UCC Express

EXPRESS

UCC

Tuesday, 04 February 2014 | www.uccexpress.net | Volume 21 | Issue 10

Sam Bailey & Newton Faulkner

Social Media

Crime Against Relevance

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R&G Week aims to beat €42,000 Stephen Goulding | News Writer

Taoiseach makes first official visit to UCC Audrey Ellard Walsh | Editor @AudreyEWalsh

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, marked his first visit to UCC last Friday, the 31st of January, by delivering a major speech on public sector reform and the importance of public service.

The Taoiseach was in UCC to deliver the 15th Annual Philip Monahan Memorial Lecture and present the UCC Department of Government annual student awards.

The lecture series, organised by the Dr. Aodh Quinlivan commemorates Philip Monahan, Ireland’s first local authority manager, who served as City Commissioner and then City Manager in Cork from 1924 to 1959. Over the years, the prestigious Monahan lecture series has attracted

distinguished speakers including John Hume, Mary McAleese, Emily O’Reilly and John Bercow.

The talk, entitled ‘Towards a Renewed Public Service’, drew heavy inspiration from the life and work of Monahan who Kenny stated had set the highest standards of probity and integrity in Irish public administration. The context to the lecture was the recently published Public Service Reform Plan 20142016 and the Taoiseach stressed the need for the public sector to focus on efficiency, openness, leadership and capacity, as well as the service users.

He noted that the Irish public service has already made a significant contribution to national recovery and that a strong public service is vital to Ireland’s future prospects.

“As we approach the centenary of 1916 important we prepare for new century so that today’s children will have a real opportunity to compete.

We must rebuild trust nationally and internationally. As democrats we must ensure gap between state and citizens is filled with probity.”

Speaking about political reform, Kenny referred to the recent Seanad Abolition referendum speaking about the necessity of senate reform, beginning with the extension of suffrage to all graduates.

President of UCC, Dr Michael Murphy, and by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Catherine Clancy also addressed the audience while attendees in the packed Aula Maxima included Minister for Agriculture, Marine and Food, Simon Coveney TD, the Chairperson

of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children, Jerry Buttimer TD, and the Cork North Central TD, Dara Murphy Head of Department, Dr Andrew Cottey, commented, ‘The annual Monahan Lecture is a highlight of the UCC calendar and we are honoured that the Taoiseach delivered this year’s lecture on such a topical issue which is of great relevance to the research activities of our staff.’

Bsc Government graduate John Kenny received the prestigious Graduate of the Year Award and final year Bsc Government student Padraig Mac Consaidín was presented with the Patrick O’Sullivan Essay Competition award for his submission ‘Wit and Humour in Politics’.

UCC’s Raise and Give Week will run from the 17th to the 20th of February, with all money raised this year to go toward the CUH Children’s Ward, Breakthrough Cancer Research and the Cope Foundation.

The week, which in past years has been the subject of much debate with regards to anti-social behaviour and heavy binge drinking, was praised as a success last year with a return to its charitable origins.

The UCC Students’ Union, who coordinate the week, wish to capitalise on last year’s success with the ultimate goal of breaking last year’s record amount of €42,000.

“Raise and Give Week is a really unique aspect of UCC, students from various parts of college come together to give back to the community that supports us,” said UCCSU Entertainments Officer James Murray. “The key is a collective effort toward fundraising whilst finding a good balance with entertainment. The student effort is what really makes the difference with R&G Week.”

Already a vast list of fundraising events has been compiled with a balanced mix of daytime and nighttime entertainment. Andrew Maxwell, the Iron Stomach, Nearly Naked Mile, hypnotists, an outdoor silent disco and, of course, a UCC Take Me Out all make the list for the daytime. Meanwhile, night clubs the Savoy and the Bowery are set to donate some of their receipts to charity, with nearly the entire door take from Savoy going to charities. This year’s R&G week will also give students the option to donate online for the first time.

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Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

EDITORIALS

INSIDE TODAY

Social Media Do Good, Feel & Opinions Great

Break the Chain Audrey Ellard Walsh | Editor @AudreyEWalsh

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Erasmus Diary Accessory Arsenal Page 16 -Exams

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The New Corker John Caufield Page 12

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Short Story

Drinking a pint of spirits is not “cool”, it does not make you a “legend” The deaths of Jonny Byrne and Ross Cummins last week were absolutely senseless tragedies. The deaths of those young men will remain with their families and friends forever.

What will make it all the worse is the knowledge that they were entirely avoidable.

Their deaths, and the phenomenon that is neknomination, are sadly reflective of the idiocity of our society’s entire approach to alcohol.

I simply could not believe last week that at the age of 22 I was witnessing peers of mine engaging in this ridiculous and utterly dangerous behaviour. Drinking a pint of spirits is not “cool”, it does not make you a “legend” and it certainly is not conducive to that infuriating catch all excuse for moronic behaviour- “banter”.

Drinking to excess is- as we all know deep down- dangerous and stupid but lets not be naïve about it either. Anyone who has experimented with alcohol, at whatever age they may have begun to drink, will have made mistakes. Testing and pushing the fabled ‘limit’ is a gingerly toed path. We know the theory behind the practice- it is recommended that women consume no more than 2-3 units of alcohol per day and men no more than 4. Just as many Drinkaware.ie ads stress, drinking at another person’s pace is not a safe way to imbibe. And as the cliché goes, rules are made to be broken.

Spinning floor tiles and less than measured decisions happen. A Friday morning migraine and short lived affirmation of tee-total nights out in future is in many cases a rite of passage. The important aspect of this however is that we learn from our mistakes. We- ideally- learn our limit. We take the decision that it may not be worth a banging headache and a lost day the morning after. We grow up.

I had, until a few days ago, held this realisation to be self evident. I had assumed that those referred to peers-

some of whom are teachers, some nurses- had by now too realised that drinking alcohol in itself is not cool or fun. It is an aspect of socialising that can enhance the experience of partying but is not in itself wild or exciting.

This is why I find the whole premise of neknomination so utterly baffling. I am truly lost as to what the entertainment value of creating and posting videos of yourself drinking.

And I honestly find it implausible that online peer pressure could force people in their 20s to engage in such blatantly dangerous activity.

My immediate and standing feeling on the matter is that neknomination is immensely stupid.

As has tragically been proven in at least two cases, it is immature at best and fatal at worst.

Please avoid getting involved in this ridiculous craze. Look after yourself and look after each other.

Do not nominate friends to neck drinks and do not participate if dared. Nothing is worth throwing away your life- least of all a ‘game’.

Please ‘break the chain’.

The state of the newspaper Stephen Barry | Deputy Editor

Features 7-10 Photography 14-15 The New Corker 12 Gaeilge 11

Fashion 16-17 Sport 20-24

Editorial Staff:

Contributors:

Editor: Audrey Ellard Walsh

Stephen Goulding

Deputy Editor: Stephen Barry Deputy News Editor: Heather Steele Features Editor: Grace O’ Sullivan Deputy Features Editor: Claire Crowley

Clara Hurley Tara McElligot Padaig O’ Connor Yvonne Rice Eilis O’ Keefe Michael Mcnamara

Photo Editor: Emmet Curtin

Timmy Collins

Irish Editor: Rachel Ní hAodha

Stephen Walsh

Fashion Editor: Nicole Clinton Fiction Editor: Eoghan Scott Sport Editor: Barry Aldworth Designer: Cathal O’ Gara

Sylvia Julius Emily Horgan Eoghan O’ Mahony Clare Fox

@StphnBarry

As you may have guessed, I’m not a major believer in editorials.

Should editors, the purveyors of impartiality, be noted opinionholders?

For that matter, should we designate the title of opinion-holder to columnists and ask them to produce an interesting opinion once a week?

That said, the one major role for a standard, run-of-the-mill editorial is to inform the reader about the worth and surrounds that a newspaper comes from.

My old hero John Waters, a noted opinion-holder, was in the news this week too, after Panti Bliss (aka Rory O’Neill)’s Saturday Night Show appearance.

More on that saga anon, but on a side note Waters made a very prescient point at last year’s Journalism Society Conference, where he performed with distinction, when he said that no news reports can be unbiased or impartial; that’s why the writer’s name is printed at the top (although the practice is bewilderingly falling by the wayside in online news reporting).

It was a good way of arguing his point, but more likely the reason for printing names at the head of news pieces is to help people identify bias, and eliminate it.

Which is something that certainly can’t be ascertained in Brendan O’Connor’s

Should editors... be noted opinionholders? recent apology to Waters, Breda O’Brien and the IONA Institute; an apology no doubt placed on the desk of O’Connor by nameless superiors and supervisors.

The apology itself places major question-marks over RTÉ and its journalists’ abilities to objectively referee the upcoming marriage equality referendum in a free and impartial manner, as the apology is taken as the editorial decision of the network and hangs over the heads of all their journalists.

Measuring the worth of an organisation is hard to do, but there’s no doubt that RTÉ have drastically failed to measure up in this case; especially so when considering their budget and resources.

We, at the Express, struggle with those words - budget and resources; be that willing writers, vested interests, a small actively engaged student community or finances.

I don’t say this to criticise our funding or resources; we are working with the organisations we are directed to work with to improve and overcome our limitations. But they are that – limitations.

We do our best to not have them affect us, but they probably do.

Either way, I’m not really sure how our readers view us as a publication.

Having come through as a sport and news editor, I see this as the equivalent of a regional paper. And personally I think what we do, in general, is objectively good.

Even on a wage point, we receive a fraction of what our peers in other colleges get, and our paper seems to match up to their standards.

A brief thought came to me that the funding and resources given to the Express should be much like the funding RTÉ receives from the state, in terms of the means if not the level.

However we can at least promise a stronger editorial policy, even without considering our limitations.

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday February 04, 2014

65 UCC students seek Sugar Daddies to subsidise college fees Stephen Barry | News Editor

325 UCC students, including 65 new sign-ups last year, are signed up to an escort service which pairs younger ‘Sugar Babies’ with ‘Sugar Daddies’, who financially supports them in return for a relationship.

The dating site SeekingArrangement.com targets college students who may be struggling financially to sign-up and have their college fees and rent paid for by potentially willing benefactors. The company grant ‘Sugar Scholarships’, which allow students worldwide free premium membership to the site.

A further 301 CIT students are signed up to the site as Sugar Babies, with 4,000 students signed up nationally, a figure which increased by 17% in 2013.

However this 17% increase is much lower than the 54% growth in university sign-ups worldwide in 2013, while students make up 30% of the Irish Sugar Baby membership, whereas the figure is 42% globally. These are disparities which Public Relations Manager Angela Jacob Bermudo puts down to Ireland being a new market for the company.

Bermudo spoke to the Express to clarify the figures recently released by the company which claims over one million student members worldwide, out of 2.7 million members.

Bermudo dismissed any moral qualms about students being ‘forced into’ joining up due to financial difficulties. “We’ve been quoted as saying if you can’t make a living

expense, Seeking Arrangement is not welfare. You shouldn’t be coming here if you need emergency funds.

“The most important thing to understand about seeking arrangement is that it is a dating site. So in order to be successful in the site you have to be looking for a relationship with a Sugar Daddy, which is a different relationship to a conventional one.”

This type of lifestyle which combines sponsorship and relationship averages an income of €6,200 for Irish Sugar Babies who have found an arrangement.

This income generally comprises benefits in kind such as rent, loan repayments, travel and shopping as well as pocket money.

However there is no standard arrangement between couples and many Sugar Daddies have multiple Sugar Babies.

The relationships are scheduled around the Sugar Daddies typically busy lives. The company has recently branched out into providing Sugar Mommies with Male Sugar Babies.

“Why hope for financial aid when you can guarantee it with a Sugar Daddy?” says Brandon Wade, founder and CEO of SeekingArrangement.com in pitching his service. “Student loans lead to endless debt, which amounts to more than a new graduate can handle. Sugar Scholarships provide real solutions to the problem of student debts.”

University of Limerick had the largest increase in 2013, with 93 new students signing-up, while Trinity College Dublin reported the most overall sign-ups with 397.

Gonorrhoea epidemic in colleges Stephen Goulding | News Writer

The number of students being diagnosed with gonorrhoea and other infections has increased in recent months.

A notice issued by the Health Service Executive in November drew attention to the increased risk in contracting the common sexually transmitted infection, which can be contracted and transmitted by having unprotected sex. Young males are more at risk of contracting the disease then their female counterparts according to research carried out by the HSE in the south of the country last year.

Gonorrhoea, a bacterial infection, can have serious side effects if not treated in an appropriate manner, and within a reasonable timeframe.

The number of documented cases of Gonorrhoea had previously increased by a third from 2011 to 2012.

In an effort to combat the spread of the infection, several

representative bodies—including Dublin AIDS Alliance, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and the Health Service Executive (HSE) – have launched a campaign, aimed at alerting students to the dangers of unprotected sex and the symptoms of the STI. One of the key aims of this campaign is to tackle the “tongue-in-cheek style of key messages for the campaign will help with getting the information across to young adults in both a humorous and factual way.”

The campaign, which is being funded by the HSE is centring much of its focus on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, encouraging people to utilise the #OMGsti tag, in order to see the campaign trend.

“We urge everyone to follow simple steps for prevention - get accurate and reliable information on STIs, always use a condom when having sex, and talk to your partner(s) about STI testing and using

condoms,” said Denise McCarthy, USI Vice President for Welfare. She went on to discuss the necessity for vigilance and testing; “People can have Gonorrhoea and not have any signs or symptoms, so regular STI testing is encouraged, particularly if you have many sexual partners or if you have ever had unprotected sex. Testing is free in public STI clinics.”

Young males are more likely to show symptoms, with nearly 90% of cases having clear signs of the disease. Females, however, are less likely to be able to identify the disease as more than 50% of all cases do not show clear, discernible symptoms.

There is a strong correlation between the age group of students and the age groups that are most likely to contract an STI. Chlamydia is still the most common STI accounting for nearly half of all cases in Ireland—with genital warts accounting for just shy of 20% .

NEWS

Inaugural E conomics Conference asks Tough Questions Audrey Ellard Walsh | Editor

Questions directed at the past, present and future of economic decision making were on the table in UCC last weekend.

The inaugural Economics Conference held on Saturday in the Aula Maxima drew some weighty names, not least of which was economist and journalist Tim Harford.

Panellists included Megan Greene, chief economist at Maverick Intelligence; Brendan Keenan, former economics editor for Independent Newspapers as well as UCC academics and TDs Peter Mathews and Ciarán Lynch.

The topics at hand included and “Is politics the greatest stumbling block to economic stability?”, “The Eurozone – wobbling on a tightrope between growth and debt?” while expert presentations addressed “ECB Monetary Policy” and “Gaming It: Incentives, Cheating and the Grey Area in Sports”.

“This conference is intended to unite leading academics and practitioners in the field to discuss economic problems with a view towards finding a pathway into the future,” said conference convener Jamie Cullinan.

“Importantly this discussion will take place in a college setting and will have the power to influence economic thinking into the future through the attending students, who will also be given an opportunity to question the prevailing economic thought and policy issues on the day.”

The Express caught up on the day with panellist and journalist Sinead Ryan to ask what advice she would give to those who find the concept of economics daunting.

“Well I would say that it can certainly appear boring and irrelevant but in fact it’s probably very important.

“Young people may not realise that they are making economic decisions every single day of their lives, whether they are deciding to make their own coffee or buy a designer latte or whether they are deciding to buy a newspaper or read it online for free that has a massive economic implication on the whole of society so they should make their choices very carefully and I would encourage all young people to learn more about basic economic choices and realise that

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Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

NEWS

Tyndall workers picket over pay NEWS

Eoghan Lyng | Arts & Lit Editor

The Tyndall National Institute has been the subject of a public strike since January 21st. The basis of such a strike was generated from the Tyndall staff`s dissatisfaction with the building`s monetary distribution.

According to reports, members of this Institution earn anything as little as 20% less than many of their University College Cork compatriots, despite similarities in work. Such inequity has been the topic of debate, a concept pushed publicly by the Departments of Education and Public Reform.

Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) started a picketed protest on Dyke Parade, to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with such affairs. The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) were also involved in the dispute, albeit in a less public manner to SIPTU. SIPTU members included engineers, IT and technical staff.

IN BRIEF

SIPTU Selector Organiser Louise O`Reilly claimed that “not only is there a considerable pay gap with counterparts in UCC, but that gap is going to widen as increments are paid to the other university staff.

“This dispute can be resolved if the departments of Education and Public Expenditure and Reform are willing to put forward concrete measures to address the widening pay gap.”

Furthermore SIPTU Organiser, Bill Mulcahy, remarked that “Following on from a one-day work stoppage on Tuesday, 21st January, members will be intensifying their industrial action at the facility including the expansion of work to rule measures and further work stoppage.”

The picketing has not permeated onto UCC campus, remaining at the five entrances of the Tyndall Building. As of the time of print, no compromise has been declared.

Members of SIPTU organisation were unavailable for comment regarding the future of such a strike.

Stephen Barry & Eoghan Lyng

Apprentices raise over €8500 for Hope As part of the Entrepreneurial and Social Society’s Innov8 Week, students aimed to sell as many chocolate bars as possible to raise money for the Hope Foundation. The UCC Apprentice, which ran for 36 hours, saw teams of four compete to raise the most money, with the winners Team Civil Hope awarded €500. The former host of ‘The Irish Apprentice’ TV show Bill Cullen launched the event with Sean Gallagher, formerly of ‘Dragons’ Den’, also speaking as part of Innov8 Week.

UCC graduate awarded OBE

UCC Dental Students Photonics venture Grants Restored to create 200 jobs Heather Steele | Deputy News Editor

39 dental nursing and dental hygiene students at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Cork (UCC), who were informed earlier in the month that they would no longer receive maintenance grants, have now had their grants restored.

The Department of Education has clarified that the courses are approved under the NFQ and SUSI has said that payments will be restored with immediate effect, including arrears.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) had been working with the Department of Education and SUSI to resolve the issue, with the recent announcement a success for them; “USI welcomes the resolution of this issue, which meant that students on these programmes will now continue to receive their grant payments and can continue on their courses.”

A letter had previously been issued to the students by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) which stated that as the course does not lead to a major award level 7 of the National Framework of Qualification (NFQ), making them ineligible for a grant.” The decision to revoke the grants was made following an internal audit by SUSI.

Ellen Desmond | Entertainment Editor

SUSI was set up in 2012 to carry out grant processing rather than each individual local authority and VECs. Its first year the system was plagued by delays where students did not receive their grants for several months. The Ombudsman accepted over 50 complaints from students that year due to SUSI and its long delays. Following a report into the problems at SUSI, additional staffs were hired and the process was streamlined. This year SUSI announced that decisions had been made on all grant applications, two months earlier that the year before.

A major employment opportunity has been launched in Cork with the opening of the new Irish Photonic Integration Centre in the Tyndall Institute. Over the next six years this will see the creation of over 200 job opportunities in the €30m research facility.

Minister for Research Sean Sherlock said at the launch that this centre hopes to be one of the most progressive in Europe.

Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General of SFI and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government highlighted that “the launch of this new center is an important development as both of the major sectors it will support are showing significant growth in Ireland. This is an excellent example of the kind of collaboration between industry

and academia that we will continue to encourage: excellent science with impact.”

Staff at the research centre will conduct research into at least 30 different projects, all focused on investigations of the use of light in different ways. These will include developing smarter medical devices and also hope to find ways to use energy more efficiently in light-based devices.

The light-enabled technologies for the Photonic Integration Centre are being developed by over 100 researchers from UCC, CIT, DCU, Tyndall Institute and 18 industry partners. This places Ireland in prime position to grow Ireland’s share of Europe’s €58billion photonics market.

The IPIC is an investment of €20 million of taxpayers’ money, with an additional €10 million from industry.

Former UCC PhD student, Martin Collins, has been awarded the Order of The British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 New Year`s Honours List.

Collins (who researched his thesis regarding ‘The Biology Of The Squid Loligo Forbesi Steenstrup in Irish waters’ between 1990-1994, under Professor Gavin Burnell`s supervision), is receiving the award in order to recognise his contribution to science and conservation in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Appointed the Chief Executive Officer for the South Georgia Government in 2009, Collins’s responsibilities include overseeing much of the delegation regarding the environment and fishery management within South Georgia.

Burglar doesn’t remember UCC crime A man who broke into the Sociology Department on O’Donovan’s Road pleaded guilty to trespassing although he couldn’t remember committing the crime. Dwayne Corcoran of Knocknaheeny pleaded guilty after Gardai found his fingerprints at the scene, with Corcoran admitting that he must have done it. Nothing was taken during the break-in however the conviction was Corcoran’s 113th.

Previously he had been sentenced to 18 months for robbing a waitress’s belongings from the kitchen of a communal hall and to 8 months for stealing a car. The judge imposed an 8 month sentence which does not add to Corcoran’s overall jail time, where he is said to be doing well. He has 21 months left to serve.

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday February 04, 2014

€1 million Saved in Waste

Ellen Desmond | Entertainment Editor

UCC, the world’s first green campus and ranked 2nd on the UI Green Metric, has just announced that €1 million has been saved in the past five years due to the Green Campus initiative.

The student-led, research-informed and practice-focused Green initiative has given UCC the opportunity to take a forward step in changing actions in sustainability. The changes have provided a substantial financial saving, as well as longer-term environmental quality and greater citizenship.

John O’Halloran, Head of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences (BEES), explained how the biggest challenge faced so far by UCC’s Green Forum was the waste problem, which has gone on to see improvements so vast the area is responsible for saving about £700,000 alone. “And [the money] will come back into the University obviously,” O’Halloran told the Express, “the demand for the University has been huge this year with all the budgets cut across if we get major savings like this clearly everybody benefits.”

Recycling rates are now up to 75%

AROUND THE COLLEGES Heather Steele| Deputy News Editor

CIT reappoints president

and as well as these improvements in waste management. Staff cycling has also seen an increase from 6% to 12%.

UCC has also been the first University in Ireland to calculate its total carbon footprint and there is currently a Carbon Sequestration programme running on campus, using trees to balance the carbon output.

Other initiatives being taken

by UCC include the first park and ride travel scheme established by a University in Ireland and

compostable coffee cups in the Main Restaurant as well as energy requirements from landlords wishing to get on the accommodation list.

The considerable achievements are now seen as reason enough to push things on and Mr O’Halloran told of how the next big challenge is water treatment.

“A lot of the water we use is treated water, I’m talking about water for toilets… it’s the same water you or I would drink and the question in my mind is why are we doing that? I think that’s the real big challenge for

the future and again we could save there from a financial point of view but also from a philosophical and ecological point of view.”

The importance of environmental awareness and conservation has long been debated but the results set out by the University show real tangible and even financial benefits for everyone.

“What I’d like to do over time really is get the student body involved in learning how they can calculate their carbon footprint so we can offset some of their carbon, again as a University.”

Youth groups call for JobBridge end Heather Steele | Deputy News Editor

Advocacy groups for young people have allied to voice their opposition to the government’s national internship scheme, JobBridge. At a press conference on the 29th of January the youth committees of the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) and Mandate Trade Union along with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), ScamBridge and the ‘We’re Not Leaving’ youth group called for the scheme to be phased out.

David Gibney, of the Mandate Youth group, said that JobBridge is not a fair system for employees.

“The JobBridge scheme is a direct attack on the concept of decent work.

Many companies are abusing the system and undermining existing terms and conditions of employment in both their own company and their competitors.”

Derek Keenan, of the CWU Youth Committee echoed Gibney’s concerns, stating that the scheme has hindered true job creation.

“JobBridge is not just an attack on those seeking work but also part of a much broader attempt to reduce the pay and conditions of workers in all sectors of the economy.

“The scheme has depressed real job creation by allowing employers

NEWS

to avail of a free labour pool of unemployed workers desperate to get a foothold within the labour market. This abuse must cease, everyone deserves to be paid for their labour and we are calling on the government to phase out the scheme.”

USI President, Joe O’Conner said that whilst Ireland needs an internship programme but that JobBridge is a poor version of that. “USI believes there is a need for quality internships and real up skilling opportunities for young people in Ireland. However, it is now clear that after countless scandals and exploitation of workers under the scheme, JobBridge is now broken beyond repair.”

He added that there are no clear regulations or monitoring of the scheme. “Any internship scheme should be properly monitored and regulated, and should not displace fully paid labour. Clearly, JobBridge is failing in that respect, and we believe it should be brought to an end.”

The founder of ScamBridge, a website campaigning against the scheme, Paul Murphy MEP, commented that many companies abuse the scheme stating that some workers were made redundant before new JobBridge interns were hired.

“It has emerged that Advance Pitstop, a serial exploiter of the scheme, has made workers

redundant in advance of looking for 28 JobBridge interns.”

He added that a recent report published by Indecon showed that the scheme has failed to tackle unemployment. “The facts in the Indecon report illustrate that it is a failure from the point of view of dealing with unemployment – with 19.5% of interns graduating immediately to jobs with their host organisation, despite the fact that 29% of host organisations saying they would be highly or fairly likely to take on an employee in the absence of the scheme. The scheme must be scrapped and replaced by a Real Jobs scheme – which means investment in education, meaningful training and real jobs.”

CIT have reappointed Dr Brendan Murphy for his second term as President, a position he has held since 2004. The job with a salary of €146,034 was advertised in late 2013 and was overseen by an appointment committee of the governing body. The committee recommended that Dr Murphy retain his presidency. As CIT plan to amalgamate with the Institute of Technology Tralee in the future, all senior appointments are being made on a short-term contract of five years.

Dr Murphy has worked in public service for more than forty years.

A spokesperson for CIT said that whilst Dr Murphy was working beyond retirement age he would not be receiving his pension while still receiving a salary. Dr Murphy was commended in his role by CIT governing body chairman Bob Savage. “We acknowledge his major contribution to the ongoing development of CIT and the future development of the proposed Munster Technological University.”

SU withdrawal called “undemocratic” DITSU president Glenn Fitzpatrick has criticised UCD student Samuel O’Connor for his high-profile disaffiliation from his Students’ Union. O’Connor was allowed to leave UCDSU in December due to his protestation on the union’s pro-choice stance on abortion.

Fitzpatrick said that O’Connor set a “dangerous precedent” and could put at stake the way student politics occurs. “If someone really wants to leave then there’s not an awful lot you can do about that,” he said. “But what he did was antidemocratic. Students’ Unions are not like trade unions. There’s a service element there, but there’s also representation, and any student who thinks they can go into college and will have every management person or lecturer looking out for their best interests is totally naïve and offside.”

O’Connor rejects Fitzpatrick’s interpretation of democracy. He added that “This [right to choose whether or not to be a member of an SU] is a constitutional right which, unfortunately for the vested interest of Mr Fitzpatrick and other SUs, exists entirely independently from them.”

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Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

COMMENT

{Letters to the Editor} Rag Week 2014

Rag Week 2014 is almost upon us. Last year the students of UCC raised an astonishing €42,000 in the middle of the worst recession the country has known since the 1950's. The enthusiasm, energy and humour was palpable across and around campus over the week and students are to be congratulated for an exceptional performance.

The positive publicity across Ireland feeds back into the good reputation of the College. Michael Bradley Cosgrave, who now lectures in History was President of the Students Union in 1985, and between the hours of 9 and 12 one morning he sold £2,800 worth of advertising for a year planner.

A couple of years earlier Denis Staunton, who is now editor of the Irish Times, organised a chariot race around the quad with real chariots which ended in the most spectacular pile-up under the clock tower.

Somehow I persuaded President Tadhg Carey that it was a really good idea to abseil off the Science Building. It was always great fun even the stuffiest student usually gave way to the silliness by the time of the Rag ball on Thursday, when the town was infested with bearded

rugby players in fishnets sashaying down the Mall in high-heels.

Hopefully, you are not reading this over breakfast.

Student Internship

Some gets the idea that they have to set fire to a wheelie bin or knock the wing mirrors of all the cars on a street. Often the same houses cause trouble throughout the year.

Sometimes it went horribly wrong.

Working with the College we have In 1981, it was decided to finish identified 37 houses where we the raft race on St. Patrick's bridge. expect trouble over the next two Students always bombed the race weeks and particular attention will with eggs and flour. Bored waiting be paid to those. This represents for the boats, spectators turned on around 100 people out of the 20,000 each other and in the ensuring riot going to UCC. Hopefully, people on Patrick's Bridge little old ladies will heed this warning but if they got caught in the crossfire. Never don't then College, the Gardaí, the one to miss a photo opportunity Students Union, and local residents Lord Mayor Paud Black arrived associations are determined to get to 'appeal for calm' and was the message across. Some residents immediately doused with a 2kg bag want Rag week banned altogether, of flour. Of course he made the front most believe that if we appeal to page as the whole riot took place in students better nature over time the front of the Examiner Office. Rag culture will change.

Week was banned.

The message is simple. Be as silly And this is my point. If you live in as you like, raise as much money as our area whether you are a student you can, but do no harm. or permanent resident you expect a bit of noise on the street. We do Best wishes to the organisers, not live in a morgue. Many of our hopefully this will be the best Rag most elderly residents missed the Week ever in terms of fund raising vitality as the houses emptied on and community relations. It's up to entire streets over Christmas. But you. sometimes it goes horribly wrong and a house party ends in a brawl.

A local resident

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A reform for you, a reform for me Audrey Ellard Walsh | Editor @AudreyEWalsh

The Reform Conference in the RDS last week garnered mass attention. Their ‘National Conversation on Ireland’s Future” bought together high profile speakers from the worlds of political science, healthcare and economics to propose and discuss their ideas for a reformed Ireland. On a miserable Saturday morning, the RDS concert hall packed over 1000 delegatesalbeit a large proportion of them may well have been media expecting the imminent announcement of a new political party.

Attendees had been invited to submit their proposals for reform in advance, and were given time to speak from the floor during the panels. It became quickly clear however that these proposals were polarising, reflective of the audience.

The attendees who spoke represented a veritable mélange of the disenfranchised. Proposals called for from the floor came

from as far left of field as antiflouride campaigners to calls for scrapping the system of party politics in its entirety. Of the more cohesive arguments on the agenda were those of electoral reform through list systems and quotas. Reform of the Oireachtas though the appointment of industry experts to cabinet, greater powers for the Seanad, and a move against the engrained parochialism of the current regime.

Come one, come all seemed to be the message- we are not just about abortion! Though that elephant in the room was relatively unmentioned until Creighton’s closing address, its echoes were palpable. Murmurs of discontent at certain panellists’ vocalised disagreement of the TDs reasons for leaving were noticeable. In fact, after Olivia O’Leary’s mention of that drew roars of “they were expelled!” from the floor, it was noticeable that a number of attendees left.

No matter though, their seats were soon filled.

So whilst the pro-life/anti-

choice contingent were certainly present, they did not dominant as much as may have been expected.

It was clear from listening to conversations around me that people attended for a variety of reasons. Many were looking for a renewed enthusiasm in politics- both former Labour party members and those who aligned far to the right. People were looking for hope.

The concept of a national discussion on our politics is indeed a noble one. The Constitutional Convention which is modelled upon a variety of successful initiatives in Canada, Iceland and Belgium, has to date largely failed to capture the national imagination. Based upon the interest in the Reform Conference this is surely down to poor promotion rather than a mass apathy.

Having sat in the room that day though it seems that Lucinda may need to have a little chat with her loyal followers about what of all the reform proposals floated- if any- the Reform Alliance stand for. And whilst they managed

Come one, come allwe are not just about abortion!

to gather 1000 pairs of ears on a cold January morning, could they hold that appeal once their policies are honed if they do take the speculated leap and create a new party.

As with most things this will remain to be seen, however one thing that is clear is that Ms. Creighton has a vision through the murk. As the figurehead of the RA movement, she is a formidable figure. The big question that I am left wondering is whether the abortion issue was really such an impasse as it was made out to be, or if it was rather a timely excuse.

It seems curious that a rag tag group of defectors with one core issue in common would contentedly open their arms to all and sundry. It is also curious that they would galvanise such a new and ambitious focus so soon after getting the boot from the party that moulded them.

A smokescreen- perhaps. Vote ensuring- most certainly. A new dawn for our democracy- still uncertain. But I guess that’s just politics for you.

Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

FEATURES

THIS WEEK IN Social Media & Opinions

P8

P9

Scouting Where do Girl Guides Stand?

7

Do Good, Feel Great

FEATURES

Parents do everything for us – so is it our duty to do something amazing for them from time to time? Features Editor Grace O’Sullivan Investigates.

Perhaps it is fair to say all our parents have pulled the “I gave you life” card on us at some stage or another – be it seriously or in jest. Yes, our parents did give us life, and probably made a number of sacrifices in order to ensure we had the best of everything. I recently read a piece whereby one man described how he and his wife had worked all their lives and still had no money, but their wealth was the Masters degrees their children had obtained. Surely this is the ultimate sacrifice of giving your all to someone and expecting nothing in return?

This got me thinking about the relationship I have with my own parents: I am not exactly the perfect daughter, but then again who is? All this contemplation led me to the conclusion that I needed to do something more than empty the dishwasher, and mind my siblings every now and again. Not P10 being one to do things by halves, I came up with the cunning plan to throw my mother a Surprise 50th Birthday Party.

Well to be fair it wasn’t totally my idea as my mother has dropped a few hints - shall we say since, mmm last April – about how much she would love a party but An Erasmus Diary wouldn’t really want to organize it for herself. Now I am acutely (Exams) aware you do not know my mother, Eilis O’ Keefe learns or me but she really does deserve to that it’s not all Spiel be spoiled - she really is a precious gem. und Spaß on Erasmus Being the eager beaver that I am everything is organized; the food, the venue, the relatives abroad, the invitations, the embarrassing baby pictures, the speciality cocktail, the cake, the cupcakes, the music, and the cunning plan to get her there unsuspectingly. So there you have it a fully organized Surprise Party for this April. What’s the problem I hear you ask?

Well, I think we may all fall out before the big day comes – come on we’ve all seen the movies whereby they play down having a party and manage to keep the secret.

However, I think I underestimated the time span and my “ugh Parties are so overrated” comments have been going on too long – and the poor pet’s heart is broken.

My initial biggest worry was that someone would tell her, but the invites haven’t even been sent and I now worry I’ll tell her. We have three more months to wait before the big day – Three Months!

I can’t see her upset for this long, it’s killing me.

“

I am a big believer in karma and if we all do our best to put goodness out there and create happiness there’s no reason we won’t all feel happier.

So this brings me to the kernel of the article: are surprises really worth the hassle? I have always been of the opinion that they were the greatest invention since the curling wand, but now I am not so sure. The end result will be worth it *fingerscrossed*; seeing her face (I’m hoping for a few tears), having the whole family together all suited and booted (not for a solemn occasion), and just having the opportunity to celebrate the life of someone that I love more than anyone else.

However there are two sides to every story (well, three; his, hers, and the truth – but that’s a different matter altogether) and I am being to wonder if all the underhand and scheming is really fair on her? I need to invest in some form of wool coat at this stage, and then I really can pretend to be Sherlock Holmes.

What do you think? Are you a surprise party lover or loather?

Perhaps at the end of the day the main thing is that it depends on the person. In this scenario, a surprise party and a little bruising of the ego for a couple of months is well worth the resulting joy. My one piece of advice for you all to take from this column would be to perhaps not start planning a year before hand. Even the best secret keeper will be put through their paces. All I want to do is tell her so she will be happy – it’s not a crime!

Also, coming up with phrases for the invitation is difficult – “the dirty thirty” works – so far all I have are “the fabulous fifty” or “the

fantastic fifty,” any suggestions to features@uccexpress.ie would be much appreciated. Also while I’m plugging for ideas here, does anyone know a decent cupcake maker in the area?

Overall, my mother is an inspirational woman who has given me so much (and not just life). So here is my challenge to you all, why not go out and do something nice for those who mean the most to you? Be it your parents, siblings, nanny, or aunty Jenny – go out there and make them feel loved. Granted there’s no need to throw a party (trust me the catering sampling is really fun), perhaps a nice cup of tea and a chat would do the job (go on spring for a packet of biscuits).

I am a big believer in karma and if we all do our best to put goodness out there and create happiness there’s no reason we won’t all feel happier. SO go on go out there and take one small step to creating a bit of joy. Why not start inside your own front door – be it hoovering your student accommodation, or helping your sister revise for her exams. What is stopping us from taking it out into the wider world?

This would lead to making a stranger’s day, or helping those in need of a bit of TLC in society.

Now before this column turns into a rehash of the concept behind “Pay it Forward” – my main aim is to encourage everyone to do something good today. The buzz I’m getting from knowing I will make my mother’s day is indescribable, so why not try do something positive too?

8

Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

FEATURES

Getting YOUR

Opinion Across Deputy Features Editor Claire Crowley discusses social media, past and present Social media has taken the world by storm. It is the most popular way for people (especially students) to get their opinions and thoughts out in the open. It has been criticized, applauded and questioned on many occasions. One thing is certain, though. Social media is here to stay.

Social media has come a long way since its beginnings:

I will admit, I never got into Myspace. I remember people talking about it, and “bulletins” and “groups” being mentioned. Bulletins were posts that were posted on a bulletin board for everyone on a friend’s list to see. They were useful for contacting all of your friends at once, and were deleted after ten days. The Groups feature allowed a group of users to share the same page and message board.

Groups were exclusive, with only the moderator of the group deciding who could join. But, from what I can gather, Myspace was one of the original social media platforms, but, over the years, has just become a memory of wasted youth.

Ah, Bebo. Where writin lyk dis waz kwl, ‘sharing da luv’ was the thing to do, and updating your skin and flashbox every few weeks was a necessity. You had to have another half on bebo, and you rearranged your Top 16 friends as often as you liked (if you were in the top four, you knew you were best friends with that person 4 lyf). Quizzes were created to test your friends, on topics ranging from music, movies, or just yourself. For people who are the same age as me, Bebo was the first step into social media, spending more hours than was necessary adding 200 photos of that class trip to Fota Wildlife Park, and doing quizzes to figure out which ‘Grey’s Anatomy’/’Simpsons’/’Lost’ character you were most like. The one thing Bebo will be remembered for? The Bebo Stunnah, and all its duck faced glory.

Facebook is about showing off. We all have those friends (some blocked by now) who update their status every few hours, post 100 photos of a night out or post emoticons as a status and then “Don’t want to talk about it” Padraig O’Connor and Yvonne Rice go on the hunt for the best value mobile phone package for students In the past few years the prices of mobile phone packages have gotten lower and lower. Great news for students that have to survive on a shoe string budget!

In today’s competitive market there is excellent value to be found, but the providers don’t make it easy to compare plans with different packages names, bundles with a mix of calls and texts and most importantly, prices. We have set out to compare prepay packages ranging from as little as a tenner up to twenty euro from Ireland’s main players in the mobile phone market; Vodafone, Meteor, O2, Three and 48.

When it comes to plans for a tenner,

Many are saying that Facebook is slowly dying; that mobile applications such as Snapchat and WhatsApp are taking over Facebook’s popularity. I think Facebook still has good features, it’s still a great way to contact people, it is still the fastest way to find local events and it’s useful for keeping in contact with friends and family across Ireland and the world.

But, nowadays, Facebook is about showing off. We all have those friends (some blocked by now) who update their status every few hours, post 100 photos of a night out or post emoticons as a status and then “Don’t want to talk about it” when someone asks are they ok/what’s wrong. Then There Are People Who Type Everything Like This, and, I don’t know about any of you, but that hurts my head (and makes me question did these people miss out on those crucial days in primary school when proper English was taught). It will be another few years before Facebook succumbs to new social media platforms (if it ever does), but, it cannot be denied how useful it has been…especially for keeping students entertained through lectures.

Twitter is increasing in popularity with each passing day. Users may subscribe to other users' tweets – this is known as following and subscribers are known as followers.

The users can also check the people who are un-subscribing them on Twitter (unfollowing) via various services. In addition, users have the capability to block those who have followed them. You can follow anyone from your closest friends to celebrities, and express your thoughts and opinions in 140 characters. A retweet or a favourite of your tweet is the equivalent of a like on Facebook. The amount of followers you have is a reflection of how active/funny/relevant your tweets are, and if you’re a One Direction fan, you’re almost guaranteed many fans, as there is a special place on Twitter, where One Direction fans live. Twitter is fast, easy to understand, and is a fantastic place to network.

It’s possible that other Social Media websites, such as Pinterest and Google Plus will soon rank among Twitter’s popularity, but in the world of Social media, only time will tell.

Get the Best Value Mobile Plan!

48, the network exclusively for eighteen to twenty-four year olds comes out on top. Their ‘The Guido’ plan gives you a whooping three-hundred minutes to any network any time. Not forgetting unlimited texts to any network any time, a gig of internet and sixty minutes to landlines to make sure you can keep in touch with the bank of mom and dad.

Since most students fall into this age bracket, there’s nothing stopping the vast majority of students from joining 48. While they recently have had some outages leaving their customers unreachable for a number of hours, you will not find better value for money.

It’s worth noting that unlike the other providers, 48 works on a subscription basis. This means you don’t get the use of your €10 credit. Three offer a similar style plan for a tenner with fifty minutes

of Three to Three calls, fifty Three to Three texts and two-hundred mega-bites of data. While this is still a good offer, particularly if your friends are on Three, it offers significantly less value than 48. Meteor has the next best package including unlimited Meteor to Meteor texts and sixty mega-bites of data but no calls are included. Vodafone offers the least ‘bang for your buck’ with unlimited Vodafone to Vodafone texts. However, this does not cover calls or data. O2 currently don’t offer any €10 packages for new customers.

For those that can afford the luxury of a twenty euro mobile plan, more calls, texts and data are on the table.

With unlimited calls and texts to all Irish mobile networks, five gigs of data and sixty minutes of calls to Irish landlines, 48 also comes out on top. It’s ideal if

you’re both a caller and a texter. Like the tenner plan, 48 offer a subscription service. You do not have the use of the twenty euro credit. Instead you’ll have to pay more for extra landline minutes or international calls but there’s always Skype for those. If you’re a texter, Vodafone offer unlimited texts to any network or free calls and texts to Vodafone customers. Both come with two-hundred mega-bites of data so neither is ideal if you have a smart phone. Meteor offer a slightly better plan with unlimited Meteor to Meteor calls, unlimited texts to any network and two-hundred mega-bites of data.

If you like to download music or apps or are a fan of watching the latest neck nominations on the go then you’re going to like Three’s €20 plan. This includes all you can eat data, any network texts,

unlimited Three to Three calls with the bonus of any network weekend calls. O2 do things a little different to the others offering four different €20 plans; Freedom Talk and Freedom Text.

Both of these plans require €10 of your precious credit. Freedom Internet and Freedom O2 to O2 and each plan does exactly what they suggest.

It’s worth mentioning that most of the above providers have a fair usage policy in place, so you can’t use your phone as a walky-talky! There’s are also some terms and conditions and all that stuff, we recommend visiting each providers website for full details. €10 Plans:

€20 Plans:

48 (The Guido) or Three

48’s (The Don) or Three

9

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday February 04, 2014

THE GLAMORISATION OF SCOUTING: WHERE DOES GUIDING STAND?

FEATURES

ADVICE TO THE J1ER

Clara Hurley | Features Writer

The photographs were fairly nondescript, a young attractive woman laughing beside a campfire, a neckerchief tied in a friendship knot around her neck, and yet they have appeared to have had a profound effect.

Taken at a Scouting camp, these photographs have spurred adults into giving of their time to the Scouting organisation. However, the volunteer leader is no ordinary woman.

She is England’s Duchess of Cambridge, the former Catherine Middleton, who is arguably the most photographed woman in the world. Millions of woman worldwide endeavour to emulate her and items of clothing worn by her often sell out within hours. Her involvement in Scouting appears to be no exception. Indeed UK Scout Association reported an unprecedented surge in adult volunteers since Catherine joined. In today’s world where Scouting is seen as representing traditionalist values, Catherine Cambridge has certainly glamorised it. Despite this, it remains very unclear where the Guiding movement, the sister organisation to Scouting, stands in modern society.

Guiding was set up in 1910 by the Scouting founder Robert Baden Powell and his sister Agnes as the former believed that the Scouting programme did not fit the needs of young girls at the time. Whilst Scouts is well known for its adventurous outdoor based programme, Guiding is said to promote “practical feminism” by aiming to cultivate survival, domestic, adventure and confidence skills in young girls. Moreover, it could be argued that the Guiding movement is all inclusive because it endeavours to develop every aspect of their members’ personalities rather than adopting the narrow outdoorsy Scouting programme. Unfortunately, it appears that Guiding has a developed a completely undeserved reputation for being either tame or safe and its diverse nature is severely underappreciated. Additionally, both the high profile nature of Scouting and the introduction of mixed sex scouting troops in the last twenty years seem to have resulted in Guiding membership suffering.

In an increasingly secular world (and particularly in Ireland), the religious ethos of both Scouting and Guiding has proved to be a bone of contention. The multidenominational Scouting Ireland organisation is a recent merger of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and the Scout Association of Ireland. The merger occurred in an attempt to boost membership and to ensure that children of all religions could be catered for. Whilst it has been relatively successful on both counts, Scouting Ireland has yet to make an atheist Scout Promise available to their members as per their British counterparts.

Guiding in Ireland is in a rather different position because it is still split into two associations; the Catholic Guides of Ireland (CGI) and the Irish Girl Guides (IGG). IGG has a strong presence in Republic of Ireland whereas CGI can be found all over the island, with particularly large companies in Northern Ireland, Dublin and Cork. Despite common misconception, membership of both organisations is open to girls of any faith, with provisions being made for an alternative Guide Promise á la Scouting Ireland. Given the phenomenal success Scouting Ireland’s merger has been, it is hoped that Guiding will someday follow the same path. Whatever the case, it can be said that the current arrangement is confusing to the layperson and this undoubtedly has affected membership.

Another problem that appears to be affecting Guiding more acutely than the Scouting community is that of leader shortages. A lack of leaders has knock effects throughout a community, affecting both children and adults. For example, to comply with current leader:child ratios, many companies can only permit a very limited number of children join. By placing a child on a waiting, that child is being deprived of the opportunity to attain substantial benefits from either Scouting or Guiding.

Furthermore, leader shortages are putting enormous pressure on the existing leaders, many of whom have been involved for their entire life. It is not uncommon these days for companies to be run by only one trained leader and either one or two completely inexperienced helpers. It hardly needs to be said that leaders who find themselves in this inenviable position become “burned out” extremely quickly which may result in them stepping down from their position or in the worst case scenario could cause an entire company to close.

Whereas Scouting Ireland has grown from strength to strength, Irish Guiding appears to be treading in uncertain waters. Certainly Guiding is lacking the high profile that Scouting is enjoying, which has only been boosted by Catherine Cambridge’s recent endorsement. It is downright shameful that Guiding is overlooked because it really does cater for individual child and helps them flourish. Former Girl Guides worldwide, including Catherine Cambridge, have spoken openly about the positive impacts Guiding has had on their entire lives. It never is too late to get involved, and given the current climate volunteers are always welcome. Maybe, if we all work together we can glamorise Guiding without the help of Catherine Cambridge. Now wouldn’t that be an achievement?

Tara McElligott | Features Writer

Hey there! If you’re reading this it means that you have survived the most depressing month of the year, January! I have come to learn that January is depressing for the following reasons:

Secondly, find a place to live or have an idea of what you will be doing before you go over there.

I have heard so many stories of people running out of money in two-three weeks because they had nowhere to live so they had to spend their 1) Christmas is officially over and you’ve bit of cash on a shabby motel/hostel. Then already forgotten what you got from Santy. for the rest of the trip they can’t go anywhere 2) Your New Years Resolutions are well and because they are living week to week on the truly forgotten. Going to the gym “5 times a crap minimum wage you get in the States. This week no matter what” failed after day 2. is probably one of the most important things to 3) Finally, (my personal favourite) the do and craigslist.org is your new best friend. It realization that exams are just around the is ridiculously hard to navigate, but get familiar corner is already keeping you up at night. with it and make some calls. I guarantee that you will be ten steps ahead of all the other lads So congrats you’ve done it, you’ve survived going over who haven’t a clue where they’re this horrible time of year and you’re looking going to live. Now, I must warn you all the forward to the next big thrill. Valentine’s Day, no matter who you are, or where you’re from if you have a significant other? R&G week in Ireland, all landlords will hate you before possibly, if you’re single and ready to mingle? they even meet you and you will experience ;) Having a massive house party for Pancake prejudice when trying to find accommodation.

Tuesday? Or wait could it be… Summer 2014 Most everyone will tell you it is the most is just around the corner and you’ve decided difficult thing when on a J1. Thanks to our you’re going on a J1! Woo! This decision is one predecessors, many a gaff has been wrecked that thousands of students from Ireland make and damaged, rent gone unpaid, and pre-drinks every year. Attempting to make your way across gotten out of hand- most landlords will not rent the pond to live the American dream for the to Irish students coming for the summer. Which few weeks that compose summer. Only they brings me back to Craigslist, a lot of dealings don’t tell you that the American dream consists are through email and lets be real most of us of sharing a house with 27 other people and 1 look better on paper than in person. You can toilet. As an American citizen I can say I have arrange a place to live and by the time you get never had “the J1 experience” - that trip up to to the states you’ll have developed a relationship Dublin, waiting in line outside the consulate, with a possible landlord so it won’t bother deciding which city to go to, and which friends them that you’re Irish. They also don’t need to you want to go with. However I can say that I know that 27 of you will be living in the house!! have seen first hand the ups and downs that are Something else I believe needs mentioning “the J1 summer.” is that most places to let in the States come unfurnished, this means that the four walls and As a native of San Francisco I am here to give a roof are all you get. Air mattresses and lawn ye all a bit of advice before you make the trip chairs will become the fine furnishings of your across the pond. I can tell you that everything future humble abode. Say good-bye to your isn’t all flowers and rainbows; however it will lovely double bed that you have all to yourself probably be one of the best summers of your because you’ll be sharing that air mattress with life. three other people and a goose feather down is a thing for kings and queens. Privacy becomes First piece of advice would be to make sure a myth and cleanliness receives a whole new you have MONEY. There’s nothing worse than meaning. Basically, start looking for a place getting over there, running out of money in the as soon as possible and don’t expect anything first 4 weeks, and having to come home early. special. And, if I haven’t completely turned you off Which I’m sure anyone who has gone on a J1 of going on J1 I have one last tip for all of you… will tell you has happened to someone who they were in the states with. All I can say is there is PASS YOUR EXAMS!!! This is without a doubt nothing worse than coming home early and the most important tip of all. There is nothing stalking all you’re friends’ pictures on Facebook else that I can say to you that tops this one. I form that trip to Vegas they took after you left. can say from experience though, that having to There is nothing set in stone once you get over come home early because you have to take an there and having a bit of cash saved up is the exam that you know you could have passed the best thing you can do. If things do not work out first time around is the worst possible feeling in the way you had planned, (as my nan would the world. Having to leave the sunny stateside say…) at least you’ve a few bob to keep you to come home and study and get disappointing goin’. looks from your parents the cruellest of all evils.

10

Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

FEATURES

An Erasmus Diary: With Eilis O'Keeffe

EXAMS

M M

y return to Strasbourg signalled a rather abrupt reminder that Erasmus life does not revolve solely around travelling across Europe and drinking copious amounts of ridiculously cheap wine! I had a bit of a rude awakening in the form of two weeks of exams beginning on the 6th January. That relaxed and guilt-free type of laziness reserved for Christmas time had to come to an end too soon as I faced into four exams, one written and three orals, all of which would be conducted in French. The holding of exams after Christmas appears to be a phenomenon unique to Strasbourg – possibly to allow students (and lecturers!) to revel in the wonder of the Christmas markets without the threat of exams looming over them. While at the time I thoroughly enjoyed the guilt-free hours spent Christmas shopping and drinking vin chaud (mulled wine), the fact that my first exam was scheduled for two days after I returned to France steadily became a cause for concern as the weeks slipped by. Having been away for three and a half months there was a lot of catching up to do in the three weeks I was at home leaving little time for contemplating the wonders of the Institutional Law of the European Union. Perhaps in hindsight it would have made for a more relaxing, carefree Christmas if the exams had taken place before the holidays.

As for the exams themselves, the first in Comparative Law, which was my sole written exam, passed without incident (although I was rather grateful that we were allowed the small mercy of a French-English dictionary!) The question on the right to remain silent

in American law was a godsend – all those hours spent watching American crime dramas were not wasted after all! My next exam, on Institutional Law of the European Union did not go as smoothly as I had to wait for 3 and a half hours before being called in to do my exam. Basically, the way oral exams work in France is that there will be about 25 people due to sit the exam and they will all be told to come to the same place at the same time. It is left to the students themselves to decide the order in which they will sit the exam. With each oral lasting approximately 10 minutes, unless you are one of the first people to go in a lot of time will be spent waiting in the corridor. Surprisingly the 3 and a half hours passed relatively quickly – partly due to the fact that having to wait so long was certainly a bonding experience, so that by the time there were only eight of us left we had gotten to know one another quite well! Nevertheless, having to wait for so long was a serious waste of time and I cannot understand why everyone is not given an individual time, such as happens at home for oral language exams. The merits of 25 people sitting in a corridor for four hours continue to escape me. By all accounts we had it easy due to the smaller numbers of Erasmus students, apparently for French students it is not uncommon to be waiting for up to 7 hours!

Having endured such a long wait I ensured that I was ridiculously early for the remainder of my exams in order to get them over and done with. Another problem with this system is the fact that the concept of the queue is clearly not

as sacrosanct in other European nations as it is at home (or in the UK for that matter). Therefore, I was a strong supporter of the suggestion for my other exams that everyone would put their name on a list, thereby ensuring that it truly did operate on a first come first served basis.

The rest of the exams passed without incident. All in all, I got some fairly decent questions. This is another aspect of the French system which is

considerably) is the fact that once you start speaking if you forget a small aspect of the issue or perhaps start rambling (a habit of mine) the lecturer can help by asking questions which will steer you in the right direction or by offering helpful nuggets of information. Also the fact that you have 10 minutes in which to prepare once you get the question allows you a chance to calm down and try and drag some information from the depths of

a rather alien concept. When you go into the room there will be a selection of questions written on several cards which will be placed face down. You choose one at random and therefore have no control over the question you are asked. This resulted in several horror stories where other Erasmus students got a question that they could not answer, particularly in one exam where the lecturer gave very specific questions relating to French history. I think the fact that you are face to face with the lecturer makes oral exams far more intimidating and nerve-wracking as it is much more personal than a written exam, particularly if you crash and burn. Thankfully, while I did get questions that I didn’t particularly like I managed to say something for each of them. One positive aspect of an oral exam (which I benefited from

your brain.

Overall, it was an exhausting two weeks which left me completely drained. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much of a break as my last exam was on Friday and it was straight back into classes on Monday morning, a fact which was rather difficult to digest as my brain wasn’t quite ready to start functioning normally again! In a nutshell, French exams are very different to those at home and incredibly exhausting – although this may be due to the fact that a large degree of cramming was required on my part over the two weeks. However, I don’t regret the hours spent not studying last term as I filled them with memories which will last a lifetime, something which I believe is far more valuable than any exam result (as long as I pass that is – so fingers crossed!)

The merits of 25 people sitting in a corridor for four hours continue to escape me.

11

Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

THE NEW CORKER

THE NEW CORKER UCCsses Curiously, as Lar Barrett regarded the backs of the heads of his peers, he failed to recognise anyone he knew. Black hair, brown hair, red hair, fair hair. Short, long, curly, straight, mopped, wavy. Blondes, brunettes and dark haired, bobbed and nodded or swayed or pivoted in place. The dusty warm sloping throat of the lecture hall, ranked with dark brown writing boards where files of students slouched on faded red cushion seats, molted with tiredness and boredom. A knawing cavity of hunger ate away at his insides.

Look at all those laptops.

Scuttle! Tapple! Scupple! Fingers splayed across the keyboards.

Pounding and thumping. Sounds worse in the Boole Basement.

Quieter during a lecture, or is it just less noticeable? Almost none of them being used for what they’re supposed to. Panoply of colourful cartoon animal games.

CandyCrush, Facebook. God knows what else. Lar watched two lads intensively scrutinise a photo to spot a hidden puppy. Why do they even bother turning up?

Somewhere to be I suppose. Place to meet their friends. Nice and warm and cosy. I’m worse looking at them. Should concentrate on my own learning. A faint smell of coffee assailed Lars nostrils from the dredged Starbucks coffee cups dotted along the writing boards.

Lar focused on the frail elderly lecturer straining his voice over the quiet hubbub of the back row seats. A busy projection slide of fragmented sentences beneath enigmatic pictures and diagrams provided a massive back drop to dwarf his figure. Vectors and tangents sandwiched between blocks of text. There is an art to slide design. A skill worth learning. A free course I must. Not too much, no point in overdoing it, not too little either, oh no not too little.

People get caught up with that, the idea of simplicity. More difficult to achieve the other. Complex but appearing simple. Professor Herlihy pranced and pirouetted across the stage gesticulating wildly, his voice straining to emphasise a particular point.

Look at his hand movements.

Highly strung. Bundle of nerves.

A good impressionist could take him off perfectly. Like that fellow at secondary school. Excellent at imitating mannerisms. Comedic element. Youst to practice them at lunch.

Lar glanced at the clock in the far right corner of the room. Ten to.

A summary slide appeared on the projection screen, the universal symbol for the conclusion of a lecture. A collective murmur rustled through the mob like some beast yawning, stretching, and flexing its muscles. Just as the workings of the clock, the complex motions of whirring cogs driven by electrical motor impulses from the battery, precipitated the slow and simple result of the hour hand of the clock rising to meet the number twelve, so too did the busy actions of 166 students result in the slow and simple phenomenon of a large crowd of people rising to their feet and gradually moving towards the door. Bolg! Bolg!

Chymed the churning machinery of Lar’s stomach in time to the clock.

Stationary articles are furtively stowed away for a hasty departure.

Prrrrrp! Flappp! Thwappp! Copies and notebooks are slapped shut, bags are zipped and unzipped.

Krissskah! Krissskah! Fluttering sheets of lecture notes are gathered up. 6 slides a page double-sided.

More economical because they charge for the paper. Never saw the sense in printing them all out.

Clutter. Stomach flutter. Reams of paper. Slices of ham.

Lar deposited his pen in the recesses of his bag in an inner pouch immediately above the crushed slimy black banana, which unbeknownst to him, had been quietly fermenting in his bag since last Monday’s trip to the Mardyke where its forgotten purpose had been to serve as a post-exercise calorific energy replacing nutritious snack. The black cover of his averagely priced notebook, inscribed with numerous low grade artworks of a spontaneous nature, and which masqueraded as a bargain buy in

“

Look at all those laptops.

Scuttle! Tapple!

Scupple! Fingers splayed across the keyboards.

Pounding and thumping. Sounds worse in the Boole Basement.

By Michael McNamara the averagely priced Áras na Mac Léinn stationary shop, was flipped longitudinally until it rested in its closed covering position. With an expansive yawn Lar declared his intent to rise out of his seat by raising his arms above his head in a protracted ‘Y’ shape.

Huhhhhaggh! Main rest? Too crowded. Kiwi. More comfortable.

Can watch the bus stop from the upstairs window. Spot the talent.

Guess the destination.

Lar stood up, releasing the spring mechanism of the cushioned seat bottom, which sprang up from its previous horizontal position beneath Lar’s ass, to fold conveniently in a vertical position beneath the padded seat back, thus creating sufficient area for Lar to manoeuvre his legs in order turn sideways and begin his exit from the row past all the other seat bottoms which would also conveniently spring up when the students currently residing in them vacated. Why is it that girls always take longer to pack up their things? Must take out more.

Coloured pens. Flowery pink back covers on fashionable phones.

Styled pencil cases. Knick-Knacks.

Snacks I need.

Joanne Breen who had been seated to Lar’s left (one seat over) but now stood directly in his line of vision and his intended path towards one of the two main walkways, which by gradual incline, ascended from the pit below the stage to one of the two sets of narrow double doors on either side of the lecture hall, balanced her rucksack on the ledge of the writing board, and proceeded to stack her bundles of notes, folders of notes and notebooks of notes, with deliberate careful neatness into her rucksack.

With impatience Lar observed her patience. His gaze wondered down the file of students migrating to the doors and snagged on a face in the crowd. Light brown hair. Face familiar. Havana’s Thursday night.

A rush of blood and heat suffused Lar’s cheeks. Oh no! Her. Must avoid. Quickly now. Leg over the seat. Push past. Through the door.

In the clear.

12

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday February 04, 2014

GAEILGE

#UCCSnaG: Seachtain na Gaeilge UCC 2014 Timmy Collins | Oifigeach na Gaeilge

Muna raibh fhios agat go raibh Seachtain na Gaeilge UCC ar siúl coicís ó shin, is fíor a rá go bhfuil tú i do chonaí faoi charraig! Phléasc an ceiliúradh amach ar an Luan, an 20ú Eanáir, le taispeántas mór ealaíona ar fud an champais – chroch muintir na Cuallachta scannán cumhdaithe cúpla áit timpeall an Choláiste agus thug siad cuireadh do dhaoine graffiti a dhéanamh air. Bhí daoine idir ghaeilgeoirí agus foghlaimeoirí ag scríobh rudaí ar nós “Síos leis an sórt rud seo” agus “Dhá shúil, dhá chluais, dhá theanga!”. B’é an feachtas fógraíochta is fearr dá bhfacas riamh san Ollscoil – ach is dócha go bhfuil claontacht ag baint leis an abairt sin!

Rinneadh feachtas mór eile, atá déanta i gcoláistí eile ach go bhfios dom, nár tharla i UCC riamh. B’é ‘Lá NÓ Béarla’ ná ócáid tiomsaithe airgid ar a bhailligh 35 duine ón Ollscoil airgead do charthanachtaí. Bhí ar an duine an Ghaeilge amháin a labhairt ar feadh 24 uair a chloig. Ghlac mé fhéin páirt san ócáid seo agus chun an fhírinne a rá, bhí sé níos deacra ná a cheapas go mbeadh sé. Bhíos ag bailiú le haghaidh Bárda na bPáistí CUH, agus le tacaíocht mo chairde, thugas breis is €100 dó. Uair nó dhó, tháinig díomá ormsa toisc go raibh daoine le caighdeán maith Gaeilge acu ag labhairt an Bhéarla ar ais liom, gan oiread

is iarracht a dhéanamh lena gcuid Gaeilge.

Ach, don chuid is mó, bhí daoine breá sásta an Ghaeilge a labhairt liom agus rith sé leo agus sinn i mbun cainte go bhfuil Gaeilge maith acu agus ba cheart dóibh í a labhairt níos minice!

Bhí roinnt imeachtaí eile ar siúl le linn na seachtaine ar nós caint ar ‘Do pháiste a thógáil go dátheangach’. Chuireamar fáilte roimh Comhluadar, eagraíocht a thugann cabhair do

chlanna a thógann a bpáistí le Gaeilge, agus ag deireadh an léachta bhí gach éinne ar chomh intinn go raibh sé thar a bheith suimiúil. Ar an gCéadaoin, bhí díospóireacht grinn ar siúl le Cillian Brennan agus Seán Ó Laoi ar an rún; “Ba cheart deireadh iomlán a chur le Seachtain RAG i UCC agus ar fud na tíre”. Ní raibh na pointí ró-shúntasach ach geallaim daoibh go raibh na hargóintí thar a bheith barúil – an

bhréagnú ach go háirithe.

S’é ‘An Chuairt Chraiceáilte’ ná lá nuair a chuireann An Chuallacht fáilte roimh scoláirí na hidirbhliana chuig UCC. Is saghas lá oscailte atá ann ach léirímid an spraoi agus an craic atá ag baint leis an dteanga chomh maith leis an gcoláiste. Tháinig breis is 170 dalta ó gach taobh den chúige, ar an gCuairt agus bronnadh Corn Mhaidhc Dainín Ó Sé don chéad uair ar Scoil Phobail Naomh Mhichíl a rinne an gearrscannán is fearr. Ba rath ollmhór an lá seo agus táimid ag súil go rud bliantúil a bheidh ann as seo amach.

Cuireadh deireadh leis an seachtain le buaic-phointe na bliana; Bál na Gaeilge 2014. D’fhreastal níos mó ná 100 duine ar an mBál, chomh maith le deichniúr a tháinig ar chuairt ó Chuallacht na Gaeilge, Magh Nuad!

B’é Feidhlim Seoighe, an tOifigeach Gaeilge le hAontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn, an aoi speisialta a bhí ann, agus bhí ceol cuíothach againn ó Phádraig Ó Sé, Jeremy Spencer, agus Garry O’Brien. Sheinn Conor Creagh ó UCC DJ Soc ina dhiaidh sin le roinnt amhráin ó Choláiste Lurgáin chomh maith le clúdaigh ónár gCuallacht fhéin!

Is fíor a rá go raibh seachtain den chéad scoth againn agus go bhfuil muintir na Gaeilge UCC beo agus láidir!

UCC Gaeilge ag dul viral timpeall an domhain Stephen Walsh | Scríbhneoir @Stephen_Walsh06

Ar Chuala tú an amhrán ó “The Wanted” as Gaeilge ó UCC Gaeilge ar youtube, joe. ie, her.ie, radio na Gaeltachta, Tipp Fm agus go leor leathnacha eile ar facebook agus Twitter? Bhuel seo é an sceál taobh thiar den amhrán seo. Fuaireas níos mó na 15,000 amharcanna ar Youtube faoi láthair.

I dtús báire rinne an Chuallacht in UCC cúpla amhráin anuraidh mar shampla “Ho Hey”, “Pompeii agus Little Talks”.

Bhí na amhráin seo istigh san Express cúpla sraitheanna ó shin. Chonaiceamar na amhráin maithe ó TG Lurgan i rith an tsamhraidh ag baint usáide as slua daoine agus thosaigh mé agus Timmy Collins (Oifeagach na Gaeilge, UCC) ag deánamh rudaí maidir leis an amhrán. Thosaíomar ag obair Samhain seo caite. D’fheadfá a rá go rabhamar ar lorg Poiblíocht saor don Seachtain na Gaeilge in UCC.

Phiocamar an amhrán agus d’aistrigh Timmy na focail. Ansin sheol mé amach cúpla ríomhphoisteanna chun na clubanna agus cumainn i UCC. Fuair mé freagra ó Trad soc, Club Damhsa (UCC Dance) agus an Cumann Córúil (Choral Society) chun páirt a ghlacadh sa tionscnamh seo.

Rinneamar cleachtadh amháin ag an 7ú lá de mhí Eanair istigh san amharclann Tíreolas. Bhí sin an-mhaith

ach chun a bheith mácanta b’é an cheád t-am i gcomhair cúpla daoine as na Philipinnes agus Meiriceá a bheith ag canadh tri Gaeilge.

Rinne mé socrú don trealamh riachtanach ag usáid na socs portal mar shampla ceamara agus rudaí eile mar sin.

Tháinig an lá mór i ndeireadh na dála agus bhí an áit plódaithe le níos mó ná 110 duine san amharclann réidh chun “Bíodh Craic Againn” a chanadh. Bhí Tom Doyle dochreidte mar stiúritheoir ag tabhairt treoracha do gach duine chun an t-amhrán a fheabhsú. Ní fhaca mé aon duine riamh cosúil le Brian Hughes ag an bpianó, bhí sé dochreidte agus Aoife Ryan ag deánamh sár-obair leis an gceamara agus eagarthóireacht.

Tar éis nochá nóimead chríochnaíomar ag taifeadta an amhrán agus bhí gach duine an sásta leis. Bhi na cailíní ón gclub damhsa a ghlac páirt ann ar fheabhas agus bhí na daoine ó trad soc an-mhaith ag seinm na n-uirlisí.

Tríd is tríd is amhrán an-mhaith é agus fuair UCC go leor poiblíochtaí maithe as saor in aisce. Tá seans mór go mbeidh amhrán eile amach tar éis seachtain na giobla (Rag Week). I ndeireadh na Dála ar fhocail scór “Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste, ná Beárla cliste”

13

Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

FOOD

– The home of student cooking!

Stuffed Pork Steak with Garlic and Herb Potatoes This is a classic oven dish and once you have prepared it and placed it in the oven, there’s little more to do! Oven roasting dishes are all always full of flavour and you are also cutting down on the washing up later – win win!

Preparation Time • 5 Minutes Ingredients

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Hi Guys! Hope all is good! Welcome to another week of great • 1 Stuffed Pork Steak food made easy with CollegeDinners – the home of student • 2-3 Potatoes (Peeled and Sliced) • Garlic Clove (Peeled and Chopped) cooking! We are slowly leaving the winter behind and with a little more strreetchhh in the evenings, its great to see Spring is just Cooking Time around the corner...almost anyway!

• 40 Minutes If you are new to the CollegeDinners service, why not give it a try this week?

Store Cupboard Its a simple idea that really helps you budget your spend on • Glug of oil food and at the same time shows you how to create student • Mixed Herb/Rosemary friendly (but ever so tasty) meals by following our step by step instructions and video links.

Cooking Instructions We deliver high quality ingredients to several different locations close to college – just check out our website www.

1. Preheat oven to 190C. 2. Place your Pork Steak on an oven proof dish and cover with some tinfoil, bake collegedinners.ie and select the nearest pick up point to you or the for approx. 45 minutes. time that suits you best. And the best part is, you can get your 3.

Meanwhile, mix your sliced potatoes, rosemary and a glug of oil in a bowl until student weeks worth of meals (and beyond) for just €12! well covered and also place on an ovenproof dish along with the pork steak for To get you on your way, in association with UCC Express, this approx. 35 minutes week we are offering one lucky winner a Meal Deal voucher for 2 4. Turn and mix the potatoes after about 20 minutes to ensure all sides get crispy! weeks and entry is open to all! Full details below!

5. For the final 10 minutes cooking time, remove the tinfoil to allow browning.

So what’s on the menu with CollegeDinners this week? How 6. To check if your meat is cooked, pierce it with a knife to see if it inserts easily. about a tasty Pork Steak, accompanied with Garlic and Herb Potatoes….feeling hungry yet?

Any additional veg will go perfect with this dish – why not add some sweetcorn, peas or even some roasted parsnips which can also be included with your In association with UCC Express, we are offering one potatoes and just popped into the oven!

P

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THIS WEEK’S COMPETITION!

lucky winner a Meal Deal voucher for 2 weeks. To be in with a chance to win this prize simply answer the following question; Q: How many eggs in a bakers dozen?

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you know –Garlic is a great food in the winter months to boost yo ur immune system an d ward off any colds or flu’s.

?

Email your answer, along with your name & mobile number to info@collegedinners.ie.

Competition closes at midnight on Friday 14th February - Good Luck!

K no u Did o

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1. 10 2. 12 3. 13

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EXPRESS PHOTOS

Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday February 04, 2014

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EXPRESS PHOTOS

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Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

FASHION

Accessory Arsenal Sylvia Julius selects her top 3 must-have accessories for the UCC Student.

The Statement Necklace My favorite accessory has to be the statement necklace. Thanks to Penney’s and their €5 necklaces, my “bling bucket” is the envy of my housemates. Due to the position of necklaces, at the center of your chest, they can really be the focal point of your entire outfit. So why not pick something eye catching and bold? Since, all high street stores carry such a varied stock of statement necklaces, it’s easy to find one that truly embodies your personal style. Another bonus is that they are relatively cheap, from €5 in Penney’s to €22 in Topshop. Seeing as the piece is so on-trend at the moment and probably will still be in the foreseeable future, they are an easy way to transport your outfit into the next season. They are such fun accessories to play with and also given that they are so difficult to get wrong, statement necklaces are an optimal choice for a fashion newbie. There is a lot of inspiration to be found around campus and in stores, so have fun. The bolder the better!

Renowned fashion stylist Rachel Zoe once said, “Accessories are everything. To me, they’re more important than the clothes”. Truer words have never been spoken. To me, the average cash-strapped student, eye-catching accessories are all I need to jazz up my uniform of jeans and wooly jumpers.

Accessories can instantly dress up any look, no matter how informal it is. And with such a wide variety of necklaces, belts, handbags, rings and more to choose from, there is something for everyone regardless of tastes and budgets.

The Scarf The Handbag

Large handbags are a necessity for the college student. Common brands to be seen around campus are River Island, Longchamp & Michael Kors. Another common tote that’s been in style in the past couple of years is the satchel, which I am currently using as my college bag.

They are lightweight, spacious and uber-trendy. What’s not to love? Mine easily fits two refill pads and my laptop. What I appreciate most is the front pouch to keep keys, earphones etc., for easy access. The Longchamp “Le Pliage” bags are also very much in style at the moment and the bonus is that their straps are made to allow for large weights without much discomfort.

Add to that a simple, classic design and you’ve got yourself the perfect tote. High street stores such as River Island, Zara and Mango also stock large handbags that are as efficient and elegant.

The other important accessory that I feel deserves a mention is the humble scarf.

Here at UCC, we seem to really love our scarves, but that might have to do more with the windy weather. Regardless of the weather, scarves are an important accessory to have in one’s arsenal. Best thing about them is that they are probably the easiest & cheapest accessory to make use of. Plus,they create such a classy and feminine air while still being practical. I’ve often pulled them up over my head when I'm caught in the rain! From the one’s that reach your bellybutton to the handy “infinity” scarves, they really are a must for every student.

Acceptable in the Eighties New Romanticism: Perhaps the most creative trend of the eighties, new romantic fashion rose from the ashes of the seventies punk era and was derived from the images of musical acts such as Adam Ant, Spandau Ballet and Visage. Frilly shirts, waistcoats, velvet suits and short pants were staple pieces of New Romanticism, with brocade designs making everything even more ornate. However, this trend was mainly followed by the ladies and the more experimental males as the average guy found the style of Ant, Visage front-man Steve Strange and Boy George, with the dramatic eye-makeup and pink blusher, a little bit too colourful for them to emulate. The men chose to duplicate the hairstyles of the movement instead donning quiffs and mullets. Maybe it’s because I’m a massive Pirates of the Caribbean fan that I find the idea of everybody dressing like elaborate pirates and men with eyeliner magical, but the flamboyance of New Romanticism held a sort of creativity and originality that we don’t find in everyday fashion today. Clothes were like costumes and musical acts’ stage personas were like otherworldly characters from a fantasy story. Adam Ant exuded this quality in particular, with music videos for his songs like ‘Prince Charming’ and ‘Stand and Deliver’ taking inspiration from popular fairy-tales and romanticised representations of the eighteenth century.

Fashion Editor, Nicole Clinton explains why the fashion trends of the 1980’s were anything but ‘bad taste’ In my estimation, everyone has that era that they would have loved to have experienced but were not born early enough to have done so. For me it is the 1980’s. It may have been nicknamed the decade of ‘bad taste’, but I’m going to argue why in terms of fashion, this is an unfair judgement.

Unlike today when there is no strict unusual style and one season’s look blends into the next, the eighties produced a series of strikingly different trends that transformed from New Romanticism in the early years of the decade to the latter half’s Power Dressing.

These were just two of the trends that occupied the 1980’s, there were many more that inhabited the time in between that were just as interesting. But next time you dismiss the 1980’s as a decade of embarrassing fashion, just think, do you own anything peplum, a frilly blouse, leggings, bangles, a blazer, skinny jeans or coloured stilettos? Considering the recent resurgence in popularity of these items I’m guessing the answer is yes. So ha! You’re wearing eighties regalia!

Power-Dressing: As materialism became America’s new religion, Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko preached “greed is good” to the masses via the big screen and the new creed induced a new style of dress to reflect it.

The rise of the Yuppie class and a ‘keeping up with the Jones’’ attitude had everyone donning a suit to either express their power and wealth or at least give the impression that they had it to the world.

The power- suit soared in popularity with men using it to create a sharp image and women having the opportunity for the first time to wear a feminine styled suit. Tailored blazers, smart cigarette legged pants, elegant blouses and tight pencil skirts came in a vast array of colours and were even a look opted for by ladies on a night out. Television shows such as Miami Vice inspired men to try lighter coloured suits and to dress dashingly on a nightly basis.

Trench coats and Crombies were the outerwear of choice so that everyone could look like a New York lawyer/stockbroker from the television. While the concept that was behind materialism isn’t exactly the most moral way to live your life, it did stimulate a style of dress that improved the image of the majority of people and caused everybody to take pride in their appearance. In fact, power-dressing’s goal was actually more admirable in the people who were using it as a guise for having no power at all.

Instead of being depressed about what they didn’t have (like the grunge era reflected in the nineties), they used clothes to appear important and sharp and therefore attained that state of mind regardless.

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday February 04, 2014

FASHION

Fashion Police: Fash-hole of the Week?

Fashion Editor, Nicole Clinton, prosecutes Fashion Police for crimes against fashion relevance

nce upon a time, when Fashion Police was merely a series of E! Specials during Awards season, it was a television program that I sincerely enjoyed and actually anticipated watching. It combined fashion with the biggest stars and offered me another chance to wallow in the joy and excitement that the Hollywood decadence of the season conjures up for me each ‘January through February’. Joan Rivers and the gang would sieve out genuine Hollywood glamour from the dreadful looks that can invade the carpet.

However, the decision to make the show a weekly regular has begun to turn me off it and has even highlighted all the things that are wrong with the program.

The show sees a panel analyse outfits that a range of celebrities were photographed wearing at a recent event or maybe even just walking their dog. At the end of the program, a best dressed and a ‘fash-hole of the week’ are selected. The panel consists of Comedienne Joan Rivers, E! News host Giuliana Rancic, Stylist George

Kotsiopoulos and ehhh ex-reality show star(???)

Kelly Osbourne. Perhaps that is where I shall begin my criticism, with the exception of Kotsiopoulos, the judges are not particularly qualified to give out fashion advice. Joan Rivers is a very funny and well established comic, but it is evident that the show’s whole format is shaped as a vehicle for her to ‘humorously’ insult celebrities as she has no fashion experience. Giuliana is debatably more authorised to pass fashion judgement due to her experience anchoring E!News where she is immersed in celebrity red-carpet looks constantly.

In my opinion, she additionally exudes a polished sense of Los Angeles style both on and off-screen.

Hollywood sometimes expects you to contract amnesia when they want the world to forget a past relationship or a quote that would prove them to be a hypocrite in light of their present decisions or in Kelly Osborne’s case, when they used to wear men’s army jackets and boyshorts and now they only applaud people for looking “perfect” and “elegant”! While she has recently began designing her own line, her credentials have yet to be proven

Fashion Olympics

and her fashion u-turn seems hypocritical. That means that George is by far the most worthy to preside over Fashion Police after serving 8 years in the style department of the New York Times magazine, T, and subsequently going on to become one of the top 20 most influential stylists in Hollywood. The guest-judges are just as random and their time on the show is generally spent dishing on their NFL star husband, discussing a half-naked selfie that they ‘accidently’ uploaded to Twitter or listening to Joan joke about Lindsay Lohan . Therefore, with one true style specialist on the judging panel, the format leads me to believe that E! are simply conning us into thinking that this is a fashion programme, rather than the entertainment show that it truly is.

The games that are played by the panel on the show are intended to be fashion related. However, while ‘Bitch stole my look’ (basically, who wore it better) and ‘Gotta have it!/Make it stop!’ (do they like a trend or not) are clothes focused, the others are of a downright disrespectful tone and reflect modern Hollywood’s obsession

Claire Fox takes a look at the resurgence of Sport Chic Remember the days when going to the gym was a casual affair? All you had to do was rummage through your wardrobe for the cleanest tracksuit pants and throw on any old tattered t-shirt. No, neither do I, because choosing a gym outfit has become more of a workout that going to the gym itself! But this recent shift towards Sporty Chic isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When doing exercise we are no longer forced to wear unflattering baggy pants or over-sized jerseys. Sporty Style has had a complete overhaul, in fact some might say a fashion revolution is taking place, now that doesn’t happen every day of the week!

Let’s not get carried away in thinking that the Sports trend is a completely new concept, because it isn’t. The glory days of Sporty Chic without a doubt had their inception in the 1980’s, thanks to the aerobics trend that came into play. Leotards and leggings with bold neon prints became the trend du jour, while legwarmers and sweatbands were the preferred accessories.

Who could forget Olivia-Newton John wearing all of the above in her infamous

1981 music video ‘’Physical”?

It is safe to say that during the 1990’s Sport Fashion took a back seat to other trends that were coming on-stream. It wasn’t until the 2012 Olympics that people began to consider sportswear a luxury that wasn’t just limited for the Maria Sharapova’s of the world. Stella McCartney’s clothing range for Team GB was fitted and fashionable, but most of all it was flattering, and at the end of the day, that’s all we want!

It didn’t take long for other designers to catch on and realise that sport fashion would be a worthwhile investment, with Victoria Beckham and Marc Jacobs all showcasing their take on the Sport’s trend. Since then we haven’t really looked back. Sportswear manufacturers Adidas and Lacoste also upped their game, with Lacoste branching out into more feminine looks with tailored silhouettes for Spring/Summer 2014. It’s not only the big labels that are responsible for the recent resurgence in Sport Style, in fact affordable high-street store Penney’s has probably had the biggest impact of all!

“

With the Winter Olympics only days away it is suffice to say that Sporty Chic won’t be going anywhere anytime soon

with inflated body-parts. For example, ‘Rack Report’ sees the panel rate a celebrity’s whole look on the appearance of cleavage and ‘Guess me from behind’ has them discussing people’s behinds (usually in swimwear). Neither of these ‘games’ have any link to fashion and only serve to dumb down the show and to degrade the integrity of the fashion industry. Another one of the show’s staples landed the judges and the network in trouble back in 2011 when the Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS) organisation attacked the segment entitled ‘Starlet or Streetwalker’ where the panel have to decide whether the image that they’re looking at is a celebrity or a real-life prostitute, judging by the outfit. The Huffington Post published an article

by GEMS founder, Rachel Hayes, in which she criticised that “women who are victims of violence and exploitation, were being used to highlight wealthy celebrities' poor fashion choices”. I love a laugh as much as the next person but these games not only lack any style inspiration but are also offensive and demeaning to women.

Lustrous leggings, cosy hoodies and vibrant vest-tops are all available at Penney’s at amazingly reasonable prices. But it isn’t the price that makes them so precious, it is their comfort and absolute style appeal that have made them so popular. Penney’s made the Sport’s trend accessible for all, with big brands no longer having the monopoly.

The recent rise in all things urban from Rita Ora to Tinie Tempah has given Sport Chic an overall edge that never existed in the 1980’s. Bomber jackets and high-top trainers have become increasingly more common in Irish shopping districts such as Opera lane and Grafton Street. Celebrities such as Rihanna have helped endorse the urban sport luxe trend by wearing over-sized baseball caps and funky sweat-pants on their days off.

With the Winter Olympics only days away it is suffice to say that Sporty Chic won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. While before Sport Style was seen as an indulgence only for the William’s sisters, it is now a trend for everyone. So the next time you go to the Mardyke, take time to compliment your friend on their cute vest top or new pair of leggings, because it’s fair to say that they probably took a good hour preparing for this outing. Now, if only I went to the gym…

Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

18

HUMOUR

AnimalsAnd How They Are All Basically Dogs

Thoughts and words by Emily Horgan

Every year, millions of people spend their lives studying different insect, human and animal behaviours, trying to uncover all the traits of different species. However, I see this as a total waste of time, as I see the animal kingdom as a far simpler image: a world where there is one common denominator which all ‘species’ are tied to: dogs.

Every animal in the world is basically just a variant of a dog.

After hours of pondering this, I can bravely say that this is the only fact you will ever need to tell your children when they are reaching for their ‘A is for Animals’ book.

Hell, burn the book! All we need is the D, for Dog. I know you are wondering how I came to this amazing conclusion, and I myself am wondering too, as at the meagre age of 20, many philosophers and famous scienticions would never have been able to come up with a theory as excellent as this. There was no sorcery or drugs needed (perhaps a lemsip or two, it is

the season and all) to reach this breakthrough in Biology (and I stress, this is a breakthrough). I don’t consider it any coincidence that today is Darwin’s anniversary of his book of lies. I have been sent to the world to simplify nature down to dog terms and the easiest way of doing this, I feel, is by going through each of the most popular animals, one by one, and translating them into my vision: dogs.

Cats are merely selfish dogs with stretchier backs. That one was an obvious one that I’m sure you all had known or thought of already.

What about meerkats? They are just dogs sitting inconspicuously on their hind legs, without a care in the world. How about that hedgehog rambling along the country road? Let us all call it Spike! Because it’s basically just a dog with prickles.

I’m sure you’re already convinced at this stage but lest we lose interest, I’m going to tackle some of the more difficult animals that may not be seen as dogs

straight away. Take an elephant for example. Aesthetically, it doesn’t look much like a dog (to you amateurs) but ask an elephant to roll over and you basically have a scaly Labrador on your hands. A giraffe will run after a stick just as quickly as any ol’ jack Russell. And don’t utter the words ‘Walkies’ around an iguana; or it’ll be holding its leash in its mouth for the next week.

As you can see, I am totally right but for all you men and women of science out there who aren’t convinced simply by traits and need a more solid explanation, look at an atom. It’s basically empty space. And you know what empty space in a dog has in common with empty space in an air dog? (Or an ‘eagle’, as some people call it). EVERYTHING. So put that in your Bunsen burner and smoke it.

I’ve convinced you all, I know.

And don’t worry too much about fish because if you ever see a wet dog it looks a lot like a fish anyway. What about insects I hear

Cats are merely selfish dogs with stretchier backs.

you cry?! Insects aren’t animals, so stop your worries!

To finish my point, I’ll leave you this image of a water floating dog (A Mallard Duck, commonly known.) If you look closely at its snout (beak) you’ll notice something strange that puts my theory down with the finest. You see, when ducks were made, they really pushed the boundaries of variation from the dog string. So to confirm their dog type, they stuck a dog mask on every last one of them. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no need to thank me all at once.

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Tuesday JFebruary 04, 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

SPORT

John Caulfield: From College to City Stephen Barry | News Editor

Ever since his time as a footballer came to an end, John Caulfield has made his way through life selling a vision to the world.

His personal vision was to one day manage Cork City and from the minute he stopped togging out in the Turners Cross dressing rooms, he started on a journey to return there in a Cork City tracksuit.

However to do that, he had to bring the best players with him and bring the best out of those players.

His journey began as playermanager with a struggling Avondale United in 2002, and by the end of his seven-year tenure his side had become the Galácticos of the Munster Senior League and Irish Intermediate football.

After a year away from the stress of working by day and coaching by night, he longed for a different challenge and decided to take up an offer from UCC. That challenge was more than he could’ve ever imagined it to be. He was faced with a club that had little joined up thinking, no avenues for progression and no recruitment. Managers operated in oblivion of each other and players often stayed away.

But he restructured the club, bringing managers onto the same page and convincing players to play for their college rather than their local club.

“Any player that’s coming into college, we try to bring them in and play with the college and sell the concept to them. Hence this year we have two lads from Tipperary, when previously they would be going home and playing with their local club. So we were saying you can’t do that, you have to play with us.”

But all through his time managing the college side, the thought of managing City never left him. They were the club he spent sixteen years playing for and he had continued to go to the games since he retired.

He played more games than anyone else has ever done for them, and scored more goals too.

It wasn’t just that he loved

City and City loved him; the two were inseparable, synonymous for most of their existence. Caulfield didn’t play League of Ireland with anyone else and City didn’t win a major trophy without Caulfield until their 2005 league win.

But while the two always seemed destined to be reunited, Caulfield in particular dreamed for that day.

“All the way through, I was always looking for the opportunity to manage Cork City. There were occasions when I felt maybe the opportunity might have come up for me, but it didn’t. Being realistic, this time when it came up I felt it was the right time and I went for the job.”

And now that he has that job Caulfield can now dream bigger. It’s a dream the former Diageo Rep sells to his players and each and every one of the 19 signed up since November attest to the significance of Caulfield in the decision.

But in front of the media, Caulfield the salesman isn’t on full view. Once the Dictaphone is turned on, his pitch lowers and the passionate sidelineoperator is more restrained.

However he does give some insight into his sales pitch.

“It’s like everything else, if you get players with ability that will train very hard and put the effort in, I believe that anything is achievable.

Of course you’re not going to beat Man United, but in the

level that you’re at, whether it’s Munster Senior League or League of Ireland, if you get twenty guys and they have ability, which the guys here have, and if you get them to buy in to work as hard as they can and look after themselves, I believe you have massive opportunity.

“My job is if I get players who don’t want to believe in it, or don’t want to put in the work, to move them on and bring in the guys who will do that.”

Doubters of Caulfield as a League of Ireland manager were quickly won over by his strong statements and affirmative action in the transfer window. In fact, as a transition, his move into the City role has been plain-sailing; certainly in comparison to the stormy seas he faced on his arrival at the Farm in 2010.

“The whole make-up, the whole structure; everything was different. I couldn’t get over it because I couldn’t see where there’d be so many differences.

“The first year we came in it literally took us probably the first four or five months to get structures set up because we have five teams and everyone was doing their own thing.”

Alongside Noel Healy and Conor Uhl, Caulfield set about setting up a feeder system, helped by all five teams training at the same time, while the issue of students

All the way through, I was always looking for the opportunity to manage Cork City

staying with their hometown clubs has been stopped even before students reach third level.

“We’re working on a lot of sixth years even at the moment for next season. So we’re trying to identify fellows six months in advance, before they do the Leaving, and see who’s coming in.”

He also reformed the soccer scholarship criteria; “The big problem in UCC was that previous managers decided to give scholarships to who they wanted and there was no structure.

“When we came in we upset some of the senior players because one of them had hardly played the year before (he was always injured) and was on a scholarship. Another fellow was there for three years and he assumed because he was there for three years he deserved a scholarship.”

The scholarships weren’t based on performance, and the performances Caulfield got on the field caused UCC to be relegated.

“It was just a different scene and it took a while to sort it out. There was never any fear that I wasn’t going to sort it out.”

A Collingwood Cup win offered some consolation and since then the college has been on the up and up, currently sitting atop the Munster Senior League Premier Division, a competition they have never won.

“I might be biased but in my opinion, and the UCC soccer committee would say this now, we’re probably the strongest the club has ever been.”

He is staying with UCC until the end of February and evaluating his position after the Collingwood Cup. However his day-to-day focus is on City and the players who turn up for training every day despite having to draw the dole until the season starts in March.

But four months of unemployment doesn’t put off the players, with whom Caulfield is trying instil a greater attacking edge this year. From the stands he criticised the lack of strikers at the start of last season and from the moment of his appointment, he bought attackers; with Anthony Elding, Billy Dennehy and Michael Rafter signing up.

Personnel dictate tactics according to Caulfield, and he intends to continue to push forward with his team on the field, and with his dream job too.

“I lived for the day when I would get this chance” said Caulfield upon his appointment, and a month into his first full-time role in football his enthusiasm hasn’t been dimmed.

“It’s a great way to be, once you can survive.”

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday February 04, 2014

Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

UCC outclass Mary I in Waterford Crystal Cup

UCC 3-28 – 2-14 Mary game as the better side, and by the Immaculate College 18th minute had opened up a 2-10 to 0-4 lead.

The opening round of the One of those players to benefit Waterford Crystal cup witnessed from extra playing time was a repeat of last year’s Fitzgibbon Conor Lehane scored the Cork Cup final as UCC squared off side’s first goal of the day after with Mary Immaculate College. a great individual run by Rob However, on this occasion the O’Shea. However, Lehane wasn’t Limerick outfit failed to provide the only UCC forward to impress any significant challenge as they as the home side easily picked were easily picked apart by the apart a poor MIC defence. home side.

A well timed burst of pace saw Despite resting several key Willie Griffin race through to give players in preparation for the UCC their second goal of the Fitzgibbon cup UCC started the game, before Jack Ahern added

a third just before half time to leave UCC leading by 18 points on a score of 3-14 to 0-5. Whilst Clare star Colm Galvin along with Jamie Wall, David Reidy and PJ Keane did their best to keep Mary Immaculate in the contest UCC had extended their lead to 20 points by the close of the opening half.

With passage to the next round secured UCC made further changes to the team. However, despite the one-sided score-line the Limerick side deserve credit for continuing to try to close the

gap during the second half, albeit this effort was largely aided by UCC’s decision to take the foot of the pedal.

Despite Jamie Wall securing MIC’s first goal of the contest at the 57 minute mark UCC continued to maintain its lead courtesy of some long range points. With both sides having used up their full substitute entitlement Niall O’Meara added a second goal for the away side, but the gap between the sides, both in terms of class and on the scoreboard, proved to be too big

for the Limerick side to overcome.

The 17 point victory sets up a match with All-Ireland champions Clare in the next round of the competition, a match which should prove significantly more difficult for the Cork side.

UCC: D. McCarthy; S. Maher; D. Glynn; P. O’Sullivan; J. Barry; C. Murphy; K. Burke; B. Murray; D. Roche; B. Lawton; D. McCormack; R. O’Shea; W. Griffin; C. Lehane; J. Ahern.

Subs: M. Collins for Murray, S. Roche for D. Roche, C. Spillane

SPORT

for Maher (all half-time) A. Cadogan for Lehane, D. Lester for Barry (both 43) Mary Immaculate College: N. Kelly; C. Barry; A, Ryan; Éanna Hogan; M. Collier; J. Meagher; S. Kennedy; L. Considine; C. Galvin; P.J. Keane; D. Reidy; D. Ferncombe; Eoin Hogan; J. Wall; N. O’Meara.

Subs: J. Hannon for Considine, L. Corry for Barry (Both half-time), J. Moloney for Keane (41) M. O’Shea for Galvin, P. Hayes for Eoin Hogan (Both 54)

UCC victory cements league lead

Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

College Corinthians 1-2 UCC A narrow 2-1 victory over College Corinthians saw UCC maintain their unbeaten run in the Beamish Stout Munster Senior League.

Despite entering this top versus bottom clash as overwhelming favourites UCC struggled to match Corinthians’ pace in the early portion of the match. After just 10 minutes UCC found themselves a goal down after a defensive mix put Evan Browne through on goal, before his low shot took a deflection and sailed past UCC keeper Michael Dorgan.

The early concession seemed to spark some life into the UCC side, and on the 20 minute mark Rob Lehane had the away side’s first real chance of the game. However, Lehane failed to bring the ball under control and put the ball wide of the post.

On the other end of the pitch Dorgan was doing his best to keep just one goal between the sides.

After Dorgan pulled off an athletic save from the ever problematic Browne UCC quickly launched a counter-attack, but Steve Gregory’s cross from the edge of the box fell just outside Coleman Kennedy’s reach before being cleared by the Corinthians’ defence.

In a lively opening half UCC finally got the goal their efforts deserved on the 30 minute mark.

Left-back Conor Barry found space deep in the Corinthians’ half before his cross was met with a glancing header by Lehane, with the ball finishing in the back of the net this time landing just inside the far post.

After just 10 minutes UCC found themselves a goal down

Immediately after fighting their way back into the match UCC once again let their tempo drop as half-time drew near. Despite this the College almost stole the lead in added time, when Josh O’Shea’s low drive forced a terrific save out of Corinthians’ keeper Mark Power.

As fatigue began to set in for both sides it became clear that the second half would fail to live up to the excitement of the first. Despite both sides being guilty of some sloppy play UCC were able to dig deep to score their second goal of the game in the 60th minute.

Substitute Darragh Lucey did everything imaginable to keep the ball in play on the touchline before his sliding pass found O’Shea. The eastCork man pushed deep into the Corinthians’ half and seemed to be heading for the goal on his own before expertly pulling the ball back to fellowstriker Lehane who was left with the easiest of finishes.

However, Corinthians were offered a life-line when Colman Kennedy was harshly sent off, forcing UCC to play out the final 25 minutes of the game with just 10 men. However, some fine play by Dorgan in goal kept the home side at bay, before the final whistle brought a close to a game which was far more difficult for UCC than had been expected.

As a result of the win UCC now hold a decisive lead over the rest of the league at the season’s halfway point. However, if they wish to end the season as league champions a drastic improvement will be needed going forward.

All-Ireland champs too good for UCC Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

Clare 2-28 – 1-4 UCC A Clare side which started nine members of the All-Ireland winning side was simply too good for UCC in the Waterford Cup semi-final on January 26.

The sheer gulf in class between the two sides was evidenced by the fact that whilst 12 Clare players got their names on the score-sheet, only 3 UCC players managed the same feat.

In fact, Jack Ahern’s 25th minute goal proved to be the only score the

College would secure from open play.

Clare were dominant from the early moments of the game, scoring several points before Dave Reidy raced through the UCC defence on the 13 minute mark before being illegally dragged down. From the resulting penalty Colin Ryan found the back of the net, setting up a nine point lead for the Clare side.

Whilst UCC reduced the gap to seven points by half-time that proved to be as close as the away side would get all day.

The introduction of Clare’s All-Ireland hero Shane O’Donnell proved to be the high point of a dull second half, which began with a flurry of scoring with the home side putting over seven points in as many minutes.

Meanwhile, UCC visibly struggled in the second half and on the 49th minute the Cork side would secure it’s only score of the secondhalf from a pointed Jack Ahern free.

Late in the tie Clare added a second goal through Davy O’Halloran, but

by that stage the game was already P. Flanagan for Morey (51), N. over as a contest. Next up Clare will O’Connell for Dillon (63) play the winner of the Tipperary-UL game in the final of the competition. UCC: D. McCarthy; S. Maher; D. Glynn; D. Lester; J. Barry; C. Clare: P. Kelly; S. Morey; D. Murphy; S. Roche; R. O’Shea; D. McInerney; C. Dillon; B. Bulger; O’Mahony; T. Butler; M. Sugrue; P. Donnellan; P. O’Connor; L. B. Hartnett; A. Cadogan; J. Ahern; Markham; P. Duggan; J. Conlon; C. P. Deasy.

O’Connoll; C. Ryan; D. O’Halloran; Subs: N. Purcell for Barry, C. McGrath; D. Reidy.

S. O’Donnell for O’Shea, M. Subs: C. McInerney for McGrath O’Driscoll for Maher (all half-time) (43), J. Shanahan for Duggan A. Goold for Glynn, (48) P.J. Hall (43), C. Cleary for O’Connor (51), for McCarthy (53)

22

Tuesday February 04, 2014 | UCC EXPRESS

SPORT Eoghan O’ Mahony | Sport Writer

UCC Archery Club began less than four years starting with one experienced archer, Dave Leen, and a group of complete beginners who were very eager to learn and help promote the club and sport.

Since then the club has been driven in its focus to introduce as many students as possible to a familiar yet fringe sport.

The sport is indeed familiar as it appears in a vast multitude of movies and video games. But it is a fringe sport as it is still an emerging sport in Ireland. When most people consider an archer they are more likely to envisage a longbow. They are less likely to imagine an archer equipped with carbon fibre arrows and a bow made of aluminium, fibre glass and maple wood graphite.

Because very few students start college as trained archers the original learners have now become the coaches, and hopefully soon these beginners will become coaches too! The training for beginners has changed considerably over the past 2 years. At the first beginner training held in the Electrical Engineering Building over 150 students came through the doors. It was immediately clear that our practices may have to change slightly. Since then the club has striven to offer the best experience and environment for all archers.

By organising groups and a new scoring system for

Archery club seek to continue lightning-quick growth

participants theses training sessions have created a friendly and social atmosphere as well as an opportunity to hone shooting skills. In partnership with the Cork City Archery Club, UCCAC can now officially give certs qualifying archers as beginner archers, recognisable in archery clubs across Ireland.

All these measures have helped to give more focus and sense of purpose to these sessions.

Outside of the shooting range, UCCAC has had a busy year. For example the club held a collaborative screening of Brave with the MedRen Society. For a whole month moustaches were prominent for Movember. To coincide with our fundraising effort the club held its first Archery Week. The week was packed

The year will continue to be busy for the club with the upcoming Student National Indoor Championship

with events like the Butt Race, a film screening, the moustache scavenger hunt, a table quiz and of course our beginner’s competition.

Thanks to all the donations and participation the club was able to raise €675.

The year will continue to be busy for the club with the upcoming Student National Indoor Championship on the 15th and 16th of February in the Nemo Rangers sports complex. UCCAC has hosted this competition every year since the club was founded.

This year will extend the length of the event when it will be held as a two day event. Every year UCCAC has hosted it, the National Indoors has been the biggest student archery competition in Ireland. In 2013 the competition had over 150

students, from 12 colleges, competing in qualifying rounds followed by a headto-head to decide the medal winners of each category.

As well as looking forward to the clubs own competition, UCCAC has enjoyed success on the road this season. In her very first intervarsity at DCU, Linda Hearn placed second in Beginner Female Recurve and Simon Henleywillis came second, shooting a personal best, in Intermediate Male Recurve. At the UCD/

ITC intervarsity, Simon Henleywillis again placed second in his category and club captain Andrew Egan came third in the highly competitive compound category.

So as UCC Archery grows and matures we salute the future and express our admiration for every student who has come to us and released that first nervy, intimidating arrow to find there was no reason to fear it at all.

Demons continue fine league form Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

C & S UCC Demons 80 – 73 UL Eagles With all minds seemingly focused on the upcoming National Cup Final, the UCC Demons were forced to rely on a dominant second-half performance to secure a victory over UL when the two sides met on January 20.

The defending league champions were always going to provide a tough match-up for UCC. However the homeside looked sloppy early on, as four consecutive turnovers allowed Stephen King to give the away side a deserved lead.

Despite their early struggles UCC eventually found their rhythm and when Adrian O’Sullivan scored from outside the three point line on the 5th minute the gap between the sides was reduced to a single point.

With both sides struggling to maintain control in the match the sides swapped baskets, and it appeared the first quarter would end tied at 19 points apiece. However, a great three-pointer by Jason Quigley right on the buzzer saw the Eagles sneak into the break ahead.

Upon the start of the second quarter UCC once again increased the tempo, and with Kyle Hosford dominating in his battle with UL point-guard Scott Kinevane the home side began to take control of the match. This dominance was perhaps most evident during a passage of play in which Hosford stripped the ball from Kinevane deep in Demons’ territory before the UCC man raced up court and slam dunked in style.

Despite UCC’s best efforts on offence UL’s Delwan Graham systematically capitalised a poor defensive performance by the home side preventing UCC from closing out the game early. Additionally, UL once again closed out the quarter in style as a second consecutive buzzer-beater, this time by Matt Hall, reduced the UCC lead to just two points, on a score-line of 45-43 at half time.

Early in the second-half the Demons brought captain Shane Coughlan back into the game, and on his first possession of the half Coughlan finished off a great team move with a perfect here-pointer. The captain followed that

effort up immediately with another basket as UCC began to take charge as fatigue became a factor for the away side.

Entering the final quarter with a ten point lead UCC never let off, and despite the reigning champions trying everything they could think of UL were unable to close the gap.

With the National Cup being the true focus of this UCC side entering the match UL, despite the close score-line, failed to adequately test the home side’s abilities. Despite some poor defensive play the Demons were able to coast for the majority of the match and secure a relatively easy victory.

C & S UCC Demons: S. Coughlan, K. Hosford, C. Anon, B. O’Neil, C. O’Sullivan, D. O’Sullivan, M. O’Leary, N. O’Reilly, A. O’Sullivan, L. Colbert, C. O’Reilly.

UL Eagles: J. O’Keefe, A. O’Brien, E. Quigley, S. Kinevane, N. Campbell, A. Dawson, M. Hall, S. King, A. Holden, J. McAullife, S. Hickey, J. Kelly, D. Graham.

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday February 04, 2014

SPORT

Cork oust UCC in Canon O’Brien Cup Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

UCC 1-14 – Cork 2-19 Cork got their hurling season under way with a stress-free win over UCC in the Canon O’Brien Cup on Saturday, January 25.

Whilst UCC used the game as a warm-up for the start of the Fitzgibbon Cup, for Cork the cup final provided an opportunity to take a better look at some fringe players. Of these Eoin Keane, Paul Haughney and Brian Lawton were perhaps the best, taking full advantage of the opportunity handed to them by Cork management.

Cork put the first point on the board after Stephen Moylan rifled over a long distance point. However, the lead was short lived as UCC responded almost immediately as Willie Griffin found space behind the cork defence before putting the ball over the bar.

With the rest of UCC’s forward line struggling to match up with a physical Cork defence Griffin did

his best to keep the College in the game, scoring a total of 1-8 during the 70 minutes.

However, very early on it became clear that a Cork defeat was highly unlikely. Moylan again was the culprit as he took full advantage of a long ball in from Haughney to score the game’s first goal after just 20 minutes. The score left Cork ahead on a score-line of 1-5 to 0-2, with UCC struggling to move the ball effectively in open play.

Things went from bad to worse for the College side when they lost Killian Burke to a concussion shortly after the Cork goal. Whilst UCC were able to score a few well taken points through Paudie Prendergast, Rob O’Shea and Brian Murray, the student’s found themselves trailing by six points at half-time, behind 1-9 to 0-6.

The loss of Burke was evident early in the first half, as Cork twice came close to scoring their second goal of the contest. First Jamie Coughlan put a great chance marginally wide, before Lawton had

The loss of Burke was evident early in the first half, as Cork twice came close to scoring their second goal of the contest.

his chance at goal cleared off the line

by Stephen Maher.

The close calls briefly sparked the UCC side back into life and with the wind in their favour a Dan McCormack point left the home side trailing by just four points. However, Cork were quick to respond as a trio of points from Haughney, Horgan and Coughlan extended the away side’s lead.

On the 52nd minute a Griffin goal closed the gap between the sides to its closest point since the early portions of the game. The short range goal left just three points between the teams, with the scoreboard reading 1-12 to 1-9 in favour of Cork.

However, once again Cork responded quickly with Moylan, Horgan and Haughney continuing to put points on the scoreboard with relative ease. As the game began to move towards its conclusion both sides emptied their benches, seeking to keep their starters healthy for more important games to come.

The game was undoubtedly ended

as a contest when Horgan linked up with Lawton and Moylan before firing home Cork’s second goal of the game. Whilst the sides continued to exchange points an upset was never truly on the cards.

For the home side the match offered a great insight into what is required to be successful at the senior level.

For Cork on the other hand, the win allowed some key players to shake off their pre-season rust, whilst also acting as a confidence booster for some up-and-coming talent.

Cork: A. Nash; C. Joyce; S. O’Neill; K. Murphy; E. Keane; M. Ellis; W. Egan; L. McLoughlin; P. Haughney; Brian. Lawton; C. McCarthy; M. O’Sullivan; S. Moylan; P. Horgan; J. Coughlan.

UCC: D. McCarthy; S. Maher; D. Glynn; P. O’Sullivan; c. Spillane; P. Prendergast; K. Burke; B. Murray; D. Roche; Barry Lawton; D. McCormack; R. O’Shea; W. Griffin; B. Hartnett; J. Ahern.

UCC begin Fitzgibbon quest with victory Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

UCC 0-14 – 0-9 Waterford IT Reigning Fitzgibbon Cup champions UCC got their 2014 campaign underway in a tightly contested match-up with Waterford IT. Just days after suffering defeats in both the Waterford Crystal Cup and the Canon O’Brien cup, the opening round of Fitzgibbon matches afforded the home-side the opportunity to settle the ship.

UCC were the faster team out of the blocks and within 10 minutes had built up a four point lead as their opponents struggled to find a way through the home defence.

With Conor Lehane leading the way, having scored all of UCC’s opening four scores, it appeared as if this game may have been over as a

contest early.

However, the visitors fought back bravely, and by the 20 minute mark the sides were even after a brace of Waterford points courtesy of Gavin O’Brien and Jake Dillon. Despite the setback UCC managed to fight their way back into the match, and a Brian Murray point after 24 minutes meant the home side went into the break with a narrow 0-7 to 0-6 lead.

After the break UCC went on a scoring frenzy, with Rob O’Shea, Willie Griffin and Cormac Murphy leading the way, as the gap between the sides swelled to five points.

From then on the Waterford outfit struggled to find their way back into the match-up. Whilst the lead was reduced to three points after 55 minutes, two late UCC scores

courtesy of Cadogan and Lehane returned it to the five points shortly before the game ended.

With the first victory of the group stage secured UCC will next square off with Carlow IT as the hunt for three Fitzgibbon Cup wins in a row continues.

UCC: D. McCarthy; S. Maher; D. Glynn; P. Sullivan; J. Barry; P. Prendergast; C. Murphy; B. Murray; D. Roche; B. Lawton; D. McCormack; R. O’Shea; W. Friffin; C. Lehane; J. Barron.

Waterford IT: S. O’Keefe; G. Teehan; T. Hamill; L. Hickey; P. Gahan; J. Maher; J. O’Dwyer; H. Kehoe; J. Langton; J. Dillon; M. Gaffney; E. Murphy; J. Hayes; P. Mahoney; M. Power.

SPORT

24 UCC EXPRESS Tuesday February 04, 2014

Demons reign supreme in National Cup Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

C & S UCC Demons 82- 64 Dublin Inter A dominant Demons performance brought an end to a four year long silverware drought for the UCC team. Whilst Dublin Inter must be commended for giving it their all in the final they were simply outclassed by a UCC team in fine form this season.

As a result of the win club captain Shane Coughlan, playing in a record ninth National Cup final, secured his fifth title, becoming only the second man to accomplish the feat after Damian Sealy.

Entering the game as massive favourites, the pressure placed on UCC showed early in the match as Inter took control in the opening exchanges. A Giedrius Trakauskas three-pointer after four minutes extended the Dublin side’s lead to four points, and.

For a brief period at least, it appeared that David might triumph over Goliath once more.

However, as UCC settled into the game they began to show why they had earned the favourites’ tag heading into the final.

Led by player-coach Colin O’Reilly and Lehmon Colbert the Demons repeatedly stretched the Dublin defence to breaking point, whilst building up a 23-19 lead.

Whilst UCC’s offensive game plan seemed to be working, with Colbert amounting 11 points in the first quarter alone, the defensive tactics failed to stifle the Dubliners. The full court pressure tactic has been massively successful for the Demons in the past, however, on this occasion Inter were able to work their way past the UCC effort with relative ease.

With the lead having changed hands four times in the first quarter alone UCC pushed hard to try to stamp out their opponents early in the second half. However, a terrific play by Aurimas Statkus served to highlight that Inter were not willing to simply roll over for the favourites.

At one time an elite-played in Lithuania’s top basketball league Statkus collected the ball near the UCC base-line before a behind the back shovel pass found its way

to Mindaugas Tamasauskas. Tamasauskas drained the ball with ease as the UCC defence appeared stunned by Statkus’ effort, and by the end of the first half the gap between the sides rested at just nine points.

Despite the close nature of the contest, locked at 49-40 in favour of the Demons at the end of the first half, Inter knew that a highscoring game was not in their best interest.

In a battle of offences UCC always had the upper hand, and when the high-scoring pattern continued into the third quarter there was only ever going to be one outcome.

Ciaran O’Sullivan found his shooting form early in the third quarter, stretching

Inside today Archery club seek to continue lightning-quick growth Page 22

the UCC lead to 16 points at one stage, whilst he also put up 14 individual points over the course of the game. In response to the frantic pace Inter opted to take a timeout early in the third, hoping to break the UCC dominance. However, immediately after the restart Kyle Hosford drained a long distance three pointer from the lefthand side corner, leaving UCC 20 points ahead, with their opponents fresh out of ideas.

As the match entered the final quarter UCC turned to the defence to maintain its lead. Whilst a resilient Inter side managed to briefly reduce the gap to 14 points, five straight Niall O’Reilly points put an end to any ideas of a potential fight-back.

In the end the 82-64 score was a fair reflection of the disparity in terms of ability between the teams. With the National Cup now secured UCC will look to maintain its fine form in the league, with the possibility of a league-cup double etched on everyone’s brain.

John Caufield

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