University Observer - Volume XIX - Issue Two

the

University Observer Op-ed

Primary Focus

John Logue and Mark O’Meara

Religious patronage of primary schools

X I X

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OTWO

Features

on the USI referendums

V O L U M E

Armando Iannucci

I S S U E

I I

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W W W . U N I V E R S I T Y O B S E R V E R . I E

Over 50% University provide €750,000 to dissolve Student Club of class rep Accounts reveal seats left yearly losses of up vacant to €156,000 Student Club staff call off strike action

BY AOIFE VALENTINE · DEPUTY EDITOR

Nominations for class rep candidates closed last week with just over 160 nominations for the 204 seats available for Union Class Reps (UCRs) at UCD Students’ Union Council. Only 52 of those seats were contested, with 103 seats being left vacant altogether.

UCDSU Campaigns and Communications Officer Paddy Guiney was satisfied however that he ran a successful ‘Run for Class Rep’ campaign, saying: “The results came out and I’m happy enough with the results to be honest. It was a very good campaign and I’m very happy with how the Convenors and the other Sabbatical Officers worked and Exec and Campaigns Coordinators. I think it is a good result.”

This year’s nomination results show a huge issue arising in terms of representation within the Union of postgraduate students, with nearly 90% of graduate seats remaining unfilled. Guiney puts this down to a “lack of interest” but he feels next year this problem won’t be quite as prevalent as the new Constitution introduces a full time Postgraduate Officer into the sabbatical team. “I do have quite a lot of graduates sitting there but… I think the introduction of the Postgraduate Officer seat next year is a huge step forward in that sense, but in the mean time we’ll be working to fill those graduate seats.”

Guiney is happy with progress made this year in terms of reaching out to smaller faculties. “I always continuously hear that the Union isn’t very well perceived in the smaller buildings traditionally so I put a large emphasis on Agriculture and Veterinary. In Veterinary, for example, this year four of those stages are contested: first, second, third and fifth year. Numbers are up on last year for small buildings.”

The elections are due to take place today and tomorrow (October 2nd and 3rd) with the fi rst Union Council taking place on October 4th. Class rep training will follow this Saturday, and according to Guiney, the costs traditionally associated with the event have been cut dramatically. “Class rep training isn’t a weekend away this year. We got an offer of having it completely free of charge in a college in Maynooth, so we’re going to take council members to Maynooth at 9am and we’re going to do a day’s training there. It’s significantly reduced on last year; we’re not really spending any money on it.”

Next week, the campaign for class reps will begin again, to elect the secondary class reps the new constitution requires. These class reps are not voting members of Union Council but will assist the Union Class Reps with many of the more social and entertainments responsibilities of the role. Guiney explains: “I’ll be running informal elections for class reps and it’s literally a hands-up approach; that’s how they’re elected. These class reps will act as an overflow for the UCR, they’ll work with the UCR. Each class will have a class rep along with the original seats of UCR.”

Legal advice being sought regarding former treasurer Possibility of Club reopening

The Department of Education has criticised the HEA report suggesting university mergers.

BY EMER SUGRUE · EDITOR AND AOIFE VALENTINE · DEPUTY EDITOR

The University has agreed to provide €750,000 in financial assistance to the Student Club Committee in order to allow it to conclude its business and meet its responsibilities.

The Club’s nine staff members took redundancies on August 31st this year, however they still had not received payment as of Monday September 24th when the Club’s AGM took place. Mandate Trade Union, which was representing the Club staff, had been due to start strike action yesterday, Monday October 1st if the €150,000 payment had not been received, however this has now been resolved.

The University has also agreed to settle the remaining debts of the Club,

including a payment of €140,000 owed to the Students’ Union by the Club, and the fees owed to McNally Business Services for compiling the Club’s financial records and accounts.

UCD Students’ Union President Rachel Breslin, commented that the Union “weren’t expecting to recover” the money owed to them “given that the Club is insolvent”. She stated it was “quite a significant amount of money because it includes fees that the accountants had provided that we could have been forced to ourselves cover in the event that the Student Bar couldn’t.”

The AGM marks the first time the financial records of the Student Club have been released since 2007. It was revealed that between 2007 and 2012, the Club’s yearly turnover dropped

from €1.34 million for 2006/07 to just €805,000 for 2011/12. McNally’s stated the Club’s overheads and fixed costs were not supportable, with the accounts marking sustained losses going from €47,000 to €156,000 in the same period.

In addition to the failure to file accounts, successive Student Club Committees held no meetings or AGMs in this period, despite being constitutionally obliged to do so. Although details of the members of the Committee for each year were not available, it was confirmed that the responsibility to publish accounts and call committee meetings during this time resided with the then Student Club Committee Treasurer and Secretary, David Carmody, who had been in the role since 2005.

The Committee have confirmed that the are seeking legal advice regarding the actions of the former Club Treasurer and Secretary. A member of the Club Committee stated at the AGM: “As a committee, we want to see it followed through. It’s an issue that is still ongoing.” Following the provision of funding from the University, Breslin stated: “If we were to look at [legal action], it would be at the individual not at the university, for liability.”

Now that the Club’s financial difficulties have been resolved, it is a possibility that the Club will reopen in a reduced capacity as an occasional venue. Breslin said: “We’re working at the minute on a plan for the future of the bar. I think students will be very happy with it but nothing has been set in stone just yet so it’s something that will develop over the next few days... It was quite clear that the existing structure didn’t work so we’re trying to find something that will.”

The Club’s license expired last Friday, September 28th, and its renewal will depend on the outcome of the Committee’s negotiations with the University, as the premises returned to the University’s control as part of the financial agreement.

UCD-TCD merger condemned by Education Minister

BY DANIEL KEENAN · NEWS EDITOR

A Higher Education Authority (HEA) commissioned report on higher education has recommended that University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin should be merged, however Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn has voiced concerns over such a merger.

A statement from the Press Office of the Department of Education read: “The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, is anxious to ensure that the review adheres to stated government policy and the National Strategy for Higher Education. Any divergence has the potential to significantly derail the process of reform which is already well underway.”

“The Minister has concerns about some of the recommendations in the report from an International Panel which were not in accord with stated government policies, such as the suggested merger of Trinity College and UCD. Such a merger is neither feasible nor desirable.”

The Department of Education has delayed the publication of the report, which was scheduled for release last week, due to a discomfort with how the report drastically diverges from the National Strategy for Higher Education.

Head of Communications of the HEA, Malcolm Byrne says the report is “just one of a series of reports around changing the structures of Irish

higher education. Over the summer, we would’ve received submissions from all Higher Education institutions, where they would’ve set out what they viewed as their priorities and where they feel like they fit into the National Strategy.”

Speaking specifically about the delayed Higher Education report, Byrne says that one of the ideas of the HEA was to get a completely independent report on how Irish higher education could be improved: “One of the things which we as the HEA thought would be useful would be to get an international perspective on the Irish education system.”

The report does not come internally from the HEA, but was compiled by an

international team of education specialists: “These are highly respected international education experts. They came together to simply give their perspective as to what they would’ve seen as the optimal configuration for the Irish system,” says Byrne. “The views they expressed are not the views of the HEA or the views of the Government.

It was simply an independent international perspective to contribute to the debate.”

Continued on page 3

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News in Brief

by Emer Sugrue & Aoife ValentinE

350 students on UCDSU Mystery Tour Entertainment Officer Eoin Heffernan has declared the UCD Students’ Union’s Mystery run last week a success. He says: “It was very good. Everyone returned home safe which is always a positive and there were no real incidents. A few people maybe over-indulged but sure, it happens, what can you expect?”

Around 350 students bought tickets for the tour, which made a small profit. This was an increase on previous years, according to Heffernan: “I think the last Mystery Tour that happened, there were only three buses, this year we had six buses so it’s a good building block up to future mystery tours and that.”

There were several safety concerns for Heffernan when organising such an event, and he made a pointed effort to ensure the tour went off without a hitch by ensuring there was enough security there. “I think we had over 40 stewards and staff on it. It’s better to have too many than too few. There were four stewards on every bus compared to two. It was good… I think the campus services were happy enough with how everything went off.”

The tour started in UCD, where students left for Mantra in Maynooth, before heading to the Market Bar in Longford, where there was food available for everyone. The final venue was in Athlone, and buses began returning to UCD from 1.30am.

USI launch ‘LGBT Ally’ campaign Yesterday marked the launch of the Union of Students in Ireland’s (USI) national LGBT Ally campaign. The USI are aiming to make people aware of the support people are showing for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights, as well as raise awareness of LGBT issues that students in third level education are facing.

The idea for the campaign came from a similar scheme run in University College Cork last year, which had been inspired in the first place by American universities such a New York University and the University of Utah. USI President John Logue says the campaign “is basically going involve any person who is in favour of marriage equality who is not a member of the LGBT community… symbolising their unity with one aim.”

USI Vice-President for Equality and Citizenship Laura Harmon says: “The momentum is building behind campaigns for marriage equality and transgender rights in Ireland and the Union of Students in Ireland is proud to be playing our part in these campaigns.”

The main launch took place in the Blue Room in the Student Centre in UCD and was attended by Aodhán Ó’Ríordáin TD, and Senator Averil Power, while regional launches took place in UCC, WIT, Queen’s University Belfast and St. Angela’s College Sligo.

The launch involved a video screening featuring a speech from Whoopi Goldberg and Avan Jogi.

DramSoc auditor resigns Following a meeting headed by the Chair of the Societies Council on Monday the 24th of September, it was announced by Dramsoc that the Auditor of the 86th Session, Enda Reilly, had resigned. This came just after a report that the society had achieved a membership of 1,024 students during Freshers’ Week, a rise on last year’s figure.

While no official reason has been given for the resignation, allegations have been made by society members that this was prompted by a surprise vote of no confidence due to “lack of leadership”, though the unanimous verdict needed to impeach was not reached.

Enda Reilly refused to comment on the reasons for his resignation. Acting DramSoc Auditor and Treasurer Cathal Moroney stated that those making these allegations were “misinformed”, but refused to comment further.

Nominations to for the position of Auditor closed yesterday, Monday October 1st, at 5pm. A Term General Meeting and Special General Meeting have been called for 3pm tomorrow, Wednesday 3rd, at which the new Auditor will be elected.

NEWS

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

UCDSU to launch welfare taxi scheme

by Jack walsh · senior reporter UCD Students’ Union Welfare Office Mícheál Gallagher is set to launch a new scheme, Slán Abhaile, to be run in partnership with the Students Union and the WINIcab taxi company.

The idea, which has been dubbed as ‘use now, pay later,’ was originally proposed by UCDSU President Rachel Breslin during her term as Welfare Officer last year. “Last year, Rachel and WINIcabs met up to conceptualise it, and they also got into an agreement. There were just problems getting it off the ground last year, and that’s why it’s been backtracked by 12 months. Other things took priority in the university.”

Gallagher also mentioned problems the WINIcabs company have been facing, which caused the delay, but declined to comment further on their current situation.

Gallagher believes the scheme

will be beneficial to UCD students should it be widely used: “If you are on a night out, and you’re stuck for money, you can ring up Winnicabs and it will register you to the Slán Abhaile taxi service. At the end of your taxi journey, you hand over your student card and that is accepted as payment, then you can pop into the student centre at a designated time, and pay off your taxi fare at a time that suits you better.

For example, if you lose money on a night out, you can ‘use now and pay later’ essentially, and it’s a very safe way to get people home from nights out. You will have to register to be a part of this taxi service at the start.”

Breslin chose to work with WINIcabs because they are very conscious of the safety of their passengers, which is particularly important when it comes to getting students home at

night time. She explained they were established “on the whole ethos of being safe, so [the students] get a lot more of the personal details of the taxi drivers than other companies.”

Gallagher is optimistic regarding the official launch date: “We will be launching it soon, it’s still not fully launched and we’re just teething at the very last problems. I have very high hopes of it being in within the next couple of weeks, and I want to be able to say two weeks, but just in case there are any more problems, I would say during this semester.”

When the scheme launched last year, a reported 1,500 students signed up for it, so Gallagher is optimistic that the scheme will be a success when it officially launches.

UCD assistance funds facing cuts

by Aoife brophy · chief reporter The Student Welfare Fund is being cut by the European Department of Enterprise. The fund is allocated to students who experience financial difficulties whilst pursuing further education.

The money, which comes both from the Government and the European Social Fund, is divided between HEAR (Higher Education Access Route), the Student Assistance Fund, the Accessibility Fund and the Welfare Fund in UCD. The President of the Students’ Union, Rachel Breslin says that the Higher Education Authority will be informing UCD of the amount of their allocation next week.

The HEAR grant is also facing uncertainty this year, with the possibility of being halved. An e-mail sent to students states: “We are still waiting on confirmation of the total amount of funding we will have to al-

locate for the HEAR grant, however I am afraid that it will be significantly less than in previous years. As such, we will pay the semester one grant payment of €500, however at the moment we cannot guarantee a semester two payment, and you should plan accordingly.”

The Accessibility Fund has also suffered a cut this year as it did not spend its full budget in previous years. Breslin stated: “In 2010 its full budget wasn’t spent, so they have cut it. I can’t remember the exact figure, but it may be halved.”

Problems have also arisen with the administration of the Student Assitance Fund, a means-tested fund for students in financial difficulty, as there is no chairperson for the committee this year. These administrative difficulties have caused uncertainty as to when the money will become available for students.

Breslin said: “The Vice President for Students and other people involved in the administration are to look at what’s being done to plug that gap.

It is my understanding that no one else was able to take on that chairperson role. Our own Welfare Officer volunteered to do the job but wasn’t suitable. It’s really just a case of how to process it.”

The Students’ Union has been consulting with other members of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) as to how best to manage the administration process for this fund.

There was discussion of putting all the money into the Welfare Fund (a fund for financial emergencies) and administering it through that, however it has been decided this is not the most efficient way to process payments. “The Welfare Fund is labour-intensive in terms of administration. We’re trying to get informa-

tion from other colleges as to how best to process it and set up a system in the knowledge that all the student advisors in the administration are really stretched right now”, Breslin explained.

Last year, extra funding for the Student Welfare Fund was secured from the Government, while Kylemore also provided additional funding, with over 400 students benefiting.

Breslin expressed the need for a means-tested fund to assist students who are struggling financially.

“There’s no way we can’t have this fund, we just need to find a way to make it work... The money is there…

We’re asking the college to make a decision very quickly. Last year the closing date was in about three weeks’ time. There’s quite a limited window even if you extend it by a week. We will ensure that there is a means tested fund.”

to the Gender Equality Officer, Ciara Johnson. Ciara worked tirelessly on it.”

Johnson believes that the Unions’ message was spread in a suitable way, stating: “I definitely think it helped raise awareness across campus.

We had people lecture addressing throughout the day, information videos available online which people could check out for different ways of self-checking for lumps, so that was a really good way of raising awareness as well and it targeted people

who might not have been at the hub of activity, which was the Student Centre.”

Guiney was pleased overall with the events, and feels the aims of the day were reached: “Quite simply, the main aim for Pink Day was to raise awareness for what the Irish Cancer Society does.”

Blue Day, a day aimed at raising awareness of male health issues, is planned for the second semester.

Pink Day raises €1,800 for Irish Cancer Society

by Jack walsh · senior reporter UCD Students’ Union ran Pink Day, a day-long event aimed at promoting awareness of women’s health issues.

It has raised €1,800 for the Irish Cancer Society.

A number of events were organised throughout campus, including a bucket collection between 8am and 2pm, a traditional music session performed by TradSoc, a ‘duvet day’, and a ‘pink breakfast’ featuring all pink food. A new addition to this year’s Pink Day was a spray tanning booth, which aimed to highlight the dangers of sun beds and sun bathing as major causes of skin cancer. UCDSU Gender Equality Co-ordinator Ciara Johnson explains they also “had information stands in the Student Centre and we had the Beauty Clinic from Woodbine Park Road; they came in and were offering spray tans in exchange for donations to charity.”

“We had it set up in a room just off the main area in the student centre, so it was a really central location.

Upwards of 35 people availed of this during the course of the day so it was a massive success. It really engaged with people who mightn’t have normally gotten involved in campaigns, so it was a good way of raising awareness, but also it caught people’s imagination.”

Photographer: Caoimhe McDonnell The main aims of Pink Day were to “raise awareness for breast cancer and women’s health issues; to raise awareness across campus of a number of issues, and to help raise money for the Irish Cancer Society, which was our chosen charity this year”.

The €1,800 raised marks an improvement over previous years.

When asked on what attributed to the success of the day, UCDSU Campaigns and Communications Officer Paddy Guiney said: “It was all down

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

NEWS

...continued from front page It is understood that the recommendation of the merger of UCD and TCD was taken by the panel as a way of looking to bring the Irish Higher Education System to a point where it could compete in the Top 50 in the world. The report is believed to contain details of how combining Ireland’s two best ranking universities, UCD and TCD, as well as consolidating other third-level institutions, could see a drastic improvements for Irish colleges in the world rankings.

The likelihood that the recommendations of the panel will be taken up is slim. In addition to describing the TCD-UCD merger as “neither feasible nor desirable,” a statement from the Department of Education also read: “While it [the HEA report] contained very useful insights into the challenges facing higher education in Ireland, some of its recommendations were in conflict with these agreed policies and would not be acceptable to government.”

It is also understood that the Department of Education paused the publication of the report because of the strong differences of opinion held by the Department and those outlined

in the report.

The report also contains recommendations for the merging of other universities, such as combining the National University of Ireland, Galway with the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and other third-level institutes in the region. Mergers of other third-level institutes in the northeast, midlands and south, were also recommended in the report.

The report is one of a number of reports from the body on improving education and implementing the national strategy. Among these are reports on Teacher Education, and the Institutional Profiles Report, which compares higher education institutes across different sectors.

The reports are intended to help in the examination of Irish higher education, which faces a number of challenges in the near future, such as budget cuts, implementing the National Strategy as outlined in the Hunt Report and the anticipated surge in demand in third-level institutes.

Some reports have indicated that the HEA’s report has been shelved permanently, though Byrne says its publication is, “anticipated shortly.”

A spokesperson for UCD was un-

Universities to vote on USI affiliation campaign will win. That will be the outcome for Trinity, and obviously Trinity’s outcome will have a direct impact on us.”

Guiney believes that the main problem is that students don’t think that the USI works for them. “Students don’t think the USI does anything. They don’t think that they are not doing anything either, they just don’t know about them,” Logue believes the TCD results will be in favour of the USI, stating: “We have received significant support from students on campus, and we will work hard over the coming week to further convince them that leaving the national union would be a regressive step.”

The USI President sits on the Boards of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Agency, and the Higher Education Authority, the latter of which decides the funding which is received annually by the college. Affiliation with USI gives UCD representation in these forums, as well as in the media. A national council is held every six weeks, allowing each college to get involved with national campaigns.

“We have a national lobbying group that is representative of every

News in Brief

by Sylvester Phelan

Government announce ‘Youth Guarantee Scheme’ for EU Presidency The government will use the European Union presidency next year to continue plans for a “youth guarantee” project aimed at getting young unemployed people and graduates automatically directed into employment, training or education.

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton has said she will use next January’s presidency of the EU to help deliver proposals for the new scheme, targeted at unemployed under 25s.

Figures from Eurostat, the European statistics agency, show a 30% unemployment rate among 18-24 year olds in Ireland.

According to the proposed plans, the government would fund apprenticeships, training or further education for young people out of work for four months or longer. Burton said she would be hosting a meeting of other European ministers in charge of social protection next February, and would be working “flat out” to continue the plan. “If the EU is to return to its founding mission, then it has to rebalance to include a really linked-up focus on how young people transition from school and college into the world of work,” says Ms Burton.

Solas, the new agency to replace FÁS, has training and apprenticeship opportunities available to the public and, through vocational committees, will be responsible for the funding and co-ordination of further education and training.

UCD’s international college in Beijing receives government approval

by Katelyn Cook Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and Dublin City University (DCU) will vote on their affiliation with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) by mid-October. TCD will vote on whether to stay affiliated with the USI in two weeks, while students in DCU are lobbying for their SU to rejoin the USI. “Students are evaluating their relationship with USI again and I welcome that,” says USI President John Logue. “It gives us the opportunity to engage with students on campus and talk to them about the various ways that USI works for them and their Students’ Union.”

While DCU and TCD’s future in the USI will be decided in the coming weeks, UCD will wait to vote on affiliation until November. The decision to hold the referendum was initiated by UCD Students’ Union President, Rachel Breslin, and it was first highlighted in her manifesto.

UCDSU Campaigns and Communications Officer Paddy Guiney says: “USI do need to be held more accountable so that’s why we are holding the referendum… Students wanted a USI disaffiliation referendum. If students are informed enough, whoever has the better

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single college here and every single student. That’s what USI membership means to students,” says Guiney.

Currently, membership fees for USI stand at €132,000. The fees are calculated on the amount of students registered to each particular college. With approximately 23,500 students, UCD’s membership currently amounts to just over €5.60 per student. At the moment, €23 of students’ contribution charge goes to UCDSU. This charge incorporates SU services, USI membership, student centre charge, and other costs of the Union. It is undecided whether this charge will be decreased, were UCD

to disaffiliate from the USI. When questioned about reconsidering the current fees, Logue states: “As regards affiliation fees, no consideration has been given to that matter.

Our attention and energy is focused on winning these referendums and planning the national campaign strategy for Budget 2013.”

For a more analysis of both sides of the referendum debate, turn to page 20.

UCD pay over €3.25M in unauthorised bonuses over last six years by daniel keenan · News Editor A Higher Education Association (HEA) report has revealed that UCD have paid 77 staff members €3,273,380 in unauthorised bonuses between June 3, 2005 and February 28, 2011.

The Irish Independent reported on Saturday that €7.5 million has been given out in top-ups, bonuses and allowances to senior staff across thirdlevel education. Of the €7.5 million, UCD is responsible for approximately 43% of this figure.

UCD President, Dr Hugh Brady, defended his college’s position on payments at a Dail Public Accounts Committee last Thursday, stating these payments were a fact in the competitive world of staff recruitment, and were the norm in international markets. Dr Brady also said that he believed the extra responsibilities of the staff warranted the wages top-ups.

The bonuses were used by the universities as a way of rewarding senior academics for taking on additional projects and responsibilities, and were given to professors, presidents, lecturers and heads of school, among others.

The bonuses, or ‘wage top-ups,’ are subject to ministerial approval.

Throughout Irish third-level institutes however, €7.5 million bonuses were not

properly authorised, but still paid out to university staff. The payments have now ceased, with the HEA insisting that universities redirect extra funding towards student services.

Of the €3.27 million paid out by UCD, it’s reported that up to €201,000 was paid to the bursar of the college, €133,000 to the registrar and up to €152,000 to various professors across different schools. As well as this, 12 senior staff members were paid a sum amounting to €266,000 in unauthorised top-ups.

UCD’s payment of unauthorised bonuses is the largest in Ireland, almost twice that of the second-highest, UCC which paid out€1.676,030 in unauthorised bonuses. Trinity College Dublin paid the third highest amount, at €1,207,580, while the National University of Ireland Galway paid €507,483, which was the fourth largest in the country.

It’s understood that Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn will now introduce legislation to prevent such lavish bonuses for academics, and prevent such oversights in the future.

The new law will give the minister unprecedented power over colleges, on matters such as pay and pensions.

The Chinese Ministry for Education has given its approval to the joint venture between Beijing University of Technology (BJIT) and University College Dublin (UCD) to establish the Beijing-Dublin International College in Beijing, in September.

The approval means recognition of degrees in China and graduates will be awarded to both UCD and Chinese qualifications.

The plan to establish an international college in China received support from the Mayor of Beijing, Guo Jinlong, and was backed by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, during Mr Jinlong’s visit to Dublin.

The contract was signed by President of UCD, Dr Hugh Brady, and Professor Guo Guangsheng, President of BJUT, and witnessed by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.

Degree programmes include software engineering and a programme based on electronic engineering and communications technologies.

In UCD 20% (5,000) of the student population are international students and drawn from over 100 nations.

Speaking at the recent conference of the European Association of International Education (EAIE), Dr Brady said: “It is essential for a small open economy such as Ireland that its universities are at the vanguard of internationalisation in higher education and are supported fully by government in this endeavour.”

USI launch ‘Student Finance Guide’ and ‘Sexual Education Road Show’ The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) recently launched the Student Finance Guide for Irish college students. Entitled ‘Money Matters: USI Student Finance Guide’, the guide was launched in IT Tallaght on the 21st September.

The Student Finance Guide contains expert advice on budget management and maintaining savings. The guide includes user-friendly balance sheets, which allows students to keep weekly budgets to monitor their income and expenditure.

The USI also launched its Sexual Health Education road-show at NUI Maynooth. The road-show intends to educate college students about their sexual health for the benefit of themselves and others.

From September to December, the road-show will visit four campuses, along with starting an online awareness campaign. Various attractions will be held for students including educational and interactive stands.

Irish Contraception and Crisis Pregnancy study reports show that 80% of 1825 year olds use contraception, but of the 20% who did not, reasons for this include unplanned sex and the consumption of alcohol and drugs.

The HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme recently began a new phase to their Think Contraception campaign entitled ‘Johnny’s got you covered’. This scheme is aimed at promoting the use of condoms during sex.

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NEWS

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

international

UCDSU launch first News in Brief Res Week

by Alistair Graham

by sean o’grady · deputy News Editor

Former University of Alabama professor on trial for murder A former University Professor has recently been put on trial in Alabama, where she may face life imprisonment. Amy Bishop, an ex-University of Alabama lecturer, pleaded guilty to shooting six people and killing three, in February 2010. It is believed by her work colleagues that Bishop committed the crime due to anger at the college for refusing her tenure.

Bishop, who arrived to court in chains, plead guilty to the murders earlier this month and has avoided being given the death penalty as a result of her plea. A trial is still required however, as Bishop has admitted to a capital charge of murder.

The Harvard educated biologist was joined in court by two attorneys in her defence and witnesses in the court room included the relatives of some of the murdered victims as well as at least one surviving victim.

When her current trial is over, Bishop then may face further additional charges in Massachusetts for the 1986 murder of her brother, Seth Bishop. Originally believed to be an accident, Bishop’s trial has opened up further investigations into her brother’s case. Prosecutors are waiting for Bishop’s current case to finish before putting her on any further trials.

British universities admitting international students to boost finances.

New research has shown that nonEU students now account for over half of post-graduate students in the UK. For the past number of years, non-EU students have travelled to the UK in consistently higher numbers, with the total having trebled in the last decade alone.

The increase in the amount of international students attending British universities has been met with criticism from Migration Watch UK. The chairman of this organisation believes these students are selected for admission because their fees are much higher than their British counterparts: “Non-EU students are being recruited to prop up finances of less well-known universities,” says Green.

The criticism comes after controversy that certain UK universities were admitting international students with poor English skills to boost university funding levels.

Professor Susan Basnett of Warwick University believes these students are being used as “cash cows,” and that the practice is rife in several British institutions. Figures published have shown that foreign students account for 10% of universities admissions, due to the much higher costs of their attendance.

Migration Watch UK hopes to see stricter immigration controls in order to decrease the amount of international students having to pay such high fees.

London drug survey reveals over 65% of students have bought or used illegal drugs A survey of over 500 London college students done by the online student newspaper The Angle has revealed the extent to which university students in the UK capital have abused illegal drugs.

Over 50% of students have taken cannabis while over 65% of students reported having previously bought or taken illegal drugs. Of these, two out of three said they had bought or received drugs while on university property.

The survey results have also revealed the London universities with the most drug takers; with King’s College London (KCL) coming first, followed by Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) and University College London (UCL).

Photographer: Aoife Valentine

UCD Students’ Union has launched Res Week this week, for students living in on-campus accommodation. A series of events, aimed at all UCD residences, will be held throughout the week.

Res Week has been organised by Campaigns and Communications Officer Paddy Guiney and Residence Coordinator, Adam Caldwell. Guiney explained that the main focus for Res Week is on students on campus getting to know their neighbours: “This is open to all UCD students, but the main emphasis is students who live on residence, so that they can get to know each other.”

There are several events taking place each day, with the hope that students living on campus will participate in the occasion and socialise with other residences: “We have a cinema night just for first year residents, taking place in the Global Lounge, we have a debate with LawSoc on the four provinces,and we have a Freshers’ play with DramSoc,” said Guiney.

In addition to recreational events, there are also plans for voucher giveaways so that food expenses will be lower for students: “We have the Centra challenge routine. We are going to give away a couple of hundred euros worth of vouchers to students for food,” Guiney explained.

Many issues related to on-campus living are also being addressed during

Res week. The 2012/13 License to Reside allows students to be filmed in their residences in cases where there is risk of injury to people or of damage to property. The measure, which has caused considerable controversy, is something that will be questioned as a part of Res Week: “We are looking into it [filming on residence] and making students aware of that, and we will be campaigning against that and we will be launching it from Res Week,” said Guiney.

Other problems in residence that are set to be addressed include the structure of the Licence to Reside, in addition to the appeals process for students who have fines, which is considered to be weak at present.

To further help students on residence get to know each other, there is an official Res Night organised on Thursday, October 4th, which will act as a replacement for last year’s cancelled Res Ball. When asked whether Res Week was going ahead in response to the negative reception of last year’s Res Ball, Guiney said: “I would not directly correlate the Residence Ball last year, and our planning of this year, I would have done it either way”.

Guiney has two main hopes for Res Week: “There are two main things: that they get to meet their neighbours and they are aware of the issues while living on residence.”

Societies set record numbers

by Daniel Keenan · News Editor The UCD Literary and Historical Society (L&H) and DanceSoc were among the societies to surpass their highest membership ever last week.

1024 students joined DanceSoc during Freshers Week, held on campus during the second week of term, while 5143 joined L&H. The number of students to join L&H this year has set a European record for college society membership.

“It’s 39 more than our previous record, which was 5104 and was also held by the society; that was last year,” says L&H Auditor, Daisy Onugobu. “To the best of our knowledge, of all the numbers that are available, the society’s the largest in Europe… It might also be attributed to the fact that not a lot of societies keep records like we do. So some societies might actually be larger, they just don’t have the capacity to record it.”

She attributes the society’s diversity as the reason for its continued popularity: “We do something that a lot of societies don’t do where we try and attract beyond our range. We know that of that 5000, only about 10% are interested in hardcore competitive debating. But at the same time, it helps them do so much, so even if you’re not going away on trips to debate for the college, you might still be interested in debates to watch other people argue. Even if you’re not interested in that, you might still be interested in meeting celebrities.”

LawSoc are the second largest society on campus, while ArtSoc, at 2400 members, are the third largest.

DanceSoc was re-activated as a society last year, and auditor, Elayne Ní Ruáin, was pleased with the increase of over 200 members: “We were thrilled with the numbers as we broke last year’s record of 800. There has been a huge surge in interest in the society, with 44 people at our first class of the year, and over 170 people auditioning in total for the three crews.”

“We have a lot planned for this year including a trip to Liverpool at the end of January, a number of charity events and we will also be hosting the National Inter-Varsity Competition at the end of March,” says Ní Ruáin. “Alongside this, we will be performing throughout the year at various events both on and off campus, such as home games in the sports centre.”

UCD Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Society remain the largest LGBT society in Ireland falling just short of 400 members. DramSoc, PsychSoc, and RussianSoc also recorded increased numbers, with 1120, 297 and 222 joining the societies respectively, all of which were personal bests for the societies.

300 joined MatureSoc, 841 joined St Vincent de Paul, 184 joined Netsoc, and 280 joined English Literary Society.

Photographer: Aoife Valentine

Observ er vox p ops

What do you think of the possibility of the UCD-TCD merger?

“I don’t think it’s going to happen really, seems pretty unrealistic because of the petty rivalry between the two I don’t see how that colleges and just would make sense because both are such even the locations different locations between the two and both have their colleges itself. We own reputations as universities. I think are all the way here overall it’ll have very and they are all the negative affects and it way in town.” will be a bad idea.

Eoghan

Sam

“No, really bad idea. There’ll be too much people as well, 50,000 people under the one college.

That’s too many people.”

Sophie, Aoife and Jordan

voxpops by munir alakari. photographs by laura o’brien

“Well I don’t “It probably think its needed would bring up the rankings really because but there’s not the two are going to be different, and enough room like if you have to kinda merge friends in the the two of other one you them unless can meet up with you kind of them. It gives one build another more choice.” campus.”

Kia

Claire

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

COMMENT

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tianity. It has not yet gone through any major reformation. Christians, if people recall, 600 years ago were still killing people for blasphemy and a lot less. So must the nature of middle-east politics.

Most of the countries by and large are stricken by poverty and inequality, and are not democratically run. It has become accepted among many, mostly due to propaganda from political leaders, that their situation is the fault of America, Israel and the West.

It would be wrong to frame the last few weeks’ events simply as a clash of civilisations. There is far more than religion that has caused such disruption between the West and the Muslim world. There is no excuse for the actions that have been taken out by the mob of the past month but trying to understand the situation could help to calm tensions in future and avoid

unnecessary violence and killing.

The USA and Europe should make attempts to implement policies that will be beneficial to Muslim countries, not just to millionaire oil executives and private military contractors.

President Obama’s support of the Arab Spring last year, although it may have come late, was at least for noble cause in that it supported democratic protesters from the grassroots up.

Such an angle of policy could be furthered, instead of forcing democracies on countries ruled by tyrants by barrel of a gun, supporting internal democratic movements like last year’s Arab Spring would show the middle-east that the West is serious about trying to improve their livelihood. Forget the idiot who made The Innocence of Muslims, and work towards creating peace. That would be progress.

Observer comment

Blasphemy or bigotry?

With widespread anti-western violence and protests in the middle-east over the past month, Evan O’Quigley examines the so called ‘clash of civilisations’ between Islam and the West

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t is a strange coincidence that this month, during a sudden break of uproar in the Muslim world, that Salman Rushdie’s memoir of the nine-plus years he spent in captivity after Iran’s then supreme leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini called for his death, has been released. The Rushdie affair incident famously caused a furore in the western media, which then began and his continued to portray Islam as a violent religion ever since.

There are some similarities between Rushdie, whose novel The Satanic Verses caused uproar in the Muslim world for its portrayal of Islam, which was considered to be highly offensive, and Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, an Egyptian born Coptic Christian from California, who released a film on YouTube entitled The Innocence of Muslims. However any comparison between Rushdie’s work and the YouTube film would be unfair. Rushdie himself has stated that he does not “feel particularly pleased to be bracketed with that absurd, pathetic and clearly malevolent YouTube piece of shit”.

It also should be noted that while some at the time such the Labour MP Keith Vas, who led a march with thousands of British Muslims calling for the banning of Rushdie’s book, criticised the author for purposefully offending a great monotheistic religion, it could be seen that most people sympathised with Rushdie’s benevolent intentions to write a piece of fiction that dealt with Islam. This piece of internet propaganda on the other hand, has received, with the

exception of the lunatic fringe, more or less zero sympathy. And none is deserved.

Unlike Rushdie’s novel, which was intended as a literary novel and considered an artistic product, the crude and offensive 14 minute film released on YouTube is nothing of the sort. It has caused an uproar leading to mass civil unrest and violence and the death of over twenty people, including the murder of the US ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens. It seems to have been made for no other reason than to cause offence and anger in what is a very volatile part of the world. Added to this was the egregious lie that it was originally made by an Israeli and backed by ‘100 Jews’ (oddly specific, that), Since Israel, considered largely to be a western and democratic state, has been in violent conflict with the Arab world since its creation in 1947, a contributing factor for anti-western feeling in the middle-east.

There is no excuse for censorship, and this is not a case one should be making in response to this crude right-wing hatchet-job internet video.

We should most definitely allow these people, whose views are abhorrent and ridiculous, to air them in public so that we can laugh and ridicule them for what they are. It is also unfortunate that a very loud and violent minority of Muslims in the middle-east react in such a moronic way to what is clearly a fringe opinion from someone nobody has even heard of.

It would also be wrong to suggest that the Islamic rage against the west is a purely grassroots movement. It is

nothing of the sort. Salman Rushdie pointed out of the recent events “how politically manufactured this rage of Islam is; this isn’t some spontaneous outburst of the people rising up, it’s run by politicians and religious leaders for political purposes…this isn’t Islam versus the west, this is about Islamic leaders manipulating their own people to gain more power in their countries”.

It is true that continuing hatred of the west is a major help to religious fundamentalists like the Muslim Brotherhood which has stalled the democratisation of much of the middleeast, particularly in Libya and Egypt by attempting to turn the countries into theocracies, post revolution.

Some issues need to be addressed in trying to understand the nature of Islam in the world today. The religion itself is 600 years younger than Chris-

Playing politics With promises of a ‘new Ireland’ from political parties, Rachel Maher examines our political parties and broken promises

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verybody talks about a new world in the morning,” sings Roger Whittaker in the song ‘New World in the Morning’.

If we were to believe our political parties we would hear them promise to create a “New Ireland” in the morning, but does it really make a difference which political parties’ promises we choose to believe or are we simply condemned to live in a country over which we, the citizens, have no real control?

Since the Irish state was formed over 70 years ago, we have seen no real or radical changes in Irish politics. The financial collapse of 2008 and our agreement to the bailout offered by the Troika of the EU, IMF and EMF, has forced the Irish government to work within the Troika’s constraints, irrespective of which

“

party they belong to.

The current Fine Gael-Labour coalition government, elected in 2011, stormed into the Dáil with promises of political and economic reform.

Two years into their five year term, many of their “New Era” pledges remain unfulfilled.

Pre-election, our current Finance minister Michael Noonan described our then-imminent European Union/ International Monetary Fund bailout deal as an “obscenity”. Yet, shortly after jointly assuming power, the Tánaiste and Labour party leader Eamon Gilmore stated: “It was never going to be the case that renegotiation of the agreement was something that was going to be done”. This is possibly more of an admission of his party’s empty promises than the government having little or no control over Ireland’s future as part of a

German-led European fiefdom.

This government has introduced the household charge despite the Labour parties’ former view that “the family home should not be taxed”.

Another significant pre-election promise made by Fine Gael was that of free GP care and yet the government still fails to indicate when they plan to implement this promise. Fine Gael guaranteed that the number of TDs would be reduced by 20, yet this government’s Electoral Act has only cut six Dáil positions. Fine Gael’s job creation promises show no benefit as the Irish labour market is still in severe crisis, with the latest Live Register figures calculating unemployment to be at 14.7%. On top of this, child benefit was cut significantly in the 2012 budget, with larger families being directly hit by the cutbacks.

More pain is indicated by the Education minister Ruairi Quinn, who had previously asserted that university fees would not be reintroduced, but who now refuses to rule out an increase in the Student Contribution Charge or perhaps the introduction of third level fees.

Other Irish political bodies provide little concrete alternatives to the current government’s strategies, instead merely sniping about what the governing party is or isn’t doing, without providing viable alternatives.

Sinn Féin made the most considerable advances in the last election.

However, with no real leadership

experience, it is difficult to predict how they would undertake the pressures of directing the country. Their policies declare “an end to the overcentralisation of hospitals” and a “crack downs on white collar crime”.

The economic section of their proposed policies states the need for a “new, robust regulatory system” and that “tax and social welfare systems should be redistributive”.

Sinn Féin has maintained that should they be elected, they would “save in good times” and spend in bad times. Although we are currently in ‘bad times’ and will be for the foreseeable future, the party’s manifesto does not propose ways to deal with the present financial predicament. While these statements detail issues which need to be addressed by the government, Sinn Féin’s policies provide no concrete action as to how they would tackle these problems if they were to be elected.

The very experienced Fianna Fáil published their most recent policy guide in spring 2012. Similarly to Sinn Féin, they are eager to point out this government’s “broken promises”, with an entire section of their guide devoted to criticising the coalition.

This guide also lists achievements made during their 1997-2010 period of power. Fianna Fáil asserts that they would reduce tax expenditure and broaden the tax base should they return to government.

Interestingly, they point out the need for political reform, proclaim-

ing that “breaking the link” between business and politics is an integral part of Fianna Fáil’s vision. With many of the decisions that led to our current economic crisis having been made while Fianna Fáil were in leadership, one must wonder how committed they really are to these policies. Again however, like Sinn Féin, there is no clear blueprint as to how Fianna Fáil would manage the country differently to the Fine Gael/ Labour coalition.

The United Left Alliance, although they have a stronger voice than has traditionally been seen from Independent TDs in the Dáil, simply do not have enough members to form a government. It seems that they can do little more than promote certain issues and cause debate.

Roger Whittaker’s song ends with the lyric “I can feel a new tomorrow coming on… Everyone talks about a new world in the morning. New world in the morning takes so long”.

This seems to be the problem the Irish citizen is faced with, the new Ireland that is promised by all political parties never seem to materialise quickly enough. Perhaps the public should stop blindly accepting the promises of this new world from political parties. Instead, perhaps adopting Mr Whittaker’s line in the song when he sings, “I myself don’t talk about a new world in the morning. New world in the morning, that’s today” and from this see that it is our responsibility.

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COMMENT

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

The right to privacy

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he Germans will love it, the French will ignore it and the Italians and Irish will be too chaotic too enforce it”, goes the line from the seminal British sitcom Yes, Minister, accurately reflecting the British opinion of the Irish, which has lingered since the days when the Boyne was a river, not a battle. This opinion has undoubtedly died a death in recent years but the behaviour of the Irish Daily Star in publishing the controversial pictures of Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge is grounds for such opinions to re-surface.

The now infamous phone hacking scandal of News International has ensured the British tabloid press will forever be tarred with a particularly brutal brush but the recent Kate Middleton defamation has pointed to the fact that the problem is in fact more widespread than one may have hoped. The actions of our very own Irish Daily Star has rendered the view that a tabloid media void of ethics was a problem unique to Britain spectacularly spurious.

What the Irish Daily Star has published is no doubt horrifically lacking in moral judgement and is simply another example of how low the gutter press will go to sell papers. While British papers try to position themselves as morally upright for refusing to publish the images, this stance has been rightfully admonished by other British media sources as simply requesting praise for something which should be automatic. Publishing the pictures should be considered completely unthinkable. The Irish Daily Star doesn’t agree and in the process have thus opened the debate on media censorship in Ireland.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter

T

he government has launched the Constitutional Convention, a body dedicated to examining constitutional reform promised in some form by all of the major parties during the last General Election. The Convention will consist of 66 randomly selected citizens and 33 parliamentarians representing both Leinster House and Stormont.

The Convention’s members will be given 12 months to consider the issues of reducing the presidential term, reducing the voting age to 17, same-sex marriage, the Dáil electoral system, the participation of women in politics, the right of citizens abroad to vote in presidential elections, the clause in the constitution relating to women in the home and the offence of blasphemy.

While the Constitutional Convention may be the first body of its kind in Ireland, the model has been used in other countries in recent years, and indeed the 2011 election manifestos of Fine Gael and the Green Party made explicit references to similar assemblies in the Netherlands and Iceland. It is worth taking a brief look at these to see how they compare to the proposed Irish model.

The 2006 Dutch Electoral System Civic Forum is the most similar to the Irish proposal though with some notable differences. The Forum was comprised of 140 randomly selected members of the public, akin to the selection system being used for the Irish Convention, though the Dutch assembly excluded parliamentarians. Another shared feature was that the agenda for the Dutch Forum was also predetermined though its remit was even narrower than that being proposed for Ireland, with the only issue to be discussed being a review of the electoral system for the Dutch Lower House. The Dutch Forum also had a narrower time frame of only six months.

The more recent, 2011 Icelandic Constitutional Council bears less resemblance to the Irish Convention though its aims were more in line with those proposed in the election manifestos of Labour, Sinn Fein and the Green Party. The Icelandic Council was tasked with drafting a new constitution rather than having its scope confined to individual reforms like the Irish or Dutch assemblies. Despite the massive task facing it the Icelandic Council completed its work in a three month period and consisted of only 25 delegates who were elected from among the general public rather than being

has responded to this controversy by advocating the introduction of stricter privacy laws in the media, and while on the face of it this may seem like a reasonable course of action and would undoubtedly be popular among vast swathes of the population that doesn’t mean it would have the desired effect for two reasons. Firstly, the law of unintended consequences may ensure morally upright journalists are constricted more than their fallible counterparts and secondly, privacy laws are notoriously difficult to perfect and more often than not are manoeuvred around.

Shatter has spent much of the last

With the recent controversial decision by the Irish Daily Star to publish nude pictures of Kate Middleton, the Minister for Justice has called for a change to Ireland’s privacy laws. Colm Egan examines the consequences of such a decision. strong privacy laws, found itself in hot

week stressing the fact that it is of imperative importance that he, as Minster for Justice, clamps out unacceptable aspects of the print media, to do so too forcibly would run the risk of handicapping a profession which has also done a lot of good work, work which struggles for column inches at times like this.

Just two years ago the revelations of the Pakistani cricket team’s spot fixing scandal highlighted all that was good about journalism and its capacity to put a stop to outrageous behaviour, rather than initiating it themselves.

The proof was sublimely collected by News of the World journalists, profes-

sionally published and justice was efficiently brought to bear. The world was a better fairer place, thanks to good journalism.

The second point is illustrated perfectly by the Leveson inquiry and its various intricacies. While it is obvious that numerous codes of ethics and moral standards have been smashed by those embroiled in the controversy, the simple fact that the enquiry is taking such a long time is evidence enough of the difficulty faced by legislators to compose laws which pin down perpetrators efficiently.

Indeed, even France, a country renowned for what are considered

water last week, as it was in fact one of the first countries to have the Middleton pictures published. It is a criminal offence to publish information on a person’s personal life without the permission of the person in question in the country which is home to such illustrious titles as Le Monde and Le Figaro, but this legislation has proved itself in effect worthless during the last week. Surely this is reason enough that, even if Mr. Shatter is successful in bring an impressive set of laws to cabinet on the matter next year, this is far from a guarantee that they will actually result in a more strictly regulated sector.

Advocates of stricter laws may believe that ruining the lives of people, such as victims of the phone hacking scandal, is reason enough for vast changes to be made. A price can’t be put on people’s lives and while the freedom of the journalistic profession may be tempered somewhat, this is a small price to pay for the ensuring the scandals of the past aren’t repeated.

Social media becomes more central to how news is broadcast, as websites such as Storyful illustrate, now more than ever stricter guidelines and laws are needed to restrain in ensure the accurateness and morally acceptable nature of news stories which pop up on our newsfeeds and Twitter accounts.

However, as we continue to struggle to keep a handle on print media, it seems unlikely that we will be capable of marshalling the internet effectively either, at least not in the near future.

Mr. Shatter’s proposals may have good intentions, but if they could put the good work of journalists in jeopardy, maybe proposals is how they should stay.

Reconstituting the constitution With the launch of Ireland’s first ever Constitutional Convention, Steven Balbirnie examines the scope and structure of this model for reform

randomly selected.

While it is certainly a positive development that members of the public will be gaining a direct input in the process of constitutional reform, the Irish Convention, at least in its currently proposed form, is open to several criticisms. There are concerns to be addressed both in regards to the Convention’s composition and its agenda.

Independent TDs Stephen Donnelly, Catherine Murphy and Maureen O’Sullivan all expressed concerns over the fact that one third of the convention will be composed of politicians who could potentially wield too much inf luence. Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe also voiced a desire that the number of politicians participating in the Convention should be reduced over time.

The appointment of the Convention’s chairperson is another issue of importance. The government proposals state that the chairperson “must be a person of exceptional ability with a high degree of public

acceptability.” However, the proposals fail to outline what would define such ability or acceptability. The government motion to establish the convention also declared that the chairperson “be appointed by the government” and that during Convention deliberations the chairperson “will have a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.” These facts make it imperative that an independent figure chairs the Convention or the government could leave itself open to accusations of interference in the Convention’s work.

What is most vulnerable to criticism though, is the Convention’s agenda. It is the priorities of the Convention which have already drawn the most f lak from opposition politicians and members of the press. The government has chosen to prioritise the discussion of reducing the presidential term and reducing the voting age; proposing that “the Convention will be asked to submit reports on these two matters within two months. In that way,

any necessary refinements for the Convention can be made before it starts the rest of its work.”

Some commentators regard this move as giving precedence to arguably the two least important issues out of the eight matters up for discussion. The provision for samesex marriage and amending the clause on the role of women in the home are far more socially significant issues, and it is difficult to see how deciding whether the president should have five or seven years in office could be seen as a more pressing concerns than these.

The most important political issue on the agenda has also been deemed a less pressing priority: the Dáil electoral system. The terms of reference for this issue are also frustratingly vague. The government’s proposals don’t make clear whether the discussion will be framed around the PR-STV voting system, a change from multi-seat constituencies or the introduction of a list system as is used in other

European countries.

It is also interesting to note what issues have been omitted from the Convention’s agenda. Despite discussions in recent years about reforming local government or defining economic treason as a crime, these topics are seemingly not up for debate. The Government proposals also state that “matters on which there is already a commitment to hold a referendum e.g. abolition of the Seanad, and Children’s Rights will not be within the scope of the Convention.” Various human rights groups have also criticised the agenda, with Amnesty International calling for the protection of health and housing rights to be considered by the Convention.

While it is laudable that the Government is engaging with citizens on the subject of constitutional reform, they need to broaden the scope of the Convention and ensure its credibility or else this will just become another missed opportunity for reform.

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

COMMENT

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L+H Debate: Is the EU bad for Ireland?

With the L&H society debating Ireland’s relationship with the European Union on Campus this week, David Farrell looks at its history, and its future

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reland’s membership of the European Union is taken for granted today, and to many it has been credited with making Ireland a more independent state. Yet much of our early dalliances with Europe were inextricably linked to those of the UK. Prior to joining the EU, most of Ireland’s trade and commerce depended upon Britain, and not to follow its economic destiny would have been unimaginably foolish. It has been noted as a key factor in our development from middling agricultural state into the economically developed Ireland of today. So, how did we get here and what sort of a relationship has the Irish state had with the EU? The Maastricht Treaty was signed by the members of the European Community on February 7th, 1992, and came into force on November 1st 1993 both in Ireland and across the EU. It set-up the European Monetary Union (EMU), the precursor to the Euro.

Whilst also establishing the European Union and formalising many of the institutions, it saw greater powers ceded to Europe and was the biggest step toward European unity since the organisations inception.

The effects of the EMU itself soon led to economic woe for Ireland and others as it saw states link their currencies to the Deutsch Mark. This all lead to a series of currency devaluations and to an easing of the EMU criteria. It highlighted the economic disparities across the Union and left food for thought over further monetary union. With expansion to 15 states in 1995, Ireland maintained its status as a beneficiary of the EU, staying as such until the accession of 10 new states in 2004. In 1999, 11 of the 15 member states signed up for the Euro and had a three year changeover to the new currency.

The next big event in Ireland’s relationship with the EU would occur in 2001, which incidentally saw the end of the ‘real’ Celtic Tiger, when the Irish people rejected a European treaty for the first time ever with a turn-out of just 38%. Concerns were raised over Ireland’s neutrality, decreasing influence in Europe and less representation. With Ireland left as the only state needing to ratify the treaty, the government sought and gained clarifications and concessions on those issues in the Seville Declarations ahead of a 2002 re-run of the referendum. It received a 60% majority with a vastly increased turnout.

By the time the treaty came into law, Europe was preparing to welcome 10 new states on June 1st 2004 during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU. This presidency was arguably the most significant of Ireland’s six terms to date, with the next one being the first six months of 2013. These presidencies present a chance for Ireland to play a greater role in setting the agenda, and the accession was seen as an opportunity for those incoming states to use all that the EU had to offer to achieve greater prosperity and security, following the Irish example.

From here on in however, things began to get rocky for Ireland’s love story with Europe. The Euro, due to sluggish French and German economies, saw record low interest rates for Irish borrowers. This played a large part in the building of the property bubble and our eventual economic demise.

The European Constitution, proposed in 2004, sought to formalise EU powers and structures along with some organisational reforms. It would condense all existing EU treaties into one document. A number of states notably France, Spain, The UK and The Netherlands proposed ref-

erenda. The first such vote passed by 70% in Spain, but rejection by French and Dutch voters saw the constitution dead in the water. This led to a re-branding of The Constitution of Europe as the Treaty of Lisbon and it passed via parliament in most states.

Ireland was an exception. There grew a presumption that the Irish would ‘be good’ and endorse the treaty. This wasn’t to be the case due to a large number of issues that were highlighted, primarily representation at an EU level. Again clarifications were sought and gained and these along with insistence on a different result, saw just that.

In spite of everything we find a Europe brought together by mutual suffering, austerity and economic strife.

The Europe of today was not the one envisioned in the myriad of treaties and resolutions passed over the years, but a leaderless Europe afraid to take a stand. Ireland has had to play a very subservient role of late, going from a poster boy for EU development to a dunce expected to shut-up and do as told. Arguably, Ireland has benefited more than most from a united Europe. We have also achieved much, providing two of the five EU Secretaries General, a Parliament President and an EU ambassador to the US, as well as being a de-facto leader of the smaller states. Yet Ireland has been increasingly marginalised and our insistence on Democracy in handovers of power is derided.

Europe needs to change and quickly. We hear talk of greater Union every news cycle. Yet we hear little about greater representation or inclusivity. It is time for our leaders to stop with the band aids and perform the necessary surgery. The current precipice sees them left with two options: row back on Monetary Union and re-evaluate or come closer together.

They seem to be going for the latter, but ignore the necessity for greater legitimacy, democracy and openness.

If they don’t stop and make a grand and decisive decision things will get only get worse before they get better and we will keep on making the same mistakes.

Photographer: Lauren Conway

The L&H will debate the motion “This House Believes That The EU is Bad for Ireland” on Wednesday, October 3rd at 6pm in the Fitzgerald Debate Chamber.

Tolerating intolerance With the EU debating whether they should continue to provide funding to “extreme right-wing” organisations, Victoria Sewell looks at what this could mean for the Union as a whole

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arlier this year, the European Parliament came under criticism for awarding funding of €289,266 to a newly created crossEuropean alliance of political parties.

This is nothing new, the Parliament has been providing funding for similar such alliances, including the Party of European Socialists and the European Greens, since 2003. The difference here was that this group was made up of hard-line nationalist and antiimmigration parties, often referred to as “extreme right wing” and “neofascist”, including the British National Party (BNP), the French Front National and Hungary’s Jobbik Party.

There are many criticisms which have been levelled at the European Union since its inception over 60 years ago, mainly around the idea that integration into the union threatens each individual nation’s integrity, individually and identity; as well as its heavy reliance on bureaucracy. The issue however, rests on whether these organisations, which promote policies of racial separation, immigration bans and in some cases, white supremacy and anti-Semitism, should be treated equally with other more mainstream parties and organisations, when they do not themselves believe in equality for others. The founding principles of the EU are based on the “the values of respect for human dignity, liberty, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human right.” The European Constitution also “guarantees the free movement of persons within the Union” and aims to promote “cultural and linguistic diversity”. This seems to stand completely at odds with everything these anti-immigrant parties believe in.

While large-scale, organised anti-immigration and neo-fascism is virtually non-existent in Ireland, many will be familiar with the BNP and its outspoken leader Nick Griffin, who is no stranger to controversy. The BNP was created in 1985 as a split-off faction from the openly fascist, Nazisympathising National Front. However, in recent years they have reduced their focus on anti-Semitism as a part of their modernisation. It is no secret that many find their views, and the views of parties like them, abhorrent and wrong. These parties believe in very strict racial division and anti-immigration policies, and would ideally create a nation of only white, English speaking people. The idea of such ideas taking hold is downright terrifying to many in Europe, as the EU was set up specifically to prevent the actions and atrocities of World War II from being repeated. A fear of fascism, and its potential to rise again, is still high in Germany and other countries at the centre of Europe, where laws are in place to outlaw such movements.

The EU is an organisation that was founded on certain principles, and as such it is not outrageous that they would seek to confine their funding to those who adhere to these principles.

However, in this case, that comes at a risk of discriminating against a group based on their political beliefs, which also goes against the fundamental human rights to which we are all entitled: the right to free speech, and to freedom of thought and conscience. Is having a diversity of outlooks as important as protecting cultural and racial diversity?

The BNP and organisations like them would not characterise them-

selves as “evil” or driven by hate. They describe themselves “patriotic” and “nationalists” who are protecting what they believe is the integrity of their nation and identity in the way that they see fit. Griffin himself has even praised those in other nations and races who share a similar goal, saying: “We share a common struggle for the same ends, racial separation and racial freedom”.

In European society, free speech is seen as fundamental, and there is a constant watch to combat overenthusiastic censorship. Then again, it is easy to protect the free speech rights of those you agree with, it is a much harder thing to defend the rights of those with a differing opinion, or those whose opinions you find downright offensive. In legal terms, freedom of speech can only be

restricted when it is seen to incite others to hatred, or acts of hatred. Up until that point individuals and organisations are free to say whatever they like.

The choice is left up to the public whether or not they want to listen. This is, or at least should be, the very basis of a democratic society. You choose a stance, those who agree with you will fund or campaign for you, and it is up to the electorate to find out about each party’s stance, and vote for who they agree with. We should respect the intelligence of the electorate to decide what is right and wrong; the BNP received less than 2% of the vote in the last UK General Elections.

Fringe organisations like this will always exist, and by denying their rights we are merely fuelling their intolerance

and sense of injustice. A well-educated and active electorate is a far greater defence against fascism than censorship. If we deny funding and political rights to them, where then do we draw the line? Do right wing parties have the right to deny funding to the left, or vice-versa?

At its heart, this issue rests with finding a balance between protecting free speech and the rights of all; and condemning those who seek to restrict those of others. The power to decide what is and isn’t an acceptable political party, allegiance or stance should lie firmly with the people and not with any one specific governing body. That, after all is how democracy is meant to work; governments are ruled and directed by their people, not the other way around.

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COMMENT

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

Over-freedom of information In light of recent government decisions, Catherine Murnane questions the freedom of information granted to the press and public in Ireland

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ast week, the most widely used source of information for Oireachtas debates was shut down until further notice. For the last three years Kildarestreet. com has consistently presented the Irish press, public and its politicians with a concise, full course menu of the Dáil’s and Seanad’s somewhat appetising agendas. The fact that the sites traffic would increase by up to 40% when the houses were in session demonstrates the reliable reputation it held even by those taking part in these debates. Overall, this site was chosen as a source of information more often that the official Oireachtas website. The system clearly worked.

However, last week saw our government make a sweeping change to the way it manages its public content. No longer producing its debates in the form of XML files, Leinster House is now preventing third parties, including Kildarestreet.com, from accessing the democratic debates that take place behind its gates.

The only way individuals can now

access such information is through the official government website, Oireachtas.ie. According to John Handelaar, founder of Kildarestreet. com, no software exists that would be capable of translating this new form of information management to another information source. Leinster house is glued to the driver’s seat.

Between this and the ultra-scandalous case concerning Kate Middleton’s chest area, questions and debates surrounding the freedom of information and its significance for the press are to be currently found plastered all over the media. In light of our government’s decision, claims have been made that Ireland is now moving backwards, subsiding from the rights granted under the Freedom of Information Act 1997 to a stricter, government-heavy system of information sharing.

But is an individual’s ability to access information truly hindered by last week’s decision? Arguably no. This is not a question of limiting information to the public, but rather limiting the number of gatekeepers who hold it and finally present it to

the average Joe. When we consider the democratic nature of our government, it seems logical that our representatives would prefer to be the primary providers of state information. It makes sense that they would opt to limit third party access to official government documents, preventing them from being misinterpreted by an outside agent.

It should not be the case that a nongovernmental website is viewed as the most reliable source of official government information.

We must also remember that this decision does not hinder anyone’s ability to criticise the content of these debates. Journalists can still question these actions with the click of a pen. Citizens can still question these actions by marching through the streets. The information is still readily available to be scrutinised.

Nonetheless, it is understandable that this decision would evoke concerns for future state decisions.

It is difficult for a society to retreat from such a vast information pool to a single, concentrated one and to understand the benefits of doing so.

The freedom of information in Ireland is already a tricky enough area for individuals to grasp. This is particularly in light of the introduction of redefined laws against the crime of blasphemy in 2010 which made the ‘publication or utterance of blasphemous matter’ an offence that carries an extortionate fine of €25,000. Since 2010, questions have arisen regarding the effect such a provision could have on publications that could be considered ‘blasphemous’, even though they merely aim to offer a critique. The fact that this new law is yet to be applied in Irish court rooms places an even more ambiguous question mark over the freedom of expression in the press.

On top of this, with the referendum on Irish adoption laws being currently drafted and prepared for the voting pubic, desires for free and fair media coverage is currently very relevant to Irish citizens. Let’s look back at the information that was publicly provided during the second Lisbon Treaty referendum in 2009. The ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ camps were divided by government officials promoting the former and Coir, a pro-sovereignty and extremist Catholic organisation, arguing the benefits of the latter. Throughout the campaign, Coir were accused of scaremongering, with posters making outlandish claims, such as those that suggested euthanasia would become legal in Ireland if the Lisbon Treaty was adopted. For a referendum to be held democratically, vot-

ers must have access to free, unbiased information regarding the issue at hand. The environment that this referendum took place in tarnished its democratic intent.

However, the overall reality is that the media of the western hemisphere are answerable to few restrictions on their ability to report.

Journalists not only have the right to report freely on matters of public interest; they are obliged to do so.

In 2004, when Naomi Campbell took a case against Mirror Group Newspapers for printing a story on her drug addiction, it was found that the public had a right to access such information to ensure that previous public statements that had denied such accusations were rectified.

In short, we shouldn’t be overly concerned with the lack of access kildarestreet.com has to government information. All the documents are still accessible from an official state database. Of course, isolated examples do indeed exist that question the freedom of the Irish media, but the overall trend is not heading down such a concerning route. To ensure the information is provided freely, Leinster House will have to make particular efforts to ensure the functionality of its website, the clarity of its structure along with its accessibility. Only if such criteria are not met can we begin to question the freedom of information to the public in this area.

but also the immense importance of online campaigns in American Presidential Campaigns. The ability to target voters being the obvious jewel in the online advertiser’s crown.

Various messages must be communicated to a wide range of diverse social groups from Hispanics to Caucasians.

A decrease in Wall Street regulation is likely to garner many more votes from Wall Street CEOs than from single mothers. Such messages stress various aspects of the given candidates policies and some would argue border on hypocrisy occasionally and so the ability to advertise them to the correct people is both fundamental and ruthlessly exploited.

Elbow grease however has not been rendered obsolete in the light of

these advertising budgets as ‘followers’ and ‘likes’ can be garnered by active online accounts as opposed to active bank accounts. Romney currently has over one million followers on Twitter, a following which languishes behind that of Obama, who currently has just under 20 million.

While these figures are undoubtedly influenced by the respective candidate’s popularity outside of the United States, it cannot be denied that with a social media footprint as big as this he has the type of online power that Romney can but dream about.

The sheer flexibility of online advertisements ensures campaigns can adjust to the topic of the moment effortlessly and keep up to date with

voter’s concerns. When the ‘Warren Buffet’ rule was flavour of the month back in May, a Google search provided the user with a link to whitehouse.gov where people could use an application to find out how many American millionaires pay less tax than them. The link doesn’t appear anymore, reflecting public opinion on the matter.

As the effectiveness of online advertising continues to increase, so will its centrality to any American presidential campaign. Romney and Obama will have many battlegrounds, at debates across the country, on TV and over radio waves but none will be as intense or important as the battle that takes place constantly online.

Connected and elected With many prominent political figures using the internet more frequently during election campaigns, Colm Egan examines at the internet as a means of getting votes

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he internet is something used for virtually everything in our modern world. We use it to watch videos, interact with friends and buy everything we need from groceries to music. It has become a basic necessity for anyone living in the developed world and is coming to replace numerous things previous generations of parents would have considered essential, from the Golden Pages and post to newspapers and maps.

Peter Steiner’s famous ‘On the internet no one knows you’re a dog’ cartoon captured the public’s imagination when first published in 1993 and illustrated how, at the time, no one knew anything about anyone else on the internet, even those you interacted with on chat rooms and so on. However, as marketers would now tell you, this is no longer the case. Thanks to the phenomena that is social networking, not only are people aware of what species you belong to, but they know also know when you were born, your job, your education and your political inclinations. Barack Obama is clearly very aware of this.

Never before have advertisers been able to target an audience so specifically and efficiently as they can on Facebook or Twitter. Demographics are boxed into neat groups, for example men under the age of 25 who support Manchester United can be found with the minimum of effort, nor does it take too much time.

They dream of a world where advertisements are only seen by those

who they target and the internet has brought them closer to this Utopia.

The amount of money wasted on inefficient advertising campaigns is forever dwindling and in something where money plays as central a role as it does in the American Presidential Election, this is crucial.

However, don’t be fooled by the word ‘dwindling’ as this serves the numbers in question an injustice.

According to the Federal Elections Commission, in the first few months of 2012 Obama’s campaign spent $16.4 million on online advertisements while Romney bought $7.8 million worth of them. Despite these colossal figures, they’re expected to rise in the future as the campaign’s intensity increases.

While people may raise questions as to whether online campaigning is worth the sums involved, one must point out the fact that these spends will in fact pay for themselves, if the 2008 campaign is anything to go by.

According to the Washington Post, Obama raised half a billion dollars online during his 2008 nomination and presidential campaigns, however the average donation was just $80.

Indeed such was the effectiveness of this fundraising that a group of tech-savvy Republicans founded a group named ‘Rebuild the Party’, with the goal of increasing sign-ups and donations to compete with the Democratic machine and prove that online campaigning isn’t a Democratic preserve.

These figures show two things: the vast sums of money involved in Presidential Campaigns in America,

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

Observer Features

FEATURES

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features@universityobserver.ie

Primary Focus With the current system of primary school patronage failing to reflect a changing Irish society, Sean Finnan examines the social issues surrounding this

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he Irish national school system was established 181 years ago, and it was intended to educate all children in Ireland, irrespective of faith, in the same classroom. Roll on 2012 where over 89% of national schools are under the patronage of the Catholic Church.

Figures from last year’s census show a 45% increase in Irish people identifying themselves as belonging to no organised religion. With increased immigration also comes a greater heterogeneity in beliefs, also reflected in the census.

“I think Irish society is moving slowly from a very traditional Catholic form of education to a more liberal nuanced multi-denominational form of education” says Professor Tom Inglis of UCD’s Department of Sociology.

“We’re in the middle of this transformation and I think that there is an acceptance and willingness, particularly

by Archbishop Martin, but also by other figures in the Catholic Church to exceed to this process. The number of schools under the patronage of the Catholic Church does not represent the religious beliefs and values of the population.” Minister of Education Ruairi Quinn has begun to challenge this after announcing a survey of school patronage last June. Divesting the Catholic Church of some of its primary schools could begin as early as next year.

“If parents want their children educated in the Catholic faith and the Catholic ethos in which they learn Catholic teachings and practice, that’s fine,” says Inglis. “The question is to what extent should the state fund these. I think the problem is that we in Department of Sociology, NUI are in a stage of transition and a lot of Maynooth entitled ‘The Challenge parents don’t have any option but to of Indifference’ one of the questions send their child to a catholic school. asked was how important it was for What is not certain is to what extent children to be brought up with the do they seem passionate or animated same religious views as their parents. about this, or whether they are quite Only 65% thought it important, which willing to go along with the tradition was a decline of 17% from a similar they were brought up in themselves.” survey conducted 20 years previously.

This is something that the survey It could easily be supposed that a 35% wishes bring to light. Although there minority doesn’t regard their religion is a recognised desire for a changing as being intrinsic to their child’s upsystem, the strength of the desire is bringing. For the first time a sizeable difficult to calculate. Parents in 44 ar- minority’s beliefs are in clear conflict eas around the country will be asked with the educators of their children. to name their preferred patron for “We need to look at this as a rights the local school in the online survey, based issue,” continued Donnelly. hopefully bringing the facts neces“Do parents or children have rights or sary to move this debate forward, to is it only the majority? Do all parents the fore. have rights to freedom of conscious, There is an average of 10% nonequality before the law, freedom from Catholics in every county in Ireland discrimination and do children have with a much higher percentage in their rights? And we do have those Dublin and the surrounding area. rights because they’re human rights.

For parents not of the Catholic faith, We have the right to ensure that our the choices of education for their children are brought up according to children are extremely limiting. The our philosophical constituents and choice can be as stark as having your that is what we are looking for. We children taught through an ethos are looking for human rights.” contrary to yours or travelling miles One of the initiatives forwarded to a school more suitable to your unby the recent forum on Patronage and derstanding. Often, the first is chosen. Pluralism in Ireland, is of a CommuParents may request their child to not nity National School. Instead of the take part in religious studies but the patronage of this type of school being awkwardness for children being difin private ownership, the Minister ferent in the classroom can be socially for Education and Skills will act as isolating. its patron. These schools will be Jane Donnelly, the Education Ofmulti-denominational and also cater ficer of Atheist Irealnd, an association for parents who don’t wish for their which aims to promote the rights of child to be given a religious educathe non-religious in Ireland, said on tion. One of the problems outlined the issue, “Well the current system of in the document is the challenge in patronage doesn’t take into account catering for such a diverse number of those parents that want secular non faiths. Despite these difficulties, the denominative education for their chilreport recommends that a pilot of dren. The patronage system is literally these schools should continue as the based on the majority in a particular exploration of alternative patronage area... In essence the patronage system systems continue. is like a private system. The state Speaking about the forum on provides for the education as opposed Patronage and Pluralism in National to providing the education. In Atheist Schools, Mrs. Donnelly stated: “The Ireland we are looking for secular non- Minister of Education… recognised denominational state schools and the that all parents must have their hupatronage system doesn’t offer us that man rights and that the U.N and the as they are essentially private schools.” Council of Europe are putting presIn a 2009 survey conducted by Misure on the State to give all parents cheál MacGréil and Fergus Rhatigan [this]. He recognised that the UN from the Survey and Research Unit, are telling the State to open non-de-

“I think Irish society is moving slowly from a very traditional Catholic form of education to a more liberal nuanced multi-denominational form of education”

Professor Tom Inglis of UCD’s Department of Sociology nominational schools throughout the state. The UN recognise that secular parents are denied their human rights such as freedom of conscious, equality before the law and freedom from discrimination. It’s the States’ responsibility: the Dáil has ratified the European Convention on the right of the child. The State has said that it will guarantee all within its territory those rights. Now how it is going to guarantee the rights of minorities is what the forum of patronage and pluralism is discussing at the moment.”

The Constitution of Ireland recognises the family as the primary educator of the child. It also states in Article 42.4 that: “The State shall provide for free primary education and shall endeavour to supplement and give reasonable aid to private and corporate educational initiative, and, when the public good requires it, provide other educational facilities or institutions with due regard, however, for the rights of parents, especially in the matter of religious and moral formation.” The State, however, provides as little as 3% of primary education, despite it being termed as ‘national’. The public good therefore, needs to be realistically recognised not only by the State but also by the religious organisations that run the schools.

For religious organisations to alter the ownership structure of national schools and embrace a more pluralistic or even more radical, a secular national school system, would put a serious strain on the very fabric of these groups. A significant number of hours

are spent in both second class and fifth class on preparing for religious sacraments. Enrolment to the Catholic Church is dependent on the Primary School system. Children are engaged in ceremonies and rituals that they know little about. Children should of course be educated about religion, as at its core are a basic manner of ethics.

However, using the primary school system on young minds is a process of faith formation, rather than education.

Seldom are children taught about the church but told about it.

Even if the class is not specifically preparing for Communion or Confirmation, then they are having daily choir practice for the ceremony during school hours. This along with half an hour to an hour of religious studies per day is directly impacting on educational standards in Ireland.

It is no surprise only about 5% of Irish third level students are proficient in a foreign language, the second worst rate in Europe. Not only does this impact on graduate employment opportunities, the barrier to gain hand access to a different society is a loss of a valuable educational opportunity.

“I don’t think that many parents are very animated about this issue.

Ok, there’s a move towards multi-denominational education but there isn’t any clamouring of parents around the country saying this is outrageous,” says Inglis. “There isn’t any social movement or opposition. It’s a bit, to my mind, like sex education. Parents are often quite happy to let someone else do the sex education rather than

they do it themselves. They find it awkward. They’d rather have a teacher do it in school but I think it also comes to the spiritual and moral formation of children that parents are often quite happy to have it included in the curriculum on the basis that it’s good to learn something.”

Educate Together schools are multi-denominational schools that came about when a group of parents and educationalists came together in 1978 with an interest in establishing an alternative patronage system. Since then the organisation has expanded to include a network of 65 schools around the country. Rather than offering one specific religion as a backdrop for spiritual education, the schools draw from all major religious faiths and humanism in the education of children.

Respect and understanding within difference is the defining ethos of the schools. Like other national schools, Educate Together is State funded however, unlike other the other schools Educate Together provides access for all to its services. Attendance does not come down to being a member of a religious organisation.

“There are religious secularists,” says Donnelly. “They believe that all children should be brought up together and not segregated on the basis of their children’s religion. If you think about the patronage system, there are only a certain amount of patrons.

The essence of it is that we segregate children because of their parent’s religious convictions. That we bring up a certain group of children in essentially the same area in one school and segregate the other lot in another school. That is not good for society.

The largest group who declared themselves as having “no religion” in last years’ census was the 25-29 year olds at 13%. Up until now, parents have been largely quiet on the issue of the place of religion in education. The generation now entering the age of parenthood looks likely to be the most vocal on the issue. In order to avoid a Mexican stand-off between the Catholic Church, the State and an increasingly secular public, the time is now for the State to provide for all its children and not leave it to private hands.

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FEATURES

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

Hashing it out With a recent survey bringing the issue of cannabis use once again into the public eye, Aoife Brophy and Cathal Coghlan discuss the need to rethink its prohibition

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his year the most rigorous study ever performed on the effects of cannabis on the brain was published. With results hailed by moralists, anti-drug groups and others as final proof that the war on cannabis is a righteous crusade, the findings are of little surprise, showing that prolonged cannabis use, especially if begun in early teenage years, causes a decrease in intellectual function. However, present in the study is a suggestion that cannabis has little to no long term effects on adult users.

Once again a need to reconsider our approach to the legal status of cannabis is raised. Do we need tighter prohibition or is it time to legalise and regulate the drug?

The study, conducted over a period of 20 years, examined findings from a sample of around 1,000 people in New Zealand. They assessed groups of individuals repeatedly from childhood, before any use of the drug, up until the age of thirty-eight. Other factors such as dependency on alcohol, tobacco or other drugs and years spent in education were taken into account. The main findings were that those who smoked cannabis at least four times a week on a yearly basis throughout their teens and twenties suffered a decline in their IQ. This effect, however, was only noticed in those who smoked since adolescence where users showed an average eight-point decline in their IQ. There are some problems with the survey that need to be addressed, however. To reach the threshold for clinical proof, two or more studies performed by independent institutions are required.

This cannabis study is the only one of its kind. Already it fails the test for clinical proof. This may seem unnecessarily rigorous but it is rigorous for a very good reason: it is relatively easy to produce bad data and extremely tempting to overinterpret positive findings, as can happen with this kind of study. Furthermore, to qualify as proof, the trials have to be designed to answer a certain question, in this case the question is ‘Does persistent cannabis use, starting in adolescence, have an effect on a person’s IQ?’ This trial was not designed to answer this question; it was changed half way

through to open up to this possibility.

It is, despite its many f laws and poor scientific procedure in certain aspects, the best study ever published on this question and does generate some interesting hypotheses that should be studied further. For example, it shows a clear relationship between duration of cannabis dependence and loss of IQ. A case study of Portugal supports decriminalisation. In 2001, Portugal introduced a new drug policy that changed the punishment for illegal substances from being a criminal offence, to offering help to those caught using drugs. Since the introduction of this, Portugal has hugely reduced their rate of new infections of HIV resulting from drug users sharing unregulated needles in the EU, decreasing to 13.4 cases per million, though this is still well above the EU average of 2.85 per million. The number of people seeking treatment for a drug problem has more than doubled and the illegal use of drugs among adolescents has declined. It has been hailed as a resounding success in decreasing drug abuse. It is cheaper to treat a person with an addiction than to incarcerate them. Currently in Ireland, it costs on average €70,000 per year to imprison somebody. It costs €12,000 to treat a person for addiction.

Bernie McDonald, a representative from the Community Awareness of Drugs (CAD) programme expressed concern about Ireland’s problems with excess. “We would be afraid in Ireland that because of our alcohol problems… There are so many people that drink to get drunk and that smoke cannabis to get stoned; we have so many concerns around it that we would believe that it’s better to keep the laws as they stand. Ireland is not Portugal.”

America, on the other hand, with the government’s famous ‘war on drugs’, pumps $44 billion a year into law enforcement aimed at drug prohibition. America is also reportedly leading the world in illicit drug use. Americans lead the table both in cannabis and cocaine use. As with our study above, there is a danger in these self-reported statistics: perhaps Americans are just more honest. Yet honesty about drug use

doesn’t seem particularly prudent or likely in a country with such extreme drug laws.

It would appear that decriminalisation actually decreases drug use, which is perhaps a rather counterintuitive result. Socialist Worker’s Party member Niall Dunne thinks decriminalisation would be a prudent form of action: “If we decriminalise [drugs]…it means that we can stop spending money on the failed ‘war on drugs’ and start to put our funding into education programmes that teach people on what is wrong with drug use.”

A history into its reception in the U.S shows the large negative propaganda wheel that spun against it. In America in the 1930s, Harry Anslinger, the first Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, began an anti-cannabis campaign. He used mass media to quote unsubstantiated police reports. Anslinger patently misconstrued the effects of cannabis, and completely convinced the public to this day that cannabis is not only dangerous but also immoral. He has been accused of having a hidden agenda, as hemp had the potential to replace numerous other businesses in America. It is a plant very closely related to cannabis that is produced without the active psychoactive ingredient THC, but that was made illegal as well, but it was a cheap, easily produced, versatile product, so it had huge potential to become a big business. This demonisation of cannabis has been unrelenting, and has managed only to deafen any serious debate with populist imagery.

Drugs have a relatively recent history in this country. Cannabis smoking hippies may have been be synonymous with America in the 1960s, but Ireland was still a very conservative society when this generation’s parents were growing up. Most do not even have sufficient knowledge or experience of drugs to educate their children about the issues in this arena, often to the point where they may not even be able to differentiate between different drugs. It is as much a parent’s responsibility to educate their children about issues such as sex and drugs as much as it is to put food in their mouths and clothes on their back. Often parents’ lack of experience with drugs leads to misconstrued understandings on drugs and a lack of openness on the issue. “Some of the public are totally uneducated and are virtually in the stone age,” says Vincent Lavery, a Decriminalise Drugs activist. “Nobody in power wants to talk about the issue.”

Recently however, there has been a high profile advertisement campaign by the RSA that takes into account the rise in drug users in Ireland. Alcohol has always played a major role in road traffic accidents, though worryingly, cannabis is starting to show up in more and more toxicolog y tests after fatal road accidents. The RSA recognise the prevalence of cannabis in car accidents is at such a rate to warrant commissioning a warning campaign as to its effect on drivers.

Like alcohol, cannabis is often consumed on a recreational basis and unlike other drugs is becoming more visible as it becomes a little more acceptable in society.

The State, on the other hand, has largely ignored the issue by shying away from debate. Already under pressure with cuts in Garda numbers and resources and with the recent outbreak in gangland crime, the government is looking at these issues in a diverse rather than singular manner.

In Ireland, 25 grams of cannabis will cost you roughly €400 but it is usually sold in €50 bags which contain roughly 3.5 grams. In Amsterdam, 25 grams of cannabis costs just over €100 with a daily maximum of 5 grams imposed in coffee shops.

Prices vary, but you could expect to purchase high quality weed for over €10 a gram. If cannabis plants were grown legitimately, the government could choose to impose heavy taxes.

Luke “Ming” Flanagan is an independent TD who has been campaigning tirelessly for the legalisation of cannabis in Ireland over the last number of years. In 2001, he controversially sent 500 joints to various politicians and journalists.

He faced no prosecution for the bold move. Speaking at the Legalise Cannabis March in Dublin in last May, Flanagan estimated that cannabis was worth €466 million a year to the Irish economy.

The drug industry creates millions of Euro in profits for gangs and criminals each year. Lavery said: “We’re not only losing [the war on drugs], we’ve lost it. It’s getting worse every year. I’ve been involved in the issue for 40 years. Not one improvement has been made to improve the laws on illegal drugs. It’s getting worse every decade. Governments around the world won’t listen. It’s not the drug that’s the problem, it’s the laws governing the drugs that’s the problem. We have our yearly march and everyone goes home and watches the march on television. That is doing absolutely nothing to remedy the problem. It makes people feel like they have ‘done something’”. The Chief Drug Advisor to the UK government in 2009, David Nutt, publically supported this conclusion. He believed the government were deliberately ignoring the scientific evidence surrounding the issue. He promptly lost his job as a result of voicing this view.

As well as these profits being reinvested almost solely in furthering the illegal drug trade and gangland crime, many relatively innocent people also end up with a criminal conviction for petty dealing. If cannabis were to be legalised, a lucrative criminal activity would disappear virtually overnight. Garda resources are in short supply at the moment and legalising cannabis would give the Drugs Unit more time and money to shut down the suppliers rather than targeting dealers, who are further down the chain.

However, despite strong arguments in favour of decriminalising cannabis, not everyone is convinced.

McDonald says: “I don’t think that those who are involved in it criminally would pack up their bags and go. I think they’d try to sell to an even younger age group where or an alternative market and I really can’t see our government tackling it.”

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

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Netherlands consumed 9.7 litres of pure alcohol (LPA) per year. The average in Austria stands at 11.1 LPA, whereas the Czech Republic has an average of 13.0 LPA. In contrast, despite the draconian laws currently in place, in Ireland the average adult consumes 13.7 LPA per year, among the highest averages in all of Europe.

Recently Galway City has found itself at the centre of much debate over pub and club operating hours, as An Garda Síochána have begun to clamp down on the late night operation of local licensed venues. In the past, a blind eye had been turned to premises that overran the specified operating hours, however since August the authorities have been enforcing stricter adherence to the 1.30am closing time. Amid fears that these changes will have a dampen-

ing effect on the city’s nightlife, an online petition has been set up campaigning to reinstate 2.00am closing times, and so far has gathered over 4,000 signatures.

Despite calls for reform from various sources, including the INIA and the online campaign Give Us The Night, no review of the existing laws seems likely to happen anytime soon. Though we may look at our Continental counterparts and envy their liberal operating hours, it is worth considering how Irish society would deal with similarly liberal laws. Would we so easily adapt our heavy drinking habits?

Before amending the relevant laws that would see Irish nightlife remodelled, perhaps it is the general mindset of the Irish drinker that first needs to be reformed.

Last call With Ireland’s nightclub closing hours among the earliest in Europe, Colm O’Neill looks at the reasons why this is so

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hough we may have a reputation for being a nation with a love of hard partying, the reality is that Ireland has some of the most negative laws in Europe when it comes to the way nightlife is enforced. The prescribed closing hours of pubs and clubs in Ireland are far more conservative than those of our European neighbours. The legislation currently in place is outdated and restrictive. Do our politicians believe that the existing laws are sufficient for a modern society or do they fear that the people of Ireland would be incapable of adapting their drinking habits to more relaxed and liberal laws, and assuming a drinking culture on-par with those found in the Continent?

As it stands, the hours of trading for licensed venues are restricted to 10.30am to 11.30pm from Monday to Thursday, 10.30am to 12.30pm for Friday and Saturday, and 12.30pm to 11.00pm on a Sunday. Venues that wish to stay open past these hours must apply for a Special Exemptions Order, which at a cost of €410 a night allows pubs to operate until up to 2.30am. These orders, however, are rarely granted to their full extent, with closures usually enforced between 1.00am and 2.00am.

Nightclubs and late bars are licensed under the Public Dance Halls Act 1935, which offers extensions to the standard closing hours.

Donall O’Keeffe, Chief Executive of the Licensed Vintners Association, says nightlife in Dublin city is developing and changing, though the existing laws stay the same.

“We’d like a little additional time

on Friday and Saturday night. At weekends people are tending to go out later and stay out later, so now in an ideal world we’d like another half an hour trading time on Friday and Saturday nights.” He stops short of requesting any major reform of the existing legislation, expressing general satisfaction with the legal framework currently in place. He explains that as a representative of Dublin’s publicans, he simply desires that “instead of going to 2.30am, that they would go to 3am.

That would be acceptable to us, we’re not seeking later than that.”

If part of the reasoning behind the frugal operating hours of Irish pubs and clubs is to curb our contentious drinking culture, then it does not seem to have been a success. In a 2009 report on the proposed regulation of the nightclub industry in Ireland, the INIA (Irish Nightclub Industry Association) argued that the currently enforced closing hours of pubs and clubs in Ireland have in fact had an adverse effect on the drinking culture of Ireland. They argue that with less time to spend in a licensed venue, people are encouraged to drink at home or in public places. This, they claim, leads to anti-social behaviour and poses greater risks to health as this drinking takes place in unsupervised and uncontrolled environments.

They propose the introduction of sequential closing hours of licensed venues, allowing for a more gradual and controlled dispersal from late night venues, with the aim of reducing the large crowds of people all traversing the streets at the same time, and the anti-social behaviour associated with this.

The true extent of Ireland’s conservative closing hours is perhaps most obvious when compared to those of other European nations of similar demographics and market structure to Ireland. According to data presented by the INIA, in such countries as the Netherlands, Austria and the Czech Republic operating hours are largely controlled by local authorities, varying from region to region. In each of these countries licensed venues are generally allowed to operate up to and after 4.00am, with 24 hour premises to be found in certain regions.

It is worth noting that in spite of, or perhaps due to, the more liberal operating hours that these countries enjoy, each has a lower rate of alcohol consumption than that of Ireland. According to the INIA, as of 2009 the average adult in the

Beyond borders With Rory McIlroy’s recent revelation that he feels more British than Irish, Conall Cahill looks at the lack of understanding between the Irish both sides of the border

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alking through the streets of Belfast or Derry City, or talking to their inhabitants, leaves an impression of two cities trying to move on from the past, two cities that reflect Northern Ireland’s desire to make people outside the country focus on how the state has moved on.

However, confusion still exists about Northern Ireland and the loyalties of its people. The statement of Northern Irishman and Catholic Rory McIlroy, the world’s number one golfer that He has “always felt more British than Irish” has raised new and interesting questions about Northern Ireland’s perception outside of the country.

Discussing Rory McIlroy’s position, Northern Irishman Dr. Ronnie Moore, Sociolog y lecturer at UCD, says: “It’s a little bit more complicated for him because he is from another part of the country which is from a different jurisdiction. Culturally he has come from a slightly different environment than other parts of Ireland…

There is a certain amount of this related to local loyalty. And for many people in Northern Ireland,

believe it or not, the CatholicProtestant thing doesn’t mean very much. There are people outside who believe it does, but to many people it doesn’t.”

When queried on this issue of perceptions of the state outside the country, Moore says: “If you go to America and ask the person on the street what they think of the conf lict in Northern Ireland, [they will say] ‘Oh, it’s Catholic and Protestant.’ The easiest way to look at something, anything, is to determine it in terms of two things, good and bad, black or white. That is the easiest way to think about something. And unfortunately with the conf lict in Northern Ireland, we have this label.”

On the perceptions that Moore feels Southerners have of people living in the North, he feels that “particularly the politicians down here… understand the intricacies of this. And if they didn’t … we wouldn’t have the peace process. So I think very many people down here, particularly in the political scene, have a very good understanding of [the situation].”

Another viewpoint came from Dr.

Michael Anderson, of the Institute for British-Irish Studies at UCD. When asked about how people in the Republic see Northern Ireland, Dr Anderson remains assured that the attitudes towards Northern Ireland could be traced back to the past, when “the Northern Ireland economy was always a separate economy, that had nothing to do with the South. So they had their own banks, their own insurance companies, their own trading, their own shipping, whereas Cork, Waterford, Galway were always connected to Dublin.

We had nothing to do with them, they had nothing to do with us.”

Indeed, Anderson is “not sure if there was an All-Ireland conscience at any stage” due to “the differences in religion and culture.” Another factor that has alienated the North from the Republic, in Anderson’s view is the fact that “during the troubled times, Northern Ireland would come up and mentally everybody would switch off. For 30 years, it was the same thing: ‘There’s been a bomb in Belfast’. It was a monotonous repetition of things.”

Images of Northern Ireland have often revolved around politicians,

and in recent years there have been many memorable characters passing through Stormont: Ian Paisley, David Trimble, John Hume and Gerry Adams are just some of the politicians who have been at the forefront of the political scene in the recent past. Yet Anderson feels that for people in the South, the Northern politicians have contributed to its grim image. “[It] was never seen as a joyful place, even now when you look at the government in the North. Just look at the picture of David Trimble, that dour face, that inner anger, that negativity, that cloud around him.

Peter Robinson, a dull cloud, a formality... What they always thought about Northern Ireland is that it was a dull and dour place. People who never smiled; people who never sang; people who never enjoyed life.”

As for Rory McIlroy, Anderson thinks that although Irish people “won’t turn against him, they won’t have an emotional attachment to him” due to his statement, adding that when you choose to pledge your allegiance to Britain, it’s “a little more personal” than, for example,

becoming a US citizen. Yet Anderson feels that to people in the South it matters less about your religion and more about having the “character” to allow people to accept you. To highlight this he gives the example of boxer Wayne McCullough, from the Protestant Shankill Road area of Belfast who carried the Irish f lag at the 1988 Olympics and won a silver medal for Ireland in 1992 in the Barcelona Olympics. A more curious example, however, is Ian Paisley: “People in the South identified with Paisley, because you couldn’t get a more Irish character. He fits in with the role of Daniel O’Connell.”

There are many fascinating points to be taken from the discussions over how Northern Ireland has been viewed in the past, right through to how it is seen now. The views of the state and its people, both in recent history and today, are varied around the world, and almost even more within the Republic of Ireland. It is clear, however, that as the efforts continue to bring both countries together the understanding between each grows and will improve as time goes on.

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SCIENCE & HEALTH

Research in Brief Emily Longworth science & health editor Google Street View begins mapping Coral Reefs

Google has begun compiling images of the world’s coral reefs to create an underwater addition to Google Street View. In collaboration with Caitlin Seaview Survey, a project recently launched with the aim to visually track the worlds’ great corals, Google has created the largest-ever public archive of oceanic imagery.

The project started with the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

The photo coverage of the reef has been shot with high-resolution, 360-degree underwater cameras, which capture ‘50,000 continuous pictures’ to portray the ocean floor with remarkable accuracy.

Some of the first images of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have already been made available online through Google Street View. Other underwater locations added to the online map include the Apo Islands in the Philippines and Hanauma Bay, Hawaii.

One main incentive for the project is raising global awareness for the important ecological role of our oceans “They are integral to our very survival, yet they largely remain out of sight and out of mind: 95% hasn’t even been seen by human eyes”.

The project hopes to enable the public to engage more with the importance of ecological preservation.

Whiskey by-products to be used for making Biofuels Tullibardine distillery in Perthshire, England has formed a partnership with a spin-out company from Napier University, Edinburgh to work on the generation of biofuels from by-products of the distillation process.

Celtic Renewables, the company that originated from the Biofuel Research Centre in Edinburgh Napier University, has found a way of producing biobutanol from the excess products used for making whiskey. Both draff and pot ale can be used in the conversion to biofuels.

The innovative partnership is regarded as a first in the Biofuel industry. Tullibardine currently produces 6,500 tonnes of draff and 2m litres of pot ale every day, at the moment these by-products are being used in agriculture applications to dispose of them, at a cost of £250,000 a year.

Celtic Renewables aims to build a processing plant in Scotland that will produce the biofuel from the excess product. The industry has an estimated value of £60m per annum, and the Scottish Government has confirmed its support for the project.

New Smartphone app to improve safety for Drivers A new smartphone application called CarSafe has been designed to monitor drivers while on the road. By using the cameras on smartphones to monitor distances between cars, as well as checking driver awareness.

The technology was developed by a team in Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. The app is used by mounting a smartphone onto the car’s windscreen, and cameras on both front and back of the smart phone alternate to monitor the driver.

Lane-departure and safe distance between cars is measured, as well as the tracking of “head pose, gaze direction and blink rate”. The phone will bleep when the driver appears to be getting drowsy, in an effort to make them more aware of their safe driving.

Observer Science

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

science@universityobserver.ie

Are ‘designer babies’ closer than we think?

Ethan Troy-Barnes investigates

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he incumbent Pope has condemned it as “the obsessive search for the perfect child”, while others regard it as merely the next stepping-stone in humanity’s quest to command its own destiny. With the advent of ever-improving genetic engineering techniques, and gene therapies becoming commonplace in clinical practice, the emerging field of reprogenetics is set to pave the way for a new kind of child, one which has been genetically engineered to its parents’ exact specifications.

The ability to manipulate an embryo’s genetic makeup before it develops into a fully-fledged human being opens up a whole host of possibilities.

A range of hereditary diseases and impairments would go the way of the dodo, dramatically cutting the rates of disability and mortality in future generations.

We could also improve upon or enhance existing abilities by producing children with augmented intelligence and super-human athletic ability. It may even be possible to add new traits to our children’s genomes, from photographic memory to a pair of gills, and anything in between.

This technology is not consigned to the far-flung future either. Already, California-based company The Fertility Institutes offer sex-selection to their clients, as well as claiming to soon be able to offer eye and hair colour selection with high levels of accuracy.

So, how does one go about engineering the perfect child? The approach used at the moment to select the sex of an embryo involves simply artificially fertilizing a bunch of a female’s eggs with her partner’s sperm in a lab.

The resulting embryos are then analysed, and one that has the desired sex chromosomes is re-implanted into the mother.

The problem with this method is that it is time consuming, and is restricted to traits already part of the parents’ genomes. In the future how-

The Big Barnes Theory: Designer Humans ever, germinal choice technology will become far more sophisticated. Scientists envisage being able to directly insert or remove specific genes or sets of genes from an embryo’s genome to make certain that is has desired genes for intelligence, or lacks unwanted disease-causing genes.

This can be achieved a number of ways. The first is called genetic recombination, which involves using a retrovirus as a means of inserting the genes, or simply firing the genes at the cell with a Philip K. Dick-esque ‘gene gun’.

The problem with this technique is that the new DNA doesn’t always stick and, even when it does, it can result in some pretty nasty tumours through something called ‘insertional oncogenesis’.

Another option is the addition of a whole new artificial ‘designer chromosome’ to the child’s genome. This could act as a kind of customisable blank-slate, to which doctors could add the desired designer genes, and which would ensure retention of the added genes in the embryonic cells. That said, extra chromosomes are known to cause diseases or even spontaneous abortions (miscarriages), so this approach may not work in practice.

A further alternative is the use of epigenetics to control the genes

expressed in the unborn child. Epigenetics refers the way a cell is able to turn on or off genes depending on when it wants to use them. Thus, we could use epigenetics to ‘turn off’ disease genes and ‘turn on’ desired genes in growing babies.

It’s important to realise that even at its most advanced, such technology would have its limitations. Inherently, it would be restricted by how much we know about what our DNA does.

Many traits are multi-factorial, and are determined by more than one gene, so selecting the correct genes that will affect the desired trait may be easier said than done. Furthermore, said genes may also be involved in other traits, so it may be very difficult to alter one trait without ramifications for others.

Gene transfer in vitro (or in utero) also risks becoming germ line, which means that it affects the reproductive cells of the baby. Any gene therapy that has such negative implications for the offspring’s ability to reproduce is currently banned in the UK, causing a further source of controversy that surrounds the genetic debate.

Finally, it’s worth remembering that genes form only part of an individual.

Many traits are determined to a large

extent by our environment. A child can have all the genes for super-intelligence they like, but if they’re not nurtured by loving parents and a good education system, they will never realise their potential.

That said, the potential behind ‘reproductive choice technology’ does highlight the especially contentious nature of its use. If indeed it is possible to ensure your unborn child is diseasefree or carries the genes for perfect pitch, it is possible that such advantages will be available only to those rich enough to afford them: creating a new kind of class system based on genetic enhancements.

Speaking to the BBC, geneticist Professor Lee Silver explains: “The problem with this technology is that it will disadvantage every child whose parents are unable to afford it… Will our government, will our society which is controlled by the richest people of society, care about these diseases which are just floating around the lower class?”

Given our current rate of advancement, the question is not if we’ll be able to design our children, but simply to what extent and how soon. According to bioethics expert Dr Arthur Caplan: “This is going to turn out to be one of the biggest issues in the next ten or

Science News: UCD researchers awarded €3m in grants by emily longworth science & health editor

Two UCD lecturers have recently been awarded research grants from the European Research Council (ERC). Dr. Emma Teeling, from the UCD School of Biological and Environmental Science, and Dr. Debra Laefer from the UCD School of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering were each awarded €1.5 million as starting grants for their research projects.

These grants will allow both of the recipients a chance to compile a research team and fund the materials needed for their study. Dr. Teeling has spent years in the field of comparative genomics and her research is centred on the halted ageing of bats. She has expressed her excitement about the grant.

“I have wanted to do this for 15 or 20 years. If you want to try and understand the ageing process or halt it, as a zoologist I think you need to go and look to mother nature and see is there anything out there that doesn’t age.”

Her specialised study of bats, which are the only mammals with the ability to f ly, is perfectly fitted to the investigation of the ageing process on a genetic level. Bats have an exceptional longevity that is unusual for mammals of their size and metabolic rate.

“There are only 19 mammals that live longer than man given their body size, and 18 of these are bats,” says Teeling.

The €1.5 million fund, which is one of the highest grants awarded by the ERC, will enable the researchers to work for five years on their respective projects. Dr. Teeling’s research will involve the

tracking of wild bats in France, as well as sampling their blood for genetic analysis.

Another project that the ERC starting g rant has funded is the Dr. Laefer’s R ETURN study, which is also titled ‘Rethinking Tunnelling in Urban Neighbourhoods’.

The research will focus on the development of a geometric computer model that spans Dublin, and will help urban planners better their understanding of the cit y structure.

“I am delighted to have been awarded this €1.5 million grant,” says Dr. Laefer. “This funding will enable me to build a research team of five researchers to develop a process that will help civil engineering companies to better use remote sensing to reduce the damage of buildings caused by tunnelling.”

The research will be based on aerial laser scanning to produce a computerised model of the city. In particular, the research aims to reduce damage caused by tunnelling,

which often causes the collapse of landforms.

“I am honoured to have been selected for EU funding and am looking forward to beginning this project in January of 2013,” Laefer says. The ERC announced 530 Starting Grants at the beginning of September, and although only four of them have been awarded to Irish scientists, it is still a life-changing achievement for those who did receive the grant.

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

SCIENCE & HEALTH

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Memory mechanisms have more of a focus in health studies today than ever before, but we still know so little about how we remember. James Kelly asks if we take it for granted

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he ability to remember is one of the most abused faculties of the student body, second only to the metabolic processes of the liver, but with exams not yet even a smudge on the horizon, why give it a thought?

Well, the importance it has in our lives, from the trivialities of daily life to abstractions on the most complex concepts, cannot be overstated.

Memory enables us to easily sail through life both temporally, through learning, and physically, through coordinated movement. It’s involved in everything from reading music to riding a bike. Despite the multifaceted role memory plays, its underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood.

However with neuroscience and cognitive psychology growing ever more intimate, we’re starting to gain a greater understanding of how our memory behaves.

Memory as an abstract concept has been pondered over for millennia, but it wasn’t until this century (with its more rigid adherence to empiricism) that good models for memory were proposed, and memory as a field of study was given physical grounding. Towards the end of the 19th century it was becoming clear that certain mental functions, such as perception and voluntary motor control, could be related to the neural circuit. From this, the search for a discrete memory circuit arose.

It wasn’t until the 1950s when the case of Henry Molaison that any major breakthroughs came. Henry Molaison had his hippocampus almost completely removed as treatment for severe epilepsy. Before this, little was known about the hippocampus, a structure located in the temporal lobes at the sides of the brain. Following surgery, he was

unable to form new long-term memories but could still remember much from before the operation. He was entirely capable of learning new motor skills, while unable to remember actually learning them.

As a result of these findings, it was proposed that the hippocampus is essential for the formation of long-term memories but not for storing them, with the exception of memories involving motor skills. Decades of research and study on memory in animal models and individuals with brain trauma have since been spent on the cause. This has led to a greater understanding of the topography of memory, both physically and psychologically, but the map is still far from detailed.

From a basic psychological stand point, memory can be broken up into three forms: working, short-term and long-term memory. Working memory involves the retention of transitory information, which can then be manipulated for a direct purpose such as reasoning or comprehension. It requires short-term memory, but is separate from it. Short-term memory is the storage of very limited amounts of information, in a readily available state for a short time. Long-term memory, our subject of interest and the form that ‘memory’ most commonly refers to, is structurally and functionally distinct from the other two. It deals with the mental preservation of facts, events, skills and even conditioning. It provides the information we require to function socially and, to an extent, physically.

Long-term memory can be broken in two categories: explicit and implicit. Explicit memory deals with the conscious remembrance of facts and events, when you think of Paris being

Memory Sticks the capital of France that is done using explicit memory. It requires a deliberate effort to be recalled. It’s extremely flexible, forming in such a way that separate pieces of information can form associations, even if acquired at different times. Implicit memory deals with skill-based or nonverbal memories. It’s recalled unconsciously. Implicit memory can be subdivided into procedural memory (how to ride a bike), associative memory (conditioning to stimuli, such as fear response) and non-associative memory (like reflexes).

The brain isn’t like a hard drive or, if we’re being honest with ourselves, even a USB. Instead, the different forms of long-term memories are associated with different brain regions. These areas of storage reflect the functions facilitated by the memory: explicit memory and the temporal lobes (also linked to language), procedural memory and the striatum

Artificial Life on Mars

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nyone who has trawled through some of the extraordinary photos beamed back from the Red Planet last August will have noticed the astounding beauty of the images. It can be hard to believe that those incredible sights captured at the beginning of NASA’s most recent Mars expedition have never been seen by human eyes. Views of our neighbouring celestial bodies have only been witnessed through the lens of a camera since the glory days of Apollo, and that unfortunate fact seems unlikely to change anytime soon.

Only manmade robots have ventured into deep space, a strange reality considering the inquisitive nature that fuels the missions. Granted, the photographs taken and experiments performed by robotic probes are invaluable, but man needs to boldly go further in order to better satisfy an undying thirst for understanding.

Famed physicist Stephen Hawking once stated: “I don’t think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space.”

This makes it certain that our own exploration of the solar system and beyond is not only desirable, but also essential for our long-term survival as a species.

So have NASA got a plan to get astronauts back into deep space, or are we simply living in a period of exploratory stagnation? To be fair, they had a plan. But in October 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama scrapped the Constellation program, which had aimed to put men back on the Moon by the year 2019, and after that to Mars, asteroids and beyond. Unfortunately, the Obama administration saw it was behind schedule and over budget, and that combined with the economic downturn of the time meant the program was dead in the water before it had a chance to fly.

When JFK made his ambitious speech in 1961, making the promise “before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth”, conditions in America, both politically and economically, could not have been more different than those when Obama cancelled the Constellation program. The Cold War was at a tense stage and a primary incentive for expanded space travel was beating the Communist USSR to the feat in the aptly-named ‘Space Race.’

The USSR had succeeded in putting Yuri Gagarin into space before the Americans had done the same, and so JFK was determined to prove the potential of his nation’s technology, as well as ensure that the rest of the world didn’t have to forever more go to sleep under a ‘Red Communist Moon’.

Sadly, there just isn’t the same urgency as there was in the 1960s, and America seems a long way off sending people to Mars, nevermind beyond, at

(involved in movement), associative memory and the amygdala (involved in emotion), non-associative and the reflex pathways (involved in reflexes).

But how is it that a lump of living matter can encode, store and retrieve all this information? That’s the big question, and the answer is we’re not really sure. Obviously our senses and their related neural areas take in and process the information, but it’s less obvious how that information is actually encoded.

The most promising model involves changes in the strength of synaptic connections, the connections between neural cells in the brain. It is thought that when a particular set of neural connections is activated by a signal resulting from a new piece of information, those neural connections strengthen. The inverse of this process is when unused connections result in

loss of the information. The strengthening and weakening of neural connection definitely occurs in the brain, but just how these changes in connection pattern represent a memory, how the change move between brain regions while forming, and how the pattern is then ‘read’ for recall is less certain.

Much of the recent neurological studies on our memories have been centred on the understanding of shortterm memory loss, and diseases that impair our ability to remember. John Cooper, a stem cell scientist at the Institute of Psychiatry in the UK, recently commented that “knowing anything about the memory mechanism is important progress in understanding Alzheimer’s disease”. But there’s still a lot that we have to learn about memory.

The roads are still missing from our mental map.

As NASA’s Curiosity Rover explores Mars, Shane Hannon examines why manned exploration of the Solar System has stalled this point in time. With the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet in July 2011, perhaps it is now down to China’s Space Program, or even the private sector, to take the next step in deep space exploration.

Many people ask why robots are sent to these places instead of humans.

To put it simply, it all comes down to money. It is much cheaper to send a robot into space than a person. Astronauts require very expensive training costs, the costly return trip to Earth and the recovery, not to mention the fact that mankind’s exploration time is decidedly limited in comparison to that of machines. With the use of robots there is no risk of losing a human life and NASA doesn’t want any astronauts becoming permanent memorials to the space program on Mars, or anywhere else for that matter.

Of course, for every disadvantage, there are other reasons why humans should be out traversing the craters and mountains of Mars and other heavenly bodies in place of lifeless, manmade machines. In terms of sensory advantages, humans make quicker decisions and are undoubtedly more mobile than their robotic counterparts.

There is also less appeal in following updates from unmanned missions as there is in manned ones. Essentially, it’s much more interesting to see Jimmy from down the road set foot on Mars than it is to watch machine sift through dust at a glacial pace! And importantly for many space aficionados, humans have an emotional response to their work. Asking a person how they felt during a deep space mission creates a philosophical aspect to space travel, which adds to the thrill of manned missions.

That said, these robotic probe missions can certainly light up the imagination. The primary goal of the current $2.5bn Mars Science Laboratory mission is to search for places where microbial organisms could have evolved and been preserved. In other words, the Curiosity Rover is on a search for life on Mars, or at least evidence of life in the past. Curiosity is designed

to last two years, and in that time mission managers will be hoping for some amazing discoveries to fuel people’s enthusiasm for space exploration.

Both robots and humans have a vital role to play in space exploration.

James Garvin, the chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center once made it clear that: “There isn’t a battle between robots and humans; that’s comparing apples and oranges.”

And he’s right, but let’s hope this dormant period of manned space exploration ends in our lifetimes, and that by the time the UCD Class of 2045 graduates, man will, to quote The Aviator’s Poem, have “slipped the surly bonds of earth”, and walked on the red dust of Mars.

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SCIENCE & HEALTH

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

An idirlín as Gaeilge, an fiú é?

Le teach chun cinn na Gaeilge ar an idirlín, déanann Charlotte Ní Éatún pléigh ar an éifect atá ag é seo ar úsáid na teanga

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ar a sheasann daoine na tire seo faoi láithir, tá an suíomh idirlíne ‘Facebook’ chomh tábhactach l’ocsaigín dúinn. Nuair atá cósúir agat, nó ceist faoin obair bhaile nó fiú nuair atá tú ag iarraidh éagaoin maith a bheith agat, is í ‘Facebook’ an áit leis na rudaí laethiúil seo a roinnt leis an Domhan.

Dá má rud é go raibh an méid céanna suim ag daoine in ábhair scoile éagsúla mar atá sna ‘memes’ agus sna stadáis atá curtha in airde ar ‘Facebook’ ag daoine thart ar an domhan, beidh tír lán de dhochtúirí agus eolaithe againn!

De réir suirbhé idirlíne a rinneach i 2011 tá os cionn 77% den pobal iomlán Éireannach cláraithe ar an suíomh.

Tá níos mó ná trí ceathrú de na daoine seo idir an aois 15-24. Freisin, síltear sa shuirbhé go gcaitheann daoine Éireannach thart ar cheithre nuaire deich nóiméad ar ‘Facebook’ cuile mí.

Máidir leis an nGaeilge, ní bhíonn dálta ar bit hag iarradh níos mó ama a chaitheamh leis an ábhar ná mar is gá.

Ceaptar gur ábhar leathdránach agus teanga deacar í an Ghaeilge. Ach fiú leis an nGaeltacht ann i roinnt ceantair in Éirinn ag cuir cúrsaí samhraidh ar súil ionas go féidir le mic léinn Gaeilge a fhoghlaim mar teanga labhartha trí mhodh spraoiúil, fós níl torthaí an tábhar ag dul suas go rómhór.

Ach, anois le bliain nó dhó anuas tá rogha ag daoine atá cláraithe ar ‘Facebook’ a hardsocruithe agus na fógraí a fhaigheann siad a fháil tríd meáin na Gaeilge. Mar cúis de seo tá cúpla frásaí anois ag dul thart, nathanna beaga cosúil le ‘is maith liom é’ ar bhun pictiúirí agus nascanna. Bhain Cumann na Gaelach CÓBÁC as an mír seo an bhliain seo cháite i bPobaill na gCumann agus bhí éileamh ullmhór dóimh.

Ach an bhfuil rudaí spraoiúil mar seo chun cuir leis an méid daoine a bhaineann úsáid as an nGaeilge, nó an iad daoine atá Gaeilge acu cheanna féin na t-aon daoine atá ag baint úsáid as? Dar le Claire Ní Inglis Ní Éaideáin,

mic léinn ag déanamh staidéar ar an nGaeilge agus an Stair (atá ‘Facebook’ as Gaeilge aici) gur “smaoineamh iontach é, ligeann sé do dhaoine Gaeilge a úsáid ina ghnáth shaol agus is slí iontach é an teanga a thabhairt isteach sa fhichiú aois.”

Is pointe iontach é seo, is modh amhra é seo an teanga a chuir chun cinn i slí nua, nach bhfuil feicthe ag daoine go dtí seo. Tá na mílte daoine ar líne cuile lá, agus fiú má tá cúpla focail á fhoghlaim acu tríd ‘Facebook’, nach iontach an rud é?

Tá an suíomh ullmhór ‘Twitter’, cosúil le ‘Facebook’ mar cheann de na suíomh idirlíne is cáiliúla ar domhan, le os cionn 140 milliúin daoine cláraithe ar an suíomh. Ag tús 2011 bhí níos mó ná 240,000 daoine Éireannach cláraithe leis an suíomh. Dos na daoine nach bhfuil mórán ar eolas acu faoin suíomh, is áit é lán de dhaoine cáiliúla a bhaineann úsáid as chun nasc díreach a dhéanamh lena leantóirí timpeall an domhain agus chun nuacht éagsúla faoin saol atá acu a roinnt.

Faoi láithir tá ‘Twitter’ ag dul tríd cúpla athruithe máidir leis na teangacha nach bhfuil ar fáil ar an suíomh go fóil. Ceann de na teangacha atá siad ag iarraidh go mbeidh acu ná an Ghaeilge. Faoi láithir tá an suíomh ag iarraidh aistritheoirí deonach a

fháil le cabhar a thabhairt leis an aistriúchán.

Ach, an bhfuil na hathruithe seo ag déanamh aon difríocht leis an méid daoine ag labhairt as Gaeilge? Dar le Seán Cooke, mic léinn ag déanamh stáidéar ar an mBéarla agus an fhéalsúnacht (nach bhfuil ‘Facebook’ as Gaeilge aige) “is modh maith é don teanga de bharr go bhfuil chomh mhéid teangacha ar ‘Facebook’. Ach, níl sé úsáideach in aon slí eile mar nach ndéanann sé aon run chun an Ghaeilge a spreagadh nó a fheabhsú.”

Tá sé deacar le rá má tá nó muna bhfuil aistriúchán na suíomhanna seo go Gaeilge ag cuir leis an méid úsáid atá á bhaint amach ag daoine ar an teanga. B’fhéidir go bhfuil baint mór ag bród don teanga i gceist os cionn an fhoghlaim don teanga é féin. Tá a lán daoine ann atá bród acu don teanga, ach nach labhróidh ríamh os ard í, de bharr nach bhfuil éinne acu le labhairt leo.

Chun an fhírinne a rá, tá i bhfád níos mó oibre le déanamh chun an Ghaeilge a spreagadh i slí nua, séisiúl, bainte amach ón tslí a bhí sí múinte i scoileanna na tire. Ach, go dtí go dtarlaíonn sin, tógach mé an comhairle díobh trial a bhaint as ‘Facebook’ as Gaeilge, agus fiú ‘Twitter’ as Gaeilge nuair atá sé críochnaithe. Níl ort ach do ardshocruithe a athrú agus sult a bhaint as!

Gluais

Éagaoin........................................moan

Cláraithe...................................registered Ardscocruithe.........................settings Éileamh.......................................demand Amhra...........................................wonderful Leantóirí.....................................fans Aistritheoirí deonach...........volunteer translators Bród...............................................pride

Cé a mBeidh an Bua Acu sna Stáit Aontaithe?

Leis an toghchán Meiriceánach ag an stáid deireanach, labhraíonn Cian Ó Tuathaláin faoi seansanna Obama don chéad téarma eile

dia beag.......................................................................idol scatha..............................................................shadowed spléachadh...............................................................peek ag ardú meanman..........................................boosting fanaíochta...................................................wandering chomhthathú..........................................consolidate beartais..............................................................policies coimeádach.............................................conservative toghchán..........................................................election ginmhilleadh.................................................abortion

Gluais

Sheallach.......................................................onlooker

T

á Uachtarán Barrack Obama ag rith don dhara uair chun téarma eile a fháil mar cheannaire na Stáit Aontaithe. Mar sheallach Éireannach, b’fhéidir mothaíonn tú go mbeidh sé éasca go leor d’Obama chun an bua a fháil in aghaidh a chomórtas, mar gheall ar a réimse sna meáin, agus an íomhá atá ann go bhfuil dia beag déanta as. Ná déan dearmad, áfach, go bhfuil muidne ar an taobh eile den Atlantach, agus ní fheiceann muid an comórtas láidir atá ann, ag bagairt feachtas an Uachtaráin reatha. Tá Mitt Romney agus an Lucht Poblach-

tánach dulta go bhfuil Obama in ann é a dhéanamh uair amháin eile.

Dar le Tom Walkins as CNN, “Más rud é go raibh toghcháin buaite nó caillte as cáil sna meáin sóisialta, ní bheadh faitíos ar bith ar Obama roimh an Samhain seo.” Ar Facebook amháin, tá Obama tar éis 28.2 milliún ‘likes’ a f háil, i gcomparáid leis an 7.1 milliún atá ag Romney. Má braithníonn tú ar Twitter, tá an 1.6 milliún leantóirí scatha leis an 20 milliún atá ag Obama. Tá an – tábhacht ag baint leis na meáin sóisialta sa lá atá inniú ann, agus an lucht feachtais ag iarraidh níos mó vótaí a f háil don iarrthóir. Is féidir leis an lucht feachtais spléachadh a f háil ar do phróifíl agus eolas a sheilbh fút. Mar shampla, má leanann tú is a lán daoine eile ar Ocean’s 11, tá seans ann go mbeidh teachtaireacht ar Facebook ó George Clooney (leantóra Obama) ag ardú meanman d’f heachtas Obama. Cur chuige íontacha atá ann chun vótaí fanaíochta a chomhthathú.

Ar an teilifís, ní rún é go bhfuil Oprah Winfrey i gcumann leis an bhfeachtas Daonlathach. Thóg sí meanman d’Obama agus é ag rith i 2008, agus anois go bhfuil líonra iomlán aici, OWN – an Oprah Winfrey Network, ní dhéanfaidh sé sin ach níos mó meanman a hardú d’Obama sa bhfeachtas reatha. Ag díriú ar 2012, gheall 144 aisteoirí atá go mór i mbéal an phobail don bhfeachtas Daonlathach. Ina meac, tá Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Cameron Diaz, Whoopie Goldberg agus Will Ferrell.

Is léir go bhfuil leantóraí ag Obama as gach réimse sa saol.

Ach céard faoin gcomórtas? Bíonn an polataíocht i Meiriceá faoi f healsúnacht seachas stair, mar a bhíonn san Eoraip, agus geallann Romney go gcúlóidh sé na beartais sláinte mícháiliúil a rinne Obama go dtí seo.

I suirbhé ABC/Washington Post ó Lúnasa, nochtadh go raibh 45% de na rannpháirtithe muiníneach le Romney chun déileál le Medicare, seachas 42% muinúneach leis an

tUachtarán reatha.

Tá eacnamaíochta na Stáit Aontaithe ag an bpointe is lú ariamh ó 1933, agus cuireann an lucht saibhre an milleán ar Obama gan na fadhbanna eacnamaíochta a réitiú. Geallann Romney, an coimeádach, chun na beartais inimirce i Meiriceá a athrú, cinneadh a cosnaíonn an lucht saibhre ag costas an lucht oibre. Taitníonn Romney leis na coimeádaigh mar gheall ar a thuairimí deasaigh ar ghinmhilleadh agus pósadh aerach. An príomhaird atá aige, áfach, ná labhairt faoi theipeanna Obama chun an eacnamaíocht in olcas a chúlaigh.

Labhair a bhean chéile, Ann Romney, ag an Chonartha Phoblachtánach i mí Lúnasa faoi; “Ní theipeoidh an fear seo, ní ligfidh an fear seo síos muid, ardóigh Meiriceá é, an fear seo.”

Ní raibh cluais bhodhar tugtha don cháil titithe seo i measc na Daonlathaigh ach an oiread. Féach ar chomhiarrthóir Obama i 2008, Hillary Clinton. In Eanáir 2012, chuir sí in iúl go raibh suim aici seasamh don ainmniúchán Daonlathaigh.

Dúirt sí le Weekly World News, “Ní cheapaim gur cheannaire é Obama agus tá a fhios agam go bhfuil mé in ann post i bhfad níos fearr a dhéanamh. Is fíorcheannaire mé agus tá mé chun Obama a dhúshlánú don ainmniúchán Daonlathaigh i mbliana.”

Nochtadh suirbhé i measc bunvótálaí go mbeadh 52% i dtaca le Clinton, 45% i dtaca le hObama agus 3% idir dhá chomhairle. Mhaígh sí ansin níos déanaí go raibh sí tuirseach tar éis a cuid ama mar Rúnaí Stáit, agus chuir Obama a stádas mar iarrthóir ainmnithe i gcríth in Aibreán.

Anneoin ar a léiriú sna meáin cumarsáide, is neamhchinnte é slándáil Obama mar Uachtarán na Stáit Aontaithe Meiriceá don chéad téarma eile. Sna pobalbhreitheanna is déanaí, d’fhill Obama le 255 vótaí toghchánach, fuair Romney 149, bhí 118 idir dhá chomhairle agus ní raibh sonraí eolais faighte ag 16 vótaí toghchánach. Ní mór ná 270 vótaí chun buaigh.

An féidir leis?

OPINION

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

Observer Opinion Postcards from Abroad: Beijing

D

Postcards from Abroad: Berlin As Pat de Brún settles into his new home, he revels in Berlin’s nightlife and braves the notorious Berghain for the first time

As classes begin in Renmin University, Denis Vaughan struggles to adjust to language barriers and early mornings espite the fact that I was working in China for the summer it still just felt like a glorified holiday. Unfortunately, that holiday is now over. I started Chinese classes two weeks ago and it’s pretty much the same as college in Ireland. The main difference is that classes in China start at eight in the morning. Despite the fact I’ve been starting this early since I arrived in China, it was still a shock to the system when it came to starting college. Those of you complaining about a week of nine o’clock starts should take some solace in my much less forgiving timetable. You have it easy my friends.

Not only do they expect you up at the crack of dawn, but classes in Renmin University has definitely marked a step up from what I was used to. The teachers here only use Chinese. In many ways I suppose this is a good thing in the long run, but it still takes some getting used to. For many, it has been a bit unnerving though. The fact that the pass rate over here is 60% doesn’t help either, nor does the fact that every day we’re given at least two hours worth of homework.

We finish very early each day so in theory there is plenty of time to do it, but at the moment I am working until five every day after class.

I have to commute an hour on the subway so I don’t usually get home until six. I’m kept busy anyway, that’s for sure. The subway ride isn’t too bad though. It only costs two yuan which is the equivalent of about twenty-five cents in Ireland.

They arrive every two minutes and you can travel any distance for the same price Well, unless you take the airport shuttle; that will set you back a whopping three euro.

It puts Irish Rail to shame. I’m not going to be able to cope with public transport in Ireland when I get back. Everything about it is going to offend me. The price, the efficiency, the reliability; all of which leave much to be desired as I’m sure any other college commuter will tell you.

Teaching in the Kindergarten is possibly the easiest job I’ve ever done. This is kind of ironic because it’s also the highest paid job I’ve ever had. The demand for English teachers in Beijing is something else. If you put up an ad online it becomes a case of job filtering, not job hunting. You’ll get at least ten responses in twenty-four hours.

Learn from my mistakes, however.

Never give your mobile number, you’ll be plagued by phone calls and will likely quickly feel like throwing your phone down a well once you

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get over feeling like you’re the best thing since sliced bread.

I got at least eight phone calls in one day back when I was in Tianjin.

You don’t even need to have proper qualifications. There’s such a shortage of native English speakers here that they can’t afford to be picky.

And obviously, as a student, I don’t even have a working visa but do you think they care? Not in the slightest.

Not in China. One of the first things you’ll learn here is that they do nothing by the book. What they take seriously, they take very seriously, but there’s just one big grey area when it comes to the rest..

A fine example of such blurred lines is with copyright. China is notorious for producing counterfeit goods. It’s completely illegal and indiscreet and yet there’s still dozens of market in Beijing that sell highend brands for a fraction of their standard price. ‘The Silk Market’ is a famous example: a place where you can buy almost any expensive brand you know of for less than €5, though you will have to bargain to get a good price. The place is full of westerners that the vendors are eager to rip-off, knowing full well we’re used to paying ten times more for the same things in our home countries.

The prevalence of counterfeit goods across Beijing even extends to alcohol. Yes, they have fake alcohol.

What is fake alcohol you might ask?

It’s cheap for a start, something that most Irish students would appreciate. That’s about the height of the pros though. It might taste the exact same but believe me, you will know the next day if you’ve been drinking industrial alcohol the night before or not. You will know. It gives you hangovers from hell and induces memory loss that will frighten the life out of you. My last experience with these drinks ended with me losing my wallet that had my Irish and Chinese bank cards and my credit card. Believe me, the Bank of China beside Renmin is not the place you want to be queuing the morning after the night before. The minimum length of time I’ve heard of anyone spending there was one hour, and that was on a good day.

A lesson learned the hard way: it’s best not to risk permanent brain damage for the sake of a 50 cent saving on a bottle of beer.

Fortunately for me, my friend is arriving in Beijing shortly. She’s bringing my re-issued Irish bank cards with her so I won’t be stranded without cash for too long. Looks like I’ve dodged a bullet this time, though perhaps I’ll be a little more careful with what I’m purchasing from now on.

“It was during this period that I realised the ‘Berg’ in Berghain translates literally to ‘mountain’ in English. How fitting, I thought.

Berghain, you are my Everest.”

“You will know the next day if you’ve been drinking industrial alcohol the night before or not. You will know. It gives you hangovers from hell and induces memory loss that will frighten the life out of you.”

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eing in Berlin, it would be remiss of me not to dedicate at least one column to the city’s infamous nightlife.

I had intended to leave this one for later in the year, but having been inspired by a recent visit to Berghain, I might as well dive in while it’s still fresh in my mind.

Since the 1920s, Berlin has been known as one of the world’s foremost party destinations, bravely challenging New York on its insomniac nightlife qualifications, with a population seemingly constantly up for a night out.

While the ‘20s party scene may have looked a lot different than today, the legacy has lasted and the scene has only gone from strength to strength. Today, people from all over the world travel to Berlin to indulge in a ‘healthy’ dose of hedonism, and very few leave disappointed.

Berlin is known for being home to a countless number of nightclubs, catering to absolutely every taste, no matter how strange. Known primarily for its thriving techno and house scenes, Berlin welcomes many of the best DJ’s in the world on a weekly basis. The clubs here aren’t restricted to just dance music however, and there are a huge range of clubs dedicated solely to jazz, hiphop, rap, and pretty much any genre you can think of. Then, of course, you also have the infamous sex and fetish clubs, where no-holds-barred public intercourse is not only allowed, but actively encouraged. And if you’re pining for a bit of Carly-Rae Jepsen, don’t worry. There are, of course, plenty of ‘normal’ clubs too.

As a fan of electronic music, I couldn’t wait to get a taste of what the legendary Berlin techno scene had to offer. Clubs such as Berghain, Tresor and Watergate are regularly awarded the title of being the best nightclubs in the world, and the stories that I had heard about these clubs meant that I wasn’t going to waste any time in checking them out for myself. Purely for journalistic purposes, of course.

Berghain undoubtedly currently holds the title of being king among the clubs of Berlin, if not the world.

Located in a towering former power station, it even looks impressive from the outside. Since my first day in Berlin, I began hearing stories about what Berghain was all about. The way it had been described to me made it sound more like a religious institution than a nightclub. This was more than just a club: it was a temple. The bouncers there are local celebrities in Berlin, famed for their notoriously strict, and sometimes bewildering, door policies as well as their colourful appearance.

Berghain turns away roughly 80-90% of the would-be revellers who attempt to gain entry, and the criteria for getting in are shrouded in mystery.

Following two early unsuccessful attempts at gaining entry, my determination to get in was only further strengthened. It was time to take stock. I asked around for some tips and the advice I got was only more bewildering, but I took it all on board and set off again. It was during this period that I realised the ‘Berg’ in Berghain translates lit-

erally to ‘mountain’ in English. How fitting, I thought. Berghain, you are my Everest.

As it turned out, third time actually was lucky. As I reached the top of the queue, I was confronted with Berghain’s best known bouncer, and with a barely discernible nod of his heavily tattooed and pierced face, I was in. Unreal. Euphoric. The moment I’d be waiting for.

If everyone feels like that the first time they get in, it’s no wonder the legendary atmosphere is what it is.

There are a lot of factors that set the Berghain experience apart from any other club I’d ever been in. The strictly enforced ban on cameras and photography, along with the lack of any reflective surfaces anywhere in the club, means that the atmosphere is the opposite of image-conscious. The clubbers could be dressed in anything from tracksuits to skimpy leathers, but everyone gives off an air of effortless cool.

The mood is electric, due to a potent mix of the patrons’ genuine euphoria and no shortage of party drugs. The fact that a lot of people go in alone means that everyone is very open and friendly, and there’s always someone interesting to meet during the muchneeded disco breaks. Opening on Friday night and closing on Monday morning, it’s extremely easy to lose all sense of time, especially with every window blacked out and the time visible nowhere in the club. There aren’t many brave souls who can last the whole weekend, but it does happen.

The cavernous main room plays pure techno, while the smaller ‘Panorama Bar’ plays slightly more chilled-out house. Some of the top DJ’s in their fields are residents, and the sound in both rooms is incredible.

Berghain was everything I hoped for, but so much more. It might seem strange to be so excited about something like a nightclub, but I genuinely felt that this was something more significant. A combination of the mood, the people & the music seemed to me to be a snapshot of 21st century Berlin, a golden period in its cultural history, like the 1920s all over again. And I felt part of it too, which was something special.

Much like in the 20s however, this period too is in danger of coming to an abrupt end. With a conservative government now in power both locally and nationally, the threat of increased regulation threatens the life-blood of the club scene. Laws (known as GEMA*), which would drastically increase the price of clubbing are in line to be introduced, but are being met with regular protests from the party-loving residents of Berlin. It’s unclear how the situation will pan out over the coming year, but it’s a privilege to be able to live here during such a vibrant time in Berlin’s colourful history. *For more information on these proposed changes, and a petition that you might even want to sign, check out this link (for English version, use Google Translate): https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/gegen-die-tarifreform2013-gema-verliert-augenmass

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OPINION

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

Graduate in Focus: Kate Rothwell

The FirstYear Experience: Settling in

Passenger on the apparent gravy train that is teaching English abroad, Kate Rothwell explains why anyone new to teaching has a lot to learn

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EFL is a current buzzword among native English speakers who want to travel but don’t have the funds for a Celtic Tiger-style interrailing trek. TEFL stands at career fairs and over-the-top email newsletters imply that there is no time like the present to sign up for an online teaching course and get yourself a ticket to paid positions in places as far-flung as Thailand, Indonesia or Vietnam.

Having briefly given private English conversation lessons one summer, I had already learnt that the ‘Pick a theme and talk to them about it’ method of teaching only goes so far. The notion of a twoday online course making me a competent teacher seemed too good to be true, while TEFL programmes offering positions to native English speakers without any teaching qualifications whatsoever, for a small fee, of course, came across as more than a little suspicious.

My reservations led me to do some online research and I also got in touch with people who had done intensive month-long teacher training courses, namely CELTA (Certificate in teaching English to speakers of other languages, accredited by the University of Cambridge) and CELT (Certificate in English language teaching, the Irish, ACELS-accredited version of CELTA).

The question of whether it was worth paying the average €1,400-1,600 price tag of a CELT or CELTA course, was worth it instead of €200-400 on a TEFL course, was met with a resounding yes.

Plenty of people have travelled and taught English with a TEFL certificate or acquired work through native speaker status alone, but as English teaching abroad becomes an increasingly popular vocation, competition is rising and better qualifications are being sought by schools worldwide.

Having a qualification such as CELT or CELTA is particularly important if you want to work in Europe. The ultimate benefit of these courses is that they give you hands-on classroom experience from day one, as the timetable consists of workshops in the mornings and teaching practice in the afternoons, while lesson preparation and weekly assignments take up the rest of your time. It’s a month of your life where you can afford to spend time on little but the course itself, but you will either come out of it with a solid grounding in lesson planning and a desire to teach, or the sometimes equally important realisation that teaching isn’t for you. It might be a pricey discovery, but it’s best to find that out before you sign up to a year-long contract at a school halfway across the world.

My job as an English Language Assistant at a second-level commercial school in a small town in Switzerland might not be as exotic as teaching children in China or businessmen in Abu Dhabi, but that’s not to say that there aren’t cultural differences to be encountered. I became the laughing stock of the staff room for commenting on how people shake hands a lot in Switzerland, where a handshake is used as a daily greeting rather than an introductiononly gesture.

My first week at the school was spent sitting in on classes such as History, German and Economics, to give me an idea of what else the students’ 7.30am to 5.30pm timetables and business-orientated curriculums entailed. The early starts remain a shock to my system, even if I only have to be in for the first class once a week.

However, the students have a far more intense week than my maximum 16hour equivalent, as they spend one or two full days at school and the remaining three or four working equally long hours as part of a three-year internship at banks, commercial enterprises or local administration.

The second week saw me introduce myself to 18 of the roughly 20 classes that I would be working with by trying to find out what they knew about or thought of Ireland. References to U2 and James Joyce were met with blank faces, so I lowered my cultural expectations and found that P.S. I Love You and the Irish guy from One Direction evoked the desired reaction, if mostly from the female contingent of the class. While class after class of business students told me that the Irish currency was a pound of some description, sports fans made up for that particular knowledge gap by listing a number of Irish football players, the most well-known being Robbie Keane and Damien Duff.

My attempt at explaining the finer details of Gaelic games hit a low point when I drew a particularly phalliclooking hurl on the board, after which I abandoned my artistic attempts.

Somehow even that incident only led to a short fit of giggles in the classroom, rather than the anarchy I would have expected in most Irish secondary schools. Swiss students are, by my standards at least, generally well-behaved, and will greet you politely when they meet you in the corridor, and yes, sometimes they do even shake your hand.

Even my proximity to their age, as a 23-year-old teaching 16 to 20-year-olds, sometimes even older, hasn’t caused them to lower their level of teacherstudent respect. Yet when asking me questions at the end of my introduction, the first question was always how old I was, swiftly followed by whether I had a boyfriend or a husband. They were also keen to know if I could speak German, which thanks to studying German at UCD I can, but when asked if I could understand Swiss German I had to admit a certain level of defeat.

The job of an English teacher abroad is made more enjoyable because it involves teaching a subject that most students already have an active interest in, as well as an appreciation of the importance that their English language skills will play in their career.

Native speaker competence is appreciated, even if language assistants often learn a lot about their own mother tongue as they go along. I’ve learnt to rely not only on intuition but also on a good grammar reference book. Lesson number one: TEFL is a great way to finance yourself while seeing a little more of the world, but if you’re not prepared to learn, don’t try and teach.

A couple of weeks into term, Lucy Montague-Moffat is surprised to find herself enjoying UCD life, despite a late offer of her preferred course

“My attempt at explaining the finer details of Gaelic games hit a low point when I drew a particularly phallic-looking hurl on the board...”

“Some lists consisted of just ‘RUN AWAY’ written in large letters on A4 pages and other options included ‘find rich husband’ or ‘somehow join Little Mix’.”

I

came out of my first lecture feeling excited. It was my first hour-long lecture theatre experience in four years and I didn’t fall asleep. I must say the sense of achievement was mighty.

Granted it was an introductory lecture and I hadn’t learned anything new, except for the valuable information that I should never sit at the far side of the room as the lecturer becomes inaudible when turned to face the other way.

I was pleased that I had found the half of the lecture I had heard interesting and, to put it geekily, fun.

As I joined the bustling crowds of the Newman Building, I turned on my phone to find I had a voicemail, which is weird because I didn’t even know I had an answering machine. I lost my Blackberry whist in blackout mode a few weeks ago in Workman’s and my replacement phone comes from a time when most things were made out of stone.

It was a voice message from Ballyfermot College of Further Education informing me that there was a space for me on the one year degree programme that they had told me previously I didn’t get in to. You see my plan was to go to Ballyfermot, even though the course didn’t really appeal to me, cause it is the only place in the country I can finish my Journalism degree in only one year, since I’ve already finished two years of it.

My plan after that was to run off to New Zealand to find the Flight of the Conchords (I don’t know what I’d do after I found them but there’s no point worrying about that) or try to become the next Tina Fey in Chicago.

Both are obviously very achievable dreams. So when I found out I didn’t get into the course I had to draw up some new plans.

I was in Bulgaria on holidays when I found out so my initial plan was to go get very drunk, and once I had got that out of my system I wrote many lists. Some lists consisted of just ‘RUN AWAY’ written in large letters on A4 pages and other options included ‘find rich husband’ or ‘somehow join Little Mix’. I may have still been drunk. Eventually I decided going to UCD was the best idea. It would take three years but I figured The Flight of the Conchords would wait for me.

Now there I was again, back in a decision blur, which you’ve probably guessed isn’t the best place for me to be. On one hand I had this opportunity to finally get a degree and only have to do one year of a course I didn’t particularly like, and in my other hand was the €70 Geography book I had just purchased from the campus bookshop. Yes, €70, it must have been made by very special trees. I think I was always going to choose to stay in UCD but the €70 book was the extra little pushing factor I needed. I mean, I may be adding a few more years on to my college life but at least I haven’t wasted any money.

So my first few weeks at UCD were a real test to see if I had made

the right decision. Obviously after I let the place go at Ballyfermot I couldn’t go back on it. I mean, I could probably try sitting outside the college weeping and wailing for one more chance but if I have learned anything from X Factor, it’s that that isn’t the best way to get people to take you seriously.

When I came back to UCD after dropping out four years ago, I didn’t really know what to expect.

To be honest, I was mostly thinking about where I’d like to go on a J1 and which subjects I could pick so I’d have Fridays off. Last time I was here I had just turned 18 and I didn’t like UCD at all. I didn’t talk to anyone, and no one talked to me.

I felt like a spare tool as I tried to find my way around and spent most of my time sitting outside Newman smoking. I don’t smoke anymore because I’m not as cool as I was back then.

It must have something to do with the new peer mentor scheme because there is such a difference in 1st year Arts. I think getting put into a peer group from day one has given people a confidence boost because everyone is talking to each other in lectures, to people they’ve never talked to before.

It’s crazy. So many people have just sat beside me and started chatting, which surprises me so much that I have started most of these conversations acting very bemused and frankly a bit weird. I don’t think I am very good at first impressions.

At first I thought they were just talking to me because I have a trendy backpack. I am not even exaggerating. It is super trendy. It doesn’t fit anything but boy is it trendy. But I think it must be that people feel much less lost and alone in Arts now so they’re comfortable enough to spark up conversation with classmates. Although I still think the bag does help a bit.

When I was in UCD four years ago I decided in the first few weeks to get completely engrossed in the Harry Potter books and not read any course material at all. It spelled the beginning of the end as I fell far behind in all my subjects as I became more and more absorbed in the magical world of Hogwarts. I think I had gone a little insane.

In the last few weeks I have become unexpectedly addicted to X Factor Australia, which is the most ridiculous sentence I have possibly ever typed. I am now hoping Ronan Keating’s charms won’t keep me away from getting important work done and repeating old mistakes again. I don’t think he will though because I feel as though I am actually going to like UCD this time around, especially the fantastic beans and chips college combo that I enjoy way too much.

And the quote the great man, life is a rollercoaster, you just gotta ride it. And I am planning on riding UCD to the end. No wait, that doesn’t sound great, does it? I mean in a nonslutty way. In a metaphorical way.

Yes? Great.

OPINION

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

Kill.i.an: Han Solo, time lords and gulags

The Valentimes: Dear Mr Potter

This week, Killian Woods is left less than impressed by the youth of today and forced labour is the only solution

T

he stench of entitlement off young people in Ireland nowadays has gotten so overbearing that it’s starting to sting my eyes.

Exposure to it is probably worse than second-hand smoke. I’m adamant that this over inflated sense of self-worth is infectious and could be generation emigration’s answer to the black plague, without the obvious capacity for mass extermination.

The current late-teens to midtwenties age bracket don’t deserve anything at all. Especially not free education or a swanky new Student Centre which you’ve barely contributed a pittance to. That mentality has engulfed us and even though it might be too late for us, we can stop the spread to the next generation. At the moment, however, parents are doing a terrible job of it by spoiling their kids.

Recently I went shopping for a present for my nine-year-old cousin and was embarrassingly excited that I actually had a reason to walk around toy stores. At least this time when the staff member of Smyth’s approached me to see if I needed help or was lost, I could honestly say, ‘I’m buying a present for my cousin’ and not just checking out their new Lego Star Wars range.

Once I had reasoned with myself that the present was actually for him and not me, I settled on some robotninja time-lord thing. I was pretty chuffed with my choice and brought it over to him on his birthday, eager to gauge his reaction.

“Here you go. It’s only something small, but I think you’ll like it,” I said, bringing his expectations down so the present will appear infinitely better once he tears the sports themed wrapping paper off.

“Thanks. I’m busy FaceTime-ing my friend on my new iPad. See ya,” he rebuked and threw the present on his couch. Shocked, and partially offended that he didn’t furiously rip the present apart to free the time lord inside, I was baffled that a kid at his reading level was capable of using the word FaceTime as a verb, let alone knowing how to use the application itself.

I turned to his Mum and said: “There are no words that you could put in the correct order to possibly condone getting him an iPad. Unless he’s dying. Is he dying?”

“No, he’s not dying, I think,” she replied. “I just like seeing him happy.”

Kids don’t need expensive gifts to be happy, and getting them iPhones and iPads for birthdays or Christmas is purely bad parenting. No kid needs

an iPad. Kids need an etch-a-sketch or better yet, just a cardboard box. If they get a cardboard box there’s absolutely no risk that the kid might stumble across the millions of porn sites on the internet or worse, 4chan. And if they drop it, it won’t smash, because it’s just a cardboard box.

When I was young, I got one big present, one small present and a surprise from the Coca-Cola man. In the grand scheme of Christmases, that meant maybe a Playmobil bin truck, a Han Solo action figure (complete with carbonite freezing chamber) and some Lego bricks: a different primary colour every year.

Those presents were a solid investment in my future. At the time, I wanted to pursue a career as a waste management technician [bin man] when I grew up. Going around my house on Christmas day picking up the discarded Quality Street and Roses wrappers showed me that I could aspire for more than a career as a rubbish collection supervisor [bin man].

So, using my beige Lego bricks as the stash, Han Solo started up his own smuggling business with a bin truck.

It’s entrepreneurial innovation like this that makes me think I may have found a simple, but arduous, solution to the entitlement complex troubling young people right now. History has proven that lots of manual labour can be a foolproof cure for a conceited population. Especially when this extensive labour is carried out in cordoned off areas, like gulags.

It’s hard to explain exactly what these modern gulags will be like.

They’ll be kind of similar to Hogwarts and Geordie Shore, except instead of the learning how to practice magic and clubbing every night, there’s a lot of heavy lifting of boulders from A to B, and then back to A again.

The best bit about the gulags will be that you won’t even need to sign up. Once you finish college, you’ll be allocated to a gulag. It’s very much an application of the American Football draft system except, again, instead of multi-million dollar contracts, your reward will be more heavy lifting.

I’ve already started making my draft for the gulags. First up is the cousin that got the iPad. Let’s be clear, I’m not jealous of him because he got an iPad. He’s being drafted because a few weeks ago he FaceTime-d me out of the blue. It was his cool way of thanking me for the present I got him.

The call didn’t last long, I hung up on him after he asked me for the receipt of the ninja-robot time-lord thing so he could get store credit.

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Reluctant to let go of the Harry Potter franchise, Aoife Valentine thinks J.K. Rowling should never have grown up

“Kids don’t need expensive gifts to be happy and getting them iPhones and iPads for birthdays or Christmas is purely bad parenting. No kid needs an iPad. Kids need an etch-a-sketch or better yet, just a cardboard box.”

“The only real indication that it may not be a children’s book is that she very crudely discusses sex and masturbation, and her characters smoke and take drugs.”

W

ith the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling managed to capture the hearts and imaginations of so many children. The blog-based charity project ‘Dear Mr Potter’ is all the evidence you could possibly ever need of how her books have inspired and affected fans of the series. It collects the “sometimes funny, sometimes heart-wrenching, always incredible” stories of what Harry Potter has meant to people of all ages.

There are many letters addressed to ‘Mr Dumbledore’ pleading their case in the hope of getting one of the much-coveted acceptance letters to Hogwarts. That, or writing trying to protect other children who are 10 and three quarters, explaining their disappointment at their rejection, and upon mature reflection now that they’re the grand old age of 12, explaining how important it is he gets some more muggle-borns in on this magical action.

What made Rowling’s books so magical wasn’t necessarily the magic. Her books were so intricately written that she painted a world you couldn’t help but imagine yourself in. Every tiny detail was thought of already so you never needed to imagine what Harry’s world was like, you merely had to place yourself in it. You also had to figure out how to pronounce Hermione’s name, but that was one of the few challenges that she presented you with.

It is this that is the problem with her new book, The Casual Vacancy, however.

It turns out, when you’re not writing about a magical castle, your setting doesn’t need to be explained in such detail that you feel bullied into picturing it.

The small, middleclass, typically English village, Pagford, in which she’s set her new book, is really quite a simple place.

You can see a more realistic version of Petunia and Vernon Dudley quietly living their lives there. It’s a bit grim, everyone thinks they know everyone else’s business and there’s not too much more to it. Hogwarts was as much a character in Harry Potter as many of the central figures, but Pagford doesn’t quite warrant the same treatment.

When so much detail is put into the minutiae of a footpath or a laneway, you almost expect Dumbledore to appear on the spot to save the day or turn out the lights or whatever the situation may require, or for a Dementor to appear and terrorise whoever happens to be smoking there. The abundant adjectives that brought life to every part of Harry Potter almost cripple the story this time around.

Perhaps though, it is the fact that we are reading Vacancy within the context of her previous work that creates the problem. I don’t think it’s entirely reasonable to expect magic to just happen

in any and every situation in most adult fiction books. We know this isn’t Harry Potter. We know there is no magic. It is still very difficult, however, not to wait for Voldemort or his Death Eaters to arrive to justify the eternally gloomy, bleak atmosphere.

I could argue that we aren’t willing to move on, such a firm place as the Harry Potter series holds in many of our hearts, but I’m not entirely convinced Rowling hasn’t grown up either, or at least, wasn’t ready to. The Casual Vacancy is written in quite a similar style to Harry Potter, and it certainly doesn’t immediately scream that it’s written for adults. It’s not that she needed to throw in a pile of big words to appeal to an older audience, but the only real indication that it may not be a children’s book is that she very crudely discusses sex and masturbation, and her characters smoke and take drugs which was unheard of in the Harry Potter series.

The closest we got to either was a weird half-assed kiss between Harry and Cho, and the odd swig of butterbeer.

The problem is, when she brings in these themes to her adult book, it’s in such a ridiculous cringe-inducing way that it almost feels condescending to a grown-up audience. Her characters also lack some of the depth that an older audience demand, and it all feels a bit like she was concentrating so hard on trying to squeeze in more adult themes, that she forgot that she was doing it because adults would be reading it.

It has been said that Rowling doesn’t feel comfortable in a room full of adults, but is in her element when those adults are replaced with their children. It’s also rarely a successful move when a children’s author moves into the ‘real world’. It is more common for it to work the other way, usually when the authors have children of their own. For example, J.R.R Tolkien only wrote The Hobbit for his four children.

The Casual Vacancy was always going to be subject to more scrutiny and criticism than most new releases, but you can’t help but feel that J.K. Rowling just didn’t quite make the transition to adult fiction she had intended to. She has been so engrossed in the magical world that she herself created for so long that perhaps she didn’t want to, but more than anything, we didn’t really want her to. We knew it would be different, but we wanted the same. Harry Potter made up so much of my childhood, and indeed my teens, that I would welcome a million more, categorised for whatever agegroup she likes. I don’t care about some dude dying in Pagford, unless Voldemort shouted Avada Kedavra in his face.

Dear Mr Potter, thank you for making my childhood magical.

18

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

Observer OpEd

With TCD’s USI disaffiliation referendum campaigns ongoing, Campaign Manager of the Yes to Disaffiliation campaign in Trinity Mark O’Meara and President of the USI John Logue argue for and against disaffiliation ahead of our own referendum

Yes to disaffiliation: Mark O’Meara

A

s the Campaign Manager for the ‘Yes To Disaffiliation’ campaign in Trinity, it would be unwise and unwanted for me to interfere with what should be a decision for UCD students on whether they remain affiliated to the USI. Instead, I aim to simply outline our campaign and touch on some of the issues that have come up. It is up to you, as students of UCD, to decide if these arguments apply to you.

The slogan of our campaign is “for credible, capable, accountable representation”. These are the three characteristics we believe any national representative organisation should possess.

They are important, if not vital, characteristics which will determine any future success. They are characteristics which we believe the USI can no longer claim to have.

The USI’s credibility quickly eroded through the embarrassing occupations that they carried out, leaving even the most hardened supporters of such actions embarrassed by their complete incompetence. Their capability to lobby on a national level has been rightly called into question due to their continued failure to help struggling students or to influence government policy.

Lack of accountability within the organisation is obvious. Students are rarely notified about what the USI, who claim to represent them, are actually doing on their behalf. We do not directly elect USI officers, and we have no direct method to impeach them if they step out of line.

These are the foundations of our campaign, they are what we have been campaigning on.

Yet our simple but important message has been overshadowed by one problem: complete lack of knowledge about the USI among the general student population. The most frequently asked question so far in the campaign has been “What is the USI?”. Occasionally I ask students to guess what ‘USI’ actually stands for. There have been some amusing attempts, but it is a damning indictment of the USI’s structure and failures that so many students know little to nothing about the organisation.

Continuous discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of affiliation to the USI is important. It’s important because a national students’ union can be quite a powerful thing.

The problem here, however, is not with the idea of a national students’ union: the problem is the USI. In total, Trinity students pay €80,000 in USI membership fees and UCD pays more than €100,000. Trinity’s membership fee doesn’t include the extra €30,000 that is set aside for USI-related activities by Trinity Students’ Union. It’s a lot of money, and it all comes from the €8 USI levy that every Trinity student pays.

This kind of expenditure needs to be justified.

There needs to be a clear advantage to spend all this money.

The argument goes that we’re stronger in the USI. Yet a simple question needs to be asked: what would the USI be doing differently without TCD or UCD being affiliated members? What policies would they change? What representation, exactly, would we lose if we left the organisation? The simple fact is that the USI would be representing exactly the same

Talleyrand Salutations slackers!

As the citizens of UCD settle in fully to the semester and plans and promises of hard work are carelessly abandoned, your rambunctious representatives have similarly followed suit with cam-

views on a national level regardless of Trinity’s affiliation status. Would there be any difference if UCD were to leave?

There are a number of worries that have been created over the idea of disaffiliation, and they should be addressed honestly.

Pink Training is an important annual LGBT event that is organised by the USI. There had been fears that by disaffiliating from the USI this event would no longer be open to LGBT students. Although I believe it would have been more than possible to organise a replacement for this, the USI’s Pink Training event is, in fact, open to non-affiliated members.

The training provided to our sabbatical officers is crucial in ensuring that they are capable of fulfilling their roles. The USI currently provides free sabbatical officer training as a perk of membership. This will need to be replaced if we were to disaffiliate and there are a number of possibilities for this. DCU and UL, who are not affiliated to the USI, currently avail of training from NUS (the UK equivalent of the USI) at a small fee. They have also gone on fact-finding missions to other universities in the UK. To receive appropriate training relevant to the Irish education system, one obvious possibility is that resources and costs could easily be shared between TCD, DCU and UL to make this happen. If UCD also disaffiliate, four of the seven Irish Universities would then be absent from the USI and will surely be looking to work together to establish appropriate replacement services.

Finally, one idea that students seem to be getting is that disaffiliation would be a radical unprecedented move. They are visibly surprised when I tell them that two of Ireland’s seven universities are not affiliated to the USI. Assertions have been made that UL and DCU are “looking into” re-joining the USI. This claim seems to be based on the fact that attempts have been made in DCU to collect the 200 signatures needed to call a vote on the issue. But the reality is that less than 3 years ago DCU voted on the possibility of re-joining the USI and this notion was rejected by two-thirds of the students who voted. Life doesn’t seem to be all that dark on the other side.

Of course, leaving the USI means that TCDSU becomes our national representation by default, and UCDSU yours. Will their voice be as loud as the USI? No. Will they get the same media attention as the USI? No. But we will have the power to decide for ourselves what this voice will represent. We will have the power to hold this voice accountable. We will have the power to ensure that our money is spent how we want it to be spent. The structure of TCDSU will help ensure that Trinity students are aware of what our representatives are doing in our name.

Being represented by TCDSU or UCDSU isn’t a perfect alternative for us, but in Trinity it is certainly a better alternative. You need to consider what benefits USI provides you. You need to ask if you’re getting value for money.

But there is a growing number in TCD who believe we are not getting value for money, and so our affiliation with the USI may be about to come to an end.

paign promises dropping left, right and centre.

Despite early pledges for a Union more transparent than a perspex brogue, it seems our suddenly silent sabbats have realised that a visible union means that not only your successes will be on display. Not only are Exec minutes mysteriously missing from public record, but reports of a crackdown have reached Talleyrand’s ears from the hallowed halls of Paddy “Vote for” Guiney’s Campaigns Crews. Now the world will never know whether the Union is pro or anti breast cancer.

In fear of the impending disaffiliation that awaits them in the rich mahogany halls of Trinity, USI have gone the opposite end of the transparency scale and are firing out press releases about their actions at dazzling jet pressure.

Launching a LGBT Ally Week, a Finance Guide and a sexual education roadshow, USI’s new slogan may as well be ‘Union

No to disaffiliation: John Logue

A

s I write this article, Trinity students and USI officers have just finished a week of campaigning.

Tired and eager to wear something other than a campaign t-shirt, we are nonetheless enthused and hopeful that our message is being accepted by more and more students who, until recently, had become disaffected with the national students’ union.

We’re spreading the word: ‘Together we’re stronger.’

Soon UCD students will also vote on whether to remain affiliated with USI. Contrary to what many might think, USI welcomes these referendums and the opportunity to engage with students on campus. While USI officers are on campuses of affiliated colleges every day of the week, they rarely get to discuss the benefits of USI membership in a general sense.

These referendums require us to outline the services and representation offered by USI. As we prepare to make our case to UCD students, it strikes me that one of the more obvious reasons for UCD to remain affiliated to USI is that UCD Students’ Union has been at the heart of the national union since its inception. I am a proud graduate of UCD, as was my predecessor. Last year, former UCDSU President Pat de Brún won the ‘Best Male Speaker’ award at USI Congress and UCD’s contribution to the debates on policy motions was outstanding.

This level of engagement from UCD is not a recent phenomenon. In its fledgling years, UCD students such as Denys Turner, Gordon Colleary and John Murray led USI. The strain of student radicalism and progressive viewpoints that came to characterise the Irish student movement has its roots in Belfield. Even our current Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, couldn’t resist its allure when he was a student in UCD. UCD’s involvement in USI has persisted to this day because the principles of UCDSU and USI are the same. Simply put, both organisation exists to protect the education and welfare of students regardless of any discriminating factors such as race, means and gender. Our constitutions clearly outline this basic principle and while policies may change from year to year, our shared vision for the students’ union has remained consistent since its inception.

Therefore this referendum, as in Trinity, is really about student dissatisfaction with some elements of last year’s fees campaign and whether USI is fit to represent students on a national level.

So, what does USI do for you? Through USI, UCD students have a voice in government and the national media. The President of USI sits on the boards of the Higher Education Authority and the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (QQAI) Agency. USI’s seat on the QQAI is guaranteed by legislation. We meet with Ministers, TDs and Senators on a regular basis and we form partnerships with other representative groups such as parent’s councils and community organisations.

Minister Quinn recently committed to officially meeting with USI four times per year, a level of access that very few representative

of Students of Ireland: Can’t we all just get along?’

Back in UCD, finally responding to the constant cries of “What do we want? More bureaucracy! How do we want it? Constitutionally mandated!” that have echoed through the Union corridor since time immemorial, class rep nominations dominated the proceedings with the new stipulation that the endless meeting attendances the class parties must never again be the responsibility of a single person for fear that they die of excitement.

This new attempt to streamline the Union through doubling the number of people reporting to it has had an expected success however. By making the union open to literally the largest number of people who could possibly be interested while ensure that the work involved is so tedious that several students dug the cyanide capsules out from behind their teeth when asked to run, the SU has managed

groups enjoy in any Department. At these meetings we try to ensure that students’ interests are reflected in Government policy and decisions. Combined with our annual lobby of the Oireachtas and pre-Budget submissions, USI’s activity in government makes it hard for national representatives to ignore the student voice.

USI is also the student voice in the national media. The USI President is recognised as the only spokesperson for third level students and appears regularly on TV, radio and in newspapers. In the few short months that I’ve been in office I have appeared on Prime Time, the Frontline, all regular RTE and TV3 TV news bulletins and in every national newspaper. Our media engagement will only increase when we begin our Budget 2013 campaign. If UCDSU were to disaffiliate, it would lose the recognised representation that USI offers.

And while third level funding is generally the headline issue from year to year, USI has a proud and recognised history of campaigning on a number of social issues including equality for the LGBT community and the fight for reproductive rights. In August, USI brought hundreds of students to the LGBT Noise March for Marriage and I addressed the gathered crowd. We organised a ‘Tell Your TD’ campaign that saw TDs receive hundreds of letters from students, demanding that they support marriage equality. As you read this, our LGBT Ally campaign will have launched in UCD: the first national campaign of its kind to be run in Ireland.

Last Saturday, USI’s presence at the March for Choice was noted by Senator Ivana Bacik, who commended USI on its proud history of campaigning for a woman’s right to choose.

USI has been to the Supreme Court for distributing literature on this issue.

These services and campaigns are the nuts and bolts of our organisation. But there is a simpler argument to be made for remaining affiliated. It was stated eloquently by two of our campaign team members during the course of the Trinity affiliation referendum.

“Political credibility in a democracy is derived, yes, in some sense from integrity, but also from the democratic weight behind any political actor. Just as ICTU, and other federations, USI’s political credibility, be it at the HEA, with the Minister for Education or elsewhere, comes from the democratic force behind the statement: ‘We are the national union of students – we are the voice of over 200,000.’

Neither the reason for our unity (studentship) nor the structures themselves (modelled in the manner of thousands of similar federations) are unworthy of support.”

I couldn’t say it better myself. We’re spreading the word: ‘Together we’re stronger.’

the double victory of being more open, while having fewer reps to train. Another tick in the budget column for Rachel “Scrooge Mc” Breslin.

Shane “Legitimate Employee” Comer continued this week to look busy for fear of being asked to help with anything. After finishing his seventh scrap book of the semester, “Crammed Schedule” Comer has started a book club to share his thought on the great works, and collect new items for book number eight. First on the agenda are the works of Jane Austen, but be careful not to give any spoilers: he’s dying to know which one is Pride and which one is Prejudice.

This week proved somewhat traumatic for our erstwhile Ents Officer, Eoin “Sure what can you do?” Heffernan who, with no bar on campus, had no choice but to force six bus loads of students up to Ireland’s wildest party hotspot: Longford.

This was all whilst enduring forced sobri-

ety accompanied by an existential crisis brought on from the terror of turning 22.

Don’t worry Heffo, you’re a real boy now, and Michael “Benjamin Button” Gallagher has been proving for months that being 22 doesn’t mean you have to even look like you’ve completed the Junior Cert.

One turn up for the accountancy books for the Union however has been the surprise gift of three quarters of a million euro to bail out the bar. Oh University, how did you know? While this is good news both for the newly jingling pockets of both the SU and their accountants, there have whispers of legal action against the unnamed treasurer who shall only be known as He Who Must Not Be Held Accountable for fear utterance of his name will cause him to be summoned and start redistributing your finances.

Tally Ho! Talleyrand

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

19

Observer Editorial editor @ universityobserver.ie

“The Unions, both UCD and national, have the same overall objective: to be the voice of the students. But as I said earlier regarding class reps and postgrads, do most students want a voice?”

A

s the first round of class rep elections take place in UCD, and students’ unions all around Dublin are currently or planning to hold referendums on whether they should be affiliated to the Union of Students of Ireland (USI), it raises important questions about the representation of University students; about both how they should be represented and how interested students are in the various unions that claim to be their voice.

With the new Students’ Union Constitution brought in this year, class reps have been divided into two sections: Union Council Representatives (UCR) and Class Representatives. While the UCRs get to do all the really fun stuff such as attending and voting at Union Council meetings, attending committee meetings, distributing Union materials and informing students of Union activities, the Class Representatives seem to be entirely on hoodie-buying duty.

This doubling of student representation seems to have backfired for the Union however. Nominations for UCRs closed last week with the 204 available seats receiving nominations for just 101 of them, and only 52 of those had more than one nomination. Even worse is the graduate UCR positions. Just seven of the 62 positions received any nomination, and only one seat is contested.

The lack of interest amongst postThe main argument in favour of an graduates is hardly surprising. The overarching students union such as the oldest of the Sabbatical Officers are USI is that with a single voice, a single aged 22, and all of them are under- face in the form of the USI President, graduates. While this is being changed which can present student needs in with the new constitution’s division a quick and easy package to the Irish of the Education Officer position into media. This is certainly a good point.

Undergraduate and Postgraduate The issues within the modern meEducation Officers, the fact is older dia of budget cuts, understaffing and students feel much less need for rep- overwork mean that stories that are resentation. Having completed at least too complicated and take time to reone degree (quite possibly in UCD) port accurately are ignored. If every they know their way around. Even if single Students’ Union from around they are not familiar with the college, the country was issuing press releases they are old enough and experienced with varying opinions and different enough to know where to go and who demands, most media outlets would to ask to solve any issues they have, find it easier to ignore them rather than they know how to make friends, they take the time to evaluate each report. know how to use a condom. There re- That the journalism relies so heavily ally isn’t much a Students’ Union can on the reprinting of press releases in offer them. a practice that is often referred to as The Union of Students in Ireland ‘churnalism’ is a shame for anyone hop(USI) affiliation referendum has also ing to seek a career in the field, but is brought up other issues regarding stu- perfect for an organisation such as the dent representation. The ‘Yes To Disaffil- USI. With easily packaged information iation’ campaign in Trinity have argued sent out regularly from a reliable and that the USI does not provide Trinity credible source on student issues, the with adequate representation of its views USI has a very high chance of their varand needs and claims that the USI is ious launches, marches and campaigns neither credible, capable or accountable being publicised. for it’s actions. The ‘No’ campaign fights The Unions, both UCD and nationback by saying there is strength in num- al, have the same overall objective: to bers and their unity has granted them be the voice of the students. But as I access to authorities such as the Minister said earlier regarding class reps and for Education Ruairi Quinn. postgrads, do most students want a

Letters to the

Madam, Your report about car parking in Issue One, ‘Paid parking “being mooted”’, seems to be in denial about the economics of car parking. Like free lunches, free car parking is a delusion.

There is a real cost here, as seen in the metered parking on campus and in the car parking reserved for paying customers of the sports facilities.

Meanwhile, those who park cars in UCD are subsidised by the rest of us.

Fees are higher, as are greenhouse gas

Letters should be sent by email to letters@universityobserver.ie or by mail to The editor, The University Observer, UCD Student Centre, Belfield, Dublin 4

editor

emissions, while services are reduced, all as a result of the many hectares which are “under car” and the consequent lost opportunity cost.

As to staff, those who park cars in UCD are receiving a benefit in kind, which of itself is not equitable.

I look forward to the SU taking a principled stand on this, and not just indulging in the knee-jerk opportunism in favour of the motoring lobby.

Regards, Mike Norris

Clarifications & Corrections

Dear Editor, I am disgusted about the restricted gym opening hours for students. Students cannot access the gym in the new student centre between 6.15pm and 8.15pm from Monday to Thursday, despite spending the last number of years funding the construction of the centre through the Student Centre Levy paid with registration fees each year. It is absolutely appalling that the gym is being closed off to students just as their lectures finish for the day. This would be a peak time for students to workout before leaving campus for the evening,

It is the policy of the University Observer to rectify any errors as soon as they arise.

Editor Emer Sugrue

the

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Chief Writers Aoife Brophy Ethan Troy-Barnes

Deputy News Editor Sean O’Grady Comment Editor Evan O’Quigley Features Editor Sean Finnan

voice? The number of students who voted in the Sabbatical Elections last year was around 8%. That sends a pretty clear message about the interests of students in those who apparently represent them when over 90% have no interest in influencing who makes up their government. When the voice of the apathetic drowns out that of the active, you have a very serious problem.

Yet this is entirely ignored by our unions. Each year the officers proclaim their delight at the turn out, and announce that their victory has given them a mandate. Given that the Union use Proportional Representation to select the winner, many officers have received the first preference of just around 3% of the student population.

Union Council Representatives were deemed a great success by the Campaigns and Communications Officer last week despite just over half of them remaining vacant, and over 95% of the postgraduate positions receiving no nominations.

With the arguments on all levels of student representatives over the issue of who can provide the best voice for students, they should consider that of the uninvolved student, the overwhelming majority who do not support a union. In this case, in-action speaks louder than words.

Senior Writers Yvanne Kennedy Jack Walsh

but UCD is choosing to prioritise those who pay membership fees. This completely disregards the fact that students are still paying a student centre levy, which this year was €183, meaning that our ‘free’ membership doesn’t, in fact, come without a cost. It is high time UCD stop pretending they’re doing us a giant favour by providing a gym we paid for and continue to pay for, only to then restrict our use of it. Just another example of UCD missing the mark entirely on student needs.

Yours etc, Mark Andrews

Queries and clarifications can be addressed to info@universityobserver.ie.

Contributors Munir Al Akari Steven Balbirnie Pat de Brún Conall Cahill Cathal Coghlan Katelyn Cook Colm Egan David Farrell Shane Hannon James Kelly Rachel Maher Thomas Mitchell Lucy Montague-Moffat Matthew Morrow Catherine Murnane Colm O’Neill Sean O’Neill Cian Ó Tuathaláin Sylvester Phelan Victoria Sewell Kate Rothwell Talleyrand Denis Vaughan Donal Woods Killian Woods

Quotes of the Fortnight “I was feeling really in the air about my 22nd birthday so I thought it was best that I didn’t.

I probably would have cried... It’s just such an in-between age”

Eoin Heffernan on staying sober for the Mystery Tour

“The main aim for Pink Day was to raise awareness for what the Irish Cancer Society did” Paddy Guiney misunderstanding his own campaign

“I’m told this is a centuries old tradition, steeped in cynical commercial contrivance where people can run into any pub in Dublin and ask for free Stella Artois; Artois being French for Arthur..”

Armando Iannucci on Arthur’s Day

“What can you do?

Someone’s down the back of a bus horsing a bottle of red wine in. When you finally get down, she’s done, so you make sure she’s alright. She seemed in merry spirits.”

Eoin Heffernan on stewarding the Mystery Tour

Chief Photographer Caoimhe McDonnell Photographers Owen Humphreys Laura O’Brien Special Thanks Eilis O’Brien Dominic Martella Giselle Jiang Dominic, Grace, Charlie, Jason, Aifric, Mark, Sandra and all the Student Centre Staff Tony, Laura and Barry and all the staff at Webprint Very Special Thanks Balazs Pete and all the robots at NetSoc, Declan Clear, Dave Connolly, David Neary, and Kate Rothwell

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

Paddy Guiney Campaigns & Communications Hey everyone, This week coming up is UCR elections. Make sure you get out and vote for your rep as they will be representing you on every issue from academics

to the events in your class for the year. Voting takes place in your building from October 2nd and 3rd.

Also going on is Res week.

We’ve a host of events planned from a comedy debate with Lawsoc on Tuesday to a Residences play starting Monday with Dramsoc which a few of us are in! On Thursday the first meeting of Campaigns Crew is happening in the Blue

Room at 6pm. If you want to get involved and take part in soups runs, learn tips on public speaking and campaign on issues that affect you make sure you head down.

Make sure you keep a look out for the bike scheme and laptop service I’ll be launching in the coming weeks!

See you soon,

Paddy

Rachel Breslin President Hi Everyone, It’s hard to believe we’re in week four already! Being in the middle of the semester means that the Students’ Union have a lot of diverse projects going on. Last week we ran the Mystery Tour, raised €1800 for the Irish Cancer Society and agreed a reducedprice bike scheme for students that launches this week. This week, keep an eye out for Res Week, Class Rep Elections (don’t forget to vote!) and our LGBT Ally campaign, the National Launch of which took place on Monday.

Over the past few weeks we have put a lot of effort into finding a resolution to the difficulties facing the student club. The University have agreed to pay the staff redundancies’ and approx. €240,000 owed to the Students’ Union and other creditors. It’s a big relief to conclude this agreement and ensure the staff, creditors and the SU get the money they’re owed; I am happy with the deal and I hope students are too. I’ll update you with more news on that as it happens over the next few weeks but rest assured we are working towards meeting the entertainment needs of all you guys.

That’s my spiel, if you want to get in touch I’d love to hear from you at president@ucdsu. ie or feel free to call down to the SU corridor. I hope you are all enjoying college and college life but please remember that if you have any worries or problems we’re here to help – call, email or visit us at any time. I’ll leave you with the highlight of my last week; my home county Donegal winning Sam. It’s been a long time coming, Slán,

Rachel

Mícheál Gallagher Welfare

Hello again, Week 4 and it’s that time of year again that mid terms are around the corner! If there’s anything going on in your life interfering with your study,

Shane Comer Education Hey guys.

I’m working on the campaign to re-open the library on Sundays, please let the college know if want to see the service reinstated, we need student input on this issue so the university knows you are unhappy with

Eoin Heffernan Entertainments

How’s it going?

Halloween Ball is the next big Ents event coming up and at the minute we are putting together a committee to help plan the event. If your

feel free to pop down to my office in the student centre and we can discuss it in complete confidence.

This week is Residences Week, check out the posters around the concourse to see what’s going on. If you’re having difficulties on residence don’t hesitate to send me an email.

Next week is mental health

this.

We’ve good news on the 24hour study area front with an agreement of it being in place in the new student centre on a trial basis starting later this month.

This Wednesday, October 3rd, the SU is starting up a bookclub in room six in the new student centre @ 6.30pm. Come along if you’ve any interest.

interested in anything from booking acts, decorating, designing or event promotion give us a shout. Send an email to getinvolved@ucdsu.ie.

Also up and coming Irish artist Roisin O is playing a gig in Whelans this coming Tuesday kicking off about 9pm so make sure to check it out! If you have any idea’s you want to see

week 8th – 12th Oct. We’re bringing in Suicide Awareness for Everyone (SAFE Talk) training. If you’re interested in the training and helping make UCD a safe space to talk about suicide then email welfare@ ucdsu.ie.

Grá,

Mícheál

On October 10th I’ve organised a study skills seminar in the Red Room for 1pm so do attend that as there’ll be some great tips given on how to study effectively and I’m also looking to start language labs with the societies to help you improve your second language.

As always email education@ ucdsu.ie if you’ve any issues!

Shane

done this year knock down to the office for a chat and we’ll get scheming.

Chat to ye soon!

Heffo

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

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Heineken Cup U Preview Matthew Morrow and Seán O’Neill preview the chances of each of the four Irish provinces in this year’s Heineken Cup

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Connacht

onnacht are probably the team that has benefitted most from the recent Irish success in the Heineken Cup and will undoubtedly have gained from their time in the competition last year, when they were eliminated at the group stage.

They will go into the campaign fully prepared for another crack at Europe’s elite, and determined to prove that they belong at the top table of European rugby.

With the signing of Scottish former international player Dan Parks, coach Eric Elwood is clearly going to favour a set piece and territory dominated game. This is probably sensible given the conditions that most sides will experience when they come to visit Connacht at The Sportsground.

Parks will bring control and composure to Connacht’s game. Having said that, his desire to kick rather than run or pass the ball will mean that Connacht will struggle to chase the game should they fall behind in the latter stages of matches.

Another new signing, this time from Ulster, is flanker Willie Faloon. Faloon will bring the experience of a Heineken Cup final as well as his ability to be a nuisance at ruck time.

Connacht’s squad shows plenty of experience from last year’s Heineken Cup campaign with captain Gavin Duffy; Mike McCarthy, Frank Murphy, Brett Wilkinson and Fetu’u Vainikolo remaining to lead the side into this season. Young guns such as Eoin Griffin and Tiernan O’Halleran will add flair and pace to any ball that gets beyond Parks at out-half.

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Munster

sort of aura surrounds the Munster rugby wherever they go. Despite not having the same quality as previous teams, they seem capable of still competing at the highest level. After winning the competition for the second time four years ago, they have experienced a barren period by their high standards.

Despite this dip in form, Munster will still be feared by some of the lesser teams and respected by all others. Last year’s campaign saw one of the most impressive displays of mental toughness in the history of the competition after O’Gara nailed an 84th minute drop-goal after 41 phases of play to beat Northampton.

In a similar vein to last season, the men from Thomond Park are certainly going through a period of transition, with older heads such as Ronan O’Gara and Paul O’Connell coming to the conclusion of their careers. O’Gara and O’Connell owe nothing to their province, as they have been their saviours down the years on countless occasions, but will certainly not shy away from giving even more.

This Munster team are yearning for some new heroes to lead them to equal former glories. Players like Keith Earls and Conor Murray must step up to the plate this season if the men in red are to contend past the pool stage this year. With a favourable pool, which includes Edinburgh, Saracens and Racing Metro, they have been afforded a break to get off to a good start and gain momentum.

Saracens probably pose the greatest threat to Munster. Their attrition-style forward play has

Their early season form has been mixed, with home defeats to the Blues and Scarlets sandwiching a bonus-point win against Pool 3 rivals Zebre, the Italian minnows that replaced Aironi in both the Pro12 and the Heineken Cup. The game against the Scarlets was a particular disappointment as they were leading 8-0 at halftime, and about to start the second half with the wind. The Scarlets went on to win, with a fourtry bonus point. It is this type of inconsistency that Connacht must strive to avoid if they are to stand any chance of progression from their pool this year.

They are also joined in Pool 3 by Biarritz and Harlequins. The absolute minimum against Zebre will be ten points over the two matches, if they are to stand any chance of progressing. Biarritz are not known as great travellers, and Connacht may fancy their chances of an upset in this game, especially if they can keep Dimitri Yachvili, the heartbeat of Biarritz’s team, quiet for the full eighty minutes in Galway.

Harlequins, coached by the excellent Conor O’Shea, will not underestimate Connacht again, following their famous defeat in Galway last year with qualification for the knockout stages on the line. Expect them to be fired up for that clash this year, and for Connacht to have to be at their best to get anything from either game.

Realistically, it is difficult to see Connacht winning more than just the two matches against Zebre, but they should gain from another year in Europe’s best club competition, which will hopefully allow them to keep their best players in the West for the future.

Prediction: Third in Pool 3.

the potential to be complimented by players like Chris Ashton. Edinburgh are ever improving, but Munster should be too strong for them, at least at home, while Racing Metro are yet to show the slightest interest in actually taking the Heineken Cup seriously.

Although, Munster fans and players alike will know that group stage momentum does not always translate to success in the knockout stages.

In fact, no team has ever won every single game in the Heineken Cup, with last season’s Leinster team being the first team to go through the tournament undefeated. One wonders if this Munster squad has the right age profile to play late in to the season.

With the Lions squad making the trip down under next summer, it is also a crucial season for the players who feel they have a chance of gaining a seat on the plane to Australia. For this reason alone, Lions hopefuls such as Murray, Earls, O’Connell and Donnacha Ryan must raise their game.

If Munster makes the quarterfinals, as expected, they will believe they can go the whole way.

You can’t help but feel as though belief is never going to be an issue for any Munster side. This year, the question marks remain to whether they have the quality to out-manoeuvre the bigger guns.

With an unsettled side and various untried youngsters, new coach Rob Penney will attempt to recapture the form of previous blue-ribbon Munster teams and reinstate Munster as the team to beat in Europe. At the moment, Munster are not even the team to beat in Ireland.

Prediction: Quarter-finalists.

Ulster

lster, more than any other team, will begin their Heineken Cup campaign with a new sense of perspective following the tragic death of young centre Nevin Spence in a farming accident. The achievements of the previous season were thrown into sharp relief by this terrible event, and Ulster will attempt to make this season at fitting tribute to Nevin by trying to at least match last year’s efforts.

On paper, their squad is stronger than last year with the additions of Tommy Bowe and Roger Wilson and the return to fitness of Jared Payne, who only played three games before a knee injury ended his season last October. Payne has already looked like he’s recovered fully with an excellent try-scoring display against Munster.

The younger players in the squad, such as Paddy Jackson, Luke Marshall and Craig Gilroy, will improve again this year. Jackson, in particular, looks to have put his miserable Heineken Cup final experience behind him, and is playing with more authority and confidence.

Ulster still have the core of last year’s team intact, with key players like Rory Best, Stephen Ferris and Ruan Pienaar all contracted to Ravenhill for at least another two seasons. Of these players, it is Pienaar who holds the key to Ulster’s success this season, with his match-winning display against Munster in Thomond Park highlighting his importance to this side.

New boss Mark Anscombe will be praying

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that Pienaar returns from the Rugby Championship unscathed and ready to launch himself into another Heineken Cup effort. Anscombe himself comes into his first season already under pressure, as he looks to emulate Brian McLaughlin who had a very successful three years at Ravenhill, culminating in the run to Twickenham in May. So far, Ulster are unbeaten this season, with a dogged win in Swansea against the Ospreys followed by a superb result against Munster in what was probably the game of the season so far. This year, Ulster appear to have adopted a ‘heads up’ type of rugby, which should suit the likes of Pienaar, Jackson and Marshall, who all like to play on instinct rather than conform to a set of pre-match tactics.

In terms of their group, Ulster has it easier than last year with Northampton Saints, Castres and Glasgow joining them in Pool 4. Ulster will fancy their chances of going through the group stages as the top seed in their pool as Northampton are not the power they once were following the loss of Chris Ashton, Roger Wilson and James Downey.

The 2011 finalists will still provide Ulster’s toughest test, especially at Franklins Gardens.

Glasgow and Castres shouldn’t provide too much resistance at Ravenhill, but will undoubtedly be tough opposition on the road. The game in France, in particular, will be a real test. The type of game teams like Munster and Leinster in the past have won on their way to becoming European champions.

Prediction: Semi-finalists.

Many lazy slurs were directed at Leinster in the years prior to their first Heinken Cup win in 2009

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Leinster

he giants of the European game over the last few years have undoubtedly been Leinster. With three wins in four years, Leinster are something of a dynasty at the moment. Leinster, like Munster before them, have established themselves as one of the most prestigious teams, not just in Europe, but in the global game.

The void left by the Southern province over the last four years has been emphatically filled by Joe Schmidt’s Leinster. Various factors have contributed to the rise of Leinster Rugby, such as the IRFU’s emphasis on developing younger players.

This practice is clearly evident with Leinster and we can see the evidence on the pitch with World-Class players such as Jonny Sexton, Cian Healy and Sean O’Brien along with a whole host of youngsters with equal potential such as Ian Madigan, Eoin O’Malley and Kevin McLaughlin.

Many lazy slurs were directed at Leinster in the years prior to their first Heinken Cup win in 2009. These included terms such as ‘bottlers’ and ‘ladyboys’ due to the style and skill they clearly possessed, but lacking substance with it mattered.

The Boys in Blue were often in the shadow of their rivals from Munster, but soon lay siege to the notion that they were perennial underachievers.

This shift in mind-set has been crucial. The appointment of astute coaches like Michael Cheika and Joe Schmidt only serve to enhance the shrewd nature of the powers that be at the club.

The season ahead looks like it could to be another positive one for the men from the RDS. They’ve been installed as favourites to make it three in a row in Europe, and it seems that anything less than lifting the silverware in the final next May will be deemed a failure. The fact that the final will be held at the Aviva Stadium, making it a home final, only adds to the determination to become the most successful European club team ever.

Leinster are joined in Pool 5 by Llanelli Scarlets, new boys Exeter and, for the fifth and sixth times in four years, Leinster will face Clermont Auvergne. The games against Clermont will be key to Leinster’s pool campaign, and neither game will be easy. Pool 5 should be a straight fight between Leinster and Clermont.

The argument that the team has reached its peak and has seen its best days can be put forward, but the scenario of this team taking a backwards step this season seems improbable. The incentive for perfection will be even higher this season after a one point defeat to The Ospreys in the RaboDirect Final after the Heineken Cup final last May. Key players such as Rob Kearney and Jamie Heaslip are in their prime and with the various injuries Brian O’Driscoll has accumulated over his career; this could be his final season. If it is, he has a chance to conclude his career in a way befitting of Ireland’s greatest talent of the modern era: as a champion.

Prediction: Champions.

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The University Observer | 18 September 2012

British football deserves greatness The formation of a Team GB football team for the London Olympics leaves Seán O’Neill wondering if this should become a permanent solution to an age-old question

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ith the inception of a Great Britain football team as part of Team GB at the recent Olympics, an argument has arisen to whether a team consisting of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be in place, at not only the Olympics, but in all international competitions.

With the lack of success in recent years for the home nations, there are whispers that the amalgamation of the British Isles could be seen as a step towards creating a team with the ability to compete on the international stage.

Scotland haven’t qualified for a major tournament since 1998, Northern Ireland have only qualified for three World Cups (with the last being in 1986) and Wales have had one solitary appearance at a World Cup, in Sweden in 1958. England have consistently

qualified for major tournaments, but always flatter to deceive and seem as far away from winning a trophy as ever, with 1966 being their one moment of glory.

England are the leading home nation, and are currently third in the world according to the FIFA rankings, but are in danger of being left behind due to new standards and methods being set by technically superior nations such as Spain and Germany. The European Championships during the summer only served to enhance this theory.

In the quarter-finals, the more technically astute Italians had 63% possession. Luck was the only thing in England’s favour after they somehow managed a goalless draw, but eventually succumbed to their tournament tradition of failing in a 12 yard shoot-out.

England averaged 39% of the possession in their four games at the tour-

nament, their lowest figure at a major finals since 1980. They also averaged 300 passes per match, while the four semi-finalists had 479 passes on average.

In contrast, the Olympics can certainly be considered a success for the Team GB footballers.

Despite another penalty shoot-out defeat, this time in the quarterfinals to South Korea, there were many positives to extract from the tournament as a whole. Little was expected of a squad largely comprised of players who had little experience on the international stage.

The Olympics being a U23 competition gave a massive amount of experience to younger players. Also, large numbers turned out to watch the team in Wembley, Cardiff and Old Trafford.

The experience of playing competitive games in front of over 70,000 people will stand to the younger players.

The mind-set and method in which the football is thought at grass-roots level within Britain must be addressed.

A new start might be what the game needs in the UK and a collection of players from all four countries might help them make the step to the next level. Would England be able to make the breakthrough if they had players such Gareth Bale, Joe Allen, Darren

Fletcher, Aaron Ramsey and Jonny Evans at their disposal?

This ‘experiment’ with the GB football team at London 2012 paid off in major fashion. A medal may have been beyond the reach of the British boys in their most popular sport, but the support and backing they received was immense. Their presence alone sent out a message to the watching world of how Team GB embraced every aspect of the Olympics. Why should this atmosphere be confined to the Olympics?

The team at London was packed with youngsters, but also included players like Ryan Giggs, who is 38 and hasn’t played at international level for over 5 years. If the team included players from the current international setups of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, a gold medal would have been a near certainty for the GB football team and the basis would be laid for further glory with a stronger squad of players being able to compete at tournaments.

The usual sight of teams bowing out of competitions early or not even qualifying for them in the first place would be a thing of the past. For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland fans the prospect of combined British team would certainly mean expectations would rise and period of success would surely be on the horizon.

Despite the many pros that can be found to suggest that a Great Britain team would succeed, there are many obstacles facing the inception of a team such as this one. Some fans would not be so welcoming of the fact that their nation loses independent status as a footballing nation.

Even before the Olympics, there was opposition to the team as many felt it jeopardised their position in world football. Many passionate fans feel the home nations have a long standing tradition and this is something they will

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With the lack of success in recent years for the home nations, there are whispers that the amalgamation of the British Isles could be seen as a step towards creating a team with the ability to compete on the international stage

fight bitterly to retain. If the respective bodies reached a decision whereby the four home nations join together, the fans would view this as the ultimate act of treachery.

Various political issues would be raised within each nation, with objections from different sections of society.

For example, the notion of Northern Ireland joining the Republic of Ireland to form an All-Ireland team has been mooted for a prolonged period of time.

The question of whether Northern Ireland should be part of a Great Britain football team would be raised on this island as well as across the water.

The team will have just as many detractors as optimists. Despite the support it will receive there will be purists from each corner of Britain who will feel they are betraying their nation’s core values. It is a complex and complicated issue that looks like being shelved for years to come.

The new look of the Irish Following Paul Corry’s switch from UCD to Sheffield Wednesday, Thomas Mitchell explores the recent trend of players spending their developmental years in the League of Ireland rather than joining the youth set up of an English team

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s Giovanni Trapattoni drafted the 23 names that would carry a nation’s hopes and dreams to Poland and Ukraine, a sense of true pride and patriotism swept across the Irish people. Finally the Irish were among Europe’s elite once more. So why is it that of the 23 names fortunate enough to represent Ireland this summer, only four started their careers in their domestic League of Ireland?

This figure is in stark contrast to Ireland’s group C rivals. Almost each member of the Spanish, Italian and Croatian team honed their skills in their native country before exploring the possibilities of playing abroad. Indeed, Ireland was the only nation at the summer tournament to have every single member of the squad play in a foreign league.

Ranked 31st in the UEFA coefficient table, the League of Ireland enjoyed a period between 1998 and 2010 where it was the fastest improving league in Europe, rising 15 places. In addition, the successes of Shelbourne and Bohemians in European club competition saw Irish domestic football grow in stature and reputation.

However, such is the gulf in class between Irish internationals playing in the English Premier League and those playing in Ireland that a League of Ireland XI exists in order to allocate some international football to those playing domestically. The pathway to stardom for ambitious Irish footballers would appear to be through our neighbours.

The English Premier League has

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between 1998 and 2010 where the LOI was the fastest improving league in Europe

topped the UEFA coefficient rankings for the last five years, and has not dropped below 5th since 2000. The finances of Manchester City and Chelsea dwarf the budgets of the likes of Sligo Rovers and UCD. The lure of the star-studded Premier League to young, talented Irish players is plain to see. The British scouting systems are among the very best in the world. These scouts are particularly active in Ireland, where styles of play are similar to the English. The opportunity to play abroad is a very real possibility from a young age for Irish footballers.

But is it really beneficial to be thrust into the high pressure world of English football, especially when so few Irish players actually make it as a Premier League regular? Some of Ireland’s best young players recently have seen the benefits of a few more seasons in familiar surroundings before making the move to England.

Kevin Doyle became something of a fan favourite at Cork City, before a lucrative €117,000 move to Reading materialised. Stephen Ward spent a similar amount of time at Bohemians before a 2007 transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers saw him become the most expensive League of Ireland export at that time.

Even Ireland’s most decorated player of the modern era, Roy Keane, initially made a name for himself at Cobh Ramblers, a lowly First Division side.

Both Keane and Cobh benefited from Keane’s many rejections from numerous English sides and larger Irish clubs.

Many attribute Keane’s success to the experience of handling the raw, physical demands of the Irish First Division.

Not only was Keane guaranteed game time at Cobh Ramblers, but he was also able to remain close to his loved ones and in familiar surroundings, something Keane admits to missing whilst at Nottingham Forest, often requesting time off to return home to Cork.

In spite of this, the League of Ireland is still massively underrepresented in

Kevin Doyle became something of a fan favourite at Cork City, before a lucrative €117,000 move to Reading the Irish national team. Players such as Richard Dunne, Damien Duff and national captain Robbie Keane all made the move to England early in their careers. It is likely that if Roy Keane had been successful in any of his trials with English teams, he too would not have played in his native league.

But that was then, and this is now.

The recent growth of the League of Ireland coincides nicely with the introduction of Financial Fair Play rules in Europe, whereby teams must spend within their means. Although the growing domestic game in Ireland offers the supply to meet the demand of top English teams needing cheaper players, the recent European success of Shamrock Rovers could change the perception of Irish football both at home and abroad.

Over the summer, Paul Corry became the latest in a line of Irish footballers leaving the League of Ireland for England. Back in August, the centre midfielder swapped UCD for Cham-

pionship outfit Sheffield Wednesday.

Since then, everyone has been asking if Corry should have just made the move at youth level.

As a player who has publicly attracted and denied the attentions of English clubs such as Burnley and Nottingham Forest in favour of finishing his degree, Corry’s move to Sheffield Wednesday represents a great opportunity for a young and exciting Irish footballer.

Although Sheffield Wednesday are no longer a top-tier club, they have a genuine ambition to return to their heyday of the 90s.

In remaining at UCD, Corry bypassed the hugely competitive youth system pathway, which is the stum-

bling block for so many aspiring footballers. In a sense, UCD is in a unique position in that the lure of an academic or sporting education is enough to resist the advances of football elsewhere.

Conor Sammon is another example of a former student who has benefited from the delay in transition from Ireland to England and has recently completed a lucrative move to Derby County.

The future certainly looks bright for both the League of Ireland and Paul Corry, and should Corry’s career be successful, we could see the introduction of a wealth of Irish players looking to develop themselves in Europe’s fastest growing league; the League of Ireland.

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

SPORT

SPORTS DIGEST

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The Badger: Sports Addict

The Badger allows us a rare insight into the mind of a sports addict

BY KEVIN BEIRNE

Hockey The 2012 edition of the Women’s Hockey Champions Challenge is being held at the National Hockey Stadium in UCD from September 29th to October 7th. UCD has successfully hosted both the 2011 Women’s Electric Ireland Champions Challenge and an Olympic qualifying event over the last 12 months.

Australia, Belgium, India, Scotland, South Africa, Spain and the United States join Ireland in this year’s competition. The eight teams will be competing in two pools of four, with the winner of the event eventually securing the right to join Argentina, England, Netherlands, Germany and Japan in the Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy 2014 in Argentina.

Ireland, the third lowest ranked team in the tournament, find themselves in Group B, alongside South Africa, USA and Scotland. Ireland are guaranteed to be involved right up to the last day, with the knockout stages determining a definite position for each team, from first to eighth.

UCD will be well-represented, with Niamh Atcheler, Nicola Gray, Brenda Flannery, Chloe Watkins, Anna O’Flanagan and Katie Mullan making up one third of the Irish squad.

GAA UCD had a strong showing in this year’s All-Ireland Minor Football final, with the captains of both counties being UCD students. David Byrne led his Dublin side to a 0-14 to 1-5 win over Paraic Harnan’s Meath after six unanswered points put the game to bed.

UCD was also represented on the Dublin side by David Campbell, Steve Mulvaney, Mattiu MacDonncha and Shane Cunningham, with Campbell the only UCD player to score.

UCD also had a strong showing on the Meath side, with Shane McEntee, Ciaran Gillespie and Fiachra Ward representing the royals.

Ward was joint top scorer on the day with 1-2 (1-0 pen, 0-2 f) and contributed over half of Meath’s points. McEntee also chipped in with a single point, but it was not enough to fight off a strong Dublin side.

Rugby UCD RFC have kicked off their Ulster Bank Division 1B campaign with a convincing 48-20 away win over Belfast Harlequins. Belfast were favourites going in to the game, having finished second last season, but UCD got revenge for two defeats last year, and started the new league season in the form that allowed them to avoid relegation at the end of last season.

Their cup campaign was not as successful, with wins over Bective Rangers and Terenure College either side of a draw with St. Mary’s and a loss to Lansdowne. UCD finished third in their group, behind St. Mary’s and Lansdowne respectively.

On any given Sunday(s) With the All-Ireland hurling final going to a replay for the first time in half a century, David Farrell discusses the fairness of this system

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ast Sunday saw an exceedingly rare event; the replay of a major sporting final.

In fact, it was an event that hurling hasn’t seen for over 50 years, and it struck twice on the first Sunday in September. We were treated to the knowledge that both the senior and minor hurling titles would comeup for contention again. This has led to people questioning this inconvenient and increasingly uncommon practice.

Replays weren’t always the rarity they are today. Traditionally, we would see teams have another go and renewing the battle, rather than condensing the action into extra-time in the event of a stalemate. This is, of course, still the case in the initial rounds of the FA Cup and throughout the GAA Championship in both codes.

Today, it feels like it’s just the oldfashioned GAA that see the usefulness of replays. These matches offer the smaller teams hope of pitting their wits against the games brighter lights again and offering them another shot at glory.

While this romanticism is not a genuine practical consideration, it plays to the heartstrings and allows teams and fans to dream rather than leaving it to a brief bout.

It allows fans and players alike to believe that the next day they will be able to give a fuller account of themselves and not see the moment of crowning glory be condensed into anything less than a 70 minute battle and testament to the power of their game. Although some believe it defeats the purpose of a knockout-style tournament.

Nowadays, in most major sports, there is a system whereby things are wrapped-up succinctly, quickly and conveniently. Whether it be extra-time or, if things progress far enough, penalties. Some believe that there is an unfairness involved in penalties feeling that it devalues a game to mere nothSuspense: Penalties

ingness, while others love its cut-throat and dramatic nature.

The main argument for these methods is they allow for a sudden resolution of the game and means we don’t see a season drag on. The battle is condensed, pushing every player to their physical and mental limits. Teams put their seasons on the line for one single day, making that leap to glory a far shorter, and therefore tougher, ordeal.

This is the modern expectation of professional sports and their penchant for play-off finishes.

But why, in this increasingly moneydriven world, are replays becoming so rare and uncommon? Why not go for another match and get all the associated financial benefits? Why has professional sport not tried to replicate these games and take the atmosphere and money making ability of big games and have a do-over?

Perhaps, in professional sport, it is no longer possible to facilitate extra fixtures, like the GAA can. The GAA owns and controls Croke Park and can open it to play any game it wishes at any time. With the growing demands of the professional game, this is not possible in other sports.

In the modern game, the authorities like UEFA and the NFL use ‘host cities’ to stage their marquee events.

This means that the final is played, and decided, in a neutral stadium, limiting the final to that city and that event. But beyond this minor detail, both sports have intense schedules and need players to cease playing beyond certain dates.

This is much more urgent in football’s case, with the myriad of international and club tournaments to be resolved, with some rounds of one competition taking place only days after the final of another. This tight schedule, and the increased rigours of a professionally competitive game, offers

a more practical reason for the preference of a speedier resolution. It is in this way that replays often feel out-dated in relation to the current demands of top-level sport.

In truth, the build-up to the AllIreland replay did not mean any less to the fans in attendance or the teams, but certain pundits and casual spectators felt the need to argue that it lessened the importance of the game. They claimed that to have it rolled out for a second time, and see renewed pageantry, makes it less of a unique occasion.

What they forget is that replays allow these herculean men to give the fullest account of their abilities and to make-up for their past failings. This situation gives us the chance to see a winner earn their title the only way they know how, in a full 70 minute game.

To put an entire season into extratime is justifiable in an effort to get confirmation and its inclusion, while not ideal, is understandable. The issue in this debate will always be though, what if you draw the replay or extratime? The answer in football is penalties.

This solution is one that is unloved and unwanted by most, but accepted.

The recent achievements of Manchester United and Chelsea in clinching the Champions League on penalties mean no less to the players or fans than those of Barcelona.

Yet, in the hearts and minds of others, and even in the accounts of certain statisticians, a little asterix will be attached with the statement “penalties”.

It almost feels cruel to allow an entire season, sometimes even a lifetime, of anticipation to be decided by a series of semi-scripted kicks. A replay, or even extra-time, relieves the fans of this horror and grants the players a chance to win or lose as a team.

T

he other day, The Badger was asked why he, a badger, knows so much about sport. The Badger hopes that if any of you ever meet a talking animal, you will use your first question for something much more profound.

Nevertheless, the human had a point. The true answer is something many of you reading this may suffer from, but, like an Arts student who actually goes to lectures, you are living in denial.

The Badger is a sports addict. It’s true. The Badger recently came to this revelation when he found himself watching some Canadian football at 3am one night. The Badger is not proud of what he did, and apologises to those he hurt, but he wants you to remember that he has hurt himself the most.

They say the first step to overcoming an addiction is admitting it, but The Badger disagrees. The Badger is a firm believer in the fact that the first step is getting the addiction in the first place.

The Badger first experimented with sport back during the summer of 1990.

Jack Charlton’s Ireland were drawing every game at Italia ’90, and there was magic in the air. Sport was the cool thing to do, and everyone was doing it.

The Badger was drawn in by the bright lights, but it was David O’Leary’s penalty against Romania that truly had him hooked. The Badger had never cried from happiness in his life before that moment.

The 90s were a blur of World Cups, All-Ireland finals and the Michelle Smith situation. At the turn of the millennium, harder sports became the norm. The Badger found himself regularly engaging in rugby, and even experimenting with formula 1 and snooker. The Badger needed a fix, and didn’t care where it came from.

The rise of the internet, and Sky Sports, only made things worse. Suddenly the American sports were on the menu. Basketball, American football and even ice hockey became regular sources of sport for The Badger.

Throughout all this, The Badger has at least maintained a shred of selfrespect, and can at least say that he has stayed away from NASCAR. Not even The Badger is desperate enough to watch 500 laps of an oval for a fix.

The Badger knows some of you are afraid that this is a letter of resignation from The Badger. You may rest easy, this is the complete opposite. The Badger wants you all to feel safe in the knowledge that The Badger will continue to fill these pages with the opinions you all hold so dear.

1990: David O’leary celebrates

24

OSbserver P O R T

The University Observer | 18 September 2012

Scully snatches late point for Bohs UCD 2 - 2 Bohemians

U

CD AFC will leave the Belfield bowl with mixed emotions, having succumbed to a late pressure attack by Bohemians, resulting in a 2-2 draw.

The students took a two goal lead early in the first half, but two dramatic goals by substitute Dave Scully, both of them coming in injury-time, gave Bohemians an undeserved share of the spoils.

UCD had amassed five wins in six games, and following this draw, appear to have maintained their Airtricity Premier League status for another year. Bohemians, meanwhile, stand in sixth position following their strong second half performance, using UCD’s lack of purpose to their own advantage.

The opening quarter was very onesided, with UCD employing a strong 4-4-2 formation. The Students combined some effective passing and with a dominance of possession. Their dominance was rewarded almost immediately, as their opponents found themselves a man and a goal down within the first five minutes.

Defender Kevin Feely stumbled attempting to control a long ball, tripping Danny Ledwith in the process, resulting in an immediate red card. The resulting free-kick sailed into the roof of the net from the boot of Ledwith.

With ten men, Bohemians suffered a clear drop in morale. A shaky, unstructured defence led to Ledwith to narrowly missing another free-kick. Dean Clarke provided pressure and space on the right wing, as UCD played a patient and structured game. Barry McCabe went close with a long range effort, again utilising the full space created on the right wing.

Bohemians’ defence remained nervous and edgy, switching to a flat back four. They looked uneasy in comparison to the solid offence mounted by the Students, although UCD were very fortunate to go two goals ahead. Paul O’Conor’s 40-yard shot was deflected in after David McMillon was caught wrong-footed, sending keeper Greg Murphy scrambling.

The goal kept UCD in firm control, with a Dean Clarke cross from behind securing a corner for the home side.

This was followed by a header from UCD captain Mick Leahy, which was just off target, followed up by a threatening twenty-yard strike, courtesy of Barry McCabe.

From this, Bohemians made their first real attempt of the match, with Karl Moore attempting a counter-attack, but to no avail. A James Kavanagh foul resulted in a free-kick, which allowed John O’Connor to fire a threatening shot straight into UCD’s danger zone. Following this, Kavanagh was replaced by Derek Pender, as Bohemians attempted to align and recover fully.

Sean Stuart was fouled on the right hand side, resulting in a rather weakwilled free-kick for Bohemians, which Stuart attempted to rectify minutes later with a disappointing shot from a distance. What followed was a rather scrappy affair. David O’Connor and captain Mick Leahy failed in their efforts to smother the still-rattled Bohemian defence.

An isolated Dean Clarke could do very little for the remaining portion of the game, having to watch his UCD teammate Hughie Douglas tap the ball over from three yards from a corner.

A clumsy tackle to Bohemians’ Owen Heary set up a free-kick, taken by Ryan McEvoy just before the half time whistle. Bohemians appeared to have woken up in the latter portion, yet it was a dominating first half for the Students.

There were more fouls on show than passes in the opening minutes of the second half and it wasn’t long before a mix up in the Bohemians defence resulted in a free-kick that was typical of the directionless play of both sides.

After a few minutes, Bohemians began to rectify for the opening 45 with jab after jab to the UCD defence, with Ryan McEvoy taking two free kicks within a matter of minutes, and linking well with Evan McMillan to create a chance for Derek Pender. His looping header couldn’t quite find its target, but

it was a statement of intent.

For UCD, Dean Clarke and Dave McMillon both had chances that slipped by them, whilst Bohemians Sean Stuart fired back with a clean 25 yard right footed strike that went just passed the left-hand post, Stuart was subsequently substituted in favour of Dinny Corcoran.

The crowd could feel the momentum build for Bohemians as UCD began to look off balance, almost drunk, on their 2-0 lead. Bohemians remained frustrated for an elusive goal that would help them claw their way back into the game.

UCD’s attack had one more spike of notable activity; Paul O’Conor’s 35yard shot from a broken period of play was followed by a series of ferocious UCD shots, with Danny Ledwith the playmaker.

Dave Scully finally got the goal to

bring Bohs back in to the game. His goal came thanks to a fluidity and technique from an opening left by Pender that fully eclipsed the now cruising nature of the UCD side.

Soon after, the comeback was complete when Dave Scully headed the equaliser into the UCD net in the fourth minute of added time. His 25 minute cameo was enough to earn Bohemians a point and deny UCD an important win.

UCD are bound to wonder exactly how they let go of a two goal lead, while questions will be raised on behalf of the Bohemians defence and how they shipped two goals to the Students.

Either way, UCD would have taken a point had it been offered before the game.

UCD : Barron; Douglas (Russell 80), Leahy, D O’Connor, Nangle; Clarke (Mulhall 71), P O’Conor, McCabe (Kavanagh 58), Ledwith; D.McMillan, Benson.

BOHEMIANS : Murphy; Heary, Feely, Lopez; Barker, McEvoy, Mulcahy, J O’Connor (Pender 28), Moore (Corcoran 65); E McMillan, Devenney (Scully 65).

Booked: Pender, Sent-off: Feely.

Man of the match: Dave Scully

by Jack Walsh Photograph by Owen Humphreys

Killester squeeze past Marian Killester 62 - 59 Marian

U

CD Marian succumbed to a 62-59 defeat during the last few seconds of their opening match of the Nivea for Men’s Superleague against 11890 Killester Basketball Club. It was not the start to the season Marian had hoped for following the disappointment of last year’s campaign in both the National Cup and the Superleague.

A tough first game of the season saw UCD face off against 11890 Killester, a team that finished with nine more regular season wins than Marian last season, and won back-to-back Superleague titles in 2010 and 2011. The home side proved too strong and UCD Marian fell to an opening day defeat after a tight game and with a tense finish.

UCD’s John Galvin, an American import, was arguably his side’s man of

the match, scoring almost half of the team’s points and sinking most of his field goals. In all, Galvin turned in an impressive shift and his 26 points were the most of any player on the court.

The game opened with quick points from both sides, with Killester leading by 7-4 after the initial surge of points.

UCD fought hard to make the scores level after a time out and went on to hold on to a level score until the end of the first quarter, with the game finely balanced at 11-11.

In the second quarter, UCD found themselves with a 17-13 advantage with 7:23 to go in the quarter and even managed to extend their lead to 23-18. Another round of successful free-throws left UCD Marian in the lead at halftime, with a score of 30-27. Killester did not look intimidated by this lead and even

showed signs of making a comeback, scoring just before the halftime buzzer.

It was not until 5:27 was left of the third quarter when, after a number of two-pointers by Eoin Chubb, Killester managed to catch up to UCD, with the score sitting at 36 apiece. Laurence Summers, another US import; this time playing for Killester, scored a skilful three-pointer to send the home team up by three, with the score at 43-40.

UCD regained their lead, making the score 46-45 in favour of the visitors heading into the final quarter. UCD maintained this momentum at the start of the fourth quarter with a flurry of rapid two-pointers by John Galvin and Conor James.

With 6:15 left of playtime UCD had a seven point cushin at 56-49. It was clear that the UCD Marian team were

getting tired though, and with a number of substitutions made to the Killester team, they grinded their way back for an exciting climax.

With 34 seconds to go, Killester found themselves only one point behind UCD. A costly mistake by the Marian defence gave Killester two free throws, and they netted both. UCD then conceded another two free-throws, and Killester made sure of the victory with 13 seconds to go, after both shots went in the net, leaving UCD no time to bounce back. The game finished 62-59 in favour of the home side.

The defeat was disheartening to the away side. After what had been a brilliantly close game, with UCD coming out on top at the end of most of the quarters, it appears that they could have beaten Killester. Perhaps the experience of the home side shone through, as UCD seemed to lose their discipline as tiredness set in.

Both sides can take positives from this game. Even in defeat, the UCD Marian team seemed to be well structured and a good chemistry was apparent throughout the game. Conor James

and John Galvin were responsible for a valiant defence as well as a brilliant counterattack.

Galvin, in particular, imposed himself on the game well and relied on his height to pop a few scores in from under the net. Killester will be happy with their ability to grind out the win when they were not at their best, while UCD will be annoyed for the very same reason.

Although this UCD Marian team does not appear to be at the same standard of the one that won the National Cup against Killester, two years ago, it is still too early in the young season to tell just how far they can go.

Next up for UCD Marian is a home game against Board Gáis Neptune, a team they beat 83-80 in a thriller in the first round of last year’s playoffs, on October 6th in the UCD sports complex.

Neptune won all three regular season meetings between the sides last season by more than 20 points each time, but could not win when it most mattered.

by Donal Woods