Trinity News Vol. 68 Issue 9

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Life pullout

Trinity Ball survival guide

Assessing Leaving Cert reform proposals

The logistics of getting aid to Ukraine

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TRINITY NEWS ESTABLISHED 1953

Ailbhe Noonan elected UT editor on second count David Wolfe Assistant News Editor

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ILBHE NOONAN WAS ELECTED University Times (UT) editor on the second count of a bye-

election.

Noonan, Deputy Editor of the paper’s Radius supplement, received 538 first-preference votes, or 45.2%. Her opponent Mairead Maguire received 404 votes, or 34.0% of the total valid poll.

The option to reopen nominations received 247 (20.8%) of first-preference votes.

On the second count, 143 RON votes went to Noonan and 25 to Maguire, while 79 did not transfer.

Noonan was therefore elected with 61.4% on the second count.

Speaking to Trinity News after the result was announced, Noonan expressed her gratitude and excitement: “I want to thank everyone who put their faith in me, it means the world to me that people have given me their trust. I also want to thank everyone who campaigned for me, I couldn’t have done it without their support.”

“I will do my absolute best to

Ireland’s Oldest Student Newspaper

Vol. 68, Issue 9

Holohan will not take up public health role at Trinity David Wolfe, Sarah Emerson, Jack Kennedy

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HIEF MEDICAL OFFICER (CMO) of the Health Service Executive (HSE) Tony Holohan has said he will not proceed with his planned move to Trinity.

Holohan was set to take up a role as professor of public health strategy and leadership in College on July 1, funded by the HSE. Holohan will instead retire from his role as CMO on July 1, and a successor will be appointed in the meantime.

In a statement, he said: “I do not want to see the controversy of the last few days continuing.

In particular, I wish to avoid any further unnecessary distraction that this has caused to our senior politicians and civil servants.”

He continued: “My strong belief is that this was a significant opportunity to work with the university sector to develop public health capacity and leadership for the future. In this regard, I would like to thank Trinity College and the provost for their foresight and support in establishing this role.”

He added that he looks forward to “sharing [his] knowledge and expertise outside of the public

service”.

Provost Linda Doyle commented: “This is a huge loss for Ireland’s education sector, and for all the students who would have learned so much from Dr Holohan’s experience.”

Holohan’s decision follows days of controversy surrounding the nature of his appointment to the role. It was reported during the week that the Department of Health would continue to pay Holohan’s salary of €187,000 while in his role at Trinity, a salary that is €30,000 higher than other professors. This prompted criticism from government and opposition politicians.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin called for Holohan’s secondment to be paused while government awaited a report on the move, saying there must be transparency around the process, despite earlier appearing to support the move.

Speaking to media in Helsinki on Friday (April 8), Martin said: “There has to be transparency.

There has to be good process and procedure. I don’t see this just as a human resource issue or a personnel issue in its own right, which I can understand.”

“In my view, you know, it should be paused. There should be a reassessment as to how the objectives that are behind this can Continued on page 2>> PHOTO BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS

Tuesday 12 April 2022

Continued on page 2>>

trinitynews.ie TrinityNewsDublin Trinity_News trinitynews trinitynews

Here comes the sun

With the end of Hilary term approaching, good weather and exam stress are increasingly returning to campus. Teaching concludes on Thursday April 14. Trinity week will run from April 25 to April 29, and assessments begin on Tuesday May 2.

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Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

News

Table of contents News Features - page 14 Sabbatical candidate highlights privacy and safety issues in campaign reporting

Are single-gender schools the way of the past?

Analysis: The pandemic revealed a need for senior cycle reform

Comment - page 22 UCDSU elections lay bare the problem of student union engagement

SciTech

- page 28

Crime scene biometrics and the science of fingerprints

Sport

- page 30

The geopolitics of the GP

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

Printed by Webprint at Mahon Retail Park, Cork.

>> Continued from front page

Holohan will not take up public health role at Trinity be realised in a better and more transparent way.”

Earlier last week, the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly had defended the Department of Health’s decision to continue to pay Holohan’s salary.

Speaking in a radio interview, the minister said: “Let’s break it down — if the department were to pay or Trinity were to pay, it’s all public money.”

“It’s a taxpayer-funded post and what’s important here is he’s not getting paid any more money.”

“But I think what’s important here is the nature of the role, the nature of the research,” he continued.

“Secondments between health and academia are very regular and normal and healthy things.”

The initial announcement of the move was made by the provost and Donnelly on March 25. In a press release, Minister Donnelly noted the “significant and lasting impact on health in Ireland” that Holohan has made since his appointment as CMO in December 2008.

Previously, Holohan served as deputy CMO from 2001 to 2008.

Donnelly added that Holohan “has used his public health leadership ability, alongside his many other skills and insights, to inform and influence decisions at the highest level in order to protect public health”.

“Throughout the pandemic his invaluable advice to me, and to the Government has shaped our response to Covid-19, and I witnessed first-hand his unwavering dedication to protecting the health of the people of Ireland.” ”He will play a critical role in applying his knowledge and skills to the development of the next generation of thinking and practice in public health, and I wish Tony all the best in this new and exciting chapter in his career,” Donnelly concluded.

The provost said that she

would be “excited” to see Holohan working “with other academic colleagues in [College] to learn the lessons of Covid and prepare for these future challenges”.

“Trinity is here to make things better and the university has a long tradition of working with health services in this area,” Doyle continued.

Doyle added that Holohan would “not be attached to a single School or Discipline” within College.

“Instead, his role will traverse the faculties of Arts Humanities & Social Sciences and Health Sciences, recognising the complexity and scope of population health challenges in the modern era.”

Holohan had said he was “very excited by this new opportunity” and eager to work with the provost and other academic staff “to continue to contribute to improving public health policy, practice and outcomes”.

“I look forward to using my experience, knowledge and skills to enable Trinity College Dublin to make a leading contribution to strengthening the knowledge and

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Secondments between health and academia are very regular and normal and healthy things practice of public health leadership in Ireland.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin thanked Holohan on Twitter on March 25 for his “outstanding service to the Irish people, during the pandemic, and over 21 years in the CMO office” and wished him “every success” in his new role at College.

>> Continued from front page

Ailbhe Noonan elected UT editor on second count live up to the trust that people have given me, and I’m so incredibly excited to work alongside the [students’ union] and the student body over the next year.”

Voting was conducted online on April 6 and 7. Campaigning began on April 4.

Noonan’s bye-election campaign focused on core themes of transparency, accessibility and welfare. Her manifesto proposed a strong focus on the paper’s social media and digital presence, as well as working with organisations such as the Trans Equality Network of Ireland (TENI) and BelongTo to prioritise welfare of staff and readers. Noonan also pledged to make the paper more responsive to criticism and students’ voices.

Noonan’s victory is the first time that the UT editorship has not gone to the paper’s previous deputy editor since the position

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I want to thank everyone who put their faith in me, it means the world to me that people have given me their trust

was separated from that of Communications & Marketing Officer, and only the second time that another member of staff has contested the position. In 2020, then-Radius Editor Susie Crawford lost narrowly to Cormac Watson.

In the first race for UT editor, in March, voters opted to reopen nominations (RON) for the position. RON received 59.4% of the vote, compared to 40.6% for Maguire. That election saw an active campaign calling on students to vote RON in the uncontested race.

Maguire chose to run again in the bye-election, emphasising her experience in news coverage, and saying that she was “the only one with the journalistic experience” to fulfil the role of Editor.

Noonan will take over as UT editor from Emer Moreau during the summer.

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

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Trinity law professor accused of murder granted bail on appeal Diarmuid Rossa Phelan left the High Court “totally in the dark” about his financial situation, according to the Court of Appeal Kate Henshaw, Jack Kennedy News Editor, Editor

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TRINITY LAW PROFESSOR accused of murder has been granted bail of €100,000, with the Court of Appeal overturning a previous High Court decision.

President of the Court of Appeal Justice George Birmingham said that Diarmuid Rossa Phelan enjoys the presumption of innocence and a presumption in favour of bail. Justice Birmingham said that Phelan has ties to Ireland in the form of his position in Trinity, his status as a barrister, and the large amounts of property he holds here.

The decision was announced on Friday (April 8).

Justice Birmingham also described Phelan as “a person of good standing in the community” who has never been convicted of an offence previously.

The conditions of Phelan’s bail include that he must surrender his US passport, and that he must not apply for a new US passport or any

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I don’t believe the bail application before the High Court was presented in a way that the High Court would have expected

other travel document. He is also required to reside at an address approved by Gardaí, sign in daily to a Garda station, and abide by a 10pm to 8am curfew.

He must also provide a mobile phone number to Gardaí, keep the phone on his person and stay away from Tallaght. He is not allowed to purchase any firearms, and his existing firearms have been confiscated.

Phelan has also agreed not to report to Trinity for the next three weeks.

On Thursday (April 7), Justice Birmingham said that Phelan had left the High Court “totally in the dark” about his financial situation when applying for bail. “I don’t believe the bail application before the High Court was presented in a way that the High Court would have expected”.

Phelan was asked to provide a comprehensive account of his finances and assets to the Court of Appeal. The prosecution had asked the Court of Appeal to adjourn the hearing until after Easter (April 17), so that it would have time to review the financial documentation. The defence opposed the motion.

Phelan’s barrister said that his client had procured €50,000 from his sister to help finance his bail, and that “were he to flee, which he has no intention of doing, that would be a deep betrayal of his family”.

Justice Birmingham concurred, saying that when a defendant receives money from family members, it “usually presents itself as an argument in favour of the applicant as it would provide an incentive to remain [in Ireland]”.

The judge had expressed concern about the accused’s failure to provide sufficient information to the High Court, but said that he was satisfied with what was presented on appeal.

“I have to say I don’t believe the High Court judge received the assistance she was entitled to expect in that regard and there was a failure by the applicant to

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Were he to flee, which he has no intention of doing, that would be a deep betrayal of his family

recognise that he had to be seen as a potential flight risk and what he could do,” Justice Birmingham said.

A date for the eventual trial has not yet been set.

A Fellow of Trinity and a member of the College Board, Phelan is accused of murdering 36 year-old local man Keith Conlon who was fatally shot in Tallaght in February.

Phelan’s initial request for bail was denied after he was found to be a “serious flight risk” by Justice Deidre Murphy. Phelan appealed this decision, and it was considered last week.

Justice Murphy said that the full extent of Phelan’s assets was not known at the time of the original application. The professor submitted three different addresses in south Dublin. Murphy also noted that Phelan has a “powerful incentive to evade justice” based on the seriousness of the charge, the strength of the evidence, the likely sentence in the event of a conviction and alleged ongoing threats to the accused.

Phelan’s lawyers argued that the academic’s life would be “completely and utterly ruined” if bail were not granted, and his “life’s work [would be] wiped out”.

They also said, during the appeal hearing, that Phelan is “not Roman Abramovich” and should not have his assets frozen because of “an allegation” against him.

On February 22, an altercation occurred on farmland owned by Phelan near Tallaght village, in which Conlon was shot in the head. Conlon was admitted to hospital, and passed away after two days in critical condition.

Last month, the High Court heard that witnesses reported seeing Phelan shoot the unarmed Conlon in the back of the head as he turned away from the altercation. A dog was also shot during the incident with a licensed rifle, the prosecution said.

Phelan admits to shooting Conlon, but claims that he was under threat at the time. He has also claimed that the shooting was an accident, where he had crossed the gun over from left to right in an arc.

It is being alleged by prosecutors that Phelan deliberately shot Conlon. A witness claims that Phelan fired three shots with the final one hitting Conlon in the back of the head. A licensed revolver was recovered from the scene of the shooting by Gardaí.

Phelan owns 10 licenced firearms and was described in previous court proceedings as having “extensive experience” with the handling of weapons.

Phelan is also a fellow of the European Law Institute. He is currently an associate professor of law.

College has declined to comment on the charges.

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Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

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College to offer temporary accommodation for Ukrainian refugees 2,000 beds have been offered by HEIs, including 200 in Trinity Jack Kennedy Editor

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RINITY IS “IN A POSITION TO OFFER” temporary accommodation for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, a spokesperson for College announced on April 6.

The available space consists of 200 single, ensuite rooms in student residences, and will be available from May 22 to June 19.

College added that: “Meals can be provided on site but the anticipated additional welfare needs (medical/social services/child supports etc) will need to be provided by the state.”

In late March, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris announced a broader scheme for the use of student accommodation to house Ukrainian refugees.

“We have been working with our colleges and we’re continuing to work with them to make sure that student accommodation, which will be vacant when colleges are closed, can be made available in the short-term for Ukrainian students,” the minister said on March 21.

The Irish Examiner reported on Saturday (April 9) that approximately 2,000 beds have now been offered by higher education institutions (HEIs) across Ireland.

University College Cork (UCC) and the University of Limerick (UL) are “[continuing] talks with government officials on the issue” according to the Examiner.

A spokesperson for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science said: “The final allocation of accommodation by each higher education institution is a matter

for that institution.”

“While the Department can confirm that student accommodation is being offered to displaced Ukrainian people for the summer

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This will not impact on the supply [of accommodation] for students for the forthcoming academic year

PHOTO VIA UKRAINIAN EMBASSY TO IRELAND

period, this will not impact on the supply for students for the forthcoming academic year,” the Examiner quoted a spokesperson as saying.

Speaking to reporters in Helsinki on Friday (April 8), Taoiseach Mícheal Martin said that the government had not ruled out the idea of paying private individuals to house refugees.

“I think in the first instance, what I would like to see is to go through the existing pledges that have been made,” Martin said.

“I think we have to put more resources behind that exercise, and then take it from there. Certainly, we will look at all possibilities around that, particularly in terms of freeing up existing capacity within the existing housing stock.”

The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) has publicly supported the idea of paying householders for providing beds. Speaking on Newstalk, the organisation’s Chief Executive Nick Henderson said: “We are recommending a voluntary holiday home pledge scheme. If you own a holiday home and it is vacant, you could pledge it to be used by refugees for say a minimum of six months and in return, you would receive a monthly allowance, not at market rental rate.”

“This, we believe, would significantly assist in the accommodation of refugees.”

Henderson continued: “The IRC paper recommends approximately €300 to €400 per month and that would be a sizable amount of money over six months.

It wouldn’t be the rental rate; still though it would be an amount of money the owner could use for their own means.”

“Crucially, it might encourage people to do a good thing and bring on more and a greater supply of accommodation to meet this challenge.”

On April 5, a meeting of the Cabinet was told that an additional 5,000 accommodation spaces would be needed “before Easter [April 17]”.

Trinity’s announcement came on the same day that Harris met with Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Gerasko Larysa. Harris said after the meeting that “as minister, I committed to providing free English language classes to Ukrainian adults and to accomodate students seeking to continue their studies here”.

The Ukrainian embassy said that it was “grateful for the support and readiness to help” following the meeting between Harris and Gerasko.

Trinity has condemned the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, saying that it “stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people at this most difficult time” and that “a peaceful resolution to the conflict is needed”.

Over 4,100 re votes recorde UCD Confessions campaigned for students to vote RON in the union’s sabbatical officer elections Bella Salerno Deputy News Editor

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N I V E R S I T Y COLLEGE DUBLIN (UCD) Confessions Instagram page campaigned for students to vote to re-open nominations (RON) in the University College Dublin Students’ Union (UCDSU)’s sabbatical officer elections. Over 4,100 separate RON votes were submitted in the union’s elections held in March.

UCD Confessions has a social media following of over 18,000 people. The Instagram account, similar to Trinity’s “Trinder” gossip page, regularly publishes the thoughts and feelings of UCD students.

On March 24, the page posted a campaign to re-open nominations for the UCDSU sabbatical officer elections and called the current race “unacceptable”.

They also called out a “lack of representation” in relation to those running as five of the candidates are “all from the same courses: Law

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

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Dietetics exam cut short by fire alarm Students sitting the exam were not permitted to finish the paper after returning to the exam hall David Wolfe Assistant News Editor

e-open nominations ed in UCDSU elections with Social Justice or Sociology”.

“The [union] is known for having poor turnouts, but this is next level. The only people to sign up shouldn’t automatically represent us all,” they continued.

The page said students “should care about this” since they are members of the union and “money is coming directly from [them] to help fund’’ the sabbats’ salaries.

This year, the union’s elections were uncontested in the races for president, campaigns and engagement, welfare, and entertainment officers.

Two candidates ran for education officer and nobody ran for the graduate officer position.

The results were announced on Zoom on Friday, April 1.

The uncontested candidate for the union’s presidency, Molly Greenough, received 824 votes out of a total valid poll of 1,711 while RON received 887 votes. The uncontested candidate running for campaigns and engagement officer, Robyn O’Keeffe received 815 votes out of a total valid poll of 1,685 while RON received 870 votes. The uncontested candidate running for welfare Officer, Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich received 826 votes out of a total valid poll of 1,688 while RON received 862 votes. The uncontested candidate running for entertainment officer, Ciara Moroney received 840 votes out of a total valid poll of 1,686 while RON received 846 votes.

Contested education officer candidate Martha Ní Riada was elected to the position with a total of 749 votes on the second count while RON received 642 votes out of a total valid poll of 1,744.

According to Article 19 of the union’s constitution, it must “hold a by-election before the end of the second semester” if RON is elected. UCDSU confirmed the “next phase” of the elections will take place April 20 and 21 while nominations closed on April 10.

Speaking to UCD’s College Tribune, the creator of UCD Confessions said: “We can’t just accept the only candidates that applied.”

They added they are hoping to change the “flawed system” with the RON campaign: “Having 3 part-time students per role, I think that would be amazing and they would get paid (so there would be an incentive), this would increase student participation in the union”.

“I know tons of people that want to hold one of the 6 current sabbatical roles, but they are not willing to take a full year off.”

Currently, UCDSU’s Constitution states that current students who wish to be sabbatical officers are required to take “annual leave” from their studies during their term to work fulltime as sabbat.

Speaking to Trinity News, UCDSU’s incumbent President Ruairí Power said the union’s “focus is on ensuring as many candidates as possible are put forward for the by-elections”.

In a statement, Power said membership will “discuss in more detail both where this union should be headed and who it is that should be leading it there … over the course of the next few weeks”.

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RINITY STUDENTS SITTING AN EXAM in the Technological University of Dublin’s (TUD) Central Quad on Wednesday, April 6 had their exam cut short by a fire alarm which forced the building to be evacuated.

The two-hour nutritional epidemiology exam was disrupted by the alarm at 11.30am, half an hour before the scheduled end of the exam. When students returned to the exam hall, approximately 10 minutes later, they were instructed to hand up their papers and were not permitted to finish the exam.

It is understood that this was due to the possibility that students discussed the exam paper while standing outside.

The exam was being taken by Senior Fresh students of human nutrition and dietetics, a course

run jointly by Trinity and TUD. One student was reportedly told that they would have to resit the assessment in August or accept the result of their unfinished exam.

Another student who was in the exam said that “the invigilators looked very confused” and that “they didn’t know how to respond”.

An email from the School of Biological & Health Sciences on Wednesday afternoon asked stu-

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One student was reportedly told that they would have to resit the assessment in August or accept the result of their unfinished exam

dents to “please note that this was not a fire drill test”, contrary to what students had thought at the time.

Students who were affected by the disruption noted that a fire drill had taken place at the same time, 11.30am on Wednesday, in a previous week.

They also reported that while outside, a member of staff told them to move away from a certain area, saying “the fire brigade wouldn’t like you standing there”.

The fire brigade were not called to the scene.

The student expressed doubt that there had been a fire in the building: “There was no smoke, there was no smell, we were in very quickly afterwards, the lifts were working fine.”

The email sent on Wednesday afternoon informed students that the School was working with the Examinations Office and the Quality Assurance Office to find a resolution.

A follow-up email on Friday noted that the School was awaiting an update from the Quality Assurance Office, and that it was “working in the best interest of our students in seeking a resolution”.

“It is likely to be mid next week before we have an update and we will communicate with you then.”

A student who spoke to Trinity News said that the School has been “very slow to respond” to the incident and “the emails they’ve sent haven’t provided much clarity”.

PHOTO VIA TUD

PHOTO VIA DAVID MARTIN

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Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

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School of Medicine receives Athena SWAN award 2,000 beds have been offered by HEIs, including 200 in Trinity Kate Henshaw News Editor

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RINITY’S SCHOOL OF MEDICINE has received the Athena Swan Bronze award for commitment to gender

equality.

College now holds 15 Bronze across its various schools as well as the institutional Bronze award for 2023. In a statement, a spokesperson for Trinity said that the university intends to make an institutional application for a Silver award.

Speaking about the achievement, Provost Linda Doyle said: “In committing to the principles of the Athena SWAN Ireland Charter, we recognise that we join a global community with the shared goal of addressing systemic inequalities and embedding inclusive cultures in higher education.”

Speaking about the award, Head of the School of Medicine Professor Michael Gill said that “this award is a result of the combined effort of staff and students on the School’s Self-Assessment Team (SAT)”.

“I have been astonished and encouraged by the SAT’s insights, consistent hard work, and commitment over the past two years

in pursuing an award, despite the unique challenges we have faced as a medical school since the advent of Covid-19, and I am delighted with this recognition of our work.”

“Throughout the application process, we reflected on our position as a large medical school and how we can improve our current ways of operating to ensure all have the opportunity to aspire and achieve their full potential” he continued.

“I have begun to witness an increased awareness within the School of not just gender equality, but equality work more broadly and believe our commitment to Athena SWAN and implementation of our action plan will bring about a sea change in the School’s culture.”

Associate Vice Provost for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Professor Lorraine Leeson highlighted the “recognition” of the “ School of Medicine’s commitment to the necessary iterative, reflective practice of doing equality work” as “wonderful”.

“Equality is everyone’s business, and the Athena SWAN process provides an opportunity for us to give focused, critical attention to where we are and to plan effectively how we can implement positive change across a range of themes,” Leeson added.

The Athena SWAN Charter is an “international framework that seeks to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research”. The Bronze award is given in recognition of holders’ “detailed self-assessments of gender equality, their commitment to targeted action plans, and

their capacity to deliver these plans and bring about change”.

The other Schools in Trinity that hold the Bronze award are: the School of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, School of Physics, School of Social Work and Social Policy, School of Genetics and Microbiology, School of Psychology, School of Law, School of Computer Science and Statistics, School of Engineering, School of History and Humanities, School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, Trinity Business School, School of Social Sciences and Philosophy and the School of Biochemistry and Immunology.

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Equality is everyone’s business, and the Athena SWAN process provides an opportunity to...implement positive change

TCDSU passes motion to improve placement supports Sarah Emerson Deputy News Editor This article contains discussion of suicide

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RINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN STUDENTS’ UNION (TCDSU) passed a motion at Council on April 5 to improve support for students on clinical and social work placements.

TCDSU are now mandated to lobby for the creation of more outof-hours appointment slots within College’s Counselling Service, and the formation of support groups for students on placement.

The union is also mandated to work towards the introduction of a reformed tutor system, requiring tutors to organise welfare meetings with students during their placements. TCDSU will also collaborate with the relevant heads of schools to ensure that teaching staff working with placement students are provided with mental health guidelines.

The motion also mandates TCDSU to continue to demand increased funding for mental health services from College and government.

The motion was proposed

by Medicine Convener William Reynolds, and seconded by junior sophister medicine student Conor Nolan, junior fresh social work student Aisling Dillon and TCDSU Welfare and Equality Officer Sierra Mueller-Owens.

The motion noted that many students on clinical and social work placement become “disconnected and isolated,” and regretted that “there are inadequate structures in place to safeguard the

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The college support network needs to come to the student, instead of full onus being on the student to seek support PHOTO VIA JASON CLARKE PHOTOGRAPHY/TRINITY

mental health of these students.”

The motion expressed concern that “multiple suicides have taken place within the past four years, particularly within the mediecal student cohort, with a lack of implemented change.”

Speaking at Council this evening, Reynolds said: “We need something to happen and we need something to happen fast.” He highlighted recent suicides within the School of Medicine and believes College is “moving at a snail’s pace” on the issue.

Mueller-Owens added that responses from academic staff on this issue have been “incredibly frustrating”. She urged Council to vote in favour of the motion Deputy Health Sciences Convenor Emily Sweeney then spoke in favour of the motion and highlighted its importance for students on placement. She said that “the reality of this is that the students come first” and “students in [Health Sciences] don’t have the supports they need”.

Speaking to Trinity News before Council, Reynolds said that this motion is “really important as students on clinical placement make up a big cohort”. He noted that “due to time constraints and not being around campus it’s really difficult to engage with the college community, leaving it as almost a ‘forgotten group’”.

“The college support network needs to come to the student, instead of full onus being on the student to seek support. This is just the first step in changing the structured supports we have in place.”

He highlighted that “it’s so easy to become isolated while on these clinical placements and there are very few tailored supports to cater for this” and “within medicine for instance have been multiple suicides in the past few years among students who have been on clinical placement something needs to clearly change”.

Reynolds said that “these issues extend college wide and feed into the larger discourse of the underfunding of student supports”.

However he believes “there are measures which can and should be done that don’t have a huge cost involved that will create a better college environment not just for students on clinical placement but for everyone”.

College has recently faced calls for increased mental health funding, following the death of Trinity medicine student Mark Melnychuk in February.

Last month, TCDSU discussed shortfalls in College’s mental health services at an impromptu town hall meeting.

Additional reporting by Jack Kennedy, Kate Henshaw, David Wolfe and Ellen Kenny

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

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Analysis: Systemic change needs to occur for College to support students sufficiently Bonnie Gill

News Analysis Editor

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PPEALS FROM STUDENTS, particularly in the latter half of this academic year, have revealed that support for students and mental health services in third-level education needs to be systematically implemented.

In the last few months, demands for student support amongst not only Trinity students, but students nationwide, have been particularly prevalent. Starkly apparent is the need for increased spending in student mental health services, and a nationwide strategic plan which prioritises mental wellbeing in a systematic way within Irish universities.

On April 5, an Oireachtas subcommittee meeting on mental health revealed that Irish universities received record-high demands for mental health services from students. Speaking at the meeting was Trish Murphy of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy, who stated that this year’s number of students seeking mental health support in universities would exceed the reported 14,400 students who attended clinical sessions in 2021.

In Trinity, the past few months have put deficiencies in College’s counselling services in the limelight. In February, a student-led

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I can definitely say that it puts a strain on your mental health...it’s extremely socially isolating

petition demanding an increase in funding in counselling services at Trinity received 2,000 signatures.

The petition highlighted the significant backlog in emails from students seeking counselling and waiting lists that exceeded four months in length. Despite the petition and a Students4change led protest demanding the same, no plans to increase funding for the Counselling Services have been publicly announced.

In a Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU) Council meeting on March 29, the issue of funding and long waiting lists for counselling services was discussed.

Despite there being no indication to students that further funding had been considered, TCDSU President Leah Keogh assured Council that TCDSU had called a stakeholder meeting with College to discuss such issues. The meeting also raised the issue of support for students on clinical placement, highlighting that recent events have revealed an absolute urgency

for support for students in medical courses.

The neglect of students on medical placements exists as a great indicator of why College needs systematically implemented structures to support and protect these students. Medicine Convener William Reynolds raised the important point at Council, that students in this field face large workloads, and so may not have time to address student unions in order to lobby for the support they need.

Speaking to Trinity News, a fourth-year physiotherapy student spoke on her experience of clinical placement, saying: “I can definitely say that it puts a strain on your mental health.”

She continued: “I did two placements outside of Dublin and it’s extremely isolating. You’re working a full-time job Monday to Friday and then often come home on the weekends to work again.”

She called the experience “extremely socially isolating”.

She also mentioned the anxiety

“

Duff y said that he believes it is “imperative” that a wholeof-campus, collaborative approach is implemented that accompanies balancing clinical placement with study is “extremely stressful”.

When asked if she feels that there is a lack of support put in place for students like herself on placement, she replied: “I definitely think there could be more support for students, even an organised peer-to-peer support from those who had done placement previously would be extremely beneficial.”

On April 5, at the most recent TCDSU Council meeting, a motion was passed to improve sup-

port for students on clinical and social work placements. Speaking on the motion, Reynolds asserted that “the College support network needs to come to the student, instead of full onus being on the student to seek support.

“This is just the first step in changing the structured supports we have in place.”

Mentioned at the Oireachtas meeting on April 5 by Dr Joseph Duffy, Chief Executive of the Youth Mental Health Service Jigsaw, and echoed by the sentiments of TCDSU Education Officer Bev Genockey in Council is the over-reliance on student bodies to provide support for students. Duffy said that he believes it is “imperative” that a whole-of-campus, collaborative approach is implemented and that there currently exists an over-reliance on individual staff and student bodies in providing support for students. Genockey, who spoke at the Council meeting on March 29, stated that she was cited in three college-wide emails as one of the top resources for student support following the tragic death of a student back in February.

Such reliance on members of student bodies to support students when they are themselves, only students, is proving itself to be an extremely insufficient system. It has become increasingly clear that widespread, systematic change and improvement need to occur in order to support and protect students not only in Trinity, but nationwide.

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Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

PHOTO BY MICHAEL FOLEY FOR TRINITY NEWS

News

Teni Shittu ele JCR president Part-time officers for 2022/23 elected at Council Other positions elected this evening include Chair of Council, both commissions, and three faculty conveners Kate Henshaw, David Wolfe Ellen Kenny

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HE PART-TIME OFFICERS (PTOs) of Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU) for 2022/23 were elected at a meeting of the union’s Council on April 5.

Other positions elected on the night included Chair of Council, the Electoral Commission and Oversight Commission, three faculty convenors and Chair of Trinity Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Implementation Group (Trinity BDS).

It was the last Council meeting of the year and there were thirty positions to contest.

Connor Dempsey was elected

Citizenship Officer. Zaid Al-Barghouthi was elected International Students Officer. Niko Singbad and Ailish Smith were elected LGBT Rights Officer and Mature Students Officer respectively.

Rosie Joyce was elected as Officer for Students with Disabilities and Caoimhe Molloy was elected Oifigeach Na Gaeilge. Jenny Maguire will serve as Gender Equality Officer while Hannah McAuley will take up the role of Off-Campus Officer.

Mihai Mesteru will be the Ethnic Minorities Officer and Erin O’Dowd will be the Environmental Officer for next year.

Fern Kelly-Landry, Ben Heskin and Tom Comer will take up the positions of Access Officer, Volunteer Forum Coordinator and Communities Liaison Officer respectively.

Eoghan Gilroy was elected as Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences faculty convenor. Emily Sweeney will take up the mantle of Health Sciences Convenor, while Seán Lysaght will be the next STEM Convenor.

The Chair of Council and the Electoral Commission (EC) was also elected tonight: Emma Gallagher. Secretary of Council for 2022/23 will be Maggie Larson and the rest of the EC will consist of outing Education Officer Bev

Genockey, Tara Walsh, Connor Casey and Daniel Walsh as ordinary members.

Eric Zaksauskus, Tommy Koh, Michael J. and Rian Errity were elected to the Oversight Commission. Outgoing Secretary to Council Ewan Tushkanov will be Undergraduate Studies Committee representative for next year.

Finally Zaid Al-Barghouthi was elected BDS Implementation Group Chair and László Mólnárfi was elected as Secretary.

A number of individuals were awarded honorary membership of TCDSU. Aoife Grimes, Sexual Consent Research Assistant was recognised for her contribution to tackling problems of gender-based violence, both as Welfare Officer of the Trinity Hall Junior Common Room and Gender Equality Officer in TCDSU. Dr Graeme Murdock of the Department of History and Dr Aidan Seery, a former Senior Tutor, were also recognised for their respective contributions to the service of students in Trinity.

Lastly, TCDSU President Leah Keogh was nominated for honorary membership in an amendment proposed by Education Officer Bev Genockey. Keogh received a standing ovation from members of Council who subsequently passed the motion.

Nine of the 11 Committee positions were contested Ella Sloane Student Living Editor

T

ENI SHITTU WAS ELECTED Trinity Hall Junior Common Room (JCR) President on Wednesday April 6, along with 10 other Officer positions on the committee for 2022/23.

Shittu, a law student from Co. Offaly, was elected on the first count with 89.68% of the vote, in a race which was uncontested.

Speaking to Trinity News after the result, Shittu said “the biggest feeling after winning is gratitude”. She plans to “build on the foundations” established by this year’s JCR committee and “work towards making halls a place that promotes inclusiveness and diversity by ensuring that there are events and facilities for all residents”.

Saul McCarthy, a physical sciences student, was elected Vice President/Treasurer, defeating opponent Alex Vilarin by a margin of 55.25% to 43.19%. McCarthy pledged to “provide financial advice” to incoming students during his campaign.

Alli Dixon, a MEELC student from the US, beat Annabel McAteer in the Secretary race, with

the candidates earning 64.88% and 34.3% of the vote respectively.

John Garvey was elected Welfare Officer, receiving 60.93% and defeating his opponents Sarra Abdalla and Alex Duffy who received 12.19% and 26.88%, respectively. Garvey is an English and History student from Mayo and promised to bring antispiking lids to Hall and “institute bystander intervention training for instances of sexual assault and racism” in his manifesto.

Aoife Gileece, a MEELC student from Sligo, won the race for Ents Officer, beating opponent Sarah Walsh, a law student from Limerick. Gileece secured 65.07% of the vote, while Walsh received 30.15%.

Eduarda Reis Werneck, a PPES student from Brazil, was elected International Officer in what was an uncontested race. Werneck received 97.16% of the vote, the largest share of any race.

Yuv Garg, a global business student from New Delhi, won the race for Sports Officer, receiving 54.4% of the vote. Garg’s opponents, Noelle Dowling from Kilkenny, and Caoimhe Ryan from Westmeath, received 16.1% and 28.84%, respectively.

Catherine Joan Gale, a BESS student originally from the Philippines who was raised in the US, was elected Music Officer. Gale received 58.3% of the vote, while her opponent Loulou MacHale, an English and Philosophy student, received 40.08%.

All successful candidates were elected on the first count.

In addition to the eight elected positions, three committee roles were filled by appointment.

Philip Gray was appointed

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

News

Sabbatical officers’ influence discussed at TCDSU town hall SF PPES Class Rep László Molnárfi raised concerns about the sway officers have over other Council members

ected t

“

[I want to] work towards making halls a place that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Communications & Marketing Officer, Hattie Bilson as Publications Officer, and Elizabeth O’Sullivan as Tech Officer. All three positions were contested.

Campaigning for the election began on Sunday evening, with voting taking place between 7am and 6pm on Wednesday. Results were announced at Mother Reilly’s in Rathmines on Wednesday evening.

The JCR acts as a representative body for residents of Trinity Hall. It provides student-directed services and organises social events, as well as seeking to “represent Halls students’ needs within College, Halls and the Rathmines area”.

Additional reporting by David Wolfe

Ellen Kenny Features Editor

O

N MARCH 29, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) discussed the influence of the sabbatical officers over other union members, and their influence in the union overall at a town hall.

The discussion item was brought to the town hall by senior fresh politics, philosophy, economics and sociology class representative László Molnárfi, who brought forward several motions and discussion items this evening.

According to Molnárfi, the influence of the sabbatical team is “too much”.

“We don’t get engagement from class reps on the ground.”

Middle Eastern & European Languages and Culture (MEELC) class representative Gabriel Torres agreed that “we have to get back to the point of the union, which is grassroots”.

Education Officer-elect Zöe Cummins spoke on the issue, saying: “I don’t think this is a sabbatical officer issue, I think it’s an issue about empoweringm and that reps feel like they belong.” She asserted that sabbatical officers are “fully in with the democratic process”.

Eoin Ussher, member of the Electoral Commission (EC), argued: “We elect sabbats every year, you all voted in those elections.”

“You have an executive within a union to ensure that the union’s policies don’t just stray all over the place… If we try to organise everything through this body, we would never get anything done.”

Welfare committee member Cúnla Morris said that this issue signifies a “parasocial relationship” between sabbatical officers and other members of Council: “It looks like a big part of [this discussion] is people coming up with plans and as soon as the sabbatical officer backs it up, people go with whatever the sabbatical officer says.”

They called for more training for class representatives and convenors with the sabbatical team involved: “They actually are real

people.”

Education Officer Bev Genockey said that “anything that Council decides is what I will do”.

She also addressed the previous council meeting’s discussions about the Student Partnership Agreement, which Molnárfi said prompted this discussion item initially. Molnárfi hoped to delay the SPA or put it to a referendum and, according to Molnárfi, he had the support of many of his fellow Council members. However, Molnárfi said that he felt he lost this support once the Education Officer spoke against his discussion point at Union Forum: “It is there that I realised that Council is very open to one set of ideas, but very closed to another.”

On the issue of the SPA, Genockey wanted to “fact check” some issues raised: “I did say that I don’t personally think a referendum is the best idea but if that’s what council decides that’s what council decides”.

“I didn’t think I was standing up and saying ‘this is it, and this is what we are going to do’… I wasn’t speaking in opposition, and I think it’s really important to hold power to account.”

TCDSU President Leah Keogh said she was “glad” that the union was having this discussion and addressed how the wider student body sees the union and its sabbatical team: “what people might confused with generally, and may-

“

I don’t think this is a sabbatical officer issue, I think it’s an issue about empoweringm and that reps feel like they belong

be not people in this room but the student body, they see the union as the decision makers… in all actuality we are the opposition, we are on your side and we are the ones who hold college to account.”

Ents officer Greg Arrowsmith encouraged “anyone who has an issue with the sabbats having too much influence to run themselves or run for the [Oversight Commission] and [EC]”.

Chair of the EC Adam Balchin praised the work of the sabbatical team: “Having worked with all five of the main sabbatical officers this year, I enjoyed working with each and everyone of them. They are as much a friend as a lot of you.”

He pointed towards a need to increase supports for class representatives to prepare them for council: “I just think that if the problem that people have is sabbat taking the reigns of council, of various union bodies, maybe it’s because people don’t’ know the actual procedures around council”.

Speaking to Trinity News ahead of the meeting, Molnárfi said: “The ideological line of our union is the politics of liberal compromise, of working with the system, and not that of directly and loudly confronting it. Anything that goes against this is shut down by sabbatical officers, and by the union’s clique.”

He suggested that the motion to support the #NoInPersonExams campaign was voted down

by Council members because the current Education Officer spoke against the motion. This campaign was started by Students4Change, an activist group of which Molnárfi is chairperson.

According to Molnárfi: “Our union is focused on delivering change for the students in a professional way but not with the students on the streets.”

PHOTO BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS

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Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

News

Eleanor Moreland elected chair of Central Societies Committee The AGM saw three of the four officer positions available filled Ellen Kenny Features Editor

E

LEANOR MORELAND WAS ELECTED Chair of the Central Societies Committee (CSC) at the organisation’s AGM on

April 4.

Moreland is a third year philosophy, politics, economics and sociology (PPES) student.

She is the current president of the University Philosophical Society, having previously served as vice-president. Moreland ran uncontested for the position.

Moreland will take over from incumbent Chair Ben McConkey.

Donncha McDonagh was elected secretary. McDonagh is a third year classics student and has been secretary of the Chapel Choir for two years. He has also served as treasurer for the singer’s society.

McDonagh also ran uncontested for the position.

Dan Pender was elected Amenities Officer. Pender is a third year business and economics student. He is the current chairperson of Trinity Fianna Fáil

Wolfe Tone Cumann. Pender ran uncontested for the position.

There were no nominations for the position of Treasurer.

Nominations for Treasurer will be taken before the Michaelmas Treasurers’ General Meeting next year, at which point an election will take place.

Ten students ran for the eight positions on the CSC executive, with John Rooney, Sam Carthy, Claire Stafford, Tom Hegarty, Ciaran O’Driscoll, Eyman Khalil, Daniela Williams and Caoilinn Gallagher elected.

The committee also granted full recognition to the Trinity European Law Students Association (ELSA) as a university commissary.

The committee approved the formation of a Constitutional Review Working Group (CRWG22). The terms of reference of CRWG22 shall be overseen by the Secretary and approved by the Executive.

The AGM was held via Zoom after the previous AGM held on March 29 failed to reach quorum.

The CSC is the sole governing body of societies on campus with the power to grant recognition to societies.

The CSC is one of five capitated bodies, which receives funding from College through the Capitations Committee. The other four are Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union, the Graduate Students’ Union, Dublin University Central Athletic Club, and Trinity Publications.

CSC AGM appeared to violate cosntitution Jack Kennedy Editor

T

HE RESCHEDULED AGM of the Central Societies Committee (CSC), which was held on April 4, appeared to violate the organisation’s own constitution.

Notice of the meeting was sent to the treasurers of all Trinity societies via email on Wednesday, March 30.

The CSC constitution stipulates that “notice of all general meetings shall be sent to all members at least 14 days in advance.”

The original AGM was scheduled for Tuesday March 29, but could not be run as a quorate number of society representatives were not present. Among the agenda items was the election of a new executive committee for the 2022/23

academic year.

The March 30 email began: “Many thanks to those of you who attended last night, but unfortunately there weren’t enough of you! Because the meeting was inquorate, we will have to reconvene.”

After giving details of the rescheduled meeting, the email continued in all capitals: “It is vital that you or your proxy attend this meeting or we will not be in a position to elect a committee for the coming year.”

Another email was circulated on Friday, April 1, which discussed the rescheduled CSC AGM and gave advice to societies on running their own AGMs. It read: “Please ensure that sufficient notice is communicated to all members, as per your constitution.”

The Central Societies Committee did not respond to a request for comment.

TCDSU finalises votes for USI elections Trinity will support current VP for Campaigns Beth O’Reilly for USI president Constance Roughan Deputy News Analysis Editor

T

RINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN STUDENTS’ UNION (TCDSU) has settled on the candidates it will support in the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) elections.

USI is holding its annual congress in the Knightsbrook Hotel in Meath. It began yesterday (April 11) and will run until April 14. TCDSU held an internal vote to select the candidates that the union’s sabbatical officers will support in USI elections at the end of the congress.

Beth O’Reilly, the current USI vice-president for campaigns, is TCDSU’s chosen candidate for USI president. O’Reilly was chosen over her opponent Conor O’Reilly, president of the National College of Ireland Students’ Union.

The other races were relatively less contested, with TCDSU opting to support unopposed candidates Clodagh McGivern from National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) for vice-president for academic affairs; Sarah Behan from Dublin City University (DCU) for vice-president for welfare; John

Fortune, USI vice-president for the southern region, for vice-president for equality & citizenship, Róisín Nic Lochlainn, current President of NUIG Students’ Union, for leas-uachtarán don Ghaeilge; and Sierra Muller-Owens, the current TCDSU Welfare and Equality officer, for vice-president for the Dublin region.

Ross Boyd of DCU for USI vice-president for campaigns beat Liam Cosgrove of National University of Ireland Maynooth (NUIM) in securing TCDSU’s vote, as did Waqar Ahmed of DCU for vice-president for postgraduate affairs over Anna Travers, also of NUIM. Beth O’Reilly was formerly the commercial and fundraising officer of University College Cork Students’ Union. Her manifesto for the presidential sets out her ideas on redeveloping the union to run more efficiently, aiming for better delegation and internal communications.

Clodagh McGivern is currently NUIG Students’ Union’s education officer. She held other positions in that union before her current role, and completed a degree in corporate law.

Sarah Behan is a final-year student of English and philosophy at DCU and ran for vice-president for wellbeing in her college’s student union this year. Her campaign for USI vice-president for welfare focuses on amplifying minority voices and implementing student safety weeks at each higher education institution (HEI).

John Fortune is a former twoterm president of Waterford Institute of Technology Students’ Union, and his campaign high-

lights this experience. If elected vice president for equality & citizenship, he plans to push for national-level political reform including lowering the voting age and expanding franchise for Seanad elections. He also wants to hold more inclusive USI events.

Before Róisín Nic Lochlainn was president of NUIG Students’ Union, she served as the union’s welfare & equality officer.

Incumbent TCDSU Welfare & Equality Officer Sierra Muller-Owens is unopposed in her campaign for vice-president for the Dublin region. Muller-Owens plans to oppose luxury purpose-built student accommodation, to create a programme for providing emergency accommodation to students, and to campaign for better public transport. Vice-presidencies for the other USI regions will also be voted on at the congress, but TCDSU is only entitled to vote in its own region.

In the race for vice-president for campaigns, Liam Cosgrove aims to improve student engagement with USI through visiting the campuses of HEIs and a review of the union’s communication strategies. Boyd’s manifesto leans on his experience in “grassroots activism”, and he wants to make the union’s campaigns more accessible to students across Ireland.

Waqar Ahmed is currently pursuing a PhD in communication and media studies, whereas his opponent for vice-president for postgraduate affairs Anna Travers completed her undergraduate degree in accounting and business management and is now serving as NUIM Students’ Union’s vice-president for student life.

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

News

GSU Executive was not consulted about president’s Seanad endorsement Class reps were instructed to share Gisèle Scanlon’s fundraising page with postgrads Jack Kennedy Editor

T

HE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE of the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) was not consulted before the organisation made a public endorsement of President Gisèle Scanlon’s candidacy for the Seanad.

Trinity News contacted every member of the Executive (which is made up of all sabbatical and parttime officers of the union), including the president, vice-president and oversight officers, asking them what part of the GSU’s governing structure approved the endorsement, or if any consultation with members was conducted.

Only one officer responded, despite multiple follow-ups to several including the oversight officers.

They said: “I have no idea whatsoever about any endorsement.”

They continued: “I believe individuals should vote for who they think deserve or earned the position of a Seanad [seat].”

The officer said they “will give my individual vote to one who earned it”.

The union’s social media accounts have shared Scanlon’s campaign materials repeatedly, as well as directly asking members to support her. Almost every tweet on the GSU Twitter account since the beginning of the Seanad campaign has been related to Scanlon’s candidacy.

Three other members of the GSU are running in the election alongside Scanlon.

A message to class representatives of the GSU also instructed them to share Scanlon’s fundraising page for her campaign.

The message, seen by Trinity News, also gave class reps a script to use when disseminating the link to classmates. It began: “We need your help to make sure our GSU President, Gisèle Scanlon, can be at the Seanad so students’ voices are heard.”

“As an independent candidate for the Seanad bye-election, Gisèle has to fund herself her campaign [sic], with the friends and strangers.”

The message went on to describe how Scanlon has been “a

“

I have no idea whatsoever about any endorsement strong representative voice within Trinity College over the last five years”.

The union’s funding has been suspended for the past eight months due to the failure of Scanlon and Vice-President Abhisweta Bhattacharjee to comply with an internal investigation into their conduct last year.

The president and vice-president have not scheduled votes on their impeachment, almost a year after petitions calling for those votes reached the required number of signatures.

Shannon McGreevy elected Chair of Trinity Publications The AGM saw elections of five of the six positions available Bella Salerno Deputy News Editor

S

HANNON MCGREEVY WAS ELECTED Chair of the Trinity Publications committee on April 5 during the committee’s first in-person Annual General Meeting (AGM) since 2019.

McGreevy is a Junior Sophister Biochemistry student and Online Editor of Trinity News, having previously served as Secretary of Trinity Publications. McGreevy will take over from incumbent chair Grace Gageby who currently serves as Assistant Editor of Trin-

ity News.

Speaking today, McGreevy said she hopes “to follow in Gageby’s footsteps” and “bring enthusiasm to this position”. She cited her experience working in Trinity Publications and Trinity News as “invaluable” to her as an international student. She aims to “really encourage undergrads to get involved in [Trinity Publications] in their first two years at College”.

Elections for other positions on the executive committee also took place at the meeting.

Ellen Kenny, a Senior Fresh Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology (PPES) student, will serve as Treasurer, having previously served as Alumni Officer. Kenny said she hopes to “organise more social events while keeping costs low” during her term.

Lara Mellett, a Senior Fresh English student was elected Secretary, and said she is “highly enthusiastic” for the role. She added that she

is aiming to focus on “efficient and effective communication internally within Trinity Publications and externally to the wider student body”.

Kate Henshaw, a Junior Sophister Sociology and Social Policy student, will serve as Alumni Officer. She currently serves as News Editor for Trinity News. Speaking today, Henshaw said she hopes to “create a network and maintain connections” alongside an “‘Alumni speakers series’ to really harness the power of our alumni students”.

Ella Sloane, a Senior Fresh student of English and Sociology, was elected Public Relations Officer (PRO). Sloane currently serves as Student Living Editor for Trinity News, as well as Deputy Art Editor in TN2 and Art Manager in Misc. Speaking at the meeting, Sloane said she plans to “collaborate with the Alumni Officer to create a newsletter for alumni”. She also plans to “revamp the social media platforms” and make them

“

She aims to “really encourage undergrads to get involved in [Trinity Publications] in their first two years at College

more “accessible using [her] artistic skills”.

Since no candidates put themselves forward for the role of Amenities Officer, nominations will reopen to be voted on at an EGM later in the year.

Trinity Publications is one of Trinity’s five capitated bodies, which receive funding from College through the Capitations Committee. The other four are Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU), the Central Societies Committee (CSC), and Dublin University Central Athletic Club (DUCAC).

Publications uses its funding to support student-run publications and magazines. It has seven full, permanent member publications: Trinity News, Icarus, TN2, the Piranha, Trinity Film Review, Trinity Miscellany, and the Journal of Literary Translation. It also distributes grants to other publications on a semester-by-semester basis.

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Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

News

Trinity’s policy on upskirting discussed at TCDSU town hall The discussion item was brought forward by TCDSU’s Joint Honours Convenor Catherine Arnold Bella Salerno Deputy News Editor This article contains discussion of sexual assualt

T Tom Clonan elected to 26th Seanad on 16th count Clonan won the bye-election by 160 votes and will sit on the Trinity panel Caroline Higgins Staff Writer

O

N FRIDAY APRIL 1, Tom Clonan was elected a University of Dublin Senator on the 16th count.

The disability campaigner and retired Irish army captain won the by-election by 160 votes and will represent Trinity in the 26th Seanad.

On the final count, Clonan received 5358 votes while psychologist Dr Maureen Gaffney received 5198.

17 candidates ran for the seat, including former Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu and former rugby player Hugo MacNeill, who were eliminated in previous rounds. Clonan’s votes in the final count included many transfers from Chu. This was Clonan’s third campaign for the Dublin University

Seanad seat, having been unsuccessful in previous runs. A seat on the panel opened up last year when former Senator Ivana Bacik won a Dáil by-election in the Dublin Bay South constituency.

Clonan will join David Norris and Lynn Ruane on the panel.

Voting in the by-election is limited to just under 68,000 graduates of College. This year, just under 20% of those eligible voted in the election, with the total number of ballots returned amounting to 13,434.

Following his win, the Trinity Graduate admitted to RTÉ that it was unexpected and that he “ran almost as a protest, to raise the fundamental human rights issues that confront people with disabilities and the cruel obstacles they face to lead a full and fulfilling life”.

Clonan added that he thinks the Seanad “is a place where we can begin to work for Ireland’s ethical and social recovery”.

“I think it is very important that we have independent university senators who are not members of political parties, who are not just going to rubberstamp Government policy, who will hold Government to account and try to drive forward positive change.”

He continued: “My sole motivation is from our experience as a family of the challenges of having a

disability in Ireland”. Clonan’s son is a wheelchair user and was his campaign manager.

“It is one of the worst countries in the European Union to have a disability on every measure – social isolation, poverty, sub-optimal outcomes – we can do better,” Clonan concluded.

In a press release, Provost Linda Doyle said: “I would like to congratulate Tom Clonan on his election to represent Trinity in Seanad Éireann. He will be following in the footsteps of some of Ireland’s most renowned and accomplished public representatives.”

“We look forward to working with Tom and the positive contributions he will make in the Seanad.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin congratulated the winning candidate on Twitter, saying: “No doubt you will be a strong voice and advocate for disability rights in Seanad Éireann and I wish you every success.”

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris added: “I have no doubt Tom will bring great energy, determination & dedication to his new role & will be a passionate advocate for people with disabilities.”

“Congratulations also to his son Eoghan who ran his campaign & inspires much of his dad’s work.”

RINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN STUDENTS’ UNION (TCDSU) discussed College’s policy on “upskirting” at a town hall meeting on March 29.

The town hall was held after TCDSU Council failed to reach quorum for its scheduled meeting.

The discussion item was brought forward by TCDSU’s Trinity Joint Honours (TJH) Convenor Catherine Arnold.

According to the item, “upskirting is the practice in which a photograph is taken of the genitals of an individual facing up their skirt without their consent or knowledge”.“This form of sexual assault poses many issues for any processes of reprimand.”

Speaking to Trinity News, Arnold said: “Essentially, I am worried about how this kind of issue can be dealt with to prioritise the victim.”

“A non-consensual photo has been taken of one’s most intimate area, but what does that actually mean moving forward? Can the phone be confiscated quickly and searched or are we expecting there to be some cctv of the assault

taking place? In the case that the phone can be confiscated, we can’t be sure that the evidence wasn’t deleted.”

“It seems to be a perfect crime,” she continued. “It’s gaslighting to the victim because the perpetrator can deny upfront what happened, and delete the evidence if questioned, but there’s a fundamental assault that has taken place”, Arnold noted.

“Like so many instances of public sexual harassment, there’s an expectation that these problems are illusive, rare and difficult to solve so victims should just learn to put up with it and I don’t agree with that to say the least.”

“I want to highlight these issues directly and demystify the process that prevents so many students from seeking and attaining justice for what has happened”, she concluded.

Speaking at the town hall this evening, Arnolds said: “It’s a really complicated issue…and really important to get out and address.”

“Sexual assualt is a really prevalent issue, and is often regarded as something elusive and can’t really be solved so victims just have to put up with it”, she continued.

TCDSU STEM Convenor Zoë Cummins added that she thinks “this is an important point that needs to be brought [to Council]”.

She asked if Arnold had “asked the welfare and equality officer about this [or] brought it to their attention to have it in the dignity and respect policy”.

Faye Murphy, Junior Sophistor class rep for Molecular Medicine said upskirting is “something female students and non binary students have endured” and added Council should “definitely talk about image based sexual assault as they definitely go hand in hand”.

“Any policy that goes forward should include both, not just upskirting”, Murphy concluded.

PHOTO BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

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TCDSU discusses lack of funding and long waiting lists for Colleges mental health services David Wolfe Assistant News Editor

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N MARCH 29, MEMBERS of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) discussed the lack of funding and long waiting lists for mental health supports available to students at College.

The discussion followed concerns raised by Senior Fresh Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology (PPES) Class Rep László Molnárfi about waiting lists for the Student Counselling Service (SCS).

Molnárfi highlighted that while “everyone who has experiences with college counselling, once they get it, really appreciates it”, waiting lists for these services are too long.

He called on TCDSU to put greater pressure College given that “it seems that they do not want to increase spending”.

“We have had enough of senior management telling us ‘It’s all gonna be okay’ when we have reports coming in day by day that it’s not.”

In response, TCDSU President

Leah Keogh pointed to the efforts made by the SU to increase mental health services so far, noting that the Union “did actually call a stakeholders meeting” with the College to address the issue.

Keogh noted that the Union’s current priority is “to focus our attention on a national strategy”, working with the Union of Students’ in Ireland (USI) to implement a coordinated approach to the topic.

She informed Council that the SU is asking students to sign a book of grievances, voicing their concerns with College services, including “the medical services, the mental health service, and even the disability service”.

Medicine Convenor William Reynolds highlighted issues around the mental health of students on clinical placements.

Reynolds said that medical students are a cohort which is “often forgotten” in terms of mental health, and alluded to the death of a Trinity student last month, pointing out that the deceased “was a medicine student”.

He noted the “inadequate” support for students on clinical placement, saying they “have not been

receiving the proper treatment”.

“We’ve had four suicides in the past four years of people on clinical placement”, Reynolds continued.

He pointed out that the workloads of such courses leave students with limited time to engage with the Students’ Union themselves: “We dont have alot of time to lobby for ourselves, to come to these meetings. A lot of issues have fallen through the cracks and I think it needs to be looked into for people on medical placement.”

Following this, SU Education Officer Bev Genockey addressed the topic from her own perspective as a Sabbatical Officer.

Genockey referred back to a meeting on 28 February in which she and fellow Sabbatical Officers spoke to the USI president about Trinity’s response to the events previously referred to by Reynolds.

While the Education Officer acknowledged that the tone of the meeting was positive, she said she was “really disappointed… to find out that USI didn’t have a dedicated mental health officer until after the death of one of our students”.

Genockey also referenced three college-wide emails sent out in the

days following that event which listed the contact information of herself and Welfare and Equality Officer Sierra Müeller-Owens as the top resource for student support.

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We have had enough of senior management telling us “It’s all gonna be okay”

Genockey pointed out that while she “would never turn [her] back on a student” in need, she has not “received any formal training” in dealing with such heavy issues beyond the requisite training for Sabbatical Officers provided by USI. Genockey highlighted the immense emotional burden placed on herself and Müeller-Owens by College’s handling of the situation.

“At no point did college contact me regarding listing me as the number one support for students experiencing distress.”

“At no point were we told that we would be utilised like that,” Genockey added.

“We haven’t been offered emergency counselling services ourselves.”

“Sierra [Müeller-Owens] and I really, really like our jobs and we want to do them well. Supporting students will always be a top priority; but if college is committed to supporting their students, they can’t rely on what are really just students themselves’’, Genockey concluded.

The Education Officer received a standing ovation from members of council following her address.

College inaugurates former Chief Justice Frank Clarke as new pro-chancellor The inauguration took place at a ceremony in the Provost’s House Ella Sloane Student Living Editor

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ARRISTER AND FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE of Ireland Frank Clarke was inaugurated as a new Pro-Chancellor of the University of Dublin at a ceremony held in the Provost’s House on March 31.

Clarke joins the University’s five other Pro-Chancellors: the Rt Hon Sir Donnell Deeny, Prof Jane Grimson, Dr Stanley Quek, Prof Shane Allwright and Prof Ignatius McGovern. Appointment to this role is “considered to be the highest accolade the university can bestow,” according to College.

Clarke graduated from University College Dublin with a degree in Economics and Maths in 1972. He then studied to become

a barrister at the King’s Inns, and went on to practice commercial, constitutional and family law for a number of years. He was a member of Fine Gael and served as a speechwriter for Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald. He also ran for a Seanad seat.

Clarke was appointed as a High Court judge in 2004 and became a judge of the Supreme Court in 2012. He also served as Chief Justice of Ireland between July 2017 and October 2021, returning to his work as a barrister and rejoining the Bar of Ireland after his retirement.

Clarke was a Professor at the King’s Inns between 1978 and 1985 and was appointed an Adjunct Professor at University College Cork in 2014. He has also been an Adjunct Professor at Trinity College, Dublin. Clarke is married to Dr Jacqueline Hayden, Assistant Professor in Trinity’s Department of Political Science.

On April 8, Trinity conferred honourary degrees on former Circuit Court judge Yvonne Murphy, poet Micheal O Siadhail, scientist and Chair of the Wexford Opera Festival Mary Frances Kelly, and businessman Terry Neill.

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Travel during the pandemic

LGBTQ+ mental health care

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-page 20

Ellen Kenny

Ella Sloane

Are single-gender schools the way of the past?

PHOTO VIA NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICE

While Labour prepare a new Bill banning singlegender schools, others speak out in favour of separate education Leanne Healy Contributing Writer

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athdown School, an all girls private school located in Glenageary, has recently announced their plans to move to a co-educational model, allowing both boys and girls to enrol. The boarding school, which caters for students aged three to eighteen years old, announced that there will be a phased introduction of boys to the school, starting from September. Boarding will remain for girls only pending the construction of a male boarding wing.

Speaking to The Independent last month, Principal Brian Moore said the decision to go co-ed was taken to ensure the school reflected modern Ireland and to fulfil its ethos of being an inclusive and progressive school.

In Ireland, 17% of primary school children attend a single-gender school, while this figure stands at around a third for secondary school students. Ireland is one of the outliers in the European context as it has the second highest proportion of single-gender schools, falling behind Malta.

France, on the other hand, made mixed gender primary schools mandatory in 1957, and by 1970, all secondary schools in Sweden were fully integrated.

The Labour Party recently put forward the Education (Admission to Schools) (Co-education) Bill 2022 proposing the abolition of same-sex schools in Ireland within the next fifteen years for secondary schools and the next ten years for primary schools. Leading the charge behind this idea is Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, TD for Dublin Bay North and Spokesperson on Education, Enterprise and Trade for the Labour Party.

Speaking to Trinity News, Aodhán Ó’Ríordáin explained his beliefs and ideas behind the proposed change. When asked why Ireland is behind other European countries in terms of the number of students attending co-educational schools, Ó’Riordán ex-

plained “the influence and legacy of religious orders” is the main reason as to why Ireland has such a high number of students enrolled in a single-gender school.

Agreeing that Ireland “certainly

“

Ireland is one of the outliers in the European context as it has the second highest proportion of single-gender schools

stands out in the European context for having a disproportionate number of single gender schools”, he goes on to explain that, in the development of educational institutions in Ireland, there has been “outsourcing to patron bodies since the foundation stage and as a result of this, the vast majority of schools are still of religious patronage”.

This Bill would mandate all state-funded schools to become mixed gender. Private schools would also be required to move to co-educational in order to still receive state funding.

Of course, there are arguments against the implementation of co-educational schools. The standard arguments being that boys and girls learn differently, there is distraction from the opposite sex and that parents should have the right to choose how their child is educated. It is widely believed that boys overpower girls in the classroom and demand more attention from teachers. On the other hand girls in classrooms are also believed to have a calming, civilising effect on the boys in their class.

Many parents would enrol their child in a single-gender school to prevent these distractions. Oth-

ers have also pointed out feeder school lists that show the majority of the top performing schools are single gender as proof of their arguments against mixed schools.

However, Ó’Ríordáin points out that “co-educational schools reflect the reality of Irish society” and that single gender schools “contrive a scenario which isn’t reflective of wider society”. He asks the question “what is the benefit of this fake environment and does it serve anybody?”. Ó’Ríordáin is of the belief that a “school, as a vehicle of the State, should reflect the community that it is serving”. Ireland has separated people, particularly students, on the basis of gender, religion and financial background however, O’Ríordáin notes that these separations “[don’t] really make sense anymore, it may have done at one point” however, it is no longer reflective of Irish society in 2022.

The Department of Education has not given sanction to a new single-gender school since 1998, so it is clear that the government is attempting to phase out single-gender schools themselves. Ó’Ríordáin explains that the Bill is trying to tackle a “legacy issue of all other schools which still

“

There is quite a nice almost sister-like bond that builds up in an all-girls school and I’m not sure that it would be as strong in a coed school

are of existence”. One of the goals of the Bill is to “provide space for the conversation to take place for any sort of governmental or state

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The influence and legacy of religious orders is the main reason as to why Ireland has such a high number of students enrolled in single-gender schools intervention”. When asked if the proposed abolition will face backlash, Ó’Ríordáin says “there may be opposition but, to be honest, the opposition is rooted in a very old-fashioned and gendered view of stereotypes. In the modern era where we are trying to promote gender equality, it’s harder to do that if we are separating young people and children”.

Trinity News spoke to students of both single-gender and co-educational schools to gain an insight into their thoughts on the proposed Bill. One student who went to an all girls school described that she “honestly really enjoyed my time at my school.”

“Besides the fact that with certain things the school was a bit strict like not being allowed to wear makeup, or have a nose piercing and uniform checks otherwise, it was grand. The uniform checks were a bit intense - I remember being shouted at in front of my entire class for my skirt being too short.

You’d wonder if the boys schools would have to go through stuff like that - being called up one by one and examined by the vice principal”.

However, she goes on to say that “there is quite a nice almost sister-like bond that builds up in an all-girls school and I’m not sure that it would be as strong in a co-ed school. We could talk about anything at lunch without any fear of any boys hearing what we were talking about because they simply just weren’t there”.

A student who has recently left Rathdown secondary school states that she was “happy being in an all girls school” and would “not have gone [to Rathdown] if it was a coed school” at the time when she enrolled. She described the recent change to a co-educational model that Rathdown has announced as an “interesting change”. She goes on to further explain that “I don’t think it will work for a really re-

ally long time - it will have to go through so many generations. [If I were to have children] I would not send my boys there because there are so many established all-boys schools. It will take ages to pick up”.

Another student we had spoken to had moved to a co-educational school in 5th year after previously being in an all-girls school. When asked about her time in a co-educational school she explains that “Thankfully I was a bit older when I went to a co-educational school - I moved when I was 16. I am not sure I would have been able for a co-ed school if I was younger, like from the ages of 12-14.” She explains how “boys at that age can be just plain nasty and I probably would have been even more insecure if I thought the boys in my class were mocking me”.

When asked if there were any main differences from attending an all girls school to a co-educational school she explains that “it just felt a bit more natural and helped me grow up and mature a lot”. The student emphasises that “we were all so focused on the Leaving Cert and studying that there were no real big distractions. Sometimes the boys would be messing around in the back of class but at the same time, in another class the girls could be the ones chatting and laughing down the back - there was no real difference”.

When asked what should follow if the proposed Bill is approved, Ó’Ríordáin emphasises “we need a State education system- we outsource everything. There are basic things that are provided for in other European countries that aren’t available for us here”. He gives the example of school books being free in Northern Ireland. Ó’Ríordáin explains how there “are huge amounts of financial conversation which happen between parents and schools” and instead should have “discussions about child development and learning not around fundraising”. A completely free public education system would result in these conversations about financial stress and worry being replaced with conversations of the child and their growth.

It is hard to break tradition, and single-gender schools in Ireland have been ‘the norm’ for as long as most of us can remember, so of course their proposed abolition would be faced with some hesitancy and backlash from pupils, parents and teachers. However, the Bill put forward by the Labour Party is pushing for a fairer and more equal education system for all children and young people, so the proposed change will hopefully, in time, be met with support and encouragement from the public.

PHOTO VIA BRIAN O'NEILL/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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McGreevy described the journey through Dublin Airport as something she “will never forget”, watching people on the phone crying to family

Globetrotting during a global crisis The difficulties of trying to travel during the worst of the pandemic Ellen Kenny Features Editor

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n March 12 2020, Chicago native and Trinity News journalist Shannon McGreevy was in Trinity Hall when Leo Varadkar announced the closure of schools and universities due to the Covid-19 pandemic. By March 16, international students, or approximately one in every three Trinity students, were informed via email that they had two days to leave College accommodation, excluding those who risked homelessness or were currently self-isolating with Covid-19.

As a first year biochemistry student at the time, the panic felt by McGreevy and other students in the same position was “incredibly scary”. Despite passengers being allowed to fly in emergency circumstances, rumours and misinformation spread online left McGreevy and many other inter-

national students in fear that they would not be welcomed home.

McGreevy explained that “with no support from Trinity Hall, we were left fending for ourselves and scrambling for extremely overpriced tickets home.” While residents of Trinity Hall were initially told they would likely return in two weeks, McGreevy received an email the day after she arrived in Chicago informing her that all her belongings must be removed from the accommodation or she would face fines. McGreevy had no immediate family or close contacts in Ireland at the time, and Trinity Hall offered no storage space themselves.

McGreevy described the journey through Dublin Airport as something she “will never forget”, watching people on the phone crying to family because they could not come home due to restrictions, or a group of Americans attempting to go home and being questioned for hours by security if they were safe enough to fly. With PCR tests widely inaccessible and vaccinations non-existent, those like McGreevy had no way of knowing if they would be allowed to travel and wait out the pandemic in their own homes.

McGreevy eventually made it to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, but she had already heard of passengers upon arrival “on

top of each other” in queues for a Covid-19 screening, with “multiple passing out” due to the crowded areas and waiting times of up to eight hours. These screenings con-

“

I never had anything checked at Dublin Airport. Not once… I could have not been vaccinated, never having filled out a locator form and no one would know

sisted of passengers having their temperature taken and then filling out a form. Masks were not yet mandatory indoors or in crowded spaces.

“Needless to say, it was a surreal experience,” McGreevy sums up, “People were really concerned about travelling and spreading the disease and it was evident in the stress and eeriness of airline travel.”

McGreevy’s experience is just one of many faced by those travelling to and from Ireland at all stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In line with health advice and international cues, the Irish government has regularly tightened and loosened travel restrictions for the past two years, from fourteen-day hotel quarantines to countries vying for a spot on the green list.

Covid-19 has been described as “the worst crisis in the aviation industry’s history” according to most major airline companies. By April 2020, Dublin Airport was only running repatriation flights or those with vital supplies and saw a 95% reduction in flights.

Cork Airport was reduced to three return flights to London each day.

While repatriation efforts took up all incoming flights to Ireland, outgoing flights saw many people trying to return to their home countries amidst the pandemic. As the most international university

in Ireland, Trinity in particular has seen students face all levels of travel restrictions in efforts to reach family abroad.

Second year student Oliwia Borek travelled to Wrocław, Poland, during the summer of 2021 to visit family and friends, having not seen them in nearly two years.

At this stage of the pandemic, EU citizens with Covid vaccination certificates could freely travel, while those without the vaccination continued to provide negative PCR tests. Borek and her family were also required to provide two locator passenger forms leaving Ireland and a further locator form to return to Ireland.

While Borek praised airlines like Ryanair for their “easy to access” information on requirement, she was struck when she arrived at Dublin Airport to find that the forms she filled out were essentially unnecessary: “I never had anything checked at Dublin Airport.

Not once. Not before departure, not after landing. I could have not been vaccinated, never having filled out a locator form and no one would know.”

In contrast, Borek was regularly checked for her certificates in Wrocław Airport: “I actually couldn’t even go through security without having everything checked.” Borek noted the low level of cases and lighter restrictions in Poland compared to Ireland in July 2021.

Despite the lack of security checks In Dublin Airport, Borek still felt “very safe” travelling abroad once she received her vaccine. Throughout the pandemic, unvaccinated individuals faced two week quarantines and PCR tests to travel abroad.

PCR tests quickly became one of the biggest obstacles to travelling abroad. Borek noted that this requirement placed the most pressure on her family’s travel preparations to Poland. As her younger brother was not yet eligible for vaccination, he was required to take a

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PHOTO BY AHIANI TAVARES

been called in for an appointment before she was scheduled to go abroad. Grogan was travelling to London to see relatives until the day of, when restrictions suddenly tightened. Effective immediately, travellers were required to provide a negative PCR. Having no chance to take her test and receive the results in time, Grogan was forced to book another flight. When Grogan arrived at Dublin Airport, she was not checked for a negative PCR test.

Later, Grogan was in Greece with her family members with the intention of travelling to Italy to stay with friends. Grogan explained that while it was not “essential” travel, she was taking all necessary precautions as they were explained to her. Grogan was on

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Recently when I was travelling home this past Christmas I had to wait over three hours in the freezing cold line, and people missed their flights

PHOTO VIA OSCAR E/FLICKR

PCR test before travelling abroad.

This, according to Borek, proved to be “inconvenient” in their home county of Mayo where test centres were few and difficult to access.

McGreevy pointed out that, while information was readily available, PCR tests were “costly and logistically difficult” during the height of the pandemic, before the vaccines were made available. Initially, McGreevy explains, one of the most accessible testing centres in Dublin was in a travel health centre that charged over one hundred euro for a test. The Randox Centre has since opened in Dublin Airport for testing, but McGreevy believes there are still issues preventing people from accessing PCR tests: “Recently when I was travelling home this past Christmas I had to wait over three hours in the freezing cold line because they were having issues and people missed their flights due to it.”

McGreevy also emphasised the differences between travelling from Ireland versus travelling to Ireland. She found that arriving in Chicago was relatively stress-free due to the thorough health screenings at US Customs in Dublin.

However, she also noted the varying level of restrictions between America and Ireland: “Throughout the pandemic it appeared that restrictions were volleying between the two countries in that, during the summer after March 2020 the US was strictly locked down and Ireland was beginning to ease some restrictions related to outdoor events. But when Ireland was in the long level 5 lockdown last year, the US was much more relaxed with restrictions.”

Catherine Grogan, a second year politics student, also faced the realities of travelling on PCR tests alone in the summer of 2021.

Grogan’s age group began receiving their first dose of the vaccine over this summer, but she had not

the island of Corfu and planned to take a ferry back to mainland Greece to travel to Italy when complications first arose.

Grogan was stopped before boarding the ferry and asked to provide a new PCR test. Grogan pointed out that this requirement was not mentioned in any forms shown to her and that other passengers were permitted aboard the ferry without documentation. She was told to go to a test centre “five minutes away, but was really five kilometres away”, which was consequently closed that day. Stuck in Corfu and fast approaching her scheduled flight to Italy, Grogan had no choice but to remain on the island for another night.

When Grogan did acquire a negative PCR test, complications rose even further when she realised she could not attach this PCR test to her passenger locator form as the Greek government only allowed one PCR test per form and the form had already been attached to a spot-check PCR test

taken at the airport.

Despite these complications, Grogan eventually reached Italy with her friends, where she was consequently hospitalised due to sickness. In order to leave the country earlier than planned, she was required to provide another negative PCR result, though the hospital had only provided her with an antigen test. Upon returning to Ireland, Grogan’s key insight was that she “would never travel without a vaccine again.”

Grogan noted that while her experiences travelling during Covid-19 was not the most extreme of situations during the pandemic, they still highlighted the frustration many people have felt in the face of ever-changing travel restrictions: “It was so stressful, they were changing all the time, constantly.”

On March 5, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced that the requirement for vaccination certificates and passenger locator forms from those

arriving into Ireland would end from midnight. Other countries such as France and Australia still require a negative PCR test, while other countries like Spain still hold health screenings upon arrival.

Despite the varied experiences across students travelling abroad, most agreed that the end of travel restrictions came at the right time.

Grogan was happy to see “cohesion across policies” in Ireland’s lifting of restrictions, as she found a level of hypocrisy in previous rules during the pandemic that had allowed tourists to enter the country while still keeping parts of the country and economy on lockdown. Trinity, for example, allowed tourists to enter campus and visit the Long Library and Book of Kells while lectures were still kept online last semester. Grogan, relieved to see consistency now, asks, “Why couldn’t we do things in our own country but we were allowing tourists to come in?”

Borek, noting that changes in Ireland’s travel restrictions fall in line with the lowering of all Covid-19 restrictions in the past few months, thought this final change “doesn’t really change anything” for Irish people.

Another student, who recently travelled to Prague this semester, had not thought that the restrictions at the time were necessary, and is glad to see the end of travel restrictions into Ireland. They do not think these restrictions should ever need to be reinstated: “I’ve come to think that Covid restrictions aren’t really the way forward in general, unless we have some goal in mind. It’s a good idea to put in restrictions until we’ve administered vaccines or have expanded hospital capacity, but once we’ve done all those things, we’re going to have to open up eventually.

There’s no point prolonging it.”

Looking forward, the student believes that travel restrictions across the world can be a thing of the past once the proper health policies are implemented globally: “The main thing we need to do now is invest in vaccinating the developing world, and after that Covid will probably just be like any other disease.”

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The logistics of getting aid to Ukraine A Polish charity has established humanitarian links between Dublin and Kyiv Lara Mellett Deputy Features Editor

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he Russian attack on Ukraine has seemed to unite Europe, with each nation providing empathy and activism for the crisis of justice. But what about direct action? While the flurry of tweets and TikToks providing information on and condemning the attacks have led many to declaring the invasion “the world’s first TikTok war”, many commentators have noted that the benefits of these acts of social media social justice can be quite obscure. Some have questioned whether this online coverage is “a new form of citizen war journalism or just an invitation to keep clicking”.

Trinity has officially condemned the invasion of Ukraine, stating on its website: “The university is currently offering support to students, staff and other members of the Trinity community impacted by the crisis. A team, led by Vice President for Global Engagement Emma Stokes, has met with Trinity students affected by the conflict and will continue to provide help in the days ahead”, and lighting up College’s front facade in Ukraine’s national colours of blue and gold.

College also outlined supports on offer to Ukrainian Trinity students and 18 Trinity students on exchange in Russia, such as support through their college tutors.

While statements of solidarity and local support display a certain stance, it can be contested as to whether this assists the crisis at hand. In an address to the EU Leaders’ Summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised many European countries for their full support, he singled out Ireland, simply saying that he felt he “almost” had Ireland’s full support. On Wednesday April 7, Zelenskyy became the first wartime head of state to address Dáil Éireann, noting his gratitude for Irish humanitarian aid and the welcoming of Ukrainian refugees.

However, he also noted the need for “specific help”, and the charity Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy (WOŚP) is an example of just how much Ireland can do for the cause.

Originating from Poland, one of the countries Zelensky praised for their full support, the NGO (the name of which means ‘Great Orchestra of Christmas’ in English) was set up in 1993 to raise

funds for paediatric and elderly care in Poland. However, the charity immediately began working to support Ukraine from the beginning of the invasion, setting up in Dublin under the charter organisation WOŚP. The charity works from a warehouse space in Dublin 12 that was donated by the Harris Group, collecting donations from Irish people.

Many businesses in the centre of Dublin have set up mini-donation points, from which goods are moved to the warehouse. The donations are then transported to the charity’s depots in places such as Harrachov in Czechia, before being brought to Ukraine through a terminal near Krakow.

In his address to the Dáil, Zelenskyy pointed out that hunger and famine would be Russia’s next “weapon of war” against Ukraine.

Items being donated to WOŚP include dry foods, cosmetics and toiletries, first aid supplies, batteries, small lanterns, clothes, and toys.

Speaking with Trinity News, Krzysztof Blaszczyk, part of the production management team for WOŚP, described the processes that are needed for the charity to run: “Logistically, it’s an entire chain of events, from the moment someone brings us [a donation], to the segregation of items, to loading it on a truck to leave Dublin, and then co-ordinating online the

arrival of the truck to the terminal near Krakow and then sending it to Ukraine.” He mentioned that Paddy Wagon has provided buses for the charity, and “up until now, we have shipped over 500 palates [of goods], each over 200m long”.

They plan on continuing the campaign for as long as necessary, as well as developing alternative ways to directly aid Ukraine: “We will be moving our actions to the internet, starting a gofundme, where we will be raising money,

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On March 30, WOŚP organiser Jerzy Owsiak announced that they had raised €48.3 million in 2021

PHOTO VIA UKRINFORM/DEPOSITPHOTOS

and we will be purchasing products directly, sending it to the terminal and then to Ukraine.”

On March 30, WOŚP organiser Jerzy Owsiak announced that they had raised €48.3 million in 2021.

The funds raised will be used to buy ophthalmology equipment for children.

Additionally, WOŚP plan to help refugees from Ukraine in their journey to Ireland: “This transport goes to one of the refugee centres outside of Warsaw, Poland, and on the way back, from the same centre, we will take 240 Ukrainian (mostly women and children) and bring them back to Ireland, provide them with accommodation, food, social help, and help them to assimilate in Ireland”.

College has recently announced plans to open over 200 rooms on campus accommodation to refugees over the summer.

They acknowledge that transporting refugees is much more difficult than dry foods and donated items, but they have ensured that the correct procedures are in place for everything to run smoothly, making sure that there are planned stops along the 40 hours one-way journey, proper rest for the drivers, as well as frequent meals. Even with all of this taken into account, ultimately, he says: “It’s super challenging but it’s rewarding, we have such great support.”

Blaszczyk credits the success of the campaign to the people who have donated and volunteered their time, of which there have been a tremendous number since the beginning: “In our first week of action, we received over 800 emails, including volunteers and people looking to donate.” He expresses his gratitude for the Irish people who have become involved in the campaign: “[They] have such big hearts.”

On March 11, a reported 365 million euros had already been donated to Ukraine, though it is likely that this figure is higher. By March 7, Ireland had donated approximately 16 million euros to Ukraine through charities such as the Irish Refugee Council, the Irish Emergency Alliance and Misean Cara.

Since April 2016 WOŚP ranks on the top of the list as the most trusted public entity according to Brand Asset Valuator and is the second strongest brand in Poland.

WOŚP has been subject to smear campaigns by Poland’s ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) and is often a point of contention between PiS and the opposing Civic Platform group. To follow the WOŚP project further, or potentially get involved, additional information can be found on their Facebook page.

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Similarly, Arrowsmith declares time to have been the greatest obstacle impeding the realisation of all of his goals

The past, present and future of TCDSU The 2021/22 sabbatical team takes time to reflect Catherine Grogan Contributing Writer

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merging from the wake of Covid-19, this year’s Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) undoubtedly faced additional challenges and responsibilities in representing Trinity College’s student body. As the year draws to a close, Trinity News considers the TCDSU Sabbatical team’s performance in dealing with these challenges, the degree to which they delivered on their campaign promises, the experiences of some outgoing officers, and their hopes for the future.

Assessing her performance as TCDSU President 2021/22, Leah Keogh immediately emphasises the different challenges faced by this year’s Sabbatical team, “every

year is different, and I think specifically this year, coming out of Covid, the priorities were different from the outset.” According to Keogh, much of her time this year was spent “trying to get the basics – trying to get the libraries open, students to classes, the whole piece around exams having to go online, trying to get the right equipment for people.”

Despite these additional challenges, Keogh still believes she managed to achieve most of her manifesto points: “If that’s how you’re quantifying it [job performance], I would say I did well.”

Keogh achieved both immediate, short term goals and strategies for the achievement of long term targets like the development of a student centre, which “students might not feel the benefits of immediately but which they will feel down the line.” Shorter term plans in Keogh’s manifesto included making Trinity Ball 2022 plastic-free and introducing menstrual cups to the TCDSU shop, the former of which having actually succeeded. There are also plans to make House 6, home of TCDSU, accessible by 2024, an integral part of Keogh’s

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Keogh still believes she managed to achieve most of her manifesto points: “If that’s how you’re quantifying it [job performance], I would say I did well”

manifesto.

Keogh’s achievements mirror her priorities: “I think a good president is a good firefighter; you have to be willing to be dynamic, to cater to students’ needs at that time, but also not to lose sight of the long term goals.”

Greg Arrowsmith is similarly satisfied with his performance as Ents Officer. After a surprise win in the 2021 elections, Arrowsmith faced an uphill battle in restoring College’s pre-Covid social scene while restrictions remained tight.

Speaking to Trinity News, Arrowsmith said he was happy with the way in which he and his team adapted to pandemic restrictions, especially in the first half of semester one when social distancing measures remained in place and bars and nightclubs remained either closed or on restricted hours.

“Compared to any other colleges in Ireland I think we had more events and more successful events,” Arrowsmith says. When asked of his proudest achievement in office, he points to the Senior Freshers week which was held at the beginning of September, just as “front gate was thrown open

for the first time in two years.”

In September, Trinity Ents announced they had hosted “65 events” and “two Freshers Weeks”, selling 15,932 tickets and raising 7,886 euros in total. The momentum of these first events continued throughout the semester, with the reopening of nightclubs at the end of October heralding the return of Ents club nights and the beginning of a new element of college life for half of the current student body.

Despite achieving most of their campaign goals, both officers admitted to facing bureaucratic challenges which impeded the realisation of certain targets and promises. Keogh admits a “practical limitation to be the dense bureaucracy of the institution,” with the Sabbatical team required to engage in increased amounts of administrative work in light of Covid: “there are a lot of hoops to jump through and a number of committees to sit on.”

Similarly, Arrowsmith declares time to have been the greatest obstacle impeding the realisation of all of his campaign goals, “That was the one thing that surprised me most about the job – how little time you end up having and how much time everything takes up.

There’s so much paperwork and admin.” However, he was quick to emphasise that “within the SU and within the college, as long as you’re willing to work at something and you make your points well, there is the appetite to do pretty much anything.”

When asked whether she would encourage students to run for a Sabbatical position, Keogh, although quick to answer in the affirmative, refused to “sugarcoat the more demanding sides of the role – what we do on a day to day basis probably doesn’t match most student’s expectations of the job.”

In addition to working full time from 9:30 to 5:30, “you have to put in the groundwork to deliver on your manifesto promises, and sometimes that means 20 hours of Zoom meetings a week and 100 emails a day.”

Continued on page 20>>

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>> Continued from page 19

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Arrowsmith admits that “it’s disappointing to see the lack of contested races,” deeming this to be symbolic of “a bigger problem of student engagement” Undeterred by the slog of the job, however, Keogh deems it an “honour to have the mandate of so many students.” Yet despite being the elected voice for the entirety of Trinity College’s student body, voter turnout in TCDSU elections is piteously low, with only 11.93% of Trinity College students casting an electronic vote in the recent 2022 elections. This comes at the same time as four out of five of the Sabbatical positions for UCDSU were defeated by a vote to reopen nominations (RON), with this call to reopen nominations reportedly arising in protest to the lack of contested positions and candidate choice in the elections, though this RON campaign is also attributed to misinformation spread by the anonymous Insta-

gram page ucdconfessions. Many TCDSU Sabbatical positions have been similarly uncontested or under-contested in recent years, with three of the six Sabbatical positions uncontested this year. A successful RON campaign emerged in Trinity during the election for University Times (UT) Editor after many students were unsatisfied with the performance of the sole candidate running and saw no other alternative. Arrowsmith admits that “it’s disappointing to see the lack of contested races,” deeming this to be symbolic of “a bigger problem of student engagement.”

Keogh agrees that “democratically and generally, people like to have options, so we always want to encourage different candidates to run so that students have options and can make their own decisions.” Arrowsmith emphasises the importance of “getting people running from different sides of college, different courses and different walks of life.” Having served as Welfare and Equality Officer prior to being elected President, Keogh acknowledges that “there is something to be said for retention.

Having that institutional knowledge is definitely an asset in navigating any of the obstacles that arise.” She also recognises, however, that there is “value in the one year turnover, because what students want will change, and I think it is important that leadership reflects that.”

As the conclusion of the academic year fast approaches, so too does the time for the current Sabbatical team to “pass on the baton,” as Keogh puts it, in the relay race that is the Sabbatical roles. In spite of her imminent departure, her hopes for the future of the SU are palpable, “what I’ve realised in this job is that the student experience is so dynamic, as are the experiences that face students.” The President’s hope for future officers, therefore, is that “they’ll keep on the fight, whatever that looks like.”

The unique challenge LGBTQ+ mental heal The author of The Queer Mental Health Workbook discusses his research Ella Sloane Student Living Editor This article contains discussion of self-harm

R

esearch has consistently shown that members of the LGBTQ+ community face significant disparities in physical and mental health outcomes when compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, linked to societal stigma and discrimination. Speaking to Trinity News, Dr. Brendan J Dunlop—a clinical psychologist and clinical lecturer from the University of Manchester—provided an insight into his area of expertise: queer mental health.

Much of Dunlop’s research centres on the experiences of those who identify as bisexual, and “the

kind of mental health difficulties that disproportionately affect bi people”. For his doctoral thesis, Dunlop analysed the risk of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) amongst bisexual people, finding that they are up to six times more likely to engage in NSSI compared to other sexualities. During our conversation, Dunlop highlights the unique challenges faced by bi people, including biphobia.

His research found a relationship between self-esteem levels and self-injury urges in bi people, as well as highlighting the detrimental impact that a lack of a sense of belonging has amongst those who identified as bisexual.

Speaking to Trinity News, Dunlop says: “We know that the LGBTQ+ community as a whole has got a disproportionate rate of mental health difficulties when compared to heterosexual and cisgender people but when we break it down and we look at the different groups of people within the community we find consistently that bi people tend to have the highest prevalence of mental health difficulties [compared to gay or lesbian people].” He notes that “despite this being the case they are really under-researched.”

Speaking of Bisexual+ Health Awareness Month—which just took place in March—Dunlop em-

phasises the “need to understand and reflect on our own prejudices and assumptions” and to “call out biphobic discrimination”, not only during this month but throughout the whole year. He concludes: “As healthcare professionals, as educational institutions, as any kind of institution that has power,” we need to consider the various ways

“

Dunlop emphasises the “need to understand and reflect on our own prejudices and assumptions

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Much of Dunlop’s research centres on the experiences of those who identify as bisexual, and “the kind of mental health difficulties that affect bi people in particular”

es of lth care in which our “structures and processes and the stories that exist within our cultures and systems could be directly or indirectly discriminatory.” “There are multiple levels in which we need to be thinking about helping people that are bi to feel more connected and more valid and more worthy.” Bi Health Awareness Month offers a crucial opportunity to highlight the unique challenges faced by this marginalised community, advocating for resources and inspiring allyship and actions which improve bi people’s well-being.

Throughout the interview, Dunlop highlights the crucially important role that history plays in shaping the queer experience today, stating that “queer history colours the present day”. The knock-on effect of harmful legislation such as Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, which was enacted in Britain under Margaret Thatcher’s government is one such example. This prohibited the “intentional promotion of homosexuality” within educational institutions and the broader public sphere. Dunlop points out that some “lecturers in our higher education institutions today would have lived through” this era “where people were explicitly silenced”. He continues, “LGBTQ+ books were removed from school libraries and

LGBTQ+ societies within schools were disbanded.” Dunlop emphasises the importance of understanding the impact that Section 28 still has on queer students in educational institutions in the UK today: “Sometimes educational institutions might still have, whether they are aware of it or not, stains of section 28, such as teaching staff who still hold these prejudiced views, or policies that might not have actually been reviewed in a long time.”

When asked what higher education institutions can do to be more supportive of their LGBTQ+ community, Dunlop replies “We need to make sure curriculums are inclusive. We absolutely now need to be teaching about diverse relationships, teaching about the fact that gender isn’t binary…that sexuality and gender diversity has always existed.” He also highlights the importance of creating queer spaces for students such as “LGBTQ+ societies or lunch clubs”, where students can feel a sense of belonging and community and have somewhere to discuss the unique challenges that they face.

Dunlop discusses how “queer existence is quite intimately tied to racism and supremacy”, shedding light on the devastating impact of British colonialism in particular, which “systematically exterminated any [preexisting] kind of gender diversity in many different colonies.” “Difference threatens control”, he explains, is a mentality key to understanding why colonisers strove to completely restructure the gender dynamics of many African and Indian societies that they encountered. The widespread criminalisation of homosexuality on the African continent today is a legacy of colonialism.

Dunlop identifies that with many of these “countries which have got really damaging anti-LGBTQ+ laws, you’ll notice that they have

a history of colonisation”. He also highlights the evolving narrative of the Hijra community in India, another former colony of Britain. The Hijra people, who identify outside of the gender binary and are commonly referred to as India’s third gender, were once “well-esteemed” and “people would go to them for blessings”, however they have now become increasingly marginalised and hostility towards them has “grown subtly”. Evidently, an understanding of queer history is of the utmost importance if we are to understand the unique challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community today.

Dunlop recently delivered the first public lecture series organised by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) group at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Trinity, speaking about how “various systems, structures and stories in a heteronormative society render maintaining good mental health for LGBTQ+ people challenging”, and how the queer community might “overcome these barriers using methods underpinned by psychological theories.” This series included a lecture open to staff and students as well as the general public, a clinical formulation workshop open to mental health practitioners in Trinity, and an informal student seminar on resilience.

Dunlop also published his first book this March, entitled The

Queer Mental Health Workbook, having worked on it over lockdown. Speaking of the process, he shares that he “was managing lockdown by trying to funnel these thoughts into something which I hoped would be ultimately helpful”. Describing his inspiration for undertaking the project, Dunlop explains that he combined his “lived experience of being a gay man, [his] professional knowledge of being a clinical psychologist”, and “the themes and ideas” discussed in his work with clients. “It was motivating me to think about the people I worked with who could benefit from this” Dunlop states.

He describes the content of the book, explaining that the first section covers “the basics of queer mental health” whilst the second section is “a deeper dive into specific challenges” that affect the queer community. This is all accompanied by optional worksheets and other interactive elements.

Dunlop stresses that there are “things larger than us that cause some of the difficulties that we experience”.

Dunlop’s work crucially highlights that many of the mental health challenges facing the queer community today are intrinsically linked to and rooted in history.

From legacies of colonialism to lingering discriminatory government policies, trauma is ultimately

“

We need to make sure curriculums are inclusive.

We absolutely need to be teaching about diverse relationships, teaching about how gender isn’t binary inherited by LGBTQ+ people. Together, we must all reflect on these histories and learn from them, in order to understand how to cope with their pervasive negative effects in a productive and healthy manner.

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For some, Ukrainian refugees are just a PR opportunity

Gardaí should not be welcome at Trinity Ball

page 25

page 27

Ciarán Drohan

Editorial

Student union engagement is facing a crisis, the UCD election results only prove that

Eva O'Beirne

Deputy Life Editor

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n April 1, four out of five officer races for the University College Dublin Students’ Union (UCDSU) elections resulted in a vote to re-open nominations.

Amongst a backdrop of misinformation and gossip pages, these results represent more than the work of an attempted unanimous RON campaign but rather a growing issue of poor SU engagement on a national level.

But what do I mean by an attempted unanimous RON campaign? Well, on March 24, an anonymous student-run account UCD Confessions (@ UCDconfessions) uploaded the first of two posts that would ultimately destroy the upcoming UCDSU elections. Declaring

that “an election with one person running for each role is unacceptable”, the post outlined that the owner of the confessions account would be voting to reopen nominations and that other students should too.

Citing that they had read “100s of confessions about it” and spoken with “some friends that are auditors of the biggest societies and even former SU members”, the UCD Confessions admin launched a RON campaign to ensure that UCD students were “ACTUALLY represented this year”. I don’t disagree with this initial sentiment. Having uncontested elections for positions that are supposed to represent an entire student body does raise some questions,

especially when that student body has over 30,000 members. RON campaigns are extremely rare too, as we can all recall from the buzz around our own SU election this year.

But UCD Confessions claimed that sabbatical positions caused students to be “blocked” from being involved in the union.

Saying that taking a year out (the definition of sabbatical) made “no sense”, the account alleged that due to the majority of officers being graduate students, they could “coast”, and for the most part, aren’t held accountable. It is clear from this first post that UCD Confessions didn’t necessarily care about getting the facts right, but instead wanted to rile up their followers with misinformation.

“

The UCD Confessions admin launched a RON campaign to ensure that UCD students were "ACTUALLY represented this year" Commenters under this initial post raised two initial concerns: 1) that students should not be using a gossip page to inform their ballot, and 2) the page focused

on complaining about UCDSU instead of telling their followers how to run in the election. UCD Confessions also failed to provide proof that they had received hundreds of complaints about the union or evidence that they had spoken with auditors of UCD societies.

The powder keg was ignited on March 25, when UCD Confessions posted an Instagram graphic captioned “How Different UCDSU Rules Are Silencing Our Voices”. In this post, the admin blamed UCDSU for governmental policies. Citing the case of Paula, a prominent activist and Diversity Officer for UCDSU, the account highlighted how her migrant visa status prevents her from taking the sabbatical leave necessary for her to run for SU President.

Paula gave a statement to UCD Confessions saying: “As a migrant, I am not financially privileged enough to take a sabbatical year.

I need to start earning money.

I don’t have any house security, food security or any relatives in Ireland that I can live with.”

UCD Confessions claimed that in order for the SU to represent all students, sabbatical roles must be turned into “part-time jobs”, with a possibility of three students acting as president. If students vote RON, according to the page, the union would be “forced to change this broken system”.

And the student population was seemingly convinced. On April 1, with a total turnout of 1,711, the UCD electorate voted to re-open nominations for four out of five races. For context, the recent UCD Law Society elections had a higher turnout than the SU elections.

It is easy to be outraged at what happened, and students certainly were. Before the polls even opened, UCD Confessions had made references to “hacks” arguing in the comments section of their posts. Through belittling concerned members of the university, lines were drawn and it became easier for uninformed voters to ridicule older members of the community.

The sensationalist idea of an anonymous, unaccountable student battling against the impermeable institution was irresistible not to engage with.

Both of UCD’s papers, the College Tribune and University Observer, ran features on the election with the Tribune both

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If students vote RON, according to the page, the union would be "forced to change this broken system"

“

If a misinformation campaign of a similar size spread through Trinity around the time of my first SU election, I would fall for it too interviewing and fact-checking the page in separate articles. But what strikes me, personally, as odd was the lack of challenge brought against this page.

Where were the targeted antimisinformation posts that should have been shared by the union?

Where were the questions that would have dismantled the page’s ideas in the interviews? Who was telling this admin that they were telling the truth?

It may be a broken system, but it won’t be solved by splitting the presidential duties into three. UCDSU, of course, pays its sabbatical officers (around €21,000 per year) but doesn’t offer free or subsidised accommodation

as Trinity does. Providing this kind of service would start to dismantle barriers to becoming an SU officer, as would encouraging third-year students to run for election. Younger members of the union might bring more energy to the establishment, who knows?

Establishing grants or funds for minority groups could also encourage increased engagement.

UCDSU also faces the problem of requiring 150 signatures to run for officership. The form to collect signatures is released by the SU and doesn’t provide any information on the individual candidates - a system that is far from straightforward. Reducing the number of signatures required also seems like a no-brainer if only to encourage more isolated students to run.

Poor SU engagement is something that all unions are accustomed to. Trinity’s own election had a total valid poll of 2,148 is hardly representative of our whole student population.

The RON votes for UCD’s election were as high as 887 out of 1,711.

But although student union members and “hacks” may be right about the destruction UCD Confessions has caused, they don’t do themselves any favours when they start accusing students of not thinking critically or negatively engaging with a union.

Admittedly, it is really easy to pass comments on the performance of a student union when you are not a representative within it. But if students do not feel represented or worse, ignored, by their union they should be allowed to voice that without backlash. UCDSU failed to take on criticisms and open channels of communication, and now they are facing the consequences.

From my own perspective, if I had very little to no in-person

experience in College, and I saw a gossip page followed by over 18,000 of my fellow students calling attention to an issue, I would listen. The pandemic has unfortunately created insular union communities, which makes it harder for outsiders to engage.

When I was entering college in 2019, I had no idea what a student union was or how it functioned.

If a misinformation campaign of a similar size spread through

Trinity around the time of my first SU election, I would fall for it too.

And we can’t blame those who fell for UCD Confession’s RON campaign when the union didn’t attempt to take it down. Blaming them for not knowing any better will not create fans of union politics.

Students have to know that they will get something positive out of being engaged with an organisation. It's not easy to be a

student, we need all the supports we can get, and if we think we can get something better then….well why wouldn’t you vote RON in that case?

So what happens next? Well, the by-elections have been scheduled and nominations closed over the weekend. Will more people run? Will students feel more represented? We’ll see. But UCDSU needs to let its members know of the work it does and reach outside of the societies or student centre bubble. It needs to reinforce the idea that their union can serve students in its current form, and that it is willing to dismantle the barriers it can. If misinformation can spread to this extent, we can’t be surprised at what happens.

PHOTO BY JOE MCCALLION FOR TRINITY NEWS

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The government’s Leaving Cert reform is directionless and ill-prepared Deputy Comment Editor

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fter decades of discussion and an equally long list of suggestions as to how it might be improved, the Leaving Certificate (Leaving Cert) is finally seeing substantial reform. Unsurprisingly, the reaction of the public to the proposed introduction of a greater continuous assessment component has been mostly positive — those of us who sat the Leaving Cert prior to 2020 can almost certainly recall the dread associated with one, alldeciding set of examinations.

Yet by introducing only partial continuous assessment and retaining the vast majority of grading in final exams, such halfway reform runs the risk of failing to sufficiently address existing concerns and instead might foster only new anxieties.

How exactly is the Leaving Cert set to change? As recently

announced by Minister for Education Norma Foley, from the 2023/24 academic year the traditional Leaving Cert format will be replaced by one in which only 60% of students’ ultimate results derive from the final set of examinations, while 40% will involve continuous “teacherbased” assessments throughout the entire senior cycle. Along with this, two papers usually sat at the end of Sixth Year – English Paper 1 and Irish Paper 1 – will now be sat by students at the end of Fifth Year. This placing of a greater emphasis on continuous assessment is by no means surprising – from former Education Minister Ruairí Quinn’s failed attempts to reform the Junior Certificate to the experience of predicted grading during the pandemic, more continuous assessment has been considered for years now. As is clear from Foley’s own statement, “the idea here is that students will no longer have to face 100% of their exam on one day in the month of June”.

Yet while the proposed reforms have been largely welcomed by the public and across the political spectrum, they seem unlikely to affect any significant positive change in student’s experience of the Leaving Cert cycle. If it is Foley’s aim to “reduce the pressure on students that comes from final assessments based primarily on examinations”, then it surely

makes little sense to retain these very same final examinations as by far the most weighted component of students’ grades. What difference does it actually make to a student desperate to reach a specific number of points for the CAO that their final exam is now 60% of their grade instead of 100%? Will an 18-year-old aiming to study medicine really feel any less stress when at the prospect of 60%-weighted final examinations when the margins of success are so narrow that the loss or gain of a single point could decide their future? If there exists the view in the Department of Education that continuous assessment offers a real opportunity to improve students’ experience of the Leaving Cert cycle (by no means necessarily the case), then why introduce it so tepidly?

The idea that continuous assessment will necessarily reduce students’ stress in the Leaving Cert cycle is itself hard to reconcile with reality.

By extending the period of examination over two entire years and having students sit final papers for English and Irish at the end of their Fifth Year, Foley’s reforms will instead force courses to be completed far sooner than previously, allow less preparation time and likely only succeed in exposing students to the stress of assessments over a much longer period. How many of us, looking back, would have been happy or prepared to sit half of our English/Irish exams in Fifth Year?

With regard to Irish Paper 1 in particular, to hold it at the end of Fifth Year deprives students of the opportunity many currently avail of to spend a Summer in the Gaeltacht improving their Irish skills. In this sense, one might well argue that Foley’s planned reforms will only succeed in leaving students in a heightened state of stress over a much longer period of time than is traditionally the case.

Yet the problems posed

by Foley’s plans do not only relate to the student experience of the Leaving Certificate – her commitment to greater continuous, “teacher-based” assessment represents a substantial increase in work demanded of teachers, who will now function as teacher, official

“

Foley’s reforms will instead force courses to be completed far sooner than before, allow less preparation, and extend stress over a much longer period

is giving students a chance to move forward in their lives.

The government would be far more successful in attempting to improve the well-being of students if it focused instead on increasing the number of places on offer for further education in Ireland, on dealing with grade inflation and on expanding the resources available to those sitting the Leaving Certificate cycle in less than ideal financial or social conditions.

This is not to say that there are no positive aspects of the government’s proposed reform of the Leaving Cert.

The introduction of two new modules in the form of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development represent a welcome recognition of the need to support the arts following post-pandemic and to foster an environmentally aware and engaged society.

However, if the government truly intends to improve both the student and teacher experience of the Leaving Certificate cycle, it needs to recognise that such change will not occur quickly and cannot succeed without understanding that students care about more than just continuous or non-continuous assessment.

There is no single panacea for the problems of the Leaving Cert and successful change requires time.

ARTWORK BY AMANDA CLIFFE FOR TRINITY NEWS

Fionnán Uíbh Eachach

exam invigilator and grader all in one. Despite this clear increase in the work assigned to teachers, Foley’s plans include, as of yet, no associated increase in teachers’ pay and given the response of teachers’ unions to the announcement this will almost certainly remain a bone of contention in coming years. This is to say nothing of the possibility of personal bias in teachers’ grading of their own students. While claiming that teachers’ grading will be “externally moderated” by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), Foley has as of yet offered no concrete vision as to how this might be implemented. With only one year until the planned implementation of these reforms, it is inexcusable that the SEC and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment can only commit to researching how such external moderation would operate at this point in time.

In many ways, the problem with the reforms intended for implantation by the government is that they entirely fail to respond to what students actually feel about the Leaving Certificate and further education. Arguments over the respective advantages and disadvantages of single examinations and continuous assessment ignore the fact that most students accept that stress will always be a part of such important exams – what matters

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PHOTO BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS

Comment

For some, it seems Ukrainian refugees are little more than a PR opportunity Ciarán Drohan Contributing Writer

I

n the past week, it was announced that Dublin Airport Authority International, a subsidiary of the semi-state company that runs Dublin airport had won the opportunity to manage the airport in Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia. Last November, Leo Varadkar led an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and pledged to “deepen ties” between the state and Ireland.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the Irish government has strongly condemned Russia and Vladimir Putin and more recently expelled a number of senior Russian diplomats. The state’s approach to taking in Ukrainian refugees has been impressive. So far, over 13,000 Ukrainians have arrived and the Tánaiste has quite nobly offered to take in refugees in his own home.

When the initial shock of the invasion at the end of February

began to dissipate, the disparity between media coverage and general discussion of this conflict and other wars, especially in the Gulf region, became clear. The war in Ukraine continues to dominate news cycles and has inspired some ludicrous commentary. It has been referred to as the first European war since World War II (mysteriously forgetting the Balkan Wars), there have been numerous frankly racist appeals with the sentiment that “these are people like us” and in this country there have been a number of articles calling for Ireland to remove its neutrality — a massively unpopular position.

It is important to look at why coverage of the war in Ukraine has been so prominent when compared to other conflicts. The civil war in Yemen for example has led to what the United Nations describes as “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world”.

The fighting and resultant famine

has, as of the end of 2021, killed 377,000 people. 80% of the country’s 24.1 m population need humanitarian aid and protection according to the UN. This horror is significantly propagated by a coalition led by the Saudi and UAE governments — the same states that Varadkar endeavoured to “deepen ties” with. Ireland and the broader international community have largely refused to denounce the Saudi government with anything near the same clarity and vigour as they have done with Russia.

This difference could be down to a number of elements other than just electoral politics.

Perhaps the gulf states are seen as more important nations to maintain diplomatic ties with due to trade policies, or perhaps the Irish government has simply been swept along by international politics and chosen to align itself with the big Western players. These

“

This horror is mostly propagated by a coalition led by the Saudi and UAE governments — the same states that Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has endeavoured to “deepen ties” with

factors, if not virtuous, are logical.

However, it would seem that the government’s approach can also be attributed to domestic politics.

Nearly every government that has condemned the Russian invasion has seen a rise in popularity — the political relevance of the Ukrainian war is of course partly a result of its disproportionate media coverage. When examining the reasons behind this, an immediate thought is that it is simply due to racism that makes Ukrainians more relatable and of immediate concern than Yemenis.

However, I believe there may be a more nuanced cause.

In the current age of news entertainment, the simple narrative is welcomed and detail and confusion are shunned. The Ukrainian war is, at face value, an almost cartoonishly simple conflict. You have a big, bad power led by a face of pure evil that has invaded a plucky, smaller country that everyone can safely root behind.

In fact, it is portrayed as almost retro, with the despicable Russians that we’ve seen in so much media from the 1920s to the 80s back with a vengeance this time (ignoring of course the wars in Chechnya, Syria, and others).

By contrast, the civil war in Yemen is far more complex. By its very nature as a civil war, the assignment of heroes and villains becomes more difficult.

The Houthi rebels purport to represent the Shia minority in Yemen and are backed by Iran (who we’ve seemed to collectively decide are bad) and the Sunni government are supported by the aforementioned Saudi and UAEled coalition which is militarily supported by the US and the UK. Most people far removed from Islamic countries know little about the Shias and the Sunnis, save for the fact that they “don’t like each other”. Perhaps in the past century, public opinion would be engineered behind the nations supported by the US and the UK. However, after the Iraq war and other events have almost completely dismantled public trust, this seems futile.

It is the malleability of the Ukrainian conflict into a comic-book tale of good and evil, of the empire and the rebels, that makes it so news-ready and politically important. This involves, of course, the condemnation of Russia and the taking in of Ukrainian refugees. While the Irish government is ready to do business with Saudi Arabia and willingly ignore the state’s domestic human rights abuses and involvement in a catastrophic war in Yemen, it has shown kindness and generosity to those fleeing the war in Ukraine and taken a hard line stance against Russia and Putin. Unfortunately, I cannot fathom that they are ignorant of the Yemeni civil war and can only conclude that the government’s approach to the current crisis is one motivated by politics alone.

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Trinity, I love you but you're bringing me down Jack Kennedy Editor

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ith the conclusion of my term as editor approaching, I’m preparing to say goodbye to Trinity for good. That’s no small thing; I’ve been here longer than almost anyone who isn’t now actually teaching classes. I remember the buildings that used to be where the Business School is now. My student number begins with 15.

As I suffer from the kind of cloying nostalgia that comes with every major life transition, am I sorry to be leaving? Well, no, not really. The truth is, as much as I’ve loved (most of) my time here, Trinity is broken. It’s been that way for a long time.

This manifests in lots of ways. College’s unwillingness or inability to support its students is so profound and total that it’s literally killing people. It was noted at the last Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Council meeting on April 5 that there has been one suicide a year in the School of Medicine alone for the last four years running.

As has also been noted by TCDSU of late, College’s response

to the tragic death of another medical student in February was to pass the buck to the union’s education and welfare officers.

All 18,400 Trinity students were advised to lean on two people who, for the Trojan work they do in supporting their peers, are also just students and don’t have any professional training in trauma counselling. This is Trinity’s idea of fulfilling its duty of care to its students. Meanwhile, the actual Counselling Service’s waiting lists just keep growing, and the broader question of why students from every Trinity faculty are so desperately in need of counselling remains unanswered.

The relationship between College and its students isn’t just characterised by neglect, though, there’s also actual hostility; I’m old enough to remember Take Back Trinity, when it was necessary for student activists to occupy the Dining Hall to stop the university introducing huge, regressive repeat exam fees. This piece of recent history was on my mind of late, when the College Board had to be talked out of jacking up fees for international and postgraduate students next year.

PHOTO BY SABA MALIK FOR TRINITY NEWS

I would be surprised if they don’t try again once the agreed year of grace has passed. It’s also worth remembering that in 2019, Trinity used students as bargaining chips in funding negotiations with the government by threatening to cut its undergraduate admissions by more than a fifth.

Postgrads should never be forgotten, of course. The way College treats postgrad workers is nothing short of abusive. If it weren’t for the handy blurring of lines between employee and student, the conditions under which many casual teaching staff are obliged to work would be outright illegal and College would very quickly find itself in front of the Labour Court. Even if these practices are technically legal (which sometimes they’re not), it’s just an absolutely abhorrent way to treat people. Trinity burns the welfare and dignity of graduate students to save cash.

Other, basic parts of the student experience betray how deep the malaise goes. Whether it’s the tooth-pulling exercise of trying to get Trinity to hand over class timetables each year (which has been a fiasco as long as anyone

can remember), the Kafkaesque nightmare of even the smallest interaction with Academic Registry, or the inevitable administrative car crash of exams every single semester, it’s evident College is barely functional. Every part of it is so underfunded and over-bureaucratised it’s a wonder the light switches work.

These aren’t individual, disconnected policy problems. It’s all part of the same issue. College is in the throes of a decades-long identity crisis and a struggle to secure its own future. Years of abject neglect by government have left universities across Ireland strapped for cash, and Trinity’s solution has been to lean hard on international students and tourism as sources of revenue, while imposing a kind of austerity on almost everything related to being an actual university. Meanwhile, as a four-century old institution, Trinity retains many administrative anachronisms and a deep institutional conservatism around its core functions and structures.

The result is a paradox; Trinity badly wants to attract sightseers and students from across the world who can be charged staggering fees, but both of these things are dependent on its reputation as a respected institution of learning. But its single-minded pursuit of a positive public image at the expense of basic functionality and student experience makes that reputation increasingly difficult to maintain. Thus, cracks keep appearing in the facade and College keeps slipping down institutional rankings; the harder it pursues its goals, the more un-

“

College is like a stressed-out snake eating its own tail. The centre cannot hold achievable they become. Trinity is like a stressed-out snake eating its own tail. The centre cannot hold.

I don’t point any of this to lay blame at any one person’s feet, or because I have a proposed solution. It’s possible there never were good choices for Trinity to make given the situation it’s been put in by years of neoliberal consensus in Irish politics. College’s strategy is undoubtedly making things much worse of course, and it’s clearly wrong for the university to throw students under the bus to save its own skin, but it would also probably be very hard for it to reverse direction now.

I think the rot goes all the way through. I don’t know how it could be fixed now without a genuinely seismic upending of how third-level education is run in this country, if not the entire political and economic system.

People are right to keep fighting for change in College, but I worry that the root causes of these issues are bigger than all of us, and that we may be doomed to play activist whack-a-mole forever. It’s not just that College doesn’t give a shit about us, it’s that College is structurally incapable of giving a shit.

If you’ll permit me some uncharacteristic earnestness: I’ll treasure the memories of my time in Trinity for the rest of my life.

Coming here and getting through my degree was the hardest and the best thing I’ve ever done, which is one of the reasons it took me so long. I’m walking away with friends and experiences that will define me for years or decades to come, and I just wouldn’t be who I am now without this place.

But I have the feeling about Trinity that I do about Ireland, these days: it never loved me back, and it never will, no matter how much I want it to.

I’ve had to find a way to accept that, while also accepting that I, and all of us, deserve more.

In the words of Matt Damon’s eponymous character in Good Will Hunting: I’m holding out for something better.

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

Comment

Editorial: Gardaí should not be welcome at Trinity Ball Undercover police make us less safe at College’s biggest event

T

he end of Hilary Term is approaching and with it, by far the biggest event of the year: Trinity Ball. This year’s edition is all the more notable because it is the first since 2019, meaning the vast majority of current Trinity students have never been to a “TBall” before. For those who don’t know, it’s worth establishing; people take drugs at Trinity Ball. Not everyone does, but some do. This has always been true, and always will be true.

It is also worth establishing that in the opinion of this newspaper, illegal narcotics should be decriminalised. The carceral approach to drug use has caused untold destruction, suffering and death in this country and globally.

Most drug use isn’t problematic and should simply be left alone, and where drugs do cause harm and/or addiction is an issue, this is made overwhelmingly worse by legal prohibition. Society recognises this as an obvious historical truth in the case of alcohol, and it is no different for other narcotics.

Jurisdictions such as Portugal which have opted for decriminalisation have seen massive drops in organised crime and narcotics-related deaths. Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) has been mandated to support drug decriminalisation since 2016/17.

Despite the preponderance of evidence against it, Ireland continues to pursue a policy of prohibition. Because of this, and because of the nature of the event, undercover Gardaí regularly flock to Trinity Ball to try to catch students using drugs. At the last event, 26 attendees were arrested.

People received punishments and lasting criminal records for using recreational drugs on a college night out. This is unacceptable, and should provoke anger.

It’s also a microcosm of the broader discussion around drug decriminalisation. The consistent, well-known presence of police at TBall has not at all tempered the rate of drug use at the event.

Even if you think that people using cocaine, MDMA, LSD or ketamine is inherently bad and should be reduced, it’s objectively true that Gardaí are not capable of stopping it; all they can do is arrest and punish people afterwards. Students take drugs in either scenario, regardless of what

anyone thinks of it, but now some of them suffer significant personal, professional and financial harm from being criminalised. Plus if people do have bad reactions to drugs at Trinity Ball, they may be less inclined to seek help when they can’t know if the person beside them is a Garda. This is a very basic safety issue.

Additionally, the presence of undercover Gardaí at the event makes some students particularly unsafe. Like any police force, An Garda Síochána do not treat all people equally, and members of marginalised groups are much more likely to be the target of suspicion, harassment or even violence at the hands of the organisation.

For example, the prevalence of racism in the ranks is an established fact; a 2020 study conducted by the force itself could not find a single frontline officer who did not admit to harbouring bigoted views against at least one ethnic minority. Gardaí are also the organisation responsible for immigration enforcement in Ireland, which fundamentally alters their relationship with many immigrants, refugees and undocumented people; if previously it’s been their job to scrutinise and police your very presence in Ireland, it is understandable to not exactly see them as a source of safety. Just 8% of trans people reported feeling “high trust” in the Gardaí in 2017.

The force’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community is inherently strained, because most current senior officers have been around since 1993 when they were still

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Their purpose is a reprehensible and harmful one, and their presence creates a whole host of other dangers

charged with arresting people for being gay.

Put simply then, there shouldn’t be Gardaí patrolling Trinity Ball, full stop. Their purpose is a reprehensible and harmful one, and their presence creates a whole host of other dangers due to how they treat marginalised groups. Students shouldn’t be criminalised for their personal choices, and they shouldn’t have to feel unsafe while having fun on campus. Gardaí aren’t there to make people safe— that’s what stewards and first-aid personnel are for—they’re there to put people in holding cells. The whole student community should oppose their presence.

There’s a broader precedent for this. A growing movement of students in UK universities is pushing back against the regular presence of police on campuses.

Activists cite numerous examples of police harassment of students (including stop-and-search and intrusion into accommodation) and the targeting of people for their race or political views, as well as the harms of drug prohibition. They’re right, and both their moral clarity and their organising strategies should serve as an example to Trinity students.

This should include TCDSU. The union’s paltry response to the two-dozen arrests at the last Ball was a betrayal of the affected students. Trinity Ents threw up its hands and said that “Gardaí have the power and authority to police [Trinity Ball] as they wish”

because of licensing laws. The organisation couldn’t even find its way to express solidarity with arrested students or to say that what happened to them was wrong.

This was utter moral cowardice.

This needs to change. Yes, it is true that Trinity Ball must secure a licence, and TCDSU does not have the power to literally ban Gardaí from campus, but this is no excuse for tacit approval of police presence. For a start, the union doesn’t run Trinity Ball.

The event is organised and coordinated by MCD Productions, and it is managed at a College level by the Trinity Ball Subcommittee (subordinate to the Capitation Committee), which the TCDSU ents officer doesn’t even chair. The union opposing Gardaí’s targeting of students will not endanger the Ball’s organisation, because both from the perspective of Gardaí and as an organisational reality, Trinity Ball is not an event organised by TCDSU. But even if that weren’t true, the union could have its cake and eat it too. It can acknowledge the statutory right of Gardaí to be at the Ball and not actually prevent their attendance, while still expressing in no uncertain terms (to the force and to College) that it believes their presence to be harmful and wrong.

TCDSU can also try to reduce the harms Gardaí cause. It should inform students that undercover officers are almost always present—as currently this is chiefly spread through word of

mouth—and keep them aware of their rights when dealing with officers. It should actively work on the night to support any arrested students; note who they are and where they’re being taken, give them contact information for solicitors, and have volunteers available at Garda stations to meet students as they’re released if necessary. To do anything less than this is, quite simply, not living up to the union’s drug harm reduction mandate and its general duty of care towards students.

We all, as students, have a role to play too. As well as speaking up on the issue, we can learn about how to safely deal with being stopped by police, whether for ourselves or to be supportive if we happen to witness an arrest. We can warn people we know of the issue of undercover officers, and make sure they have friends they can call upon if they have negative reactions to drugs or are targeted

by Gardaí. Most of all, we need to work to make drug decriminalisation a national political priority.

There are no rationally or morally sound arguments against it, but it remains opposed by most of the political establishment. That must change.

To students: enjoy Trinity Ball.

If you’re going to take drugs, please educate yourself on how to do so safely, and know your legal rights. To TCDSU: live up to your promises. To everyone: this campus belongs to its students, and Gardaí are not welcome as long as they make students less safe.

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Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

Scitech

Crime scene biometrics and the science of fingerprints How fingerprints are made and collected

Makua Ifediora

Contributing Writer

W

hen picturing a crime scene, the classic black and yellow CAUTION tape is probably what first comes to mind. As well as adding drama to low-budget movies, this tape cordons off the area under active investigation to keep entry and exit numbers low. In the numerous CSI spinoffs, crime scene investigation is portrayed as dark, dreary and dramatic. In actual fact, a lot of it is made up of cleverly implemented science to uncover hidden evidence left behind in the aftermath of a crime. One of the aspects of this

most often highlighted on the big and small screens is biometrics.

Biometrics are the individual biological characteristics that set humans apart from each other and can be used to identify us, for example, our fingerprints or DNA. But what goes on behind the scenes? How do investigators take fingerprints, and where do they go after being collected? Fingerprints are one of the most reliable biometrics that investigators can use to incriminate a suspect or identify a victim. Their unique, unchanging nature has led to their widespread importance in forensic science. As you probably already know, everyone has a completely unique set of fingerprints, including people with closely matching DNA like identical twins. So they are a great way to confirm someone’s presence at the scene of a crime. Forensic scientists use many techniques to develop fingerprints at the crime scene that make them easier to spot. The prints then are either

photographed, or lifted onto adhesive tape and taken for further analysis.

There are two types of fingerprints that can be found at a scene. The first type, patent prints, come from impressions on soft surfaces such as clay, and can also be prints made visible from mud, dirt, or ink. Since these prints can be seen without additional techniques, investigators can take pictures of clear patent prints for later analysis.

The second category of fingerprints is not as easy to spot.

Fingerprints are made up of a network of ridges and pores. The pores connect to sweat glands buried deep under the skin, and this sweat leaves your fingerprint behind on every surface you touch, creating latent fingerprints.

This second type of prints are practically invisible impressions, and need to be “developed”, or made visible, before they can be taken as evidence.

Developing latent prints can

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There are four main patterns of fingerprints recognised by the FBI: whorls, arches, loops and a composite made up of the other three

be as simple as dusting magnetic fingerprinting powders onto a smooth surface and “pulling” the resulting print onto adhesive tape. Often, however, investigators use non-intrusive methods that don’t tamper with the evidence and leave the print in its original state after it is collected. One such method is the use of Alternate Light Sources (ALSs), devices that emit different wavelengths of light that can display the fingerprint.

This is because biological fluids glow under the correct wavelength of light, including the sweat left behind from latent prints.

Cyanoacrylate, or superglue, fuming is another nondestructive developing method the investigator can use. An object from the scene is placed into a chamber, along with adequate water for humidity, and exposed to cyanoacrylate fumes. The fumes react with the residues that make up the fingerprint and deposit polymerised macromolecules onto the latent impressions, producing white-coloured fingerprints.

Collecting fingerprint evidence is only the first step in the process, the prints may either belong to the victim, the perpetrator, or someone completely uninvolved.

The next step is putting an identity on the prints found. They need to be categorised and compared with existing samples.

There are four main patterns of fingerprints recognised by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): whorls, arches, loops and a composite made up of the other three. With either images or pulls of all the fingerprints captured, the investigator sends the evidence off to forensic analysts. Contrary to popular belief, fingerprint analysis these days isn’t done by somebody holed up in a dark room with a magnifying glass. Technology has advanced so much that a system, Advanced Fingerprint Identification Technology (AFIT), can now identify potential candidates with up to 99.6% accuracy. Fingerprints are either compared against other objects at the scene, or against a database of individual prints on file. The problem with this is that so little of the world’s population is actually on file, so often other pieces of evidence end up being more useful.

Crime scene investigation is one of the most interesting fields of study, and biometrics make up a huge part of it. Our fingerprints are what make us unique, and those markers of individuality follow us wherever we go. It’s fascinating to think that these hidden indicators hold so much of ourselves, and one well-placed print, and a bit of science, could identify a perpetrator.

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

SciTech

Remote working surveillance and the workarounds How technology can be our foe and our friend when working from home Lucy Fitzsimmons Scitech Co-Editor

T

he way we work has fundamentally changed in the last two years.

More people than ever lack a fixed workplace, and work simply is wherever they open up their laptop. The move to remote work brought on by the pandemic has supplanted traditional officebased work environments. As a result, when many of us enter the workforce in the next few years there will be a level of flexibility and choice that was completely unprecedented at the start of this decade.

We all know the advantages of remote work: no more commutes on packed public transport, later wake-up times, no more extortionate city-centre rents to pay, and the ability to tailor your working day a little more to your own needs and lifestyle. However, while most people would say remote working has been a positive change for them, it has not come without serious drawbacks too.

One of these is digital surveillance, which has been steadily gaining popularity among employers. Now, remote work surveillance isn’t always some Orwellian nightmare; it can be as simple as a boss checking up on your activity status on a remote workspace like Microsoft Teams or Slack. But in some cases, it can get a lot more Big Brother-esque, with workplaces using technology that can record keystrokes and typing, take screenshots of employees’ computers at random intervals, or—in some extreme cases— requiring employees to have their webcams on for the entirety of the working day.

This should frighten you.

This is not how workplaces have functioned in the past, or are meant to function. The traditional office environment did not involve this level of micromanagement or looking over employees’ shoulders from open to close of business, and there were natural ebbs and flows of productivity over the course of the day. Being able to keep tabs on employee output is not more important than people feeling respected and trusted in the workplace.

In fact, the data that is coming back from the last two years of increased remote work is showing that employees’ productivity has been stable or even increased when working from home. There are very few grounds to justify the gross invasion of privacy that some remote workers are being subjected to. And more concerningly, some employees are unaware of surveillance measures being put in place by their employers.

But, in an interesting turn of events, some workers are turning to technological solutions to take back privacy that has been compromised by digital surveillance. A TikTok recently went viral in which one remote worker shared a gadget that keeps her computer status active even when she steps away from her desk: the mouse jiggler. The mouse mover or mouse jiggler is basically a small platform that you sit your computer mouse on. It moves at regular intervals, causing a user’s online workspace to register them as active, should management or

other employees be checking their activity status.

There are other workarounds that remote workers have resorted to, some as rudimentary as placing some sort of weight on their space bar when vacating their desks.

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This should frighten you.

This is not how workplaces are meant to function

Some are more software-based, including programs that serve the same function as a mouse mover, without the need for a physical gadget. But the appeal of physical mouse jigglers is their lack of detectability and separation from the inner workings of company computers, where they may be discoverable by snooping bosses.

What the entire phenomenon smacks of, really, is broken trust.

If employees feel the need to go out and buy devices like these, we have to question the state of our workplace relations in this new work from home age.

According to Irish corporate law firm McCann Fitzgerald: “There is no specific piece of legislation in Ireland governing the monitoring of employees or other workers.” Employees’ rights in this area are mainly derived from the 2018 Data Protection Act, GDPR, and the European Convention on Human Rights. Employees have a right to privacy in their family life and their correspondence, but it is not an absolute one and does give

employers some wiggle room in particular circumstances.

The bottom line is that, under data protection laws, any data collection on employees, be it in relation to remote work surveillance or not, should be done in a lawful, transparent manner and for legitimate and specified purposes. Workplaces need to be very clear on what degree of remote work surveillance is occurring and re-establish dialogue and trust with their employees.

A report published earlier this year by the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation mentions the importance of focusing on employees’ outputs rather than the process taken to achieve those outputs: “Employers should refrain from excessive monitoring or surveillance of workers, including the inappropriate use of software that monitors computer usage or activates constant online video capabilities. Such measures reduce trust and may increase stress for teleworkers.”

Boundaries need to be put in place, and we need conversations about what well-functioning and productive workplaces are, and how we measure that. We will hopefully see a more rigorous set of guidelines or legislation brought about to create a healthier culture in online workplaces in the coming months.

PHOTO BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS

Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

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Leinster languish as Dublin and Kildare are relegated Shane Ó Domhnalláin page 32

Sport

The geopolitics of the Grand Prix PHOTO VIA FORMULA 1

What separates the Russian and Saudi races, and the true face of F1 Alexander Fay Staff Writer

T

his year’s Formula 1 season has gotten off to a definite bang, and in more ways than one. A complete rule revamp has toppled the ever-dominant Mercedes, with Ferrari and Red Bull now duking it out for Grand Prix victories.

Motorsport fans seem to be in for a treat as (the absolutely adorable) Charles Leclerc fights for his first World Championship against Max Verstappen. After coming away with the top spot in the season opener in Bahrain, focus coming into round two in Saudia Arabia was very much on Ferrari and Leclerc. However, a missile attack on an Aramco oil facility just 10km away from the Jeddah Corniche circuit during a Friday practice session changed things.

Resulting discussions over safety between race organisers and F1 chiefs went on until the early hours of Saturday, with the decision reached that the race weekend went ahead without any change.

And so Verstappen went on to finish first on Sunday night, with Leclerc in tow behind and that was the end of that. Formula 1 packed up more or less as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

After the recent decision to cancel the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi due to the war in Ukraine, which was very much a welcome one; it is only right to question what was different about this situation which is an obvious concern for safety. There’s a lot of moving parts in the Formula 1 paddock, a lot of different interests at play, a lot of pressure both politically and financially. The cancellation of the race in Russia came after heavy social and political pressures forced F1 to succumb, like many other sporting organisations. It even resulted in one team sacking their Russian driver and dropping their main title sponsor. Where we choose to race has an impact on how the sport is perceived and what associations it has.

Choosing not to race in Russia right now does come across as a

show of support for the people of Ukraine and also a conscious action that dissociates from Putin’s government, instigators of a brutal conflict.

In order to host a Formula

“

1 Grand Prix you need to pay a hefty sum of money, and most races on the calendar are paid for by the host country’s government.

The price varies depending on the location although it tends to hover around €35 million. This accounts for a massive chunk of Formula 1’s revenue as a company. With more and more countries eager to get in on the action as the sport thrives but limited space on the calendar for events, money doesn’t just talk, it screams and drowns out all else.

The decision to host the sport’s first ever race in Saudi Arabia last season (with a massive contract securing its place for the next few years), despite the country’s horrific actions in Yemen, was motivated by nothing else but money. A lack of social and political pressure has allowed sporting organisations (not just F1) to reap financial rewards off the back of warmongering governments for years; the reaction to the Ukrainian war is very much an exception. The ringmasters of this increasingly farcical, amoral circus are cruelly incapable of seeing beyond the

monetary incentives in front of them. It should also be noted that Saudi oil giant Aramco is a massive financial player in F1, with much of the Jeddah circuit and many other tracks and cars clad in the company’s logo.

In the hours following the missile strike, promoters and associated media spoke little of the details or reasoning behind the attack. If they were your only source of information, you would be forgiven for not knowing that the attack was carried out by Houthi rebels from Yemni, who have been fighting the Saudiled coalition with backing from Iran since 2015. Fans of the sport were left to pour over scant information from journalists on social media about meetings between team principals and F1 management, Saudi officials, even drivers – eager to find out if the race would be going ahead or if it would be cancelled due to safety concerns. As news came through that things would proceed as normal, a meeting in particular between all drivers went on still,

and eventually lasted some four hours. This potentially indicates a lack of consensus in the paddock on whether to race or not.

The moral compass of F1 has never exactly been well-calibrated, but we do hit new lows every now and then. Who is responsible for correcting its strategic direction is not a straightforward question. As nice as it would be for the heads of the sport to come clean and make the necessary structural changes, you would be quicker waiting for Sebastian Vettel to finally win a fifth title. It would of course be very easy for me to sling criticisms at the journalists who covered the incident in Saudi Arabia without mentioning the war in Yemen, but one would do well to consider the personal risk involved in doing so. The Saudi government does not take too kindly to criticism, and what they’re capable of doing to journalists is well known. I did not see any accredited individual or outlet speak out loudly on the hypocrisy involved in choosing to race in Jeddah, but if any did I would commend them on

TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

31

Sport

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Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, as well as the support of the United States, and United Kingdom. All of these are consciously complicit in the unimaginable death and destruction being inflicted on the innocent people of Yemen, as the coalition’s indiscriminate airstrikes continue to kill thousands.

The decision to take money from governments actively waging war, and platforming them and allowing them to profit and launder their public image, constitutes complicity. Formula 1 is in a way telling us that it’s okay to shoot, to bomb, to kill, so long as you have enough money and it’s not happening in Western country predominantly made up of white people. The “sportswashing” being carried out is unacceptable, and the fact that only when the safety of the paddock was in question was the decision to race there itself reconsidered says a lot, when compared to how the Russian GP has been handled.

It is important to ensure the sport that we love and enjoy watching does not directly or indirectly harm other people. It is time for this sport to be held to a higher standard of ethical conduct, beyond any hashtag or promotional piece, because right now it is being allowed to do as it pleases without any consequences in sight.

Many will point towards the stars of the show, the drivers, as a source of possible dissent and leadership on these issues.

However much I appreciate those amongst them who often do speak out (mainly Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel), I know they are human and not perfect. We should not load our hopes of a solution onto them. We need to recognise

that while they have a platform, their silence on specifics at times shouldn’t reflect on them too badly. The moral responsibility can be shared amongst many, but the buck will always stop with those in charge. We might hope that media, drivers, teams, sponsors choose to speak out in the meantime and flex their influence in front of the large audiences that tune in to watch;

Puzzle solutions

but I wouldn’t hold your breath on that.

One of the main attractions of this sport for me is that it is always just about to boil over in controversy, there is constantly more chaos waiting around the next corner. By the very nature of the governments, people, and amounts of money involved; bedlam is guaranteed. But F1 has

a nasty habit of showing its true character in times of chaos, often changing from implicitly corrupt to explicitly corrupt faster than the race cars themselves. The recent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is a perfect example of this: a race that should not have happened and should never be allowed to happen again.

PHOTO VIA IBRAHEM QASIM/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

doing so. The memory of Jamal Khashoggi lives on.

I do think there was an obvious lack of commentary at the time of the incident, though, and even since then. And while this is understandable, it does beg the question: when will the media begin to speak out? Off-stage whispering on this issue isn’t enough, regardless of whether the sport continues to race in Saudi Arabia or not. The devastating conflict in Yemen has been going on for seven years now, with more than 150,000 people killed and millions living on the brink of famine. The Saudi-led conflict boasts other F1 hosts like Qatar,

From page 16 of Life

Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

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The geopolitics of the Grand Prix Alexander Fay page 30

Sport

League recap: Leinster languish as Dublin and Kildare are relegated

Shane Ó Domhnalláin Contributing Writer

D

ublin is now a second division football team. If that doesn’t come as a surprise, I don’t know what will. After dominating the game for nearly the entire 2010s, Dublin has been relegated for the first time since 1995, and in quite the dramatic fashion. Dublin went to Clones on March 27 looking for the win which would keep them in the first division, while Monaghan came into the game needing to get out of the relegation zone.

Going into the final quarter,

Monaghan was ahead 3-10 to 0-13 and were looking likely to finish out the match strong. After losing their captain Drew Wiley to two yellow cards in quick succession, the Monaghan team let the Dubs back into the match a bit, with a Dean Rock penalty drawing the game in the 71st minute. However, it was Monaghan’s Jack McCarron who put over his third free of the match to get the win. Monaghan fans reacted like they’d just won the Ulster Final, with supporters streaming onto the pitch at St Tiernach’s Park to celebrate.

Leinster’s loss Monaghan’s dramatic victory now leaves the top flight without a Leinster representative. Football in the province hasn’t covered itself in glory recently, which is a far cry from when it was hailed by many as the “most competitive province” in 2005 (after the provincial title was won by five different counties from 2000–2005). Since then, Dublin have won it 16 times, while the traditional strong men of Leinster, Meath, have taken it once. This year’s decline of Dublin

—and especially their recent loss to Kildare (their first loss to a Leinster team since 2012)—may have the effect of increasing the competitiveness of a province that has languished, in competitive terms, for too long.

Connacht gold Connacht football, on the other hand, is going through a renaissance, with three out of the five counties in the province in Division One from next year. Division Two champions Roscommon and runners-up Galway will join Mayo, giving Connacht’s best Division One showing since the current layout was introduced in 2008.

football. Named after the Tailteann Games from ancient Ireland, the GAA aims to give this competition status by playing the finals in Croke Park. But unless the media treats it with respect and attention, it’s hard to see it being much of a success.

Results National Football League Finals Div. 1: Kerry 3-19 – 0-13 Mayo Div. 2: Roscommon 1-20 – 0-22 Galway Div. 3: Louth 1-14 – 0-12

Limerick Div. 4: Cavan 2-10 – 0-15 Tipperary National Hurling League Finals Div. 1: Cork 1-23 – 4-20 Waterford Div. 2A: Down 1-17 – 5-19 Westmeath Div. 2B: Derry 1-23 – 2-15 Sligo Div. 3A: Tyrone 2-21 – 2-19 Armagh Div. 3B: Fermanagh 2-18 – 1-17 Longford PHOTO VIA WILLIAM MURPHY/FLICKR

Everything you missed from intercounty football over the past few weeks

Tailteann games Speaking of layouts, this year will be the first that the Tailteann Cup will be given out. The new second tier competition will feature the Division Three and Four teams that don’t progress to a provincial final. While the GAA has successfully introduced “B” All Irelands for hurling, the concept has never previously caught on in

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

AGM season at Trinity page 3

A newbie’s guide to TBall page 8

Your only guide to Van Gogh Dublin page 14

LIFE

TRINITY NEWS

Are we losing the Irishness in Irish whiskey?

Pullout section

PHOTO BY BEATRICE PISTOLA FOR TRINITY NEWS

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Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

Table of contents Irish women in crime fiction

- page 6

Student social smoking in Dublin

- page 4 Running on Ritalin - page 7 Neurodivergence in College

- page 12

What is personal isn’t always political

- page 10 The final wrap on Erasmus in Trinity

- page 15

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 Editor

Maya Kulukundis

Societies Editor Societies Deputy

Ella-Bleu Kiely Ruth McGann

Student Living Editor Student Living Deputies

Ella Sloane Seán Holland

Lila Funge

Ria Walls

TMT intervarsities

Ruth McGann speaks to Rachel Galvin following her directorial debut with Mamma Mia!

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ollowing the triumphant return of Trinity Musical Theatre’s (TMT) annual show, an outstanding production of Guys and Dolls, some of Trinity’s leading musical theatre performers and showmakers set off to Thurles in Co. Tipperary to compete in this year’s Musical Theatre Intervarsities. I sat down with director Rachel Galvin to discuss TMT’s production of Mamma Mia! on the highs and lows of directing and all things musical theatre on campus.

For Galvin, performance has always been a passion and a necessary outlet for the challenges of childhood and teenage life. A naturally confident child, Galvin jokes: “my parents thought, okay, she needs some kind of outlet.” After joining The Independent Theatre Workshop (ITW) at twelve, Galvin loved it and in Transition Year received a scholarship to a school of performing arts in Boston for the summer. Reflecting on her experience, she recalls that this was “the first time [she] was surrounded by kids who were like ‘oh yeah this is going to be my career.’” Deciding to focus on school and getting into university

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It’s really important to be in a space with likeminded people.

You have your own academic interests but also love theatre and make time for theatre

first, Galvin was accepted into Global Business in Trinity and immediately became involved with TMT.

Having joined TMT in Freshers’ Week, Galvin decided to audition for that year’s production of Chicago. Going for the role of Velma, she recalls her somewhat embarrassing audition where she “dressed in all black; black mesh top, slicked back hair and red lipstick.” She then notes “you kind of have to do that stuff with auditions, you just have to swallow your pride.” Having gotten the part, “that really pulled [her] back into the love of theatre.”

Reflecting on the social aspect of the society, Galvin remarks that “it’s really important to be in a space with like-minded people.

You have your own academic interests but also love theatre and make time for theatre.” She describes the feeling of being onstage: “when you’re doing the bow and everyone’s standing up for you, there’s nothing like that high.”

Already a confident performer, Galvin made her directorial debut with Mamma Mia!.

Speaking about her decision to try directing, she explains: “I kind of thought, I’ve done my part of being onstage with TMT and I want to give something back to the society before I leave.” Having performed in various large-scale productions over the years, she describes sometimes thinking: “oh, I would have done that a different way” and is thankful to have had “the opportunity to exercise that in a smallscale production.” Reflecting on the different experiences of performing and directing, she says: “I love that creative control, like I have a vision and this is exactly how I want to do it.”

With the intervarsities just two weeks after Guys and Dolls, Galvin faced no small challenge in preparing her twenty-person cast to compete. Describing the process as “overwhelming,” she explains the challenges of creating a twenty-minute show, because, “especially if it’s a well-known musical like Mamma Mia! you have to include the songs that people want you to include.”

Reflecting on what she looked for in the audition process, she notes that “people aren’t really looking at your dance technique, especially in a musical like Mamma Mia!, it’s about how much you can draw the audience in… it’s that ‘wow’ factor, that presence.”

Regarding her choice of musical, she thought: “Why don’t we just do a musical where everyone already knows the lyrics, both cast and audience members.” She recalls wanting to include “a lot of big dance numbers” and making it “a very

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With the intervarsities just two weeks after Guys and Dolls, Galvin faced no small challenge in preparing her twenty-person cast to compete

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

immersive experience, [having] cast members coming up through the audience, it was a bit of a dance party.” In order to include as many songs as possible in such a short time frame, the production managers had to edit all of the songs and put them into one twenty-minute soundtrack of music and dialogue, meaning “the actors had to learn how to say their dialogue when there was no music, so there was a lot of practice with that.”

The competition, held in Thurles, was organised independent of any one university for the first time. Galvin describes rehearsing on campus without knowing what the stage at the venue would be like, with only a forty-minute tech rehearsal the day before the competition to get a feel for the stage: “There wasn’t a wing on one side, there weren’t spotlights where we thought there were going to be spotlights, so you have to figure that out in forty minutes.” As Galvin then points out, “every college was in the same position,” levelling the playing field somewhat.

Having worked out the

PHOTO VIA TMT

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PHOTO BY ISOBEL DUFFY FOR TRINITY NEWS

There wasn’t a wing on one side, there weren’t spotlights where we thought there were going to be, so you have to figure that out in forty minutes technical difficulties, the cast were ready to take the stage.

Galvin explains that the nature of intervarsities is that “everyone does a twenty-minute musical and you watch everyone’s and then go backstage and do yours, so it was so much fun.” The competition was impressive, and with some of the performers, Galvin says she “wouldn’t be surprised if [she] saw them on the West End.” TMT walked away from intervarsities with three awards: Best Book (awarded for storytelling), Best Ensemble, and third place overall.

Particularly proud of the Best Ensemble award, Galvin says that to her, “theatre is everyone coming together.”

Although TMT’s events are over for the year, Galvin encourages anyone interested to get involved next year. She says that while some people may see it as “quite an overwhelming society to get into,” that is definitely not the case. TMT hosts a range of events throughout the year, including karaoke nights, one of which “was literally just Mamma Mia! songs.” Regarding the auditions, she encourages anyone to sign up as “they’re not that intimidating in the first rounds because it’s just small groups of four and five.” She stresses that you do not have to be a performer to join TMT, “you just have to have a love of theatre!”

The return of live theatre has been welcomed by Galvin and every theatre fan both on and off campus, and its impact on people’s mental health cannot be overestimated. As Galvin says: “I think if something very serious is going on in your life, it’s easy to come to the theatre and forget about it for two hours.” That escapism, “a break for your brain,” as Galvin says, is vital for students, and finding community among people who share a deep love for the arts is life-changing.

AGM season at Trinity Ruth Brady unpacks the process of annual general meetings in Trinity’s societies The AGM — No you should not worry if you don’t know what that means! AGM stands for Annual General Meeting.

Companies, schools, clubs, institutions and charities across the globe have AGMs annually. As a student, if you are a proud and active member of any society, you have probably attended one. It’s an out with the old and in with the new time among Trinity’s societies where members bring fresh ideas to the table. If you are new to a society and you have seen its AGM advertised and want to know what it shall entail, it is your lucky day! Look no further…

What is an AGM? AGMs do what they say on the tin.

They are an annual meeting to talk about the general issues which arise during the year for organisations. They are actually required by law, by laws or the constitution of the organisation in question. Typically they are chaired by the head/president/ auditor or chair of the group and usually AGMs mark the election of a new chair, and an entirely new committee.

Why do we need them?

For college societies, AGMs are a crucial opportunity for the committee to inform members of what they have achieved throughout the year and why membership is worth getting involved. All officers of the society give reports, and most importantly secretary and treasurer reports on the society’s activities and finances. General issues can be fleshed out, decisions can be made, as well as elections being run or results read out.

How can I attend an AGM? How can I run for a position?

The whole concept may seem scary and off putting , this strange formal coming

together of an entire society. However don’t forget, everyone in that room attended an AGM for the first time once too. They know exactly how it works (or at least, they give off this impression), and the best place to start with running for a society position is to simply ask how. In Trinity, each society holds various rules.

In some, all paid members can vote and attend the AGM. While in others, you need to have a certain level of involvement (franchise) in order to vote.

This is also applied to running for a position. Some societies allow you to run for more than one, whereas others require that you campaign before the AGM itself. Most societies, infact, do not allow campaigning at all. Ask the chair. Most of the time they’ll be more than happy to chat with you if you have any questions or share insight. Read your weekly society email! Have a discussion with people or friends who are involved. Every society on campus is looking for people who are passionate and dedicated to a role in their organisation — and that could be you! If so, do not miss the opportunity to throw your hat in the ring.

What if I run and I don’t get the role I want?

There will always be the risk that you put your name out there and you don’t succeed. But, c’est la vie! This is not something to worry about. You are in college for four to five years. There will be other AGMs if you wish to put yourself forward again. There are different societies.

Most importantly, the best way anyone can be involved in any society is to be an active member. Attend events. Meet friends.

Make memories. Get involved. Enjoy yourself. Seize every opportunity a society offers. Get to know the committee.

AGMs are the most important meeting for any organisation. If you go to one this year — be that to hear what your society has gotten up to, to vote or to run yourself, enjoy this strangely official assembly of college students (usually followed by pints). It may even be your first insight into the future world of a working adulthood and the strange formalities that can come with it.

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PHOTO BY BEATRICE PISTOLA FOR TRINITY NEWS

Repeal review finishes accepting submissions Ella Sloane discusses persisting barriers to abortion access in Ireland

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lmost four years after Ireland’s electorate voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment, significant barriers to abortion access persist, forcing women to travel to receive care.

Geographical coverage remains one such barrier to accessing abortion, with only one in ten GPs and just over half of maternity hospitals providing abortion services in Ireland. The North West in particular is severely lacking in abortion services — Sligo has no provision of abortion access at all. Furthermore, a staggering amount of people seeking abortion care in Ireland continue to travel elsewhere in order to access it due to the country’s restrictive legislation. Even in 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, when travelling abroad posed its own unique challenges and health risks, almost 200 women travelled from Ireland to the UK to get abortion care.

The government has now commenced its first review of abortion law since the public voted yes in the 2018 referendum, offering a valuable opportunity to improve abortion access by tackling the barriers that are still in place. The Abortion Review comprises three strands: research with service providers, research with service users and a public consultation.

The public consultation process was open for submissions until close of business on April 1, providing a chance for both organisations and individuals alike to submit their recommendations for review. Submissions are open to everyone, not just those with direct experience of abortion care. Together with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NCWI) has developed a quick guide to submission which can be accessed here.

Based on the evidence gathered in both research projects and the public consultation, independent Chair Marie O’Shea will develop a report, which is due for submission to the Minister for Health in October of this year. Finally, if the report recommends legislative changes this will be then taken to the Oireachtas so that amendments to the Health Act may be voted on and taken forward.

The Abortion Working Group, led by the NWCI are calling for a number of key changes to legislation, including the full decriminalization of abortion, removal of the mandatory threeday wait period, the 28-day

mortality clause for fatal foetal anomalies, and the 12-week gestational limit.

In a statement, Orla O’Connor, Director of the NWCI and Chair of the Abortion Working Group, said that, “access to healthcare at home was a clear call from the people of Ireland in 2018, yet sadly, we know many women are still travelling to access crucial healthcare”. Outlining another issue that needs to be addressed by the review, O’Connor explains “in order to access an abortion, you need to have a PPS number, which is a significant barrier for immigrants and asylum seekers.

This has to change.”

The continued absence of safe access zones around abortion clinics to prevent the harrassment of vulnerable service users and providers is another matter of great concern that the Abortion Working Group hopes will finally be addressed by the Repeal Review. Despite being promised in the referendum in 2018, these zones have not yet been delivered.

A bill to provide safe access zones was just recently passed in Northern Ireland by a clear majority of 55 votes to 29. This means there will be areas around entrances to designated places to protect women and pregnant people accessing abortion care, as well as healthcare workers, from intimidation and harassment. The bill was brought by Green Party Leader Claire Bailey, who stated: “The deliberate and concerted campaign of harassment and intimidation against women has to stop”.

The Abortion Working Group’s recommendations for review are in line with public opinion, with new nationally representative opinion polling demonstrating significant support for safe access zones and decriminalisation, amongst other key asks. Of those surveyed, 71% agree abortion should be treated like any other medical procedure and should not be a matter for criminal law, 79% agree doctors should be trusted to provide abortion care based on professional judgement and clinical best practice, and 85% agree all individuals accessing and providing abortion care should be protected from threats, harassment and abuse from antiabortion protests. Furthermore, 80% agree no woman in Ireland should still have to travel abroad to access abortion care, whilst 67% agree any person on the island of Ireland should be able to access abortion free of charge. Support was consistently strongest amongst women across all five statements.

Women’s Health Coordinator of the NWCI, Alana Ryan, emphasises that, “it is so crucial that women’s voices and experiences are placed at the centre of the abortion review and that where clear changes are needed, they will be made”.

Student social smoking at an all-time high in Dublin Phoebe Pascoe discusses Trinity’s smoking culture

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alking into campus through the Arts Block one morning, I was confronted by a screen declaring Trinity a “tobacco-free campus”. Not only was I surprised, having not heard this once in my six months of studying here, but my confusion was further justified once I walked past the arts block and saw the revolving cast of smokers standing outside. Trinity may declare itself tobacco free, but it is certainly not in practice.

The social culture of smoking among students is not relegated to Workman’s Wednesdays or walks home from the Pav, but extends to campus as well. Many seem more eager to ask a stranger for a lighter outside the arts block than they do to raise their hand in a lecture or tutorial, and smoking is undoubtedly a regular sight around Trinity. This may be normalised in our college and perhaps Dublin at large, but student smoking is not an

accepted part of all universities, and for many international students it is a facet of student life that they did not expect on arrival in Ireland. Not only is smoking not as popular, but it is actively looked down upon by students in many areas, particularly America. Vivien Sweet, a first year student from New York, explained that “smoking, at my school at least, was openly deemed to be a ‘disgusting’ habit.

Coming to Trinity felt like taking a step backwards, health-wise.”

Education, along with strict laws and fines, have created a culture that shuns smoking and no longer associates it with socialising or an aspirational aesthetic. The disparity in attitudes to smoking can be a culture shock for international students; Laragh Scharf, from Vermont, found that “it was odd to see smoking as more of a social activity here - especially on campus”, though both students mentioned that they had found vaping to be common among peers both at home and in Dubin.

The idea of ‘social-smoking’ is a concept that comes up in any conversation on the topic among my age group. A social smoker might not buy a pack or even own a lighter, but will bum a cigarette off someone any time they’re on

a night out, or take a drag on a friend’s smoke after a lecture.

Social smokers might not consider themselves ‘smokers’ in the true sense, because they do not feel addicted, and their smoking habit oscillates as their socialising does. It is this category that, from my experience of Trinity, seems to capture a large proportion of the student population. Of course, there are many students who smoke regularly and in an addicted manner, but this is certainly a minority compared to the former category. However, it seems this group is largely left out of statistics (they likely would not be able to quantify how much or how often they smoke, since it is so variable), and are not targeted

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Trinity may declare itself tobacco free, but it is certainly not in practice

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by anti-smoking advertising or advice. Awareness of the dangers of smoking seems to have led our generation of students not into avoidance of cigarettes, but instead into a liminal space of engaging with and denying the practice at once.

When smoking is inextricably linked with socialising, environment is key. If smoking is not limited to the smoking area at a club, but campus too is an area where it is considered sociable to smoke, social smokers may be engaging in this habit more regularly than they otherwise would. Trinity has been a purportedly Tobacco Free Campus since March 2019, with designated areas for students still wishing to smoke. However, this rests on “compliance”, according to the website. Though I am not advocating for enforcement of this rule, it seems the website’s suggestion - that if you see someone smoking outside of a designated smoking area you hand them a leaflet on smoking is laughably unrealistic. Smoking still occurs and pretending that campus is ‘tobacco free’ may only serve to exacerbate issues associated with smoking such as littering, with fewer places for students to discard cigarette butts.

Most importantly, students cannot be compliant with a policy they are unaware of. When I expressed surprise to friends that Trinity was in fact ‘tobacco free’, they were similarly shocked. Of course, many know about the policy and choose to flout it, and I’m sure if more were made aware of it this would still be the case. However, if new students were told about Trinity’s tobacco free status and the reasoning behind it (including environmental as well as health factors) upon arrival, perhaps some would choose differently.

When the campaign to make Trinity tobacco free was ongoing, 71% of students polled agreed with making Trinity a tobacco free campus, so there is not a lack of receptivity. Trinity’s tobacco free status could be used to weaken the ties between on-campus socialising and smoking, whereas it is currently a fact many students are unaware of.

Ultimately, the culture of smoking on campus and by students around Dublin is pervasive, but is not unchangeable. The attitudes of international students demonstrate how views towards smoking can be adapted for the better but also for the worse, with those I spoke to saying that Dublin had “lessened [their] fear of cigarettes significantly”, and that if they were to smoke, they would feel more comfortable doing so in Dublin than back home. Trinity’s tobacco free campus currently seems to be a loose concept of anti-smoking, floating in the background, barely visible, like the plumes of smoke outside the arts block. Yet, college could, and should, leverage it to alter the perception of smoking and its social connotations among students both on campus and off.

Are we losing the Irishness in Irish whiskey?

Eva O’Beirne explores the current Irish distillery renaissance and its branding choices

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he word whiskey actually originates from the Irish phrase “uisce beatha”, meaning water of life. For around 200 years, it was the most popular spirit in the world before losing its reputation due to prohibition and war. But since the 90s, Irish whiskey has been experiencing a renaissance and is now the fastest-growing spirit in the world. Growing over 15% per year, Ireland now has the largest amount of distilleries operational in its history. However, the Irish whiskey industry is toeing the line of being proud of Irish culture and encouraging Irish stereotypes.

Case in point: “Grace O’Malley” and “Proclamation” whiskey.

Grace O’Malley whiskey has focused its message around uplifting women and promoting the “first and last Irish Pirate Queen” to a worldwide audience, despite her name not being Grace O’Malley. Upon my first visit to their socials, I spotted on their “Our Story” highlight on Instagram that misspells her real name. Gráinne Ní Mháille (or O’Malley in English), is a critically underrated historical figure with most of her history being diluted for marketing purposes only.

What is most tragically disappointing is that this brand appears to have a significant amount of funding, even going so far as to commission a mural to be placed in Dublin’s city centre. Named Grace (insert rolling of eyes here), the mural was intended to depict both the mythologised Gráinne and the historical Gráinne. But surely a proper homage would be to use her real name alongside one that is easy for the Americans to pronounce, a mere nod to who she really was instead of rewriting the past?

I am well aware that appealing to an international audience is key to a lot of these decisions, but not bothering to correct a simple fada on social media isn’t that much of an ask. But then again, the very same company behind Grace O’Malley whiskey has also created Proclamation Whiskey, which seeks to commemorate the history of the 1916 rising. Barely 100 years later, is this how we want to remember what some consider to

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The very same company behind Grace O’Malley also created proclamation whiskey

be a bloodbath? Are we losing the Irishness in Irish whiskey?

The admiration of history is nice to see, especially considering the lack of dedicated museums and exhibitions available in Ireland, but turning Ireland’s history into alcoholic drinks seems to lean too much into past perceptions of the country’s relationship with alcohol.

Distilleries like Roe & Co and Jameson’s in Dublin city centre seem to have gotten the angle just right, focusing on the tradition of whiskey rather than appropriating historical events or figures.

A booming whiskey industry

will only improve our economy and support our tourist spots, but it would be nice for those in charge to do it the right way.

Sales are expected to exceed 24 million, far more than the previous historical peak in 1930.

Currently, nearly 1,000 people are employed on a full-time basis by the whiskey industry and around 4,200 jobs are supported by the increased activity. Whiskey is a beautiful tradition and helps make up the fabric of Irish history. But we shouldn’t cheapen the past to sell more bottles.

PHOTO BY BEATRICE PISTOLA FOR TRINITY NEWS

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An ode to our own Agatha Christies Elaine McHale discusses the influx of Irish female writers who are dominating the genre of crime fiction

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t the start of the pandemic, I—like many others—found myself wanting to escape the seemingly fictitious surroundings that we had found ourselves in. Books were a significant source of relief from the ensuing chaos and I began delving into genres that I had never read before, one of which was crime fiction. I began with the classic and renowned detectives, and after a few weeks in the company of the eccentric and witty Miss Marple, my interest in gripping detective stories and enthralling thrillers had grown. On my quest to find other titles that were Christieesque, I was surprised to discover that the majority of bookstores have a specific section dedicated to Irish crime, yet I was even more pleasantly surprised to learn that a large portion of the shelved authors were women.

In recent years there has been an evergrowing influx of Irish female authors making their mark in the crime and thriller genres. The versatility of our country’s writers is evident, as the selection spans from engrossing whodunnits to complex psychological thrillers. But in addition to the characteristical elements of the genre, many of the tales are set in Ireland which lends a sense of familiarity to the stories.

Furthermore, a strong feminist echo lies in many of the works as concepts intertwined throughout the plots include misogyny, work imbalance on the basis of gender, and female protagonists at the forefront of solving cases in a maledominated work environment.

There are undoubtedly still many authors and titles I have yet to encounter, but it’s safe to say that I have gained enriching reading experiences from these very promising literary talents.

It was circa the second lockdown when I came across the name Jo Spain, and I spent the subsequent weeks struggling to look up as I devoured her Detective Inspector (DI) Tom Reynolds series. This Dublinbased author is an incredible storyteller. With short and fastpaced chapters, it is a challenge to put her books down, and she crafts intricate plots which keep the reader guessing until the very last page. This particular series also

holds a certain satirical element.

Comprising six books, each instalment of the DI Tom Reynolds series deals with a certain societal controversy. Global issues are thematised, such as sex trafficking, violence against women and environmental conflict, however specific issues pertaining to Irish society are also weaved into the plot. The series’ first instalment, With Our Blessing, alludes to the horrific history of the Magdalene Laundries, and remains my favourite crime novel to date. In addition to this series, Spain has a selection of standalones that showcase her ability to create psychological thrillers, as well as classic murder mysteries.

Patricia Gibney is another firm favourite of mine. Her DI Lottie Parker series, set in the fictional Irish town of Ragmullin, is not for the faint of heart. The lengthy series is still in progress, with the 11th instalment due to be published in June 2022. The most striking element of this series is the unfiltered yet sophisticated manner in which Gibney illustrates her perpetrators. She does not shy away from creating truly haunting characters, and each book is as captivating as the next. A subplot of the series is DI Parker’s traumatic past and turbulent personal life, which becomes an additional mystery in itself.

The protagonist is a daughter, a mother, and a widow—and her constant exposition to heinous crimes in her profession makes for a brilliant read.

The feisty Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan is a wonderful creation by the author Jane Casey.

Set in London, the series’ feminist undertones immediately come to light as we encounter a protagonist struggling to gain authority or recognition amongst her demeaning male colleagues. DC Kerrigan is an outlier in the force and must go the extra mile to prove her worth. The series is compiled of a multitude of engrossing cases

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Comprising six books, each instalment of the DI Tom Reynolds series deals with a certain societal controversy

and the relationships between the various characters, coupled with the exhilarating city setting, results in a plentiful and rich collection of which the most recent instalment was published in 2020.

Martina Murphy is an exciting new voice in Irish crime fiction, whose debut novel, The Night Caller, was published last summer.

I stumbled upon the book while browsing and it was most certainly one of my favourite reads of 2021.

The story takes place on Achill Island—instantly formulating an idyllic and rural setting—while the numerous characters, and their heavily concealed secrets, perfectly capture the backdrop of the small Irish community. The tale also combines two mysteries, 20 years apart, and the complex background of Detective Sergeant Lucy Golden is slowly unmasked as she works to solve the case, culminating in an invigorating story.

While I tend to veer more frequently towards the traditional whodunnits, there is something

magnetic about Liz Nugent’s thrillers. To pinpoint a favourite is almost impossible, but her novel, Skin Deep, has a particular enticement. It details the story of Cordelia Russell, raised in the west of Ireland, and her vigorous attempts to run from a troubled past, resulting in immoral, violent and poisonous behaviour. Nugent’s ability to illustrate the pathological minds of her characters is the epitome of great writing and she creates venomous characters that you cannot help but loathe, yet keep turning the pages.

A stellar list, but it is merely a microcosm of the influx of talented Irish female writers that are currently dominating crime fiction. It would be prudent to also mention the very accomplished Louise Phillips, who is a favourite in the Irish crime fiction scene, not to mention Andrea Carter’s Inishowen Mysteries, another immensely stimulating collection.

New faces and titles are constantly appearing; newcomer Fiona Sherlock’s debut, Twelve Motives

for Murder, is set to become my next source of procrastination.

Ireland’s literary flair is not a new concept. It suffices to say that we are home to some of the most adept writers, however not all gain the credit and admiration that they deserve. The exploration of dark themes is evident in even the earliest works of general Irish fiction—but in recent years, dialogue has consistently been evolving with regards to some of the darker and previously concealed issues such as domestic violence, institutional abuse, and oppression of women. All of the authors discussed have successfully woven such issues into their novels, thereby composing both enticing works of crime fiction and startling accounts of real issues facing society today. It is a victory for women’s literature to see such a refreshing increase of female voices in what is a traditionally dark genre, and one can only hope that it is a positive trend.

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PHOTO BY ISOBEL DUFFY FOR TRINITY NEWS

Another noted “severe dry mouth and wide pupils” were their main reactions to the drug

Running on Ritalin Leanne Healy talks to students who use the taboo “study drug” during exam season

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affeine alone is no longer sufficient for an extra energy boost during exam season.

Thanks to so-called “study drugs”, many university students across Ireland are studying for hours on end with the help of cognitive enhancing pills. Ritalin, a prescription drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is designed to increase an individual’s ability to focus through boosting the levels of dopamine in the body. Ritalin and other “study drugs” boost energy, alertness and concentration in those who take it.

Trinity News spoke to students in Trinity who take the drug Ritalin and other similar medications in order to increase their focus around exam season.

When asked why they started taking Ritalin, one student explains: “I’ve never been able to focus on doing things, whether it’s in class or doing assignments, and I had heard a lot about Ritalin from friends of mine as it’s very common for people to take around exam season.” They go on to say that “last exam period I started taking it properly when I went to the library in order to get

my assignments done on time; I had about eight massive essays due and couldn’t focus without taking it”. Another student has been a frequent Ritalin user for some time, having started taking it in sixth year to help relieve the stress of the Leaving Cert explaining that they “started because it was easily available and everyone in school was taking it and I felt I needed it when the stress of exams came”. One student confesses: “I have always thought I have ADHD but have never been diagnosed so I turned to taking matters in my own hands and self medicating in a

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As so many students take Ritalin, it raises some questions — how is it so readily available and where do students get it?

way”.

As so many students take Ritalin, it raises some questions — how is it so readily available and where do students get it?

“Personally I get it from people I know who have diagnosed ADHD” responded one user, with another replying they get it “either off a dealer or from my friend who has it prescribed for her ADHD”.

As many “study drugs” are prescribed to treat ADHD, the effects the drugs would have on a person without ADHD would differ from that of a person diagnosed with ADHD. A student with ADHD, who is prescribed Ritalin, explains that the drug “allows me to sit down and focus on one thing for a short time.

When I take it and go to do an assignment, the first thing I do isn’t my assignment but it’s deep clean my room which I noticed due to the Ritalin”. The student explains how “if you need [Ritalin], it just lets you concentrate a little more than the average person”. However, one student who does not have ADHD yet takes Ritalin explains how in a day they can “study for eight hours with a ten minute break and everything studied is absorbed”.

Another student explains: “I would take it and within half an hour I would become very focused on whatever I’m doing — it makes me feel less agitated and more concentrated”. They go on to explain how they “would be able to sit for two to three hours uninterrupted and work the entire time, whereas without [Ritalin] I would be going for breaks every

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Another Ritalin user replied: “I am completely reliant on them” 20-30 minutes”.

When asked whether they fear becoming over-reliant on Ritalin around exam time, one student responded: “Yes and no.

Sometimes I fear that I won’t be able to work without it, which is bad for many reasons but especially the financial side of things — it’s not feasible to be buying it weekly”. However, they pointed out that “there’s only one year of college left for me after this and realistically I won’t be doing any more exams or assignments after that (hopefully) so I can’t see a reason that I would need to take it again after college”. The student highlighted that “because it’s such a short period of my life that I’m taking it for I don’t see a problem with it”. Another Ritalin user replied: “I am completely reliant on them. Sometimes if I try to go back to study after taking Ritalin, it is very hard to study and have the same level of focus, obviously.

You have to try and phase it out”.

Ritalin, like every drug, has its side effects. These side effects can

include trouble sleeping, weight loss, decreased appetite, nausea, nervousness and headaches in those who take it. One student responded that “thankfully” they do not suffer from any side effects, whereas another noted “severe dry mouth and wide pupils” were their main reactions to the drug.

Since many students who take Ritalin do not suffer from ADHD, it may seem like their heightened concentration and focus as a result of taking the drug provides an unfair advantage. However, one student responded that they “feel like it brings me up to speed.

I used to envy people so much who could sit all day and study, and now when I take it I feel it’s just making me on the same page as them. As well as this, I took it lots last term and I didn’t do exceptionally well or much better than I usually do; it just made me able to concentrate and get all my work done by the deadlines”.

Another student stated that “it’s not an unfair advantage because if you want it you can get it. It’s your choice whether you want to take it or not, it’s not like I am cheating”.

One student highlights how “more people take it than you think and a lot of people don’t talk about it because it is a bit taboo.

Maybe it’s because they don’t want people to think that they’re enhancing their abilities or that they’re reliant on it”.

There are a variety of cognition enhancing medications out there, resulting in some students experimenting with different brands. Concerta, another ADHD medication, is also popular among students and is described as “slower-release than Ritalin”. One student “would take Concerta more than Ritalin because Ritalin is quite intense”.

The demand for “study drugs” in Ireland is rising rapidly and does not seem to be stopping anytime soon. Something is clearly wrong with the higher education system in Ireland if students are turning to cognitive enhancing “study drugs” in order to manage the pressure of college and the burden brought on by heavily-weighted end-ofyear examinations. This begs the question, is it time to look at different ways of assessing students?

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A newbie’s guide to TBall What is Trinity Ball?

Trinity Ball is the college’s very own mini-music festival, frequently remarked as Europe’s biggest private festival, with tickets available only to Trinity students, staff, alumni, and their fortunate plus-ones. Due to limited capacity and being the first Trinity Ball in two years due to COVID-19, tickets sold out in just about an hour. It is being held on the 22 April on Trinity’s campus; with the theme being Celtic Revival, attendees are promised an inspired art display, as well as an interesting lineup, with more than half the acts being emerging Irish artists and bands.

The basics: what to bring On the morning of the 22 April everyone will be able to collect their tickets from Goldsmith Hall. You will need to bring your reference number that you should have received in an email when buying your tickets, and student ID or proof of student status (for example, an email that confirms you are/were a registered Trinity student), and you will then be given your physical tickets to be brought with you that night.

If you are unable to make it to collect your tickets yourself, email TrinityBallEnquiries@trinityball. ie shortly beforehand to authorise someone else to collect your tickets on your behalf. Going to Trinity Ball itself, you will need to bring your physical ticket and photo ID (should you be asked to confirm that you are over-

18). Remember that doors close strictly at 10.30pm, so make sure to be there on time. Drink is not allowed to be brought inside, and as people who have previously attended Trinity Ball will tell you, there are thorough searches performed on entry.

Decoing the dress code The dress code for the ball, as always, is formal. We should expect to find a sea of tuxedos and cocktail dresses swarming campus this April, as flamboyant and creative or simple and elegant as you choose to lean towards. A common piece of advice I have been given for those wearing dresses is to opt for cocktail dresses over full-length evening dresses, considering it is more of a festival scene than a hotel reception ball… and that if you are brave enough to wear heels, definitely bring a second comfy option to change into. To share a nightmarish tip from a past attendee, make sure that whatever you choose to wear, you won’t regret it when you have to face a portaloo trip!

Food and drink Food trucks will be located in front of the dining hall, selling an array of different food at market going rates, AKA potentially pricey, so it might be a good idea to eat well beforehand to avoid being stuck! A bar will be available, currently planned to be located in front of the 1937 Reading Room. Following the environmentally friendly trend being seen in festivals across Europe, drinks at Trinity Ball will be served in reusable cups, with everyone paying a small deposit of approximately €2-€3 at the start of the night. Should you lose your cup you will unfortunately have to pay for a new one, but the hope is that this will be something that attendees will take onboard quickly, especially as

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this is a switch we will be seeing the majority of festivals making in the near-future in a step-away from single-use plastics. Don’t worry – you will be able to switch your cup for a clean one, with the requirement that you hold onto your own cup to swap around for one, so changing drinks will not be an issue. At the end of the night you will be able to hand your cup in and get your deposit back, so make sure to hold onto it! Free water dispensers will be available around campus also.

To share a nightmarish tip from a past attendee, make sure that whatever you choose to wear, you won’t regret it when you have to face a portaloo trip!

Staying safe In the run up to Trinity Ball there will be a drug safety campaign in partnership with the HSE to help spread awareness about the dangers of drug misuse; not to encourage the taking of drugs, but instead an attempt to minimise harm and spread useful information in the interest of safety for those who choose to. Two respite spaces will be up all night, with their locations to soon be confirmed as the Trinity Ball map is finalised. Run by the St. John’s Ambulance Service, these will be great spaces to take a breather from the crowds and noise, sit down and have a glass of water, or to be looked after by professionals if needed. As well as the respite spaces, if you need a breather, there will be a beautiful art exhibition up in front square.

Ambulance crews will be available in respite spaces for more serious professional help as needed.

Theme and Inspired Artwork The theme of this year’s Trinity Ball is Celtic Revival, inspired by the strong return of a vibrant music scene in Ireland.

The projectors outside the front gates, and ones found inside, will be projecting Celtic-related imagery and colourful visuals at the entrance of the ball. Speaking to Greg Arrowsmith on the artwork being submitted for display, he is delighted to report PHOTOS VIA TRINITY ENTS

Abby Cleaver details the dos and don’ts on the run up to the long-awaited Trinity Ball

that the pieces they have received this year have been “incredible”; the artists having completely embraced and interpreted the theme in their own way, yielding amazing results and making the selection very difficult. The chosen artwork along with short descriptions attached to each are to be displayed in Front Square, available to be visited and admired all night. The successfully chosen artists are to earn (welldeserved) free tickets to the ball.

The display will be up all night so make sure to stop by – this year’s art is not something to miss!

Line-up and acts After speaking to Arrowsmith about this year’s Celtic Revival theme, the pattern found in the line-up was a key inspiration point, showcasing a range of newly emerging or expanding Irish artists who have worked hard building up and releasing vast amounts of music over lockdown. American performer Tinie Tempah may be headlining, but the lineup is full to the brim

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of Irish acts to look out for, from the Irish independent electronic duo 49th & Main to our very own Luke O’Neill’s band, Metabolix.

Artists such as Malaki and CMAT on the line-up serve to perfectly embody a changing music landscape in Ireland, having released the bulk of their work over the lockdowns, and rapidly expanding to wider audiences still as we get back closer to inperson normality. Just over half of this year’s official line-up are Irish bands or performers, with a promising hope to potentially accommodate a couple more Trinity acts in the in-the-works idea of a Trinity Tent. Should it work out, the tent would host acts such as the Trinitones for one half of the night before handing the space off to DUDJ in the second half, with, if possible, perhaps one or two Trinity-based acts given slots in between.

Additionally, this year’s Preball is giving selected Trinity bands an amazing exposure opportunity in Whelan’s main room. Traditionally, with one slot on the main stage up for grabs, a Battle of the Bands type event is held to decide which Trinity Band gets the place. This year however, in order to avoid encouraging competition in a community that thrives on supporting each other, submissions of clips of the

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Drinks at Trinity Ball will be served in reusable cups, with everyone paying a small deposit of approximately €2-3 at the start of the night PHOTO BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS

bands performing were accepted with a select few picked to play at Preball. Preball is to take place on Tuesday, April 5th, with tickets at €7 and available now. Showcasing

talent right at our doorstep, these Trinity acts include Fizzy Orange, Gemma Cox, and Glass Gallery.

The inclusion of these artists in Preball is a complete welcoming

of the Celtic Revival theme, incorporating the growing scene of emerging musical talent in Dublin that we can find right here at Trinity.

JBall Jedward, it’s in your hands!

With the petition for Jedward to play at TBall rising in numbers, I had to ask Greg to comment on the possibility of a Jedward appearance this year. He is all for Jedward to make an appearance, and is completely open to giving the pair free tickets, or even a slot in the Trinity Tent should they want it. Unfortunately, the real question must turn towards the budget. In keeping the ticket prices the same as previous years, even with rising costs in

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The line-up showcases a range of newly emerging or expanding Irish artists who have worked hard building up and releasing vast amounts of music over lockdown

putting on such an event postlockdown, the budget is not there to pay for such an appearance.

However, should they be interested in coming along for fun, the committee is completely up for accommodating them!

So, Jedward fan base at Trinity, you shouldn’t give up on the possibility of JBall just yet…

First time T-Ballers’ tips and tricks General tips and advice from our ents officer and previous attendees: • Try not to go too hard on pre-drinks! It is a long night so starting too strongly might not be the best idea for making the most of TBall. Pacing yourself will be key for this type of event, should you want to last the night mostly on your feet.

• Trying to get a good meal in beforehand will help with this as aswell. Remember to stay hydrated – there will be free water stations around campus for this.

• Dress in formal wear, but try to be comfortable too! Heelwearers, bring a spare pair of shoes. Remember that Trinity Ball is outside, bring a jacket to not be left in the cold.

• Do not be late to the gates, doors close at 10.30pm this year!

Finally, and very importantly, make sure you plan ahead for your trip home. Consider pre-booking a taxi, or booking a hostel/hotel room. Getting a taxi at 3am is hard enough on a regular night, and there will be a lot of people trying to get home at the same time, so avoid getting stuck with no way home!

You can email TrinityBallEnquiries@trinityball. ie for any queries you may have about the event/ticket collection.

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What is pers always politi A roundup of upcoming music events to kick off your summer Ria Walls explores Dublin’s best music events to start off your summer right

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s we near the summer months, the longawaited outdoor concerts are just around the corner.

It’s been a while since we bought overpriced ponchos and ruined our shoes in a packed, muddy field while sipping on a pint. If you are lucky enough to secure tickets for any of the upcoming gigs, this summer in Dublin is guaranteed to be a great return to outdoor events — if the weather behaves.

Irish pop star Dermot Kennedy is taking to the stage twice this summer, in both St. Anne’s Park in Raheny on June 10, and at Malahide Castle on June 24. With both venues just outside of the city centre, their large capacities allow for thousands of fans to gather and enjoy a return to the festival-style events. While Malahide Castle is not new to hosting concerts, only five previous artists have played at St. Anne’s Park, proving to be a prime location for live music due to its spacious capacity.

Locally-based band Picture This will also perform in Malahide Castle on June 18. Like hundreds of other artists after cancelled concerts from 2020, this Irish group are set to make their return to Dublin. This scenic location has hosted gigs back as far as 2008 and this year will see Lewis Capaldi, The Killers, and Sam Fender play alongside the Irish acts. With a capacity of 20,000, fans are guaranteed to enjoy an event to remember.

Forbidden Fruit is kicking off the first of the major festivals in

Dublin. Being the city’s longestrunning outdoor festival, this June will mark 10 years of the iconic event. Hosted at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham, this spacious area allows for thousands to gather and listen to artists such as BICEP, Loyle Carner, Lorde, and Peggy Gou. A return to festivals is what the city’s music lovers need after two years of radio silence.

New to the concert scene is Fairview Park. Located near the seafront in Clontarf, this venue will be hosting numerous gigs this coming June — including Phoebe Bridgers, Olivia Rodrigo, and Inhaler. With a smaller capacity of 5,000, fans expressed their disappointment at the rapid selling out of tickets, but gaining a new venue allows for an increase in outdoor concerts in the summer months, allowing for more artists to perform in Dublin.

Thankfully, I managed to get a ticket for Phoebe Bridgers, and

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Marlay Park will be running with a rock theme this summer, with Guns N’ Roses and Red Hot Chilli Peppers playing back to back on June 28 and 29

the thought of seeing her live is getting me through exam season.

Marlay Park will be running with a rock theme this summer, with Guns N’ Roses and Red Hot Chilli Peppers playing back to back on 28 and 29 June. This venue has hosted the famous Longitude festival since 2013, and residents situated in the Dublin suburb complain ferociously every year about the noise and congestion. I wouldn’t say that the upcoming sold-out concerts will be any quieter or more peaceful and while I don’t envy the neighbours, I do envy ticket holders as these shows are going to be spectacular.

Speaking of, Longitude will take place this coming July for the first time since 2019. Ticket holders were disappointed after the cancellation for two consecutive years, but as we move out of the many lockdowns, those attending can make up for lost time and enjoy a restriction-free festival (so far anyway). With headlining artists like A$AP Rocky, Jack Harlow, Tyler, The Creator, and Doja Cat, the popular Dublin festival will return to Marlay Park from July 1 to 3.

40,000 concert-goers will flood the green, creating a return to large-scale festivals.

Finally, our own college will host their annual Trinity Summer Series from June 27 to July 3. Since 2017 Trinity have transformed the cricket pitch into a mini-festival; they have years of experience for these types of events, with the largescale, long-awaited Trinity Ball occurring annually. The capacity for the seven-day long series is 5,000 per gig, with artists such as The Coronas, Keane, Crowded House, and Michael Kiwanuka performing.

Very few of these upcoming events have tickets left on their websites or Ticketmaster, so if you are interested in attending, start booking fast!

Sophie O Rourke discusses her experience of ectopic pregnancy and the need to have more open conversations about women’s reproductive health

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year and a half ago my life was turned upside down by the discovery that I was pregnant. I was nine weeks along, and in acute agony. This pain turned out to be due to the fact that the foetus was not in my uterus, but in my left fallopian tube. This is called an ectopic pregnancy, and can be life threatening if not treated with surgery immediately.

This pregnancy was to have an emotional impact on me that I had never expected to deal with.

In fact, no one had expected to deal with it, and that’s my main reason for writing this article: every year students have sex, and as a consequence of this people are getting pregnant, and some of these pregnancies end in miscarriage or ectopic pregnancies. I’m in no way an expert, but I do have a perspective informed by my own experience that I would like to share with you.

Initially, I was stunned. I had suspected I was pregnant for a while before ending up in the emergency room, but it was something I speculated about theoretically, unconnected from what that would really mean.

When I was informed of what was happening, I was shocked.

That shock was to last for a while.

And then slowly, it faded into grief. Sometimes it was acute, if I saw someone else was pregnant on Facebook for instance. But more often it is this nagging sense of loss. The grief was always accompanied by guilt. Guilt that I felt this way when I thought I had no right. Guilt that I had let down myself as well as my boyfriend and my family. And guilt that I had let this happen, that I must have done something wrong for my body to have rejected it. These are not rational thoughts, but people have irrational reactions to breaking their wrists — is it any wonder that something so loaded as an ectopic pregnancy would evoke these

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My unique experience was being absorbed into someone’s political belief system, automatically, without thought

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sonal is not ical

feelings?

That is how I felt, not that I have had many opportunities to express this, because the first thing I learnt about experiencing an ectopic pregnancy is that silence surrounds it. People don’t ask and they also don’t know what to say. I think this is particularly true of students, although I have experienced this kind of silence from many people of all ages. This is usually how it goes: I tell a close friend or family member what’s happened to me, we have one conversation about it, and I am never questioned again. Now this makes sense — it is sufficiently traumatic that no one wants to bring it up for fear of reminding you of it. But this also sends the message that it shouldn’t be brought up, which could serve to separate a community of people who have a shared experience. How can they find each other if they are not able to talk about what they have experienced? We shouldn’t want that, because it stops people from helping those they love who’ve had this experience. We

shouldn’t want that, because the burden of miscarriage at a young age is hard enough without the added burden of taboo.

Why do people feel discomfort when talking to loved ones about miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies? Well, one obvious theory is that they don’t know what to say.

Particularly when considering the student population, this is not surprising.

It often could be one of the first times they have come across pregnancy and childbirth in a context outside of an older generation; of course they might feel out of their depth! But on the flip side, I can confirm that your friend who has experienced a miscarriage probably also feels out of their depth, and your silence can make them feel more alone.

Listening is golden. When people say talking about your feelings helps, they are not wrong.

Now I don’t know about most people, but talking to a wall makes me feel crazy, so having a friend who is willing to listen is

crucial. If you are worried about saying the wrong thing, the most important thing I would say is to separate politics and your friend’s experience. Women’s health has a place in politics, but politics doesn’t need to be a part of this conversation, and I will include three pieces of anecdotal evidence to support my point.

One well intentioned, but emotionally inept friend attempted to comfort me by describing my experience as “just a normal medical procedure” — and of course, for some women, that is what it is. But for many it is not, and this kind of statement does not allow space for expressing the range of emotions that someone might be experiencing.

It is dismissive, even if that is not the intention. It is also an example of the almost automatic politicalization of women’s health.

There is a time and a place to talk about your beliefs about women’s health — talking about my ectopic pregnancy is not that time.

In a similar vein, but from the other end of the political spectrum, I was speaking to another friend about my experience, and he remarked that the surgery was acceptable as the foetus was not viable, had it been an abortion that would be different. That is an inflammatory remark, but its impact was pretty much the same on me. My unique experience was being absorbed into someone’s political belief system, automatically, without thought.

I think it is because people are so used to thinking of women’s health in a political sense they have forgotten how to talk about it on a personal level. Especially students who most often come across the topic in that political forum, be it from a pro-choice or pro-life perspective. To reiterate, women’s health has a place in politics, but politics doesn’t always have a place in women’s health.

To end this article on a positive note I would like to add a third,

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Women’s health has a place in politics, but politics doesn’t need to be a part of this conversation

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The grief was always accompanied by guilt. Guilt that I felt this way when really I felt I had no right much more positive anecdote, which includes a simple piece of advice for those who want to help but might not know what to say.

I didn’t know this third girl at all as well as I knew the other two friends I have mentioned already.

We were talking about something tangentially connected to the topic of pregnancy and I mentioned my ectopic pregnancy. She stopped me and told me she had not known I had experienced that. Then she told me she had never experienced anything like this herself, but had read articles that said that women who have experienced this also felt profound guilt. So she said she guessed what she would like to tell me is that this was not my fault. Hearing this was instantly overwhelming, as if without knowing it that is all I had ever wanted to hear. And I think that is a very good start — simply telling someone that it was not their fault.

When a friend of yours tells you that they are pregnant, that they had a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, or that they had an abortion, allow that to be unique to them, not part of a larger political debate. What is personal is not always political. And lastly, listen. It could mean the world to someone you care about.

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What’s in a name? Neurodivergen The relationship between sex and food may have been taken too far by Dublin restaurant Happy Endings, writes Eva O’Beirne

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ood and sexual activities have always been linked.

Whether it is through the medium of aphrodisiacs or branding used by bars and restaurants to entice couples, it is hard not to see the relationship between food and sex. But one post by the Dublinbased restaurant Happy Endings got me thinking about when this relationship can go too far.

For those who don’t know, Happy Endings derives its name from the “extras” offered at the end of some massages. A “happy ending” results in the client achieving an orgasm, typically by a handjob or fingering, at the end of a massage and is common enough in Dublin massage parlours, often branded as Thai in nature. Being a sex worker in Ireland is technically legal, but the purchase of sex or working in a brothel or as part of a group is not.

What is worse is that our legislation actively prevents sex workers from seeking help from the Gardaí when assaulted or abused. The Sexual Offences Act prohibited the purchase of sex and increased penalties for sex workers sharing premises.

The maximum fine for “brothel keeping” increased from €1,000 to

€5,000 and the maximum jail term doubled from six months to one year. A conviction on indictment (which requires a Jury trial), remained unchanged by the act with a maximum fine of €10,000 remaining and/or a maximum five-year jail term. According to a 2021 report carried out by UCD, the majority of sex workers in Ireland are migrants who engage in predominately survival sex work.

But why does this matter when it comes to Happy Endings? Well, on April 1 the official Instagram account of the restaurant posted the “launch” of their OnlyFans account. Intended as an inside joke for those who know about the practice in massage parlours, the post signalled to me that sex work, at least to the owners, is merely something to be laughed at. Has branding gone too far with this one? Perhaps, especially when one remembers the infamous Discord leak of November 2020 where up to 40,000 images of sex workers, children and ordinary people were shared without their consent. Also shared on their Instagram for Valentine’s Day was a graphic captioned “Tonight the chicken comes first.” Their regular event of “Pornstar Wednesdays” has attracted Dublin’s clientele, but patrons may not be aware of the wink-wink-nudge-nudge nature of the restaurant’s name.

Happy Endings itself seems to know their own limits when it comes to their menu and website design, the more “formal” side of the business. Deliberately citing that their food is inspired by “global street food flavours”, the closest their menu gets to referencing sex acts is their “Missionary” burger. All other items are distinctly south-Asian inspired with their flavours and names. But it still begs the

question, who is behind Happy Endings? From what I can tell, two men from South Dublin who own various other establishments across the city. They plan to expand to Cork in the near future.

In contrast, sex workers are actively punished for attempting to live together – if someone were to discover their profession they could lose their home and livelihoods as they have no way of proving they don’t use their residence for their services. If they are assaulted at work and choose to report it, their landlord or employer will be arrested. They are bound by law to suffer in silence as there is no reward for coming forward, only stigma and perhaps retaliation by clients or co-workers.

So what’s in a name? Does a name really matter? Will calling the restaurant something else make everything better? I’m not sure. But I definitely am of the opinion that the owners of Happy Endings see sex work as a bit of a joke. Creating a fundraiser to help sex workers, especially those who are trapped in situations like Direct Provision would be a good step forward to dismantling negative perceptions of the trade.

Even speaking out against the unfair treatment of sex workers in Ireland would be better than their current stance.

There’s a certain shallowness that is slowly creeping across Dublin. Between pubs named after James Connolly (a famous teetotaler), to other establishments attempting to cash in on Dublin history and culture without paying proper homage.

Are we losing Dublin to corporate greed? It certainly seems so. For the moment, Happy Endings has left an odd taste in my mouth, and I’m not hungry for more.

Caroline Loughlin discusses the resources and supports available to neurodivergent students in Trinity

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his month is Autism Awareness Month, a month dedicated to increasing our understanding and awareness of neurodivergence, and it begins with the United Nations endorsed ‘World Autism Awareness Day’ on April 2. I spoke to Clare Malone from the Disability Service to gain some insight into what autism is and what supports are available on campus.

Neurodiversity is the naturally occurring variation in the way that the brain works, in the case of autistic people this variation can be in areas such as social communication styles and sensory/information processing.

The ‘autistic spectrum’ refers to the variation of the autistic experience across each individual.

The broader term ‘neurodivergent’ can be used to refer to people with autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, or other specific learning differences.

It is thought that around one in a hundred people in Ireland are autistic and, although they make up a large portion of our College population, many of us are very undereducated around the subject. There is a lack of understanding around what it is like to be autistic and a lack of awareness as to what we as a college community can do to better accommodate the needs of our neurodivergent students.

You may have noticed the diverse choice of seating now available in the Lecky Library, with seats placed to allow a bit more privacy or chairs that face toward the window. This is a part of the TCD Sense sensory project that works towards establishing more sensory inclusive spaces and resources on campus. This includes the adapting of libraries and student spaces across Trinity.

These seemingly minor alterations for many can have a major impact on the everyday lives of autistic students and staff.

The Neurodiversity Project was established by the Disability Service in July 2021 with the goal of improving existing supports and establishing additional resources to make sure that everybody can fully participate in all aspects of College life. The Trinity Autism & Uni toolkit is available on their website along with other useful resources

for students seeking guidance on navigating the university experience. Something to look out for in the future is the launch of the disAbility Hub after the development of the Printing House Square in 2022. It will be a space for those in college and the wider community to connect.

According to the Disability Service (2022), there are 876 people in Trinity who are medically categorised as being neurodivergent. However, it is estimated that, in actual fact, the number could be around 3,600 as the first figure is underrepresentative due to the time and costs required to attain a medical diagnosis. Daily drop-in appointments at the Disability Service are available to all students, whether you are experiencing challenges in College, or you are wondering if you may have a disability and are interested in seeking a diagnosis.

They also offer information on how to get in contact with the assessment services and have information about the assessment resources offered at Trinity. This can be especially useful now in the run up to exams, with some autistic students needing specific adaptations to be made to their exam environments.

Talking about changes they would like to see in the College community, Faolán Doecke Launders, the newly elected chairperson of the Neurodiversity Society for 2022/23, says: “It’s hard to know in what way situations affect people, but I think that at least a universal recognition of “diversity of being” so to say would be a great place to start.’’

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nce in college

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I think that at least a universal recognition of “diversity of being” so to say would be a great place to start The Neurodiversity Society is a proposed society, meaning it is not yet recognised by the Central Societies Committee and can receive no funding support.

However, this has no impact on students or staffs’ ability to join and participate in the society.

For Doecke Launders, “it is a place where thinking and being different is not just accepted, but expected and celebrated.’’ The society is easy to join through a link on their social media accounts and you can keep track of any meetups and events that are coming up through their weekly emails.

The Neurodiversity Society is an important addition to campus as it helps to bring awareness to autism and neurodivergence as a whole, and moreover helps to reduce ableism in our community.

Doecke Launder tells Trinity News, “neurodivergent people can lack self-confidence because for their entire lives they’re told ‘you are disabled, you are worse than literally everyone else’, and so our community allows people to become more confident by interacting with people who simply don’t care about comparing themselves to someone else”. “We’re all different, we’re all competing in different sports so to say. You can’t compare Olympic athletes when they compete in completely different sports — a sprinter compared to a boxer’’. “It’s important to have this society on campus to normalise divergent thoughts.” Doecke Launder concludes.

So, what can we as a College community do to better understand and accommodate the needs of autistic students and staff? Malone said that the first step is to talk with the neurodivergent community to gain an understanding of their experience, through social media posts, online groups, blogs and neurodivergent-led research that highlights the voices of Autistic people. The Ability Co-op podcast launched a 2021 Autism Awareness Month Special that shares insights into a range of student experiences. The Ability Co-op also has checklists and guidelines for Clubs and Societies at Trinity as to what they can do to make their practices more inclusive.

Hopefully, in this way, we can make campus life here at Trinity a more friendly and accepting place for those who have different abilities than us.

Vicky Smith’s complex portrayal of womanhood

Ciarán Drohan discusses Vicky Smith’s exhibit The Cold Bark Against My Back curated at the Olivier Cornet Contemporary Gallery

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n a first visit to the Olivier Cornet Contemporary Gallery, it is immediately impressive. Facilitated by its large windows, it is a bright open space that invokes a grander scale than this single room in a Georgian town house, normally should allow. The gallery has curated Vicky Smith’s multimedia exhibition, The Cold Bark Against My Back, running until April 3, with a free admission booking slot. The balance between tradition and experimentation is obvious on first impression. The paintings, which are primarily figurative, are hung on the walls in a conventional manner, evenly spaced at eye-level. Meanwhile, experimental three-dimensional works ranging from semi to fully abstract pieces are laid out on the floor and shelves in a cyclical pattern.

Themes of womanhood, domestication and escape from the traditional female emerge in this thought-provoking display.

Women are notably the subject of most of the works. One Week Last Summer amalgamates a portrait of a woman with a landscape. The landscape is reminiscent of Van Gogh’s The Harvest, depicting arable farmland leading to distant hills, through which an image of a woman laid on her side, is

interwoven through. The disparity in perspective between the two scenes presents the woman as an almost giant-like figure, perhaps a representation of the primordial deity, Gaia. It presents an idyllic scene of humanity with nature.

Claws of a Fairytale reveals a darker idea of womanhood.

The sculpture features a book, displaying the page of an image of Snow White, holding two children in a living room alongside a man whose face is turned away. Snow White blankly stares straight out. The detachment in her gaze is agitating and brings to mind ideas of domestic unease and dissatisfaction. The larger sculpture, Fold Your Legs I further explores the idea of traditional roles of women in Irish society.

The image of the folded legs draws from antiquated interpretations of femininity and the rendering of this image is adequately disturbing.

The legs are knobbly and appear almost intestinal. Like many others in this collection, the piece includes a lightbulb, a symbol of domesticity and the home.

One of the most impressive paintings, Reading The Irish Times in Bed, imparts a sense of calm.

This, like most of the paintings in the exhibition, is mixed media – oil and acrylic on canvas. The triangular composition is very inviting, and the warm shades of yellow give the picture a warm serenity. There is also a great deal of textural complexity in this painting. While the background is painted quite flat, the bed head, sheets and everything closer to the foreground are more layered, like a three-dimensional texture. This combined with the composition succeeds in giving the image a great sense of space.

When entering the exhibition, A Creative Examination assumes its role as the exhibition’s centrepiece. The work’s size is the largest sculpture, and its creative installation gives it a captivating

presence. It encompasses an open leather suitcase, containing a printed image of the writer, Edna O’Brien, which is overlooked by a medical magnifying glass used for smear tests. Above this, an electric blanket inscribed with a portrait drawing of a woman is suspended from the ceiling. The image presents very nuanced social ideas in a visually dynamic way. There is the blanket, representing an image of homeliness, suspended above the suitcase, which embodies the concept of escape. The choice of Edna O’Brien, whose work grappled with the repression of women in Irish society is fitting – O’Brien broke away from what tradition decided her female place would be. The magnifying glass serves to look at the image of O’Brien and connects her writings about Ireland in the 1950s and 60s, to the present day. It reminds us that the oppression of women is not just a relic of a dark past, but a continuum in the present day.

The exhibition in general is extremely immersive. The sculptures on the floor of the gallery are arranged in a circular spiral form. They are installed in a methodical and accurate way.

This makes the visitor feel inside the exhibition, as one thematic experience. A number of the sculptures involve lightbulbs, and their power cables lead up the walls across the ceiling of the gallery, adding to the immersion of the exhibition; the gallery itself is the artwork, not merely a frame for it.

Vicky Smith impressively confronts a wide range of emotions while maintaining continuity. The works thematically portray her complex explorations of womanhood. The exhibition, in this way, successfully reflects the complexity of life as a woman and the struggle between accepting a traditional role as socially prescribed, and simultaneously trying to escape it.

Vicky Smith, “One Week Last Summer” (2022). Oil, acrylic and mixed media on linen canvas, 33cm x 49cm, 2022. Photo @ The Olivier Cornet Contemporary Gallery

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Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

The real deal: your only guide to Van Gogh Dublin Elena McCroy gets the inside scoop on this one of a kind art event with Project Director Jillian Wilson

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an Gogh Dublin – An Immersive Journey is not what people are expecting. What has been deemed a travelling, moving or immersive exhibition from various articles and news posts, could not be further from the real essence of this technological show; made clear by the event’s Project Director, Jillian Wilson. If ever you had doubts whether to pay the student fare of €25.94 (on Ticketmaster’s company website, universe.com), I urge you to do exactly that. This high-tech live event is a one time interaction, and one which art students or appreciators should not be willing to miss.

Wilson dubbs the event a

PHOTO VIA VAN GOGH DUBLIN

“world premier”, it is so much more than just a display. Theatre of Light in collaboration with Nohlab are using Artificial intelligence, 3D data analysis, data visualisation, and generative neural technology to physically thrust us into Van Gogh’s most famous paintings.

Like many people have preconceived, this will not entail bulky projections on carpets, screening pictures shown in movies or drive-in cinemas. These images will be experienced as part of the building, Wilson notes to “picture the wall as the blank canvas”. Theatre of Light are using a catalogue of over 2,000 of Van gogh’s paintings, drawings, and letters to bring us an experience supported by intense research and an aim to understand the tortured and brilliant impressionist artist.

Wilson continues: “we’ve basically been researching for the past three years about what’s on the market, sourcing the best technology, and we’ve partnered with an award winning content studio to create something really unique and really new”. If you imagine a film reel with a projector, this is not it; the minute you enter Shelbourne Hall you are within the paintings.

Wilson states it is “machine learning”, and I believe that is the perfect way to anticipate this. It is a show like no other, led by technology and digital illusions. The premiership comes into play because alongside Van Gogh’s infamous pieces, art is expected from their creative partners, Nohlab. Nohlab, who have collaborated with the likes of Chanel, Pink Floyd, Nike, Audi, Scriabin Museum, and Atelier des Lumieres in Paris, aim to build bridges between the digital and physical reality through art and design. It will create a unique reimagination. They are producing stand alone pieces for immersion using their own contemporary artists, “inspired by the evolution of art, science, and light”.

The real aim of this project is to get into the mindset and understand Van Gogh, not simply to admire his work as the word “exhibition” might traditionally imply. This is an event that will not only display contemporary artists channelling digital data, but a complete reimagining of Van Gogh’s pieces. With the archives Theatre of Light has access to, they are putting into this multi-sensory

experience, art that Van Gogh might have painted if he were alive today -it will be a complete reimagining of what Gogh could have achieved if he were alive in the 21st century -and this approach has never before been experimented with in an art show. It is the world premiering of this concept, one I am intrigued by. Wilson references that many people have probably already seen images of the touring exhibit online, it reached cities like London, New York and Paris, but what Theatre of Light and Nohlab want to do is to have “a reimagining of that experience”: “Not only are we bringing it to life, but we are also using really innovative technology…we’re actually looking at his life and how he’s been inspired”. Wilson says that “people can look at what he might have done, if he’d been a digital artist in this age.”

From May 15 to August 6, Hall 2 in Shelbourne Hall at the RDS will host the 20,000 foot visual tunnels – no doubt The Starry Night (1889) and Wheatfield with Crows (1890) will make an epic appearance.

Limited tickets are available online at https://vangoghdublin.com/ and Hall 2 in the RDS is all at

ground level making it an easier access for anyone with mobility necessities. Parking is €7 at the RDS, but luckily only a 20-25 minute walk from Dublin Town.

Opening seven days a week, viewers can also expect the virtual reality experience, a “journey of a light particle” from the beginning of its creation, transitioning to a solid entity to our human eye, as well as a retail shop, cafe and infinity room.

To capture the essence of this ultimate event, Wilson paints a vivid image: “It’s like you are strolling through the fields of [the] south of France with Van Gogh, or looking out into the window of his bedroom and seeing the mountain and the sky that he sees, or the way that his eyes perceive the stars, or following his hands as he is painting the brushstrokes.”

This interactive event is like no other, it is showcasing the evident highs that art can achieve digitally at an extremely advanced level. It is certainly a new kind of art, art of the future. But you know what they say – there’s no time quite like the present (so get booking).

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 12 April

Ria Walls talks to students who journeyed to Boston and Toulouse for their second semester

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s we reach the end of our Erasmus series, for this final issue I spoke to two fellow Junior Sophister students about their respective terms spent in Europe and America.

Toulouse Ava Browne, hailing from Derry city, studies business, economics, and social studies (BESS) and is specialising in business and economics. She is currently spending her second term of College in Toulouse, France. Herself and five other girls from her course made the journey early this year to take part in the exchange programme, attending Université Toulouse 1 Capitole.

In France, Browne is taking modules in macroeconomics, public economics, corporate finance, management, marketing and customer relationship management. Unfortunately for herself and the other BESS students, there were several clashes between departments, leaving them with no other choice but to partake in three master’s modules to fill up their credits for the term. For obvious reasons this is difficult; the jump from an undergraduate degree to master’s-level modules is not something that should occur for students, and in order to prevent this issue from recurring in years to come, Browne has reached out to Trinity’s Erasmus

PHOTO BY MARIE DOYLE

team to advise them to make this specific exchange solely for single honour business students, as the communication between the business and economics departments in Toulouse is too poor. Browne and the other students have stated that they appreciate the help and advice from College when it came to their dilemma; Browne told Trinity News that the Erasmus coordinators “took time to talk to us about our concerns with modules and they’ve taken the information on board for future students attending this exchange”.

Browne believes that Trinity is the more organised when it comes to exam timetables and coordination, as in Toulouse they were left with the responsibility of arranging their exam schedules on their own, meaning they had to communicate with different schools; this led to clashes and overlap.

Aside from these complications, so far the time

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Browne believes that Trinity is more organised when it comes to exam timetables and coordination

spent in Toulouse by the BESS students has been thoroughly enjoyed. They highlighted the unique opportunity that Erasmus presents; it’s a chance to travel and study in another country that you will most likely not get to do again. On top of this, the restrictions in France are similar to what we are living with here in Ireland, so they have been able to attend in-person classes and make the most of going out and exploring their host city. In terms of their accommodation, Browne points out the notable difference in price, explaining how the rent for their on-campus rooms in France are significantly cheaper than what would be paid in Dublin. Going to Toulouse for Hilary Term comes with the advantage of the weather; the girls have been able to enjoy the summer months of sunshine and have plans to travel around Europe while they’re there.

Browne highlights her initial concerns about going on Erasmus, stating: “I was unsure before going as it is a big change and it can be daunting, but it’s definitely worth it”. She discusses how going away has brought her closer to her fellow BESS classmates who she didn’t know as well beforehand, as well as providing her with the opportunity to travel and create memories.

Boston On the other hand, fellow BESS student Marie Doyle discusses her time spent so far in America.

Having completed her final years of secondary school in Florida, Doyle has returned to do an Erasmus in Boston, currently studying at Boston College, Massachusetts. On her term abroad she is joined by seven other Trinity students, some of which are there for the year, and others who — like Doyle — travelled to America for half of the year.

PHOTO BY AVA BROWNE

The final wrap on Erasmus at Trinity

As the credits at her host college carry more weight, Doyle is only taking four modules this semester. She states that it wasn’t a difficult process when it came to picking modules, and her host university even allowed students to transfer classes for the first two weeks. She notes that a main difference between Trinity and Boston College is the assessment style; in America it is common to be graded through continuous assessment, and when compared to the “madness and chaos associated with the last few weeks at Trinity when your entire year of work is whittled down to an essay or final exam”, Doyle considers it her preferred assessment style.

When it comes to applying, Doyle places emphasis on giving yourself an abundance of time and to avoid sorting matters last minute. She faced difficulties with her VISA and it caused unnecessary stress surrounding the likelihood of being able to physically get to America.

Treading alongside the opinion of other Erasmus students, Doyle encourages those considering the move to do so. She encourages students that “if you get the opportunity to go away you should 100% take it”, focusing on the unique chances and the fun that surrounds the exchange.

She highlights the large cultural difference between Americans and the Irish, but expresses the open nature and friendliness of those she has encountered while on exchange.

As I close up on this series, what have we learned? Going on Erasmus isn’t as easy as setting your heart on a nice looking university in a country you want to go to and just packing your bags and departing. There is

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Unfortunately there were several clashes between departments, leaving them with no other choice but to partake in three modules to fill up their credits for the term a lot of background planning, administrative work, and preparation that must occur beforehand which requires time and commitment. It isn’t a straight-forward process, but every student I have spoken to has emphasised how despite these seemingly inevitable difficulties, it is so worth it. For anyone reading this who is considering going on an exchange, applying early and being organised are key factors in the application process. The unique Erasmus opportunity we are faced with while attending college is one that is to be embraced with open arms.

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Puzzle page Crossword

Tuesday 12 April | TRINITY NEWS

PUZZLES BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS

Across

2. Pipe beneath London (4) 8. Home of world’s oldest university, also ragu (7) 10. Obstruct your picnic box (6) 11. Face, full of tea (3) 14. Expropriate (10) 16. African capital city, formerly Salisbury (6) 18. Room, scope – full of stars (5) 19. Ingredient of bronze (3) 20. Bulgarian, Ukrainian or Slovenian (6) 22. Gunslinging young horse (4)

Down

Solutions to this week’s puzzles on page 31 of main supplement

1. Metric prefix denoting a trillion (4) 3. Unliqe any other (6) 4. Element Fe (4) 5. Big cat native to the Americas (6) 6. Martial sailing ship or huge jellyfish (3,2,3) 7. Unceremoniously throw away (4) 9. Peculiar puny Pyrenean principality (7) 12. Wrathful fruit (5) 13. Material extracted from the rubber tree (5) 15. Must do before reaping (3) 17. Phenomenal tale (4) 21. Like the blood of a snake (4)

Sudoku

Solution to Issue 8 crossword: