the Galway Races, and most Thursday nights in town during the college year, usually trying to get into CP’s. On rainy nights in the queues for the clubs, they're sometimes hilariously oblivious to the fact that the fake tan is slowly streaking down their legs and onto the pavement. Be warned; if you pull a Fake Tan Girl don't be surprised to find orange marks resembling the Turin Shroud on your bed sheets the morning after.
Yo u ’ ll M e e t
in Galway
Societies crowd
Study heads
These are the volunteering types that love nothing more than spending time in Áras na Mac Léinn emailing potential guests and organising some event they're planning while their classmates are enjoying lunch or pints in the College Bar. Generally more studious people but surprisingly hold some of the best house parties, Lit & Deb parties a case in point. They're also the people who put up all those posters that get battered and torn by the weshtern winds. Although usually downto-earth people, some can take themselves too seriously with Ron Burgundy style lines about being a big deal on campus.
That quiet girl in your legal science lecture? Always sits down the front with the colourcoded notebook? Future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. That slightly-weird fella in commerce, always sits in the same seat in the reading room? Ends up running being CEO of Google. These people have come to college for one reason: to begin building their career. While the rest of us are planning a night out, these people are updating their LinkedIn profiles and trying on Daddy’s suits. They probably already have drawn up a step-by-step 10 year plan of how to become corporate Masters of the Universe (which incidentally doesn't include losing their virginity).
Why become a class rep? Class Reps get to know their whole class easily. They can organise parties, bowling, hoodies and trips away for their class. A Class Rep gets to be the voice of their class when problems occur. You get a free hoody from the SU, as well as a Christmas Party in the College Bar. It looks good to prospective employers that a Class Rep has shown leadership and organisational abilities. A Class Rep is given use of the email list for their whole class to keep them informed of SU and class events. It is a great way to get to know students from other courses and years in Class Rep meetings. You get to bring about real changes to your course and College itself if you put in the effort. You can represent students on the Academic Council, which is the committee that manages the entire University.
Become a 1st year Class Rep If you put yourself forward as a 1st year class rep, you’re main role for the first few weeks is to make sure everyone in your class gets to know each other and settles into Galway okay. The easiest way of doing this is to arrange some kind of social
events for the class – whether it’s class parties in the College Bar or a night out on the town (but remember some of your classmates might not be 18), or to arrange some other activities like bowling in Leisureland, girls vs. boys tag rugby or fivea-side football, a house party and so on. You’re also guaranteed to score that girl or boy you fancy in your class if you’re the natural born leader who organised a savage party! Think about it!
But what does a Class Rep do? There are around 400 class reps in NUI Galway. Each of them represent an individual class, although some big classes (like say, 1st year History or English) will have two, three or even four reps because there’s loads of students. Your job as a class rep is primarily to communicate any issues or problems your classmates are having to the Students’ Union officers. There are three one-hour Class Rep Meetings each semester which you’re asked to attend. These meetings are arranged by the course you’re studying, e.g. Law, Arts, Science. As well as representing your classmates, you also have an important social role in organising class
parties, and if you want, class hoodies, trips abroad, team building activities and so on. You can ask Emmet Connolly in the SU for advice on how to organise these events.
Okay, I’m interested. What do I do now? Your lecturer should ask for people to put themselves forward as class reps within the first week or so of lectures. If not, just ask him after a lecture if he’ll arrange an election sometime soon. Don’t worry. We’re not talking ‘vote for me’ posters and ballot papers here – usually it’ll be a couple of students will put up their hand, they’ll introduce themselves to the class and say what they want to do for them, and then there’ll be a quick show of hands vote. If you’re lecturers haven’t held class rep elections after a week or so, give Emmet Connolly, who organises the class reps system across campus, a shout in the Students’ Union and he’ll arrange an election for ye.
NUI GALWAY STUDENTS’ UNION
SU CREW ~ Entertainments ~ Charity ~ Awareness Weeks ~ Elections national Campaigns ~ health & Safety ~ Communications ~ SU CREW The SU Crew is a way to get more students involved in SU campaigns and in telling us what ye want us to do as your union. We’re aiming at getting people who usually wouldn’t be involved in the Students’ Union to sign up, get a nice few t-shirts and a other goodies, and in return, help promote and advise the Students’ Union.
That might involve organising gigs and entertainments, giving us your views on what events we should be running, or helping with our various campaigns during the year such as SHAG Week (Sexual Health and Guidance) and College Week (where we raise money for charity). The whole point of the SU Crew is that it’s role can change from month to month so
it doesn’t tie you down to particular tasks – if you want to go around with a charity bucket for us, that’s fine; if you’d rather try and get us to fund some new idea you how to make campus better, we’re all ears; if you just want to help with running campaigns or organising gigs and other entertainments, that’s great.
T h e Te n
C o m m a n d m e n ts o f a F ir s t Ye a r a t N U IG
One
Thou shall attend all lectures. With the obvious exception of those on before 11am, or when it’s raining too much.
Two
Thou shall buy the drinks early in the evening and not leave it until the offie is just about to close.
Three
Thou shall decide on which nightclub you should go to based on the attractiveness of the stamper girls on Shop Street.
Four
Thou shall steal wireless internet from the flat next door.
Five
Thou shall bring home someone after a night out, and really, really regret it in the morning.
Six
Thou shall sneak in that naggin, sure the bouncer won’t notice.
Seven
Thou shall befriend the guy that always attends lectures and takes notes.
Eight Nine Ten
Thou shall score at least one Donegaler and one American. Thou shall always remember ‘just two pints’ for the bouncers. Thou shall ask your parents for €40 for a book you need, photocopy it for €10 in the library instead, and spend the remaining €30 in the College Bar.
2010
Freshers’ Hit List 1. Join the NUI Galway Students’ Union fan page on Facebook. This way you’ll be kept up to date on news and events being run during Freshers’ Fortnight and throughout the year.
2. 3.................................................................. Put yourself forward as class rep! This is the best way you can get involved in the Students’ Union. Join at least one club and one society. You’ll meet lots of new people and get to do lots of activities and maybe represent the university.
And remember, if you have any questions, contact Peter Mannion, Emmet Connolly or Emma Conway – we were students ourselves last year so we can give you good advice on what to expect in college.
Collect your freebies from the SU offices – SU diary, Flirt FM wall planner, Welcome to College guide, rent book and more.