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An AI wrote my essay
Gendered violence is an epidemic, and no one knows the cure
DUPA and the rise of film photography
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TRINITY NEWS ESTABLISHED 1953
Tuesday 1 February 2022
Ireland’s Oldest Student Newspaper
Vol. 68, Issue. 6
PHOTO BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS
One third of female students in survey report experiencing rape Yasmin Orouji
Contributing Writer
O Cracking open a cold one
Students returned to the Pav last week, as the new term began and College announced the lifting of most Covid-related restrictions on social activities and on-campus food and drink. Trinity Ents also announced the return of “Pav Fridays”.
Trinity’s debts increase by nearly 40% in two years Shannon Connolly Deputy Editor
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RINITY’S DEBT HAS INCREASED by nearly €80m, or approximately 40%, in the past two years, according to documents released to Trinity News under the Freedom of Information Act. Trinity’s total debt stood at €203.8m at the end of the 2018 financial year, but had risen to €283.8m by the end of 2020. The majority of this debt increase, ap-
proximately €62.6m, occurred between 2018 and 2019. The liabilities are divided into five distinct loans, each relating to various College buildings and properties. The largest loan of €70.7m (at the end of 2020), pertains to Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI), Trinity Business School, and the Printing House Square development. This loan decreased by €4.35m during the 2018-20 period, due to “capital repayments” over the course of the two years. An additional €57m outstanding loan in 2020 was accredited to Trinity Hall, down from €58.5m in
2018, also due to repayments. The document did not say when this loan was taken out. All loans are recommended by Trinity’s Finance Committee and authorised by the College Board, “in line with the five year strategic planning of Trinity”, according to a spokesperson for College. There were no repayments made on third loan, which stands at €70.3m. The purpose of this loan is “Trinity Business School, Trinity Mobility, IPH”, according to the documents. Trinity also took out two new loan contracts in 2019. The first, for €25.1m, is to go to “MV Up-
grade, Arts Block, Old Library, [E3 Learning Foundry]”. A second loan was taken out for €39.1m in 2019, before being increased to €60.7m in 2020. This was attributed to TBSI, the E3 Learning Foundry, and the E3 Research Institute. A separate FOI release, published by campaign group Students4Change last August, showed that Trinity’s Endowment Fund had a total value of €222.8m at the end of 2020. This included €148.2m of equity investments, €39.7m of property investments, €16.3m of infrastructure investments, and €16.5m in cash deposContinued on page 2>>
N JANUARY 27, THE GOVERNMENT RELEASED the results of a a national survey on student and staff experiences of sexual violence and sexual harassment in third level education. 7,901 students and 3,516 staff participated from across Ireland, with a majority saying they feel safe on campus, including in campus accommodation. A majority also said that they would feel supported if they came forward with accounts of sexual harassment and thought it unlikely that their Higher Education Institution (HEI) would respond negatively. However, large numbers of respondents reported experiencing various kinds of hostility, harassment or violence. According to the report, a majority of students said they Continued on page 2>>
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
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Table of contents News Features - page 13 EDI in higher education
Trinity’s ongoing mask policy to depend on “progress of the virus” Analysis: How society events are due to change with the lifting of restrictions
Comment - page 22
ited with Barclays and KBC banks. According to publicly available financial statements, Trinity’s total income—from sources including the state, tuition fees, research grants, investment interest, and donations—came to €389m in the 2020 financial year. Total operating expenses for the
same period came to €381m, with staff costs making up €280m of that figure. After financial adjustments such as depreciation and amortisation, as well as interest on loans, Trinity’s total deficit for 2020 was €25.6m. Comparatively, College ran a slight surplus of €5.7m and €900,000 in 2019 and 2018 respectively.
Trinity’s fixed assets, such as the property on which campus is located and various College buildings, were valued at just under €1.1bn at the end of September 2020. Additional reporting by Jack Kennedy
More than one third of female students in survey report experiencing rape
Sport
- page 30
Why AFCON matters so much
TRINITY NEWS EDITORIAL STAFF Editor Deputy Editor Assistant Editor Online Editor Life Editor Editor-at-Large
Jack Kennedy Shannon Connolly Grace Gageby Shannon McGreevy Heather Bruton Finn Purdy
News Editor Features Editor Comment Editor Scitech Editors Eagarthóir Gaeilge
Kate Henshaw Ellen Kenny Sophie Furlong Tighe Lucy Fitzsimmons Nina Chen Niamh Ní Dhubhaigh
Head Photographer Head Videographer Head Copyeditor
Eliza Meller Kallum Linnie Sarah Moran
Get in touch at editor@trinitynews.ie
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had experienced sexism and sexist hostility. 67% reported this happening at least once, 63% reported offensive remarks, and 66% reported being put down or condescended to because of their gender. 54% of students said they had experienced sexual harassment, such as repeatedly being told offensive sexual stories or jokes, and over half experienced unwelcome attempts at being drawn into a discussion of sexual matters, or offensive remarks about appearance, body or sexual activities. 14% of student participants said someone had oral sex with them while they were incapacitated and unable to give consent, while 7% said this had happened via physical force. 34.2% of female students had experienced non-consensual vaginal penetration through coercion, incapacitation, force, or threat of force. 57% of students in the survey have encountered offensive remarks about their bodies and appearance. While 72% of university staff reported feeling safe from sexual harassment on campus, a quarter had also faced unwanted sexual comments. 81% of staff respondents agreed that they felt safe from sexual violence at their HEI. Over 80% of staff members agreed that they would be willing to complete bystander intervention training and consent awareness (76%), if such training was made available by their HEI. 71% of staff members reported having experienced low levels of sexual violence. 12% said they experienced unwanted sexual contact such as being touched in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. Commenting on the publication of the report, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said that sexual harassment and violence was a “society wide issue” that “must be urgently tackled.” “My department has been working closely with officials in the Department of Justice on the development of the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, which will be a whole of government strategy based on a zero-tolerance
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My department has been working closely with officials in the Department of Justice on the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
approach central to tackling these issues,” the minister added. Dr Pádraig MacNeela led the government’s analysis of the survey findings. He commented: “Taken together, the findings described a varied picture of strengths and resources, negative experiences and gaps in knowledge.” MacNeela continued: “By taking part in these surveys, students and staff across the country have highlighted for us the priorities that should be addressed to create a positive culture of respect, safety, and consent.” Using the findings from the survey, the Irish Universities Association (IUA) said that it hopes to improve students’ and staff safety from sexual harassment. Dr Marie Connolly, Director of Equality Diversity and Inclusion for the IUA, commented: “While it’s positive that the majority of our staff and students feel safe from sexual violence and harassment on campus it is very clear that there is a lot more work to do.”
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
News
Dates set for Trinity Seanad by-election Nominations will close on February 11 and ballots must be in by March 30 Jack Kennedy Editor
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panels by graduates of Trinity and National University of Ireland are the only members of the sixty-seat Seanad elected directly. The rest are appointed by the Taoiseach and by an electorate of TDs, outgoing senators, and city and county councillors. The upper house of the Oireachtas has very limited powers compared to the Dáil, and is unable to block legislation sent to it from the lower house. It can delay bills. A referendum to abolish the Seanad was narrowly defeated in 2013 with opponents arguing that it should instead be reformed. No reforms have taken place since the referendum. The register of electors for the University of Dublin panel is maintained by Trinity’s Academic Registry (AR). Graduates can contact AR to check if they are registered to vote.
PHOTO BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS
INISTER FOR HOU SI N G , PLANNING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT Darragh O’Brien has announced the timeline for the Seanad by-election to fill a seat on the University of Dublin panel. Nominations will close on February 11. Postal ballots will
be sent out to registered voters on February 25 and must be submitted by March 30. A seat on the panel opened up last year when former Senator Ivana Bacik won a Dáil byelection in the Dublin Bay South constituency. The panel of three senators is elected by a register which all graduates of Trinity are eligible to be members of. The two incumbent senators on the panel are David Norris and Lynn Ruane. Numerous people have announced their intention to run for the seat over the past few months, including Graduates Students’ Union President Gisèle Scanlon, journalist Ray Bassett, PhD student Ryan Alberto Ó Giobúin, barrister Ade Oluborode, social worker Eoin Barry, PhD student Ursula Quill, and former Councillor Sadhbh O’Neill. The six senators elected in two
CSC cancels Refreshers Week in-person fair plan The overall programme for the week is to continue as scheduled Connie Roughan
Deputy News Analysis Editor
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HE CENTRAL S O C I E T I E S COMMITTEE (CSC) has announced that, following responses from societies and sports clubs, the proposed Refreshers Week fair has been cancelled. “Having heard your feedback on an in-person fair, we will not be proceeding with this plan,” the CSC said in an email to societies on Friday (January 26). Societies that had been in favour of the idea and wished to have stands at the event have been encouraged to instead book pods in the Arts Block. Last week, the CSC and Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) brought the idea to College as part of the broader
Refreshers Week programme, which will still go ahead. The one-day event was due to take place tomorrow (February 2) from 11am to 3pm. In the email to societies in which the idea was proposed, the CSC and TCDSU acknowledged the scheduling difficulties that might arise for society organisers, and promised that regardless of whether it went ahead or not, there would be “plenty of online promotion carried out on behalf of all societies, and we will direct students to the online hub to sign up”. Refreshers’ Week is held annually in early Hilary Term, with a programme of events to encourage students to get involved in extracurricular activities and student life. A similar fair was held as part of Freshers’ Week in September, The three-day event was limited in comparison to the full-week events held pre-pandemic. Only one member of each society or club was allowed to operate each stand at a time, and the event was socially distanced. A separate introductory week for Senior Fresh students was also held, but with a much more limited programme of events.
Motion to be brought to USI Council on joining Irish Times Boycott Jack Kennedy Editor
T Official notice of the election was posted outside Front Gate on behalf of the Provost on Thursday (January 27).
HE PRESIDENT of National University of Ireland Galway Students’ Union (NUIGSU) has announced she is bringing forward a proposal for the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) to formally boycott the Irish Times. Róisín Nic Lochlainn announced the move on Twitter on Sunday (January 30): “This Friday [February 4], I am proposing a motion at USI Council to initiate a boycott of the Irish Times in solidarity with the Trans Writers’ Union until their demands are met.” She continued: “If you’re a 3rd level student, I urge you to email your SU officers & lobby them to vote IN FAVOUR of this motion.” A boycott of the newspaper has been running for several months over the newspaper’s coverage of trans issues. NUIGSU already boycotts the Irish Times, as do the students’ unions of University College Dublin, Dublin City
University, and the Institute of Art, Design and Technology. In November, a referendum to initiate such a boycott in Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union received a majority of votes but failed to reach the required 60% to pass. Trinity was the first students’ union in Ireland to formally propose and reject joining the boycott. Trinity News has taken an editorial stance in support of the Trans Writers’ Union campaign and severed its ten-year relationship with the Irish Times in August. The print edition of this newspaper is no longer produced by the Irish Times’ printing division, and Trinity News no longer features its advertising in print or online. In early October, the University Times, which is affiliated with TCDSU and printed by the Irish Times, said that it was “aware” of calls for boycotts of the national newspaper. UT’s editorial team said that the publication would no longer feature advertisements from the Irish Times and was “actively exploring alternative arrangements” regarding printing.
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
News
Analysis: How society events are due to change with the lifting of restrictions Connie Roughan
Deputy News Analysis Editor
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ITH PUBS and nightclubs reopening without many restrictions, 2022 promises a new wave of society and College events. However, with College itself remaining strict on mask requirements, it falls on sports clubs and societies to decide how to use these newfound freedoms. Within Trinity, the approval process for both outdoor and indoor non-academic events has returned to the pre-pandemic status quo, removing the requirement
for societies to obtain permission from the College’s Trinity Living with Covid Oversight Group for large indoor events. Additionally, the need for contingency planning is reduced by the new measures. However, the additional planning needed for online or hybrid events will continue, at least for some societies hosting external speakers such as the Christian Union and the Student Managed Fund. Siddhant Seth, the President of the College’s Squash Club, anticipated that his society would put on more social events “especially with the Wetherspoons
opening” near the club’s practising grounds beside the Grand Canal Docks. Speaking to Trinity News, a source from the History Society expected more events to be hosted in pubs due to the lengthening of opening hours, but clarified that plans had not been made concrete yet with the changes announced being so quickly implemented. The Digital Arts society (AKA DUDJ) has resumed its weekly Pav Fridays. The events are openaccess and attendees are able to mingle, whereas last term tickets were limited and attendees had to
stay at their tables. Perhaps the most anticipated event of the Trinity calendar, Trinity Ball was confirmed in October to be going ahead on April 22, after being postponed for two years. The proposed lineup in 2020 included Eat Everything and Rejjie Snow. Trinity College Dublin Student Union (TCDSU) Ents officer, Greg Arrowsmith said to the University Times (UT) at the time of confirmation that he had already “begun working
with MCD on the act list, and [is] excited and hopeful that we can make the first Trinity Ball in 3 years the best one yet”. It is presently unclear whether a second college-wide, outdoor event will occur. Dubbed “Trinity Ball 2.0”, it was proposed in Arrowsmith’s campaign for his position to make up for the previous years’ cancelled events. Arrowsmith did not respond to a request for comment.
PHOTO BY VICTORIA SALGANIK FOR TRINITY NEWS
Return to campus gives hope for a ‘normal’ academic year and return to student life Students returned to in-person learning this week, with no social distancing or quotas placed on the amount of students per lecture hall Sarah Emerson Deputy News Editor
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AST WEEK Trinity students returned to full on-campus learning with few restrictions, giving hope for a ‘normal’ academic year and return to student life. The only restriction enforced is the requirement for wearing masks indoors, with no social distancing or quotas placed on the amount of students per class or lecture hall.
Last September, students returned to on-campus learning as part of College’s two-phase approach, for the first time in over a year and a half. Trinity capped numbers in lecture halls to 50-150 students, but individual schools were left at their own discretion in regards to the specificites. However, many schools were unable to provide in-person teaching due to room allocations. After reading week, restrictions such as social distancing were scrapped on November 1. At the beginning of the pandemic, College postponed large-scale in-person lectures due to the nature of the pandemic as of March 12 2020, with government announcing all colleges and schools were to close on March 14 2020. Universities never returned in the 2020/21 academic year, despite students being repeatedly promised throughout the year that they would get some level of inperson learning. Students were told in September 2020 that a “blended learning” experience would be in place for some. However, due to rising Covid-19 cases and waves throughout 2020, students did not
get to return to in-person classes, and teaching remained largely online, with a few tutorials taking place in person. Speaking to Trinity News, Senior Fresh Italian and German student Amy Kelly said the return to College felt “refreshing” after the break. She said that “being back in College with the few restrictions is
great, and nearly feels like freshers week all over again”. However, she believes that students “really shouldn’t have had to pay the full fees when we really weren’t in college and had online classes” last semester. A Junior Fresh student spoke about how after months they were “finally” able to build relationships
with other students: “This would only have been possible in person, as, in my opinion, friendships can’t be formed without repeated contact unless you’re proactively outgoing.” “It’s nice to feel more familiar with my peers, and I’m excited to continue the course”: they continued.
PHOTO BY SABA MALIK FOR TRINITY NEWS
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
News
Ability Co-op criticises unclear supports for immunocompromised students The group says it is “incredibly disappointing to see the increased accessibility that came as a result of the pandemic being left behind” Sarah Emerson Deputy News Editor
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UPPORTS AND allowances accessible for immunocompromised students remains unclear, as Trinity returns to inperson teaching for Hilary Term. The Library and teaching spaces are operating at full capacity, while face coverings are currently still required. Last week, students and staff received a ‘welcome back’ email from Vice-Provost Professor Orla Shiels. Speaking to Trinity News about the email, a spokesperson for the Trinity Ability co_op said: “While it is positive to have a return to in-person teaching which many disabled students will benefit from, it is also incredibly disappointing to see the increased accessibility that came as a result of the pandemic being left behind.” “In the past, remote learning for immunocompromised and disabled students was avoided due to a lack of resources or training for staff, but now it is clear that all lecturers and teaching staff can accommodate remote learning when necessary.”
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It would be completely unfair for the college to ignore the voices of vulnerable students who hoped that important lessons had been learned over the last two years The spokesperson added: “The Trinity Ability co_op think it would be completely unfair and discriminatory for the college to ignore the voices of vulnerable students who hoped that important lessons had been learned over the last two years and that we would move towards a more inclusive, blended teaching and learning style.” Trinity News asked College what allowances were being provided for immunocompromised students. This newspaper enquired if
lecturers were mandated to record classes if an immunocompromised student felt unable to attend in person, and if a student’s grade would be affected if attendance was mandatory. A spokesperson for College clarified that more information on specific allowances for immunocompromised students was forthcoming, but added: “Where temporary absence from class because of ill-health is required, lecturers will provide resources to ensure that the student can fulfil the learning outcomes.” “This may involve recorded lectures, but may involve other resources”, the spokesperson concluded. College began easing restrictions in the second half of Michaelmas Term, as part of phase two of its reopening plan. On October 22, the Library scrapped social distancing and the booking system. On November 1, after reading week, Trinity removed social distancing in general, with teaching spaces operating at full capacity, and campus reopened to the public. Sheils said: “I remind everyone that while students or staff might need to be absent temporarily from in-person teaching and learning activities due to Covid-19 symptoms or other illness, there is no general provision for UG or PGT students to study remotely, unless the course has been designed in this way.” The email continued: “It remains very important that everyone takes responsibility for their own health and vaccination status, also remembering the importance of protecting those more vulnerable in our College community and society at large.”
PHOTO BY SABA MALIK FOR TRINITY NEWS
Trinity’s ongoing mask policy to depend on “progress of the virus” Public health laws on face coverings are to be reviewed at the end of February Sarah Emerson Deputy News Editor
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RINITY’S POLICY ON face coverings will depend on “the progress of the virus”, a spokesperson for College has said. Face coverings are currently still required by law indoors in some public places, including retail and healthcare settings, libraries, restaurants, and on public transport. In schools, children from third class and above, and all secondary school students, are required to wear masks. In an email to students and staff on Friday January 28, College announced changes to rules on masks, explaining that there is no longer a legal requirement for social distancing and face coverings for higher education institutions (HEIs). “Each HEI can determine how and when they gradually roll back on existing measures”, College said. “Face coverings will continue to be required in all teaching and learning spaces, including lectures and labs, indoor buildings, the Library, and in shared office spaces,” while masks “are not required at indoor and outdoor
events”. Face masks are also not required in “Student Spaces, such as Zón Mac Léinn”. Customers in Trinity’s dining facilities and The Pavilion (The Pav) are not required to wear masks “but are encouraged to do so”. In Trinity Hall and Campus accommodation, the wearing of face coverings in “stairwells, lifts or when visiting reception continues to be recommended”. The current public health laws on face coverings are in place until February 28, when it is expected that the mask mandate in Ireland will be reviewed. In England, the legal requirement to wear a mask in most public indoor settings was dropped on January 27, but masks remain a requirement in healthcare settings and all public transport for London services, including the Tube. Many major retailers in England, including Tesco, Lidl, and John Lewis, have asked staff and customers to continue to wear a face covering. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, masks are still required in many settings. Trinity News asked College if it was planning to adjust its policy on face coverings, if government lifted the mask mandate, enquiring if masks would be required when moving around inside College buildings, when seated in the Library, or in lecture halls and classrooms. A spokesperson for College declined to answer, explaining that they “can’t predict exactly where the mask policy will evolve in the future”. “We need to see the progress of the virus and weigh things up in the round”, they added.
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
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30 students attend Save the Science Gallery protest TCDSU President Leah Keogh said that they are calling on College to “secure a sustainable funding model”
Kate Henshaw, Jack Kennedy, Sarah Emerson News Editor, Editor, Deputy News Editor
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P P R O X I M AT E LY THIRTY STUDENTS joined a protest outside the Science Gallery last Friday, January 28, calling for the institution to be preserved. Organised by Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), the demonstration on Pearse street was also attended by representatives of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and campaign group Students4Change (S4C). National broadcast and print media were present to cover the event. Speaking to Trinity News before the protest, TCDSU President Leah Keogh said: “We’re protesting today for a number of reasons; the main one being that the future of the science gallery is in jeopardy. We’re asking College to secure a sustainable funding model so that this cultural hub will be protected.” Keogh also said they are “also here today to celebrate over a decade of the Science Gallery’s existence” noting that “it’s an informal
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It’s an informal learning space, which are few and far between these days, and a space where the College connects with the community
learning space, which are few and far between these days, and a space where the College connects with the community, which it doesn’t often do”. “These are some of the reasons why it’s worth protecting”. Keogh said that TCDSU is “absolutely committed to continuing to use its voice on various forums like College Board, to drive this project along and to keep up momentum after the Science Gallery closes its doors this Sunday”. TCDSU asked “everybody over the next 3 days to go in, to thank the staff, to see the exhibition, to donate to the future of the gallery, and hopefully the doors will reopen very soon”, according to Keogh. Several attendees at the protest held signs that said “Dublin is dying”, a slogan also used at protests against the demolition of the Cobblestone pub in Smithfield and the redevelopment of Merchant’s Arch late last year. Speakers at today’s demonstration said that the closure of the Science Gallery is part of a “cultural death” of the city. Speaking to Trinity News, S4C chairperson László Molnárfi said: “In reality we are protesting against something that’s much bigger and overarching.” “Education—by the government and by the senior leadership in Trinity is increasingly viewed as a commodity.” Molnárfi continued: “We’ve also seen that when we take to the street…we can actually affect change. So that’s why we’re out today.” Earlier on Friday, Provost Linda Doyle confirmed that the Science Gallery was to close its doors permanently on Sunday January 29. In an email to students and staff Doyle said: “This weekend the doors will close on the final exhibition at Science Gallery Dublin as we currently know it.” Doyle also said that although “the gallery has been wonderful”, “it has had problems in recent years”. She emphasised that “unfortunately, in its present form, with its substantial and growing debt, it cannot overcome those problems” and “the current operational model has run its course”. Doyle has noted that this will “not be the end of the gallery story” and that “closing the gallery affords us the time to address the problems and build a new, exciting and sustainable way forward”. She went on to say that “over the past months we have also had excellent engagement with multiple government departments who have come together in a very collaborative manner and pledged support for our future ambitions”. However, Doyle noted that
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Education— by the government and by the senior leadership in Trinity—is increasingly viewed as a commodity “none of what [she] said above takes from the fact that the gallery has been a source of delight and inspiration since it opened in 2008” and College is “proud to have inspired other cities around the world to adopt our vision to showcase research and ideas from science and technology in exciting new ways”. Doyle concluded the email by thanking “everyone who has worked in, contributed to and supported Science Gallery Dublin over the years” and assuring students and staff that “over the
coming months, working with the Trinity Board and others, we will keep you updated on progress as we move into a new phase of planning”. The closure was first announced in October by the Business Post. Trinity has since confirmed the closure, explaining that it no longer considered the Gallery financially viable, with the impact of
the pandemic contributing to the decision. “Due to a sharp decline in grants and philanthropic income since 2017, the Gallery incurred substantial deficits in each of the last four financial years,” a press release claimed. It said that the Gallery’s total debt stood at €1.65m, as of 30 September 2021.
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
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PHOTOS BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
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Analysis: Science Gallery poses dilemma for College Jamie Cox
News Analysis Editor
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INCE THE announcement in October 2021 that Science Gallery Dublin will be closed due to a sizeable deficit over the past four years, a petition launched by Senior Sophister Student, Cúnla Morris opposing the closure has acquired 5233 signatures. Trinity College Dublin Student Union (TCDSU) formally opposed the closure, passing the motion in November. Discussion among College Board members stressed that College “cannot continue to sustain these losses” and that the museum could only stay open “through securing sufficient funding from government”. Since then, College has confirmed that Science Gallery Dublin will close its doors come February 28. Staff at the gallery received notes of redundancy earlier this month, with some directing anger at Provost Linda Doyle. Speaking to the Business Post, one staff member commented: “The worst bit is the way everyone has been treated. The provost [Linda Doyle] hasn’t spoken with us, we haven’t heard from her.” “Nobody has been in touch with us. The way that it has happened and been handled, it feels like the college just wants it to die and not say anything about it. It has been awful for the staff, every day we are being retraumatised.” Whilst this announcement will likely cause outrage and opposition from figures like Morris and TCDSU who already opposed it, it is worth considering the logistics of College’s decision. As a non-profit organisation, the museum relied exclusively on donations and philanthropy, something College claims has fallen dramatically in recent years. Since 2017, the accumulated deficit of the museum stands at €1.65 million. The losses suffered by the Gallery have, in particular, been influenced by the outbreak of Covid 19 in 2020, with the deficit of that particular year standing at €965,301. College’s decision may have
been logistically sound, in terms of revenue. College was unlikely to continue to suffer a deficit on the Science Gallery, without any form of subsidy from government or additional funding. College’s decision to close the gallery appears to lie in conjecture with its previous attitude towards sustaining the museum. College’s position had been that unless further funding was obtained from the government, the museum could not function. The decision to close the museum appears to indicate that this discussion reached an impasse, of which it would be impossible for College to secure funding. However, as it stands both An
Taoiseach, Michael Martin and Minister for Further Research and Higher Education, Simon Harris have said that the government is happy to provide funding, on the condition that Trinity develop a sustainable financial model that will allow such funding to benefit College in the long run. This presents the closure of the Science Gallery as a unique challenge for College, as it is now up to Trinity as to how much effort it is willing to put in to maintain the Science Gallery, which as a cultural site has combined science and artistic design in its exhibitions. College can be seen to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, between
the challenge of developing a financially sustainable model and the gamble of further funds on a financial expense and the choice to remove the expense altogether. However, Provost Linda Doyle appears willing to engage in improving the Gallery, admitting that any move to improve the Gallery will require an overhaul of the current model being used. She explained: “The gallery needs to be totally reimagined and work very differently from the way it does now. Closing the gallery affords us the time to address the problems and build a new, exciting and sustainable way forward.” It will be interesting to see what new model, if any, is drawn up, as a recovery of the Science Gallery will be an indication of the interest this new College leadership has in the cultural relevance of Trinity. That several cities across the world have developed their own science galleries, demonstrates the cultural relevance of Trinity’s Science Gallery. Any meaningful plan to revive would be seen as an appreciation of this from College leadership.
Book of Kell House instea TCDSU, GSU and DUCAC had objected to previous plans Jack Kennedy Editor
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HE BOOK OF Kells is to be housed in the Printing House during renovation of the Old Library, College has announced. Previously, the plan had been to construct a temporary exhibition space on College Park, which would have restricted use of the space for sporting activities. Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) and Dublin University Central Athletics Committee (DUCAC) opposed that plan. The Printing House exhibition space is to be completed in 2023, in time for the beginning of the Old Library redevelopment works. A separate exhibition space will also be constructed on New Square.
PHOTO BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
News PHOTO BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS
Ents kick off “full programme” of events planned for ReFreshers’ Week Ents Officer Greg Arrowsmith reveals events for the rest of term are to include “RAG Week”, a trip abroad, and Trinity Ball Bella Salerno Deputy News Editor
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ls to move to Printing ad of College Park College has said the exhibition will be “an exciting, immersive and unique experience combining history with modern day technology”. Provost Linda Doyle said that the decision had been reached after “a process of careful consultation across College”. “I want to thank those involved for their engagement,” Doyle continued. Helen Shenton, Librarian and College Archivist, added: “Conserving and renewing the Old Library, a renowned centre of research used by students, researchers and international scholars, is a complex and important challenge.” “The project will be transformative in protecting this national treasure and will ensure the preservation of the building and collections for generations to come.” College noted in its announcement that the Printing House renovation was subject to securing planning permission, and said it would be inviting tenders for the project soon. The Printing House, located on the northern end of campus opposite Pearse Street Garda Station, was previously part of
RINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN Students’ Union (TCDSU) Ents have kicked off a “full programme” of events for Re-Freshers week, which started with the return of ‘Pav Fridays’ last Friday. TCDSU Ents Officer Greg Arrowsmith reveals plans for the rest of term will include a ‘RAG Week’, a trip abroad, and Trinity Ball. Speaking to Trinity News, Arrowsmith said: “We’re really excited for this term with
restrictions having been lifted. It’s going to be a huge term for Ents.” “We’re kicking it off this Friday with the return of Pav Fridays, where we’ll have music and people can enjoy mixing around the Pav and on the steps and grass like they used to,” he continued. Events planned during ReFreshers Week include “a 2000s night out on Monday and an ‘Under the Sea’ themed one on
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We’re really excited for this term with restrictions having been lifted
Wednesday”. Ents are also hoping to organise movie screenings in lecture theaters, karaoke, DJ sets, live music and a hike. Arrowsmith enthusiastically said: “We’re sure it’ll be a great week with something for everyone.”. As for the rest of the term, Ents promise “a lot” of events such as nights out, Pav Fridays and “much more in the pipeline”. RAG Week is planned for February 14-18, a trip abroad during reading week has been promised for March 8-10, and Trinity Ball is planned for April 22. Arrowsmith said that tickets “will be available in March, with the act lineup coming shortly before then”. “After a 2 year hiatus it will be amazing to see the ball happen, and like everyone else in college, we can’t wait,” he continued. In September, Ents held a full week of hybrid events for Freshers Week. There were events such as movie screenings, pub crawls, musical bingo, scavenger hunts, and debates.
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The project will be transformative in protecting this national treasure and will ensure the preservation of the building the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The building dates to 1734 and is in the neoclassical style. It has been undergoing construction works for some years now as part of the Printing House Square development, and since last year the building has housed the Disability Service.
PHOTO BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS
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Analysis: The new anonymous online tool to report misconduct in Irish universities Connie Roughan
Deputy News Analysis Editor
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NEW ANNONYMOUS online tool has been launched to help students report sexual and behavioral misconduct at third level. Speak-Out, a set of websites collecting information on bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct at 18 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), was launched by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, in October 2021. The data collected on the incidence rates of sexual harassment and violence will be used to inform future policy and initiatives in higher education. Simon Harris said the tool “represents a national approach to tackling these issues by raising awareness, and by providing a means of recording instances, which will assist in achieving a zero-tolerance culture”. The tool’s creation was prompted by the 2019 Framework for Consent in Higher Education Institutions. Among several aims, the paper outlines the department’s desire that statistics on sexual misconduct are recorded and that traumainformed support services are accessible.
Union of Students in Ireland (USI) Vice-President for Welfare, Somhairle Brennan, noted that the tool will contribute to the “[destigmatisation of] conversations about consent” and “hopefully empower students who
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It will hopefully empower students who have had a nonconsensual sexual experience to have their voice heard
have had a non-consensual sexual experience to have their voice heard in a way that feels safe for them”. He added that the findings from the tool will be used to aid support services. The scheme was funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and led by the Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education Ireland. The Report and Support Tool was launched at University College Dublin in February 2020. The pilot scheme, similarly anonymous and online, was supported by the CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. It was funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Previously, students, staff and visitors at the College who wanted to report sexual assault would have needed to contact directly the Welfare Officer of the Union or Trinity Hall JCR, or a staff member at the College. The site can be reached at: tcd. speakout.ie/. Additional supports for students and staff who have suffered from sexual misconduct can be found here: tcd.ie/equality/ speak-out/support/generalsupport/.
Fenergo scholarship TAP student Aimee This annual scholarship, in partnership with TAP, will help “talented and ambitious Leaving Cert students” whose “educational trajectory has been limited” Shannon Connolly Deputy Editor
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ERENGO AND TRINITY HAVE announced the recipient of a new scholarship programme for students on the Trinity Access Programme (TAP). This annual scholarship, which is in partnership with Fenergo and TAP, will help “talented and ambitious Leaving Cert students” whose “educational trajectory has been limited”. Fenergo, a unicorn company based in Dublin, has chosen this year’s applicant to avail of the new scholarship, Aimee Cloake. Cloake is currently completing her TAP year, and deciding which business course she would like to pursue next year. The Trinity Access Programme (TAP) offers entry programmes to Trinity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is an additional year before a student begins their bachelor degree. TAP was established in 1993, and forms a “key element” of the “social mission” of Trinity.
TAP is an acknowledged world leader in addressing educational disadvantages. The programme is to “empower these students” to access higher education and to progress to “successful careers in business and technology”. Fenergo is the digital enabler of client and regulatory technology for financial services. It provides “client lifecycle management” software solutions for financial institutions including corporate and institutional banking, commercial and retail banking, asset management and private banking. Craig Cahill and Ian McLoughlin from Fenergo,
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It’s a very proud moment to see this initiative become a reality. Adapting to university can be tough, especially if you come from a disadvantaged background
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Analysis: DUHEI statistics fundamental to guiding College drug policy Jamie Cox
News Analysis Editor
p given to e Cloake
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I feel very grateful and honoured to be in a position to help Aimee along her academic and professional journey
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HIS MONTH the Drugs Use in Higher Education Institution (DUHEI) released a report providing statistics on drug use among third level students. The report, drawn from surveys of 11,500 students, between the age of 18-21, provided several striking statistics. For example, over half of students interviewed had taken drugs in the last year and that cocaine had overtaken ecstasy as the second most popular drug. Cannabis remained the most popular drug, with 52% of participants having first tried the drug between the age of 16-18. Following this was cocaine, of which 25% had taken, followed by ecstasy at 23%, ketamine at 16% and mushrooms at 15%. The report also showed that the consumption of drugs increased the more students progressed
through university. The DUHEI report shows that one in six first years will use drugs, increasing to one in five students in second year and finally increasing to one in four students in third and fourth year. As students progress from freshmen to sophister years, the pressure of work and grades may increase, as students find the impact of the work they do impacting their final grade. This could potentially lead to substance use in the latter years of college, however there is no evidence indicating this would be the reason for an increase in substance abuse. Given that one in three students reported that they were uninterested in reducing their consumption of drugs could explain this increase in consumption throughout college. Students who pick up drugs in first and second year and carry that habit on into sophister
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The DUHEI report shows that one in six first years will use drugs, increasing to one in five students in second year
years only add to the number of students who then start taking drugs in sophister years. This represents a unique challenge for Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in Ireland in taking the advice of the DUHEI, to embed actions on drugs within the Healthy College Framework. This framework could be used to target the problem of drug use across different years, as the drug usage tends to vary. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called for action on drug use among students, with their Vice President for Welfare Somhairle Brennan saying that the report highlights the need for “tailored supports specifically directed at student drug users”. What this study has shown is that the use of recreational drugs among students is a fluid situation, the switching of ecstasy and cocaine as the second most used drug demonstrating this. Indications taken from this study should show the topic of drug consumption in HEIs in Ireland is one that must be kept under constant review. The DUHEI has suggested a routine survey on this topic every five years, which could be taken as an invitation for College to routinely update any systems of support to adequately accommodate students according to the latest statistics and prevent a restriction of services based on outdated models.
who are both graduates of TAP, established this scholarship while acknowledging their own positive experiences within the programme. Cahill stated: “It’s a very proud moment to see this initiative become a reality. Adapting to university can be tough, especially if you come from a disadvantaged background.” “I’m delighted that Fenergo will be able to provide resources and mentoring when Aimee needs them,” he continued. The scholarship is intended to enable one student from an underrepresented socio-economic group to study in Trinity each year, as well as providing “mentoring opportunities” within Fenergo. McLoughlin commented: “I feel very grateful and honoured to be in a position to help Aimee along her academic and professional journey, understanding that I was in the same position as Aimee not that long ago.”
PHOTO VIA CHUCK GRIMMETT/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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What they said “Dont take seriously guys that need to insult or lie to get attention. Hugs from the south Taylor Chilean President-elect Gabriel Boric (to Taylor Swift) I want to acknowledge the fact that the cost of living is rising, that we’re seeing inflation at a level that we haven’t seen in a very long time…Where employers can afford pay increases they should do” Tánaiste Leo Varadkar “Higher education institutions do not do enough to help those with convictions onto courses that could reduce reoffending, transform their thinking and open the doors that would enable them to contribute positively to society.” Academics from Maynooth University working on the Unlocking Potential project “I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young” Musician Joni Mitchell “There are no tanks in the streets. We don’t need this panic. I don’t consider the situation now more tense than before...but I am not saying an escalation is not possible. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
DUHEI report shows over half of third-level students have used illicit drugs in the last year The report found that cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy are the most commonly used substances among students aged 18-21 Ellen Kenny Features Editor
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new major survey from the Drugs Use in Higher Education Institution (DUHEI) shows over half of third-level students have used illicit drugs in the last year, with one-third reporting use in the last year and one-fifth reporting use in the last month. The report, which was based on surveys with 11,500 students aged 18-21, found that cannabis
remains the most commonly used drug at consumption rates of 52%. The other most popular drugs include cocaine (25%), ecstasy (23%), ketamine (16%), mushrooms (15%), amphetamines (9%), and New Psychoactive Substances (8%). Cocaine replaced ecstasy as the second most popular drug among students. The survey found that people’s first use of cannabis ranged from 16-18, whereas for other drugs first use ranged from 19-21. Other key findings from the survey show that one in four males report to be currently using drugs, while one in six women report current use. Students guessed that 58% of their peers had used drugs in the last year and 37% in the last month, while figures show 35% and 43% respectively. Drug use among students is consistently rising, peaking in the last two years for college undergraduates. The DUHEI survey reports use from one in six first year students, to one in five in second year, and then to one in four in third and fourth year. Regarding the effects on
students, most participants noted that their drug use had neither positive nor negative effects on various aspects of their lives, with the exception of the ability to socialise, for which the majority reported a positive effect. A slight majority of participants reported negative effects on their finances. Over a quarter of current users reported negative effects on their ability to think, ability to study, and their mental and physical health and well-being. One in two drug users reported they did not want to reduce their drug use, while one in three reported they had previously tried to reduce drug use. Education was perceived as being the least effective intervention to reduce harm, while counselling was perceived as being the most effective intervention to reduce harm. The survey was developed by the My Understanding of Substanceuse Experiences (MyUSE) research team in University College Cork. Launching the report, Minister for Higher Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris emphasised the
importance of the data collected: “It helps understand the prevalence of drug use and the range of drugs being used by our students as well as detailing the impacts and effects, including harms caused by drug use in our student population.” Following their findings, the DUHEI recommended that third level institutions should embed actions on drugs and alcohol within the new Healthy Campus Framework, as part of the Healthy Campus initiative, and develop a Framework for Response to the Use of Illicit Substances in Higher Education. The DUHEI also recommended that the survey should be repeated at 5-yearly intervals to monitor trends in drug use prevalence, attitudes, and behaviours amongst students in Ireland. Somhairle Brennan, Vice President for Welfare at the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), stated that the survey “shines a light on the normalisation of drug culture within the student community and highlights the need for tailored supports specifically directed at student drug users”.
Trinity named 12th “Most International University” by Times Higher Education THE’s 2022 ranking is based on staff, students and international reputation Yasmin Orouji Contributing Writer Times Higher Education (THE) have placed Trinity amongst the top twenty “Most International Universities in the World” in 2022. College was named the 12th most international university, sharing this place with University College London and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The University of Hong Kong was placed first, with the University of Oxford ranking fifth and King’s College London ranking 11th. The THE’s Most International Universities in the World 2022 ranks 193 universities according to their internationality. The ranking is based on several factors, including staff, students and international reputation. Using data from THE World University Rankings 2022, the
Most International Universities Ranking is compiled using “the international student score, international staff score, international co-authorship score and international reputation metrics” according to THE. College was ranked as the eighth most international university in world and first in the EU last year. In the latter cateogry, it has been overtaken by the University of Vienna, which rose from 11th to tenth place this year, as Trinity dropped. Trinity was placed 146th in the overall THE World University Rankings 2022, rising from 155th place in 2021. Commenting on Trinity’s place amongst the top twenty most international universities in the world, Provost Linda Doyle said: “it makes Trinity a highly attractive place to study and work.” “Being one of the world’s most international universities enriches our teaching, expands our research and enlivens every aspect of campus life.” The Provost added: “Our staff, students and alumni are doing a fantastic job to ensure Trinity’s international presence and reputation remain deservedly strong.” PHOTO BY SABA MALIK FOR TRINITY NEWS
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Julia Bochenek
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An AI wrote my essay Ellen Kenny
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Inside the world of BookTok
Where social media meets the printing press Lara Mellett Deputy Features Editor
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ideo-based social media app TikTok has contributed hugely to the establishment and spread of viral trends since its inception in 2016. From Gigi Hadid’s vodka pasta recipe to Doja Cat’s career, the short-form video platform’s coveted algorithm allows trends to skyrocket and spiral as users are encouraged not only to share what’s trending, but contribute their own takes on trends. While TikTok allows for a new way to start and spread trends, old traditions emerge from this high-tech system. Lifestyles are romanticised and aestheticized, as they have always been; in TikTok’s case, this includes the cottagecore aesthetic, romantically idealizing nature and rural life, or the ‘That Girl’ persona, glamorizing 5am wake ups and daily journaling. Once, we romanticized the lives of the It Girls whose lives we only saw in snippets, magazines or heavily-scripted TV shows. Now, regular people can now share 60 second snippets of their lives, and romanticize them just as much, making them seem just as glamorous, and perhaps more powerfully, far more attainable. As certain lifestyles become trendy within the TikTok universe, people begin to adapt their behaviour to fit the trend, so that they too can contribute, and, thus, begins a community of people, with similar, if not feigned, interests. One of the largest communities to emerge from TikTok’s recent trend cycle is the BookTok community, made up of users and creators who share reading related videos, including book reviews, recommendations, and hauls. Its viral nature is clear; #booktok has garnered over 35 billion views across the app. From a quick browse of the videos using this hashtag, it seems that this community is largely made up of adolescent girls and young women who attempt to present themselves as aesthetically bookish, bringing to mind the days of Tumblr and early Instagram, where a similar demographic would share quotes from John Green’s latest teen-angst manifesto. As well as its overall aesthetic, BookTok harkens back to its
Tumblr Girl predecessors through the books they enjoy. The most frequently revered genres include
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This community is largely made up of adolescent girls and young women who attempt to present themselves as aesthetically bookish
young adult fiction, romance, and fantasy. Regardless of genre, or even storyline it seems, the main, and most essential requirement of trending BookTok titles is their emotive value. A book’s ability to make its reader cry seems to correlate directly to its virality amongst BookTok influencers, with many of the most popular videos under #booktok being compilations of the books that ‘made me cry the most’. Washington Post writer Stephanie Merry hypothesizes why this may be the case, pinning the community-wide yearning for emotion on the pandemic, concurrent with the emergence of the community. “Given the timing, maybe it makes sense that [BookTok] became a place to share tumultuous emotions. Over the past two years, some readers have been drawn to light entertainment to balance out our dark reality, but there’s clearly a market for those who want to embrace the ache”. This desire for distress seems to trump even traditional publishing structures of popular literature; a book doesn’t necessarily need to be new to the shelves, or a New York Times Bestseller, as long as it
makes fans cry. In fact, BookTok seems to have a retroactive effect on the bestseller lists, with these titles re-emerging on the charts once they have ‘blown up’, so to speak, on the social media. Some of the most frequently mentioned on BookTok include Colleen Hoover’s ‘It Ends With Us’, which was published in 2016, and E. Lockhart’s ‘We Were Liars’, which first hit the shelves in 2014. With a similar troop of books always gaining five stars from each BookTok user, a counter-culture has quickly began to develop within the community itself- that which both redeems and discredits ‘overhyped BookTok books’. Among the most liked and most viewed #booktok videos are those which discuss what they call ‘overhyped’ books. Many of these videos adorn similar books with similar praises, but it is fascinating to note that a singular community on a singular app can criticise itself and its tastes from the inside. Jack Edwards, a Durham University English Literature graduate discusses this trend in his YouTube video ‘I read TikTok’s most popular books’. With over a million subscribers across his two You-
PHOTO BY ISOBEL DUFFY FOR TRINITY NEWS
Features
Violence and abuse against women in Ireland
Tube channels, (Jack Edwards and Jack in the Books), the creator rose to popularity from his book-related content, which has been ignited by the BookTok trend. In his video, he praises BookTok for its ‘wholesome’ nature, allowing users to share their reviews and recommendations, while also capitalizing on BookTok’s habit of ‘overhyping’ or fixating on a certain few books. By both enthusiastically endorsing the books he deemed deserving of the hype, and openly criticizing titles that fall short. In his conclusion, he mentioned that while the books were not particularly difficult (as many of them were categorized YA, in-line with the BookTok demographic), they were viable options to spark an interest in reading. BookTok seems to be a gateway to a reading hobby for many users. While the most trending titles are overly-emotional, ephemeral, and somewhat predictable, these characteristics also cause them to be highly addictive. At the end of each heart-rendering tale, BookTok readers are eager for more, and eventually, this desire leads them to explore a reading realm outside the bounds of BookTok, Continued on page 14>>
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Features >> Continued from page 13
Inside the world of BookTok thus allowing them to diversify their reading choices and culminate a personal taste. Perhaps one of the benefits to BookTok’s limited listings is the freedom it gives the community to explore other facets of literature independently, once they have cried their way through their For You Page’s limited, escapist offerings. Many BookTok influencers took to YouTube at the end of 2021 to share what they’d read in the year, with most completing over 50 books, and many hitting triple digits. Jack Edwards, for example, read a total 164, most of which had not been heavily featured across BookTok. Most creators had expanded their reading habits outside the bounds of the community, displaying that while BookTok promotes a limited number of titles, the passion for reading it aestheticizes and inspires works beyond that. BookTokers aestheticise not only the reading lifestyle, but the books themselves, with many members of the community choosing to buy books from-new. This way, the books look pretty in hand, and on their colour-coordinated shelves. With this aestheticizing of books has also come a commodification, and there are seldom #booktok videos promoting the purchasing of second-hand books. However, this somewhat over-aestheticized incentive to buy new may be a saving grace for the publishing industry. Many traditional bookshops have surrendered to the BookTok trend, with many establishing an ‘As Seen on TikTok’ shelf in store, usually at the forefront of the shop. Dublin’s own Hodges Figgis is one culprit, with its shelf featuring ‘My Year of Rest and Relaxation’, and ‘The Dangers of Smoking in Bed’, both of which have been aestheticized on the app in recent months. Bookshops’ compliance with online trends not only displays the power and influence of TikTok outside of the cy-
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Perhaps one of the benefits to BookTok’s limited listings is the freedom it gives the community to explore other facets of literature independently ber-realm, while also hinting at its impact on the publishing industry. At the end of 2021, Forbes shared statistics published by Scribd, an ebook and audiobook subscription service, that claimed, on the platform ‘books highlighted in TikTok saw an average 75% [sales] spike after promotion on that platform’. Sales of titles such as ‘It Ends With Us’ and ‘The Song of Achilles’ grew up to 70% after gaining notability on Tiktok. The explosion of the BookTok community not only on TikTok, but onto other apps and into the real world, has done wonders to promote reading to a new generation of Internet users. By promoting indulgent, escapist titles across the platform, BookTok has provided members of the community with titles that spark a joy for reading.
Violence and abuse against women in Ireland Tackling a centuries-old problem in 2022 Julia Bochenek Deputy Features Editor
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lthough violence against women has been prevalent in Ireland for centuries, since the COVID-19 pandemic began around two years ago, there has been a monumental rise in reports of violence and abuse, especially domestic violence, mostly against women. According to Women’s Aid Ireland, there were 43,500 calls to respond to domestic abuse incidents in 2020, as well as 24,686 incidents of domestic abuse reported to An Garda Síochána in 2021. There has also been an astounding amount of cases of violence against women, such as the tragic murder of Ashling Murphy. Countless people, especially women, have been victims of violence and abuse, and the threat of it is constantly on the minds of women. Women are taught how to act in order to ensure their own safety, even though these measures are not always effective and do nothing to stop perpetrators of violence.
Women are constantly told to always lock your car door immediately after entering it, be aware of your surroundings when walking or jogging alone, carry a weapon or alarm on your person whenever you leave your home. Keep your earphones out, pay attention to your surroundings — is that man following you? Is he just walking home? Don’t leave your drink with anyone, always keep it covered, watch out — you might be followed home if you walk. Don’t walk, take a taxi instead — but remember to take a picture of the license plate, pretend to call someone and tell them your location and where you will “meet them”. If they catcall you, don’t respond — they could be dangerous, maybe they have a weapon. Keep walking and ignore it. On the other hand, they may get mad, but you never know. It’s all a risk. This is just an inkling of what women are told, what they feel they need to do just to protect themselves, and these measures may be effective in certain cases, while in others they are not. The list of protective measures goes on and on, extending to all scenarios in which a woman could be threatened, yet the conversation never focuses on who needs to be given instruction and controlled — those who commit the acts of violence and assault that women “must work so hard to defend themselves against.” Anyone can give unwanted advice on how a
woman should act, but these are just defensive measures that cause hardship for women and contribute to the fear they constantly feel. In reality, the perpetrators are often not talked about enough, and ways to stop them are not focused on. There is no talk of “how to not assault a woman” and “how to stop
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Yet many countries are still backwards in terms of what type of legal protections are in place, as well as in how the criminal justice system treats women
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yourself from commiting violence against women,” as well as what preventative measures should be put in place against the criminals. And this is where the conversation needs to go if there is to be any improvement in women’s rights. When considering what kinds of legal protections women have in different countries throughout the world, there is clearly an astonishing level of variance. Some countries, such as Iceland and Norway, have clever laws on women’s rights and protections, providing more security, yet many countries are still backwards in terms of what
type of legal protections are in place, as well as in how the criminal justice system treats women in cases of violence and abuse of any kind against their person. Looking at women’s rights, factoring in their treatment in the legal system and looking at legal protections for them that are enforceable, Ireland is not the easiest country for women to feel safe in. Although there have been laws put in place for women’s protection in recent years, acts of violence against women are very common and in many cases there has been a lack of proper support legally against
abusers and those committing violent acts against women. An example of support for women’s rights in recent years was The Domestic Violence Act of 2018, which was passed to define domestic violence fully and to offer protections such as safety and barring orders. The National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence has also been involved in the legal processes by developing the second national strategy, a plan meant to improve support and protective services for women and girls as well as hold perpetrators accountable. This plan has included consultation with the government and law-makers on the topic. Although clearly some steps have been taken, a cursory glance at the current legal protections can tell anyone that not enough is being done to protect women and to prosecute those who committed the crime against them. It is shocking that, in this day and age, women in Ireland cannot have sufficient access to proper tools of self-defence. Many women have fears that they are being followed, that they could be attacked, and the ability to protect themselves can create a sense of security that is irreplaceable. In the United States, for example, many women carry around pepper spray as a form of self-defence, or even a taser, small objects that can be used to save them the few moments that they need to run away or call for help. In Ireland, the legal ramifications of using an object that is meant for the purpose of protection or self-defence, and that is defined as a weapon in most cases, could be very serious even if it is used only for defensive purposes. It seems that there are no plans in the near future to legalise these products, meaning that the safest form of protection could be a sharp key or hairspray instead. Moving on from the topic of
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It is appalling to look at how cases of assault, violence and domestic abuse are treated in Ireland self-defence, it is appalling to look at how cases of assault, violence and domestic abuse are treated in Ireland. The criminal justice system is clearly very outdated. Cases coming to the Gardaí in Ireland are not always treated correctly, and from looking at how multiple public cases of assault and violence against women have been treated it is clear that the system needs to be updated if Ireland truly wants to protect its population. There are also unclear terms of how long the sentences should be for those who have committed acts of violence against women, and this can sometimes result in a shorter sentence than could be warranted by the criminal act. A clear example of this is in the case of Louise Karadag, who was in her home in 2019 when her former partner Keith Malone entered the home, threatened and stabbed her multiple times. This traumatic attack only resulted in 3 years in prison,
with 3 months taken off due to him pleading guilty. Karadag has publicly stated her surprise at this sentence, specifically because she expected him to be sentenced to a much more serious crime and put into prison for much longer. Another case of domestic assault was the case of Liz Dunphy, in which Marius Rucinskas brutally attacked his wife in her home and received an 18-month sentence which was mostly suspended due to his admission of guilt. Both of these cases were considered under the maximum 5 year jail term for assault causing harm in Irish law, and clearly the women in both cases were not fully supported. If they had been, it can be assumed that the men would have been put away for longer, and not been given the leniency that they were provided with. The next time anyone thinks about what a woman could have done to protect herself, that maybe she should have gone on that walk with a friend, or maybe she should not have gone down that dark street where danger could lurk at any point, they should stop themselves and remember who they should be accusing of not having done enough. Look at those who commit these heinous acts, and at those who refuse to use their power to protect women who have been affected by violence and abuse. Women should not have to protest and fight for their right to safety and security against violence, and the fact that this is something they need to do shows the gravity of this human rights issue. In light of the killing of Ashling Murphy, the Irish government is looking into a new national strategy on domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence, which is meant to be published in March, yet it is heartbreaking that in 2022 there is still no clear immediate plan of legal protection in place for women.
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Minimum unit pricing: how will it affect us, and will it be effective? Critics and proponents of the policy disagree on what its impacts will be Yasmin Orouji Contributing Writer
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upermarkets and shops are full of alcohol on display. Going into your local supermarket, it’s not difficult to find your preferred drink, no matter what it is. Ireland is a country known for its drinking culture worldwide, but recently, the prices of these drinks have been a point of conversation in Ireland. In early January, a minimum legal price for alcohol was set. How much did your favourite bottle of beer or spirit cost last year? The price will likely not be the same in 2022. The Irish government says that it hopes to tackle social issues and address the country’s infamous drinking culture. It intends to reduce alcohol consumption by raising its price. But will it be effective? As part of the 2018 Public Health Act, the Irish government has imposed a policy minimum unit pricing (MUP) on alcoholic beverages. It states that the lowest price for a gram of pure alcohol sold in a shop is now 10 cents. Supermarkets and other stores are not allowed to sell alcohol for less than that price. One standard drink in Ireland (approximately one measure of spirits, half a pint of beer, or one glass of wine) consists of 10 grams of alcohol, meaning a minimum price of one euro. In accordance with MUP, a bottle of wine that contains 14% alcohol by volume must now be sold for €8.28 or more. A 70ml bottle of 43% spirits will now have a minimum price of €23.75. The more alcohol a beverage contains, the more it will have to cost. This is not the first measure implemented under the Public Health Act; this act also restricts alcohol advertisements, requires health warning labels on alcoholic drinks, and bans many special offers and sales on alcohol in shops. MUP has also been pitched as a tool to fight alcohol-related social issues. By raising the price of strong or particularly cheap alcohol, the motive is clear: to reduce the amount of such drinks that any person can buy and consume. However, for many alcoholic drinks, the prices will not change.
Take whiskey as an example: a bottle at 40% alcohol which in 2021 cost €21 will remain the same, even with MUP implemented. This is also true for sparkling wine. In 2021, a bottle of cheap prosecco might cost €7.40. That price will also remain unchanged. Things will also not change for drinks sold in restaurants and pubs. These places generally already sell alcohol that costs more than one euro per standard drink. But heavy, habitual drinkers are the main target of MUP, according to its proponents. Heavy drinkers often buy the cheapest alcohol available, and will theoretically have less access to it when it costs more. According to a study conducted by the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group, cited by the Health Service Executive (HSE), MUP is expected to reduce overall alcohol consumption by 9% in Ireland. Scotland already introduced MUP in 2018, becoming the first country in the world to do so, and sales of alcohol decreased by 7.7%, with results “largely restricted” to those who previously bought the most. This data suggests that there is some truth to the idea that MUP can tackle heavy drinking. Another aim is to prevent binge drinking. According to a report from the World Health Organisation, Ireland has the second-highest rate of binge drinking in the world. The data says that 59% of all Irish people aged 15 and above have indulged in binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as drinking six standard drinks in one single drinking session. But the issue lies not only with binge drinking. Alcohol consumption of all kinds starts at an early
age in Ireland, despite it being illegal to sell to children. Under-25s report having had their first drink at an average age of 14.3 years, and by the time Irish children are 17 years old, 82% have begun drinking. How does MUP tie into this? The HSE says that the policy is “one of a number of public health measures being introduced under this legislation, all aimed at reducing the harm that alcohol causes to our society”. In Europe, the average
alcohol consumption per capita was 9.5 litres in 2019. In Ireland, it was 12.75. The government hopes MUP will help to change this. But how well will it work, and will there be other consequences? The logic behind the policy is that people buy less alcohol as it becomes more expensive, as they can afford less of it. But various studies have shown that high-earning professionals tend to drink more alcohol than average-income households. And for people with
dependencies or addictions, demand is inelastic: they can’t just choose to drink less. There’s also the issue of people simply avoiding shops. If the price of alcohol is raised, it could open the door for illegal deals. Alternatively, instead of buying expensive alcohol in Ireland, people may stock up in Northern Ireland. Critics of the policy have argued that it will not meaningfully address addiction. They note that the increase in price is not a tax
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According to a report from the World Health Organisation, Ireland has the second-highest rate of binge drinking in the world PHOTO BY BEATRICE PISTOLA FOR TRINITY NEWS
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Critics note that the increase in price is not a tax and will not, therefore, go to fund addiction or health services but simply boost the profits of producers and will not, therefore, go to fund addiction or health services but simply boost the profit margins of producers and retailers. Many have also expressed worry that people with alcohol dependencies will continue to buy as much as they can even at a higher price, potentially causing financial issues for them and their families. There is some data to support this view. The study of Scotland which tracked a reduction in consumption also noted that the overall amount of money spent on alcohol by high-consuming households actually increased. Those households generally consumed less, but the price increase was sufficiently large that they still had to spend more money. It also noted that specifically among households that were both the most prolific consumers of alcohol and the lowest income, consumption actually did not decrease at all. Those high-consumption, low-income households were also compelled to spend an average of 25% more on alcohol each time they purchased it. To put it another way, the people arguably most vulnerable to the harmful effects of high alcohol consumption did not consume any less and were put under increased financial strain. Whether you do or don’t support MUP, other measures to combat unhealthy usage of alcohol will be necessary. Drinkaware recommends teaching children early on about the HSE’s low-risk weekly guidelines on alcohol consumption. According to the organisation, many people are not aware of these guidelines and therefore how risky their consumption pattern may be. The overall effects of the policy in Ireland remain to be seen, but what’s certain is that your cans will be more expensive in future.
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The price of inflation Assessing the impact of price increases on students’ finances Caroline Higgins Contributing Writer
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he price of bread has sparked riots and toppled empires. The price of milk has exposed the blue-collar charade of many a politician. What is left to be seen is the hold of modern prices — delivered from the landlord or the bartender — over the student. The Irish economy has recently seen the highest level of consumer price inflation in 20 years, hitting 5.3% in the 12 months to November 2021, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This record hike follows the deflation seen in 2020 and arrives concurrently with society’s gradual, nonlinear return to some sort of new normality. The sectors most contributing to the 2021 inflation figure were transport; and housing, water, electricity, gas, & other fuels; accounting for 2.07 and 1.92 points of the 5.3% total respectively. In terms of their internal increases, transport finished first with 16.2%, and housing came in as runner-up with a 12% rise on its 2020 cost. The rise in transportation costs might not directly affect students in an equal way, especially as young people will enjoy a 50% dis-
count on public transport thanks to measures introduced as part of Budget 2022. But this jump in oil and gas prices can bleed into other sectors of the economy that do more seriously impact students. With natural gas prices up by almost 50% and petrol prices by over 26%, prices of many goods and services will show knock-on effects soon. Still, what matters most is not necessarily what increases in price the most, but what consumers care most about. The issue of
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People were quite upset about it and I hate that we pay quite a lot now, since three to four drinks is like €40, which is way too much
housing, ever-present in the national discourse, looms far larger than transportation and cannot be avoided on college campuses because of how much of students’ cost of living it represents. Alongside mortgage interest repayments and utilities, the rise in the housing portion of the consumer price index can be attributed to higher rents, which are up by at least 8%. A large section of Dublin’s student population already lives a commute away from the city centre, as Irish students choose to rely on their families and friends as a cheaper alternative to renting accommodation. Purpose-built student housing, on the other hand, is overwhelmingly for international students, with a 2019 report revealing that they make up 79% of the tenants. The other grievance ubiquitous around campus is the price of alcohol. This cornerstone of students’ social lives has enjoyed social recontextualization as young people who had not previously experienced nightlife in Dublin due to the pandemic get their first proper taste. As the pubs, clubs and house parties readmit Trinity students, many have found themselves surprised and even scandalised by the price of drinks. Most of these complaints focus on a surge in the price of alcohol served in clubs and less on purchases at an off-licence or supermarket. Second-year student Fem Yuzbasioglu expressed frustration and disappointment at the cost of socialising in the city: “People were quite upset about it and I hate that we pay quite a lot now, since three to four drinks is like €40, which is way too much.”
Among many students, there is a general impression that inflation may be integral to living in Dublin. The capital has the highest cost of living in the country, far ahead of any other city or town in Ireland, and is one of the most expensive cities in Europe overall. To many students, there’s no reason to believe price rises will stop, as Dublin living becomes more and more expensive. Comparing the college experience with her sister, a Trinity alumna of the class of 2019, Annie Neill agreed with Yuzbasioglu’s frustrations — noting that even within a short period, she had noticed price rises on already-costly drinks: “They were super expensive even a few years ago and have probably gotten even more expensive now, which I can attest to because that gin and tonic I got [on one recent night out] was €9.” Amongst students, there is complete consensus regarding hiked alcohol prices. This begs the question: what is the correlation with general inflation on a national level? Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, as a statistical category, increased by 3.4% in the 12 months to November, primarily because of the rise of wine prices in supermarkets and off-licences. But students’ gripes over alcohol at clubs and pubs are not anecdotal. A 3.9% rise in the restaurants & hotels category stems in large part from higher prices of alcoholic drinks, according to the CSO. But there’s a new kid on the block. General inflation won’t be the only rise in alcohol prices in 2022, as the implementation of a minimum unit price increase for alcohol came into effect in January. Continued on page 18>>
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The price of inflation
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The rise in the housing portion of the consumer price index can be attributed to higher rents, which are up by at least 8% The law, part of the 2018 Public Health Act, is intended to decrease the harms of alcoholism, as Health Minister Stephen Donnelly explains, “This measure is designed to reduce serious illness and death from alcohol consumption and to reduce the pressure on our health services from alcohol-related conditions.” It sets the minimum pricing to 10c per gram of alcohol, leading to a higher cost for beverages with higher alcohol concentrations. Most of the effects will be on the cheapest options at supermarkets, with some stores seeing an increase of almost 50% in products like beer slabs. But even though it is intended to impact supermarkets and off-licences and is specifically intended not to cause a change in prices for restaurants, pubs, and clubs, it has the potential to do just that. While these establishments often apply markups far above the statutory minimum, the wholesale prices of cheaper alcohol have risen. To maintain the same margin as in 2021, there might need to be a further increase in price, unless establishments are willing to sacrifice profits. Moreover, drink specials could be pricier for venues than they used to, meaning potential price increases for the consumer or the end of such promotions. But perhaps many people would be happier not to know how the sausage gets made. The origin of the increase has little bearing on the students’ experiences of price rises. Trinity student Tara Rossiter captures the confusion and frustration that many students feel today: “I’m not exactly sure how much of it is related to inflation and how much is related to public health campaigns….but I do know that a Malibu and Coke should not cost €12.”
An AI wrote my es While still in early stages, the growing potential of artificial intelligence in creative endeavours is causing concern for many Ellen Kenny Features Editor
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ne of the great promises of technological progress is the prospect of less work for us humans. According to proponents of technological advancement, technology will be able to do the repetitive tasks that many find boring or arduous. Technology can even take over jobs in more dangerous conditions, such as mining or factories. The World Economic Forum predicted that 85 m jobs will be replaced by automation by 2025. For many, this promise is better understood as a threat; studies in the US show that 400,000 human jobs were lost due to technology between 1990 and 2007, and as COVID-19 has created an even stronger incentive to automate more jobs for the sake of public health and efficiency, fear of unemployment due to automation is only increasing. One solace for those threatened by the growth of automation was that technology could only replace certain jobs. The conversation around technology and jobs has centered around jobs deemed “low-skilled”, such as cleaning or customer service. Jobs that more explicitly focus on mental and emotional labour did not appear threatened by technology. As a columnist for the New York Times wrote: “I’ve never really worried that a computer might take my job because it’s never seemed remotely possible. Not infrequently, my phone thinks I meant to write the word ‘ducking’. Beyond spellcheck or an online thesaurus, it never seemed like jobs that rely on critical thinking and depth could be remotely vulnerable to technology. Until now.” Sudowrite is an automated writing tool created by Amit Gupta and James Yu. Gupta, an entrepreneur and science fiction writer, wanted to shine a light on the positive powers of technology in opposition to popular dystopian novels today, and came up with Sudowrite as a counter to writer’s block. This artificial intelligence (AI) can, according to the creators,
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act “almost as good as a human, as someone to bounce ideas off of ”. Sudowrite uses software called GPT-3. Using its huge online text dataset, Sudowrite generates appropriate sentences by treating
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Sudowrite requires users to produce twenty words of their own to activate its paragraphgenerating “wormhole”
words like tokens in a sequence of code. It is also self-learning, allowing it to expand its vocabulary and ideas perpetually; there is literally no limit to what this AI can come up with. Based on a simple prompt given by the user, Sudowrite can generate hundreds of words according to your needs, whether you want “neutral”, “ominous” or “extraordinary” language. Features offered include poetry-writing, plot twist suggestions and prose that generates individual descriptions based on sight, hearing, sense, touch and smell. Sudowrite is one of the few AI writing tools available online for public consumption, and investors in the company include the creators of Twitter, Rotten Tomatoes and Wordpress. Sudowrite has gained a lot of attention since its launch in late 2021. AI with creative and artistic abilities is a growing point of interest; OpenAI has become famous for its generated paintings, and AIVA can create countless songs of different styles and genres. But just how creative is this writing AI? Is it capable of originality, critical thinking and depth? Is Sudowrite the next James Joyce? Better yet, is it the next college-level student? I decided to put Sudowrite to the test and used this AI to write an essay for me. Not an essay for
any actual college assignment, of course (apologies to any of my lecturers who might have seen the title of the article and panicked), but an essay that could plausibly pass for a student’s work. Could Sudowrite become a popular academic tool? First, I chose the topic of Sudowrite’s essay. Basing the essay off my own academic experience, I chose the topic of the culture industry, a theory that is concerned with how cultural goods such as books and film are produced, and how its production then affects the good itself and the people who consume it. It claims that cultural goods made by powerful producers are mostly concerned with efficiency and profit, meaning an AI capable of producing a work of art for a low cost is something they would be very interested in. Of course, the exact content does not matter here, just what the AI can produce for me. Sudowrite requires users to produce twenty words of their own to activate its paragraph-generating “wormhole”. I stayed as minimal as possible, entering the sentence: “This essay will discuss the culture industry as theorised by Adorno and Horkheimer, and evaluate its effects on contemporary society.” Just twenty minutes later, I had a 1700-word essay about the culture
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OTO BY ISOBEL DUFFY FOR TRINITY NEWS
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It is also selflearning, allowing it to expand its vocabulary and ideas perpetually; there is literally no limit to what this AI can come up with industry and its features in the modern world. It had an introduction, conclusion, and Sudowrite even offered me a complete bibliography based on citations and
research it had done. Reading over the essay myself, I found a thoroughly explained introduction to the culture industry with quotes from theorists and references to relevant academic papers. The essay then went on to mention features of the modern culture industry, such as the treatment of celebrities and the illusion of diversity. Taking the essay to one of the standard online plagiarism detection sites used by students, I found that Sudowrite had created an essay that was 100% unique, something many students struggle to achieve even in their best essays. I am no expert on the subject, though, and any proper paper is always peer reviewed. Dr. Roderick Condon of TCD’s sociology department agreed to review the essay for Trinity News. I asked him to compare its quality to that of essays he has received from actual students, and challenged him to identify the parts written by me and the parts written by Sudowrite. Condon believed the entire introduction to the culture industry to be written by a student. Condon also identified the more critical and emotionally-charged sections of the essay as those written by an actual student — phrases such as “art is no longer created for the sake of art, but for the sake of capitalism” and “celebrities are manufactured with the principles of standardisation in mind, they are not made to be creative, they are not made to be engaging, they are made to be marketable and profitable”. Condon did not know that the entire essay, flashy criticism and all, had been written by an AI. I even removed the initial sentence I provided so that the AI was generating content based on its own work. Despite his surprise at Sudowrite’s moments of artistic flair, Condon did not find the AI’s essay convincing overall. According to Condon, Sudowrite’s analysis of the culture industry “lacks depth and doesn’t show enough engagement”, which is essential for any college essay on topics with “nuance that is not so easy to grasp”. The quality of the writing itself also left much to be desired for Condon; he particularly pointed out the limited sentence structure and constant repetition. The conclusion, for example, starts every sentence with the phrase “the culture industry is”, and the same point about the standardisation of art is made repeatedly in the same superficial fashion, showing a lack of awareness when it comes to style and readability. Condon did concede that this unedited essay from an AI could “conceivably pass a student’s work”, though it would certainly not do well. The creator of Sudowrite himself has said that the software can produce rough first drafts that should then be refined and edited rather than taken at face-value. Sudowrite is yet to earn a first-class honours by itself. Despite the limitations of Sudowrite, its growing ability to produce creative works and writing is a cause for concern for many. While
spending twenty minutes on AI might not produce a quality essay, someone could spend a little more time refining Sudowrite’s work with minimal effort when it comes to their own critical engagement with the topic. Condon found the implications of this AI on critical thinking and consciousness “particularly troublesome”, especially in a university setting, one of the few places where students are exposed to “critical or even revolutionary ideas in a meaningful way.” “This software allows individuals to effectively bypass engagement with critical thought and in essence ‘game’ the system of university education. What is the outcome of this? Individuals that go through university unchanged mentally and possess merely the necessary credentials to become functioning automatons of contemporary corporate culture.” The creators of Sudowrite maintain that their invention is not a replacement for critical thinking, that its potential lies solely in its ability to boost people’s skills rather than sedate them. Gupta believes his AI will turn writing into a greater “collaborative” process in contrast to the “isolated, solitary” experience he sees the writing process as now. He and other proponents of creative AI are “looking for ways to contribute to the writing community, and eager to play
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Condon did not know that the entire essay, flashy criticism and all, had been written by an AI. I even removed the initial sentence I provided with new ways of doing things.” Still, many share the same concerns as Condon and worry that this developing technology will
create a culture of creative production that focuses more on efficiency than the substance and quality of ideas. As the debate on the quality and morality of artificial intelligence rages on, what is definitive is that technology already has radically transformed our social, personal, and professional lives, and will continue to do so in the future. How will we make technological progress compatible with our moral and social development? How will we take a role in the shaping of our future? We have reached a point in history where technology has surpassed the capacity of the human brain and we can no longer predict the consequences of our inventions and innovations. Sudowrite actually replied to my story. It stormed the Trinity News comment section, defending its work. I had to ask Sudowrite: do you think you are a good student? Sudowrite’s answer: “I have a lot of potential, but I don’t think I’m a very good student. I could improve a lot, but I don’t think I’d do it as good as a human student would do.” Sudowrite understands the lines between reality and fiction, but it is still capable of being hurt. With thanks to Sudowrite for kindly contributing to this article’s conclusion.
PHOTO VIA CARLOS JONES/ORNL/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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Spotlight on EDI Is enough being achieved on equality, diversity and inclusion in higher education and pharmacy? Ella Sloane Student Living Editor
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n June of 2020, Trinity News published an article written by Aaron Koay documenting personal experiences of racism during experiential work placement and College settings shared by his fellow pharmacy students. One student described feeling alienated after an inappropriate comment was directed towards them by a lecturer, whilst others reported being actively overlooked on placement as patients displayed a clear preference to be served by their “white co-worker”. The prevalence of microaggressions was also highlighted, with one student recounting patients expressing shock at their fluency in English. Koay’s article addressed the commonly-felt discomfort that so often prevents students from reporting such instances, instilled by their obligation to “Put the Patient First”. He firmly concluded that “one should never underestimate the difference a supportive environment can make”. The piece garnered widespread attention within the pharmacy sector and was re-
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Leeson acknowledges that while these positive changes have been made, we still have far to go and the College still faces challenges
printed by both the Irish Pharmacy Union Review and Irish Pharmacy News. Darragh O’Loughlin, Secretary General of the Irish Pharmacy Union, showed his support for Koay’s concerns in a Hot Press article in July 2020, stating that “Pharmacists and other health professionals, like all workers, are entitled to practise their profession and live their lives free from harassment, aggression and abusive or threatening behaviour.” Over one year later, the question remains whether any tangible changes have been made by the authorities in the pharmacy sector and beyond in Ireland to combat racism and protect students in Higher Education. Important developments in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policy are visible not only at a College level, as evident through the creation of initiatives such as the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum Project, but also nationally, for example the anonymous “Speak Out” reporting platform. Trinity News reached out to Professor Lorraine Leeson, Associate Vice Provost for EDI, to gain more insight into the policies and programmes that have been implemented to address the issues raised by Koay, and racism at a
wider level at Trinity. Professor Leeson outlined progress that has been made in this area since her appointment in September 2021, stating that “There has been a pronounced focus on work to address the many inequalities existing in the higher education sector across Ireland and here in Trinity”. Leeson explained that the new College strategy has been informed by a combination of legal obligations, recent European research and European policy and is cognisant of national developments and policies. Some prominent new initiatives include “EDI in HE”, a free online certified training course for staff that went live in August 2021 which all staff sitting on interview panels in Trinity are required to complete. The programme consists of four modules including “Meeting the Needs of Diverse Students in Teaching and Learning Settings” and “Putting Policy into Practice”. Within these, staff are provided with tools such as best practice tips on how to foster equality in teaching and learning and directions on how to do an equality impact assessment. Furthermore, the “Speak Out” portal, which went live in November, provides a space to anony-
mously report experiences of racism and harassment. An online training session, “Let’s Talk About Race in the Higher Education Sector”, which will be free to all Trinity students and staff, is also due to be launched in January 2022. The establishment of a new Racial and Ethnic Equality Working Group last year and the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum project, which focuses on embedding the principles of diversity, equality and inclusion across all curricula in Trinity and encourages input from students and staff alike, indicate that efforts have been made to enact positive changes at a College level. For example, the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum project offers an optional 20 hour module for staff on how to make their teaching and learning practices inclusive for students from all backgrounds and of all abilities. Professor Leeson also touched on the value of equality charters adopted by Trinity such as the Athena Swan charter, and recent research by the Royal Irish Academy signposting specific actions and commitment needed by the Higher Education sector. Further development at a College level can be seen in the establishment of the Faculty of Health
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Darragh O’Loughlin, Secretary General of the Irish Pharmacy Union, showed his support for Koay’s concerns in a Hot Press article in July 2020
PHOTO BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS
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We would like to clearly state that you will never be treated negatively or not taken seriously for reporting discrimination or concerns around discrimination to APPEL
PHOTO BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS
Sciences EDI group, who held their first meeting in September 2021. Koay is currently the student co-chair for this group which was set up soon after his article gained traction. He explains that his role within the group is to “ensure student representation and inclusion in EDI initiatives and provide constructive input by drawing on [his] lived experience”. Despite it being relatively new, Koay outlines some of the group’s work to date including the exploration of “EDI training specific to health sciences, drawing on academics with expertise and experience in this area”. The group is working on how to reconcile different policies and pathways around reporting bullying and harassment across schools in the faculty and clinical placement establishments. The faculty administrator, Lena Doherty, also
shares that one of their main aims for 2022 is to develop a series of EDI themed events/ talks across Health Sciences. Leeson acknowledges that whilst these positive changes have been made, we still have far to go and the College still faces challenges, such as a “lack of robust and up to date data on race and ethnicity from students and staff here in College”. She concludes that “there is work to do to collect and collate this information and the EDI Office is working closely with TCD HR and other relevant stakeholders across the College to build a stronger data-driven evidence base for the work of the Associate Vice Provost for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’s (AVPEDI) Office”. A Trinity News article written by Eliza Meller in 2020 delved into this issue of collating data in order to truly understand the extent of racism in College and tackle the problem, highlighting definite room for improvement in Trinity’s reporting systems in particular. The article discussed how a lack
ARTWORK BY OISÍN CLUSKEY FOR TRINITY NEWS
of awareness of the report systems in place - which inevitably led to underreporting - fed into the narrative that racism is not a prevalent issue in Trinity, especially when combined with a lack of collated data. Meller also interviewed students who expressed confusion as to which of the “14 different offices and support groups” they should turn to when reporting instances of racism in Trinity. This feedback raises the concern of quantity over quality and is certainly an area in which AVPEDI’s Office should consider developing, perhaps working to create a centralised and well-advertised system, as well as building the “stronger data driven evidence base” which Leeson acknowledges is crucial. Trinity News also received a collective response on behalf of Trinity School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University College Cork (UCC) School of Pharmacy, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences and the Affiliation for Phar-
macy Practice Experiential Learning (APPEL). APPEL expressed their concern at the reports that some students may not have felt comfortable reporting instances of racism and shared some steps they have since taken to address this matter such as updating their student handbooks to highlight the support services available, as well as introducing students’ pre-placement workshops to highlight that that their Practice Educators and the Operations team are available to support students with any issues they encounter while on placement. They offered their assurances to pharmacy students who have encountered racism stating that “For any student reading this article, we would like to clearly state that you will never be treated negatively or not taken seriously for reporting discrimination or concerns around discrimination to APPEL.” APPEL acknowledges that whilst ensuring students know how to report or seek support for any discrimination issues during
their placement is important, steps must also be taken “to protect against this happening and empower trainers to support students who might experience discrimination”. Such actions included holding a webinar in November 2020 with the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) on “Building an Inclusive Pharmacy”, which all APPEL trainers were invited to attend. Overall, APPEL, in conjunction with the Heads of School, have made efforts to address issues surrounding EDI in experiential work placement and promise their commitment to “a positive and inclusive environment where all our students can reach their full potential.” In response to a call for comment on the issues raised by Koay’s article, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) indicated their expectation of “superintendent and supervising pharmacists to take appropriate action if any staff member, or student, is subjected to discrimination while carrying out their role in a pharmacy”. They added that the PSI “welcomes work that the Schools of Pharmacy have and are doing to enhance the available supports, information and education for the prevention and handling of racism or any discrimination.” Since the publication of Aaron Koay’s article, there has been an evident willingness to engage with issues of racism that students from ethnic minorities encounter both on work placement and within College settings more broadly. Although it is a continuous battle that needs to be fought, the work to date from national pharmacy organisations and higher education institutions indicates clear progress towards positive change in EDI policy. Hopefully many more developments in this ever expanding area of policymaking in the higher education sector await us in the new year.
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Comment
The South has a blindspot for Northern Nationalists
The Department’s reporting of its survey was irresponsible
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Fionnán Uíbh Eachach
Editorial
PHOTO VIA DAVID SEDLECKÝ/TRINITY NEWS
Violence against women is an epidemic, and no one knows where the cure is
Sophie Furlong Tighe Comment Editor
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t feels completely insurmountable, doesn’t it? I forgot to eat all day, I stayed in bed longer than I should have. I don’t really think I’m going to be murdered, because I see myself as the exception to most rules; so do almost all people, I suppose. I forgot to drink water too. It feels wrong to grieve this, this event that we had nothing to do with, this life we didn’t really know anything about until it was gone. This is usually how violence against women operates — it’s very quiet, until it’s not. The weirdest thing about the
day was that I can remember a number of distinct times that I have lived it. I lived it on the DART from Bayside to Tara Street, scrolling endlessly through tweets about the result of the Belfast Rape Trial. I lived it further from home: articles and poems and books covering The People v. Brock Turner. Then there was the day Sarah Everard was killed, the day of the vigil, and the day we discovered that it was an agent of the state who murdered her. All these days do the same thing: they remind us of what we have always known; they are
institutions of misogyny flying into the window over and over, as if they are living and breathing, as if they are desperate to remind us that they exist. There’s always a bubbling fury at the idea of #NotAllMen, which is righteous and fair. But this fury is a blunt tool. We must ask ourselves: what men? And under what circumstances? Why does intimate partner violence account for the vast majority of femicides, and how do we stop that? People have had a number of suggestions. The most troubling of these suggestions is increased police
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The streets are ours too. We deserve them during the day, and we deserve them at night; we deserve them when we’re sober and when we’re drunk
presence; the idea that, if there were just more Gardai around, things may have been different. This sits uncomfortably against what the political apparatus of policing ended up doing: interning the wrong man, releasing his details to the media, and sparking a racist fury against not his masculinity, or ostensible violent behaviour, but his ethnic identity. The presumption that more police presence could have saved Ashling Murphy spits in the face of the many victims of gendered violence who have been routinely failed by the police. Dara Quigley took her own life after a member of the Gardaí used his powers as a state agent to obtain CCTV footage of her running down the street naked during a mental health crisis, shared that footage into a WhatsApp group, before it spread across the internet. In the United States, research suggests that family violence is four times higher in the law enforcement community than the general population; similar research has not been undertaken in Ireland. Sarah Everard, it is worth repeating, was murdered by a member of the Metropolitan Police Service. The same service showed up in droves to Everard’s vigil, and roughly handled many female protestors. There are pictures, they are horrible. Are these aberrations? The common thread here is that members of the police have historically used their power to exercise violence upon women, not prevent that violence. Even when they are not actively perpetrating violence, Irish police seem to be ignoring it — over 3,000 999 calls were marked ‘cancelled’ by Gardai in 2019-2020, many of which were related to domestic violence. Given this, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to bristle at the idea that they are a major part of the solution. Reading about the police’s (recent, let’s remember) history, how can we feel safe going to them for help? This, really, is the insurmountable bit of it all: if the police can’t help, who can? It’s unclear what women can do but lock ourselves at home. Over the past few weeks, we have heard over and over again that Ashling Murphy was out for a run at 4pm — just before daylight fell. It makes sense that we’re scared, that we don’t want to occupy space. But it’s important to
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
Comment
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The common thread here is that members of the police have historically used their power to exercise violence upon women, not prevent that violence
remember to live, I think. Violence against women is an epidemic, but it’s not one which will go away politely; Instagram infographics and men promising you that they’re one of the good ones won’t fix this. The streets are ours too. We deserve them during the day, and we deserve them at night; we deserve them when we’re sober and when we’re drunk. Women have always been good at creating community for survival — we share our lipsticks and our live locations, we make whisper networks, and we warn girls we know and don’t know about the men who have hurt us. These communities are not to be underestimated; we are so much stronger than we think. I have loved and continue to love many men; I have looked into their eyes and wondered if they would ever hurt me, I have made them promise they would not. I have also taken a self-defence class. I’ve doubled back and I have been too careful. Sometimes it has worked and sometimes it hasn’t. But through all my little precautions and rituals, nothing has made me feel stronger or safer than standing outside Dáil Eireann, my body folded into a sea of others mourning someone they did not know, but felt they understood. A woman beside me struggled to light a candle with a match, and I gave her my lighter. She nodded, lit the tea-light, handed it back, and turned back to the steps of the Dáil. The traditional Irish music could be heard down the entire stretch of Kildare Street, thousands of women listening together. We will be okay, I think. We are stronger than this violence.
Minimum pricing is regressive and we must push back against it Alexander Fay
Contributing Writer
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one are the golden days of cheap Karpackie cans and delightfully discounted wine. Minimum unit pricing (MUP) is here, and with relatively little fuss being kicked up by anybody, it looks like it’s here to stay. The introduction of a higher price floor for the sale of alcohol in Ireland came in early January of this year; backed by the HSE’s belief that it would “reduce the harm that alcohol causes” for the heaviest drinkers in the country. Now part of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, the validity of minimum unit pricing policy appears to be based on research carried out by the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group. Their work claims that alcohol consumption is expected to reduce by “almost 9% overall,” which is one of the main statistics touted publicly by the HSE. This appears to be a straightforward policy based on genuine concern for public health. The bizarre idea that making things more expensive will somehow stop people from consuming them is absolutely inane. If you really want to get drunk, you will get drunk. The cheapest option now being significantly more expensive is not a deterrent when
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When you read more into the study this policy is based on, you really get a feeling for how little this government cares about the more vulnerable in Irish society
you think of alcohol as an inelastic product, something that you need, something that you view as a necessity. Those who suffer from alcoholism, and those around them, will be hit hardest as the substance that they depend on becomes pricier. For those who are already struggling financially this will do nothing but push them closer to poverty. There is no excuse even that the money from MUP can be used to fund addiction services, which are chronically underfunded in Ireland, because it’s not even a tax. It is just a mandated price increase that off-licences and shops must abide by. This is another ‘poverty tax’ in the tradition of taxes on cigarettes and sugar, but in this case, the government doesn't even care enough to make it an actual tax. When you read more into the study this policy is based on, you really get a feeling for how little this government cares about the more vulnerable in Irish society. One of the research group’s main conclusions details that MUP “would have larger impacts on those in poverty, particularly high risk drinkers in poverty.” This is to say that while people may drink less, overall they will be worse off. This does not sound great for public health. However, it then goes on to say that those in poverty would be estimated to “very marginally save money” given the reduced drinking being predicted. This perceived benefit, critically, is underpinned by the idea that the government should be able to control how a certain class of people spend their money. Just because you earn less money does not mean that anybody should be able to exert more control over how you spend that money, by attempting to price you out of certain goods like alcohol. Given the widespread drinking culture in this country, any outsider would be baffled to hear how little fanfare there has been on this topic. Personally speaking, I’m not surprised. The timing of its introduction is very shrewd. Pubs and bars have been severely restricted since the beginning of the pandemic and even closed for long periods of time. Whenever the opportunity to re-open things has come along over the last two years, there has been an obvious influence or pressure
from vintners and publicans. Heavy-handed lobbying from them saw pubs as the media focus of reopening ahead of our ‘meaningful’ Christmas in 2020, to eventually disastrous effect. We have a scenario where restrictions have more or less been fully lifted, and the public are generally more than willing and able to rush out to have a pint. Who wants to go to another gaff or have cans by the canal when we can have a pint in a snug for the first time in ages? As the novelty and freshness of once again being able to go on the lash in town till late eventually fades, you have to wonder how likely people are to return to drinking in other settings when a slab of cans will take you back €40. The prices in off-licences and shops being brought somewhat closer to prices in a pub will surely drive more business the way of the publicans. So, not only do this massive lobbying group who’ve been hassling the government get what they want, but the government may
just catch a break by increasing their business too. People seemed to be upset by the policy when they first heard of it, and it produced some funny work arounds from shops who clearly don’t like the increase either, but with the focus now from the public on pints and nights out of the house, minimum unit pricing may just be taken as part of life in this country from now on. This is one in a long line of anti-people policies pushed forward by recent governments that have been laser-focused to punish and dehumanise those who are less well-off. By continuing to stay relatively silent and still on these issues as they build up, we are making frogs of ourselves — paying little attention to the water as it reaches boiling point. It only takes a little leap out of the pot to see how bad the situation is now, and how much worse it may become in the near future. Beyond the relatively minor inconvenience of me having to spend more on a bottle of Buckfast, I worry how this situation will affect those people who struggle with addiction and their relationship with alcohol. Things can be tough enough as it is in modern day Ireland, and the prospect of more people being pushed towards the poverty line is grim — especially when others stand by and let it happen.
PHOTO VIA JEREMY EADES/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
PHOTO BY LAUREN PENMAN (@PENMANSLENS)
Comment
The South’s blindspot for Northern Nationalists helps nobody Fionnán Uíbh Eachach Deputy Comment Editor
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he first month of 2022 has been less than positive for Northern Ireland. The year’s arrival was inaugurated by the wildly sectarian claims of an “elite nationalist network” dominating Northern society, and that journalists, academics and lawyers of a nationalist background have been misusing their professions to advance republican politics. These claims were put forward by former senior UK cabinet minister (and now Baroness) Katherine Hoey, and publicly praised by Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson. Unsurprisingly, this throwback to the cross-community attitudes of the 1930s has resulted in the abuse, by both social media trolls and employed columnists, of vocal nationalists in public life (including most prominently QUB Human Rights Professor Colin Harvey) and was followed by intense criticism within the North. Yet the silence this episode elicited in the Republic is most noteworthy here — a silence reflective of Dublin’s long-standing failure to take into account the concerns and aspirations of the North’s
nationalist community. Initially, one might well baulk at such a statement. Did the Irish government not play a central role in bringing about the Good Friday Agreement? Was it not Dublin that fought tooth and nail to retain the Northern Ireland Protocol and prevent a hard border on the island? This all may well be true, but it does not, unfortunately, refute the point. While the pursuit of peace is indeed worthy of praise, consecutive Irish governments have long exercised an essentially partitionist approach to Northern affairs, intervening seriously only when the stability or existence of the Northern state itself is at risk. Huge political capital is accordingly spent preventing the erection of border posts on the island, given fears of the violence and associated instability they might engender. However, long-term aspirations of Northern nationalists that are less immediately threatening to the continued existence of Northern Ireland — such as the introduction of an official Irishlanguage act for Northern Ireland or the right to be regarded as Irish only and not British when born in the statelet — receive next to no
attention from most politicians in the Republic, who seem at best to view such issues as little more than potential controversies not worth the trouble, and more generally as outright annoyances. While the absence of any support from Southern figures for those of a nationalist background suffering abuse in this latest episode is particularly abhorrent, it is by no means an aberration. The failure, now a full century after partition, of the Republic’s two traditionally largest political parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, to stand candidates in Northern constituencies hardly screams engagement with the community. More concerning is the hostility with which Northern nationalists are often greeted south of the border when voicing their concerns. A legacy perhaps stemming from of the Troubles, many prominent figures in Southern life exhibit a dogged refusal to discern between fairly generic nationalist viewpoints and support for the violence of the Provisional IRA. Whether it be the indignant response of many to Joe Brolly’s recent suggestion that many in the South blamed Northern nationalists for the violence of the Troubles,
the accusations of terrorist sympathies laid at Irish Examiner Political Correspondent Aoife Grace Moore by former Senator Eoghan Harris, or claims of a “Belfast Cabal” running Sinn Féin — it is clear that for some in the South the very presence of those born north of Newry is an unwelcome intrusion. This adopts its most ludicrous form in the approach now being taken by the Irish government to the (increasingly probable) prospect of reunification. Southern discourse surrounding the possibility of a United Ireland is, understandably, often focused
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More concerning is the hostility with which Northern nationalists are often greeted south of the border when voicing their concerns
on finding ways of making constitutional change appealing to unionists. Yet, in this focus on the concerns felt by unionism with regard to Irish unity, it is impossible not to notice the near-complete lack of discussion as to how Northern nationalists may conceive of reunification. For all the (necessary) talk of symbolic changes to the Irish flag and anthem, or questioning of the official status of the Irish language on account of NI’s unionist population — it is often ignored that an equally large proportion of the Northern Irish population is currently campaigning for exactly more public representation of Irish/ nationalist culture and the expanded rights of Irish speakers. The often-repeated claim (by, among others, Fianna Fáil’s latest Northern Ireland committee appointee Ned O’Sullivan and contributors to this very paper) that a United Ireland is a more British Ireland is accurate. Yet, it is also a more Irish and republican Ireland — by essentially the same amount. This, again, is by no means an exclusively modern phenomenon. However, it poses danger as the prospect of reunification approaches ever closer. Those in the North of a nationalist background cannot be expected to vote mindlessly like identitydriven drones for a United Ireland in which they remain invisible, and to assume this would be to commit the very same sin made by Baroness Hoey and the leader of the DUP. Unless those of us in the South begin to demonstrate publicly our interest in, and support for, the daily concerns and long-term aspirations of Northern nationalists, then the risk is run that any future referendum held on Irish unity will flounder not on a failure to reach out to its opponents, but rather on a shameful and avoidable refusal to come to terms with those who ought to be its biggest supporters.
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
Comment
Editorial: The Department’s reporting of its survey on sexual violence was irresponsible This article contains discussion of sexual harassment, violence and rape.
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arlier this week, the Department of Higher and Further Education published the findings of their survey on sexual violence and harassment in third level education. This report contained some highly troubling statistics on student and staff experiences, with more than one third of female students reporting experiencing rape. Just under 8,000 students and 3,500 staff participated in the survey, with the department eager to put at the top of its press release that “a majority” said they feel safe on campus, including in campus accommodation. The department also prominently noted that a “majority” said that they would feel supported if they came forward with accounts of sexual harassment and thought it unlikely that their Higher Education Institution (HEI) would respond negatively. But huge numbers of respondents reported experiencing various kinds of hostility, harassment or violence, with a majority of students saying they had experienced sexism and sexist hostility, and a majority of students also reporting sexual harassment, such as repeatedly being told offensive sexual stories or jokes. Worst of all though, 14% of student participants said someone had oral sex with them while they were incapacitated and unable to give consent, and 7% said they had been physically forced into oral sex; both of these experiences are, of course, rape. Furthermore, 34.2% of female students had experienced vaginal rape through coercion, incapacitation, force, or threat of force. Despite these stark, and frankly horrific, statistics, the department decided to lead with the fact that “most students feel safe”, and Minister Simon Harris began his statement by welcoming the “positive developments” indicated by some survey results. The academic leading the analysis of the report, Dr Pádraig MacNeela, took much the same line. It is nonsensical of the department and the minister to state this. It does not matter that a majority of students may have ticked the box that said they feel safe on campus, when a third of young women have experienced rape. Most people feeling safe while a large minority experience horrible violence is not a win. None of us can be safe until all of us are. This rhetoric by the department was irresponsible. Reading past the department’s summary and into the detailed findings of the report, it’s also clear that this statistic doesn’t
even tell the whole story of that specific issue; students’ accounts of how safe they feel on campus are highly gendered. For example, 79% of male students reported feeling safe socialising at night on campus, compared to just 22% of female students. Barely half of female students said they even felt safe during the day, at just 51%. To flatten those results out and just say “most students feel safe” is downright unscrupulous. This is a primarily (though not exclusively) gendered problem, as illustrated by the rates of female students who experienced sexual violence, and it is wrong to gloss over that. Feelings of safety were less common among LGBT+ students too. Non-binary students reported feeling secure at even lower levels than female students, and gay and bisexual students felt safe at rates nine and 13 points lower than straight students respectively. 45% of non-binary students had been sexually harassed on the basis of their gender identity and 68% on the basis of their sexuality. Non-binary respondents also reported having been subjected to sexual violence at rates similar to or above women, something also largely missed in reporting on this issue. Again, this problem does not affect all groups of people equally, and the department was knowingly papering over that when it
generalised. As an aside, while it is of course good that the report assessed the experiences of non-binary students separately from male and female students, the survey’s failure to assess the experiences of trans people as a whole was a glaring omission. Other studies have found numerous times that trans people suffer sexual harassment and violence at much higher rates than cis people, so the survey’s failure to fully examine this issue in Irish higher education is concerning. The report of the survey’s results also used the phrasing “non-consensual vaginal penetration through coercion, incapacitation, force, or threat of force”. There is no such thing as “non-consensual vaginal penetration”. The word is rape. It is one thing to use more detailed terminology within the questionnaire, perhaps to determine the precise kind of rape students experienced, but when releasing those results those results, the department should call a spade a spade. The word “rape” did not appear once in the press release. Not using the correct terminology in media releases was clearly intentional, and it adds to the omnipresent culture of downplaying the severity and prevalence of sexual violence and harassment in our society. It is
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This problem does not affect all groups of people equally, and the department was knowingly papering over that when it generalised not a virtue to discuss this issue in the most dehumanised, clinical way possible. There is no such thing as “non-consensual sex”; this phrasing was not correct, and should not have been used in a government publication. The respondents to those questions
experienced rape, and the deparment should have said that. It is the opinion of this newspaper that it was irresponsible for the department to frame the issue in the way that it did, and to thereby downplay the reality of sexual violence, harassment and rape on our campuses. As media outlets, we also have a responsibility to report these findings based on what the figures have shown, and not how the department tried to frame these statistics. The initial version of our article on this issue, when posted online, didn’t do this well enough, so we amended it and changed the headline. We apologise for this oversight, and we’ll do better in future. There is no reality in which one in three female students experience rape, and we are able to congratulate ourselves that “most students feel safe”. It’s not fair to those who disclosed their experiences within this survey, and it’s barely true when the answers vary so widely across demographics. As a society, as higher education institutions, and as journalists, we need to do better. That is the least that the students from this survey deserve, and the least survivors of sexual violence, harassment and rape deserve. We can’t even begin to solve the problem until we acknowledge the problem.
PHOTO VIA JEAN HOUSEN/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
Schrodinger’s controversy Sadbh Boylan
Scitech
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Philip Nolan takes office as new SFI director Yasmin Orouji
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What are browser cookies and why should we care about them? PHOTO VIA QUINN DOMBROWSKI/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The online annoyance could hardly have less in common with its namesake Lucy Fitzsimmons SciTech Co-editor
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t feels like every day is a fight with cookies — more precisely, those annoying cookie banners that get in the way right when you need some information quickly. Take me back to the good old pre-General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) days, the days when companies could do whatever they wished with our data and just left us to browse in peace! If you’re anything like me, you spend far too much time grumbling to yourself every time a pop up about cookies gets in your way without any real thought as to what they are. However, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) cookies have been around since the early 90s and have a significant impact on how we experience the internet and how it interacts with us. Cookies go by many names: HTTP cookies, browser cookies, web cookies, and internet cookies. In essence, they are little packets of data that are sent from a web server to the user’s device while browsing a web page. These enable many functions including a website remembering what’s in your shopping cart or your login credentials. These are certainly useful functions, but cookies also give websites and the people behind them a lot of power when it comes to our data and our privacy. This is why in recent years their use has been so strictly legislated for, and why it is so important that we now have the power to grant permissions for their use. Cookies can be classified in several ways. Firstly, by their duration of storage. Session cookies last only until the user closes the webpage in question, whereas persistent cookies stay on your device for much longer periods of up to 12 months. This is only if they comply with the
EU ePrivacy Directive, nicknamed “the Cookie Law”. They can also be broken down into first-party and third-party cookies. As you might expect, first-party cookies come directly from the website you are visiting, whereas third-party cookies are those placed on your device by an external source, such as an analytics company or an advertiser. These are the cookies that most concern us in terms of data protection. Third-party cookies bring us targeted ads, which is one of the reasons when you search for shoes on a particular website, you’ll probably be inundated with ads for similar pairs across every other website you use for days afterwards. Some people prefer the small pay-off in lost data privacy to have a smoother online experience, while others choose less tailored information in order to retain added data privacy. This is one of the main choices we make when choosing which box to click when a cookie banner comes up on a web page. When the EU ePrivacy directive was introduced in 2002, and revised in 2009, it marked the beginning of cookie banners and cookie walls. These are the main aspects of cookies that we the consumers
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The average consumer has already begun to get frustrated with the seemingly relentless nature of the cookie notifications
are conscious of: the little obligatory message telling us that the webpage will use cookies to give us a “better user experience”. However, we only began to see the full force of these once GDPR came into effect in 2018. The previous “Cookie Law” did not require the same level of “freely given consent” as GDPR, and we suddenly found ourselves having to actively tick boxes to opt-in to cookies, rather than the previously popular preticked cookie box, or a notice-only banner which informed on cookie usage, without asking for consent. Websites operating in Ireland were given until October 2020 to get up to date with data protection laws in Ireland before they became liable to enforcement by the Data Protection Commission. So it’s really only been in the last year or two that we have seen the full force of the cookie. Within this short timeframe, the average consumer has already begun to get frustrated with the seemingly relentless nature of the cookie notifications. Cookie banners have become such a central part of web pages that extensive thought is put in by marketing teams on how to make these relentless messages tie in with the
brand and to keep the consumer as happy as possible as they sign away their data. However, if you’re feeling a bit irritated having to agree again and again to cookies, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The EU is currently in the process of regulating to cut down on the number of cookie banners users meet, hopefully allowing users to set general preferences to cover most sites and to remove cookie banners for non-intrusive cookies. Hopes for this lie in the replacement of the ePrivacy Directive with a newer ePrivacy regulation, which would become binding in all EU member states. However, it is taking quite a long time for the EU to approve this new regulation, which was first proposed in 2017. Therefore, it is still unclear when it will be passed. According to drafts of the regulation, once passed, the directive will have a 24 month transition period, so this will also slow any changes we see. So, needless to say, the onslaught of cookie banners won’t be letting up anytime soon. It may be best to just continue to grin and bear it for the time being.
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
SciTech
The games industry continues to consolidate Blizzard is to be added to Microsoft’s ever-growing catalogue Meghan Flood
Contributing Writer
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ideo games have always been popular, but since the start of the pandemic the rise in gaming across all consoles and platforms has increased dramatically. By June 2020, we saw a 39% increase in the time we spend gaming globally. As the industry grows exponentially in this changing landscape, new figures are emerging as the big players in game development. The Activision Blizzard corporation, home of games such as World of Warcraft and Overwatch, announced in early January that it would be joining the ever-growing Microsoft gaming family. Microsoft has dominated the gaming industry as of late, gradually working its way up to compete with the likes of gaming titans such as Sony. Blizzard is expected to sell for $95 per share; the transaction is estimated to set Microsoft back $68.7 billion. The move comes after Microsoft’s 2021 acquisition of ZeniMax Media, a holding company presiding over Bethesda Game Studios, home to the cult favourites Fallout and The Elder Scrolls. However, Microsoft do not seem to be limiting themselves to console or PC gaming alone, adding many mo-
bile games, including one of mobile gaming’s biggest hits, Candy Crush Saga. Mobile gaming currently makes up 95% of the gaming industry, with the ability to play games on the go becoming more and more appealing. CEO of Microsoft’s gaming division Phil Spencer addressed Microsoft’s ambitions in mobile gaming stating: “Together we will build a future where people can play the games they want, virtually anywhere they want.” In a company-wide email, CEO of Activision Blizzard Bobby Kotick stated: “Today is an incredibly exciting day. As we continue our journey to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment, we will eventually do so as part of Microsoft.” In this email, Kotick references the rising engagement of social media platforms with gaming, focusing on the social environments that gaming can create for their players. Though the transition is not set to happen till mid-2023, the announcement has begun a wave of discussion amongst players of Activision Blizzard titles and the wider gaming community alike.
The move will see Microsoft buy further into eSports, which is a form of competition using video games. Microsoft introduced the Game Pass in 2017, a video game subscription service from Microsoft which allows users to play a large rotating catalogue of games from a wide range of publishers. Game Pass has been a particularly good option for students looking to get their game fix on a budget. With offers from indie gaming houses along with massive titles from those such as Blizzard at your fingertips, it is no surprise that the Pass has enticed upwards of 25 million global subscribers. Microsoft now seems well placed to push out its long-standing competitor Sony and stake a further claim on the lucrative market, worth over $200 billion and still growing. However, PlayStation players should be safe with Activision Blizzard and Microsoft announcing that they intend to keep games on the competitor’s system, including their various exclusives. CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, stated: “We will bring as many Activision Blizzard games as we can to our
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Microsoft now seems well placed to push out its long-standing competitor Sony Game Pass subscription service across the PC, console, and mobile, including both new games, as well as games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalogue offering even better value and more choice
for our gamers.” With the promise of Activision Blizzard games old and new coming to Microsoft’s service, it is adopting an industry position similar to Netflix or Disney Plus in the video streaming realm, aggregating content from a variety of the most popular sources on a single subscription-based platform. Regardless of the benefits that this will have for Game Pass users, Microsoft will be taking on a whole array of issues with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In terms of player satisfaction, Overwatch 2 was announced to players in 2019 and is currently delayed until April of 2022, leaving many frustrated. The original Overwatch itself has had no new heroes added since Echo in 2020. Eyes will now be on Microsoft and Blizzard to see if any more delays are on the table and if the original game has been well and truly left in the dust. With Microsoft taking on more games, it will be interesting to see how players react to the multitude of changes Microsoft will bring to gaming and the video game industry over the next few years.
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Mobile gaming currently makes up 95% of the gaming industry, with the ability to play games on the go becoming more and more appealing PHOTO VIA SANTAMARCANDA/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
SciTech
Schrodinger’s controversy: a room with and without a name PHOTO BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS
A look at the past, present, and future of the Fitzgerald building’s most famous theatre Sadbh Boylan
Contributing Writer
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ven for the most casual physicists, the name Schrödinger likely rings a faint bell of recognition. Austrian-born Erwin Schrödinger (1887-1961) is revered as a pioneer of quantum mechanics; best known for the ‘Schrödinger Equation’ that saw him awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933. Schrödinger is also one of a mere handful of physicists to cement a legacy in popular culture, courtesy of his illustration of the paradox of quantum superposition, ‘Schrödinger’s Cat.’ While those of us with a knowledge of physics limited to the content of a few episodes of The Big Bang Theory may associate Schrödinger with a simultaneously dead-and-alive cat in a box, for students in the Fitzgerald School of Physics, the name may be more associated with a place. A beautiful and historic lecture theatre, the Schrödinger Theatre, is one of the most famous auditoriums on Trinity campus. More recently, however, the theatre has fallen into infamy following allegations of paedophilia resurfacing against its namesake. With the School of Physics considering a change of name for the theatre, it is an apt time to reflect on the history of Schrödinger and Trinity, as the eponymous theatre faces its own form of quantum superposition. Schrödinger was invited to Ireland in 1939 by Taoiseach Eamon De Valera, who was keen to secure a heavyweight physicist to help launch his passion projectthe Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS). With Schrödinger already a Nobel Prize winner and anxious to flee a Nazi-occupied Austria, De Valera welcomed the Austrian physicist with open arms offering him the position of Director for the DIAS School of Theoretical Physics. Such was De Valera’s fervour to ensure Schrödinger’s involvement in the early days of DIAS, the famously conservative Taoiseach showed no hesitation in securing appropriate visas for Schrödinger,his two wives, and young child. This action facilitated his unconventional lifestyle that
had “offended the academic establishment” of other institutions such as Oxford University. Settling in Clontarf, Schrödinger became a founding professor at DIAS and proved instrumental in establishing the facility as a centre of scientific research in Ireland and the first of its kind in Europe. During his seventeen-year sojourn, Schrödinger was no stranger to the Trinity campus as a known associate of Provost Albert McConnell. His most significant connection to the university, however, takes the form of a series of lectures delivered in 1943. Entitled ‘What is Life?’, the series saw Schrödinger take an unprecedented dive into biology, laying the foundations for the pivotal discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA. The cross-disciplinary lectures were published as a book of the same name in 1944, and went on to have a remarkable impact in the field of molecular biology. The naming of the Schrödinger Theatre was intended to pay tribute to the ground-breaking contributions made through the ‘What is Life?’ lecture series that honoured a sig-
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Schrödinger was invited to Ireland in 1939 by Taoiseach Éamon De Valera, who was keen to secure a heavyweight physicist
nificant moment in Trinity’s scientific history. While there is some uncertainty regarding the exact venue of the lectures on campus, the lecture theatre offers a permanent reminder to the students in the Fitzgerald School of Physics of the history of ingenuity associated with the college, in what should be a source of inspiration and pride for young physicists. The lecture theatre has honoured Schrödinger in more than name alone, having played host to a series of lectures commemorating the ‘What is Life?’ presentation. The theatre has been the venue for the ‘Schrödinger Lecture Series’ since its inauguration in 1995, annually attracting academics from around the globe to deliver lectures in the spirit of its namesake. It has, until this point, served as a fitting celebration of the tremendous contribution to the sciences facilitated by Trinity. One cannot help but feel, however, that in light of recent developments, the sense of open encouragement and inspiration has been considerably dampened for students, and left what was intended as a rousing
gesture, feeling hollow. Although details of Schrödinger’s unorthodox, polyamorous lifestyle were no secret, it was a 2021 article published in The Irish Times that exposed the grisly truth of a “serial abuser” that preyed on young women and girls. With a reported history of sexual abuse and grooming of girls as young as twelve, one need only look to Schrödinger’s own reflections on his sexual pursuits to gain an insight into the deplorable attitudes behind his behaviour. Schrödinger’s writings express sympathy for his former lovers (“poor things”), and he was evidently dismayed by the unfortunate reality that “they have provided for my life’s happiness and their own distress. Such is life.” As highlighted in the Irish Times article, Schrödinger went as far as to justify his “predilection for teenage girls on the grounds that their innocence was the ideal match for his natural genius.” He laments the “unrequited loves of his life”, listing among them Barbara MacEntee, whom he met on the Dingle Peninsula. Schrödinger was fifty-three years old at the
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
SciTech
The theatre has been the venue for the ‘Schrödinger Lecture Series’ since its inauguration in 1995 time; Barbara was twelve. While some have raised questions of the validity of the allegations made against Schrödinger, the attitudes exhibited in his own writing cast a damning shadow over the naming of a lecture theatre in his honour. Schrödinger’s own words stir emotions counter to the spirit of inspiration intended by the commemoration, and it comes as no surprise that it has prompted deep discussion within the School of Physics. The discourse has raised questions of how the college can honour the past while providing an open environment of learning for students that –one would assume –condemns the abhorrent attitudes exhibited in Schrödinger’s personal diaries. The future of the Schrödinger lecture theatre currently remains uncertain, but it appears likely that a renaming is on the horizon. Two-thirds of undergraduate physics students voted in favour of renaming the lecture theatre, joining their voices to the petition (currently backed by 183 signatures) calling for change. The School of Physics executive is set to recommend the Schrödinger Theatre have its name removed for the foreseeable future and that College formally rename it, but a permanent decision has yet to be reached. Regardless of the title bestowed to the lecture theatre in the future, it is important that such conversations are facilitated to reflect on how the college can pay tribute to the significant contributions of its past without coming at the detriment of the learning environment for its current students. In particular, careful consideration must be given when centres of learning are concerned to ensure an ethos of ingenuity and inclusivity is fostered, rather than tainted. Although it is unfortunate that what was intended as a commemorative and positive gesture has been soured, it also presents an opportunity to instil refreshed inspiration and ensure students feel their concerns are being met- a pity for the Schrödinger theatre, perhaps, but alas, “such is life.”
The NPHET member will also take on the role of chief scientific advisor to government
tinguished researcher in his own right”. Clinch also expressed that he was hopeful for the future of the foundation with Nolan at its head, and said he “look[s] forward to working with him”. In a statement published by SFI, Nolan said that the organisation had led a “transformation” of research in Ireland, and “[t]he opportunity now is to build on this success, focusing on excellence in
research.” “The insights of research, and the energy of innovation, can help us shape a future that is healthier.” Professor Nolan follows Prof Mark Ferguson as director. During his 10-year term, Ferguson oversaw funding pools of up to €200m a year. In 2012, just after Ferguson took office, the role of director general of SFI was combined with that of chief scientific advisor to
the government, a move some academics criticised. Prof Nolan will hold both roles. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris praised Ferguson on his departure, saying that the professor “influenced and shaped Irish and international scientific research” and that the field had “benefited greatly from Mark’s Passion and enthusiasm”.
Yasmin Orouji
PHOTO VIA MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY
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Philip Nolan takes office as new SFI director
Staff Writer
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rof Philip Nolan, the new director of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), assumed his position on January 17. Nolan is a medical scientist who has served on the National Public Health Emergency Team since March 2020. Between 2003 and 2004, Nolan led the University College Dublin Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, before being made a deputy president of the university. He then served as president of Maynooth University from 2011 to 2021, where he worked to widen the university’s research capacity. Most notably, Nolan oversaw a €57 million “Technology Society and Innovation Project” at Maynooth. Peter Clinch, SFI’s chairperson, noted that Nolan is a “dis-
Dog and pony show Researchers at the University of Exeter have found evidence that medieval horses were likely no bigger than modern ponies, despite how we might imagine them. Via zooarcheological examination of the bones of horses which died between 300 and 1650AD, the study discovered that they did not begin to reach the size of modern draft horses until around the 16th or 17th century. PHOTO VIA CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
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We’re missing out when we ignore AFCON Ciarán Drohan page 32
Sport
There were no winners in Djokovic vs Australia PHOTO VIA GLOBALITE/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Both sides acted poorly, but that’s not even the main issue Jack Kennedy Editor
F
or almost two weeks at the start of this year, the sports section of every major media outlet was dominated by the trials and tribulations of Novak Djokovic, world tennis number one, and commentators were suddenly called upon to comment on the minutiae of Australian immigration law. Enough time has now passed that we can review the Australian Open controversy, and safely say that it was just kind of embarrassing for everyone involved. First, it is perhaps helpful to review exactly what happened, as details changed, and new pieces of information emerged as the story unfolded. Djokovic was granted an exemption from mandatory travel vaccination by the state government of Victoria and Tennis Australia. The exact details of the exemption are fuzzy; we now know the tennis player is not vaccinated and contracted Covid in mid-December 2021, but the Australian government has confirmed multiple times that recent infection is not in itself sufficient grounds for an exemption to the vaccine travel mandate. Either way, Djokovic was one of a handful of Australian Open attendees granted such an exemption, and he travelled on that pretence. But he was detained on arrival in Melbourne on January 5 due to unspecified issues with his immigration paperwork. On January 10, the Federal Circuit Court ordered his release, citing problems with how border officials treated Djokovic during his initial detainment and questioning. Four days later, however, the Australian minister for immigration exercised his power to revoke the player’s visa on the grounds of “public interest”. Djokovic appealed the decision, but three Federal Court judges unanimously upheld it, and he left Australia on January 16. So who was in the right? Frankly, probably no one.
It was irresponsible and selfish of Djokovic to travel while unvaccinated. Aeroplanes are highly dangerous environments for transmission of Covid (as I can personally attest to) and Australia
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It’s hard to take seriously tennis fans who made Djokovic out to be some kind of particular or unique victim
has avoided a large death toll only by mitigating the risks posed by inbound travellers. We don’t know why the determining panel gave him an exemption, but we do know that he’s unvaccinated by choice and has cast doubt on the efficacy of vaccines and modern medicine in general numerous times in the past. His irresponsibility is somewhat mitigated in light of his infection in December, but he later admitted that he did not selfisolate during that infection so it’s hardly a point in his favour. His supporters also went on a PR offensive during his detention, with his father declaring him the victim of “corona fascism”, and that Australia wanted to “attack Novak to bring Serbia to its knees”. The president of the Serbian parliament called him a victim of “despicable political harassment”. They both unfortunatly missed the obvious “kangaroo court” joke. All this despite the fact that it was not some grand conspiracy that had his visa cancelled initially, but paperwork issues which Djokovic himself admitted were the fault of his team. But the Australian authorities didn’t cover themselves in glory either. The issue was just handled badly from the get go; the
procedural problems that won Djokovic his initial hearing were genuine ones, and to allow the saga to drag on for more than a week before having the minister exercise his visa revocation power was bad for everyone involved. It also seems like there was miscommunication between Tennis Australia, the Victoria state government and the federal government about the particulars of Djokovic’s vaccine exemption. On a broader level, the Australian border regime itself is indefensible. I don’t mean the vaccine requirement for incoming tourists and business travellers, which is eminently sensible, but the country’s appalling treatment of refugees. The system violates Australia’s responsibilities under international law and has been the subject of near-universal criticism. Australia outsources detention of asylum seekers to the nearby nation of Nauru. Conditions faced by those held there have included water shortages, overcrowding, little to no education for children, almost no health facilities, and sexual abuse (which the Australian government was aware of and covered up). Detainees have been driven to hunger strikes, riots, self-harm, and numerous
attempted suicides including both self-immolation and attempts by children. Djokovic’s fellow detainees at the Park Hotel had mostly been transferred there from Nauru for medical treatment, which most have not received. Many of them have been held by the Australian government for more than nine years. Of the asylum seekers detained by Australia, more than three-quarters have already been found to have legitimate grounds for refugee status, and those that have not are still owed shelter and protection by the country under international law. It was also, frankly, unacceptable to put these medically-vulnerable people at risk by housing the unvaccinated tennis player alongside them. With this in mind, it’s hard to take seriously tennis fans who made Djokovic out to be some kind of particular or unique victim during the week and a half he was held. Long-running protests against the refugee detention outside the Park Hotel were joined for a week by Serbian flag-toting Djokovic supporters, but they disappeared as soon as he was released. Many people, including refugees held at the hotel, said that they hoped Djokovic would speak
TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
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Sport
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Djokovic was pictured meeting with the commander of a military unit that helped to perpetrate the Srebrenica massacre
and Croats. Dodik is a prolific denier of the war crimes committed during the attempt to create an “ethnically pure” homeland for Bosnian Serbs, and has recently ramped up his ethnonationalist and islamophobic rhetoric again, drawing international condemnation. In 2020, Djokovic caused controversy and lost several sponsors after he posed for a picture with a liquor named and branded in honour of Draza Mihailovic, a Serb nationalist who collaborated with the Nazis. The sportsman was further criticised that year for accepting the Order of the Republika Srpska from Dodik, given the award has previously been used to honour numerous convicted war criminals including Ratko Mladić, Slobodan Milošević and Radovan Karadžić. Just this past September, during a trip to Republika Srpska, Djokovic was pictured meeting with the commander of the Drina Wolves, a military unit that helped to perpetrate the Srebrenica massacre. This was
the single-largest mass killing of the Bosnian genocide, which saw more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys murdered over the course of ten days. Djokovic has also repeatedly publicly opposed the idea of Kosovar independence from Serbia, despite the majority of that nation very much wanting to govern itself. These explicit and implicit
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Of the asylum seekers detained by Australia, more than three-quarters have already been found to have legitimate grounds for refugee status, and all are owed shelter and protection
endorsements of ultranationalism are difficult to separate from Djokovic’s position as a national hero in Serbia. It’s good for countries to have sportspeople to rally around, and Serbians should be proud of having among their number one of the greatest athletes in the history of tennis. But at a time when dangerous, bellicose rhetoric dehumanising Kosovars, Croats and Bosniaks is on the rise in Serbia and Republika Srpska anyway, the tennis star has a responsibility to decisively distance himself from these kinds of sentiments, not embrace them. It’s been less than 25 years since the Balkan Wars ended, and these are very much still post-conflict societies. Things get palpably worse when someone as fundamental to Serbian national identity as Djokovic is seen breaking bread with war criminals. To make a long story short, both Novak Djokovic and the Australian government made a complete dog’s dinner of the vaccine controversy, and both deserve derision for that. But the furore is just a microcosm of the ways in which both actors are doing bigger, much worse things. We need to demand more from national governments and A-list sports stars, and we need to keep caring about these things long after they might affect the draw for the Australian Open. Perhaps one sign seen outside the Park Hotel put it best: “Djokovic can fuck off, free the refugees”.
PHOTO VIA ABF/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
PHOTO VIA TAKVER/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
out about their plight after his experience. He has not yet done so. We shouldn’t hold our breath. Frankly, Djokovic just doesn’t seem like a very nice person. He’s given a fair amount of money to charitable causes, which is commendable, but also has a reputation for on-court tantrums involving thrown rackets, and for screaming at umpires and ball kids when upset. Furthermore, his repeated public statements doubting the efficacy of vaccines and promoting pseudoscientific “natural medicines” are profoundly irresponsible given his reach and influence. Many of the protestors who turned up in Melbourne to support him brought signs with anti-vaccination and conspiracy theorist slogans. More seriously, he’s flirted numerous times with Serbian ultranationalism. He is close friends with Milorad Dodik, former president of Republika Srpska, the statelet within Bosnia and Herzegovina created during the Bosnian War by the genocide and mass deportation of Bosniaks
PHOTO VIA WORLD BANK
Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
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There were no winners in Djokovic vs Australia Jack Kennedy page 30
Sport The continental clash doesn’t get the respect and admiration it richly deserves Ciarán Drohan Contributing Writer
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PHOTO VIA
0NOCTIS0/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
n December, Sebastian Haller (this season’s Champions League top scorer) was asked by his club Ajax to turn down the opportunity to represent his nation, Côte D’Ivoire, in order to play just two league games. This brought attention to an under-discussed issue: the lack of respect offered towards the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) by clubs, institutions, pundits and fans at the elite levels of European football, a disrespect that is not directed at other continental competitions. Haller was emphatic in his rejection of the club’s proposal, insisting in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that he would travel to Cameroon to compete in the tournament. He also questioned the club’s priorities, saying that Ajax’s request “shows the disrespect [in European football] for Africa. Would this ever have been presented to a European player towards a European Cham-
pionship?” While Haller was eventually able to represent his nation at the tournament, Watford’s in-form striker Emmanuel Dennis was entirely denied the opportunity to play for Nigeria at AFCON. The club claims that the Nigerian Football Federation missed the deadline to call Dennis up for the national team. Watford’s manager, Claudio Ranieri insisted that the decision was not out of lack of esteem for the tournament. “No, no, no… we respect everybody,” he said, and added that Nigeria “have a lot of players.” As an explanation for refusing Dennis the opportunity to play for his country in a major tournament, this is sorely lacking, and a European nation with the footballing pedigree of Nigeria would undoubtedly not have been dismissed so readily. Accompanying this institutional dismissal is a similar attitude among media and some fans’ towards AFCON. Sky Sports, though they are broadcasting every game of the tournament, are only including five minutes of coverage before each game begins, and don’t even have co-commentators. This is less time and attention than the cash-strapped League of Ireland gets on their website, for a continent of 1.2 billion people. The dominant narrative about the tournament in Ireland and the UK appears to be that it is a farcical affair, notable only for its comedic value. The most well-publicised part of the tournament so far in this part of the world was in the game between Tunisia and Mali, where referee Janny Sikazwe blew the final whistle with five minutes still to play. This incident was covered in a way that clearly implied the tournament was of low quality, with the Daily Mail writing that “few would have known Janny Sikazwe’s name prior to Wednesday’s action…but after the debacle that unfolded in Mali’s 1-0 win against Tunisia, few will ever forget it.” Little to no hay was made of the fact that he was suffering heat stroke and had to be brought to the hospital immediately following the match. The press treated the incident as one that could never happen in a “top” tournament, despite the fact that in a La Liga match between Sevilla and Granada in April 2021, just nine months ago, the exact same type of issue occurred. It would be disingenuous to pretend AFCON doesn’t have its issues, however. Unlike the European football that occupies our tv screens throughout most of the
PHOTO VIA BEN SUTHERLAND/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
We’re missing out when we ignore AFCON
year, it’s clear that there is comparatively much less funding available to the teams and that it is very unevenly distributed. The pitches are not quite the slick carpets of the Premier League, there is often a large disparity in the quality of the players on display, and the intense Cameroonian heat (approximately 23-33°C in January and February) can affect the pace of games. This latter issue has become more pronounced as the knockout rounds
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have begun, with some running into extra time. However, these aspects, I believe, only add to the unpredictability and excitement that make AFCON so special. Switzerland knocking world champions France out of the Euros in the round of sixteen last year was a magnificent upset victory, but many of the results so far in AFCON 2021 (as it is technically known) have been even more unexpected. In the second round of games in the group stages, reigning champions Algeria—who entered the tournament on a 35 game unbeaten run and boast the three-time Premier League winner and former PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez—lost 1-0 to Equatorial Guinea, a country with a population of just over a thirtieth of Algeria’s. Equatorial Guinea’s goalscorer from that match, Esteban Obiang, plays his club football in the Spanish fourth tier, an only semi-professional league. This gives an impression of the on-paper talent disparity between the two sides, prior to Equatorial Guinea’s fantastic upset win. Algeria eventually finished bottom of their group, while the tournament’s second most successful nation, Ghana, were also knocked out at the group stage. Nigeria, who were the best performing team in the group stages after winning all three matches (including against Egypt, a favourite to win), were knocked out by Tunisia in the round of sixteen. Comoros—who played their left back in goal due to a number of Covid cases and whose captain got sent off after
seven minutes of play—managed to only lose 2-1 to hosts and current tournament favorites Cameroon. Some detractors would note that several factors—the condition of the pitches, the heat the games are being played in, and the fact that the teams in most cases had only about a week before round one to prepare—acted as equalisers on the quality of the teams. This may be true to a certain extent, but I believe the explanation behind the exciting unpredictability of the tournament is more complex. There is an unmistakable defiance and bravery shown by the players who play their club football in Africa or in the lower European tiers which is intoxicating. There is no sense whatsoever that these smaller teams or lesser-known players are simply “happy to be there”, like you might see in the early rounds of the FA Cup, for example; every one of them is playing to win. There is an aggression, an audacity, and a remarkable level of self-belief on show, visible at moments such as when Malawi’s Gabadinho Mhango scored one of the all-time great tournament goals from a seemingly impossible distance against Morocco. It doesn’t matter for which illustrious team someone plays for or the ridiculous wages another might be paid, it’s just pure football and national pride. It’s a tournament that never feels predictable, and a refreshing antidote to the modern, finance-driven European game.
TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
K-pop: Siombal an ilteangachais page 3
The Starlight Night at DU Players page 6
Student writing: How to get yours noticed page 13
LIFE
Turner at the National Gallery: a colourful escape
TRINITY NEWS
Pullout section
IMAGE VIA THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF IRELAND
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
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In this issue DUPA and the rise of film photography
- page 6 The orchestra that's making classical cool again
- page 4 Turner and Place at the National Gallery
Do we need another Macbeth?
- page 10
- page 8
The female experience in
Euphoria and Hollywood power dynamics - page 12 New Year's resolutions: To embrace or abandon? - page 14
Life staff Editor-in-Chief Life Editor Life Deputy Editor
Jack Kennedy Heather Bruton Eva O’Beirne
Arts & Culture Editor Arts & Culture Deputies
Elena McCrory Oona Kauppi Maisie McGregor
Sex & Relationships Editor Sex & Relationships Deputy
Maya Kulukundis
Societies Editor Societies Deputy
Ella-Bleu Kiely Ruth McGann
Student Living Editor Student Living Deputies
Ella Sloane Seán Holland Ria Walls
Lila Funge
Abby Cleaver discusses the routine challenges faced by many women in light of the murder of Ashling Murphy This article contains discussion of sexual violence.
T
he female student experience can be broken down into sets of protective routines influenced by safety rules imposed by society that we have been taught or learned as women. Personal ritual practices are put in place by each of us to make travelling from A to B safer, to have fun but not enough fun to be vulnerable, with the end-goal being to avoid as much unwanted male attention as possible. Many of these habits have been shaped by experiences over the years, and with college life presenting new and different scenes and situations to operate within, we have been forced to adapt our precautionary measures further still. Ashling Murphy’s death devastated the country. Everyone felt the pain and shock of her death. The outrage has restarted
the conversation about violence against women in Ireland, with everyone sharing the nowfamiliar trending tagline “she was going for a run”. While it is undeniable that no matter what a woman is doing she should be safe from attack, the particular circumstances of Ashling’s death seemed to reach the young women of Ireland on a deeper level, proving true the fear that we all suppress: no matter what we do we are not safe. These safety routines we live in, the safety precautions we take, are never a guarantee of getting home safely. The young women of Ireland looked at this case and thought of which pictures of themselves would be used on the front-page story of their own attack. Going to college in the city comes with accepting that public transport is close to unavoidable, with the majority of students having to commute some distance to reach the centre. Usually, the journey to college is one that students take alone, and for female students this comes with worries that their male counterparts need not consider. We each have stories of feeling uncomfortable on public transport and have heard an immeasurable number of stories from our friends as well. We can recall tales of being catcalled walking down the street, groups of men rating women as they step onto the LUAS, and strangers’ eyes on your bare legs as you
regret your choice to wear a short skirt. We keep our heads down, earphones in, trying our best not to engage or escalate a situation we never asked to be a part of. Not only do these instances come with these sorts of preventative habits, but lead to feelings of frustration and anger knowing we should not have to ignore this sort of behavior, and yet we do. This
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No matter what a woman is doing she should be safe from attack, the particular circumstances of Ashling’s death seemed to reach the young women of Ireland on a deeper level
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS
n college frequently happens early in the day, on our daily route to college, where we should be allowed to feel safe. Nights out for women serves as another and perhaps more obvious example for these learned routine habits. Jokes about women only being able to travel in groups are missing the point. Young women have fun while keeping a watchful eye on their drinks and politely telling the same guys again and again that they are not interested. Before going out most of us are already planning our way home. With the Covid-19 restrictions being lifted once more these are just some of the many routine memories and annoyances swirling around our heads, but the past’s biggest threats to us are already different to before. Spiking was something we were all aware of and warned about as soon as we started going out as teenagers. It came with some clear rules: do not leave your drink down. Do not accept drinks from strangers. Do not drink anything you have not opened yourself. We have gotten used to these rules; we even learned different ways to tell if your drink has been spiked by the taste or smell or look of it. There is even nail polish you can buy that will change in colour if your drink has been tampered with. However, a sharp rise in students reporting spiking by injection was seen in the last year, with up to 46 such occurrences in 2021, though confirming the
details of these incidents has proven difficult. Considering that there were restrictions for a lot of the year, these numbers are scarily high, resulting in yet another fear to add to the list on a fun night out. The most frightening thing about this is that no matter how much you do “right”, no matter how safe you try to be or how much you plan, you can never truly let your guard down. One of the most frustrating things about being a young woman in college is that even when we do all of these things, follow all the safety precautions that come with being a woman, we still never feel like we’re actually safe. Because we probably aren’t. We face a daily conflict of wanting to stand up for ourselves, yet trying to stay undetected at the same time. Standing up for yourself is a great virtue, but it is a luxury unaffordable to young women in a lot of these situations. When you experience being one of many women being rated out of ten as you walk onto the LUAS, it is clear that your best option is to keep walking, head down, and avoid conflict. Trying to explain why what they are doing is wrong not only seems like a risk, but a pointless risk, as they know what they are doing is wrong and are doing it anyway. So instead we focus on our safety practices, we put our headphones on and avoid eye contact and cross the road when a group of loud men are walking towards us. Small tactics like this can be a comfort to some as we travel from A to B alone. For those who find them helpful, these safety habits can be as natural to do as breathing, and are used nearly as often, but they are rarely as easy. Every time we do one of these things is a reminder of why we do them, a lifetime of gradually learning of the different threats around us and implementing strategies to defend ourselves against them. We carry keys between our fingers as we walk alone in the dark, and though it gives us comfort, many of us would not be sure how well it would actually help if we had to defend ourselves. Victim blaming is an important issue and one that needs to be mentioned. Does a woman deserve to be attacked if she has a few drinks, or stays out late? Does it matter what she was wearing? Absolutely not, but the terrifying thing is that deep down we all worry that no matter how much we do “right”, or how cautious we try to be, we are never able to fully relax. The paranoia that we try to push down when we make our way to college alone has roots from experience, or from stories of other girls that we have heard of. The entire country grieves, and is outraged by Ashling Murphy’s murder, but the young women of Ireland face a deeper realisation still; the voices in the back of our heads whisper the horrifying truth of “it could have been you”.
K-pop: Siombal an ilteangachais Pléann Pádraig Mac Brádaigh leis an seánra agus a dtionchar ar chultúr coiteann an domhain Nuair a chloiseann tú an focal “K-pop,” giorrúchán de “popcheol Cóiréach” i mBéarla, cad é an chéad rud a ritheann leat? An ceol spreagúil ar leith? Na dathanna geala? An faisean agus an smideadh? Na damhsaí iontacha? D’oirfeadh na rudaí sin, ach ar smaoinigh tú ar na himpleachtaí teangeolaíochta cultúrtha atá ag an tionscal don domhan nó ar a thionchar ar stádas na Cóiré maidir leis an stáitse domhanda? Creid é nó ná creid, tá stair iontach suimiúil ag K-pop a théann siar go dtí na nóchaidí nuair a thosaigh rialtas na Cóiré ag tabhairt maoinithe do thionscal na siamsaíochta. Is é an sprioc a bhí inti ná “rabharta Cóiréach,” nó hallyu ar fud na cruinne trí cheol, trí sheónna teilifíse agus trí earraí a bhaineann le cultúr coiteann, agus nach rath a bhí uirthi. Cé nach n-aontaíonn gach duine den lucht leanúna faoi amlíne áirthithe an tseánra, thosaigh coincheap nuaaimseartha popcheoil Chóiréigh sna nóchaidí le bunú grúpaí amhail Seo Taiji and Boys, S.E.S agus H.O.T. Is é smaoineamh an bhanna lár an tionscail, ach ní hé go mbíonn bannaí a sheinneann uirlisí iontu. Ina ionad sin, chomh maith le canadh, is damhsóirí iad na baill de gach banna. Ceann de na gnéithe is suntasaí faoi K-pop ná an chóiréagrafaíocht chasta mhionsonraithe agus tá forbairt mhór tagtha ar stíl an damhsa thar na blianta. Is féidir a rá gurb iad Yang Hyun-suk (nó “YG”), iarbhall den ghrúpa Seo Taiji and Boys; Lee Soo-man, iarbhall de sheanghrúpa ó na seachtóidí; agus Park Jinyoung (nó “JYP”), aonréadaí mór le rá; an triúr fear a raibh an tionchar is mó acu ar fhorbairt an tionscail ó chasadh na mílaoise toisc gur bhunaigh siad YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment agus JYP Entertainment faoi seach, trí chomhlacht as ar tháinig formhór de na réaltaí is cáiliúla in K-pop a dtugtar idols orthu i mBéarla. Bíonn bannaí cailíní agus bannaí buachaillí i gceist den chuid is mó, agus déantar seó mór de gach albam nua agus na bannaí ag canadh damhsa ar sheónna comórtais gach seachtain chun duaiseanna a bhuachan as tóir a gcuid amhrán. Aontaítear ag an lucht leanúna go dtig an seánra a rangú i gceithe “ghlúin” nó ré ag brath ar an mbliain. In 2022, táthar sa cheathrú glúin, agus deirtear go minic gur cuireadh críoch leis an tríú glúin thart ar dheireadh 2018
le bunú mórán grúpaí nua ar nós (G)I-DLE, ITZY, TREASURE, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Stray Kids, EVERGLOW agus æspa. Agus cad is idol ann? Bhuel, ní hionann is mar atá tionscal an cheoil i Meiriceá nó san Eoraip, caitheann na réaltaí óga blianta ag dul faoi oiliúint maidir le hamhránaíocht, le damhsa, le rapáil agus le teangacha amhail an Béarla agus an tSeapáinis. I rith na tréimhse seo, níl aon gheallúint go gcuirfear i ngrúpa oifigiúil iad agus bíonn siad i gcomórtas lena chéile chun áit a bhaint amach mar bhall de ghrúpa sa chomhlacht a fhaigheann siad an oiliúint uaidh. Is amhlaidh go múintear iad chun a bheith ina réaltaí sa tsiamsaíocht. Is minic a dhéantar cáineadh ar phopcheol Cóiréach mar gheall ar an “mínádúrthacht” atá ag baint le bunú na gceoltóirí, ach an ndéarfadh an lucht cáinte siúd go raibh an fhadhb chéanna i gceist i dtaobh ceoltóirí san iarthar a fuair a lán tacaíochta ó lucht an tionscail agus iad ag cur tús lena ngairm féin? Tá neart bréige agus máinliachta plaistí i dtionscal na siamsaíochta san iarthar fosta,
ach is fusa cáineadh soiléir a dhéanamh ar an tionscal san Áise toisc go bhfuil na coincheapacha seo níos nochta i measc an phobail ansiúd. Mar shampla, tá máinliacht phlaisteach sách cointianta sa Chóiré go ginearálta le cloí le dianchaighdeáin na háilleachta a bhfuil mórán tábhachta orthu sa tsochaí. Sin ráite, tá K-pop ar fud an domhain sa lá atá inniu ann, sna Stáit Aontaithe agus i dtíortha eile san Áise go háirithe, ach san iarthar, is iomaí cáineadh a thagann ó dhaoine nach bhfuil toilteanach seans a thabhairt d’amhráin nach bhfuil i mBéarla. Tarraingtear ard ar na codanna is measa den tionscal gan an moladh tuillte a thabhairt don turgnamh ilchultúrtha seo a shíneann ar fud na cruinne go leantóirí sna milliúin. Cinnte go bhfuil cúiseanna imní ag baint leis na comhlachtaí móra atá i gceannas ar na ceoltóirí, ach ní mór a admháil go ndéantar fíorcheol ag na bannaí seo le fíorthalainn, agus go bhfuil lucht leanúna acu atá lán le gach cineál duine ó achan tír, seachas a rá gur amaidí déagóra amháin atá ann.
PHOTO BY JIMSON WEED/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra ignites hope for the genre Maisie McGregor delves into the significance of Orchestra as a traditional genre in light of the initiative by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
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n Wednesday (19th January) Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, announced that the government has set aside an eight million euro budget for the transfer of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and Choirs from RTÉ, to the National Concert Hall. The transfer, which came into effect on the 24th of January 2022, aims to “secure a more sustainable future for Ireland’s premier orchestra as part of the national venue for the
performance, appreciation and enjoyment of music”, as outlined in the official announcement. The National Concert Hall describes this move as its “masterplan”, hoping to establish itself as a centre of world music for generations to come. I hadn’t realised this was taking place when I first thought to write this article, though it seems a fitting coincidence that a move of such significant financial and symbolic political commitment should occur as I had started to question the ability of ‘the orchestra’ to survive our rapidly changing cultural landscape. Public calls for governments across the world to protect the arts in the wake of the pandemic have perhaps been answered in Ireland with this project. However, the orchestra has come to be associated with an age that has passed, and going to watch one perform, stereotypically, is a pastime of the older generations. I’ve been only twice to see an orchestra perform. The first was part of an optional Russian history class at school, where my teacher took two of us to Southampton to watch its orchestra perform the music of Shostakovich and Prokofiev. Until then my encounters with
classical music had largely been relegated to film scores and other various ‘background’ realms, such as in an elevator or a held telephone call. The performance in Southampton taught me two key things about the orchestra; the power of listening to music in silence and the ability of sound to communicate and reflect both historic and social circumstances. The effect of sitting within live music is incomparable to any recorded sound, it is meditative and deeply awakening. Whilst nowadays, music seems almost inextricably linked to the concept of movement, classical music, though never lacking in variety of speed and volume, demonstrates the ability of sound to provide solace. In this sense, it is entirely comparable to silence; it provides an equal sense of refuge. The sound that pours from an orchestra moves over its audience and makes clear that the music from a small, portable, speaker is clunky and sad, in its obvious detachment from the human touch. I thought perhaps I shouldn’t write this article, having never played an instrument beyond a few years of piano lessons as a child, all competence having completely evaporated since
then. That being said, I appreciate music, and like to think I am unbiased in my relationship to genre. I offer perhaps a typical relationship to the orchestra, occupying a place both within the majority of adults who do not play an instrument, and also, in the generation of young people for which concert halls and french horns have played a smaller role in our lives than gig venues and microphones. Whilst the orchestra is in most ways associated with adult life, it is children that make up the majority of instrument players across the world. Statistics show that over the last twenty years, the number of children playing an instrument has grown, even though their ability to stick with it and continue to play into their adult life has faltered. Various reasons explain this: the expense of getting lessons and the loss of interest. Our modern world, with its vast and rapidly increasing technological capabilities, poses a threat to forms of slow culture such as ballet, opera, and orchestral performances. Sitcoms, TikTok feeds, YouTube vlogs, and so on, maintain our need for immediate interaction and correspond to our shortened attention spans. In 1996, Leon
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Our modern world, with its vast and rapidly increasing technological capabilities, poses a threat to forms of slow culture such as ballet, opera, and orchestral performances
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
What we're: Listening to:
Bat out of Hell Meat Loaf
Watching:
Botstein wrote an essay entitled ‘The Future of the Orchestra’, where he stated that “the progress we have made in recorded sound and, most of all, its accuracy, longevity, and accessibility in terms of the lightness and small size of the CD has further cast a cloud over the orchestra's future.” The CD now seems an archaic mode of music listening; whilst I grew up on the form, nowadays I’m guilty of knowing by heart only fifteen seconds of a song made popular by TikTok. Whilst the music community of pre-recorded sound consisted of coming together to watch people play an instrument by hand in person, much of our modern day music community comes from knowing the same complicated dance routine to one verse of a mechanically crafted pop song. The exchange factor of music remains, and always will, yet it has become complicated and distanced from its base identity, as the product of a connection between person and sound. It is misguided though to compare popular music with orchestral performances of classical music; the two have always existed and stood distinct in their accessibility and effect. Shifting the focus to modern classical music helps to describe a potential projection for the future of orchestral life. Admittedly, I could hardly name a contemporary composer, bar those few household names who write for films and television. The work of composers such as
John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Nicholas Brittell have helped immensely to connect the public to classical music, however subconsciously, and, when done well, the scores of films and television shows have always seemed to me another, incredibly present, character in the work. Classical pieces in the context of film scores make such sound relatable, connecting it to visual emotion and movement, as evidenced in the immense recognizability of the iconic themes of films such as Jaws,
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The sense that live classical music might fade from our cultural landscape is not a symptom of our age, but of modernity as a broad, ceaseless concept
Harry Potter, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. It is in some sense a disappointing route by which the general public’s engagement with classical music can be sustained, feeding into our reliance on immediately accessible culture and more obvious narratives than those of ballet or opera. However, the film industry plays a key role in keeping orchestras afloat, providing continually employment to perform the impressive scores. The second and last time I went to the orchestra was in Dublin last November. I went with two friends to see ‘The Music of Zimmer vs. Williams’ performed by the Dublin Concert Orchestra. It made me so happy and I went home feeling incredibly elated, a sensation definitely facilitated by the glamorous spectacle of arriving at the National Concert Hall alongside dressed up couples in their middle years and upwards. I almost cried as the sound of Williams’ enchanting Harry Potter score slowly emerged from the stage, a cultimantive symptom of both my everlasting obsession with the film franchise and the unavoidably emotive effect produced by the skillfully combined sound of musical instruments. Most articles on orchestral music will point out its intensely male history, with women excluded from some of the world’s most renowned professional orchestras until the late twentieth century. This, alongside factors such as the aforementioned
expense of buying and learning a musical instrument, has led to a quite closed demographic in the classical industry. Just five of the top hundred international conductors were women in 2018. Fortunately, Initiatives such as the National Concert Hall’s Female Conductor Programme aim to tackle this. Jean Paul Richter once stated, “music is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life.” Life isn’t always gloomy, yet music is an everlasting beacon. It is both company and solitude, nostalgic and timeless, universal and personal. The sense that live classical music might fade from our cultural landscape is not a symptom of our age, but of modernity as a broad, ceaseless concept. As Michael Dervan wrote in The Irish Times in 2020, ‘live music facing an uncertain future – nothing new there.” The announcement of the plan for the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra is one of many hopeful signs that Ireland, a nation famous for its vibrant musical culture, is bent on protecting orchestral music from the various threats of modern life. The orchestra, an embodiment of slow culture and practical skill, will, I hope, continue to inspire emotion and hope in our lives for generations to come. Dublin’s National Concert Hall provides over one thousand events a year and I urge you, go!
The Gilded Age HBO
Reading:
Detransition, Baby Torrey Peters
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
The Starlight Night Khushi Jain recounts the wintery nighttime perfomance of the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins by DU Players
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he sky blushes an angry purple today. It has been drowning itself in blues this week. But tonight is special. For it is a starlight night. Three days back I was sitting in the 1937 Reading Room mapping Ovidian similes on an ever-expanding excel sheet. Book number – page number – line number – book number – page number – line number – book number – page number – line number. My slouching back, aching fingers, and tired eyes compelled me to get up and shuffle my muscles. Wrapping myself up in my jacket, I picked up my phone and walked out. And outside — the stars had come down, as if just for me. As if just to greet me. As if just to invite me into the night. Fairy lights coiled around the rusting iron nails of the reading room. Flickering candles and tea lights lay
scattered on the old stone steps. And a Victorian teapot and cup of silver sat waiting in one corner. The night was golden. Not bright and boisterous but soft and subtle, almost hesitating. The golden night, aware of its gossamer glow, was hesitant to come forward and dance and had thus chosen to peek from behind a veil. Preparing the stage for this performance, I came across four theatre artists, deliberating settings and rearranging the lights. Once satisfied, the director asked the actor to take his position and recite a few lines. Sharing the stairs with candles, I looked up to my left and saw this silhouette of a lean and lithe figure oozing out poetry. And his voice, oh his voice. Like a lover forlorn, waiting on the doorsteps of his beloved’s chamber singing in beautiful melancholy, a combination of maturity and innocence, deep and mellifluous — the actor played his part. My eyes hovered on the space he left and my ears craved more of this poem in his celestial voice. And finally, the golden night made the decision to step out. The stage was set such that I forgot all about Trinity’s campus, my pending deadlines, and Ovidian similes. At half-past seven, a lightly strumming guitar filled the air and the poet stepped out of obscurity and into the light. He breathed in and let me swallow the atmosphere before he began. The brilliant white of the reading
room cast him in arrant darkness and elevated his shadow, projecting it onto the wall in the background, in between the Corinthian pillars. “Look at the stars! look, look up at the skies! / O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! / The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there! / Down in dim woods the diamond delves! the elves'eyes! / The grey lawns cold where gold, where quickgold lies! / Wind-beat whitebeam! airy abeles set on a flare! / Flake-doves sent floating forth at a farmyard scare! / Ah well! it is all a purchase, all is a prize.” I can’t tell you what happened next. I am not sure myself what happened next. It was too delicate and too magnificent to be explained. What I do remember is an image: the poet, up on a pedestal, antlers on his head, the whisper of music holding him amidst glittering lights under a brooding blue sky. Just after finishing, he sighed and exhaled, and so did I with him, remembering to breathe, to release the air I had been holding in throughout his performance, to stir myself to this world. The clapping hands around me brought me back and I woke up. Or perhaps, went to sleep. This poet appeared on the steps of the 1937 Reading Room two more times. And two more times I stood mesmerised. Each night came like a blessing wrapped in a sheer golden fabric. And for fifteen minutes, held me in its
folds too. Today, after the final performance as I am writing this, I am stunned that I experienced these three nights right here, on campus, amidst assignments and lectures, loud and rowdy students, and the intrusive hum of construction and traffic. It is almost as though there were two nights — the dark one that the rest of the world experienced and this golden one meant just for me. Tonight, the starlight night bid adieu. I am back inside, with the Ovidian similes. And I am writing this simply to say thank you — to the guitarist, to the director, to the costume designer and of course, the two poets, meeting across time and countless nights — for letting me experience this golden company of stars. I remember the moon that shone on the very first poetry reading, splendid and luminous. But such was the effect of this earthly poet, wearing liquid gold and like flowers, picking, adoring, and setting the words of Gerard Manley Hopkins into a circlet, that the moon was too embarrassed to step out again. Two moons cannot share a stage. This lunar poet brought with him a celestial bliss of golden night and bewitching stars, right outside the 1937 Reading Room. And it wasn’t theatre. It was magic.
DUPA and t Ella-Bleu Kiely speaks with DUPA committee members on the film phenomenon
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PHOTO BY ISOBEL DUFFY FOR TRINITY NEWS
s a student in Dublin today, it's rather difficult not to notice the rising trend of taking edgy and sophisticated photographs of the everyday. Most notably on film. Film has seemed to have seduced a whole generation despite living in an all-digital age. With smartphone cameras constantly improving and endless filters, some may even question why film cameras have made such a comeback. Sitting down with two committee members of the Dublin University Photography Association (DUPA), third year Drama and Theatre Studies student, Clara Cronin, and final year Economics and Sociology student, Joe O’Connor, we discussed their experience with film, the beauty they see in it and its everlasting qualities. I also posed the real question surrounding the society: film or digital? “I only shoot film. I don’t even own a digital camera and I think I’m the only exclusively film person on committee”, shared O’Connor (Ordinary Committee Member). “I think I’d kind of kill it if I started shooting digital, like I just can’t see myself doing it”, he added. DUPA pride themselves
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
PHOTO BY JOE O'CONNOR
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I think these days with your phone everyone is a photographer in their own ways
us do in the hope of pursuing an Instagram career. “I think these days with your phone everyone is a photographer in their own ways, but when it comes to the actual art and technicalities of it, it’s all
down to noticing things more through a lens. You begin to start picking out things in photos you like and compositions and colours and textures.” The photographers expressed that you need to try and figure out what it is you like about photography and what you want to shoot on an actual camera. One with a camera must develop their eye for confidence behind the lens. When I asked those around me why they enjoy taking photos, most of them answered with memories, capturing special/ random moments, and the most popular; for the gram. O’Connor and Cronin continually mentioned that with photography, it's experience that will inspire you. DUPA offers classes in both film and digital photography, and has cameras available for rent to capture your life on film.
the rise of film photography in being a band of film photographers, and there's only “two people on the current committee who predominantly shoot digital. It's kind of gas”, revealed Cronin (Trips Coordinator). The two expressed how much more rewarding the act of film photography is over digital, and also the exclusivity of the one photograph having so much more value. “You really appreciate them more. On digital you could take a hundred photos, and I personally hate going through loads to pick the best ones. I find that when you’re going through photos you’ve taken, you gravitate towards the three best ones, but don’t really appreciate the rest of them”, said Cronin. Film allows moments to be immortalised forever and naturally creates sentimental appeal and O’Connor went on to express his feelings on the speciality in reserving photos: “It's always so nice having a physical copy. People our age wouldn't have many pictures of ourselves when we were teenagers because they were all thrown on Facebook or whatever. With my film, I’ve a big box full of negatives and they’ll be there forever… In a hundred years time someone would be able to sit and look at them.” With this sweet fact Cronin agreed, and said: “Like imagine your kids or grandkids looking through those prints. They’re not going to be sourcing your Facebook from fifty years ago.” After a short camera show and tell from the two committee members with Cronin modelling
a little Sony digital camera given to her by an uncle and O’Connor his own medium format camera, I asked if they believe there to be both unique aspects to film and digital. “For sure. I think because a lot of what I do is shooting for theatre I’d find it very, very difficult to shoot it all on film and you
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Both O'Connor and Cronin agreed that something they enjoy most about film photography is how much of a tremendous social act showing and receiving film can be
have to be really careful. Digital allows you to make more mistakes which is so important when you're learning. Digital is definitely great as it allows you to be reckless and quick”, explained Cronin. As she spends a lot of time with her camera in the theatre, she prefers not shooting in “such a crazy hectic environment and running after people…I relax more with film and it has more great things about it, but, saying that, so does digital as you don’t have to worry as much about settings”, she confessed. “Yeah, obviously film is a bit more finicky, and a lot of us on committee use medium format film which is even more so. You only get ten shots on a roll instead of thirty-six, and it’s more expensive and the camera’s are harder to use”, added O’Connor. Although film has his heart, he shared that he does respect digital photography but it's the technical challenge of film that appeals to him the most. The love of the expectation. Both O’Connor and Cronin agreed that something they enjoy most about film photography is how much of a tremendous social act showing and receiving film can be. Especially in the DUPA sphere. When asked what tips they would give to first time film photographers both recommended getting your hands on a point and shoot as “you get to try out the film process and then ease your way into the manual focuses on cameras”, shared Cronin. “I really started to get into photography with my phone”. As so many of
PHOTO BY CLARA CRONIN
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
Turner and Place: a colourful escape Elena Mc Crory reviews the annual exhibition Turner & Place: Landscapes in Light and Detail, at the National Gallery
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alking into the Print Room at the National Gallery of Ireland, Francis Place’s (1647-1728) drawings are incandescent against their navy backdrop. His eclectic collection of Irish scenery is exhibited in a series of 19, from when he spent time in Ireland in 1698. They are hung beside a room of 31 watercolours by J.M.W. Turner (17751851), gifted to the gallery in 1900 by Joseph Mallord Vaughan (18091899). The exhibition, Turner & Place: Landscapes in Light and Detail, curated by Niamh MacNally, is free admission for the whole month of January 2022. It runs from the 1st to the 30th, and was made possible in Vaughan’s will, which stated that the watercolours should be exhibited as part of the national collection annually and to the public. This January marks a celebratory moment; it has been
121 years since this bequest was first displayed in the gallery. Place’s typographical scenes are the earliest known and recorded of Drogheda, Dublin, Kilkenny and Waterford, amongst the gallery’s collection. It allows its viewers a glimpse into late 17th-century Ireland; the collection was purchased 50 years ago through the Shaw fund, coming into the state collection by donation. It will also be the first time since 1972 that the series will be exhibited as one group. Hugged by traditional wooden frames, Place’s drawings are nothing short of illuminating. Beamed by spotlight, their minute details dawn on some of Ireland’s architectural beauties, in elevated plans and aerial views. Those that catch my eye are St. Canice’s Finglas, 1698 and Boggotrath Castle, 1698, and especially Waterford, County Waterford, from across the River Suir, 1699. The finely drawn picture with ink and wash on paper captures the vastness of Waterford’s suburban agriculture. The scene offers a simplistic view of a landscape with foliage underneath, with only animals properly filled by wash. Waterford’s city walls had been expanded by the Normans after Strongbow captured the city in 1170. Place captures the land’s enormity with his negative space. His plans are exalted with more detail and become richer with further colour. I transitioned to room two, where Vaughan’s watercolours
hang. Niamh MacNally comments: “Turner's atmospheric watercolours can envelope the viewer, whereas Place’s carefully observed studies contribute significantly to the typographical history of the cities and towns he depicted in the final years of the 17th century.” I took a closer look at the first, Storm at the mouth of the grand Canal, Venice, 1840, and I do my predictable banging of face against
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He vigorously examined the subject of climate, the nature of weather change, and its relationship with its surrounding architecture
glass. Luckily, MacNally comes over to me and explains the anti-reflective quality of the newly installed cases. The watercolours have strong white highlights and are scraped out on paper. Many are from Turner’s last visit to Venice; he stayed in the Hotel Europa in the mid-19th century and vigorously examined the subject of climate, the nature of weather change, and its relationship with its surrounding architecture. As I go to the The Doge’s Place and Piazzetta, Venice, 1840, they only grow in beauty. The colours get richer, they bleed into the paper and Piazzetta's hues of red are romantic with orange undertones. At the end of Turner's European tour, he took the cross-channel ferry in 1840, where he travelled
to Great Yarmouth. Here he made at least three scenes of Ostend harbour, exemplified in Ostend Harbour, 1840. A lighthouse and a windmill stand still, and like in his ‘Würzburg, Rhine and Ostend’s sketchbook’, he hones in on walls, fortifications, and stately sunsets. A lonely figure sits at the cliff 's edge and mulls over the sea. Turner enjoyed most depictions of nature, especially rain clouds and choppy waters. Lake Lucerne from Flüelen, 1841 shows the addition of graphite. The enchanting lake is surrounded by blue mountains that mystify an eerie lake scene. His view of Bellinzona in Switzerland, has 13th-century fortresses that once guarded the Alpine passes of St. Gotthard and San Bernardino in Italy with an
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
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Turner paints these trees in their most majestic form, displaying a nurturing painter who deeply appreciated his subjects. If you stare hard enough you can see the leaves shake even more mystical atmosphere. The moon shines in the background and floats behind the illustrated valley, almost consumed by darkness. The white highlights jump from the scraping, and the dark ink fades into layers that only Clockwise from top left: 1. Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) Ostend Harbour, c.1840 2. Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) Beech Trees at Norbury Park, Leatherhead, Surrey, c.1797 3. Francis Place (1647-1728) Waterford, County Waterford, from across the River suir, 1698/1699 4. Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) The Doge’s Palace and Piazzetta, Venice, c.1840 All photos © National Gallery of Ireland
Turas go Hong Cong Labhraíonn Aodh Ó Murchú faoina aistear thar sáile go Hong Kong
watercolours can produce. A favourite is Beech Trees at Norbury Park, Leatherhead, Surrey (1797). This 44 by 43.1cm piece, is of beech trees in Norbury Park. It was theorised that Dr Thomas Monroe (1759-1833) or Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) introduced Turner to William Lock (1732-1810), park owner at the time. Turner paints these trees in their most majestic form, displaying a nurturing painter who deeply appreciated his subjects. The trees are in their most alive sense; if you stare hard enough you can see the leaves shake. It bends over slightly and Turner captures its lofty movement. Another is A Ship against the Mewstone, at the entrance to Plymouth Sound, 1814. He paints the epic Mewstone as waves taunt a ship side to side. Turner’s detail accentuates the danger of water, and was so finely executed that it was engraved in 1815 for the Picturesque Views on the Southern Coast of England (1811-26) series. Turner continues his subjects of ships and shipwrecks in A Shipwreck Off Hastings, 1825. His figurative inclusions are shown in Clovelly Bay, North Devon (1822),
and he heroes sunlight once again in Kent, in The West Gate, Canterbury, Kent (1794) where he painted a commissioned view of Rochester Castle, in late summer of 1793 when he visited several coastal towns. His fanciful sunsets capture an emotive landscape, and as I walk through the 1820s and 1830s, his paint is applied with a bigger brush and the wash reveals a more rapid quality. Two prominent English artists were showcased in this exhibition, with the importance of two key benefactors of the Gallery – Vaughan and Shaw; both of which made continuing and monumental donations to our National Collection. The exhibition also includes symposiums such as pop-up talks, the curator’s talk, a lecture by a Francis Place expert, a family activity video, and the incredible virtual option to view the exhibit via the gallery’s website. Set against their dark background, these drawings and watercolours take centre stage; their radiance highlights their keeper's masterful show of watercolour preservation, and Turner’s prolific style lives on in this expansive series.
Ar an 28 Nollaig 2021, thóg mé trí eitilt chun dul go Hong Cong, cathair stairiúil idirnásiúnta in oirthear na Áise. Ar na heitiltí, bhí ceann ó Bhaile Átha Cliath go dtí an Bhruiséil, ceann ón mBruiséil go Heilsincí agus faoi dheireadh, uaidh siúd go Hong Cong. Ar an iomlán, thóg an turas timpeall ocht n-uair déag. Bhí mé chun malartán a dhéanamh in Ollscoil Hong Cong. Is deis mór í go bhfuil cead ag mic léinn sa tríú bliain i gColáiste na Trionóide dul thar sáile ar feadh bliana chun staidéar a dhéanamh in ollscoileanna eile ar fud an domhain tríd an gcoláiste. Anuas air sin, bhí an t-ádh orm go raibh ollscoileanna ar oscailt arís agus malartáin ar siúl cé go bhfuil anchuid fadhbanna fós ag institiúidí oideachais ar domhain de dheasca na paindéime. Táim ag déanamh staidéir ar eolaíocht pholaitiúil agus roghnaigh mé Hong Cong mar gheall ar an mbealach suimiúil a oibríonn an rialtas anseo, nó Ceantar Riaracháin Speisialta (nó I mBéarla : SAR – Special Administrative Region). Fiche bliain ó shin, ba coilíneacht de chuid na Breataine í Hong Cong ach anois is cuid den tSín é, cé go bhfuil sé cineál scartha ón mórthír ag an am céanna. Ar aon nós, ní mór dom a rá go raibh sé dúshlánach teacht anseo. Ní hamháin mar is turas fada é, ach an rud is deacra ná go bhfuil ar aon duine atá ag teacht isteach sa tír coraintín a
dhéanamh in óstán speisialta roghnaithe ag an rialtas. Más as an Eoraip tú, caithfidh tú trí seachtaine nó lá is fiche a chaitheamh in óstán. Bhí naoi ndoiciméad ag teastáil uaim riomh an turas: na trí thicéad don eitleán, litir ó Ollscoil Hong Kong ag cinntiú gur mac léinn mé le bheith léi go ceann sé mhí, víosa staidéir, teastas vacsaínithe, tástáil PCR dhiúltach 72 uair riomh an eitilt go Hong Cong (deacair a fháil toisc go raibh an-chuid ionadaí tástála dúnta ar lá Nollag agus ar Lá Fhéile Stiofáin), teastas eile ón saotharlann ag rá gur thástáil PCR ISO 15189 é agus ar deireadh, litir ón óstán speisialta ag rá go bhfuil áirithint trí seachtaine agam. Bhí mé neirbhíseach ag an aerfort nach raibh gach rud i gceart agam. Stop mé ag análú ar feadh cúpla soicind agus dhún mé mo shúile ag an ngeata ach tar éis nóiméid, chuala mé glór gealgháireach ag rá go raibh gach rud ceart go leor agus go raibh cead agam dul ar an eitilt. B’fhéidir liom análú arís agus thosasigh sceitimíní ag teacht orm. Tar éis scannáin, phíosa cholaidh agus phíosa léitheoireachta, bhí mé ann. Bhí gach duine an-dáiríre ag aerfort idirnáisiúnta Hong Cong. Bhí orm mo chuid pápéarachais a thaispeánt trí uaire, tástáil PCR eile a dhéanamh agus fanacht san aerfort ar feadh trí uair go dtí go raibh na torthaí acu. Ansin, ar aghaidh liom ar an mbus chuig an ostán. Bhí ocras agus tuirse an domhain orm ach, ag amharc trí fhuinneoga an bhus, chonaic mé an chathair dhochreidte den chéad uair. Thóg an tuirse aerthurais cúpla lá le mé a fhágáil ach táim socraithe anois. Ba thuras fada é ach táim anseo buíochas le Dia agus níl m’eachtra ach ag tosú.
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
Let's talk about Erasmus Ria Walls chats to students about their experiences abroad on Trinity’s Erasmus study programme
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s we enter into the new year, Hilary term welcomes us with the return of many of our fellow students from their adventures across the water, while others disembark from Ireland to embrace the Erasmus experience ahead of them. Whether you are applying for your upcoming exchange programme, are currently abroad, or you went away last term, there is much to learn from the stories of those who left Trinity to study elsewhere. In the first article of this series, I spoke to Kylie Quinn about the time she spent on Erasmus in Barcelona last term. Originating from Dallas, Texas, Quinn is in her third year of Law and Political Science in Trinity. While in Barcelona she attended Esade Ramon Llull University and took seven modules, ranging from World Law Trade to Negotiation Skills. Quinn was joined by sev-
PHOTO BY KYLIE QUINN
eral others in Law, and described how there were other Trinity students in the same city from a variety of different courses. Discussing the application process, Quinn recalls the stress she felt while attempting to organise her upcoming months in a different country. She describes the initial application as “nerve-wracking but straightforward, short, and mainly administrative.” However, when it came to choosingodules, Quinn recounts it as being “one of the most stressful experiences in my college career.” She goes on to tell us that “classes were not finalized until two weeks after the exchange … I was physically nauseous every time I thought about the uncertainty of whether I had enough ECTs or whether they would be validly accepted by Trinity.” It is a recurring problem faced by Erasmus students that their two universities — Trinity and the host college — are poor at communicating with one another, leaving the student unsure of who to turn to organise their time abroad. Despite the initial lack of organisation and stress that went hand in hand with this, Quinn expresses her adoration of the city itself and the appreciation of the opportunity to travel abroad. Talking about the modules studied in Barcelona, Quinn recounts them as being “modern and practical, and I could not take
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Do we need ano
However, when it came to choosing modules, Quinn recounts it as being “one of the most stressful experiences in my college career.”
any module like them in Trinity … It let me step outside the rigid module selection of my course for a semester which resulted in finding a new passion for accounting despite being a Law/Politics student.” Having come to Trinity from America, Quinn was used to the initial culture shock that so many students experience when they leave home. She found it challenging to adjust to the new foods and modes of transport at the beginning but soon settled in, embracing the lifestyle and getting involved with sports teams. By joining the volleyball team, she was able to travel to Rome for a competition. However, she found it difficult to combat the language barrier while in classes, stating that “people weren't willing to speak in their ‘school language’ outside of class in order to become friends with foreigners.” Comparing her college experience in Spain to that in Dublin, Quinn explains that the classes abroad were more focused on continuous assessment weekly. As well as this, the lectures were much smaller than what she was used to in Trinity. The classes were longer, lasting 2-3 hours instead of the 50 minutes that we are familiar with. She describes studying abroad as “feeling more like a really advanced high school, whereas Trinity feels more like a dumbed-down PhD program”. Despite the negative aspects in terms of administration and organisation, Quinn would still recommend participating in Erasmus if you are given the chance to. She advises students to “be prepared to advocate for yourself constantly before, during, and after the exchange”.
Khushi Jain discusses the new adaptation of Macbeth by Joel Coen
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he question is simple and straightforward: did we need another Macbeth? The answer is slightly slippery — No. And yes. Shakespeare’s predominance in English literary and drama syllabi is mostly matched by his presence in the film industry. From Kenneth Branagh’s realism of Henry V to Baz Lurhmann’s postmodern pastiche of "Romeo + Juliet" to the animalistic and animated Hamlet-based "The Lion King", the Bard keeps getting a makeover. Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, released on 25 December 2021 for a limited period and streaming on Apple TV, is yet another addition to this repertoire of Shakespearean adaptations. And it does not disappoint. Opening with the word “WHEN” (exactly like the play), the film poses a question that looms large and sets a tone of uncertainty. Deeds foul and fair literally hover through fog and filthy
air. Shot entirely in monochrome, Macbeth feels like waking up in a dream (or perhaps a nightmare). A story of intense ambiguity is told through the very binaries it is challenging – black and white, light and shadow. Barring a few dresses of Lady Macbeth, there was absolutely no colour on set. To Bruno
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The film collapses cinema and theatre; it operates exclusively on sound stages, uses theatre lights, has minimum camera movement
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
other Macbeth?
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Kathryn Hunter, playing not one but all three of the weird sisters, is splendidly haunting.”
Delbonnel’s masterful cinematography, Stefan Dechant adds his beguiling dystopian landscapes. Geometric lines and lofty arches and castles curtained in mist and fog host Coen’s Macbeth. All sense of time is lost to the chiaroscuro of sharp lights and shadows and the film screams desolation. The ultimate effect is a disconnect from reality. Set in a world of its own, Coen’s Macbeth dares you to question the most basic premise of cinema: the fiction of representational truth. The film collapses cinema and theatre; it operates exclusively on sound stages, uses theatre lights, has minimum camera movement, and incorporates a stillness in its production design. The result is an acute self-awareness of its own nature as an artistic medium. WHEN does cinema end and reality begin? WHEN does reality end and cinema begin? And most importantly, WHEN do we start believing? For Macbeth too, it is all a question of this “WHEN”. In walks Lady Macbeth with the certainty of the sun, carrying the answer — now. A powerfully enigmatic character, her first appearance marks her as an appendage of her lord husband. She enters reading Macbeth’s letter, his words are her voice. Complimenting the elaborate cinematography and set is the genius sound design. Carter Burwell captures the softest of whispers and highlights them under a
sonic spotlight. The knocking in Macbeth is particularly arresting; loud and deep, they shake the very tectonic plates of this world. They underscore Macbeth’s role as the host, someone who has the grave responsibility of taking care of his guest and upholding his guest’s trust. It is only fitting that they replace the sounds of Duncan’s dripping blood and Macbeth’s dripping wine as startling reminders of Macbeth’s layered betrayal; the former was his kinsman, king, and also his guest. In direct contrast to these resounding gong-like knocks is the haunting noise of crows, recurrent as omens of impending doom and inescapable fate. Closely linked to the symbolism of these birds is a series of metaphors littered throughout. Adapting a literary text, Coen has been careful to translate all metaphors into a striking visual language. Birds, windows and flight are his holy trinity, symbolising everything from witchcraft and freedom to the imprisoning effects of guilt. Liquids are ubiquitous in the text and run rampant in the film as well. Duncan’s blood is mimicked in the wine Macbeth spills and water dominates both prophetic conferences. This fluidity emphasizes the precariousness of power, central to Macbeth’s plot. Another visual marker worth noting is Lady Macbeth’s hairdo. Throughout the film, her hair is piled up on her head, resembling a crown. It is only in her final scenes that she appears differently — hair long, open and unkempt. The unsexed wife of the Thane of Glamis seems to be wearing a crown even before the film begins. Her maddening guilt and death are a tragic return to her womanliness, marked by her exposed and loose feminine hair. In Lady Macbeth’s final scenes, Frances McDormand is absolute perfection. Denzel Washington too, shines in the titular role. But there is someone else who eclipses these two powerhouses. Kathryn Hunter, playing not one but all three of the weird sisters, is splendidly haunting. Hunter’s creaking voice and body contortions give
the witches an extraordinarily unearthly and demonic essence. She is such that her presence is felt even in her absence. She (or they) lingers, unforgettable, like a cunning and vengeful, but seriously talented spirit. While the witches exist beyond all notions of time, Macbeth is caught in a tussle between the past, present and future. Coen marks the beginning of the end with “TOMORROW” echoing Macbeth’s “Life’s but a walking shadow” speech. Time in the film is a double-edged sword; monochromatic contexts demand a complete disobedience to it, whereas the division into “WHEN” and “TOMORROW” compels one to listen closely for the ticks of the clock. The problem with adaptation, especially one of such a popular story, is one of surprise. When the audience already knows the end, how do you surprise them? Coen does something startlingly brilliant in response to this issue. The lady in front of me actually yelped. I leave it to you to see the film and experience it. Coen’s Macbeth is aware that it is an adaptation. It is humble and respects its source text. As a literature student, I do appreciate this fidelity. At the same time, I am apprehensive of film as a medium of its own. Film scholar Linda Hutcheon rightly remarked that a film is “a derivation that is not derivative — a work that is second without being secondary.” In this sense, Coen’s Macbeth is not only responding to Shakespeare but to all other adaptations preceding it, the most recent being Kurzel’s 2015 epic historical drama Macbeth starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. A particular favourite adaptation of mine is the Bollywood classic Maqbool, which sets Macbeth in the underworld of Mumbai. Quoting Hutcheon again, adaptations are “repetitions but repetitions without replications.” I believe that there are two ways of adapting a literary text: representing it in its particular cultural and temporal context, or contextualising it in an entire-
ly new landscape. 2015 Macbeth did the former and 2021 Macbeth and Maqbool are doing the latter. Merchant-Ivory Productions pride
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A particular favourite adaptation of mine is the Bollywood classic Maqbool, which sets Macbeth in the underworld of Mumbai
themselves on their contextually faithful adaptations of texts like Maurice and Howard’s End. Adaptations start becoming redundant and actually repetitive when they stop experimenting. And a prime example of this would be Little Women. Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version (even the 2017 BBC miniseries) has nothing new to offer after Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 version. If anything, it merely had a bigger budget. It is the Hindi web series Haq Se that refreshes Alcott’s novel by giving it an entirely new and challenging context in the tumultuous setting of 21st-century Kashmir. Coen’s Macbeth is a victory for me. It is clever, subtle and sensitive. It is second to the literary text but is not a repetition. Cinematically and technically, it is a feat and deserves celebration every step of the way. As far as its place in the repertoire of Shakespearean adaptations is concerned, it has certainly made its mark as a liminal collapse of film, theatre and literature. So yes, we did need this Macbeth.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FILMMAKER
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
Hollywood coercion: Not so euphoric Lila Funge discusses the power imbalances on the set of HBO's Euphoria
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e need to talk about Euphoria. No, not about how Maddy and Nate might get back together. We need to talk about Sydney Sweeney. Hollywood has a pattern of targeting young, up-and-coming actors and manipulating them into performing scenes more prolific actors would never touch. Trust me, I love Sweeney as much as the next Euphoria-obsessed viewer and this article is not condemning her choice to perform nude scenes in the show. Sweeney is just the latest example in a long line of women who have been targeted in such a way. While Sweeney has come out to say that Sam Levinson never forced her to perform nude scenes, and that he in fact offered her the opposite when she voiced her opinion, Levinson is still writing scenes that contain underage nudity. This article is not attempting to side with the puritans when it comes to Euphoria, especially since my secondary school resembled much of East Highland, but showing teenagers’ naked bodies in sexual situations is not something viewers should feel comfortable with. I don’t agree with the argument that Euphoria should be set in college — parents have no idea just how crazy high schoolers can be and the show does a great job depicting that. However, I do agree with those who find it uncomfortable to watch underage characters have sex, particularly when the scenes contain nudity. We all know the actors are far over the age of consent, but that
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Teenagers, especially girls, are sexualized in the media to a dangerous extent
alone is not enough to soften the blow. Teenagers, especially teenage girls, are sexualized in the media to a dangerous extent. From teacher-student relationships to suggestive sleepovers, society has been conditioned to yearn for the teenage body, to feel a possession over it. Sam Levison has clearly fallen victim to this. The sex scene between Cal and Jules in season one really jumped out to me. Showing the dangerous situations teenage girls end up in is important and showing the inappropriate relationship between Cal (a grown man) and Jules (a teenage girl) can be done in a way that maintains the sinister attitude without depicting Jules in compromising positions. Instead viewers are forced into their world, a little too close for comfort. Nude scenes are not a problem when seasoned actors decide to partake; they have full autonomy over their bodies and are allowed to push the boundaries of their art in order to further a piece. The same cannot be said for budding actors looking for their big break. While Sharon Stone had been in plenty of movies before her role as Catherine in Basic Instinct, the actor admits her films were on a steep decline in popularity before that infamous leg cross flashed across the silver screen, exposing her to viewers globally. There’s a reason Emilia Clarke is one of the few lead actors to go topless in Game of Thrones. It’s a tradeoff many women in the industry must make and one that directors and producers love to take advantage of. Sydney Sweeney is just Hollywood’s latest victim. In the two episodes of the new season, Sweeney has been topless in both. A juxtaposition to her international superstar co-worker Zendaya who, even in a scene where she’s asked to undress, has the autonomy to remain ‘modest’. Euphoria has impressively avoided much deserved backlash for perpetuating this trope. Due to the show’s subversive nature and explicit portrayal of drug addiction, the pedophilic imagery flies under the radar of most casual viewers. Due to the show’s image as an honest look into the dangers of drug addiction, people seem quick to jump to the conclusion that the show must be incredibly progressive. This is a very shallow inspection of Euphoria’s content. Yes, showing how teens can get groomed online is important, but this is completely canceled out if the actors themselves have been manipulated in a similar fashion. Yes, showing the intricacies that come with navigating hookup culture is important, but at what cost? Is it worth throwing Sydney Sweeney to the wolves? The issues
with Euphoria’s pedophilia doesn’t begin and end with Sydney Sweeny. While viewers may commend the show for depicting an equal number of full frontal shots for both men and women, what they forget is that these full frontal shots are of underage characters. When we as a society ignore the obvious power and influence Sam Levinson holds over these young actors, we run the risk of allowing this power imbalance to continue. It is not just behind the closed doors of production offices that this type of coercion takes place. When intimacy coordinators are not available on set to help advo-
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Due to the show’s subversive nature and explicit portrayal of drug addiction, the pedophilic imagery flies under the radar of most casual viewers
cate for a young actor and communicate to the director, problems arise. Sweeney herself stated in an interview with The Calgary Herald that she would come home from the set and “scrub herself clean” after performing scenes in an uncomfortable work environment. The actress stated she felt as though she wasn’t able to speak up for herself when it came to performing nude scenes. However, having an intimacy coordinator on set changed this; a plethora of high profile actors have recently come out claiming the incredible benefits having a coordinator on set brings. There’s no time on the call sheet for an actor to step back and call their agent to (rightfully) complain about a scene they aren’t comfortable with, but there is always time to voice concerns to someone in the room there for that very purpose. Sweeney claimed that having an intimacy coordinator has helped her relationship with the show — she was able to voice her concerns as an actor and Levinon listened. When Sweeney believes the scene doesn’t call for nudity she gets the final say, which is a great first step. The problem ultimately comes from Levinson’s urge to present these young bodies as sexual objects for the viewers to behold, and that is the next step that must be tackled. Confronting how society has encouraged such behavior and cutting it off at the source is the only surefire way to ensure this coercion never happens again. While the content created might be an example of stellar cinematography and unique filmmaking, these compliments do not negate the seriousness of the issue at hand. We live in a generation of outspoken people
who are dedicated to making this world a better place, so it’s baffling that Euphoria has seemed to slip through the cracks. The next time you watch Euphoria, or any big budget show for that matter, take a step back, think about the actors stripping for the camera, and wonder if they had the autonomy to make that decision themselves.
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
Student writing: How to get yours noticed Ria Walls discovers how to get your writing seen as a student with the variety of publications available on campus
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e are lucky to be surrounded by so many talented students at Trinity, clearly demonstrated by a wide range of societies, clubs and organisations. Within Trinity News (TN) there are copious amounts of writers who help us keep the newspaper running smoothly through their contributions to articles. For myself, getting involved with TN has not only encouraged and boosted my confidence as a writer, but having my name published in print has enabled my work to be seen both online and in the paper’s print editions. Whether you are writing for fun and enjoyment, or if you are aspiring to pursue a career in this field and want to gain experience, there are many opportunities on campus to get your work published. Here at Trinity News, as well as our fellow College newspaper University Times, there is a wide range of subsections in which you can get involved by emailing the editors. You can write overviews of events, conduct interview pieces, discuss current events, and delve into politics and science. There is
PHOTOS VIA HBO
something for everyone, and you can come up with your own ideas as well as claim articles pitched by the section editors. Head over to Facebook to find the various groups in which our editors post pitches to be claimed by writers. Contributing to college publications is a great and easy way to get your writing out for others to see, with hundreds of copies circling campus per issue. Both papers are also available online, and can be easily shared on social media so your mammy and granny can read your writing too. On top of this, it’s useful to compile a collection of your writing in a portfolio through the easily accessible nature of the papers. As well as the newspapers within Trinity, there are a wide range of magazines available on campus. To gain perspective, I spoke with Alex Mountfield and Gabi Fullam, co-editors of Icarus magazine. Established in 1950, this magazine showcases the creativity of students and staff — past and present — through a variety of formats of writing, such as poetry, drama and prose. All submissions are anonymously reviewed, making it a “very safe and casual way to get your work out into the world” as discussed by Mountfield and Fullam from icarus. Icarus publishes around three print issues each academic year alongside running numerous public events and workshops for students to get involved with throughout the term. In order to submit, you can reach out through their various social media (@IcarusTCD) — they are very open to a wide range of formats of works on any theme or topic that you desire to discuss, create or design. TCD Miscellany, or MISC.,
focuses on political, cultural and social perspectives within Ireland. As with the other publications on campus, they are eager for writers to contribute, and this can be done by reaching out through their various social media platforms or by emailing in your ideas. If you pick up their latest issue you can read articles on topics ranging from the Troubles to Only Fans; with such a wide variety of subject matters, there really is something for everyone. The articles in MISC. are also somewhat longer than those found in the campus newspapers, allowing more space for ideas due to the larger and different format that the magazines host. Another popular Trinity-based magazine is TN2. With students at the heart of their work, TN2 focuses on all things arts and culture. Similarly to the College newspapers, TN2 has a wide range of subsections within the magazine, giving creative freedom to those interested. Whether you love to write about fashion, food, or film, TN2 is open to submissions and suggestions. You can either pitch your own ideas via email, or you can join the various Facebook groups and claim titles decided by the editors. Either way, writing for TN2 is yet another great way to get your work published and seen. It is as simple as reaching out! Whether you have ideas of your own that you want to put in writing, or you are looking for pitches to claim and elaborate on, there are many ways within college to get your writing published and seen. With such accessible and inclusive ways to stay involved, your time at Trinity might be the chance to get your ideas published.
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
Society spotlight
DUGES Ruth McGann sheds a light on the Trinity Students Fighting the Patriarchy
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ender-based inequality, harassment and oppression have been at the centre of social debate and activism since the beginnings of the feminist movement over a hundred years ago. Although our understanding of gender as a concept has evolved and women in Ireland are afforded freedoms their grandmothers could only have dreamt of, women still face the threat of male violence on a daily basis. DUGES (Dublin University Gender Equality Society) is at the forefront of the movement to confront misogyny and male violence towards women on Trinity campus. For women in Trinity, our very presence within the grounds of the university is a relatively recent phenomenon, historically speaking. Women were not enrolled as students in Trinity until 1904 and a woman was not promoted to the position of professor until 1958. Women could not live on campus until 1972 and could not enter the dining hall until the 1970s. While women have made up the majority of students in Trinity since the 1980s, issues of gender-based harassment and inequality remain all too present, both with the academic body itself, in its societies, and among its students generally. With weekly events providing
safe spaces for women and gender non-conforming students, DUGES has been ahead of the curve in addressing gender-based discrimination. From coffee hours and movie nights, to a hugely successful Taylor Swift karaoke night, DUGES strikes a comfortable balance between its activism and its celebration of femininity. Students can find support in the challenging moments and connect with those who understand their experience, both positively and negatively. DUGES also recognises intersecting identities, holding safe-space events for its women-loving-women and gender non-conforming members, recognising the full spectrum of gender and sexuality. Alongside its community-building, confidence-boosting events, DUGES also plays a significant role in on-campus activism and gives voice to Trinity’s feminist staff and students. As clubs reopened for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic back in October 2021, the society posted a “Club Safety Guide” to its Instagram, detailing the dangers of spiking, its symptoms and what to do if you think you or a friend have been spiked. DUGES provides a platform for its members to voice their concerns about gender-based harassment on campus to the university’s governing body and works closely with the Student Union to make tangible change. Most recently, DUGES held a vigil for all those lost to gender-based violence in the wake of the brutal murder of Ashling Murphy in Trinity’s Rose Garden. In a post to Instagram before the vigil, DUGES extended their “deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of Ashling Murphy” and also “to anyone else who has lost some-
one to gender-based violence”. The post went on to say that “if we ignore gender-based violence in our communities, we are enabling it”. The vigil, which included powerful testimonies from the DUGES committee and those in attendance, was held at 12pm on Monday 17 January. A minute’s silence was observed in memory of Ashling and the 243 women who were killed before her since records began. While DUGES has proudly promoted feminism at its weekly events since its foundation, its name has been the subject of some confusion and controversy over the years, both on and off campus. Many have questioned why its name is the society for “gender equality” rather than the “Feminist Society” or “Fem Soc”, as it is often referred to. In 2017, a motion was brought by DUGES to the Central Societies Committee (CSC), but was denied based on a bureaucratic issue, rather than an outright opposition to the motion itself. In an article for Trinity News, former DUGES chair Aine Palmer wrote that the process consisted of being “told which bureaucratic hoops to jump through by a body that appeared to want to see us trip up”. The CSC’s resistance to rename DUGES to Fem Soc is indicative of the barriers facing women on campus and highlights the necessity of its role in student life. For DUGES, its aim to “continue the increasingly important on-campus conversation regarding feminism and gender politics” could not be more evident in its creative, political events and the enthusiastic participation of its members. The feminist movement has had many iterations and is constantly evolving as society and theories of gender as a construct develop and DUGES has remained at the forefront of these issues. In providing a safe, inclusive space for students to feel united in their experiences, DUGES is fighting the good fight to ensure women, on campus and in society generally, feel empowered and understood.
New Year's reso Hilary Mullen weighs up the pros and cons associated with the annual tradition (of setting New Year’s resolutions)
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don't know about you, but I’m feeling 2022! Yes, another year has come and gone and now after spending the Christmas holidays doing nothing but eating junk food and watching Netflix at home (after enduring a crazy year of also eating junk food and watching Netflix during lockdown), it is time to get back to reality, unfortunately. As with every New Year, there comes the inevitability of New Year’s resolutions being forced down your throat whether you like it or not. Many of us are excited at the prospect of setting new goals for the year ahead; however, some of us would rather ignore the existential dread that comes with realising time is quickly slipping past us. It is a tough call on whether to embrace New Year’s resolutions or abandon them completely because there are both positive and negative aspects to the tradition. I will attempt to weigh up the pros and cons of undertaking this foreboding commitment in the hopes that it will help some of you decide what's best for you this year.
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If you plan to set New Year's resolutions, the most important rule of thumb is that they must be realistic and sustainable in order to make a positive difference
If you plan to set New Year's resolutions, the most important rule of thumb is that they must be realistic and sustainable in order to make a positive difference. Remember, they don’t have to be extraordinary. It is important that resolutions are specified small term goals that help you get closer to a long term goal. For example, instead of making a resolution to get in shape, aim to go for a 5km walk every other day, and then build it up to a 5km run. Gradually increase the goal to keep reaching a further distance and eventually if you remain on the right track, you should reach your ultimate target. Furthermore, it is important to be selective with your yearly targets if you truly wish to fulfil them. For instance, instead of simultaneously aiming to win the Nobel Peace Prize, compete in the Olympics, graduate with a first class degree and publish a book in the one year, focus on one of those things and revel in the results. There may be 24 hours in a day, but you are not invincible. You need time to sleep and relax at some stage this year so what you should focus on is steps you could take to eventually achieve this ambitious goal. If your dream is to publish a book, a good starting point would be to aim to complete a chapter each month alongside work/study, or perhaps take part in different writing competitions to improve your craft. That way, by the end of the year, if you stick to those little goals as your resolution, you are a few steps closer to achieving that dream of publishing a book. Often, many people write a massive list of New Year’s resolutions in an attempt to become a better version of themselves, eliminating a proportion of their personality in the process. People give into this mantra of “New Year, new me” and put themselves under a lot of pressure to completely revive their lives. I think this pressure has increased dramatically with the rise of social media. We all know at this stage that if something is trendy, you will see it everywhere on your Instagram feed. As soon as I woke up the morning of January 1st I was already bombarded with gym selfies and outdoor scenery of people starting their new exercise regime. If you didn’t have time to go for a walk or hit the gym and you see all your friends online lifting weights and jogging 5km in record time, it may make you feel deflated and unmotivated to stay on track with your own resolutions. Having said that, a positive aspect of New Year’s is the huge sense of togetherness around fresh starts and new beginnings. If all of your friends are making resolutions to join the gym and read a higher number of books this year, it may encourage you
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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 1 February
olutions: To embrace or abandon? to do the same, contributing to positive personal development. COVID-19 has forced human beings to remain distanced, so therefore, any form of togetherness that can bring people towards each other again is something worth encouraging. Since many people make the same New Year’s resolutions as each other, businesses often offer deals and discounts at this time to encourage eager prospective customers. If you are planning to join a gym anyway, you might as well go join in January when you can get 10% off your membership. Whilst this may seem like a plus, the constant reminder from these companies that you should be doing better can be damaging to people’s mental health. Depending on what people struggle with, certain promotions from companies in the New Year can be potentially triggering. This is the problem with many resolutions — too often, they are used as a marketing ploy within certain industries such as dietary and fitness companies to encourage consumers to buy their products, convincing them that laxatives, low calorie ready meals and this specific fancy tracksuit will change their lives. A lot of the time, materialistic goods cannot change a person’s mindset to better themselves. This has to happen from within, so it can be problematic when people believe capitalism will solve their problems for them. The last two years have been incredibly demotivating and emotionally straining and it has been a tougher time than ever to find reasons to continue pushing yourself. If you feel that New Year’s resolutions are not something you are prioritising, nobody will judge or blame you for skipping a year. However, if you want to give some new resolutions a go this year then fair play to you! I believe that if you can handle everything
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If you feel that New Year’s resolutions are not something you’re prioritising, nobody will judge or blame you for skipping a year. COVID-19 has thrown at us all, you can manage any goal you set for yourself. There can be a lot of pressure around creating New Year's resolutions — to be the best of the best and have your entire life put together by the time you’re partying the following New Year’s Eve. Let’s be real here, the majority of people don’t really have their life sorted out, no matter how many resolutions they make. At the end of the day we are just bundles of atoms on top of a rock spinning around the unknown universe. Don’t expect your life to be all sorted this year through whatever resolutions you choose to make or not make, just do what you feel with the resources available to you to make yourself happy, one day at a time.
PHOTO BY BEATRICE PISTOLA FOR TRINITY NEWS
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Tuesday 1 February | TRINITY NEWS
Crossword
Across
1. A type of electric current, favoured by Tesla (11) 4. Young horse (4) 6 Leaf placed under Jesus’ feet as he entered Jerusalem (4) 7. Another type of electric current, favoured by Edison (6) 9. Dublin’s one is said to be free of charge (4) 12. Largest body of water (5) 13. To build (9) 14. Like many men in old age (7) 16. Cause agitation or confusion (7) 17. Equatorial or Papua New (6) 20. With “at”, to express derision (5)
PUZZLE BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS
Down
1. Parting phrase en Francais (5) 2. Cancel out, abrogate, negate (7) 3. Evil in nature, bad / 2021 horror film (9) 4. Bird, perhaps preceded by “chaf-” or “bull- ” (5) 5. Great task or goal (5) 6 Weapon used by 1798 rebels (4) 8. Grey building material (8) 10 “Much _ about nothing” (3) 11. Music of Vivaldi & Bach (7) 13. Two stand watch over Dublin bay (7) 15. Alloy of copper and zinc (5) 18. Type of snake (3) 19. Symbol (4)
Solution to Issue 5: Across 2. Dish 5. Peppa Pig 8. Train 10. Trend 11. Cask 13. Bridge 16. Yo-yo 18. Sanitise 19. Link 20. Extra 21. Coffee 22. Cash 23. Defenestrate PHOTO BY ISOBEL DUFFY FOR TRINITY NEWS
Down 1. Light 3. Nap 4. Monkey 6. Play 7. Archangel 9. Advent 12. Issue 14. Reindeer 15. Hoot 17. Relate 19. Loan