Vol. XXIII - Issue 6 - Berliner

uo The University Observer

above UCD vs UCC in the fitzgibbon cup photo Martin Healy

PREP Drug discussion on the fight against rising HIV figures David monaghan p15

February 14th 2017 Volume XXIII issue 6 universityobserver.ie

skin hunger why we all need a hug every now & then Louise Flanagan p13

New computer science grading system heavily criticised roisin guyett-nicholson editor THE School of Computer Science has received criticism from its students over the introduction of a new grading scheme, which could breach the terms of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012.

A new marking system was introduced during semester one of this academic year, following a decision by the school last summer. The system has been described by students as a “quick fix”.

Students have also noted that they were not officially told about the changed scheme and were only made aware through word of mouth. This would breach the terms of the Act, which stipulates that any changes to programme with enrolled learners must inform the learners within 14 days of the decision.

The scheme was introduced to combat a high amount of A grades in certain modules, which was an issue noted by the school as early as March 2016.

Dr. Pádraig Cunningham, Head of the School of Computer science explained: “We had a list in [a] semester of modules, that had an anomalous number of A pluses on them and there was an attendant anomalous number of As as well.” He noted that a number of modules had up to 43% or 67% A grades.

However, the move has received criticism for not

including students during the decision making process.

The system has also been introduced across the school, affecting students from first year through to fourth year.

UCD Students’ Union Education Officer Lexi Kilmartin commented that “we had asked what kind of student input and things they had on it, which didn’t seem like much to be honest and we had expressed concerns about it not being flagged to students before the start of the semester. And the way that was responded to was ‘it’s done now so.”

A member of the science programme board also confirmed that they were not aware of any plans to change the marking scheme during the academic year 2015/2016.

Students in third and fourth year expressed upset with the change, claiming it could impact their degrees. Speaking to the University Observer one student commented “I’m going for a 1.1 now and when I picked my modules, I didn’t know that two of the five modules I’m doing this semester are both with the new marking scheme… that could easily bring me down.”

Another student noted that students in Computer Science have the opportunity to finish in third year with a level 8 degree. They explained “I had an option of taking a full-time job… I only barely decided to go

back but had I known they were changing the grading scheme I would not be here.”

Implementing the system for all students in the school does contrast with normal UCD policy on grading changes. Kilmartin noted “the bigger issue isn’t the marking scheme it’s the fact that generally speaking when these kind of things are implemented, they’re implemented from the incoming first years. So I thought it was very unfair that they’re implementing it to current students and students who had already… signed up to how their degree is structured.”

However, Dr. Cunnigham explained “there was a suggestion that we should have sort of phased this in, but my view was that we couldn’t do that… If we’re being told that there’s a quality problem in our assessment, we have to fix it and we can’t wait three years to fix it.”

There are no campus regulations on grading schemes, though module co-ordinators can choose what scheme they use.

However, the issue of added stress was also noted by both students and Kilmartin. Under the academic regulations, the Programme Board for each school is “responsible for… the academic welfare of the students registered to the programme.”

We’re gonna need more glitter gender boundaries in pop Adam lawler otwo p18

UCD FAshion Show A look at some of the young designers of the year izzy forde otwo p22

Consent Classes Dropped by UCD and the Students’ Union Niamh O’Regan Eagarthóir Gaeilge & Roisin Guyett-Nicholson Editor CONSENT classes have been dropped by the UCD Students’ Union and the university. Plans were announced in February 2016 for the union to run classes in co-operation with the university.

The UCDSU President at the time, Marcus O’Halloran, explained that the union would run the consent classes with the expectation that the university would take part in running them.

UCDSU explained in a statement released to the Univeristy Observer: “The Students’ Union have spent €1,800 on trialling consent workshops during the last 12 months. Over this period, attendance has been generally poor… So far the Students’ Union has been the only stakeholder in UCD putting serious money into the issue of consent.”

This follows confirmation by current UCDSU President Conor Viscardi at union council that the university has not funded any consent workshops.

Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald petitioned UCD President Andrew Deeks, ask-

ing him to assist the union in “tackling the issue to a greater extent than demonstrated over the academic term of 15/16”. The SU response to the University Observer’s questions did not indicate whether this support has been received or not.

The classes were announced following an investigation launched by UCD into allegations of group of UCD students sharing nude photos of fellow students without their permission. While the allegations were found to be false, UCDSU prioritised consent classes as part of a wider #NotAskingForIt campaign.

Union welfare officer, Róisín O’Mara explained that the classes would not be going ahead “in the form that they were last semester…We’re looking at different ways to introduce the topic of consent.”

O’Mara also noted that she was not aware of any plans within the university to hold similar classes.

Classes were run in the second semester of last year and since the current sabbatical officers took

office last summer, workshops have also taken place in the first semester of this academic year. Both were reportedly poorly attended.

UCDSU noted in the same statement: “students who feel knowledgeable on the subject don’t attend because they don’t feel they need it and students who disagree that lack of education on consent is a problem issue in UCD/Ireland, don’t attend because they don’t support the workshops as a concept.”

The SU report that no difference has been made to the attendance depending on the level of promotion, the only significant factor being that high levels of promotion attracted trolling.

The Union is also teaming up with the National Women’s Council of Ireland for their pan European project to end sexual harassment and violence in third-level education. This project is being rolled out across campuses Europe wide, however the Union is unsure as to what the workshops will involve or if the University will support the initiative.

the oscars Why they’re less relevant than ever otwo p10

Keith barry interview with the magician SEáN Hayes otwo p16

february 14th 2017 1

News

News in Brief Sinead Mulcahy

LGBTQ+ societies targeted by religious leaflets Roisin Guyett-Nicholson Editor

PROPOSAL TO INTRODUCE LEVY FOR DIT STUDENTS A new DIT development plan has revealed that the extension and modernization of their Grangegorman campus will be paid for by a student levy. The DIT New City Centre Campus will serve over 10,000 students by consolidating all the Institute’s activities from 39 separate locations to one site.

Provided the IT can get adequate funding, the new north inner city campus will be fitted with world class facilities including a student centre, on-campus accommodation, sports facilities, media facilities and multipurpose performance space.

It is expected that a new student levy will be introduced to raise €20 million to part-fund this project.

Before imposing such a levy, it must be accepted by students in a referendum. DITSU have not set any date for referendum, as they are still negotiating terms with the Institution. The SU have stated their focus is on ensuring the levy will be used solely for DITSU, DIT Societies and DIT Sports.

In 2016, University of Limerick students accepted the introduction of a levy for a student centre and sports facilities. Similarly, Trinity’s Chief Financial Officer proposed an ‘infrastructure and maintenance contribution’ on top of the sports levy currently imposed.

Student levy amounts vary hugely, with DCU paying the lowest contribution of just €43 in comparison to Ireland’s highest rate of €247 paid by UCD students.

UCD’s levy was introduced in 1998 to fund the current student centre, but has risen steadily in recent years to fund major extensions.

PROFESSOR PATRICK O’SHEA TAKES OFFICE AS UCC PRESIDENT CORK native Patrick O’Shea began his ten-year term as president of UCC earlier this month. Professor O’Shea originally graduated from UCC with a physics degree. He pursued further studies in the US, obtaining a MS and PhD from University of Maryland. Professor O’Shea is renowned for his pioneering research work on electron-accelerators and free-electron lasers. He has also supervised the work of over two dozen doctoral students.

His most recent position, as Vice President and Chief Research Officer at the University of Maryland, allowed him to oversee the university’s $500 million yearly research and innovation enterprise budget. He is also a member of various highly regarded international boards.

Professor O’Shea is the first to assume post as UCC President without having held a professorship in UCC in over a century. In recent interviews, O’Shea has stated he sees Brexit and the recent political climate in the US as an opportunity to create more international partnerships and entice more funding. In relation to third-level funding, O’Shea believes that universities must find new ways to generate money aside from government spending, particularly looking to corporate and private philanthropy as a means of reducing student debt.

O’Shea views investment in universities as part of a symbiotic relationship, with graduates having the skills and qualifications to give back in the future.

TWO-THIRDS OF PEOPLE THINK GOVERNMENT MUST DO MORE FOR THIRDLEVEL ACCESS A recent survey by Careers Unlimited found that more than two-thirds of people believe the Government should do more to assist people seeking access to higher education. The survey asked 1,500 adults on their opinions and experiences of third-level education in Ireland.

The survey found there were several issues that stopped people attending a third-level course. Over a third of people surveyed said the recession had made returning to college less appealing during the last few years. A quarter of those surveyed said that their employer did not support them enough when it came to college courses and training.

Despite a surge in the number of people attending college, spending on education has been cut by over third in the last decade. In Budget 2017, Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton announced an extra €160m would be allocated to third-level education over the next three years.

Irish students currently pay roughly €3,000 non-tuition fees, a large sum compared to other EU countries such as Austria, Belgium, France and Italy where students pay less than €1,00 yearly. Ordinary undergraduate degrees are free in many countries such as Denmark, Germany and Finland.

The contribution charge for students is currently €3,000 per year. University funding in Ireland is a topic currently dividing many with some suggesting in the future, the student contribution charge should be discontinued and replaced with a student loan scheme.

2 february 14th 2017

UCD LGBTQ+ society has recently received religious leaflets titled “Heaven Speaks Today: Gay and Lesbian Outreach”. The publication is produced

by St. Michael’s World Apostolate Church in New York City, USA. A number of LGBTQ+ societies in other universities have also received the same leaflet, including Gay in Galway Society and Q Soc, based in Trinity College.

The leaflet is produced by a church in New York but can be ordered online.

The publication states that “it’s very important for every Catholic experiencing same-sex attractions to know that there is hope and that there is help…

This condition is not genetically or biologically determined.”

Auditor of UCD LGBTQ+ Society Philip Weldon described the leaflet as “blatantly homophobic.” He went on to say “I’m very disappointed that someone would choose a college society to obviously send that kind of material to.”

The publication also contains quotes from ‘Jesus’ and ‘Our Lady,’ which are referenced as late as 1987. These include statements such as “AIDS was a plague, and is a plague, and shall continue to be a plague, as long as you will not change your course of destruction.”

Weldon stated that “The content itself is completely… it’s crazy. And there’s no other two words about it, any decent person could say that.”

He further explained that the address on the envelope had been handwritten and posted with an Irish stamp.

Following contact with the church by Weldon he explained “they send people to Ireland to do missionary work and spread their message. I would say obviously that is a message of hatred that they’re spreading, they’re not missionaries in any say true sense of the word.”

The society also questioned why that had been targeted, with their auditor saying “that person may have been UCD based, given that again its targeted, given that its geared towards a UCD student society… why us? Like we base all of our events, all of our ideas all of our policies, all of our actions are geared towards students and… the betterment of student engagement in UCD.” Weldon added: “while I respect the freedom of speech and whatnot, I would just be very mindful of the hurt that somebody can cause in exercising maybe not speech but hate.”

The church had not responded to a request for comment from the University Observer at the time of going to print.

Criminology award won by UCD professor Emily Binchy THE prestigious Stockholm Prize in Criminology has been awarded to UCD’s Richard Tremblay. Professor Tremblay, originally from Montreal, Canada has been a lecturer in UCD since 2007. Most of his research has focused on the origins of childhood and adolescent violence. Professor Tremblay’s recent work has come to some radical conclusions, which defy previous theories on the root of violent tendencies in human beings.

The prize is awarded to applicants in recognition of work that results in the reduction of crime and the advancement of human rights.

The Stockholm Prize in Criminology aims to incentivise more humane public policies for dealing with criminal offenders by showcasing new findings on the origins of crime and violence, Professor Tremblay’s most influential research redrew the Age Crime Curve. Previously it was thought that the peak age of violence was 20, but these conclusions suggest that humans are at their most violent at just 3 years old.

Professor Tremblay suggests that humans are born with aggressive tendencies. His ‘Original Sin’ hypothesis contradicts the previously held belief that humans are inherently non-violent

and it is society which creates this propensity for violence.

Professor Tremblay does argue our childhood environment has a decisive effect on our aggression in later life, which can be either inciting or deterring of violence. Therefore, he concludes that while genetics play a fundamental role in violent behaviour, this does not mean an inevitable future of violence for this individual.

The jury, in delivering their decision to award the 2017 prize to Professor Tremblay, emphasised a lifetime of innovative work. This commenced with social observation in Montreal in the 1980s and continuing to the present day in Paris and Dublin with new research on the effects of pre-natal crime prevention with at-risk mothers.

In particular, Professor Tremblay is accredited by the jury with drawing parallels between different disciplines and presenting them in a relevant manner. This inclusion of various scientific disciplines, as well as other subjects such as philosophy, is described by the Stockholm jury as following in the line of great scientists who build connections as opposed to walls between the various branches of science and academia.

Professor Richard Tremblay, winner of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology

On-campus accommodation prices set to increase more than originally planned Martin healy deputy editor

DESPITE stating otherwise last October, UCD Students’ Union President Conor Viscardi has admitted that on-campus accommodation price increases will be higher than expected.

In a UCDSU executive meeting at the end of last year on 23rd November, Viscardi stated that residence prices are actually expected to go up by 6% in the next two years. This is an increase on Viscardi’s prior statement, who told the Observer last October that he believed increases were only going to be around 2% or 3%.

In the executive meeting minutes, Viscardi notes that a 1 to 2% increase is normal and accounts for inflation, but instead the increase will be double that.

Residence rates have increased by 40% over the past four years. This increase - which caused oncampus catered rates to go from €776 on average in 2013 to an average of €1,145 in 2016 – was put in place for the 354 residences that were completed last summer as part of the new Ashfield residence.

Fees increased slowly in the years just prior to 2013, but saw a sharp increase after 2013 in order to further fund maintenance costs and new accommodation.

Over the next decade, as per the UCD Campus Development Plan, the university looks to construct up to 3,000 new beds.

Union council to vote on support for Abortion Bus Martin healy deputy editor A bus service that plans to distribute illegal abortion pills is to arrive in UCD next month. The Bus 4 Repeal, which is set to make its way around the country in early March, is set to begin its journey on the UCD Belfield campus.

Organised by Rosa Ireland, their website states that the bus plans to “defy the abortion ban, as a source of information and access to safe abortions with pills, in conjunction with the pro-choice doctor-led Netherlands organisation, WomenOnWeb.org.”

The bus will make UCD its first stop on Monday the 6th of March before making its way to Waterford IT and Cork City before the end of the day. From there it will continue to UCC, UL and other universities before arriving back in Dublin on the 8th of March in time for the planned Strike4Repeal general strike.

The controversial service was discussed at last week’s UCDSU council meeting in the Fitzgerald Chamber. Speaking to the Observer before the SU meeting, O’Mara stated that she was “never told” about the pill distribution aspect by Rosa. “It was my understanding it was going to just be information about and regarding the Eighth Amendment,” she clarified.

O’Mara also stated that the service was “incredibly illegal.” She claimed she only became aware of the pill distribution aspect of the bus after a thejournal.ie article on the issue was released on the 1st of February.

Speaking at council, O’Mara stated that the SU “aren’t tied” to the bus, and don’t have the direct power to stop it. Instead, as O’Mara noted, the SU can “[make it clear] we don’t endorse the illegal distribution of pills from a non-reputable source.”

The SU are set to vote on whether or not they will support the Bus 4 Repeal bus at the next council meeting on 20th of February.

UCD Women in Leadership Conference 2017 Orla Keaveney staff writer

News & analysis UCD Heads New Cancer and Eye Treatment Consortium

Photo credit: roisin guyett-nicholson

keri heath staff writer One line which resonated with many of the 500 people attended UCD’s second annual Women attendees came from ground-breaking journalist in Leadership Conference held on 9th February, THIS year, UCD will lead a new initiative to develop Geraldine Kennedy, who said “the biggest thing in O’Reilly Hall. The event featured several panel treatments for cancer and eye disease. The Drug holding women back is the limitations they put on discussions relating to women’s roles in STEM Discovery and Delivery Network for Oncology and Eye themselves”. industries, the media, professional services, and Treatment, or 3D-NEO-NET creates an international Much of the systematic discrimination against sport. consortium of scientists, engineers, chemists, and other professional women of the past has been eradicated, The main topics included the causes for the specialists who hope to gain new research knowledge. and while some unconscious bias remains, many disproportionately low numbers of women in The consortium brings together 18 partners across companies are actively encouraging female leadership positions; the need for positive female seven countries and aims to bridge the gaps between employees to aim higher, recognising that women role models; and the possible actions that can be academia and industry research. Over the next four can contribute dramatically to the talent pool. taken to overcome barriers to women’s success. years, each of the 68 fellows will spend a period of However, as the panellists at the conference Notable panellists included Geraldine Kennedy, time from one month to one year in their placement, noted, women tend to underestimate their abilities the first female editor of the Irish Times; Sinéad learning new skills and sharing their expertise. and strengths more than men, and are therefore less McSweeney, the Managing Director of Twitter Brendan Kennedy lectures on biomolecular and inclined to apply for a promotion or opportunity due Ireland; and all-star Cork GAA player and biomedical science in the UCD Conway Institute to fear they might not be good enough. physiotherapist Rena Buckley. The keynote speaker and is the consortium coordinator. He says that the Several possible causes for this mentality were was Tina Roche, award-winning human rights goals of the program include allowing fellows to gain suggested – societal pressure to be modest and activist and CEO of Business in The Community experience working internationally and within industry. self-deprecating, a lack of female role models, goodIreland.

The hope is that the fellows will gain knowledge in intentioned yet narrow-minded parental influence An emphasis was placed on building a support fields they wouldn’t have access to before.

– but the speakers generally agreed that inspiring system between professional women. Between the “They’re broadening the width of what they do, women’s confidence in themselves was necessary to panel discussions, speed-networking sessions were rather than the depth,” Kennedy said. “It’s a little bit raise a new generation of female leaders. organised to allow attendees to make business different though than a standard grant because we don’t The conference was considered a success, with connections both within and outside their fields. have four people working on it full-time for four years. speakers and attendees recognising the importance While there was some debate on issues such as We’re building a community, rather than a skyscraper.” gender quotas and the ethics of “personal branding”, of its goals. Panellist Marguerite Sayer, managing Kennedy also said one goal of the consortium is to director of the ESB, expressed her hope that the the atmosphere of the panel discussions was prevent duplication of research. Instead of academic conference would help “normalise [equality] so that generally cordial and consensus agreements were and industry partners working on the same techniques events like this aren’t needed anymore”. reached on many of the topics. individually, the consortium will allow the exchange of UCD student Eimear North felt that “it’s not about knowledge.

The conference was organised by a committee us adapting to a man’s world, it’s making sure that of current and former UCD students, and funded The link between cancer and eye treatment lie in there can be different approaches [to leadership], by a combination of ticket sales and support from angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels. Yolonda for both men and women”. Though there were only a partners such as Arthur Cox, Citi, Boston Scientific, Alvarez is the project manager for the consortium. She handful of men in attendance, those asked said they Aldi, UCD Societies Council, and UCD Estate says that both fields can share a lot of research. still “felt involved and included in the conversation”.

Services.

“This is where the link between ophthalmology and As the conference is a relatively new venture for Women in Leadership was first started last year cancer comes because in both diseases… angiogenesis the university, the organisers are still tweaking the when UCD graduate Eimear O’Flynn “recognised is the main target,” Alvarez said. format – for instance, the panel discussions were a severe gap in activities to promote female The current 3D-NEO-NET consortium emerged from brought in to replace last year’s series of individual empowerment within the university”. In his opening the 3D NET project, a partnership of five organizations speakers, theWomen attendees were encouraged toConference give launched address, Principal of Social Sciences and Law 2013. The four year effort hoped to further Speakers at the 2017 and UCD in Leadership in in O’Reilly Hall feedback for future improvements.

Colin Scott mentioned that even though over half of networking and research for eye therapeutics. Out of Based on the success of its first two years, the students and staff in UCD are women, only 20% of this consortium came the idea to expand the program to Women in Leadership Conference is likely to remain include more partners. lead professors in the university are women – which an annual event in UCD. is only just above the national average of 19%.

“The aim of this project is to establish stronger collaborations,” Alvarez said. “You have to experience really, to live yourself, what this exchange is, to open your mind, to go to a different country.” Kennedy agreed that this consortium could open new doors for researchers and drug developers.

“Where this should go next is that some set of those partners will come together and form a very tight research collaboration and will apply for a regiment of money to build a skyscraper,” Kennedy said.

“Normally, if you’re on one of these skyscraper projects, you need to be the expert in that project.

Here, everyone works on things that they don’t have good competency in, but nobody judges them. What you’re doing is trying to find something different.”

The consortium was awarded close to €1 million over the next four years under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program. The funds come from the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange. As the head of the consortium, UCD serves Speakers at the 2017 UCD Women in Leadership Conference in O’Reilly Hall as the direct legal and reporting connection to the EU.

Campus News in Brief Niamh O’Regan Eagarthóir Gaeilge New Scholarship with UCD Symphony Orchestra The UCD Symphony Orchestra has announced it will be offering a scholarship scheme for student conductors. The scholarship is worth €2,500, and any registered UCD student is eligible to apply. The scholarship may be held by an individual for up to two years. The successful candidate will work closely with the orchestra’s Artistic director, Ciaran Crilly, following rehearsals and the performance schedule.

The first recipients of the scheme will commence in September 2017, with applications open until the 28th of February after which interviews will be held.

The Symphony Orchestra consists of an orchestra of 70 to 80 UCD students who perform many concerts throughout the year, in various locations including the National Concert Hall. UCD also offers several symphony orchestra scholarships and choral scholarships every year.

Applicants should email a CV to orchestra@ucd.ie.

Google Programming Competition UCD Computer Science will hold a hub for a programming competition organised by Google at the end of February.

The team-oriented competition, called Hash Code, will begin with an online qualification round on the 23rd of February. Teams will be faced with an engineering problem and they will have to create a program to solve it.

UCD Computer Science is just one of the many international hubs where the competition will be held.

Students and professionals alike are encouraged to partake and the competition is open to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with teams being able to register until the 20th of February. High scoring teams will win Google prizes and top scoring teams will be invited to a final round, which will take place on the 1st of April at Google Paris.

Teams of two to four people can register online until the 20th of February, and if they are interested in joining UCD’s hub, should select UCD from the list of hubs while registering.

UCD Strictly Come Dancing Hot on the heels of RTE’s new dancing show, Strictly Come Dancing is returning to UCD. UCD’s Strictly Come Dancing is being organised as a fundraiser for UCD Volunteers Overseas. Taking place on 4th March in O’Reilly Hall, tickets for the event cost €25, including wine, and all proceeds go to Gorta Self Help Africa and UCD Volunteers Overseas.

Competitors include those volunteering with UCDVO this summer in various locations, with each participant learning a particular dance to compete for the votes of the crowd. Tickets are available from selfhelpafrica.org.

internatioNal

News in Brief Mary Haasl Baha’i Students in Iran Expelled For Religious Beliefs ACCORDING to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI), University World News reports that Iranian universities expelled at least fifteen Baha’i students in the past two months due to their religious beliefs.

These expulsion reports follow a history of religious discrimination against the Baha’i religious minority since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Based on a report from Baha’i News Press, there have been over 100,000 Baha’i citizens prohibited from receiving higher education since the revolution. In addition to educational discrimination, Baha’i businesses have been targeted and forcibly closed within Iran.

Complaints regarding such discrimination have been previously taken up with Parliament, the President’s Office, the Education Ministry, the Supreme Leader’s Office, and the Student Evaluation Organisation with no redress.

The outcome of discussions with university officials surrounding the issue remains tenuous. Within certain Iranian universities, officials have forged documents to suggest students chose to drop out, rather than were expelled. While Iran denies that discrimination against Baha’i students takes place, mandates suggest otherwise.

Regulations from 1991 stipulate that students who take the national enrolment exam must follow a constitutionally authorized religion- not fulfilled by Baha’i students.

Zimbabwe Universities See 50% Cut to Funding A recent move by the Zimbabwe Treasury slashed the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development budget in half. Most notably, these budget cuts will result in a 50% salary reduction for university lecturers.

These higher education funding cuts follow an increasingly worsening economic situation within Zimbabwe. Experts cite failures by President Robert Mugabe as the source of this economic turmoil.

As President Mugabe nears 93 years old, his plan to run for another five-year term does not bode well for those seeking contemporary change to the country’s current economic policy.

Vice-chancellors of local universities and ministry officials alike express confusion and anger following the budget cuts. According to officials, the Labour Act makes employee salary reductions illegal. State universities’ inability to cover salary differences following cuts offsets the government’s duty to cover basic costs of running educational institutions.

Furthermore, officials express concern over the weakening socio-economic status of Zimbabwe.

As nearly 90% of the students in higher education institutions come from a poor background, universities play an important role in development. The ministry has since petitioned for a reversal in the higher education budget cuts.

UK Government’s Higher Education Research Publication Delayed A recent article by Times Higher Education sheds light on the delayed publication of UK government higher education research. According to the article, these delayed publications stem from ‘constant Whitehall reorganisation.’ Both department movement and cuts have been increasingly common.

Since 2016, higher education moved from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to the Department of Education. Brexit caused further department disruption following the formation of a new Department for Exiting the EU. The delay has forced officials to act without fully published information and evaluation. For example, data from the Student Income and Expenditure Survey from 2014-2015 are unpublished, so the reports following the enforcement of a post £9K fee regime remain widely unavailable.

Reports on initiatives such as the Joint BISDfE, a project that encourages students from poor backgrounds to apply to university, have yet to be published though their completion and evaluation have already taken place.

The delay in publishing completed reports due to department structural changes impinges on the everyday access of critical information needed for policy building. This data, such as student poverty and strength of research, could have a large impact in a time of significant UK policy change.

february 14th 2017 3

international News 94% of UK Universities Restrict Free Speech Rory Geoghegan International News Editor THE censoring of free speech is rampant across the UK, with nine out of ten universities curbing free speech on university campuses. This is according to the 2017 Free Speech University Rankings (FSUR), published by the online magazine Spiked.

The university rankings, described as ‘vile’ by the National Union of Students (NUS) in the UK, assesses 115 universities. It examines the bans and policies universities and students’ unions utilise to stifle free speech on campus. The universities are then ranked by way of a traffic light system.

According to the rankings, 63.5% of institutions are marked ‘Red’, meaning that significant restrictions are placed on speech through “the banning [of] particular speakers, materials and ideas”. Spiked, in the preamble to the rankings describes these universities as “hostile to free speech and free expression, mandating explicit restrictions on speech, including, but not limited to, bans on specific ideologies, political affiliations, beliefs, books, speakers or words”.

In particular, two issues stand out as a major concern; the first is related to clampdowns on discussion of religion and the second are clampdowns on debate about transgenderism.

Tom Slater, Deputy Editor of Spiked and FSUR Coordinator commented: “At some of Britain’s most prestigious institutions - once interested in probing perceived wisdom and in pursuing truth, the oldest and newest orthodoxies in the book are being ringfenced from criticism”.

The source of censorship varies however, with restrictive policies emanating from either university administrations or student unions, or both. The magazine criticises the widespread censorship by student unions, however what’s most striking is how fast university administrations are catching up.

While student unions are still more censorious,

the 2o17 rankings detail that 23.5% of university administrations engage in censorship - up 15% since last year alone.

30.5% of institutions included in the rankings scored an Amber rating. Overall, 94% of universities are considered to have placed restrictions on free speech, leaving just 6% having achieved a green score. The magazine notes a significant increase in censorship over the past three years; in 2015 just 40% of universities were ranked red.

Among universities considered restrictive to free speech, there were 129 bans. Of these, 21 institutions banned speakers, 20 banned newspapers and nine have banned “offensive fancy dress”. 44% of higher education institutions maintained “no platform” policies and policies “banning fascist, racist and Islamist groups”. 43% had censorious “religion and belief” policies, and 34% had similarly restrictive “transgender” policies, the magazine said.

At Newcastle University there is a ban on dressing up as Caitlyn Jenner, while London South Bank University has banned “blasphemy”.

The most restrictive included four Russell Group universities, with Swansea University joining the University of Oxford, the University of Edinburgh, Newcastle University and Cardiff University.

Slater, writing in conjunction with the rankings, stated that; “collectively, students’ unions and universities are presiding over byzantine, speechpolicing bureaucracies that undermine the university’s very moral mission. And the excesses of SU censorship are at the very least enabled by university managers.”

Spiked focuses on politics, culture and society from the tradition of humanism and the “antiStalinist left”. It was founded in 2000 after its

predecessor, Living Marxism, went bankrupt following the loss of a libel case brought against it by the broadcasting corporation ITN. At the time the case brought significant attention to itself, with world renowned academic Noam Chomsky defending the magazine in an interview with the Guardian, saying that the LM was right in its defence of an article it published about ITN’s coverage of the Bosnian war. However, the magazine lost the case and discontinued its publishing.

The 2017 FSUR was funded by The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, who “fund political campaigns in the UK to promote democratic reform,

civil liberties and social justice”, as well as the organisation, Academics for Academic Freedom.

“If there is an upside to all this,” says Slater, “it is the response from students themselves, who have begun to realise just how much these institutions hold them in contempt”. Coinciding with the apparent increase in curbing of free speech, “campus campaigns to overturn bans, stunts to draw attention to SU censorship, and a new movement to disaffiliate students’ unions from the National Union of Students” have begun to form and grow. This has been “heartwarming” according to the Deputy Editor of Spiked.

University of Oxford, among the most restrictive universities in the UK

Indian Higher Education Budget Increases by 9.8%

Christian College President to Lead Task Force on US Higher Education

Julia Canney

Rabindra Bharati University, India

4 february 14th 2017

adding 5,000 seats for postgraduate studies in medicine, which Professor Rajiv Lochan, a member of Punjab State Higher Education Council, says will hamper the way that the universities are run.

For the institutes of technology, the Indian government is demanding that the number of students enrolled increase by 100% or more in the next five years.

Currently, all of the universities have a history of strong face-to-face relationships between students and faculty, and an increase in the student body will likely negatively affect those relationships.

The budget also calls for greater autonomy for universities, including reforms to the University Grants Commission, the body that oversees higher education. In return for an increase in their accreditation or ranking, the Indian government has promised those institutions that they will see greater administrative autonomy in their every day work.

Jaitley announced that the budget increases will increase accessibility to SWAYAM, the online education portal run by the government, which will now be broadcast and streamed to 350 dedicated Direct-to-Home channels.

Ashley Perry

Photo credit: Brian OSbourn via flickr

IN an announcement last week by India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the Indian government disclosed that they will be increasing the country’s higher education budget to almost US$5 billion. This amounts to almost half of India’s US$11.8 billion overall education budget.

The recipients are the Indian Institutes of Technology, the National Institutes of Technology, and the Indian Institutes of Management. They will all receive additional funding in an attempt to increase the number of Indian universities that qualify for ‘world-class’ status.

With this enormous increase in funding, the Indian government is signalling what some view as a bias towards universities that deal with applied research such as those at the technology institutes.

Unlike the technology institutes, the seven Indian Institutes of Science, Education and Research are seeing their funding drop dramatically, from US$116 million in 2016 to US$96 million for the new budget.

The budget has several strings attached, with some academics cautioning that the increased funding will come at a price to the quality of the institutions.

In addition to the funding, the government is also

Liberty University in the US PRIOR to the confirmation of billionaire philanthropist, Betsy DeVos, as the Secretary of Education, President Donald Trump asked famed religious leader, Jerry Falwell Jr, to lead a task force on higher education in America.

Falwell Jr. has gained notoriety for being a member of one of the most prominent evangelical families within the country and his role as president of Liberty University in Virginia. The institution has been recognised as Christianbased.

He was contacted originally in November by then President-elect Trump, asking if he would be interested in filling the cabinet position of Secretary of Education. Though he declined the offer, he has remained connected to the new administration’s mission to promote school choice and vouchers.

Both of these goals are proven to be to the betterment of Christian schools while simultaneously working to the detriment of public schools.

The new task force in question will attempt to deregulate and allow state discretion when it comes to higher education institutions. Falwell Jr. has consistently opposed the federal regulations on funding and accreditation for higher education institutions in America.

In the recruitment of Falwell Jr., a clearer image of the American education system for the next four years has begun to develop. Right-wing Christian values will likely be more tied to schools across the USA. Following suit in Trump’s recent attacks on the media, Falwell Jr. allegedly halted Liberty University’s newspaper from publishing a critical article of the now President’s admittance to sexually assaulting women. The university has an established rule that “everything controversial” pieces written by the school newspaper must go through Falwell Jr.’s office first. He used this rule as the grounds for pulling the editorial, despite student backlash. Falwell Jr. justified the dismissal of the article on the grounds of “we are all sinners.”

Comment Irish TDs Embrace Resurgent Women’s Movement In the wake of Trump’s rise to power, Ross Walsh examines the establishment of a Women’s Caucus in the Oireachtas.

“NOBODY has more respect for women than I do”.

The supporters of President Donald Trump appear content to take this statement, made during the final Presidential Debate, at face value. However this is in complete contrast to many other statements made by the President before, during, and after the election.

Most notably, he is recorded claiming that he can do whatever he wants to women, including groping them, because he is rich and famous. When a number of women stepped forward to say that the

“The caucus is set to address issues such as maternity leave, the gender pay gap, and domestic violence”.

Republican candidate had sexually assaulted them, his defence was that he did not consider his accusers attractive enough to assault.

This contradiction is eerily similar to the concept of ‘doublethink’ from George Orwell’s dystopian classic Ninteen Eighty-Four. This is one of the many similarities between the Trump administration and Orwell’s vision that have been pointed out in recent days.

In the novel, the ruling party have conditioned the public to be capable of accepting two contradictory statements as both being true at the same time. The same way Trump’s supporters can accept that their President molests and insults women with impunity while simultaneously having the utmost respect for them.

Trump’s openly sexist attitude is merely the tip of an underlying societal problem across the globe.

Some of his supporters claimed during the election that they were voting for Trump because his main opponent was Hilary Clinton, and a woman would of course be far too hormonal to be the leader of the free world. For most, the sex of the candidates was likely not a reason in and of itself for their choice. However,

a passive sexism did make its presence felt in the run up to election night and its aftermath.

America is not the only country whose leaders are embracing a patriarchal backlash against the gains of the feminist movement. Recently, Russia’s parliament voted 380 – 3 in favour of decriminalising domestic violence, the victims of which are mostly women, in certain circumstances.

On the 21st of January, the international Women’s March took place all across the globe, and was attacked by many in the media. Some agreed with the message, but disagreed with the methods. British television personality Piers Morgan took to Twitter to decry the march as being infested with “rabid feminists”. The line of thought was clear: of course you should fight for your rights, but not like this. Do it in a polite, ladylike manner. Then we will listen.

Coinciding with the timing of this worldwide societal regression, Irish politicians have attempted to put one foot forward. Female TDs and Senators from across the political parties active in the country have come together to establish a women’s caucus.

Set up to examine the numerous issues facing women in today’s Ireland, the caucus contrasts with the governmental actions being taken across the Atlantic,

statistics body, Eurostat, the gender pay gap in Ireland stands at around 14.4%, lower than the EU average of 16.4%. The situation is much worse in America, with a gender pay gap of around 22%, and doesn’t look to improve while Trump is in power.

One potential cause of the gender pay gap here in Ireland is are the gender stereotypes attached to certain careers. Even in the educational system, certain careers are still presented as either male or female, with the female orientated jobs often paying less. Subjects are also often divided by gender, with engineering/technology for boys and home economics for girls. Educational reforms will need to be passed through the Dáil and the Seanad if the problem is to be tackled at its root.

Thankfully it appears doubtful that the Irish government will follow in the footsteps of the Russians in decriminalising domestic violence,

but the statistics on the issue are worrying. The Fundamental Rights Agency reported in 2014 that 14% of women in Ireland have experienced physical violence by a partner, 6% of Irish women have experienced sexual violence by a partner and 31% of women have experienced psychological violence by a partner. 12% of Irish respondents had experienced stalking. In turbulent times like these, a strong legislative response is needed here as an example to contrast the Russians.

Making up 22.3% of the Dáil, and 28.5% of the Seanad, the women’s caucus might just have the power to decide government legislation on the issues they examine, should they come to a debate in the Oireachtas. By standing together, our elected female representatives can accomplish much more in the face of the misogynistic ‘Trump Era’ than they ever could by sticking to party divisions.

“Trump’s supporters can accept that their President molests and insults women with impunity while simultaneously having the utmost respect for them”. such as cutting funding for reproductive healthcare providers in third-world countries.

The caucus is set to address issues such as maternity leave, the gender pay gap, and domestic violence. According to the European Union’s

The impact of medical websites In a world where trips to the GP are costly and free medical advice is available at the touch of a button, Orla Keaveney weighs in on whether online medical sites cause more harm than good.

So if, hoping to get off work, a person reads that their symptoms could range from “a mild head cold to the flu”, they are likely to accept the latter. Similarly, someone with a fear of unpleasant

“The problem arises when patients walk into their GP’s office parroting medical terminology they have read off their phones.”

WE have all heard the jokes before: “I checked my headache symptoms on WebMD and now I have cancer.” It is eye-roll inducing, but the fact remains that 90% of us consult medical websites when we are sick. With two in three online diagnoses proving to be inaccurate, do the dangers of these sites outweigh the benefits?

“Fake news” has seeped into the health industry – stories of bizarre diseases or unorthodox “miracle cures” spread faster than more conventional medical practices, even if they are exaggerated or completely untrue. Perhaps most infamously, the reports linking autism to certain vaccinations have proven to be highly inaccurate and unscientific. Still, many people have been scared off vaccines by these claims.

More recently, a British woman refused statefunded radiotherapy, claiming that her breast cancer could be cured by following a strict vegan diet.

Many doctors criticised the reporting of her story as they give false hope to desperate cancer victims who are terrified at the prospect of proven but painful cures like mastectomies or radiotherapy.

Some sites may also have a hidden agenda. For instance, a site sponsored by a drug company is far more likely to recommend pills than possibly more suitable alternatives. Blogs in particular are not to be trusted for medical advice, as one bad experience

can bias anyone irrationally against a treatment and foster suspicions of scientific findings.

Even when the medical facts are accurate, many people do not fully understand the exact implications of a condition, especially when the sites intended for other doctors use confusing jargon or terminology. Another factor that can affect our interpretation of information is a psychological

“The introduction of an evidence-based, jargonfree health information website by the Dutch College of General Practitioners led to a 12% decrease in consultations in the Netherlands within two years.” phenomenon known as ‘confirmation bias’ - when we are hoping for a particular outcome, we are subconsciously biased towards believing evidence that supports our expectations rather than contradicting them.

medical treatments like colonoscopies or vaccines will convince themselves that their condition is not serious enough to warrant such measures.

Even if you do decide to get a professional opinion as medical sites often recommend, the impact of the internet has impaired doctors’ judgement. For many GPs, the internet is an invaluable tool to stay on top of the latest treatments, and they increasingly consult reputable sites like the Mayo Clinic or the NHS Health A-Z in making decisions.

The problem arises when patients walk into their GPs office parroting medical terminology they have read off their phones. Other times, it damages the traditionally paternalistic doctor-patient relationship when the patient is insisting on treatments or tests that the doctor feels are unnecessary or harmful.

However, a better-informed public might not be a bad thing. Knowing what their doctors are talking about can give people the confidence to ask questions and deepen their understanding. And the prospect of surgery or other invasive treatments can seem far less daunting when you understand what is going on and why you need it (as long as all gory videos are avoided beforehand).

When done correctly, medical websites have the proven potential to relieve the strain on the health service. According to a study carried out by the British Medical Journal, the introduction of an evidence-based, jargon-free health information

website by the Dutch College of General Practitioners led to a 12% decrease in consultations in the Netherlands within two years.

A similar system could be brought in by the Irish health system, to alleviate the immense pressure on its services. But given the already stretched budget of the HSE, it is unlikely that a state-funded, reliable website will be available in the near future.

For now, there are a few things that can be done to get the most out of medical websites without jeopardising your health.

It is important to look at a few different resources, not just the one that pops up first when you Google “blocked nose” or “stomach cramps”. It can be hard to find the most credible sites but by shopping around, you are less likely to be convinced by unreliable ones.

“When we are hoping for a particular outcome, we are subconsciously biased towards believing evidence that supports our expectations rather than contradicting them.”

If, after scouring the internet and covering yourself in home remedies, a visit to the GP is still in order, it is then important to explain what the basis for the self-diagnosis was. Do not be offended if the doctor disregards the findings – online medical advice can never compare with that of a doctor.

While the internet’s role in medical practice has multiple negative consequences, it has the potential to make healthcare more efficient. The key is to make the accurate, science-based information more accessible to the general public, and to reinforce faith in the knowledge of doctors over any website.

february 14th 2017 5

Comment In Defence of Identity Politics Critics from all sides take issue with identity politics. Niamh O’Regan argues that we need identity politics in these trying times.

IDENTITY politics is a form of politics that reflects and vocalises the concerns of a particular group of people, whose concerns reflect issues relating to a specific part of their identity. Certain identity politics shaped the original political cleavages; church-state, rural-urban, capitalistsocialist.

In 2017 however, identity politics is now widely associated with more personal or indeed innate identifying traits. This is very often found in terms of minority races and marginalised groups, those not represented by the dominant groups. No longer the working class, there is the working class divided by ethnic or racial groupings, women are grouped racially and by class and so on and so forth; every layer of identity adds a dimension.

It is not unreasonable to believe that without a

“True enactment of identity politics is not just making noise and raising issues. Instead it involves actually improving and creating social and political structures.” surge in identity politics in the 1960s and 1970s, civil rights across the Western world would not be what they are today and the road to semblance of equality would be much further away.

Identity politics, as it is understood by many, is directed at helping bring everyone to as much the same level as possible. Not the fight of one identity over others for one to be the ultimate and to be the best. Its most crucial importance is raising particular issues of discrimination or inequality felt by particular groups in society, which would not ordinarily be addressed by a political party.

Therefore true enactment of identity politics is not just making noise and raising issues. Instead it involves actually improving and creating social and political structures. It can make society more homogenous, less divided and more equal.

While it is not a new concept, how we are exposed to it has become a lot broader than it was in the past. Yet, the idea of fighting for rights specifically associated with you as a person is not novel.

Societies are growing, as is globalisation. The various types of people diversify and are due representation and protection under law like any other residents. Often this protection, not being recognised as needed by the already protected, needs to be demanded and so it is. It is sometimes met with a backlash, leading to the rise of the ugly side of identity politics, with hyper nationalism and supremacism occurring. Even within a nation it can have a tendency to pigeonhole people, and it doesn’t always lend itself to intersectionality. It can also entrench divisions and create divisions within divisions.

In the case of the widely discussed US election, white working class America voted as a group, in favour of a way which they felt would protect them and their identity. Similar to other identity politics groups, a segment of society felt as though the system was forgetting about them and their needs, they campaigned and voted accordingly.

Unfortunately it served to disadvantage several other groups.

There are several issues with identity politics at the moment, primarily piggybacking and regression. Normally a political party is not based around politics of an exact identity, considering how that would limit a voter base substantially.

However, other identity groups are directly targeted in order to expand a voter base, a party that will remember you as well as their traditional general economic and social supporters. This has been a prominent issue in the US especially when it comes to race groups; people speak of the black vote, the women’s vote, the Hispanic vote and so on.

The second main issue is the regressive backlash to it. Identity politics has been added

need to have their identity represented. They don’t see a programme for them, they want rights too, not always fully understanding they already have the rights or the rights don’t apply to them.

It’s very easy to dismiss a system you don’t see yourself as part of, and to criticise it when the benefits to you don’t seem obvious, or indeed aren’t there. More regressive than that, it can create an attitude amongst some that there are identities that are more important than others.

Far right ultra-nationalism is very much identity

politics. An “anti-immigrant, only us” stance is a rather brazen form of identity politics. It is only beneficial to a very select small group of people, and can be by deliberately inhibiting others.

The growth of this very divisive form of identity politics is highly regressive and does not truly benefit anyone in the long term. If this is the dominant trajectory for identity politics then it deserves all the criticism it can get. One can only hope that this is not the case, so that the real nature of identity politics can shine through.

“Without a surge in identity politics in the 1960’s and 1970’s, civil rights across the Western world would not be what they are today.” to the group of things classed as “political correctness gone mad”, and that it doesn’t address “real issues”. However it also comes to the fore when those in the dominant group then feel they

Consent: No More Blurred Lines Helen Brady discusses how the long awaited Sexual Offences Bill will bring some much needed clarity to sexual consent law.

IN 2015, Niamh Ní Dhomhnaill, an Irish woman who was repeatedly raped by her boyfriend while she slept, bravely chose to waive her right to anonymity when she brought her case to court. She wanted to challenge the lax attitude that has prevailed towards sexual assault. Something that is clearly displayed by the leniency of the suspended seven-year sentence handed down to her rapist.

On 1st of February, the Sexual Offences Bill introduced by Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald was presented at the report stage in the Dáil. This bill seeks to give a statutory definition of sexual consent in Irish legislation, and to clarify those situations where consent cannot be given, including when someone is asleep or too intoxicated to consent.

Noeline Blackwell, CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, this month stated that this bill is “most important” in helping to “start a journey to identify in black and white what consent looks like”.

It has come as a surprise to many that this legislation was not already in existence. The Law Reform Commission made recommendations that sexual consent should be statutorily defined as far back as

6 february 14th 2017

the 1980s. Our neighbours in England and Wales have long had statutory definitions of sexual consent, while in the US the definition can vary from state to state.

Until now, the situation in Ireland is that consent has been defined in case law rather than legislation, with judges having some discretion from case to case to decide what exactly constitutes consent. This can

“It was recently reported that 21% of Irish respondents to a survey of over 1,000 people think having sex without consent is acceptable.” lead to inconsistency and uncertainty for juries who can tend to fall back on myths about consent perpetuated by rape culture – that the victim’s outfit was partially to blame for the attack, for example, or that

not fighting back is the same as giving consent.

Juries are much more likely to adhere to a clear definition laid out in legislation, than to rely on past judgements. This move will likely aid a number of cases that otherwise would have been dismissed.

The recent high-profile case at Stanford University in America surrounding the rape of an unconscious woman by Brock Turner draws parallels with Ní Dhomhnaill’s case as mentioned above. Both victims were unconscious, both attackers were described in court as co-operative first-time offenders, young men figuring out their sexuality, and both attackers were handed lenient sentences for their crimes. Turner was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment despite his three charges of felony sexual assault carrying a potential sentence of fourteen years’ incarceration.

The sorry fact of the matter is that the majority of sexual assaults are never reported to the authorities, but could this new legislation help to change that? It seems likely, as for many, the main barrier to reporting is the uncertainty over whether the action qualified as a crime.

This new legislation clarifies that consent cannot be given in a number of different cases. This includes; where someone is mistaken as to the identity of the person involved or the nature of the sexual act, is being unlawfully detained, is unable to communicate due to physical disability, or when consent has been offered on someone’s behalf by a third party, as well as the aforementioned circumstances of when someone is asleep or heavily intoxicated.

It seems such legislation could not come soon enough as it was recently reported that 21% of Irish respondents to a survey of over 1,000 people think having sex without consent is acceptable. The same poll, carried out by Eurobarometer, also found that 11% of Irish people think being drunk or on drugs

justifies sex without consent.

Our out-dated and vague legislation is likely a cause of such lax attitudes. Indeed, our legislation needs to be updated to act as example for the general public. These figures reflect a huge misunderstand in the meaning of consent. Hopefully, a clearer definition will open people’s eyes that having a laid-back attitude to such a serious topic is dangerous.

“This bill seeks to give a statutory definition of sexual consent in Irish legislation, and to clarify those situations where consent cannot be given...”

In Ireland, the conviction rate for all those charged with rape in 2013 was a staggeringly low 19%, while the DRCC has stated that the rate of reporting sexual violence may be as low as 8%. This can be explained by the victims’ fears of not being believed, of being blamed for what happened to them, or of being treated insensitively by the Gardaí, the media and the court system.

A hot topic on university campuses, with consent campaigns being run by Students’ Unions around the country, consent can still seem like a grey area despite rising awareness. Must consent consist of an explicit “yes, I want to have sex with you”? Should we avoid altogether having sex when alcohol has been consumed? Indeed, a lot of situations are not clear cut. The clarity being given by this legislation will hopefully help people to gauge situations more easily.

Comment Why do we engage with US politics more than our own?

Last year, US politics monopolised the international news cycle, but this is not a new trend. Ause Abdelhaq discusses our fixation.

ON February 2nd hundreds gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Ballsbridge to protest Donald Trump’s travel ban on nationals of seven Muslimmajority countries. The dissent was palpable and, in the context of Irish political opinion, somewhat surprising.

In Ireland, we like to complain about politics, politicians, and even political discussion. But we never actually do anything about it. We are a passive political people, content to allow our representatives paddle around in the Dáil, determining our fortunes, so long as they don’t do anything too extreme.

Our party system is a thinly-veiled sham; the reality is that most people probably don’t know the policy differences between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, or who currently leads Labour, or what in God’s name Renua actually is. Control of the Dáil transfers back-and-forth between two political dynasties in an almost farcical matter, consistently proving the point that no matter what you do as

“In a way, we were all daring Trump to win, merely because we wanted a second season of the Politics Show, a cacophony of outrageous opinions where the cynical comedian can thrive.” a politician in Ireland, people will forget about it within a decade.

As far as this country is concerned, politics is nothing more than a machine, working away diligently in the background, always adequate but never truly satisfying. There are moments that catch our attention: the huge push for marriage equality two years ago, or the clash against water charges. However, generally, we are happy living in a populist utopia where the will of the people eventually comes to rule.

Taking into account this complete lack of interest at home, why did we concern ourselves with the politics happening abroad? Why did we care enough to march in our hundreds and our thousands against Donald Trump when we so regularly cannot muster

“In the year before the election, we learned about political lobbying, Supreme Court eligibility, the Electoral College and even the size of the Donald’s hands.” the interest to notice what happens on our doorsteps?

In the run-up to the US Election there wasn’t a person in the country who couldn’t tell you something about Trump and his war with Clinton. We learned about political lobbying, Supreme Court eligibility, the Electoral College and even the size of The Donald’s hands. Our interest in American politics surged, while our interest in Irish politics remained as passive as ever.

There are multiple reasons why this happened.

Primarily, the effect which the American war on Iraq has had (see: ISIS), or the global impact of the 2008 US financial crisis. There’s a lot more at stake with US elections.

However, the mass interest doesn’t just extend to life-altering decisions. In fact, plenty of people who were at the protests against Trump would similarly protest against the defunding of Planned Parenthood, systemic racism, or the selection of Betsy De Vos as Education Secretary. In terms of domestic policy, our concern is much higher for the United States than for Ireland.

Ideologies are hard to come by in Ireland. The political will of our parties tends to move with the political will of the people. Our policies are population-driven rather than party-driven. Go back thirty

The White House, Washington DC years and tell Dr Garret Fitzgerald that in 2015, Fine Gael would argue vehemently for the right to marriage equality – he wouldn’t believe you.

In the context of the Catholic state that existed back then, the concept would have been political suicide. Nevertheless, as soon as the majority of the population demanded it the party changed its tune.

The advantage of having a population-driven political philosophy is clear: it allows us to move forward without much conflict. However, it breeds passiveness. Very few people actually pay attention to what happens in the Dáil – to the point where it could be almost empty during a debate and few notice (side note: this has actually happened).

American politics is the opposite: the political will of the people is determined by what their ideology espouses. Should Paul Ryan defund NASA, citing “fake science”, there would be hordes of Republican commentators agreeing with a scary level of enthusiasm – just look at what happened with the EPA.

As such, similar to viewing television shows like Big Brother, we watch because we want to see the tipping point; the moment where the ridiculousness finally becomes apparent to the people it affects, and they rebel. In a way, we were all daring Trump to win, merely because we wanted a second season of The Politics Show, a cacophony of outrageous opinions where the cynical comedian can thrive.

Harsh as it may seem, the U.S. Election was an entertaining broadcast, a Hunger Games-type battle where the only real loser was humanity. And so, it continues; consider the newfound interest in French and Dutch politics.

Politics is quickly becoming sensationalist; the issues which are at play and the lives which will be affected are merely pawns in the game, and there’s no bigger chessboard than the United States. The higher the stakes, the bigger the risk, the more attractive the show. It is hard to see how the monotonous world of Irish politics can then compete in comparison.

Let’s Talk About Intersex Christopher Seeley looks at the different moves being made across the globe tackling the stigma around being intersex.

“Right now, it appears that the ‘I’ in LGBTQIA is often ignored, but it looks like that is changing, both in Ireland and abroad.”

“Certainly this issue is one that is not just confined to foreign shores.

Crumlin Children’s Hospital sees two or three new cases of intersex infants each year.”

Openly intersex model, Hanne Gaby Odiele INTERSEX is a term that most people have either never heard or understand very little about. Now, consider that according to the UN up to 1.7% of the world’s population may be born with intersex traits. That’s similar to the number of people in the world born with red hair. So why is this subject so rarely discussed?

Intersex is a general term that encompasses a range of conditions where a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the typical definitions of solely male or female. There are thought to be at least 40 intersex variations that range from genetic, chromosomal, anatomic and hormonal. It most commonly involves being born

with both ovarian and testicular tissue.

While the last decade can be celebrated for its progressive nature in the rise to prominence of queer rights, it is arguable that intersex rights, and by extension those who are intersex, have been left behind. Intersex issues remain widely unknown, misunderstood or uncared about even in progressive or queer communities, never mind in wider society.

However, over the past year some positive strides have been made to effect change on a global level.

Two notable events have paved the way for a future where those who are intersex are not discriminated against, and where they are understood.

The first of those is the tale of Sara Kelly Keenan. At 48 years old, she finally unlocked the clue to the mystery that had shrouded her life up until then. She was intersex. It was mostly thanks to the internet that she realised this, but an appointment with an endocrinologist (doctors who specialise on matters of the glands) confirmed that she was born genetically male with female genitalia and a mixed reproductive anatomy.

Sara’s story is shocking mainly in the fact that she had lived her life for nearly fifty years without knowing the truth about her body. It is a bewildering concept to attempt to come to terms with. It is just in recent weeks however that Sara, now 55, has become the first person in the United States to obtain a birth certificate that officially recognizes her gender as ‘intersex’. For an issue that is scarcely discussed, this can be seen as one of the first, crucial steps for proper worldwide recognition of the issue.

The second key turn came thanks to model Hanne Gaby Odiele. Odiele went on the record revealing she is intersex last month. She stated she did so in an effort to reduce stigma and encourage others to do the same. She hopes to use her platform to speak out against surgeries performed on intersex infants.

The role of celebrities in bravely coming out as gay or lesbian should not be diminished in terms of how that helped its normalization in wider society.

Hopefully the same will come in terms of the advancement of intersex rights.

Certainly this issue is one that is not just confined to foreign shores. It is equally relevant to the lives of Irish citizens. Crumlin Children’s Hospital, for example, sees two or three new cases of intersex infants each year.

Indeed Ireland has been praised for the progressive policies we implemented in recent years, such as legalising same-sex marriage. Yet in relation to intersex rights, Ireland should certainly make it a priority to up our game. In July 2015, Ireland was the final European Union Member State to enact legal gender recognition. Whilst the act is progressive in some forms, it has been criticized for failing intersex persons and those who do not fall within traditional gender binaries.

The legislation may have been intended to cover intersex people, but the lack of express reference to intersex within the act may put up barriers. Thus legal acknowledgement remained out of reach for many intersex applicants and those who identify as non-binary.

There is some hope however. Amnesty International Ireland actively campaigns for Intersex rights in Ireland, and takes part in and promotes Intersex Awareness day on the 26th October every year. There have been further worldwide advancements too, Malta outlawed surgeries based on social grounds on intersex children in 2015.

Moreover, the United Nations Committee against Torture and Committee on Children’s Rights issued recommendations to several countries to stop medically unnecessary surgical interventions on intersex children.

Right now, it appears that the ‘I’ in LGBTQIA is often ignored, but it looks like that is changing, both in Ireland and abroad. With movements and campaigns taking place, it appears that it is finally getting the recognition it deserves, and hopefully those born intersex in the future will be born into a world that recognizes and understands their gender, and affords parity of esteem from birth. Let’s make sure we don’t forget the ‘I’.

february 14th 2017 7

Business

The Irish Craft Beer Bubble Ciaran Busby examines the budding craft alcohol industry and asks whether it’s facing into turbulent times.

WALK into any bar or off–license today, and you will find yourself being treated to a plethora of gins, craft beers, and bespoke cocktails. With over 30 craft distilleries and 62 production micro-breweries operating in Ireland with numerous brands each, the question must be asked, will the craft industry’s bubble burst?

A representative of Foley’s Bar on Merrion Row speaking to the Observer explained that: “the growth we noticed in gin, craft beer, and cocktail sales from 2015-2016 was remarkable. However, in recent months, including the Christmas period, cocktails and craft beers have seen a decline in sales, the same can be said for premium sales but to a lesser extent.”

As of 2015, gin was worth €75 million to the Irish drinks industry. Brands such as Hendrick’s,

“Back in 1996, North American craft breweries, after seeing growth rates of anywhere from 25% to 75% per annum, saw a rapid decline in both sales and output for six years.”

Brockmans, and the Irish distilled Dingle Gil, lead the premium market. This left less room for craft distilleries to gain appropriate market share. In contrast, Irish brewed craft beer was worth around €40 million in 2015 and has a projected revenue of €59 million in 2016, with similar market share concerns.

Between the years of 2012 to 2015, the craft beer industry boomed in Ireland. Consumers drank 197,000 hectolitres of homebrewed stouts, ales

and ciders in 2016. Beers with ever stronger alcohol content, distinct flavours, and aromas pierced the general population’s taste buds as an alternative to larger companies’ “average” beers. This includes beers from organisations such as Diageo, C&C, and Heineken. These companies, however, have jumped in with new brands to combat the competition such as Guinness’s Hop House 13 lager as well as their range of craft porters.

As of November last year, there were 16 whiskey distilleries in Ireland, and a further 13 under construction. Many of these distilleries are currently operational but have not yet aged their whiskeys. As said by John Teeling, the owner of the Cooley Distillery in Dundalk, there are plenty of downsides to opening distilleries in Ireland.

For an Irish whiskey to be considered exactly that, it must be contained and aged in barrels for a minimum of three years. This time leaves it considerably difficult for start-up businesses to break-even and even longer to gain a share in the market, when they face increased competition in the whiskey market annually.

On top of all this, a resurgence of cocktails has exploded onto the metropolitan scene. Many bars and restaurants offer unique signature cocktails as

“As of November last year, there were 16 whiskey distilleries in Ireland, and a further 13 under construction.”

“This time leaves it considerably difficult for startup businesses to break-even.” well as the standard classics. What started out as bars trying to differentiate themselves from their competition with these drinks, has now evolved into having a cocktail menu as a necessity to be a successful business.

Many people have already got a poison of their

choice, so once they’ve sampled all of these drinks, they will most likely return to the standard pint or glass of wine -- a trend also noted by Foley’s Bar. To consider this phenomenon, examining a comparable instance can provide some insight.

Back in 1996, North American craft breweries, after seeing growth rates of anywhere from 25% to 75% per annum, saw a rapid decline in both sales and output for six years. A slowdown such as this has been attributed to copious young brewers trying to gain a quick buck off the backs of established micro-breweries.

Currently in Ireland, we’re witnessing similar growth rates and trends in the drinking patterns of the population, alongside new entrants flooding the market with heady beers, Irish whiskeys and juniper liquids of various botanicals.

Therefore with an exponentially growing output of beer, and a lessening gap in the market for new

entrants, will we observe a crash to these growth figures like those witnessed by many brewers in the U.S. during the mid-1990s? With a current market and development so similar to that which the U.S. has already seen, it’s likely more a case of predicting when this crash will happen.

Opportunities For Graduates Brían Donnelly considers the post-university options for final year students While graduates of any discipline are able to apply for the consultancy programme, STEM-centred degrees are necessary to apply for the analytics and technologies programmes. Ronan, a UCD Economics graduate and self-taught programmer quoted on Accenture’s website wrote: “since joining, I have worked on the technical architecture team of a Major Public Service client, enabling me to utilise both my degree and programming skills.”

For graduates who are torn between travelling and searching for a job, blended whiskey distill-

“For graduates who are torn between travelling and searching for a job, blended whiskey distillers, Jameson, offer a threeyear-long Graduate Brand Ambassador programme.”

FOR many final year undergraduates, having settled back into the second semester, the prospect of being well and truly done with collegiate life is likely thrilling and daunting in varying measures. However, the question remains as to what to do having dispensed with several years of ferrying one’s self between nightclubs, lecture halls, and the library.

Many consider travelling, or applying for a postgraduate course. However many others spend days pouring over innumerable application forms for the various graduate contracts offered by some companies such as Accenture, Jameson, PwC, and Arthur Cox. Enterprise Ireland also offers a similar programme.

PwC is the largest professional services firm in Ireland, employing over 3,300 people. The company offers graduate roles in tax, assurance, risk assurance solutions and advisory positions. It also gives graduates the opportunity to work with businesses of all types, from start-ups to large manufac-

8 february 14th 2017

turers and more.

Among the benefits offered by the firm are paid study leave and exam support, global secondment (temporary international transfer), yearly salary increases, and continuous coaching.

UCD Business and Law graduate Cian O’Sullivan is quoted in the programme brochure having said “there’s a long list of reasons why I chose the graduate programme with PwC: interesting people, great support and study leave, an unbelievable office, the social scene and the range of career options were just a few that made the decision to apply here an easy one.”

Business consultancy and technology firm Accenture offers year-long contracts in consulting, analytics, and technology. Operating in over 200 cities and 120 countries, Accenture’s programmes may be the first step towards an internationallyfocused career. The firm offers support for professional qualifications, private health insurance, and two days paid leave for charity work.

ers Jameson offer a three-year-long Graduate Brand Ambassador programme. Successful applicants develop the Jameson brand around the world in distinctly different locations from France to Japan, and from Vietnam to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Finian Sedgwick, a Commerce and Chinese graduate, spent a year in Saigon, Vietnam, learning the language while working for Jameson, before being transferred to Tokyo, and subsequently Shanghai, China. Praising the programme, he said that “being able to utilise all [his] skills, from sales marketing across to event planning and [sic] language has been absolutely amazing.”

Arthur Cox is one of Ireland’s leading commercial law firms, with offices in Dublin and Belfast, as well as London, New York, and Silicon Valley.

Employing 300 lawyers and a total of 700 staff worldwide, Arthur Cox is regarded as a prestigious employer among law graduates.

The firm’s Trainee Development Programme provides graduates with a chance to work in areas of

corporate law, finance, litigation, and property, as well as the opportunity for a rotation in the firm’s London offices.

Fran Moran, a graduate of Business and Law from UCD and trainee in employment law, is quoted on the company’s website as saying: “despite being relatively new to the firm, I was involved in top-class transactions, matters and cases, some of which have featured prominently in the very public Irish business world… I was also heavily involved in the research of specific areas of employment law in order to ascertain the most suitable way to proceed in a particular case.”

Enterprise Ireland offers two graduate programmes centred on business development; one based in Ireland, and an international programme for those who want to work abroad and support Irish businesses in foreign markets. Both programmes are two years long.

EI’s national programme is focused on building relationships with Irish businesses, and supporting clients develop their businesses at all stages, while

“Resources such as GradIreland.com and the UCD Careers Development Centre, and their website, are worthwhile when weighing up options.” the international programme allows graduates to assume a role in sales & marketing, connecting foreign markets with Irish producers.

Both programmes provide graduates with an understanding of business models, market research, project management, and organisational development.

Resources such as GradIreland.com and the UCD Careers Development Centre, and their website, are worthwhile when weighing up options. The CDC maintains an up-to-date and searchable list of programmes available to final year students, as well as opportunities for students of all years.

gaeilge

i bhfÁbhar aN ilshaiNchreidmheachas Le linn na díospóireachta ar fad faoi ról na hEaglaise in san oideachas feictear ar buntáistí an ilshaincreidmheachas ssan oideachas. niamh o’regan eagarthóir gaeilge TÁ mórán díospóireachta faoi láthair i dtaobh an ról atá ag an eaglais i gcúrsaí scoile agus i gcúrsaí oideachais agus ceangailte le seo tá an díospóireacht ar an ábhar ar cheart an creideamh a bheith mar chuid den curaclam scoile.

Bunaíodh mórán de hinstitiúidí oideachais na tíre seo faoi cheannas na hEaglaise Caitliceach agus Protastúnach, is trí mná rialta, sagairt agus manaigh a tháinig an oideachas comh maith le múinteoirí ón stát. Is ar talamh na hEaglaise don chuid is mó a thógadh na scoileanna seo i dtús báire bhí aidhm acu éiteas creidmheach a mhúineadh. Le blianta beaga anuas, le scannail na heaglaise agus athrú i gcomhdhéanamh an tsochaí, tá gluaiseacht ann i bhfábhar an nasc idir an Eaglais agus an oideachas a bhriseadh, comh maith le aon blúire den chreideamh in aonchor. Tá an argóint ann nár cheart go mbeadh an creideamh brúite anuas ar dhaoine, ba cheart go mbeadh an cinneadh ag an duine iad féin, scéil ná go bhfuil tábhacht ar leith bainteach leis eolas ar creidimh, go háirithe i sochaí ina bhfuil éagsúlacht mhór creidimh ann.

Is é atá i gceist leis an ilshainchreidmheachas ná an oideachas a thabhairt ar mórán creideamh, na sé creidimh is mó ach go háirithe, agus gan tús áite a thabhairt do aon ceann dóibh. Caithfear cuimhnigh nach í an rud céanna reiligiún a bheith ar an curaclam scoile agus an siollabas céad comaoineach a mhúineadh nó an rogha go mbeadh an oideachas neamh shainchreideamhach. Tá a leithéid de rud ann agus an ilshainchreideamhachas. Is é seo an éiteas a cuirtear i bhfeidhm in sna scoileanna “Oideachas le Chéile”. I gcuid mór dóibh, múintear faoi creidimh éagsúla ag amanna den bhliain go bhfuil tábhacht ar leith bainteach leis an chreideamh sin; an Críostaíochas san Earrach, aimsir na cásca, Hiondúchas le linn

an Fhómhair Diwali, an Ioslam thart ar Ramadan agus mar sin de I roinnt ceantair bíonn na daltaí den chomhdhéanamh seo agus bíonn tuismitheoirí daltaí sásta labhairt faoina gcreideamh. Ní hamháin go múintear faoi na mór chreidimh, ach na neamh chreideamh comh maith, Aindiachas, Agnóiseachas agus a leithéid. I ngach aon cás bíonn

“Bíonn atmaisféar níos tacaithe do pháistí ó ngach aon creidimh ann agus is cosúil go bhfuil meas múinte dóibh”

B’fhéidir go bhfuil laghdú i líon na ndaoine go bhfuil creideamh á chleachtadh acu, agus b’fhéidir nach bhfuil ról comh lárnach sin i saoil an sochaí ina iomláine, ach ní hea sin le rá nach bhfuil tábhacht ag baint leis agus ní haon eisceacht é an aineolas, go háirithe nuair atá bealach soiléir ann é a leighis.

Is ábhar scrúdaithe é an reiligiúin ag leibhéal na hArdteiste agus leibhéal an Teastas Sóisearach, ach ní múintear é i ngach scoil agus ní ábhar éigeantach é. Sa bhunscoil áfach, áit a thosnaítear ar cruthú claontaí agus bun-tuiscintí an domhain, is ríthábhachtach go mbeadh eolas ar dhaoine, ar laghad an beagáinín ar chreidimh an domhain.

Go háirithe nuair a éiríonn an domhan níos lú,

bíonn deis níos mó go dtiocfadh daoine trasna ar creidimh éagsúla. Tá sé tábhachtach go mbeadh daoine nochta do saol difriúil óna saoil féin ó aois óg béim a leagadh ar thábhacht na difríochtaí ní bhíonn mhíthuiscint ann faoi cad a dhéanann daoine ina gcreidimh agus fiú conas mar a fheiceann siad. Tuigtear leo go mbíonn an bunús céanna le mórán creidimh agus moltar do na daltaí ceisteanna a chur.

Bíonn gá i gcónaí go mbeadh meas ar dhaoine ar a chéile agus is féidir an meas sin a chothú trí oideachas a leathnú agus eolas a scaipeadh. Le staid an domhain mar atá sé tá an gá de mheas ag éirí níos tábhachtaí fós agus caithfimid bogadh sa treo ceart.

atmaisféar níos tacaithe do pháistí ó ngach aon creidimh ann agus is cosúil go bhfuil meas múinte dóibh. Tá tábhacht ag baint le tuiscint a bheith ag daoine ar éagsúlacht creidimh, tuiscint ar cad as a tagann traidisiúnta agus nósanna ar leith.

Do mhórán de mhuintir na tíre seo, nach bhfuil cónaí orthu i gceantair uirbeach nó in áiteanna nach bhfuil mórán de éagsúlacht chreidimh, agus mar thoradh ar sin, is é an taon oideachas a mbíonn ag daoine ar na creidimh éagsúla ná pé rud a deirtear fúthu ar an nuacht, nó an slí a léirítear iad sna meáin. Is de thoradh ar an nós seo go dtagann an nós go bhfuil locht agus dainséar bainteach leis an Ioslam. Nuair a nach bhfuil aon eolas eile curtha ar fáil ní haon ionadh go mbíonn daoine aineolach.

Molaimid an oideachas as tuiscint níos leithne a thabhairt dúinn agus feabhas a chur ar ár gcuid eolas polaitíochta, comh maith le bheith mar uirlis de shoghluaiseacht shóisialta, ach conas go féidir le seo tarlú muna cuirtear oideachas ar dhaoine i ceann de na ábhar is bunúsaí do mhórán daoine.

brÚ Na hiNtÉirNeachta Is mórán iarratais intéirneachta a líontar an am seo den bhliain, ach an fiú a brú ar fad atá bainteach leo? peadar Flood

IS minic a deirtear sna meáin cumarsáide go bhfuil ganntanas céimithe infhostaithe sa lá atá inniu ann. Ciallaíonn sé sin nach leor céim den chead scoth a bhaint amach chun post a fháil.

Tá fostaitheoirí i go leor tionscail ag tnúth go mbeadh intéirneacht déanta agat le linn blianta na hollscoile. Ach cé chomh easca is atá sé ceann a fháil, agus cén sort fadhbanna a cruthaítear dá bharr?

I dtosach báire, caithfear a thuiscint gurb é seo an chead iarratas ar phost riamh do neart daltai agus tá a fhios againn go léir cé chomh

strusmhar agus tuirsiúil a bhi an taithí sin dúinn.

Uaireanta, má tá an t-ádh leat, eagraíonn an ollscoil intéirneacht duit ach de gnáth, bionn ort ceann a aimsiú as do stuaim féin. Gan amhras, tá buntáistí ag baint leis an próiseas iarratais. Tá scileanna pearsanta agus proifisiúnta le foghlaim a bheidh úsáideach duit sna blianta beaga atá amach romhat. Pé scéal e, ní féidir a shéanadh go gcuireann sé a lán brú ar daltai agus iad ag streachailt leis an ollscoil ag an am céanna. Is cuimhin le mórán uair an chloig tar éis uair an chloig a chaith siad ag cur snas ar a CV agus

ag athrú an litir mhínithe ionas go mbeadh tóir ag fostóirí orthu. Ní annamh áfach, in ainneoin na hiarrachtaí ar fad, go ndiúltaítear dóibh naoi iarratas sular faightear inteirneacht i gcomhlacht ar leith gur b’fhearr leo.

Smaoiníonn daltaí dóibh féin; “d’fhreastal mé ar an ollscoil, d’eirigh liom gráid den chéad scoth a bhaint amach agus rinne mé mo seacht ndícheall páirt a glacadh i gníomhaíochtaí seach-churaclaim. Tá na rudaí ceart ar fad déanta agam.” Pé scéal e, ní hionann sin is a rá go raibh post tuilte, ach ceapfar go mb’fhéidir go mbeadh

“Tá caifé le déanamh a sclábhaí, brostaigí ort!”

deis níos fearr ann. “Ni dóigh linn go bhfuil tú feiliúnach mar gheall ar an easpa taithí oibre atá agat” arsa na h-agallóirí agus iad ag tabhairt an aiseolas. Nach aisteach an rud e go bhfuil taithí

“Níos minice ná a mhalairt, obair leamh gan bhuíochas atá i gceist - bígí réidh do chuid ama a chaitheamh in aice leis an printéir.” oibre ag taisteal chun post a fháil cé go bhfuil post ag taisteal chun taithí oibre a aimsiú? Dar ndoigh, is féidir leat an sáinn seo a sheachaint má tá aithne agat ar duine éigin tábhachtach sa chomhlacht. Faraor gear, feictear domsa go bhfuil finíochas agus éilíteachas fós beo bríomhar i dtionscail airithe.

Ag deireadh an lae áfach, cad a tharlaíonn má fhaigheann tú inteirneacht tar éis an lámh in uachtar a fháil ar an bpróiséas iarratas? Tá go leor daoine den tuairim go bhfuil an cosúlacht idir post an intéirneach agus siúd a dheanann Mike Ross ar an gclár teilifíse “Suits”. I ndairíre, beidh tú i do Hodor ó “Game of Thrones”, ag iompar rudaí ar fud na háite agus ag coimeád na dorais ar oscailt gan focal a rá le duine ar bith. Tá caifé le déanamh a sclábhaí, brostaigí ort! Níos minice ná a mhalairt, obair leamh gan bhuíochas atá i gceist - bígí réidh do chuid ama a chaitheamh in aice leis an printéir.

Mar bharr ar an donas, obair gan pá atá i gceist don chuid is mó den am. Dar leis na comhlachtaí, ní gá tuarastal de chineál éigin a thabhairt duit mar tá tú ag foghlaim ar an bpost agus ag fáil poiblíocht iontach duit féin. Agus ná déan dearmad é a chur ar do CV! Déanta na fírinne, níl ann ach céim aistir. Cabhraíonn intéirneacht leat ar an tslí chuig pé gairm atá roghnaithe agat agus is fiú glac leis an bpian ar feadh tréimhse gearr, chun

february 14th 2017 9

features The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Lisa Herden looks at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the controversy surrounding it and the need to engage with sources critically. published in the New York Times, Mr. Abdurrahman relies on a network of more than two hundred activists, reporting to four informers in Syria, who pass on this information to him.

Enquiries to Mr. Abdurrahman as to whether these figures are still correct, have remained unanswered by the time this issue went to print, just as the request for a statement regarding the criticisms that

“The problem here is that some people see themselves as bloggers or activists first and journalists second”

Destroyed mosque in Azaz, Syria ‘FAKE news’ and ‘post-truth’ are the buzzwords of today. In fact, ‘post-truth’ was declared word-ofthe-year 2016 by the Oxford Dictionary. Gone are the times when only established newspapers and broadcasters were the sole source of information.

Scrolling through your Facebook feed you are figuratively flooded by news stories from a variety of media outlets: the housing crisis in Ireland, Trump’s first weeks in office and the ongoing war in Syria.

Particularly in the case of the war in Syria, which has since its beginning in 2011 become an increasingly complex conflict, obtaining information has become more and more difficult.

One of the sources that media refer to when reporting on the conflict is the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which was founded in 2006 by Mr. Rami Abdurrahman, a Syrian now

living in the UK. According to the description on the organisation’s website, they “are a group of people who believe in Human Rights, from inside and outside the country, documenting the Human Rights situation in Syria”, stating twice that the organisation

“Particularly in the case of the war in Syria … obtaining information has become more and more difficult.” “is not associated or linked to any political body”.

Many established organisations quote its figures.

Among these are Human Rights Watch and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. According to an article by Neil MacFarquhar,

he and his organisation have faced in the past.

Confronted with the reliability of the numbers he publishes, Mr. Abdurrahman is quoted in the New York Times article saying “I make sure nothing is published before crosschecking with reliable sources to ensure that it is confirmed”, but also admitting that “nobody knows the entire reality”. The fact that Mr. Abdurrahman is operating from the UK and does not report from Syria directly himself has been judged negatively. Most prominently, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich challenged the organisation’s reliability. In an article published on the website of The Centre for Research on Globalization in December 2016, author Stephen Lendman went even further, describing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as an “illegitimate UK-based, Western supported … one-man operation putting out daily fake news reports”.

Dr. Vincent Durac is assistant professor and lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at UCD and his field of expertise includes Middle East politics. In his evaluation of such criticism, he says that “the attempt to identify who is doing what and why ... provokes very strong responses based on positions regarding the overarching conflict”.

The situation of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is not unique. Prof. Kalpana Shankar of the School of Information and Communication Studies at UCD highlights the involvement of activists, “often called ‘citizen journalists” in other conflicts. “The problem here is that some people see themselves as bloggers or activists first and journalists second which raises a lot of concerns about ethics”.

Although the Syrian conflict has been covered by independent journalists in Syria directly, “very few people are willing to do that, especially with the spate of kidnappings and executions”, Dr. Durac says. He points out the differences in comparison to earlier conflicts, which “were at least characterized notionally by the shared belief amongst warring parties that journalists were not combatants. And increasingly what we see in modern conflicts, in the Middle East but also elsewhere, is the disappearance of that consensus that journalists should be allowed to do their jobs”.

How are we then to deal with information that is put forward by organisations such as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights if not many other sources of information are available? Prof.

Shankar and Dr. Durac both see the best strategy in triangulation. Dr. Durac explains what this means: “You basically try as hard as you can not to rely on a single source for your information.”

At the same time, he points to the problems this entails. “Sometimes, it’s not that easy to see whether or not you’ve got two independent sources verifying the same claim … or whether one is without acknowledging it rehashing something earlier”.

This strategy does not only concern information published by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights or another organisation in any comparable conflict. In fact, it is applicable to all aspects of informed discourse. “Engaging in critical thinking about the information we are presented with about key issues ... whether we’re students writing a paper or a high level politician, this is what we all need to do”, Prof. Shankar concluded.

A new miracle drug: campaigning for the Introduction of PrEP in Ireland With HIV figures increasing both at home and abroad, David Monaghan looks at the student-led ‘UCD for PrEP’ campaign and how effective the drug is in combating the

RISING figures of HIV in Ireland have encouraged student activists to campaign for help in minimising its continued spread. ‘UCD for PrEP’ is a student-led initiative that aims to lobby the Students’ Union to take a proactive stance on introducing the drug ‘pre-exposure prophylaxis,’ or ‘PrEP’ for short. According to the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the drug is reported to reduce the risk of contracting HIV by up to 90% when taken daily.

PrEP is intended for people who are at high risk of contracting HIV. This includes individuals whose current partner is HIV-positive, as well intravenous drug users. It is a preventative measure that is readily available in some countries across the globe, and has been recommended by the World Health Organisation since 2015.

It has been approved for usage by those at risk

10 february 14th 2017

of contracting HIV in the United States, where depending on income it can be obtained for free, and France, where it was approved in November 2015 and introduced the following January.

However, the drug is not readily available in Ireland despite increasing concerns about rising HIV figures. According to Newstalk, 513 people were diagnosed HIV-positive in the country last year, a startling increase of 5.8% from previous recorded figures. Numerous factors have been suggested to explain such a jump in numbers: a failing sexual education system; dating apps like Tinder or Grindr; disconnect between LGBTQ+ individuals and the history of the virus. Whatever the reasons, it is clear that immediate action must be taken to combat the spread of disease.

Finn McLysaght helped establish the ‘UCD for PrEP’ campaign with fellow activists. “There is a need [for PrEP]” they said. “HIV has reached a crisis point. There’s a new diagnosis every 18 hours.” The campaign was inspired by the work of ACT UP Dublin, a non-partisan group dedicated to using direct action against increasing HIV figures.

“HIV has reached a crisis point. There’s a new diagnosis every 18 hours.” “[It’s] a coalition to campaign for the introduction of PrEP and PEP [post-exposure prophylaxis],” McLysaght continued.

In Ireland the drug does not fall under the HSE’s Drugs Payment Scheme, and trials are ongoing to establish its effectiveness. “It would cost hundreds for a thirty day supply,” McLysaght says. “Most people don’t even know about it. I think only 51

people availed of it last year.”

The current actions of the HSE echo the debate surrounding the introduction of PrEP in the United Kingdom last year. According to the BBC,

“513 people were diagnosed HIV positive in the country last year, a startling increase of 5.8% from previous recorded figures.” a trial was established to see how effective the drug would be in preventing HIV transmissions.

The trial finished early when it became obvious that PrEP worked successfully.

Despite this, in 2016, the NHS decided not to fund the drug and said it was the responsibility of local councils to deal with its distribution. This was successfully challenged by the National AIDS Trust in the UK’s High Court.

McLysaght has met with Students’ Union Welfare Officer, Róisín Ní Mhara, and last week a motion relating to PrEP was passed by the SU council. The motion will see the Students’ Union campaign for the licensing of PrEP at the Dublin Pride Parade in 2017. Speaking to the Observer before the council meeting, Ní Mhara said: “My own personal belief is that, if you need it, absolutely you should take it. If you feel you need it and you warrant it in your life, who am I to say it’s not suitable for you to take?”

UCD Students’ Union currently has a plethora of information on sexual health on its webpage.

How will the introduction of PrEP augment this current campaign? Ní Mhara continues: “I’m not

sure how we’re going to slot it in just yet…because the drug itself isn’t licensed for use in Ireland [but] I would like to sign it into sexual health week somehow.”

Although the campaign is external to UCD LGBTQ+ society, the committee is still very much dedicated to campaigning for its licensing and usage. Philip Weldon, LGBTQ+ society’s auditor, states: “we took a vote last Monday [23rd], the first committee meeting of semester two, and we all voted in favour to support [the drug], by making the campaign visible at our own events. For example, simply things like stickers. We’re more than happy to display it on our own materials at coffee mornings and other events.”

At present, the campaign has not been met with opposition at any level. PrEP is known to create minor side effects, such as nausea and diarrhoea, but these are known to pass after a few days.

“It is clear that immediate action must be taken to combat the spread of disease” “There are side effects,” McLysaght says, “but that’s part of the territory of taking any medication.

They’re pretty minimal.”

With HIV diagnoses increasing, a trend that has not been curbed in recent years, it is becoming increasingly obvious that direct action must be taken to stop its escalation. Trials have shown that PrEP is effective in combating HIV, and so necessary measures are needed to see its licensing both at home and abroad.

features Time To Redefine Democracy?

The global liberal consensus that has existed since the Second World War is now in danger of collapse. Keri Heath takes a look at the causes and effects of this seismic shift.

Corbyn in the United Kingdom, and the French Socialist Party’s nomination of the hard-left Benoît Hamon for the forthcoming Presidential election.

“But they’re very different, the type of discourses,” Regan said. “It would be a mistake to just throw them all under singular concepts. The current political context is very difficult for the left because the trend in shift is towards cultural nationalism, nativism.”

Regan says this is because the left popular movements are built around internationalism, rather than nationalism. He doesn’t see the rise of a populist

“It seems to be a rejection of the political system from both sides of the political spectrum”

Leader of the UK Labour Party, Jeremy CorbynT SOME political scientists believe that Trump’s presidency and similar upsets such as the UK’s decision to leave the EU, and Duterte’s controversial policies in the Philippines, are symptoms of trends all over the world. Dr. David Farrell, a lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations here in UCD, says these protests reveal a change in the way people engage with politics.

“Others have been saying democracy is moving from a mode that was vote centered to a mode that is voice centered,” Farrell said. “We’re less passive citizens only getting to vote every couple years and then going back under our shells. We’re much more active citizens.”

Farrell says people are becoming interested in the political engagement that was characteristic of old style politics. These include protests, petitions, boycotts and participation with NGOs. This trend is

also age dependent, with millennials more inclined towards active politics.

Despite what some may believe, this shift in political expression is not confined to the United States. Dr. Aidan Regan, also based in the School of Politics in UCD, says that trends similar to those in

“One positive out of this shambles, is that it might help to reengage people with politics” America can be seen across the western world. The most commonly cited example would be Brexit.

These right populist tendencies have elicited responses from the popular left. Examples include Syriza in Greece, a radical left coalition, Jeremy

left in Ireland however, as Sinn Féin, which occupies the far left, has a cultural nativism narrative. In addition, Farrell doesn’t see a radical left response emerging to counter the populist right rhetoric.

“Whether I’d go so far as to say there’s some sort of hard left backlash, I’m not certain I would go that far,” Farrell said. “What I am more inclined to think might happen, which for me is the one positive out of this shambles, is that it might help to reengage people with politics.”

Both Farrell and Regan agree that the political trends emerging now – trends Regan says are likely to continue for the next few election cycles – are a result of globalisation. According to Regan, those who have benefited most from globalisation include emerging middle classes in developing nations such as China and those in south-east Asia.

“This is not a Trump conspiracy. Globalisation has created winners and losers,” Regan said. “The working class person in Wisconsin hasn’t seen an improvement in their purchasing power for over thirty years. Most of the research shows that societies in general benefit from immigration but that doesn’t change the intensity of how people feel, whether they feel economically…culturally threatened by

immigrants in the sense of their values.”

However, nativism resulting from increased immigration is nothing new. Dr. Conor Tobin, of the UCD School of History, says that what makes it different now is that the ban focuses on Muslim nations. In America, one of the first instance of backlash against European, mainly Irish and German immigrants was in the 1830s and 1840s and created several nativist political groups. The first example of a travel ban came in 1882 with the Chinese Exclusion Act. The ban wasn’t fully repealed until 1943.

Tobin also points out that protest has been a popular method of political action in the past through movements such as populists in the 1890s, the progressives in the early 20th century, and civil rights.

“What we are witnessing today is different as it seems to be a rejection of the political system from both sides of the political spectrum,” Tobin said.

“I would agree that there are ominous signs with… aspects [that] point towards the start of a more authoritarian form of government.” Those aspects Tobin refers to include use of excess executive orders, dismissal of criticism, and singling out of specific religious and ethnic groups.

Farrell notes that many political scientists are debating if citizens are being turned off politics.

“The declining turnout in elections, …membership in political parties, the rise of populism,” Farrell said. “All of these indicators and more are speaking to [an] agenda that’s being promoted by political scientists, that suggest we’re in a crisis of democracy.”

Farrell, however, insists he has a more positive outlook on the situation. “We’re going to an extreme and I hope the backlash will bring us back to some version of a democracy that’s more familiar,” Farrell said. “We can only hope and pray that the momentum continues and they keep the lid on the worst excesses of the protests so that they don’t force a reaction from the administration that could really cause things to boil over in a bad way.”

More Than Just A Number: Age Discrimination and the Jobseekers Allowance In 2014, the government cut jobseekers allowance for under 25s by 47%. Alexander Glover explores whether this is justified, or even legal. provisions comply with the constitutional guarantee of equality pursuant to Article 40.1”.

Article 40.1 of the Irish constitution stipulates that “all citizens shall… be held equal before the law”.

However, Finlay raises another issue that “under international human rights law, the State is obliged to ensure minimum essential levels of rights, including the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to social security”.

Finlay argues that “These lower payments fall significantly below the basic minimum weekly income standard of €186 set by the Government.

Therefore, there is also an arguable claim that the State is failing to discharge its obligations under international human rights law”.

The hardship felt by the unemployed youth may also be a form of discrimination. Finlay says “FLAC’s view is that this measure does constitute discrimination on the grounds of age as it clearly targets young people aged 18 to 25 years old.

However, while domestic equality legislation prohibits age discrimination, legislative provisions cannot be challenged under the Equal Status Acts.

Therefore an action cannot be taken against these payments under domestic equality legislation”.

While the issue has been raised by FLAC and other groups such as the National Youth Council of Ireland, it shows no signs of being corrected.

Following Budget 2017, it was announced by Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe that ‘all’ weekly social welfare payments will increase by €5 per week (effective March 8th). However, Donohoe failed to note that the increase seen by young people would be proportionate.

As of March 8th 2017, Jobseekers’ allowance will increase to €193 per week. Keeping in line with this, 25-year-olds will receive €147.80 per week and people aged 18-24 will receive €102.70.

This new figure for 18-24-year-olds is an increase of just €2.70.

“Age-related social welfare cuts increase the vulnerability of people under the age of 26 to homelessness” “This assumption has led to a generalised measure, not specific to the circumstances or realities of each young person” This has been seen by many spectators as creating further age-based separation. Paul Murphy of the Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit party says it adds to the ‘discrimination’ against young people. With opposition from within and beyond the Dáil, why don’t the government abolish the age-based division?

Finlay says it’s because “in 2016, the Department of Social Protection estimated that the cost of increasing the rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance paid to those under 26 years of age to €188 per week would be €148.4 million per year”.

With fiscal goals in place, any immediate

illustration: Aisling mcguire

ACCORDING to the Citizens Information website, in Ireland “if you lose your job, are made redundant, laid off or if your working hours are reduced you may qualify for a social welfare payment, either Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit”.

To qualify for Jobseekers’ Benefit you must have made enough PRSI contributions whilst working.

This means that young people who find themselves out of work are more likely to qualify for Jobseekers’ Allowance, which is granted based on a means test.

Since Budget 2014, Jobseeker’s Allowance for people aged between 18 and 24 years is €100 per week; those aged 25 receive €144 a week. The amount paid rises to €188 when claimants reach 26 years of age. At the time of the announcement, these cuts were seen as an injustice to young jobseekers, a demographic traditionally faced with a greater risk of unemployment or insecure employment.

The Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar, has stated that the rationale for these measures is to protect young people from welfare dependency by incentivising them to avail of education and training opportunities.

However, Ciarán Finlay, the legal and policy officer at the Free Legal Advice Centre, believes there is an assumption by the government that people below the age of 26 can live with and be supported by parents or family members. Finlay says “this assumption has led to a generalised measure, not specific to the circumstances or realities of each young person in receipt of social welfare”. The FLAC fear that “agerelated social welfare cuts increase the vulnerability of people under the age of 26 to homelessness”.

When asked if the practice of capping the amount paid to 18-24-year-olds at €100 is legal, Finlay says: “Social welfare legislation provides for reduced rates of social welfare payments for young people under the age of 26. Therefore, there is a legislative underpinning to these reduced payments. However, it is to be questioned whether these legislative

changes seem unlikely. However, there are ways for young jobseekers to increase their allowance received. Finlay says “following Budget 2017, it was announced that young people under the age of 26 who are participating in education, training and work programmes will receive €193 per week – the full rate of Jobseekers Allowance”.

Although this can see more support, it puts pressure on young people to attend certain training programmes, potentially cutting them out of other opportunities. This furthers the discrimination towards young people, with the assumption that there are only some programmes that they can attend.

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Features Homegrown - The Cannabis Market in Ireland Amid the recent legalisation of medicinal cannabis, there have been calls for a removal of the ban on recreational use. Mary Meadbh Park looks at the state of the market in Dublin.

BOB Marley famously said that: “herb is the healing of the nation, alcohol is the destruction.”

Since his day, cannabis has risen in popularity worldwide, including in Ireland. The growing increase of users has created a thriving market for the plant, particularly in Dublin.

It is seldom now that a walk around the city centre on a weekend night will not bring up that all-too-familiar aroma at least once. This, of course, begs the question: “who is smoking it?” and most importantly, “where did they get it?”

It will come as a surprise to few people that cannabis is illegal in Ireland. A request for some devil’s lettuce at the local newsagents will quickly be followed by a polite request to leave. It is only found on the black market, which means that the prices and quality of the substance are not controlled.

This causes a problem for many young smokers with little money and who are looking for a good time, as opposed to a very paranoid or expensive time. The price of cannabis in Dublin has actually risen slightly in recent years and is double the price that you would expect to pay for the same

“If you ask ten people on the street, at least one or two would sort something out” quantity in other parts of Europe such as places like Berlin, Spain, the UK, Portugal, Croatia and Amsterdam.

In Dublin, the average price for a little over a gram is €25 compared to €10 in most other places in Europe, which makes us one of the most expensive cities in Europe for smoking. The price is higher in other cities and counties around Ireland.

“Justin” is a one-time cannabis dealer from Dublin. Asked how easy it was to get cannabis in Dublin he replied, “If you ask ten people on the

street, at least one or two would [be able to] sort something out”. He also commented on the quality of the strains of weed in Dublin. “Irish quality is normally very high,” says Justin. “In every country you have good and bad growers, but we have very good grow shops that advise growers on the best (equipment) to use.”

“Owen”, a cannabis user, agrees with Justin,

“If you know good people who you regularly buy from, then you’re normally OK” saying that the quality of Irish cannabis is “good” and said it was “better than a lot of places outside of Europe such as South America”. The quality of the cannabis would, however, depend on the trustworthiness of the source of the drug and the dealers involved in the distribution. As with everything on the black market, it is very easy to be manipulated into buying a product that is of bad or even dangerous quality at the most and to be scammed into paying more money than one should, at the least.

“Again, being scammed comes down to who you know. If you know good people who you regularly buy from, then you’re normally OK. As for street dealers – it’s the luck of the draw! If you know what you’re looking for you should be fine, but if you’re inexperienced you may be unlucky,” says Justin.

Owen agrees with the idea that knowing who you’re buying from is important to ensure a clean product for a fair price, and says he has been lucky enough to have only smoked high quality cannabis

cannabis has risen to such an extent that they suffer extreme paranoia and anxiety from smoking the cannabis that is around now, compared to the

“If you’re nice to the Garda, they normally show you some grace but if you’re cheeky then they’ll normally get you” cannabis available twenty or thirty years ago.

There has also been a growing trend in dealers spraying weed with additives to increase the weight, including with sugar, contaminants and even glass.

It is also nearly impossible to weigh cannabis without a specific scales, and even after being sold

short, attempting to get a refund from a dealer is in most cases next to impossible and at your own peril.

As for law enforcement, it is a lot easier to get away with having a small amount for personal use than it is with any other kind of drug in Ireland.

“I’ve had several Gards take my weed and not charge me, nearly all of them say they have better things to do than deal with our kind,” says Justin.

However, it depends on the personality of the Garda and the type of interaction involved as it is not uncommon for Gardaí to bring a person to court for even half a gram. “If you’re nice to the Garda, they normally show you some grace but if you’re cheeky then they’ll normally get you, not always but sometimes you get unlucky,” explains Justin. *All names have been changed at the request of the interviewees.

“Irish quality is normally very high” so far. However, the quality of the cannabis in Ireland has suffered over the last few decades.

Older smokers claim that the level of THC in

UCD Feminist Book Club Ause Abdelhaq looks at one of UCD’s more recent groups, and their goal of removing the stigma sometimes attached to feminism.

FOR many students, the word ‘feminism’ can be empowering and exciting; for many others, it can be a taboo – something to be avoided lest they be branded ‘uptight’. The movement has had its fair share of difficulties and criticisms, but the reality is that it’s impossible to come to college and not encounter it in some way.

One of those ways is through the Feminist Book Club, an group that describes itself as “a safe, nurturing space for UCD feminists to be introduced to feminist texts, to have a platform to share feminist pieces on and to meet fellow UCD feminists.”

The initial idea for the Feminist Book Club was to reconnect friends who had met in feminist modules, according to final year Law student and co-founder of the club, Niamh Ní Chormac. She believes that at their first meeting, many people were there out of pure interest in the topic.

“The first meeting was so optimistic” she says.

“There were so many people that hadn’t even

read the book but just saw the word feminist and were so excited that there was a space there.” She claims that, since then, the club has expanded far beyond its initial intention to become “that space

“We felt that it was better to keep the book club an open space where people could come and feel like they’re part of it” on campus for feminists to come, develop their feminism, engage in discussions and bring people into that learning curve.”

With notable guests in the past including Niamh Hardiman and Colin Scott, the club has certainly gone from strength to strength since its founding in 2015. That said, there have been multiple

secessions from the organisation in the past. One former member, who asked to remain anonymous, said that their experience with the club was a far cry from the safe, nurturing circumstance described in its mission statement.

“I don’t mind being wrong, but I felt afraid of being shouted down rather than being conducive to an actual discussion,” said the source. “I was wary of expressing an opinion for fear that it would be the ‘wrong opinion’ to have in a discussion group where, in my view, there should be no wrong opinions.”

When asked about the organisational structure of the club, the source claimed that there exists a gap between the knowledge of some members over others and that “that creates a hierarchy where, because they’re so well-read, certain individuals are going to preach at you”. However, this is a claim completely refuted by Ní Chormac.

“The way the book club works is nonhierarchical,” she says. “The whole reason for that is because we wanted to reject society culture

“I would hope that it doesn’t become a society, simply because then it can stay true to its nonhierarchical structure” – that has a place in UCD, but we felt that it was better to keep the book club an open space where people could come and feel like they’re part of it, regardless of whether they’ve been there for ages or they haven’t.”

Ní Chormac believes that the negative experiences which some have had with the Feminist Book Club stem from the confusion regarding the organisation’s Facebook page, which was never intended to be a representation of the club’s ethos.

“This comes back to the development of the Book Club, because so many people know of it

12 february 14th 2017

through Facebook,” she points out. “The page was actually set up just after our first meeting because we thought it would be the easiest way to organise meetings, but it just accidentally grew to become that UCD feminist presence online.”

The club’s Facebook page has now grown to have 309 members. Ní Chormac refuses to class them as members, however. “While there may be 300 members on the Facebook page, I don’t think I could say there are 300 members of the Feminist Book Club,” she declares. Part of her insistence is due to her own experience with the club; she cites the physical meetings as the places where she has grown the most as a feminist. “Feminism is a learning curve, and the feminism that I had when I first started this club is vastly different from the feminism I have now,” she says. “It’s through the discussions that we’ve had in book club meetings that I’ve come to that point.”

With the graduation of Ní Chormac, the Feminist Book Club will lose the last of its original founding members. When asked, she says it’s impossible to tell the future, but she disagrees with the assumption that it might one day become a fullyfledged society on campus.

“The way that societies are run in UCD is quite restrictive,” she says. “A lot of it conflicts with the way that the Book Club is run, so I would hope that the it doesn’t become a society, simply because then it can stay true to its non-hierarchical structure.”

Ní Chormac is anxious to contest the feeling amongst students that feminism is a dirty word.

She believes that opening yourself up to different opinions, even those that have been stigmatised, can only ever be beneficial. “Sometimes, we become embarrassed from feminism because there’s a label attached to it,” she admits. “What I would say to that is: just come along; you will be amazed at the amount of common ground you have with people in the room, and the amount you can learn from just coming to a meeting.”

science That’s So Metal

Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch me!

James Barden gives us the details of a recent controversial, yet potentially game changing, experiment.

Do you sometimes find yourself craving physical contact? You’re not alone. Louise Flannagan investigates the concept of skin hunger.

ICE, water and steam are solid, liquid and gas respectively. Everyone knows these three basic forms of matter. We know that when you heat water it boils, and when you cool it, it turns to ice, and that’s pretty much it. We also, however, have elements such as carbon. Add pressure to its solid form and it changes to diamond, which chemically is the same as graphite, but is different structurally.

Even when the pressure is removed, it no longer melts or turns into a gaseous state.

While diamond is well known, metal hydrogen is not. That’s because up to recently it didn’t exist physically. So why now and why should you care?

The concept of metal hydrogen has existed for quite some time, 82 years in fact. However, since its debut in a paper by physicists Wigner and Huntington no one was able to create the correct

A woman rests her head on the lap of a total stranger that she has hired to come to her home.

The stranger plays with her hair and gently strokes her arm. They talk a little and listen to some music and continue sitting like this for almost an hour.

The stranger is a professional cuddler, a bit like a sex worker but without the act itself. Their job is to satisfy someone’s need for touch in a non-sexual, consensual way.

This might sound strange. Why would someone pay a complete stranger to touch them and how could that be considered a “need”?

It nearly all comes down to a phenomenon called skin hunger. Aside from sounding like the title of a porn film, skin hunger, (also known as touch starvation), is a term to describe our body’s craving for physical contact with other people. When we are touch starved, we lack this physical closeness. This can be detrimental to our general well-being.

Touch is important. When we touch, a hormone

“Researchers Silvera and Dias of Harvard University used diamond anvils, applying more pressure than is found at the centre of the Earth” conditions for it. That is, no one had been able to cool hydrogen to a solid state and apply enough pressure to form the Bravais lattice (a type of crystal structure), until researchers Silvera and Dias of Harvard University used diamond anvils to do so, applying more pressure than is found at the centre of the Earth.

What could this mean for the wider world?

Metallic hydrogen is predicted to be stable once the pressure is removed, just like a diamond. It is also a theoretical super conductor at room temperature.

That is why it could revolutionise many different

“Converting metallic hydrogen back into molecular hydrogen would release all the energy built up inside of it, which could be used for a rocket propulsion system” aspects of our daily lives. With metallic hydrogen, MRI scanners would no longer need helium and power grids could be made that lose none of their power as heat.

These are obvious benefits but what else can this wonder material do? Converting metallic hydrogen back into molecular hydrogen would release all the energy built up inside of it, which could be used for a rocket propulsion system. This could make reaching the most extreme planets and even the plutoids in our solar system easier than ever before.

However, there is one important caveat. The research published by Silvera and Dias was released before they removed the pressure, and before replicating the result. This has led to their paper facing criticism as they can’t be sure it is metallic hydrogen and they can’t be sure that it can be done again. One of the most fundamental tenets of the scientific method is to be able to replicate the results.

Eugene Gregoryanz of the University of Edinburgh criticised the experiment for containing “no raw data” and only “three iPhone photos” As such we shall have to wait and see the development of the experiment, and for Silvera and Dias to send the sample to Illinois to determine whether the structure is metallic hydrogen.

If it is it will be an important advancement for highpressure physics, and our lives in general.

“The stranger is a professional cuddler, a bit like a sex worker but without the sex” called oxytocin is released in our bodies. It reduces our stress and anxiety levels and helps us to feel calm and relaxed, as well as more confident and sociable. It also helps prevent cardiovascular disease. When we are deprived of touch, the reverse occurs. We become stressed, anxious, and tend to feel lonely and isolated. Many of us don’t even realise that skin hunger may be the cause of these feelings because we weren’t aware of its existence in the first place.

The need for touch really is a need. Newborns who don’t have much physical contact with their parents or carers tend to have stunted emotional and physical growth, and in extreme cases, may even die. We can sense different emotions through touch alone and it is crucial to our bonding with other people.

No two people have the same needs though and the amount of physical contact people engage in can differ for loads of reasons, like upbringing, social or cultural background, personal comfort, and innate nervous system needs. Some cultures see touch as part of the normal fabric of their daily life, while others have ignored or even demonised it.

One particular study tried to measure these differences by looking at the number of times couples

Touch is an important part of social and emotional bonding in cafés in different countries touched each other over the course of an hour. Couples in Puerto Rico averaged 100 times, couples in the US averaged twice, while couples in England averaged zero.

This research falls in line with other studies, which suggest that people in warmer countries tend to touch more than those in colder countries.

Skin hunger can also be linked to modern urban living where it is getting easier and easier to live in almost complete seclusion. People who feel touch-

“When we are touch starved, we lack this physical closeness.

This can be detrimental to our general well-being” starved often turn to a range of outlets to have their touch needs met, even though they may not be consciously aware that this is what they are looking to do.

Some turn to drugs, prostitution, or online hookups. Other (potentially less destructive) ways can include getting a pet, (stroking a dog or cat releases oxytocin too), hiring your own professional cuddler, being more affectionate with friends and family, or alternatively, attending a cuddle party, which is like a group therapy cuddle session where people can hold hands, tickle feet or spoon other people who also want to be spooned. ‘Cause you know, sometimes all you need is a spoon.

Metallic Hydrogen Experiment

Science Not Silence Eithne Dodd explains why ignoring scientific facts can be so dangerous.

IN 2007, a few highly regarded economists suggested that there was a property bubble in Ireland, that it would burst and, when it did, Ireland would go into recession. In response to this our then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern wondered aloud why people who think like that, these people who are “cribben and moanin’ . . . don’t commit suicide”.

Ahern later apologised for his “bad choice of words” but still fully ignored the prediction. In 2008, the property bubble burst and, just as was suggested, we went into recession.

It is a sad trend in history that when scientists, experts or academics have research or beliefs that are in contrast to the popular vote, they are often dismissed. Unfortunately, their dismissal often leads to worse outcomes in the long run as the 2008 economic crises can testify.

The American President Donald Trump allegedly banned scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) from talking to the press and performing outreach via news outlets or social

“It is almost needless to say that this harmed the quality of scientific progress being made” media. It is unclear if these ‘gag orders’ will remain as both have scientific integrity policies designed so that their research and findings are free from

political interference. All federal agencies have similar policies but all may be under threat from their new president.

But even before Donald Trump ran for the presidency, others already had the idea that

“It is a sad trend in history that when scientists, experts or academics have research or beliefs that are in contrast to the popular vote they are often dismissed” silencing unpopular scientific facts helps get you to or keep you in high office. This is never truer than when it comes to environmental science.

Ten years ago, Stephen Harper, the former prime minister of Canada, introduced guidelines preventing scientists from discussing their research with journalists. All requests for interviews had to have been approved by officials before scientists could speak to reporters, thus ensuring that the only science news that is heard is the science news the Canadian government wants to be heard.

Harper’s government also got rid of over 2000 positions, many of them in the field of environmental science. It is almost needless to say that this harmed the quality of scientific progress being made. In an interview with Global News in 2015 a scientist named “John Smith”, to protect his identity, called

the quality of publicly available information on what scientists in Canada were doing “bullshit!”

“Yeah, they may have fielded x-number of media inquiries, but did they give answers that were meaningful?...Did they give answers that provided an objective perspective on what had been done and what had been found?”

Smith went on to make the point that it had to be scientists that journalists spoke to in order for the public to really understand scientific issues. “You show me a minister who’s got enough background to actually explain the complexity of some of the information we have to convey and I will jump off a bridge,” he said.

Unfortunately, claims of silencing of expert opinions and research that aren’t in line with the popular politics of the day are often dismissed. At best those experts are merely shut up. At worst, they are removed from sight. Galileo is the obvious example here.

Of course, there are also those who don’t bother silencing scientific facts and just flat out deny them.

Ireland’s own Danny Healy-Rae is famed for such insightful statements as “God above is in charge of the weather and we here can’t do anything about it” and citing the story of Noah’s Ark as proof that climate change does not in fact exist. Lots of people are guilty of making erroneous statements, possibly in order to gain more publicity. Look at Michael O’Leary for example.

The Healy-Rae brothers are two independent TDs, who will likely never be in power, but whose names are known all over the country. How many other

independent TDs can you name that are neither in your constituency nor in government. After Ming Flanagan and Mick Wallace, I’d say most people get stuck.

Of course, while it may work out for the politicians, it’s rather detrimental to the people they supposedly represent.

However, there might be cause for some hope.

When Justin Trudeau was elected Prime Minister of Canada in 2015, he reversed the restrictive policies on scientists and while it may have taken the church 300 years to admit that Galileo was right, they did.

Science is an important part of our society, and the public deserve to know about it. Thankfully, in the world we live in now, news travels much faster and that means scientific facts can too.

february 14th 2017 13

science

look who’s back Extinct animals could walk among us once again. Aisling Brennan looks at the pros, cons and some of the difficulties involved.

“Even UCD is involved in research on getting viable genetic material from museum collections, which itself could have impacts in labs the world over” species is still a decent way off. Not to cast too negative a shadow on the dream, but there are a vast number of obstacles to be overcome.

First up is getting useable genetic material, which can be tricky when species aren’t around anymore.

Not much is needed, theoretically you could get an entire genome from a tissue sample smaller than a pinhead, but the best sources are preserved soft tissues, like skin, muscle or feathers.

Second, most suggested methods for de-extinction require a closest living species for things like filling genetic gaps or acting as sources of genetic diversity

or surrogate parents. This raises many ethical questions as well as practical ones: Where to find a modern related bird large enough to lay a moa egg?

How can the Sumatran rhinoceros act as a source of woolly rhino genetic diversity when it itself is critically endangered? Not to mention the possibility that older species may require plant, pollinator, or symbiotic fungi species that are themselves extinct, as well as particular habitat conditions to live and thrive.

Ethics are a whole other bag of extinct fish, both in terms of grand ideological philosophies, and practical science. For example, with mammoths, the concept of implanting a mammoth-elephant hybrid into the womb of a female Asian elephant is unsavoury to animal rights activists as well as geneticists. A lot can go wrong, even with science we are pretty certain about. A relatively recent effort

“How can the Sumatran rhinoceros act as a source of woolly rhino genetic diversity when it itself is critically endangered?” in 2009 to clone a Pyrenean Ibex from frozen DNA resulted in a newborn calf that sadly only lived for seven minutes.

Many people also adopt a “Life finds a way” approach towards de-extinction as a concept, believing it’s something that we ought not to meddle with. Though there are several more concrete arguments that people have for and against the idea.

One of the main debates within this battle is the idea of ‘hope vs waste’. Those in favour of de-extinction as an avenue of research argue that the long-term products could re-inspire hope and interest in the fields of conservation as well as zoological institutions worldwide. Entrance fees from zoos provide a surprising amount of conservation funding, and inspiring enthusiasm for wildlife and environmental protection is always a societal boon.

Furthermore, collections of natural specimens could become treasure troves of genetic material, and museums all over the world would receive renewed interest and investment.

On the other hand, some say that investing in such research is a ‘waste’ given how many thousands of species are currently endangered. They also say that pushing a message of ‘we can fix what we’ve destroyed’ could actually hinder conservation efforts if political or industrial figures believe that there is no point protecting an endangered species if we

photo credit: daNielle crowley

WHAT if, within your lifetime, you could go to a zoo and see a mammoth? Leaving aside the pseudo-scientific warnings of franchises like Jurassic park (dinosaurs are out of the question anyway), this seemingly ridiculous concept could actually be feasible, as science continues to push the impossible. The real questions are: what can we bring back, and should we even try in the first place?

Mammoths are top of the list, they’re huge, iconic creatures that keep turning up frozen in permafrost, and their closest living relatives are the Asian elephants. Other prime candidates haven’t been extinct for quite as long as the mammoth, so their genetic material is likely to be of better quality, and their natural environment is not so far removed from those found on the planet today.

Imagine flocks of passenger pigeons, beautiful Carolina parakeets, and giant 12 foot tall Moa species. Herds of aurochs, mammoths, or woolly rhinoceri. Populations of the biologically fascinating gastric-brooding frogs (which stored their fertilised eggs in their stomachs until they hatched). These are all goals of some of the world’s leading scientific minds. Tasmanian wolves, Pyrenean Ibex, even the dodo, are also all relatively high on the list of potential candidates, although that list could theoretically span a huge variety of species.

As incredible as some of these concepts are, and the recent breakthroughs in genetics and related fields, the truth is that full de-extinction of any

Could the extinct Woolly Mammoth make a comeback? can resurrect them later. Even some within the scientific community are sceptical, fearing that if research priorities shift, resources, positions and facilities could be stripped from those working in the field rather than in a lab.

However, while some label the concept a ‘distraction’, the lofty goals of species resurrection are only the beginning for some working on the problem. Some animals like mammoths or European aurochs (cattle, extinct since 1627) were keystone species in their environments, being dominant grazers, and massively affecting their surroundings. The disappearance of mammoths, from what was once the largest biome on earth in the far north, has been hypothesised as a driving force behind its convergence into the modern species-poor tundra and boreal forest we know today.

The return of such prominent grazers could see the increase in carbon-fixing grasses and alter greenhouse-gas-emissions from an entire hemisphere. Other extinct keystone species include the Passenger pigeon, which spread fruit and seeds far and wide across its vast range. And the return of iconic species like the Tasmanian wolf could help protect lands that are currently under pressure from loggers and other exploitative industries.

Actual functioning populations of now-extinct animals are a long-way off, but even the journey has its potential benefits. Genetics is such a universal and fast-evolving area of research that any breakthroughs in particular projects goes on to have concrete impacts and applications in everything

from medicine to agriculture. Furthermore, most of the scientists working on the de-extinction conundrum believe that research in extinct animal genomes could drastically affect how we look at and deal with conservation.

Tiny populations in a doomed genetic bottleneck could have their DNA diversity restored, and genetic ‘Achilles heels’ could be cured in just a few generations. Anything we learn from extinct organisms can go on to directly impact their modern descendants. Even UCD is involved in research on getting viable genetic material from museum

“They also say that pushing a message of ‘we can fix what we’ve destroyed’ could actually hinder conservation efforts” collections, which itself could have impacts in labs the world over. So the argument could be made that the journey is far from a ‘waste’.

Whether fought in terms of ethical, legislative, or scientific battlegrounds, the concepts surrounding de-extinction (and the arguments for and against them) have captured some of the most brilliant minds on the planet, and will likely go on to inspire many-more. And while the jury is still very much out on the matter, if someone cites Jurassic park as a proper cautionary tale, chances are they don’t know what they’re talking about.

cut, copy, paste, repeat George Merrin delves into the science behind gene therapy.

FOR most people gene therapy is something from futuristic television shows and films and not a fact of today’s reality. Gene therapy is something which scientists and investors place a huge amount of time and effort in, to try cure incurable diseases and help improve people’s quality of life. But what exactly is gene therapy?

Gene therapy is where a defective gene is replaced with a correct one. A gene is a tiny segment of your DNA, which encodes for proteins that allow us to do everything from see to fight disease. Genetic disorders occur when there is a problem with one or more gene, which has the knock-on effect of misfolding the associated proteins. Sometimes these misfolded proteins can hugely benefit us, but usually they result in diseases

14 february 14th 2017

such as sickle-cell anaemia and Parkinson’s Disease.

Gene therapy works on the principle of inserting a correct copy of the gene into the cell which will

“Gene therapy is where a defective gene is replaced with a correct one” replace the old copy of the gene, then as the cell further divides each subsequent cell will have the correct copy. There are several issues with this.

Gene therapy is extremely expensive. The drug Glybera consists of viruses with correct copies of the lipoprotein lipase gene and in 2012 was the most expensive drug in the world with a value of $1.6 million. As well as that, due to the rapid division of cells, one treatment often isn’t enough. This can increase the already extravagant cost.

There are two main ways gene therapy is undertaken, viral and non-viral. Viruses are often better than non-viral means. The correct gene is inserted

into a viral vector, i.e. a genetically engineered virus, which can then be injected into the recipient.

However, viruses can trigger immune responses, which can be fatal.

In 1999, the first known death occurred in a gene therapy trial. Jesse Gelsinger died four days after receiving treatment for ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, which is a liver condition. This trial was shrouded in controversy as Gelsinger was only added to the trial after a volunteer dropped out.

Gelsinger himself would have been unable to participate in the trail as he had high levels of ammonium, the by-product that his disease couldn’t metabolise. A rebuttal was issued by the University of Pennsylvania and his parents were paid a settlement.

Gene therapy is limited by the complexity of the disorder. Disorders such as high blood pressure and Parkinson’s Disease occur because of problems with several genes. These are referred to as multigene disorders and are very complex. This largely restricts what can be done to treat them. There

“Due to the rapid division of cells, one treatment often isn’t enough” are two classes of cells, somatic and reproductive/ germline. Somatic cells are all cells that are non-reproductive. Gene therapy of somatic cells does not affect future offspring whereas germline

therapy does. The divide between these two types is referred to as the Weissman barrier. Currently the Netherlands, Israel, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada all prohibit germline therapies.

There are several techniques for inserting the correct copy of a gene into your DNA. One of these is CRISPR, or Clustered Regulatory Interspaced

“CRISPR is currently being used to modify human T-cells to attack cancerous cells” Short Palindromic Repeats. To put this simply, every so often in the genome there are short sequences which can be spliced and then a new copy inserted into the space created as they match the sequence.

This new technology is fast and specific and it also reduces the chances of creating things like tumours by damaging tumour suppressor genes. Changes like this are called insertional mutagenesis. CRISPR is currently being used to modify human T-cells to attack cancerous cells.

With all of the benefits of gene therapy such as the ability to eradicate many diseases, there is also the ability to modify human capabilities, i.e. create super soldiers. This technology has lots of potential, but as with all science we must proceed with caution.

science

The Elephant in the Room Climate change is on everyone’s lips for a variety of reasons. Danielle Crowley lays out some of the effects it could have on us.

CLIMATE change. It’s arguably one of the most polarised scientific concepts in recent years. But what exactly will it do, and why does it make so many people so worried?

Earth’s climate has been in flux since the beginning. There are many factors that can cause it, such as changes in the way the Earth moves through space, changes in the gases that make up our atmosphere, and variations in the amount of solar energy that reaches us. This is perfectly natural. It’s what led to the steamy rainforests that covered the globe just after the end of the dinosaurs, and created the vast snowy scenes of the many ice ages the Earth has gone through. If the planet has gone through cycles of heating and cooling, for all of its 4.5 billion year old history, then why all the fuss today?

In a word: us. In the past, global climate patterns changed slowly, giving organisms plenty of time to adapt or in some cases die out. The problem with human driven climate change is that it’s too fast for the vast majority of living things to adapt, resulting in what some scientists call “the 6th extinction”.

The last major extinction was the one that killed the dinosaurs.

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century, the average global temperature has been rising steadily. Since 1880, this has gone up by 0.8 degrees Celsius. “So what?”, you may be saying, what’s the issue with this? Now Ireland will get proper summers.

Less than a degree of an increase sounds tiny, but as we are already witnessing, it can change the World as we know it.

Melting ice has consequences far beyond just the loss of a magnificent habitat and wildlife. Like polar bears, native hunters in the far north rely on sea ice to hunt. If this takes longer to re-freeze in the summer and freeze in the winter, their window for safe and efficient hunting gets smaller and smaller.

If the ice disappears, their way of life goes with it.

Icebergs are born in a process called calving from glaciers. Warming conditions have seen many

glaciers shrink dramatically, and if they produce more icebergs in the process, shipping lanes could be full of them. Eat your heart out Titanic. The melting of mountainous glaciers could have even more catastrophic consequences. About one-sixth of the world’s population depends on the freshwater supplied from glaciers, which is used in everything from drinking water to farming. If the glaciers

“If the sea rises to the highest estimated levels say goodbye to London, Dublin, Bangladesh, Venice and parts of Florida” vanish, their water source could too.

Speaking of melting ice, do you live near the sea? About half of the world’s population lives about 60km from the ocean, along with threequarters of the world’s biggest cities. If the sea rises to the highest estimated levels (these are the most pessimistic scenarios, say if we decided not to change our ways at all), say goodbye to London, Dublin, Bangladesh, Venice and parts of Florida.

Ice is just one example though. What are some of the other effects? The increased temperatures are not just restricted to land; they are affecting our seas too. Not only are oceans getting warmer, they are getting more acidic. When the water heats up, it is able to dissolve more atmospheric carbon dioxide.

This is particularly bad for coral reefs. Corals are sensitive to rapid changes in water conditions, and if stressed enough will die.

If we lose the reefs, not only do we lose an amazing habitat that supports thousands of species, we lose a valuable economic resource.

The worldwide value of reefs is £5.7 trillion, mainly thanks to tourism and fishing. Reefs act as natural barriers against the full force of storms and tsunamis, and keep many coastal communities safe.

Corals have been used to find treatments for asthma,

cancer, heart disease and arthritis. The reefs are the aquatic equivalent of rainforests, and just as we would suffer from the loss of the rainforests, we would also suffer from the loss of our reefs.

There is another, slightly less publicised risk from rising temperatures. Countries in northern climes are protected from malaria carrying mosquitoes due to their cooler temperatures. If this changes, places such as Ireland could suddenly find themselves dealing with outbreaks of diseases formerly restricted to the tropics.

Humans cannot deal with external temperatures that stay over 35 degrees Celsius. If global temperatures rise by seven degrees, it is suggested that certain areas of the globe would become uninhabitable for humans, resulting in mass migrations.

You’ve also probably noticed that people tend to become more irritable when it gets hotter. You’re not imagining things, statistically people really do become angrier the

The focus has been on temperature, but we are dealing with a whole plethora of affects. Changes in rainfall patterns and atmospheric composition are all predicted to occur, which in turn affect the lives of everything. Ranges of birds and butterflies are fluctuating, bird migrations and nesting times are changing, and some studies even suggest that animal behaviour is evolving to deal with their new conditions. Studies of zebra finches suggest that parents sing a special “heat song” to their eggs that seems to result in smaller adult body sizes when the chicks reach adulthood. Smaller body sizes deal with heat better than larger ones.

The scary thing is that we don’t fully know what will happen. All we know is that something is occurring, and we are (mostly) to blame. And we all better do something, even if it is as simple as cutting down your car usage, because the elephant in the room is getting uncomfortably warm.

“Mix soaring temperatures, lack of water, failing crops and human aggression, and you have the ingredients for serious social issues” hotter it gets. And not just on an individual level. This correlation is also seen in civil conflicts. Mix soaring temperatures, lack of water, failing crops and human aggression, and you have the ingredients for serious social issues.

Under the Mallet: Climate change has the potenital to cause the next mass extinction event as living things don’t have time to adapt to the quickly changing environment

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student voices

learNiNg about the lgbtQ+ commuNity In the vibrant and diverse LGBTQ+ community, Maura Laramie, describes the struggle one faces when unfamiliar with its unique language. in general it is packed with lots of people just wanting to make their way through life and have fun. A friend of mine recently described entering the queer community by comparing it to moving to a new school where you do not know anyone.

Every person you encounter seems interesting and established, and this can feel astounding and sometimes just plain difficult.

Nevertheless, once you put yourself out there you meet people that share common interests and

“There is so much that the queer community has to offer and, to be honest, it can be quite overwhelming.”

HOW can a community that is so welcoming make one feel so out of place? The LGBTQ+ community is known for being one of the most vibrant, connected, and diverse spaces, and rightly so.

However, when a member of the community is not up to date with the discourse and activities of the community it can be seen as unacceptable.

This feeling of being out of the loop with events within the queer community can cause one to feel removed and excluded.

The LGBTQ+ community is so broad, but

are more similar to you than anyone you have ever met. This can be an enlightening and memorable experience and that is the way it should be.

There is so much that the queer community has to offer and, to be honest, it can be quite overwhelming. There is evidently a lot of discourse attached to the LGBTQ+ community, which is something that must be learned over time. It is important to learn the necessary terms and how to use the language correctly and in a respectful manner. The rhetoric is specific and necessary and exists to make people feel they belong.

The problem people are often faced with is that it can be considered a bad thing when they do not know something about the queer community.

The feeling of inclusion begins to fade as soon as

one is made feel inferior due to their ignorance of community issues. Nobody, no matter their sexual orientation or gender, is born knowing what the letters in LGBTQ+ stand for. We do not begin life knowing the discourse and issues of the queer community.

Often one may be unsure about a topic or what something means and instead of asking up front they will use the wrong term or handle the situation incorrectly. This may be due to how unfamiliar they are with the discourse and their fear that if they ask a question they could be criticised or not taken seriously because of their lack of knowledge. One may even stay silent altogether when such issues come up and so never learn what they did not understand. They can even feel withdrawn from the community.

This is the point I am at right now. I feel like I belong in the LGBTQ+ community but I cannot help feeling out of place when queer issues are being discussed. Sure, I identify as queer

that does not offend anyone. It is okay to feel unsure of specific issues of political correctness.

The important thing to do when you feel this way is to ask. Your question has certainly been asked before. The only way to get clarification and a better understanding is to educate yourself.

Posing the question is just one half of the job though for the queer community. The equally important part is that the person or people being

“More often than not, questions come from a place of ignorance, rather than malice.” asked must welcome the question and answer it and educate as best as possible. More often than not, questions come from a place of ignorance, rather than malice.

We are curious beings and the most efficient way to raise awareness and increase the understanding of LGBTQ+ issues is through educating people.

So instead of creating this air of disapproval and superiority when someone does not know the appropriate term or conduct simply out of lack of experience, perhaps begin the conversation with an open mind.

My point is, at the end of the day every person belongs somewhere. We are all searching for a way to make a difference and a place to call home.

Continue to keep in mind that everyone starts at the same place when becoming a part of the LGBTQ+ community: the beginning.

“Nobody, no matter their sexual orientation or gender, is born knowing what the letters in LGBTQ+ stand for.” but does that make me qualified to correctly discuss LGBTQ+ issues that I do not have much knowledge about?

I have felt a part of the queer community for four years now and even as I write this, I am particularly cautious to communicate in a way

QuiNN’s biZZNess The warmth of spring may not be here yet, but The Captain looks to warm you up with her assorted musings.

IT’S February already! Can you believe it? Time sure does fly when your life is falling apart. Then again, your life can’t fall apart if you never had it together.

February is my favourite month of the year. It’s the time of peak self-loathing as you’ve already failed at all your new year’s resolutions. Somehow it’s only week four but you’re already seven weeks behind on your course work.

I identify with February in a spiritual sense. It’s the month with the least amount of days, therefore the month that contributes the least amount to the year. That’s how I feel about my existence on this planet.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Love is in the air with Valentine’s Day! What’s your ideal date?

Mine would be DD/MM/YYYY, any other format confuses me. Don’t worry if you’re single, at least you can cry alone in the shower and comfort eat on discounted chocolate. I won’t be alone this Valentine’s Day. I’m officially taken, as a complete joke of a homo sapien.

St. Bridget’s Day is a further black mark in Ireland’s gender earning gap for the same work. It’s estimated that Bridget receives 25% less prayers than St. Patrick, and that’s not including all the perks of attaining the position of national saint, the parades as well as bank holiday weekends. This is outrageous when you consider the effort required to make a St. Bridget’s Day cross compared to picking a lousy shamrock.

Would you identify as being completely clueless as to where you’re heading in this life? Do you consider yourself to be savvy on social and political issues, without being able to cite any source other than links shared by sources you agree with? Do you talk about fixing all of the world’s ailments while simultaneously patting yourself on the back? Are you all talk and no action? Are you able to talk for a long time without actually saying anything of substance?

And finally, are you capable of getting at least 100 likes on a Facebook post?

If you answered yes to some of these, then I have the perfect job for you: a UCDSU sabbatical officer!!

Not sure which position to run for? Sure, just try run for all of them and see what happens. Don’t worry about the workload, doing nothing multiplied by five is still doing nothing. Aw poor SU, I hope I didn’t hurt your ego. It’s okay though, I’m sure whoever you ask to read this aloud for you will skip the harsh parts.

RAG week has come to an anticlimactic end.

college, but my heart says isolated sheep herder in What? You didn’t even know it was happening? they can? Canadians.

Iceland. I’m taking a Zoology module as my elective, Yeah me neither. I’m all for societies raising money I wouldn’t worry my non-fellow Americans. You I mean how hard can it be? To differentiate between for outside agencies, especially for Pieta House won’t be killed by Muslim refugees, who are fleeing an alligator and a crocodile is really simple. One will which is a fantastic resource and is saving the lives atrocities against humanity, if you die from lack of see you later and the other will see you in a while. of countless young people. However, the SU raising healthcare first. Why does Trump take anti-anxiety I mainly chose my modules tactically to avoid money for external mental health services when our medication? To prevent Hispanic attacks. Getting group projects. Usain Bolt losing one of his nine Olown mental health services at UCD are in complete tired of this? Well if you don’t want comics weighing ympic gold medals because his relay race teammate shambles. The waiting list for a counsellor longer in on politics, don’t elect a joke! failed a doping test should be taken into considerathan the deli queue in Centra, and has anyone seen This semester I am determined to get through it tion as a high profile example as why working with our Welfare Officer this year? Do we even have one? with a maximum of one mental breakdown per day others is a terrible idea.

The job of the SU is to represent the students of - it’s proven to be extremely difficult. My mind says UCD. Considering UCD is one of the priciest universities to attend, as well as the cost of Dublin rent and the ability for UCD to be the most populous campus in Ireland, but also somehow the loneliest, UCD students need a lot of help.

Oh well, we can all go to the donut fair and forget our woes. Maybe next year RAG week will be in aid of Diabetes Ireland.

Forget your woes, the UCD Ball is back! Well not really, but kind of. Maybe it should be called the Sphere? Because in comparison to the legacy of the UCD Ball, this year’s effort is looking pretty flat.

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editorial

editorial CONSENT as a campus issue is one that continually pops up. Particularly over the last few years, the conversation has grown rapidly. This is partly as a result of campus campaigns in UCD such as #NotAskingForIt or Sex Out Loud. Other influences include incidents such as the Stanford University Brock Turner case, where a female student was raped on campus.

A similar incident occurred in UCD before Christmas, when a woman was raped in the early morning hours.

In this instance, UCD and UCD Students’ Union were both aware of the investigation for at least a full day before addressing students. Bear in mind during that particular time of year, there are exams and many people would have been studying late in the library. The union in particular promoted the walk safe campus service. Yet did not see fit to tell students until it had been reported in the media.

It seems a strange turnaround following the espoused policies of both the union and the university earlier in the year.

This time last year, consent classes were announced for UCD. These classes were supposed to be introduced by September, with pilot classes run by the union. At the time, President of the SU Marcus O’Halloran said that he believed the university would be involved in running them. This would have been something similar to the classes that were introduced in Trinity in September 2016, in their residences.

Union council also passed a motion calling for mandatory consent classes to be offered by the university.

Yet less than a year later, the classes have been dropped by the union and were hardly touched

the university observer with a barge pole by the university. Current SU President Conor Viscardi recently confirmed that the university had offered no financial support for the classes. There were a limited number of trials in semester two last year and in semester one of this year. They were also solely run and promoted by the union.

The union has claimed that they are now exploring other avenues to introduce consent. Part of the problem they explain was due to lack of interest and that it’s the idea of “consent classes” in general that are alienating. Only people who are really interested will attend and perhaps those who should attend object to the idea that they have to be “taught not to rape”. However, this is merely an issue of branding.

The issue at hand is not what they were called or how they should have been run. If these were such important aspects, they should have been worked out with much more consideration earlier.

A cursory analysis of “consent classes” could come to the same conclusion.

The real problem here is the university wide attitude towards consent. Last year these classes were announced as a reaction to the UCD 200 controversy, about an alleged group of up to 200 people sharing ‘revenge porn’ images of other people without their consent or knowledge. At the time there was a severe enough backlash in national media to prompt a university investigation and a promise to support consent classes.

Yet a very similar story came to light the year before. A potential candidate for SU president was revealed to have been a member of a group called “Girls I’d Shift if I was tipsy”. Along much the same premise, it also degraded women and reduced

them solely to objects for the male gaze and gratification.

Both were reported in student media. Both caused much conversation on campus. Both were considered derogatory to women. Members of both groups were reportedly from UCD. However, the university only saw fit to investigate one group, one instance. This also happened to be the instance that was widely reported in national and international media.

Now, almost a year since that controversy this university has dropped all pretence of supporting consent classes. They appeared to support the classes last year, when UCD was attracting much attention.

At the time, a statement by Deputy President and Registrar of UCD, Professor Mark Rogers following the investigation stated “Although this investigation is concluded, I am not so naïve as to believe that the university community is immune to this type of activity.”

While they recognise that this is a problem, the university simultaneously refuses to actually do anything to confront the issue. This was evidenced again by the criticism they received in the wake of the incident last December.

Compared to other universities, this attitude is disgraceful. In January 2016, Trinity College announced plans to roll out consent classes to incoming first years. These were planned and formulate not simply as an after thought to a recent controversy. These went ahead in September 2016.

Yet this university cannot seem to address sexual assault and rape unless there is focused national media attention on campus. Safety of its students seem for the most part to be an after thought.

talleyraNd GREETINGS, PUKE-OIDS! YOU are looking very fresh-faced my dear literate pleb! Why could that be? Ah, perhaps because this week is “Healthy Eating Week” in University College Dishwater. On closer inspection, Talley thinks you’re just a bit pale after another seven weeks into a yet another miserable New Year.

This “healthy eating” lark (have you -- random pleb -- ever even SEEN a parsnip?!) has upset the flow of things here in windy Belfield. You can’t even buy soft drinks (or “soda” for our now-dominant American populace) this week. PC culture has gone mad! Someone give P***s M****n a call! It’s bad enough that Talley can’t even enjoy a refreshing Coca-Cola™, and now we’re forced to sip on excess puddle water.

Speaking of rancid liquid drivel, the SU are it again. The SU are always at “it” with some form of nonsense or another. It’s not until closer inspection that you realise it’s just one of those optical illusions.

Róisín “Abortions For Some” O’Mara is tearing her hair out over at the Château de SU over this supposed “abortion bus” making its way to UCD next month. The bus – and the hint is literally in the name – looks to distribute some supposedly

dodgy abortion pills onto campuses throughout our beautiful Roman-Catholic nation.

O’Abortions, doing her best impression of a blind person, was completely unaware of such activities.

The assorted SU hacks assumed it was an information exercise, like during the marriage equality referendum, and not an avenue for illegal pills.

The marriage equality bus could hardly go around marrying LGBTQ couples now could it?

They didn’t stuff a couple priests in the boot in order to hitch up Ireland’s youth. The hacks are howling abuse at the notion of the bus, so at least it will keep them busy for the next couple of weeks.

Like a cat with a bit of tin foil.

Just when a year’s crop of assorted hacks seem to reach the point when they might actually – god forbid – do something, they clear off. Indeed, the SU elections are beginning to rear its very unattractive head. Just when you think Coke and Bacardi is about to stick it to The Brass, himself and the rest of his comrades clear off into one of those tiny clown cars and tear off down the Stillorgan Road.

It’s a never ending conveyer belt of hacks around these parts. Just when you get used to Luke FitzSnapback and his parade of gaudy headgear, a new

generation of mouth-breathers join the fray.

Talley cannot possibly comment on any rumoured candidates for the elections. But Talley can admit this: they’re probably incredibly annoying, overly confident, and are about as much fun as being bludgeoned in the head.

Never mind the future; it’s time for SHAG Week, kids! The SU have adopted a unique approach here by simply throwing a bunch of ideas randomly together, and slapping them on a wall outside the library. Improving on last year’s marathon one-day SHAG WEEK (it is at this point where Talley should mentioned that O’Incompetent is missed, but she really isn’t), this year sees a whopping, face-melting TWO day event. A two day week!

That’s insane! Students will be dying of old age before the mega SHAG-athon is up.

The posters exclaim to have “anatomy labelling!”, “dirty laundry!”, and a “STI hunt!”, in the strange hope that any sane human being has a clue what any of that means. The SU would save a bit of ca$h and time if they just stuck Cian “The Phanthom Sabbat” Casey and good ‘ol Kiljoy in a car park and had him jiggle his keys for a bit.

TALLEY OUT!

letters to the editor Letters, corrections and clarifications pertaining to articles published in this newspaper and online are welcome and encouraged.

editor Roisin Guyett-Nicholson deputy editor Martin Healy art & design editor Louise Flanagan chieF oF photography Camille Lombard news editor Alanna O’Shea deputy/international news editor Rory Geoghegan comment editor Julia O’Reilly Features editor Billy Vaughan eagarthóir gaeilge Niamh O’Regan science editor Danielle Crowley co-sports editors Conall Cahill & David Kent business editor Brian Donnelly broadsheet online editors Ruth Murphy Eithne Dodd staFF writers Ause Abdelhaq Aisling Brennan Aoife Hardesty Keri Heath Orla Keaveney George Merrin Sinead Mulcahy Jessica Quinn Ross Walsh broadsheet contributors James Barden Emily Binchy Helen Brady Ciaran Busby Julia Canney Peadar Flood Alexander Glover Mary Haasl Lisa Herden Maura Laramie David Monaghan Mary Meadbh Park Ashley Perry Christopher Seeley Talleyrand visual content contributors Aisling McGuire Meadhbh Sheridan Rebecca Kelly Joanna O’Malley special thanKs Webprint George Hanaford Joanna O’Malley

Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, University Observer, UCD Student Centre, Belfield, Dublin 4.

Correspondence may also be sent to editor@universityobserver.ie.

february 14th 2017 17

Sport

The Six Nations: still second best With all the hype around the Six Nations in full swing, David Kent isn’t enamoured by the spring-long event.

The Clash: Ireland and Scotland in the Six Nations PEOPLE can remember one thing about Ireland’s rugby season in 2016. And rightly so, because the victory over the All-Blacks in Chicago was monumental; a first time ever event. But it was in an uncompetitive game. Take a look at Ireland’s competitive record from this time last year and it reads like this Played: Six Won: Two Lost: Three Drew: One, having been ahead by more than two scores Which isn’t exactly as impressive. No, ‘tests’ don’t count. Just because they’re given a different name does not mean they are any different from a friendly in football. If you believe that there is a difference between the two, then write in and prove me wrong, because I see none. No points on offer,

no trophy of any sort – no desire to win.

Joe Schmidt had a shocker of a Six Nations last year. Starting with the absolute capitulation against Wales in the Aviva. Then not being able to overcome a brutish French side and being utterly outclassed by England at Twickenham.

Who did Ireland beat in those two competitive matches of the 2016 Six Nations? The perennial whipping boys of the competition, Italy, and everyone’s second favourite side in Scotland. It’s great because Ireland beat them and everything was rosy again.

The argument is made by one point. If you ask a rugby fan who is going to win the Six Nations, you’ll hear the three main contenders: Ireland, England and Wales. France will be some people’s picks. No one will ever choose Italy or Scotland. If you ask a rugby fan who’s going to finish bottom of the Six Na-

tions, it’s going to be Italy or Scotland. Every year, without fail.

So what’s the hype about? Four sides playing each other, one sided games more often than not, and players more concerned about potential quarter or semi finals in the European Champions Cup. If you need to see how a small rugby tournament with four teams should be run, just look at the Rugby Championship in the Southern hemisphere.

2015 was a World Cup year. The biggest winning margin in the Rugby Championship was 25 points (Argentina 9-34 Australia). There were three Six Nations games with a higher margin than that. All involved Italy and yet Scotland still finished last. So the stronger sides in Europe heading into the World Cup were the usual suspects. They were going to be the ones to wrestle New Zealand’s would-be crown off them.

Four quarter-finals at the Rugby World Cup. The four Rugby Championship sides against three of the stronger Six Nations and Scotland. Quarterfinal number one: Wales against South Africa. The Springboks had finished bottom of the Rugby Championship and had already been beaten by Japan.

Wales were the favourites – and Wales lost. One-nil to the Southern hemisphere.

“They need to drastically change how the Six Nations is marketed, played, and even structured.”

Next up, the All-Blacks against France and an absolute annihilation. Fair enough, the All Blacks are the best team in world rugby, but 49 points better than the country with the European club champions?

Australia and Scotland. Heavy favourites Australia squeak by the worst European side thanks to a controversial decision in horrific conditions.

And then the one that most people had nailed down as a Northern victory. Six Nations champions

The Badger Concussions, or as the media would want you to call them, bumps to the head, really get under the Badger’s skin.

IMAGINE one day your alarm went off in the morning. You stretch, reach out your arm to hit snooze and realize that your chest is covered in vomit, there’s dried blood coming from both nostrils, and you have very little recollection of the previous couple of days.

No, that’s not a hangover – that’s what happens when you get a concussion and don’t get the correct treatment. How does the Badger know? He’s had four of them. That’s one less than the legal amount you are allowed to have before you are unable to play contact sport again.

Taking a hit, which literally knocks you unconscious and causes your brain to start to move around inside your head. The most important organ in your entire body is confused.

But it’s fine, because it’s all in the name of sport and we’re looking after our players in this 21st cen-

18 february 14th 2017

tury – a new era for medical technology, right?

Tell that to Hector Bellerin. He was knocked out cold by the elbow of Marcos Alonso during the Chelsea and Arsenal game. All of the focus afterwards was that Bellerin should have ‘jumped a bit higher’ or been in a better position.

He was knocked unconscious. How the hell would jumping higher in the air have prevented Marcos Alonso’s elbow from clattering into his head? Why is the focus not on why he was left on the field for so long while Chelsea and their fans were celebrating?

Why are pundits not calling on the lawmakers of football to help prevent this?

Gary Neville and Theirry Henry gave out about Bellerin not doing his job properly. But it leads to the question of sympathy and accurate analysis among pundits. It’s like they want to ignore the fact he was

knocked out cold. For several minutes.

Now, this isn’t to say that contact sport should be banned. The Badger is as much a fan of the hardhitting nature of sport as the next person, particularly on a lazy Sunday when all you want to do is lie in your set.

Here’s the facts: a minor concussion will keep you out of action for two weeks minimum. The Badger suffered a minor concussion last summer when he was hit with a sliotair in the back of a (helmet-protected) head. He hit the floor, didn’t lose consciousness, but couldn’t tell where he was. Two weeks away from contact sport, on doctor’s orders.

Which makes it extremely difficult to see a player like George North, of the Northampton Saints and Wales rugby team, fall from around six foot in the air, onto his head. And was still allowed to play on after a ‘head injury assessment’. The same can be said about Conor Murray of Munster following a European Champions Cup game against Glasgow earlier in the year.

It’s bad when the governing body of the sport has to investigate whether a club has handled a concussion correctly. The Badger got hit with a small hard ball, not an eighteen stone tighthead prop. And he was only out for two weeks People like to criticise American Football for not being ‘tough enough’. The players need to be padded up and wear head protection. Haha, what wimps of a team, looking after their players’ health. Funnily enough, the NFL’s concussion rate is significantly lower than that of rugby’s – a solid 59% lower. But it’s the less ‘manly’ of the two. Funny that.

An article written in this very paper last year claimed that increasing awareness and the emphasis on player welfare is the most effective intervention organizations can make to try and help limit the amount of head injuries sustained on the playing field. But don’t try and tell the Badger that we’re protecting our players sufficiently, because he probably won’t be able to remember it once he gets hit again.

Ireland against the weakest of the four Championship nations – Argentina. And we all remember what happened. Overlook, overconfident and over run.

Quarter-final results: Southern hemisphere 4-0 to the Northern hemisphere, with an aggregate score of 187-86. Clearly the Six Nations was great prepa-

“If you need to see how a small rugby tournament with four teams should be run just look at the Rugby Championship in the Southern hemisphere.” ration for the World Cup. It’ll be an even better preparation for a Lions tour World Rugby can bring in as many rules as they like. Bonus points, harder tackle laws, nine points for a try. They need to drastically change how the Six Nations is marketed, played, and even structured. Should there be home and away games?

Probably, but then you’d have a mess with the club rugby scene. Plus, it would delay the summer ‘tests’ or Lions tour depending on the year.

Personally, I would invite some of the ‘tier 2’ sides in. Fiji, Japan, Georgia. But then there could there be more wallopings? Perhaps, but there’d also be more competition. Keep the fixtures as they are, play each team once, winner gets the trophy. Still the potential for a Grand Slam, and more value for your money.

Can anyone honestly tell themselves that this Six Nations is important for any reason other than confirming Warren Gatland’s squad for the tour to New Zealand? Any other manager in any other sport would be questioned if you looked at Joe Schmidt’s competitive record since the start of last year.

But it’s fine – we beat the second string AllBlacks. And RTÉ got another wonderful four minute package hyping this year’s tournament. It’s almost as if their head of sport is the main commentator…

Sports Digest Fencing: UCD’s team ‘Can’t Touche This’ (Sean Ryan, Kate Coleman-Lenehan, Andrew Whyte, Gema Wright-Ballester, Gerda Ziemele and Brian Crowley) placed second at the Trinity Cup this year.

Sorcha Mellon-Whelan came first in the New Year Epee, placing at the top of the juniors.

GAA: UCD’s men’s team is on course to retain their Sigerson Cup after blasting their way to the semifinal. John Divily’s side eased past IT Sligo after a tricky start, eventually winning by 5-16 to 2-6. They then comfortably disposed of UUJ by 1-18 to 0-08 and head to the Connacht GAA centre on Friday to face UL in the semi finals.

The Men’s hurlers also face Limerick opposition in the form of Limerick IT on Wednesday afternoon in the quarter-finals of the Fitzgibbon Cup. On the same day the Ladies footballers begin the defence of their O’Connor Cup crown against Queen’s University in Belfield. An 8pm throw-in on Wednesday, all support is appreciated.

UCD Camogie reached the Ashbourne Cup finals weekend but were heavily defeated by UL. Final score was 0-6 to 6-12.

Swimming and Waterpolo: UCD’s Swimming and Waterpolo sides swept the board at the Intervarsities last weekend, with the Men’s and Women’s teams both taking titles, leading to UCD’s overall victory at the event Hockey: It was another Colours success for UCD’s hockey teams as they won eight out of their nine matches against Trinity College.

Rugby: RTÉ have announced they will show all of Ireland’s Women World Cup games later in the year.

The competition takes place in the UCD Bowl and Billings Park in August.

Head-to-Head:

sport

Should GAA stick with Sky Sports?

With Sky renewing their deal to show exclusive GAA championship matches, Conall Cahill and Martin Healy debate whether the deal should continue.

Yes

No

Conal cahill

Martin healy

PITY the GAA in this conundrum. No matter which side you come down on, it’s hard not to appreciate the quandary Paraic Duffy (GAA Secretary General) et al found themselves in when Sky came knocking on the Association’s door, all shiny teeth and slickedback hair, armed with a massive briefcase of cash (“There’s more where that came from, too”) and a thousand tantalising promises. Duffy’s mind must have been racing at a hundred miles an hour at this time, all sorts of conflicting thoughts battling for prominence. This is borne out by the fact that he initially reassured Gaels that the Association would not sell TV rights to Sky, before changing his mind just a few months later.

One imagines the organisation’s hierarchy revelling on the high ground having refused Sky’s deal, the GAA proletariat gratefully kissing their feet.

But then, perhaps, they saw the slickly-packaged Premier League and how Sky has (despite its critics) advanced coverage of soccer at the top level. They thought of what they could achieve with the millions

“It’s easy to throw out the caricature of the ‘Grab All Association’” Sky would pump into the organisation. And, perhaps, they observed the direction in which other sports were travelling and decided they should follow.

The GAA is not FIFA or the IAAF. Aogán Ó Fearghail is not Sepp Blatter or Lamine Diack. The decision to join with Sky wasn’t some morally corrupt attempt to screw over the humble GAA member.

Around this time last year at the GAA’s Annual Congress, Duffy stressed the importance of ensuring “the existence of a genuine market for our games... this flexibility and freedom is crucial if we are to... ensure that the GAA achieves the proper value for its rights”.

In other words: the GAA is a highly valuable product and shouldn’t sell itself short. A balance has to be achieved between the GAA’s commercial potential and the need for ordinary members to access matches.

There was a famous photo in 2015 from the town of Balla in county Mayo that featured a packed living room of people watching the All-Ireland quarter-final between Mayo and Donegal (which was exclusively on Sky Sports) as well as people watching from outside, through the windows. If the ‘anti-Sky’ movement were to try and formulate propaganda material, they would struggle to create a better image.

But balance this off against the €55 million the GAA are set to earn from the latest (five-year) Sky deal.

According to last year’s annual accounts report, that is basically the same as the total revenue for 2015. It’s easy to throw out the caricature of the ‘Grab All Association’, but making people go to the pub or a neighbour’s house to watch a couple of games a

year is arguably worth it in terms of developing the games on a broader scale.

The GAA’s argument that the Sky deal would improve emigrants’ ability to watch games was deftly tossed aside by UCD history lecturer Paul Rouse in a fine article for the Irish Examiner. He pointed out Premier Sports, who for years had provided this service to those living outside of Ireland. But perhaps the real international aspect of the Sky deal is that the GAA feels it needs to attach itself to the broadcasting giant in order not to be left behind in the quickly expanding world of sports media.

Coverage of sport – from soccer to baseball – is more extensive than ever, with that coverage being ever more advanced and in-detail. This leads to a lack of patience with products that aren’t quite up to the usual level; viewers’ standards when watching sport – ironically even when watching for free via online streams – are higher than ever. Combine this with the huge variety of entertainment options available to us and there is very little tolerance for below-par products on our televisions or computer screens.

Nothing good on TV? We’ll watch Netflix.

Michael Owen boring us to tears on BT Sport? We’ll watch a clip of Carragher and Neville on YouTube.

Stale GAA coverage? We’ll scroll through Facebook or Twitter and see what people are saying there.

The GAA are trying to figure out how to keep pace with these huge expectations among modern-day consumers – and Sky Sports has proven itself well able to satisfy the needs of the modern sports fan.

Even if it is experiencing teething problems in its GAA coverage, Sky arguably has greater potential

“Sky arguably has a greater potential than RTÉ, TV3 or eir Sport in terms of bringing Gaelic Games coverage up to the level that meets the expectations of the modern consumer” than RTÉ, TV3 or eir Sport in terms of bringing Gaelic Games coverage up to the next level, the level that meets the expectations of the demanding modern consumer.

In an ideal world, would the GAA be able to keep its doors closed to Sky and pay-per-view games? Yes, of course. But the alternative to the GAA jumping onto the screaming, rich, modern Sky train is the organisation remaining at a standstill, conservatively rooting around in its pockets for spare change while wishing it had shown the courage to step into the twenty-first century.

BACK when England won the 2005 Ashes series in cricket, the climactic Sunday was watched by over 8.2 million people on Channel 4. It was England’s first Ashes title in nearly 20 years, and their victory was a massive PR explosion for cricket throughout the UK. Starting a GAA article talking about cricket might be enough to make a diehard GAA fan combust in sheer rage, but nonetheless it makes for an interesting example. Cricket has greatly suffered in popularity since its peak in 2005, since free-to-air cricket all but disappeared from British TV screens. Sky’s love of cricket is second only to Premier League football, as even the most casual

“The deal cuts out the casual fans, the ones who drive championship games to massive viewing figures” Sky Sports News viewer will attest to. The move from free-to-air TV to paid satellite stations, while filling the coffers of those running the sport, has severely slashed the amount of people who have access to watching the sport.

The most recent Ashes saw viewing figures of just 467,000 on the final day. So while this may keep accounts in black for cricket administrators, it cannibalises the next generation of cricket fans.

Sky has recently announced it has renewed its on-going commitment to broadcasting live AllIreland Championship matches in Ireland and the UK. The new deal will see Sky broadcast 14 exclusive live championship matches, while also sharing the broadcast of the All-Ireland semi-finals with RTÉ.

This deal has been hugely controversial amongst GAA fans since its inception. While change is viewed with a dollop of suspicion amongst most sport fans, the Sky deal has drawn the ire of a huge swath of long-standing GAA fans. And it’s not hard to see why.

The viewing figures speak for themselves: only 32,000 people tuned into the 2015 All-Ireland Hurling final between Galway and Kilkenny on Sky. In 2013, the Donegal/Mayo football quarter-final attracted 442,800 viewers on TV3, where the same match in 2015 drew a mere 48,300 on Sky. Such differences in the viewing figures are ridiculous – so it begs the question of why the GAA would renew this deal in the first place? The Irish Independent values the new deal at around €55 million. Although eir Sport and TV3 (now backed

by Virgin Media) have some money to throw around in this field, neither can compete with the News Corporation-backed media super titan of Sky. For an organisation desperate to stay relevant in the

modern media world, GAA feel like they can’t refuse such a valuable deal.

This decision, however, is not wise in the longrun. Just like with cricket, important and major championship matches are not being viewed by the casual GAA viewer. If you’re completely committed to the sport, either you’re at the game yourself or you’ll commit to a comprehensive service like GAAGO if you’re abroad. The deal cuts out the casual fans, the ones who drive championship games to massive viewing figures, the ones who get companies interested in sponsoring the All-Ireland championships.

If the championship becomes consumed by hardcore fans alone, you end up with the meagre viewing figures of league games. Then advertising revenue drops, what position does that put the GAA in then?

Both hurling and Gaelic football already suffer from a huge number of filler fixtures, even when it gets to quarter or semi-final time. There are only a handful of counties that can compete at the very top level, so most fans can just stay away until the combination involving Dublin/Kerry/Mayo/Donegal in semi-finals takes place. At least if the game was on RTÉ or TV3, you might be inclined to stick it on.

If the GAA want to break into the British market, it’s clear Britain doesn’t really care. How could the sport break into the British market? It would be nearly impossible. The MLS in the US has taken decades to pump money into fledging interests in soccer, but even after all these years, growth is incredibly slow.

Championship games serve as mere filler during the summer months, while Sky Sports ignores whatever international tournament they don’t have the rights for. Championship games serve as a nice

“If the GAA want to break into the British market, it’s clear Britain doesn’t really care.” break from the Kabaddi (g’wan the Jaipur Pink Panthers) followed by an episode or two of the Premiership Years. GAA, like Kabbadi, is very popular in its country of origin, but nobody outside the expat community in the UK cares about the sport beyond mild curiosity.

If the GAA are so infatuated with getting their funds from Sky, maybe they should start passing this windfall onto the actual players who are playing for three-quarters of the year for club and county. The GAA already has its slick GAAGO service for fans abroad, so the Sky deal is just unnecessary. The GAA has a massive interest in keeping its sports healthy, so what is the point of big championship matches if only a tenth of the usual crowd watch it?

february 14th 2017 19

Sport Dave Billings’ Legacy Shines On As UCD Seek Sigerson Glory With UCD GAA’s teams in fine form, Conall Cahill looks back on the contribution of UCD GAA legend Dave Billings.

IT was a big week for UCD GAA. Saturday saw the senior UCD camogie team beaten in the Ashbourne Cup semi-final, but their male counterparts will enter the field of battle away to Limerick IT in the Fitzgibbon Cup on Wednesday.

Then on Friday at the Connacht GAA Centre, the Sigerson Cup side will play their semi-final (against UL) as they seek to defend the title for the first time since 1979. The ladies’ senior footballers’ attempt to retain the O’Connor Cup will take place at GMIT in March.

If the men’s senior footballers are anything to go by, there is no reason to believe that this can’t be an equally successful year for UCD GAA, at least in football. After beating an experimental Dublin side in the O’Byrne Cup, they dismantled Sligo IT in the first round of the Sigerson Cup before cruising to a thirteen-point victory over Ulster University

(who featured inter-county stars like Ryan and Eoin McHugh, Paddy McBrearty and Mark Bradley) in the quarter-final.

With former Footballer of the Year Jack McCaffrey leading a team containing Dublin colleagues Paul Mannion and Michael Fitzsimons – with Monaghan’s Conor McCarthy and Meath’s Eamon Wallace also established at inter-county level – UCD look to be the favourites heading into the finals weekend.

UCD’s success last year was fitting, coming in the first year for nineteen years that UCD GAA was without its Gaelic games executive Dave Billings, who passed away in April 2015.

I can remember bringing a couple of footballs up to the pitches in front of the Student Centre (just after starting off in the college as a Fresher) and proceeding to spend about twenty minutes sprinting back and forth chasing various wayward efforts. At

that point a figure came strolling purposefully towards the pitch, walking a very definite line towards my (now deeply exhausted) self.

Anticipating being booted off the pitch – and perhaps lightly scolded for daring to haunt such a pristine surface with such ineffectual talents – I quickly gathered his belongings. But there needn’t have been any fear of reprimand. Dave Billings approached with a nod of the head and a curiosity about what club and county I was from; upon hearing the response, he immediately named someone from the same club who had hopped ball at UCD in the recent past.

There was, he said, a GAA club in UCD that you could join, with training on a Tuesday and Thursday evening at the very same pitches. With a wave, he turned back and returned to the Student Centre, another student’s initiation into UCD made a little bit easier by his simple intervention.

No doubt it was this sort of action that UCD’s Head of Sport, Brian Mullins, was referring to in his tribute to Billings in 2015. Mullins wrote that Billings “shaped the lives of thousands of students, making every individual important to him and to the (GAA) club” and praised him as being “a born

“If the men’s senior footballers are anything to go by, there is no reason to believe that this can’t be an equally successful year for UCD GAA.” leader, a man who dedicated so much of his life to helping others achieve their full potential... Dave’s sense of community building has left an everlasting impression on UCD”.

It was this enthusiasm that made an impression on anyone who was part of the GAA club during Billings’ time, from the junior football sides up to the stars of the senior team. After the Sigerson victory last year, Westmeath’s John Heslin paid

tribute to Billings, saying that he treated Heslin “like nearly another son” upon his arrival into the college.

And it wasn’t just within the club that Billings’ passion for UCD GAA was felt. As far back as 1997, former Irish Times sportswriter Tom Humphries wrote the following of the St Vincent’s clubman: “Davey Billings calls. He says the Ashbourne Cup is on out in UCD soon, so be sure to give it an old mention. This is the Billings Method. Enthusi-

“Westmeath’s John Heslin paid tribute to Billings, saying that he treated Heslin ‘like nearly another son’ upon his arrival into the college.” asm. It is better for you to be disappointed in Billings than it is for Billings to be disappointed in you.

You make a mental note. Circle in red. Camogie.

Ashbourne Cup. UCD. Must do.”

Billings, a St Vincent’s clubman, played alongside Mullins as part of Kevin Heffernan’s All-Ireland winning Dublin squad in the 1970s, and also served later on as a selector for the senior side under Tommy Lyons and Paul Caffrey as well as managing the Dublin under-21s.

In his book Dub Sub Confidential, former Dublin goalkeeper John Leonard gives insight into how important these roles with his county were to Billings.

Describing an incident where the Dublin under-21 side (with Billings in charge) were kicked out of the Leinster championship following a mass brawl in a game against Offaly, Leonard writes that as Billings addressed the players a week later, “tears welled in his eyes and his voice broke”.

With that enthusiasm and that passion for Gaelic games, it’s little wonder that when Dave Billings sadly departed, he left UCD GAA in such a strong and competitive state.

Dave Billings

Club Focus: Riding the Waves After being besotted by Home and Away’s surfers, David Kent found out more about the sport in UCD by speaking to UCD Surf.

HIGH winds, storms, and general crap weather wouldn’t attract many people outside for sport.

Not the case with the UCD Surf Club. They’ve been on the go for 17 years since being founded in 2000, and have helped the careers of a few Irish internationals such as Joe Flanagan, the president of the club.

Speaking to the Observer he said: “We pride ourselves on being an ‘all levels’ kind of club and encourage beginners with absolutely no experience to join along with those who have been surfing since they could walk…Many of our members are actually complete beginners but that is not to say we don’t have very experienced surfers as well, some of whom have competed for Ireland at an International level.”

But don’t worry if you’ve never had the chance to head out to the waves, Flanagan insists that you’ll be caught up in no time. “Lessons are always provided to anyone that feels like they need them or have never surfed before and we can guarantee you’ll be standing on a board by the end of your first weekend trip away with us.”

Flanagan continued, “the range in abilities in the club is one of the best aspects [of the club] as the more experienced surfers are always willing to give advice to the beginners and this results in a very visible progression in peoples surfing throughout the

“Safety is one of our biggest concerns and we always ensure that the conditions are safe before anyone can go surfing.” year. This was something that really stayed with me and I have always tried to encourage this ethos in the club during my time on the committee.”

Following an initial mix-up in scheduling, the surf-

20 february 14th 2017

ers have started to bring a bit of success to Belfield, as Flanagan notes, “after a few years without competing due to clashes with our foreign trip we competed in the Irish Surfing Intervarsity’s last year and

Ireland has some of the best waves in the world” finished in an impressive 4th place overall, ahead of many of the west coast universities such as UCC, GMIT and UL.” He went on to say: “we achieved a 2nd place finish in the Women’s Open event, 4th place finish in the Men’s Open event and 3rd place finish in the Bodyboard event along with winning the Novice Cup.” Alongside those successes was the establishment of the Colours clash with Trinity College last year – which saw UCD sweep the board.

The uncontrollable Irish weather would seemingly throw a lot of people off taking up surfing. After all, the Irish public are always moaning about the weather.

However, Flanagan says “surfing is one of those sports where you want storms to build in the Atlantic giving good swell but once the swell reaches the shore we hope for the winds to be light so you get good clean waves. Obviously due to Ireland’s prevailing winds this sometimes doesn’t happen. The west of Ireland is very windy it can be quite choppy.

However, safety is one of our biggest concerns and we always ensure that the conditions are safe before anyone can go surfing.

“For beginners, trained lifeguards and surf instructors are always on hand keeping an eye on everyone in the water and to make sure everyone is safe and having fun. No unnecessary risk is ever taken and many of the committee members are trained lifeguards.”

Ireland is home to some of the world’s best waves, with spots like Lahinch in Clare and Inchdoney

beach in Cork regularly bringing in tourists. This has worked wonders for the club “Ireland has some of the best waves in the world when it is working, so anyone who is a keen surfer knows about the waves we have here and once they come to UCD they join the Surf club straight away.

This works great for the club as every year we have hundreds of exchange students from across the globe.

All of them join the club to meet new friends, see some of the most beautiful places in Ireland and surf some amazing waves at the same time. A Portuguese surfer was our second highest finisher in the Men’s Open at last year’s intervarsities for example.”

When asked to pick a highlight from his four years involved with the Surf Club, Flanagan must pause: “The main one was the first ever trip to Morocco we organised a few years ago, during the Easter break. No Irish university had ever gone to Morocco as a foreign trip to surf and there were so many unknowns bringing a group of 35 UCD students to Africa. The fact that we really had no idea what we were in for really made it fantastic. All things we saw were unforgettable.”

And students won’t miss out if they only join the club now: “Our second semester is going to be jammed packed with events. We are gearing up for Intervarsities at the start of March. We also have our 10-day foreign trip to Portugal planned for the Easter study break with 40 of our members heading away.

“We will be holding the Ocean Ball in the Hilton Claremont on the 2nd March which is our biggest social event of the academic year. We are running this in conjunction with Kite-Wake this year and tickets will be on sale for this in the next week for €35 which includes a full 3 course meal and entry into the nightclub after.”

If any student wants to get involved with the Surf Club, they can send an e-mail to surf@ucd.ie or message their Facebook page (UCD Surf Club). They have been able to buy many high-quality beginner, intermediate and advanced surfboards along with high quality wetsuits. However due to the club having over 600 members they can’t provide equipment for everyone so it’s typically divided on a first-come first-serve basis.