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Hilary term, Week 2
Issue 6, Volume 54
Leaked report: Suspend, evict, and ban Dr Gerald Morgan from College NIGEL ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER A 600 page report completed in October 2007 has recommended the suspension of senior Trinity lecturer Dr Gerald Morgan for two years without pay, along with eviction from his College residence for that period. The noted academic of the English Department now risks dismissal, unheard of in Irish academia. The recommendations of the report were made by Pro-Senior Dean Cyril Smyth. Along with suspension and eviction, it recommends Dr Morgan be banned from the precincts of College during the period of suspension and should continue to have his College
email facilities suspended “ad infinitum”. The report, which Trinity News has obtained key pages of, relates to an ongoing dispute that has, so far, lasted five years. It initiated after an incident in October 2002 when Dr Morgan sent emails asserting to a number of staff members that he was more qualified for a position on a lecturer nominating committee then his colleague Professor Scattergood. As a result of claims of malice, the Senior Dean recommended a three month suspension for Dr Morgan. A few days later, a complaint was made by a female colleague against Dr Morgan of sexual harassment. Dr Morgan, who says he was astonished at the complaint, responded by issuing an email to a large number of Trinity
Dr Gerald Morgan (above) faces severe punishment if this report is enacted. Photo: Rachel Kennedy
employees in which he refers to the claimant as being “dumb without the virtue of being blonde”. As a result the three month suspension was enforced along with a ban from the Arts Building for that period. Dr Morgan resigned his fellowship in protest. A disciplinary panel was called due to the incident and the breaking of policy protecting the anonymity of individuals in cases of alleged sexual harassment. Dr Morgan refused to attend the disciplinary panel for the reason that he did not think he would receive a fair hearing. The case of the College’s right to hold a disciplinary panel was then brought to the High Court, followed by the Supreme Court. However, the case was eventually settled, according to Dr Morgan,
because of financial constraints. The report claims that this was “a mere ruse”. Dr Morgan is reported to have spent €150000 on legal fees. The College claims to have spent €100000, although sources suggest that costs of up to €500000 are more accurate. The disciplinary panel settled with Dr Morgan after he made a formal apology to the female colleague, who has since moved to the UK, and retracted the controversial email regarding her. Dr Morgan has admitted that the email was a mistake on his part and that he was simply angry at the time. The report claims that the apology was an admission of guilt on Dr Morgan’s part, though he has always denied this. Tensions have run high since. Dr
Morgan issued an email to over 150 Trinity staff members calling for the resignations of two senior colleagues: the then-Senior Dean Professor Cyril Smyth and College Secretary Mr Michael Gleeson for preventing him from clearing his name. Dr Morgan later apologised. However, during a series of emails which ensued between Dr Morgan and the College (some from the Provost, Dr John Hegarty), Dr Morgan was informed that his position may still be under threat. His college email account was suspended and still remains so. Dr Morgan has attempted to solicit the aid of the Irish Federation of University Teachers and even testified • Continued page 2
Stripper, mass Despite vandalism Boat evacuation: Club “won’t be defeated” 11 disciplined JOHN CALLAGHAN
CONOR SULLIVAN
STAFF WRITER
STAFF WRITER
Vandals destroyed a number of boats belonging to Dublin University Ladies Boat Club and Boat Club earlier this month, with the damage estimated at up to €65000. The attack on the equipment took place at Villierstown, Co. Waterford, early on Sunday 6 January, during the club’s annual training session in the area, organised by Cappoquin Rowing Club. Both the Men’s and Ladies’ property was damaged in the incident. Both ends were cut from four boats, including the custom built, carbon fibre sculling craft, as they sat overnight on a trailer that was parked at the Villierstown slip, around twenty metres from the Ferryman’s house. The culprits also cut the sides from several boats which were stored higher up, less accessible from the ground. It is believed that some form of power tool was used to carry out the attack, with the sawn-off pieces then being removed from scene, making possible repairs much more difficult. Tyres on the trailers, including those owned by Cappoquin Rowing Club, were also slashed during the incident. This is the first attack experienced by the DUBC, despite the fact they have been hosted by Cappoquin, and used the same stretch of water along the Blackwater, for more than 25 years.
One lucky Trinity Hall resident got more than he bargained for at his birthday party in Halls last September, with fire alarms, robbery, mass evacuation and a 35-year old (allegedly transexual) stripper. The action all started around 8pm one Friday evening last December when some Junior Freshmen gathered in a flat in House 84 for their friend’s birthday. Things quickly got out of hand. though; the birthday boy was soon paralytic after a few pints made up of various spirits. More and more people gathered in the apartment and, before long, there were about 40 present, in an apartment that houses six and in a block that houses 66. The lucky guy, who refused to be named, was then tied to a chair and the stripper (pictured) “performed” to the amusement of everyone and the apparent bemusement of the birthday boy. After her sultry act, the stripper clothed herself and left - but the fun didn’t stop there. Soon afterwards one of the young Team-Englanders got a bit trigger happy and coated the common room with foam from one of the fire extinguishers, which could potentially have suffocated everyone present. It is unclear what happened next, though a wallet and 250 euros was stolen, one guy vomited on the floor and another urinated on himself. The foam then set off the fire alarm in the flat, causing all 66 residents and 40 partygoers to be evacuated. The
Gabriel Magee, Admiral of the Boat Club, spoke of “the shock and dismay of the rowers” upon discovering their boats ruined by the attack, which was dubbed “pointless” by Milo Murray, Secretary of Cappoquin Rowing Club. Magee carried on to express his hope that the perpetrator, who he believed hoped to sabotage the training session, “would have been quickly disappointed, as both clubs rallied and put their crews on the water for the final paddle of camp”. “Rather than be defeated by the actions of this coward who sought to • Continued page 2
The Boat Club vessels are believed to have been attacked with an angle grinder, evidence of which can be seen on the severed bow above. Photo: Martin McKenna
Good, clean, fun at Halls party. fun stopped there, alas, when Security swooped in and broke everything up. At the Disciplinary Hearing on 5 December, the Warden of Trinity Hall, Brendan Tagney, accused six of the partygoers of “theft and fraud”, three of “endangering the lives of others through malicious tampering with fire safety equipment” and one was reprimanded for mooning the CCTV cameras. There as well was JCR President Sam Chappatte who said that “the boys responded maturely to appropriate questions from the panel and left satisfied with the conclusions of the investigation”. At the end of the meeting, Tagney imposed a 150 euros fine and eight hours of community service for the two who set the extinguishers off.
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Where to eat when your parents are paying • The Debut festival • Interview with fashion designer Ciarán Sweeney • Biffy Clyro • Madness
Artful, but is it art?
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Gabriel Magee, Admiral of the Boat Club who spoke of “the shock and dismay of the rowers” upon discovering their boats ruined by the attack. Photo: Martin McKenna
TRINITY NEWS
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Hilary Term, Week 2
CollegeNews The Numbers Game
5,997 The total amount of words submitted by the five Students’ Union sabbatical officers when asked to outline their “successes” this year
2,808 Education Officer Bartley Rock’s contribution to the above total
€65,000 The estimated value of damage to Boat Club property following a vandal attack
€150,000 – €550,000 Estimated legal costs of Dr Gerald Morgan and the College combined over the last number of years
4 out of 12 The number of USI officer who have resigned in past four months
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“Enough is enough. College authorities have had enough, the staff have had enough, academics have had enough and students have had enough. Things have to change.” Students’ Union Education Officer Bartley Rock on the college administrative structure. “I’m very confident that this Ball will be the best Trinity has seen. The acts I have bid on will appeal to a massive range of people.” Entertainments Offficer Ed O’Riordan drops the first hints about this year’s Trinity Ball. “As part of the plans for the new Student Centre, there will be a studentrun and operated bar. There is no reason why College can’t start building works on the Centre by late Summer, so I’m looking forward to having a pint there sooner rather than later!” An optimistic Andrew Byrne, Students’ Union President, on the opening of a new student bar on campus.
Clarifications and corrections The photograph of Sir John Major in the previous issue of Trinity News was incorrectly attributed to photographer Mark Kearney. It should have been attributed to Jamie Walsh.
Editorial Staff Editor: Gearoid O’Rourke editor@trinitynews.ie Deputy Editor: David Molloy deped@trinitynews.ie Business Manager: Conor Sullivan buisness.manager@trinitynews.ie Copy Editor: Nick Beard copyeditor@trinitynews.ie Photographs: Martin McKenna photos@trinitynews.ie Deputy Photographer: Emer Groarke emer.groarke@trinitynews.ie College News: Caoimhe Hanley collegenews@trinitynews.ie National News: Lauren Norton nationalnews@trinitynews.ie International News: Kasia Mychajlowycz internationalnews@trinitynews.ie News Features: Eimear Crowe newsfeatures@trinitynews.ie Society News: Sophie Davies socities@trinitynews.ie Features: Sam Hannaford features@trinitynews.ie Opinion: John Lavelle & Kevin Lynch opinionanddebate@trinitynews.ie World Review: Peter Doherty worldreview@trinitynews.ie Travel: Andrea Mulligan travel@trinitynews.ie Business: Danielle Ryan businessandcareers@trinitynews.ie Science: Sebastian Wiesmair science@trinitynews.ie College Sport: Jonathan Drennan collegesport@trinitynews.ie Sport Features: Connel McKenna sportfeatures@trinitynews.ie TN2 Editor: Catriona Gray Photographs: Rachel Kennedy Film: Conor O’Kelly Music: Carolyn Power Fashion: Ciaran Durkin Books: Paul Earlie Theatre: Polly Graham Art: Caroline O’Leary Edibles: Beth Armstrong Endnotes: Ailbhe Ni Mhaoileoin
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Thanks to: Joey Facer; Pat Morey and College Security; Prof. Mike Jones; Peter Henry; Ed O’Riordan; Daithí Ó Malley; Nicholas Moustache; Daire Hickey; Daithi MacSithigh; Niall Morris and everyone in MCD; David Adamson; Rosscrea Express; and everyone in Midland Web Printing. This publication is funded by a grant from DU Publications Committee. Serious complaints about the content of this publication should be addressed to: The Editor, Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2. This publication claims no special rights or privileges.
Opulent rooms in Foster Place, including what Irish-Architecture.com calls “the finest banking hall in Dublin”, have been used as lecture rooms and for storage over recent years. This has lead to criticism of College authorities for neglecting this historic building. Promises of extensive rennovation have previously been made. Photo: Martin Mckenna
Historic Foster Place to be privately leased for 35 years NIAMH NÍ MHAOILEOIN STAFF WRITER A decision has been reached by the College to let a portion of the Trinityowned premises at Foster Place to a private company, the Wright Group, on a 35-year commercial lease. The decision was made despite a shortage of space on campus, which, due to its city centre location, has a limited capacity for expansion. However, the lease is in keeping with an agreement by the board in 2005 that the Property Review Group should “seek opportunities to lease the Banking Hall to generate income which would also be used to fund the refurbishment of Numbers Three and Four Foster Place.” The ground floor and basement spaces being leased are, according to the Communications Office “less than ideal for academic use.”
The 3211 square metre building at numbers Two to Four Foster Place and 30-34 Anglesea Street was bought in the early 1990’s, having previously been owned by Allied Irish Bank. It consists of four floors, including the Grand Banking Hall, an extensive vaulted basement and a range of other rooms. Irish-Architecture.com describes part of the area to be leased as “the finest banking hall in Dublin.” It has been claimed that since being bought by the College, the building has been underused and left to fall into dereliction. According to the College website “the premises accommodates a variety of permanent and temporary academic and administrative office functions,” although it specifies only that it houses the web design office. According to the Communications Office, “With the exception of the Banking Hall, Foster Place has been used extensively by the College since its purchase. The space
allocations there have been temporary pending the planned refurbishment of the premises.” When asked by Trinity News last year why much of the property was in a state of disuse, the Communications Office said that to sell Foster Place would remove the possibility for expansion. When asked if the same principle still holds the response was that “the College’s view has not changed since. It has been envisaged for some time that the ground floor would be let. This is consistent with the letting of ground level space in Lincoln Place and South Leinster Street.” Both these comments and committee minutes from as far back as 2000 show plans for the renovation of the building. The current plan to develop the building into academic accommodation has been underway for several years. When asked why plans regarding the developments do not seem to have been followed through,
the Communications Office responded that “it has taken some time to arrange the funding necessary to undertake the scheme” and that “securing commercial tenants for some of the space is a vital element in the funding plan.” The scheme will cost in excess of ten million euros. Now that the tenants have been found, the planning application, which has been in preparation for over a year, is to be submitted in the next month. While the refurbishments are taking place, the activities currently accommodated in Foster Place will be relocated to Dunlop Oriel House on Westland Row. The details of the lease have not yet been completed and the Wright Group’s plans for the building are, as yet, unknown. It will be a full repairing lease, but any alteration by the company will require planning permission with respect to the protected status of the building.
€65,000 worth of damage to Trinity boats • Continued from page 1 stop us, we decided to make the best response possible: to carry on rowing, just as we have done for over 170 years”, he said. This act of vandalism will adversely affect the ability of the Boat Club to train for this year’s season. Speaking about the consequences, Magee added, “In particular, the Ladies Club had just purchased one of the boats that was damaged so that they could transition from the eight into two fours. That is now not possible. The boats can be replaced, but this takes time and money”. While it is expected that insurance will cover some of the cost of damages, it will be up to the Men’s and Ladies’ clubs to cover the remainder. Fundraising events are being planned, which will be dependent on the support of other clubs around College and the College community in general. The crime scene was preserved by Dungarvan An Garda Síochána and fingerprints were taken on Sunday. While the vandals have yet to be
identified, the investigation is still ongoing. The incident appears to be a solitary attack specifically aimed at the Boat Club and Trinity College, however, no indication of an attack was given throughout the weekend. The incident has been widely condemned within the Villierstown and Cappoquin areas and locals were keen to express the fact that the sentiments of the attacker were not shared by the community at large, many of whom called down to the crime scene on Sunday morning to sympathise with the Boat Club. The Boat Club have also vowed that these events will not damage the great relationship it has had, and will continue to have, with Cappoquin Rowing Club, for over 30 years. “DUBC and the Cappoquin rowing club have had a great relationship for years and we have always been welcomed by the Murrays there. Also, the town of Cappoquin has always welcomed the rowers”. The Gardaí appealed to anyone with any information to contact them in confidence in Dungarvan on 058- 48600.
Dr. Morgan in the office that he may soon be banned from. Photo: Rachel Kennedy
Lecturer to be suspended • Continued from page 1 in an email to referring the matter to An Garda Síochána. He has also appealed to colleagues for their support, although opinions within the College remain mixed. The College has declined to comment on the report, as has Cyril Smyth who has stayed on as Pro-Senior Dean after his term as Senior Dean ended in 2007. Reportedly this is to take care of outstanding cases, of which Dr Morgan’s is one. Dr Morgan (65), who has been with the college since 1968, has told Trinity News that perhaps the intention
is for him to retire before he is required to do so at age 70. He stated that he has no wish to retire as of yet and doesn’t even think he can until he has cleared his name of accusations of malice, physical intimidation and harassment. Dr Morgan was given the option of accepting or rejecting the report’s recommendations, of which he chose the latter. Acceptance would have led to instant enforcement of the sanctions. His rejection requires the case to be taken before a disciplinary panel, meaning a further extension of this ongoing situation, one which Dr Morgan feels never should have left the English department.
collegenews@trinitynews.ie
TRINITY NEWS
Hilary term, Week 2
CollegeNews
Trinity and the Milltown Institute of Theology in “a strategic alliance” PADRAIC O’MEARA STAFF WRITER Trinity College and the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy have agreed to form an academic alliance pending further financial negotiations. This academic alliance would allow Trinity to offer a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma programmes and Masters and Doctoral degrees by research in Catholic Theology, a field of study which is a speciality of the Milltown Institute. The idea has already been approved by the University Council at a meeting on the 7th of November and was introduced by the Provost, John Hegarty, at a meeting of the College Board later that month. He stated that this proposal was “particularly attractive to Trinity because of the existing mix of religious academic programmes and the College’s current role in the delivery of the Bachelor in Theology with the Church of Ireland.” He went on to say that the proposal “has the full support of the School of Religions and Theology and the Irish School of Ecumenics”, noting that the latter already has strong links with the Institute. At the meeting in question the Registrar, Juergen Barkhoff, stated that it would be important to both the College and the Milltown Institute that the preservation of the ethos and identites of the respective partners forms a cornerstone of this alliance. Under the proposed arrangements, the Institute would be guided by academic excellence and academic freedom, and Trinity’s academic standards would apply. The Registrar also advised the Board that only the part of the Institute that is a recognised College of the NUI was included in the proposed strategic alliance. This exludes the Pontifical Athenaeum. He also advised Board that there are a number of international models for the development of
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consortia or alliances between secular universities and religious units, noting that that the College would seek existing, and develop new, academic programmes in all major world religions. The Milltown Institute, a recognised College of the NUI since 2003 is a third level college with a focus on Catholic Theology and related disciplines. It offers a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma programmes and Masters and Doctoral degrees through research. Trinity College on the other hand, offers distinct programmes in Religion and Theology, based on a nondenominational approach, including Jewish Studies and Islamic Studies. Trinity’s Irish School of Ecumenics (ISE) offers programmes and undertakes research in Ecumenical Studies and Peace Studies in a multidenominational setting. In addition, Trinity cooperates with the Church of Ireland Theological College in the delivery of the Bachelor in Theology. A spokesperson for Trinity stated that “bringing all these different approaches together would create a unique consortium of Theology within Ireland that could explore from a multitude of perspectives the place and role of religion in the contemporary world and its relationship to society and culture.” They also stated that “such an alliance could be an academically exciting development that could create considerable synergies and bring substantial benefits to both institutions.” Despite all of this, Board has only agreed with the proposal in principle and it still has not been finalised. Issues such as the academic, legal, financial and governance implications will now be explored by Trinity College and the Milltown Institute as would be expected in the formation of a strategic partnership. These will be sorted out during the negotiations after which, detailed proposals will be presented to the Board and Council for their consideration.
Well played: DU Orchestral Society take to the stage in Christ Church Cathedral
The Trinity Orchestral Society at their first concert of the academic year in Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin. Senior Freshman Engineering student Michael Day conducted. Photo: Martin McKenna
Four fire engines and a sparking light bulb, all at Trinity’s Open Day DAVID MOLLOY DEPUTY EDITOR
Fire engines arrive in Trinity to dose the sparking light bulb as students look on.Facilities Officer Noel McCann was quickly on the scene (bottom right). Photos: Gearoid O’Rourke
Trinity’s Open Day in December was a busy affair, with 7000 students, 70 exhibitions, and a visit to the college by the Dublin Fire Brigade. Four units from the fire brigade entered campus through front arch after a warning call from campus security about an incident in front square right at lunchtime. A light fitting on the second floor of the School of Music, House Five, started smouldering and sparking, which eventually resulted in enough smoke to obscure the entire room. A number of students happened to be studying in the room at the time, and raised the alarm. A member of staff in the Music Department contacted College Security and recommended they get a fire engine to the College. Security quickly did so while sending their own staff up to the music school to have a look. However, the fire brigade from Pearse Street Fire Station was already rolling through Front Gate by the time security decided there was no real risk. The incident did, however, grab the attention of many students and those attending the open day. A member of the Dublin Fire Brigade
told Trinity News that the college got the standard response everyone gets when nothing else is known about the fire: two fire engines, a turntable ladder and a district officer. He also said that the Fire Brigade have special plans in place in the event that certain areas in Trinity catch fire, such as the Biochemistry Department, which contains hazardous materials. The School of Music told Trinity News that while there may have actually been no fire at the time, there might easily have been if no one raised the alarm.The same sentiment was expressed by college security, and the Dublin Fire Brigade went so far as to say security should never check a fire alarm themselves to decide if it’s worth calling the station for. The College issued the following statement: “There was no fire. A smouldering electrical light fitting was seen by a member of staff in House Five and, as a precautionary measure, the Fire Brigade was called and left within thirty minutes of its arrival. Electrical Engineers from the Buildings Office dealt with the wiring issue.” Of course this whole incident does prove something. If the fire brigade can get into the college grounds fater than security can telephone them to say they’r enot needed, then we’re well provided for in case of a real emergency.
Sunday opening a reality, twenty-four hour Library access one step closer CONOR SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER The library’s opening hours will be extended to open on Sunday, it has been announced. The Berkeley-Lecky-Ussher (BLU) Library complex will open from 11am to 5pm on Sunday for the whole of Hilary Term, the Library has confirmed. There will be no counter service or lending service during this period. Part of the delay in introducing the extended hours was finding suitable shutters to secure the counters in the BLU Complex, as there will be no library staff present. The new hours will not be extended to the Hamilton Library; the new opening hours in the BLU complex
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are only a pilot project and the funding will not cover opening hours in the Hamilton Library, Deputy Librarian Jessie Kurtz confirmed. Speaking to Trinity News, Students’ Union Education Officer Bartley Rock said that since the BLU is the larger of the two libraries and serves more students, it made sense to try and campaign for extended hours there, rather than start with the smaller of the two libraries. He said “Getting the BLU open was never the ‘end-goal’, it was simply the beginning. The BLU serves 51% of the undergraduate population and is responsible for over half the Library’s collection. With such a large proportion of the Library now accessible, there are very few arguments against doing this for all the other units in the Library.
Students’ Union President Andrew Byrne said that the new opening hours were “terrific news” and that he was delighted to see the Union campaign had paid off after extended negotiations with college. He continued to say that he wanted to see continued results such as extended hours in the Hamilton library and, ultimately, 24 hour access. He said that campaigns like this are exactly the thing the Students’ Union should do. He said that “we are being constantly told that Trinity is a world class university, but despite this our facilities are second class, so we will always be pushing for more”. Students’ Union Education Officer Bartley Rock continued on this theme, saying that despite being one of Ireland’s top universities Trinity is virtually the
only one without Sunday opening. He said “It’s taken a long time to get here so I’m glad that we finally have. I’d especially like to special mention the work of last year’s Education Officer, Rob Kearns, who did a huge amount of work to get this through so it’s a credit to him that it has finally happened.” Wayne Tobin, who started a new campaign to extend library opening hours late last November, claimed some credit for the move, saying that he believed his campaign put some pressure on the Union. He continued to say that his campaign is going to continue to put pressure on College authorities and that he will be requesting a meeting with the Senior Lecturer to discuss the issue. Responding to rumors that he is only starting a campaign now with an
eye to the Students’ Union sabbatical officer elections at the end of February, Tobin said that he “never ever thought of running in any elections because I don’t think you need to be in a position to bring about positive changes”. He continued to say “but I have to admit I love campaigning and I think the current Union structure needs to challenged by a wide field of candidates to make student politics more democratic and smash the cliques that student unions can become.” The BLU Library will open on Sunday until 16 March (week ten of Hilary term). The Library will be closed for the Easter weekend, and then both the Hamilton and BLU libraries will open on Sundays from Sunday March 30 until Sunday June 8 with full counter
services, as they usually do during Exam periods. Despite these changes, library hours in Trinity still lag behind those of other universities. Libraries in University College of Dublin open until midnight during exams and 9pm at weekends and in Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the library opens until 11pm on weekdays and 10pm at weekends and bank holidays. Speaking to Trinity News, Paul Dillon, RCSI Students’ Union President, said that “there would be an uproar if the hours were cut down during the week and if the library were shut down on weekends. It would be horrific for the students.” He continued to say that the resources are well used by students, with many staying in until closing.
TRINITY NEWS
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CollegeNews
News Trinity says farewell to Matt Briefing ADAM LARRAGY NEWS REPORTER
O’Riordan bids on Trinity Ball 2008 acts Students’ Union Entertainments Officer, Ed O’Riordan has bid on the headline acts for this year’s Trinity Ball according to sources close to the process. Following a sell-out event last year, headlined by the well received Ash and CSS, O’Riordan will have a tough act to beat. He says he is “very confident that this Ball will be the best that Trinity has seen. The acts I have bid on will appeal to a massive range of people”. According to O’Riordan this year will see a good balance “between guitars and decks” and will feature acts that have been in the headlines this year. “I have been in talks with MCD since my election and they are ready to put in the money needed to make the Ball great” says O’Riordan. He also adds that he has been listening to what students want from the Ball. Rumours always abound regarding the headliners for Trinity Ball and this year will be no different. The one persistent rumour of recent years is that the Killers have expressed an interest in playing the event. O’Riordan says he cannot rule any acts out at this point and suggest “students should keep an eye on Trinity News and the Record over the next few weeks for details of the acts to play”. (Gearoid O’Rourke)
Trinity News photographer wins prize Trinity News staff photographer Madeleine Carrouee has won a nomination to represent Trinity in an inter-university photography competition. The competition is for the European Year of Equality 2007 and the winning photographs will be published in a calendar that will be distributed to 25,000 staff and students in the seven participating universities. (Conor Sullivan)
Eternal student Matteo (Masahiso) Matubara, known popularly as “Matt the Jap” to students, died of natural causes in his home off Mount Street, aged 73. He was found by Gardaí on 20 November, shortly after 9 am., after food outside his door was left untouched for a number of days. A sum of money thought to be around €40000 was found in a plastic bag in his room. The Gardai contacted Matt’s niece Akiko through the Japanese embassy and she flew to Ireland to identify the body. There was some delay due to Matt’s surname being more correctly rendered as Matsubara. Matt was cremated on 18 December at Glasnevin Cemetary and his ashes will
Triennial election to powerful CSC position approaches: Incumbent confident of victory DEIRDRE ROBERTSON STAFF WRITER The College body that controls the funding of all student societies is holding elections for its influential Honarary Treasurer position in Trinity term this year. The Dublin University Central Societies Committee, one of the five capitated bodies that represent students within the College, is responsible for all student societies. It also organises the administration and ticket sales of the Trinity Ball. This year’s annual elections will include nominations for the three-year position of Honorary Treasurer. Joseph O’Gorman, an Assistant Junior Dean, currently holds the position of and is responsible for overseeing the bank accounts of the larger societies including the University Philosophical Society and the College Historical Society. Mr O’Gorman has held the position for two sessions and faces little competition for the role due to his
“extensive experience”. His is the only position on the Committee which has a term of three years, a condition that slightly disadvantages students wishing to apply, as they would have to resign on graduating. In 2004, Patrick Cosgrove, then President of the Phil, was the only possible contender for the position. However, the CSC strongly advised him not to run, saying he was on a year off books and could not prove that he would return to Trinity the following year. He commented, “I knew I wasn’t going to beat Joe…but I didn’t see any harm in running.” CSC elections affect most Trinity students as the Committee controls the funds of all 99 societies in college. Mr Cosgrove suggests that the current situation “does nobody any favours” and that Mr O’Gorman should be officially hired on a permanent basis. The current Chair of the Student Services Committee, Dr Amanda Piesse, could not comment on this, as the suggestion has never been put to her before. There is currently no
remuneration for holding a position on the CSC, but there are numerous receptions and dinners, often at high quality restaurants. Responsibilities of the Honorary Treasurer include overseeing the funds to larger societies and working with the Treasurer on the Committee’s overall finances. In Hilary term, the Honorary Treasurer must also prepare a report including the audited finances of the previous year. Any student or member of staff is eligible to run, but according to the Constitution, “the Honorary Treasurer shall normally be a member of the College academic or administration staff” and is the only position that does not hold a vote. Elections take place at the AGM in mid-April this year and anyone wishing to stand must apply one week in advance. The position of Honorary Treasurer requires somebody who will be available long-term and has to be nominated by two Treasurers of recognised societies. Mr O’Gorman has “no intention of not standing” this year and as of yet, there are no known contenders.
be interred in the Matsubara family plot in Japan. Matt was born in Tokyo and came to Trinity following time spent studying in Paris and Norway in the 1980’s. He studied in Trinity with the support of the Saudi Arabian government and was conferred with a Master of Letters in 1987. Titled “Rihala Al-Islam Islamic journeys”, Matt’s thesis is listed as open access in the College library catalogue; however, it may not be consulted by order of the Graduate Studies Department. The Dublin University Central Societies Committee paid tribute to Matt: “Known to generations of Trinity College graduates and students as a ‘college character’, Matteo was a seemingly constant and eternal fixture at student events and meetings, and his passing conjures up a
sentiment of not-quite-thesameness.” Joe O’Gorman, CSC Honorary Treasurer and Assistant Junior Dean said, “Matteo was the last of a number of eccentrics who pottered about college over the years and whose only real link to the place is the most important: they were known by generations of students for whom, in many ways, they formed a nostalgic link with their time in college. People who can’t remember what they read for the whole of second year have a clear memory of Matteo.” A memorial to mark his passing was held in the Edmund Burke Theatre on Thursday 6 December. In a letter President Mary MacAleese paid tribute to Matt as “intriguing, enigmatic personality” and “a striking figure in the college landscape.”
College to produce book on a year in the life of Trinity NIAMH NÍ MHAOILEOIN STAFF WRITER A book is being produced entitled The Trinity Year which will record a modern view of Trinity College and college life. It will be a heavily illustrated publication giving a broad insight into the life of the College in the course of a year. The book is due to be published in 2009 by Gill and Macmillan. According to Caoimhe Ní Lochlainn of College Communications, “The book will include as many aspects as possible of the contemporary College experience. It will not be inclusive of all aspects of College activity, but will concentrate on the unexpected”. An Editorial Committee chaired by the Chief Librarian and including representatives from across the College has been formed to oversee the production of the book. When it has been completed, the book will sell primarily through the Library Shop, although it may
also be used by the College as a suitable gift or memento. Author Fergus Mulligan and photographer John Jordan have been commissioned to work on the project. Fergus Mulligan is an historian and alumnus of the College,who specialises in Irish interest publications. His other work includes The Founders of the Royal Dublin Society, Travel Ireland by Train and One Hundred and Fifty Years of Irish Railways. John Jordan is a well-known Irish photographer who specialises in still life and on-location photography. He has been previously commissioned by such clients as Castle Leslie, Clearys and Bord Bia. There already exists a wide range of publications about Trinity, dating back many years and reflecting the enduring fascination with the goings-on of the College since its foundation. These include academic histories, accounts of certain students, professors and Provosts, histories of clubs and societies and of buildings, such as the library or chapel.
Your View Would you use 24hr Library opening hours if they are introduced? Compiled by Martin McKenna and Gearoid O’Rourke (BLU, Sunday 13th Jan, 15:00)
Jessica
Packenham-Money JS Mental and Moral Sciences Definitely! I tend to work late in the evening so more flexible opening hours would suit me. Look at what most major universities have — Libraries that stay open late into the night.
Matthew Byrne
Maxime Poupin
Anna D’Arcy
Sinead Fortune
JS English & Philosophy
JS Sociology
M.Phil History
SS English Studies
I would most definitely use it. A lot of my lectures are in the late afternoon and evening so it would be great if I could go to the library and work late after them. It would make things so much more convenient for me.
I would like the Library to be open for more hours. Now I only use it in the afternoons but if it was open 24hours I would definitely use it. I think it is a really good idea.
I think it is a great idea even if only around exam times. I am lucky because I can use the 1937 Reading Room but most students don’t have that luxury. I also think that the Library needs to have lending facilities all the time
Students need a place to study and that is not always available at home or in lodgings. Also it is bad form that the Book of Kells has better weekend opening hours than the actual Library.
collegenews@trinitynews.ie
Hilary term, Week 2
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The SU officers, six months later: What have they done? President • I’ve been in talks with the Department of Accommodation and Catering and I’m hopeful that the Buttery will be reopened for evening events (pub quizzes, poker nights, etc) with a beer license this term. From my experience these kind of events were what people really missed in the Buttery. As part of the plans for the new Student Centre, there will be a student-run and operated bar. There is no reason why College can’t start building works on the centre by late Summer, so I’m looking forward to having a pint there sooner rather than later!
Halfway through their term of office, David Molloy looks over what the sabbatical officers have been up to, and whether they’ve acheived what they said they would.
T
his is the midpoint of the year for the Students’ Union: six months since the sabbatical officers were elected and six months left in office. Some hopefuls for the sabbatical positions have already begun preparations for the elections later in the year, considering their viewpoints and what their manifestos will contain. Last year, Trinity News followed the election campaign closely, as it does every year. But what precisely happened to all those printed manifestos, all those promises, all the commitments? Far too often, ridiculous claims are made at election time to gather votes and promises remain unfulfilled. It is at this point in the year, where there has been more than enough time to achieve some measurable success, yet time enough remains to improve things, that we should take a look at our representatives and ask whether they are, quite simply, doing those things they said they would do and if not, why not. Trinity News contacted each of the sabbatical officers and asked them a number of questions on their election promises. Certain officers were frank about their failures and their inability to fulfill impossible promises. Highlights of the officer’s reponses are included. Unfortunately, we have had to reduce pages of information to mere hundreds of words. President Andrew Byrne fought his campaign on a large number of fronts and has had mixed success in fulfilling his election promises. His promise to abolish the Student Travelcard (and have a simple Trinity ID accepted instead), would have required forcing the hand of state companies, and was a quick failure, despite his meeting directly with the director of CIE. On the other hand, he currently has one of his election promises in the pipeline, having secured funding for proper couches in student areas of college. He has also commited to fulfilling several more of his promises by the end of his term in office, including better communication with the students of St. James’s, and most interestingly, partial re-opening of the Buttery for events. Deputy President Claire Tighe has not completely fulfilled some of her election promises. However, there is a general concensus that the Record has improved this year, and
several publicity projects have been major successes. She has, however, failed one promise in relation to the Record, which was to reprint the work of contributors “such as Burke, Tone, Swift and Wilde, who all wrote for the newspaper during their time at Trinity.” Every one of these men were dead before the Record was founded. Bartley Rock, as Education Officer, was frank about his failures, stating that there were far bigger problems for him to tackle than he first realised, and that he has changed his priorities. He pointed to what he feels is a crisis in College, where things have simply “stopped working.” He also admits that certain promises, such as making stacks books LEN, can never be fully achieved (in this case due to legal requirements). What makes his stance interesting is that he makes no apologies for altering his priorities and putting election promises “on the back burner” to pursue what he sees as more important work. In running for Welfare Officer, Úna Faulkner was alone among the elected in the sense that she made no particularly sensationalist or impossible claims. Her priorities were simple and acheivable: to improve the grants system, to raise the profile of Mental Health Week, and to raise awareness of welfare services in general. She has still had to personally represent students who have received grants late, as the problem remains unsolved. However, she points to huge volumes of casework which make up the core of her workload. She also claims to have continuously circulated literature and publicity material related to welfare, particulalry about mental health. Ed O’Riordan ran a campaign based off two things: his plans for entertainment, and the fact that he set up Twisted Tuesdays at Citi Bar. Since his election, he has fulfilled a number of his election promises: an Ents discount card, comedy-related nights and an Ents magazine among them. O’Riordan told Trinity News that he hopes to uphold all his promises, though he admits that he did not quite realise how long it takes to make progress on projects within College. That said, he also managed to secure €30000 in sponsorship for Ents events- ten times more than the previous year. By and large, the promises whihc have been broken are the ones which were always unlikely. Making stacks books LEN and persuading CIE to accept Trintiy ID cards were
Welfare Officer • The biggest issue that I wanted to see addressed this year was the fact that so many of the student grants arrive weeks late, for some students they just can wait up to five weeks for their cheque to arrive. For some students this is too long to wait which results, unfortunately, with a handful of students dropping out of college due to financial reasons. … This issue will continue to be huge for the following years until the government seriously look at the system that is in place… • Casework is the most important part of being Welfare Officer, with students coming to you with a plethora of non-academic issues that they need assistance with and advice on. This work has to be done in an efficient and confidential manner, which can mean that I am in my office for up to twelve hours a day to sort something out for a particular student.
collegenews@trinitynews.ie
both attention-grabbing but unlikely claims made by Rock and Byrne respectively. On the other hand, Faulkner and Tighe have won quiet victories by having made acheivable elction promises, which nonetheless make some noticeable differnce. One must, however, be impressed by O’Riordan. His campaign was ambitious, yet so far has been largely adhered to. If RAG week and the Trinity Ball are both of a high standard, O’Riordan will have acheived acoss the board. It is likely that as manifestos are compiled in the coming months, more unacheivable claims will be made by potential sabbatical officers. While the ambition of candidates might well be repsected, common sense and a proper idea of what is involved should be highly valued. A backwards glance on their campaigns would suggest that neither Byrne nor Rock were completely aware of how difficult some things might be. Nonetheless, the two have had their successes, including, notably, the introduction of Sunday opening hours for the library. Students should consider whether or not the fulfillment of vote-grabbing election promises should be of prime importance to the work of the sabbatical officers, or if a consistent amount of work on larger issues is most important. By applying the simple criteria of whether or not the promises made in manifestos have been fulflled, we could say that none of the sabbatical officers have lived up to their word entirely (to date). In a nutshell, Faulkner and Tighe have acheived plenty of what they set out in their elction campaigns, but have not been truly ambtious in their reach. Rock and Byrne have acheived some of their goals, but have equally had to abandon some of them as unattainable or unimportant. O’Riordan still has his two largest challenges- RAG week and the ballahead of him, but to date has performed well. Voting in the Students’ Union elections should be a carefully considered matter, because these five individuals are full-time paid officers who represent students at every level. Perhaps in the next few months, we’ll see carefully thought out manifestos with achievable goals and even more importantly, perhaps students will vote for those candidates.
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• We’ve talked mostly about tangible, obvious improvements, but there are some things that are less obvious, but just as important – if not more so. The standard and quality of undergraduate degree are seriously under threat due to cutbacks in government funding. I’m hearing more and more about universities abroad which are now exclusively research centres – because that’s where the money is. As students, we have to fight to protect undergraduate education, I have been vocal on College Board that we need to keep small class sizes and a low student to staff ratio. But this is just one measure.
Deputy President • The Record and The eRecord have been the greatest successes so far. We have a very committed team this year and everyone involved is working extremely hard to make the paper the very best it can be. Luckily the Union was in good stead when we started our term and so it has enabled us to invest in a couple of new computers and to increase the circulation of The Record by 50%. • I think it’s important that the officer reports are back in The Record so that people can follow the work of the sabbatical officers, which was a disadvantage last year’s sabbats might have had. Also, The Record deals more closely with Union news this year so that students can monitor what’s going on in the Union, which renders it more transparent.
” ”
• I informed all language societies that we’d be welcoming all languages this year as well as maintaining Irish. So far we have only received French articles, but the invitation to write in Russian, Japanese or any other language still remains. • As for external training, a Dublin City University journalism graduate gave a comprehensive seminar on student media at the start of last term, which was very influential. We are still waiting for responses from those we contacted in the media about giving talks, but hopefully these are in the pipeline and will go ahead sometime over the next few months.
Education Officer • Things have stopped working in College and we need to roll up our sleeves and dive in to help fix them. If, by the end of my year in office, people realise that a pragmatic cooperative approach is needed, that College authorities aren’t our enemies and that you can’t get everything you want at the start, then I’ll consider my term to have been a success. • So, doing my best to ensure the whole academic system doesn’t crumble has become my absolute priority… I know it sounds like a “broken promise”, but I make no bones about my decision to prioritise the structural and basic academic problems in College and I’d make the same decision again.
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• One thing I’m fairly certain I can guarantee is a new and enforceable Board policy on Quality Assurance. You know those surveys you get in class at the end of the year about how good it was? That’s all that we do… I’m fairly confident we can make major strides here. • I’m also determined to ensure that we’ve sorted out, once and for all, the mess that is College’s administrative structures. This has been a really big thing for me this year. Enough is enough. College authorities have had enough, the staff have had enough, academics have had enough and students have had enough. Things have to change.
Entertainments Officer • I was left out on a limb with the loss of the Buttery and College wasn’t exactly bending over backwards to help me find an alternative venue! I spent considerable time searching for a solution and planned for a marquee, but alas, it wasn’t to be and that is, perhaps, something I would like my successor to do for Freshers’ Week. • I think the biggest improvement within the Ents programme this year came from sponsorship which increased tenfold and Ents received over €30000. This has helped us run a better schedule of events and improve the student experience all round… I sold the title sponsorship to Vodafone with other sponsors including: Price Waterhouse Coopers, HMV and Cassidy’s Bar. Certainly the year would not have been as successful without this added effort. • We also have the next edition of the Ents magazine with loads about RAG week, in addition to drunken photos. We will be having a lock and key party, white party and toga party! I am also still working on persuading the Pavilion Bar to install outdoor heaters, which isn’t easy, due to their fear that they will become vandalised. • The new student centre is going through the college process and, when eventually completed, should be fantastic. I didn’t realise how long things take in College, I was used to dealing with businesses rather than academics, but in fairness to College, the planning process for the Buttery took a long time but is a credit to them.
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NationalNews
More resignations rock USI: Cross Campus QUEENS
Student’s Norwegian saga wins national award A Co. Down medical student’s account of a placement in a Norwegian hospital, where she found the standards of hygiene to out-perform those at home, has resulted in her winning a top national award. 20 year old The Queen’s University of Belfast student Janet McIlfatrick from Conlig took second place and a £500 prize in the British Council’s Erasmus competition for UK students who had taken part in international placements last year. The Erasmus scheme is the European Commission’s program for higher education students, teachers and institutions. Janet, who will graduate from Queen’s this summer, spent from August to December 2006 studying pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology at Rikshospitalet University Hospital in Oslo. She said: “I found it interesting to compare the healthcare system in place in Oslo with the NHS. In Norway every employee in the hospital has to change into freshly laundered hospital scrubs every day and wear a pair of shoes that are just kept for use in the hospital. As a result, Norwegian hospitals have one of the lowest rates of hospitalspread infections. There have been no outbreaks of MRSA in Norway. It would be great if this hygiene policy could be adopted in all hospitals in the UK.” Janet added that her Erasmus experience boosted her confidence and sense of independence. She said: “Deciding to apply for the Erasmus program was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It gave me the chance to learn not only about medicine and the culture in Norway, but also about myself and my ability to cope in a new environment on my own. It was an amazing learning experience and I got more out of it than I ever thought I would.” (Lauren Norton)
Welfare and Southern Area Officers walk out AOIFE GRIFFIN STAFF WRITER The Union of Students in Ireland has suffered further disruption to its ranks by the resignation of its Welfare Officer Peader Hayes and its Southern Area Officer Katie Morrisroe on Monday 7 January. Both stated “personal circumstances’’ as reason for the unrelated resignations. This upheaval comes at a particularly busy time for the USI, with plans underway for the upcoming SHAG week, which is the responsibility of the Welfare Officer, in addition to the annual congress and the Union’s annual lobby to the Oireachtas.
While Hamid Khodabakhshi, USI President, admits that they’re in a “bit of difficulty” with regards to filling the vacant positions he affirms that the union will continue to operate as normal. “We’re not dropping SHAG week just because the Welfare Officer is gone”, he said. He has also lashed out a prominent Politics.ie forum member known as David Cochrane, as a person who writes the story before he knows the facts. In his reaction to news of the resignations, Cochrane posted the following sentiments online; “Should students not now be enquiring as to what is driving its officers, and especially its experienced officers to resign?” Cochrane also insinuates further internal conflict with his closing
statement. “Is there something rotten in the state of USI?” The USI has seen four resignations out of its twelve leading positions since the beginning of last October. Earlier in the year thenpresident Richard Morrissroe resigned after a vote of no confidence while Stephen Conlon, the USI’s thenEquality Officer also resigned at this time, in conjunction with an internet scandal that attacked Morrissroe’s leadership. Khodabakhshi is quick to establish that, in this case, “The resignations were purely from personal matters and were in no way affiliated with the internal politics of the USI.” When asked how this incident was affecting students Dan Wood, Press
Officer of the USI, replied that “The support of Irish students during the acquisition of new USI offices, an achievement not without challenges, has been truly fantastic. The student movement has this year expanded its influence within the non-profit sector and the political arena, thanks again to the trust, support and dedicated hard work of Irish students and student officers. This work continues.’ Despite assurances that everything will continue operating as normal, the everyday student is more wary of the future effect of these resignations. A source close tot he scandal said: “Given that they voted no confidence in their president earlier this year, which also resulted in the resignation of the Equality Officer, this
is possibly a blow USI can’t take. Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union Council already had a motion calling for a referendum to disaffiliate which failed, but should this come up again, it would seem almost impossible to defeat. Moreover, several other colleges in the country have the same rumblings.” When asked what he thought of the latest hitch in the system, one concerned student replied. “As far as the running of USI goes, it has already been in jeopardy this year... At this point in the year, this could be fatal. They may even have trouble filling the positions at this stage’. Hamid himself admits that this will be “tricky” as many of those qualified already have established positions within the Union.
UCC to host the World Universities Debating Championships in 2009 KEVIN LYNCH OPINION&ANALYSIS EDITOR University College Cork’s bid to host the World Universities Debating Championships in 2009 was unanimously ratified by the World Debating Council at the current championships in Thailand on New Year’s Day. This will be the fourth time that WUDC has been held in Ireland in its 27 year history. UCC have set a cap of 300 two man teams to compete and the registration fee at 400 dollars per participant. This covers accommodation, some meals, social events, administration costs and in-country transport. When adjudicators and organising staff are included, over 1000 people will be involved. 350 teams competed in this year’s competition, but there was a shortfall of competent judges, space constraints at some of the venues and delays tabulating the results. Their website, www.corkworlds2009.com, has also
been launched. The Chief Adjudicator will be Derek Lande, a 2007 UCC graduate and highly experienced debater and adjudicator. He also convened the 2005 European Universities Debating Championships in Cork to much success. He was a Deputy Chief Adjudicator for WUDC 2007 and EUDC 2006. Art Ward, a former editor of the Cork Online Law Review, is the Chairman of the the Organising Committee and bears primary responsibility for the running of WUDC, one of the largest annual student events in the world. UCC will be hoping to erase the memories of the championships they hosted in 1996, which suffered a number of organisational and technical problems. The last WUDC in Ireland was in University College Dublin in 2006. The competition was the largest one on record, with 323 teams recorded on the final results sheet. WUDC uses a variant of the British Parliamentary style of debating. Teams compete over nine prelimi-
nary rounds (with four teams in each of these debates), spread over three days. The first of these is randomly drawn but subsequent debates are internally seeded, with the top four ranked teams, the second four, squaring off against each other. After nine rounds the top 32 teams proceed to octo-finals. From these knockout rounds, two teams progress through quarterfinals and semifinals to the grand final. Alongside the main tournament there is an English as a Second Language knock-outs, a Masters competition, a comedy night, and a public speaking competition. Trinity hosted the tournament in 1992. The competition was much smaller then, since air travel was more expensive and global debating was less integrated. Due to the low cost of travel, Trinity is expected to send six teams to compete in Cork, up from four at the last two Championships. The World Debate Website ranks Trinity College ninth overall for cumulative historical performance in WUDC.
Assumption University of Bangkok, Thailand, host of this year’s World Universities Debating championships. Photo courtesy of assumptionworlds.com
Two students lost to illness and accident over Christmas LAUREN NORTON NATIONAL NEWS EDITOR Students at University College Dublin and University of Limerick returned to classes this week still grieving the sudden deaths of two undergraduates over the Christmas break. 21-year old UCD student Deirdre Conroy died following a tragic canoeing accident in Kerry, while the community at Limerick was placed under high alert following Stephen McGuire’s death due to a possible case of bacterial meningitis.
Deirdre, from Lea Road, Portarlington, had celebrated her 21st birthday just three months ago before her passing. The tragic accident occurred when she was out canoeing with friends from the UCD Sports Club. The kayak she was handling capsized on the River Gaddagh in the Carrauntuohill Mountains and became trapped under a low-lying branch of a fallen tree. CPR was administered at the scene before an ambulance took Deirdre to Killarney Hospital and later transferred her to Tralee General Hospital, where she lost her battle for life.
Described as an outgoing and bubbly person, Deirdre was very popular with her school pals, neighbours and with her fellow students in UCD, where she studied radiography. UCD Students’ Union President Barry Colfer said the College was shocked by the accident, and that support services are being provided for those affected by the loss. 18-year old Stephen McGuire’s sudden passing was cause not only for deep sadness in the Tuamgraney community in Co. Clare, but also for mobilisation at the University of
Limerick. Students were alerted to a possible case of bacterial meningitis at the campus a week after the death of the Senior Freshman student of Business Studies & French. All close contacts of the late student have been given antibiotic treatment, as the condition has a high mortality rate if left untreated. A University spokesperson told the Limerick Leader that the pathologist contacted them when it was suspected that meningitis could have been the cause of death.
It was earlier believed that the student died from an asthma attack, however, the results of the post-mortem examination have not been disclosed. The Department of Public Health in the Health Service Executive have advised that no further preventive measures are indicated for any other students or staff. The University has extended its condolences to the family and fellow students of the deceased student and the appropriate medical, chaplaincy and counseling support services have been made available.
DUBLIN UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
Position Vacant Dublin University Publications Committee would like to announce that an EGM (date tbc) is to be held to fill the vacant position of
Alumni Officer
Those wishing to receive further information on the role or on the election process should contact the Secretary in writing at mollyd1@tcd.ie
nationalnews@trinitynews.ie
TRINITY NEWS
Hilary Term, Week 2
InternationalNews European Uni’s falling behind US MONIKA URBANSKI STAFF WRITER In the latest Times Higher Education Supplement World Universities Ranking, Trinity College Dublin was ranked 53rd in the world and thirteenth in Europe, which is a great success for the university, but apart from that, the newest results of the ranking showed an overall picture of a huge education gap in Europe. According to Lykke Friis, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Copenhagen, universities in the United States easily outperform their European counterparts. Although many venerable old universities are scattered around Europe, like the world’s first university, Plato’s Academy in Athens, only three European universities - Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College in London made the top ten in the recent list: the rest were American. Only ten universities from the EU have ever been in the top 50. Even Germany’s top university, Heidelberg, ranks 58th. In The Scotsman Lykke Friis points out some reasons for that shocking result: “Less than two percent of the European Union’s GPD is devoted to research, compared with 2.5% in the United States and three percent in Japan”. Additionally 400000 European scholars live in the United States and almost 60 percent of the European citizens who received doctorates in the United States recently chose to remain there. Lykke Friis acknowledges that, “Europe has made some modest efforts to regain university competitiveness. But the EU and European governments must do more”. He suggested that European leaders have to raise research funding when the EU budget is next due for revision in 2008 and
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The Global Campus SCAM: IRISH INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
2009. By giving the example of Denmark, where universities were turned into selfgoverning institutions in 2003 and the government merged twelve universities into eight in order approve a nearly 50 percent increase in government spending on research by 2010, Friis highlights “the pivotal role of governance reform if Europe is ever to be the world’s most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy, as its leaders want.”
The BBC have uncovered a university scandal of epic proportions, and in doing so pointed to a wider problem in the accreditation of schools of higher education. The Irish International University had been operating for seven years in the UK before the BBC uncovered the scam. Hundred of students gained educational visas to enter Britain and gain a qualification from this university. Holding its exams in London, the university’s chief pull appears to have been use of the Oxford and Cambridge rooms to hold awards ceremonies for faux-degree holders. The IIU boasted over 5000 students worldwide and the Oxbridge illusion was promoted by its website, which now appears to be out of service. The scandal was uncovered by a BBC journalist posing as a fake academic. He was invited to attend an awards ceremony held in the Divinity School, which is next to the Bodleian library in Oxford. A faculty member of the IIU, Dr Edwin Varo, told the journalist the university was registered in Ireland and had been allowed to call itself a university, an allegation denied by Sean O’Foghlu, Chief Executive of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland. On visiting the address publicised on the website, the BBC reporters found only a mailbox. The university also claimed to be accredited by the Quality Assurance Commission, but on visiting the QAC, the reporters found an office manned by four telephone operators. The reporters also discovered the organisation was, in fact, owned by one Professor Hardeep Singh Sandhu, who is also the Executive President of the Irish International University. The IIU is therefore accredited by a body that it owns. Professor Sandhu obtained his own doctorate from an unaccredited university in the Caribbean. The IUC’s Honorary Chancellor is Professor Jeffrey Wooller, a chartered accountant living as a tax exile in Monte Carlo. He did not shy away from admitting that the web page is a façade, telling the BBC that students paid a lot of money to attend the awards ceremonies and also commenting that “if you can mention Oxford, Cambridge, then the whole world thinks that it must be a good university”. He also enlightened the reporters by remarking “the whole thing is dodgy”. Meanwhile, he refused to quit his position, maintaining that most of the students are happy and that the university is good value for money. The IIU has since been disallowed to rent grounds with Oxford or Cambridge in the future and the English government, for its part, has promised that by 2009, all colleges who wish to bring overseas students into the country must be accredited by an independent organisation. The Minister of Higher Education Bill Rammell warns prospective students to always check the credentials of the college they are applying. A comprehensive report was aired on BBC London on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 of January. A recent assessment prompted by the report has shown that 124 of the universities listed in the UK are bogus and merely act as a way to provide student visas for immigrants. Joey Facer
Although American universities have been ranked best in the Times Higher Education Supplement World University Ranking, Reuters experts still insist that Americans need more education to compete internationally. A lot of criticism has been raised that elite universities are outside the reach of most of the American middle class, which made Harvard University announce a dramatic financial aid overhaul last week. Harvard President Drew Faust told reporters: “We want all students who might dream of Harvard education to know that it is a realistic and affordable option.” Harvard’s tuition is US$31456 at the moment and with room, board and service fees, attending Harvard University costs US$45456 per year. According to Reuters, “the new policy is intended to help students choose careers they want instead of ones that promise heavy paychecks to pay off thousand dollars in loans amassed to pay for their education.” But even if this new policy will help students that would like to attend Harvard University financially, it is still getting tougher to get into one of the world’s most prestigious universities. For a spot in the Class of 2011, only 2058 applications out of 22955 have been accepted, the lowest acceptance rate in the school’s history.
Photo courtesy of Kâté Leblanc, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal
WHO WILL YOU BE THIS SUMMER?
Faculty lock-out delays classes, students rebel JOHN POLLACK REPORTER, THE AQUINIAN, ST. THOMAS’ UNIVERSITY, CANADA Students typically ask professors questions, but when a student stood up at the St. Thomas University Faculty Union’s news conference on 4 January, heads turned, some bringing video cameras with them. Mark Henick stole the spotlight Friday afternoon when he brought up questions of how the University could gather enough money to meet FAUST’s demands. His concern is that it could result in higher tuition. “I’d like to know where the money’s going to come from, the money has to come from somewhere”, Henick told reporters after the news conference. FAUST President Suzanne Dudziak said that numbers released by
the university are skewed. The administration argues that FAUST’s demands could increase tuition by as much as C$1500 immediately and C$2000 down the road. “I think you need to look at President Higgins’ words carefully”, Dudziak said. “He didn’t say that there would be a definite increase in tuition.” “What he did was take the employer’s projections of what they consider to be the costs of our proposals and simply divided by the number of students. That’s all he’s done.” She said there are multiple administrative costs that St. Thomas University could cut back on to free up more funds, which she said are outlined on the FAUST website. Henick is the creator of a Facebook group called “St. Thomas University Students AGAINST a Faculty Strike” which has 578 members as of 10
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January. He said he showed up at the conference on behalf of those students “because the important questions aren’t being asked.” “The questions that students want answers to aren’t being asked. We’re getting lots of the administration side and lots of the faculty side, but we’re not really hearing what the students want to know”, he said. “When we’re going to get back to class?” He said that if classes don’t resume on 10 January, he and members of the group will demonstrate on campus the following day. Dudziak said she doesn’t know when negotiations will be settled. “We’re just testing the waters at this point.” She said that the university isn’t taking FAUST seriously. Dudziak said the faculty demands are about Saint Thomas’ future “If we are to remain competitive, if we are to attract faculty, retain faculty,
we deserve to have proper benefits and working conditions. That’s why this is about the future of the university”, she said. “All we’re fighting for is a fair deal and a reasonable settlement. Right now, we’re near the bottom in terms of salaries and certainly in terms of our workload issues. We need improvements to sustain quality education.” The message from FAUST is that students will benefit, even if it doesn’t seem like it right now. “It’s definitely an inconvenience for students, it always is, but it is for the long-term good of the university. And that’s also what students need to keep in mind,” Dudziak said. “We’re the faculty; we’re the ones who provide the quality education that they come to STU for. So we’re sorry for that inconvenience, but it’s necessary.”
If you haven’t starting applying for summer internships yet, you are late, according to a New York Times report by Lisa Belkin, entitled “Who Will You Be This Summer?”. In the United States, the most competitive work experience opportunites, “like Microsoft, Google, Disney and XM Radio have filled their summer slots by New Year’s Day.” For most other internships, the deadline for submissions looms near. “Internships are no longer optional, they’re required”, says Peter Vogt, author of Career Wisdom for College Students and an adviser to MonsterTrak.com, the student arm of the job-search website, which reports that 78 percent of students in college [in the United States] this year plan to complete one or more internships before entering the post-collegiate world.” The upside is that internships aren’t all about pushing papers or fetching coffee anymore. Because employers acknowledge that work experience applicants are increasingly educated, experienced and motivated, many internships offer creative and challenging work with high-up company officials. Belkin writes: “At General Motors, for instance, eighteen would-be designers spent last summer designing a car. They were divided into teams for the GM Design Annual Summer Internship Program and sent off to build a three-dimensional model for the vehicle’s exterior and create sketches for the interior. They also developed press kits, videos and a website for their proposed brand.” If you are in the process of applying for internships, here are a few things you may not have thought of from university students who have successfully applied for their dream summer job: “I wouldn’t bother including a cover letter that wasn’t specifically tailored to the post. Nobody cares if you are hardworking and personable, because that’s what everyone says. Instead, you’ve got to put yourself into the manager’s shoes, think “why do they do what they do?” and speak to that. I’ve told a pastry chef that I believe “gourmet” is a way of life and a lingerie store-owner that the right undergarment can liberate a woman in ways not thought possible. If it sounds lame and even sycophantic, it’s good - I have never submitted an application without getting an interview and they always, always say “we loved your cover letter.” - Baillie Card, Junior Freshman, University of Edinburgh “I found out about [fashion house] Beckerman through a friend from high school. After visiting their website several times, I found a contact number and email that they could be reached at. After trying to email and call for about a week with no response, I actually ended up getting in touch with them through… Facebook!! That is how I got the quickest response from Sam Beckerman. She gave me her personal email address to send my resume/cover letter, so I sent that to her right away. After shooting messages back and forth on Facebook, I guess she decided that I was right for the internship, so here I am… thanks to facebook. Moral of the story: don’t give up, there’s always a way to contact people if you just keep at it. I was ready to give up after all of the unreturned phone calls and emails, but quickly realized the best way to reach the Beckermans personally.” - Lindsay Spindler, Junior Freshman, Ryerson University (Toronto)
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NewsFeature
Masahiso Matubara M.Litt. (1987)
1934 – 2007 KIERA HEALY STAFF WRITER When Matteo Matubara died on 18 November last year, the impact of his passing was felt across Trinity. A familiar figure on campus for more than twenty years, the man commonly known as “Matt the Jap” had a legion of admirers, more than a few enemies and was the subject of countless rumours. Separating fact from fiction when looking over Matt’s life is no easy task; he was a man who seemed to revel in his enigmatic status, giving decidedly vague answers about his early life and his time as a student whenever he spoke to a university publication. Nevertheless, it is possible to find some hard truths, and to try to construct a realistic picture of one of the college’s most enduring characters, the man that President McAleese called an “intriguing, enigmatic personality” following his death. Matt was born in Miyagi, in northeast Japan, but went to school in Tokyo. His real name was Masahiso Matsubara but, after leaving his homeland, he adopted the westernised Matteo Matubara instead. Although deaf and dumb, Matt was a keen linguist and could write fluently in at least seven languages, including Irish, Russian and Icelandic. He left Japan in the mid1950’s, and studied for his degree in Norway. Although he didn’t enroll at Trinity until 1983, photographs of a youthful-looking Matt in Dublin suggest that he’d had friends here for some time and his presence was first noted by students in the late 1970’s; one claimed that he “first appeared in the Lincoln Inn in 1979.” Matt enrolled in Trinity in 1983 and graduated in 1987 with an M.Litt, having written his thesis on Islamic trade in the Middle Ages. However, twenty years on, the document itself remains inaccessible. It seems to be the only Trinity thesis that one cannot view and the reason for this is unclear. Similarly, it is not known why Matt took four years, rather than the usual one, to complete his Masters. Having finished his course, Matt chose to remain in Dublin and for the last twenty years of his life, he spent most of his time in and around Trinity. Although many students saw him as a legendary, heroic figure, Matt caused plenty of controversy during this time. He was banned from several buildings on campus, most notably the BLU Library Complex and the Arts Building. The latter incident seems to have come about due to Matt’s behaviour in the Arts Building Café; he had adopted one particular seat and would hit people with his cane if they refused to vacate it. Although Matt always maintained that he was banned from the library following a misunderstanding in which he “was not aware that my reader’s ticket was out of date” after he’d finished his M.Litt, rumours of vandalism persisted. There were stories that Matt had been caught correcting the grammar in books or that he’d been scribbling on manuscripts in Early Printed Books. A member of library staff gives his account: “Matt was barred from the library several years ago when he was caught red-handed ripping pages out of various books. He used to regularly assault library staff when he encountered them on the street, including one incident when he knocked off a woman’s glasses.” In the last years of his life, Matt seemed to have a personal vendetta against the staff of the library and Arts
Building. Although unable to speak, he had no problem getting his point across. His frequent contributions to college publications would often involve naming the people he considered responsible for his being banned, and in one of his last interviews before his death, he complained that “the arts block is dominated by female assistants!” In one notable incident last year, issues of Trinity News featured a picture of chief security guard Maureen Cooke getting an autograph from Al Pacino on the cover. Matt systematically vandalised every copy he found, writing “bitch” across the photo. Matt was also banned from the Students’ Union shop after being accused of stealing copies of Le Monde – a charge he would later admit to. He worked briefly in the Pavilion Bar, but lost his job due to his fondness for finishing off drinks. However, perhaps the most serious incident Matt was accused of during his time in Dublin was in 1995 and led to his being banned from campus for a time. He was accused of sexual harassment by an 18-year old Business, Economics and Social Studies student; a member of library staff recalls that “She complained after he attempted to grope her, banged into her every time he saw her and basically behaved in a disgusting manner. In the piece which was entitled ‘College Personality Banned for Harassment’, Matt admitted ‘excessively joking’ about her dress sense.” Matt’s erratic behaviour had brought him several enemies around College, but up until his death, he retained a large following among students. Following his ban from the Arts Building, Matt adopted various society rooms as his own. He spent time in the Trinity Publications office and the Elizabethan Rooms and was a particularly familiar figure around the GMB. Matt enjoyed meeting the various guest speakers who came to address the University Philosophical Society and the College Historical Society and corresponded with many of them. A prolific letter-writer, Matt had
powerful friends outside of Trinity. He received responses from Prince Charles and Cardinal Ratzinger – the man who would go on to be Pope Benedict XVI – among others. He was on the Christmas card lists of Jacques Chirac, Prince Albert of Monaco and Mary McAleese. The latter made a statement following Matt’s death, recalling “a striking figure in the college landscape” whose death “engendered a sense of loss” among the generations of staff and students who knew him. As he passes into College history, Matt’s legacy is not easy to describe. He will be missed by students who recall him shuffling across Front Square in his trademark beanie hat and his annual presence at the Trinity Ball. The peculiarities of his behaviour – carefully knocking down the Buttery sign every morning for several years, waving his cane at people to get them to move out of his way, stealing newspapers from the GMB – will no doubt be remembered for years to come. But the controversy that Matt caused will not be forgotten, either; many will recall him as a troublesome man who would, on occasion, go out of his way to antagonise certain people. Most students, past and present, will remember Matt as the ultimate college character, and the stories of his exploits in and around campus will live on. Generations will recall a man who, for better or worse, was as much a part of Trinity as the cobblestones themselves.
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TRINITY NEWS
Hilary Term, Week 2
SocietyNews Society Diary
Not just for Trekkies BRENDAN CARROLL CONTIBUTING WRITER When people hear of the Dublin University Science Fiction Society for the first time, they would probably picture a group of people all dressed like characters from Star Trek, sitting around arguing about various episodes: they’d be right!...but not really. While I’m sure there are people like this somewhere in the society, they’re not all that visible. Our committee has a healthy mix of people from different courses like BESS, Computer Science, European Studies, Engineering, History and Politics, Philosophy and Drama. So far the society is having a very good year: Assassin made a triumphant return after its great success last year, only this time, it was extended to run for two weeks; the Halloween Ball was moved to Boomerang and sold out, with over 800 people turning up; the
Simpsons’ Table Quiz was packed out in Doyle’s. During Freshers’ Week we held “The Consumption” which was a hotdog eating contest that resulted in Sfsoc’s secretary throwing up into a bin in front of everyone in Front Square. We held a night out in XXI‘s called “Mayhem” with the Dublin University Radio Society, which was a success. During all these events, we managed to fit two movie showings a week, a gaming tournament and a reception every three weeks. This term is set to be no different. Aside from the Klingon language lessons we obviously take, we have managed to keep up the movie showings, gaming tournaments and add a good few new things to the mix this term. The gaming tournaments are sponsored by Gamestop, so they’ll be giving prizes to the winners. Some people might be happy to know that Assassin will be making a one-week only return during RAG Week (week
six of this term), where Sfsoc’s infamous Iron Stomach will also be making an appearance and nobody quite does the Iron Stomach like Sfsoc. With some of the most nauseating and vomit inducing (even though still edible) concoctions, this promises to be a must see event. On Wednesday 16 January, Sfsoc is hosting its first-ever “Father Ted Night”: this is a fancy dress night out, taking place in the Sugar Club, so come along dressed like anyone or anything from Father Ted! Sfsoc doesn’t take itself too seriously; our website is full of little jokes that poke fun at us. The society was founded in 1983 and has come a long way since then, with it being one of the most well-known around campus. It seems obvious from some of the events we host and from the atmosphere of the society room that we are just enjoying ourselves and why shouldn’t we? Our
room is one of the nicest on campus and a great place to relax. It’s equipped with four couches, three armchairs, over 250 DVDs and 3000 books to keep everyone entertained; all the DVDs and books are free for members to rent through our library system; the room also has three televisions, including a 32” High Definition TV and lots of games consoles including a PS2, Xbox360, Wii and older consoles like the N64 and Snes. Over the past few years, Sfsoc has had some great guests in the college like Gareth Ennis, Terry Pratchett, Tommy Tiernan and Simon Singh. With nearly 30 events under our belts this year, we’re going strong and Sfsoc will continue to do what it always does: have fun. That is, if we’re not too busy playing with our lightsabers…
Dvozák, Rossini and Mendelssohn come to Christchurch Cathedral SINEAD FORTUNE CONTRIBUTING WRITER The 28 November last saw the performance of the Dublin University Orchestral Society’s Michaelmas Term concert. As the first concert the orchestra has performed this academic year, the event in Christchurch Cathedral here in Dublin proved a sign of good things to come. The challenging repertoire consisting of Rossini’s “Thieving Magpie Overture”, Mendelssohn’s
“Violin Concerto in E Minor” with soloist Jane Murphy, and Dvozák’s “Symphony No. 8” was well executed by the orchestra and skilfully led by the conductor, Senior Freshman Engineering student, Michael Day. The orchestra began with the Rossini, about which an esteemed audience member and noted music critic stated that it sounded so perfect it should have been recorded. In the next piece, Jane Murphy proved herself a virtuoso in the playing of the beautiful and intricately challenging Mendelssohn violin concerto, a true
showcase of the instrument for those with the talent to undertake it. After a brief intermission, the orchestra finished the concert with the Dvozák 8, a piece as imbued with pathos as it is with vigour. As the final notes reverberated off the vaulted ceilings of the cathedral, the satisfied audience showed its appreciation. Trinity Orchestra is the only entirely student-run orchestra in the country. The three main concerts– one each term– as well as the tours– the orchestra performed in Queen’s University in Belfast the week before
the Christchurch Cathedral concert– are organised entirely by the committee and each term a different conductor leads the group. Even after such a busy Michaelmas term, rehearsals have already begun for the orchestra’s next concert, which will take place on 1 March in King’s Inns on Henrietta Street. It will be a Russian-themed concert with pieces by Sibelius, Shostokovich and Rimsky-Korsakov, conducted by Senior Sophister B.mus.Ed. student Jessie Grimes.
SOCIETY IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Trinity FM Auditor: Niall Kelly, Junior Sophister History & Political Science Membership: Approximately 400 Established: 2002 as Dublin University Radio Society Aims of the society: Trinity FM aims to operate as an independent media outlet for the staff and students of Trinity College Dublin, broadcasting via radio transmission on 97.3 FM and online audio streams at www.trinityfm.com. As a society, Trinity FM aims to allow staff and students of TCD to gain valuable practical experience of radio presentation and production, allowing every member the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art broadcast equipment and technology. In addition, the station aims to produce interesting, challenging and entertaining programmes of high production and content value in the fields of music, news, current affairs and sport; the station also supports the continued use of the Irish language within the college community, committing a regular percentage of its broadcast time to Irish language programming. Regular Events: Trinity FM’s schedule is predominantly focused on the planning and production of each of the station’s six broadcast weeks. These broadcasts, spread throughout the three terms, are often timed to coincide with major events in the college calendar e.g. Freshers’ Week, Rag Week etc. Broadcasting from Monday to Friday, 9am – midnight, these weeks provide all T:FM members with a chance to plan and present their very own shows on whatever topic they desire. In addition to this
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student programming, Trinity FM holds regular competitions for listeners, as well as hosting in-studio sessions with some of the biggest names in the Irish music scene; visitors in Michaelmas Term included Delorentos, Fight Like Apes and Cathy Davey. In addition, during the station’s “off-air” weeks, T:FM broadcasts via online stream every Thursday evening from 6pm-10pm. As well as giving listeners further opportunity to listen to some great music, this weekly stream provides members with a chance to produce programmes, implement ideas and further experiment with the equipment. Plan for 2008: The society’s principle concern for the first-half of 2008 are the successful completion of the three remaining broadcast weeks, which will take place during Rainbow Week, RAG Week and at the beginning of Trinity Term. If you would like to become involved in any or all of these broadcasts (as a presenter, producer, or researcher), please get in contact with us at info@trinityfm.com Furthermore, from January 2008, TFM is aiming to extend its hours of live broadcast, providing more slots for its members and more shows for its listeners. In particular, the society is hoping to create a new “graveyard” slot, which will see the station broadcast until 2am during “onair” weeks. In addition, a large amount of the society’s work in Hilary Term will be focused on preparation for the upcoming Student Media Awards (Smedias) which will take place in April 2008. Again, if you would like to work with the station on the Smedia entries in any capacity or if you have an idea that you would like to see made into a pro-
gramme, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Greatest moment in society history: As T:FM is still very much a fledgling society, there is not a great deal of history to draw on. However, within the society itself, it is widely acknowledged that the 2006/2007 academic year represented the pinnacle of the society’s achievement thus far. In particular, highlights of the year included the winning of the awards for Best Medium Society and Best Individual Contribution at the 2007 CSC Society of the Year Awards and nomination for two Student Media Awards. In addition, over the past few years, the society has been visited by a number of high-profile guests, but none as big Arcade Fire multi-instrumentalist Will Butler, who popped into the studio on the eve of the band’s Phoenix Park gigs in October 2007. What to look forward to: Following last year’s visit of 2FM DJ Rick O’Shea, negotiations are underway regarding a proposed series of lectures to be delivered by a number of the biggest names in Irish radio. These lectures will be predominantly aimed at allowing T:FM members to gain tips and advice from those who have made their mark on radio broadcasting in Ireland. From a programming perspective, T:FM promises more of the same in 2008 – great content, top quality interviews and studio sessions and wonderful competitions! Finally, in an attempt to make Trinity FM even more interactive, the society will be installing a second webcam in the studio. Accessible via the Trinity FM website, this real-time video feed will allow listeners to see exactly what goes on behind the scenes at T:FM!
diary@trinitynews.ie Tuesday 15 January Christian Union: Grace Week, events all week including free lunches, photography exhibition and an interfaith dinner. Yoga: Classes 1-2pm. Suitable for beginners and more advanced, €3. Room 50, Atrium. Capoeira: Classes 5-6.30pm in Regent House, €3. Free Legal Advice Centres: The third clinic where qualified solicitors will help you with your legal queries, 6.30-8pm in Room 4012, Arts Building. Falun Dafa: Exercise classes 7-9pm, just 5 simple exercises learnt in Room 50, Atrium. Chess: Friendly games and some coaching, 7-9.45pm in the Maths Seminar Room 2.6, School of Maths. Japanese: Kendo class 8-9.30pm. No experience required, €20 p.p. p. term. Held in the Ancillary Hall Wednesday 16 January Food and Drink: “Fresh and Fruity” 11am till 2pm, complimentary health snacks to all members, Arts Building. Yoga: Classes 1-2pm. Suitable for beginners and more advanced, €3. Room 50, Atrium. Trinity Arts Workshop: Pottery and Ceramics 6-9pm, €3 for each 90 minute session, materials and instruction provided, Goldsmith Hall Historical: Debate “This house believes that multiculturalism is a threat to liberalism”,7.30pm, GMB. Traditional Irish Music: Traditional Music Session 9:00pm. Have a listen or join in for a couple of tunes in Cassidy’s Pub, Westmoreland Street. Sfsoc: Father Ted Night, Sugar Club, 9.30pm Investors Society: Secretaries and Stockbrokers Party, 10pm Purty Kitchen, Temple Bar. Thursday 17 January Falun Dafa: Exercise Classes 7-9pm, Room 50, Atrium. No experience necessary. Trinity Arts Workshop: Life Drawing Classes, €3 for 2 hours, materials and instruction supplied, 7-9pm, 191 Pearse Street. Afro Caribbean: Hip Hop Dance Class 7-8pm, Fitness studio, level 3, Sports Centre, all levels welcome! Christian Union: Culture by Candlelight, 7.30-10pm, a singer/songwriter night in Ron Blacks, Dawson Street. Philosophical: Debate “This house believes liberal morals are destroying Irish society”,GMB 7.30pm. Friday 18 January Yoga: Classes 2-3pm, suitable for beginners and more advanced, Regent House. Capoeira: Classes 4-5.30pm in Regent House, €3. Dance Society: Classes, Regent House, 7.30-9.30pm. Monday 21 January Yoga: Classes 5.30-7pm, suitable for beginners and more advanced, Regent House. Japanese: Cultural Night, 6.30pm in the Atrium; introducing Japanese traditions such as tea ceremony, calligraphy and Origami. Traditional Irish Music: Bodhran Lesson 6-7pm, Guitar Lesson 8-9pm, beginners, €5, in room 2B, Goldsmith Hall. Tuesday 22 January Yoga: Classes 1-2pm. Suitable for beginners and more advanced, Room 50, Atrium. Capoeira: Classes 5-6.30pm in Regent House, €3. Trnity Arts Workshop: Pottery and Ceramics, 6-9pm, €4 for each 90minute session, Goldsmith Hall. Free Legal Advice Centre: The fourth clinic where qualified solicitors will help you with your legal queries, 6.30-8pm, in Room 4012, Arts Building. Christian Union: Christianity Explored, a six week course, held in the top floor of the GMB, 7pm with an evening meal beforehand. Falun Dafa: Exercise Classes 7-9pm, Room 50, Atrium. No experience necessary. Law: College Moot Court Competition Final, 7.309.30pm, GMB with a reception to follow. Wednesday 23 January Yoga: Classes 1-2pm. Suitable for beginners and more advanced, Room 50, Atrium. Gamers: Role playing games night, 6.30pm in Room 5034, Arts Building. Traditional Irish Music: Traditional Music Session, come along and have a listen or join in for a couple of tunes, Cassidy’s Pub, Westmoreland Street, 9pm Thursday 24 January Yoga: Classes 5.30-7pm, suitable for beginners and more advanced, Regent House. Falun Dafa: Exercise Classes 7-9pm, Room 50, Atrium. No experience necessary. Trinity Arts Workshop: Life Drawing Classes, €4 for 2 hours, materials and instruction supplied, 7-9pm, 191 Pearse Street. Friday 25th January Capoeira: Classes 5-6.30pm in Regent House, €3. Afro-Caribbean: Drumming Classes in Regent House. Learn the art of Djembe drumming, 6-7pm. Dance Society: Classes, Regent House, 7.30-9.30pm. Monday 28th January Traditional Irish Music: Bodhran Lesson 6-7pm, Guitar Lesson 8-9pm, beginners, €5, in room 2B, Goldsmith Hall.
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Is student depression Here at Trinity, the dropout rate is now the highest ever at seventeen percent. Could greater levels of depression amongst our students be fuelling this? Thomas Richardson examines the rising levels of depression in students, linking the economic success of the recent decade to increased pressure on the next generation.
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epression - we’ve all heard of it. The media has definitely heard of it. It’s one of many mental health terms that have found their way into our everyday language. But what does it mean? In our everyday use of the word, it means when we feel generally sad, tired and when we’re running low on self-esteem and motivation. In a clinical sense, depression is diagnosed when these feelings are essentially more severe and prolonged. Textbook symptoms of clinical depression include: feeling sad, anxious, bored or tired, having sleep disturbances; slow thinking, lack of concentration, indecisiveness, lack of interest (in work, social activities, relationships, sex etc), low self-esteem and headaches and chest pains with no physical basis. However, the line between “normal” depression [depression of mood] and “clinical” depression can [to an extent] be a subjective call, as there are often differences between individuals. How depression is experienced will vary considerably. For example, there are considerable gender differences; women tend to be twice as likely to develop depression compared to men and also experience it in a number of different ways. Different countries and cultures also have varying definitions of what constitutes depression. I recently read an amusing article on a man diagnosed as clinically depressed in the United States. When they realised he was English, however, they re-diagnosed the elements of his personality they had considered to be symptoms of clinical depression (for
example, moaning about the weather and himself), and explained them simply as elements of the “British Personality.” So how common is clinical depression? Around 300000 people in Ireland currently suffer from depression, making it the most prevalent mental illness in the country. So what about students? Research shows that whilst students are less likely than the general populace to suffer from severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, they are often more prone than the general population to mild to moderate mental illnesses such as depression. The Union of Students of Ireland found, in a nationwide survey in 2003, that 7.8% of students were depressed and 38% had been depressed within the last year. Furthermore, 65.5% of students knew somebody who suffered from depression. Here at Trinity, depression as a reason for attending the Student Counselling Service is second only to stress and anxiety. It certainly seems that there is something about student life that increases vulnerability to depression: one UK based study (Andrews & Wilding in 2004) found that by the midpoint of a third-level course, nine percent of previously symptom-free students had become clinically depressed. The Guardian reported this year that the number of students in Trinity suffering specifically with anxiety, depression and more serious illnesses has risen by fifteen percent in the past five years. Furthermore, around ten percent of students seeking help for emotional or psychological problems require professional intervention. The dropout
Una Faulkner, Students’ Union Welfare Officer (above, centre) is often the first point of contact for many students suffering from depression. She can arrange access to a host of services available to students in Dublin. Photo: David Adamson
rate from College is now seventeen percent- the highest ever. Could it be that increasing levels of depression are fuelling this dropout rate? It has been well-documented that third-level students are especially vulnerable to depression, but why is this the case? Unfortunately due to the large number of factors involved, there is no simple answer. Our age alone is one particular factor; the average initial onset of a variety of disorders, including depression, is in the late teens or early 20s, with men aged 18-25 being most at risk of suicide in Ireland. So our age makes us vulnerable, but what is it specifically about student life that makes us depressed? Research has shown that inevitable aspects of student life that stress us out – namely college work, money and relationship problems - all contribute to depressive symptoms in students. In their report on depression last year, the USI implicated a varying number of causes of depression, some of which [such as past problems] were unrelated to student life. However, it was also noted that stress from academic and financial problems was, in fact, a significant cause of depression amongst students in Ireland. The aforementioned UK study focusing on British students found a direct relationship between financial hardship and depression; from a number of factors, financial hardship was the most powerful predictor of levels of depression at the midpoint of a degree. 43% of Irish students report their financial situation to be the most significant source of stress in their life. Such stresses as these can and do often lead to depression. College work is a regular source of stress and anxiety in students, with 50% of men and 65% of women claiming that their studies, in general, are their most frequent causes of stress. Problems such as stress and anxiety are common in students and are risk factors for developing clinical depression. They are also often comorbid (i.e., they exist at the same time) as depression. The change that occurs when many students first go to university can often lead to depression; many students find that moving away from home, friends and family and having to make new friends, live on their own and adopt a wholly different work ethic prove too much to cope with. Major life changes such as starting university are regularly implicated in causing depression and,
as such, Junior Freshman may be at risk when first adapting to college life. International students may also be at risk, as these inevitable changes are combined with the pressure of having to immerse themselves in a different culture. The social support networks we have to help us cope can fall apart when we come to university and may not have even been developed yet, as we are still making friends. Having nobody to talk to about initial feelings of depression may exacerbate the feelings. There are a number of other factors in student life that seem unlikely suspects, but may, perhaps, be partly to blame. For example, students eat a poor diet compared with nonstudents of the same age and poor diet may also exacerbate depression. In particular, low levels of omega 3, vitamin B12, iron, zinc and selenium are more common among those who are depressed. A number of studies have found that supplements of these can help alleviate depression. Other factors, such as internet, use may play a part. Students are among the most frequent internet users in Europe; however, one study followed a group of Junior Freshmen students and found that increased internet use actually, in turn, increased levels of depression. Alcohol and drugs may also be a major problem for causing depression in students. Irish students drink considerably more than non-students of the same age; though 5% of Irish students are teetotalers, 1.6% of students surveyed report that they need to drink, and 61% of male and 44% of female students binge drink at least once a week, with male Junior Freshmen students being the heaviest drinkers. Alcohol is, of course, a depressant and the lifestyle that results from heavy drinking may exacerbate feelings of depression. Drugs may also be partly to blame; drug use in the Irish student population is also significantly higher than non-students of the same age. Cannabis is, by far, the most commonly used drug amongst this group, with 37% using it in the last twelve months and twenty percent in the last twenty days [this figure was much higher for men]. Cannabis has been linked with a number of mental health problems, but most notably depression. It is unclear at this stage whether heavy cannabis usage aggravates underlying genetic predispositions to depression, directly causes depression by changing the distribution of neurotransmitters [such
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fueling dropout rates? as serotonin] in the nervous system or whether the apathetic lifestyle associated with heavy use is to blame. However, one thing is clear: if you smoke heavily, you are more likely to become depressed. Ecstasy and cocaine use in Irish students is also very high, with around ten percent of male students having used one or both in the last twelve months. Stimulants such as cocaine, speed and ecstasy may temporarily alleviate depression whilst one is under the influence, but in the long term, they, in fact, increase the risk of developing depression. If you don’t take drugs and are reading as a smug non-smoker, bear in mind that even caffeine can increase the risk of depression; it causes surges of glucose in the bloodstream, which make it difficult for the nervous system to maintain stable emotions.
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n the flipside, selfmedication [as an ineffective method of coping with depression] is also common amongst students. Alcohol is a depressant, but ironically, it seems all too often to become the cause of and solution to depression: 4.7% of Irish students claim the main reason they drink is to cope with feelings of depression and 8.7% of students use drugs or alcohol as the primary way to cope with feelings of depression [this is again, much higher for men]. Rather worryingly, the proportion of students who admitted they would drink or take drugs to cope with depression is, in fact, higher than those who would speak to a counsellor. Other ineffective or nonexistent coping mechanisms have been identified in Irish students: 55% would attempt to deal with feelings of depression alone and 36% would try to ignore them. 2.6% are unsure as to what they would do and 5.5% would do nothing at all if they felt depressed. Doing nothing and dealing with such feelings alone is much more common in men, who are much less likely than women to use mental health services such as the Student Counselling Service. Just 7.3% of students would speak to a doctor or counsellor [again, much less for men]. Clearly Irish students possess pretty poor ways of coping with feeling depressed and many of these coping strategies will, in fact, make the feelings worse. However, one positive finding is that a staggering 83% of students would prefer to speak to
features@trinitynews.ie
Remember these If you are feeling depressed or have any other mental health concerns, here are some contact details for organisations that can help: Student Counselling Service student-counselling@tcd.ie (01) 896 1407 Student2Student peer@tcd.ie (01) 896 2438 Niteline 1800 793 793 (Thurs - Sun, 9 p.m. - 2:30 a.m.) Aware www.aware.ie 1890 303 302 Samaritans 1850 60 90 90 Welfare Officer (01) 646 8437 087 621 8919 welfare@tcdsu.org Chaiplancy House 27 (01) 896 1260/1402 Your tutor Your tutor is your individual and confidential link to the College. They identify themselves by email at the beginning of every year.
someone of their own age about depression rather than a professional. This is a useful finding as it suggests that we, as students, can help fellow students who are feeling depressed, even though we are unlikely to use any of the professional services available. Depression rates, particularly in students, are rapidly increasing. There are a number of reasons that have been suggested for this trend, but it may be, in part, due to our inability to adapt to a rapidly changing world, particularly in terms of economic growth and technological advances. As mentioned earlier, rapid and sudden changes in lifestyle are difficult to cope with and thus often lead to depression. The likelihood of experiencing depression in one’s lifetime increased
dramatically in the West during the twentieth century and the age of first onset has been dropping substantially for successive generations. The bottom line appears to be that young people in particular are becoming more and more depressed and this seems to be happening even faster than normal during the last decade in Ireland, but why? One reason may be the rapid changes Ireland has seen in this period, with the “Celtic Tiger” accelerating Ireland’s economy at a phenomenal rate. Perhaps this is putting extra pressure on students to perform. It has been demonstrated across the western world that when economy goes up, mood comes down: it seems that economic success comes at a cost to mental health. It may be that the proverb “money doesn’t buy happiness” is not only true but actually works the other way. It is fact: the richer a country becomes, the more depressed its populace becomes. Not convinced? Consider this: even after accounting for increased detection rates, the first world is at least ten times more depressed than the third world. The rapid increase in Ireland’s wealth and standard of living may, in fact, be having the paradoxical effect of decreasing the mental well-being of the nation, particularly in students. So, the million-dollar question is: what can we do to help reduce the levels of depression amongst students? A number of recommendations were made by the USI, many of which predictably referred to increased funding. However, with the constant stream of cutbacks during recent years, this seems unlikely, so other recommendations made must be considered. The USI suggested that a mental health framework needs to be injected into colleges, meaning that everyone in college - from lecturers, tutors, counsellors, doctors and chaplains to students and administrators – is made aware of mental health issues. This includes being aware, in particular, of symptoms of mental ill-health and knowing how to refer individuals to other sources of help. The USI has also suggested the development of peer support groups organised on campus and facilitated by trained counsellors; such a programme has existed here in Trinity since 2001. The Student 2 Student Programme is a group of students who are trained by professionals from the SCS in basic helping, listening, and support and referral skills and are engaged in a
number of projects in College, including meeting face-to-face to talk with fellow students. The SCS also recently launched an online initiative where mental health issues can be discussed anonymously with other students at www.trinitymentalhealth.com. It has also been suggested by the USI that compulsory meetings, perhaps once a term, are arranged in confidence with a member of staff to discuss any problems. It may be an idea to automatically assign all new students, and international students in particular, a peer helper and to try to organise confidential support groups for students who are feeling depressed. It has been suggested by a number of reports that universities need a more coordinated approach to mental health; for example, tutors should be trained to recognise the symptoms of depression and know the appropriate action to take. 80% of those referred to professional services for depression can be helped to recover quickly, but it may be that not enough people in college are recognising those who are depressed or who may feel anxious discussing their feelings with professional services and thus, suffer in silence. Perhaps more education is needed for both students and staff alike – with regard to mental health issues and available services? As a test, how many of you currently reading this article are aware that there is psychiatric referral available at the Student Health Service? If you weren’t aware, do you think tutors and lecturers would be? 75% of students believe that there is a social stigma attached to depression; such stigma may be preventing students going to professional services for help and may stop fellow students addressing suspected depression in their peers. In short, we need to reduce the stigma surrounding depression through education so that those who suffer are not afraid to let someone know. If we, the students, take on the responsibility of learning how to spot depression and knowing what services are available, we can help reduce the high levels of this depression in college. I urge everyone reading this to take advantage of the information and services available to them so that we can reduce the harmful stigma surrounding depression and make our college a place for the support and understanding of depression, rather than a breeding ground for it.
Tips to beat the blues 1. Talk to someone Contact one of the services in College (see panel,left). Failing that, even talking to friends or family in private will help. If it’s affecting your college work, tell your tutor. 2. Think about why you feel this way How long have you felt depressed and was there any particular event that triggered it? What do you think will help? 3. Go easy on the drink If you usually drink heavily, give it a break for a while and see if that helps. If you smoke lots of cannabis or take other drugs, take it easy. Try drinking less coffee. 4. Get some exercise: Aerobic exercise [such as running or swimming] is a great way to help alleviate depression, as it releases endorphins which lift your mood and also increases confidence and motivation. Also try to maintain a regular sleep schedule. 5. Eat well: Eat as much omega-3- and omega-6-rich foods as is feasible (cod-liver oil, multivitamins, and oily fish are a good source). Avoid processed foods, ready-made and deep-fried food. Eat as much fruit and vegetables as you can, use butter instead of margarine and eat food rich in folate (e.g. liver, kidney beans, salads and lentils). Also try to eat a regular three meals a day – this will keep your blood sugar stable. Consider any new medication you may have been taking recently, as that may be partly to blame; for women, this may be a new contraceptive pill (“Dianette” especially has been linked with depression, and is in fact, under review by the UK authorities (The Guardian, 2006)). If you’re worried, speak to a doctor. 6. Get active Try and change your way of life if you feel it is making you depressed. For example, if when depressed you tend to stay in the house, you could try to get out as much as possible. Give your life as much variety as you can, socialise as often as you can, and keep yourself busy; don’t let yourself get bored. Perhaps get involved with activities such as sport, music or college societies and try to organise and get on top of everything, academically and otherwise. 7. Don’t feel guilty or embarrassed about it Have confidence in yourself; think about your positive qualities and the good experiences you’ve had recently and try not to regret past mistakes. Trust that you will feel better soon, because you will, and be proactive. Ignore the unfounded stigma surrounding depression and let someone know how you’re feeling, just getting it off your chest will help.
TRINITY NEWS
P12
Hilary term, Week 2
InProfile
Life begins at 69 Since retiring as Trinity’s Provost in 2001, Thomas Mitchell has busied himself running charities and hospitals. But his new role as head of Ireland’s media watchdog may prove his toughest challenge yet. JOHN LAVELLE OPINION EDITOR
Timeline
If John Hegarty ever gets worried about how he will occupy himself after he retires as Trinity’s Provost in 2011, he need only to look to his predecessor, Thomas Mitchell, for a few ideas. The 69-year old, who has had an eventful career in academia and management, has just begun his latest incarnation as Chairman of Ireland’s first Press Council. The Council is tasked with ensuring the Irish media is truthful, fair and respectful. It is an unenviable job, but Mitchell seems to relish a challenge. Like his successor as Provost, Mitchell is a Mayoman, born in the small village of Belcarra near Castlebar in 1939. After a degree in Classics at University College Galway in 1961, he crossed the Atlantic for a doctorate at Cornell, a prestigious Ivy league university in upstate New York. In the United States, Mitchell married, started a family and began his teaching career at Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania. It was eighteen years before he was lured back to Ireland to take up the Chair of Latin at Trinity in 1979. Mitchell had an impressive academic career. Ireland’s first member of the American Philosophical Society in a century and a half, he boasts ten honorary doctorates from universities around the world. At the centre of Mitchell’s academic work was the Roman Republic, and in particular, its most famous orator and politician, Cicero. Cicero, like his biographer Mitchell, came from an unassuming, rural background. But this did not hinder his rapid ascent through the ranks of the Roman bureaucracy – he became quaesetor and praetor in quick succession before being elected to the top job as consul of the Roman Republic. This rapid ascent may or may not have inspired Tom Mitchell, who quickly secured the jobs of Senior Dean and Senior Lecturer before being elected Provost in 1991. Mitchell was an surprise choice.
1939: Born, Belcarra Co Mayo.
He was the first Roman Catholic to be elected Provost in Trinity’s 399 years of existence. And he did not have a Trinity education – the College’s academics traditionally chose their leader from among their own. Mitchell’s election was heralded at the time as a milestone, signalling a new diversity and outwardlooking approach at the College. In his first year in charge, he oversaw Trinity’s quatercentenery, a celebration of 400 years of the College’s history and tradition. But for much of the rest of his tenure, he concentrated on its modernisation. A young population and the government’s free fees initiative led to a rapid growth in student numbers during the nineties. To facilitate this growth, plans were approved for a litany of new buildings, including the Ussher Library, student accommodation at Goldsmith Hall and Trinity Hall and the Sports Centre. Mitchell was influential in setting up the Trinity Access Programme in order to open up the College to poorer students. Much of the cash for these projects came from the wealthy donors targeted by the College’s newly established fundraising arm, the Trinity Foundation. As Mitchell put it, “A poor university will never be a great university.” In academic affairs, Mitchell was more conservative. He resisted heavy government pressure to abandon Trinity’s four-year degree programme and a plan to switch to a two-semester term was shelved after students and staff opposed it. John Hegarty succeeded Mitchell as Provost when his ten-year term expired in 2001. After stepping down as consul of the Republic, Cicero spent a brief period in exile in Greece before being drawn back to the intrigue of Roman politics. After his retirement as Provost, Thomas Mitchell too travelled abroad for a three month sabbatical in the United States. His break was funded by a €50000 grant from Atlantic Philanthropies, an American charity headed by the Irish-American billionaire philanthropist Chuck Feeney.
1961: Emigrates to the United States to study
1979: Returns to Ireland to take up Chair of Latin at Trinity College.
1991: Chosen as the first ever Catholic Provost of Trinity.
C Evelyn Tent
Not long later, Feeney appointed Mitchell to the Board of Directors of Atlantic Philanthropies. The Bermudabased charity plans to give away its entire endowment of over US$3 billion in the next decade. Mitchell is also a Board Member of the Trinity Foundation, which has been given tens of millions by Feeney over the past two decades. In 2002, the former classical scholar was also appointed chairman of the board of St James’s Hospital. He has overseen the city centre hospital through turbulent times – a period of major overhauls of management structures, industrial strife and growing patient demands for better services. Mitchell will be 69 this year, but shows no sign of slowing down. He has just begun work as the Chair of the Press Council, which was launched last week. The Press Council, along with the Press Ombudsman, will hear complaints from members of the public who think that media reporting has been unfair, dishonest or invasive. It is hoped the Council will make Irish media coverage more responsible and will reduce the need for costly defamation proceedings. Mitchell, who had a leading role in drafting the Press Council’s rules and picking its members, is confident that it will succeed. “It has taken a great deal of hard work and dialogue to get this far”, he said. “The ordinary people of Ireland will now have access to a press complaints mechanism that is free and fair.” But it won’t have an easy task. Even on the night of its launch, the Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan, warned that if the Council and Ombudsman weren’t up to the job, he would waste no time in enacting stricter defamation and privacy laws to curb their remit. Some commentators have already expressed doubts that the body, which is funded by the press industry and has limited powers, will be able to keep the media in line. As if running a university, a hospital and a charity wasn’t enough of a challenge!
1992: Presides over the College’s 400th birthday celebrations.
hristmas brings with it a certain tendency for romance relationships to flame up or melt down. One of Trinity News’ two power couples have ended their dalliances, which had previously included a little public indulgency in one of Dublin’s finest member’s clubs. Another couple, who have not been seen out too often (after all, they are terribly busy) is comprised of the wonderful Sophie Davies, CSC Chair, and the perpetual student /former inhabitant of Frisbee towers – David Rickard. One wonders if he’ll make it to the CSC Ball? Our darling Sophie has had a busy few weeks herself, though after being kind enough to allow the Phil to delay putting in their grant application for funding to the CSC till after Christmas, she found herself face to face with an inexplicable application for over €100,000 in CSC funding. Now, really- if the CSC approve this there won’t be any money for those fantastic committee dinners! Boobs Faller may have taken the biscuit this time, for little Sophie showed
2002: Made Chairman of St James’s, one of Dublin’s largest hospitals.
2007: Made Chairman of Ireland’s first Press Council.
she had had enough. She delivered a slap in the face to Boobs and, for the first time since Evelyn came to Trinity all those years ago, it is the Hist who now receive more money than the Phil. Oh dear! Elsewhere in the GMB, Tim “equal opportunities employer” Smyth (optional ‘e’) has overseen the resignation of exgirlfriend, the attractive Janet Coen. There remains only one girl left on Hist Committee. Smyth was always the traditional type, and now the Hist really is becoming his very own Gentlemen’s Club. The Children of the Corn held their Christmas party recently and left the hallways of House 6 smelling of a rather strange substance one might fine in the cafes of Amsterdam. Ents Officer Ed inadvertently became a victim of the faith. Upset at the loss of a prominent poster in his office, Steady Eddy was appalled to discover a wine glass on his desk was not the only remainder of a wild Christian Union Christmas party. Little Baby Jesus must have his appropriate celebrations, but I am sure many of us would have reacted in a similar way – “fuckin’ Christians” (Ed O’Riordan,
2008: Press Council formally begins its work.
2008.) And our Ents officer has indeed been working hard, but sadly, his parties don’t quite compare to those boys in Halls. Those boys really seem to be taking Trinity tradition to heart by hiring a striper. Evelyn hopes they hired one who role-played as the Junior Dean – how fabulous would that have been? Eddy has been busying himself bidding on some very exciting acts. There have been rumours of who will be playing and frankly, I’m not too interested. What with all those hideous DJs and even word that Amy Winehouse might turn up to support her friend and collaborator – whoever that is… Fresh from losing a battle with our good Editor, the Junior Dean is on a rampage. As Evelyn has long suspected, our dear Dean Emma, ever eager to play the disciplinarian, isn’t too fond of a boy’s rear end. Tut tut, such a shame when many a lady of this College would have loved to have seen the Boat Club lads strut there stuff. Dahling… don’t worry, I’ll be sending over my book on knitting patterns if you are looking for something to do.
The SU hacks are readying themselves for the festival season. Acneridden hacks will be poking their delightful heads out of the committee meetings to extend library hours in order to put themselves forward for various positions. Former po-faced Education Officer Rob Kearns may be battling it out against made-man and fellow Green Jason Robinson. Evelyn just hates climbers, and as the Dubliner magazine rightly pointed out earlier in the year, “does anyone really care?” Andy Byrne certainly does. The Elijah Wood look-a-like and SU President really wants to make his name. Francis Kieran did manage to get water fountains for the college, so Andy has decided for progress sake that the Arts Block needs a few couches. The price tag? 50K. Money well spent. Well, darlings, his jeans are designer, I’m sure the couches will be too. He’s been spotted with patterns and swatches in hand, touring interior designers round the arts block. At least he’ll have achieved more than Dave Quinn. E. xx
opinionandanalysis@trinitynews.ie
Hilary term, Week 2
TRINITY NEWS
P13
Opinion&Analysis
Volunteering can change your life today “It’s a way of life, a cultural activity, a way of connecting with others learning new skills, demonstrating leadership, getting “real world” experience, career experience, giving back, expressing of political or religious beliefs and even changing the world.”
with Conal Campbell
ELAINE BRADLEY
Volunteering in College
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Man Utd fans for a 32-county republic
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had no prime. I went from having orgasms immediately to taking forever.” - George Costanza. I’m sitting beside a swamp-donkey updating her profile on maybefriends.com. No matter how bad things get, I’m not hitting the internet dating scene if this is the pool of talent. If she looks at my screen, she’ll either cry or cannibalise me. Narrow but thorough, that’s what supposedly makes a good dissertation and I’m doing it; there isn’t much point in failing my degree to make a philosophical point. So instead of spending a year writing something original and that will develop me as a person, I’m writing about the democratic deficit in the European Union. It’s the same in every Arts department, if you have chosen to study English, your 21year-old brain could probably write amazingly insightful and original things about Hamlet or Anna Karenina; but your dissertation will be a mind-numbing balancing act of the criticisms made of your chosen topic by grey old men over the last few centuries. Why do schools make students quote, cite and evaluate? Because the ability to do these things is a form of intelligence and this form of intelligence is the easiest to quantify. Quantification of intelligence then instructs employers which graduates probably won’t let the side down; even if odds are this form of intelligence weeds out that x-factor that distinguishes top politicians, authors and entrepreneurs. Unmarked cop cars are generally non-metallic painted Fords with two aerials, we get it! No matter what pace something happened in my Leaving Certificate Irish essays they happened go tobann. I don’t feel my D2 grade was reflective of my ability to turn any essay title into a timpiste or la cois farraige Part of the reason I enjoyed Tatty so much was that I borrowed it off a friend who left it resting in a drawer with potpourri. Surely scented books are the future of publishing. Did everyone else just put a “!” at the end of their old password? Suggestions for IRA post-Troubles rebranding: Irish Refuse Authority: Either a body responsible for tipping illegal waste over the Border or an anarchist organisation. Immigrant Resettlement Action: Advocacy group that campaigns for the rights of immigrants in Ireland, unless they have been here for more than 400 years. Internet Ranting Alliance: Underground network of middleclass University College Dublin students with no girlfriends sworn to post “What about 800 years of British oppression?” on every notice board in cyberspace. Irish Red Army: Manchester United fans for a 32-county socialist republic. Nothing quite says tourist like a half-pint glass of Guinness. If I ever buy/rent an apartment, I’ll hire a private detective first to scope the neighbours out to check I’m not living beside undesirables. I love the irony of the big sociology books you’re encouraged to buy in your first year. The jist of the subject is you’re not human if you’re not a massive lefty. But the book costs a hundred euros. You can hitch a lift from a passer-by in Mayo, but you’re lucky if you can get a bus to stop for you in Dublin. Actimel is surely the best marketing campaign ever. “You’re right; I don’t think I’m getting enough L Casei Immunitas”. There is a much larger standard deviation in the quality of girls on the Northside. On the Southside most girls look like, well, normal. The Northside has a broad mix including roller-donkeys with hooped earrings wearing pyjamas during the daytime and sensational looking Eastern European women. I’m a big fan of Marks and Spencer tshirts. Why would I want the words “DIESEL” or “GAP” written large across my chest? What’s the primary cause of paedophilia in Ireland? Sexy children. The quality of people that are going to announce candidacy for the five Students’ Union sabbatical positions is rock-bottom this year. Or maybe that’s just a natural thing to think about hacks that are younger than you I reckon in twenty years time people will be saying mobile phone companies withheld health information like cigarette companies did back in the day. It’s a horrible thing to say, but I’m disinclined to support Hillary Clinton because Bill cheated on her. You just know she’s a perfect bitch when the cameras aren’t on.
opinionandanalysis@trinitynews.ie
Martin Luther King famously stated that not everyone can be famous, but everyone can be great, since greatness comes from service to others. There is an argument that when we serve others, we are ultimately doing something for ourselves, fulfilling an innate need we have to participate, to engage and to give to the wider community, Maslow’s idea of self-actualisation in the hierarchy of needs. A strong ethos of personal development runs through many organisations that volunteers work for. If you want to learn about yourself, gain skills and experience you can’t elsewhere then consider helping out somewhere. Employees work for money, but volunteers work because they enjoy it, they care and they want to learn. Volunteering is not only an act of service but powerful expression of active citizenship, enabling people to reach their potential while contributing to positive social and environmental change. When political decision making has become so complex and most people’s participation limited to reading newspapers or voting once every five years, the benefit from making change through our actions is greater than ever. Volunteering is the commitment of time and energy to help something or someone else. Voluntary action can be service provision, mutual aid, advocacy, management, campaigning or community action. Most people have a very narrow conception of what volunteering is, whatever your skills or interests, there is something for you. It’s a way of life, a cultural activity, a way of connecting with others, learning new skills, demonstrating leadership, getting “real world”
The Voluntary Tuition Programme: Each week 400 students and staff provide individual tuition to children from Trinity Access Programme schools. It gives the children mentors and role models, as well as academic assistance. www.tcd.ie/vtp or email vtaccess@tcd.ie. Suas: Recently launched the Bridge to College, a pioneering mentoring programme where college students coach Transition Year pupils on computer projects including animation, filmmaking and basic computer skills. Suas awards a certificate for particpation and promises to look after volunteers as much as the kids. b2c@suas.ie Trinity St Vincent de Paul: This conference is the largest student society in Ireland and Trinity’s most active. They have seventeen different activites, including two homework clubs, elderly outreach, decorating flats for the elderly, prison football, a homeless soup run and day centre. Check out www.tcdvdp.org for details. Compiled by Kevin Lynch
Varsity Talk with Nigel Alexander
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’ve recently become very panicked about the whole growing up thing. It seems like only yesterday that I left school and now I’m talking about what career I’m going to embark on and in which country. I feel I should start contributing to a pension or having horde of children to look after me in my old age or something. I can take some comfort in the fact that it could have been worse. At least I’ve had nearly four years of university to ease my transition into maturity, a necessary buffer. The problem with this line of thought, as it later dawned on me, is that I shouldn’t be panicking about becoming a grown up, I should be grown up. I’m 22 years old! I’ve known people my age who have been arrested, contracted cancer and committed suicide. It’s not a protected world anymore. So am I now an adult? Yes, I may read more than when I was younger, have a social conscience and more developed political views, but I also still wear hoodies, play computer games and curse needlessly with nearly every sentence I utter.
experience, career experience, giving back, expressing of political or religious beliefs and even changing the world. Too many people perceive volunteering as a thankless chore, menial, unenjoyable and making little benefit. There are material gains too. As degrees become more common, employers look for initiative, wide ranging experience, evidence of commitment, skills development and responsibility. There are much better prospects for students in voluntary organisations than the service industries – faster “promotion” and greater responsibility come to the capable quickly. The arenas in which people can volunteer are diverse and widespread: arts and music festivals, coaching sport, homework clubs, archaeological digs, community radio, overseas development agencies, a local hospice.
Some of the less ordinary include tagging turtles in the Greek Islands, polishing skulls in the National Museum or bringing pets in to visit people who are chronically ill. Volunteer opportunities may be either on-going commitments or short term projects. If you are interested in volunteering it is worth considering : • Why you want to volunteer and what you would like to get out of the experience • The type of volunteer experience you would like to have • The skills, experience and enthusiasm you have to offer • The time you have available • Where you would like to volunteer: in Ireland or overseas? • Do you want to volunteer as an individual or as part of a group? The next step is to find out what opportunities are available. Check out www.volunteeringireland.ie or call into a local charity. In Trinity there is a strong and vibrant ethos of active participation and volunteering (see the box below). There are three main voluntary organisations in college: Dublin University St Vincent de Paul Society, Voluntary Tuition Programme and Suas, as well as 100 societies and 50 sports clubs. Speaking with friends and classmates is an effective way of finding out what is going on, letting people know you are keen to get involved in interesting projects. Find out what others in your circle are involved in and how it works for them. Social connections are powerful; most volunteers get involved either because they know someone already volunteering or because they are asked to get involved. Modern Ireland is portrayed as materialistic, but our experience in Volunteering Ireland shows that people are looking for something more. There
is a tremendous will to get involved and participate through volunteering, but that the complex changes that Ireland is going through have created structural barriers that make it difficult for individuals to participate. For example, longer commuting distances and the high cost of housing means that people live further from their work place. Perhaps for students, the high cost of living means that many spend their summers and working to pay off debts. In many areas there is no community and technology changes the way we interact with people. While finding a balance between life commitments that include family and friends, education, paid work and recreation can be challenging, Volunteering Ireland is working to address structural issues at a meta level through engaging with policy makers, volunteer organisations and institutions to remove barriers to inclusion and voluntary involvement. However, many people in bad situations face much greater barriers in their lives. There is room for meaningful involvement in life beyond work, travel and the pub, if we try just a little to make room. Volunteering isn’t just a way of helping the poorest or most oppressed, it’s about building social networks, learning about yourself, making political action and a personal commitment. There is an inherent need within all of us to participate and to give to the wider community, society and the environment we live in as an expression of our humanity. In so giving, we bind ourselves to one another in a contract of commitment that transcends personal interest and that serves to create a wider and inclusive society. Be the change you want to see in the world. Elaine Bradley is the CEO of Volunteering Ireland. She holds an Msc from Dublin University.
Is there any point in going to college? In times gone by, I would have had to put childish things behind me at a much earlier age, instead of stalling in this growing up limbo. In times gone by, only a fraction of the population went to university, but now with free fees, as well as a host of other factors, most young people can go to college instead of growing up. An undergraduate degree has become the equivalent of what the Leaving Certificate used to be and, consequently, more and more students are leaving school to enter the easy college life of suspended adolescence while usually, but not always, being supported by mummy and daddy. Upon deeper thought about the idea of university as a growing up buffer, as a period providing you with the freedom to grow, it seems to make less and less sense. The countless people today, and through the ages, who never went to college didn’t seem to have any problem growing up. On the contrary – they benefited from being thrown in at the deep end and given a sink or swim ultimatum in the real world. We’ve all heard of the countless mega successes in the world who have risen to the very top of their fields without even so much as a degree in Business Studies, which I soon hope to possess. These people had no ease of transition into adulthood and they came out all the better because of it. The protective environment of university often hinders people from developing the thick skin they will need to survive. Without the almighty sudden plunge into the real world, many graduates leave college lacking that “X-factor” that all the employers are so keen on. For some of these students, the move into the working world is made even smoother if they are accepted into one of the coveted graduate programmes offered by the big companies.
For these “lucky” few, life consists of simply moving from one institution to another with the minimum severity of transition. From school to university to career, they are never put into the character building situation of having to truly make it on their own. Now don’t get me wrong, if I’m offered one of these graduate programmes, I’m sure to take it, but therein lies another trait that people pick up in university – the ability to self criticise. Students gain a generally broad knowledge of a number of topics, but due to our ability to criticise ourselves, we are well aware of our great lack of understanding of many things. This kind of self doubt, however well founded, is no use in the real world. It’s often true that people who don’t go to third-level lack the level of knowledge of a college graduate, but what they do know, they are far more confident in. This strong self-belief, that is what leaders are made of and is what is diluted by going to university. After finishing college, a graduate will likely possess a large wealth of knowledge and analytical skills, but without the necessary tools to apply these to the real world which they are finally exposed to. All this is not to say that I don’t see the benefits of university, though these are greater for some than others. Obviously the professional courses like Engineering and Medicine are vital. And with societies and extracurricular activities, there is the potential to develop strong interpersonal and organisational skills. The problem now is that it is assumed that the college path is the right path for everybody. When I was leaving school, the question was “What college are you going to?” and never simply “Are you going to college?” I’m glad for the good times I’ve had while at Trinity yet I fear it will cost me
TRINITY NEWS
P14
Hilary term, Week 2
Opinion&Analysis Face Off with Joey Facer
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t’s that time of year again! For a few second years and even fewer third years, now is the time that the work really begins. The beast known as “Schol” has loomed its head again, and is baying to be written about. The College presents Schols as super-advanced, designed to suss out who has originality, pizazz, and simply more brains, and more importantly, who they can cultivate as PhD students. Successful Scholars will be offered free accomodation and free fees for a postgrad for up to five years. For many second years, the thought of skipping out on Summer exams and a fancy-free Trinity Term is also a big pull. What Schols are really good for, even if you don’t get free accomodation, and even if you still end up sitting Summer exams, and even if you risk a nervous breakdown by taking them two years in a row, is learning. This may shock some non-believers, but the exams are one way of getting students to a library for something more than social networking. Navigating your way around the Berkeley, Lecky, Ussher, and Hamilton students all over campus are executing the most subversive of pleasures: learning for fun. I’m sure some will disagree with me and claim the 9am-10pm library stints with breaks for lectures is mindnumbing, completely boring and useless but for the pot of gold at the end of the dreary grey rainbow, and to these few I salute. I cannot imagine the pain of more than nine weeks forcing yourself to do something you truly despise 24-7. However, many find the intellectual challenge of Schols quite thrilling. You scoff perhaps, but also recall the intellectual stimulus you may have experienced at school, where many a pre-Trinner experienced the pleasure of study. We may choose to distance ourselves from our sordid pasts, but the bottom line is that most Trinity students did quite well at school, and quite enjoyed studying their Leaving Cert subjects. Schol exams are a way of re-connecting with our former selves, the geeks we used to be, or at least the people who cared about work we used to be. Before I reached University, one of my very good friends told me “if you study for your degree as hard as you studied for A-levels, you’ll get a first.” This encouraged me immensely. But of course I would work as hard as I did in school in Uni! Why would I not? After the blood sweat and tears of 6th form and exams, why would you not put the same amount of effort into a degree? Clearly, I was cruising for a first. And then you arrive, and suddenly things change. Perhaps in school, where you were timetabled to study all day, at least five days a week, you would, in fact, study, but here at University things are not quite so clear-cut. You have fewer lectures, and more “extra-curricular” duties to attend to. For some, a degree will simply not be enough to secure employment, particularly in the degree-heavy society into which we will be thrown. A solid 2.1/2.2 will suffice for most jobs, and what the employers are really looking for is leadership qualities, or at least proof you did something other than book-hop in your degree years. Nobody cares about the specifics of your matriculation in the real world, and much of what we learn during the course of our degree is unusable in any career path that is not academics. In addition, many of us will find that jobs are necessary now parental aid is off-limits. Soon, those lecture-free hours morf into earning hours, and the precious free time meanders into more social recreation to redress the balance. The library is all at once not quite so enticing as it might have been to the pre-College nerds who make it to TCD. Friends, acquaintances (for the hacks out there) or boy/girlfriends seem to take up much more time now they are not people you see at designated school-breaks in designated school areas. So what does your degree come to mean? Does the stuff we allegedly spend four years studying mean nothing unless you are in Medicine? The vast proportion of 2.1 or less candidates are merely required by readily available departmental standards to hoop-jump. Original thinking is the reserve of the illusive first, gained by comparativerly few, particularly at Trinity. Which brings me, in a way, back to Schols. If College has felt the need to give this special exam to find people who enjoy their degree work, think it valuable and worth spending time on in and of itself, then this signals to me that the non-Schol exams are not about learning in its truest sense, that the university experience of most people is not about learning. We get in, get out, and get a job, having acquired some dubious standard of learning which may well fade from memory mere years after our degrees have been awarded. In which case, I doff my hat to all of you attempting, or re-attempting, Schols. It is a noble aim, and to succeed in learning in today’s Universities certainly deserves acknowledgement. However great this goal of Schols, nevertheless I hope to see a time when the kind of diligence and dedication required for Scholars is asked of all students. Only then can university really become a place respected, and only then can we be re-introduced to the intellectual life, the one which led us here in the first place.
A professional artist, brush in hand, captures the Dame Street view from Front Arch on a sunny afternoon last Friday. Photo: David Molloy
Fixing Europe’s higher education system Moves to standardise European university education will lead to a loss of diversity, writes Sheila Lynch
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he Bologna Process aims to create a European higher education area with clear and transparent access to the various different courses. By 2010, it hopes to abolish all the various different national third-level systems and replace them with the standard Anglo-Saxon progression of Bachelor’s Degree-Master’s Degree-PhD. A bachelor’s degree consists of 180 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) – 60 ECTS equates with a full academic year. We in Trinity complete 60 credits a year, so it doesn’t take a genius to work out that we do more than one degree’s worth of work in our four years. Suddenly the honorary masters seems well earned. The Bologna Process has had a limited impact on the UK and Ireland, we just continued doing what we’ve always done. It is having a far greater impact on the various other EU states. The idea of standardising third-level education is a laudable one. However, it does face a few serious logistical problems. The idiosyncrasies of each system fit perfectly within themselves. Standardising the top layer isn’t suddenly going to make a student who did Leaving Certificate chemistry know as much as someone who did le Bac Scientifique and so ready to start a science degree in France (all linguistic difficulties aside). While most EU states provide an excellent basic education, it is irrefutable that students are different ages and at a different standing knowledge-wise depending which second-level system they graduate from. For example compare the UK and Ireland. In Ireland many students repeat the Leaving Cert every year to increase their points. In the UK students do repeat their A-Levels, but universities will take this into consideration when offering places. They will sometimes ask for higher results from repeaters or else will unofficially not accept repeating students. This reflects the fact that UK universities take into account a wider range of factors regard when allocating precious places.
We may complain about our thirdlevel system but our universities hold their own against the rest of Europe
Irish students are among the youngest school leavers in Europe. Germans, Spanish and Italians tend to be nearer the nineteen mark finishing school, while a huge number of Irish students are barely eighteen starting third-level education. Transition Year was supposed to stop this from happening, but a huge number of schools lack both the resources and the facilities to provide a comprehensive TY programme. As a result, many students start university at seventeen years old and have a degree by twenty. Universities and institutes of technology are becoming factory production lines. Irish students tend to not repeat; cost is a major factor, but social factors also come into play. In Italy students finish school at nineteen. Students are then supposed to complete a three-year bachelor followed by a two-year master’s. It is not unknown for students to take a little longer to finish as repeating is not uncommon. Italy also does not have the same tradition of moving away for college. Students tend to stay at home for
the duration of their university career, in many parts of the country businesses, schools, universities shut down at lunch so everyone can go home to eat. Living at home suits perfectly. Oral exams are the norm, written work can vary widely on the standard required. The Netherlands has wholeheartedly adopted the Bologna Process’ guidelines of a bachelor’s degree of three years duration (180 credits) followed by a master’s degree of one or two years duration. Dutch students are streamed from a young age with schools separating into higher levels (with the aim of going onto university or technical university) and lower levels (with the aim of going onto a more technical or vocational career). There is an underlying distinction and snobbery involved, a student means a university student, not just anyone attending a thirdlevel course. Once in university students tend to relax. In the “good old days” it could take up to ten years to complete a bachelor’s degree – with students living on government benefits and loans until they complete their studies. Much of this mentality still remains. The continuing government funding helps keep it alive. Dutch students get free public transport, a basic stipend regardless of their parents’ income, a grant or loan (repayment is dependent on income once repayments kick in) and all is forgiven debt-wise after fifteen years. Dutch students could finish their bachelor in three years, but instead they want to have fun and finish in fou,r depending on the subject. Student organisations form a major part of student life, being on the board of one normally means failing a year or near to. In France students tend to be around eighteen starting university. Third-level education in France is shaped by the simultaneous existence of both universities and les grand écoles. The universities offer degrees in a vast majority of subjects with no competitive exams to decide places; students must pass their first year the first time in order to continue in the course.
The grand écoles offer tuition in particular areas like engineering, science and arts. Entrance is decided by competitive exams, usually sat after participation in a “preparatoire” course. Only the best of the best get in, but all the hard work pays off, as graduates from these grand écoles are practically guaranteed success in their chosen field. Teaching in universities follows a very different style to the Anglo-Saxon model. Learning by rote and repeating of the professors’ opinions features heavily. There is less of an emphasis on critically engaging with material or independent ideas. University life as whole doesn’t exist in the same way it does here. Universities are academic units; for the most part, the auxiliary social activities that make the whole university experience what it is do not exist on the same scale. How the Bologna process will affect this whole system is yet to be seen. Each system reflects the needs and traditions of the country in question. To try and equate them is far more work than the EU ever envisaged. Bringing everyone into line with the bachelor-master’s tradition will make qualifications more transferable, but at the loss of diversity. We may complain endlessly in Ireland about our third-level system, but we hold our own against the rest of Europe. Overall figures suggest that 83% of students complete the course they originally enroll in. This is higher than the rest of Europe. According to the OECD, due to the combined efforts of the universities and the ITs, Ireland has the world’s highest endowment of young science and engineering graduates: sixteen graduates per 1000 population in the 20-34 year age group, compared with less than seven per 1000 in the US and EU-15 and less than five per 1000 in Germany. Result: a glut of graduates in the market that looks like it could crash any day now. Ireland may yet return to the dark days of the eighties with entire classes emigrating. To each his own.
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Issue 6, Volume 54 Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2 www.trinitynews.ie
Make good on promises; but firstly, make good promises. This week in Trinity News we had a look at the election manifestos of last year’s Students’ Union hopefuls to determine to what degree our Students’ Union have carried out the oh so easy promises they made to us during their highly wrought election campaigns. Lokking through these manifestos and some of those from the last five, it becomes apparent that the same things are being promised from year to year. And the same things are not delivered upon. How can this be possible? How can the student electorate not see the con? Mr. Byrne’s presidency sees the first extension of library opening hours in recent undergraduate memory, although Education Officers have pledged to accomplish this year after year. A rare sucess it seems from our research. But is it really his to claim? Student timetables have already been a disaster this year; let us see if Bartley Rock can follow through and deliver us exam timetables at a suitable period before the exams commence. Or will this be an election promise to be recycled next year. The fact is that year in and year out results fail to materialise so candidates can keep promising the same things. It is very difficult to promise to do something that has been already done. So this is a message to all the assembled hacks of College who are sitting down to write manifestos for the upcoming circus ring of election season. Give us something new to think about, something more exciting than we have seen in years gone by, but also something more realistically achievable. If five candidates before you have promised it, think of making a different promise. This year, we need to see candidates who care about the College and who are passionate about improving the lives of students. We need candidates who will make good on the promises they make; but firstly, who will make good promises.
Obituary
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“The most vigorous and ardent champion of Truth in the short but lively history of this journal” All those involved with Trinity News were saddened last term to hear the news that Dermod Owen-Flood had passed away. OwenFlood was chairman of Trinity News in Hilary term, 1955 and had been involved with the newspaper since its inception in 1953. During his time at Trinity, he worked as a professional actor with The Earl of Longford’s Theatre Company while also working with Trinity News and reading for his law degree. He was also Secretary of the Phil, having failed in an attempt to become Auditor of the Hist. Owen-Flood wrote for Trinity News under the pen names An Fear Cruaidh, Thersites and Colonel Tottering, and also wrote a religious column with the late Tony Jennings (Chairman in Michaelmas term, 1954) under the apt pen name Lucifer. A profile of him in a 1955 issue of this newspaper called him an affable man who “stood forth as the most vigorous and ardent champion of Truth in the short but lively history of this journal.” Owen-Flood took the LLB degree in 1955. Moving to Canada in 1956, he practised law in Victoria from 1964 until 1987, when he was appointed a judge. He was appointed a justice of the British Columbia Supreme Court in 1990 and remained on the bench until September of 2006, when he was forced to retire when he turned 75. The Stonyhurst-educated Owen-Flood thanked his Jesuit education for outfitting him for his life in law. In his legal life, he was credited with a professional generosity: he was always willing to help those he worked with, and not one to hoard or guard knowledge or tricks he had learned during his time.
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Letters
Extended Library hours are a great success for student power Sir, - Last Sunday, the Berkeley, Lecky and Ussher libraries opened for the first time from 11am – 5pm, following agreement between the Students’ Union and Library authorities for extended opening hours to begin. For those who wondered whether the demand would be there for such extended services, there can be no doubt – as lines of students filed in, the proof was undeniable that students badly need increased study space and access to texts. Getting College authorities to open the BLU library on Sundays is most definitely a major breakthrough. It proves the point that unless students are dogged in their determination to see improvements in services, change won’t happen. We are constantly told we have a worldclass library in this College, but that means nothing if we, as students, are restricted to minimal access. With this change, Trinity students are now being offered services comparable to other university students in the
country – which was not the case before. This must be the first step towards making our library the most student-friendly among Irish universities. We in the Students’ Union will be releasing a document outlining our vision for a world-class library this term, and will be working with library authorities to take the next steps to achieve that. This campaign is not over. It is disappointing that the Hamilton and Stearne libraries do not yet have the same level of access. It is not that arts students have benefited from favoritism, but rather that the BLU offers less access and cost issues for additional hours. Nevertheless, as the library has said – this is a pilot project under review, and we are 100% confident that the level of take-up of the new Sunday hours will prove that all students need this level of access. Based on the success of Sunday opening, we will be pushing for the same access to the Hamilton and Stearne libraries and for 24 hour study
space, which is already enjoyed by postgrad students in the 1937 rooms. This is a dramatic time of change for College. The changes being brought about are designed to make Trinity a more effectively run and successful university. As students, our demands are modest. I believe that the interests of students need to be at the heart of this process for a change and that demands by students for more time and space to study must be recognized and acted upon. For too long Trinity students have endured the most restricted university library opening hours in the country. Improvement is very welcom,e but we must continue to fight for the basic necessities of a University education and for the rights of all students to these facilities. Yours etc, Andrew Byrne President Trinity College Students’ Union.
Jealousy, immaturity, or misplaced animosity fueled attack on Boats Sir, - By now, most people will be aware of the senseless damage done to the boats and trailer of the DU Boat Club. What is less obvious is why this incident occurred. This is particularly puzzling given the excellent and long standing relationship between DUBC and the Cappoquinn Rowing Club, not to mention the town itself. We have held our annual training camp there for over thirty years and have always been welcomed. Many possible explanations spring to mind: jealousy, immaturity or perhaps misplaced animosity. However, none of these seems to adequately explain this well-planned and clinically enacted assault. While we may never know the true motivation of the individuals, I take some comfort in the words of Teddy Roosevelt who famously pointed out that “It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the
From the archive
man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again …but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” Clearly the perpetrators of this crime are among those cold and timid souls. They have attempted keep us from engaging in the sport we love, from stepping into that arena. I am proud to say that the novice oarsmen who were present in Cappoquinn responded to this tragedy in the best way possible: by carrying on rowing, just as the oarsmen of Trinity College have been doing for over 170 years. Regardless of the damage
that has been done to the Club this year and the wins or losses that these new oarsmen achieve, these men have now stepped into the arena and, when this season is finished, they, like so many before them, will now those great enthusiasms and great devotions rowing demands, and hopefully the triumph of high achievement that can be its reward. I only hope that all those in this college will make a renewed effort to support not only the Boat Club, but all the sportsmen and women of Trinity who dedicate their time and effort in this way; who spend themselves in a worthy cause. We must not forget that, in doing so, these athletes add to the prestige, reputation, and tradition of this fine institution, but also unselfishly open themselves up to this type of senseless attack. Yours, etc. Gabriel C. Magee, Admiral DU Boat Club
Compiled by Peter Henry
The wit and repartee of Paddy Branagan
A The well-respected Owen-Flood always tried to stay in touch with Trinity News. Last summer he wrote to say that Trinity News is now “more of a newspaper, which is as it should be”. In his time it was, he said, “more devoted to taking the mickey” – perhaps an underestimation of the achievements of the early Trinity News. Remarking on his own time here, OwenFlood said that “many in Trinity in my day were living in an imaginary past which, in some aspects, never existed. I felt, as did Provost Alton, that College had to move along and get with it. That is not to say that I thought Trinity should lose its identity – far from it.” Trinity News, he said, “was of tremendous benefit to my law career”. Dermod Dmitri Owen-Flood, LLB, MA. Born 1931. Died September 2007, age 76. (Peter Henry)
All letters to The Editor, Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2 or letters@trinitynews.ie
man may be very popular without possessing any very exalted virtues. Such a one was genial, devil-may care, impecunious Paddy Branagan, and stories about him are still passed delightedly from mouth to mouth, stories not always retailable in prudish society. He was, indeed, the Falstaff of Trinity, and in person he bore no slight resemblance to his great prototype. When I knew him he was “a good portly man and a corpulent, of a cheerful look, a pleasing eye, and a most noble carriage.” In his undergraduate days, and they were many, for it was not part of his ambition to excel at exams, he was the darling and delight of all the sportsmen in College. No spree was a success without Paddy, and when one saw his rubicund visage and portly figure, one felt it was good to be there. His jokes were as brilliant as his tales were inexhaustible. In giving nicknames he was very happy, and they always clung to a man, as, for instance, when he dubbed a candidate, who had gone up many times for Scholarship, “the hardy annual”. He sang, too, “certainly with other notes than to the Orphean lyre,” but he had a peculiar style of his own, perfectly inimitable. His favourite song was “Last Rose of Summer”, which he sang in falsetto; he could play one waltz, and always did at a spree, if there was a piano and the night was far spent. His speeches, too, were wonderful, and he was so carried away by his feelings that
he nearly always required support before he came to the peroration. He sometimes came into collision with the authorities, but his ready wit and blarney almost invariably saved him when he failed to establish the justice of his case. In his freshman year he took rooms above the Dean’s, and the first article of furniture introduced was a barrel of stout. Owing to his many visitors this did not long escape the Argus eye of the Dean. He sent for Paddy, and rebuked him for commencing his academical career in this wise. The culprit, unabashed, replied that he had been ordered stout by the doctor, and, as a proof of the good it had done him already, he said that at first he was unable even to move the barrel, but now he could roll it around the room with ease. After he ceased to reside in College, and had been called to the Bar, he had a chequered career. He quarrelled many times with his father, who did not always approve of his son’s conduct, and then the supplies were cut off. During these periods Paddy called himself an orphan, and being often in extremis, railed against paternal ingratitude. His substantial form was rarely absent from the smoking room of the “Phil”, i.e. the Philosophical, the younger of the College’s two debating societies, where, surrounded by a goodly company, he cracked jokes from noon till night. He was reported to lodge occasionally in the “Phil” and one night as he was leaving College much after hours the usual question was put to him by the janitor: “Whose
rooms do you come from, sir?” “From the ‘Phil’,” was the reply. “But,” objected the porter, “they turn out the gas there at twelve o’clock.” “Bedad, then, they didn’t turn me out, anyhow,” retorted the irrepressible Paddy. His wit and repartee were spontaneous and begotten of the moment, but he was rarely persuaded to put anything on paper. He did, however, write a play, in which he dramatised his more intimate friends, the scene whereof was laid in “the wineshop of on Corlesius,” and he invented a new “Rake’s Progress”. Unfortunately most of his jokes must be classed as nefanda. The last time I saw Paddy was at the railway station in Tralee. I asked him how he was. “High in spirits, but low in purse,” he replied, and, putting his hand in his pocket, he pulled out a few coppers. He had just taken a third-class ticket to his native city, and it and the coppers represented all that was left of his earnings on circuit. Shortly afterwards he disappeared, none knew whither, and we mourned him as one dead. But a little while ago he reappeared as a flourishing burgher in one of New England’s mighty cities. The local papers were full of his praises, and he bade fair to become as famous there as he had been here, but in a different way. We read and marvelled, feeling all the while the poorer for his loss, and owning sadly we “ne’er shall see his like again.” From HA Hinkson, Student Life in Trinity College, Dublin (Dublin: J Charles and Son, 1892)
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The El Inca prison blues El Inca women’s prison in Ecuador is dangerous, overpopulated, and home to Dublin-born Zoe Savage. FERGAL RYAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER For most, El Inca prison in Quito, Ecuador brings no immediate connotations; however, for Dublin-born Zoe Savage, El Inca is home. On 19 February 2003, freelance journalist Zoe Savage was checking in for a return flight back to London when customs officials arrested her after finding 2.6kg of cocaine in the lining of her bag. Four and a half years later and she remains imprisoned in Ecuador, desperate to get home to her two children in Dublin. El Inca Prison, like most of the prisons in Ecuador, is appallingly overpopulated. Children are allowed stay with the mother with some reports of 18-year old children living in the prison. The official government figures of 350 women inmates and 80 children are brutally underestimated and one which, without doubt, has immense ramifications on living conditions. El Inca is a place where corruption is widespread through all levels of prison society, where the authorities have as much
blood on their hands as the prisoners, where sex is a unit of currency with some guards having a “Madame” in different wings. It is an environment where survival is on a day by day basis with prisoners living in constant fear of being attacked without provocation. Whilst visiting the prison in January of this year, I came across dozens of prisoners, both local and foreign, one of whom was Zoe Savage. Upon arrival at the prison on a designated visiting day, I simply knocked on the door, gave the name of the prisoner that I was here to see and was let in. The security in El Inca is reasonably tight, but in no way impenetrable. I was told of one foreign prisoner paying each guard on duty US$5000 to allow her to essentially walk out of the prison. When within the prison walls, prisoners and visitors roam together freely. The prisoners have taken up certain extracurricular activities to subsidise their basic-generic living conditions. One such activity is locating foreign prisoners for the gringo tourists for a fee. After waiting twenty minutes or so, I was taken to meet Zoe Savage.
She seemed delighted to see a friendly face. Zoe appeared a remarkably cool and collected individual, a trait that belied the fact that she had already spent four years in prison. She remained upbeat about the chances of being released, even joking that she would be on the Late Late Show later this year. During our conversation, it was clear that Zoe was in obvious discomfort. She told me of her stomach problems and how she had to wait for the Irish Consul to come back from holiday to be allowed out to see a doctor. She had had no access to medicines of any sort during this latest bout of illness and I left feeling relieved that I had brought some aspirin as part of a gift bag that is traditionally given to foreign prisoners at El Inca. Zoe Savage’s case is not unique in Ecuador or in El Inca. I came across many Westerners imprisoned in Quito, some, like Zoe, claiming innocence, admitting only naivety, others admitting their guilt. Innocent or guilty, these women have bonded together in the chronic conditions that they now find themselves in. In the cells I was brought
Australia: Rugby games and Koala bears, not politics AMY JULIA COLGAN STAFF WRITER
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Has it ever occurred to you how little we think about Australia as a proper, functioning polity? I mean, obviously when you stop to consider it, of course it’s not actually just like a really long episode of Home and Away with Alf Stuart as some sort of chieftain king. You know that there’s a fully operational democracy with parties, policies, et al. And you’ll probably know that John Howard had been the Prime Minister for about seven thousand years and you’re pretty sure that you don’t like him because he’s a bit right wing and there was something about immigrants on boats… But considering its status as a developed, economically flourishing Western society, not to mention its sheer size, it is surprising how little space Australia occupies on the world stage. Even more surprising when one considers the controversial nature of John Howard’s foreign and environmental policies. Leader of the conservative Liberal party, and a close friend and fierce supporter of Bush, Howard has spent his four terms in office championing Australia’s allegiance to the United States. He was, in fact, with George Bush during the 11 September attacks and the two have since stood shoulder to shoulder in the War on Terror, with Australia deploying troops to Afghanistan and Iraq. So too in the climate change debate have Howard and Bush whistled the same tune – neither would sign the Kyoto Protocol on the grounds of the projected economic fallout that would accompany a reduction in carbon emissions. Strange, thus, that we should so thoroughly vilify the American government for their policies on both of these issues, for valuing the filthy dollar
...the devout Christian admitted during the election to have visited a New York strip club while on UN business and to having been so drunk that he couldn’t remember most of the evening.
ahead of our safety and our futures, and yet merely shake our heads, if even that, at Australia for pursuing a very similar agenda. Why is this? Because when we think of Oz, we think of surfers and barbeques and Rolf Harris and rugby and a way to delay real life for another year, but we never register its politics. And in slipping off the radar, Australia under Howard has escaped the international ire many might have felt it deserved. Nationally, however, it was a very different story. With the public growing weary of conservative government and with mounting frustration regarding the environment issue, Iraq and education policy, after twelve years, Australia has called forth the left wing from the shad-
ows of the opposition benches. On 24 November, after a hard fought election, John Howard and the Liberal-led coalition suffered a comprehensive defeat, to be replaced by the Labour party under the leadership of former diplomat Kevin Rudd. As what the New York Times called “ a cerebral student of policy”, Rudd ran his campaign on the need for a change of direction for Australia, both domestically and on an international level, and his programme for government sees a massive shift for a nation that been primarily focused on economic development. Rudd has announced that his first acts as Prime Minister will be to initiate proceedings regarding the ratification of the Kyoto treaty and the staged withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq. On the home front, education is first on the government’s agenda, with huge investment and overhaul planned for both primary and secondary education systems. And it seems that Rudd is planning to sex up more than just policy, with television anchor Maxine McKew taking John Howard’s old seat and Pete Garret, the lead singer of 80’s rock band Midnight Oil, as Minister for the Environment. Rudd himself had faced accusations of being, well, a bit dull, but the devout Christian admitted during the election to have visited a New York strip club while on UN business and to having been so drunk that he couldn’t remember most of the evening. Upon this revelation, his ratings soared. So we have a new, vibrant, green, left-wing Australia. The question now is how this new leader and new country are going to handle the ties with America that Howard created. So from political obscurity to what could possibly become one of the biggest forces for positive change – keep your eye on Australia, ladies and gentlemen, because things just got interesting.
to, there were three to four women in a room the size of a bathroom. If some of these women have children, the situation becomes even more insufferable. When I visited El Inca, there was much hope that the newly elected Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa would set out and reform the penitentiary system in Ecuador. It was rumoured that a close relative of Correas’ was herself in
the prison system. In May of this year, Correa reiterated his plans of reform. Whether Zoe was desperate enough as to risk her family’s livelihood for 2.6kg of cocaine is questionable. Her arresting officer has admitted that he believes she is innocent. The organisation “Fair Trials Abroad” has taken on Zoe’s case and has cited various contentious issues regarding her
trial and conviction. Furthermore, Minister of State Pat Carey, her former school Vice-Principal, has worked tirelessly over the last four years to secure Zoe’s release. If you would like to support Zoe Savage you can write to Zoe at: Roisin Zoe Savage, El Inca, Quito, Ecuador
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Why doesn’t everyone want to be a snowboarder? DOMINIQUE ENGLISH CONTRIBUTING WRITER Look around and what do you see: grumblings over the state of politics, despair over climate change and other equally depressing topics. We can either try to “get involved”, watch from a concerned distance or take a leaf out of the snowboarding book and sit back while the
world goes by. The latter sounds pretty tempting to me. You would be mistaken if you thought snowboarding was all about riding up and down mountains on a board. Granted, that's a large part of it, but what makes it so appealing to so many people is everything that goes along with this. Those who go out for seasons make it a lifestyle, an obsession, even after the piste is closed, when you go for an “apres ski” and relive the day's events. (To a determined snowboarder, the closed lifts aren't necessarily an obstacle!)
And, of course, there's style. To quote many of my snowboarding friends, “It doesn't matter if you screw up, as long as you do it in style”,because as a snowboarder, there's one thing you have to remember above anything else – you look better than the skiers. If I'm making snowboarders seem desperately vain, then let me assure you that that's only partly right. As the definite minority on the mountain, snowboarders have a lot to
contend with. But rather than act like a defensive, persecuted minority, they instead adopt the confidence that only comes with the knowledge that you're right and it's only a matter of time before everyone else realises this. And besides, it's cool to be different. So where do you begin and how can this life be yours? Personally I went for the easy choice and joined a three month gap year programme. There's a definite benefit to doing this, as most things are
organised for you and you get to meet plenty of people in the same position as you. You don't even need to be a gaper, as there were a number who were halfway through or had finished university and were just taking a year out from the real world. Others I met out there did things more traditionally though. You could start snowboarding as soon as you're large enough to hold a board and get in on the scene that way. Otherwise you gather a group of friends together, save up a bit of money, rent some cheap lodging, get a menial job in a bar and spend as much time as possible training on the slopes. If you want to get an idea of when and where to go, then you have to consider your budget as well as what you want. For the winter season (October – April generally) you have to look around the northern hemisphere: in Europe the best areas are definitely found in the Alps, particularly Austria, France and northern Italy; in the Americas the west coast, particularly the world famous Whistler resort in Canada; and in Asia the Japanese resorts in Hokkaido are supposed to be great. For snowboarding during our summer months, people head for the southern hemisphere: primarily New Zealand or Australia. Cheaper places are always found closer to the foothills where the snow isn't generally as good or in odd Eastern European counties (where many people don't speak English and the lifts are hand-medowns from other countries). One of the interesting things about meeting people who take seasons on the slopes is the double lives they seem to lead. Like a superhero, they don their designer costume and helmet in the
ROTTERDAM Modern. Daring.
Above: A snowboarder gains some air on the slopes. Photo: Stef Lewandowski. Left: Coming in for a landing. Photo: Josh N
morning, jump onto a board and spend the day pulling tricks and jumps on the slopes or in the parks (a park being where you find artificial jumps, railings and pipes, etc). Then after closing time, these apparent demi-gods come down to grace you with their presence. If you're not careful, you'll even find that Batman's serving you in a restaurant or with a big wink, Spiderman passes you your beer from across the bar. I realise that, at this point, I've barely mentioned the actual snow. As a sport, snowboarding looks far more impractical than skiing, but in actual fact, after you get used to pointing your side down the mountain instead of your front, it's actually quite easy. Also, as the park is pretty much designed for snowboarders, it's much easier to do tricks on a board than on skis. This gives snowboarders a bit of a natural advantage when it comes to seeming cool and helps contribute to their already swollen egos. At first, however, it does feel a bit arduous and unproductive as you seem to be spending more time on the ground than off it but, as almost everyone will tell you, it gets better after the first week. In fact, as most of us had tried skiing before snowboarding, we were able to compare and came to the same observation: it's easier to be a beginner on skis than on a snowboard, but much easier to become good on a snowboard than on skis. For whatever reason, despite the fact that snowboarders fall so often, it's actually much less painful than on skis (at one point, I remember rolling head over heels down the side of a mountain then getting up without a single injury). Anyway, if you can't take a little bruising then, as they say, man up.
Living a west side story AH-YOUNG KOO CONTRIBUTING WRITER The Burren, Cliffs of Moher, the Aran Islands: so these don't sound like your kind of holiday? Fear not, Galway city is here. Forget the traditional culture and bring on the contemporary culture! Galway city could not be a better destination for a quiet (or a rowdy) weekend away with friends. The tightlypacked shops along Shop Street, which stretches from the city centre to the River Corrib, and stylish eateries lodged in every corner remind tourists more of a continental European capital than a small city in the west of Ireland. Having hopped on the bus one afternoon, the journey to Galway seemed more like a field trip heading to the middle of nowhere. Four hours later, as we entered Galway city with our heavy bags and shoulders and saw Eyre Square with brightly-lit shops and the original Supermacs standing firmly in its place, we finally felt at home. Our hostel was a stone's throw away from all the latest and best-established bars and clubs in the city. We visited two lively pubs, The King's Head on Shop Street (Galway's Grafton Street) and The Hole in the Wall. The King's Head consisted of two floors with tudor exteriors. A live band was playing on stage downstairs, which could be viewed from upstairs balcony. The spacious interior meant that we could choose any part of the pub and enjoy our company or mingle with whoever else we wanted! The Hole in the Wall is a few minutes away from the city centre itself and what it lacks in space, it makes up for the size with an outdoor beer garden and a warm and cosy atmosphere. It is a
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great place to go if you are with a small number of friends. The nightlife in Galway is a different experience to that of Dublin. The clubs, such as Karma, CPs and Cuba, also scattered along and beside the main street, are definitely worth a visit, for example, Cuba, has a DJ on one floor and a live band on the other. While Dublin offers a wider range of music and clubs in the city, Galway offers activities which go beyond just clubbing. If you are not in the mood for clubs, a late night walk along the streets is a great idea. Shop Street is a haven for wannabe singer-songwriters and street performers especially late in the evening. The best thing about these delights is that they are first-class performances which go beyond merely standing still with a sunflower pretending to be James Joyce for hours upon end. It is also a very safe street to walk late at night (with blurred vision). Furthermore, one of the best things about going out in Galway is that the shops and cafes are open very late to cater for customers on their way home from a night out. In the morning or afternoon, depending on when you get up, brunch in McDonaghs on Quay Street or the Galway Bakery Company on Williamsgate Street is a must. McDonaghs boasts the best fish and chips in the world and GBC, a generous Irish breakfast, to cure any hangover. With bodily needs fulfilled, an afternoon of shopping in the market and boutiques becomes even more enjoyable. A day trip to Salthill and a walk on the beach is also recommended. Whichever part of the city you turn to, it does not fail to disappoint. For whatever reason, if you still have not been to Galway, hop on the next train down and experience what the city has to offer. After all, why spend a lot of money travelling abroad when you can have all you need in the west?
Galway City by night. Photo: Jaceck Kopecky
Most travellers to the Netherlands rarely set foot outside Amsterdam. Such a fact is quite a shame, as many Dutch regional cities have much to offer the discerning tourist. Indeed, the harbour city of Rotterdam often surpasses its more famous big brother. Amsterdam itself is a charming and lively and the perfect place to spend a few days. But for a city break away from all the brothels and delftware retailers that have come to epitomise the nation's capital, Rotterdam wins many points. For a first time arrival, Rotterdam can be no less than shocking. Levelled by the Allies during the war, the historic centre of Rotterdam has only two pre-1940 buildings remaining. The lack of historic architecture means the city is constantly changing and has some of the most daring and exciting architecture in Europe. A walk around the pedestrianised centre of town is an attraction in itself. All those years ago, upon my first visit to Europe's busiest port (Shanghai stole the world title in 2004) I played the tourist game, and found many interesting and bizarre thing to do. Visible in the skyline throughout the region is the Euromast, a large viewing tower located in a park. The tower is crowned by what is described as an "amusement" ride which aims to simulate the blast off of a rocket. In reality, what you get is a brief ride in a gyroscopical viewing platform travelling slower than the lift in the Lecky with loud rocket style noises being piped in from speakers in the roof. On the upside, the views are spectacular, and only from here can the vastness of the harbour really be appreciated. Rotterdam's harbour is an astounding place. Its vastness is rivalled only by its busyness. Many companies offer harbour tours and it is worth taking one- just be sure to grab a window seat. You'll be taken into a world of mechanisation and organisation as you watch gigantic cranes load and unload equally large container vessels, see giant oil tankers navigating into the narrow docks and wonder how the tiny water taxis that ply the river are not mown down by the monstrous cruise ships that call Rotterdam home. The Cubehouses are another attraction that any first-time visitor must go to. These comical yellow cubes, tilted onto their sides and raised on pillars, were a daring attempt to challenge traditional housebuilding. You can take a look around the insides of one for a small fee and admire the retro décor, the bizarre furniture and the sunroom at the apex, with its large cactus collection and great views over the city. The eccentric owner also has a very extensive Lord of the Rings figurine collection on display in the bedroom. Perhaps one of Rotterdam's greatest assets is its rich ethnic diversity. Over 45% of the population is not native Dutch, which means the city is a Pandora's box of shops and restaurants. Cheap eats of a good quality are never hard to come by and the choice is huge. The Netherlands is on a par in terms of cost of living with much of continental Europe, and Rotterdam is no different, but food and drink prices are still comparatively low. I paid €4.50 for an imported pint bottle of a leading Irish cider in a city centre Irish pub - nearly a euro cheaper than here. Rotterdam is also surprisingly accessible. Our controversial national airline flies to Amsterdam's Schipol airport several times daily, a mere 55 minutes by direct train to Rotterdam. Ryanair serves the city of Eindhoven in the west, which also has direct rail links from its central station. Rotterdam also has a very extensive tram bus and metro system, which is reasonably priced under the Dutch National Strippenkaart ticket system and makes getting around easy. The city has its own airport, but direct flights to Dublin ceased about eighteen months ago. Though Rotterdam is an increasingly popular tourist destination, the city is still short on hostels and budget accommodation. That said, Room Hostel on Van Vollenhovenstraat is one of Holland's best. All major hotel chains have a presence in the city. And if your holiday must include the more illicit activities that the Netherlands is famous for, the city has a wide variety of establishments to choose from. Rotterdam may lack the glamour and notoriety of Amsterdam, but it more than makes up for it in things to do and see. The city is a lively, friendly and fascinating place to spend a few days and gives a real picture of Dutch city life. And for the secret tourist inside everyone, it also has the country's largest collection of windmills. Go soon. David Kearney
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Business&Careers Democratic win in ‘08 might give Wall Street something to worry about DANIELLE RYAN BUSINESS & CAREERS EDITOR Something we often forget when thinking about the upcoming American presidential election is that the fates of certain industries can depend on who the winner is in November 2008. Investors on Wall Street will be facing questions regarding each candidate’s policies and how they will affect not just the economy of the entire country, but the effect each candidate’s policies are likely to have on certain sectors of the American economy. Many on Wall Street fear the higher taxes and tighter regulation that a Democratic win could bring. President Bush’s tax cuts are part of the reason why America’s budget deficit has grown so high during the past seven years and leading Republican candidates such as John McCain and Mitt Romney propose making these tax cuts permanent, even extending them. Wall Street would likely also opt to maintain the status quo. But Wall Street investors aren’t the only ones going to the polls and, for reasons including the
already-huge budget deficit, it’s looking more likely than ever that the Democrats will be taking back the White House this coming November. Twice as many Democrats as Republicans turned up to caucus in Iowa on 3 January and a record number of voters turned up to vote in the New Hampshire primary last Tuesday. It was here that Democrat Hillary Clinton defied pollsters and pundit’s predictions and regained the momentum that had been briefly lost to her in Iowa. So, in the event of a Democratic victory, which areas does Wall Street have to watch? Two of the main areas are health care and the fight against global warming. Democrats are promising to immediately start the fight against global warming in an effort to make up for the lack of attention that the current administration has given it. So for a start, investors may now find themselves wondering if this will help big solar companies and hurt utility stocks and other industries emitting what they consider too many greenhouse gases. The most important difference that a Democratic win in 2008 may bring is in the health care industry. Each of the Democratic candidates is proposing a universal health care plan to cover the
47 million uninsured Americans. Obviously this isn’t the best news for companies profiting in the health care sector. If a Democrat takes the White House, they will start to cut costs leading to narrower profit margins in the sector, benefiting regular Americans but hurting the pockets of the drug companies, though that doesn’t sound like too high a price to pay to cover everyone with health care insurance. And then there’s the war in Iraq to think about. The Democrats all propose withdrawal from Iraq beginning almost immediately after they take office. Republicans, on the other hand, support the continuation of the war and are willing to pour as much money as is necessary into it. Whether or not the United States withdraws from or stays in Iraq, money will be spent. To keep them there longer or take them out as fast as possible will require massive spending from the next administration. “Change” has become the keyword for the Democrats especially, but some strategists on Wall Street are reminding us that the American markets are essentially bipartisan, meaning that it’s possible for them to prosper under the leadership of both parties. Obviously, though, there are some areas each party will always be kinder to.
Rough economic waters ahead for 2008 SARAH CASEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER As the new year starts, in a period of economic uneasiness and with the credit crunch a reality that will likely remain for months longer, the question we need to ask ourselves is this: will we be able to recover and readjust to healthier levels of growth once things settle down? And how long will it take for things to settle down? Over the past year, we’ve been seeing some major adjustments in the world economy. We’re watching oil prices reach record level highs, threatening interest rates and putting extra pressure on inflation. We’ve watched the value of the United States dollar steadily plummet over the past six months. We’ve watched as the housing markets here and abroad have slowed and struggled and recently we’ve also watched the price of gold and platinum reach records highs. The United States
and British economies are slowing. According to investment bank Merill Lynch, the United States has entered what they’re calling a “full-blown economic recession”. Other banks have yet to call the economic situation in the United States a recession, but it might not be long until they do. Our economy, of course, is feeling the effect and slowing along with the rest. Our GNP growth rate is set to fall from just over five percent last year to two percent in 2008. This would be the slowest rate of GNP growth since the beginning of the 90’s Whether or not our own economy can bounce back strongly will depend on outside factors. And the rate at which we will bounce back will depend on whether the United States can avoid recession, whether or not the credit crunch eases off in the coming months and our ability to continue competing successfully in export markets
which, so far, we’ve been highly successful at. Our exports grew by eight percent last year. It’s difficult to make predictions about these three factors given how unstable world economies have been in 2007. But despite all the uncertainty of the past year, our economy is in a better position to face any instability and unpredictability than it ever has been in the past and so it seems realistic that we face 2008 and all the challenges it will bring with optimism.
Congestion charges in Dublin? DANIELLE RYAN BUSINESS & CAREERS EDITOR Before Christmas, I wrote an article for this page about Transport 21, the €34 billion infrastructure plan launched back in November 2005 by the former Minister for Irish Transport, Martin Cullen. Under this program, the government has committed to making significant transport improvements throughout the country (most of which have not met deadlines and some of which may take another five years to finish). If tomorrow we woke up with 500 extra buses on the Dublin roads, the biggest of our public transport service problems would be gone. Assuming we don’t wake up tomorrow with those 500 new buses on the roads, we’ll have to be happy enough with the knowledge that a plan is in place to get them out there as soon as possible. Improving Dublin Bus is the best way to transform the
Irish city’s public transport service faster than the Metro or Luas extensions ever could. We’re told that 500 extra buses in Dublin city, in addition to the 1182 buses currently on the Dublin roads, is the number needed to make all the difference. An Oireachtas committee has set a target of getting 350 of those buses on the roads in the next two years. This is a great opportunity for Dublin Bus to become one of the most reliable in Europe. Despite my negative attitude towards Dublin infrastructure and planning the last time I wrote about this, it appears that some good work is actually being done. Some steps forward include Dublin City Council’s pushing forward of traffic management plans that will remove cars from O’Connell Street and College Green. Efforts are also being made to improve our bus lanes by the Quality Bus Service Network Office and 2009 is the deadline set for the in-
troduction of the new integrated ticking system. We need all the incentives we can to take as many cars off the roads as possible. Improving the bus service is the best way to start going about this seriously, but maybe it’s time to start another debate. New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg proposed a traffic congestion fee for the island of Manhattan in 2007 as part of his PlaNYC 2030 sustainability program for the city. The plan has yet to be approved by the New York State Legislature, but assuming it is approved, it could take effect within eighteen months. This proposal can be compared to congestion pricing programs in London, Singapore and Stockholm. Is it time to introduce congestion charges here? Maybe not right now. It might be more practical to wait until the new buses arrive and the Luas extensions and the Metro are all up and running, but it is certainly a debate worth starting.
businessandcareers@trinitynews.ie
Hilary term, Week 2
Science&Technology
20 FACTS
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tΩ impress YOUR M∆TES Compiled by Luke Maishman
Salts and other minerals are washed into the sea by rivers. Water evaporates over time, but the salt does not. The oceans now contain enough salt to cover all the continents to a depth of 150 metres, about the height of a 40 storey office building!
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WHY CAN’T I TICKLE MYSELF?
When you go to tickle yourself, you are in complete control and, so, don’t get tense. Ticklish reaction laughter is a result of a mild state of panic induced by lack of control and fear that the tickle may hurt.
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WHY IS RED MEAT RED AND WHITE MEAT WHITE?
Microwave heats by jiggling water and fat molecules in the food, causing them to emit heat into the surrounding food. Unfortunately the temperature range and wet nature of the heat source mean that the Maillard Reactions cannot occur in microwave-cooked food. These are a lot of the browning that we see in conventionally cooked food, similar to caramelisation. However, it is possible to buy a convection microwave, which combines browning and crisping of food with traditional microwave oven functions.
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Solid cheese is, in fact, lots of long chain protein molecules in fatty, watery matrix. Most of the proteins are coiled up like spaghetti. When the cheese is heated, the fats and proteins melt. The protein chains can then form strings, straightening out and sliding over each other.
WHY DO I ONLY EVER SEE ONE FACE OF THE MOON, NO MATTER HOW OFTEN I LOOK? The moon rotates on its own axis (the moons “day”) at exactly the same rate as it rotates around the Earth, but in the opposite direction! This means that the same face of the moon is always facing towards the Earth. (think of someone walking past a shop window, but turning to keep facing the window as they pass. The shopkeeper only ever sees their face, but if they hadn’t turned she would have seen their back as they walked away).
WHY IS THE SKY BLUE? This is called Rayleigh scattering. Different frequencies of light are scattered by different amounts by the gases in the atmosphere. Blue light is scattered ten times more than red; much of it is deflected downward, causing the sky to appear blue.
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WHAT WOULD I WEIGH ON MARS? The strength of the gravity on Mars is 38% that on Earth, so if you weigh 15 stone after your Christmas excess, then on Mars you would weigh only 5.7 stone (approx five stone, nine pounds and twelve ounces).
WHY DO STARLINGS AND OTHER BIRDS FLY SO CLOSE TOGETHER AND CLOSE BEHIND EACH OTHER? IT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE SO EASY TO CRASH! Firstly, those that have not made the journey before do not get lost. Secondly, groups of birds are better able to escape from predators than a bird on its own. Finally, air turbulence from the birds at the front of the flock actually aids the flight of those behind. Birds are even seen to rotate positions, taking it in turns to have a rest at the back. DOES THE MAYFLY REALLY ONLY LIVE FOR ONE DAY? No. Mayflys live for several months as a larva at the bottom of the stream before moulting into the shortlived adult that we see. Interestingly there is a fly found in Africa (Cicada) which sleeps for seventeen years before emerging to spend only two weeks awake frantically mating before dying.
WHATS THE LARGEST LIVING THING ON EARTH? Many might say the elephant, though even the largest elephant appears tiny when compared to a blue whale, which is the largest animal alive. Weighing in at about 180 tonnes and often 30 m long, just the tongue of one of these giants weighs as much as an adult elephant. But the largest living structure on Earth is the Great Barrier Reef at over 2000 kilometres long!
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When the onion is sliced, chemicals inside it form volatile propanthiol s-oxide, which evaporates. This reacts with the water in your eyes to form sulphuric acid (found in car batteries), propanol and hydrogen sulphide. These irritate the eye and your body responds by trying to dilute the acids and wash them away, by producing tears.
There is a special tendon from the thigh muscle reaching down over knee, round ankle and under toes. This arrangement causes weight of bird to bend knee and pull tendon tight, closing claw (on perch).
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WHY DOES SLICING ONIONS MAKE MY EYES WATER?
WHY DON’T BIRDS FALL OFF THEIR PERCHES WHEN SLEEPING?
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WHY DOES CHEESE GO STRINGY WHEN IT IS WARMED?
While the wax of the candle is the fuel, it is not flammable in its solid form. It will only burn in gaseous (vapour) form, which is what the flame is. The wick already has solid wax in it; when the candle is lit, the heat of the match flame melts and then vaporises this wax. The pool of melted wax that appears below the wick is continuously sucked up the wick, vaporises and catches fire at the tip.
Only one animal is thought to cry apart from Homo sapiens and that is the elephant.
Meat is the muscle of the animal. The red colour is caused primarily by myoglobin in the muscle, a protein involved in oxygen transfer from the blood to the muscle. As well as genetic differences between animals, muscle that is used more often needs more oxygen and so contains more myoglobin: The legs of a (free range) chicken are often a redder meat than the breast.
WHY WON’T MY FOOD GO CRISPY IN THE MICROWAVE?
WHY DOES THE WAX OF A CANDLE NOT ALL CATCH FIRE?
DO ANY ANIMALS CRY?
WHY IS MILK WHITE? This is caused by emulsified fat/oil droplets. Milk is an oil-in-water emulsion; since it doesn’t dissolve in water, the fat forms tiny droplets which scatter light passing through the milk. This causes the water to appear white in the same way that the water droplets in clouds make them appear white.
Tech Specs
WHY IS THE SEA SALTY?
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HOW FAR IS IT TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH? About 6378 kilometres (3963 miles). But after only 66 km (41 miles), you would be through the solid crust of the Earth and into the molten magma (lava) below! If you could survive the harsh conditions (temperature near that at the surface of the Sun and very high pressure), you would be weightless at the Earths centre – Ironically all the gravity cancels out. But perhaps not the easiest way to lose weight. . .
WILL LICKING STAMPS MAKE ME FAT? Probably not.The glue does have energy content, but not much. Each stamp carries up to 1/10th of a calorie’s worth of glue so if you had a LOT of letters to write. . (!) But you would probably use up more energy in writing the letters than gain from the glue.
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WHY DO WE BLUSH? Blushing is like a universal symbol of apology. It is strongly liked to feelings of embarrassment. The blush is caused by blood vessels in your cheeks (and elsewhere) dilating, bringing more blood close to the surface (causing the red colour). This is caused by your body’s involuntary flight or flight response to embarrassment and is triggered by adrenaline.
WHAT CAUSES THUNDER? Lightning! But more specifically, the air around the lightning bolt is superheated to about five times the temperature of the Sun (!); this causes the air to expand faster than the speed of sound, which compresses the next bit of air and forms a shock-wave. We hear it as thunder.
John O’Reilly
SONY BLU-RAY High Def turning Blu Blu-ray is looking to be the winner in the format war for the next generation of optical discs. So far it has been a battle of Toshiba’s HD DVD and Sony’s Blu-ray format. The success of one over the other depends on more than the technical specs of the formats, and hinges largely on take up by movie studios and other content providers. Last week marked a landmark milestone in the two year jostle for supremacy, with movie studio Warner deciding to abandon HD DVD in favour of Blu-ray, leaving only Paramount and Universal as HD DVD’s supporters. Blu-ray now boasts a lineup of proponents that include Sony, Disney, Fox, Lion’s Gate and now Warner, which brings with it New Line and HBO. Blockbuster Video, the largest DVD rental chain in the world, is also backing the Blus. Paramount and Universal’s contracts with the HD DVD camp expires at the end of January and rumors have it that these will not be renewed with the last two studios then jumping ship. The army of Blu-ray players sitting below people’s TVs far outweighs the paltry 750000 HD DVD players knocking about, with Sony’s PS3 alone providing 5.5 million players. The ubiquity of the PS3 and its hunger for Blu-ray discs is itself enough to sway Blu-ray in the clash. In terms of content, 23 of the top 25 selling DVDs last year were released on Blu-ray and what could be the final nail in HD DVD’s cylindrical coffin is the arrival of porn, formerly an HD DVD exclusive, on Blu-ray discs. While Sony won’t admit this as an achievement, VHS’s embrace of blue movies are what won it the battle over Betamax in the video format war of the 1970’s. Toshiba is leaving HD DVD players on the market as an option for naive consumers, but Toshiba, if you’re reading this, it’s time to throw in the towel: the future is almost certainly Blu.
Digital Rights DRM dying a deserved death “Fight and you may die. Run and you will live..” William Wallace was, by most accounts, not thinking of song downloads at the time, but his speech does still bear meaning on the state of DRM today. Sony has joined the other “Big Three” of music labels, EMI, Universal and Warner in the ranks of those offering paid music downloads without digital rights management. The fight against consumers is ending with the music labels deciding to “run” with consumer demands. Music is so freely available on the internet that it only makes sense for the labels to give in to consumers to some extent and eek revenue from those that will otherwise steal. Pirating music is effortless and so, when people are good enough to pay for their music, they should be rewarded by owning their copy outright, without being tied to constraints imposed by the labels. Opposers of DRM point out that Digital Rights Management is a misnomer and should be more accurately called Digital Restrictions Management. The rights it offers are the rights to use the media according to the wants of the labels. DRM imposes limitations on the use of legitimately acquired digital media which do not match the fair use rights granted by law with their purchase. By abolishing DRM, purchased music is opened up to all devices and is sold without any strings attached regarding burning to CD or transfer between computers. While this is of no relevance to those that fire up Limewire every chance they get, it still shows that “The Man” is beginning to buckle and change to meet what consumers want, and will ultimately result in a better deal for consumers. It is a tricky situation and one that will only pan out over time, but it is good to see companies taking tentative steps to losing the shackles they have on their media. Amazon’s music download service will have music from all four labels available DRM free starting next month.
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Hilary Term, Week 2
Big Sham on Tyneside as Allardyce is given the boot CONNEL MCKENNA SPORT FEATURES EDITOR In sacking Sam Allardyce, Newcastle United’s billionaire owner Mike Ashley may have gained the blank canvas he feels he needs to redirect an ailing giant of English football, but he has taken a significant gamble in aquiring it. For now, at least, Newcastle’s rapid turnover of managers continues apace and with it, the instability at the club increases. Another set of players will now have to ready themselves to impress another new manager, who in turn, will have to begin another lengthly process in restructuring his predecessor’s playing staff. Let’s just hope that whoever is given the job, whoever is brave enough to take it on, is given the time to form his own squad. It is only then that a manager can be fairly judged and it is glaringly obvious that Allardyce was not afforded sufficient opportunity to do this. Allardyce inherited a squad of players which had been horribly underachieving for the previous four seasons. It was a squad which had been without a top-class defender since Jonathan Woodgate was sold in the summer of 2004 and the club had attempted to reinvest the money in buying Wayne Rooney from Everton. Such skewered thinking resulted in Newcastle’s squad becoming topheavy with quality attackers who were not supplemented with similar class at the back. To any keen-eyed observer, the task facing Allardyce was a difficult, and in all likelihood protracted, one. Those same observers, though, would have perceived sense in the appointment, as Allardyce had a compelling track record in turning a struggling club, in Bolton Wanderers, around. It was also the chance at a club of grander scale that “Big Sam” had been waiting for. Unfortunately no sooner was Sam getting comfortable behind his desk then those responsible for his appointment were clearing theirs. Mike Ashley bought Sir John Hall out of his 41% stake in the club just ten days after Allardyce signed on the dotted line and took the club off the stock exchange less than a month later. The safety net of guaranteed confidence at boardroom level had been removed much more quickly than the new manager could have expected and Allardyce must have sensed, even then, that the pressure on him to get results early had increased significantly. To his credit, he seemed to continue with his initial strategy, when there must have been a temptation to look for the short-term success that would have bougt him the time he needed to see his vision come to fruition. More regular inclusion (injury permitting) of Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins,
Emre and Steven Taylor would seemingly have pacified the restless St. James’ Park crowd and possibly the owner, who is fond of sitting alongside the paying public at home games and would have witnessed the unrest at close quarters. Ultimately the courage Allardyce showed in his convictions was not enough to save him from a rather speedy axe, with those close to Ashley last week suggesting that he was entitled to entrust his own choice of manager to give him return on the financial outlay he has already undertaken and those he will further undertake during his tenure as owner. Fair argument, but has has he just shown the door to the man bestequipped to eventually give him that return? Ashley has seen fit to trust his instincts and attempt to steer Newcastle United through another period of instability, reasoning, it seems, that the club and its exmanager were just not compatible. It has to be said that he has not plucked this theory out of the skies. Under Allardyce Newcastle have produced insipid performances almost as a matter of course, while at times they have strayed into the realm of the abysmal. The performances in defeats at home to Liverpool and Portsmouth, in particular, were wincingly bad while those away to Derby and Wigan have rivalled them in their inadequacy. The man himself had acknowledgd this recently, saying after defeat at the JJB Stadium, “Everyone can have an off-day, but our off-days are really off.” Allardyce’s style of play had also provoked bile at St. James’ Park, with the direct style he favoured at Bolton being copy-and-pasted onto his Magpies side. This will never do in even the medium-term with a following among whom Kevin Keegan’s brand of swashbuckling attacking football is still fondly and longingly remembered and not even in the short-term when not supported by results. Allardyce has rather unfairly been branded a “small-club manager” whose basic methods have been exposed at a big club, but it is difficult to belive that the man who has revolutionised game-preparation among English coaches with his utilisation of sports-science and technology could be so limited in his thinking and abilities. Given time, Allardyce’s tactics would surely have evolved along with his team. Sven-Goran Eriksson may have shown that it is possible to alter drastically a club’s fortunes in one transfer window, but if the decision makers on Tyneside are setting this as their standard, they are likely to plunder their way through five more managers in the next three years. What the Swede has done this season at Manchester City is nothing short of sensational, but we cannot yet know whether this improvement will be
consolidated. Also Eriksson was fortunate enough to inherit a side containing two fine centre-halves in Richard Dunne and Micah Richards, and as such, had a bedrock on which to base his blueprint for improvement. Allardyce was not so fortunate. The starting point in order to improve a side like the one he inherited from Glenn Roeder – one that was often comical at the back – is solidifying, becoming more adept at preventing the opposition from scoring. As Allardyce, unlike Eriksson, had to buy in a foundation capable of doing this, there was always going to be an element of uncertainty as to whether he would get it right the first time around. As it turns out, he probably didn’t. Too many of Allardyce’s signings have so far appeared to be ill-judged. Claudio Cacapa, David Rozenhal and Jose Enrique have failed in their purpose of introducing improved quality to the backline, while in midfield Geremi has made little impact and Joey Barton has spent too much time either on the sidelines or in police custody. Allardyce also at times availed of his squad in a questionable manner, with James Milner and Martins being asked to play as wing-forwards on occasion and Alan Smith being regularly deployed in midfield. However, unlike with his predecessors as Newcastle manager, it was at least clear that Allardyce had identified the problem within the squad he inherited. With Abdoulaye Faye also being signed, he had invested in three centre-halves and two full-backs (Enrique and Habib Beye), as well as steely midfielders in Barton, Geremi and even Smith, more naturally a striker. He also succeeded in selling Titus Bramble, the very personification of the club’s defensive problems since Bobby Robson’s time in charge. Some of the men Allardyce brought in will still be regarded as failures when they eventually follow him out of the door marked “Exit” and some will improve with time that their manger was not granted. At Manchester United in the late 80’s, Alex Ferguson signed men such as Gary Pallister, Neil Webb, Mike Phelan and Peter Schmiechel in his self-imposed quest to “knock Liverpool off their fucking perch,” and all four suffered from uninspiring beginnings to their United careers. While Webb and Phelan were never able to improve on their early showings, Pallister and Schmiechel, of course, went on to become United legends. For this reason and more, Ferguson is the first point of reference when it comes to arguing that football managers should always be given the time to shape their ideas - especially those with impressive CVs. It can also be assumed that Allardyce had been in the process of implementing the use of scientific
analytical technology that had served him so well in his eight years at The Reebok Stadium. As the first man to introduce the use of this technology into his managership of a football team in England, Allardyce was expert in it, and Bolton’s successes during his time there would indicate that Newcastle may have lost a significant advantage on their competitors in dispensing of his utilization of it. The technology may remain, but the professor is gone. The fact is that Newcastle end their asssociation with Allardyce with the club no worse off, in terms of league position, than they were when he was appointed. They remain in thirteenth, the position in which they finished last season, maintaining an admittedly poor league position, but doing so while a new squad was still in the process of knitting together and while key players like Owen and Damien Duff remained largely unavailable through injury. These truths make Allardyce’s fate see all the more unjust. Sustained success and progress at football clubs are often attributed to stability, both at boardroom and managerial level, and not without reason. The glaring example of Ferguson has already been alluded to and Arsenal’s growth and success under the stewardship of Arsene Wenger is another. These are clubs currently on a different level to Newcastle United, so perhaps Mike Ashley, Chris Mort and the others charged with taking the club forward should note the recent upward trajectory of Everton, under David Moyes. Moyes’ impact on his arrival in March 2002 may have been immediately positive (he succeeded in keeping Everton up that year and steered them to a seventh place finish the following season), but as the club finished with their lowest ever points tally in his second full season, many managers would have been jettisoned. Everton maintained their faith, though and after following that miserable season with a remarkable fourth-place finish in 2005, Moyes has establshed Everton as a top-half team. Currently, they would appear to be the most capable Premier League side outside of England’s “big four.” Ultimately Ashley did not trust Allardyce’s vision in the way that Everton trusted Moyes. He seems willing to trade more short-term instability for the installation of a man whose long-term deliverance he is surer of. After Saturday’s thumping at Old Trafford, the scale of the rot that has set in at St. James’s Park has become all the more evident, but it was not not caused by Allardyce, it is something that he was having to wrestle with during his time there. Ashley will need to make sure of getting his first appointment right, and giving his man the appropriate time to turn Newcastle around – more time than was afforded Big Sam.
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TRINITY NEWS
Hilary Term, Week 2
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SportFeatures
The weird and wacky world of internet sports discussion forums NEIL FRANKLIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER If television was once the great time-waster of choice for the bored and the downright lazy, the last decade has seen the internet take over that mantle. Everyone knows about the social networking websites where you can waste hours writing pointless messages to friends and checking out the lives of complete strangers. But another great internet time-waster comes in the shape of discussion boards or forums. There is a forum out there for literally anything and anyone. Sports forums are some of the busiest on the web. Internet discussion boards are at their busiest during the working day, as bored office workers take time out from their humdrum 9-5 existence to post comments or sometimes long essays on the latest happenings, while also keeping one eye open to avoid being caught by their boss. Most sports forums have a similar format. You have the hardcore posters, who pride themselves on their high post count (1000 posts would definitely qualify you as a hardcore poster) who consider themselves to be a sort of internet royalty, the
ones whose opinions really matter. These posters almost become a clique and woe betide anyone who dares question the opinions of the clique, especially a new poster. There are the occasional posters, and then there are the “lurkers”,those who never post but are avid viewers. Lurkers make up the vast majority of users of these sites. This writer will readily admit to being a hopeless forum addict. I post sometimes on An Fear Rua (a GAA-based forum) and Gaaboard.com. However, I’m more of a lurker than a contributor. I also ”lurk” on Football365.com, Munsterfans.com, Rugby365.com, Kerrydale Street, which is a Celtic supporters forum and Our Wee Country, a Northern Ireland football supporters website, as well as a few others I visit occasionally. I try and keep it to just those few. There are not enough hours in the day! After reading a forum for awhile, you begin to build up a picture of what kind of person the regular posters are – their internet persona. For example one of the most notorious posters on one board I read has built up a persona of himself as a Celtic FC and Wexford GAA fanatic, is also a WWE Wrestling and cricket expert, as well as a Eurovision Song Contest and Home and Away addict. You’ll start to like certain posters, and think
others are fools. Some forums, for example, Boards.ie, allow no personal abuse of other posters, but many of the sports forums do allow it. On sites like Rugby365 and An Fear Rua, the backbiting can be vicious and hilarious at the same time. Forums are the refuge of the sports journalist suffering from writers block or those who are simply lazy. Ideas for columns often come straight from internet forum threads. Sports forums are a goldmine for rumours, such as during Ireland’s disastrous performance in the Rugby World Cup, when a trawl through various sites would have revealed an almost endless list of rumours and conspiracy theories about why the team was performing so badly. Fights amongst players, gambling problems, problems over women, conspiracy theories for players retiring - you name it, it was there. If you’re a sports fanatic, it’s often more worthwhile to get opinion and analysis from these forums than from newspapers. While there is admittedly a lot of rubbish written, some of the analysis given can often be more worthwhile than newspapers. These sites are a haven for the amateur journalist, those who had the good sense to opt for a better-paid career than journalism, but in reality, missed their vocation. Most sports forums also have sections where you
can discuss everyday events, be it music, what’s on the telly or the stupid antics of your friends and these topics can be extremely funny. But some of the political discussion on the likes of Gaaboard.com and Our Wee Country can be extremely strong stuff. Forums usually also have “trolls” or “wummers” (wind up merchants), who as the name suggests, write something blatantly untrue or stupid to get a reaction from unsuspecting posters. On one sports forum I read there was recently an orchestrated “wumming” raid on another site where women discuss weddings and their love life. The results were simply car crash reading. Another poster to the same sports forum claimed to be posting on a British Army veterans board pretending that he had been stationed in South Armagh during the troubles and that his Walter Mitty-like existence even led him into arranging a meet-up with other veterans. Suffice to say, he didn’t turn up. Reading different forums can give you a topic of conversation for any occasion, not just for sport. Beware though. Log on and before you know it you’ve been staring at a screen for two, maybe three hours. Internet forums will waste your time and they are addictive.
Meaningless tournament a threat to the future of domestic football MARK MCDERMOTT CONTRIBUTING WRITER The Republic of Ireland’s recently established Under 23 panel played their first-ever match at Dalymount Park against Slovakia accompanied by little fanfare. The 2200 fans present watched the team, composed entirely of players from the League of Ireland, stroll to a 2-0 victory in what was an entirely one sided affair. Despite the lack of a tenable opponent and the deep, permeating cold, the match was an enjoyable occasion, if only for the fact that it gave Irish fans the chance to witness that rarest of accomplishments, a dominant Irish team romping to victory. The UEFA-sanctioned European Challenge Trophy is an eight team competition made up of two groups of four with a one off final in spring 2009. It is an expansion of an older tournament which featured just four teams, England, Holland, Italy and Belgium. Holland have been replaced with Finland whilst the Republic of Ireland,
Northern Ireland, Wales and Slovakia have joined the fray. Despite this promising line-up of teams that have been relatively successful at senior level, the tournament becomes less impressive when the underbelly is studied. The purpose is unclear, with players from all teams fulfilling different criteria to be eligible to play. For example, England’s representatives this year are from the Conference, and are referred to as the national “C” team and Slovakia’s entrants are based on a composite of U21 and fringe players. Once a player has played in a game, he is eligible to play for the rest of the tournament. There is no centralised rulebook to create a level playing field, and, perhaps more tellingly, no central website for the competition. So what is the point? Why invest anything in such a venture? In a recent article in a national newspaper, Johnny Giles gave his views on what was wrong with the Ireland team and found answers close to home. He pointed the finger of blame at the lack of a flourishing domestic league in Ireland and
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urged heavy investment to rectify this situation. He also criticised the facilities in the League of Ireland, citing this as a major reason for the “stay away” attitude of Irish people towards the Eircom League and their subsequent attachments to English and Scottish premier league teams. Giles took time to praise those who are proactive in their desire to improve the league, singling out Garrett Kelleher, the owner of St.Patricks’ Athletic, who has stated his ambition to turn his club into a team capable of competing in European competition. Furthermore Kelleher has also taken steps to establish a youth academy at St. Pats, perhaps making him the first man in Irish football history to have a concerted longterm plan for his club. The question must be asked as to whether or not this type of tournament is of benefit to the League of Ireland. There is nothing tangible at stake. Ireland winning an Under-23 European Championship against teams of inferior quality will not make Europe sit up and take notice. One of the positive
features of the tournament put forward by the management team and the FAI - that it gives the players a chance to represent their country - is a moot point. This is a poor substitute for the real thing. By far the most damaging aspect of the whole tournament from a League of Ireland perspective is that it promises to rid the league of much of its brightest hopes for the future, players around whom this league should be hoping to build and grow. A noticeable feature of the crowd attending the game against the Slovaks, apart from the plethora of young schoolchildren availing of free tickets provided by the FAI, was the sizeable contingent of scouts from English and Scottish clubs, and this tournament has provided a veritable feast for the vultures seeking to lure our top young talent away from the league. What they saw will, no doubt, have done much to encourage their overtures. Killian Brennan of Derry City caused problems with every one of his numerous set pieces while Longford Town’s Dave Mooney displayed the talents that have already
seen English scouts showing an interest. Brennan and Gavin Peers grabbed the goals in a comfortable 2-0 victory for Ireland Speaking after the game, under 23 coach Pat Fenlon echoed the sentiments of Johnny Giles and lamented the lack of a footballing culture in Ireland whilst lavishing praise on his young wards. When questioned as to whether or not the tournament is a good thing for domestic soccer, Fenlon admitted that it might herald an exodus of talent from the league. “It puts the best young candidates in the shop window, no doubt”, he agreed. However, domestic football’s most successful manager of recent years argued that this was inevitable in the circumstances and that it wasn’t a bad thing, saying, “What’s needed is the development of a football culture in Ireland, it just doesn’t exist at the moment. We need strong clubs, better facilities and better advertisement of our product, which, as is clear, is very strong. I can see some players leaving after this game, there were some tremendous individual per-
formances”. Refusing to single out any one player, he hailed the Irish teamwork and gave reasons as to why they found it so comfortable. “The lads haven’t been together for long and so I was delighted with the team effort shown, especially in the first half. They found that they had more time on the ball compared to your average League of Ireland game and that allowed them to express themselves more.” Fenlon perhaps was guilty of repeating an oft repeated line- that Irish football has been in the doldrums for a long time and that, although the product is there, there just aren’t the facilities or ambition to keep it in Ireland. Whilst the FAI is content to take a backseat in all this, and indeed throw money at a meaningless tournament which only serves as a showpiece for the League’s brightest talent to escape their country for the riches on offer in Britain, it is left to men like Garrett Kelleher and his ilk to privately fund a revolution in Irish soccer that will take years to come full circle.
TRINITY NEWS
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Hilary term, Week 2
SportingLegends
A Professor of the Sweet Science Professor David Scott is a senior member of the French Department who has become a respected figure in the boxing ring. Jonathan Drennan drops in for some verbal sparring
T
he Trinity College Arts Block was never built with individualism in mind. Hundreds of anonymous windowless rooms remain ignored by students and academics alike on their daily travels. However, on the third floor of the building stands Professor David Scott’s room. A stalwart of the French Department, Scott’s room reflects a colourful personality. An art lover, the room is surrounded by paintings of all descriptions. Stuck to a non descript metal cabinet is a small drawing of two men boxing on a ship bound for South Africa. This picture was drawn by Scott himself and shows him at his happiest, engaged in an impulsive sparring session that leaves him both exhausted and ecstatic. Scott has been boxing for much of his life, learning the basics of the sport at his Grammar School in England. His love for the toughest of all sports has manifested itself both in study and competition. He has recently completed a book entitled “The Art and Aesthetics of Boxing” which will be published in 2008 by the University of Nebraska Press. However, fighting between the ropes is his first love and it shows no sign of waning. “There’s something about boxing I love,” he says. “It’s extrovert, it’s glamorous, it’s masculine and it manages to reveal your vulnerabilities, it’s only you and another guy in the ring and by the end of the fight he knows you better than your best friend, it’s massively fraternal.” Scott has taught at Trinity all of his working life, falling in love with Ireland on arrival, never wishing to return to England permanently. Scott’s extra-curricular life in the College has been varied, previously enjoying a period of work with the Douglas Hyde gallery. However, the Trinity Boxing Club has become his enduring love. Joining 5 years ago, Scott trains 3 times a week in the New Trinity Sports Hall, easily making friends with students of all ages. “When I walk into the gym, people think I’m a mature student, I’m certainly not seen as a Professor, I’m simply a mediocre journeyman boxer trying to keep fit.” Fighting across the globe, Scott has boxed in rings as diverse as the National Stadium in Dublin and Gleason’s Gym in New York. He visibly lights up when he talks of memorable bouts, remembering the boxer’s name and his traits in the ring. Climbing through the ropes remains an individual mystery for every boxer and Scott is candid about a fear that sometimes consumes him before lacing on this gloves. “Before you step into the
ring, you have a nightmare of anxiety, however, it’s amazing, once you step in, immediately you’re like an actor and you’ve taken on a role that consumes you.” Scott’s bookshelf is a reflection of a life devoted to academia. Filled with volumes on Foucault and Barthes, he speaks enthusiastically of his research interests that include semiotics and text images. His professional life is often hectically busy, filled with the predictable barrage of meetings and lectures. A tatty timetable remains his saving grace, written in large print at the end of three days is his boxing training. “I’m lucky, I write a timetable and staff try to help me with my boxing, it becomes an absolute obsession, it was the same when I needed my running fix everyday.” In a sport as gruelling as boxing, injuries remain a constant worry due to the frequent blows sustained to the head and the body. Luckily, Scott has been blessed with a durable frame that has avoided serious harm, with cosmetic injuries only a temporary inconvenience. Scott admits that he’s occasionally been on the end of some stinging blows to the face, cheerfully remembering supervising a PhD student with a large black eye. “When you’re in the ring, you don’t really feel any pain at all, the adrenaline takes over, if you get hit badly all you want to do first and foremost is hit him back.” Boxing has become a common language for Scott, using it successfully to broker friendships across campus. Academics who become involved in college sport often help to break down unnecessary coldness between the teaching staff and the student body. In the boxing ring, to Scott’s joy, academic distinction counts for very little. One of his favourite sparring partners is a PhD student who was introduced to the sport by his academic supervisor. “It’s easy to get people involved, you take them into the gym, give them a set of gloves and a head-guard and show them the basics, with the PhD student our fights were often filmed and we’d have great fun watching them over a drink.” Having enjoyed success in white-collar boxing tournaments in the past, Scott is aiming to fight in a competitive bout as soon as possible. However, with middle age creeping up slowly, he has been forced to think of the future. Motivated to pass on his great love for boxing, Scott sees his immediate future in coaching. “I will be staying in Trinity boxing club for as long as I possibly can through coaching; I love seeing people getting confi-
dence through boxing, like all sport it proposes a discipline that helps when working in any team.” Scott’s desk is often cluttered; a shuttlecock, cricket ball, academic papers, a stopwatch and TCP antiseptic complete an odd array of brick-a-brack. However, they manage to reflect a hectic life spent in pursuit of excellence, whether that is in academia or sport. Instantly recognisable in his favoured combination of jeans and a Trinity boxing jumper, Scott is frequently greeted by students and academics alike. He admits there are rare days, “when I can’t step in the ring due to exhaustion and you go home feeling absolutely pathetic.” However, this period of inactivity never lasts long and the Trinity boxing club are always ready to welcome back their pugilistic Professor with open arms.
Biography Once an aspirin g car designer, Scott started hi reer at Warwic s academic cak University in England aiming goal. However to achieve this , his love for the arts left hi French and even m changing to tually completed a PhD at the U East Anglia. niversity of Has recently co mpleted a book of short stories Up on Copacab entitled “Cut ana and other stories”; some biographical, th of them autoey trace his fir st experiences engaged in hast as a schoolboy ily organised pl ayground fights the National St to his bout in adium in Dublin . “The Art and A esthetics of Bo xing” will be pu by the Univers blished in 2008 ity of Nebrask a press. An early compe titor in Irish W hite-Collar Bo ments, he com xing tournapleted a rigor ous training re Catskills Mount gime in the ains before sp arring at the w Gleason’s Gym orld famous in New York. Travelling remai ns a passion; Sc ott spent last su land with a Ph mmer in ThaiD student com pleting vital tran and watching Th slation work ai boxing at clos e quarters. Designed a 15 foot square N eo-Palladian co his back garden nser vatory in to house a uniq ue boxing gym boxing club for , hosting the an annual traini ng session.
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TRINITY NEWS
Hilary term, Week 2
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CollegeSport
Trinity’s athletes putting their best foot forward CAOIMHE HANLEY COLLEGE NEWS EDITOR Dublin University Harriers and Athletics club had a memorable weekend at the National Indoor Athletics Intervarsity Championships on 8 and 9 December in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, with the women’s team working hard to achieve overall third place and the club racking up some outstanding individual performances. One of the best results of the weekend was Men’s Athletics Captain Simon Taggart’s 400 metres win in a Trinty record time of 50.14 seconds. Also the National Intervarsity Outdoor Champion, Taggart had an inspirational run, coming from behind on the second lap to overtake a strong field on the last bend. Speaking about his win, Taggart believes that “The run sets me up well for the Indoor season. I’ll be racing in Nenagh again on 13 January, which is a trial for the Ireland squad, so getting on the team is one of my goals for the season. I’m also hoping to defend the outdoor title I won last year.” Women’s Harriers (long-distance) Captain Bryony Treston was an outstanding winner of the 1500m, winning in 5.05.20. Treston won the race by a considerable distance, having led for the entirety. Treston, a regular competitor for Ireland, was very pleased with her run, saying ‘“Winning the gold was a great feeling, especially after missing out on a medal in the Outdoors last year.” Women’s Athletics Captain Claire McGlynn also had a successful weekend, coming third in both the 400m individual final, and in the 4x200m relay. The relay team of McGlynn, Ruth Carson, Rioghna Moggan,
Aisling O’Brien, and sub Anna Nolan all ran well to set a new club record, coming third in 1.49.60secs. McGlynn’s individual final was not quite as successful, as she ran below her best to come in at 59.17 secs. However, as she says, she “got a medal all the same”, and she stands to be much improved by the National Intervarsity Outdoors. Elaine Baker, a PhD student and new addition to the Trinity squad, performed very well to take secnd in the 1500m walk, despite not having trained for the event, beating a very experienced Dublin City University girl in the process. The DUHAC men dominated the podium in the shot putt, with Mick McCarthy, David Keane and Hugh Fitzpatrick finishing second, third and sixth, in that order. The same men gathered valuable points in the 16kg weight for distance, with Fitzpatrick fourth, McCarthy fifth and Keane sixth, showing the strength in depth of Trinity’s throwers. Junior Freshman Becky Woods was “thrilled” with her first foray into intervarsity athletics, taking third place in a stiff 3000m field in a good time of 10.14.90. Trinity athletes Caitriona Hooper and Louise Bernard also featured in this well contested race, finishing fifth and seventh respectively. Fellow Freshers Anna Nolan and Andrea Moroney also had a great start to their intervarsity careers, finishing fouth and seventh respectively in the weight for distance. Anna, who threw 5m58cm, was competing in the event for the first time, and so drew much admiration for her efforts. The Men’s and Women’s Athletics Captains, in charge of track and field events, were both delighted at their teams’ performances. McGlynn summed it up, saying “the competition went really well for Trinity,
One member of DUHAC at the recent Road Relays held in NUI Maynooth Photo courtesy of DUHAC
WITH
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
particularly the girl’s team. Preparation for these competitions starts back in October and we put a lot of work into organizing the team, so it was very satisfying when we come out with third place -especially when you’re up against universities like DCU who have many of the best athletes in the country. We picked up points in many
events and could have done even better if we had a bigger team - many athletes dropped out in the last few days, due to a multitude of reasons. Every athlete on the team put in their best effort, even those who hadn’t had much experience in their event. To top it all, when the Women’s overall third was added to the Men’s sixth, Trinity came fourth overall out of 16 colleges.’
Boat Club rowers return from state-of-the-art training in Spain GABRIEL MAGEE CONTRIBUTING WRITER The weekend before term began, Dublin University Boat Club’s senior and novice squads finished their respective training camps in Seville, Spain, and Cappoquin, Co Waterford. Both camps were an overall success. While most students were relaxing at home, Trinity’s senior oarsmen were logging 40 kilometres a day in single sculls on the Guadalquivir River in Seville. To make the best use of the fantastic conditions, a training programme was devised which would allow all athletes to work towards the club’s single-sculling trophy, the CV Fox Memorial Cup.. The coveted trophy is presented to the club’s top sculler at the annual Trial Eights dinner. For a squad whose members had been training in each others’ shadows since September, this was a chance for individuals to shine. This year’s camp was broken into two halves: the first part was dedicated to single sculls, with the latter being rowed in coxless fours. After several days in Seville in the singles, it was time to make the transition to the sweep boats, but not before holding a sculling race to determine who would hold bragging rights for the year as the club’s top sculler. The ten competitors endured some tough racing, with margins of just a couple of metres producing close finishes over the 2000-metre course. In the final, Captain Joe Calnan was joined
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by last year’s winner Rob Swift, newcomer but experienced exClonmel sculler Peter Heverin, and Eoin MacDomhnaill of last year’s senior eight. The race got off to a dramatic start, with Swift and Heverin forging an early lead. Calnan quickly dropped back while MacDomhnaill gathered himself from a shaky first few strokes to pick up pace. As the race progressed through the halfway point, Swift still led Heverin by just a few metres, with MacDomhnaill carefully balancing on the razor’s edge just a little way back. It is at this time when the long winter hours alone on the river, the seemingly endless pieces on the erg in the gym, and the countless weights sessions pay dividends. As with all truly close races, it was a battle of wills which pushed the competitors past their breaking points, but it was MacDomhnaill who surged through from third place to cross the line first. A racer in every sense, it was the first time in recent history that one of DUBC’s “heavyweights” had taken the crown. This victory is only made sweeter for MacDomhnaill by the fact that he was the only one among the finalists to take up the sport at Trinity, the other three all arriving with rowing backgrounds. The squad spent the rest of the camp in coxless fours pacing off of each other. The speed of both the lighter and heavier fours in Seville further demonstrates that the small boat skills that have been learned are transferring to the larger, target boats.
RONAN HAUGHEY
At roughly the same time in Waterford, our new members were being reintroduced to the sport after their Christmas vacation. It was, for those who had neglected their training over the break, a bit of a rude awakening, but after a few outings everyone was a little less rusty and settled into the rhythm of the camp: up early for a morning session lasting roughly two hours on the water, back for lunch briefly, and then out again for a more technical spin in the afternoon. By the time the last spin was done, there was just enough time to strip off wet kit and shower before dinner, which was usually followed by a review of the days rowing and a video session to analyze and improve technique. This left just enough time for a (single) quiet pint before bed, though many found themselves too tired even for this. The vandalism which occurred on Saturday night, which is reported elsewhere, was a shock to everyone attending the Waterford camp. Thankfully the majority of our boats
had been safely stored overnight and were not harmed, leaving only one four damaged. More extensive damage was sustained by boats belonging to Dublin University Ladies’ Boat Club. While the perpetrator of this crime may have initially witnessed the shock and dismay of the rowers upon discovering the boats ruined, he would have quickly been disappointed, as both clubs quickly rallied and put their crews on the water for the final paddle of the camp. Both of the Boat Club’s novice eights regained their composure and battled each other in near perfect conditions, splitting a pair of ten-minute pieces at race pace, ending the camp on a high note. The club finished both camps ready to begin the head – or time trial – racing season. The senior squad races in boats of all sizes at St. Michael’s Head of the River in Limerick on 26 January, while the novice men will compete in the eight in Dublin Head of the river on 9 February.
Beginner lessons, race training, the British University Championships and possibly Trinity’s largest trip abroad ever; this year has been a year of firsts for the Dublin University Snow Sports Club. Started in 2000, the club has grown significantly to over 500 members with a record sign-up last October. Shortly after Freshers’ Week, the club began running lessons for beginner and intermediate skiers up on Kilternan Dry Slope near Stepaside. Every Monday night, whether by bus or car, around twenty people on average made the trip up to the slope for lessons. By the end of Michelmas term, over 70 people had been up at least once. To help encourage the first timers, the club subsidized members’ first lesson to give them a taste of skiing or snowboarding free of charge. This proved to be really effective with nearly everyone coming up for a second or third time. Much of the funding from our sponsors, Windmill Sports, went towards the free lessons. In conjunction with the lessons every Monday night, we also began race training for intermediate and advanced skiers. This was an ideal opportunity for people to get tips on skiing fast on artificial snow as well as improved their technique for real snow. Training was provided by our Race Captain Carolyn Dent-Neville along with Unversity College Dublin Race Captain Laura Swaine, both of whom race for the Irish ski team. In early November, ten DUSSC members travelled to the British University Dry-Slope Championships, the biggest event in the British snow sports calendar. The Championships took place in Edinburgh on “Hillend” - the longest dry ski slope in Europe. Hillend is notorious for being a difficult and dangerous slope to ski and nerves were high as we set off. The competition took place over a period of two days and included events such as the slalom, giant slalom and dual slalom, as well as freestyle and big air competitions. This was DUSSC’s first time competing in an international event and it was many people’s first experience at racing however, we managed to represent ourselves very well. Most notably Kate McShera came sixth overall in the Slalom and ninth in the G.S. out of 214 female racers. Despite the many bruises and one broken hand, the weekend was a huge success. It was a wonderful chance for everybody to experience some racing and hopefully our success at this event will lead the way for us to compete at more university events in the coming year! In December we took a record 130 students on our Christmas trip to Les Arcs in the French Alps. The snow had been pouring down for weeks before we arrived and with the temperatures down well below zero during the days, it stayed absolutely fresh throughout the week with blue skies each day. Many of the nights on the trip were “themed” with people turning out in a fantastic range of costumes for Hawaiian, 80’s and Back to School nights in the local “Red Hot Saloon” with over 600 students from British universities. We had a mix of skiers and boarders who ranged from total first-timers to powder-junkies, so everyone found a partner on the slopes. On the Wednesday night, we had fondue on the mountain for all of the colleges followed by a disco and then a torch lit descent to the resort. This night was a sell-out and probably the highlight of the trip. Overall the week was a huge success and we think everyone enjoyed it. There were no real injuries this year, which was a huge relief considering a couple of bad falls on last year’s trip! 2008 will see the lessons and race training continue on Monday nights. Our main competition, the Intervarsities, will take place in early March and should be a fantastic event, with sox colleges confirmed to compete. Look out for the posters around college in the weeks before the event! If you would like to get involved in the club, please email us at dusnowsports@gmail.com or join our Facebook group DUSSC, where you can check out photos from all our trips and events this year. All our news and updates are also posted on our website www.dusnowsports.com
TRINITY NEWS
P24
Hilary term, Week 2
CollegeSport
The Team DUHC 1
Aaron Jolley
2
Aengus Stanley
3
Conor O’Sullivan
4
Graham O’Neill
5
Nick Odlum
6
Johnny Orr
7
Andrew Beverland
8
Hal Sutherland
9
Craig Moore
10
Scott McKechnie
12
Ben Hewitt (c)
13
Florian Wimber
Renewing sporting acquaintances with Cambridge has become a priority for clubs in Trinity who are eager to make up for decades of inactivity between the two ancient universities. However, this dispirited performance from Dublin University Hockey Club on a freezing cold January afternoon has posed more questions than it has answered.Photo: Jessica Packenham-Money
Cambridge and Balbirnie give Trinity boys the January blues DUBLIN UNIVERSITY HC: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HC:
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JONATHAN DRENNAN COLLEGE SPORT EDITOR A new year brings new resolutions. Lecture attendance increases, alcohol dependence decreases and Dublin University Hockey Club start a new year motivated and hungry to fight for their promotion push to Division One. Unfortunately one week into term, all of these promises seem even more ridiculous than ever as Trinity crumbled to a embarrassing fivw goal defeat against a touring Cambridge University side on Wednesday at Santry. This game marked the return of Phillip Balbirnie, a former mainstay in the DUHC ranks who lined out in the turquoise blue of Cambridge after recently completing his postgraduate studies in England. Unfortunately Balbirnie’s return to his former hunting ground was tempered by his ability to create most of Cambridge’s attacking opportunities. A diminutive figure,
Balbirnie’s lack of stature is compensated by quick acceleration and outstanding vision in being able to pick out available players. Indeed Balbirnie was at the centre of activity as Cambridge opened the scoring with a well-worked short corner early in the game giving them a lead of 1-0. A mid-week fixture on a freezing cold January day was never going to prove the biggest motivator for a group of players who have just returned from a long Christmas break. Injury and work commitments shore Trinity of key players for the match, with Jason Bryan, Daire Coady, Barry Glavey and Richard Miles all conspicuous in their absence. However, the chance to play against an organised Cambridge outfit gave fringe players a rare opportunity to make their cases known to the selection panel. One such player, Florian Wimber, missed an early opportunity after a Graham O’Neill aerial pass had confused the Cambridge defence sufficiently to allow Hal Sutherland to send a measured pass into the circle almost uncontested. Indeed O’Neill’s often despairing passes provided the only attacking options for a DUHC side
who found themselves frequently under pressure to defend. Constantly Trinity were punished for holding the ball too long and were bamboozled by Cambridge’s superior passing and movement off the ball. Often difficult to watch, Trinity frustrated themselves and the few hardy spectators by their lethargic attitude that exposed a palpable lack of fitness compared to their well-drilled opposition. Technically, DUHC were equal or better than Cambridge, arguably possessing more naturally talented players. However, Cambridge’s fast game, spearheaded by the ebullient Balbirnie, managed to create vast open spaces in the Trinity defence, leading to a soft goal causing confusion throughout the home side. Perhaps pressurised by the surprise early score-line, individuals tried to force the game by themselves. Captain Ben Hewitt often cheaply lost possession in his willingness to stamp authority on the game and cajole his beleaguered teammates. Cambridge scored the third goal just before halftime to create a comfortable cushion that wasn’t likely to be transgressed.
Starting the game with only two substitutes due to aforementioned absences, Trinity suffered from fatigue throughout the game as exhausted players were forced to stay on the pitch against their will. Sensing an opportunity to wear Trinity’s colours for one final time, Balbirnie swapped his jersey and started the second-half in the starved DUHC forward line. It is symptomatic of Trinity’s lacklustre performance on the day that Balbirnie’s sterling efforts of the first half were forgotten and he became largely anonymous amongst his former colleagues. The second half was even worse than the first half, apart from the commendable renewed efforts of goalkeeper Aaron Jolley and defender Aengus Stanley, Trinity’s inadequacies were illuminated under a glaring spotlight. Throughout the second-half, there was a palpable lack of communication and organisation that gifted Cambridge possession. Indeed Cambridge could count themselves unlucky that they didn’t leave Dublin with more goals after they had what appeared to be a legitimate goal disallowed and later, they wasted a two
MAN OF THE MATCH Phillip Balbirnie After a year spent in Cambridge enjoying the finest sporting facilities available, returning to play at Santry must have presented a cruel shock to Balbirnie. However, he marked his return to the home of DUHC with a class display that highlighted how much he’s been missed since he finished his studies at Trinity. Relying on his quick speed of mind and foot, Balbirnie presented a continual headache to the DUHC defence throughout the match. A constant vocal presence, Balbirnie’s experience provided a young Cambridge side with a capable leader. Opting to play for his former university in the second-half, Balbirnie’s attempts to restore some pride for Trinity largely failed. Shackled by a rigid defence, he found it difficult to manipulate any tangible forward play for DUHC. However, his tireless running and accurate passing helped to motivate a demoralised Trinity side constantly on the back foot. A former president of the Knights of the Campanile, Balbirnie’s efforts provided a solitary spark on a dour day in North Dublin.
on one opportunity against a stranded Jolley. After Cambridge scored their fourth goal of the afternoon, Trinity’s frustration surfaced in badly timed late challenges. For the reminder of the half, Trinity spent their time attempting to catch turquoise jerseys. Frequent attacks were often thwarted more by Cambridge’s occasional ineptitude in front of goal than Trinity’s defensive application. A fifth goal from Cambridge was greeted by an eerie silence by both teams with only the solitary shrill blast of the whistle providing official confirmation of what had just happened. Renewing sporting acquaintances with Cambridge has become a priority for a number of clubs in Trinity who are eager to make up for decades of inactivity between the two ancient universities. However, a dispirited performance from DUHC on a freezing cold January afternoon has posed more questions than it has answered. Most pressing is whether a demoralised group of players can defeat the odds and return to the top-flight, on the evidence of this haphazard display, it appears doubtful.
Resurgent Trinity defeat the odds DUFC: DLSP:
20 18
OLIVER NORTH STAFF WRITER Trinity 1st XV proved they were made of stern stuff on Saturday 12 January after coming from 18-6 down to beat De La Salle Palmerstown 20-18. DLSP came to Trinity as favourites and third in AIB Division Two, five places above Trinity, but left empty handed. It was a cold and bleak day at College Park as Trinity kicked the game off, Johnny Watt putting the ball deep into DLSP’s territory. This was the giddy
highpoint of Trinity’s attacking play in the first half. DLSP looked half a yard quicker throughout their back line, producing some great rugby for the tries, whilst Trinity’s play was littered with unforced errors. Within a little over five minutes DLSP had scored, showing the kind of play that had got them to third place. They moved the ball from left to right wing with such remarkable pace that DLSP’s number fourteen, a Mr Karl Dechenu, was part of a two man overlap when he ran the ball over the line. The fly-half Phillip Debarra, a curious looking player with long red hair and a squeaky voice, converted well from wide as it began to look like just five places in
the league was presenting an insurmountable gap in class. Fifteen minutes later, this impression was cemented as DLSP’s number five broke through the Trinity line to set up the full back to score in the lefthand corner. This time the conversion was missed. But Trinity’s anaemic efforts with ball in hand gave no impression that this was any trouble for DLSP and their flame-haired fly-half. Penalties were exchanged and at the half-time whistle, Trinity trailed by 6 points to 15. Throughout history the morale-raising effects of inspirational speeches have often taken credit for victory on the field of battle; Henry at Agincourt, Churchill in 1940. It is suspected
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OF INTERNET SPORTS DISCUSSION FORUMS
SPORT FEATURE, P21
(by those who know) that Trinity coach Tony Smeeth’s half-time team-talk may have contained rather more expletives than either of the examples cited above, but it seemed to have a similarly impressive galvanizing effect on his troops. Despite falling behind at the start of the second half to another penalty, Trinity looked a completely different side. Johnny Watt, whose kicking was all that had kept Trinity just barely alive in the first half, became a titan. Two tries in quick succession at the beginning of the second half what sealed the game in terms of points, the first scored by inside-centre Conor Donohue despite suspicions of a forward pass from dissenting DLSP supporters.
The second, scored by Watt himself, was emblematic of Trinity’s play. Not for us the long passes and pacy wingmen that scored DLSP’s tries. Rather it was a result of quick hands, quick thinking, and quick running from the halfbacks. Scrum-half Joey Burns broke through the line beautifully before offloading to Watt who beat the full-back and run it in under the posts. With both conversions the score was now 20-18. Still close, but DLSP looked a broken side and completely unable to pick themselves up in the way Trinity had done at half-time. Some pressure was put on for a short spell after the tries, but the Trinity line was solid and the pack, who had been
good in the first half, were now excellent. DLSP continued to run fast, but their line seemed to be in complete disarray at times. And with each assault, they became more tired and less organised. They attacked Trinity with all the mindless misdirected enthusiasm of a drunken amputee who continues throwing himself at the base of a hill in the hope that one day he will bounce up it. Trinity looked in complete control for the remainder of the game, and able to kick themselves out of trouble whenever necessary, but seemed to lack the ability or inclination to kill it off. Either way this was an impressive victory over a side with pace and talent. The inexorable rise starts here. Maybe.
KNOCK OUT!
THE BOXING PROFESSOR SPORTING LEGENDS, P22 collegesport@trinitynews.ie