Irish Student Newspaper of the Year 2009
ECO-FRIENDLY TRAVEL, P21
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AER LINGUS ON THE RISE
ELECTION SPECIAL
BUSINESS, P18
EVERY CANDIDATE PROFILED P11 Tuesday February 9 2010
www.trinitynews.ie
Mr Hudson and Jape announced for Trinity Ball
Sabbatical campaigns kick off
Dave Molloy Editor
» 12 candidates contest five positions » Main college polling begins next Tuesday Dave Molloy Editor THIS YEAR’S Students’ Union elections kicked off on Sunday night with the traditonal “poster run” which signifies the start of campaigning. Candidates for the sabbatical positions, which were announced on Monday February 25, broke out campaign t-shirts and posters and competed for display space across campus. Many candidates opted for puns and humour in their campaigns. Jennifer Fox grabbed attanetion with a seven-foot tall fox mascot, while Entertainments candidate Conor O’Toole has built his entire campaign using as a template the graphic design of last year’s successful candidate Mick Birmingham. Others, notably the majority of the presidential candidates, have centred their campaigns around more serious issues related to their role.
Polling begins on the main Trinity grounds on Tuesday February 16. College areas such as Tallaght, St James’s hospital and associate colleges have limited polling times and dates– see page 11. The campaigning period will last until the close of polls at 4pm on Thursday February 18. The count night will be the following evening in the Mount Clare Hotel, where canidates will be eliminated until a winner is deemed elected. Of the thirteen canidates originally announced, twelve have continued to the campaigning phase, as one candidate dropped out shortly after the announcements. There are four candidates for President, three for Entertainments Office, two each for Welfare Officer and Education Officer, and one in an uncontested election for Communications. Election special: P11
€480,000 spent on staff-related legal fees in 2008 » Subscription fees to IBEC total €34,000 David Molloy Editor COLLEGE HAS spent over €480,000 in legal fees in dealing with college staff and industrial relations issues and a further €34,000 in fees to the Irish Business and Employers Confederation in a single year. The Irish Times obtained documents under the Freedom of Information Act which showed that the seven Irish universities had spent a combined total of €872,770 between 2005 and 2008. In 2008, college paid IBEC a fee of €34,161. Of this, €32,184 was in membership fees; the remaining €1977 was in exchange for publications, seminars, training and other services. The same report also contains details of the universities’ expenses on legal issues in dealing with staff, revealing that in 2008, Trinity paid €480,000 in legal fees. College officials claim that these expenses represent an accumulation of costs over more than half a decade. “Over a period of 5 to 6 years a very small number of College staff took legal action against the College which, having exhausted all internal mechanisms, involved High Court and, in one case, Supreme Court actions,” said the college
Communications Office. “The legal fees for these cases fell due for payment in 2008 and accounted for 95% of the total employee-related legal costs in that year.” Legal costs in other universities in relation to staff are also high– in the same year, UCC paid €900,000 on such costs, while DCU paid €476,000 in 2007. The Irish Federation of University Teachers has criticsed the expenditure, claiming that the high payments provide little value to the universities, which are, in general, suffering problems with debt. Trinity has recently improved its balance sheets, in part by releasing the fund put in place in previous years which was designed to protect the college from financial liabilities in relation to the Fixed Term Workers Act. The Irish Universities Association has defended the expense on IBEC fees, claiming that its advisory and legal services justified the cost of membership. According to their own description, IBEC “provides its membership base of over 7500 organisations with knowledge, influence and connections. IBEC staff offer practical employer services as well as the opportunity to network and lobby at an industry level.”
Issue 8, Volume 56
Education candidate Jennifer Fox kicked off her campaign at 11pm Sunday alongside the other candidates, with some extra help from an unusual member of her campaign team. Photo: David Molloy
THE FIRST two acts for this year’s Trinity Ball have been announced– Mr Hudson and Jape. Mr Hudson, best known for his collaboration single “Supernova” with Kanye West, began his career with “A Tale of Two Cities,” which found its way into West’s hands. Following this, West offered to produce Hudson’s second work, the album “Straight No Chaser,” which was released on October 19 last. The resulting success has seen Mr Hudson collaborate with a wide selection of artists, including Dizzee Rascal, Jay-Z, Calvin Harris, Amy Winehouse, Paulo Nutini, Mika and Groove Armada. He has also been awarded Best breakthrough Act at the 2009 Q awards and Best newcomer at the 2007 UK Festival Awards. Jape have been confirmed fresh from their performance at last week’s Rag Week Ball. Perhaps most well known for the hit single “I Was a Man,” Jape performed at Oxegen, Glastonbury and Electric Picnic last year. The Irish band formed in 2003 and have three albums to date. While the most recent, “Ritual”, brought the band the most commercial success, the single from their previous album, “Floating” was used as the background music for a Bulmers Light ad, and has been frequently covered by the Raconteurs. Entertainments Officer Mick
Hudson, above, has attained international fame following his collaboration with Kanye West. Birmingham is keeping the remainder of the lineup a closely guarded secret until closer to the ticket sales date. He has, however, previously indicated that he is very pleased with the final lineup. Ball tickets go on sale Wednesday February 24 at €78. Trinity News will publish its annual Ball Guide with in-depth coverage of the full line-up and tips to make the most of the night. Pick up your copy from February 22.
‘Fees exist’: student charge spent on library and animal research David Molloy Editor THE HEADS of all seven Irish universities were called in front of the Oireachtas joint Committee on Education and Science to answer questions on how the student services charge, which is part of the annual registration fee, is being spent. Among many items discussed was Trinity’s use of the broad definition of what “student service” means to justify the use of the student services charge to fund areas which have not been historically considered part of the charge, including the library and animal testing resources. In a letter to members of the committee in advance of the meeting, the Presidents of all seven Students’ Unions expressed shock at the submissions of the university heads to the committee, specifically in relation to how the student charge was broken down. “It constitutes nothing other than a ruse designed to deflect the committee’s attention from the true nature of this charge,” they said. “The information reflected here is vastly different from
that that has been previously presented to us in our respective institution’s financial committees. We believe this amounts to subterfuge.” The university heads denied any alteration of figures outright. Dr Hegarty, Provost of Trinity, was quizzed on the imminent reclassification of library services from a core function of the university to “It depends upon what you classify as a student service ... the library is a student service.” a “student service” with effect from next year, which would allow money from the student charge to be diverted there. In addition, documents revealed that a certain portion of the charge– €898,000– was already going to the “bio resources unit.” Dr Hegarty defended this decision, saying that “it depends upon what you classify as a student service,” and that, in his opinion, the library was undoubtedly a student service. Under
questioning, the university heads eventually acknowledged that the library would have to considered a core function of a university, but argued that it could simultaneously be considered a student service, and so draw funding from the charge. UCC President Dr Michael Murphy even went so far as to suggest that filling in potholes caused by the damaging effect of freezing conditions could be considered a student service, as it might prevent students injuring themselves by tripping and falling. The Universities Act, which governs the relationship between the universities and the State, contains a provision within article 40 to allow the universities to charge any fees they wish–something which was pointed out by the university heads at the outset of the meeting. Technically, the Higher Education Authority acts only to advise the universities on what fees they should charge; the universities ordinarily accept this advice as a matter of course, but are not required to do so. The option exists for the government to alter the Universities Act to eliminate such provisions– something which
members of the committee mentioned as a possible option for future discussion. Many of the committee members argued that the diversion on funds in this manner was essentially student fees through another method. Under intensive questioning, Dr Hugh Brady, President of UCD, admitted that “at the moment, fees exist in Ireland,” something which brought hushed whispers of excitement from the representatives of the Students’ Unions and the Union of Students in Ireland present in the public area, all of whom have contested this idea for some time. During the course of the committee meeting, the Provost also claimed that students had representation on every decision-making body in college. In particular, Dr Hegarty claimed that students sat on the body responsible for the re-classification of the library as a student service. Students’ Union President Conan Ó’Broin refutes this as simply untrue. The members of the committee decided to request the Minister for Education, Batt O’Keefe TD, to attend a meeting as soon as possible so that they could express their concerns.
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COLLEGE NEWS “One would always ask people in authority to exercise restraint. It sounds lavish.” Minister for Education Batt O’Keefe on the consturction of a new home for the head of the University of Limerick, which is expected to have a final cost of approximately €3 million.
“Universities, long the neglected stepchild of international aid for education, need massive investment to prepare tens of thousands of Haitian students to become productive and prosperous members in the global economy,” Conor Bohan, of the Haitian Education and Leadership Programme, on the need for investment in education in Haiti.
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
THIS FORTNIGHT THEY SAID...
“The Church in Ireland, and indeed worldwide, needs to be challenged vigorously on the use and misuse of authority at all levels, including of course and by no means least its exercise by the Vatican” Fr PJ Sexton, College Chaplain, in a frank interivew with Trinity News this issue.
“I reckon Conor can get them back together. The original Pink Floyd. He’s got a few buddies in the genetics department, I’m sure we can clone the dead ones.” An excerpt from the manifesto of Conor Timmy O’Toole, Ents candidate.
Compiled by Kate Palmer
NUMEROLOGY
“We do not need handouts from the Irish government. We are not Maynooth. We don’t fly the Irish flag, there’s a good reason for that.” Education candidate Dave Preston, elaborating on his intentions to bring Trinity back to its Anglo-Saxon roots.
“[It is important to avoid] pissing off people you need to have on your side.” Entertainments Officer Mick Birmingham on his dealings with college authorities regarding the establishment of an on-campus off-licence.
DEBATING INTERVARSITIES
Model students
Compiled by Kate Palmer
€480,000 » The cost of legal fees paid by the college in 2008, as seen in documents obtained by The Irish Times under Freedom of Information.
Cal McDonagh Staff Reporter FORMER ALTERNATIVE Miss Ireland, Veda Beaux Reeves presented this year’s Trinity’s Next Top Model competition. Tuesday January 26 saw 19 finalists compete for the coveted title of TNTM, in the Dining Hall turned catwalk. The contest was the climax of Trinity Rainbow Week, which annually draws attention to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues around college. The fourth cycle of the competition, which began with auditions in November, culminated during a week of events and workshops organised by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Society (LGBT). As hostess and judge, Beaux Reeves stepped into the shoes of world-famous supermodel and the presenter of America’s Next Top Model, Tyra Banks. Clad in knee-high sequined boots and silver tie-dye tights, Beaux Reaves entertained the audience by passing a critical eye over the contestants. The evening saw models exhibiting three different costumes of their own creation under the categories of: Funky, Formal and Fancy Dress. The latter category saw a range of costumes, including a one-piece cat suit, milkmaid outfit and both male and female angels. Senior Freshman Deirdre Kilbride says, “All the costumes were fabulous, especially Ciaran Doyle’s masculine take on Lady Ga Ga chic.” Doyle wore an ensemble fashioned from black plastic bin liners. Claire Bermingham, Jill Woodnutt and Naomi Coyle were among the five finalists selected to reappear before the panel of judges. Among them was Trish Fallon, the director of First Option Model Agency, and international hair and makeup artist Noel Sutton. The coveted prize of a yearlong modelling contract with First Option went to James McArville with James Gough as runner-up.
12 » The number of candidates who will be campaigning over the next two weeks to secure a position as a Students’ Union officer for the next academic year. Left to right: Tim Cody (Accenture), Paddy Rooney & Eoghan Casey (King’s Inns). Photo courtesy UPS
€898,000 » The amount form the student services charge used to pay for Trinity’s Bio Resources unit in 2008.
€34,161
Kings Inns crowned intervarsity champs
» The amount paid in fees to IBEC by the college in 2008.
15 » Days until Trinity Ball tickets go on sale on Wednesday February 24.
€78 » The cost of a single ticket to the Ball this year.
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David Molloy Aoife Crowley Tom Lowe Jennifer Finn John Colthurst Aoife Fleming Bina Dangol Eleanor Friel Eoin Silke Tess O’Leary Cal McDonagh Yuliya Bespala, Jean Morley Kate Palmer Fearghus Roulston James Coghill, Stuart Winchester Hugh Taylor, Peter Martin Charles Baker, Sarah Fulham Claire Brett, Shane Quinn Grace Walsh, Paul McDonnell James Lee, Ralph Marnham Jason Somerville, Lisa Keenan John Engle Paul Galbraith, Alexandra Finnegan Michael Armstrong Karl McDonald Rebecca Long, Alex Towers Verity Simpson, Karl McDonald Patrice Murphy, Ana Kinsella Niall O’Brien, Cillian Murphy Rachel Parker, Jamie Leptien Theresa Ryan, Aisling Deng Kara Furr, Kiera Healy Dan Kennedy, Conor McGee Andy Kavanagh, Saoirse Kerrigan
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OVER 300 debaters, judges, organisers and spectators filled the GMB last weekend for the annual Accenture Trinity IV. Some 90 teams compromising the best talent from Ireland, Britain, Europe and North America. The competition is co-hosted by the College Historical Society and Philosophical Society, and was organised by Catherine Murphy, Ciara Finlay. Eoghan Casey and Patrick Rooney from the King’s Inns beat teams from Oxford and St. Andrews to win the final, debating the motion: “This house should not have pre-marital sex”. Ruth Faller, SS Law Student and World Debating Championships Quarter Finalist, and Doug Cochran, former Trinity IV winner, were Chief Adjudicators for the competition. Tim Cody, Senior Executive
with Accenture in Ireland, said “Accenture are proud to sponsor the 2010 Trinity Intervarsity Debating Competition and to further deepen our relationship with the college and its various societies. These types of competitions which bring students together from across the world from various colleges are an important part of college life and of a long-standing tradition here in Trinity College which we are happy to support where we can”. The Kingsmill-Moore Invitational also took place over the weekend, and was won by LLM student Aengus O’Corrain and Harish Natarajan. The final was chaired by Mr. Justice Vivian Lavan and the Chief Adjudicator was Brendan Bruen. Conor Sullivan
HE SAID, SHE SAID... Compiled by Aoife Crowley & Kate Palmer
WHAT ISSUE IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU WHEN VOTING FOR THE STUDENTS’ UNION PRESIDENT?
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DARRAGH HAUGH SF LAW
“I would choose a president who ensures printers are always working, because at the moment service is really poor”
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MARY-KATE COLLINS SF TSM
“Ideally, the Students’ Union President should organise campaigns on a national level, and not just exclusively in the ‘hub’ of Trinity College.”
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JOHANNA CLANCY JF TSM
“The President should be campaigning for more Library opening hours, Sunday in particular. Also, I think it’s important for the President to be someone that you can go to if you need”
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LEANNA BYRNE JF BESS
“My priority would be to have an efficient ISS Services. The
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DANIEL HARRINGTON SF LAW
“I’ve been involved with the Students’ Union for two years now, and I know how it can seem like a “clique” group. Anyone who is an outsider doesn’t really know, or even care about when goes on in Students’ Union councils. I think the best thing the President could do would make the Students Union available to everyone, and wanted by everyone”.
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BARRY KEANE JS MEDICINE “It’s hard to say what the main issue should be now that fees are off the agenda. I’m not necessarily against fees, as long as there is a working grants system. We need a grants system that involves fair analysis of a student’s needs, before the government can start to think about introducing tuition fees. I think the President should be proactive about the right issues. The SU President, it’s grand like. The candidates all seem to be able administrators, so it comes down to personality, it boils down to popularity.”
COLLEGE NEWS
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
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IRON MAN
SHORT CUTS INDUSTRIAL ACTION SIPTU HAVE served Trinity College with notice of industrial action in response to cuts imposed by the government on the public sector. SIPTU’s sectoral organiser Chris Rowland says “the union is holding the college repsonsible as the employer” and also makes the point that “the universities complied with the government’s decision to cut pay.” The action commenced on Monday 1st Febuary and involves SIPTU’s members in the college working to contract including strict adherence to working hours. An example of the problems this action will cause in the college can be found in the libraries. Due to the government’s embargo on employment library staff were required by college to work hours outside of their contracts in order to compensate for the vacancies of eleven full-time permanent posts which cannot be filled. As a result of this work to rule the library staff will no longer work the irregular or extra hours needed to fill positions left by the lack of staff. The action is to apply to all the SIPTU members in the college but not all at once. According to Rowland, “all members will be taking part in the work to rule at different stages”. The dates are yet to be decided by a commitee. Under the industrial action conditions SIPTU members will also show no co-operation with any element of the transformation change agenda and will cease co-operation with the board of governors. Rowland “hopes that (the students) would support and understand it”. She claims that “the staff of Trinity are anxious that students receive the best possible service available”, however she feels it’s wrong to cut the pay of staff earning low to middle incomes. “Everyone must take a hit for the greater good” she says. Megan McDermott
SCAM EMAIL BUGS STUDENTS
A FRAUDULENT email has been sent to a number of Trinity students requesting their account details and College password. The email, which was sent out in late January, claims to “upgrade your account”, which will otherwise “be suspended temporarily from our services”. Although the message was not sent from a Trinity mail address, it cites the Trinity homepage and Myzone email, posing as a “web administrator”. IS Services Helpdesk say they are “aware of the email”, which has now been blocked. They are assuring students not to reply to it. “IS Services will never request your account details via email”, says a helpdesk spokesmen, who advises such emails should be “considered fraudulent and deleted”. It is not known whether any students have been victim to the scam. Kate Palmer
POSTGRAD RECEIVES MEDAL
A TRINITY postgraduate student has been awarded the 2010 Engineers Ireland Biomedical Research Medal for his contribution to the field of biomedical engineering research. Kevin Moerman was selected from a shortlist of five finalists after each candidate presented their research to delegates at the annual Bioengineering in Ireland conference in Dublin. He was presented with a commemorative Engineers Ireland medal and a cheque for €1000, sponsored by Georgia Tech Ireland. Dr Kevin O’Kelly, Deputy Director for the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering chaired this year’s conference and the keynote address was delivered by Professor Rose Anne Kenny, head of Medical Gerontology at TCD and Director and lead investigator for the first Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Professor Kenny’s address reinforced the theme of the conference which promoted bioengineering for better health. Kate Palmer
Sachs speaking in the Dining Hall for the College Historical Society inaugural address. Photo: Mark Kearney
Sachs speaks Conor Sullivan Staff Reporter CELEBRITY ECONOMIST Jeffrey Sachs visited Trinity last week, making a call for young people to play a role in combating two major problems facing the world economy: Global Poverty and Climate Change. “Each generation faces its challenge, each generation faces its existential reality that poses fundamental puzzles” he told the assembled students in the Public Theatre, and called on them to be more proactive in combating these. He said that the world has moved into a “new era” of interconnectedness. Citing the AIDS pandemic and the September 11 attacks as examples, he said that “for the first time, there is no part of the world that is cut off, no part that is not fundamentally interconnected – this is absolutely new”. He talked of major problems facing the world, such as extreme poverty and climate change, and said “we will absolutely wreck the planet in our lifetimes” should nothing be done. “Money, markets and Science and Technology” can only do “so much” he said, telling the students present
of the need for a “new ethics of global responsibility”. On Poverty he said, “we can harness market forces to good ends” and talked about new technologies “that can save lives” if they “are harnessed for the greater good”. He said that “markets will turn their back on the poor” and that the world’s governments have a duty to intervene. “We have the means to end existing poverty in our time”. Climate Change was the second major theme of his speech, noting that the world had entered a “new era - a human driven era” where “human driven pressures on the environment dominate”. He said, “when you add up the costs of [stopping] Climate Change, we’re talking about 2% of rich world GDP, but we say it’s too much”. He criticised how “we can’t seem to find our way to mobilise the resources” to combat Climate Change. Sachs has been dubbed a “Celebrity Economist” by Time Magazine and “probably the most important economist in the world” by the New York Times. He is a prominent advocate of policies to reduce global poverty and combat climate change and wrote the 2005 bestseller “The End of Poverty”.
Sachs is known for advising developing countries, most notably some former Soviet bloc countries, to implement economic “shock therapy” with notable successes of this approach including Poland and New Zealand. This involves the sudden introduction of pro-market reforms; such as the withdrawal of price controls and state subsidies, removal of barriers to free trade and large scale privatisation of public owned assets. More recently, he was director of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals project. Other speakers at the event included Senator for Trinity College Shane Ross, Labour TD Joan Burton, and Government Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Patrick Cunningham. The occasion was the inaugural address of Historical Society Auditor and Economics student, Jamie Walsh. His speech, ‘Economics in the Global Sphere’, talked about global poverty. He said that it “was time to reassess global government in a global context” to address what he called the “failure to eliminate global poverty”, and argued that libertarians don’t acknowledge that Capitalism perpetuates suffering.
Dan Ordibehesht, part of the four person Static Iron Man team, a Trinity VDP and Haiti Appeal joint fundraiser were those who take part swim 3.8 km in the Sports centre pool, cycle 180 km outside the Dining Hall, and run a marathon around the rugby pitches. Photo: Michael Armstrong
Valentine’s Day lab work at the Science Gallery Claire Acton Staff Writer WITH VALENTINE’S Day fast approaching there is no better time for the Science Gallery to unravel its new exhibition, LOVE LAB: THE SCIENCE OF DESIRE. Opening on February 11, LOVE LAB will be aiming to discover the scientific basis for attraction and desire. They will be challenging the truth about the love that has inspired so many poets and writers throughout the course of time. They seek an answer to whether science can predict who you will fall in love with and why you would find that person attractive. Researchers will be investigating what lies behind the butterflies one feels when falling in love and whether romance in fact exists or if it our partners are predetermined according to genes thus aiming to prove that romance is down to scientific chemistry. They are going to take issues to do with attractiveness and desire and run experiments in an attempt to understand what is behind it. The LOVE LAB is an interactive exhibition inviting students and the public to take part, calling on them to donate their heart. Running right through February 14th the exhibition has many valentines’ season events such as, dark aphrodisiac dinners to discover a heightened sensual experience. There will also be the use of f-MRI scanning to
determine the image of rejection in the brain and the t-shirt test to investigate the way in which we use smell to determine potential mates. In addition to this there will also be experiments on judging the attractiveness of faces, voices and walks. The exhibition shall be drawing on neuroscience, psychology, genetics, physiology and biochemistry. Furthermore, there will be a significant input from leading scientists including Boyle medal winner, Trinity immunologist Professor Luke O’Neill and geneticist Dr Aoife McLysaght, Professor Fiona Newell and Science magazine’s Gonzo Scientist John Bohannon. Moreover, the Science Gallery café is getting involved in perfecting their own love potion. The exhibition runs until 12 March and is open Tuesday to Friday 12.0020.00 and Saturday and Sunday 12.00-18.00. The science gallery are holding a special VIP preview of the exhibition for members on the 10th February, however non-members can gain access through ticket booking. More information on the exhibition and membership can be found of the Science Gallery website, sciencegallery.com/lovelab.
Q&A UCD Smurfit School Open Evening Date: Time: Venue:
Wednesday February 24th From 4pm Blackrock campus
Event information & registration at smurfitschool.ie
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NATIONAL NEWS
SHORT CUTS UCC PARTNERSHIP FORMALISED UCC’S COLLEGE of Medicine and Health signed an Agreement with Bon Secours Hospital, Tralee on Wednesday, January 27th. The Agreement formalises the expanding relationship between UCC and Bon Secours Hospital in the training of medical students and extends the teaching functions of the hospital to other health profession students like pharmacy, nursing and clinical therapies. The Agreement also gives hospital staff who wish to pursue research interests access to university research facilities. Professor David Kerins, the Dean of UCC’s School of Medicine, said “This development demonstrates that private hospitals and public universities can collaborate fruitfully in education and research to the benefit of both parties in the best interests of the patients.” Mairead O’Casey
WATERFORD IT STUDENTS PROTEST EXAM RESULTS WEDNESDAY 3 February saw 3,000 Waterford IT students protest on campus demanding their Christmas exam results. The results have been withheld from students due to a dispute between lecturing staff and the management of the college. WIT Students’ Union and USI are urging both parties to find a resolution to the standoff. WIT Students’ Union President, Cathy Pembroke, said: “The students, who turned up today in mass numbers, demanded that they not be used as pawns in this stalemate situation.The students now each pay a €1500 registration fee, which includes charges for exams.” “The students of WIT are calling on both the lecturing staff and the management to display a little maturity and to sit down and agree a resolution to this juvenile dispute. This level of immaturity would not be tolerated of our students.” USI President Peter Mannion, who attended the protest, agreed with this and stated that many final year students need these results to help them apply for further study and jobs. The college has asked for patience, claiming it is attempting to bring its levels of payment into line with other institutions. A spokesperson for the institute said last night that progress towards finding a resolution has been made, and that a further statement is forthcoming. Seamus Donnelly
LIMERICK LANGUAGE CENTRE OPENS A NEW state-of-the-art Languages Building has been opened at the University of Limerick. It is expected not only to provide excellent facilities for current UL students, but also to attract greater numbers of international students to the university. Built at a cost of €6.15 million, the building hosts world class language learning facilities, seminar rooms, multimedia and language laboratories, a Languages Support Unit and academic offices. The building will also provide offices for Eurocall and for Aonad na Gaeilge, the unit dedicated to promoting the use of the Irish language across campus. The building will be open for evening classes and will also contain a special Seomra na Gaeilge, where Irish speakers from all sections of the campus can meet. John Fitzsimons
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
CLIMATE FACTS
Scientists are ‘losing climate change debate’ Aine Pennello Staff Writer DESCRIBING THE struggle of scientists to counteract climate change scepticism as a “science communication war”, Professor John Sweeney, director of the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Unit (ICARUS) at NUI Maynooth and lecturer in the college’s geography department, spoke of the battle between scientists and sceptics last week at a conference held by DCU’s research group Celsius. These sceptics, says Sweeney, include journalists and lobbyists whose communication skills give them an advantage in voicing their doubts about the rapidity of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) retraction of its claim on the melting of the Himalayan glaciers by 2035 has been seen as fundamental in fueling this scepticism. This incident has raised a serious call – even among environmentalists - for
the reorganisation of the IPCC and an apology from its head, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, which so far has gone unanswered. Given the IPCC’s role as the UN’s advisor on climate change, the exaggeration of the claim roused substantial suspicion on the reality of climate change as a whole. Such suspicions have been furthered, commentators believe, by the failure of world leaders at December’s Copenhagen summit to reach any resolution. Deniers of climate change have also created their own arguments, stating that the world is actually cooling down and citing the fact that recorded temperatures of the past decade have not been as high as in 1998. Professor Sweeney criticised the sceptics, claiming that while climate change researchers have committed mistakes, these were being “blown out of proportion” and their counter-arguments were limited, pseudo-scientific and “very well-
19 demonstrators were arrested at a march during the Copenhagen Summit on December 12th for carrying pocket knives and wearing masks. Marches protesting the inadequacies of the Summit occurred around the world with 20,000 marching in London and 50,000 in Australia. Four Greenpeace activists were arrested during the Summit for gate-crashing a dinner attended by the heads of states.
caption rehearsed”. Believing such journalists and sceptics to possess superior communication skills, Prof Sweeney lamented scientists’ “lousy” abilities to communicate to a wide audience. “Not having being brought up in the literary and debating societies, scientists are not very good at winning arguments” Prof Sweeney commented. As a result, the sceptics’ claim that climate change is a myth appears to be winning. Professor Sweeney cited the existence of institutes such as the Heartland Institute in the United States, which attempts to counteract the arguments concerning tobacco and health damage, as an example of the potentially damaging effect of scepticisim on scientific research. Numerous blogs and internet websites suspicious of climate change claims,
such as the Sceptics Notebook, have also emerged, providing a guide for sceptics on dealing with climate change believers. Climate change research scientists have been called upon to accept this scepticism as a vital part of the scientific process. China now recommends the IPCC to include sceptical points of view in their reports. Researchers have also been encouraged to be more open about their own doubts and uncertainties in order to gain public confidence as the urge for the inclusion of ‘grey’ material in future IPCC reports starts to mount. While Prof Sweeney continues to see scepticism and science as antagonistic, others are wishing for a more complementary relationship between the two – for now, only time can tell who will win this battle.
A national survey carried out by Pew Research Center has discovered that Americans are steadily losing belief in the credibility of climate change hypotheses. Global temperatures in 2009 were the 5th warmest since 1890 One bus emits greenhouse gases equal to that emitted by 50 cars. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen from 290 (ppm - parts per million) in 1900 to nearly 400 ppm. Ireland’s mean annual temperature increased by 0.7 degrees celcius (°C) between 1890 and 2004.
‘Epoch-making’ new biography spans 2000 years of Irish CAO applications soar characters 68000
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This graph demonstrates the rise in applications to the Central Admissions Office over the last decade.
Mairead Casey Staff Writer AN UNPRECEDENTED numbers of students have applied for college places this year. The Central Applications Office estimates a 10 per cent increase from last year’s 66,500 to 72,500, for 2010. Unfortunately, this sudden increase will most likely lead to a dramatic increase in CAO points for most courses. The record number of applications will impose further pressure on facilities and resources at higher-level institutions. A spokesman for the Minister of Education Batt O’Keeffe said that over 71,000 students have applied for 45,000 places. He said the gap between supply and demand would narrow in the months ahead because some applicants will not get the required points. Others will decide to repeat, defer, apply for places in Northern Ireland or the UK, or enter post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) or
apprenticeship programmes. Fine Gael education spokesman Brian Hayes said the cap on PLC places needed to be lifted. Mr Hayes said official figures show there were almost 37,000 applications for 13,000 courses for this academic this year. “The record number of CAO applications is bound to leave many potential students frustrated and without a college place. Lifting the cap on PLC places will undoubtedly ease this pressure and allow thousands to pursue a much-desired third-level course.” The number of CAO applications have increased massively due to the economic downturn. Many people who would have sought employment instead of college places are applying to university. This year has also seen an unprecedented amount of mature student applications (over 15,000) and a further estimation 2,000 more Leaving Cert students seeking third-
level places. The new restrictions on social welfare, which could mean that those on jobseekers allowance risk losing benefit unless they are in education or training, may also have contributed to the rapid surge in CAO applications. However the new directive of the Higher Education Authority, forcing the number of staff members in higher education to be cut by 6 per cent from December 2008 to December 2010, means that points for the CAO may be on the rise even without the greater competition for places. It is thought by career experts that point requirements for popular courses will rise considerably. Points for courses linked to the building industry are likely to fall however; student demand for these courses fell by 40 per cent last year. Points for law and architecture are also likely to drop due to the limited employment opportunities in these areas.
Fearghus Roulston National News Editor THE NEWLYPUBLISHED Dictionary for Irish Biography has become the most authorative biographical resource ever published in Ireland. Spanning 2‘000 years of history and with over 9‘000 entries, the nine volume work was hailed by Taoiseach Brian Cowen as “The most significant Irish publication of the 21st century so far” The wideranging biography, consisting of over eight million words, will describe and assess the careers of Irish figures who have made significant contributions in Ireland and abroad. It will be especially significant in helping sustain Irish studies courses throughout the world. UCD Professor John McGuire described the painstaking process invovled in compiling the volumes. “Lack of sources, for example, has
meant that some entries are shorter than would otherwise be warranted. A paucity of written sources can apply to a variety of groups such as early medieval subjects, craft workers, sportsmen and even modern entrepreneurs, few of whom seem to have left substantial written records.” The publication was greeted with warmth by more than just academics. Nobel Lareate Seamus Heaney called the event “epoch-making...It changes the state of knowledge in the twenty-first century as decidedly as the Ordnance Survey did in the nineteenth”. Novelist Colm Toibin echoed these sentiments. “The Dictionary of Irish Biography will be greeted with delight by all those who study Irish literature and Irish history. It will not only make life easier for scholars and students, but become a palimpsest of the Irish achievement over many centuries”
Costly UL residence leaves Kenny and O’Keeffe unimpressed by college’s needless extravagance John Fitzsimons Staff Writer A MINOR controversy has developed surrounding the newly constructed residence of UL President Don Barry on the campus of the University. Both the Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe and the Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny have criticised the extremely expensive project, which is expected to come to over €3 million when costs of fixtures and outside infrastructure are added to the €1.1 million cost of the building itself. Speaking on Morning Ireland, Mr O’Keeffe commented that “obviously at a time of stringent financial constraints one would always ask people in authority to exercise restraint. It sounds lavish.” He declared that he will be ordering a report into the construction of the house. The lavish building comes at a
time when, according to the Sunday Independent, the university has now accumulated debts of over €3 million. In a large exposé on the new house, the paper detailed the extravagant spending on its interior. It emerged for example, that a quantity of Japanese silk wallpaper had been purchased at an estimated cost of over €40,000 for the president’s office. There was further controversy over the fact that the existing president’s €1 million house in Killaloe, remains under the ownership of the college, thus leading many to question the need for this second residence in the first place. The university and its Students’ Union have been vocal in their defence of the project. The university emphasised that the money used for the house is private money, rather than that of taxpayers. It is understood to have been donated by Atlantic Philanthropies.
This private foundation created in 1982 by the American billionaire Chuck Feeney, has donated over €40 million to UL, and been an essential driving force behind the university’s success. Eamonn Cregan, director of corporate “One would always ask people in authority to exercise restraint. It sounds lavish.” affairs at UL, was also keen to stress that the university will have the building “at its disposal for a wide range of public events and campus functions as well as obviously providing residence for the president.” Surprisingly, students were also keen to support the building of the
residence, despite seeing a massive increase in their registration fees and various other educational cutbacks this year. Students’ Union President Ruan Dillon-McLoughlin acknowledged that it forms “part of the long term strategic plan for the university that will help see the university become a world class university in terms of infrastructure.” Many students were sceptical about the Minister’s sudden admonishment of a project that has been planned for a number of years now. Some like business student Shane O’Sullivan thought the Minister was looking for an “easy headline.” Others rationalised the spending of such an amount on the president’s residence by contrasting it with the vast sums of money that have been donated to UL, thus seeking to demonstrate that in comparative terms, the amount spent on the residence did not amount to
much. Despite the obvious need for a fully functioning president’s house on campus and the fact that it was paid for through private funding, it must still be acknowledged that the excessive sum of money spent on the property is difficult to reconcile with the realities of the current economic climate. Such profligacy frustrates many people who are being forced to tighten their belts and suffer the consequences of the extraordinary wastefulness that has permeated Irish public life over the past twelve years. Even though the donor has the right to ask and dictate where the money should be spent, it would have been nice if, in the words of Deputy Kenny, “the board had been more concentrated on seeking funding for the education resources of the students who attend UL.”
February 8, 2010
“Haiti’s future depends on rebuilding education”
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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ZIMBABWE
DROP OUT RATE SOARS AS STUDENTS CAN NO LONGER AFFORD FEES
Haitians set up impromtu tent cities thorough the capital after an earthquake measuring 7 plus on the Richter scale rocked Port au Prince, Haiti on January 12. Photo: UN
»» 80 percent of higher education institutions were destroyed in the January 12th earthquake, it also estimates that nearly half of the country’s schools have been completely destroyed »» UNESCO calls on international community to show solidarity and urges countries to take on students Virginia Furness Staff Writer AS RECONSTRUCTION begins on the recently devastated Caribbean island of Haiti education appears a secondary concern to those shattered by the loss of loved ones, homes and livelihoods. With search and rescue operations officially over, a mere 132 people were pulled alive from the rubble, attention is turning to the distribution of aid and the rebuilding of infrastructure. Measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, the earthquake all but destroyed Haiti’s means of effective coordination; the presidential palace and many government ministries were among the collapsed buildings. With no central point of management, the country and ensuing efforts to aid it remain in chaos. With more than 1.5million left homeless and the country all but destroyed, looking beyond the immediate effects of devastation is a difficult task. The future of Haiti, however, is a pressing concern. “Haiti can’t have a future without educated children”, Pierre Michel Laguerre, director general of Haiti’s Education Ministry states, “But there has been so much destruction, it’s a big and unprecedented challenge for us”. The recently bulldozed Education Ministry stands as an ominous symbol for the state of education in Haiti. More than half the country’s schools and all its biggest universities have been damaged or destroyed. In 45 seconds, the dreams of many of Haiti’s privileged undergraduates shattered. Astride Auguste was late for an examination on the fateful morning of the 12th January. The International Affairs and Management student felt the ground beneath her shake violently. A few miles away Portau-Prince’s Quiskeya University collapsed. Many of her fellow students and academics lost their lives. “I can’t believe it” she told The University World News. “This is a nightmare. The year has been lost. I don’t know what I’m going to do now”. Decades of poverty, environmental disasters, violence,
instability and dictatorship left Haiti a failed state: the poorest nation in the Americas. Haiti has only recently been increasingly successful in the struggle against lack of education and illiteracy. Though only 1% of Haitian’s aged 18-34 enter tertiary education – the lowest rate in the hemisphere – the system was considered one of the best in the Caribbean. Graduates went on to become lawyers, doctors, accountants and engineers, forging strong international links and working towards an improvement of the 53% literacy rate. The State University of Haiti recently finished a US$2 million upgrade. It offered services to 13,000 students and employed 700 teachers. The University became an autonomous institution in 1987, severing ties with the government and uncovering itself from the blanket of dictatorial rule. Universite d’Etat d’Haiti stood at the epicentre of important struggles for Human Rights against dictatorship in the years 1986, 1991-4 and 2002. The University’s website outlines its objective: “freedom of expression, academic freedom, freedom of management, financial freedom and inviolability of the university areas.” 80% of higher education institutions were destroyed in the quake, posing a massive impediment to such progress. The University of Port-au-Prince, a private institution, situated in the middle class district of the Island’s capital came crashing down. “I was there on the third floor, but I escaped,” said one student, Michelet Saint-Preux, his arm bandaged and a deep gash in his chin. “I lost many friends there.” The papers and notebooks scattered amongst the rubble and the crowd of students and relatives of the missing are the only remainders of what was once a great centre of hope and opportunity to rise out of Haiti’s poverty trap. Many of Haiti’s future leaders and thinkers would have perished in the quake. Academia was also hard hit with the death of three of Haiti’s major feminist thinkers, Myriam Merlet, the lawyer Magalie Marcelin and Anne Marie Coriolan. Conor Bohan, executive director of the Haitian Education
and Leadership Programme (HELP) highlights the importance of re-establishing the education system: “Haiti needs to rebuild its educated class, the anchor of every stable economy and society.” Bohan goes on to comment on the intellectual void left by emigrating graduates: “85% of Haitian’s with a degree have emigrated, the result of Duvalierist anti intellectual repression and 20 years of political instability.” “In short Haiti’s educated class has left and is not being replaced”. With the country in such disarray the probability of retaining future graduates looks increasingly slim. The government held a meeting to plan a reconstruction strategy. The Haitian Education and Leadership Programme (HELP) is trying to use this opportunity to create a partnership between accredited Haitian universities and those abroad. “Universities, long the neglected stepchild of international aid for education, need massive investment to prepare tens of thousands of Haitian students to become productive and prosperous members in the global economy,” Bohan said. Government officials and aid groups said they hoped to overcome the rift created by the independently administered state and private education systems. Recovery appears to provide the opportunity to establish a harmonized system for the country, with a single curriculum, under the lead of the Education Ministry. With children under 18 making up nearly half of Haiti’s population of 9 million, thousands have been orphaned. The government estimates that half of the country’s schools have been destroyed by the quake. Such a void has destroyed not only the chance of a stable education in the foreseeable future but also a place of protection and continuity for Haiti’s children. Because the public school system is considered poor by many Haitians, 85% of Haiti’s schools are private. But now many of those schools lack the financial and human resources to function properly, if at all. The state of education in Haiti remains dire. All that remains is to start from the beginning again and rebuild the system that once looked so progressive and promising.
Sixteen students murdered in Mexican house party shooting Christopher McCann Staff Writer
The Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez. Photo: HJ Simpson
GUNMEN HAVE murdered 16 young students in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez in what appears to be a mistaken drugs hit. It is reported that the victims in this brutal attack were aged between 15 and 20. The shooting, a common occurrence in Ciudad Juárez, left a further 20 people injured, some critically. Eyewitness reports describe how up to 15 assailants arrived in a fleet of 4x4 vehicles. While some of the gang blocked off entry and exit points to the street, the remaining members opened fire on several houses. An unnamed witness has described how the men, “were well armed. They went into the house and shot at everyone, you could hear the gunfire all round.” After the attack, blood poured onto the street from the houses. Further witness reports suggest that the gunmen believed that the revelers were members of a rival gang further fuelling claims that the killings are linked to drug related turf-wars. Due to its geographical location, Mexico serves as the main gateway for drugs to enter the USA. This is particularly apparent in Ciudad Juárez which is located right on the US border, rival cartels vie for control of cross border trade as well as monopoly over the large number of addicts who reside in Ciudad Juárez. Drug cartels show no hesitancy to resort to
arms in the Chihuahuan city which, last year, had one of the world’s highest murder rates with a reported 2,650 killings. The Mexican government has taken drastic action in an attempt to control drug-related violence. In 2006, the army were deployed throughout Mexico, an undertaking which the government hoped would curb the soaring murder rate. A total of 45,000 troops were installed, 10,000 of whom are positioned in Ciudad Juárez. Despite these measures, there have been 17,000 killings in Mexico since 2006 and the citizenry are losing patience with President Felipe Calderon. A banner left at the scene of the murders reads, “until we find who is responsible, you Mr. President are the assassin.” Although the murders are largely between rival cartels, incidents such as this serve to diminish support in the government. The citizens of Ciudad Juárez are questioning whether enough is being done to protect innocent citizens. The outcry is not limited to fearful citizens either, the Mexican Senate has insisted that the government explain how 16 innocent people could be massacred without any form of state intervention. On the same day as the attack in Ciudad Juárez, 20 gunmen opened fire on a police station in the Pacific port city of Lázaro Cárdenas and just a week earlier Paraguayan footballer Salvador Cabañas was left with a bullet lodged in his brain after an assault in Mexico City. The attacks are indicative of a climate of gun violence in Mexico, a climate that will escalate unless renewed efforts are made by the government.
STUDENT LEADERS in Zimbabwe have held a crisis meeting with the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last week after it emerged that 28% of students had dropped out of the country’s leading universities because of a lack of foreign currency to settle tuition fees. The University of Zimbabwe started its new term last Monday but students have been set tuition fees between US$300 and $1,500 in a country where the highest paid civil servant earns less than US$200 a month and unemployment sits around 90%. Zimbabwe abolished the use of the Zimbabwe dollar in February last year when the United States dollar, South African Rand and Botswana Pula were declared legal tender. This has left many students without the necessary funds to pay for tuition, forcing them to drop out. ITALY
FOREIGN LECTURERS IN ITALY FINALLY GET THEIR PAY BRITISH LECTURERS that teach in Italy are finally to put decades of low pay, denied pensions and missed promotions behind them this week after a Italian court awarded seven British lecturers at the University of Padua about 300,000 pounds each in back wages following a 12-year-legal battle. The dream of teaching at ancient universities in stunning Italian towns such as Verona has proved irresistible to hundreds of British lecturers drawn by Dante and Boccaccio over the last 30 years. David Petrie, a representative of the lecturers talks of the hardships, “There are 300-400 foreign lecturers in Italy, half of whom are British, who now take home an average of 1000 Euro a month, while their Italian equivalents earn over twice that much despite six largely ignored rulings by the European court of justice on equal treatment.” Now Britain’s Minister for Europe, Chris Bryant is poised to take up the case with the Italian government after last week’s court ruling. UNITED KINGDOM
STUDENT SUSPENDED FROM OXFORD IN UCAS APPLICATION SCANDAL A FIRST year student at Oxford University has been suspended after it was discovered he forged parts of his UCAS entrance application. The student, who wan a place in 2009 to read Economics and Management, claimed to have graduated from Langley Grammar School with at least 10 A grades at A-level. He faked the relevant documents required for application, which included a forged reference from a teacher. Embarrassinglyw for the university, forgeries were not revealed until he had completed an entire term, when one college noticed some academic discrepancies in his personal record. Janet Jamieson, Deputy Headmistress of Langley Grammar School said, “He certainly did not achieve those A-level grades, nor did he achieve the GCSEs that he claimed from his previous school. This boy was a student here and that is where it ends,” Jamieson said in a statement to Cherwell, the university newspaper.
ONLY ONE IN SEVEN WILL GET UNIVERSITY PLACE IN 2010 MORE THAN 200,000 students in the United Kingdom risk missing out on degree courses in September after revelations from vice-chancellors that universities are freezing places. The move risks “shattering the dreams” of record numbers of school leavers competing to get into higher education on the economic downturn, it was claimed. One university leader warned that institutions were being forced to prioritise foreign students over those from the UK because they can be charged as much as 30,000 pounds a year. It also emerged that almost seven people are competing for each place at elite universities, prompting claims that more students with straight As will be rejected. Professor Steve Smith, president of Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, suggested more than 200,000 students could miss out as a result of the squeeze. “Last year about 160,000 students who applied didn’t end up going to university, this year we already know that there are about another 75,000 applying for university. So the number of students who go to university will be less than the number that actually want to go and thus there will be a lot of students this year who do not get a place.”
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NEWS FEATURES
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
Altruism strikes back: a new era for giving Haiti’s earthquake was just one of three major natural disasters in the past decade, yet it has provoked the greatest charitable response. Kate Gaertner Staff Writer THREE WEEKS after Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, was struck by the country’s most severe earthquake in over 200 years, we’ve seen the repercussions—both here and abroad. We’ve walked by schoolchildren asking for donations on Grafton Street; we’ve seen John Travolta fly in on his private jet to help with the recovery efforts; we’ve made every party a Haiti benefit as internationally-renowned celebrities organized one of their own. We have seen, on the national and international media, images of bodies littering the ground and stacked along roadways, watched news anchors break down in front of millions of viewers as they talk about now-childless mothers. The images circulated by global mass media are difficult to turn away from, and they’re not altogether unfamiliar. After all, a tsunami hit the Indian ocean five short years ago, and Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, Louisiana, six months later. In both catastrophes, we saw similar wreckage to the images that we see now: portraits of people who ordinarily live on the edge of poverty with their homes destroyed and their families missing. These widely circulated depictions of human misery have become familiar to us, thanks to 24-hour-news and websites with hourly updates. But something seems different this time: it seems that Haiti is receiving
more global charity and attention than either Katrina or the tsunami, and we’re left asking why. After all, the death toll in Haiti is still smaller than that of the tsunami by almost 100,000. The world economy is struggling, in comparison to robust 2004 and 2005. What is it that makes us want to give more now than we did then? And what can we learn about our global community from the differences in our reactions to each disaster? Perhaps the easiest answer relies on
Something seems different this time: it seems that Haiti is receiving more global charity and attention than either Katrina or the tsunami, and we’re left asking why. an assessment of international politics. Though many of the victims of Katrina left in New Orleans were destitute, Katrina nevertheless took place in the richest country in the world. It’s assumed that the United States can take care of itself, and it did, raising $580 million in charitable aid in the eight days after the disaster. Katrina elicited less global attention because it seemed to
be concentrated in its own hemisphere, with its own powerful government left to deal with the fallout. Haiti, unlike Indonesia, is close enough to the U.S. geographically to garner American sympathy and attention, with the U.S. raising $305 million for Haiti in eight days as opposed to $163 million for the tsunami. And Americans are not unique in their ties to Haiti: as a former French colony, Haiti’s ties to the EU run deep. Perhaps there is a sense of European guilt for the legacy of colonialism in a country that had an underdeveloped economy and faltering political structures before being hit by catastrophe. Though Haiti is located in the U.S.’s sphere of influence, its ties to the EU imply a vast (and global) net of international relationships—a net not as strongly woven in Indonesia and the other South Asian countries affected by the tsunami. Or perhaps the influx of charity has to do with the concentration of the Haitian earthquake. Though the death toll from the tsunami was higher, it was more spread out. Haiti’s catastrophe affected the entire livelihood of one country in particular. Perhaps it’s human nature to feel more sympathy toward human misery when it’s confined to a specific location. But assessing the magnitude of charity as it relates to Haiti leads us to another point, a bigger one. In a world as intricately and bizarrely connected as ours is now, cultural logic operates similarly to economic logic. The whole
One of the many injured children following the Haitian earthquake. Photo: Logan Abassi / The United Nations world follows larger trends than they did 20 years ago, or even five. The bursting of a housing bubble in America can shatter the national economy of Iceland, causing a global credit crisis that is enhanced by diminished expectations about the world economy. When Americans lower their spending norms, the rest of the world does likewise: globalisation means that we are all ensconced in a net of cause, effect, and expectation. In a similar fashion, a global outpouring of grief seems to have a ripple effect: media attention multiplies as our attention multiplies. When we see celebrities devoting attention to Haiti, we want to devote our
A FILM by Bollywood director Sanjay Sharma entitled Dunno Y ... Na Jaane Kyun is giving India’s movie-going public its first on-screen gay kiss. This comes after a High Court ruling last year legalising homosexuality. The film’s plot explores an overtly sexual relationship between a struggling male actor and the man he finds on the way to claiming fame and fortune in the movie industry. Film posters bear the image of two naked young men locked in a passionate embrace. Though the High Court ruling is a significant step forward for India’s gay rights movement, the legislation still must pass through the Supreme Court. Homosexuality remains a taboo within Indian culture. Nevertheless, when the film is released in May, it will stand as a popular culture representation of a remarkably liberal shift in India’s public opinion and politics. Dunno Y … Na Jaane Kyun, or “Don’t Know Why”, is the first film in India’s history to treat homosexuality seriously. In another recent Bollywood film, Dostana, the two male characters must pretend to be in a gay relationship, but
only to convince their landlord to allow his beautiful daughter to live with them. Most other portrayals of homosexuality in Indian film have similarly been as stereotypes used for comic relief. Of course, Sharma’s film is garnering a significant amount of attention. But the filmmaker seems to be taking it easy. “At the moment I’m not thinking about any political or censor problems”, Sharma told the BBC. Gay rights activists have praised the film’s audacity in tackling its subject seriously, and believe it will lead to an even more free and open environment for gays in India. Sharma seems not to be thinking of the film as a political statement—or is at least playing this aspect down to avoid any problems. “The only thing I was particular about was that this character should not come across as a caricature or just as an object of mockery. I am truly happy with what I have chosen”, Sharma told the Times of India. The film’s lead is Sharma’s brother Kapil, who is pursuing his role alongside the more established Bollywood stars of Zeenat Aman, Helen and Kabir Bedi. The involvement of some of Bollywood’s higher-profile actors has already added to the potential impact of the work
John O’Rourke Columnist
Bollywood posters covering a wall in Mumbai. Photo: Mosseby through giving their explicit affirmation of the film. This is significant since Bollywood actors have huge followings. All of this clearly draws comparisons to Ang Lee’s 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, in which Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger play rough-looking cowboys whose homosexual relationship
belied stereotype. So, for Mr. Sharma, the next few months should be exciting. It looks as if India is making more progressive steps toward a free and tolerant state than most others. However, the question remains, when will a gay kiss cease entirely to be shocking?
Pratchett calls for “assisted death” The acclaimed author has relaunched the euthanasia debate with a recent BBC lecture. Máiréad Cremins Staff Writer AMONG ALL the mysteries of neurology, there’s an old argument that an active brain is the best defence in protecting oneself from diseases of the mind. However, when bestselling author, Sir Terry Pratchett, was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease in December 2007, this belief was certainly challenged. As renowned author of the Discworld series, Pratchett’s imagination is what has made him so successful. A year after his diagnosis, Pratchett received an honorary Doctorate of Literature from Trinity College Dublin--significant, not
least due to the fact that it was the first that he had been awarded by a university founded before the 20th century. Pratchett’s involvement with the issues of euthanasia fully began in an article published in mid 2009, sparking widespread discussion. He said that he wished to commit “assisted suicide” (though he prefers the term “assisted death”) before the Alzheimer’s disease progresses to a critical point. This statement triggered an international debate on euthanasia. Last week, Terry Prachett had the honour of being the first novelist to give the Richard Dimbleby Lecture, which he entitled “shaking hands with death”. In it he explored with striking humility
first that has borne witness to this kind of media response to national disasters. We now inhabit a world where grief can be poured out of a television screen, where sympathy can be sought on Twitter and placed into a text message. Our increasing interconnectedness means an enhanced ability to invoke sympathy, especially in the face of a natural disaster. Haiti, Katrina, and the Indian Ocean tsunami are catastrophes of the sort that comes into the world without any apparent human cause. And in a world where our causes are increasingly in touch with one another, the effect seems to be that our inclination toward altruism increases.
Politicians’ health: public or private?
Bollywood’s Brokeback Jonathan Creasy Staff Writer
own—even if it’s something as simple as dropping a few coins in a child’s bucket on Grafton Street. And the means by which we share information makes us more receptive to trends in charitable giving, too. Facebook was limited to college students in 2004, and Twitter didn’t even exist. Both have played an enormous role in the crisis, with Wyclef Jean and our peers alike constantly telling us to give. We can now donate money simply by sending a text message, and this sheer convenience means that we give more now than we did five years ago. We are the first generation to come of age in a global community, and the
and a subtle humour how modern society needs to redefine how it deals with death. Pratchett made the case for euthanasia tribunals which are “some kind of strictly non-aggressive tribunal that would establish the facts of the case well before the assisted death takes place”. These tribunals have been given the label “death panels” by those who find the idea morally repugnant. In this debate, opponents of assisted death always argue that man should not “play God”. Terry Pratchett says, “the problem with the God argument is that it only works if you believe in God”. His response effectively captures the gulf that exists between the opposing camps, and the prospect of moving forward
with the issue seems remote. However, Pratchett’s view is supported by two recent UK polls (one BBC Panorama and one YouGov survey) in which over 70% of respondents believed that a change in the law was necessary, in order to allow some form of euthanasia. Pratchett says, “If I knew that I could die at anytime I wanted, then suddenly every day would be as precious as a million pounds. If I knew that I could die, I would live. My life, my death, my choice”. It is on this poignant note he ended the lecture, and we should take note. Pratchett has used his personal plight and public profile usefully, enabling a discussion that we all need to have.
THERE WAS much buzz in the press last week about Channel 4’s Sunday night drama, Mo. The portrayal of the late Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam and her incendiary brand of politics was a great success for the broadcaster, earning them their highest drama viewing figures in almost a decade. Many critics already even believe that Julie Walters already has next year’s television awards season wrapped up with her powerhouse performance in the title role. Heralding the show’s broadcast was a new slew of facts about Mowlam’s life, exposing the real extent of the firebrand politician’s brain tumour. It appears that the wily MP had known even before New Labour got into power about her malignant cancer, but had decided, against leading cancer specialist Mark Glazer’s advice, to not only contest the pivotal 1997 election, but also to take up the high-pressure Northern Ireland portfolio. Claiming that her fatal affliction was no more than a benevolent tumour, Mowlam racked up a series of successes during her spell at Stormont, not least her stewardship of the historic Good Friday Agreement. However the revelation does prompt some questions regarding Mowlam’s accountability. With a life expectancy of only three years—she lived a further nine until she died in 2005—Mowlam was heavily discouraged from continuing on with her career by her doctor, acutely aware of how seriously this form of cancer could affect the cabinet member’s cogitation and reasoning abilities. In light of these disclosures, many have attributed the magnitude of Mowlam’s achievements to her canny awareness of the time constraints inflicted by her illness. But there will never be any consensus as to whether this was the brave act of a human being, sensitive to the possibilities afforded her by her indubitable political talent, or the reckless behaviour of a self-aggrandising operator, career-driven to the end. The first image is of course preferable, but there’s little that can make that niggling doubt go away about just how irresponsible her activities were. The issue also highlights the growing trend of media obsession with a politician’s bill of health. It seems bizarre that the gravity of Mowlam’s situation, given her high-profile position, could have been so expertly concealed just over ten years ago. In 2008’s US presidential election, a frequent jibe used against John McCain was his illness ridden past, despite the fact that he provided
comprehensive doctors’ reports at various stages of the campaign trail. Gordon Brown is consistently dogged by claims that he has gone blind, though it may be metaphorically fair to say he has lost his vision. It is ironic that so much of the ongoing fight over US healthcare seems to pivot on the former seat of Teddy Kennedy, whose own fatal struggle with a brain tumour made the drama surrounding the controversial bill so much more poignant. The current hype surrounding full disclosure of medical history creates a stark contrast to a bygone era where figures like John F. Kennedy (afflicted by crippling back-pain), Eamonn de Valera (almost totally blind by the time he ended his long reign as Taoiseach) and Winston Churchill (who left 10 Downing Street after suffering his second stroke) led their countries through periods of great turmoil, with the public none the wiser. However there have been some recent rumblings of a backlash from a jaded public. On St. Stephens Day at the end of last year, a 5.30 breaking news
The cases of Mo Mowlam and Brian Lenihan highlight the growing trend of media obsession with a politician’s bill of health. bulletin went out on TV3, in a desperate attempt to be the first to break the story of Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan’s pancreatic cancer. The next day, the channel was widely panned for its action, branded as opportunistic and heartless for its intrusive behaviour at such a sensitive time of year. This viewpoint on the story offered other Irish news outlets a way of discussing the Minister’s illness under the guise of a critique of TV3, a highly fortuitous scenario for the likes of RTE and The Irish Times amongst others. But this chain of events did elicit large amounts of sympathy for the politician, already one of the most popular members of the Irish government, from a public who were swift to register their disgust at TV3’s behaviour. A recent Sunday Independent opinion poll found that 70% of people supported the minister’s decision to stay in office, proving that, like in the case of Mo Mowlam, the correlation between a politician’s health and their performance in the job may be more slight than the media would want us to believe.
FEATURES
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
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Salinger is dead, but his spirit lives on J.D. Salinger, a recluse prior to his death, is forever present in those whom he captivated by his work, writes Hugh Fulham-McQuillan. Hugh Fulham-McQuillan Staff Writer J.D. SALINGER is dead, the author who wrote what was once widely regarded as the seminal “coming of age” novel. Novels such as these are usually best appreciated when the reader is on the cusp of adulthood. They are unique in that, when read at the right age, they establish an emotional resonance in the reader and frequently hack their mind apart, reassembling it with a new understanding of the harsh reality of the grown up world. They are also regarded as the books that can make teenagers insufferable know-it-alls, as this new understanding is built upon a precocious teenage immaturity. These books lead the reader to believe (or want to believe) that the main character is their long lost twin. One becomes indelibly connected to this character on his journey through the pages of the book and on the reader’s parallel journey to self awareness. For the purposes of transparency and authenticity I should note that my own experiences with the “coming of age” books belong with Jack Kerouac, and his haphazard recollections of the rise of Jazz, the search for identity and the birth of free love in his book On The Road. It is not important which book opened your eyes, what matters is that it was a book. The phrase “Don’t shoot the messenger” is good advice: nobody likes to be the bearer of bad news. The reason for this is that the medium and the message often get irrevocably intertwined, often to the detriment of the medium when the message is one of ill tidings. In the context of the coming of age story, it would seem that the medium and the message are both one and the same. There are a number of reasons for this. It may be because of the history of the book as one of the first methods of mass media (apart from painting, which is as old as humanity). Ever since the invention of the printing press, books have served as visiting companions who arrive laden down with colourful luggage and proceed to tell you stories of distant lands and exotic lifestyles. They have the ability to buy up valuable real estate in your mind more so than any other medium, and unlike visitors with a pulse and a heartbeat, they can be shut up with a flick of the cover when
you become tired or hungry. The strong emotional attachment that books can create within the reader can be illustrated whenever a film adaptation of a loved book is released. In the run up to the release, fans of the book will pretend to reserve judgement while snipes and sneers escape from them like squeaks from an overblown balloon pinched at the neck. On dragging themseves to see the film they are invariably disappointed by what they perceive to be the director’s total disregard for the source material. They are always right, although their outrage may not have the strongest logical foundation. When a character or situation is described in a book you immediately form your own individualised image of that scenario, fed by your unique life experiences. It would be an impossible task for a director to tailor to each fan’s individual mental image of a character or scene. The length of time it takes to read a book (usually longer than it would take to view a film) allows the reader time to develop a strong emotional attachment with the book. The recent serialisation of some television programmes may
... visiting companions who arrive laden down with colourful luggage and proceed to tell you stories of distant lands and exotic lifestyles. provide a contender to the book’s dominance in delivering “the coming of age” story. Mad Men, The Wire and The Sopranos lead the charge in this field: these are all lengthy series with an emphasis on character development and enveloping story arcs. These programmes cater to a wide audience and have all developed cult followings, yet they will never achieve the intimacy that books can provide. The physical deliverance of the story is a large factor in this intimacy. Television provides the option of either group or solo entertainment. unless you create some sort of den with a sheet draped around yourself and the television. Its group
entertainment facility is more or less the usual method of viewing, or there is the alternative to embrace the screen so that nobody else can see. If the latter scenario were the case, then my theory is redundant, because that individual
At first Salinger craved fame, then he got it, and then he got sick of it. must have a very strong emotional connection with their television. I hope they are happy together. A book with a strong main character can lead one to equate and confuse the author for the character. Books, especially those written early in a writer’s career are often poorly disguised autobiographies. The main character projects a
itself, but it should be familiar even to those who have not read the book as it follows the thread of teenage rebellion. Who has not spent time with this person? With their Doc Martins and plaid-lined leather jackets in the eighties, and their carefully quiffed fringe curtains and eyeliner in the latter years of the last decade. These people are spiritual brothers of Holden Caulfield. Holden Caulfield is J.D. Salinger is Jack Kerouac. The great cliché about teenagers is that they are misunderstood, and like most clichés it is true. Mainly because adults, i.e. their parents and teachers, rightly or wrongly treat them like children. Teenager’s physical and mental development are rarely in sync, because of this adults usually err on the side of caution and treat
them as children rather than giving them the responsibilities and trust that they thrive on. So teenagers mope around feeling like no one understands them except their friends, until they are recommended a book, they start reading it and wow! Here is somebody who is going through exactly what they are going through, isolation, the search for identity and independence – it’s all there between the pages. Hemingway once said “all good books are alike in that they are truer than if they really happened and after you are finished reading one you feel that it all happened to you and after which it all belongs to
you.” This truth and belonging that a book can provide, combined with a searing need for truth and genuineness, at a time when no one else appears to care for these attributes, creates a very powerful bond with the reader. Although Salinger retired to a compound surrounded by a six and a half foot fence, had no time for fans and rejected all media intrusion, he remains a brother in arms to all those teenagers who found solace in his work. Many of them are now responsible adults who read newspapers, read the local news, cast an eye over world news, flick to the sports section, and maybe even spend some time in the culture section. They will read the obituary of Salinger. It will evoke potent memories of the time when their name was Holden Caulfield, when they dropped out of prep college and drifted around New York City for a few days, chatting with prostitutes and getting beat up by pimps, all these memories will come to the fore. They will then search around for a copy of The Catcher in the Rye, and settle down with an old friend.
representation of the author or the person the author wants to be, similar to how some actors play magnified versions of themselves. Accordingly, J.D. Salinger was very much like his character Holden Caulfield. At first Salinger craved fame, then he got it, and then he got sick of it. He refused all interviews with media sources, and rarely published any of his writings. He was said to have lived the life of a semi-recluse, although this may simply be a media term for someone who prefers their communication with the media to be a one-way street. His character Holden drops out of prep college which he perceives as phoney and attempts to carve out an independent lifestyle for himself. He is highly critical of adults, shunning their world and trying to live with a genuineness generally reserved for children. This short sketch of the storyline does little justice to the story
Taking liberties Thomas Raftery traces the historic aggregation of civilil liberties in the USA, showing the scant regard for the principles on which their country ntry was founded Thomas Raftery Staff Writer I IMAGINE that it was with some trepidation that 40 English Barons accosted King John, bundled him into a rowing boat and took him out to Runnymede Island with the promise he would not be returned to the safety of the mainland until he had signed their “Great Charter of English Liberties”. More popularly known as the “Magna Carta” this was the first time legislation was forced onto a King by his subjects. Had it not been for the courage of this handful of noblemen to place the King under such duress that he signed the famous piece of yellowed parchment world history would read very differently from how it does today. Thomas Jefferson famously said that, “When the government is afraid of the people, there is liberty, but when the people are afraid of the government, there is tyranny”, and it was on this principle that the Barons of England hatched their plan over 700 years previously, the same principle that motivated leaders across Europe to convene as the “European Convention on Human Rights” in the wake of World War II. And it was the belief in this very same principle that brought together thousands of people in protest on the streets of London in April of last year. In 2006, defence lawyers representing Jose Padilla released footage of a group of masked guards, in full riot gear, entering his cell, shackling his arms and legs, forcing a hood, blackout goggles and industrial sound-proof earphones onto his head, and marching him down the corridor. If you didn’t know, you would be forgiven for assuming that Mr. Padilla poses an immediate threat to the lives of the guards, or is
a maximum-security prisoner charged with high-profile acts of terrorism or mass murder, or is at least from some fearsome terrorist cell or army. These assumptions would be most tragically incorrect. Instead the footage shows Mr. Padilla, an American citizen accused of being an “enemy combatant” (and by means of this accusation, stripped of his civil liberties), being taken to the dentist. Perhaps Mr. Padilla’s warden most succinctly describes the level of threat he poses when he says that he is so docile and utterly inactive, that he could be mistaken for a “piece of furniture”. The purpose of these measures then, is not risk limitation, but rather to mercilessly maintain the conditions under which he has been held for the past four years: total sensory deprivation. Jose Padilla has lived in his blacked out cell, unable to hear or see anything beyond it, allowed no human contact whatsoever, if you overlook the occasional beatings. The forensic psychiatrist who examined him said that he “does not appreciate the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him, is unable to render assistance to counsel, and has impairments in reasoning as a result of a mental illness, i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder, complicated by the neuropsychiatric effects of prolonged isolation”. By means of social isolation it appears that Mr. Padilla, against whom charges of building a dirty bomb were found to be spurious and dropped and replaced by something vaguer and to do with “conspiracy”, has been lobotomised. If the results weren’t so harrowing, you might marvel at the creative ability of human beings, after thousands of years of practise, to devise new and
ive ways of totally destroying more effective each other.. Of course Jose Padilla is not alone, but is one of thousands of men and women detained, without any charge other having the shady and efinable characteristics of legally indefi an “enemy combatant”, indefinitely. It seems to mee a strange Christian country es in neither forgiveness nor that believes n. The fact that the US (with redemption. nce of the UK) routinely the assistance matically tortures “enemy and systematically s” while prosecuting its “war combatants” on terror” is no longer even disputed. ee Abuse and Accountability The Detainee AA) has documented the Project (DAA) illing of 460 inmates of US abuse or killing isons in Afghanistan, Iraq military prisons anamo Bay, and notes that and Guantanamo nservative figure considering this is a conservative the CIA’s ability to censor records, or oners to one of its foreign move prisoners oubliettes. w York Timess reported that The New prisoners att the Bagram airbase in n were made to stand Afghanistan for up to 13 days with their ned to the ceiling, hands chained oded and unable naked, hooded he abuse included to sleep. The xual humiliation, rape, sexual rivation and mock sleep deprivation executions. The Washington Post at prisoners at the same alleges that airbase weree often “blindfolded, thrown into walls, bound in stressful positions, o loud noises and deprived of subjected to sleep.” Though the instances of torture seem well documented, it is only thanks diers stupid enough to film to the soldiers hat any record exists at all, the abuse that AA points out that no officer and the DAA en held accountable for the has yet been actions of his subordinates. Aside from ionalised torture that is an the institutionalised
intrinsic part of the “war on terror”, the treatment of Mr. Padilla foregrounds another growingly popular incarceration technique: solitary confinement. Some 25,000 prisoners are currently held in isolation, and in some cases have been in this state for over 20 years. In the more extreme examples, solitary
confinement can mean not seeing, hearing, or touching another human being for years at a time. At Pelican Bay in California where 1200 prisoners are held in isolation, over 10% are now in the psychiatric wing and the waiting list is growing. Dr. Henry Weinstein, a psychiatrist who studies prisoners in isolation, suggests that they suffer “memory loss to severe anxiety to hallucinations to delusions…people go crazy”. While they
go in bad, they come out mad. Predictability, the reaction to these revelations by the conservative Right is “the ends justify the means”, or some similarly boring or hypothetical “Jack Bauer” situation where you can torture one to save a million. This reaction is of course completely ridiculous given the evidence that torture will eventually make anyone say anything. This behaviour can instead be understood in terms of power and control. It is the result of the discovery that under the right conditions, one man’s power over another is unlimited. As the journalist
George Monbiot s a i d , “it is an indulgence that turns its perpetrators i n t o everything they claim to be confronting”. In the wake of 9/11, George Bush said that he was fighting against threats to the “values of civilised nations”. The true horror of terror is how it changes what a “civilised nation” will deem acceptable in the face of adversity, and if this is the routine abuse of prisoners, then I fear the change in our values may be irreversible. If this abuse continues, the terrorist’s mission to mutate our society so far from its principles will have been achieved. Bush charged his nation’s soldiers and interrogators to find where the evils of extremism are hidden. Perhaps they should congratulate themselves, as it appears they have succeeded – and they’re much closer to home than anyone might have thought.
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OPINION
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
A new Republican renaissance David Barrett Staff Writer IF DEMOCRATS had any doubt that the Party is in dire straits, they were set straight by the Massachusetts Special Senate Election for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat that saw a conservative Republican unknown defeat the highly popular state Attorney General by a 100,000 vote margin. What made the defeat even worse was that the entire campaign was fought on the issue of healthcare, which Kennedy called “the cause of my life”, a battle which the Democrats lost in a state in which Democrats outnumber Republicans by a margin of three to one. The troubles in the Democratic party are confirmed by the generic ballot, a poll that simply asks whom voters would be more likely to support in their congressional district, the Democratic or Republican candidate. Republicans currently lead by an average of about four percentage points across the board. This is actually much worse than it sounds. Democrats have traditionally dominated in this category, due to the
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fact that there are more registered Democrats than Republicans, who balance this at the polling station with higher turnout from their supporters. The only years in which the Republicans have led in the generic ballot were 1994, when the party took control of congress for the first time since 1952, and 2002, in the wake of the September 11th attacks. The “intensity gap” has completely reversed since the presidential election, when Democrats were fired up on a brew of “hope” and “change” while Republicans were never truly convinced that John McCain was one of their own. Now, liberal Democrats are disillusioned with Obama’s more practical and less ideological approach and his seeming inability to get anything done despite nearly unprecedented congressional majorities. Republicans on the other hand see Obama’s very limited reforms as the first step towards a form of statesocialism that will bankrupt the country and destroy the American way. Republicans are practically salivating at the prospect of winning the “trifecta” in the Senate elections. For maximum symbolic value the party wants to steal
seats in Nevada, Illinois and Delaware from the Democrats, a feat that would be as mentally scarring to the Democrats as Massachusetts. The worrying thing for the party is that the chances of the Republicans managing this are better than evens. The reason why this would be so devastating for the Democrats, aside from just simply losing three crucial Senate seats, is what the seats represent. The sitting senator for Nevada is Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic Leader and one of the most powerful men in Washington. He is consistently trailing in opinion polls to unknown Republicans. Illinois and Delaware are both heavily Democratic states, but more importantly these seats are the ones once held Barack Obama and Joe Biden and the mere fact that these seats even need to be defended is a bad sign. While there is still hope for Illinois, the White House appears to have given up on Delaware, where the likely Republican candidate is the state’s only congressman, a position he has held for eighteen years, before which he was governor. To top it all off he is a direct descendent of Benjamin
Franklin. However these are not the only seats looking vulnerable to a Republican takeover. North Dakota – whose sitting Democratic senator is retiring after
...liberal Democrats are disillusioned with Obama’s more practical and less ideological approach and his seeming inability to get anything done despite nearly unprecedented congressional majorities. eighteen years in office – is considered nearly a write-off at this stage. Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, a centrist Democrat, is
having serious difficulty highlighting to her constituents the (considerable) differences between her and the Obama White House, while Senator Michael Bennett of Colorado is trying to avoid his election bid being characterised as a battle between a generic Democrat and a generic Republican in a typical swingstate. The cases of Lincoln and Bennett manifest a clear issue for the Democratic Party that the Massachusetts election made painfully obvious. If being associated with Obama in one of the most liberal states in the nation is a bad thing electorally, then it must be pure poison in Arkansas and Colorado. However even if one considers all of this, the obvious conclusion is that it doesn’t really matter. The Democrat’s Senate majority is eighteen seats and their House majority is seventyeight. Both of these majorities are extraordinarily large by historical standards. The problem is that of internal party loyalty. The Democrats have a quite considerable conservative Southern wing historically and part of the party’s
policy to retake the House and Senate in 2006 was to nominate conservatives and centrists who could win in swing districts over ideologically pure liberals (who could be, and almost always were, nominated in safe areas). This means that the party has considerable internal differences. By contrast, the Republicans have had two horrific elections in a row that tended to disproportionally claim members of the party’s liberal northeastern wing as casualties, making the party much more united and homogenous, even if it is much smaller. This is actually likely to get worse before it gets better as it is the conservative Democrats who will be disproportionally hit by the likely bad election – moving the Democrats to the left and making compromise between the two increasingly polarised parties less and less likely. Since, according to Senate rules, sixty votes are needed to shut down a filibuster and actually get to a vote this makes America potentially unable to do anything at all – which is the worst of all possible worlds.
HEAD TO HEAD: EARLY RETIREMENT
‘NOT A LONG-TERM SOLUTION’ MAEVE CASSERLY
FIRSTLY LET us establish a fact that should be patently obvious: people do not wake up on the morning of their 65th birthday and suddenly become wholly incompetent at their jobs. So why is it that they can be forced into retirement in their “golden years”? This debate has been raging in Westminster since early last year when former Secretary for the Department of Work and Pension James Purnell was approached by Lord Mandelson’s Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR), gauging his interest in bringing in a more flexible retirement policy to help prevent a future pension crisis. The deliberation continues as the government is facing increasing pressure from all sides to revise the law. In a recent statement, the deputy chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission demanded that the cabinet scrap the “out of date bill which discriminates against people who want to carry on working.” As it stands the enforcement of retirement at the age of 65 is at the discretion of the employer. In the latest survey carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), 60% of small companies do not think that the government should set a default retirement age. John Wright, National Chairman of the FSB, argued against the unfair policy in recent a interview. “We understand understand the valuable contribution and skills that older workers bring to the business … [O]ver 90% of small firms would consider an employee going into part time or flexible working, rather than retiring.”
SOCIETY DIARY SORCHA POLLAK ART IS LOVE AN ARTS Festival in Trinity? Up until five years ago the idea was unheard of, but now it is one of the highlights of the academic year, a week to brighten up the dull February days. Why have I decided to write about it for this column? Is it because it will be all around us for the next week? No. Is it because it’s an opportunity to learn a new skill? Not necessarily. It’s because I’m somewhat annoyed that I never got fully involved. When I was in first year I made a pathetic attempt to join in with the festival’s activities but was scared away by the fact that I didn’t know anyone. Being nineteen years old in a room full of confident, older students, I was daunted by the undertakings of TAF. Also, in the throes of first year enthusiasm and wanting to be involved with everything at the same time, I realised that time constraints and other commitments would not allow to me to take part.
However, this still does not protect the older employee’s right to work. For most people it is not simply that they want to continue to work, they have to. In the UK the Basis State Retirement Pension for a single person is £90.70 a week. Unlike their Irish counterparts, British pensioners do not receive government subsidies for essential amenities like electricity and home heating. The cost of living requires people to keep working. Thanks to improved social and medical conditions, people are now living longer. But there are fewer younger people to work and pay taxes. This will create a major problem for governments in the future. There are now 10.5 million pensioners in the UK. This is expected to rise to 12.5 million by 2025 and to 14 million by 2050. While there are now 4.5 working people to every pensioner, by 2025 there will only be 3.5. The current legislation is therefore completely impractical and should be immediately revised by the government if there is any hope for future economic recovery. In a recent survey by the Equality of Human Right Commission of 1,500 people, 62% of women and 59% of men indicated that they wished to continue to work beyond pension age. How can we simply ignore the wishes of all these people? Elaine Stritch, current guest star of the hit television series 30 Rock, has just opened a new Stephen Sondheim show in New York to rave reviews. She turns 85 this week! Stories like this are inspiring example to us all that older people still have a lot to This debate is not however about glamorous stars of stage and screen. With the cutoff age for the state pension set to rise to 66 in 2024 and 67 a decade after this, retirement law is simply impractical and outdated. If we have learned anything from the massive economic crash of the last few years, it is that we must deal with future economic problems now. The inflexible fixed retirement age is one of these problems. Let us hope that the government sees this before it is too late.
But now, four years down the line, the time has come to sit up, take action and learn how to make origami and customise clothes. This time it isn’t about getting involved in the organisation but instead, simply enjoying the activities they offer. The reality is that, four years later, working in the arts is something that really interests me, and for that reason I am kicking myself for not having been more involved to date. But if you can’t join them, you can always write about them! The sheer number of activities for this year’s festival seems challenging yet impressive. There’s something in it for everyone. Two days ago, when I logged into my Facebook account for my “brief” daily check-up, I was surprised to see that I had eleven event invitations. Now, as much as I would like to count myself as someone with a comfortably wide circle of friends, I had never been so popular as to receive eleven invitations in one afternoon. By taking a quick glance at these events I was slightly disappointed to find out that they weren’t personalised requests for my presence but a wide spread of invitations to this weeks Trinity Arts Festival. This fleeting disappointment was quickly replaced by interest and excitement in the activities which were on offer. Being the young lady that I am, customising clothes jumped out at me instantly. Despite the fact that I refuse to recognise that I can barely thread a needle, I was immediately signing up for an afternoon of creating my own fashion masterpieces.
‘A NEW WORLD OF INTERESTS’ JAMES KELLY LAST WEEK in the United Kingdom, equality watchdog the Equality and Human Rights Commission backed the plans of the Labour government to stop forcing workers to retire at the age of 65, and to give them more flexible working hours. These sentiments echo those of Labour’s deputy leader Harriet Harman, who earlier in January announced plans to fast track a report on retirement age. Now, while these radical plans have been met with almost universal approval thus far, few have stopped to look at the possible negative side effects it could have on those over 65 and society as a whole. In Ireland, youth unemployment has been spiralling, hitting a shocking 28.4% in October 2009. These youths who choose to sign on to social welfare must survive on ninety euro per week. The situation is similar across the EU and the United Kingdom in particular. The question that must be asked is whether jobs and opportunities that could go to these youths will be retained by older people who choose not to retire if these radical plans get the go ahead? Many of those choosing to work beyond retirement age will have solid pension schemes to greet them when they deign to retire, but what will the youth have? The teen years of this century have already been dubbed a “debtcade” by some, and it will be the young who will be left footing the bill, but how can they expect to do so with potential opportunities and jobs being occupied by those working past retirement? While some of those nearing retirement age cannot imagine a life not centred on work, many retirees have found a new lease of life they
never thought possible after quitting work. By not working after the age of 65, people gain the time to discover new interests and experience new tastes. Retirees have become a huge market for travel, and by retiring they have given themselves the opportunity to see countries they never thought they would visit. After retirement, gardening and cooking can be truly embraced, new languages learned and new books read. The list is literally endless. By retiring at the age of 65, people can discover, if you’ll pardon the cheesy line, a new world of interests and experiences. If they are allowed to continue working indefinitely then these opportunities become closed off. The idea that those over 65 are “past it” is not what this argument is about, but surely some kind of competency criteria must be laid in place. At the age of 65 many employers are not able to perform or work to the same standard as younger people. Thus, if they are not up to the job, they shouldn’t be working and it’s as simple as that. While it may sound harsh, a competency test is necessary should a person choose to work past retirement age. Not only may such a test be seen as being insulting to these people, but they would be very expensive to administer. In the current economic climate there is just not enough money to use these competency tests. If the review of retirement age in the United Kingdom manages to change working practices, it may well have widespread repercussions. Already in Ireland sectors of the civil service are trying to extend the retirement age of their employees. I’m not saying that the review shouldn’t happen. What I am arguing is that, rather than greeting the news with universal praise, the Labour government and the different workers group involved in the review should look at the facts objectively. If they do so they will see that while working past retirement may be a positive thing for some people, it comes with a lot of negative side effects.
Next on the list was a photography workshop. Once again, this is not an area in which I am an expert, but my thinking was if that I can hold a camera, a more knowledgeable person in the area could explain the rest. The list continued: jewellery making, origami workshop, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” in the Samuel Beckett Theatre, film writing and something called “Circus Spectacle”. I realised that this week of activities could be the break from academic work I was searching for and I set about discovering more about this year’s Trinity Arts Festival. Having been originally set up by Art History and Architecture students, it is understandable that the primary focus of the original festival was on art in its pure, visual form; art exhibitions, studies of architecture on campus, and drawing and painting workshops. For the events of this week to become a truly rounded festival, encompassing the full spectrum of the arts, the vision of its organisers needed to be somewhat broadened. In an attempt to get a better understanding of what was being done this year to reach a wider platform and audience, I spoke to the secretary of the festival, Katy Dobey. Dobey informed me that the organisers of the festival were striving towards creating a more comprehensive week of events this year by featuring not only the visual arts but by bringing in aspects of theatre, music and comedy. With the help of societies like Players, Singers,
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Comedy Soc and Orchestral Soc this week of festivities is shaping up to the be the most impressive and ambitious yet. In addition to this, Dobey explained to me that this year a full printed programme of the events would be provided to give the students of Trinity a greater understanding of the festival itself and its events. There was no doubt about it, this week of artistic enjoyment had been laid out to suit my needs. The idea of a Trinity Arts Festival was revived in the mid-2000s, with the idea of making the arts in their widest sense accessible to all the students on the campus. It was created as an opportunity for the students of Trinity College to embrace arts and culture within the walls of this university. With the topic of the funding of the arts still very prominent in the news headlines, this year’s college arts festival is probably more important than ever. We are living in a world where there is constant discussion of business, finance and the economic future of our country, a discussion so powerful that it has drowned out other aspects of life which are also important to the future of the state. Ireland is a country steeped in culture and we, the younger generation, need to recognise the importance of its survival. The Trinity Arts Festival celebrates the character and the beauty of the arts, whether it be through painting or song, dance or theatre. This week is for us to enjoy our culture, so let’s make the most of it.
OPINION
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
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IN PROFILE: FR PETER SEXTON
Limerick to Canda, Zimbabwe to Trinity John O’Rourke interviews the newest addition to the college chaplaincy, and his former school priest, Fr Peter Sexton.
John O’Rourke Staff Writer FR PETER Sexton SJ is a formidable man. My own earliest memory of Trinity’s latest recruit to the burgeoning chaplaincy team is of him in his role as music coordinator for Mass in my secondary school. On my first day in boarding school, I remember him at the pulpit intoning the arcane words of a Latin hymn for us to chime in and repeat. Nervous looks darted around the church as the new brood of overwhelmed twelve year olds wondered how much enthusiasm could be feigned without looking too “uncool,” before Fr Sexton launched into what we were soon to realise would be his trademark move. Moving swiftly down the aisle, he roused the entire congregation to a boisterous chant by energetically conducting the singing walking up and down the centre of the church, making us quickly realise that resistance would be futile. Our voices soon boomed out in echo, awestruck and half afraid. As the months and years went by, these feelings were soon replaced by a deep reverence for this man of the church whose passion and commitment left a deep impression on me and my contemporaries, not least in the strange attachment to many of his favoured hymns to which quite a few of my contemporaries would still to this day confess. Having swapped the cosy environs of secondary teaching last autumn to take on the challenging role of his new position as Catholic Chaplain for this university, Trinity News features Fr Sexton here not only to introduce him to the wider college community but also to raise awareness of the work of the chaplaincy as a whole . When asked to describe his new position, he affably responds; “My role in Trinity as chaplain? No one seems able to define the role of a university chaplain very succinctly! The full title of the University dating from 1592 is of course The College of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity - Collegium Sanctissimae Individuae Trinitatis. So I think the first role of a Christian chaplain, Catholic and Protestant, is to witness to the mysterious presence of the Trinitarian God - of Christ, of the Gospel and of the Church. How that witness is to be done is the daunting bit!
“Often I think in the simplest human way of supporting and befriending students and staff; of being available and willing to listen to people’s struggle for meaning and relationship in their lives; of being there when serious crises occur, such as the recent death of a student, not necessarily with an answer - no real crisis has an easy answer - but with a supportive and compassionate presence. Of course, the celebration of the Eucharist is central to the role of the priest, however marginal that seems at stages in the lives of many people in and out of university. I remember a wise priest psychologist onetime in a talk to parents worrying about the quality of their presence in the lives of their children recommending that their presence might be one of ‘alert indolence’! It was a creative and consoling way of looking at their role that, in my opinion, could be a useful description of a chaplain’s daily posture!” Coming from a deeply committed
“Often I think in the simplest human way of supporting and befriending students and staff; of being available and willing to listen to people’s struggle for meaning...” religious family in Limerick, Fr Peter had been educated by the Jesuits in the Crescent for 11 years from the age of 7. “Because of the faith of my parents and the profound and daily part that faith had in our lives, the idea of becoming a priest came in and out of my mind during my secondary school years. However, in terms of career I also thought of going for Foreign Affairs and doing a BA, BL degree with that in mind. But in my final year at school I eventually decided to apply to join the Jesuits at the tender age of 18!” As a Jesuit, he belongs to one of the most prestigious orders of the Catholic Church, renowned for their excellence
in education around the world. But for him the choice was an easy one. “Why the Jesuits? Well, I had spent 11 years with them ! I never thought of joining “the clergy” as some group distinct from “the laity” - but rather of joining a community with a particular way of life. I was impressed by some of the Jesuits who had taught me and was attracted by the kind of people they were. Priesthood was not uppermost in my mind as it was a long way off as part of Jesuit formation. In fact I was ordained priest 13 years after I had joined the order, which was the norm. The Jesuit’s remit seriously involves scholarship and learning, but teaching wasn’t one of Fr. Sexton’s motivating factors in joining the order. “Was I always focused on education? No. But I experienced the Jesuits as educationalists and once I joined probably thought I would also be in that field. Apart from an awareness of Jesuit missionary work, I had little realisation at the age of 18 of how diverse Jesuit apostolates were, even in Ireland, not to mention in countries across the world. True, from the beginning of the order in 1540 Ignatius Loyola had always seen the key role of education at all levels and so education and scholarship have always had a major focus in our tradition. In fact, having done a BA in Classics in UCD and two years of philosophy, I have spent most of my Jesuit life in secondary education in three of the five of the Jesuit schools in Ireland - Belvedere, Gonzaga and Clongowes. So it was a very agreeable and timely change to come to Trinity this year as a chaplain!” However Fr Peter’s career has not just restricted him to Ireland, but given him scope to visit several other countries. “It is part of the Jesuit tradition to have a global perspective and not to be limited to one country or ‘province’. Part of my formation, as that of many of my companions, was out of Ireland, particularly the nearly four years I spent in Canada for theology, during which I was ordained. Before Canada I had spent a year at Birmingham University doing an M. Ed. And then I worked for 3 years in Zimbabwe in the early 90s, teaching and accompanying young African Jesuits in formation. I’ve always felt it is good for us Irish to spend time outside Ireland and get a broader
Fr Peter Sexton SJ, of the college chaplaincy. perspective on things. Living in Africa broadened my horizons considerably. Indeed I found it very difficult to return to live in Ireland after those years – life on return seemed to be much more confined and the weather didn’t help after the great open skies of Africa! It took me some time to adjust back.” Members of the clergy have undergone a time of difficult ordeals and great upheavals in recent years, but many might still fail to recognise some other issues that affect them; “Biggest challenge in my time in the priesthood ? Probably that dark time already referred to in my adjustment back to Ireland after Africa, when I felt I had lost the
“I felt I had lost the sense of vitality and even meaning in my vocation or in my faith.”
sense of vitality and even meaning in my vocation or in my faith. Neither seemed to offer much consolation and the tunnel seemed endless - but it wasn’t ! The support of my brethren, family and friends enabled me to limp through that period. I don’t think I lost faith, but I
had lost the sense of it for a time - and that distinction was important for me. “Of course, dark periods in the history of the Church, such as recently in Ireland with the Murphy and Ryan reports, have been a severe and humiliating challenge also - but not to my faith, as anyone with any sense of Church history realises - unlike many journalists who have been writing about these scandals. Scandals in the Church have occurred since the very beginning of Christianity as even the slightest familiarity with the New Testament will make plain. Why ? Because the Church is a Church of mostly sinners as well as a good few saints. The Church in Ireland, and indeed worldwide, needs to be challenged vigorously on the use and misuse of authority at all levels, including of course and by no means least its exercise by the Vatican. But this critique and challenge, if it is to be valid and just, has to be done from a perspective that is balanced and historical. One of the hard things about being a priest in this country right now is that perspective seems glaringly absent. The best of human institutions have strengths and weaknesses. It is a very foolish thing to throw out the baby with the bathwater!” This latest placement in Trinity has led to a more ecumenical environment than perhaps he may have been familiar with before. How’s he getting used to the change? “I think one of the attractive things about chaplaincy
in Trinity is how closely the four of us (Julian Hamilton Methodist, Darren McCallig Anglican, and Fr Paddy Gleeson and myself Catholic) work together. We pray together once a week and formally meet after this. We run the one chaplaincy, not separate ones, and are in constant and easy communication with each other. Even the free soup and rolls on Tuesdays is an ecumenical project! Of course there are denominational differences that reflect the larger Church. I was surprised when I came on hearing of the denominational backgrounds of students today with 10% or so Protestant, meaning mainly Anglican, Methodist or Presbyterian, and over 80% Catholic background. I might have realised that Trinity reflects the national pattern. This is not my first ecumenical experience however. When I was studying theology in Toronto the ambience there was very ecumenical - the Toronto School of Theology was made up a number of Catholic and Protestant colleges, and students took courses from the different traditions. One of the most influential persons in my own life was a Minister of the United Church of Canada, Bob Giuliano, under whose tutelage I did a 3 month clinical pastoral course in two Ontario prisons. He was a powerful and most perceptive man of God, one of the best preachers I have ever heard, who affected hugely my way of understanding ministry and has been a life-long friend.”
How to help the homeless It has been a particularly harsh winter this year in Ireland. Although most of us enjoyed the snow, some two thousand homeless people in Dublin must have found it tremendously difficult. If you’re feeling charitable, what’s the best way of manifesting this desire to help. Should I give a homeless man cash or a coffee? Because if you’re going to try and make a difference, it’s rational to maximise. Jonathan Wyse Staff Writer IT’S TRUE that there are support services provided by the government to help homeless p e o p l e , including shelter at night. There are probably many reasons that potential candidates may be excluded from such services though voluntarily or involuntarily – drug use, mental illness, ignorance or behavioural problems. So who do you give your money to, to begin with? Signaling theory allows us to distinguish between fraudsters and the truly needy. Since not everyone is equally desperate, this author has taken to only donating to homeless in the early hours of the morning where possible. This policy has both costs and benefits.
Sleeping rough as an indication of genuine misfortune is pretty effective, because it’s costly to fake if you have shelter to sleep in. Thus, it’s a credible signal in the same way that expensive engagement rings are a credible signal of a suitor’s long-term commitment. On the other hand, such opportunities arise less frequently than the chance to donate to someone sitting in the street during the day. No doubt that all such individuals are worthy of some charity, but the rational donor wants to direct his funds to the most needy location. If you restrict yourself to donating during the night, you might direct funds to the most needy but total individual donations may fall. Given the impossibility of determining how many fraudsters solicit charity on street corners during the day, the optimal response is to consciously donate more money at night that you feel that you otherwise might have. Rather than give spare change occasionally to the drug addict who approaches you at the Luas machine, it makes sense to give a decent contribution (albeit less frequently) to someone genuinely sleeping rough at night. So if given the choice between food and cash, what do you give the person? Let’s assume that the effort involved in purchasing the food is negligible, and that you consulted them for advice on the sandwich’s contents. If you provide the individual with cash, they can use it to purchase whatever they want – including the food that you could have chosen on their behalf. Of course, they might equally spend it on cigarettes or alcohol. Many might consider these less pressing or more
frivolous needs. They might feel uncomfortable with financing such activity – perhaps even out of concern for the individual in question. This leads them to give the sandwich rather than the cash. But the cash is the more generous gift. To let your only judgement of another individual’s preferences interfere with the efficacy of your charitable act meanwhile, is hardly altruistic. Maybe the homeless person is making a poor choice by buying cigarettes or alcohol? Not from his perspective. If you recognise that the person is in such severe need that you are willing to provide them with charity, then your only concern should be to make them feel as happy as possible given your donation. If the homeless person spends the cash on alcohol and cigarettes, then these goods must contribute more to their happiness than food. There’s no reason to think otherwise. By (potentially) overriding their choice and giving them food instead, you’re assuming that you know what is best for them – despite not ever being in their situation or having to ever make such a choice yourself personally. If you give them cash, they spend it in such a way to make themselves as happy as possible. If you give them the sandwich, you’re precluding the possibility that they would be made happier by something else. Might such choices be not in the longer-term best interests of the individual? Unlikely. Since future health isn’t a pressing concern for someone on the street, you might as well make them as comfortable as possible for the time being. Alcohol and cigarettes are also products that
you’re unlikely to see yourself starve to afford. When we use the term ’starve’ here, we mean it in the most literal sense. Of course they’re likely to cut back on their food expenditure elsewhere to buy them, but why should that be any concern of yours? Give them the cash. Of course, if we’re talking about extremely addictive drugs or serious alcoholics, this argument against cash may be stronger. For example, a crystal meth addict may seriously jeopardise his health by spending all additional income on drugs. Their short-term interests may be served by doing so, but they would clearly be better off if they took marginally better care of their health – even to the extent that this meant they could stay alive longer to consume crystal meth. The alcoholic may find it easier to get back on his feet, or engage with public support services, if he finds it impossible to obtain alcohol. It may be painful in the short-term, but potentially good in the long-term. Does a policy of providing food and not cash make any difference in these cases? It’s pretty unlikely in the case of the alcoholic. If you meet an unhealthy-looking drug addict though, it might be worth giving them the sandwich. Luckily, such individuals are at least somewhat identifiable. For everyone that looks like they have at least some control over their various addictions though, just give them the cash. You might feel less noble financing their cigarettes and alcohol, but they will be happier. If you’re a truly charitable person just looking to help, that should be your only concern.
10
OPINION
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
ROUND UP
Lissadell, our Trojan War SHANE QUINN
BRAIN DRAIN IN NORTHWEST CONCERNING IT’S EMERGED that more young people leave counties Derry and Tyrone than anywhere else in Northern Ireland to attend universities on the mainland. The figures were provided to Foyle MLA Martina Anderson by Employment and Learning Minister Reg Empey as part of an answer to an Assembly question on the future expansion of Magee. The Minister indicated he is exploring proposals for expansion at Magee. Ms. Anderson says the limits being imposed on Magee at the moment constitute a brain drain which is affecting the economy of Derry.
CASH INJECTION FOR BORDER REGION A MAJOR funding package has been announced for a cross border project on the Donegal– Fermanagh border. The Special EU Programmes Body has allocated €8.3 million to the Termon Project in Pettigo and Tullyhommon. The project marks the completion of over three years work by the planning departments in Lifford and Enniskillen. Cllr Barry O’Neill is Chairperson of the Donegal Electoral Area: he says this will significantly enhance and regenerate the village of Pettigo.
JESUIT ABUSE APOLOGY THE HEAD of a Catholic order in Germany has apologised for the systematic sex abuse apparently committed by two priests at a prestigious Berlin school. Fr Stefan Dartmann said students at the Jesuit-run Canisius College had complained in 1981, much earlier than the order had previously admitted. The Jesuit said he was ashamed that the college and the order had left the complaint unanswered. The number of victims was greater than originally believed, he added. “I apologise that those responsible at the time did not investigate and react as they should have done,” said Fr Dartmann. He said he was aware of 25 cases not just in Berlin, but at two other Catholic schools in Hamburg and in the Black Forest, where the priests had been transferred. Most of the victims had been boys aged around 13 or 14, but young girls were also targeted for abuse.
The debate over public right of way at Lissadell, the former home of the Gore-Booth and family and erstwhile retreat of William Butler Yeats, is more complicated than it appears, writes Sarah Clarkin Sarah Clarkin Staff Writer THE CASE between Sligo County Council and Edward Walsh and Constance Cassidy, owners of Lissadell House over the Council’s claims for public rights of way returned to the High Court last week, after having been previously adjourned in autumn of last year. In a modern Trojan War story, the County Council would have this case presented to the general public as a tale of the locals rising up against the big bad Dublin lawyers who are barring them from public land, while they camp outside the manor’s regal walls, trying to reclaim what was stolen from them. Nothing could be further than the truth, and the dispute is in reality nothing short of a national disgrace that could potentially see the Irish people robbed of our heritage, and the stunning house formally owned by Countess Markievicz’s Gore-Booth family closed permanently. Lissadell, the grandiose property immortalised by Yeats with the infamous stanza “The light of evening, Lissadell, / Great windows open to the south, / Two girls in silk kimonos, both / Beautiful, one a gazelle” lay in ruins, a remorseful shell of its former extravagant self, five years ago. The State was given first refusal of the house, but did not see fit to make a purchase and the house was subsequently bought by Constance Cassidy and her husband, Edward Walsh for €3.75 million, and after an auction instigated by Sir Josslyn Gore-Booth, a further €800,000 was spent on the house’s contents by the couple; a small amount in comparison to what the couple would go on to invest in renovating the property over the next half decade. Immediately after buying Lissadell, work began to restore the stately house and magnificent grounds to its former glory, with the aim of sustaining and encouraging Lissadell’s literary
A 12-YEAR-OLD girl in Saudi Arabia has withdrawn her request for a divorce from her 80-year-old husband. The girl, from Qaseem province east of Riyadh, was married last September in return for a dowry of $22,600 (£14,174) paid to her father. She and her mother had asked a court to annul the marriage on the grounds the girl had been raped. But now the girl has withdrawn her petition, saying she wants to respect her father’s wishes. “I agree to the marriage. I have no objection. This is in filial respect to my father and obedience to his wish,” she was quoted as telling the court by the Okaz newspaper. The girl’s situation was made public in January when a journalist from the Al-Riyadh newspaper encountered the girl, and she begged the reporter to save her. The lawyer appointed to help the girl said her mother had not informed him of her child’s change of heart, it was reported.
Lissadell, presumably in an attempt to further his political career. The imposing old house still stands
Fine Gael’s Sligo’s county councillor Joe Leonard put on the plumed helmet of Agamemnon and tabled a public right of way motion at Lissadell, presumably in an attempt to further his political career. majestically against the romantic Sligo coastline, but the house and gardens, previously open all year round have been forcibly closed for much dispute, and Sligo County Council have effectively cut the people of Ireland off from their heritage by the figurative encampment of councillors outside the spectacular walls. A major new Yeats exhibition scheduled to be displayed last year in the newly developed Yeats gallery in the coach house complex had to be shelved. The gallery was to be a major focal point of the Yeats Trail,
promoted by Fáilte Ireland and expected to generate much in revenue in the dwindling tourism economy. The exposition now lies in storage. Lissadell will remain closed to the public if the County Council goes on to win its case; it would be virtually impossible for the estate to operate as a historic house or indeed as a private home if public rights of way were established. Insurance would not be granted for health and safety reasons. In a recent Irish Times article, the Lissadell Action Group claimed they had been unfairly represented in the media, but Sligo’s mayor has spoken out, saying, “I think the public at large in Sligo are very much against Sligo County Council taking this case.” Furthermore, the CEO of the Yeats Society, Stella Mew, is reported as saying that she hopes the court finds in the favour of the Walsh-Cassidys. The former president of the society claimed the owners were “restoring Lissadell to its former glory.” With the bare facts of this appalling vista laid bare, it is startling to think of the County Council participating in such a case in the name of the people they represent. Visits by students were always offered as part of Lissadell’s extensive programme, and as a student of History, I am shocked that our elected representatives would further their political career with impunity, rather than think of preserving our heritage for future generations themselves, prohibiting others from doing the same and risking a huge bill for the tax payer should they lose. This Lissadell case has become our very own Trojan War, a case that will “establish no boundaries, win no territory and further no cause,” the main difference being of course that Joe Leonard and the rest of Sligo county council are no Achilles, Ajax or Patroclus, and if they win this case, they will forever be remembered savagely as cowards, not heroes.
Battle of the books: how do the libraries of UCD and Trinity compare? Orla Donnelly Staff Writer
SAUDI CHILD DROPS DIVORCE PETITION
and cultural associations. Many of the buildings, such as the riding schools, stables, the coach houses were restored, as well as the house’s court yard, and were made unrecognisable from their previous purpose, having been converted into galleries, a café and the shops which sold Lissadell’s exclusive produce. Yet it wasn’t just the buildings that were in dire need of renovation: the surrounding property had deteriorated to such an extent that it was necessary for the roads throughout the estate to be tarmacadamed. The stunning walled garden was fully reconditioned, and the Alpine Garden was in the process of restoration. A grand total of €12 million has so far been invested in the estate. Just when the house was beginning to resemble its former glorious self, and one could easily capture Markievicz and her revolutionary ideals roaming the estate, or Yeats composing his dazzling rhetoric by the shore, the case reached the High Court, halting all progress. Throughout the extensive restoration period, anonymous members of the public had written letters proclaiming public rights of way, and several gates and barriers were removed and dumped. However, such cases had ultimately terminated when deep in the winter months of 2008, Fine Gael’s Sligo’s county councillor Joe Leonard put on the plumed helmet of Agamemnon and tabled a public right of way motion at
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS are told that Trinity College has the largest research library in Ireland.It has unparalleled resources of 4.5 million printed volumes, almost 300,000 electronic sources and an extensive collection of literary, historical and political manuscripts being accessible to its students; CAO applicants could be in no doubt that the library is a force of knowledge to be contended with. But what do these facts actually mean to the current students? To deduce the value of the facilities and in true amateur boxing fashion: introducing in the red and black corner, Trinity’s big five; and in the blue corner (because their other colours are irrelevant), the UCD Library challengers. ROUND 1 THE STRUGGLE for longer hours has been contended since the beginning of time; prospective SU Presidents can win and lose a campaign if they fail to moan about the inequalities of access provided by the two institutions. But on closer examination, the two systems are relatively equal. In the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences weight class Trinity’s Ussher, Lecky and Berkeley are confidently defeated by the Stillorgan Road contender, the latter outshining with a formidable nine and a half more entry hours each and every week. However the combined force of our very own John Stearne Medical and Hamilton libraries stomp on the meagre attempt of the UCD counterparts with a splendiferous display of 26 and a half extra hours of access to fantastic and fun materials. Given that the accommodation of vampires and those inexcusable early birds is equally neglected by the socially acceptable hours maintained in both institutions, it would seem the first bout is tied. ROUND 2 AS OUR mighty intervarsity battle continues
it is fraught by inner turmoil as students continue to reject authority and baulk in the face of the fines and rules imposed on them. However one should not be too quick to remove many of our rules as they may prove decisive in our battle. While UCD and Trinity reserve the right to charge students 50 cent per day for late returns and both introduce Superfines to ensure that book hoarders and forgetful students do not prohibit other users from access during exam times, and given that both operating kindly prompt reminder emails, there seems little between the contenders. Both reserve the right of eviction for mobile phone usage, food consumption and blatant disregard of noise limits; UCD however takes a hard right hook by enforcing a €20 fine for seemingly nonsensical matters, such as bringing lab coats into the library, trailing cable and the use of ceiling sockets (which could be heightist). A popular rumor circulates and threatens to sway the bout in the challenger’s favour, namely that the proceeds of the fines do not go to replace books (lost or defaced) but rather fund a Trinity staff party. It is my pleasure to quickly dismiss such idle gossip and announce that Trinity takes the round on points. As the fighters take a well deserved breather, the commentator would like to assure staff that as a middle of the range student, I relish the fact that the assigned reading of the hundred plus pages is made considerably shorter when a previous and more knowledgeable student has taken the time to highlight the most important passages. I would prefer if the money went to drinks rather than removing my crash course guide to study. ROUND 3 ROCKY WOULD still be collecting debts without his trainer Mickey, as such our match also relies on the performance of the managers. In other words let’s weigh the staff. The stereotypical seventy-odd bespectacled librarian, who is detached from reality is,
unfortunately, only confined to novels now, so we must content ourselves with the modern versions. (But if a specimen of the former is produced the referee would happily hand victory to its institution.) Returning to the contest; the young staff of Trinity definitely start strong in the field of customer service even before admittance. The understanding ladies and gentlemen at Trinity’s admissions counter do not judge you, even the fifth time your student card has mysteriously sauntered from your possession and the accepting security guards will readily allow you to pass through the gate when you feel unable to tackle the swipe system. Having lived in both camps, (a short flirtation with UCD in 2005) I should try to describe the terror (alien to Trinity folk) when approaching the counter in UCD. The unhappy creature that barely glances from the mountain of returns under which it is buried will wearily agree to place your request with a grunt or a snap, before returning to its original task. Job satisfaction appears a distant thought; happiness is neatly ordered in accordance with the Dewey Decimal System for outside of work. A benefit of lesser student numbers and an apparent camaraderie amidst staff places Trinity on the brink of success. The quantity of sources is approximately equal in both institutions, as both are endowed with the privilege of legal deposit (meaning all publishers and distributors in the UK and Ireland must deliver a copy of the publication to the libraries), but the swift uppercut of UCD having the space to store their volumes directly on campus throws Trinity off centre. As Dublin City enclosed our College the libraries were forced to look outside the walls and develop an Argos-style system for many obscurer subjects. Trinity’s library website appears to mitigate this discrepancy by maintaining that stack requests will usually be delivered within 24 to 48 hours, depending on location and, of course, traffic. But at present there seems to be no equating UCD with the substandard service of the mysterious gatekeepers of knowledge
who reside in the mythical land of Santry. A student who shall remain nameless was informed that the material was not available “as the shelves it is kept on are broken and it cannot be retrieved.” The friendly face at counter services was not enough to quash the disappointment and the offering of a pen to sign a petition to fix said shelf, was more than inadequate. It seems that service with a smile does nothing to balance Trinity’s footing as UCD’s prompt albeit unlikeable facilitation goes unequalled. ROUND 4 AS TRINITY was floundering towards the brink of failure; it pulls a secret and final bonus library from its corner. The old library stands magnanimous as one of Ireland’s greatest buildings (the proof being that it has a feature role in Star Wars), but it is not this feat of architecture and the brilliance of George Lucas that hands the victory to our dear Provost’s hands. UCD libraries, hold your industrial-estate-looking heads in shame for your failure to promote student enterprise. When a Trinity student is in need of an extra few euro for lunch one need look no further than the queue of photo-loving tourists that our Oldie provides. Strike a bargain with up to three of these people and – hey presto! – they get in for less and you may get enough for a Spar lunch deal! (These transactions should remain private contracts at all times.) Due to budgetary constraints some research must inevitably be confined to the World Wide Web. But the next time a Danish, engineering or medical source cannot be provided, try to remember that in Ireland the power of the Red and Black is insurmountable. As one of the greatest philosophers once said, “always look on the bright side of life.” And thank Kells that we’re not in UCD. Although Monty Python’s works are only available in stacks so you might prefer to try Xtravision.
ELECTIONS 2010
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
11
Election Special 2010
Twelve candidates, twelve days David Molloy Editor IT BEGINS again: the promises, the campaigning, the stunts, the hustings, the polling, the count. Each year, a new selection of our fellow students step forward to represent each and every one of us in all negotiations with the college authorities. This year, as every year, the challenge is to select the best of what has been offered. We have twelve candidates for election: four for President, three for Entertainments, two for Welfare, two for Education, and one uncontested election for Communications. The presidential race, we can expect, will be fiercely fought as always. It is the office with the most prestige and the best opportunity for personal advancement of a given agenda. It is also an office of weighty responsibility– a union can succeed or fail at its goals depending upon the ability and leadership of a President. The vote cast for this office should be carefully considered: no matter any individual’s opinion of the effectiveness of student unions in general, the fact is that should any great threat to student activity arise, the union is recognised by college as the representative of the student body, and the President is its primary spokesperson. Entertainments is less of a weighty concern, yet many students would place it as a much higher priority. Little can be said about this race: all three candidates hold experience, and it is up to the individual student to decide the relative merits of each. The Education race is quite straightforward: a two-candidate headto-head between Fox and Preston. Many may remember Preston from his
failed attempt at President last year; the campaign he has proposed for the Education office is equally colourful. Welfare is, perhaps, the most interesting race. The incumbent Welfare Officer, Cormac Cashman, has run for a second term of office– a rare event in Students’ Unions, and an even rarer one when running for the same position, rather than moving from one of the other positions to, say, President. His competition, Stephanie Fleming, is perfectly capable too, and so students are left with a simple decision when they cast the vote: are they convinced that Cashman has done an excellent job in his role, or is it time to elect some fresh blood? This race should be interesting to watch, as Cashman knows his strength lies in the words continuity, experience, and knowledge, and Fleming espouses change, improvement, and stresses her own experience in dealing with people as a student of physiotherapy. The race for Communications, is, of course, not a race: Tom Lowe stands unopposed. While the option always exists to vote to re-open nominations (or RON), such a vote is really only suited to the occasion when the only available candidate would be grossly unsuitable to the situation and would likely do harm in office. Each category has good potential. Over the years, many of those involved in college life complain about “student apathy,” particularly in relation to the Union elections. Turnout is consistently low– years ago, the requirement for a certain proportion of the total population to make a valid poll was abandoned as it was no longer feasible. As students of the university, we should not feel as though this election is irrelevant. All continuing students will be affected by its results, whether that means a system one can
Candidates and their campaign teams affixing posters at Front Gate on Sunday evening last. Photo: Dave Molloy rely on in an emergency, an excellent or exceptionally poor selection of entertainment next year, or a relatively harmless union which neither succeeds nor fails to any great extent. What follows is a brief overview of every candidate. Familiarise yourself with them, and ask further questions at the hustings or of members of the various campaign teams. Read manifestos, and take part. Most of all, vote. The college is an insular community, and students are, for the most part, somewhat protected from the outside world: what happens in academic circles is, for many, more important than what happens in national government.
TrinityNews.ie Keep up to date on the election campaign over the next two weeks with TrinityNews.ie. We’ll be at the hustings, the polls and the counts to kepe you up-to-date on next year’s sabbatical officers.
CAMPAIGN TRAIL Campaigning officially began at 11pm on Sunday, February 7. It officially ends on February 18 at 4pm. During this time, prospective sabbatical officers and their campaigning teams ordinarily promote themselves, through the media of posters, printed manifestos, and social media. Flyers and printed material can only be handed directly to students, and not left in college locations. Any material found in this way may be confiscated. There are strict financial limits in place for campaign teams, in order to prevent one or more wealthy candidates achieving a greater level of publicity or popularity by investing personal funds. Candidates pays deposit of €50 at the beginning of the campaign to the Electoral Commission of the Students’ Union. This is only returned if the candidate secures a certain proportion of the vote. If it is not returned, the amount is donated to charity. Polling takes place from February 17–19 within the main college areas, in the Hamilton and Arts Buildings. Voting is restricted to certain times on each day. There is also a polling day at each affiliate college, such as Froebel and Marino. Dates this year have been slightly modified due to a constitutional rewrite in the Union last year in addition to the advent of semesterisation. The Electoral Commission has also tightened up its rules this year, adding clauses which define what constitutes the campaigning area, and ruling that current sabbatical officers must remain neutral throughout the campaign, unless they themselves are running.
POLLING TIMES CAMPUS: Tuesday February 16: Wednesday February 17: Thursday February 18:
12.00–18.00 09.00–19.00 09.00–16.00
D’OLIER ST: Tuesday February 16: Wednesday February 17:
11.00–14.00 15.00–18.00
ST JAMES: Wednesday February 17:
12.00–15.00
TALLAGHT: Wednesday February 17:
16.00–18.00
JCR HALLS: Monday February 15:
19.00– close
COUNT NIGHT: Friday February 19, Montclare Hotel
HUSTINGS HUSTINGS TAKE place during the campaign period, during which members of the student population may pose questions to the candidates. These will take place on: February 9: February 12 13.30: February 15 14.00: February 15 1900:
Froebel Goldsmith Hall Dining Hall Steps JCR, Halls
12
ELECTIONS 2010
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
Presidential aspirations
Candidates in the presidential race from left to right: Dan Reilly, Nikolai Trigoub-Rotnem, Declan Harmon, and Fearghal Hughes. Photo: Dave Molloy
DAN REILLY
NIKOLAI DECLAN TRIGOUB-ROTNEM HARMON
FEARGHAL HUGHES
SELF-DESCRIBED “ANGLO-IRISH Prodeshtant” Dan Reilly is making his bid for Students’ Union President as leader of what he describes as “the fastest growing political party in Trinity”: the Trinity Intellectual Traditionalist Society (TITS). If elected, Reilly would abolish all Students’ Union elections, make it a “hate-crime” to criticise the Union, and create “draconian” Royal University Constabulary (RUC) with powers of “search arrest, interrogation of unruly students engaged in free thinking”. “I shall abolish the Euro, which has been an infringement on Irish sovereignty since its introduction. British Sterling and the German Mark, pre-1948, are to be College tender”, explains Reilly, whose campaign also includes a bid to appoint Iris Robinson as ‘College Matron’. Reilly plans to be actively involved in College entertainments, and will replace SHAG week with ‘Courtship with her Father’s Permission’ week. The Trinity Ball will be a chaperoned event, according to Reilly, who suggests a curfew of 10.30pm and English Baroque soloists as headliners. He plans to introduce a new form of entertainment, in which “female students from UCD will do naked cage-fighting wearing only ‘Ugg’ boots”. When asked how these students would be obtained, Reilly explains they would be “kidnapped” from the UCD campus, which he refers to as “Belfield polytechnic”. Reilly plans to ban the promotion of raves and events, describing student venues as “dens of iniquity”. Reilly plans to abolish the office of Welfare, “with an officer responsible for ‘re-education’ and punishment”. He says students should be given “free condoms, if they have received less than 500 points on the Leaving Certificate”. Students receiving over 545 points, on the other hand, “will receive a manservant funded by the registration fee of all students”. The student in History and Political Science wishes current Union President, Cónan Ó Broin, well as he comes to the end of his term: “The thing about Cónán is that he is really proud of his native language, culture and Gaelic games”, explains Reilly, “It makes one wonder why Cónán Ó Catholic chose to study at Trinity at all”. Reilly says he hopes Ó Broin and his “chairde” will not object to the reorganisation of the Gaelic Athletic Association to the Anglo Athletic Association: “Those who do object will be rounded up and transported immediately to the nearest NUI or Institute of Technology”. Reilly plans to expel students with “improbable” Gaelic names. He cites “Ferdia”, “Aenus”, “Gobnait” and “Sneachta” as possible examples. Reilly plans to introduce strict disciplinary measures into College, stating offenders “will be marched around campus wearing a dunce cap with the letters U.C.D. crudely written on it”. Reilly plans an overhaul of the Trinity Access Programme, whose candidates “are to be interviewed personally by the Union President”, adding, “they must be well groomed and proficient in Medieval Latin”.
SINCE HIS entry into Trinity College, Nikolai Trigoub-Rotnem has been heavily involved in the Students’ Union, and has been an Engineering class representative. His campaign is centred on four main issue areas: fees, grants, the library and sports facilities. Trigoub-Rotnem feels strongly the the registration fee should not be increased, citing the importance of “outsider action”. He has been an active membr of the anti-fees campaign under Conán Ó Broin. TrigoubRotnem says he will aim to lobby TDs as soon as he begins his post, if elected. Trigoub-Rotnem says grant decreases were cut by 5 per cent in this year’s budget, which he is keen to reverse by “looking externally, we need to put pressure on members of the Daíl to get the Student Support Bill enacted.” Trigoub-Rotnem is outspoken on reforming the Trinity Library, by introducing automated access into College and increasing Library opening hours, which he says may not necessitate an increase in Library staff. The Engineering with Management Junior Sophister is currently involved in the Students’ Union’s campaign for improved Library opening hours, which he says should be “on a par with the national average”. He also seeks to create an indoor training sports centre, as space in the gym has become “increasingly restricted”. Trigoub Rotnem says, “it would be a place where teams can train together and improve team performance”. Trigoub-Rotnem says this years Students’ Union officers have “set the bar which must be kept and raised”. He says the “external profile of this year’s Students’ Union is something which must be consolidated and built upon”, citing the fight against tuition fees which has become a nationwide issue. According to Trigoub-Rotnem, this year’s officers have “performed much better than previous years”. He points out that Trinity College had not seen a campus sit-in for ten years, before the Berkeley Library occupation last November. He says the big campaigns run by the Students’ Union this year are the largest they have been in years, attracing national attention. Trigoub-Rotnem commends incumbent Union President Cónán Ó Broin, who he says has “done well, giving the Students’ Union a fresh thought and drive”. However, he also says there is a need to increase the involvement of ordinary students into the Union, as many of Trinity’s 16,476 studentts know very little about the Union itself or the services they provide. He wants there to be a greater increase in the involvement of ordinary students into where money is spent, as presently students have no input into where funding is allocated. Nikolai is also keen to fix what he sees as “failing” in ISS services. Unreliable printers is something which needs a “system of quality assurance in place to prevent breakdowns reoccurring”, says Trigoub-Rotnem. Nikolai is on the executive board of the Students’ Union and is the Union’s Assistant Campaign Officer.
FEARGHAL HUGHES is the only nominee concerned with the grant system in Ireland, which he describes as “fundamentally flawed”. He says the grant system needs to be completely overhauled, in order to ensure students know exactly “how, when and where to obtain their grants”. Fearghal explains, “the grant system is currently evaluated on the basis of parental income, which doesn’t take into account students who support themselves independently, yet when they fill out the grant application form they still have to include their parents’ income”. Hughes cites the example of the sit-in staged by UCD students in Wicklow County Council last October, in protest of the delay in receiving their maintenance grants. Hughes praises Students’ Union President Cónán Ó Broin for “creating a profile for the Union on a national level”. When asked if he would have done anything differently, he says Ó Broin has “done as much as he can”. Hughes explains, “Cónán Ó has been kept incredibly busy with the issue of fees, and you can’t argue with results!” The Senior Sophister from Drogheda says the Library issue has been as prominent as ever under Ó Broin, and hopes to continue the campaign for opening hours on a par with the national average. “College have been spending our Registration Fee in some rather odd ways”, says Harmon, who points out that the Student Charge is paid for by students and, as such, should be more accountable. He adds, “I would like to look into negotiating with fees, although this is off the table until the next general election”. Hughes describes the Student Charge as “misspent” and “unacceptable” that students are not consulted into its expenditure. “The Library, for example, should be funded by the Student Charge as a core service”, says Hughes, who expects the grant given to the Students’ Union to be publicly accountable as well. Hughes is currently involved in the Students’ Union as Engineering, Maths and Sciences Faculty Executive and Convenor, which he says “definitely helps” in his presidential campaign. His current position involves co-ordinating 83 class representatives, including helping them to organise class parties, create contacts and help with timetabling issues. Hughes has also worked as a class representative, and stands on the committee of the Cancer Society and Comedy Society. A Sports Writer for The University Times, Hughes was a member of the rugby team until he was injured. Keen to create a “more approachable union”, Hughes wants to “ensure the sabbatical officers engage with students regularly face to face”, and tells Trinity News he encourages students: “don’t hesitate to stop and talk to me if you see me around campus!”
IF ELECTED, Declan Harmon aims to prioritise accountability in the Students’ Union, and the graduate prospects of its members. He promises to cut the “wasteful spending of the Union”, and “focus its efforts on really fulfilling its role of standing up for the concerns of students and serving their needs”. “Our Union is not delivering success for the money we are putting in to it”, says Harmon, who wants to make the Students’ Union “far more effective”. The BESS student comments: “We all contribute to the Union’s huge budget and I am consistently disappointed with the results. There are many good people involved in the Union, but collectively they are not producing good outcomes”. Currently the Students’ Union have a budget of €400,000, of which 80 per cent comes from the Student Charge. Harmon aims to publish the income and expenditure of the Union on a monthly basis, and make the full accounts of the Union available to all students for inspection in his office. “There are ways that the Students’ Union can help its members become more attractive to employers”, says Harmon, who is keen to improve graduate employment prospects in Trinity. He says this will be achieved by working on initiatives, such as making access to internship programmes easier, introducing mentoring programmes and an on-campus careers fair where students can meet potential employers. “I have presented proposals on this to the Minister for Social Welfare”, says Harmon, “and have discussed the issue with the business lobby group IBEC”. Harmon is an outspoken critic of the incumbent Students’ Union. He cites the example of the “failed” Library campaign and the proposed Student Centre, which is “still just a dream and no closer to reality”. He describes the Buttery as “overpriced for the quality” and says, “College is determined to squeeze even more students into already overcrowded classes”. Harmon says other Students’ Union candidates may paint him as the “outsider” in the bid for presidency. He says these nominees “have been maneuvering into the position for years now”. “Well, I am an outsider, as are the vast majority of students who feel indifferent at best towards their Union”, says Harmon, who describes himself as “the candidate for those who want to take back their Union so that it works for all of us.” Harmon is active in a number of voluntary and charitable organizations. He is treasurer of his local GAA club, Ballyfermot De la Salle. The Junior Sophister is involved in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and is member of the Board of Directors of Ballyfermot Family Resource Centre, which provides training and employment opportunities to people living in the Dublin 10 area. He is also a member of the Advisory Council of the European Movement in Ireland. “Unemployment is a huge issue for us all”, explains Harmon, “Our Union can and should do more to prepare its members for the workplace”.
ELECTIONS 2010
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
13
EDUCATION
JENNIFER FOX JENNIFER FOX acknowledges that the role of Education Officer is “not full of glamorous policy”. She pledges to make the Students’ Union approachable, and improve student services by introducing a College Virtual Learning Environment. “I don’t think we have the top services in Ireland” she explains, “there’s so much red tape”. Fox intends to make the Students’ Union more “accessible, approachable and accountable” by introducing regular clinics for officers, held away from the “ivory tower” of House 6. This “has to happen for the integrity of the SU campus-wide” she says, aiming to overcome a perception that the Union is elitist. The Senior Sophister Genetics student claims she knows what it is like to be “outside the ‘SU bubble’”, but currently sits on the Union Education Committee. Fox describes current Education Officer Ashley Cooke as “a friend”, and her opinion of Cooke’s administration is high. She considers him to be achieving his manifesto promises with success. Her plans to make the Union more approachable, Fox says, are “absolutely not” an appraisal of the current Education Officer’s performance. “Ashley has done a fantastic job” she added, “I would want to maintain this”.
On the subject of Trinity Library opening hours, Fox admits that a speedy resolution of the problem seems unlikely. The issue of Library cuts, she says, “has plagued sabbatical officers for years”. “I would love to introduce a modern, personalised, effective “virtual learning environment” such as Moodle or Blackboard. A new, easy-to-use system would increase the amount of online notes, reading lists, references for specific courses as well as encourage the use of modern technology such as podcasts and video links provided by lecturers”, says Fox. When asked if the online availability of course material could be controversial among academic traditionalists, Fox says, “the VLE wont do your degree for you, nothing replaces a book”. In response to fellow Education Officer nominee Dave Preston, Fox comments, “education shouldn’t be gimmicky”.
DAVE PRESTON DAVE PRESTON says suggestions that he is a ‘joke’ candidate is “slander” propogated by a Students’ Union which “robbed” him of success when he ran for the office of President last year. Canvassing for the role of Education Officer, Preston does not consider it to be a consolation prize. He insists that the position of Students’ Union President is “a puppet role”, considering the Education Office to be the actual seat of power. The Junior Sophister student of Philosophy and Classics is a vehement supporter of tuition fees, insisting that their re-introduction would help to advance Trinity’s public image as a “bastion of Protestantism”. “We do not need handouts from the Irish government” he explains. “We are not Maynooth. We don’t fly the Irish flag, there’s a good reason for that.” Preston says he and his campaigners aim to redress Trinity’s “parody of itself”, donning suits and top hats. The nominee claims that fees would help to re-establish College’s Anglo-Saxon heritage which has been allowed to “slip by the wayside”. When asked if he was in receipt of free fees, Preston evaded comment. Preston expresses interest in Students’ Union
President nominee Dan Reilly’s Trinity Intellectual Traditionalist Society, envisaging “we’d have a lot to talk about”. In a departure from his Presidential promise last year to “fuck cricket”, Preston now intends to make the sport compulsory among students. He is openly critical of the “‘Angela’s Ashes’ food” provided by the Buttery and says he would replace this with weekly venison. Confident his election proposals are “in the bag”, Preston says he is prepared for the role of Education Officer, citing his experience in the underground “Shadow Union” he formed after failing to secure the Students’ Union Presidency last year. He assumes full responsibility for another semester without dinosaur attacks and professes to take a vigilant stance with “knackers” who cut across campus to get to the Dart.
WELFARE
CORMAC CASHMAN IN A surprise bid for re-election, Welfare Officer Cormac Cashman wants to secure the “job I love, even on the bad days”, for another year’s tenure. Cashman says he has the distinct advantage of “knowing the ropes, which can take about three months”, over a sabbatical officer coming in for the first time, and “the network of contacts I’ve built up over the past year gives an element of continuity to the position, which can be made difficult because of the short tenure”. Cashman hopes to build upon his organisation of Welfare events including Mental Health Awareness Week, Rainbow Week and SHAG week. He cites his creation of an accommodation advisory service as a “huge success”, which he says “housed at least 60 Trinity students, and made sure students could get a place more cheaply and easily”. Cashman has also been involved in assisting students with budgeting and managing their finances, by advising them on the grant system and providing charts, which he says is “essential in the current economic climate”. The grants system is something which Cashman would be keen to reform, and if elected would lobby
to change the current system which he says is “not tenable, it needs to be centralised because currently there are thirty different bodies administering grants, and students aren’t given access to enough information”. Cashman says it is “unacceptable” that students in receipt of grants did not receive the funds until as late as January, forcing them to pay months of rent without any financial assistance. The student in BESS says it can be “daunting when you’re finding your feet as a sabbatical officer”, and advises incoming Students’ Union officers to “get as much as a cross over between officers as you can, so that there can be a transfer of experience and knowledge”.
STEPHANIE FLEMING PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENT Stephanie Fleming feels she can make a “tangible difference” if elected Welfare Officer. She says her course makes her a “very passionate person in caring for others”, and the Welfare Office is an extension of this. The final year student has been active in the Students’ Union for three years now, and has been a class representative. She is currently Deputy Convenor for the Health Sciences faculty and a member of the Welfare Committee. Fleming wants the Welfare Office to be as approachable as possible, as a position designed to “help the student body”. She is keen on promoting issues such as mental health, which is she feels still has not reached the forefront of the Welfare agenda. Fleming also wants to further promote Rainbow Week, and revive Road Safety Week in Trinity. Fleming aims to address the underutilisation of services available to students. “There is a shortfall in the use of services”, says Fleming, “the information on the Student Counselling Service website, for example, is routinely out of date and as such is fatal in helping students to reach out”. Fleming points out that the
opening hours of Niteline are stated incorrectly on advertisement posters. Fleming seeks to give a hand to the peer mentor programme, which she aims to expand to all faculties and course. When asked about the performance of the current Welfare Officer and fellow nominee Cormac Cashman, Fleming claims she “would have done things differently”. She says the “opening hours of many of the Welfare services are very limited and do not help those students who do not study on campus or have extended College hours.” Fleming plans to stretch the Welfare Office out to all of Trinity’s campuses, “as many students are not specifically based on Trinity’s campus”. Fleming points out that there were many last-minute changes on the Welfare calendar this year that she feels she would have done differently.
ENTERTAINMENTS
KEITH FLOREA “THE ENTS Officer is there for the students and I want to provide what the students want”, says Keith Florea. The Junior Sophister BESS student feels he is the one to “make the change” in the position of Entertainments Officer. He says the incumbent Ents Officer Mick Birmingham has “done well, but there is room for improvement”. As a member of Birmingham’s Ents team, Florea claims to have “seen first-hand the areas where Ents collapses, and I can be the one to fix this”. Florea says there should be more variety in the Ents programme. He wants to cater for those students whose interests range from classical to heavy metal rock, by organising more trips away and creating a greater variety on nights out. Some of Florea’s ideas include having a stronger student input through internet polls and more on-campus entertainment, with “students working together, and not just filling venues”. If elected, Florea says he will transform the Ents website into somewhere students and societies can visit to gain information on events. Florea has ideas to create a summer festival in Trinity, similar to Oxegen in Kildare. He aims to make nights out and entertainment as affordable as possible to students, through discount vouchers and off-
licence prices in nightclubs. The proposed Student Centre is “absolutely vital”, according to Florea. “At present there is no such centre in the College, whereas the majority of colleges do have one”. “The Pav is not a sufficient venue to have live gigs in terms of licensing. In order to bring more variety into the Ents programme, a running students centre is the key in order to achieve this.” If elected, Florea would be taking on the renewal of the Trinity Ball contract, an area in which he insists “Trinity does have a say in. MCD are not the only promoters Trinity can use to run the event, and if necessary there are other promotion compnies around if the decision comes to exit their contract”. Florea says he feels the Students’ Union does not received adequate profits from the Trinity Ball. Florea is keen to have greater student involvement in the choice of acts at the Freshers’ Ball, as well as Trinity Ball, with a choice of up to four headliners.
DARAGH GENOCKEY “I WANT bigger resources, with a bigger budget, on a bigger scale”, says Darragh Genockey, whose main aim as Entertainments Officer would be to “make student events better”. Genockey describes himself as “Mick’s second in command”, and is an active member of current Entertainments Officer Mick Birmingham’s team. He says he took over from Birmingham when he was on holiday, becoming de facto Entertainments Officer for a week. He says the Ents crew is important as it enables students to “stay on from Mick and work up the ranks”. If elected, he would have a team of five to ten members to assist organising events. Genockey says he can “work with designers to get better deals” when advertising student nights out. If elected, Genockey aims to create an “Entertainments management package”. This would involve working with societies and sports clubs in order to help them organise nights out and improve communication between events organisers across campus. “We need more cooperation with societies, and more involvement with the Students’ Union. This doesn’t mean to say I want the SU to completely dominate”, says Genockey, who has “no interest in taking over whatsoever”. Genockey says organising
events for the first time can be “overwhelming”, and “even doing little things like getting printing organised can be very difficultlike using the printers in Reads, for example, is a confusing process and something which the SU should be giving advice and information about”. Genockey is involved in a number of College societies, and is Social Secretary for DUBES and the Cancer Society. He has also worked with the entertainments aspect of DU Players. The BESS student says he has an interest in live music, and is a member of the Alternative Music Society. He aims to introduce music events to Trinity that go beyond the Trinity Ball and Freshers’ Ball, introducing a greater variety to student nights out. Genockey has been managing a Dublin-based band for the past three years, and organised a student gig night last Michaelmas Term.
COMMUNICATIONS
CONOR O’TOOLE “MY MAIN selling point, is that I don’t do BESS”, says prospective Entertainments Officer Conor O’Toole. The Senior Freshman Engineering student says he will make sure all students have access to “free ents”. When asked how this would be funded, O’Toole explains that alcohol revenue would subsidise club charges, and, more specifically, that he doesn’t really care about money at all. O’Toole is keen to encourage alternative music at College events, and says he wants to “get the Pixies in for Trinity Ball, if I wanted to see some band from Dublin I could go anywhere”. O’Toole is currently involved in publicity work for Trinity’s Alternative Music Society. If elected, O’Toole would like to organise “Nudist getaways” for Trinity students, citing a number of suitable beaches across Ireland. O’Toole did not appear to have a plan to deal with the issue of legality. “I’m definitely a tea man, and we should have a large on-campus tea room right here in Trinity”, says O’Toole, “It should have a range of different teas for students. You’ve got to remember that Ents isn’t just about organising club nights!”
O’Toole also claims that the answer to the question “what amkes him Ents?” is “being Ents” since 1991. One of his pipe-dream projects is to bring Pink Floyd to Trinity, including all the original band members. He believes that this will be possible with the aid of the genetics department to clone those band members who have passed away. The Engineering Senior Freshman is currently involved in work as a comedian. O’Toole is a Senior Engineer at Trinity FM, and is the Amenities and Facilities Officer for the Comedy Society. O’Toole is also involved with the Juggling Society. He currently works as a Sports Writer for The University Times.
TOM LOWE RUNNING UNOPPOSED, Tom Lowe is running for Communications Officer to become part of an “SU that communicates with you”. Lowe praises current Officer, Rob Donohue, for his creation of the Students’ Union broadsheet newspaper, the University Times, although says he could “do more”. Lowe is keen to improve the role of the Office in managing communications with students, “using not just the newspaper and website but social media as well.” He says this could be used as a “platform for spreading Students’ Union policy and informing students more efficiently than just relying on class representatives”. “Communications Officer is not just about being an Editor”, says Lowe, “we need to communicate to students on a College-wide and a national level, and online media is the perfect medium for this”. The Junior Sophister is currently Web Editor for the Trinity News, and has worked as a Copy Editor and Deputy Opinion Editor. If elected, Lowe wishes to replace written reports of Students’ Union councils which “no one reads” with video reports, “to inform the student
body of where money is going”. At the forefront of Lowe’s campaign is a bid to protect freedom of speech in Trinity. The Economics student is currently involved in The Piranha’s ongoing publicity campaign to ensure journalistic independence in the University. Lowe is currently Treasurer of Trinity Publications, where he is responsible for the finances of Trinity News, TCD Miscellany, and The Piranha. Lowe has previously been a BESS class representative, and is a DUBES committee member along with holding the Librarian position for the Politics Society. He has professional experience with a PR firm, and feels this involvement “reflects the role of Communications”.
14
ELECTIONS 2010
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
SABBATICAL OFFICER REVIEW
Last year’s promises, kept or not? Two terms in, Kate Palmer finds out whether this year’s sabbatical officers have lived up to the election promises they made last year. Kate Palmer College News Editor When voting, it’s easy to be swayed by utopian ideals set out in the glossy manifestos forced upon us during campaigning season. In a bid to gain votes, it seems nominees will promise almost anything to secure a muchcoveted office in House Six. Now we are almost halfway through the academic year, Trinity News plans to look back at the promises of our current sabbatical officers, and decipher what was a realistic policy-pledge from pure electioneering. Students’ Union President CĂłnĂĄn Ă“ Broin has undoubtedly made good his promise to fight fees, which he says have been at the “forefrontâ€? of his campaign. “It’s been an awful lot of workâ€?, Ă“ Broin tells Trinity News, “It’s taken three and a half months of work, lobbying every TD and Senator. Together with the Students’ Union Presidents of UCD and DIT we’ve met with over 40 politicians on the matterâ€?. Ă“ Broin describes the successful prevention of tuition fees as “sheer euphoriaâ€?, in a campaign which has put the Students’ Union into the national limelight. However, this is not the first time fees have been on the Government’s agenda, as with a previous scare in 2002, and Ă“ Broin admits there is a “strong prospectâ€? the issue may arise again. “The fact is, that the University is under funded by the Government, but it is unacceptable to assume tuition fees are the answer to thisâ€?. Ă“ Broin’s work is by no means done, as the Students’ Union President is currently embroiled in a conflict with the University over the expenditure of the 1,500 Student Charge. Ă“ Broin explains, “only about 800 of the registration fee students pay actually goes on student services. Students are simply being charged for cuts the Government have made, and the College are trying to justify the rise in the registration fee by changing the definition of “student servicesâ€? to include facilities such as the Library and ISS Servicesâ€?. He describes the actions of the College as a “deceptionâ€?, and is organising meetings with the Provost in order to solve what he describes as an “abuse by the Minister for Education and Minister for Finance, with millions of students’ money in questionâ€?. Pressing demands in what Ă“ Broin calls the “toughest and most challengingâ€? year to be part of the Students’ Union means he has not been able to promote Irish culture in Trinity as much as planned. He sees the installation of moveable GAA posts onto the Cricket pitch as “symbolicâ€? event for Trinity College, which he says “proves that the stereotypical image of Trinity and stereotypical image of GAA are not necessarily incompatibleâ€?. Both Students’ Union President and Education Officer, Ashley Cooke, have been at the forefront of the campaign for improved Library services. Success on the Library front has yet to be seen, as Sunday opening hours remain a point of contention. Cooke made promises to improve Library services back in 2008, and admits it is a situation which has left students “unhappy and angry with the current circumstancesâ€?. He explains the recruitment moratorium has been a major setback in the campaign, although is confident it is an issue he will “not give up onâ€?, and expects Sunday opening hours to be operational over the next coming weeks. Somewhat less ambitious, although infinitely more successful, was Cooke’s election promise to reform the grinds system in Trinity. The previous system involved e-mailing a page of contacts to individuals interested in getting or giving tuition, which was out of date and unreliable. Cooke has created an online database for which he has received a number of testimonials: “Lecturers have come up to me around College, telling me how useful the system is, and one of them even thanked me for the help it had given to their son. It’s something that not enough people knew about before, and I hope I’ve helped people who needed that tuitionâ€?, says Cooke. He has also made moves to ensure a 24-hour study space is available oncampus, although he says the lack of bathroom facilities and no access to books means it is “not enoughâ€?. He continues, “although we don’t have an adequate facility now, when the proposed student centre comes along, we are promised a 24-hour study spaceâ€?, in reference to a proposed development in Luce Hall which has not yet received planning permission. The proposed student centre has been part of an unfulfilled election promise of Entertainments Officer, Mick Birmingham. His 2008 manifesto says it is “ridiculous that we don’t have a venue for student gigsâ€?, although now Birmingham admits the reality is “a little more difficult than it might seemâ€?. He argues the new term structure has made it difficult to employ staff for a 24-weeklong academic year, and explains how the plans have been “rejiggedâ€? to double the capacity to 800. “I’ll say the student centre won’t be long off the groundâ€?, assures Birmingham, “it will be up by the next time the Provost comes along, although if they say it’ll be ready in the summer we should probably expect it around January the next year!â€? Trinity has yet to see an off-license on campus, although Birmingham assures this is an election promise which has not yet been broken. “It’s something the Junior Dean isn’t exactly thrilled about. It’s important in a position like this to pick your battlesâ€?, say Birmingham, who says it is important to avoid “pissing off people you need to have
on your sideâ€?. Students have yet to see a Night Bus service provided by the Ents Office, and Birmingham explains the license fees associates with a regular bus service makes it a “lot more complicated and expensive than I first envisagedâ€?. The year is not up yet however, and Birmingham assures students he has “got a lot more to doâ€? for the rest of his sabbatical, and “the exam season can give me a change to dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’sâ€?. Perhaps we can expect a lot more from Birmingham’s tenure, as after all, the biggest College event of the year has yet to take place. “The Trinity Ball is my biggest achievement so farâ€?, says Birmingham, who has did not reveal the lineup. “Welfairieâ€? Cormac Cashman has mainly lived up to his election promises, so much so that he is running for a second tenure. The Welfare Officer promised in his “Need a hug?â€? campaign an accommodation advisory service, and help with student finance. Cashman describes the Accommodation Advisory Service as a “huge successâ€?, enabling “three times as many students to get a place through the College serviceâ€?. He tells Trinity News that countless students have come to his office for help with budgeting and financing, or just to have a “shoulder to cry onâ€?. Cormac’s promise to introduce a Welfare week is planned for this March’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which is set to include free fruit every morning and ‘stress pigs’ for the overworked student. Cashman also plans to make a number of additions to SHAG Week, including a full-time pharmacists on campus, which will take place later this term. Rob Donohoe has transformed the role of Deputy President to become Communications Officer. Scrapping the controversial Record, he is founder of The University Times, a Students’ Union funded broadsheet newspaper. Donohoe tells us how he was “thrown in the deep endâ€? when his sabbatical position began: “When I started as editor for the University Times, I didn’t know a lot about what’s involved with editing a paperâ€?, says Donohoe, “I thought the best idea was to change the direction of the paper, I didn’t want to just modify The Record because you’re always going to have the baggage of the old paper.â€? Donohue enlisted the help of Gearoid O Rourke, previous Trinity News Editor and designer to make the newspaper a success. Donohoe was keen to reverse the policy of erstwhile Students’ Union newspaper, The Record, which banned criticism of the Union. He comments: “I don’t think The University Times is biased at allâ€?, and says he has “no problem with reporting on anything which may be perceived as portraying the Students’ Union in a negative lightâ€?. Donohue describes his fellow sabbatical officers as “supportiveâ€? of the independence of the paper. “At the same time, I don’t just put in fluff about positive things the Union has done, and in that sense only include news into the paperâ€?. Donohue describes his position as a “dual roleâ€?, combining that of a sabbatical officer and Editor, “I need to be independent, but also take some input from the Union. Sometimes I let my input as Communications Officer seep into an editorial role, because in the Union I might come across something newsworthy!â€? Donohoe is evidently proud of his creation, which he describes as a “work in progressâ€?. He says, “the paper has been improving with every issue that’s come out, and we’re going to keep getting better with the next one, and one after that!â€? Donohoe hopes The University Times will be available to students in years to come, “I hope people will remember that I founded itâ€?, he adds. “The main piece of advice I’d give for someone taking over the role of Communications Officer would be to make sure there’s continuity with staff on the paperâ€?. Says Donohoe. He comments on the element of uncertainty surrounding the new publication during Michaelmas term: “I know how hard it is when starting from scratch, and the first issues were particularly tough because there weren’t many staff at all. Maybe this was because people would not know what to expect from the paper or didn’t expect it to change that much.â€? “I hope that the paper can continue in the same light under next year’s Communications Officer. I’d hate to see the paper go in a completely different direction every year, although at the same time I recognise that each Editor would want to make his or her own markâ€?. It seems this year’s sabbatical team have got on well so far without any major disagreements. “In this way I’m personally blessedâ€?, says Ă“ Broin, who points out that he and Ashley Cooke have been working closely together on the ongoing campaign for improved Library opening hours. Rob Donohoe says, “It’s been fantastic working with the other sabbatical officers, we all get on wellâ€?, pointing out that he lives with Mick Birmingham, and “we have all agreed on a lot of things. You know how it can be when there’s a weak link, it can let the team down, but we didn’t have thatâ€?. As ever, some of the more grandiose issues of our sabbatical team have of yet failed to materialise. However, we should not let that overshadow the achievements of a Union which has represented, informed, supported and entertained the student body to which it is accountable. The national profile of Trinity’s Students’ Union makes it all the more important that we, the student electorate, choose a candidate most equipped for a position where impracticable daydreams rarely become reality.
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EDITORIAL
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
TRINITY NEWS Issue 8, Volume 56 Tuesday, 6 February 2009 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2 www.trinitynews.ie
EDUCATION COMMITTEE UNEARTHS HIDDEN GEMS OF INFORMATION This month saw the Provost, alongside his fellow university heads, sit before the Oireachtas Education Committee, as reported on page one of this issue. The information extracted at this meeting was quite considerable: the admission by Hugh Brady, for example, that the use of the student charge amounted to fees by another name, or, perhaps of more interest, that the charge has been applied to areas that the casual student would never have thought could possibly be considered a student service. The information that the committee received was, first and foremost, news to them. In addition, there were allegations from the seven students’ unions that the information presented to the committee was different to that presented to the student body. In the end, the power of the committee on Education and Science unearthed some truths about the allocation of funding, but the process could be best described as murky. It was more akin to sifting through mud for nuggets of gold than the quick, easy, and simple access to information which many of us assume is the case with public bodies. The university now faces a potentially difficult challenge in justifying its categorisation of expenses to a government body. As was suggested by members of the committee, less effort should have been expended on balancing the books, and a more honest statement of financial difficulty should have been made. Only by recognising that the universities cannot afford to run a library, or repair roads or run an animal resources unit can the government and its agencies begin to even consider increasing financial support. This column has written before on the culture of secrecy within Trinity, though these latest developments demonstrate that it is a trait common to most, if not all, institutions of higher education in the country. While we do not wish to suggest any kind of illegal action on the part of this or any other institution, the need for transparency in all our public bodies is crystal clear. A well-run, efficiently managed institution may still hold the burden of a large deficit; conversely, an appalling shell of a university, which can barely afford to run its basic facilities, might conceivably manage to balance its figures by not holding any large capital debt. It should not require the intervention of elected officials and the sustained efforts of student groups form all over the country to tell one from the other. Less complexity is better– information should be easy to access, simple enough for the common man to understand, and adhere to a standard format.
ELECTION PROMISES AND A PINCH OF SALT For the last number of years, this paper has made the same plea to the student population when the time comes to elect the sabbatical officers of next year’s Students’ Union: beware of election promises, which are all too easily forgotten. In an institution such as ours where everyday undergraduate stays only four years, the turnover between one year and the next is enormous. Of those who remain, many are apathetic in regard to student politics, and those who are enthusiastic about the topic are all too often friends, or closely associated with, the elected officers. Students’ Union sabbatical officers are paid a salary for their time. Staying within the comfortable confines of a university, and being paid for the privilege, is an attractive proposition to many, and doubtless we will see ludicrous claims from some corners as to what will be achieved should one person or another be elected. To older students, this will be a familiar experience; but to the younger population, take with a pinch of salt the promises of laser tag in front square and 24 hour library services (both of which were promised by past candidates, and which they had zero power to enact). This paper has, over the last few years, made a habit of reexamining the election promises of elected officers approximately half-way through their term of office: you can find the relevant piece on this year in our election special of this issue. Let the current candidates be aware, then, that there is a need to remember promises made once election day is long gone, and let us hope that the student body uses common sense in determining which goals are achievable, and which are nothing more than an elaborate wish which will never come true.
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
Health hazards
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BRYSON BY THE PARK
Sir– I was assigned Room 3070 for a Romance Seminar at 10.00 today. It is a small, disgusting room, without natural lighting or fresh air. Given the number of students using the room it must constitute a health hazard, quite apart from the expenditure on electricity required by its use. I have protested about this situation (and there are many other unsuitable rooms used by the secretaries and students in the Arts Building) over many years, but they have been entirely ignored. There is no point in putting up notices about influenza when such little care is taken over the health of people using the Arts Building on a daily basis. Very best wishes, Gerald Morgan, FTCD (1993-2002)
Gallery time Sir– Having recently attended the Douglas hyde Gallery for the first time in far too long, I was struck by how forutnate the young men and women of Trinity are to have such a facility quite literally on their doorstep. It seemed to me to be sadly under-utilised by those studying here, and I must recommend it. The exhibition of works by Ciaran Murphy currently on display is certainly more worthy of student’s time than most of what is on show at their local cinema.
BILL BRYSON, the celebrated American humourist, paid Trinity a visit last Friday. He was accepting an award from the College historical Society for “Outstanding Contribution to Discourse through the Arts.” Bryson is best known for his works on travel, but he has also covered the areas of science and linhuistics, among others. Photo: Caroline O’Leary.
Yours, Jonathan Hynes
Taking your college time OLD TRINITY by PETER HENRY
THE CLOCK above the entrance to the Dining Hall was once the only public clock in college. It’s not particularly remarkable to look at, but it once eschewed standard timekeeping for the nobler, and slightly tardier, college time. College time was 15 minutes later than regular time. After hearing the bells of the city ring the hour, the unhurried undergraduate had a quarter of an hour to attend to his varsity duties before college time caught up with him. The first record of Trinity’s rugger club, in the Daily Express in December of 1855, mentions the university’s way of keeping time: “A match will be played in the College Park today between original and new members of the club. Play to commence at two o’clock college time.” College time was kept until October 15, 1870, when the Dining Hall’s clock reverted to regular hours. But does a submerged memory survive among those students who are always late for everything? The unpunctual undergraduate, ten minutes late for his tutorial, can mischievously insist that he’s five minutes early – college time. I MENTIONED in February that two DU Football Club men are to be found on cigarette cards of the 1920s. Here they are – Mark Sugden and Denis John Cussen. The former was famous
Above: Trinity rugby footballers Mark Sugden (first three cards) and DJ Cussen (right) depicted on these 1920s cigarette cards; below, from left: The arms of Trinity College, and the badges of the Boat Club, Football Club, Hockey Club and Ladies’ Boat Club. enough to feature three times. Trinity supplied men to the Irish rugby team for much of that decade, with both of these players receiving many caps. Sugden was Ireland captain for a number of years, and became famous as an expert of the “dummy”. Cussen was a formidable sprinter who, as well as playing rugby, won many prizes with the Harriers, and represented Ireland in the Olympics in 1928. THE HERALDIC theme of the last Old Trinity column reminded me of the badges used by some of the sports clubs. It is sometimes forgotten, even by their members, that some clubs do not use the college arms on the traditional St Patrick’s blue field, but on different colours. Four clubs, to my knowledge, use these badges. The Boat Club uses the college arms on a royal blue shield; its colours are black and white. The Football Club uses a red shield, its
colours being red and black. The Hockey Club’s badge is green, the club’s colours being green and black, inherited from its predecessor, the DU Hurley Club. The Ladies’ Boat Club’s constitution specifies a black shield, and its colours are black, white and pink. The DU Cricket Club uses a black shield on its blazer and flag – but, having not read the club’s rules, I cannot say for certain that the cricketers’ badge must always be black. The teams play in black and gold. Lamentably, some other institutions have attempted to poach these clubs’ emblems. The swimmers, for example, brazenly display the Hockey Club’s badge on their website. The Swimming Club’s colours are bottle green, emerald green, and silver, but the badge ought to be St Patrick’s blue. pehenry@tcd.ie
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WORLD REVIEW
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
Haiti buckles under post-quake rescue
Manus Lenihan Staff Writer THE QUAKE shook buildings and roadways for ten or fifteen seconds, smashing infrastructure and ending lives. An early estimate put the death toll at three hundred. However, roads and homes had been unusually empty due to a baseball match between two local teams, and it was later concluded that the dead numbered sixty-three. While it caused devastating loss of life and left thousands injured and thousands more homeless, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in Northern California did not cripple a nation. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for the earthquake which struck twenty-five miles west of Port-auPrince, Haiti’s capital city, several weeks ago. Though the dead are still being counted, and the deaths are ongoing, their number is being expressed in six digits, not two. The fact that both earthquakes measured 7 on the Richter scale points to a vast gulf, not between the natures of the disasters themselves, but between conditions on the ground. If anything good could come out of
such a catastrophe, it would be that the effects of this earthquake might show the world just how dire the situation is in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. On the 23 January, Haiti’s government, meeting in a run-down police station, officially called off the search for survivors. The previous day, the UN had noted that the emergency
Haiti is no longer a functioning nation. Broken and defeated hope is rapidly fading, but what does the developed world care? phase of the relief operation was over. This earthquake, however, has simply been one extremely low point in a long and ongoing emergency for Haitians. In the words of one survivor, “This country was bad long before this. But now the earthquake has exposed the true face
of Haiti.” The staggering statistics for the death and destruction caused by this catastrophe are well-known, but it’s vital to look at the situation in Haiti before the quake as well. Haiti is a country in which threequarters of the people are unemployed and 80% live in poverty. It is a haven for sweatshops and cheap labour, and its cities are home to an estimated 225,000 household child slaves. It is home to extremes of inequality as well as poverty, over half of its wealth resting in the hands of a mere 1% of its population. The IMF cancelled 80% of Haiti’s massive foreign debt last year, but only once the government agreed to open up the country’s markets and labour to increased foreign exploitation. Soaring rice prices caused food riots in April 2008, and 2009 saw the staple grow even more expensive. While poor, Haitians used to be able to feed themselves, but the scrapping of tariffs on foreign rice in 1994 drove farmers out of business and into the already packed slums of the cities. These same cinder block slums collapsed during the earthquake, killing tens of thousands and leaving millions in
need of aid and shelter. As UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-Moon has said, “[Haiti] does not have the resources or the money to respond to an emergency. What capacity it did have was knocked out. This earthquake hit a country that was already barely functional.” The 2010 Haitian earthquake ranks as a more terrible disaster than the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake, and the Burmese cyclone, not due to the scale of the disaster itself, but due to where it hit. Port-au-Prince had two fire stations and no quake-proof housing, despite having been devastated by natural disasters in the past, as recently as 2008 and 2004. While Haiti has seen several governments in the last 20 years who have tried to tackle poverty, none, it seems, could afford stable housing for this disaster zone. These are the consequences of economic inequality and private monopolisation of wealth. The UN, who had to feed 1 million people before the quake, lost 300 of its staff in the disaster. Oxfam lost 90% of its emergency kit. 48 hours followed in which landlines and mobiles alike were useless. The difficulty in
coordinating response was mirrored in the attempts to bring in aid. The port and infrastructure were crippled. The airport’s only runway was bottlenecked, and the road to the Dominican Republic clogged with refugees. Aid agencies found no diesel in the city, and only three days’ worth of petrol. Another process which slowed relief efforts was the deployment of some 20,000 US troops to Haiti to maintain security and protect aid convoys. Haiti’s government signed over control of Toussaint L’ouverture Airport to Washington, provoking complaints from France, Brazil and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) that in such a congested airport, giving priority to US warplanes over much-needed aid was impeding relief efforts. Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Cuba, meanwhile, have all accused the US of attempting a military occupation. Considering the presence of over 10,000 UN troops, besides Haiti’s own army and police, the need for so many US troops is indeed hard to understand. Furthermore, the years since the Haitians overthrew the second Duvalier dictatorship have been punctuated by US-backed coups against
elected leaders, and that is leaving aside Haiti’s more remote history of colonial and neo-colonial exploitation. The terrible consequences of the earthquake in Haiti cannot be understood in isolation, but only as part of a long and ongoing history of poverty, inequality and exploitation. Neither can the flow of aid and relief money be appreciated out of context. Citigroup have generously donated $250,000; however, they have been even more generous to their top managers, whose bonus pool this year will amount to over $5 billion. The $100 million pledged by the Obama administration only sounds impressive if one forgets that the US spend $165 million in Afghanistan every day. Paul Collier and Jean-Louis Warnholz, two experts on Haiti, have explained that while initial relief and aid following disasters is generally impressive, reconstruction is a more important area that is usually ignored. They argue that a “Marshall-type plan”, involving billions of dollars, is needed to put Haiti back on its feet. However, between wars and bonuses, this is clearly something the developed world can’t afford.
Don’t ask, don’t talk – the official military code Debra Wigglesworth Staff Writer ON 2 February 2010, the Obama administration launched the first serious attempt at confronting discrimination against gay people in the US military since the Clinton era. This came in the aftermath of President Obama’s State of the Union address in which he committed to addressing the politically contentious issue of the existing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT) policy which allows gays to serve as long as their sexuality remains hidden. “This year,” Obama said, “I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.” US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen have publicly supported the proposed review of the policy but ultimately the decision will come down to Congress in which a strong body of opposition is apparent particularly among Republicans. Admiral Mullen told a Senate Armed Services Committee that allowing openly gay people to serve was “the right thing to do”. He said, “No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.” He told the hearing that the issue “comes down to integrity, theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.” Admiral Mullen said he believed fellow service members “can and would accommodate such a change” to the law which was passed by Congress in 1993. He added that he had learned never to “underestimate their ability to adapt” and that he himself had been serving alongside gay soldiers since 1968 and
believed it was time for a change in policy. Nearly 11,000 people have been dismissed from the US military over the last decade after outing themselves or being outed. Mr. Gates said the committee review of the policy would look at whether reform could be carried out with minimum impact at a time when the US was engaged in two wars. He also wanted to review the potential impact on military effectiveness, in particular the cohesion of units. Republican
Inequality reigns supreme in the US military. As far as they are concerned gay, lesbian or transgender soldiers are the new enemy. Senator John McCain has expressed opposition to the proposed review and believes it would be “clearly biased” because it presumed the law should be changed. “Has this policy been ideal? No, it has not,” he said. “But it has been effective.” The year-long review of the possible effects of the policy change is to be carried out by the Pentagon’s highestranking lawyer, Jeh Johnson and General Carter Ham, who leads army forces in Europe. General Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State and the first African-American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also gave his support to the review of the DADT policy even though he strongly opposed any change in the 1990s. In a statement he said that “attitudes and circumstances have changed” and that he fully supported the new approach
presented to the Senate by Mr. Gates and Adm. Mullen. Under the present policy, soldiers don’t have to answer questions about their sexual orientation and they are not allowed tell others about their sexual orientation. Any soldier found to be homosexual is discharged from the military. Air force pilot Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbrech is currently in the process of being discharged from the air force. Fehrenbrech has served his country as a pilot for the last 17 years, he flies F-15E jets and has been decorated with nine medals for distinguished service in flight and for heroism the night US forces captured Baghdad International Airport in 2003. However he says in May 2008 his world ended when he was outed by a third party and reported to his military superiors. In April 2009 he faced a military discharge board that recommended him for an honourable discharge and came to the conclusion that his continued service was “detrimental to good order, discipline and morale”. He maintains that this law is a violation of his constitutional rights to privacy, due process and equal protection. He also believes aside from the financial impact of discharging soldiers with critical combat skills, that this practice also has a detrimental effect on national security. He says that he was heartened by Adm. Mullen’s support of the review and believes that it is a small step to real reform of this discriminatory policy. Lesbian service women are often overlooked by the policy but enforcement of the policy against outed gay men is strict. Soldier’s views on the issue vary. Some see it as ironic that these soldiers fight and protect the freedoms and civil liberties of so many and yet their own freedoms and civil liberties are violated
Bulgarian and American Soldiers man a Bulgarina armored troop carrier in a Bulgarian training area. Photo: Mateus by this law. Other soldiers still see homosexuality in the service as a very taboo subject and rather than view it as a “don’t ask, don’t tell” matter they view it as a matter about which they “don’t want to know.” The United States is quite slow in re-examining this policy when compared with Israel, Russia and most European Union countries where gay men and women are allowed to serve in the military. Following the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in Smith and Grady v The United Kingdom ten years ago, the UK changed their laws and allowed gay men and women to serve openly in the armed forces. Fears of a breakdown in discipline proved
unfounded. In Russia, however, given that hundreds of new conscripts are killed each year by hazing and bullying, it would be almost unheard of for a gay man to be open about his sexual orientation. Although liberals in Washington are a far cry from the close living quarters of an army unit there has to come a point where the US military will at the least entertain the idea of accepting openly gay people in the military. Real progress and real evolving change in this area will make the military stronger in the long-term. One calls to mind the scene in The West Wing when Admiral Fitzwallace
schools a couple of lower ranking service men in the ways of the world. Explaining that he agrees homosexuals serving in the military would pose a threat to unit discipline and cohesion he continues. “I also think the military wasn’t designed to be an instrument of social change. “The problem with that is that’s what they were saying about me 50 years ago. Blacks shouldn’t serve with whites. It would disrupt the unit. You know what? It did disrupt the unit. The unit got over it. The unit changed. I’m an admiral of the US Navy and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Beat that with a stick.” In other words, DADT is beyond the realms of credibility.
WORLD REVIEW
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
17
Photo: US Army
Chemical Ali’s death by hanging Joshua Roberts Staff Writer SADDAM HUSSEIN’S cousin, advisor and chemical weapons expert Ali Hassan al-Majid has been put to death for crimes against humanity and genocide, just eight days after The Iraqi High Tribunal sentenced him to death for the fourth time. Al-Majid, or Chemical Ali as he was known for his chemical warfare expertise, was a close ally of the exPresident and was undeniably one of the most prominent figures in Hussein’s tyrannical regime. Chiefly tasked with exterminating all of Iraq’s Shia and Kurdish citizens, he also played the role of kingmaker or powerbroker in the bitter rivalry between Saddam’s two
sons. His political career began in 1987 when he was appointed to govern Iraq’s Northern provinces and the border with Kuwait. It was soon after taking office that Al-Majid sanctioned the annihilation of Kurdish and Shia peoples living in northern provinces which was later named the Al-Anfal Campaign. “The armed forces must kill any human being or animal present in these areas”, a decree signed by Al-Majid stated. Over the coming months a multitude of techniques were used to carry-out the killings, including the aerial spraying of nerve agents such as Sarin, an odourless gas which, when inhaled, causes the slow and excruciating disintegration of all nerves in the body. However, the Al-Anfal Campaign accounted for just
In an ironic twist of fate Chemical Ali, cousin of hung Saddam, was also hanged. Few wept and even fewer mourned but the question remains who, if anyone, will step up to take his place?
one of his four death penalties. Other atrocities for which were handed down death penalties were: the savage gas attacks on the city of Halabja in 1988 which killed 5,000 people; the brutal crushing of the Shia revolution in 1991; and the slaughter of hundreds more in the province of Sadr in 1999. It was this notorious cruelty and his seemingly comprehensive grasp of weapons of mass destruction that put Al-Majid’s name at the top of the CIA’s most wanted list. He was captured four months after British intelligence officers reported that he was dead by US soldiers in June 2003. From the moment his trial began on 21st August 2006 it was clear to all that it would be long and controversial. In particular Iraqis and the international community were angered by Al-Majid’s refusal to enter a plea which not only elongated the length of the trial, but also sent out a final message of defiance. He told the court, “I am not apologising. I did not make a mistake.” Although almost all Iraqi’s seemed to approve of the trial in principle, both the direction of the trial and its eventual
verdicts split public opinion. On one side some people felt that Al-Majid should have been tried for a single crime which would have allowed a quicker passage of justice, whilst on the other, people wanted the court and the international community to bear witness to the true hideous extent of his crimes. The death penalties themselves were also a considerable cause of contention. Some felt that it was only right for him to suffer the same fate as his victims; others saw hypocrisy in hanging someone for killing; and more still thought that life imprisonment would have been more appropriate. One such advocate of incarcerating Chemical Ali was Freshta Raper who had herself lost family members in the Halabja attacks. Talking to the BBC she said, “I hoped that he wouldn’t be executed, but instead put in jail and visited every month by victims of the Anfal Campaign. For me staying having him in jail, rotting in jail, reminded every day about the pain he caused would be far better than hanging.” News of the hanging, which came shortly after three suicide car bombs
shook the capital city of Baghdad and claimed over twenty lives, was met amongst most Iraqi communities with a sense of jubilation or, at the very least, subdued relief and a sense of closure. On the international stage, however, Al-Majid’s hanging seemed to rekindle fervent aversion to the death penalty. In particular, the human rights group Amnesty International made known its anger at the hanging with their Middle East Director Malcolm Smart describing it as, “the latest in a mounting number of executions, some of whom did not receive fair trials, in gross violation of human rights”. Perhaps more worrying was the emergence of some supporters of Al-Majid: one inhabitant of Tikrit (Al-Majid’s hometown) said, “ I give my condolences to the Iraqi people on the death of Ali Hassan al-Majid, who was killed by traitors and hooligans.” Regardless of whether the trial and execution were just or not and regardless of whether it was approached in the wrong way, it is certainly true to say that with Al-Majid’s death Iraq and its people are one step closer to moving on from their horrific past. The suggestion
of many commentators is that the burial of Chemical Ali and his confederates will usher in a new age of political and cultural unity and with it bring stability and hope for the Iraqi people. One thing is certain – they need it.
RISE TO POWER » After the invasion of Kuwait, Saddam had appointed him military governor of what was deemed to be Iraq’s “19th province” but replaced him three months later for fear his brutal reputation was strengthening the hand of Kuwait’s allies. » When a US-led coalition expelled Iraqi forces from the emirate in 1991, Saddam appointed Majeed interior minister to help stamp out the Shi’ite rebellion sweeping southern Iraq.
Aung San Suu Kyi appeal goes ahead Alice Stevens investigates the trials and tribulations of Burma’s last beacon of hope. Trapped by a vicious junta military in her own home, how much longer can Aung San Suu Kyi’s suffering continue? Alice Stevens Contributing Writer AUNG SAN Suu Kyi has spent 14 of the last 20 years as a political prisoner. She has been separated from two sons and, 10 years ago, was unable to see her husband on his deathbed. In 1991, she won the Noble Peace Prize for her heroism. As an opposition leader, she persists as a national figure of hope and an international symbol of peaceful resistance and continues to inspire the people of Myanmar, formerly Burma, in their struggle under the oppressive and corrupt military junta that has ruled the country for five decades. Recent developments in Suu Kyi’s ideological battle with the junta have shown that the regime’s unjust treatment of opposition continues in spite of international pressure. Although the government is holding its first democratic elections in over two decades, the junta has used executive and legal power to prevent Suu Kyi’s involvement. Her house arrest has been an attempt to silence her voice of dissent and the government continues to detain her because of her influence and leadership. In May of last year, Suu Kyi was arrested and charged with breaking the conditions of her house arrest after an incident in which an American man swam over to her lakeside home uninvited and stayed for two nights. John Yettaw, a Mormon, claimed he had been sent by God to warn Suu Kyi of an assassination attempt. Suu Kyi allowed him to stay out of concern for his well being. These bizarre circumstances have angered Suu Kyi’s supporters, but clearly Mr. Yettaw did not intend to cause problems for Suu Kyi. “He does not have a political agenda
and meant her absolutely no harm,” his wife, Betty Yettaw, told reporters. The timing was bad. Suu Kyi’s arrest came only two weeks before the expiration of her most recent 6 year sentence, and resulted in an 18 month extension of her house arrest. This latest conviction is widely regarded as a ploy to prevent Suu Kyi’s involvement in the 2010 elections, the first elections to be held in Myanmar since 1990. In 1990, Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), had won an overwhelming majority, but the military junta refused to honour the results.
The struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma is a struggle for life and dignity.It is a struggle that encompasses our political, social and economic aspirations. Anxious to ensure her participation in these crucial elections, Suu Kyi had her lawyers appeal to the Supreme Court in November of last year. The court agreed to the appeal, which was held earlier this month. Suu Kyi’s lawyer Nyan Win argued that the extension was unlawful because it was based on provisions from the 1974 constitution that are no longer in effect. It is expected that the court will issue a ruling within the next few weeks. Suu Kyi’s lawyers are hopeful that the Myanmar High Court will overturn the extension. Lawyer Kyi Win said, “We are very optimistic. The law is completely
on our side.” However, Aung Thein, who has extensive experience in political cases, disagrees. “Executive power supersedes the Supreme Court,” he told reporters waiting outside the court. Thein’s outlook seems the more realistic one. In the political climate of Myanmar, it seems unlikely that Suu Kyi will be released in time for the elections. Success for the military junta in these coming elections will legitimise their brutal regime and justify continued military authority. Despite assurances that the elections will be “fair and free”, the NLD has drawn attention to provisions in the constitution that ensure continued military control in government. The party has not yet declared whether or not it will participate in elections they consider undemocratic. Suu Kyi’s release could prove vital to rallying opposition to the junta. Supporting Thein’s view is a recent statement by the authorities that Aung San Suu Kyi will be freed in November of this year. According to three witnesses, the Home Minister, Maj Gen Maung Oo, made this assertion to an audience of several hundred in a meeting of local officials on January 21. Suu Kyi’s 18 month extension will expire in November, a month after the elections are predicted to take place. Considering the dominance of executive power and the severity of the regime, it seems likely that the Supreme Court will confirm the government’s assertions. Aung San Suu Kyi has attracted criticism in recent years for her inability to adapt to the political climate of Myanmar. Certain members of NLD have questioned the effectiveness of non-violent protest and international sanctions to bring about change. “If
Suu Kyi has a plan to end 20 years of political deadlock, only she knows it,” said an unnamed elder figure. There is further concern that her policy is not only ineffective but detrimental, accelerating Burma’s isolation and leaving it vulnerable to manipulation. While such criticism may be accurate, the blame is unfairly directed at Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi is denied basic rights and a voice to express her resistance. In an oppressive regime and under house arrest, she has little power to change her position. But although Suu Kyi cannot influence or change Burmese politics in any practical manner, her sacrifice and unrelenting struggle against adversity provide her with an enduring power to inspire.
TIMELINE » 1948: Burma, a former British colony, wins its independence, with U Nu, the nationalist leader as Prime Minister. » 1962: A government led by U Nu, elected two years before, is overthrown in a military coup. » 1988: A junta seizes power in the aftermath and the National League for Democracy is formed. » 1989: The junta declares martial law and changes the country’s name to Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of the independence hero Aung San, who was assassinated in 1947, is held for endangering the state. » 1991: Aung San Suu Kyi wins the Nobel Peace Prize
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BUSINESS & CAREERS
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
Aer Lingus: setting a course for a new destination Airline Analyst Joe Gill explores Aer Lingus’ future prospects and how new CEO Christopher Mueller made his mark on the national carrier
Joe Gill Director of Research, Bloxham AER LINGUS’ equity investors could be forgiven for pressing the buttons marked “cynicism” and “scepticism” when hearing of another strategy presentation. Their investment has been whittled away since 2006, both by external and internal factors. However, last week the airline’s recently appointed CEO, Christoph Mueller, set out his vision for the company in a detailed briefing that provided clarity and direction. Executing this plan will be the key to ensuring Aer Lingus’ future viability and success. The strategy is threefold. Step 1: batten down the hatches. Having extensively reviewed the business, Mr. Mueller is now focussed on stabilising the group’s finances and protecting the net cash balances that remain in the business. To this end, deferred deliveries and the winding down of expansion plans together with a cost cutting programme are the central focus. We now know Aer Lingus’ year-end net cash was over €330m. The owned fleet is worth €684m and lease debt is €493m. Despite shelling out almost €500m in the past year through capital expenditure, redundancy payments
alance sheet and operating losses, this balance remains, by any definition,, strong. To estructuring protect this position a restructuring ertaken that programme has been undertaken will yield savings of €58m in 2010 and reach €97m by 2012. This will help Aer Lingus compete on its chosen battlefield – Ireland. Step 2: fortress Ireland. Ambitions to develop an international long-haul or short-haul footprint have been effectively shelved. Rather, Aer Lingus is set to make Ireland its core operating environment. Belfast, Cork, Dublin and Shannon are now the key bases from which short-haul services will work, with a particular focus on Heathrow where additional slots have been secured as well as more being sought. Long-haul services have been scaled back aggressively to support its three key US gateways (Boston, New York and Chicago) where partners, jetBlue and United, can feed traffic across the US. From Ireland, Aer Lingus will leverage its brand and the additional services it offers to passengers such as allocated seating, frequent flyer programmes and central airports. This marks one of the most radical deviations from the previous business model. Instead of trying to compete with true low cost carriers on fares, Aer
Lingus will attempt to extract unit revenues above stt ccarriers arrier ers like ke those of true low cost Ryanair. The company will use its yield management and ancillary revenue resources to support revenue formation while its capacity is rattled back. Shorthaul volume increased 1% last year, while its long-haul business fell a staggering 20%. To augment its focus on Ireland the group has agreed a revenue sharing deal with the regional carrier Aer Arann that provides services on thin UK provincial routes into Cork and Dublin. Aer Arann, along with the Aer Lingus short-haul network, will be used to create two-way feed for long haul services into Dublin. Step 3: flirtation. Assuming steps 1 and 2 work, Aer Lingus will have a cleaned-up cost base, a solid balance sheet, a defined Irish footprint, and cash flows stabilised by a return to operating profit in 2011. Step 3 is to effect an unalloyed seduction of one of the three global alliances. Aer Lingus already plays with Skyteam (via Amsterdam with KLM), Oneworld (via Heathrow with British Airways) and STAR (via United and indirectly jetBlue). Each offers Aer Lingus global connectivity. All three
eir ow wn internal dynamics at have their own ow ward integration in nt work toward and it is likely er Lingus er Lin ingu gu us will be forced to choose that Aer on ne over over the ov hee next year. It is hard to one believe OneWorld is not in pole position given that Aer Lingus’ short haul spine swivels around Heathrow. Giving Aer Lingus passengers access to OneWorld frequent flyer programmes would surely embellish yields. Furthermore, if the Conservatives win the next UK election and bin plans for a third Heathrow runway, that will make the Aer Lingus slot portfolio of increased attraction to OneWorld players such as British Airways and Iberia. It is likely that both trade union and political shareholders will enthusiastically endorse Aer Lingus’ efforts as it could provide a very real alternative to Ryanair which both – not to put too fine a point on it – despise. The success of the plan depends very much on Mr. Mueller’s resolve. He has already replaced investment advisors, shuffled the management team and carried an extensive change programme without taking a strike. If he executes this plan, credit should be allocated where due. But what are the risks? Some investors may struggle with the notion of positive yield generation. Yields are likely to have risen last year
as capacity extraction by Aer Lingus and other airlines combined with a bottoming economy to provide a much needed boost for revenues. However, building a strategy around growing yields in a structural way is more challenging. At a minimum it implies capacity growth is sharply curtailed for the foreseeable future. It also assumes a sustained attack by a lower cost airline can be avoided. The company promises more detailed data disclosure with its final year results for 2009. The roll-out of this plan will therefore be highly transparent, meaning that its success or failure should be instantly visible. Mr. Mueller is willingly opening the books, which itself is a measure of his confidence in the future. If we assume a return to profits in 2011, and believe cash balances can be protected over the next year, then the outlook for the airline looks promising. Any further weakness in spot oil could also spice up the numbers as just 16% of the company’s fuel requirements for 2010 are hedged at $762 per ton. While prospects are certainly improving at Aer Lingus, to say anything more requires confirmation that the numbers are unfolding according to plan.
Cadbury melts into Kraft While British media focus on the cultural importance of Cadbury following its sale to Kraft Foods, the history of brokering a deal for the troubled choclatier is primarily an issue of business and finance. Grace Walsh gives us the overview Grace Walsh World Review Editor THE MIDNIGHT deal that sealed the fate of Cadbury formally ended five months of hostile takeover negotiations. Kraft’s £11.6 billion bid is comprised of an 840 pence per share offer plus a 10 pence dividend on the unaffected share price as of 4 September 2009. Cadbury shareholders officially have until February 2 this year to approve the deal. As Kraft’s offer is largely comprised of cash it does not require its own shareholders to vote on the acquisition and only requires the agreement of fifty percent of Cadbury shareholders to move forward with the takeover. Kraft increased its borrowing to $9.5 billion to finance the cash part of the offer, following shareholder Warren Buffet’s criticism of using too much stock to finance the deal. Mr. Buffet argued t h a t Kraft’s use of stock
ury deal was an “expensive expensive in the Cadbury currency”, prompting speculation that res were undervalued at Kraft’s shares ces. CEO of Kraft, current prices. feld’s final offer Irene Rosenfeld’s rcent cash, of sixty percent ad hoped which she had would satee Mr. ars of Buffet’s fears using too much stock, also sm drew criticism he from the r. shareholder. He said hee r” felt “poor” following ry the Cadbury se deal because ith it came with $1.3 billion of ation reorganisation costs and $390 al fees. He million of deal was also unhappy with the sale of Kraft’s “very fine pizza business” this month to Nestlé. Mr. Buffet stated publicly that he and Ms. Rosenfeld had a strong relationship, calling her a “good operator”, but he openly admitted his concerns regarding the success of the acquisition. Kraft’s level of debt will rise to over $30 billion including the $3 billion of Cadbury debt it will assume.
Kraft Kraft’ss reaso reasons for acquiring the booming UK co confectioner include its exploi positive synergies to desire to exploit the tune o of at least $675 million and to boost its growth, which had been stagnant, with Cadbury’s girth and opti optimism. 2009 was a profitable year for Ca Cadbury with 5% organic gr growth and EBITDA of £1 £1.02 billion. Kraft’s initial offer of 72 pence per share only 720 ga an enterprise value gave of twelve times EBITDA, rel relatively low for an ind industry where takeover valu values usually fluctuate betwe fourteen and fifteen between times EBITDA. Their final offer of 84 840 pence per share plus a ten pence dividend came closer Ca to satisfying Cadbury’s initial demand of 850 pence per share, amounting to approximately fifteen times EBITDA. Although some shareholders have expressed disappointment that the company’s board did not get a higher price, most are expected to approve the deal. In September of last year, Cadbury dismissed Kraft’s initial offer of £10.2 billion as derisory and rapidly mounted
rd a stiff defence to Kraft’s offer. Lazard Ltd., Citigroup and Deutsche Bank tanley, advised Kraft whilst Morgan Stanley, presented UBS and Goldman Sachs represented keover bid Cadbury’s interests. The takeover drew speculation that rivall bids wiss would appear from Swiss nt, confectionery giant, an Nestlé, American ey favourite Hershey an and Italian family-run business Ferrero. H o w e v e r, stlé failed Nestlé gage in to engage ding the bidding process duee to regulatory concerns that merging the two companies would havee ion. negative effects on competition. roducts Hershey markets Cadbury products ence in the US under an exclusive licence g and was rumoured to be considering mounting a rival bid for the UK-based confectioner. Hershey, who is controlled by a trust and would represent a stronger cultural fit and fewer job losses than Kraft, was understood to be the preferred option for Cadbury. The American chief executive of Cadbury is
believ to have sought a merger twice believed between the tw two companies. Attempts failed both times as the controlling trust ref behind Hershey refused to support deal the deal. Following thei eiir fail their failure to top Kraft’s offer and pay a £118 million brea break Hersh fee, Hershey disqualified itself from the race to rescu rescue the UK’ UK’s “national tre treasure”. E a r l y re reports from sources cl close to the Ferrero fa family stated that they we were “absolutley united” on their decision to jointly explore acq an acquisition of Cadbury with Hers Hershey. However, late last we week they formally withdraw as a counter-bidder to Kraft before a UK Takeover Panel. Cadbury’s white knight failed to appear and the deal was approved on the 2 February. Following the announcement of the proceeding acquisition of Cadbury, the Confederation of
British Industry, a powerful lobby group, issued a stark warning to British and US business: beware of embarking on a wave of value-destroying acquisitions as the country emerges from recession. Mergers and acquisitions are often seen as a quick and sure-fire way to achieve growth following recessionary costcutting and saving. In the aftermath of the financial crisis the cost of borrowing has increased dramatically, hovering two hundred basis points above the LIBOR, as opposed to fifty in 2007. Combined with the fall in the value of the sterling, many firms including Kraft are looking towards the UK for expansion. Kraft’s rationale for acquiring Cadbury, driven by these factors and the lure of synergies, in a recessionary time may well be considered profitable, but fears of arbitrage and concerns over Kraft’s financial standing pose significant threats to the long-term viability of this deal.
FORTNIGHT IN FIGURES
+3.9%
€16BN
€20-25BN
+61.7%
THE AMOUNT by which the global economy is expected to grow, according to new IMF forecasts, an increase on its October predictions of 0.8 percentage points.
THE COMBINED losses which are expected to occur in the Irish banking sector this year.
THE EXPECTED total cost to the taxpayer of recapitalising the banks, with €11bn of this capital already injected.
THE INCREASE in new car sales in December, when compared with December 2008. However, 2009 as a whole saw a fall of 62.1% on the annual 2008 figure.
+3,300 THE INCREASE in the number of people signing on the Live Register in December 2009, the biggest monthly rise since August, bringing the unemployment rate to 12.5%.
BUSINESS & CAREERS
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
End of the line for the gravy train? Alan McQuaid, Senior Economic Analyst at Bloxham Stockbrokers, looks ahead to what might happen to US economic policy when the money finally runs out Alan McQuaid Chief Economist, Bloxham IT LOOKS like US policymakers may finally have reached the end of the road, or at least a major roadblock, in their ability to get households to take on more leverage. The US consumer debt overshoot in the past decade was far in excess of anything we had seen before, and it was based on very misguided assumptions about the future path of house prices. The hangover from the housing boom and bust will be long lasting in terms of banks’ willingness to lend and consumers’ willingness to borrow. On the surface it is hard to see how the United States can borrow and spend its way out of a crisis that was caused by too much borrowing and spending in the first place. But, that’s what the Debt Super-cycle (the long-term decline in balance sheet liquidity and rise in indebtedness during the post-WWII period) process has always been about, and things will only change when the limits of borrowing have been fully
exhausted. And there is one final act left to go in this long-running saga. If consumers are no longer willing to borrow and spend at a level that guarantees decent growth, then governments have shown that they will do it on their behalf. As a result,
If consumers are no longer willing to borrow and spend at a level that guarantees decent growth, then governments have shown that they will do it on their behalf. the major economies are in the midst of an unprecedented peacetime surge in government deficits and debt. In other words, there is a transition from rapidly-expanding private debt, to rapidly-expanding public debt. The
private sector’s ability to carry rising loads is limited by its income. In theory, the public sector is less constrained because it has the power to generate taxes, and is less prone to going bankrupt than borrowers in the private sector. However, in practice, the financial markets will act as disciplinarians when they perceive that public debt trends are headed out of control. For the US, a fiscally-related financial market crisis should be several years away given that government debt servicing costs are currently less than 8% of total spending. To put that into perspective, when Canada faced the debt wall in the first half of the 1990s, debt servicing costs exceeded 20% of spending. But the fact remains that major fiscal restraint will be needed in the years ahead if the United States, the UK and many other economies are to avoid a crisis. It is also the case that government borrowing and spending can provide only a partial offset to restraint in the private sector. If we are right that the private sector Debt Super-cycle
is exhausted, then it implies weaker than normal economic growth in the developed economies during the next few years. The situation in the emerging world is quite different. It has taken decades of building imbalances and excesses to get the US and several other advanced economies into their current financially debilitated state. In contrast, the emerging world is in a very different stage in its development. Consumer and business debt loads are low because credit infrastructure has been generally undeveloped, and weak or non-existent property ownership rights prevented the development of mortgage markets. Also, many countries suffered external financing crises in the 1980s and 1990s, requiring them to strengthen their balance sheets. Finally, savings are high because of limited investment opportunities, and the need to set aside money for education, health and pensions. The solution is obvious. While Western consumers concentrate on rebuilding financial health, those in the healthier Asian emerging economies can become
more oriented toward borrowing and spending. Such a shift would go a long way to encouraging a much-needed transition in the world economy. The US needs to spend less and save more, while Asia, especially China, needs to do the opposite. All in all, it is now widely accepted that we are in the midst of a gradual shift in global economic power toward Asia and certain other emerging countries. As part of that process, Asia should become more oriented toward domestic demand, and less dependent on exports to the West. And that is unlikely to occur without Asian consumers becoming more Western in their use of credit. Debt is not evil as it is necessary to have freely available credit in a modern functioning economy. Few people can afford to buy homes and cars for cash, and companies need access to credit in order to finance investment and inventories. Of course, credit does get abused, and it is up to financial regulators to minimise the dangers, a task in which they failed miserably all across the globe in the past decade.
Emotions, ignorance and trade Sometimes ignorance can be bliss when trading in stocks. Taking long breaks from watching the stock ticker might be just what an emotionally-hyped trader needs, writes Jason Somerville
“Serve the people wholeheartedly by fostering the spirit of hard labor,” 1966.
The new engine for world economy Ciara Smith Staff Writer THE DEVELOPMENT of China into a major economic superpower, within a time span of only 28 years, has been described as one of the greatest economic success stories of modern times. By some measures, China has become the world’s second largest economy and analysts have predicted that it could be the largest within a decade. Although China’s prosperity and integration has had a number of positive influences on the world economy, there is no doubt that it threatens to undermine the US and its economic power as it stands today. Some contend that China’s economic policies, such as subsidies to its state sector, an undervalued currency and low wages, threaten US jobs, wages, technological supremacy and living standards. Currently, the United States and China view each other as the strongest challenger to their power in the international economic system. Both countries have had an increase of economic interdependence for the past twenty-five years. This has made the possibility of a war of major military powers breaking out remote, but has done nothing to diffuse the rivalry between them. China has sought to gain advantage in this interdependent relationship not only economically, but also politically by seeking influence in regions of the world such as Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The US has seen its influence reduced in these regions due to its interdependent relationship with China. The continuing economic investment that the United States has made in China over the past twenty-five years – free trade agreements, the expansion of private business ties between the business communities of both countries and the purchase of cheap Chinese exports for home consumption – has
given China an advantage in terms of its economic power in the world. China has also been making increasingly aggressive investments in some of the world’s most prestigious financial companies in recent months, most of them American. Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns, Blackstone Group and Britain’s Barclays have all negotiated major stakes by Chinese governmentcontrolled investment funds. China is leading a surge of strategic investments from Asia and the Middle East that, so far, have sunk about $25 billion into Wall Street banks. This is just the start of what some believe is a dramatic reversal of financial power in the shadow of Wall Street’s credit turmoil. So how does this relate to Irish graduates and future career prospects? China is fast becoming the workplace of the world. Its growth in manufacturing alongside investment is impressive. Manufactured goods exports rose during the 1990s at a 15% annual rate to about $220 billion in 2006. On one estimate, China now makes 50% of the world’s telephones, 41% of video monitors, 23% of washing machines, 30% of air conditioners and 30% of colour TVs. Many companies in the United States, Japan, Taiwan and elsewhere are moving operations there. Jobs are shrinking even in Mexico’s factories, as work shifts to the Chinese market. Furthermore, demand for skilled workers continues to soar. The Chinese language has fast become business’s second tongue, with Mandarin-Chinese topping the list for the most spoken language worldwide. While the demand for Chinese language is growing, it is nearly impossible to find teachers to of the language. Despite the universal language of the world being English, English-speaking students want to learn Chinese and that is a major problem that needs to be addressed. President Obama’s recent trip to China resulted in a commitment
to expand the number of American students studying in China from 20,000 to 100,000. This would represent a huge jump in American students studying abroad. Last year 13,000 American students travelled to China to study in a number of universities. Obama commented that the US desperately needs to expand its Chinese expertise – and the most effective way to do so is to study in that country. His intentions highlight the importance of China and its role in America’s future, something we too should consider. At home, education is one of the most important ties between Ireland and China. Ireland is a very attractive high-quality destination for Chinese students. We offer an excellent Englishspeaking education system and a close link between academics and enterprise. But, we are failing to realize what China can offer our graduates. Only in October 2008, a Memorandum of Understanding between the China Scholarship Council and the Irish Universities Association on PhD Cooperation was officially launched in Beijing in the presence of the Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen, the Minister for Education and Science, Mr. Batt O’Keeffe, and the Minister for Industry and Commerce, Mr. John McGuinness. This provides the framework for the further development of the exchanges of top quality students between Ireland and China. Since then, very little has been done to encourage us to open our eyes to the vast opportunities available in Chinese third-level institutions. Tsinghua University, Peking University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong all made the top one hundred universities in 2009 and provide the latest in technology and learning facilities to students. China’s emergence is one of the most important forces currently reshaping the world economy and for graduates a vital part of the world of business and careers.
Jason Somerville Business Editor THEY SAY “ignorance is bliss” and indeed it is a phrase that is uttered too frequently. However, might it also be profitable? One of the greatest obstacles that a trader must overcome is that of human emotion. Experienced traders often warn of the dangers of becoming emotionally attached to a stock. Those who do may exasperate their losses by failing to exit a stock despite the clear warning signs. But that doesn’t seem very rational. Homo economicus would be rolling in his fossilised grave. What Homo economicus doesn’t understand is that emotions affect the decision-making process. While it may prove trivial for day-to-day decision-making, it can have disastrous consequences for some traders’ portfolios. When an investor sees the value of an investment fall she experiences disappointment and regret. These emotions have a much stronger impact on a trader than the elation and rejoicing that is elicited from seeing an investment rise. Throw into the mix the anxiety associated with a financial loss and the decision-making of traders appears to be more prone to irrationality than most. Interestingly, traders are presumed to be the most calculated of all decisionmakers. After all they receive years of training in finance and economics and are frequently told to avoid irrational decision-making. Despite this, they are frequently observed succumbing to the most basic limitations of human judgment. This shouldn’t be surprising given the complex ways in which emotions affect our cognitive ability. The “trick” then to being a good investor is that you should buy a stock and not give in to the temptation of real time prices on the Bloomberg screen. By doing so you can avoid the rollercoaster of emotion that often clouds people’s judgement. But why is it that seeing an investment fall elicits a stronger emotional response than an increase? The answer resides in the phrase “losses loom larger than gains.” The Irish economy provides an excellent example. In the period between
1990 and 2007 Ireland experienced unprecedented economic growth. From a country once viewed as an economic liability within the Eurozone, Ireland came to be ranked as the 4th richest country in the world in 2005 in terms of Gross Domestic Product. However, the recent downturn has been so extreme that Ireland has become perceived, both at home and abroad, as a country in economic difficulty. While the structural imbalances that have developed within the Irish economy over the past decade cannot be ignored, the reality is that Ireland is still a very wealthy country that continues to attract multi-national investment. An explanation for such biased representation is based on prospect theory which was put forward by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and his associate Amos Tversky. The most basic assertion that prospect theory makes is that economic actors place a greater value on a loss when compared to an equivocal gain. Indeed, this claim has been empirically supported. Shlomo Benartzi and Richard Thaler have suggested that this is because people display “myopic loss aversion.” In other words nearsightedness (myopia) and a tendency to place a higher value on avoiding a loss can explain why Ireland is currently perceived as an economic laggard when in fact, we are still one of the richest countries in the developed world. If we place a greater value on losses than we do gains then it’s not surprising that when a trader sees a 20% drop in an investment they experience a greater influx of emotion when compared with a similar gain. Making decisions while heavily under the influence of emotions can lead to irrational decisions which markets have a tendency to punish. So perhaps all those Bloomberg screens were a waste of money? Not exactly: caution is still required. One of the greatest paradoxes of the efficient market hypothesises is that a market is only efficient because inefficiency exists. Therefore the more traders endorse such rational techniques the more efficient traders will be. The net result? Markets will be inefficient and such techniques will prove useless.
19
FINANCIAL FACT
Economists have forecasted 9 out of the last 5 recessions.
BOOKS
INFECTIOUS GREED: HOW DECEIT AND RISK CORRUPTED THE FINANCIAL MARKETS FRANK PARTNOY THE LAST eighteen months have seen marked hostility towards financial institutions. Critics have a shared distrust of these institutions and of the people who work there. What I find fascinating is that antibank sentiment has only reached fever-pitch now: financial scandals are not new, and those which are coming to light now are not even particularly complex. As world leaders attempt to restore confidence in the global financial system and desperately search for solutions to get their economies back on track, it is interesting to note that as far back as 2003 criticisms of the financial system were in the public domain and viable solutions were being offered. Frank Partnoy is in a unique position to provide meaningful analysis of the financial markets. A former investment banker and derivatives broker, Partnoy left Wall Street to become an academic. In his second book, Infectious Greed, he offers a very comprehensive history of the birth of the modern financial markets, their failings and potential solutions to the problem of corruption and greed. Partnoy argues that while there has been a dramatic increase in the number of financial scandals from the late-eighties to the early-2000s, these incidents have usually been looked at in isolation rather than as part of a wider problem. Taking a broad view of what has happened to trigger these scandals is what Infectious Greed aims to do. The book is essentially a history of derivatives – “financial instruments which derive their value from other assets” – and it is these instruments which the author argues are at the root of the form of financial markets which we see today. Partnoy traces their origins, their dissemination throughout the market and, ultimately, their use and abuse by institutions desperate to book profits and hide losses. He guides us through a dizzying array of scandals without once losing the thread of his narrative or obscuring his main point. Although the subject matter is rather technical, the author manages to make it comprehensible to those who have little prior knowledge by including various definitions and examples while avoiding a didactic tone. Although Partnoy rightly describes the corruption and deceit which taint our modern financial markets as an “epidemic,” he avoids the pessimistic stance which many journalists and pundits are taking today. He identifies the key issues which must be addressed if we are to get our financial markets back on track (and, incidentally, addressing these issues would also prevent difficulties in these markets spilling over into the rest of the economy) and makes six key recommendations. Extensive regulation of all financial instruments, prosecuting those who commit complex financial fraud and loosening the hold of the oligopoly of credit ratings agencies are some of the usual suspects which make it onto the list. Ultimately, though, Partnoy argues that the public must take some responsibility for what has happened. As he says “today, there are an astonishing number of individuals buying and selling stocks” and most of these individuals are unaware of the type of activities in which the companies in which they invest are involved. Lack of oversight by those who at the end of the day own these companies is another reason why the market has succumbed to infection. Review by Lisa Keenan
20
SCIENCE
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
IN BRIEF
New signs point to life on Mars Marcus Spray Staff Writer THE IDEA of life on Mars has transfixed humans ever since 1854, when William Whewell first theorised the existence of land and seas on the red planet. Later telescopic observations of Martian “canals” further fuelled the speculation, inspiring H.G. Wells’ 1898 War of the Worlds. The 20th century would be filled with more scientific investigation and pop culture references, ranging from the satiric Mars Attack to the BBC’s Doctor Who. Of course, the imagined seas and canals were very soon shown to be nonexistent. But other discoveries have been made, strengthening the case for the existence of real “Martians”. Now, at the dawn of a new decade, shocking new research indicates that the presence of methane on Mars could be evidence of life on the Red Planet. Methane was first discovered on Mars in 2004, but until now scientists have been mystified as to its origin. Biological processes or volcanic activity were both cited as potential sources, while others maintained the methane came from impacting meteorites on the Martian surface. However, the possibility of meteroric origin has been ruled out by scientists from Imperial College London who claim the methane must have come from something happening on the surface. Experiments were conducted which
showed that meteorites falling from the sky produce about 10kg of methane each year. This, however, was far below the 100-300 tonnes needed to maintain the current levels, indicating that the two likely sources are either volcanic activity or gases produced by microbes living on the planet’s surface. Professor Mark Sephton of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, and co-author of the report, comments, “This work is a big step forward. As Sherlock Holmes said, eliminate all other factors and the one that remains must be the truth. The list of possible sources of methane gas is getting smaller and excitingly, extraterrestrial life still remains an option.” The findings have impressed Kevin Nolan, physics lecturer at the Tallaght Institute of Technology and author of the internationally sold book, Mars, A Cosmic Stepping Stone. “The methane being generated on Mars is indigenous to Mars,” he said. “It is a big deal.” The gas hasn’t been around there for long, he explained. The sun breaks down methane very quickly and changes it into other chemicals. “It doesn’t last for more than two years in the Martian atmosphere. If methane is there, it is being produced right now.” Although many associate the Red Planet with explosive volcanos, Nolan claims there are few signs of recent
JOHN ENGLE TECHNOLOGY
COMPUTER BRAINS THE DEVELOPMENT of complex transistors that effectively mimic the principal functionalities of brain synapses have researchers excited about the potential for further development of computers in the likeness of living brains. The Nanoparticle Organic Memory Field-Effect Transistor utilises primarily organic components as well as gold nanoparticles to imitate the plasticity of synaptic function. Computers built from these organic transistors have a distinct advantage over silicon computers, as these “neuro-computers” can resolve far more complex problems, such as visual recognition. The hope is that one day these organic-based computers will be able to emulate effectively the functions of the human brain. A Mars rover scouring the barren landscape; new research shows that the Red Planet may not be as lifeless as was once presumed.
volcanic activity, with the last major events taking place several million years ago. At best, there were signs of activity several hundred thousand years ago, and thus any resultant methane would have been destroyed long ago. This leaves the tantalising possibility that living, multiplying microbes currently occupying the Martian biosphere are the source of the methane. Nolan believes this finding is philosophically significant as well as biologically. It could teach us about the origins of life and also about its cosmic abundance, providing “insights into the nature of life itself.” The discovery of traces of methane in 2004 by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express shocked scientists around
the globe and prompted American and European researchers to plan a joint satellite mission for 2018 to investigate the source of the methane. “This will affect all future explorations of Mars,” Mr. Nolan said. It will give scientists a target at the surface to go dig for the possible first confirmation of life of extraterrestrial origin. All in all, the findings and its implications seem to present a strong argument in favour of life existing on Mars. We will have to wait until 2018 for conclusive proof but for the moment it no longer seems as far-fetched to suggest that the ubiquitous sci-fi Martians that have appeared so often in our fantasies may become a reality. The Universe, perhaps, will no longer seem so lonely.
A spoken symphony of science Eoin O’Liatháin Contributing Writer FROM THE internet that brought you the Star Wars Kid, piano playing kittens, the evolution of dance, and the Numa Numa Guy, a whole new viral experience has arrived. An amateur channel over at YouTube has created what is called the “Symphony of Science” – a series of music videos (four so far) with science as its subject and scientists as its cast. The aim of this music project, according to the website, is “to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form.” This pretty much sums up what the videos are about, the merging of scientific truths with music. It may sound like a lame attempt by uncool authorities to get kids more excited about science but I can assure you that the videos are seriously awesome. Amassing almost five million views between them the YouTube community has clearly taken a liking to the Symphony. So what are the videos about and why are
they super? Well, firstly the videos are more of an opera than a symphony in the technical sense of the term. This probably is not adding to the appeal but keep reading. Clips of cosmology and evolution are set to electronic musical backing while audio-visual excerpts of notable science heroes such as Carl Sagan are manipulated to conform to the background music. The videos make use of sight and sound and everything spoken is in song. A neat little tool called Auto-tune achieves the transformation from spoken word to sung song. Clips from Sagan’s Cosmos television series are included, along with quotes from other greats such as Richard Feynman, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, and even Bill Nye the Science Guy. These clips are all compiled into about four minutes of pure informative awe-inspiring sensual pleasure. All you have to do is sit back and listen. Spoken dialogue has been transformed into musical videos before, but what makes this music video distinct is the pairing of powerful scientific ideas, where we come
THE CONTROVERSIAL awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to first-term US president Barack Obama has served to largely overshadow this year’s other Nobel laureates. Regardless of the questionable choice for the peace distinction, the awardees in the fields of physics, chemistry, and medicine have demonstrated great merit in their respective fields, having made discoveries well worthy of Nobel recognition. The prize in physics was split between two outstanding research projects. The first was given to Charles K. Kao “for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication.” Dr. Kao’s 1966 work in
the field of fiber optic technology has led to many practical innovations today. The global communications networks wholly dependent upon fiber optics for information transmission, such as the Internet, were made possible by Dr. Kao’s calculations. The other recipients of the physics prize are Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith of Bell Laboratories for their groundbreaking work in digital imaging technology. In 1969 they were the first researchers to develop a successful imaging technology using a charge-coupled device (CCD) as a digital sensor, resulting in the development of the first digital camera. The prize in chemistry was given to Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A. Steitz, and Ada E. Yonath. Using the innovative method of X-ray crystallography
to map the entire atomic structure of the ribosome, these researchers have succeeded in vastly increasing the scientific community’s understanding of the structure and function of the crucial organelle. The ribosome is the “protein factory” in every cell, making individual protein from instructions in DNA, and thus controls the internal chemistry of organisms. The crystallographic map of the ribosome allows the researchers to assess how various new antibiotics bind with the ribosome, which has proven very helpful in the development of new antibiotic treatments. Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider, and Jack W. Szostak are the recipients of this year’s prize in the field of medicine. The awarded scientists have discovered how chromosomes are copied during cell division
without any degradation. They have found that the answer lies with the telomeres, the ends of the chromosomes, and telomerase, the enzyme that forms them. The lengthy investigation, spanning a period from 1980 to 1984, involved two key stages of research. First, Dr. Blackburn and Dr. Szostak discovered that it is a unique DNA sequence in the telomeres that protects the chromosome from degradation. Next, Dr. Blackburn and Dr. Greider recognized the enzyme that makes these unique sequences, telomerase. The research of all these scientists have contributed greatly to the furtherance of human knowledge and development. From breakthroughs in communications to atomic mapping, these scientists are well deserving of Nobel recognition.
TRINITY RESEARCH THE SEMICONDUCTOR Photonics Group, led by Dr. John Donegan, is based in the School of Physics in Trinity. The group has laboratory space in the SNIAM and CRANN buildings. Photonics is the subject of the generation and the use of light. It is a relatively new field of research and is set to become a key technology for the 21st Century. It combines the power of laser light, optical fibers and waveguide structures and is set to revolutionise
optical telecommunications and nanotechnology. At Trinity the Group is carrying out research into the concepts that underpin photonics, the materials of the future and it has a strong focus on developing novel applications in photonics, having patented many key ideas. It focuses on the following: NANOPHOTONICS THIS IS the interaction of quantum dot
emitters and other nanoscale materials and the interaction of the emitters with microcavity resonators. This work will enable the construction of the smallest possible lasers on the size of a grain of salt with the ability to form lasers made specifically for their applications including analysis of human cells. This work is carried out in the CRANN research institute and they have links with research groups in France and Germany.
INTO THE VOID A PARTICULARLY massive stellar-mass black hole, the superdense collapsed remnant of a large star, has recently been identified in another galaxy by researchers from the University of Sheffield, using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. The black hole is the most distant from Earth yet identified, and is fifteen times more massive that the Earth’s sun, making it the second most massive ever observed. Located in a spiral galaxy six million light-years from Earth, the black hole is engaged in what researchers call a “grotesque waltz” with a dying star from which it has been observed to be stripping away matter. This very strange pairing is inscrutable to researchers who remain mystified as to how the unusual duet may have formed.
NOT A GOOD ALTERNATIVE
from and all that, with a fun, accessible and artistic form. Not only does the viewer get the sublime power of Sagan telling us that, “We are a way for the cosmos to know itself,” or Feynman discussing “the inconceivable nature of nature” but now it is available in musical verse. The effect is remarkable: scientific profundities through music highlights and amplifies the sublime power of science resulting in an almost spiritual experience. Some recent comments on the videos include, “gives me the shivers!”, “Sexual and sensual scientific sounds”, and one that makes you want to give it a thumbs down for being a tad lame, “I shed manly tears”. While the videos may not procure tears, manly or otherwise, from your eyes they will surely leave some degree of impression upon you. As citizens of the modern age, science is where we can best gain access to the sublime. To get your fix check out the Symphony of Science videos. You may find that you get lost somewhere between eternity and infinity.
Nobel men who deserve recognition Adam Seline Contributing Writer
ASTRONOMY
OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS DIODE LASER are key components in communications and in spectroscopy applications. The Group is working on vernier-tunable semiconductor lasers with its patented stabilised Fabry Perot structure. All of this work is geared to increasing the data carrying potential for optical fibre networks. This work will spur on the development of video-ondemand services over the internet.
A STUDY regarding the medicinal benefits of Gingko biloba, one of the hottest selling herbal remedies on the alternative medicines market, has linked the herb to increased risk of seizure amongst epileptics partaking of it. Evidence suggests that Gingko reduces the effectiveness of anti-seizure medications, increasing further the risk to sufferers of epilepsy. Scientists are now calling for restrictions and warnings to be placed on products that use Gingko. While the potentially toxic chemical in Gingko, called Gingkotoxin, seems to alter neural signaling pathways, and thus trigger seizures, Gingko remains a useful treatment for a wide swathe of health problems, including Alzheimer’s and depression. While it would be rash to ban the herb entirely, consumers should be aware of the increased risk.
BIOLOGY
HOMOSEXUAL EVOLUTION THE CONTINUED existence of male homosexuality has confused scientists for years. At first glance there appears to be no evolutionary advantage for its existence; in fact it seems to exclude homosexuals from the gene pool. This fact would seem lead to the expectation that homosexuality would die out for purely Darwinian reasons. However, researchers have recently developed the “kin selection hypothesis” which suggests that male homosexuals tend to favor their families with greater support and participation, acting as “helpers in the nest”. Through altruistic care of nieces and nephews, homosexuals help perpetuate their family genes, including some of their own.
CANCER BOMB PHYSICISTS AT Rice University have developed a means of singling out individual cancer cells, destroying them with miniscule explosions. Using lasers, the scientists excited gold nanoparticles inside cancerous cells, resulting in the formation of “nanobubbles” which were then burst by modulations of laser. The ability to target individual cells allows the treatment to exact maximum results, without damaging any of the healthy cells near the tumor. This research opens a new avenue of cancer research and potential treatments.
Travel
Trinity News February 8, 2010
21
ECO-Tourism
The green side of tourism Picture yourself in a lush rainforest, away from the stress and strain of modern life. Imagine staring into the empathic eyes of a gorilla. See yourself standing on an unspoilt coastline staring out into the vast sprawling sea. Jennifer Finn introduces us to the most fashionable and in-vogue form of tourism around – Ecotourism
THE SEYCHELLES The Seychelles is one of the pioneers of ecotourism. It has gained worldwide recognition as an environmentally-friendly
destination. Described as “a luxurious retreat for the discerning traveller”, the Seychelles is a protected area that strives to preserve the beautiful but fragile ecosystem there. The Seychelles is the epitome of a hidden treasure and a tropical paradise. It is said that after God had finished creating the world, he had a handful of diamonds left over. And so he decided to create something marvellous just east of Africa. He scattered the remaining diamonds in the ocean and thus the “Seychelles” were born – a divine place that thrives on ecotourism.
Rwanda
IRELAND
Rwanda is home to the Virungas, the endangered mountain gorilla. These gentle giants are tolerant to human visitors. So you can feel safe in the presence of the Virungas and your mountain guide. Nyungwe Forest National Park sprawls across the majestic hills of southeast Rwanda. Rich in floral diversity, it encompasses over two hundred different types of tree, as well as being home to humankind’s closest living relative, the chimpanzee.
Closer to home, ecotourism is also popular on the Emerald Isle. Irish ecotourism encourages you to take some time out of the pub and to nourish your soul a bit instead. Gaeltacht areas such as Achill Island off the West Coast, offer tourists a taste of
T
he International Ecotourism Society (TIES) defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” It promotes the idea that travel can be much more meaningful than just sightseeing, taking pictures and buying souvenirs. Ecotourism has created the concept of green travel which allows everyone to enjoy their picturesque surroundings without causing harm to them. Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities and sustainable travel. It acts as a stimulus to the host country’s economy whilst also empowering the local workingclass people. If you’re looking for more than just a regular vacation, ecotourism can offer you the experience of a lifetime. It encourages travel in an environmentally-friendly manner. It’s more about appreciating the beauty of nature than exploiting it. It’s a mutually beneficial way of travelling in that you enjoy your holiday and in the process you have contributed to the local economy and helped conservationists in their quest to save endangered wildlife and other species.
bio-diverse regions in the world. This label is due to its twenty natural parks, eight biological reserves and countless protected areas that captivate an
KENYA by going on safari in a place like Kenya, you are putting yourself out there and
The Himalayas: are sometimes referred to as the “Abode of Snow”. They stretch from Jammu and Kashmir in North India to Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. The Himalayas yield great scope for adventure sports such as skiing, mountaineering and trekking. The surrounding land is sprinkled with luxuriant valleys and idyllic lakes. The Himalayan region is also the place where rare medicinal herbs grow. In the Himalayan foothills, the Terai, there are the tropical forests of Sal, Teak and Shisham. This place encapsulates a paradise for orienteers.
audience of ecotourism lovers of all nationalities, who come from far and wide to witness these areas. It is home to Tortuguero National Park which is most famous for the sea turtle nesting that takes place there every year. Costa Rica is also home to “Nature Air”, the world’s first carbon neutral airline. Nature Air enhances your travelling experience by providing panoramic window views and pilots who are trained to point out waterfalls, volcanoes and landmarks along the journey.
The Rainforest offers the most natural escape from busy modern life. Whether you travel to the rainforest of the Amazon or the rainforest of Belize, you are sure to find solace under its vast green canopy. This rainforest canopy nurtures many endangered species of plant and animal life. It is a beautiful classroom for ecotourists to learn about diverse species of flora and fauna. Whilst most popular tourist resorts will always be there, one must savour the experience of the rainforest because someday they may disappear.
Mount Kilimanjaro: if you’re the adventurer-type, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro could be just the right ecotourism activity for you. The Njari Lodge and Campsite is situated in the surrounding area of Mount Kilimanjaro, making it a popular place for keen adventurers to stay. The area is fed by a constant supply of fresh drinking water from the glaciers of Kilimanjaro. Upon rising at sunrise, the view that greets you from your
Jimmy lee It’s true. Ecotourism is so hot right now. But wait! Before you shell out your life savings, be sure to know what exactly you’re getting yourself into, because “ecotourism” is a buzzword used by heroes and villains alike. Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself before heading out into the wonderful, yet sometimes idealistic world of ecotourism.
“Just what exactly are you paying for?” Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution to start eating healthy, but had to give up once you realised just how bloody expensive it was to eat healthy? That’s kind of how ecotourism is. After all, couldn’t you just be environmentally responsible on your own? What exactly does this organisation, which you’ve just shelled out your summer savings to, do that costs so much? Read the fine print, because you may be being taken for a ride. Many companies survive on the fact that you know nothing about the area, especially in the developing world.
“Don’t trust the white man”
what life was like when everyone still spoke Irish and when you relied a lot more on the land. Home to some of the most breathtaking beaches, towering cliffs and natural land formations, Ireland will certainly not disappoint. Plus you’ll save on airfare!
BELIZE venturing into the wild. You’re allowing yourself to witness lions, tigers, zebra, elephants, leopards and buffaloes in their natural habitat. A safari is also a popular option for bird watchers due to the vast array of bird species to be seen. When returning home from your safari, you are sure to have with you a photo album resembling an issue of National Geographic.
HiMALAYAS
KILIMANJARO
Costa Rica Costa Rica is considered to be one of the most
Green travel allows an ecotourist to experience life in unindustrialized surroundings. It’s not about camping in a field in the middle of nowhere; it’s about appreciating all that Mother Nature has to offer. You don’t have to stay in a tent either: you can stay in an eco hotel. One such eco hotel is Hacienda Tres Rios which is located in Mexico. This hotel has five green stars attributable to its environesilkemental awareness. It is an eco-luxury resort situated in the heart of the Riviera Maya. It’s nestled within a nature park for guests to enjoy. The hotel has achieved environmentally sustainable development through the responsible and intelligent use of the world’s natural resources and ecosystems. Apart from encouraging the creation of eco hotels, ecotourism has encouraged a new wave of popularity in skiing, hiking and adventure holidays. Ecotourism is not just for the wealthy: it’s for everyone, including students. Whilst flying to the United States on a J1 Visa is a popular and exciting way of spending your summer holiday, the United States will still be there when you graduate; sadly some ecotourism destinations and endangered species may not.
Caveat Emptor: Editor’s note
veranda is that of the snowcapped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. A percentage of income from this campsite goes towards helping village projects such as the local primary school. Unlike popular tourist resorts on the continent, this campsite does not have electricity. However, your hosts will go out of their way to provide you with an electricity generator if you request it. Ecotourism in a place like this is not difficult to cope with. It’s a way of saying goodbye to modcons and living without them for the duration of your stay. It’s a way of detoxing your mind, body and soul in a natural way whilst boosting local commerce at the same time. Your presence in eco destinations is valued by the local people and they will welcome you, cater for your every need and treat you well. You are on holiday after all and you should enjoy it.
Alright, alright, the white man isn’t all bad. But whether its consciously or not, western tourists always trust a white tour guide, often more than they should. The white man may even try to persuade you by slithering sweet nothings into your ear, warning you of the trickery of the locals. Again, the white man is not all bad, but keep notice. Just because they have one token “local” on staff doesn’t make them automatically “legit”.
“Do I really get to dance with gorillas?” No. You don’t really get to dance with gorillas. Seeing an actual gorilla is not even guaranteed, and should you run into one, they’re not likely to ask you in for tea. Sound ridiculous? Some ecotourism companies will conjure up idealistic images that will have you reaching for your wallet, but make sure to ask the right questions of your guide so as to make sure you’re not left disappointed.
“Oh, Guerillas, I thought you meant Gorillas” Truth be told, Western media does not give as much attention to civil wars in the developing world as you might think. If you can name two or less wars going on in the developing world, its possible you may need to do some more homework, particular to the region you’re considering exploring. It may save your life.
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SPORT
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
Sports psychology: worth the attention? Daragh McCashin takes a look at the rise of sports psychology, that elsuive practice of keeping a player in the much-hyped mental “zone.” these facts should stand you in good stead to approach the notion of sports psychology, in a helpfully positive manner. Enter sports psychology - essentially, sports psychology asks this simple question: considering the undeniable role mental life plays in deciding the outcomes of our sporting efforts, why is mental training not incorporated to the equivalent degree into the athlete’s typical training? If one is susceptible to letting their head get the better of them (temper issues, choking, anxiety), then why should they spend their training working on their strengths (the physical side). How often have you seen an athlete stretch their quad just for the sake of it because it seems like the thing to do? If a hurling team suddenly starts conceding easy goals in a season, you can be sure defence will be prioritised in training. The same cannot be said of a scenario whereby the hurling captain fails to focus when things do not go well, or when the free-kick taker makes a habit of ‘bottling it’. Perhaps the
Darragh McCashin Staff Writer NEARLY EVERY professional golfer has one on tour with them, it is one of the fastest growing areas in academic psychology and practicing psychology and, today, there is widespread acknowledgment of it in the form of intense curiosity and sharp scepticism. This article intends to break it down to its core and explain what it is and is not in light of the many misconceptions circling it. Speak with any sporting individual and you will endlessly hear mental explanations for sporting results and performances. Irrespective of the endless training a professional soccer player puts in (weights, core, drills, ball-work, tactics and so on), you will always hear responses stating that confidence, focus, endurance or belief (or a lack thereof of these qualities) were, in the end, the overall catalyst for the outcome of the given event. Many a non-professional can relate, be it a student who does not have the perseverance to stick with a New Year gym-routine resolution or a seasoned rugby player who ‘chokes’ at the all important moment, the overall pattern appears to be universally relevant. On top of this, particularly within team sports, there exists a culture of what one psychologist calls ‘folk psychology’. That is, there is usually individuals (typically an older coach, a veteran player, a captain or other dominant personalities) who communicate folk non-scientific words of wisdom which, consciously or unconsciously, affect everyone, usually to detrimental affect in the long run. In short: it is where the public label psychology as a useless dodgy self-help cult. Think of a young developing athlete (a hockey player, a young person beginning weights) who is told to ‘dig deep’ and give it ‘110%’ consistently. Or consider the GAA player who is overplayed and told to ‘suck it up’, to ‘stay strong’ because ‘all the others are doing it, you have to be tough’. This encourages a mental aspect to training in a, of course, a nonscientific misguided manner which leads to a group psychology which is usually unhelpful to the individual as an athlete. Any self-help approach is usually ridiculed in many sporting communities (not all). In my view, this is in stark contrast to the reality: modern day psychology research is based upon rigorous scientific methodologies, in the same way health sciences or ‘harder’ sciences go about their business. The eventual recognition of
psychology has to do with winning, it’s unbelievable’). It is crucial to accept, that although the public consciousness of psychology (in general) is similar to that of a commodity and is packaged accordingly, its essence really lies at the academic level Of course, one obvious starting point between the physical and mental is stretching exercises, as alluded to earlier. Here, athletes can learn the difference between feeling tense and relaxed. Knowing how to flap out the tension from your shoulders and arms (e.g., by doing gentle neck rolling exercises when there’s a break the event) can make a huge difference. The main goal of psychology training is to teach athletes to focus only on what they can control in the event not on what opponents are doing or on what might happen in the future. According to Aidan Moran, a UCD sports psychologist who published a very accessible book ‘Pure Sport: Practical sports psychology’, sporting performance is a jigsaw with 4 main components - the physical (e.g. fitness), technical (skill), tactical (strategy) and the psychological (e.g. ability to focus under pressure). In order to play consistently to their full potential, athletes need to be confident that they have worked on each of these areas. There are at least three benefits to working on the mental side o f your game. First, psychology training can help athletes to perform more consistently. Interestingly, one of the reasons why athletes consult psychologists is because they can’t understand why they perform well one day but badly the next day. Second, psychological techniques can help athletes to control their emotions more effectively during an event. Finally, psychology can help athletes to find the ideal preparation routine that they should follow in order to deliver their best performance. Other useful aspects of sports psychology emphasise the ability to invite relaxation and concentration into a given situation when required. Before winning a prestigious 5000m race, former Olympian Eamonn Coughlan was seen sipping a few bottles of beer whilst playing pool the night before, much to the shock of his fellow competitors. His
... few will debate the mind-body connection, but where do you start with incorporating mental training? Does it involve quirky old men who spew psychobabble? argument is obvious, few will debate the mind-body connection, but where do you start with incorporating mental training? Does it involve quirky old men who spew psychobabble? Despite the obvious rationale for sports psychology, there exists much scepticism chiefly from older generations who are perhaps are embedded within folk psychological ideals (similar to that of a new product which they did not need in their day!). For example, Irish marathoner Jerry Kiernan, who holds some of the best marathon times for an Irishman said he would ‘walk the opposite direction’ if he saw a sports psychologist. Conversely, international 400m sprinter David Gillick only made his breakthrough (winning gold in Europe) after consistent work with former GAA player turned sports psychologist Enda McNulty, which he attributes much of his progress to (‘I’m blown away by how much sport
SPORTS ROUNDUP MEN’S HOCKEY
LEINSTER DIVISION 2 Team Suttonians Avoca Weston Dublin University Navan Bray
Pl 7 8 7 9 7 6
MEN’S SOCCER
SAT MAJOR 1C
AIL DIVISION 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
W 7 5 4 3 1 0
D 0 1 1 1 1 0
L 0 2 2 5 5 6
GF 22 19 12 23 9 9
GA 13 13 10 19 20 28
GD 11 13 2 4 -11 -19
Pts 21 16 13 10 4 0
Team Lansdowne Bruff Bective Rangers Belfast Harlequins D.L.S.P. Old Wesley UCD Corinthians Dublin University Thomond Terenure College Old Crescent Malone Highfield Clonakilty Greystones
P 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 10 10 9 10 10
W 10 6 7 6 6 6 5 5 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 2
D 0 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 1 0
L 0 2 2 4 3 4 4 5 7 5 5 7 6 5 7 8
F 331 203 182 195 198 192 211 135 197 168 154 187 145 128 113 80
A 122 166 142 132 160 180 162 191 201 198 158 211 195 175 189 237
TB 7 3 0 2 2 3 2 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0
13/02/10
Dublin University
v
Navan
20/02/10
Highfield
v
Dublin University
20/02/10
Dublin University
v
Bray
4/03/10
UCD
v
Dublin University
LB 0 1 1 3 0 1 0 1 6 2 3 3 2 1 5 1
Pts 47 32 31 29 28 28 24 22 20 20 19 16 16 15 15 9
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. * Bray
Team Hermes Railway Union Loreto UCD Old Alexandra Trinity College Corinthians Pembroke Wanderers Glenanne Bray
Pl 10 9 9 8 9 11 11 9 10 10
W 8 8 8 5 4 4 3 2 2 1
L 1 1 1 3 4 6 7 6 8 8
GF 21 29 27 20 11 7 10 13 9 9
GA 7 8 7 13 9 18 27 20 32 15
GD 14 21 20 7 2 -11 -17 -7 -23 -6
26/09 - Registration infringement (1 points deducted)
13/02/10
Trinity College
v
Loreto
Pts 25 24 24 15 13 13 10 7 6 3
ALL IRELAND DIVISION 2N
*
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Team Old Belvedere Cill Dara RFC City of Derry Portlaoise RFC Belfast Harlequins Cavan Malahide RFC Dublin University Carrickfergus
P 7 8 5 5 7 6 6 6 8
W 6 5 4 4 3 1 2 1 1
D 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1
L 1 3 1 1 3 3 4 5 6
F 169 97 124 192 56 20 37 20 15
A 45 89 31 21 101 102 56 82 203
TB 2 3 3 4 1 0 0 0 0
21/02/10
Portlaoise RFC
v
Dublin University
28/03/10
City Of Derry
v
Dublin University
Team Postal United St. Patrick’s CYFC Dublin University FC Alpine Express Newbridge Town Sacred Heart FC Portmarnock FC Ballyfermot United Larkview Boys Swords Celtic Templeogue United St. James’s Athletic Fairview CYM
P 14 14 11 13 12 13 7 10 12 15 12 11 0
W 8 8 6 6 6 6 3 4 2 3 1 1 0
D 3 3 5 3 2 2 3 0 5 2 6 2 0
EPEE
WOMEN’S RUGBY D 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
FENCING
LADIES HOCKEY
LEINSTER DIVISION 1
What Ronan O’Gara might look like if he wto indulge in some psychology.
Additional research by Aidan Moran
MEN’S RUGBY
Results and fixtures complied by Aoife Crowley
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
response to this was that this was what he did to relax normally, so why should it be any different just because it is before a big race? Granted, sports science has moved on from this and shown the negative affects of alcohol for athletes but the mental principle is the same. Indeed, there are many other examples of sportspeople deploying special routines and behaviours at key occasions. It is not all in the mind, it is not all in the body, it is not all in the realm in-between – rather it is a balance between all three which sports psychology seeks to aid people to achieve. The successful use of it will not earn you emphatic world-beating sporting triumph but it will help you positively influence the things you can control and help you realise the things choking you up. Go on, you might be surprised……..
LB 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0
Pts 27 24 19 18 14 8 7 7 3
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
Men’s Salle Duffy 1 Leipzig 2 DUFC 1 Marburg 2 Leipzig 1 Salle Duffy 2 Northampton DUFC Alumni Agincourt (Pembroke) Marburg 1 Pembroke 2 Wexford Mermidons (Pembroke)
Women’s Leipzig Marburg DUFC 1 MPAI 1 Black Tulips MPAI 2 UCD DCU
L 3 3 0 4 4 5 1 6 5 10 5 8 0
F 41 35 24 24 28 20 19 12 17 21 24 16 0
A 23 19 12 21 27 22 12 18 22 37 33 35 0
Pts 27 27 23 21 20 20 12 12 11 11 9 5 0
SPORT
TRINITY NEWS February 8, 2010
23
The darker side of the NFL THE COMMENTARY BOX THE SUPER BOWL; OR HOW SPORTS LOST ITS DIGNITY
The full effects of the brutal tackles and head-on collisions in American football have not been given much recognition. Alexandra Finnigan reports Alexandra Finnigan Deputy Sports Editor Having spent my third year on an Erasmus exchange in an American university in California, I was naturally exposed to the phenomenon of American football. At first, I thought the game rather dull with its numerous breaks and pauses. I compared the American footballers to our brave rugby players who bare the cold in shorts and shirts rather than head-to-toe padding and protection. It was only when I was watching a California home game and witnessed the Berkeley tailback (Jahvid Best) being flipped over a defender and fall five feet to land on the back of his head that I realized how dangerous football could be. American football is a collision sport. A defensive player must tackle an offensive player using some form of physical contact, whether that is knocking or pulling him down. Despite the obvious rules and guidelines that go along with defensive play, concussions are commonplace and in the years 2000-2005,
LADIES AND Gentlemen. Roll up, roll up. The greatest show on turf is upon us once again! The Super Bowl, for one night only, the visible from space extravaganza and finale of the American football season. The behelmeted behemoths that take to the field on the first weekend in February every year show that it is maybe not sport that the people want to see, but the entertainment that goes along with it. Did you know that the average amount of on field, ball in hand action seen in each Super Bowl amounts to a meagre eleven minutes? That is to say, seven hours of television coverage could easily be condensed into a twenty minute slot after the news! The boxing/wrestling-esque entrances, half time mini-concert and hyperbolic celebrations will have come to an end by the 7th of February and the Super Bowl’s day in the global sun will be over for another year. What is most striking however is how much the face of sport has changed due to the presence of the NFL final on the calendar. The Super Bowl is now in its forty fourth year and is one of the most viewed sporting events on an annual basis. The television spectacular that the game has become has indeed taken some of the dignity from the sport. The music, pyrotechnic displays and exuberance heralded by the event is more a part of what the Super Bowl is known for, instead of the tactical plays, crunching tackles and powerful running. I will not lie, I love the Super Bowl. No 9 a.m. tutorial can stop me from staying up until four in the morning to see if the Indianapolis Colts or New Orleans Saints capture the Vince Lombardi trophy. However, in recent years other disciplines have copped onto the commercial power of sports. The Super Bowl made the sporting world look up, over and beyond full stadia. Manchester United has more fans in the Far East than in England. Korean men and women pay ever escalating prices to have Wayne Rooney’s name emblazoned on their backs. Even cricket, that last bastion of sporting stiff upper lip attitude, has turned its eye to the global stage. Since the establishment of the Indian Premier League, players have been attracted with stratospheric wage packets to play for the representative teams of Delhi and Mumbai. These are but two examples of how the world of sport has been transformed from the heart of the locality, to the centre of business. The Super Bowl of course, isn’t to blame for every overpaid footballer in their respective leagues or each pouting athlete on billboards across every continent. However, it was behind the impetus for the development of sport as a global brand and medium. You no longer need to have “world” in the name of the championship to make it global. This has had many effects on sport as an entity. The dignity of many disciplines has been compromised because of the need to entertain. Lengthen breaks for advertising purposes, shorten playing to ensure more exciting games. It tells us many things; sport in the 21st century cannot survive without television coverage and huge inputs of money from foreign investors. Does it also say that sport, in its various forms, has lost more than a modicum of dignity? Is it so consumed with its own spectacle that it has forgotten how to conjure up the magic of old? Competitions such as the FA Cup provide these glimpses of magic, whether it is a lowly team taking on the role of heroic giant-killer, or Premiership sides slugging it out like two heavyweight boxers. The stripped down, back-to-basics honest glory of the FA Cup is every sports fans dream. The positives and negatives of global brand sport will take up column inches upon column inches for many years to come. It has benefited many sports enormously over the past twenty years. The way in which their general popularity has increased due to commercialisation should be lauded. However, the dignity is slowly seeping from this noble pantheon. In a world where people would rather watch a gesticulating man falling uncontrollably to the turf, than a young hopeful steadily rise through the ranks of his respective discipline, we must understand that there is a hefty price to pay for unparalleled commercial access and television coverage. James Hussey
As Frank Gifford, a Hall of Fame former American football player said, “Pro football is like nuclear warfare. There are no winners, only survivors.” 28 football players died from direct football injuries and a further 68 died indirectly from “non-physical” dangers such as dehydration. In 1981, the United States President Ronald Reagan commented on the contact aspect of the sport: “[Football] is the last thing left in civilization where men can literally fling themselves bodily at one another in combat and not be at war.” Despite the fact that the average life expectancy of a footballer is 55 years (20 years less than a member of the general public) the National Football League, or NFL, is a $7 billion-a-year enterprise
and football is the most followed and most prosperous sport in the US. Over 100 million people worldwide watch the Super Bowl and many religiously follow one of the thirty-two teams that compete at NFL standard. This sport is a money making business and terrifyingly, the effects of the physical brutality of the sport are hushed up. The head-on tackles that are commonplace in American football are becoming more dangerous as players grow in strength, speed and weight. Thirty years ago, the average offensive lineman would weigh between 270-280 pounds. In 2010, it would be nearly impossible to find a first-class blocker up front who weighs less than 300 pounds. The chronic head injuries are just one of many serious physical issues connected with this sport. Frequent concussions have been proved to cause permanent brain damage and in some cases, dementia. Kevin Guskiewicz, chairman of the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina has performed tests on more than 2,000 former NFL players and has published his results which state that there is a direct correlation between a player’s concussion history and later-in-life clinical depression, early-onset dementia and cognitive impairment. In 2006, former Philadelphia Eagles star Andre Waters shot himself and it was later held that his suicide came about as a result of depression which, according to experts, was brought on by brain damage that he had sustained whilst playing in the NFL. It was reported that the 44 year old had the brain tissue of an 85 year old man. Experts say that one of the most frustrating aspects of concussions in football is the silence surrounding them. Football is connected with a “play with pain” mentality which discourages players of all standards and ages from speaking out about their barely visible head injuries to coaches or team doctors. Players often choose not to disclose their injuries as doctors on the payroll of professional teams have a conflict of interest in deciding whether or not to return a player to the field. Speaking
up about a head injury could potentially hurt a player’s contract and in a business where athletes are used like marketable beef cattle, deemed disposable and worthless if they cannot play, it is better to keep quiet. In a 2007 interview Pete Kendall, a former Jets lineman queried whether important decisions should in fact be made by teamemployed doctors. He stated, “The doctor who is supposed to be looking out for you is also the same guy who may put you into a game that the team has to win. You’re mixing business with medicine.” Players should feel comfortable and secure enough to know when to take themselves out of a game if they have suffered a concussion. However the macho element that epitomizes American football means that wounded players are urged to toughen up and stay on the field despite serious risk of long-term injury. In The Dark Side of the Game, Tim Green, a former defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons
speaks up about the pathos, the horror and the abuses that go on in football. He describes the gruelling training caps and the lengths that some players go to, to get out of them. He mentions the violent players and the team doctors who put injured players back in the game telling them, “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’.” With the advancement of sport technology, helmets and protection are continuously improving and some claim that technology will someday render sports completely safe. But what’s the point? For most serious athletes, sport is about pushing performance and physical endurance to the limit. If the offensive player is wearing a technologically safer helmet, this means you can tackle him twice as hard. If you up the protection, you up the violence. As Frank Gifford, a Hall of Fame former American football player said, “Pro football is like nuclear warfare. There are no winners, only survivors.”
An alternative superbowl Karl McDonald ONCE A year, the rest of the world turns on its television around midnight and pretends to understand the incredibly complex rules of what it calls “American” football. This consumption of American culture is, as usual, largely done wholesale and without question. We are told that the Super Bowl is important; hence, it is important. Thus, we watch it until we get too tired, or until someone complains that literally only 10% of the duration of the game is spent in actual, admittedly quite explosive, play. Having cherry-picked the Super Bowl over, say, the World Series of baseball or the Indy 500, we presume its paramountcy. But dig a little deeper, and there is a whole alternate universe to discover. For every beer-swilling, beef-eating, truckdriving alpha male who gets a kick out of seeing a twenty stone linebacker literally bark at his opponents with the intention of foreshadowing a tackle so hard that the long-term effects on the brain are still largely unknown, there is a more sensitive soul. A person who looks back fondly on when the word “dog” referred to man’s beloved canine companion rather than his belligerent, shadowy sporting foe. For these people, nature channel Animal Planet have created the Puppy Bowl. The format is simple. Puppies are placed in a model stadium with, amongst other things, football-shaped toys. If they bring the ball into the endzone, a “puppy touchdown” is awarded.
If they cock a leg on the pitch, a penalty is understandably called. For 120 minutes, the puppies run wild. Unlike the heavily strategic stop-start play of the human counterpart, the Puppy Bowl is a very fluid affair, relaxing to watch while still retaining the ability to escalate into dramatic struggles, races or even fights almost instantaneously. For those who think the Puppy Bowl is soft - no penalties are awarded for instances of rough play, even biting. There is an age-limit of four months for participants, who are drawn from a variety of rescue shelters. As well as ensuring that no puppy has a distinct size advantage, this age-limit prevents annual will-he-won’t-he retirement sagas such as that of forty-year-old Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre. Each puppy is a rookie, so enthusiasm, effort and natural talent are the determining factors, rather than the punch-counterpunch strategy of NFL coaches. Of course, there are no actual teams in the Puppy Bowl, so strictly speaking, no-one wins. Do not let this dissuade you from enjoying the spectacle and the consistently high standard of play (in both senses) on display. If you should feel the need to watch the action on YouTube, watch out for Bandit, a strongly-built Huskymix expected to dominate proceedings and perhaps pick up the coveted Most Valuable Player award. For those gentlemen who feel that watching puppies play with toys for two hours in some way challenges their orthodox masculinity, there is another alternative. Since 2004, the
Lingerie Bowl has aired on Pay Per View during the Super Bowl’s halftime show. The game is essentially full-contact seven-on-seven American football (the real deal is eleven-a-side) played out by teams of women in shorts, sports bras and regulation helmets and shoulder pads. The entire purpose, supposedly, is to appeal to the same crowd who watch women have mud fights for the WWE Women’s Title on the undercard of wrestling pay per view events, but the actual play is surprisingly authentic. Unlike the Puppy Bowl, which drafts recruits wherever it can find them, the Lingerie Bowl is actually the final of the Lingerie Football League, a touring concern which dubs itself “real fantasy football” and plays its games in stadiums around the United States on Friday nights, setting itself up as a legitimate alternative to college football on Saturday night, and the NFL on Sunday, Monday and Thursday. The victors in the Western and Eastern conference meet each other for violent American football action that someone, somewhere must find erotic. This year, Los Angeles Temptation and Chicago Bliss beat out the likes of San Diego Seduction and Miami Caliente to earn the chance to compete for the crown. Of course, this is Ireland, and avoiding the Super Bowl is about as challenging as trying to stay pale in winter. If puppies or aggressive women in sports bras aren’t to your tastes, and you’re absolutely sure you don’t want to see the America’s fastest and strongest compete in the world’s highest stakes chess game, you can always just go to bed.
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SPORT
NFL SUPERBOWL: DIGNITY, INJURIES, AND PUPPIES P23
U20’S RUGBY
MATCH STATS TEAM
MEN’S U20 SCORE
TRINITY MALONE
20 3
SQUAD
Trinity regain Maher Cup Photo: Jill Wolfe
SCORE
TRINITY UCD
20 3
Felix Bolton Staff Writer TRINITY U20S met their Belfield rivals UCD last Sunday in their third Super 6 fixture. Having already narrowly lost to UCD back in December, the students were determined not to be on the wrong end of the score line this time around. Due to poor weather conditions the venue for the match was changed early Sunday morning as the game kicked-off in Santry rather than the accustomed College Park. Playing uphill in the first half, Trinity began the stronger of the two sides. Territorial dominance and quick
ruck ball gave centre Paul Galbraith a straightforward penalty early on and he duly obliged to open the scoring. The Trinity lineout was functioning well with Hooker Derek Whiston throwing accurately. Second row duo Conor McDermott and Darragh Kiely were omnipresent at the breakdown and their aerial prowess meant UCD lineout ball was often a lottery. At scrum time, props Ian Hirst and Ivan Campbell set a tremendous platform from where the Trinity speedsters took advantage. The first try of the day arrived courtesy of left wing Niyi Adeolukon. Following dogged defence and dynamic counter-rucking, Hugh Kelleher made the decisive turnover and swiftly offloaded to the electric Adeolukon who crossed over in the corner. Galbraith was unable to add the extras leaving the host 8-0 in the lead at half-time. UCD enjoyed more of the ball after the
half-time break. Following indiscipline from the Trinity pack, UCD found themselves deep inside the Trinity 22m line. However, as has been a recurrent theme thus far, the red and black wall stood firm. The UCD backs never looked like penetrating their opposite men and Trinity weather the storm without a blotch on the scoreboard. The second try of the day came from the other side of the Trinity backline, Ariel Robles. Once UCD conceded a penalty inside their own half, Trinity chose to kick for the corner and utilise their dynamic mauling. Sucking in the oppositions defence, Scrum Half Sam Bell spun quick ball out to Fly-Half Ciaran Wade who delivered a beautifully disguised miss pass to his outside backs. Robles sprinted onto the ball and slid over in the corner. The conversion missed narrowly and Trinity enhanced their lead to 13 points.
After the restart, Trinity made the unforgivable mistake of allowing their opponents back into the game by giving away a penalty opportunity for not retreating after a box kick. UCD fullback Terry Jones nudged his side to their first points of the day leaving the score 13-3. It was that man Adeolukon who popped up again to seal the Trinity victory. Fullback James O’Donoghue gathered a clearing UCD kick and the following counter-attack was poetry in motion. O’Donoghue combined beautifully with centre Peter Finnigan wide on the left hand side. Finnigan cut back inside and offloaded to Adeolukon who proceeded to out-pace the entire UCD cover defence to skate in under the posts. Galbraith added to the conversion to leave the score 20-3 at the full-time whistle. The Maher Cup is competed
between UCD and Trinity every year. Once the aggregate score over the two fixtures is calculated, the leading side lifts the trophy. Having been defeated 6-5 in the first leg, Trinity’s second leg performance meant on aggregate they were victorious 26-8. Such a convincing score line in a colours match is rarely achieved. This U20s side are improving week by week and crucially they continue to move up the Super 6 ladder. Having leapfrogged UCD after Sundays result, the students now lie in 3rd position. Next up are league-leaders Landsdowne next Sunday at the RDS which promises to be another cracker. Trinity now lead the table for most tries scored and least tries conceded which is another indicator of the improvements the side has made since Christmas.
MEN’S RUGBY
The Ravens Trinity maul are joined Malone to a by an eagle bonus victory Felix Bolton Sports Writer DUBLIN UNIVERSITY and USA Eagles international Scott La Valla last week made his debut for The Ulster Ravens. La Valla is no stranger to Ulster; he captained the USA team during the U19 Rugby Would Cup which was hosted by the province in April of 2007. At 6’5” and weighing 110kg his bulk and speed has caused Ravens coach Gary Longwell to introduce the Eagle into the Ulster setup. From Olympia in Washington, USA, the 21 year old has represented the USA at U19, 20s and Senior level winning his first cap for the Eagles against Argentina in the Churchill Cup last summer. At present Scott is an under graduate at Trinity where he has played for the 1st XV for the past two seasons in the AIB League. Commenting on Scott’s selection, the Ravens Manager Gary Longwell said, “We have a very good working relationship with Trinity and Scott has been highly recommended to us for possible inclusion into our Academy system, so we are taking this opportunity to have a look at him in action. He has been involved in training with us this week and has fitted in very well.”
It was a wet and soggy Navan that greeted the Leinster A and Ulster Ravens as they took to the pitch at 6.30pm, the Ravens playing into the wind in the first half. Despite being down to 14 men for large parts of the game, the Ravens managed to hold the Leinster men out to claim a notable and well deserved 9-0 victory away from home. There were a number of excellent performances to record. Up front the pack went well with Willie Faloon, Scott La Valla and the front row trio of McAllister, Kyriacou and Macklin catching the eye. La Valla made some very solid tackles, he had an impressive appetite for work, and with this being his first Ravens start his contribution certainly deserved applause. This was a useful work out for the Ravens ahead of the British and Irish Cup rounds, which get under way again next week. LaValla’s performance has raised speculation that his debut may not be the only time we will see the athletic lock in the white of Ulster. For now though his Trinity team-mates will be glad to have him by their side in their next outing in Donnybrook against Bective this Wednesday night.
SCORE
TRINITY MALONE
30 10
Paul Galbraith Sports Editor TRINITY GAINED five valuable points and a good win for their efforts on a cold but beautifully clear sunny winter’s day in College Park on Saturday. The game was played on a gluepot of a field with a near frozen area in the Pavilion corner which is shaded by the trees. Trinity started brightly putting their Ulster opponents under pressure. But it was Malone who opened the scoring with a penalty by their out half Pentland. Trinity scored their first try when, after some impressive ball carrying by the forwards, the ball was spread wide by the backs for Full back Andy Wallace to glide over in the corner for a well executed try. After several phases near the Malone line Trinity out-half Dave Joyce kicked a drop goal. Minutes later Malone got their only try when they drove a line out from close in. The score was dubious to say the least as they looked short of
the line and held up, and the smiles of the Malone boys walking back to the halfway line told the story. Just before half time Trinity struck again when hooker Mark Murdoch charged up the middle to set up a quick ruck sucking in several defenders on the half way line, the ball was quickly moved through the hands to outside centre Conor Colclough who shimmied and dummied his way on a 40 metre break to deliver perfectly to prop James Gethings (what was he doing there?) who received and passed the ball in two steps (honestly!) and put the rampaging blindside flanker Alan Mathews streaking away into the corner for a fine try. 16-10 up at half time Trinity knew they had to control their discipline at the breakdown as the penalty count was high in the opposition favour, and was the major contributor to Malone staying in touch on the scoreboard. This they did and the visitors never really got into the Trinity third of the field in the second half. Trinity scored in the opening minutes of the half when from a counter attack #8 Brian Coyle uncharacteristically sidestepped his way through the first line of defence before passing to centre
Conor Mills who carried the ball deep into Malone territory, the ball was recycled quickly and moved wide to second row Scott LaValla who broke free out wide and into the Malone 22. James Gethings was involved again when he charged for the line, from the ensuing ruck Scrum half Mick McLoughlin put Mark Murdoch diving over midway between the goalposts and touch line with a reverse pass. 23-10 up, Trinity had to go for the four tries and bonus point, but the Visitors defence looked up to the task and as the game moved into the dying minutes Trinity looked to be losing their way. Trinity out- half Dave Joyce had other ideas and from a maul close in, he weaved his way inside the drifting defence to sprint over under the posts to cap a impressive personal performance including scoring in all four possible methods try, drop goal, two conversions and one penalty. This was a highly committed performance by the students who played some good attacking rugby considering the conditions. They now take a ten day break from action when they play promotion chasers Bective in Donnybrook on Wednesday 10th February 8pm Kick off.
1. IAN HIRST 2. DEREK WHISTON 3. IVAN CAMPBELL 4. CONOR MCDERMOTT 5. DARRAGH KEILY 6. HUGH KELLEHER 7. DYLAN GREENE 8. JACK DILGER 9. SAM BELL 10. CIARAN WADE 11. NIYI ADEOLUKON 12. PAUL GALBRAITH 13. PETER FINNEGAN 14. ARIEL ROBLES 15. JAMES OD
MATCH STATS SCORE
TRINITY 30 PTS MALONE 10 PTS SQUAD
1. TRISTAN GOODBODY 2. MARK MURDOCH 3. JAMES GETHINGS 4. PIERCE BYRNE 5. SCOTT LAVALLA (C) 6. ALANA MATHEWS 7. DOMINIC GALLAGHER 8. BRYAN COYLE 9. MICHAEL MCLOUGHLIN 10. DAVID JOYCE 11. COLIN MURPHY 12. CONOR MILLS 13. CONOR COLCLOUGH 14. NEIL HANRATTY 15. ANDY WALLACE 16. CRAIG TELFORD 17. PADDY MCCABE 18. MAX WATERS 19. SAM BELL 20. JIMMY MCCOY