Trinity News | Tuesday 13th December
Volume 63, Issue 4
Features this issue
Interview with volunteer about Chios refugee camp; secular prolife movement; reflections on Trinity News’ archives
trinitynews.ie
tn2 this issue
Saying goodbye to 2016: 50 years of the Project Arts Centre; 100 years of Joyce’s “A Portrait”; and 10 years of Alfonso Cuaron’s “Children of Men”
TRINITY NEWS EST. 1953
Comment
p.15 Rory O’Neill argues that that the fawning over Trudeau is misplaced
Trinity Life p.11 What are the ten most Trinity Christmas presents?
InDepth
p.21 Peter O’Donovan asks should we adopt a 30 hour work week
Students from fee-paying secondary schools are four times more likely to get a place in Trinity Analysis of feeder school data illustrates Trinity’s place in the Irish educational divide Cathal Kavanagh Investigations Editor
Niamh Lynch News Editor
Conn de Barra DeputyInvestigations Editor
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HE MOST RECENT DATA on ‘feeder’ schools to thirdlevel institutions has illustrated Trinity’s place within the Irish educational divide. Students who attend one of the country’s 51 fee-paying schools are more than four times more likely to attend Trinity than students at schools that do not charge fees. Furthermore, fee-paying students are nearly twice as likely (65%) to go to any of Ireland’s seven universities than their non fee-paying counterparts (34%).
In all, 2,344 students came to Trinity through the Central Applications Office (CAO) this year. 631 of that number, about 28.5%, were privately educated. The figures do not include ‘grind schools’ such as the Institute of Education, which sent 126 students to Trinity in 2015; the most recent year for which statistics are available. Only 7.5% of last year’s Leaving Cert class attended a fee-paying school. Using raw data provided by the Irish Times, Trinity News calculates that a student is more than four times more likely to attend Trinity if they have attended one of Ireland’s 51 fee-paying schools. These schools sent, on average, 13 students to Trinity from a class of 77, which amounts to 17%. In contrast, the state’s 628 non fee-paying schools send an average of 4 students from Leaving Certificate classes of the same size. The figures allow for a degree of insight into Ireland’s educational divide.
Of the 26 schools which sent over 50% of their sixth year students to either Trinity or University College Dublin (UCD), the highest-ranked universities in the country, 22 are fee-paying. Half of Trinity’s incoming first years come from just 68 schools. In addition, there are more students in Trinity from private schools in Dublin (563 pupils) than there are from all schools in the provinces of Munster, Connaught and Ulster (Donegal, Monaghan & Cavan) combined (395 pupils). The class divide persists when only including schools in Dublin. 20.9% of students in Dublin fee-paying schools went on to study in Trinity, compared to 6.9% from the county’s 132 non fee-paying schools. The school which sent the most students to Trinity was St. Andrew’s College in Blackrock, with 45. Gonzaga College sent 39, nearly half its Leaving Cert class, and sent
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Fee-paying students are nearly twice as likely (65%) to go to any of Ireland’s seven universities than their non fee-paying counterparts (34%).
Graduate Students’ Union runs €10,000 deficit for 2015-16 Increasing expenses are attributed to publications, salaries, and events. Cathal Kavanagh Investigations Editor
Niamh Lynch News Editor
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R I N I T Y ’ S G R A D U A T E STUDENTS’ UNION (GSU) ran a deficit of over €10,000 in the 2015-16 academic year, according to annual accounts shared with Trinity News. The accounts, which were audited by Cregan Accountants and presented to a meeting of College’s capitated bodies on November 17th, show an increase in expenditures related to events, publications, officer expenses, and salaries. While the Union’s income rose by nearly 10%, to €99,486, expenses rose by more than 30% to €110,400. A major change yearon-year from the 2014-15 accounts is the reduction in accrued expenses, which have almost entirely been
paid. The annual report of the Union, which was presented alongside the accounts, points to the paying of accruals associated with sabbatical accommodation expenses from the last three years as a main reason behind last year’s deficit. Among the complaints outlined in the Report is the extent to which the GSU is relied upon by College to facilitate the Postgrad Orientation Week in September each year. Running the week cost the Union about €20,000 this year. The report states: “There is a clear deficiency in University funding to facilitate an official College week, one that is so crucial to their own recruitment, retention and strategic objectives. The Union is not in a position to incur costs of this magnitude in the future.” The Union recognises in its report the need for a third sabbatical officer to share the work currently divided between two such officers,
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A major change year-on-year from the 201415 accounts is the reduction in accrued expenses, which have almost entirely been paid.
which it is mandated to lobby for. “The needs of the postgraduate community surpass the time available of one person” the Report states. President of the GSU, Shane Collins, told Trinity News in September that “if you ask any body in the university if their current funding arrangements are sufficient, they will state no. We are no exception.” At that time, Collins stated that the Union were “pursuing other areas of generating revenue which will be identified in our AGM.” For the past three years, College’s Global Relations Strategy contained provision for €30,000 to be granted to the GSU in a deal to support the Union’s activities, owing to the increasing numbers of non-EU postgraduates studying in Trinity. The current academic year is the first without this funding.
SciTech
90% of its Leaving Cert class to either Trinity or UCD. 216 schools sent nobody to Trinity.
p.22 Discussions continue in the Dáil about medicial marijuana
Commenting on the release of the figures, President of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Kieran McNulty, pointed to recently published recommendations from TCDSU regarding improvements in educational access: “funding and more of an attitude change from the government and schools is needed to get students into education.”
Sport
The data, collated from the State Examinations Commission and third level institutions themselves, was published by national newspapers last week.
p.24 Archie McCauley, Trinity student, lands first race win
The figures are broken down on a school-by-school basis, by which third-level institutions this year’s Leaving Certificate students went on to attend, and the rates at which they did so.
Trinity to be used as concert venue in deal with MCD The event promoter has reportedly been granted permission for 10 shows in summer 2017 Niamh Lynch News Editor
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RINITY HAS REPORTEDLY ENTERED a deal with event promoters MCD for the college to become a venue for a series of live shows from next summer onwards. A spokesperson for College has confirmed that all revenue raised by the initiative would “fund the academic needs of the University.” According to the Irish Times, MCD have been granted permission to host a number of open air shows on campus with a capacity of up to 5,000 people. Alt-J, James Vincent McMorrow and Lorde are among the acts under consideration for up to 10 shows during the 2017 run. Speaking to Trinity News, a spokesperson for College said: “Trinity College Dublin has a
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MCD have been granted permission to host a number of open air shows on campus with a capacity of up to 5,000 people.
long history of running and hosting events on its campus in association and partnership with other organisations. The Trinity Ball has been run in association with MCD for many years. We are currently exploring other options in conjunction with MCD, including hosting a select number of concerts outside of term time. These plans are for consideration and nothing has been finalised at this point. Should they proceed, the revenue raised by the initiative would go to fund the academic needs of the University.” MCD, in collaboration with Trinity Ents, organise the annual Trinity Ball which is held on campus every April. Acts that have performed at Trinity Ball in recent years include the Kooks, Basement Jaxx, Walking on Cars, Years and Years, Example and Ellie Goulding.