Irish Student Newspaper of the Year 2009
A-Z OF WEIRD SPORTS,
HANDSOME FURS INTERVIEW
MAN VS. WILD: THE WILDERNESS
SPORT, P21
FEATURE, TN2
TRAVEL, P20
Tuesday October 20 2009
www.trinitynews.ie
Students on offensive at DUCAC AGM Kate Palmer Deputy News Editor THE ANNUAL General Meeting of the Dublin University Central Athletics Committee (DUCAC) was held last week amid accusations of failing to represent students and failing to properly audit the finances. They have also been subject to accusations of unfair allocation and lack of accountability in its distribution of funds. As the governing body for 50 of Trinity’s sports clubs, DUCAC’s primary purpose is meant to further the interests of sports in the College. The Executive Committee and various sub-committees of DUCAC currently manage the allocation of funds to various clubs, income for which is derived from a number of sources including part of the college student charge and revenue from the Pavilion, which reached €85,000 last year. At the recent meeting, however, Student’s Union President Cónán Ó’Broin accused DUCAC of allocating funds to sports club to be at the “whim” of the Committee members, which totalled a record high of €366,907 this year. Ó’Broin continued “it seems to me that there is no written criteria for the allocation of €350,000 of students’ money”, an accusation which DUCAC Honorary Treasurer Cyril Smyth refused to validate. Ó’Broin has been active in the campaign for DUCAC reform since May this year, chairing a meeting attended by 35 club captains representing their teams. Acting as a forum for captains to voice their concerns regarding DUCAC, the main point of contention revolved around how funding was split between different clubs, with captains angry over the lack of breakdown available to explain how finance is divided. The DUCAC Honourary Treasurer Cyril Smyth admits there is an element of “subjective judgment” when it
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comes to allocating funds to clubs. Ó’Broin described DUCAC’s finance management to Smyth as “basically at the whim of yourself”. A general consensus among the sports captains indicates that sports clubs are not being properly represented by DUCAC, which fails to acknowledge many of their problems, according to the minutes of the May meeting. It was noted that DUCAC is the only capitated body that receives funding through the Student Charge yet students have no DUCAC’s finances are at the whim of Cyril Smyth, says O’Broin Participants Ross Dungan and Ben Clifford along with motivator Matthew Smyth, training hard in prepation for the Dublin City Marathon. Matthew fractured his leg on his second day training and will have to make do with cheering his friends on from the sidelines. Photo: Josh Carnahan real say in committee affairs. Currently only 8 out of 49 sports clubs are allocated as representatives on DUCAC. Captain of the Trinity Heraeans and three year-Club Representative Claire McGlynn says “clubs don’t feel like we’re supported enough…. DUCAC don’t strive for enough success with clubs”. She points out how difficult it was to organise a Sports Ball and Trinity Sports Day as a result of the lack of interaction between DUCAC and sports captains. Ó’Broin pointed out the SU were in no position to change or reform DUCAC, only being able to facilitate meetings and speak on behalf of clubs, stating at the time that “it’s up to the sports clubs now to bring reform forward.” However, steps towards greater student representation in DUCAC occurred in the form of constitutional change last week. Students at the AGM voted unanimously in favour of a new student committee position, Assistant to the Honorary Treasurer of DUCAC, which has since been filled by PhD continued on page 2
Late-latest joke at our expense Claire Acton & Lisa Byrne STUDENTS’ UNION President, Cónán Ó’Broin, has offered to take Ryan Tubridy on a tour of the College following the presenter’s comments that “students enter Trinity Irish, and leave English”.The comments were made by Tubridy on RTE’s “The Late Late Show”. Ó’Broin has refuted the claims saying the comments could not be further from the truth. “Irish culture, through societies such as An Cumann Gaelach, Trad Soc and clubs such as the GAA, is alive and kicking in Trinity. The days of Trinity being a bastion of AngloSaxonism are now a part of history.” Ó’Broin also said that if the presenter was in any doubt, he would welcome the
chance to invite him on a tour of such societies and clubs. Tara O’Brien, publicist for Mr. Tubridy, has said that he will not be Tubridy’s comments were, he feels, “clearly made in jest,” and a response is unnecessary responding to Ó’Broin’s comments. “It was clear during his interview with Ricki that his comments were made in jest. However, he would be happy to come into Trinity to meet with Conan at a point in the future,” she said. These comments come on the back of an apology made by UK Trade and Investment this week. The British
government organisation’s website referred to the College as a UK university in an article analysing the recent Times Good University Guide. Referring to the UK universities that made the top 50, the article read “A further five UK universities are in the top 50: Edinburgh, King’s College London, Manchester, Bristol and Trinity College, Dublin.” Having been notified of the error by Trinity News, the editor apologised and amended it immediately. This incident further highlights the connection regularly made between the UK and Trinity College Dublin and UK references. Time and again there have been Anglo remarks regarding Trinity, still linking the college with Britain. Indeed Trinity College is a university of protestant ancestry, founded in 1592 under Queen Elizabeth I’s rule. While
Catholics were permitted entry over 200 years ago, many still observe Trinity as a protestant Anglo institution. The Roman Catholic Church only lifted its policy of disapproval and in some case excommunication of Catholic students who enrolled in Trinity College without special dispensation in the 1970’s. Students have, in the past, rallied to implement the College’s nationality as an Irish college. In 2006, Ó’Broin put forward a motion to install a tricolour on the college grounds. The three flag poles currently placed in front of Trinity remain bare, bar national holidays and special occasions. Ó’Broin has recently stated that he will not be following this up as there are other “more pressing” matters to attend to.
Third-level students bid farewell to fees debate Meadhbh McHugh & Lisa Byrne STUDENT UNIONS around Ireland have been celebrating after the government announced that it would not be re-introducing fees following talks with the Green Party. The new Programme for Government, which includes the commitment, was accepted by the Green Party with a majority vote of 84 percent at a conference held in the RDS on Saturday October 10. Students’ Union President Cónán Ó’Broin has said that he is “absolutely over the moon”. Speaking shortly after the decision, Ó’Broin said that it had come about “as a result of hard work by a lot of people”. The Union of Students in Ireland have also welcomed the Green Party’s commitment. Deputy President Dan O’Neill said “the moves by the Minister for Education to reintroduce student fees made no sense in a time when we are reliant on the smart economy for our recovery. We welcome the commitments obtained by the Green Party in the new Programme for Government regarding third level
fees and will be working with them as much as possible to ensure that higher and further education provides the basis for our economic recovery.” However the relief that has been felt may be short-lived, with rife speculation that a possible hike in registration fees may well be a back-door attempt to force students to contribute towards the cost of their education. Minister for Education Batt O’ Keeffe insists the issue has merely been “parked” and that in the future a student contribution will most likely be implemented as a means of funding the third-level sector. Despite the commitment by the Greens and Fianna Fáil, O’Keeffe is also considering raising the student registration fees in Ireland, which are already the highest in the EU. Speaking in Cork during the week, O’Keeffe said he was still of the view that students should pay towards their tuition and that he thinks it will be necessary in the future for students to do so, but that the government can readily park the issue at the moment given it wouldn’t have immediate impact on funding. The USI has condemned the Minister’s latest endorsement of
fees with the Union President, Peter Mannion, calling for the Minister’s resignation if he “cannot respect the Programme for Government and insists on embarking on his own agenda.” The registration charge, which increased this year in most colleges from €900 to €1500, is decided annually by third-level institutions who receive permission from the government to increase it. It is exacted by colleges to finance the costs of registration, exams and student services. It is not intended as a fee to pay for more general student costs as there is “free fees” legislation in place since the abolition of fees in 1995. Indeed, education sources say attempts to raise the registration charge may come up against legal challenges due to such legislation. Mr. O’Keeffe said the increase of charges this year to €1500 brought the student contribution more in line with the actual cost of the services provided to them and said past registration figures did not represent the total allocation made towards student services from institutions’ budgets and that institutions had been using the core grant to subsidise the provision of such
services. USI president Peter Mannion has also taken issue with this stating “students already struggle to pay €1500 upfront just to register at the beginning of the college year. Many of our members have indicated that they don’t get value for money for their registration fee. Despite paying more this year, the students of Ireland are in fact seeing fewer services on campus for their money. Any further rise in registration fees would be unacceptable.” Ó’Broin has said that fighting the increase of the registration fee will be a “much trickier fight” claiming it will be “not nearly as clear cut” as the fight against fees. As the College itself will decide the whether there will be an increase, Ó’Broin claims it will become an “institutional fight” but says that he will have “a chat” with the Provost, Dr. John Hegarty, closer to the time of the national budget. The Presidents of the seven Universities in Ireland expressed surprise at the statement that in complying with the new Programme, the Government will not proceed with any new scheme of student contribution. The IUA (Irish
Universities Association) has called for a “better balance between individual and public contributions in the funding of higher education” basing this view on factors such as the “financial gains that accrue to graduates, the need to generate additional resources to widen access “A bad day for higher education,” according to DCU President Ferdinand Von Prondzynski. to universities, and the international data which shows our system to be underfunded, largely due to its excessive dependence on central government.” The Presidents welcomed the other committments to the overall education system that the renewed Programme for government outlines but said that the priority accorded to education and innovation in the Renewed Programme needs to be “reflected in realistic levels of investment in the sector, whatever its source.”
Professor Von Prondzynski, President of DCU and a rumoured potential successor to Dr. Hegarty in the role of TCD Provost, blogged that it was a “bad day for higher education.” He said he suspected the motive behind the decision to keep fees free to be “purely electoral.” He continued that “as the taxpayer is in no position to increase funding, or even maintain the existing levels, we are now facing a situation where the increasingly scarce resources will be concentrated on the wealthier sections of the population and the disadvantaged will be neglected. In addition, the sector as a whole will be asset stripped and unable to compete.” He said the decision may save votes but will do “long term damage to the sector.” Ó’Broin has refuted this allegation and has said he is not suprised by Von Prondzynski’s comments. “Let’s be clear” said the Union President, “the purpose of the third level sector is to produce high skilled graduates. Some people in the sector believe that isn’t the purpose”. It appears that a new war may soon be eclared by the by the SU.