Irish Student Newspaper of the Year 2008
BANKERS’ HIGHSTAKES GAME Global financial crisis explained
LARGE BOLLYWOOD VIVISECTION DEBATE HADRON DREAMS COLLIDER Backpack your way Is there really a threat?
WORLD REVIEW 12 BUSINESS 18 Tuesday 28 October 2008
SCIENCE 19
straight onto the stage
TRAVEL 20
www.trinitynews.ie
Issue 3, Volume 55
The day the student voice was heard “A callous and cynical attempt by Government” SHANE KELLY PRESIDENT OF USI
Trinity students marched to O’Connell Street where they met other students from around the country before descending on Leinster House. Photo: Cian Clarke By Rory O’Connor STUDENTS FROM Dublin colleges took to the streets against the proposed reintroduction of college fees last Wednesday. Gardaí estimated an attendance of 15,000 protestors at the rally. The protest passed off peacefully and with general high spirits. Serious chants of “more fees means less degrees” were combined with humorous chants of “Down with this sort of thing... careful now”. Official TCD Student Union placards said “Education is a right, not a privilege”. One unofficial placard read
“Fees r bad lol”. Trinity students congregated in Front Square before setting off up to O’Connell Street to meet hundreds of other students O’Keefe’s inability to meet student leaders was cited by the USI as a reason for the march from Dublin universities at Parnell Square. The large crowd then turned back on itself to pass Trinity once more and continued along Nassau Street. When the protest reached Leinster House, politicians and Students’ Union representatives from
participating universities gave speeches on a large stage at the top of the street. The demonstration comes as part of a wave of student protest against fees. 5,000 protested in Cork on 10 October with others doing likewise in Galway and Limerick. Last week, UCD students attempted to block the Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan’s entry into the Clinton Institute on the Belfield Campus where he was due to chair a function. Three UCD students were arrested during the protest for breaches of the peace when they attempted to break through a metal fence that surrounded the building. During Wednesday’s protest, the
speeches at Leinster House were made by Union of Students in Ireland President Shane Kelly and the Labour Party education spokesman Ruairi Quinn. Mr Kelly said part of the reason for the rally was that the Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe would not discuss the matter with student representatives. College heads also have found the Minister slow to commit to meetings, despite a request from the UCD president Dr Hugh Brady. “He is very happy asking for our money but he doesn’t want to listen to what we have to say on the subject. We are here as the second biggest union in
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22nd 2008, will forever stand out in the history of the student movement in Ireland. 0ver 15,000 students took to the streets of Dublin, to protest at what we believe is the callous and cynical attempt by the government to plug the hole in public funding of our universities. Over 5,000 Trinity students turned out in a show of support for their national union. Such large numbers have pricked the attention of the government parties, and the Minister for Education in particular. Students have spoken, and with one voice have declared, we will not be made scapegoats by this government for a decade of waste and under-investment in our higher education system.
This coming Wednesday, teachers unions and parents will gather outside the Dáil, to highlight their anger at the series of cuts planned for our primary and secondary schools. We as students will stand with our parents and our younger brothers and sisters and demand an education system that works at all levels, from primary right through to third level. If the politicians continue to ignore us, we will wait in the long grass of the local and European elections and we will take them down. We as students must now build on the success of our show of strength. A long and sustained campaign is now planned. Your support and involvement will be vital if we are to succeed.
CONOR JAMES MCKINNEY CLEARLY, WE students are starved of creative outlets. If one were to heed these Students’ Union types, we’d be starved in a more literal sense should the Government have its wicked way with fees, which is why some of that surplus energy has of late been channelled into placard manufacture. After all, if you’re going to protest, you wouldn’t want to be shown up by the old folks. Indeed, the pensioners that thronged the streets may have felt a few pangs of nostalgia for the Sixties,
as a psychadelic “Make Love Not Fees” banner made its appearance; and while punning on the word “fee” is quite a feat,“Not Feesible” was another strong showing. “Stop Robbin’ Us, Battman” was a clever one – in stark contrast to those louts urging the Minister to shove his reform up unprintable places. For all the quality on display, it was the plainitive “But I Already Spent All My Money On This Sign” that won the affections of this jaded hack – but could yer man see it from China?
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No extended opening Slip-ups at Comedy Soc roller disco for Library this term By Deirdre Robertson College News Editor
By Dave Molloy MANY STUDENTS have been left confused on finding the library closed on Sundays. Despite a very public Students’ Union campaign last year which resulted in Sunday opening times, the decision appears to have been retracted this year. A final decision on the future of library opening hours is due at the end of the month, the college has confirmed. The libraries have reduced their hours since last year, with no Sunday opening hours scheduled for Michaelmas term. The library’s website subtitles the opening hours for the remainder of the year as “subject to revision.” Last year, a pilot scheme was put in place to open the BLU library complex on Sundays, the cost of which was borne by the library budget. The numbers of students using the facilities was monitored throughout Michelmas term, with the result that Sunday opening was extended to the Hamilton library by the end of the year. However, the Library is still awaiting a decision from the college’s executive officers to approve continued funding for this and future years, according to Deputy
Librarian Jessie Kurtz. “The Library Committee reviewed the position at its May meeting and agreed that the additional opening be retained for the BLU Libraries, and extended to the Hamilton Library in Michaelmas term, on the basis that the Senior Lecturer take the issue of ongoing costs for consideration by Executive Officers,” Ms Kurtz told Trinity News. “As the Library Committee clearly expressed its concern at the effect of a continuing commitment on the Book Budget, therefore at this time the Library is not in a position to undertake the extended opening in Michaelmas term.” The idea of last year’s opening hours being a “trial run” is something that is contested by the Student’s Union. “There was a trial run last year that was very successful and as a result, it was agreed that the libraries would be open on Sundays on a regular basis,” said Student’s Union President Cathal Reilly. “Now the library is saying that it is still waiting on the executive officers to propose a longer-term funding scheme. Why the same system as last year cannot be used and why the executive officers haven’t already done this is beyond me. I have put pressure on authorities to go through the process as early as possible.”
SOME STUDENTS were left diappointed last week when the DU Comedy Society Roller Disco ran out of the mildly essential roller skates early on in the night. Chair of Comedy Society Robert Kearns acknowledged there were some problems but disagrees with those who say the night was a disaster. The Roller Disco was hosted by SU Ents and the Comedy Soc on Tuesday 14th October in the Dandelion Club. The club was booked to hold 900 people and tickets sold out on the day with students paying €8 each to attend the night. However, according to some students who attended, the night was overcrowded and at 10:30 the queues outside the door were so long that anyone without a ticket was told to come back at midnight. One student commented that the club was so crowded she couldn’t move and the line for roller skates was so long that she didn’t bother to attempt it. Another student, Sarah-Louise Hassett, described the night as “dire, really appalling” as she arrived at 11:15 and by 12:30 the Roller Disco part of the night was over. Another student agreed with this opinion saying she left early because there were not enough skates for everybody and at the start of the night she wasn’t allowed on the dancefloor
The scene in Dandelion nightclub during the Roller Disco. without a pair of skates. Ms Hassett said that at 12:30 the music was turned down so low she could barely hear it and the DJ kept repeating that everyone had to give back the skates before they could continue to party. Mr. Kearns said he did not hear or notice that the music was turned off. Mr. Kearns said “it wasn’t a perfect night” but he disagreed that large crowds of students were left disappointed. He explained that the Dandelion Club booked an event management company called “Roller Disco” and then approached the Comedy
Soc and SU Ents asking them to host the night. According to Mr. Kearns the venue was large enough for 1,000 people and the club wanted that many guests but the Comedy Society decided to sell only 900 tickets so people would have room to move. Things got “a little messy’ at 12:30 when it emerged that “Roller Disco” couldn’t cater to 900 people as the Comedy Soc had been told and queues for skates became dangerous as they snaked across the dancefloor. One student speculated that the skates had been recalled because “a girl skulled herself” but Mr. Kearns
said that the problems were nothing to do with health and safety. When asked whether alcohol and skating is a good idea Mr Kearns said the Comedy Society had enquired into the risks and found that “Roller Disco” had a very low track record of injuries at their events. Railings in The Dandelion were even bubble wrapped. Although the skates were recalled at 12:30am, Mr Kearns said that the club was full until 2:30am and that the roller disco aspect of the night did not seem to affect most students. He noted that around 500 people were able to skate and there were only 50-60 students who wanted to skate but couldn’t. A complaints forum has been set up in House 6 but so far Mr Kearns has only received 7 complaints asking for a refund. One student disputes this saying she made a complaint but was not refunded. She also believed that “most people won’t bother complaining”. Mr Kearns commented that Comedy Soc are currently in discussion with “Roller Disco” as they are unwilling to pay the management company “due to their inability to provide the promised level of service”. Mr. Kearns hopes that the fee which would have paid the company will instead be used to subsidise ticket prices for later events this term. He says due to this students will be able to see comedian Ardal O’Hanlon for a reduced price of €8.