Volume XX – Broadsheet – Issue 1

UO

INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK J. ADAMS IN OTWO AOIFE VALENTINE ON EVERYDAY SEXISM

THE UNIVERSITY OBSERVER THE CASUAL OBSERVER A HISTORY OF THE CONTROVERSIAL UCD GENDER EQUALITY FACEBOOK PAGE

THE COST OF HEALTH SCIENCE INVESTIGATES THE HEALTH GAP BETWEEN THE RICH AND POOR

JONNY BARRY P14

ROBERT NIELSEN P12

THINGS MADE OF WOOL EMBRACING HIS MIDDLE CLASS LIFE, DONNA WOODS TRIES RUNNING AND LIFTING THINGS AT THE GYM DONNA DOYLE P7

HOLY WOW STUDIOS OTWO DISCUSSES MENACING TYPING LESSONS WITH THE INDIE GAME DEVELOPERS

ABOVE: BUILDERS WORKING IN UCD ON LUNCH BREAK

NIALL GOSKER OTWO P7

PHOTO: EMILY MULLEN

XVII · IX · MMXIII VOLUME XX ISSUE I

€176K OF HEALTH CENTRE FEES UNPAID KILLIAN WOODS P1

ACCOMMODATION CRISIS HITS UCD STUDENTS

YVANNE KENNEDY

AN INVESTIGATION undertaken by the University Observer has revealed the strain that has been placed on student’s seeking accommodation for the forthcoming academic year.

Posing as a student applying for a property viewing, the University Observer was only offered viewings for 3 out of the 82 holdings that were applied to.

Out of the twenty-eight respondents, 54% explicitly stated they would not rent to students.

When the University Observer was informed that certain properties involved in the investigation were no longer on the market, a secondary enquiry was made. For the purposes of the follow up enquiry, the University Observer posed as someone in their early twenties who had full-time employment.

A third of these landlords that had informed the student that the property they applied for had been

YOU’RE NOT A STUDENT, ARE YOU?

ONE LANDLORD IN RESPONSE TO AN APPLICATION TO VIEW A PROPERTY

let, subsequently offered a viewing to the full-time professional.

The sample of properties used for the investigation were exclusively sourced from Daft.ie, a property website commonly used by students searching for accommodation.

During the course of the investigation, the University Observer relied only on properties for rent that appeared in the University College Dublin sub-section of the Daft.ie ‘College Search’ feature.

When approached about this issue, no spokesperson at Daft.ie made themselves available for comment.

Bob Jordan, Chief Executive of Threshold, a housing charity based in Dublin, said that this issue is systemic at present. He voiced sympathy for landlords who have dealt with difficult student tenants in the past. “It’s definitely a landlords market at the moment so places go pretty quickly.

“There are legitimate reasons to turn down a student. They know they can get more rent from professional and longer-term tenants.

Professionals make less use of the property, causing less wear and tear. Some landlords will have had a bad experience of students because of damage caused to the property; it’s true of any group of tenants but it is legitimate.”

A Stage 2 Arts student who, at the time of going to print, still had not finalised accommodation for the academic year spoke to the University Observer about their difficulties finding somewhere to live. They said, “[We have viewed] five properties and another guy went to view six houses, but none of them worked out. We found one really good one in Rathmines, but there was a lot of people wanting to look at it that weren’t students.”

University College Dublin

Students’ Union (UCDSU) President Mícheál Gallagher said that services have been put in place to help students with regard to finding accommodation. “An accommodation advisory service was started [by the SU]. We have had our part-time convenors working on this.

“Overall we have increased accommodation office work from 15 hours a week last year, to 40 plus [hours] this year.”

An area of the UCDSU website has been dedicated by Vice-President for Welfare & Equality, Cian Dowling, to allow landlords to advertise directly to students, while students can also post notices of vacant rooms themselves. However, one of the main resources on this site is still the Daft.ie listings, which proved unsuccessful in our investigation.

EXCLUSIVE COLUMNIST READ THE TOUCHING FIRST COLUMN FROM INTERNET SENSATION ORLA GARTLAND

ORLA GARTLAND OTWO P18

ADDITIONAL REPORTING

BY KILLIAN WOODS HEAD TO HEAD

SHOULD EGYPT BE LEAD BY AN ELECTED AUTOCRACY OR AN UNELECTED LIBERAL GOVERNMENT?

€176,000 OF HEALTH CENTRE FEES LEFT UNPAID SINCE 2009 THE UCD HEALTH Service, in consultation with UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) Executive Committee, have changed their payment policy in order to combat the percentage of non-payments reaching 55% in 2013. This represented a total amount of non-paid debt worth €176,000 since 2009.

This revision of the payment system means students will no longer be provided with a ten-day grace period in which to pay their outstanding consultation fees. The new scheme will require all students to pay the full amount of their bill immediately after their consultation and also revokes the ability to pay online.

Speaking to the University Observer, Dr. Sandra Tighe, Medical Director at the UCD Health Service, said the reason behind chang-

ing the payment process was “because of a large amount of unpaid debt; €176,000 since we first started charging [in 2009]. It’s normal practice if you go to your GP surgery or if you go for anything it is normal to pay at the time.”

UCD Health Service fees were introduced in 2009 in order to solve funding and staffing problems that the centre was experiencing at the time. The UCD Health Centre website also states that the introduction of fees would also provide a platform for further services to be introduced.

Commenting on the additional services that were planned to be introduced, Dr. Tighe said, “Due to financial constraints in the University there haven’t really been any significant additional services. It was just maintaining the service rather

than any significant additions.”

Some UCD students, meanwhile, have criticised the lack of a public campaign to make students aware of the changes in how their Health Centre charges will be processed. Other students have claimed that they have received no warning about the new system, even when they called to book an appointment for themselves.

In relation students complaints about not receiving adequate warning about the alterations to the payment process, Dr. Tighe said, “We’ve only just started, so we haven’t had a general email out to students as yet. It is on the website and there were notices up in the waiting room in the weeks prior.”

UCDSU President, Mícheál Gallagher, said that the decision to change payment policy was made in

DE SALES REDDAN VS O’MALLEY P7

KILLIAN WOODS

the best interests of the UCD Health Service. “The changes to the Student Health Centre’s payment system were made in consultation with the SU Executive [Committee] last May. “The Union realised that, to have a sustainable healthcare system in place for students going into the future, a change needed to occur.

Since 2009, more resources have been put in place for counselling, which is free to all students, while additional resources have also been allocated to administration to ensure that the centre is run as efficiently as possible.”

Gallagher stressed that the sustainability of the service is paramount and measures had to be taken in order to counteract the numbers of students not paying their Health Centre fees.

Students who rely on the Welfare Fund and other assistance funds to pay their Health Centre fees could be affected by this alteration to the payment process, which could force them to pay out of their own pocket.

Gallagher was keen to address this issue, highlighting that plans to reform the Student Welfare and Assistance fund are already afoot.

“The Union in association with the University’s Student Welfare and Assistance Committee developed the Byrne Report, 2013, in which recommendations were put to University Management Team about how to reform student financial assistance.”

These new measures to assist students are due to be implemented from October 2013, although it is unclear what alternative service will be provided in the interim.

UCD WEATHER

EDITORS

OTWO TALKS TO THE BIRMINGHAM BAND ABOUT THEIR NEW MEMBERS REBEKAH RENNICK OTWO P16

BY CATHAL NOLAN

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Rain Spreading

Sunshine & Showers

Dry & Sunny

Dry & Sunny Again

Still Dry & Sunny

Dry & Sunny!

SEPTEMBER 17TH 2013

2

News

News in Brief Lauren Moore

UCD awards honorary degrees during graduation week During the week of graduation ceremonies, several honorary degrees were awarded by University College Dublin. These degrees are given to individuals who have achieved prestige and distinction in their particular fields.

Honorary degrees of Doctors of Law were awarded to the CEO of Bord Bia, Aiden Cotter, Irish businessman, Declan McCourt and Senator Catherine Zappone.

Cotter was honoured for his work in building a global market and an impressive reputation for the Irish food industry. McCourt has many achievements in the business world and also many connections with UCD, including being the Chair of UCD’s School of Law Development Council. Catherine Zappone is at the forefront of the campaign for marriage equality in Ireland.

Honorary degrees of Doctors of Literature were awarded to Jeffrey Alexander, who is a leading figure in modern cultural sociology and Robert Ballagh, who is one of Ireland’s best known living artists.

Honorary Degrees of Doctors of Science were also awarded and given to Dr. Mary Elaine Grant, a physiotherapist and the first Irish person to be elected to the International Olympic Committee’s medical commission, and former Provost of Trinity College Dublin, Dr. John Hegarty, a major figure in inter-institutional collaboration between UCD and Trinity.

UCD Students’ Union Rebrand The UCD Students’ Union have been working to rebrand themselves in a way that represents a new, confident and dependable organisation. It is timely in light of their new independent status.

This new look is designed to tie all aspects of UCDSU activities under one banner and students can expect new and exciting projects in the near future.

Students will notice, in particular, the four redesigned SU shops (located in the library, engineering, science and sports buildings).

According to UCDSU President, Mícheál Gallagher, one of the reasons for the rebrand of the SU shops was to make it clear that the shops were owned by the students and that profits from the shops go back into providing student services.

The SU shop underneath the James Joyce Library was officially opened at 3pm on the 12th of September with the Chairman of Insomnia Coffee Company, Bobby Kerr. Ger Byrne, the UCDSU Creative Director, says it has been an exciting project to work on and that he is looking forward to seeing students’ reactions.

The UCD Conway institute celebrates a decade of research On the 12th of September the UCD Conway Institute of Bimolecular and Biomedical Research celebrated its tenth anniversary. It was established in 2003 to bring together chemists, biologists, computer scientists and other disciplines to create versatile and incorporated research teams.

The research is particularly focused on diseases among both humans and animals.

Over the ten years it has now become an impressive and highly reputed centre of research, having trained over 700 PhD graduated and 350 postdoctoral researchers.

Its methods and software are being used around the world and research achievements include new formations of drug therapies and peer reviewed research publications numbering in their thousands.

The 2013 UCD Conway Festival of Research and Innovation was held in celebration of the ten year achievements. Events include the launch of the publication Igniting Discovery , presentations from a range of academic speakers and the awarding of the Ulysses Medal to Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly.

September 17th 2013

‘Say Something’ survey reveals worrying results David Healy

Concerns have being expressed about the findings of a recent study into student experiences of harassment, stalking, violence and sexual assault. The ‘Say Something’ study was carried out by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) in association with COSC (National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Genderbased Violence) earlier this year.

The research findings were publicly launched last week by the USI and revealed that as many as 1 in 10 Irish women and 1 in 20 Irish men had being the victim of obsessive behaviour that had made them afraid or concerned for their safety. The results also showed that only 3% of those who had experienced harassment reported it to the authorities afterwards and 16% of respondents experienced some form of unwanted sexual experience while at their current educational institution.

Commenting on the study’s findings, USI Vice President for Equality & Citizenship, Laura Harmon, expressed her surprise and concern for the low reporting rates amongst those who had experienced mistreatment or harassment.

“The low rates are more than likely down to the stigma attached to such incidents in Ireland today.

The victim fears that he/she will be blamed or will face public embarrassment over the reporting of an incident and so many of these cases go unnoticed by the Gardaí. The victim is however never to blame.”

The study also showed a marked difference between the prevalence of these incidences for heterosexual students and those that are Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual (LGB). It found that 22% of LGB students had faced physical mistreatment during the year, this figure was only 14% for heterosexual students. Also 17% of LGB students were the victims of obsessive behaviour, while the figure for non-LGB students was 11%.

The study is the first of its kind and scale in Ireland with over 2,750 third-level students surveyed.

When asked how the Irish study’s findings compare internationally Ms Harmon stated, “The study was based on a similar research model in Britain with the results being more or less similar with only a higher rate of reporting in Britain of incidents compared to Ireland.”

Harmon went on to say that she hopes the study “will help to open up dialogue around these issues among the student body.

The findings will now inform a national campaign aimed at raising awareness of the issues and of the supports available to students.

USI will also organise training for Students’ Unions and college support staff around the issue.”

The survey also found that students experienced issues with video and photos taken without their consent with some of these being circulated online as well as experiencing sexual commentary, which made them feel uncomfortable.

UCDSU referendums to poll students’ views on abortion and smoking Yvanne Kennedy

University College Dublin Students’ Union (UCDSU) is asking students to vote, by way of referendum, on what it believes are two important issues affecting its student members. Votes on the topic of abortion and also a smoke-free campus will be put to students on October 1st and 2nd. This is to coincide with the Union Class Representative elections, nominations for which close this Friday, September 20th.

UCDSU currently has no stance on abortion and in light of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill’s publication earlier this year, it was decided to poll students on their views, the results of which will become live Union policy.

Students will be asked to list, in order of preference, whether the Union should (A) support the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013, permitting abortion in certain circumstances; (B) adopt of policy of legalising abortion in Ireland on the request of the woman involved; (C) adopt a policy in opposition of the le-

galisation of abortion in this country or whether (D) the Students’ Union should refrain from taking any stance on the issue and remain neutral.

It is the belief of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) that the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill is overly restrictive and will not protect women. USI President Joe O’Connor, has said, “Any further restrictions to what is an already extremely restrictive piece of legislation cannot and should not be tolerated.”

However, due to UCD’s disaffiliation from the national union at the end of the last academic year, it is unclear what impact the national stance will have on the issue within UCD. The second referendum relates to a proposal, by the UCD Health Promotion Committee to make the campus smoke-free from October 2014. Students will be asked to vote yes or no leading to the Union either supporting or opposing the initiative.

As the Committee is not a product of the Union, a no vote will not

halt the plans, but will instead allow the Union to campaign on behalf of students to discourage the proposal. The proposal comes after several areas on campus were made smoke-free last year.

UCD are not unique in this endeavour, as over 1,000 college campuses in the United States work on this basis. Trinity College Dublin students themselves are also investigating the possibility of having a smoke-free campus.

Smoke-free campuses aim to support people who don’t smoke and those who have quit by prohibiting smoking outdoors on college campuses. A college-wide survey was carried out in Trinity College on the issue, and the students involved are taking their lead from the college community to assess the feasibility of the idea.

All current UCD students, as automatic members of the Students’ Union, are entitled to vote in both referendums.

Students call for Seanad Reform as national campaign heats up Eileen Keaveny

As the Union of Students Ireland (USI) launched their campaign of resistance against Seanad reform last week, a student group in Trinity College Dublin called on their Students’ Union to hold a referendum on the issue.

USI, from whom University College Dublin Students’ Union (UCDSU) disaffiliated last year, outlined its suggestions for a redesign of the Seanad, in place of abolition, in their political proposal “Free Our Voice”.

Among the recommended amendments was the lowering of the voting age to 16, the disbanding of the

Economic Management Council, and, somewhat controversially, the decision to give more power to the Seanad in the review of past legislation.

Speaking at the “Free Our Voice” launch, USI President Joe O’Connor said that the Union took this stance because “abolishing the Seanad without any attempt to reform it would be a very short sighted move on the part of the Government. A more democratic and inclusive Seanad can be part of better-functioning political system.”

As a branch of the USI, the TCD Students’ Union (TCDSU) is not entitled to make an independ-

ent decision on which side of the referendum debate to take. Fiachra Ó Raghallaigh, a European Studies student and Campaigns Coordinator of the pro-reform group, Future Matters, has begun a petition to allow the Union to canvass in favour of Seanad reform. In the last week Ó Raghallaigh has collected the 250 valid signatures required to call a referendum among TCD students.

Future Matters is the youth division of Democracy Matters, which has added its voice to those calling for a yes vote in the approaching referendum to be held on October 4th. Ó Raghallaigh said

he, “became aware that TCDSU’s official position in favour of Seanad reform had recently expired, as I was hoping to invite them to partner with us in the campaign.

“This is an issue that Trinity students should feel quite strongly about, given that our graduates have a track record of electing exemplary senators.”

TCDSU’s Education Officer Jack Leahy must call a long-term policy referendum in no more than 5 weeks after being presented with Ó Raghallaigh’s petition. If the referendum is rejected, Ó Raghallaigh insists that the SU will have

a mandate to continue lobbying for Seanad reform in the future.

UCDSU President Micheal Gallagher says, “The Union as of yet have no stance on the upcoming Seanad referendum.” This is due, in part, to the first Union Council meeting not being scheduled until October 10th, six days after the referendum. The Union will, however, be running an online information campaign encouraging students to return home to vote.

The UCD Law Society is running a debate on this issue this September 17th, at 7pm in the FitzGerald Chamber in the Student Centre.

UCDSU and Women for Election announce partnership Roisin Finn The underrepresentation of women in the Irish political system stems from the lack of female participation in student governance, according to UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) President, Micheál Gallagher.

Today, only one in seven of the SU Presidents in Ireland is female, and Gallagher’s predecessor, Rachel Breslin, was the first female UCDSU President in 15 years.

In order to tackle this issue, UCDSU and Women for Election have announced a unique partnership to increase female involvement in student governance. The initiative will

be run through a series of seminars, the first of which will be held on 17th September at 1pm. The aim of these seminars is to engage, motivate and encourage women to become more involved at college level, from class rep to SU sabbatical officer.

“There simply aren’t enough women involved in student politics and we are delighted to work with Women for Election to help change this situation. They do fantastic work in creating a space where women feel they can run for office,” says Gallagher.

He added, UCDSU as a Students’ Union is “breaking new ground

this year in getting involved with Women for Election.”

Gallagher addressed the distinct male dominance of the UCDSU in the past saying that, “UCD is a large college and the SU has traditionally been seen as both highly political and male dominated. This year, both myself and the Welfare and Equality Officer, supported by the Union, are determined to broaden the appeal of college politics with a view to encouraging more women to run for college elected office.”

UCDSU Vice-President for Welfare & Equality Cian Dowling said,

“I strongly believe in raising our female participation in our organisation. We worked hard this summer both identifying problem areas that have been raised as issues and in creating new partnerships with groups such as Women For Election.”

It is hoped that the initiative could not only have a positive effect on campus politics, but in the Irish political sphere as a whole.

“It is intended that, over time, this will change the image of the SU and the nature of its leadership, making it more diverse and representative of the student body.

“Evidence shows that participation in SU politics is a clear indicator of political participation after university, so engaging women at this stage is vital to achieving Women for Election’s mission and the partnership with UCDSU is a natural one.”

SU Gender Equality Coordinator, Rebekah McKinney-Perry, agreed, stating that she welcomed “this fantastic and innovative partnership between UCDSU and Women for Election. The lack of female representation in politics is a national issue and one that is endemic in UCD.”

freSher’S ball a Sell—oUt SUCCeSS

3 News NatioNal NewS iN brief

graiNNe roChforD

uCD STuDEnTS’ uniOn (uCDSu) Entertainment’s Manager, Paul Kilgillon, has started the year on a high with the success of the annual Freshers’ Ball. As the first sold-out event in recent union history, the Ball, held on Thursday September 12th, sold out within days of tickets going on sale in the uCDSu Orientation tent on September 3rd.

The event was held in The Academy on Abbey Street and was headlined by Swedish DJ Basshunter. English hip-hop act DJ yoda, irish indie band The raglans and house-music specialists The

Dead Prezidentz, who played at last year’s Freshers’ Ball and uCD Ball, also made appearances.

The Freshers’ Ball was the first event organised by Kilgillon, who described it as “a taster for what’s coming up for the rest of the year.”

He said that uCDSu were “really excited about the Ball this year and [had] some fantastic acts. We will be looking to build on this years Freshers’ Ball success by looking forward to booking bigger and better acts for the rest of the year.”

Tickets were priced at €15 and, despite an increase in this cost

by €5 compared to last year’s general sale tickets, uCDSu President Mícheál gallagher pointed out that tickets this year are €3 cheaper than they were for the same event in both 2010 and 2011. gallagher also noted, “This year’s price reflects the excellent acts that [Paul] Kilgallon brought in. We’re comfortable that the price reflects best value for money and that all attending had a memorable night out.”

Kilgallon was brought onto the staff during the summer in an effort to professionalize the service that

uCD Entertainments was providing. This came after an executive decision was made to do away with the position uCDSu vice-President for Entertainments, which was not over-turned on student vote.

The manager is also hoped to increase the accountability of Ents within uCD, while providing a negotiating link between the university and major events coordinators, which is both professional and constant, rather than a student officer with a short, fi xed-term role. gallagher added, “The job of the Ents office this year is to

entertain the students of uCD, while ensuring that the finances of every event makes sense. With that, a small profit was made on this year’s Freshers' Ball.”

There were no major incidents of concern at the Ball, according to gallagher and “the event was a great success. Everyone enjoyed themselves.”

As with every union event, all profits will be reinvested into the union and to ensure uCD Ents can provide the best possible entertainment for students this year.

UCD CoNtiNUeS to fall iN worlD raNkiNgS LuCy ryaN

THE rECEnT Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World university rankings revealed that only two irish institutions climbed the world universities league table. Trinity College Dublin (TCD) were placed 61st spot, which represented a rise of six places from 67th, a spot it has occupied since 2009. nui galway (nuig) secured 284th, rising three places from last year; while university College Dublin (uCD) dropped nine ranks to 139th. university College Cork (uCC) fell 20 places to 210th; as Dublin City university has moved 20 to joint 349th. in response to the latest survey, QS Head of research, Ben Sowter, noted that “the past four years have clearly been challenging for the irish economy, and austerity measures have undoubtedly been a major factor contributing to the slide in its universities’ international standing.”

QS serves as an international academic services platform. The survey itself rates universities globally under various headings

including academic reputation which accounts for 40%, with 20% assigned to staff-student ratio and college citation prevalence.

Trinity College represented the only irish institution in the top 100 of the QS rankings, sustained by an increase in its research reputation. This was stressed by Patrick Prendergast, Provost of Trinity College Dublin, who indicated that this year’s score for their “research is our highest ever” and that “campus companies and technology transfers emerge from the research we conduct. Trinity now accounts for onefi fth of all spin-out companies from irish higher education institutions.”

Controversy also emerged over campaigning for votes by management of university College Cork, who encouraged various academics to put forward positive reviews for the survey of international peers earlier this year.

However, Mr. Sowter reassured that “in any case, the number of potential respondents involved was far too small to have had any

USi, iCtU & iSSU Collaborate to taCkle yoUth JobS CriSiS saMaNtha o’brieN o’reiLLy THE uniOn of Students in ireland (uSi) along with the irish Congress of Trade unions (iCTu) and the irish Secondary Students union (iSSu), have issued a joint call for immediate government action to tackle ireland’s high rate of youth unemployment. unemployment among youths is peaking currently at 26%, and it is hoped this campaign will assist in ending the lock-out of young people from the jobs market.

The national student and trade union bodies, who collectively represent more than one million people, launched a joint publication recently in DiT, entitled Locked out? investing in a future for youth. it contains a number of key proposals, designed to improve access to the labour market for young people and enhance employment skills.

The proposals include increased investment in job creation, a national Jobs Strategy for young People and creating a new national skills map. A youth guarantee is also proposed, which would ensure a job, an apprenticeship or a guaranteed study placement for every young person within four months of becoming unemployed.

The three organisations are seeking joint meetings with “all relevant government ministers and departments” with a view to making these proposals a reality.

The publication recognises the social problems of unemployment for young people with mental health issues and “forced” emigration the most prevalent among them.

uSi President Joe O’Connor noted that around 35,000 young people left ireland last year “as a direct result of policies that didn’t offer them genuine opportunities” and that a further 65,000 young people remain unemployed here.

Speaking on behalf of the iCTu youth Committee, Lorraine Mulligan added, “We cannot afford to lose a generation to precarious work, joblessness or emigration. We need a clear strategy to tackle the problems facing young people.”

The involvement of iCTu and iSSu is particularly welcome as it means the interest of students and young people are represented from secondary school level. According to Fiona Dunne of iCTu this collaborative action can therefore “honestly attest they represent the majority of young people in this country.” regarding the government’s current controversial JobBridge scheme to combat unemployment, the publication emphasises the need for adequate regulation and monitoring of placements under the scheme.

Mark Caffrey, President of iSSu, said, “there have been reports of placements to stack shelves in shops, which isn’t acceptable on the other hand there are people whom it has helped gain full employment.” if the proposals put forward by these three bodies are implemented, it would see a legal framework for work placements such as these to ensure young people cannot be exploited. Whether or not the proposals put forward will be implemented, however, remains to be seen.

statistical significance.” This incident prompted QS to scrutinize their methodology, forcing them to safeguard themselves from such practice in the future. uCD Students’ union vicePresident for undergraduate Education, Adam Carroll, said, “uCD has in [his] experience the best student experience and that, i think should be weighed just as heavily as the world rankings.”

He doesn’t think that this is an issue that “weighs too heavily on prospective student’s minds” within ireland and that the QS results has scant or no influence over the average students college preferences. A spokeperson for uCD noted, “There are several university ranking systems, each with different methodologies. uCD remains in the top 1% of institutions worldwide.”

Carroll asserts that uCD is focused on developing the facilities available to students. “Everything uCD does with regard to quality insurance, improvement of services is all towards raising its ranking.”

siNeaD CoNroy

PresiDeNt CoNtiNues ethiCs theMe iN DCu aDDress On WEDnESDAy the 11th of September, the DCu community welcomed President Michael D. Higgins to its Mahony Hall as part of its Ethics for All lecture series.

The president was on hand to deliver an address to DCu students, staff and members of the public on the topic of ethics and the economy.

The free public lecture series is being run by the DCu institute of Ethics, which was established

by DCu, in partnership with the Mater Dei institute of Education, in 2008. The projects aim is to promote and encourage discussion on ethical issues in the many different areas of society including business, media and health care.

The address continues the theme set out by President Higgins in January of 2013, centred around what he described as the crisis in ethics and believing that he could make and encourage changes “that will give us a more ethical life together.”

iNNovatioN through eNtrePreNeurshiP at tCD

the L&h PrePare freshers’ bags oN suNDay eveNiNg

FOODFEST

WEEK

MONDAY 30th SEPTEMBER

LAUNCHING A NEW & EXCLUSIVE UCD DRINK!!! FANTASTIC PROMOTIONS, FREE BIES AND LOADS OF PRIZES TO BE

Quinn School of Business UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular & Biomedical Research

STuDEnTS in Trinity College Dublin have launched a pilot programme dubbed Launchbox which aims to produce investment ready products designed and created by its students. They are currently seeking investment for the development of the products designed during the project which is being run for three months from Trinity College’s regent House.

The six teams of students were provided with funding, office space and master classes in marketing and capital management. The €100,000 made available to the students was donated by the Trinity Angels through a set-up that ensures all rights to the company and its products remain with the student designers.

The partnership between the university of Dublin Fund and The Trinity Angels, comprised of business leaders and Trinity Alumni, came about in order to encourage entrepreneurship among young students.

The products currently involved in the project include ‘Wifiguard’, which utilises standard home wifi systems to detect intruders, and ‘Food Cloud’, which is designed to help charities through the donation of unused food. Dean of research at Trinity, Professor vinny Cahill, has praised the project and the students for their ability to “turn ideas into jobs.”

TUESDAY 1ST OCTOBER JAMES JOYCE LIBRARY

FREE MINI CHICKEN BAGUETTES, HOT CHOCOLATE SHOTS AND LOTS, LOTS MORE...

WEDNESDAY 2ND OCTOBER LAUNCHING A NEW JAVA U.C.D DRINK….

PRIZES & FREEBIES

Health Sciences

THURSDAY 3RD OCTOBER COOKIE EATING COMPETITION!!

FANTASTIC PRIZES TO BE WON, LOTS OF GIVEAWAYS… NUM NUM NUMMMM

FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER FREE TEA / COFFEE’S, SWEETS AND LOTS MORE….

Arts—Newman Building

School of Architecture Richview & UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre

Go to our Facbook page

facebook.com/EatAtUCD to be in with a chance of winning an I-Pad!!

sCruM DowN for a New PartNershiP at Nuig THiS WEEK nui galway is welcoming the new partnership between the university and Connacht rugby. The link between the two organisations aims to encourage both the academic education and the physical and sporting development of its students. The programme is being coordinated primarily by former Lions, ireland and Connacht captain Ciaran Fitzgerald, with the aim of developing sporting, academic, education and research links with the college.

The programme plans to highlight the pathway to both elite sporting success and academic achievement and shows that, with the cooperation of nuig and Connacht rugby, there is a symbiotic relationship between the two. Both organisations aim to encourage and nurture elite sports students.

The agreement includes the support of nuig for the Academy and Age grade programmes within Connacht rugby and offers third level education to the elite players within these systems.

The programme, with the aid of its school liaison officers, aims to encourage talented players to attend nuig and Connacht rugby in order to combine their academic and sporting futures and find the balance between the two on a pathway to success. The partnership hopes to promote the benefits of an active mind and active body.

September 17th 2013

4

news analysis

international

News in Brief

Student Accomodation Finding accommodation in South Dublin City is increasingly becoming a numbers game that students are struggling compete in, writes Killian Woods

Rebecca Hart

Ireland falls short on global CEO stage Last week, a global league table was released from the UK’s Times Higher Education (THE), ranking universities by their graduates who have been successful in becoming key figures in some of the world’s largest industries. Universities in the USA dominated with Harvard, Stanford, The University of Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology all coming in the top ten.

With 38 institutions in the top 100, the US is a clear leader.

England’s Oxford University was the UK’s highest-ranking establishment in 21st place. France was represented three times in the top ten, while China has fifteen institutions within the top hundred.

Only eighteen countries are represented on this list and, of these, only 26 universities are found in Europe. Not one Irish university is featured in the rankings. THE has advised students that they should be considering not only the job opportunities that will arise from their chosen course, but also the career prospects associated with the university.

Using learning to rebuild Libya The Libyan Minister of Education and Scientific Research, Mohamed Hassan Abu Bakr has announced efforts to reconstruct a war-damaged Libya through education. 5,000 former rebels will be sent to study abroad this year, the first of 18,000 revolutionaries eligible for the scheme.

The aim of the initiative is to move Libya from a “military era to one of knowledge and construction.”

Priority will be given to people of the eligible 18,000 who already had diplomas or who were disabled as a result of injuries sustained while fighting.

The first group of 5,000 will study abroad for three years, commencing this year, in either one of the Arab States, Europe or the United States. They will be followed by 4,000 more in 2014 and 4,500 in the two years after. They will complete a Masters degree and then study for an additional four years for a PhD, completely funded by the government. The areas of study will be subjects that it is hoped will aid Libya’s growth and development in years to come.

The revelations on the front page of this newspaper, which highlight the significant level of apprehension on the part of the landlord in relation to their willingness to rent to property to students, should not come as news to anyone. Students are already expected to fulfil unrealistic criteria to be granted the privilege of signing a lease; and as the numbers of properties available in Dublin steadily decline, the pool of accommodation even in the student’s ball park reduces further.

A Daft.ie report by the property website’s Chief Economist, Ronan Lyons, revealed that, since last year, around 3,700 properties have been rented in Dublin, leaving 2,400 properties in the Dublin market presently. These numbers from the report carried out by Lyons reflect a market before the autumn rush that saw students from all corners of Ireland flock to the city to find somewhere they can live and commute to college from.

In a market that is already primed to exploit students who tend to naively snap up the first property that let them put pen to paper, the findings of this report show that students will be the ones to suffer yet again in terms of properties available to them for lease.

The report predicted that landlords would alter their prices to adhere to the new price/demand curve and students who sought accommodation in recent weeks were forced to budget for a 10-15% increase in their rent.

When the verdicts of the Daft. ie report are coupled with the findings of the accommodation investigation carried out by the University Observer, students have every right to feel aggrieved that they have been placed bottom of the food chain in yet another aspect of life.

The statistics revealed that only 28 out of 82 property viewing applications resulted in the agent or landlord replying to the University Observer’s fake student, showing that there is a worrying level of mistrust between landlords and prospective student letters

The statistics revealed that only 28 out of 82 property viewing applications resulted in the agent or landlord replying to the University Observer’s fake student, showing that there is a worrying level of mistrust between landlords and prospective student letters.

However, when the numbers are broken down further, the lies and outright refusal to entertain the idea of students renting a property becomes borderline discrimination.

The 54% of landlords and agents who responded to the student in question with an up front “We don’t take students” dismissal deserve credit for being honest.

Past this point, it is a guessing game as to which group of property letters trump the other in terms of their rudeness towards potential

clients. Is it those that felt the need to lie about the property being already off the market just to pass off the student’s application, or the 54 properties that didn’t even have the decency to return an email?

It was interesting to hear Bob Jordan, Chief Executive of household charity Threshold, state during an interview, “Economic discrimination is not illegal in Ireland.” Although he may not be technically incorrect, it highlights how ruthless the property letting market can be, and how discrimination in this regard is just widely accepted.

Jordan’s defence of landlords when it comes to taking on students is a fair one. Landlords have to maintain a balancing act of finding tenants who can pay the bills, but also be reputable people to lease a

property to. “There are legitimate reasons to turn down a student. They know they can get more rent from a professional. Longer term tenants.

Professionals make less use of the property; causing less wear and tear.

“Some landlords will have had a bad experience of students because of damage caused to the property. It’s true of any group of tenants, but it is legitimate.”

The cost of living for a student seems to be increasing exponentially and shows no sign of levelling off any time soon.

Rent accounts for such a large proportion of a student’s expenses and with discrimination rife in the letting sector, it looks like this will just have to be another problem students are expected to take on the chin.

many others. They just seem to be slightly more clued in to how to get it. Forcing equality down people’s throats, much like anything else, is not the way to do things. There has to be a realization that slow movement is natural but that 20 years ago many things were impossible that we now take as given. 20 years from now maybe we will get the first Edwina Kenny or Ellen Gilmore.

Student politics by its very nature is short-term and sometimes very hidden. Many students wouldn’t be able to tell you who the current Sabbatical Officers in the Union are, never mind the name of any of the part-time Officers working alongside them. This can make it an easy target for the argument that it shouldn’t be

targeted, but where else do we start?

The energetic young people in this country and elsewhere are the ones almost always out attempting to change situations for the better. They have the drive, the determination and staying power to irritate anyone and everyone until they give in to their demands.

There is the perception that groups of students fighting for their rights are wasting their time because they are too young to be taken seriously.

If every dissenting voice chose to use that energy positively and stood alongside their fellow students the call for change would be a lot larger.

If more people believed in themselves there would be a very different political future ahead.

Women for Election In light of the Women for Election campaign launch, Yvanne Kennedy asks if the encouragement is unnecessarily pushing women into politics

Norwegian government aims to assist student activists In an attempt to educate persecuted students, the Norwegian government has allocated NOK23.5million (€2.99 million) in grants for students expelled from universities because of human rights and democracy activism. The scheme, supported by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation along with the Rector Ole Petter Ottersen, aims to support students who have been expelled and persecuted for their participation in campaigns such as LGBT* groups or political and religious movements.

Grants will be available to twenty students for the next academic year to study at the home of this pilot scheme, The Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, who campaigned for the scheme said “the greatest fear of a dictator is engaged students.”

The initiative fits well with the universities international responsibilities scheme. Norway are hoping that other universities will follow their lead as, all over the world, thousands of students are expelled each year because of their political engagement. In the four years between 2006 and 2010, in Zimbabwe alone, more than 1,000 students were expelled and arrested.

September 17th 2013

I am absolutely in favour of equality. I believe that where it is appropriate and where it makes sense, equality should be promoted. Equality should be encouraged and it should not need to be fought for. I would, however, be one of the last people to believe in equality for equality’s sake.

Ideally, there would be balance as widespread as possible in every workplace and other strand of life. I don’t subscribe at all to the idea that we should just give up because it’s never going to happen, sometimes these things just aren’t possible.

What I would not support or condone is the bureaucracy or paternalism, or downright ignorance

that would bar anyone from doing something just because they might not be viewed as capable as the other person based on something as innate as gender. In this respect, UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) seems to be attempting to hit the situation on the head in a way that is in the minority, much like women in student politics.

UCDSU President Micheál Gallagher has described his delight at joining with the group Women for Election who “do fantastic work in creating a space where women feel they can run for office.” That’s what was missing. We don’t need to force people into these things.

If there are people there who want to do something they will do it – unless they feel that something

is holding them back. In situations such as this, the perception of the ‘boys’ club’ and a lack of opportunity feature heavily.

If there is a campaign that feels it can create this space for women to do what they always wanted to do but felt they couldn’t, more power to them. It may be the small step on the way to greater things. That was something else missing; grassroots work.

Union politics are big in the lives of certain people in university, but fall on mostly deaf ears; much like real-life politics. This is a steppingstone; one thing naturally leads onto another and so on and so on until we have a female Taoiseach.

Women for Election aren’t unique; they are striving for equality just like

comment

Austere Ireland

5

With the series of bailouts from the Troika looking set to end this year, Anna Carnegie asks whether their policy of austerity has worked for the Irish nation

It has been almost three years since Ireland faced economic collapse. The Irish government was required to call upon the Troika (consisting of representatives from the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund) for assistance.

The result was an intensive programme of austerity; the Irish people saw taxes rise and services fall in a worst of both worlds scenario. Has this severe plan worked for Ireland?

The answer to that particular question, as with many, is entirely dependent on whom you ask.

Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, thinks that the past three years, although undeniably difficult for a significant proportion of the population, have ultimately

argue that a €2.9 billion contraction in merchandising exports is not a figure to be brushed aside.

David Begg, the head of the Irish Confederation of Trade Unions, has refuted governmental claims of renewed growth and prosperity. Speaking after negotiations surrounding further public sector pay cuts, Begg likened the Troika to a colonial power and said that Irish citizens were not able to bear the continued levels of austerity.

The employment figures highlighted by Beggs and others are even more frightening when taking into account that age-old Irish tradition of emigration. The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office indicate that emigration is up 2.2% from last year. Britain, the most popular destination for Irish emigrants, saw 21,000 people arriving on its shores in the past twelve months, almost three times as many as in 2008.

The figures also suggest that emigration is no longer only a young man’s game; significantly more benefitted our economy. In his recent with almost three-quarters of young families are leaving the country speech to Efficient Consumer people (aged 15-24) without a job. than ever before. This may damage Response Ireland, he focused on It is a similar story in Spain where, Ireland’s economy in the long term. the transformation of the Irish state despite claims that the country is due Inevitably, health care spending in recent years, and identified a to emerge from recession, unemploy- was cut back in many countries new dawn in the country’s economy ment amongst young people stands due to the need to meet budgetcentred on sustainability and growth. at almost 60%. In fact, the overall ing targets, but research has also The improving state of Ireland’s fi- unemployment rate in the Eurozone suggested that austerity as a whole nances was highlighted in increased is half a percentage point higher can have grave impacts on people’s property sales (up 6.1% in July) and now than it was this time last year. mental and physical health. a drop in the unemployment rate, and Even though Ireland appears to The stresses of prolonged unemployNoonan is not the only one champibe bucking this trend, there are ment, coupled with trying to survive oning Ireland’s improving economy. statistics to imply that this is not on a very low budget, can prove Irish Times economics editor, the case. Irish exports, a vital part overwhelming. Several countries, such Dan O’Brien, has drawn attention to of a booming economy, have fallen as Spain and Portugal, have reported a Ireland’s prowess in the field of em2% in the first half of this year. rise in mental health problems. When ployment, compared with the rather Government spokespeople have the Troika came to Ireland’s aid in disastrous fate of our European played down this statistic, stat2010, a survey was carried out by the counterparts. In Greece, for example, ing that the fall will not make a organisation Safefood Ireland in which unemployment hit a record high of significant difference in the grand it was revealed that one in ten Irish almost 28% in May of this year; scheme of things, yet one could people were experiencing food poverty.

When the Troika came to Ireland’s aid in 2010, a survey was carried out by the organisation Safefood Ireland in which it was revealed that one in ten Irish people were experiencing food poverty

Food poverty was defined as not being able to afford a meat or vegetarian equivalent meal every other day, being unable to afford a weekly roast dinner or vegetarian equivalent at least once a week or missing a meal in the previous fortnight for money reasons.

In the past three years, the situation has deteriorated greatly, according to the Saint Vincent de Paul, who have experienced a four-fold increase in calls. Equally, homeless charity Focus Ireland reported that numbers using its prevention service that is specifically designed for people at serious risk of homelessness rose by almost 20% in 2012.

When figures such as these are brought to light, a picture emerges which is worlds away from the austerity-friendly view of the economy. Yet the question remains: if austerity is not working, what will?

Might a better solution lie in trying to utilize Ireland’s existing assets at a local and national level? Take, for example, the country’s reputation as the land of a thousand welcomes.

The British Isles have long been a popular tourist destination, and there is much hope that Ireland’s latest tourist venture, The Gathering, could significantly boost the economy.

Signs so far look promising, with over 220,000 additional visitors being attributed as a direct result of the Gathering. Currently the tourism industry in Ireland accounts for 4% of Gross National Product and nearly 200,000 jobs. If foreign visitors continue to be swept up by the Gathering and what it represents, this number could rise.

If the Irish nation is serious about building up its economy, perhaps more schemes that highlight the country’s successes and encourage a sense of pride and community are the way forward.

Kidulthood As a growing number of adults seem intent on clinging to every last day of their youth, Amy Courtney asks why this generation is so reluctant to move on

A growing trend in adults who seem unwilling to grow up is becoming particularly evident in recent years. Instead, this sub-age group choose to populate nightclubs until they’re forty and squeeze every last second out of their adolecence.

Of course there is nothing wrong with going out and having some fun, but perhaps, maybe at the age of thirty it’s time to settle down just a bit. Why is it that adults today are holding on so tightly to their teenage years?

Up until recent years, childhood transitioned into adolescence and adolescence transitioned into adulthood. Now, however, there seems to be another period in between adolescence and adulthood that could be dubbed kidulthood.

More and more adults are staying at home with their parents and refusing to test the waters in the big bad world and too scared to leave behind free rent, a full fridge and clean laundry.

In today’s economic climate, who can blame them? Young adults are finding it extremely difficult to get the money to buy or rent a home and start a life of their own.

Instead they have decided to stay in their teen years, with no rent and the freedom to party hard.

The Central Statistics Office of Ireland shows that the number of students studying at third level soared from 64,137 in 1989 to a very impressive 163,068 in 2012. Similarly, according to The Irish League of Credit Unions, only 32% of 3rd level students are living away from home today, compared to 49% in 2011.

It’s evident from these statistics, that there really is a huge drop in students leaving home to become independent young adults. Instead, they are staying at home and being cared for by their parents; just like they have up until this point of their life.

This lack of progression is stopping them from truly growing up and becoming independent.

However, with the government trying to cut student grants and

If there were more clubs and bars that had a higher age restrictions, older adults could go out and socialise together and enjoy other adult company as opposed to gate crashing parties filled with 18-21 year olds

raising University fees, it’s becoming more difficult for students to pay for their own accommodation.

The reason behind this subsection of adults refusing to grow up could be attached to their inability to find sustainable employment in any manner. Even though a high proportion of these people have a degree, this doesn’t necessarily guarantee a steady job.

Previous generations walked into jobs with good salaries, allowing them to save up for a house, which allowed them at a certain point in their life to settle down and start a family. Sometimes even achieve this feat while they

were still in their early twenties.

Today, on the other hand, everything is different. Students have significant debts to cope with and moving out to become fully independent can appear to be near impossible. So is the recession to blame for the rising trend in adults who behave like children?

Other records from the Central Statistics Office of Ireland show that the age of women having children has risen by an average of 3.1 years in the past 33 years.

It is quite a slow growth, but it’s showing no sign of slowing down.

This demonstrates that women are waiting that little bit longer to start a family and settle down, squeezing the last few years out of their kidulthood until they enter the big scary world of an adult.

Similarly, statistics show that young adults in their twenties and thirties are more likely to be living with their parents today than in 1998. In Britain alone, almost three million people ages 20 – 34 were living with their parents in 2011, a 20% increase since 1997.

This depicts the trend that adults today are not becoming fully independent until much later on in life, which is increasingly causing them to behave like children.

So why are adults today fighting to stay young instead of entering the real world and taking on responsibility? It is quite apparent that the recession may easily be a factor, as people on the brink of adulthood find it simply too expensive to move out and move on with their lives, while some of these reluctant adults can also be found hiding in third-level education well into their ‘adult’ lives.

Forty may be the new thirty, and as the saying goes; “Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional”. We are only as old as we allow ourselves to feel, but there’s a certain point in your life where you should realise maybe moving on isn’t mandatory is optional, but highly recommended.

It’s time to grow up people, whether we want to or not.

September 17th 2013

6

comment

Modern Warfare—An International Call of Duty As President Barack Obama searches for congressional authorisation to launch yet another drone strike in the Middle East, Laura Woulfe examines both the benefits and challenges generated by 21st century warfare

WHAT DO YOU think of when you think of war? Guns, soldiers and maimed limbs perhaps? All of the war associations we have grown familiar with from watching Saving Private Ryan as RTÉ’s mid-week movie. On these shores, we have little reason to contemplate what war means in the 21st century and therefore it has remained something that we associate with turbulent years of the early 1900’s, trapped in the hard-hat helmet of the past.

We have become accustomed to advances in the technology of everyday communication through social media, texting, blogs and even YouTube. It is only logical that the same advances have been applied to war as the result of countries attempts to communicate their own power to the world. What has resulted is the creation of a modern warfare, whereby cyberspace is the battlefield and remote-controlled drones are the invaders.

Cyber-warfare first originated during the Cold War; the dawn of the information age and the first long-lasting psychological warfare. Winning depended upon gaining tactical information over an opponent as well as spreading propaganda. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are relatively new by contrast and were first widely used under George Bush Jr. in 2004.

There were 49 drones launched (mainly against Pakistan) during the younger Bush’s presidency.

By comparison, 313 drone strikes have been launched under President

Cyber-warfare first originated during the ‘Cold War’, the dawn of the information age and the first long-lasting psychological warfare

Obama, which appear to be his weapon of choice. Obama has argued that drones are the most efficient and least bloody way to deal with terrorists. He has been advocating for the use of armed drones in retaliation to Bashar al-Assad’s suspected chemical attack on Syria on August 21st of this year.

What are the real effects of this new technology on the modern battlefield? Does the use of drones and cyber-warfare civilise what was once an anguishing loss of human life, or does the degree of separation actually cause even more wanton destruction?

Even in Ireland, national identity has been largely constructed as a result of pride in the guerrilla war soldiers of 1916 and the War of Independence. History glorifies war in the homeland, yet present conflicts reveal the ugly truth of

the battlefield. Drones appear to be the obvious solution; a means by which the country can bask in the glory of their victories without the loss of any of their own citizens.

This blatant emphasis on protecting the homeland’s citizens, while deeming those who die on enemy shores as collateral damage, may seem callous, but isn’t a head of state first and foremost responsible for their own citizens?

Many consider America to be the police of western democracy.

They may proclaim that, as a nation, they stand for the protection of international citizens. Enter drones, the ‘perfect’ means to engage in battle without risking the lives of American soldiers.

Surely cyber-warfare must be more civilised then raging bloody battles.

Can that much damage really be done

from a computer bug? According to Dr Stephen Flynn of Northeastern University, a cyber-attack can cause devastating effects, “When transformers fail (as a result of a cyberattack), so too will water distribution, waste management, transportation, communications, and many emergency and government services.”

Cyber-warfare has no boundaries and often is completely anonymous, which creates difficulties in terms of prosecution. Certainly, due to attackers’ anonymity and distance from its victim, cyber-warfare is also often needlessly perpetrated.

When we consider that the reason for Russia’s cyber attack’s on the small Baltic country of Estonia in 2007 was due to Estonia’s simple removal of the Bronze Soldier Soviet war memorial in central Talinn, the bombardment of Estonian banks, parliament, ministries, newspapers, and TV all seems a little unjustified.

This said, does a cyber-attack warrant a conventional attack in retaliation? Most would say no.

Therefore, is cyber-warfare more civilised despite, on some level leading to needless chaos and destruction? Arguably, yes.

The main problem with cyberwarfare is that it is not covered by any existing international regulations. In this sense, drones are no different; no one is sure if they comply with international law. Even the UN human rights chief is a bit hazy on the subject, declaring in August that, “The current lack of transparency surrounding their use creates an

accountability vacuum and affects the ability of victims to seek redress.”

The majority of criticism on the use of drones, particularly in the US, is not directed at the physical drones themselves, but rather that they encourage unjustified targeted killings on countries, mainly in the Middle East, without the knowledge of the American public.

This, as said by the New York Times, undermines democracy as “when politicians can avoid the political consequences of the condolence letter, and the impact that military casualties have on voters and on the news media, they no longer treat the previously weighty matters of war and peace the same way.”

This leads to a situation whereby presidents only seek approval for international operations when they are sending civilians into harm’s way. Without the images of American soldiers arriving home in coffins, there is one less reason to restrain their use of arms.

When analysing the media and public reaction to drones and cyber-warfare, the general consensus from critics is that clarification of international legislation in relation to modern warfare is imperative.

There is a need to provide guidelines to follow when retaliating against, or initiating, international attack. While this is the only viable solution to cyber-warfare and drone usage, the strenuous emphasis that is being put on war law is likely to even further erode the distinction between soldiers and civilians.

Election Down Under In the wake of the Australian of election, Elizabeth O’Malley examines why the result was not a surprise and what it means for the future of Australia’s main parties

It was a foregone conclusion that the Liberal-National coalition, led by Tony Abbott, would win the Australian election.

However, the international reaction seems to be one of surprise.

To the average Irish person the lack of gratitude towards the Labor party, who have been in power for the last six years, seems shocking.

Don’t they know how good they have it? While we’re languishing at 13.4% unemployment, they have kept their levels down to 5.8%.

Their economy is in its 22nd straight year of growth. While only one of our universities ranks in the QS top 100, Australia have four in the top 50. Their health system is free, their education is heavily subsidised and they’re even putting in place a high-speed National Broadband Network (NBN).

Instead, they elect Tony Abbott, who has been accused of being a climate-change sceptic, a misogynist and a racist. During the election, he told people to vote for a female Liberal candidate because she had sex appeal. Meanwhile, Kevin Rudd launches a passionate defence for gay marriage, which many called his Jed Bartlett moment.

All over, people are scratching their heads and asking why? The first thing to understand is that the Labor government cannot claim to be responsible for Australia’s economic success. The fact that Australia is in its 22nd year of growth has less to do with deft governance and more to do with a country rich in oil, coal and iron ore which China is eager to buy.

If anything, the institution responsible for keeping Australia out of the financial crisis is the Australian Reserve Bank, which prudently managed interest rates and avoided the pitfalls our economy fell in to. Unemployment levels look low, yet Australia counts working for one hour a week as being employed. When underemployment levels are taken into account, the rate sits at a more familiar 13%.

September 17th 2013

These micro parties include The Australian Sports Party, who’s only major policy informing people that they like sports

Australia’s free healthcare system was created during the 1970s, something that the more recent Labor government can’t claim any credit for. While Labor government did increase the number of free university places, they did so while cutting funding to universities. The only thing Labor could really take credit for is the NBN. Labor could also claim credit for a carbon tax, which they pushed through, despite promising during the last election not to bring it in. It wasn’t that Labor was incompetent; there were no unpopular decisions in the previous budget and the country’s economy continued to perform admirably.

In fact, the biggest problem was that they were simply doing nothing. In ways it was worse than doing something bad because at

least they would have had people defending their actions. Instead, they gave the media nothing to talk about but their inertia and the division within the party.

After Julia Gillard ousted Rudd, who had become unpopular within the party for bullying his colleagues, rumours kept resurfacing that Rudd would try to take back the leadership. Once one coup (or spill as they say in Australia) was averted, it wasn’t long before another would take its place. Eventually, the third spill proved successful and Rudd took control in July, just two months ahead of the election.

The reason why Rudd was finally able to make his move was clear. The Labor polls had been dropping steadily, well past the point of no return.

The question wasn’t of winning; it was of mitigating the damage. It was

hoped that Rudd’s popularity with the voters, if not his own his own party, would help to reverse the tide.

There is some irony in the fact that part of the reason the polls were so low in the first place was that Rudd was undermining Gillard during her term in an effort to regain leadership and to pay her back for turning on him.

The polls after the spill showed that Labor was within two points of the Coalition, but they were behind even during the honeymoon period.

Nothing, including going even further right on refugees than the Liberals, was going to get them the win.

The election was always the Coalition’s to lose. The only thing they needed to worry about was not making a big mistake. They made the strategic, albeit cowardly, decision not to release their budget

costs until after the election advertising blackout had taken effect.

As predicted, the Coalition won, Labor lost big and the ‘micro parties’ managed to pick up some important seats. These micro parties include The Australian Sports Party, whose only major policy informing people that they like sports, the Family First party, who represent the Christian right, and the Palmer United Party, a front for mad businessman Clive Palmer who wants to build the Titanic II and a real life Jurassic Park.

The Coalition was wary of making any big promises. They presented themselves as the party for small government, in favour of cutting bureaucratic waste, but this will have to be balanced against their promise to be more active in governing than the previous Labor government.

The big challenge will be holding

onto the votes that they got in this election. Presenting yourself as ‘not as bad as the other guy’ is a lot easier to while you’re in opposition.

Labor got their lowest percentage of first choice votes in nearly eighty years; but it could have been a lot worse; all their ministers managed to retain their seats. Rudd resigned, and now Labor is in for a lengthy leadership ballot between Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese, representing the right and left wing factions of the party respectively.

The leadership battle is critical in deciding the identity of Labor. Some commentators speculate that the time out of power will be a good opportunity for the party to get its house in order. After spending its six years in government moving even further right than the Coalition, the Labor party needs both to put its acrimonious past behind it and return its roots.

Head to Head— How should egypt be lead?

comment

Elected Autocracy

Unelected Liberal Government

The Egyptian situation would benefit from an elected autocratic system put in place, writes Tadhg de Sales Reddan

Arguing the merits of an unelected liberal government, Elizabeth O’Malley questions whether western opinions of democracy are clouding our opinion on Egypt

We are living through the most important democratic revolution since the fall of the Soviet Union. It is a revolution that has appointed imperfect, even conservative, new leaders across the Arab world. Whatever we think of their ideologies, their democratic ideals are to be greeted with respect.

During 2011 and 2012, Egyptians replaced a violent, albeit liberal, dictatorship with a democratic system of government. Thousands of jubilant protesters who celebrated the victory of democracy in Cairo’s Tahrir Square were an inspiration to the region, and lauded by human rights organizations worldwide. Subsequent elections returned a new president and, within the last year, a democratic constitution for Egypt.

Not everybody, however, was happy with the new, democratic Egypt.

International reaction to the popularity of President Morsi was reserved and uncertain. Critics rejected the wisdom of electing an Islamist Government.

While criticisms of the president’s attempts to increase his power were reasonable, the Egyptian Army completely over-reacted, and overthrew the Morsi in a coûp that Human Rights Watch called the “worst mass, unlawful killing in the country’s history”.

The most surprising aspect of the Egyptian coûp d’état is its claim to represent a crusade of liberal values. If liberal values can be reconciled with the massacre of innocent protesters or the rejection of constitutional democracy, then such liberalism is fatally flawed. After all, what can it mean to call oneself a liberal, except to affirm the right of man to get up from his knees and preside over his own fate?

Proponents of the Egyptian Army’s bloodbath highlight the army’s promise to uphold civil liberties at some time in the future. Unsurprisingly, the army show no signs of doing so. Having usurped the constitutional order on two occasions, scarcely known military officers are establishing themselves as the ultimate Guardians of the State. They can claim to suspend the constitution and impose their morality on the Egyptian people without any mandate. This is a dangerous precedent, and deserves international reproach.

Nothing can suppress civil strife like the thundering chorus of a sovereign people, who find themselves united in appointing certain values and codes by

which they demand to live, even if their demands might be repugnant to some.

Democracy is the last great defender of human liberty. If you are a liberal, and if you are a democrat, you must reject the notion that democracy is subject to the permission of a thug with a gun. You must reject any regime that smothers the voice of a sovereign people because it does not wish to hear what they say.

It is true that Mohammad Morsi is an autocrat. It is correct to point to the Muslim Brotherhood’s disregard for the liberal values most of us cherish. I do not endorse Mohammad Morsi, or the Muslim Brotherhood, but it is imperative that we affirm and recognize his democratic mandate.

To reject a valid democratic choice when the result offends your morals is a de facto rejection of human liberty. Indeed, the argument goes further than liberty. Without the democratic rule of law, society would be regulated by a series of random and arbitrary decrees that would know no public review, and consequently be weighed down with corruption and instability.

Thus, we see that some of the most corrupt and unstable countries in the world are also the most fragile democracies; Zimbabwe, Syria, and Liberia, to name a few.

Democracy also serves to reassure citizens that the government are incentivised to act in a manner that is not only consultative, but which is also predictable.

In doing so, democracy fosters economic growth and investment, and establishes a strong base for national progress.

But the liberal state, which has been deprived of democracy, has no comeback against misrule, inequality, exploitation, or flawed leadership. Only the most naïve would accept the sweet talk of some liberal, benevolent dictator, and sign away their democratic rights forever.

The Irish People enjoy the good fortune to live under a benign constitutional democracy. However, given the choice between a liberal state, deprived of democracy, or an autocratic state equipped with a dynamic democracy, every right thinking person would choose the latter.

Liberalism cannot survive in a democratic wasteland. As the lights go out on an Egyptian democracy, the lights go out on its media organizations, its parliament, and threaten to undermine an international campaign for human freedom.

rebuttal Any comparison between overthrowing a dictator and a democratically elected President must fail, since Morsi, unlike the former dictator, was ousted whilst having an internationally recognized democratic mandate.

It is true to say that Morsi attempted to put his decrees above challenge from the courts and parliament. However, it is important to note that this was intended to overcome the obstructive tactics of the courts, which are sympathetic to Hosni Mubarak’s ancient regime.

Morsi adapted this emergency measure after a series of cynical judgements, including the courts’ dissolution of

In a further power grab, the parliament packed 84 out of 100 seats on the constitution writing group with Islamists, leaving only 16 out of 100 seats for secularists, five for Christians, and six for women The most surprising aspect of the Egyptian coûp d’état is its claim to represent a crusade of liberal values

We in the West make the mistake of believing that democracies are automatically positive without considering the degree to which that democracy exists Given the choice between a liberal state, deprived of democracy, or an autocratic state equipped with a dynamic democracy, every right thinking person would choose the latter

Democracy is far more than direct elections. Democracy is separation of powers, a strong court, a diverse legislature, a popular executive. When the Muslim Brotherhood came to power in 2012, it did so having run the overwhelming majority of candidates, which meant that it unsurprisingly won the majority of seats.

When the Free Egyptians Party, the leading liberal political party in the country, filed more than 500 complaints of fraud and election irregularities in the aftermath of the elections, it is also unsurprising that the new government decided not to take any action regarding those complaints.

Then, after promising not to, the Muslim Brotherhood also fielded a candidate for President. The election of Mohammad Morsi, by a slim margin, meant that there was effectively no distinction between the executive and the legislature.

Mr Morsi proceeded to pass laws on January 22nd that put his decrees above challenge from any court or parliament.

These laws included the catch-all phrase “The President may take the necessary actions and measures to protect the country and the goals of the revolution.” Critics compared this move to the Reichstag fire vote that Adolf Hitler held in order to solidify his power base.

These are not the actions of a person who holds any respect for democracy.

In a further power grab, the parliament packed 84 out of 100 seats on the constitution writing group with Islamists, leaving only 16 out of 100 seats for secularists, five for Christians, and six for women. The new constitution was decried by many commentators as an unnecessary extension of executive powers.

Democracy has rule of law. Yet, under the Morsi government, there were thousands of secret trials and new laws that permitted detention without judicial review for up to 30 days.

At Port Said last January, the Egyptian government cracked down on insurrection when anti-government protesters broke curfew. 20 were killed, 250 injured and 52 anti-government rioters were sentenced to death. The government used pro-Brotherhood gangs to break up other demonstrations. There were prosecutions of journalists.

Under the Morsi government, there was a spike of violence against women, with some suggesting that rape was

7

being used as a tactic to discredit and deter women demonstrators. While the government focussed on monopolizing their power, Egyptians experienced power cuts, food shortages and appalling hospital conditions.

A democratic election does not a democracy make. It is a stretch too far to say that because the Egyptian people elected the Muslim Brotherhood and President Morsi that they in some way consented to the actions of that government. This is clear from the fact that despite crackdowns by the government, the Egyptian people continued to demonstrate against them.

If the people weren’t consenting, if the government wasn’t truly by the people for the people, then it is obviously a grave mistake to call the former Egyptian government a democracy by mere virtue of an election.

When the army removed Morsi, hundreds of thousands of people rejoiced with fireworks in the Tahrir Square, the place iconic for the overthrow of Mubarak two and a half years previously. Why are the army being hailed as heroes in Egypt? Protestors claimed that the army had supported the will of the people.

The Egyptian people elected the Muslim Brotherhood on the promise of a genuine democracy, which would protect not only civil and political rights, but create a fundamentally more equal and fair society. This promise was, in the most emphatic terms, not kept.

They turned to the army to uphold that promise and to remove the current government before it became too difficult. The army represented the people in a way that the government they elected never did.

We in the West make the mistake of believing that democracies are automatically positive without considering the degree to which that democracy exists. If a government is elected then that government must surely represent the wishes of the people right?

At what point do we stop having a true democracy and instead have a government using the title as a shield, a sort of impunity, maybe not to criticism, but certainly to physical challenge. We had no problem when Mubarak was ousted militarily because it was what the people wanted. Well the Egyptian people wanted this too.

It’s time to recognise our hypocrisy.

rebuttal the Egyptian People’s Assembly. It is important to note that Morsi’s sweeping powers lasted only 16 days, after which he promptly relented to the public protests.

Moreover, the fact that the public ratified Morsi’s constitution just 7 months before the coup d’etat is an uncomfortable truth for those who endorse the new military regime, where all constitutional rights are suspended.

Most crucially of all, one cannot rely on sporadic clashes under a democratic regime to defend a far more violent, damaging campaign which abolishes the rule of law altogether. That is not compatible with justice, and most importantly, it is an affront to human liberty.

The criticism that the army have shown no willingness to put democracy back on track in Egypt fails to note that the army, and the interim leader, have already set down a road map for doing so.

A fifty-person panel has been appointed to put together a new constitution within sixty days. Unlike the previous constitutional drafting committee, it contains independent experts and secularists as well as a fair number of Islamists.

Elections will be held by February 2014 at the latest. While both the Muslim Brotherhood and the army say they want a return to democracy, only the army is acting like they do.

Meanwhile, the curfew put in place

by Morsi has been pushed back from dusk until 11pm. The former legal ban on criticising the government has been lifted. Life is returning to normal for ordinary Egyptians as food and fuel shortages become far less frequent.

This is not to say that the violence on the part of the army was necessarily correct. Obviously there are concerns surrounding the violent protests in recent weeks, which need to be addressed.

There is, however, a broader question; are an elected government taking away freedoms from its people better than an unelected government ultimately restoring them?

September 17th 2013

8

features everyDay SexiSm As uSi release their report on harassment, sexual violence and assault on irish campuses, and the Everyday Sexism Project celebrates a million page hits, aoife valentine takes a look at the issues of sexism towards and harassment of female students

EvEr SinCE Cambridge graduate Laura Bates decided to tackle the issue of sexism at basic levels, it seems as if the issue hasn’t been out of the media spotlight or our Twitter timelines. Though sexism in day-today life has always been an issue for women, it has been one that wasn’t often spoken about. Complaints were, and still are, dismissed as overreactions, and instances so commonplace that they had become the norm.

Less than a year and a half ago, Bates founded the Everyday Sexism Project, a website where women could submit stories of their experiences of sexism, with the aim being to raise awareness of how routine these instances were, and how much of a problem it still was, and indeed is.

Having experienced multiple instances of street harassment in one week, Bates recognised that she herself hadn’t been acknowledging the issue. “it really just shocked me because i had this sudden realisation that if they hadn’t all happened in the same week, i never would have thought twice about any one of those incidents. i just realised how many things i was dealing with and just putting up with, because it was normal and part of life and part of being a woman.” upon speaking to other women about this, Bates realised she was not the only one turning a blind eye. Since April 2012, the site has collected over 50,000 stories of everyday sexism and has racked up over a million page hits. Searching the #everydaysexism hashtag on Twitter will bring you up more than 100 new tweets every day, chronicling women’s experiences of sexism, most notably, street harassment.

Though the site began in the uK, it has since expanded into 18 different countries. “it just goes to show how huge an issue this still is and how much people want and need to address it. Every woman has a story,” says Bates on the expansion. This is true of ireland, and particularly noticeable on campuses and among the student demographic.

There’s a really bad problem in dublin nighTclubs where jusT being There is Taken as consenT To do anyThing To you. you can go To a nighTclub and iT’s jusT Taken as a given ThaT you’re consenTing To being groped, or in anyway approached, purely because of your presence

SaoirSe Ní ChiaragáiN

Last week, the union of Students in ireland (uSi) released the results of their Say Something survey on students’ experiences of harassment, stalking, violence and sexual assault. it concluded that on campuses in ireland, 31% of women had experienced someone making comments with a sexual overtone that made them feel uncomfortable across three areas including in a learning environment, in the Students’ union or Su bar, and in other areas of campus.

The figures were similar when it came to wolf-whistles or catcalls with a sexual overtone, with 5% experiencing this in class, 15% in the Su or bar and over a quarter of respondents recorded experiencing this kind of behavior in other areas of their campuses.

Though not specific to experiences on campuses, one in five of those surveyed reported having undergone unwanted sexual experiences, including sexual intercourse, assault, sexual contact and attempted sexual intercourse. When you single out unwanted sexual contact, 11% of respondents noted they had been subjected to this behaviour, which included kissing, touching and molesting through clothes.

This is somewhat unsurprising when you consider the social norms in bars and clubs. A post-graduate film student from Trinity College, Saoirse ní Chiaragáin, summed up the culture, saying, “There’s a really bad problem in Dublin nightclubs where just being there is taken as consent to do anything to you. “you can go to a nightclub and it’s just taken as a given that you’re consenting to being groped, or in anyway approached, purely because of your presence. it goes beyond what you’re wearing or beyond whatever vibe you’re giving off to people.” uCD Students’ union gender Equality Coordinator, rebekah McKinney-Perry, sounds almost despondent when considering her own experiences. “Where to start? i was out last Saturday for a friend’s birthday and in the bar, a man thought it would be totally fine to grab at me and call me ‘sugar tits’ and tell me how great my breasts were. Sadly, this is not out of the ordinary; it has become so normalised that no one else around me said anything to him.”

Outside bars and clubs, the problem doesn’t disappear. DCu student, valerie Loftus, explains: “A friend was walking down O’Connell Street, when a couple of lads came up to her.

They slapped her arse and then ran away. She was with a boy at the time so it was even worse that they just thought there were no boundaries.

“She was really upset because she just thought that if she couldn’t walk down the street even with another person without getting touched or harassed, where could she go?

Myself, i’ve gotten called at from cars, beeped at, but you stop noticing, because it happens so much.”

One of the most shocking things Bates reports is the amount of stories coming in from very young people experiencing this kind of harassment. “i’ve spoken to a lot of really young girls for the project” she says.

“By the age of 15/16, it’s completely normal to them that part of their journey to school is a guy sitting next to them on the Tube and pressing up too close or stroking

@EverydaySexism ellIe

@ellInorcarr

When i was 16 i would often lie and say i was 13 when leering strangers asked to discourage their advances. it never did.

sImon paul

@sImonpaulesq

i’m one of the only men who work in my office, and i’m fed up of reading e-mails addressed ‘Dear Sirs’.

helen rImmer

@helenJqrImmer

Just picked up copy of @SportMaguK 50odd photos of sportsmen, 2 female rowers & practically naked female model double-spread September 17th 2013

There seems To be a real feeling of anger; a whole generaTion of young women are reaching adulThood or leaving universiTy and looking aT The world ThaT They expecTed To be equal in and TreaT Them equally and finding ThaT ThaT simply isn’T The case, and being really angry abouT ThaT and looking around and seeing whaT They can do abouT iT

31%

EXPERIENCED SOMEONE MAKING COMMENTS ON CAMPUS WITH A SEXUAL OVERTONE THAT MADE THEM FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE

1 IN 5

REPORTED HAVING UNDERGONE UNWANTED SEXUAL EXPERIENCES GIRLS AS YOUNG AS

eLeveN

REPORTED EXPERIENCING STREET HARASSMENT

50,000

REPORTS OF EVERYDAY SEXISM HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE PROJECT

20%

OF STUDENTS REPORTED HAVING EXPERIENCED HARASSMENT ONLINE

Krystle boss

their legs even though they’re in their school uniform. And if that happens to you when you’re 11 or 12 and you’re too scared to do anything and you don’t know what’s going on, then, by the time you’re 18, 19, 30 or 40, it’s just part of life.” She says.

The recurring theme at the end of every report of these incidents is the dismissal of it at the end. This is something that was reflected in the findings of the Say Something survey, which found that in cases of unwanted sexual experiences, 57% of those surveyed did not believe the incident was serious enough to report and 29% felt too ashamed or embarrassed to report it.

Though those statistics take into account those reporting rape and sexual assault as well as sexual harassment and unwanted sexual contact, it is telling that the main reason for not reporting these incidents is not taking it seriously enough.

The overwhelming response from those who do report, or even question these behaviours, is to stop taking it so seriously. Over time, this then becomes normalised and as Bates noted in the beginning, something you turn a blind eye to. ní Chiaragáin says, “From very early on, you’re taught to shrug these things off and not to make a scene out of it. There’s always, especially in our peer group, the excuse that it’s ‘just a bit of banter’, so if you are to speak up against it, you just seem like you’ve got no sense of humour and you’re ruining the craic, which is hugely unfair, because if you feel uncomfortable with something someone is saying or doing, you’ve every right to voice that and to have people listen.”

McKinney-Perry echoes these sentiments when she says, “We are encouraged to embrace this as banter and it’s not just men making these jokes any more, women make them too, which is probably more worrying and, to a certain extent, upsetting.”

And while advocating for women to speak out, or “shout back”, Bates does admit that: “you feel like if you challenged every instance of it, you’d never get anything done.”

While it’s true that women can be sexist against other women, it is also true that not every man harasses women on the street. Part of encouraging women to speak out against everyday sexism for Bates, has been opening people’s eyes to the fact that it is an issue, something she has found many men didn’t realise.

@Krystleboss

Oil conference has a stand to recruit more women into the industry... Also has “babes in bikinis” wondering around *sigh*

elIZa nevIn

@etothenev

Friend told her coworkers she’s thinking about getting PhD. Many responded “you should focus on getting ur MrS degree first”

claIre morrIson

@claIreygIrly

Barrister asks you to stay behind after excused of jury duty as “nice to have attractive ladies in court”. rape case too.

catherIne francIs

@cath_francIs

Evening Standard extols Beckham for his ‘willingness to babysit his daughter Harper’. ‘Babysit’? is she not his kid, then?!

She explains, “We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of emails and thousands of tweets from men saying you’ve really opened my eyes; i had no idea that this was such a big problem. Men saying how sorry they are; men saying that they’ve got baby daughters and they don’t want them to grow up in a world like this.

“Men are more likely to step in and be an active rather than passive bystander or an influence on their male peers because the Project has opened their eyes to something that through no fault of their own really, they just weren’t aware of before.” it is difficult, however, not to notice some of the blatant sexism that exists on university campuses themselves. Events that are routinely run in uCD include ‘rappers and Slappers’ and ‘Stockbrokers and Secretaries’, something that is repeated in universities around the country, and indeed in the uK. The issue of sexism in education and universities really came to the fore during Freshers’ Week last year for the Everyday Sexism Project.

“We suddenly became deluged with thousands of entries from young women who were in their first week at university, away from home feeling vulnerable and being confronted with whole ranges of events with titles like ‘Pimps and Hoes’, ‘golf Pros and Tennis Hoes’, ‘rappers and Slappers’,” explains Bates.

“All of these events where it seemed like the women were slags, sluts, wenches, whores, and where there was a pressure for the girls to always be dressing up in a very specific way, when the fancy dress for the boys always was dressing up in a fun way. This isn’t about saying that’s bad, or women shouldn’t dress however they want, it’s about the pressure and the fact that that seemed to be a strong, recurring theme.”

Even outside of the social scene, the project has received consistent reports of sexism in learning environments.

“We’ve heard about a lot of casual sexism, even during lectures, just making offhand sexual comments. Quite a lot of reports of lecturers and supervisors being inappropriate, sexually harassing or even assaulting students; it seems to be pretty widespread.”

This is something Loftus touches on when recounting her own experiences, saying “i was in a class and me and another girl were responsible for the design work that day. The lecturer came over to me and says: ‘Hm, it’s

usually lads who do the design,’ and i was like ‘Well i do it, and i do it for the school paper as well, so i don’t understand why it’s an issue.’ i didn’t know why he felt like he had to point that out to me. it mostly is, but the way he pointed it out was almost in disbelief.” it’s among the student demographic that online sexism seems most prominent. According to uSi, just over 20% of students reported having experienced online harassment.

This is something Bates notes, with particular reference to Facebook pages: “There’s things like uniLAD, Confessions and Spotted pages where often largely female university students find their pictures posted, without their consent, with sexual comments on them.

“The idea of female students as sexual prey, as wenches to be pursued and graded out of ten and laughed at by the LAD Bible, it kind of just goes on and on. right now, there’s this sort of lawless sense that anybody can simply terrorise, basically, any woman writing online and part of the normalisation of sexism and violence against women is that that is often not seen as a problem.”

Although this is an issue, it’s also online that women are finding the confidence to speak out about the problem, no doubt in part down to the Project. Bates says, “you shouldn’t underestimate the power that is given to women from that online community and from the ability to actually tell their story and have it heard, and have it not questioned but have it kind of validated by being listened to.

“There seems to be a real feeling of anger; a whole generation of young women are reaching adulthood or leaving university and looking at the world that they expected to be equal in and treat them equally, and finding that that simply isn’t the case and being really angry about that. They’re looking around and seeing what they can do about it.”

This is something Loftus feels is true, concluding: “Whatever shift in opinion there has been lately, people don’t seem to mind speaking out about their experiences as much.

“There’s been a real crackdown on that kind of Lad behavior and Lad banter. i think people are drawing a line there and saying enough is enough. it’s not right and it’s not fair that women are the butt of the joke or that we can be treated this way because you think it’s funny. i think that that’s important.”

amy butterworth

@butterworthamy

waldorf sIxpence

@waldorfsIxpence

Oh piss off Head & Shoulders ad: “WOMEn, why all the hair products?”

BECAuSE yOu SELL THEM TO uS, PrOCTOr & gAMBLE. Whenever i’m out with my girlfriend & she pays for something, cashiers almost ALWAyS try to give me the change.

thInK club uK

@thInKclubuK

Finding the number of comments under #MockTheWeek saying they ‘hate woman comedians’ frankly disturbing

sarah sIlverman

@sarahKsIlverman

Oh my gosh i’m embarrassed. i just found out i’m a woman AnD i’m 42. i am so sorry

My big fat Greek student debt

features

9

As the cost of being a student is rising yet again, Shauna Preston examines why paying your way to graduation day is an achievement

University is often referred to as a safe haven, an ecosystem that one can avoid the real world and the economic woes involved.

Unfortunately for the students of this coming academic year, a safe haven is far from accurate. In fact, for some, university education will continue to be a distant dream, as costs soar to record highs, leaving students to turn down their desired places due to a lack of funding.

The current rise in student expenses, as well as the impending cuts to education spending in the forthcoming budget, means no student is safe from the austere conditions currently felt by so many. A survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions` confirmed this perception, showing that it is now more expensive to attend college than ever before.

Head of Communications at The Irish League of Credit Unions, Mandy Johnston, acknowledges that “the cost of third level education can be a significant burden.

Families are already struggling with the wider impact of austerity and the economic downturn and paying for college has become increasingly challenging for many.”

Costs have risen in every area. The general cost of living for students is now estimated at €516 a month for expenses such as rent and utility bills. This can mostly be attributed to the rise in food and travel costs, however, students in UCD and other Dublin universities must dig a little deeper as rent prices are higher here than in rural areas where other universities are based.

Research carried out by Ronan Lyons on behalf of Daft.ie found that a group of friends renting a four-bedroom house in Dublin may

have to fork out between 10% and 15% more than last year, compared to other students in rural areas who will face no such change. Although more students are now opting to live at home, the 32% that move out for college face no alternative other than to pay the unprecedented high rents.

For those ineligible for the higher education free fees scheme, the price of the current student contribution charge must also be located. This student charge has been rising significantly since the beginning of the recessionary period in Ireland and combined with the student levy required of all UCD students, the current cost of registering as a student is around €2700.

Students commencing their education this academic year will be forced to adjust to fees rising further incrementally as the student contribution is set to rise by €250 each year for the next three years.

This hike in registration fees is due to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn’s plans to scrap €100 million from the education budget.

Grants can be a form of financial sustenance for students eligible for such schemes. This financial supplementation can help cover the various costs associated with further education. However, with more severe income thresholds being introduced this year, more than 800 students who previously qualified for financial aid are no longer eligible to receive help.

Since 2012, no similar maintenance grant is available for postgraduates. Disadvantaged students are also feeling this pinch, with non-adjacent maintenance grants also being reduced this year, with further reductions expected in the future. These cost increases

The general cost of living for students is now estimated at €516 a month for expenses such as rent and utility bills

and income reductions are no surprise to the people of Ireland, who have been facing austere conditions since 2008, when the recession became prominent.

The main cause for concern at present is the increasing number of students being forced out of continuing their education due to lack of funding. Many students put in the hard work, receive more than enough leaving certificate points, are offered a place on their desired course, but simply have to refuse their place due to an inability to pay the rising fees.

Education is key to the prosperity of a country, so annual cuts by the government is escalating a problem

that the graduates of third level education are expected to deal with in years to come. The cost of this education, as well as the lack of jobs once education is completed, is having a negative effect on the Irish economy and the ability of graduates to enter the real world in a financially stable position.

Jessica Armstrong, a 20-year-old potential nursing student explains the direct and deteriorating affect the grant cut is having on her education, saying, “I repeated my leaving certificate to increase my points. I was supposed to start nursing this year, and I was declined for my grant and back to education allowance. I’m heartbroken. I’m looking for work

until I can try again next year.”

Society has a set view of students that involves being poverty-stricken and living for three years off beans, toast and little else. While this novelty view of a struggling student has provided light-hearted entertainment for many years, it is simply no longer the case.

Today’s students are the truly poverty-stricken. It is a struggle to make it through a full degree, and we should commend those who manage it. If the trend of student costs exceeding manageable boundaries isn’t curbed in years to come, there might not be anyone left to donate €2700 a year to the government for a piece of paper.

Culturally intoxicated A drinking culture is inevitable in university life, or is it? Nicole Casey examines the relationship between students and alcohol in Ireland

Alcohol and third level education are a turbulent, but significant combination. No one could ever deny the drinking culture associated with going to college. It’s intrinsic with university life since going to college is often synonymous with a newfound freedom due to moving out of home.

For many students, it is the first time they live away from home.

Even for those who don’t move in to campus accommodation, college life is still an entirely new experience.

No one checks you’re attending your classes, no one rings your parents if assignments aren’t finished and absolutely no one makes a scene if you arrive to a lecture 20 minutes late smelling like tequila and wearing last night’s outfit. In fact, you might just get a few high fives.

Most students would deny that this alcoholic culture is a danger and demand you take a shot of some unidentifiable dark liquid with them.

They were three for a tenner; sure it would be a shame to waste them.

The real problem comes down to selfcontrol. Many students are unable to drink in moderation, and this is where the culture of alcohol begins.

Young people can’t truly be blamed, because Ireland as a nation is unable to drink in moderation.

We’re not entirely sure what a standard drinking unit it, we believe if the wine is served with dinner it’s not really a drink, and whenever we’re asked if we’ve checked our alcohol levels before driving the morning after a drinking session, we all let out a slight little laugh.

Rather than shun our international recognition as a nation of drunks, we have embraced it. It’s what makes us fun. To some, it’s what makes us ‘Irish.’ Some would

lay the blame on the cheapness of alcohol, but that is simply not the case. Rather, it is the availability of alcohol that spawns this drinking culture, especially in universities.

Campuses have student bars, sometimes more than one, offering alcohol combined with cheap food and the match shown on a huge screen, but it’s no longer just bars and pubs that sell alcohol. Drinks are readily available almost everywhere.

A lot of petrol stations now have an off license section, as do newsagents.

Supermarkets offer two or three full aisles of wines and spirits. You can now have an alcoholic drink in art galleries, museums, and even the cinema. Soon, it will be as difficult to resist having a beer when going to a movie as it currently is to resist an extra-large popcorn.

The student drinking culture is evidently just a microcosm for the rest of Ireland, though students do have their own unique drinking traditions to bring to the table.

Achieving the title of completing a ‘Platinum Week’, which involves going out to nightclubs every night of the week while also attending all lectures and classes, is apparently the ultimate achievement.

One Commerce student explains, “You have to go into town every night of the week, but you have to get to all of your classes as well. You can’t miss a single class. That’s a platinum week. I’ll never see one.”

Over the summer, University College Cork (UCC) made an announcement about their introduction of alcohol free, or ‘dry’, accommodation on campus.

The introduction of these selfpolicing apartments is a direct

No one makes a scene if you arrive to a lecture 20 minutes late smelling like tequila and wearing last night’s outfit. In fact, you might just get a few high fives

response to the growing concern for student binge drinking.

A survey completed by UCC in 2010 found that 46% of male students and 45% of female students reported binge drinking more than once a week. While the college expected a good response to this initiative, students were not as keen, and only three students have actually signed up to live in the dry accommodation this academic year.

UCC released a statement saying: “[We are] happy with the initial response it has provided a decent starting point for generating further interest in the future.”

The University believe that more people will apply to move into the alcohol-free buildings for semester two, if they find they are unhappy

with present living arrangements.

The student attitude to drinking needs to be reshaped, and the only way to do this is through education.

There are countless advertisements about the dangers of drink driving, the dangers of taking drugs, the issue of unplanned pregnancy; everything students may be experiencing.

There is, however, very little information about the dangers of alcohol alone. Excessive alcohol consumption affects more than just one’s ability to drive, it has countless health effects that just aren’t being advertised enough.

Earlier this year, youth organisation SpunOut, in partnership with comedian Des Bishop, launched Hello Sunday Morning (HSM), an initiative

encouraging people to take a break from alcohol and blog about their experiences. HSM is not an anti-alcohol initiative; rather, it aims to reshape peoples relationship with alcohol by regaining their control over it.

Des Bishop, who spoke to UCD students last year about his experiences with alcohol as a child and teenager, is an advocate of the HSM initiative. In March of this year, a number of well-known Irish celebrities took on the challenge of giving up alcohol for one month.

If students gave themselves a break from alcohol, they might see that fun can be had, even while sober. And if not, the money you’d save by having a sober month would definitely be enough compensation.

September 17th 2013

10

Features

Going Viral

The way we use technology is changing, but not necessarily for the better. Grainne Loughran examines just how easy it is to become a cyber-bully

Texting at the family dinner table, browsing Twitter while sitting in front of the television, refreshing Facebook while on the toilet. Our ability to access the internet at any time of the day during any activity is influencing how we use social media and the ease at which it can be abused.

Even at our most exhausted, our most vulnerable, we are the generation of documentation. Technology has made sure the platforms are available at the touch of a button for us to keep everyone from friends and family, and even our driving instructors aware of what’s going on in both our lives and everyone else’s.

The anonymous nature of the internet has provoked an astonishing degree of openness about our lives. When we meet someone we haven’t seen in a while and engage in the usual small talk, we tend to already know the answers to many of the questions we ask.

Before we meet new people, we type their names into search engines and all of sudden, we’re presented with everything from their area of study to that picture of them sipping cocktails in Crete.

Screens have infiltrated our daily lives, in the form of laptops, mobile phones and iPods. Yet, we often forget that our original exposure to screens was through television and cinema; in other words, visual mediums of telling stories.

Though they are used for sharing true information and news, the television and the cinema screens have, up until recently, largely been used by our generation for entertainment and laughs. They’ve been used for watching Friends or horror films, not for watching real life.

Screen culture has developed from documenting performance to documenting real life, but we have not changed with it. We still look at our screens and see stories rather than people and react in exactly the same way.

A spokesperson from Niteline, the confidential support service for students, says of online discontent, “The perpetrator is spared the uncomfortable feelings of guilt or ambivalence when faced with a human being they can’t physically see in front of them.

“This is because computer screens are not conducive to empathy. With-

out the empathy we have naturally evolved to feel for another human being in our presence, it becomes easier to say hurtful things and take actions that could cause distress.”

With regards to social media, she said, “The irony is that computer screens do not protect those on the receiving end from emotional distress. In fact, stripped of social context and the subtleties of conversation, verbal abuse received online can be magnified and felt more intensely.

“With the type of viral sharing that can occur on social media sites, exposure of the abuse can increase rapidly, leaving the individual vulnerable to a degree of social humiliation we have not been equipped to cope with.”

Whether you look at the girl from the infamous Slane photo as a stupid teenager or an unfortunate victim of happenstance, no one can deny the amount of attention the nation

gave to something that was nothing more than an act that should have been private and wasn’t.

Uploading a photo can be the equivalent of telling a story to hundreds of people at once, and everyone reacted in the same context as if these people had been characters in a soap, not teenagers sitting at their laptops.

Dr Brian O’Neill, head of the School of Media of DIT and coauthor of a paper on “Cyber bullying Among 9-16 year olds in Ireland” said, the recent Slane case really does have some lessons in this regard. There was nothing trivial about the kind of amplification that social media brought to the incident.

“Clearly many users on Twitter didn’t think or consider the consequences of tweeting, retweeting and favouriting, thereby compounding harassment of the individual involvement.”

The screen culture of dissociation

from what’s in front of us makes it much easier to pass comments under the banner of cyber bullying. However, it is this generation’s documentation addiction that makes it feel like we have to post reactive material.

Privacy policies on sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Ask. fm don’t go far enough to protect people, simply because they can’t.

According to Twitter spokesperson, they “work very hard to protect people’s experiences on Twitter, but sadly there are a small amount of people in this world who are intent on causing distress for others both offline and online.”

Collette Ryan, a spokesperson for the mental health promotion project HeadsUp, voiced concern at the noted increase in social media activity associated with bullying in recent months, saying that “HeadsUp has certainly seen a rise in the prevalence of online bullying with the rapid growth,

popularity and subsequent availability of social media channels.

“As with face to face bullying, the impact can be devastating. The integration of social media into most aspects of our lives also means that it is now more difficult than ever to escape from the bullying behaviour.”

Privacy policies cannot protect people from being harassed online any more than a teacher can stop one child teasing another in the playground. It is not social media which is at fault, but our own lack of awareness that we are pushing ourselves forward in a direction that we don’t really want to go.

We are the generation that can’t do anything wrong without it going viral, but it can’t be denied that most of us have our fingers wrapped around the camera phones in our pockets just as cavalierly as the amateur photographer at Slane.

It is entirely possible to become a cyber-bully without even realising.

Exploiting the youth As young people cling to their part-time jobs, Rebecca Hart looks at just what exactly is happening to workers behind the closed office door

The numbers of graduates that are emigrating from Ireland is increasing at an alarming rate. According to the Central Statistics Office, between April 2012 and April 2013, 89,000 people left Ireland; the highest rate since records began in 1987. More than 41% of those people leaving were under 25 years of age.

With these startlingly high figures, it’s no surprise to hear that the young people who stay in Ireland are doing almost anything to keep their jobs.

Stable employment may be hard to come by in our current climate, but does that justify young people being exploited in the work place?

Some young people are afraid to confront their employer, even when they are forced to work for less than the minimum wage of €8.65.

Still, in this current economic crisis, most people would rather work for low pay than no pay at all. Employers know this and are starting to use it to their advantage by targeting naïve students.

Very few students know their rights when it comes to employment, such as how long they are allowed to work for or the conditions September 17th 2013

In this current economic crisis, a young person would rather work for low pay than no pay at all

they can be expected to work in.

UCDSU Welfare Officer, Cian Dowling, is critical of the fact that students “are expected to work four-hour shifts with no breaks.”

Of course, the degree of exploitation completely depends on the employer. While some are using every loophole available to exploit employees, some companies are taking the harsh economic climate as a chance to build stronger relationships with young workers.

A successful relationship with young employees is very important in the eyes of Malcolm Good, owner of Goodhart Security. Developing such a relationship includes making the efforts to facilitate students’ shifts around their university timetables and periods of heavy coursework.

The company has invested in training for all of their workers, which reinforces the level of priority that the company place on employee satisfaction. The students employed were made aware of their rights and this helped student employees feel that they are in a stable working environment.

Good reflected on the benefits

I would love to just quit, and hope something else will come along, but I know well enough not to think so optimistically.

Young people just have to stick it out, we don’t really have a choice

of the employee satisfaction rate, commenting that it enticed former employees to encourage their friends and siblings to apply for work at the same company, “When young people left us to move on in their lives, they almost always had friends or younger siblings looking for employment and they always spoke highly of us.”

It is imperative that young people know their rights in terms of employment, most importantly in regard to the minimum wage, working conditions, or any other work related topic.

You can work a maximum of 48 hours a week and are entitled to a 20 minute rest for every six hours worked and 11 consecutive hours rest per day. You have the right to a fair notice of dismissal and written reasons for dismissal from your employer.

If a young person is unsure of their rights in an employment situation, endless information can be found in local Citizens Information Centres, as well as from bodies like Students’ Unions.

Speaking to the University Observer, a student working in the retail sector revealed their

personal experiences in an unsatisfactory working environment, “Young people count themselves lucky to have a job today.

“The cost of everything is constantly rising, and no young person likes to depend on their parents for handouts, especially when parents are already dealing with the rising costs of our education. You can’t just quit a job now.

People think you’re crazy if you do.”

When working as a student, it is important to know your rights when it comes to pay entitlements, ”Students are being paid below the minimum wage, not being given proper contracts, all those kinds of things. We’re not being told our rights, [or] what we’re entitled to.

“I had to find out about my rights to holiday pay online. If I hadn’t asked for that pay the week before I went away, I would never have received it. It wasn’t offered to me. Employers are being sneaky and sly. They’ll give you what you are entitled to, but you have to know exactly what that is. They’re not going to volunteer the information.”

When questioned about why students put up with these conditions, they said it was due to a lack of choice. “I’ve looked for other jobs.

I’m constantly looking, actually. I have years of experience, but it’s not enough anymore. The jobs just aren’t there for young people and when you leave a job in the middle of a recession, you’re considered crazy.

They continued, “I would love to just quit, and hope something else will come along, but I know well enough not to think so optimistically. Young people just have to stick it out, we don’t really have a choice.”

Many young workers lack not only confidence to speak out when they are being treated badly, but also the experience. It can also be intimidating and confusing to approach an employer about your rights and speak up.

Continuously educating the young population about their rights is the key to avoiding such exploitation in the workplace and reinforcing such policies is also crucial. If unsure, there is always someone to turn to for advice and guidance.

Irish

Saol ollscoile—níos fear in Éirinn nó san Eoraip?

GLUAIS Iasachta—foreign Óstollscoil—host university Eispéireas—experience An iomarca—too much Náisiúntachta—Nationalities

Labhraíonn Mollie O’Keeffe faoi shaol ollscoile in Éirinn i comparáid leis an Mór-Roinn

Chuile Meán Fomhair, fágann na céadta mac léinn Choláiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath agus scaipeann siad timpeall an domhain chun bliain nó seimeastar a chaitheamh i dtír iasachta. Tá naisc ag COBÁC le thart ar 300 ollscoileanna timpeall na hEorpa agus níos faide arís, agus dá bharr sin tá mórán deiseanna ag mic léinn ollscoile iasachta a aimsiú ina mbeadh siad in ann staidéar a dhéanamh ar a rogha ábhair. Mar chuid de na comhaointaithe atá déanta idir COBÁC agus na hollscoileanna seo, tagann mic léinn idirnáisiúnta chun tréimhse a chaitheamh anseo.

Tá clú ar COBÁC mar óstollscoil den scoth agus is léir é sin ó líon na ndaoine a thagann anseo – bíonn mac léinn idirnáisiúnta i ngach cúigear mic léinn, de ghnáth.

Arís is arís eile, deireann mic léinn go bhfuil taithí acu ar chultúrtha eile, agus eispéireas ollscoile tíortha eile, á taisteal uathu agus iad ag chaitheamh bliana thar lear. Ach sa lá atá inniú ann, san Eoraip domhandaithe, cén difríocht ann idir an eispéireas ollscoile anseo agus in ollscoileanna iasachta? Ó thaobh cúrsaí acadúla de, is cosúil go mbíonn an t-ualach oibre i bhfad níos déine taobh amuigh den tír seo. Chaith Neasa Forde, mac léinn cothúcháin agus diaitéitice,

bliain in Ollscoil Teicniúil München, sa Ghearmáin. “Sa Ghearmáin, tosnaíonn chuile duine an lá níos luaithe, tosnaíonn an lá ollscoile ag a hocht a chlog. Bhí an clár ama lán chomh maith – ní raibh bearnaí idir léachtaí ann in aon chor!”

Ní amháin in ollscoileanna Gearmánacha a bhfuil an eitic oibre seo le feicéail. Tá Paul O’Loghlen ag déanamh staidéir i Scoil Bainistíochta Reims sa Fhrainc, mar chuid dá chúrsa ghnó. “Bím i ranganna nó léactaí 30 uaire gach seachtain anseo, de ghnáth. In Éirinn, ní raibh ach 15 uair agam gach seachtain, agus ba sheachtain chrua é sin!”

Tá difríochtaí i modhanna múinteoireachta chomh maith. “Tá i bhfad níos mó tacaíochta ag mic léinn in Éirinn, i mo thuairimse”, a deir Margaux Baron, Francach a tháinig go Baile Átha Claith mar chuid dá chúrsa fisiteiripe. “Tá aigne ‘DIY’ sa Fhrainc, ach anseo tá teacht níos fearr ag mic léinn ar a léachtóirí agus teagascóirí.”

Rud a thóg sí faoi dheara anseo, ná go bhfreastalaíonn an formhór de mhic léinn Éireannacha ar ollscoileanna anseo. Níl an cultúr mar an gcéanna sa Fhrainc in aon chor, dar léi. “Tar éis na meánscoile, ní bhíonn mórán suime ag daoine fanacht sa cheantar céanna. D’fhan cúpla chara agam sa Fhrainc, agus chuaigh siad

go dtí na cathracha móra, Páras nó Lyon. Chuaigh an formhór thar lear, áfach – chuig na Stáit Aontaithe, an Ríocht Aontaithe nó an Eilvéis”.

Mar is eol don saol, bíonn clú na n-Éireannach ó thaobh ólacháin de tarraingteach do thurasóirí a bhfuil ag iarraidh píosa craic a bheith acu, agus mic léinn idirnáisiúnta san aireamh. D’aimsigh Margaux an taithí sóisialta a bhí á lorg aici anseo. “Ní féidir comparáid a dhéanamh”, dar léi. “In Éirinn,

bíonn mic léinn ag dul amach chun ócáid ar bith a chéiliúradh, ach sa Fhrainc níl an t-atmaisféar céanna ann. Tá na beáir ró-chóstasach, agus dá bharr sin, bíonn cóisirí tí againn den chuid is mó.”

Ní raibh an taithí céanna ag Paul sa Fhrainc, áfach. “Ní ionann mic léinn Éireannach agus mic léinn Eorpach, i mo thuairim. Nuair a théim amach san oíche, bíonn daoine ag ól an iomarca anseo chomh maith!” deir sé. “Ach níl beár againn

ar an gcampas, mar sin ní bhíonn an fócas céanna ar an alcóol san ollscoil féin.” Sa Ghearmáin, tá an fócas ann cinnte, le grá na nGearmánach don bheoir. “Bhí sé ar díol sa cheaintín ollscoile fiú”, dar le Neasa.

Ag caitheamh bliana thar lear, is é an cumha an rud is deacra, dar le Neasa. I gCOBÁC, tá cláir treoshuímh reáchtáilte ag an Oifig Idirnáisiúinta chun tacaíocht a thabhairt do mhic léinn idirnáisiúnta, ach níl an córás sin le haimsiú in

Buachaillí—tá suipéar réidh!

Tá cúpla póca parthais scaipithe féin: ag siúil leis na madraí, ag comfaoin tuath in iarthar na hÉireann. hrá leis na comharsana, nó ag ól le Is i dTír Chonaill, i gCiarraí agus i chéile ag an bpub tar éis an traenála. nGaillimh a bhfuil na háiteanna is Is cuid den bhflathais iad na saibhre as na ceantair seo – a bhfuil háiteanna seo, muna bhfuil tú iontu cultúr agus teanga na hÉireann faoi le linn an tsamhraidh, ar ndóigh. bhláth. Idir Meán Fómhair agus Ar thaobh eile na hÉireann, Bealtaine, bíonn na daoine áitiúil áit éigin i mBaile Átha Cliath, tá sna ceantair seo breá sásta ina saolta máthair áirithe ag bailiú bróisiúir college QUARTER ad 310x126_Layout 1 10/09/2013 16:41 Page 1

agallamh ar an nguthán agus ag seoladh roinnt foirmeacha réamhscrúdú an Gharda Síochána thart.

Agus an riarachán réidh, tosaíonn bainisteoirí an choláiste ag lorg ionaid le haghaidh ranganna, spóirt agus céilithe. Ó am go ham, cuireann an sagart áitiúla halla an pharóiste ar fáil don choláiste samhraidh.

Seans go bhfuil an Lotto buaite ag fear éigin ó Dhún Chaoin agus go bhfuil halla deas nua ceannaithe aige.

Ach don chuid is mó, caithfear áit dheas slán a bheith réidh do scoláirí agus creid é nó ná creid, bíonn na bainisteoirí ag iarraidh go bhfuil na páistí sásta agus iad ag foghlaim le linn an tsamhraidh, agus ag pointe áirithe, is cuma faoi phraghas an ionaid, cé chomh costasach is atá sé.

Roimh thús an chúrsa, bíonn na múinteoirí is na cinnirí bailithe le chéile agus tascanna faighte acu. Tá céimithe bainte amach ag na cinnirí ó anuraidh ó Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh agus is múinteoirí anois iad. Bíonn siad in umar na haimléise ag déanamh pleananna ranga, ag ullmhú imeachtaí do na scoláirí, agus arís – creid é nó ná creid – ach ní bheidh an cailín BhÁC i ngrá leis an modh coinníolach á staidéar gach lá ar feadh trí seachtaine.

Uaireanta bíonn na múinteoirí

ollscoileanna eile i gcónaí. “Bhí sé deacair grúpa idirnáisiúnta a aimsiú, caithim a adhmháil”, a deir Neasa.

“Molfhainn d’éinne chun bliain a chaitheamh thar lear, ach chun é a dhéanamh le chara nó páirtí ranga.”

Ach nuair atá mic léinn lonnaithe agus sásta san áit, is féidir cairde saoil a dhéanamh. “Tá cairde agam anois as thart ar 20 náisiúntachta. Ag déanamah staidéar thar lear, is iad na daoine an rud is fearr, gan amhras.”

GLUAIS Parthais—of Paradise Ag déanamh agallamh—interviewing Ag tabhairt amach—giving out Ag déanamh spiaireachta—spying Cothromaíocht—equilibrium

Labhraíonn Cian Ó Tuathaláin faoi eagraíochtaí an Ghaelcholáiste óna thaithí féin ag obair i gConamara

don Ghaelcholáiste is fearr don stóirín álainn atá aici. Beidh an Teastas Sóisearach le déanamh ag an stóirín seo an bhliain seo chugainn, agus caithfidh na tuismitheoirí €890 a íoc as an gcoláiste leis an halla is deise, na seomraí is mó agus an bhean tí is fearr in Éirinn. Seans go bhfuil na tuismitheoirí seo ag súil go bhfuil traenáil HACCP ag an mbean tí bhocht. Caithfidh an iníon freastal ar an nGaeltacht ar aon nós mar cheann de na cearta atá aici mar chailín meán-aicme BhÁC. Ar ais go dtí an t-iarthar, tá coláiste samhraidh áirithe ag ullmhú don bhliain seo chugainn freisin – ach ar scála i bhfad níos mó. Ar an gcéad dul síos, tá mílte bróisiúr agus foirmeacha iarratais le bheith seolta ó na clódóirí, agus níl sé seo saor ar chor ar bith. Nuair a shroicheann na bróisiúr chuig an oifig, caithfidh an coláiste iad a sheoladh chuig Cill Dara agus An Charraig Dhubh trí mheán an iarchinnire.

Ritheann na seanchinnirí ar fud na háite (chuig scoileanna, hallaí, srl.) leis na bróisiúir seo le cinntiú go bhfuil jab acu féin le linn an tsamhraidh. Ansin, caithfidh rúnaí an choláiste le bheith cinnte nach bhfuil aon ghealt fhostaithe aici agus bíonn sí gníomhach ag déanamh

11

ag íoc lena gcuid airgid féin as duaiseanna agus milseáin do na páistí. Ní bhíonn milliún euro á dhéanamh acu sa chéad dul síos agus creidim go mbíonn bualadh bos tuillte acu tar éis an méid oibre a dhéanann siad le haghaidh páistí ag tabhairt maslaí orthu taobh thiar a droim nó a dhroim ar aon nós.

Bíonn na múinteoirí ag tabhairt amach faoi na cinnirí as a bheith ina n-alcólaigh agus ag fáil laethanta saoire saor in aisce sa Ghaeltacht. Tá beagán fírinne sa ráiteas seo, ach i ndáiríre bíonn na cinnirí ag obair go crua le haghaidh a gcuid seiceanna. Obair láimhe: ag taisteal 300 cathaoir ó gharáiste an bhainisteora go dtí an halla.

Obair riaracháin: ag freagairt an ghutháin nuair atá an príomhoide fós sa leaba, an dúlagar air tar éis an méid gearán a mbíonn le déanamh ag tuismitheoirí dó.

Obair feitheoireachta: ag déanamh spiaireachta ar 200 déagóirí, ag éisteacht go bhfuil pleananna le bualadh suas agus ól/shifteáil déanta i nGaeilge agus nach Béarla.

Tá cairde agam in Indreabhán, agus bíonn scoláirí acu chuile bhliain. Bhí siad ag rá le déanaí go mbíonn na ceisteanna céanna faighte acu bliain i ndiaidh bliana.

Freagróidh mé anois iad ar eagla nach bhfuil a fhios agaibh féin.

Tá uisce reatha i gConamara. Tá leictreachas faighte acu taobh thall de Bhearna. Bíonn an leithreas taobh istigh sa lá atá inniú ann acu.

Agus páistí i do theach ar feadh trí mhí, bíonn an cuisneoir lán le rudaí deas nach bhfuil cead agat ithe.

Faigheann tú cuireadh chuig cóisir éigin agus níl tú in ann freastal, mar teastaíonn curraí sicín óna scoláirí.

Chuala mé ráfla go mbíonn €30,000 le déanamh ag mná tí tar éis trí mhí. Is annamh go bhfuil sé seo fíor. Faigheann teach idir €70 agus €90 in aghaidh na seachtaine le haghaidh scoláire, agus tá an t-airgead sin tuillte acu tá mise ag rá leat! Bíonn mná tí ag tabhairt aire do 10-15 páistí ar altramacht, buartha fúthu agus iad ag béicíl an oíche ar fad, sceimhlithe nuair a bhíonn siad ag léim as na fuinneoga – agus fós féin – ullmhaíonn siad dinnéar gach uile thráthnóna le grá agus le cúram.

I mí Lúnasa, filleann an Ghaeltacht ar ais go cothromaíocht.

Níl a fhios agamsa, i ndáiríre, agus máthair méan-aicme ag léamh trí fhoirmeacha Ghaelcholáiste, an bhfuil a fhios aici cé chomh fada is a théann an €890 sin?

Cúrsaí Gaeilge le Bord na Gaeilge UCD Irish Language Courses for UCD Students and Staff Bord na Gaeilge UCD

2013/2014

Courses Commence September 2013 Courses offered at 5 levels Courses for International Students and Staff Online Placement Test Online Courses Cultural Events on and off campus

REGISTER NOW AT:

FURTHER DETAILS AVAILABLE: ranganna.gaeilge@ucd.ie

www.ucd.ie/bnag September 17th 2013

12

science

No equality, not even in the grave The golden rule of medicine is that if something can be detected early enough, it can be dealt with relatively easily and cheaply… This is why universal healthcare is widely adopted across Europe

You can’t put a price on being healthy, says Robert Nielsen as he dives into the economics of healthcare

People from the lowest socioeconomic group in Ireland have a mortality rate that is 3.5 times higher than that of the highest social class

There are few things in life as important as good health. After all, we need it to live and even the slightest illness has huge effects on our happiness. It is for this reason that we all value healthcare and believe that all people have a right to good health. Unfortunately, this is more of a noble aspiration than a reality.

Despite what we may wish, there are gross inequalities in the health system, meaning that how much money you have helps to determine how long you live. One hundred years ago, your class determined how long you would live. If you had the luck to be born into a wealthy family, then you could look forward to a long and prosperous life where illness could be quickly and efficiently dealt with.

If you had the misfortune to be born in a tenement slum, then you have to face a life of hardship where sickness would be always near your door and your life would be much shorter. Now, even in the 21st century, money may not be able to buy happiness, but it can buy life itself.

A study by Balanda & Wilde entitled “Inequalities in Mortality”

found that people from the lowest socio-economic group in Ireland have a mortality rate that is 3.5 times higher than that of the highest social class. According to the Think Tank for Action on Social Change (TASC), unskilled men die six years earlier than professional men.

In her book “Irish Apartheid: Inequalities in the Irish Healthcare System”, Sara Burke estimated that inequality was responsible for an extra 5,400 deaths every year. Inequality is not an academic question, it is literally killing people. So, why is this the case?

The main reason is the two-tier health system we have in Ireland.

Healthcare is great if you have enough money, but if you don’t have the money, you are left on a trolley or for months on a waiting list. This is part of a process that puts a monetary price on someone’s life and values making money more than saving lives.

It is argued that privatising healthcare will make it more efficient, but only for those who can afford it. In order to get an operation in Ireland,

you must go on a waiting list. That is, unless you have private insurance, in which case you can skip the queue and get treatment ahead of people who have been waiting longer and need the procedure more.

This system is a lot of things, but it is fundamentally dishonest.

Healthcare should be based on providing a service to those need who need it most; it is not acceptable for people to skip the queue just because they have more money.

Still, many say that privatised systems are more efficient than the government. Is it not best if we leave things to the free market? That may be the case for many areas of the economy, but not health.

This is because health is not simply another market, but rather much more important and complex.

In a normal market, you can shop around to find the best deals, but healthcare is such a complex subject that you need years of education before you can fully understand it.

This means that consumers don’t understand what they need, how to get it or what they are paying for. In

Mad Science—Sunny spells with a chance of silver iodide Rain rain, go away! Cathal Nolan investigates if our wishes may soon come true

Could this technique be used next summer at Oxegen, Croke Park or Wimbledon?

We’ve all been there: you’ve booked the tickets, the tent is ready, you’ve bought the wellies (just in case) and you’re ready to enjoy your favourite new group at Oxegen or Electric Picnic. Nothing can go wrong. Or can it?

You turn on RTÉ to catch the latest weather forecast and the only visible sign of a sunny graphic is the colour of Jean Byrne’s fluorescent new gown. Why can’t we just change the weather, just for this weekend?

Well, with the help of new scientific evidence, this once fairytale may soon become a reality. Scientists at the University of Geneva now claim they can use infrared laser technology to alter the occurrence of rainfall.

The idea of humans influencing weather conditions is not a new or revolutionary idea. American scientists during the 1940s pioneered techniques capable of altering the occurrence and frequency of rainfall in isolated storms. In 1946, Dr. Vincent J. Schaefer was head of a group of scientists focused upon producing artificial clouds using cold chamber conditions.

While experimenting with the cold chamber, Schaefer noticed that the temperature of the cold chamber had risen and needed to be cooled down. In order to achieve the optimum temperature Schaefer placed a chemical known as silver September 17th 2013

iodide (dry ice) into the chamber.

Once the dry ice was inside the chamber, all the water vapour within formed a cloud which became attached to the particles in the dry ice. Essentially, Schaefer had accidentally discovered the process known today as cloud seeding.

The process of cloud seeding occurs when small aircraft seek out a developing cumulus cloud, called a shower cloud, and then release a large quantity of silver iodide into the core of that cloud. Once safely within the cloud, the silver iodide acts as an artificial nuclei for excess water vapour within the cloud to cling to and eventually become large enough to form raindrops.

According to studies carried out between 1986 and 1993, areas which were subject to cloud seeding saw cloud heights increase by 7%, rainfall volume increase by 130%, and storm duration increase by 36%. Seems like pretty solid evidence, right?

Not according to physicist Jerome Kasparian, the team leader of the new research being developed by the University of Geneva.

Kasparian has stated, “Given the variability in the atmosphere it

remains very difficult to judge just what the effects of the spreading of silver iodide actually has on the atmosphere.”

Kasparian’s research has shown that by using infrared lasers and aiming them at specific cirrus clouds, they are able to increase levels of citric acid that acts as a seed that water molecules cling to and begin to develop into drops.

The technique itself has so far failed to produce any rainfall, but it has increased the drop size to a few microns. “We are still far from laser induced rain making. Particles have grown to a few microns but need to be 10 to 100 times larger to produce rainfall,” admitted Kasparian.

So, how might the use of cloud seeding techniques affect society in a future where weather related disasters are high on country’s agenda? The most beneficial uses of cloud seeding may come from using such techniques to increase rainfall totals in semi-arid regions, helping to stave off the prospects of crop failure and famine.

Cloud seeding may also be used to prevent rainfall in the form of isolated shower clouds. If scientists were to over populate clouds with silver iodide, this may lead to an over-abundance of nuclei and essentially dry up the clouds; causing the shower cloud to break up.

Some of the true effects of cloud seeding can be found in Texas where crops are being harvested in areas previously unsuitable. Could this technique be used next summer at Oxegen, Croke Park or Wimbledon?

Probably not, at present these prospects remain just speculation.

Some may ask just how close we are to controlling the everyday weather where we live. The answer, at present, remains unanimous; we are still many decades away from controlling even the smallest of weather systems. Although we may be able to enhance precipitation from showers, we are still unable to induce precipitation from shower clouds.

The process of cloud seeding can only serve to maximise the rainfall of a shower cloud. Cloud seeding cannot by itself cause a shower to form. Likewise, Kasparian’s new findings, although interesting and of great scientific importance, still remain unable to cause any levels of rainfall whatsoever.

The exact science of cloud seeding is still in its infancy and will take many decades before we may have any hopes of altering our beautiful, wet Irish summers. For now, let’s just put on a brave face and make the most of our festival shenanigans. Anyway, it wouldn’t really be a festival without a good old fashioned soaking, would it?

essence, the market cannot function.

This is why attempts to privatise healthcare in Ireland and America have not lead to lower costs as promised, health companies know that consumers lack information and can get away with charging higher prices.

Private healthcare is not only unjust, it is also inefficient. If healthcare is a major expense, then people will avoid having to incur it. This means that if someone on a low wage feels a pain, they will try to ignore it until it becomes unbearable and trying to make ends meet goes against all medical advice.

The golden rule of medicine is that if something can be detected early enough, it can be dealt with relatively easily and cheaply. But if things are ignored until they become a massive problem, then the costs are unnecessarily far higher. The key to a cost effective health system is preventive medicine, but if these come with a cost then people will try to avoid them where possible.

This is why universal healthcare is widely adopted across Europe. By making preventive medicine cheap

and, in some cases, free, people are not discouraged from seeing a doctor and illnesses can be cured before they become a serious problem. Government may not be the most innovative of bodies, but it is good at standardisation and economies of scale.

By including all people in one system, administrative costs are minimised and efficiencies are reaped from the concentration of services. A universal system does not have our current problems of a few enjoying luxury treatment while the rest are stuck on trolleys in crowded hospital corridors. A healthy population is in everyone’s interest; healthy workers are more productive and far better than being stuck on a hospital bed being a burden on the state.

Our private health system is grossly inefficient, though that shouldn’t matter. The obvious nature of its unjust treatment of the poor should be reason alone to change it. There will always be differences between rich and poor in life, but these shouldn’t include in sickness too. Life may be unequal, but that doesn’t mean death should be too.

sCieNCe hoNey, DiD yoU Say SomethiNg?

13

There is a science behind subconsciously tuning out your other half, and Michael o’sullivan debates its advantages

“yOu nEvEr LiSTEn to me!”

Sound familiar? That’s probably because it’s a documented scientific phenomenon. it would appear that humans have the uncanny ability to either tune into, or tune out, the voice of their significant other. research recently undertaken at Queen’s university in Kingston, Ontario, Canada showed that while we are young and full of vigour, people find it quite easy to ignore their spouses’ voice. The opposite is true for older couples, who find it hard to not hear one another’s voices.

This could go a long way to explain why so many couples fight over not listening to one another and bicker constantly as they age, tired of hearing nothing but the grating tones of their other half. is this a problem though, or does it have some sort of biological use we have yet to discover.

Maybe it’s an evolutionary quirk we developed to help us survive, or perhaps we are all quite simply ignorant telly addicts. One thing is certain however; for elderly people at least, it would certainly appear that the phenomenon has some merit. nobody wants to grow old, unless they’re Benjamin Button, but we’re not going there. it is a well-known fact that, to paraphrase Ben Parker, with great age comes great senility.

With senility comes a greater need for assistance, a permanent crutch if you will. Often, this crutch takes the form of one’s spouse, and this is when their voice becomes key.

When you rely on someone so much that your everyday life becomes almost impossible without them, does it not make sense that you would tend to tune into their voice that much more? your life could be made infinitely easier if you could find the person who knows you best out of all the voices in a crowd.

Of course this form of elderly echolocation can also add to the sense of resentment some people sometimes feel towards their helpers. unable to do the most menial of tasks for themselves any longer, they become frustrated and annoyed with their own apparent uselessness, and begin to bicker and fight with their carers, these being the very people who they can’t help but hear. is it any wonder that so many elderly and feeble couples seem to outwardly despise one another?

Of course, the youth aren’t getting off lightly in this study by any means. The ability of young people to effectively tune out the voice of their partners could go a long way to helping explain why there is such a high rate of divorce nowadays.

in America at least, it is purported that over half of all marriages end in divorce; with most of those separations being within the first five years of marriage. Perhaps if people realised the level of spousal ignorance they experienced was partly due to biology, they would calm down and relax. voilà, no more divorce.

Of course, it could be argued that Disney and their saccharine brand of romance are equally as culpable, having fooled three successive generations into believing in Prince Charming and whirlwind romances.

The advent of reality television doesn’t help either, as it has exposed us to such bastions of unconventional and unhealthy behaviour in the form of the Kardashians and Snooki. interestingly, Kris Jenner’s token husband Bruce, has recently been seen barely noticing Kris when she speaks to him. is this a perfect example of how easy it is to tune out one’s spouse or is it symptomatic of the fact that he married a screeching, media savvy harpie? We may never know.

Back to the topic at hand, couples may be fighting over the fact they don’t listen to one another, when really there should be no need for fighting at all. it’s simple biology: their brains are wired so that after an extended period of exposure,

perhaps if people realised The level of spousal ignorance They experienced was parTly due To biology, They would calm down and relax. voila, no more divorce

they tune out what’s familiar.

Of course nobody likes to be taken for granted, but is it not a part of everyday life that what is routine slips into the background?

Would most people not agree that certain aspects of their daily routine are done almost completely on autopilot, with little or no regard for what occurs in their surroundings as they go about their business?

Perhaps the scientific approach is too cold for this topic. After all, marriage is not an exact science, nor should it ever be, but perhaps therein lies the rub. Couples vow when they marry to love and cherish one another till death do they part, and clearly ignoring one another flies in the face of loving and cherishing. is it not also true that life has its up and downs? The fact that it is now a scientific truth that couples can ignore one another without intending to should be a tool to educate new couples. your relationship may not always be the same; there may be times where you will hate one another and times when you will love one another. There may be times when you ignore one another and times when you listen. The most important thing to remember is however; the Kardashians will never die.

get theIr attentIon, one way or another 1 Put on trousers. Strutting around the house in your undies is SO normal. Put on some trousers and dazzle your partner with your consideration for their eyesight.

2 nod as they speak to you. This helps to create the illusion that you actually care about Marnie from work’s latest escapades with her space hopper.

3 Put the kids to bed early. So you can have some alone time together. Alone time in this instance means so much sleep you’ll be misdiagnosed as narcoleptic.

4 go out to dinner. Everybody loves McDonalds.

5 Book a romantic retreat. in your back garden. in the tree house.

Clare sa spéir knew what she was at.

woUlD yoU like pillS with that? oisín Moran asks if you want pills with your coffee

WELCOME TO COLLEgE. Welcome to coffee. The two are, in effect, synonymous. Perhaps coffee was your first proper experience of a mind-altering drug, however, with lifetime and recreational drug use among all social classes and younger cohorts steadily increasing over the last decade in ireland, one could forgive a lack of surprise if this were not the case.

Coffee is thankfully in that nice group of socially acceptable drugs and could well become, or could already be, your best friend for the duration of your stay here in uCD. Those caffeine-fuelled late-night assignments will account for a large part of your work, but beware you don’t spend too much time picking an instagram filter for the photo of that Starbucks you got with your name spelled incorrectly on the cup.

When it comes to mental stimulation, coffee certainly beats the world’s most popular drug, tea, by a long shot. Others, however, have found that coffee just doesn’t cut it for them and have resorted to Modafinil; a wakefulness-promoting drug usually prescribed to narcoleptics, but now easily available on the internet.

Modafinil is one of thousands of “smart drugs”, or nootropics, which are being trialled by the likes of plucky entrepreneurs and eager students the world

round who wish to squeeze more into their long work weeks.

These cognitive drugs can enhance memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration to varying degrees of success.

Modafinil itself has been compared to the fictional super-drug “nZT-48” from the film Limitless, but with the disclaimer that it is just not as good as the fictional creation. in our pursuit of mental and physical perfection, we have become more accepting of ingesting things that we do not know the full origin or effects of. From the popularised multivitamins (an excess of which is actually harmful) to the demonised creatine (which has hundreds of studies supporting its efficacy and safety), it is clear that our attitude towards health supplements and drugs is often unscientific.

After all, humans are emotional creatures that have logic rather than logical creatures that have emotions.

As a result of this, we often give too much weight to hearsay and emotionally charged anecdotes, but too little to the cold hard statistics.

Our recently developed gym culture has done a lot of good by promoting physical activity and a healthy diet, but has also had the nefarious effect of turning some people to anabolic steroids, which is far from advisable from a health point of view.

This need to be “large and in charge” has certainly been spurred on by popular culture such as Jersey Shore, geordie Shore and ireland’s very own tallafornia. Although, some may claim not to be affected by the media, it is an inevitable truth that the material you engage with will at least have some effect on you. Who hasn’t fancied their chances at setting up a meth lab with their chemistry teacher after watching breaking bad?

As Marcus Brigstocke so comically says, “if Pac-Man had affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in dark rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.” This raises the valid observation that, just as popcorn is known to go with a film, increasingly drugs are being tied into the enjoyment of music concerts and festivals as these recreational drugs are becoming easier to obtain. unfortunately, in a time where we are used to a high bar set for health and safety regulations on food such as lists of ingredients, nutritional information, and DnA traceability of meat; it is almost impossible to know the quality of any illegal drug due to the nature of it’s illegality.

Even the supplement market, which has exploded as of late, is under-regulated and some brands have been known to contain high dosages

if pac-man had affecTed us as kids, we’d all be running around in dark rooms, munching pills and lisTening To repeTiTive elecTronic music

of heavy metals and low dosages of whatever you actually bought it for.

The rise and fall of head shops, in which we saw lots of youths and adults suddenly develop an interest in pond cleaner and bath salts, increased the nation’s awareness of our drug problem.

A study of irish teenagers in 2008 cites the average age for the first use of illegal drugs at 14 and a half years-old; only one year more than the average age for taking their first alcoholic drink.

We knew the people entering (or waiting outside) the crude facades of head shops were not looking for a quick fi x to a nasty algae problem or perusing the many varieties of radox muscle soak on offer, but at the time it wasn’t illegal. Although

some reports suggest people may have disobeyed the clearly displayed “not for human consumption” signs. unfortunately, as we have become desensitised to drug use, it has become harder to say no. results from a pilot study by Marie Claire van Hout (entitled Fifteen year Olds’ Alcohol, Cigarette and Drug use in ireland) found that drug use was generally deemed to be “rather normal behaviour” by the sample group.

This could mean that abstaining would be to go against the grain, as the same study found that 50% of 15-19 year old has used illegal drugs at least once. The data is clear and this, coupled with the haphazard quality of drugs on the market, has already led to some terrible and tragic consequences for those involved.

10 hiStoriCal CUreS for CommoN ComplaiNtS Morning after the night before? Ask a cowboy for help, says Conor de Paor the haNgover

ShiNiNg SmileS

We’ve all experienced a hangover, but fear not, cowboys from the Old West had a sure fire way of dealing with it. A warm cup of rabbit-dropping tea rivals any amount of sausages, rashers and puddings stuffed into a roll.

Keeping your teeth white can be hard. During the 1700s, you could simply drop into your local barber. your teeth would be filed down with a metal scraper and rinsed with nitric acid. it actually improves your smile.

toothaChe

balDNeSS

mUSCle aCheS

wiSDom teeth

Pliny the Elder had a convoluted method for curing toothaches. under the light of a full moon, catch a frog, open its mouth, spit into it and say, “Frog, go, and take my toothache with thee.”

The Tudors loved their home-made remedies that helped 10% of them reach their mid-forties. They also loved their hair. To restore their flowing locks, the key was to shave off any remaining hair and smear on fox grease. you’re definitely bald now.

Are your muscles aching after your get in gear programme?

The dynamo massager of the 1930s is what you need. upon application you’ll receive some lovely electric shocks to numb those aches and pains.

This treatment for teething from 17th-century England will be useful for your painful wisdom teeth. Boil the head of a hare, mix the brains with honey and butter (to your preferred taste), and apply the mixture to your gums.

boil The head of a hare, mix The brains wiTh honey and buTTer (To your preferred TasTe), and apply The mixTure To your gums

SkUll SplittiNg heaDaChe

let the blooD flow

Ever had a splitting headache? Try trepanning. A simple procedure that involves a small hole being drilled in the skull, without anaesthesia, to allow for ‘improved’ blood flow. used since the era of cavemen, it’s still practised today.

under the weather? Don’t fret.

During medieval times there was a simple solution called bloodletting that will get you back on your feet. A physician will simply open a vein in your arm and drain pints of blood from your body, letting the illness flow from your system.

Smelly breath Does your breath smell foul after a long night. The romans can help in that department. Try a mouthwash consisting of earthworms marinated in vinegar for that fresh… earthworm and vinegar tang.

CommoN ColD For that persistent cough, pop to your local pharmacy and buy a bottle of heroin cough syrup.

People described themselves feeling heroic after just one dose.

September 17th 2013

14

opinion

LGBT OutREACH—Any QUEERies?

The challenge of dealing with all the anxiety and excitement of starting college can be amplified further if you are part of the LGBT* community, but this doesn’t have to be the case, writes Leanne Durkin In secondary school, coming out was a scandal. Being out to my class in college as trans*, however, wasn’t a big deal and in the LGBT* society it was celebrated.

People here accept you for who you are and being open about my identity has not given me any problems in college at all

Education on mental and sexual health can be a rather taboo subject, but awareness of the LGBT* community in secondary schools is almost non-existent. In Ireland, children rarely come home after a day of school and explain to their parents that they learned about LGBT* issues, because it is an untouched subject.

While the acceptance levels of the LGBT* community in Ireland has increased immensely over the last few decades, there are concerning calls to teachers from some parents querying why their children were even exposed to such a topic at school. That’s not mentioning the response and attitude of some of the students themselves.

It would be unfair to label all secondary schools and primary schools as a hostile and homophobic

setting, but they can often give members of the LGBT* community a hard time. Homophobia can unfortunately exist in the work place as well, and in some cases, as you will have seen in the news recently, entire countries.

The resources, knowledge and even the recognition of the importance of LGBT* support at a secondary school level are simply just not there. New students will hear this so many times that you will be ready to throttle the next person who tells you that university is completely different from school.

As you will have already discovered, sexual and mental health packs will be falling out of your pockets by the end of the first week of the semester. College is an entirely new environment, both to adjust to, and to take advantage of.

There’s so much more support in university compared to what many of you will be used to that you won’t know what to do with it all.

In college, there’s a much better understanding of everyone’s needs. For people who are part of the LGBT* community, at your disposal there is the Students’ Union (SU), the Welfare and LGBT* officer, specific student councilors for each course, free counseling and the LGBT* Society.

This information for the LGBT* Society can be found on the UCD and UCDSU websites, as well as on our own Facebook and Twitter page. Our website can also be easily accessed, where you can see who the committee are, what events usually take place and what other support is available.

Being part of the LGBT*

community can be especially difficult for international students, especially those who come from countries where being LGBT* isn’t widely accepted. If you’re one of those people who already has experienced a culture shock, getting used to being LGBT* in another country could be an added stress, or an added bonus.

Discovering what other countries and universities have to offer is a fantastic opportunity. This is where you can really explore who you are.

College really is the most liberal atmosphere you’ll ever be in. You’ll do so many things this year that you would never have imagined doing.

Maybe you’ll end up sleeping outside the James Joyce Library for Homeless Week run by UCD St Vincent de Paul (SVP) or spending your Friday morning blowing up

hundreds of balloons for a video shot (believe me, it can happen).

University communities and life within that environment is much more inviting to all different types of people, not just for those who are part of the LGBT* community. You’ll find there are few who even care what you identify as or, more basically, how you dress.

That’s not to say homophobia doesn’t exist in college at all, but because there are so many people in it, you can generally get away with avoiding it and there are so many more resources available to those who have experienced it.

Generally speaking, most people come out to friends before announcing it to their family. Some people who are part of the LGBT* community may come out well before starting college, whereas many people may not have even discovered their identity yet.

For people living away from home, possibly for the first time, university gives you the chance to experience what it is like to be out openly, before needing to come out to other family or friends.

While the daunting prospect of coming out to your parents is still there, you can put it on the back burner for a while and live a little.

Living away from home means you don’t need to worry about being caught sneaking around with all your amazing LGBT* friends who you’ll meet at the UCD LGBT* society’s coffee mornings.

You never have to tell anyone what you identify yourself as before you’re ready or feel comfortable to do so. College gives you the chance to become more confident with who you are (university has that effect on most people), so don’t let it go to waste.

The Casual Observer— A brief history of Gender Equality in UCD Despite starting out as a platform for discussion, The UCD Gender Equality Facebook page has become a feasting ground for hungry trolls, writes Jonny Barry The debate, however, that dominated most of the summer news was the question as to whether women should die or not in pregnancy

Trigger warning—article about feminism and gender equality underneath.

Abandon hope all ye who enter here.

If you’ve taken a look at the UCD Gender Equality Facebook page at any point in the last few months, you will have witnessed the pinnacle of academic discourse befitting of our prestigious University. Threads upon threads of militant silliness litter the page, with even more having been deleted since those heady days of exam time last semester.

It’s quite difficult to remember the gender equality page as anything other than the bloated mess it transformed into earlier this year, and it certainly wasn’t an idyll, but I do remember a time where you could discuss gender equality issues in Irish and global society with relative ease. Unsurprisingly, the page attracted a lot of feminists and feminist discussion.

But what about the men? Several students have voice an apparent lack of attention given to male issues. After sensing this gross misrepresentation on the page, these white knights of UCD endeavoured to combat this supposed gender bias by posting inflammatory remarks about feminism and its followers rather than raise some issues that they would wish to be discussed.

The result was something that could only be achieved in today’s hyper-connected society, as pent-up exam stress manifested itself in

September 17th 2013

numerous different forms in the comments. Passion, frustration and amusement were all present as students, who may have gone the entire year without saying a word in a tutorial, were shouting at each other across the internet.

Male feminists were accused of attempting to curry favour with their female counterparts by taking up a cause that may affect their sister, mother, or, god forbid, a fellow human being. Straw men were erected and burnt at the stake continually throughout this period and gradually, over the course of a month or two, more and more students began to join in.

As exam frenzy took hold of Belfield and even more bored students at their laptops began looking for something to do, the gender equality page was whipped into a furore. Procrasturbation took a back seat for once, as multitudes of wannabe scholars descended upon the page to debate the merits of feminism and gender equality in general.

Despite each debate sprawling into gargantuan threads with comments sometimes reaching into the hundreds, there was never a consensus reached between opposing parties about the legitimacy of the page, the movement, or any of the issues.

Indeed, the fact that we inhabit a first world country was frequently cited as an example of how good we have it here. This discussion took place roughly during same

time as when the Stuebenville case was coming to a close, and the following two months were defined by a raucous debate, which divided our fair green isle into two opposing camps.

The debate, however, that dominated most of the summer news was the question as to whether women should die or not in pregnancy. The country was racked with indecision over this issue. Families, friends and politicians were all divided. Hair was pulled out, protests and counter-protests were arranged and a lot of shouting was done.

For some TDs of opposing parties, their previous disagreements on fiscal and social policy became water under the bridge as they unite under the shared banner of ‘prowomen-dying’. Despite being evicted from their parties, their morals remained intact as they staunchly held their belief that women should die unnecessarily, whether through suicide or pregnancy complications.

According to certain members of our student body, third wave feminism is a bit ridiculous. They do have the vote after all, and nothing screams female freedom quite like having your bodily autonomy decided by a 62-year-old man from Mayo and his cronies. Who does need feminism, indeed?

What proceeded in the following weeks was a mass banging of heads against walls. Each commentator had a go of it, and when they were sufficiently worn out, another took

their place. Everyone had their own specific method; whether that was utilising Wikipedia knowledge of Simone de Beauviour, Tumblr posts, or actual academic argument, it all manifested itself as repeated head banging.

The left-leaning students also waded in, mustering up all of their critical thinking and argumentative skills (so carefully honed by their university education) in their crusade against a grand total of less than ten people. In what must be remembered as one of the most successful trolling attempts in our University’s history, these ten or so people managed to successfully become the hot new collective time sink of UCD. ‘Spotted’ left us with a controversial hole that needed to be filled, cause an admin to get demobbed, a splinter cell of Gender Equality UCD to be formed, and numerous feelings to get hurt. Not to mention their virtual legacy of seemingly never-ending cyclical arguments, where points are twisted beyond recognition and thousands of words are left festering on the page, a sneering monument to the deleted threads and wasted time. Trolls trolling trolls.

Nowadays, the admins of the page have taken up a much more stringent moderation policy, removing anything that they believe is rude, which has led to some very dubious and subjective censoring: book burning for the modern age.

eDitoriaL

eDitorial iF yOu’vE rEAD the university observer before, you’ve probably noticed that we’re a little bit bigger this year. That’s because, in honour of our twentieth year, we’ve decided to change size from Berliner to broadsheet. This means that we now have more room to fill, so we can bring you bigger and better stories, just like the story we ran about the Student Health Centre on the front page.

There are so few students still in uCD who will remember that the Health Centre used to provide medical care free of charge. it was only in September 2009 that charges were introduced, an action which had the support of the uCDSu so long as the money was reinvested to provide additional services, with STi screenings and dental care being some of the most widely suggested services.

you can now get an STi screening in uCD for just €80, but only on Wednesdays and Fridays. in comparison, anyone, regardless of whether or not they are a student, can walk into St. James’s Hospital on a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday for and get both an STi screening and receive the necessary medication absolutely free of charge. As for the dentistry, well, i imagine we’ll be waiting another while on that one.

To be fair to the Health Centre, they have increased the amount of counselling hours available since 2009, and that service remains free to all students. Still, the Health Centre are not only charging fees for doctor and nurse visits, but, as of last week, they are now no longer giving students a 10 days in which to pay off their medical fees.

An overall of €176,000 in missed payments immediately raises the question of how the university

allowed the debt to get this large in the first place. Anyway, there is the argument that they shouldn’t have to pay a fee at all. if you read robert nielsen’s brilliant piece on page 12, you will get a good idea of why it’s dangerous to privatise healthcare, as you just end up punishing those who were in the worst position to begin with.

Hopefully, the byrne report will allow uCDSu to provide quick funding to those who cannot afford to go to the doctor now that they must pay on the day of treatment. in some cases, students may see it as a choice between seeing the doctor and not eating for two nights.

When more than half of student patients are not paying for their consultations, you can’t help but think that uCD’s student population are facing serious financial problems. i’m looking forward to seeing what

this year’s Su have in store. The early signs are good; at least they’re aware that they are lacking female representation. The fact that rachel Breslin was our first female Su President for fifteen years is a damning indictment of the fact that women don’t feel comfortable going for the top positions in the Su. Let’s just hope that the partnership with the Women for Election group amounts to something more than just a token gesture from an all-male sabbatical team.

Aoife valentine has conducted a very interesting interview with Laura Bates, the founder of the Everyday Sexism project, on page 8. it is a must-read for anyone who is skeptical about the need for feminism in the modern age.

One thing to absolutely avoid if you are in any way interested in feminism or gender equality is the “gender Equality uCD” page on

landslide electoral victory garner? next in Talleyrand’s September Honours List is ДDДM “Tsar of russia” CД ФLL. Adam is a male nursing student, who has a cult following in the city of Chita, which is well known as the administrative center of Zabaykalsky Krai, russia.

This cult hero status has blessed Czar Carroll with a mass following on his Twitter propaganda machine @AdamuCDSu. One of his latest friends from the cultural hub of Chita seems like a very charming fellow.

Aleksej Beskletko and Adam have become best comrades and seem like a match made in heaven. Aleksej describes himself on his Twîtt�r bio as “Human, a journalist, a friend, a little child (in the shower) ... ;) i’m an interesting person, friends, business

and media. My dreams, goals are feasible! i’m ready for anything.”

And finally, whispers filtered to Talley Towers that Mí�héál “The fada life chose him” gallagher wants Talleyrand to go no holds barred on our glorious leader throughout the year. Talleyrand has never succumbed to threats and doesn’t plan on accepting suggestions that would cripple the editorial independence of this publication.

Especially not from former members of the irA War Council.

By happenstance, Talleyrand has run out of space to welcome LMFAO fanboy Cian “Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats, Hats,” Dowling. good luck.

Facebook. Jonny Barry has a highlyentertaining summary of the failings of the group in his new column.

On a similar note, i am also very happy that the LgBT* Society have agreed to do a column this year. i know that it can be hard to start college as a someone who is part of the LgBT*, but uCD is a very welcoming place and this year’s LgBT* Auditor, Jack Carolan, is incredibly friendly person.

This issue’s column deals with how to adjust to university life.

But don’t forget about OTWO, where we’ve got one of ireland’s top comedy sketch groups, Foil Arms and Hog, writing a column to teach you how to live your life. But they’re not the only one, we also have an amazing musician from Dublin called Orla gartland writing for us this year. Orla has decided to pursue a music career instead of coming to college, so it will

15

be very interesting to hear what she has to say as she gets used to life on the road. This issue’s installment of her column is essentially reading for any aspiring musicians out there.

We were lucky enough to interview Patrick J. Adams from Suits this issue, which we hope is a sign of things to come this year. Be sure to check out our new advice columnist, @tila_ da_hun, for all your dating queries and don’t forget to read what Mystic Mittens has in store for you this week.

On a more personal note, i’m incredibly excited to be such a huge part of the twentieth year of such a great publication, and i know that Killian and Conor are excited too. We’ve got some pretty cool ideas for the year ahead, and we really hope that we can live up to the incredibly high standard that Emer, Aoife and everyone who came before them, have set for us.

talleyraND

AHOy FrAKBAgS, yes, i have returned and i am here to welcome all the new cretins to the campus of Hellfield. Whether you are only popping your head in the door for a one year of English and History and seven re-sits, or are in for the long haul like some of those dearie people who require seven years to fall over the Babes&LADS finish line, Talleyrand is here to keep your ears thronging with prattle from all corners of this concrete Jungle Book soap opera.

But this is where the pleasantries cease and desist. Four days is all it apparently takes for the incoming drove of first years to drag this once noble institution plummeting down the latest QS university Spankings.

Such a meteoric crash hasn’t been observed since the great fresher depression of 2005 when uCD started accepting those people who couldn’t colour inside the boxes of their DATS and Eirquest tests.

For issue one, Talleyrand likes to set aside a few column inches to welcome the new sabbatical officers to their homes. First on the Tally-list is the Students’ Punions untrodden Postgraduate Education Officer Lorcan “no Luck” gray.

Talleyrand has been following his tweet tribulations lately and apparently nothing grinds the gray gears more than a people fortuitously cavorting their way into employment. Talleyrand couldn’t agree more, Lorcan. now remind me, how many votes did your

the uNiversity observer eDitor Kevin Beirne DePuty eDitor Killian Woods art, DesigN & teChNoLogy DireCtor Conor O’Toole News eDitor yvanne Kennedy CoMMeNt eDitor Elizabeth O’Malley features eDitor nicole Casey

Tally out. irish eDitor Cian Ó Tuathaláin sCieNCe, heaLth & teChNoLogy eDitor Michael O’Sullivan sPorts eDitor Shane Hannon otwo Co-eDitors Steven Balbirnie Jack Walsh

letterS to the eDitor Send your letters to EDITOR@ UNIVERSITYOBSERVER.IE

gaMes eDitor niall gosker fiLM & tv eDitor Laura Bell MusiC eDitor rebekah rennick fashioN eDitor Emily Mullen

DEAr Sir, i was stunned to hear about the upcoming referendum to bring in a smoking ban across uCD. Firstly, i should clarify that i am now a smoker, but have not always been. irrespective, my opinions as regards smoking in public places have always been the same.

Alcohol has previously been listed as a more harmful drug than

tobacco in scientific research, but there seems to be a country-wide acceptance of excessive drinking.

This leads to hypocrisy in the universal contempt that smokers suffer for their addiction. How can we sympathise for certain addicts and not for others? i’ve become impatient with people telling me that my smoking outdoors harms their health. With respect

to the minimal damage it actually could do, i’m certain that secondhand smoke is no more harmful than the soot and chemical pollutants that already riddle our city air.

For students with a dependency on cigarettes, this proposed smoking ban will make our university a much more difficult place. yours etc., Louisa Connolly

Chief otwo writer Emily Longworth

CoNtributors The Badger Jonny Barry Amy Buckley Anna Carnegie Sinead Conroy Marcus Dalton Leanne Durkan Conor de Paor Tadhg de Sales reddan Sean Finegan roisin Finn Sean Flanagan Tony Flynn Orla gartland Eva griffin rebecca Hart David Healy Martin Healy @tila the Hun Eileen Keaveny grainne Loughran Jack McCann Conor McKenna Christin McWeeney Thomas Mitchell Mystic Mittens Lauren Moore Oísin Moran robert nielsen Cathal nolan Samantha O’Brien O’reilly Donal O’Cathain Mollie O’Keefe Sean O’neill Jordan O’regan Shauna Preston Karl Quigley grainne rochford Lucy ryan Talleyrand Aoife valentine Laura Woulfe iLLustratioNs Emily Longworth Michael vance

staff MeteroLogist Cathal Nolan thaNks rosie the human. victor Bissonath. gretchen, Willie White, Aoife Lucey and the folks at the Dublin Theatre Festival, Karen, rachel Duffy, Peter Hamilton, Ari Shaffir, Orla gartland, Foil, Arms & Hog, everyone at Holy Wow Studios, ian Cheek, Lorraine Long. J-Orgus and young Sandwich. Paul Fennessy, Jon Hozier-Byrne, Daniel McConnell, Bridget Fitzsimons, rob Lowney & ruth McCourt. sPeCiaL thaNks Aoife valentine. Jack Walsh. rosie the dog.

September 17th 2013

16

sPort

September 17th 2013

the roaD to the StaDiUm of light

sPort

17

As group Stage of Europe’s most illustrious club competition gets underway, tony flynn takes a look at what lies in store in each group

grouP a—

MaNChester uNiteD, bayer LeverkuseN, shakhtar DoNetsk, reaL soCieDaD English Champions Manchester united will have enough quality to top group A, despite Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini representing their only significant summer signing. David Moyes might not have a wealth of experience at this level, but his squad certainly do and the results will reflect this.

The battle for second place will be contested by a very Brazilian looking Shakhtar Donetsk and Sami Hyypia’s Bayer Leverkusen. This is just too close to call. Shakhtar’s newest Brazilian import Fred and Leverkusen’s midfielder Lars Bender are the players who can make a difference. real Sociedad are the poor relations of the group and, despite having a number of quality players in their ranks, it is unlikely they will finish higher than fourth.

grouP b—

reaL MaDriD, JuveNtus, gaLatasaray, CoPeNhageN real Madrid are the obvious winners, however, the supporters won’t be too enamoured with Carlo Ancelotti after he sent Mesut Ozil packing to London. it seems to have caused some unrest amongst the players, but long-term discontent within the squad is unlikely to affect form.

Juventus are a good side and their fans will continue to look to Andrea Pirlo to provide the magic, despite his advancing years. With Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba pulling the strings, galatasaray are Juventus’ main competition for 2nd place. As well as this, the intimidating home support will make away days to Turkey particularly daunting for visiting teams. Juventus will most likely progress along with Madrid; while Copenhagen could easily finish pointless.

grouP C —

grouP e —

PSg have strengthened over the summer and added uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani and he will provide goals alongside the threat of ibrahimovic. Benfica aren’t exactly full of household names, but should do enough to progress.

Olympiacos (featuring former Manchester united goalkeeper roy Carroll) and Anderlecht can look forward to fighting over a place in the Europa League.

Chelsea performed well in the Super Cup loss to Bayern Munich, and Jose Mourinho will be expecting more of the same in the Champions League.

Fernando Torres has a habit of scoring in Europe and Samuel Eto’o is still adept in front of goal, despite being on the wrong side of thirty. indiscipline could cost Chelsea dearly and it needs to be stamped out. Schalke 04 have players like Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and new signing Kevin-Prince Boateng to call on to create and score goals, but need to be wary of giant killers Basel.

Basel aren’t the same team that knocked Manchester united out of Europe two years ago, yet they still pose a threat. realistically, expecting them to finish higher than third is naïve, but they could cause an upset. Steaua Bucharest will have to settle for last place.

Paris st gerMaiN, beNfiCa, oLyMPiaCos, aNDerLeCht

grouP D—

bayerN MuNiCh, MaNChester City, Cska MosCow, viktoria PLZeN Current champions Bayern Munich should win this group easily.

Pep guardiola inherited a very balanced team and although Bayern performed poorly in the Super Cup win on penalties over ten-man Chelsea, it is still expected of them to be in Lisbon on May 24th.

CSKA Moscow boast a strong squad with several russian internationals. Captain and goalkeeper, igor Akinfeev, is probably their most influential player and will win points on his own.

Manchester City have experienced European misery in recent seasons and Manuel Pellegrini was brought in to steady the ship and get them into the knockout stages.

Provided they can field a fully fit back four and Joe Hart avoids calamity they should progress. viktoria Plzen aren’t up to Champions League standards and benefit from the Platini scheme to have more league champions in the competition.

CheLsea, sChaLke 04, baseL, steaua buCharest

grouP g —

Porto, atLÉtiCo MaDriD, ZeNit st Petersburg, austria wieN Hardly a group for neutrals hoping to see big names, but there should be some attractive football.

Porto have gained a reputation as being a selling club in recent years, however they should finish in second behind Atlético.

The Madrid side added the reinvigorated David villa to their ranks during the summer break and they also have the impressive young Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois on loan for a third consecutive season. Zenit, though boasting a team containing Hulk, will finish third with Austria Wien making up the numbers.

grouP h—

barCeLoNa, aC MiLaN, aJaX, CeLtiC

This group is fairly cut and dry. The quality of Barcelona and Milan far borussia DortMuND, exceed that of Celtic and to a lesser arseNaL, NaPoLi, MarseiLLe extent Ajax. The Catalan side with neymar added to their ranks and This group is the hardest to call. some coaching in basic defending Arsenal’s new new boy Mesut Ozil is should glide through the group. arguably one of the best playmakers Milan have welcomed their in Europe. Provided their strikers are prodigal son, Kaka, back into the fit, they should get results. Otherwise, fold and if the always entertaining Arsene Wenger may be forced to turn Mario Balotelli is on form, they to nicklas Bendtner to lead the line. should comfortably finish second.

Marseille are a inconsistent Ajax might feel hard done by as prospect who will be a daunting they may have progressed from opponent at the Stade vélodrome, but another group and are certainly overcoming last year’s runners-up and moving in the right direction. a structured napoli side under rafael Celtic can’t be written off at Benitez may be a bridge too far. home, but the effects of rangers Benitez’s arrival at napoli saw demotion on neil Lennon’s side a spate of new arrivals, including are clear to see, even in the SPL. gonzalo Higuain and Pepe reina, As always, their most effective to bolster the squad in all areas, player in Parkhead, on European while Dortmund also countered nights, is the twelfth man. the departure of Mario gotze by signing attacking duo Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. This group is sure to be a very tight scrap that could be decided on goal difference.

grouP f—

are yoU a photographer, illUStrator, artiSt or CrUCiverbaliSt*? or woUlD yoU like to be?

EMAIL DESIGN@UNIVERSITYOBSERVER.IE TO GET INVOLVED

THE UNIVERSITY OBSERVER *A PERSON WHO MAKES CROSSWORDS September 17th 2013

18

sport

Pressure on Mayo not to choke

Dublin’s team and squad this season has got a better balance between the wise heads nearing the end of their careers and the young lads just breaking onto the scene

With the stage set for Sunday’s All-Ireland Senior Football Final, Jack McCann and Sean O’Neill take a look at both Mayo and Dublin’s chances of lifting Sam aloft this weekend

All roads lead to Croke Park this Sunday; it’s the final the media had hoped for and the one people all over the country had expected. After an impressive season, Mayo are back where they want to be; in Croke Park on the third Sunday of September.

Despite losing last year’s final, there appears to be something different about this Mayo team. With ten minutes gone in last September’s final, it appeared as if the ghosts of All-Ireland past had come back to haunt the men from the West.

They were eight points down, similar to the finals of 2004 and 2006, but unlike teams of the past, they recovered to put in a proud performance. Mayo have had enough morale victories though, and this time only have aspirations of claiming the ultimate prize in Gaelic Football.

This Mayo side have brushed aside each challenge with ease, including dismantling the reigning champions Donegal by 16 points

banana skin but the Tribesmen were disposed of in clinical fashion.

Roscommon and London were brushed side in a similar manner.

They have since effortlessly defeated the reigning champions in an act of revenge and then Tyrone in the semi-final. Going into the final, Mayo hold no fear of Dublin having beaten them in a classic in 2006; while they also ended their hopes of back to back All-Irelands last year in an equally fascinating game.

The coaching team seems to have dispelled any notion that there could be a repeat collapse

by Mayo in a final. It looks like this is Mayo’s greatest chance of collecting Sam Maguire in recent years as they have a team that possess the mental strength not seen in teams of the past.

O’Connor scored contributed to They say you have to lose a final A key factor in their rise in the subtotal of fourteen that Mayo to gain the experience to win one. expectations has been manager have scored in their five games. It In the case of Mayo, it appears that James Horan. The Ballintubber certainly appears that they have they have to lose multiple finals clubman has brought about a the firepower to trouble a Dublin before they can win one, and this steeliness and mental strength not year might finally be the one. seen in previous Mayo teams. That’s defence which leaked three goals against Kerry in the semi-final.

On the other hand, Dublin’s why this year appears to be their This Mayo side have brushed aside squad this season has got a better greatest chance of claiming the each challenge with ease, including balance between the wise heads elusive Sam Maguire Cup that they dismantling the reigning champions nearing the end of their careers have craved for the last 60 years.

Donegal by 16 points. They have won and the young lads just breaking Along with a clever coach, the onto the scene after having county have unearthed some quality their five games by an average of 13 points and have a scoring average success at under-age level. players over the past three years. of 24 points in the same amount of It wasn’t too long ago that the Aidan O’Shea has put himself Dublin team depended very forward as a candidate for Footballer games. The hurt of six All-Ireland final defeats in 23 years appears to heavily on a core of players like of the Year with some barnstorming the Brogans and Jason Sherlock. If performances; while Cillan O’Connor be motivating this group of players.

Coming into this year’s they performed poorly, then Dublin has gone on a goal scoring spree Championship, the Connacht generally would have struggled with six goals in two games. and quite often lost the game. Now, Unfortunately for O’Connor though, champions had set their sights on a provincial three-in-a-row. A the team no longer relies solely on it appears he will miss the final first round tie against arch rivals Bernard Brogan with the weight of with a dislocated shoulder suffered responsibility now shared among early in the semi-final. The six goals Galway seemed to be a potential

the new guys like Jack McCaffrey, Ciaran Kilkenny and Paul Mannion.

In the Leinster Championship, Dublin won the title by beating Westmeath, Kildare and Meath by an average of 13 points, scoring a total of 74 points, including seven goals over the three games.

The statistics alone show the potential that Dublin have going forward, but the one area where Dublin may struggle in, and one which Kerry really did their homework on before the semi-final, is their defence.

Dublin’s fullback line of Kevin O’Brien, Rory O’Carroll and Jonny Cooper were put under pressure by the Kerry forwards when contesting high balls and receiving short kick outs from Stephen Cluxton.

This tactic evidently worked because they scored three goals within the first twenty minutes. Jim Gavin is also a very experienced and capable manager whose substitutions in the semi-final highlighted his capabilities perfectly.

He introduced Kevin McManamon in the 65th minute of the game, just when Kerry were dominating again and there was need for fresh impetus from somewhere.

Just like in 2011, McManamon scored the crucial goal in the game which put Dublin took the lead in the 70th minute. This substitution, along with the introduction of Dean Rock and Eoghan O’Gara in the 44th and 60th minutes respectively helped to steady the ship when Dublin really needed it.

A draw really shouldn’t be ruled out here, but regardless of the result, it promises to be a cracker.

US Open 2013 Review With another classic US Open behind us, Jason Walsh reviews the highs and lows of the tennis at Flushing Meadows

This year’s US Open took place between August 26th and September 9th at Flushing Meadows in New York, and as we’ve come to expect with the tennis majors, it didn’t fail to disappoint.

In the men’s draw, British number one Andy Murray was the defending champion, having defeated world number one Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller lasting nearly five hours in 2012.

Murray’s win was the first of his career at a grand slam, and the first for a British male since 1936.

American superstar Serena Williams was the defending champion in the women’s draw, having beaten the top ranked Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka, in the 2012 final. With that win, Williams secured her fourth US Open and an incredible fifteenth singles grand slam title.

One of the major headlines from this year’s championship was the exit of former world number one, Roger Federer, in the fourth round. His defeat at the hands of tour veteran Tommy Robredo in straight sets was a surprise, however, Federer has seriously struggled with his form since winning the Wimbledon title in 2012 and has only defeated one top ten player all season.

Federer’s early exit from this year’s US Open is further evidence that we may be seeing the beginning of the end to the career of one of the greatest male tennis players in history.

Murray, meanwhile, has had the greatest year of his tennis career beyond doubt. Beginning with his dominant win at the Olympics in London, he followed that up by recording his first grand slam win at the 2012 US Open and, in July of this year, became the first British male to win a singles title at Wimbledon since 1936 after he beat Djokovic in straight sets.

The defence of his US Open title began late, with Murray not playing his first round match until three days into the tournament, much September 17th 2013

One of the major headlines from this year’s championship was the exit of former world number one, Roger Federer, in the fourth round to the annoyance of him and his coach Ivan Lendl. With a gruelling schedule both on and off the court, added to a niggling back problem, Murray’s discontent was clear to see.

He was ultimately eliminated at the quarter-final stage by the hard-hitting and accurate Swiss number two, Stanislas Wawrinka, who himself is finally emerging from the shadow of his legendary fellow countryman Federer.

This year’s men’s draw was boosted by the return to fitness of former world number one and US Open champion, Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard breezed through to the semi-final stage, where he would meet the controversial French player, Richard Gasquet, playing some of the greatest tennis of his career.

Gasquet had failed to beat Nadal in ten previous encounters, and this match was no different. Nadal eased through to the final in straight sets, with the Frenchman struggling to hold onto his service games.

The world number one Novak Djokovic was having a fantastic tournament, only dropping one set on his way to the semi-final where he was to meet Murray’s conquerer, Wawrinka. The resulting contest was a repeat of their epic encounter in this year’s Australian Open.

Wawrinka pushed Djokovic all the way, before narrowly losing out over five sets, in a match lasting just over four hours. With the win, Djokovic set up a dream finale between the world’s top two players.

In a fascinating and energetic final between the first and second seeds, the number two seed Nadal eventually came away with the victory, playing some sublime tennis on the way to a win over four sets.

This victory was Nadal’s second US Open win and Djokovic’s third failed attempt in the past four finals.

The women’s game at this year’s championship once again suffered from a lack of consistency and competition from the top players.

Maria Sharapova’s absence from the tournament took away some much needed glamour and hard hitting competition to Serena Williams.

Williams blasted her way through the competition, easily making her way through to the semi-final stage.

In the semi-final, Williams locked horns with former French Open winner, Li Na from China, who along with Williams and Azarenka has been one of the most consistent women on the tour this year.

She reached the final in Australia as well as the quarter-final at Wimbledon, but in this contest Williams raced to a straight sets victory, losing only three games in the process.

Williams’ final opponent was the ever consistent Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. Azarenka is a two time Grand Slam winner at the Australian Open and was narrowly beaten by Williams in the 2012 final at the US Open.

Azarenka had a similarly comfortable route to the final,

losing only two sets on her way, including a hard fought straight sets semi-final win over unseeded Italian veteran, Flavia Pannetta.

Like in 2012, the final was to go to the deciding set before Williams’ eventual victory. This year’s win, added to her win at the French Open earlier this year, means Williams has equalled the record for Grand Slam singles titles, winning seventeen to date.

This year’s tournament proved just how dominant the world’s top players are in both the men’s and women’s games. Both finals were contested between the first and second seeds, a result that could easily have been predicted at the start of the tournament.

This year’s US Open will be remembered for Serena Williams’ continuing superiority in the women’s game and the re-emergence of the freeflowing best of the former world number one, Rafael Nadal.

sport

Has football gone mad?

19

After Gareth Bale’s recent record-breaking move to the Spanish capital, Sean O’Neill wonders if the emphasis on money in football is ruining the sport

Real Madrid’s recent world record signing of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur was hardly a surprise. The transfer had been mooted since June and the blockbuster deal was finally completed after a long drawn out summer saga. Real Madrid have finally signed their man, but has this deal only served to prove that football is being exploited by billionaires and their deep pockets?

The €100 million Madrid spent on their new acquisition was merely loose change to the club’s hierarchy and it is a clear attempt to expand their footballing empire even further.

The economic structure at Madrid allows them to pursue any players they desire, but it has led some to wonder if they have set a bad precedent for the footballing world.

If clubs really can buy trophies, then surely that doesn’t bode too well for the competitiveness of leagues the world over. The club say they are desperate to claim their tenth European Cup and they feel the only way they can achieve this is with a team full of superstars.

However, for the last three seasons, Madrid have been unable to regain that elusive title that they crave, even with a team of world-class players and a world-class manager.

Jose Mourinho’s departure from the club was inevitable as it was clear he had become disillusioned with the direction the club was taking. The power Madrid have attained off the pitch has led to them losing sight of the goal of being successful on it.

Bale may be an extraordinary talent, but Real’s interest in the player only intensified after their arch rivals in Catalonia, Barcelona, decided to splash out €60 million on Brazilian wonderkid Neymar earlier in the summer. Money seems to be in plentiful supply for these Spanish giants, but it is not only in La Liga

If clubs really can buy trophies, then surely that doesn’t bode too well for the competitiveness of leagues the world over

that the cash has been splashed.

Arsenal spent €50 million on German international Mesut Ozil on transfer deadline day, while Champions League holders Bayern Munich paid a handsome €25 million for 22-year-old Thiago Alcantara during the summer. The fees spent on players are enormous, but the wages dished out to some of these massive signings is incredible.

Bale has reportedly signed a six-year deal worth €300,000 a week. This is nothing in comparison to the former earnings of four-time African Player of the Year, Samuel Eto’o. The Cameroonian striker was on €20 million a year until he took a €11 million pay cut recently to join Chelsea from Anzhi Makhachkala. The transfer fees and the wages received may not be the player’s problem, but it is an issue for the game as a whole.

One could argue that the prices being paid for top players are way over the odds, regardless of their

obvious talents on the playing field.

It was Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer fee that has been overtaken by that of Bale, but that doesn’t mean Bale’s record is more impressive.

During his six years at Manchester United, Ronaldo led the club to numerous trophies including three Premier League titles and the European Cup, scoring 118 goals in the process. Bale won no major trophies with Spurs and scored 63 less goals than Ronaldo. The fact that Bale was almost sold by Spurs to Birmingham City in January 2010 for €3.5 million makes the deal all the more incredible.

It remains to be seen if the Welsh forward will succeed at Madrid under so much pressure. When such large amounts of money are spent on players it can put an extraordinary burden on their shoulders. The expectation to perform consistency well is quite extraordinary.

Kaka signed for Real for a then world record fee in 2009, but failed

to earn a regular spot in the Madrid starting eleven before his switch back to AC Milan in the recent transfer window. Andy Carroll is perhaps another renowned example.

He failed to live up to his €41 million price tag at Liverpool. Hardly surprising, considering he was only 22-years-old when they signed him.

Another club with a similar transfer policy to Real Madrid is Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. Roman Abramovich is an eccentric figure, but he has without question brought success to the West London club. Despite this, his policy of overriding his managers’ opinions on players has brought his ownership style into question.

Andriy Shevchenko and Fernando Torres cost the Blues over €100 million combined and were both expensive mistakes in the view of the public. This has not concerned Abramovich, however, as he continues to spend lavishly. Football has become a game of Russian

roulette played out by billionaire business men only interested in how much power they can obtain and how their reputations can be enlarged.

The lack of respect these owners show is to the detriment of football as a whole and their mammoth spending cannot be sustained by clubs in the long haul. Despite Financial Fair Play rules brought in by UEFA, and calls for a wage and transfer cap from top managers like Arsene Wenger, it is hard to see owners such as Florentino Perez at Madrid ever not spending big.

The finances at the disposal of oil-rich clubs like PSG, Monaco and Manchester City is endless, and it will be interesting to see if money really can buy sustained success.

One thing is for sure, the money spent on transfers and wages is only going to increase. Sadly, it seems the battle for supremacy on the world football stage is being fought as often in the offices of lawyers and accountants as on the pitch.

The Badger In the most hotly-anticipated column of the new season, The Badger gets nostalgic about Giovanni Trapattoni’s tenure as the Irish football manager

So the love affair between Giovanni Trapattoni and the FAI is over. It was fun while it lasted, but the chants of “He used to be Italian but he’s Irish now” are no more. The Badger was sad to hear about his departure from the post “by mutual consent”, but not for the reasons most people would expect.

The Badger is sad he won’t be able to turn on the television to see his favourite interpreter Manuela and her intriguing allure. It’s hard to know what it is about her that attracts the Badger’s attention.

It could be the way she takes Trapattoni’s scowls when he gives her that “I already knew that word” look. Or, and this is a long shot, it could be because of the fact that she was still teaching him English up to the very end; regardless of the fact that she was probably not needed.

Trapattoni himself was also quite an eccentric character who will undoubtedly be missed. We all thought the great comic actor

Leslie Nielsen of Naked Gun fame was our new manager when he was unveiled. Although that bubble burst fairly quickly, the legendary Italian was the next best thing.

The Badger, being Ireland’s number one supporter, is sad to see Trap leave. It feels as though we have all lost that loveable grandfather figure (you know, the one we don’t understand when he speaks). There were of course bad moments too.

The recent defeats to Sweden at home and the Austrians away were low points that make the Badger want to curl up in his sett never to emerge again. That Terry Henry chap’s handball made every Irish man, woman, child and badger quite angry, and this furry fella was no different.

Marco Tardelli perhaps harboured secret ambitions to take over the job once Giovanni left, but he too has been relieved of his duties. Relieved of his sole job of confining Trap to his technical area when Shane Long

Sports Digest Lacrosse The UCD Men’s Lacrosse team competed in the European Club Championships in Belgium on the weekend of Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th of September. The tournament took place in Ghent and a solid performance all round has firmly cemented UCD on the Lacrosse map.

On day one of the championships, the UCD men drew their first game with Oslo 4-4. That was followed

up with a heavy 0-10 defeat at the hands of Radotin, however, UCD kept their composure to win their next game in a similarly one-sided fashion, beating Belgium 10-1.

During day two of the tournament, UCD showed why they were not to be taken lightly, defeating Bocconi University, Milan 8-3, before clinically dispatching Lille 9-3. These results meant that UCD finished the tournament in ninth place overall.

decided not to play football properly.

The Badger has been keeping an eye on the early frontrunners to replace Trap, but no doubt whoever takes the job has big (if wrinkly) shoes to fill. The Badger started the rumour that Martin O’ Neill has been installed as the favourite to take over so far, but this would be no fun.

Although we would perhaps need an interpreter to understand his Derry accent, the Badger doesn’t feel Manuela would be up to the task. Some fans of football are confident that we will get the right man on board this time, but the Badger is not so sure.

Any Football Association that attempts to be allowed into the World Cup as a 33rd team because of a handball obviously takes things seriously. The Badger, for one, can’t wait for John Delaney’s regular “He is the right man for the job” speech.

Badger out.

Fencing The Irish Fencing Federation recently released its 24-member squad for the Five Nations Fencing Championships, which will be taking place in Edinburgh on 2nd November 2013. The team contains current UCD fencers Naomi Mullins, Sive Brassil, Matthew Tracy and Jenny Jennings. On top of that, the squad also contains several UCD alumni; Conor Nagle, Eamonn McGrattan, John Wyatt and Stephen Concannon.

The announcement on 5th September will come as no surprise

to those who follow UCD fencing, as many of these UCD fencers have excelled in various Foil, Epée and Sabre fencing competitions.

The Men’s Foil will be captained

by UCD alumnus Conor Nagle, with John Wyatt also involved.

In the Men’s Epée, Matthew Tracy and Eamonn McGrattan are involved, while Stephen Concannon captains the Men’s Sabre. The UCD Women are similarly well-represented in the squad.

Jenny Jennings takes part in the Women’s Foil, with her fellow current UCD fencers Naomi Mullins and Sive Brassil competing in the Women’s Epée.

Sailing Former UCD student and Olympic sailor Annalise Murphy followed up her fourth place finish at the London 2012 Olympic Games by becoming European champion on the 6th of September. The Rathfarnham sailor won gold in the Laser Radial class European Championships, which were held off Dublin Bay at Dún Laoghaire.

Murphy finished comfortably ahead of Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands and Alison Young of Great Britain, after winning eight

of the twelve races of the week.

This European Championships win is Murphy’s first major victory, but she caught the public eye in the summer of 2012 with her impressive showing in London.

The week of near-perfect racing meant Murphy left all the other competitors in her wake as she completely dominated the 90-boat event. The 23-year-old is off to China for the World Championships this week, with her long-term sights unquestionably set on the Olympics in Rio in 2016.

Shane Hannon September 17th 2013

20

sport

Students look likely to consolidate position With only a handful of games left to play, Thomas Mitchell takes a look at UCD AFC’s season so far in the Airtricity Premier Division

As the 2013 Airtricity League season draws to an exciting climax in both the title race and battle to avoid relegation, UCD AFC can reflect upon a season in which their mission statement of consolidating their position in the top tier of Irish football draws ever closer to becoming a job well done.

The pre-season atmosphere around the Belfield Bowl was one of positivity and excitement after Martin Russell’s shrewd business in the transfer market.

Following on from a strong ninth place finish in 2012, pleasing the Belfield fans and enhancing UCD’s status as a legitimate Premier Division outfit, the Students had reason to embrace the cautious optimism surrounding the club.

Russell’s squad had built a reputation for playing attractive, free-flowing football and relying on the adventurous flair of youth. UCD were labelled as a challenge no team would relish. New signings Gareth Matthews, Craig Walsh and Dinny Corcoran complemented the resigning of several first team players, including captain Mick Leahy.

The club was also glad to have marksman David McMillan preparing for a full season in the blue jersey, having returned from Australia part-way through the previous campaign. The season began disappointingly, with UCD picking up only one point in March and conceding 15 goals in the process, including a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Derry City at the Belfield Bowl.

A double from Drogheda’s Gary O’Neill compounded UCD to an eighth defeat in nine games and saw the Students rooted to the bottom of the table as the season entered the tenth week of fixtures.

Despite the poor run of form, UCD maintained an impressive brand of football and this philosophy paid dividends as Russell’s side finally picked up their first win of the 2013 campaign as they played host to Trevor Croly’s Shamrock Rovers.

Goals from Hugh Douglas and man-of-the-match Sean Russell wrapped up the three points that would move UCD off the foot of the table. Despite defeat in the following fixture away to Shelbourne, the win over Shamrock Rovers inspired a run

The attacking brand of football employed by UCD has seen the 2013 campaign pay witness to some thrilling entertainment, with matches averaging nearly four goals per game

of form that would see Russell’s team pick up an impressive ten points from five games, including a win over a high-flying Dundalk side and the avenging of their loss to Derry City earlier in the season with a 4-2 win.

The attacking brand of football employed by UCD has seen the 2013 campaign pay witness to some thrilling entertainment, with matches averaging nearly four goals per game.

David McMillan once again proved his abilities in front of goal, hitting the back of the net an impressive 12 times, before a lucrative move to Champions Sligo Rovers was completed over the summer.

The prolificacy of Dean Clarke and Robbie Benson has seen only the league’s top four score more goals than UCD this season. In spite of this, Russell’s footballing philosophy has meant UCD boast the worst defensive record in the league.

With experienced players such as Ger Barron and Mick Leahy among what is, on paper, a strong

defence, Russell will be determined to resolve the lack of clean sheets and concession of sloppy goals that have been the primary downfall for such a promising team.

Once again, UCD have proved to be a club enthusiastic to nurture the development of the brightest young talents in Irish football, with the signing of 21-year-old Craig Walsh from Longford Town proving to be an inspired replacement for the industrious Paul O’Connor, who departed for Drogheda United.

UCD sit in the relative comfort of ninth place knowing that, with six games remaining, the fate of their final standing rests entirely in their own hands. The season rounds off with a trip to Tolka Park and a clash against a Shelbourne team without a win in four games, whilst fellow relegation rivals Bray Wanderers find themselves with just four points from the last 11 games.

To comfortably avoid relegation, history dictates that averaging at

least one point per game should be enough to ensure survival. Six points from their final six games would see UCD just off that total and put enough distance between themselves and those making the drop in to the First Division.

The remaining fixtures, however, include champions Sligo Rovers, league leaders St Patrick’s Athletic and the tricky Shamrock Rovers.

Another season of consolidation for the Students who look to match the ninth placed finish of 2013 should be viewed with respect and general satisfaction.

UCD work on a limited budget with a small, but loyal, following and the philosophy of implementing youth into a system they know well shows signs of promise for future seasons. After five seasons at the helm, Martin Russell has taken UCD from the First Division to becoming a stable Premier Division club constantly growing in stature and reputation.

With the vultures of the top Irish teams ever circling for the latest crop of young talent emerging from the UCD conveyor belt, a season of transition with gradual development should be embraced by fans and followers alike.

Russell’s methodology of passing and possession football with an eagerness to attack has earned his side many admirers throughout Irish football. Fans may be be bitterly disappointed with such a poor defensive record, but Russell will know where he will need to strengthen over the winter months.

Whilst this season doesn’t look like it will finish with an improvement in league standing, the evidence shows that there has been an improvement in style of play, fitness and reputation. This demands that the 2013 campaign, so far, is one that all concerned with UCD should be very proud of and can act as a potentially crucial stepping stone in the development of UCD AFC.

UCD Sports Centre—One Year On One year on from its opening, Shane Hannon takes a look at UCD’s Sports Centre and how the state-of-the-art facilities are perceived But it’s not just the UCD clubs that are making the most of the Sports Centre; the Toulouse rugby team have been to the Centre

The opening of the UCD Sports Centre last summer was highly anticipated by students, staff and the general public alike. The facilities had been plugged as among the best in Europe and even beyond, and so a year after the doors opened for the first time, it is interesting to see if they have lived up to expectations.

It would not be a stretch to presume the new facilities have encouraged many students to opt for UCD as the destination for their third-level education. Anyone with even a passing interest in sport would September 17th 2013

find it impossible not to be drawn by the lure of the new Olympic-size 50-metre swimming pool, the ultramodern gym and the fitness classes.

Obesity in Ireland is on the rise, and the problem doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon. An Oireachtas committee was told in June that Ireland ranks in fifth place out of 27 EU countries for childhood obesity. The figures are truly worrying, and so action is needed.

Having sports facilities like those at UCD on a college campus is an excellent way of keeping obesity

at bay and boosting students’ all round well-being and health.

Some of those who have benefitted the most from these facilities are the swimmers, both casual and elite. The new aquatic facilities are second to none, and that has been confirmed by the sheer number of people who use the pool on a daily basis. Some lanes of the pool are zoned off for practice sessions for UCD’s elite swimmers, and so even more success for the university in the pool is certainly to be expected in the future.

Although the pool was used to host the Intervarsities last year, those in charge at the Sports Centre are reluctant to let the pool become a tournament-hosting location, so as not to interfere with paying members’ swimming routines.

On the topic of paying membership, students have been delighted by the opportunity to use the gym facilities for free. The combination of the ability to use the pool for €4 as a pay-as-you-go option as an alternative to the €99 full membership makes the Sports Centre usage an even more attractive option for students.

Financial worries are consistently prominent in students’ minds and so the fact that using the gym or pool won’t break the bank is an excellent motivator to work out.

The University Observer recently caught up with the UCD Director

of Sport, and former Dublin GAA star, Brian Mullins to chat about the facilities one year on from the opening. He said that the public reaction to the facilities had “been very positive and heartening” and he feels that students should be, and are, delighted with the Sports Centre because they “can avail of a worldclass facility on their doorstep”.

When asked if the facilities will help clubs train more efficiently, Mullins noted that “All the clubs have access to add to their preparation.”

But it’s not just the UCD clubs that are making the most of the Sports Centre; the Toulouse rugby team have been to the Centre since its opening, while the Swedish football team went for a swim in the pool the day after defeating the Republic of Ireland in an important World Cup Qualifier at the Aviva Stadium.

The fact that such elite teams are availing of the facilities only serves to prove that the money that went into building the new Sports Centre was well-spent. There were, however, some minor hiccups at the beginning, with regard to student usage of the gym, which have since been resolved.

The Performance Gym is open from 8am until 10pm, with students able to use the gym anytime during these hours. This was to counteract previous measures put in place that restricted students from using the

gym during peak times between 6.15pm and 8.15pm on weekday evenings during term time.

The unprecedented success of the UCD Sports Centre in its first year is largely down to the accommodation of students’ needs. There are many students in the college who are unquestionably talented in a whole range of sports and access to these facilities can only improve UCD’s image as a sport-friendly college to attend.

The role that facilities play in creating sporting genius cannot be underestimated. Spain has some of the best footballing facilities on the planet, and their teams at all levels are dominating the honours rolls at all age grades.

UCD have always been at the top level of many sports, and the addition of some of the best, if not the best sporting facilities in the country to the campus means the only way is up for UCD’s sporting stars of tomorrow.

The UCD website states that “UCD Sport and Fitness offers its members an unrivalled level of comfort and service”, and after such a successful first year, not many would disagree.

Brian Mullins told the University Observer that “the delivery of the swimming pool building has certainly served to elevate the status of UCD as a venue and centre for sports and physical activity tremendously, so we’re very happy with that.” And why wouldn’t they be?