UCC Express Fresher's Issue 2017

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UCCExpress.ie | Volume 21 | Issue 01 | Freshers’ Issue

A Year In News Page 4 - News

Martin Scally celebrating his presidential victory in the UCC Students’ Union elections in March (Photo: Emmet Curtin)

Meet Your Union - UCC Students’ Union Report 2017/18 Michelle Beazley News Editor Located at 54 College Road, the UCC Students’ Union is a representative body composed of a mixture of fulltime and part-time officers, democratically elected by the students of UCC. There are 5 full-time paid officers: President, Deputy President & Campaigns Officer, Education Officer, Welfare Officer and Communications Officer. The Entertainments Officer is also paid, but is technically not a full-time position. Each officer has a particular role in the SU, but they all work together to aid the student body by providing support to students in need of assistance, organising entertainment on campus, and campaigning for solutions to issues that affect students. Every UCC student, by virtue of paying fees, is automatically a member

of the SU. The SU elections are held every March, and all full-time students are entitled to vote.

Full-Tume Officers President: Martin Scally Last year’s UCCSU Presidential election (much like the slightly bigger one in America) saw some controversy over results, but it was Commerce student Martin Scally who ultimately triumphed in a tight race separated by votes in the single digits. Scally utilised a number of parody videos in his campaign, including a Love Actually-themed creation that garnered national media attention. The video highlighted key points of his manifesto, which promised to ensure the extended library hours achieved last year were maintained, to lobby for the removal

of the faraway Neptune Stadium as an examination centre, to lobby for the introduction of mandatory pay for all students on placement, and to introduce a UCC Festival.

International Student Welcome Page 8 - Features

Deputy President & Campaigns Officer: Seán Ó Riabhaigh Seán ‘Poodles’ Ó Riabhaigh saw off competition from two strong candidates to become Deputy President of UCC SU for the upcoming academic year.

The chief responsibility of the Deputy President is to fulfil the position of President when they are unable, or too busy, to do so themselves. Their responsibilities as Campaigns Officer involve campaigning for solutions to issues that affect the student body of UCC. Continues on next page...

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Sim Byline Magazine

NEWS INSIDE TODAY: 2

NEWS

FROM THE EDITOR or “no seriously, please eat food,” or even some classic cliché idioms like “the early bird catches the worm” or “with great power comes great responsibility,” but anybody could tell you those; I want to write something only I could tell you, or at least something that somebody else mightn’t.

03 UCCSU Report 04 The Year In Review

FEATURES

05 A Note To Freshers 06 A Welcoming Community for International Students How To Get Involved With Student Media

BYLINE

10 How To Be An Independent Thinker 12 Dream Daddy Review

SPORT

15 UCC Goes International 16 Mixed Year For The College

EDITORIAL TEAM Editor-in-Chief - Robert O’Sullivan Designer - Kelly Doherty News Editor - Michelle Beazley Features Editor - Ciara Dinneen Sports Editor - Dylan O’Connell Photographer - Emmet Curtin Webmaster - Evan Smith

What’s Another Year Robert O’Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief

I’ve been here a long-ass time, and I’m really racking my brain to try to think of some good advice. There’s five years between me and most of you reading this, some of you are even younger than that, and some of you are a bit older than that (shoutout to my mature student friends), so for the majority of people reading this I should be able to impart some sage wisdom. Sure, there’s generic stuff like “don’t forget to eat”

Byline Cover Art - Amy Louise O’Callaghan Facebook: UCC Express Twitter: @UCCExpress Instagram: UCCExpress Website: uccexpress.ie

As fucked up as it is, messing up and failing is how we learn some important life lessons. And once you’ve failed, once you’ve made a mistake, don’t be afraid or too prideful to ask for help: it’s always there.

Rob O Sullivan

FROM THE NEWS EDITOR rubbish that’s free over the entire year and watching it pile up so high on the desk you’re meant to be using for study that you can’t even see the notes you don’t have. You feel like an adult for all of two minutes, after which you realise you miss your mum, can’t cook to save your life and that adults don’t spend their last tenner on a naggin and a cookie from Lidl instead of toilet paper and chicken.

Byline Editor - Cailean Coffey Fiction Editor - Sophie Mckenzie Gaming Editor - Tyrone Power Fashion Editor - Iris Maher Music Editor - JJ Lee Film & Television Editor - Aaron Frahill Humour Editor - Eoin Doyle Food Editor - Isabella Cosgrave Staff Writers Laura O’Connor Jill Kingston Ellie Menton Chris McCahill Lucas Brun Callum Connelly

After thinking for a while, I’ve thought of something: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I’m not saying you should be reckless here, but I am saying that you should take some chances, and don’t punish yourself too much when those chances go Pete Tong. I was always an anxious kid, and always played it a little too safe. I wouldn’t even climb a tree or a wall because I might fall and break something.

And because of this I didn’t learn how to climb a tree. I wouldn’t ride a bike because I might get hit by a car, or fall off and break my neck.

And because of this I never learned how to ride a bike.

ISSUE 01 | UCC Express

The College Year

News Editor, Michelle Beazley College is weird. Certain experiences are inevitable, like joining a million clubs and societies but only ever going to one or two, if that, accidentally getting lost on the way to your first lecture, deliberately getting lost on the way to the Mardyke, and taking any piece of useless

The advice I have for you is this: get involved in everything, every single thing you think might be even the slightest bit interesting, but, and I cannot stress this enough, don’t let everything that is new and exciting about college distract you from why you’re really here. Make sure you spend enough time in the library to pass your exams. 40% might not have been high enough for your standards in secondary, but it is the holy grail in college. Repeats are absolutely no craic at all.

To sum up, all I can say is that some parts of college are definitely tough, but you’ll be grand. You always are.

Michelle Beazley

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NEWS

ISSUE 01 | UCC Express

Continued from front page To aid this the former Council Chair intends to establish campaigns crews of 15-20 students.

The Deputy President plans to raise awareness of and find solutions where possible to several important issues during his time on the SU, including drug and alcohol awareness, the housing crisis, education and mental health issues. Ó Riabhaigh is a staunch supporter of the Irish language and plans to bring it to the forefront of all his campaigns. He feels all his ideas are “most definitely achievable”, and would “be very disappointed” should he not achieve them all.

Following two referendums from the last few years, UCC Students’ Union is mandated to campaign or to support campaigns for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution and for the reunification of Ireland. These will surely be two of Ó Riabhaigh’s main focuses throughout the year.

Education Officer: Tadhg Casey Running on a platform of ‘empathy, energy, and engagement’, Tadhg Casey was voted Education Officer with a comfortable 75% of the vote. As Education Officer, Casey is responsible for advising students on issues with their courses, and representing their academic interests on university committees. He is also responsible for the class rep system, college reps, and the Council Chair. Casey would encourage any incoming first years to get involved in university life by running for class rep when elections take place in the first couple weeks of semester one.

The law student believes the chief issues affecting students in terms of academics are maintaining library opening hours, removing Saturday exams and the timetabling of more than one exam per day, lack of engagement with class reps, and inconsistency across the programmes at UCC in recording lectures. Casey consid-

ers he is uniquely suited to tackle these issues due to his easy-going manner which he believes makes him more approachable, and his legal skills.

Welfare Officer: Kelly Coyle Election for the position of Welfare Officer for the UCCSU of 2017/18 was originally unopposed, but ultimately became one of the most hotly-contested positions in the election. Nominations were re-opened when candidate Mike O’Keeffe neglected to provide a digital copy of his manifesto before the deadline, and two more candidates subsequently joined the race, including eventual winner Kelly Coyle.

In her own words Coyle intends to act as a “support system” for students in the coming year, be it concerning your sexual health, mental health, accommodation issues, personal finances, or simply needing someone to open up to.

Other functions of her role include running the sale of condoms from her office, and organising various welfare weeks throughout the year, including SHAG Week, Mental Health Week, and Body Positivity Week. The law student will also lead the Welfare Crew, a group of students responsible for assisting the Welfare Officer with the welfare weeks or campaigns during the year.

Commercial and Communications Officer: Barry O’Shea O’Shea was unopposed in his bid for election to the post of Commercial and Communications Officer. His chief aims include establishing improved wifi across campus and the installation of Eduroam modems on street lights around UCC and in the city, to provide wifi for those walking to/from college. As virtue of his position as Comms Officer, he is on the Board of Management for Áras na Mac Léinn, which O’Shea believes he is uniquely suited to, given his experience as an employee of the Student Centre for

the past 2 years. He plans to use this invaluable experience to bring more events to Devere Hall.

Entertainments Officer: Ben Dunlea In another unopposed race, Ben Dunlea’s experienced candidacy nonetheless impressed voters.

The Entertainments Officer is no stranger to the entertainment side of university life, holding positions like first year Ents Rep for his course, UCC Ents crew member, and Head of Promotion for OTT RAG Week 2016. He promises to ensure all students get to experience all UCC and Cork City have to offer, with plans like converting the Mini Rest into an events venue, increasing RAG Week charity donations by organising monthly RAG events, ensuring the continuation of last year’s train tour, and non-alcoholic events like exclusive cinema screenings. He would also like to increase support for students in the entertainment industry, by having them perform on campus and installing a directory of talented students so local businesses can access them more easily.

Part-time Officers Faye Murphy (Oifigeach Gaeilge) Niamh O’Reilly (Equality Officer) Amy Poland (Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences Rep) Ronan Carey (Science, Engineering, and Food Science Rep) Laura Mitchell (Medicine & Health Rep) Kayleigh O’Sullivan (Business & Law Rep).

Those elected will be joined by representatives from the Clubs and Societies Executives, as well as Council Chair Aaron Frahill.

For more on the election, and the election promises made by the SU Officers, go to our website UCCExpress.ie for more.

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UCC Fact File UCC has been named Irish University of the Year by the Sunday Times on five occasions; most recently in 2017.

The university’s motto is ‘Where Finbarr Taught, Let Munster Learn.’ The motto is inspired by an early Christian saint whose monastery and school were believed to be nearby UCC. The first female students were permitted into the university in 1885. In 1910, UCC was the first college in Great Britain & Ireland to appoint a female professor (Mary Ryan, Professor of Romance Languages.)

UCC first opened its doors in 1845 to 115 students. Today, UCC admits over 20,000 full-time students, to 120 degree and professional programmes. The university also welcomes over 3,000 international students from 100 countries across the globe.

In 1991, UCC had the first website in Ireland, and the ninth in the world. The site’s purpose was to provide transcriptions of historical Irish documents.

Famous graduates of UCC include comedian Des Bishop, The Saturday Night Show presenter Brendan O’Connor, leader of Fianna Fáil Michéal Martin, Supreme Court justice Liam McKecknie, rugby player Ronan O’Gara, and Olympian Lizzie Lee. Peaky Blinders actor Cillian Murphy and presenter Graham Norton both attended University College Cork but did not graduate.

UCC exhibits the largest collection of ogham stones on open display in Ireland in the Main Quadrangle Building.

In 2010 UCC was the first third-level institution in the world to receive a Green Flag for on-going environmental and sustainability efforts.

NEWS

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A Year In Review: The Good, The Fads, & The Ugly Michelle Beazley News Editor

September: Irish Universities Falling in World Rankings Due to Budget Cuts, say Union of Students in Ireland NUI Galway was alone in its rise in the QS World University Rankings, with other universities in Ireland falling substantially. The Union of Students in Ireland explained the decrease by indicating cuts in spending, an increase in the number of students, and high student-teacher ratios.

UCC Student Accommodation System in Crisis UCC students continued to struggle to find suitable accommodation as the number of available rental properties decreased yet again, following a broader trend across the country. The Higher Education Authority estimated that about 25,000 extra beds for students were needed across the country.

60% of Parents Get into Debt Funding Third Level Education Results of a study conducted by the Irish League of Credit Unions, which surveyed over 1000 Irish adults, suggested that over 60% of Irish parents get into debt funding third level education for their children. Of those surveyed, 70% said they really struggle to cover the cost of their child’s third level education, with 62% of family budgets being adversely affected by the registration fee for third level institutes.

October: 93% of Student Nurses Consider Emigration A survey conducted by the USI of over 600 student nurses nationwide revealed that 93% of student nurses considered emigrating when they qualify. This led to the USI supporting the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation in protesting outside the Dáil to call to reinstate incremental credit for nurses and midwives who graduated between 2011 and 2015.

UCC Named Top University in Ireland for Second Year in a Row UCC became the first University to be named The Sunday Times University

of the Year for two consecutive years in the award’s 15-year history. UCC has been awarded the prestigious title 5 times with previous triumphs in 2003, 2005, 2011 and 2015.

UCC Receives Award for Outstanding International Student Satisfaction University College Cork received an ‘Award for Outstanding International Student Satisfaction’ and was named winner of ‘Most Satisfied Students 2015-16’. Following a first place finish in last 2015’s International Student Satisfaction Awards, in 2016 Ireland fell to second place, with Norway in the top position. However, despite a fall in rankings, Ireland continued to hold prestige among international students, according to a study conducted

by StudyPortal.

November: Irish Psychoactive Drug Users Aged 15-24 the Highest in Europe The USI, along with Drugs.ie and the HSE, launched a new information campaign aimed at reducing damage for people who use new psychoactive substances (NPS). The campaign was in response to a newly released European Schools Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs which found that use of psychoactive drugs in Ireland among the 15-24 year olds is the highest in Europe, with a 22% lifetime use.

Glucksman Gallery Named Cork’s Digital Champion The Glucksman Gallery team were named Cork’s Overall Digital Marketing Champions at the Cork Chamber of Commerce’s Cork Digital Marketing Awards for 2016. The awards ceremony was hosted by the Chamber in the Fota Island Resort hotel.

December: Largest Development in UCC History Following €100 Million Loan University College Cork signed a €100 million loan agreement with the European Investment Bank to commence a €241 million development plan for the University. The loan was the largest ever investment in capital projects at UCC. ever investment in capital projects at UCC. January: UCC owed hundreds of thousands in unpaid fees and charges

The Irish Times announced more than €560,000 was owed to the country’s seven universities in library rental and late return fees alone, with a further €1.3 million of outstanding debt in student contribution charges. UCC itself was owed €231,000 in unpaid charges from approximately 150 students .

Ecosia and Yes Trees in UCC A group known as ‘Yes Trees UCC’ campaigned successfully to add a new search engine programme to every Student IT Centre computer in UCC. The search engine, known as Ecosia, plants trees using revenue generated through advertising sold on the service.

The move reflected UCC’s status as the world’s first green campus.

Info Comm orders UCC to release information about links with Apple UCC was instructed by the Information Commissioner to provide details of support, monetary or otherwise, received from Apple, as the European Commission ruled that Apple’s tax arrangements with Ireland were illegal.

UCC involved in row with Israeli Embassy over conference Controversy erupted following the announcement that UCC would host an academic conference debating the legal legitimacy of the State of Israel, featuring several Jewish lobby groups and the Israeli embassy. The conference was originally planned to be held in a university in the UK in 2015 but was cancelled on the grounds of safety. The conference ultimately went ahead in Cork in April.

February: UCC Sinn Féin Call for UCCSU Referendum on Irish Unity UCC Sinn Féin announced they would be collecting signatures from students with the aim of a referendum changing the Students’ Union’s stance on the question of Irish unity. The announcement came in the wake of the Brexit vote, where a majority in Northern Ireland voted to remain within the EU, despite the UK as a whole voting to leave. The collection of signatures and referendum were ultimately successful.

UCC Welcomes New President: Patrick O’Shea UCC welcomed a new university president in February 2017: Professor Patrick O’Shea, who replaced Dr Michael Murphy following a ten-year stint in the role. O’Shea pledged that, during his term, UCC would “continue

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its rise among the great universities of the world.”

March: UCC Rises in World Rankings UCC received yet another nod of recognition for its excellence. The international QS World University Rankings

by Subject 2017 list, which ranks the subjects of the world’s top 900 universities, added two subjects (nursing and pharmacy) from UCC to its top 100 subjects, and 16 more to its top 300.

Students slam slow resolution to transport dispute Failure by Bus Éireann management to achieve resolution to the dispute with workers which resulted in a sudden and unexpected strike in March was criticised by the USI for causing travel disruption to thousands of students.

The USI expressed their solidarity with bus workers on strike and called on the Minister for Transport Shane Ross to intervene and find a resolution to the problem.

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FEATURES

A Note to Freshers Ciara Dineen Features Editor

And so it begins... You have made it to college, congratulations! (I mean that genuinely).

The majority of you fresh-faced Freshers had to get through the dreaded Leaving Certificate in order to get here, and we all know only too well what a terrible thing it is to have to do, but it’s all over now so you can breathe a satisfied sigh of relief and look forward to a brand-new chapter & completely fresh start; college life has at last begun.

College is incredible, and this article is by no means intended on taking away from that, but I just wanted to outline a few smallprint things to keep in mind to ensure that you don’t have inaccurate expectations or end up disheartened. Forewarning: I am going to sound like a mam for the most part here, but just bear with me, because everything I say here is genuinely so important, even though it may not seem like it right away.

College is great. Yes it’s time for the social life, the parties, the going out and the craic in general, you’ve heard all about it I’m sure, but college is great for so much more than just the social aspect. I hate to sound like a mother here, but you are in college to study, so do a bit at least?

You are going to get out of your college experience what you put into it, and this goes for social as well as academic life. Keep on top of assignments as best you can. This not only goes a long way towards your academic credit as a punctual and well organised student, but it also ensures that you won’t have to stay in and write out a 2,000 word essay that you left for the night before the deadline while your friends head out clubbing for the

night. Keeping things moving in terms of assignments and deadlines will help a huge amount to relieve stress and, of course, ensure you don’t end up having to sacrifice your social life.

Speaking of social life, it is so important to make the most of your time in college in terms of putting yourself out there and getting involved: join clubs and societies, go to as many of the events as you possibly can. Go to the Clubs & Socs open days on the 12th & 13th of September and sign-up for as many things as you can, snagging the leaflets and free things while you go. After the first few weeks of trying different things out you can decide then which Clubs and Socs you want to stick with.

This next important point to keep in mind is one that so many college students forget, thus making things very hard for themselves in all other aspects of life: it is so important to remember to take care of yourself. It sounds so simple or obvious, but frequently we don’t even realise how crucial it is until we become ill or start feeling unhappy or stressed. Eat properly; try not to skip meals or go drinking on an empty stomach (always a big mistake with fairly disastrous consequences). Don’t be afraid to talk to someone if you’re feeling stressed; be sure to take care of your mind as well as your body.

No, no one will tell you off for skipping lectures; in fact, nobody really cares… but while you won’t get in trouble, you will be in trouble come exam time. If you genuinely cannot make it or aren’t feeling great, fair enough, but do keep in mind that the opportunity you have here, the skills and education you are being provided with – do not throw it away – after all it’s why you’re here.

Sex; a big part of the college experience… mind yourself, protect yourself… lads, stock up on

ISSUE 01 | UCC Express

condoms and always have them on ye, will ye? And girls feel free to do this too. It isn’t cool to slut shame a girl for being smart and prepared. Consider options like the contraceptive pill: if you aren’t on it already, first year of college is not a bad time to start.

Now, it can have some pretty suck-y side effects; often times it can cause you to be more emotional, cranky and/or irritable, but this usually settles down after the first 3 months. I’m no medical expert, and everybody’s different, so all I’m going by here is personal and observational experience, so do seek proper medical advice before deciding on anything.

College is a time for change, and you’ll notice that. While some things stay relatively the same, some things are just different.

You’ll lose friends, but you’ll make new ones. You’ll probably make a few mistakes, whether they be academic or personal, but you’ll learn so much from them.

It really is so true what they say about what going to college can do for you; you really do come into your own and grow as a person.

I feel like I’m beginning to sound a little like I’m a character in a 1980’s John Hughes film, so I’ll leave it at that. Here’s to a great Fresher’s week, and an even greater year; have fun, take care.

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Where to get an STI check: Student Health Centre Where? Ard Patrick, College Road (next to the Chaplaincy).

How much? €20.

When? Monday – Friday, 9.30am – 12.15pm, 2.15pm to 4.15pm.

How? Call: 021 4902311.

STI/Gum Clinic Where? South Infirmary Victoria Hospital, Old Blackrock Road.

How much? Free of Charge.

When? By appointment only.

Monday, Tuesday & Thursday, 9am-12.30pm, Wednesday 2pm-4.30pm.

How? Call: 021 4966844.

Youth Health Services (Only for under 21s) Where? Penrose House, Penrose Quay.

How much? Free of charge.

When? Preferably by appointment. Tuesday & Friday 9am - 1pm.

How? Call: 021 4220490 The Sexual Health Centre Where? 16 Peter’s Street, Cork City How much? €20 (approx) When? By appointment.

Wednesday, 9am – 5pm.

How? Call: 021 427667

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FEATURES

ISSUE 01 | UCC Express

Religious Services in Cork

A welcoming community for international students

Roman Catholic Honan Chapel Mass Times: Sunday: 12.00. Monday – Wednesday: 13.05. Thursday & Friday at 8.30am.

by Lucas Brun Church of the Immaculate Concep- Staff Writer tion, The Lough Sunday: 9:30 and 12.00. Saturday: Lucas Brun is a second year arts 12.00 and 19:00. Weekdays: 10:00.

student originally from a town just north of Lyon, France. Having Church of Ireland moved to Ireland as a child, he has St Fin Barre’s Cathedral Eucharist: Sunday: 8:00am (Said) a unique perspective on fitting in 11:15 (Choral). Weekdays: Monday in a University as an International Student.

– Saturday 12:00.

St Anne’s – Shandon Eucharist: 9:00 & 10:15 (No 9am on Dear international student, my fel4th Sunday of the Month). low overseas pal, welcome to the Methodist Cork – Ardfallen, Douglas Service: 11:30 Presbyterian Holy Trinity – Summerhill Sunday Service: 11:45

UCC student community. Whether you moved here as a small child years ago or landed two days before your orientation, congratulations on becoming a Cork student!

You might be reading this on the bus back from your registration, Religious Society of Friends (Quak- still feeling overwhelmed by all the information you have been er) Summerhill South given today, and you are probaSunday Worship: 11:00 bly still confused, and perhaps a little apprehensive about starting Unitarian your college life. We’ve all been Princes St there! The fact that you are an inSunday: 11am ternational student surely worries you a little bit too - the change of Buddhist culture, homesickness or even the Dojo Gyo Riko Meditation Times: Monday: 7:15, language barrier. Let me reassure Thursday: 19:00, Friday: 7:15 (Ar- you by letting you know that every first-year student, even Irish rive students, that was around you 10mins before start). during orientation was as petrified Islam as you that day.

Cork Islamic Cultural Centre – Tramore Road Luckily, you’ve made the right Fajr 5:00 decision and were accepted into Dhuhr: 14:00 UCC, one of the most diverse Friday: 13:45 and welcoming universities in the Maghrib: 5 Minutes after athan country! Out of the 22,000 people Isha’a: 23:00 Cork Dawah Centre – Shandon St Fajr: 20 min after Athan Dhuhr 13:00 Asr 15:00 Maghreb: 5 min after Athan Isha 19:00

studying in UCC, a large number of them are international students just like us! Trust me, there is nothing more charming than walking from the student centre to the Boole Library and overhearing conversations in German, French or Arabic. And not only is there a strong diversity and many welcoming people on campus, but

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the university itself has a lot of incredibly easy to contribute, and resources available to make your you can find all the information time in UCC a great one. you need online.

One of the first things to check out are the clubs & societies on campus. This is the easiest and best way to get involved and meet new people. There are a lot of great societies that will help keep in touch with your culture. For example, you have the French, the German or even the Hispanic soc (amongst other cultural societies).

As a French person, I have attended a few events organised by the French soc. From food and wine degustation to a screening of the French presidential debate, it was almost like being at home! It is an amazing way to speak your language with fellow compatriots or students who have an interest in your culture.

Of course, your identity and tastes are not simply reduced to your nationality, and another great way to integrate into the student body and form lasting friendships is to go to socs that allow you to meet like-minded people. Political, religious or course-related socs are a great place to go for this. If you have a particular hobby or are sporty (or not for that matter), there are over 150 societies and sports clubs to choose from. So whatever you dig, you will find someone with the same interests!

What’s great with UCC is that you can join as many societies and clubs as you want for free! So seize the opportunity!

While this article seems more like an advert for UCC societies, I would like to point out other ways to get involved and meet new people on campus. UCC has some of the strongest student media of any colleges in Ireland. We have a bi-weekly newspaper (the most prolific student newspaper on the island, which you are currently reading through), a monthly magazine called Motley and a 24/7 radio station UCC 98.3 FM. It is

An alternative way to contribute to UCC’s vibrant student life and encounter new faces is through student politics. In your first few weeks of lectures, you will be electing your class representatives, and that could be you! It more than likely seems daunting, but you will be representing freshers just like you, and the older reps and Students’ Union officers will help you settle in your new title, making you feel most welcome. Student politics will allow you to meet all sorts of people as well as giving you the satisfaction of helping change things for the better for your classmates.

Of course, if you are not the sort of person to be interested in being overly invested in extra-curricular activities, you can always strike up a conversation with your lecture hall neighbour. Freshers are always a little bit anxious, and that means that everyone around you should be more than happy to make a new friend. So don’t be scared, and randomly go to someone in your group and introduce yourself. Some of the people that I’ve spent the year with were people I met on my orientation day.

Changing from the secondary school setting to college culture is a huge transition for everyone. Do not let yourself feel particularly submerged by the change because of where you come from. I moved to Ireland exactly ten years ago, in 2007, and spent my entire secondary education in Ireland. I had to learn about Irish culture without any older siblings attending an Irish college, yet, I felt the exact same feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, dread and confusion as my Irish friends. So remember, we are all in the same boat, so do not be afraid to ask for help or try to figure things out with your new course companions.

Est.

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FEATURES

How to get involved with student media 1997

by Rob O’Sullivan Editor-in-chief

Hey, so I’m going to do what everyone else has done and welcome you to UCC. There’ll be dizzying highs, terrifying lows and even some creamy middles. While it seems like several decades since I first walked through the gates of UCC as a student, I can remember the feeling well: the trepidation, the fear of almost every other person, and that somehow I had cocked it all up on orientation day despite the fact that lectures hadn’t even started yet.

One thing I remember wondering was how to get involved in things. Societies & clubs were easy enough, sign up on the open days, go to things, run for stuff at the EGM etc. The various media things, however? It seemed like there was some in-

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visible wall or ceiling stopping me from getting involved; surely they’d look at me as some cocky weirdo if I just sent things in, so how do I know what they want me to write? The closest I got in my entire first year was going up to the radio station, getting a form off the scary station manager and then never handing it in. Eventually I got involved to the point that I’m the Editor of the newspaper, and have hosted a weekly radio show the last two years (the station manager’s not that scary).

So here’s a quick handy guide on how to get involved with the Express, the Motley Magazine and UCC 98.3fm.

The quickest, easiest thing to do is to email the Editor/station manager to see what their process is. I can only speak for the Express, but we both accept completed submissions or articles from students, as well as contacting people with ideas for

pieces. The Express & Motley have different sections that have different section editors, so look & see what sections you want to write for. You don’t need to be a staff member or write from day one to get involved. The radio station is a little different, but the solution is the same: send an email. You can contact us (the Express) on Editor@UCCExpress.ie, Motley on Editor@Motley.ie, and the radio station on Radio@UCC.ie. It’s also probably not a bad idea to follow them all on Facebook & Twitter, as well as checking out their websites.

So now you (vaguely) know why you should get involved, but why should you get involved? The most obvious thing is that it’s something to do in your spare time, really. The slightly less obvious thing is that it’s a great way to get involved in journalism & media and build a portfolio. Instead

of leaving college and looking to write for Teen Vogue with no experience, writing for us or Motley in your few years here gives you some on-hand experience and work to show for it.

Past writers & staff of the Express have gone on to work for the Irish Examiner, Evening Echo, the Irish Independent and more, so the work you do now really will stand to you.

So that’s the how and the why sorted, but what about the when and the where? Well, the Express publishes a forty-page paper every two weeks (this special edition is a bit shorter), as well as publishing three articles on our website daily. Motley publish a fifty-two page magazine every month, and UCC 98.3fm produce over fifty hours of radio every week, so there’s lots of opportunities to get involved.

圀愀渀琀 琀漀 最攀琀 椀渀瘀漀氀瘀攀搀㼀

圀攀ᤠ爀攀 氀漀漀欀椀渀最 琀漀 ǻ氀氀 䐀攀瀀甀琀礀 䔀搀椀琀漀爀椀愀氀 瀀漀猀椀琀椀漀渀猀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 眀攀 眀愀渀琀 琀漀 栀攀愀爀 昀爀漀洀 礀漀甀⸀ 圀愀渀琀 琀漀 最攀琀 椀渀瘀漀氀瘀攀搀 椀渀 眀爀椀琀椀渀最 ☀ 樀漀甀爀渀愀氀椀猀洀㼀 伀甀爀 䐀攀瀀甀琀礀 瀀漀猀椀琀椀漀渀猀 愀爀攀 椀搀攀愀氀 昀漀爀 瀀攀漀瀀氀攀 眀椀琀栀 氀椀琀琀氀攀 琀漀 渀漀 攀砀瀀攀爀椀攀渀挀攀 眀椀琀栀 樀漀甀爀渀愀氀椀猀洀 眀栀漀 眀愀渀琀 琀漀 最椀瘀攀 椀琀 愀 琀爀礀 漀爀 最攀琀 猀漀洀攀 攀砀瀀攀爀椀攀渀挀攀⸀ 吀栀攀 昀漀氀氀漀眀椀渀最 瀀漀猀椀琀椀漀渀猀 愀爀攀 漀瀀攀渀㨀

ⴀ 䐀攀瀀甀琀礀 一攀眀猀 䔀搀椀琀漀爀 ⴀ 䐀攀瀀甀琀礀 䘀攀愀琀甀爀攀猀 䔀搀椀琀漀爀 ⴀ 䐀攀瀀甀琀礀 䘀攀愀琀甀爀攀猀 䔀搀椀 ⴀ 䐀攀瀀甀琀礀 匀瀀漀爀琀猀 䔀搀椀琀漀爀

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BYLINE

Fashion Top Storage Tips 1. The Suitcase: Use your suitcase to store bulkier items, such as jumpers and winter coats. that will take up too much room in your wardrobe! You can also place items that you won’t be needing daily; such as high heels.

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The fashion item you may have forgotten

By Iris Maher Fashion Editor

A good bag is essential for your entrance into college life. It was 2. Shoe Storage: Speaking of high heels, shoes can be something I forgot when I began a difficult one to store on the best of college, as I decided I wanted my days. A hanging shoe rack will save bag to be more stylish than pracyou space and keep you organised. tical, but fear not, it can be both!

3. The Small Stuff: Whether it be makeup or other small items, Tiger and Penneys (both situated on Patrick St) have wonderful storage boxes specifically designed to hold your beauty items and what not!

Starting university is an exciting time, shopping for new outfits, maybe you’ll reinvent yourself?

It is also an expensive time. You can convince yourself that shopping for a handbag is a necessity, 4. What else? especially since you’re going to Remember, you won’t need to bring everything you have ever owned with be using it everyday.

I believed when I started college, you to college!

I’d bring my laptop with me everyday but I rarely ever brought it, only when doing serious stints

圀椀渀 琀眀漀 琀椀挀欀攀琀猀 琀漀 琀栀攀 唀䌀䌀 䘀爀攀猀栀攀爀猀 䈀愀氀氀℀ 吀栀愀渀欀猀 琀漀 唀䌀䌀 匀琀甀搀攀渀琀猀ᤠ 唀渀椀漀渀Ⰰ 眀攀ᤠ爀攀 最椀瘀椀渀最 愀眀愀礀 琀眀漀 琀椀挀欀攀琀猀 琀漀 琀栀攀 䘀爀攀猀栀攀爀猀 䈀愀氀氀Ⰰ 眀栀椀挀栀 椀猀 琀愀欀椀渀最 瀀氀愀挀攀 漀渀 匀攀瀀琀 ㄀㐀琀栀 吀漀 眀椀渀Ⰰ 最漀 琀漀 琀栀攀 唀䌀䌀 䔀砀瀀爀攀猀猀 䘀愀挀攀戀漀漀欀 瀀愀最攀 愀渀搀 挀栀攀挀欀 漀甀琀 琀栀攀 瀀椀渀渀攀搀 瀀漀猀琀 䐀攀愀搀氀椀渀攀 昀漀爀 攀渀琀爀椀攀猀 椀猀 ㄀㈀瀀洀 漀渀 匀攀瀀琀 ㄀㌀琀栀 䘀漀爀 洀漀爀攀 椀渀昀漀 漀渀 琀栀攀 䘀爀攀猀栀攀爀猀 䈀愀氀氀 䘀漀爀 洀漀爀攀 椀渀 挀栀攀挀欀 漀甀琀 琀栀攀 漀昀ǻ挀椀愀氀 唀䌀䌀 匀琀甀搀攀渀琀猀ᤠ 唀渀椀漀渀 䘀愀挀攀戀漀漀欀 瀀愀最攀⸀

⌀䘀爀攀猀栀攀爀猀䜀椀瘀攀愀眀愀礀 䘀愀挀攀戀漀漀欀⸀挀漀洀⼀唀䌀䌀䔀砀瀀爀攀猀猀

of study in the library. Everyone is different and so is every course, and it might be best to think of what you’ll actually be using it for.

fill it with unnecessary items.

Safety If you plan on carrying your laptop with you, a tote or an open styled bag with a small clasp is a no-go. Many bags, specifically backpacks will also you to attach a lock to it, if it will make you feel safer.

There is a lot to consider when it comes to your new college: colour, style, size, safety and comfort. These are just some guidelines when it comes to shopping but you may also find you have Fashion or necessity? the perfect bag at hand already.

Another question you might ask yourself: “will I be keeping this Colour bag long term?” if you answered Black is always a safe bet when yes, then spending a little extra it comes to accessories, matching cash may just save you in the long most colours with ease. If you’re term. If not, don’t spend too much feeling adventurous the summer and you can change it next semessales will have a vast array of ter without too much regret. colourful bags to pick from (and also at lower prices).

Comfort Some courses require more books, Style or you might just be heading to There is so much to choose from; and from the library frequently. a classic leather satchel to the con- You do not want to hurt your back ventional schoolbag/backpack. anymore than we did in secondary You can always decide to go for school… School bags/backpacks an oversized handbag, although styles are no longer boring, sports it is important to remember that shops will probably carry the handbags may not be able to take most comfortable ones; but with the weight of books etc. leaving the return of ‘sports luxe fashthem a little more impractical. ion’ (note Kim Kardashian wearThe same can be said for more of ing adidas tracksuits teamed with the ‘fashion forward’ schoolbags heels) many high street shops are that are built for their look and now selling backpacks too. not their sturdiness. Yet, there is something to suit everyone. The style also comes into play with what you’re going to bring with you on your daily trip to college, because the size of your bag will matter.

Size For me, I only brought a refill pad and a pen so I wasn’t too limited when it came to the size of my bag and this allowed me to change easily from one bag to another. For some, travelling longer distances every day and perhaps bringing a packed lunch with you, a different approach is needed. The bigger the bag, the more likely you are to

FILM

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How to be an Independent Thinker

By Aaron Frahill Film & TV Editor

UCC loves its mottos, buzzwords, and general intelligent appearance – and while most of it will likely fly over your heads after a month here, one that stuck with me was “Great minds don’t think alike.” While that motto might try and attach itself to academics and all the super fun, exciting stuff you’ll be studying in the years to come, I always find myself looking at it in the context of film. Reviews and critiques are a staple of the film industry, and for a long time I found myself basing my opinions very much off what other people had to say – but I think you reach a point where you have to say “no I don’t agree with everyone else’s opinion and that’s okay”.

The first big movie that came out when I came to college was Jurassic World, and it was released to fairly good reviews from critics, friends, and anyone I talked to about it – but it was the most bland, safe and uninspired film I had seen that year. It was supposed to have this mass appeal, which it did for the most part and it revived the franchise, but for me I just didn’t get it. The characters were too cartoony and stereotypical for my liking, and the screenplay was very much straight forward, leaving you to easily predict what was on the horizon. Mini-review of Jurassic World over, the point I’m trying to make is that I simply couldn’t understand where everyone was coming from while watching this movie, and that really nterested me. Before I had casually gone along with, oh such and such was a

good film when I wasn’t actually impressed by it and this was the first big movie that I completely disagreed with everything I was hearing.

a movie. My three favourite movies in the last two years have been La La Land, Sing Street, and Baby Driver – there’s no coincidence there, I personally just find soundtracks to be engaging and interesting. The idea Don’t be scared to finally admit in my head behind it is that the most

your true feelings on a movie as long as you have the argument to back it up. Breakfast Club is a rushed film that may feel like it has a delicate and well-crafted script, but in fact is held together by a thread and too much improvisation.

There are much better coming of age movies in the 80’s such as Sixteen Candles – that’s an example of a well-informed argument, vesus yeah it was boring enough. For me, the whole idea of independent thinking is that you can debate other people with your point of view – where people can sit in a room and give each other guff over who’s right.

difficult device that a director can sometimes try to wield is creating an auxiliary character through the film’s soundtrack – it is bold, but when it works, it works so well! Baby Driver for example, has some of the best stunt driing in recent years, but the film would not hold together or have a uniqueness to it if Edgar Wright hadn’t made music intrinsic to the flow of the movie.Watching Baby Driver, the music made me absolutely love the film, and that’s the memory I’ll hold when watching the film - but I know others won’t hold the same opinion.

Film is about so much more than just watching a screen and just shutting off you brain for two hours. Appreciating film has a large amount of complicities to it, and it’s up to you to decide what holds the most value for you. Something I discovered myself over the past year was my love for soundtracks – I think soundtracks are very much the make or break of

Being quite frank, this opinion is a load of scattered thoughts, and that’s exactly what it feels watching a good film (try Memento if you want to know what I mean). Films that leave you hanging for a long time after the credits roll, films that are truly good in my eyes, but what may imprint upon you, mightn’t even bruise someone else. Now that you are here in UCC,

don’t be scared to go out and join the likes of Film Soc where you can actually talk about movies with people who definitely know their stuff, or try and seek out new friends who you can badger into heading down to the Gate Cinema or even the Triskel if you’re feeling arty. Film should be a three-step process: watch, critique, complain to others.

Things you might havemissed while studying for the LC and doing other stuff last year La La Land It’s hard to describe visual magic, but this is the closest thing to it. La La Land is homage to classic Hollywood while crafting its own originality on the musical genre. I still listen to the soundtrack on Spotify because City of Stars is a massive choon.

Arrival Denis Villeneuve has established himself as the best thing since sliced bread, and confirmed that he is truly a director that deserves to be a household name. Not even going to get into specifics of the film because I wouldn’t want to spoil this experience for you, but there’s aliens and Forest Whitaker; what’s not to love?

Sing Street Watch it, watch it, watchhhhhh ittttttt. An Irish musical of sorts based in 1980’s Dublin where a kid makes a band to impress a girl (yeah it’s a cliché), but ends up being a film that’s like an ogre – IT HAS SO MUCH LAYERSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Music Best Venues In Cork To Hear Live Music Cyprus Avenue Has some of Ireland and the UK’s best acts come through its doors, UCC Music Soc hold their Battle of the Bands and Songwriters Competitions here also.

Fred Zeppelins Generally free entry, focuses far more on local up-and-coming rock orientated bands. Can catch a gem here from time to time.

Triskel Christchurch Beautiful venue, attracts larger acts. Little Hours will play a set in October.

Coughlan’s Mick Flannery will play at the intimate venue at the end of September, although not very big, the calibre of acts is usually quite high.

Crane Lane Theatre One of Cork’s larger venues, great variety of acts pass through the doors, from rap, rock, trad and jazz.

The Woodford – The pub holds a weekly ‘Woodford Sessions’ on Wednesday nights, great talent on show and free entry.

An Spailpin Fanach Like a bit of trad? This is the spot for you.

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Cork Musical Heritage

by JJ Lee Music Editor Cork City is quite literally drenched in musical prestige. Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, The Who, Oasis, The Cure, Nirvana, The Sonic Youth and U2 have all performed on Leeside at some point or another, the latter of which very famously cut their teeth at the historic Arcadia Ballroom. The cultural melting pot that is the real capital has also cultivated some beautifully unique and symbolic groups, Microdisney, Sultans Of Ping FC and The Frank & Walters are just some that rose from the primordial soup of Ireland’s second city.

Just scratch a little bit beneath the surface and you, as I was, will be genuinely surprised at the sheer quantity of fascinating stories worming their way around the Lee. Everyone and their Ma now knows the fabled tale involving Jimi Hendrix and one of Cork’s most famous sons, Rory Gallagher. Some wide-eyed interviewer queried Mr Hendrix at Woodstock what it was like to be the best guitarist in the world – “Go ask Rory Gallagher” was the response, in an exchange

UCC’s Musicians make you cool…

by JJ Lee

will

Music Editor So now you’ve reached college, you’ll want to appear sophisticated to the hundreds of strangers you’ll meet.

It’s a shallow world we live in. Music is a great conversation starter, but you want to be ahead of the curve. Whilst the uber-cool kids will be parading about in their floral shirts discussing the lyrical musings of Morrissey and the like, you’ll be able to swiftly make them feel terribly inadequate and clueless. “But how!?” I hear you cry from afar, well it’s simple really.

Start listening to college bands and musicians, you can’t get any more hipster than that and most of the time, they’re quite good.

UCC is quite frankly blessed with

that was immortalized in a mural on South Main Street. Other Rory story that have a little more fact behind them are the rumour that he was to be the new guitarist for the Rolling Stones and that he was Eric Clapton’s favourite bluesman; it’s true that Rory auditioned for the Stones in 1975 to replace Mick Taylor, deciding against joining the legendary group as he wouldn’t have as much creative space in a group with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and it’s true that one of the greatest guitarists of all time once credited Rory with “bringing him back to the blues” whenever he lost his way.

In 1977, the then UCC Students’ Union Entertainment Officer, Elvera Butler, began to rent out the aforementioned Arcadia Ballroom and ran a series of shows under the moniker ‘Downtown Kampus’. The gigs took place between 1978-1981 and it was here that U2 played a total of 11 times, headlining twice during their formative years. This was a space for students, ran by students and it attracted a host of international acts, whilst still supporting the local musicians. XTC,

a plethora of excellent acts, and if you read carefully, you’ll have the inside track to humiliate those popular music consuming normies. First off, there’s bands. Little Indigo are relative newcomers to the scene, and are most definitely one’s to watch.

They’re quite niche which will make you seem even cooler to lensless-glasses sporting Ulysses readers.

Cork-rockers Blaming Hannah are more rock and roll inclined, they’re a raucous bunch who love cans, sure don’t we all? It’s most definitely worth throwing a mention to UCC Alumni band Aerialist (formerly Red Sky, Planes) and neck-pain inducing behemoths Aponym. You’ve also got UCC Battle of the Band winners Dry Roasted Peanuts, who sell a colourfully diverse brand of indie-rock.

Singer-songwriters can be found in abundance across campus too. Limerick’s Laura Duff produces some

The Specials, and The English Beat all graced the Arc stage, being supported by young bands like Nun Attax, Microdisney and Mean Features.

Do yourself a favour, immerse yourself in this history. Dive head first into the scene in Cork. It is a truly wonderful place to be if you’re passionate about music. Whether you’re a musician, a writer, a photographer or just a fan, there’s so much to experience and to learn. More often than not, UCC is one of the driving forces behind this scene, continuously propelling new acts into the already massive pool of talent.

So, as the college year begins, be aware of your surroundings. Check out the UCC Music Society, they’re going to be holding a number of events throughout the year that showcases this burgeoning talent and if you want to get involved, go for it. What’s the worst that can happen?

hauntingly-folk like ballads, don’t forget to mention Lorna O’Byrne on the piano too for extra points. Ricky Kelleher was the victor of the Songwriters Competition last year and his songs are genuinely fantastic, they’re rugged and reserved all at the same time. Miah Phelan Sweeney is another one to watch alongside the likes of Alannah Murray and Beth O’Reilly.

And it would be remiss to exclude our own DJs and electronic music artists like Gadget and the Cloud, who are popping up at festivals and gigs across the country.

Study these notes, cherish them, this is between me and you, sacred information like. Use it wisely, and support your local acts. All of the above can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Soundcloud – you know yourself. Now go forth, and be wise.

Gaming

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HOT SINGLE DADS IN YOUR AREA BEGGING FOR A DATE: Dream Daddy Review Tyrone Power Gaming Editor

In ‘Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator’ you play as a dad trying to date other hot dads. It’s got a branching narrative, multiple endings, and a total of seven dateable dads. And with all those dad comes lots of dad jokes, naturally, which I’m always in favour of, and puns galore.

“You and your daughter have just moved into the sleepy seaside town of Maple Bay only to discover that everyone in your neighborhood is a single, dateable Dad! Will you go out with Teacher Dad? Goth Dad? Bad Dad? Or any of the other cool Dads in this game? With minigames, side-quests, and a variety of paths and endings, Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator is this year’s most anticipated Dadbased game.”

The response so far has been phenomenal, mostly due to the positive representation it’s giving the LGBTQ community. Al-

though there was a lot of skepticism prior to release about how these characters would be handled, it’s being praised for fantastic writing and character development.

Fans have taken interest in the game because they’re looking for games with LGBTQ characters. Games with gay characters are few and far between and even then, those that do offer representation can get it wrong. Mass Effect Andromeda‘s gay romance controversy was due to the fact that it dropped the ball, with LGBTQ players feeling hurt and disappointed.

Dream Daddy also allows players to create non-white dads, as well as transgender dads and there is a transgender romance option too. Given that Andromeda got it wrong with its transgender NPC, it’s no wonder why fans are looking elsewhere for better representation and enthusing about it on social media. Also aiding to the game’s success is that it is just fantastically written. Players picking their favourite romance choice in a dating game is par for the course, but Dream Daddy fans seem especially endeared by the variety. 10 years from now games like this will be commonplace, a new one will get released every month. Today it’s kind of revolu-

tionary.

Having already played through the game and gotten a good ending with my daughter (that made me actually cry) along the way I also got to know so many different characters and their stories.

Paired with beautiful music, art and great customization, this fun and charming game is one of the first games in a long time that had me anxiously awaiting its release.

As much as the dad puns dominate the dialogue, there are also a lot of diverse topics discussed.

It doesn’t poke fun at sexuality or the differences in all the people. At the beginning of the game when you customize your character, you’re given the option of a dad with a binder. Carrying forward you can choose to make your dad gay or bisexual, and to have your relationship with your daughter be biological or adoptive. This game not only has you building relationships with other dads, but with your daughter as well. It wouldn’t be a dad dating simulator without the kids, and all the other dads have their own children, and even the children have their own fleshed out personalities. The game also deals with topics such as the death of a spouse, divorce, and even an unhealthy marriage. This game takes subjects seriously while

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also being extremely fun, comical and creative.

This game is a beacon of light, leaving hope of wonderful and realistic queer representation, and of healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships (but the game doesn’t glorify these issues, choosing to approach them realistically and sometimes a little painfully). It is wonderfully put together, from the art to the music to the coloring to the minigames to its ingenious writing and storytelling. This game is an amazingly immersive tale about love, family and hardship and I would advise anyone who wants to be a part of an amazing thing, with an even more amazing community, to play because we’re all dads in our hearts. May many more great things come now that DDADDS has opened the door.

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator is available on Steam for €14.99. For more info go to DreamDaddy.biz

Top 10 Multiplayer Games To Play With Your Housemates: Mario Kart (Wii) Halo (XBox) FIFA 17 (All Consoles) Mortal Kombat (All Consoles) Gears of War 4 (XBox) Wii Sport (Wii) Rocket League (PS4) Golden Eye (PS3) Super Monkey Ball (Nintendo) Gran Turismo 5 (All Consoles)

humour Headlines Film & Television First Year arts student first in the world to discover Pulp Fiction, claims ‘unknown director’ Quentin Tarantino is “a frickin genius, man.”

Politics A former second year ents rep for BIS has been appointed as Secretary General of the UN. Despite having no experience other than his ents role, the former student has claimed he can “sort out that whole Israel-Palestine thing with a big sesh biys.”

Campus Life A Fresher from Dungarvan in your class has worn his Waterford GAA shirt to every lecture this month, telling reporters that he “loves me county.”

TV Listings RTÉ 2, Fri @ 7pm: ‘Fresher Focus’ show to air exclusive CCTV footage of you gawking outside Chambers, looking a proper state. And yes, your nan saw it.

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A Jazz man’s guide to College

2. How to make pancakes in case you get laid: I’ll admit this is slightly niche but listen. If you somehow manage to do something that literally millions of people do every day, why not celebrate the next morning with some congratulatory pancakes, although if you don’t have safe sex then you probably don’t deserve them…

that a nap is necessary. Your 4. A basic knowledge of Necro- mission is to circumvent the mancy: arduous task of explaining it Here’s one that your guidance by befriending as many people counsellor probably failed to in inform you about. College life accommodation as possible. revolves (roughly depending on your course) on this cycle; 2. Which Clubs & Societies eat, sleep, go to lectures, eat are actually cults: some more, grab coffee, at- It is an oft ignored fact that tempt to raise an army of the every year the Clubs and Soundead, final lectures of the cieties Executives choose, in day, sleep some more. Don’t secret, 7 forget that for every zombie clubs or socs to be the desigyou successfully summon you nated cults for the year. No one get an extra percent toward outside of these committees your degree. knows how the process is performed. I’ll be taking bets on 5. You can save your degree by which clubs/socs it turns out to challenging a department head be. Early frontrunners include; to a dance battle: Snowboarding, Knitting and of In the unlikely event of you course Ógra Fianna Fáil. forgetting to raise your army of the undead, you best break out 3. How many eggs you can fit your funkiest moves biy. That’s in your mouth: right, much like pokémon gym Not specific to college in all leaders, college department honesty, but I feel like this is heads will accept challenges. something everyone should Unlike in Pokémon however, know virtual dogfighting is replaced and is there really a better time by a good ol’ fashioned dance to learn this information than battle. Best keep your good college? I’d also recommend dancing shoes on hand around calling into the Niall Boylan results day. show to announce your findings (although remember to tell We good? Perfect. Now col- them when you ring that you lege is also about learning. So actually want to talk about sohere’s 3 more things that I feel cial welfare payments). are deadly necessary for you to learn by We here at the UCC Express the time you leave. wish you good luck.

3. No one cares if you’ve smoked weed: Here lad I’m gonna keep this short and sweet, you’re not in Christians anymore so trust me none of us are impressed that you smoked weed before

1. Where’s the nearest couch to crash on: Look, your parents aren’t going to understand that your 2 hour lecture followed by 4 hours arsing around in the main rest really takes it out of you and

By ‘Jazz’ Hans Mangan

As the college year comes a knocking there is a lot that every prospective student is going to need to unpack in order to make the most of your varying amount of time in our fine university. So as a person who’s been through the system and knows those little tricks that will make your college time go swimmingly, here’s 5 vital pieces of information you need to know before term starts and 3 you need to learn while you’re here.

1. This is a new beginning: Starting with a cliché? Absolutely! But in all seriousness, it’s a whole ‘nother kettle of fish starting up in college so if you want to reinvent yourself, go for it.

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SPORT

ISSUE 01 | UCC Express

UCC goes international Dylan O’Connell Sports Editor

It has been a busy week for UCC on the international stage, with the college stretching to Australian and Bulgaria for the AFL International Cup and the World under 23 Rowing Championships.

It was UCC’s Stephen O’Connor that laid down an early marker in a green jersey, with the the second year Pharmacy student coming third in the Lightweight Quad at the World Under 23 Rowing Championships in Bulgaria. Having topped his heat, O’Connor progressed to the final following a third placed finish in the semi-finals. With a time of 05:52.370 he claimed bronze in the final.

This is O’Connor’s second international tournament for Ireland, having previously rowed for his

Highs and lows for College in 2017

country in Rotterdam in the 2016 under 23 World Championships, finishing fifth.

Meanwhile UCC Aussie Rules Football Club (UCC Bombers) will be providing the spine for Ireland heading into the AFL International Cup in Australia. UCC’s own Muiris Bartley, Shane O’Sullivan, Oisin Collins and Paul Murphy will be representing Ireland on the Australian Rules Football Men’s National Squad. Meanwhile from UCC Crusaders Sarah O’Donovan will be lining up with the squad down under. Other UCC AFL internationals include Peter Traynor, Rory O’Donnell, Matt Bell, and Ronan Sheehan, who have all played for UCC over the last twelve months. Upcoming talent on display locally includes Shane O’Sullivan and James Galvin.

This represents another massive development for UCC AFL. In 2013 UCC won European honours

medals, including Ciara Murphy who won gold in the junior and silver in the senior category Dylan O’Connell and Aobh Ní Shé who won gold Sports Editor in the under 57 kg event.

Away from the pitch it has been Elsewhere UCC Surf capped off an equally trialled and tested year for UCC’s other clubs.

Following a mixed year for the college’s soccer and GAA clubs the baton was firmly passed to judo, surfing, squash, archery and tennis, who enjoyed a multitude of successes over the intervarsity season.

UCC Judo added to their phenomenal 2016 season by winning the best male and female team at the 2017 Intervarsity competitions at DCU. Across the year with an excellent interthe divisions the college took varsity campaign in Lahinch, home twenty individual medals with UCC ‘A’ winning the inincluding six gold medals, two tervarsity title while UCC’s Ansilver medals and twelve bronze thony Burke and Cian O’Donmedals. Momentum was carovan finished first in the men’s ried through to the Irish Open open and bodyboard respecat the Foyle Arena in Derry for tively. the club, who took home five UCC Squash continued the fine

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when they claimed the Fitzpatrick Cup in 2013, while losing the cross European final in 2014 and ’15 before going on to host the tournament in 2017. Domestically UCC AFL has been thriving with their international experience, having

a campaign which saw the college defeating the current ARFLI Premiership winners; the Leeside Lions, on their way to lifting the cup.

run of results with the club finishing in second place at the 2017 Intervarsity Championships, only losing out to rivals CIT for the top honour. UCC’s Michael Hanrahan set the standard for the college by winning the Division One plate, beating fellow UCC colleague Mark Dooling in the final. UCC’s Christine Fitzpatrick also finished up with a silver medal in the Women’s Open.

UCC Archery enjoyed a tremendous weekend at the intervarsity competitions at Nemo Rangers. Stand-out Emily Phipps led the way for UCC as she topped her division on the Saturday, taking the top ranking. Amy Grade also impressed for the college as she slipped through to the quarter finals of the head-

to-head competitions after a 5-5 draw leading to a shootout, with the UCC student slipping through by a millimetre.

Despite the wave of fortune across the college, UCC tennis endured a mixed run of form at the 2017 Intervarsities. UCC entered six teams for the tournament at Trinity College and came home with the Men’s Bowl. It was a weekend which began in stuttering form, with the Men’s team being knocked out early on by Queen’s University while the Women’s team succumbed to Trinity College in the first round. There was consolation for the college, with UCC men’s first team winning the consolation draw after a 5-0 victory over NUI Galway followed by the third team winning the Men’s Bowl Tournament. Overall; it was a mixed weekend for the college who escaped with one trophy out of a possible sextuple.

won their first Rebel Shield in

SPORT

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UCCExpress.ie | Volume 21 | Issue 01 | Freshers’ Issue

Photo credit: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Mixed year for the college Dylan O’Connell, Sports Editor From dramatic last minute winners to double heartbreak, UCC sport has endured a mixed 2016/17 season, seeing the college go from agony to ecstasy as the intervarsity season came and went.

The highlight for the year for UCC Soccer was Daniel Pender’s 94th minute winner in the Collingwood Cup last February. The former Waterford United striker’s goal brought the Collingwood Cup back to the college for the second time in three years, and UCC’s thirteenth overall. Since then the college has endured a mixed run of form that included the Freshers side missing out

on the Harding Cup following a crushing 2-1 loss to UCD after extra time, and slipping to a quarterfinal loss to Ulster University in the Crowley Cup after a 1-1 draw in normal time.

Optimism shone through the winter months as UCC Ladies Hockey won the 2016/17 Munster Senior League title following a 3-1 victory over Bandon. This result ended a twentyfive year wait for the Leesiders, who last lifted the trophy in 1992.

Shadows of doubt left over from an uncertain winter carried into the spring for UCC GAA. A shock semifinal exit at the hands of St. Mary’s Belfast prolonged

the college’s quest for silverware while the college’s Fitzgibbon Cup campaign was abruptly stopped by IT Carlow, who pipped the college 2-20 to 1-20 last month.

This semifinal exit only prolongs the famine in Cork and UCC GAA, who have not tasted Fitzgibbon Cup success since 2013 and Sigerson success since 2014. Derby day losses to CIT in the Munster Junior Football final only prolonged the drought, with CIT beating their Cork rivals 1-17 to 2-10 in the final. Successes where saved by the intermediate hurling side, who won the Munster Intermediate Cup after a 0-15 to 1-10 victory over WIT at the Mardyke.

It was double heartbreak for UCC’s lady footballers and camogie team, as both sides fell short to an unprecedented O’Connor and Ashbourne Cup double.

In both codes UL proved to be UCC’s nemesis, as the Shannonsiders disrupted UCC’s quest for the elusive double.

It was the case of second time unlucky in the Ashbourne Cup as UL pipped the Leesiders to the 2017 Ashbourne Cup by 2-08 to 1-07 in a repeat of the 2016 final.

It has now been fourteen years since UCC last lifted the Ashbourne Cup.