Wednesday, March 6th 2019
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Show me the minutes MINUTES from Class Rep Council (CRC) during this academic year were not been published on the DCU Students’ Union webpage, despite several students requesting access to view them. This breaks DCUSU’s constitution, according to former CRC Secretary Emma Tunnicliffe, who brought the issue to the attention of SU representative during an emergency CRC on February 28th. Tunnicliffe presented a motion during Any Other Business at the last CRC, that stated minutes should be made available “ASAP” and asked where are “all the minutes from this academic year?” Returning Officer and Secretary Podge Sheehan is responsible for ensuring minutes are made available to students. Only one form of minutes for this academic year could be seen on the DCUSU webpage at the time of publication. These minutes were for a CRC which happened on October 5th 2018. There are no minutes from 2017 or 2019 on the webpage. There are two types of minutes a student from DCU can view. One which can be downloaded in PDF form and one which the student must request access to. These should be found on the DCUSU webpage under Resources. Once the student has clicked on Resources there is a link titled: ‘All Students’ Union Resources.’ This link should bring students to an area on the webpage where PDFs of Exec minutes can be downloaded. Google Drive links are also provided but access must be granted to view to the minutes. Class Rep Emilio Williams Doran stated at the CRC that “tens of students” had requested access to view minutes but they were not made available.
Sheehan was not present at the CRC on February 28th due to being sick, which President Vito Moloney Burke explained to those who were present. Moloney Burke added that minutes from the last CRC may not have been made available yet as due to elections happening and the entire office undergoing a quality review which three people are involved with. One of these is Sheehan and the other two needed to take time off for personal reasons. “That’s understandable for this week Vito. But what stopped him from putting all the other minutes up? Every week they should be put up,” replied Tunnicliffe. “They are taken at Exec. They’re voted at the next Exec. They should go straight up then. That’s what’s meant to happen. So if somebody who’s elected as the Secretary is too busy then there should be somebody else elected as secretary,” she added. This issue was also brought up at the previous CRC to the one on February 28th, however, Sheehan was not present then either to discuss the matter because “he booked work flights many weeks ago,” said Moloney Burke. “Well since it was raised to us directly there’s been no window to address it with the secretary. That’s just the way it is,” said Moloney Burke. “But as soon as he is back from being sick next week and things have calmed down a bit, of course, we will address that straight away,” he added. Tunnicliffe responded to Moloney Burke by saying it is his responsibility as President “to address the issue.” She stated that members of the Executive should “have copies of the minutes” and “should all be emailed minutes.” Therefore the “President should be able to send them to the media department and get them put up on to the website.” “It’s all about transparency. [sic] Yous talked about engagement, transparency is part of engagement,” said Tunicliffe during the CRC.
Features
Should Irish people be fearful of terrorism?
Cáit Caden News Editor @AreYou_Caden_Me
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Students’ Union Presidential Candidates Adam Healy and Christine Farrell at this years hustings on Glasnevin campus. Further reporting inside the paper.
Credit: Béibhinn Thorsch
In the event that the minutes are not being done by the Secretary, Podge Sheehan who is also the Returning Officer, the responsibility falls to the Vice President for Academic Affairs Callaghan Commons. However, while Commons is running for re-election, he cannot perform any of his sabbatical duties. Tunicliffe added that “this has been an issue since Podge has been the Secretary of the Executive.” Class Reps voted that Minutes should be published through the Drive on the DCUSU website two academic days after every Executive meeting or CRC. It was also agreed that this issue should be resolved by the end of Reading week. It is not currently known why minutes were not made available. "I have checked and you now have access. Which is a result directly from the AOB that I bought up at CRC two on Thursday," said Tunnicliffe. "But unfortunately though min folder is available there are still numerous missing," she added.
AN Emergency Class Representative Council (CRC) voted to mandate the DCU Students’ Union Executive’s position on Union of Students in Ireland (USI) affiliation to be neutral, should a referendum be called. On February 28th, the CRC voted overwhelmingly in favour of the motion: “Council mandates in the interest of fairness that the current Exec position be neutral on USI affiliation. The Emergency CRC was called after concerns were raised over the fact that the SU Exec voted on their position and opened a petition, collecting signatures to bring the matter of USI affiliation to referendum, before bringing it to CRC.
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DCU ranked second for graduate employment in Ireland
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DCUSU comes under fire at Emergency CRC Emily Sheahan News Editor @emilyaine_s
It followed the publication of two open letters from DCU societies. DCU LGBTA Society and Feminist Society published the letters on social media, expressing discontent with how the SU went about calling a referendum. DCU LGBTA Society’s open letter stated that it was it was hard to imagine the actions of DCUSU “were done in good faith”. This is a slap in the face to all class representatives, a slap in the face to students in general in DCU, and a slap in the face to our integrity. “We urge DCUSU to immediately cease any work towards a referendum on our disaffiliation from the Union of Students in Ireland until the stance of the DCUSU can be decided upon through Class Representative Council.
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Editorial
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Editor-in-Chief Callum Lavery
Film/TV Umbrella Academy, a delightful surprise Read on page 6
Fashion
The life and death of Karl Lagerfeld Read on page 14
Music
Misery music or moneymaking? Read on page 3
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Editor’s piece
s campaigning comes to a close, election fever spreads through DCU. It has become impossible to attend lectures without meeting campaigners, seeing fliers and being ambushed by a storm of free fruit, sweets and stickers. Throughout election season, The College View has been committed to providing fair and accurate coverage of campaigns. From reporting on debates and hustings, to wading through manifestos and sabbatical positions. All of this work comes to a close this week, as voting closes tomorrow, Thursday 7th at 3pm. I would encourage all our readers to use their vote in this election, but remember to put thought in your vote. It is pointless at best to vote for candidates who will not represent your best interests and detrimental to you at worst. Avoid voting for candidates because they’re ‘sound’, or popular with your peers. Spend time combing through a candidates manifesto, find what policies will benefit your life and vote accordingly. To
help you make a decision, The College View contains reports on both presidential candidate: Adam Healy and Christine Farrell inside. Political Scientist, Larry J. Safari said that “Every election is determined by the people who show up.” let your vote show this. The College View will be providing firsthand coverage when the results are announced. Also in the paper this week: News editor Cáit Caden investigates missing minutes at Class Rep Councils, Craig McHugh announces his campaign for USI VP for the Dublin Region despite recent attempts by DCUSU to disaffiliate while our opinion and features team look into trans athletes, questioning if the DCU BDS referendum is anti-semitic, the anti-vax movement and the business of fashion respectively. Remember to stay tuned for video and audio coverage of all campus news online, on our Youtube and Soundcloud sites. From all of us here at The College View we would like to wish the very best of luck to all candidates and hope you all have a relaxing reading week.
News Continued from Page 1... FemSoc’s open letter read: “It is appalling that DCUSU has acted with secrecy and underhandedness to engage in a disaffiliation campaign without prior consultation or input at any level from students or class reps”. The petitions were subsequently paused. The Emergency CRC was called by third-year Psychology class representative Dean O’Reilly. Unable to attend, he argued in his speech read by Ailish Keating, that Exec went against precedent by not determining a stance through mandate by the CRC. “Class reps have been left in the dark for far too long,” O’Reilly’s speech read. DCUSU President Vito Moloney Burke argued that the process that the Exec took was “entirely democratic” and that an Exec needs to be in agreement before bringing a matter to CRC. Under the DCUSU constitution, a referendum may come to fruition by one of three methods; by way of Exec through CRC, CRC itself, or by way of a petition comprising of 2.5 per cent of SU members, 425 signatures in this case. “If you didn’t plan to bypass CRC why did you go about collecting signatures?” Keating asked the SU President. Moloney Burke said they opted to collect signatures as they were in a rush to align the referendum with the SU elections which sees students voting on March 5th-7th. The SU was criticised for lack of transparency by a number of class reps. Fourth year Education and Training (Further Adult & Continuing Education) representative, Emma Tunnicliffe, said she has seen “no transparency and zero to little engagement” from this year’s SU. Tunnicliffe said she felt as if the Exec were “taking a stance on [their] behalf”. Moloney Burke said that he felt the matter of USI affiliation needed to be brought to referendum as a “large portion of students were unaware of USI does”. However, when asked, Moloney Burke said that no survey was carried out to support this. Moloney Burke previously told The College View that he planned to take the matter to CRC, whose vote would trump their stance as an Exec. Bryan Mulry, who attended the CRC, said he would like to give the SU the benefit of the doubt. “I honestly don’t believe there was anything malicious,” he said. Moloney Burke said he was “taken aback to hear” the disapproval from the student body and that he looked forward to “reaching an outcome that satisfies” the student body and class reps. He said affiliation with the USI is costing the student body and the DCUSU financially and opportunistically. USI President Síona Ní Chaithal said that it’s not possible for local unions to focus on national issues if they branch out on their own. A referendum has yet to be called on USI affiliation. DCUSU has been a member of USI since 2014, when they re-affiliated, having left in 2002. USI affiliation is voted on every three years by the DCU student body.
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Hustings: A&F scandal, manifestos and standstills Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque Deputy News Editor @BrendanFKP THE student body let the Accounting Finance society scandal happen, according to presidential candidate Adam Healy. Students’ Union (SU) presidential candidates were questioned at this year’s hustings as to how they would respond to a situation like the A&F society scandal. A&F society was <asuspended from social activities for semester one due to a hazing incident in October of last year. Healy said: “I’m not going to lie to you, it’s murmured since I was in first year that such and such a thing happened… We let that happen as a student body we could hear the whistles but because we weren’t there we didn’t really care.” Christine Farrell – who is also running to be DCU’s SU President for 2019/2020 – described the scandal as upsetting, as well as a learning experi-
ence. Farrell was the Events Manager for the A&F society when the incident occurred. “It really brought to light the kind of terrible culture that existed within this university,” she said. She added that: “We need to introduce more training at the start of the year for freshers… more sexual health awareness and more education on that.” Healy instead proposed to solve similar situations by having a more productive SU who “nip in the bud” issues as soon as they hear about them. He also said: “I want to make sure especially that no one employed in the SU would connect themselves to such a thing.” Current DCUSU Vice President (VP) for Engagement & Development Karl McGovern was present for some of the A&F society’s hazing event. Both presidential candidates were also questioned as to how realistic their manifestoes are. Farrell said that she had already worked out the FEASIbility for some of her proposals, such as
free gym classes in the U. Healy similarly responded and said there was “nothing unrealistic” in his manifesto. Questions were submitted to candidates by DCU students through tweets and written notes, which were given to DCUSU President Vito Moloney Burke – who would then read them out. Candidates could only be asked three questions and had a maximum of one minute to answer. In addition, questions could not be specific to individual candidates in cases where there was more than one person running for the position. This caused a temporary standstill when the chair of the LGBTA society had to reword a question originally directed at VP for Academic Affairs Callaghan Commons, who is running for re-election. Chair of LGBTA, Dean O’Reilly, told The College View that his original question was: “Having been removed from academic life for over a year, how do you still intend on advocating for students?” The question was reword-
ed to fit both candidates and they were eventually asked how they would stay in touch with student life while in the roll. Meanwhile, three candidates are running for VP for Welfare & Equality – more than any other full-time position. It includes the current VP, Aisling Fagan, as well as newcomers Cindee Luna Chin and Cian Conroy. Luna Chin believed that her speech went well and that she got her main points across, but she was still nervous. She said: “I am facing a bit of a difficult position because I’m not that well known around college.” Fagan was asked by The College View what she thought her chances of being re-elected were. She responded: “I have faith in the students of DCU that they will elect the best person for the job.” Several candidates did not attend the hustings. Olivia Forde – who’s running for VP for Education & Placement – was the only full-time candidate not to attend, as she was on placement.
Engagement, Accomodation and Nationally Funded Education, McHugh runs for USI, following disaffiliation vote. Callum Lavery Editor-in-Chief @callum_lavery DCU Students’ Union Vice President for Education and Placement, Craig McHugh has embarked on a campaign to become the USI’s next VP for the Dublin Region. McHugh is the only DCU student entering the USI elections this year and is running uncontested for the position of VP. The former president of the Irish Secondary Students Union (ISSU) says that engagement, accommodation and publicly funded education are his main goals of his campaign and wants to draw on his experience at election season. McHugh said: “Three things; publicly funded education, engagement and student accomodation.” “For the last five years I've been involved in the student movement through my role as president of the irish secondary level students union and founding the campaign for publicly funded education, and I have always been invested in that and a passion for the national student movement particularly around funding and fees.” “I has always been an aspiration of mine to contribute to the national student movement,” he said. “Because of fortunalities within DCU on issues such as direct provision with the #SaveOurSheperd campaign and #ShanowenShakedown we have a much stronger connection with the national student movement.” McHugh is running unopposed for the position, however he must achieve
enough votes to be elected, with students being given the offer to reopen nominations. McHugh said that he does not think that students are showing disinterest in the union and that his unopposed campaign is a coincidence. “The role is always contested, fun fact, since its inception it has always been contested by a DCU student,” he said. “I wouldn’t put it down to a lack of engagement rather that a matter of circumstance.” The role of VP for the dublin region is to serve as a go between for the area and the USI, as well as running local council meetings, organising campaigns for local issues and conducting training events,, addresses and social media for the area. Current VP for the Dublin Region Colm O’halloran said: “The role encompasses many different areas from supporting USI Campaigns on a national stage to supporting Dublin Students' Unions on a local stage. I've been involved in housing activism and #RaiseTheRoof campaigns as well as supporting DITSU with their campaigns for better library hours, ITBSU for Safer Bus Services and the SaveOurShepherd campaign with DCUSU.” McHugh’s campaign comes after DCUSU attempted to launch a petition to disaffiliate from the USI. The decision was decided upon a vote, with DCUSU President having final say after a split decision from executives. McHugh said, he is personally proUSI affiliation and that there has never been a conflict of interest or tension among executives. “I wouldn’t say a conflict of interest, I maintain the issue that I was elected to DCU students union and to the ex-
ecutive and the functioning of the executive is that we work as a team, and we know that there may be different opinions but ultimately majority rules there,” he said. “They have stood by me, and I will stand by them.” “I am unapologetically pro USI, I think we have never been a greater need for a national student movement, I voted for us to remain neutral. I don’t feel the executive should take a stance on that.” Moloney-Burke said that the current SU is supporting Craig despite their conflicting opinions on the USI. “I am delighted that Craig is running and I really believe he can make great change in the organisation. He has our full support,” he said. “The team remained as strong as ever throughout the process. Craig was great, got his opinion across in an assertive and respectful manner, and I know h e feels h e was
treated the same in return.”
News
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Numbers don’t lie about Ireland’s level of literacy James Nolan Production Editor @JamesNolan97
UP to six per cent of Irish third level students are functionally illiterate, according to data released from a recent Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) study. These rates were significantly higher than those recorded Finland (two per cent) and the Netherlands (three per cent), though similar to the seven percent in the UK. Dirk Van Damme, a senior official at the OECD’s Directorate for Education and Skills, said that the figures “were not good” for Ireland, indicating that university qualifications were not necessarily a guarantee against very low level skills. The data also displayed a low level of numeracy levels amongst students in Ireland, with only 19 percent reaching high levels of numeracy. The findings come as a blow to the Irish Government, who aim to ensure Ireland has the best education and training system in Europe by 2026. Greg Foley, an associate professor at DCU’s School of Biotechnology, was not surprised at the figures as he
Although the Irish government aim to be a leader in education and training in Europe by 2026, only 19 per cent of students in third level have a high level of numeracy.
explained that some of the work his students have produced in recent times has been “the worst he had ever seen.” “Some of the stuff I was grading was the worst I’d ever seen, even from good students. They (the students) couldn’t see the rubbish they were handing up. “Despite explicit instructions, I got graphs with no labels or units, tables not labelled. They were putting capital letters in the
middle of sentences, commas where there should be full stops. It was almost as if they were word blind,” said Foley. University College Cork Student Union President, Alan Hayes, believes the lack of educating in critical thinking and academic writing skills in second level education is to blame for the problem, but academics don’t seem to recognise this issue.
DCU ranked second for graduate employment in Ireland Shauna Burdis Contributor @thecollegeview DUBLIN City University was named the leading university in Dublin and second in Ireland for graduate employment. Just one per cent behind the University of Limerick. The figures were released on February 18th as part of the 2017 Higher Education Authority’s (HEA) Outcomes Survey. Figures released by the HEA revealed that 79 per cent of DCU graduates find employment within six months of graduating or are due to start a new job within the next three months. The study found that 70 per cent of DCU graduates are working fulltime. Seven per cent are in part-time work and two per cent are due to start a job within the next three months. This figure increased from 2014, when 73 per cent of DCU graduates were employed within six months of leaving the university. In 2012, DCU’s graduate employment was 68.6 per cent. DCU President Brian MacCraith said that the results “demonstrate that we are not only providing programmes that are relevant for today’s economy but also that we are delivering highly sought-after graduates who are ready for the world of work.” A total of 58,136 students graduated from universities and colleges in Ireland in 2017. The study also found that university graduates are more likely to be employed and earn more.
Only the University of Limerick has a higher graduate employment rate than DCU.
Commenting on DCU’s success, Executive Dean of the DCU Business School, Anne Sinnott said: “our close connection to industry and government ensures relevance and recency in our research, which is brought into the classroom leading to ‘work-ready’ graduates, high rates of employment after graduation, and industry-relevant programmes.” The report stated that: 83 per cent of education graduates, 49 per cent of arts and humanities graduates, 73 per cent of business graduates and 79 per cent of engineering graduates are working full time. “Industry-relevant projects, content and experience have been integral to our engineering programmes, and that maps directly and strongly to employability. We work hard to renew curric-
Credit Alison Clair
ula and develop new ways of engaging with industry so that this ethos remains vibrant and effective,” Executive Dean of the DCU School of Engineering and Computing, Lisa Looney said. Ireland has also seen a continuing expansion of third level education. In 2017 there were over 186,000 fulltime students in third level education, with numbers likely to increase. The survey found that 78 per cent of graduates in Ireland are in employment or due to start a job within nine months of leaving university. Some 14 per cent continue onto further study and five per cent are unemployed. The survey was done in collaboration with the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Credit Mikey Walsh
“We need to look towards second level education in the country to find the root of the problem. Students are not taught how to engage in critical thinking or taught how to write academically in their time in secondary school. Instead, the focus is on rote learning and students are been caught out when they make the transition to third level.” “Unfortunately, the expectations of
academics are that students know how to read and write academically from the off, but this is not the case. It is a skill you acquire over time, a potentially longer time than the duration of a degree programme,” added Hayes. “I think that it is shocking that six percent of Irish graduates are functionally illiterate, and I think it is down to undetected learning disabilities students carry with them through primary and secondary school and into third level education,” said DCU Vice President for Academic Affairs Callaghan Commons. “I think an emphasis needs to be put on detecting these learning disabilities early and providing the students affected with the assistance they need. Furthermore, the rote learning taught at second level is being carried into college and students are too used to just regurgitating facts, they don’t know any different,” said Commons. The Department of Education and Skills and the Union of Students Ireland did not respond to requests for comment.
Awaiting Java leaves students in a mess Dara Browne Video Editor @thecollegeview SINCE the closing of Java, the common room purposed for Cumann na Gaelach was being used as a substitute, and a dumping ground. Java is one of the few cafes on the DCU St. Patrick’s Campus and is currently closed for reconstruction. In the meantime, students have been using the common room near Java, and leaving it a mess. Students are using the room because with the closure of Java, they had nowhere else to go. “The sink especially is disgusting, people just leave cutlery there. They’ll go to the canteen to get knives and forks and then just leave them in the sink dirty, it’s gross,” said third year Irish and Geography student in St. Patricks College Conor O’Reilly, who added that he has never seen any staff there during the day. Several students from St. Patricks College have said that they have never seen any cleaning staff on duty in the room. “It’s really dusty everywhere and I never see any staff around there,” said first year Jazz and Contemporary Music student in St. Patricks College Caoimhe Browne. SU Irish Officer Sorcha Ní Chongaile, has said that the main issue with the crowds in the common room is the microwave which is something the canteen are objecting to having. “It’s a health and safety issue,” and “nobody cleans it, it’s filthy,” she said. Ní Chongaile said that she has tried
every method she can think of to get the microwave removed but has not succeeded in doing so. O’Reilly also said that he used to use the room for quiet study and speaking Irish, however it’s near impossible to do so since Java shut down, because the room is always packed with people speaking English or making noise while waiting to use the microwave. “The common room is an ideal place for students studying the Irish language,” and “because the library is always busy and it’s the only other quiet place to study while being surrounded by the language,” he said. Ní Chongaile said that she, and the Irish Office have received complaints about people speaking English in the room and being noisy. “There’s loads of seating areas that students don’t know about, they’re kind of hidden,” she said. “The Irish Office will be stepping in to do something because there have been complaints. It’s not fair to people going in there to use the room for its purpose, which is to speak Irish,” she continued. The room is funded to be used for Irish-speaking purposes only and is designed to function as an Irish-speaking environment. Ní Chongaile has received several complaints from students about being asked to leave the room because they are speaking English. She said that while students are being asked to leave the common room, they have nowhere else to go.
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News
Four DCU finalists in Education Awards 2019 Hugh Farrell & Ellen Fitzpatrick Deputy Sports Editor & News Editor @thecollegeview
DCU had four finalists in The Education Awards on Thursday, February 21st at the Ballsbridge Hotel where SepTec won the award for Best Research Project. SepTec developed a rapid test which can dia--gnose sepsis quickly. The test was described as a more “rapid, sensitive and cost-effective solution” than alternative methods, according to The Education Awards. SepTec is an organisation that focuses on “address unmet clinical needs, such as empowering an ICU Consultant to rapidly detect infection in a seriously ill patient.” “In collaboration with clinicians, business experts and manufacturers, we have created a powerful microfluidic device that can address the specific unmet clinical needs as expressed by our network of clinicians not just the latest market reports,” their mission statement reads. SepTec have previously won other DCU awards for their progression in
sepsis research. They were winners of the Colin Barnes Award last May and the DCU President’s Award for Innovation last April. SepTec use technology to quickly diagnose sepsis, a viral blood infection that can lead to death if undetected. This new technology can diagnose the disease within 15 minutes rather than days. It is also said to be much more cost effective. DCU also had nominees in other categories like the Best Education Outreach Award for the University of Sanctuary Scholarships programme. The programme gives refugees and asylum seekers living in Ireland the chance to gain a degree. The DCU Connected Scholarships cover the costs for either a 60 credit online undergraduate or postgraduate programme. DCU’s Reflect Online Learning Portfolios were also nominated for Best Use of Educational Technology/ ICT Initiative of the Year. DCU say it makes “learning visible through the creation of a personalised and reflective online space to showcase academic, professional, and personal achievements.” The best International Research Project Collaboration also saw the ADAPT
Trinity students win Jailbreak 2019
This year the competition had a goal of €65,000 and overall, the participants raised €66, 741.20.
Alison Clair Images Editor @aliclair_ TRINITY College students Méabh Smyth and Chris Meaney were the first team to reach Bojnice Castle in Slovakia, making them the winners of Jailbreak 2019. The team raised €1,539.79 for the charities Amnesty International and St. Vincent de Paul. This year the competition had a goal of €65,000 and overall, the participants raised €66, 741.20. “We honestly enjoyed the whole stressful and exhilarating experience from start to finish. As both of us are members of Trinity Cumann Gaelach, we really enjoyed the emphasis that was put on the Irish language this year,” said Smyth, one member of the winning team. “We were obviously even more delighted to have raised nearly €1,600 for two fantastic charities. We would love to do it all over again.” Another TCD team, Amy Worrall and Fátimah Alaya, were the most successful team in raising money throughout this year’s competition, raising €5,465.00 for charity. “We raised roughly €700 for the two charities before the weekend. The race was definitely nothing I expected, and
Credit: JailbreakRace.ie
we had a few close calls here and there but that added to the craic of it all!” said TCD student, Luke Ryan, one of the runners up. Jailbreak, which began in TCD in 2013, has raised over €285,000 since its launch. It has expanded and is open to all universities in Ireland. Last year the winning teams were from University College Cork. Over the period of a weekend, teams of two have 24 hours to race across Europe without spending any of their own money in order to reach an undisclosed “Location X”, which is revealed through a series of clues. In the weeks leading up to the event, the teams fundraise for the two charities with events and sponsorship, however cannot use this money for their travel. “I think the race itself is wonderful – it’s great to see students from so many different colleges coming together. I love the emphasis on the Irish language too, and it’s so great to see it being used all across Europe as the teams race around,” said Síofra Dempsey, the College Support Officer with St Vincent de Paul. “There’s usually a developmental element for the teams too, a challenge to teach someone some Irish, or find out about social justice issues in the countries they’re in, so it’s cool that the students are gaining a deeper understanding of the world through the event.”
SepTec were teh big DCU winners with NCI winning overall
Credit: Carrie McMullan
Centre for Digital Content Technology &amp; Huawei working together was nominated with ADAPT researchers are based in Trinity College, DCU, University College Dublin and Dublin
Institute of Technology. The National College of Ireland claimed the prize for Overall Excellence in Education while NUI Galway’s business school won Best Col-
lege of Business. Each winner was unavailable for contact by the time of publication.
Rachel Halpin Production Editor @RachelHalpin_
For the past two years, the role of the Fulbright ambassador in DCU was held by Dr Karen Devine, a lecturer in the School of Law and Government. When the Fulbright Commission put out a call for people who would be interested in taking over the ambassador position in DCU, he applied for it and found out he got the position a few weeks ago. The aim of the Fulbright Ambassador programme is to have a contact on DCU campus to allow students, researchers and lecturers to access guidance on approaching Fulbright applications and to be able to easily engage with the Fulbright network. “I am really pleased to be in a position to work with Fulbright Ireland to encourage others in DCU to apply for one of the awards, and to have the professional and cultural experiences I did,” said Dr Fitzpatrick. Every year, Irish citizens are award-
ed grants by the Fulbright Commission to go over to the US to study, research or teach. They also give grants for Americans to come over to Ireland and do the same. Dr Fitzpatrick is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computing in DCU. His work has focused on the accessibility for all user interfaces for people with disabilities. Currently he doing research that focuses on Human Computer Interaction, concentrating on the development of software that is accessible for users with and without disabilities. He has received an Enable award for his contribution to the field of research into Assistive Technology for people with disabilities. He has also received the Chancellor’s Medal, this is DCU’s highest award for outstanding contribution to the scholarly and extracurricular life of the university.
New DCU Fulbright Alumni Ambassador
THE Fulbright Commission announced that Dr Donal Fitzpatrick is the new Fulbright Alumni Ambassador for DCU. Now the ambassador, Fitzpatrick was a Fulbright awardee in 2000 and spent the year as a postdoc in Florida State University. During the year he spent in the US, he investigated how maps and other diagrammatic data could be made accessible for people who are blind. “It was one of the most enjoyable years of my academic career. It’s very important for people to realise that a Fulbright award is as much about the cultural experience of living and working in another country, as it is about the research,” he said about his experience as a Fulbright awardee.
Donal Fitzpatrick has been announced as the DCU Fulbright Alumni Ambassador
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News
DCUSU Elections 2019
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Healy goes from commuting to commiting to a healthier DCU Callum Lavery Editor-in-Chief @callum_lavery COMMUTER engagement, a healthy campus and a new disability officer are just three items on DCU Student’s Union Presidential Candidate, Adam Healy’s manifesto. Currently serving as Humanities Faculty Representative, final year English and History student, Healy has thrown his name in for the DCUSU’s 2019 elections. “I’ve had the best years of my life in DCU, and would love the opportunity to give back,” he said. “I can see what needs to be improved. I think that the DCU Students’ Union, this year especially, has done very well, but I think I can enhance that and keep up the good work and make sure all the little mistakes and things that haven’t been dealt with are fixed and won’t happen again.” A large part of Healy’s manifesto is supporting a healthy lifestyle on campus, both mentally and physically. “A big thing for me this year is health and wellbeing, and the stigma around it,” said the Chair of SoberSoc. “DCU are huge advocates of Mental Health, we have a fantastic 24-seven councillor service but I feel like a lot of our students don’t know about it. I
want to promote that and push it more.” “A big part of my manifesto is DCU Healthy, we need to get the students knowing about it, and having events for it.” Adam is also active in campaigning for engagement with DCU students unable to live near campus. “I’m a commuter, and for me to enjoy my college life after six o’clock I have to stay in and not go home. And that would mean having some dinner here, unless I bring it in, and we have no microwaves, that would mean eating bad food all the time.” “A lot of the issues I see with commuter students is them going home early after lectures and not participating in society life or college life in general, and there are a lot of students, myself included that are feeling very left out.” “I would like to push societies to run daytime events, like in Sobersoc. We run events at two o’clock on Wednesdays because it is usually a half day for lecturers.” Hiring on a disability officer is also high on Adam’s manifesto, but he acknowledged the amount of training needed for whoever filled the new position. “At the minute we have an officer for sustainability in the class rep council and they make cases for sustainability, but we have no officer for students with disability.”
“It is quite easy to bring it in but, we have to take it a more careful approach, I want to help people with anything from dyslexia and dyspraxia to students that need wheelchairs to come to college.” “Anyone I have spoken has said that they assumed we already had one.” Last year, current DCUSU President Vito Moloney Burke brought in an open door policy, now, Healy wants to bring in a ‘open the door’ policy for students dealing with significant stress on campus. “If I had an issue on campus, if I was struggling with money, or my parent is sick, I wouldn’t be comfortable talking about that in the SU with the big windows there when I might get upset talking about it.” Other agenda’s on Healy’s manifesto includes, a Mind Over Matter Festival, first aid courses and more efficient Class Rep elections. Healy said he wants the role of President because he feels he is the “right man for the job.” and “wants to give back” to the university. On his opposing candidate Christine Farrell, Healy said: “She is a great candidate, and if she was to get it she would be a great president, I’ve seen her do great work as a class rep.” Voting opened 10am on Tuesday the 3rd of March and will remain open to students until 3pm on Thursday.
Fitness, Fines and Facilities on Farrell's Agenda Emily Sheahan News Editor @emilyaine_s FINAL year Business Studies student Christine Farrell believes she can bring the voice of a “normal student” to the role of DCU Students’ Union President, should she be elected. “I haven’t sat on Exec [SU Executive board], I haven’t sat anywhere where I’ve had the power to change, and once given that power I would be very proactive and do a lot with it,” Farrell told The College View. Farrell said that although she doesn’t have any experience in any Executive roles, she has been actively involved throughout her time in DCU. “I have been class rep for the past four years, I was awarded Class Rep of the Year in 2017, and I’ve been INTRA Officer for Class Rep Council for the past three years.” “So I’ve had good enough engagement and involvement with the SU, even though it wasn’t through being an Exec rep like Adam is,” she said. One of the main aims outlined in her manifesto is the introduction of free gym classes. “Our gym is quite expensive and to introduce, I guess, a levy would be another expense onto students especially when students might not want that gym
membership,” said Farrell. She said that many may find the gym quite daunting and these kinds of classes would be about getting the “fun out of fitness”. “I feel like DCU does amazing things for mental health like they couldn’t be applauded more for it. But I feel we kind of need to inch up the physical health with that mental health promotion, so that’s why I want to introduce free gym classes in the U building and in Pat’s campus - just to increase kind of casual fitness.” Farrell also aims to update the INTRA portal which she hope would happen in the coming year, if not shortly after. “My main vision in terms of that would be to have a student voice sitting on that board that makes these changes,” she said. “I think it’s very important that a student gives feedback and opinions on how the portal is made that it's best accessible for students”. She said it is important that the process is “fast tracked because it’s very much overdue after 20 years.” If elected, Farrell plans to change the Class Representatives Council system to a more informal one. “That system just, in my eyes and I know in a lot of other students’ eyes, is too formal and a lot of people feel intimidated by not knowing the rules, that they don’t want to speak out,” she
said. “ I feel like we could definitely make it more relevant, we could make it more engaging and there’s ways to do that and I hope to introduce it.” She also plans to install an ATM in the U, something she says was a “forgotten cause” in the process of constructing and opening the new student centre. In her manifesto, Farrell also says she plans to reduce library fines, bring more microwaves to campus, reduce printing costs, and work on new and existing campaigns “in areas such as the treatment and pay for our nurses, the Gaeltacht grant, LGBQT rights, mental health awareness, student transport costs,” and others. Farrell commended the work of this year’s SU team and said they would be “an asset to be used and to be called on” if she were to claim the role of SU President: “I think the five of them this year have been one of the best sabbatical teams that I’ve seen in quite some time.” “I have been in DCU four years now, I’ve had such an amazing experience here, I’ve learned so many skills and so many experiences that have impacted me that makes me think that I am the best person for this role,” said Farrell. Farrell is running against current Humanities Faculty Rep Adam Healy. Voting is open from March 5th to 7th.
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DCU goes bananas for Fairtrade certificate Amy Donohoe Social Media Editor @amydonohoe1
DCU became the first Irish university to receive a Fairtrade certificate on Tuesday, February 26th. The Fairtrade certificate is an agreement that means the university will choose to stock Fairtrade products at every viable opportunity. Fairtrade companies give significantly more money to farmers and producers than those who produce products that are not Fairtrade. Sustainability Society events manager Eolann Aiken said: “We had a coffee farmer named Sara Montoya in attendance, she made a really powerful speech about the work of her and her family - who are all coffee producers in Colombia.” He added: “For me, hearing a farmer’s story in person made a big impact,” and “We’re lucky in DCU to have a shop manager that’s on the ball and caring like Donnie Christian, and a super hard working and fantastic Sustainability department run by Sam Fahy.” Donnie Christian is the retail manager in Londis and the Fairtrade working chair group. He said that Fairtrade contacted them to see about getting that status for DCU. He said: “I think it’s a wonderful
thing to happen on campus... but we need to be educated and understand what it means. If you have Fairtrade coffee in your cup you need to know that it helps someone in Colombia or one of the other coffee countries has now got a clinic or a school.” Aiken somewhat echoed this sentiment. “I think it’s crucial that we all think about exactly where the food we are buying is coming from, and consider the impact of its journey on both its producers and the planet.” Christian explained how Fairtrade can help people. He said: “There was a young gentleman who is from a banana farm but he’s in Ireland for the Fairtrade fortnight and he said to us, because of Fairtrade our children don’t have to work, they have a school to go to in the community and then he said that they have a health clinic.” Globally, trends like climate breakdown impacts the vulnerable. Persistent poverty for tens of millions of farmers (caused by consistently low prices for supplies and abuses of human rights such as slavery) is becoming an ever increasing problem. Christian said: “If you’re choosing to have a banana that has Fairtrade on it, or a cup of coffee with Fairtrade on it, you are enabling someone to see a doctor, or a child not to go to work - but to go to school.”
President Michael D. Higgins celebrated the arts on St. Pats Cáit Caden News Editor @AreYou_Caden_Me PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Benson report with others in the Seamus Heaney theatre on St. Patrick’s campus last Thursday. ‘The Place of the Arts in Irish Education’ report was published by Ciarán Benson who gave a lecture at the event and focused on the importance of the arts in young people’s lives. “I think it was one of the most extraordinary, valuable and rich lectures I’ve heard in a very very long time,” said President of Ireland and former Minister for the Arts Michael D. Higgins. Higgins spoke about some of the topics that that Benson touched on in his lecture such as how knowledge can “relate to experience and how both of
them still leave us able to live fully human lives and the rule of the arts in it.” In 1979 Professor Benson wrote the report after the Arts Council of Ireland believed there needed to be an in-depth examination of the influence of the arts in the education system. The report showed the strengths and weaknesses of arts in the education system and furthermore provided “the first blueprint for the arts in Irish education,” according to Higgins. It’s only beginning. You could double the budgets “One of the things I chaired at the beginning was a thing called City Arts Centre in the 80’s right in the centre of Dublin. We had music studios down below and that was funded from the U2 concert then. That’s donkeys years back. But now they’ve put in more money that’s matched the Department of Education,” said Benson as he spoke about how much has changed for the arts in Ireland and how much outside
contribution is valued. DCU President Brian MacCraith stated thought the lecture set the scene for all those who try to incorporate the arts into education.” DCU were the hosts, however the event was organised by Encountering the Arts in Ireland (ETAI), in association with the Arts Council of Ireland and DCU Institute of Education. “We have this commitment to the arts and culture, focusing on North Dublin culture,” said MacCraith on why the event was hosted by DCU. “Art should really be highlighted in school more than it is now,” said a school girl from Larkin Community College who made the point during the lecture that many students must still choose between art and science. The budget for the arts in Ireland is approximately budget for the arts in Ireland is approximately 15 million.
DCU welcomes an evening with the Kenyan Ambassador Carrie McMullan Contributor @thecollegeview
KENYAN Ambassador Richard A. Opembe discussed the change from aid to trade between Kenya and Ireland during his talk ‘An Evening with the Kenyan Ambassador’ in DCU on February 28th. Opembe reflected on Ireland and Kenya’s longstanding relationship, speaking to the DCU International Society. Ireland’s connection to Kenya started over one hundred years ago when missionaries provided agricultural and healthcare aid to rural farmers at a time when both countries were still under British rule. “They were not sitting in cities they were out in the rural areas constructing schools and hospitals… They created health centres like clinics…. And at the same time gave an education through
the Consolata Sisters,” said Opembe. Opembe highlighted Ireland as a key trading hub to give Kenya a point of access for imports and exports to markets in the European Union and the United States. He attributed Kenya’s success in the coffee trade industry to the relationship with Ireland. Irish missionaries with the congregation Holy Ghost Fathers were involved in the planting of Kenya’s first coffee bushes. Ireland has become one of the biggest importers of Kenyan coffee shipping in roughly €10 million worth each year, according to Opembe. The relationship between Kenya and Ireland needs to “move away from aid and over to trade” said Opembe. In the case that Britain withdraws from the European Economic Community following Brexit, Ireland would become the largest EU country with English as the primary language. Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ireland in
Ireland’s connection to Kenya started over one hundred years ago when missionaries provided agricultural and healthcare aid to rural farmers at a time when both countries were still under British rule.
November 2017 in preparation for this, according to Opembe. The MOU means Ireland will supply research and technology for Kenya to improve its agriculture and energy production sectors. The development of disease resistant Irish potato spuds which are now growing in Kenyan soil have reduced the risk of famine, said
Opembe. Opembe spoke about the growing relationships between Kenya and Irish universities. DCU was one of several universities which signed an MOU with Kenya. Previously, DCU showed support for Garissa High School following the terrorist attack by militant Islamist group al-Shabab in 2015. The
Credit: Carrie McMullan
university hosted a memorial service where 148 balloons were released for each of the students who died. Opembe hopes the connections with universities will progress research into renewable energy as it reduces its consumption of diesel and coal. The main area of focus is producing wave energy along the long coastline of Kenya.
Science and Health
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Children used in peanut allergy study
The study showed a tolerance could be developed in those who suffer from peanut allergy.
Mikey Walsh Deputy Images Editor @Walshy_mikey A new study on a new skin patch for peanut allergies has shown promising signs of increasing tolerance to peanuts. The trial, which was conducted over 31 centres across five countries, involved over 350 children between the ages of four and 11. The study was carried out by Dr. Aideen Byrne the National Clinical Re-
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search Centre (NCRC) in Dublin and by Professor Jonathan O’Hourihane at the INFANT Centre and HRB Clinical Research Facility in University College Cork. “Peanut allergy is the most common persistent food allergy and has a huge impact on the lives of affected children and their families,” said Dr Byrne. The children, who had previously tested positive for a peanut allergy, were given either a patch containing small amounts of peanut allergen or a placebo.
Money will not solve the Irish nurse’s problem, says DCU Professor Aine O’Boyle Deputy Arts Editor @ainyerrrr
NURSING disputes will not be resolved through an across the board pay increase according to DCU Professor of Health Systems. Professor Anthony Staines of DCU said on Newstalk Breakfast that “it’s going to require a lot more thought as to what nurses do, expanding the role of nurses, changing elements of how nurses are managed, to improve the quality of working life for nurses in Ireland”. Despite the benefits of increased wages for nurses, the issue remains that they are paid less than other healthcare professions. Regarding other European countries, Irish nurses are relatively well paid, but when compared to countries such as Australia and Canada, the salary gap becomes evident. INMO [Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation] conversations have mostly been about staff nurses in hospitals and the relationship between their pay scales and those of other health care professionals and obviously the pay cuts they previously experienced” said Staines. “There are challenges recruiting nurses with particular skills and there is a dependency on agency nurses and nurses from outside the European Union,” he continued.
A survey carried out by the Public Service Pay Commission highlights that while nurses felt engaged by their work and felt that they had an impact, there were high rates of burnout and strong feelings that they were out of the loop at work, alongside considerable dissatisfaction with their pay rates. According to the survey, although nurses valued their work, they were unhappy with staffing levels, the consistent busyness of their jobs and felt that this culminated to create a risk for both staff and patients. The issue of staff turnover in the nursing profession remains unclear. “We don’t have reliable figures for turnover which is a real problem and the Public Service pay report comments very unfavourably on that, but there’s no suggestion that turnover is extraordinarily high in nursing, the issue of recruiting is much more challenging,” said Staines. Introducing wage increases for nurses merely skims the top of the problem as the issues stem further down towards the recruitment and retention of nursing staff. Suggestions made by the Slaintécare Implementation Strategy, to work towards the reformation of the hospital system and relieve the burden of work placed upon nurses to other sectors of the healthcare system, hint towards the resolution of the nursing disputes once coupled up alongside pay increases.
The children were instructed to wear the specially designed epicutaneous patch every day for a year. The results of the study have shown that not all children had responded to the patch but some were able to tolerate more peanut than before the study had began. About one third of the children in the study showed signs of benefiting from use of the patch and have a lessening response to peanut allergic reactions. “The benefit of this skin patch treatment is that it is that it is safe and well tolerated. It is anticipated that it will play an important role in the treatment of peanut allergy in the future,” said Dr Byrne. At the end of the study about half of the children were subsequently able to tolerate the equivalent of between one and four peanuts. Dr Byrne welcomed the results of the new study and said that is a great development for those afflicted with a
peanut allergy despite two thirds of the children not having any reaction to the testing. For safety, children with severe peanut allergies were not included in the trial if they were at risk of life threatening reactions. The method of building a resistance known as exposure therapy is more effective when done orally but has higher risks of patients going into anaphylactic shock so effectiveness of the patch not causing allergic reaction is maximised through use on the skin. Roughly 1 per cent of people worldwide suffer from peanut allergies and the number is growing with the prevalence of he allergy nearly doubling between 1997 and 2002. It is estimated that in Ireland, about 20,000 people suffer from peanut allergies. Head of Communications, Fiona O’Malley, at the CMRF Crumlin, best way to find gentler treatments, faster
diagnoses and someday cures for childhood illnesses and allergies is by funding medical research programmes. Experts predict that the level of allergen sufferers will continue to rise and by 2025 about half of the entire EU population will suffer from and allergy. Failure to prevent chronic allergic disease costs the EU between €55 billion and €151 per annum according to the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction where the body overreacts to allergen which can cause swelling, nausea, vomiting and red itchy skin and can be fatal if not treated correctly. Currently, the patch is not licensed for use outside of a research setting and more research is needed to be carried out to give more information of the benefits of the patch.
DCU research shows link between cancer survivors and quality of life James Nolan Production Editor @JamesNolan97
SURVIVORS’ performance of key self-management skills after treatment for head and neck cancer, has a strong link with their measurement of quality of life and also fears that their cancer may return, according to research led by DCU. The study was led by Professor Pamela Gallagher from the School of Nursing and Human Sciences and involved 300 head and neck cancer survivors. The investigation focused on the relationship between self management behaviours and quality of life and fear of reoccurrence following treatment for head and neck cancer. Results of the research displayed positive practices, including positive and active engagement in every day life. Survivors were seen to show constructive attitudes and approaches to the illness and the development of skills and techniques to cope with life after the treatment were associated with a significantly higher quality of life and a lower fear of cancer returning. Furthermore, the study also highlighted that excessive self-monitoring of one’s condition, and “hyper-vigilance” such as obsessively checking for any signs of symptoms, might have a negative impact on the quality of life and levels of fear surrounding the return of cancer amongst the survivors. Lead researcher, Professor Pamela Gallagher commented that services for survivors of head and neck cancer are limited once primary treatment concludes and that further support needs to be provided to these individuals “There are limited health service resources available for head and neck
The study was led by Professor Pamela Gallagher from the School of Nursing and Human Sciences and involved 300 head and neck cancer survivors
cancer survivors once primary treatment has ended. This means that survivors need to self-manage the often substantial physical, emotional and social consequences of their condition by themselves.” “We have found that these individuals are resourceful and creative in how they manage these consequences. However, there is a need to provide further support to these individuals, particularly in the period when they transition from the acute setting to self-managing their condition at home,” said Gallagher. The self-management strategies of cancer survivors are particularly important after primary treatment as they have less involvement with and less access to specialist professionals. The complexity of the consequences of cancers in the head and neck area and their treatment means that survivors need to deploy a wide variety of strategies to cope with physical, social and psychological challenges that emerge post-treatment. All eligible participants in this study
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in Ireland with a registered diagnosis of head and neck cancer were identified in association with the National Cancer Registry, with 272 males and 123 females taking part in the population-based survey. The majority of participants had undergone surgery for head and neck cancer, or a combination of surgery and radiotherapy, and were within 12-24 months of finishing treatment. Building on from a previous work in the area, published in Psycho-Oncology in October 2018, researchers has found that the overall implication which has emerged from the programme is that bespoke self-management programmes are required to respond to the specific physical, emotional and social issues of head and neck cancer survivors, in order to help overcome the challenges that may arise in the aftermath of treatment. Cancer of head and neck is among the top ten most common cancers in Ireland with around 500 cases diagnosed in 2017.
Science and Health
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Campaigners call on government to include Fibromyalgia on Long Term Illness List Catherine Gallagher Deputy News Editor @Cather_i_ne
INDIVIDUALS living with fibromyalgia are spending their energy fighting the Irish health system as opposed to alleviating their condition, according to co-founder of Fibro Ireland. The comments come in light of a conference held in Dublin last week whereby people living with fibromyalgia gathered to call on the government to recognise the condition as a longterm illness. The condition is characterised by widespread pain and fatigue which is often a challenge to accurately diagnose. Rachel Lynch is a co-founder and group facilitator of Fibro Ireland, an Irish support group to support those affected by fibromyalgia. Speaking to The College View, Lynch, who also lives with the condition said: "Fibromyalgia's not on the Long Term Illness List. It is also a very expensive illness to manage. If we were on the list, it would help to reduce the financial burden."
The condition is characterised by widespread pain and fatigue which is often a challenge to accurately diagnose.
“A lot of the symptoms are similar to MS. We have had people who have had to do five or six rounds of social welfare, they have medical files as long
as their arm and yet they are still being refused social welfare.” She highlighted that the Long Term Illness List has not been updated in 40
NUI Galway study sees success in seaweed science Sabrine Donohoe Sub Editor @DonohoeSabrine
SELECTED types of sea lettuce could improve aquaculture and agriculture on Irish coastlines, according to a study by NUI Galway researchers. Sea lettuce is a type of coastal green algae that is widely found around the world but is common on Irish shorelines. It is usually found on moderately exposed rocks and shallow waters. The day to day growth pattern among sea lettuce is unique compared to plants which grow on land. The plant has a high nutritional value and could be used as animal feed. Member of the Ryan Institute and School of Natural Sciences at NUIG, Dr Ronan Sulpice, was the leading author of the study.
“This study is an important stepping stone towards the development of modern breeding approaches for seaweed aquaculture,” said Sulpice. The 50 strains of sea lettuce that were tested varied in growth and metabolism, with growth rates varying from 0.09mg to 0.37mg. The strains were collected from beaches in Galway, Clare, and other areas along the east coast. The plants have higher growth rates at night compared to the day, using nitrates rather than starch and sucrose to sustain its growth. Starch and sucrose contributed to just 35 per cent of the carbon required to sustain the night growth in the sea lettuce strains. The study found that a total of six amino acids may be the contributing factor to the high growth rates in sea lettuce.
Sea lettuce has a high nutritional value and could be used as animal feed.
However, The Irish Times Columnist Michael Viney wrote in 2017 that sea lettuce on Irish coastlines “smothers our polluted bays”. Viney referred to a study by the Ryan Institute which found harmful metals in the sea lettuce on Irish beaches. The best performing strains of sea lettuce are yet to be selected by the Ryan Institute for testing under the current environmental conditions in Ireland. Further studies aim to identify the genes responsible for high growth rates of the sea lettuce, using 300 strains of sea lettuce collected from across Europe. The study was funded by the EU Horizon 2020 project, GenialG. Sulpice was contacted for further comment but was unavailable at the time of publication.
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years: “there’s no plans to change it, people with Chron’s disease and arthritis have tried to get on the list, and they are being told no. No one will tell us
what the criteria is.” Georgina Moloney was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in October 2015 at the age of 38, after being misdiagnosed for nearly 10 years. Moloney, who is currently studying Office Management at the Kerry College of Further Education said her symptoms include chronic pain, migraines, alopecia, irregular body body temperature and sleep patterns and exhaustion. She explained how no two days are the same, “I could wake up with an almighty migraine, or I could feel absolutely exhausted either from constant pain during the night or its just a ‘tired feeling’ day.” Moloney outlined the barriers to employment when she finishes her course, “The Department of Social and Family Affairs will be on my back to find work. How am I supposed to tell my employer ‘sorry but if I get a bad day, I can’t come in.’ No one is going to put up with that. “Getting Disability Allowance could make things so much easier. I could have the time to actually have a life on my own terms,” she said.
Human hair can now be used to measure vitamin D levels Aoibhinn Bryant Arts Editor @aoibhinbryant_
LEVELS of vitamin D can now be measured using hair samples, a research study from Trinity College and St. James’ Hospital has found. A study has discovered that months of vitamin D levels can be tested for in samples of hair, providing an alternative to blood tests. Lina Zgaga, an Associate Professor at TCD and lead author of the study, says that this can lead to an improved diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency. “The test based on the hair sample might be able to give doctors a measure of vitamin D status over time - if hair is long enough, this even might be over a few years”. Currently, the best way to test for vitamin D levels is through blood tests. This can be uncomfortable for the patient and requires a professional to conduct the tests. Furthermore, blood tests can only measure the vitamin D levels at that certain time. This can raise problems as people are more likely to have sufficient vitamin D levels in the summertime when the weather is better but not reach adequate levels in the winter. Co-author and principal biochemist at St. James’ Hospital, Dr. Martin Healey, says that this new research is
not only useful for vitamin D diagnosis but also for vitamin D maintenance. “Having a knowledge of an individual’s long-term vitamin D status through analysis of hair samples may allow for better strategies to maintain stable and adequate vitamin D concentrations over an extended period,” he said. Over one billion people are estimated to be affected by vitamin D deficiency, which has been associated with poor bone health. A lack of vitamin D could also be a factor for depression, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and inflammation. “Further research is needed to establish the exact relationship between vitamin D concentration in the blood and in hair over time,” said Zgaga. “We also need to investigate different factors that might affect vitamin D levels in hair, the most obvious ones being hair colour and thickness, or use of hair products such as hair dye.” This new research can also be applied to analyse people and mammals from the past, according to Dr. Eamon Laird, nutrition research fellow at TCD and co-author. “Hair, along with teeth, are some of the longest lasting surviving biological materials after death and thus it could be possible to for the first time assess the vitamin D status of historical populations,” he said.
Business and Tech
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RSA criticised for cracking down on unaccompanied learner drivers Mary Ryan Contributor @thecollegeview THE RSA is facing backlash against its new campaign cracking down on unaccompanied learner drivers. As part of new legislation passed in December, the Road Safety Authority created an advertisement where Cork man Noel Clancy, revisits the scene where his wife and daughter died as a result of a collision with an unaccompanied learner driver in 2015. The driver in question was given a three year suspended sentence. The ad, which was run on television and in cinemas, received 34 complaints from members of the public, with many calling it “cruel” and “completely out of order”. “She didn’t set out to ruin their life or her own,” said one complainant. The Road Traffic Amendment Act 2018, also known as the ‘Clancy Amendment’ strengthened penalties for car owners who allow learners to drive their vehicles unaccompanied. The RSA claims similar legislation introduced in Northern Ireland has been very effective at reducing the number of learner drivers involved in road collisions. According to statistics released by the RSA last year an average of 12 learner drivers are involved in fatal collisions every year - with 80 per cent of them being unaccompanied.
CEO of the RSA Moyagh Murdock said Ireland had a “culture of turning a blind eye on unaccompanied drivers”. “They are a high risk road user, they are inexperienced, they don’t have the lessons to demonstrate that they have learned how to drive appropriately,” she said. However, many have criticized the legislation for being impractical for drivers living in rural areas. Speaking to Séan O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio 1, Kerry TD Michael Healy Rae said the new legislation was “criminalising young people”. “What our legislators did when they brought in this amendment, they criminalised the young people in rural areas particularly” he said. “It’s not a culture, it’s a thing called bare, basic necessity.” Taoiseach Leo Varadkar acknowledged in January that some places in rural Ireland have waiting lists of up to 20 weeks for the driving test, calling it “unacceptable”. “It is something we are working on,” he told the Dáil. “We want to get that waiting time down to a reasonable level as soon as we can”. The first two months of 2019 have already seen a number of fatal road incidents involving young drivers, including the deaths of four men in their 20’s in Gweedore in late January, and the recent death of a 16 year old driver in Carlow.
Huawei ban could stop progression to 5G for 5 years
Chinese communications device company Huawei, who own 16% of the world market share of mobile phone manufacturing, have been banned in the US, Japan and Australia over security concerns.
Mikey Walsh Deputy Images Editor @Walshy_mikey THE ban of Huawei products in countries across the world could slow the progression of the implementation of a 5G network in Ireland over the next 5 years. Chinese communications device company Huawei, who own 16 per cent of the world market share of mobile phone manufacturing, have been banned in the US, Japan and Australia over security concerns. “The concern regarding Huawei is that there are alleged close ties between the company and the Chinese government, therefore are these vulnerabilities being actively exploited,” said security expert Brian Honan. Huawei produce more than just phones with sensors, autonomous vehicles and broadband modems, all connected to the internet and gathering data.
Credit: Wikipedia
The company have been accused by the US and other western countries of its equipment enabling spying by the Chinese government. It has faced pushback from these countries in its involvement in creating an ultra fast 5G network after the arrest and detention of its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, in Canada last year. Wenzhou is currently under house arrest in Vancouver and awaiting extradition to the US over charges of fraud for lying to US banks to circumvent Iranian sanctions. The company’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, a former People’s Liberation Army of China engineer, has denied allegations of the government’s involvement in Huawei. He said: “Neither Huawei, nor I personally, have ever received any requests from any government to provide improper information. If Huawei received such a request we would refuse.” There have been concerns over the
involvement of security agencies in digital surveillance in recent years after Edward Snowden exposed the NSA’s programme involving tapping into laptop and mobile phone cameras and UK’s Government Communications Headquarters intercepting Yahoo video calls. Currently, there are no plans to ban Huawei in Ireland and a 5G network is under development by Vodafone and Three here, saying that a small scale 5G network should be rolled out later this year. Vodafone is currently working with Ericson on its 5G infrastructure as oppose to Huawei. “The security of our customers is our top priority and our network is based on multiple layers of protection,” said a Vodafone spokesman. Huawei currently operates in 170 countries and employs more than 180,000 people making it the third largest smartphone manufacturer worldwide, just behind Samsung and Apple.
into their car before they arrive at the station. In order to use the app, the driver sends the request from their app to the designated station. The phone rings at the station and the station notifies them if they have someone who can assist the driver within the next 30 minutes. Fuel pump attendant staff member became a thing of the past as a way of cost saving in many stations which was missed by some drivers especially those with a disability. Refuelling a car is one of the biggest challenges faced by disabled drivers, therefore, this app makes the process a lot quicker. According to the Central Statistics Office around 13.5 per cent of the Irish population have a disability, with around 2 per cent who are wheelchair users.
The app was designed by Niall El Assaad who was involved in an accident in 2013 which left him paralysed from the waist down. His experience of having to flash his lights, beep his horn and wave his disability badge outside stations left him feeling embarrassed and thought that there had to be a better way of dealing with this. This was the reason behind the making of the app. Richard Ryder from the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland told Morning Ireland that he hopes that more fuel retailers will join seeing as “disabled drivers are customers like anybody else”. To get the app on your phone, people must visit the fuelService website in which you must send a text to receive a link to download the app.
Applegreen join forces with fuelService to help fuel disabled drivers Roisin Maguire Sub-Editor @roisin_maguire1_ APPLEGREEN announced that they have joined forces with fuelService and the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland to help disabled drivers receive assistance in refuelling. In the United Kingdom, 2,000 stores use the app which is now rolling out throughout Ireland starting with Applegreen while Supermac’s motorways services have signed up and will begin the service within a few weeks. Applegreen have become the first Irish forecourt retailer to roll out this app service. FuelService enables disabled drivers to contact an Applegreen store via their smartphones and ask for assistance in putting fuel
FuelService enables disabled drivers to contact an Applegreen store via their smartphones and ask for assistance in putting fuel into their car before they arrive at the station.
Credit: Geograph.ie
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Big firms pull ads from YouTube due to harmful content Ellen Fitzpatrick News Editor @elinfizpitryk
MAJOR global companies have pulled their ads from YouTube after claiming that they had been appearing alongside offensive videos. Nestlé, Disney and Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, are among the big names that have suspended advertisements due to these claims. This news comes after reports of a paedophile network in the comments of YouTube videos in which many of these ads were placed. One YouTube vlogger Matt Watson has said that he discovered a ‘wormhole’ into a “soft-core paedophile ring” on YouTube’s comment section. He has said that he has found times where paedophiles were targeting young girls through these comments. They are said to being making suggestive remarks and spot moments when girls are shown to be in compromising positions like gymnastics. Although the videos did not have a sexual nature, paedophiles were able to find glitches in the algorithms that allowed them to gather these clips of
News in Brief Dublin Bus driver questions passenger's disability
DUBLIN Bus has recently come into controversy online after a person with cystic fibrosis tweeted that she was questioned on her disability pass by a Dublin Bus driver. On February 21st, Aoife Gifford tweeted that a “Dublin Bus driver asked me if my disability pass was real, then proceeded to ask what disability I had… sorry my cystic fibrosis isn’t visible 24/7.”
The podcast according to Blindboy
Nestle, Disney and Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, are among the big names that have suspended advertisements due to these claims. Credit:Wikipedia
young girls. These videos then were put with ads from the likes of Nestlé and Disney and in many of the videos comments, links were posted to child pornography which were deleted by YouTube when reported. “An extremely low volume of some of our advertisements were shown on videos on YouTube where inappropriate comments were being made," a spokesperson for Nestlé said in a statement. “While investigations are ongoing directly with YouTube and our part-
ners, we have decided to pause advertising on YouTube globally, already effective in North America and several other markets.” “We will revise our decision upon completion of current measures being taken by Google to ensure Nestlé advertising standards are met.” Epic Games also commented on the incident: “We have paused all pre-roll advertising. Through our advertising agency, we have reached out to Google/YouTube to determine actions they'll take to eliminate this type of content from their service.”
YouTube have also said that: “Any content - including comments - that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube. “We took immediate action by deleting accounts and channels, reporting illegal activity to authorities and disabling comments on tens of millions of videos that include minors. There's more to be done, and we continue to work to improve and catch abuse more quickly.”
MyTaxi are changing to FREE NOW by end of the year Ellen Fitzpatrick News Editor @elinfizpitryk
TAXI app MyTaxi have announced they are merging and rebranding again to become FREE NOW later this year. Their majority shareholder Daimler have joined forces with BMW to become part of a new mobility brand family which MyTaxi have also decided to join. The company have previously transitioned brand names as the went from Hailo to MyTaxi in 2017. The 2017 rebrand cost the company €5 million. “This is a very positive day for MyTaxi and we are very proud to be a part of this new European mobility powerhouse. As part of this joint venture, we will be able to further develop our reach, technological expertise and innovative capacity,” a MyTaxi spokesperson said in a statement. “The rebrand to FREE NOW will enable us to shape the future of urban and rural transport even more. With two major global car manufacturers like BMW and Daimler AG backing us, FREE NOW will have an even better foundation for future growth.” The current MyTaxi app is in use in nine countries and 100 cities in Europe and they have said that they are also aiming to expand this to more areas with the new merger. They have also stated that there will
Business and Tech
AS part of the Dublin Podcast Festival 2018, Blindboy Boatclub from the Rubberbandits performed at Vicar’s Street. The Blindboy Podcast has gained a large listenership since it launched in October 2017, so much so that it quickly sold out the venue. Blindboy describes his podcast as ‘an eclectic podcast containing short fiction, interviews and comedy.’ He has become known for talking about mental health in Ireland and discussed his own mental health and his concerns about the state of mental health in Ireland on the Tommy Tiernan show in February 2018. He often speaks in strong favour of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and thinks that cognitive psychology should be taught to young children in school so people have the words to describe what they're feeling and why they do things.
Unions warn Teacher Sharing Scheme is 'sticking plaster' measure
THE new Teaching Sharing Scheme has been described by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) as another "sticking plaster" measure for recruitment and retention issues in the sector. Minister for Education Joe McHugh announced on February 25 a new scheme to allow post-primary schools to share teachers in priority subjects. It is one of a range of actions included in the Action Plan for Teacher Supply, published by the minister in November 2018. TUI Press Officer Conor Griffin told The College View that while the union supports initiatives to support teacher shortages, it is a measure that does not currently suffice with its members.
UCD appoint first female Chair of Governing Authority
The company have previously transitioned brand names as the went from Hailo to MyTaxi in 2017
be no changes of any sort in the functioning of the app throughout the rebranding process. The app is said to stay untainted, only the name itself will be new but the same “five star” drivers will remain. “This change will not require any actions from passengers or drivers in Ireland, who will still continue to be serviced and supported by the same existing MyTaxi Ireland team. It will not involve any data migration, technical adjustments or the need to download
a new app. We will remain Ireland’s and Europe’s largest e-hailing app, just with a different name,” the company said. The exact for the rebrand is unknown as of yet and the company have said that it will be announced as soon as they can. Questions also arose on the data protection and if it would effect customers when going through the merger to which MyTaxi confirmed it will have no impact on the privacy of customers.
Credit: Wikipedia
“When the change takes effect, Irish customers can still not only avail of the biggest taxi fleet in Ireland, but a greater freedom to explore the large suite of mobility solutions that are on offer around Europe. MyTaxi remains focused on meeting the growing public demand for taxis and the expansion of our regional footprint across Ireland in 2019. 16 million passengers were carried in Ireland by MyTaxi in 2018, our busiest year ever,” they said.
UNIVERSITY College Dublin appointed their first ever female Chair of Governing Authorities on Friday, February 22. Marie O’Connor was the first woman appointed Chair of Governing Authorities in UCD since it opened 165 years ago. “I am honoured to be appointed as Chair of the Governing Authority of UCD,” said O'Connor in UCD's announcement. “I look forward to this role and to working with the President and members of the Governing Authority.”
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opinion
The power of students protesting climate change Action against climate change is being left to the young and passionate members of society, writes Amy Donohoe.
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Amy Donohoe Social Media Editor @thecollegeview
never really understood climate change until I started learning about the Paris Agreement in Leaving Cert geography. Meanwhile, Greta Thunberg seemed to understand it and its consequences at the age of 15. Not only that, but she is taking action to make a change. In August 2018, Thunberg refused to go to school until the Swedish general election in September, asking politicians to take action against climate change. Since then, she has protested outside the Riksdag Parliament building every Friday, sparking the #FridaysForFuture movement. She is now joined by thousands of other students worldwide. She has led the way, and this movement seems to be gaining more and more traction and attention. I am proud of the youth striking for something so important, but I am ashamed of the governments that aren’t involved and aren’t taking climate change seriously. This action has fallen into the laps of those whom adults don’t trust to pick their own bedtime or stay unsupervised at lunchtime. The way I see it is that
we have a bright and determined future generation that care about the crisis of the climate. They know what they’re fighting for and they will be suffering the consequences when they are adults, so they need to take action now. Teachers and politicians have been giving out about the children missing school for the protests, but this is a learning experience. Swedish law states that children must be in school unless there are “exceptional circumstances”. When people like David Attenborough are warning that the future of planet is at risk, that should count as an exceptional circumstance. These same teachers and politicians likely have children which they, no doubt, care deeply about, yet their actions and their inaction are what will destroy their children’s futures. Governments worldwide appear lazy and uninterested in such a significant matter. Younger people can no longer accept the lack of drastic changes to fight for the future of their planet. There have been too many years of little action against climate change and now change needs to happen. This protest has been long overdue and it’s heart-breaking to realise it is the children that are making the difference, rather than the “sensible” adults
Young climate activist Greta Thunberg.
who have the resources, platforms and skills to do so. Many people are treating this earth like we have a second one to go to, but we don’t. We are borrowing this planet from our children. What are they going to be left with if we keep treating it like this? Some parents say that they would give their child the world, but the world
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will be worthless to pass on if we don’t start taking better care it. Many of today’s adults won’t have to worry about what’s happening in about 50 years time. It is my generation, Greta’s generation, and the future generations who will suffer the consequences. Our children may never know what an elephant or a leopard looks like, be-
cause they may become extinct before they’re even born. I admire Greta Thunberg for taking action and other school strikers for following suit. This movement has begun in Ireland, as politicians have done very little to prevent the effects of climate change, and I hope this movement gets the attention and traction it deserves.
Trans athletes should not be banned from powerlifting
The banning of transgender people from powerlifting in the USA is unfounded and unfair, writes Paul Treanor.
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Paul Treanor Contributor @thecollegeview
he USA’s governing body for powerlifting, the USAPL, was brought into the spotlight in January because of their decision to go against the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) policy of banning all transgender athletes. This sparked outrage among many competitors, trans and cis-gender alike, but the deci-
sion has also received a lot of support. The argument against transgender athletes competing in sports mostly focuses on people who have undergone the transition from male to female, since they would appear to have an advantage over cis female athletes. The thinking goes that men are usually bigger, stronger, and faster than women, and that transgender women retain many of these advantages even after their transition. These claims aren’t evidence based and I would argue that much of the
Trans athletes have no proven advantage over their cis competitors.
hostility towards transgender athletes is reactionary, based on loose anecdotal evidence, and assumptions regarding the effects that transitioning has or doesn’t has. Many sports organisations have turned these ignorant notions into official policies. Every study on transgender athletes suggest that they don’t have an advantage over cis women. In fact, there doesn’t appear to be a single piece of research concluding that they have any advantage in sport. The IOC requires that transgender
Credit: PixaBay
women take androgen blockers and oestrogen for two years before they can compete as females. This process has been shown to decrease muscle mass and increase body fat, which is consistent with women. A study on elite runners, cyclists, and rowers, who transitioned from male to female, showed decreases in performance which was in line with elite female athletes. The only other study measuring athletic performance in trans athletes showed that trans women’s running times were similar to the times of the biological female athletes. As for concerns that trans women are still bigger and taller, weight classes would naturally serve as a way to ensure trans women are only competing against similarly sized athletes in sports where size is advantageous (i.e. strength or combat sports). Let’s look at the arguments against transgender athletes competing from an observational standpoint. The IOC has allowed transgender athletes to compete for almost 15 years and there’s been a lot of transgender women competing in Olympic sports since then. If transgender women really have such an advantage, then why aren’t they dominating sports? There hasn’t been a single transgender athlete to win an Olympic medal. It would make sense to reassess the rules
if transgender athletes obviously have an advantage, but the only way to collect evidence on any supposed advantages at elite levels in sport is to allow trans athletes to compete. People don’t transition for glory in sports. If that was the case, wouldn’t it be easier to just impersonate a woman than to go through the extensive process of hormone replacement therapy for several years? Between 1948 and 1992, the IOC tested gender in up to 20 per cent of female athletes, but never found a male imposter. Instead, women with conditions such as androgen insensitivity were singled out and bullied by the media. Countless policies have approached the gender of athletes with a total disregard for science or the athletes’ perspectives, and have only served to make trans athletes feel alienated and excluded. There’s something to be said about empathy in this debate. These policies affect the athlete’s lives far more than the spectators. Sport offers health, purpose, community, and a sense of accomplishment. It’s had an invaluable impact on millions of lives. We should focus on solutions that fairly include everyone, rather than accepting policies that hurt and victimise the already vulnerable.
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Opinion
Is DCU holding an anti-Semitic referendum? DCU students will be asked to call for BDS in solidarity with Palestine but this may be an oversimplified stance, writes Jimmie Byrne.
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Jimmie Byrne Contributor @thecollegeview
ooking at the state of the world, it’s easy to draw parallels with the 1930s. The recession and the migrant crisis has stoked the flames of right-wing xenophobia across the world, from Moscow and Beijing tyrants holding sway over millions to Brexit and Trump. Countries seem to be severing the ties of solidarity and going out for it for themselves. Another surprising and unfortunate parallel is the growth of anti-Semitism. Perhaps it is not so surprising when a survey of 53,000 people in 100 countries including Ireland by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), 32 per cent believed the Holocaust was a myth or had been greatly exaggerated. British Labour MPs have quit their party due to anti-Semitism and other issues. Attacks on Jews have risen in countries such as the US and France, and a US Congresswoman has openly commented on Jewish money influencing US politics. Even Ireland is not immune. According to the ADL survey in 2014, 52 per cent of us think it is “probably true” that Jews are more loyal to Israel than their home country and 30 per
cent think they talk too much about the Holocaust. DCU is preparing to hold a referendum on whether the SU should support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS). It has been argued that there is nothing anti-Semitic about BDS and that they just want to protest the oppression of the Palestinian people by Israel.
A common defence of BDS that I’ve heard is that they’re not anti-Semitic, but anti-Zionist. They’re of Israel, not Jews. Zionism doesn’t mean what they think it means i.e. a blanket term for any Israeli policy they don’t like. Oxford dictionary defines Zionism as the “development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel”. When
Will DCU students vote in favour of the BDS movement?
all those defenders say that they’re anti-Zionist, it would seem that they’re really saying they oppose Israel’s very existence. Can you imagine the outcry if a British politician said “I’m not anti-Irish, I just oppose the existence of Ireland”? Another argument is that this is not what the movement means by anti-Zionism.
Credit: Wikipedia
“A Jewish state in Palestine in any shape or form cannot but contravene the basic rights of the indigenous Palestinian population and perpetuate a system of racial discrimination that ought to be opposed categorically…. Definitely, most definitely we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine.” Those are the words of Omar Barghouti, co-founder of BDS. Don’t get me wrong. Israel’s hand are definitely not clean and they should be definitely be criticised on their policies. But you can’t convince me that the return of 7.25 million Palestinian refugees to a country of 8.7 million inhabitants won’t result in that country’s dissolution or that calling for a boycott of Israeli products, regardless of whether they are made on the occupied territories or not, isn’t anti-Semitic. That the many, many comments made by BDS activists regarding the annihilation of Israel isn’t emblematic of the movement as a whole. Look, I don’t want to be hyperbolic. I’m not saying that if we pass this referendum in DCU, the state of Israel will be overthrown in the morning. What I am saying is that BDS is a symptom of the worldwide growth and normalisation of anti-Semitism, and that if it this vote passes, DCU is contributing to it.
Million dollar baby: how much money is too much?
As the divide between rich and poor widens, Clara Kelly questions whether anybody should be a billionaire.
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Clara Kelly Deputy Opinions Editor @thecollegeview
verybody seems to be roughly on the same page when it comes to needing more control over wealth distribution in that taxes should be higher for the rich. However, the question of whether billionaires should be abolished totally is a far more complex and hard to answer question. An article from The Guardian this year showed that Oxfam noted the world’s 26 richest people own as much wealth as the poorest 50 per cent of the population. With the charity calling for a 1 per cent wealth tax saying that this mere amount to these billionaires would still raise enough money to educate every child not in school. The charity showed that the growing concentration of the world’s money had been highlighted in a report which stated the 26 richest billionaires possessed as many assets as the 3.8 billion people who make up the poorest half of the population.
Oxfam even said 2018 had been a year where the rich grew richer and the poor poorer. On average, CEOs earn in four days what an average worker will in a year, so how can any human wielding that much power and money not be dangerous? Also, could it be said that anyone has rightfully earned millions or billions by themselves without advantages or privileges? How is it fair for people to earn over a million or even billion while millions are homeless across the world, on social housing waiting lists and living below the poverty line? Even when their extra money could, in theory, be used to fund better social services like housing, health and transport, we must also ask who is earning over a million and, if they held strikes, would it actually impact society as much as nurses, bin collectors and teachers? It’s an illustration of an error in society, if anyone can make it to billionaire status. Taxation of the wealthy has to rise. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and other politicians such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have all spoken out for taxes for the super rich, and for
good reason. I presume the reason the question of billionaires being abolished has been asked so frequently of late is because the answer is obviously yes. At least, they shouldn’t exist in the numbers they currently do now, being allowed to hold so much power while the rest of the global economy struggles to scrape by. Communism may not be the way to go but allowing people to hold such wealth and power while ignoring the overwhelming disadvantages for the rest of society is just as bad. Billionaire abolishment would mean higher taxes on income and estate for billionaires and millionaires, which should only be seen as good. However, some will always find any way to draw back to the somewhat nonsensical in my opinion argument that these people earned the wealth fairly and therefore shouldn’t be prosecuted for it. But then again, how fairly can anyone earn and keep millions, knowing how many people are suffering around the world as direct result of undistributed wealth? Should billionaires be allowed to have that much money?
Credit: Róise McGagh
15
gaeilge An Cultúr Cealaitheach
Pléann Róisín Ní Chuillinn an feiniméan nua seo Róisín Ní Chuillinn Príomh-fho-eagarthóir @CullenRoisin
C
ancelled”. Is phrása coitianta é a cloiseamar arís agus arís eile. Eitilt míchomporach? Cuir Ryanair ar ceal. Seachadadh déanach ó Boohoo? #Cancelled. Uaireanta, cuireann daoine béim ar rudaí amadacha agus de bharr sin tá sé deacair idirdhealú a dhéanamh idir na rudaí seafóideach atá ar ceal agus an milleán agus na heachtraí uafásach atá ar siúl in ár tscochaí. Bíonn an ainm Liam Neeson agus an phrása #Cancelled le feiceáil ar gach súiomh soisiálta faoi láthair. Tá a ainm ceangailte anois le ciníochas, le dubhfuath, le rudaí gránna anois. Bhí sé ag caint faoi am dorcha in a shaol chun a scannán nua “Cold Pursuit” a chur cun cinn. Tá eilimintí den scéal bunaithe ar instinntí príomhúla, rud a dhéanamh le tréan díoltais. Nuair a chuala Neeson faoin éigean a chara, tháining fear air. Scanraidh a ghráin príomhúla é mar bhí sé ag iarraidh duine a mharú. Bhí sé ag iarraidh “black bastard” a mharú. “What colour were they? She said it was a black person.” …I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I’d be approached by somebody – I’m ashamed to say that – and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some ‘black bastard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could … kill him.” Bhí Neeson agus a ghníomhartha i mbeal an phobail agus i lámha na meáin. Scríobh daoine ar líne go raibh Neeson #Cancelled. Bhí air agallamh le Stephen Colbert a chur ar ceal. Bhí lucht leannúna don scannáin “Men in Black” ag iarraidh bata agus bóthair a thabhairt dó. Chuaigh Neeson ar “Good Morning America” chun a hainm a ghlanadh. “And at that time, even though this was nearly 40 years ago, I didn’t think about all that, all those things surprised me. But it was primal hatred, I guess that really, really shocked me. When I eventually came down to earth and saw what I was doing: going out looking for a fight.” Ghlac sé an milleán agus chriochnaigh sé ar fhocal scoir. “Violence breeds violence. Bigotry breeds bigotry.” Da mbéadh an duine ó Sasana, bheadh sé ag iarraidh duine ó Sasana a mharú- Ní raibh sé ag diriú isteach ar cine amhain, bhí sé ag smaoineamh ar an choir uafásach, agus an choir uafásach amháin. “If she had said an Irish, or a Scot, or a Brit, or a Lithuanian, I know I would’ve felt the same effect. I was trying to… stand up for my dear friend in this terrible medieval fashion.”
Meon an chultúir chealaithigh
Bhí an iar-peileadóir John Barnes ag iarraidh cruachás an aisteoir a mhiniú: “We all discriminate and we have to admit it. Why I’m happy to say that I discriminate unconsciously is because the environment that I’ve been brought up in shows me that and continues to show me that. You read newspapers every day and you hear about Muslim terrorists and Nigerian gangs, and that gives you a negative of not just terrorists and conmen of gangs, but also of Nigerians and Muslims. And this is the influence that society has on us, we can’t help the way that we have been brought up. The enemy at that particular time happened to be black, but equally could have been English and he would have wanted to kill any Englishman.” Tá sé deacair bearna a tharraingt idir ealaín agus ealaíntear, idir údar agus leabhar, idir aisteoir agus scannán. Sna laethanta seo tá sé i bhfad
Credit: Megan Hannan-
níos deacaire. Tá cuntas Twitter ag gach aisteor, peileadoir, chuile scríobhneoir. Fadó, ní raibh údar an leanhair aon rud ach ainm ar chlúdach. Níor ghlac siad aon pháírt i do shaol. D’eist muid leis an gceoil nó d’fhéach muid ar an scánnain agus chuaigh an t-am ar aghaidh. Anois, cloiseamar faoin easpa leithris in Hogwarts roimh an 18ú haois. Ní bhíonn siad ina strainséirí anois. Ar líne- tá siad cosúil leis ár gcairde, ár gclann. Tá gach botún, gach abairt scríofa ar líne. Is é seo, cúis mór ceangailte leis an gcultúr cealaigh atá le feiceáil sna laethanta sin. Is scáthan íontach iad na hOscars. Feicimid na hathruithe in ár tsochaí. Ní raibh aon láithreoir ag na hOscars i mbliana. Fuair Kevin Harte bata agus bóthar ón Academy agus bhí sé fíor deacair duine eile a fháil gan aon conspóid, duine nach bhfuil #cancelled. Tá baol ag baint leis an gcultúr cealaigh seo. Déanann daoine rudaí
uafásach. Bhí Chris Brown sa phriosún.. Ach tá sé deacair an difriócht a fheiceáil idir na daoine atá #cancelled mar chuid den fheiniméan seo agus na coirpigh aitheanta atá #cancelled. I Ré na Nua Teicneolaíocht déanann muid dearmad faoin phrása “innocent until proving guilty”. Nuair a smaoinaíonn daoine ar chultúr cealaigh- smaoiníonn siad láithreach ar réaltaí Youtube. Bhí Logan Paul #cancelled nuair a chuir sé fiseán ar an suíomh. Bhí fear márbh sa chúlra den fhiséan. Chuir sé a lámh in a bhás féin. Ar an lámh eile bíonn Pewdipie I mbéal an phobail leis a ghreann dubh agus jócanna gárbha. Ach, baineann sé sult as an chultúr cealaigh. Úsaideann sé é chun fiséan a chruthú. Bíonn sé ag éileamh an chuid airgead de bharr. Bhí tuariscí ar líne go thaobhaigh sé leis na Naitsithe. Ach, ghlac sé an chaineadh agus d’úsaid sé
é chun ábhar a chruthú. Tá an ghluin nua páistí ag fás aníos ar líne. Bíonn siad ar a nguthán pócaí ag féachaint ar an fhuilibiliú ag baint le cultúr cealaigh agus bhfeidir beidh muid ag féachaint ar na cásanna ag baint leis as seo amach.
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Ní bhíonn siad ina strainséirí anois
Gaeilge
16
An Cumann Gaelach sa Dara hÁit go Náisiúnta Insíonn Ruairí Mac Aodhagáin an bua a bhí ag an gcumann
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Ruairí Mac Aodhagáin Scríbhneoir @thecollegeview
a mhór an ceiliúradh a bhí ar siúl ar oíche Dé Satharn an 9ú Feabhra nuair a tháinig Cumann Gaelach DCU sa dara háit náisiúnta i gcomórtas tríú leibhéal Ghlór na nGael san Óstán Glasson i gContae na hIarmhí. Is mór an éacht é seo don gcumann, nach bhfuil ach sa dara bhliain mar chumann amháin aontaithe idir champais DCU. Mar chuid den duais, thógamar abhaile teastas agus seic de luach €2000. Is céim in airde ollmhór é seo le duais aitheantais na moltóirí bainte amach anuraidh agus anois sa dara háit i mbliana. Ach, conas ar tharla sé seo? Conas a bhaintear amach duaiseanna i gcomórtas ar a dtugtar ‘Oscars na gCumann Gaelacha’, agus teacht sa dara háit as beagnach 20 Cumann Gaelach sa tír? Is eagraíocht é Glór na nGael, bunaithe i nGaeltacht Ráth Chairn, Co. na Mí a oibríonn ar son na Gaeilge agus caomhnú na teanga. Bíonn comórtas acu gach bliain do ghrúpaí Gaeilge go náisiúnta i réimse rannóga agus duaischiste os cionn €85,000 ag gabháil leis. Dár ndóigh is an comórtas tríú leibhéal a bhíonn spéis againn ann sa Chumann Gaelach. Bronntar na duaiseanna ar na Cumainn Gaelacha ar son na hoibre ar fad atá déanta acu le bliain anuas, idir imeachtaí, smaointe, feachtais agus rannpháirtíocht. Bíonn trí chuid den iontráil ar an ndéantar marcáil. Ar dtús, líontar
amach foirm, le sonraí ar gach rud maidir leis an gcumann. Ansin bíonn agallamh ann le moltóirí. Mar chuid den agallamh, bíonn scrapleabhar le hullmhú, bunaithe ar cad atá scríofa ar an bhfoirm. Téann tú tríd san agallamh agus bronntar ar na moltóirí é. Cuirtear marc le chéile as an trí chuid sin (foirm, scrapleabhar, agallamh), le 40% ag braith ar an dul chun cinn atá déanta ag an gcumann i mbliana. Bhí coiste an-nua ann i mbliana agus cuireadh plean le chéile chun an cumann a fhás. Cuid de seo ná go raibheamar an-ghníomhach sa chéad mhí ar ais. Cuireadh amchlár le chéile i rith an tsamhraidh le himeachtaí beagnach gach lá. Chinntigh sé seo go raibheamar le feiceáil ar champas go minic. Déanadh píosa beag ath-bhrandála, le mana nuachumtha ‘Bí ann, tabhair leat do chuid Gaeilge!’. Déanadh cinnte go raibh neart poiblíochta ar na meáin shóisialta, agus go raibheamar gníomhach orthu i gcónaí. Chinntigh sé seo ar fad gur chuimhnigh daoine orainn ag laethanta na gcumann le clárú linn, agus tháinig méadú 13% ar líon na mball ó anuraidh, an méid is mó riamh go dtí seo. In áiteanna eile, d’éirigh linn an chéad áit a bhaint amach i gcomórtas díospóireachta Ghael Linn, an toradh is fearr a bhfuaireamar riamh. Déanadh ath-bhreith ar ár gcainéal Youtube, nár úsáideadh le dhá bhliain roimhe seo. Rinneamar cinnte bheith gníomhach in imeachtaí na Gaeilge cosúil le Seachtain na Gaeilge, an Pop-Up Gaeltacht agus Oireachtas na Samhna. Ní hé seo ach cuid de na rudaí ar déanadh i rith na bliana, ach tá gach
Cumann Gaelach DCU
rud tábhachtach mar chuid d’iontráil sa chomórtas. Agus an t-alt seo á scríobh, tá na pleananna á gcríochnú againn le haghaidh Seachtain na Gaeilge, rud a bhíonn an-tábhachtach i gcomórtas Ghlór gach bliain! Amach anseo, tá cúpla plean á chur le chéile againn don bhliain seo chugainn, táimid ag súil le neart daoine nua a thoghadh ag an
AGM go luath agus go dtabharfaidh siad cúpla smaoineamh nua isteach don bhliain seo chugainn. Beidh neart den duais €2000 ó chomórtas na bliana seo á úsáid mar chuid de Sheachtain na Gaeilge, ach coinneofar roinnt ar leataobh agus sinn ag pleanáil don bhliain seo chugainn.
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Credit: Flickr
Bí ann, tabhair leat do chuid Gaeilge
Léirmheas ar You
An gcóir duit an chlár seo a fheiceáil? Inseoidh Lauren Ní Chatháin duit
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Lauren Ní Chatháin Scríbhneoir @thecollegeview
ógra séanta: Milleadh Scéil san alt seo.Bhí mé ag féachaint ar YOU ar Netflix i rith na scrúduithe i mí Eanáir agus tá a LÁN smaointe agam faoin snáithe scéal, faoina carachtair agus conas a bhaineann an scéal le sochaí sa lá atá inniu ann - Ré an idirlín I ndáiríre leaids, ná léigh an alt seo muna bhreathaíonn tú ar an clár. Oibríonn Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley ó Gossip Girl) i siopa leabhair i Nua Eabhrac le Ethan - an t-aon chara atá aige (breatach dhearg idir a haon). Tagann Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) isteach agus ón bpointe sin, éiríonn rudaí “creepy”. Baineann Joe úsáid as a scileanna stalcaire chun gach rud fuithí a faigh amach. Téann sé isteach ina hárasán agus goideann sé a fón póca. Leanann sé í go dtí oíche open-mic agus tar éis sin, go dtí stáisiún subway agus
GO TOBANN, thit sí ar na ráilí. Níor chuir sé iontas ar bith orainn, sábhálann sé a bheo. Nuair a tagann sí ar ais go dtí an siopa chun buíochas a gabháil leis, cuireann sé ceist uirthi - dul amach leis. I rith an ghaoil aisteach, déanann sé rudaí uafásacha - maraíonn sé a buachaill on-off Benji, a chara dílis Peach (cinneann Joe go bhfuil sí nimneach - agus bhí sí ag éirí amhrasach). Taispeanann sé iompar drochídeach i rith an tsraith - ní raibh aon muinín aige inti. Téann Joe go dtí a teiripeoir le bréag faoina gaol le “Renaldo”. Tá níos mó eolais cuimsitheach ag taisteál uaidh. faoi Cloiseann sé téip ar ríomhaire san oifig agus tá Beck ag caint Suígh síos agus lig do scíth
Credit: LinkedIn
Joe. Briseann siad suas mar níl sé an am ceart. Tá sé i ngaol nua le cailín darbh ainm Karen trí mí ina diadh. Buaileann Joe agus Beck le chéile nuair a mbíonn siad ag tabhairt cabhair do Blythe agus Ethan agus tosaíonn siad a ngaol arís. Faigheann Joe amach go raibh Beck i gcaidreamh seachphósta lena teiripeoir agus nuair a tugann sé aghaidh uirthi, deireann Beck go bhfuil sí i ngrá le Joe. Tar éis an admháil sin, tá Joe ar muin na muice. Tá gach rud go breá go dtí go tagann Beck ar bosca sa síleáil - tá a fón póca, fón póca Benji agus fón póca Peach agus cuimh-
neacháin gránna eile ar nós fiacla. Tagann Joe uirthi nuair a bhíonn sí ag féachaint sa bhosca. Maraíonn sé í. Tá sé thar a bheith scanrúil mar, taobh amuigh den a cligeann, is fear normálta é Joe. Buaileann muid le daoine cosúil le Joe gach lá - daoine slítheánta, bréige. Deireann Daniel Fienberg “The time is probably perfect for Lifetime’s You, an extremely watchable stalker drama with at least peripheral mindfulness of Hollywood’s tradition of writing women who get weak at the knees around men who, in any civilized society, would be walking restraining orders or worse.” sa Hollywood Reporter. Tháinig an clár seo amach i lar an ghluaiseacht Me Too i Mean Fómhair 2017. Is clár den scoth é You mar taispeánann sé na contúirtí i ngnáthshaol. Buaileann tú le fear nó bean deas. An chéad rud eile, maraítear tú. Múineann an clár ceacht mhaith freisin: Ná cúr do mhuinín in aon duine. In am ar bith. Gheobhaidh tú bás. Gan dabht.
features The vaccination conversation
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The anti-vaccination movement hit its peak in the 1990s, but it has made a comeback in recent times.
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In 2018, a total of 81 cases of measles were reported in Ireland, this is up from 25 in 2017
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Ciara O’Loughlin Deputy Features Editor @ciara_olo
he was asleep more than she was awake. At one point I came home and she was stuck on the third step of the stairs clinging onto the banister, she couldn’t make it up she was so lethargic.” These are the words of Karen Smyth. Her daughter Laura, who is 21 years old, has been suffering from a cluster of health difficulties. She has been experiencing immense pain, confusion and chronic fatigue, to name only but a few, for eight and a half years. Smyth believes that Laura’s illness, which led to her needing to drop out of school, was due to the reaction she had from receiving the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine uses a medicine called Gardasil to protect girls from developing cervical cancer when they are adults. It protects against seven out of 10 cervical cancers. The vaccine has been offered to all girls in first year in secondary school since 2010. To date, 240,000 girls have been fully vaccinated against HPV, according to the HSE. Smyth is a member of REGRET (Reactions and Effects of Gardasil Resiltin in Extreme Trauma), a parent-led support group for girls and women who believe they have been experiencing health difficulties due to the vaccination. 450 girls have come forward as of
August 2017 to REGRET, complaining of health issues they believe are due to the vaccine. Figures are yet to be released from June-December 2018. “Initially we had support [from some members of the government]. But now, we are being ignored. The girls are being ignored and it is morally inconceivable,” said Smyth. The HPV vaccine is administered in three doses. On the HSE website, they say that “HPV vaccines have been shown to be very safe”. They also state that the vaccine can cause some short term side effects and few side effects. They also state that “like most vaccines, severe allergic reactions are extremely rare”. “No medicine or vaccine is 100 per cent safe and no vaccine is 100 per cent effective. Three in 10,000 will suffer a serious adverse event,” stated Kevin Connolly, speaking about the HPV vaccine. Connolly is the former chairperson of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and currently on board of the Heath Products Regulatory Authority. “See, it’s not one symptom you can isolate, it’s a cluster,” Smyth explained. “They are so isolated. You know, friends and school mates forget that they are there,” she added. When asked what she would tell parents to do in regards to their children receiving the HPV vaccine she said: “We would never advise anyone what to do. We just ask them to do their research”. Smyth explained that their main aim isn’t to warn everyone off the vaccine
Image Credit Shutterstock
We want answers, and I guess when we thought there might be one, a lot of people clung to that hope
but to prevent future children from enduring the “absolute nightmare” that these girls are currently going through. They want to establish who is pre-disposed and eliminate them from getting the vaccine. The HPV vaccine, unlike many other vaccines, does not inject a small dose of, in this case, cervical cancer for immunity. The MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella does work in this manner. In Ireland, the first MMR vaccine is given to children at 12 months old. They then receive a second dose at age four to five when they are in primary school. The vaccine contains weakened versions of live measles, mumps and rubella viruses. As the viruses are weakened, people who have recently had the vaccine cannot infect other people. Recently, there has been a surge in the number of measles and mumps cases in not just Ireland, but Europe as whole. In 2018, a total of 81 cases of
measles were reported in Ireland, this is up from 25 in 2017, according to the HSE. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has listed the ‘anti-vaccination’ movement among the top health threats facing people across the globe in 2019. “Since the invention of vaccines, there has always been doubts, but the benefits outweigh the risks. If we don’t vaccinate, people could die,” said Professor Kingston Mills, a professor at the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College. Dr Andrew Wakefield released research in 1998 that claimed that the MMR vaccine was linked to the development of autism. His research was eventually discredited and he was struck off the medical register in the UK. However, the distrust of the MMR vaccine still lingered and contributed to an anti-vaccination movement. Facebook have recently been put under pressure to stop groups which spread anti-vaccination ideas. One
group, called ‘Stop Mandatory Vaccination’ has more than 150,000 members. In Ireland, vaccination is not mandatory. Parents must consent to vaccinations for children and young people up to the age of 16, according to Citizens Information. Dr. Anthony Breslin, a specialist in communicable diseases who works in the HSE said that mandatory vaccination is okay in theory but not in practice. “Leaving aside the liberty issue of mandatory vaccination all health care interventions should be based on informed choice with the person being provided with the best real information. The second problem is that there are always accepted ‘opt-outs’ to mandatory vaccination such as medical, moral beliefs and religious. Hence, the uptake rates often published to illustrate how effective mandatory vaccination often exclude the ‘opt-outs’ from their baseline figures,” he told The College View. “When my son was diagnosed I couldn’t help but be sceptical when I heard about the MMR vaccine. After doing research, and since the theory was disproved, of course, I believe in vaccinating children against measles, mumps and rubella,” said Orla Buggle, a mother of a son with classic autism. “However, what I don’t think a lot of people understand is that there is still no reason why autism occurs. As a parent, it is a very hard reality to accept. We want answers, and I guess when we thought there might be one, a lot of people clung to that hope,” she added.
Features
18
Should Irish people be fearful of terrorism? As Brexit looms closer and the border issue in Ireland still up for discussion, talks of terrorism in Ireland have resurfaced. Orla Dwyer explores why.
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Orla Dwyer Opinions Editor @orladwyer_
errorism has been described as a plague on the world and a true waste of human life.
Jihadi terrorism in particular has often been seen as a constant threat, even in Ireland where there have been no recorded instances of jihadi attacks. With the possibility of a hard border post-Brexit looming closer, should Irish people be more fearful of terrorism? The Paris attacks in 2015 that killed
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We have a bit more of a cultural fear because we have been living in a post 9/11 age
“I think it’s a bit more balanced than the general fear of jihadist terrorism that has really permeated since 9/11.” This fear continued on as 39 per cent of people in Europe thought terrorism was a major challenge facing the EU in 2016, according to the European Commission. With the March 29th Brexit deadline looming closer each day, the potential for a returning hard border between North and South has still not been clarified and some have fears for a return of violence near the border towns. Although concerns over the hard border are centred mainly on the economy, the threat of increased violence in the North is always a possibility. A no deal Brexit would threaten many fabrics of society and could potentially lead to heightened violence and an increasing fear of terrorism. Professor Shane Barton, senior lecturer in International Relations at Queen’s University, Belfast said he doesn’t believe there is a big fear of dissident republican attacks anymore in the North of Ireland and in the UK. “My sense in the North is that they are sick of the patronising assumption that facing any challenges to the border will slide everything back to how it was in 1969,” said Barton. “Nobody is advocating for a hard border. It would be a consequence of failure.” Barton added that although fears of republican attacks may not be too high, there are contingency plans in place both sides of the border. Garda armed support units have been boosted near the border in preparation for Brexit, according to the Belfast Telegraph. The BBC reported in May that the sale of a police station near the border was
halted due to uncertainty about the effects of Brexit. “I don’t think Irish society at the moment associates the return of a hard border with the return of the Troubles really but the other aspects that go with it,” said Fitzgerald. “I think people are not so much directly fearful of terrorism but more the tension and security issues that might wrap up up North which then might in turn lead to violence.” The UK had the highest number of terrorist attacks in the EU in 2017 with 107 attacks including the Manchester Arena and London Bridge. “There is a real issue there in terms of Brexit increasing the fear of terrorism in relation to the border and the return of a hard border. There have been a couple of incidents in the North in Derry for example a few weeks ago and I don’t think that got much media coverage as it would have perhaps if it was a jihadist terrorist attack,” said Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald added that the fear of terrorism may be culturally embedded through media tropes in the films and television programmes Irish people watch. “We have a bit more of a cultural fear because we have been living in a post 9/11 age with this issue of terrorism,” said Fitzgerald. But jihadi terrorism is not the only type. Although it is hard to know whether a no deal Brexit would increase fear and incidences of terrorism, there could be comparison to draw between Brexit and further expressions of hatred and right-wing extremism, but it is difficult to say this is the cause. “These statistics can fall under the
Credit: Rachel Halpin
Ireland ranked as the tenth most peaceful country in the world in 2018
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Ireland ranked as the tenth most peaceful country in the world in 2018
130 people instilled a renewed fear of terrorism in Europe. A 2015 Statista survey revealed that 50 per cent of Irish people believed the threat of terrorism to be the biggest issue facing the EU, compared to an average of 44 per cent. This fear may be irrational for Irish people but there are many different types of terrorism to be considered. James Fitzgerald, a lecturer in Terrorism Studies in DCU, believes any fear of terrorism Irish people have is relative to the type of terrorism and the generation the person is coming from. “As Irish people, we are global citizens and kind of global consumers of a similar type of media so I think in that respect, there is a fear of terrorism in Ireland,” said Fitzgerald.
radar a bit. There is kind of a racial dynamic and there is kind of a dynamic that it’s easy for people to picture that a contemporary terrorist threat is simply defined as a jihadist because that’s what we have known for the past 20 years or so but there are different facets to the story,” said Fitzgerald. Roughly 240,000 people are injured from lightning strikes each year but no surveys show a fear of lightning as the biggest threat to our world. In comparison, there were ten confirmed and completed terrorist attacks in the European Union in 2017. Globally, there were 8,584 terrorist attacks that year. According to the Global Peace Index, Ireland ranked as the tenth most peaceful country in the world in 2018. This is strident to remember when worrying about the threat of terrorism in Ireland, hard border or soft.
Features
19
Inside life coaching: a possible solution to a shortage of support services
DCU’s Pathways to Success programme sees students get together and avail of life coaching services in order to achieve set goals
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David Kelly Sub-Editor @Dave_Kelly_
room in Albert College begins to fill with students ranging from first year undergraduates to final year masters. Filled with multicoloured couches and pillows, the atmosphere in the room is relaxed and easygoing. Here, students are trusted. Here, they have an opportunity to improve themselves, in an initiative organised by DCU’s Student Support and Development (SS&D). It is the first week of the Patways to Success programme, and some students are feeling nervous. “I’ve been here since 2010, doing student support, academic support. For the first few years I would see students on a daily basis, and it would be usually be around reading, and learning, and writing, and study skills,” said Karina Curley, a member of the SS&D and current Pathways to Success mentor on the Glasnevin campus. “I felt over the years what was missing from those sessions was a way to build confidence, because sometimes students are really good at those skills but they just don’t believe it, or they need reassurance, or suddenly they fail in an assignment and everything falls apart”. The programme was established by Deirdre Moloney and Caroline Bowe in the SS&D department, after they completed a life coaching course. The skills learned from this course eventually resulted in the Pathways programme, which takes place twice a semester, on both campuses. The aim of this programme is to give students the tools required to plan out their path to success, by providing the ability to set and achieve goals, and to build mental resilience. There is a wealth of evidence that suggests that achieving goals is biologically related to well-being. In an age where much of the mainstream discussion regarding universities is characterised by a ‘safe-space’ culture, the DCU SS&D team are taking an opposite approach. Rather than make students less afraid, the goal is to make them braver, or mentally resilient. The first week of the programme begins with identifying where you are, where you want to go and how you plan on getting there. For a pathway to lead you to success, you must know what success looks like. The group takes turns defining success, until it arrives at a well-rounded definition. “I decided to try this programme as I had fallen into a sort of rut where I found it hard to motivate myself to at-
tend classes and perform to the best of my ability, I felt like I had lost sight of why I was in DCU and my potential to add to society and to further my own education and life,” explained Niall Dagg, a second year computer applications student. The next exercise is called ‘The Wheel of Life’. The wheel contains eight aspects of life ranging from family, to friends, to finance, to fun. Everyone marks each section of the wheel out of 10, therefore identifying what’s going right, and what’s not. This allows students to figure out where in life they need to improve. Week one ends with all students deciding upon actions to take achieve these improvements. It’s important that these goals are achievable, like the adage; ‘the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. “I kind of took a notion this year to try and sort myself out a bit better. I have been trying to budget and also get into the habit of doing things better, time management, [getting out of] bed earlier and such, so I thought that this programme would assist me in that. I was hoping to find motivation to work better on my college work,” said Colin Gorman, another second-year computer applications student. Week two begins with a review of these small actions. Students exchange stories, explaining how they followed through, or how they stumbled. The atmosphere is much more relaxed this time around, with more open discussion across courses and levels. “I am enjoying the program. Honestly, I initially felt somewhat intimidated by the others who are very vocal, but the second day felt more comfortable,” said Gorman. Now that the group knows where the path ends, Curley asks us to identify some of the hurdles that may lie on the way. Guilt, fear, friends, relatives, pessimists and society are the main obstacles that are defined, and the different tables attempts to brainstorm solutions. One table explains how they feel that guilt is something of a self-made obstacle and something that tends to wither as a person grows older. One mature student at another table counters this point, and laments that guilt has only grown the more people have become dependant on her. The other group pauses in thought. This is the beauty of the group dynamic. Students from all walks of life, and at all stages of life, come together to try and solve a common problem; falling short of the mark. These diverse individuals mesh together to form a comprehensive whole, capable of unique thought and expression. “I was very nervous starting the programme as it was a large group but over the few weeks, I feel much more
comfortable expressing my thoughts and opinions with the group and I enjoy how it is broken down as it makes the programme feel much more manageable and it’s goals much more achievable,” said Dagg. The second stage of week two involves setting ‘SMART Goals’. These goals are specific, measurable, action-based, realistic and time-based. Conceptualising a goal like these allows for tangible achievement. Broad, vague goals are essentially useless, as the individual reaps little to no benefit during the process. “I have tried my upmost to implement the programme teachings into my own life such as contemplating what my own success means and how to improve my own wheel of life, most importantly my mental and physical health which can seem daunting at first but through the programme has become much more manageable,” added Dagg. Gorman noted that he hopes to incorporate some of the skills more so as the weeks progress. “I’ve reflected on the classes and have tried to work on my goals and such... but I was rather busy last week
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I had fallen into a sort of rut where I found it hard to motivate myself
and have already done more this week, so hopefully with each week I’ll benefit more and more,” he concluded. The outcome of week two is to become an agent in your life, as opposed to an observer. If your life is a story,
The programme was established by Deirdre Moloney and Caroline Bowe in the SS&D department.
why not be the narrator? The pathway to success would appear long and arduous, however this programme has a lot of skills on offer to those who are willing to learn.
Credit: Alison Clair
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Features
Business of fashion: spinning virtual threads Reyce Healy is a 21-year-old Maynooth student who utilised Instagram in establishing himself as young designer talent.
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Craig Shaaban Contributor @thecollegeview
hen he walked into the coffee shop, heads immediately turned.
It was either his subtle, yet eccentric, brown waving over-coat, or the 1965 Pentax 6x7 camera he carried by his waist. As he sat across the table, he took a picture of a delicate red teacup positioned on a table nearby. The loud mechanical click from the half-century-old camera’s shutter closing drew the attention of the surrounding coffee addicts. They were intrigued. Sitting across the table from this journalist was Reyce Healy, a young fashion designer from Newbridge, Co Kildare, who created the popular online brand, “Nostalgia”. Like many young creators, Healy uses Instagram as a platform to sell his creations. He has built up a small but loyal following of 1,000 people, who instantly sell out his fashion drops. As he ordered a small latte, he explained how the business began. “It started as a creative outlet, I was always really into photography, but the page eventually evolved into a clothes brand because I wanted to see how far I could go with it. I started with a run of 24 tee shirts and quickly turned a profit on them,” he said. He proceeded to drop a sugar cube into the milky latte and gave it a gentle stir. The two middle-aged women sitting to the left of us were still interested in his presence, brushing their hair behind their ears while giving him a fast look. Surprisingly, the 21-year-old didn’t find his creative flair until he was 16. “Clothing wise, I had a pretty boring taste up until I started to earn my own money and buy my own clothes. I was able to experiment with what I wanted to wear. Then on my 16th birthday, I bought my first digital camera, so I suppose the financial freedom and the camera kind of sparked some creativity and imagination in me,” he said laughingly. His character is relaxed yet passionate. He takes his art seriously but is not conceited. The Ryan Gosling Doppelganger is a student at Maynooth University, who also has a part-time job. How did he start an online business while juggling the responsibilities of student life?
“I suppose it all comes to priorities, to start a business you need money and to get money you need a job The business isn’t currently my main priority because I’ve bills to pay and college to go to, so I try to fit working on the brand in any spare time I have,” he said in a more serious tone. He then offered a piece of advice for students who want to establish their own hustle. “It’s never gonna be overnight, you’ll get a bit of success and then everything will go quiet for a while, so you have to keep with it. If it’s something you really want to do it might take years. “But if you have an idea take the chance and see how it goes, if you fail, you’ll learn from it for the next time”. The eavesdropping women seemed to be gripped by his maturity. They had finished their scones well before we began our discussion. It seems they were hungry for a stranger’s story, as they sat in subtle silence. His values for the brand are a testament to his character. He’s not a greedy businessman who is trying to maximise profit, he believes that it’s better to strive for quality over quantity. “The new collection that just came out is all made in Ireland, that’s a principle I want to maintain. It gives me piece of mind knowing that people are working under the right working conditions and it also helps the local economy,” he said after finally granting the two ladies a small glance.
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a lot of people in our generation want instant results and instant gratification
The designer explained that his values include striving for quality over quantity.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the young creator is his business philosophy. He is not concerned with the pursuit of money; his primary concern is providing his customers with a product they will really cherish. “It’s not about the profit you generate from the customer, it’s about the value you’re generating for the customer. Ultimately, I’m trying to build a community that lets me give back to the customer,” he explained. The afternoon coffee goers had started to leave, including the two inquisitive women, who seemed satisfied with the small amount of attention they received. The foam from the coffee stained the glass in a pattern that resembled a soil horizon. I couldn’t help
but think about the images the historic camera had processed, as it sat facing me on the wooden table. Once the room became quieter, Reyce articulated his beliefs about what it takes to establish an online brand. “I think a lot of people in our generation want instant results and instant gratification, but I do believe that if anyone did try and pursue something like this and they don’t succeed in the way they thought they would, they would still learn valuable lessons from it. You’ll definitely understand the value of money and how to be patient, so there’s a silver lining in everything,” he said confidently. My time with Reyce was coming to an end, and I couldn’t help but feel a
Credits: Healy’s Instagram and Alisom Clair
sense of awe while talking to him. He is undeniably certain about himself, his character and the values he wants to bring to the world. In a generation who are obsessed with social affirmation and who conform to certain looks and stereotypes, it’s promising to see people like Reyce who are original, yet not arrogant. From a student’s perspective, seeing his approach to working and how efficient he is should be an example to all young people who have a vision. All you need is an Instagram account and a small amount of money to turn this vision into reality. “I’ve to go and collect the little brother from school now, but it was great talking to you,” he said, as he left to beat the traffic.
Sport
Archery success continues at Student Nationals
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DCU Archery claimed a furthery eight medals at the recent Student Nationals event in Cork.
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Ian Brennan Podcast Editor @IPJBrennan97 CU Archery had a successful outing at the Student Nationals that were held in University College Cork last
weekend. Individually there were gold medals for Oskars Veide and Niamh Merry in the Recurve Male and Compound Female classes, with a team gold for Compound as well. Luke Oonan won silver in the compound Male and there were bronze medals for Ryan Kirk in Male Barebow and Tara McMullan in Female Compound. There were also team bronzes for Recurve and Mixed. Veide spoke to The College View about his success, saying he was really thankful for the support of his team as his form picked up on the second day of competing. “I was struggling on the first day and placed only 9th after qualification ranking round. Next morning I was able to get into a more positive mindset, and team member encouragement helped me win all the elimination matches,” he said. The third year Physics with Astronomy student was able to convert
all of his preparation thus far into making last weekend an especially good one for him. “Winning the gold medal was a great reminder of all the hard work I had put into training and a pleasant surprise present for my birthday weekend.” Oonan, who is in his third year of Physics with Biomedical Sciences, was up against some tough competition in his category. “I was very proud to have won. UCC always put on a very well run competition and the competitors in my category were all very strong. It is very encouraging to see such good competition between the colleges so close to the Irish nationals.” The Student Nationals that were hosted by UCC are separate to other competitions through out the year. The scores archers achieve in these competitions carry on from one meet to the next, forming a ranking table in each of the categories. Oonan currently sits third in the Compound Male rankings for the year with two more competitions left while Veide sits tied on points for fourth place in the Advanced Male Recurve standings. The club as a team are currently third in the Recurve standings behind UCD and leaders NUIG, and fourth in the Barebow rankings with UCD in third and Maynooth coming in Second
Credit: DCU Archery / Facebook
Oskars Veide on his way to winning gold in the Recurve
behind NUIG again. They also occupy third in the Mixed rankings, with DIT in second and NUIG again in the lead. They do, however top the Compound table ahead of NUIG and IT Carlow. The next two rounds are on the mind of Veide, who is expecting great things to happen with the team. For the team, there are still two competitions left in
this season for which we are confident that we can achieve great results.” Veide also has his own ambitions once the College season comes to an end, saying, “I, myself, am concentrating on Irish Indoor Nationals and starting of outdoor season afterwards.” The Irish Nationals are a priority for Oonan, who is hoping that the fact that DCU are hosting the event will mean
an increase in the number of people who take part in the sport. “The next big competition for us is the Irish nationals which will be taking place in DCU next month. Its great for DCU to be hosting this event and hopefully, it will encourage more and more students to take up archery in the future.”
Emphatic comeback wins Kiernan title
A second game timeout proved the turning point for Kiernan as he fought back to claim the title.
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“Sure look I’ll keep practicing and see can I do one better next year,” he added. Kiernan also added that he prefers the singles competitions to the doubles because he doesn’t like the added pressure of having a teammate. “I rather the singles to the doubles. I don’t like relying on other people,” he said. “I’d rather win or lose myself than dragging someone else down with me,” he added. In light of his masterstroke of game play and management, Kiernan highlighted that sometimes tactics can beat skillset in the courts. “You can have all the skill in the world then the other man could be
John Morley Deputy Sports Editor @johnmorleysport
arrickmacross handballer Oran Kiernan won the A1 40x20 men’s USHA open final for DCU in the American Intervarsities on the 23rd of February. Kiernan got off to a nightmare start in the A1 showpiece, losing the first match by thirteen points to Devon Peters. “I started off very badly, he hammered me in the first match,” admitted Kiernan. “He bet me 21-8 in the first match. It wasn’t going to plan, it was very thick,” he said. It was in the second match that Kiernan found himself six points down and wisely took a timeout. “In the second game he was beating me 18-12 and I took a timeout,” he told The College View. “One of the boys was telling me to calm down and change my shots about,” he added. The tweak in tactics reaped rewards as Kiernan hit off nine unanswered points to draw level at a match a piece. “I came back in and bet him 21-18,” he said. Kiernan carried the momentum into the tiebreaker to bet Peters by seven points. “In the tiebreaker I broke away and bet him 11-4,” said Kiernan.
you could “figure out one
weakness of his and attack it
Oran Kiernan beat Devin Peters in the final.
Kiernan highlighted his change in mentality midway through the match as the key to his success. “I just changed myself and he couldn’t get it back,” he said. “Anytime he did get it back he just set me up for the kill,” he added. Apart from the championship decider, Kiernan found the run up to
Credit: DCU GAA Handball Club / Facebook
the final relatively easy once he was seeded in the A1 division. “I won my first round game handy enough,” said Kiernan. “I was bet then in my second round game which put me into the A1 grade,” “It was a handy route then to the final, he was the only one from that point on to give me a proper game,” he
added. Looking ahead, on the intervarsity circuit Kiernan will hope to improve his game for his lesser favoured one wall competition. “There’s only the one wall left for me but I can’t see myself doing too well in it. I don’t really like the one walls,” said Kiernan.
smarter, he could be playing you around the walls,” he said. “You could be awful and have no skill at all and you could figure out one weakness of his and attack it,” he added. Kiernan looks forward to playing in the Ulster Junior doubles competition with former DCU handballer Conor O’Gorman.
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Seventh heaven for DCU Weightlifting DCU continued their success with seven medals from twelve competitors at Galway Intervaristy Competition
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Gerard Grimes Sports Editor @GerardGrimes11 CU Weightlifting came back from their Intervarsity competition in Galway on February 16th with seven medals
to their name. The DCU team sent 12 people to compete in Galway, with six of those competing for the first time. Three of the seven medals were gold, coming from Hannah McGowan in the -59kg category, Ronan McBride in the -61kg category and David Talan in the -102kg category. McGowan was competing for the first time, and headed into the competition more so for the experience. “I didn’t have many expectations heading into the competition. It more for the experience this year,” McGowan said. “I really enjoyed competing and being able to have fun with all the gang. Everyone was so supportive and it really helped to take the pressure off. “I had my doubts before the competition but it was definitely worth it,” McGowan told The College View. Alannah Hedderman and Sean Quigley brought home silver medals in the -71kg category and -81kg categories. There were also two bronze medals from Jack Walsh in the -89kg category and first-time competitor Emily Morrin in the -71kg category. McBride took two months out after suffering a concussion in November and went into the competition without any thoughts of medals in his mind. “I was very pleased with how I performed on the day. The result gives me
Credit: DCU Weightlifting / Facebook
DCU Weightlifting at the intervarsities
a good platform to build upon and push on with training in preparation for the next competition in July. “Having sustained a concussion in November I was forced to take two months out,” McBride said. “I had a fairly conservative start back to training in mid-January although thankfully my training was consistent and had me feeling sharp in the buildup to intervarsities. “I definitely wasn’t thinking about medals going in to the competition. My goal was to hit 6 good lifts on the day and enjoy the opportunity to compete – the gold was just a bonus.
“The team were incredibly happy with DCU’s performance on the day. We had all trained well in the lead up to the competition and it showed with 7 medals coming back to DCU,” McBride explained. DCU have had continued success in recent intervarsity competitions, winning 27 medals over the past three years. McBride believes their success comes back to a number of factors, including their focus on beginners to the sport, who he says will be important to the club’s success, which they are looking to continue.
“DCU Weightlifting Club are constantly on the look-out for beginners and new members. We run very successful beginner classes twice per week on campus led by Weightlifting Ireland qualified coaches where beginners are taught the lifts from scratch, no prior weightlifting experience is necessary.” “As members develop in terms of technique and strength, they are progressed to Club Training at DCU’s high performance facility in St. Clare’s,” McBride said. “This allows the members to begin training with the competitive squad in an open and encouraging environment
with fantastic coaching. We have plans to build on our recent success and continue to grow the club. We cannot emphasise enough how important beginners are to the club’s continued success in the future. “Despite it being an individual sport, DCU have a very strong team emphasis. We all train as a team and when we go to competition although we may have individual goals, we support our teammates from DCU and help each other out in any way we can,” he explained.
Farrell serves up another win Ryan Farrell won the intervarsity singles title for the second year running in Galway.
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Conor Breslin Contributor @thecollegeview
CU’s Ryan Farrell added another table tennis award to his list as he captured the Intervarsity Singles Title for the Second year in a row in NUI Galway. Having won the singles title in Trinity College last year, Farrell entered the tournament as No.1 seed. “There was some added pressure heading into the event as defending champion, but it was a challenge which I relished. I knew there was a number of players who were capable of lifting the title,” Farrell told The College View Farrell felt that he was in good form having reached the Semi-Finals without dropping a set as he recorded 3-0 wins against opponents from University Limerick (UL) and Trinity in the last 16 Quarter finals of the tournament. The DCU student admitted that he
knew the semi-final would be a stern test as he was up against Irish No.8 Tom Davis of UCD. The match went to the wire with Farrell explaining how it required a lot of mental strength to cross the line. He found himself match point down before the semi-final was decided 14-12 in the 5th and final set. In the Final, Farrell would face Irish No.4 Alexander Gillen (UCD) in a repeat of last year’s final. “I felt confident in my game heading into the final and this allowed me to play with complete freedom. I got off to a strong start, winning the first 2 sets and I never took my foot off the pedal,” said Farrell. The DCU student from Howth was all smiles as he won the final 3-1 to lift the Intervarsity Singles Title for the Second year in a row. “It was a great feeling to lift the title for a second time. Saving match point in the Semi-Final made me realise that there is a fine margin between winning and losing. Being on the verge of defeat made the victory even more satisfying,” said Farrell. Farrell who is currently ranked No.3
in Ireland started playing Table Tennis when he was 10 years old in primary school and he quickly fell in love with the sport. After completing the Leaving Cert in 2015, he moved to Sweden to play professionally for 1 year before beginning his college degree. “Being a full time Table Tennis player consisted of playing two sessions every day from Monday to Friday with league matches at the weekend. During a normal week in Sweden, I would play 10 sessions and over 20 hours of Table Tennis. This was both physically and mentally demanding but it’s an experience which has moulded me as a person,” said Farrell. He also plays table tennis in the German Verbandsliga Division for TV Hude which is a village near Bremen. Farrell has played there for the last 2 seasons. The village currently sit 2nd in the league and promotion is their goal for this season. Farrell expressed his career highlight so far as representing Ireland at the World Team Championships in Tokyo in 2014 were he recieved his
Ryan Farrell won the Singles Intervarsity title
first Senior Cap at age 17. Since then, he has received a further 12 Senior Caps which include two 6 Nations campaigns (2015 and 2017) and vari-
Credit: Conor Beades
ous European League matches as well as winning 4 National Titles at Junior Level.
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Freshers win Division Four title in Abbotstown A dominant performance from Tony Cousins side saw DCU lift the league title against Dundalk side O’Fiaich.
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Gerard Grimes Sports Editor @GerardGrimes11
CU’s Fresher side lifted the CUFL Division Four title with a 4-1 victory over O’Fiaich Institute of Further Education in Abbotstown last week. Stephen Kearns opened the scoring for Tony Cousins’ side in the sixth minute before Reginald John equalised for the Dundalk outfit on after twenty two minutes. DCU lead 2-1 at the break after Mark O’Connor finished from close range at the back post. Zach Gorman extended DCU’s lead in the second half before Diarmuid Sexton slotted under O’Fiaich goalkeeper Precious Kent to make it 4-1. DCU’s path to the final saw them comfortably progress through the group phase, winning all four of their games. They beat Drogheda Institute of FE ‘B’, O’Fiaich Institute of FE, Dunboyne College of FE and Dundalk IT ‘C’, scoring thirty and conceding just three. The group started off with a 13-1 victory at home to Drogheda before a 5-2 away victory to last week’s finalists O’Fiaich. A 9-0 victory over Dunboyne followed before they ended the group stage with a 3-0 victory over Dundalk IT. The quarter-final saw DCU beat UCC ‘D’ 6-3 at home before they progressed to the final with a 5-3 win on penalties over Waterford College of FE after the sides drew 2-2 in normal time. Cousins Freshers’ side played in the
Harding Cup the week previous, losing in the quarter-final of the main tournament to UL. That saw DCU drop into the Spillane Cup semi-finals against NUI Galway where goals from Jake Molloy and Ryan Smith sent DCU through to the final of the secondary competition despite Evan Hudner’s goal for NUIG. However, DCU fell just short in the final, falling to a 2-1 defeat to Trinity in extra-time. Segun Bolungun scored a brace for Trinity, while Eli Ward netted DCU’s goal, which brought the game to extra-time late on. DCU went into the Harding with high expectations but Mark O’Connor, who also played for the senior side this season, believes that experience may have helped when it came to the league final last week. “Of course we had the expectation to win the Harding. We definitely had the quality to do so, but unfortunately it doesn’t always work out like that. “The lads put in a good shift and did very well to get to the Spillane Final, but again it just wasn’t to be,” O’Connor said. “I think that them losses gave us a kick to get the heads screwed on for the Division title final. It was a great feeling to get some silverware after a great season. “All the lads played brilliant and controlled the game from start to finish. It was one of the best displays all season in my opinion and we fully deserved the win,” O’Connor told The College View. League final goalscorer O’Connor missed out on playing in the Collingwood Cup this season but spoke of the experience of his first year in college football.
Mark O’Connor scores for DCU “I’ve really enjoyed my first year in college football. I made a lot of new friends and scored lots of goals so couldn’t be better. “I’ve played for both the Freshers and the Senior Squad throughout the season but unfortunately couldn’t play in the Collingwood due to injury so I’d love to be involved again next year. “I gained a lot of experience playing quality teams such as UCD and I feel like this has helped me develop and mature as a player,” O’Connor said. Man of the Match in the league final, Dylan Glancy, felt the side were deserved champions after feeling like
Underwater Hockey rise continues DCU lost just one game in their first two tournaments this year. Hugh Farrell Deputy Sports Editor @HughFSports
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CU’s underwater hockey team have merged with another Dublin based club, The Vikings, to make up numbers for
competitions. The DCU/Vikings pairing have only lost one game in two tournaments beating out other teams from Dublin (Dublin Otters and UCD), Cork and Belfast in the process. Their third tournament took place on Sunday. However, results from the tournament were unavailable at time of going to print. DCU Underwater Hockey Club only formed last year, co-founded by Conor Meyler, was himself was only introduced to the sport in January 2018. “Our success so far has been down
to constantly improving our skills and playing constantly on Thursdays as a team. We learned each others style of play and we together adjusted to make sure we expect each others plays” said Pavel Stratan, a DCU alum who is part of the team, also known as Paul. The merger became necessary due to an inconsistent number of members being available. “Over the last while we had roughly 10-12 different DCU students joining us on and off, we are yet to have a constant team every month. “This is in particularly down to lack of coverage for this sport,” Stratan told The College View. “As for the Irish League, thus far we have had to join forces with Vikings, another Dublin team struggling with constant numbers and we are now playing under the DCU/Vikings Team. “We have so far lost only 1 game in two tournaments, and we have two more to go,” Stratan explained.
Underwater hockey sees a combination of diving and hockey where players use a strong plastic stick, around 30cm, to score by shooting a puck into metal trays at the bottom of the pool. The game itself is non contact but players wear gum-shields and padded gloves as well as diving gear like water polo hats, mask, a snorkel and fins. In every game of underwater hockey, there are three referees. Two referees are in the water watching the game while the third is at poolside and rings an underwater gong to stop and start time. Originally the sport was created as a way for scuba divers to stay active during winter months when it was too cold to dive. The club do plan to give the sport a further push and attempt to gain more members that would hopefully be more consistent numbers. “Training is on every Thursday 9pm in the National Aquatic Centre and new players are always welcome.”
Credit: ThirdLevelFootball
they could have got more out of the Harding Cup the previous week. “I feel like we could have made more of the tournament (Harding Cup) if I’m honest. We didn’t play a game with a full-strength squad due to injuries and other commitments unfortunately. “I personally was gutted to miss the opener against UL. We took each game very much so as if came and battled hard to get what we could out of a very enjoyable tournament. “I think we were deserved (Division 4) champions in the end. We were definitely the team to beat all the way through. It was great to cap it off with
some silverware,” he said. Glancy also plays at League of Ireland underage level with Longford Town and explained the different challenges presented in college football. “I’m with my home town club which is Longford Town this year and have been with them since U-15 level. “College football is very different in terms of physicality and pace of the game. Games are more physical and cagey compared to League of Ireland level. “You could be by far the better footballing side and come away with nothing,” Glancy said.
Sports Roundup DCU Badminton came fourth in the league finals. They lost out to TU Dublin Tallaght campus in the third placed playoff. TU Dublin Sport City Campus lifted the title, beating Cork Institute of Technology in the final. DCU Ladies Rugby lifted the Kay Bowen Cup in February. The games in the tournament were seven minutes a half and DCU had both their ‘A’ and ‘B’ sides in the Tier 1 competition. A try in virtually the last play of the game from Ana Doyle against UCD saw DCU ‘A’ lift the title, winning all three competitions they have been in so far. Shelbourne FC have announced that DCU will remain as the club’s primary sponsor this year. The DCU logo will feature on both the men’s and women’s jerseys this season. DCU Ladies GAA Lagan Cup side progressed to the semi-final of the tournament with a 2-20 to 2-2 win over North West Regional College.
DCU GAA produced a second half fight back to beat Queen’s GAA in extratime in the Fresher A Football quarter-final, winning on a 3-17 3-11 scoreline. They now play UCD in the semi-final. Full quarter-final report from Conor Breslin online on www.thecollegeview.com. DCU’s side lost out by three points to University Limerick in the O’Connor Cup. DCU now go into O’Connor Cup Shield where they will face NUI Galway. The Moynihan Cup side progressed to the semi-final after a 2-8 0-12 victory over UCD. Semi-final against Letterkenny Institute of Technology was scheduled for Tuesday, 5th March, result not available at time of going to print. DCU have also progressed to the Fresher B Football final after a 2-16 to 0-5 win over NUI Galway in Tubberclair, Westmeath.
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INSIDE Goals from Stephen Kearns, Mark O’Connor, Zach Gorman and Diarmuid Sexton saw DCU lift the CUFL Division Four title against O’Fiaich.
Pat’s GAA resurgence despite DCU amalgamation St Pat’s beat NUIG in the intermediate final by two points on a 2-8 to 1-9 scoreline. John Morley Deputy Sports Editor @JohnMorleysport
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t. Patrick’s Campus GAA Chairman Ronan McDonald believes that the GAA club’s intermediate victory shows signs of a recovery in GAA on the campus following the amalgamation with DCU. The St Pat’s Intermediate football manager told The College View that the initial bleeding effect from the campus was felt by the Dóchas Éireann club. “We certainly have, this year not so much,” said McDonald “We’ve lost a lot of fresher’s over the last number of years,” he added. The Intermediate manager said that the club had benefitted from players returning to the Pat’s club after initially playing with the DCU Glasnevin fresher’s. “This year a lot of those lads have come back,” he said. “In terms of the Inters team we didn’t lose too many,” he added. The attacking underage Monaghan star David Garland has elected to play for DCU but has had an influential role on the side line for the Intermediate team as they won the championship. “We lost David Garland from
Pat’s players celebrate beating NUIG
Monaghan. He’s studying in St Pat’s, but he was happy to stay involved down here with the team and that was a massive asset to us,” said McDonald. “He’s a Monaghan County senior so he’s brought a wealth of knowledge to us along the side line,” he added. An intense encounter preceded the final of the competition which saw Pat’s take on a Pat’s based DCU outfit in the semi-final. “When we played DCU in the
Credit: David Gough / Twitter
semi-final, two of the lads in the full forward line for DCU are actually studying in Pat’s as well, Billy Mannion and Shane Tierney,” said McDonald. “Young Tierney actually missed a penalty as well so he may regret that decision in the long run,” he joked. “We have lost a lot of footballers but there are still a lot of quality footballers about the campus here though,” he added. In contrast to the sports and coaching
personnel in the Glasnevin campus, the St Patrick’s campus is completely run by students. “We pride ourselves on the traditions of Dóchas Éireann St Pat’s, the former club that was here,” said McDonald. The Chairman went on to stress the importance of maintaining a strong GAA tradition on the teaching college’s campus. “It’s important to keep GAA in the [St Pat’s] campus because you have a
lot of inter-county GAA players and ladies football and camogie players,” said McDonald. “They all pursue a career in teaching because it suits that inter-county lifestyle,” he added. In response to GAA pundits advocating the removal of Higher Education competitions to ease up fixture congestion in the GAA calendar, McDonald refuted the notion as a falsity. “There’s very few competitions in the GAA that you can say haven’t got importance. People have been saying the Higher Education championships should be scrapped. That’s a lie,” he said. “Having won something at the Higher Education third level, it’s massive,” After reflecting on his charges’ dramatic win, which saw them snatch victory with a last minute goal against NUIG, McDonald ranked it as one of his greatest sporting moments. “Our win over the last number of weeks is one of the best experiences that I’ve had in sport and I’d hate to see someone else losing that opportunity in years to come,” he said. St Patricks College overcame NUIG in the intermediate final by two points at 2-8 to 1-9. Going from a point down to winning in the last play of the game.
DCU overcome Trinity in local derby
DCU Tennis defeated long standing rivals Trinity College in the Tennis Intervarsity Championships in Glasnevin Lawn Tennis Club. Eoin Harte Deputy Lifestyle Editor @EoinHarte98
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he DCU men’s tennis team won the 2019 National Irish Intervarsities, beating their rivals Trinity College in the final. Trinity College had won the tournament the last three years in a row, beating DCU in the final each time. Conor Reilly, chairperson of the DCU Tennis Club and captain of the men’s team, spoke to The College View about how happy they were to finally get one over Trinity. “Oh yeah it was a big rivalry alright. “We organised the whole event. We hosted, organised and went on to win the event so it was a big deal,” Reilly explained. Reilly and the treasurer of the Tennis Club Noel Fleming organised the event themselves, which was hosted in the Glasnevin Lawn Tennis Club and in the National Tennis Camp. “There was a whole lot of stuff in the lead up we had to organise, balls,
courts prizes, awards, things like that, so it was a big build up and about three months of planning went into it,” Reilly said. Team tennis consists of six players on each team, each of which will play a singles match and then go on to play three doubles matches. Whoever wins at least five of the nine matches wins the tie. The six singles matches are usually played at the same time and if one team wins at least five of those the doubles matches will not be played. Reilly explained that it can be both exciting and distracting having other matches being played at the same time around you, that are crucial to your own success. “Yeah you’re constantly watching like, are you winning?” The final went right down to the wire, with the final doubles match deciding the tie. “We played our six singles matches in the final and it was 3-3 after that. So it went to the doubles which is another three matches. We lost our first doubles so it was 4-3 to Trinity. “We won the second doubles so it
Sean McCullagh
was 4-4 so it came down to the deciding match and it went to 4-4 in the third set. There was probably about 200 people watching it and DCU won it 6-4 in the final set,” Reilly said. The stand out player for DCU was Sean McCullagh, winning every match he played in during the tournament. McCullagh previously represented
Credit: Etienne Jeanneret
Ireland in the World University Games, bringing the side to a best ever finish in fourth place. The women’s team were also in action at the intervarsities, making it to the final before being beaten 5-3 by UCD. Reilly said the success of the two teams was largely down to the work put in by the club coach, Jaime Pilkington.
“He was our coach and has been for the last twenty years so he was really helpful in the organisation of teams and coaching throughout the year. He was a big help this year.” That’s it for competitive university tennis for the college year but DCU can look back and be happy with what they have achieved this year.