The College View - Issue 1 - Volume XVIII

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Vol. XVIII, Issue 1

Features:

Opinion:

Travel and learn with a local’s point of view

A referendum on abortion is likely to lead to minimum change

Read more on page 16

Read more on page 9

Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

Sport: DCU’s international footballer speaks to The College View See back bage

THE COLLEGE VIEW DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY’S ONLY INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1999

Students came out in their thousands to support the march for choice Credit : Chaitanya Brady

Big change for DCU as €100 million investment begins Catherine Devine Editor-in-Chief

@CatherineDevin1

A €100 million fundraising campaign will be launched on 21st October, which will see a dramatic change to the DCU campus in the next three years, according to DCU President, Brian MacCraith.

The change will include new student accommodation of up to 500 beds, a student centre, lecture halls and more staff, all starting this academic year.

The money will be raised through an increase in student

numbers, loan finance, outside sponsorship and Government funding, according to MacCraith.

“This is an exciting and promising time for DCU, in a time where universities are suffering in terms of Government funding, but we’ve had to be innovative and opportunistic,” MacCraith told The College View.

The ultimate aim of the ‘New DCU’ is the amalgamation between DCU, St. Pat’s, Mater Dei and All Hallows College which according to MacCraith will provide better choice and quality of student life to all students.

The university has expanded and enhanced the faculties of humanities and social sciences.

This year in the Arts programme

students can now choose from 17 subjects including history, music and philosophy. This growth in choice is due to the amalgamation of teachers, resources and students across all four campuses.

As the ‘New DCU’ should come to fruition by next June, according to MacCraith, new transport systems will have to be put in place.

“We will have to get an electric bus around the campuses, as they’re all within two kilometres, including our Innovation Campus. We’re also working on new pedestrian and bicycle paths to accommodate the move of students. There will be dramatic changes,” said MacCraith.

There are two aspects to the cost of this new faculty. “It’s a stretch to bring four universities

together that have different strengths, costs and legacies.

Final costs will be in the millions but the Government has supported us every step of the way. The Government sees this as a major flagship in terms of what will be best for Irish education in terms of us coming together,” said MacCraith.

Another aspect is the €50 million that was spent on capital infrastructure in St. Pat’s to build new lecture halls and student accommodation. A further €20 million was raised Full story on page 2

INSIDE THE SUSS

THE SUSS COVERS THE BEST FESTIVALS OF THE SUMMER. INTERVIEWS WITH CRY MONSTER CRY & THE HOOSIERS

THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

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Editorial

Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief: Catherine Devine Deputy Editor: Katie O’Neill Production & Layout Editor: Scout Mitchell Deputy Production & Layout Editor: Niall Connolly News Editor: Katie O’Neill Deputy News Editors: John Casey, Hayley Halpin, & Aura McMenamin Opinion Editor: Lisa O’ Donnell Lifestyle Editor: Aoibheann Diver

Chief Arts Contributor: Ryan McBride

Images Editor: Chaitanya Brady

Deputy Images Editor: David Clarke

Online Editor: Kevin Kelly Deputy Online Editors:

Hannah Moran & Stephen Murphy

Chief Sub-Editor: Jamie Concannon

Features Editor: Megan Roantree Deputy Features Editor: Rebecca Lumley

Contacts

Irish Editor: Aíne Marie Monk Deputy Irish Editor: Cáit Ní Cheallacháin

com

Sports Editor: Aidan Geraghty Deputy Sports Editors: Aaron Gallagher & Cormac O’Shea Arts Editor: Fionnuala Jones Deputy Arts Editor: Stephen Keegan

editor@thecollegeview.com news@thecollegeview.com features@thecollegeview.

opinion@thecollegeview.com gaeilge@thecollegeview.com

sports@theccollegeview.com arts@thecollegeview.com Printed By Datascope,

with the DCU Journalism Society

Thanks To Sportsfile, SLC, Office of Student Life

Catherine Devine Editor-in-Chief

@CatherineDevin1 Continued from page 1

to accommodate the new students and lecturers in St. Pat’s.

While looking at the figures and hearing about the great plans for mainly St. Pat’s, MacCraith said that this has huge benefits for students in the Glasnevin campus too. A new student centre is being built in Glasnevin while a new health centre is being built in St. Pat’s.

All students will get equal access to these services. While gym membership in the Glasnevin campus costs €195 for the academic year, the gym in St. Pat’s is free, but over time all services will be equal across the campuses, according to MacCraith.

DCU have secured a €14 million investment for the new student centre, and building will start this year. The student body agreed, in a referendum held by the SU last year, to pay a levy to raise funds for this new development. MacCraith said that the university will also contribute and the building of the new student centre is included in the €100 million investment plan.

“We have been taking everything and making the biggest and best student centre that we could. It will be fantastic,” said MacCraith.

“We will be the fastest growing university in Ireland. Five years ago we had 11,000 students and next year we expect up to 16,000,” he said. Last week DCU welcomed almost 3,500 students, the largest intake of any year. Currently we have 13,000 according to MacCraith, but figures are expected to rise due to the amalgamation. “It’s about the quality that we can offer students, not just about the scale of students we have,” added MacCraith.

DCU also caters for over 130 different nationalities and over 1,000 access students. “We are a university that values social inclusion and puts value on that. We’re a hugely diverse campus which is one of the reasons why we’re rising on a global scale,” said MacCraith.

Last week, DCU rose 13 places in this year’s QS World University Rankings, the highest increase of any other Irish university. Our global reputation is increasing because we are doing innovation well, according to MacCraith. This is a significant change as Irish universities have fallen in the world rankings in the past few years.

Writers’ meeting & Journalism Society AGM: Monday, October 5th 6 PM Room: C124

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THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

Thousands march to demand abortion reform

Aura McMenamin Deputy News Editor @aurajalapeno

THOUSANDS of people marched through Dublin on Saturday in the fourth March for Choice, urging politicians to repeal the 8th Amendment.

Trade unions, activist groups and citizens marched to Merrion Square in the largest prochoice march yet, with Gardaí estimating a turnout of 10,000.

With cries of “Not the church, not the state. Women must decide their fate!” and posters animating colourful slogans like “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries!” there was a palpable frustration from demonstrators.

The 8th Amendment gives equal status to the life of the mother and the unborn. The last referendum was in 1983.

“Women have been ignored,” said actress Tara Flynn, who MC’d the event. Flynn recently wrote an article detailing her crisis pregnancy and having to travel to the Netherlands for an abortion.

“I braced myself for an attack, but I was not prepared for the love and support and anger. Righteous, righteous anger.”

As demonstrators marched from the Garden of Remembrance to Merrion Square, some wheeled suitcases to symbolise the journey women make abroad.

In 2014, 3,735 women and girls provided Irish addresses at abortion clinics in the UK, according to the UK Department of Health.

“The current legislation makes abortion a class issue and inherently, inaccessible to students,” said Annie Hoey of the Union of Students Ireland (USI) in her impassioned speech.

“I believe the Government must commit to holding a referendum. If they don’t, don’t you dare give them your vote.”

There was a sparse presence from the Pro-life campaign. The Life Institute held a stand out-

Credit Chai Brady

News

Thomas O’ Gorman resigns Katie O’ Neill Deputy Editor

@_Katie__ONeill

CLUBS’ Officer, Thomas O’Gorman has resigned from his position within the Students’ Union, The College View can reveal.

O’Gorman was the sole candidate for the Clubs’ Officer position during the elections in March. He was elected with 1571 voting in his favour, 363 voted to reopen the nomination (RON). His resignation will lead to the first Students’ Union by-election since 2009.

“Yes Thomas O’ Gorman has left,” confirmed VP for Welfare, Domhnaill Harkin. “There will be a by-election, it will be in a few weeks time,” he continued.

The strain of working to repay his student loan was the main factor O’ Gorman attributed to his dropping out.

“I withdrew from my course. I made a few mistakes which led to this moment; working two jobs to try pay a student loan and thinking that reading the notes on loop is as good as going to the lectures. Both of these factors led to my failure of the year and my withdrawal from my course,” O’ Gorman explained.

“I was really looking forward to the upcoming year as Clubs Officer and I wish whoever fills the role the best of luck with it. However it is the end of my time in DCU for the minute,” he continued.

“Thomas is no longer a student of DCU. A pre-requisite for part-time officers is that they continue to be a student whilst holding their position on the SU executive, otherwise the position will be deemed vacant,” Returning Officer Steven Conlon told The College View.

“At the first CRC meeting I will advise the Council of the vacancy, once I am formally notified, and I will then call a by-election to be held on the most suitable date,” Conlon said.

side the GPO and asserted their support for the 8th mendment.

“Repealing the amendment would lead to abortion during all nine months of pregnancy until birth. Irish people do not support that,” said FatimaGunning-Hameed.

DCU student, Naoise McHugh, said that Ireland punished unwilling parents: “Criminalising abortion makes children the price you

pay for sex. What kind of outlook views children as a consequence?”

DCU SU President, Kim Sweeney, said: “DCU students were informed and invited to the march by an all-student email.”

Class reps were invited via the Class Rep Council (CRC) Facebook groups. Due to a technical error, not all students received the email from Welfare Officer Domhnaill Harkin. No

SU representatives were able to attend the march. However DCU SU posters were printed out for students who marched.

DCU voted for a pro-choice SU stance in 2013, although only 10 percent of the student population voted.

Katie O’ Neill Deputy Editor

USI pre-budget doc demands cut reversal

CALLING on the Government to begin work on purpose-built student accommodation and seeking a reduction in the student contribution fee were two of the main objectives in the USI pre-budget submission.

The USI launched their pre-budget submission last Tuesday after months of dialogues between various Government ministers across several departments. Over 40 TDs attend-

ed the USI pre-budget briefing which focused on endeavouring to restore cuts to pre-crisis levels.

The submission highlights the need for postgraduate funding to be restored to students who have received funding at undergraduate level and who wish to further their studies. “To do it would cost the Government somewhere in the region of €30 and €40 million which is a small sum of money in the grand scheme of things,” USI President, Kevin Donoghue, told The College View.

According to the USI, Ireland’s student contribution fee

is the second highest in Europe.

It is the hope of the USI that this fee will reduce in line with the rate of economic recovery.

The USI also call on the government to return the grant back to pre-recession levels. “It has to be done over a period of time. But it has to be done. In terms of the conversation we’re having, there’s definitely an appetite to try and address it,” said Donoghue.

“The grant was cut quite brutally over a period of years, the registration fee was also increased.”

The submission does not neglect to address the student

accommodation crisis. The document urges the government to begin work on purpose-built student accommodation. It estimates that: “There are approximately 80,000 students in the Dublin region with less than 3,000 purpose-built accommodation places”.

“There needs to be more permanent student accommodation,” affirmed Donoghue. “In the short term, it is the digs accommodation.” The USI have launched the ‘Homes for Study’ campaign which encourages homeowners with a spare room to list their space on the website for stu-

@_Katie__ONeill

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dents in need of accommodation. Donoghue revealed that the USI have received a grant of €30,000 from the Government to promote this initiative.

“In the medium term we need to look at the idea of potentially rezoning properties, to specif ically rezone for student accommodation on the basis that it provides more certainty to developers who might be willing to build the student accommodation,” Donoghue concluded.

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THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

News

Crisis-hit students unlucky with landlords

Credit Google images

Jamie Concannon Chief Sub Editor @thecollegeview

THE student accommodation crisis worsens as many find themselves subject to ill-treatment by landlords.

A report published in August on rental housing in Ireland by website Daft.ie showed rental prices in North County Dublin have risen by 10.7 percent in the second quarter of this year.

“At the start of August myself and my mate paid a deposit for a flat, and the landlord completely ripped us off, and just pulled the accommodation via the agency around the 25th of August,” an anonymous DCU student said.

“We don’t know for sure if it was the landlord or the agency that ripped us off, but it meant we missed the chance to get anywhere else, and it now takes me about two and a half hours to get

home, which isn’t ideal,” he said.

“I couldn’t get accommodation this year because landlords refused to take students. They refused us even though three of us are working full-time jobs for the year and aren’t technically students,” said another DCU student.

“One estate agent even went so far as to refuse to give us the address of a house, just because he found out we are students,” she said.

DCU VP for Welfare, Domhnaill

Harkin advised any student who feels they are being exploited by landlords to visit him in the SU..

“I can provide advice to anyone who needs it, or information is also available on websites like Threshold.ie or on the Private Residential Tenancies Board site,” he said.

Aoife Ní Shúilleabháin from Union of Students in Ireland said due to the shortage of rental housing in Ireland, landlords can afford to be picky about their tenants.

“The reality is students are getting squeezed out a bit. For any student that finds accommodation, always read and understand the lease before signing it, and speak to your landlord about how long you intend to stay,” she said.

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Students faced with long commutes Hayley Halpin Deputy News Editor @HayleyHalpin1

Credit David Clarke

MANY DCU students are left with no choice but to commute to college due to a lack of student accommodation for this academic year.

Accommodation far from universities has been the only option for some students, leaving them with substantial travel costs in addition to their cost of rent.

“I ended up finding a place all the way out in Clondalkin and with a week left until college began and my paranoia of being homeless, I took the offer, leaving me with a two and a half hour round trip to and from college,” said Zainab Boladale, a DCU Journalism student.

Student Conor O’Doherty encountered a problem finding accommodation and is forced to commute: “I spend about five hours a day going to and from college, so it makes finding time and energy that much harder”.

“I feel that DCU does try to accommodate students, but there’s only so much they can do when there just isn’t enough places going,” he said.

The lack of accommodation available this year is a result of the property crisis coupled with the fact that many landlords won’t accept students.

“There are many accommodation and housing websites out there and they’re easy to use, but the vast amount of advertisements refuse students, or ask for full time workers,

which makes it really difficult to find something for a reasonable price while still being available to a student,” O’Doherty said.

Students commuting and obtaining the SUSI grant are forced to allocate the majority, if not all, of their SUSI payments to the cost of travel.

Students living in the surrounding counties off Dublin have the advantage of buying a Student Leap card that caps at €20 a week.

DCU Students’ Union Welfare Officer, Domhnaill Harkin and the accommodation office on campus are available to contact for students that need support or advice while searching for accommodation.

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Students for Sensible Drug Policy- a look to the year ahead Andrew Ralph News Reporter

@thecollegeview

THE Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is to take part in DCU’s clubs and socs recruitment event for the first time this week.

SSDP recently established a branch in DCU under the Chairmanship of Dan Kirby.

The non-profit organisation founded an Irish wing in 2009 and believes that: “The only sensible route for drug laws is legalisation and strict regulation.”

According to Kirby the current system “is broken and never worked”.

A recent study conducted by the Student Drug Survey found that 49 percent of students had consumed cannabis in the last year, % ecstasy and 10 percent LSD and cocaine.

The SSDP has been working with the Minister for National Drugs Strategy, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, TD to find solutions to the social problems posed by drugs being banned.

Both the Minister and the SSDP favour “decriminalising personal possession of all drugs” and adopting a Portuguese mod-

Credit: Pulsefeedz.com

el for Ireland.

Kirby said that Minister Ó Ríordáin believes there is “enough time left in this Government to open safe-injection centres” for the capital’s drug addicts.

Adding that the current laws criminalising heroin have “caused a huge amount of harm”.

The SSDP has been approached by CISTA (Cannabis Is Safer Then Alcohol) – This political movement was created by the co-founder of the former so-

USI tackle sexual consent with new campaign Rebecca Lumley Deputy Features Editor @thecollegeview

A campaign tackling the issue of

sexual consent was launched by Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, this month.

The “Ask Consent” campaign is the product of a collaboration between the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), The White Ribbon campaign and several other rape crisis centres around the country.

It is a three week long educational campaign and is being funded by The National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence.

The aim of the campaign is to get people talking about the importance of consent and to teach students that sex without consent is rape.

This comes after a USI survey found that 16 percent of students had experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact, while 38 percent of victims said it occurred on more than one occasion.

Minister Fitzgerald said she was committed to putting in place “mechanisms and actions to protectand support victims

and to bring perpetrators to account”, adding that she intends to publish A second national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

There is currently no definition of consent in our legislation.

As well as encouraging a legal definition, the “Ask Consent” campaign aims to highlight the socialdefinition of consent.

“Consent is not the absence of a no, but the presence of an un-coerced, agreed, and enthusiastic,yes” said Tom Meagher, of The White Ribbon Campaign.

“Consent needs to be on-going and it must be made clear that anyone can stop sex at any stage, and a refusal to stop at this

stage is rape”.

The White Ribbon Campaign is a male led organisation that works to end gender based violence and Meagher emphasised the importance of male engagement on the topic.

“While anyone can be a victim of rape, we need to understand that it is a deeply gendered crime and is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men on women.”

The campaign has garnered strong online support, with broadcaster, Cathal Mac Coille, saying it was a campaign “with a message worth repeating, again and again and again”.

Further information can be found using the Twitter hashtag, #AskConsent.

Credit: www.drcc.ie

cial networking site BEBO, Paul Birch.

CISTA fielded 34 candidates in the recent UK General Election, including Barry Brown in West Tyrone.

However, Kirby said that CISTA has a “focus on cannabis” and

stated that the SSDP would rather focus on “drugs policy on a whole” with “decriminalisation as the main focus”.

When asked what the SSDP taught of the free market Colorado model of drug decriminalisation – Kirby said that “advertisement should not be allowed”.

Kirby said administrations must “learn from the mistakes of alcohol and tobacco” focussing on the fact that “tobacco smoking has fallen over the last 30 years because of education and regulation”.

According to Kirby, if ecstasy was legalised it would reduce public health dangers as with regulation, users would “know what is in it”.

The SSDP intends to invite potential members to complete an anonymous survey at clubs and socs week about their drug use as university students.

Kirby stressed that “all drugs are risky” but that people will always do risky things “like skydiving and having unprotected sex”.

The SSDP has stated that its official position will be “neither to condone or condemn drug use”.

Hub construction set to begin next summer Chaitanya Brady ImagesEditor

@thecollegeview

THE architect to build the new hub was chosen this week according to SU president Kim Sweeney, the estimated €14m project will begin between July and August 2016.

Sweeney named MOLA Architecture as the selected company. Michael O’Carroll, the director of the company, said it would be an “exciting project”.

MOLA has built several buildings across the DCU campus, most recently the nanotechnology building.

The new hub will cater for St. Pat’s and Mater Dei students.

This has added additional challenges to the planning the centre.

“Aaron and Kenneth did a lot, but because of the incorporation we have to consider the extra 4,000 students to make it future proof,” said Sweeney in reference to the efforts of her predecessors as SU president.

There has been extensive planning by the SU in relation to sourcing the best ideas. The sabbatical team travelled to uni-

versities in England to get information about what could work.

‘We went over to universities in the UK, which was really nice because they have really well established student unions,” said Sweeney.

“We got an idea of what we want, but also what we don’t want. The negative points were actually more beneficial. We were in Bristol, Bath, Cardiff and visited five universities.”

Ideas such as having a glass front to the building on the sports centre side and moving the park gate to face the new entrance have been put forward.

New multi-functional rooms are thought to be the best way to use the space provided. A room for relaxation is being planned following suggestions from long distance commuters.

Many students that voted on helping finance the construction in the referendum will never experience the new hub as undergraduates. Students volunteered to contribute €8m to the project, which will take 18 months to complete.

Union merger begins for ‘The New DCU’ 6

THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

News

Aisling McCabe News Reporter @thecollegeview

THE amalgamation process of the Students’ Unions of DCU, St. Patrick’s college and Mater Dei is underway.

The three unions will be working together in the upcoming months to create a new union representing students from all DCU campuses.

The new body will operate from this semester onwards. The official merger will come into effect from July 2016 onwards.

“In 2015/2016, each Student’s’ Union will continue to represent their students, while collaborating and cooperating as much as possi-

ble”, manager of the office of student life, Una Redmond, told The College View.

Students from both Mater Dei and St. Pat’s alike are looking forward to the consolidated SU system, which will see the sabbatical team double in size to six officers.

The new structure of the Student Union will consist of the new President and Vice Presidents for welfare and academic affairs based on the Glasnevin campus while the Deputy President and Vice President for Education and training will be set up in Drumcondra.

The merger will also create a unification of all clubs and societies from the three colleges, which will open the floor to a wider vari-

Record high for Access programme

Credit: Chai Brady

ety of opportunities for students.

“I know that there are going to be a few given negatives such as a smaller Student Union body present on St. Pat’s campus and there are also a few issues arising with competitive clubswhere Pat’s and Mater Dei students need to compete with DCU students to get a place on teams”, said a St. Pat’s student.

“However, DCU’s more structured approach to the Student’s Union will really be of benefit to our college, so I’m absolutely delighted about the upcoming amalgamation”.

The coming academic year will see each of the student unions working closely on creating a stronger, effective Union.

€3.3 million for DCU’s pancreatic cancer research

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Clara Hickey News Reporter @thecollegeview

Credit: Chai Brady

Katie O’Neill Deputy Editor

@_Katie__ONeill

“EQUITY of access to education is central to what DCU is all about,” President of the university Brian MacCraith told a crowded dining room in Albert College last Thursday.

Benefactors, faculty members and Access students past and present gathered for a breakfast-time celebration to recognise 25 years of the access programme in DCU. Those gathered spoke fondly about the programme, its societal impact and the impact it has made in the lives of many.

DCU boasts the oldest and biggest access programme in the coun-

try which began with six students and now grants access to third level education for over 1,200. This year 434 students will enter DCU under the Access programme.

Professor MacCraith spoke with great pride about DCU’s long history with the programme which seeks to provide third level education for those living in disadvantaged areas or from lesser means “The Access programme in DCU is all about our core values.

Your abilities should determine if you get in to education not your background or your means,” MacCraith told The College View.

“We’re so proud of the growth of it now to pass the milestone of 1000 students this year. It means we’re supporting the individuals

who wouldn’t have the opportunity for higher education. It’s a significant milestone for us it will always be part of what DCU is about,” MacCraith continued.

Third year aviation management with pilot studies student, Ryan Graham credits the Access programme with granting him the future he always wanted. “It’s opened so many doors, so many opportunities that wouldn’t have been possible without the programme,” he said.

“My mother always told me the sky is my limit, I guess that’s ironic because that’s exactly where I want to go,” said Graham.

The event was held by the DCU Educational Trust.

OVER €3.3 million in funding has been granted to researchers at DCU for the development of a treatment programme for pancreatic cancer.

DCU will conduct the development in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast and the University at Buffalo, New York.

The five-year grant is being funded by the US-Ireland R&D Partnership Programme.

DCU will receive approximately €453,000 from Science Foundation Ireland.

The new forms of chemotherapy combinations being researched by the scientists at DCU will be lead by Dr. Niall Barron and Dr. Robert O’Connor.

“For DCU to be involved in this type of cutting-edge research with international expert cancer biologists, oncologists and cancer surgeons is very important as we would hope that ultimately it will lead to improved treatment options for

those unfortunate to be diagnosed with the awful disease,” Barron told The College View.

In the absence of ways to diagnose the cancer early, there’s a challenge in treating the disease effectively.

When the patient undergoes treatment, drugs cannot access the pancreatic tumour easily as the tumours have a very low blood supply.

The team of researchers will use tumour samples removed from patients during surgery, from which they can grow cells in culture dishes.

These samples will test whether or not the new treatment approaches are better than existing ones.

The team’s latest develeopment is using nanotechnology to make the very dense material more “leaky,” thus making it easier for the chemotherapy to get inside the tumours and kill them.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the world, with the five year survival rate in Europe being less than one in 20.

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Joan Burton heckled in Glasnevin Aura McMenamin Deputy News Editor @thecollegeview

PROTESTERS heckled Joan Burton last week as she opened a new food bank in Glasnevin.

“We were there to remind her that we’re supposed to be in a recovery,” said Bernie Hughes, a prominent anti-water charges protester.

Approximately 25 protesters were met by two riot vans of Gardai. Protesters were incensed when Burton did not address them.

Hughes said: “I negotiated with the superintendent to be able to ask her some questions.

He reneged on this, he never came back. So we pulled the barrier.”

There were no arrests or recorded injuries.

The Dublin Food Bank is owned by Crosscare, an organisation managed by the Archdiocese of Dublin to provide food parcels to communities. It is supported by farmers who donate fresh produce for hot meals. It has a strong relationship with chains such as Lidl, Tesco and Kellogg’s.

Crosscare, founded in 1989 has seen an increase in the amount of people using their services recently.

It moved from its one-room facility on Portland Row to the large warehouse unit in Dublin 11. It aims to ship 750 tonnes of

food to various charities this year.

The emergence of a ‘new poor’ is being seen in the type of people that avail of Crosscare, said Michael McDonagh, Senior Manager.

“There was a man last week who had a family and was working but couldn’t afford the shopping. It was a very simple story, his car failed the NCT and he had to save money for the repairs.

The only thing he could save money on was the food shopping, and he was very hungry.

“There’s a large number of people stuck in inequality.”

Hughes said Burton’s appearance last week was ‘shameful’.

“She was smiling and cutting a red ribbon. It’s not a joyous occasion.

“We keep getting told that our welfare system is second to none in Ireland. Why’s it not working?”

McDonagh did not want to attribute the increased number of Crosscare users solely to the Government.

He said: “People now know that they exist, thanks to the coverage of food banks in the UK. People in Ireland are starting to look for similar services and we’re getting better at reaching communities.”

European students vote Ireland number one Aidan delaney News Reporter @Aidand472

EUROPEAN students have voted Ireland the number one place to study abroad according to a recent online study.

The website Studyportals. com collected the data from over 170,000 reviews posted to their site from students around Europe based on their experiences of studying in a foreign country.

Ireland received the highest praise in the study with Irish universities’ sense of community spirit, innovative programmes and vivid student nightlife getting a special mention.

Finland, Sweden and Denmark sat below Ireland in the table with the UK taking 10th place out of the 18 countries surveyed. France received the

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poorest rating with students complaining about poor student services and excessive bureaucracy.

NUI Maynooth was awarded the ‘Outstanding International Student Satisfaction Award’ by StudentPortals while University of Limerick (UL) and University College Cork (UCC) were both recognised by students for having excellent standards.

DCU Student Union President, Kim Sweeney, said “This news is fantastic for both Ireland and DCU, with over two and half thousand undergraduate and postgraduate international students, we have a wide diversity of students across all campuses.

I am delighted that international students have voted Ireland as the most satisfying place to study. We have seen a huge increase in international students becoming involved in Students life here by getting in-

volved in clubs, societies and attending more and more events.”

Speaking to The College View, third year Journalism student Sonja Sjögren spoke about her experience of studying in Ireland since moving from Finland three years ago.

She said, “When I was researching universities abroad that do journalism I was just really attracted to DCU and it seemed like the best option for me. Also, it had to be an English speaking country and college in Ireland is much cheaper than for example in England.”

Joan Burton opening the Crosscare foodbank in Glasnevin Credit National one parent family network

Points for Law and Government and Engineering courses soar Aoibheann Diver Lifestyle editor @aoibheanndiva

THE CAO points for the School of Law and Government courses in DCU all rose this year, along with the engineering courses, according to CAO figures.

Economics, Politics and Law (EPL) and Law and Society (BCL) both increased by 20 points this year, while International Relations rose by 10 points.

The Engineering courses also saw jumps this year, with Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering increasing by 15 points to 405.

Although the points for most of the science courses rose or stayed the same, some of them saw slight drops in 2015. Analytical science dropped to 410 points this year and Genetics and Cell Biology fell by 15 points to 475.

The points for nursing courses were quite varied in 2015. General Nursing fell by 10 points, while Credit collegetribune.ie

Intellectual Disability Nursing rose by 15 points to 410.

Despite the Humanities courses remaining more or less the same as last year, the course with the largest annual points increase in DCU was Multimedia, which went up by 30 points in 2015.

The DCU Business School courses also saw great variation this year. The points for Global Business (Germany) and Global Business (USA) both fell this year, but the others remained the same or rose by 10 points.

Students needed 570 CAO points to secure a place in the new Global Business (Canada) course, just 10 points less than its sister course, Global Business (USA).

There were no huge changes in the courses of DCU’s sister colleges: St Patrick’s Drumcondra, Church of Ireland College and Mater Dei Institute of Education.

Most of their courses rose or fell by five points.

The primary teaching course in St Pat’s rose to 470 points in 2015, five points higher than last year.

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DCU climbs highest in world rankings Credit: topuniversities.com

Stephen Murphy Deputy Online Editor

THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

University of Limerick in pay-off scandal

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DCU has risen in the latest QS World University Rankings from 366 to 353 from last year, the highest increase of any Irish university.

The rankings rate nearly 900 universities globally and are based on academic reputation, faculty/ student ratio, citations from research, and employer reputation.

Since 2010, the number of DCU research publications captured within the ranking increased by 58 percent.

DCU President Brian MacCraith welcomed the news: “This significant rise in position for DCU is driven primarily by an improvement in our scores in research output.

“The volume of publications and citations captured under the QS ranking has increased significantly highlighting the success of our strategy to become one of the world’s leading research-intensive universities.”

QS Head of Research, Ben Sowter, praised Ireland’s performance: “Considering the strong representation of Irish universities per capita, Irish universities are akin to the Irish rugby team – remarkably competitive given their population, funding and resources.”

It wasn’t good news for the leading Irish universities with Trinity falling from 78th to 71st, UCD losing 15 places at 154th. UCC also lost ground, down three places to 233rd.

However NUI Galway, University of Limerick and NUIG Maynooth also saw increases.

Cuts in funding for colleges, increased competition from abroad and a fall in the student-staff ratio have been cited as reasons.

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Jennifer Purdy News Reporter @thecollegeview

DCU’s positive performance comes after it rose from 92nd to 75th in the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings of the world’s young universities earlier this year. This aims to recognise the top universities under fifty-years old, and which are

tipped to become the future’s most outstanding institutions.

The annual young universities summit was also held in DCU in April. Hosting the flagship event was believed to have helped the university’s networking and reputation.

TWO employees claim they were offered nearly €60,000 to resign from their jobs at the University of Limerick, after they raised concerns about inappropriate money spending and mismanagement.

The employees raised these concerns in October 2013 and described the two years that followed as “torture”. They said that the final straw was on a night in December 2014, when they claim they were physically threatened by a UL colleague.

Following this incident, they made complaints to the gardai and a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. No charges have yet been brought forward.

The pair say they had previously queried a number of payments which were being put through the books. Items such as alcohol were “camouflaged” and partners of UL staff were allowed to accompany them if they travelled abroad. All of which cost the taxpayer.

Originally the employees of eight years claimed they were offered €20,000, and when they declined this, were offered €60,000 to drop their accusations, end their contracts and walk away.

This offer was also declined resulting in the two being suspended indefinitely with pay.

The settlement payments would have required the employees to sign a confidentiality clause.

This meant they could never speak of the complaints or ever challenge the university under a number of different acts.

The employees said they felt a moral obligation to speak about their concerns with some questionable practices that were happening in the university and the treatment they were subject to in the public eye.

“We understand that situations like these continue to happen, even though we thought it would never happen to us, but we believe employees in the university are afraid to speak out. This culture still exists, but we feel we have every right to say this is what happened to us and this is how it made us feel.”

NUIG discrimination controversy continues Alison Ring News Reporter @alisonringrang

TRADE unions SIPTU and the

Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) have this week called on Minister for Education, Jan O’Sullivan, to intervene in a dispute regarding equality in the workplace at NUI Galway.

The controversy arose following the refusal of university management to attend the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to address the gender equality issue within the university.

The problem was first brought to light in 2014 when the Equality Tribunal found

that the university discriminated against female lecturer, Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, on the grounds of her gender in a promotion process in 2009.

The debate escalated when a questionnaire distributed to prospective female job applicants was found to include invasive questions regarding their menstrual cycle and breasts.

At the time, NUIG defended the questions saying they were relevant in determining whether an employee would be fit for the job and be able to attend work regularly.

This week’s actions by university management have left unionised workers at NUI Galway “angry and frustrated”.

The Gender Equality Task Force, which was established by NUI

Galway to tackle these issues, has been deemed ineffective by trade unions as it is not independent.

SIPTU and IFUT this week reiterated that their members had “no confidence” in the current structures in place, calling on higher powers to invoke changes.

A recent meeting between NUIG president, Jim Browne, and union representatives served as an update on the progress being made by the Gender Equality Task Force.

An interim report issued in June was criticised by trade unions from the beginning, with calls for an independent task force.

SIPTU organiser, Noel Maguire said: “We heard nothing new at this meeting. Management presented a version of events that denies current and historical reality.” problem, Jim Browne, sought to Oblivious to the extent of the lecture staff representatives on

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management’s ‘bravery’ and ‘achievements’ on equality.”

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THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

Opinion 9

Referendum on abortion is likely to lead to minimum change Sean Cassidy responds to Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s recent comments that he will not commit to repealing the 8th Amendment if Fine Gael return to government

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DURING a visit to DCU in 2007, Enda Kenny, as leader of the opposition party, declared his opposition to same-sex marriage. In the space of less than eight years, his position evolved into one which saw him, as leader of the Fine Gael party and Taoiseach, not only hold a referendum on the issue but also campaign for a Yes vote.

The positive result of the referendum last May, along with the widespread reception and celebration that followed, is a testament to how much individuals and societies can transform their positions on what were once seen as sensitive political issues.

A more cynical view of politicians to this change is that they were simply catching up with public opinion. When poll after poll indicates overwhelming support for reform or change, only unwise politicians would ignore it.

If Enda Kenny is one thing above all else, he is the paragon of pragmatism in Irish politics. This is often eschewed as the antithesis of the conviction politician, but in a political landscape that is grappled by a culture of clientelism alongside a streak of personal careerism, this shouldn’t be surprising.

It is through this prism that we should perhaps view Taoiseach Kenny’s recent comments

that he would not commit to holding a referendum on repealing the 8th amendment in the Irish constitution without considering what to replace it with.

A critical look at the reasoning behind the Taoiseach’s position would have to be contrasted with the damaging split that the Fine Gael parliamentary party endured during the legislative programme that saw the passing of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill into law. It would be difficult to argue that the same level of pro-life resistance exists in the parliamentary party today, considering the most ideologically fervent T.D’s left the party during the debacle.

Also, it would be hard to argue that this is a political gambit by the Taoiseach to try to win back the pro-life constituency heading towards a general election.

This is highly improbable considering the opprobrium of a number of pro-life groups towards Fine Gael at the passing of the PLDP Bill, and also in the context that Fianna Fail is effectively courting this constituency by ruling out repealing the 8th amendment.

The more likely motivation is simply that the Taoiseach is attempting to kick this issue to touch. His comments indicate a recognition that reform is necessary, but when he states

“ True bodily

autonomy and reproductive rights will not be granted unless women are constitutionally trusted with choice

that there needs to be something to replace the amendment, he is narrowing the debate on what change should occur.

This is the favourite approach of every Irish politician.

This mainly being small, slow and incremental change classically understood as the Irish solution to the Irish problem.

There is no doubt that there will be a referendum on the issue in the lifetime of the next parliament. The tipping point of public support in favour of change is rapidly being reached. The makeup of the next Dáil will at the very least see a significantly stronger opposition, and if many left leaning and liberal candidates win seats there will be a sizeable number of parliamentarians who are in favour of repeal. The pragmatic politician will diffuse not only the opposition, but give succour to public opinion by holding a referendum.

However, this isn’t necessarily good news for those who position themselves as pro-choice. The reason being that an incremental approach will see only the bare minimum of change affected on this issue. In all likelihood, it will be focused on allowing abortion in the case of fatal-foetal abnormalities and perhaps in the case of rape and incest - but that will be as far as any reform will be stretched.

While this will make an important difference to women who are affected on those grounds, the societal shaming and judgement inherent in the 8th amendment will not be removed. True bodily autonomy and reproductive rights will not be granted unless women are constitutionally trusted with choice.

The debate is already being framed and narrowed. Therefore, it is incumbent upon pro-choice politicians, activists and groups to recognise that the debate on holding a referendum has been won and to move onto ensuring that it is a fulsome question that is asked on the ballot paper.

This, however, should not be limited to the politicians. The greatest lesson from the progress and passage of the samesex marriage referendum is that civic society must lead in the debate and the campaign. The Taoiseach is narrowing the debate for a more harmonised political atmosphere, while ignoring the effect this has on women.

It would be a momentous change if we stand up in support of our female citizens, and cry havoc to a political system and culture that aims to continue to legally shackle, morally judge and socially shame them into silence and obedience.

THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 Septemberl, 2015

10 Opinion

Is reverse voting the answer to a more satisfactory government?

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Ryan McBride discusses whether reverse voting would be a suitable alternative to our current voting

Ireland’s near unique form of PRSTV voting (only Malta shares the same system for national parliamentary elections), has attracted a fair bit of flack since its introduction.

Whilst pondering the question of why I disliked so many politicians, I came up with a deliciously simple solution to the plight of terrible politicians, and an alternative to our voting system.

It’s the same one that students dread: Reverse Marking.

Basically, whoever gets the smallest amount of votes, wins.

People almost exclusively speak about politicians in negative terms, especially these days, so why not put them in to (or rather, OUT of) office in that way?

The initial burst of inspiration hit me like a train, but then I stopped and thought for a moment.

Of course this couldn’t work, for so many reasons.

Basically who ever gets the fewest votes wins

Credit: Google Images

For example, who would run?

Would there be too many candidates? Would parties field candidates that are weak as can be - but that nobody has heard of before, to sneak in unattended?

Would they field as many candidates as possible with the hope that most people would miss the guy at the bottom of the list?

Only the unknown candidates would win elections in this system on the basis that we ‘give them a

chance’.

On the surface, it seems grand, but the party hierarchy would undoubtedly field a puppet of a candidate in every constituency; fresh faced, clean slated.

They’d have a good chance of getting in as long as they don’t fly their flag too much.

Secondly, every decision gets on the wrong end of someone, so that makes it almost impossible for someone to get into government

power consecutive times. Whether or not that’s a bad thing, who knows?

It might light a fire under the candidates’ behinds.

It also might lead to people who want to cling to power to make ridiculous and rash economic decisions.

But is that not a risk we have already been exposed to?

There is an important lesson for politicians, from my initial excite-

Don’t reduce the value of culture for the sake of fashion Following the ban of Native American headdresses at many music festivals Lisa O’Donnell looks into the debate on cultural appropriation It has become a clichéd scene at music festivals – attendees parading around the event site, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of feathers, cascading from the cheap, poorly constructed replica of the Native American war bonnet that is perched on top of their head On the surface, this may appear to be a pretty innocent image. But to many people, it is an image that represents a crude act of racial stereotyping.

The presence of the Native American headdress at music festivals has attracted such controversy in recent years that numerous events worldwide, including Glastonbury, enforced a ban on the headdress this summer.

So what’s the big deal? I mean, it is just a pretty accessory, right?

Unfortunately, this attitude could not be more ignorant.

Credit: Google Images

To the people of the Native American community, the headdress has immense spiritual meaning, and symbolises that the person wearing it has gained the privilege through acts of great leadership.

However, its significance is completely belittled when someone with no connection to or knowledge of the heritage wears the headdress with the sole aim of achieving a ‘cool’ bohemian look.

This issue all circles back to the topic of cultural appropriation. To those unfamiliar with the term, cultural appropriation is when some-

one adopts elements from a culture which is not their own. When viewed in their own culture, certain styles are considered as a symbol of degradation and racist generalisation, but when a more privileged culture adapts them they are viewed as chic and trendy.

Some people deem the concept of cultural appropriation as being overly sensitive to political correctness. However, culture is an integral part of a person’s identity, something which I don’t think people realise until they experience their own culture being devalued and disrespect-

ed. And when your culture has been the victim of colonisation and racial prejudice for centuries, this sensitivity is bound to be heightened.

Defenders of designers guilty of appropriation are quick to jump to the position that wearing such garments is actually cultural appreciation. And they do have a point, to a certain extent. Cultures often offer beautiful aesthetics which are bound to inspire designers. However, even if their intentions are good, their execution leaves a lot to be desired, as clothing brands repeatedly refuse to acknowledge that a certain

ment on this; it is that I, and many more, vote people into office on the basis of who I dislike more, not who I like. That is why there is so much raking.

But my desire to dish out the pain to them could lead to places we don’t want to go.

This attitude is damaging to democracy’s integrity, and is one which could lead people to look to other systems. Systems where they will have less power to choose which inept people are in charge.

It wouldn’t do politicians any harm to stop the muck raking and try to do something positive (that isn’t loaded with negative consequences).

So let’s forget about Reverse Marking for a bit; PR-STV is the ideal system, and I think in politics we need to stop blaming the game.

Blame the players. Nobody will play if they keep this negativity and shadiness up.

culture has inspired their work For example, Valentino featured models wearing cornrows in a campaign early this year. Not only did the Italian fashion house completely fail to publicly recognise that they were influenced by the African community, but also failed to include a single black model in the campaign.

This sends a clear message to the African community – we want to steal elements of your style, but have no interest in giving you or your heritage any of the credit.

Khloe Kardashian was called out in recent months for posting an Instagram picture of her wearing a niqub, a garment worn by Muslim women to cover their face, while lingerie retailer Victoria Secret came under fire last year for sending model Karlie Kloss strutting down the catwalk wearing the Native American headdress and very little else.

Despite the debate that surrounds the topic, cultural appropriation is never going to disappear.

If you are going to wear an item inspired by a culture that isn’t your own, consider the context and educate yourself in the meaning of what you are wearing. Another persons culture is not there to be sexualised or worn for a cheap laugh, but instead should be approached with the respect that every ethnicity deserves.

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THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

Gaeilge 11

Mo thaithí mar chinnire Bhí Ciara Ní Chába ag obair i gColáiste Lurgan i rith an tsamhraidh mar chuid den mhodúil ‘Taithí Gaeltachta’.

Ciara Ní Chába Scríbhneoir @thecollegeview

ROGHNAIGH mé an cúrsa Gaeilge agus Iriseoireacht toisc go bhfuil grá mór agam don teanga agus bhí mé ag iarraidh feabhas a chur ar mo chuid Gaeilge. Áfach, tar éis dhá bhliain caite ar an ollscoil á stáidéar, d’fhoghlaim mé gurb í an Ghaeltacht an áit is fearr chun é seo a dhéanamh.

Mar chuid den mhodúl ‘Taithí Ghaeltachta’ a bhí idir lámha agam i rith an dara seimeastar i mbliana, bhí orm ocht seachtain a chaitheamh sa Ghaeltacht.

Bhí an t-ádh dearg orm go raibh mé in ann dul chuig an áit is fearr liom ar domhain, Conamara.

D’oibrigh mé i gColáiste Lurgan don tréimhse seo agus bhí taithí iomlán difriúl agam an samhradh seo i gcomparáid le blianta eile.

I gColáiste Lurgan, d’oibrigh mé mar chúntóir. Is é an post is mó a bhí agam i rith an lae ná dul timpeall ag caint leis na scoláirí chun a muinín a mhéadú ag caint

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Don chuid is mó dóibh, tagann siad abhaile ón Gaeltacht le grá acu don Ghaeilge

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Mar chuid den mhodúil ʻTaithí Gaeltachta’ a bhí idir lámha agam i rith an dara seimeastar i mbliana Credit: Ciara Ní Chába

Gaeilge agus an teanga a spreagadh sa choláiste. D’fhan mé i dteach lóistín le cailíní idir trí bhliain agus seacht mbliana déag d’aois. Bhí mé cosúil le deirfiúr níos sine dóibh.

Bhí daoine áitiúla ag obair ar na cúrsaí chomh maith, go leor dóibh ar an aois céanna liomsa agus bhí mé cairdiúil leo. Bhíomar le chéile gach lá ag crochadh thart, ag caint agus ag comhrá. Sa teach lóistín, bhí mé ag caint leis an mbean an tí agus a comhluadar gach lá agus mar sin, chabhraigh sé seo le mo Ghaeilge labhartha agus mo mhuinín. Bhí mé ag foghlaim ag an am céanna toisc go raibh mé ag caint le cainteoirí duchais.

Le linn an tsamhraidh, thug mé faoi dheara gur tháinig feabhas beag ar mo chuid gramadach agus mo bhlas freisin toisc gur phioc mé cúpla rudaí suas ó na daoine aitiúla. Ar ndóigh, foghlaimím go leor sna léachtaí atá agam ar an ollscoil ach i mo thuairim, tá sé níos éasca rudaí a phiocadh suas go nadúrtha in áit cosúil leis an Gaeltacht mar labhraítear Gaeilge mar chéad theanga thíos ansin agus tá sé níos neamhfhoirmiúil.

Deirtear go bhfuil níos mó Béarla labhartha i gcoláistí áir-

ithe ach i mo thuairim, braitheann an méid atá foghlamtha ag an duine ar an méid iarracht atá curtha isteach acu. Ar ndóigh tá sé níos éasca domsa é seo a rá toisc go raibh mé fostaithe ann agus bhí mé ann mar go raibh mé ag iarraidh Gaeilge a labhairt.

Tá na daltaí ag foghlaim i ngan fhios dóibh freisin mar go bhfuil siad ag labhairt le daoine sna siopaí áitiúla agus an bean an tí agus uaireanta, ní thugann siad faoi deara go dtí go bhfuil an nath cainte sin cloiste acu in áit eile ar nós ar scoil.

Molaim cúrsaí Gaeltachta do dhaoine óga toisc go bhfuil go leor buntáistí ag baint leo. Mar shampla; cabhraíonn sé go mór le muinín roimh na scrúduithe cainte sa tríú bliain nó an séú bliain; go háirithe mar gheall go bhfuil an scrúdú cainte ag dul le haghaidh ceathracha faoin gcéad don Ardteist. Buaileann siad le daoine nua an t-am ar fad agus do scoláirí Coláiste Lurgan, bíonn an t-ádh orthu páirt a ghlacadh sna físeáin a bhíonn ar siúl acu gach bliain.

Tá taithí iomlán difriúl acu toisc go bhfuil siad as baile ar feadh trí seachtain ina aonair

FOCLÓIR ceannasaíocht = leadership ar camchuairt = on tour riosca = risk

chomh maith agus foghlaimíonn siad go leor futhú féin freisin. Don chuid is mó dóibh, tagann siad abhaile ón Gaeltacht le grá acu don Ghaeilge agus cabhraíonn sé leo í a fhoghlaim sa seomra ranga ar scoil toisc go bhfuil suim acu ann seachas í a fhoghlaim toisc nach bhfuil an dara rogha acu. Ó mo thaithí féin, sin cad a tharla domsa nuair a chuaigh mé go dtí an Ghaeltacht le linn an tsamhraidh roimh m’Ardteist. Bhí sé i gcónaí mar an t-aon ábhar go raibh mé ag iarraidh stáidéar a

dhéanamh air sa séú bliain mar gur thaitin sé go mór liom. Tá sé mar chuid den chúis go raibh mé ag iarraidh staidéar a dhéanamh ar an Gaeilge san ollscoil chomh maith.

Mar fhocail scoir, tá a fhios ag gach duine go bhfuil na cúrsaí Gaeltachta seo cineál daor uaireanta ach is fiú dul má tá sibh ag iarraidh feabhas a chur ar bhur gcuid Gaeilge!

THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

12 Gaeilge

Comhnascadh nó Colscarradh?

Áine Marie Monk Eagarthóir Gaeilge @ainemonk

NUAIR a bheidh an t-alt seo léite ag cuid mhór den ollscoil, béidh Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath, Coláiste Phádraig agus Institúid Oideachais Mater Dei mar clann nua go hoifigiúil.

Tá a fhios againn, mar mhic léinn in Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath, go n-athróidh chuile rud i mbliana mar thorradh den chomhnascadh seo.

Nuair a chuala mé an nuacht seo don chéad uair, chuir mé cúpla ceist orm féin; an mbéidh mic léinn Choláiste Phádraig ag freastal ar na léachtaí chéanna liomsa agus an mbéidh orainn ár gcuid meansúnachtaí a dhéanamh le chéile?

Chun an fhírinne a rá, ní bheidh an athrú seo i gceist i mo chás féin, cé go bhfuilim ag tabhairt faoi Ghaeilge agus Iriseoireacht, ach chuala mé trácht go mbeidh ar mhic léinn áirithe freastal ar léachtaí i gColáiste Phádraig. Cén chaoi ina mbeidh siad in ann taisteal ó léacht anseo (OCBÁC) go Coláiste Phádraig

gasta go leor chun a bheith in am agus cloí leis an amchlár?!

Tar éis dom smaoineamh faoin athrú sin, an aon ionadh é gur chuir mé an teideal thuas ar an alt seo?! Ní bheidh pobal Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath mar an gcéanna as seo amach.

Is dócha go mbeidh deis iontach againn bualadh le daoine nua ó na hinstitúidí eile, agus is iontach an rud é sin, ach an gcaillfimid ár gcuid féiniúlacht dá bharr?

An mbeidh muid fós mar

‘BEATHA teanga í a labhairt.’ Is beag Gaeilgeoir nach úsáideann an seanfhocal seo agus iad ag déanamh a ndícheall leas a bhaint as an teanga i ngach áit - sna scoileanna, sa choláiste, san ionad oibre is a leithéid.

Ach, is fíor le rá go bhfuil áit amháin a bhfuil sort fágtha amach i measc na Gaeilgeoirí maidir leis an ‘riail’ seo. Áit ina bhfuil, b’fhéidir, an chuid is mo den gcumarsáid is comhrá déanta sa lá atá inniu ann - na meáin shóisialta.

Cinnte, is féidir do chuid Facebook a athrú go dtí ár dteanga naisiúnta. Is féidir teacht ar ghrúpaí áirithe sna cúinní beaga den idirlín chun topaicí ag baint leis an teanga a phlé. Ach ag deireadh an lae, tá ort a adhmáil go bhfuil sé deacair teacht ar an ‘ngnáth Gaeilgeoir’ - a bhfuil díreach ag iarraidh an Gaeilge a labhairt, faoi thopaic ar bith.

Is í Úna-Minh Caomhánach a d’aithin an easpa seo i mbliana. Ceimí OCBÁC sa Ghaeilge agus Iriseoireacht, is díreach mar gheall ar an dúil seo Gaeilge a

comhnascadh: amalgamation colscarradh: separation

phobal beag agus muid ag dul ó áit go háit ag freastal ar léachtaí agus ag glacadh pháirt i gcumainn sna hollscoileanna eile?

I gcás na Gaeilge, sílim go mbeidh pobal níos láidre cruthaithe againn mar ‘The New DCU’. Táim dóchasach go mbeidh muid in ann imeachtaí níos spéisiúla a eagrú agus tá súil agam go mbeidh slua ollmhór ag freastal ar imeachtaí anseo (cosúil leis na féilte móra timpeall Oíche Shamhna agus roimh an tsamhraidh).

“ i gcás na

Gaeilge, sílim go mbeidh níos láidre cruthaithe

GaeilgeChat Aoife Ní Mhistéil Scríbhneoir @aoifeLOL

FOCLÓIR

chur in úsáid ar Twitter a chum sí an haischlib ‘GaeilgeChat’.

‘Chím an haisclib “edchatie” in úsáid go minic ar Twitter labhraíonn siad faoi staid an oideachais.’ a mhiníonn Úna. ‘ Fuaireas an spreagadh chun GaeilgeChat a chruthú mar ní raibh aon áis ann dúinn tvuíteáil as Gaeilge – cinnte is féidir linn an Ghaeilge a úsáid gach lá más mian linn ach uaireanta ní bhíonn deis again labhairt le daoine eile’ ar sise.

Le níos mó ná 5,000 leantóirí ag Úna ar Twitter, chuir sí GaeilgeChat in úsáid don chéad uair i mí Bhealtaine. Tá córas simplí i gcéist gach Luan, is feidir dul i dteagmháil le Gaeilgeoirí eile diréach má chríochnaíonn tú do chuid tvuít leis an haischlib ‘#gaeilgechat’.

Is feidir gach duine a bhfuil ag iarraidh an cúpla focal a tvúiteáil páirt a ghlacadh, dar le Úna.

‘Bíonn meascán de fhoghlaimeoirí agus daoine atá go hiomlán

Is féidir gach duine a bhfuil ag iarraidh an cúpla focal a tvuíteáil páirt a ghlacadh, dar le Úna Credit: dailygenius.com

An mbeidh muid fós mar pobal beag? Credit:: DCU Facebook

Baineann roinnt bunstaistí ollmhóra leis i dtaobh saol na mac léinn i gColáiste Phádraig.

Beidh siad in ann dul chuig an dochtúir ar champas in ionad i nDrum Conrach, ach, ar an taobh eile, beidh orthú táille €20 a íoc as.

Chomh maith leis sin, beidh oifig ar champas ar son seirbhísí do mhic léinn faoi mhíchumas a chur ar fáil, mar an gcéanna leis

an oifig atá oscailte anseo.

An mbeidh muidne mar chlann nua ollmhór nó mar chlann scartha agus dúnta? Is féidir linn ár gcinneadh féin a dhéanamh faoi. Muna bhfuil muid, mic léinn OCBÁC, ag iarraidh a bheith mar bhaill de chumainn eile timpeall na háite, níl orainn. Tá an cinneadh sin againn, agus cinneadh breá-shimplí é.

FOCLÓIR haisclib: hashtag meabrshláinte: mental health céimí: graduate

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le níos mó ná 5,000 leantóirí ag Úna ar Twitter, chuir sí GaeilgeChat in úsáid don chéad uair i mí Bhealtaine.

líofa. Bímíd cabhrach, agus ceapaimse gur lucht sibhialta muid mar nílimid ró-bhuartha faoi bhotúin.’

Níl aon dabht ach go bhfuil GaeilgeChat thar a bheith réabhlóideach i dtaobh na teanga ar líne de. Aithníonn Úna gur rud nua a bhfuil tosáithe aici agus nach bhfuil mórán áiseanna oifigiúla de dhith. ‘Mór an trua [nach bhfuil mórán áiseanna ar líne] -b’fhéidir nach bhfeiceann an rialtas cumhacht na meán shóisialta chun an Ghaeilge a chosaint?’

Pé scéal é, is léir go bhfuil GaeilgeChat ag dul ó neart go neart, le níos mó daoine ag baint leas as gach seachtain, ag plé gach sort topaic ó laethanta saoire go meabhairshláinte.

Tugann Úna cuireadh chuig gach Gaeilgeoir taitneamh a bhaint as - ‘Ba bhreá liom níos mó daoine a fheiceáil ar Twitter le Gaeilge ach uaireanta bíonn faitíos ar daoine faoina gcaighdeán - ach mar a dúramar, is cuma linn!’

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THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

The Great Debate

Features 13

“We should all take a year out before college” FOR Sonja Sjorgren Contributor @thecollegeview

STARTING college at the age of 20 after

a gap year or two can be off-putting for many reasons. All of your friends are moving away, going straight to college after the Leaving Cert while you’re stuck at home.

Feelings of jealousy might arise when it seems like everyone else is off putting their dreams into practice while you have no idea what to do with your life.

Just a few years ago I was that girl, lost after school and trying to figure out where I belong. When I finished my matriculation exams in Finland back in spring 2011, I felt more lost than ever and I didn’t have a clue where to head next. As I was still wondering, everyone else fled home and started college and I consciously ended up taking a year out from school.

Looking back to that decision I made almost five years ago, I haven’t regretted it once. Taking time out from studying opened so many doors for me and made my dream of travelling possible. After graduating high school in Finland I flew to America with my family for a month and experienced everything from New York to Disneyland and divine Mexican food.

During those two years between school and college I got to explore many different cultures and see so many cities, such as Barcelona, Madrid and London. This would not have been possible if I began studying straight away.

In order to travel so much, having a job is essential. I was lucky enough to get a permanent job at the postal service. This meant I was financially independent and could do pretty much anything I wanted to do. I got paid holidays and free healthcare and on top of all that I made great friends.

Nevertheless, the best part of the gap year was that I had time to think about my life and where I was going. Really thinking about my future opened my eyes and made me consider different options. I could have stayed in Finland, and studied something I don’t necessarily like doing,

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Seeing the world like I did would not have been possible if I began studying right

but after careful consideration and plenty of time to think, I decided to take a chance and apply to DCU. After having the time of my life as an independent adult I was ready to take the next step and start studying journalism, something I knew I loved and wanted to study and I have never looked back.

AGAINST Megan Roantree Features Editor @MeganRoantree

I am amazed by how many people in my class alone didn’t go straight from the leaving cert to college. While so many of them say it suited them at the time, I can’t imagine how my life would be now if I took a year out.

I knew I wanted to do journalism since I was very young and so that aspect of not being sure of your course choice never occurred to me.

For many people, getting a yearround job after school is an option but for me I just didn’t feel like I would benefit from working when I knew the only job I wanted needed a college degree first.

Although I was sure of my college course choice in secondary school I wasn’t sure of much else, meaning my self-confidence was fairly low. I went to a school with less than 80 people and so I knew that the only way I was going to boost my confidence levels was to surround myself with a much bigger group of people my age, with the comfort of knowing that we were all in the same boat.

With shyness and anxiety being two major factors at the age of 18, the idea of travelling would be my worst nightmare. While I love sampling different cultures and seeing new places, I simply couldn’t be one of those people who takes a year out to go travelling the world alone or even with friends.

Within my first year of college those things that held me back became minor issues that would rarely get in the way, but I needed the structure and comfort of routine to help me with that.

As someone who hates to waste her day doing nothing, taking a break between the leaving cert and college would have seemed nothing other than complete procrastination seeing as I know I wouldn’t have done anything life-changing.

Taking a “break be-

tween the leaving cert and college would have been nothing other than complete procrastination

I have never regretted coming to college straight away, I will be only 21 when I finish my current course, meaning I still have time to do all the things people do in a gap year, which I never would have had the confidence to do without my time in DCU first.

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14 Features

Love me Tinder

THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

There’s no denying that the dating game has changed in recent years thanks to social media. We must ask ourselves if increased convenience has lead to the decay of meaningful connections.

Rebecca Lumley Deputy Features Editor @RebeccaLumley1

TECHNOLOGY is arguably the biggest thing to hit the Irish dating scene since contraception.

It’s more common in a household than potatoes for dinner and even more important to us than the results of the GAA. We live in a world where there’s an app for everything, so it’s no real surprise that relationships are moving online. When we’re not checking our Facebook, sniggering at Twitter or trying to devise witty Yik Yaks, we’re thinking about it. Technology is ubiquitous and all consuming, helping us make decisions and plan our days. Now, technology is helping us find love (or at least a one night stand).

Once only an option for the desperate, perennial singletons in society, online dating is becoming more and more mainstream. At the forefront of this, of course, is Tinder. Skipping the bland “I like walks on sandy beaches” stuff and cutting right

to the chase, Tinder is particularly popular with the under 25s. In a survey conducted on DCU students, 57 percent currently use Tinder and a further 28 percent have in the past.

There are reportedly 275,000 Tinder users in Ireland and an estimate of between 50 and 90 million worldwide. The game-like format and general convenience of the app have won it such a following, but questions still remain about its effect on romantic relationships. Is the new swipe philosophy just a bit of fun or the sign of a cultural shift to a more impersonal, dismissive mentality?

Where Tinder corners the app market on casual dating, several new apps have been created to help once in a relationship.

Kahnoodle, started in 2013, is an app that aims to “gamify” your relationship by accumulating points (“kudos”) and rewards for real life actions. In short, it aims to get you doing more for your partner. The app is an interesting new take on relationships but has not garnered the following Tinder has.

Credit: Google Images

Though apps like Tinder and Kahnoodle are only as real as users make them, I worry they are causing a subliminal mental shift. Because of their convenience and their impersonal

nature, our partners are becoming more risk-assessed and our romantic gestures more calculated. Our way of handling relationships is different from 30 years ago, and will, I predict, be vastly

different in 30 years to come.

With all said and done, should we still swipe right to this idea of romance?

Living with cerebral palsy Áine Marie Monk Eagarthóir Gaeilge @ainemonk

I had been contemplating publishing this article for some time and decided that doing so will help to raise awareness.

Having Cerebral Palsy (CP) from birth, I aim to give an honest account of the effect it can have on your life and how it may affect you on a daily basis.

I know for a fact that many people believe that CP means being wheelchair-bound and perhaps less capable of completing average, everyday tasks. independently, I can testify this is untrue in the majority of cases.

I don’t recall the first time I realised I was different to all the other children at school or in the playground. I suppose it was when I questioned why it was I had to attend physiotherapy appointments and my friends didn’t.

The only difference I could see was that I had a slight limp and my left hand didn’t cooperate as well as my right. It never crossed

Áine Monk shares a personal account of growing up with cerebral Palsy. my mind that I wore a splint on my leg and no one else seemed to. Having looked into it, I learned that hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which affects one side of the body, was what made me ever so slightly different.

Most people with CP are born prematurely. The condition is caused by a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain at birth, but can also occur at any stage and any age through trauma.

CP can manifest itself in many forms and can affect muscle development and dexterity. In my case, it only really affected my left side until I turned sixteen. I attended an occupational therapy assessment, after which I was to be discharged from the service, it was noted that some of the muscle within my right hand hadn’t developed correctly.

I knew that there had to be a reason why I hadn’t completed any of my Junior Certificate exams in the allotted time frame.

I learned that “hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which affects one side of the body, was what made me ever so slightly different.

I felt that there had to have been a cause for the discomfort I felt after writing for relatively short intervals.

I realise that I have been very lucky in that I can walk like everybody else and am capable of doing whatever takes my interest.

I may be classed as ‘minor’ on the scale of CP, and I feel as though this is down to early integration, physiotherapy (which I reluctantly did) and perseverance.

When I came to college two years ago, I worried about struggling to keep up, particularly when taking notes in lectures. I am so grateful to the Disability and Learning Support Service here in DCU, who have offered me additional services and enabled me to work to my best ability.

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THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

Features 15

Getting home safely:

There’s an app for that Taking measures to feel safe in college help us all feel more at home Megan Roantree Features Editor @MeganRoantree

IN my first year of college I lived an hour away by bus, but it was not the bus journey that worried me, but the walk from DCU to the bus stop, a walk that took about fifteen minutes. I often stayed in college until eight or nine hanging out and making friends, which meant walking in the dark in a place I had only been living in for a few days.

Walking alone at night is something that should be avoided when possible, for example; you should never walk home alone while drunk, if it’s a long distance, or when you are in a particularly unsafe area.

Sometimes these walks can’t be avoided, when it is from the college bar to your apartment or the bus stop to your friends house, a 15 minute walk is sometimes the only option. While no one should live their life in fear, it is important to be aware of the potential dangers we face, and have some helpful options to put your mind at ease.

DCU’s Welfare Officer, Domhnaill Harkin, explained that simply having some important phone numbers saved can help: “The security guards in DCU have always said if you’re walking back somewhere, ring them if you feel scared, because it’s just better to be safe than sorry.”

Another option chosen by so many of us, is to tell our friends to text us when they get home safely, or to stay on the phone while we walk. The issues that arise here are that people forget to text their friends, or feel unsafe walking with an expensive phone out in the open.

The newest way to keep your friend in the know as you walk home is in the form of an app.

The app known as Companion is taking the world by storm since its release just a few weeks ago.

A group of five University of Michigan students felt just like the other university students around the world when they came up with a new app that they hope will help alleviate the fear some of us have about walking alone at night. Co-founder Lexie Ernst said: “As a team of college students, we have experienced

many people say they feel uneasy.

While the app is on you can keep the phone in your pocket, which reduces the chances of it getting snatched. If you begin to run, the phone drops or your earphones get yanked out, the

If you “begin to

this problem first hand on our campus. We’ve also noticed an increasing trend (or at least publicity) of students disappearing, being sexually assaulted, or murdered while walking alone late at night.”

you are walking.

It will give you the option of alerting the police at the touch of a button, which everyone already has access to if they have a phone, but it also allows you to tell your friend you feel nervous, which

Users of this app can select friends to virtually walk them home, the app will send a request to your friend and opens a browser which shows them the route

used for short necessary walks.

My biggest personal fear is students might begin to feel that with this app alone they can skip the taxi or bus and walk for miles because of a mobile app.

“The app is good, but it can’t make up for having someone with you,” Harkin explains, saying that when it comes to a night out you should ‘’always have your route home planned and never leave Aideen Comber walks home alone Credit: Chai Brady anyone behind”.

College is an amazing and exciting does two things; it tells your app asks if you are okay and if you time for everyone, but being friend to keep a close eye on their don’t respond within 15 seconds aware of the potential dangers phone and also documents areas it alerts your friend. and ways to prevent them will you feel most nervous, which in When I first read about this simply put students’ and parents’ turn can help other people avoid app, I thought it was genius, minds at ease. these paths if it is a place where which it is, but it should only be

run, the phone drops or your earphones get yanked out, the app asks are you okay, if you don’t respond within 15 seconds it alerts your friend.

THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

16 Features

Travel and learn with a local’s point of view Jordan Kavanagh Contributor @Kavanagh_Jordan

TRAVELLING is a huge part of an Irish student’s summer, whether it’s a J1 Stateside or working for a club in the sun, there is no denying that it hasn’t crossed a student’s mind at least once.

But for people who didn’t have the funds to travel and rent for the summer, there is a new opportunity that they can go for.

GoCambio is an Irish start-up company which began this year.

It has a very simple ethos, “hosts share their homes and guests share their skills”. So in exchange for language tuition, travellers can stay with a host in a foreign country who will provide a bed.

Irish Cambioer, Sinead Gould, stayed with Alex Lopez in Zaragoza, in the north of Spain.

She said: “GoCambio was a new adventure that I had not experienced and I am so grateful that I did. I had no expectations of Zaragoza and I was curious about living like a local rather than a generic holiday experience I would get if I stayed at a hotel.”

People teach for at least two hours a day with their host, and you don’t have to be a qualified

A new way to explore the world with the help of your native tongue, the Irish start-up, GoCambio can get you your dream holiday.

English teacher to apply, because according to the company, “One thing you can be sure of, whatever your native language – you will always be better in fluency, pronunciation and usage than

your host”.

Arrangements can be made between hosts and guests prior or during the trip for food, travel and how many hours they want to teach a day. Unfortunately

flights are all up to guests.

Travellers are encouraged to use creative means for teaching, as sometimes they may be tutoring children or may feel more comfortable outside a classroom

setting. As Sinead said: “At the start we discussed how we would do the tutoring and all agreed that it would be better to do it in a relaxed manner when they were showing me around.”

GoCambio has over 6,500 sign ups currently and it is beginning its second phase in November, which is set to broaden the bartering system to more than language, as they put it “everyone has a talent they can share”.

It is currently free to sign up for both guest and host, so it is making no revenue which is something they wish to change with the introduction of new talents.

GoCambio is an opportunity that will appeal to many people, because you can travel and see new places from a local’s point of view. Former guest, Naomi Maher said: “A Cambioer must be someone who is open-minded and dedicated to making an exchange to remember. A Cambio works the best when both parties are fully engaged and willing to give their best to each other”.

Credit: Gocambio.com

Inspirations: Susan Hawkins Michaela Gaffney Contributor @thecollegeview

IN this day and age it’s so important to have someone to look up to as a role model to keep you on the straight and narrow while taking full advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

Over the past few months, I have built up a strong relationship with the person who inspires me. You will often find me sitting in her office and just nattering away to her like she was one of the girls. I find it so easy to talk to her about any of my problems and she always gives me the best advice and leads me in the right direction.

Susan Hawkins is the Outreach Officer for the Access Service in DCU. For anyone who doesn’t know, the Access service is a scheme that offers students from a disadvantaged background the opportunity to go to college by offering reduced points and financial aid.

I first met Susan when I was in sixth year when she came to my school and spoke about the different routes to third level education; The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) and

Michaela Gaffney tells us how Susan Hawkins had a huge influence on her life

“

She was the first person who said to me ‘Why wouldn’t you be able to go to college, you can’

The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE). She was the first person who said to me “Why wouldn’t you be able to go to college, you can.” From that moment on she made me believe that I would be able to reach college and that my background would not affect that. Little did I know that the following August I would be accepting my first choice on my CAO through DCU’s Access Service.

My first few days of university life were spent in the Access Service’s orientation, where I joined my little Access family, which she is at the heart of. From that day on, Susan has always ensured that we reach our full potential.

Throughout the past year I have had some great opportuni

ties to volunteer with the Access Service, whether it was school talks, volunteering at awards ceremonies, or giving a hand at one of the various events she held to introduce second level students to third level education.

An opportunity I really enjoyed and got the most out of was going to various schools in the North Dublin area with Susan and giving a talk to the senior students about the HEAR option for college, that same very talk with which she inspired me to go to college.

Susan Hawkins believed that I would succeed in university.

I believed in myself too. Since then I often think to myself, why didn’t I believe that I could be here?

Credit: Karl Conyard

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Sport

17

Pack left chasing Cats’ tails Paddy Lynch looks at the Cats continued dominance over the hurling landscape Paddy Lynch Sports Reporter @CVsport Earlier this year, former Kilkenny hurler, Tommy Walsh, alluded to the ethos his former manager had created. “Brian (Cody) told us he wasn’t there to win All-Irelands. He was there to create a spirit that couldn’t be broken,” Walsh said, speaking to GAA.ie.

Kilkenny have remained true to this statement throughout the reign of Cody and have reaped thedividends.

This unrelenting hunger was never more apparent than in this year’s All-Ireland Final against Galway. It seemed as if ‘the Holy Grail’ was Galway’s for the taking.

Kilkenny had been outworked and outclassed in the first half.

If not for T.J. Reid’s opportunistic goal and a number of chances Galway failed to take, Kilkenny would have been dead and buried.

The typical thing for a team to do would have been for heads around the dressing room to drop and an All-Ireland dream to fade away.

Kilkenny are no typical team.

Within five minutes of the beginning of the second half, the Cats had annexed the three-point deficit and were on level terms.

They did not flinch thereafter.

This teak tough mentality is years in the making. The intensity of Brian Cody’s training sessions is much revered around the country. In 2008, I was lucky enough to attend The D.J. Carey School of Hurling, where we were given the chance to watch the Cats train in the flesh. An hour-long training match ensued during which the ball didn’t once leave play for a sideline. Cody never blew his whistle for a free. ‘Hard hurling’ is the requirement on the training pitch. Roy Keane referred to Premiership matches as a ‘day off ’; such was the intensity of Manchester United’s training sessions under Sir Alex Ferguson. This level of intensity has allowed Kilkenny to match, and even surpass, that United team in terms of complete domination.

At this time I also got the chance to see Richie Hogan up

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THE TYPICAL THING FOR A TEAM TO DO WOULD HAVE BEEN FOR HEADS AROUND THE DRESSING ROOM TO DROP AND THE ALL-IRELAND DREAM TO FADE AWAY. KILKENNY ARE NO TYPICAL TEAM close. He was 19 and yet to fill out. While only 5’7”, Hogan is now known for his unparalleled strength under the high ball. It is clear that in order to cut it on this Kilkenny team, you must utilise the gym. Ger Cunningham remarked of his time as manager of the University of Limerick hurling team, that Kieran Joyce had done so much gym work, that he needed assistance in fitting on his jersey. Physically, Kilkenny are an

Kilkenny’s Walter Walsh in action against Johnny Cohen in this years All Ireland Final Credit Sportsfile

enormous team and have the ability to endure the toughest of tests.

Many felt the victory over Tipperary in last year’s decider was a last hurrah of sorts. Walsh, Henry Shefflin and J.J. Delaney were among the stalwarts who decided to call it a day. These men are three of the greatest to have ever played the game of hurling.

However, the transition has been seamless due to the strength in depth of this Kilkenny squad. Lester Ryan helped to bring Clara its first county title in over 25 years, yet his appearances in the Black and Amber have been fleeting.

Michael Rice was one of the most dominant midfielders in the country between 2009 and 2011, yet he too finds himself warming the bench. Brothers, Richie and John Power, combined for four goals and three points in last year final yet fail to start. All of these players are chomping at the bit for game time, knowing they have to perform when they get a chance.

It is so difficult to start on the Kilkenny team, that there is total appreciation for the jersey

and nothing is taken for granted.

Richie Hogan is widely regarded as the most talented underage player to emerge from Kilkenny in the last 25 years. Yet it was only in 2011 that he finally nailed down a place as a regular starter. T.J. Reid endured a similar wait. For every major high that we have witnessed in recent years, there was a low of not making the starting 15 or being substituted early in a game. This gruelling process has aided in making them two of the finest artists in the game today.

Work rate is described as the number one trait required to make Cody’s team sheet. Veteran selector Martin Fogarty explained the selection process for the 2012 All-Ireland replay against Galway.

There was a forward spot up for grabs and Walter Walsh got the nod.

Fogarty explained that there were plenty of more experienced and skilful forwards in the county but Walsh was the one who ticked all the boxes in terms of blocking, hooking and hassling. His work rate was ‘manic.’

This appreciation of the jersey was evident in a recent interview with D.J. Carey. Carey recalled breaking his hand in a training match. He went to hospital to have a cast put on. When leaving the hospital, Carey had two choices: Go home or go back to Nowlan Park and join the team for lung bursting sprints. He chose the latter.

Pound-for-pound, there is very little difference between Kilkenny’s starting 15 and other top teams around the country. A piece of Richie Power magic saved Kilkenny late on from defeat against Limerick in torrential rain in last year’s semi-final; Hawk-Eye denied John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer from sealing All-Ireland glory for Tipperary a number of weeks later and Galway seemed destined for glory at half-time in this year’s decider - the margin between victory and defeat at this level are so fine.

Above all, the pretenders need to match the spirit and intensity of Kilkenny if they wish to take their throne.

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THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday, 30 September, 2015

Sport

Céire Smith sets sights on Rio

Cormac O’Shea Deputy Sports Editor @CVSports Fresh from representing Ireland in the European Games in Baku, DCU’s own Céire Smith is aiming to go one better and represent her country in next year’s Olympic Games in Brazil.

The 23-year-old student missed out on a medal in Baku, Azerbaijan, but described the experience of representing her country at the European Games as “an absolute honour.”

Speaking to The College View, Smith said, “It’s definitely been the highlight out of any tournament I’ve been to, it was just breathtaking, a small taster of what the actual Olympics will be like.”

Despite missing out on a medal, losing at the quarter final stage to the European number two Saiana Sagataeva (Russia) in a split decision, Smith saw the positives.

“I had to qualify to get to Baku so I knew only the best of the best were going to be there.

“I wasn’t a little disappointed I was absolutely gutted but it was a fantastic experience,” Smith said.

After her display in Baku, the Cavan woman is hopeful about her chances of making it to Brazil next summer; “I am confident, I have nationals in November, I have to maintain my national senior title to go to the world qualifiers in Kazakhstan in January”.

Only the top four Europeans in the world qualifiers make the Olympics and after missing out on London 2012 at the final hurdle, Smith is determined not to let that

Smith in action at the 2015 European Games in Baku

happen this time around.

Since Baku, Smith has competed in the Felix Stamm Multinationals in Poland where she came away with a silver medal, beating the AIBA World number one Marlen Esparza of the USA along the way.

Unfortunately for the 23-yearold she was edged out in the final

by Poland’s Sandra Drabik on a split decision.

“I thought I’d done enough but boxing the home girl and losing on a split decision, there’s not much more you can do,” Smith said.

Beating the number one seed in the tournament was a massive boost in confidence, she explained; “She was my first fight, it was my luck to get the best girl in the first fight but when I won it was a huge confidence booster.

“My semi-final was probably my toughest fight, it was very technical and I was against a clever boxer.”

Overall, Smith felt it was a beneficial competition for her; “Good girls, good competition, four days, four fights”.

In preparation for Rio, Smith has deferred her third year in DCU so she can concentrate more on her boxing after finding the balance between training

and college to be a tough one in her first two years.

“I was trying to fit in two training sessions a day and some days I was in college from nine ‘til five, you’re going to class wrecked and then you’re coming home and falling asleep, so it’s very hard to

“

I went straight to the (National) Stadium to train with Billy.

It’s a great peace of mind when you go into a fight with the World Number One and know that you have the best coach giving you the best advice in the corner.”

Smith was speaking to The

TRYING TO FIT IN TWO TRAINING SESSIONS A DAY AND SOME DAYS I WAS IN COLLEGE FROM NINE ‘TIL FIVE, GOING TO CLASS WRECKED AND THEN COMING HOME AND FALLING ASLEEP, IT’S VERY HARD TO BALANCE EVERYTHING balance everything,” the Sports Science student said.“I had been giving 40 percent in college when I should have been giving 100 percent,” she added.

Smith is trained by Billy Walsh and Zaur Antia and was full of praise for her coaches.

“Straight up-front I would not have performed as well in Baku or at the Felix Stamm Multinationals only for the amount of work Billy Walsh put in with me”, the Cavan native explained.

“I finished my exams in DCU in the summer and

College View just before flying out to Assisi, Italy for a training camp with the men’s elite team. “It’s the men’s team’s preparation; they’re flying straight from there to Doha (Qatar) for the World Championships.

“Its very good preparation for me,” the 23-year-old added.

Unfortunately for Smith there is not a great level of competition within Ireland in her weight division so she is forced to spar with some of Ireland’s leading male boxers.

“You could go and box a novice but you’re not learning anything. I get to move around with the best guys, Paddy Barnes and Brendan Irvine so they test me to my maximum.

“Sometimes you get very frustrated thinking you’re not progressing at all but you have to realise Paddy Barnes is a two time

Olympic champion and Brendan Irvine won silver at Baku,” Smith said.

“I really am moving around with the best guys, it’s been very helpful for me,” the Flyweight added.

As a female boxer Céire Smith is constantly compared to Ireland’s greatest ever female boxer Katie Taylor and says she is full of admiration for the fighter who brought home gold at London 2012.

“Katie is an absolutely fantastic athlete. I get on very well with Katie and I look up to her massively,” Smith said.

“What she has achieved is just outstanding, I don’t think anybody will reach that level, it will be a long time before you see a female boxer like her.

“Everybody knows Katie Taylor, what they don’t realise is it’s not just in Ireland she’s well recognised, she’s well recognised across the world, people nearly know more of her abroad than in Ireland,” Smith said.

While the road to Rio began a long time ago for Céire in terms of training, the first step to getting there is the National Elite Female Boxing Championships which take place at the National Stadium, Dublin in November.

Should she successfully defend her Flyweight title, she will represent Ireland in the World Qualifiers in Kazakhstan next January where she needs to be one of the top four European fighters in her weight to make next summer’s Olympics.

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THE COLLEGE VIEW Wednesday 30 September, 2015

Spence Delighted With Player of the Year Nomination

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Aaron Gallagher Deputy Sports Editor @CVsport

DCU’s Rugby Development Officer, Sophie Spence, says she is ‘thrilled and honoured’ to have been nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year for 2015.

“It’s a fantastic achievement and it’s an honour, a huge honour to be nominated. It’s something that I wouldn’t have expected to ever come across before,” she said, speaking to The College View.

“I’m still shocked but it’s an absolutely huge honour and it’s brilliant for Irish women’s rugby as well.”

The Ireland second-row has been nominated alongside New Zealand’s Kendra Cocksedge and French captain Gaëlle Mignot for the award, to be decided at the World Rugby Awards in London on November 1st.

“A lot of hard work has gone into it but there’s still a long way to go,” she continued. “It’s a long process to improve as a player but I have massive thanks for the nom-

Jenny Murphy and Sophie Spence celebrate Ireland’s Six Nations win.

Credit Sportsfile

ination.”

Spence helped Ireland lift their second Six Nations title in three years back in March following wins over Italy, England and Wales on top of an incredible 73-3 win over Scotland to secure the Championship on a dramatic final day.

On the nomination, Spence explained that while it was certainly one of the highlight s of her career so far, she is still coming to terms with the astonishing accolade.

“It’s definitely up there (with her biggest achievements). It’s something that’s kind of at the back of my mind. When people talk about it to me it brings it back and then I can talk about it.

“But then I’m kind of setting it back in my mind just because it’s such a huge honour that I’m probably a little bit nervous to think about it and talk about it myself.

“Obviously it’s up there with winning a Grand Slam and coming fourth in the World Cup, (which were) huge achievements for me as well, but I think (the nomination) probably just hasn’t sunk in

yet.”

Spence was also honoured at the recent Rugby Writer’s Awards in August where she picked up the Women’s Player of the Year award, without neglecting matters closer to home. As DCU’s Rugby Devel-

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THAT BUZZ OF WINNING THE SIX NATIONS, THATS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN FOR EVERYBODY SO THATS SOMETHING SPECIAL

opment Officer she is forecasting another promising year for rugby at the college.

“I suppose this year the men’s and women’s teams have both

Sport 19 DCU man stars for Irish Universities team

gone up divisions, men’s into First and women’s into Division One as well,” she said.

“We want the next Jamie Heaslip coming out of DCU.” Recalling that spellbinding 73-3 win over Scotland that ultimately clinched Ireland the Six Nations – meaning Ireland was the first Kev Taylor nation ever to win both women’s Sports Reporter and men’s in the same year – she @Kev_T said that while the result was considerable, she and her team-mates Continued from back page knew nothing but a win would be good enough. his first professional contract “We knew the night before, af- with Scottish giants Aberdeen. ter the England vs France result, “I was only out for three we had to win the game. So we months! I got back playknew what points we had to get ing just before Christmas and by April I’d been ofand going into the game we al- fered a contract at Aberdeen. ready had our goal that we had to “Within five months of achieve. being back after the accident “It’s something where we might I had been capped by Ireland be 30 points up but it’s still 0-0. It at youth level and had signed my first contract. It all just was a case of ‘we have to achieve’. seemed to work out so quickly.”

We had to finish the competition Battling back from the inright and to do that you have to jury gave O’Sullivan the desire stay focused and you’ve got to to excel as a footballer - and remain calm and I suppose go he showed his quality in abundance at this year’s World through the process according to University Games - playing a what the game plan is.” starring role as the Irish team Noting that time was scarce in topped a group consisting of her schedule - she had been in the China, Russia and Uruguay.

“The highlight was scoring in gym since 6.00am - she said that the 2-1 win over Russia and getwhile trying to fit playing, coach- ting the equaliser in the fifth place ing, meetings, training and a job play-off against France as well. into her week, that the thrill and “The Russians were an exhonour of stepping onto the field cellent side and really they representing her country was were a lot better than us technically - but we worked hard, something she would not swap for we were solid defensively anything. and battled to earn the win.

“I suppose you’ve got to think “I didn’t think we would top ‘why am I doing this?’ I do it be- the group going over there to be cause I love it and I do it to pre- honest, but we managed to do it.

“There was no doubt we pare for a game, to be prepared had a great team but I wonwith your team-mates. Not every- dered whether we would gel. one’s going to get that opportunity In the end we did click to feel what it feels like to put an and had a bit of craic and a good laugh together as well.”

Irish jersey on.

When O’Sullivan re“To step out onto the pitch and turned from Scotland in 2014 play for your country and get that he signed for League of Irebuzz of winning the Six Nations, land First Division side Shelthat’s not going to happen for ev- bourne - but after a promising eryone so that’s something that’s first season with Shels, this year has not quite gone to plan. special for me and I suppose that’s “This season with Shels, for what I’m going to go away with me personally, and for the club I at the end of my career thinking suppose, it has been a bit of a frus‘Wow, I’ve done that, that’s actual- trating one. I haven’t featured as much as I would have wanted. ly amazing’.”

“We still have an outside Surely it must be a demanding chance of making the play-offs schedule? with UCD slipping up, but really “The time that I get is precious. with the squad we have we should We’re not paid athletes so I have to be higher up in the league.”

There are plenty of reawork to earn a living so I’m fitting sons for O’Sullivan to look foraround my training in the morn- ward to the year ahead in DCU ing, training late in the evening - both on and off the pitch. but then you have to fit the job Combining sports and can be difficult in-between as well. And then fit studies students but O’Sullithings around that like the extra for van insists it is manageable. coaching.”

“I’m studying Sports Science So why do you do it? and Health but it’s not that hard “I’m doing it because I love it, to balance it with the football.

“Shels is only down the I enjoy it, I’m passionate about it and I want women’s rugby to de- road so I’ve got plenty of time to study and train properly. velop in Ireland.”

“With DCU we have a good Come November when Sophie enough side to challenge for the takes to the stage in London in her league and the Collingwood Cup. Most of the lads from last nomination as World Rugby Player of the Year, we will know that year’s team are still there and there will be some new facthe future of Irish rugby is in safe es coming in as well so we hands. definitely have to be positive about our chances.”

Sport

INSIDE

THE COLLEGE VIEW

Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Aaron Gallagher catches up with Six Nations heroine

www.thecollegeview.com

Read more on page 19

Near-fatal car accident inspired O’Sullivan to “take his chance” Kev Taylor Sports Reporter @Kev_T Stepping out in front of 40,000 people at an opening ceremony would send shivers down any footballer’s spine - and for DCU striker Alan O’Sullivan, a moment like that is extra-special.

O’Sullivan was part of an Irish side that defied the odds to finish in fifth place at the World University Games

Shelbourne’s Alan O’Sullivan (right) celebrates with team-mate Gary Dempsey after scoring against St Pat’s Credit Sportsfile in

Gwangju, South Korea.

But the DCU and Shelbourne ace knows he is lucky that he is even able to take to a football pitch after a serious car accident five years ago which nearly killed him.

“Just being a part of the crowd of athletes in front of that many people was chilling.

“I can’t really put it into words but I don’t think I’ll ever

experience anything like it ever again. To think that Premier League footballers get to play in front of crowds like that every week - that inspires you to kick on in your own career.

“Five years ago when I was 15 I was hit by a car crossing the road. It was fairly bad to be honest, and I think there was only a slight chance I’d survive. I fractured my skull in two places

and they operated on my brain but luckily it all worked out.

“It was nervy coming back to football at the start. I remember heading a ball for the first time since the accident and being scared, but thankfully there was no reason to fear it.

“Before the accident I used to take the piss in training and everything but after it I said to myself: ‘I’ve got a chance

here so let’s make something of it.’ That was when I started to change my attitude and work a bit harder in training.”

O’Sullivan made an amazingly quick recovery from his injuries and within a few months had signed Continued on page 19