College Tribune: Issue 6 by Simon

Volume 21 / Issue 6

22nd January 2008

Siren Surviving the

THIS WEEK IN

Henry Rollins

Exclusive interview: The Siren - Page 6

the Nazis Auschwitz - Page 11-13

College to scupper fascist invitation ■ LawSoc invite Holocaust-denier to debate ■ Widespread condemnation of decision The UCD Law Society has come under ﬁre from UCD authorities for inviting far-right wing French politician and Holocaust-denier Jean Marie Le Pen to a debate on the Lisbon Treaty. A spokesperson for the college said: “This is an ill-judged ﬂight of fancy by a student society and we don’t expect that the talk will take place.” Le Pen and National Front MEP Bruno Gollnisch have been asked by the Law Society to speak in opposition to the Lisbon Treaty at a debate in March or April. Auditor of the society Ciarán Ahern maintained that the invitation was in the interests of freedom of speech. “We are charged with promoting free speech within UCD. We certainly don’t want to give

■ Caitrina Cody

a platform to xenophobes, but it should be up to their opponents to defeat their arguments in debate.” Students’ Union President Barry Colfer added, “I certainly wouldn’t welcome Le Pen to UCD. He’s one of the last fascists le in Europe.” Le Pen’s attendance at the debate is still in question, with a spokesperson for him stating that, although the controversial politician is eager to come to Ireland, no decision has yet been made. The debate will pre-empt a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, a piece of European Union legislation that will make amendments to the existing constitution, particularly in regard to the accession states of the EU. Le Pen, founder of the anti-immi-

gration National Front Party, is a vocal opponent to the Lisbon Treaty and has been convicted in France and Germany for remarks that were judged to have ‘minimised the Holocaust.’ Many public ﬁgures have spoken out in protest at the decision to extend the invitation to the 79-year old politician. The Libertas Institute, an Irish political think tank opposed to the Lisbon Treaty, has dubbed the invitation by the UCD society as “a fairly pathetic attempt by a student society to get publicity for itself on the back of the forthcoming referendum campaign.” Continued on page four

NEWS

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

A step in the right direction ■ ■

USI applauds the creation of new grants website Students will have online to financial advice

■ Lorcan Archer

Editor Caitrina Cody Features Editor Colin Gleeson Designer Simon Ward Sports Editor Jordan Daly Health & Fashion Editor Cathy Buckmaster Arts Editor Cian Taaffe Music Editor Lorcan Archer Contributors: Adam Watts, Vicky McKenna, Sean Cunningham, Jennifer Bray, Philip Connolly, Barra Fianil, James Geoghegan, Eoin Brophy, Eoghan Glynn, Bryan Devlin, Ben Blake, Eoin Boyle, Maximillian Harding, Karen O'Connell, Pete Mahon, Dermot Looney, Aoife Ryan, Leo Gavin, Sophie O'Higgins, Hugh Qeenan, Helen O'Sullivan, Sarah O'Hegarty, Jason Timmons Special Thanks To: Stephen & Billy @ Spectator Newspapers, Eilis O'Brien, Dominic Martella, A&B, Michael & Denise Cody.

The ongoing grants crisis

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The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has described the setting up of a new Government website designed to educate prospective and current students about the grants system as “essential viewing for every individual involved with third level education.” USI President Hamid Khodabakhshi urged “every student, school-leaver and final year student” to take an interest in the website (www.studentfinance.ie) in order to properly gauge their financial entitlements, which many students remain unaware of. The site describes itself as a “convenient and userfriendly source of information on financial support for further and higher education” and an open source of information on grant approval and processing. Khodabakhshi expanded on the importance of the new initiative by stressing the benefits of the unique guide, particularly for students who

qualify for assistance other than the usual Student Grant. “The most well-known support is the standard Student Grant. But the website also charts several other schemes that provide extra assistance to people who are eligible.” USI Education Officer Peter Mannion commented on the website’s welcome financial advice. “It will be incredibly useful for people with family commitments who are returning to education, people with disabilities, and people from lower income backgrounds to find out what all their options are.” The website was developed by the Higher Education Authority and was officially endorsed by the USI. Its establishment marks a significant step in the ongoing and volatile student grants issue, which has been the subject of various high-profile protests in the past two years, and has previously been described as “despair-inducing” by UCD Students’ Union representatives.

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Across the country student dissatisfaction with the national student grant programme is widespread, despite seemingly continuous efforts of the Department of Education to rectify the situation. Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin introduced an increase in grant funds last September, which resulted in an increase of ten percent for all maintenance grants and a fourteen per cent increase for all special rate maintenance grants. However, Union of Students (USI) in Ireland Education Officer Hamid Khodabakhshi argues that things have not improved but are in fact worsening for students in need of financial aid. “The grant’s a joke but we’re not laughing”. The three major areas of concern for the USI are the cost of living, the form of assessment and the issue of payment. In other words, is the amount given adequate to live on, is the financial threshold for the families tested at the right level and are the payments by County Councils and Vocational Education Committees processed efficiently?

■ Aoife Ryan According to UCD student Gillian Middleton, one stressful issue that could easily be resolved is the government’s approach to allocating the grant payments each semester. “They don’t even tell you when your grant is ready. You’re just supposed to check every so o en, which is time-wasting and stressful when you‘re on a budget.” Another frequent complaint made by students is the complexity of the system. “You have to bring in a letter of proof each time, showing you are a grant-receiver. We should just be able to use our student ID cards”. When a student passes the assessment and qualiﬁes for a grant, the problem of late payment can arise. The grant payment is not issued for the start of college, which is September for many students, but is normally processed a er the payment of registration fees. According to Middleton there is a disparity between the amount given and the realistic cost of living. “Although you may get €3,400 for the se-

mester, you could easily spend around €5,000.” Other issues surrounding the student grant system are the planned centralisation of the programme, the demand for a new Student Support Bill and the proposed establishment of a Student Accommodation Taskforce, the latter of which was promised four months ago by Minister for the Environment John Gormley. The idea of centralisation has been backed by ﬁgures such as Senator David Norris and Sinn Fein Senator Pearse Doherty, and is popular with students. “Well I think my County Council in Offaly is renowned for being one of the worst in the country, so if they all had to follow the same schedule from one area I think it might be better.” says Middleton. “Promoting inclusion, participation and achievement of people from socio-economically disadvantaged areas is a priority for the Government”, declared Hanaﬁn recently. For large numbers of students around the country struggling to make ends meet, these priorities would not seem to be

Cuppa? UCD students sitting their examinations last semester were denied their usual access to the free tea and coffee customarily handed out by the UCD Students’ Union (SU) for the last four years. The SU was prevented by college authorities from giving out free tea and coffee to students completing examinations at the RDS last December. The SU Officers attend the examination venues regularly in order to provide the students with light refreshments between their exams, which are particularly appreciated due to the lack of facilities at the venue. SU Deputy President Ciara Brennan commented on the situation as unfortunate for the students. “As most people would be

aware, the SU has always maintained a stand at the exam centre in the RDS and supplied tea and coffee for students who are sitting their exams. Unfortunately there’s not many facilities there for students and we did find ourselves in a situation whereby we were not allowed to give out tea and coffee to students there which was quite disappointing. A college spokesperson stated: “In principal permission was not refused for tea and coffee to be distributed at the RDS, but unfortunately the practicalities, including health and safety elements, of such activities had not been agreed before the commencement of Semester 1 examinations. This is certainly something that can be looked at before the commencement of semester 2 examinations.”

NEWS

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

Reform of medicine requirements ■ New system to include aptitude test ■ Less points required Changes to the entry requirements of Medicine at both graduate and undergraduate level have been hailed as “the most significant change to medical education since the foundation of the state” by Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin. The move is set to be greeted with enthusiasm by students as they will no longer have to strive for perfect maximum Leaving Certificate results. Those with a threshold of 480 points are now eligible, along with an admissions test that must be taken for which there is a maximum score of 280. “It is widely acknowledged that academic ability is not the only requirement to be a good doctor,” stated Hanafin, in relation to the introduction of an admissions test. The admission test will be based on one used internationally and will measure general and personal skills and abilities that are not directly assessed in academic examinations. The new entry requirements have also been brought about to reduce “the negative educational impact of intense pressure on students for an exceptional Leaving Certificate performance, and will also ensure that Ireland has many more highly trained doctors available to work in the health service.” The changes will be introduced in September 2009, with the aptitude tests set to take place during the autumn of 2008. According to a spokeswoman for Minister Hanafin, “A working group of representatives from the institutions and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has been established to deal with

A McVerry good cause

■ Jennifer Bray the admissions tests.” This group has a number of tasks which include a review of international practice regarding the best tests already available and the preparation of a procurement process to contract with an international provider to provide such a test. In addition, there will be extra places available from September 2009 onwards, with UCD allocated an extra 115 places for Graduate students. There will be an additional 70 under-graduate places across TCD, NUIG and UCC. According to Paul Harkin, Director of Strategic Development in the UCD School of Medicine & Medical Science, the programme represents a “significant Development for UCD, with the increase of place numbers and also the increase of student choice”. Furthermore, a new graduate entry medicine programme will start enrolment in UCD September 2008. This four year programme is designed for those who already hold a primary degree in any discipline and who now wish to pursue a career in medicine. Graduate Students will have to sit a separate admissions test (GAMSAT). They will also have to pay half of the tuition costs, which total €13,000 per annum. The Department of Education and Science will pay the colleges a further €12,000 per student. The new entry package was devised by Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney, and the Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin.

UCD Business and Legal students, Laurence Banville, Barry Colfer and Patrick Rath have won second place in the final of the JPMorgan Good Venture Competition that took place on Saturday the 19th of January . One of only nine teams from universities around the world including Harvard and Yale, the UCD team were chosen to compete in the competition which saw them represent Irish charity, the Peter McVerry Trust.

Beat the January

Blues!

Get Tea/Coffee, Sandwich and a Donut

¤3.99

Now Play that Sax!

OFF - Lunch Special Terms and Conditions: 1) Valid at the UCD Nine One One until 29th of February 2008 only on presentationof this voucher. 2) Normal price ¤4.99, with this voucher it is ¤3.99.

Soup & Sandwich Special 5.69 Donut & Tea/coffee Special 1.99

NEWS

College Tribune

22nd January 2008 H

NEWS IN BRIEF COMPILED BY CATHY BUCKMASTER & LEO GALVIN

Drinking ban proposal slammed by USI A recent proposal by an Oireachtas committee to ban the sale of alcohol to people under the age of 21 has sparked a huge reaction from the student body. Last week it emerged that an alcohol advisory group is assessing the situation of under-age drinking and considering introducing an age restriction of 21. Although the negative eﬀects of binge drinking is evident to all, this recommendation would have a huge eﬀect on the student life and, according to Hamid Khodabakhshi, the president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), this legislation would “only propagate a defamatory stereotype about young people.”

College to scupper fascist invitation ■ Continued from front page

■ Le Pen: Lawsoc have invited the French politician to come to UCD

Restaurant closes for safety upgrade The UCD restaurant building reopened yesterday a er a temporary closure for renovation. The renovations were undertaken to bring the building up to the necessary standard of fire safety. The upgrade in fire safety involved a large amount of work, with the construction undertaken in two stages. Last year the mezzanine entrance was upgraded and this year the upper floor and all remaining parts of the building have been completed. The building now successfully complies with fire safety regulations.

Saint Newman? ■ UCD founder to be first British saint appointed in forty years

New campus development in the Arts Block New developments in the Newman Building has successfully been completed over the Christmas break. A new Entrance Deck has been installed which joins the various pedestrian areas in the surrounding area. The attractive deck area is intended as a strolling path and social area for people to meet. New Stand Up And Surf (SUAS) facilities have also been installed in the Arts Block, increasing students’ access to the internet. Other smaller projects have also been completed including the development of the postgraduate on the second floor, the ceiling renewal on the ground and first floor and the redevelopment of welfare facilities on the first and second floor as well as courtyard landscaping.

UCD authorities have criticised the UCD Law Society for extending an invitation to the notoriously right-wing French politician Jean Marie Le Pen to attend a debate on campus this semester. A spokesperson for the college did not rule out the possibility of college authorities moving to prohibit the attendance of Mr Le Pen at the UCD campus in Belﬁeld. According to the Minister of State for European Aﬀairs Dick Roche, Le Pen would not be a welcome addition to any debate on the merits of the upcoming referendum that would see the enlargement of the European Union to include accession states. “He belongs to another age, as do his Eurosceptic opinions. Sadly, Le Pen is not the only person on the No side that is intent on misrepresenting what the EU Reform Treaty is about.” Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald is a vocal supporter of the campaign against

Cardinal John Henry Newman, founder of University College Dublin, could be beatified this year, according to a Vatican spokesperson. This step would make Newman a contender for canonisation, making him the first British saint to be appointed in 40 years. The British cardinal spent four years in Dublin as a rector and was instrumental in establishing the first ever Catholic university in Ireland. The Vatican is currently assessing claims that two people made miraculous recoveries from life-threatening conditions by praying to the Cardinal. In 2005, sixteen year old Andrew Munroe from Boston made an apparently miraculous recovery, waking from a coma a er his involvement in a car accident. There was considered to be no hope for

■ Caitrina Cody Munroe, who was completely dependent on a life-support machine. Instead, family members and doctors looked on in amazement as the teenager awoke from his coma and blessed himself. This reputed miracle followed another event in America in which sixty-nine year old Jack Sullivan was inexplicably cured of his crippling back pain. Two valid miracles are necessary in order for beatiﬁcation and Vatican insiders say that a decision will be announced within months. Newman converted to Catholicism in 1845 and wrote the Idea of University in 1852, an essay that deﬁnes a liberal arts education as ‘all around useful knowledge’ and states that it is the place for a student ‘to learn who he or she really is or wants to be in life.’

the Lisbon Treaty and was wary of Le Pen’s proposed attendance of a debate on the issue in Ireland. “If Mr Le Pen really wants a no vote in this referendum, then the best thing he can do is to stay away.” When asked what his views were regarding the invitation to the right-wing politician, Students’ Union President Barry Colfer explained, “The issue here is whether someone should be given a platform to say nasty things or not. I would certainly see his politics as disgraceful and he’s not somebody I would have any time for. “I would fully disagree with anyone inciting hatred but the fact of the matter is that Le Pen is a directly elected politician. Ultimately, I think it’s more productive to stand up and go head-to-head with someone like him, as opposed to not giving them a platform at all.” Le Pen has run in the French Presidential elections ﬁve times, losing to current President Jaques Chirac in the second round in 2002.

NEWS

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

No to fees

Careful now...

■ Caitrina Cody Proposals to introduce fees at the UCD Health Centre have been oﬃcially withdrawn by the college. The Students’ Union (SU) has received a direct commitment from President Hugh Brady and Vice-President for Students Martin Butler that fees will not be introduced without the permission of the SU. Two extra counsellors have also been assigned to the Health Centre, bringing the total number up to four full-time counsellors and one part-time counsellor. There were widespread complaints from many UCD students about the proposed fees. According to SU President Barry Colfer the issue had raised much discussion last semester. “The whole thing became a bit of a live issue for a few weeks but it’s been resolved satisfactorily. This commitment is fantastic news, and the fact that the President has set aside money for two extra counsellors is deﬁnitely a

step in the right direction. It’s good news, but there’s still huge room for improvement.” The introduction of fees was proposed by the College to ease the strain on the existing resources. “The Head of Counselling in the Health Centre, Marie Murray, made it clear to me that she is unable to operate with the current resources,” Colfer commented, “So it’s great to get the extra manpower over there.”

A college spokesperson conﬁrmed that the Health Centre will continue to be free of charge, adding that, “Ways of enhancing the UCD Student Health Service are continually explored. There are no plans to change the current arrangements regarding payment by students of a fee to attend the service.” The two new counselling positions will be advertised by the end of the month of January.

UCD motorist hurdles the shrubbery as detour takes turn for the worse

One in ten students have taken cocaine

A survey conducted by the College Tribune has found that one in ten students in UCD have dabbled with cocaine. The campus-wide survey asked over 300 students, across all faculties of the college, about their experiences with the drug. The results are particularly startling in light of the fact that this a period that has seen several cocaine-related fatalities among young people in recent times. Most notably, one of Ireland’s top models, Katy French, died in hospital a er collapsing at a house party. The 24-year-old had been in a coma for a number of days a er falling ill.

It emerged that the model had taken cocaine before she was admitted to hospital early on the Sunday morning. In an interview carried out by Hot Press magazine, French had claimed that she would never touch hard drugs, but admitted to a tabloid newspaper several days later that she started taking cocaine at nineteen years old. She declared that she had soon realised that cocaine was very much part of the Dublin social scene, adding, “Cocaine is everywhere but I just wanted to say that it’s not cool, it’s not attractive. I am speaking out because I feel we need to be more honest with ourselves, stop living in denial and take responsibility.”

NEWS

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

Setting the wheels in motion ■ College moves to address disability access around campus Construction has begun around campus that is set to improve disability access, with a new ramp that will increase accessibility for those in wheelchairs or with walking aids, currently being installed near the Science Building and with plans in motion to build a disabled bathroom in the Agriculture Building. In an investigation carried out by the College Tribune, it was found that the only disabled toilet in the Agriculture Building was being used as a storeroom for cleaning equipment and harmful chemicals. Since the investigation, the disabled sign has been removed from the door, with a UCD spokesperson conﬁrming that the bathroom was indeed not suitable for use. “This facility was decommissioned as a disabled toilet some time ago, however the sign was not removed. The sign has now been removed. Currently, there is a disabled toilet on the ground ﬂoor of Food Science and there is a project being developed to increase the capacity of the toilets in the basement of Agriculture incorporating an enabled access toilet.”

Students’ Union (SU) Deputy President Ciara Brennan was adamant that the campaign to improve accessibility will continue. “I’m obviously thrilled that the successful highlighting of the lack of facilities for disabled students has lead to the relevant services being upgraded.” “We were very disheartened originally with what we discovered in the toilets in the Agricultural building, but I welcome the proposed development to provide a disabled toilet in the building, and I’m encouraged to hope that this is just the first step in making UCD more accessible for all students. However, the campaign to address building black spots continues.” SU President Barry Colfer explains the next step in the campaign to raise the standard of accessibility across campus. “The Welfare Officer (Vivian Rath), in consultation with the other sabbatical officers, has come up with an excellent disability report in reference to previous reports, including the one from the College Tribune last year. “The report states what must be done to improve facilities for disabled students in UCD in five key areas, and will be presented to the President Brady this week.”

More resignations rock USI In the latest of a dramatic series of events to rock the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), its Welfare Officer, Peadar Hayes and USI Southern Area Officer, Katie Morrisroe submitted their separate resignations on Monday the 7th of January. Both cited personal reasons as the motivation for their departure. These latest developments mean that only one full-time member of the USI still retains his elected position. Eastern Area Officer Paul Lynam, a UCD student, is the only full time member of council who has not resigned or changed offices since congress began in September 2007.

Shake-up: (from left to right) Hamidreza Khodabakhshi, Peadar Hayes, Katie Morrisroe

■ Cathy Buckmaster These recent resignations have come at a difficult time for the USI due to the upcoming annual congress as well aveness campaign, the responsibility of which normally rests with the USI Welfare Officer. UCD Students’ Union President Barry Colfer expressed his disappointment with the recent events. “It’s a shame and quite a set-back for the Union. The terms are so short as it is and this is going to make it difficult to get back to normal. With all the campaigns coming up, it’s really not ideal to have

two empty oﬃces.” The recent resignations have rubbed salt on the wounds of the USI, following the dismissal of its President, Ri-

chard Morrisroe last October. A er a controversial document was leaked last year which criticised the then President, Morrisroe resigned at the

National Council in Galway. The letter that was circulated among all USI officers condemned his ‘dictorial’ leadership style, highlighting his failure to communicate with members of the Officer Board and his failure to attend national student campaigns. Steven Conlon, the USI Equality Officer resigned along with Morrisroe. The Education Officer at the time, Hamidreza Khodabakhshi was the favourite for Morrisroe’s position and became the new USI President on December fi eenth.

Sharp decline in science students There has been a significant decline in the numbers of Irish students accepting places in science courses in Irish universities, according to new data collected by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). University based Honours Degree Programmes have seen a large increase in student numbers in the past five years, according to the new information, with an increase of over 3,000 students in just five years. Arts and Humanities degree courses showed the biggest increase since 2006, of nine per cent. In contrast however,

■ Vicky McKenna there is significant decline in the numbers accepting Certificate and Ordinary Degree courses at the Institutes of Technology. Head of Communications for the HEA Malcolm Byrne has expressed concern at the reduced level of numbers in computing degree courses. “Numbers have halved in the last five years to just 946 in autumn of this year, which is quite dramatic.” Head of Computer Science in UCD,

Dr Joe Carthy highlights the shortage of computer science and general science applicants. “This is an international trend aﬀecting the Western world and North America, where students no longer perceive science as a source of interesting careers. “It’s a cyclical trend. Computer science was such a popular choice among students during the 90s or ‘dot com boom years’ that colleges were turning away students. This trend was inﬂuenced by papers at this time, which emphasised the high salaries of computer graduates. “However, with the ‘dot com bust,’

there was an impression that many people lost their jobs in the Information Technology (IT) sector. While some dot com companies closed, there is now a scarcity of skilled IT people.” As Carthy emphasises, CAO oﬀers are driven largely by public perception. In an eﬀort to reverse this downward trend, Carthy points out that the UCD Computer Science Department have launched a one day course every Saturday to inspire an interest in Leaving Cert students. “The lack of skilled scientists will inevitably lead to a reversal in the present

trend, where large salaries will again be offered in order to entice students to study science. Modern society needs skilled IT people and scientists, a balance of those studying arts and science.” According to Carthy, the secondary school curriculum can have a negative effect on students in second level. “Science can be perceived as boring and too academic. People are turned off science because they perceive it as a regime of learning boring facts, definitions and mathematics off by heart and neglect to think about the implications for the future of science.”

NEWS

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

Students clash with college Two students were summoned to a disciplinary meeting with Vice President for Students Martin Butler as a result of their alleged bad conduct at a protest held on the UCD grounds last November. Students Darren Cogavin and Enda Duffy attended the meeting with Butler, from which arises two conflicting accounts of the proceedings. Among a series of conflicting reports, allegations were made of threatening and intimidating behaviour towards staff, students and towards guest speaker Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan. The protests were organized by the Shell to Sea group to coincide with a Shell recruitment fair and a LawSoc governmental debate. The group was an assortment of 40 students, former students and other activists. According to a UCD Spokesperson, “During discussions with the VicePresident for students regarding the conduct of the protesters, both Darren Cogavin and Enda Duffy agreed that aspects of the demonstration were unacceptable and that they did not support them. “Both Darren Cogavin and Enda Duffy stated that they did not partake in that aspect of the demonstration. These statements were supported by third parties, including the Student

■ Sean Cunningham Union. As the statements of both students were accepted, no disciplinary charges ensued.” However Cogavin is emphatic that this was not the case. “That didn’t happen, not as far as I’m concerned. We disputed the charges. That’s why we said bring it before a disciplinary committee, because we have witnesses and support. We deny every single allegation.” Ryan was approached by protesters outside Theatre M in the Newman Building, where the political debate was taking place. He chose to leave UCD, declining to take part in the event. Some reports claim that protesters blocked Eamon Ryan’s entrance to the lecture hall. Conﬂicting reports say that the protesters did no more than chant. Cogavin insists that the protesters were neither threatening, nor intimidating. “It wasn’t a freedom of speech issue, we didn’t stop him from entering. When Eamon Ryan arrived, we were chanting and I don’t think he expected that kind of reception. Obviously he was uncomfortable with the situation, he didn’t want to engage with the activists present and just turned around and le . “In an RTE radio interview days

■ Hot water: Enda Duffy (left) and Darren Cogavin (right)

a er the event, Ryan said that he wasn’t threatened and that it was on the recommendation of one of the people accompanying him that he turned around and le – that he didn’t want a confrontation.” Other allegations relate to a protest that took place outside the Astra Hall, where the Shell fair was taking place. “We were accused of harassing students, and trying to lock the door,“

Cogavin declared. “There was an attempt by one female activist who tried to do this, as a symbolic gesture, but the door wasn’t locked. She was carried away by security, I thought they were overreacting and that’s when I stepped in and told them to get their hands oﬀ her. It was an instinctive reaction. “Voices were raised, that was it. LawSoc accused us of threatening

them. Myself and Enda Duﬀy were singled out, because of our record with activism and building protests in the past. During the whole protest the security never asked us for our student card or anything like that.” According to the student, Butler received protest letters from socialist party members, trade union organizations, and student unions across Europe. “A lot of solidarity was shown.”

That time of year again

■ Denis Ryan

■ Gary Redmond

■ Caitrina Cody

Dennis Ryan

Seven UCD students have confirmed their intentions to run in the UCD Students’ Union (SU) Sabbatical Elections which will take place this March. Nominations will open today and it is expected that Dennis Ryan (SU Postgraduate and Evening Students Representative and Third Year Politics and Social Policy student) will join Pierce Farrell (Postgraduate Student) in the race for the SU’s Oval Office. Also, there will be at least two candidates running for the position of Deputy President. Daniel O’Neill (Third Year English student and Class Representative) and Isobel O’Connor (Third Year Physiotherapy student and SU Health Science officer) will be in competition. For the position of Education Officer, Rory Geraghty (Second Year English student and Class Representative) is the only student who has confirmed his intention to run for the position. Conor Pendergrast (Second Year Psychology and Sociology student and Class Representative) has confirmed that he will be running for the office of Welfare Officer. SU Forum Club Representative Gary Redmond has also expressed interest in running for the position of SU President, but has refused to confirm that he will definitely be running, while the same is true of Scott Ahearn (SU Arts Programme Officer and Second Year Arts student), who has declared some interest in the position of Welfare Officer.

(Postgraduate and Evening Students Representative and Third Year BA Evening degree in Politics and Social Policy) Running for UCD Students’ Union President

Why do you want to run?

There is, as of yet, no declaration of interest in the position of Entertainments Oﬃcer. Oﬃcial nominations will open today, and it is likely that more candidates will emerge in each race over the coming weeks. The Sabbatical Elections taking place on the 4th and 5th of March.

Pierce Farrell (Postgraduate student) Running for Students’ Union President Why do you want to run? “The reason why I want to run would be to develop the Students’ Union counselling service to two full-time counsellors. There’s a part-time counsellor in place at the moment but that’s not suﬃcient in my opinion.”

What has been the major failing of the current Students’ Union? “Their main failing is that they haven’t really gotten the message out to the ordinary student body that politics matters, and that engagement with the government and how the government funds education in this country is an issue that every student in the country should be conscious of.”

What change would you make? “I would hope to change the level of engagement between Sabbatical ofﬁcers and ordinary students. Not just ordinary students recognising who their sabbatical oﬃcers are, but recognition of what they do, what the Union is, and what participation in the Union can achieve for ordinary students.”

“I believe I can make a difference for UCD students and improve the SU’s communication and profile on campus with students, especially those who currently have very little contact and input into its running. I have experience of the SU already as I’ve been an officer for the past two years.”

What has been the major failing of the current Students’ Union? “I don’t believe that there was any major weakness this year within the SU. I do believe that communication with students can always be improved and that the SU and the services they provide should be much more visible on campus.”

What change would you make? “I would like to be much more visible along with the rest of sabbatical team on campus in the various schools and buildings, and especially to hold ofﬁce hours within various buildings and faculties that do not currently interact with the SU.”

OPINION NEWS

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

OPINION

Meeting the challenge against UCD-PLC Dermot Looney examines some lessons from UCD’s recent past and seeks some ways to challenge the corporate narrowness emerging in the college Having graduated from UCD more than two years ago and with connections to the college that grow more tenuous by the month, it might be fair to say what happens in this college is not really any of my business. It’s not really anyone’s business, of course, given that it is an educational institution, place, process and context, but it’s curious how such a word has come to represent, well, everything. A lexicographic reflection of the economy on society, you might say - if you were a verbose chancer. Of course, it’s only right to oppose the hegemony of the free market extending to everyday chat but for students and staff in UCD, the word is apt to the core - everyone’s business is pretty plain to see. There is a corporate atmosphere to a great many of the campus buildings, corporate advertising on many of the walls that used to display event notices from clubs and societies, and a corporate restructuring to the college which met with little serious opposition from staff and even less from students. Corporate UCD and its growing symbiosis with big business is nothing particularly new, although the connections are more pronounced now, particularly, but by no means exclusively, in areas such as life and social sciences and, not surprisingly, what used to be called ‘commerce.’ Since the reign of President

Hugh Brady swept away the structural cobwebs of an admittedly ineffective bureaucracy, and replaced them with a businessised hierarchy, life in UCD has changed and changed utterly. There remain facets of staff and student democracy, but real control and power lie in few hands, and the tendency towards an education which is narrow in its format and neoliberal in its output is beyond denial. The narrowing scope of education as a function of a society intending on reproducing itself is clear, and for anyone who believes modern society is inherently unequal or unfair, nothing is more worrying . The early 2000’s were no halcyon days and there were countless ways in which the college administration were wrong, sometimes terribly so. But somehow there seemed a feeling amongst students – and student activists and those in the student media in particular – that there was a capacity for change, as long as the problems were outlined and, if necessary, students were organised to change it. Whether that belief was present amongst staff is hard to tell from my perspective. But students certainly campaigned and won important changes, in terms of library hours, expenses and placement payments, religious interference, residency rights, anonymous marking and a myriad other is-

sues within the college. It’s interesting to note that students who won these changes were the same students who campaigned on national issues, such as the opposition to the re-introduction of college fees, and on issues supposedly outside the realm of ‘student issues’ – LGBT rights, anti-racism, international solidarity, etc – busting the ever-present myth from the depths of hackdom who talk lots and achieve little that students must only concentrate on education and service provision only. The capacity for change was by no means realised in a full sense. Indeed, the great failure of the student movement of, say, ﬁve years ago was that it wasn’t able to perpetuate itself to truly challenge the regressive side of what would be loosely termed as Brady’s reforms. In particular,

a strong le wing who did have success in organising in the college through parties, organisations or networks were not suﬃciently strong to mobilise against reforms vital to the corporate, top-down model Brady was to implement – modularisation, academic restructuring, etc. There are a few clear reasons why – amongst them a lack of ‘critical mass’ in terms of size, lack of suﬃcient communication and the narrowness of its base in terms of the what were then college ‘faculties.’ Any analysis needs also to examine the societal context and the neardeath of a national student movement which had been temporarily resuscitated in 2003 at the time of the campaign to stop the re-introduction of college fees, only to be strangled again. The lessons for today’s emergent ac-

tivists in UCD are therefore present, though it is up to those interested to pursue a serious analysis themselves. There remains great capacity for signiﬁcant change in UCD, one which engages thousands of students and staﬀ in pursuing an education which is social, ethical, rounded and enabling. Those wanting to pursue equality and fairness in society will do best to begin in their own college. And they can do no better than following to the letter an ageold slogan which is eternally relevant to structuring any campaign for change that will last; educate, agitate, organise.

Dermot Looney was Chair of the UCD Labour Party from 2004/05 and a former writer with the College Tribune

Fighting political apathy Jason Timmons investigates a recent study of political apathy among young people and tries to come up with some answers Young people are less apathetic and more interested in public issues and current aﬀairs than is commonly supposed. But politicians - along with the word ‘politics’ - are widely seen as boring, irrelevant and an immediate turn-oﬀ. Research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggests that low levels of interest in the political process, underlined by turnouts in local elections, do not tell the whole story where young people are concerned. Even those who declare themselves least interested in politics share ‘political’ concerns, and may have taken part in activities such

as signing a petition, attending a local protest or voting in an election. Based on in-depth interviews and focus groups with a cross-section of fourteen to 24-year-olds, the study demonstrates that young people vary widely in their level of interest in politics and cannot be treated as a uniform group. Those interviewed ranged between those who were actively involved, to others who claimed to be wholly cynical or indifferent. In between were groups who took a general, but passive, interest in current affairs and those whose political interests were limited to issues that affected

them personally. The research by the National Centre for Social Research also found that: “The limited way in which young people viewed ‘politics’ was a key reason for their apparent apathy.” The range of issues that concerned the interviewees covered a broad political agenda, even though they talked about them in ‘nonpolitical’ terms. Politicians were commonly viewed as untrustworthy, boring, remote and self-serving. The young people interviewed belong to the ﬁrst generation to have grown up with Parliament being

televised - and their impressions were extremely negative. Irrespective of interest in politics, young people had engaged in ‘political’ activities relating to issues that aﬀected themselves or their communities. Some had signed petitions or attended demonstrations in support of local campaigns to protect leisure facilities, prevent hospital closures or improve funding for further and higher education. Others had signed petitions concerned with moral issues such as animal rights. Although some of those who declared they had no interest in politics were

over eighteen and had never voted, there were many others who had. They were more likely to vote in a General Election than in local or European Parliament elections. A clear link was made between voting and the ‘right to complain’. Whatever their interest in politics, young people consistently said they felt powerless. They suggested a number of ways that politics could be made less dull and more accessible. For example, there could be more imaginative and entertaining political education lessons in schools and colleges, the media coverage of politics could focus more on issues

NEWS EDITORIAL

College Tribune

13th November 22nd January 2007 2008

Le Pen and UCD

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The issue of free speech is one that has risen to the fore in the last week, with the interesting news that right-wing politician Jean Marie Le Pen has been invited to speak at a debate on the UCD grounds. There are divided camps- some say that there is no benefit to engaging with a man like Le Pen, that his views are so offensive and extreme that they can’t possibly form part of any reasonable and balanced debate. They would argue that Le Pen is simply hiding behind the protective mask of ‘Free Speech’ and using it in order to spread his distasteful beliefs to others. Others would say that no matter what someone has to say, they have the right to say it and to be argued with, to be refuted. Then there are those who would say that at University we should welcome the chance to challenge those views that are fundamentally in opposition to our own, welcome the chance to expose the prejudices of others and to subject them to analysis. A simplified take perhaps, on what is an obviously highly complex issue but these are the issues that we will be confronting over the months ahead, when we watch with bated breath to see if the notorious Frenchman will make an appearance in UCD or if the powers that be will put their collective foot down and keep him away. Ultimately, the College Tribune would wager that Le Pen’s views are the sort that will not withstand the onslaught of rational debate that it is to be hoped that he would face were he to attend a UCD debate. What can we fear from allowing this man to speak? The answer is nothing. In a free society, we pride ourselves on our ability to engage in open debate, in our ability to listen to the views of others, and in our ability to have a calculated, intelligent debate, no matter what the views put forward.

Health Centre This newspaper welcomes the commitment made by the College to keep the Health Centre free of charge for the foreseeable future. The question of charges being introduced to the Health Centre has been in debate in UCD for the past few months and it is refreshing to see that there has been a victory for students with this outcome. It has placed the power to decide within the hands of the students, where it rightfully belongs. The proposed introduction of fees seemed to unite a dedicated sense of opposition to the plan among students. The welcome addition of two counsellors to the counselling service is also to be applauded, this service being of great benefit to students in need. There are other improvements that must in due course be made, but the presence of four full-time counsellors is a step in the right direction. There is no need for students not to have a good health service just because they have a free one. Students have enough financial difficulties as a result of the grants debacle, and so need to be guaranteed a healthcare service that isn’t going to pick their pockets.

FEATURES

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

Scarred for life Maria Taylor Flynn speaks to Jennifer Bray about the trauma of being scarred for life when she underwent plastic surgery in a private clinic

“We’ll do wonders for you – that’s what they told me,” remarks Maria Taylor Flynn, “I saw the offer of a private cosmetic surgery clinic in an advertisement for a free consultation and I went along. But before I knew it, I was booked in to have liposuction. I was fi een stone at the time, and not only was I not told about the risks involved, but it later transpired that I was not eligible for liposuction a er all. I should have been given a tummy tuck.” Private Cosmetic surgery clinics like the one Flynn attended have recently come under fire from The Medical Council of Ireland due to the fact that they are unregulated and surgeons not registered on the Irish Plastic Surgeons Board can still perform these cosmetic procedures. Unfortunately for Flynn, she discovered this too late. For her, the whole experience from start to end was traumatic. “When I turned up for my consultation, the surgeon was not there. Instead, the managing director, who is not qualified to advise on such matters, told me that liposuction would work wonders for me. I met the surgeon just an hour before the operation, and he arrived into the ward covered in blood from the theatre spreading germs and bacteria everywhere. “They put me under an anaesthetic. You’re only supposed to stay in for a few hours a er the operation but my blood pressure plummeted and I had to stay in overnight. The next morning, they had to put a pressure garment on me. I was fi een stone at the time, which meant I needed a large garment, but they only

had the smaller size. They had to cut it down the front and cut it down the back, which led to a big bulge around my naval. They put on a corset over it, which was only small again. The end result was a large bubble on my stomach which, though drained, I still have today.” A er being told that the swelling would eventually go down, Flynn went to get her stitches taken out. Upon arrival with a friend, she was informed that her chart had gone missing and was asked, “Are the stitches under your eyes?” to

however. “At first, the surgeon asked me to promise him that I wouldn’t press any charges, that he’d perform the operation that I was originally supposed to have. He said, ‘Don’t do anything, and don’t go near a solicitor.’ I gave him my word that I wouldn’t go near anyone if he gave me his word he would send that appointment for the new procedure to me, but that otherwise he would be hearing from my solicitor. He said he would but he didn’t contact me. “A er a few months, I went to my solicitor. They couldn’t get in contact with him; he wasn’t answering phone calls or letters. I had to make an appointment and get my legal team to turn up in my place in order to get the ball rolling. All of a sudden, the clinic started claiming I had never even been there to get liposuction in the first place. Luckily, I had the documents to prove that I was.” For those considering cosmetic surgery, Flynn advises, “Think long and hard about what you’re doing. You should have every confidence in your surgeon and know exactly what you want. You should also ask for the level of success in previous patients and pictures if possible. Ask what the consequences might be should things go wrong, so you know the risks. Make sure that you’ll be looked a er. “Ask a lot of questions and don’t be afraid of feeling ignorant and foolish, these are things you won’t know about, and the surgeons are meant to be the experts a er all. You’re really placing your life in their hands. Try every other method before you get surgery, exercise classes, dieting. Make it your very last resort.”

“The surgeon was not there. Instead, the managing director, who is not qualified to advise on such matters, told me that liposuction would work wonders for me” which she replied, “No, my stomach.” She speaks about it now, still upset about how events transpired, “I was treated like shit. I thought it was very negligent of the nurses to lose my chart, and not remember me to the extent that they didn’t know what procedure I had had. In truth, I was only pencilled in on the day of my procedure, it was like a conveyor belt; the more you can get done the better. They had no respect in there for my feelings, whether emotional, mental or physical.” At this point, Flynn decided she had had enough, and decided to take the clinic to court. It was to be a six-year battle

Going under the knife Aoife Ryan speaks to several young people about positive experiences they’ve had with cosmetic surgery “I had always wanted surgery. It didn’t matter how others perceived me. It was a personal choice, one that I had been contemplating for some time.” At twenty-two years of age, Sophie Callaghan decided to ﬁnally go under the knife for cosmetic surgery. Similar to many women and men who pay out for plastic surgery, Sophie’s main reason for doing it was to increase her conﬁdence and relieve all inhibitions she felt about her physical self. There are many assumptions about cosmetic surgery, such as the perception that it’s done for self-esteem purposes and that it’s mainly restricted to rich people who live in America. On some level, this is quite true. However, in recent years, a new trend has become noticeable within Europe and Asia: the spread of cosmetic surgery. This is predominantly evident in Britain, Spain, and strangely enough, Ireland. More cosmetic surgeries are being

carried out in these countries in the last ten years than ever before. According to an online survey, Ireland Googles the topic of cosmetic surgery more than any of its European counterparts, a shocking fact if you consider the humble size of our population. Another anomaly that seems to deviate from our common preconceptions is that in Ireland, the use of cosmetic surgery is not a tool of the upper-class. Granting the fact that nobody who could be termed as within the reaches of poverty are going to be scheduling an appointment with the nearest plastic surgeon, many middle-class and lower-middle-class citizens are deciding to opt for cosmetic surgery. Sophie continues, “I have a full-time job so I worked hard for my rhinoplasty. I had wanted to get my nose ﬁxed for so long that I just started saving one day. I’m far from well oﬀ really. I just work an ordinary job but I know what I want and where my priorities lie.”

College student Amy O’Sullivan concedes that she is currently in the process of saving for breast implants. “It’s not for my boyfriend or anything, I just want to. I’m happy with everything else, and once this is done, I’ll be able to wear whatever I want.” Whatever the reason, there is no denying the rise in cosmetic surgery in Ireland. Having spoken to a number of

young people on the issue, there is no denying that people know what they want. Those who have gone through with it already declare they have full conﬁdence in the plastic surgeons of Ireland. As for advice to those weighing their options, the post-surgery people all say the same things; shop around, because clinics have hugely varying prices, and

make sure you are doing it the right reasons. If you have unrealistic expectations or are doing it to please somebody else, think again. Also, according to them, if you are being handled by a good, professional doctor, the risks are minimal. If unsure, check their credentials carefully or move on. “Otherwise”, says Amy, who works full-time, “I don’t see why not.”

FEATURES

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

Snatched from hell's furnace

Holocaust survivor Kayla Kaufmann speaks to Colin Gleeson about being rescued from the Nazis and holing up in a safe-house for six months as World War Two raged

“Öffnen Sie!” boomed a gruff, shrill voice, “Kommen Sie auf dem Fußboden herunter! Sie Schwein! Sie Schwein!” Those behind the door huddled together, trembling and terrified. “The first thing I remember seeing was this huge boot coming through the panel in the door, and then they came in – and there were tonnes and tonnes of Nazis,” recalls Kayla Kaufmann, “They dragged us out, they broke all the furniture, and they broke the windows and the mirrors. They smashed the chairs, and so we were rounded up.” Kaufmann was eight and a half when the Nazis stormed her home in Budapest. She had a sister Rachel who was six. Her sister Judy was two and her little brother was just a couple of months old. She was one of many Jews who were rescued from death by a Swedish diplomat called Raoul Wallenberg during the Holocaust. Wallenberg was a Swedish humanitarian sent to Budapest under diplomatic cover to rescue Jews from the Holocaust. He worked to save the lives of many Hungarian Jews in the later stages of World War II by issuing them protective passports from the Swedish embassy. These documents identified the bearers as Swedish nationals awaiting repatriation. “When they came into our apartment and they took us, they sort of grabbed me and they pushed me, and I said ‘Ouch’, and they started to laugh,” recalls Kaufmann, “My father started to be beaten. He screamed and he screamed and he screamed. Later he said to us, ‘The reason I screamed so hard, was because I wanted them to think that I was really being beaten hard. So they would stop beating me.’ “When we were being rounded up, we were upstairs in the room and we could see outside that there were hundreds of people marching, and the non-Jews were throwing stones. The Germans were laughing. They were shooting their guns in the air just to scare people. They took little children out of line and made them believe that they were going to put a bullet in their head – the mother screaming, the father begging, and the German laughing.” Kaufmann and her family were brought outside and lined up in a field with the rest of the Jews. Her father was taken to a hard-labour camp. It was here that he met Wallenberg who rescued him and brought him to a safe-house. But her father told him to find his fam-

ily; because he believed that they had been le behind in Budapest, while in fact, they had managed to escape to the Red Cross. “At this point, the Red Cross was becoming null because the Nazis respected nobody, including the international Red Cross, especially if it held Jews,” explains Kaufmann, “But during this time, however, they did find us. They took us to the safe-house on a Friday night and that’s how we were basically reunited with my father.” In spite of apparent sanctuary, Kaufmann and her family were le to endure months of hardship and adversity within the confines of the safe house. “There was almost no food because the Germans took everything to the front for the soldiers. The only food came from Jews who had disguised themselves as Nazis and from gentiles who brought food at the risk of their own lives – because they wanted to help people who could not be helped any other way. But that slowly dried up, and people were dying. “We were down in the basement because the city of Budapest was constantly being bombed, day and night. So, we stayed in the basement and every morning we woke up, there was another dead body. I was part of a crew that would help drag the bodies upstairs. I was nine and a half and relatively stronger than the older people. “Interestingly enough, there was no fighting in the basement; everybody seemed to be more or less holding it together. I remember the bathroom was upstairs so I had to go up there between the bombing when I needed to go. And I would see the dead bodies. They were lined up like logs of wood. “The mind tends to close out things that are too horrible to take in, and I said to myself, ‘Look at that, dead bodies’. And I just went to the bathroom and came back. Now today, if I see a dead cockroach, I go crazy. This is how the mind adjusts itself in order not to become insane. My sister who was now a little over six and my other sister who was three cried all the time for food. That crying is with me until today.” Passing the time in such conditions, for a period of six months, tested everybody says Kaufmann, “The lights were out so it was hard. We told old biblical stories, we told stories about our childhood. And, believe it or not, we sang. On Friday night and Saturday, which was the Sabbath, we sang Sabbath songs even when we had no food, because we

really supported eachother. People supported eachother emotionally.” As the war neared an end and the Nazis were driven back, Kaufmann explains that the ﬁghting was door-todoor. She recalls how the Nazis would come into the safe-house, not to hurt them, but only to escape the Russians. “I remember I was in the courtyard and I see a Nazi at one end and a Russian at the other end, and they’re aiming at eachother. I knew enough to duck and the Russian killed the Nazi. “During the liberation, one house was

Raoul Wallenberg

casualties inside the basement, “The Russians brought food, but it was the wrong food,” she explains, “For people who had not eaten in months, it was the wrong thing to bring beef, because many people died just from that. My parents were very educated people and they told us to just eat a little bit of bread or something. Other people just died though from over-feeding a stomach that couldn’t possibly digest this heavy food. But the Russians did not know. I won’t say that this was an evil thing; it was just an ignorant thing.” Having survived the Holocaust, and the abuse of the Nazis, Kaufmann describes the horrors that befell other Jews during the period. “When the Germans came in initially, they began to persecute the Jews slowly. They didn’t try to kill Jews immediately. “Jewish people were not allowed to go out until 1.30 in the a ernoon, with the gold star. By 1.30, there was no more food in the store. But I was blonde with blue eyes and I looked very German. So, one day, I took off my star. I wasn’t even nine years old at this stage. I went out to buy food at ten or eleven o’clock in the morning. “I spoke fluent German. I was in the bakery and there were other people that were Jewish who tried to hide that they were, but the people inside knew and they just started beating them. I had never seen such beating, only when you might beat a rug with some wood to get the dust out. And this was what it looked like. “A erwards, they spoke to me in Hungarian and German but I was able to play along. So, they le me alone. My family told me not to do this but I screamed that it was my responsibility to do this. That’s what war does. It makes it the responsibility of an eightyear-old girl to feed her family. It makes you grow up very quickly. “Everyday I would see this. People would just be walking, and they would just take the butt of the gun out and they would just hit them, for absolutely no reason. You weren’t allowed to go out without your star, so if you wore your star, they beat the crap out of you. I saw this constantly.” Even today, with the war long finished and the dust settled on the battle-

“That’s what war does. It makes it the responsibility of an eightyear-old girl to feed her family. It makes you grow up very quickly” liberated, but those in the next house down were still ﬁghting. So, we stayed there really until the Nazis surrendered. We had messengers who came to tell us that it was safe to come out. I remember that the door to the basement burst open and a bunch of Russians piled in. They spoke in Russian but they also said the Hebrew word ‘Shalom’, which means ‘Peace’. “They shook our hands and they brought us bread. At the beginning, they were heroes, because they had saved us. But they did say that we should stay there, because the next house was still being fought for. So, then they came back and told us that the city was liberated and that we could leave. But we had no energy to even sit, and here we were trying to walk.” Kaufmann recalls that, in spite of the Allied victory, there were further

fields of Europe, Kaufmann still bears the scars of her crown of thorns. “Most survivors of the Holocaust do not do a lot of talking about anything. I did not do any kind of talking about the Holocaust until three years ago, because I was terrified. I have total post-traumatic stress syndrome in many ways. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t afraid of policemen in the United States. Every time I pass one, I say to myself, ‘I have nothing to be afraid of – I did nothing wrong’. I’m terrified of courtrooms. I don’t like suitcases or railway tracks. I never leave the house without food or water, even if I go three blocks away. “I don’t like anyone going ‘Boo’ – like people go to children sometimes. I hate sirens. I don’t have any blinds on my windows because of all the darkness we lived in. Just things like that. Because of what happened, I live with this every day, and my children have these syndromes. My daughter will not allow her child to leave the house without food. “Your head makes up its mind that it’s not going to process this, because you go mad otherwise. I didn’t begin to process any of this until a long time a er, and I developed a condition called agoraphobia, which is an illness where you’re afraid of everything. I had a meltdown. For two years, I went through this, and I was almost going to kill myself. But I told myself, ‘I can’t kill myself because God saved me for something’.” And Kaufmann has survived. In spite of everything, she has prevailed. It is clear that her character will be defined by the remarkable spirit and courage that has seen her battle through Hitler’s nightmare. But the scars of his ‘Final Solution’ have been le with her nonetheless, encapsulated with the reassuring words she chooses to concludes with, “I did nothing wrong, I have nothing to be afraid of.”

FEATURES

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

Surviving in a savage wasteland: Auschwitz Samuel Pisar, who spent three years eluding death in three Nazi death-camps – Majdanek, Auschwitz and Dachau – speaks to Colin Gleeson about trying to survive in hell itself Samuel’s mother potters around the room. The curtains are drawn and it is a little dim. She picks up a jumper and folds it neatly before placing it carefully inside the suitcase. “Samuel,” she beckons, “Should you wear your short pants or your long pants?” Then she hesitates momentarily and explains to him, “If you wear your short trousers, they’ll let you come with me and Frieda, but if you wear your long pants, then we’ll be separated.” Before Samuel can answer, she decides, “You will go with the men, the labourers. You’re a big boy now, maybe it would be better if…” Samuel Pisar was thirteen years old when the Gestapo tortured and executed his father. His mother and nine-year-old sister Frieda were sent to Auschwitz, the largest of the Nazi death-camps that were formed during the Second World War, and were slaughtered in a gas chamber. Pisar himself spent three long years trying to stay alive in Nazi death-camps – Majdanek, Auschwitz and Dachau. He speaks about it now, calculated and precise, but with great emotion. “It was the way my mother had predicted,” he acknowledges, “They divided us into two columns. The women, the children, the old and the sick were in one. The able-bodied men were in the other. I, with my long pants, ended up with the men. We were ordered to march towards the cattle-train, its doors gaping, as if to swallow us.” The young Samuel stood trembling

in his line. He kept turning around to look at the other column. His little sister was holding onto her mother with one hand, while she clutched her favourite doll in the other hand. “This is how they disappeared from my life forever,” he remarks, “That moment pursues me to this day, with its load of agony, guilt and unquenchable anger. It made something snap inside me. I think I became someone else.” Pisar was forced on board the cattletrain as he began his journey to Majdanek. “When we arrived a er a horrendous 72-hour journey from home, and the doors were flung open, there were blinding lights that lit up the night. A long line of SS men, dressed in black uniforms, each holding an agitated police dog on a short leash, stood along the ramp. “The came an order, ‘Everything out!’ Dogs leapt into my car, tearing to pieces several of the half-conscious prisoners, and forcing the others to scramble towards the platform. I found myself surrounded by exhausted, starving, dehydrated people whose faces were literally blue, as they licked their own sweat. “As weak and hungry as I was that day, I couldn’t even look at, never mind eat, the putrid, watered-down soup that was poured into the rusty metal bowl that we had to wear on our belts. I figured I’d skip the first meal and try to get used to this repulsive diet the next day. But an older prisoner, a total stranger, sitting opposite me on the floor tapped my clogs with his and

said, ‘Son, you listen. Do you want to eat that soup or croak? Your mother isn’t here to make you pancakes. Eat or give it to me.’ So, I closed my eyes, pinched my nose, and forced the stuﬀ down my throat. “All other sensations, even the feeling of pain or fear of death, became secondary. The animal instinct to eat

One evening, a er an endless roll-call, the camp commander issued a very strange order: “All who are tailors by trade remain standing; the others fall out.” Pisar explains, “I figured that they might keep me alive for a while longer if I were useful. So, I froze to attention. My mind began to race and I remembered the tailor shop on the street where I grew up. The huge buttonhole machine used to fascinate me.” The Nazi officer looked down at him and asked, “So you think you are a tailor?” “No, Sir, I am not,” he replied. “Was your father a tailor then?” “Yes Sir,” he lied, knowing that it was a trade handed down from father to son, “And my grandfather as well, Sir. I was the only knopflochmachinist.” “What’s that?” asked the Nazi. “A button-maker, Sir. To sew buttonholes on military uniforms by hand takes forever. But on a knopflochmachine, it only takes a few seconds,” he said. “My heart was pounding as I waited for a verdict,” recalls Pisar, “The logic of my explanation – that wherever tailors were needed, buttonhole makers were needed too – must have impressed the kraut, because he waved me to the side of life. That was how I got out of Majdanek and landed in a hard labour camp.” Half a year later, Samuel found himself on board another long cattle-train, this time destined for Auschwitz. “Once there, we were marched to a clearing and ordered to undress for a

shower. I found myself in a long line approaching the infamous Dr. Joseph Mengele – the angel of death, as he was known. ‘Will he send me to the right or the le ?’ I thought. You watch the monster’s eyes, his gestures, anything that might give you a clue as to whether you are about to die or live a little longer. A

An older prisoner, a total stranger, said,‘Son, you listen. Do you want to eat that soup or croak? Your mother isn’t here to make you pancakes. Eat or give it to me.’ So, I closed my eyes, pinched my nose, and forced the stuff down my throat”

■ Survivor: Samuel Pisar – no matter what, no matter where – became a constant, predominant reality. That and the gas chambers spewing smoke and ﬁre.” Pisar was a thirteen-year-old boy who was forced to show remarkable cunning to elude and evade the clutches of the Nazi killing-machines.

random puﬀ on his cigarette might break the rhythm and send you one way instead of the other.” Pisar survived once again, but some time later, he was selected in a group for random extermination. He found himself among the condemned, huddling in dead silence. “I knew it was all over,” he confesses, “Except for a slight sensation of nausea in the pit of my stomach, I felt almost reconciled to my fate.”

Jewish culture struggling in Ireland Aoife Ryan visits the Jewish Museum in Dublin and speaks to the curator Raphael Siev about the struggles facing the Jewish community “A Jewish person from Ireland does not and should not have to deﬁne themselves as either Irish or Jewish,” remarks Raphael Siev, curator of the Jewish Museum in Dublin, “You are a mix of both cultures. You can keep a sense of belonging while remaining strong in faith.” In spite of the fact that Ireland is becoming more and more a multicultural land as days go by, the majority of Irish residents are still Catholic. Even in our time of cultural expansion, the Jewish faith is rarely mentioned. Stepping through the door of the Jewish Museum on the South Circular Road however, there can be no doubt that they do exist here. A vitality and exuberance greets the guest as soon as they enter the house. Siev guards his post by the stairs as he chats to the other guests and members of the community. From the outside, the house does not greatly diﬀer from all those around it, except for the delicate engraving

above the door. Once inside however, you begin to feel as if you have stepped into somewhere far removed from the Dublin most of us are familiar with. Those around, chat in a mixture of Yiddish and English, while speaking of upcoming Jewish ceremonies that need to be attended. Along the walls, newspaper articles and certiﬁcates convey the relationship between the Irish and the Jews. Despite the animated nature of the curator, and the actively Jewish people there, a sense of the crisis this community faces is somehow evident. “Around 1,000 Jews live in Dublin, maybe 500 in the rest of the Republic and about 150 up the North. That’s a dramatic fall in comparison to the 5000 that used to live in Dublin alone,” exclaims Siev. The museum is a free admission organisation, but relies heavily on donations for simple things like repairs. All the articles refer to past occurrences, and the majority

of people mentioned who belong to the present-day community are of a reasonably old age. In other words, community numbers are slowly dwindling as young people emigrate to London and other cities in order to ﬁnd partners. As he tries to explain why the numbers fell, Siev begins by declaring, “Well, it all goes back to World War Two doesn’t it? “If you look back, the reason Jews are so small in numbers is because of the attitude De Valera took towards Jewish immigration in the 1930s. Only twenty-ﬁve Jews were allowed in throughout the decade, even though so many were highly-skilled and all in danger. “The only reason those Jews were accepted was because they agreed to convert to Christianity or were actually Christian but had Jewish roots.” As a result of the Irish wartime policies, no new Jewish blood came into Ireland, while many le in search of jobs, and so the population began to fall.”

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Then, as they were led through a long corridor toward the gas chamber, Samuel glimpsed a bucket of water and alongside it, a brush and a rag. Slowly, he bent down and crept sideways. “The men whose legs I touched were too numb to notice me. I reached the bucket and wet the brush and the rag before beginning to clean the ﬂoor. I was on my knees and I scrubbed as hard as I could, before drying vigorously. I went over one section thoroughly and then moved on to the next, as if I had been assigned to the task. As I inched my way back towards the door that my group had come in, one of the guards shouted, ‘Over here, you pig! This part is still dirty.’ “My pulse was racing but I moved over and cleaned the area again. Then I started edging closer to the door again. It seemed to take forever. When I ﬁnally reached the exit and could see outside, I scrubbed the doorstep with all my might. Then, and only then, did I allow myself to stand up and turn around. Carrying the pail, with the brush and rag inside, I walked through the door and out into the open. I fully expected to be stopped – to hear the bark of an order or receive a blow on the head. But there was nothing. With slow, measured steps, I made for the other barracks and lost myself in the anonymity

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of the camp.” Living between hope and death in hell itself was something that took its toll on the young Pisar. “There were times when you felt you couldn’t make it one step further. You thought, ‘To hell with it. Let them do what they will. What’s the use in struggling on to get through yet another day when your days are numbered anyway?’ It was so tempting, and would have been so easy, to put my hand on the electrified barbed wire and bring my misery to an end. Yet, somehow, I forced myself up, stuck my chin out and vowed not to give in to the bastards – nor to myself.” Pisar overcame insurmountable odds and, when the time came, the young man was able to reach deep inside himself and find the last reserves of strength and determination required to escape his tormentors and make a break for freedom. In the spring of 1945, the Allied armies were closing in on the Third Reich from the East and the West. Pisar was almost sixteen and in another hard-labour camp near Munich. As the sounds of allied gunfire and artillery became more audible in the air, the Nazis began to panic and ordered prisoners to form two lines for immediate evacuation – Jews in one and non-Jews in the other. Being fluent

in German, he opted for the safer nonJewish line, and went undetected. But overcome by an irresistible impulse, he darted back to the Jewish line to join his two inseparable friends – Niko and Ben – with whom he had struggled to survive during their incessant captivity. “When I reached them, Niko knocked me to the ground with a powerful punch and called me an idiot. ‘You could have lived, but now you’re going to die with the rest of us,’ he yelled. What I did was irrational, for sure. But a deep emotion had commanded me to stay with my friends. A er everything we had been

“I knew it was all over. Except for a slight sensation of nausea in the pit of my stomach, I felt almost reconciled to my fate” through together, I wasn’t going to let them die alone. Nor was I going to deny my heritage.” For three days and two nights, they marched toward Dachau, stopping only for meagre rations of bread and water. In the late a ernoon of the third day,

American fighter-jets, mistaking them for a Wehrmacht column, swooped down to strafe them. “Those bullets were God-sent,” remarks Pisar, “It was hope itself falling from the sky. The SS guards flung themselves to the ground, their machine guns blazing wildly in all directions. Then, Niko shouted, ‘Run for it!’ We ran and ran and ran, gasping for breath, until we could run no longer. But there was no sound of pursuit, only the thunder of our beating hearts. Did we plan the escape? No. It was impossible. But we were obsessively scanning for a life-saving opportunity. When the planes swooped down, we saw our opening and went for it like a flash.” Using the North Star to navigate, they made their way towards the Western front, moving by night, hiding by day. A few days later, Pisar heard a strange humming, metallic sound. He peeked through a crack in the wooden slats of the barn where they were hiding and saw a huge tank lumbering across the field. “I looked for the hateful swastika, but there wasn’t one,” he explains, “Instead, I made out an unfamiliar emblem on its side. It was a five-pointed white star. In an instant, I realized that I was actually beholding the insignia of the United States Army. At that moment,

I felt immortal. And blissfully aware that the coveted, decisive miracle I had been waiting for was about to happen.” Pisar burst out of the barn and began to sprint toward the tank, his arms waving as he yelled madly. Suddenly, a German machine gun opened fire. The tank stopped, its turret turned and the cannon fired back twice. The there was silence. Seconds later, a tall GI climbed out of the hatch and looked toward Pisar, who dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around the soldier’s legs, repeating the few words of English he’d heard his mother whisper while she was praying: “God bless America.” And so, the extraordinary fate of Samuel Pisar was fulfilled. He went on to Harvard and subsequently became a renowned international attorney before being appointed as a senior advisor to the late President of the USA John F. Kennedy. The first law signed by Kennedy was to grant US citizenship to Pisar. But in spite of all he has done, Pisar remains philosophical. He knows where he has come from. “I survived at an age when – according to the Nazis – I had no right to live,” he concludes. “I felt the presence of my mother at all times, and her message to me was crystal clear. ‘Try to survive my son. Do it for me. Do it for all of us.’

Propaganda tool? Mark Weber is the director of an American Holocaust revisionist group who speaks to Philip Connolly about his view that the Holocaust is used as a propaganda tool to promote Jewish interests Mark Weber is president of the Legion for the Survival of Freedom and director of the Institute for Historical Review (IHR), an American Holocaust revisionist organization. Weber has been associated with the IHR since 1991 and has been the Institute Director since 1995. He has also been associated with and maintains contact with the National Alliance. Controversy seems to surround him; many see him as a racist, a white supremacist and most popularly a Holocaust-denier. The term ‘Holocaustdenier’ is one he himself finds insulting. He is however very media savvy, at times dogmatic and quite difficult to deal with. “A lot of the problem about this issue is a lack of precision regarding definition. When most people talk about the Holocaust, they mean the death and destruction of Jews in Europe by the Nazis in World War Two. This is something that neither I nor anyone else disputes.” It’s difficult to believe that what

Mark Weber says and what Mark Weber actually thinks are very different things. His credentials are not in doubt; he studied history at the University of Illinois, the University of Munich and Portland State University, from where he received a Bachelor’s degree in history. He then did graduate work in history at Indiana University, where he served as a history instructor and received a Master’s degree in European history. Yet the message he preaches is o en derided by many. “Over and over, we hear six million Jews were killed by Hitler, but there’s virtually no real expert on the subject who agrees with this.” The original figure of six million was presented by Adolf Eichmann, a senior SS official. Most research confirms that the number of victims was between five and six million. Early calculations range from 5.1 million to 5.95 million. Weber is quick to cite Raul Hilberg, who in his book The Destruction of the European Jews, estimates that 5.1 million Jews died during the Holocaust.

This ﬁgure includes “over 800,000” who died from “Ghettoisation and general privation”; 1,400,000 who were killed in “Open-air shootings”; and “up to 2,900,000” who perished in camps. Hilberg estimates the death toll in Poland at “up to 3,000,000”. Hilberg’s numbers are generally considered to be a conservative estimate, as they typically include only those deaths for which some records are available, avoiding statistical adjustment. “No reasonable person disputes the destruction of Jews during World War Two. Many Jews were killed by the Nazis or their agents, but many claims that were supposedly proven in the Nuremberg trials have since been discounted. Many camps such as Dachau did not have people being gassed or killed in a systematic way. “In Nuremberg, it was allegedly proven that four million Jews were killed at Auschwitz, but no historian now accepts that 4 million people died there, let alone were killed. It’s now accepted that around a million people

died there of which about 800,000 were Jews. That’s a very diﬀerent story than what was told. If a person says that 800,000 Jews were killed, is that person a denier? “There is a big diﬀerence between the propaganda image of the Holocaust and what scholars know about it. The Holocaust in more that just a chapter

in history, it’s an important cultural pillar. Its emphasis in a political role in our society is far more than the deaths of any other people in World War Two. There’s no doubt it’s used as tool for promoting Israeli and Jewish interests. It’s a way of reinforcing solidarity. What I object to, is the propaganda surrounding it.”

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22nd January 2008

The greatest show on earth As the race for the White House hots up, Simon Ward speaks to Democratic candidate Mike Gravel, Political Editor of the Des Moines Register David Yepsen, and RTE’s US Correspondent Mark Little about the likely identity of the next US President ■ THE MAN ON THE GROUND ■ DAVID YEPSEN “I don’t have a lot of time. I’ve got a column to get done,” he remarks. No time for small talk. David Yepsen is a busy man. It’s a name perhaps familiar to only the junkiest of the political junkies, but as political editor of the Des Moines Register, Iowa’s newspaper of record, Yepsen is an important figure in the American political process. In the year of election, he is a wanted man, stalked by candidates across the political spectrum. “Candidates frequently buy you coffee or lunch, that’s pretty normal. Sharing a meal with politicians happens all the time.” While meetings are frequent, and pleasantries are exchanged, interactions are on a purely professional level. “Personal relationships do not happen. You cover these people - it’s work. I’m under no illusions that I’m charming dinner company, but I have a megaphone that they find useful. My job is to cover them, so it’s a very symbiotic relationship. We have business to transact.” Thanks to the unique nature of the American political system, Iowa becomes a goldfish bowl, a focus group that testdrives the candidates on behalf of America. Even the nature of voting is intense, at least on the Democratic side. “Generally you know most of the people who are there, and

you meet and gather and talk about politics. On the democratic side, people break up into what is called preference groups. The people for Hillary go into one corner, the people for Joe Biden go into another, and they start selecting delegates to the county convention.” Out of this rather complicated process emerged Mike Huckabee, the former pastor and governor of Arkansas, and Barack Obama, the man born in Hawaii to parents from Kansas and Nigeria. The results in Iowa have consequences for the rest of the race. “It’s pretty clear that the caucus this year elevated Barack Obama, giving him credibility with white voters. Ironically, his

stature with many black voters in America improved a er he did well in Iowa, because it illustrated to them that a black candidate could do well with a white electorate. On the Republican side, it elevated Mike Huckabee to national prominence, and today he’s in the hunt.” However, unlike the process in election years gone by, predictions are not easy to make. Following

use to measure these elections, well we’re in the Ethernet here. We are in unchartered waters in terms of how this all plays out. It’s fascinating to look at. This isn’t two white guys running against each other.” On the other side of the political fence, the Republican race (only consisting of white guys) is a similar minefield to decipher. “There you have a different set of problems, and that is the prospect of different candidates running for different things. But it’s still a little easier to figure out because you don’t have unprecedented candidacies there.” However, Republicans in America are facing a major problem in their efforts to generate buzz. Iowa is roughly spit evenly in terms of Republican and Democrats, yet on caucus night, Democrats participating outnumbered Republicans two to one. “The returns out of Iowa and New Hampshire do not bode well for Republicans in November. They’re really struggling about what their message is. What is their position on the war? Trade? Immigration? They’re going through a bit of an identity crisis here. They’ve got huge challenges trying to find the right combination, and so far, I don’t think anyone has.” Following Iowa, you may be forgiven thinking the local reporter is able to relax, take a well-earned break and take stock of what happened. Not so. David Yepsen has another primary race to analyse. Results from Michigan and South Carolina will call for his attention. The word ‘newsman’ adorns his belt-buckle. That title is well earned.

“You have two wildcards that we’ve never had in an American election; the first African-American, the first female.We’re in the Ethernet here” Obama’s victory in Iowa, scribes began penning Hillary Clinton’s political obituary. Paddy Power bookmakers paid out on an Obama win. Within a week, Clinton had stolen the New Hampshire primary, throwing the contest back into the uncertainty “We don’t know,” is Yepsen’s full and frank answer. “You have two wild-cards that we’ve never had in an American election; the ﬁrst African-American with a credible change of becoming president, and the ﬁrst female with a credible change of getting elected. Your touchstones, your benchmarks that you

■ THE IRISHMAN IN AMERICA ■ MARK LITTLE In 1994, a ﬂedgling young journalist went to Massachusetts. With a microphone and a cameraman in tow, he met Mitt Romney, an experienced chief executive hoping to trade the boardroom for politics. “He was very courteous and very nice, but the cameraman didn’t press record. He was very funny about it. The impression I got of him was that he was one of he liberal Republicans.” Some fourteen years on, Mitt Romney runs again, this time for role as the biggest chief executive of all, President of the United States. The young journalist has also moved up in the world. Mark Little is best known as a presenter of RTE’s Prime Time, but in election years, he is RTE’s man in America, fronting their election coverage. It’s a duty he revels in, “The early states are fantastic to cover, particularly Iowa and New Hampshire. You look voters in the eye; you can go to rallies or sit down and talk to them in a diner. You can go to their homes or see them in a bar, and eﬀectively, you are an eyewitness to the early stage of history.” The natives of Iowa and New Hampshire take their democratic responsibilities seriously. Candidates can only be accessed once they have been viewed up close, the strength of the handshake tested, the whites of their eyes peered into. The old joke ‘I don’t know what he’s like, I’ve only met him four times’ applies more than it ever has. “You’re still seeing the brain of America just working through it’s process. So, in the beginning of the race, there’s poetry in the election. From here on in, there’s kind of a messy prose.” What kind of poetry are the candidates reciting? “That’s the thing people miss sometimes, when people like me are describing what we’re seeing and hearing, when we’re up too close to Obama for example, I’m describing the audience rather than he himself. That’s the part of the presidential campaign that’s really interesting, when I go to Clinton’s campaign speeches, she speaks really competently, really credibly, but she doesn’t light up the crowd.” Reporting a very American process to an Irish audience has its own challenges. Little

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22nd January 2008

■ THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ■ MIKE GRAVEL

concentrates on the each candidates’ visceral appeal, and translates that emotional reaction from the grassroots back to the viewer. In the Democratic process, the two front-runners elicit strong but slightly diﬀerent feelings.

You can go to the voters homes or see them in a bar, and effectively, you are an eyewitness to the early stage of history.”

“Because of Clinton’s endurance and toughness, she is a hero to them. That inspires a heartfelt affection from a lot of people, but with Obama, it’s just something different; you see people coming out of his speeches with tears in their eyes. It’s like when a computer is frozen – he’s the reset button. He’s Alt-Ctrl-Del. He’ll wipe away all the nastiness of the past seven years.” Little believes that placing all of this into a sort of narrative belies the complexity of both the electorate and the candidates themselves. “The reality is so different. Then you have a problem. I get people coming up to me constantly, and saying to me ‘Can a black man become president’, ‘Can a woman become president’. I’m

saying, listen, they are factors, but they are not half as important as you think. More important factors are things like immigration, the economy, Iraq; but they look at me blankly.” Perhaps it’s democracy personiﬁed. Perhaps it’s the American penchant for the build-up and the showdown. But for every quad-annual election cycle, almost two of those years seem devoted to elections. This election season is gathering pace, but with half the race gone, there is still half of it to run. One thing is certain however; the media will play its role. The laws of physics still apply, and Heisenberg’s assertion that the means to observe the object will eventually change the object has never been more applicable.

Mike Gravel is back to recuperate at his family home in Virginia. Down with the flu, his voice is hoarse, blunted by months of endless campaigning, an endless number of meet-andgreets, and infinite events in his name. Nine months of campaigning have taken their toll for the various candidates, but especially for Gravel, who turns 78 in May. “I’m doing to the best I can with the meagre resources I have, and they are meagre. The campaign is running for the rest of the year. What people don’t understand is that I’m running to transmit a message to the United States and worldwide. The best way for me to do that is as a presidential candidate.” When compared to the fundraising ability of frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Gravel hardly registers at all. His long-shot status has never changed. However, that has not stopped Gravel trying. His stance is unwaveringly liberal, placing him in Democratic arm of the Democratic Party. Such a stance didn’t fair well in the first battleground he competed in, the fiercely centrist state of New Hampshire, and his assessment is brutally honest. “It was not good, not good for anyone who was a peace candidate. You conclude that New Hampshire voted overwhelmingly for war, and continued American imperialism. That’s the sad part that is going on with this campaign. The three of us addressed ending the war, but I would go a little further than that. Until we address the issue of American imperialism, we’ll not be able to deal with the war. Gravel is the most outspoken of all about his Democratic colleges. Obama’s message of change and Clinton’s claim of experience doesn’t wash with the former senator of Alaska. “They weren’t voting for change, all the top tier candidates. “Obama wants 100,000 more troops. Clinton draws more money from defense contractors; she’s on the armed services committee. She’s the queen of the military-industrial complex. If you take the Republicans, they’re worse. They’re for greater imperialism, greater armaments, more war.” Such outspoken views made for interesting performances in the initial debates. At the first debate last April, he bellowed from the margins in the direction of the front-runners, “Some of these people frighten me.” He was excluded from the debates soon a er. Ultimately, he believes whoever wins the keys to the White House will practice the same politics as there has been in recent times. “Don’t expect anything. There’ll be a honeymoon period for a while, but there won’t be any fundamental changes.” Whilst Gravel runs on changing the tax code and revamping the law-making process, he shouts most loudly when pressed on the war. “In 125 days, I’d have all troops out of Iraq and the region, I’d turn to Iran and Saudi Arabia and to Syria and say that we made a mistake in destabilising the region, and that we want their help

in stablising it. And they would help us. I’d turn to Japan, Asia, China, to Russia and the EU to try and re-establish the area. “We screwed it up fairly well, and we made a mistake. We committed fraud in going in there, and the only way we can correct it is get out. I would withdraw troops from all over the world; we have a military presence in over 130 countries. Why? Why? We have 50,000 troops in Europe. Why?” Despite his continued sledging of fellow challengers in the Democratic race, his opinion of Republican candidates is even less favourable. “They’re nutty as loons. I’ll give you example of [John] McCain, who’s riding in the polls right now. McCain felt that it was right to go to war; I don’t know how reasonable people can say the war wasn’t sold as a fraud, but not McCain. ‘This was the right thing to do,’ he says, ‘Now that we’re there, we’ve got to win it.’ But now that we’re there, what are we going to win? What is there to win? The 35-year contract to control their oil? Is that what he views we’re there to win? Starved of the cash required to deliver his message to the American people, he has had to turn to alternative methods of self-promotion. Despite his advancing years, he has been perhaps the greatest operator of new-media, such as Youtube and Facebook. “I was always computer literate. It was the young people who were very sensitive to Youtube and Facebook who capitalised to communicate it over the Internet. I confess that they were the ones that originated it.” Indeed in one short film, Gravel stares long into the camera, before turning to pick up a rock and cast it into a lake. “It’s a metaphor,” he maintains. “All the stuff that was put on the Internet, none of it was devised or paid for by me. It was all by other people who interpreted my campaign, which is both flattering and is it going to be enough? I don’t know.”

Gravel’s book ‘Citizen Power’ is released this month

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22nd January 2008

Battling for justice in occupied Iraq “I was a troubled youth in high school,” explains Major William Edmonds of the Army Special Forces in America, “And I was searching for discipline, direction, and a greater purpose in life. I decided to join the Army when I was seventeen, while I was still in high school. Luckily, I joined the Rangers which definitely gave me all of the discipline and purpose that I was seeking.” Edmonds knew what he had signed up for, and was fully prepared for the life he was about to lead, even if it meant sacrificing personal opinion and choice for the orders and duties of a soldier, when he was assigned to serve in the Iraq War. “Personally, I did not agree with the original decision to invade Iraq. However, I am a professional soldier and I completely agree that those who volunteered to serve in the military must do their part. “I was, and am, proud of serving in Iraq, and feel that I contributed in some small way to make Iraq a better place. I have been to Iraq twice. The first time was during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. I did not have a choice in that. The second time, in 2005, I volunteered to be a Combat Advisor. “I was the Adviser to an Iraqi Intelligence Officer. In that capacity, my job was to do everything I could to make my Iraqi counterpart better at his job. I would teach, mentor, and coach, as well as assist him in his daily duties. There were two primary duties. The first duty was to gather information about insurgents so the Iraqi military unit I was with could find and capture them. “The second duty was to manage a small Iraqi prison and to interrogate captured insurgents in order to gain valuable information.” The insurgents that Edmonds talks about are made up of groups that use armed resistance against the USled coalition that is currently in Iraq. “In a week long period, I would usually conduct about five vehicle patrols, two missions to capture insurgents, and about twenty hours of interrogations,”

Major William Edmonds of the US Army Special Forces speaks to Jennifer Bray about serving in Iraq, interrogating insurgents, and staying sane in the Gulf

explains Edmonds. For many, the perceived image of interrogation or an interrogator is the ruthless and violent man who will torture a given person until they relent and reveal whatever information they are believed to be concealing. However, this is the kind of thing Edmonds found himself battling against. “One of my primary duties was to ensure that prisoners were not abused by the Iraqi interrogators or by the Iraqi guards. There were several instances where I had to prevent a prisoner from being abused even though I believed he had information that would likely save an innocent life. Though this choice was very difficult, I believe it was the only choice I could make.” These were not the only difficulties that Edmonds would face during his time serving in Iraq. “Coping in a more serious and culturally different environment is very difficult. However, the more you do this, the less difficult it becomes. The key to coping is finding a productive hobby that lets you mentally escape from your surroundings. I was living in a small Iraqi base, next to the Tigris River, in the very center of an Islamic metropolis. “For me, the hobby that helped me escape this was studying Arabic. Different people, however, cope in different ways. Surprisingly, I found that accepting the fact that every single day I could die, and truly accepting this fate, was very liberating. My year in Iraq was one of the most productive and least stressful of my life. “One of the biggest problems that I had, and which most Advisors have, is truly understanding and respecting our counterparts’ culture. American soldiers are pragmatic and believe that the value of an act is based primarily in its utility. If it is effective and efficient, then that is the way something should be done. “Iraqis, however, define an act’s value first by its morality. These are two very different worldviews, and explain why American soldiers (Myself included) get overwhelmingly frustrated when Iraqis spend 75 per cent of a work meeting socialising. But, this is their way, and my job is to do everything in my power to make my counterpart, a better officer. I Therefore,

must understand and work within their worldviews in order to accomplish this. “Overcoming distrust and developing rapport was a huge hurdle. But overall, the Iraqis are no diﬀerent to you or I, and they will treat you in accordance with the way you treat them. The Iraqi people are not a monolithic entity. Iraq is very diverse, with numerous sects, tribes, and ethnicities.

had the same amount of respect. “Many of my counterparts did not respect the people of Iraq. Even one person who does not respect the people who we say we are trying to help is one person too many.” One accusation o en attributed to President George Bush is that his administration has erected smoke-screens with regards to the fatalities in the war. Edmonds explains, “In terms of Iraqi fatalities, I believe that there are more than what is reported. This is especially true in regard to civilian casualties. “This, however, has more to do with the difficulties of gathering massive amounts of data in a country with little government, then with a cover-up conspiracy. If it is fatalities of soldiers that is in question, then no, I do not believe there is a cover-up of any sort. Though I did not suffer in combat injuries, I have seen countless people who have been injured in combat and too many who have lost their lives.” Not every experience was fraught with trouble and tension however. Edmonds had many breakthroughs and successful missions but one stands out for him the most, “I remember once a er a long and hard day my counterpart and I were able to finally locate a house where we believed a kidnap victim was being held. “During that time, two days was considered the most a victim would survive before they were executed. We located a victim at the two-day mark and conducted a mission to that house. In this case, the Iraqi unit was able to rescue this individual in time. Being a part of saving a person’s life is tremendously rewarding. Having served in Iraq, Edmonds returned home to America. Unsurprisingly perhaps, it was a difficult transition and re-adjusting took a while for him. “Returning home was difficult. Looking back on my return, I realize now that it took me around a month to cope with the differences. I was constantly on guard, and concerned with loud noises that reminded me of gunfire or bombs. Surprisingly, the most difficult and stressful component of my return was the daily routines and chores that complicate one’s life, and which were not present in combat.” Edmonds concludes on a positive note, hailing his time in the US Army as the best of times and the worst of times, “My time serving was immensely worthwhile while simultaneously frustrating and disappointing. This may sound confused but it means that I learnt about many of the weakness and wrongs of both myself and my country, and I have become a better person as a result.”

“There were several instances where I had to prevent a prisoner from being abused even though I believed he had information that would likely save an innocent life” “I worked primarily with Kurdish Iraqis. What struck me the most was that Iraqis in general, and the Kurds in particular, are tolerant, hospitable, and selfless people. Right now, I am wearing a small wooden cross around my neck. Though I do not consider myself a very religious person, this cross has sentimental value. It was made for me by an Iraqi carpenter who I worked with. This small act is demonstrative of how most Iraqis treated me.” Among his many experiences, Edmonds counts managing an Iraqi Prison as the worst. “Managing a small Iraqi prison was my most difficult and worst experience out of all the time that I have served in Iraq. Sitting across from individuals every day who killed innocent Iraqis, and who killed without pity and remorse, was very difficult. Very few people have ever seen or been in the presence of true evil, but when you do, it is life changing. “Despite the fact that most of the individuals in this Iraqi prison were evil and deserved their punishment, I still had a very difficult time with the power that I was given over another person’s life. I found that I did not enjoy that power. When I told my mother in a letter about this revelation, she said, ‘Maybe, that is the kind of person you want to give power to.’ I think she was probably correct.” Major Edmonds makes it perfectly clear that he had great respect for all Iraqis, to the point where he would learn Arabic every day and greet them with ‘Peace be upon you’. He would join in with their rituals, hold hands with the men and drink tea with them. However, and unfortunately, he acknowledges that not all of his comrades

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College Tribune

22nd January 2008

‘Coalition succeeding in Iraq' Irish Daily Mail Chief Political Commentator Richard Waghorne speaks to James Geoghegan about his view that the Iraq War will make the world a better place Opposition to war in Iraq is at its highest levels in the US since its commencement in March of 2003. It is now opposed by 63 per cent of the US population, according to the latest CNN nationwide poll. Chief Political Commentator for the Irish Daily Mail Richard Waghorne believes that this dramatic swing in opinion is very hasty. “It has been proved in the recent year that it is possible to make military success there in terms of providing the political space for reconciliation, so it’s also possible to hope that there might be something much closer to the original aims in terms of the final outcome.” Waghorne argues that such a scenario could “prove quite an inspiring reason to tackle the region so headon, and if it was to come to power, it would be an historic achievement of generations.” Waghorne argues, “It’s hard in recent times to think of a military power that has been so successful. So, even if you get bad intelligence reports, it’s not necessarily a reason to give up. It’s a reason to go back and ask why it isn’t working and try to find a way to fix it.” A study in the much lauded Lancet Medical Journal reported in 2006 that 655,000 more people died in Iraq because of the invasion. Waghorne disputes the findings and the hypothesising that has arisen from them. “It does not make sense to argue that more people have died in the last four years than the Iran- Iraq War, which was WW1

trench warfare all over again, so I don’t think that Lancet number is even remotely credible.” He believes that it’s a diﬃcult assessment to make, with regards to whether or not Iraq is a more dangerous place now that it was before the occupation. “A lot of the violence before the liberation occurred was hidden. That’s not as easy to see as perhaps an attack on a market place is, it happened indoors to a great extent.

“Look at the number of people that Saddam’s death-squads have killed, conservatively it’s going to be in the region of half a million people, not to mention the people that died due to the economic decline he presided over. That is an extraordinary situation to have been responsible for, so any difficulties post-2003 have to be set against the situation that existed in Iraq prior to then.” All of the Democrat presidential candidates, if elected, have promised to withdraw troops within their first year of office. Waghorne believes, “The Democrats betray a lack of commitment to seeing through a result. Twelve months is something no one can predict. It makes no sense to say that this is the month we will leave, until you can actually sense that it’s time to leave.” Waghorne is well aware that his position in favour of the war in Iraq is in marked contrast to the majority of Irish public opinion, and indeed Europe as a whole. Waghorne argues that this antipathy is attributable to a wider historical increase of passivism within European states rather than specific objection to the Iraq war. “When the rot has gone so deep in terms of when people are actually prepared to make a sacrifice for achieving justice, then it’s not simply an issue about Iraq, it’s something much more profound, and that’s something harder to assess, but it does mean you have to look at Iraq in a slightly different light,” he concludes.

‘Immoral war has opened Pandora's Box' Labour Party TD Michael D. Higgins conveys his argument that the Iraq War is an illegal conflict, to Sean Cunningham Michael D. Higgins has opposed American tactics in Iraq since the early nineties. “From the outset,” he explains, “I was one of the first people to oppose the war. Back in 1991, when it was the Gulf war, I was put out of the Dáil at one point for my position. Now that public opinion has turned, other politicians are jumping on the bandwagon.” Higgins insists now, as he did during the first Gulf war that, “The war was an illegal action that was taken when the diplomatic options were not exhausted. The US-led coalition chose to ignore international law, and pursue an unjust, immoral war that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives; with civilians bearing the major consequences.” A report in 2006 from medical journal The Lancet estimated 655,000 deaths as a result of the war. Higgins sees this situation as having been greeted with apathy by many worldwide, “particularly those whose military intervention brought about this chaos.” The TD disputes any argument that would justify the Iraq War as a force of peace or freedom in the Middle East. “The results of the invasion have elements of a civil war. You have enormous differences between the Kurds, the Shi’ites and the Sunnis. These factions will now be in conflict. Whereas before when Saddam was in charge, it was an autonomous state, now it’s not. This invasion has opened up a Pan-

dora’s Box. The world is certainly a more dangerous place than before.” The removal of Saddam Hussein could have been achieved internally, Higgins argues, “It could have been dealt with, I think, both by the Iraqi people and the region. There were chances of this occurring. We saw a similar uprising in Iran, for example, when the Pahlavi Empire was overthrown. “We must remember, though, that ousting Saddam was not the reason given for the invasion. The justiﬁcation for this war was based on the alleged presence of weapons of mass destruction and connections with Al-Qaeda and terrorism, all of which

proved to be false.” The Labour politician also points to the US support for Saddam Hussein prior to the first Gulf War, maintaining that “Saddam was a Western creation.” In 1980, the United States financed and armed Saddam Hussein’s attack on Iran, in response to Iranian Khomeini’s hostage taking of American diplomats. Higgins sees bleak prospects for warravaged Iraq: “The future is very depressing as far as I’m concerned for Iraq. This is because you have multiple factions there. America assumed it could go in and devastate Iraq, privatize the services and have access to oil; but that’s not what happened. If America pulled out now, it would devastate the region.” “This is worse than Vietnam. In Vietnam, there was one set of people - the Vietnamese - but now you have three different factions. In Vietnam, there was unification, which you don’t have in Iraq. If they are to have any chance of sorting out Iraq, they have to take into consideration the needs of their neighbours, Iran and Syria. The only way they can hope to make peace in Iraq now is to sort out the Middle East, starting with Palestine.” He does not however see a solution in the immediate withdrawal of coalition forces, “The difficulty for the le is that you can’t advocate withdrawal without some transitional period, and this can cause difficulties,” he concludes.

REGULARS

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

the diary of eimear...

B.A. Eimear is back on campus after a long and boring Christmas, and has set her sights this semester on the Students’ Union Corridor New semester, new year, new chance to reinvent myself. All that nonsense with Mirikka is resolved. We bumped into each other over Kristmas in Krystle and had a total heart to heart, we just poured our guts out about Dr Will and all that mess. Rumour has it he got one of his students pregnant and is taking a ‘sabbatical’ in the South of France for this semester. We are totally “O” for over that dude now. Doctor Who? So I was thinking of making something of myself this year in College. A er ten years here, on-and-oﬀ, I really want to leave my mark on UCD. Ok, so it’s more clichéd than Burberry, but I may just run in these sabbatical election thingies. Over Christmas I was pondering my direction in life and have completely decided that a political career is the way forward. I have to be honest. I walk the political walk and talk the political talk so I may as well try my manicured hand at it. Now the question begs itself, how am I going to do this? Well there are two ways of going about it really. Firstly, I could always fall into the role of the steamy politico partner type, like Carla Buni. I mean, look at how set up she is. She’s dating a hot and powerful French president and when she dumps him, she’ll probably make a fortune from the book deal and Oprah of course. Alternatively, I could become the ballbreaker myself. I am totally impressed with Hillary Clinton at the moment. How amazing is she, (well apart from her idiot BJ-accepting hubbie) I mean she’s a blinder. I think I’ll settle for the latter. I suppose I should be deciding exactly which race I’ll run in. There are really only two positions worth their bath salt in terms of my future world domination. People only care about Ents and the Presidential race anyway. I’m no-

body’s deputy dawg, welfare is only, well, fair, and I don’t even know what else there is. So, if Mirikka’s rumours are true, I will totally annihilate the competition in the presidential race. Come on. What a total group of losers running for candidates. Some randomer called Pierce Farrell who apparently has been

in UCD since the time of Cardinal Newman, a teenage boy called Gary Redmond and some other crust called Dennis Ryan. Not even one socialist against me, the socialite. They are toast and I’m going to eat them up Hillary style. Now who’s running in the Ents race is

certainly the question of the day. Here’s hoping it’s not another hot Anto Kelly type or I wouldn‘t stand a chance. I wonder what he’s doing with his fine self now? So my plan is as follows, I’ll get a campaign team organised and start working my booty politico style. I’ll have to get some professional photos taken. I don’t want the campaign poster to end up looking like my graduation pictures though. Someone should have told me not to wear black under that black gown, I look like I’m wearing a moo-moo in the pictures. I’m so annoyed, I’m going to call that godforsaken photographer and go bonkers at him tomorrow. Yay me. All assertive and stuff. I can’t wait till I’m president and can get people to do all this for me. I’m also going to sign up with a political party. Ready-made campaigners skilled in the political field, like hello? Has no-one ever thought of this before? The question begs itself though – which one is best? Not the Fine Gaelers, nor the Fianna Failures. Like, so passé. Maybe the Labourites, though apparently they have designs on some of the SU positions anyway, and their principles are about as fashionable as the Principles in Dundrum Town Centre. Get with the program guys, there hasn’t ever been one cute trade unionist. I think the Greens are for me. So , cuddly, ineffective, woolly and middle class. Plus Eamon Ryan is a total score. Maybe if I’m elected I’ll get to be in his environment. Yum. Mental note- might have to stop boozing for a little while if I‘m hoping to get my campaign underway. If any rumours got out it could seriously damage my political rep. I’ll have to make an executive decision this week. Ents or President? Oh and my fucking faeces-thesis too. G for God, it’s going to be a busy semester.

Five things I hate about… DUBLIN CITY CENTRE 5. Street Performers The biggest problem with Street Performers is that no matter how good or bad their act is, a crowd will always gather around them, which leads to a barricade of people blocking the path, in an already crowded street, which results in absolute mayhem when you want to get past. Then you’ll have to squeeze your way through the semi-circle of humans and walk right in front of the Performer, in front of everyone watching, which can be quite embarrassing and of course you then may feel guilty about cutting across and end up throwing all of your bus fare into the buskers hat. The last thing you do is want to be trapped in the City Centre with no bus fare.

4. The Street Mambo The Street Mambo can occur at any time, with any two people of any gender, so you never know when you might get mamboed. The dance consists of some very simple moves;

the two dancers walk towards each other in a direct line, they both move to get out of the other’s way, one moves left, the other right, meaning they’re blocking each other again. The dancers will then both try to move again only to have their movements result in the same thing. The Street Mambo can be short and end almost immediately if the dancers figure out how to get by each other. However if you have two incredibly stupid dancers, the dance could last quite awhile with awkward laughter being the only music to accompany their dance steps. If only everybody learnt to move to the right, these extraordinary dances could be avoided.

3. The Spike Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Pisa has the Leaning Tower, London has Big Ben, New York has the Statue of Liberty, we however, have what can only be described as a giant knitting needle with a light on top

to help guide the locals to McDonalds. On a street with such an interesting history, all that can be seen is this monstrosity. Even if it had been in some way artistic it might have been worth the money spent on it, but it’s basically just a big pole. Gone are the days of brilliant architecture, now all we can look forward to is large cylinders.

2. Umbrellas Let’s face it, they really don’t keep you that dry and they’re a danger to the eyes. Studies carried out by an anti-umbrella organization in Mongolia have proven that 47,000 people lose their sight every single year after an unprovoked attack by a devious umbrella. In Chad, which has been deemed the most dangerous country in the world, the umbrella is the number one weapon of choice. Allowing Irish civilians to continue carrying these lethal objects could result in tragedy, especially in the City Centre, where many individuals

risk coming into direct contact with these umbrellas. If not concerned for your own safety, at least think of the children.

1. Snailers A Snailer is a person who walks at such a slow pace, it’s difficult to know whether or not they’re actually moving at all. They come in all shapes and sizes, most commonly old ladies, the obese, and of course, tourists. Snailers also tend to travel in groups, so if you’re unfortunate enough to get stuck behind a pack of them, brace yourself for a long traffic jam, because sometimes there’s no possible way to overtake them. Although Snailers can be found worldwide, Dublin’s own Grafton Street is a Snailer hot spot, drawing thousands of Snailers in daily. As tempting as it might be to be violent towards a Snailer when you’re stuck behind them, you must remember it’s one of those things. What’s the rush anyway?

THE TURBINE THE TURBINE

ISSUE XXI ■ VOLUME V

IT’S SATIRE, STUPID!

INSIDE BUSH VISITS DUBLIN: AHERN WARNS OF ‘TAXIS OF EVIL’ 127K PICTURE PAINTS 4521 WORDS AHERN BRIBES SELF SHAGGY ADVISES BERTIE: “SAY IT WASN’T YOU” G8 LEADERS TO HOLD FUTURE SUMMITS IN INTERNET CHATROOMS LOUIS WALSH WINS BIG IN PORN AWARDS: BEST SOLO PERFORMER

STILL JUST 31P!

Ahmadinejad steals Magic Door Technology World psychopath Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is believed to have gained control of Bosco’s Magic Door and intends to use it in his plan of world domination, says American military top brass. The door’s technology was brought to the attention of Ahmadinejad when the national TV station Allahababababad was showing episodes of Bosco, dubbed for the Iraqi market. Ahmadinejad, obviously amazed by RTE’s technological ability to transport people to far-away places, ordered his Elite Guard to seize the Magic Door from RTE’s storage warehouse. Fear and panic spread through the international community after hearing the shocking news.

“With this technology,” said RTE director general Bob Collins, “ Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can launch a full scale attack anywhere he chooses, anywhere in the world - providing his Elite Translators have properly decoded the magic chant.” However, top anarcho-linguist Baxter Baxter explained that the Magic Door rhyme is actually impossible to translate into Arabic, “so it’s unlikely they’ll get to their bunkers yet alone Washington DC.” Republican Condoleeza Rice, echoed these concerns by issuing a state of national emergency, placing “a soldier on every corner - and that’s pretty secure given the pride we Americans have for straight roads.” No one is sure when or where Ahmadinejad

will use the door, but every country of the world is preparing for surprise attacks. “We don’t know where this rat is going to strike first but it could even be your very own bathroom,” warned Rice. Dr. Patrick O’Lafferty, RTE Mad Scientist and inventor of the Magic Door, insists however, that there is no cause for alarm. “We made the Magic Door some time ago and in those days, we could only make it respond to stupid rhymes so the users can’t tell it where they want to go,” explained Dr. O’Lafferty. “Technically, the only place Saddam can launch an attack is Dublin Zoo and that won’t do him much good; I’d like to see him try firing a Scud out of the lemur pen.”

The Rock “Gauran-damntees” election victory In the most dramatic leadership change in Irish political history, The Rock has been called in by Fine Gael to helm the party through the next general election, replacing Enda Kenny, who has been sensationally sha ed by the opposition party. This leadership change marks both a change in party policy, and the ﬁrst international wrestling superstar to lead a treaty party. Speaking today at Raw is War before his Triple threat match with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Olympic Champion Kurt Angle, The Rock stated that, “The Rock doesn’t give one goddamn for Enda Kenny! The Rock is here to bring this party into the future!” Some analysts however, remain skeptical over The Rock’s political capabilities. In response to this, The Rock stated, “I’ll give the peoples’ elbow to poverty, and will stalk further economic growth in the Ireland, just as I stalked The Big Show in January’s ‘Hell in the South’”. He furthered this statement by asking his detractors, “Can you smellllllllllll the legal policy The Rock is cookin?” With all these changes, many are predicting that the next election will not be won in the ballot boxes but at next summer’s Wrestlemania, in a 30-person last-man-standing Battle Royal match-up. Despite speculation over his leadership, Bertie

Ahern is already in training, “I’ll give The Rock a ﬁerce batin’, by Jaysus.” He is also rumoured to be developing a new move, the ‘Pint of Plain’, which may rival the ‘Olympic Slam’ for power. Such a

turn in Irish politics can only spell a series of heated confrontations that will disrupt the normal ﬂow of government, and is sure to throw up many unlikely coalitions.

Howâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your Wellbeing?

NEW

1. Coping with Exam Results 2. Valentines Day

ucdsu.ie

Thurs 24th Jan

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When Cupidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Arrow misses Wed 13th Feb

3. Depression - How to help a Friend 4. Bereavement - Coping with Loss

R1&2

Wed 27th Feb

Student Centre Meeting Rooms The SU Welfare Office and Marie Murray, are running a series of talks. If any of these topics would be of interest to you or your friends, please drop by we are here to help. These discussions take place every Wednesday at 1:30pm in the Student Centre. Tea and Sandwiches served. UCD Ents in Association With Vodafone Presents.

K G WEEK RA R RAG RAGW RAGWEEK K WEEK AG R21stA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 24th January 2008 UCD

Monday

Ents DJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s & Drinking Games All Day in The Student Bar

Back to College with Q-Soc Pod/Crawdaddy From 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tickets â&#x201A;Ź5

8pm - Bluemoose & Alphastates Live @ The Student Bar

See m ucdents.co for more details

Tuesday

David Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Doherty, Maeve Higgins & Jarleth Regan

Venue â&#x20AC;&#x201C; UCD Student Bar Time 8pm Tickets â&#x201A;Ź7 on Sale From All Shops, The Bar & UCDEnts.com

The Rag Week Comedy Festival With Comedy Soc David Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Doherty, Maeve Higgins and Jarleth Regan (Former L&H Auditor)

Wednesday TheUCD Pub Crawl â&#x20AC;&#x153;Icameâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; I sawâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; I crawledâ&#x20AC;?

With

See UCDEnts.com for full details. Starting in the Student Bar From 3pm Tickets â&#x201A;Ź15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Include â&#x201A;Ź25 worth of Beverages & Free Ticket to Rag Ball @ Tripod. On Sale in all usual outlets.

Thursday

The Rag Ball @ Tripod In Association with

Heat @ Tripod

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R1&2

Wed 5th March

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

SPORT

DOWN THE LINE

More glory for Taylor ■ Eoghan Glynn The Irish Times/VHI Healthcare Sportswoman of the Year has been awarded to former UCD student Katie Taylor for her achievements in boxing. In 2005 the Bray brawler became the first Irishwoman to win a gold medal at the European Boxing Championships on top of her FAI 2005 under-nineteen Footballer of the Year award. A year on she successfully defended her European title and rose to the top of the world amateur rankings. A month later she found herself crowned as a Boxing Queen at the World Championships in India. In April of last year she put on a fine display in the opening game of the Republic of Ireland’s European Championship qualifying campaign against Hungary, which they won 2-1, with a 35 yard screamer. In October her third successive European Championship title signalled the sixth anniversary of the day she made Irish sporting history, at just fi een, when she fought and beat Belfast’s Alanna Audley in the first official women’s bout ever held in Ireland. Fast-forward to 2007 and she began the tournament by brushing aside a Greek fighter in the second round, on the fi eenpoint ‘mercy’ rule, before landing a le hook to her Spanish counterpart in the quarters to leave her on the floor. Her only challenge was the Ukrainian Yana Zavyalova in the semi-finals who won the third round of their encounter, but Taylor was dominant in the first two rounds to take the fight eleven-four. Eight-nil up a er the first round of the final, against Switzerland’s Sandra Brugger, Taylor demolished her opponent on the fi een-point rule in round two. Incredibly, she won the title by only conceding four points. The following month Taylor fought Canadian Champ Katie Dunn. She won fifteen-nil, overwhelming Dunn in the second round, again on the mercy rule. Members of the International Olympic Committee were at the fight in Chicago and Taylor, who remains amateur, hoped her performance that night will have helped convince them that women’s boxing deserves a place in the 2012 Olympic Games. Heartbreak for Taylor then who cannot fight for her dream Olympic Gold. She is, a er all, the world’s top-ranked fighter in her lightweight division. In front of a Romanian, a Canadian and two Russians she is the best Amateur Boxer in her class in the World.

Gain means pain With the recent crowning of 24 year old Mark Webster as Darts World Champion, Jordan Daly explores the prodigious trend among champions and the extreme nature of nurture A child is a gi . No child deserves to be abused, tormented or put to work in a harsh and unforgiving environment. And yet out there on blistering soles and bruised thighs children as young as three years of age are pushed, threatened and punished. This may reflect the feelings of children’s rights advertisements but this is actually life faced by the vulnerable and trusting children of extremely ambitious parents throughout the world. Examples from around the world of physical feats have highlighted the seemingly ludicrous nature of this type of upbringing. Braxton Bilbrey, then only seven years of age, became the youngest person to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco. The four-foot-tall, 65pound-boy powered through the treacherous waters in a mere 47 minutes. He says he wasn’t pushed. In Mexico a thirteen-year-old Jairo Miguel Sanchez Alonso became the world’s youngest bullfighter. The then only eight-stone S panish teen slaughtered his first adult bull of 73-stone as part of a deal worth almost 200,000 euro. The law in his homeland forbids the sport to under sixteens. When questioned, he spoke of responsibility and of pleasure in being judged. Can it get any more ridiculous? How about a four-year-old running marathons. Health checks would show the permanent damage to the frail frame of a child. There would be a public outcry. How come then in India, Budhia Singh, born in only 2002, runs up to six hours at a time to sate his parents’ and coach’s appetite for fame and fortune? Well there was a public outcry and the boy confided experiences of torture and exploitation to the reporters who swarmed to his infamy. The coach was accused. The boy was scarred. These weird and wacky stories show the danger that children face in their innocent attempts

to please parents and the public alike. They are the craziest and yet the most fascinating characters and we are all to blame. Our curiosity costs them their childhood. In more familiar sporting fields, and a more positive light a three and a half year old Mark Walker found himself propelled to stardom after a video of him sinking eighteen baskets in a row ended up in the hands of Reebok. He became their poster boy. He now has had a college trust fund set up for him. His father shot the video. In France, a desperate attempt to acquire fame and success for their son saw the parents of Jan Silva selling car, house and just about everything they owned to finance the coaching of their five year old Tennis ace. The boy is barely taller than a racket. The father has made premonitions of world domination in Tennis for his protégé. Lewis Hamilton’s Dad followed a similar path. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Ronaldinho, (himself a child prodigy) Jean Carlos Chera is the newest Brazilian soccer maestro to tempt European clubs. He has been seen playing against teens four years his senior and impressively showcasing his le -foot phenomenon. At age eleven, he is playing for local Club Santos, but can not sign a contract until age sixteen. He was discovered through an online video, where else. It may seem obvious as to why parents pile all the pressure, tension and agony upon their children but the balance between risk and reward in the world of sport is fine and neglects the welfare of prodigies. The world does not need another ‘whacko-jacko’. We need more people like Mark Webster. Kept out of the limelight until his twenties, ‘Webby’ has slowly developed into a diamond of the Darts world. He still plays for his local Welsh Club in Denbigh and was supported, not tyran-

nised by his passionate parents. Through a catalogue of small tournaments he has fine-tuned his skills and now sits high as World Champion and World Number One. He’s a plumber. Not all who make the transition from gi ed child to talented adult are shielded from the blinding lights however. We all know a school friend or colleague who went over to England a fresh faced teen and came back a broken adult. It happens all the time. It takes a certain singlemindedness. An overwhelming drive and ambition. Tiger Woods springs to mind as an obvious illustration. He lead the golf world to desperate measures, Tiger-proofing against his long drive and some critics even predicted the destruction of competetion in golf all together. Ronnie ‘the rocket’ O’ Sullivan is another prodigy who reinvented the standard in his field of Sport. With his first maximum at fi een he was set to be snooker’s natural Lord. Lesser known kinesthetic geniuses include Fu Mingxia, an Olympic Gold Medallist in diving at thirteen. Wayne Gretzky, who at age six he was skating with ten-year-olds. By the age of ten, he scored 378 goals and 139 assists in just 85 games with the Nadrofsky Steelers. The list of these masterful young exhibitionists, who earn a bountiful living by fulfilling their passions is long and would tempt even the most wise of parents into an unhealthy obsession. When does supporting become slave-driving? How much involvement is too much for these fragile young minds. Or do we, the spectating public who hunger for more amazing, awe-inspiring feats of physical endurance, really care if they have no real life. No real childhood memories. No happy laughing and carefree frolicking. Just pain. Just torture. Just not quite good enough. We think a child is one of our rights, a child is a gi .

SPORT

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

Belfield's Golden Boy Loyalty. In UCD, for the last fifteen years, one man has become the epitome of the word. Eoghan Brophy had the pleasure of speaking to recently-retired College veteran Tony McDonnell, the legend in blue 308 appearances for the club leaves him only thirteen short of Ciaran Kavanagh’s record. He also featured in the UCD Team of all time last year in Blue Review, the UCD match-day program. So why did he stay for so long? There were oﬀers. “I always had a good enough reason to stay,” he states. One such time was a move from the bottom to the top of the table. “The year we were relegated there was a chance to move to Shelbourne. They were league leaders, gone full time and ended up winning the league that year. UCD were bottom of the league at the time and I was captain. I felt I had an obligation to stay with the club to get them out of relegation.” McDonnell stayed showing true dedication and leadership as captain. While he is now working for HSBC, and for one of the rare times, he is injury free; his former teammates are back in Pre-season training. “It’s a bit unusual with all the lads going back. It was a great bonding club. You meet people from all walks of life. I was very close with Alan

Players Comments “He was a great ﬁgure to have around the club. There’s not many players like him who will stay loyal with a club for so long. It will be very hard to replace him.” – Conor Kenna “He was great to talk to. He was always there if you had a problem. He was very experienced from his career. It was just great to have him around the team.” – Ronan Finn “He was a very friendly ﬁgure, very approachable. You were always able to have a bit of a laugh with him as well. Obviously he was heavily involved with the PFAI and he was always able to give you advice regarding contracts.” – Brian King

Mahon and Alan McNally, but recently, I really enjoyed the company of some of the younger lads. There were some great characters and they actually keep you young.” He has made many friends throughout his time in UCD and is still regularly in contact with them,“Terry Palmer, Jay Calwell and Packie Lynch, people who were role-models around the place when I first started.” He is full of praise for everyone at UCD from the players, past and present, but also to all the other staff who work behind the scenes to keep the club going. “We had a very good groundsman in Belfield Park. It was the best playing surface in the league.” With the move to Belfield Bowl imminent, McDonnell believes the surface is the most important part to get right. “Knowing UCD, the rest will fall into place with the top class facilities available. Hopefully being close to the bar will also help to attract more support.” McDonnell has played under many managers during his tenure with the Students. “The Doc,” Tony O’Neill, was the man that signed Tony, and was huge influence early on in his career. “He well and truly was a visionary,” recalls McDonnell, “He stands out as the most unique man that was in that type of role in the league.” In more recent times, Drogheda’s league winning manager Paul Doolin came to UCD to start his managerial career. Although he dropped McDonnell for a time and stripped him of the

Captain Fantastic: Tony McDonnell was a stalwart at the heart of the UCD defence for fifteen years

captaincy, ever determined McDonnell won his place back and has the utmost respect for Doolin. “He is one of the ﬁnest coaches I’ve worked under in terms of training, technique and understanding of the game,” McDonnell remarks honestly. He is forever learning and has taken something from every manager he has been under. “Pete Mahon is a terriﬁc

man-manager but I’ve learned so much from each and every one of them. Put all the attributes together and you come out with some manager.” Could this be McDonnell in the future? He is already being put forward as a replacement by the fans for Pete Mahon when the current manager moves on. And McDonnell is very interested in making a return to UCD in some capac-

ity. Coaching is still a few steps away as McDonnell is yet to obtain any coaching badges but he admits that it’s a priority. “I’d like to stay in touch with the club. Anywhere the club wants me to get involved, I’d be happy to do it. The club will always have a place in my heart.” As he hangs up his boots, his playing career is at an end, but he will be back. He is Belﬁeld’s golden boy.

The door's that way lads ■ Continued from page 24 “We’ve got eleven players currently training with us that I am very impressed with. These players all want to join UCD and they come with the necessary pedigree. “Some of them have played in the Eircom League and there is one player who was playing in the UK who is eager to come to us.” With another new season just around the corner, many have- not for the ﬁrst time- touted UCD as odds-on favourites for the drop. You get a sneaking suspicion however, that Mahon relishes being the underdog.

Underdogs That is certainly what UCD are look-

ing to be with many big guns gone. In the past two months, four of UCD’s first team players- two of which are Ireland Under-21 internationals - have severed their ties with the club and it seems highly probable others will follow. First choice striker Conor Sammon enjoyed his best season to-date with the College last year and attracted the attention of a number of sides a er notching up eleven goals in all competitions. Top of the list of admirers were Derry City, who had a perfect chance to view the potential shown by Sammon first hand when his strike dumped them out of the FAI Cup quarter final back in September. The Candystripes have agreed to pay an undisclosed fee, which will see the 21-year-old head north of the border as part of a three year deal. Fellow ex-Cherry Orchard schoolboy Shane McFaul has also gone in search of

pastures new- the midﬁelder is now on loan with League One Brighton & Hove Albion until July. On what looks to be a trial period, the former Notts County star will presumably make the move permanent if he fares well on his return to English football. Plagued with injuries for the best part of his UCD career, Paul Crowley has ended his indiﬀerent spell with the club. He will be looking to regain some

form with First Division side Dundalk. Another player swapping Belfield for the Eircom League’s second tier is Conan Byrne. He will hook up with newcomers Sporting Fingal, who have offered the marketing graduate a position as Community Development Officer on top of his playing duties. And despite all that stands in their way, a betting man would surely think twice before writing off the defiant Students.

SPORT

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

College triumph with Battle of Hastings It was the type of day that the back three hate. Wet, windy, greasy, they all apply. Wingers and full backs generally love seeing the ball being thumped over the melee for them to collect and run it back. This however is not the case in the wet. A smart captain will, in the wet, opt to tie the ball up in the forwards with endless phases and just as the full back steps out of position, launch the ball in behind the back line. This is exactly what Michael Hastings decided to do against Galwegians. This form of attack wears the defence down, thus limiting the tenacity of their counter attack. The scoreline suggests a poor game, but in reality it was a hard fought victory which came from clinically executed out of hand kicking and ferocious rucking by the forwards. The only try of the game came within the opening ﬁ een and saw Hastings skip through the line to cover the twenty yards to the line and go over. Killian Lett promptly converted. This would be the only try of the game but in all honesty from a Galwegians point of view UCD may as well have been twenty points ahead, the men from Galway never looked like they were ever going to draw

■ UCD ■ GALWEGIANS RFC

10 0

■ Bryan Devlin level. There were times however that Galwegians put College under pressure inside their 22 but they simply did not have the men to drive over, they also seemed loath to using their wide men inside the UCD half. The periods of pressure were inevitably relieved by a turnover or by a handling error. Ultimately, the battle was always going to be won or lost up front. UCD asserted their dominance over the opposing eight right from the get go. A lot of ball was won at the breakdown, the pack even managed to turn the scrum ninety on a few occasions. Credit must be given to the College number 7, Kevin Croke. The ﬂanker found himself all over the park, ﬂying into rucks and carrying the ball into contact. The stamina of the forwards as a unit was displayed as they were called upon time and again to inch up the pitch whether by route of maul or

by pick and go. When the ball was flashed through the backs, momentum was usually halted by a knock on due to the weather, centers Lett and Aherne did find gaps in the Galway line but the supporting runners were not there for the offload so forward play resumed soon a erwards. As for the college back three, wingers “Vas” and Conor Quinn were le with little to do. Quinn had to deal with the Galwegians freight train, Alipate

Tuilavuka, who on occasion would come thundering down the le wing. Michael “Tombstone” Twomey, at fullback was as solid as his name suggest, again with little more to do than collect and run. The only criticism one could have is that when the Galwegians had their outhalf binned, UCD were camped in the Galway 22 for ten mins and failed to put any points on the board. The second score came was the result of Galwegians using hands in a ruck.

The penalty was given on the twentytwo and Killian Lett signalled the slots to bring it on home for College. Post match, captain Michael Hastings said he was very pleased with the performance of his young side, but conceded that they did not really take all their chances, in regard to the ten minutes where they had an extra man. All was very happy to come away with the win and also to move ahead of Galwegians in the league.

Northsiders rule for now “It’s all about stamina.” The words of towering American Keenan Browder were proved only too true, as UCD Marian succumbed to the impressive endurance of the DCU Saints. St.Vincents took the lead from the offset and held off a brave home comeback to secure an away victory last Saturday in UCD Sports Hall. The tie was more of a sparring session for both teams as they looked to their National Cup Final encounter this Saturday. UCD Marian forward Kevin Foley spearheaded the home offence along side Americans Heath Sitton and Jim Clement. Clearly keen to make an impression, Foley drove through the Saints guards all night. The scoreboard told the harsh reality of the night’s work, with UCD only coming close in the dying moments of the game. Foley explains, “They’re a veteran team. They always know when you’re close with them, and they have the edge over our young team.” This level of control was exercised by the calculating Northsiders who held out with crucial counter-attacks from forwards Kenny Gamble, Dave Donnelly and Browder.

■ UCD MARIAN

106

■ SHAMROCK ROVERS

114

■ Jordan Daly The latter emphasised the importance of sharing the workload for DCU. “Guys came in and contributed well. Nobody had to carry the burden of the whole game on their back.” With an all round experienced side, the Saints can aﬀord to mix it up and even used the game as a refresher before their following day clash with University of Ulster. St.Vincents have lost to UCD and beaten them in their last two encounters, so

it was always going to be close, but will this be an omen for next week. Browder stood as a shining example of DCU’s incredible stamina as he stood there pumping sweat on the court. Dave Donnelly started impressively for DCU as they edged in front early on. His

three pointers and Gamble’s powerhouse inside baskets helped Saints to dominance in the first Quarter. Foley linked up with David Ryan and Conor Meaney to keep UCD within fi een at 40-25. The atmosphere was quiet as DCU snuck into a lead. The loudest outburst came just before the second quarter as UCD Coach Cormac Connor demanded his team get their act together and stop blaming the referee for their failures. This seemed to give them a boost as their atrocious fouling spree was quelled for a while and they racked up a few, courtesy of Sitton’s mid-range lo s and Foley’s aggressive turn-andswish style. Clement thrashed the boards as he and Browder went head to head. The second quarter was to the home side but a er the half time break the eight point difference proved an insurmountable obstacle for the Southsiders. DCU patiently fought out the game, winning free-throw a er freethrow, which they o en fluffed thanks to jeers and calls from a hostile crowd, but they slowed the pace and always counter-scored any opportunity UCD tried to grasp.

In the final exciting stages of the game, UCD went hell for leather. A huge three-pointer from Clement li ed the roof as the gap narrowed to eight. UCD players and supporters sensed an upset and Foley forced another two inside to send the crowd into eruptions of shouting, stamping and screaming. Ear drums were pierced as Dave Donnelly killed off the game with a crucial three pointer moments from the end. And so DCU clinched the psychological advantage for the final. UCD Marian are determined to make amends for the recent Superleague Cup loss. Of the National Cup Final, Foley said, “The lads are back again and eager to get another win. As long as I have the lads at one hundred percent intensity I will be happy with that.” Foley coaches the under twenty side who also made it into the Finals this weekend. Foley’s tactics for the big showdown against Moycullen are to outstrip the lumbering Galway giants. “We are playing against a bigger team, we’re a small guard-orientated side and they’re just a big Galway unit. We’re going to keep them off the glass and let our speed do the talking.”

College Tribune

22nd January 2008

SPORT

CHILD PRODIGIES DOWN THE LINE: PAGE 21

UCD GO DOWN TO DCU PAGE 23

The door's that way lads If the opening month of 2008 is anything to go by, UCD manager Pete Mahon has one of the toughest battles of his managing career on his hands. Despite the dawning of a new era with developments on the Bowl reaching the latter stages just in time for the beginning of the new season, the mood among the Students’ fans is an overwhelmingly negative one. With transfer window activities in full ﬂow and Premier Division sides scouring the country to snap up Ireland’s available talent, the only evidence of comings and goings in Dublin 4 thus far has been the frighteningly regular use of the door marked “Exit”. In a transfer saga that has rumbled on for the best part of a year, it ﬁnally looks like Darren Quigley will get his wish with a move elsewhere. The talented goalkeeper did not report back for pre-season training and it seems likely a bid will be tabled for him in the coming weeks.

■ Ben Blake

Authority Derry City has shown an interest before, and is touted as a possible destination. If a deal is to be brokered however, Pete Mahon insists Derry will have to up their valuation of Quigley considerably. According to Mahon, “Darren sees himself now as the Ireland Under-21 goalkeeper. We had a number of issues with him last year and I’ve decided that there will be no player dictating to me what I can and cannot do.” “If Derry want him they will have to fork out an awful lot more than the €5,000 they oﬀered last time.” It is not all bad news however, and Quigley’s imminent departure will be eased by the announcement that Matt Gregg will remain between the sticks for the coming season.

While sections of the media had made out that the ex-Bohs stopper had joined Bray Wanderers, he has decided to turn down an oﬀer from the Seagulls and stay on at UCD. “I’m very happy that we could come to an agreement to keep Matt at the club” said Mahon. Teenage full-back Ian Bermingham is another player Mahon is hopeful of hanging on to. The nineteen year old signed from Lourdes Celtic last April and showed experience far beyond his years by performing solidly on the le side of defence. Despite outside interest, Mahon is desperate to see his young starlet stay and he is currently mulling over a new deal. “He has been given the chance to sign a three year deal by Derry City and a similar one by St. Pat’s but he sees himself getting more ﬁrst team games with us,” explained Mahon. “If he continues to progress in the

way he has been, I would be hopeful of him earning an Ireland Under-21 cap this year.” Mahon faces an uphill battle to have a reasonably-sized squad in place by the start of the season as just eleven players are on the books at this moment and time. A date of February 13th has been set for the rest of the squad, who the Belfield boss feels aren’t showing the sufficient amount of desire and commitment to the club. “Before the others are offered new deals, I’ve decided that there are certain criteria to be met.” he said.

Discipline “We’re looking for an improvement of attitude in a certain section of the young players. It’s one thing winning the Under-21 League three years out of four, but progressing and cementing a ﬁrst team place is

another. “This is the first time in five years that I have questioned players’ attitudes, and I’m looking for positive answers from them on all fronts,” added Mahon. A major factor behind Mahon’s concerns is the recent trend for players- many of whom have yet to even play a first team game- hiring football agents. “I’ve always had a problem with agents. I think they are parasites. They are only there to extract money from the player. Young players should be trying to establish themselves in a team first and then worry about the rest. They have got their priorities all wrong.” Recruiting new playing staff is underway and while no signings have been made yet, Mahon is adamant he will be introducing new faces very soon. Continued on page 22