D U B L I N
U N I V E R S I T Y
The Agent
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S T U D E N T
N E W S P A P E R
Championship win for DU Boat Club p19
Tuesday, October 10th, 2006
News Trinity mourns as Buttery bar closes p2
Features Schol system to be reviewed p4
Opinion John McGuirk on the PDs p10
Opinion Edward Gaffney on violent Islam p11
Science Wind as the future of energy p15
Travel Wild expanses of Patagonia p16
Sport Zidane movie is a work of art p17
Sport DU Football Club hosted by Penn State Uni p19
TNT inside
Phil confusion sees 760 students disappointed Anna Stein An interview with Tommy Tiernan at a meeting of the University Philosophical Society last Thursday night was marred by a mix up with tickets which left an estimated 760 society members high and dry when the dining hall reached its capacity and they were turned away. However, those who had made it in also saved seats for others in the hope that they'd get in later which resulted in roughly 15 unoccupied seats which would gladly have been filled by some of those outside. In what some have suggested was a ploy to increase membership this year, The Phil sold tickets to their annual Club Philth night but told people that possession of a ticket would ensure priority seating for Tommy Tiernan’s talk. By Tuesday the interest had become so great that the society had to point out that that possession of a Club Philth ticket would not guarantee entry to Tiernan's performance, and they advised people to arrive early to avoid disappointment. In anticipation of the large numbers attending the event was transferred to the Dining Hall from its traditional home in the GMB . Phil President Daire Hickey later said that he regretted the necessity to break with tradition, but a guest such as Tommy Tiernan attracted such large crowds that the move was necessary. As there were 900 tickets sold and the Dining Hall has a capacity of 400 there were bound to be many disappointed people. However no one could have anticipated the size of the queues that began to gather throughout the evening. The first people in the queue arrived at 2.30, five hours early, so intent were they on getting in. As the size of the crowds grew College security insisted that crash barriers were
Tommy Tiernan hits the deck for 60 press-ups after a challenge from the Phil audience. President Daire Hickey looks on bemused. Photo: Alex Gray put in place and the queue began to snake around the outsides of Front Square. When the doors finally closed on the lucky 400 inside, security estimated that 760 people had been left out side and were not particularly happy about it. Most milled around outside for about half an hour, however a few of the more disgrun-
tled wrote disparaging remarks about the Phil on the ground outside the GMB and banged repeatedly on the dining hall doors. However, eventually good will prevailed, with many people going instead to the Céilí that was being held in the Buttery at the same time. Some enterprising people tried to sneak in through the
back entrance from the Buttery downstairs, only to be met with an unflinching security presence. Even for those lucky enough to get inside the evening was not one of unalloyed joy as in order to keep the chaos to a minimum there was no access to the toilets in the Dining Hall whilst security
clarified how many people were in the hall. Due to the number of people outside and the possible threat that they presented to Mr Tiernan's safety he was forced to enter and exit via the kitchen
Continued p3
Leading society heads Quinn loses denied student cards one horse race Anna Stein
David Hasslehof Oliver Stone Goo Goo Dolls Lush Giveaway
www.trinitynews.ie
In a break with precedent James O'Brien, the Auditor of The Hist and Daire Hickey, President of The Phil, have been denied student cards during their year “off books”. This action could leave them in a vulnerable position both within the university and within their societies. Without possession of a student card either could be asked to leave campus at any time, and are prevented from being on campus after twelve, as well as not being able to frequent The Pav. The issue is further complicated by the fact that both O’Brien and Hickey are residents in College. Thus both could be ejected from their rooms after midnight, despite the fact that College has granted them the rooms in full knowledge of their pending year “off books”. The rooms were granted before the expiration of their student cards. A student card from the previous year is valid until October 31st of the following year, and
both have taken up residence before the expiration of their student cards. They have since been informed by the Registrar of Chambers that the terms of their occupancy may come under review, and the possibility exits that they may be evicted. However Hickey has stated that he believes his rooms are “not in jeopardy”. O’Brien, on the other hand, has not made a similar statement, despite being asked the same question. While the denial of a student card presents problems associated with accommodation, the possibility also exists that both may of lose their elected positions, as the constitutions of both The Hist and The Phil state that the Auditor and President respectively must be students of the College. Without a student card both Hickey and O’Brien run the risk of being impeached. Colm Kearney, the Senior Lecturer is responsible for the decision to deny them student cards. It is not known if he is aware of the ramifications of his decision. Conspiracy theorists have suggested that the refusal to grant student cards this year to O’Brien and Hickey was a
David Molloy
O’Brien: denied card response to a letter signed by them both that was sent to the Junior Dean protesting the change of the rules governing alcohol restrictions on campus. Hickey has said he believes “ there is no connection between the letter to the Junior Dean which I signed and the position College has taken on the issue of student cards. These are two separate issue being delt with by separate College offices.”
Trinity’s Students’ Union President David Quinn recently lost an uncontested election for Environmental Officer of the Union of Students in Ireland. The election was held at USI National Congress in UCC on the weekend of September 23rd. Each student union president voted on behalf of their college, with approximately 80% voting for “RON”, or re-open nominations. Quinn did not attend the Council himself, nor did he arrive at any time to canvas for himself. The president of UCC’s student union, Richard Morrisroe, felt that it was not a good idea for a union president to hold the position. Morrisroe has held dual sabbatical positions himself, and stated that “it affected my personal life and it affected both jobs.” He also noted that Quinn’s “primary responsibility is to his 15 and a half thousand students.” As an example, he pointed to University of Ulster’s deputy president of last year, who lasted only three months as USI Irish Officer before the pressure of dual positions
became too much. Another source told Trinity News that Quinn is also perceived by some to be incredibly ambitious, and is believed to have run for the position despite having no genuine interest in its duties. Quinn’s non-appearance at National Council is unlikely to impress these critics. It was also mentioned that some resentment existed over the redundancies in the Student Travel Agency in which SIPTU was involved. USI and SIPTU have been involved in a co-operation agreement since 2001, which was revamped in 2004 to maintain a strong connection. At the time, then-USI President Will Priestly said “I would like to thank SIPTU for the support they have given to a number of student related campaigns” and emphasised the many advantages cooperation with SIPTU provides. It remains to be seen if recent events have damaged the Trinity Union’s relationships with USI members. • Resolution of Students’ Union redundancy scandal leaves serious questions over use of loan funds. See page 3.