COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Issue_01.35
Independent Student Media
21.09.2021
CONTROVERSIAL
CAHILL
NO LONGER EMPLOYEE OF UCD! Read the full timeline on pages 8 and 9!
Hugh Dooley - News Editor
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he College Tribune can confirm that Dolores Cahill is no longer an employee of University College Dublin. After 16 years in UCD, the outspoken and controversial lecturer has parted ways with Ireland’s university. Originally reported by TheJournal.ie, Cahill has been removed from the online UCD staff directory and is no longer listed as a staff member on the UCD website. Following this report, independent inquiries made to sources close to the story have established that
Cahill is no longer an employee of UCD. Dolores Cahill did not respond to comment before the publishing of this article, any response recieved by The College Tribune from Cahill will be published subsequently. Speaking to The College Tribune, UCDSU President Ruairí Power said; “We are delighted to finally see the back of Prof. Cahill and her dangerous pseudoscientific quackery. Her peddling of misinformation significantly undermined her UCD colleagues’ efforts to control the spread of Covid-19 in Ireland. Her
(unsuccessful) attempts to whip up fear and hatred for personal political gain were an affront to the efforts of frontline hospital & contact tracing staff, including the students we represent.” UCD have declined to comment on the nature of Cahill’s departure from their employment, though her separation comes after the Independent reported that Cahill had informed the university of her intention to retire at the end of the previous academic year during which she had no teaching output in the college.
Continued on page 8...
First Years To Begin University Late As Leaving Cert Is Delayed Ann Jaffray - Reporter
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AO points have risen to a record high with students from the Leaving Certificate class of 2021 securing high grades. With more students receiving top grades than usual the CAO points for many courses have gone up so much that students who did achieve top grades are also missing out on course places.
Points for courses have gone up across the country, with entry to UCD being an average of 40 points higher than last year’s final CAO round. In UCD a total of 6 courses entry points are at or above the 600 point mark. Veterinary Medicine has risen to 601 points for undergraduate entry, compared to 589 in 2020.
Continued on page 3...
Editorial
Editorial W
elcome to the first issue of The College Tribune’s thirty-fifth volume. After a whole year of bringing you UCD’s most scandalous stories through investigative journalism, breaking news and UCD student stories online, we are delighted to be back on campus, in print. Much like everything we have ever enjoyed in person, our journalism was also moved to our online platforms (follow us on our social media and download our app!). We were more than happy to be working away at our desks in our bedrooms, having online meetings and discussing stories happening in our virtual campus. It was a way for many of us at the Tribune to stay connected to a part of our lives that is well in the past. This is the sequel, baby! Belfield is no longer a ghost town. For those of you who are in second year and above, you’ve seen how Belfield has come to life in the last week with students frolicking and lounging around the main lake, amongst the swans and in the sun. We’ve certainly been enjoying the view from our rustic, little office in the basement of the Newman building. For those of you who are lucky to be living your first year as a college student actually attending lectures on campus and not having to be put through Zoom University’s 25 minutes of silence in break-out rooms, welcome to Belfield. It’s certainly changed since the pandemic. It’s a bit cleaner now, we’ll give it that. Yes, it’s also less lively in the Student Centre where some of our biggest
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societies would once host events attended by nearly 350 students. But, it still has its charm. Our concrete jungle is still crawling with gossip, UCD’s dodgy behind-the-door decisions and a lack of adequate student facilities. The Tribune is notorious for being in UCD’s bad books and we plan to be turning a new chapter in the same book this year. Why is that you might ask? Because our journalism brings you stories UCD doesn’t want you to know. Despite that, we’ll keep on bringing you independent, honest and transparent stories that matter to you. As the college year progresses, we en-
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This is the sequel, baby! Belfield is no longer a ghost town
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courage you to get involved. To make a home out of the concrete jungle and imprint it with your story. One way to do that, is, of course, by writing stories for the best paper on campus. So drop down to us in our office, which will always have space for you. After having so much of our youth taken from us by the pandemic, we're back. And, we’re better than ever. Welcome.
Manny and Conor Co-Editors '21/'22
Connect With Us
Editor@collegetribune.ie +353 1 716 8501 PO Box 74, Student Centre, UCD, Belfield Dublin 4
Letters to the Editor should be sent via email and no longer than 300 words.
The Team Mahnoor Choudhry - Co-Editor Conor Paterson - Co-Editor Hugh Dooley - News Editor Emma Hanrahan - Deputy News Editor Rhoen Eate - Features Editor Angelina Pierce - Ents & Lifetyle Editor
@collegetribune www.collegetribune.ie
Download our app on the Google play store for androis users or the iTunes for iOS users!
21-09-2021
News
CAO Points Rocket as 6 UCD Courses Hit 600 3 Points By Ann Jaffray
UCD Bus Route Most Complained about in 4 Ireland By Hugh Dooley
Callum Buchan - Sports Editor Jack McGee - Head of Investigations ‘Armin Tamzarian’ - Turbine Editor Rosie Roberts-Kuntz - Assistant News Editor Mark O’Rourke - Business Correspondent Louise Kennedy - Law Correspondent Danielle DerGarabedian - Political Correspondent Ruth Delaney - Arts & Lifestyle Correspondent Hugh Dooley - Graphic Designer Blue Bird - For Keeping Us Awake InDesign - For Filling Our Nightmares Special thanks to Hugh Dooley for designing our front page, the Turbine logo and helping the co-editors to produce this issue.
News Tips Sometimes the best news story is right under your nose.
Letters to the Editor Criticisms and comments on any articles published in our publication are always welcome.
Volume 35 - Issue 01
For any news tips, on and off campus, please contact the editor via social media, telephone, email, or traditional mail. Alternatively, you’re welcome to stop by our Newman Building Office.
New UCD Accomodation Blocks Upwards of 14k a Year 5 By Jack McGee
Features
Our Accomodation Hell: A Sickening Stain on our College Years By Rhoen Eate
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Is Campus Reopening a Ticking Timebomb? 15 By Danielle DerGarabedian
Erasmus in a Pandemic 19 By Mahnoor Choudhry & Aoife Mitchell
Lifestyle
What to do in Dublin: A 21 Guide By Ruth Delaney
How COVID has changed Music 20 By Emily Potter
Sport
Clubs Delighted as Sport Returns to UCD 23 By Conor Paterson
UCD AFC in Promotion Hunt 23 By Callum Buchan
21-09-2021
News
News Volume 35 - Issue 01
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
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UCD Hosts In-Person Graduations! many students were left disappointed to see waves of friends and family come to Belfield for the ceremony while others were left at home.
Conor Paterson - Co-Editor This month saw the return of in-person graduation ceremonies to UCD for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last of such ceremonies took place as far back as December 2019.
Despite the original email, in a bulletin, UCD President Andrew Deeks wrote that there ‘was a wonderful atmosphere on campus as the new graduates celebrated with their classmates, families and friends.’
However, the events which took place over the last few weeks were impacted by public health regulations. Each ceremony was limited to 190 students who had to socially distance themselves from each other and were unable to bring family or friends into the events which took place outdoors under a marquee at the Quad beside the Student Centre. Students were delighted to be able to have in-person graduations, despite the restrictions. Andrew McMahon who was graduating with an M.E in Biosystems and Food Engineering said the ceremony was ‘very good, it was very well run.’ The relief that ceremonies were not all online was clear as Andrew added ‘it’s just great it went ahead.’
This left several students disappointed like Business and Law graduate Tara Hanlon. Speaking to the College Tribune, Tara said ‘I didn’t bring [family] as I thought they wouldn’t be allowed in so that was disappointing,’ adding that she believes ‘the email was really unclear.’ The ceremonies were strictly just for students and friends and family could not be in attendance. Bethany Williamson, who was graduating from Chemical Engineering said she was ‘initially not happy,’ but followed up by saying ‘but everyone is here anyway for afterwards.’ Andrew was also disappointed family could not attend but said ‘it’s better
CAO Points Rocket as 6 UCD Courses Hit 600 Points Ann Jaffray - Reporter Continued from the front page... Physiotherapy is also at 601 points. Actuarial and Financial Studies and Biomedical Health and Life Sciences are now at 613 points. Economics and Finance rose to the maximum of 625 points. The points for medicine rose by 7 points to 743 including
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A total of 6 UCD courses entry points are at or above the 600 point mark.
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the HPAT. Other high demand courses rose by large margins, with Architecture, Commerce and Social Sciences rising more than 40 points in UCD. In addition, 10 courses had to use random selection in round 1 to allocate places to candidates with high points. This rise in points for university places is apparent in universities across Ireland.
Trinity College Dublin has 9 courses over 600 points including medicine. This historic rise in CAO points come after record-high individual grades across all subjects. Leaving Certificate grades were inflated by an average of 2.6% over last year and in some higher level subjects there were significant jumps in the number of students getting top grades. 15.1% of higher level maths students achieved a H1 in 2021, compared with 8.6% in 2020. In English H1s increased from 4.4% to 7.6%.
than it not going ahead at all.’ There were some mishaps, however. In the original email sent to graduating students they were told ‘To avoid congestion on campus and to comply with public health guidelines, we ask that you come to campus unaccompanied.’ This led to some confusion and
UCDSU Attend Homeless and Housing Rally Outside The Dáil Conor Paterson - Co-Editor
Last Thursday, past and present members of the UCD Students Union executive attended the Winter of Housing Discontent rally. The demonstration which took place outside Dáil Eireann was organised by the National Homeless & Housing Coalition (NHHC). Hundreds of people attended the event including several TD’s from Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit. The UCDSU was also joined by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and several advocacy groups like the Irish Traveller Movement and the MICA Action Group.
2021’s high grades and points follow very high grades from 2020, which were also inflated compared with pre-pandemic statistics.
Speaking at the rally, the vice president of the USI for campaigns, Beth O’Reilly, said that ‘students are at the mercy of a government that doesn’t care, landlords that want to squeeze every last penny from us and vulture funds who look at the future of this country and see only the potential to make a profit.’ She followed up by saying that ‘the housing crisis is a student issue and it’s an all-island student issue.’
The acceptance deadline for the first round of CAO offers came on the 13th of September, and Round 2 offers are to be available from 10 am on the 20th of September. Round 2 will close on the 22nd.
The students union organised an extensive promotion of the event during orientation. This comes at a time when student accommodation is under intense focus following the return of students to campus. The UCD-
Grade hikes in other subjects were even more significant, with H1s rising from 11% to over 18% in history and from 29.9% to 40.9% in applied Maths.
While in-person ceremonies returned to UCD, not every university followed suit. Students in Technological University Dublin were told earlier this month that their graduation ceremonies would be virtual beginning on the 26th of October, despite the Government lifting almost all COVID-19 restrictions on the 22nd of October.
Pictured: UCDSU at Winter of Housing Discontent Rally. Photo Credits: Augistine o'Donoghue
SU has estimated that thousands of UCD students have yet to find accommodation for the current college year, despite it being over a week into the college year. The President of the UCDSU, Ruairí Power, has been very critical of the on-campus student accommodation strategy of UCD. Speaking to RTÉ last week, Power said that ‘we wouldn’t have any confidence in UCD’s current accommodation strategy. Responding to UCD charging up to €14,000 for the college year in the newly built accommodation, Power said ‘that’s not what students want, they want somewhere safe, secure and affordable.’ In a statement released before the rally, the organisers from the NHHC said that ‘An entire generation is being treated with contempt by this government and every piece of legislation passed that favours the landlords and funds is another kick in the teeth to those caught at the coal face of this crisis – a crisis made by government policy and made worse by them.’
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News
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Volume 35 - Issue 01
21-09-2021
UCD Bus Route Most Complained about in Ireland the 67X which runs from UCD to Maynooth.
Hugh Dooley - News Editor
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Dropping two places down the complaints list, the 67X had the third-highest level of complaints in 2020 with an average of 21 complaints for every 100,000 passengers per quarter. This continues the trend of a large number of com-
us routes serving UCD are some of the most complained about routes in Dublin, with the 41X route operating between University College Dublin and Swords recording the highest number of complaints from commuters in 2020. The bus route received an impressive 111 written complaints per 100,000 passengers along the route over a three-month span in 2020.
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The 39a and 46a route which received a steady number of complaints
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The 2020 Customer Complaints Report published by the National Transport Authority (NTA) showed that the worst route received an average of 28 complaints for every 100,000 passengers per quarter last year. In a statement to the press, a spokesperson for Dublin Bus said that complaints for the 41X had decreased by 68% in 2020, but the overall rate of complaints had risen due to reduced footfall in line with covid-19 compliance.
plaints being levied against Dublin Bus routes which serve UCD. This trend was especially consistent with the 39a and 46a route which received a steady number of complaints across 2019 and 2020. The NTA stated that these complaints are not all attributable to bus drivers as it factors in complaints “regarding frequency on a bus route or issues at certain bus
In winning the title of Dublin’s most complained about bus route, the 41X stole the crown from
stops that the operator has no responsibility to maintain” as well as “complaints relating to COVID-19 related measures” such whether commuters are wearing masks. In a statement to the College Tribune, a spokesperson for the Road Safety Authority (RSA) highlighted the need for safety around bus usage; “We need to take care near buses or trams. Take extra care if crossing a road where there is a bus lane (especially a contraflow bus lane), cycle lane or tram track. You should also be careful when getting on or off buses and when crossing the road at or near bus stops. REMEMBER Never cross in front of a stopped bus.” Many of the most complained about Dublin Bus routes have recently need fitted with Eduroam network capabilities such as the 39A and 46A. This will allow third-level students to avail access online journals such as JStor without having to log in each time and with the same privileges as they would have on UCD’s campus.
UCD Seek New Banking Partner OECD Report Ranks
Hugh Dooley - News Editor
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niversity College Dublin has issued a public tender to Ireland’s biggest banks as AIB’s time in Belfield has come to an end after 22 years with the campus bank being empty for the first time since 1973. Speaking to the College Tribune, Allied Irish Banks (AIB) has confirmed that they opted not to “renew their lease of the UCD premises” leading to their on-campus branch closing in June. Following the closure of the campus bank, UCD issued a public tender saying that they are “very interested in meeting with the banking sector to listen to their views of how both parties could work together for mutual benefit.” It is unlikely that another bank is going to take the place of the outgoing bank tenants as UCD have admitted that “The previous model was to have a branch on site, however our research has shown that this may no longer be attractive to the industry with the growth of online and internet banking services.” With the growth and improvement of online banking services, UCD believes that financial institutions may have revised their preferences on “how to leverage a relationship with UCD”. As a result of this suspected change, UCD are requesting to hear ideas from the banking sector on how to move forward in “se-
lect[ing] one bank to work with.” College campuses such as UCD’s have long been seen as a lucrative space for banks to have a space in due to students being seen to be
which predates Covid.” Before AIB took over the campus bank space, Bank of Ireland had operated the banking service on the Belfield campus for almost 26 years from March 1973 until February 1999.
Our campus strategy has been evolving due to rapid digital adoption
AIB was originally awarded a tenyear lease of the building but remained on-campus for 22 years. In 2014, AIB renewed their partnership with UCD for seven years upon the refurbishment of their now abandoned student branch.
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UCD has had an AIB on Campus for longer than some current students have been alive! So why are students returning to an AIB-free campus?
a profitable long-term customer base for financial institutions. A spokesperson for AIB explained why the bank is moving away from an on-campus approach saying; “our campus strategy has been evolving due to rapid digital adoption and decreasing branch footfall
Now AIB has stated that they have “relocated from its on-campus UCD branch to its Clonskeagh Road branch”. With AIB gone, their office space has been reallocated to serve as the construction office for the ongoing work being carried out by Kilwex Civil Limited.
Conor Paterson - Co-Editor
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n annual report published by the OECD has Ireland ranked last out of 36 developed countries for investment in education. The report measured total investment in education from primary to higher and further education as a proportion of gross domestic product, (GDP) a measure of national wealth. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publishes an annual report called ‘Education At a Glance 2021.’ It looks at a wide variety of data in relation to education spending across countries. It found that Ireland spent a total of 3.3% of its GDP on education in the year 2018. This compares to an EU average of 4.4% and is just half that of Norway which spent 6.6% of its GDP on education for the same time period. Teaching unions including the ASTI, TUI and Irish National Teachers Organisation have argued that the report highlights the critical lack of funding in all levels of education in Ireland. Responding to the report, the president of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) Martin Marjoram said the figures showed that our education system was ‘chronically and disgracefully underfunded’. The report comes out at a time when Irish universities are coming to terms with the financial ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. A pre-budget submission from the Irish Universities Association (IUA) estimated a €270 million loss in commercial revenue as a result of the pandemic. The IUA argued for a €900 million increase in additional funding to
Irish universities which would be split between day to day running costs and capital expenditure. It argued that it is important to foster talent and innovation in order to lead an economic revival post-pandemic whilst also mitigating the risks of changes in the international corporate tax regime and Brexit. Measuring total investment in education as a proportion of GDP is just one way of comparing total education spending between countries. When education spending is measured against total government expenditure, Ireland sits at a
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Our education system was chronically and disgracefully underfunded
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as AIB Abandon UCD Branch
Ireland Last For Investment in Education
respectable 12.6% which is above both the OECD and EU averages of 11% and 9.5% respectively. Finding an exact measurement of education spending that can be compared internationally is difficult. Economists often argue that GDP figures can be inflated, particularly in countries like Ireland with a large presence of foreign multinationals. Since the 2008 financial crash, government funding for universities has been significantly decreased, with many institutions, including UCD, seeking to increase alternate income streams such as international students who pay higher fees to the institutions.
21-09-2021
Volume 35 - Issue 01
News
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Taoiseach Under Fire Over Student Accomodation Crisis
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he Taoiseach has promised to keep a ‘close eye’ on universities and colleges to ensure they ‘do not charge exorbitant rent’ after being challenged on the topic in the Dáil. Conor Paterson - Co-Editor
The crisis in the student rental market was brought up in the first leader’s questions following the return of the Dáil after its summer recess. Taoiseach Micheál Martin was responding to reports of desperate students looking for accommodation on the same day a major housing protest took place outside Leinster House. The Taoiseach told the Dáil he doesn’t want students who can’t find accommodation staying in hotels. After People
Before Profit TD, Richard Boyd Barrett told the Taoiseach that important issues in the housing market were being ignored due to the ongoing Katherine Zappone controversy, Micheál Martin responded by saying the government would keep a ‘close eye’ on universities and colleges to ensure they ‘do not charge exorbitant rent.’ The Taoiseach followed up by pointing out that the government has been ensuring that colleges and universities have the capacity to borrow in order to increase the supply of on-campus accommodation. Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issue in the Dáil following RTÉ reports that showed third-level students staying in hotels due to the lack of accommoda
tion. He said that there was a ‘disease of unaffordable rents,’ which was pricing students out of the market. The Dun Laoghaire TD used UCD as an example where students were facing the rising costs of on-campus accommodation, telling the Taoiseach that some students were paying up to €14,000 a year in rent. He added that Dublin is ‘littered’ with luxury student accommodation that charges thousands for rent. The President of the UCD Students’ Union, Ruairí Power, responded to the Taoiseach’s comments on Twitter calling it a ‘frustrating and very inadequate response.’ He followed up by saying that Fianna Fáil ‘are subsidising elitist, discriminatory housing strategies in UCD
without setting any pricing criteria and allowing universities to focus only on “platinum” and “penthouse” apartments for up to €14k per year.’
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Ruairí Power, responded to the Taoiseach’s comments on Twitter calling it a ‘frustrating and very inadequate response.’
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Power also criticised UCD’s residential masterplan which he says will ‘will focus entirely on luxury accommodation for the next decade.’ He added that this represents a ‘Very clear message sent by UCD that students from working-class
and middle-income backgrounds aren’t welcome.
New UCD Accomodation Blocks Cost Upwards of €14k a Year Jack McGee - Head of Investigations s a housing crisis grips Ireland’s capital, accommodation in the newly-opened UCD Village can cost students upwards of €14,000 a school year, with renters in “Studio”, “Gold”, “Platinum”, and “Penthouse” spaces paying the most.
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Students staying in Roebuck Castle take the top overall spot, dropping €1,323.97 a month for a room in Belfield’s only catered accommodation bloc. When food costs are excluded, the most expensive per-head accommodation on campus are the Penthouse apartments in the new UCD Village. License and utilities together costs residents of that class upwards of €1,300.10 a month. However, the most expensive overall option is the Village Studio, which if booked by a individual student (rather than two sharing), costs approximately €14,000 a school year. Students searching for the most affordable UCD accomodation have to look beyond Belfield and instead to Blackrock Halls, whose residents pay €754.26 a month to stay in the older buildings on the Smurfit Graduate Buisness School campus. Included in the total price of all apartments is the booking and security deposit, which is equal to a month’s license fee and can be returned to the student at the end of the year. Also included are ResLife programmes, which
New UCD Student Residences include social events and trips for Three-trimester graduate stuthose staying in UCD residences. dents, whose options are limited to Belgrove, Glenomena, and ProIncluding Roebuck Castle, student by Residences, pay a few hundred accommodation at UCD costs an euro less per month than two-triaverage of €1,055.48, which was mester undergraduates, but for an increase on €930.89 last year. longer tenancy periods. ResidenAccording to the Rental Tenancies tial Assistants (RAs) who work for Board, the average rent for a priUCD part-time are given spaces at vate two-bedroom apartment in a reduced price. Dublin in Q1 2021 was €1,857. The average rent for a private two-bedPreviously, a spokeswoman for room house was €1,753. UCD said that the University would review the level of rent There are slight variations in price increases after three years, and depending on student status. Sinwould “reduce the increases or gle-trimester internationals pay even freese them if financially the most per month in license possible”. fees, with some spending upwards of €280 more than first year When asked for comment, UCDSU and continuing UCD students. Welfare Officer Molly Greenough Furthermore, permanent UCD said: students pay approximately €7 less per month than single-semes“While low and middle income ter internationals in utility fees. students are being priced out of
Higher Education across the island, I’d argue UCD is leading the charge. Over the course of the summer, I’ve chatted with countless concerned students, and their families, who were stressing about how they’d possibly afford these outlandish accommodation prices. Students can’t afford accommodation on their own campus, and are forced to flee into the precarity of the private rental sector. So, it’s often a lose/lose situation: get price gouged by your own university or price gouged by cowboy landlords. The precarity of the private rental sector is an entire issue in itself, but UCD has control over the prices it sets, the types of accommodation it builds, and the message it sends to students. At the moment, I think the message is crystal clear: if you aren’t an affluent student, perhaps UCD isn’t the place for you.” UCDSU President Ruairi Power added: “Blocks of “affordable” accommodation built decades ago like Belgrove have become consistently more expensive in order to finance mortgage repayments on the most expensive luxury accommodation on campus [...] UCD management can’t be trusted on this, we need the Government to ringfence all housing finance agency funding for campus accommodation specifically for affordable design blocks, not discriminatory vanity projects. UCD shouldn’t get an additional cent from the public.”
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€38m Equipment Fund Announced to Aid Students’ Return to Campus Rosie Roberts Kuntz - Assistant News Editor
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n additional €38 million has been announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, to aid third level institutions for the 2021/2022 academic year. The funding forms part of ongoing investment in the higher education sector under Project Ireland 2040. Funding will be provided through the Higher Education Authority (HEA). The fund will mainly be directed towards the provision of laptops for first-year students who have difficulties finding a suitable device for college work, however students from other year groups will still be eligible. Laptops will be provided through the laptop scheme announced last year, whereby roughly 8,000 laptops were distributed. Harris commented to the Independent, “I am pleased that this initiative will continue into the coming academic year, and higher education institutions will be able to use the devolved capital grant to procure additional laptops where they are required.” This year, around 11,000 laptops will be given to students through Access Offices in the individual institutions. Students who wish to avail of the scheme should contact the UCD Access Office. The fund will also tackle some of the issues brought about by the pandemic; minor works and equipment needs to support the safe reopening of campuses will be addressed, as well as investment in infrastructure for additional college places in light of the exceptional circumstances faced by the 2021 Leaving Certificate candidates.
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News
Serious Snooze Hugh Dooley - News Editor
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ews is difficult and boring, we’ve managed to fill 10 pages of it, who could ever be bothered to read all of that? So don’t worry, we’ve trimmed this week’s most cutting-edge student news into VERY SERIOUS bite-size pieces for you to read while busy regretting having missed your Week 1 lectures because that’s the one time there isn’t a queue in the Clubhouse...
Back on campus? Back to profits:
The biggest news in UCD this week is that students are finally back on campus. After 18 months of being stuck at home, students have been let out of their parents’ homes and are finally free to pay exorbitant sums of money to UCD or to the landlords in the surrounding area. You might be a bit concerned for UCD, as they haven’t been able to collect rent from students in so long. Do not worry however, UCD are bouncing back by allowing students to pay: a booking and security deposit amounting to a maximum of €1,254.47, along with a €35 Insurance payment, a €60 late payment fee for every time a student fails to pay an installment of their rent on time, a €50 late checkout fine and if a student wants to change their room they can pay up to €100 euros for the privilege. With the non-rent total amounting to €1,499.47, it remains to be seen whether UCD Smurfit will start offering a Masters’ Programme in how to manage UCD’s own accommodation fees.
No Jab? No Entry.
UCDSU will be requiring proof of vaccination to attend Students’ Council, so the only virus you’ll be exposed to there is the sabbatical officers themselves. Class representatives and anyone else who is unable to attend the in-person council events will be able to tune into council
online, this is to allow UCD students to understand how awful life is as a Trinity student. The existing plan is for member’s of the Students’ Union “to obtain proof of vaccinations on a standalone basis prior to class representatives training for in-person attendance” before issuing a council pass for the year. Serious Snooze understands that this pass is unlikely to be a picture of Andrew Deeks’ face.
Rest In Peace AIB Allied Irish Banks have been in UCD longer than many current students have been alive. The prestigious bank has now left UCD, joining the COVID casualty list of Subway, Aramark and my ability to focus. The financial institution have reevaluated their “on-campus stretegy” after 22 years in UCD. This will have left UCD with a substancial sum missing in their banking ledger.
UCD has the worst bus in Dublin: UCD are so obsessed with improving their world ranking that when they saw the National Transport Agency was tracking complaints about bus routes, they wanted a UCD route to be number 1! Well, they succeeded. The NTA report showed that the 41X received an average of 28 complaints for every 100,000 passengers per quarter last year. Surprising nobody, the government agency was quick to clarify that many of these complaints aren’t their fault and largely blamed covid instead for the high number of complaints.
No Masks, No Distancing, No Consultation.
Proving that disappointment in UCD is universal, the union for lecturers, IFUT, complained about the lack of consultation with staff on the reopening of campus. A spokesperson for IFUT claimed that most staff members were not aware of the reopening plans until UCD announced in-person teaching to staff and students saying. This means that UCD lecturers might be the only group more precarious than their own students.
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Volume 35 - Issue 01
21-09-2021
UCD World Ranking Improves Sarah Connaughton - Reporter
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any of the university rankings have been published over the past few weeks and University College Dublin (UCD) has seen improvements on many of these different lists. According to The QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings, UCD has jumped up four places from 177th place in 2020 to 173rd in 2021.
UCD also placed 22nd in the world in their Impact rankings which is described as “the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”. Ireland has five universities listed in the top 100 of the impact rank-
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UCD had the highest scores in the categories of industry, innovation and infrastructure
The QS Top Universities website sites UCD as “one of Europe’s leading research-intensive universities and is ranked within the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide”. UCD also has Ireland’s highest-placing subject in this year’s rankings, with veterinary science receiving 23rd in the world according to the QS website which was an increase of nine places from last year’s ranking.
ing with University College Cork placing 8th in the world.
Along with improvements in the QS ranking, UCD has experienced a mild surge in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking improving to 201st-250th in the world, one step better than their 251st-300th placement in 2020.
UCD had the highest scores in the categories of industry, innovation and infrastructure which is detailed as “measures universities’ research on industry and innovation, their number of patents and spin-off companies and their research income from industry” with
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UCD scoring a 97.2 out of 100. UCD also received high scores in “partnerships for the goals” which “looks at the broader ways in which universities support the SDGs through collaboration with other countries, promotion of best practices and publication of data” where they scored a 92.5 out of 100. UCD’s efforts towards these goals have been recognized in this high placement as they are the second-highest placing university in Ireland. Each different organisation has their own system for ranking the universities in the world as each places higher importance on different aspects within a university. Within the QS World University ranking methodology, they conduct an “Academic Survey” is used to calculate academic reputation which accounts for 40% of a universities overall score. In contrast, timeshighereducation.com World University Ranking still conducts a reputation survey, however, this is divided into a teaching and separate research one and still this will only equate to 33% of a university’s overall score, with more weight being given to citations and research influence within their calculation.
What Happened in the Summer, Anyway? Co-Editor, Manny Choudhry wraps up the biggest UCD news stories released by the College Tribune in the Summer. Mahnoor Choudhry - Co-Editor
59% of Students Struggled Mentally Last Year due to COVID-19 According to a report by Aontas, the National Adult Learning Organisation where students eight education and training boards stated they struggled with online learning as well with motivation and a “lack of structure”. Students expressed a need for support in areas of mental health, digital skills and online learning. More students reported an increase in challeneges with beginning the academic year 2020/2021 with online learning than reported in the initial stages of the pandemic.
UCD Contact Tracing Centre Closed The UCD Contract Tracing Centre was shut down and moved to Heuston South Quarter centre in August. This contact tracing centre was run by Associate Professor Mary Codd and Professor Patrick Wall from the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science.
It was one of the largest centres in Ireland and processed upwards of 600 calls a day and rostered 300 volunteers.
It was Revealed that UCD Spent Only €880k on Mental Health Supports in the Last College Year An investigation by the Irish Times revealed that University College Dublin (UCD) had the second-highest expenditure on mental health supports, with Trinity College Dublin (TCD) taking first place spending €1.99 million on mental health supports from last September to the summer. In UCD, approximately 1,600 students registered to speak with a counsellor and on average, waited 10 - 14 days for an appointment. This wait time was reduced to 2 6 working days if the student was referred by a student advisor or GP. This wait time is an improvement from previous years, due to a new booking system which was implemented two years ago.
Harris Encouraged Staff and Students to Participate in an Antigen-Testing Project for a Safe Return to Campus Students in three Higher Educa-
tion institutions (University College Dublin (UCD), Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Cork (UCC)) were asked to participate in a randomised controlled clinical study that aimed to achieve a safe return to face-to-face teaching on university campuses. The study is still ongoing and uses rapid testing and surveillance systems within third level institutions to allow for the development of early warning systems and prevent future outbreaks. Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris, hoped over 8,000 students and staff will participate in the programme. However, recent statistics on UniCov’s website suggest that only 1,113 sign-ups to the project have been recorded since July 28.
UCD Students and Alumni Competed in the Olympics Four current UCD students competed in the 2021 Olympics (Sarah Carey, middle-distance runner and three students on Ireland’s hockey squad, Sarah McAuley, Michelle Carey and Hannah McLoughlin). Two incoming students to UCD also represented Ireland as well as eighteen alumni.
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COLLEGE TRIBUNE
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News Stand UCD Teachers’ Union “Disappointed” With Lack of Communication with Staff on Reopening Emma Hanrahan - Deputy News Editor
The UCDSU may have a vaccine mandate for in-person gatherings. Last June, the HEA allowed in-person society activities to take place in accordance with public health advice (respecting social distancing guidelines and wearing a face covering), however, the UCDSU President has stated that the current intent is “to obtain proof of vaccinations on a standalone basis prior to class representatives training for in-person attendance.” UCD Virtual Fresher’s week will begin on the 12th of October and run until the 16th.
Ann Jaffray - Reporter
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pointment with UCD management saying there was “a lack of consultation with staff about plans”.
The UCD branch secretary of IFUT voiced concerns about the plans, saying they are “concerned about the ambition of these plans.” IFUT is concerned that breakthrough infections could result in a return to online teaching and learning at short notice. IFUT UCD also expressed disap-
A spokesperson for IFUT claimed that most staff members were not aware of the reopening plans until UCD announced in-person teaching to staff and students saying; “Staff were only informed of the plans by emails from the President and Registrar - one of these messages referred to consultation with heads of school and heads of teaching and learning - we know of
he Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) has responded with criticism to the plans to reopen UCD with no social distancing for the Autumn trimester.
many such heads who were not consulted as indicated. Many details remain to be worked out and staff are still largely in the dark.” According to members of IFUT, “staff are still largely in the dark” when it comes to details about the return to campus and claimed that UCD is an “outlier” as other universities have decided to limit their capacity on-campus. “UCD is a workplace as well as a place of learning” continued the statement, adding that the
university must follow general health and safety law and that social distancing must “facilitate health and safety in the workplace.” IFUT says it “remains willing to engage with management” in regards to the arrangements for a return to campus. This comes after Minister of State for Skills and Further Education, Niall Collins, said he did not expect “any reversing or unraveling of the plan in terms of how we approach college” in relation to the reopening plans.
Students have over 80 societies to choose from which are now free to join. Societies have not yet been informed how they will make up for this financial loss as students were previously charged €2 for each society they joined. A Refresher’s Day was also held on campus for second-year students on the 10th of September who were experiencing campus life for the first time. UCD has launched a library app! The app that is now freely available to download on the App Store and on Google Play puts library services in the palm of your hand. Most importantly, students can reserve a seat in any of the campus libraries and receive an exclusive live feed of each library’s occupancy, study spaces, and laptop loans through the ‘Availability Dashboard.’ On yer bike! UCD has created 5000 new parking spaces across the Belfield and Blackrock campuses for students commuting to the university by bike. The new spaces are located at the back of the Newman Building, with another group by the newly built accommodation blocks and at the front of campus. The Department of Further and Higher Education has published a review of Ireland’s higher education research system. This review provides an insight into the complexities of the national research system and identifies some of the ways in which the performance of higher education research could be strengthened.
Former UCD President Poised to Head Imperial College London Rosie Roberts Kunts - Assistant News Editor
F
ormer UCD President, Professor Hugh Brady, is to become the 17th President of Imperial College London. Brady, who is currently the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, is both a former UCD alumni as well as a former UCD President. Brady’s career boasts several firsts; he was the youngest ever UCD President from 2004-2013, and will now be the first medic to lead Imperial, renowned for its strides in science, engineering, medicine and business. The Professor’s expertise lies in pathogenesis of renal inflammation and diabetic kidney disease. As well as UCD and Bristol, his academic career thus far has included roles
at Harvard Medical School and the University of Toronto. Brady’s Bristol career saw him develop several new strategies for the university, in areas of digital, business and social innovation for the institution. His time there has led to significant philanthropic contributions to Bristol.
pact have never been greater. I look forward to helping build on these achievements, with Alice Gast, Ian Walmsley and this inspirational community.”
ences of university leadership. As we focus on the wonderful opportunities and challenges of the year ahead, we can be confident that Imperial’s future prospects are bright.”E
Brady’s new role will see him follow in the footsteps of cur-
Brady will take up the position on 1 August 2022.
rent Imperial College President, Professor Alice Gast, who has stated:
On the next page, our News Editor, Hugh Dooley, will take you through a timeline of the saga of UCD Professor Dolores Cahill and her controversial beliefs regarding the denial of COVID-19.
On his appointment, Brady has said, “I am thrilled to lead one of the world’s great universities. I have long admired Imperial’s excellence in education, research and innovation. The way the whole Imperial community responded to the pandemic is awe-inspiring: from vital scientific breakthroughs and rewiring digital learning to volunteering on the NHS frontline and helping the most vulnerable. I join at a time when Imperial’s strengths, profile and global im-
“I have known and worked with Hugh for years, and I am delighted that Imperial has attracted a new President of his calibre with such rich experi-
News
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Hugh Dooley - News Editor
hen Dolores Cahill came to UCD in 2005, she was heralded as an incredible catch for the Belfield-based university’s research programs and their teaching programs as a full professor of the University College Dublin School of Medicine. Over the next ten years, Cahill succeeded in attracting millions of euros in research grants in the field of proteomics, a niche but incredibly lucrative field of research.
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The Beginners' guide to
Dolores Cahill, who received her PhD from DCU is an expert in proteomics, the study of how proteins function and interact with each other is, but is not to quote former UCDSU President Conor Anderson, “an expert in the fields of virology, epidemiology, or public health, and so is not able to make credible academic claims on those topics.” Cahill has not been publishing scientific papers for several years, with the last paper she co-authored in 2016 being retracted by Oxford University Press “due to the discovery of significant errors relating to
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We have got our own outbreak in the country that we are trying to extinguish but the big threat is new infections coming in
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Described as a “Leading Purveyor of Misinformation” by the Irish Times in 2021, Cahill has shifted from research to politics in recent years. This switch became even clearer at the start of the covid-19 pandemic. So cast your mind back to June 9th 2020, to a world where very few people knew the name, Dolores Cahill, when social distancing wasn’t quite coined yet and talk of booster shots was at least 12 months away...
June 9, 2020 - UCD Doctor Makes Numerous False Claims About COVID-19 The College Tribune broke the story of an interview released on the 11th of May 2020 in which Dolores Cahill told an online rightwing YouTuber that she wanted to “debunk the narrative” sounding the covid-19 pandemic. Cahill claimed that the global lockdown in response to the COVID-19 crisis was unnecessary and stated that if we had quarantined people with underlying conditions and people over 80, then told them to take vitamins C and D and zinc for a few weeks, there would have been “no deaths”. The interview contained enough misinformation and untrue claims that the trusted fact-checker Health Feedback rated the interview as “based on inaccurate and misleading info”.
Image Credit: Stephen Kisbey Green At the time, now former-professor Dolores Cahill even claims that “practically everyone in the world” is immune to SARS, a claim which Health Feedback called “baseless, […] as the vast majority of the world’s population has not been exposed to the SARS virus and therefore cannot have developed immunity to the virus.” Both YouTube and Facebook removed the video from their platforms for violating their misinformation policies after Business Insider reported that the video was “filled with misleading claims about COVID-19”. While time itself has gone a long way to combat the “based on inaccurate and misleading info” in the interview, students and alumna of UCD began to call on the college to speak out on Cahill’s claims. This was only compounded a few days later when Cahill was asked to resign from her position as vice-chair of the Scientific Committee of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). As students began to see the inaccurate claims being made by their own professor, 133 medicine students studying at UCD penned a long and detailed letter to the Dean and Head of School of Medicine addressing the claims made by Cahill just one week previously. The
letter stated that Professor Cahill’s “public statements are inconsistent with current science and epidemiology regarding COVID-19”. The letter continues; “it appears she is sharing biased, non-peer-reviewed data with low methodological quality which, when interpreted by the public as medical advice could endanger their own and public health”.
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We have got our own outbreak in the country that we are trying to extinguish but the big threat is new infections coming in
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methods and presentation of results”.
June 22, 2020 - UCD School of Medicine Addresses Professor Dolores Cahill’s Controversial COVID-19 Claims A meeting was held the following week by the UCD School of Medicine to discuss the controversy of Professor Dolores Cahill’s false and misleading claims in which the medical school distanced itself from the now-former professor’s
claims. The head of UCD’s School of Medicine, Professor Michael Keane, made a statement to academic staff during Thursday’s meeting: “The school of medicine, college of health and agricultural sciences, the Conway Institute and the university, continue to fully support the public health position taken by the Irish Government concerning Covid-19. This includes treatment for COVID-19 patients and societal restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus [...] The views expressed by Prof Dolores Cahill are her own. They do not reflect the position of the school, college, institute or university.”
October 1, 2020 - Outrage as Medicine Freshers to Take Mandatory Dolores Cahill Module Following this announcement, the trail of controversy went cold. Between June and October, Cahill went on a tour of different anti-lockdown protests across Europe despite the covid-19 travel restrictions which were in place at the time. One such event took place on the 19th of September 2020 in Trafalgar square. Cahill attended the event expressing the view that “the coronavirus vaccine will “make people sick”, going against mainstream scientific opinion.”
Remember this speech she gave, it will become even more relevant later… ooh foreshadowing... Just two weeks after that fateful speech, it emerged that a core module for first-year medicine students would be taught by Professor Dolores Cahill. The Module Coordinator and lecturer of MDSA10210 Science Medicine and Society, Cahill would be charged to teach students about “the many ways in which recent discoveries and topical issues in science and medicine impact on our individual lives and on society.” Cahill was removed from her role as module coordinator and lecturer of the module following the outrage from students and press coverage. Cahill did not hold any other teaching roles for the remainder of her time at UCD.
January 28th 2021 - Cahill founds Anti-Covid Travel Agency Despite a caseload of more than 6,000 per day, Cahill founded FAFTA, a new company officially titled Freedom Airway & Freedom Travel Alliance which promised to “assure that your family's natural health rights while travelling are protected from injurious regulation and discriminatory policy”. All for a fee, of course, the FAFTA website was promising three different flights when the University Observ-
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the Dolores Cahill Saga
9 publish her actual address when she ran for election in the Dublin Bay South by-election which was picked up by the court subsequently. Cahill was scheduled to appear at a court date in the run-up to the start of term, the courts have yet to release the details of that date to the press.
September 18th, 2021 Dolores Cahill GONE from UCD The College Tribune can today confirm that after 16 years Dolores Cahill is no longer an employee of University College Dublin, finally bringing an end to this part of the controversial saga! At this time it is unknown whether Cahill has retired or been let go from the university. It is very difficult to fire or force the departure of a tenured academic in Ireland. Cahill claims she wrote a letter of her intention to resign to UCD President Andrew Deeks in April of this year and sources within the university claim that Cahill had previously mentioned the possibility of retirement from academia in 2019 following the sale of Protagen AG, a spin-out company from the Max Planck Institute which Cahill co-founded in 1996. Shortly after the sale of the company, Cahill purchased White Castle in Athy.
Image Credit: Brian Lawless - PA Images er broke the story, all ranging from $499 to $999
Patrick’s Day Meeting March 17th 2021
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Apart from threatening to sue the BBC for her inclusion in a panorama documentary titled ‘BBC 1 Panorama: Vaccines and the disinformation war’ for insinuating that she was against vaccinations, Cahill went quiet before organising an anti-lockdown protest on St. Patrick’s day in Herbert Park. An estimated 150-200 people gathered to listen to Cahill say “This
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We have got our own outbreak in the country that we are trying to extinguish but the big threat is new infections coming in
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lockdown is based on lies.” Cahill said. “Our elderly are not prisoners. Micheál Martin [and the government] have to provide evidence to put masks on our children. It is a disgrace.” The UCD lecturer made a number
of scientifically disputed claims including saying that; children who wear masks “will not reach their IQ potential, because they are not getting the oxygen [that their brains need]’. The reason they tell us to wear masks is that oxygen-deprived people are easy to control.” Following the anti-lockdown protest, University College Dublin Students’ Union (UCDSU) called upon the management of UCD to open an investigation into Cahill for “deliberate disregard for health and safety precautions likely to endanger another person” under statute 28 of The Universities Act 1997.
March 23, 2021 - Dolores Cahill UCD Professor Resigns As Freedom Party Chair Following the online backlash against her Patrick’s Day festivities, Cahill has resigned as the chairperson of the Irish Freedom Party, citing long-standing “differences of opinion” as the reason for the split. This news was soon followed by the Students’ Union holding an online town hall on the 29th of March, which was primarily attended by medical students. During the town hall, then UCDSU President Conor Anderson stated; “Without an expert background in the field, and with no research on her side, [Cahill] must not be taken seriously.”
With tensions mounting in UCD over her continued employment, Cahill decided to try her hand in the Dublin Bay South by-election as an independent candidate. Cahill’s candidacy ended at the third count, amounting to just 0.6%,179 votes, of the total valid poll but the main talking point from her candidacy came at the counting centre. Dolores Cahill attempted to push her way through a line of gardai and security officers to gain access to the count centre. She was denied access to the venue because she refused to wear a face mask inline with the covid-19 regulations. Numerous videos of the altercations made their way online, in whic h Cahill appeared to berate a number of Gardaí including the senior garda at the scene, one Sergeant Hugh Shovlin. Shovlin went viral for the calm manner and witty responses to the accusations and claims Cahill made at the scene. At the time, it was reported in national newspapers that “Cahill attempted to make a citizens arrest of Sgt Shovlin, who continued to refute the claims she was making to the camera.”
August 18, 2021 - Arrest Warrant Issued for UCD Professor Dolores Cahill In the end however, it was not Shovlin who would have to deal with an
arrest, citizen or otherwise, but instead Cahill had a bench warrant issued against her by the Westminster Magistrates Court in the U.K. The warrant was for her ‘failure to answer bail’ in relation to two charges connected to the aforementioned rally held in Trafalgar Square on September 19, 2020, for a protest against virus restrictions and mass vaccinations.
Does a hospital in Letterkenny explain Cahill's Exit? Adam Conway - Tech & Politics Reporter
Originally reported by Extra.ie, court records stated that Dolores Cahill, a Full Professor of the UCD School of Medicine was charged with being involved in the holding of a gathering of more than 30 people in an outdoor public place on September 19, 2020, at Trafalgar Square. It is alleged this was contrary to the coronavirus regulations in place at the time; participating in or organizing a gathering of more than six people in any place during the emergency period in England.
Cahill's exit from UCD may have been prematurely sparked by allegations of her involvement in the early departure of Joe McCarron from Letterkenny University Hospital. A video wildly circulated on social media by a man who helped him exit the hospital claimed that Prof. Cahill was on the phone "all day long" in an attempt to help Mr. McCarron leave Letterkenny hospital.
In an interview, Cahill states that she never gave an address to the London Metropolitan Police despite reports that she gave an invalid address in lieu of her own in September 2020, as well as branding the journalists reporting on her arrest warrant as fake news. The address quoted by Westminster Magistrates Court was not her home address, but instead an old office address for the Irish Freedom Party. Cahill would later
Mr. McCarron, through a Facebook post from a friend, had said that he felt much better after having been discharged. However, he was then re-admitted to hospital a number of days later and was understood to be in critical condition. Early reports alleged that Mr. McCarron had passed away, however, it was later revealed that the man was still alive but still in critical condition. He is reported to be showing signs of improvement in hospital.
It’s purely satire, please don’t sue us
Breaking News: All UCD students to receive free…. s students all around the country are scrambling to find accommodation for the forthcoming academic year UCD has announced it will be providing students with free stress and anxiety while they hunt for a place to call home for the year.
nitely isn’t missing at the moment” said former company manager Dean Cavet. We at the Turbine are delighted to see that nothing underhand has taken place though are largely confused by his strange emphasis
toward students is operating intended. It is high on our governmental agenda. Up there with our housing policy, I hope this governments treatment of students will go down in history. And by the way. Don’t listen to anything Mary Lou McDonald or any of those other Sinn Fein loonies saying Simon Coveney is a bad man and a liar.”
The decision from UCD comes following the Irish government’s most recently implemented policy pertaining to student accommodation, this being the commitment the government made to students promising to do everything possible to impact students negatively. This governmental policy includes such provisions such as, allowing private student accommodation companies and colleges to charge desperate students exorbitant amounts of money, forcing students to spend ‘study time’ working in order to pay their rent and negatively impacting their education, disenfranchising a whole generation of young Irish people and doing everything in their power to do absolutely nothing positive for the Irish student body.
We caught up with the UCD Dean of Students Professor Jason Last to ask him why exactly they have committed to providing every student with free stress and anxiety. “We felt it would be unfair on the rest of the students to only provide a small cohort of UCD students with free stress and anxiety. So, we decided that we would build loads of absurdly costly campus accommodation, it would stress even middle to upper middle-class students out. We hope that our policy and the government’s policies can buttress and accentuate each other allowing for each student to receive the most amount of stress and anxiety possible relative to their socio-economic position. In UCD we have taken a leaf out of the government’s policy and have adopted it at our core:
When questioned about the government’s policy Taoiseach Michaél Martin said, “As a government we are working day in and day out to make sure our policy
“Working class, middle class or slightly rich. Unless you have more money than sense, we treat you like sh*t!”
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A complimentary copy of Das Kapital will be offered along with every Oat Milk Cappuccino
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Armin Tamzarian Turbine Editor
Newman Students Force Communist Redesign of Famous Blue Bird Café
during his interview. We spoke to our new friends at Red Bird who kindly gave us a lifetime deal for free coffee as the start of their new business plan.
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Dugh Hooley Snooze Man
tudents of UCD’s Newman building have spent the last 18 months protesting outside and conducting a letter-writing campaign to force UCD’s largest café to conduct a communist-themed redesign. Formerly known as ‘Blue Bird’, the café surrendered control of the coffee shop to UCD Students’ least favourite group of students: SU
Hacks. Following the reinvention of the Café, the now former-owners have “come to a mUtUaL dEcIsIoN” to hand over the means of production to their baristas and staff. “After 18 grueling montHs of having to put up with mEmbers of the Students’ Union, we at BLue Bird have agreed to cede control of our majority ownership share of the Private coMpany in what was dEfinitely a voluntary hand over. My daughter is very safe and defi-
The new joint owners of the café were quick to assure us that any accidental profits earned by the company will be shared equally among all staff members and that only soy milk and other “alternative” milks would be available for purchase from the establishment. A complimentary copy of Das Kapital will be offered along with every Oat Milk Cappuccino and the cost of specialty teas will be reduced to 5 cents a bag following the removal of the 30 billion percent mark-up. These deals will not be available for any students who are part of the Quinn Business School.
The College Turbine Exclusive: President Deeks’ Morning Routine We could all be a little bit more like Andrew Deeks, don’t you think? Well, lucky for you we have a Turbine exclusive insight into the morning routine of our President Andrew Deeks.
Armin Tamzarian Turbine Editor 5:45 A.M.
Deeks awakes upon a solid stone slab in the centre of the bedroom, he sleeps with no blankets as he finds it too hot. His morning phone alarm clangers between the walls, a customised ringtone of a bag of loose coins being poured out. The room is adorned with photos of his loved ones and cherished events in his life. On his bedside locker sits a picture of him smiling below the Eifel Tower, holding a taut green one hundred euro note between his hands. Throughout the room, there are more pictures of Deeks with a gleeful smile beneath major global landmarks with cash between his hands.
Deeks lays awake staring at the pentagram on the ceiling for approximately fifteen affirming his goals for the day. Some days he sets the bar higher than others and other days he takes it easy. Some days he might be content ruining the lives of a handful of people, other days he could destroy more people than he could recall and still be discontent. “Rich or poor, it doesn’t matter to me, it doesn’t matter to me. We will eventually run out of space for building new campus accommodation, I guess Newman will have to go”
6:00 AM
Deeks makes his way into the en suite. There is no porcelain in this bathroom, but only pure gold for where porcelain should be. He sits on the solid gold toilet and reads the Business and Finance section of a newspaper. Whether or not Deeks must urinate or defecate is irrelevant, he will spend approximately 20 minutes
each morning doing this. To be climate-conscious and eco-friendly, Deeks refrains from using an electric shower. In fact, there is no link between his showering area and the water mains at all in the Deeks’ house. In the shower, there is no hose, simply a stool with a basin atop filled with money. He approaches the basin tentatively, scrupulously lathering his body with fistfuls of cash before tipping the basin out on his head submersing him fully. Deeks used to dedicate five minutes a day (split between morning night) brushing his teeth. To allow himself to utilize his time better, Deeks had all his teeth removed and replaced with dentures made from ivory.
6:30 AM
Deeks makes his way back to the bedroom and begins to dress. A simple life is an easy life. Deeks wears the same outfit every day. A suit jacket, a shirt, a tie and suit trousers with black shoes. With the latter two pieces of clothing being
custom pieces from Deeks’ personal farrier and a tailer who specialises in trousers with space for tails. On Deeks’ beside locker, there are a number of loose banknotes. Each morning Deeks handrolls a cigarette with one of the notes on his locker and smokes it in one long drag without exhaling, allowing the smoke to seep into his lungs.
7:00 AM
Deeks makes his way to the kitchen for breakfast. The simplicity and sameness of Deeks’ routine is exemplified in the fact since becoming President of UCD he has eaten the same thing every morning. Each morning Deeks’ eats scalding stones taken from the shores of the Earth’s core in a bowl filled with the tears of stressed and worried students.
7:30 AM
The final part of Deeks’ morning routine is undoubtedly the most crucial to his success. Between 7:30 and 8:00 Deeks spends his time in a room he refers to as his ‘Happy Place’ where he laughs incessant-
ly for thirty minutes. (Up until the removal of his teeth Deeks used to only spend 25 minutes each morning in his Happy Place.) In the Happy Place there is nothing. The room is empty, without even a chair to sit on. Deeks simply stands there and looks at the four walls which have been plastered with pictures of UCD students who have been forced to drop out of college due to their inability to cope with the pressures of UCD.
8:00 AM
Deeks is out the door and making his way to Belfield. Today, he took the three-headed horned dog, tomorrow he will choose between one of four horses. From deep within the Earth’s core, he travels up through the fissures of the Earth to the surface. As he makes his way toward UCD, Deeks leaves behind a blazing trail of fire, destroying everything in sight and everything which is not.
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COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Volume 35 - Issue 01
21-09-2021
Date Night Cancelled: Hospitality Sector Not Allowed Out On A School Night
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fter a year and a half of lockdowns and staff shortages, the hospitality sector is about to lose its most essential workers as the whole industry is told to be home before the streetlights come on.
The Badger As campuses reopen and students return to school and college, the Turbine spoke to a few of the servers deserting their positions to pursue meaningless so-called ‘education’ Sean has been working in a café for the summer, and is choosing
to go back to his boring education, instead of keeping society caffeinated: “Sean, you make a mean Latté, you’ve been practising your latté art for months, why go back to a degree with such limited career opportunities?” “I’m studying medicine. Besides, working in this place is a serious grind, I don’t have the stamina.” Indeed, the pressure placed on the hospitality industry by shiftless PUP recipients with no work ethic has led to longer and more gru-
FAQs for Freshers: A Guide to UCD 1.
Dugh Hooley - Snooze Man
I’m actually gonna study law in case you didn’t know, but what should I do? First of all, you need to start bragging about how many contact hours you have. How will your friends in Newman know that they aren’t doing a real course if you don’t?
2.
Help! What happens if I don’t submit an article in time? Ah the panicked tone of a first year, I actually have three assignments late while I respond to your terrified questioning. Fear not, say a quick prayer to Dandy Beeks, load yourself up with coffee, and wake up tomorrow swearing you’ll “write it today, no excuses” for the third time this week.
3.
I’m gonna be in Newman and I’m not a communist, help! See question 16: “How do I transfer to Quinn?”. You are not welcome here, begone heathen.
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you shouldn’t. Thirdly, you won’t.
7.
I’ve only been in UCD 15 minutes but I don’t want people to know that I’m a first-year, what should I do? Firstly, ditch the scarf. Stuff it so far into your locker that you won’t find it until before you graduate. Sadly this will only make it less obvious; the half terrified, entirely lost look on your face is the real giveaway. Thankfully COVID is hiding at least half of that issue.
8.
I’m paying heaps for college but it’s gonna be entirely online! This is extortion! Who can I blame? While, as a UCD student, you usually blame Daddy for your problems, I have great news! You can join the rest of us and blame: UCD Prez Deeks, Simon Harris, the economy, UCD’s ties to China or better yet… the Government. For in the words of Andrew Deeks: “Roses are red, Violets are blue, Government Funding… Where are you?”
9.
What’s a trimester?
Someone invited me to a protest but I can’t go, what should I do?
UCD’s attempt to be as posh as Trinity but also as international as the UN.
Fear not, students protest something different every day of the week, just go to the next one! Worried you might miss a protest that will change society for the better? Might you miss history in the making? Don’t and you won’t.
10. I don’t have a question, but just wanted to let you know I’m applying to study medicine…
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I’m lost and I don’t know how to read a map! Help! Hi, welcome to Newman, your barista training class is that way. Make sure you attend because your Arts course isn’t getting you a job! 6. How do I join the Students’ Union? I want to affect real substantive change to social norms and make the community of UCD a better place! Firstly, welcome to Newman. Secondly,
11.
I can’t wait to go to the Clubhouse! Can’t wait to throw back cheap pints with the boys soon! No joke needed, our entire college experience is the punchline.
12. I want to be a student journalist… any advice? Don’t! You’ll end up bitterly writing satire articles in a desperate attempt to cling onto some relevance and meaning in your like ultimately ending in a breakdown. But don’t worry, you won’t be self-aware…. Oh… wait a sec-
elling work hours for those who chose to work, resulting in a high staff turnover rate as they burn out.
I had a word with Mark, an Arts student, who had started work as a waiter in June is now the owner and operator of the restaurant: “Yeah, after about a week on the job I was the most senior member of staff in the building”, he explained, a perfect example of what hard work, perseverance, and trust in the doctrines of capitalism can win you. Meanwhile,
Jeremy,
eighteen,
works fifty-hour weeks and often does not see the inside of the break room for days at a time. “I get really hungry when I’m about eight hours into a shift. People were complaining last week because I kept clearing the plates away two minutes after the food was served”. Jeremy maintains that one of the benefits of hospitality is getting to eat whatever is on the menu, as it is on its way back to the kitchen. Leaving Cert. student Claire started work this summer expecting to pick up a few shifts a week and have some disposable income in time
for college, but she is unsatisfied with the work: “I got 625 points and they still have me running food and clearing tables. I talked to my career guidance counsellor at school and he said that with my results I definitely have the potential to be working behind the bar”. Sean, Claire, Jeremy and the rest of the country’s service industry are returning to campus this week, leaving the rest of us to wonder where to go for flat deeces, food, and Heino now that all the mutinous wage-slaves have gone back to studying Marxism-in-Context.
21-09-2021
Volume 35 - Issue 01
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
s another year at UCD arrives, the list of things trying to kill us only grows. There are the swans, the Rona, the masses on campus almost crushing us, the leap card line which would drive anyone to insanity and soon freshers will arrive, and in their eagerness to get to their lectures, probably run us over in their oversized groups. The College Tribune, in this time of turmoil, turned to me, (begged me really) to give my advice in hopes of making times easier. I, the kind soul that I am, agreed. So, here we go, and remember, if my advice doesn’t work, that is not a me problem!
fun, and figure out ways to still go on dates, watch movies etc… while being apart.
Advice on my first relationship...
13
Aunt in Agony A
Starting final year on Monday, should I go clubhouse before, during, or after lectures? It’s your final year, the fact you’re not planning to spend all your time, staring at your pint, begging for it to have a connection in some company, whilst contemplating the point of your degree in the face of a global pandemic, speaks volumes. I wish I could have your optimism. * (*The College Tribune, and indeed your aunt in agony, does not recommend relying on drink or any other substances to make your way through final year or life. If you are struggling with anything, or just need to talk with someone, please use any of the resources listed at the end of this article.)
Balancing a relationship from home when you’re in college... Make sure you’re both clear with each other about your worries, doubts, fears, hopes, and wants for a long-distance relationship. Not having the immediate physical intimacy of the person/people you want most is difficult at any point and balancing it with the issue of college is unideal at the best of times. Be honest with yourself about the relationship and how much energy you’re willing to put into it. Remember to have
Don’t get caught up in the what ifs. Remember if someone else comes along, be open to it. Some relationships are not meant to be forever, but it does not make them any less significant, nor you a terrible person, if you find yourself moving on.
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I think the secret is to be done with men altogether
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Getting a boyfriend who is as enthusiastic about me as I am about him... Hahaha, look, I spent an undisclosed amount of time wanting to get with a guy (who I consequently ignored other guys for), only for him to be so kind as to date other people, so really, I think the secret is to just be done with men altogether. However, if you are determined to find a boyfriend, just look out for the red flags that remind you of the people who weren’t as enthusiastic, and don’t take any and everybody that comes your way in hopes that they could be ~the one~. Usually, your gut can tell from the beginning if you’re at an emotional odds with the person/people your with, so listen to that feeling. And remember not to pressure the relationship into existence, it’ll happen, (or so my therapist reassures me).
There’s the usual advice I can give you: Ensure there is laughter and that you are genuinely happy. Communicate with each other and communicate honestly. Don’t try and play games. Be prepared to trust. Ensure you listen to one another and actively look to solve the problems that arise rather than
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Keep the spark going even after the butterflies have calmed down
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brush them under the carpet. However, remember not to gauge the success of your relationship by how it compares to others. Don’t let fear and worry dictate the choices you make in the relationship and about the relationship. Ensure you still take time for yourself, and that you have time with your friends. Don’t stop ‘dating’ each other, keep the spark going even after the butterflies have calmed down. Most importantly, if the things you want from the relationship change, be honest with yourself and your partner about that. It’s daunting alright, and we often put unnecessary pressure on our first relationship because we fear being hurt, but that pressure will only hurt your more.
Moving back after an amazing Erasmus, where you had lots of people to sleep with... Ah yes, UCD and the larger Irish population wherein there are 0 people to sleep with. I understand that coming back to what was normal, after an incredible time in the surreal, is hard but, it does not mean everything that was sparking joy is no longer open to you. There are 101 dating apps around, I’m sure you will find at least one person there to sleep with. If all else fails, invest in a really good vibrator.
How to focus for exams (do they mean in exam setting or studying for exams???) It’s the beginning of the semester, I’m simply focusing on remembering how to get around campus, we do not mention exams until at least Week Six.
“
We do not mention exams until at least Week 6
”
However, the editors are telling me I do actually have to give advice, so: Find the right studying environment. Once you’re in that environment (library, Starbucks, back end of nowhere), and you’ve got the space created that you need (music/silence/study snacks/stationary), the rest should follow.
Would you recommend moving out for first year? On the one hand, you have the freedom to do stuff the way you want to if you move out and you don’t have to explain why that special friend of yours was over last night. On the other hand, you have to pay for rent, and
food, and bills, and bedsheets. Not to mention actually finding somewhere to live. I moved out for first year because I didn’t live in Dublin, and I do love it, but it was quite stressful and expensive in those first few weeks. If you’re in a position where you don’t have to move because you’re close(ish) to campus or won’t go insane at home or you simply aren’t in the financial position to move out, hang on in there. Save up a little and get a group together to rent with. Then make the leap! And remember, befriending those who live near campus, and adopting their couch as your new bed, hurts nobody. Exhilarating as that was, I must return to my other duties. I hope those of you in romantic turmoil figure it out (and stop rubbing your love in the face of those of us still single), and that those of you selling clothes, figure it out. As for the rest of you, try not to do anything too stupid between now and my next crash course in life advice! Resources to reach out to if you are struggling with alcohol addiction: - Drug and Alcohol Helpline 1800 459 459 - askaboutalcohol.ie - Alcoholic Anonymous 01 842 0700
Got a Problem or Issue You Want Advice On? Email it to agony@ collegetribune.ie to have it answered for the next issue!
Features 14
Features
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Volume 35 - Issue 01
21-09-2021
Our Accomodation Hell: A Sickening Stain On Our College Years Rhoen Eate - Features Editor
T
here are many phrases known to instil panic within a student like ‘exam season,’ ‘the bus is late’ or even ‘did you take my koka noodle?’ But none swirl our stomachs quite as much as the eminent ‘so where are you staying for college?’ With the ever-uncertain covid campus situation, the world has thrown us all a curveball of a housing crisis to spice up the mix. And to be slightly pessimistic, but it seems as though the waters are going to get deeper before we can find our feet. With a 20% -30% rent increase (according to TD, Richard Boyd Barrett) and freshly-built penthouses, our beloved UCD seems to be following the capitalistic suit, despite holding on to the title of “Public University”. The Campus may be open to the public, yes, but is it accessible to said public? Evidently not. With the cost of attending college
“
The Campus may be open to the public, yes, but is it accessible to said public?
”
being steep enough as it is for too many families in this country, universities across the board further exploit young people by upping rent prices, demanding student levies, and tempting ‘luxury residences’ to those who have the means for it. Not to be controversial, but isn’t the main premise of student life the fact that it lacks luxury? Aren’t these the years that we as young adults learn to appreciate the little things in life? Like
having proper cleaning supplies and warm meals. Yet, instead of coming to realise we miss Mammy doing the washing, we’ve come to realise that we can’t grasp the basics for survival. But it’s not just the students of Dublin trudging through this struggle, students all over the country have been affected by this travesty. With supply not meeting demand, students nationwide have even resorted to hotel stays while hunting for permanent accommodation. Students in Limerick, Cork, and Waterford alike rely on the likes of Travel Lodge and ready meals to survive for the foggy foreseeable future. I too have had my own experience with the property predicament in this country. Living in a small apartment with two other roommates and only two bedrooms in total, we on Leeson Street count ourselves quite lucky to reside in
the city centre at what can only be a reasonable price in comparison to others on the market. Sure, we sacrifice proper ventilation and personal space, but compared to the
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Students aren’t letting the Government’s static silence stand
”
potential four-hour commute that our peers endure and the gruelling €900 monthly rent others fork out, we deem our living arrangements
to be quite cushy. However, that doesn’t make the dire situation this economy is in any less disheartening. While on the search for houses and apartments to rent closer to UCD, we were brought to a rude awakening to find such a scarcity of options let alone ones that were in our price range. And what’s more, when we were blessed enough to score a viewing, we would be begrudgingly downcasted with a shake of a head that says, ‘we’re terribly sorry, but the landlord refuses to have students living here.’ But why are we in this situation in the first place? With the way the wind is blowing at the moment, it’s seen that landlords are choosing to hold onto their properties for sale rather than to rent, which decreases the country’s supply while proportionally increasing demand. But what really begs the question is: Why are the Government holding back on doing something? And why is it that students always seem
to get the short straw in these situations? As always, those questions have yet to be answered. Students aren’t letting the Government’s static silence stand however, on the 15th of September, a protest took to the streets to campaign for our right to housing. With a wonderful turnout, this is hopefully the first of many ruffling of feathers to make our voices heard once again. In addition to this, societies and student unions are taking to social media to call out those who extort students and those desperate for a roof over their heads, for a place to call a home away from home. And we must continue to fight for this home. We must continue to speak up when we are taken advantage of. Now that we are back on campus, we must continue to fight for our right to stay here. After all, it’s not just the right for a place to sleep that’s at stake here, it’s our right to an education.
21-09-2021
Volume 35 - Issue 01
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Politics
15
Is Campus Reopening a Ticking Time Bomb? Danielle DerGarabedian Politics Correspondent
A
fter 18 long months students are finally returning to campus much to the delight of UCD students. This is the moment many of us have been waiting for: to once again sit in the lecture hall, meet friends between classes and enjoy the on-campus facilities that our tuition money continued to pay for despite many of us being unable to use most of it since March 2020. In an interview conducted with Newstalk on 20 August, Minister of State for Skills and Further Education, Niall Collins, said that he does ‘not expect that there will be any reversing or unravelling of the plan in terms of how we approach college’ but how realistic is this? From the perspective of campus reopenings in the United States, there lay a very delicate balance in which an on-campus outbreak meant students quarantined in dorm rooms, campus would shut down for weeks at a time and a temporary or permanent return to online learning. The question remains whether this is a possibility for University College Dublin as first semester commences with remaining uncertainties. On 20 August, Deputy President,
Mark Rogers, sent every member of the UCD community a long-awaited email detailing our momentous return to campus with tutorials, lectures, increased library access and much more included. Within this email he noted that ‘if Government advice requires the University to alter our plans, it may mean changes in how you prepare for class, or in the dates and locations of lectures.’
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UCD seems only concerned with the government parameters affecting its decision-making process rather than its own ability to ensure student health and safety in the event of a UCD COVID-19 outbreak
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No further information was provided about an actual scheme where such an event to occur and does not acknowledge the possibility that UCD may need to make this decision on its own. UCD seems only concerned with the government parameters affecting its decision-making process rather than its own ability to ensure student health and safety in the event of a
UCDSU and Students Protest for Affordable Housing, But Will UCD And Our Politicians Aisling Kidney - Politics Writer
I
t is that time of year again where students across Ireland scramble to find accommodation, but this year finding a place in Dublin has become even harder and UCD is not helping. Housing prices have skyrocketed over the last few years across the country and Dublin has become one of the most expensive cities in Europe to live in. It has not helped matters that more students are looking for housing from universities across the city and were given very last-minute notice to find it before they are expected to be in the classroom. Given the circumstances, one would think that UCD would try to make the lives of the students easier, but the opposite is happening. Accommodation on campus increased yet again, with some of the student housing being upwards of €1,200 a month. How can the university consider this affordable? When talking to UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) Welfare Officer, Molly Greenough, said that ‘there’s no need for a penthouse, luxury accommodation that’s costing upwards of €1200 a month.’ It is important to note that the
increase in prices for on-campus accommodation was set by UCD themselves. The price increase has the potential to result in students from middle- and working-class backgrounds being forced to defer or limit their access to third-level education just because they cannot find a place to stay. UCDSU President, Ruairí Power, stated his concern saying, ‘we have no confidence in UCD’s Housing strategy. The discriminatory focus on luxury housing is locking students from low- and middle-income backgrounds from studying at UCD. We are asking for Darragh O’Brien to ringfence all HFA financing for affordable student accommodation, the introduction of a vacant property tax and an end to the license system.’ Last Wednesday, on the 15th of September many UCD students attended a housing crisis rally in front of Dáil Eireann alongside the students union. They demanded more affordable accommodation, an end to extortionate luxury accommodation on campus and more action from the Government on this issue. One can only hope with the support of the SU, other students raising their voices and spreading awareness over social media that we as a student community can change the astronomical rise in rent prices.
UCD COVID-19 outbreak. In the interview conducted on Newstalk, Niall Collins stated that ‘one size does not fit all’ in terms of the COVID-19 regulations that universities must follow. So, while colleges are all set to return in September, it is not unfair to say that smaller colleges compared to larger colleges or rural colleges compared to urban colleges may be able to sustain reopenings in different manners as the year progresses. Governments are offering a lot of autonomy to universities by only providing general guidelines and leaving many specific regulations to the discretion of each university or college. With regard to a spike in cases, it seems as though UCD has yet to consider what it should do if it were to happen on its own campus as this would be up to the university’s discretion. In an email bulletin sent by President Andrew Deeks on 19 August he stated that UCD would, ‘actively manage large lecture theatres in particular, either by applying percentage occupancy limits, setting a maximum class size, an upper limit on lecture length/period of continuous occupancy or otherwise, depending on local context and risk assessment.’ This information was not explicitly included in the email sent to UCD community at large and only accounts for large lecture theatre settings in the UCD context.
UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU), President Ruairí Power, who interviewed along with Minister of State Collins on Newstalk, expressed similar concerns to campus reopening prior to the start of the trimester stating that the ‘biggest worry on the issue is that the rug could be pulled out last minute as was the case last year.’
“
pulled out and a shift can still take place though, and this concern should not go away as we continue on into the first trimester. If campus were to shut down and reopen this could be extremely disruptive to the learning and social aspects UCD has fought hard to implement in the 2021 autumn trimester. Has UCD put in place necessary precautions to ensure that they can maintain their welcome before they have to yet again say goodbye?
What we understand about coronavirus is that regardless of preventative measures this does not guarantee the prevention of an outbreak
While social distancing, increased ventilation, complimentary recorded lectures and online support, which may be offered but is not mandatory, and break time in which we are encouraged to go outside the classroom is fine; is it enough to protect against a full-on outbreak at the university level, and not only for UCD but for third-level institutions across Ireland?
Further he expresses his concern for students who booked accommodation within a short time frame and in the event any restrictions come into place prior to reopening it would result in, as he says, a ‘shift in terms of which lectures could take place and which couldn’t.’ The rug can still be
Minister of State Collins maintains his confidence due to the State’s learning curve of how to live and manage COVID. While this optimism is refreshing, it is to some degree misplaced because after 18 months what we understand about coronavirus is that regardless of preventative measures this does not guarantee the prevention of an outbreak that can unravel the most optimistic plans of a return to normalcy.
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Business
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Volume 35 - Issue 01
21-09-2021
Business Booms for UCD’s Highest Points Course Mark O’Rourke - Business Correspondent Additional Reporting: Conor Paterson - Co-Editor
T
he first round of this year’s CAO offers saw UCD’s highly rated Economics and Finance course become the first ever to require 625 points, the maximum attainable under the CAO system. In an extraordinary year for Leaving Cert results, not everyone who obtained 625 received a place in Economics and Finance, a testament to the demand for the course. This kind of outcome would have been unthinkable years ago, but why has it come to this? And why this particular course in UCD? With only 50 places available, competition has always been rife for a spot in this course. The smaller allocation of spots in the course has contributed to both inflating the points and also creating a sense of prestige around
GUCD Euro ad 260 x 160.indd 1
the course. Places were allocated by random lottery to applicants who had received 625 points, meaning some who got 625 points missed out on a place in Economics and Finance. An incredible occurrence in what was a most extraordinary year for CAO points, with countless courses also seeing their points skyrocket. Three other courses join Economics and Finance on 625 points. Management science in
both UCC and Trinity College hit the same heights, as did dental science, also in Trinity. Clearly, the UCD course stands out as the most sought after business degree in the country. Perhaps what creates such demand for the course is the lucrative career prospects that graduates can expect after completing the three-year course. Career opportunities include stock brokering, fund manage-
ment, investment banking, corporate finance and economics. Given the fact that these are among some of the highest-paid career options out there, it is clear to see why this course attracts the ambitious and determined. Also, if a course is to reach the maximum amount of 625, it is not surprising that it was Economics and Finance. Just two years ago, the course was the first ever to break the 600-point
mark, a feat repeated by a staggering 22 courses this year. It is important to note, however, that it is likely that the points for Economics and Finance, as well as most other courses, will fall in the coming years as the impact of calculated grades and the resulting grade inflation subsides, it is a testament to the popularity of the course that it was the first-ever to hit the maximum point requirements.
03/09/2021 14:18
21-09-2021
Volume 35 - Issue 01
Law
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
17
The College Tribune’s Law Section is Proudly Sponsored by the Maples Group
The Return to Campus: Expectations, Policy and Responsibilities In this article, our Law Editor considers the legal duties and responsibilities that UCD owes to its students as well exploring UCD’s COVID-19 policy. Louise Kennedy Law Correspondent
T
his month marks the long-awaited return to UCD campus life for many staff and students alike and while this may be largely welcomed as a return to some version of normality, some aspects of campus life have certainly undergone changes while we have been away. For freshers and second years who are attending campus for the first time and for our new International Students, this piece aims to set out UCD’s new COVID-19 policy and place it in the context of the larger policy (and surrounding legal discussion) in place across the country. What is the updated UCD COVID-19 policy? The new policy brings the focus to campus life, rather than the various issues surrounding online learning. It can basically be summarised under 3 categories; masks, ventilation and vaccination. Most students will have received an email from their relevant school highlighting the importance of these 3 categories as key to the return of campus life. Masks: UCD policy sets out that masks must be worn at all times when in lectures, tutorials, seminars and labs, essentially any classroom scenario. As well as this, masks must be worn in the library, bathrooms and when passing through any building. In short, it is suffice to say that if you are on campus and find yourself indoors you should have a mask on.
Ventilation: Provision has now been made for increased ventilation in all
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UCD is not in any legal position to mandate the vaccination of its staff and students
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lecture halls and classrooms. This includes air conditioning systems as well as ensuring doors and windows remain open to ensure a steady flow of air throughout the room. The most interesting new addition to campus life under this category is the installation of CO2 monitors in many buildings across campus. These monitors indicate the level of CO2 in a given space and help to validate the control measure of ventilation by indicating whether or not the levels have gone above the recommended 1,000 ppm. Vaccination: UCD is not in any legal posi-
tion to mandate the vaccination of its staff and students, however, email correspondence strongly recommends that anyone who is in the position to receive the vaccine
“
It seems that the university and the government are on the same page when it comes to COVID-19 policy.
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in previous Government addresses. The ‘Safe Return’ plan largely averts to the individual institutions to implement their own plan for return with an emphasis on vaccination and mask-wearing, something
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It has been alleged that tutors have been instructed to refuse to comence class until every student has a mask on
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does so to help decrease the risk of COVID across campus.
UCD has clearly taken on board.
Is UCD policy in line with Government advice?
All in all, it seems that the University and the Government are on the same page when it comes to COVID-19 policy, a fact which will hopefully ensure that on-campus life does not come to an abrupt stop once more.
The Government’s policy is outlined in a document entitled ‘A Safe Return, Plan for a Safe Return to On-site Further and Higher Education and Research in 2021/22 (which can be accessed online). This plan focuses largely on the positive impact that a return to campus will bring for the well-being of students, an issue that had been largely neglected
Looking to the future… While a majority of students are content with the new regulations in place across campus, there is a concern that
some issues may arise in the not so distant future. It has been alleged that tutors have been instructed to refuse to commence class until every student has a mask on. However, tutors are not permitted to single out the mask-less individual and must instead make a general statement indicating their refusal to start class until everyone is compliant with regulations. This has the potential to create tension and animosity in the classroom, not an ideal environment for those who have come to teach and learn. Another issue has arisen surrounding the continuation of recorded classes for students who may not be in a position to attend live lectures. Data protection regulations may prove an obstacle in uploading a recording of classes in which students are actively participating and as such can be seen or heard in the recording. This barrier to the recording of lectures could result in vulnerable students being placed at a grave disadvantage this academic year. The last possible issue this piece would like to consider is the promotion of vaccination by the University. The question could be raised of whether or not it is the place of a third level institution to give personal medical recommendations. While this may seem like an arbitrary issue to raise at present, an educated prediction could be made that we will be seeing this question dealt with in the courts in the near future, the question of whether or not an institution or workplace is even entitled to make such a recommendation. Only time will tell whether or not these issues will even arise and if so, how they will be dealt with by the UCD administration, but for now, welcome back to campus!
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Features
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Volume 35 - Issue 01
21-09-2021
New Starts with the Horticulture Society says, “During almost all of last year I was craving the usual college experience, but now that we’re actually back it feels very anticlimactic. It’s like I’ve forgotten what I enjoyed so much about the first year of college. I’m slowly beginning to regain an enthusiasm for college that came naturally before the pandemic.”
Maeve Dodd Campus Correspondent
W
hen the Horticulture Society’s auditor Laoise returned to UCD’s Belfield campus this year, she was aghast at the sight of Rosemount garden, the university society’s crown jewel. “Every weed imaginable had taken over our polytunnel and garden,” she says. Laoise, fellow committee members and their predecessors had meticulously tended the garden from its founding in 2014 until the campus shut in 2019 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Like Horticulture Society members, students in all areas of studies and interests are finding that their own figurative gardens have gone wild and need tending. A challenging year of online college has taken a heavy toll on UCD life. Returning to campus in 2021 is a completely different experience than in
We’ve all changed because of the pandemic and are returning at a different place—older, potentially wiser and more accustomed to washing our hands.
years gone by. “Feels like I’m starting again,” laments one third year student on the online page UCD Confessions around the first day of in-person classes. Students report finding it difficult to concentrate. Making friends and being in large groups seems more intimidating than before the pandemic. Students, professors and soci-
eties are finding their footing again. In so many ways, together we are relearning what a year on campus looks and feels like. For its part, the Horticulture Society is taking stock of their neglected garden where a variety of plants once flourished. “I don’t know if I can say that we’ll ever get back to where we left off because we’re in com-
pletely new territory,” Laoise says.
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We've all changed because of the pandemic
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So many at UCD can relate. Third year arts student John
“We get to have a fresh start. We get to be back in the garden. We get to have our hands dirty and really turn it around and make it how we like.” If you had bad study habits last year, you can plant the seeds of change. If you felt lonely last year stuck in online learning and away from campus life, make new friends. And if you want to be a part of a great community starting a
21-09-2021
Volume 35 - Issue 01
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Features
19
The Erasmus Experience: COVID Edition
In this section of Features, two students describe their respctive experiences of going on exchange to EU countries during a global pandemic.
Stockholm University, ABBA and the Northern Lights: The Scandinavian Experience Mahnoor Choudhry - Co-Editor
M
oving to another country for the first time in your life as a twentyone-year-old is never an easy step to take but to do so during a pandemic is a feat in itself. Looking back on it, it has been the best step I have taken in my life so far and has taught me the invaluable lesson of saying yes to opportuni-
humans have the capacity to live and enjoy. It made me realise how much friendship we are able to give and how little we were able to exchange during the pandemic. How starved we were of the ability to nurture our friendships and enjoy our youth.
ties presented in college.
Studying abroad is something I always heard stories about. Older students I knew were always talking about the memories they made, the friends they met and the experiences they had and being inspired by this, I applied to go on exchange to Stockholm University, Sweden for the second semester of the academic year 2020/2021 which I was accepted for. By December, seeing the case numbers rising yet again and being forced into our third national lockdown, I almost cancelled the exchange altogether. If I was already feeling so isolated and lonely despite living with my family in Ireland, how much more isolated would I feel in a new country speaking another language and with no support system?
I was lucky that the country I chose to go to on exchange was fairly lax on rules regarding Covid in both our own homes and restaurants and bars. This opened up so many opportunities to make friends and make memories, all of which I took with open arms, graciously. For example, I was able to go on a trip to Lapland to see the Northern Lights in the winter and take a road trip around southern Sweden during the summer.
Most people go on exchange to make friends and how was I to make friends in a global pandemic, where we had at that point long forgotten what it felt like to physically be near the people we loved the most? However, I fell in love with Stockholm as soon as I stepped out of the airport on a cold, January night. It could have been the fact that it felt like I was stepping into freedom from the restrictions at home, or it could have been how beautiful the night sky looked with its purple and orange hues.
The next six months would take a lifetime to pen and scribe into mere words when all I can remember is the feeling of elation, of constant excitement and the feeling of belonging; realising that we are capable of making a home anywhere. Everyone I met just wanted to make friends and spend time together and it was probably the lasting impact and hole that living in constant lockdowns had had on us.
Living independently for the first time in my life with no worries regarding commuting (as I would have in Dublin, still living in my parent’s home), I experienced the best of what student living has to offer in Scandinavia. The 4 am electric scooter rides going back home and stopping to watch the sunrise, spontaneous plans to visit the nooks and crannies of a city we now know like the back of our hands and even the random movie nights in the small student rooms of our accommodation.
Living abroad and having to make a life for me after living in lockdown during a global pandemic made me realise the depth of life
Erasmus is a leap of faith and if it works out, it’s one of the best things you can experience in your college life.
An Erasmus Experience in the Heart of the European Union Aoife Mitchell - Contributor
I
was ecstatic when I was accepted to study law for a year at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. I had been to Belgium briefly on an interrailing trip in 2018 and was looking forward to gaining some independence and studying in the heart of the European Union. I had no idea that there would be a global pandemic a few months later that would change everything about my life, including my Erasmus experience. By the time I left for Antwerp in February 2021, the coronavirus pandemic had been raging for nearly a year and Ireland was deep into its third lockdown. My Erasmus period had been reduced from a year to a semester as UCD cancelled all exchanges for the Autumn trimester. I was initially disappointed but given the intensity of the pandemic, I wouldn’t
have felt comfortable going for the whole year and felt lucky even to be going for a semester.
fell through quickly with all my classes remaining online. This was very different from being at home with my family during lockdown and was quite isolating, although we then began having one class in-person a week. I felt like the lack of academic pressure gave me more time to immerse myself in the courses I was taking and explore a range of legal subjects, from medical law to legal tech.
Arriving in Antwerp was a surreal experience. The grass was green when I arrived but by the time my quarantine ended a week later, it had snowed heavily. I lived in shared accommodation with many other Erasmus students and learned (slowly) how to cook for myself. There had been talk of classes being in-person, but this
I got to know an Irish girl and some of her friends who had been studying in Belgium for the year and we got to explore Brussels together, visit museums in Antwerp and eat plenty of Belgian frites. We even celebrated St Patrick’s Day, telling our new friends about Irish traditions. I did plenty of solo exploring as well, visiting the sculptures at
the nearby town of Mechelen. I got back into hobbies I was interested in; running around the neighbourhood, reading a lot and starting a YouTube channel documenting my time in Antwerp.
Unfortunately, my time in Belgium got cut short by the introduction of Mandatory Hotel Quarantine at home. There was a lack of information at the time; I didn’t know if the Irish Government would cover the €2,000 cost and I had a limited amount of time to make the decision. I was devastated coming home only two and a half months into my Erasmus but I was so grateful to have such a special experience that so many people missed out on.
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Arts&Lifestyle
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Volume 35 - Issue 01
21-09-2021
Entertainment & Lifestyle The College Tribune’s Guide To Dublin City Ruth Delaney - Arts & Lifestyle Correspondent
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s the new academic year kicks off, there is a sense of relief and happiness across campus as both students old and new return to face-to-face learning for the first time since March of 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic changed life as we knew it. Most students are back on campus, and for some, for the first time. Many UCD students have come to Dublin to stay and study for the first time, so for students not only new to campus, but our capital city as well, we rounded up some of the best places to go to get a real feel for what our fair city has to offer!
use of the areas in Dublin that you can enjoy for free. Only a short spin on the dart line, it would be rude not to mention Dun Laoghaire as it is so close. Not only does it have a picturesque pier to enjoy an ice cream on, but it is also home to the cheap and student-friendly Wetherspoons, meaning there is something for everyone with this little gem. Take the bus into the city centre and you have luscious Stephen’s Green, guaranteed to be filled with students and city centre natives. However, that’s
not the only green area the city centre has to offer, with the Ivy Gardens often overlooked. This spot is not only quieter but arguably more picturesque than Stephen’s Green, making it the perfect place for a coffee break with your favourite book. Staying southside, an ideal way to get your steps up is the trek up to the Hellfire Club. It has a variety of short forest trails and provides wonderful views of the city from the south-west and at the top, if there is any truth to the stories
told, some very strange things are believed to have happened. Why not go see for yourself, if you’re brave enough? If it starts to pour, not to worry, there’s plenty of indoor activities in Dublin too. Hop on the bus to Dawson Street and you can walk to the free National Gallery or National Museum and enjoy the art and history on show. Saving best for last, what you all really want to know is where to get a nice pint. It is essential to mention some go-to spots to get a pint of plain. The
city centre holds many great establishments to acquire a pint of whatever you fancy, but the pubs around Stephen Street Lower such as P’Macs, The Hairy Lemon and Dakota would tickle any students fancy. Further towards the river, student-friendly hangouts such as The Workman’s Club and Riot are top picks for a few drinks as not only do they host good alcohol, but cheap and tasty food such as Wowburger and New York style pizza. Whatever you fancy, Dublin has something for everybody, especially its students!
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Summer may be over, but there’ll be plenty of time to still take advantage of what Dublin’s great outdoors has to offer before the cold well and truly kicks in
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Summer may be over, but there’ll be plenty of time to still take advantage of what Dublin’s great outdoors has to offer before the cold well and truly kicks in. On a student budget, it is essential to make
A 2nd Years’ First Time on Campus Órla Slattery - Arts & Lifestyle Writer
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issing a year in college is undeniably hard. College is meant to be one of the best times of your life, and one of those years has been snatched away from us. It hurts to think of how much fun we’ve missed out on. But this year’s Second Years could not have had it any worse, as some, if not all of us, are going into college completely blind. Some of us were lucky last year as we were somehow able to make online friends at UCD. But others were not as fortunate, and I know of many people who spent the year in isolation, missing out on even a fragmented version of the College
Experience™. Many people now in their Second Year are lonely and lost, as they lacked either the confidence or the luck to encounter any like-minded individuals online. Going into college now as a Second Year is absolutely terrifying, as we are all being forced to experience it as if we were First Years. We don’t know our way around campus, or how to open the locks on our lockers, and many people have no supports while at college, as they understandably struggled to make friends last year. I spent the first of my hours at UCD last Monday wandering aimlessly around the Newman building looking for my class until I finally realised that the coloured lines are there to lead you to your classes, not just as a fun
decoration. For some reason, even though I am an arts student, I have a class in the Health Sciences building, but I have no idea where that is, and I’m too ashamed to use Google Maps to find it. And most of us don’t even have a peer mentor from last year to ask. My peer mentor last year sent a grand total of three WhatsApp messages to us, and from speaking to friends, I know many others had a similar experience with their peer mentors, meaning that there are very few people we can contact on campus to use as a ‘big sibling’. And the worst part of it all is that it’s not for lack of trying that we’re so lost. Every Second Year that I have met so far has enthusiastical-
ly attended the orientations, talks and tours, but in many schools, these simply are not being organised. And any second years who did not have the chance to meet people online last year are forced to attend these events alone, with
little chance of making friends at the events themselves. If a greater effort were to be made by UCD to include such students, I’m sure it would be much appreciated.
21-09-2021
Volume 35 - Issue 01
Music
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
21
How COVID Has Changed Music Emily Potter - Music Writer
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s live music events slowly return to Ireland, it brings with it the anticipation of a return to somewhat normalcy. For many, a live show is indicative of a step away from restrictions and step closer to the old days. The possibility of attending these concerts and music festivals symbolises a win of pre-pandemic freedom. Students in particular, felt the effects of these restrictions. They have been denied the possibility of making new memories, new experiences and now, in the post-pandemic era, many are questioning whether live music will ever be as we remember. The once escapist aspect of concerts may now be tainted by the remaining restrictions and uncertainty. The idea of masks being worn in concerts, taking place out-
doors only, proof of vaccination may be needed etc, are restrictions that could take away from the experience.
Whilst students in the United Kingdom have been returning to festivals and concerts, the progress in Ireland is slow. Despite the government funding musical ventures, artists say that government advice and guidelines are depressingly unclear. Following September 6th, outdoor concerts have been allowed at 75% of normal capacity and limited to those who are vaccinated. Although this is a step in the right direction, as summer ends and the weather worsens, an outdoor concert is not the most appealing option for many. Irish students are highly anticipating the 22nd of October. The date which the government has stated would see the removal of all restrictions – it will allow
club events, indoor concerts and will end the rule of six. Students have been denied socialising in these environments for almost a year and a half now. With the return of these
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The once escapist aspect of concerts may not be tainted by the remaining restrictions and uncertainty
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0pportunities, students will have some semblance of normalcy and will once again experience the euphoria live music or dancing can inspire. They will have the possibility of strengthening friendships and
making memories during their university years. The anticipation of this date, however, puts intense pressure upon it. The future of live concerts, festivals and music events is still unpredictable. When they return, it is difficult to envision a complete return to normalcy anytime soon, given how far this year has deviated from normal life.
The pandemic has indisputably changed music this past year, for students and artists alike. During this time, some artists had to adapt to the situation and adopt other means of spreading their music. Some artists took to online platforms to attempt to recreate the music experience of virtual concerts. Artists, including Justin Bieber, Barenaked Ladies, Marina and Gorillaz all participated in online showings of their music. These virtual concerts heavily relied on graphics and the aesthetics of the concert,
given how its viewers were denied the ecstatic experience of actually being there in person. Despite these adjustments, many viewers felt these virtual concerts were a rip off, which simply paled in comparison to the memory of concerts in person. Albums such as Folklore, After Hours, Sour etc, all managed to be successful, but less mainstream artists struggled with that lack of music events. However, the app TikTok has undoubtedly played a major role in music during covid. It presented an opportunity for artists, big and small, to gain recognition and promotion for their music. TikTok’s algorithm is not based on music taste, thus exposing people to different genres and artists they may not have previously discovered. The app’s influence over music has been evident in its considerable control over the charts.
Opinion: The Government's Special Treat- Could COVID Save Clubbing? ment of The GAA is Unfair Conor Paterson - Co-Editor
Órla Slattery - Music Writer
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don’t see the appeal of standing in a crowd of thousands of people at a sporting or music event while we’re still in COVID-19 times- that absolutely terrifies me. Regardless, I do find the disparity between the government’s treatment of the GAA and the Music scene to be incredibly unfair. On Sunday, the 22nd of August 2021, 40,000 people attended the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final in Croke Park, the largest organised gathering since March 2020. More than a month later the Electric Picnic (EP) festival was set to be held but was cancelled by Laois County Council due to concerns over public health. The EP organisers were more than willing to put strict COVID guidelines in place, including a ban on non-vaccinated festival-goers, unlike the All Ireland Hurling Final organisers who never put such a ban in place. While Croke Park did encourage social distancing and mask-wearing, pictures of the event showed thousands of fans unmasked and not practising social distancing. Considering that both the Gaelic Games and the Irish music scene are often cited as fundamental institutions of Irish culture, it is disappointing that one is being favoured over the other.
So how come the Government gives the GAA such special treatment? Speaking on RTÉ Radio One before the All Ireland Final, Minister Simon Coveney said that there was a “big difference” between GAA events and music events, saying that “it’s outside, it’s structured, it’s in a very large stadium. People will be apart in terms of social distancing and wearing masks.” How is that any
different than the potential outdoor, structured music events that were scheduled to be held this year? Days later, after facing backlash for his statements, Coveney clarified, saying that the difference was that the Government had months to prepare for the All Ireland Final. This still doesn’t make any sense, as EP was set to be held in late September, giving the Government months to prepare for the event from the time of their application. Campaigners such as ‘The Natio-
nal Campaign for the Arts’ (NCFA) and ‘Give Us The Night’ believe that the Arts industry is being treated as an afterthought by the Government, and it is difficult to disagree with them. Many popular Irish artists feel incredibly disheartened by the Government’s treatment of the Arts sector, including country singer Nathan Carter and Alsan frontman Christy Dignam. Both singers have pu-
blicly criticised the lack of clarity given by the government in recent times, while Carter specifically hit out at the GAA, asking why GAA events can go ahead but outdoor concerts cannot. The Government’s treatment of the Arts sector in recent times just shows the lack of regard that they have for this incredibly important sector. Not only is this unfair and discouraging to those involved, but it is also very damaging to those in the sector as if COVID itself wasn’t damaging enough.
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ver 18 months ago nightclubs shut their doors and have still yet to reopen. The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the clubbing industry. Alongside the thousands of jobs that have been wiped out, students and young people have lost an important part of their lives. Before the pandemic, Irish nightclubs, particularly those in Dublin were packed with students socialising. Since then a key part of a typical students college experience has been wiped out. Three months after clubs shut their doors a taskforce was created by the government to explore reform of late-night venue licensing laws and according to the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherine Martin, to create a ‘vibrant and sustainable’ night-time culture and economy. Speaking at the launch of the taskforce, Minister Martin cited the pandemic which she said had ‘severely restricted social gatherings and has been detrimental to the night-time economy and culture of our cities, towns and villages.’ She added that ‘the industry needs to be ready to bounce back and to have as few obstacles as possible to develop and grow.’ Last week the Night-Time Econo-
my Taskforce published a report with several recommendations, most notably, allowing some nightclubs in select locations to open until as late as 6am. The report also recommends the recruitment of six ‘night-time economy advisors’ in six cities and towns across the country.
A group called ‘Give us the Night,’ which had representation on the taskforce and has long campaigned for a licensing overhaul has cited other countries around the world that experience the ‘benefits of a healthy night-time economy’ and argued against the ‘heavy restrictions placed on night-time businesses’ in Ireland. Speaking at the launch of the report Minister Catherine Martin said that ‘We are looking at the rebirth of Ireland’s nightlife and it is within our power to achieve this, especially with people now assessing their lifestyles, because of the pandemic.’ The nightlife industry in Ireland has campaigned for years against the current alcohol licensing laws which they argue hurts their businesses and negatively impacts the experiences of nightclub goers. While COVID-19 has undoubtedly hurt the industry significantly, could the pandemic finally act as a catalyst for change that the industry desperately needs to recover? It begs the question, could COVID save clubbing?
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Film & TV
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Volume 35 - Issue 01
21-09-2021
Whats New On Our Screens: The Good, The Bad and The Mediocre Gossip Girl (2021)
Angelina Pierce - Entertainment and Lifestyle Editor
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he idea of rebooting a show that was so successful in its time, is still relatively new in TV history and bringing all-new characters in, doesn’t make a lot of sense. Now film and tv makers have always profited off of nostalgia but in this case, it seems so premature. The 2021 Gen Z reboot features some similar elements, such as the fashion, scandals and messy rich kids and it attempts to pay homage to New York City. However, the original is quoted by the creators as a “love letter to New York,” which in comparison, makes this an Instagram Dm at best. The acting is mostly subpar and the script is a mess.
★
When the original Gossip Girl came out, this genre of rich kids doing outrageous things and having their secrets spilt was a fresh and juicy concept, but it has since been done 100 times over, therefore the reboot, which only has this skeleton to cling to, is hard to be impressed by. Even looking at more recent similar shows, such as the Spanish show Elite, which bar the anonymous blogger and is set in Madrid, is essentially the same thing, I dare say they actually do a much better job of it. If you’re going to the trouble of paying for HBO Max, you may as well stick with the original which can also be found there. 1/5
Impeachment ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The third season, Impeachment, is no different. The modern historical event of former President Bill Clinton’s leaked affair and subsequent impeachment trial had to be next. The show has an amazing cast with
The White Lotus
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★★★
he White Lotus’ cast is its best asset with members such as Connie Briton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario and Murray Bartlett. The opening credits are beautiful, the production value is clearly there, and its premise is an interesting one.
sort but as the week goes on, all is not as it seems. The series is dark and often satirical; however, the storyline is very drawn out with quite a few unnecessary scenes and the characters are mostly dislikeable or far worse, you feel indifferent about.
The title and plot clearly allude to the Greek myth of the lotus-eaters, which was about a group of people living on an island who, by eating the lotus fruits and flowers, became lazy, apathetic and forgetful of the world around them. This is essentially what we see with the tourists at the White Lotus resort who are completely consumed with themselves and their lives only.
With all the raving reviews it has, the expectations were set high for the series. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it to reach those highs. Its first couple of episodes gave the impression of building towards something exciting or shocking, and slowly as the episodes drag on you realise, you’ll never get it.
We watch the different groups of travellers come to relax at the re-
Without that expectation, it is a pleasant enough watch. 3/5
the likes of Beanie Feldstein, Clive Owens, Edie Falco, Sarah Paulson and many more bringing the event
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Impeachment is not one to miss! 5/5
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T
he third instalment of the American Crime Series is going just as well as the previous two. The first season, The People vs O.J Simpson, had everybody talking upon its release. The show provided a whole new perspective to the case, as did the second season The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
to life. Feldstein and Paulson in particular run the show with their portrayals of Monica Lewinsky and Linda Tripp. What is most interesting about the show is one of its producers, none other than Lewinsky herself. She finally has a chance to share her side of the events that transpired when she was only a 22-year-old unpaid intern at the White House. After decades of media abuse, slut-shaming, being blacklisted and her political career coming to a swift end before it even began, she gets to have her say. Impeachment is not one to miss! 5/5
21-09-2021
Volume 35 - Issue 01
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Sport
23
The Season So Far: UCD AFC In Promotion Hunt
Colm Whelan’s exceptional play for the College was rewarded with a call up to the Ireland under 21 set-up. It is rare that a player in the First Division puts on the green jersey which is a testament to how well the striker is doing this season. Whelan came off the bench on his debut versus Luxembourg and marked it with a goal only minutes after entering the pitch. When prompted how this made his club manager feel “All the players and staff at the club are proud of Colms achievements with the 21s. To score goes to show how well Colm can operate at that level”, Myler said.
Regaining Form at the Business End of Season UCD drew First Division leaders Shelbourne in the first round of the FAI Cup as they looked to try and turn around their bad patch. Against the odds, the Students beat Shels 2-0 on the night through goals from Whelan and defender Harvey O’Brien as they progressed to the next round of the cup. This win proved to be the catalyst for the College’s recent positive results in the league reclaiming second spot. The Students also beat Longford to secure a place in the quarter-final
of the cup against the Premier Division’s Waterford, led by the exuberant cockney manager Marc Bircham. “We are comfortable that we are fit enough to live with the pace of the Premier Division. A key part for us will be to defend well for the full game and try to exploit the areas where they are not at 100%”, Myler explained how UCD could cope with Waterford before the game. Unfortunately, Waterford proved too strong for the Students in the end putting a stop to the College’s cup dream.
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All the players and staff at the club are proud of Colm’s achievements with the 21s. To score goes to show how well Colm can operate at that level
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*Continued From Back Page Colm Whelan - For Club and Country
UCD will be hoping for a strong end of the season in the remaining five games to carry over to the playoffs, with Shels all but securing the automatic promotion slot, in order to ensure the best chance of securing promotion this year.
Clubs Delighted As Sport Returns to UCD is ‘absolutely over the moon,’ after not having been in the UCD pool since March 2020. He said that getting back to training last week was ‘something that myself and everyone else have been looking forward to for quite some time.’
Similarly, the hockey club was badly affected. Just three games into the league campaign it was suspended indefinitely and only returned to UCD this August for pre-season training. Other sports were able to adapt more easily to the online format like the UCD Judo club. It’s PRO Tiarnach Ó Riada told the Tribune, however, that ‘unfortunately the number of members decreased significantly.’ He followed up by saying that they ‘can’t wait to go back in person!’
The captain of the men’s hockey team Ewan Ramsay told the Tribune that after a ‘long 18 months with the stop-start nature of the season leading to a fair degree of frustration,’ he is ‘buzzing to be back up training and socialising in what feels like a normal way.’
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Some sports had a very difficult task in keeping members engaged during lockdown. Indoor sports struggled with stricter regulations. We spoke to the PRO of the UCD swimming club, Dylan Carrig, who told us it ‘definitely wasn’t easy,’ particularly when ‘swimming is something that unfortunately doesn’t translate well into a virtu-
al setting.’ Despite the difficulties, Dylan said the committee ‘did an excellent job at trying to engage the club’s members throughout the year.’ The UCD tennis club also had its difficulties. After following Tennis Ireland regulations and doing training for the first 8 weeks, everything completely shut down. The captain of the men’s team Peter Carton told us that it was very
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*Continued From Back Page
There was a long 18 months with the stop-start nature of the season leading to a fair degree of frustration Despite the difficulties of last college year, it seems to have only fostered more enthusiasm from committee members to get back to the sports pitches and venues. Dylan from UCD swimming said he
Peter Carton from tennis shared the same sentiments admitting he is ‘buzzing to get back,’ particularly to their training every Tuesday and Thursday. He added the way they break up training for beginners, intermediate and advanced means they ‘offer something for everyone.’ It is also a big year for the tennis club as they host the intervarsities this year. Such competitions are massive social events for sports clubs in UCD and have been severely impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. Given the severe impacts of restrictions, clubs are very eager to get back to normality for competitions and events. The tennis, swimming and judo clubs all spoke of their hopes of intervarsities taking place. For the hockey team, captain Ewan Ramsay said the team is in the top division of the EYHL league and their ‘aim is first and foremost maintain our top division status and then push on to see if we can make the playoff.’
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The email has been hopping...we haven’t seen anything like this before!
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difficult as a ‘large part of sport in college is getting out there and meeting people.’ Despite the uncertainty, the enthusiasm from students to play sport was clear to see as membership doubled in the early parts of the last college year.
All clubs spoke of their excitement for the upcoming sports expo taking place this week. Peter Carton of the tennis club has been blown away by the enthusiasm from students so far saying that the ‘email has been hopping,’ and added that they ‘haven’t seen anything like this before.’ You only have to take a stroll around this week’s sports expo to see the enthusiasm for the return of most sports to UCD. The university has had a long and proud tradition of success on the sports fields and countless friendships have been made along the way. While the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted this, it has not broken the passion of UCD students for sport. Rather, it has only served to remind young people what they have missed. The clubs based on campus are keen to capitalise on this fervour and are determined to make up for lost time.
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SPORT Sport
COLLEGE TRIBUNE
Volume 35 - Issue 01
21-09-2021
The Season So Far: UCD AFC Sport Return to
Despite the setback of the promotion playoffs defeat to Longford Town in a five-goal thriller at the Bowl, the Students have shown real character in bouncing back this season as they currently sit second in the First Division as the league’s top goalscorers. Whilst also having an admirable FAI cup run making the quarter-finals but coming up short against the premier divisions Waterford FC on Friday night. The College Tribune spoke to Andy Myler to hear his thoughts on the ups and downs of the season, the challenge of facing Waterford in the cup and Colm Whelan playing international football.
Quick Out of the Blocks UCD began the 2021 First Division season in flying form as the College went the opening eight games unbeaten both home and away after beginning the campaign with a 2-2 draw with Athlone Town. During this purple patch, the Stu-
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The good form we are in at the moment is only a function of the work put in by the players in training and
games
times in as many games during this period with Kerrigan’s tireless work facilitating many of these, whilst also chipping in with three goals himself. The College found themselves sitting top of the league, with a superior goal difference separating them and Shelbourne, after beating newly formed Limerick outfit
Treaty United 3-2 on May 7.
Rocky Patch Following the near-perfect start to the campaign, UCD faced Shelbourne at Tolka Park in a top of the table clash. The Reds came out victors in this affair as they won 3-1 on a night where they were clearly the better side. This proved to be somewhat of a turning point for Andy Myler’s fledglings as they found themselves struggling to regain the momentum which saw them beating all that was in front of them in the opening games of the season. This bad run of form reached its nadir with a 2-1 loss at home to the team currently sitting second from bottom Cobh Ramblers, whom the College had previously beat 4-0 in the reverse fixture. We asked Myler how he ensured that his team got back to winning ways after the midseason blip. “We just knuckled down and worked through it”, he said in response. He credits his players for showing the grit and determination to come out stronger on the other side of this slump “The good form we are in at the moment is only a function of the work put in by the players in training and games”, Myler added.
Continued on page 23...
Belfield Campus L Conor Paterson - Co Editor
ast week as students returned to a bustling campus many of us were taken aback to see the sheer numbers of the crowds. After months of an eerily quiet campus, Belfield sprang back into life. The hustle and bustle of young people filled the air and the joy was clear to see as students reconnected with old friends, or others they may never have seen other than over a zoom call.
While the crowds make things feel like they are back to normal, there is one important aspect of student life that is still missing. Something that is integral to the college experience of so many. That is sport and the competition, comradery and cheerfulness that comes with it. Throughout much of the pandemic, the live sport on TV filled a void. Professional and elite sports returned quickly while amateur events had to wait. After this summer where the Olympic and Paralympics, the European Football championships, the Lions tour and the intercounty GAA championships were plastered on our screens you would be forgiven for thinking that as far as sport goes, it was business as usual.
For UCD and its students, however, that could not have been further from the truth. While the pitches of Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium were well worn in, many of the pitches, courts and venues in UCD where students play laid empty for much of the last 18 months. We at the College Tribune spoke to some of the sports clubs on campus that have been affected and also about their delight at sports returning to Belfield for the year ahead.
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A large part of sport in college is getting out there and meeting people
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U
niversity College Dublin AFC was the one team that bucked the trend regarding the halt of sports in the last academic year in Belfield. Since returning in July 2020 from when the initial COVID restrictions began, the Students have continued to play throughout the pandemic.
dents had a couple of convincing wins on their travels against Cobh Ramblers and most notably a 6-0 win in Wexford. The strike partnership of Colm Whelan and Liam Kerrigan was proving deadly for opposition defences. The prolific Whelan managed to score eight
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Callum Buchan - Sports Editor
Continued on page 23...