The College Tribune, Issue 11 by College Tribune

The

The difference is we’re independent

Printed in Ireland

UCD Ball-less

Striving for Freedom

The Vaccines Interview

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page 10

Siren pages 6-7

SU in Crisis as UCD Ball Cancelled

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Colman Hanley & Donie O’ Sullivan

De Brún Elected SU President

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UCD Students’ Union (SU) confirmed last Saturday that the UCD Ball which was due to take place on campus on Thursday, April 21st, has been cancelled. A statement released by the SU claims University authorities are solely responsible for the cancellation of the event.

The SU claim that “University authorities reneged on the commitment, given to the Students’ Union to close campus as per the stipulations laid down” and as a result they were left with “no choice” other than cancelling the event. It is unclear why the University would take such action seeing

as the event was held under the same circumstance last year. Paul Lynam, the President of UCD SU, who is currently vying for a seat in the Seanad, said, “I feel that this is the lowest point in my presidency and as a student body we have been let down by our University Authorities.” Jonny Cosgrove, the SU Entertainments Officer added, “The UCD ball was due to be the highlight of our students’ calendar and I cannot begin to express the deep sense of frustration and anger following the last couple of weeks.” “Our Union ENTS team had worked tirelessly to facilitate the UCD Ball we must now announce the cancellation of the ball with immediate effect. I am deeply saddened that the University Authorities have denied the students of UCD an

Obama Set for Beleld Visit?

Donie O’ Sullivan

The College Tribune understands that the President of the United States, Barrack Obama, could be set to visit UCD as part of his trip to Ireland next month. While the date of the President’s visit to Ireland is still to be confirmed, a source in Trinity College Dublin (TCD) confirmed that Obama is expected to visit the Belfield campus after Queen Elizabeth II visits the Trinity campus in central Dublin. It is

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understood the Department of Foreign Affairs suggested Obama visit UCD rather than TCD, to avoid both heads of state visiting the same universities. The US President has also been invited to attend University College Cork (UCC) to deliver the inaugural lecture in honour of Frederick Douglass, a leader of the abolitionist movement in th 1800’s. The US President announced his intentions to visit Ireland last month, when the new Taoiseach Enda Kenny visited the White House on St. Patrick's Day, March

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end of year ball, in particular I feel for first year students who have been denied a full first year experience and final year students who are now facing not having the ball that they deserve in their last days in UCD” A statement from the Union explained how they were granted planning permission to hold the event based on a previous agreement between the SU and the University that the campus would close to all non UCD Ball related traffic at 1pm on the day of the event. The College Tribune requested to view a copy of this agreement between the SU and the University however SU President Lynam stated that the “SU does not sign written agreements with the University.” According to the SU, “In late March, the Students’ Union were made aware that the

University felt that they could not close the campus at 1pm as previously agreed and the University was therefore not in a position to comply with the licence for the UCD Ball 2011.” The statement goes onto explain the various alternatives the SU explored when they realised the Ball could not be held as originally hoped. Such alternatives included holding an event on campus with a capacity of less that 5,000 (thus not requiring planning permission), and holding an event off campus. In response to the question, “Was this [the cancellation] a result of unconfirmed headline acts?” the SU responded, ”No. When the line-up was released on Tuesday 29th March, it was stated explicitly that these _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

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17th. The President is expected to arrive in Ireland on May 22nd and stay for only a couple of hours, meaning he is likely to only visit locations in Dublin and possibly his ancestral home in Moneygal, Co. Offally. President Obama has regularly made talks at universities in America and abroad as well, a trip to Cairo University in Egypt in June 2009 being one such case historic example. As of midday last Sunday, bookmakers Paddy Power were offering odds of 3/1 for TCD to be Obama’s first stop off in Ireland. UCD has already hosted one former US President during this current academic year; Mr. Bill Clinton visited the campus last

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September to receive the Ulysses Medal, while also making a speech to students and academics at the Clinton Institute for American Studies. A team from the White House are due to arrive in the Ireland in the next two weeks in preparation for the visit of the 44th President of the United States. The United States Embassy in Dublin publicly stated last week that “There is no official confirmation of the president’s itinerary here in Ireland or how long he will spend in the country.” When contacted by The College Tribune, UCD refused to comment on the matter.

Michael Phoenix • Over 5,000 Students Vote in SU Elections • Lacey for C&C Geoghegan for Education Breslin for Welfare Darcy for Ents ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pat de Brún has been elected as the next UCD Students’ Union (SU) President. The current Campaigns and Communications Officer (C&C) was elected after earning 57% of the vote (2,839 votes), surpassing the necessary quota of 2,502 votes. De Brún reached the quota after the first round of voting, beating fellow candidates Brendan Lannoye, who claimed 1802 votes, and Lorcan Gray, who received 253 votes. 109 votes were counted for RON (re-open nominations), reflecting a relatively strong mandate for the victor following the casting of 5077 votes. A strong campaign from Union outsider Lannoye, coupled with the efforts of Socialist candidate Lorcan Gray, were unable to defeat de Brún. The Carlow native held the lead from the opening of the first box of votes, and as the day progressed, the C&C Officer

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April 6th 2011 | Vol. 24 No 11

News

SU in Crisis as UCD Ball Cancelled who was successful in last week’s Sabbatical Election expressed his disappointment that the end of year event had been cancelled. “I am disgusted with the level of ineptitude of the authorities inside UCD, I have full faith in the SU and they have my full backing to

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were the support acts only. As in previous years the headliners or main support acts were announced initially. (This process is standard throughout the music industry and students will be familiar with this process from Oxegen etc. where acts are announced in stages). Students unfortunately assumed that this was the final line up.A specific plan was laid out in terms of promotion and this was being followed. The announcement of headline acts was due to take place the week commencing April 4th.” The statement did not name the headline acts the Ball was set to feature. The statement did explain however that “UCD SU inserted a stipulation into the contract between UCDSU and all acts that the contract could be terminated by UCD SU if the SU was unable to gain the necessary legal approval for the Ball.” Thus the SU will not have to pay any of the acts who were booked. Ents Officer-elect, Stephen Darcy,

provide an adequate solution to the sticky situation we are in at the moment.” “I have already started work on next years’ UCD Ball, it will be my main focus next year. The level of attention the UCD Ball is going to require has already increased by significant margins.” The Students’ Union Executive, consisting of the five Sabbatical Officers, the Programme Officers and the Executive Officers, held an emergency meeting on Monday. A meeting of the Students’ Union Council, discussing the cancellation of the UCD Ball, will take place on Tuesday evening at 6pm in FS01 in the Ag. Science Building. Any student is allowed to attend, however in order to make a particular point, students must first contact their class rep.

Tickets for the Ball were originally due to go on sale last Wednesday, however due to a “security breach,” the sale of tickets was postponed until this coming Monday. Some UCD students reacted angrily when part of the line-up for the event was announced on Wednesday afternoon. When contacted by The College Tribune on the cancellation of the Ball, a UCD spokesperson said, “Unfortunately, the position in relation to closing the campus at ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We are calling on every single UCD student to unite behind this campaign and add their support to ensure they get a Ball in 2011.

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1pm on a busy term day remains, and consequently the requirements of the local planning authority and the Gardaí for 21 April cannot be met.” “All events on campus must have regard to student, staff and visitor safety.” In an attempt to resolve the situa-

tion however, UCD SU launched a campaign to restore the UCD Ball on Monday (4th of April). Commenting on the campaign, ‘Save Our Ball,’ UCD SU President Paul Lynam said, “We are calling on every single UCD student to unite behind this campaign and add their support to ensure they get a Ball in 2011. “The campaign includes an online and written petition and a social media campaign including Facebook and Twitter. It [is] expected that the campaign will be campus-wide by tomorrow with information stands in each building encouraging student support.” Lynam went on to add, “The UCD Ball must go ahead and The Save Our Ball campaign will show the college just how important the UCD Ball is to our students.” The Save Our Ball campaign was launched following an emergency meeting of the Students’ Union Executive at midday on Monday which lasted approximately two hours. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

All details on the campaign can be seen at www.saveourball.com

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‘Ozzy’ Kinsella: “I Was Robbed”

Donie O’ Sullivan

• Former Ents candidate believes he would have won if UCD Ball story emerged before election • Kinsella: “My three opponents laughed at me when I mentioned holding the Ball off campus”

Darragh ‘Ozzy’ Kinsella, who came second in last week’s SU Ents election, believes he was “robbed” and would have won the Ents race by a substantial number of votes had the cancellation of the UCD Ball emerged before the SU Elections were held. “I think I was screwed,” said the 21 year old Arts student. “I think some people knew that this thing [UCD Ball] was not going to go ahead for the past two weeks and they withheld it until right after the election was over.” Kinsella, who lost by 400 votes after several counts, stressed however that he did not believe any of his three opponents in the Ents race were aware of the UCD Ball crisis. Speaking about the cancellation, Kinsella commented, “I think it is an absolute disgrace, but I can’t stress the fact enough that I know Jonny Cosgrove and Paul Kilgallon have done everything they can

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to try keep it going, but it’s the actual UCD administration that are stopping it. My three opponents laughed at me when I mentioned holding the UCD Ball off campus, now look who is laughing.” Kinsella’s three opponents Edel Ní Churraoin, Stephen Darcy and Robert Manning all claimed to have experience organising events on campus. Responding to Kinsella’s remarks, Ents Officer elect Stephen Darcy said he “highly doubted” that the cancellation announcement was deliberately held back until after the election. When asked did he believe Kinsella would have won the race if the announcement was made before polling day, Darcy responded, “I don’t think it is fair to say that he was robbed. My margins of winning shows that I am the person the people wanted to do the job for next year.” “I would imagine that I would

win by an even more substantial amount [if the announcement was made] as I am the man with the experience, and people would have voted for an Ents Officer with adequate experience to run a UCD Ball next year.” Speaking to The College Tribune after Kinsella’s comments, Edel Ní Churraoin said “I do agree with the fact that the result could have been different but I don’t agree that you could say it would be in any particular person’s favour.” “I can see where Darragh is coming from but I don’t agree with it at all, I am pretty sure the students of UCD would have realised that if a person with experience couldn’t pull this off then someone without experience would have more difficulty.” Robert Manning also disagreed with Kinsella’s statement, and said “if you move the UCD Ball off campus, it’s not going to be the UCD Ball.”

News

Sabbats Criticised for Taking Leave Simultaneously

Ciara Murphy • Three out of the five Sabbats on leave during UCD Ball crisis • Sabbats accused of being “careerists” as Lynam vies for Seanad

Current UCD SU President, Paul Lynam, told The College Tribune that this practice was a “tradition” but that he did not partake in it this year as he was dealing with the issues surrounding the UCD Ball. It has emerged that many of the Sabbatical Officers have taken time off recently to pursue personal campaigns both internal and externally related to UCD. Many students have raised concerns over the lack of representation in the SU over the last month and many feel like they are being underrepresented. Lynam, who has been running his Seanad campaign during his sabbatical term, admitted that he had intended to take a holiday twice, but had to cancel both times and has not taken annual leave. Campaigns and Communications (C&C) Officer, Pat de Brún, who took two weeks annual leave from March 20th to April 1st, spent his time campaigning across UCD in the UCDSU Presidential race. Education Officer, James Williamson, who was de Brún’s campaign manager, has confirmed that he will be contesting the USI Education Officer position, having campaigned on behalf of de Brún during the last number of weeks, whilst taking three days of annual leave. During this semester, four out of the five sabbatical officers have spent time campaigning for elected positions both inside and outside of UCD. Vice-President Welfare Officer, Scott Ahearn, also campaigned for and secured his position as USI Welfare Officer 2011/2012. Williamson released a statement to The College Tribune emphasising that “I have not done any work at all for a USI campaign. All that has happened thus far, is one interview with The University Observer where I stated I was running. (This took 5 minutes of my time.) Nominations for the election have not even opened and until that time I will not be thinking about the campaign at all. As a full time officer I am allowed 20 days annual leave. To date I have taken one day off in the first semester as a result of a road accident and I took Tuesday to Thursday off this week. That is therefore a total of four days off out of nine months. The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 clearly states that this is allowed and also the fact that once you have worked for a period of eight months or more you are entitled to take an unbroken period of two weeks

annual leave.” Many students have expressed their distaste for the lack of representation that they feel is present in their Students’ Union, with one, who wishes to remain anonymous, stating; “although these officers have been elected by us, they seem to only have one priority and that is to further their own careers.” This student went on to state “de Brún has used his C&C reign as a stepping stone for his new presidency, Ahearn has ascended the throne of the USI and Williamson aims to do the same. It’s careerism at its best.” When questioned about the C&C office being left without it’s officer, de Brún said “I liaised with the Union staff to ensure that none of my duties would be neglected during the period. It’s standard practice for any incumbent officer running for election to take the same period off, and that is always the case. In fact, the returning office stated that I had to take leave for this period as it may not have been appropriate for me to be using the office during an election campaign.” On the subject of his duties as education officer being neglected, Williamson stated that, “I have never left my duties as Education Officer apart from four days of annual leave, which I am entitled to. Even though what happens on my annual leave is my own business, I will say that I was involved in the elections for UCDSU, but during the evenings and early mornings I was still responding to emails that had been sent during my time off. The returning office are very clear on this area, I had to confirm to the returning office that I had taken annual leave in order for me to participate in the elections.” When posed the question of whether he believed that the SU officers had abandoned their duties, de Brún stated, “I wouldn’t agree that the SU abandoned anything over the past few weeks. James took two days annual leave and Scott took one day. Anyone, in any post, is entitled to take a day off here and there from their annual leave. Sabbatical officers very rarely use their full entitlement of days off and I would be surprised if any of us this year reached our full quota of days off. If I thought that a sabbatical officer taking leave at any given time would damage some ongoing work of the SU, I would not stand by it. I do not feel that this has happened here however. Luckily we have good staff structures and it is possible to plan for all eventualities for any

reasonably short period of leave. The reality is that we weren’t far from the office at any time- if anything serious came up we would have been back in the office in a flash.” Williamson, when questioned about his activities during his annual leave, commmented, “I feel uncomfortable in the fact that I must give information to college media about what I do on my annual leave. When I formally seek nomination from UCDSU for my USI Education campaign, I will do what is normally done, seek the backing our council, make sure all my work is done in advance and I will use my remaining annual leave entitlements if that is required.” When speaking on the subject of the UCDSU being left unmanned during a time of crisis, Williamson said that, “Over the past number of weeks, the President had planned to take annual leave this semester but has so far not managed to do so and has been working as normal. The Campaigns and Communications Vice-President has taken the two weeks off that he is entitled too in order to run his campaign. I have only taken three days off this week. The Welfare Officer had planned to take Thursday fully off due to the elections. He did this, but at the same time attended two meetings already in his calendar that day. There was only day where there were three officers off and that was Thursday. The President, Entertainments Vice-President were there all week and the Welfare VicePresident was there all week bar one day, I had three days off and still worked in the evenings and early mornings. There were three officers in the Students’ Union

at all times and even though I was on holidays, I was still performing my Education Officer duties in the evenings and morn-

ings, even though I was not required to do so. Scott Ahearn acted the same way last Thursday.” A first year student, Alan McCaferty, has come to the defence of the SU team, saying “Anyone that works full time deserves to take time off at some stage. In regards to the SU Officers taking time off around the same time of the year, that could have been organised better, but it still is not right to demand an explanation of what they do during their time off.” When asked if he felt in hindsight it was appropriate for so many Officers to be absent from their posts during a time of crisis, de Brún responded by stating that “When the crisis regarding the UCD Ball came to light we immediately all

returned to the office and dealt with it accordingly. We reacted as quickly as was possible, so even if we had of been in the office prior to learning the news, it would have made little to no difference.” When questioned whether he would allow simultaneous absences like this to occur during his tenure as president next year, he added, “The SU President does not have the authority to deny a VicePresident their annual leave, as it is anyone’s legal right who is in employment. As President, I might discourage a VP from taking leave depending on the circumstances of the day, but it must be remembered that if an officer wishes to take more than two days off, the authority to grant that leave lies with the SU Executive, and not the President.”

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News

Majority of Students Let Down After UCD Ball Cancellation

Michael Phoenix talks to UCD students about the cancellation of this year’s UCD Ball, and gets differing views on the saga

The consensus amongst the student body following Saturday’s announcement of the cancellation of this years UCD Ball is that it is simply unacceptable. With most first year students yet to experience the climatic event of UCD’s social year, they may be the most aggrieved. First year B & L student Jenny Molloy said,

“I’m fairly annoyed as it’s a massive part of the UCD experience, however, given the line-up it really doesn’t bare much significance.” What was released of this years line-up had on the whole been poorly received by students, however first year Arts student Caleb McDonough commented,

“I was looking forward to the ball all year, regardless of whether the line-up was good or not. It was going to be a great end to my first year in college.” A more pragmatic view was taken by first year Physiotherapy student Jamie Rath.

“I’m disappointed with the news of the cancellation but I’m sure Jonny [Cosgrove – Ents Officer] had the balls to take on UCD and would not have given up without a fight, I believe the abuse Jonny is getting from the students of UCD is a disgrace” Students from further years, eagerly anticipating the event on the basis of their past experiences at the Ball could not hide their disappointment. Second year student Adam Caldwell was just one particular student.

“Last year’s ball was one of the highlights of my first year in college, and whoever is responsible, should be ashamed at their part in ruining a treasured UCD experience.”

One second year science student placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Ents team.

“I blame UCD Ents because that’s all they have to get right each year, and they couldn’t even do that. They had a whole year to plan it and it looks like they left it to the last minute. I’m absolutely devastated. Law with Philosophy student Lauren O’Brien shared concerns over the reasons given to students for the cancellation.

“At first I thought it was an April Fools joke, a little payback for all the abuse that we had been giving them over this year’s line-up… But I can’t say that I’m very surprised, I had heard that Ents were low on funds this year and they have put up the price with no acts to show for it.” O’Brien’s thoughts were echoed by one second year Neuroscience student.

“I think that it is very suspicious to announce something that the college authorities (allegedly) saw a problem with at this late stage, especially since this problem could have been seen from the start of the year and before. UCD wouldn’t have given the goahead, then stopped the event. They know it would be wasting the money of the Union.” Others however, including Arts student Patrick Wolohan, are less cynical.

“I feel it is a great injustice to the students of UCD – but the blame does not lie with Jonny Cosgrove, but rather with the UCD Administration who are a shower of unsavoury bureaucratic… characters.”

The timing of the announcement seems to be coming under some scrutiny, although it is understandable that Ents and the SU would want to wait as long as possible before releasing the bad news, in order to try and find a solution. However, one third year science student stated their belief that

“We need to be sure that the delay was not deliberate, so as to avoid negative effect on Pat de Brún’s campaign. Students need to feel confident in their new SU President.” Facebook has proved a popular forum for discussion on the issue. With comments ranging from the sympathetic – “Jonny did his best” – to the apathetic – “Happy days! The line-up was awful anyway” – to the obscene… Some students have already made plans for a mass alternative –

“Everyone meet at the running track where the ball was originally planned for, bring drink, friends and whatever else you need for a good time!” Belgrove resident Tadhg Crowley summed up the feelings of the student body.

“I feel like the cool, drunk, summer grass has been ripped from out beneath my feet leaving me cold, bored and alone… and angry, very very angry.” Students have also voiced worries concerning what will be done with the money originally planned to be used on the event itself. With a clause in place that allows the SU to escape from the contracts they had made with acts set to perform, the fees set to be paid to this years bands is now freed up. Precisely how much money the SU spent on planning the event is unclear. The Students Union Executive met at an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the issue.

Scenes like these, from UCD Ball 2010, will not occur due to the cancellation of this year’s proposed event.

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News

UCD Students to Vote in Unconstitutional Election

Donie O’ Sullivan

• Lynam says Returning Officer Morgan Shelley set the date • De Brún says SU did not realise mistake until last week

It has come to the attention of The College Tribune that the upcoming Programme Officer and Directly Elected Executive Officer elections, which are due to be held next week, are in breach of the Students’ Union Constitution. The breach is one of several that have occurred under the Presidency of Paul Lynam. The elections are taking place in week eleven, the penultimate week of the semester, despite the Students’ Union (SU) Constitution explicitly stating they must be held by the tenth week of the semester. Article 23, section 1 referring to the election of Directly Elected Executive Officers states “The Postgraduate Officer, the Irish Language Officer, the Women’s Officer and Environmental Officer shall be collectively be known as the “Directly Elected Executive Officers” and shall be elected annually in elections held not earlier than the seventh week of the second semester and not later than the tenth week of the second semester.” Article 24, section 1, referring to the election of Programme Officers states, “The Programme Officers shall be elected annually in elections held not earlier than the seventh week of the second semester and not later than the tenth week of the second semester.” Paul Lynam, the SU President, who is currently vying for a seat in the Seanad, said “every August the Students’ Union give dates to the Returning Officer.” Lynam explained that on this occasion the Returning Officer amended the dates and stated that “it is their [the Retuning Office] job to ensure and interpret the Constitution to make sure that it is met.” [sic] Pat de Brún, SU President-elect, and the current Campaigns and Communications Officer, reiterated Lynam’s statement, telling The College Tribune “it is true that it is the duty of the Returning Officer to ensure that the elections are constitutional.” Despite this though, Article 11 of the SU Constitution states,“The President and Vice-Presidents shall be responsible for the upholding of this Constitution.” When de Brún was reminded of Article 11, he responded, “it will be for the IAB to interpret where responsibility lies in this regard and it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this while it is under the consideration of the IAB. “ Since The College Tribune raised the issue with the Students’ Union, a

meeting of the Independent Appeals Board has been organised for this Thursday, April 7th to discuss the embarrassing episode. The College Tribune contacted the Union Returning Officer, Morgan Shelley on three separate occasions over the past week but received no response. Mr. Shelley, a barrister, is employed to oversee SU elections that cost UCD students almost €40,000 each year. Mark Stokes, a current class-rep and second year student who is running for the position of Arts Programme Officer, spoke of his concern about the breach of the Constitution. “I would be extremely concerned about it, if we have elections and they are then invalid, not only have we wasted students’ money we have wasted everyone’s time.” “Personally I can see huge problems with it. As it stands the elections being held, are according to my reading and my understanding of the constitution, are invalid. “Anyone who receives the winning vote in the election would not have a mandate that they could follow through on,” added Stokes. One of the main issues surrounding the error in question is that Constitution does not appear to suggest any immediate alternatives, which potentially could leave the IAB in the position of allowing the week 11 election to take place. Several other

breaches of the constitution have occurred this year. Article 8, section 5 of the SU Constitution, focuses on the Union Council, attended by all Sabbatical, Programme and Directly Elected Executive Officers and Class Reps who meet fortnightly during term time. Any UCD student may attend Council and the Constitution states ,“Council shall be convened not less than once every ten working days during teaching term. The Union Secretary shall give at least two working days’ notice of same to the members of Council, and shall give at least two working days’ public notice of same.” Despite this stipulation, class reps and elected officers have received, in some cases, the location of Council up to less than two hours before council convenes. Last month, The College Tribune highlighted how a decision made by the Independent Appeals Board to remove Áine

Gilhooly from the race for SU Education Officer in the SU Election was also in breach of the Con-

stitution as notice of the appeal was not appropriately advertised on the UCDSU website. Last week students were asked to vote in a Constitutional Referendum along with the SU Sabbatical Elections. The referendum related to changing the name of SU Women’s Officer to “Gender Equality Officer.” However despite high profile Sabbatical campaigns being run across campus in the weeks leading up to polling day, very little information on the referendum was visible to students. The majority of students who arrived at polling stations were not aware that a referendum was taking place.

Further confusion was created when the referendum ballot paper failed to clearly state the constitutional change that would result if the referendum was passed. Rather than asking students were they in favour of changing the name of “Women’s Officer” to “Gender Equality Officer,” the ballot paper asked students if they were in favour of changing Article 9 of the constitution. The great majority of students that spoke to The College Tribune at polling stations were unaware of what “Article 9” was, and this was reflected in the result of the referendum, with 833 spoilt votes.

Returning Officer, Morgan Shelley

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News

“Rollercoaster” Education Officer Election _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Timothy Potenz

Sam Geoghegan was elected as Education Officer elect for the Students’ Union (SU) last Friday, after the final election count saw him win 2,674 votes out of a total of 4,864. The only student on the ballot paper against Mr. Geoghegan, Jennifer Fox, received 979 votes, before being knocked out, while the re-open nominations (RON) campaign won 1759 first preference votes, the largest RON vote in this year’s SU elections. Before the transfers of Ms. Fox’s tally were distributed, Geoghegan was ahead by less than 300 votes, the tightest margin of the election. Describing the campaign as one of “exceptional circumstances,” he gave an emotional acceptance speech in which he expressed his sincere thanks to all those who voted for him. “It was a rollercoaster campaign. One day you’d feel on top of the world, the next down in the dumps.” Geoghegan had been one of three original candidates, following Jennifer Fox’s withdrawal after contracting swine flu. However, as her withdrawal was made after the ballot papers had been printed, her

name still appeared on the ballot. “I was completely inactive,” Fox commented. “I didn’t run any campaign at all.” Without any campaign, posters or canvassers on her behalf, Fox still managed to win just under 1,000 votes, 19% of the overall count, commenting “I have absolutely no idea how that could have happened.” Fox does not agree that a vote for her turned out to be a vote against Geoghegan, despite having had no intention of running for the office. There had also been two other prospective candidates, James Doyle and Áine Gilhooly, but due to Doyle handing in his letter of application after the deadline and Gilhooly handing in her application at 06:00:51pm, 50 seconds after the deadline, both were denied the right to take part in the election. Ms. Gilhooly’s application had been originally accepted, but Geoghegan appealed this decision. Gilhooly was consequently disqualified from the race. “Áine and I have spoken privately. There are no issues between us,” commented Geoghegan in the

aftermath of the experience. Geoghegan’s solo nomination resulted in a vibrant RON campaign, which claimed 40% of first preference votes. “I realised a lot of people were fighting me,” said Geoghegan in his acceptance speech. “It was quite odd having so many people against me but not for anyone in particular.” He called for people to now unite behind the newly elected sabbatical team. “Regardless of the vote, we need to rally together.” Mr. Geoghegan believes that the strongest part of his campaign was his team. He urged any future candidates to get organised early and try their best. “I couldn’t have gotten here without them. They put up with so much.” Asked how he felt about the experience overall, he said, “I’ve learned a lot but I regret nothing,” before adding that his term in office was set to be a “tough year.”

Campaigns & Comms Goes to Lacey

Timothy Potenz

Brendan Lacey is set to take office as Students’ Union (SU) Campaigns and Communications (C&C) Officer in July after securing 2,635 first preference votes. Mr. Lacey finished over 1,000 votes ahead of his nearest opponent, Emma Fortune, who garnered 1,460 votes. Suzanne Lee finished in third place with 579 votes, with re-open nominations (RON) taking only 203. Lacey was one of only two candidates to be elected on the first count, the other candidate being Pat de Brún, winner of the Presidential Election. “I was incredibly impressed by my two competitors,” commented Lacey in his acceptance speech. “It was an absolute privilege to fight an election alongside them. I urge them not to shy away from continuing their efforts.” Following her elimination from the election, Lee declared she will not shy away from politics, promising to continue pursuing her manifesto aims in UCD, but that it would be a “guerilla manifesto, not sanctioned by UCD.” Lee continued that her

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tally of votes showed that there definitely is an alternative group in UCD that agreed with her ideas. “I never expected to win. I just wanted to get my ideas out there.” Emma Fortune expressed a similar sentiment, saying that over 1000 votes in her favour showed that a lot of people subscribed to her views. “I genuinely hope some of my ideas will be taken on board next year.” Candidate speeches were mixed, as Fortune gave an emotional thanks to all who helped her campaign and wished Lacey the best of luck, while Lacey himself described the election experience as thoroughly enjoyable and was glad that nothing turned sour between candidates. Meanwhile Lee exclaimed she will now “be able to get arrested without being a UCD representative.” The C&C Officer-elect sent out a message to all people considering running for the SU in the future. “No matter what walk of life you come from, if you’ve got an interest get involved. Everyone’s opinion is needed, its only then we can get the balance right. Decisions are

made by those who turn up,” commented Lacey. His competitor Lee voiced a different opinion, regarding the elections as little more than a popularity contest. “You are not going to win it unless you’re popular. If you want to win, don’t just be honest and say what you have to say. That’s what I did. Instead, become a class rep, get on the executive, and become popular.” Following her experience in the election, Fortune was of the belief that anyone has “potential for greatness.” In his acceptance speech, Lacey said that now was the time that UCD students had to rise to meet the challenges we are facing. “We will seek out those who are trying to close the door on our education and we will win. At the moment I am exhausted, but delighted. I intend to be hounding Pat [de Brún] over the next few weeks and months. Work starts now.”

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De Brún Elected SU President

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never truly looked like relinquishing his advantage. The UCD SU President-elect, as did all the presidential candidates, thanked his friends, family and campaign team, before turning his attention to the task ahead. “The real work starts here. I look forward to it,” commented de Brún. “We [the Students’ Union] do make a difference, we can make a difference. I am humbled, privileged and honoured to be standing here - but it’s back to the drawing board now.” De Brún will take office with the joint highest percentage in the election vote, as future Welfare Officer Rachel Breslin also won with 57%. However de Brún moved to point out he cannot ignore the considerable share of the vote (37%) taken by runner-upLannoye. “Lorcan and Brendan, it was a privilege to run against you. I will take on board what Brendan said about counting his ideas... I hope you both continue and stay on my back…” The current C&C Officer, who will take a self enforced 10% pay cut upon taking office, faces a tough year as students across Ireland await to see the attitude taken towards them by the new government. “This will be an extremely difficult year. The SU does such important work - that work needs to continue. We have a new government and with that, new opportunities.” Following a year that will most likely see the cost of being a student in Ireland rise, whether it be by a ‘student contribution’ or a direct increase in the registration fee, De Brún appeared optimistic that under his tenure, this could be turned around. “This year proved to me that the sleeping giant, that is the student movement, can be mobilized. We need to get involved; we need to get engaged at the forefront of the fight.”Brendan Lannoye, whose ambitious campaign hoped to alter the ‘closed nature of the Students Union’, used his closing speech to reiterate that the union is no more, or less, than the entire body of students it exists to represent. “37% of the people believed in what I was saying, so Pat, I would like you to consider those who liked what I was saying - count the whole 100%.” The History and Politics student described the race as an “amazing experience” even in defeat. Lorcan Gray took his defeat with a degree of humility, pondering whether UCD is ready for his particular brand of politics. The left-wing candidate claimed he “never expected to win”, but rather hoped to present the student consciousness with an alternative to what has become the norm. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“A lot of people call this a popularity contest, and I would have to agree. I think we need to politicise these elections and unions. We need less X Factor, and more radical politics.” The 2nd year Arts student joked that he would personally “continue to endanger peoples lives” as he carried on along the path of his chosen ideology.

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De Brún, along with all members of next year’s sabbatical team, will take office on July 1st.

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News

Breslin Wins Welfare

Sinéad Williams

Rachel Breslin claimed the victory in this year’s Students’ Union Welfare election race, finishing ahead of Regina Brady and Lorna Danaher. Breslin’s success ensured that next year’s sabbatical team includes a woman for the first time since 2007/2008. A total of 4,941 valid votes were cast in this year’s Welfare election, with 153 students votes to re-open nominations (RON). Having polled 45% of the vote, Breslin was the clear winner having exceeded the quota of 2,471 by 270 votes. Second year Business and Law student Lorna Danaher was the first candidate to be eliminated. With 1,264 votes, she was excluded after the second count and redistribution of RON votes. Danaher thanked her campaign team and said that it had been a “pleasure to run against such fantastic candidates,” while also urging students “never to be afraid to throw your hat in the ring because someone tells you it can’t be done.” However, Danaher also added that people “do not need a title to contribute in UCD,” stating she would continue to be involved in

college life. Regina Brady was eliminated after the transfer of Danaher’s votes. After thanking her election team, the second year Commerce student said that she did not regret running and expressed “awe” at her 1,637 votes. Brady emphasised

tive step in bringing the Students’ Union into the 21st century”. Both Lorna Danaher and Regina Brady described the newly elected Rachel Breslin as a “very worthy winner”. The new Vice President of Welfare is, like Danaher, a second year

ing forward to undertaking her position next year.

Breslin’s success ensured that next year’s sabbatical team includes a woman for the first time since 2007/2008.

the importance of the Welfare office and encouraged all students, espcially those who “don’t care about the Student Union or refuse to vote,” to “get involved.” Quoting advice given to her by current Students’ Union President, Paul Lynam, Brady said that “if you only ran in elections you were sure you would win, you wouldn’t go far in life.” She went on to express her happiness at the passing of the proposed amendment to the SU Constitution. Brady stated that the re-naming of her current position of Women’s Officer to Gender Equality Officer is a “posi-

Business and Law student. The twenty year old Donegal native has previous experience with the Students’ Union and Welfare Crew. After being deemed elected, Breslin addressed the crowd at the count centre which included current Welfare Officer, Scott Ahearn. Breslin thanked her team for “everything they’ve done”. She also wished Lorna Danaher and Regina Brady “all the best” and concluded that they had both “conducted their campaigns in a positive and passionate manner”. Breslin also stated that she is look-

Darcy Claims ENTertaining Election

Sinéad Williams

There was tension in the air at count centre for the Student Union elections as the final results for the position of Ents officer were announced. A total of 4,963 valid votes were cast by students in what was the longest-running count of the day, continuing until almost 7pm. The surprise favourite of this election though, Darragh “Ozzy” Kinsella, was defeated by Stephen Darcy. From the outset, it was obvious that it was going to be a very closely-fought battle between the two, who between them polled 66% of the vote. Darcy and Kinsella were neck and neck during the first count, as the boxes from each polling station were opened and counted. It wasn’t until the fourth count that a winner became apparent, with Stephen Darcy deemed elected, without reaching the quota of 2,482 votes. Four candidates were in contention for the title of Ents officer. The only female candidate, Edel Ní Churraoin, was the first to be eliminated. With 794 votes,

she was excluded on the second count after the transfer of RON votes. Addressing the crowd which had gathered in the count centre, Ní Churraoin wished the other candidates luck, saying that the result was “going to go down to transfers”. The current Arts’ Programme Officer also thanked her supporters and took the opportunity to congratulate her fellow resident of An Scéim Cónaithe (Irish Language Housing Scheme), Pat de Brún, on becoming Students’ Union President-elect. Social Science student, Robert Manning, was eliminated after the third count. With 1,090 votes, he polled 19% of the vote. Speaking after his defeat, Manning thanked his election team and wished the remaining two candidates the best of luck, stating that he could “guarantee...that whoever gets it will perform to the best of their ability”. As the redistribution of Manning’s votes got underway, it was unclear who the eventual winner would be. The general consensus at the

count centre was that Kinsella had polled much better than had been anticipated by many. With just under 2,000 votes, he lost out to winner Stephen Darcy by a margin of 356 votes. Citing the election as “one of the best experiences of [his] life”, Kinsella, who describes himself as having “come from the corner of Belgrove”, thanked his campaign team. He went on to wish newlyelected Stephen Darcy luck in his new role. “I’d like to wish Stephen the best with next year, I’ll be right there on his back if he’s slipping up.” Kinsella concluded his speech by reiterating the message from his campaign that “Ents is for everybody”. The new Vice-President of Ents is 26 year old Stephen Darcy, an arts student from county Carlow. He also thanked his campaign team, choosing to read out an extensive list of names to those still in the count centre. The list included the animal members of his team. Speaking about his election as Ents

Officer for the year 2011-2012, Darcy said, “I can’t wait...I’m really excited about it and looking forward to a big year...I can’t wait to get stuck into the job.”

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News

Two Run in Law Soc Election

Matthew Costello

Two candidates will compete for the position of Auditor of the 101st session of the UCD Law Society. Chris Lee and Francis McNamara, both Debates Convenors for the 100th session of the society, will contest the role in Wednesday’s elections. Lee, a second year Law student, will be allowed to stand despite technical breaches of the Law Society constitution. The 100th session, in which both candidates were heavily involved as committee members, was beset with problems, most notably with guests failing to appear at high profile debates and events in Semester one. With specific regard to the incident involving Tim Robbins, in which the Hollywood actor’s heavily advertised appearance at Astra Hall was cancelled at almost the last minute, Lee defended the current auditor, Kieran McCarthy, for his role in the affair. “He took a risk by booking the hall, if he hadn’t and the guest had shown up, the Society would have looked even more foolish”. McNamara described the episode as “terrible, tragic” and reiterated that

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“everyone in the society thought he [Robbins] was coming”. “I think the auditor was under lots of pressure to get members in freshers week,” added Lee, before stating that he would have an “anti-lie” policy in order to rehabilitate LawSoc’s image. “You ask those people who signed up in freshers week, of the 4,500, around 3,000 will be asking where the guests were.” He also expressed a desire to rid LawSoc of it’s image of being a “slightly pretentious debating society” and that if the society was not perceived as fun, then the status of debating in UCD would suffer. McNamara also intends to combat the perception of the society being “isolated in Roebuck” and emphasised that he intended to get LawSoc “engaged with UCD as a whole”. “We run so many events, especially the house debates and those debates should follow students’ interests. I plan to run a stall every Tuesday in Arts before the debate to get opinions and generate interest, then read those opinions out before the event”.

“There’s also a problem that the debates are too similar – we’ve heard all the arguments before. I intend to run new, controversial debates to get students interested,” said the second year Law with Economics student. “I would preference the new debates and adapt the old ones with new twists based on current events, for example ‘This house believes there is no difference between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’. It’s the government debate, but with a new slant”. Lee agrees with his opponent; “There’s no clash in the big debates, it’s far more entertaining when speakers are asked spur of the moment questions and forced to defend their arguments”. Lee intends to ask all speakers to take two questions at the end of every speech and outlines his belief that there are certain debates that the society has to run every year. Both candidates intend to use events to encourage increased participation in the society, with McNamara pledging to make his ents calendar “front heavy” with plenty available early in the year. Lee

wants to have more “social nights out” rather than club nights, with society members socialising in “an environment where we can talk about debating”. He also plans to make post-debate receptions less formal, following the Trinity model of ‘beer receptions’ as a social event for the entire audience. Encouraging integration between Law students and their Business and Law (B&L) counterparts is part of both manifestos, with McNamara proposing a representative from both classes to combat the “animosity” between the two while Lee’s “huge idea” is for a large scale, joint class trip at the start of the academic year. He claims it would “get Law and B&L students mixing from the start, while also helping the committee to get to know the members, and vice versa.” Lee also proposes expanding debating workshops and competitions, as well as hosting a Maidens Moot contest. McNamara, who describes himself as “really really involved” in Moot court, is especially enthusiastic about his ideas for workshops and training.

“I got involved in Moot in first year and loved it, but I got lucky. I’m proposing to run Moot court workshops and [Law lecturer] James McDermot has agreed to help. In addition, I want to run public speaking workshops. These are brand new, Law students will need public speaking but that’s true of most other students too.” He also believes that the “great debaters in UCD” should “give something back” to the society by partnering newer members in debates and passing on experience. As well as further workshops to help with debating skills, Lee proposes to use society funds to pay Law tutors to repeat tutorials in the run up to exams, produce Law survival guides and help advertise book sales, note sharing and grinds. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Voting takes place in the Newman (arts) and Roebuck buildings on Wednesday, 6th April.

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UCD BALL F.A.Q. Why was the UCD Ball cancelled?

Why the original increase in price?

The FAQ's below have been compiled as a result of questions posed on the internet and questions that have been sent directly to the Students' Union. It is important to point out that under Irish Law (Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2001) any event that has a capacity of over 4999 people requires planning permission from a local authority. As part of this process and in line with previous years, conditions are laid down by the Gardaí, HSE, Dublin Fire Brigade, the Environmental Unit of Dún Laoghaire and observations from local residents. UCD Students' Union hired diffusion events (the event management team behind Oxegen, Marley Park and Dún Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures) to both manage the event and to apply for the event licence on behalf of UCD Students' Union. In December 2010, following agreement from UCD, UCD Students' Union lodged its application for an event licence which includes:

Many factors contributed to the increase in cost from previous years. The change of location (which was necessary due to the fact that last year's venue was no longer available, it is now the site of the Sutherland school of Law) meant that there was a cost difference that unfortunately must be covered in the ticket price. As the site used last year is now a construction site there was no costs relating to returning the site to its original condition. This was not to be the case this year as the running track would have been required for its original purpose as soon as possible.

"UCD Campus will close to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic except emergency services and event related transport from 13.00 on Thursday, April 21st.' As part of the application process UCDSU, advertised its intention to apply for such a licence in both local and national print media (Evening Herald, Irish Independent). On February 11th, Dún Laoghaire County Council granted a license to UCD Students' Union to hold the UCD Ball based on the licence application submitted in December, in addition to 30 other conditions (in line with 2010) In late March, the Students' Union were made aware that the University felt that they could not close the campus at 1pm as previously agreed and the university was therefore not in a position to comply with the licence for the UCD Ball 2011. Following consultation with the professional event management team, the Students' Union immediately proposed the following modification to section 4.3 of the event licence application, any deviation from the initial application requires approval from the statutory agencies. (Gardaí, HSE, Dublin Fire Brigade) "The campus will not be closed and normal campus activities lectures and sports activities will occur but there will be no vehicular access onto the campus from 1:00pm except for emergency or ball related traffic, however vehicles already on the campus will be allowed to leave through one designated exit on campus. Pedestrian access through all gates will be maintained." This proposal was rejected by the Gardaí on health and safety grounds. As the university would not close the campus at 1 pm despite their previous commitment to doing so, the licence for UCD Ball 2011 was therefore null and void meaning the event is not legally allowed to proceed.

What alternatives did the Students' Union propose? 1. The Students' Union proposed an amendment to the application which was rejected.See previous question. 2. The Students' Union proposed an unlicensed 4999 capacity event (as per UCD Ball 2008 and 2009). For health and safety reasons this was rejected by the statutory agencies (see above) as they felt the capacity would be too limited based on previous experience. 3. Both the University and the Students' Union consulted the event management company to investigate the feasibility of having an off campus event (O2, RDS etc) This was not possible given the short time frame for a number of reasons both logistical & financial. The projected cost for an off-campus event was in excess of €250,000.00 (costs provided by Diffusion Events). UCD SU would have needed to sell 7240 tickets to break even for an off campus event based on the additional costs and no revenue from beverage and food sales. In light of this, and the fact that we would not satisfy the demand of the student body, this event was not a viable option.

What happened to the budget? The SU does not set aside a budget for the UCD Ball. The budget is based on an eighty percent sell-out rate of the ball and the projected alcohol and food sales. As no tickets have been sold for this event, there is NO outstanding budget. The only cost associated to the ball thus far is the cost of promotion and preparation of the event license.

The second factor which must be considered is relating to the stipulations laid down by the Gardaí. This year the Gardaí have insisted that increased security and an additional Garda presence would be necessary for the event to be licensed. UCD Students' Union would need to cover this cost. The final factor which contributed to the increase in cost price was the fact that the capacity has been limited, again by a stipulation enforced by the Gardaí (see answer to question above).

Was campus closed in previous years? In previous years only the areas of the campus directly affected by the ball were closed early however during the 2010 Ball it became necessary to close large parts of the campus for operational reasons. In light of the need to close the campus during the 2010 Ball, it was a stipulation in the event license application (see above) that the campus must be closed. A campus closure would involve the shutting down of buildings and the cancellation of teaching hours. Last year was the first year that a licence was necessary for the event due to the numbers attending. In previous years a licence was not required as the capacity was well below that which deems a licence necessary.

What is the plan now? The Students' Union Executive will meet on Monday to plan the next steps. Negotiations will continue until a satisfactory outcome is worked out. Following the Executive meeting on Monday UCD SU will announce details of the next steps.

Was this a result of unconfirmed headline acts? No. When the line-up was released on Tuesday 29th March, it was stated explicitly that these were the support acts only. As in previous years the headliners or main support acts were announced initially. (This process is standard throughout the music industry and students will be familiar with this process from Oxegen etc. where acts are announced in stages). Students unfortunately assumed that this was the final line up. A specific plan was laid out in terms of promotion and this was being followed. The announcement of headline acts was due to take place the week commencing April 4th.

Will you not still have to pay all the bands, resulting in a waste of students' money? UCD SU inserted a stipulation into the contract between UCDSU and all acts that the contract could be terminated by UCD SU if the SU was unable to gain the necessary legal approval for the Ball. .For further information, Students' Union Council will take place on Tuesday April 5th. Please contact your class rep in order to pass on any input. Council will take place at 6pm in FS01, AG Building.

FOR UPDATES CHECK

www.ucdsu.ie

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News

Into the Trenches

As the UN intervene in the ongoing Libyan crisis, Michael Phoenix talks to a Libyan student in UCD about his country’s plight, and examines the options available to the international community

On March 17th, the UN Security Council backed military intervention in Libya, along with the imposition of a no-fly zone, as it sought to halt the country’s slide into a humanitarian nightmare. Ten of the fifteen member council nations supported the resolution, including – after weeks of deliberation – the US. The remaining members of the council - the most predominant being Germany, China and Russia - abstained from voting. I talked to Munir Al Akari, a UCD politics student and Libyan national born in Benghazi, on the subject. “It is a humanitarian disaster. Basically, Libya was on the verge of genocide until the UN intervened.” In response to the opposition to the decision of the UN, he said: “As an Irish Libyan who has lost many relatives and friends to the Gaddafi regime, I can tell you that all Libyans are behind the NATO intervention. I am anti-war, I did not approve of the previous wars waged in Afghanistan and Iraq, but this is a completely different situation. This is an emergency; this is a civilised humanitarian action to save innocent hundreds of thousands of lives.” The UN move, which hopes to “deny the Libyan regime the ability to use force against its own people”, has not been universally accepted by all groups. The Irish Anti-War Movement are just one group who have opposed the almost unprecedented measure taken by the UN. Marnie Holborrow of the IAWM questioned the roots of motivation behind interven-

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tion. “The NATO bombing must be seen as part of a wider western political strategy for the region. Cameron and Sarkozy, cheerleaders for this initiative, fear that the Arab uprisings may get out of hand and threaten to overturn their cosy relationships with the despotic middle-eastern regimes. They believe that it is time to put their stamp back on the region and force a halt to further radicalization of the pro-democracy movements.” The unique uprising in Libya, “a cry for justice, equality and freedom”, is the result of 40 years of the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi, described by Mr Akari as a man who will “brutalize anyone capable of thinking for themselves.” During his reign, Gaddafi developed a strong hold on the minds of the country’s people and developed an almost unquestionable authority through a cult of personality. Any opposition to his rule was unmercifully extinguished. In 1996, 1200 Libyan intellectuals and political activists, who had been imprisoned following the development of underground resistance to Gaddafi, were shot dead within three hours. Their bodies have never been accounted for. On the 17th of February, encouraged by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, the people of Libya took to the streets in a ‘day of rage’ to remember those who were murdered and to seek the change they had sought. Describing the day, Munir said: “[H]undreds of Libyans marched in peaceful protest and were met by an unimaginable force. Gaddafi forces

fired on unarmed civilians with AK-47s, anti-aircraft weaponry and tanks, while the world looked on for nearly 40 days. We have died in our thousands as a result of one man and his family’s desperate bid to cling on to power. Not to mention the brutality that the Libyan people endured in secret for 42 years. My relatives in Benghazi breathed a sigh of relief when the French planes bombed the artillery, rocket launchers and tanks outside Benghazi.” The French attack that Mr Akari speaks of was part of the biggest external assault on an Arab

regime since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In response Colonel Gadaffi, claiming the support of the Libyan people, claimed “It is now necessary to open the stores and arm all the masses with all types of weapons to defend the independence, unity and honour of Libya.”The IAWM (Irish Anti War Movement) claim that this is not the correct path for the UN to take and that alternative options exist, namely the recognition of the legitimacy of the rebel-backed Interim Transitional National Council, whilst also providing medical support and food aid.

Furthermore, they could have lifted the arms embargo upon the country that they claim affects ”the rebels adversely but the Gadaffi regime hardly at all since the [W]est had supplied it with weapons and military advice up until very recently.”The Interim Transitional National Council has so far been recognised by France and Qatar, but major European powers and the US have yet to endorse the councils legitimacy. Whilst attempting to avoid cynicism, Mr Akari put forth his views on the reluctance on the part of these nations. “Maybe they do

tance of the arms embargo comes into play. Due to mammoth difference between the quality of the arms available to Gadaffi’s supporters, and those at the disposal of the rebel fighters - physical external support seems crucial whilst the embargo remains in place, even if just to level the battlefield. It is unclear what will happen if the fighting continues for a significant length of time. In the view of Munir, Gadaffi will never resign. “Gadaffi is absolutely ruthless, we know this from his history, he is prepared to do literally anything cling on to power.” The rebels

not know who they are dealing with, maybe they only want to act where immediate action is needed, in an emergency situation. But we don’t know if this is the case, maybe they have their own agenda, maybe they want to set up their own puppet governments, we cannot know.” In defending the UN’s intervention, the UCD student remarked: “I don’t think recognition [of the interim council] is going to bring success, but it can be crucial in terms of support. Gadaffi has already lost his legitimacy to rule, putting Libya in a dangerous situation as a sovereign country with no representation.” Although “recognising the interim government is a major step of support to the revolution and the Libyan people”, it does not seem as though it alone would be enough to bring about a resolution within the struggle. Here, indeed, is where the impor-

could not have lasted in a long fight on their own against such a determined enemy, hence the necessity of UN intervention. Now that the UN has entered Libya, the death toll will inevitably rise. However, if they believe in the rebel cause, they will remain to fight at their side until Gadaffi is either brought to international justice, or dead. This, as Munir explained, is the only acceptable solution for the people of Libya. “Right now the Libyan people want Gadaffi brought to justice by all means. The history he has left behind, the thousands of people killed all over Libya, the oppression the people are facing, is unforgivable. The people do not want him exiled as an asylum seeker, they do not want to let him off the hook – they want him judged. If it was left to the Libyan people, he would be trialled and executed.”

News

Wonderful Washington!

Washington DC is a haven for history and museum lovers. Lee Maguire writes on his experiences in this remarkable city, and has advice for those considering a visit to the American capital

I travelled from New York to Washington DC by bus, a journey lasting approximately four hours and costing around $40 return. This journey can also be taken by train or air, but due to my tight budget, I took the humble bus. Unlike heavily populated cities like New York and Los Angeles, Washington has less budget accommodation, so I suggest that you pre-book your lodgings. I opted for and recommend Hostelling International, located on 11th Street and a short distance from the city centre. After checking in, and satisfying my hunger, I made my sightseeing plans for the following day. The following morning I visited Ford’s Theatre, where on April 14th 1865, during a performance of ‘Our American Cousin’, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Among the noteworthy sites is the theatre box that the Presidential party were sitting in on that fateful night, and across the street, one can find the small house where the President died the day after he was shot. As a fan of James Bond, I was determined to visit the Spy Museum, a must-see experience. This building not only illustrates the history of espionage, it also contains various artifacts such as a replica of the Aston Martin used by James Bond in Goldfinger, and various ingenious devices used to monitor suspicious activities. To make your experience even more memorable, I suggest that you take one of the unique guided tours, known as Operation Spy. This involves a secret mission where visitors are required to retrieve an imaginary nuclear warhead which has been captured by terrorists. This proved an exciting experience and was undoubtedly the most unusual guided tours of my life so far. Following the successful completion of my mission, I decided to head for some much needed lunch. Washington is a melting pot for countless cultures, which strengthens cultural diversity, not to mention the local cuisine. I chose Vietnamese food, an affordable and satisfying option which I wish I could choose more often. Realising I had overspent my already meagre allowance, I decided to find a cheap way of occupying my afternoon, and once again was provided with countless options. So many of Washington DC’s attractions are free. The White House may be inaccessible to the public, but nearby is a small museum which illustrates the history of the American President’s resi-

dence. I was surprised to discover that James Hoban, who designed this iconic landmark, was a native of County Kilkenny who also designed Leinster House. Close by is the Lincoln Memorial, upon the steps of which Martin Luther King delivered his “I have a dream” speech in 1963. Surrounding the memorial is a large reflecting pool, a perfect place to walk around at a leisurely pace, or to write the postcards to your jealous friends back home. I returned to my hostel soon afterwards, where I became acquainted with some of my roommates, and we decided to take a hop-onhop-off bus tour the following morning, which escorts visitors around many of the city’s iconic attractions including the Washington Monument, The Library of Congress, The Smithsonian and St Matthew’s Cathedral. The tickets costs around $30 for an adult and allows unlimited usage for two

full days and is much easier than trying to navigate the metro or bus network. Bring your camera on the tour as there is no shortage of photo opportunities. The other advantage of these tours is that you get to know other tourists who may provide you with information that might be difficult to find elsewhere. I needed to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, and headed to Arlington National Cemetery, where countless American heroes are laid to rest, including John F Kennedy and his brothers Robert and Edward. An eternal flame guards over JFK’s grave, which he shares with his beloved wife Jacqueline and his son Patrick, who died shortly after birth in August 1963. Another highlight of this beautiful and serene site is the Tomb of the Unknown, representing unidentified soldiers, and the changing of the guard ceremony which takes

place every hour. The respect these officers show towards the deceased is remarkablem and their performance is rather moving. During the summer months their performance occurs every half hour, and a small museum describes the history of this resting place for so many. The final museum I decided to visit was the Holocaust Museum. This visit had a powerful effect on me, as visitors can see possessions of the murdered Jews including shoes, clothes and jewellery. Visitors can also step into a carriage which escorted millions of victims to the concentration camps in deplorable conditions, and the barbaric treatment they endured is vividly illustrated and described in great detail. Like so much of this city, the museum forces one to reflect on how fortunate we are in this post-war age. Washington is an ideal place for many types of people. For history

lovers like me, the city is extraordinary. If one is looking for a city break off the beaten track, instead of New York or Paris, head to Washington and your wildest dreams will come true. My final piece of advice is to head to all the main sites early, as lengthy queues form quickly, and if you do get caught in these throngs of people, wear comfortable shoes and thick socks.

I look forward to returning to Washington DC some day. Though I saw many sites during the three short days, another three would not have gone amiss. I was unable to visit other iconic attractions such as the Smithsonian, or the Newseum, the latter of which is dedicated to the history of the newspaper. Maybe Washington should be renamed Wishington! Maybe it will someday.

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Editorial Positions Available for 2011/2012 Academic Year The College Tribune is now advertising the position of Editor(s) for Volume 25 of UCD’s only Independent newspaper. Job Description: This is a full time and extremely demanding job which requires the publication of at least ten issues of The College Tribune during the academic year. This involves highly unsociable hours under a pressurised environment. The candidate should have experience in journalism, as well as being a highly motivated individual. External applications outside the current College Tribune staff are encouraged. Responsibilities The College Tribune is a completely independent newspaper and receives no source of regular income. Therefore in addition to and edition of the newspaper every fortnight, the Editor(s) are responsible for sourcing efficient advertising to fund the print run of the publication. The Editor(s) are responsible for the appointment and management of an editorial staff in addition to the recruitment of the new contributors during Freshers’ Week and throughout the year. Wages The Editor(s) will be paid depending on the surplus amount of income raised from advertising for each issue once printing and other costs have been met. Experience As Editor of The College Tribune, you will gain important experience in the world of journalism and the year is an excellent stepping stone for anyone hoping for a professional career in journalism and the media. Previous editors have gone on to have successful careers in carious national media outlets. In addition to this, the experience of running a self sustaining business is important to anyone going forward in a professional career in many different sectors. Applications All interested applicants should submit a detailed proposal to the editor; including their experience and suitability for the job, how they would improve each section of the newspaper and any new ideas or suggestions they have for The College Tribune.

Applications should be handed into our office LG18, lower ground of the arts block or sent to: Colman Hanley, The College Tribune, Box 74, Students’ Centre, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4. Applications should be sent in no later than 5:30:59pm on Friday 22nd of April 2011.

The College Tribune is also advertising the following positions for next year’s editorial staff:

Designer

Arts Editor

News Editor

Eagathóir Gaeilge (Irish Language Editor)

Web Editor

Turbine/Satyr Editor

Music Editor

Sports Editor

Fashion Editor

All applicants for editorial positions should contact the current editor, Mr. Colman Hanley, by emailing editor@collegetribune.ie

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Gaeilge

Newspeak Newstalk?

Deonaigh Dúinn Duáin

Jack Ó Leocháin

Tá Newstalk, an staisiún príobháideach a chraolann nuacht agus cursaí reatha i rith an lae, anois ar an bhfód le hocht mbliana anuas. Le linn an ama sin, in ainneoin iarrachtaí an stáisiúin, tá RTÉ, agus RTÉ Raidió a haon ach go háirithe, fós go mór os cionn an chraoltóra. B’f héidir gur mar f hreagra air sin a thosaigh Newstalk ar f heachtas fógraíochta ó thús na bliana seo. Is léir go raibh aidhm amháin ag an bhfeachtas – damáiste a dhéanamh do chlú RTÉ. ‘Get the news without the state run spin’ a bhí scríofa ar na cláir fógraíochta timpeall na tíre, a bhí ráite ar Newstalk féin, agus a bhí á thaispéaint ar an teilifís. Tá a f hios ag tromlach mór na tíre seo gur leo RTÉ agus iad ag íoc don cheadúnas teilifíse. Tá RTÉ linn ó 1961 agus craoltóir stáit linn ó 1926. Bhris RTÉ scéalta a d’athraigh an stát, a chur déistin orainn agus a thug áthas dúinn. Níl an oidhreacht chéanna ag Newstalk ach chinn siad RTÉ a ionsaí faoi ról an stáit ina mhaoiniú. Newstalk a rinne an t-ionsaí ach leis an rialtas nua, is Newstalk an staisiún atá nasctha go daingean leis an stát. An Satharn roimh an toghchán, labhair George Hook,

thuas, (The Right Hook, 4.30in – 7in, Luan – Aoine ar Newstalk) cósúil le Churchill ar oíche D-Day le slua ó Fhine Gael. Mhol sé na iarrathóirí agus taispeánadh dúinn a chuid oibiachtúileachta. B’aire é Ivan Yeats, a chuireann an seó maidine (Newstalk Breakfast, 6.30rn – 10rn, Luan – Aoine ar Newstalk) i láthair, sa rialtas deireanach ina raibh Fine Gael. Admhaíonn Marc Coleman (Coleman at Large, 10in – 12in, Máirt agus Céadaoin ar Newstalk) a chuid grá do pholasaithe na heite deise agus bhí seisean féin mar bhall de Fhine Gael chomh maith. Ach an f hadhb is mó atá ag Newstalk agus iad ag déanamh ionsaithe ar RTÉ faoin úinéireacht stáit ná a chuid úinéireachta féin. Tá Newstalk mar chuid de impireacht Uí Bhriain – Communicorp. D’f hoilsigh an Breitheamh Moriarty tuairisc a bhinse fiosrúcháin cóicís ó shin anois agus cáineadh O’Brien go mór dá bharr. Ní gnáthghnólachtaí iad na meáin, tá dualgaisí ar leith ag baint leis an obair a dheánann siad agus mar chuid de sin is gá a bheith iomlán macánta. Ar an mbonn sin, an bhfuil sé sláintiúil go bhfuil smacht Today FM, Newstalk, 98FM, Spin agus roinnt eile

timpeall na cruinne, Independent News and Media ina measc, faoi smacht an f hir seo? Bhí sé de cheart ag Newstalk an bhaint idir O’Brien agus an stáisiún a chur in iúl don éisteoir gach uair a luadh Binse Fiosrúcháin Moriarty agus níor tharla seo. Tá Sarah Carey, a d’oibrigh ar son O’Brien agus a d’inis bréaga do dhlíodóirí a bhí ag obair ar a son don Bhinse Fiosrúcháin de réir Thuairisc Moriarty, anois ag craoladh ar Newstalk gach seachtain (Talking Point, 9rn – 10rn, Satharn ar Newstalk). Tá Cúirt na gCearta Daonna i Strasbourg agus cúirt an AE i Lucsamburg den tuairim go bhfuil craoltóirí stáit ar nós RTÉ agus an BBC tábhachtach toisc go gcosnaíonn siad suim an phobail; níl siad faoi bhrú ó shuimeanna príobháideacha. Seo an fáth céanna go bhfuil an Irish Times agus Guardian faoi smacht trusta. Má tá na meáin ag súil le cosaint ón dlí agus tacaíocht an phobail, is gá go mbeadh muinín ag an bpobal astu. Seo a bhí taobh thiar de f heachtas fógraíochta Newstalk. An f hadhb mhór le seo ná go raibh sé de cheart acu a thaispeáint dúinn i gceart ar dtús gur féidir muinín a bheith againn astu.

Eoghan Ó Murchadha

Thóg Clár Úr an Rialtais cuid mhaith cainte is blaiseadh den cháineadh araon, nuair a moladh córas le rogha an diúltaithe in áit chóras le liostáil roghnach do dheonú orgán in Éirinn. Ó gur Seachtain Feasachta na nDeontóirí Orgán atá ann an tseachtain seo is maith an cheist seo a phlé. An rud atá i gceist i láthair na huaire ná go nglactar leis nach dteastaíonn ón duine a c(h)uid orgán a thabhairt uathu, agus fiú sa chás go mbíonn cárta do dheontóirí orgán ag duine is minic a dhiúltaíonn muintir an deontóra, orgáin an duine chéanna a thabhairt uathu. Faoin gcóras molta bhainfí orgáin an duine dá bhféadfaí agus dá mbeidís in araíocht ach amháin dá mbeadh ráite ag an duine roimh réidh nár theastaigh uathu a mbaill bheatha nó a n-orgáin a dheonú. Is fusa súilín a chaitheamh air seo agus a cheapadh gur dearud a bheadh ann ach cuireann comhphobal an trasphlandaithe in Éirinn d’f hainic orainn nach bhfeabhsaíonn córas le rogha an diúltaithe an líon orgán a thrasphlandáiltear go mór. Molann Líonra Duán na hÉireann agus Cumann Duán na hÉireann daoine a f hostú le comhordú a dhéanamh ar iarrachtaí orgáin a dheonú. Go deimhin tá oifig náisiúnta ar na bacáin ag Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte, oifig le hiarrachtaí daoine a mhealladh orgáin a dheonú a d’imreodh tionchar ar na hospidéil i mbealach níos dírithe. Ainneoin seo tá buairt léirithe ag na grúpaí seo agus eile nach bhfuil a ndóthain béime á gcur ar chur chun cinn an deonaithe go ginearálta. Tá breis is 650 duine ar liosta feithimh in Éirinn, ag fanacht le horgáin ar nos an chroí, na scamhóg, an ae, na nduán agus an phaincréis. Tá buairt ar bhaill

de phobal an trasphlandaithe gur ar dhochtúirí an lucht, dochtúirí atá anois róghnóthach le cúraimí eile agus nach gcaitheann am mar is cuí ag moladh an deonaithe do mhuintir na marbh. Is é an Spáinn an tír is mó a dheonaíonn orgáin is tá córas le rogha an diúltaithe acu thall. Déantar cáineadh ar an gcóras mar atá ann áfach is tugtar le fios gur de bharr gur caitheadh airgead ar chúrsaí fógraíochta a d’éirigh leo. Deirtear chomh maith go n-íslítear líon na mbeo-dheontóirí i gcóras ina nglactar leis go bhfuil fonn ar dhuine a chuid orgán a dheonú. Luadh chomh maith go mbeadh sé éifeachtúil ó thaobh costais de comhordaitheoirí don deonú orgán a f hostú de bharr go bhfuil

costas an-ard ag baint le cúram scagdhealaithe leanúnaigh. Tá an chuid is mó de dhaoine ar haemascagdhealú a chosnaíonn suas le €80,000 in aghaidh an duine sa bhliain. Táthar ann a deireadh gur cóir gach orgán is gá a thógáil, más olc maith leis an duine féin é, mar nach gcuirfeadh sé isteach nó amach orthu ag an staid sin. Deirtear chomh maith go mbaineann geis leis an mbás inár sochaí iartharach agus gur seo an fáth a mbíonn drogall ar an mórlach deonú. An rud is measa faoin tslí a bhásaíonn daoine ceal orgán ná go bhfuil réiteach shaoráideach ann. Níl ort ach cárta a choinneáil leat agus é a mholadh do dhaoine eile. Smaoinmis air.

Staidreamh • 1989 - 105 aistriú duán • 2010 - 98 aistriú duán (cé go bhfuil milliún níos mó duine sa tír) • Bhí scagdhealú ar bun ar 178 duine sa bhliain 1989 (tá deich n-oiread an méid sin air anois) • Fuair 51 duine níos lú aistriú duán sa bhliain 2010 i gcomparáid le 2009 • An meán-líon croí a aistríodh ón mbliain 2000 go dtí 2009 ná 11 (thit an líon seo go 3 cinn anuraidh) • Os a choinne sin, tháinig méadú ar líon na ndaoine a bheartaigh beo-dheonú a dhéanamh go 23 (ardú ón 18 a rinne sa bhliain 2009) Conas deonú Is féidir cárta do dheontóirí orgáin a fháil saor in aisce ag poitigéirí, lialanna dochtúirí teaghlaigh agus ag oifigí de chuid Faisnéis do Shaoránaigh nó téacs leis an bhfocal DONOR a chur go 50050. Gluais Scagdhealú an fhuil a ghlanadh trí fhuíolltáirgí a bhaint aisti beo-dheonú orgáin (nó cuid de cheann) a dheonú agus tú beo, an duán is mó a bhíonn i gceist in araíocht oiriúnach trasphlandú aistriú orgán ó dhuine go duine geis cosc nó ceangal sóisialta baill bheatha orgáin na colainne www.collegetribune.ie | 13

Features

Apathy, A≥uence & Administration

Eoghan Ó Braonáin

A friend asked me recently whether I would recommend UCD to Leaving Cert students – I had to think about it. With our new Students Union sabbatical team just elected I have reassessed my answer. I have spent four years of my life in UCD, nine semesters. That’s more than most, and then again, nowhere nearly as long as some. While I can easily say that I wouldn’t be the person I am today had I not come to UCD, it is very difficult to come through the UCD system and not be critical and or even disappointed. I challenge our incoming Students’ Union to move away from the tradition of tokenism and compromise that has shadowed their performance in recent years, and instead make a real difference. If you were to look up the word “mediocre” in the dictionary, you should find a picture of the UCD logo. Correction, you would find a picture of the ‘UCD Dublin’ logo. Nothing in this industrial estate that we call a University can be described as excellent. That said, on a whole, nothing is very bad. Everything just seems to be adequate, passable. We’re not the best educational institute in the country, but not by any means the worst. And nobody, particularly ourselves, the students, seem to be too worried about it. Administratively UCD Dublin is a mess. Fundamentally, the entire University is set up for ease of administrative management, rather than the educational needs of the student. This focus on the top down administrative end of UCD Dublin (there are for instance now just as many people working in admin as there are in teaching staff ) has created a divide between the student and the university, which has resulted in a reduced quality of education. And let us remember why it is that we are here. Due to the continued reduction in funding from the Government, and the fact that UCD Dublin is millions of euro in debt, the University found itself in the position last year where it needed to seriously cut costs. When push came to shove, it wasn’t the UCD administration that felt the brunt of these cuts, but instead it was the teaching staff and the students. Over the last two years, class time across the University have been cut by one third and there has

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been a large cull in the number of teaching staff. This means that someone who takes first year Cross Cultural Management as a part of his or her Commerce degree, will now have a two hour lecture once week instead of a three hour lecture like I did. This doesn’t seem like much, who doesn’t want an extra hour in bed? But over the course of your degree, it adds up. For example, a First Year Commerce Student who started in 2010 can expect to receive 582 less lecture hours over the course of his or her degree than someone who started in 2006. This stretches right across the University. In UCD Smurfit Graduate School of Business, (notably not called UCD Dublin Smurfit School of Business) which is consistently ranked in the world top 50 Business Schools, and where a Masters in Management will cost you €11,900, class times too have been cut by ⅓. But that is not all, as modules which were previously 7.5 credits are now 10 credits. So rather than take four modules a semester, students take three with no noticeable extra depth or additional material to the module. As one well known Smurfit lecturer told me, “I’m teaching the exact same module with the exact same slides, it’s just that now it’s ten credits”…Welcome to the knowledge economy. Where was the Students’ Union when all this was happening? Where were my democratically elected representatives when these decisions were being made? Were they even informed? There was no press release from UCD SU Education officer condemning the cuts. It seems that when the big decisions are being made, just like when Health Centre Charge of €20 was introduced, our Students’ Union are not around. For more than five years, we, the Students of UCD Dublin, have been paying for an extension to our student centre. It now turns out that despite paying for our new student centre, it will be run by a University Committee who having overseen the kit out, will continue to manage the facilities. It turns out the new pool will be rented out to local clubs and students will only have limited use – Why are we not fighting this? Why have our past and present SU President’s, people who are elected and paid by us to look after

our interests, not done anything about this? Where was the mass rally, where was the sit-in at Hugh Brady’s office? When was the last time you heard of anyone in our SU get angry? On October 19th last, The University Observer ran a story about the University Budget which began with: “Despite Lynam’s reservations with the budgetary plans, his requests for changes to be made were ignored and the university elected to approve the proposals without his consent.” Why is it that when Batt O’Keeffe threatened us with fee’s, education was a right, but when the University budget is cut and that quality of that rightful educational is being challenged we don’t even sneeze. Our Students’ Union, in my opinion, is wasteful. They are wasting your money. Every week our Union buys several batches of posters at a price of around €350. It is possible to buy the same patch of posters online at a cost of €90. The University Observer has a Budget of 50,000, when you take away wages of €500 a week per person (everyone deserves to be paid a fair wage – lets not deny them that), your left with a balance of €32,000 for printing and sundry. To be fair to the Observer, they don’t spend it all but are printing about twice that of The College Tribune. When I asked a former SU President why the costs of both posters and The University Observer were so much higher than needs be, he replied that it was all down to the “quality of the paper.” It better be some real nice paper. I don’t blame our SU Officers one bit though. They are all nice guys who have given up a year of their lives to serve the student body and work hard. Having spent two years of my life managing Belfield FM, I know how hard it is to get anything real completed or changed in this industrial estate/University. I don’t blame the guys in our SU. No I blame you. The biggest problem with UCD Dublin is not the not the University, which is crippled by a lack of funds and managed by the kind of people who placed signs at every exist of the grounds which read ‘Fáilte’ instead of ‘Slán.’ Nor is it our tokenistic Students’ Union, who have been the embodiment

of “Meh,” void of any real power within this institution. No the biggest problem with UCD Dublin is you, UCD Dublin Students don’t care. Nobody in Ireland really picks their University because of their world rankings; they pick their course because of the CAO points. Irish employers don’t care about the difference between commerce in Cork and in our green house that is the Quinn School of Business. When education is free, students aren’t going to care all that much if their classes are cut by a third. I’ve asked this question to a least 300 people over the course of this year. Why are UCD Dublin Students so apathetic? And unfortunately the response I got from 70% of people was “why would they when you can get a six pack of beer and a naggin of vodka for €12 in Tesco.” Despite the recent economic downturn, students have pretty

much come out unscathed. We have no real debt. For those doing Science, Engineering, Computers, Business and more, there are ample amount of graduate jobs in Ireland, if not abroad, and if a job can’t be found, €198 a week on the dole isn’t too bad when your living at home. No, the reduction in services and the disempowerment of student government isn’t worth worrying about when you’ve got money in your pocket. 40% of all UCD Dublin Students have come from a private school and nearly 70% private school kids in the state attend UCD Dublin. Now I’m not antiprivate schools, many of them are quality educational institutions, but it is well documented that they breed conservatism and conformity. They will never mass-produce the kind of people, who we as a student body need, to stand up and fight. Affluence creates a tendency to compromise, a habit of playing

the game from within the system because to do otherwise would be to declare you a very square peg in an industrial estate full of round holes. As a union we are approximately 25,000 strong. I challenge you to stop complaining about it and do something. If you don’t like your surroundings, alter it. If in the course of doing so rules get in your way, then break them. Change never comes without action. And it’s not often that people listen to silence.

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Eoghan Ó Braonáin is a current Masters of International Business Student in UCD, and was awarded the UCD Presidents Award in 2010 for his two-term management of Belfield FM

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Editorial Míle Buíochas: Thanks to Niamh Hanley and Donie O’Sullivan for giving up their time AGAIN over the weekend. Thanks to Michael Phoenix, Timothy Potenz, Sinéad Williams, Amy Walsh and Danny Lambert for contributing to some fine election coverage both in print and online, especially during a very busy time in the year. Thanks to mark O’Connor for being accommodating, and last but not least, thanks to the usuals, who ensure this paper gets printed. Lorraine Foy, Ryan Cullen, Philip Connolly, James Grannell, Amanda Barton, Aonghus McGarry, Ciarán Leinster, Joseph Conroy, Datascope Printing Ltd, MCD, and anyone else that I always forget to mention.

Contributors List: Conor McKenna, Conall Devlin, Patrick Fleming, Greg Acton, Michael Phoenix, Ciara Murphy, Timothy Potenz, Matthew Costello, Sinéad Williams, Lee Maguire, Dan Daly, Eoghan Ó Braonáin, Jack Ó Leocháin, Daniel Nolan, Graham Luby, Ciarán Leinster, Ryan Cullen, Aonghus McGarry, Joseph Conroy, Donie O’Sullivan, Aoifa Smyth, Kellie Nwaokorie, Cathal O’Gara, Kieran Murphy, Kate Brady, Alex Fingleton, Danny Lambert.

UCD student shows us there are more important things going on in the world Having heard the story of one UCD student about what is going on in his home country of Libya, we should all realise how lucky we are to be in society where we have the freedom to express our views, and be in fear of doing. I commend Mr. Munir Al-Akari for co-operating with The College Tribune in telling his story, not only to our staff, but to the students of UCD. (See page 10)

Correction The College Tribune would like to correct an error which was printed in issue ten, volume 24, on the 22nd of March 2011. In the article titled “Gilhooly Elimation Against SU Constitution,” the article said, “The fallout of the elimination has led to the resignation of Ms. Gilhooly as Chair of Council...” The College Tribune would like to apologise to Ms. Áine Gilhooly for this error and any inconvenience it may have caused.

UCD Ball Fiasco Destroys Feel Good Factor

Editor:

Colman Hanley collegetribune@gmail.com

Designer:

However the cancellation of the 2011 UCD Ball came about, no one gains anything out of this disaster. Whether UCD Students’ Union could have taken any more precautions to ensure the event was 100% going ahead, or whether UCD authorities could have been more accommodating in giving the go-ahead remains to be seen and is something which is not worth speculating about.

Emmet Farrell emmet.tribune@gmail.com

What is worth talking about though is what can be done, NOW.

Deputy News Editor:

Students have been robbed of a traditional annual celebration - I really do pity any first year who potentially will not be able to experience this until the end of their second year in UCD. If you first years enjoyed the first day of term back in September (Black Monday), you would be in your element at the The UCD Ball. Crucially, and what is under-estimated by many, the end of year event has the ability to rid students of the symptoms of ‘essay/assignment-itis’ which is UCD’s most widespread illness at this time of the year, plaguing many. For the remainder of your time in UCD, the stories of what happened at the UCD Ball creates a bond with you and your friends, and your friends’ friends, etc. Whether you are squeezing through the barriers to get free entry to the event in first year (UCD Ball 08), getting soaked in the rain while crowd surfing to Iglu and Hartly (UCD Ball 09), or just simply enjoying the Sahara-like weather and music on the Roebuck soccer pitches (UCD Ball ‘10), these are memories which I know will stay with me for life. Thousands of other UCD students have their own. For one whole day, UCD turns into a mini-oxegen site, a Glastonbury, an Electric Picnic, etc. For that day, you do not see the big concrete buildings dominating the scenery of UCD. No, instead you see thousands of students enjoying themselves and having a good time. Whether it is in vain or not remains to be seen, but the SU’s ‘Save our Ball’ campaign is a step towards rectifying a hugely embarrassing PR situation for the SU. The embarrassment was something that no one could have predicted last Friday evening, after the conclusion of one of the most high profile SU elections to have taken place in years. In some cases, the election actually brought about a debate on key student issues and did not completely descend into the popularity contests of the past where candidates were elected in popularity contests. All candidates should be commended and congratulated for this. Leaving campus on Friday, students had democratically elected five candidates to represent them next year and may have felt that their future representation looked positive for the year ahead. However once news that both the SU and UCD authorities had joined forces in a combined effort to drop the Ball (pun intended), and worst of all, succeed, any feel good factor would have soon vanished. A distant memory.

News Editor:

Donie O'Sullivan news.collegetribune@gmail.com

Amy Walsh

Sports Editor:

Mark Hobbs sport.collegetribune@gmail.com

Co-Music Editors: Joseph Conroy Ciarán Leinster & Aonghus McGarry tribmusic@gmail.com

Fashion Editor:

Aoifa Smyth tribune.health.fashion@gmail.com

Photography Editor: Dáire Brennan

Turbine Editor: Ryan Cullen

Eagarthóir Gaeilge: Eoghan O’ Murchadha

Copy Editor: Niamh Hanley

Cartoonist: Dan Daly

Having held the title of ‘Europe’s Biggest Private Party,’ UCD had an event which genuinely got students excited and was easily the best supported Students’ Union activity of the year. The manifesto’s of recent Ents election candidates mainly revolved around the UCD Ball, a UCD Ball which would actually take place. One wonders at times whether more professional staff are needed within our student representation to highlight key issues which are perhaps not given enough though and consideration. Whether this last minute rushed campaign will be enough succeeds or not, a review has to be undertaken to ensure messes like these do not occur again as students have been let down and feel let down. Otherwise, go out and sign a petition and hope for the best. The SU is now in a position of really having to deliver for students. This week, The College Tribune also highlighted (again) a serious breech of the SU Constitution (see page five). Greater respect for the Constitution must be shown as it supposed to outline how the Students’ Union (lest we not forget, which is funded by YOU, the students) should operate. A Constitution is put together for a reason, people should not forget that. Actions such as these, and the UCD Ball cancellation, lead people to have a lack of faith in our representatives. Students, more than ever, now need reason to put their faith and trust in their Union.

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It’s Satire Stupid! Inside Due to the SU having no testicles, we are now ball-less Anal Retentive man sucks up all his furniture Black Beauty: A dark horse for Aintree Dublin Junkie appeal set to supply million pounds’ of hard drugs to needy Attenborough to release ‘Carlow natives’ boxset Joan Burton to star in ‘The hobbit’ Loose women accused of lesbian propaganda

UCD Ball Cancelled UCD Student’s Union regrets to announce that the UCD Ball due to take place on April 21st 2011 has been cancelled as a result of a failure by UCD authorities to honour agreements made with the Union. This reporter is coughing suggestively. A spokesperson for the Union said “We have been left with no choice but to announce that the UCD Ball will not take place after University have literally threatened to steal the roads, making it inhumanly possible for students to make it across the vast unknown landscape of UCD towards the venue, which nobody could possibly get too, because there are no roads’. The UCD Authorities claim that the members of the Student Union are “ just plain useless” and are placing the blame on them for being an incompetent shower of bastards. What seems like a desperate ‘put the blame on the others’ scenario, one can only fathom the student reaction in the coming days, with the SU still sticking to their alibi. “Authorities are storing the roads in the O’ Reilly Hall, how can we have a ball when no-one can walk on solid ground. It would be like Darfur,” claimed Scotty Ahern. An inside report has claimed that the SU had blown the money over 300,000 on food and party poppers. On what seems like an extravagant Facebook socialising stunt, over 3,000 people are set to attend their own ‘Alternative UCD Ball’ on the grounds where the original gig was set to be held with free music, free drink and a ‘flog an SU Sabbat’ taking place. Forthcoming SU President Pat de Brún has no worries over the Alternative ball claiming “I’m confident it won’t happen, sure how could they make it there. There won’t be any roads”.

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SU Deny Existence of Liquid The Student body of UCD was shaken to it’s very core this Tuesday lunchtime with a surprising, but not unexpected, announcement by outgoing SU President Paul Lynam. Lynam, in a press release on behalf of the student body, issued a statement both

denying the existence of liquid and also revealing the Union had passed measures ensuring all bodies associated with the SU must adhere to this new legislation. Many Students have openly questioned this outlook and have distanced themselves from this incredible statement. But the SU insist they have ‘solid’ evidence to back up the new legislation. Despite the protests of many students, including FLEE (free liquid and education for everyone), the SU lead by the Lynam-

Grays policies, the dogs bollocks

Aherne axis went ahead and burnt all liquid related literature, in the place where the lake used to be. It is believed that the fire contained books from both the James Joyce library and the Richmond Building, for people who like playing with lego. The irony of the whole situation (i.e. Paul Lynam looking like the water tower) has not been lost on this reporter or indeed our sister satire publication ‘The College Tribune’. Given The College Turbine’s independence from the

Students’ Union, we can of course remain sceptical about this controversial step in SU policy. Although when put together with the Union’s ban on Coca Cola products, it’s almost impossible to say that we didn’t see this coming. This extraordinairy chain of events are likely to have no bearing whatsoever on the outgoing President’s Seanad election campaign, despite liquid being widely recognised by both houses of the Oireachtas.

The College Tribune April 6th 2011 www.collegetribune.ie

Cream Set to Rise to the Top

With the first legs of the Champions League taking place this week, Conall Devlin examines who is in the best shape to advance to the semi-finals

8 teams remain. Here are my thoughts on the quarter final ties as the race to Wembley Stadium continues:

Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur

This tie pits the old dog against the young pretenders. Real, as always, are desperate for European success under José Mourinho while Tottenham have fearlessly embarked on a European venture and are in no mood to let it be halted. Real will be without the hugely influential Cristiano Ronaldo and also Karim Benzema and Marcelo for the first leg while Gareth Bale and Ledley King could be making possible dramatic returns from injury for Spurs. Even without Ronaldo, Madrid still have quality in the form of Mezut Ozil, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria to name a few. For this reason I see their heavily invested set of stars being too much for Spurs to handle. Peter Crouch can cause problems in the air and a fit Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon can trouble the Spaniards’ full backs on the counter attack. However I feel that if Tottenham have to chase a deficit in the second leg in White Hart Lane, Real are too potent an attacking threat not to get an away goal.

Verdict - Real Madrid

Barcelona v Shaktar Donetsk

FC Shakhtar Donetsk could hardly have chosen a more daunting venue for their first UEFA Champions League quarter-final than the Camp Nou, home of three-time winners FC Barcelona. Barcelona have won 10 of their 12 European Champion Clubs’ Cup quarter-finals yet Shakhtar should arrive for this first leg with some confidence having won 3-2 in the Catalan capital in December 2008. I expect the Spanish and Ukrainian champions respectively to serve up an entertaining and free flowing contest. Shaktar are unlikely to sit back as it is not their style of play as their high scoring last round tie with AS Roma proved. They have nothing to lose and I expect them to get an away goal in Camp Nou, however the irresistible play of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi should prove too much to handle over two legs.

Verdict Barcelona

uperleague

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Greg Acton

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The most prestigious competition in European club football reaches the eagerly anticipated quarter final stage this week. From as far back as June 2010, 76 teams in all have been vying for glory through the qualifying stage. And oh how the mighty have fallen - even Ireland’s own Bohemians met their match last July against Welsh outfit The New Saints (a football club which sounds undoubtedly more like a pop band), going down 4-1 on aggregate. Tottenham Hotspur was the story of the group stage; topping Group A after two hugely entertaining games against defending champions Inter Milan in October and November. Welsh winger Gareth Bale announced himself on the world stage turning in stunning performances. He almost single handily turned around a 4-0 deficit in the second half of their first encounter at the San Siro, before inspiring a famous 3-1 win at White Hart Lane a week later. Inter’s world class Brazilian right back Maicon was never made to look so ordinary and not for the first time, the English press were provoked to exclaim “If only he was English…” about a left footed Welsh wizard. Next, the round of 16 paired together, for the second year in a row, arguably Europe’s best two passing teams on their day, Arsenal and Barcelona. Despite an improbable and inspiring 2-1 victory in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, a congested fixture list and increasingly despondent situation on the injury front meant that by the time the second leg came around the North London side had to go into battle with captain Cesc Fabregas evidently unfit and talisman Robin Van Persie also lacking match sharpness. In any case, Barca outgunned Arsenal in a 3-1 victory.

Sport

Chelsea v Manchester United

The glamour ties of the round, these English powerhouses are renewing their rivalry on the European front for the first time since the 2008 final. The tremendous Brazilian centre back David Luiz is cup tied for Chelsea, so it is likely that Bratislav Ivanovic will deputise. Traditionally Fernando Torres has given Nemanja Vidic a torrid time, however the tried and trusting attacking line up of Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda is likely to be the one that Carlo Ancelotti will go with in a 4-3-3 formation. For the Red Devils Rio Ferdinand is doubtful so Chris Smalling looks set to partner Nemanja Vidic once more in central defence. Javier Hernandez’s pace and movement could prove to be vital against a rigid Chelsea defence and so I think he will play as a lone striker with Wayne Rooney in the hole behind ‘Chicharito’. Meanwhile Sir Alex Ferguson must choose between Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Park Ji Sung in central midfield. The tie is on a knife edge, however Chelsea demonstrated in a recent 2-1 victory over United in the Premier League that they can match up well against the Red Devils despite a poor season. If Chelsea can keep a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge in the first leg I believe they are capable of an indispensable away goal at Old Trafford which could see them through.

Verdict - Chelsea

Inter Milan v Schalke

Both teams come into this tie amidst a poor season on the domestic front. The Nerazzuri are five points behind AC Milan at the top of Serie A with just seven games to go, while Schalke lie in lowly 10th in the Bundesliga with no hopes of making it into Europe next season. Inter as ever will rely heavily on Samuel Eto’o as a goal scoring threat, while playmaker Wesley Sneijder will be expected to provide creativity. Schalke are likely to play a 4-4-2 formation with ex-Real Madrid legend Raul the spearhead of their attacking threat, in absence of Klass-Jan Huntelaar. I will put my neck out and predict an upset. I expect Schalke to play without fear in the San Siro as they did against Valencia in the round of 16 and if they can stifle Eto’o it is difficult to see where the goals will come from with Diego Milito unfit.

Verdict - Schalke

Forget the Champions League. Forget Man United v Chelsea. Forget Tottenham v Real Madrid. The draw for Round 1 of the Bank of Ireland cup gave us the tie we all wanted to see. Bean FC v Just Jeff. This game was always going to be a cracker. Premier Saturday’s Bean are the only unbeaten team in the entire Superleague, whilst Just Jeff are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier Sunday. The clash happened under lights on the Rugby Astro and unquestionably lived up to the hype. Conor Foley put Bean ahead on 20 minutes with a good piece of control and a neat finish. The Beans should have doubled their lead moments later, but their failure to do so allowed Just Jeff to break and John O’Hara grabbed the equaliser. Bean had the chance to restore their lead from a corner shortly before half time but Paul Geraghty inevitably missed a sitter. However, Bean were eventually rewarded for their consistent pressure 12 minutes into the second half. A ball from a corner seemed to deflect off everybody before finding the back of the net. All 11 Bean players claimed the last touch, but in the end, referee Sean O’Connor marked it down as a Just Jeff own goal. It should have been 3-1 soon after but Paul Geraghty put his header wide from three yards out. In the last 20 minutes, Just Jeff started to come back into the game and with just 7 minutes remaining a sweet strike on the half volley flew past the Bean ‘keeper (known as ‘Globe’ due to the size and shape of his head), and it was 2-2. In the 85th minute, a Bean free kick managed to miss everyone in a crowded penalty area and was only a whisker away of dashing Just Jeff’s cup dreams. The game now looked certain to be heading to extra time, but an 89th minute piece of magic from the Bean strikers made sure everyone made it home on time. A beautiful back-heel found Brian ‘BC’ Clarke who calmly put the tie to bed. With Just Jeff now playing with 11 forwards, Bean even managed to rub a little salt into the wound and snatch a fourth. A long ball was met by Conor Foley on the halfvolley and soared over the ‘keeper and Bean fans all over the planet started their celebrations. What a game, and a what an advertisement for the UCD Superleague! Congratulations to the impressive Bean FC who at times showed tekkers so unbelievable, that they really have no place in the battle of the hangovers otherwise known as the Superleague. Commiserations to Just Jeff, who despite an immense performance perhaps now regrets his decision to play on his own.

www.collegetribune.ie | 17

Sports

Come The Power and The Glory

Ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign, Patrick Fleming met the man who hopes to answer Ireland’s call, Irish manager Declan Kidney

In an era when bloated egos dominate the back pages of our newspapers, and the post match interview serves as a soap box for the irrational tirades of disturbed, gum-chewing Scots, it can be easy to lose sight of what truly captivates the average sports fan. It is no doubt that we love our sporting heroes, and have an even greater romance with the villains, but there is one man who defies this dynamic. Declan Kidney, in his role as Irish rugby’s head coach, has overseen one of the greatest achievements in the recent history of Irish sports in winning the Grand Slam in 2009, but has also garnered criticism since then for the inconsistency of the side. Yet the same sage expression and measured demeanour seems to prevail, regardless of the compliments or controversies which come his way. Speaking with Declan Kidney ahead of his appearance before the Law Society last Tuesday, it is immediately clear that there is no pretension about the man. Even the green and white diagonally striped tie he wears is just the _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I wouldn’t be on for putting pressure on a player by just naming one guy at this moment, but the AIL is a huge breeding ground for players to go through into the provincial scene, and from there on they’ll go into the international scene. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

subtlest of reminders of the man’s position at the helm of Irish rugby. Indeed, while he himself is the picture of modesty, he is by no means a soft touch. He understands that the business he works in is one that is rigorously scrutinized. “The nature of [the] international [game] is that it’s just more in the public eye. It takes up more column inches in the press and so there’s going to be more opinions around it.” There is a definite sense that Kidney has a mutual understanding with the press. The pundits and analysts can do their job while he’ll do his, and the less the two interfere, the better he can work. For example, his response of “I’m not sure you’d say that,” when I ask him if the win against England could prove important for the confidence of the squad, has become somewhat of a trademark of his. Ever the pragmatist, his view is much more centred on the day

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by day consequences of his work. “It’s good to win any match and these international teams are always a work in progress. When you win a game it helps to get guys to look forward to the next training session and I’m sure that’s one of the things we’ll get from the win.” It doesn’t exactly make for great narratives or compelling storylines, but Kidney’s method is one that is centred on logic and reason more so than the tactics of speculation. Indeed, he speaks about the differences between international coaching and the coaching he’s done at other levels in a way that only the former maths teacher could: raw figures. “When you’re coaching at provincial level you’ll be playing thirty odd games a season, whereas at international level this season we have only nine matches, so there’s more planning that needs to go into it, and you need to be more concise with the information you have.” Although he stops just short of calculating the exact difference in probability of success between the levels, there is sense of the mathematical and logical emphasis that he puts on his work. Even his response to the current AIL season and UCD’s unbeaten run is straightforward, and avoids any of the obvious superlatives. For Declan, there’s nothing mysterious or magical about success at any level, asserting: “It doesn’t surprise me that they are where they are.” As to whether he sees the next Brian O’Driscoll or Gordon D’Arcy breaking through from UCD, he once again demonstrates his commonsensical attitude, stipulating: “I wouldn’t be on for putting pressure on a player by just naming one guy at this moment, but the AIL is a huge breeding ground for players to go through into the provincial scene, and from there on they’ll go into the international scene.” It might be easy to easy to write off Declan Kidney as non-committal or ambiguous by the way he speaks about his job, but this is perhaps driven by a desire to let the results on the field speak for themselves. An example of this desire was after the loss to New Zealand last autumn, when, in spite of the overwhelming good feeling which came from the spirited performance of the Irish side, Declan Kidney maintained that it wasn’t simply good enough to play well if you weren’t going to win the match. It’s an attitude which Kidney holds

as we draw nearer to the seventh iteration of rugby’s World Cup in New Zealand later this year. The overwhelming view in the lead up has been that the southern hemisphere nations, in particular New Zealand, have the upper hand, but Kidney notes that “it’s only going to take one match to unsettle that.” The emphasis for Kidney is on making sure that his team can find the level of performance and consistency necessary to achieve this. “I wouldn’t think there’s an inferiority complex. There’s just a huge willingness to get it right.” That willingness to get it right is something which has defined his coaching career to date and has always been based on a measured aggression. His words may be fairly inconspicuous, but in his actions he has never been afraid to dance with controversy, although never without reason. His decision to pair up Peter Stringer and Ronan O’Gara at Munster was not immediately popular, but it has since proved to be one of the most fruitful pairings in world rugby. Similarly, in recent years, his ability to tackle the divisions within the Irish team was instrumental in setting the team on the way to Grand Slam success. But Kidney is not one to show off his achievements or quarrel over the failures. When things don’t go his way, as has happened in recent times, he has not been one to make excuses. He is a rare specimen in the sporting world for sure and one which is a definite breath of fresh air.

Sports

What Time Is It? It’s Game Time!

Conor McKenna examines the strengths of the UCD American Football team ahead of this Sunday’s clash with the Dublin Dragons

UCD American Football are looking for their first win of the season this weekend in a highly anticipated match against the Dublin Dragons on Sunday. Coach Collins will be looking to improve on last year’s 2-6 record in the Irish American Football League (IAFL). Having lost three consecutive games however, UCD have everything to prove this weekend. UCD have struggled with injuries from the start of the season with a number of rookie wide receivers dropping out early. Team captain and running back, Dave Murphy, suffered a minor head injury before the season opener against Trinity Football. Quarterback Colin O’Meara put together an excellent starting drive against the Belfast Trojans, but injured his hand forcing him out of the game. Coach Collins insists that the team “needs to focus on the basics and stick to the game-plan and give 100%.” UCD will need to hone in on certain key areas in order to achieve victory this weekend: especially their offensive line which has faced major problems due to

both limited players and injuries. A strong offensive line will be critical to allow O’Meara a chance to get the passing game moving, and indeed, to give Murphy room to run. Special teams are another important aspect that UCD have been working on since a kickoff recovery gave Trinity Football a 20-16 victory over the Students in the first game of the season. Under the coaching of Eoin Cunningham, UCD’s Defensive Coordinator, the side’s defence has been, perhaps, their best asset. A large number of penalties have been called against UCD possibly showing a lack of discipline however when the game footage is reviewed, it is clear there have been a number of poor calls on behalf of the referees. Given O’Meara’s throwing ability, it will be the wide receivers who will doubtless be expecting touchdowns this weekend. Rookies; Dave Bennett, Conor Redmond and Steve Smith have all earned their place on the team with three great performances. Veteran receiver Shane Kenny and

running back Dave Murphy can be expected to help put together big plays on Sunday. Defensively; linebacker Nick Hall will be looking to dominate the Dragon’s game aided by Vitaly Levdonski and others. Dylan Carrig, Chris Scollard and Dillon O’Kane will hope to make big hits over the course of the game while spectators can expect Ciaran O’Connell and Colin Harper to make a big impact both in terms of tackles and interceptions. UCD American Football are a young team, a large proportion of the team are rookies, while only a handful of veterans stayed on from last year. Despite this though, UCD manage to perform admirably against other teams in the IAFL. The 56-6 loss to the UL Vikings, a team which made it to the Shamrock Bowl last year, indicates the team have a long way to go to perform at that level, however it marked an improvement on last year’s shutouts.Dragons lost their first game 14-59 to Trinity Football and went 0-8 last year, which included two losses to UCD. They

will be looking to win in Belfield this Sunday to regain some confidence in their playing ability. If UCD want to win this week, it will depend as much on their resolve as their ability on the field: “Big blocks, hit hard or go home

type of mentality” insists Coach Collins. With new recruits on the o-line and improving performances, the battle hardened UCD American Football look ready to take on the Dragons and secure their first victory of the season.

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UCD host the Dublin Dragons in Belfield at 2pm on Sunday, April 10th 2011.

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UCD on the Cusp of Greatness

With just one game remaining in the season, Colman Hanley discusses how UCD’s senior rugby side are just one game away from winning a historic double and 100% winning season

Following another win in the Ulster Bank AIL Division Two League at the weekend, this time seeing off Belfast side Malone RFC by 61-17, UCD are just 80 minutes away from greatness. Despite having gone through their season by winning every game, UCD have still not wrapped the title, due to the fantastic form of Ballynahinch from County Down who lie just two points off the Students. However standing between UCD and destiny, naturally of course, are the side’s greatest rivals; Dublin University. The colours clash between the two is always the one fixture that players, coaches and fans alike always look forward to, but this year, there is no doubt that it is a fixture which has a lot more importance than just simply ‘UCD vs Trinity’. Talking to The College Tribune two weeks ago, UCD captain, Andy Cummiskey, admitted that their rivals would no doubt be keen to spoil UCD’s ambitions, commenting, “They will be equally as up for the game as we will be.” The task and permutations for UCD is simple following their

bonus point victory last weekend over Malone. Any win whatsoever, and UCD claim both colours bragging rights and the Ulster Bank AIL Divison Two crown. Draw or lose to Dublin University, and they are dependent on Ballynahinch not defeating Old Wesley, a side currently in twelfth place in the table, at home. With promotion to Division 1B next year secured, it has been a hugely successful season for UCD. The challenge of playing against teams of a higher standard will stand in good stead to the young players coming through the ranks. However to fall at the final hurdle and not write their names in UCD RFC history, would be cruel on a side which has played such an attractive brand of rugby all year. For Director of Rugby, John McClean, a man who is standing down at the end of the season following fourteen years of fantastic service to UCD rugby, these successful times are nice to see, but he was keen to stress the group effort of everyone at UCD RFC. “There’s always good days and you can’t arrange these things.”

When asked about what the potential success would mean to him personally, McClean still emphasised the achievement it would be for the collective, not for him personally. “I’ll be happy if we play well and win the game. It’s not about me you know, it’s about the lads.” McClean’s modest and wise words further show the success that UCD have achieved this year, with the U21’s reaching the final of the Frazer McMullen trophy against Lansdowne this Saturday at 2:30pm, while the J1’s play in the semi-final of the Newstalk Metropolitan Cup against Garda on Sunday (details to be confirmed, information available from UCD rugby). For the UCD’s seniors however, Saturday 16th of April is their day of destiny, and with luck, it’ll be the boys in blue cracking open the champagne.

Matt Nagle lifts the trophy in UCD's colours win last year, UCD hope to repeat this feat next week. Picture: Brian Lawless/SPORTSFILE

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Dublin University versus UCD takes place on Saturday 16th of April at 2:30pm in College Park. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Sport

The College Tribune April 6th 2011 www.collegetribune.ie

Soccer ››

Rugby ››

Declan Kidney

Champions League Hots Up

Interview page 18

Q-Finals Preview page 19

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Lilywhite’s too much for College

Ryan Cullen

Mixed Fortunes for UCD in Intervarsities

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Colman Hanley

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UCD were denied a double in the Basketball Intervarsities on campus at the weekend as the senior women’s team were denied victory in the final by University College Cork (UCC) on a scoreline of 74-61. By contrast though, their male counterparts ended what has been a hugely successful year by defeating NUI Galway (NUIG) by 69-50 in the Intervarsity Men’s A Final. UCD’s Daniel James proved the star of the UCD side by earning the MVP award in the final thanks to his 22 point tally. Luke McCrone and Cathal Finn also chipped in with 21 and 10 points respectively. “I think it all came down to our defense in the first half ”, said the MVP after the final against NUIG. “We were able to shut them down in the first half, build a comfortable lead and were able to concentrate on offense more in the second half ”. The men’s side have had a hugely succesful season, following their victory in the Superleague National Cup in January. UCD were denied a double when the women’s team were beaten by an impressive UCC side in the Women’s A Final. UCC’s victory was helped hugely by the 24 point tally of MVP Claire Rochall. Despite a rally in the third quarter from the side in which they got to within four points of UCC, UCD were unable to claim the victory. Both Sarah Woods and Éimear Mairtin, 15 and 13 points respectively, stood out in a good performance by UCD, but they were unable to deny their southern rivals the victory.

Mark Quigley celebrates Dundalk’s second goal in their 3-1 win over UCD last weekend, Photo: Oliver McVeigh/SPORTSFILE.” Dundalk 3 UCD 1 Goals from Ross Gaynor and Daniel Kearns helped Dundalk to a 3-1 victory over UCD at Oriel Park on Friday night, as the Students’ winless run stretches to four games. After failing to convert their earlier chances but Kearns and Gaynor combined to give Dundalk a deserved lead, before pulling further ahead three minutes through Kearns from close range. Although UCD’s Paul Corry pulled a goal back on 68 minutes, Dundalk wrapped up things through Jason Byrne’s cool finish past Ger Barron. After a quiet opening to the half, with the only shot on goal coming in the opening seconds from Robbie Creevy which Peter Cherrie easily gathered, the match burst into life midway through the first half as the first real chance of the game fell to Kearns. After a move involving Colin Hawkins, Quigley and Gaynor, Kearns goalbound shot was well saved by Barron.

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Dundalk went close again through Byrne, but despite rounding Barron, he was still denied by the keeper’s quick recovery. The home side continued to press with corners causing particular problems for the UCD defence. Firstly, Byrne’s shot was blocked and from the resulting play it appeared that Hawkins was taken down by Barron, but referee Pádraig Sutton waved away the protests. But Dundalk took the initiative before the break, Kearns finding Gaynor in space, before his first-time shot found the bottom corner of Ger Barron’s net. Within seconds though, UCD could have grabbed an equaliser, as Mark Langtry shot just over the bar from inside the penalty area after a goalmouth scramble. Dundalk punished UCD instantly though from the following attack. A free-kick from Kearns, again from the left, was parried by Barron, with Byrne following up only to see his effort come off the inside of the post. Showing fantastic feet though, Mark Quigley retrieved possession, and passing three UCD players at the by-line, cut it back to Kearns to fire in from close range. Two up at the break, Dundalk

looked comfortable. However on 69 minutes, the students were back in it, as Corry’s fantastic free-kick flew straight into Cherrie’s bottom left-hand corner. But the Lilywhites restored their two-goal advantage, when Byrne latched onto Madden’s cross and let the ball sit up before finishing well, sliding the ball under the keeper. That made the points secure for Ian Foster’s side, leaving Martin Russell’s students badly in need of a win to move up the table. UCD next face Bohemians on Friday at 7:45pm, the first Dublin derby of the season at the UCD Bowl. Dundalk: Cherrie; Madden, Hawkins, Guthrie, Murphy; McDonnell, Ward; Kearns, Quigley ( Griffin 87), Gaynor; Byrne (Breen 83). UCD: Barron; O’Conor, Boyle (O’Connor 76), Leahy (c), Nangle; Marshall, Corry, Creevy, Langtry, Meenan; raham Rusk. Ref: Padraig Sutton.

Dan James goes for a basket against NUIG. Picture: Brian Lawless/SPORTSFILE