The College Tribune: Volume 36 Issue 1

UCD OUTSOURCES

Demand for the UCD Student Counselling Ser vice has never been higher, this year 1,910 students sought out mental health services, the highest in UCD’s history.

Figures released to The Col lege Tribune show that the number of appointments that these students have at tended has sky-rocketted too, from 4,822 in 2015 to 10,227 last year.

UCD’s solution to this de mand has been to rely on

HUGH DOOLEY CO-LEAD OF INVESTIGATIONS

outsourcing mental health care to ‘local counselling partners’ as an occasional overflow during peak times, but this just isn’t working anymore…

whopping 6,099 appoint ments were outsourced in 2020/21.

This trend shows more than just the reliance on exter nal counselling, but also the rapid increase in demand for mental health services in UCD.

4.85 sessions per student in 2015/16 to 5.35 last year.

2263% MORE COUNSELLING THAN 2015/16 & LIFESTYLE

UCD students are now at tending more outsourced counselling appointments than in-house appointments leading to students being turned away from the col lege’s ‘Local Counselling Partners’ last year. Of the 10,227 appointments at tended by students last year, 5,200 were conducted by local counselling partners. A Playlist:to Ease

In the last seven years the number of students seeking counselling appointments has increased by 192.35%, from 993 to 1,910. They’re staying within the coun selling service for longer too, up from an average of

Despite a nearly 200% rise in the demand for counselling, the UCD Student Counselling Service has only increased its capacity for appointments by 10.3% since 2015/16. During the same period, outsourcing of counselling appointments has increased by 2263.64%.

UCD’s outsourcing of coun selling was originally de signed to be an overflow mechanism at the busiest points of the year, but it has now grown larger...

Letter from the Editor TEAM2023EDITOR’S PICKS

Hello reader,

Thanks for taking a peek inside the 36th vol ume of the College Tribune! Rhoen and I have been working really hard to get the issue out and in hands of the masses. Who am I you may be asking, I’m just another loud Amer ican that has managed to infiltrate the micro cosm that is UCD.

What you have in your hands is a copy of the best paper on campus and you can trust me, I’m definitely not bias!

I have been with the Tribune a long time and there’s is something quite special about the people whose names have appeared on our pages. I think it’s because we’re the more fun paper on campus (just don’t tell the UO)… I am so proud of my team who helped produce this issue, they worked their asses off and they’re offering you some really unique and interesting reads so don’t skip over a single one! I’ll know...

I’ve recently graduated and don’t wor ry, after college you’re not filled with ex istential dread... that’s just a myth. I will say it’s weird being on campus and not go ing to lectures now that I’ve graduated. I tend to get sentimental and think about my first year (the good and the bad) as I watch fresher’s travel frantically all over campus.

I’m American, did I mention that already? I came to Ireland over four years ago and while I love it here, definitely more than most people, there will always be things I don’t understand. Like why do people sit when they’re bagging

your groceries or how your secondary educa tion system works. Editing an Irish paper is great, by now I’m more well versed in Irish af fairs than American affairs. I still understand Irish though, so editing that section is quite a feat (if there’s any errors in that section you le gally cannot fault me, I don’t make the rules).

That’s besides the point, the point is that I’m excited to be back on campus for another year in our cozy little office - which is currently getting a make over. After the make over is complete we may even be able to stop calling it a cave or dungeon. Ah yes, it’s nice not to worry about assignments or lectures I mean now all I worry about is creating a publishing a student newspaper! Phew, so much easier.

There’s a lot I’m looking forward to through out the year but my main goal is to encour age people to want to participate. Even if you don’t think you’d be a good writer, give it a shot anyway! I’m here to fix and change anything (I promise I’m not too much of a grammar Nazi) so just worry about getting your ideas and words out there!

So as I complete my portion of the editorial, running on negative one hour or sleep I’d like to thank you for reading our paper! Enjoy the issue - it’s a good one!

Okay, this is about as much writing as I do per issue so happy reading!

Dani x

A Barrier to Education: Accomodation Crisis Rages On LUCY MACKAREL

BUSINESS 16

Empowering Young Black Professionals: APNI x Linkedin RHOEN EATE

SCIENCE 19

If You Transplant a Human Head, Does its Consciousness Follow?

AMAL ALKANDERI

TURBINE 24

New Student Guide: A List of All the Half Decent Pubs Near Campus Jack Nolnod

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE 29

Film in Review: Crimes of the Future

ELIZA POTTER

Danielle DerGarabedian Editor

Rhoen Eate Deputy Editor

Lucy Mackarel Assistant News Editor

Ella Waddington Assistant News Editor

Hugh Dooley Co-Lead of Investigations

Emma Hanrahan Co-Lead of Investigations

Sara Allen Campus Correspondent

Jill Niels Campus Correspondennt

Rory Fleming Political Correspondent

Mark O’Rourke Businenss Correspondent

Lee Martin Law Correspondent

Priyanka Izabelle Science Correspondent

Alannah Nic an tSionnaigh Gaeilge Eagarthóirí

Jack Donlon Turbine Editor

Sophie Melia Entertainment and Lifestyle Editor

Holly Hunt Music Correspondent

Saoirse Wilson

Arts & Lifestyle Correspondent

Eliza Potter Film and TV Correspondent

October Melching Cartoonist

Dara Smith-Naughton Sport Editor

Sophie O’Leary Social Media Manager

CONTRIBUTORS

Sam Windle Clodagh Quinn

Amal Alkanderi Matthews

news.

‘Historic’ Partnership Between Howard University and University College Dublin

SAM WINDLE

NEWS WRITER

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: LUCY MACKAREL ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Anew partnership has been signed between UCD Michael Smurfit Gradu ate Business School and Howard University Washington, in a move described as “the first of its kind in Ireland.” This partnership will allow for Howard Graduates to enrol in MBA and MSC courses at Smurfit through scholarships; as well as a range of travel options for graduate-level business students.

According to the official UCD statement, these travel options will present students with the opportu nity to participate in exchanges that incorporate study tours, lectures, collaborative projects focused on entrepreneurship and visits to lead ing international firms.

The college hopes that with this new venture students will be giv en the opportunity to experience the world of international business first-hand and encourage the fur ther advancement of their knowl edge.

The respective Deans of both busi ness schools are optimistic about the new partnership, both publicly stating their approval.

On behalf of Professor Geraldine Doyle, the Director of UCD Smurfit School and Associate Dean of UCD

College of Business, Beth Gorm ley remarked that “In the context of the historically strong heritage links between Ireland and the US, alongside the strength of transat lantic business, this collaboration emerged from the UCD Smurfit School strategy to grow the number of US students studying in tandem with a desire to improve diversity within our student population. As one of the top ranked universities in the US and one of the oldest histori cally black colleges and universities, Howard University was a natural choice to seek out as a partner.”

On Howard’s side the partnership has been equally praised, as Dr An thony D. Wilbon, Dean of Howard University School of Business stat ed, “The partnership will offer stu dents the opportunity to engage in a significant global learning experi ence which includes lectures at the partner university and completing a joint project around societal chal lenges”.

To begin with, the partnership will see student exchanges be tween Howard University and UCD Smurfit School and research exchanges are expected to develop in the future. This partnership is expected to enhance international networks and a better understand ing of historical cultural links.

How Addicted Are You to Your Smart Phone?

LUCY MACKAREL

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

The first iPhone came out in 2007 - 15 years ago. Now we’re on version 14 of the popular smartphone and not much has changed fundamen tally.

We still open our phone to a colour ful interface of app icons at the ur gent buzzing of notifications. What has changed is our relationship with our phones, and our seeming inability to put them down.

People’s daily smartphone us age can amount to hours each day, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it all adds up. Using your phone for two hours a day, amounts to losing 30 days out of your year; not to mention the fact that a lot of us are using our phones far more than that.

A handful of responses to the ques

tion about daily iPhone usage re turned answers that ranged from 3 hours a day to 5 and a half. One person reported a daily average of over nine hours screen-time per day.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that we have an addiction to our phones, which isn’t helped by the fact that we can do just about anything on them, to the point they’re an aid in completing college and professional work rather than just being used for communication and entertainment any more.

This ability to use our phones for anything builds our dependency on the gadget. Having a smartphone addiction is dangerous for a number of reasons from physical ailments such as neck and eye strain and sleep deprivation to an increase in problems mentally and emotionally

like depression or anxiety.

Studies show that students with smartphone addictions are more likely than their peers to feel anx iety in their spare time. Some signs of a smartphone addiction include feeling ill if you’re unable to use it – like if you accidentally forget your phone at home or find yourself with no service or battery.

When your phone buzzes do you feel a need to check what the noti fication is? Or do you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through your phone even without the excuse of a notification to open it?

It’s possible the phone addiction has crept quietly into your life with out you ever realising it. Some ways of managing this addiction include not charging your phone near your bed, taking control of your phone

Image Credit: Derek E. Morton

Image Credit: Gianluca Miscione

Image Credit Mike Jones

settings by turning off notifications, setting your screen to grayscale so the colourful icons aren’t able to keep feeding your brain and setting up screen time limits on specific apps that are eating into your day.

Simon Harris Pushes for Measures to Reduce Education Costs

Further and Higher Educa tion Minister, Simon Har ris, calls for a reduction of college contribution fees and a 25% increase in student grants to minimise the costs of education as part of the Government’s Septem ber cost-of-living package.

Currently, Irish students must pay a registration fee of €3,000, which is paid by students to cover non-tu ition student services such as exam entry fees, support for student ser vices and support for clubs and so cieties.

The potential changes being consid ered by the Department of Higher Education could see a reduction of college fees by as much as €1,000 and recipients of student grants gaining €1,279 more each year.

Minister Harris published a paper last week indicating the different ways in which the cost of education could be reduced. The proposals outlined in the report include:

• An adjustment to the income thresholds to qualify for the stan dard rate of a student grant to ac count for the changes in real income over time. Increasing the threshold by €250 would cost the state €0.9 million, while on the upper limit an increase of €1,000 would cost €3.7 million. This would allow 4,700 ex tra students to qualify for support.

• A reduction in the qualifying distance to avail of the non-adja cent maintenance grant from 30km to 24km. The estimated cost would be €6 million annually.

• An increase in the postgradu ate maintenance grant rates to the same level as the support given to

undergraduates across all thresh olds. This change would cost €8.6 million each year.

ELLA WADDINGTON A Barrier to Education: Accomodation Crisis Rages On

However, Minister Harris has said that he cannot confirm whether the above measures will be reduced be fore the Budget.

“What I can say is very clearly there will be two parts to the Budget, one will be immediate measures for 2022 and one will be measures for 2023”, he stated on RTÉ Morning Ireland.

“I know students pay fees around now, but I also know many pay them in instalments. There are two levers we can pull to try and assist students. One is around the fee, and one is around the grant and making sure more people qualify,” he said.

Minister Harris continued to say that students and families need im mediate assistance to help reduce the cost of education. The Govern ment’s medium-term goal is to as sist colleges in building their own, more-affordable accommodation to tackle high rents, but the cur rent solution is to offer digs-style accommodation.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) put forth a pre-budget sub mission outlining their demands from the Government. They in cluded a €1,000 reduction to the student contribution charge, an increase in the SUSI grant, capital grants for colleges to build afford able student housing and legislation to protect students in digs-style ac commodation.

The Government will announce the budget on September 27th.

LUCY MACKAREL

Rising rents and an insuf ficient number of spaces are just some of the issues facing students looking for somewhere to live this semes ter. While the stress of looking for a place to live at this time of year isn’t a new phenomenon, the sheer volume of problems facing those searching is unprecedented.

On campus accommodations are completely booked out at certain universities, with waiting lists reaching the thousands. The same goes for privately owned student accommodation. This lack of ac commodation is forcing some stu dents into long commutes, and oth ers out of college entirely either by deferral or dropping out.

UCDSU Welfare Officer, Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich, expressed that the struggle is so apparent this year because successive governments and universities chose not to ad dress it before now, and that “a key difference this year is that even students who can pay anything for somewhere - cannot find a room. Although, it’s important to say that expensive new builds are not the answer.”

The SU has been in contact with dozens of students searching for a place to stay all summer but to no avail. One young person who spent their summer searching for accommodation told the College Tribune that they were “emailing landlords non stop throughout the summer, most of them didn’t even reply. One of the only replies I did get informed me that he’d normally receive around 90 responses to the triple en-suite room he was adver tising, but this year he’d received well over 600.”

It’s not just students who can’t find a place to live, according to Nic

Fhionnlaoich there have been sto ries of lecturers unable to take jobs because of this.

The SU is taking action to try and assist students impacted by the housing crisis; this August they organised a successful Digs Drive, with more than 400 people now in the process of being vetted. “Digs are not the most ideal option for students,” Nic Fhionnlaoich ad mits, “but in the face of the crisis, it’s better than nothing and some students have already availed of the rooms that have opened up.”

She believes the Digs Drive helped with more than just finding more rooms - it raised awareness of the ongoing problem.

“Our presence on the ground, speaking to people and appealing for help, also drew attention to the issues students are facing and put pressure on the Government to act meaningfully to help students. It won’t fix the crisis, but in the short term it will help students and keep the pressure on those in power.” Alongside soaring prices and lack of housing, according to Gardaí, this year rental fraud has risen by 30% compared to 2019. 50% of the increase in victims in 2022 were under 25 as scammers aim to take advantage of students’ increasing desperation.

The SU have heard reports of forged IDs and household bills being used to dupe victims. Their advice is “to trust your gut” - always view a property prior to paying anything, ensure you have working keys and contact details for the landlord, and refuse to hand over cash or trans fer money in any way that can’t be tracked. When in doubt, walk away and if you do fall victim to a scam, report it to the Gardaí.

Third year Social Justice and Sociol ogy student, Rossa Gilsenan, spent her summer searching for accom modation, sending hundreds of enquiries by email, call and text but replies were rare and compared to previous years’ searches, it was far more challenging. Despite eventu ally sourcing a place in Ballsbridge, the landlord has since pulled out at the last minute, leaving Rossa to couch surf and commute from Monaghan for the foreseeable fu ture.

When asked how this will affect her, she states: “This negatively impacts my college experience in every way. Commuting long distances every day is very tiring, and hard to man age alongside my studies and part-

Transport for Ireland announced last week that fares on all 13 Nitelink services will be reduced. Leap card fares are being cut by 33% while cash fares are down by 43%. Adults will now be charged €2.40 if using a Leap card and €3 cash. Students and young adults aged 19-23 will pay €1.20 with a Leap card and €3 cash. Child fares will cost €1 with a Leap card and €1.30 cash.

Image Credit: Hugh Dooley

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

time job. It will mean less Dublin nights out, if any, and less fun ex periences with my college friends as I won’t be around as much.”

Another student commented “I’m struggling to find anything that’s more than 5 days a week as I need to work weekends and can’t return home on weekends nor can I com mute from Bangor, Northern Ire land. Prices are more than I earn a month for a room in a house. The current situation is making it near ly impossible for any student on a fixed budget, like a PHD as well, as those who don’t have a lot of fund ing are paying nearly all of their in come in rent. With rising costs of food as well, I’m barely able to af ford to feed myself and pay rent and

bills. I’ve been at UCD for nearly 5 years now and never remember it being this bad.”

As Nic Fhionnlaoich states, “Ev eryone should be able to afford to study at UCD, and not committing to affordable student accommoda tion is a commitment to excluding those who don’t come from affluent backgrounds from accessing third level education.”

However, with a lack of solutions available right now, it raises the question of what happens to those students, and their places at UCD who have been excluded as a result of the crisis.

Leaving Cert Grades Adjusted Upwards to Tackle Point Inflation

ELLA WADDINGTON

An average upward adjust ment of 4% on marks achieved by this year’s students is awarded so their results will not fall below the grades awarded in 2021.

This adaptation follows a commit ment from the Minister for Educa tion, Norma Foley, that this year’s results will be no lower than last year as students returned to in-per son exams for the first time since June. This is the first year since 2019 that there was no reliance on grades based on teachers’ marks.

The mark adjustment led to 50.5% of grades increasing with no marks adjusted downwards.

Minister Foley promises the in coming Leaving Certificate students that there will be no “cliff-edge,” as there are concerns that adjust ing the grades this year will create an identical inflation problem for the class of 2023. Rather, students will benefit from adjustments to the exam papers they will sit next June and there will be no dramatic grade deflation.

“These accommodations for the class of 2023 will be very similar to those announced in August 2021. So, I’m able to say there is an acknowledge ment of the experiences of the class of 2023 and those accommodations will be made for them,” Minister Foley told RTÉ Radio.

The State Examinations Commis sion will review the situation for next year and provide further detail on these arrangements to schools in due course.

However, university sources have expressed concern about this grade increase, which will lead to more high-points courses requiring a random selection or lottery to allo cate places for students. This will be the case for 47 college courses this year.

In an interview with the Irish Times, the President of the Uni versity of Galway, Ciarán Ó hÓgar taigh, expressed the need to return to pre-pandemic Leaving Certifi

cate grades. He said the upwards adjustment will make it more dif ficult to distinguish students’ aca demic performance.

“The point of points is discernment, to distinguish between students and my concern, in particular, is for the best students,” he stated.

On a similar note, an anonymous senior higher education source told the Irish Times that the grade infla tion was a “populist decision,” that will cause some students to struggle in high-point courses which they may not have achieved the points for under normal circumstances. They claim that they have seen ev idence of this with a decline in pass rates.

“ “

Minister for Further and High er Education, Simon Harris, said that the higher education sector has provided an additional 1,000 college places targeted at high-de mand courses such as: medicine, engineering and nursing, to reduce the need for a lottery-based system as much as possible.

“We have gone full throttle at trying to maximise capacity in September in areas where there is additional demand,” he said.

The lottery system will mean that some students who achieve the maximum 625 points may not se cure a place in their first-choice college course.

In a statement, UCD Students’ Union said that the recent grade inflation highlights the systemic issues within the Leaving Cert sys tem, and we must demand that the Government reforms this “elitist and exclusionary point system”.

“Social Justice Ireland reported last year that 82% of all H1s awarded were to privately educated stu dents, despite making up only 6% of the population. This clearly shows that our system is not equal and those coming from privileged backgrounds are further rewarded. The points lottery for college places is symptomatic of this broken sys tem,” said Martha Ní Riada, UCD SU’s Education Officer.

UCDSU brought back The Great Donate for another successful year. More than 150 students came to take advantage of leftover cutlery, plates and kitchen appliances do nated by students last year in early September. They will be collecting donations again in December for another giveaway in January 2023.

18 out of 35 entry routes into UCD saw a jump in points this year. Some of those included were DN240 Sus tainability, DN541 Modern Lan guages and DN130 City Planning and Environmental Policy. DN530 Humanities saw the biggest leap, moving up 83 points to 442.

UCC Heads For The Moon

A team of scientists based at UCC have had their radiation detectors on board NASA’s Artemis 1 rocket and its mission to the moon. Their five ‘Radfets’ (Radiation Sensing Field Effect Transistors) will mon itor radiation levels as Artemis 1 takes on a 6 week uncrewed mission to orbit the moon and deploy 10 CubeSat Satellites before a splash down landing. Half of Courses See Points Rise

...grade inflation was a “populist decision,” that will cause some students to struggle in high-point courses which they may not have achieved the points for under normal circumstances.

Image Credit Brett Sayles

Image Credit Hugh Dooley

Image Credit: Danielle DerGarabedian

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Return to Campus Sees End of Hybrid Learning Model

ELLA WADDINGTON ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Third-level institutions, in cluding UCD, have aban doned the hybrid-learning model and prepare for an academic year without Covid-19 restrictions for the first time since 2020. Students can expect a full-on campus experience as lectures re turn to being held on site, however, in some cases there will be flexibil ity.

Over the previous two years as re strictions eased, some timetables accommodated for a combination of online and in-person learning, but this year college authorities made it clear that they wish to bring stu dents completely back to campus.

Although UCD welcomed students back last September to on-campus learning with no requirements for social distancing, masks were re quired in indoor areas and lecture times were reduced to 45 minutes. This year, these restrictions have been suspended.

UCD Deputy President and Reg istrar Professor, Barbara Dooley, stated that to achieve a holistic de velopment of a student they must experience in-person engagement. Therefore, UCD will run its pro grammes on campus, unless they were specifically designed to be de livered online.

Professor Dooley stressed the im portance of working with peers in order for a student to thrive during their time in university with in-per son interactions being crucial for one’s well-being and mental health.

“The majority of our students come from post-school pathways and benefit most by engaging with fellow students, faculty and staff in-person as they navigate new ways of learning,” Professor Dooley said.

Despite the fact that Covid-19 re strictions have come to an end of ficially, some aspects of the hybrid model remain in practice. UCD’s University Management Team (UMT) have agreed to prolong their hybrid working trial period to the end of 2022 rather than the end of 2021 as intended. UMT’s goal is to ensure they do not overlook any formats and to fully assess various options.

“The intention is to take the best from our experiences of the

COVID-19 restrictions without im pacting adversely the importance of a vibrant campus experience for students, faculty, and staff, whilst also maintaining and improving our standards of service.” they said.

Their expectation, however, is that the university should aim to hold as many arrangements as possible in-person, and people performing roles that have been delivered re motely through the pandemic will spend “at least half their working time on campus.” UMT further states that no arrangements are guaranteed to become the norm.

The extent to which lecturers wish to engage with online tools is at their complete discretion, and lec turers cannot be mandated to re cord lectures due to their intellec tual property rights and contractual issues.

UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) is working hard to create opportuni ties whereby students can connect with each other on campus. In a statement, they said that returning to in-person learning has been wel comed by many students who found online learning a challenge.

They do acknowledge the fact that there are others who “are being locked out of education through inadequate provision of student ac commodation” and “the increasing cost of living.”

However, UCDSU also highlighted the advantages of in-person learn ing and the importance of it cannot be overstated. They emphasised how a blended model is beneficial to those affected by the housing cri sis and the high cost of living, but they do not see online learning as a permanent solution.

“We run the risk of creating a two-tier system. Students in the same course who can find accom modation and live in Dublin will have a drastically different educa tional and university experience to those who aren’t able to travel onto campus and then forced to com plete their education solely online,” said Education Officer, Martha Ní Riada.

Martha further stated that the SU has already noticed a disparity be tween students’ experiences, and fears that the Government could use the availability of online learn

ing as a “scapegoat” for fully ad dressing the issue of inadequate stu dent accommodation.

UCD To Recieve Hightest Portion of Funding for Emerging Research Talent

CLODAGH WILSON NEWS WRITER

UCD is set to receive ap proximately €4.5 million in funding from the Sci ence Foundation Ireland and Irish Research Council’s new partnership which seeks to pro mote investment in higher education research.

The new partnership, launched by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, in volves a €28.5 million investment in emerging research talent across Ireland. Speaking at the launch, Minister Harris drew attention to the focus on female representation within higher education research.

sition to Agriculture in Europe (€536,482).

• Dr Mario Manresa, UCD School of Medicine: Investigat ing the mediators and mechanisms that govern inflammatory respons es on fibroblasts and the impact of fibroblast-macrophage interactions in inflammatory bowel disease (€552,500).

• Dr Chris Kavanagh, UCD School of Mathematics and Sta tistics: Perturbative Analysis of the Two-Body Problem in General Relativity in the Small Mass-Ratio Limit (€519,548).

We run the risk of cre ating a two-tier system.Students in the same course who can find accommodation and live in Dublin will have a drastically different educational and universityexperience to those whoaren’t able to travel onto campus and then forced to complete their educa tion solely online

“ ““Crucially, this fund focuses on the representation of female research ers in the higher education system. We want to continue to increase the number of females participating in research and funds like this are cru cial to helping us achieve this,” he states.

Of the 53 projects, 36 are within the STEM fields while 17 are with in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) fields. 21 of the STEM projects and 8 of the AHSS are female-fronted, emphasising the focus on female inclusion in ac ademic research. The diverse range of topics receiving funding is a pro gressive move by Minister Harris, as AHSS research is often under funded and neglected from such mainstream investment.

Of the 12 research bodies and 53 projects supported by the SFI-IRC partnership, UCD makes up 9, the projects including:

• Dr Lingli Zhou, UCD School of Earth Sciences: Controls on high-grade stratiform Co mineral isation in the Central African Cop perbelt (CRITICAL) (€551,900).

• Dr Monica De Gaetano, UCD School of Biology and Environ mental Science: Synthetic Lipox in-A4 mimetics: novel therapeutic approaches to target residual in flammatory risk in Atherosclero sis-Associated Diabetes Complica tions (€552,201).

• Dr Junli Xu, UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineer ing: Understanding the impacts of micro(nano)plastics released from plastic products using spectral im aging (€550,682).

• Dr Elaine Corbett, UCD School of Electrical and Electronic En gineering: A new human-com puter interface for assessing neuro muscular-cognitive interactions in decision making (€548,186).

The end of hybrid learning comes with a mixed reaction from stu dents. Many are happy to have re turned to campus and resume the social aspect of college life, whilst others, amidst the accommodation crisis and having adjusted to the benefits of online learning are find ing the change more difficult.

Francesca Andrich, a final year student, speaks of her experience returning to UCD. Having just re turned from her year abroad, this is her first time on campus since the start of 2020.

“I like being able to interact with people again. It’s nice having a so cial life merged with your college life rather than them being very separate. Also, now that we have to attend lectures and classes in person, I feel more motivated to go. Since they’re not recorded or uploaded, I focus more as I know I don’t have the option to rewatch them.”

• Dr Drew Thomas, UCD School of History: Applying Artificial Intelligence to the Printing Press: Transforming Visual Communica tion During the Protestant Refor mation (€477,455).

• Dr Robert Power, UCD School of Archaeology: The Evolution of Dietary Diversity and the Tran

However, not everyone is feeling so positive about the end of online learning. The current situation has left Aoife, another final year stu dent, stressed and overwhelmed.

“It was a really difficult process to find accommodations with the cur rent shortages, and not having the option to learn over Zoom height ened stress as I was under tight time constraints. It took me months to find a place to live and I was really overwhelmed by it all.”

• Dr Sigrid Dupan, UCD School of Electrical and Electronic En gineering: Sensory feedback for upper limb prosthetics (€543,474).

The funding will go towards a fouryear independent study period and enable a postgraduate to conduct research under the supervision of the awardee.

“The cost of living has also made things difficult, and rent is so high and the prices of shops on campus have also gone up,” she states.

Students also speak of finding the re-adjustment to in-person learn ing a challenge after having ad justed to Zoom classes during the pandemic and some still are finding social interaction tiring and stren uous.

UCD Outsourcing 2263% more counselling than 2015/16 as demand hits all-time high

HUGH DOOLEY CO-LEAD OF INVESTIGATIONS

Demand for the UCD Stu dent Counselling Service has never been higher, this year 1,910 students sought out mental health services, the highest in UCD’s history.

Figures released to The College Tri bune show that the number of ap pointments that these students have attended has sky-rocketted too, from 4,822 in 2015 to 10,227 last year.

UCD’s solution to this demand has been to rely on outsourcing men tal healthcare to ‘local counselling partners’ as an occasional overflow during peak times, but this just isn’t working anymore…

What happened?

UCD students are now attending more outsourced counselling ap pointments than in-house appoint ments leading to students being turned away from the college’s ‘Lo cal Counselling Partners’ last year. Of the 10,227 appointments at tended by students last year, 5,200 were conducted by local counsel

ber of students seeking counsel ling appointments has increased by 192.35%, from 993 to 1,910.

They’re staying within the counsel ling service for longer too, up from an average of 4.85 sessions per stu dent in 2015/16 to 5.35 last year.

Despite a nearly 200% rise in the demand for counselling, the UCD Student Counselling Service has only increased its capacity for ap pointments by 10.3% since 2015/16.

During the same period, outsourc ing of counselling appointments has increased by 2263.64%.

“ “

sourced 6,099 appointments. At the same time, the college has ac tually outsourced 21,426 appoint ments since the start of the 2015/16 academic year. In contrast, the Student Counselling Service has conducted 30,948 appointments during the same time.

An Irish Times investigation found that UCD has one of the longest wait times of any university in Ireland, and spent less than half as much (€880,000) as Trinity College Dublin (€1.99 million) on mental health services for students in the 2020-21 academic year de spite having significantly more stu dents.

Is this sustainable?

Speaking exclusively to The College Tribune, UCDSU President Molly Greenough said: “The level UCD currently relies on the external counselling providers is not sus tainable, nor preferred, in the long term.”

Greenough argues that UCD’s abil ity to rely on outsourcing has meant the “University didn’t adequately invest time and resources into re cruiting and building internal ca pacity, despite successive SU teams calling for a fully costed develop ment strategy for campus mental health supports.”

“We have no control over the ex ternal providers’ capacity and thus can’t rely on it as a long term strategy. We saw this in practice last year when the counselling ser vice was experiencing high levels of demand and students were met with unacceptable waiting times; even the external providers, who were intended to be the stop gap measure, had to turn away UCD students. We’d argue that last year was not an anomaly and that the University needs to be prepared for a continued increase in the number of students seeking mental health support in general, and specifically counselling.”

Is there anything wrong with out sourcing?

The SU argue that “it’s often more convenient for students to attend counselling on campus and inter nal counsellors would also have a greater understanding of other UCD-specific supports available to students, such as the extenuating circumstances policy, student ad visers, financial supports, and the chaplaincy.”

“...we’ve already seen the cracks show in this approach last year when external providers had to turn away UCD students due to their own capacity limitations. The only thing we can directly control and have oversight of is our own in ternal service.”

ling partners. A whopping 6,099 appointments were outsourced in 2020/21.

This trend shows more than just the reliance on external counsel ling, but also the rapid increase in demand for mental health services in UCD.

In the last seven years the num

What isn’t working:

UCD’s outsourcing of counselling was originally designed to be an overflow mechanism at the bus iest points of the year, but it has now grown larger than the Student Counselling Service itself.

At its peak last year, UCD out

The counselling service in UCD are stretched thin, waitlists are not due to the staff not caring or not being good at their job. Sources within the service have informed the Col lege Tribune that throughout the last two years counsellors have

shared offices and conducted ap pointments online to increase the service’s capacity.

Despite a nearly 200%rise in the demand for counselling, the UCDStudent CounsellingService has only increased its capacity forappointments by 10.3%since 2015/16. Duringthe same period, outsourcing of appointmentscounselling has increased by 2263.64%.

An Irish Times investi gation found that UCDhas one of the longestwait times of any university in Ireland

Selection of the Next UCD President

EMMA HANRAHAN CO-LEAD OF INVESTIGATIONS

Last year, Professor Andrew Deeks announced his inten tion to resign as President of UCD to take up a new role in Australia. Deeks was elected President of the University in 2014 and ended his contract premature ly to become the vice-chancellor at Murdoch University in his home town of Perth, Western Australia.

Since his departure, Deputy Pres ident and Registrar, Mark Rogers, has been acting as President and will hold the role until the Govern ing Authority appoints a successor.

The official search for a new Presi dent started earlier this month and the College Tribune investigated what steps have been taken to date, how long the recruitment process will take, what type of candidates are expected and what the role ac tually entails.

On the 5th of September, Maire O’Connor, Chair of the UCD Gov erning Authority, sent an email to the UCD community announcing the launch of a global advertising programme to search for Presi dential candidates. In this email, O’Connor explained that a search committee was selected to commis sion independent market research with staff, students and alumni to identify priorities for the incoming President and the key leadership characteristics required.

The committee also employed Per rett Laver, an international exec utive search company, to provide support in developing the advertis ing campaign.

The Market Research Results:

A 10-15 minute online survey was sent via UCD to staff, students and alumni. The survey was open from the 4th-29th May 2022.

The committee received 1,568 re sponses in total. 764 responses were from staff members, 675 were from students, 95 were from university alumni and 34 responses were from the ‘other’ category. Participation was voluntary and no incentive was offered as a reward for taking part. The aim of the survey was to gain insights on performance and honest views on president priorities.

When asked about the importance of candidate skills and experience, 75% of respondents rated “Pursuit of Excellence” a 9 or 10. The other high-scoring options were “Advo cate for student support’, “Com mitment to the University as a pub lic institution,” and “Commitment

to equality, diversity and inclusion.” Respondents felt that going forward there should be less focus on the “Ability to expand the impact of the University globally” and the “Com mitment to history, traditions, and culture of the University.”

Respondents also identified the need for a President with strong “Staff Management” skills (21%) and “Soft Skills” such as empathy (20%). Only 3% of respondents felt that the new President should be Irish or be “eco-conscious” and only 1% believed that the candidates should “uphold academic quality.”

When asked about the most im portant personal characteristics, “integrity/honesty,” “good com municator” and “emotional intel ligence” emerged as the top three. Alumni and students were recorded as most likely to reference finan cial considerations. They called for integrity with regard to financial planning and suggested that the fu ture President should prioritise staff and student welfare before profit.

Ultimately, the survey concluded that the top three priorities for the incoming president should be the student experience, staff welfare and the housing crisis.

The Recruitment Process:

The recruitment process has two key stages: Search and Selection, each one is managed by a commit tee selected by the Governing Au thority. The launch of the advertis ing campaign marked the end of the search phase. The closing date for applications is Friday, 21st October 2022.

Then, the Search Committee will hand over to a separate Selection Committee whose job it will be to hold interviews and make a rec ommendation to the Governing Authority as to who should be ap pointed as the next President.

It is understood that the selection process will continue for a number of months and that the university expects to have a new President in post by the start of the 2023/24 academic year. However, the UCD community should anticipate an employment announcement this coming Spring.

Members of the Search Commit tee include external members of the Governing Authority; Charles Coase (Chair of the Committee)

and Anne-Marie Taylor (Deputy Chair of the Committee), internal members of the Governing Au thority; Helen Kenny and Associate Professor Wolfgang Marx, student representative; Carla Gummerson (UCDSU Graduate Officer 20202022), Academic Council mem bers; Professor Danielle Clarke and Associate Professor Paul Perry, and John-Mark McCafferty (CEO of Threshold, the National Housing Charity) and Julie Sinnamon (For mer CEO of Enterprise Ireland) who are members external to the University.

The members of the Selection Com mittee have yet to be published.

Candidate Expectations:

The survey results have shown that the University is looking for some one honest and empathetic who will prioritise the welfare of staff and students. However, the Col lege Tribune also spoke to UCD SU President, Molly Greenough, to understand what the Student’s Union wants the next president to prioritise.

rious style of accommodation is discriminatory in nature and delib erately locking students from lower socio-economic backgrounds out of UCD.”

When asked how the Union would like the candidates to differ from previous UCD Presidents, Gree nough said, “Ideally candidates would view themselves as the po tential leader of a university first and foremost, with a core focus on enhancing the experiences of staff and students across UCD; a highly commercialised mindset is danger ous and is an affront to students’ college experiences.”

or wider University Management Team is natural and healthy, so long as it remains professional. I’d be shocked if any future President agreed with the Students’ Union at all times, or vice versa. I’m a firm believer that you can publicly pro test Management in respect of an issue on Monday and still work col laboratively on a separate project on Tuesday.”

Greenough explained that aside from improving staff and student welfare, “Affordable and adequate on-campus accommodation should be at the top of each candidate’s list of priorities, especially in light of the absolute breaking point we’ve reached in the student accommoda tion crisis. While the Government certainly has a significant role to play in delivering this, in terms of both funding and oversight, UCD has dug itself fairly deep by boast ing the most expensive on-campus accommodation in the entire coun try. In our view, this elitist, luxu

Ideally candidateswould view themselves as the potential leaderof a university first andforemost, with a core focus on enhancing theexperiences of staff andstudents across UCD; a highlymindsetcommercialised is dangerous

Greenough concluded that “since Deeks’ departure there has been a notable change in the relationship between the Students’ Union and the wider University Management Team. This is not to say there’s been ground-breaking movements or widespread agreement on the best ways to approach every issue, but there is a certain baseline level of respect and sense of empathy for student issues that I hadn’t experi enced prior.”

The Role of President:

The President manages and directs the University in its academic, ad ministrative, financial, personnel and other activities. The President also chairs a number of university committees and has delegated au thority to some committees to other members of the University Man agement Team.

The SU had a famously fractious re lationship with the previous Pres ident, when asked what steps the Union will take to ensure a good relationship with the new President Greenough explained, “As with any relationship, I believe it’s import ant to enter in good faith. Equally, I think it’s important to be candid and transparent with the Union’s ambitions and stances on respective issues… I think disagreement be tween the Union and the President

KEY POINTS:

Andrew Deeks was the ninth Pres ident of UCD and was the first Australian and second non-Irish person to hold the presidency after co-founder John Henry Newman. Deeks stepped down in December 2021, eight years into his ten year term to take up a position at Mur doch University in Australia. A fixed-term statutory provision was adopted by the Governing Body in 1984 which requires UCD Presi dents to serve for 10 years. There fore, the next, tenth President of UCD will hold office until 2033.

• Andrew Deeks resigned last year to take up a new position in Australia

• Deputy President and Registrar Mark Rogers will act as President until a successor is appointed

• The Governing Authority has created a Search and a Selection Committee to help select a new President

• Market research revealed that the UCD community want a Pres ident who will prioritise student welfare, staff management and the accommodation crisis

• The new President will be announced by Spring 2023 and will take over in September

“ “

“

The survey results haveshown that the Uni versity is looking forsomeone honest and empathetic who willprioritise the welfare ofstaff and students. INVESTIGATIONS

AUNT Agony

Hello, hello and welcome to an exciting new year in Dublin’s finest cess pool of a University. I’ve been a part of this cesspool for far too long and although that is to my detriment, it is to your good fortune, mes chéries. Because for any silly-willy worry or dumb question you have, I have some aged, refined and polished advice. I joke. I won’t be able to solve your problems, but I’ll be able to give you some pointers on how to be a “nor mal” student and navigate this concrete jungle.

Being a student is hard. But it’s also quite fun and most of the worries we have are actually quite humorous or we hope will be humorous in the fu ture. Send me your most scandalous worries and questions, the Tribune is full of juicy goss so please do contribute. Anonymity will always be guaranteed. Anyways, happy cess-pooling. Enjoy the queries sent in by your fellow cess-poolers!

Can you swim in the lakes?

Q. A .

What is the best society to join in UCD?

None x

I joke, I joke. UCD’s student life is enriched through the work of societies and through the events they organise on campus. I think being a part of some sort of society drama is a rite of passage for all UCD students. Whether it be with insuf ferable debaters on LawSoc and the L&H or with the quirky kids in Dramsoc. There is something for everyone on campus and joining a society is probably one of the easiest ways to make friends with like-minded people. It’s also a great way to get something other than just your education from your university.

A.

Q.In all of my years of being Agony Aunt, I have never been asked this question. You are definitely a child of the pandemic, my dear. You kids didn’t get out enough so of course you wouldn’t know that not all bodies of water are safe to swim in. Sadly, the two (or three if we include the infamous “secret” lake) lakes in UCD are riddled with tetanus shot inducing substances. The lakes are a great place to sit, socialise and take in the sun on campus. Let’s let them be. Please don’t swim in the lakes, you may actually risk expulsion, according to fear-mongering rumours. This is one of those situations where “look but don’t touch” applies.

. How can I make friends in my first year of college?

AMaking friends is perhaps the most frightening idea to you kids. It’s because you expect people to make the first move and initiate plans. Take it from someone who’s been around here a while, we’re all kind of loners, though no one likes to admit it. Imagine someone you think is cool asked you to get a coffee, you’d be de lighted. So reverse that to mirror how someone else would feel if you asked them. We’re all more similar than we think (law students would disagree when they are compared to arts students).

Be open and say yes is all you can do. There isn’t one formula that works for every one, but we’re all looking for a bit of friendship in big, bad Belfield.

Q. A .

Ahhh, it pains me that this is an experience becoming more and more common for college students! The biggest advice I would give you is don’t try and study on your commute unless it is really urgent. Commuting is stressful enough by itself. Catch up on some sleep, listen to music, read for pleasure or watch films on your commute! Romanticise it! Some of the girly girls like to measure their time with how many times they can listen to All Too Well (the ten minute version). It doesn’t matter what you do, once your commute time is for you! If sending emails makes you feel better and more prepared, do that so that when you come to campus or get home, you can start on more pressing matters.

We’ve all been there … whether it’s crushing on a lecturer or tutor or having spicy dreams about them. Listen Chérie, I have to be the voice of reason here and tell you that you probably shouldn’t do it … in the academic year … You’re in your final year, and I know that this is when we want to start acting up the most. Your TA isn’t going to be looking at you like that, no matter how young or good looking he is. Don’t be silly and risk your degree, honey, anything a man can give you … you can give yourself better. Broaden your horizons! Test out a boy from each UCD residence so you can say that you really did get to know UCD well.

Q. A

Should I do long distance with my boyfriend who’s going to college in Galway?

.

Well, why not! Give it a shot and see how you get on. When it comes to relation ships, let them work until they don’t because who knows what’s going to happen in the future. You might actually prefer to have your own lives separately and to enjoy your relationship in small spurts. There’s only so much of your man you can handle in your day-to-day life so while he’s off studying and making friends in Galway, focus on yourself! Get to know more people in college, prioritise the galls and the gays and then when your boyfriend comes to visit, let him be a part of your already full life in college! At the end of the day, things like this aren’t that deep, your life is more than your relationship babe.

Q.How do I cook for myself in college?

First of all, what are you doing not knowing how to cook at this big age? Second of all, I’ll give some tips lest you starve or drive yourself into poverty from the €4.50 chicken fillet rolls from Centra.

A.

Straight up, looking after yourself in college is really important. You’re going to be socialising a lot and you’re also (hopefully) going to be studying a lot. That’s a lot of pressure on your body and you want to make sure you’re looking after it so you can be your best self. Get some essential ingredients like pesto and pasta but make sure that’s not all you’re eating every day! Get some proteins like eggs and chicken, some healthy snacks like fruit and nuts. You don’t have to be Ms. Health Queen (said gender neutrally) all the time, but make sure you’re giving your body some good nutrients every day. Lastly, watch some cooking Youtube or TikTok videos!

Q.

Q. A

. Can I hook up with a TA, I’m in my final year and he is really good looking …

I’m in second year and I have a 3 hour roundtrip commute to college and I’m getting really stressed out with the time wasted on it - I feel like it’s ruining the college experience for me.

features.

Deputy Editor Rhoen Eate dis cusses how Dublin is breathing new life into art post-COVID.

She writes about the support given to the Arts Community, both by the government and the general public. She also ex plores how the Arts are paving a new way to event accessibility and enjoyment.

Our cosy island is known for its affinity for the arts, be it story telling, painting, music; they’re a given. All over the country our streets come alive with the sound of buskers, animated laughter, and street art; and our fair Dublin city is no dif ferent. From the bustle of Temple Bar to the colours of George’s Street, the arts are seen to flow from one corner to the next. And yet, despite our cultural disposition for all things artistic, can we truly say that our arts scene is flourishing?

On the 5th of April this year, the government announced the introduction of the new ‘Ba sic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme’, a pro gramme established to support artists and cre ative artworkers.

Speaking on the scheme, Tánaiste Leo Varad kar said: “This is a really important day for the creative arts in Ireland. Our country is world-famous for its creative industries, so it’s vital that we provide the right environ ment to allow artists to develop, flourish and focus on their work.”

And indeed he is right. The initiative is defi nitely a grand step for the government to show its recognition of the Arts and its importance within this country. However once we look at the fineprint of this scheme, we can see a few questions arise.

The scheme promises the award of €325 per week to 2,000 eligible artists, of who/which are randomly selected from the pool of art ists who apply to the scheme. A question of fairness comes to mind here as it seems the government has recognised that they can’t

The Arts: Are They Dying or Thriving?

judge a persons work, beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all, and so have conjured somewhat of a cop out to be seen to be doing something. With an “estimated 4,915 profes sional artists in Ireland”, according to the In dependent, this scheme would only reach un der half of the arts sector. So once again, the government is seen to be stepping/shooting in the right direction, but just missing the mark.

The powers-that-be send even more mixed signals as Dublin City Council orders the re moval of iconic street art murals across the city, most recent of these beloved pieces being the Dynamo mural along the keys depicting a colourful, “You Got This”. On the premise of such pieces being “unauthorised” and resem bling of “commercial advertising”, the DCC acts as a stern hammer coming down cold on artists endeavouring to spread a sprinkle of sunshine through the Irish drizzle. A tad confusing coming from a government who is apparently “supportive of the arts”…

But the arts community isn’t laying down flat… We are taking full advantage of live events coming in to full swing once again. Bars are doing live sets/music, galleries are fully open, and there’s a show set to entertain the mass es every day of the week. But these past few years haven’t come and gone without a lesson learned. Despite our eagerness to get back to

what once was, we have embraced the ap proach to online or “hybrid” events, where entertainment available is also being streamed on online platforms to broaden accessibility as well as audience.

Now more than ever we are seeing a multitude of event programmes, festivals, and sessions taking place throughout the country. Markets are making a booming comeback, establishing yet another platform for artists to showcase and sell their works. Buskers are advertising links to their online profiles, jewelers are sell ing on Instagram, and dancers are once again taking to the stage.

And yet, despite the clear rigour displayed by the arts community, can we truly say that they are given enough room to flourish? Yes, the government has come out with this new basic wage scheme for artists, but this is almost par adoxical, even hypocritical, as they’ve driven artists commissioned to decorate the walls of establishments to remove their artwork for the sake of wispy technicalities. Since when can we/you not decorate our/your own build ings? They are telling us to embrace our cre ativity, to fuel our sparks into flames, and yet, their actions are pushing us towards a com plete opposite direction, snuffing out towards a bleaker tomorrow.

Image Credit: Danielle DerGarabedian

What’s new in UCD?

Hugh Dooley breaks down all things new in UCD.

Week two is done, and hundreds of slightly surprised comments of “oh, that’s new” have echoed across campus like a whisper at a rock concert. This is the essential guide to sounding slightly ‘in-the-know’ and knowl edgeable when your friends comment on UCD’s latest things!

Freshers

The Local

Although it took a while to get the liquor li cense off the ground, The Local is a fully stocked bar in the UCD Village. The Local will be operated by Wright’s who also run the Centra.

Scared of loud noises and adorned with UCD scarves, there’s a whole new year of Freshers to complain about. Whether it’s your third year giving out about them or your first chance, there’s thousands of new students crawling across campus or getting lost in the library!

Cinema

The cinema in the Sport and Fitness Centre has received a makeover, bearing a fresh red coat of paint as well as a self-service ticket machine. Its official launch is still pending, but the first event in the new look cinema saw Paul Bushnell, musical director for the Com mitments, speak to UCD Students ahead of a screening of the film. Bushnell was formerly a UCD Science student who dropped out to busk on Grafton Street in the early 80s!

Running Track

UCD set out to replace the old running track near the N11 after a €3 million donation to the college in 2018. While COVID slowed the development of the track, leading to lengthy delays, the track will be finally opened this week! Marking the end of an 11-year period in-between the abrupt shutdown of the old running track in 2011 “due to certified safety concerns.” Such was the demand for a new running track that the old running track still got considerable use despite half of it being converted into ‘temporary’ parking spaces in recent years.

Engineering SU Shop

UCDSU have reopened its shop in the Engi neering building, for the first time since covid! I’m early days, and still not taking debit cards at the time of writing, there are exciting plans for the shop! A phone repair service will op erate out of the shop with same-day phone repair available off-site!

Across the SU Shops, iced coffee will now be available (making Newman students even happier!). Coca Cola and Monster will make a return to the Belfield campus as well! The Cola company’s products will soon be popping up across campus after an SU motion to ban the beverage company was first passed in 2003. A whopping 3,000 students turned out to vote to ban the cans from UCD, that’s more votes than in the recent SU Executive lections!

Campus is Different, for Better or Worse

JILL NELIS CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT

The return to campus this year is a new beginning for many of the stu dents especially those who entered their college years amidst the worst of COVID-19.

For the first time these students can enter a lecture hall maskless, socialising is more pos sible and most of all the pandemic infection rate has gone down significantly so doing all these things are much safer! This is a relief to the masses after the loneliness of the pandem ic causing us to be isolated for months on end

New(ish)

President

I’m cheating slightly here. There is a new Acting-UCD President in charge of the college while the UCD brass search for a replacement! Read a full dive into that search in the Investigations section! Pro fessor Mark Rogers is the new man at the helm of the university. He was previously Deputy President and Registrar, before as cending to Andrew Deeks old office!

SU Banner

A whole new team of SU Officers, have as cended to the banner in front of the James Joyce Library! It remains to be seen how long the banner will last before starting to fall down again this year. If its first month is any thing to go by, the banner should be expected to plunge in weeks… Nonetheless, a new team of SU Officers are spread across the banner!

UCD Village

Open 24 hours and adorned with amenities the Village is a move to bring life into that end of campus. It’s currently in the process of adding a new casual restaurant. Outing my favourite gym on campus,, the Accommoda tion Gym in the Village is finally in full swing. Smaller than the other three on campus, the accommodation gym is hiding above Centra!

without any socialisation.

It is also a time for students to make up for lost time, the life which college often is thought to have promised us has been entirely out of reach for the past two years. During this time campus has changed in many ways. The Vil lage, which did not exist at the beginning of 2020, is now the hub of UCD and there are many new faces in the UCS Students’ Union (UCDSU).

A student who has been enrolled in UCD since the beginning of the pandemic allowed the Col lege Tribune to interview her to ask how these changes affect her perception of her time in college. Aoife McBride is a student studying Irish and Drama. The College Tribune asked her what changes she notices within campus and her opinions on what she liked or disliked.

Off-License

Carrying on from The Local, the village’s own Centra is now selling alcohol on campus! The days of the Clubhouse being the only place on campus to buy beer are gone, with everything from Rioja to Bulmers stacking the shelves of Centra!

“I like the changes in the restaurants, I feel like we now have a lot more options which is nice.” After being stuck within the confines of our own rooms for a year it is definitely something which a lot of students seem to be enjoying the freedom of. Additionally, Aoife states that the freedom of choice does not end with the food and drink options.

When asked about how she feels about the mandatory mask mandate being removed on campus she states, “I prefer the option of not wearing a mask because we now have [that] freedom students had before the pandemic.”

The changes however are not all positive as Aoife notes that “the prices for everything have definitely increased which is a pain as we are still all students.” The financial situation of the world is currently something which ev eryone in the world is struggling with, but it

Sub Club

A name slightly unfortunate for a campus, the replacement to the old Street Kitchen is run by the same people as Pi and Blue Bird, KSG. Located just beside the James Joyce Library, they have sported healthy queues since they opened!

is becoming noticeable on campus as well as everywhere else.

Another change which our student inter viewee was not as fond of was the removal of free COVID tests in the student centres and library. “I wish that we did still have free COVID tests though, as it would make me feel safer around campus.”

While you can still purchase lateral flow tests from the UCDSU shops and pharmacy on campus, they cost significantly more than they did in prior years - especially since they used to be offered for free to anyone with a valid UCD student ID card.

Overall, the changes in campus this year are positive but may take some time getting used to for the older students in our midst.

Image Credit: Reddy Architecture

Image Credit: Hugh Dooley

Image Credit: Hugh Dooley

Image Credit: Hugh Dooley

Image Credit: Hugh Dooley

Image Credit: Danielle DerGarabedian

Image Credit: Hugh Dooley

Image Credit: Hugh Dooley

How International Students Spent Their First Weeks in Dublin

SARA ALLEN

CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT

On 30th June, University College Dublin Global an nounced that the start term for first-years would be pushed back roughly two weeks due to the delay in Irish exam results.

It was immediately noted that this change would not impact firstyears moving into campus accom modation on September 1st and that UCD Global would arrange a series of pre-orientation events for students arriving early. Though this delayed start wouldn’t complete ly impact the social events across campus, one of the main questions among international first-year stu dents moving in early was: what would they do with the added freetime before the start of classes?

Many Americans have taken this added time as an opportunity to travel.

“I noticed this trend among many of my American friends. Many booked a quick trip to a different country before the start of term.

The idea of taking a cheap flight to a different country is not a familiar concept in America. Even travelling across state lines can be expensive,” says an unnamed student. Ella, a first-year from Virginia, recently took a trip to France.

“I had a great time exploring a new place and it was a nice way for me to spend some of the really open weeks before term,” she says.

Priyanka, a first-year from the United Arab Emirates, moved into her UCD accommodation on the 5th of September. She has been spending the extra time getting to know people of different national ities and cultures, as well as explor ing the campus and city.

“It feels like time has passed by very quickly. The amount of things I’ve done in the past two weeks makes it feel like months have gone by.”

Finally, unlike most students, Julz, a first-year from Australia, moved to Dublin in April after graduating

in November. “It was definitely a big change and at first the time was going so slowly and I found it dif ficult to occupy myself on my own. Then I got a job in a local pub.”

Julz is currently working at the Brickyard GastroPub in Dundrum.

“Although I haven’t had a pint of Guinness yet, I will say I can pour a pretty good one!” She’s mentioned that the biggest culture shock is how late everyone pre-drinks be fore heading out. “Back home I would pre-drink at 6pm and go out at about 8 or 9pm, but here every one is pre-drinking at 9pm to go out at like 11pm!”

No matter where international students are coming from it seems they’ve managed to make the most out of their extra time, not only in UCD but in Dublin itself.

Small Soc Highlight: ArtsSoc

This article features our Newman neighbours, Artsoc. Artsoc is a society for Arts and Humanities students (though they welcome students of all disciplines). As a social society, ArtsSoc knows how to party! Their night-out events are consistent and great craic for any one looking to have a pint and chat about anything - from pop culture to campus gossip.

If you’ve ever passed by the New man building you may have seen one of their weekly coffee morn ings, a beloved staple of the society and a great place to take a break and meet new people between those pesky morning classes. Just don’t forget your reuseable cup!

The members of ArtsSoc are qutie the philanthropists as one of their main purposes is to raise money for

charity. They’ve raised up to €500 in a single event! The charities they work for are of a wide variety hav ing raised money for HIB Ireland, Ukraine refugees and Women’s Aid.

Last year, ArtsSoc threw a success ful 1920s themed ball which people went all out for. Auditor, James El lis says they plan to have a ball again this year with a new fun theme pending.

“We want to create a space where people can express themsleves” says Ellis, and from each event it is apparent members of ArtsSoc do just this, bringing a lively energy to anything they do.

If you have questions or are inter sted in joining you can reach them through their email (arts.society@ ucd.ie) or through their Instagram (@artssocucd).

It can be difficult to decide what the best society to join i, so let Editor Danielle DerGarabedian make it a bit easier in this society highlight!

Taiwan: The Next Proxy Battleground?

RORY FLEMING

POLITICS CORRESPONDENT

Tensions have reached a boiling point in the East China Sea as the Chinese government re-asserts its authoritarian regime over the neighbouring nation of Taiwan.

Relations have been strained for decades between the two coun tries ever since the Chinese civil war which saw the remnants of the ousted leader’s political supporters fleeing to the island.

In the 73 years since the cessation of the conflict, Mao’s Communist Party formed an authoritarian gov ernment on the Chinese mainland, whilst the Taiwanese populace have enjoyed its own constitution and democratically elected leaders.

Whilst the tense relationship en dured between China and Taiwan is of severe consequence to the rest of the globe, news surrounding recent Chinese transgressions has man aged to evade many mainstream news cycles.

The lack of current understanding surrounding the conflict is not due to its geographical location or a Chinese attempt to quell dissenting news stories, but rather is a result of the ongoing war in the Ukraine.

Virtually every single major world power has come out in support of the democratically elected Ukrainian government, who seek to halt the advancement of Rus sian backed separatists and Russian army personnel in the Eastern re gion of Ukraine. However, China has been one of the few to remain quiet, and not without reason.

War returning to the continent of Europe is something the Western media can sell, a conflict close to home where people who appear just like us are living through what can only be described as apocalyptic scenes.

The 24/7 pedalling of the war with in the media though is

“ “

War returning to the continent of Europe is something the West ern media can sell, a conflict close to home where people who appear just like us are living through what can only be described as apocalyptic scenes.

music to the ears of the Chinese Communist Party, as they seek to undertake a ‘reunification’ of their own under the noses of the pre-oc cupied Western powers.

In fact, China has been a totem of support for Vladimir Putin, pur chasing $19 billion worth of oil from the transgressors in the first three months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This was done not only as an economic decision, whereby China could store the cheap oil and sell it on to other Asian nations, but also to keep its nearest Super Power on its side.

In the event that China does in fact launch its own invasion of Taiwan, having the approval of Moscow would be a major benefit to the ruling Communist Party, meaning

they need only concern themselves with the reaction of the faraway Western powers.

Over recent months, using the cloud of the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict, China has ramped up its aggressive stance towards Taiwan. Machinations on behalf of the Chi nese government include the fly ing of Chinese fighter jets through Taiwanese air space along with the testing of ballistic missiles by their navy in Taiwanese waters.

Responding to these acts of aggres sion, the Taiwanese government, headed by the nation’s first female President, Tsai Ing-wen, has sought refuge by allying with China’s big gest opponent on the global politi cal stage- the United States (US).

In a familiar move, the US has sought to align itself with their own rival’s opposition. Last month saw the Speaker of the House of Rep resentatives, Nancy Pelosi, visit Taiwan in a show of strength from the US.

Further divisions between the Biden government and China were stoked when earlier this month a $1.1 billion military aid package was granted to Taiwan, alongside rhet oric from the White House which stated the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

These moves which sought to weak en the Chinese grasp over Taiwan drew a stern response from Beijing, with President Xi Jinping warning his American counterparts that “whoever plays with fire will get burnt.”

World leaders now wait for what the next move on the Chinese side will be, knowing that Taiwan is standing on the precipice of becom ing the next proxy battleground be tween the globe’s two most militar ily significant nations.

American Democracy on its Knees: Roe v Wade Reversed

DANIELLE DERGARABEDIAN EDITOR

Regardless of which state you live in, women in the United States collectively wept on 24 June. The Su preme Court stripped a civil right by a vote of 6-3 simply because those holding the opinion that a foetuses’ life supersedes a woman’s choice were in the majority at the time of hearing Dobbs v Jackson, a case which will forever be known as the antithesis of Roe v Wade. For nearly 5 decades the decision of Roe v Wade stood not only as an expan sion of abortion rights in the United States, but one that expanded the right to privacy. At a time where privacy is seemingly on the decline the decision holds immense value.

It is clear that the rights Ameri cans hold are volatile, no matter how long a precedent has stood, no matter how hard such a right was fought for we never seem to stop fighting. As of 16th September, 14 states – South Dakota Idaho, Indi ana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ten nessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama and Wisconsin – have of ficially placed an outright ban on abortions 9 states doing so without exception – including rape or incest.

Since the decision, clinics are per forming abortions up until the min ute anti-abortion laws are ratified, doctors are contacting lawyers to ensure what they are doing is legal, Plan-B pills are flying off shelves and women living in states where abortion is banned will have to travel to a neighbouring state where abortion is legal.

If one thinks simply traveling to a neighbouring state to have an abortion is an easy solution, you’d be mistaken, it should be seen as a luxury and a privilege as not every woman will have the means to do so. More than that, in the event a woman needs immediate life-sav ing treatment they may simply not survive the journey across state lines. Women who die as a result of the anti-abortion legislation will be martyrs for the pro-life movement who may recognize their death as tragic but nevertheless fulfilling the obligation of womanhood.

This decision does not just impact women though, it effects national

POLITICS BRIEF

The Departments of Public Expen diture and Finance have announced that the Exchequer has recorded a €6.3 billion profit for the year up to the end of August. This is largely due to a 26% increase in tax reve nue collected in the previous year as the economy recovers from the pandemic. The heightened profit comes at a needed period for the government as they seek to mitigate the Cost-of-Living crisis in next month’s budget.

privacy laws and previous Supreme Court rulings that used similar in terpretations of liberty and equality under the 14th Amendment. These rulings range from the recognition of inter-racial (Loving v Virgin ia) and same-sex marriage rights (Obergefell v Hodges) to a ban on state “sodomy” laws (Lawrence v Texas).

President Joe Biden acknowledged at the time the Supreme Court opinion was leaked that “every other [Supreme Court] decision relating to the notion of privacy is thrown into question.” Now this premonition may become reality and pregnancy will be persecuted through surveillance. Corporations that collect data including Meta, Google and Apple will be left to answer to law enforcement agen cies seeking warrants to access data prosecute those who choose to have an abortion or the clinics or people that perform them.

Make no mistake, the decision re pealing Roe v Wade is a violent act against women in America, just less obviously so. A ban on abortions does not eliminate them in any state, it simply results in the means of ob taining an abortion becoming more precarious. Women will sit and wait for their lives to be saved from sep sis, haemorrhage and preeclampsia because their heart beat is not loud enough to drown out the foetuses’ heart beat and women will continue to sit and wait until one heart finally stops.

A moral duty based on the beliefs of half the country now becomes a legal one regardless of the poten tial impact on the mind and body of pregnant women, the strain on families and the aspirations of those not yet ready.

The United States government is not pushed to rethink its actions against its citizens until covert violence be comes overt. I raise a question then, who’s life or how many lives will it take to bring back abortion rights in the United States? These rights hold weight, they are a matter of life and death, but more so now a battle that places liberty against life, a concept thought to be synony mous in American democracy.

Time for Change: Potential for Leaving Cert Reform

Another turn of the wheel finishes as the last of the CAO offers are sent out to Leaving Certificate students dotted around the country.

With another year completed, it yet again asks the annual question of reforming the outdated memory test that causes high levels of stress not just to students but their fami lies and teachers.

Recently, Education Minister, Nor ma Foley, has publicly recognised the need to reform the testing sys tem. The Leaving Certificate Exam ination was introduced in 1924, and has seen little change since.

The Senior Cycle is two years of preparation in a minimum of six subjects, all leading to desk-lined halls of stressed students regurgi tating two years of memory in two hours.

The hope is that after those long nights of tears, ink stains and the meager candle your Granny lit in the back of a darkened church, gives you enough of a chance to get your dream course with inflated

points, with your reward being the now extortionate rental costs of be ing a student.

In an attempt to alter this anxi ety-inducing education format, Ed ucation Minister Norma Foley has announced details for a Leaving Certificate reform plan with ini tial changes starting in September 2023.

The English and Irish sitting of Pa per One will now be at the end of the Fifth year. The following year 2024, will have several test schools with new subjects such as Drama, Film and Theater Studies, and Cli mate Action and Sustainable Devel opment.

In addition, for all Leaving Cert subjects, 60% of marks will go to written examinations while 40% will be on additional assessment components such as project work, orals, and practicals. Although, it won’t be until 2028 that any students outside the chosen pilot schools will begin to see the new subjects.

More reforms outside of examina

tions hope to recognise students for academics and their skills and aptitudes, with opportunities for work experience, volunteering, and citizenship to enhance the Senior Cycle.

Students could also have a chance to sample modules in further educa tion and training courses. However, only the youngest in our education system at the primary school level will be the ones that will receive the full benefits of these changes.

The question that has to be asked is, are these changes enough? With these changes, what about the group of students currently within the system often considered after thoughts?

The Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI), founded in 1972, works with and for people affected by dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that affects how you learn to read, write and speak. This can cause problems in a student’s academic abilities.

Dyslexia can affect the development of students and their ability to re member sequences and put things

POLITICS

The European Union recorded re cord high levels of inflation, with the prices for food, alcohol, tobac co, non-energy industrial goods and services rising by 9.1% in August. This inflation is primarily caused by a surge in fuel prices as a direct result of the Ukrainian- Russian conflict, which saw energy inflation rise to 38.3% last month. Moldova has been the worst affected Europe an nation, with inflation currently sitting at 27%.

Warnings Issued Over Housing Scams

An Garda Síochána have report ed an increase of 30% in accom modation scams so far this year, when compared to pre-pan demic levels. Around half of all housing scams occur in the Cap ital, with the average amount stolen being roughly €1300.

The National Economic Crime Bureau has urged students to “only use recognised letting agencies or deal with people who are bona fide and trusted.”

in order, like numbers and letters; it can also affect concentration. Students can have problems recall ing the name of words or objects, spelling, grammar, etc. Learning difficulties may vary and can also be attached to other learning dif ficulties like dyspraxia and atten tion deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Across all social-economic groups, with the proper support, the worst effects can be alleviated. The DAI presented a submission to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Ed ucation, Further and Higher Edu cation, Research, Innovation, and Science on the 4th of October, 2021. The Submission presented three categories of how the current sys tem works, how it is assessed, and a potential more strength-based approach to choice and progression.

Some of the likely reforms to the Senior Cycle are ones mentioned in the Submission. Still, other possi ble reforms not included are more technology in their exams, open book examinations, additional time for examinations and anonymous marking arrangements within

schools, fewer subjects, more sup port for students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties so so cio-economic factors do not define a student.

While the Leaving Cert reform plan provided by Norma Foley is much desired, is it enough, and is the time frame of 2028 at the earliest, a real istic one in a government that is not known for its punctuality?

Will it be the current youngest pop ulation’s grandchildren that see any further reform beyond the reform currently waiting to be introduced? Are there any changes to the sys tem that could be brought in before 2028? It is difficult to comprehend why students aged 17-19 are taking the “most challenging exam of their lives.”Exams which potentially will define their whole life and career, but at the same time are told to mit igate stress because it is “just a piece of paper.”

Change is one of the things people find hardest to accept, but in the case of the Leaving Cert, change has been something people are hoping for.

Fee Reduction Being Considered

Simon Harris, the Minister for Higher Education, has stated that a €1000 reduction to col lege fees is just one option un der consideration ahead of next month’s budget, as the govern ment looks to alleviate the fi nancial strain being placed on students by the current housing crisis.

Politics Writer Yvonne Quinn details the necessity of Leaving Cert Reform.

Image Credit: Hugh Dooley

Treatment of Investments and the Housing Crisis

MARK O’ROURKE CORRESPONDENT

Ireland’s housing and accom modation crisis is, by now, a well-documented one. One cannot open a newspaper or tune into a current affairs program without hearing about the issues faced and the causes and potential solutions of each.

Usually, discussion around the housing crisis centres on the lack of supply, the role of landlords and institutional investors, and lam entation of perceived government incompetence. However, often lit tle attention is paid as to why insti tutional investors play such a large role in the Irish market and why to many people, including institution al investors and individuals alike, property is and always will be seen first and foremost as an investment.

In Ireland, property is seen as one of the most efficient long-term forms of investment, largely due to the treatment of other forms of investments in such a manner as to put off investors. Take for instance exchange-traded funds (ETFs). An ETF is an investment fund that is traded on a regulated stock ex change. A typical ETF can be com pared to a tracker fund in that it will seek to replicate a particular index such as the S&P 500. ETFs are con sidered to be lower risk investments as they contain a number of stocks or other securities and are lower cost alternatives when compared to purchasing individual stocks.

However, in Ireland ETFs are sub ject to income tax at a rate of 41% as well as deemed disposal. Deemed disposal means that every 8 years

a disposal is deemed to have taken place of the ETFs held by investors and as such are taxed at 41%. So, deemed disposal serves to disin centivize the long-term pursual of ETFs as a viable investment strat egy.

In an era of record low interest rates, it is unsurprising that both large and small scale investors have turned to property to generate re turns. Property prices are rising by 14.4% year on year, and have in creased by 120.5% since early 2013.

Not without risk, property allows investors to receive regular income in the form of rent, while also own ing an asset that has a high chance of appreciating. When the property is ultimately sold, gains are taxed at 33%.

The tax treatment of institutional property investors has also been well documented as contributory to the current crisis. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are the subject of much criticism for their role in the housing crisis, with re cent high profile examples of such companies bulk purchasing resi dential property. REITs are exempt from corporation tax on rental in come received and from Capital Gains Tax on the gain from disposal of property, provided it meets the conditions to qualify as a REIT. RE ITs are particularly attractive for foreign investors.

According to Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, institutional in vestors are estimated to own less than 1%of the total housing stock,

or 7% of all tenancies, the impact of such investors on the supply of ac commodation should not be under estimated. Institutional investors can easily outbid private buyers, serving to further increase housing prices.

While the main issue with regards to the housing and accommodation crisis is undoubtedly supply, the issues mentioned above contribute to the current situation, with the treatment of other forms of invest ments often neglected in the discus sion.

To fully solve the housing crisis, not only is a far greater supply needed, a change of attitude towards property is also required. If the perception still exists of property and housing as an investment, the current crisis will continue.

The current attitude towards hous ing encourages the numerous plan ning objections lodged by individu als and their elected representatives against any large-scale building project, as people try to protect the value of their investments. Such ob jections serve to slow down the sup ply of housing and accommodation coming onto the market.

Attitudes are hard to change. How ever, change is needed, and by giving investors viable and worth while alternatives to housing as an investment, maybe we can return the housing market to fulfilling its primary purpose - providing hous ing and accommodation for those who need it.

Empowering Young Black Professionals: APNI x Linkedin

RHOEN EATE DEPUTY EDITOR

On the 13th of October recruiters and execu tives from the largest employers in Ireland will come together for the African Professional Network of Ireland’s (APNI) Annual Career Day. The event, which is hosted by APNI in partnership with LinkedIn, will see students and recent graduates alike scouring the LinkedIn Head Quar ters to discover the jobs available across the country in a variety of sectors, including finance, technol ogy, healthcare, and consulting.

The event is deemed to be one of the largest events ever for Ireland’s Black community, giving employ ers the platform to showcase op portunities within their companies while giving job seekers an inside look into a wide range of employ ers through panel sessions, keynote sessions and “fireside chats”. The event itself is free, and can be at tended either online or in person at LinkedIn’s Head quarters in Wilton Place, Dublin 2.

But what exactly does this ground breaking event entail?

The day begins with a networking session at 3pm followed by infor mal “fireside chats” and a chance to discuss available opportunities with recruiters and employers who are committed to Diversity and Inclu sion within the workplace.

When speaking about the initiative, APNI Chairperson, Ayo Olabim tam says that the “goal is to provide

these students with a platform and space to network with potential employers, employers that are in tentional about having a more di verse and inclusive workforce, but also provide students the oppor tunity to ask all the career related questions they may not get a chance to in college.”

But that’s not all…

Before the Grand Event takes place on the 13th of October, APNI is running two free virtual work shops to support students who are “thinking about their next steps”, and prepare attendees for capitalis ing on the career day’s events.

The first workshop focuses on how to ‘Rock Your LinkedIn Profile”. The exclusive session, hosted by LinkedIn on the 15th of September, will illustrate how to build a strong professional profile on the virtual platform.

The second workshop, led by Yahoo on the 29th of September, centres around CV Prep. The aim of this virtual event is to aid you in build ing a CV that is unlimiting and open to multiple sectors and industries, and so, attracts a multitude of op portunities.

To access to the event, all you need to do is register on the APNI web site, where you can also get more information on the event and the amazing organisation.

Laws Surronding Lecture Recordings

LEE MARTIN LAW CORRESONDENT

An essential learning tool since March 2020, lecture recordings have fallen into legal controversy.

In this article, Law corre spondent Lee Martin ex plores the growing debate on lecture recordings.

The UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) proposed the continuation of online learning as a short-term solution to those students unable to attend in-person this semester due to the accommodation crisis. This option has been dismissed by the University, citing intellectual prop erty and copyright issues, and all lectures will go ahead in person for the 2022/2023 term with an infor mal hybrid model being adopted by some module coordinators.

Who owns lecture recordings?

In legal terms, copyright, data pro tection and accessibility are sig nificant issues for institutions to consider. In a workplace scenario where materials are produced by an employee as part of their job, copy right is generally owned by the em ployer. However, legal precedent suggests that copyright for lecture materials likely still rests with the academic who created them.

University Intellectual Property policies claim ownership of lecture materials, but these can be object ed to on several fronts. Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, where audio or video of lectures are recorded for repeat or future use, the employer is hold ing personal data and as such must comply with the 2018 Act and iden tify a legal basis for processing the data.

Issues of particular concern arise where students are involved in re cordings such as in tutorial classes–but less so, when the academic’s presence is the only one involved. Licensing is a little more compli cated and may well come down to previous contractual or implied agreements.

Real world example?

Media Professor specialising in In tellectual Property, Aram Sinnreich, examined in detail American Uni versity Washington’s media poli cy. He found that where a teacher records lectures through software like Skype or Google Hangouts, the teacher would own the copyright to those recordings. However, if they used the university provided software, Blackboard — in the case of UCD the learning management system called Brightspace — the university would retain the rights. There are huge implications here for teachers scaling down to where in a worst-case scenario, recorded lec tures could be used against teachers in any industrial action taken by them against university manage ment.

Trouble Abroad?

In the United Kingdom, the Uni versity and College Union (UCU) warn that Universities could face potential strike action if they mis use recorded lectures and withhold performance rights from staff. This follows the announcement of plans by a number of universities in the

United Kingdom to retain online lectures going forward, as they adopt a blended approach to learn ing.

Unions have warned that storing old, recorded lectures to reuse at a later date has the potential to viti ate student learning and academic standards. They are calling for uni versities and colleges to agree to an initial licensing period of no longer than one academic year, which can be extended with the express con sent of the relevant member of staff.

Chief Executive of the Universities and College Employers Association (UECA), Raj Jethwa, states that, “Staff put a huge amount of effort into creating lectures, and regularly update and adapt them in response to recent events and changes in teaching methods, reusing old lec tures divorces the material from the context in which it was created, and has the potential to degrade student learning and academic standards, so providers need to reassure both students and staff that they will not misuse recorded lectures.”

lectures and links to online resourc es to cover the content missed.”

The current legal situation closer to home?

An industrial action case scenario could be legally tested in this ju risdiction sooner rather than lat er. There are currently plans by the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) for a ballot on in dustrial action should the Govern ment not produce an acceptable pay offer to combat the impact of infla tion on living standards.

IFUT general secretary Frank Jones, states that “we will do what is nec essary to protect and advance our members’ rights and interests.”

UCD Online lecture timeline

Moving lectures online was a rapid response initiative taken by UCD at the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020/2021 after the first recommendation was made by NPHET relating to public health restrictive measures requiring the closure of schools, colleges, child care facilities, and cultural venues. The initiative was facilitated by the University waiving its intellectual copyright ownership.

among both staff and the student body in line with national measures. These measures were to include a hybrid model of both in person and recorded lectures.

The bulletin states that “the provi sion of lecture recordings or oth er online support complementing face-to-face teaching should be adopted to the greatest extent pos sible” due to this approach being “supportive of student learning gen erally.”

The 2022/23 term has returned with the official line being that on line learning has ended, with all modules planned to run in person unless specifically designed to be online.

The University of Bath underwent Industrial Action in March 2022 during which lecture recordings were uploaded by teachers. This was at their own discretion and was not mandated by the employer and in a student bulletin the university stated that The University men tions that they “will be working closely with academic departments to identify and implement ways to support you - for example, some staff may upload papers, recorded

In August 2021, in regards to online lectures, ex-UCD President, An drew Deeks, said, “With respect to copyright, the University will waive its rights to ownership of the mate rial recorded to specifically support students as part of the University response to COVID-19. Faculty will have the right to destroy any material specifically produced as part of the response once the Uni versity COVID-19 response con cludes.”

A special bulletin was circulated to staff by the past President announc ing a return to in person teaching for the 2021/22 academic year util ising appropriate risk mitigation, citing the high vaccination levels

The 2022/23 term has returned with the of ficial line being that online learning has ended, with all modules planned to run in per son unless specifically designed to be online.

This is notwithstanding calls from the Students’ Union to continue the blended learning model in light of the accommodation crisis. The SU have described the current lack of available accommodation for stu dents a “higher education catastro phe.”

To date the position is informal, some modules continue to be tested as hybrid models on a discretion ary basis and the students union continue to advocate for a blended model in light of the accommoda tion crisis.

“

“

“

“

...reusing old lectures divorces the material from the context in which it was created, and has the potential to degrade student learning and academic standards, so providers

“

“

...legal precedent sug gests that copyright for lecture materials like ly still rests with the academic who created them.

The

Testing the Waters: EP Drug Policy

LEE MARTIN LAW CORRESPONDENT

There were no arrests made at Ireland’s first-ever drug-testing tent run at Electric Picnic this year. Backed by the Health Service Exec utive, the initiative followed a rec ommendation made by an expert working group set up as part of the National Drugs Strategy. The pilot is a landmark moment for harm reduction in the country as it is the first-time illegal substances have been tested outside an official lab environment, in a back-of-house, anonymous operation.

Director Diona Measham, at the UK drug checking service, the Loop, mentions that “when backof-house testing is delivered profes sionally [...] it can reduce drug-re lated harm, provide valuable trend monitoring data and act as a step ping stone to full ‘front-of-house’ drug checking at a future date.”

The Gardaí joined the HSE in sup porting the pilot whose aim was to provide real time information about the composition of drugs at the festival. This enabled the HSE to identify and communicate rapidly when extra dangerous substances were detected. On the first evening of the festival, a warning was posted by the organisers on its social media channels about purple skull ecstasy pills with double the average dose of MDMA were in circulation.

The HSE drug testing tent does not fall under the remit of the Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Fa

cilities) Act 2017 and as such does not provide an amnesty for criminal wrongdoing. Detective Superinten dent, Sé McCormack, of the Gar da National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau stated that the pilot didn’t grant anyone found with drugs amnesty from arrest.

When McCormack spoke with the Irish Examiner he assured that the law has not changed with no change to legislation that facilitates the possession of illegal or con trolled drugs.

He reminds the public that there is no defence for carrying illegal substances, “There is no part of the ground that says it’s okay to hold illegal drugs. If you have illegal drugs in your possession and you’re stopped and searched, and you’re found in possession, then consid eration has to be given to prosecu tion.”

The understanding inherent within this pilot is that despite the police presence at the festival, officers wouldn’t patrol the amnesty bins or medical and drug-testing tents and would not target individuals us ing the facility. The Gardaí doesn’t routinely patrol any HSE-des ignated medical facility and will only assist in such environments on request of HSE staff. This was confirmed by a HSE spokesperson, who clarified that there would be no Gardaí presence in the medical or HSE drug-testing tents unless there is a specific public order risk.

Despite the Gardai’s assurances, the Green Party’s Neasa Hourigan stated at the time of the festival she was concerned by the tone and con tent of the statement.

Hourigan stated, “Ultimately this pilot is government policy, and it must be allowed to operate with out impediment. As society has re opened post-Covid, we are seeing new and more potent versions of illegal drugs being made available. It’s absolutely vital we try our best to keep people safe and protected in environments where we know they may be more vulnerable—that is what this pilot seeks to do. I hope the Gardaí take that intention on board and work with us to achieve it.”

Melvin Benn, managing director of Electric Picnic organiser Festival Republic, said that “drugs exist in all aspects of society” and that the new programme acknowledges this.

“Essentially this is Electric Picnic being a good citizen. The law re mains that drugs are illegal and that will remain so at Electric Picnic,” he said. “[W]e are committed to doing everything we can to make people safe, and this process adds to that safety in the knowledge that drugs exist in all aspects of society, and we welcome the HSE’s proac tiveness in addressing the issue.”

There were no incidents at the HSE drug testing tent and no arrests un der the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.

Overrepresentation of Landlords in the Dail Eireann

ÁINE BRADY LAW WRITER

Green Party Leader, Ea mon Ryan, called for an investigation to be launched into Robert Troy, Fianna Fáil Minister of State, due to his failure to inform Dáil re cords about sections of his housing portfolio. Three properties, in par ticular, came under increased scru tiny. Troy stated that he had made genuine errors with his statutory declarations as he misinterpreted the requirements for registering interests. Troy attempted to rectify his records by contacting both the Standard in Public Office Commis sion (SIPO) and the Clerk of the Dáil, to amend his return.

Troy admitted that the rental prop erty in question was not registered with the Residential Tenancy Board (RTB), which is an offense. A ten ancy must be registered with the RTB within a month of the tenancy commencing. Troy receives Hous ing Assistance Payment (HAP) for five of his properties and has an ongoing RAS contract with West meath County Council.

People Before Profit TD, Paul Mur phy, asked SIPO to investigate whether Troy’s non-declaration of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) was in breach of ethics legis lation under the relevant provisions in the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995. The 1995 Act requires TDs speaking or voting on something, in which they have a material interest, to declare said interests before ad dressing the Dáil or to tell the clerk of the Dáil about it.

The interests of landlords are mas sively overrepresented in govern ment. 48 TDs are landlords, some of whom with substantial property portfolios, attributing to very little real change when it comes to tack ling the housing crisis and imple menting reform policies.

The failure of Troy to declare his property interests is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ambiguity among Dáil Ministers and TDs in declaring information regarding their property interests.

A section of the Oireachtas’ Dec laration of Interests states that TDs must state if they own a property from which they receive more than €2,600 annually, while another section also asks them to state when they have any land interests. TDs must declare any rental income from a remunerated trade, pro

fession, or employment, including rental income. However, this dec laration is not adhered to by many TDs who fail to comply, leaving sections on their documentation incomplete.

In the midst of a housing crisis, many in government who are voting on legislation focusing on housin=g and rental reform have a person al interest and motivation in their voting and decision-making. This is exemplified by Troy voting in July against legislation introduced by People Before Profit to lower rents. The Bill intended to amend the Res idential Tenancy Act 2004. These amendments included reducing rent to affordable levels by limiting them to a maximum of a quarter of the median monthly household in come and establishing a National Rent Authority to oversee this.

Another TD with property inter est is Minister for Health, Ste phen Donnelly, who stated he was an ‘accidental landlord’. Minister Donnelly is of the opinion that it is not right that tax policy favoured corporate landlords over individual Irish citizens renting out properties and has lobbied for tax breaks for accidental landlords for years.

The Journal noted that for decades the political elite supported and protected the interests of landlords and have systematically run-down council housing which makes hous ing more dependent on the private sector. The Government also re fuses to introduce any serious form of rent control. Although officially there are rent pressure zones that limit rental increases to 2%, Daft issued a report in August which found rents to be 13% higher than in 2021.

This controversy recently prompt ed a debate around the strength of ethics legislation for public repre sentatives and Government min isters. Many TDs have conflicts of interest when it comes to legislat ing on rents, yet voted against the measures People Before Profit pro posed with respect to tackling the rising rents. The issues that have been raised are intended to be dealt with as part of a review into eth ics reforms by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath.

Bioengineering: Better photosynthesis increases yields in food crops

IVY MARAJAS SCIENCE WRITER

Agricultural yields of major food crops kept up with the demand over the past 50 years due to advanc es in agronomic management and crop breeding. However, global food supply needs to increase to meet the demand of the growing population and new solutions must be explored.

Photosynthesis is the primary de terminant of yield, however, it is a highly inefficient process. Im proving photosynthetic efficien cy has only played a minor role in increased crop productivity in the past. Further increases in yield potential will heavily rely on im proving photosynthesis. Improving photosynthesis can help increase yield per hectare in existing farm lands without increasing inputs on such land or fertilisers.

If You Transplant a Human Head Does its Consciousness Follow?

AMAL ALKANDERI SCIENCE WRITER

In her book, Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher, Brandy Schillace narrates the story of the neuro scientist Dr. Robert White and depicts his enthusiasm to perform human head, and thus, brain trans plants. Dr. White, as described in Daily Mail as the “Real Dr. Fran kenstein”, was convinced of the possibility of transplanting con sciousness by conducting human head transplants.

However, his endeavours were deemed unsuccessful after he car ried out a head transplant on a monkey, which unfortunately died eight days later. Neverthe less, in an interview with Wired magazine, Schillace explains Dr. White’s determination in pursuing human head transplant by saying, “It wasn’t just that he [Dr. White] was interested in saving lives. He thought he was saving souls by pre serving the brain.”

The possibility of performing a hu man head transplant is vague. For now, a human head transplant re mains out of the question. However, if adequate progress is made in sci ence and a human head transplant is successfully conducted, this will give rise to staggering questions.

One conundrum would be the fol lowing question: If you transplant a human head, does its consciousness follow? It’s preposterous to assume that this question has a simple “yes” or “no” answer. Undoubtedly, this question itself entails a series of suc cessive questions. As nicely put by Lin Bian and Ruiping Fan in their paper Who Would the Person be Af ter a Head Transplant: A Confucian Reflection, will the person emerging

from a head transplant be the per son who offered the head, the per son who offered the body, or a new person?

These questions are all subject to controversy. Many publications, including a paper written in the scientific journal Nature, share Dr. White’s belief that conscious ness resides in the brain. There are numerous arguments about what makes up consciousness in neural terms. However, what scientists agree on is that the brain’s cerebral cortex is crucial for consciousness.

Increasing evidence suggests that consciousness is not limited to solely one brain region; in fact, a diverse network of cells and neural pathways are involved. Therefore, since the brain is referred to as the house of consciousness, it’s argu able that wherever the brain goes, consciousness will follow.

Anil Seth, a cognitive and compu tational neuroscientist, says, “It’s fundamentally mysterious how consciousness happens.”

Well, personally I couldn’t agree more! With this in mind, it’s bet ter to look at the human body as a group of complex systems in co operation rather than individual organs.

Recently, researchers have shown that bioengineering photosynthesis increases the yield of crops in field trials. A University of Illinois-led team has altered soybean plants to increase photosynthetic efficiency, resulting in increased yield without quality loss.

Realising Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency, or RIPE, is an interna tional research project that aims to increase global food production by improving photosynthetic efficien cy in food crops.

The group increased photosynthesis by improving the VPZ construct within the soybean plant. The VPZ construct contains three genes that code for proteins of the xanthophyll cycle, which is a pigment cycle that helps in the photoprotection of the plants. The cycle is activated when

plants are under full sunlight to protect leaves from damage. The process needs to switch off once leaves are shaded to continue pho tosynthesis with reserve sunlight. RIPE researchers overexpressed VPZ genes to minimise switch off time in order for the plants to gain extra minutes of photosynthesis. These minutes add up throughout the growing season, therefore in creasing the total photosynthetic rate.

It shows that it is possible to bioen gineer photosynthesis and improve yields to increase food production in major crops. Additional trials are being conducted and results are ex pected in early 2023.

A Carbon Footprint Life Cycle Assessment Can Cut Down on Greenwashing

ANASTASIA NIKISHKINA SCIENCE WRITER

Climate change is not only an environmental crisis but a social one as well. It com pels different organisations to fight against it on different levels. Nowadays, many companies are doing carbon life cycle assessments to quantify the full carbon cost of products from the energy used to manufacture a product, cost of transportation, user behaviour and end-of-life disposal. By carbon ac counting, we can decrease the use of carbon along the chains of man ufacturing the product and iden tify products as “carbon negative,” meaning it removes carbon from the atmosphere, or “carbon posi tive,” which are those that increase carbon in the atmosphere.

The global CO2 Initiative, with Eu ropean and American Universities, has created a set of life-cycle as sessment (LCA) guidelines that give

“carbon negative” and “carbon positive” a precise measurement. These verifiable measurements, or the LCA guidelines, will be used to identify greenwashing done by many companies and firms.

“Greenwashing” or “climate fraud” is making products or compa nies appear more environmentally friendly than they are. For instance, using labels such as ‘eco-friendly’ without any official certifications or labelling plastic bags as recyclable when their main purpose is to be thrown away. In other words, a car bon footprint life-cycle assessment can cut down greenwashing and help reduce the emissions of carbon into the atmosphere.

For starters, evidence shows that factors external to the brain, such as the gut microbiome, can affect our mental states and how we think and feel. Therefore, this suggests a hypothesis in which the recipient’s microbiome can influence the do nor’s consciousness and possibly alter it.

Felipe De Brigard, an assistant pro fessor of psychology and neurosci ence at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience of Duke University’s Institute for Brain Sciences, offers a logical argument. He says, “It is unlikely that all of our psycholog

ical traits are uniquely dependent upon the cells confined within our head. It is likely that many of our psychological traits are dependent upon the informational transac tions between our brain and our bodies.”

This implies that consciousness is not the byproduct of the brain alone but rather an amalgamation of the brain and the rest of the body. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the donor’s consciousness can get transplanted to the recipient.

On a final note, if human head transplants were to become pos sible, then the uncomplicated an swer to whether consciousness will

follow would be a “yes.” However, there is always a “but.”

The human brain never works in isolation but rather in coordination with the rest of the body, either sending or receiving neural signals. Therefore, removing the head and placing it into a foreign body would result in a brain trying to adapt to a new environment different from the one it has been linked with until then.

What happens to consciousness remains a paradox, one that hasn’t been deciphered yet. Nevertheless, I’d like to assume that conscious ness doesn’t follow the brain. Oth erwise, it’ll be a nightmare!

“ “ Therefore, since the brain is referred to as the house of consciousness, it’s arguable that wher ever the brain goes, con sciousness will follow.

“ “

...it’s better to look at the human body as a group of complex systems in cooperation rather than individual organs.

Image Credit: The NY Times

NASA Scrubs Second Artemis I Launch Attempt

PRIYANKA SAINI SCIENCE

Budding Astronauts and Astrophysicists, have you always wanted to travel farther than the moon?

Artemis I is the first of several missions, as part of the Ar temis program, which NASA hopes will prepare humanity for this.

Unfortunately, NASA cancelled the planned Artemis I launching for the second time on 3rd Sep tember 2022 due to a hydrogen leak. Crews installed new seals to prevent the liquid hydrogen from leaking, which will be test ed no earlier than September 21.

The plan was for the spacecraft to take off from the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida with the goal of the mission being to test future human exploration of deep space in an uncrewed mission. The spaceship would orbit the moon

and return to earth after 42 days.

NASA will try again to fire Arte mis I into space on 27th Septem ber. That launch window starts at 11:37 a.m. ET and lasts 70 min utes. As a backup window, NASA is reviewing using 2nd October. It previously had 23rd September open as a possible launch window.

“This week, teams will conduct tests at ambient conditions to en sure there is a tight bond between the two plates before testing again during the cryogenic tanking demonstration, and begin prepa rations for the test,” NASA said.

“During the demonstration, launch controllers will load super cold liq uid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the core stage and interim cryogenic propulsion stage of the SLS rocket.”

If this mission works out as planned, then there will be a series of Arte mis missions in the coming years. While Artemis I will be unmanned, Artemis II will send four astro nauts on a flyby of the moon and is scheduled for 2024. Artemis III is expected to include a crewed mission to the moon’s surface.

Carnivorous Glowworms Turn Caves into Stunning Star Scapes

PRIYANKA SAINI SCIENCE CORRESONDENT

Do you ever just gaze up at the night sky, at the countless number of stars up there and stare at it for hours in awe?

What if I told you that there is something equivalent on this plan et? Then look no further because this will amaze you. Book your flight to New Zealand now and visit the beautiful limestone caves where thousands of Arachnocampa luminosa, or New Zealand glow worms cling to the walls and ceiling, casting an eerie, soft light. These worms, native to New Zealand, fill natural caves and abandoned mines. Photographer, Joseph Michael, hiked into four of them to capture the bugs, which are the larval form of a gnat, in their luminous glory.

However, Michael says they are nothing compared to what it looks like when seen in person. “The camera enhances the experience with the long exposure, but seeing the worms with the naked eye is just as magical,” he says. He used a Nikon D810 on a tripod and a vari ety of fast lenses including a 24mm f1.4 and a 35mm f1.4. He favored long exposures—up to an hour— and available light, but he made some shots with a soft blue LED to highlight the contours of the caves.

These glowworms are well known for displays of blue-green biolu minescence. It is evolutionarily distant from other bioluminescent creatures such as the firefly. Bio luminescent systems create light through the oxidation of a small molecule substrate, generically known as a luciferin, catalysing the reaction using an enzyme called a

luciferase. The reaction produces a high-energy singlet state interme diate, which is able to release ener gy as visible light, or pass it onto a secondary emitter.

There are over 40 different biolu minescent systems, with a great variety in the structure, mechanism and substrate specificity of the lu ciferase enzymes and also in the structures of the luciferins. Nine different luciferin structures have been found to be built around four natural product classes: aromatic amino acids, flavins, tetrapyrroles and quinones.

The purified luciferase enzyme is in the same protein family as firefly luciferase (31% sequence identity). However, the luciferin substrate of this enzyme is produced from xan thurenic acid and tyrosine, and is entirely different to that of the fire fly and known luciferins of other glowing creatures.

After hatching, the larva spin silk nests on the roof and walls of caves. They’ll hang as many as 70 silk threads, each one as long as 20-inches and designed to trap in sects like mayflies, mosquitoes, and moths. The soft glowing light lures prey. Smart move? It’s interesting how they portray themselves differ ently with their beauty.

“It just looks like you’re looking up at a starscape, which is insane,” Michael says. The creatures also glow in the pupa and adult stag es, but the point then is to attract mates. The glow is the result of a chemical reaction within the ani mal’s equivalent of a kidney.

It definitely took a great deal of hard work and effort from Michael’s side to get these amazing shots. He was often required to crawl, even wig gle, through tight spaces. Some caves were filled with water, which meant hours with wet feet.

If you have entomophobia, the fear of insects, then this place is not for you. The photographer often found himself surrounded by many thou

sands of glowworms and their prey. The glowworms move slowly and are not a threat. In fact, most of the time he couldn’t see the crea ture, just its enchanting glow. He did have to avoid getting caught in the long tendrils—not because he feared getting slimed, but because he didn’t want to force the worms to re-do their work.

Image Credit: The Times

Image Credit: Jordan Poste/Stoked for Saturday

Doras oscailte don cairdeas: Gaeltacht UCD

ALANNAH NIC AN tSIONNAIGH IRISH CORRESPONDENT

San Alt seo pléann Com hfhreagraí Gaeilge Alan nah Nic an tSionnaigh an caidreamh atá idir Ghaeltacht UCD agus mic léinn UCD. Le hagallah le stiúrhtóir Gaeltacht UCD, Clár Ní Buachalla, éiríonn ról an Gaelatcht laistigh de Choláiste idirnáisiúnta soiléir.

Agus UCD ag cuir fáilte roimh mhic léinn ar ais chuig an gcampas, osclaíonn Gaeltacht UCD a dhoirse do phob al saibhir de chultúr Gaelach.

Bunaithe sa bhliain 2000, tá Geal tacht UCD ag iarraidh teanga agus cultúr dúchais na hÉireann a roinnt ar fud an champais. Cuireann an Gaeltahct áiseanna ar fail mar chúr sa samhraigh Gaeilge atá dírthe ar dhaoine fásta in Éirinn agus thar lear.

Bunaíodh Teach na Gaeilge freisin, ceart cónaithe mac léinn atá i gconaí ar an gcampas. Tugann an teach tacaíocht do dhaltaí a labhaireann Gaeilge.

Tá áiseanna saor in aisce ar nós rang teanga cúig leibhéal ar fail do scoláirí freisin. Tá réisme ranganna ó ranganna do thosaitheoirí, go dtí dhaltaí atá líofa agus atá ag iarraidh a scileanna a fheabhsú.

Labhraíonn Stiúthóir Ghaeltacht UCD, Clár Ní Buachalla, ar an gcaoi ar chaert fáiltiú roimh scoláirí teacht chuig na ranganna seo agus gan beith buartha foain leibhéal

Gaeilge atá acu.

“Tá an-cairdeas taobh isteagh sa po bal Geailge. Tá pobal an Gaeilge an oscailte. Níl aon duine burtha an bhfuil do grammadach I gceart, ní coir go mbeadh aon duine buartha faoi sin. Cuairtair fáilte riomh dao ine I gcónaí.”

Tá cáil ar shaol an choláiste mar gheall ar a stíl mhaieachtá la iomaíoch agus uaigneach. Soláthraíonn Gaeltacht UCD teas an phobail trí chaomhnú an chul túir a fheictear trí choláiste ilchul túrtha dá leithéid. Tugann an pobal a lán deiseanna do mhic léinn dul ar aghaidh taobh amuigh de Bhaile Átha Cliath, go dtí ceantair Ghael tachta agus taithí a fháil ar chainte oirí dúchais Gaeilge.

Mar gheall ar fhás tapa de Gaeilge le déanaí tá sé á labhairt go laethúil ar shráideanna Bhaile Átha Cliath. Pobail eile a spreagann an teanga dhúchais ná Leamhain Scoop Shop. Is parlús uachtar reoite in Ionad Si opadóireachta Fhaiche Stiabhna a thairgeann iascine 10 foain gcéad ar gach ordú a chuirtear trí Ghaeilge.

Ní hamháin go mbíonn ról lárnach

ag scoláirí a úsáideann an Ghaeilge go laethúil chun an Ghaeilge a cho inneáil beo, ach freisin mar ionadaí ar son an teanga. Ní ceart breathnú ar Ghaeltacht UCD mar sheirbhís don Ghaeilge, ach blaiseadh den a bhfuil le tairiscint ag pobal na Gaeilge do mich léinn nach bhfuil Gaeilge ar bith acu.

Déanann Clár Ní Buachalla cur síos ar Ghaeltacht UCD mar dhoras os cailte do chách, ní hamháin ceart cónaithe de Theach na Gaeilge, ach do gach duine.“Ceapann a lán duine go bhfuil muid (UCD Gaeltacht) ann I gchuir an Teach Gaeilge, ach tá muid anseo do gach éinne.” Is baile as baile í Gaeltacht UCD do mhic léinn Ghaeltachta atá ag iar raidh a mhothú go bhfuil siad ar ais in Iarthar Fiáin na hÉireann.

Fáiltíonn Clár Ní Buachalla ro imh an smaoineamh comhoibriú le cumainn mhic léinn eile chun an teanga a scaipeadh ar aon bhealach dearfach.

“Is maith linn tacá cumman na mac léinn. Ní amháin an cumann Gaelic agus Trad soc, ach aon cumman eile a beag air campus a beidh rún acu imeacht a agrú b’fheider an imeacht sin a dheanamh I dá teanga. Má tá smaoineamh maith ag aon daoine, ba maith linn cloisteáil uathu.”

D’fhéadfadh sé a bheith deacair cultúr traidisiúnta a chur in iúl I gcoláiste ilchultúrtha gan tacaíocht le aon mac léinn. Déanann Geal tacht UCD rud éigin a dhéanann go leor coláistí iarracht a bhaint amach. Mothúchán fíor cultúir a bhraithe ann gach duine ar fud an champais. Tá Gaeltacht UCD suite I bhFoirgn eamh Leabharlainne UCD. Le thuilleadh teahmhála a fháil maid ir le cúrsaí agus tionscadail teanga dean teagmháil le failte@ucd.ie

“ “

Bunaithe sa bhliain 2000, tá Gealtacht UCD ag iarraidh teanga agus cultúr dúchais nahÉireann a roinnt ar fud an champais. GAEILGE

Image Credit: Danielle DerGarabedian

ALANNAH NIC AN tSIONNAIGH IRISH CORRESPONDENT

San Alt seo pléann Com hfhreagraí Gaeilge Alan nah Nic an tSionnaigh an fás nua sa Ghaeilge trí na meáin agus gnól beaga Gaeilge. Léiríonn agalla mh leis an úinéir Leam hain, Conor, dúinn an daonra atá ag fás de chain teoirí Gaeilge i mBaile Átha Cliath.

Tá an Ghaeilge ag teacht ar ais trí scannáin ar fiú bronnadh gradam orthu, agus gnólachtaí beaga Éireannacha. Agus imní air nach mbeadh a leithéid de láithreacht ag an nGaeilge is a bhí sí tráth, tá fás tapa in úsáid anois.

Tá An Cailín Ciúin stiúrtha ag Colm Bairéad, bunaithe ar ghearrscéal Foster le Claire Keegen. Scéal faoi chailín ciúin a cuireadh chun cónaí faoin tuath in Éirinn i 1981. Ní baol don bhac teanga tuairimí nó gradaim don Chailín ciúin, mar a sháraíonn téamaí uilíocha na hóige ar theorainneacha na teanga.

Beidh An Cailín Ciúin ag déana mh ionadaíochta ar son na hÉire ann sa 95ú Gradaim Acadaimh sa Scannán Idirnáisiúnta is Fearr. Nóiméad bródúil i stair phictiúr lann na hÉireann mar go léiríonn an Ghaeilge ár dtír, ár dteanga agus ár dtraidisiúin.

Deir an stiúrthóir Colm Bairéad go bhfuil tábhacht ag baint leis na scannáin a bhaineann le húsáid na Gaeilge, agus mar ba cheart dó seasamh le cuid de na scannán is fearr ar domhan, “Chreideamar i gcónaí sa smaoineamh go bhféad fadh scannán Gaeilge seasamh ghualainn le gualainn leis an gcuid is fearr den domhan. scannán agus mothaímid chomh bródúil as a bheith ag déanamh ionadaíochta ar ár dtír agus ar ár dteanga ar an mbealach seo”.

Tá An Cailín ciúin fós le feiceáil i bpictiúrlanna roghnacha.

Tá ionadaíocht don Ghaeilge ag teacht freisin i bhfoirmeacha na ng nólachtaí beaga Gaeilge.

Bunaithe mar óid don traidisiún, tá Leamhain uachtar reoite anois ina phobal Gaeilge atá ag fás go tapa. D’oscail an t-úinéir Conor an parlús uachtar reoite in 2020 tar éis dó a bheith spreagtha ag timpeallacht a áit bhreithe, Cill Orglan, Ciarraí.

Arna ainmniú i ndiaidh abhainn an Leamhain, spreagann Leam

hain a gcustaiméirí Gaeilge a úsáid oiread agus is féidir. Is é Leamhain an chéad parlús uachtar reoite saor ó dhéiríocht in Éirinn. Lascaine 10 faoin gcéad ar gach uachtar reoite a ordaítear le Gaeilge.

do chách teacht agus cúpla focal a labhairt gan eagla roimh bhreit hiúnas. Tá daoine againn nach bh fuil Gaeilge acu le blianta anuas ag ordú trínár dteanga. Tá súil againn go spreagfaidh sé seo níos mó daine chun iarracht a dhéanamh é a

Foclóir Frásaí

ALANNAH NIC AN tSIONNAIGH IRISH CORRESPONDENT

Is cosúil le scéal é comhrá le Éireannach. Go tobann iom paíonn caint faoin aimsir go dtí luaidreán agus go luath I ndiaidh sin, fógra báis. Do dhuine nach bhfuil cleachta leis an ngnáthchomhrá Gaeilge, b’fhéidir go cuireann cuid de na frásaí Gaeilge mearbhall ar dhuine. Fuaimeann cuid acu déanta suas.

Mar gheall air sin, b’fhéidir go mbeadh sé úsaideach tuiscint a fháil ar chuid de na frásaí is coitianta a chloistear in Éirinn.

Tá ról an tábhachtach ag an nGaeilge I scileanna comhrá mhuintir na hÉireann. Sea, tá an formhór de bhfrásaí a úsáideann Éireannaigh I mBéarla. Ach, caithfimid cuimhn eamh go gcuireann an Gaeilge leis go dtí na frásaí is cáiliúla. Is féidir na frásaí seo a chaitheamh isteach in aon chomrá is cuma má labhraítear I nGaeilge nó I mBéarla é.

Má bhíonn tú I bponc riamh ag tosú, ag críochnú nó ag iarraidh na bear naí míchompordach sin a mhothú, ní theipeann na frásaí seo riamh.

Aon Scéal

Aistrítear go litriúil go ‘any story’, go hionraic ní chloisfeá riamh faoi aon bhealach eile chun comhrá a thosú. Seans go gcloisfí Aon Scéal i gceantair Ghaeltachta na hÉire ann. Tá an frása seo á rá ag gach aoisghrúpa agus is féidir é a úsáid i gcomhthéacs ar bith. Trí aon chomhrá a thosú leis, beidh tú cin nte go gcuirfidh tú aoibh gháire ar dhuine.

Cúla Búla

Díreach mar a fuair na hÉir

Annaigh máistreacht ar ealaín na comhrá, tá máistreacht againn ar ealaín na gcruinnithe sóisialta. Tháinig raon nua frásaí ina theannta.

Rí rá agus ruaille buaile

Aistrítear é go ‘comotion’. Úsáid tear rí rá agus ruaille buaile chun cur síos a dhéanamh ar imeachtaí sóisialta a fheabhsaítear le uisce beatha. De ghnáth iis féidir an frá sa seo a úsáid mar abairt amháin, déanann sé achoimriú ar gach rud atá uait a rá. Ná bíodh drogall ort an téarma seo a chur i bhfeidhm ar do shaol laethúil ar an gcoláiste. ‘conas a bhí aréir?’, ‘rí rá agus ru aille buaile’.

Céilidh

Is imeacht sóisialta traidisún ta Gaelach damhsa é Céilidh. Ag céilí cloisfidh tú ceol traidisiúnta Gaelach, á chanadh agus á sheinm ag daoine an-traidisiúnta! Níl a leithéid de rud ann agus seasamh fós ag Céilí, beidh muintir na háite maslach

Slán Éireannach

Labhraíonn Conor ar an tionchar atá ag baint le húsáid na Gaeilge sa traidisiún, rud a chuir seantuismi theoirí in iúl dó le linn a óige. ‘Bhí Gaeilge ag mo sheanmháthair go heisiach ag fás aníos. Tá gach rud a dhéanann Leamhain ina n-ód ar ais do mo sheantuismitheoirí.’

Lonnaithe i gcúirt bia Ionad Si opadóireachta Fhaiche Stiabhna, ní hamháin gur áit í Leamhain do chainteoirí líofa, ach do dhaltaí nua ar mian leo a gcuid Gaeilge a chleachtadh i suíomh poiblí. Tá fás feicthe ag Baile Átha Cliath ar líon na gcainteoirí Gaeilge le blianta beaga anuas. Tá líon mór gnólachtaí agus pobail ag teacht le chéile le hái seanna a thógáil chun go bhfásfaidh an teanga.

Labhraíonn Conor faoi mar is áit shábháilte é Leamhain do chainte oirí Gaeilge, nár cheart go mbeadh náire orthu faoin leibhéal Gaeilge atá acu.

“Is fearr áit shábháilte a chruthú

labhairt níos minice agus ó lá go lá beagán ar bheagán”

Oibríonn Conor go dlúth le Baile Átha Cliath Le Gaeileg, cumann a oibríonn le gnólachtaí beaga Gaeilge timpeall Bhaile Átha Cliath. Tá súil ag Conor tús a chur le ranganna Gaeilge oíche. “Táimid ag súil le ranganna oíche a thosú i gcomhar le Baile Atha Cliath Le Gaeilge sna míonna amach romhainn. Uachtar reoite agus rang uair sa tseachtain an plean!”

B’fhéidir gur beag ionadaíocht na Gaeilge, ach tá sé tábhachtach chun traidisiúin agus cultúr na hÉireann a chaomhnú. Is féidir Baile Átha Cliath Le Gaeileg agus Leamhain a fháil ar Instagram, áit a thaispeánann siad agus a chuireann siad chun cinn cineálacha éagsúla gnólachtaí agus pobal Gaeilge.

Is é cúla búla, an frasaí Gaeilge i gcur ‘Cool’. Is dócha go mbainfidh tú úsáid as é chun aontú ar rud éi gin cosúil le, ‘Cula Bula, feicfidh mé anocht thú!’ Seo é nath cainte Gaeilge-Béarla is cáiliúil. Úsáidtear an oiread sin é gur dócha go gcea pann an chuid is mó daoine gur fo cal Béarla déanta suas é.

A Grá mo Chroí

‘Love of my Heart’, téarma Gaeilge coitianta a úsáideann Mamós agus Daideos ar fud na tíre agus iad ag léiriú a ngrá dá garpháistí. Is é an stór focal is fearr le seantuismi theoir. Is féidir grá mo chroí a úsáid freisin chun cur síos a dhéanamh ar dhuine éigin go rómánsúil. Cé go bhfuil, tá sé beagán sean-aim seartha.

Is cineál braite difriúil ar fad é. D’fhéadfadh sé maireachtáil ar feadh soicind, nó dul ar aghaidh ar feadh nóiméid. Coinnigh i gcui mhne, nuair a deir duine slán an chéad uair, ní chiallaíonn sé go bh fuil an comhrá thart.

Slán go foill

‘ Bye for now’, an nath ciante is coitianta in Éirinn. Cloisfidh tú faoi seo ní hamháin sa chomhrá, ach ar gach comhartha agus tú ag fágáil sráidbhaile beag Gaelach. Má bhíonn comhrá agat le duine atá an-chairdiúil, seans go bhfaighidh tú nod den chloigeann leis!

Anois is féidir le aon duine an Gaeilge a cuir chun cinn, ní cathigh tú a beith líofa!

“Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam”, an teacht ar ais de Gaeilge

Image Credit: Danielle DerGarabedian

TURBINE

turbine.

‘UCD to rebrand as University Construction Dublin?’

DUGH HOOLEY

INSPIRED BY THE ART OF ASBESTOS

The college, formerly known as Uni versity College Dublin, announced today that they would be rebranding as University Construction Dublin. The move is labelled as “shocking” by politi cians and “utterly accurate” by everyone who has spent more than 30 seconds on campus.

“What’s in a name?” Acting-President Mark ‘BFG’ Rogers asked at the unveiling event, “a name should most importantly be accurate, and I looked around from my impressive 24foot height and I saw more construction than college!”

“We have heard huge support from our most important voices in the community, our alumni, our favourite construction companies and our piggy banks, sorry... international students.”

Competing names were suggested, such as University Concrete Dublin and University Corporation Dublin (to reflect the college’s most prominent ethos), the panel eventually decided to honour Belfield’s biggest building site!

“Here in UCD, we have always valued our avi an wildlife: the swans in the centre of cam

pus, the ducks that make the secret lake their home and the massive fucking metal cranes that invariably make up our skyline! I never thought I’d be a bird watcher, but damnn nn…” said a senior staff member after a few too many drinks at the unveiling ceremony.

Members of UCDSU have been less impressed with the rebranding process, when asked why they opposed the move Molly ‘Original’ G re sponded:

“WHY? Dugh they spent more on this useless rebrand than they have on student mental health supports… No, Míde can’t do you an other rollie! I’m in an interview???”

“Boring”, Rogers responded, “The SU spent the same on condoms…”

USI to Start Photobombing UCDSU to Catch up on Media Appearances

DUGH HOOLEY PARENTING AND MEDIA GURU

“We just can’t make the media pay attention to us,” members of USI cried on an Instagram Live. “So we’ve devised an amazing plan! We’re gonna start to photobomb members of UCDSU when they are speaking to journalists and doing cringy TikTok dances!”

According to the Union for Students Ireland (USI), the SU in UCD spends every waking moment on TV, talking to Radio stations, and smoking rollies around journalists.

“It’s sad to see our beloved USI become com pletely irrelevant, so we are going to start jumping into the background of their photo shoots and media appearances! It mightn’t be much but it’s better than nothing!”

“If that plan doesn’t work, then we’re consid ering getting edgy tattoos, buying a motorbike and telling our parents we are dropping out of college! If that doesn’t get us attention, noth ing will!”

The Turbine reached out to Molly Greenough, UCDSU President, for her opinion on the photobombing threat. “Yeah, as an American I understand USI and their stuff… No guys,

I can’t do rollies right now, I’m on a Zoom. Hey, can someone get the kids… sorry, sab bats out of my office?

“No, Míde you can’t touch my stuff, Dave can you get them out...”

New Student Guide: A List of All the Half Decent Pubs Near Campus

JACK NOLNOD

PROFESSIONAL DRUNK

Please note that this list is in no particu lar order, and that Farmer Browns has been excluded on the basis that it is al ways full of knobs.

No pubs in town have been included, as if youdon’t know about those you probably don’t go to pubs.

This was intended to be a comprehensive guide, but due to budget cuts and the potential for the onset of alcoholism, this will have to do.

1. The Clubhouse. Ideal for a quick pitstop between lectures, but the karaoke is to be avoided.

2. Kennedy’s Bar. It has a Wowburger truck outside, so definitely a solid shout.

3. The Goat. The Goot as locals pronounce it, is alright, but not really centred around students.

4. Boland’s. Meh.

5. The Donnybrook. Absolute Horseplay.

6. The Forty Foot. Go to the bus stop, get on a 46a, cheap pints, happiness.

7. Millhouse. About as exciting as the Simp son’s character, but not awful.

8. P. Mac’s. The one beside the cinema in Dundrum, bit strange drinking inside a shopping centre but it does the job.

9. The Lep. Quite good, neon sign looks cool.

I couldn’t think of a tenth pub, so for that I would say just do one of the other ones twice.

UCD Plans to Start Renting out Lockers to Curb Accommodation Shortage

JACK NOLNOD LOOKING TO SHARE LOCKER SPACE

In a move which has been de scribed by college authorities as “forward thinking, sustainable, and etc”, UCD Residences has undertaken the process of con verting hundreds of its on-campus lockers into student dormitories. Our team has managed to gain ac cess to the advertisement which is

forthcoming on the UCD Residenc es website, which describes the 40cmx25cm lockers as being “pur pose built”, with an array of fea tures, including “a cosy study space, secure front entrance, and a prime location in the centre of campus.”

Once completed, the monthly price for the units will range depending

on location and proximity to the Newman Building, with Newman Basement dorms expected to start at €700 per month.

Student bodies are said to be re lieved by the affordability of the units, with one spokesperson stat ing that “it’s better than a grand a month to share with six people and someone’s pet dog.”

There is expected to be extreme de mand for the dorms once they are completed, so a lottery system will be put in place for students whose dad knows someone else’s dad in order to ensure fairness. Further more, it is also understood that following the Christmas break, students will be required to fill out

a form stating how many selection boxes they ate in order to prevent any structural damage from occur ring to a student’s dorm and the ones adjacent to it.

A spokesperson for the develop ment, Richard Swett, stated that, “This development will ensure that we can develop a sustainable plan to ensure that our future plans will have a solid base from which to de velop.”

The project is expected to be com pleted at some stage, and is part of UCD’s Student Housing Initiative Taskforce (SHIT).

JACK NOLNOD

CAMPUS POLITICS TURBINE EDITOR

Boris Johnson in the Running to Become UCD’s Newest President undertook a vigorous, and lengthy process in order to find his succes sor.

With the departure of our dearly beloved and cherished former president, a gaping hole was left in not only the frame work of our college, but the very es sence of it. College authorities have

Leaked documents have shown that, despite most of the dictators being unavailable for various reasons, a

shortlist has been created. At the top of that shortlist is a certain Bo ris Johnson.

For some, this potential appoint ment may seem like the college authorities are attempting to fit a round peg in a square hole, howev er, Johnson’s colourful political his tory shows us that he does indeed have many of the attributes to make him a successful President for UCD, the first of which is his excellent ability to lie. Be it in relation to ac commodation, fees, general goings on... You name it, and he’ll be able to spin an incomprehensible, blub bering lie about it.

Secondly, it has come to our at

tention that the staff parties of late have been lacking, and Johnson’s incredible ability to transform a simple ‘work gathering’ into a full blown rave will certainly be of in terest to the University higher ups.

In addition, Boris’ ability to paint a ridiculous message on the side of a bus and convince a nation that said message is not a blatant lie, means that there will be ample opportu nities for the UCD authorities to promote their propaganda to stu dents. wIt is rumoured that plans are being drawn up for a 200 foot blimp which reads: “The SU spends €350 million a week on phone card holders”.

In short, our political experts be lieve that Johnson would be a per fect fit for the role, and the expertise that he would bring to the position of President may even surpass that of our dearly beloved former leader.

Crisis looms for University Observer as push for new Writers fails Spectacularly

British FinTech company, Revolut, shocked custom ers when a very different notification popped up on the phones and emails of more than 10,000 customers: “Only 7 days to invite a friend to Revolut or you will die.”

A further notification landed in thousands of phones just minutes later saying: “STOP IGNOR ING THESE NOTIFICATIONS… Revolut knows where you live…”. Thousands of horrified customers started spamming screenshots on line in the hours after the event.

Irish Kek contacted the press office of Revolut who said:

“First we offered €60, then €50… but you are all still ignoring our re quests. After consultation with our CEO, we have decided upon a new incentive strategy. We tried the carrot, now we will try the stick.” said a company spokesperson.

So, REFER YOUR FUCKING FRIENDS. We tried this the nice way, but nooooo…. You didn’t lis ten. You have ONLY 7 DAYS TO INVITE A FRIEND. OR ELSE.

We really didn’t ask for much and we gave you a free bank account and only sold your data to a few evil corporations and yet you couldn’t do the bare minimum.

So really, this is your fault, again. First you ruined your parents’ mar riage, now you’ve ruined Revolut.

“Wait, how does she know about my parents’ divorce? you wonder! We have your data. We are Revolut, we have your passport, we know where

you live.”

The Turbine spoke to one custom er who received this disturbing notifcation:

“I get those notifications every few weeks, telling me that I only have 5 days left to get a free €50. So, when I got the notification this morning I didn’t think twice, I just kept scrolling Reddit.

Then I got another notification, the threats remind me of my crazy ex-girlfriend! Next Revolut will be trying to seduce my brother!”

We at the Turbine are deeply saddened to hear that UCD’s third best paper, behind us and toilet paper, will be forced to shut its doors following a failure to recruit any new writing staff. Indeed, their latest is sue may seem populated by articles, however all of the inside pages are in fact blank, apart from a message printed in comic sans which reads “Pls write for us”.

It is thought that our clear superi ority when it comes to on-campus journalism led to the crisis, as well as other factors, such as a lack of primary school level English stu dents to write their features.

In a last ditch attempt, their edito rial team begged the SU to let them set up a tent at the Fresher’s Fair, something we didn’t have to do as people actually want to write for us. This failed spectacularly however,

as an inside source declared that they secured five new writers, with four of those suspected to be fake names. Hugh Janus, Chris. P Nuts and Yuri Nator are amongst these suspected joke signups, and the fourth name is too vulgar to print (Mike Oxlong).

The Observer has traditionally been a publication where news that the College Authorities deem impartial has been given a platform, so with out a viable outlet to peddle their propaganda ethos, they are said to be engaged in crisis talks to find a suitable platform to showcase their bullshit development goals and student updates, with one possible solution being someone standing at the library and shouting news at passers-by.

We reached out to the Observer for comment, but then we remem bered that they don’t have anyone there to give us one.

Image taken by Hugh Dooley who managed to get an exclusive first look at the new real estate TURBINE

JACK NOLNOD EX-UO WRITER Your Friends Or Die” Revolut HOOLEY REFER THEM

THE LOTTERY.

Dublin’s accommodation crisis is a massive issue.

This is Abel Rattington She used to live with an absolute slob who left food scraps everywhere.

“Oh my god, this “cri sis” is amazing! Now with everyone com muting to UCD, way more people are leaving food scraps all over my bus. I’m living like a KING!

“Yeah, my roommate was great. I was never hungry but rent got too expensive so now she commutes from Water ford and I’m hungry.

While Abel may be devastated by the accommodation crisis, other rats are overjoyed by renters’ suffering. For instance, Carl “The Hat” Squeaks.

Truly, the accommodation crisis is a complex and layered issue.*

DUBLIN RATS

Original comics written and drawn by Tribune Cartoonist, October Melching

But unbeknownest to most, one group of Dublin Renters have been much more affected than the rest

THE RATS

Here are their stories...

Most Anticipated Albums this September and October

SOPHIE MELIA

ENETERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE EDITOR

As the new autumn season begins, there are many new releases in store for all types of music lover.

Below are artists I am looking for ward to hearing from and some who are new and cannot wait for more.

16th September 2022

Two new pop idols come out with new albums this week. Rina Sawayama releases her album Hold the Girl full of pop and dance good ies. After listening to the single of the same name, I can imagine danc ing away to her tunes and new al bum on a night out with the girls. BlackPink the k-pop sensation comes out with their Born Pink Album including the single Pink

23rd September 2022

Christine and the Queen is back with Redcar les adorables étoiles. She is known for her alternative and pop tunes like Tilted and La Vita Nuova which are amazing songs for anyone just discovering this artist. What makes Christine and the Queen different from many pop artists is that she not only sings in English but also has songs writ ten in Spanish and French.

Another band releasing new music this week is The 1975 with their al bum Being Funny is a Foreign Lan guage. Their new song I’m In Love with You has had me jamming away since I heard it. I am seeing them when they visit the Three Arena in January 2023 and it is one of the most anticipated albums and con certs happening soon.

Autumn Playlist: Comfort Artists to Ease You Back Into College Life

HOLLY HUNT MUSIC CORRESPONDENT

Find your groove in the new college year by checking out songs Music Correspondent, Holly Hunt, recommends for the new semester.

As we embark on anoth er year of college, the initial weeks on campus can be quite stressful. From trying to find your classroom within the labyrinthine campus to getting the right textbooks - be ginning another year of college can be nerve-wracking and anxiety-in ducing.

As such, music is oftentimes the perfect remedy for easing your way back into student life. Music is an extremely useful tool in helping you to alleviate any stress and feel relaxed as we approach the first se mester.

Brite Boy - Alex G

Everybody’s Talkin’ - Harry Nils son

Sara - Fleetwood Mac

Rise - Eddie Vedder

Blue Coupe - Twin Peaks

Dreams Tonite - Alvvays

Embryonic Journey - Jefferson Air plane

21st October 2022

Venom which was performed at the MTV VMAS. They’re a girl group full of massive talent as they have won awards as a group but Jennie, Lisa and Rose have all released solo projects that are just as successful as the group work. Meaning this new album should not be missed.

14th October 2022

The Red Hot Chili Peppers return with their new album Return of the Dream Canteen. I have listened to this band since I was a tot as my dad was a fan and now I am one as well. I would describe their music as within the rock genres with singles such as Dani California and Under the Bridge will have you being a fan in no time. They are also amaz ing live performers as they were in Marlay Park over the summer and were amazing to hear from my own back garden.

This may be the biggest week for music as the Arctic Monkeys return with The Car, and Taylor Swift has an album due out called Midnights. The Arctic Monkey’s new single There’d Better be a Mirrorball is a moody soulful song about looking back on love. This shows how the band have matured and changed compared to their previous album AM released back in 2013.

Taylor Swift’s new album was an nounced while she was at the MTV VMAS. No single has been released as she usually keeps her projects under wraps, judging by her previ ous albums we may see more indie and folk based music.

In order to help you settle back into campus and college life, I have com piled a playlist brimming with com forting songs and artists.

The songs I have selected for this particular playlist are relaxing, soothing and thoughtful which will considerably help calm anyone with pre-college nerves.

From Fleetwood Mac to the Velvet Underground, thi set of songs is stacked with contemplative, reas suring and tranquil tunes.

The songs listed are also the perfect songs to encompass the change in seasons. As the summer draws to a close and the air gets that bit chill ier, this playlist aims to reflect that.

Mostly though, hopefully these songs will make the first weeks of semester just that bit easier!

Oh! Sweet Nuthin’- The Velvet Underground

Life’s A Gas - T. Rex

Dry the Rain - The Beta Band

Helplessly Hoping - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Real Love Baby - Father John Misty

Androgynous - The Replacements

Dry the Rain - The Beta Band

Into the Mystic - Van Morrison

Fearless - Pink Floyd

These Days - Nico

I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You - Tom Wait

ARTS AND LIFESTYLE

Dublin - There’s Something for Everyone

SALLY MATTHEWS

Freshers’ week is upon us again -the kicking-off of your college social life and the time when it all starts to feel real. With so many societies and clubs to join, it’s easy to feel like you never have to leave the safe little bubble of the Belfield campus. However, if you choose to step on that 39A bus and venture into Dub lin’s city streets, you’ll find a weird and wonderful variety of things to do and experience.

Going out-out is part and parcel of student life, but for those of us who came from towns with one nightclub (if we’re lucky), it can be overwhelming to navigate the high prices and crowded bars of Dub lin’s nightlife. Ryan’s, Tramline and Dicey’s are all staples for sure, but if you’re looking for something different, why not try The Hideout on William Street. Perfect for those on a budget, it’s a BYOB pool hall and great for bonding with friends new and old. P Mac’s just down the road is a retro-style bar with plen ty of quiet nooks and cosy corners.

This is ideal for a more chilled night. They are well-stocked with vin tage board games to keep you en tertained and really test those new friendships.

That being said, Dublin is so much more than its vibrant nightlife. Packed with museums, exhibitions, and landmarks, it’s easy to find something that excites your inter est. Most importantly, the majority of museums in Dublin are free or offer a student discount, so there’s no excuse not to get some culture in during your time here. A personal favourite is the National Gallery on Merrion Square, and it’s neighbour the Natural History Museum, or ‘Dead Zoo’. MoLI (Museum of Lit erature Ireland), located on the old campus of UCD at Newman House, is a must-see for students who have a keen interest in Ireland’s literary past.

Whether you enjoy sea-swimming, hiking, yoga, there is no shortage of things to do for the more ac tively inclined student. Seapoint

First Year Dos and Dont’s

SAOIRSE WILSON

Freshers’ week can be one of the most exhilarating and daunting experiences for students. Whether you have been preparing for it from the mo ment you received your CAO offer, or are feeling nervous as the week approaches, here are some simple tips to help you make the most of your Freshers week.

Do stay active

This is the sort of advice that you find everywhere. However, UCD has plenty of options when it comes to sports and activities. Whether you are looking to find a sport you know and love or if you are looking for something new, check out all of UCD has to offer. There is some thing for everyone, with all ranges environment, intensity, and com mitment.

Don’t be scared

Starting this chapter of life is scary to so many students. The whole ex perience evokes plenty of nerves.

That is okay. UCD can be daunting from the campus size to the sheer volume of people. But for every one thing that might seem scary, there are thrice as many exciting oppor tunities and experiences awaiting you.

Do know your limit

It is easy to get swept up in the ex citement and momentum of start ing college. Try to keep a clear mind and don’t feel pressured to do anything you are not comfort able with. Regardless of how it may seem, your peers, just like you, are trying to navigate this new realm. So, make sure you are in control of the situations you are in.

in Dalkey is a great spot for swim ming, or maybe the Vico baths if you’re hoping for some celebrity sightings. For those who want to try something different, I would rec ommend The Wall in Sandyford – a climbing gym for all abilities with some great tunes to motivate you as you go. Their student day pass is only €12 and it’s the ideal way to get your mind off your studies for a few hours. The Howth cliff walk is perfect for getting away from city life for a while and letting yourself breathe.

These ideas are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to studying in Dublin. Once you get past the initial nerves of big city life, you’ll realize how diverse and liberating it can be. Make the most of it –there’s a whole world out there to explore!

Easy Student Meals

Sophia Melia

I am not a good cook but I know I need a dinner made for most of the week so I can save money and be healthy as a student. The meals below I make all the time and my friends and I enjoy them. All of the ingredients below are available in the UCD Village Centra, Clon skeagh Spar (UCD Sports Centre exit) or Dundrum Tesco. I am not a vegan, I do like chicken and fish especially, but the meat in these meals can be substituted for quorn or tofu if you are vegan or want to try a meat free meal.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients: Three chicken breasts or pre diced chicken, two pep pers, one onion, one chili, one tablespoon curry powder, olive oil and one tub of pre made Bens Original curry sauce.

Method:

1. Cut the chicken breasts into small squares and make sure to remove any fat. The same should be done for pre diced chicken. Marinate the chicken squares in some soy sauce so its softer while cooking.

2. Cut the peppers and chili into long thin strips and finely cut the onion into small cubes.

3. Make sure the hob is on and set to a high heat.

4. Using a pan pour some olive oil and make sure it covers most of the bottom. Wait a minute for it to heat up and add your cut chicken. I recommend cooking the chicken for at least 25minutes so it is fully cooked.

5. Put the chicken in a colander to drain any oil and fat off the slices. Add your peppers, chilis and onions to the pan and let it simmer for a few minutes.

While it is important to try and put your best foot forward meeting new people during fresher’s week, it is still only week one. So don’t panic if the first or second or tenth per son you speak to doesn’t become your new best friend. You have so much time.

Do reach out

Help can come in all shapes and siz es. UCD has many resources to help you navigate the first few weeks of university all the way through to your final year. The peer mentor program is one of the easiest ways to reach out with questions, queries and concerns to someone your own age. For more detailed and person al issues you might find the student advisors or UCD councillors help ful.

Don’t worry if you’re home sick

For many, this is the first experi ence of living away from home and families. While some students may find this easier that others, it is completely normal to feel homesick and miss your loved ones. But like anything, it will get easier over time.

Do get involved and Don’t sell yourself short

Fresher’s week is the perfect time for you try new things. There’ll be a lot of opportunities to contribute to college life, in societies, for vol unteering bodies, and as student representatives. Applying for these can be a great way to find friends with like-minded passions and hobbies. If you are worried about ability, reach out and enquire if you are provided training for these positions! Make sure you reach the Fresher’s Tent behind the student

6. Add the tablespoon of curry powder (your preferred spice level) to give them some kick.

7. Add the chicken back in with the tub of Bens Original for some more taste and texture to the meal. Heat up a bag of microwaveable rice and enjoy!

Spaghetti Bolognaise

Ingredients: Mincemeat, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, passata sauce, two peppers, one onion, one garlic clove olive oil and oregano.

Method:

1. Turn on the hob and pour the olive oil into the pan to heat up.

2. Cut up the onion into fine slices and the garlic clove and add to the olive oil. Leave until onions start to brown.

3. Add the mince and let this cook for at least twenty minutes so it is fully cooked.

4. After pour the mince into a colander and let the fat drain off.

5. Add the mince back in and stir in about three tablespoons of toma to puree and the chopped tomatoes.

6. Let this cook together and add as much passata as you think the mix needs, be careful as too much makes the sauce too runny.

7. Finally add the peppers for some flavour and the oregano to season it.

8. Fill a pot with boiling water and cook your pasta of choice for 1520 minutes. When this is ready drain off the starch and plate it up with some bolognaise on top.

Don’t worry if you don’t make friends instantly

ARTS AND LIFESTYLE CORRESPONDET

Film in Review: Crimes of the Future

ELIZA POTTER

FILM AND TV CORRESPONDENT

Mybody disgusts me. As a trans woman who is not yet on hormones, my frame has been altered in ways which disturb me, causing a dissociation between my gender and my assigned sex. There are few things more exciting to me than the idea of deliberately chang ing my body, be it by hormonal or surgical methods, to make it reflect who I truly am. These feelings are generally isolating and somewhat horrifying, and so I was pleasantly surprised to find that they are sur prisingly potent aspects of Crimes of the Future, the latest film from David Cronenberg.

In a vague, although not too dis tant future, humanity is beginning to evolve. Pain has already disap peared for many, whilst some indi viduals are beginning to grow new and unique organs. Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) is one of these people, dealing with Accelerated Evolution Syndrome by having or gans removed by his partner Ca price (Léa Seydoux) in front of a live audience. These performances lead the duo into situations involving the police, representatives of an Inner Beauty Contest, and employees of the National Organ Registry.

If you have seen any of Cronen berg’s other ‘body horror’ films before, such as Videodrome or The Fly, this synopsis is going to sound sort of familiar. Recurrent features of his work, such as unwanted changes to the body, extremely un conventional sex scenes, and horri fying acts of violence are all present in this film. Frequent collaborators such as composer Howard Shore have also returned. This may lead you to expect similar themes to his prior work. However, even with this grim tone and graphic content, there’s a few things about this film that makes it feel different from his other work.

For one, this is a far funnier film than you might expect it to be, con sidering it revolves around organ removal. It’s not filled with jokes, but the humour comes as a pleas ant surprise. Some of the comedy is derived from physical set elements, such as certain appearances of a grotesque chair to help you digest food, but much of it comes from the actors’ performances. The most notable comedic performance, at least to me, is Kristen Stewart as Timlin, one of the employees of the National Organ Registry. Timlin’s defining character trait is wanting Saul to operate on her, at one point telling him that “surgery is the new sex.” Whilst this does not sound

particularly amusing, her perfor mance and characteristic tics make it difficult not to laugh.

Saying this, the humour is not the main thing that makes this film unique. For me, that award goes to the way it ends up dealing with Saul and his Accelerated Evolution Syndrome. In Cronenberg’s other films, the bodily transformations his characters undergo are depict ed as disgusting and painful. They are not something that you would ever wish to experience. In Crimes of the Future however, this isn’t exactly true. It’s quite difficult to talk about this without spoiling the film, but suffice to say that Saul may find more pleasure in the changes his body is going through than he initially lets on. This idea, of volun tarily changing your body, surgi

cally and hormonally, and enjoying the process, is something that I’ve never really seen depicted in any media before, and it’s difficult to say how much it resonated with me as a trans person. It moved me in a way few other films have, and I hope similar themes crop up in Cronenberg’s future work.

Crimes of the Future is not a film for everyone. It’s unrelentingly dis turbing in terms of both tone and content whilst also managing to be somewhat too slow and contempla tive for those looking for a quick horror fix. It’s a hard film to rec ommend, but if you think you can stomach the more graphic elements of the horror genre, I reckon that it’s a film that you will enjoy and will stick with you for a long, long time.

New and Upcoming Releases

ADAM VAN EEKEREN

Pearl: 16th September

It feels as though we have had lit tle time to breathe since Ti West exploded onto the scene with his A24 indie-darling slasher X, and he is already returning with a prequel in the style of Pearl. This prequel is set in 1918 and explores the ori gin of the haunting villain from the brilliant horror X from the start of this year. With his new wave slash er style cemented already in X, this will be a fun horror you’ll be sorry you missed.

The Woman King : 4th October

With the powerful Viola Davis in the leading role, this historical action film that takes inspiration from epics such as Barry Lyndon or Braveheart. The film follows Da vis character as she trains the next generation of an all-female war rior unit as they set out to protect their West African kingdom from incoming invaders. With a power house of an actress like Viola Davis on the frontlines this will be an ac tion-packed epic that feels near im possible to disappoint.

See How They Run: 9th September

This classic whodunnit set during a production of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” looks brilliantly

self-aware. Sporting a ginormous cast with the highlights being Sao irse Ronan and Sam Rockwell as the headlining buddy cop style detectives. With a fun plot and an eccentric sense of humour this is a mystery you won’t want to miss.

Bros: 28th October

This newest rom-com has already cemented itself in history as the first ever “gay rom-com” to be produced by a major studio. The film boasts an entirely LGBTQ+ cast and even more impressing, the insanely funny Billy Eichner as a leading man. The film is a simple rom-com following two men as they fall in love. With the king of rom-com himself Judd Appatow producing and the hilarious Billy Eichner filling up the screen there is little room for this film to fail.

Don’t Worry Darling: 23rd September

This film certainly needs no in troduction following its dramatic premier at the venice film festival. Somehow the hype for Olivia Wil de’s upcoming psychological thrill er has been completely blinded by a whirlwind of celebrity drama. With wild rumours around the filming process and an even wilder premier at Venice Film Festival, everyone should be lining up to see this film.

National Cinema Day: Enjoying A Childhood Favourite

SOPHIE MELIA

ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE EDITOR

National Cinema Day was celebrated in Ire land on 3rd September 2022. The celebrations were lead by Odeon, making their tickets €4 and holding special an niversary screenings of E.T The Extra Terrestrial as well as held extra screenings of new movies like Nope, Bullet Train, Top Gun: Mav erick for the adult audiences and Minions: The Rise of Gru and DC League of Super-Pets for the many children that visit cinemas. Angeli na Pierce, our previous section edi tor, also my good friend and myself decided to see ET Extra Terrestrial to celebrate the important day.

ET is a movie I haven’t seen in years but one I hold dear to my heart. It tells the story of Elliot, played by Henry Thomas, a ten year old who befriends ET after he is left behind by his family. Elliot and ET become very close as they can feel each oth er’s thoughts as Elliot acts drunk as ET drinks beer at home and acts out the movie ET watches by freeing the frogs from science class. While

this comedy sets the movie up beautifully, things change when a very young Drew Barrymore teach es ET to talk. Learning this new skill means ET can communicate to Elliot and his family that he wants to “phone home” and return to his own family instead of staying with Elliot’s.

On Halloween, Michael, Elliot and ET set up a communication station in the woods so ET can phone home. Sadly ET is dying due to being away and missing his family which is when the US Government get in volved to investigate his species and relationship with Elliot. When they realise his family is returning to take ET back, Michael and Elliot work together to get away from the Government officials and return ET to his family. Elliot and ET have an emotional farewell as his hearts light up and tells Elliot “I’ll be right here” and points to his head. It is such a heart-warming moment showing the power of friendship and how family is an anchor for ev eryone, including aliens.

FILM AND TV WRITER

Finally Reaching the Throne of Irish American Football

DARA SMITH-NAUGHTON SPORTS EDITOR

Winning a national championship is al ways a special day for any team, that day becomes even more special when that national championship is the first in the club’s history.

The 7th of August UCD Ameri can Football experienced just that when the team ran out 52-24 win ners against the Dublin Rebels and claimed the Shamrock Bowl for the very first time. Defeating the Rebels, who are nine-time national champions, marked the completion of a successful season for the blues in which they managed an impres sive 6-1-1 regular season record.

spite competing with more popular sports on campus, UCD American football is undoubtedly gaining mo mentum.

Speaking with the College Tribune, head coach Larry Doyle described the feeling of finally capturing the Shamrock Bowl as “a long time coming.” Doyle touched on past disappointments in previous sea sons and how these losses left a bit ter after-taste for the team. How ever, lifting the much sought-after trophy this year was a “brilliant feeling.”

Of course, what comes with win ning a national title is the inevitable question, can they do it again next season?

When asked about his team’s confi dence levels going into the new sea son, Doyle was optimistic stating that “we know we can do it again” but also maintained that the team is aware of the tough challenge they will have to face again this year in order to replicate their recent tri umph.

UCD sport has had an incredible summer of results, from football to swimming, among others. One club that certainly deserves acknowl edgement for their achievements is the American Football Club. De

Not only did the team enjoy his torical moments with their helmets strapped on, the team was invited to participate in the gameday of this year’s Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

This year’s game was contested be tween the Northwestern Wildcats and the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Aviva Stadium.

The Shamrock Bowl champions had the opportunity to partake in the flag ceremony at the beginning of the match and also appear on the pitch during the game alongside the Gaelic football all-Ireland cham pions, Kerry. Commenting on the experience, Doyle described it as “a once in a lifetime type of thing.”

Before the team focuses on looking to retain their title, the team will

first look towards the Intervarsities competition. The focus is not only to win but to provide new play ers the opportunity to play against those at a similar skill level to them selves, Doyle explained.

On the topic of new players, the club will be at the UCD Sports Expo recruiting not only new players but people to fulfil several different positions within the setup, such as

coaches and flag football players.

Doyle described the club as “one big team” rather than separate squads and a chance for students to try a sport they may have never got ten the option to play. With their recent successes and the expanding nature of the team, this is a club certainly worth keeping an eye on throughout the academic year.

Priorto the start of the cur rent SSE Airtricity League

DARA SMITH-NAUGHTON SPORTS EDITOR

Premier Division season most fans would not have given UCD a chance of staying up and avoiding relegation. After all, they are the student team in a league of professionals. However, our Belfield boys have put in some inspiring performances so far this season, leaving themselves with the opportunity to stay up and play in the topflight once again next sea son.

It was a tough start to the season for

UCD as the team failed to pick up a win in the league until the 13th of May. Despite this the team has put together many great results in the past few months, managing sever al victories, including a 2-0 away win versus former champions Sli go Rovers on the 17th of July. Most notably, the team in their recent fixture overcame Dundalk 3-2 in the Bowl to lift themselves off the bottom of the table. A brace from Tommy Lonergan along with an other goal from Dylan Duffy sealed the crucial win on September 9th.

The latest three points breathes new life into UCD’s season, by lift ing themselves from the bottom of the division, the team currently sits outside of the automatic relegation place. As it stands at the moment, UCD would have to face the winner of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place play offs from the first division in a play off final. The very format which saw the students promoted just a season ago. The season is far from over yet and with the gap to last place Finn Harps being a single point, there remains plenty of work to be done. The season becomes even more for Survival

impressive when it is taken into consideration that Colm Whelan, UCD’s stand out player last season, has been out since May with a liga ment injury. The departure of Liam Kerrigan to the Serie B in July, this season has not Breakout players Tommy Lonergan and Dylan Duffy have helped fill the gap left, scoring important goals as of late.

It is possible for them to remain in the premier division for next season but by no means will it be an easy task.

Defeating the Rebels,who are nine-time national champions,marked the completionof a successful season sport.

Belfield Record-Breakers

As we make the return to campus life, we do so among some of the finest young athletes Ireland has to offer. It is well-known that UCD athletes have never been the type to stray from success, however, this past summer potentially stands alone as the most extraordinary pe riod in the history of UCD Athletics.

Every refresh of an Instagram page seemed to have been accompanied with another record broken by a Belfield representative. Ranging from Israel Olatunde’s astronom ical rise to the pinnacle of Irish sprinting to Sarah Healy’s new Irish under-23 record replacing none other than the great Sonia O’Sullivan’s previous time - UCD’s own impressed viewers not only nationally but internationally.

Every refresh of anInstagram page seemed tohave been accompaniedwith another record broken by a representative.Belfield

Darragh McElhinney

Described as the man who sets re cords and then breaks them in the last few months, he has certainly earned that title. There are simply too many records that have been broken by McElhinney to mention in one article, but his most notable ones of the summer must be includ ed.

In late May, McElhinney broke the under-23 5000m national re cord while competing in Oorde gem, Belgium. Recording a time of 13:17.17, the Cork native replaced John Treacy’s time which had stood for 44 years.

els. At such an age, he is far from his prime and already turning heads at the elite level. It is safe to say a bright career awaits this young man.

Sarah Healy

Healey’s name has become routine in many commentators’ dialogues in the past few years which contin ued through the summer months of 2022. Competing in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Healy made waves across Irish sport as she bested Sonia O’Sullivan. Athletics Ire land confirmed Healy had broken O’Sullivan’s previous under-23 1500m national record with a time of 4:02.86.

ships in Oregon. Having won sev eral Irish and European medals at this point in her career, she is yet another athlete with a promising career ahead of her.

Luke McCann

There are many athletes who more than deserve acknowledgement for their achievements over the last few months, but four in particular have

Not limiting himself to a single bro ken record, McElhinney would go on to break the under-23 3000m national record this summer, twice. First setting a new record of 7:44.01 at the Cork City Sports event, and then bettering this time at an Italian International meet with a time of 7:42.86. At the age of 21 years old, McElhinney holds several records in both outdoor and indoor racing at the under-20 and under-23 lev

Healy, hailing from Monkstown, has proven her consistency with every event, just as she would do again in early July. Healy set anoth er national record, just as her fel low UCD athlete McElhinney did, at the Cork City Sports event. On this occasion it was the under-23 3000m race in which she set a time of 8:46.14, breaking her previous record of 8:52.63. A feat she man aged in some style as Healy stum bled across the line, a testament to the sheer effort put into her perfor mance.

At 21 years old, Healy has already competed at the Tokyo Olympics and the recent World Champion

McCann certainly earned his men tion alongside the likes of McElhin ney and Healy. McCann may look back on the Summer with frustra tion as he was denied qualification for the World Championships in Oregon due to a controversial re quirement held by Athletics Ire land. The qualification rule that prevented McCann a plane seat to the US specifically required 1500m athletes to have recorded a time of 3:36.50 by a certain deadline (re gardless of their world ranking), a time McCann would break just days following the deadline.

This requirement would later be breached by Athletics Ireland for two shot putters who had not made the required distance to qualify for the World Championships. This kind of disappointment would leave any athlete frustrated. However, despite this setback, McCann went on to break the national record in the 1000m event at the Monaco Diamond League with a time of 2:16.40. McCann has shown great resilience over the Summer, resil ience that should not go unnoticed.

Olatunde is a man who needs no introduction. Deemed the fastest Irishman of all time the 100m run ner has truly had a remarkable few months. Being the youngest ath lete mentioned in this article at 20 years old, Olatunde put in several impressive performances over the summer, creeping closer and clos er to the national record with every race.

The Dundalk native finally captured the record at 10.17 seconds in the European Championships 100m fi nal in Munich. Speaking with Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show Ola tunde expressed his thoughts on the win, “to be able to share this mo ment with my family and the whole country, it really means a lot to me.” Time will only reveal how great this man can become.

With the recent completion of the brand new eight-lane 400m IAAF track located on the Clonskeagh side of campus, our athletes will now have a home facility to hone their skills on. Combining this ex citing development with the blis tering form of McElhinney, Healy, McCann, and Olatunde, the UCD Athletics Club is set for a promising season and, of course, set to break many more records.

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Sport Editor Dara Smith-Naughton tells you all you need to know about this summer’s record-breaking athletes from UCD.

excelled. Darragh McElhinney, Sarah Healy, Luke McCann, and Israel Olatunde have all stood out and presented themselves as stars of the moment and for the future.

Israel Olatunde