Vol XXI - Broadsheet - Issue 1 by The University Observer

uo The University Observer

Asylum seekers We examine the conditions faced by Refugees in ireland

International Pandemic The spread of ebola in liberia and beyond

hurling final All ireland senior hurling final report and replay preview

Gráinne o’Loughran p7

Kate Conboy Fischer P12

michael dwyer P19

September 16th 2014 Volume XXI issue i universityobserver.ie

above Eleanor duignan presents kate creegan with a birthday cake on their graduation day photo James Brady

STUDENTS MOVE into montrose AS ACCOMMODATION CRISIS CONTINUES Cian Carton Ziggurat Student Living has announced that 29 students affected by the delay in the opening of the Montrose Student Accommodation are set to move into the building following the completion of renovations on its second floor. They had previously been staying in the Ballsbridge Hotel, at the expense of Ziggurat, while the construction work continued. Last month, the company made students aware that the building project would not be completed in time for the beginning of the academic year, informing UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) that 58 out of 166 rooms, which were due to be fully finished for the start of term, would not in fact be ready. The delay was attributed to the age and poor state of the building, which resulted in unforeseen work for the builders. Georgina Wade, property manager for the Montrose Accommodation, said that in “another two weeks the remaining students will all be able to move into the 3rd floor” and that “all the other rooms that were not affected by the delays are now all occupied.”

The announcement of the delay was unprecedented, given the fact it was just before students were set to move in. At the time of the announcement by Ziggurat, Wade explained that despite the company’s best intentions, work on the complex had been delayed. “Despite our best efforts, the opening of two floors of the Montrose Student Residence will be delayed, due to an unanticipated level of work required to bring a very old building up to the high standards we demand,” Wade explained at the end of August. At present, work has carried on steadily with students being able to move into more of the complex. Yet work will be continuing with “final decoration and signage” being carried out, which Wade hopes will be “completed over the coming weeks.” Feargal Hynes, UCDSU President, was pleased at how Ziggurat Student Living handled the situation. He said that “Georgina and the management company were very open” in addressing any issues raised by students and found that

their attitude of concern towards those affected was “refreshing.” Hynes attributed the very few cases of students contacting the SU over the crisis as a testament to Ziggurat Student Living’s control of the situation. He said that the SU had been in constant communication with the company over the summer and would continue to do so throughout the year. As the residence is not officially part of UCD, it does not fall under the SU’s direct responsibilities. Speaking to the University Observer, Aidan Murray, a student affected by the delay, said she would be staying in the Ballsbridge Hotel between the 12th of September, the day that she had originally planned to move into the Montrose, until the 27th of September. Originally concerned after hearing the news, Murray stated that she was “satisfied with the compensation package offered”

and described it as “incredibly generous.” She feels that the “living stipend is enough to cover travel and food expenses for two weeks.” The Montrose Hotel, which opened in 1964, shut down in January 2010. It lay vacant for three years, until Ziggurat purchased it in 2013 and then began its major redevelopment at the beginning of 2014. The accommodation, created for students, comes on the back of the wide spread struggle for students to find places to live for the year. Ruairí Quinn, then Minsiter for Education and Skills, spoke of the need for “high quality student accommodation,” while visiting the Montrose in April. The current housing shortage in Dublin has exacerbated the situation this year. UCDSU had earlier called on the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) to make houses and apartments available in university areas, along with the re-introduction of the Section 50 tax relief scheme,

which would allowed investors and universities to claim up to 90% tax relief from the rent they received. NAMA criticised the UCDSU’s proposal in a statement to the University Observer, claiming that it is a misunderstanding of NAMA’s relation to the properties in question. “It is a common misconception that NAMA owns individual properties such as houses or apartments. Like any bank, NAMA owns loans which are secured, in turn, by individual properties but is not the owner of those properties” explained a NAMA spokesperson. The statement says that for this reason “it is not in NAMA’s powers to ‘release’ properties to accommodate students.” Ziggurat Student Living was founded in 2009 by Jim Pike and Matthew McAdden. It is a provider of student accommodation in the U.K. The Montrose is its first Irish project, with an estimated cost of €22.5 million.

Brendan Gleeson The legendary actor talks teaching, accents and ‘the grand seduction’

shane hannon otwo p14

tara flynn the “armagayddon” star on equality and her irish self-help book

patrick kelleher Otwo P26

UCDSU RAISE CONCERNS REGARDING SUSI GRANT PAYMENTS DELAY Síofra Ní Shluaghadháin

student fashion

check out the geek chic look for the start of term Controversy has emerged concerning the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant system for the second year running. In a repeat of the events of last September, processing rates for student grant applications have meant that students have, as of this week, not received word as to whether their applications have been successful or not. It is reported that many of these students will remain in the dark beyond the 1st of October deadline for withdrawing from third level courses. After this date, if a student finds themselves unable to continue with their chosen course, they remain liable for half of the student contribution charge, which stands at €2750 for the incoming academic year 2014/15. Should they choose to return to third level education in successive years, they will also

be liable for the full cost of fees. This delay, which has been estimated at between 4-6 weeks, has put many students in a precarious position. Students who applied for a grant in late August remain in a state of limbo as to whether their grant has been accepted, or if they face the possibility of having to drop out of their course altogether for financial reasons. Graham Doyle, SUSI’s Head of Communications, has said that “processing priority has been given to those students who returned their requested documentation to SUSI at the earliest dates. This is where all our processing resources are now placed and we are moving through this process quickly.” He added that SUSI “have issued award letters to thousands of students already and will continue to do so throughout the coming weeks.” Students who submitted documentation before the 1st of

August, the deadline for “priority processing”, will receive notice of their application status by the 1st of October, according to Doyle. SUSI had received 92,000 applications by 1st of August and have received 7,000 additional applications since. It is estimated that between 220 and 250 further applications are being received each week. Doyle encourages all students to make sure that they have submitted the correct documentation, particularly the confirmation of registration that should be provided by each university. UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) has issued a statement calling on SUSI to act in expediting the acceptance process in order to allow students the chance to assess their individual situations. Various officers in UCDSU have spoken out about the state of affairs that currently faces students. Feargal Hynes, President of UCDSU, stated; “This is yet

another problem that is making life unnecessarily harsh for students. SUSI are obliged to let students know whether they are eligible for the grant or not before the withdrawal date.” He continued, “The harsh reality is that there are students out there that are not able to afford college if they do not receive the grant from SUSI and must make a call before the 1st of October if they are to continue for the year or not.” Doyle says that “in his understanding”, this date is unique to UCD and is much later for other universities. The University Observer is not able to confirm this at the time of going to print. Amy Fox, UCDSU Undergraduate Education Officer, spoke of being visited by “students who are in tears”. She also described students as being in a “Catch-22” situation. Many students are unwilling to pay the Student Contribution Charge until they can guarantee their continuation in university.

However, until the payment of the charge has been received, it is the general policy of the university to deny access to facilities such as the library, which can be detrimental to the studies of students. In a subsequent interview with the University Observer, Hynes referred to the delay as a “major issue” for both UCDSU and the university. Hynes also claimed that UCDSU have made repeated attempts to build relations with SUSI, which have been hampered by the inability to develop a single point of contact in the organisation due to workers “often changing jobs and phone numbers”. He further stated that UCDSU and the university are working together to formulate a plan for assisting students who are affected by these delays, though details of this plan have not been disclosed.

fashion section Otwo P22

this campus life/ parallax

the best of student photojournalism broadsheet p11 Otwo P28 september 16th 2014

News

national

News in Brief megan fanning

Athlone IT Seeks University Status Eleven of the state’s fourteen Institutes of Technology are seeking technological university status, with Athlone I.T. being one of them. The I.T. launched a strategic plan last week, entitled “Global Focus - Regional Impact”, with seven pillars for growth and development for its future. The strategy plan was launched by international expert on higher education, Professor Simon Marginson of the Institute of Education in London. Athlone I.T.’s President, Professor Ciarán Ó’Catháin, said that “becoming a technological university will amplify the best aspects of what we do; it will enhance our reputation, and provide a platform for future growth.” The college plans on growing its student population by 15% to 6,000 by 2018, with the hope of having a more international and diverse student body. It also has aims to increase its research capacity. In order to deliver on these targets, the institute must raise €6 million from non-exchequer sources.

USI Calls for the Maintenance of Student Supports in Budget 2015

NEWLY FORMED SOCIETIES TO PARTICIPATE IN FRESHERS’ WEEK Lucy Ryan Two new student societies, the Economics Society and the Biology Society are to participate in Freshers’ Week for the first time this year. The two societies are the latest addition to UCD’s roster of 80 active student societies. The process for creating new societies includes a series of application forms, a provisional constitution, and 150 signatures from students expressing a demand for the society. Richard Butler, UCD Societies Officer, says that any sense of student societal success is attributed to “a committed group of dedicated students who have identified a place for a new student grouping and work hard to make it successful. Some of them may not have previously been heavily involved in society life, so sometimes have some adjustments to make as they come into the year.” This year sees more potential societies pursuing society

status such as the Environmental Society (EcoSoc) and UCD Model United Nations Society (MUNSoc). The former SU Environmental Co-ordinator and Auditor of the potential EcoSoc, Maria Jacobs, and the current SU Environmental Co-ordinator and Vice-Auditor of the potential society, Louise Flanagan, are in the process of gaining recognition for the group. The aspiring society prides itself on its uniqueness in terms of precedent societies and hopes to initiate “community projects like getting a bee garden set up with more student involvement that could create and maintain it, creating a student source of pride across campus.” The petition for the creation of the Environmental Society has received the required 150 signatures and Jacobs has expressed a hope that further signatures will be received in the coming weeks. Upcoming events include breakfast mornings, movie nights and talk from the Irish Federation of Beekeepers on the 20th of October.

A student signs a petition for the formation of the Environmental Society during Orientation week. Photo: James Brady

Barnardos and Blossom Ireland named as charities for 100minds 2014 Megan Fanning

The Union of Students Ireland (USI) launched its pre-budget submission to the government earlier this month. The proposal focuses mainly on the public good, cost and accessibility of third-level education with calls for support levels to be maintained. The USI calls for the protection of the back-to-education allowance and the protection of the student maintenance grant. Laura Harmon, President of the USI, says that it “gives the opportunity to the least well-off candidates in the country to attend third-level education and develop skills for life”, she also says that “access to higher-level education is under threat at the moment because of the financial hardship that students are experiencing.” The USI’s stance is that “third level education should be free because it benefits society as a whole” says Harmon. The USI also have plans to meet with Minister for the Environment, Alan Kelly, and Minister for Education, Jan O’Sullivan, in relation to the student accommodation crisis. The USI will hold a national rally for education in Dublin on October 8th.

new DIT Campus Opens Earlier this month Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) opened its new campus in the old St Brendan’s Psychiatric Hospital, now named Rathdown House. The new campus is situated on a 72-acre site. As it stands, 1,000 students are using the campus from the faculties of art, design, photography and social science, plus 200 academic and support staff. By 2017, the campus will be open to 10,000 DIT students and will host all the universities 20,000 students by 2020. The Institute was resolute in maintaining historical records and artefacts from the former hospital, which are now stored in an archive. A museum detailing the site’s history is planned for the campus in the future. Students from the current campuses of Cathal Brugha Street and Kevin Street will move in September 2017. Student accommodation is due to be available in 2018.

Barnardos and Blossom Ireland have been selected as the two charities that the 100minds initiative will raise funds for this year. This is the second year of the charity drive, which was founded in 2013 and raised over €100,000 for Temple Street Hospital last year. The premise of the initiative is for 100 students to each raise €1,000 through entrepreneurial means for the chosen charity. John Lynch, a Trinity College Dublin student, held a “White Collar Boxing Night” in Dandelion nightclub last February, which resulted in him raising €15,000. Applications for this year’s

100minds initiative opened this week. The non-profit organisation has raised its goal for the year to €150,000 and is looking to recruit 150 students to raise these funds. The organisation has expanded the impact of the project and has this year chosen charities Barnardos and Blossom Ireland to benefit from the students work. Barnardos provide direct services, advice and practical support for over 8,900 children and families annually. Their aim is to better the lives of children who face poverty, neglect and abuse. 100minds has pledged €100,000 of the €150,000 to Barnardos. The second charity,

Blossom Ireland, was set up by two Dublin-based mothers, they offer innovative means of learning for children with intellectual disabilities. The €50,000 pledged to Blossom Ireland would be enough to cover their operational budget for 2015. Every student that takes part in the initiative will receive the full support of the 100minds community and will be assigned a mentor from one of their partner companies, which include LinkedIn, KPMG, PWC, to help complete their projects. Sian Kneafsey, a UCD student in 2nd Year Medicine who participated last year said that she “learned so much from the project”. Kneafsey

ran a charity ball, but also pointed to other events ran by UCD students, including a UCD rugby tournament between lecturers and students. Kneafsey explained that the application process was simple; she applied and was rang a few days later to be told that her application had been accepted. Kneafsey, who is working with the initiative again this year, has said that there will a launch date announced after applications have been received. After the launch, each student will have 100 days to raise the €1,000 in the most entrepreneurial way possible. Kneafsey said “it was incredible to see where the

money went after the projects were completed”. Last year’s fundraising saw new machinery and equipment purchased for Temple Street Hospital. Each student can blog about their ideas and keep the public updated on how their fundraising is progressing, donations can be made online direct through the students’ personal profiles.

Closing date for application is October 17th, for more information see www.100minds.org

kbc bank staff and advertising material removed from campus after request made by aib megan Fanning KBC Bank Ireland plc (KBC) were removed from the UCD Orientation Tent this week following a request made by Allied Irish Bank (AIB). The move comes following controversy that KBC was allowed to sign a contract with the UCDSU guaranteeing a place for promotional material in the Orientation Tent, despite the fact AIB holds exclusivity rights on the campus. Speaking following the incident which on Tuesday morning, Feargal Hynes, President of UCDSU explained that “regulations around the contract change the whole time” and that it was “fairly regular” for the Students’ Union to engage with other banks. Hynes referenced the period when Bank of Ireland sponsored the Orientation Tent as one example. Hynes said that what happened earlier this week between the two

banks, was a “complete breakdown in communications” and that the SU does not have access to the contract so they took advice from the university’s commercial manager as to what they were allowed in terms of sponsorship. Hynes is assured that the SU is still on “good terms” with AIB and highlighted that a new leadership programme in partnership with the bank is going to be unveiled soon. Hynes understood the situation and agreed that “AIB have to be over-cautious not to lose any of their market share”. The worth of the contract between KBC and the UCDSU has not been disclosed. AIB have been contacted for comment, but at the time of writing no response has been received.

KBC advertising material left in the Orientation Tent. Photo: James Brady

Independent report recommends UCD Ball return to campus following “substantial loss” Cormac Duffy UCD Students’ Union (SU) have commissioned an independent report into a “substantial” financial loss made by the UCD Ball 2014. UCDSU President Feargal Hynes has cited poor attendance as a primary factor, saying “Sales figures didn’t compare at all. They were down, big time. We made a substantial loss on the Ball.” Hynes adds that while results from the 2013 event were in line with budgeted figures, with a “manageable loss” made, this year’s event made a loss that was “far greater”.

2 September 16th 2014

The annual event has taken place in Dublin’s O2 venue since Gardaí refused a license to host the event on campus in 2013. Hynes has pointed to a widely-felt sentiment that students have not wanted the ball in an off-campus venue and that while “they never came out in force against, they just weren’t for it.” Mazars, an international audit and accounting firm, were commissioned to create an independent report on the losses after the report was tendered to Mazars, PwC and Grant Thornton. Hynes has justified

the expenditure made on the report, saying “We want to be as accountable as possible and that’s why we’ve formalised all of our procedures and our board, and had continuous improvement in all that we do. If we didn’t do it, we wouldn’t be following through in the most accountable way, so that wasn’t even an option.” Figures relating to the loss and the cost of the report will not be available to the public until the publication of the SU’s end of year results. Hynes has said that a summary of the report is expected to be published in the coming weeks.

Recommendations made by the report included working to increase student engagement with the SU, better risk management in relation to the event, and to aim to improve reporting structures within the SU. The report has also recommended an amalgamation of the UCDSU’s Board and Finance Committee. Hynes said that the most important finding of the report was that “the venue is the unique selling point of the UCD Ball” and that it would be difficult for a financially responsible SU “to be investing such sums of money into a ball if it’s not in UCD.”

Returning the UCD Ball to an on-campus venue was a central promise of Hynes’ election campaign and one to which he is still committed. Gardaí have been kept informed of efforts made to ensure student safety at the UCD Ball, and Hynes points out that the 2014 event had “no major incidents, especially related to alcohol.” While no response has been received from Gardaí, Hynes said that there is an expectation to sit down for discussions with them in the coming months.

News Analysis: Model United Nations Grows in Popularity with UCD Students Megan Fanning

News international

News in Brief Melissa o’sullivan

Kentucky state university drops one quarter of students

UCD LawSoc’s National Model United Nations delegates.

In recent months, the popularity of Model United Nations (MUN) has soared across campus. It may seem an odd choice of hobby, outside the expected student debauchery, but there have been numerous factors proposed as the reasons for the interest. A hugely popular School of Politics module called Politics of the Great Nations, students back from Erasmus with experience of the competition and those who participated in it during secondary school all seem to play a role. With this growing interest, a group of students are in the process of gaining society status for the currently unofficial MUNSoc. When asked why there was never this level of interest prior to the last year, Gordon Walsh, at the forefront of the potential society, said that there was a “perceived lack of interest” or “outright mismanagement”. He believes the best way to combat the problem would be to make an official Model United Nations society, to have a dedicated

team to both host a MUN competition and to promote it at collegiate level. UCD LawSoc are also conducting a National Model United Nations (NMUN) for the first time this year. Talking to Ian Fahey, Auditor of LawSoc, he said the idea was spun when their NMUN convenor, Danielle Curtis, returned from Erasmus having represented the Université de Bruxelles in New York last year and was the only Irish delegate out of the 5,000 students participating. He says that they realised there was a “gap in the market”, they believed that the competition would appeal to many students and thought it would be a good idea to hold it under the “umbrella” of a society, believing there to be a “better chance of it happening.” When both Walsh and Fahey were asked about the potential conflict between the two groups, both were certain that the other’s endeavours could only be good for them. Walsh

said that LawSoc’s competition could only aid their application, saying it would demonstrate the interest that the student body has in the competition. Fahey said that LawSoc had been in touch with the potential MUNSoc and believes what they’re doing is “fantastic” and encourages and supports their application. The format of Model UN is a copy of the actual United Nations process; its General Assembly, its committees such as Chemical Weapons, Probation and UNICEF, and its nation states are all represented. Each delegation represents a country that in reality sits on these committees. With the NMUN, which is the competition that LawSoc is participating in, delegations are given scenarios in late October/ early November, after the delegates are chosen. Delegates comes up with a position paper, outlining two or three potential strategies on which to base your argument.

Fahey says that it will “build up your negotiation skills through weekly training” which the society will be providing. Delegates have the opportunity to discuss real-world issues such as aid in Africa, political strife across the world or as the first year politics students discussed last year in their Model UN simulation, the ongoing Crimean crisis. Walsh says that it helps in “better understanding global issues” and the “way international discourse works”. For him it “creates a diversity of opinion that is lacking in traditional two-sided debate formats.” Fahey says that it “develops your mind politically” to have the opportunity to put aside your own personal beliefs and morals towards how one views certain countries, and says it “doesn’t matter” if you disagree with that country’s policies, you have to embody their views regardless. LawSoc launched the initiative last week with their head delegates, Ian

Fahey, Ian Murphy and Danielle Curtis, and will be having information talks on Wednesday, 17th September at 1pm in Meeting Rooms 5, 6 & 7 and Monday, 22nd September at 2pm in the Fitzgerald Chamber. The potential MUNSoc are currently taking applications to participate in their event, which will take place in late February/early March. For more information, see the UCD NMUN 2015 Facebook page or email ucdnmun@gmail.com To apply to particpate in MUNSoc’s event, email your name, year, course of study, reasons for wanting to participate and a top five list of countries you’d like to represent during the MUN to ucdmodelun@gmail.com

News Analysis: UCD introduces first stage of campus wide smoking ban Cian Carton

Kentucky State University will drop one quarter of its students due to unpaid fees. The news was announced after 645 students failed to pay their university fees even though they had enrolled in classes. Annual enrolment fees are $7,000 per year, though some unpaid bills were said to be as high as $4,000 estimated to be leaving the university short approximately $7 million in total. Raymond Burse, President of the university, stated that due to this shortfall, the university would no longer allow students to register for classes without paying the registration fees, a common practice in universities in Kentucky. Students who have not paid were informed up to 22 times about their late payments and also received financial counseling from the university. Aaron Thompson, chief academic officer of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, claimed the university should have dealt with the problem earlier. Up to 70% of the students have returned to the university having settled their balances. President Burse believes that addressing this problem will make the university a “stronger and better institution”.

Kenya Seeks to Establish East Africa’s Second Stand Alone E-Learning University At least $23.5 million is being sought by Kenya from private investors in order to establish a digital university. The Open University of Kenya, which would be the country’s eighth public university, would allow both undergraduate and postgraduate students from remote areas to follow lectures via the internet and submit assignments online. There has been a huge increase in the amount of students pursuing third level education in Kenya, especially in its seven public universities. It is hoped that the new university would help deal with a backlog of up to 40,000 would-be students. Enrolments are expected to increase greatly this year as the government starts admitting state-funded students to private universities, a recently introduced practice. The exercise of seeking private investors for public universities is part of a public-private partnership plan from which the government is hoping to raise at least $29 billion over the next ten years. “It’s clear the government can no longer rely on taxpayers’ money to fund education. It has to seek private capital,” said Mwangi Wachira, an economist in Nairobi.

Novelist Launches Scathing Attack Against Her Former University Employers

Last year, UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) adopted the policy that “this union supports the smoke free campus initiative, as proposed by the UCD Health Promotion Committee” on the back of a yes vote in a campus-wide referendum. One year on, it has begun to implement this policy and has started with banning the sale of cigarettes on campus from the beginning of term. Interestingly, the vote was arguably meaningless, as the university itself has all the power in this situation. The university could impose a complete ban on smoking within its grounds if it wished. A no vote would not have stopped the UCD Health Promotion committee from pursuing its own agenda, which last September was calling for a smoke free campus to be implemented by October 2014. The ban is not expected to have any major impact on shop sales, given that cigarettes are more of a

low margin item than primarily a revenue-generating product. Still, Feargal Hynes, UCDSU President, expressed concerns about the feasible spin off loss from the ban, alongside the possibility that the demand for cigarettes would drive students to off-campus shops. Fears that a black market cigarette operation could start up have not been directly addressed, as there appears to be a wait-and-see approach to how the ban itself works out by governing bodies. A long walk to buy cigarettes may tempt some to seek alternative means. Just as the laws of economics ring true, the ban creates a void in the marketplace that some may seek to fill. Upon its introduction at the beginning of September, national media coverage failed to go beyond the referendum’s 55%-45% vote in favour of the proposal. On paper, it appears like a large majority. The

actual turnout was relatively low, with 1413 voting in favour of the proposal and 1143 voting against it. Of course, it would be ridiculous to say that the total possible electorate was 25,000 students, a figure thrown around far too liberally that it has almost reached god-like status. There is nowhere near that amount of people passing through campus on any one day. Similarly, it would be unfair to say that voter turnout was too low. For example, 4309 voted in a 2010 referendum to overturn the ban on products made by Cola-Cola being sold on campus, which was held on the same day as the Sabbatical elections. Arguably, people were more inclined to vote in that one given it occurred on election day. However, it could be said that they were just handed another piece of paper upon which to tick,

that the vote lost its importance within the election campaign. Nevertheless, Hynes acknowledged that the SU must fight to encourage voter participation, that “people would see it as an opportunity to have their say rather than just being harassed going down the concourse by someone.” The challenge facing the SU on that front cannot be overstated. The central debate on smoking comes down to the right of choice, perhaps. It draws divisions with regard to smoking in public places, where the competing rights of individuals come to the fore. The most common complaint about UCD’s smokers are their apparent love of lighting up at the entrances of the main buildings on campus. Attempts to drive smokers away from the entrance of the Newman building are more fervent than ever this year, with a wall of plants the latest deployment in the war.

Kevin Beirne, then editor of the University Observer, summed up the anti-smoking brigade in an editorial column last year, arguing that by “smoking in a public places, you’re pretty much telling everyone around you that your desire to poison yourself is more important than their desire to not be poisoned.” Let the clamour for designated smoking areas commence. The implementation of the ban makes UCD the first university in Ireland to try this new approach, with DIT and Trinity monitoring it closely. Trinity students’ opposition to a similar ban won out by a narrow margin in a referendum last year. Given that UCD is now the test subject, there will no doubt be more commentary on this issue over the coming year.

Marina Warner, a novelist and former professor at the University of Essex, has likened her former employers (the higher education managers at the university) to “Chinese communist enforcers,” while detailing her decision to leave the university in the London Review of Books. Now the chair of judges for the 2015 Man Booker International Prize, she felt she had been “pushed” to resign from her job by the managers, who she claims have been attempting to turn the university into a “forprofit” business, just like the practice of Chinese communist corporatism. Warner stated that the university only cares about making money and pays little regard to its students and teachers, which can be seen through over-crowded classrooms and overflowing workloads for staff. A spokesperson for the university said that “students are our priority” and later stated “excellence in education and research are our two priorities and they enjoy equal esteem.”

september 16th 2014

comment A Cold, Hard Blast of Charity With the Ice Bucket Challenge saturating social media, Martin Healy examines if this mass-donating craze only serves to prove our own narcissism

The idea of “viral content” has spread, well virally, since the dawn of social media. Online crazes and fads move with the changing of seasons. Remember the Harlem Shake? Rickrolling? Happy slapping? Sure enough we have stumbled onto a new craze which has begun to tire people within any distance of an internet connection. This, of course, is the Ice Bucket Challenge. This, unlike many other internet fads, at least has some merit. While there are caveats around the video craze, the decision of the internet-at-large to begin donating to charity is an admirable one, especially considering the amount of negativity created by the internet. The Ice Bucket Challenge, as most of society is now well aware, is a short video in which you throw a bucket of ice water over your head for the benefit of charity. In Ireland the money goes to the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA) and in the US the money goes to ALSA, who help sufferers of Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS. You then challenge people to complete the same task within 24 hours. As with most online trends, it has become common sight on Facebook and YouTube to varying degrees of annoyance. While, yes, the Ice Bucket Challenge has completely hit saturation across the internet, with 2.4 million ice bucket videos are on Facebook as well as 3.7 million videos on Instagram, it is at least for a good cause. It appears to be a good cause, at face value anyway, masses of people fundraising for charity. What is the harm in that? Questions are raised however if we consider is everyone who undertakes the challenge actually donating money? There are countless videos of people, whether they are celebrity or just someone you know on Facebook, who are taking the challenge

without a mention of charity or whether or not they have donated. Here lies an issue, when the challenge stops being an activity that helps fight a disease and becomes a way of stroking a person’s ego. When an obscure celebrity answers the challenge with no mention of charity, this is when the Ice Bucket Challenge earns its “annoying” label. That aside, for the people who are honest in their donation, we must ask ourselves is a sudden and rapid influx of money for a charity actually a good thing? There has been discussion of this matter amongst researchers and scientists who actually put the money to practical use. An issue can arise with the sudden influx of money into a charity, such as the over $100 million rasied for the ALSA in August alone compared to $2.5 million in all of 2013. When a charity receives such a lofty amount of money, pressure is inherently going to build up inside and outside of the organisation. Huge projects will be started, prompting headlines that show that people’s money is indeed being put to good use. This issue can be avoided but the onus must be placed on the ALSA and the IMNDA to be smart with their spending so as not to fire through all of their money in an attempt to reach unrealistic goals. There have been questions as to whether the challenge is just a vehicle for worldwide narcissism in order for people to publicly show they are donating to charity or not. In a sense, it certainly is. The millions who went ahead with the challenge just as easily could have opened their cheque books for any charity of their choosing and moved on with their lives. Why didn’t they? They don’t want to be left out. Sure, it may indeed seem like a strange trick to get people to donate for charity, but the ultimate goal is admirable. As sad as it is, none of this money would have gone to charitable benefit if there

was not a fun challenge or gimmick involved. This is undeniably the hook of the craze but the end goal ultimately justifies the means. It may be a ridiculous way to raise money but it is a fruitful avenue nonetheless. With careful management of their new funds by the ALSA and IMNDA, as well as proper support of the charities by the donators, the Ice Bucket Challenge appears to be a great method for charity work. Nonetheless, it is slightly ruined by the very medium used to popularise the challenge in the first place: the internet. Thanks to it happening during the relatively quiet month of August, the Ice Bucket Challenge offered news websites and blogs countless opportunities to post their “27 Favourite Celebrity Ice Bucket Challenges” or all their beloved “Ice Bucket Fails”. It being a huge force on Facebook and Instagram is one thing, but when news sites are falling over themselves to capture muchneeded traffic regarding the craze, it all becomes a bit too much. That fault, however, does not fall to the ALSA/ IMNDA or donators, it is an issue with the revenue-starved online media. Despite claims of narcissism and faux-altruism by those against the idea of the Ice Bucket Challenge, it cannot be denied that this craze has the potential to do some good in the world. Sufferers of motor neuron diseases have been struggling for years. Additional income to help fight against the disease is more than welcome. There is far too much negativity surrounding the modern internet, from cyber-bullying to mass harassment. Having the online world be a force for good is a welcome and uncommon change. So if we have to sit through another umpteen Harlem Shake-clone so that money will be raised for charitable purposes, then that is certainly preferable to the alternative.

As sad as it is, none of this money would have gone to charitable benefit if there was not a fun challenge or gimmick involved.

Members of ucd staff participating in the Ice bucket challenge. photo Joanna o’Malley

Neutered Neutrality? In the wake of the Irish state approving arms sales to Israel, Fionnán Long looks at Ireland’s troubled relationship with its own neutrality

Irish neutrality is an emotional issue rather than something that is carefully examined

weather forecasts from Blacksod lighthouse in Co. Mayo were sent to allied forces and delayed the launch of the d-day attacks during world war 2. photo: flickr user charles w. bash 4 September 16th 2014

One of the great generalisations made about the Irish is our overwhelming tendency towards cynicism; we are inordinately slow to acknowledge our positives. When pushed, one of the things we call to mind is our historical neutrality. Yet the extent to which that neutrality continues to exist is questionable. Even the issue of whether it ever existed is up for debate. The usual narrative of Irish neutrality draws on the idea of “Dev keeping us out of the war”, and it reaches its terminus with an agreement between the USA and Ireland to provide logistical support to US military aircraft at Shannon. There are varying interpretations, but most people will assume that during “The Emergency” Ireland was a neutral actor, and but for Bertie Ahern signing a refuelling agreement Ireland is still a neutral actor. It is true that the Irish state officially adopted a policy of neutrality during World War II, an impression kept up as Eamon De Valera infamously offered his condolences to Germany for the death of Adolf Hitler. The position of neutrality received very strong public support, yet in practice Ireland was not a neutral actor. A report written by Viscount Cranborne to Churchill’s wartime cabinet outlines the considerable degree of informal support Ireland gave to Allied forces. Irish security forces shared intelligence with the British Government. This included weather reports and actual intelligence on German aliens living within Ireland. British aircraft were allowed to use certain portions of Irish airspace. Most remarkably, the Irish government disabled lighting in coastal towns and villages at times when that light may have served as a useful aid to navigation for German U-Boats. During the Cold War, Ireland was officially unaligned once more. In actual fact Ireland’s position was far murkier. While Ireland did refuse

to join NATO, it did offer to form a direct alliance with the United States, an offer that was ultimately rejected. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Taoiseach Seán Lemass authorised the search of Cuban-bound Soviet planes refuelling in Shannon. Secret state papers released under the 30-year rule are also telling. One document records a meeting in 1981 between Taoiseach Charlie Haughey and Chancellor Helmut Schmidt of West Germany. During the meeting Ireland’s refusal to join NATO was raised, to which Haughey responded that Ireland was a western country and “not neutral”. Nonetheless in 2002 the Irish Government made a declaration at the Seville European Council asserting its commitment to a policy of military neutrality. The same government in 2003 supported UN resolution 1441 which threatened serious consequences to Iraq if it did not comply with weapons inspectors. Part of the reasoning behind the Seville Declaration of neutrality may have been to allay domestic fears within Ireland that EU integration was undermining Irish neutrality. A year earlier the Treaty of Nice had been strongly rejected by Irish voters. A strong motivation to vote against the Nice Treaty was the fear of a common European defence policy. The Nice episode illustrates the strong sense of attachment the Irish public feel towards neutrality. The historical trend that emerges shows a gulf between public opinion on foreign policy and state practice. While at times the state’s pragmatism has been impressive, the gulf is unsettling. Nevertheless the degree to which the Irish state can exercise its neutrality is restricted by the existing geopolitical framework. There is always some extent to which we need to know those we depend on. This may explain the gulf. Irish public opinion on neutrality shows an interesting paradox. Political groups which are the most

vocal critics of Irish foreign policy during the Iraq War remain the strongest advocates for the diplomatic isolation of Israel. Irish neutrality is an emotional issue rather than something that is carefully examined. This is not necessarily a bad thing. This neutrality is relatively unique in Western liberal democracies. It was an even more remarkable attitude to hold during the 1930s and 1940s, as the spectre of xenophobia and militarism rose in Europe. Where this attachment to neutrality came from is unclear. Irish self-image of an institutional or cultural tendency towards neutrality seems at odds with the origin of our state, which began in revolution. The legacy of that revolution was even embedded in our 1937 Constitution, Article 2 of which asserted that “the National Territory of Ireland consists of the whole island of Ireland its islands and the territorial seas”. The Irish state in 1937 sought to define itself in opposition to British territorial claims over Northern Ireland. This is a decisively non-neutral thing to do, and that constitution was approved with overwhelming public support. It is fair to say that Irish views on Northern Ireland are a deviation from the trend. A deviation created by the emotional nature of what that generation perceived as a half-finished revolution. The same voters who adopted the 1937 constitution strongly supported DeValera’s neutrality. Perhaps the attachment to neutrality came from a generation traumatised by civil war, a generation that could no longer bear the idea of violence. That same generation repeatedly discussed that idea around kitchen tables and so did the next one. As allegiances to Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael were bred into people so too, was neutrality. Maybe historical hangovers aren’t universally negative.

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Head to head: Should the points system be scrapped?

pro

con

Debating that it is outdated and biased Claire O’Sullivan contests that the point system needs a radical change.

With the efficacy of the points system coming into question Ciara Leacy argues that the current system is both fair and transparent.

Ireland is renowned for its stellar education system. I would whole heartedly agree that Irish Universities and Institutions are excellent in their respective fields. Nevertheless, with the current outdated system, it’s a miracle that half of us even get to third level. A radical shake up of the Irish Leaving Certificate and CAO points system is sorely needed. The current system is solely geared towards testing a student’s ability to memorize facts and books of information rather than their ability to reason and understand them. This does little to help either the student or the system. An A1 in Geography could help a student get into a Science course even if they got a D in Biology. The points race is forcing students to worry about how to get an A rather than what they want to study in the future. Many students are getting into college based on subjects that bear no relevance to their desired college course. Only when these students reach college do they suffer the consequences of being ill-prepared. In some cases if a student had focused on the subjects that they hoped to study in college rather than the subjects that would get them the most points they wouldn’t get into their desired course. This is ridiculous and just serves to highlight that the Leaving Cert and the points system do not prepare students for the life ahead. Little emphasis is placed on teaching students to learn by analogy or allowing them to apply real world information to something to help them understand it better. Many will have repeatedly heard the phrase “you get out of the Leaving Certificate what you put into it” maybe a more realistic rephrase would be, “you get as many points as you can depending on how many facts you manage to memorize and spew out on the day”. God help students who feel ill on the day of the exam. Sure it’s only your future, no pressure. In Ireland we currently offer a very narrow range of subjects, with a ridiculous bias in favor of students who are good at languages – most schools have their subject choices arranged in such a way that you must study three languages. It doesn’t matter if a student is mathematically minded or musically gifted, almost 50% of the leaving cert subjects are languages irrespective of interests, aptitudes and abilities. How fair must that feel if you love Maths, Accounting, Business, Art, Technical Graphics or Woodwork? We also can’t forget the lack of availability of some of these subjects to women. If you really hate French, to the point where you break out in a sweat at the very thought of the oral, then why should you have to do it? If learning a language is forced upon you in an abundance of never ending grammar classes, most

will choose never to use it again anyway. As Ireland changes it’s becoming clearer that so too should the points system. While the argument for getting extra points through Irish is rooted in maintaining our native language, Ireland has changed. There are now many immigrant children in Ireland doing their Leaving Cert through English, surely they should be given a similar advantage for completing the exam in what may be their second or third language? Additionally while the incentive behind additional points for higher level Maths was implemented to encourage more students to enter into the Science and Engineering sectors it has also encouraged more and more student to take the subject purely to obtain extra points. One of the major problems with this is that some people take on higher level Maths when they are not able for it. The student may then put too much of their time into the one subject resulting in lower grades in other subjects or fail Maths altogether. Maths is not for everyone and so our system is putting those whose talents lie elsewhere at an unfair disadvantage. So what to do? Change is necessary Some people argue that with its total animosity and structured nature that the points system is at least fair and that transparency and objectivity are vital in a small country like Ireland. Year after year the system is becoming more predictable. Students should not get into college because they learned old exam papers off by heart. This predictability has also led to students taking tips from grinds teachers and their friends about what’s coming up on this year’s paper. Many may remember the shock when a couple of years back Sylvia Plath did not appear in the poetry section of English Paper 2 after people were so sure that she would come up. Project Maths was created partly to overcome the predictability of the paper as well as to make it easier to apply to real life. All it seems to have done is tripled the workload and left teachers scrambling to figure out what exactly it is that they are supposed to be teaching. It is so hard to dislodge to this system because, to put it succinctly, it suits ambitious middle class parents because they know how to play the system and have the resources to make it work for them. It leaves under-resourced schools and families at a disadvantage, and it distorts the popularity of certain university programmes. In fact, I have tried and I cannot find a single persuasive reason to retain it, other than that changing it will be hard work.

6 September 16th 2014

The points system is, of course, not without its flaws but unlike so many of its global counterparts it is not open to corruption.

The Leaving Certificate has been an Irish institution since 1924, and the points system has been in place in various guises for many years since. Any student who has sat the Leaving Cert can attest to the stressful and often cutthroat nature of the so-called “points race” that allocates college places based solely on results. Unpleasant as it may be, the points system is a necessary part of the Irish education system. When discussing the points system, it is first necessary to clearly define its function. The system exists in order to distribute college places in a fair and transparent way. The points system as it currently stands fulfils both of these provisions. A candidate sits an exam which is corrected by an anonymous examiner, who in turn has no way of discovering the candidate’s identity. This effectively prevents any prejudice on behalf of the examiner, or bribery on behalf of the candidate. The student’s grades are translated into points and combined to give a total. The candidate’s background, ethnicity and socioeconomic status do not play a factor in this system. Places are allocated purely based on the candidate’s combined academic grades. The points system is, of course, not without its flaws but unlike so many of its global counterparts it is not open to corruption. The crux of the matter was summarised by Independent journalist Katherine Donnelly, when she wrote: “One of the problems with tinkering with the points system is that, while it may be brutal, it is fair”. Many people have argued that the points system is unfair, primarily because candidates from a higher-earning household are more likely to score higher points than their counterparts from lower-income households. However, this perceived unfairness in the system is a part of a larger array of underlying problems with the Leaving Certificate and not a result of issues within the points system itself. College places must be allocated in some way. The points system does this in a fair manner. It is the exam formats themselves that encourage rote learning and the availing of grinds in the months leading up to the exam, not the points system. This year, for the first time, Trinity College Dublin allocated a small number of places in its Law programme based not only on candidate’s Leaving Cert performance, but also on a personal statement and an interview. The reasoning behind this scheme was to allow candidates who may not have been as strong in some subjects to enter the course

based on their deep love of the subject and their potential to progress rather than just their points. However, there are major problems with this scheme. For example, the child of a lecturer might earn a place on the course through their family connections ahead of a person with higher points. Nepotism is a huge problem in other college admission systems, including in the United States where an interview and essay-based admission system is in place. It is much more individualised but is also a system where bias and favouritism are rife. The points system, by preserving the anonymity of the candidate, overcomes this potential stumbling block. Of course, the points for many college courses remain high despite attempts by third-level institutions to assess their candidates in other ways in addition to their examination results. In the case of medicine, the introduction of the HPAT exam has failed to reduce the points for the course in any large way. Many blame the points system for the high grades necessary to gain entrance into professional courses but it is simply a case of supply and demand. If there are a lot more candidates applying for a course than there are places, then the points will, logically, be higher. This is a fault of the higher education system, which cannot afford to accommodate more students, rather than a problem with the points system itself. The points system is ideal as it allows for improvement in how it is structured, while still maintaining its integrity. Recently, there have been numerous proposals to apply a weighting to different Leaving Certificate subjects based on the candidate’s chosen college course. A potential science student, for example, could receive more points for chemistry than for Irish, even if they scored the same grade in both subjects. This would reward those students who have an aptitude for the subjects which are relevant to their chosen career path, while still preventing any favouritism from creeping into the system. This idea and the extra 25 points now rewarded to higher level Maths students clearly show the flexibility of the present system. In short, although the points system is not perfect as it currently stands, it is nonetheless a fair system, and one which allows candidates to rely on academic achievement rather than cronyism. Although it may not be the most ideal system, as it attaches equal weighting to all six subjects, it is still far more balanced and transparent than any individualised system could be.

rebuttal

rebuttal The very fact that the Leaving Certificate has been using the same points system since 1924, nearly a hundred years, further clarifies the reasoning that change is needed. Ireland has changed vastly in this time, and the education system should adapt and revamp in order to accommodate that change. There is no reason that a new and fair system could not be put in place whilst still protecting the anonymity of the students. The above article states that the high grades

It is so hard to dislodge to this system because it suits ambitious middle class parents who know how to play the system and have the resources to make it work for them

needed for certain courses are “simply a case of supply and demand”. Herein lies the problem, if there are a restricted number of places in a course surely a candidate should be given a chance to demonstrate their ability for the subject rather than their ability to play the system. Is it fair that a student who gets straight As in Science can lose a place in Chemistry in favour of the student who excels at languages? The points may add up but the reasoning behind it does not.

Adding weighting to certain subjects depending on a student’s chosen career can be done without scrapping the points system altogether. In fact, it would be necessary to retain some version of the points system in order to fairly assess a student’s performance. Problems with the formats of exams, the style of learning that best suits them, their predictable nature, the limited range of subjects available, and the extra points awarded for honours maths or for sitting

exams in Irish are not caused by the points system. The necessity for an unbiased and impartial method of assessing a candidate’s examination results remains, and the points system fulfils this in a more transparent way than its counterparts. It is not the points system that needs an overhaul, it is the Leaving Certificate examination.

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