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NEVER ARE WE FORGET ALONE? Tourism has seriously damaged T Thailand’s elephant po population TRAVEL 20 T Tuesday 24 Februar February ary 2 ar 20 2009 009
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Astrobiology attempts some of science’s biggest questions
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SCIENCE 19
FEATURES 8 www.trinitynews.ie
Issue 9, Volume 55
USI occupy Gov’t office for 5 hours
Vitalic back for Trinity Ball By Deirdre Robertson College News Editor
» USI and Trinity SU take part in sit-in » Gardaí block exits and access to toilets » Chair of Young Greens accuses student protesters of “pulling stunts” » Meeting already arranged with Minister By Deirdre Robertson College News Editor THE YOUNG Green Party have accused USI, the Trinity Students’ Union and other unions across Dublin of “pulling stunts” following a protest on Monday 16th February. The Trinity Students Union was part of a small group of students who barricaded themselves into the lobby of the Department of the Environment as part of the ongoing protest against the reintroduction of third level fees. The protest was organised by the Union of Students Ireland, Deputy President and Campaigns Officer Dave Curran. 18 to 19 students - including Trinity SU President Cathal Reilly, Welfare Officer Orlaith Foley and Ents Officer Nick Longworth – walked into the lobby
of the Department of the Environment in the Custom House at midday and refused to leave. Security called the Gardaí who enclosed the area where the students sat and blocked access to all bathroom facilities. The aim of the protest appeared “The USI should should stop pulling stunts” Barra Roantree, Young Greens to be to attract the attention of TD John Gormley, head of the Green Party as USI President Shane Kelly commented, “John Gormley and the Green Party got elected to this Government on the platform that they were opposed to the continued on page 2
Bartley Rock (centre) outside the office of the Department of the Environment before their fivehour sit-in in the lobby in advance of their meeting with Minister John Gormley. The meeting had already been agreed. Photo: Jessica Pakenham-Money
THE FULL line-up of dance acts of the 2009 Trinity Ball have been released this week. Trinity Students Union Ents Officer Nick Longworth confirmed that French dance act Vitalic (right) will be returning this year alongside Popof, The Glimmers, Streetlife DJ’s, Brodinski and Vicarious Bliss. Longworth expressed his excitement at seeing Vitalic returning this year saying, “There was a huge buzz about him last year before the ball and this year will definitely be the same.” Vitalic has been on the music seen since 1996/7 but only released his debut album, OK Cowboy in 2005. Speaking about the other acts, Longworth described them as “up and coming”. Popof - another French techno act is best known for their mix “Alcoolic”. According to Longworth the act is “set to be the new Justice” while, “The Glimmers were amazing at White Sensation in Amsterdam.” Street Life DJs are a popular London act. The headliner for this year’s Trinity Ball has yet to be announced with Longworth remaining tightlipped over the many speculative rumours. Earlier last week, Scottish electroclash act, Calvin Harris posted on his myspace that he would be playing at the Trinity Ball before the information could be officially released. The artist has previously recorded with Kylie Minogue and released his debut album I Created Disco in 2007. Other acts that have been confirmed include Ladyhawke and Fight Like Apes. The Ball will take place on Friday 8th May this year and a theme for the night has yet to be announced. Last year, ticket sales sold out in a record 4 and a half days with 1,000 applications being received in the first 10minutes of going on sale.
DU Football Club get the Blues Mystery tour in mischief By Thomas Raftery
DUBLIN UNIVERSITY Central Athletics Committee (DUCAC) is said to be holding an inquiry into how the French Rugby team got permission to train on Trinity’s cricket pitch last week. Some members of Trinity sports clubs have expressed dismay over the condition of the pitch amid fears that it would not recover before the summer season. The French team, due to a delayed flight, elected to train at Trinity on the eve of their opening 6 Nations game
By Lisa Byrne
“It’s fair to say we shouldn’t have invited them” said Tony Smeeth against Ireland two weeks ago. This is the third time the French have come to Trinity in the last decade, their manager maintaining a friendship with one of the Dublin University Football Club coaches. However, Les Bleus found the pitch unplayable and moved to the cricket pitch which they had been refused permission to play on. Tony Smeeth, Director of rugby at Trinity, conceded that “the [rugby] pitch is the worst I have ever seen it”. 25 enormous Gallic men poured out of the team bus - like something from an “Asterix and Obelix” cartoon – signing autographs en route to the pitch. As the superstars amassed on the touchline of Trinity’s grassless rugby pitch it was clear, even to the non-French speaker, that their pursed lips and extravagant hand gestures were a sign that they were less than pleased with the facilities.
Scenes from the French team’s training session on the soccer pitch two weeks ago. Photos: Jessica Pakenham-Money There followed a hushed conversation between French players and coaching staff, to which Chabal contributed a series of aggressive grunts foreign even to the native speakers, and the whole party moved to the cricket pitch. One source close to the Dublin University Association Football Club says that the French team contacted Terry McAuley, manager of the men’s football team and Director of Sport, to ask permission to play on the cricket pitch about a week ago but were refused. The French team then contacted the rugby club and were given permission to play on the rugby pitch. McAuley and the football club had gone to a tournament in Limerick and were
not around to object when the French moved onto the cricket pitch. Despite the relatively short period of time the team spent on the surface, it was left looking much like the neighbouring rugby pitch despite DUFC’s assertions that they “did not wreck the pitch”. The state of the surface has been the cause of much dismay for Trinity’s Cricket, Soccer and GAA clubs, all of whom share the pitch. Smeeth insists that he did not give them permission to train on the cricket pitch, but felt unwilling to offer any opposition once they had moved off the rugby pitch where they had been supposed to train. Several sources believe DUCAC are inquiring into the event as they alone
hold the authority to allow parties outside of Trinity to train on the cricket pitch, which if ruined now, will not be able to recover fully in time for the summer. Smeeth has admitted that “in those conditions, it would be fair to say that we should not have invited them, it was not really fair on any of the parties concerned”. Regardless of the difficulties, the French team were reported to be “delighted” with how the session went, noting the atmosphere of College Park as especially pleasing. Despite the obvious annoyance for Trinity’s sports clubs who depend on that surface, the result the next day left most people smiling.
15 MISSING persons and one arrest: the 2009 Mystery Tour created the usual chaos attributed to the annual SU Tour. The group, which headed West towards the Midlands met various challenges along the way - many self-created and all alcohol related. Members of the Tour partook in a series of Gumball challenges including mooning people from the bus, doing a lap dance and eating your own vomit. 15 party goers disappeared in Mullingar and were feared missing. They never managed to make it back to the bus but luckily it was ascertained that they were not lost but had found a house party and never left. Many feared that the Tour would see a repeat of the 2007 Tour which saw the group forget a girl who had fallen asleep in a nearby field. Fortunately the girl woke up and managed to get a lift back to Dublin with another Tour Group some hours later. The Palace nightclub played host to the group for the final event of the night. In accordance with one of the gumball challenges, many students were over heard telling fairy tales to the bouncers who, to the students credit, appeared rather amused. The night’s events did not end in Navan however. Upon return to the Capital, an unnamed member of the group was arrested following a runin with a milkman. Run-ins with the
Revellers around the Pav before the 2009 Mystery Tour departs. law are not uncommon on the Tour. In 2008, two students were cautioned by gardai after attempting to break into a hotel while intoxicated. Fortunately, this year saw no members of the group hospitalised as in previous years. During the 2008 Mystery Tour, two members of the group were admitted to St. Luke’s General Hospital for alcohol poisioning. Asked about the apparent improvement in behaviour compared to previous years, Ents Officer Nick Longworth attributed it to the help that was on hand. “The additional marshalls really helped and many thanks to all of them.” Longworth was quick to add however “It did get messy though!”
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NEWS
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
“You think you’re gonna win do you?” A Suttonian hockey player jeering the Trinity supporters Trinity went on to win 4-0.
“It would be fair to say that we should not have inivited them, it was not really fair on any of the parties involved.” Tony Smeeth, Director of Rugby, apologising for allowing the French team to use the Trinity pitches in advance of their game wiith ireland two weeks ago. “I’m absolutely delighted to actually win it!” TCD historian, Dr Micheál Ó Siochrú, on his win for ‘Best Single Documentary’ at the IFTA ceremony last week.
THIS FORTNIGHT THEY SAID... Compiled by Lisa Byrne “It’s always done, it’s like eating or sleeping. it’s not as if I can just miss a day” Claire McGlynn, DU Harriers and Athletics Club record holder on her training schedule.
NUMEROLOGY
5 » The number of hours the Student Union sit-in lasted at the Department of the Environment.
€40,000 » The amount Presidential hopeful Daniel Curry says he can save by scrapping the SU paper The Record.
50 » The number of years ago that Catholics were forbidden within the gates of the College.
6pm » The time by which, 50 years ago, female students had to vacate the College grounds.
€17 » The amount for non-dinner tickets to this year’s Apollo Ball
7 » The number of goals that the Trinity Men’s Thirds hockey team put past Weston Hockey Club on Saturday.
INFORMATION
Photographs: College News: National News: International News: News Features: Features: Opinion: World Review: Travel: Business: Science: College Sport: TN2 Editor: Film: Music: Fashion: Books: Theatre: Art: Food and Drink:
“I think that it is glaringly obvious that the time has come in this campaign for direct action and that our solutions and inputs on the issue of third-level funding will not be listened to unless we ensure that our voices are heard with things like this kind of action”. SU President Cathal Reilly on last weeks USI sit-in
“There was a huge buzz about him last year before the ball and this year will definitely be the same” Ent’s Officer Nick Longworth discussing Vitalic “It’s Pancake Tuesday some day next week”. Overheard in Trinity this week. For the record - it’s today ....
“The USI should stop pulling stunts and engage with the Department of Education in trying to fix one of the key barriers to access to higher education.” Barra Roantree, Chair of the Young Greens on the same protest
Professor’s Darwin claims By Meadhbh McHugh
Compiled by Lisa Byrne
Editor: Deputy Editor: Website: Business Manager: Copy Editors:
“We will be amazed that we spent an obscene amount of money on instruments of destruction when a small fraction would have fed the hungry” Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Hist last week.
Martin McKenna Anna Stein Stuart Martin Lia Prendergast Tom Lowe Eleanor Friel Kara Furr Kiera Healy Ruth Mahony Sarah-Kate Geraghty Rachel Kennedy Deirdre Robertson Una Geary Kasia Mychajlowycz Deirdre Lennon Emily Monk Aoife Crowley Aaron Mulvihill Derek Larney Grace Walsh Luke Maishman Conor James McKinney Hugh McCafferty Michael Armstrong Catriona Gray Patrice Murphy Jean Morley Kathy Clarke Caroline O’Leary Melanie O’Reilly
All Trinity News staff can be contacted at firstname.lastname@trinitynews.ie. Trinity News is funded by a grant from DU Publications Committee. This publication claims no special rights or privileges. Serious complaints should be addressed to: The Editor, Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2. Appeals may be directed to the Press Council of Ireland. Trinity News is a full participating member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. This scheme in addition to defending the freedom of the press, offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear on our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman go to www.pressombudsman.ie
THIS FEBRUARY, as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, Trinity’s Professor Michael Fitzgerald has shed new light on one of the world’s most creative and influential thinkers. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Faculty of Academic Psychiatry about the link between creativity and psychiatric disorders, Fitzgerald claimed Darwin was a likely sufferer of Asperger’s Syndrome. “It is suggested that the same genes that produce autism and Asperger’s syndrome are also responsible for great creativity and originality.” Asperger’s Syndrome is characterised by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction and from Darwin’s biographical details, Professor Fitzgerald has deduced that Darwin’s social avoidance, emotional immaturity and fear of intimacy may have been the result of the autistic disorder. The individual with AS may also have restricted and/or repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, and activities.
Professor Michael Fitzgerald has said Charles Darwin, above, was autistic Darwin had a childhood obsession with hoarding shells and insects that extended into adulthood with an obsession with chemistry and gadgets. It is known Darwin took solitary walks, ritualistically walking the same route daily and was a compulsive letter writer, letters usually devoid of any social dialogue. Professor Fitzgerald said: “Darwin had a massive capacity to observe, to introspect and to analyse. From adolescence he was a massive systematiser, initially of insects and other specimens which he catalogued.
He had a tremendously visual brain. He spent eight years studying barnacles, and wrote books on his observations of earthworms and even his own children.’ Fitzgerald believes the link between AS and Darwin’s enormous creative and intellectual output during his life is significant. Darwin’s theory of natural selection set out in On the Origin of Species, now forms the basis of modern evolution theory and “Darwinism” as an umbrella term has had far-reaching effects on society, not only in the field of biology, but socially and philosophically.
His creative genius and academic capabilities, Professor Fitzgerald also aligns with a diagnosis of Asperger’s. “Asperger’s syndrome gave Darwin the capacity to hyperfocus, the extra capacity for persistence, the enormous ability to see detail that other people missed, the endless energy for a lifetime dedication to a narrow task, and the independence of mind so critical to original research.” Professor Fitzgerald concluded: “Creativity is extremely complex, and so far no theory or model of brain function has been able to explain it fully. But I hope that future progress in understanding the basis of autism may lead to a better understanding of autistic creativity and creativity in general.” In his studies of creativity and psychiatric disorders, Prof Fitzgerald has previously cited Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, George Orwell, H G Wells and Ludwig Wittgenstein as examples of famous and brilliant individuals who showed signs of ASDs including Asperger’s syndrome. Beethoven, Mozart, Hans Christian Andersen and Immanuel Kant have also received post mortem diagnoses of Asperger’s.
TCD historian wins IFTA By Sarah-Rose Montague ONE OF the winners at this year’s Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) was Trinity lecturer and historian Dr Micheál Ó Siochrú. The documentary, ‘Cromwell in Ireland’, won the ‘Best Single Documentary’ category at the award ceremony on 14th February. Ó Siochrú had co-scripted and presented the two-part documentary that was aired on RTE last September. The documentary, which was aired to coincide with the 350th anniversary of Cromwell’s death in 1658, explored Cromwell’s military campaign in Ireland. Although Cromwell is a controversial figure and his campaign blamed for the death of an estimated 500,000 Irish people through war, plague and famine, Ó Siochrú offered an objective take on the period and reveals how Cromwell actually helped lay the foundations of modern Ireland. Although admitting that Cromwell did “commit monstrous acts”, Ó Siochrú also points out that “he remains a remarkably modern figure,
relevant to our understanding of both the past and the present, somebody to be closely studied and understood, rather than revered or reviled”. Ó Siochrú has worked on numerous other television programmes previously but this was his first time presenting a documentary. His book, God’s Executioner: Oliver Cromwell and the conquest of Ireland, published last year to critical acclaim, is the basis for the television presentation of the subject. He has been immersed in the study
of the subject of Cromwell for the last four to five years. His motivation in presenting this period to the Irish people is based on his belief in its relevance; saying “Cromwell is a hugely important subject for the Irish and it seemed like an appropriate time to reflect again on Cromwell and his legacy”. Ó Siochrú, keen to re-address the focus of historical documentary on modern and twentieth century history, also feels that in T.V histories there is a lot of “dumbing down” of the material, which results in “producing something that is far too simplistic”. Instead he wanted to “produce something that did justice to the complexity of the man and of the times while at the same time producing something that people would be able to watch and follow”. The viewing figures show that the objective was achieved with the programme achieving one of the highest ever ratings for a history programme on RTE 1. It is also currently showing on The History Channel in the UK and will soon be broadcast on The Smithsonian Channel in the US.
The success of the programme, however, does not mean that Ó Siochrú will be pursuing the limelight of television hastily, saying “There is a lot of pressure for people to make documentaries or to be involved in television” but it needs to be because “you have the expertise and have something new and fresh and interesting to say, instead of just being on telly for the sake of it”. The documentary, directed by Maurice Sweeney, was competing for the best single documentary IFTA award against programmes such as Brian Keenan’s Back to Beirut, Patrick McCabe’s Blood Relations. Cromwell in Ireland, however, took the prize, Ó Siochrú did not attend the award ceremony, because he didn’t think it would really be “his scene”, but he said that he “was absolutely delighted that we actually won it”. Despite this he felt that although “it’s really nice to be acknowledged and win it, but for me what was much more important was the public response. It was absolutely brilliant and for me that was the real success of the programme”.
Sit-in at Dept. of Environment continued from page 2 re-introduction of third level fees…the reason we are here today is to remind the Minister of his party’s pre-election promises. We want Minister Gormley to issue a strong statement reaffirming his commitment to these pre-election promises.” However the Young Green Party accused the students of “pulling stunts” because, Young Green Chair Barra Roantree said, “the Green Party…have repeatedly voiced their opposition to the re-introduction of third-level tuition fees. USI would better serve the interests of students by opposing the two main parties who both support fees. The USI should instead highlight areas where savings could be made in the education budget. The USI should stop pulling stunts and engage with the Department of Education in trying to fix one of the key barriers to access to higher education.” Trinity’s SU President Cathal Reilly admitted that, “Minister Gormley had never refused to meet us. There was always going to be a meeting and the protest did not result in a meeting.” He commented that the purpose of the protest had actually been “to (give) the message to all Greens as well as everyone
else that the campaign is determined to be listened to.” The students remained in the lobby for 5 hours surrounded by Gardaí both outside and inside. The group consisted of USI officers as well as several Student Union representatives from colleges in Dublin. Among the group was an Irish Independent photographer who made his way in only to find himself enclosed inside with the students. At 5pm, the students left. John Gormley has agreed to hold a meeting with Shane Kelly to discuss the Green party strategy in relation to fees. According to Reilly, Kelly will call on Gormley and the Green Party to “actively oppose the re-introduction of fees.” In response to the Young Greens, Reilly stated, “I think that it is glaringly obvious that the time has come in this campaign for direct action and that our solutions and inputs on the issue of third-level funding will not be listened to unless we ensure that our voices are heard with things like this kind of action. With our calls to be listened to those who will be responsible for the decisions made with regards to University funding falling on deaf ears, it would be defeatist of us to not push harder to ensure that we are heard.”
Numbers were slim at the USI protest outside the Custom House. Photo: Jessica Pakenham-Money
NEWS
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
Report demands restructuring By David Molloy AN EXTERNAL review of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultural Studies has criticised the college’s funding model and the “duplication of effort” by support staff. The report questions the use of the Academic Resource Allocation Model, a controversial financial system which was phased in over the past number of years, citing it as a “contributing factor” to both the school’s heavy debt and their inability to match the research output of their UK counterparts. “The University also expects the research performance of the School to be fully comparable with that in comparator universities, even though TCD is only funded at approximately 70% of the level of a similar UK institution. The present punitive ARAM does the School few favours. Indeed,
at times it appears to impede what the University expects SLLCS to achieve.” The report further criticises the “purely metrics-based allocation model of research income” which “does not favour the humanities” and suggests the implementation of a peer review system to assess the quality, as well as quantity, or research. It also states clearly that “the psychological effects of the massive ARAM deficit have not been good for morale.” The report questions aspects of the administrative procedures in the school. Foremost among these is the recommendation that the executive officers of each department be reorganised to offer services categorised by function rather than subject. This means that the individual departments would lose their specific executive officers in favour of a central office for the school, with specific areas of responsibility delegated to the
individual officers. This has met with strong opposition from students and staff alike. While one of the executive officers contacted declined to comment, the report itself notes, “some of the EO’s were vocal in their opposition to any change to conventional departmental structures.” This proposed restructuring of the school’s support staff has led to the organisation of students who are against the proposed changes. The student representatives in the school have been gathering student opinions on the matter over the last number of days, and the response appears to be uniformly in favour of preserving existing structures. A meeting took place last week of SS European Studies students at which the proposal was discussed. The SU SS class rep, Aaron Mulvihill said, “we found everyone was in agreement that the proposed abolition
of the European Studies office (and its amalgamation into some larger body) would be a huge loss to students, and we agreed to voice our opposition formally.” “To lose this vital focal point would be a severe blow to students, as well as damage co-ordination and the quality of the degree, which is surely not the college’s intention.” The external reviewers, however, “contend that the present arrangements are not in the best interests of either students or administrative staff, for whom, as noted above, there appear to be relatively narrow career development opportunities.” Other recommendations of the report include the School operating as its own “cost centre”, meaning that it would receive funding from the Treasurer’s office on behalf of all its departments, allowing for greater flexibility. The existing arrangement, in which
TRINITY ARE participating in an intervarsity competition to challenge prejudicial stereotypes which are believed to cause social injustice. Only fifty years ago female Trinity students were obliged to leave College by 6pm, whilst Catholics could not gain entry at all. Since then equality has become a central feature of College life, and TCD are celebrating this transformation with the 2009 ‘Challenging Stereotypes’ creative competition. Open now to members of the seven universities of Ireland, it aims to foster a positive approach towards growing diversity in the university sector. Trinity’s Equality Officer Karen Campos McCormack is inviting entrants to submit a piece of writing, photography, artwork or a combination of creative mediums relating to one of the nine grounds of discrimination prohibited under Irish legislation: gender, marital status, family status,
President McAleese at the Law Society last Thursday. Photo: Rachel Kennedy By Deirdre Robertson PRESIDENT MARY McAleese spoke to past and present members of Trinity College about Ireland’s need to ‘shape up’ and maintain fortitude against the recession in a speech she gave to Dublin University Law Society in Trinity last Thursday. The President was speaking at the 75th Anniversary of the Law Society on Thursday 19th February. Held in the Dining Hall, the event included both past and present members of the society including law lecturers and many who had been students in Trinity at the same time as President McAleese. President McAleese spoke about the many years of recession that Ireland has faced before. Charting her way through the life of the DU Law Society, President McAleese outlined how Ireland has suffered economic downturns and yet recovered countless times in its history. The Law Society was set up in 1934, a
time when Europe was facing into a the most horrific events in its history with the advent of World War One and Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. It was also a time when Trinity College had finally accepted women into its student body but insisted that all females had to be off campus by 6pm. President McAleese outlined this rule which was not changed until the 1960s - as an example as to how much Ireland has changed since then. She could not name all of the previous heads of DU Law Society for fear of omitting too many but only mentioned the first female president of Ireland, Mary Robinson. Mary Robinson was succeeded in her position as head of the Law Society by her husband and then her brother, a chain of command ‘most gratifying to women’ according to President McAleese. President McAleese spoke of the year that she started and how the introduction of free secondary level education in Northern Ireland was the
only reason that she was able to come to college in Dublin. She noted that Ireland was in a recession when she started her undergraduate degree in Trinity and was still suffering from economic downturn when she returned in the mid 1970s to teach in the Law School. Outlining the many ups and downs throughout the society’s life, President McAleese said it was due to the strength and fortitude of small groups of students that the society remained constant throughout all of these crises. In a line reminiscent of Barack Obama’s inauguration speech, President McAleese said that Ireland needed to “pick up the baton of prosperity..., dust it off and carry it safely”. Quoting Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘The Canton of Experience’ she said, “We are, once again, if not in the Canton of Expectation, then in the canton of foreboding.” The Law Society awarded President McAleese an honourary membership to the society.
SHORT CUTS
each department receives separate funding, “is not helpful to the cohesive development of the school.” It was also recommended that all students in the school (except those studying Irish) spend third year abroad. Consideration was also given to the suspension of M.Phils which were proving unpopular, and requiring a higher standard of modern Irish from students in that department (at the cost of medieval Irish). A common complaint heard by the reviewers was that “Many students complained about cramped, airless and windowless rooms” in the Arts building, “but it is not immediately obvious what could be done to alleviate these very real problems.” The review took place between November 5th-7th last, and consisted of interviews and discussions with both students and staff within the school.
President Mary McAleese Trinity challenges honoured by Law Society stereotyping By Kate Palmer
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age, disability, race, sexual orientation, religion or social status. The competition aims to highlight the advantages of being part of Trinity’s varied academic community in which 2,300 out of 15,300 students are international, and female students now outnumber their male counterparts. Trinity’s an ongoing objective to further equality interests and embrace the University’s cosmopolitan atmosphere is seen in previous competitions. Last year’s ‘Changing Perspectives: Equality and Diversity in my University’ photography competition was met with participants from all backgrounds. The winner of the TCD staff submission, Learning Outcomes Facilitator Dimitrios Paraskevas, praised the competition for its innovatory approach towards promoting diversity and social cohesion. Prospective entrants should visit the website of the Equality Office in Trinity at or e-mail Ms. Campos McCormack at equality@tcd.ie. Closing date for entries is 20th March 2009. Winners will receive a Sony E-Reader.
APOLLO BALL
APOLLO BALL GETS GO AHEAD WHILE FUNDING cutbacks have by now become an all too familiar problem, ball season almost had an unlikely casualty as a result. Fortunately for histories and humanities students, the Apollo Ball was rescued last week. 2008’s Ball received financial backing from the history department. However, due to cutbacks, they could not give a deposit this year. Last year attracted 300 people in the Guinness Storehouse but with deposits for hotels with this capacity at €2,000 and the Apollo Ball seemed doomed. Now, due to a deposit from the History Soc. the ball will go ahead in a reduced capacity in the Russell Court Hotel on 4th March. (Seamus Donnelly)
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SHORT CUTS
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
‘The Arch’ inspires at visit to Hist By Ursula Choill
LAW DAY
LAW DAY IN AID OF CANCER SOC THE DUBLIN University Law Society, in association with the Trinity Cancer Society, will be holding their annual Law Day on Thursday, Feb 26th. Street collections will begin at 7am with a free Avoca breakfast for collectors in the Atrium from 9am. Other events include a ‘Salon of Doom’ in the GMB from midday, a 5-a-side soccer tournament, beer pong outside the Pav and a slave auction featuring the stars of the muchtalked about College Cancer Calendar, to be hosted by Dave McSavage. The FM104 Road Hog will be broadcasting live from Campus all day. A night out in the Button Factory will follow. All proceeds will be going to the Irish Cancer Society and with the current R-word affecting charities in particular, everyone is encouraged to take part and contribute.
ART CURATOR
TCD APPOINTS FIRST CURATOR TRINITY HAS appointed its first curator for the College art collections. The full time position was given to Catherine Giltrap who will now be responsible for professionally managing all of the paintings and sculptures on display in Trinity either publicly or privately. Her first project will be to set up a central art collections management database which will see digital reproductions of works online. It is due to be installed by 2010. Ms Giltrap has previously helped with the ongoing work to restore and protect the Arnaldo Pomodoro Sphere.
PIRANHA! EDITORS
SCHOLARS BID FOR PIRANHA! TWO SCHOLARS are set to take on the editorship of Piranha!, Trinity’s often controversial satirical magazine. Jonathan Wyse and David McGuire, both JS Scholars resident in Goldsmith Hall, have submitted an application to DU Publications. In the absence of any other applicants at time of writing, they can be presumed successful when the committee meets on March 3rd. Current editor Andrew Booth embroiled the magazine in controversy this year with a spread detailing how best to carry out a killing spree on campus. Copies of the magazine were removed from circulation and no new issue has appeared since.
THE DUBLIN University Historical Society discussed the theme of religion in the modern world in the inaugural meeting of the 239th Session on Tuesday 17th February. The line up of guests included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, CEO of Concern Tom Arnold and Senator and Trinity Law Professor Ivana Bacik. The motion of the evening was outlined by Auditor of the Hist, Thomas Kinsella in his inaugural paper entitled “The Role of Religion in the Public Sphere”. This was, as CEO of Concern Tom Arnold said later, “a brave topic delivered by a courageous young man.” Beginning with quotes from the two visiting Archbishops, Kinsella’s paper argued that religion is best served when it doesn’t try to dictate public or political opinion but rather that religious values can inspire that work. He said that religion should be used as a springboard instead of an obstacle and referred to Archbishop Tutu’s simple but powerful analogy of religion being like a knife: you can kill with a knife but you can also cut bread with it. Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Archbishop Tutu, who received the Society’s Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse,
Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the inaugural meeting of the College Historical Society. Photo: Kevin O’Rourke said that being a part of the struggle against Apartheid was an exhilarating experience. He said that “God’s Universe ought to have compassion, hospitality and laughter...You are all family. You all exist in a relationship of interdependency...Public life is informed by religion...We have a responsibility to the widow, to the orphan and to the alien. You should harvest, but don’t take away everything...When you have power it is defined by what you do to
those who have nothing. Joseph went to the inn and asked the innkeeper for a room as his wife was expecting a child. The innkeeper said: ‘That’s not my fault’ and then Joseph replied, ‘It’s not mine either’.” Also speaking at the event, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin declared that the Catholic upbringing of many people in Ireland has left them smallminded and insecure. He condemned the “arrogance of power” of clerical
Freshman crowned latest Miss Trinity
abuse and said that it is integrity people look for most in the institution of the Catholic Church. He said “the story of Creation is an affirmation of the world as a gift” and “reminds Caesar not to act as God”. CEO of Concern, Tom Arnold continued the theme by noting that even in a recession “Charity may begin at home but it doesn’t end at home.” He said that development is about freedom and that NGOs in developing countries
are often left with moral dilemmas: whether they should speak out against human rights violations and risk being expelled or should they stay silent. He said Ireland should fully acknowledge the contribution of the Irish missionaries especially in establishing schools in the developing World. He commented that although Concern is a non-denominational organisation, the values of religion and their own vales are connected. The Reid Professor of Law in Trinity was the fourth speaker: Ivana Bacik said that Archbishop Tutu’s speech showed us that there was too little laughter and perspective of our economic woes. She called herself the secular cat among the sacred cows of the night arguing that the Catholic Church continues to have too much power that is detrimental to our society in three main areas: the Constitution, the Education System and the Health care System. She said “we don’t need to be of any religion to hold true to the pluralist values of republicanism.” Archbishop Tutu finished by talking of God’s dream “which can be appreciated by those of all faiths and of none: when we will be amazed that we spent an obscene amount of money on instruments of destruction when small fraction would have fed the hungry. The world will be wonderful and will be full of laughter.”
Trinity victorious at debating competition
Participants at Miss Trinity in Club XXI last week. By Meadhbh McHugh THERE WAS a surprising amount of activity for an early Wednesday evening in Dublin’s Club XXI last week, as Trinity students prepared to pose and sway their way into impressing the judges for the annual Mr or Miss Trinity College Dublin competition. Launched only last year by online entertainment directory ‘www.afterdark.ie’, Dublin University’s first both-sex beauty pageant is part of a nationwide contest to find Miss University 2009 from 32 participating third-level institutions across Ireland. Last year’s winner, the Miss Dublin Institute of Technology Kerri Ingram, gained free entry into the Miss Ireland 2008 pageant and a year-long modelling contract with Asset Models, along with being named the first ever Miss University. Despite the prospect of such a coveted prize, Wednesday’s contestants were laid back as they donned their glad rags and set out to entertain the substantial crowd that had gathered for the event. It promised to be an evening of glitz and glamour as some of Trinity’s finest left their studies in favour of showing off their most formal attire, be it prom dresses or tailored suits. The competitors remained surprisingly coy when quizzed about their tactics for impressing the judges, most of whom had never entered a pageant or considered modelling as a career.
Such a relaxed approach soon changed throughout the course of the contest, as the judges’ ruling led to the tightest competition of the pageant’s history, contestant Terry McCevoy falling short of second place by only one point out of sixty. The competition then reached dead heat between Michelle Cummins and Clodagh Mullins, of whom the latter gained an intensely close victory. The Junior Freshman BESS student described her win as “really unexpected, especially as I entered at the last minute”, complimenting the “stunning” attire of her fellow contestants. When asked about her chances in the upcoming Miss University competition, Clodagh commented that “the thought of it hasn’t really sunk in!” Event organiser Ivano Cafollo described the evening as a “complete success”, attributing the close final verdict to the high quality of contestants, leaving the judges with a “very difficult decision to make”. Mr. Cafollo complimented the participants on their appearance and confident demeanour, describing them as “highly intelligent individuals, obviously pursuing serious degrees with some great personalities to match”. He emphasised the importance of the competition in providing a unique opportunity to enter the modelling industry, especially in the current economic climate. Clodagh Mullins will compete alongside other Irish colleges to become Miss University 2009 this March.
Winners John Gallagher and Andrea Mulligan. By Brian Barry STUDENTS JOHN Gallagher and Andrea Mulligan of Trinity’s Historical Society claimed the top prizes at the Irish Times Debate Final last weekend in Limerick. This is the third year in succession that members of the Dublin University Historical Society have taken the team prize in Ireland’s largest debating competition. The two final year students successfully opposed the motion: “This house believes the partition of Ireland should remain permanent”. David Hopkins, also of the Hist, won the individual runner-up title at the final which was held in the University of Limerick. The latest winners follow in the footsteps of an illustrious list of past-winners and finalists including Mary Robinson, Mary Harney, Marian Finucane and Dara O’Briain. Final year law student Andrea Mulligan spoke to Trinity News of her delight at the victory: “We’re so excited. John and I always wanted to win the Irish Times. It’s a competition that emphasises oratory over other aspects of debating which is the great
thing about it. People should be gripped by what the speakers have to say” she said. Gallagher and Mulligan, who have been debating as a team for a number of years brought a small but excitable hardcore group of fans to the debate who were duly rewarded for making the trip down to Limerick. The pair argued in favour of abolishing partition in Ireland, focussing not on history but instead arguing that a modern, new united Ireland would be economically and socially viable and a better use of resources. The pair have won a trip to travel to the US as guests of the National Parliamentary Debate Association, to tour some of the finest debating colleges in the country visiting Miami, Texas, Colorado, California and Alaska along the way. The adjudicators of the final were Eoin McVey, managing editor, Irish Times, Professor Brent Northurp, chair of the communications department at Carroll College, Montana and National Parliamentary Debating Association coach Professor Paul McCutcheon, vice president of the University of Limerick, Dave Whelan, former team winner (2005) and Jarlath Ryan, team runner up (1996).
YOUR VIEW DO YOU VOTE IN STUDENT UNION ELECTIONS?
CHLOE CHAMPION
KIERAN CRAVAN
KAORI KONO
JR RYALL
SEBASTIAN LECOCQ
JS NATURAL SCIENCES
JF HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY
No, I haven’t followed any of the candidates at all. I’ve been busy with exams.
I don’t think I can vote in the election this week. I think I vote for the Graduate Students Union but I’ve kept myself away anyway. They do make an effort but I haven’t got involved.
Yeah I do. I’m only voting for the president. My friend is going for it this year but I usually listen to friends’ opinions in deciding anyway.
I am yes. I’ve half decided who I’m voting for. I usually see if candidates will tell you what they will actually do rather than just telling you that they will change everything.
Yeah, I’ve decided who I’ll vote for most of them. One of the candidates going for president is my flatmate and I’m friends with some of the other candidates so that made my decision. I choose on the basis of personalities.
JF BESS
PHD GEOLOGY
SS ECONOMICS
NATIONAL NEWS
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
UCC Atheist Society welcomed By Lillian O’Sullivan IRELAND’S FIRST Secularists, Atheists and Sceptics university society has been formed in UCC. The recently established society aims to encourage an understanding of rationality, reason and critical though, while also providing a support network for non religious students. The founding members of the society met on the Atheist Ireland website, and from here they got the idea for a similar university society. Atheist Ireland which formed in 2006 aims to “provide a platform for people who wish to work together to build a rational, ethical and secular society free from superstition and supernaturalism.” Adam Dinan, a member of the society, explains why he thinks the society is necessary. “We are confident
that this society will be successful as this is the first of its kind in Irish third level institutions and there is a large portion of the student body that have no religious beliefs and those students need representation on campus.” Trinity Chaplain Revd Darren Mc Callig, expressed his opinion on the possibility of a similar society here in Trinity: “I welcome the establishment of such a society. As far as I’m concerned the more informed debate we can have on these issues the better.” Ireland has rapidly been moving towards a more secular country in recent years. In the 1970s, more than 90% of Irish Catholics said they went to Mass once a week. Now the number is 44%, according to a recent survey. (Although a dramatic drop, the figure remains high compared to other European countries.) Ireland has come a long way since the late 1970s when the sale of condoms
was legalized despite strong opposition from the Church. Moreover, there has been great advancements since the era when Catholics were prevented from attending Trinity until 1970. Despite the apparent secularization of
Irish society, 98 percent of Irish primary schools are still run by the Catholic Church. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance has urged the Irish authorities to promote the establishment of multi-
THE FACTS OF THE MATTER » Atheism can be broken down into two positions: “strong atheism” and “weak atheism”. “Weak atheism” is the broadest and most general definition of atheism. It’s the absence of belief in any gods. “Strong atheism” is the explicit belief that gods do not exist. » The number of Irish atheists has increased by 59% since 2002.
» The term atheism originated as a pejorative epithet applied to any person or belief in conflict with established religion. » Ireland today is one of the most religious countries in Europe, according to the 2006 census, 95.5% of people in Ireland adhere to a stated religious belief.
denominational or non-denominational schools. Recently the Commission stressed the need for secular schools to accommodate immigrants from different backgrounds, who now account for 10 percent of the Irish population. The SASS plans to invite guest speakers to UCC to discuss such issues as the above mentioned secular education. They have plans to invite a member of “Educate Together”, a non denominational education system that teaches primary school children of all religious beliefs to the Cork campus. Currently there are 56 schools in the country operating under the Educate Together system. Although the UCC society is the first of its kind in Ireland, in recent times there has been an increase in the number of similar atheist societies in the main third level institutions of western countries. A similar society is set to appear in NUI Galway.
Disability funding slashed Disability Funding has been cut, affecting thousands of students in need of assistance. With reporting by James McCleane Fay from UCC and Fearghus Brian Roulston in TCD
S
TUDENT DISABILITY funding has been cut nationwide “by 25% for high end users”, according to disability officer Mary O’Grady. The National Access Office (NAO) informed disability offices on campuses nationwide in December last year of the cuts, which have affected all the universities in Ireland. According to the disability office, cutbacks by the NAO have been the result of a combination of the country’s current economic climate and a much greater number of applications last year. The disability office explained that while
they receive funding from UCC, the cuts that have affected students have been taking place nationwide, across all universities and third level education institutes in Ireland. The cuts were described as coming from the NAO, which has had to deal with “many more applications this year”, according to the disability office. “The way these funds are allocated is by application to the NAO through our office: the NAO have the responsibility of where and how they are allocated.” “The difficult thing for us right now is reallocating the funds to those who need it most” said Ms. O’Grady. “We
The Pav is inaccessible, though plans to redevelop the building are in place.
THIS WEEK has seen UCD threatened with High Court action over their failure to promote a member of staff following a Labour Court ruling. College authorities have also come under fire for reportedly aggressive behaviour by Pulse Security staff. University College Dublin has been threatened with High Court action by the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) if Senior Lecturer of Philosophy, Dr. Ger Casey, is not promoted to the role of Associate Professor. The Labour Court, which recommended the promotion, ruled that UCD had acted wrongfully by not promoting Dr. Casey on 8th December 2008. UCD is yet to announce their acceptance of the Labour Court’s recommendation. Mike Jennings, General Secretary of IFUT, stands firm in the federation’s
threat of a High Court appeal. “If the university refuses to accept its obligations, there is no way in the wide world that the IFUT will let them get away with that”. Speaking of the potential repercussions for UCD if the Labour Court’s recommendation remains unheeded or worse rejected, Dr. Casey explained, “It would effectively be a rejection of the entire industrial relations machinery by a body that is in receipt of public funding”. However Mr. Jennings and Dr. Casey are hopeful that such action will not prove necessary. Dr. Casey, who initially applied for the promotion in July 2006, believes the case has acted as a “magnet” as he has received confidences from several colleagues who also felt “bizarrely treated” in their promotion applications. A spokesperson for UCD declined to comment on the university’s failure
SHORT CUTS FUNDING
MAYNOOTH STAYS POSITIVE IN TOUGH TIMES DESPITE THE economic recession, and the lack of government funding for Irish universities, NUI Maynooth president John Hughes is positive about the future of the college. The university, which is Ireland’s fastest growing, will implement over the next ten years a 200 million euro development plan. This will not only bring better facilities to the campus, but will also create better links with neighbouring industry. For this new construction project the campus will be trying to avoid over reliance on the state. Hughes is quoted in the Sunday Business Post explaining the money will come from “philanthropy, borrowings and money generated internally”. The university has set up an “office of commercialisation” which serves to “develop links with industry...promoting a culture of research commercialisation”. The development of the campus will also create up to 150 much needed jobs in construction. By James Arthurs TUTU HONOURED
TUTU HONOURED BY UCD AND NUIG The GMB was made accessible with the addition of the outdoor lift, above. Photos: Rachel Kennedy have been asking students who are dyslexic and use scribes exactly when they need them, and working with lecturers to make more notes available on blackboard as we need to try and cut back funds where they are not as needed.” When asked how this is being achieved for dyslexic students, Ms. O’Grady explained: “Our office and several departments in UCC have been training dyslexic students with technology that will assist them in their studies.” Ms. O’Grady further explained that scribes were not as needed in certain lecture situations, where dyslexic students had agreed to use digital dictation machines for later note taking, and other cases where lecturers placed notes on blackboard. Ms. O’Grady further emphasised the importance of funding for high-end users. “Those with sensory and severe physical disabilities require more funding, and require more assistance in their independent learning”. She went on to say that it was the aim of the disability office to help all students in UCC to become independent learners. “The NAO has allowed any additional funds left over to be allocated to high end users”, Ms. O’Grady said. “This means that unlike before, when any additional funds are made available, we can ensure that high-end user assistance is prioritised.” Upon being asked how many cases allocated funding to students who later did not require them, the disability office was clear that this year it would be spent
on those who needed it most. “We always get applications for funding where the funding is sometimes not spent.” The disability office wanted to stress to students that their welfare was of primary concern, and that the level of support from academic lecturers was greatly appreciated. Support for students with disabilities has become an increasingly important issue in Ireland. There was some opprobrium in October of last year when the government announced its plans to reduce funding for the access and innovation program, designed to aid students with disabilities in entering college. Ned Costello, chief executive officer Without continued investment, many vital services could be eroded. of the Irish Universities Association, described the move at the time as being “extremely demoralising”. There has been concern recently that, given the current economic cutbacks, the development of disability services will be hampered and the Disability Federation of Ireland has warned that without continued government investment, many vital services could be gradually eroded. “Services to disabled people and their families were decimated in the 1980s during the last recession, and there is every possibility that the same will happen again,” said the federation’s
chief executive John Dolan. The latest manifestation of this problem has been in the education sector. Last week Batt O’Keefe, the Minister for Education, signaled that special teacher support for children with mild learning disabilities was to be cut for 119 schools across the country, in an effort to save up to seven million euro. The cutbacks now appear to have impacted on third level education also. The number of students with disabilities attending Irish universities has grown a great deal in the last fifteen years, but without government help many fear this welcome development could be reversed. Trinity’s efforts to provide services for students with disabilities have come under scrutiny in the last few years. After the closure of the Buttery bar, it was noted that the college no longer had a bar with disabled access for students, and recent development plans for the Pav have advocated a different access route which would allow wheelchair users to reach the pub more easily. There has also been talk of redeveloping the grounds of college, possibly by placing a path along the cobblestones, to improve ease of access for those in wheelchairs. With this loss of funding, such plans could be jeopardised. Although the Minister for Education stressed that funds would be redistributed in order to be put to the best use possible. He stated that the government would continue its commitment to providing the best level of support for all students with disabilities.
Legal cases from students and staff hit UCD By Aine Pennello
5
Two students intend to complain against Pulse Security after an incident at the Student Bar, above. Photo: Neil Dorgan
to promote Dr. Casey last year, stating that Dr. Casey’s employment status was an issue of employee-employer confidentiality. There was further controversy relating to Pulse Security who operate on the UCD campus, with two first year students intending to make formal complaints to the Gardaí against members of Pulse Security on the grounds of assault. Gavin Hillick and Sean Claffey purport the incident occurred as they were leaving the Student Bar at 8.30 pm on February 2nd. Speaking to UCD’s University Observer Mr. Claffey claimed, “I was in a bit of a fight outside the bar. I went back in to get my coat to leave, but when I came out, two security guards grabbed me and started pushing me and dragging me all around the place. Gav [Mr. Hillick] came out after me and then loads of other security arrived and jumped on him as well.”
Mr. Claffey reported that he and his friend were surrounded by up to twelve members of Pulse Security, four of which restrained them as they were repeatedly punched and kicked. Mr. Claffey reported bruising to his chest while Mr. Hillick claims he was punched in the face as he attempted to alleviate the situation. Manager of the Student Club, Declan Hyland, stated that the club had not required Pulse Security intervention in any incident on the evening in question. Mr. Hyland declined to comment further as he reported the incident is now in the hands of the Gardaí, however he did say he would be willing to present security video footage to the Gardaí if requested to do so. Over 100 complaints have been lodged against Pulse Security since the firm’s installation in UCD in September 2008, with one of the latest concerning the ordered halt of a homosexual couple kissing earlier this month.
Humanitarian activist and Nobel Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, received prestigious awards from two of Ireland’s universities this week. In NUIG on Sunday February 15th he addressed the college’s Literary and Debating Society. He praised NUIG’s outstanding record of volunteerism, making particular reference to the university’s ALIVE programme which promotes civic engagement. Archbishop Tutu, a staunch defender of human rights and opposer of corrupt regimes, called for a community of ‘togetherness’ in order to combat the global challenges we now face. He called for resolutions to humanitarian crises such as shortages of clean water and basic healthcare and education, while also condemning the vast sums of money spent on large military operations. At the event in Galway, he was honoured with the society’s President’s Medal, presented by Dublin musician Bob Geldof. The following day, Archbishop Tutu addressed UCD’s Literary and Historical Society, where he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship. By Kate O’Regan FEES
PRESIDENTS IN FAVOUR OF FEES DESPITE THE combined efforts of student unions around the country to force the government into retracting planned hikes in registration and tuition fees, several heads of Irish Universities have come out in favour of the reintroduction of fees. According to the leaders of Irish Universities and ITs, the only possibility of navigating through the current financial crisis is for students to be responsible for a portion of their tuition fees. Prof Ferdinand Von Prondzynski, President of DCU, has said he would favour the reintroduction of fees. Prof Von Prondzynski was joined by President of UCC Dr Michael Murphy in calling for the return of fees. Dr Murphy claims that the reintroduction of fees will be necessary to maintain a diverse source of income for universities, and to ensure their continued success. By Kate O’Regan
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Global Campus
6
BERKELEY, USA
TRINITY STUDENT ABROAD IF YOU are interested in spending a year at the University Of California Berkeley (UCB) be prepared to work hard. Having finished the Scholarship exams in my second year at Trinity I popped open the bottle of champagne in the blissfully ignorant belief that never again would I put myself through such an intense period of academic work. I was wrong. Compared to Trinity’s three eight-week terms, Berkeley boasts two eighteen week terms with one month off for Christmas. The school year starts mid-way through August and ends in May. With a major such as mine - English Literature which involves a great deal of reading - one can expect to work on average for about seven to ten hours a day and this number only increases during exam period. Hitting the sixteen week mark with three finals ahead of you and a lack of UV rays from extended periods in the library is going to be hard under any circumstances. Now put yourself on the other side of the world, away from your family, away from your friends, in an unfamiliar culture and city and tell me if you are still interested in applying? You are? Good. If you approach the academics as a good challenge then it only goes uphill from there. You may have to work extremely hard, but everyone is in the same boat. You can despair together, study together, help and support each other. And of course when all the exams are over, hit the bottle together. I am fortunate enough to be in the privileged position of loving my field of study, and as the American system allows you to hand pick your classes from a delicious array of options - you are literally spoilt for choice. The courses are broken down into two categories – lectures and seminars. Whilst lectures tend to be much larger classes in auditoriums, seminars are far more exclusive with more particular themes and emphasis on discussion and participation. If Balzac’s Père Goriot, Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway whet your appetite then a lecture entitled ‘The European Novel’ might be worth pursuing. If on the other hand yours in a more medieval palette fictions from Virgil’s Aeneid to Dante’s Inferno are more to your taste then the lecture ‘Before Chaucer’ is a better option. The seminars are more adventurous, creating strange mixtures of topics and themes.‘Post-War American Literature and the Problem of Evil’ combines text and film and answers Patrick Bateman’s (the narrator of Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho) question “Is evil something you do or something you are?” One of my courses this semester is taught by Bharati Mukherjee -an award-winning Indian born American writer who has written numerous novels and short stories including Jasmine and The Middle Man. On my five minute walk to class every morning, I pass the parking space reserved for ‘NL only’ (Nobel Laureates Only – of which Berkeley have twenty-four)! Drama teachers boast of having taught Al Pacino how to act and league tables place Berkeley as second in the world for Arts and Humanities. Academia aside, the other aspects of life at ‘Cal’ as Berkeley is affectionately known, are numerous. Berkeley takes its sport seriously. More importantly, it takes its women’s sport seriously. There are successful women’s teams in all major sports and funding and field space is equally designated to male and female teams. I joined the Cal Women’s Lacrosse team and despite the hard training six days a week, I have had the opportunity to travel all around California with a wonderful squad of girls and receive first-class coaching. Fall Semester consists of a weekly hype over whether or not the Berkeley American Football team – the ‘California Golden Bears’ will do their university proud and the lead up to ‘The Big Game’ (versus Stanford) where the opposing team color - red - is officially banned and all students congregate in the 80,000 seat stadium can turn the most unpatriotic Cal student into a staunch fan. ‘Frat Row’ pulls all the stops out and bouncy castles, water slides and barbecues line the road with Bob Marley playing at full volume. For those of you less inclined to sports, a twenty minute train ride will land you in the centre of San Francisco. An average day might include browsing in ‘City Lights’, a landmark independent bookstore founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, taking a walk along Crissy Fields – the beach that overlooks Golden Gate Bridge, a visit to the infamous prison Alcatraz or wandering through China Town eating dim-sum and fortune cookies. There are leather-fetish/bondage fairs (Folsom Street Fair) and ‘Love-fest’ celebrates all forms of love from all over the world. Weekend exploring a little farther afield into the enormous state of California could take you to the ski-slopes of Lake Tahoe, a wine-tasting weekend in Nappa Valley or the beach in San Diego. Am I happy that I took the plunge and spent my third year in Berkeley California? Without a doubt, yes. The experiences I have had out here and the friends I have made will last a lifetime. When I sit reading my book in Strada Café in Berkeley at the top of the hill, I have the sun on my face, an iced café Latte in my hand and I can see the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay. It doesn’t get much better than that. Lexi Finnigan
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
Fatal shot kills college student By Jennifer Doyle Staff Writer ON SUNDAY February 14, Pennsylvania State Police shot dead twenty-two year old Joseph Frederick Briggs, from Dickerson, Maryland. Briggs, a student at Seton Hill University in Greenburg, was involved in a three hour stand-off with State Police. The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning after Briggs returned home from a night out. He and a roommate had been drinking heavily at the Filly Coral strip club in nearby Smithson. Upon returning to his apartment on Concord Avenue, just three blocks from the University, he began threatening to hurt the others in the apartment, three of his roommates and a female friend, as well as harm himself. His roommates raised the alarm with local police who arrived just before 4 a.m. By this stage, the roommates had escaped to the street with one gun they had taken off Briggs, leaving him with two other weapons. Briggs became increasingly erratic once police arrived, firing shots out of his windows and hitting neighbouring houses, causing some
neighbours to hide in their basement for safety. Local police were forced to call in State police when Briggs refused to come down. Houses were evacuated and a three hour standoff began with Briggs firing approximately fifty nine rounds of ammunition during it. According to a neighbour, Mark Conte, ‘All throughout the night there were shots going off’. Matters came to a head at approximately 7 a.m. when Briggs began firing out of his apartment window with a long barrelled weapon, thought to be a rifle. At that point a State Trooper took the opportunity to fire at Briggs, resulting in the death of the young student. The State Trooper involved has been placed on administrative leave, the normal procedure when an incident like this occurs. Trooper Jean Martin has defended her colleague saying ‘He was contacted several times by different people in an attempt to bring this situation to a close in a peaceful manner.’ The incident has shaken the small University of Seton Hill. Originally a women’s Catholic liberal arts college, the now Co-Ed. University, of approximately 2000 students,
Briggs’ Facebook shows him with a rifle
was placed in a state of emergency after police alerted campus authorities to the situation. The E-2 Campus System was activated to advise students of the seriousness of the situation. Students living on campus were telephoned and asked to remain in situ whilst the campus was put into lock-down. In the wake of the shooting, Seton Hill has offered counselling to its students and the surrounding community. Since the incident, police have been searching Briggs’ computer and phone records in the hope that they will provide clues as to why the stand-off occurred. It is suspected that he was having trouble in an on-again, off-again relationship but friends have claimed that it was totally out of character for the Criminal Justice major who, ironically, had the ambition of becoming a State Trooper. A friend, Greg Sell, has said of him that ‘if you needed something, he was a person you could call on.’ Police are also looking at Brigg’s involvement in the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus campaign, a movement which is seeking to allow students who legally own firearms to carry them onto campus grounds.
Student ‘art’ costs Uni €9800 By Martin McKenna KONSTFACK, SWEDEN’S largest and most prestigious art college, has been reported to the police and invoiced 100,000 Swedish crowns (€9,300) by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), the body which runs the public transport system in the capital city, for damage caused to a train carriage by a student’s final project. The project is the second in as many months to cause problems for the college. In January, a student was hospitalised during a feigned psychiatric attack as part of her final project. Part of the public transport project consists of a two-minute long video entitled “Territorial Pissing” in which a man dressed in black and wearing a mask spray-paints his name on (tags) the inside of a train carriage. The man then smashes a window in the carriage and continues ‘tagging’ while passengers exit the carriage. The man in the video is NUG, a former student at Konstfack who graduated in the spring of 2008. The video was being exhibited at an art fair called Market until February 14, when the exhibit was removed by the artist. He wrote in a programme accompanying the artwork that “My ambition is to get across my personal experiences of, and relationship to, graffiti to new media and environments without loosing the energy in traditional graffiti bombing”, and that “it is nice to piss, and it is necessary everywhere”. The video came to attention when the Minister for Culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, saw the video on Friday February 13 and told newspapers that “I became unbelievably upset. Because of graffiti moving into a gallery like this … I regard graffiti as vandalism. Of course
I think art should be free, challenging and should ask questions, but that film made me very angry”. It was, apparently, NUG’s “unbelievable nonchalance” which provoked her most. The curator, Andreas Brändström, defended the artwork, saying “If one attempts to disregard the vandalism and look up, then this can instead create debate and dialogue”. Brändström’s exchange with the Minister was also reported in newspapers, with Brändström alleging that the Minister became “angrier and angrier” when he suggested that NUG could be an artistic role model for other graffiti artists. Minister Adelsohn Liljeroth acknowledged that there is graffiti that can be “cool and exciting, but in that case there is a request where agreement has been reached. One can’t just do it. But among graffiti artists, it’s supposed to be inaccessible, that’s part of it”. On Sunday, February 15, SL reported the case to the police and billed Konstfack. SL’s chairman, Christer G Wennerholm, said that “for us, this is completely unacceptable because in no way have we made the carriage available. This is simply an attack and vandalism of our stock and above all harassment of our passengers.” He continued, “The leadership at Konstfack have an ethical and moral responsibility and so does the student.” SL is also demanding an apology from Konstfack, which is primarily due to the fact that passengers feel “insulted”. “Passengers should not have to deal with graffiti artists who disturb their journey”, said Wennerholm. “It’s not much fun to go out on an ordinary journey and then someone comes in and destroys the carriage”. However, as far as Wennerholm knows, no insulted passengers have so far made a
Konstfack Student’s controversial projects have caused many people to criticise the University. Photo: Johan Fogde
complaint. Head of the Department of Art at Konstfack, Olof Glemme, said that according to Konstfack’s new ethical guidelines, they cannot support that which is illegal. “Those rules were made clear in the beginning of the autumn and this work was one reason we developed them”. Glemme confirmed that the work was graded and passed this spring. “But with the rules we have now, if one accepts that an illegal act has taken place in this work, then I don’t see that it could [pass]”. However, he would not comment on the appropriateness of SL’s 100,000 crowns bill. “Our lawyer will look at that, because it depends on what has happened that is illegal. I don’t know how much is shown in this work”. Regarding the school’s liability and the student’s liability, who will pay what is also a matter for the lawyer, he said. On Saturday, February 14, the tv showing the video was switched off and the area around it taped off. Curator Andreas Brändström said “The artist thought too much was being written about it and it felt difficult. He didn’t want to show the film any more and we said ok. We support the artist in this situation.” In a separate incident, on January 26, another student, Anna Odell, was admitted to hospital and forcibly sedated while she pretended to be suicidal and suffering from a psychiatric episode as part of her final project for the college. During the incident, Odell stood on
Stockholm’s Liljeholm bridge and acted confused and desperate. She threw clothes in the water which several eyewitnesses understood as an intention to take her own life. When police arrived she initially refused to be removed but after some time they succeeded in taking her to the psychiatric ward of St. Göran’s hospital, where she was forcibly medicated. According to the senior physician, Odell was very aggressive and tried to bite the staff and hit out several times. When she explained the following morning that she was merely acting, as part of her degree project, she was discharged from hospital. On January 26, Fredrik Bengtsson, a department head at the hospital, reported Odell to police. Further, on January 30, Bengtsson lodged a complaint against Konstfack with The Parliamentary Ombudsmen, who investigate complaints that certain public bodies have acted in breach of their regulations. “I am doing this as a private person because I think it is an enormous insult to the staff and police who intervened in what they thought was a seriously sick person”. In an article in the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter on February 8, several staff of Konstfack, including Olof Glemme, wrote that the media’s picture of the incident was “one-sided” and that Konstfack would continue to support Odell until the work was finished, expected in May.
Geronimo ‘imprisoned’ at Yale By Monika Urbanski Staff Writer THE DESCENDANTS of the Apache Geronimo, a warrior chieftain whose remains are rumoured to be held inside Yale’s oldest society known as the Order of the Skull & Bones, filed a lawsuit last Tuesday demanding the return of their ancestor’s skull. “I believe strongly from my heart that his spirit was never released,” Geronimo’s grandson Harlyn Geronimo said in a press conference the same day. “Presently, he’s still imprisoned. The only way to put this into closure is to relieve the remains and his spirit so that he can be taken to his homeland”. One hundred years ago, Geronimo, whose name is now a familiar battle cry, died of pneumonia in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. According to the Yale Daily News Harlyn Geronimo said his family believes Skull and Bones members took some of the remains in 1918 from a burial plot in Fort Sill, to keep in its New Haven clubhouse. The family is legally entitled to ownership of Geronimo’s remains and any funerary objects buried with him under the provisions of the 1990 Native
The bones of Geronimo, far right, were allegedly stolen by Yale’s oldest secret society American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the complaint argues. Skull and Bones is a secret society based at Yale University, in New Haven Connecticut. In conversation, the group is known as “Bones”, and members have been known as “Bonesmen”. It is the oldest and by far the most determinedly secretive of Yale’s secret societies. As such, it has long been an
inspiration for speculation and imagination. The alleged graverobbing is a longstanding legend that gained some validity in recent years with the discovery of a letter from a club member that described the theft. Yale historian, Marc Walter, discovered the letter in 2006 while researching a book about pioneering World War I aviators from Yale. The letter was published in the Yale
Alumni Magazine and reads: “The skull of the worthy Geronimo the Terrible, exhumed from its tomb at Fort Sill by your club… is now sage inside the tomb (“tomb” is the building at Yale University’s Skull and Bones) and bone together with his well worn femurs, bit and saddle horn”. The notion that Geronimo’s remains might be “above ground” has been a continuing source of anguish for the warrior’s descendants, but the rumours have never been authoritatively confirmed or debunked. Experts remain split on whether the grave robbery ever took place, while 19 descendants of Geronimo are now suing Skull and Bones, president Barack Obama, both George H. and George W. Bush, the secretary of defence, and Yale University for the return of the remains. But Fort Sill’s historians insist the grave has not been disturbed and don’t want the grave “desecrated” in an attempt to find out. On the contrary, Jeff Houser, chairman of the Fort Still Apache Tribe, doesn’t think that Harlyn Geronimo is going about this correctly. “If his goal is to get the remains, he can file a claim with the federal government. If his goal is to also gain attention, he can file a lawsuit on the 100tth anniversary of Geronimo’s death”.
NEWS FEATURE
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
Rooms on campus: the chosen ones Visiting student from the US, Anne Marie Walker offers her perspective on the issue of how campus accommodation is allocated, and examines the criteria that the average student must meet to acquire rooms.
W
HEN ONE first opens the door to their new apartment in Goldsmith Hall, the first thing that greets you is a long, dingy corridor with white cinderblock walls and grey doors. Goldsmith Hall, while not the newest of the residences on campus, looks one of the oldest, with a grey, unornamented exterior and rooms with grey desks that snake around half of the room, grey shelves, grey cabinet doors, and depending on what side of the hall you’re on, either a twin bed or a single. It’s not the most convenient of apartments, with an elevated, enclosed walkway acting as an umbilical cord connecting the Sports Centre and the residence, and a ten minute walk to Front Square. Despite these drawbacks the residents are grateful for having procured a spot at all because of the limited space on campus. It’s also necessary to point out that most of the students at Goldsmith are international—mostly Americans and Canadians, it would seem. Which begs several questions; why are there so few spaces on campus, what are the criteria for allocating a room in residences and where do the Irish students live? First the basics: the Registrar of Chambers has a set criteria listed on its website for the allocation of rooms:
Most of the rooms have four occupants yet some are equipped with a full length refrigerator while others only have a mini-fridge. student with entitlements (such as Scholars), preference to students from outside of Dublin, a student must show a significant contribution to college life, and finally the remaining rooms will be allocated to create a vibrant and diverse atmosphere. The Registrar also caters to students with special needs, and rewards rooms to societies that win the annual CSC awards. In addition, the college accepts nominations of a particular individual from a club or society. Irish speakers who want to live in a community in which they can hone their language also get preference. Another component of Trinity accommodation is Trinity Hall, which is the only accommodation first year undergraduates can apply to and gives preference to postgraduates. Those students continuing on in college have a four week window in February to apply for on-campus housing, while overseas students apply once they have been accepted into a course. So what does all of this mean? Basically if you’re not part of a society, don’t speak Irish, are a first year, and if you live in Dublin then chances are
you’re not getting a room on campus. This is unfortunate if you have to take public transportation from Trinity Hall to get to your 9am lecture or tutorial. But it is also good in that it provides almost guaranteed housing for international students. The criteria also explains why there are so few Irish students living on campus: most of them are either from Dublin or are capable of getting transportation back home every weekend. Now what about the international students, the clueless ones who on our first day ask where the Accommodation Office is or the Laundry room? Our ordeal begins online when we’re scrounging around for information on the Accommodation website comparing prices and rooms based on those tiny, grainy pictures. Then there is the actual application process. Students, regardless of whether they get a room or not, have to pay a €15 fee that is nonrefundable. This may not seem like a lot, but for non-EU students who have to pay more than $31,000 just to attend for an academic year, it is a bitter pill to swallow if they don’t get a room. They also have to pay a €250 deposit within twenty-one days once they are granted a room or risk losing it. Then there is also the price of residences; the cheapest are the standard rooms, with no central heating, which average at around €1,600—including utilities and rent—and the most expensive are the modern rooms in Front Square, Botany Bay, GMB and Goldsmith Hall which are around €2,000, but with central heating. But these rates are not fixed, and tend to vary depending on what type of room you have and either increase or decrease in price throughout the year. At long last we finally find our rooms and begin the arduous process of unpacking, buying cutlery, duvets, trying to figure out how the hob operates. And what do international students think of accommodation? I think the best answer to this question lies in Goldsmith Hall, the most isolated of the residences. Students who live in Goldsmith are for the most part, satisfied. The only real problems they have are with the system of the Accommodation Office and with the unequal distribution of the quality of the apartments. One international student noted that while the floor beneath them has a nice set of leather furniture, her apartment contained cheap-looking, uncomfortable furniture, and a couch that is too small for an overnight guest. Also, most of the rooms have four occupants yet some are equipped with a full length refrigerator while others only have a mini-fridge. “It just bothers me that we’re all paying the same amount of money yet some people get better stuff,” she said. Another point of contention is that one evidently has to know the right people in order to get replacement furniture. The aforementioned student noted that she once called to request a larger refrigerator because the mini-fridge was not adequate for four people; she was told that
GMB RESIDENTS: A STRAW POLL THE GMB has long been a residence for students, but how well does it adhere to the criteria that has been outlined for allocation of rooms in this illustrious building? Indeed, the types of students living there seem to fit within the parameters and fall into several groups. Research from a straw poll shows that those living there can be divided into three categories: the scholars, fourth year students, those particularly involved in societies and in college life, and those students who are from outside Dublin. Students on one particular floor of the GMB are mostly scholars, with the exception of a fourth year student and one who has been active in college life since first year. Although this seems to be acceptable, one wonders how selective the process for acquiring rooms is, as it is widely known there are students who are fully contributing members of the college and from abroad are frequently put on waiting lists and are forced to seek other places to live.
Residences of Trinity College: Above, Goldsmith Hall. Left: The Graduate Memorial Building. Photos by Martin McKenna and Rachel Kennedy she could not get one unless it was for a medical need. Then one day one of the maintenance crew stopped by and when she inquired him about a new fridge, the man was kind enough to have one installed in, and a new stove since the old one was broken. Another issue with residences is that despite Accommodation’s goal of creating a “diverse and vibrant community,” students don’t feel that is the case. One student from the States recalls how first year undergraduates are practically required to spend their first year on campus and are placed in halls with certain themes which evoke a sense of pride in living in residences. For example, one hall would have a Disney theme with hand-drawn paper cut-outs of Disney characters, or even “Family Guy” characters, or whatever the most popular movie of that season happens to be. In each hall there are older students living who have been designated RAs (Resident Assistants), who helps in the transition into college life and also organises events for his/her hall to participate in. “One time our RA took us to a jazz club,” says this student. “It was great; we had a lot of fun.” The result was a sense of enthusiasm for being a part of the hall and it also provided a great opportunity to meet other people not only from your hall but other ones. The opposite is true at Goldsmith: “Here,” the student says, “there seems to be no sense of community.” Based on these anecdotes, it seems that Trinity’s accommodation system is vastly different from America’s. To use another university in the US as an example, the University of California, Riverside, which is located 80 kilometres east of LA, the situation proves to
be quite different. Unlike in Trinity, first years in the States generally move into on campus housing and at UCR, they are guaranteed two years of housing if they stay in residences for the entire academic year and meet their housing deadline – i.e. move out on time. Residence Halls, not counting on-campus apartments, serve over 3,000 students and 75% of first years live on campus. Third and fourth years can apply to residence halls but first years are usually given preference. Besides, as a fourth year, would you want to live with a bunch of freshmen? On-campus apartments usually
National studies show that resident students perform better academically, have more contact with faculty, and are generally happier have bigger rooms than the dorms, and are more for upper-classmen and international students, although foreign students can and do live in the dorms. There is even a place called Transfer Hall for the international students located in one of the dorms but these are not “ghettoized” as you are still living in the same building as local students. Transfer students can also apply to the International Village which is just a 15 minute walk from campus and house both international and local students. With so many students living on campus, Housing has to provide a way to feed them all, and in Riverside, just
like most of southern California, you have to drive to find a good place to eat. So each residence hall or apartment either has a cafeteria or a convenience store, and the food is comparable to The Buttery. Housing also accepts applications for the apartments year round and although has deadlines for the residence halls, they can be flexible with this. According to UCR, “National studies show that resident students perform better academically, have more contact with faculty, and are generally happier… than those who live off campus or commute.” Although no system is perfect, there are definite advantages to living on campus and dividing the residences among a more diverse group of people. Accommodation has tried bringing in students from the same residences together before. Towards the end of Michaelmas term, I received an email inviting all of the residences of Goldsmith Hall to “greet-and-eat” dinner at the downstairs lounge to become acquainted with our fellow residences. There was plenty of food and drink but only thirty people arrived and the atmosphere was less than stimulating. Now, the sentiment is right but this gathering occurred far too late in the term to have a real impact. To be fair, Accommodation has limited space to work with; what may seem large for Trinity is puny in California. And also given the fact that students are relatively happy here, it could be nonetheless better. Trinity could take a page from UCR and make new students feel welcome in their residences and even place international students together with students of a nationality different from their own. There is a desire—among all students—to meet and connect with people from different backgrounds—even for a moment.
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FEATURES
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
And the prize for bad sex goes to...
PREVIOUS WINNERS » 2005 Winkler by Giles Coren (Jonathan Cape)
For fifteen years the Literary Review has been awarding novelists for “bad sex” in literature to “discourage tasteless passages of sexual description”. Don’t compete, says Charlie Baker IN THESE worsening times it is likely that a number of you avoided the banal take-your-loved/desired-one out to dinner option and opted for a more traditional St Valentine’s gift – few lines of poetry along the old “Roses are Red” line or maybe something a bit more complex. Now in the likely situation that you are nursing a black eye and are eating baked beans out of the tin in your lonely flat after your loved/desired one told you exactly where to go, you should have been aware of the precedent in writing erotic poetry. Indeed you should have consulted the Literary Review, a British magazine that has since 1993 awarded a prize to the writer who produces the worst description of sex in an otherwise sound novel, with the given rationale “to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel and to discourage it”. With past winners including Sebastian Faulks, Salman Rushdie and John Updike (lifetime achievement award – 2008), it has a certain undesirable cachet, with only a few brave writers actually turning up to the award show, held at the appropriately named In and Out Club in St James Square.
» 2003 Bunker 13 by Aniruddha Bahal (Faber & Faber)
Rachel Johnson, sister to the Mayor of London, won in 2008 with this clunking slice of characterization from her Sloane-Ranger pastiche Shire Hell , ”I make a grab, to put him, now angrily slapping against both our bellies, inside, but he holds both by arms down, and puts his tongue to my core, like a cat lapping up a dish of cream so as not to miss a single drop” In comparison to competitors from previous years, this is tame stuff. Norman Mailer won posthumously in 2007 for “A Castle in The Forest”, where he memorably describes Adolf Hitler’s conception, likening Hitler Sr’s lessening gland to “a coil of excrement”. Repulsion aside, it is more often purple prose and mixed metaphors that piques the judges interest, with this clichéd shocker from Clare Clarke’s “Nature of Monsters coming a close second in 2007 “ M y t o e s clenched in my boots and my
SHORTLISTED: ‘THE BOOK OF DAVE’ BY WILL SELF DAVE AND Phyl were having sex in her cottage outside Chipping Ongar. Their sex was conducted right there on the living-room floor, assisted by cushions grabbed from chairs and the sofa. Through her haze Michelle was pleased that Dave wasn’t repellent, although since it wasn’t him who she was fucking, but the other she was fucking over, it hardly mattered. With him there was no need to worry about any uncalled-for embryo - he’s had the ‘snip-snip’ - and so for vital moments, as she gagged on the cabbie’s shoulder, Michelle forgot who it was who was bearing down on her. As for Dave, he muttered,
» 2004 I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe (Jonathan Cape)
‘You on the pill, luv?’, took her silence for acquiescence, then approached Michelle as he would call over a run: leave on left tit, comply throat, comply mouth, left shoulder, forward cunt... junctions of her body were well signed, and his knowledge was sufficient to hold her. Yet in the friction of their final lunge there was an anticipation of more than arrival. Their jerking bodies prefigured the bondage of shackled partners. They both sensed this and struggled to avoid it - backpeddalling into the present. Dave came in desperation ... While the mere cessation of bucking was Michelle’s end.
» 2002 Tread Softly by Wendy Perriam (Peter Owen) » 2001 Rescue Me by Christopher Hart (Faber & Faber) » 2000 Kissing England by Sean Thomas (Flamingo) » 1999 Starcrossed by AA Gill (Doubleday) » 1998 Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks (Hutchinson) belly held itself aloft in a moment of stillness as the flame quivered, perfectly bright. I held my breath. In the explosion I lost sight of myself. I was a million brilliant fragments, the darkness of my belly alive with stars. When at last I opened my eyes to look at him, my lashes shone with tears. He raised a finger to his lips and smiled” Pretension is another big hitter, and every year there is at least one entry on the longlist swimming in its own sea of ridicule “O glorious pubes! The ultimate triangle, whose angles delve to hell but point to paradise. Let me sing the black banner, the blackbird’s wing, the chink, the cleft, the keyhole in the door.
The fig, the fanny, the cranny, the quim - I’d come close to it now, this sudden blush, this ancient avenue, the end of all odysseys and epic aim of life, pulling at my prick now, pulling like a lodestone.” Such verbosity is hard to match, yet Julia Glass makes a fist of it in a “Whole World Over”, portraying a hyperintellectual climax “And then before her inner eye, a tide of words leaped high and free, a chaotic joy like frothing rapids: truncate, adjudicate, fornicate, frivolous, rivulet, violet, oriole, orifice, conifer, aquifer, allegiance, alacrity ... all the words this time not a crowding but a heavenly chain, an ostrich fan, a vision as much as an orgasm, a release of something deep in the core of her altered SHORTLISTED: ‘THE WHOLE WORLD OVER’ BY JULIA GLASS brain, words she thought she’d lost ‘YOU’RE A sexy lady, know that?’ that he was taking a condom out of for good.” Stan whispered as he unzipped a drawer in the table that held the Frothing her pants. She had no answer; she books and the phone. rapids indeed. But kept her eyes closed and sank into She closed her eyes again and it is in the arena the music. let herself sink further down, or of the surreal His naked penis, when she felt it come more fully to the surface, she that many of the against her bare skin, was a shock, wasn’t sure which. ... most memorable mostly for the desire it beckoned And then before her inner eye, a passages can from Saga’s marrow. tide of words leaped high and free, be found. Gary ‘So touch me, Story Girl,’ he a chaotic joy like frothing rapids: Shtengart’s said. Still she said nothing and kept truncate, adjudicate, fornicate, frivappropriately her eyes closed. She felt Stan’s pu- olous, rivulet, violet, oriole, orifice, n a m e d bic hair, like a prickly sea creature, conifer, aquifer, allegiance, alacrity ... “ A b s u r d i s t a n” move in circles on her thigh. all the words this time not a crowddepicting a Then, another shock, she felt his ing but a heavenly chain, an ostrich sexual encounter fingers. ... fan, a vision as much as an orgasm, between a When he raised himself slightly a release of something deep in the m a n n e r e d away from her again, she opened core of her altered brain, words she pensioner and a her eyes only long enough to see thought she’d lost for good. morbidly obese African American
woman “Her vagina was all that, as they say in the urban media - a powerful ethnic muscle scented by bitter melon, the breezes of the local sea, and the sweaty needs of a tiny nation trying to breed itself into a future. Was it especially
“Past winners include Sebastian Faulks, Salman Rushdie and John Updike; it has a certain undesirable cachet. Repulsion aside, it is more often purple prose and mixed metaphors that piques the judges interest. Every year there is at least one entry on the longlist swimming in its own sea of ridicule.” hairy? Good Lord, yes it was.” Having run the gamut of absurdity, we can see that writing about sex is a tricky business, even to celebrated authors. So in the future it would be perhaps wise to stick to flowers and a table for two instead of running the risk of ending up in this competition.
A student, 21, life will never be as fun... How far can we justify our behaviour in the name of being a young, carefree student? All the way says Emily Monk, be brave and do everything; this may be your last chance. THERE WAS an article in Elle magazine recently where the author crowned her thirties far more enjoyable than her twenty-something student days. She clearly didn’t do it right. Like many, I’ve recently adopted the ‘Be brave! In lectures, love, war, life. You’re only 20/21/22 once. Go for it’ slightly irritating attitude. I had previously cornered these type of cliched mentalities alongside my lack of desire to join the gym, not writing regularly to my grandparents and cutting back on buying clothes. So ok, we accept we must be brave, and try new things, and make new friends etc. to broaden life’s experiences, but how far can we use our age and lack of responsibility to justify our newfound behaviour that embraces student life? Pretty far I reckon. We can go out a few times a week, miss a couple of lectures, be hung-over on a Wednesday, sleep until midday. We can possibly justify smoking ‘if it’s just for a couple of years, while I’m still studying… I’ll give up when I leave’. Some decide recreational drug use is
totally allowed; after all, you’re only 21. It broadens the mind, experience, imagination, social network, musical appreciation(?). We can let our rooms resemble Gaza, buy clothes from Penneys, leave the washing up until the morning, wear rolled-up jumpsuits, pierce anything, fall in love every weekend; all guiltfree in the name of being 21. We’re students; paragons of the laid back, wild, partying, uber-chilled twentysomething demographic. But can I send a text message to an ex-boyfriend asking for random casual one-night sex? After all, its only sex. We’re in college , it’s what college people do. Are we allowed to walk up to a random girl in a bar, whisper something, in her ear and then just kiss her? Should we look up the sexy guy with glasses from class on Facebook and send him flirty messages?Why the hell not? I think we should. It’s fun, harmless, possibly embarrassing. So is wearing a slogan t-shirt and loads of people do that. Increasingly I think we are, quite
rightly, encouraging each other to just do it. Whatever ‘it’ may be I always urge friends to persistently follow Nike’s proverbial paradigm. Text him. Audition. Book the flights. Join the club. Perhaps this archetypal student is more of a non-existent entity that we convince ourselves is real. A fantasy, projected to us from films and stories from our parents. We urge ourselves to out-crazy fictional or at least incomparable characters – The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Clark Kent – as a
“Elizabeth Bennett didn’t get to live in Pemberley by staying home and knitting. If she had, she’d still be listening to the delights of Mr Collins” result we have more fun. Elizabeth Bennett didn’t get to live in Pemberley by staying home and knitting. If she had, she’d still be listening to the delights of Mr Collins. Or maybe we feel time is running out. Within the next few of years we’ll be burdened with the responsibility of a job (possibly), rent, the real world - we
might even want to be taken seriously. Let’s all dye our hair a pastelly lilac colour and shave the top section whilst we have the chance. I tried the whole shaving head thing using exactly the ‘we’re in college, it’s our last chance’ now-prosaic justification, and, weirdly enough, during the hedgehog-regrowth period it wasn’t as fun as I’d hoped, but it doesn’t matter. At least in a few years I’ll look back nostalgically while hampered with an office-etiquette bun. In a search for information about mitigating our otherwise abnormal behaviour I lurched magnetically towards an article called ‘How to be brave.’ Who writes these things? Who feels adequately qualified to offer such indispensible advice? It reads like an instruction manual five authoritative steps are listed and I’m suddenly overcome by a worrying sense of self-doubt. Really?Is “Jogging like a fool around your area with a big grin plastered on your face, favourite music in your ears and a belief in your ability to confront a lot of situations in life”
the missing key to eternal happiness? This sounds more like a forfeit from a rubbish Christmas board game. I’m not sure that being 21 justifies doing that. Other essential advice reads, “Start feeling comfortable doing new things – like talking to a ‘cool person’. You’re cool too.” Wow. I didn’t know I could feel happy just b y talking to a ‘cool’ person. Who are the cool
people? The ones who browse Wiki How To pages? It makes good reading, you should look it up. And this was the Elle writer’s point - at 21 we’re supposedly not brave but riddled with insecurities, unable to make the most of unending opportunity. Wrong. But there is an issue concerning what level we should limit our actions.When is being 21 and a student no longer a sufficient excuse? Hardly ever. Almost anything that doesn’t have adverse effects on other people is probably fine. So... Write an essay opposing your lecturer. Go to break dancing classes. Cut holes in the crotch of your jeans. Spontaneously turn up at the airport and board a flight to Madagascar. Read War and Peace in one go. Write a dubious, pointless feature for the Trinity News. Whatever . I just think it’s important to remember that you can get away with a lot by being a twenty one year old student; purple hair just doesn’t look so cool at twenty five.
WORLD REVIEW
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
9
FOCUS ON POLAND
Execution forces Poland to reconsider Afghan role
Photo By Wlodi Sczecen
By Michal Bartosik
P
OLAND’S MILITARY has been involved in both the Afghani as well as the Iraqi conflict since their outsets. As the rearguard of American or British forces it played a rather unnoticed if useful role in the military operations. However, the beheading of Polish geologist Piotr Stanczak (pronounced: ‘Pyotr Stanchak’) by Taliban insurgents in north-western
Public opinion is firmly against involvement in Afghanistan. 74 per cent of respondents to a recent opinion poll opposed Poland’s involvement in the war Pakistan could be a sign that Poland is gradually moving towards the forefront of what some call the ‘War on Terror’ and others a struggle for resources and power in the Middle East. Those who are in favour of increasing Polish engagement in Afghanistan are slowly coming to the realisation that it will not be infinitely possible to attempt to reap economic and political benefits from following America’s lead without getting your hands dirty. This encompasses practically the whole political spectrum from left to right which makes Poland a uniquely pro-war bastion in Europe. However, the political elites do not reflect public opinion, which according to the latest poll by the Centre for Public Opinion Research from September 2008, is strongly against involvement in Afghanistan. A decisive 74 per cent of respondents opposed Poland’s involvement in the war. Such a discrepancy on such an important
issue between the representatives of the people and those who elected them can only be explained by the lingering immaturity of a twenty-year-old democracy and the resulting mistrust of the average Pole towards political elites so characteristic of communist times. In other words: few people vote and those that do, do not know or do not care what they are voting for. The 133-day-long captivity of the geologist came to a gruesome conclusion the weekend of 7-8 February when video footage of his beheading was delivered to Pakistani journalists. Being the first case of this kind since the infamous beheading of Daniel Pearl in February 2002 some parallels between the two cases can be drawn. Certainly the futility of both deaths is striking: Pearl, a meticulous reporter who made his way up from local reporting in Massachusetts to become the Wall Street Journal’s South Asia correspondent and a keen observer of Islam; Stanczak, a geologist sent to north-western Pakistan to survey oil and gas fields for a Krakow-based geophysics company. Another parallel is the certainty with which Pakistani officials claimed that both men would be kept alive and the suddenness with which the executions befell the concerned American and Polish authorities. Pearl was murdered approximately a week after he was kidnapped while hope that he was alive carried on until the tape depicting the execution was delivered to the American consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi about a month later. Stanczak was kidnapped on 28 September 2008, giving Polish authorities almost four and a half months to open up various routes of dialogue – both covert and diplomatic. The affair stayed out of the media spotlight until demands and an ultimatum from the kidnappers emerged in February. At first twenty six Taliban insurgents convicted of terrorism were to be released by 4 February with the offer being diluted to four prisoners by 7 February. Following
the execution Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk assured the media that all possible measures were undertaken by available diplomatic services as well as counter-intelligence in the four-month period. Fault lay with unfortunate circumstances: the extremely radical character of the Taliban group who put forward unfeasible demands and the fact that the area of Pakistan where the negotiations were taking place is simply not under the control of Pakistani authorities, thus excluding a military operation. Nevertheless, some Polish commentators see Stanczak’s death as exemplifying the weakness of the state. According to this argument Poland simply did not possess the advisors, experts and the know-how to wage a successful attempt to free Piotr Stanczak. A frightening thought for every Polish citizen. After initial doubts concerning the originality of the recording Polish officials acknowledged its authenticity and due assertions of outrage and determination to capture the perpetrators were given to the Polish and international media: the newly
The 133-day-long captivity of the geologist came to a gruesome conclusion when footage of his beheading was released to Pakistani media appointed Minister of Justice Andrzej Czuma (pronounced: ‘Anjay Chooma’) caused a minor diplomatic scandal when proclaiming that some Pakistani officials were sympathetic if not openly supportive of the Taliban insurgents while Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski reached out to the United States for assistance in pursuing the perpetrators.
TRUTH IN THE RUMOUR: POLISH MIGRANTS LEAVING IRELAND By Donal Mulligan POLES ARE going home. Even Polish plumbers – back to the source. The Evening Herald, which published a weekly supplement in Polish every Wednesday since 2006 issued the last ever copy two weeks ago in response to falling circulation numbers. Popular Polish bars such as Zagloba on Parnell street and the one above Chaplin’s have closed. Bus services between Dublin and Warsaw still run twice a week, but this is well down on the four services a day shortly after Polish accession to the EU in 2004. And tellingly, the Irish Times reported at the end of January a 53 per cent drop in PPS number applications by Polish nationals in the last six months of 2008. These indications would appear to support the rumours, prevalent in recent months, that Polish migrants are leaving Irish shores in droves and choosing to weather the recession elsewhere. It should be noted, however, that regardless of the reality behind these indications, the question of ‘Are they going or not?’ in some respects distracts from two important issues. This is not to deny that this question needs to be posed – on the contrary, addressing it needs to be one of the principle tasks of Irish policy-makers and their Polish counterparts. But the first point is that no concrete answer to is likely
to emerge in the short term, as migration flows in an enlarged EU that prides itself on facilitating the easy movement of its citizens are notoriously tricky to measure. Ironically though, arriving at an answer to this may eventually prove to have been the easy part - the tricky part then would be to work out why exactly they left. For although the Polish zloty is indeed strengthening against the euro, political and labour market conditions in Poland remain far from satisfactory for many Poles accustomed to living conditions abroad. And a recent article on a Polish internet forum under the title ‘Better Ireland in Recession that Poland in Prosperity’ indicates that the relationship between push and pull factors is more complex than the question ‘Are they going or are they staying?’ would suggest. For the moment at least, it would appear that discussion of this question can go little beyond speculation. The very act of discussing whether or not Poles are going home, though, gives pause for thought. For this question can be seen as merely the most recent that Irish people have been asking ever since they noticed products like zubrowka and pierogi appearing in their local supermarket. Everyone has a different view of Polish migration to Ireland. Consequently, waiting for reliable data on whether a significant amount have
really left seems an appropriate time as any to take stock of the realities of Polish migration to Ireland. For me, it was being at a house party in Krakow and watching Bartek, who had worked in Galway, outline the finer points of hurling to his incredulous friends. It was hearing Marek explain a common Irish word he’d heard Irish people use when waiting for public transport – and hearing his mates repeat ‘thefuckinbus’ in a solid Dublin accent for the rest of the night. For others it was different. Roddy Doyle wrote short stories about Polish migrants, the very same people who on two-day bus journeys across Europe to Dublin may well have got their first insights into Irish society reading the translation of his account of two men in a chipper van during the 1994 World Cup. But most of all, a generation of Polish children are now growing up with a more personal connection to the gleaming buildings springing up around the country because their daddy worked on them. And for the Polish football team it was their match against Ireland played in Dublin in November last where both teams took to the field before a home crowd. Donal studies Polish and attended the Jagiellonian University in Krakow last year.
POLAND, THE MISSILE SHIELD AND OBAMA By Peter Hession THE STORY of Poland and the anti-ballistic missile defence system has certainly endured its fair share of twists and turns since its inception. The original project dates back to 2002 when the Bush administration first entered into formal talks with Poland and other European countries regarding the putative ‘shield’, designed to protect Europe from attacks by ‘rogue states’ such as Iran. The then social-democratic Prime Minister Leszek Miller eagerly supported the plan along with major military involvement in Iraq while both enjoyed broad public backing. Miller’s raft of successors ranging across the political spectrum – Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, Marek Belka, Jarosław Kaczynski, and, despite some electorally motivated reservations, the current Donald Tusk - all continued to back the missile defence project. Despite this consensus amongst the political elite however, the impact of the war in Iraq took a catastrophic toll on public support for the missile defence project. A poll published by the daily Gazeta Wyborcza last July showed that one in three respondents thought the US had a negative influence in the world and three in four felt that the US abused its power to subjugate Poland. A mid2008 report by Polish pollster CBOS recorded a sink in support for the war to below 20 per cent, while a follow up early last summer showed that over half were against the missile defence project. Indirectly, this trend in public opinion did find its way into political discourse, as the missile defence issue was conspicuously avoided during the run up to Tusk’s landslide election during November 2007. Amid popularly supported plans to recall Polish troops from Iraq, the project seemed to have been shelved, despite continuing albeit muted elite support. The Georgia-Russia dispute last summer altered this state of affairs fatefully. The Polish Prime Minister immediately signed off on the missile defence project on August 14 stating, “We have crossed the Rubicon”. To complicate matters further, during the run-up to his election Barrack Obama’s position on the issue seemed ambiguous. He publicly criticized the cost and untested technology that lay behind the missile defence project, basing future support The domestic reaction to the beheading was as anything but hysterical. The sensationalist as well as the critical media has presented a balanced coverage of the affair. The tabloids (Fakt, Super Express) focused on the tragedy of the geologist’s family rather than spurring any anti-Islamic sentiment or calling the government to act swiftly in an act of vengeance. The two main dailies - the right-leaning Rzeczpospolita and centre-left Gazeta Wyborcza chose to emphasize different possible implications of the affair. The former concentrated on the failings of the Polish state while the latter attempted to refute these claims as an attempt to gain political capital through claiming false expertise and undermining government efforts at a time when unity is needed. In contrast to the sombre mood a hugely popular journalistic television programme ‘Teraz My’ (Now Us) aired on 16 February put forward the question whether Islam was a threat to Western civilisation preceding the discussion with an evocative collage consisting of images from the major terrorist attacks of New York, Madrid and London. The invited panel of experts, made up of a feminist, a right-wing publicist and a Polish mufti (an expert in Muslim law) ignored this attempt to emotionally charge the discussion. For a country overshadowed by spectres of past wars and a healing selfbelief the lack of radical voices comes as a welcome development. Nevertheless Piotr Stanczak’s tragic death can have a number of repercussions that will change the way the world is perceived from a Polish perspective. The most tangible and immediate could be
on its capacity to fulfill vague notions of “efficiency”. This stance clearly created anxiety on the Polish side. In an eight-country survey last November, Poles polled lowest for support of Obama - just under 40 per cent. Tensions heightened last November as Moscow sent out what US media termed a “warning-shot”, namely the threat to respond to the project by placing Iskander-M missiles in Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave between Lithuania and Poland. Nicholas Sarkozy held a joint press conference with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev at which he discouraged the Iskander-M deployment threat, but made his opposition to the sheild unequivocal. In more subtle tones, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier told the Hamberger Tagelbaltt that he expected Obama to enter into a constructive “dialogue” on the issue with Moscow. At the 45th Munich Security Conference earlier this month. Tusk reiterated his continuing support for the programme with a tone of veiled frustration and perhaps a little reverse psychology. “We are a very honest partner of the United States, and if we agree to something with the Americans we always keep our word” he said, adding that “the decision, of course, is with the American side”. Vice-President Joe Biden replied that the US continued to support the shield but planned to consult with Moscow on the issue. A recent leak to the London Times further clarified the emerging US position on the missile defence issue by placing it within a broader context of the Obama administration’s strategy on arms control. The eighteen-year–old Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) expires this December, and it has been suggestd that Obama will seek to replace it with an ambitious non-proliferation treaty between the US and Russia aimed to reduce nuclear war-heads by 80 per cent to about 1,000 each. In this process, the shield will provide a bargaining chip more than a realistic or preferable alternative in negotiations with Moscow. The long-term aim is that a broader strategy of disarmament, along with conventional military aid to Poland, will peacefully neutralise the purported threat from Pyongyang and Tehran, through engagement rather than antagonism. Peter Hession is a 4th year History and Politics student. He studied last year in Warsaw University on an Erasmus exchange.
the raising of security levels and the implementation of new security measures around the country. Certainly a passport bearing a white eagle emblem will weigh a little heavier than it used to when travelling to some parts of the world. On a different note, the war in Afghanistan will surely become less abstract to the Polish public and possibly the nature of the debate on the country’s military engagements will change. In spite of the overwhelming, if not well-informed, disapproval of sending Polish troops overseas the political class continues to ask ‘how many?’ and ‘when?’ and not ‘why?’ and ‘what for?’. What surely awaits the Polish government and other European governments that have their troops in Afghanistan (i.e. France, Germany and the Netherlands) is the necessity to change the way they legitimize the war to public opinion if they want to increase their troop numbers as President Obama expects. The Polish Defence Ministry points out that the 1600 troops Poland has on Afghan soil are there on a peacekeeping mission, which can be compared to that in Chad or the Golan Heights. The struggle in Afghanistan has become an offensive war (though an irregular one due to the partisan tactics employed by the Taliban) and a nation-building enterprise. Sadly, sometimes only the death of an innocent man can bring the attention of public opinion to the true nature of a war their country is involved in. Michal, a 4th year European Studies student, was born in Warsaw and has lived in Ireland since 2002
One of many ‘Polski Skleps’ now facing uncertainty
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WORLD REVIEW
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
Lieberman: kingmaker or deal-breaker
government in the Gaza strip. He has also announced that “when there is a contradiction between democratic and Jewish values, the Jewish and Zionist values are more important.” Contempt for democratic values can be seen within Yisrael Beiteinu itself, which is seen as a one-man party with little room for consensus or hierarchy, held together by its enigmatic leader. Lieberman’s politics are not theoretically anathema to the EU or the United States, because they can all agree from the outset on a two-state solution. It is the manner and conditions of these two coexisting states, however, which present a more practical problem
Israeli politics shifts to the right, giving the controversial leader of the ‘Israel My Home’ party a pivotal role, writes Hugo O’ Doherty.
Many on the left and centre call Lieberman’s plan a racist catalyst for further conflict.
W
HETHER HE finds himself inside or outside the cabinet, we’re going to be hearing a lot more from Avigdor Lieberman, the controversial leader of the right-wing Yisrael Beitienu (‘Isreal Is Our Home’) party. Variously described as far-right, revisionist Zionist, and ultranationalist, Lieberman found himself strongly positioned after the recent elections for the eighteenth Knesset, held on February 10. Right-of-centre Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu has been asked to form the government, making Lieberman a likely coalition partner. Following hot on the heels of military operations in Gaza, and not long after a month-long war with Hezbollah in 2006, these elections turned more and more into a singleissue referendum on the incumbent government led by the centrist Kadima party. That issue was national security, and the chief victors of a general lurch to the right were Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman. Netanyahu’s remarkable political comeback has been overshadowed by the victory of Lieberman’s party, which gained sixteen of the one hundred and twenty seats. Drawing most of its support from Russian and former Soviet immigrants, recent events allowed Yisrael Beiteinu to grow its support base and bring in former Likud supporters as Israelis became disillusioned with the progress, or lack thereof, that has been made in the Departments of Defence and Foreign Affairs. The general rightward shift has left Labour licking its wounds. Labour’s leader and current defence minister Ehud Barak, whose recent performance is highly regarded by many, may have worked himself out of a job. Many
Israelis have yet to forgive him for meeting Yasser Arafat at Camp David in 2000, an act that shattered his political credentials in the eyes of the majority who admire him professionally, but seem to dislike him personally. Whatever happens, there will be an uneasy coalition. If Lieberman is a consistent member of any cabinet, and his turbulent history calls that into question, he will surely demand control, or at least support for, the two key areas of his party’s platform - civil relationships and the status of Arabs in Israel. Who is Avigdor Lieberman? And should we be scared of him? A fiftyyear-old immigrant from Moldova and former nightclub bouncer, Lieberman founded Yisrael Beiteinu in 1999, having previously worked under Netanyahu in Likud. He is already a veteran of two government cabinets, Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party won 15 seats in the recent election having resigned once and being sacked another time for his opposition to Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan. Lieberman presented what has become known as the “Lieberman plan”. More formally,the“Populated-area Exchange Plan,” in May 2004. Under this radical departure from previous solutions, the plan does not explicitly involve a population transfer, nor does it claim that there should not be a Palestinian state. Indeed, the creation of a Palestinian state is a requisite part of the plan. The party motto is “Israel is Our Home, Palestine is Theirs.” Previous proposals of a two-state solution, such as that of Ariel Sharon, involved the enforced movement of
Voter papers and parephernalia at the booths. Photo by Sharon Guberman Jewish Israelis from predominantly Arab regions. The Lieberman plan, conversely, would redraw borders to bring the ‘Triangle’ territories of the West Bank under Palestinian control. Any remaining Arabs in Israel would be required to swear an oath of allegiance to the Jewish state. Immigration of Jews to Israel would become a priority under the plan in order to increase the relative number of Jews to Arabs in the state, and the two homogenous states would be divided along ethnic lines. Arabs currently make up just under 20% of Israeli citizens. Not such a radical plan, you may think, and hardly deserving of the moniker ‘far-right’ or even ‘fascist’. That is until you observe opposition to the plan coming from every quarter of the region; Jewish and Arab, left and right, foreign and domestic. Many on the left and centre, including Barak and Labour, declare Lieberman’s eponymous plan as racist and a
probable catalyst for further conflict. The traditional right, now in the form of Likud and Netanyahu, say that it gives land to a hostile enemy, an action that would come back to haunt Israel. Orthodox Jews, the Rabbinate, and the religiously and socially conservative Shas party generally oppose it because it concedes regions of ‘Greater Israel’, the Promised Land. On top of this, Orthodox Jews oppose Lieberman because he calls for civic marriages, a central policy of Yisrael Beiteinu that stems from the recognition of Russian immigrants as Jews by the state but not by the Orthodoxy. Lieberman’s strictly secular approach has alienated religious Zionists. Of course, the most vociferous opposition comes from Arab citizens of Israel themselves. It is quite clear that Lieberman wants to cleanse Israel of its Arab citizens, or at the very least make them sign an oath that may well turn them into a permanent underclass who, to add insult
to injury, would be disenfranchised if they were to not swear the oath. I hope fans of Irish football forgive me for reminding them that Abbas Suan, an Arab Israeli, became a national hero for the last-minute goal that gave Israel a point against Ireland in a 2006 World Cup qualifying match in Tel Aviv. Under any Lieberman plan, Suan would probably not be able to play for Israel, and even if he was, he may not wish to represent the country that forces him to sign an oath that effectively identifies him as the enemy within, recognised on ethnic grounds as a fifth column of the state. Lieberman is notoriously belligerent and hot-tempered. During an infamous Cabinet exchange in 2002, he called on Israel to bomb Arab commercial centres and “at noon, we’ll bomb their gas stations”. In 2006, he called for the execution of any Knesset members who met with representatives of the Palestinian Authority’s Hamas-led
to the various parties in discussion. Any journey from the Lieberman plan to the Lieberman fait accompli would have many stops on the way, each one fraught with fervent opposition. The conservative American commentator Justin Raimondo has described Lieberman as “a Jewish Hitler”, with more than a nod towards the paradox of Jewish National Socialism. Whatever the truth of that label, Lieberman is going to need a Hindenburg to run to with demands that the people have mandated him to take extraordinary powers in the name of national security. Would an Israeli President play the role that President Paul von Hindenburg played in 1933 and one day ask Lieberman to form a government? The full effect of these most recent Knesset elections might only be felt after the next time Israelis go to the polls. At that stage, Lieberman might be able to say that centrist and traditional conservative approaches have failed the people. At the moment, Lieberman has a great deal of power, but the rest of his political career will be determined by how he chooses to deal with the right-wing, centrist and orthodox religious parties at home, and a certain Barack Obama, among others, abroad. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki last week called Lieberman a “racist”, which is hardly the ideal relationship the international community would wish for between two strategically important states. Israel gets a lot of international political mileage out of being the only Western-style democracy in the region, but cannot expect to keep that moral high ground if one of its elected representatives does indeed one day put idealist expediency above democratic principles. The next chapter of this long story might yet provide the twist.
‘Pariah’ Mugabe retains grip on Zimbabwe By Debra Wigglesworth WHILE WE in Ireland can still discuss the economy in terms of growth or contraction, the reality for Zimbabweans is that their once relatively prosperous economy has disintegrated in the hands of President Robert Mugabe. While we can complain about the marginal decline in our standard of living, the reality for Zimbabweans is that they have no standard of living. While we obsess about recession, the Zimbabwean people are suffering oppression on a tragic scale, with the majority sceptical about the prospects of the new powersharing government to effect any real change. Such doubts were vindicated within hours of the swearing-in ceremony of Morgan Tsvangirai as Prime Minister on 11 February, with the arrest on treason charges of Roy Bennet, the Movement for Democratic Change Party (MDC) nominee for Deputy Agriculture Minister. In tandem with these events, chaos reigned at the initial stages of the swearing-in of the
A pensive Mugabe. Photo: AP
new coalition cabinet when Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party tried to grab seven extra posts. Zanu-PF retains full control of the Ministry of Defence and Army while control of the Interior Ministry is split between the two parties. Almost all of the Zanu-PF ministers have histories of corruption and brutality. Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has been accused of helping to orchestrate the slaughter of 20,000 civilians in Matabeleland in the 1980s, was given the defence portfolio. Sydney Sekeramayi, who as defence minister set the army on MDC activists during last year’s elections, is in charge of state security. Kembo Mohadi remains head of the policing department and is likely to continue to use it as an instrument of oppression rather than public protection. Mugabe also has retained the whip hand in the coalition including in the terms a power to dismiss Tsvangirai for incompetence. This is not power sharing, it is a power struggle at the continued expense of the people of Zimbabwe. One begins to question the sincerity of Tsvangirai, who in an interview last week said Western powers “are too paranoid
about Mugabe”. For the West, paranoia has long given way to tangible horror. It is widely believed that Mugabe is using the facade of unity and compromise to in fact smash any possible opposition. It appears following the events of last week’s swearing-in ceremony that this is a despotic government draped in the robes of democratic legitimacy. By
through Operation Murambatsvina. The inflation rate has reached ten sextillion per cent – that’s ten with 36 zeros. Having long since abandoned any notions of international standards of governance the Zimbabwean Reserve Bank in January began issuing a Z$100 trillion Zimbabwean dollar bank note, which at the time was worth about 20
Mugabe has retained the whip hand in the coalition. His appointed head of the policing department is likely to continue to use it as an instrument of oppression rather than protection joining this faux-democratic coalition Tsvangirai has gambled if not lost moral authority. With this new coalition it is even more difficult to distinguish the good from the bad. The UK and the USA have declared that any government with Mugabe in tow is unacceptable and have cut financial support to the Zimbabwean government. They have stated that they would reconsider this policy if legitimate democratic reform was seen to emanate from this new coalition. The initial chaos does not bode well for any policy changes. Tsvangirai stated that the coalition government needs $100 million per month which he maintains is “essential to kick-start the emergency programme we have designed”. In recent years bilateral aid has been siphoned off into Mugabe’s and his cronies’ bank accounts and there is no reason to doubt the continuance to some degree of that status quo. The coalition smacks of the tactics of Mugabe in the 1987 government coalition with Joshua Nkomo and his Zapu party. Practising the old adage of ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’, Mugabe eventually neutralised his opponent and the Zapu Party, swallowing them into Zanu-PF. Déjà vu indeed and a case where a country that does not learn from its past is condemned to repeat it. Mugabe the kleptocrat has stolen everything from his people, their homes, their land and their human dignity
euro. The government is now advocating the abandonment of their currency and have stated that business may be conducted through foreign currency, thus effectively establishing two parallel economies in Zimbabwe. Currently in Zimbabwe, 94 pre cent of the population is jobless. Donations from foreign governments are falling short of supporting the WFP’s efforts to feed 7 million Zimbabweans because of the change in the economic climate and also the reluctance of some governments to prop up the tyranny of Mugabe any longer. Furthermore due to the limitless scale of the crisis, supply cannot keep up with the increasing demand. Until the harvest in April, people will have to live on 600 calories a day - below a survival ration. It is hoped donations will increase with the solidarity of the new coalition, a tenuous hope indeed. The cholera epidemic (unacknowledged by Mugabe) is worsening. Over 3000 people have died of the disease since August and a reported 60,000 are infected and now require medical treatment by a health system which has been largely abandoned. Doctors and nurses who couldn’t even afford to get to work left Zimbabwe. Basic water and sanitation has broken down, with raw sewage now part of the landscape of every town and village. Electricity power stations have been abandoned. The AIDS epidemic is worsening as people cannot afford the
Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe anti-retroviral drugs and the medical care is unavailable. The start of the school year has been postponed until the end of February and Mugabe’s bitter troops have prevented the private schools from resuming until then as well. Mugabe, initially revered as a liberation leader who threw off the country’s colonial yoke, is now regarded as a pariah nationally and internationally, banned from Europe and the USA and stripped of international honours. The economy began its sharp downward spiral in 2000 when he seized farmland from the white minority and gave it to political cronies who had no experience as farmers. Exports slumped and the economy plunged, while Mugabe’s out-of-touch presidential lifestyle surrounded by sycophants continued. Robert and Grace Mugabe and their ilk have propped themselves up to levels of extravagance alien to a disaffected and despondent population who have been beaten down morally and physically. It is likely at the moment that the Mugabes’ minds will not be focused on the plight of their people but rather on the lavish arrangements put in place to celebrate Mugabe’s 85th birthday on February 21 – a grotesque celebration
considering he has survived to well over double the average male life expectancy in Zimbabwe of 37 years, a statistic which he systematically lowered since his ascendancy to power. To date any hopeful whisper of change has been bound and gagged not only by the Mugabe regime but also by the paralysed bureaucracy of the UN Security Council which continues to languish on the fence tying itself up in red tape. It seems world leaders have been numbed to inaction by the level of dysfunction. They continue to do nothing but collectively gawp at his audacity in maintaining his unapologetic chokehold. Mugabe has many accomplices; China and Russia support his rule, Western capitalism and multi-national corporations. All have vested interests in the continuation of his corrupt regime. Mugabe is a public figure with no interest in the public good, only a pathological self-concern and greed for power and money. His partner in the new power-sharing deal, Tsvangirai believes that the coalition will bring a new dawn for Zimbabwe. Its citizens can only wait and see if the ‘audacity of hope’ trumps the audacity of audacity. The odds are not good.
WORLD REVIEW
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
11
In office, Obama shows us his true colours
A month into Obama’s premiership and for Charlie Baker, the campaign glitz and glamour is wearing off. What is the man really made of, asks our correspondant
E President Obama leads former president Bush out of the White House.
VEN THOUGH the general consensus at the moment is that only a racist reactionary could fail to be heartened to see Barack Obama at the helm of the USA after eight years of almost criminal management, it is possible to eschew the collective orgasm that the world is lathering itself into over the special one’s victory and to grow steadily cynical over his politics, purpose and personality. Yet this is not a traditional rabid polemic, nor is it a chance to say that Obama is an inherently malign force, indeed his defeat of the Clintonian battleship in the Democrat primaries and his cool resistance of McCain’s rabble rousing must be admired. Furthermore his comprehension of the USA’s previous misdeeds is deeply gratifying, and by halting the CIA’s ‘black sites’ throughout the world and closing the dreaded Guantanamo he
has gone a long way to renewing the Pax Americana that served the 20th century so well. But nevertheless, to my mind at least, there is something uneasy about him. For all his promises of change, we can see that it is continuity that has been the biggest feature of his premiership thus far. Instead of over-riding the dirty side of Washington, as he had promised to do, he has demonstrated a remarkable willingness to satisfy personal interest over public benefit. This has been seen most presciently in his selection of office. Whilst his nomination of Hilary Clinton for Secretary of State can be seen as making political sense, to elevate a person with little foreign experience to such an exalted position in times of such international strife is foolish. Even as a former First Lady and Senator, there are many more abundantly qualified for such a demanding role. And this seems to be a developing theme with
the 44th president. Rather than fulfil a promise of meritocracy in government, Obama has allowed the White House to be filled with his Chicago allies, with Rahm Emanuel’s position as Chief of Staff the prime example of this. Worse still it seems that patronage will be a theme of the current presidency. Even though Governor David Paterson was her strongest supporter, Obama did back Caroline Kennedy for the Senate – only for her to be withdrawn when it became apparent that she was unable of formulating an English sentence without saying ‘like’ or ‘y’know’. Kennedy, who emerged like an apparition from Hyannisport, has no claim on the senate apart from her famous family. Suddenly all these wild republican claims about the East Coast elitists, of the limousine liberals who look down on the crossover states take on a new potency. More importantly, for those who still harbour ambitions for peace in the Middle East, Obama’s special committee on that region seem to swing into one broad category, with the selection of Dennis Ross, Jim Steinberg, Dan Kurtzer, Dan Shapiro and Martin Indyk sounding like a Zionist dream team. It feels that following his inauguration AIPAC had strong words in his ear and that will prove to be the end to any ‘change’ in America’s unquestioning support for Israel, even as it alienates support throughout the world with its shocking behaviour in Gaza. His insistence on a withdrawal from Iraq, a theatre that under David Petraeus’ inspirational generalship is proving increasingly winnable, makes for good approval ratings but sends out a message of weakness to the increasing belligerent Asian states. Yet Obama is not avoiding the nation – building of the Bush administration, for he has demanded a greater commitment to Afghanistan, a region that proved to be the graveyard of the USSR and of several imperial British expeditions. This mayy be what the American (and European) public wants, but political expediencyy over sensible action is fast becoming a hallmark of Obama’s time at the top. But it is his plan to revive America’s docile economy with his stimulus bill that is proving most worrying. $757 billion is a terrifying amount of moneyy (though the US government has to date spent close to 600 billion dollars on their four year jaunt in Iraq). However with only 90 billion dollars or so earmarked for capital investment and close to 450 billion dollars earmarked for various social programmes it remains to be seen what is so stimulating about emptying what amounts a quarter of the federal budget into one grand governmental sweep. What is most alarming is Obama’s accompanying rhetoric, stating of how “it is once in a generation chance…to act”. Whilst this can be critiqued as the fulfilment of the adage that to be seen to do something is better than to do nothing at all, it smacks off arrogance, giving the impression of a man delighted at given the keys to Fort
Knox and to play with real monopoly money. And this leads onto the crux. Obama is too arrogant. Some could say this is unsurprising, after all he ran for President. There is the famous email he sent round to his team in early 2008 stating “I am a better policy director than my policy director…I am a better speechwriter than my speechwriters”. Maybe he is, but it lends gravity to the impression of a man overburdened with his own predestination. His insistence on using the Lincoln Bible during his inauguration, his invocation of the three ‘best’ USA presidents in his speeches (FDR, Lincoln and JFK), his portentous oratory, the infamous temple setting of his speech at the Democratic National Convention – it all gives an impression of a man deeply and passionately in love with himself, which is not an ideal leadership model in an age which seeks to refute the rampant individualism of years past. More profoundly, it seems that the Republican critique of Obama, that he was too young, too inexperienced, that he had never worked a job for more than four years, gave a shallow reading of the man, rather he is not called to office to serve country/give hope/bring change but rather to satisfy a rampant ego that can only rest happy when it commands the most powerful position in the world. And this is quite a neat comparison (that I am not the first make) to a man who promised so much and gave so little – Tony Blair. I remember, living in North London in 1997 as starry eyed 8 year old, how the whole country seemed to be in sway to the brilliant young MP and his charming family, to his promises of renewal, his opposition to the conservative government of the past, “things could only get better” – does this sound familiar? Blair is now hiding out at Yale University, teaching a course in politics, knowing full well that a return to the country which he has reduced to a penniless and corrupt bureaucracy would prove fruitless. Obama seems a l l
things to all men – he is black (but not too black), he is intellectual, he is young, he is responsible, he is sensible, he is a liberal, he is an everyday American – and it was exactly this idea of universality which Blair tried to promote throughout his time as Prime Minister, only for Britain to pull the wool off their eyes and see that they had elected a ghastly minor private schoolboy on the make – the type of man who pseudo socialism went straight as soon as Cliff Richard asked him and Cherie to come over to Barbados for a week. Now thus far, Barack has proved to be a pretty straight kind of guy. But despite his insistence on being persil-fresh in his political ambitions, there is a chance he will turn out to be another chancer. Now the world wants to believe in Obama, but to attach all our dreams and aspirations to him in these worsening times is idiotic, but symptomatic of the sort of thought fascism that surrounds him. During a debate last term at the Phil over who should be elected to the White House, a speaker backing McCain was nearly shouted down by the crowd as he skillfully pierced Obama’s plumage with a bit of fact. He was reduced to screaming ‘I know you don’t want to hear this…I know you don’t want to hear this”. But most people don’t – the idea the man isn’t composed of rainbows and sunshine was anathema to the debating chamber that evening. After 25 days in office, there are signs that he is maybe made of something a little graver than that.
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ELECTIONS 2009
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES Art Editor Caroline O’Leary looks at this election season’s visuals – and what they have to say about the candidates THE AGE-OLD term says “Never judge a book by its cover”. But in the world of Student Union campaigning, your image is pretty much all that stands between you and the savage electing body, and as such between victory and shame. The campaigns this year have been a mixed lot, from serious to semi-insane, and at the end of the first week of campaigning we take a look at just what the candidates have been bombarding us with. Posters are always the first point of call in these elections. For some reason this year’s crop of poster designers have decided that absolute close ups of the candidate’s faces is the best way to literally get them into voters faces. This is a calculated risk; just to warn you guys for the future, a little distance can hide a multitude of faults. Daniel Curry succeeded in getting a good quality picture but unfortunately was let down by his own refusal to smile, resulting in quite a dour and serious image. Girls tended to fare better than boys, with Emma Keaveney and Simone Cameron-Coen both getting nice, a little dark shots. Paddy O’ Mahoney’s poster design is probably the best design of the lot, with his picture-within-a-picture, warm blue background and bright banner making it the most interesting and least politically forceful A3 sheet around at the moment. Mick Birmingham’s lined New Rave inspired posters seem to be sparking a “love or hate” divide; personally I quite like it, but I think that Mick’s good photograph seems lost in a sea of neon and information boxes. Rob Donohoe and Franzi Hensel both went the retro graphic photos way, but while Rob’s strong black, white and grey is simple and eye-catching, Franzi’s unfortunate decision to also use yellow distorts the image to the point a voter might not recognise her if she handed them a slip. While Cathal Horan and Emma Keaveney have stuck to clean, honest looking layouts, poor Amy Dunne seems to have ended up on the other end of the spectrum with a garish pink striped background This year’s crop complete of designers have yellow background. decided that close To add ups of the candidate’s further insult to injury, faces is the best way someone seems to to literally get them have taken into voters faces. it upon themselves to ensure Amy’s cheeks and lips nearly perfectly match this explosion of flamingo pink. From the posters to the manifestos and leaflets is not a big jump for many, with a majority of the candidates sticking to the same photographs and design elements as the posters. Again unfortunately the photographic quality seems to have suffered here, with many of the images coming out dark and shadowy. Franzi Hensel again suffers for her colour choice, as much of the yellow font in her otherwise very well designed manifesto is almost impossible to read. Cathal Horan’s very grown up looking manifesto looks like he should really be running for national elections instead, though it does reflect his honest and down to earth campaign. Cormac Cashman’s choice of orange was a smart one as it is different and original while his scrawled font is warm and comforting looking, though should have been located somewhere other then across his forehead. Where Mick Birmingham may have suffered slightly with posters, he comes up trumps here with his recognisable green lines standing out everywhere and his hilarious central manifesto photograph. However Rob Donohoe takes the prize for most original manifesto, with his own mini-tabloid “The Rob” informing the voting public of all that is good, fun and romantic (see back photo) about Rob. It’s the best possible combination of real election information and fun and may be the think that finally gets the boy elected. Simone Cameron-Coen and Ashley Cooke both missed on opportunities to have some fun with their slogans, Conan’s orange shield doesn’t live up to its full potential as a “Conan the Barbarian” play while Simone’s “Support when you need it” slogan, complete with 1950’s style bra could have been a lot more fun. T-shirts this year have caused several problems, with no less than 4 groups of supporters sporting pillar-box red. Whether this means combined publicity for all or will cause mass confusion and hatred remains to be seen. Ashley’s choice of yellow and Cormac’s of orange were good ones as few others will go outside the safety colour box, while both Emma and Amy have gone for purple. Mick’s t-shirts seem to be the favourite among the masses, with the pink and green rave stripes again working well when not on a poster. Mercifully, many candidates seem to have foregone the usual pun laden slogans for this year, though there is the odd “Ready, Steady, Cooke” here and there to ensure you don’t forget how to groan. The gimmicks for this year were slow starting but have been in full swing; Cathal Horan seems to have been first off the bat with a 50 person flash mob at the Marino polling and speech event, but was quickly followed by Mick Birmingham’s conga line and arts block Wii event, and Paddy O’ Mahoney’s silent disco in the arts block. Conan O’ Broin has yet to crash through front arch in a horse drawn chariot but we can live in hope. Final words are reserved for Mr. David Preston, whose innovative campaign is unlike anything seen in recent SU elections. His handmade and home printed posters are fuzzy but fun, and each leaflet comes with it’s own unique tear mark. Dave gets my vote for most original, economical and green, though not my vote for President as I happen to like our ghosts here at Trinity.
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
Candidates duke it out at Hustings Last Friday’s SU election debate in Goldsmith Hall’s JCR brought out the best and the strangest in this year’s candidates Thomas Raftery Staff Writer THE SECOND Hustings for the Student Union elections took place in Goldsmith Hall last Friday. A modest 50 people gathered amongst the arcade games and vending machines of Goldsmith’s canteen to hear the candidates argue, charm and joke their way to victory in the elections that will be held this week. On Friday campaigning had been going strong for a week, and these Hustings were a real chance for those hopeful of a sabbatical, and a position on the SU to get their noses in front early on. Each candidate had with them his/her devoted campaigning team, equipped with eckles and awkward questions for noisy heckles osition. It was arbitrarily decided by the opposition. ority’ (that is those who spoke most the ‘majority’ loudly) that the candidates would speak inutes and take a minute’s worth of for 3 minutes ns afterwards. questions First up was Ashley Cooke running for on. Cooke offered big promises to Education. ollege’s proposals to scrap reading fight College’s n the move to semesters, as well weeks in ding library opening times, and as extending ng more and better computer providing services for students. As the only te for Education, it is fair to candidate say that Cooke looked to be the crowd’s favouritee for that position. After a courteous round of e, it was the turn of applause, ndidates for Deputy the candidates R o b President. Donohoee spoke f i r s t f o l l o wee d mma by Emma Keaveney. e’s speech was Donohoe’s d largely comprised of an brief, and d metaphor of finding extended st City of Atlantis’, and the ‘Lost he crowd to let him be asking the mppost brightly shining the ‘lamppost in theirr darkness’ and vote for him.. Some of Donohoe’s policies include making ‘The Record’ an independent paper vising a green-policy for and devising all SU promotional material. ey approached the Keaveney Hustingss more seriously and
began by emphasising the need for better communication between the College and all 15,000 of its students. Keaveney wants more information to be available online, and a more receptive SU to student feedback. She outlined plans to introduce regular feedback forms for students and public-speaking training for class-reps to increase their ability to link the upper echelons of the SU with the students. As usual, Ents proved to be the most popular position with 4 candidates running. Mick Birmingham, the owner of a large Mickey Mouse head that you may have seen bouncing around college, was the first to speak. His policies were well delivered. He began by describing how he w wants to arrange Nite Link buses for affordable trips home after night outs, then moved on to th the creation of an Ents website with tickets to eevents available online, and finished with h his commitment to making the Trinity Ball big bigger and better. Mick sees an opportunity to se sell more tickets, giving more students the opp opportunity to go, as well as creating more reve revenue for bigger and more high profile acts. Bubbly second-year Law student Amy Dunne came next. Her well-drilled speech emphasise emphasised the wealth of experience she as g gained from her position as JCR Ents E officer this year, as well as cov covering her plans to drastically re reduce the entry fees students are paying by negotiating directly with the mana managers of venues to secur secure better deals. She an and Mick both mention mentioned plans for trips abroad, ab Amy of a foreign ‘mystery tour’, and Mi Mick of a ‘spring break’ at Easter. Franz Franzi Hensel and Paddy O’ O’Mahoney spoke next, both also running for Ents. Both eemphasised the need for Ents to aappeal to a wider Fran audience, Franzi particularly stressing the ffact that there em is too much emphasis on the scene She suggested nightclub scene. suc as large scale alternatives such cinema nights, as well as trying mor 2 euro drinks to secure more nights with cheaper entry pr fees. Paddy, promised that he
Daniel Curry’s speech drew a disproportionate number of questions from the floor. Below: Presidential hopeful Cathal Horan. Photos: Martin McKenna and Andrew Holohan would not approach the year as a business venture designed to make profit, but would listen to what students actually want through regular polls and an interactive website. O’Mahoney drew particular attention to his desire to give Trinity artists and musicians more exposure through a series of exhibitions and concerts. Simone Cameron-Coen and Cormac Cashman were up next. Simone described drawing her motivation from the help she was given by the Welfare office when she came to College with a child. Her policies include opening the Welfare office for longer hours to give students the opportunity to seek advice after their lectures finish. She spoke of the importance of a face-to-face approach to Welfare, and the need to support people both institutionally and personally. Both Cormac and Simone identified the accommodation situation for students in Dublin as needing attention. Cormac identified mental health as a priority and suggested introducing a ‘Welfare week’ as well as ‘mental-health week’ to address what he sees as a growing problem. Cormac also covered his hope to introduce financial advisors into College to help students through the recession with practical budgeting advice. The hopefuls for the position of President were last to take to the stage. Dan Curry described, in a considered manner, the ‘disconnection’ between students and the SU and his plans to reverse this. He emphasised that he wants the SU to be a continual presence in College not just before the elections, and promised a ‘realistic’ approach to the fees dilemma and mentioned wanting date of births to be printed on student cards so they could double as identification. Controversially, Curry described his plan to scrap the role of Deputy President, and
‘The Record’, to prevent the further waste of valuable resources. Cathal Horan and Conan O’ Broin centred much of their speeches on the impending fees crisis. He described his plan to sit down with the ‘major players’ and negotiate ways to avoid fees being introduced, and give Trinity the chance to offer the government an economically feasible solution. Conan wants to liaise with other Irish universities to come together in a coordinated effort against the fees movement. Aside from this Cathal promises 24 hour study space to appear in the library. Conan spoke about the limitations a twelve-month turn around can have, but reassured the audience that he would use Class Reps to communicate the SU’s messages to students right the way across College. ‘Friends, Romans , countrymen…’ was how Dave Preston began his pitch for the Presidency. Preston spent most of his speech retelling an anecdote about how a ghost that haunts Trinity eventually made one of his good friends leave to UCD, a move that most of the crowd were able to sympathise with. He went on to detail his theory that an “underground paedophile ring” was in operation in Trinity, and described how concerned he was when he found out recently that a crèche exists on campus, adding “there must be at least 5 kids in there, they have to be protected!” Perhaps Preston’s greatest moment was his response to the question, “what do you think about semesterisation?”, to which he replied ‘fuck semesterisation, next question’. Aside from Education Officer, which seems a fairly sure thing, all positions are very closely run by worthy candidates. It was an enjoyable afternoon that ended thanks to Preston, in much laughter…and chants of ‘Pres for Pres’.
Drugs, sex, and SU guidance By Kate O’Regan SU Elections Editor
TIMELINE
IF YOU’VE ever wondered what the elected SU sabbatical officers actually do, or if they have any significant impact on your college experience then you need only look so far as recent archives to deduce that, most years at least, Trinity’s union has made good on their promise to campaign for student’s rights and welfare. A vigorous legal battle was launched in 1989 by then TCDSU president Ivana Bacik, who lobbied for the right to educate students of their choices with regard to contraception and abortion. The battle, which lasted almost ten years, was to land the SU in the high court, with the USI and TCDSU fighting a case against SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children). In March 1997 up to 100 students from Trinity marched on Leinster House chanting, “Our unions, our bodies, our choices”. TCDSU and the USI eventually lost the case, and were pursued by SPUC for legal costs. The future of the union looked bleak when landed with these hefty costs. In 1993 the debt arising from the legal action amounted to £28,000, and the SPUC was threatening to seize goods to pay for some of the costs owed to them. The weight of this debt was to drive a substantial wedge between the USI and TCDSU, although a tenuous link between the two student organisations was later re-established. The president of TCDSU in 1993, Mr Peter Fitzgerald, provided the Irish Times with his critical view of the USI: “It’s too top heavy and has become a policy-making body organised to impose policy from the top down. In 1993, what we need is an organisation co-ordinating campaigns from the bottom up”. Some would argue that not much has changed. However TCDSU has been more than
» 1979 –As president of TCDSU RTE Presenter Joe Duffy, defied a High Court order to shut down an illegal speakeasy, which he had opened in protest at Trinity fellows and scholars getting subsidised meals in the Buttery. He was arrested and expelled but later readmitted. » 1993 – A pint of Guinness in the Buttery cost £1.40 (a saving of 60p capable of courting its own controversy, and if the promiscuous habits of college students pass unremarked in 2009, it was still a contentious issue in 2001. We may take for granted the accessories provided in the packs distributed during SHAG week, but eight years ago these sexual health information packs were banned in Trinity College. While today’s Welfare Office prides itself on engineering an entire week of sexual-health awareness, the SU in 2001 was more preoccupied with ensuring that Trinity students remained ignorant to such information. As reported in a September 2001 edition of the Irish Times, TCDSU president, Averil Power, said , “In taking the decision we consulted the chair of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Society and last year’s Student’s Union rights officer. They shared our concern.” The Church of Ireland chaplain, the Rev Andrew Foster, accused the SU of “promoting promiscuous lifestyles”. In 1996 the union became concerned with issues of a more gastronomic nature. In December 1996 it was reported that a worm was discovered in a sandwich, purchased from one of TCD’s catering establishments. This unappetising discovery was
compared to other bars). » 1994 – TCDSU holds a referendum to decide whether Nestle products should be banned from the SU shops following the infamous baby formula scandal » 1995 – Trinity Student’s Union is first nationally to go online. Setting up a 1.8 megabyte World Wide Web site apparently the catalyst for a deluge of complaints against the college’s catering facilities, prompting SU president, Fergus Finlay to call for the inadequate situation to be addressed immediately. It was around this time also that the college authorities came under fire for supposedly “sub-standard” student accommodation. The SU threatened the college with legal action in 1997 over compensation claims by student residents. The compensation claims arose from excessive noise generated at the Trinity Hall campus in Dartry, where repair and renovation works were underway. In this case the students got their relevant compensation, proving just how important the SU is in defending student’s rights. They are also an essential tool in the fight to preserve some college traditions. There was wide-spread indignation in 1996 when the college authorities threatened to close the front gate early. The union was inspired to collect over 1,500 signatures opposing plans to close the college’s front gate from 8.00pm to 9.00pm. However after a meeting between SU officers and college authorities, it was decided that the gate would stay open until at least 10.30pm every evening. While some may complain of the lack of
decent entertainment provided by the Ents office, or the excessive funds used up on class-parties, the SU in 1995 was concerned that Trinity students had fun, and stayed safe, even when experimenting with illegal substances. The TCDSU issued guidelines on the first-time use of ecstasy. The 1995/1996 union guide stated “It’s a good idea to start by taking less than a full one”. Good advice indeed. The union said the advice was aimed at “harm reduction”, and included warnings on the combination of ecstasy use and alcohol consumption. As the union was pushing boundaries with its advice on drug use campaign, it was also making headlines for being the first student’s union in the country to “fully embrace the Internet”. At this stage in Irish history, the internet was still a very foreign concept to the vast majority of people. In a headline featured in the Irish Times, it was claimed that the Trinity union was “tangling with the Net”. It mentioned that the union had launched “a full scale student guide on the World Wide Web”. The 1.8 megabytes of data took three people, three weeks to compile and load, it was reported. So although the SU is occasionally accused of complacency, it is clear that it has always had the welfare of Trinity students close to its heart. However one may conclude that the Celtic Tiger has bred a generation of cosy indifference. A sentimental yearning for extreme action by the SU has been voiced in the national press, and recent fees protest marches in which TCDSU had a central role, were labelled by some as being insipid. This week will see a new batch of sabbatical officers enter the ranks of a prolific union. Time will tell whether they will thread the safe waters of apathy or whether they will inspire the class of ‘09/’10 to decisive action.
ELECTIONS 2009
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
13
Before moving forward, take a look back The five current SU Sabbatical Officers offer up a look back on the last six months in their positions, tally their successes, and, yes, their failures Kasia Mychajlowycz SU Elections Editor STUDENT MEMORIES can be fickle. Year to year, the SU elections bring the big issues of the student body to the fore, and candidates make a lot of promises, some of which they go on to fulfill when elected. There’s a lot of politicking that goes on in a few weeks, and it can be easy to forget all the grand plans bandied about during that time. That’s why we’ve asked each current SU sabbatical officer to write an article, of five hundred words at the maximum, explaining what they did this year, their successes and failures. Many went way over the word count; ruthless editing ensued, and of course this small space cannot encapsulate a whole six months of full-time work. However, it’s important to remind ourselves of what was promised, and what was delivered. Things we haven’t seen but were included in the current officers include Youtube reporting on nights out with Ents, a comprehensive TDCSU. org (check out the “Your Ents” section), we’re still waiting on that 24-hour study space (though Hugh O’Sullivan has high hopes for its introduction next year), and as for exam timetables coming out earlier, we’ll just have to wait and see. Gains have also been made. The fight against fees is an ongoing battle that the SU have managed to get the student body very involved in, and turn-outs to their protests have been impressive. The library is open on Sundays, despite fierce resistance from College. And this
retrospective has only really covered half the year; Officers don’t officially end their sabbatical year until July. This year, we’ve had some new promises, like the abolition of ghosts on campus, courtesy of David Preston, and some old ones; Emma Keaveney also promises to make the union sites more engaging, while Franzi Hensel quotes incumbent Nick Longworth almost verbatim when she promises that Citi Bar and Purty Kitchen won’t be the only venues for Ents events under her watch. Current Welfare Officer Orlaith Foley hoped to increase Welfare’s presence in the Science buildings with rotating office hours; this year Cormac Cashman told me in an interview that there was no presence in the Hamilton, and he would be setting up some kind of satellite office there if elected. To their credit, the SU officers have been candid about what worked and what didn’t in their first half of the year,; the majority said they would take what they learned in the first half and apply it to the second. As with all student bodies, the time each officer has to revolutionise the college is short, and the student government suffers from this turnover, inevitably it would seem. We can rely on each position attracting a certain type of student to its duties. Ents springs to mind as the position that fulfills this prophecy most unwaveringly, attracting people with strong personalities and a the instincts of true party animals). When voting this week, keep in mind all that has come to pass this year, and all that has been promised.
PRESIDENT
DEPUTY PRESIDENT
CATHAL REILLY
SEAMUS CONBOY
WELL IT doesn’t seem like that long ago that we took office last July but there is certainly a huge amount that has happened since then. The year has been big for all students’ organisations around the country with the threat of the reintroduction of third-level fees. I think this is something that TCDSU brought out into the fore and people were made aware of the major issue facing third-level education in this country, and you can be assured that there is a lot more to come on this before the end of the year. Much else was dwarfed by the enormity of the fees issue but that is not to say that we did little else here in House 6. From a personal point of view, a lot of my time has been spent working in the student centre; researching what services and space should be provided with help from other universities ,then convincing college that everything that on our wish list for the centre should be included! The issue of the increase in the registration fee is another that I have been fighting hard on this year within some of the various committees at which I sit representing the student body. One success story so far is the issue of left-handed seating in lecture theatres, which was raised by a member of SU council in Michaelmas term. From that, myself and the Education Officer, Hugh, investigated the lack of
IT’S STRANGE to be writing about how my year has gone, when it’s little over 6 months since I officially took office, with my successor to be elected this week, and with 5 months of work left to do. The biggest success of the year for me came early, in the form of the Students’ Union Guidebook and Diary. In previous years, these had been two separate projects, neither of which was very attractive. I spent most of the summer working on combining the two into a nice 250-page book, containing as much useful information as could possibly be squeezed in while keeping it totally readable. Feedback from the project has been hugely positive. My goal with The Record for the year is to give the students a newspaper that they want to read. The Record is not a broadsheet or a national paper. It is a local newspaper, which caters for the students of Trinity. The five issues which we’ve published to date have certainly succeeded as a local newspaper, in my opinion. Content has been interesting, the standard of writing has been exceptional in many cases, and combined with a new layout based on the model of a regional newspaper, Campaigns are central to what the Students’ Union does. There is no doubt but that a huge part of my year has been spent organising campaigns.
seats with left handed writing tablets and found that for the most part, there was a distinct lack of them. We raised this with college and I worked very closely with the college superintendent and facilities officer in raising the problem. We should see the seating in place by the end of this term. All of us have worked with the Union of Students in Ireland throughout the year. This has included various councils and conferences around the country in planning and decision making for the way in which national campaigns are run. Some other things that are currently being worked on include: trying to figure a way to install microwaves on campus for students’ use which is proving very difficult with health and safety regulations as well as college catering being none too happy about the idea in terms of competition! The job has a thousand different aspects and will continue to work as hard for the remainder of the year right up to when we leave in July. One year is a very short time but it is an intense year and I look forward to giving everything that I have learned to the president elect come July.
EDUCATION
WELFARE
ENTS
HUGH SULLIVAN
ORLAITH FOLEY
NICK LONGWORTH
I GET around 40 e-mails and about 10 drop-ins a week from students looking for help with their studies or courses. This could mean grinds or advice regarding a serious problem. If for no other reason, the fact that the SU is there to help these people out it’s undeniably a good thing. If I had to say what my successes have been so far I’d probably talk about how as a result of a huge Freshers’ week we’d more class rep nominations than ever before. The training event for the student-reps was awesome and something which will continue to be improved for many years to come. I can say that the library situation looks bright for the future despite the impending cutbacks: They’re still open on Sundays for a start. There is a new Group Study Space in the North Training Room in the basement of the Berkeley [opening hours: from Monday 23rd Feb from 5pm to 9.30pm] for people to use for group projects and such. 24 hour study space is on the way and it will be more than likely put in beside the 24 computer room in the Berkeley. I’m expecting that we can announce the opening of a 24 hour study space before the summer. I’m happy with the outlook for modularisation and the new year structure. I have tried to usher in this change by ensuring that people’s workloads will be
DURING MY election, I promised accessibility and approachability. Since taking up office in July I have worked hard at these promises as well as putting my manifesto into place. The difficult thing about Welfare Officer is that bar campaigns, all my work is done behind closed doors. Unlike opening hours for the library or announcing Trinity Balls acts, securing a grant for someone who was going to drop out due to their finances, dealing with a landlord who unfairly charged an Erasmus student, listening to students confiding that they are alcoholics, not to mention being the person who is there to listen when things go wrong are not necessarily things that I can announce publicly form the Campanile! There is non stop traffic into House 6 everyday to see me; on average I will get at least 20 emails, 10 or so phone calls a further 10 people just dropping in for a chat. Some that come in are there to avail of free condoms, others to find out how to contact their tutor, others to find out who their tutor is. On the other side, there have been those who are not fitting into college, as well as students who and may be suffering from depression. At this stage of the year I have lost count on all I have referred to counseling both formally and informally. Campaigns this year have
THIS YEAR has definitely been one extra original and crazy experience!! For years I had been in the college, barely knew what Ents was, never been involved in it, felt it was a very clicky group, and never even had a chat with an Ents officer. At the end of last year, I felt immensely lucky that the college put faith in me to look after Ents and I thank you all for that now. My manifesto was not full of experience or examples of where I had done nights out, but a blend of ideas thought up by a 4th year Science student. I hope that this year at least in some ways Ents was made more approachable and open for ideas, because in the end after all the student politics, it is about helping students make new friends and have fun. It is an office which should never get caught up in itself. When I started I hoped Ents could move from the sole focus on cheap nights to providing entertainment which couldn’t be got from your usual nights out in Dublin! I really wanted students to look back and remember really unique nights and not have them just to blend into the usual madness college brings. This year, Ents did the Free Gaff party, Foam Party, Jailbreak, Balloon Party, Roller Disco, Food fight, Vengaboys, Toga Parties, Daft Punk night, Boys Noize, much more and hopefully a college house party, all events that I was
spread as evenly across the year as possible and that everyone gets enough breaks and time to study for the final exams. I am in the middle of writing a new Student Charter that will hopefully be adopted by college as a statement of the rights and responsibilities of students. I’m not going to pretend that I’ve had a perfect year and gotten everything I wanted to do done. I’ve most definitely not gotten the printing services in college sorted which is something I did say I would try to do last year. It’s not even something that would be that hard to get sorted, I think it would just take time and persistence and I’ve gotten distracted from this issue. I was opposed to the removal of exemptions for scholarship exams, but they were abolished anyway. In terms of Union organisation my own forward planning (or lack thereof) caused some problems, I put a lot of things under huge time pressure, like these very elections. It looks like Ashley Cooke is going to take over ; he’ll be an excellent Education Officer and even if he gets only half of his manifesto ticked off he will have made a big contribution to Trinity.
been bigger and better than ever. In week 3 I ran a small publicity based campaign to create awareness of the Niteline service to students. November saw Mental Health Week create a huge buzz around campus, with the theme of our week being “How’s Your Head”. Though I had hoped in my campaign to hold mental health week twice, Hilary terms jam-packed campaign week timetable meant I was unable to fulfill this. SHAG week, the most recent welfare campaign again saw huge publicity but on and off campus. Next week will see a new campaign on campus – Road Safety Week. With 274 deaths on the road in 2008, and a significant number of fatalities being people in the 17 -24-year age brackets, universities have a responsibility to take some action. Overall it has been a successful year. Not everyone will run of money to pay rent, or need information about the morning after pill, or be cut financially from their parents, Some people in college need that extra support: it’s for these people I have worked for and been there to support when they needed it.
The two massive protests against fees, which we organised as part of USI, had students out on the streets and up in arms properly for the first time in years. Shouting into a megaphone and hearing 15,000 students shout back was certainly a highlight for me. Aside from fees, I feel that the profile of our awareness campaigns has been higher this year than ever. Campaigns such as the mental health campaign, the SHAG campaign, Éigse na Tríonóide and others were more visible than ever this year, and I’m proud to say that I played my part. A particular highlight for me was getting to make TCDSU’s first ever SHAG Book. The year so far has been an rollercoaster, full of ups and downs. I think that on the whole, it’s been a success. The five sabbatical officers have worked very closely this year, and it has definitely paid dividends. With 5 months left, there is still plenty to be done, and just because my successor will be elected next week doesn’t mean that I’ll stop working. I hope that whoever is elected will find themselves with a solid platform in the office of Deputy President, upon which they can build for the next year.
very proud happened. Perhaps the greatest challenge of any Ents Officer is Freshers’ Week and I feel it was a major success, particularly with the introduction of the 26 euro ticket. We also made the Fresher’s Ball (Iglu and Hartly was amazing) and Rag Ball bigger and I hope that next years Rag week can build on the foundations we built this year (some controversial decisions I feel helped publish it!). I also set out hoping to move around Dublin, use different venues, although this did prove difficult as a lot of student venues build upon last year’s reputation. Daytime events was something that I wanted to see done around college for years and during this year we have had dodgeball, rounders and many a scavenger hunt. I guess in the end like many Ents Officers I will be judged on the Trinity Ball, so again I am going to plug it, LOOK OUT FOR MORE DETAILS! Looking back I would honestly and harshly criticize my admin abilities. There is a lot of things I should of done and I hope that the next Ents Officer learns from my mistakes, keeps pushing the boundaries and is open for everyone!
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OPINION
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
IN PROFILE: SENATOR IVANA BACIK
Bacik to the future Just considering the political genesis of Ivana Bacik in her days as a student at Trinity is enough to make a current political science student sigh at their own apathy. Or maybe that’s just Olivia May Russell.
P
ERSONAL ENVY aside, it is clear the Professor Bacik certainly had a spirited beginning in this institution, a passion for and commitment to liberal values which she has carried throughout her career. In the week leading up to the Student’s Union elections it is particularly interesting to reflect on the life of this former SU President, to commend all she has accomplished, and to wonder what lies ahead. As an undergrad at Trinity, Bacik actively involved in university politics. She won the position TCDSU President for the 1989-90 year. Although only a university position, Bacik soon found herself in the throes of what can only be described as an all out controversy. A controversy which would foreshadow the flavour of her career in politics and her commitment to women’s rights. The student handbook that year included information on abortion in the section offering facts on STI and sexual health. The information was intended as informative and not a political stunt, The Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child objected strongly and decided to take Bacik, along with several other students, to court. Although the SPUC ended up winning the case, this controversy foreshadowed her later commitment to the pro-choice position and women’s rights in general. Bacik made a return to Trinity after receiving her LLM at the renowned London School of Economics. She began teaching courses in Criminal Law, Criminology, Penology, and Feminist
Theory. In 1996, Bacik was awarded Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity. Receiving this prestigious appointment she joined the ranks of Mary Robinson and Mary Mcaleese, both former Reid Professors. Given this parallel with such Irish political giants it seems fitting that Bacik should have moved from university politics to the national stage. She debuted on the national political scene in her campaign as a candidate for the Labour Party in the 2004 election to the European Parliament. While she did not win the seat, she managed to capture a respectable amount of votes. But her political career was far from over. She remained a prominent member of the Irish Labour Party and a darling of the Irish Media. Despite this set back in the European election, Bacik won a seat in the Seanad in the Dublin University constituency in the Irish General Election in 2007. As she was from the beginning, Bacik is still committed to fighting for liberal values. Continuing with the tradition sparked in her undergraduate years, she passionately advocates abortion rights and free contraception. In 2006 she acted as a Junior Counsel in the Irish High Court case brought by Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan over the Irish Revenue Commissioners non-recognition of their same-sex marriage which was contracted in Canada. Although that particular case was unsuccessful, it is currently on appeal to the Irish Supreme Court and hopefully on its way to victory.
“I believe in an open, inclusive and secular Irish society - which welcomes a growing diversity of cultures and lifestyles, grounded on values of equality, tolerance and pluralism.”
Bacik’s commitment to equal rights, irrespective of sexuality, is impressive, and enduring. To date, she continued to work in this area by drafting civil partnership legislation for legal recognition for co-habiting couples, both same-sex and opposite-sex. In a country where such liberal views are not always welcomed, regardless of one’s own view on the matter, such conviction must be admired. From her time as an undergraduate student at Trinity, Bacik has exemplified everything Trinity students strive to
be. She is passionately committed to her convictions, ambitious, and accomplished. In looking at these accomplishments, it is difficult not to speculate on her future prospects. Will she join the ranks of Robinson and Mcaleese in the top tiers of Irish Politics? “There was always this great tradition of very politically active lecturers in Trinity” was all Bacik had to say on the matter. We can only speculate whether or not another of Trinity’s esteemeed lecturers will join the upper echelons of Irish politics as president.
FACTBOX » She worked hard to secure a scholarship to Alexandra College, but later admitted that she didn’t enjoy school -- “It was snobby. The girls were snobby.” » Her surname comes from her grandfather Karal, who emigrated to Waterford from Czechoslovakia after World War Two, having fought in the resistance. » She practises as a barrister, and teaches courses in Criminal law; Criminology and Penology; and Feminist Theory and Law at Trinity.
Government policy of concealment unacceptable Politicans pleas of ignorance over the goings-on in our banks and financial institutions will no longer wash, writes Debra Wigglesworth. With the reputation of our country in ruins, the economy cannot afford any other scandal further down the tracks. THE HILARIOUS final scene of the Coen brothers film “Burn After Reading” alludes to a fallacy of governance and corporate governance in the 21st century. The film satirises the lengths to which the CIA goes to prevent controversial media leaks, a hush-hush policy which they believe is in the ultimate public interest. But in going to these lengths it becomes harder and harder throughout the film to distinguish who’s bad and who’s good. Throughout the Celtic Tiger years there was a strict policy of light regulation – this allowed for a nudgenudge-wink-wink culture to strive and undoubtedly we all benefited directly or indirectly. The government quietly lionised this culture, the more unregulated the better. But now the words, hit and fan come to mind and the bright lights of the national and international media is fixed firmly on our festering economic situation. Keeping it all under the carpet was fine when we were quietly benefiting, but things have changed and the government seems to be caught between a policy of trying to conceal economically damaging information while trying to adapt to a strained political policy of being honest and open. Being honest,
secrecy benefited us all in our short lived prosperity because the economic boom was built on a lie. The Ahern government was working not in the public interest but in the vested interests of their cronies the bankers and the developers and by chance that worked out pretty well for the majority of the country... for a while. We now see a government previously steeped in self-interest trying their hardest to feign a public interest ethos. Crony capitalism has made it very difficult for the Government to discern the commercial interest from the public interest but given the present international reputation of the Irish financial sector a hush-hush culture no longer serves to protect any perception of long-since lost integrity. In regard to the lack of strict regulation in the Irish financial sector the New York Times referred to Ireland as the “wild, west of European Finance” in 2005 and it certainly lived up to this label with its recent adaptation of “The Good, the Bad and Sean Fitzpatrick”. The cowboy of Celtic Tigerism, the former Chairman of Anglo Irish Bank had the government, the financial regulator and the auditors under his thumb and eighty-seven million euro in frequently transferred loans in his back pocket. Last week,
the Finance Minister Brian Lenihan’s resignation was called for following the exposure of his admitted failure to read the government commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers report in full and to pick up on the implications of the seven billion euro in loans from Irish Life & Permanent to Anglo to artificially prop up their deposit base. Accepting the Minister’s explanation little was made of the failure of PwC to highlight the matter to the Minister, his Department or the financial regulator. In theory, an auditor’s duty of care lies with the public interest not the private
“The cover-up culture seems so impenetrable that very few can see the wood from the legalese.” interests of the bank and this applies more so when the report is publicly commissioned. The Irish auditing culture raises many concerns as does auditing culture in general. Recently PwC has been
implicated in what’s referred to as India’s Enron, with Indian investors in Satyam the IT outsourcing group demanding to know how PricewaterhouseCoopers their auditor, missed a systematic £1 billion fraud for as long as seven years, while Merill Lynch became aware of it within 10 days after their appointment. The Enron collapse in the US was largely blamed on the conflict of interest exposed between bankers and auditors, leading to criminal proceedings against Andersen Auditors who upon the collapse of the company began shredding documents. Questions are also being asked in Britain about how auditors Deloitte, KPMG and PWC signed off on the accounts of RBS, HBOS and Lloyds TSB respectively, at the end of last year considering that all are now substantially supported by the Government with the Government holding a 70 per cent stake in RBS. In Ireland too, auditor’s complicity is not being emphasised enough, but it still does not take away from the bad choices of the government and incompetence of the Financial Regulator and the Central Bank. The full page thank you from AIB to the public for the 7 billion euro re-capitalisation in last week’s papers contained at the bottom the very quaint refrain ‘AIB p.l.c is regulated by the Financial Regulator’. Reassuring. Brian Lenihan pleaded ignorance regarding the Anglo Irish Life & Permanent scandal. However rejecting this explanation it is more believable that upon receiving the report in October 2008 Lenihan embarked on a ‘burn after reading’ damage control exercise,
trying to protect the markets. In any event it beggars belief that the Minister for Finance could not have known about the accounts inconsistencies
“Throughout the Celtic Tiger years there was a strict policy of light regulation, which allowed for a nudgenudge-wink-wink culture to strive.” even before any report, even before any recession. Ireland is a small place and people talk even more so in the upper echelons. The cover-up culture seems so impenetrable at this stage very few can see the wood from the legalese. This is demonstrated clearly by the Taoiseach’s constant reference to vague legal privilege constraints which prevent him from exposing the ten members of the ‘golden circle’ secret share deal which has exposed taxpayers, or rather the new owners of the Anglo Irish Bank, to 300 million euro in bad debt. Yet taxpayers still have no right to find out the details of this deal. Furthermore no clear line has been established in regard to the pursuit of criminal proceedings against those involved in the Anglo Irish Bank conspiracy. Minor domestic debt defaulters fill up Mountjoy on a weekly basis and yet rogue market manipulators such as Fitzpatrick seem untouchable.
The domestic darling of the US Martha Stewart was put in jail for 10 months for acting on an insider trading tip which saved her a relatively paltry (by Anglo standards) $52,000, Fitzpatrick and his ilk should face the full rigours of the law without exception. If their actions were not illegal then nothing is illegal and the Irish public will not be satisfied with the inefficient quasi-legal proceedings of a tribunal. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, at this stage one is almost expecting some Anglo Grand Cayman account to be exposed with links to an Italian sub-culture. With Europe already looking nervously over our shoulders, the reality is the financial reputation of the country is in ruins and the economy cannot afford any further scandal down the tracks. The Government needs to prioritise public interest over the vested interests of the banks, of the Regulator, of the auditors, of the property developers and of themselves. Now is the time for the government to hold up their hands and uncover any falsehoods which fed the boom. Now is the time for putting commercial sensitivity aside in the efficient pursuit of transparency, accountability and resignations. We don’t want to hear the sugar-coated version any longer. The truth must be the starting point of a sustainable and equitable recovery plan to get us out of this mess. The infuriating lie, that cutting special teacher support for over 350 children with learning disabilities will help a sustainable recovery plan is utterly unacceptable. Its time to come clean and it’s going to hurt. But that’s the thing about the truth.It hurts.
OPINION
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
Why attempt if you won’t be exempt?
ROUND UP AOIFE CROWLEY URBAN DEVELOPMENT
RENAMING LANSDOWNE “AVIVA” UTTER DISGRACE MANY THE indignant letter has been written to the Irish Times over the decision to rename Lansdowne Road “Aviva Stadium”. “In view of the public’s negative reaction to this erroneous decision, the way to counter it is for every newspaper, every printed publication and every TV and radio programme in this country to vow as a matter of policy never to refer to the stadium by its new name” writes one Peter Evans. However, Frank McNally urges the public to embrace this as a wonderful new money making venture that could be extended to all national buildings: “Let’s start with the GPO. Its matronly façade already suffers the indignity of having to gaze across the street at a shop selling kinky knickers and adult leisure accessories with names like The Rampant Rabbit. How much worse can it get?” “ Would it really hurt if we had to refer to it as the Vodaphone GPO , or the GPO2 Arena ? Sure, critics would carp about desecrating the birthplace of the Republic. But the Minister for Communications could take a leaf out of the FAI/IRFU textbook by stressing how the money would go into developing that same Republic (especially at under-age level).”
Under the new semesterisation plan, students sitting schols will not be able to earn exemptions from end of of year exams. This needs to be changed, writes Conor James McKinney
T
HE RECENT news that exemptions for Schol are to be abolished from next year is a blow to one of Trinity’s finest institutions. It is unlikely to be fatal, but will certainly put Schol on life support for the foreseeable future. By pushing it out of the mainstream of College life to become the preserve of those who were destined from birth to achieve excellence, the removal of Schol exemptions will mean that College loses out on some outstanding talent. The setup that obtains for all those Senior Freshmen courageous or foolhardy enough to subject themselves to the exams next month is a great way of getting the best out of high-achieving students, as well as identifying the very best and brightest so that College can try to hang onto them. Allowing those who have performed well not to have to put on a repeat performance a few months later is not only just, but also good policy. It should be stressed from the outset that these exemptions are not a foregone conclusion, but due reward for months of hard work. A candidate must score not only a II.I or better overall, but also in each individual subject so as to avoid re-sitting it in May. Bear in mind that these are not ordinary exams, but ones designed to test the student’s indepth knowledge, critical reasoning, original thinking and, of course, the X-factor, their academic “flair”. If a First is worth free accommodation, free grub and free postgraduate study over five years, surely a II.I is worth exemptions from exams that the student has clearly demonstrated herself to be capable of passing? It seems that departments are concerned that having secured their freedom from the RDS rat race, their students neglect their work in Trinity term. Well, if the premise is that
students should do a certain amount of work over the course of an academic year, Schol exemptions do not frustrate this goal; since the exam tests, or should test, the whole SF curriculum, a successful exemptee has merely front-loaded his or her work. Instead of nine months of regular work and three months’ holidays, they choose to make it six months’ intense study and six months of freedom. In both cases, the same amount of work gets done. I accept that mandatory course-work or new material introduced shouldn’t be evaded, but the solution to this, if it is a problem within a particular subject, is less drastic: make it clear that not handing in the relevant assignment will result in having to repeat the year, and ensure that the Schol exam itself tests all material on the course. If that makes it harder, so be it. Part of the problem, of course, is that with the advent of semesterisation there will be no break in March next year, necessitating some change to the Schol format. However, this is not an insurmountable barrier to the preservation of what is best about the institution. The solution has been to move the exams to the Christmas holidays, exacerbating the problems above of students not working after their exams. But all that is required to is to keep the announcement of exemptions in April, or even to move it back to Trinity Monday itself, keeping candidates on their toes through Hilary Term. That way, students will be compelled to keep up with their work for most of the year, but will be rewarded with an extra month or so off come Trinity Term. Alternatively, since the exams are to be shortened to about 8-9 hours, allocate three “Schol Days” in March, perhaps including St. Patrick’s Day when there are no lectures anyway, and have the exams then. It would be tough
Photo by Mark Grapengater
on candidates, but that’s the name of the game. Those sitting Schol will easily be able to make up two or three days of missed lectures, although sitting an exam on Paddy’s Day may have a longterm psychological impact. The solution that College appears to have adopted amounts to swatting a fly with a flamethrower. The result, as must be obvious to everyone, will be instantly to reduce the numbers taking Schol (perhaps this is the idea; correcting extra exam scripts can’t be fun). T he shoe-in scholars, the future academics who will win Gold Medals in their sleep, will no doubt still go for it – but what about the rest? The academic elite does not come merely from the abnormally intelligent. Scholars are not a uniform bunch; some are more naturally gifted, more confident in their own abilities, than others. Every year plenty get Schol who had only targeted the exemptions, or who were 50-50 about making the commitment but were pushed over the edge by the II.I safety net. Making this change means that College will lose out on these
people, who will go on to First Class Honours degrees and Gold Medals but then, without the perks of Schol to keep them here, will go elsewhere for their postgraduate work. Further, the system as it stands is an inducement for the merely aboveaverage student to work their socks off for that year rather than coast through their four years in II.I gear. The case of the clever student who ups their game so as to get the exemptions, with the resultant increase in their knowledge of the subjects and increased experience of long-term hard work, focus and concentration, will disappear entirely. It seems strange for a university clearly committed to the ideal of excellence in its students to take away this inducement to academic progress. These are the reasons why, if only from College’s perspective, exemptions were and remain a good idea. The fewer candidates sit under the scrutiny of Queen Elizabeth next March in the exam hall, the more Schol will be diminished. The powers that be should reconsider.
Time to stand against Fianna Fáil Last issue, Brendan Curran urged the USI and the SU to rethink their position on the reintroduction of fees. But the fees matter isn’t merely monetary or economic, writes Steven Lydon. It’s political.
I
N TRINITY, you might be forgiven for thinking that the majority of students actually want fees back. Turnout at the protest was poor. Last week in this column, the Phil asked if you “really want to live in France.” The good anglophile response to this question is of course, “no:” but let’s not get waylaid in crude national stereotypes. The terms of this debate have for too long been obscured by rhetoric and misinformation. Rather than seeing the reintroduction of fees as a move purely necessitated by the global recession, we should see it as a result of nearly a decade of sustained effort by Fianna Fáil to encourage privatisation within the sector of education. This matter is not merely monetary and economic: it is political. During the boom years, budget spending for higher education did not increase one iota. The outcome of this has been an emphasis on profitability within the political corridors of the university. In the face of chronic under-funding, John Hegarty has made drastic moves to encourage corporate investment by centring research on areas of high profitability in the sciences. These moves have been an ostensible success, having drawn unprecedented levels of research funding to Trinity, which has secured a place in the top fifty universities in the world. Should we analyse this further however, it becomes apparent that this success is but icing on a slowly rotting cake. One argument for the privatisation of the university is that it allows the college greater freedom with its funding than would otherwise be secured by means of government. But what good is this “freedom” if the direction of our research is dictated by the market and not by researchers themselves? On a practical level, this will prevent students studying what they are really interested in, as many will not find the
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funding to continue with their research: so much for intellectual freedom. Other avenues of funding exist, such, but they are extremely scarce. An objection must also be raised on social grounds. Research should be directed by academics and experts, and not by corporate leaders whose only goal is to profit. The need for high-profit yield often undermines the simple equation for supply and demand. Furthermore, demand does not always equate
“The minister claims only the “super-rich” will pay fees, but this definition is liable to waver, while the charge is liable to increase.” to social benefit. And while we’re talking about freedom: Hegarty has sought to decouple academia and administration with the creation of new managerial posts. Some academic staff say that this has undermined collegiality, disempowering the academics that traditionally played a large role in wider college affairs, placing in their stead what are essentially corporate lobbyists. This will have a direct impact on the quality of certain courses. The arts will suffer due to drastic cuts in funding. It is planned that certain language departments will be conflated, and the outright cut of the Drama department was but narrowly averted. As it stands most departments do not have sufficient tutorials due to lack of staff. In the place of Latin and Greek we can expect a greater emphasis on subjects such as Business and Economics.
In the sciences, one can expect further emphasis on specialisation within course structures. Privatisation in areas of research will over time begin to dictate the terms of undergraduate courses, leading to an uneven curriculum. This will exacerbate the inexcusable lack of socio-political education that is necessary in the study of science, given its prominent place in modern society. And yet, these problems cannot fundamentally be attributed to John Hegarty. He is doing his best in a chronically under-funded university, and is at worst displaying nothing but the same weak-willed pragmatism that we have come to expect from the politicians currently in power. The problem must be squarely laid at Fianna Fáil’s doorstep. Their stubborn resistance to an increase in higher education funding during a time of unprecedented economic vitality, coupled with their neglect and privatisation of the health care system, is possibly the most calamitously short-sighted, ideologically misguided error in the history of the state. Fianna Fáil’s minister for education claims the introduction of fees will be for the “super-rich” only. However, given economic circumstances the definition of “super-rich” is liable to waver and decrease, while the charge will be liable to increase. Given that the minister of education has not yet defined “super-rich”, we have large grounds for concern. On principle, it is fair that the rich should pay more for their education than the poor. However, this should be paid by progressive annual taxation, and not by stealth taxes, of which the university fee is but one of many. Rather than face up to reality, Fianna Fáil has chosen the soft-target of the student population to bear the brunt of the costs. One barrier to Fianna Fáil raising taxes is that Fine Gael will simply undermine them in the next election to clean up stray votes. These two parties should be integrated on grounds of social benefit, for they provide no real alternative in terms of economic policy, and owe their dual existence merely to an archaic nationalism that has ceased to be relevant since the founding of the Republic. Fianna Fáil has shown its disdain for the student population on numerous occasions,
not least when it chose to place the election date mid-week so as to dissuade students from voting. Unless you own a pub, farm, or multinational corporation, you should realise that Fianna Fáil do not act in your interest. Students too must face up to the reality that they cannot expect free fees from protesting on grounds of simple self-interest. As it stands, the money is simply no longer there. Fianna Fáil must be removed from government, and a fair taxation system must be implemented in order to supplement education at all levels. This is not to say that protest should be discouraged. It should be advocated, but with a clear and communal agenda: to remove Fianna Fáil from government in order to implement a fairer source of taxation for education funding. Of course, it is not reasonable to expect that everyone should unconditionally expect a free third-level education. In this case, the fairest solution is to organise admission by merit, not by wealth. In order for this system to work effectively, everyone must have access to adequate second level education. The government has not taken adequate measures to regulate secondary school education, with schools like the Institute of Education ‘poaching’ the best teachers from public schools to teach wealthy students to the direct detriment of their public school
“The terms of this debate have for too long been obscured by rhetoric and misinformation. “ counterparts. Good teachers need to be rewarded, but not through privatised funding, as this works to undermine the only available method of assessing the merit of Ireland’s potential undergraduates. The USI must sustain its pressure on Government for the rejection of fees with a clear and communal agenda. Furthermore, it should put more pressure on John Hegarty’s actions, as they play into Fianna Fáil’s disastrous economic pragmatism.
ENVIRONMENT
QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT CORK OIL SPILL AN EDITORIAL in the Irish Times asks who is responsible for last week’s oil spill off the coast of Cork. It was first reported that this spill would not pose a threat to wildlife, but it later came out that the volume of oil spilled was over five hundred tonnes. The Irish Times declares that if the Russian vessel which was refuelling at the time is responsible, then “Russia should be held responsible for the cost of any clean-up which the Irish or British authorities have to undertake to protect the wildlife and ecology of these coastlines.”
PORNOGRAPHY
PORN LEADS TO RAPE AND MURDER ACCORDING TO Morality in Media protestors outside Trinity last Thursday, “pornography poisons the mind – its [sic] addictive and can lead to serious psychological perversion.” Ted Bundy is cited as a well known victim of the damaging effects of porn. They warn that “loss of modesty is the first spiral downwards to moral decay.” The recommended course of action to avoid this downwards spiral is to “avoid all explicit sexual material in newspapers, magazines, films and T.V. programmes. Avoid crude and impure conversation.”
POLITICS
WHAT NOW FOR SINN FÉIN? IN THE Irish Examiner, Sinn Féin’s gradual decline is highlighted. He question is asked, “if the electorate isn’t looking for a truly radical alternative in times like these, when will it, the republican grassroots must be asking themselves mournfully? Why isn’t it capitalising on capitalism’s woes?” It goes on to point out that as recently as 2004, Adams’s goal - the “republicanisation” of Irish society - had appeared close at hand. Now however, it seems that 2004 was their highpoint – “But then the party’s past came back to haunt it in the shape of the Northern Bank robbery, revelations involving money-laundering, the Robert McCartney murder and eccentric definitions of what constitutes a crime. The party that preached to the rest looked to be suffused with gangsterism.”
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OPINION
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
Religion and God do have a place in modern life By Tara O’Halloran I IMAGINE I would have liked Sundays as a child - had my parents been atheists or at least agnostics. As it turned out they were neither, but Roman Catholics who insisted on the importance of going to mass every Sunday. As a child, Sundays were ruined by that one hour, forty minutes if you were lucky. This of course all depending on the sermon which I can safely admit I never listened to but rather sat messing (quietly or not) with my brothers, wondering who I’d call over to first when I got home, and how this “stupid thing” really ruined my day. As I got older, then, my supposed “love” for the church didn’t exactly make a sudden appearance like my adolescent
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dispositions. I began (very mistakenly) to consider myself as an enlightened intellectual and outside what I viewed as the common denominator. I, at least, would question what I was told if no one else would, think for myself (most likely the result of an inspiring junior cert history lesson on the reformation). I thought I was so clever and metropolitan and everyone else was backward, stuck in a well spent past. Had the Pope not seen Jurassic Park? Surely I wasn’t supposed to believe in Noah and what sane man was ever going to kill his own son in sacrifice to God? It didn’t help of course when the sex scandals broke and I had further ammunition to fire across the dinner table. But what I hadn’t particularly understood was the greater picture of religion - its philosophical importance.
Since entry into adulthood and development of actual and mature hypothetical reasoning I began to wonder if perhaps the bible wasn’t intended to be taken for literally but as a moral guide. In this light I could accept it. As for religion as a whole then maybe I could come to some agreement with the world. It could be a real entity for others, and a philosophy for me – a collective philosophy even, intended to help sustain the human race. But what is it exactly about religion that would support such a supposition – that religion really is a philosophical aid to human survival or at least the survival of humanity? Well for one, we live in a world of capitalist ideology where “the collective” has always desired or at least been conditioned to instruction.
Religion then provides this instruction for the moral sphere of mankind, impressing a structure onto morality. Providing people with clear moral guidelines they can choose to follow if they wish, religion clears up much of the ambiguity people encounter as to what constitutes a moral life. A further need for leadership then extends itself to religion as figures such as the Pope become moral and religious role model. But apart from the need for moral instruction, people also turn to religion for a sense of belonging. Religion has always been about a community, providing a profound sense of belonging for people, especially those who find themselves on their own or those who struggle to find purpose in their lives. It provides a space in which people can feel united in a common purpose.
Others will argue that if religion brings people together then it more often than not tears them apart in the form of oppression and religious wars. But in reality, this is no more than intolerance and violence in the guise of religious difference. If religion ceased to exist, this intolerance and violence would quickly find some other outlet. If religion brings people closer together, as I believe it does, then it is also a comfort for people in times when life gets invariably hard. As people continually attempt to cope with difficulties, illness and loss, religion provides them with hope and the faith that allows them to keep getting up everyday, incorporating painful circumstances into a schema which offers comfort – that perhaps this is God’s way.
And as we begin to approach our own final toll, the church or holy place provides for many a brief reprieve from the fear said only to be championed by the fear of public speaking –the fear of death. In this sense then religion can be understood as an attempt to understand what lies beyond our comprehension, to make sense of life and death which is perhaps why so many of us laugh about the predominant demographic of church goers. But praying to God in our later years might not be such a waste of time even for us sinners. Isn’t there always the chance they were right all along? So for those of us who live our lives in cynicism I think it best we quieten our laughs about the elderly flocking to the churches, because it’s quite likely we’ll be there ourselves.
HEAD TO HEAD: ISRAELI ACADEMICS
“ACADEMIC BOYCOTT WOULD BE REGRESSIVE ” RUTH EMILY AMY LEE
ON FRIDAY January 23rd the Irish Times published a letter supported by over one hundred and forty Irish academics calling for “a moratorium on the funding of Israeli academic institutions by national and European cultural and research institutions”. This is part of a larger campaign, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. In 2005 the British University & College Union voted that such a boycott would be illegal and so did not adopt it, Malcolm Grant Provost of University College London stated that “An academic boycott for political ends is in direct conflict with the mission of a university and betrays a misunderstanding of our function”. However the debate has resurfaced in Ireland as a result of public outrage regarding recent events in Gaza. The proposed boycott is symptomatic of a lack of foresight by those who support the Palestinian cause and may even harm the peace process in the region. Universities are placed in a unique position as a neutral ground where discussion and debate can take place. Collaboration between academics in not just political science, but all academic areas is an essential part of all Universities’ international roles. Universities traditionally represent bastions of learning and free speech, they educate our youth and provide opportunities for discourse, not just with those that agree with our opinions but also with those that we disagree with most vehemently. It is this dialogue and debate that represents a vital role in any peace process. Israeli academics are not unanimously in support of the actions of the State of Israel. The existence of a number of academics who oppose current policies regarding Palestine and who express their opposition loudly and repeatedly cannot be ignored. By boycotting the institutions that employ these academics (despite their academic and personal opinions) it will force these universities to become even more highly dependent upon state funding to continue to operate. This creates a risk that this increased competition for government resources will begin to affect freedom of speech within the Israeli universities thus silencing some of the most influential and loudest of the voices within Israel who are speaking out against the state’s actions. Silencing the State’s critics cannot be seen as in any way assisting
the Palestinian cause. Dr Neve Gordon of Ben Gurion University writes that “To fight the anti-intellectual atmosphere within Israel, local academics need as much support as they can get from their colleagues abroad”. His view is supported by Al Qud’s University President Sari Nusseibeh who told the associated press that “It is within the academic community [Israeli] that we’ve had the most progressive pro-peace views and views that have come out in favour of seeing us as equals.”. If, as this boycott suggests, we are to place responsibility for the actions of the Israeli state upon every person with Israeli citizenship and actively deny them academic co-operation with our own academic institutions, then we must also accept our personal responsibility as citizens of our own countries to fail to demand that our governments place the current human rights crisis in Gaza at the top of their agenda. If you log onto the website of the Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign you will be confronted with a number of articles detailing “The European Union’s Blind Eye” and the “special” position that Israel holds in European foreign policy. I would propose that an attempt to resolve the situation in Gaza would be more constructively pursued through taking responsibility for our own government’s inaction upon this issue and to place pressure not upon those in academic institutions whose purpose is to inform and educate but on Irish and EU policies that overlook many of the actions taken by Israel with which the pro-Palestinian campaign is most concerned. By all means disagree with Israel’s policy in the occupied territories, protest it, write to your TD and demand that he represent your concern, pressure the EU to take a stronger line with Israel, push for America to rescind its unilateral support of Israel. Write to the Israeli ambassador and express your concern over current events in the region, volunteer with the Red Cross or donate money to the relief effort. All these are progressive and useful methods of protest against the actions of the Israeli State. However, an academic boycott that interferes with academics’ freedom of speech, that prevents dialogue between both sides of the conflict is not the way forward. It is regressive and harms not just our fellow students who study in Israel but also the Palestinians whose cause those who support the boycott are fighting for. Dialogue is an essential factor in creating a lasting peace agreement in the region, restricting dialogue by boycotting Israeli academic institutions is a short sighted response to the current Gaza crisis. Ruth Emily Amy Lee is a Junior Sophister student in Jewish Studies
“EU FINANCIAL SUPPORT MUST STOP” DAVID LANDY SUNDAY MORNING, 28th December, 2008, and the Islamic University of Gaza is being attacked by Israeli warplanes. They launch six separate strikes on the university, attacking the science block, then the engineering labs and the dorms for female students. All are levelled to the ground. So much for academic freedom in Israel/Palestine. Israeli universities, centres of military research, helped design the attack. An important element in the assault was propaganda. On TV we had Israeli academics explaining that they’d taken out a “Hamas” university. Haifa University was lit up with a big Israeli flag to celebrate the assault on Gaza. Israeli students who protested the assault were attacked by the police and disciplined by college authorities. In the aftermath of the assault, Tel Aviv University pushed through the appointment of a law professor running courses on how to defend Israeli army leaders from international law and war-crimes tribunals. So much for liberal Israeli academia. Israeli academia is centrally involved in the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Israeli architects design the illegal annexation Wall and the illegal West Bank settlements. Israeli medical professionals supervise torture sessions. Israeli universities train the administrators for the occupation; they train the secret police. Amazingly, we give money to these institutions. The EU has developed deep links with Israeli academia which includes funding their “security” projects. Over the last two years the value of EU-funded research projects with Israeli institutions (not just universities, mind you) was over 2.1 billion euro. This support must stop. Israel must learn that it can not commit war crimes without consequences. This is what the boycott campaign is about. This is not a call to boycott or attack individual Israeli academics – far from it. Having recently helped organise the visit to Trinity of Israeli professor, Ilan Pappé, it always amazes me when this charge is levelled. The Palestinian call for boycott is an institutional boycott, calling for three main things. 1. Not to participate in academic collaboration or joint projects with Israeli institutions. 2. A boycott of Israeli institutions at the national and international levels, including
suspension of subsidies and funding. 3. Divestment from Israel by academic institutions. This echoes the boycott against South African academia during apartheid. Sure, some white South African academics were made uncomfortable by the boycott (others supported it) just as some Israeli academics are nowadays. However, ruffled academic feathers aside, the boycott campaign is one of the most effective – not to mention non-violent – ways to end an apartheid regime. Academic freedom is important, but as in apartheid South Africa, academic freedom does not exist in Israel/Palestine, simply privilege. While Jews – whether in Israel or the Occupied Territories – may enjoy academic freedom, Palestinians endure various degrees of restrictions. The Israeli campaign against Palestinian education has been systematic. It involves extensive closures of universities, shelling and shooting at them, as well as stealing their land. It involves attacking and imprisoning students and teachers, and erecting roadblocks to prevent students from going to college. It involves teargassing campuses and disrupting exams. Through travel restrictions and visa denials, it prevents international academic contacts, which boycott opponents argue are the right of academics in Israel/Palestine. Yet boycott opponents rarely mention these racist Israeli attacks and never oppose them. Ironically, it is human rights activists who call for boycott who are sometimes called antisemitic and racist. Fortunately this shabby attack is increasingly seen as threadbare as more and more Jews and even Israelis support the boycott. As the slogan of the English group J-BIG (Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods) goes “It’s kosher to boycott Israel”. Dash academics are at the forefront of English, French, American, Canadian, Australian boycott initiatives (not to mention Israeli ones). And with boycott increasingly on the agenda, the efforts are paying off. Yet it may be students, not academics who are showing the way forward. A wave of occupations against the Occupation has been sweeping English and US universities. The demands are moderate – for universities to divest from Israel and companies profiting from the Occupation (such as Veolia), and to support Palestinian academia. University after university in Britain, but also the US, have divested from Israel. After decades of military occupation, after more than a thousand dead in Gaza, isn’t it time Trinity followed suit? David Landy is a postgrad student in Sociology Department and member of Ireland Palestine Solidarity Movement
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Society will cringe at treatment of homosexuals By Hugo O’Doherty WHEN PEOPLE living today look at the twentieth century, they often examine progress in purely physical terms. The paradox of the last hundred or so years is that, while many nations and societies implemented increasingly liberal political and social philosophies, this was also the century that saw fascism as a bona fide form of government and world war as a reality. THE MORAL history of the most recent generations to inherit this earth usually centres on easy, but legitimate, targets; Fascism, Stalinism, and any other type of authoritarian rule that engages in acts of barbaric torture and murder against its own citizens and others alike. What of ourselves? While others were succumbing to or partaking in actions that are now almost universally condemned, were our recent
ancestors and lawmakers performing as we would now wish? The short answer is no. It is often easier to condemn others without judging ourselves. Modern DNA evidence suggests that modern humans originated in East Africa about two hundred thousand years ago, though some estimates give a slightly more recent date of about one hundred and thirty thousand years. Taking the former estimate as true, forgive me for perhaps making you cringe as we look at how morality has developed in the last two-thousandth of human history. Women’s suffrage was made equal to that of men in 1920 in the US, 1922 in Ireland, and 1928 in the UK. It was granted to white women, but not black women, in 1930 in South Africa. Slavery was still a legal global phenomenon until the nineteenth century, when a series of international treaties and domestic laws slowly saw the curbing of this stain on history.
The United Arab Emirates, which accommodates the global business hub that is Dubai, is one example of a state that presently does not consider a woman’s vote to be equal to its male counterpart, and a list of states that are still thought to acquiesce with slavery would take up most of this page. I assume that most of us agree that women and non-whites are not inferior, or a sub-species, or mentally deficient. What of the humble homosexual? In the eyes of most western governments, a homosexual man or woman is unfit to bring up a child with a partner, live with a partner and obtain the benefits that a heterosexual couple can obtain, or even give blood. Indeed, it was via a campaign led by Trinity College senator David Norris in 1993 that led to the decriminalisation of a private act of sexual behaviour between two consenting adults in this country. Many supporters of discrimination will
point to the belief that homosexuals has chosen this “lifestyle”, and so the law and society is not discriminatory because we all know, or are at least supposed to know, laws and societal norms from the outset. How can this view be comprehended when many studies show that suicide rates are far higher among homosexuals compared with non-homosexuals? How can it be the case that homosexuality is forced upon individuals by means of television and literature when homosexuality clearly predates both of these? How can we say homosexuality is not acceptable from a biological point of view when an exhibition titled “Against Nature?” ran in University of Oslo showing the occurrence and function of homosexuality in animals other than our own species. Pat Robertson, who ran as a nominee to be the Republican US Presidential candidate in 1988 and has also called
the campaign for equal rights for women “a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians”, has also claimed that homosexuals “don’t really care about how much they destroy”. Closer to home, Ian Paisley’s “Save Ulster from Sodomy” campaign was ultimately unsuccessful when homosexual acts were decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 1982, fifteen years after England and Wales. A decade before the Republic of Ireland. This is the same man who until recently was First Minister of Northern Ireland. Homosexuals are still regularly executed in Iran. The moral zeitgeist alters and shifts according to people’s views of what is morally acceptable. It seems absurd to a person living in a modern western democracy to view women as not worthy of a political opinion or any human
being as just and lawful candidates to be captured, bought, and abused for slave labour. And yet these were perfectly acceptable beliefs and policies in our relatively recent past. When our descendants look back at these times that we now live in, they will view our backward views on homosexuality in the same way that we view the misogynistic pseudodemocracies and racist slavocracies that existed not long ago. Some people are ahead of the moral zeitgeist, and some are behind it. This can clearly be seen by the recent ban on same-sex marriage in California, which is hopefully just a blip on the wider progression towards a greater mutual understanding of ourselves and each other. When students of Trinity College in 2109 are reading about the preceding two hundred years, there can be little doubt that they will cringe at how backward humankind can be.
EDITORIAL
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
TRINITY NEWS Issue 9, Volume 55 Tuesday, 24 February 2009 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2 www.trinitynews.ie
USI MUST PERFORM A U-TURN ON POLICY IN THE very first editorial of this volume of Trinity News, published at the end of September, we wrote that the USI were taking a simplistic view of the fees debate. Their approach – no fees, ever – meant that those taking the decisions had little incentive to listen to students’ potentially most effective representatives. Unfortunately, that editorial of last September clearly did not galvanise the USI into the sort of action that might better serve students’ interests. The latest escapade is a bizarre enforced occupation of the Department of the Environment, as reported on page one of this edition. The likelihood of fees being re-introduced seems to have grown significantly since that last editorial. Consequently, the USI must now perform a U-turn in their policy and engage effectively with those taking the most important decisions this year for the country’s third-level students and institutions. Their meeting with Minister for Environment John Gormley is a step in the right direction, but only just; their action was designed “to remind the Minister of his party’s pre-election promises,” according to USI President Shane Kelly. Those who called for more “direct action” in the wake of the second student march on the Dáil must be shaking their heads in bemusement at this latest news. It is hard not to see this action as anything but a feeble response to those calls; such as hardline group Free Education for Everyone’s call to stage a one-day country-wide strike as set out in a flyer they distributed at the most recent student march. Indeed, Minister Gormley is a soft target for USI’s action, having – in their own words – always opposed the re-introduction of fees. Young Greens Chair Barra Roantree got it right when he said that “The USI should stop pulling stunts and engage with the Department of Education in trying to fix one of the key barriers to access to higher education”. This newspaper is surprised that it has taken this long to publicly identify the obvious course of action for the USI – engagement with the Department of Education. Thankfully, it appears that this apparently plain point of view is spreading. One can only hope that it is not too late.
ACCOUNTABILITY DOES NOT STOP AT THE POLLS POLLING BEGINS today in the elections for the SU sabbatical positions. No doubt the Electoral Commission and its employees will be bowled off their feet by the press of students clamouring to exercise their democratic right. The candidates have, to their credit, generally avoided making outlandish promises that no sensible student could believe they will keep (the College authorities, by contrast, know they can’t be kept). The possible exception is the Ents contest, in which it is considered necessary to outline fresh, new, exciting plans to mark oneself out in what is generally a crowded field. The problem in recent years is not crazy promises that can’t be kept. It is mundane promises that won’t be kept. Look at the office of Deputy President, for example (quickly, mind, because it may not be there in a few months if Mr. Curry has his wicked way). It would be a rare candidate that did not pledge to improve The Record and modernise the Union’s communication with the student body. We leave it to our readers to form their own opinions as to the quality of our friendly rival, but there can be no doubting that the SU website is a disaster. This is unacceptable in the modern age, when every corner shop has its online store, every soapbox preacher his blog. Yet even such a comparatively simple task as remedying this defect appears to have been beyond successive Deputy Presidents. Few students will contend that the Union has a major impact on the internal workings of College, although more might appreciate the work it does for individual students in difficulty. Whatever one thinks of the concept of a Students’ Union, it cannot be said to be a particularly onerous burden upon its officers. There is no excuse for not carrying out the basic tasks for which one has been appointed and for which one is compensated with student money. Students should not expect much from the Union. But they should demand that it adequately perform those functions which it is designed to perform. It is, after all, in your name that it makes pronouncements, spends money and makes representations to College. Whether one plans on voting or not, it is worth keeping an eye on the denizens of House 6. It may not provide an enthralling or even an edifying spectacle, but since the Union is not particularly relevant to a majority of students, it may come to feel that it can do what it likes so long as the hacks acquiesce. It may feel that what it likes to do is very little. If such proves to be the case, then perhaps we should consider abolishing it altogether. But so long as the SU still has a job to do, we should ensure that it does it.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
LETTERS TO THE Editor should be sent to letters@trinitynews.ie or to Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2. The Editor reserves the right to edit submissions for style and length. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Trinity News, its staff or its Editor.
letters@trinitynews.ie
Does security man need his white van? WITH THE current financial market being what it is consumers are flooded with top tips for budgeting. There are sales on mortgages and you can buy a Range Rover in the US and get one free; every attempt to cut back on spending is being made and environmentalists are happy to find that these cut backs are exactly what they have been lobbying the public to do for years. It seems that the recession has brought the public to become more green-minded with public transport becoming a more viable option, recycling to cut our waste bills and eating less fast food thus using less packaging. Institutions have also felt the blow the recession brought with employers encouraging saving electricity and car pooling. It follows quite naturally then that universities will act in like manner in their attempt to stem the flow of expenses. One obvious cutback would be the use of security vans on campus. Trinity College’s fleet can be seen throughout the year being used for a range of duties, however, for the more menial tasks of traversing Trinity’s 47 acres perhaps walking could be an option. Understandably College Security requires some form of transport for emergencies when speed is of the essence, however, when it comes to travelling the 400m from front gate to the security lounge beside the Ed Burke, surely a car is not necessary. Sadly the vans are used as an alternative to
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walking, which, if an emergency does ensue, will prevent our defense force from being fit and able enough to chase any culprits from the scene on foot, since with only three vehicle exits in a largely pedestrianised area, it would be unlikely that four wheeled transport would be used. With a full-fledged maintenance team it seems that the security transport can only be truly necessary in states of lessened security, so why are we seeing these vehicles on a daily basis crawling behind us as we walk unwittingly, music on, to and from lectures, or taking the run of campus after hours when Lincoln Gate is shut. On Friday night, for example, one security van was parked outside the Exam Hall watching the Boxing matches against Oxford and flashed his lights when spectators stood in the way. Surely this is not proper use of College resources, especially considering the guard in question was on duty - perhaps our security is already being compromised? We could potentially come to a compromise on this issue, if campus residents promise to stop sneaking in guests and resist the urge to sign in A. Bird. Then could security resist the urge to rev up every time they need a run across campus or chase down illegal visitors? Jessica Pakenham-Money SS Philosophy
THE SEASONED Trinity sports fan might, had he not been imbued with an bottomless reservoir of despair by the inability of our teams to win much of consequence, find solace in the undertakings of some of the candidates for SU office this year. I note, for example, that Conan O Broin shares my sense of frustration at the “administrative burdens” and inadequate “support structures” (for which, read DUCAC) that hinder our clubs in their quest for success. His rival Mr. Curry, who appears to share at least the brain if not the brawn of that worthy stalwart of the GAA, has gone still further in deploring the state of the facilities in Santry as a “disgrace”, as well as suggesting that supporters be bussed to important away fixtures in the future. A cynic might point out that a Mini Cooper would probably suffice, but it is a noble suggestion nonetheless. Even Michael Birmingham, in his continuing quest to be all things to all men, has promised to put his considerable financial nous at the service of our underfunded clubs. It is to your credit that much of this was first mooted in previous issues of Trinity News, and hope that those gentlemen continue to pay such close attention to your pages should they pass the rigorous scrutiny of our passionate electorate. I will not, regrettably, be among the hoards of eager voters flocking to the polls this week, as my hair is in dire need of a three-day wash. However, there is little doubt that the voters will seize the opportunity to do the right thing by our clubs. I look forward to these and many other promises being fulfilled with due alacrity when the new officers descend upon House 6, consumed by the desire to contribute to the public weal. Antony Lamont
Cigarette cards offer glimpse of past
U
NTIL THE 1940s, the man who enjoyed a cigarette could look forward to finding an attractive printed card in his ten pack. That era’s love of cataloguing and classification saw sets of cards on every imaginable topic being printed and included in these packs, and the sets have made an inadvertent but valuable contribution to history. Cards on the subject of Trinity College are not particularly numerous. Those shown here constitute a virtually complete collection – missing are those rugby caricature cards which depict DU Football Club men Sugden and Cussen. But these few cards are particularly interesting because their subjects are so specific. The “Vanity Fair” card is probably the oldest Trinity-related cigarette card. Printed in 1902, it shows Edward Carson, MP for Dublin University, in full oratorical flow. The “Vanity Fair” sets reproduced many the caricatures printed weekly in Vanity Fair magazine. Carson is one of several Trinity men to have appeared in Vanity Fair. The Gallaher Ltd card showing the college’s facade also dates to the first decade of the 20th century. It would have taken a lifetime of smoking to complete the set of Gallaher “Irish View Scenery” cards: this Trinity example is number 98 in a set of 600! The smaller heraldic card, from Wills’s “Borough Arms” first series, was to be found in cigarette packs from around 1903 to 1906. It contains two mistakes: these are the arms of Trinity College, not the University of Dublin; and the “bible closed, clasps to the dexter” of the college’s arms should be in gold, not the dark colour shown here. Depictions of the university’s arms are very rare, making the card showing the University of Dublin arms particularly interesting. The text on the rear of the card tells us that the DU arms “were granted by Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms, on March 28, 1882.” I have not encountered this piece of information anywhere else. The DU arms card is from Wills’s 1923 “Arms of Universities” set. The complete set of 25 also includes the coats of arms of the Queen’s University of Ireland, the Royal University of Ireland, the Queen’s University of Belfast and the National University of Ireland, the former two of these being defunct, and the latter two now no longer using their legitimate coats of arms as their chief symbols. The 1926 “University Hoods and Gowns” set contains two Dublin University cards, depicting the BA and MA degree hoods. Oddly, these do not seem to correspond to the hood shapes in use at the time. Drawings of our university’s hoods in Haycraft’s Degrees and Hoods of the World’s Universities and Colleges show that these cards probably depict the hood shapes in use here before 1909. The TCD Association tie, better known as our graduates’ tie, is depicted in the Churchman’s Cigarettes “Well-Known Ties” second series set. These cards were issued in 1935, which shows how popular the Trinity tie had become just eight years or so after its introduction. JOHN LAVELLE, BA 2008, Gold Medallist, a Scholar reading for the Magister in Utroque Jure degree, tells me that the DU Association
OLD TRINITY by PETER HENRY
Football Club celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. The club’s first team will be visiting Oxford and Cambridge next month to play the Blues teams. Good luck, Trinity, and best wishes to DUAFC in its quasquicentennial year. It is a shame that the soccer club’s fiveletter acronym, in use since 1883, has recently been poached by another outfit. The college’s American footballers have been referring to their as-yet-unrecognised club as “DUAFC”, to the confusion of the student masses. Let us hope that this Gridiron group will acknowledge tradition and adopt a more appropriate moniker.
IT WAS REASSURING to read in the last Trinity News that the new “semesters” will retain the old term names. Trinity had four terms of widely varying lengths until 1834, when Easter term was abolished. It would have been truly disappointing had a hasty decision killed off Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity terms in 2009. pehenry@tcd.ie
BUSINESS & CAREERS
Future Calling
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DARRAGH MCCASHIN CAREER PLANNING: WHAT CAN YOU DO? FOR MANY, ensuring a desirable and solid career is their priority. For others, having a rough set of ideas on how to pursue a career of interest is enough. Either way, planning of some kind is paramount. This article intends to summarise and evaluate the standard ways in which students are advised to go about it. Within Trinity at least, the careers advisory service adopts the ‘SODA’ approach to this topic. S: for self, represents being aware of your strengths, weaknesses, values and abilities; e.g. knowing that quantitative research methods are stronger than your qualitative ability etc. O: for opportunities, means being clear on how you can get onto your career path with the options available to you. Therefore, you must be aware of how to create opportunities: the interview processes, application procedures; all the norms for your chosen area. That does not even mention the prerequisites required to even get there, be it a masters or PhD. D: for decisions, highlights the process one must go through with family, friends, academics, graduates regarding your potential decisions. A: for action, simply means doing what has to be done to seal the commitment, by ensuring you complete a successful interview for example. Although the ‘SODA’ approach is simplistically structured, it does represent the process which most students will go through. However, that is not to say that there are not other ways of looking at career planning. The most important aspect of this approach, in my view, is ‘O’ (opportunities) because it covers all ways of looking at career planning. To illustrate this point, a psychology graduate will need large amounts of practical experience before entering a clinical/counseling degree whereas a talented business graduate will usually be swiftly snapped up by firms. This is why being acquainted with your opportunities is crucial, though sometimes planning can be vague. Graduates off teaching English part-time across the globe may appear to be just having the craic, but in reality, they are gaining life and work experience, travel and independence. This may not be relevant to a pharmacist but for education students, social workers and so on, this would be common activity. Of course, this apparent ‘having the craic’ for a year or so after college is valuable for all students, from English to Zoology. Why? Well aside from anything else, it allows for complete disengagement with life at home, encouraging reflection which through reflection leads to clarification. Without a doubt, many of us are uncertain what career we want. That still does not mean that planning is not needed. The associated meaning to ‘career’ is changing. The increase in students attending college has meant that there is a large increase in those attaining broad non-professional degrees (Philosophy, languages etc.). These are typically students who have difficulty grasping the idea of ‘career’ when mentioned. For those unsure of their intentions, planning accordingly is the next best thing; developing your C.V., getting experience in the best environment for you in which opportunities can flourish, may help narrow in on a career worth chasing for you. Also, the age of multiple careers is alive and kicking. Look at the boom of mature students in Irish universities. There is also a norm of accepting those wishing to change careers when once this would be unheard of, this is typified by the explosion of long-distance learning colleges and evening courses. Don’t think that choosing one path automatically closes other ones which you may always harbour an interest in. The Irish Times weekly health supplement details individual career changes; going from a business executive to a physical therapist, a social worker to a solicitor or an engineer to a doctor. So it is worth remembering it’s never too late to change pathways and it’s ok to do so. Moreover, the need for highly-specialised workers (especially for today’s now-fragile economies) is high, meaning that the prospects for developing ones career are there for the committed, e.g. research masters are ever-popular in universities which allows students to hone in on specific areas of a field. Similarly forging out your own career path is gaining popularity due to the need for innovative ideas in certain fields, especially science areas, such as nanotechnology and green energy where innovation is highly encouraged and any enthusiasm displayed is well supported and encouraged. Returning to the notion of having a career, it is important to realize that many people do not consider themselves as having a career until later in life. This is because many people do travel, gain different experience, further study and build upon their CV’s before settling into an organization which ultimately defines their working life and thus gives them a title or career. It is the norm to be confused. If you put planning on your agenda and set your life up in the best way possible to open up opportunities for you, then you are giving yourself the best chance possible of finding something that suits you. So where to start? Well ensure that you know what you need to do, look at courses you might be interested in, job advertisements and their criteria then plan accordingly. Talk to your lecturers, tutors or find graduates of your course. Remember to use the careers services available to you. The phrase ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ is an apt, so get to it! http://www.tcd.ie/Careers/
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
Student’s banking dilemma Maeve Glavey investigates recent events in the Irish bank system with grave concern for impoverished students. Will the shaky efforts of the government actually restore stability?
B
ANKS ARE places that are supposed to keep money safe. As Freshers arriving in Trinity notice each year, it is not only student societies that will pester you for membership, but also the well known institutions of AIB and Bank of Ireland. They set up yearly stalls in the Arts Block to entice wealthy students to deposit what little they have in freebie-loaded student accounts. Banks are a constant feature in all of our lives. Something that is just there. So although this financial crisis has been in the making for quite a while, it came as quite a shock to many students, in fact to people all over the country, that these organizations could so easily teeter on the brink of collapse. If banks fall they risk taking the economy down
“It came as quite a shock to many students that the banking system could collapse and take the economy and their frugal savings down with it.” with them. Before the government announced €7 billion recapitalization plan to save the banking system, there were plenty heads buried in the sand. We were repeatedly assured that there were no problems with the Irish banking system, despite events elsewhere. From September 2008, the Irish banking system has been on a rapid downward spiral. As the first signs that something was very wrong began to leak out through the press we saw the government begin to struggle with a situation unlike anything it had previously encountered. Volatile bank share prices led to the Government Guarantee Scheme, a guarantee on deposits and debts in Irish banks in an effort to assure everyone that the banking system was still solvent. Not so however, and as it turns out the top bankers of our country and those who should have been protecting us from this sort of mess, notably the Financial Regulator, were in for a rude awakening.
Come the new year, with a deepening recession and following moves such as in the UK to recapitalize the banks there, the government attempted to put a firmer foot forward, nationalizing Anglo Irish Bank in mid-January. This particular move has attracted much criticism from economists who believe the bank should have be allowed to sink. The continuing controversy around the loans made to Anglo Irish Bank by Irish Life and Permanent whose management are now under fire for their potentially illegal activities. Whilst Anglo Irish Bank was particularly exposed, given the fact that it is a commercial lending bank and was bound to suffer due to its relationship to the property sector, one might have hoped that our other banks weren’t in quite as much trouble. On February 11th the government confirmed for us beyond any remaining doubt that our formerly dependable banks were in similarly hot waters. The much-talked about recapitalization plan, which first appeared in draft form back in December, is going ahead, with Finance Minister Brian Lenihan assuring us that it will work, and the government surely praying he is right. As he well knows, confidence is everything, and restoring faith in the Irish banking system both domestically, and crucially, internationally, is critical to Ireland’s economic recovery. The effort to stabilize the banks, and thus the financial system will see the Minister for Finance accruing rights to preference shares, 25% of ordinary voting rights regarding change of control and board appointments and the right to appoint one quarter of each bank’s directors. The money to be used in recapitalization comes from the National Pensions Reserve Fund, and the investment comes in conjunction with further commitments by the banks to increase lending capacity to small and medium enterprises as well as upping their lending capacity to first time buyers in the coming year. Many are criticizing the plan, while the full extent of the government’s plans, just like the crisis, are not yet known. The particularly touchy issue of remuneration for top banking executives is one that has been getting a lot of attention. AIB and Bank of Ireland are to cut their senior executives’ pay
Empty pockets. Photo: Peter Gerdes
and halt the awarding of bonuses while a committee comes up with a long-term plan in relation to their pay. This has met with harsh criticism. Many politicians, economists and members of the public alike are asking why these people are to be let off so easily and are calling not just for pay reductions but for the outright sacking of top bankers, demanding not just a rescue, but a complete overhaul of the financial system. The success of the plan remains to be seen but it may be too little, too late. While the importance of the banks’ survival cannot be overstated, the government’s attempts to ensure stability are seen as botched and have been heavily criticized by the opposition and have been met with severe scepticism. A large part of this stems from the worries surrounding the issue that the full extent of the banks’ losses is not yet known. The public is far from happy with government performance, with unions beginning to lobby the government over the pension levy and the losses of jobs in the private sector becoming a more or less daily occurrence. Recent opinion polls show Fianna Fáil’s ratings plummeting while support for the Labour party has jumped up ten points. Mr Lenihan’s statement that ‘we are living in unprecedented times’ may ring true not just of the economy, but also of the political situation in the country as unrest grows with 82% claiming they are dissatisfied with the government’s performance. The minister has accused Labour of ‘courting popularity’ while his government strives to provide real leadership. However, conflicting calls from the various sides for establishment of good and bad banks, for resignations
and early elections are indicators of the confusion engulfing the nation in a time where clear leadership is needed, and many feel that it is distinctly lacking. With more uncertainty looming, we can be sure that the economic and political debates around the banking crisis and related issues are set to continue. Heated issues such as the running of the Lisbon 2 referendum are on the cards for discussion and are bound to generate even more controversy. As countries around the world continue with their defensive against the financial meltdown, Ireland has at least begun to get its act together and figure out exactly how to weather this economic crisis to which it is greatly exposed. For those of us in college facing into the bleak times it’s hard to find positives amidst all the gloom. However as we wait for this saga to unfold, the only consolation is that this crisis has certainly made the times we live in a whole lot more interesting. Sit in on any economics lecture and you will never see once-bored business students paying such rapt attention.
CUT PRICE TIMES » Bank of Ireland was established in 1783, whilst AIB was founded in 1966. » Patrick Neary, financial regulator retired effectively on January 31st » The Chief Executive Officers of AIB and Bank of Ireland are to take a 33% pay cut and will be subject to further review
A return to the good ol’ days? Mark Havel KEYNESIAN POLICY has returned in force as governments attempt to spend their way out of recession, to plug the gaping hole in the financial system and restore consumer confidence. It is thought more money can cure the banking systems, persuade consumers to spend and eventually spark a return to the economic glory days of the 1990’s. However, no two economic situations are ever the same or can be repeated due to time specific factors. We must question whether a return to these glory days is possible and if the factors contributing to that period of growth we really just unique, time specific circumstances. The time period from the late 1980’s, through the 1990’s and the beginning of the current decade is something of an economic anomaly. Inflation was historically low during this period due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Its collapse is easily the most important geopolitical event of the second half of the 20th century, and its economic impact was enormous. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 exposed the economic ruin that central planning had created and previously protected economies suddenly entered the competitive markets. This released a flood of cheap labour onto the market. The IMF predicts that the global labour force increased by roughly 500 million due to the demise of the Soviet Union. This mass of new workers created downward pressure on the price of labour, particularly low skilled labour, and reduced
world wages. This reduced cost of labour lowered the costs of production, which lowered the price of goods and services, and thus kept inflation artificially low. As the former Soviet economies become more advanced, and as the shock of 500 million new workers becomes fully absorbed, there will be upward pressure on labour costs. This in turn increases costs across the economy. As prices continue to increase inflation occurs. Once we emerge from this recession it will be unlikely that inflation will hover around the 2% target as the effects of the extra labour created by the Soviet Unions collapse disappear. Much higher inflation, possibly as high as 8 or 9% is more likely. Inflation at 2% is a 1990’s phenomenon. Higher inflation should not be seen as a negative thing, nor is it a positive thing, it will simply be the new norm. Another unique factor in the 90’s was the low dependency ratio. The workers of the 90’s came from large families but had few children themselves. This entailed a larger working population and a relatively small number of dependents such as pensioners and children. However over time the dependency ratio increased as there are fewer workers to support the growing numbers of pensioners. As the working population of the 1990’s prepares to retire, they leave fewer workers to replace them than their parents did, in other words, Europe’s workforce is declining. This phenomenon may eventually lead to a reduction in the population and greying of
the workforce as people are forced to delay retirement. By 2030 all the baby boomers will have retired, and it will be a retirement boom unmatched by any before, as people retire earlier and live longer. The large welfare states in Europe are not equipped to deal with such a large percentage of the population being on benefits. This situation presents a fiscal burden far greater than anything the recession can conjure up, and its coming at the wrong time, when governments are borrowing heavily to spend their way out of recession. Governments seem to be lurching from one fiscal burden to another. Though recessions are often preceded by boom to bust cycles, the last time Europe spent its way to prosperity was in the aftermath of World War II. Huge sums of money, which came from the US, under the Marshall Plan were spent on rebuilding Europe’s infrastructure, businesses and financial systems. However the global economic environment in which we find ourselves today is very different. In the past there was little economic competition other than the US to stifle Europe’s growth in the post war era. Today, however this is not the case. The Asian economies offer real competition to Europe by means of cheap labour and low production costs This competition did not previously exist, and will hinder economic recovery for both Europe and the US as firms desperate to cut costs relocate. It would be wrong to say excessive borrowing lead to the opulent 1990’s.
The excessive borrowing of Europe and particularly the US can be viewed as a result of the global glut in savings created by countries like China and Japan. However borrowing had become the modus operandi not only of banks but of countries as well. All this saving had to go somewhere, and lending is a lucrative endeavour. The capital flow of lending can be viewed as proof of high returns in Europe and the US . Once the financial systems have been fixed, it is likely that there will still be capital inflows to the US and Europe from countries such as China and India. Borrowing and lending between countries will always occur and is a useful means of stimulating growth by financing projects which boost economic development. There was a unique set of circumstances which lead to the prosperity of the 1990’s, circumstances which no longer exist. Rather than a return to the “good ol’ days” we should be pursuing the “new happy days”. The greying of the workforce, excessive borrowing by some, and increased competitiveness by other countries threaten Europe’s recovery. Europe, as an economy needs to readjust if it is to survive this recession, population growth must be encouraged as must competitiveness, an increase in the retirement age and less borrowing. Inflation rates must remain at a sensible , albeit higher, rate and policy makers must think cleverly to forge a path to success , one that cannot easily be torn asunder.
SCIENCE
TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009
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IN BRIEF
Change? A scientist in charge of energy
LUKE MAISHMAN TECHNOLOGY
NUCLEAR FUSION: AN ANSWER TO OUR PROBLEMS? NUCLEAR FUSION is nature’s power source. Stars right across the universe, including our sun, emit light and other radiation powered by the sticking together of many millions of hydrogen nuclei to make helium. Physicist and professor Brian Cox has looked at the strategies pursued to make artificial nuclear fusion a reality for BBC 2, shown last Tuesday (17th) on their Horizon program. Although nuclear fusion as a viable large scale power option is not yet a possibility, Jet, a small prototype nuclear fusion plant, has been running successfully in the UK for the last three decades.
SPACE EXPLORATION
NASA SPACECRAFT MAY HAVE FOUND MARTIAN WATER The appointment of Nobel laureate Steve Chu as the 12th US Secretary of Energy gives a clear statement of intent from the White House of the ‘change’ coming to their energy and environmental policies By Shane Heffernan Science Correspondent BARACK OBAMA has made a visible attempt distance himself from the energy and environmental policies of the Bush administration with the appointment of world renowned physicist Steve Chu. Chu, who was awarded the Nobel prize in 1997 for his work on cooling and trapping ions using laser light, made it clear before congress upon his appointment that America needs to step up its efforts in harnessing cleaner and more efficient energy sources. So what change can we expect to see from one of the world’s biggest nations? Firstly, Chu believes the issue of climate change to hold more weight than America’s own energy security. He cites coal, a fuel with a well-established bad reputation for emissions, as his “worst nightmare”. America under the new Chu-Obama energy regime would not, in principle, tolerate coal burning unless all emissions were pumped underground. This seems ridiculous but it may be a distinct possibility and Chu’s department vows to accelerate research into identifying ideal geological conditions that would permit tonnes of CO2 and sulphur emissions to be pumped into the ground. This will be no
small feat – the United States currently consumes over a billion tonnes of coal per annum. Chu is also likely to face opposition against a reduction in coal consumption from coal rich states such as North Dakota. Obviously a reduction in coal burning leads to a cleaner environment but where then does the energy come from? There are two major initiatives Chu aims to drive here: First is the use of so called 4th generation biofuels. These derive from agricultural waste, lumber waste, or straw. He aims to improve upon the existing steps that have been taken in this area that have seen cars running on biofuels such as ethanol become more popular over the last decade. Again there will be an economic challenge for Chu and indeed for the ministries of all nations in ensuring that such fuels can be produced domestically without damaging food economies. Second on the list is energy efficiency. Its back to that old battle of man versus the second law of thermodynamics (see this section of the last issue of Trinity News for a nice overview of this war) and Chu has vowed to rally the troops. As well as simply throwing more money at research into energy efficiency, Chu has called for scientists of all fields to devote more time to energy solutions in a drive
to make energy the issue foremost on the minds of the best and brightest thinkers of our time. It echoes one of Trinity’s own great minds, Professor Igor Shvets, who predicted massive research into energy efficiency over the coming decades during his lecture on an energy independent Ireland that took place during Green Week. Both Shvets and Chu have identified the energy problem as worthy above all others of the attention of the next generation of scientists as it poses the biggest threat to our relatively comfortable way of life.
Nobel laureate Steve Chu who has been appointed Obama’s Secretary of Energy.
Chu believes ... climate change to hold more weight than America’s own energy security. He cites coal, a fuel with a well-established bad reputation for emissions, as his “worst nightmare”. What we won’t see from this administration, according to Chu and Obama, is the same vast quantities of money put into improving nuclear waste disposal that marked the Bush administration’s time in office. Such spending will not go completely but its priority will be considerably reduced as the new administration hopes not to have all its eggs in the nuclear basket. Spending is, however, very much the
word as Chu vows to waste no time in getting the money from the inevitable stimulus package being given to the U.S. economy from the government working. He vows to spend over half of the $3540 billion likely to be allotted to him in the space of one year. The U.S., it would appear, is once again the place to be for scientists. A great scientific mind aside, Chu will need considerable political prowess to overhaul a conservative system of distributing money to projects in order to achieve such goals. Hopefully energy will again solve the problem. In this case, I refer to the seemingly endless energy that Steve Chu has devoted to energy solutions. He is not only the first Nobel laureate to hold this most important of positions; he is actually the first career scientist to do so. Chu’s credentials nevertheless mark him out as ideal for this position. He gave up a comfortable academic career in 2004 to spearhead the 4000-person, $650 million Berkeley lab devoted to renewable and biological energy research. Drawn by what he calls the “sobering” scale of the climate change problem, Chu has since devoted his career to looking for solutions and inspiring others to do so. He has been responsible for many interdisciplinary efforts in solving energy problems, this year his efforts and ability have been recognised by his country. Now as much as during the nation’s conception, it is once again the time for enlightened thinkers such as Obama and Chu to take centre stage in America. They have the ability to make it a world leader in fighting the rise of global energy demands, and Chu’s work may be the most important change that is coming to the nation.
Astrobiology: are we all alone? By Ronan Lyne Deputy Science Editor NEW SCIENTIST reports on a new bacterial lifeform [Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator], which was found 2.8km beneath the surface of the Earth in fluidfilled cracks of a South African mine. Candidatus, unlike most other known organisms, extracts all of its nutrients from the environment, and is autotrophic without photosynthesis - a truly bizarre and unprecedented feat. It uses radioactive uranium decay to power its metabolic reactions. Previously, it was thought that the only means of obtaining energy for life autotrophically [ie without feeding on another organism] involved sunlight, but this bacterium opens up new possibilities for metabolism, as it lives in isolated communities devoid of sunlight or other species, meaning it must obtain all of its nutrients and energy from its environment by itself. This is a fascinating development in astrobiology, and demonstrates the possibility of life existing below the surface of Mars, for example. By studying such shadow life here on Earth, we can discover if and how life can exist outside of the familiar “water and biomolecules” paradigms. Astrobiology is a burgeoning interdisciplinary field of research, involving elements of astronomy,
geology and biology, which assesses the possibility of life on other planets by examining extremophiles here on Earth, as well as analysing the chemical compounds found on planets in our solar system. It is entirely grounded in existing scientific knowledge. NASA established an astrobiology program in 1960, but the search for life outside earth has suffered many setbacks. SETI [search for extraterrestrial intelligence], has generally eclipsed it in the public eye, and many have suggested that the search for new life should be terrestrially focused, as we still have much to learn about this biosphere. Much of the research has been accused of suffering from carbon chauvinism - the prevailing emphasis on carbon-based lifeforms. Carbon is highly versatile as a building block of lifeforms, because it can form many different kinds of bond. But silicon is also tetravalent. Xenobiology is the study of lifeforms which may not be like anything encountered on earth, and it has been argued that astrobiologists need to think outside the box a little more. But the most contentious issue in astrobiology is the unanswered question of abiogenesis - how life on Earth arose from inanimate matter. Originally, the idea of panspermia – that Earth was seeded with life from other areas of the universe – silenced that tricky question.
NASA’S PHOENIX Lander could have recorded the first evidence of liquid water on Mars - droplets that apparently splashed onto the spacecraft’s leg during landing. A few days after Phoenix landed on 25 May 2008, it sent back an image showing the mysterious splotches on one of its legs. It has been suggested that the water was from ice melted by the crafts thrusters as it landed, or that perchlorate salts are acting as antifreeze allowing water to be liquid at such low temperatures. Either way, it seems unlikely that mars is able to support life as we know it.
THE POWER OF APPLE
STUDY SHOWS ITUNES BETTER FOR GRADES THAN LECTURES A STUDY published in December 2008 by Dani McKinney, a psychologist at the State University of New York in Fredonia, shows that downloading a lecture from the internet is actually better than attending the lecture in person! The study focused on the new iTunes university, launched by Apple less than two years ago, and compared the test results of students who attended a lecture and those who just watched an online podcast. The students who watched the podcast averaged 71%, while those who attended the lecture scored only 62%. SURPRISING SPECIES
SUN SPIDERS SOLIFAGE IS an order of Arachnida, commonly called Sun Spiders, containing more than 1,000 different species. There are a host of urban legends about these creatures, ranging from exaggerations of their size to horror stories of flesh eating poisonous species. In fact Sun Spiders are not large, the biggest having a leg span of 12 centimeters, and there has only ever been one (unverified) report of a species with venom, which had no way of injecting the venom into victims.
EGGHEAD OF THE ISSUE
GREGOR MENDEL
SETI installations like this one have been searching for extra-terrestrial life. However, the Oparine-Haldane “primordial the soup” theory in the 1920s proposed a means by which self-replicating molecules could arise from primitive organic compounds. Mille The Miller-Urey experiment in 1952 tested this idea, and demonstrated that the ea environment could lead to earth’s early form the formation of organic molecules such as amino acids and DNA precursors. Since the have been a myriad models then, there fo for the formation of organic compounds. However bridging the gap between these However, self-o and self-organising, self-replicating life prove difficult. Altman and Cech won has proved Nobe Prize in Chemistry in 1989 for the Nobel demonst demonstrating that RNA could function en like an enzyme. Since then, RNA that catal can catalyse its own replication has been i the lab. From this point onwards, created in proce of natural selection, and thus the process evolution can occur. But the transition evolution, remains elusive.
If life has arisen on other planets, it could appear extremely similar to that found on Earth, due to similar natural selection events. It may have little or nothing in common at all, and may be based on entirely different chemistry. Regardless, we are fascinated by the idea of intelligent extraterrestrial life, as a society. Many scientists have speculated on the probabilities; the Drake equation estimates the number of extraterrestrial civilisations in our galaxy which we have even a chance of encountering. The SETI programme, run by NASA since the 1970s, scans the skies for signals transmitted to us from intelligent civilisations. Even the Vatican has declared its support for the possibility of intelligent life on other planets, insisting that God made the universe and not just Earth. But perhaps the biggest reason for the Fermi paradox is that they choose not to make contact with us, for their own good.
GREGOR MENDEL, often referred to as the “Father of Genetics” was an Austrian priest and scientist who lived from 1822-1884. He is most famous for his studies on inheritance in pea plants in the gardens of the monastery where he lived, testing some 29,000 plants over a seven year period. He showed that certain traits are inherited following particular laws, which are now referred to as Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance.
ON THIS DAY (24 FEBRUARY) … » HENRY Cavendish, English scientist who identified hydrogen gas, established that water is a compound and determined the density of the Earth, died, in 1810. » IN 1938 the first commercial application of nylon began – DuPont began to produce toothbrushes with nylon bristles. Before then the bristles were made of wild boar hairs. »JACQUES DE Vaucanson, French inventor of automata, was born in 1709. Automata are robot devices which were of great significance to industry.
20
TRAVEL
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
Thailand’s elephant whisperer The Asian Elephant is in grave danger of extinction, partly because of tourism. Travel Editor Derek Larney meets one woman who is fighting to reverse this trend in Thailand
T
HE ASIAN elephant was once abundant across the continent, both wild and domesticated. Commonly used to lift heavy trees with its trunk in the logging industry, working elephants proved very useful in helping to destroy the very habitat that they needed to survive. After logging was banned in 1988, the Asian elephant was found out of work and many were moved to the tourism industry, working as entertainers and used to ferry tourists across rivers and through forests. But these practices have come at a cost: in 1900 there were over 100,000 elephants in Thailand; today there remains just under 3,000, a sad remnant of years of abuse and cruelty. To put this into perspective, there are currently 500,000 African elephants remaining and they are also considered to be endangered. The problem lies in a couple of key areas. One of these is illegal logging which destroys the habitat of the few remaining wild elephants. Another is the practice of pajan, a ritual ceremony that sees an elephant caged in a ‘crush’ for days on end and beaten with steel bars and nail studded planks of wood. This is done in order to make this wild beast afraid o f
humans so they are less likely to trample on a few tourists in the future. Baby elephants are subjected to this torture in virtually all cases and the results produce animals with psychological problems who are later reluctant to breed. Because of the mindset of cruelty on behalf of their owners, the elephant leads a very hard and disturbed life. The practice of begging with elephants in the tourist districts of cities like Bangkok also contributes. They have very sensitive ears and feet and walking on tarmac around a noisy city out of their natural environment often renders them disabled in later life. The tourism industry is a particular culprit. Because of a lack of education on behalf of the owners on how to take care of their elephants many live less than half their normal lifespan. Tourists are keen to ride atop an elephant but often fail to realise that the few baht it costs them goes nowhere near supplying an elephant with its daily requirement of over 150kgs of food. Malnourished elephants are common in the tourist trade, as are those with their tusks cut off for the ivory trade. Even more disturbing is the
advent of elephant s h o w s where the animals are expected to show off a catalogue of tricks, each learnt through regular beatings and under duress. It is now possible to see elephants dancing, playing football and paint pictures: their trainers are
Lek Chailert with Tong Tae. The 3-month-old baby already weighs an impressive 90kg and enjoyed ramming us as we talked. Photo: Derek Larney competing with each other to invent the next trick, each of which involves more and more violence and leaves the elephant despondent and broken. Tourists rarely see this kind of activity which takes place behind closed doors but the plummeting elephant numbers in Thailand is testament to how the unregulated tourism industry is driving this animal t o extinction. B u t o n e w o m a n i n northern Thailand is at the forefront of elephant conservation a n d refuses to allow these animals to die without a fight. Sangduen ‘Lek’ Chailert has been working with elephants from a very young age, a fact recognised by Time magazine when they awarded her a ‘Hero of Asia’ award in 2005. A love of these animals has inspired her to set up the Elephant Nature Park which is a sanctuary for injured and rescued elephants just north of Chiang Mai. Currently Lek has 34 elephants in her care and a few more are due to arrive quite soon. They range in age from a 3-month-old baby elephant to an 85-year-old adult. As I walk with Lek across the park she explains to me the various facets of her conservation initiative, “We have set up Jumbo Express, which is a mobile clinic that brings vets and medicine to elephants in remote mountainous areas. Second to that we are involved in the reforestation of large plots of land in order to create a natural environment for the elephants. We have also established Elephant
Haven, a 2,000 acre plot of land where our elephants can roam free. And finally we frequently give talks, in both Thai and English, on the plight of the Asian elephant”. Lek has even used spirituality to help keep the remaining rainforests and jungles pristine for the elephants. Using an ingenious idea she has tied thousands of saffron cloths to trees in the area. Under Buddhism the tree is then considered to represent a persons soul and locals are reluctant to cut them down for fear of retribution in a later life. As we walk amongst some of the herd, the elephants seem drawn towards her. Years of mothering have made these animals trust Lek and standing in the middle of them holds no fear for her whatsoever. As Tong Tae, the 3-monthold baby plays a game of push and shove with Lek she explains her unique training process that sets her apart from the mainstream: “Here at the Nature Park we believe in training through positive reinforcement. We never hit or beat elephants, we train them through a system of trust and reward. This way
The daily grind for those who visit involves getting up close and personal with the elephants during feeding timesthese tend to last a while as elephants eat 10% of their own body weight every day. Later in the afternoon visitors are encouraged to jump in the river that runs through the park and to help bathe the elephants. This is the part of the day that the elephants seem to enjoy the most; they take great pleasure in lying in the river and being scrubbedoften thanking their helpers with a well directed spray of water. Whilst Lek has given her elephants a marvellous second chance in life it is sad to say that not all of these magnificent beasts are so lucky. Successive Thai governments have been notoriously unstable; frequent coups and power struggles mean that change is slow to come. Despite the elephant being a national symbol of Thailand the authorities in Bangkok have yet to wake up to the very real danger it is in. To go from 100,000 elephants to 3,000 in a century is alarming, it is a tide that is unrelenting. It is even more disheartening
As we walk amongst some of the herd the elephants seem drawn towards her. Years of mothering have made these animals trust Lek and standing in the middle of them holds no fear for her whatsoever the elephant is more natural and less likely to strike out. Each elephant has its own mahout (carer) who stays with his elephant for life. This builds a strong bond over time, elephants are a very intelligent animal and never forget a face.” The Elephant Nature Park derives much of its revenue to fund conservation from tourism. Visitors are welcome to come for a day, a week or even longer.
when one considers than many Asian elephants are in less developed countries than Thailand such as Burma, countries where the governments care nothing for their people and encourage illegal logging as a source of revenue. But the Asian elephant can be saved; the fight is not lost yet. With strong willed people like Lek on board and international NGO’s like the WWF and Care for the Wild there is still hope.
SAVING THE ASIAN ELEPHANT THE ELEPHANT Nature Park welcomes both visitors and volunteers. Volunteers stay anywhere from a week to a year, working up close and personal in the park to help care for the herd. For more information on how to volunteer or visit the park see the website www. elephantnaturepark.org. For information on the plight of the Asian elephant see www.eleaid. com, www.elephantcenter.com. Also download ‘Elephants without Borders’, a white paper on the state of the Asian elephant. Through programs of education and conservation they are slowly winning the hearts and minds of local people and showing them that the elephant population is truly finite. Local people are beginning to play their part but it is also the responsibility of tourists too. Although they may be in the country for a short time their actions, and those of the millions that will follow, are a key factor in saving the Asian elephant. When tourists begin to question the treatment of elephants and vote with their feet owners will have no choice but to wake up and listen. It is of course natural for tourists to be curious and want to interact with this magnificent animal but it is vitally important that they do so in a manner that promotes sustainability. As Lek puts it: “The future of the elephant depends on us, this generation, here and now. To not work towards that goal is to deny our children and our children’s children a chance to meet these wonderful creatures for time immortal. And shame on us if we let that happen.”
J1 guide to a weird and wonderful summer By Paul McDonnell Deputy Travel Editor Music Festivals Fancy a pilgrimage with a twist? Bethlehem, Pennsylvania plays host to Musikfest 2009. Stretching over 10 days between July 31 and August 9, with around 1,000 free shows and attracting in excess of 1,000,000 fans Musikfest is North America’s biggest music festival. 2008 saw a diverse range of acts spanning from Avril Lavigne to Boston with some Earth, Wind & Fire thrown in for good measure. While the line-up may not be as impressive as the big guns of Europe 1 million people can’t be wrong and the atmosphere will no doubt be electric. Lodging information and direction can be found at www. musikfest.org with ticket information for headline events to be confirmed. For J1ers it presents a mellow grass-roots options for capping off an American summer. The legendary Lollapalooza will take place in Grant Park Chicago, bearing particular weight this year due to Barack Obama’s presidential win there. Aimed at alternative rock, punk and hiphop fans it has acquired a reputation for the wildest festival, synonymous with mosh pits, crowd surfing and the odd riot. In 2005 Lollapalooza made a triumphant return after failures to revive a disenchanted fan-base who saw the promoters as selling out the anti-mainstream mantra. Rage Against
The Machine, Kanye West, Radiohead, Bloc Party, Nine Inch Nails and The Raconteurs all took to the stage in 2008 with Jane’s Addiction, ACDC and Queens of the Stone Age mooted to follow in their footsteps this year. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festivals (thankfully abbreviated to Coachella) doesn’t have an abundance history or legendary debauchery to rely on. It’s a relatively small three day event that takes place in the Colorado desert in exceedingly hot daytime temperatures (upwards of 40°C). What Coachella lack in size and amenities it more than makes up for in a line-up that crams as many headliners as is humanly possible into those three days. If you happen to be in California between April 17-19th this year and have a sudden urge to go camping, The Verve, Fatboy Slim, Prince, Portishead, Justice, Santogold, Vampire Weekend, MIA, Hot Chip, Calvin Harris, Boys Noize, Erol Alkan, MGMT, Roger Waters are all more than happy to keep you company. Conventions, Conventions, Conventions American conventions often come with a stigma that associates attendees with weirdos dressed as the favourite Cyclops and nerds who want their picture taken with Princess Leia. Generally this assertion is bang on the money but for those of you into that kind of stuff, 2009 has plenty to offer. Comic-Con is a multigenre gathering of over 125,000 comic,
Comic Con Attendees. Photo By Heath Bar animation, video-game and fantasy aficionados. The largest of its kind in the world, it has steadily grown over recent years to the extent that 2008 saw the first incidence of the convention being sold-out prior to opening and exorbitantly-priced tickets being flogged on eBay weeks in advance. Comic-Con has come to demand respect from those in the industry and continues to attract major guests such as Matt Groening, Elijah Wood, The Rock, Nicolas Cage, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Will Smith and for some reason Paris Hilton, an eclectic bunch it has to be said. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the con and it will be the biggest and best to date. However to avoid disappointment be prepared: book accommodation now, bring your own food or prepare to cough up and brace yourself for queues that
will rival Subway at lunchtime. To avoid the resale shenanigans of last year, 2009 tickets are non-transferable. Register online at http://www.comic-con.org/cci/ for your $75 4 day pass to the San Diego Convention Centre. When a FAQ for an event contains the query ‘Can I bring my sword or lightsaber?’ you know you’re in for a treat. The fun times start on July 23rd and carry on right through until the 26th.May the force be with you. Twisted Firestarters According to the organisers: ‘Trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind…to truly understand the event one must participate’. In essence its is a celebration of creation which
takes place in the Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada on the Saturday night before Labour Day (Sept 5th this year). Circa 50,000 create a commune of radical self-expression, surrounding themselves abstract art, mutant vehicles and temples whilst guided by the ever-present ten principles of Burning Man: radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation and immediacy. The festival culminates in the spectacular burning of the giant wooden ‘man’ structure. This has progressively grown in size with 2008 having the tallest ever man at 84ft. Each year is themed, 2009 being the year of Evolution: A Tangled Bank. Tickets can be found on http://tickets.burningman. com/#pricing and are price-ranked starting at $210; the idea being you buy the most expensive ticket you can in order to allow less well-off people to attend the event. Burning man is a completely non-commercial event with no trading or sponsorship. The website buringman.com should be studied meticulously before you make the plunge. Details on water, first-timers guide and what to avoid are all lined out in great detail to avoid confusion Battle of the Hillbillies What better way to finish a J1 adventure than to witness the spectacle of probably the most infamous talk-show in the
TOUR AMERICA’S WACKIEST Collinsville, Illinois World’s largest bottle of Catsup Murphy, North Carolina World’s largest Ten Commandments Middleton, Connecticut World’s largest Jack-in-the-box Neillsville, Wisconsin World’s largest talking cow Superior, Arizona World’s smallest museum La Puente, California World’s largest donut Rockingham, North Carolina World’s largest strawberryshaped house world, The Jerry Springer Show. Voted by TV Guide Magazine as the worst television show of all time it proves defiant in ratings, often beating the likes of Oprah. The salacious, cringe-worthy bloodbath is currently on its 18 series with taping running from September to April each year. Last minute tickets be occasionally obtained in the studio at NBC Tower, Columbus Drive, Chicago but pre-booking is advised. Free booking through www.jerryspringertv.com will avoid disappointment. Alternatively to be a guest, email ginaTVproducer@ yahoo.com, you never know you may make it into Jerry’s Top Ten Fights.
SPORT RT
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
2 1 21
SPECIAL FEATURE: NATIONAL SPORT
Cycling and the war on drugs
Neil Cullen
THE COMMENTARY BOX TIGER TO POUNCE ON DOVE
With so many cyclists turning to performance enhancing (and occasionally mind expanding) drugs, Domhnall O Sullivan asks whether the sport will ever be able to kick the habit JACQUES ANQUETIL, the famous fivetime Tour de France winner of the 1960s, was once asked how often he resorted to taking drugs to boost his performances. “Only when I really need to” he replied. Questioned as to how frequently this was the case however, the answer was a much more candid “oh, almost all the time”. Given that this quote dates from almost fifty years ago, and taking into account the massive advances that have been made in pharmaceutical and medical procedures since then, do we really believe that modern riders are scaling alpine passes on nothing more than a couple of baguettes and a bottle of Vittel? Well, no, we don’t. And they don’t. With virtually every cyclist who has plonked his steroid-swollen shanks onto the podium of the Tour de France in the past 10 years being discredited or at least doubted, it is clear that doping practices are still very much alive in today’s peloton. The question is however, what is to be done, if anything? Do we even care? Business does. Sponsor after sponsor have begun to withdraw their patronage of cycling teams in recent years, wary of being associated with the negative image of doping. Similarly, a series of drug scandals throughout the course of the 2007 Tour provoked two prominent German broadcasters to suspend their TV coverage of the race at its midway point. And the public, although becoming more and more
desensitised to these ever more frequent scandals, are nevertheless still shocked and disillusioned by the revelations that many of their heroes are in fact “cheats”. Yet somewhat paradoxically, a greater understanding of the sport of cycling and the history of doping practices with which it is so entwined seems to lend itself to an attitude of not caring so much about the issue. Ask any well-informed amateur rider or cycling enthusiast what their opinion is on the matter and it will invariably be one of indifference - most professional cyclists dope, and that’s the way it always has been. But how can one be so callously accepting and unconcerned about what the media and general public agree is a problem that is irreparably damaging the sport of cycling? Our cyclist friend’s response? Doping in the peloton has gone on too long simply to be eradicated by a spate of well-meaning drug tests and suspensions. It has become entrenched in the culture of the sport. Besides, if everybody’s doped, isn’t it fair to argue that on a competitive level it’s as equally fair as if everybody was clean? A quick look at the history of drugtaking in the sport is sufficient to at least corroborate our friend’s first observation - the irrefutable and longstanding link between doping and cycling. Riders as far back as the 1920s took massive amounts of cocaine to boost alertness and energy and to
sustain themselves through what was at the time an even more gruelling event than that of today. This unashamed and on the whole open abuse was to continue relatively unchecked throughout the following decades, with riders such as the previously mentioned Anquetil questioning how else one was expected to race over 20 kilometre long mountain passes. In 1967 however, which the infamous death of British rider Tom Simpson who collapsed on the slopes of the Mont Ventoux was to change all that. The cause? The blistering heat no doubt but, more tellingly, the lethal combination of amphetamines and alcohol that were discovered in his system by the post-mortem. Yes, amphetamines and alcohol. The revelation that riders were fuelling up with a diet more suited to somebody preparing for a Prodigy concert caused both outrage (among the public) and fear for the health of the riders (among race organisers and the cycling administration). Dope testing on a more serious scale was introduced, but rather than deter the riders it simply inspired them to experiment with new and harder-to-detect products - from the hormonal altering drugs of the 1970s such as cortisone to the testosterone of the 1980s and finally to the superdrug of the 1990s and the present day, EPO. Riders have always tried to stay one step ahead of the detectors. Surely if we know which drugs were being used and when, why haven’t more riders and “champions” been tested positive and exposed? Why is it only now that such a concerted effort is being made to definitively stamp out doping in cycling? It’s simple. For the same reason that our cyclist friend has such a laissez-faire attitude towards drug-taking in the sport. If the cycling
Steroid-assisted bikers in the Tour de France: is it really possible to clean up cycling?
authorities hadn’t turned such a blind eye towards many of the offenders, it’s not unrealistic to estimate that most, if not all, of the “great” cyclists of the past decades would be nothing more than dried ink in the thick volume of cycling’s dopers. Quite simply, without drugs, the sport is nothing. And any sport needs champions. It needs figureheads- Pélés, Alis, McEnroes and Bolts. These are the images of sport that not only capture the imagination of the general public, but also attract event organisers and sponsors. From a business perspective cycling would be dead in the water. So what am I (and my cyclist friend) trying to say? Do we, and should you, explicitly condone drug-taking in cycling? Of course not. But what is essential for the general public to realise is that in the sport, a rider who doesn’t dope is an exception. The scandals of the last decade which have seen many of cycling’s star riders exposed is evidence that, despite the declarations of teams and riders to the contrary, doping in the peloton appears to be as endemic as ever. So should we do as the cycling authorities over the ages have done and turn a blind eye to this seemingly unsolvable problem? Again, no. But what else is essential to realise is that a century of almost unrestrained drug-taking within the sport cannot simply be reversed overnight. So the recent (apparent) effort of cycling’s administration to clean up the sport’s act should be neither completely banked upon nor disdained. It’s going to take a long time before cycling can be transformed into anything even remotely resembling a clean sport. And if the history of how drugs have fuelled it since its early foundations is anything to go by, this could even prove to be impossible.
Looking beyond the Premiership By Sean McGuinness ARE YOU a football fan or a fan of football? I think it is true of many of us that we have fallen into the unfortunate trap of the former. A football fan is an isolated gentleman; typical of this man is his almost irrational devotion to a team based far from his local club or anything approaching it and the undiluted and worrisome tendency to focus all his attention on one league and twenty-two players on a Saturday afternoon. The fan of football, conversely, is the person who has discovered that, despite what the Daily Mirror exclaims, there exists football outside the confines of the English premiership and that may achieve the standard of what might truly be called “the beautiful game”. Where is this football I hear you ask and why haven’t Mark Lawrenson and Jamie Redknapp mentioned it? There exists a magical place called continental Europe where, in place of the cultured English long ball for starters and the two footed tackle for the main course, we are treated to the all you can eat buffet of tactical nous and the forgotten art of dribbling. The heroes of this strange and unreported place are not Sir “speculative shot” Frank Lampard or Sir “spit-a-lot” El Hadji Diouf but men such as Gonzalo Higuain of Real Madrid and Amauri of Juventus, to say nothing of Werder Bremen’s Diego. These players do not appear on Match of the Day or any Sky Sports equivalent; nor do they feature in the Bible according to Alan Hansen. Mr Hansen refers to the Premiership is “the greatest league in the world”. Why conform to anything but this elusive standard backed by deficient evidence and a lack of coverage of foreign leagues? Mr Hansen’s contentions are based on his own infamous three pronged test; “pace, power and aggression”, a test seemingly more appropriate to assessing
a UFC cage fight than the quality of the beautiful game. Having said that, watching Bolton play Wigan does remind me of that notorious ancestor of association football, rugby union. Those of you who agree with Mr Hansen will remind the fan of football of last year’s Champions League Final contested by two Premiership teams and the phenomenon that is Cristiano Ronaldo when he’s not busy crashing Ferraris in conspicuously empty tunnels. The fan of football will respond by stating the following. Between the years of 1982 and 2009 there have been only two World Players of the Year (according to the European Sports Magazine) that played in England, Michael Owen and Cristiano Ronaldo. Seventeen of those slots are occupied by Italian based professionals. That however is unfortunately generous of me, seeing as this doesn’t even conform to the FIFA World Player of the Year format, under which no English based player has won since its inception in 1991. The Ballon D’or or European Footballer of the Year was won this year by the impressive Cristiano Ronaldo. The award was also won by Michael Owen while playing for Liverpool in 2001, however prior to that the last English player to win was Kevin Keegan in 1979 while representing Hamburg in Germany. The most recent recipients of all three of the above mentioned awards, Fabio Cannavaro and Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite or Kaka to us, have both won these accolades while competing for Il Scudetto. It would be remiss of me to forget the phenomenon that was Ronaldinho, between 2004 and 2006, or Mr. Lionel Messi at present. All this incontrovertible evidence is happily glossed over by the football fan. Ignorance, after all, is bliss. The most successful nation in the Champion’s League is once again Italy with 11 winners and 14 runners up. The most successful team is known even to the football fan; the world’s most famous club, Real Madrid have nine
wins overall. Our most telling fact however is that England have lifted the World Cup on a single occasion and have as recently as last year failed to qualify for the European Championship. The winners of Euro 2008, as we cannot forget, were Spain, playing flowing, attacking and edge of your seat football. This, of course, existed in true contrast to the confused, over hyped and tragic formulae of association football in England. Football in the Premiership is played at a hundred miles an hour, designed to accommodate the modern man’s attention span. Without the giant flamethrowers at the Carling Cup Final each year I doubt anyone would watch it. This speed at which the Premiership is played obscures the deficiencies in tactics and technique when compared to Italy, for example. English teams, or should I say franchises, currently employ some of the most inexperienced managers in European football’s top divisions. In stark contrast. Italian leagues are littered with coaches who can claim decades of football expertise continuing up through division upon division. Take as an example the coaches of teams placed tenth in the respective top divisions last year of England, Spain and Italy and the concurrent experience of their head coaches. Firstly West Ham who are currently managed by Gianfranco Zola, a distinguished former player whose tenure as a coach amounts to that which he has endured in the past fifteen weeks as struggling head coach. Second is Spain’s Deportivo la Coruna, who at this moment are managed by Miguel Angel Lotina. Mr Lotina’s nineteen years of first team management include seven years in the Primera Liga in Spain. Finally, Genoa’s Gian Piero Gasperini’s eighteen years of managerial expertise and success eclipse Mr Zola’s considerably. Nine of these years have been accumulated climbing through the ranks at Italy’s most succesful
club, Juventus. Undoubtedly the most attractive football in the Premier League is played by a team ridiculed for its adherence to the principle of one touch football. The term “beautiful” was once warranted to describe the football league but only one team is worthy of this mantle. Arsenal, under Arsene Wenger’s tutelage, would suggest there’s something of substance in “pretty football”. Dribbling and playing the ball on the ground are its enthralling characteristics, which have been undermined and subsumed by the reliance on the long ball, straight-line pace and stamina. This is where Alan Hansen comes into his own in his ability to justify this power shift away from the fan of football towards the English football fan. Is the standard the Premier League sets itself one of financial volatility and spiraling debt coinciding with pointlessly predictable results? “Is that a rhetorical question?” I hear West Ham United ask. The fan of Football awaits with trepidation the departure of Mr. Abramovich when he finds a new plaything, namely the hopes of sports fans elsewhere. Our impolite new enemy Mr. Recession should have some home truths to share with the Premier League’s less than frugal inhabitants who think that paying someone more than he’s worth will make him a better player. Cue the Kieron Dyer disappearing act jokes. The Daily Mirror, however, will not loosen its grip on the perceptions of the football fan and allow entry into the promised land of one touch football a la Fiorentina. Most continental sides are not deemed worthy of Andy Gray’s usual scattered nonsense on a Saturday evening. Most likely this is a blessing in disguise as he would probably misrepresent those teams too. If this article made you watch Deportivo la coruna against the likes of Espanyol instead of the torturous Sunderland against Blackburn then in the infamous words of Andy Gray “take a bow son, take a bow.”
TIGER WOODS will make his long awaited return to competitive golf this month at the WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship at Dove Mountain, Arizona. He will enter the tournament as defending champions and will be aiming to win it for the fourth time in his career, having also claimed victories in 2003 and 2004. There has been much debate surrounding Tiger’s return. Is he fit enough? Will he still be the player he once was? Only time will answer these questions but another question which springs to mind- why now? The decision to make his return at a matchplay event has both pros and cons. The nature of the format means players go head to head in a knockout style and therefore do not count their score against the rest of the field. Players do not keep scorecards and do not necessarily have to even finish a hole if they are unable to beat their opponent’s score on that hole. This has obvious advantages for Woods in that his individual score will not be there for all to criticise and examine. He also has the opportunity to progress through a number of rounds without having to fire on all cylinders if his opponents happen to not play well on the particular day. On the other side of the coin, if he plays badly, finds he is not up to scratch and loses, he only has to endure one round. What happens later in the tournament, however, is a source of concern. If Tiger does bring his A-game and makes it to the final, something which he could arguably achieve even with his B-game, he faces playing 90 holes of golf in four days, one round more than a standard 72 hole tournament. Tiger Woods is renowned for not entering a tournament unless he believes he can win. Why should this case be any different? His mental strength is second to none. One does question, however, whether his knee could handle 90 holes of intense matchplay. He has openly admitted that most of the golf he has played recently in practice has been aided by the use of a motorised cart but these are not allowed in professional tournaments. On a course measuring 7,800 yards, does Tiger have the walking fitness to make it around five times, not having walked a round in competition since last June? We are again encountering issues which can only be answered with time. The coming months, however, have suddenly become very exciting times in the world of golf, particularly from an Irish perspective. In Tiger’s absence, Padraig Harrington has added two Major Championships to his trophy cabinet and Rory McIlroy has rapidly ascended the world rankings into the top 20, picking up the Dubai Desert Classic en route. They will now both have the opportunity to test themselves against the world number one, a ranking which Woods has been able to maintain, despite not competing since last June. This statistic alone speaks volumes, not only about the ability of the great man, but also about the gulf in standard between him and his fellow competitors- hence why some believe he can win tournaments without even being back to his best. After his victory at the U.S. Open last June, his last tournament before his extended absence, Woods sat on top of the rankings on 21.5 points. Phil Mickelson sat in second place on 10.2. This means very little to those who don’t understand the world ranking system, which happens to be most, even within the world of golf. But consider this, at that point in time, the gap between Woods and Mickelson was larger than the gap between Mickelson and the player ranked number 1,000 in the world! Mickelson has failed to capitalise on his rival’s absence and now sits in fifth on the ranking table with Sergio Garcia having moved up to second. A significant gap still exists, however, and with Tiger’s return, one feels its size will only begin to get bigger. Whatever happens over the coming tournaments, all eyes will be firmly focused on the first Major Championship of the 2009 season, the U.S. Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in April. The world’s top players all plan their schedules around the majors and they are the ones nts to win. If Woods does not win everybody wants between now and then but does win the Masters, he will consider itt a job e latest well done. The m 9/4 odds make him favourite. re The signs are ominous. On his swing, he claims that it is so han it much better than has ever been.. He also n actually explains, “I can hit into my left leg without ving. It’s a nice my bones moving. feeling.” We alll know Tiger is imal, but a Tiger a ferocious animal, ally better than feeling physically nd swinging better ever before and than when he was winning onships will Major Championships e his authority surely increase as the biggest cat of them all. In any case, all others beware. oming out to play The Tiger is coming again.
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SPORT
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
BOXING
HOCKEY
Trinity take on Oxford Firsts in stunning win SCORE
SUTTONIANS DUHC
0 4
By Henry Butler
Mark Jones, left, ducks a blow from Trinity’s Moss Dempsey in the 71kg bout. Photo: Jessica Pakenham-Money By Conor James McKinney College Sport Editor THE BOXING fixture with Oxford University in the Exam Hall is one of the best sporting events in the Trinity calendar. It’s partly to do with the venue – very few student events take place in the not-so-Public Theatre nowadays – and the atmosphere created by the combination of pumping music and baying crowd as the fights get underway. It’s also nice to have it back; according to Michael McClure, President of DU Boxing Club, Oxford ceased making the trip over in 1969 at the outbreak of the Troubles. The successful resurrection of the fixture in the last few years has given the club some excellent publicity and lucrative audiences. Although there were some empty seats on Friday evening, the fact that most were clearly preparing to hit the town afterwards added to what Mr. McClure described as a “fantastic night”. In keeping with the splendour of the surroundings Trinity had the silverware on display and the referees’ regulation white was extra crisp, with a bow tie to match. Unfortunately for the vocal home support, affairs in the ring didn’t go the way they expected. Trinity coach Dan Curran was confident that the fighters were relatively well paired (“you match them to what you’ve been told, sometimes somebody’s overmatched but usually it’s fair play”) but the first fight was a mismatch that was brought to a halt in Round 1, Chris Pearson drawing blood almost immediately. The crowd were at least able to get their teeth into the next bout (hold the Mike Tyson jokes, please) as Moss Dempsey, in the red of Trinity, and Mark Jones put on a great showing. The Trinity man displayed excellent footwork, one particularly neat step backwards in the second to avoid a tremendous uppercut epitomising his class. Jones came out well in the third to land a lot of hits, but Dempsey landed a couple of crowd-pleasers before the bell that sealed a Trinity win in the eyes of
most of the spectators. The judges saw it differently, giving the Oxford man the benefit of a majority decision to the accompaniment of some distinctly unsporting hisses. Ed Fitzgerald, a former Cambridge student, was billed as a man with a special interest in getting one over on his opponent in the 60kg class. Tom Nicholls had the reach, though, and never looked threatened by the constantly weaving Irishman. An aggressive second round put the result beyond doubt and put Oxford 3-0 up in the 11-fight series. The next home fighter Donnchada Jackson faired no better against the almighty bulk of Adam Levine. He did well initially to avoid some ferocious crosses and hooks, but when Levine finally made contact with all his power most of the crowd shuddered in sympathy. Jackson did manage to land a few of his own and the start of Round 3 but was blooded for his trouble. Levine looked the more tired come the end but it was too late for the man in red to recover and he too lost by a majority decision. It was left to Phil Hunt, therefore, to record Trinity’s first win of the evening just before the interval in his 75kg bout. If you didn’t know it was an IrelandEngland affair, the listing of Finn O’Callaghan v Richard Pickering after the break might just have given you a clue. As Pickering led with a dangerous left, the Trinity man kept his chin low and kept things tight in the opening rounds before tiring in the third, and the Blues racked up another win. Cliff Mark stepped up next to face Ronan Murtagh, whose height advantage meant that that Oxford fighter was constantly seeking to close. Despite not being particularly mobile, however, Murtagh was able to fend him off well and only a late Mark surge at the end put his victory in any doubt. Oxford might have expected normal service to resume when the imposingly named Gidion Elford, took the ring against Peter Linney in another 75kg bout, but in a contest between two very similar fighters, Linney had the mastery
MEN’S RUGBY
AIL DIVISION 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Team Lansdowne UCC Ballynahinch Bruff Old Crescent Bective Rangers Dublin University Belfast Harlequins Malone Highfield Greystones Clonakilty DLSP Wanderers Thomond Instonians
P 11 10 10 11 10 11 10 11 11 9 11 10 11 10 11 11
W 9 8 7 7 7 5 4 5 4 5 5 4 3 2 2 1
D 1 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 2
L 1 1 3 2 3 5 4 6 7 3 6 6 7 7 8 8
F 204 202 293 138 185 193 171 156 147 106 166 116 141 101 109 152
A 101 116 126 107 145 224 161 165 174 137 228 133 183 164 169 247
TB 2 2 5 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1
LB 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 6 0 2 2 2 5 4 2
Pts 41 37 35 33 31 26 24 23 23 22 22 19 17 15 14 11
A result against Ballynahinch may be beyond a DUFC side doing well at 7th place, but their next two home opponents are there for the taking. 21/02/09 07/03/09 21/03/09 28/03/09
Malone Ballynahinch DUFC DUFC
36 41 v v v
DUFC DUFC Highfield Ballynahinch
as Queen Elizabeth and co. looked on disapprovingly. Next up was a mouthwatering contest between the excellent Sean Mulvaney of Trinity, whose fan club were in full voice, and Stuart Garman, the Oxford captain. The bout went down at suitably high tempo, but an excited crowd saw Mulvaney trapped in the corner and on the ropes too many times for comfort. Garman went in low to negate the height advantage and ultimately pulled off a win to seal victory for the Blues, 6-3 with two fights to go. But Gibbons and Blick certainly dispelled any notions of them considering their 60kg clash a dead rubber; another superb fight was characterised by the hyperactivity of the man in red, dodging and ducking constantly. A smart 1-2 by Blick that send him onto the ropes midway through the second put manners on him, and after an intense third round it was unanimous for Oxford. Trinity captain Ronan O’Brien, who made a showman-like entrance to the arena to the tune of Jump Around by House of Pain, restored some pride with a great win over Vince Vitalie. O’Brien’s jab proved the difference, leaving Vitalie bloodied and on the ropes several times before the end. Despite a 7-4 win overall, Oxford coach Des Bracket obviously felt that it had been to close for comfort, saying that “overall I think it was evenly matched” but noting that it was wrong to expect too much from his inexperienced charges, some of whom were fighting only their first or second bouts.
THE TEAM E. Fitzgerald (60kg), M. Gibbons (60kg), B. Dermody (63.5kg), R. O’Brien (67kg), S. Mulvaney (69kg), R. Murtagh (71kg), M. Hamilton (71kg), P. Hunt (75kg), P. Linney (75kg), F. O’Callaghan (75kg), D. Jackson (81kg).
SPORTS ROUNDUP
21/02/09 Rush Athletic
The team lost out at intervarsities, but captain Robbie Woods says that this “anomaly” will be remedied next year by the young talent coming through.
TENNIS
LADIES
PREMIER DIVISION FIRST DIVISION Pos 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Team Fitzwilliam A Fitzwillam B Sutton A Westwood A Curragh A Mt. Pleasant A Old Belvedere A Trinity A
P 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11
Pts 153 146 136 117 99 96 76 20
Pos 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Team Total Fitness Trinity A Mt. Pleasant A Westwood B Fitzwilliam B Aer Lingus A
P 13 12 13 13 12 12
Pts 139 129 103 93 93 38
25/02/09 Trinity A v Aer Lingus A 25/02/09 Old Belvo A v Trinity A 04/03/09 Fitzwilliam B v Trinity A 04/03/09 Fitzwilliam B v Trinity A
Pos 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
SAT MAJOR 1D Team DUAFC Templeogue United Brendanville FC Swords Celtic Clonee United Dunboyne AFC Verona FC Garda FC Confey FC Rush Athletic Greenhills AFC Boyne Rovers Rathcoole Boys Loughshinny United
P 16 15 15 13 11 15 16 15 14 16 13 13 14 14
W 14 10 10 9 7 6 6 5 4 3 2 2 2 1
D 1 3 2 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 4 4 4 4
0 5
WINTER LEAGUE Ladies: 15/02/09 Sutton 1
3 0
Men’s: 15/02/09 Glasnevin 1
2 1
a great clamour of mockery ensued and, when the midfielder soon went toppling off the pitch in a vain attempt to collect another misplaced pass, the irascible Suttonian had to volunteer himself for substitution. What followed can only be described as a case study in a sportsman’s astoundingly thorough and utterly comprehensive loss of equilibrium. The aggrieved man stalked, hyena-like, up behind the onlooking substitutes, plunged the butt of his stick into the spinal column of one of his agitators, and scurried away back to his den. That umpire Keith didn’t see the incident is understandable, as his eyes were firmly on the game, but to suggest that it escaped the radar of the omniscient “Smoky” Joe Connelly Esq. would be an insult to his whistle and to his 20 years experience as a security guard at Aer Lingus. On this occasion however, somewhat unbelievably, Connelly was indeed otherwise engaged. With Johnny Orr’s Captain’s armband having slipped, and only the letters “APT” now showing, action had to be taken and adjustments had to be made. The number 10 got away without a card, but at least Orr played on with honesty. Somewhere in the aftermath of the confusion Andy Gray had popped up to touch in a second goal. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, the Trinity manager Alan Bell had been consoling a teary Trinity News cameralady in the dug out, while the substitutes and coach had been remonstrating with the Sutton bench. The goal might have gone unnoticed on the sideline, but not by Mr Connelly. 2-0 at half time. The second period continued in much the same vein as the first, with no amount of Sutton aggravation upsetting the resolute Trinity cause. In particular, Craig Moore was a man with an impressive new-found resolve, perhaps the impending indulgences of his own Valentine’s Day spurring him on, and his work rate was nothing short of tireless. Henry Butler had left the trenches
in place of the injured Johnny Orr (hamstring) and had the fortunate charge of being left perpetually unmarked by the aforementioned and now bitterly idle number 10. Unsurprisingly then, to finish off a long period of patient passing and sustained tempo, Butler appeared at the top of the D to flick over a logged Sutton goalkeeper. Both Gray and Hewitt swiped at the ball in an unashamed attempt at goal-poaching but, unfortunately for them, it was the name “Butler” that was to be submitted to the Leinster branch later that day. There was only one occurrence that could have rounded off the Gary Neville cup-tie in a more impressive fashion and that was for Aengus “foie gras” Stanley to open his account with Trinity after four years of asking. Having driven down the right hand side with characteristic power and panache Stanley looked to be in on goal. The bench was again on its feet and even Alan Bell had put his flirting on hold. The angle was fast tightening and with the goal-mouth filling with defenders and poachers alike - it looked to be too late for Stanley. However, every goose has his day, and with a neat wobble he caressed the dimpled Mercian into the roof of the net. This time celebrations did erupt: coaches, managers, teammates, fans, journalists and hangers-on became locked in a uniting embrace on the edge of the field. Only one lone figure didn’t join the melee. Trinity’s Chris Tyrrell was in an embrace of his own. “I still love you,” he whispered as he comforted his younger Suttonian brother with a hug, “I still love you.”
THE TEAM J. Hegarty, B. Cleere, D. Coady, B. Glavey, N. Odlum, A. Gray, A. Stanley, J. Orr (c), S. Cinnamond, C. Tyrrell, B. Hewitt Subs: C. Moore,T. Humphreys, H. Butler, I. Gorman
LEINSTER DIVISION 2
MEN’S SOCCER
Pos 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 9. 11. 12. 13. 14.
Aengus Stanley looks for a way through. Photo: Jessica Pakenham-Money
MEN’S HOCKEY
Results and fixtures to March 31
SQUASH
MEN’S
EXCURSIONS TO the Sutton Park brillo-pad, bestraddled by lofty barbedwire barricades and set alongside the quaint local cemetery, are typically a jolly affair. However, with the previous two outings evincing painful memories for Trinity (one that saw a 5-0 drubbing in the driving rain and the other abandoned on the whims of an umpire who had forgotten his thermals) the car-ride down was a particularly sombre one. Ben Hewitt, for whom icy astroturf is a particularly rasping subject, was intensely irritable as he watched the mercury in his pocket thermometer plunge to a distressing 3 degrees – memories of the match in Weston called off 8 minutes from time, and his resulting worthless hat-trick, still grating at the northern rock. In spite of this, the warm-up went ahead as usual and, with Johnny Orr and Brian Cleere having concluded their characteristic “good-cop/badcop” routine in the huddle, the men in yellow instructed the boys in green to set the game in motion. The start was sufficiently crisp in the passing department and with Barry Glavey restored to centre-back in Ronan Pelow’s mid-season shake-up, there was an air of calm in the Trinity camp that had been noticeably wanting in the early season. Having said this, the Suttonians did have the better of the opening ten minutes and the Glavey-Gorman stronghold was forced to work hard to maintain the 0-0 scoreline. However, with Ronan Pelow’s new and improved “three second rule” still ringing in the twenty-two Trinity ears, the passing was becoming more probing and cracks began to appear in the previously steadfast Sutton facade. The effervescent and ever-present Stuart Cinnamond continued to find the right space at the right time and linking with Hewitt down the right, worked to pick out Chris Tyrrell at the far post who slapped home past the flapping padded man. Celebrations did not ensue – not because Chris is unfamiliar with the process, but rather, as he later told me over an iced tea: “It wouldn’t be right, my brother was on the opposition and I owe my career to Sutton Hockey Club.” He did go on to say however, that with ball-to-backboard contact registering at 95 decibels on his dB meter, he was pleased with the result. The most indisputably controversial moment of the match came just before half time. With no-one able to take the game by the scruff for Sutton, their frustration began to build. The astoundingly lazy Suttonian number 10, comfortably residing in Brian Cleere’s proverbial pocket, vented at the cheering Trinity bench; “You think you’re gonna win do ya?” With the scoreline not helping his cause and the balance of the game evidently tipped Trinity’s way,
L 1 2 3 3 2 6 9 8 7 9 7 7 8 9
F 69 39 37 39 39 30 29 27 15 31 21 19 18 17
A 11 15 22 19 20 27 40 44 19 43 36 41 43 50
Team Clontarf Bray Suttonians Skerries Dublin University Avoca Weston Naas Navan
P 10 10 10 10 11 10 11 9 11
W 10 7 6 6 6 5 4 1 1
D 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
L 0 3 4 4 5 3 7 8 10
F 56 26 44 32 33 22 20 5 8
A 10 15 19 22 14 17 34 50 56
Pts 30 19 18 18 18 16 12 3 3
Pts 43 Clontarf now look untouchable, but Trinity’s game against 33 them on the 28th will still be important in the race for the 32 second promotion slot. 28 23 21/02/09 Skerries 1 5 Dublin University 21 28/02/09 Clontarf v Dublin University 19 21/03/09 Dublin University v Naas 17 28/03/09 Avoca v Dublin University 15 13 LADIES HOCKEY 10 10 10 Pos Team P W D L F A Pts 7 1. Railway Union 11 9 2 0 22 3 29 Loreto 12 7 4 1 28 6 25 DUAFC 2. 3. Hermes 11 6 3 2 28 12 21 4. Pembroke 12 6 3 3 22 15 21 5. Old Alexandra 12 5 4 3 23 19 19 6. UCD 11 5 3 3 13 8 18 7. Glennane 12 4 2 5 19 23 15 8. Bray 12 2 3 7 11 20 9 Trinity College 13 1 2 10 13 36 5 Trinity 1 9. 10. Corinthian 13 0 2 11 10 45 2
LEINSTER DIVISION 1
Trinity 1 The recent bad weather and the pressure of cup competition has played merry hell with the Ladies’ fixture list. Trinity ULTIMATE FRISBEE need a result against either Pembroke this weekend or Railway on March 21st, followed by a win at Corinthians, to Trinity came away fourth from the Siege of Limerick on Feb- make be in with a fighting chance of staying up. ruary 14/15, with a win over top club side Broccoli to their credit. It’s now the countdown to Intervarsities at the end of 28/02/09 Trinity College v Pembroke March. Trinity will hope to break their duck against UCC to 21/03/09 Trinity College v Railway Union win an unprecedented fourth title in a row. 28/03/09 Corinthian v Trinity College
First XV triumph in thriller By Mick Smith AFTER A prolonged stint out of AIL action, the First XV came from Gibson Park with a bonus point win in their fixture against Malone. Saturday’s game saw the club go unbeaten for the third league in a row with a 4136 victory. The backs pulled their weight, for a change; Conor Colclough ran in two tries, while Brady, Gillespie and Stafford also touched down. No. 8 Brian Coyle added to his tally for the season with a try of his own, while Joyce added a penalty and four vital conversions. DUFC will take a night off on Friday the 27th when the D4 Ballsbridge Court Hotel plays host to the Black and Red Ball. The club promises a four course meal, with music from Hurricane Johnny and the Jets. Tickets for the black tie event are 50 for students - purchasers are also entered into a draw for a pair of tickets to the England game in Croke Park the following afternoon. Last year’s ball sold out and, according to second row Scott LaValla, “a damn good time was had by all”. It’ll certainly be nice for Tony Smeeth & co. to take their minds off the reported feud with the soccer club (see page 1) - does anyone know whether Terry McAuley has been invited?
SPORT
TRINITY NEWS February 24, 2009
23
SHORT CUTS COLLEGE PINKS
AWARD FOR SWIMMER CONGRATULATIONS TO Anne-Marie Fenton of DU Swim Club, who has been awarded a Pink along with her fellow aquatic athletes from the Boat Club. Fenton was on the team that won the Intervarsities in Belfast last year. The Captain’s Committee will meet again in Trinity Term to consider nominations. HOCKEY INTERPROS
DULHC PLAYERS CALLED UP
DU Kayak Club took part in the Intervarsities last weekend, hosted by UCD in a variety of venues on the Kildare Liffey.
The club had an early success in the polo on Friday afternoon and went on to compete in a gruelling series of long
distance, slalom and rodeo events over the course of the weekend. Photo: Jessica Pakenham-Money
Reviving the cults of Nike and Hera
DU SQUASH RACKETS
INTERVARSITIES
Former athletics captain Claire McGlynn talks to Conor James McKinney about women in sport, her work with Nike and reviving what is most certainly not a secret society
The Hereans, with club scarves, pictured in Botany Bay at the weekend. Photo: DU Hereans
HE EXPRESSION “big beast” is probably not one that Claire McGlynn would thank me for using, but it describes her status within the world of Trinity sport pretty well. The JS French and German student, from Terenure in Dublin, has contributed significantly to DU Harriers and Athletics Club from the moment she signed her life away in Freshers’ Week. A large sign emblazoned with the club logo sits in the living room of the Botany Bay apartment that she shares with fellow athlete and Sports Scholar Bryony Treston. Twice captain of DUHAC, McGlynn holds club records in the 60m indoors, the 400m and the pole vault and is a club rep on the DUCAC executive, for her sins. She has represented Ireland at underage levels in the 400m relays and has numerous intervarsity medals in her collection. This doesn’t come without a price: it takes two and a half to three hours training a day, but to McGlynn it’s a passion, something integral to her life: “I’d never say I’m not doing it. It’s always done, it’s like eating or sleeping, it’s not as if I can just miss a day”. Not content with this on top of the demands of her languages degree, when Mark RafterySkehan of the Knights of the Campanile approached her about reviving the
the Knights, those seeking admission should be excellent at their sport, as well as contributing significantly to their club and well prepared to socialise. The Hereans will host visiting teams, as well as assisting clubs with their fundraising and do some of their own for charity. DUCAC have been receptive – “we didn’t think they really would be because of past stories, past things that happened with the Knights” – and McGlynn wants to work with them in attracting talented sportspeople to Trinity and building up our image as a sporting university. “I’ve worked at the DUCAC stand on the Open Day and people come up asking ‘Is there a hockey team here?’…people are oblivious to any sort of sport happening in Trinity,” she says. In an effort to foster links with past Hereans and Knights, the clubs will host a joint Past/Present dinner in Trinity Term. Arguably an even more exciting opportunity came about last year, when sporting giant Nike came calling. At the time the company was recruiting ambassadors for its Here I Am campaign promoting women in sport. McGlynn and fellow DUHAC athlete Mairead McMorriw came through a selection process that involved an interview and competitive physical testing in London and became part of a 14-strong Nike Select team charged with promoting
T
Hereans – the defunct female equivilant of that organisation – she jumped at it. “I was a member in [2006/07] but they only held two events in the whole year, they were sort of fizzling out then”. Founded in 1980 by Greta Hickey, Caroline Watson and Claire Losty, the Hereans were designed not just as a social club along the lines of the Knights, but “to promote ladies sport in Trinity. It wasn’t really heard of for women to do all this stuff, especially in Trinity as it’s so academic.” So what drove her to revive it? “I’d heard great stories from it. I know past Hereans and they’d had some great times with it. Not only that, i wanted to expand on it, not just have it as a social club. People in college don’t know that the Hereans or Knights exist, and myself and Mark really want to up our profile in collge and outside college as well. Also, we’re completely expanding on what we do. We’re not just a social club any more, we’re not a secret society as we were once known.” A meeting held at the end of January elected a committee, with the likes of Jessica Guy (Sailing) and Hannah Kirk (Tennis) signing on. McGlynn claims to have about 20 active Hereans in the ranks, and has contacted the various club captains asking them to put forward suitable candidates. As with
the campaign on university campuses in the UK and Ireland. Readers may remember the visit of Sonia O’Sullivan back in October reported in The Record (what do you mean, nobody reads The Record?), which was part of the promotion of the campaign. “It’s basically saying, I’m a woman, here I am. I might have been invisible in the past but we are here, we are doing sport, we can do well in sport like men,” says McGlynn. She points out the huge disparity in media coverage of male and female sports, a point well illustrated by a study carried out in 2002 by the Dublin Sports and Recreation Council showing that of the photographs carried in the sports sections of five major national newspapers over a ten-day period, less than 3% were of women. Part of the aim is to get girls involved in sport from an early age, counteracting the negative stereotypes of female athletes and stressing the social aspects to sports participation.“It’s not just aimed at girls who are really good at sport, it’s aimed at all women.” Nike will be back to Trinity to hold another event in April. McGlynn and McMorrow will be on hand to promote it; they do well in terms of free Nike gear, and accept that part of Nike’s motivation is to sell more of their products to female athletes. However,
McGlynn professes herself impressed with the science behind their products and the company’s general philosophy and attitude to its customers. Besides, “by having this whole campaign they are promoting women in sport and it’s good for all women”. As part of the campaign, the Gamechangers programme has been set up as a means to effect social change through sport. Clubs, community groups and other organisations are encouraged to submit innovative projects on the Nike website. The deadline is March 21st, and winning entries will receive £5,000 in funding from Nike. People can also look at and comment on other projects; the whole idea, says McGlynn, is to change perceptions of, and remove barriers to, female participation in sport – something she definitely thinks is relevant in Trinity. “We definitely have a tougher job, there are girls on the Nike Select team who are in Loughborough. That’s just so sport-orientated, everyone who goes there is practically an athlete. Here it is harder… there is this lack of confidence in so many girls, they kind of shy away from sport. I think that really needs to be tackled.” For more information on the Hereans or Gamechangers, email mcglync@tcd.ie
No room at the inn for pool players, say DUCAC By Jem Casey I HADN’T given it much thought, personally, but it seems that Trinity is one of the only universities around without a functioning pool club. At the recent 8-ball pool intervarsities, run by the Higher Education Snooker and Pool Council, 20 colleges entered teams with 220 individuals taking part overall. Despite coming from a college without a pool table to be found within its walls, Dave Columb, a SS Physiology student, was the best of the lot, walking away with the individual title. A former All-Ireland winner with the Cavan Junior team, he’s been trying to set up a pool club for a couple of years now, but hasn’t found it easy. DUCAC didn’t want to know, so after a couple
The GMB tables. Photo: R. Kennedy
FOUR DU Ladies Hockey Club players have been called up for the U21 Interpros. Caroline Murphy and Rachel Scott will play for Leinster, while star midfielder Maebh Horan, from Wexford, will play for South-East who are coached by former Trinity star Linda Caulfield. Forward Irene Gorman got the nod for Connaught. The Junior Freshman was also recently included in the Ireland U18 squad for the European championships in July. In addition, at least two Trinity students who do not play for the college club will be at the interpros. Loreto’s Lizzie Colvin is included in the Ulster squad while Eimear Dolan of Railway Union joins Murphy and Scott on the Leinster panel.
of fruitless attempts to get in touch he eventually had to go up to the second floor of the Sports Centre in person to plead his case. Clearly no friend to cue sports, they turned him down. In reponse to a query from Trinity News, DUCAC stated that: “The allocation to DUCAC from the Capitation Fund...has not increased substantially in the last seven years. Due to the financial constraints such as increased costs for entry fees, travel, coaching, equipment etc for sport clubs, the DUCAC Executive took a decision to cap the number of clubs which are ratified.” It therefore seems that only when a club dies off will a new one be considered. In the meantime, Columb says “I was told I could run for two years without any funding and then I’d be considered, which I thought was a joke”. Unable to
so much as enter a tournament without some sort of recognition, he went to the CSC, which was prepared to take on a Pool Society as an Associative Member and bung them a couple of hundred euro for entry fees. Hardly ideal, but at least they can now field an official Trinity team if the interest is there. Columb himself practices at home and enters tournaments to keep his hand in, since there is absolutely nowhere to play on campus. For those of you as ignorant as myself in these matters, a snooker table is 12” x 7”, while a pool table is only 7” x 4”, so the Phil’s facilities at the top of the Graduates Memorial Building are no good. However, Columb is optimistic that this can be remedied: “I was on to one of the girls in the GMB, Sinead Farley, and she’s keen to get a few of the snooker tables out of there,
the ones that are in bad nick” and get a few pool tables in. There’s definitely some talent out there. Captain of the Irish Colleges for the games against the Home Nations in April, Columb was a finalist in that competition last year, while postgraduate student John Deenihan is on the shortlist to make the squad. If the society can get the money together, Columb would like to enter several teams in next year’s intervarsity and have a go at winning it. In the meantime, deprived of facilities and resources, it’s all a bit of a struggle; around 40 people have registered their interest in playing for the club, but only 10 showed up to trials for the CUSAI Leinster Pool League last week. On the plus side, if you’re any good, it’ll be easy to get on the team: contact columbd@ tcd.ie for more information.
FOR TRINITY, and the likes of wily veteran Karlis Zauers, taking part in the Intervarsity used to be synonymous with winning. For ten straight years the initials TCD adorned the trophy. Like Roger Federer’s much publicised decline, inevitably someone else, at some stage in time, was going to win. The inevitable occurred in February 2008, in Galway, where UCD finally prevailed against Trinity by the tightest of margins. This year saw a mixed squad of youth and experience attempt to put the record straight on enemy territory over January 30/31. Friday saw Trinity largely on cruise control, the early group matches a comfortable process for most of the teams. The highlight of the afternoon was Dave Lowry taking down the Royal College of Surgeons’ Jack Woods, identical twin brother to Trinity club captain Robbie. In Saturday’s group matches Trinity recorded emphatic victories over RCSI, UCC, NUIG and DCU. The final saw the renewed rivalry of Trinity and UCD. First blood went to the lads from Belfield, Zauers just losing out to Denis Trick despite the use of the famous corkscrew lob. Andy Hogg probably ran the equivalent of the halfmarathon over the course of his match with Ray Pathick but unfortunately ended up second best. Rory Byrne provided Trinity with a muchneeded boost, effortlessly comfortable in his win. Despite this victory, though, UCD were not to be denied their eventual win. However, the Men’s B section provided some fantastic squash and brilliant performances from Doug Doherty and James Judge helped secure at least one piece of silverware for Trinity. In the women’s competition, Trinity were expected to compete for the title. For several years now the women from DCU have provided Trinity with a fierce rivalry. This year saw the two again pitched in a monumental struggle with each match hotly contested. Despite the presence of Catherine Graham, Darshini Ramasubbu and Trish Burns, Trinity ultimately just lost out. However, with an upcoming youth, including sports scholar Sarah Corcoran, providing greater depth to the squad, sensible money would be placed on the Trinity girls coming away with a trophy in 2010. Ed Miles
BOXING THE BLUES
DU Boxing’s showpiece event was as back in the Exam Hall - but could d its fighters pass the test?
SPORT
TR RINITY IN NITY NE EWS WS W S Tuesday, Tue Tu T uesd ue day, February Febr bru br rua ua arrryy 24, 2009
Soccer team lose Colours
MATCH STATS SCORE
DUAFC UCD TEAM
1. MICHAEL SCHROLL 2. MICHAEL STORAN 3. JONNY CUMMINS 4. COLIN HYLAND 5. JOHN LAVELLE 6. EVIN O’REILLY (C) 7. EOGHAN KEEGAN 8. LUKE GUERIN 9. CHRIS ALLEN 10. NIALL WALSH 11. EDWARD TINNSLEY
Showdown in College Park sees a close first half, but misfiring Trinity are eventually stung for two goals by an experienced UCD outfit By Conor James McKinney College Sport Editor THE STARS of the future were out before kick-off, laying claim to every stray ball and sticking in the net with great aplomb. Some Trinity players were no doubt longing to be six years old again, without the pressure that comes of playing the likes of UCD in a respectably populated College Park. Not all the onlookers were confident of a Trinity victory: one law student, perhaps embittered by the delay in kickoff forcing him to forego the first half in favour of a lecture, claimed that “if it’s still nil-all at half time I’ll be surprised”. Trinity started out enthusiastically, harrying UCD well at the expense of a few free kicks and looking solid at the back. Colin Hyland in particular was justifying his selection ahead of Danny Trimble with a confident display that included a barnstorming run up field around 15 minutes in. Niall Walsh had the first of several half chances that fell to the home side in the opening period, blazing over from 25 metres. UCD came straight back up to strain the side netting in a clear warning for Trinity not to let their guard down. Allen, the crucial creative spark in the Trinity midfield, found it hard to wield his usual influence in the face of some tight UCD marking. He was probably fortunate in the refereeing, as some frustration challenges would have been, in the eyes of one substitute who spoke to Trinity News after the game, sufficient to get him sent off by another official. A couple of speculative shots
from the edge of the area went the same way as Walsh’s earlier effort, and a good touch to get him in behind the defence was rendered redundant by a poor final ball. Keegan, on the right wing, also showed flickers of promise but was similarly unable to hit the target or pick out Walsh with his crosses. UCD, meanwhile, had chances of their own but good defending meant that apart from one smart stop to swallow up a glancing header Schroll didn’t have cause to be overly concerned as the half wore on. Indeed, it was Trinity who had the best chance of the match - including the UCD goals - not long before the break. An awkward ball in found its way to the back post, and both Tinnsley and Cummins were within range as it bounced a couple of metres before an open goal. Unfortunately, they seemed to get in each other’s way in their eagerness to bundle in the ball, and amazingly neither made contact. It meant that Trinity went to the sidelines knowing that although they had done well to hold their own, they could so easily have been in front. It didn’t remain nil-all for long after the half, much to the chagrin of a grudgingly impressed crowd. A UCD corner confounded the defensive setup, and a blue shirted attacker was presented with ample room to guide his header down towards Schroll’s goal line. The German got a hand to it but there was sufficient power in the header to set the Belfield men on their way to victory. The goalkeeper was even more unlucky a few minutes later when UCD claimed their second: a peach of a long
0 2
SUBS
J. KENNEDY, O. MCMAHON, D. TRIMBLE, C. MOLLOY, N. O’CARROLL, V. O’MAHONEY, C. FARRELL, G. KANE Trinity’s Johnny Cummins and John Lavelle (left) on the defensive. Photo: Jessica Pakenham-Money range effort from the UCD midfield inspired an even more impressive save from Schroll, who turned the ball onto the post at full stretch. The fast rebound went straight to a UCD player, though, and with the goalie still in midair the finish was routine. The game opened up from there but it looked very much as though this would be to the advantage of the now rampant away team. It took a rather suspect tackle to prevent a one-on-one developing halfway through the second half, while a UCD substitute heading over a free header was uncharacteristically reminiscent of Trinity’s own attempts at finishing. As your correspondent headed off in search of food and a cure for acute depression ten minutes before the final whistle, it was another valiant yet futile sortie by Allen that saw him off. UCD take home Colours for the third straight year; Trinity can only plot revenge in the Collingwood Cup this week.
HOCKEY TEAMS TAKE ON ALL COMERS IT’S BEEN a great week for all involved in Trinity hockey. With the Men’s First XI recording three wins on the trot over the past fortnight to keep their promotion hopes alive, the lower teams weren’t about to be outdone. All three Ladies sides in action at the weekend came away victorious, starting with the Second XI at Newbridge. Alice Delahunt’s goal leaves them with a great chance of winning a highly competitive Division 4. The Fourths beat Glennane courtesy of strikes by Rebecca Wood and fresher Aoife Davidson and are now just three points off the lead in their division, while goals from Ciara Marnane, Eimear MacNamara and Dani McCollum gave the Fifths revenge over UCD at Santry. Meanwhile the men were also in fine fettle, with Tolly Humphreys grabbing
a hat-trick for the Thirds as they romped to a 7-0 victory over Weston. Captain Will Wilshere (pictured, right, by Jessica Pakenham-Money) also chipped in. The Second XI, up against tough opposition from Serpentine Avenue, managed a 3-3 draw thanks to the omnipresent Humphreys and that great servant of Trinity hockey (and, indeed, one of the scorers in the Ladies games), Alan Bell. The First XI’s remarkable 5-1 win over second placed Skerries means that they are not, as a former captain was heard to opine just a few weeks ago, left with “nothing to play for” in the league this season. Can they yet mount a late challenge for Division 1 status next season? Stay tuned... More hockey coverage on page 22: DUHC’s Henry Butler on the greatest comeback since Lazarus
ATHLETICS
Athletes lay down their marker indoors By Neil Cullen Men’s Harriers Captain VALENTINE’S WEEKEND saw the end of the Indoor Track and Field season for Dublin University Harriers and Athletics Club’s (DUHAC) athletes with the staging in Nenagh Olympic Stadium of the Indoor Intervarsity Championships. This is the only Intervarsity event indoors but many athletes had been competing in a full schedule of provincial and national events in the run up to the Intervarsities. Taking place over two days, Trinity set itself high standards right from the gun with Becky Woods taking silver in the first event of the competition, the women’s 1,500m. Her time of 4:48.18 also slashed a whopping 15 seconds off the previous DUHAC indoor record of 5:03.74. A great way to kick off the weekend! The strength of DUHAC’s female distance running was further advertised in the 3,000m with Bryony Treston also winning a silver medal in a time of 10:36.16, a gutsy performance
from Treston who is still returning to full fitness after a spell of injury. Had fellow scholarship athlete Aoife Byrne been able to compete in the 800m, one feels that a sweep of medals from each distance running event would have been possible, but unfortunately illness forced Byrne out at the last minute. A hat-trick of individual silver medals, however, was complete on day 2 by Sorcha Prendiville in the 1,500m Walk. A specialist athlete in a specialist event, Sorcha, a first year student of Education, finished in 7:01.53. Such a performance early in her DUHAC career is a big positive and she will undoubtedly add to her medal tally in years to come. In contrast to the female harriers, it was the male sprinters who set the track alight. French Erasmus student Alexandre Avron enjoyed his first taste of Irish Intervarsity competition with the final of the men’s 60m hurdles. He took away the gold by the proverbial skin of his teeth. After a photo-finish, the result favoured Alex by 0.007 seconds. In cool French fashion, Alex knew the result
was never in doubt! His work, however, was not finished there. After 2 heats (one 4x200m relay and one individual 400m) and a semi-final (400m) later, Alex won his second medal, a bronze, in the 400m. A superb overall performance and his medals proved to be vital for the overall success of the team. Any chance of staying for another few years Alex? I’ll be your friend! Another first-timer to Intervarsity competition, Cormac Doherty showed his class in the men’s 200m. After working his way through the heats and semi-final, Cormac was unlucky to draw the tight bends of lane 1 in the final. His 4th place finish in a time of 23.75 seconds, however, is to be highly commended and one feels that the future looks bright for Cormac in a Trinity singlet. The Ladies sprint team, depleted by several injuries, made an important overall contribution nonetheless with Lauren Holmes and Ciara McCallion picking up team points in the 60m and 400m respectively. The same can be said for the male distance runners who
suffered from two late withdrawals but ran passionately and strongly in the medley distance relay (1200m x 400m x 800m x 1600m), finishing 4th. The highlight of any Track and Field event, the relays proved to be fruitful hunting grounds for DUHAC. The Ladies picked up two more medals with bronze in the medley distance relay and another silver in the 4x200m. The men’s 4x200m team looked good for a medal having come through the semi-final at their leisure but as can happen so easily in relay races, the baton was dropped at the first changeover in the final. It is safe to say, however, that the guys will be hungry to put that right come the outdoor season and bring home the medal they deserve. DUHAC’s success in the Indoors will provide both satisfaction from a job well executed and hunger to go on and achieve even more. A joint 4th place overall finish alongside University of Ulster is something of which the club can be extremely proud. For an outsider to the sport, it is hard to appreciate
the difficulty for a college like Trinity to compete on the same level as runaway winners DCU and runners-up, the University of Limerick. DCU for example awarded 120 sport scholarships in the 2007/2008 academic year, 80 of which were distributed evenly between Athletics and GAA. The merits of Trinity’s scholarship scheme are not up for debate here. One might even argue that buying in the country’s best athletes, as in the case of DCU, in order to win Varsity level competitions, is a shallow and ego-nourishing undertaking. What is worth pointing out, however, is that UCD awarded four Athletics scholarships compared to Trinity’s two, yet Trinity finished higher than UCD in the final overall standings. The bottom line here is DUHAC are punching above their weight at an Intervarsity level as a result of hard work, commitment and an unrivalled team spirit. Long may this continue. More TN athletics coverage inside: Claire McGlynn interview, p23
THE TEAM Lauren Holmes (60m) Rioghna Moggan (200m) Ciara McCallion (400m) Jenny Holmes (400m) Mairead McMorrow (800m) Louise Bernard (800m) Becky Woods (1500m) Eva Grace (1500m) Sorcha Prendiville (1500m walk) Bryony Treston (3000m) Maura Mahoney (3000m) Claire McGlynn (shot putt) Cian O’Loughlin (60m) Cormac Doherty (60m, 200m) Alex Avron (60m hurdles, 400m) John Keegan (200m) Joe Barry (400m, triple jump) Sean Flynn (800m, 1500m) Aidan Reilly (800m, 3000m) Thomas Lupton (3000m) Hugh Fitzpatrick (shot putt) Peter Schwartzstein (long jump)