Vol XXII - Issue 5 - Broadsheet

uo The University Observer above FIACHRA FALLON VERBRUGGEN, EMMET FARRELL AND ROSS O’LEARY PERFORM IN UCD DRAMSOC’S PRODUCTION OF KING LEAR PHOTO JAMES HEALY

THE RISE OF FEMINISM

Making friends in the BA

A DISCUSSION ON HOW THE RECENT MOVEMENTS ARE GAINING TERRITORY

Is the arts programme in ucd too big?

SARAH MURPHY P4

Eithne dODD P8

RUGBY A REVIEW OF ucd’s THRASHING AGAINST GARRYOWEN RFC

David kent p20

UCD Ball will not take place on campus

Poetry and Fiction

GRÁINNE lOUGHRAN

THE UCD Ball will take place this year, but not on UCD campus, according to the Students’ Union. An on-campus event was overruled by the University Management Team (UMT) due to the stipulation by Donnybrook Gardaí that the campus would have to close to hold the event.

SU President Marcus O’Halloran announced the news at the last SU Council meeting of 2015.

“We had numerous meetings which went across the hierarchy of the college and eventually culminated in November in having a meeting with the UMT to discuss once and for all whether they would support the event on campus,” says SU Ents Manager Paul Kilgallon. “The major overriding factor of difficulty was the stipulation by Donnybrook Gardaí that the campus must close to accommodate the event.

Closing a campus of this size for an event has its own difficulties and its own barriers, and the UMT decided that it wouldn’t be in the greatest interests of the college to close the grounds for this event.”

The news comes as a disappointment to the SU following the return of the Freshers’ Ball to campus last September. This was the first time the Freshers’ Ball had been held on campus since 2005, which was seen as a “stepping stone” to holding the UCD Ball on campus according to Kilgallon. The UCD Ball did not take place last year as a result of unsuccessful attempts to source permission to hold the event on campus, which last year’s SU President Feargal Hynes said was “the unique selling point” of the Ball.

An alternative venue for the Ball has not yet been sourced.

“We did think we had something last week that was more or less ready to confirm, but it has fallen through,” says Kilgallon. “We had alternatives in the back of our mind that we’re now pursuing.

We’re confident that it will be an event that students are proud of at the end of the year and we’d obviously like it to be of a grand nature and a festival kind of vibe.”

The UCD Ball was held in

2013 and 2014 in the Three Arena, which Kilgallon says “was met with a yawn” from the student body. The SU are currently looking for “a space that has both an outdoor and an indoor provision for students.”

The Ball has been held in off-campus locations since 2013, when it was deemed too unsafe to be held on campus.

When asked whether the Ball would be held off-campus for the foreseeable future, Kilgallon responded that “unfortunately where we’re at at this moment in time, it’s quite obvious that the college don’t want it on the grounds of the campus… I think it’s up to us to ensure that we continue all our events in a professional manner, prove that we are not the same Students’ Union that ran these events ten years ago, and continue doing professional shows to the best of our ability, safe shows, to ensure that we’re ready for another shot at this… probably we’re waiting until proof of that is established at the same type of level.”

UCDSU Postpone E-Voting Until After Sabbat Elections Roisin Guyett-Nicholson ORIGINALLY planned to be rolled out during the sabbatical officer elections in March, online voting will now not be fully operational until later in the semester. UCD Students’ Union now hope that e-voting can be rolled out in a preferendum. President of UCDSU, Marcus O’Halloran says: “E-voting is still going ahead, it’s just not going ahead in the sabbatical elections. We will be hoping to run the e-voting system later on in the year for possibly a constitutional referendum, or preferendum.”

O’Halloran declined to reveal what the proposed preferendum would focus on, claiming, “I can’t say right now, because it obviously has to go through Union council first… I would be hoping to put something towards the Union council for council three, which would be the one that would be right before sabbat elections.”

He added that if the resolution passed in council he hoped that it could be held “possibly two weeks, three weeks after we come back (after Easter). It would be in the middle part of the second part of the second semester.”

O’Halloran explained that while the system is in production and ready to be used, the SU decided to wait until after the sabbatical elections in case there were any problems with it. “We have confidence in the system but we don’t want to bring in the

system and risk it if there was any blip in the system whatsoever, so we want to build up confidence with the student body slowly with the system,” he explained.

The e-voting system is planned to be rolled out at the end of the second semester and the beginning of next semester. Initial use will see it rolled out with the proposed preferendum, and then class rep elections. O’Halloran noted that “if all that proves successful, [if] there’s no slip-ups I suppose, we will hopefully be able to implement it for sabbat elections next year.”

The system that is intended to be rolled out is based on current online voting structure used by the Students’ Union in Dublin City University (DCU). In testing and developing online voting, student services have also looked at University of Limerick’s model.

However the system to be used in UCD will be primarily based on the DCU system, who piloted the scheme last year. Introduced in their sabbatical elections last year, it was also used for their referendum on USI. O’Halloran explains that this referendum “actually only won by one vote, so you can see how we’re just trying to be that extra bit cautious.”

It was hoped that online voting would increase voter turnout in SU elections, which last year saw over 4,000 votes cast. The numbers of students voting in these elections

have traditionally been low, with just 1,775 students placing votes for their class rep last September.

This translates roughly to 5 per cent of the overall student body.

However O’Halloran cautions against introducing the system too quickly. “It’s ready to go but it’s just a matter of building confidence, and it’s just introducing students to the system slowly, because we’d be afraid if we introduced it too quick… and we hadn’t done enough to make students aware of how to vote with it, that it wouldn’t be a success… and that it wouldn’t generate an increase in voter turnout,” he says.

O’Halloran explains that the system which will be used in UCD “will be a moodle-like system with the way we use Blackboard here. It’s going to be run through Innovation and HEA net (Higher Education Authority).” A link will be put on the SU website, which will be operational as long as the vote is open. Students will also be able to access the online voting system through their Blackboard accounts.

O’Halloran explains that this measure is largely to “keep it secure. The majority of the meetings in the last couple of months have been with IT and security in UCD, to make sure that this is not going to have 40,000 people turnout to vote one day.”

In the production stages of the system the SU worked with both student and IT services in UCD, with O’Halloran claiming “it’s kind of a joint initiative now at this stage.”

January 26th 2016 Volume XXIi issue 5 universityobserver.ie

Submissions of poetry and fiction from UCD students

otwo p14 & p15

PHOTO: LAIDBACK LUKE UCD BALL 2014, SEAN SMYTH

Student Advice Centre Opens in Rooms One, Two and Three INITIALLY scheduled to open in the Trap, the new Student Advice Centre has since opened in rooms one, two and three in the Old Student Centre. The Student Advice Centre was due to open in September of last year, but following delays has now opened for the beginning of the second semester. The aim of the centre is to provide another resource for students, particularly for practical advice, as well as the counselling service and the Students’ Union Sabbatical officers.

The location was changed due to difficulties in obtaining a fire safety certificate. A spokesperson for Student Centre Management said, “The travel time from the offices proposed for the former pharmacy unit exceeded the relevant fire regulation limits. The Student Centre quickly made available the former Room 1/2/3 space and have converted it into offices for the new advice team.” With the proposed plans for the Trap, it would have been 1.8 metres too far from back of the centre to the nearest fire exit. Previously a pharmacy had been located in the Trap, but the fire safety cert had been issued almost 20 years ago. Since then regulations have changed.

With the changed plans, the Trap is now going to be a student room, as rooms one, two and three had previously been. However the room has to remain an open space, with no partitions, which would be necessary to provide offices for the two student advisers. Instead, improvements have been made to the room to allow societies to use them. Student Centre Management describe the room as “a state of the art rehearsal and meeting space, to be called the quad room”.

UCDSU President Marcus O’Halloran confirmed that the Student Advice Centre is now open. “The two offices are open at the moment [and] it’s something that we’ll more than likely be promoting first thing as soon as everyone gets back.”

Roisin GuyettNicholson

News Editor

With the new location, the University has managed to cut costs.

O’Halloran explains that this will allow the Centre to pay more attention to advertising its service. “We’re going to spend a bit of money on the branding of it and so that people are actually aware it’s up there,” he states.

O’Halloran claims this is particularly vital as the new location makes the centre less obvious. “We have to just make students aware, and signposts aren’t exactly what we’re looking for, we want to make it look like the branding that’s on the student health centre. Just so people know it’s actually there.”

Currently there are two student advisers based in the centre, though they alternate their office days. At the moment students do not need to make an appointment to visit the centre. However O’Halloran notes that “as it gets busier they are going to need to get an appointment.

However he also claimed the SU “were hoping that it will remain kind of an open space and people can just go as they please.” He further commented that so far the centre has been successful with both student advisers already seeing students.

Some of the Sabbatical officers have already referred people to the centre, with the student advisers claiming that it is a getting busier.

The release of exam results this week could see an increase in the amount of visitors. O’Halloran claimed that this would “give a good measure of how effective it is up there,” adding that he believes it is going to be successful.

Student Centre Management said that “We believe that the strength of the service will be based on the synergy acheived between the SU sabbatical team and the new professional, trained advisers; both of whom are very excited to start work in the Student Centre environment.”

OUT OF THE WILD INTERVIEW WITH THE ROCK SENSATIONS the maccabees

Eva Griffin Otwo P17

Spring Fling

A spring’s a comin’ LUCY COFFEY Otwo P24

Heathers

Gráinne Loughran SPEAKS TO THE duo about their new work Otwo P22

JANUARY 26TH 2016

News Philip Weldon

Backlash prompts removal of UCC Café signage A UCC café has been forced to remove signage and coffee cups described as disrespectful and sexist by customers and students.

The signage and coffee cups featured suggestive artwork of women’s bodies and used slogans such as “What’s Your Cup Size?” and “Cheap looking!!” The signage was part of an advertising campaign by the Café in the UCC Student Centre for its smart card service. This resulted in an immediate backlash by customers and students at UCC. The UCC Feminist society had said it was “incredibly outraged” and had received numerous complaints and photographs of the material. Student Centre management was quick to act and removed the offensive signage.

UCC also issued a statement saying that it is “committed to equality as a core value of the institution”.

The response comes amidst the wider context of the experiences of young women at third level. A recent survey carried out at UCC has said that one in seven students reported being a victim of sexual assault. UCD Students’ Union recently held a ‘slutwalk’ in an effort to raise awareness of the issues that young women are facing at university. The event saw many male students and SU representatives taking part in a show of solidarity.

Deadline for CAO Draws Closer THE normal closing date for CAO applications is drawing near as Leaving Certificate students prepare to take the step into third level education. The closing date this year is February 1st 2016.

Applicants are facing increased competition for places across the country.

With decreasing unemployment and increased demand for highly skilled roles, students can expect high competition for places at their institution of choice.

Over the last number of years, the CAO has seen an increase in the number of students applying for a place in a higher level institution.

There were 74,424 applications in 2015, a rise of 1.82 per cent on 2014.

Level 8 courses saw an increase of 1.26 per cent. UCD had 8,856 first preference choices in 2015, the largest number in the country – reflecting its status as Ireland’s largest university.

This increasing demand has placed pressure on the resources of many colleges. In recent years, universities have faced a problem with the lack of suitable accommodation. The increase in rent prices has also posed challenges for many students. Increasing fees and decreasing numbers of grants available have also placed additional financial pressures on students.

Concern about thirdlevel dropout rates A RECENT report by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) revealed high levels of non-progression rates for first-years at many third level institutions between 2012 and 2014.

The report highlighted particular concerns for non-progression rates in institutes of technology and in the disciplines of maths and computer science. The report stressed this as a critical issue due to the skills shortage within the IT sector. Tralee IT and Galway-Mayo IT recorded the highest non-progression rates with 44 per cent and 43 per cent respectively.

According to this report, UCD had an overall non-progression rate of 9 per cent. Both Structural Engineering with Architecture and Psychiatric Nursing both recorded a nonprogression rate of 40 per cent. Arts and single subject honours (Economics and History) followed behind with 35 per cent non-progression.

There have been suggestions that many students lack the math skills and support necessary for many of these courses. Many students blame the difficulties they face in transitioning from second level to third level learning as a factor. There are numerous reasons that have resulted in this, including the lack of guidance in developing academic competencies. The report has urged an action plan be drawn up by relevant bodies to address the critical skills shortage within the IT sector.

2 JANUARY 26TH 2016

Nominations Open for President’s Awards Alanna O’Shea NOMINATIONS for the President’s Awards for Excellence in Student Activities are now open. The deadline for nominations is February 12th. The President’s Awards aim to recognise students whose extra-curricular activities have made UCD a more exciting and engaging place to study.

Both staff and students can nominate any current student who they believe makes a difference on campus. The nominations will then go on to a selection committee.

On average, 15 students receive awards, which will be presented at the annual University Awards ceremony.

“There is no limit on the number of awards that may be made in any year although the number is usually kept to about 12-15; this limit ensures that awards are made only for noteworthy contributions to life in UCD,” says Paddy O’Flynn, director of UCD Consultative Forum. “The only restriction on the recipients is that awards are not normally made to students whose work on campus has been substantially remunerated by UCD.” Unlike awards for excelling in sports or academics, recipients of these awards usually make their mark in campus societies, clubs or support services. Recipients of the award have usually shown

their leadership, commitment and organisational skills. Many have shown strength against adversity. People who have competed for the university at inter-varsity or international levels are often recognised.

Honourees are also rewarded for making UCD a more humane place by volunteering with charities or supporting their peers.

This could be as members of larger organisations, such as St. Vincent de Paul or Amnesty International, or working at university level, such as the UCD branch of the Please Talk campaign.

Student activists have been recognised for working for equality on campus, even at times when their activism has clashed with the administration. Previous awardees have worked for disability or LGBTQ+ rights, giving a voice to students that may have previously been marginalised. Martin Conway, currently a Fine Gael politician, was awarded in the 1990s for his work as a founding member of AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability).

Previous winners have had an impact far beyond the borders of the Belfield campus.

This includes the journalist and activist Orla Tinsley, who has worked to improve

cystic fibrosis awareness and healthcare services in Ireland.

Since the award’s inception in 1993, many of the 241 recipients of the award have gone on to have notable careers.

Winners in the 1990s include broadcaster Ryan Tubridy and Dara O’Brian, who during his time at UCD was auditor of the L&H and co-founder of the University Observer. Irish rugby star Rob Kearney was given the award in 2009 while earning his economics degree.

Other notable awardees include barrister Rossa Fanning, singer-song writer Paul Brady and Willie White, artistic director of the Dublin Theatre Festival. “In one year – the second year of the awards being made, awards were given to Dara O’Briain for his contribution to the L&H, to Willie White, later the CEO of the Project Theatre and of the Dublin Theatre Festival, for his work with Dramsoc, to Ryan Tubridy for his work in the History Society and to Pat Leahy of the Dublin Business Post, partly for his work in setting up this newspaper!” says O’Flynn. “That was a vintage year but every year there are winners who subsequently are seen to make their mark in the wider worlds of politics, the law, sports, journalism and social welfare.

One of last year’s winners was Gary Ringrose who probably

will soon be making the same kind of contribution to the Irish Rugby team as he did to the College team in 2015.”

Nomination forms are available online and from the Forum Office, Students’ Union and Services desks. The name of the nominee and a short description of why this person should be nominated is all that is required. The student does

not have to be notified that they are being nominated for the award. They should be marked ‘Student Awards’ and sent to “The Director, UCD Student Consultative Forum, UCD Student Centre.”

PhotO: FORMER UCD PRESIDENT AWARDING ROB KEARNEY THE PRESIDENT’S HIGHEST HONOUR

national news in brief

Simon Cumbers Student Scheme Enters

#NotAskingForIt Fifth Year Roisin Guyett-Nicholson Campaign Continues THE Simon Cumbers Student Roisin Guyett-Nicholson LAUNCHED midway through last semester, UCDSU’s consent campaign is set to continue in the second semester with a sexual assault survey and various consent workshops to be held.

The survey was originally intended to be held in the third week of the semester, however it was delayed to coincide with International Women’s Day on the 8th March.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s day is “Pledge for Parity” which seeks to end gender inequality.

UCDSU President, Marcus O’Halloran commented that

“we just feel it’s a more appropriate day for it, and we just want to maximise the results that we get no matter what the results show, we just wanted to get true results for it.”

Ellen O’Malley Dunlop of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), Orla O’Connor of the National Women’s Council of Ireland and acclaimed author Louise O’Neill will be present to launch the survey.

A number of workshops have also been planned to highlight the meaning of consent. These have since been delayed but are scheduled to go ahead over the semester.

THE Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have recently teamed up with the newly launched Smartvote app, with the aim of increasing student engagement with politics. Since the launch on Wednesday 13th January, over 30,000 people nationwide have already used the app, which was originally piloted in UCD Students’ Union sabbatical elections last year.

Promoted as the “Tinder of Politics”, the app aims to modernise the voting process in the upcoming General Election by enabling users to indicate their level of agreement with 30 topical proposals to establish which electoral candidates best represent their views.

Kevin Donoghue, president of the USI, claims the app reduces ambiguity around candidate positions during voting time. “This app cuts through any confusion and gets straight

Scheme, which offers students the opportunity to report on development issues, is now set to enter its fifth year. The programme gives three third-level students funding and mentorship from leading journalists. The award enables students to research a specific issue in a developing country, including the opportunity to travel there. The winners will also have their project distributed nationally by either The Irish Times, Newstalk or The Journal.ie.

The three successful applicants will then be mentored by journalists from prominent Irish media outlets. This year’s mentors are Newstalk producer, Susan Cahill, Irish Times Foreign Policy Editor, Paddy Smyth and The Journal.ie Deputy Editor, Christine Bohan.

The aim of the scheme is to enhance Irish media coverage of development issues. Applications are invited from third level students of any discipline.

Submissions would include a clear outline of their proposed topic as well as how each candidate intends to carry out their research.

Recent winners of the scheme have covered issues such as female beekeepers in Ethiopia and the life of women in Malawi.

Smartvote Collaborates with USI Karl O’Reilly

Minister of State for Development, Trade Promotion and North-South Co-operation, Seán Sherlock, TD, opened applications for the student scheme towards the end of last year.

Applications will close on Friday 12 February. Members of the Cumbers family, Irish Aid and media experts form the judging panel will form a shortlist of applicants. Following this, interviews and pitches are undertaken by the candidates in March. The winner of the award will be announced in April 2016.

The Simon Cumbers Media Fund also offers funding to freelance journalists who wish to undertake a project related to photojournalism. There are two rounds of this funding and projects do not have to be based on development

issues. Applications for this grant will open again in March 2016.

Established in 2005, the Media Fund remembers Irish foreign affairs journalist Simon Cumbers, who was killed while reporting in 2004. Cumbers worked primarily for UK agencies in broadcast media, covering stories such as the Madrid bombings in 2004.

The Simon Cumbers Media Fund works with the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish Aid. More information about the scheme or other funding opportunities with the Media fund can be found at http://www. simoncumbersmediafund.ie.

Researchers unable to access files in UCD Archives Roisin Guyett-Nicholson

to the point,” he says.

Smartvote has already proven popular. During its pilot in last year’s UCD Students’ Union sabbatical elections, it received a hugely positive response, with 83 per cent of those polled claiming they would use it in the run up to the General Election. Similar apps are popular in Europe, with Dutch voting guide, StemWijzer used by 80 per cent of 18-25 year olds at election time.

Co-founders Gordon Rose and Keith Moore are enthusiastic about the app, which won a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award last year. Rose claims it helps “users get up to speed on the issues in

just 5-10 minutes, about the same time it takes to read one manifesto,” while Moore says it seeks “a better way to make an informed voting decision than posters and flyers.”

However, some concerns have been raised over the usefulness of Smartvote. The crux is in the authenticity of the agreement between users and candidates. Reliance on Smartvote can also be deemed as risky due to the potential for the inclusion of leading questions and a bias selection of topics.

There is a fear that it could complicate the democratic process if used wrongly.

RESEARCHERS are unable to access all of the donated collections in the UCD Archives due to delays in cataloguing donations. A collection of papers from the now defunct Progressive Democrat (PDs) Party is still out of reach to researchers, despite being donated over six years ago.

When initially gifted to the University in 2009, it was claimed that it would take two years for the collection to be catalogued.

UCD Archives specialises in papers, photographs and other written material associated with prominent figures in Irish life. Stored in the Archives are the Maurice Twomey papers,

former Chief-of-Staff with the IRA, and the Eamon de Valera papers, belonging to the former Taoiseach and President.

The Department also houses documents related to the history of UCD itself.

The Archives are free to use for anybody wishing to research Irish History and are housed underneath the James Joyce Library.

It is claimed that a lack of resources has contributed to the delay in releasing the PD papers. This comes after years of financial cuts across the University, which has resulted in an increase in student/staff ratios.

News Analysis: Income-Contingent Loans As the debate around the funding of third level education continues, Roisin Guyett-Nicholson looks at the different options outlined in the Cassell report for the contribution fee. Given the current pressure that students are under this does not seem to be particularly feasible. As well as that, this system would not be able to take the pressure of increased numbers away. The report estimates that by 2030 the state would have to invest €1.1 billion to make up the shortfall.

The third option and the one highlighted by the report is a combination of income-contingent loans for students and employer investment. It proposes that this could raise up to €1 billion towards third level funding.

While this could see a charge of €4,000 for students, the report indicates that it would allow for a continued high level of investment in third level education, while costing the state significantly less than the other options.

The fee of €4,000 is proposed to be an annual one but could be repayable over an approximately 15 year period. Essentially once students begin to earn, they begin to pay back the investment in their education. If the amount of students continues to grow as is predicted, this option seems the strongest option to finance the influx.

The probability of incomecontingent loans is also something that has been considered by a number of political parties. Last year, Ógra Fianna Fáil proposed a system of student loans that it specified would be “free at point of access.” Similar to the Cassell’s report they suggested an annual fee that would eventually be repaid to students.

However, key to the option

Debt

Illustration: James Healy

MINISTER for Education Jan O’Sullivan recently declined to respond to the draft details of the Cassell’s report which was formed in early 2015 to examine future methods of funding for third level. The expert group, led by former Trade Union leader Peter Cassell, is expected to release its findings this month.

With fees for third level increasing yearly and other associated costs such as accommodation and living expenses also rising, funding for third level has come under pressure. Combined with this, Ireland has seen huge increases in the number of students attending third level.

What this means is that an overhaul of third level funding is desperately needed. It is simply unfeasible to expect the system to continue the way it is with little to no intervention.

The question is however, to what degree do we reform?

The details in the draft of the Cassell’s report examine three different scenarios. First, the state could move towards a third level model like that in Scandinavia or Scotland. Under these systems, tuition is largely free for students which is covered by state investment. Among European states, these have the highest level of investment per student. In applying it to the Irish case, the state would then have to provide €1.5 billion by 2030, something that the report notes is unlikely.

The second option would see the current model continue with students paying €3,000

Education described in the report is the input of employers. The idea is simple: that employers invest in their future employees.

However, the exact provision and distribution of any investment could be questionable. What would be of vital importance to this proposal would be which employers or businesses will provide funds and to what extent would they have a say in how their investment is managed.

For example a large law firm would not expect their funds to go to Science or STEM courses. If any employer is going to provide the projected funds then they would expect them to go to courses that will produce graduates for that field.

This could potentially throw

doubt on the funding of courses that do not have a clear career path after graduation, such as Arts or general Science courses. Ultimately this would come down to how the employer contribution is managed.

As the possibility of student loans in Ireland becomes more likely, the way we view education may change. If we’re relying on investment from prospective employers, will that dictate students’ course choices?

By allowing big employers the opportunity to mould their future employees, it is possible that we could see significant investment in particular courses while other degrees are overshadowed.

This is an issue that a number of political parties will be

focusing on and few have been willing to commit to proposals similar to that suggested by the report. With a general election expected to be held by the end of February, the timing of the release of the report is somewhat unlucky. Though the Minister claimed that she will comment on the findings of the report once they are finalised, that is likely to be only a number of weeks before the election. As such it is difficult to see how any party will make a clear commitment to the employer contribution and incomecontingent loan system suggested by the report. Ultimately, it means that the future of higher education in Ireland will remain in limbo until well after the election.

Campus News in Brief Julia O’Reilly

News international News in Brief Eithne Dodd

US Mental Health Survey Reveals Racial Disparity AT LEAST

AFRICAN–American students are less likely to seek help for mental health issues in spite of feeling less emotionally prepared for college than white students do, according to a US survey released last week.

The survey was conducted online and reflected a clear racial disparity between students who feel comfortable in a college environment and students who do not. 1,500 second-semester freshman responded to the survey.

Less than half of the black respondents rated their university experience as “good” or “excellent” whereas almost two-thirds of white students rated their experience as “good” or “excellent”.

Black students were more likely to report feeling overwhelmed or angry and that their college experience was not living up to their expectations. They were almost twice as likely to report that they had seriously considered transferring during their first semester.

White students are almost twice as likely to report receiving a diagnosis of anxiety, depression or ADHD, while black students didn’t seek help as often as white students for mental or emotional problems.

The survey was released in the midst of a wave of student protests about the racial climate on college campuses across the US. One of the most frequent demands made of colleges is to improve the counselling and support services for minority students.

Turkish Academics Detained EIGHTEEN lecturers from Kocaeli University in North-Western Turkey were detained in dawn raids on their houses on the 15th of January. The 18 detainees and 130 others face criminal charges for criticising ongoing military operations against Kurdish militants in the South-East of the country.

The academics are reportedly being charged with violating the controversial Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, under which it is illegal to insult the institutions of the Turkish nation.

Some 1,128 academics from 89 universities plus some notable international scholars abroad have signed a petition criticising the military crackdown on Kurdish rebels and have called for military operations in civilian areas to be halted. All 1,128 Turkish signatories of the petition are being investigated. They could face between one and five years in prison if convicted.

President Erdogan has accused those who signed the petition of engaging in “terrorist propaganda” on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (to be a member is illegal).

The petition entitled “We won’t be a party to this crime” was initiated by a group called “Academics for Peace” and was launched on 11 January. The petition calls for a halt to “massacres” and urged the government to create conditions for negotiations and prepare a “road map that would lead to a lasting peace”.

Pakistan University Attack

Image: COURTESY OF UCDSU (bottom) and ucd (top)

RAG week Returns UCD RAG week is to begin next week as one of UCDSU’s biggest events of the semester.

Beginning on 1st February, all students are encouraged to take part in over thirty different events which have been planned over the course of the week.

The upcoming charity drives include UCD RAG Ball, the first ever Clubhouse drag show, Wexford Wednesday, UCD Blind Dates, a 24 hour radio stream on Belfield FM, Battle of the Bands, a coffee crawl, a mini World Cup, a movie marathon, an intersociety

debate, a pyjama party, a Poetry Slam, Shave or Dye, a giant FIFA tournament and GaelBreak, with more yet to be announced.

The target is to raise €20,000 for four charities: Youth Suicide Prevention Ireland (YSPI), Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), the Peter McVerry Trust and funding for survivors of the Berkeley tragedy.

During semester one, student skydivers raised over €20,000 for YSPI. The Students’ Union hope to double that figure over the week.

RAG week is returning to campus after a six year hiatus.

In recent years, RAG weeks have received negative press. In

Galway, the annual event has been banned since 2011. This has not prevented unofficial RAG week celebrations.

Negative media attention and the other connotations of RAG Week often means that the fundraising agenda is overlooked.

UCD at the Forefront of Dairy Research and Education UCD has opened a €2.3 million Dairy Research and Education facility at the Lyons Research Farm. Minister for Agriculture, Food and the

Marines, Simon Coveney TD oversaw the opening and welcomed “the exciting strategic partnership” between academia and industry.

He noted that “UCD plays a critical role in the Irish agrifood sector and this project builds on a range of innovative programmes already in place.”

He says the development will not only create job opportunities but increase the value of Irish dairy exports.

The project is fronted by UCD and dairy industry leaders FBD, Glanbia, Dairymaster, Devenish Nutrition, Munster Cattle Breeding Group, Progressive Genetics and the Irish Holstein Friesian Association.

This has led to claims that UCD can strengthen its ability to examine innovative models of milk production and run a world class environment for teaching and research connected with dairy sciences. Furthermore as Ireland is one of the world’s leading producers in dairy, the new Research Farm is a welcome resource.

UCD President Professor Andrew Deeks said “UCD has always been at the forefront of supporting Ireland’s vital agri-food sector. This development is designed to continue this role as we train

the future leaders of the sector.”

UCD Alumnus Aoibhinn Ni Shúilleabháin Set to Present on new TV Show UCD Maths and Statistics lecturer and alumnus Dr. Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin was recently confirmed in the line up for a new show on RTÉ. She is set to join comedian Neil Delamere for the latest panel show to hit our screens, Eureka!

The Big Bang Query. Comic PJ Gallagher will also be joining the former Rose of Tralee winner as a regular rival team captain.

This is well-known territory for Ni Shúilleabháin. The Mayo native currently works on the RTÉ show Science Squad and previously hosted travel series Getaways.

The programme aims to collide the worlds of comedy and science. In its outline, it states that participants will “discuss the world’s most fascinating discoveries, answer some age old questions about the universe and debate whether or not you can turn a Delorean into a time machine.”

A broadcast date has yet to be formally confirmed. Ten episodes are set to be recorded in Dublin’s Old John Player Factory later this month.

THE Bacha Kahn campus in northwest Pakistan was raided by militants on Wednesday 20th of January. The attack was timed to occur at the same time as a ceremony at the college in order to ensure maximum casualties. The police have questioned around 50 people believed to be connected to the attack.

Militants entered the university campus via a low wall at the back of the compound, under the cover of a thick fog. Once inside they made their way across the grounds, throwing grenades and shooting at teachers and students.

The celebration on Wednesday was for the 28th anniversary of the death of the man the university is named after, Abdul Ghaffar Khan who was a 1920s Pashtun independence activist and pacifist also known as Bacha Khan.

The university was not prepared for the attack but security in the region was heightened as they had received intelligence of a potential attack in tribal areas. The added security at the event helped keep the attackers confined to one side of the university.

In the aftermath, troop transporters pulled up to the gates of the university and entered campus with heavily armed soldiers, videos from the scene showed. Other soldiers combed the school’s outer walls with guns held at ready. Reports suggest the Taliban may be behind the attack.

JANUARY 26TH 2016

comment

Family Falls Victim to HSE’s Failures and Shortcomings Caoilte O’Broin’s sister publicly pleaded for help for her brother’s mental illness. Ruth Murphy investigates how the HSE left the family to suffer alone ON 2ND January 2016, the body of Caoilte O’Broin was found in the River Liffey. O’Broin was found dead after a long and now highly publicised experience with mental illness. He discharged himself from hospital and went missing on December 30th. Since his death, his family have come out in criticism of the Health Service Executive (HSE), who they claim failed both Caoilte and their entire family.

O’Broin’s sister Caitriona has spoken about the tragedy since his passing, explaining that he had suffered from mental health difficulties since before the death of their father in 2014, but that the loss had made his condition much worse. According to his sister, “he felt worthless.” He was self-medicating with alcohol, his family sought treatment from the HSE and were denied it, and his psychiatrist would not meet with the family. With few places left to turn, his sister Caitriona wrote an anonymous article for Joe.ie one month ago describing the nightmare that their family’s life had become.

In the article, she describes a few of her brother’s many suicide attempts, including an occasion where “he pulled his window half off its hinges… in an attempt to claw his way out, screaming, ‘Let me jump, let me die’. It took three people to hold him down.”

Despite these attempts, his sister said that the family had been left by the HSE to carry the burden of his illness alone. “Three times, he has been admitted to the psych unit. Each time he is sent right back home, for the same thing to happen again.” She is quoted in the Sunday Business Post as saying “the emergency response teams were wonderful. So were the Gardaí, paramedics and [those in] emergency medicine. But as soon as he moved into psychiatry the door – metaphorically and literally – closed.” As an adult, Caoilte’s consent was required to obtain professional psychiatric help –

4 JANUARY 26TH 2016

consent which he never gave. “He doesn’t believe his life is worth saving, but he is not mentally in a position to make decisions about his treatment,” his sister has said.

This is not the first case where the inclusion of the family in mental health matters could have made a huge difference to the patient. In 2010, Una Butler’s husband John murdered their two children before taking his own life. She was quoted in the Sunday Business Post as saying “I received no support, no education and no guidance.”

The logical approach would be to involve family in the treatment

process like with any other serious illness. Why is mental health treated differently? Paul Kelly, founder and director of the suicide prevention charity Console also addressed this issue: “Families often tell us that they felt excluded from their loved one’s care…

If you have cancer, or another physical illness, it is assumed that your family will be involved. But with mental health it is different.”

Like the O’Broin family, Una Butler never managed to have a private meeting with her husband’s psychiatrist. A meeting could have prevented the tragic deaths in their family. The knowledge

that a patient’s family can offer to a healthcare professional can be hugely helpful in understanding the patient’s illness and in treating it. A patient may not be forthcoming with all facts about their illness, or they may not understand how their behaviour is perceived. Only those close to the patient can give this information. If Caoilte O’Broin’s family had been involved from the beginning, they would have been able to offer assistance that no amount of medication can provide.

Caoilte’s sister said: “We know he has been lying to his doctors.

We have found court psych

IN PHOTO: CAOILTE O’BROIN

“Three times, he has been admitted to the psych unit. Each time he is sent right back home, for the same thing to happen again.”

reports wherein he has hugely underreported his symptoms.”

The exclusion of the family from Caoilte’s treatment is not the only barrier the O’Broin family faced in attempting to help Caoilte. “We have been told, over and over again, that while my brother drinks, there will be no help for him.” Mental health problems and alcoholism combine to make what is called a “dual diagnosis”. According to the Sunday Business Post, “Dual Diagnosis Ireland said most mental health services and addiction treatment centres in Ireland will not treat both conditions. 85 per cent of people with an alcohol addiction also had a mental health problem; yet the vast majority cannot access the mental health service.” The often intricate link between mental illness and alcoholism is ignored in Ireland, preventing so many from accessing necessary and possibly lifesaving healthcare. If they are so connected, they should not be treated as isolated conditions.

Alongside this, his insurance would not cover any treatment because the illness started before the insurance was taken out.

Sufferers of ongoing illnesses should be able to rely on their insurance regardless of how long they have suffered. Otherwise, insurance companies would be withholding insurance and therefore health care from many of those who need it most.

The entire family has suffered because of Caoilte’s illness, and the HSE has failed to lighten their load. They responded to the anonymous article from Caoilte’s sister Caitriona on Joe.ie saying: “Given that the woman has written anonymously, it is really hard for us to provide proper signposting without knowing where the family is based.”

Caitriona said: “We must rely on the HSE and it’s as if the HSE is leaving him to die.” Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened.

O’Broin died needlessly as a result of a backwards health system that has failed to adapt to the complex treatments needed for people who are mentally ill.

There is little doubt that the HSE’s neglect of Caoilte O’Broin was a factor in his death. The HSE can no longer treat Caoilte, but it must now recognise its fatal mistakes in his treatment. They should compensate and offer counselling to the O’Broin family.

Families need to be allowed to participate in the care of mentally ill patients and recognise that many patients are not in a fit state to deny treatment. A dual diagnosis should not prevent treatment, as it did in Caoilte’s case. These are not simply requests – these are measures that we need to see to prevent more avoidable deaths. Caoilte O’Broin may have died as a result of this neglectful health system, but we can be sure that he will not be the last to do so, unless serious and essential reforms are made.

The HSE has commented: “We take the death of anyone known to our services very seriously.

For reasons of privacy, we don’t comment on individual cases.”

This however, is not an individual case. The cases of Caoilte O’Broin and John Butler are by no means isolated. If the HSE does not dismantle the barriers to healthcare there will be more tragic, avoidable deaths just like these in the future.

It is long past time that the HSE properly provided services for people suffering from mental illnesses – so that they can live full and healthy lives, and their families can avoid the pain of losing their loved ones.

If you or anyone you know has been affected by this situation or something similar, you can always speak to Aware – 1890 303 302.

Comment

#WakingTheFeminists: What Do The Rise of Feminist Campaigns Mean For Irish Women In 2016?

After the success of the Waking The Feminists movement late last year, Sarah Murphy discusses the movement as a platform for Irish feminism in 2016 THE recognition of the role of women in theatre has come a long way in recent years. But, while they may not be obliged to don moustaches and impersonate men a la Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love, last year’s controversial publication of the Abbey Theatre’s 2016 programme has proven that there is still work to be done.

The controversy was sparked when the Abbey Theatre unveiled its commemorative programme for 2016, “Waking the Nation”, in which only one out of the ten plays was written by a woman. Members of the theatre and arts world took to social media to criticise the Abbey and call for more gender equality in theatre.

The hashtag #WakingtheFeminists trended worldwide on Twitter and the movement gained international support from high profile Hollywood actresses like Meryl Streep, Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston and Christine Baranski. The Abbey held a public debate on the issue days afterwards where women came together to share their experiences.

Both the debate and the social media campaign brought the issue of gender equality in the arts to the forefront of public debate. In response, the Abbey Theatre has established a subcommittee to address the problem with gender balance in their plays.

They have yet to announce the specific ways they will go about it.

How can similar movements inspire change in Ireland? The Waking the Feminists movement is another in a series of women’s rights campaigns that have garnered public attention and support in recent months, but it remains to be seen whether they will be effective in combatting gender inequality.

A topic that is generating a lot of media coverage and think pieces, particularly in the US, is the issue of victim blaming when it comes to cases of rape and sexual assault. Focus is hardly ever on the perpetrator of the crime, it is almost always on the actions of the victim. Was she drunk? Was she provocatively dressed? Was she “asking for it”? Instead of questioning what would make a person do such a heinous thing, we blame the victim for allowing it to

happen. Rape seems to be the only crime where this approach is accepted. Nobody blames a victim for being robbed or mugged. If sexual crimes are to be adequately addressed, this attitude needs to be addressed.

This issue is not confined to the US. Writers in Ireland are addressing it too. Louise O’Neill’s groundbreaking novel Asking For It talks about how this victim blaming attitude presents itself in Ireland. With the number of reported sexual assaults growing, discussion of this issue is more important than ever.

Whether we like it or not, the celebrity culture we live in means that actors and actresses have a certain influence and a platform from which their opinion can generate much discussion.

Some Hollywood actresses have chosen to use this platform to raise awareness of the everyday inequality that they face in their work. American actress Jennifer Lawrence recently authored a widely circulated essay calling for equal pay in Hollywood. She had recently discovered that she was paid less than her male co-stars for her Golden Globe winning performance in American Hustle.

Fellow actress and comedienne Amy Poehler started the Twitter campaign #AskHerMore during awards season to encourage reporters on the red carpet to ask actresses about their work rather than their clothes. Poehler was sick of being asked about who she was wearing while her male co-stars were asked insightful questions about their work.

Helen Mirren and Geena Davis are speaking out about ageism in Hollywood when they noticed the number and variety of roles offered to them plummeted once they reached a certain age.

All these movements are making the third wave of feminism more accessible to the general public. It is not just an intellectual concept to be discussed by academics or passionate activists; it is becoming a movement that everyone can participate in.

These high profile campaigns

pHOTO: THE #WAKINGTHEFEMINISTS PROTEST OUTSIDE THE ABBEY THEATRE IN DUBLIN, NOVEMBER 2015

bring equality issues to the forefront of public debate and generate a discussion of central issues.

If young girls see women in the public eye speaking out about feminism and equality, it makes them more aware and rejects the idea that they cannot do something because of their gender. Culture has always been the most effective vehicle for social change. Through film, television and the arts, ideas get normalised and become accepted.

2016 will undoubtedly be a big year for Irish women and feminist issues will surely be at the forefront of public debate. It is hard to predict the impact the Waking the

Feminists campaign and others like it will have on Irish feminism in the coming year. While it might not have an instantly revolutionary effect on politics and social issues, it has called attention to the many everyday inequalities that women still face today. While blatant discrimination might not be as common, lack of opportunity still restricts women from reaching their full potential. Many mistakenly believe that the fight for women’s rights is over, but campaigns like this demonstrate the glass ceilings that still need to be broken.

The gender quotas for the upcoming general election will result in an unprecedented number

of women standing for election.

Whether this means that more women will actually be elected remains to be seen. A mere 16 per cent of current TDs are women, and yet this is still the highest percentage ever. Hopefully, campaigns like Waking the Feminists and the growing global awareness of feminism will lead to more women being elected.

Only when women are represented in our national parliament will issues like abortion and equality be addressed adequately, with contributions from those who these issues actually affect.

The Eighth Amendment will also occupy much of the public

debate. In recent statements, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the Tánaiste Joan Burton said that any potential referendum dealing with the Eighth Amendment would be dealt with by the next government.

The issue is bound to be a hot topic of debate in the run-up to the general election and may well be the divisive issue that decides many votes.

The Waking the Feminists movement is changing the way we think about women in theatre and the opportunities that women are afforded not only in the arts, but in Irish society too. The process of this change may be slow and gruelling, but the Waking the Feminists movement is certainly helping the process along.

A Fight for Choice North of the Border While abortion has been a point of discussion in the Republic for some time, Danielle Clarke discusses the lesser-known situation north of the border

ILLUSTRATION: Joanna O’MALLEY

AT THE start of this year The Guardian interviewed five women from Northern Ireland who anonymously shared their stories of having an abortion. The video posted was as heart breaking and shocking as one may assume. One woman recalled her traumatic experience: “In that moment, I understood why women felt so desperate that they would take a coat hanger or something to themselves”. It highlights the severity of Northern Ireland’s abortion laws over the last 40 years.

The UK Abortion Act of 1967 allows for the termination of a pregnancy up to 24 weeks. This law does not extend to Northern Ireland.

Instead abortions in Northern Ireland are only available to women and girls where their life or health is considered to be in grave danger. This mirrors the situation here. Abortion is legal in the Republic of Ireland only when a pregnant women’s life is at risk, which includes the risk of suicide. Access to abortion in such cases is governed by the ‘Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013’.

Women who become pregnant in Northern Ireland and do not wish to keep the baby face three options: travel overseas for an abortion, seek out an illegal and dangerous solution such as buying abortion pills online, or continue with the

unwanted pregnancy. This decision is also usually made with little to no information as doctors refrain from giving advice or answering questions about abortion. They can be worried about the threat of prosecution if they do so.

There is even a current prohibition on women accessing terminations in cases of rape, incest or where there is a danger of fatal foetal abnormality.

Essentially there is a near-total ban on abortion in Northern Ireland and under current law, women who decide to have an abortion can face life imprisonment. What they are doing is deemed to be criminal. This has led to many making the trip overseas

counties across the border. to have the procedure carried out.

This influence goes so far as Despite paying taxes to the to determine who the people of British government and being Northern Ireland can and cannot regarded as British citizens, these marry and the decisions they women who travel to England do make regarding their own bodies. not avail of access to free abortion Exercising their power, a union care like their fellow British of evangelical Protestants, the counterparts. They must pay for Catholic Church and a majority their flights and the NHS clinic, of the Stormont Assembly’s often travelling scared and alone. politicians have ensured that Travelling to England brings risks Northern Ireland remains excluded and delays for the mother and from the 1967 legislation. her own health. Reported in The Guardian, official figures for 2013 Arlene Foster, who became suggest that 800 Northern Irish Northern Ireland’s first female women travelled to England for an leader earlier this month and the abortion, among them a 13-yearcurrent leader of the DUP, has old girl who had become pregnant vowed to prevent the 1967 Act being through incest. These figures extended to the North. Foster, who only take into account those who could use her position and status provided an address, suggesting to represent the struggle that the that the number is in fact higher. women of Northern Ireland face, It is clear that enshrined in this has instead shown no evidence of law is a culture of fear, isolation relaxing the ban. This is despite and guilt across Northern Ireland. the fact that she has expressed Writing for The Guardian, Paul sympathy for women with crisis McErlane highlights that what pregnancies and recognises the makes Northern Ireland different issues they face. Foster has declined is that the to answer on restrictive laws whether she “What separates on abortion would accept arise from a limited the North from conservative exceptions the South is and faithsuch as that religion based society. women who continues to A similar become situation pregnant have a strong exists in the through rape influence over South, where or incest, restrictive laws public opinion or those concerning gay and legislation.” whose baby marriage and has fatal abortion were originally influenced foetal abnormalities. by the clergy and the impact that In December, the High Court in the Catholic faith had in Ireland at Belfast ruled that denying abortions the time. However, what separates to women who had become pregnant the North from the South is that through rape was a breach of British religion continues to have a strong and European human rights law. influence over public opinion and The court’s decision does not lift the legislation in Northern Ireland. ban but it does put an obligation on This results in the South making the Stormont Assembly to legislate further social progress than the on the issue. Mr Justice Horner

stated that there is a “gross interference with her personal autonomy” when a mother is unable to access an abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.

The judge went on to state that also where a sexual crime has been committed an unfair burden is placed on victims.

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty’s Northern Ireland programme director, spoke to The Independent about the decision: “Today’s High Court decision is a clear call to the Northern Ireland Assembly to bring abortion laws into the 21st century.”

There is no doubt that abortion is and always will be a sensitive issue. Regardless, it is a topic that urgently needs to be discussed. This discussion must take place away from the shame culture that operates in Northern Ireland so that women can openly discuss their personal stories and how abortion laws have affected them. How can Stormont (in which only 19.1 per cent of the 108 MLAs are women) legislate effectively when they’ve never experienced the burden of living with painful secrets?

Last year on Russell Howard’s Good News, the British comedian reported on a shooting at an abortion clinic in America and in doing so emphasised why women may opt to have an abortion: “Women don’t have abortions for a laugh; they do it because they’re scared, they’re young, they may have been raped”.

It is a decision that no woman makes lightly. It is without doubt a difficult one to make, and more than nine times out of ten, according to a survey of 600 women in America last year, it is reported to be the right decision.

JANUARY 26TH 2016

comment Fighting Against the Tide: Ireland’s Floods After a winter in which Ireland was devastated by floods, Rosemarie Gibbons questions what the response will be to this near-annual problem for rural communities IT’S the stuff of Denzel Washington movies. Natural disasters – be it storms, floods, tornados – strike cities and towns of innocent civilians, and the hero somehow singlehandedly fights the force of nature, the ‘act of God’ and wills it to stop.

Despite some damage, Denzel gets awarded a medal from the mayor, and everyone goes home happy.

It’s a far cry from the situation in Carrick-on-Shannon, Limerick, or rural Kilkenny. There doesn’t seem to be a Hollywood ending in sight for those whose homes have been damaged and lives put on hold as a result of the recent chronic flooding in many parts of the country. The Office of Public Works’ Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management division (CFRAM) have reported that over 66 areas across the country, including those named above, have been deemed ‘flood risk’ areas.

Since early December, we have heard and seen many accounts in the media of exhausted families and workers stressing the sheer desperate conditions they are living in. In one particularly harrowing episode of Liveline at the beginning of December, there were shocking accounts of people not leaving their houses for weeks on end, farmers losing stock and land by the day and general despair over the lack of government officials or organisations swooping in to help.

People from unaffected areas in Dublin or other counties called in to offer their support, but the episode left a lot of people feeling even more helpless than before.

As a result of seeing the damage the floods have caused around the country, it is puzzling to even those least affected by the floods that in some parts of the country, prescheduled building projects and housing developments in risk

areas around the Shannon are still due to go ahead. News that a field in Galway was given the green light by planners to continue with a development of 48 houses was greeted with anger by local residents, as it was common knowledge that the land is a flood plain. It is difficult for those who have had to evacuate their own homes in the area to watch further houses being built that will, without a doubt, also be affected by

“Smaller communities are pulling together as best they can, but relying on others can’t be a permanent solution for those in rural communities…” flood water in the years to come.

In addition to the intrusion of these developments, existing plans to provide some viable relief for residents in affected areas are being held at a standstill for equally dubious reasons. In December, a flood relief scheme for the Dunkillen River area in County Galway was postponed by An Bord Pleanála, who had been due to make a decision on the scheme for some time. Postponed until February 29th of this year, it left local residents with little support during the worst period of flooding.

Smaller communities are pulling together as best they can, but relying on others can’t be a permanent solution for those in

rural communities. For many of those affected, access to their jobs, schools or even to shops to get groceries can be completely cut off. It is clear to see why locals in these flood-affected rural areas are distrustful towards those in the Government who hold the most power. As one affected Gort resident stressed to Joe Duffy on Liveline, “all these things are dragging on – but nothing’s getting done”.

As a result of furious public outcry over the lack of political support regarding the floods, Taoiseach Enda Kenny discussed the possibility of relocating emergency funding at the beginning of December to deal with flood damages all around the country in an optimistically-labelled ‘clean-up operation’. Yet there is a feeling of ‘too little too late’ surrounding the Taoiseach’s ideas. Local residents and business owners in one of the worst-affected areas, Bandon in Cork, were distrustful of the Taoiseach’s promises. A similar promise of a flood defence scheme, a project of the Office of Public Works, failed to be fully completed in 2009.

As the Dáil broke for Christmas, there was certainly a feeling of abandonment of those in rural areas by their government. Although the poor timing of flooding couldn’t be helped by any government official, nor could control of the weather, the feeling that more could always have been done lingers. If flood defence schemes were set out in 2009, there is no excuse for how little progress had been made by 2015. Without funding, local officials are powerless to provide local residents with any emergency measures, and are depending on residents volunteering their time to man pumps or provide transport to town for more rural residents.

The schemes that currently exist, such as OPW’s ‘CFRAM’ programme, are not trusted by farmers who are

affected by flooding due to their lack of real material solutions, like flood gates for farmyards. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin pointed out there was an “underspend of €34m on flood defences over the past two years”, which is no small figure. Whilst the Government unveiled the newest solutions to the flooding, including an additional €10 million to the clean-up fund, and hardship recognition and fodder replacement schemes to become available to farmers affected by the flooding, the Taoiseach had to stretch his recognitions to those who responded swiftly to

the floods such as “emergency services personnel, Local Authority workers and all the volunteers”.

Whether or not the roll out of these schemes will offer any solace to those who already live in dread of the inevitable flooding next winter, there is no doubt that those local volunteers will bear the brunt again of protecting family, friends and neighbours.

It’s easy to distance oneself from these situations when you aren’t living in an affected area, or haven’t grown up in a community that is mainly agricultural or is isolated from larger towns. However, ruined land and crops in turn affects harvests,

which affects food production, which affects everyone, if only through the increased price of their weekly shop.

Flooding isn’t an issue that affects rural counties exclusively, or one that will fix itself in a month. It is the same disconnect that is often felt by smaller rural communities between them and the Government - that their voices aren’t heard, that their issues are too specific to be taken seriously by the rest of the country. It certainly isn’t an issue that can be fixed by the end of an episode of Liveline. And while it’s so much easier to focus on international issues and criticise from afar, it’s time we pay a lot more attention to the problem we share.

The 2015 floods in ireland PHOTOs: Tyrone Fairbrother

The Money Minefield of Third-Level As the major Irish universities slide in the global rankings, Julia O’Reilly turns her attention toward the other area of the Irish third-level: the struggling institutes of technology SOMETIMES the common good gets priority. Yet, as is the unfortunate truth, when it comes to third-level state funding, the common good is often ignored.

Five third-level institutions are in dire financial trouble as they struggle to get back on their feet after years of cuts in state funding. Dundalk IT (DkIT), Waterford IT, Letterkenny IT, Galway-Mayo IT and National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin are all in financial trouble. A new series of targets from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) highlights their already seriously vulnerable position.

Across the board, funding to third-level institutes has been cut by around 32 per cent – or over €426m – between 2008 and 2015, and staffing levels have been reduced by approximately 2,000, leaving universities and

colleges having to facilitate more with fewer resources.

When the financial crisis hit, the general consensus among the public was that continuing onto third-level education was a stable alternative to venturing out into the barren working world. It is no surprise that student numbers have gone up by around 20 per cent since the 2008 crash. This leads to another problem: the HEA reported a ratio of one academic per 19.5 students in 2014, significantly behind the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) average of 14 to 1, and one of the highest in Europe.

There are a host of problems feeding into one another. Fewer academic staff leads to poorer results. At the same time income needs to be sufficient to keep an institute competitive at both a national and international

level. They must offer the same facilities as other colleges. This is why many take issue with the new HEA proposals.

The HEA asks that each third level institution outlines future plans and how they will set themselves apart from others.

They must, for the first time, set goals in relation to drop out rates, standards of teaching and learning, research, internationalism and access for disadvantaged groups.

If they fail to meet the targets, the HEA can withhold up to ten per cent of funding. Some believe that this could affect academic independence negatively. For one of the listed struggling institutes, ten per cent of the funding could be what saves them from closure.

There has been considerable backlash against the HEA’s new measures. In Dundalk IT (DkIT), the academic staff are not taking the cuts lightly. A wave of strikes

“ITs generate modest amounts of income compared to what universities haul in.

Where UCD brought in €84 million in private income in 2013, Waterford IT took in a mere €17 million…”

GALWAY - MAYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PHOTO: Via FLICKR

6 JANUARY 26TH 2016

throughout February are set to oppose funding cuts to the Institute of Technology sector as well as the HEA targets. DkIT vice chairperson Kenneth Sloane calls the HEA proposals “unworkable”.

He noted that they “would further damage the quality of education provided by DkIT and have been rightly opposed by staff representatives and DkIT Students’ Union alike.”

Reports show Irish higher education is competing “very well internationally” and graduate employment had bounced back to precrisis levels. However, these statistics are largely referring to universities like UCD and TCD, which have slipped in international standards but are still viable. Many ITs are not performing in such a manner.

Why is that the case? Seven years of spending cuts would certainly take a toll on any institution. Yet the largest in the country are feeling it to less of a degree. This is because larger universities are making up for revenue lost from the dip in state funding by boosting income from private sources.

ITs generate modest amounts of income compared to what universities haul in. Where UCD brought in €84 million in private income in 2013, Waterford IT took in a mere €17 million, the largest of any institute of technology.

All third level establishments rely on state funding.

Universities are often less dependent on the government payments. UCD and TCD attribute 60 per cent of their income from non-exchequer sources. ITs rely heavily on state funding, and they are feeling the effects. The five floundering institutes had been running a budget deficit after the funding reductions put them under severe financial pressure.

But it is not all targets and funding cuts that have damaged the financial position

of institutions. Indeed, one of the flailing ITs, GalwayMayo, was forced to run a costly investigation into minor plagiarism that ran from 2011 until 2013. This set them back €436,061, with €1,500 paid to two investigators each day.

So can these ITs get by? The answer to that seems to be that they can, but with the greatest of difficulty. State funding is not going to land on their laps.

They are going to have to get creative if they want to regain their viability. It is important to note that none of the colleges are in imminent danger of collapse. At the same time, the HEA are placing them under special review and intend to help restore their financial stability.

Andrew Brownlee of the HEA is working to help them break even. “They are all experiencing operating deficits so we are working towards a three-year financial plan that will allow them to break even again,” he said. “That involves a review of all of their operations, the types of courses they are providing, if they can introduce more parttime flexi-time provisions, if they can take in more international students and if they can cut costs in certain areas.”

Brownlee certainly makes a good point. By attracting more global students they will be on track to regaining revenue.

Plus, by hosting part-time courses as well as broadening the range offered, they become more appealing to both national and international prospective learners. It seems many Irish institutes are savvy to this. Thirdlevel colleges have a strategy to considerably increase the international student figures over the coming five years. This would inject a further €720 million into the economy and provide much needed revenue for the struggling institutions. However, it remains to be seen whether Ireland’s ITs will flounder or flourish in the coming years.

Gaeilge

Cá ndeachaigh ár dTáillí Saor?

An Radharc ón dTúr Uisce

Griangraf: James healy

Tugann Niamh O’Regan léirmheas ar an gearrchéim airgeadais atá roimh mic léinn in Éirinn inniu.

LE blianta anuas tá ardú tagaithe ar táillí an tríú leibhéal, cé nach táillí oideachas iad ach “Táille Cúnamh”, ach anois, tar éis na blianta fada tá caint ar táillí a glaoch orthu faoi dheireadh, ach comh maith le seo, tá seans ann go dtiocfaidh ardú ar na phraghasanna arís. Thosaigh scéim na “Táillí Saor” i 1997, ionas go mbeadh deis ag dalta ó gach áit den tír freastal ar ionad tríú leibhéal agus a gcuid oideachas is eolas a leathnú, ach anois tá costas €3000 in aghaidh na bliana. Faoi láthair níl aon scéim náisiúnta ann faoi iasachtaí macléinn, chun an chostais seo a chlúdach. Tá scéimeanna príobháideacha ar fáil ó na bainc faoi iasachtaí. Bíonn ráta ús níos ísle ar na hiasachtaí seo ná mar a bhíonn ar iasachtaí eile ach fós tá siad ann, agus athraíonn siad ó banc go bhanc. Bíonn roinnt iasachtaí ann atá saor ó ús ach ní chlúdaítear ach ámhairíonn beag den chostais.

De réir dréacht tuairisce rúnda, moltar scéim iasachta bunaithe ar ioncam, ardú i ndeontaisí cothabhála (a bheadh bunaithe ar acmhainní)

agus níos mó cúnamh ón stát agus fostóirí . Is scéim de “íocaíochtaí iarchuirithe a bheadh i gceist. Sé sin ná nach mbeadh ar daltaí na táillí a íoc go dtí go thosaíodar ag tuilleamh tuarastal áirithe. Déanann an tuairisc amach cás dá ardaíodh táillí go €4000 in aghaidh na bliana. Sa cás seo, aisíocaíocht €25 in aghaidh na seachtaine ar feadh 15 bliana comh luath is a thuileadh €26,000 ar ráta ús fíor íseal, Sna Ríocht Aontaithe tá scéim mar seo i bhfeidhm is córas rialtais atá i gceist; is táillí £9,000 atá acu siúd agus gach blain, is é sin an méid a tugtar san iasacht, caithfear tosú ar an iasacht a aisíoc nuair a thosnaítear ag tuilleadh tuarastal de £21,000 nó níos airde .Deir an Irish Times go cosúil go dtitfidh an tuairisc ar dheisc an rialtas nua tar éis an toghchán.

Tá an dearcadh céanna ag an chuid is mó de na príomh páirtí polaitíochta (Fine Gael, na Lucht Oibre, Fianna Fáil); níl fonn orthu táillí a ardú ach tá tacaíocht ann do scéim iasachta.

A mhalairt atá le Sinn Féin, níl tacaíocht acu siúd do scéim iasachta ach creidimh acu i ndeontaisí.

Is cosúil go bhfuil an USI ar aon intinn leo. Deir Kevin O’Donoghue, Uachtarán an USI go mbeadh an scéim seo tromchúiseach do oideachas tríú leibhéal, go mbeadh daltaí meánscoile ag roghnú a gcuid cúrsaí bunaithe ar an luach eacnamaíochta a tiocfaidh astu seachas an tairbhe níos leithne a d’fhéadfadh teacht as.

I gcomhrá leis an Irish Times, dúirt O’Donoghue go bhfuil easpa millteach infheistíocht ó gnó agus tionsclaíocht san oideachas agus go mbeadh cabhair dochreidte astu dá mbailíodh PRSI na bhfostóirí ag meán ráta an AE. I measc é seo ar fad áfach, tá moladh tagtha ón OECD ar na táillí a thabhairt ar ais, ach má’s rud é go ndéantar seo, caithfear go mbeadh scéim ann chun déileáil leis. Má leanann meon na polaiteoirí mar atá is cosúil nach mbeadh ardú ag teacht ar táillí. Ach mura bhfuil scéim iasachtaí i bhfeidhm caithfidh ardú teacht ar líon na deontaisí atá ar fáil, agus chun na deontaisí seo a mhaoiniú, is cosúil go dtiocfaidh ardú ar a líon cáin a caithfear íoc, agus ní cosúil go mbeadh mórán sásta le sin.

In Gach úrbhliain, bíonn go leor tuairimíocht faoin dhá mhí deag atá le teacht. Anseo sa Túr Uisce, tuigeann muid nach bhfuil aon suim ag mic léinn sa dhá mhí deag sa todhchaí. In háit, seo tuar don tearma seo – dhá seachtain déag Le Síofra Ní Shluaghadháin SEACHTAIN 1 – Beidh tús olc agat an tearma seo. Rachaidh tú amach Dé Luain Dhubh, agus ina dhiaidh sin, ní bhéidh cuimhne agat ar do ghuth. Tá seans go musclóidh tú maidin Déardaoin.

Má tharlaíonn sin, ná amharc ar do chlár ama. Fág sin don Luain.

Seachtain 2 – Seachtain Áthbhfreisiúr an tseachtain seo. Caithfidh tú d’airgid uilig ag clarú do gach cumann agus páirtí polaitiúla. An é seo an seimeastar a mbeidh tú gníomhach?

Seachtain 3 – Seo fíor-thús an seimeastar. Rachaidh tú chuig an leabharlann, agus déanfaidh tú plean staidear. Mór ádh!

Seachtain 4 – Beidh am ar dóigh agat an seachtain seo. Amach leat chuig oíche soisíalta an cumann sin. Tá go leor ama fágtha agat chun an obair sin uilig a dhéanamh.

Seachtain 5 – Ar ais chuig an leabharlann leat! Seo an seans chun an plean stáidear sin a úsáid… Cá bhfuil sé anois?

Seachtain 6 – Chaith tú an seachtain seo caite ar fad ag cuardú an plean staidéar. Cuimhneoidh tú ar tráthnóna Deardaoin go bhfuil aiste/tuairisc/tasc lár tearma le bheith isteach ar an Aoine ag a 4… nó an bhfuil sé ag mean lae?

Seachtain 7 – Maith thú! Gach rud críochnaithe, agus caithfidh tú an seachtain uilig sa leaba. Tá seans go bhfaighfidh tú notaí ó do chara díograiseach. Fósta, ná déan dearmad do chuid éadaí salach a phacáil. Dé hAoine, beidh sé in am dul abhaile!

Sos! – Rachaidh tú abhaile, agus beidh am den scoth agat… ar feadh dhá nó trí lá, b’fhéidir. Ina dhiaidh sin, tá seans go mbeidh fon ort do thuismitheoirí/dearthair/deirfiúr a mharú. Chomh maith le seo beidh tú ag iarraidh an chait/madra a fuadú, agus gach pioc bias sa teach a goid.

Fillfidh tú ar an choláiste seachtain luath.

Seachtain 8 – Ar ais arís!

Beidh tú an-díograiseach an tseachtain seo agus beidh seachtain órga agat! Maith thú! Ar an drochuair, caithfear amach as cibé’n páirtí polaitiúl atá tú rannphairteach in.

An cúis? Argóint a thosnú faoi commóradh 1916…

Seachtain 9 – Ní théann tú chuig dhá nó trí léachtanna.

Ní dhéanfaidh sé aon difir, an ndéanfaidh?

Seachtain 10 – Ceapfaidh tú go mbeidh tú cliste agus go n-amharcfaidh tú ar na sean páipéar scrúdaithe/teidil aiste roimh deireadh an tearma.

Tagann an smaoineamh seo ar an Máirt, b’fhéidir, ach déanfaidh tú dearmad faoin plean seo roimh i bhfad.

Seachtain 11 – Amharcann tú ar sean páipéar scrúdaithe/ teidil áiste. Níl clú dá laghad agat caidé atá ag tarlú. Téann tú chuig an Clubhouse in áit na leabharlainne.

Seachtain 12 – Cá ndeachfaidh an tearma seo ar chór ar bith?

Ná bí buartha, tá go leor ama agat staidéar a dhéanamh/an áiste sin a scríobh. Cinnte, ní bhfaighfidh tú coladh ar bith, ach, níl deacaireacht ar bith le sin, an bhfuil? Tá tú óg!

Tuar breise… tréimhse scrúdaithe. Ní bheith cuimhne agat ar an tréimhse seo, ach na bí buartha. Beidh tú fós beo ag an críoch. Ina dhiadh sin, is féidir leat cibé rud is mian leat a dhéanamh le do shaol.

Bord na Gaeilge UCD www.ucd.ie/bnag Join us 2015-2016

LEARN IRISH MAKE FRIENDS HAVE FUN FREE LANGUAGE COURSES @ 5 LEVELS

BÍGÍ LINN: WWW.UCD.IE/BNAG/GA/

JANUARY 26TH 2016

features

Making Friends in the BA As we begin the second semester in UCD, Eithne Dodd examines how a sense of community is formed in the notoriously alienating arts faculty UCD is by far the biggest university in Ireland with over 32,000 students enrolled. UCD also has some of the largest undergraduate courses in Ireland. For those going into UCD Arts or General Science with hundreds of students gaining entry every year, finding people of similar interests can be a challenge. The enormity of these courses leads to problems for many students in finding a sense of community among their peers when they first enter third level.

Conor Viscardi, one of the Arts and Human Sciences Convenors for this year believes that the size of the UCD arts course is a contributing factor to the difficulty first year arts students have in making friends.

“Relative to the substantial size of the student population in the Newman Building, there are challenges associated with making friends and fostering an approachable community dynamic within the building.”

Lexi Kilmartin, the other Arts and Human Sciences Convenor also believes the size of the course to be a problem, saying that the BA is a difficult environment to break into “by its nature.” “Like with any large, modular course, the BA can be isolating if you don’t take advantage of the opportunities available to you,” she says. “Myself and Conor have tried to make the environment in Newman conducive to social interaction and getting involved in student life through initiatives such as the Newman project which showcases societies in the Newman building with free tea and coffee.”

In Arts, the number of people asking their college representatives for help is relatively small. Viscardi deals with 10 – 12 students per week.

Lexi Kilmartin said: “On average I would handle 5 – 8 personal cases a week... Most of these personal cases relate to academic issues or concerns.”

“With the exception of the first week or two of the semester I don’t receive much contact from students who are struggling to fit in and make friends. I don’t find this enormously surprising as many people who are feeling isolated struggle through alone rather than ask for help,” she continues.

In Science, the convenor, Sean O’Doherty, says: “To be honest, I

PHOTOGRAPHY: EITHNE DODD

8 JANUARY 26TH 2016

haven’t been contacted by any students this academic year so far regarding this subject. I would put this down to the fact that there are so many societies within the college of science who put a huge emphasis on involving incoming first years and running inclusive events so early on in the semester and all the way throughout the rest of the year.”

In terms of integrating first years into the UCD community, Science appears to have much more success than Arts. “On their first few days in UCD, first year science students are brought to Science Alive, a talk run as part of the Peer Mentor programme in which the Students’ Union and the various scientific societies are given a chance to introduce themselves and encourage students to get involved,” Doherty says. “The number of first year science students who ran for class rep this year was overwhelming, and I feel this is a real testament to the work done by all those involved in the Peer Mentor programme in creating a great sense of community for students as soon as they come through the door.”

However in arts, adapting to UCD seems to take more persistence on the part of the student. “I think the easiest way to assimilate into UCD and the BA is to get involved and push yourself to talk to people,” says Kilmartin. “However, I know plenty of people who have assimilated well into the BA and indeed UCD, whether through societies, talking to people in tutorials or seminars or by simply putting themselves out there.”

Viscardi also believes that people need to actively engage whenever they can. “There is a lack of awareness regarding the extra-circular opportunities such as the option to participate in the vast amount of societies and sports clubs available to ensure a thorough engagement with the overall college experience...

Students may underestimate the potential that tutorials and seminars have as a medium for breaking the ice, interacting with each other, and making the vast course sizes more approachable.”

Kieran Moloney, a Student Advisor for arts and social science students says that the responsibility for

“In terms of integrating first years into the UCD community, Science appears to have much more success than Arts” is promote events and organise fostering a comfortable environment social gatherings in the hope that is in the hands of everybody. “I these students will come along and think we as a university have a meet the others in their course.” responsibility to our students to Moloney also mentioned the fact facilitate and support them in that students who are in need of finding a sense of community. The help may be less likely to come BA in UCD is the biggest college forward. “Some students will programme in the country so this come to college having already responsibility is taken very seriously. experienced mental health problems However, I think it is important and we will always stress at the that students take responsibility beginning of each year the amount for themselves. That could be as of support we have for these students. simple as saying to one of us that However, someone with anxiety is, you’re feeling lonely, or isolated, or by the very nature of anxiety, not haven’t settled in yet. We can help, necessarily going to come forward to but we can’t help if we don’t know.” discuss their problems straight away.

“We can help by providing This can lead to further isolation information, creating contacts, which can impact on their studies.” encouraging conversation and setting “Particular efforts have gone goals, but ultimately each student into the BA over the last couple has to take ownership of their own direction. This is how life should be.” of years to develop a greater sense of community,” Moloney says.

“When you walk through Newman, “We have a comprehensive on a typical weekday with lectures orientation for students, which on, it is clear that one deterrent to is both university-wide and making friends, is the size of the programme-specific,” Moloney building and the lectures,” says explains. “Our Peer Mentors are Viscardi. “From First year on you an invaluable resource for new can arrive in UCD to sit in theatre students because they meet them L where there are 500 people on the very first day they arrive and sitting around you... but when the provide on-going support throughout lectures or classes end, there are our students’ first year here. Each no immediate indication of the school will have its own welcome social facilities within the building and orientation for new students as and the university in general to well, as we think it’s important for accommodate further interaction.” students to become identified with Moloney believes that the large their own particular area of study. classes in the BA programme can The Student Advisers, Chaplains make it hard for students to meet and Students’ Union are always here people. “I think coming to college on a drop-in basis for students with is an exciting time. But it’s also a questions and doubts. Each student time when students are attempting society will also have on-going multiple transitions – from school events and meetings throughout the to college, from directed teaching to year to encourage students sharing self-directed learning, from living the same interests to get together.” at home to renting. Students are “The student advisors have also also making a significant social been fantastic at increasing their transition, one in which they leave presence in the Newman building,” the safety of their peer group says Kilmartin. “We have been and strike up to new possibilities. lucky to gain the support of the This can be challenging.”

“The prospect of coming to college schools to work towards eliminating the problem of loneliness in brings the exciting possibility of new friends. I think these experiences can Newman. Many schools now have dedicated staff members to foster a happen in any programme but there sense of community in their schools. is no doubt that the large classes in Some schools, like the School of the BA can play a role in isolation History and Archives, have been and loneliness. It can be hard to very proactive in reaching out to meet people and when you do, it can students through activities like be hard to maintain that contact.” staff-student football matches, while “Peer mentoring and smallerother schools have hosted coffee group teaching can help with this. mornings for students to interact On the other hand, one positive with each other and the academics. of large classes is that students The Arts and Human Science have the freedom to choose a Convenors are aiming to tackle social group which is individual to the problem of a lack of social them. This can take time, however, connectivity using a two-pronged and we always say to students to approach: individual classes and allow for that,” says Moloney. overall faculty. “The class reps host In Science, O’Doherty said that social events targeted at the classes he hadn’t heard from any student they represent,” says Viscardi. who was finding it difficult to “These events, provide the individual establish themselves in UCD and subject groups with an approachable their course, although he does medium to interact in. As college bring up an important caveat; that officers, we are hosting an initiative those that suffer from these issues called ‘The Newman Project.’ In “mightn’t have the confidence to the first semester, it consisted of seek out help.” O’Doherty adds the hosting of non-alcoholic social that in that case: “all we can do

events within the Newman building itself in conjunction with societies, classified as ‘Society Exposés’. In this instance, the SU and societies hosted an event, predominantly in An Cuas, where committee members were present to sign people up to join the society and advertise their upcoming events/projects.”

“This initiative had the dual effect of creating a social medium for anyone in the faculty to interact with people involved in extra-curricular activities and each other, and advertise the societies as an option to enhance the social experience of students in Newman. For the second semester, there will be similar events, together with a selection of thematic interactive events, inspired by the subject matter of some of the disciplines taught in Newman, specifically designed to engage the Newman community with the college space.”

Newman has a reputation for having a lack of community spirit and while a number of initiatives have been set up to combat this issue, it is still a very real problem causing very real pain for a number of students on campus.

“We would appreciate any suggestions from students as to how to cultivate a sense of community in Newman,” says Kilmartin. “It is difficult to cultivate a sense of community in a building as busy as Newman. We have tried to work with Arts Soc and the schools to build a sense of community but the problem we find is that many students do not wish to get involved.”

The photographs attached to this article show the inside of cubicle doors in the women’s main bathroom in the Newman building before the doors were replaced over the Christmas break. They clearly indicate that feelings of isolation and loneliness in Newman are common and felt by many people.

“In relation to the photographs, it honestly upsets me that so many students have such a negative experience of UCD and the BA programme,” stated Kilmartin.

“Myself and Conor are attempting to reach out to the students of Newman and there are plans underway to campaign for a more sociable common room in the Newman building to bring people together. I urge any individual who is struggling to make friends or assimilate into the BA to reach out to us. Our emails are on the UCDSU website and we’re always floating around the Newman building and we’ll do what we can to help.”

O’Doherty said: “My response to this really comes from the responses which are also written on the walls. The fact that “I’ll be your friend!” and “me too” are written show how friendly and welcoming the UCD community can be, and that while students may feel alone, it doesn’t have to be this way.”

features

USI and TUI Join Together to battle the erosion of Higher Education Funding

As USI and TUI continue to push for better funding for higher education, Aurora Andrus talks to Kevin Donoghue of USI about the importance of funding education THE UNION of Students in Ireland (USI) and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) have teamed up in an effort to campaign against the disintegration of publicly funded higher education in Ireland. A campaign called ‘I Value Higher Education’ has been put into motion giving students, family members and faculty the opportunity to sign the petition to keep funding for higher education.

State funding is crucial for Irish academics. Kevin Donoghue, USI President says: “State funding is so important because it is the most significant source of funding for third level in Ireland. It amounts for around 80 per cent of funding provided to third level institutions according to the 2015 OECD ‘education at a glance’ report.

Even in countries where fees are higher, state funding is usually the biggest contributor. It would not be possible to educate people to third level without state funding.

In countries where third level is tuition free it typically makes up a much higher proportion of overall funding for institutions as well.”

Third level institutions are well aware of the contributions the state makes overall to the education system. A further decrease in funding would impact education in Ireland to a higher extent. Without state funding, there is the chance that institutions would be unable to remain viable, resulting in restricted access to education for students. This would, in turn, cause the numbers of students per institution to rise.

In 2008 the ratio was one staff member to every 16 students. In 2012 that number increased to 19 students per staff member. It can be expected that the ratio of students to staff will only continue to grow.

Currently in Ireland, seven Universities, 14 Institutes of Technology and several other institutes receive funding from the state. Among these, UCD ranks in the top 1 per cent of universities worldwide, ranking first in 12 subjects and within the top 100 for another nine subjects. The

photo: Kevin donoghue, usi president

IMAGE: SCREENSHOT FROM THE TUI PETITION WEBSITE

reputation of UCD along with others is important in terms of funding. Public funding has already been decreased by 32 per cent (over €428.3m) over the past seven years and further cuts could potentially sacrifice the quality of these institutions.

“Quality will definitely decrease if budgets are cut further,” Kevin Donoghue says. “Thankfully, even [the] government has recognised that further cuts are not possible. Numbers are unlikely to decrease. In fact we can expect a 30 per cent increase in numbers in the next 15 years according to data available, hence the crisis regarding funding.”

With education funding being cut so much, it is essential to ask: where is the money going? “The money being taken from education and elsewhere is to address overspending,” Donoghue says. “Even this year we budgeted to spend €5 billion more than we were going to bring. It’s a fiscal adjustment.”

The Irish Universities Association (IUA) have estimated that there will be an enrolment of 146,834 undergraduate full-time students in 2016 in the seven universities. This number excludes those enrolled in other education institutions, such as ITs and colleges of further education.

This number has increased over the last seven years and it is likely that numbers for some institutions will continue to grow. However, further funding cuts could have an impact on the number of students attending other further education institutions. Donoghue agrees with this. “Funding cuts may affect numbers. NUIG has repeatedly improved its number despite cuts while other universities fell.

Rankings are not a great measure of how good your university actually is though. The assessment criteria rely too heavily on reputation and citation and less in teaching and learning practices.”

Current student tuition and fees have increased to €3,000 a year for full time undergraduates.

The cost of tuition has been steadily increasing since 2011 and there is a chance that tuition will continue to grow. The student grant scheme helps students to afford the cost of third-level education. However if third level fees continue to rise, will the student grant cover the price hike?

“Under the current system yes, fee increases would be covered by grants,” Donoghue says. “If the system was adjusted then it might make it more difficult for people to qualify. The real concern at the minute is that they want to change these systems to give less support to students.” A change in the student grant scheme would be a major issue for many. If the qualification process becomes more difficult there may be a decrease in enrolments.

Ireland is used as a place of headquarters for many big companies like Microsoft, Google, Hewlett Packard, Facebook and Paypal. More companies like Apple are working to establish new major hubs here in Ireland which would open up around 300 job opportunities. If Irish people are not receiving the level of further education to compete on an international basis, they won’t be eligible for these jobs and outsourcing will occur. In order for residents to work and thrive in the community they need the proper education. According to IUA, 83 per cent of the workforce have a degree. As a society, a growth in this number will be nothing but beneficial.

With the Irish general elections quickly approaching, the community needs to come together to support the ‘I Value Higher Education’ petition. By signing the petition it is letting the candidates know that students, faculty and families are making a stand. The fight against the erosion of state funding and safeguarding the future of further education is crucial.

JANUARY 26TH 2016

features

Expanding the Horizon of Liberty: UCD Centre for Human Rights

The UCD Human Rights Network has been growing within the university since its foundation in 2012. Roisin Murray looks at the growth of the Centre over the last few years

IN OUR current climate where newspaper column inches are consistently dominated by conflict, displaced people and inequality, the significance of human rights has reached new heights. Suzanne Egan, lecturer in European and International human rights law at UCD affirms the increasing importance of human rights in the present day. She believes this importance stems from the current difficulty in the world “to find a value system”. Instead, “human rights have almost become the new secular religion”, she says.

It is in such a context that the UCD Human Rights Network was established in 2012, born out of and supported by UCD School of Law. The network was originally set up as a focal point for academics across a variety of disciplines to establish co-ordinated inter-disciplinary research within a human rights context. In 2015, the network was officially upgraded to the status of an academic centre by UCD, tasked with the twin goals of promoting research and continuing professional development in the field of human rights.

Now operating with a small budget allocated from the UCD Law School, securing research funding for the Centre is a huge priority. The Centre consists of academic staff and researchers across a variety of disciplines throughout UCD, with its members ranging from the UCD School of Law, School of Politics and International Relations and School of History and Archives. The fundamental aims of the Centre are simple: to host events, to raise awareness and to extend public research on topics in the field of human rights.

For Egan, director of the UCD Centre for Human Rights and former Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Human Rights Program,

the inter-disciplinary approach underlying the centre is of great importance. She maintains that no longer is it possible to receive “an answer to a human rights question through one discipline” and instead academics must now collaborate in order to establish solutions. The types of research areas are broad ranging: equality, conflict and asylum are all major aspects of focus within the Centre.

The Centre originated from a university background, and so the involvement of students is an integral component of its success.

Many PhD students from varying academic fields researching human rights issues represent associate members of the Centre.

The events facilitated by the Centre are open to the general public, and attendance by undergraduate students in particular is always encouraged. The participation of students is particularly important as Egan asserts that individuals can sometimes risk “becoming atomised in universities and just look at their own subject matters”. However, a more extensive knowledge of human rights provides “a lens to see so much more in the world”.

The UCD Centre for Human Rights is not limited to the academic sphere. One of its central priorities is to foster relations with national and international organisations, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government departments. Notable NGOs that have worked in partnership with the Network on Human Rights include the Free Legal Advice Centre (FLAC) and Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA). In 2015 the network collaborated with PILA in hosting a seminar on transgender rights. Participation in the event in-

“Human rights have almost become the new secular religion”

IMAGES: Courtesy of UCD HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK

cluded a judge from the constitutional court in Germany, who presented on the progressive legislation concerning transgender people implemented in Germany. Other notable events hosted by the network have included the seminar ‘Direct Provision: A Challenge to Law, A Challenge to Rights’ organised by Liam Thornton.

Additionally, a roundtable event on ‘Strengthening the UN Human Rights Treaty System’ was conducted in 2013 with participation from representatives from NGOs and academia.

The focus on wider education in human rights was complimented by the successful launch of the Human Rights Summer School in June 2013 at UCD. Advertised to the general public, the summer school was attended by students, practitioners and NGO activists. The

three day long event consisted of two-hour classes centred upon a particular aspect of human rights.

The topics addressed ranged from women in conflict, business and human rights, and how to use the human rights system. Speakers included Egan herself, Liam Thornton, Graham Finlay and many more lecturers from UCD. Despite the summer school being well-received, a feedback form completed by the attendees revealed a glaring gap in the field of human rights education.

The respondents demonstrated astonishment at the lack of a coordinated book on human rights, despite the wide range of interdisciplinary research that had been conducted. This absence was rectified by the comprehensive

International Human Rights: Perspectives from Ireland, edited by Egan and consisting of contributions in specialists from areas such as disability and trafficking of women. The book is credited as a vital resource for NGOs and practitioners.

Dedicated centres for human rights are not an anomaly, particularly in academic environments such as universities, which facilitate their growth. Universities such as the University of Glasgow and the University of Essex have also implemented similar programmes. Although no official links have been fostered between the UCD Centre and other centres, Egan admitted to an element of “looking to other well-established places for ideas

on how to grow the UCD Centre itself.” Looking to the model of the Harvard Human Rights Program provided Egan with some possible ideas that could potentially be effectively implemented in a UCD context. One particular concept revolves around research fellows visiting UCD, and being supplemented by the academic support and facilities of UCD. The UCD Centre for Human Rights already has plans in place for 2016 and continues to aim to expand. Aspirations include conducting another summer school in June. Another priority for the year also includes securing further research funding in order to allow this largely self-sufficient network of academics to continue to flourish.

and the de Valeras… I don’t have as much love as some do, and if I mess this up, oh holy God there will be blood in the Liffey; most likely mine. I can’t imagine what they’d do if I told them I’ve never seen The Wind That Shakes The Barley.

has held for all these years.

Diary of a Taoishmuck Fiachra Johnston 12/1 Oh Janie mac.

Janie mac.

It’s 2016. Christ.

Now I’ll level with ye, I’m all for the New Year’s parties, leftover turkey sandwiches, glasses of sherry, secretly putting the Queen’s speech on repeat at the Sinn Féin offices… But I was not looking forward to this year coming around.

2016 is probably going to be one of the most exhausting years for me since I started this job.

Two words: Easter. Rising. No, we’re not doing another one. That would be ridiculous, and way more effort than anyone is really willing to put in right now.

Unless you’ve been living under a very large, traitor-shaped rock, this year is the centenary of the time a group of brave young men decided to go yell on the street by the post office because they dreamed of a time where people could be free to do that without having British soldiers sent after them for it. And after 100 years of blood sweat and tears, we finally have the right to send our own men to stop anyone yelling at, beside or in front of the post office. Which if you are of the nightclub persuasion, seems to occur much more regularly when there are no taxis around the GPO, something myself and the invitees to my birthday bash in Opium Rooms learned the hard way after two hours in the rain.

But everyone is very excited and feeling very patriotic about being Irish, with good reason. We don’t get to celebrate things like this often, and when we do, we have a tendency to do it poorly (Look how bored the Queen looked putting those flowers down on the memorial statue. Even she was counting down the hours before she could go off for a better sesh). So seeing everyone get so interested in this is quite strange. Having all this extra love for your country must be how Americans feel. Maybe with fewer guns and heart attacks.

The only problem with all of this is some people are going to be frothing at the mouth over this event, and while I have all the love in the world for the Collins’ 10 JANUARY 26TH 2016

Illustration: Louise Flanagan

Illustration: Bronagh Kieran

14/1 All of this talk of 1916 does remind me of a story from the War of Independence I heard about recently. So in 1919 we royally botched up a rescue attempt for a fella named Robert Byrne who was injured in a Limerick hospital. We messed it up so badly that we ended up getting the poor lad killed. So the British army lock down Limerick so we won’t go trying to rescue/ accidentally kill any more prisoners, but as it turns out Byrne had worked for the Trades and Labour Council, who end up going on strike to protest all of this.

Long story short, eventually the council starts to describe itself as Soviet, one thing leads to another and they end up in charge of Limerick. Limerick, of all places, went mad for Stalin and the like for a week. They start printing their own money, they roll out their own food supply. While the rest of Ireland is dealing with Black and Tans, all Limerick is worrying about is which shade of red to put on the new flag.

Eventually the local Bishop in collaboration with the ACTUAL leaders of the county told them to get out of that business and to come inside for their dinner, and after a few half-hearted shouts of “Capitalist pig” alongside one or two poorly spoken yells of “cyka” by members of the union, the Trade and Labour council members relented their strikes within the town, and all went back to normal. For a brief shining moment, Limerick actually decided to do something interesting in history.

RIP Soviet Limerick. Gone, and sadly mostly forgotten.

Now we wait for Waterford to reveal the true facist regime it

15/1 On a slightly less historical note, the nominations for the Oscars have been announced. Personally I’m hoping Leo finally gets one for himself. I’m sure he’s always dreamed of having a little gold figure to contrast with having to settle for Kate Winslet and her ‘Golden Globes’. I don’t really understand that joke. I read it in a copy of The Sun that someone had left in the Dáil bar. I think she might have been in Avatar or something.

But all this talk about awards has gotten me thinking: why can’t we have awards for politicians?

While all the Chandler Tatums and Johnny Depths are sipping champagne, we’re hard at work in our offices running countries, having to settle for cheap prosecco while we plan out centenary events. Surely we should get a bit of recognition for all the stellar work we’ve done. I think I’ll call them “The Endys”, and I’ve even worked out a few categories and who would win them: Best Politician in a Supporting Role: Angela Merkel. She sent us a small bit of Christmas money to pay for the new Luas line (right in front of Trinity too! Everyone will love it), so I’d say she’s been supporting us pretty well.

Best Comedy: Donald Trump. I haven’t stopped laughing since he started running. Which, given his figure, isn’t something he’s done much of (not like myself.

Always on the treadmill, big fan of kale with my steaks).

Best soundtrack: The noise Brian Cowen made when he found out he still doesn’t have a State Portrait. Music to my ears.

And finally, Politician of the Year.

There can only be one choice.

C’est moi. Although if I want to solidify this victory, I could always get cosy with a bear like Leo did in The Revenant. If 2015 has taught me anything, it’s that the use of animals in your career can only ever result in good things.

Right David?

science

Aoife Hardesty Science Editor WE LIKE to keep art and science separate in our minds. Art is expressive and free, whilst science is bound by rules and rigidity. But music lies on the cusp of these descriptions. Music itself is always governed by the laws of mathematics, and interacts with neural communication to affect our thoughts and emotions, and some would argue, our very nature of being.

Anyone who has played a music instrument can affirm the importance of timing in playing music. Timing of music refers to the beat – how the beat is split within sections of the music, do you count the music in twos, threes, fours and so on. When playing, listening or dancing to music it can be instinctive to count to the beat. Even though we don’t think it, the timing of music is all about the math.

Different rhythms require the beat to be split into different units of measurements, into halves, quarters, a half plus a quarter. Every single rhythm you hear is a combination of different fractions combined together. For some rhythms, the beat isn’t split at all, but combined with the next to give notes of longer value, one beat plus one beat equals two beats.

Timing can be sped up or slowed down, so one beat for one song can be longer than in another song. Longer beats are associated with slower songs, whilst shorter beats with faster songs.

Less obvious perhaps is the maths behind the melody. Melody is a sequence of musical notes.

Mathematics dictates what

Maths, Music and the Mind Delving into a world of numbers and neurons, Aoife Hardesty brings us the science behind music sequence of notes sound best.

Mathematics also dictates what notes sound best when played together. Notes are arranged on a scale and the distance between the notes on the scale determines whether or not they sound good together. Every note resonates through the air at a different frequency, when two notes are played at the same time, it is the difference in frequency between them that determines whether or not they sound good to the ear.

The difference in frequency also dictates what note sounds best when played directly after another note. We all know what sounds good; it’s an inherent ability, and is why the sound of someone sitting on piano sounds truly awful to the ear.

In music we talk of the “ear”. Phrases like “you’ve got such a good ear for music” get bandied about all the time.

When it comes to music, the ear doesn’t actually have too much of a big role to play. The ear is where sound waves come in, and resonate at different frequencies and is sent away to the processing centres of the brain where what we’re hearing is worked out and then relayed to our conscious as music.

Like many things in our lives, it’s the brain that does a lot of the work when music is concerned. How do we figure out if we like a piece of music?

Why do some songs make us feel blue whilst others make us want to get up and dance as if no-one is watching?

Why do certain songs bring back specific memories? It all comes back to the brain.

: Flanagan Illustration Louise

Dopamine is a chemical in the brain associated with a great number of tasks: love, chemical addiction, feelings of pleasure, and so it’s not terribly surprising that this chemical has been identified to be released when people listen to music. Even more specifically, the chemical has been found to be released in the reward pathway of the brain, the area associated with pleasure. This same area responds to food, sex and drugs, so… sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.

Music is based on mathematical patterns. Songs where the musical patterns are predictable are often deemed boring and don’t make it to the big time. But songs where this pattern gets broken, and does not go as expected have been shown to elicit greater dopamine release when the pattern returns and thus are associated with greater reward. The music is hailed as great and pleasurable and the musician sky rockets to success.

It is the anticipating, the waiting for the return of the pattern that gives the most pleasure but how the pleasure of listening to music links to our emotions is not wholly understood. The reward pathway connects to other brain regions which control our emotions, and the surge of dopamine released after the anticipating may be responsible for strong emotional reactions to different musical works.

The reward pathway is also linked to the memory formation pathways of the brain. Activating the reward pathway by listening to music whilst memories are being formed explains

why listening to a certain song brings back memories of a rainy day, just because it was raining when you were avidly listening to that song.

Evolutionarily the reasons behind music being so pleasurable aren’t totally clear.

Sex and food have fairly obvious reasons for being important to survival of the species.

But what possible reasons could there be behind such a physiological reaction to music?

No solid reasons have yet been agreed upon for humans, but let’s take a look at birds. Take a walk near a wooded area and you will be greeted with the songs of many different birds, singing for all kinds of different reasons.

Birds can identify each other based on their calls, and is often used for this purpose by birds who nest in colonies to locate their own chicks. A bird’s ability to sing is affected by its health.

If the bird has been infected it will be unable to sing so well. In this way birdsong can be used to determine sexual fitness and aid mating, as well as to defend territory. By singing, a strong healthy bird can indicate its strength and fitness, warding off potential invaders.

Figuring out the myriad of reasons behind music remains beyond our grasp for the time being. Music is a complex blend of mathematics and mind. It is something so personal that can affect us right to the core of our very being. One day, we shall have a scientific explanation for just how it does so, but for now, we can blame it all on the mathematics of the music.

Let’s Bark and Scrape and Get it On Aisling Brennan takes a closer look at the weird and wonderful mating rituals to be found in the Animal Kingdom IT’S COMMON enough in humans, building pretend nests. Like modern hoping that you could catch someone’s ostriches, it is possible that the eye by dancing awkwardly in a dinosaurs could have laid their eggs nightclub, even though it’s painfully in dug out troughs to use as nests. clear to everyone else that you’ve It would make sense if many all the grace and skill of a balancedinosaurs did evolve even rudimentary challenged chicken. But we’re not the courtship or attraction rituals, as only ones. Modern animals across their modern bird descendants have thousands of families have often the widest, and weirdest variety shown a weird and wonderful range of of courtship displays around. The mating behaviours and rituals, often whooping crane flings objects unique to their species. From dancing around all over the place during or singing to presenting a potential courtship. The male bowerbird builds mate with a very special rock an incredibly complex ‘bower’ – a (actually these all sound somewhat small, hut-shaped structure made of familiar…) these romantic endeavours twigs which he then decorates with a can be easy to see in living species, variety of objects. Hundreds of flowers, but like many behaviours, incredibly feathers, stones, even scavenged difficult to discern about extinct man-made bits and pieces are laid out animals. However, despite this, with delicacy and precision, sometimes dinosaurs have (probably) joined us by colour, as the male devotes hours in the club of “doing stupid things to his bachelor pad. Often times he in the name of being desirable”. will only break his focus to go take Sexual selection is one of the main something from another male’s bower evolutionary pressures any species to sabotage his rival’s courtship can face, but with extinct species we efforts. And, familiarly, white-fronted can only speculate and guess what parrots engage in ‘kissing’ behaviours, they actually locking beaks “Frigate birds did to attract tenderly… and mates. However, then vomiting inflate their archaeologists a gift of vibrant red in Colorado have regurgitated discovered hard food into the throat sacs. physical proof of female’s mouth.

Flapping their what they believe It’s not too to be dinosaur strange to wings about, the mating ritual think of an males call to behaviour in the individual Cretaceous period females, and attracting a more than 66 mate based generally make million years ago. on looks alone, a lot of ruckus In the but birds of giant Dakota paradise (all while looking Sandstone rock 39 species of formation, several like an inflamed them) take this dozen double to extremes, baboon butt.” furrows, some and one large enough to makes it a bit match the size of a bathtub, were weirder by tickling the female’s face found on four different sites. with its wiry, extra-long torso feathers.

Researchers believe that they may Frigate birds (a family of tropical represent another evolutionary link and subtropical seabirds) also use between dinosaurs and birds. appearances, though this time in the The fossilised marks are quite form of attracting attention by inflating similar to (though quite a lot bigger their vibrant red throat sacs. Flapping than) scrapes made by some modern their wings about, the males call to bird species like Atlantic puffins females, and generally make a lot of who engage in “nest scrape displays”. ruckus while looking like an inflamed Professor Martin Lockley, a professor baboon butt. Those with the biggest of Geology at the University of Denver and brightest throats win the day. believes the scrapes to be evidence of On the other hand, sometimes it’s such “nest scrape displays” where the not all about competition. Flamingos, male dinosaurs impress the females for example, work as a group to pair with their housekeeping abilities by up, congregating in huge colonies

IN photo: THE RED THROAT SAC OF A FRIGATE BIRD

of up to one hundred thousand strong and… dance. Any combination of steps including marching, honking, and bobbing their heads back and forth is done in sequence and coordination like a giant avian flash-mob in the name of love. Albatrosses take this dedication one step further, and develop a unique pattern of dancing, beak-clacking, calling, and mutual preening in sequence with the object of their affections. These sequences can be quite complicated and some individuals court for up to two years before they finally pair off for life.

Birds are not alone in their strange

ways of courtship. Insects attract mates in rather conventional ways, like crickets ‘singing’ by rubbing their wings together. Or they can go to more extremes, like scorpions, who dance for up to two hours. If the male dances for too long he gets eaten.

Male peacock spiders also run the risk of cannibalism, but still use their vibrant colourful abdominal flaps to impress the dangerous females. In a complex display of vibratory signals and waving their peacock-like flaps, the risk of death is always trumped by the drive to reproduce. In a more romantic example, pairs of mosquitos

will adjust their wing-beats so that their buzzes harmonise together, which is kind of the equivalent of trying to woo someone by walking at the same pace as them. No one ever said mosquitos made sense.

Winning the competition for weird courtship displays and behaviour are mammals – and there are several candidates. Goats pee on themselves to attract a mate, which works for them, unlike some humans who wear too much cologne. And in some mammals, another common courtship ritual rears its ugly head in the form

of… lying. Specifically the male Topi antelope who, if he thinks a female is losing interest, will make the warning call that he sees a (non-existent) lion.

The female, now frightened of a predator that’s simply not there, will stay close to the male for protection, and the male gets a little extra time to woo her. These mammals may not seem the weirdest of examples, but then the winner I mentioned earlier wasn’t either of them. It was us: Homo sapiens.

No matter how weird we find all these animals, how alien their behaviours seem, none of them have anything on the human.

JANUARY 26TH 2016

science Elementary Matters Aoife Hardesty reports on the exciting addition of four new elements to the periodic table THE SCIENCE world has been abuzz over the past few weeks with the news that four new elements have been added to the periodic table. The periodic table orders all elements into rows and columns based on their structure, which is important for ease of managing them. It is also important because the structure of elements is responsible for conferring chemical properties to elements.

Elements are numbered according to their atomic number, which is the number of protons found within an atom of the element. There are currently 118 elements on the table, with the most recent, 113, 115, 117 and 118 added on December 30th, filling the 7th row of the table. The table was first designed in 1869, which begs the question: why, if elements make up everything, have these four just now been discovered?

There are two reasons for that.

The first is that these are synthetic elements. Thid means that no matter how closely you look, you will never find these in nature. They can only exist when created by scientists. The process for doing so sounds rather inelegant. In order to create these “superheavy” elements, smaller elements must be smashed into each other in the hope that they fuse into a larger element. This description does not do justice to the experiments.

Certain elements are selected and must be collided in a supercollider at phenomenal speeds. Each time a collision takes place, there is a miniscule chance, roughly one in a billion, that the elements will collide just right and fuse together.

There is not a large window for seeing if the collision and fusion has worked, bringing us to the second reason: stability. As the elements get larger they become less stable. These new elements decay radioactively almost instantly into smaller elements. Luckily the decays can be easily detected, and often it is the unique decays, not the

element itself, that serve as proof that the element was created.

This leads to an interesting scenario, in that we know barely anything about these elements’ properties. Normally we know the properties of an element from its group on the table, but these elements are so large that their huge number of protons can cause them to have unusual properties.

We don’t even know what their names are. Those of you who have already heard of them might have seen the names ununtrium, ununpentium, ununseptium and ununoctium used. These are merely placeholders, while permanent names are devised.

The names will come from the teams who discovered them, and there is a lot of historical pressure on their shoulders. With famous people and places immortalised on the table, there are a few rules in place to make sure nothing silly makes its way on.

The rules state that elements can only be named after places, scientists, mythical characters, minerals or properties of the element. This doesn’t leave much room, but element enthusiasts worldwide have been petitioning to

Aoife Hardesty

Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity still Making Waves Rumours that gravitational waves have been detected are circulating through the Physics community. Laoise Fitzpatrick investigates

Science Editor

immortalise people and places. One example urges the teams to name an element “octarine” in honour of recently deceased author Terry Pratchett. A separate campaign is in motion to name an element after the late Lemmy Kilmister of the heavy metal band Motorhead. It’s unknown whether or not anyone will take them up, as there has been no hints given by the teams. Some speculate that the Japanese team which discovered 113 will name it after the country; either Japanium or Nihonium, as it is the first to be discovered there.

So when will the periodic table be completely full up? Theoretically we could continue smashing heavier elements together forever until there is nothing left to name them for, but there is a goal in sight. It is theorised that there exists an “island of stability”; a part of the table where superheavy elements exist with the stability to last for days or weeks, or even longer. Such elements might have uses we can’t even imagine, and it is only by continuing to search that they can be found.

In the meantime, we have four new elements with places on the periodic table. There is still much to discover about their chemical properties, but first, they are in need of names.

IF YOU have an interest in physics, chances are that in the past few weeks you heard talk of something called LIGO, or perhaps the term “gravitational waves”. Physicists the world over have been talking after a rumour began on Twitter. Posted by physicist and science communicator Lawrence Krauss, the rumour is that an experiment called LIGO has discovered a signal believed to be caused by gravitational waves.

This comes no more than a week after the experiment restarted.

LIGO stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. It has been running since 2002, and in its first run, which lasted until 2010, it failed to discover any trace of gravitational waves.

In the interim it received a huge upgrade, tripling the sensitivity of its detectors. The renewed experiment, known as Advanced LIGO, began on the 18th of September, and if the rumours are true, this is massive news for the physics community.

But what are gravitational waves anyway, and how is LIGO supposed to detect them? Gravitational waves were first predicted to exist by none other than physicist and big hair enthusiast Albert Einstein. They are the most elusive, and one of the most interesting phenomena predicted by his general theory of relativity.

In theory, gravitational waves are produced by cataclysmic events, for example by the merger of two black holes. If such an event happened close enough to the Milky Way, the resultant waves should be seen by LIGO. What scientists really want to detect is a “chirp”; the signature of two black holes spiralling toward each other. These would emit waves that increase in pitch and volume over time, eventually reaching the threshold for detection by LIGO. In order to detect the waves, LIGO has two mirrors at either end of a four kilometre long vacuum filled tunnel. A laser is bounced between these mirrors. In theory, passing gravitational waves would

IMAGE: Gravitational waves

change the length of the tunnel by miniscule amounts which could then be detected. The sensitivity of the detectors is so great that previously it could be knocked offline by trucks passing kilometres away. Since the upgrade, it has been online for much longer periods of time.

Is there anything to the rumours?

There are a number of possible explanations. The first is simple: it is nothing but a rumour, started by some troublemaker and unwittingly (or even wittingly) spread by Dr. Krauss. The second is that waves really have been detected. If this is the case the announcement may take some time. The data must be painstakingly analysed to make sure that it is a true detection and not an error. It should also be noted that while the experiment officially started in September, the detectors had been active since June. Any detections in this period may have been caused by the team calibrating the equipment. The third possible explanation is even more curious.

A team of three calibration experts on the experiment have the power to “insert” a wave into the experiment

by manually moving the mirrors. The purpose of this is to allow the team to practise the analysis techniques that will be needed for a real event.

Two such rehearsals took place in the initial run of the experiment, and it was only when the team was ready to announce the results that they were notified that it was a test run.

The experiment is due to be upgraded on a continual basis until 2021, and it is hoped that the next round of upgrades, which should be completed by the end of the year, will allow scientists to detect events around ten times per year.

If this is the case, and if detections become regular and routine, then the team will learn to recognise them almost in real time. If this is the case, astronomers could be notified and could try to scan the sky for possible causes of the waves.

Einstein published his theory of general relativity 101 years ago.

Within the past century, many advances have been made in science and technology and maybe we will soon witness the first signs of its last unobserved predictions.

“In theory gravitational waves are produced by cataclysmic events, for example the merger of two black holes.”

Why Volcanoes are a Real Blast Aoife Hardesty explores the explosive history of volcanoes on Earth IN THE Mediterranean sea off the coast of Sicily, there lies a small island that bears the name Vulcano.

It is from this island that the word volcano originates. The ancient people who lived on or nearby the island viewed the great mountain on the island like a chimney. They saw this cone shaped structure which opened to the heavens and regularly puffed out “smoke”. A chimney of this size must come from a great fire, and so they concluded the chimney came from the forge of Vulcan, blacksmith of the gods. In his forge, Vulcan created lightning bolts for Zeus and great weapons of war for Mars, the god of war. As he worked, smoke would puff out from his chimney, to be seen by all who were nearby.

Fast forward to the modern day and give such a description of a mountain to someone, and you would expect them to say that such a mountain must be a volcano, but this knowledge did not exist for most ancient civilisations. Most peoples viewed volcanoes as agents of gods, and indeed, if a volcano were to erupt and wreck havoc on those living in the surrounding areas, then this was the wrath of the gods.

Throughout history, catastrophic volcanic eruptions have occurred erasing millions of lives. The winner of the volcano award for killing the most people goes to the 1815 eruption of Tambora in Indonesia which saw the deaths of 92,000 people. Some lost their lives as a direct result of the eruption, whilst others died during the following year dubbed “the year without a summer” as a result of the climate change caused by the volcanic eruption.

When volcanoes erupt they emit a gaseous mixture of water vapour, CO2 and SO2. It is the SO2 that is responsible for the subsequent climate change as very small amounts of CO2 are released. Within the stratosphere, SO2 combines with 12 JANUARY 26TH 2016

British airways b747-200 g-bdxh, which flew into an ash cloud in 1982, causing all four engines to shut down. The plane landed safely IMAGE: VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

water particles making sulfuric acid aerosols. This sulfuric acid reflects sunlight, decreasing the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth, causing cooler climates.

In 1973, the Pinatubo eruption released the largest SO2 cloud recorded in the atmosphere and it cooled the surface of the planet for three years, by as much as 1.3 degrees Celsius.

The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull (try saying that five times as fast as you can) in Iceland in 2010 sparked fears of similar climate cooling. Eyjafjallajökull erupted below glacial ice and large amounts of volcanic ash were thrown into the upper atmosphere. The glacial ice caused

the hot lava to cool down extremely quickly, becoming fragmented into silica and ash which the eruption carried up and threw into the atmosphere.

The eruption did not cause the climate change feared, but it did heavily impact air traffic.

When the ash entered European airspace, large numbers of flights had to be cancelled, leaving tourists and travellers stranded all over Europe and the world.

Not only does ash decrease visibility, it is of particular danger to jet aircraft. The small particles can melt inside jet engines and become stuck to the turbines, leaving the engines at risk of failure and making

the aircraft liable to crash.

Volcanic ash has impacts on land as well in the air. Ash fall is harmful to living things and heavy falls can kill off growing plant-life.

Ash can contaminate waterways, harming dependent animals and destroying habitats for aquatic life.

On the east coast of Italy, a town lies perfectly preserved thanks to volcanic ash from Mt. Vesuvius.

In 79 AD, Mt. Vesuvius erupted, spewing gas, rocks and ash 33 kilometres into the air and burying the town of Pompeii. Fine ash fell onto bodies and hardened to encase the bodies within a shell. The hardened ash preserved the body’s postures even as the soft tissues decayed, and thus the town’s fallen

inhabitants were preserved in the positions of their death.

The middle of January 2016 has been shaking with seismic activity along the Pacific Ring of Fire, causing Mount Egon in eastern Flores Island, Indonesia to rumble, spewing ash and gas into the air. Mount Egon has the potential to be one of the top ten deadliest volcanoes in the event of a major eruption.

25 other volcanoes are to be found within a 600 kilometre radius of Mount Egon, and five have been erupting at the same time as Mount Egon.

Over 1200 people have been evacuated from their homes within a three kilometre radius

of the volcano and gas marks have been issued to thousands more living on eastern Flores Island to protect them from the toxic gases coming from the volcano.

Volcanoes are a destructive force of nature, each with the potential to wipe out thousands of lives. Governments have emergency procedures in place in case of eruptions, and geologists are able to monitor seismic and volcanic activity to predict when volcanoes may be at risk of erupting. Better informed than peoples of the past, it’s nice to think that in modern times we can rely on science, rather than leaving our fate in the hands of the gods.

Career Options: what’s more worthwhile than money?

Business & careers

One of the Big Four are the most desirable employment options for commerce and economics students. However, are we forfeiting our morals and ambition by working for them? Fintan Moloney investigates WHEN IT comes to careers, students today are presented with a myriad of different options. The question is, however, how to decide? For many UCD graduates, especially within the Quinn school and the economics faculty, the professional services firms Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, Deloitte and PwC are presented as an appealing option due to their strong presence on campus in careers fairs and elsewhere in UCD. They offer many benefits to potential employees which include a challenging work environment, a lucrative salary, and also various means of support for employees undertaking professional exams. There is also the chance of career progression after working there.

However, the so-called Big Four’s working practises have often come under criticism, especially for the long working hours undergone by employees. In 2011, an auditor from PwC died from flu-like symptoms with a doctor asserting that: “it’s reasonable to conclude that overwork led to a weakened immune system, which makes her more vulnerable to infections.” The Big Four were also shown to provide a low quality of life in a 2011 survey.

On Glassdoor, working in PwC has commonly been described as akin to ‘corporate slavery’ and the company has been riddled with scandals in recent years. KPMG has been charged with peddling offshore tax shelters and then misleading the IRS. In Russia the firms have been alleged to avoid reporting corporate money laundering and tax evasion.

The question for the ambitious graduate today remains: is the lucrative salary sufficient or should the ambitious student today seek more than money alone? Many of the most recent generation have seen previous generations overworked for not enough reward.

Graduates have started looking for meaningful careers which can provide more than just money. In response, KPMG have started highlighting the firm’s role “in the election of Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid in South Africa, the launch of NASA’s first space station and the release of Iranian hostages in 1981.” However, for the average auditor, having such a role in world events would be both uncommon and an ancillary role. Deloitte

also now have a group called Deloitte Dads which helps male employees improve work-life balance. But even with these new initiatives, these firms still have allegations against them which show them as possessing dubious morals.

According to a 2015 survey by Universum Global, top career goals of graduates include: a stable job, work-life balance and dedication to a cause. Research has also shown that “those who can connect their work to a higher purpose (regardless of profession) are more satisfied with their jobs, put in longer hours and rack up fewer absences,” according to Amy Wrzesniewski at the Yale School of Management. For many graduates, although such decisions are necessarily filled with ambiguity, the possibility of career fulfilment lies outside of the Big Four.

Possible avenues for graduates looking elsewhere could include the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Central Bank, which have both made it in GradIreland’s Top 100 graduate employers. Another route could be working with an NGO such as Microfinance Ireland, which develops the country’s entrepreneurial capacity.

The government is now recruiting for 250 diplomatic, economic and administrative jobs. The benefits include the possibility of travel abroad, a stable job and varied work that helps the country directly and also the possibility of quality employee development.

The benefits of an NGO would be similar.

However, salaries will be lower and the need for public accountability will ensure they won’t increase hugely. Many NGOs like Focus Ireland provide vital services in a time when the country is suffering from a homelessness crisis, and the services of GOAL are always welcome when they visit the most disaster stricken regions of the globe. Of course, many graduates use the Big Four as a means to other positions, applying the skills gained there to other jobs. Ultimately, graduates must focus on their given sector through some ambiguity. Deciding what kind of company to work for is never clear-cut, and there will always be questions left unanswered until the graduate tries their hand at it themselves.

Are We Entering A New Celtic Tiger?

Ireland’s economy has quickly but shakily begun to improve once more.

Megan Fanning questions whether we are re-entering a Celtic Tiger era IN RECENT quarters, Ireland has seen increased growth and signals that the economy is returning to health. It looks as though Ireland is exiting the harsh recession which its population has struggled with for the last seven years and the major attributes of the Celtic Tiger years seem to be returning. The price of both commercial and residential property has started to increase once again. While this is largely due to a lack of supply, especially in the greater Dublin area, it also has to do with increased demand. People are able to buy again and the banks are lending again, despite introductions of regulations on lending from the Central Bank. This is coupled with increased levels of employment. At its peak, unemployment reached 15.2 per cent. In the next year, that figure is expected to drop to 7 per cent, increasingly nearing full employment at 4 per cent. We have also seen emigration decrease and it is expected that by the end of 2016, our net migration will be positive. Consumer spending is up once more.

There is renewed confidence in the economy.

Industries are seeing levels of activity that they have not witnessed since the Celtic Tiger. After the first quarter of 2015, Ireland is growing six times faster than the Eurozone average, which is an incredible feat considering the financial state the country was in just a few years ago.

Without disruption from global market failures and domestic politics, it looks as though we’re on a good path. But how true is this?

Our recovery is still fragile. On a daily basis, we are seeing old mistakes reoccur.

Private finance is becoming greedy again, specifically for property. What has led us to believe that banks have learned from their mistakes? It’s true that there is increased regulation from the Central Bank, but not enough to deter irresponsible lending.

Why has our economy so quickly bounced back? Fortunately, or unfortunately depending how you look at it, the euro has become incredibly weak and Davy’s chief economist, Conall Mac Coille, explained that a large part of our growing economy is being driven by increases in exports. The weaker currency has helped Irish companies boost their competitiveness in international trade and their exports in key markets, the United Kingdom and the United

States. As long as there is a slowdown in the European economy, a weaker currency will be the reason our exports continue to strengthen.

Three important factors contributed to the Celtic Tiger: relaxed regulation, the European Union and Ireland’s social model. The lack of regulation in Ireland only fuelled the greediness in the private finance sector. Our incomplete framework to regulate and monitor investment in society allowed for the private sector to completely control the investment decisions made for us. Resources were misallocated to mainly property development and financial speculation, rather than infrastructure, education and healthcare, which would have fuelled our economy rather than lead it to self-destruction.

As well as this, we were part of a new monetary union within the European Union that strove so badly to succeed to the extent that the EU institutions didn’t enforce the requirements needed for membership. They allowed countries such as Ireland and Greece to overrule and undermine the new union.

Finally, we have society in Ireland itself. We were, and possibly still are, fans of low taxation and high incomes, and who isn’t? But where it leads to gross inequality in our society, this needs to be examined. Ireland built what seemed to be a strong foundation based on property development and large investments, but like the properties themselves, they were poorly built and at the slightest shock, it all fell to pieces.

It is difficult to say whether we are repeating history. The hope is that the European Union has realised what it needs to enforce and what it cannot allow. It has given us reason to believe that it will do this with its encouragement of austerity Europe-wide in recent years. But that’s not enough to say that at the slightest sign of growth and prosperity we won’t just as easily reverse all the austere decisions.

At the first sign of growth, the government gave us an expansionary budget, mainly due to the fact that it’s a general election year.

This is a dangerous game with too much at stake. Should regulation not be enforced in the next year, especially within the property market and investment sector, we will find ourselves once again in a Celtic Tiger.

November 17th 2015

OPINION

The New Wave of Feminist Celebrities With a recent increase in celebrity endorsement of feminism, Blaine McKeever considers whether this trend is doing more harm than good to the feminist movement they are called ‘leaders’, and as such ‘bossy’ is sexist and can turn women off leadership roles.

The very act of attempting to censor a word is completely authoritarian and dictating what people can or cannot say is, ironically, bossy. The campaign also did a disservice to women everywhere as it portrayed them as being so weak that rather than prove they were strong enough to overcome being called ‘bossy’ or even embracing the word and using it to further their drive, they resorted to trying to ban the use of it. This coming from strong, successful and empowered women such as Beyoncé, who is a globally known figure seems hypocritical and simply highlights the point that censoring-free speech is counterproductive and a step backwards in achieving social progression.

While these celebrities were endorsing and promoting the “Ban Bossy” campaign, the legalisation of spousal rape in Iraq was being discussed and considered under the ‘Ja’fari Law’. Yet there was no highly polished film featuring celebrities detailing how terrible this law would be if it was passed, nor was there any sort of

OVER the past several decades, feminism has seen great successes in achieving social, political and economic equality for women.

From the first wave of feminism which fought for the right to vote, to the second wave of feminism that aimed to achieve equal pay and employment opportunities for women. The most recent wave of feminism comes in the form of celebrities and well-known personalities from a range of different professions like actors/actresses, dancers and high profile business people. While the exposure these celebrities can bring to the feminist movement is vast, whether or not this exposure is a negative or positive is hotly contested.

In 2014, famous and influential celebrities such as Beyoncé, Jane Lynch, Sheryl Sandberg, Jennifer Garner and a host of large powerful institutions like the Girl Scouts of the USA, came together and took part in a campaign called “Ban Bossy”. The main aim of the campaign was to eliminate the use of the term ‘bossy’ from the English language and in particular when used to describe a female who was in charge. Feminists involved felt as though when men take charge

movement funded by The Bank of America or other large institutions to combat this proposal being enacted into law. This clearly demonstrates the main issue with these celebrities waving the feminist flag, which is that most of them are too out of touch with the reality of living outside of the luxury of being in the 1 per cent. This was further evident when last year actress Jennifer Lawrence brought attention to the fact that she was paid a mere $1.25 million for her role in American Hustle in comparison to Christian Bale, who was paid $2.5 million. A woman being paid less simply for being a woman is despicable and does occur in the film industry, yet it is doubtful that carers, nurses, teachers or other ordinary average women, can relate or feel bad for Lawrence when she is upset over only earning $1.25 million ($1.25 million which she earned for 19 days work, versus Christian Bale who worked for 45 days).

While the exposure may at first seem like it would aid the feminist movement, many of the celebrities now taking up the mantle of feminism are simply too far out of touch with the everyday struggle and issues facing the average woman in their own country and on a global scale.

Ibrahim Halawa: is Ireland doing enough?

As the unsuccessful attempts to get Irish national Ibrahim Halawa home from Egypt continue, Laura Hogan questions whether the Irish government are doing enough to help him WE’VE been listening to his story for over two years now, but it still hasn’t got a resolution. In the summer of 2013, Irish national Ibrahim Halawa travelled to Egypt, accompanied by his sisters, to visit family. During this time Cairo was in a state of emergency as violent clashes occurred almost daily between the military, and those loyal to the recently deposed Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi.

Upon seeing the injustices happening in their parents’ home country the Halawa children joined ‘Egyptians Abroad for Democracy’, an organisation that participated in a sit-in protest led

by The Muslim Brotherhood.

When violence erupted nearby many fled to a mosque located in the Ramisis area of central Cairo. The military later surrounded the mosque. During this time the family were in contact with their parents who alerted the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.

Initially the Irish embassy hoped to bring the three children home immediately and secured, according to the Irish government, guaranteed safe passage. This plan, however,

fell through due to confusion at the scene.

Halawa and his two sisters were arrested and put into prison. Three months later Somaia, Fatima and Omaima Halawa were released and brought home. Ibrahim remains in custody.

Halawa has spent over two years in prison. Meanwhile his advocates, the Irish Embassy in Cairo, The Department for Foreign Affairs in Dublin and the London based firm Doughty Street Chambers, walk the political tightrope of international diplomacy.

Halawa faces the very real possibility of a death sentence or long stint in an Egyptian prison. The trial will be conducted en masse where 493 other defendants, including 11 children, will be handed down a sentence with very little opportunity to bring a defence.

The Irish Government has taken a certain amount of positive steps to help Halawa including organising hearings and consular visits, ensuring transfers to prisons with good human rights records (in the context of Egyptian prisons) and enabling regular contact with the outside.

Most notably Taoiseach Enda Kenny has had contact with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, regarding Halawa’s plight.

But is this enough? Considering that two years later Ibrahim Halawa is

still in prison, should the government be taking more decisive action?

Halawa’s supporters face a number of problems. Due to the separation of powers doctrine, the executive in Egypt has thus far been unwilling to involve itself in an ongoing trial. Therefore, they have proven unsusceptible to political pressure. A breach of this doctrine would be taxing for President Sisi in both funds and political capital, making it unlikely that he will intervene.

The initial strategy, and one that has been adhered to since he was charged back in 2013, was to intervene after the trial and sentence had been handed down.

However, the trial has been adjourned 12 times. Because Halawa has been in captivity for so long, with no guarantee that the trial will take place in the immediate future, questions remain as to whether this is an effective strategy to take. While relevant authorities have deemed this to be the best course of action, it is not certain that it will secure his release. For this reason his family at home believes that more steps should be taken now rather than in the future.

When discussing avenues that should be explored in relation to Halawa’s release, it has to be noted that these may irreparably damage the strategy

deemed to be the most effective by the Irish government and their advisors.

These avenues include more direct demands for the kind of pardon that the Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste received through political pressure and threatening legal action through the International Court for Human Rights.

By doing this, diplomatic ties would be severed. This is where diplomacy comes into play. The Irish government does not want to jeopardise their ability to beg for a pardon after a trial.

The only thing that’s certain in this legal and diplomatic nightmare is that there is no end in sight to Halawa’s plight. It’s very easy to forget that behind the thrust and party of international lobbying is a young man who has had every element of freedom and independence taken from him.

One can only imagine the strain it must place on the self belief of a man now being cruelly punished by a country he loves, for doing what he thought to be the right thing. Whatever developments take place in Mr. Halawa’s case, the onus rests on the Irish government to ensure that his rights both as an Irish citizen and as a human being are vindicated, and that as soon as possible, he is returned safely home.

Cologne attacks raise more questions than answers As the world continues to react to the attacks in Cologne on New Year’s Eve, Charlotte McLaughlin weighs in on the implications behind them THE NEWS that 600 women were assaulted and mugged on New Year’s Eve in the German city of Cologne was deplorable. Nothing excuses what these men did and the fact that these attacks seem coordinated, according to German Minister of Justice, is so much more insidious and malevolent.

Worst of all is that these assaults have made women afraid to go out at night, and now it has been announced that many of the attackers were people awaiting asylum applications.

Much of the debate in the political arena, the media and online has focussed on revoking asylum once people have committed a crime and on the problems with integrating communities with different ‘values’.

Racism has also reared its ugly head in Germany, with many racist rightwing groups taking to the streets.

Donald Trump has also weighed in on the debate, saying it was a mistake by the German government to let refugees in.

Regardless of the fact that many of the

14 JANUARY 26TH 2016

attackers have identified as Algerian and Moroccan, it is ridiculous to paint all people from a community with the same brush. For example, I have met a lot of people from Dublin 4, but I do not believe that everyone who lives in that postcode is a bad person. This seems to be the thought process when talking about people from Arab or Islamic countries.

Worst of all, the attacks have had severe repercussions. Last week, several Pakistanis and Syrians were injured in a coordinated attack on asylum seekers in Cologne. Gangs beat up and injured 11 Syrian refugees.

Also in Corsica, a small island off the coast of France, several hundred people took to the streets rioting. They tore through a prayer house, burning the Quran and telling Muslims to get out.

We are living in dangerous times.

After the Paris attacks, the US has also seen an increase of violence against Muslims. Europe is pushing itself further and further into the same xenophobic political movements that contributed to the holocaust.

Angela Merkel’s party, the CDU, announced last week that they would make sure that those who broke the law would be deported immediately and are pushing through stricter legislation for refugees. Both Norway and Denmark have announced a programme of classes on gender equality to make Middle Eastern and North African men more aware of their values.

However, it is a mistake to believe that women face this kind of abuse

from a particular type or race of man. safety, we should deal with the fact There is an idea that Islamic countries that so many women are betrayed are full of men who control the women by the very people that they trust. in their families. These beliefs were Gender Equality and consent also once held about people from classes are important for all.

Catholic countries who were viewed Research done by NUIG last year as much more conservative and pointed out that many female and against liberal Protestant values. male students had no real concept of Violence against women happens the idea of consent. It is very welcome throughout the world. According to the that UCDSU launched their consent UN, “35 per cent of women worldwide campaign this year, but more needs have experienced either physical and/ to be done. We need to really address or sexual intimate partner violence or people’s attitudes toward sex and this sexual violence cannot be done by a non-partner “Much of the debate through ‘slutwalks’ at some point in the political arena, or awareness, but in their lives”. through actually Some studies the media and online explaining to even put this has focussed on revok- people what figure as high ing asylum once people consent really as 70 per cent. means.

Oktoberfest, have committed a crime Ireland has also and on integrating the German long since had beer festival communities with dif- a problem with held in women’s equality. ferent ‘values’.”

Munich each We just have to year, also had similar reports of look back 20 years to when the last sexual assaults on women by average Magdalene laundry was closed, or Germans. Conversely, there was very to continuing debate on abortion. little outrage in the world media Germany has had similar issues. and in politics because these men Angela Merkel may be the most happened to be German and not powerful woman in Europe, but she of Middle Eastern appearance. also lives in a country where women Furthermore, attacks on women still do not earn as much as men. often happen in Germany as well as in There have been a number of Ireland by people known to the victims. reports that suggest many countries According to the Rape Crisis Network are thinking twice about Angela Ireland, 91 per cent of perpetrators are Merkel’s plan to resettle refuges. It known to the people that they assault. has so far stalled the resettlement If we are truly worried about women’s plan to the point that many are having

to wait on beaches in Italy and Greece to be given asylum. So far, Ireland has taken just 20 refugees.

At the moment many are facing harsh winters, trapped in holding places, unable to work and unable to get proper assistance. Syria is in one of the worst humanitarian crisis facing the world, and so far we have failed to properly address it. We have only talked about closing our borders and pushing back the tide of immigration. This is a mistake, and history will remember us as the generation that failed a population that was fleeing from war and death.

However, there is still some optimism. Refugees in Germany have launched a newspaper in Arabic to help newcomers understand legislation and instil them with stories of optimism. The SyrianPalestinian editor of the newspaper, Ramy Alasheq, who lives in Cologne, said: “it would be fantastic to have an Arab language newspaper that can enjoy free press, and spill over to other Arab countries.”

Thousands in Germany have protested against the attacks on refugees from across the political spectrum. And so far they have been able to resettle 1.1 million refugees in Germany without many incidents. Ireland can also do more to help solve this problem.

OPINION Quinn’s Bizzness As students settle into 2016, Jess Quinn talks about the perils of being alive and the pain of not attending Hogwarts

WELCOME back my fellow UCD heads! I hope you had a good break and are keeping well, blah, blah, etc. I don’t really care to be honest. I’m looking forward to a time where “holidays” will be actual time off and not a time to work and make enough money in four weeks to get you through another semester. I’m an adult but more like an adult cat; someone should probably take care of me but I can also sort of make it on my own. I’ve got 99 problems and 98 of them can be attributed to poor time management and selfcontrol. Also, welcome to UCD any new international students. In Ireland the Sun is only a newspaper.

For many of us, going home for the holidays can be a stressful time. “Wow, you’ve gotten so big since I’ve last seen you!” is completely OK to say to your five-year-old cousin, but

completely not OK to say to your ex. When family members ask me what I’m doing with my life, I always say “It’s a surprise!”, laugh manically and have a mental breakdown. Also, when my friends from school want me to go out to the glorified barn that is “the parish nightclub”, I wish that “my parents said no” was still a viable excuse to get out of social events. “At least you love me,” I say to my pet as I hold it against my chest and they try to get away.

College is like unprotected sex: it’s great fun until you get tested. To the first years that have overcome your first exam season, I hope you understand now that the Leaving Cert was just a really hard game of bop-it. Whether you have more points on your driving license than your Leaving Cert or you got straight As, no one is immune to third-level torture.

Of course I’m only joking. I’m very laid back. There’s only two things I care about: every person on earth’s opinion of me and the crushing psychological weight of being alive. I think I did pretty well in my exams. I applied my usual strategy, i.e. leaving study until the last minute, because it’s only under intense, crushing pressure that diamonds are formed.

Sometimes I wake up in the morning and realise I’m not attending Hogwarts and a deep emptiness fills my soul. University is soup and I am a fork. How many of us are planning on being better this semester? New Year, New Me etc. Did you hear about the Arts Student who reinvented himself in college? Now he’s a NewMan. I think a solid New Year’s resolution would be to stop reading the clickbait articles online and unsubscribe from Joe.ie and Her.ie. All Facebook is now is Buzzfeed Quizzes, feminist posts, vine videos, sports

time I jokingly spread my legs highlights, advertisements and when the dentist said “open twenty ways college is like wide”. That was awkward. Don’t Disney movies or some other make unnecessary journeys is stupid jargon that you don’t advice I’ll take with me into the want to read but you do anyway, New Year, especially when I’m religiously. Do yourself a considering going to the library, favour and spare your brain aka “Mount Joyce Prison”. The cells. If you want your brain to real Making A Murderer is when rot, just listen to any member your Ma calls you for dinner and of the SU talk for five minutes. it’s not ready. This year people 2016 has been pretty good will be getting awfully patrifor me so far. I matched with otic.

“Ah yes kids, I remember a girl called Faith on Tinder the 2016 Rising. Sky News and I didn’t say “well wouldn’t reported that Conor McGregor it be nice, if I could touch and Saoirse Ronan were British your body.” Also, I picked up and Twitter went pure mad.” The a girl’s ginger ale today when general election will be she dropped it, now entertaining too. Gerry we have a date on “There’s only Adams sounds like Shrek Friday. You could when he talks about the two things I say I Schwepped her North: “what are you dooff her feet. That’s care about: ing in my swamp?” The a lie – the only hot every person US Presidential Election action I get in the will be considerably on earth’s opinbedroom is when more exciting. Donald my laptop burns ion of me and Trump makes about as my thighs. To top it the crushing much sense as Donald all off, I burnt my psychological Duck on acid. His views Hawaiian pizza last on Islam are outrageous night, I should have weight of beand unjustified. As far used aloha setting. ing alive.” as I’m concerned, the The bouncers in scariest thing to come out of Coppers call me Macaulay the Muslim world is algebra.

Culkin because I always go Here are the hardhome alone. However, rumour hitting spiritual, economic has it that Computer Science and scientific questions I want students deliberately put answered this year. If a Catholic unexpected items in the Church is travelling at the baggage area just to hear the speed of light, does it still sound of a woman’s voice. My have mass? Are the plugs in goal for this year is to make the “electronics free zone” for it in the video games industry. plugging in your books? Who You’ve heard of Grand Theft was the person that passed up Auto, now get ready for Stealy the opportunity to call German Wheely Automobiley. I’m also currency Germoney? Why isn’t going to try my hand at marketa group of kangaroos called ing. “Don’t kid yourself” would a kangacrew? And, what the make a great condom slogan. hell is that smell in Newman?

I’m glad some things are staying in 2015. Like the

Learning to live with mental illness Patrick Kelleher opens up about his experience of depression and learning to manage his mental health IT’S DIFFICULT to describe what it feels like to be in a position where you want to hurt yourself.

The urge is both baffling and somehow logical at the same time.

When pain is overwhelming, it can feel like a way to express something inexpressible – to give credence to an invisible torment.

I’m lucky in that despite having suffered from depression, and having felt this urge on a number of occasions, I have never actually hurt myself. But what I can guarantee is that across this country, there are young people in their multitudes who are consumed by this urge every day. There are people on this campus who will understand what it feels like to experience unrelenting pain.

They will know what the fear of raising their voices feels like.

This was the experience I had when I found my mental health plummeting in December 2014.

It happened too suddenly for it to feel real. One day I was OK; within a matter of weeks, I felt an overwhelming inability to cope with the smallest things. By April, things had gotten worse. In the face of the extensive pressure of my final year at university, I experienced a breakdown. I was totally floored by self-destructive thoughts, and spent an unhealthy amount of time crying. I felt like I was looking out from beneath a veil at the world continuing to move around me, but I was trapped in an alternate version of time where things were moving in the wrong way. I had fallen out of sync.

In September I finally made the decision to go to my GP about what I was experiencing. I was told that I was suffering from depression, and I was put on a course of anti-depressants and advised to attend therapy. What I quickly learned was that getting better was going to be a lot of hard work – something that wasn’t an easy feat when I had no energy or commitment. This hard work can be different for everyone. For me, I had to learn ways to better deal with negative emotions in a way that was less destructive.

The good news is that there are methods you can employ to

“One day I was OK; within a matter of weeks, I felt an overwhelming inability to cope with the smallest things’’

improve your mental health. For me, realising that I had some control over my feelings was an empowering experience that led to a huge increase in positivity in my daily life. Maureen Gaffney’s book Flourishing outlines ways in which we can restructure the way we think, moving away from an inclination towards negativity.

What Gaffney outlines in her book is that we often convince ourselves that being prone to depressive feelings is just a part of who we are. But this is not our natural selves, and telling ourselves that it is only prevents us from achieving a recognition of our true selves. For a long time, I avoided getting better because I believed that the way I felt was just a part of my identity. These feelings were actually holding me in a state of paralysis, and prevented me from enacting change.

Working towards healthier thought processes is essential, but so too is learning to embrace vulnerability. Brené Brown’s lauded TED talk ‘The power of vulnerability’ looks at this idea. The people she termed as ‘wholehearted’ – or those who were happiest and most fulfilled – truly embraced vulnerability. “They believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful.

They didn’t talk about vulnerability being comfortable, nor did they really talk about it being excruciating… they just talked about it being necessary.” For many of us, we see vulnerability as crippling. The reality is that vulnerability is where connection is forged, and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable is essential to being at the peak of our mental health. In vulnerability, we can encounter pain, but it is also in vulnerability that we find fulfillment and joy. We cannot erase sadness and anger from our lives without also erasing happiness.

I started allowing myself to be truly vulnerable for the first time in my life in the last few months.

I pushed myself gently into new and challenging situations. I made the difficult decision to tell my friends and family about my struggle with depression. I did this

so that I wouldn’t be alone, but also so they would understand. What I discovered was that I was far from alone. In fact, many of my friends had also been quietly suffering from depression. Some had been doing so for years. None of us had ever talked about it because we were so afraid of judgment and isolation.

The revelation that so many of my loved ones were in a similar situation shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise given the statistics. It was reported in 2014 that the suicide rate among young Irish women was 2.5 times higher than the EU average. Even more damning was the male youth suicide rate, which is more than twice the EU average.

Every person that has died as a result of suicide has been systematically failed by a nation that has not protected its citizens from the harm that untreated mental illness can enact. To say it’s time we started a conversation about mental health is an understatement. We cannot let this oppressive silence continue.

Despite everything I’ve been through over the last year, I consider myself to be lucky. I got the treatment I needed at a relatively early stage because I had a strong support system of family and friends in place who were there to help when I needed it. Not everyone has this support. This is why I urge you to take the signs seriously when you see them. If a friend or loved one seems persistently down, angry, or hurt – talk to them. Ask them how they’ve been feeling. Just telling them that you’re there for them can have a profound effect, not only on them, but on your relationship with that person too.

In choosing to write this, I am aware that I have chosen to make myself vulnerable in a spectacular fashion. I don’t want to be the kind of person that finds this vulnerability excruciating. I want to embrace it, and accept that without exposure of one’s true self, we can never fully flourish. To flourish as individuals, and as a society, we need to urgently start a dialogue about depression. We must do this to prevent suicides, and to alleviate the silent suffering that so many people across this country are living in on a daily basis.

JANUARY 26TH 2016

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editorial

editorial THE VERY worthy topic of mental health is one which garners countless articles in the media and online every day. Whether these are personal accounts, news stories, advice articles or simply new statistics, all of this coverage plays a part in making mental health part of an open, national conversation that it is extremely important for us to have.

Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia (among others) are illnesses that one in four of us will suffer from throughout our lifetimes. It is particularly important that we, as students, consider mental health maintenance to be of the utmost importance during our college years. According to a recent survey conducted by USI and ReachOut on student mental health, 63 per cent of those surveyed reported that their lecture attendance had been affected by their mental ill-health.

The survey didn’t ask the question of how many of these students had told another person that this was the reason they were missing time at college. But when I think of the number of times I have asked friends why they have missed a lecture and how few times I was told it was due to mental ill-health (and likewise for when I’ve missed lectures due to the same problem), I can guess that this figure might be low. Statistics don’t generally lie, but people often do.

Campaigns to reduce stigma and encourage conversation around mental illness are incredibly important and their existence highlights the fact that a change is occurring in Ireland’s own discussion.

For people suffering quietly with mental illness, the mere existence of festivals such as First Fortnight and campaigns like the Green Ribbon campaign are reminders of the facilities and the help that is available should we ask for it. But a large part of the challenge of discussing mental health shouldn’t need to fall on those currently suffering with mental health problems.

The onus is often on those suffering with mental illness to speak out, and it’s true that this is vital to receiving help when it’s required. But it’s also important that we make it easier for them to do so by encouraging discussion in the first place. It’s not just people who are suffering with mental illness who need to talk about it, and it’s important that the pressure is alleviated from those suffering who feel like they have to begin a discussion that hasn’t been broached before. It’s difficult to ask people to speak out about a mental health problem to friends or family who may not fully understand or accept their illness. By creating a society in which mental health problems are talked about openly, whether any of the people involved are currently

suffering from mental illness or not, it will make it much easier for those who are in fact suffering from mental ill-health to speak out when it’s necessary. Asking people to “please talk” about mental health should extend to the wider population, not just those currently suffering with mental health problems.

Those who aren’t currently, or perhaps have never suffered with mental ill health, need to be open to conversations around mental health and to educate themselves on the facilities available and methods of self-care that exist. By doing so, not only will a friend or family member know that they’ll be able to talk to you in the case of a problem, but you’ll also have skills and tools available to you should you ever suffer with mental illness.

The USI and ReachOut statistics showed that from those surveyed, 36 per cent of students reportedly feel down every day. It’s a statistic that needs to be lower, and we can make it so by starting a conversation.

There are endless online resources available to inform yourself about mental illness. Mentalhealth. ie and Reachout.com contain important basic information about self-care, as well as Spunout.ie and Yourmentalhealth.ie. On campus, there are student advisers and councilors available to talk. Mental health is too important to skimp on.

Talleyrand

ILLUSTRATION: Louise Flanagan

the university observer Talley ho!

Welcome, scumlings, to another semester at our marvelous daycare institution. It has been a long and empty Christmas for me on campus as the ridiculously long UCD holiday season extends practically from autumn to spring, (our dear administration require a good long rest from ruining lives) and so I decided to take a leaf from all the other lost souls on campus and haunt the most miserable of all campus locations, the Clubhouse. There are few places in this world that one can simultaneously be deafened by music and blinded by ugliness and the Clubhouse is one such place, particularly if Dramsoc continue to spend every waking moment there.

Now we are back to January, and of course I have forgone the new year, new me manifesto that everyone appears to be shouting from the rooftops; one can’t improve on perfection, after all. From sabbat members running marathons to the suddenly overflowing gym, the whole thing reeks of overcompensation. Perhaps if some of our sabbat team had spent more time in the gym before Christmas, the naked calendars that are still piled up in enormous, unsold stacks in SU shops may have sold a bit better, and our retinas wouldn’t be burned every time we went to get a quick coffee by four

naked backsides on the screen on front of us. In all my fruitless years wandering UCD I have never come across a vision that haunted me more. Obviously I have not bought such a calendar; why buy the cow when you can get the bleeding eyes and incompetence for free?

The long-awaited Student Advice Centre has finally come to fruition after a mere semester-long delay, which is approximately four years ahead of UCD’s usual timeline for getting anything productive finished. The SU can do nothing without delays. Recently a former SU sabbat officer visited the Observer offices to say he hated the publication with “every fibre of his being”. Funnily enough, he only plucked up the courage to come and give insults several years after he had become irrelevant, not only to the Observer, not only to UCD, but to society as a whole. Look out, Danniiii; no matter how many conferences you organise, it’ll happen to you too.

Though they have been gone off to their various homes in the country for a well-earned break over the Yuletide season, SU antics never do take a holiday.

Marcus O’HandsOn has essentially put a cryptic Lonely Hearts advert in an article on the very front page of this newspaper in his statement that he wants to “build up confidence with the student body”, furthering the rumours that SU presidents don’t get any action during their term in office. Of course, I, Talleyrand, hate to be a gossipmonger;

and yet, I continue to do so because it’s so very entertaining. Attention has also turned to who will follow in this year’s sabbat team’s noble footsteps, and take over the cushy chairs and desks down the hole of the Students’ Union corridor.

Rumours abound that Cian Aherne is setting himself up for disappointment, yet again. Questions must be asked whether the other candidates have begun to pay him to run against them in the knowledge that he will always do worse than them.

The L&H have managed, once again, to burn a hole in their own pockets through their own idiocy and have lost their competitive funding. Ah well; their debating skills clearly aren’t up to much anyway if they can’t talk their way out of trouble when it actually matters. It is a terrible shame that the society will now not be able to pay for its members to go on holidays across the world to have meaningless arguments purely to find out how good they are at having meaningless arguments. Should it be any consolation to them, clearly Richard Butler has been struggling with the decision to withhold funding, if sitting in your office alone in the dark on a Friday evening is any gauge of emotional wellbeing.

Good luck with your exam results, dungbags. Perhaps one day you too will escape from this hellhole with a 2.1 in your pocket and no job prospects. I recommend getting into international diplomacy.

TALLEY OUT

Editor Gráinne Loughran Deputy Editor Patrick Kelleher VISUAL CONTENt & Design Editor James Healy Chief of pHOTOGRAPHY Joanna O’Malley News Editor Roisin Guyett-Nicholson Comment Editor Martin Healy Features Editor Eithne Dodd Science, Health & Technology Editor Aoife Hardesty BUSINESS & CAREERS Editor Megan Fanning Eagarthóir Gaeilge Síofra Ní Shluaghadháin Sports Editor David Kent Otwo Editors Eva Griffin & Karl Quigley Food Editor Niamh O’Regan Games Editor Adam Donnelly Film & TV Editor David Monaghan Music Editor Aisling Kraus

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

Photography & Illustration Joanna O’Malley Louise Flanagan Annabelle Nguyen Sarah Dunne David Winn Bronagh Kieran

Fashion Editor Lucy Coffey

Words Alanna O’Shea Helen Carroll Fiachra Johnston Aisling Brennan Laoise Fitzpatrick Jess Quinn Jack McCann The Badger Owen Steinberger Adam Lawler Harry Ó Cléirigh Katherine Devlin Kiera Black Laura Hogan Paddy O’Flynn Charlotte McLoughlin Blaine McKeever Fintan Maloney Aurora Andrus Julia O’Reilly Rosemarie Gibbons Sarah Murphy Karl O’Reilly Philip Weldon Danielle Clark David Kennedy Talley Ciara Forristal James Holohan Gemma Lynch Jack Shannon Michael O’Sullivan Dermot Christophers Chiamka Enyi-Amadi Ezra Maloney Grace Conheady Ciara Duffy Niall Murphy

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

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

JANUARY 26TH 2016

sport

Moving the Chains: NFL End of Season awards Ahead of Super Bowl Sunday next weekend, Kieran O’Connor looks back at some highlights in the 2015 NFL season Most amazing moment: Aaron Rodgers says a prayer twice, and comes up with Hail Marys vs the Lions and Cardinals The Detroit Lions had already beaten A-Rod’s Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field, and were one play away from doing the double over their rivals. Lining up with his side two points down with seconds remaining on the clock touchdown, Aaron Rodgers needed a Hail Mary. The snap came, he evaded the block, found the space in the pocket, and threw the ball high into the Michigan sky.

There had been few Hail Marys as important as this for Green Bay. Their season would be left hanging by a thread with a loss. Up went tight end Richard Rodgers, and somehow the ball came down in his grasp to stun Ford Field, and keep Green Bay’s season alive.

Fast forward to the divisional playoffs, and Rodgers is stuck in the same situation against Arizona in Phoenix. 41 yards to throw, in order to get the game to overtime.

Once again, he heaved the ball towards the endzone, this time a catch from Jeff Janis sent the Cheeseheads into delirium. Facing questions over whether he still had it, Rodgers silenced the doubters and came up with arguably the biggest plays of his career.

Character of the year: Cam Newton With apologies to Redkins fans and Kirk Cousins, this was hardly going to go to anyone else. Newton has been a human highlight reel in 2015, between his winding up of opposition defences with his snap count, rushing for 10 touchdowns (the most by an NFL quarterback in nearly a decade), handing any touchdown ball to a Carolinian child, or just his

sensational dance moves.

Newton led the Panthers to an almost unbeaten season, and to the Conference championships.

Almost certainly the MVP of the NFL in 2015, Super Cam danced his way into the hearts of many a football fan, throwing a total of 45 touchdown passes.

Rookie of the Year: Todd Gurley Not many NFL fans will have been aware of Gurley when he was drafted in the first round by the St Louis (now the Los Angeles) Rams. Coming out of Georgia College, the Baltimore native is now one of the hottest running backs in the league. 1,106 yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, and a deserved Pro Bowler, Gurley will be much sought after in the years to come. That yardage set a Rams franchise record, and after just turning 21, it would not be surprising to see Gurley end up at a bigger franchise once his Rams contract runs out. Controversy surround the Rams after they were allowed to move cities (again), this time ending up in LA for the 2017 season, much to the disgust of the hardcore footballing fans.

Surprise package of the Year: The Kansas City Chiefs At the start of the season, the Chiefs would’ve been filed under the category of ‘probably not’ when talking about the playoff places. Coming off a 9-7 season in 2014 which saw them miss out on football in the winter, no one really gave them hope. Detractors would’ve been backed up by their start to the 2015 campaign. After six games, they had a 1-5 record including defeats to

Chicago, Denver and Minnesota.

Most importantly, they had lost star player Jamal Charles to a torn ACL, putting him out for the rest of the season.

And then something clicked in Kansas. What followed was sensational. The Chiefs ran through a 10-game winning streak (a record for the franchise) to become the first team in NFL history to grab a playoff place after starting with a 1-5.

Divisional doubles over the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and a revenge win over the Broncos at Sports Authority Field saw Andy Reid lead his chiefs to the wildcard round.

There, they shut out the Houston Texans (who had been the strongest defence in the league at the time) with Knile Davis running back on the opening play for a 109-yard touchdown, the longest in the league this season.

The season ended in the divisional round with a loss to Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, but it was a remarkable achievement which no one really saw coming.

Controversy of the year: The referees It’s almost sporting tradition to blame the refs for losses in sport these days, certainly this side of the pond. But the 2015 season will go down as one of the worst for bad referee calls in American sports history. Most notably from the first half of the season was the Pittsburgh Steelers scoring a game-ending touchdown, despite there being no time remaining on the clock, an event somehow missed by the official timekeeper on the side-line. Penalties for delay of game, pass interference, roughness, holding, facemasks.

Pick a penalty from the NFL rule book, and the chances

are the 2015 refs missed it. They couldn’t even flip a coin right, as was hilariously proven in the Packers and Cardinals divisional game last weekend. The main thing that needs to change for 2016 is the definition of what a catch is, because it seems to us that not all of the officials are aware this year.

Shock of the year: Blair Walsh costing the Vikings the wildcard

Blair Walsh kicked more field goals than anyone else in 2015 for the Vikings. With less than 30 seconds on the clock in their wildcard match up against the Seattle Seahawks, the Vikings were 10-9 down, and in the Red Zone. 3rd down, and Bruce Zimmer brings out Walsh to seemingly kick the Vikings to the divisional round. One problem.

The snap came. The laces were

facing out. That is the one thing a kicker does not want and it was proved when Walsh completely shanked his kick left of the posts, stunning the home crowd and sending the Hawks through.

UCD GAA Pre-season Round Up As the four major third level competitions begin, David Kent looks at how UCD’s pre season went across the board Men’s Football The men’s Gaelic football team was drawn in Group B of the O’Byrne Cup alongside Carlow, Laois and Meath. They opened their campaign in Ratheniska against Laois. The students started well, and led at the break by 0-06 to 0-04, but the home team came out firing in the second half. With time almost up, and the college trailing by two, Rob Carr and Fiach Andrews raised white flags.

Alas, there was disappointment as Laois sub Ruari O’Connor scored a dramatic winner with 73 minutes on the clock to finish it at Laois 1-10 UCD 1-09 UCD would bounce back in their second game as they found luck on their side in Simonstown against Meath. Tom Hayes struck an early goal to put UCD ahead, and John Heslin once again tormented the Royals. Colm Basquel’s 58th minute goal would be crucial in the end, as Meath hit the woodwork no less than seven times in the game. With UCD leading by three with one minute of injury time left, there was late drama as Meath captain Donal Keoghan rattled the crossbar with the final kick of the game. A victory for the students by 2-8 to 0-11, which blew the group wide open.

Despite crushing a weak Carlow side by 2-13 to 1-7 in their final group game, UCD failed to progress to the semi-finals of the tournament by virtue of score difference after Meath put 2-16 past Laois. John Divily’s side now focus on the Sigerson Cup, where they have been drawn away against the winners of Trinity/NUI Galway.

In the first Sigerson since tragically losing Dave Billings last year, UCD will look to go one better than their heartbreaking late defeat to DCU at the semi-final stage in 2015.

Men’s Hurling The senior hurlers would also fall at the group stage in the Walsh Cup but not after a campaign which began in sensational style against Dublin in Belfield. Despite an Oisin O’Ruairc hat trick against his home county, UCD would 18 JANUARY 26TH 2016

fall to a 4-15 to 3-12 defeat in a thrilling match. Despite falling behind early after Paul Ryan and Eamon Dillon both netted for the Dubs, UCD struck 1-5 without reply to finish the first half stronger and lead by 3-8 to 2-6 at half time. Ryan would wipe out the deficit almost single handedly and Ger Cunningham’s charges showed their muscle then, tacking on five straight points and finishing as six point victors.

The side then travelled to Laois looking for a different result to their footballing counter parts, but were outclassed in a hammering. Goals from PJ Scully and Zane Keenan completed a turn around win for the county side, the score eventually reading 2-22 to 1-8, perhaps a little harsh on the students.

With progression impossible, UCD then went up the Belfast to face Antrim in Queen’s where despite another O’Ruairc goal the college were defeated by eight points. Focus now turns to the start of the Fitzgibbon Cup in January, which saw the college drawn in Group A alongside teams from UCC, NUI Maynooth and Limerick IT, avoiding last year’s champions UL.

Ladies’ Football It was an impressive Division 1 campaign from the UCD Ladies which brought up the college’s first league final in nearly a decade in early December at Belfield. The opposition were DCU last year’s beaten O’Connor Cup finalists, so Pat Ryan knew his side had a task on their hands. Early points from Aisling Sheridan and Kate Fitzgibbon had the home team under pressure, but four Emma Guckian frees kept UCD in it as they led by one at the break. That was as good as it got though in a back and forth game, as DCU dominated the third quarter of the game. Points from Sheridan and Mayo player Sarah Rowe put them in control, as they led by five points. From then on it was a case of DCU just keeping the

scoreboard ticking over, as UCD tried to fight back. But it was the college north of the river that took the title winning by three points. It was a fantastic performance throughout the league by the girls as they now try to break the dominance of UL in the O’Connor Cup, the finals of which takes place in Tralee in 2016. UCD’s first team are in the same group as the back-to-back champions as well as TCD and NUIG. With two other teams in championship action, UCD2 beginning against St.Pat’s and UCD3 taking part in an as yet unnamed cup, there’s plenty of Ladies GAA to go and watch Camogie The camogie team’s Ashbourne Cup campaign began back in November. Having been drawn in the same group as UUJ, UL and debutants Mary Immaculate College, it was MIC first up for UCD. A very tight game saw the Limerick side back up an earlier Fresher’s All Ireland victory by toppling UCD 3-8 to 3-7. With UL easily beating UUJ by thirty points it set up a mouthwatering clash in Belfield against UUJ, a winner take all match with the losers heading out of the competition in the group stage.

UCD will then play UL.

UCD GAA Draws: Sigerson Cup - NUIG/ Trinity v UCD Fitzgibbon Cup – UCC, Maynooth, LIT, UCD O’Connor Cup - UL, TCD, NUIG, UCD1 Lynch Cup – UCD2, UUJ, WIT, St Pats Ashbourne Cup – UUJ, UL, UCD, MIC

The best of the rest: an alternative FIFPro World XI

sport

Tasked with finding a team of the year without any players from the two Spanish giants, David Kennedy finds the best of the rest in his Overlooked XI

THE ONLINE outrage that surrounds the announcement of the FIFPro World XI has now become an annual event. This year’s ire largely focused around the inclusion of no fewer than four players from each of the Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, with the selection of Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Luka Modric in particular raising eyebrows. Is Manuel Neuer Bayern Munich’s only employee worthy of a place in the side? Are Juventus justifiably represented by their sole selection, Paul Pogba? Why is nobody featured from the winners of the two big international tournaments of 2015, Ivory Coast or Chile?

We take a look at an entirely alternative eleven players, without choosing any players from the dominant Real Madrid or Barcelona, however harsh that may be on Luis Suárez.

Goalkeeper – Gianluigi Buffon It would be remiss to overlook the achievements and performances of the Juventus goalkeeper who turns 38 this month. Buffon was captain of the side that won both the Serie A title and Copa Italia in 2014/15 and came so close to overcoming Barcelona in Berlin, placed fourth in the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award and won his 150th Italy cap in October.

Right Back – Serge Aurier Aurier began 2015 in the best possible fashion by winning the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast in Equatorial Guinea in February and earning himself a place in the team of the tournament with his impressive displays. After winning a domestic treble with PSG last season, the full back’s impressive form has continued into 2015/16, and he was recently selected in a statistic-based

European team of the season so far by football website WhoScored.com Centre Back – Jeison Murillo Internazionale’s capture of Granada centre back Murillo in February didn’t attract much attention until last summer’s Copa America, where he scored the only goal and performed superbly against Brazil in the group stages. The 23-year old was named Young Player of the Tournament and Murillo has gone on to become a mainstay in Roberto Mancini’s Inter’s miserly defence in the latter half of 2015, keeping an impressive eight clean sheets as the Nerazzurri battle it out at the top of Serie A. Centre Back – Diego Godín Over the past number of seasons, few players in world football have shown the consistency of Godín.

Although Atlético didn’t scale the heights of 2013-14 last season, their Uruguayan vice-captain formed a formidable partnership with his junior compatriot José-Maria Giménez to lead his side to the top of La Liga at the end of 2015. As well as marshalling Spain’s meanest defence, he offers a considerable threat from set pieces at the other end.

Left Back – Nacho Monreal Since signing for Arsenal in 2013, Monreal has faced a battle with Kieran Gibbs at left back. In 2015, he cemented himself as Arsene Wenger’s first choice in that role, starring as the Gunners retained the FA Cup and finished the calendar year on top of the Premier League. The Spaniard has improved immeasurably over the course of the last twelve months and the former Malaga man was in Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football’s team of the season so far.

Centre Midfield – Arturo Vidal Vidal’s omission from the FIFPro team was surprising: winner of Serie A, the Copa Italia and the Copa America, Champions League runnerup and a big money move to Bayern

IN PHOTO: Kevin de bruyne (left) and gianluigi Buffon (right)

Munich were the highlights of his incredibly successful 2015. The Chilean is one of the most complete midfielders of the modern era and was named man of the match in the Copa America final as the hosts defeated Argentina on penalties.

Centre Midfield – N’Golo Kanté This time last year, Kanté was in the relegation zone with French side Caen, just as his new Leicester teammates were in the Premier League. The midfielder eventually helped his side to a comfortable mid-table finish with a European-high 3.9 tackles per game before sealing a move to the King Power Stadium last summer. His debut Premier League season has been nothing short of sensational with the 5’6 tackling machine leading Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes to unfathomable heights.

Centre Midfield – Kevin De Bruyne Belgian creator De Bruyne didn’t even make the 23-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or despite an incredible 2015 that saw him register 25 goals and 26 assists in a year that included a £55m move to Manchester City. Two-footed, intelligent and precise, the former Wolfsburg playmaker’s form has made Chelsea’s decision to sell him in 2014 look rather foolish.

Right Forward – PierreEmerick Aubameyang Gabonese speedster Aubameyang has emerged as one of the most lethal forwards in world football over the last twelve months following his conversion from winger to striker under Jürgen Klopp after moving to Borussia Dortmund from Saint Etienne.

The Bundesliga’s top marksman

scored in eight consecutive games for Thomas Tuchel’s outfit at the beginning of the season and was named African Footballer of the Year for 2015.

Centre Forward – Gonzalo Higuaín Napoli’s brilliant form this season has captured the hearts of neutral followers of Italian football and with ex-Real Madrid hitman Higuaín in the form of his life, a title run-in fade away seems unlikely. The Argentinian’s efforts to fire his side into the Champions League under Rafael Benitez last term ultimately proved unsuccessful, but things are looking rosier under Maurizio Sarri this time around. The winter champions largely have their number nine to thank for their lofty position in the table – his

18 league goals this season ties him level with Aubameyang for the European Golden Shoe.

Left Forward – Antoine Griezmann Although a two-window transfer ban will come as a blow to Atlético if upheld, many inside the club may breathe a sigh of relief if it means that Griezmann will continue to ply his trade at the Vicente Caldéron for the foreseeable future.

In a league with Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and Suárez, the electric Frenchman would surely be the star turn. 22 goals last season and 10 so far this season have made the winger-cum-striker the player to watch at this summer’s European Championships.

The badger ALLOW the Badger to paint you a picture. You are an inter-county GAA star that’s under 21 and play for your college team. Congratulations. You’re probably going to tear a ligament in your leg one of these days.

“Lower limb injuries are predominant in elite Gaelic footballers, accounting for 77 per cent of all injuries. 32 per cent of these injuries occur to either knee or ankle ligaments or 16 per cent to either knee or ankle tendons’” – that is from the GAA’s official website. Three quarters of injuries in the GAA are somewhere in the leg. Despite this, they are ignorant of what’s causing these increases in injuries.

This was the 2015 of one Gaelic football inter-county star.

January – O’Byrne Cup February – Sigerson Cup with his college March to April – Allianz Leagues with his county April – club championship begins May – inter-county championship begins June – All Ireland qualifiers July – exit the All Ireland, straight back into the club fixtures August – club championship September – club championship October – win club championship, onto provincial club championship November – provincial club championship December – final of provincial club championship, win provincial club championship

He’s now preparing for the All-Ireland club championship series which will run from January to St.Patrick’s Day. There is no off season when you are a GAA star. And what do they get for playing and potentially crippling themselves?

Nothing. They’re doing it “for the love of the parish”. It makes the Badger sick.

How the GAA and GAA fans can act surprised that there are so many knee injuries to players is beyond me. Colm O’Neill of Cork has torn his cruciate three separate times. Eoghan O’Gara ruptured his ACL last March with his club and is only just coming back to full fitness. Ciaran Kilkenny is the same. David Moran and Gooch Cooper (the greatest GAA player of the Badger’s generation) have all suffered leg injuries which ended their season.

The list of knee injuries goes on and on. Even last month, Declan O’Sullivan had to retire due to injury. He’s 31.

The players from weaker GAA counties such as Roscommon or Antrim are lucky that their season usually ends early – because at least their players will be able to walk in twenty years’ time.

What is incredibly worrying is the number of young players that are suffering these injuries, and for an injury to happen to such a young star is both life-changing and potentially career-ending. But take the inter-county factor away from it and bring it back to local level. The intensity of training sessions at underage is ridiculous. Strength and conditioning now appears to be the answer to winning games, and that’s causing a lot of damage

A Sports Injuries seminar was held in the Maritime Hotel in Cork in 2014 and included keynote speeches from some of the country’s leading experts in sports injuries. Cruciate injuries topped the list in terms of injuries to the younger players, but second on the list?

Hip injuries. No teenager should be getting a hip injury until they are well into their 60s, but because of the intensity of the GAA, we are seeing children getting hip injuries.

“I am delighted to see young people playing any kind of sport but we simply must reduce the intensity of training if we want to prevent an increase in future injuries,” commented Dr. Denis Cotter at the seminar in the Maritime.

That was in 2014. Has anything changed?

The Badger’s a hurler. His season finished by exiting the Under 21 championship in November of 2015. It had begun in the last week of January when pre-season training took place. The Badger received a text from his manager on the 27th of December. “Pre-season training begins the 15th of January”. Meaning the Badger had a month of hibernation before he’s up and at it again. One of his teammates is 19, and has torn his ACL twice. It’s not an injury you ever fully recover from.

At what point do GAA higher-ups say enough is enough and do something about it? Because playing the national sport sure isn’t as fun as it used to be. Clubs and county councils have become blinded by money, greed and ignorance. The Badger is all for winning championships. But how many more careers have to end for the schedules to change, and the madness to stop?

Sports Digest A breakdown of some of campus’s sporting news from the last few weeks SWIMMING

The UCD swim team had three swimmers compete at the European championships in Israel in December with Alex Murphy winning a bronze in the 50m breaststroke. Shauna O’Brien and Nicola Muscat also competed.

Additionally, at the Irish short course championships in Lisburn the UCD team won nine golds, a silver and four bronzes with the men’s relay team setting three national records. Jane Roberts (50/100 metre backstroke), Darragh Greene (50, 100 and 200 metre

breaststroke) and Shani Stallard (200m) won individual national titles.

Tae Kwon Do

UCD TKD is hosting the Open Martial Arts Intervarsities this year on February 6th. Competitors will be from Taekwondo, Karate and Kickboxing clubs from colleges across the country, including colours rivals TCD. UCD Men’s soccer

UCD AFC have secured the signing of League of Ireland legend Jason

Byrne. The 18 year veteran joins the college after a year at Bohemians and has five league medals to his name. He is the second highest goalscorer of all time in domestic Irish football.

Standing just 18 goals off Brendan Bradley’s record which has stood for over thirty years, Byrne is hoping to smash it this season in the First Division. “That’s the objective [breaking the record], but if I can get the goals and we can get promoted back to the Premier Division then that would be fantastic.”

Additionally, manager Collie

O’Neill has brought in ex-student Brian Shorthall from Athlone Town and Cathal Brady from Drogheda United as the Students bid to back up a Europa League victory last season with promotion from the First Division. Fixtures are released on the 21st of January, with UCD facing competition from relegated Limerick and Drogheda, as well as trips to Cobh, Waterford and a Dublin 4 Derby with Cabinteely, who joined the league in 2015.

JANUARY 26TH 2016

sport David Kent Sports Editor

UCD stamped their authority at the top of the AIL League Division 1A by beating Garryowen in Belfield. In another fantastic display of running rugby the Collidge brought their winning run to seven on the spin. Braces from Adam Byrne, Barry Daly and Daniel Leavy as well as a try from Billy Dardis brought up a bonus point win for Noel McNamara’s side.

Playing in their changed strip, the home side continued their habit of starting games strongly, opening the try fest inside five minutes. Daly breaking through the middle after stepping off the wing, he offloaded leaving it on a plate for Byrne to cross over.

Ross Byrne comfortably added the conversion and four minutes later UCD were at it again. This time it was a wonderful passing move involving both lines which ended with Daly touching down in the corner, with Byrne again adding the extras to put the students 14-0 up with less than 10 minutes gone.

Garryowen responded in a nearly perfect manner as fly-half Andy O’Byrne blocked down an attempted clearance inside the UCD 22, only to be stopped on the line by immense defensive work. It was a wakeup call for the Limerick side though, who would score two minutes later. Off a five metre scrum, Neil Cronin wheeled away and went under the posts, converting it himself to bring the gap back to seven.

They would continue to mount the pressure in the scrums, forcing UCD back towards their own goal line on several occasions. Shane Buckley and Jordan Coughlin saw a lot of ball as the resolute UCD rearguard stood firm. The reward for the home side came with five minutes left in the half.

As it has been so often this season so far, the lineout was key to the third UCD try. Hooker McNulty threw to the back, where the ball was put through the hands of Nick McCarthy, Daly and then finally out to Adam Byrne to cross for his second of the game.

Namesake Ross again kicked the extra two. Garryowen weren’t

UCD 45-19 Garryowen: Students storm clear at top of Ulster Bank League finished for the half yet though as a lineout of their own had the backs running across the five metre line. At one stage it looked almost certain a try was coming but once again the meanest defence in Ireland withheld the pressure and forced the turnover under immense pressure.

The second half began as the first ended with Garryowen trying to break through. Josh Murphy in particular was seemingly everywhere for the Collidge, tackling everything with a pulse. The game became a lot more open as the second period ran on with both sides playing free flowing attacking rugby, with referee Frank Murphy perhaps being a little bit quick on his whistle with the penalty count rising. It took a little bit of magic from Daly to find the spark for the Collidge. A quick sidestep gave the Irish international all the space he needed to burst clear and go over to score his ninth try in 11 league games to extend the lead further.

Garryowen got a break by hitting back with an intercept try from Coughlin and conversion from Cronin. Try number seven was the best of the lot however and again it went to the students.

A perfectly executed cross field kick from Byrne was scooped in by Sean McNulty and his offload inside fell kindly for Dan Leavy. Ross Byrne missed his first kick of the day so the score was 33-14, but the game and scores were far from over.

Garryowen kept the fight up, refusing to crack in a brilliant game of rugby. Leavy went in again after a grubber kick from Jamie Glynn, with Byrne impressively hitting the conversion from right on the sideline. UCD scored again, with Dardis skipping over after good work in the rolling maul. Carries from Loughman, Porter and Shane Grannell put the full back through.

UCD were then reduced to 14 by referee Murphy, and Garryowen would capitalise

when Dave Sherry crashed over for the final try of the game. As noted, the bonus point win put UCD seven points clear at the top of the table, with Garryowen resting third, still in the playoff spot, but only one win clear of Old Belvedere in 8th.

Such is the tightness of the league.

UCD were unable to back up this fantastic victory in the Bateman Cup semi-final against Cork Constitution, the Munster side gaining revenge after UCD has a smash and grab result against them earlier in the league season. It was the first time UCD failed to score all year, as they were shut out 24-0.

Next in the AIB League is a trip to the Aviva Stadium this Saturday (the 30th) as they aim to do the double over Landsdowne, having romped past them at the beginning of November. The next game in Belfield is the visit of Galwegians in the first week of February.

McNamara is now without former captain Shane Grannell, who after eight years with UCD, departed for New Zealand during the week.

Scorers: UCD: Tries: Adam Byrne (2), Barry Daly (2), Daniel Leavy (2), Billy Dardis; Con: Ross Byrne (5); Garryowen: Tries: Neil Cronin, Jordan Coghlan, Dave Sherry; Con: Neil Cronin (2) UCD: 1. Andrew Porter, 2, Sean Mc Nulty, 3. Jeremy Loughman, 4. Brian Cawley, 5. Emmet Mac Mahon, 6. Josh Murphy, 7.Daniel Leavy, 8. Shane Grannell, 9. Nick Mc Carthy, 10. Ross Byrne, 11.Barry Daly, 12. Conall Doherty, 13. Stephen Murphy (Capt), 14. Adam Byrne, 15. Billy Dardis SUBS: 16.Gordon Frayne, 17.Liam Hyland, 18.Michael Cawley, 19.Jamie Glynn, 20. Tom Fletcher.

Garryowen: 1. Barry Mc Namara, 2. Liam Cronin, 3. Ben Rowley, 4. Aaron Mc Closkey, 5. Paul Mc Carroll, 6. Shane Buckley, 7.

Dave Sherry, 8. Josh Hrstich, 9. Neil Cronin, 10. Andrew O’Byrne, 11. James Mc Inerney, 12. Joey Purcell, 13. Jordan Coghlan, 14.

Hugh O’Brien-Cunningham, 15. Steve Mc Mahon SUBS: 16. Caolan Moloney, 17.

Michael O’Donnell, 18. Elliott Fitzgerald, 19. Johnny Keane, 20. Ronan O’Halloran. photographS: VIA FLICKR

club Focus: The Captivation of Capoeira

With the Rio Olympics coming in the summer, Club Focus this issue takes a look at a Samba-inspired sport

photographS: VIA UCD CAPOEIRA FACEBOOK

20 JANUARY 26TH 2016

UCD Capoeira Club has been set up since the turn of the decade, and has been expanding ever since as coach and captain Francis Matthews explains. “It was set up

by Douglas Barbin, a Brazilian student in 2009/2010. It’s an affiliate of Mundo Capoeira which is run by Mestre Sansao, who was the first to bring Capoeira to Ireland in 2001. The Club has been growing since its inception, with some of the UCD members training in both UCD and the club in town taught by Mestre Sansao.”

Outside of the college, the sport’s popularity in Ireland is rising.

Capoeira Ireland last year sent a team to the Ginga da Ilha in Mallorca in Spain. At that level, the work rate at trainings are frequent, but not so in UCD. “The classes can be reasonably intensive (people can push themselves as hard they want though!). In each class a member will go through a warm-up, some stretching and then

learn new Capoeira movements or practice ones already learnt, individually and in pairs. They will also practice some of the more acrobatic movements, beginning at a basic level.

Capoeira is a Brazilian art form which combines fight, dance and rhythm, involving a lot of activity and movement. It is used in the training of many sports stars, including one infamous UFC champion: “Conor McGregor came to one of our classes in town early last year. I was teaching him during the class, he really liked the movement within Capoeira the flow, speed and unexpected direction movements can take.”

Quick feet isn’t the only thing that’s important in capoeira, as McGregor knows. The MMA star adapted his game ahead of his rise to the world title in December. But Matthews points out that there is more than that benefit for capoeira users.

“As well as speed another benefit is that some of the Capoeira kicks involve a movement and flow that are quite different to other martial arts and can come as a surprise if you’re not used to them. Within Capoeira you can use feints and disguise your movements to mislead your opponent. I think this ability to throw the other person off their guard and trick them is one that MMA fighters find useful. Some of the kicks are quite powerful and fast too.”

And anyone can get involved, even if you’re a bit plumper after the Christmas break.

“People can start off at any level of fitness as we start off slowly with more basic movements,” says Matthews. “As they become confident with them and build on their endurance they can begin the more advanced movements and they can increase the

intensity of their training.”

“Also, some people join from martial arts, gymnastic or dance backgrounds and this would help a little in different ways in each case, but it’s not necessary to come from any of these areas.”

Matthews has been practicing for nearly 15 years. In capoeira you get a nickname, and such is the value of his experience, Matthews is known as Jesus in UCD Capoeira. “I joined the UCD club in 2011. I’m the coach and captain. I started Capoeira in 2002 and from around 2009 had been teaching an occasional class in the city centre. I was asked to join and be the coach of the club by Douglas who was leaving the country as his studies were finishing.”

“There’s been a few changes in my time here,” he says. “We have changed where we’ve trained in the hall and the times we trained at. Now we’ve settled into a place and time that seems to work for all students.”

Being such a globalised sport (with origins in Brazil and Africa), the spread of which has been incredible, capoeira club members usually have one weekend on their mind every year “Mundo Capoeira has branches in a few other countries (Belgium, Germany, Brazil, Luxemburg) and once per year each of these clubs has a weekend festival called a Batizado, where there are lots of workshops, a party and people can change their belts.

It’s a big social event. These events are open for all members to attend. The club in the city centre also has workshops every few months that members

of the UCD club attend.”

From the outside looking in, capoeira seems quite an easy sport to take up and practice, as there doesn’t seem to be much equipment. The coach agrees, but notes that if you’re going to do it properly, there’s a little more needed than just functioning legs.

“To practice the movements not much is needed, just clothes that are flexible and that you can sweat in and an open space with a floor that isn’t too tough on the feet,” Matthews says. “But music is an important aspect of Capoeira and to practice the game properly you would need the musical instruments of Capoeira, which are the berimbau (a long, single stringed percussion instrument), pandeiro (tambourine) and atabaque (large drum). The classes usually end with some of the music of Capoeira and the members playing Capoeira together.”

All in all, Capoeira is one of the most interesting sports you can take up. The upcoming Refresher’s Day will give students the opportunity to join up, and doing so has many perks according to Matthews. “Students should join if they are looking for a class that’s good for fitness, flexibility, strength and confidence. If they are interested in martial arts, dance, acrobatics or music, Capoeira combines all these!

There is also a good social aspect to Capoeira as you practice a lot in pairs and it tends to attract international students so there’s a nice mix of people involved!”

Anyone is welcome to try out a class for free and see if they like it. The classes are on Mondays, 6-7pm and Wednesdays, 5-6pm in Hall B of the Sports Centre. €15 covers the cost of membership and classes for Semester 2.