COLLEGE TRIBUNE The www.collegetribune.ie
Minister Ruairi Quinn On the future of 3rd level sector Features, page 8 - 9.
SINCE 1989 - VOLUME 27 - ISSUE 3 TUESDAY OCTOBER 8 2013
Our Agony Aunt Al Porter Answers questions
A Trip To India
Conor Fox tells us about his Summer adventure
post the Seanad vote
Travel, page 11.
T+, Page 11.
University Mental Health Services Strained as Students Face Long Wait Numbers attending counselling up 33% since 2006
Donie O’Sullivan Reporter The UCD Health Service are currently unable to indicate when the next regular appointment to see a counsellor will become available. As of Monday, 39 people were on the waiting list to use the service. The trend is indicative of strained mental health support services in universities across the state, as providers struggle to keep pace with increasing demand. Since 2006, student enrolments at third level institutions have
increased by 16% nationally, while the number attending university counseling services has increased by 33%. One mental health professional in an Irish University told the College Tribune, their service had half a dozen students on suicide watch over the past week. The College Tribune contacted counselling services in the state’s seven universities. UCD were unable to state when next a non-urgent appointment with a counsellor would be available. However, all other universities were able to pro-
Time for HSE to act says university counselling representative body
vide a regular appointment within two weeks. UCD keeps a number of counselling slots open daily for students in urgent need of attention, often these slots are filled through referral from a GP. Trinity College Dublin, and universities in Maynooth, Galway and Limerick all offer a drop in service whereby students can meet a counselor for an initial assessment. UCD, DCU, and UCC do not offer a drop-in service, however both DCU and UCC were able to provide a non-urgent counseling
appointment within ten days. Dr. Sandra Tighe, Medical Director of the UCD Student Health Service explained UCD’s lack of a drop-in service is “largely a resource issue, in that if you are going to see someone for an assessment you have got to have somewhere to slot them in after you assess them and it’s difficult to assess somebody and say ‘well there is a waiting list of three months’ or whatever.”
The UCD Student Health Service currently employs three full time and three part-time counsellors. However, one of the full-time staff members is currently on maternity leave and has not been replaced. “We’re down one person so that is going to affect waiting lists,” Tighe explained. “If nobody leaves, if nobody gets sick, if nobody goes on maternity leave, you’re kind of coping to some extent. Continued on page 2
CRASH COURSE IN UCD P3>>>>
2/NEWS
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
08.10.2013 Contents NEWS
Delays to construction works across campu including the Sutherland School of Law and Science buildings | Page 5
TRAVEL
Conor Fox takes us on a whirl wind tour around India, taking in Sikkim, Rajasthan and teaching English to kids in Kolkatta | Page11
BUSINESS
Has Michael O’Leary gone soft with his new customer relations strategy for Europe’s biggest airline? | Page 17
SPORT
What next for the FAI as Trap leaves, plus who’ll take over from him
University Mental Health Service Strained Continued from front page There has always been more demand than supply, but then if someone goes off on leave of any kind it’s very very difficult.” The strain on services in UCD has occurred, in part, as resources have not kept up with increasing number of students attending the university. Tighe said that although resources available to the student health service have improved since its establishment “it certainly hasn’t kept pace with the demand or kept pace with the number of students in the university.” The problem in UCD is indicative of challenges facing similar services across the state with similar staffing issues being reported in UCC, DIT, and elsewhere. In the University of Limerick, the number of students using the University’s counseling service has increased from 500 students to 800 students in the past six years – however, this has not been met with a matched increase in resources. Dr. Declan Aherne, a spokesperson for the Irish Association of University and College Counsellors (IAUCC), and Head of counselling services at the University of Limerick said that the strain on university counselling services is multifaceted.
The de-stigmatisation of mental health support services has led to more people seeking help. Dr. Aherne explained, “we spent years and years encouraging people to come out and talk, and now they are coming out to talk and we’re saying ‘sorry we really can’t see you, come back when we have the time,’ I mean that is ridiculous.” “Every service across the board is experiencing a huge increase in demand on services, a lot of it is due to a much more complex student profile presenting at third level - it’s not a homogenous group anymore. A lot of access programmes bring in mature students, people with disabilities including mental health problems, and also people with financial difficulties, and there has been a huge growth in international students so you have such a different group of people than twenty years ago,” Dr. Aherne explained. Students are increasingly presenting to services with more severe psychiatric problems. According to an IAUCC report, the number of students presenting with mental health concerns has increased across the board in the past six years. Anxiety disorders have increased from 19% to
32%; depression from 9% to 24%; relationship problems from 11% to 24% and academic related issues from 19% to 29%. Dr. Aherne has called on the HSE to help tackle the mental health crisis on Irish university campuses. “It makes far more sense economically to provide student counselling on campuses than to be trying to get people to access public health services off campus in the HSE.” “The HSE has got to start investing something into student mental health because if they don’t, what will happen is universities will say this is none of our business, they’ll close their doors and we’ll have the queues lengthening outside the psychiatric out patient clinics and day hospitals, and that benefits nobody. It creates a backlog for everyone and we’ll see more and more suicides and all sorts of crazy tragedies,” Aherne warned. Dr. Sandra Tighe explained that although “replacing lecturer’s posts are going to probably be more important than student health or student counselling,” when universities are assigning funds, services, like counseling, can play an important role in student retention.
“If people are not given the help they need when they need it, it may contribute to them leaving college,” she added. The UCD health service enlisted the help of an external counselling provider to help cope with demand last year and Tighe said they are currently exploring all options to help keep waiting times to a minimum again this year. A spokesperson for youth mental health charity, Spun Out, described it as “unacceptable” that anyone would have to wait weeks to see a counsellor. Tighe said that students who are struggling should not be deterred from seeking help due to waiting lists. The UCD health service keeps a number of counselling slots free each day for urgent cases and for students who may feel extremely distressed. Students can also make an appointment to see a GP on campus and are encouraged to contact their student adviser, or the Students’ Union. The Union has a dedicated Welfare Officer, and works closely with an external counselling service that may also be able to provide help for students in distress.
| Page 18
Martin Freeman with Sorcha Kinder, Treasurer and Alex Owens, Auditor of the Literary and Historical society last Saturday at the Fitzgerald Chamber.
Contributors:
Editorial Team: Editors: Ronan Coveney Amy Walsh News Editor: Rachel Carey Thomas Cullen Sport Editor: Sean Cummins
IMAGE: RYAN KANE
Features Editor: Ciara Roche Arts Editor: Daniel Nolan Music Editor: Thérèse Walsh Fashion Editor: Lauren Tracey
Business Editor: Shane O’ Brien Eagarthóirí Gaeilge: John Mac Conchoille Aisling Ní Shírín College Knowledge Editor: Niamh Crosbie
Tech Editor: James Walsh Turbine Editor: Matt Knight Photographer: Sean O’ Reilly Illustrator: Robert Mulpeter
Orla Barrett Tara Browne Diarmuid Burke Rosanna Cooney Thomas Cullen Conor Fox Liam Forbes Patrick Fleming Nadine Flynn
Eoin Holohan Benjamin Howarth Emily Kielthy Maggie Lynch Coiré Mc Crystall Richard Mitchell Aoibhinn Ní Chionnaith Lorcan Nyhan Emily O’Brien
Kate O’ Brien Ayisha Ogbara Fiachra Ó Muirchearta Declan O’Rourke Donie O’Sullivan Jack Power Stephen West Lia Wright
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THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
Simulated Road Traffic Accident Takes Place Diarmuid Burke News Writer
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council ran a simulated two car collision in UCD at 11am last Friday. The event, which was coordinated with emergency services, was arranged as part of an effort to raise road safety awareness over the course of the winter. Taking place beside the main lake, the event simulated a road traffic accident where one driver was not wearing a seatbelt and the other was later found to be intoxicated, having been breathalysed at the scene. A statement released by the organisers outlined the events of the simulation, and claimed that, “a driver was seriously injured in a head-on two car collision which took place at UCD at 11 am this morning. Emergency services were rapidly on the scene and used special cutting equipment to extricate the drivers from their vehicles. The driver of the first car – a woman in her early twenties - was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered multiple injuries including a very serious head injury. She required spinal immobilisation at the scene.” The scene, which was part of the Winter Road Casualty Reduction Programme, was coordinated with the emergency services, including the Gardaí, the Dublin Fire Brigade and the HSE Ambulance services’ paramedics. These services attended the collision, rescuing those involved from the vehicles and conducted an accident scene investigation.
Volunteer from the Civil Defence Sineád Casserly with members of Dublin Fire Brigade taking part in the simulated crash last Friday morning.
Both ‘drivers’ were played by Civil Defence volunteers. Road safety advisors were also on hand to provide safety gear and information to the large crowd of students that gathered to view the event. Those behind the event hope that the simulated bloody scene will highlight the need for diligence on the part of students as
the year comes to a close. According to Seamus Storan, the Road Safety Engineer of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, “this initiative is targeting the 18 - 24 age groups where accident statistics show the highest fatality rates. This event highlights the consequences of a collision, the need to drive safely, to slow down and
to observe speed limits. Never use your phone while driving; always wear seatbelts and never ever drink and drive. Sadly, young drivers comprise 30% of recent road deaths so that is why we visited UCD today to promote these specific road safety messages as part of the wider casualty reduction programme.”
IMAGE: CONOR MCCABE
As part of the event, the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown county council also live-tweeted the event under their initiative’s twitter account, @StopRTAs, in order to further publicize the event. This also included updates on the condition of the first driver and graphic pictures taken from the scene.
Students Vote YES for Smoke Free Campus and Abortion On Demand proposal that “UCDSU should adopt a policy of legalising abortion in Ireland upon request Results from the UCDSU prefof the woman.” The passing of erendum last week showed that option B, means that the UCDSU a majority of students voting on is now officially pro-choice. The the abortion policy preferendum passing of this option now means feel that UCDSU should support that UCDSU will lend its voice to legislation for abortion upon the the pro-choice side of the aborrequest of the woman. Those who tion debate in this country. voted in the smoke-free campus The President of UCDSU referendum voted in favour of Mícheál Gallagher has said, supporting a smoking ban for the following the positive vote on entire Belfield campus. the abortion preferendum the In the Abortion Policy Students’ Union “plan on meeting preferendum option B was passed with TCDSU who have a similar with 1198 votes in favour of the stance and discuss possibility of Benjamin Howarth News Writer
a joint lobbying strategy.” Gallagher also stated that “abortion is a student issue - many female students come to the SU Welfare office when seeking advice about unplanned pregnancies. Having to travel to England for a costly procedure for economically vulnerable students is causing untold hardship.” The Smoke-free Campus referendum, on the proposal of the UCD Health Promotion Committee to call for a smoke free Belfield campus, was also passed. UCDSU President Mícheál Gallagher has stated that
in light of the results “the Students’ Union has formally notified the University Management Team that they are in favour of the smoke-free campus proposal, it will be up to them to decide the next step.” He added “I believe that it is a realistic goal, with prestigious universities worldwide such as Notre Dame and American University D.C. already having this policy, I see no reason why UCD won’t be able to.” However, the decision to support this proposal does not necessarily mean that the proposed smoke-free campus
will come into effect. The results of the vote mean that UCDSU, the UCD Health Committee and various members of UCD’s administrative and academic staff will now enter into discussions on the proposal. Many smoking students will be relieved that no definite action is on the cards yet, smoking is still permitted on campus. The proposal was passed by a margin of less than 200 students, with 1413 voting in favour of the bill and 1134 voting against. 2547 students voted in the policy referendum.
4/NEWS
Students Struggle to Vote at Home
Rachel Carey News Editor With the referendums on both the abolition of the Seanad and the proposal to introduce a new Court of Appeal taking place on a Friday this year, many students struggled to get home to vote. This is not the first time students have had to deal with this problem. Many students, including political youth party leaders would prefer for election and referendum voting to take place on a Saturday. This, while accommodating students travelling home, would also accommodate those who travel for work and those who have other issues during the week which prevent them from voting. The Chair of UCD Labour Youth, Shane Folan, believes that a lack of engagement of young people with the political system is one of the biggest challenges facing Ireland today. “The biggest problem as I see it is how you are supposed to engage with politics when many students have to go home to vote. This isn’t always an option either, what if you simply can’t get home to vote? If this is the position you find yourself in, you don’t have an opportunity to vote,” Folan told the College Tribune. Folan also brought up the issue of Irish students abroad
being unable to vote, saying, “another issue with this is the fact that students on Erasmus cannot vote at all. Yes postal voting is available, but the parameters are so narrow it’s almost laughable, and the application process can be quite difficult. It’s not nearly accessible
enough for students in particular.” Third year Arts student, Lesley Ring, spoke to the College Tribune about her struggle to vote in these referendums, “voting for me in incredibly difficult because for 9 months of the year I live, work and study in Dublin but I
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
classes.” Another issue that affected the voting turnout in the referendums, along with students being unable to vote, are problems with the distribution of polling cards. Many people did not receive their polling cards in time to vote and some did not receive them at all. “This year there has been an issue with the distribution of polling cards, with many people having still not received theirs on the eve of election day. It is not necessary to have your polling card, provided you can legitimately identify yourself to the poll clerk, however, the uncertainty and confusion that this creates is lamentable and will most definitely affect turnout,” Chair of the Kevin Barry Cumann, Darragh Bollard, told the College Tribune. The referendum to abolish the Seanad was defeated by a margin of 3.4%, with 51.7% of votes being against its abolition. The referendum to establish a new Court of Appeal was passed with just over 65% of votes being in have to make the 3 hour journey favour of the courts establishment. home to Sligo to vote. I didn’t Across the country turnout for refvote this year because I couldn’t make it home due to work. I wasn’t erendums was low with only 39.2% willing to sacrifice a quarter of my of those eligible to vote actually paycheck on transportation home making the journey to the polling station. nor was I willing to sacrifice my education and miss some of my
SU Referendum Results Staff Asked to Vote for New Governing Authority Members request of the woman. Of a total valid poll of 2,527 option A received 28% of the vote, option B 45%, option C 8% and option Last Tuesday and Wednesday, UCD D 19% Students’ Union held two referen The referendum dealing dums. The Abortion policy preferwith whether UCDSU would support endum which asked what stance, if the proposal made by the UCD Health any, UCDSU should adopt on the issue of abortion and the Smoke Free Promotion Committee to make the entire Belfield campus smoke free, was Campus policy referendum gauging passed. 1413 students or 55% of those student support for the UCD Health Promotion Committee’s proposal for a who voted supported the proposal that “This union supports the smoke smoke-free campus. free campus initiative, as proposed by The Abortion Policy prefthe UCD Health Promotion Comerendum had students vote on the mittee.” This result came as a shock to following proposals: many students. One student told the “A) UCDSU should adopt a policy College Tribune “I genuinely think its of supporting the Protection of Life constricting the rights of student...I During Pregnancy Act 2013 which don’t smoke but I voted against the bill permits abortion in certain circumbecause it inhibits my right.” stances While the referendum does B) UCDSU should adopt a policy of not make a non-smoking campus a legalising abortion in Ireland upon certainty or enforce the policy imrequest of the woman mediately, it increases the likelihood C) UCDSU should adopt a policy of a smoking ban being passed in the against the legalisation of abortion near future. Students’ Union President D) UCDSU should adopt no stance Mícheál Gallagher had previously on the issue of abortion” told the College Tribune “it doesn’t Option B was passed with look like anything will happen until the majority of 1198 students who October 2014”. participated in the vote being in favour of legalising abortion upon the UCD is set to get a new Governing Benjamin Howarth News Writer
Stephen West News Writer Authority from the 1st of February 2014, with staff soon to hold elections to decide who will represent them on the authority. Nomination papers have been posted to staff, with a different staff electing to three panel, professorial; other academic; and non-academic. Nominations will close on Tuesday, 15 October 2013 at 5.00 p.m. The professorial panel comprises the President and the following staff appointed by the University to permanent appointments as on 1 September 2013, and such staff appointed by the University as on 1 September 2013 on contracts of three or more years’ duration: Professors; Associate Professors; Professors in Administrative Roles; Funded Professors; and Research-Funded Professors. The other academic staff panel comprises academic staff, other than Professors and Associate Professors, Professors in Administrative Roles, Funded Professors
and Research-Funded Professors, holding permanent appointments as on 1 September 2013, full-time or part-time, and such staff appointed by the University as on 1 September 2013 on contracts of three or more years’ duration. The non-academic staff panel comprises staff appointed by
the University to permanent appointments as on 1 September 2013 in the non-academic activities and services of the University, and such staff appointed by the University as on 1 September 2013 on contracts of three or more years’ duration.
Outgoing president and member of the current UCD Governing Authority, Dr. Hugh Brady
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THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
Late Completion of Building Works Across UCD
Science East project was recently completed. An official unveiling will take place on Friday, 18th With the first month of term October. There are plans for a already over, UCD students are number of guest speakers to apawaiting the opening and complepear at the opening of the centre. tion of new sections of the camAs part of a general promotion of pus, including the Sutherland law the science centre, a travelling exbuilding and the Science centre. hibition organised by CERN, the Originally expected to European Organization for Nuopen at the end of August, the clear Research, will also be held UCD Sutherland School of Law for UCD staff and alumni from has since undergone a two month 9th to 28th October. A member of delay. According to Dean of Law, the School of Physics will give a Professor Colin Scott, this was presentation on the organization’s due to planners attempting to research into the Higgs boson. ensure that “all aspects of the Refurbishments of older project have been executed to the sections of the Science District highest standards.” He went on have yet to be completed despite to tell the College Tribune that its scheduled opening to take the College of Business and Law place in September 2013. The will take up residence in the new Dean of Science was unavailable A design drawing of the UCD Sutherland School of Law. The building was set to open in August but will now open on the 29th of October building during the October Bank for comment on this matter at the Holiday weekend, and that the several sections of the campus. The vision behind this new to “run into each other…and time of publication. centre will be “open for business” One notable change will be school is not simply academic. perhaps stop for a coffee in the Both the Sutherland law buildas of Tuesday, 29th October. the introduction of a “Clinical Scott went on to inform the Col- ground floor café,” hence fostering and the Science buildings Carrying over most of Legal Education Centre,” which lege Tribune that the building is ing a spirit of community. It is were constructed as part of the functions of Roebuck Caswill include facilities such as a designed in such a way that each unclear what will become of Roe- UCD’s Campus Development tle, the new school will be large judges’ room, a moot court, and room has a maximum amount of buck Castle once the new school Plan, which began in 2005, and enough to amalgamate all of the a witness suite. Law students will natural light, and that the open has opened. is scheduled to finish entirely by classes taken by law students, therefore be able to receive on ended-nature of its interior layout With construction begin- 2015. which are currently taught in hand training in legal practice. will allow for students and staff ning in October 2011, UCD’s Liam Forbes News Writer
UCD Spin-Out Company Get $10 Million in Funding line data. The company has attracted customers such as Hailo, Red Bull and Stanford University since its Logentries, a UCD spin-out comestablishment in 2010. pany, has received $10 million in A $1.1 million seed round financing funding after just 3 years in July 2012 was led by companies in business. This is the largest single such as Polaris Partners, Frontinvestment to date for a company line Ventures and RRE Ventures. originating from the university. Additional financial support from Logentries is a cloud-based service Enterprise Ireland preceded this provider that collects analysis and massive round of series A financing. separates huge quantities of machine A new company, Flood Gate, has generated log data. It provides this also been involved. Logentires hopes service for 10,000 customers in over to use this funding to improve its 100 countries including Ireland and go-to market strategy and product the US. development as well as expanding by The main purpose of the introducing up to 60 jobs over the company is to find obscure infornext two years. mation in logs that is buried in the Logentries originated from trillions of gigabytes of data on the the UCD performance engineering internet. This information is invalu- laboratory and was co-founded by able to IT developers and business Dr Trevor Parsons and Dr Viliam personnel for analysis and marketHolub of the School of Computer ing. Science and Informatics. The busiUnlike other log management ness spent ten years in incubation companies, Logentries does not in Dogpatch Labs in Dublin and require the use of complex query was researched in conjunction with language. Instead it uses a ‘collective American multinational IBM. It is Intelligence’ model that can more a graduate company of the Nova efficiently sort through files and can UCD Centre for New Ventures be operated by nearly anyone. Curand Entrepreneurs. The success of rently, Logentries is processing up to the business allowed it to win the 20 billion log entries per day. As a NovaUCD Start-Up Company of the result of its ease of use, the services Year Award in 2010. eliminate the need for data special “Logentries is an excellent ists to sort, tag and troubleshoot example of a UCD spin-out cominformation. This makes it easy to pany, which while only established find relevant information from on3-years ago, has already obtained Eoin Holohan News Writer
Andrew Burton, president and CEO, Logentries; Dr Trevor Parsons, chief research officer and co-founder, Logentries; and Dr Viliam Holub, CTO and co-founder, Logentries.
global reach and global customers. With this significant investment, the largest single investment round in a UCD spin-out company to date, Logentries is set for further international growth and success in the years to come,” said Professor Peter Clinch, UCD Vice-President for Innovation. “Logentries has emerged from UCD’s research focus on ‘big data’ and the fostering of partnerships by UCD with industry,” he
added. Professor Clinch went on to congratulate the Logentries team with their success and dedication. As well as securing these funds, Logentries has recently chosen Andrew Burton as CEO of the company. Burton holds qualifications in science and business administration from Oregon State University and Boston College respectively, as well as a master’s degree in Information Systems
from UCD. He began his career as an analyst and software engineer at Accenture and prior to Logentries he was involved in numerous other web based businesses such as Logmein, IMlogic, USinternet working and Groove Networks. His 16 years experience and his experience in the SaaS industry also mean that he is highly suitable for the job, making the future of this company extremely promising.
6/NEWS
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
Miley Cyrus & Sinead O’Connor In Mental Health Row
Thomas Cullen News Writer The musician Sinead O’Connor has threatened to sue pop singer Miley Cyrus after an online row broke out between the two artists last week. Cyrus was accused by the Irish musician of mocking people who have suffered from mental health problems such as actress Amanda Bynes and O’Connor herself. The row began when O’Connor wrote an open letter on her website to Cyrus which expressed worries that Cyrus was being “prostituted” by the music industry. The letter advised the former Disney Channel star that “Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited”. This prompted an angry response from Cyrus, who replied on twitter by comparing Sinead O’Connor’s past mental health issues with those of the actress Amanda Bynes, who is currently receiving psychiatric treatment. O’Connor in response penned another open letter, in which she threatened legal action against Cyrus if the tweets were
not removed. She stated “You have posted today tweets of mine which are two years old, which were posted by me when I was unwell and seeking help so as to make them look like they are recent. In doing so you mock myself and Amanda Bynes for having suffered with mental health issues and for having sought help”. Many have leapt to the defence of both artists during the on-going online row. A spokesperson for the website Spunout.ie told
the College Tribune that “there is a lot of work being done by fantastic organisations around the world to address the stigma associated with mental health, and unfortunately the actions of Miley Cyrus could potentially do a lot of damage to this work. I’m sure if she had thought about the consequences of her actions and the impact it has on all those people who have gone through mental health difficulties, many of whom are her fans I don’t think she would have been so reck-
disagreed that Cyrus was being exploited by the music industry and asserted that “I think it’s tempting to imagine her in the board room of label assholes and management, I don’t think any of them masterminded her current plan to be a raging, naked, twerking sexpot. I think that’s All Miley All The Way”. O’Connor later was a guest on RTE’s The Late Late Show and appeared to downplay the feud. She stated during the interview that “I’m not pitching myself as a role model for anyone by a long shot or a perfect person…I was upset on behalf of Amanda Bynes, not for myself. I’m used to it”. less.” One good thing may have Spunout.ie also spoke come from the online feud accordabout how there seems to be an ising to Spunout.ie is that the debate sue where people think that it is ok “has brought the stigma associated to mock people who have experiwith mental health to the attenenced mental health difficulties, tion of many people who may not adding “Would Miley have been have known it otherwise existed. So so quick to mock someone with a hopefully, it will make people conphysical illness such as Cancer? I sider the pre-conceptions they have don’t think she would have.” of someone with a mental illness However musician and realise that one in four of us will Amanda Palmer has defended Miley experience a mental health difficulty Cyrus’s actions in a letter which at some stage.” she addressed to O’Connor. Palmer
My Mental Health Story - A UCD Student Speaks Out Maggie Lynch, a Veterinary Medicine student talks about her experience of depression Mental health is an important aspect in everyone’s lives. Every single person is affected by it. My name is Maggie and I suffer from depression and anxiety. Before I was diagnosed, I didn’t know what depression was. I couldn’t explain mental health. I didn’t know what was happening to me and I felt like I was the only one who was feeling sad and alone. Mental illness can develop because of a chemical imbalance in the body or an environmental factor, such as a death in the family, and many other reasons. Regardless of the cause, most people feel trapped in their own world because they can’t control the way they feel. Imagine being locked in a room without a reason to believe you will be let out. You blame yourself, your family, God, anyone honestly. There seems to be no hope. It has been 10 years since I was diagnosed and only now do I feel confident enough to talk about it. I spent years in and out of therapy and focus groups. Each session taught me a little more about what I was feeling, why and how I could help myself. The main thing it taught me was that I wasn’t alone and that I would get through it as long as I kept talking. I now realise that, when I feel depressed,
I become anxious that I will never be a happy person with a fulfilling life, and then I become angry that I can’t control or fix it. I still struggle with this but what everyone should realise is mental illness is a lifelong battle. There isn’t a quick fix but years of talking and healing and sometimes medical support. Through out my short life of 22 years, I have come to realize how important mental health is. My mom suffers from bipolar disorder, my dad suffers from depression and one of my brother’s committed suicide 8 years ago. This isn’t a sob story. This is a story that I have survived. My brother was my best friend and the smartest person I knew. He was destined for greatness. Slowly though he became withdrawn and absent. Instead of asking him what was wrong, my family told him to move on with it, grow out of it. He felt alienated and lost. Without a soul to talk to, he chose to stop feeling and stop talking. It would be easy for me to blame other people that could have asked him if he was ok, or if he needed to talk. But in all honesty, the reason my brother didn’t talk was because he didn’t think he could. He thought no one would
listen or understand. He was wrong though. There is always someone who will listen, it might take a couple of tries to find them but they are out there. You might think I am brave to tell people this because it might help someone. And although I hope reading this will help other students understand they aren’t alone, talking about my experiences helps me more than people know. Whenever I talk about what I am feeling, a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I can breath again. I believe the reason people don’t feel like they can or should talk is because of the stigma of mental illness. I suffer from depression but I am not unstable or crazy. No one should fear my experiences or me. Everyone has been through hard times at some point in his or her life but no one wants to talk about it because they are afraid. They shouldn’t be afraid. Good mental health starts with good communication. I am on the track to good mental health with every day that I talk about my experiences. Coming from the United States where there is a pretty big stigma on mental illness, I was nervous. In my opinion, Ireland
isn’t known for its understanding. Both my grandparents were born and raised in Ireland and I have heard many stories that ended with “we just didn’t talk about that back then.” I was scared to talk about my experiences here more than ever before. Then I heard about Pleasetalk.ie. I am grateful to know that there are resources here. I don’t think I would be here, in veterinary school, in Ireland, if I hadn’t talked about my experiences, about my depression, and my family. We have to break the cycle. More people suffer from mental illness than we know because they don’t receive help. The number one reason people don’t feel comfortable talking is because they are afraid. They are afraid because there is a stigma on mental illness that labels people crazy or insane. We need to remove the stigma. We need to move past the fear that so many people have. Why is it that when someone says they survived breast cancer they are applauded but if they say they survived depression they are shunned? We live in an age of science and technology that can help cure cancer and treat depression. The next time someone starts talking about their feelings or something that is bothering them, just listen and urge them to keep
talking. It will help more than you can imagine. It helped me. The Please Talk campaign was initiated in UCD in 2007. The project has two main components; 1) the campaign’s message that ‘talking is a sign of strength’, which urges students to talk to someone if they are having problems at home, at college or anywhere else, and 2) the Please Talk website, www.pleasetalk. ie/ucd aims to address this by providing a directory of support services available to students on campus and the surrounding area. For more information contact ucd@pleasetalk.ie
FEATURES\7
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
#Qatar2022
As Qatar comes under scrutiny for its labour practices, Ciara Roche discovers the importance of keeping the scandal a popular media topic...
A
A recent investigation into the preparations for the World Cup stadiums in Qatar has revealed that certain building companies have been availing of ‘modern day slave labour.’ Documents obtained by the Nepalese embassy in Qatar show evidence of the deaths of at least 44 workers between the 4th of June and the 8th of August due to exploitative and dangerous conditions in the workplace. Concerns have been raised that this death toll may rise to 4000 as the country prepares itself for the World Cup in 2022. Retaining the title of ‘the world’s richest country’ but with a population of just 250,00 people, Qatar’s migrant worker population far outnumbers its native population. Qatar employs over 1.2 million migrant workers, many entering the country under the traditional ‘Kafeel’ system. Kafeel requires that foreign workers be sponsored by an individual to gain entry into the country. This ‘adoption’ or ‘guardianship’ offers the worker protection under their hosts, who are responsible for their visa and legal status. However, it is suggested that one of the main causes of forced labour in Qatar is the withholding of passports and wages by employers that are also acting as guardians. The withholding of passports prevents the workers from leaving the country, trapping them in servitude. Other abuses include employer’s failure to provide workers with food and water for long periods, and workers being forced to work more than 15 hour a days, in high temperatures, without rest. Qatar has experienced investigations into their labour practices before, resulting in damning reports from The Human Rights Watch in 2012. Qatar is considered a hub of employment for many in the Middle East. A flourishing country in the midst of an enormous construction boom, workers are constantly migrating to Qatar in search of a better life. According to the Guardian, One such worker, Ganesh Bishwakarma, migrated aged sixteen after being recruited and provided with a fake passport due to be being below the age limit for work. A move to Qatar was an opportunity for Ganesh to escape from the acute poverty that blankets much of Nepal. Much of Ganesh’s wages would have went towards repaying the recruitment agents, his ‘kafeel’ sponsor and sent
back to his family in Nepal. Ganesh returned to his home two months later in an ambulance after a fatal accident on the building site due to unsafe working conditions. However, to concentrate on labour abuses in Qatar would be to ignore a larger international problem. Evidence of forced labour
To concentrate on labour abuses in Qatar would be to ignore a larger international problem. exists in countless countries across the world. United Arab Emirates, a country in close proximity to Qatar, has been accused of having similar working conditions. U.A.E is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, much of this wealth is from oil reserves in the coun-
try, similar to Qatar’s gas wealth. However, the wealth of both of these countries does not appear to benefit the everyday workers from surrounding countries who enter them in search of jobs. Workers are kept housed in huge shared camps away from their families and forced to work for wages that sometimes never come. Sharla Musabih, a human rights campaigner in the United Arab Emirates, described the situation in Dubai as ‘devaluing humans.’ The glamour of Dubai as an international tourist destination which sports awe inspiring construction projects has long distracted from the truth behind the country’s ever growing wealth. Qatar has received many warnings about its labour practices and has been accused of ignoring these reports of exploitative conditions. The country has been accused of failing to make the basic reforms FIFA put in place when it won the 2022 World Cup bid in 2010. The country has enough wealth to solve these problems. David Cameron has commented on the issue in Qatar claiming that Britain maintained a zero death toll when constructing their Olympic stadiums, showing that “it can be done.” Construction for the 2012 Olympics greatly benefited British citizens and created a huge amount
of jobs. It was heralded by many as a great triumph for the British construction industry and transformed the faltering east end of London.
The country has been accused of failing to make the basic reforms FIFA put in place when it won the 2022 World Cup bid in 2010. Many British companies are involved in the construction boom in Qatar and so British legal firm Leigh Day are working to bring action against any British company appearing to be breaching labour laws. A world sporting event is a great opportunity for a country to promote itself and was a huge success for Great Britain. Qatar have the opportunity to use this event to promote reforms in the country that will benefit it for the future. What transpires due to
Qatar’s wealth, is an issue less about money and more about controlling the non-citizen workforce which makes up 90% of the population. With this workforce outnumbering the actual citizens, and a ban on forming unions, it is clear that Qatar wants to keep its ever growing migrant population from becoming a serious force. FIFA took a stand on human rights when it fought to ban the use of child labour in the manufacturing of footballs. For Qatar to reform itself, FIFA will have to stand by its claims that it is ‘deeply alarmed’ and appoint its own independent workplace experts and enforce safe labour practices. Whilst ‘forced labour’ and dangerous working conditions are a reality all over the world, Qatar’s connection to the World Cup and the intervention of both FIFA and the International Trade Organisation suggest that the issue will be brought to the forefront of the world’s media, influencing public opinion. Columnist Nicholas McGeehan suggests that whilst the use of forced labour in the Middle East is unsurprising, FIFA and ILO’s stance against Qatar is. However, whilst Qatar continues as the host of the 2022 World Cup it will have to improve its working conditions as the gaze of the world media will continue to linger.
8/FEATURES
Questions with Quinn In 2011, Ruairi Quinn made a pre - election pledge to the students of Ireland, at the gates of Trinity College Dublin. Quinn and the Labour party pledged not to introduce third level fees stating that if elected they would “oppose and campaign against any new form of third level fees including student loans, graduate taxes and any further increase in the Student Contribution.” However, when Labour entered into a coalition government with Fine Gael later that year, they did a u - turn, withdrawing their pre-election pledge to students and increasing the student contribution charge from €1,500 to €2,000. Commenting on whether or not breaking his pre-election promise to students was the right thing to do, Quinn says that “I think it was the right thing, because, it was absolutely critical that there would be a change in government, it looked as if there was going to be a change of government back in 2007 and even back in 2002 and at the end of the day the Irish public seemed to indicate that unless they were given great assurances they wouldn’t vote for a change. I don’t regret doing it. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to implement it, but by providing the clarity that’s there. I think I’ve ameliorated it. It has to be seen in the context of Northern Ireland and the UK. The cost of fees in Northern Ireland is close to €4000 as we speak, and in England and I think Wales as well but certainly England, for definite, it’s €9000.” The government’s decision to hike the student contribution fee in 2011 was indicative of a trend which subsequently saw the steady increase of fees. The student contribution currently stands at €2,500 and is set to increase by €250 a year until 2015 . When asked if the proposed increase is definite, Quinn suggests that there will be no change in the hikes, “we’re in a very difficult situation, which I bitterly regret. We haven’t finalised the precise
amount of money that we’re going to have to get to reach our overall target, we don’t know how much central relief we’re going to get as distinct from having to find all of that within our own resources - I have no plans as of now to change the sequence when it went from 2000 up by 250 for four years in a row.” Since the publication of the Hunt report, the landscape of the third level sector in Ireland is changing. UCD has announced strategic alliances with both IADT and NCAD. Quinn suggests that following proposals, there will be a radical reconfiguration of the third level education sector, “all of the third level colleges, universities and IOT’s were asked to consider regional educational clusters so that there would be cooperation and collaboration rather
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
Blanchardstown and Tallaght are proposing to merge and to apply for a technological university. “You’ve already mentioned IADT in Dun Laoghaire linking with UCD and that will reinforce the link that has already occurred with the National College of Art and Design with UCD as well. And then Athlone is going to enter into some kind of structured relationship with Maynooth and Dundalk is going to do the same with DCU. So there is a very radical configuration.” Speaking of the duplication of
in Ireland. This years rankings saw a general downward trend in the Irish university sector. The exceptions were National University of Ireland Galway and Trinity College Dublin which rose six places to 61. However, UCD lost ground dropping from 131 to 139, much lower than its position of 89 in 2009. Reflecting on the QS world Rankings, Quinn suggests that the QS rankings are not as important or indicative as they seem, “there are enormous flaws but they are like tourist guides, Third level education has now become an international activity,
subjects across institutions, Quinn suggests that a more interconnected system of subject specialization could be beneficial, “every institution has tended to see itself as a little empire that wanted to add another dimension to what it was at, instead of looking down the road and saying well Galway University could do masters course in French and UL could do them in Spanish so that you’d share the arrangement of things.” The QS World Rankings are widely regarded as an important indicator of how Irish universities compete on an international level and are important for international students considering studying
I don’t like the consumerist word commodity, but it’s an international activity both for students, but also both for staff … Tourist guides whether it’s Thomas Cook or the Lonely Planet, will give you a view or a window into what a particular place is in how you want to travel there or and what you want to do hear or see or do. There is evidence with the QS results with Singapore which has now moved into 24th in the world and when I was in China last year in Hong Kong, they just simply said to Singapore how much money do you need to become a world top university…. and so they hire nobel prize winners to give
We’re in a very difficult situation, which I bitterly regret.
than duplication and the present landscape looks like the following: Galway, Sligo and Letterkenny are forming a Connacht-Ulster alliance. Waterford and Carlow are coming together to start the road of applying for a technological university Tralee and Cork IT are doing something similar, and DIT,
FEATURES\9
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
The rising student contribution charge, third level institutions dwindling position in the QS world rankings and proposed higher education merges are developments which mark a change in the face of the education system in Ireland. Ronan Coveney sat down with minister of education, Ruairi Quinn, to discuss fees, China and the future of higher education in Ireland....
they hire nobel prize winners to give courses, they increase their research, you can game any system. “I think, gaming the system for the sake of gaming the system at the possible expense or cost of not improving the learning experience, the educational experience of students..There’s three things it seems to me that you need to get out of a university. There should be a good student experience, a good student education and I think 40% of the activity from the staff should be devoted towards ensuring that the quality of lectures
is good, the quality of student experience, whether it in tutorial or group studies should be good. Research, and everyone should be doing research, it’s like continual professional development and renewal and then there’s pure research, there has to be and this is the ideal mix that has been conveyed to me by a number of academics - so you’ve 40% research, 40% teaching and quality outcomes and then 20% in the public space, public domain, commentating on what’s happening. Dermot Ferritor for example your historical professor who’s a very active man in terms of public commentary, he’s talking to the wider public and he’s also producing and writing an awful lot but he would be ok, a high
profile person, but there are many others doing it. The educational experience of the student, the undergraduate has to be a quality issue and that’s where pressure on funding put pressure on the equivalent pupil teacher ratio in third level and it makes for the tutorial and graduate end of the spectrum suffer.” UCD has been extending its relationship with China as highlighted by its establishment of a new Institute of Health Science and Innovation in Shenzhen University during the summer. When asked whether there are ethical implications for the
university when working with a country with such a poor human rights record, Quinn defends the move. “I’d sooner be in China than shun it, I think the ultimate...I think international student exchange is going to be very different in 2050 than it is now. I think UCD has been right as indeed many other colleges from different other countries have established joint ventures with their academic counterparts and you cited two examples in UCD and China with the agricultural university. You’re going to see Chinese students and European students doing two years in one location and two years in and two years in another. I think the triumph of democratic and liberal values
will in time take place in China, in a manner that nobody can predict. “If we only did business with or interacted with those people who we shared the same set of values and views it would be a very lonely place.” Last year the SUSI grant system debacle left many student with limited resources, following delayed processing and missed payment deadlines. Quinn suggests that the system is improving, “they got off to a very good start this year...The closing date for applications was the 5th of August,
There has to be and this is the ideal mix that has been conveyed to me by a number of academics - so you’ve 40% research, 40% teaching and quality outcomes and then 20% in the public space, public domain, commentating on what’s happening. they’ve processed virtually all of those to date. They’ve refused about 7,000, closer to 8,000 on the grounds that they didn’t qualify. Household income or whatever it was. And about 1500 withdrew their applications. So the rest are sitting approved ready to rock and roll.
“I think it will probably take about another 2 to 3 years before it’s up and running as smoothly as I would like it to be but I would at this point in time I’m expecting a significant improvement on last years experience,” he added. With the newest budget released before the end of the month, Quinn in faced with a tough challenge - to balance current demands for austerity with the future of the higher education sector.
The Figures Rise in registration fees since 2010...
2010: €1,500 2011: €2000 2012: €2,250 2013: €2,500 2014 (proposed): €2,750 2015 (proposed): €3,000
10/COMMENT
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
Please Talk
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This Thursday is World Mental Health Day and an opportunity to reflect upon the issues associated with mental health for students in Ireland. The College Tribune’s investigation into mental health services in universities this week suggests that we are failing to provide students with adequate mental health care. It is imperative
that students who find themselves vulnerable in university are met with compassion and adequate standards of care. Pressurized and under-resourced facilities reflect on the priorities of the university and impinge upon the welfare of the student who seeks care. UCDSU is celebrated for the role of its student welfare officers and the
#UCD
various operations and campaigns which run to raise awareness of mental health issues throughout the year. However, structured and readily available counselling facilities are a necessary and important service in this university and must
be supported by staff and the student body. As expensive building projects are erected around campus, changing the skyline of Belfield, any lack of funding in areas as fundamentally important as student mental health services is a damning reflection on resource
allocation in Ireland’s biggest university. It is important that we meet the demands of a growing student body by developing and enhancing our health care facilities. UCD is a prestigious university, whose extensive expenditure is obvious - we must remember that students education, growth and welfare should be the priority and not the minority. We would call on anybody who feels that they need access to mental health services to contact UCD, their welfare officer or any of the below services, all of which will offer support and information. Maggie Lynch’s brave disclosure in this edition reflects on the dangers of not talking about mental health, of feeling like there is no one to talk to . She reminds us that these are issues which we must talk about. Any deficit in student care provision should be unacceptable in this university. This is an issue of grave concern, so let us please talk.
Contact the Welfare Officer. – welfare@ ucdsu.ie or call 01 716 3108 The Student Advisers: website: http:// www.ucd.ie/studentadvisers …..Newman Building (telephone: 716 8372). The Student Counselling Service offers free, confidential and professional counselling to all registered students attending University College Dublin. You can make an appointment directly yourself by contacting the service on 01-7163133/7163143….www.ucd.ie/ studentcounselling. Niteline is a voluntary student-run organisation that operates a telephone listening, information service and online listening for students. Niteline’s number is Freephone 1800 793 793... http://www.niteline.ie/onlinelistening. php. Please Talk...http://pleasetalk.ie/ucd/
TRAVEL\11
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
My India.
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It’s about half two in the morning. We’re finally managing to rattle off to sleep when our sleeper train pulls into a station. A flood of men pour onto the already full carriage. The majority of them are surprisingly small. They throw themselves down on the lower bunks; I’m fine as I’m sandwiched on the middle level. One of the girls I’m with tries to explain with only a minor note of panic in her voice that they’re sitting on her seat. She has it reserved. Please get off her seat. It’s reserved. The men don’t move. Being the ‘man’ in our group, I attempt to intervene with only a major note of panic in my voice - “sir, you are on her seat, move.” I get a derisory look back - “sir – calm down.” Quelled, the two of us sit silent and unsure how to proceed. I offer to switch seats with her, cursing the fact that I have testicles and no balls. The men move on after awhile. In the creeping morning light we eventually realise that the ‘small men’ were actually twelve year old boys accompanied by their fathers. We essentially threatened children. Whoops. Embracing the cliché – India is truly incredible. While your first time on a train may terrify you, they’re a great way to see the country and how varied the landscape and cultures are. Plus they’re cheap. My top three states to travel through in India would e Rajasthan, Kerala and Sikkim. Naturally these states are far from each other. Don’t let that put you off – the journey is just as important as the destination. Sikkim is a beautiful state tucked away in the Himalayas, a world away from the business of Kolkata and Delhi. The only state in India with an ethnic Nepal majority, Sikkim features stunning mountain views and a culture entirely unique to itself. I’ll give you one tip about Rajasthan. Camel treks are inordinately sore but the experience far outweighs the discomfort. When will you ever again see the sun set and rise in a desert? Kerala is a southern state where the people are as warm as, well, India’s humid hot climate. Visit Varkala for its beaches and cliff top views. India can be an incredibly frustrating country to travel in. You’re disgustingly sweaty most of the time – the Irish really aren’t glam travellers. Things don’t happen on time or with any modicum of speed. People don’t queue. They don’t say thank you for every little thing (the height of Irish rudeness). Women are discriminated against daily. It’s an incredibly patriarchal society in which the third question you’re asked is regarding your father’s profession. Most people I spoke to in India were proud of their country and immensely proud of India’s independence (that said, they couldn’t understand why I liked it). A common phrase is ‘My India.’ My India was unique. I lived and worked in Kolkata (Calcutta) for ten weeks prior to travelling through the country. This gave me a different perspective on the country and its culture. I worked in a support school run by an Indian NGO in the Ka-
Conor Fox reflects on his journey through India... lighat area of Kolkata. Kalighat and the other communities where Vikramshila Education Resource Society work are predominantly under-resourced; families within them struggle to access government resources and break the perpetuating cycle of poverty. Education provides hope and a realistic opportunity. Our primary job was to organise and run a ‘Speaking Festival’ – basically a sort of feis designed to give the children of
The journey is just as important as the destination.
our centres confidence in speaking English. We did this alongside working on oral conversation skills, and the 3 R’s. The most important thing we could hope to do was to foster a sense of solidarity with our teachers, children and communities. The teachers and children welcomed us into their lives and it turns out that they taught us a lot more than whatever English language skills we could hope to impart.
We were part of an Indian community - we made friends, India became our home. This helped us understand our culture shock and learn why India is the way it is. We had the opportunity to ask questions and seek out answers from a wide range of sources. The programme I was with organised a week exploring development issues facing our world and what we, as individuals and a global community, can do to work towards change. It was these experiences that shaped my India. I can’t imagine purely travelling through India, bouncing from place to place without ever getting a sense of what it is like to live there. It’s only by fully immersing yourself in a culture that you see and understand (to a certain degree) the highs and lows of that society. The pains, the hearreak – the joy and the colours and the laughter. India is different from anywhere I’d ever been before or from anywhere I’ll ever go. Next summer, make my India your India.
Conor took part in the Suas Educational Development Volunteer Programme; an Irish charity working in accordance with Indian and East African partners. To apply for the 2014 programme or for Suas’ Global Issues course run in UCD visit www. suas.ie.
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12/TECH
Social Entrepreneurship: Logon for Change.
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Clare Wise investigates the good that technology can do….. It’s no shocker that technology is useful; from researching an essay to reconnecting with friends. There is a bigger picture that tech is a vital part of. Social entrepreneurship? (a strange new term.) It’s any activity that is focused on creating a better society rather than making money. Health, education, human rights, the environment, civic engagement and economic development are the main areas in which change is happening. Technology connects people. It’s obvious we connect every day using facebook, email and twitter . However, it’s understated in our everyday lives. Social entrepreneurship advocates that if we band together we can achieve more. One specific project is Activelink (http://www.activelink.ie/). It’s an online network for Irish non-profit organisations. It provides a way to connect to volunteering, events, fundraising, training, publications and funding in Ireland. Quite a tall order, but this site manages it. Connecting people and communication should go hand in hand but sadly that isn’t always the case. An area that is currently being addressed is that of engagement with the politics. After all, politics is the
Social entrepreneurship is any activity that is focused on creating a better society rather than making money. way that the country and the world is organised - so it’s kind of a big deal. Dailwatch.ie (www.dailwatch.ie) is all about rebuilding trust in Ireland’s political system. It is a politically neutral website that enables direct Q&A between citizens and their TDs. The platform allows voters to track TD’s actions by providing access to their voting records. The objective of the site is to improve public engagement in politics through transparent and meaningful interaction. Spreading the information is what the internet is known for. What is the latest trend on youtube ? There is also TED talks, tumblr and blogs in general promoting new ideas and experiences. Here is one that may hit close to home. Cooking is so expensive, however, Better Than Noodles (http://www.betterthannoodles.com/) challenges that excuse for not cooking. It’s a realistic approach to the
Irish student diet. There are short video tutorials of cooking cheap, easy and most importantly, healthy, meals. This includes updated price guidelines, weekly deals in supermarkets, info on budgeting and grocery shopping. It is a hub of all things food-related. Fundraising for change has really taken hold online. Sites similar to Kickstarter jumps to mind. Fundraising doesn’t have to be individual though. This is the new start up 100minds comes in. 100minds (http://100minds.org/) is a project taking on over 100 of Irelands top undergraduates and challenging them to raise €1,000 each. 100minds gives a voice to tell your fundraising story. The €100,000 mission is to improve Temple Street hospital with key machine purchases, focusing on patient quality of life and support families in need. Have a question? Just google it. It’s a natural response now in the internet era. The internet holds huge potential in terms of education. The amount of distance learning courses is unbelievable. But what about education in technology itself? Coder Dojo (http://coderdojo. com/) has got this. It’s an global network of computer clubs. The young people involved learn to code and develop websites, apps, games and more. It is taught by volunteers and is entirely free. Not too shabby for something that started off in Ireland. We all know the bad side of technology. The internet especially, it’s addictive and facilitates procrastination (another game of Candy Crush any one?). Our society is changing faster than before. It’s not the first time you’ve heard this - but have you ever done anything with that knowledge? It is in the here and now that creating change is easier and faster. If you could change anything what would it be? Why not logon and do it? Logon for change.
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
Top Tech Tip This week is world space week, an annual event which is being celebrated internationally. Trinity College Dublin is running events in association with their science gallery from the 4th -10th of October. Turn up and nerd out.
Express Yourself Online Without the Pricetag So, setting up online without the cost.... Let’s try and take a step away from the familiar that is Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter. Be adventurous and explore the net. WordPress.com is one of the best sites to build a personal blog or website. It does take a while to get used you. You’ll be tinkering around a bit, but it gives you the freedom to actually get the look you want. Blogger is really good. It has the abilities to make you a better blogger linking into nerdy things like analytics. It has lots of features that you can explore but you don’t have to which is great. Wix.com - you may have heard of this if a friend has liked it on their Facebook page. They never seem to stop advertising. With this site it’s free to sign up and build but you have to pay for it to be hosted which is a bumer. However, you don’t have to pay if you link in with a free hosting site like ... www.5gbfree.com. It doesn’t have the catch that you have to input your payment details even though you are going for the free option which is a huge plus. However, it is quite small which could become a problem, but for those who want to test drive their nerdyness it’s a decent choice. Jux is not like traditional blogging. It is more akin to a blog version of tumblr. It’s slick and pretty. www.weebly.com looks a bit too good to be true for the free sign up. It gives you everything you need to make a full free website supposedly. It’s more than worth investigating. Thoughts.com is simple and not intimidating so it is definitely a possible starting point. It’s nice and cute. Not for someone who wants to get into super hard core blogging. Youtube. If stepping in front of the camera is your thing then you probably are on it already. The site helps you out with quite a bit of editing software which is built in, but you can always branch out and explore.
COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE\13
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
How to Survive Semester One
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Niamh Crosbie looks at how Freshers and graduates alike can survive semester one. Knowing how to take care of yourself is important in order to maintain good physical and mental health...
If it’s your first time living away from home, one of the new responsibilities facing you this year will be managing your own meals, as well as maintaining your living space. On top of the other new pressures you will experience this year, this can be especially challenging. Plenty of tips are available for you to keep you on a healthy eating plan, as well as keep you out of the chipper. Your physical - and mental - health during the college year will also depend on your sleeping pattern. We’ve all been tempted to – and of course have opted to – spend an extra hour at the student bar (despite your 9 a.m. start), jet into town on the 39A (even though you’ve ripped it up in Dicey’s two nights in a row already) or even sit zombified at the laptop into the small hours finishing up that assignment that’s due tomorrow. All of these are classic examples
that make up college life, but it is crucial for each person to know when to head home, when to have a quiet night in, and when to shut off the laptop. You’ll thank yourself when you’re able to sit through your morning tutorial without fighting to keep your eyelids open. At this stage I think we have all fallen victim – or had someone close to us fall victim – to the dreaded “Freshers’ Flu”. And this isn’t surprising – 200 people from different parts of the country, and the world, all packed into one stuffy lecture theatre? Know how to take care of yourself, or join the hundreds of sneezing, coughing students already popping Paracetemol around campus. An obvious strain on your mental health for the year will be college work – keeping on top of workshop exercises, keep-
I WANT
It is crucial for each person to know when to head home, when to have a quiet night in, and when to shut off the laptop.
ing ahead on your required reading, and participating in group work are just a few examples of what is expected of you. What you really need to know is how to go about completing these tasks, as well as when and where you should seek help. In UCD there’s an endless network of people ready and willing to help you do the best you can. However, academic life isn’t the only source of anxiety – social life can be just as challenging and draining. For some of us, keeping in touch with old friends, establishing bonds with new friends, and processing the never-ending sea of faces (new and old) every day can be enough to make you want to switch your phone off and hide in bed. You need to know who is trustworthy and worth holding on to, when you need to spend some time on your own to cool off, and also, that everybody is in the same boat. Although a lot of us won’t admit it, homesickness is something we all feel at one time or another, especially for those of us away from home for the first time. What you have to know to overcome this is how to be brave. You’re starting a new chapter in your life as an independent adult, and it is important to strike a balance between this new life, and the life you’ve left at home. By all means, visit home as often as you feel necessary. Mobiles, Facebook, and Skype make keeping in touch with your folks regularly a lot easier, and these should be taken advantage of.
WRITE
14/GAEILGE
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
Glas ar Sam Fós..
62 bliana, sin a bhí orainn fanacht… Shíleamar uilig go raibh muid réidh leis. Shíleamar gurbh í seo ár mbliain! Gurbh í seo an fhoireann ab fhearr a bhí feicithe againn ó thús na 50í! Chreideamar gurbh linne na bliana 2013. Agus i ndáiríre, ní féidir liom creidiúnt go fóill nach í… Bliain iontach pheile a bhí againn, d’imir na leaids uilig mar fhoireann don chéad uair le blianta anuas. D’éirínn ag ceathrú chun a sé gach lá cluiche agus mé i Chicago don shamhradh; bhí aithne ag lucht Gaeilc Park orm toisc mise a bheith ar an nduine ba thorannaí ann gach seachtain. Bhí siad ag imirt chomh maith sin go ndearna mé iarracht teacht abhaile don chluiche leath cheannais! Bhí gach éinne ar bís, a leithéid ní fhaca mé riamh. Mé féin san áireamh, ní raibh mé chomh cinnte riamh! Bhíomar réidh d’éinne! Ansin, chonaic mé cluiche na Dubs ‘gus Chiarraí. WOW… dochreidte! An talann, an cumacht agus an cumas a bhí ag an dá fhoireann! Chas mé chuig mo dheartháir agus dúirt an bheirt againn go mbeadh
Aoibhinn Ní Chionnaith buailte ag taom den díomá....
sé thar a bheith deacair cluiche i gcoinne ceachtar foirne, ach gur cluiche iontach peile a bheadh ann… Ní raibh an ceart againn faraor! Maidin an chluiche, bhí buzz ar fud na háite, tá mé lán cinnte go raibh níos mó de mhuintir Mhaigh Eo i mBaile Átha Cliath an lá sin, ná mar a bhí sa chontae féin! Tháinig said ó ghach áit, Nua Eabhrach, Chicago, an Bhraisíl, an Astráil agus Beijing – iad ar fad ar bís, imníoch, ach cinnte! Bhí Páirc an Chrócaigh plódaithe, fiú Hill16, bhí níos mó dearg gus glas ann ná gorm (buíochas don fhoireann mionúir 3000 ticéad sa bhreis a fháil don chontae). A leithéid de thacaíocht ní fhaca mé riamh! Bhí mo ghuth beagnach imithe i ndiaidh an chéad cluiche! Áthas an domhain orainn do na leaids óga. Shíleamar gur tuar a bhí ann, tús maith, leath na hoibre, mar a deirtear! D’imir siad go hiontach agus dá bharr tá Tommy ag teacht chugainn don bhliain. Deora sna súile againn ag canadh Amhráin na bhFiann, atmasiféar leictreach
timpeall orainn! Cluiche deacair a bhí ann, ní cluiche maith. Bhí sé fisiciúl, gan slacht, agus leamh… Thosaigh mé ag caoineadh le 20 nóiméad fágtha, agus níor stop mé go dtí ‘n Luan! Níl a fhios agam cén chaoi a raibh fhios agam go raibh sé thart, ach bhí. Ghol mé ar feadh 40 nóiméad ina dhiaidh chomh maith! Chaoin mé an oiread sin agus gur mhill mé an lá ar mo cholceathracha Baile Átha Cliathacha. Inniu an Aoine, tá muid socraithe ar ais arís. Feicim anois go bhfuil Sam cosúil leis an mbuachaill sin a bhfuil AN-tóir agat air, ach gur dofheicthe leis thú! B’fhearr leis contaethe níos galántaí. Sé dall orainn! Is mór an trua atá a’m dó! Ní fheicfidh sé fáilte cosúil le fáilte linne go deo. Siad tacaithe Mhaigh Eo an lucht tacaíochta is fearr sa tír. Fiú i ndiadh 62 blianta, 7 gcailliúint, tháinig muid ar ais, agus beidh muid ann an chéad uair eile chomh maith… 63 bliana nó 163! Bíonn muid i gcónaí cinnte! Leis sin, mar fhocal scor, agus mé fós searbh: #Mayo4Sam2014.
Nuacht an Chumainn Ghaelaigh UCD Ar an gCéadaoin seo caite bhí rang Zumba ar siul i Halla A san ionad spóirt. Bhí slua ollmhór ag an rang agus ba mhaith linn ár mbuíochas a ghabháil le Siobhán Nic Fhlannchadha as an rang seo a dhéanamh dúinn. Mholfainn daoibh ‘Is maith liom’ a dhéanamh ar leathanach Facebook ‘Zumba Siobháin” chun tuilleadh eolais a fháil ar ranganna. Dé Máirt, an tseachtaine seo chugainn, beidh ár gcéad céilí den úrbhlian ar siúl sa bheár. Tosóidh sé ag a hocht a chlog. Beidh ceol beo ó Thradsoc ar an oíche. Beidh téama na gcontaetha ar an oíche agus beidh spot-duiseanna do na daoine a dhéanann an iarracht is fearr. I ndiaidh an chéilithe beidh muid ag dul ar aghaidh chuig Club an Chonartha ar Shráid Fhearchair, áit a bheidh Oíche na Mac Léinn ar siúl. Beidh slua ollmhór ó na coláistí eile ann, agus seans cairdeas nua a thosnú. Beidh muid ag glacadh páirte i gcur-iarracht domhanda Bliana na Gaeilge. Ar feadh na seachtaine beidh comhrá as Gaeilge á chraoladh ar líne. Beidh baill an Chumainn ag glacadh páirte ar oíche an Luain agus beidh tú in ann féachaint ar an gcomhrá ar shuíomh Bhliana na Gaeilge. Bíodh sibh saor don Thuras Rúnda, Déardaoin an 17ú Deireadh Fómhair. I mbliana táimid á dhéanamh le hENTS agus is cinnte go mbeidh oíche den scoth againn. Beidh na ticéid ar fáil go luath ón Seomra Caidrimh. Lean “Caife agus Comhrá” ar aghaidh an tseachtain seo. Ba dheas linn An Seomra Caidrimh (B207) a fheiceáil agus í breac le haghaidheanna nua. Bígí cinnte a bheith saor do Dhéardaoin na céad seachtaine eile agus a rá le bhur gcairde go bhfuil sé ar siúl.
Ré Úr i ndán d’Fhoireann sacair na hÉireann?
T
Tá lucht leanta Fhoireann Sacair na hÉireann go mór in ísle brí faoi láthair na huaire de bhrí go bhfuil an fhoireann féin faoi bhuairt agus faoin ainnis araon. Seo tar éis don lug titim ar an lag acu le deireanas agus iad ag dul i ngleic le buachaillí na Gearmáine, na Sualainne agus na hOstaire fosta. Ní haon áibhéil a rá go bhfanfaidh an taispeántas in éadan na Gearmáine i gcuimhne na ndaoine go ceann i bhfad. Ciceanna fánacha go leor a chuidigh leis an nGearmáin an ceann is fearr a fháil ar na hÉireannaigh bhochta. Tá sé cloiste againn go rí-mhinic go bhfuil dúshlán ar an saol ar na saolta seo. Is faoiseamh chucu an spórt ag neart daoine sa tír seo againne. Is é a
thugann aitheantas agus féiniúlacht dóibh. Ní ceart, mar sin, do Iodálach cnagaosta stubarálta an tseoid seo a scriosadh. Bhí na teaicticí ab aige, an cur chuige ab aige agus an modo di giocare ab aige iontach diúltach, agus ba bheag fás a bhí i ndán don fhoireann sacair i gcaitheamh an achair dhorcha seo. Cé go ndéarfadh neart den chosmhuintir gur dhein Trapattoni éacht nuair a cháiligh muid do Chraobh na hEorpa anuraidh, ní raibh sa mhéid seo, ámh, ach bolgán a bhí ar tí pléascadh; rud a thit amach go mórthaibhseach sa chomórtas céanna. Fuair Andrea Pirlo, prionsa an tsacair, agus na hIodálaigh an lámh in uachtar orainn roimh don Spáinn teacht inár gcoinne agus stánáil cheart a thabhairt
dúinn. Thig leis an FAI a bheith ina cheap magaidh ar uairibh ach ní dócha go bhfuil mórán den lucht sacair in Éirinn in umar na haimléise toisc Trap a bheith fillte ar a fhód dúchais. Is dream ceanúil muid ach ba dheacair urraim a thabhairt do Trap de bhrí nach raibh meas aige ar an gcultúr sacair s’againne. Dhein sé iarracht culaith Iodálach a chur ar chulaith nár thuig an cur chuige coimhthíoch seo. Tugaimid aghaidh anois ar na blianta beaga amach romhainn le héadóchas agus tá jab doiligh ag an té a cheapfaí sa phost. De nadúr an duine an tseanaois abair, agus ar an drochuair tá Robbie Keane agus Richard Dunne ag dul
in aois agus is é is dóichí ná nach mbeidh siad ar fáil don bhainisteoir úr don fheachtas úr. Beidh ar an mbainisteoir nua an fhoireann a aththógáil, geall leis. Bímid ag cáiseamh agus ag caoineadh easnaimh na cruthaitheachta i gcóras imeartha na foirne. Ba cheart don bhainsteoir nua saoirse a thabhairt don fhoireann agus áit an cheannais a thabhairt don ghné seo amach anseo; is í a chuidíonn le foireann bhláthú agus an dubh a chur ina gheall ar fhoirne eile. Athrú cultúir agus athrú meoin atá de dhíth. Ré úr nó gorta eile? Nósfaidh an aimsir.
Fiachra Ó Muirchearta
Dear Students, Last week I was in South Africa at the One Young World Forum, with 2,000 youth leaders from around the world. I worked hard on encouraging them to come back to Dublin next year, which will host the conference and generate an estimated €3million for the local economy in Dublin, as well as boosting UCD's profile. This Thursday (10th Oct) Union Council takes place in the FitzGerald Chamber 6.30pm. If you have any questions/issues come along and ask!
What’s up guys? This week I’ve been setting up Grindsfile on the website. This service allows you to access grinds on a range of subjects. If you want to check them out simply check out http://www.ucdsu.ie/education/grindsfile/ for more info or email me if you want to be added to the list to give grinds yourself! We aso had a great turnout for elections for class rep and I’m looking forward to Council with engaged representatives!
Hello Everyone, This past week has been really busy! I’ve been attending committee meetings such as the Engineering and Architecture Graduate Programme Board to ensure proper representation for students. I’ve also been fulfilling my clinic hours in Smurfit to help students out there and to increase their engagement with the SU. I am also looking into the feasibility of helping postgrad students find ways of getting larger sample sizes for their research studies.
Hey hey, I’ve been busy with the work going on in the Union. Last week we had SUSI in to help students find out where their grants are in the system. I’ve also being working with Maria, our Environmental Officer here in the Union to get the ‘Feeding the 500’ event finalised. Keep an eye out on campus for more info! We’ve also partnered up with USIT this year and they have an awesome prize for us to give out. October 10th is World Mental Health Day too and I have some serious plans to get Mental Health info out to UCD on the day!
It’s Satire, STUPID!
INSIDE “Taoiseach to enrol in L+H maidens” “Domino’s Ball tickets refunded for late arrivals of 30 minutes or more” “Marriage rates fall, divorce rates rise, net win for all concerned” “Sinead O’ Connor writes open letter to Love/Hate cat” “Starbucks predict next American president; Tall Skinny White Americano” ‘Modern’ readers clamour for more videos in paper “Jedward remain asexual and irrelevant”
Snapchat Revolutionises Study in UCD We here at The Turbine can confirm that Snapchat will now be a legal requirement on campus, as of late October of this year. This photo sharing app, developed by Stanford students in 2011, has taken the social media scene by storm with its easily understood interface and near complete ambiguity upon use. The App is primarily used by students wishing to share images of notes, timetables and study tips through an online medium. It is in this capacity that our esteemed faculty have decided that the App should be an integral part of student life. It has even been
reported that it may be a replacement for BlackBoard, much to the joy of all concerned. The App itself is extremely simple to use. You take a photo or screenshot of your notes, set a timer for how long it can be viewed for and then send it. Clearly this is the future of instant messaging services. Due to its clever use of anonymous names, users will be well able to message thewir friends with study aids without feeling in any way ‘nerdy’ or marginalised. There is no shame when using Snapchat, and it even has a handy notification to let you know if the recipient has
Research conducted in the bowels of UCD’s new Science Building has led to a groundbreaking discovery that crosses over several fields of interest. A team of crack scientists combined forces with select members of our student body and conducted extensive research leading to this revelation; there is a substance harder than even diamonds that can be found in only one product, Nokia phones. The research project began when Korean science student Kim Sam Sung’s Nokia
slipped out of his pocket and tumble down two flights of stairs. Upon retrieval, the device was completely unmarked, much to his surprise. He contacted his professor who recommended taking these findings into the lab. Mr Sung gathered a cohort of both chemists and phone enthusiasts, and they set to work discovering what was at the heart of the seemingly indestructible Nokia. The team expected to discover that it was simply a well made machine, but several tests soon proved otherwise. A dark, gritty substance appeared to be interwoven with
saved your photo or not, unless they happen to be using iOS 7. But some of you may be asking how can you acquire a set of notes sent to you if you forget to save them within the allotted time? Have no fear, for a Snapchat server is easily accessed by anybody with a minimal understanding of computers, meaning one of your IT friends could potentially retrieve any lost photographs/screenshots. So although the images claim to have self destructed, in reality, they have not. Snapchat has blitzed the
V’s
social media market, and it is no wonder that UCD officials are lauding it as the perfect tool for academics. App users include celebrities like Chris Brown, famed for his past sharing of biology projects and his hard hitting stance on women’s rights. With endorsements such as this, who can really discredit the magnificent media form that is Snapchat?
Sung Hard For Nokia the phone’s outer shell. This mystery substance had a similar carbon structure to diamond, but further investigations soon showed that the substance was even harder than they first thought. Nicknamed SamSungnite after its discoverer, the element seems to be a rare mineral found only in Scandinavia. To demonstrate a Nokia’s inherent toughness, the Turbine was allowed witness several tests which included exposure to a technophobic Roscommon student, immersion in the UCD lake and being attached to the tip of a dentist drill to penetrate
enamel. We are happy to report that the Nokia performed admirably under all of these circumstances. The discovery of SamSungnite is being heralded as a major scientific breakthrough and UCD is being lauded as Ireland’s home of scientific discovery. Mr Sung was unavailable to comment on his success, although it has been reported that he has been offered a place in King’s College Cambridge following his breakthrough. I’m sure we will be hearing a lot more of Mr Sung in the future, as it is clear that at last, he has found his calling.
BUSINESS\17
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
Ryanair opts for PR Makeover
UCD Investors & Entrepreneurs Society
O’Leary outlines new customer relations strategy for Europe’s biggest airline....
How can one of the most powerful government in the world shutdown overnight? Michael Fanning explains.
A Customer Friendly Ryanair? Ryanair, the Irish airline spearheaded by Michael O’Leary, has announced a revamp of its customer relations strategy. The development will see the airline establish a new social media function, appoint a dedicated team to respond to complaint emails and replace its archaic website with a new user-friendly flight-booking platform. The news, which emerged from the ISEQ-listed company’s AGM last week, represents a significant strategic shift away from the no-frills, macho culture, associated with the airline during O’Leary’s time at the helm.
New Development
‘We should try and eliminate things that unnecessarily piss people off ’, said O’Leary, after coming under renewed pressure from top brass shareholders who felt that the existing culture, emanating primarily from the CEO and his belligerence towards customers, was negatively impacting Ryanair’s sales performance and bottom line .
Future
Infamy The company’s strategy of decreasing fares while focussing on ancillary income streams such as commission from car hire, hotels and luggage has earned it one of the world’s most negative corporate images. Accordingly, Ryanair was last week voted the worst of Britain’s 100 biggest brands. However, like it or loath it, Ryanair’s ascent to becoming Europe’s most profitable and the world’s fastest-growing airline is admirable and without precedent for an Irish company. The company has placed an order for 175 new Boeing aircraft to add to its 303-strong existing fleet, a move aimed at increasing capacity to 110 million passengers by 2018.
This bullish capital expenditure, together with 37% share price growth year-to-date and improvements in customer relations bodes well for Ryanair and its shareholders. Furthermore, news that the company must decrease its shareholding in Aer Lingus to enable the semi-state carrier to be sold off represents a fresh break from their fractious relationship and should help Ryanair focus on establishing more profitable routes in new markets.
Shane O’Brien
Irish SME’s –It’sJust Small Talk? time to prioritise small Irish businesses and get Ireland working again, says Lorcan Nyhan
One of the most popular refrains by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny in the last two years has been that by 2016 Ireland will, among other things, be the best small country in the world to run a business. One can only assume that he is referring solely to Multi-National Corporations as this Government has continually failed to adequately protect and promote small businesses in Ireland. The Government has, to their credit, made huge strides in their quest to repair Ireland’s international reputation, set us on the right fiscal track and facilitate our move towards exiting the bailout programme. However domestic demand is still flat and despite recent statements from the Government, the unemployment crisis is showing no true signs of abating. There is now a whole cohort of Irish adults who, in the current climate, have little or no chance of gaining employment. Our construction sector will never again employ anywhere near the levels it did pre-2008 and those who were previously employed in this sector are unlikely to fill the new ‘knowledge economy’ jobs appearing due to increased FDI. The bricklayer is unlikely to become the software engineer. The only way to solve this issue is to create jobs in local economies through small business development. Affording small business owners and entrepreneurs the space and freedom to create extra jobs is the answer to increasing domestic demand and creating the low-skilled jobs Ireland so desperately needs. This Government, however, has chosen instead to ignore the issues small businesses face and has seen fit to increase taxation on this segment while refusing to adequately reform our
antiquated bankruptcy laws. Tax on the self-employed has increased by 8.5% since 2008, while still it takes 12 years to exit bankruptcy in Ireland. This is leading to a crushing fear of failure being instilled on Ireland’s potential entrepreneurs. This fear is made even worse by the fact that the PRSI contributions of the self-employed do not qualify them for job seekers benefit should the business fail. In the run up to Budget 2013, all of the usual kite flying has occurred. The most worrying of these is Minister Burton’s statement regarding increasing PRSI on the self-employed. The self-employed in Ireland already have an effective tax rate of 55%. The reward for someone taking the sizeable risk of starting their own company and creating employment is to have over half of their income taken from them in taxes. This effectively stems any hope of businesses re-investing profits into the business. The idea of increasing PRSI on this segment, who by the way receives little to nothing for their PRSI contributions, is as idiotic as it is unfair. The Government, and particularly Fine Gael, a party which claims to support small business, need to start supporting the Irish SME sector. This sector is one which is mostly likely to drive domestic demand and provide jobs for the thousands of unskilled unemployed. We must update our archaic and regressive bankruptcy laws to support innovation and risk-taking, rather than penalising failure. We should take the bold step in reducing the marginal tax on the self-employed. Such a move may not be popular across the entire electorate, but would increase the disposable income in the economy, promote domestic demand and most importantly create sustainable employment.
What’s Going On? Since the 1st October the funding of US government departments has been cut off. As a result over 800,000 government workers have been placed on ‘furlough’ or unpaid leave. These include all government functions deemed non-essential, including museums, national parks, the Environmental Protection Agency and most of NASA. Essential services such as defence, social security payments and postal services are maintained. Why is This Happening? In order for a US budget to come into effect it must first be passed by both the Republican controlled House of Representatives and the Senate which is in the hands of the Democrats. This process can often drag on and so it is routine for a continuing resolution to be passed. This effectively means that the current budget will remain in place while the new budget is passed to ensure the government continues to operate. However Congress took this as an opportunity to derail the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Postponing the act by a year was attached as a condition to the continuing resolution resulting in it being rejected by the Senate, prompting the shutdown. Why is Obamacare Such a Big Issue? The act will extend health insurance to 30 million Americans. The law was passed 2010 and is seen as the biggest legislative achievement during Obama’s term in office. The Republican opposition to the bill is being driven by the ultra-conservative Tea Party element of the Republican Party. The growth in support for the party has driven Republicans to take increasingly conservative stances or risk losing seats to more extreme candidates. This polarisation has led to the current impasse. Has a Shutdown Happened Before? Yes. The last such shutdown took place over 21 days in the 1995-1996 New Year period when President Bill Clinton clashed with Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich over funding of health and education services. Republicans copped most of the blame for this contributing to Clinton’s re-election in 1996. When will it End? It is hard to know when the end will come. Both sides are entrenched in their positions and are unwilling to make the first move. Lawmakers from both parties are suggesting that the shutdown could last weeks. Republicans have brought forward legislation aimed at reopening certain services such as garbage collection quickly. However Democrats see working towards a single solution as the fastest way to end the shutdown. Is This the Only Funding Issue Being Faced? No. The US Treasury is approaching its $16.7 trillion debt ceiling, a self-imposed limit on how much the Government can borrow. This is being used as another political football by Republicans set on defunding Obamacare. Unless Congress can agree to raise this ceiling the US could find itself unable to fund itself within a matter of weeks. This could force it into an unprecedented default on its debt which would have a profound effect globally.
18/SPORT
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
Technical Ability Needed For The Future Of Irish Football Jack Power Sports Writer
In the weeks following the departure of Giovanni Trapattoni as Irish manager, the search continues for the FAI to appoint a suitable successor to the role. The FAI have stated that they are in no rush to choose a new coach with early indications predicting that the process may take some time before a replacement is found. In the meantime the Ireland U21 coach Noel King has taken up the role as caretaker manager. King’s recall of Doyle, Gibson and Reid and his dispersal of Sammon, Cox and O Dea have endeared him to the Irish public. After the disappointing results against Sweden and Austria, his unattractive style of football, uncompromising attitude and his apparent lack of a Plan B Trapattoni’s exit from the Irish set-up was well deserved. But questions
remain over the quality of the current Irish squad with the majority of players plying their trade in the Championship. Speculation surrounds the future manager with Martin O’Neil and Mick McCarthy front runners to fill the vacant post. Martin O Neill seemed primed to take over the highest job in Irish soccer but recent disinterest has forced people to question is the Antrim man prepared to be the next Irish manager? Whoever gets the position will have to change the somewhat lethargic Irish still of play and move away from the defensive tactics of Trap. This could mean more time in the green jersey for the Norwich creative pair of Hoolahan and Pilkington and the Everton trio of McCarty, Gibson and Coleman who have flourished under the guidance of Roborto Martinez. There is no reason to say Ireland can’t deviate to a passing and pos-
session friendly game, supporting our more technically gifted players. This could be aided by the inclusion of more attacking minded players and King’s call to Steven Ireland could re-open the door to the Stoke midfielder. The new coach will look to revamp the team and may draw some inspiration from teams like Everton and Swansea in the Premier League. Both teams produce a style of free flowing football, which has seen them rise to prominence in the Premier league. A note could be taken from UCD AFC who currently put their faith in unproven young players to make up the squad. They have shown no fear when it comes to playing football. Hailed for their determination to put the ball on the ground and pass it around, even in the face of superior opposition., the team looks like it will come out on top of a hotly contested relegation battle and secure
the rights to play in the top flight of Irish football next year. This is a testament to what can be achieved when a passing game is utilized. The choppy waters of Irish football may not have an immediate bright dawn. The new manager must regenerate and rejuvenate
the Irish squad but if the FAI hire the right manager to steady the ship, then Ireland can adapt a new more attractive style of play. This conversion will most likely take time, effort and determination from the players and patience from the fans.
Tennis Club Celebrate Centenary Year benefit greatly from the presence of the most popular man in Irish tennis for quite some time, Mike This centenary year for UCD Johnston. Johnston, also known Tennis has seen an influx of talas ‘The Shark’, has signed up to ent onto the Belfield campus. be a part of the push for promo On the men’s side, tion to Floodlit Class 1. Not a former Irish Boys’ Champion, current UCD student, his recruitRoss Hurley, and experienced ment is a major coup for the Bray native, Stephen Martin, college, as a number of clubs - inhave both signed up to study at cluding DCU and Trinity - were UCD for the next three years. As keen on securing his services well as Hurley and Martin, final for the autumn campaign. Other year psychology student, Fergus key players such as Ben Dillon of O’Connell – seen as one of the Sandycove and Johnny Steen – country’s most talented juniors the oldest member of UCD Tenin recent times never to win a nis Club – will also be pushing national title - is set to make his hard to get the first team back long-awaited intervarsity debut into the top tier of the Floodlit after an extended period on the League. sidelines. The men’s second team The ladies’ teams are have set themselves the goal of also set to benefit from new winning Floodlit Class 3, with arrivals, with the likes of Amy two recent alumni returning to Ryan, Kate Lloyd and Alexanthe fold for one last throw of the dra Drummy all enrolling last dice. Naas maths whizz, Rory month. Couple this with the apWhyte, and future lawyer, Ronan pointment of the highly-respect- O’Keefe (halfway through his ed Justin Clarke as club coach FE1 examinations at the time and UCD are set up nicely for the of writing), are both adamant first Dublin-based intervarsity that this will be their year. Last tennis tournament since 2010. year’s Men’s Captain, Andrew The first assignment of O’Connor, has issued a rallythe year is the Dublin Lawn Ten- ing cry to his comrades, saying nis Council Floodlit League, with that with the talent available to UCD entering three men’s teams the UCD men’s teams this year, and two ladies’. ‘anything less than promotion for The men’s first team will two of our three teams will be a Declan O’Rourke Sports Writer
categorical failure.’ The ladies first team - led by 2013/14 Ladies’ Club Captain, Alison Clarke – will aim to progress to the knockout stages of Class 1, and with a bit of luck and consistency, perhaps even beyond. Clarke and new recruits Lloyd, Ryan and Drummy, along with experienced campaigners like medicine student and former Club Captain, Lucy Mathews, will feel that they are as strong as any other team in the league. Men’s Club Captain, Mike McGrath, agrees: ‘These girls are as talented as anyone. If we can
get them out training; really expressing themselves and playing the way they can, they could go all the way.’ Of course it’s not all competitive with UCD Tennis, and this centenary year, some influential figures are trying to bring the club back to its roots with a stronger emphasis placed on social tennis and coaching for beginners and intermediates. The Club’s Director of Talent Development, Aodhan Deane, is happy with how the first few sessions have gone. Deane said that the
participation of ordinary members is just as important for the future of the club. One hundred years on the go and McGrath wants to make this a year to remember for UCD Tennis. What are his goals for the year? ‘I’d love to get as many people out playing at every level and really enjoying their tennis, but more than anything I want to bring the intervarsity trophy back to its rightful home. Aodhan says it’s not about winning but I think he’s wrong. This year it is.’
SPORT\19
THE COLLEGE TRIBUNE 08.10.2013
UCD’s Superior Backline Passes Belvedere Into Defeat UCD RFC........................33 in to a maul on the 22 only for the ball to be switched through the OLD BELVEDERE.........26 backs who ran it in at the corner.
The Belvedere kicker Byrne hooked the conversion wide to leave Collidge two points up. The Collidge Collidge had to up their game and forwards stood up to the test after really perform against Old Belvethat, with Conor Gilsenan leaddere RFC in the second game of the ing the charge and driving into the Division 1A Ulster Bank League. opposition territory. The Belvedere In an incredibly well contested players lacked discipline at times game that saw UCD RFC emerge conceding two penalties, which victorious with 33 points to Old Thornton put over the posts to set Belvedere’s 26. the score at 13-5. The game kicked off at Collidge soon showed break neck pace. UCD scored the their class again with another excelfirst try after only 3 minutes. An lent display of passing, scrumhalf excellent passing move from the Luke McGrath dummying and backs left the Belvedere players in feinting before perfectly setting up disarray. The promising winger Andrew Boyle to charge over the Sam Coghlan-Murray making a line. A challenging kick out wide defense splitting run allowing him was superbly executed by James to saunter over the line in style for Thornton putting Collidge 15 a try. The no. 10 Thornton conpoints ahead. Old Belvedere fought verting the kick for the extra two back, and again forced a try past points. an over-run UCD defence. This The game only improved from time Belvedere made no mistake as there with Old Belvedere respond- Berne nailed the conversion. The ing through their physical style game was an end-to-end affair, with of play, pushing UCD back in the the almost un-touchable Coghlanrucks and mauls. They grabbed a Murray cutting through the try soon after. UCD were drawn Belvedere players. The UCD players Jack Power Sports Writer
built on the momentum and in another display of backline skill which ended with a fantastic snap offload to Eoin Joyce who dived in for a try. James Thornton splitting the posts to notch on two points in an impeccable display of kicking from the tee. Ending the first half with the score at 27-12 to Collidge, the game by no means over and the stage set for an exciting second half in the Belfield Bowl. The teams didn’t disappoint, with a fiery exposition to the second half. Collidge showed no fear in attacking the Belvedere line, flair, precision, and expansive runs the trademark of this Collidge team. UCD RFC showed their strength in depth bringing on forwards Dave Mc Sharry, Hyland, Clarkin and winger Dan Leavy to make a difference. Neither team could dominate in a tense few minutes where both team’s nerves were tested. Then a mistake came from the boys in blue, a high cross-field ball from the Belvedere out-half caused chaos as two UCD players went for the same ball. The ball fell fortuitously to a Belvedere player to cross the unprotected Collidge try
line, leaving Berne with a simple The game ended with Collidge tap over to bring the scoreboard to coming out deserved victors. 27 -19. The rising tensions boiled over in some heated exchanges between the teams as the game geared up to a dramatic finish. Collidge UCD XV continued to advertise their attractive style of passing rugby, looking 1.Tracey comfortable on the ball in the face of some crunching tackles. The 2.Byrne Students worked hard and a flurry 3.Harrison of passes eventually drew a penalty 4.Cawley from Old Belvedere. The composed 5.Mac Mahon Thornton struck it over cleanly 6.Grannell for another 3 points, putting 11 points between the teams. Though 7.Gilsenan Belvedere refused to lie down. Leo 8.Joyce Auva’a leading their attack, testing 9.McGrath Collidge’s defensive steel in the 10.Thorton final minutes and penning them in 11.Daly their own half. The boys in black and white eventually found a gap 12.Murphy and ran in for a converted try to 13.Kelly bring the score to 30-26. 14.Coughlan - Murray The UCD players held 15.Boyle firm and kept Belvedere in check, Thornton adding another kick to his tally to settle the scores at 33-26. In the end Belvedere just couldn’t match the Belfield boys and their higher standard of play.
UCD Sail Towards Gold Horse Racing Society Returns Seán Cummins Sports Editor
The UCD Sailing Club had their launch for this year’s Yachting World Cup at Dun Laoghaire last Thursday. The crew will depart for France on Thursday October 11th to defend their title. However the format to the event has been changed. Last years 10 strong team have now been reduced to six. The organisers of the event have moved towards using the smaller J80. This will mean that the UCD crew will have to work harder and each member must have a broader range of skills. The crew includes Bella Morehead (trimmer) from Royal Cork Yacht Club and Kinsale’s Ben Fusco (navigator and trimmer) from last year’s victorious crew. New members include Philip Doran (helm) from Courtown SC, Sophie Murphy (on-board bow and tactics) sailing for the Royal St George YC, Conor Murphy (mainsheet trimmer) from Howth YC and Vinnie Varley of Malahide YC is the alternate crew member. The UCD crew who won
the Student Yachting World Cup in La Rochelle last year, depart in the hope of making it back to back victories. The crew claimed victory by the largest margin ever recorded by an Irish team when taking gold at last year’s event and a repeat performance could see
them retain the coveted top position. Last year’s team under the guidance of team captain Aidan McLaverty and tactician Barry McCartin dominated proceedings and had a 12 point advantage over their nearest rivals, Canada.
of industry growth. “UCD did have a society before. But since Sports Editor there has been a huge growth in the industry in general and we UCD’s long association with have much more of a demand horse racing continues to grow. now” he said. The Horse Racing Society is in The society are currently its first year and the society’s organising numerous trips and growth continues to illustrate speakers for the upcoming year. the demand and desire for horse The first trip is to the Limerick racing among students. Two of races on October 14. This race the country’s top trainers Dermot day is in aid of John Thomas Weld, a previous veterinary stuMcNamara (37) who suffered a dent and Jim Bolger an advocate horrific fall from Galaxy Rock at of UCD’s Equinome project are this year’s Cheltenham festival just two names affiliated with and Jonjo Bright (19) a point to UCD racing. point rider who was left para The society’s rejuvelysed after a fall in March 2013. nation was the brain child of The day involves a British versus current students Gavin Hernon, Irish jockey trial with tickets Laura Joy and Emma Flemming costing €20. The society is also in 2011. An earlier society ceased planning a low cost trip to the in 1999 and since its recent reMarch Cheltenham festival along establishment it has grown to with numerous talks and yard 430 members. Joe Callan is the visits to Ireland’s leading trainers current Auditor and he said the also on the cards. increase in interest is as a result
Seán Cummins
WHAT NEXT FOR IRISH FOOTBALL FOLLOWING TRAP’S DEPARTURE ? >>>> > > >PAGE 18
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SPORT
UCD TOUGH IT OUT Against Belvedere
MATCH REPORT: PAGE 19 PICTURE: ED SCANNELL
Students Unable to Halt Saints Title Run UCD................................................1 ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC.........3 Patrick Fleming Sport Writer St. Patrick’s Athletics’ title ambitions were briefly brought into doubt on Friday evening at the Bowl when a 23rd minute Robbie Benson goal had them behind and chasing the Students. However, a howler from Mark McGinley in goal on a straightforward shot from Chris Forrester let the Saints back into the game and two subsequent goals from Anthony Flood and Jake Kelly sealed the win for the Inchicore side. St. Pats controlled the early possession and their patience in attack eventually produced a chance for John Russell as he was played through by a Chris Forrester through ball. However, the Galway native was unable to keep his effort from drifting over the bar as pressure from the onrushing McGinley forced him to stretch for the volley.
After another chance on an Anto Flood header off of a Ger O’Brien cross was easily saved, UCD began to assert themselves more on the game, especially in the middle of the park where they had effectively pacified the St. Pats attacking threat. This renewed influence on the game was then rewarded when UCD struck the lead. Pressure in midfield led to Robbie Creevy picking up the ball before immediately looking up and playing a quick pass to Robbie Benson. The striker then pulled away from his marker before turning onto his left foot and playing a precision curled shot into the far corner of Brendan Clarke’s goal. Following the goal, UCD didn’t let up, continuing to keep the Saints at bay. Michael Leahy and Michael Kelly in the centre of the defence seemed comfortable dealing with anything that came into the UCD penalty area. All the good work would be undone however when St. Pats equalised on 31 minutes. At the end of a long season it may well be the case that Mark McGinley’s gloves may not have the same adhesive
qualities that they once had but regardless, his inability to hold onto Forrester’s fairly tame shot meant that ball dropped behind him and into the net. It was clear that the confidence had been sapped from the UCD team and Pats pounced, scoring a second just two minutes later. This time, sloppy play in midfield left Forrester with space to dash forward with the ball. Having drawn in the backpedalling UCD defence he played in the completely open Anto Flood who finished with a plomb. Pats finished out the half comfortable in possession and continuing to pepper the UCD goal with chances. Kelly, Forrester and Russell each had sights at goal but couldn’t add to the score before half time. With the restart St. Pats were well in control but they wouldn’t be comfortable unless they could get a third goal. Forrester came close to finding it when he beat David O’Connor before coming inside towards goal. McGinley positioned himself well at the front post and forced Forrester to try for the more difficult shot to the far post only for him to fire harmlessly across goal and wide.
It was only a matter of minutes later though that Pats did find the back of the net. The goal was the product of some lovely individual play from Jake Kelly as he cut inside his marker and drove a low shot through a crowd of players. McGinley only saw it late as it popped and was unable to get down before the ball was already passed him and in the net. From that point on the game was easy for Pats who played it out in a manner befitting the potential league champions, keeping possession and suffocating UCD. The Students did manage one more big chance as a cross was mishandled by Clarke who dropped it at the feet of Benson, but the keeper recovered immediately to deflect Benson’s shot out for a corner. St. Pats finished out the game in comfort. With the final whistle they went six points clear at the top and one step closer to a first title in fourteen years. Meanwhile, UCD remain precariously close to the bottom with Bray and Shelbourne just five points behind with three to go.