UT Broadsheet 11/23 by The University Times

Homesick at the Holidays?

Ella Parry explores how we can reconnect with our home countries through food over the Christmas period.

IN FOCUS

OPINION

Empower Her* Voice Dublin

Hot Chocolate or Mulled Wine?

Sáoirse Goes sits down with the women inspiring change through chalk and conversation in features, page 12 »

Phoebe Pascoe mulls over the social and academic pressures of the festive season in opinion, page 18 »

Magazine Cleo Daly asks whether Disneyland is the happiest place on earth or the home of nightmares.

The University Times universitytimes.ie

Volume XV, Issue VII

Monday 27 November, 2023

Trinity’s Student Residents Call for Tenant Protections: “It’s Not a Hostel, it’s Our Home” Brídín Ní Fhearraigh-Joyce and Clara Roche DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR AND EDITOR

ast week, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) called upon College to change its overnight guest practice, describing it as a “paternalistic, dangerous and double-standard policy”. At present, students living in on-campus accommodation must sign in guests before midnight, and students living in Trinity Hall must do so by 10:30pm. The Union highlighted the risks incurred when, for example, students were unable to

get home safely and could not be signed in to their friends’ on-campus flats, and the repercussions faced when residents hosted guests who had not been registered. Moreover, students residing in Trinity accommodation are currently classified as licensees rather than tenants, allowing College to impose such restrictions. The Union encouraged residents to join the TCD Renters’ Solidarity Network, a “grassroots” group working to guarantee tenant status and “stand up against unaffordable rents”. The University Times spoke to several students living on campus to explore the challenges they face in comparison with traditional ten-

Counselling Criticised for “Cruel” Wait Times Hosanna Boulter, Alex Payne NEWS EDITOR, ASSISTANT EDITOR

t the next Student Life Committee meeting, the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) will present a document entitled ‘State of College Counselling and Health Service’. The document, which was seen by The University Times, contains “never-before-seen” statistics regarding College Health and the College Counselling Service. TCDSU President László Molnárfi that the aim of the document is to “encourage more investment into these services”. In the document it sets out that,

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having been signed in, sharing a last name with him and having his key and his student ID. According

to Lyne, his sister was told that “if CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Israel-Palestine: TCDSU, BDS Blockade Front Gate

PHOTO BY ISABEL FARRINGTON

Alex Payne sets out to settle the score on whether the TCDSU President or the Comms Officer can speak on behalf of the Students’ Union, PAGE 5 »

Hosanna Boulter examines whether social media is helping or hindering discourse within student politics, and endeavours to find a solution, PAGE 6 »

B20 FILM & TV

The Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union and the Trinity branch of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement staged a protest at the Front Gate Entrance in opposition to College’s ties to Israeli institutions. Read more in news, page 3 »

College Agrees to Rent Freeze for 2024/25 Academic Year

FEATURES

B11 ART

R2 LITERATURE

OPINION

B15 FASHION

R2 MUSIC

EDITORIAL

B16 FOOD

R7 THEATRE

Hosanna Boulter NEWS EDITOR

Editor: Clara Roche Volume XV, Issue III ISSN: 2013-261X Phone: (01) 646 8431 Email: info@universitytimes.ie Website: universitytimes.ie

PHOTO BY IVAN RAKHMANIN FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

Social Media

B2 SPORT

to make decisions about who we bring home to our own accommodation, at whatever time”, the student continued. “When we have to turn friends away after midnight, it feels like we’re little kids and having our lives dictated by Linda Doyle.” The principle extends beyond “wanting to get the ride”, as the student so delicately put it. While Trinity’s residents are not considered tenants, on-campus accommodation “is not a hostel, it’s our home for the year”. English and History student Matt Lyne,shared his own experience with the policy, recalling a time his visiting sister was “held at the gate for no justifiable reason”, despite

while TCDSU acknowledges that “these vital supports have consistently proven their excellence in assisting our students’ mental and physical well-being”, challenges such as “chronic underfunding” have led to “excessively long waiting lists”. In order to “advocate for the resources necessary” the TCDSU see this report as “the first step” and make “a firm commitment” to securing the necessary funding “to enhance the effectiveness” of staffing, waiting times and service usage. The data within the report comes from three Freedom of Information requests, six reports presented to the Student Life Committee from

Students’ Union

NEWS

ants. One student, based in the Graduates’ Memorial Building (GMB), agreed with the Union’s assessment, describing the policy as “a modern day manifestation of the same conservative, paternalistic ideology which kept women off campus by 6pm”. While the student, who wished to remain anonymous, accepted the requirement to sign guests in — “because we understand the need for accountability and security” — they rejected the demand that this occur before midnight. “We should be trusted to wield the autonomy to do that at any hour.” “We’re adults, and we’re entitled

This newspaper is produced with the financial support of Trinity College Students’ Union, but maintains a mutually agreed policy of editorial independence.

To contact UT, write to: The Editor, The University Times, 6 Trinity College Dublin 2

ollowing a meeting of Trinity’s Finance Committee on October 26th, College has agreed to a rent freeze on its student accommodation for the 2024/25 academic year. A spokesperson for the College said that the decision to keep accommodation rates at their

current level was “reached in the context of an awareness of the pressures students are facing.” At the meeting, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) presented a document arguing in favour of a rent freeze. The document highlighted Trinity’s five-year strategic plan, which names fostering “a more diverse and inclusive student population” as its first target. TCDSU contended that increasing rents will “deter talented

students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds” from attending Trinity, directly contradicting College’s goal of building a diverse student body. The document further suggested that high costs of living were creating a “two-tiered college experience”, in which only certain students could participate in social activities and extracurriculars. This, TCDSU argued, risked intensifying the class divide and “perception of

elitism” within Trinity. The Union referenced the potential negative impact on the reputation of the university, as reflected in “national and international newspapers”, that increasing rents might cause. A culture of students feeling “unsupported or exploited” by Trinity might also worsen mental health, financial stress, and alumni relations, lowering the CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

NEWS

Trinity’s Student Residents Call for Tenant Protections « CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 she left the office they would kick her off campus and not open the gate again for her”. When he came to collect her after an hour and a half, “her feet were blistered and she was drenched and shivering”. From December 1st to December 16th, students will not be allowed to host overnight guests without first seeking permission from the Junior Dean at least two days in advance. A spokesperson for College said that this is “to ensure minimal disruption for students who are revising for, and sitting, exams in the period mentioned”. Adam Ó Ceallaigh, a Geography and Political Science student living in Printing House Square (PHS), said that because residents are licensees and not tenants, “staff have the right to enter your room without your express permission”. He recalled arriving in his apartment’s common area “to find a security guard sitting at the kitchen table”, who, upon seeing Ó Ceallaigh, “promptly left”.

Another Printing House Square resident corroborated Ó Ceallaigh’s experience. “It’s odd to see evidence of strangers having gone through your room when you get back”, they admitted. “For example, a flatmate of mine noticed that the PHS staff had just been in their room and changed their window lock, despite accommodation having never sent an email about it or notifying them that they’d come over.” As for the overnight guest policy, well, it’s “inherently stupid”. Threshold, an Irish organisation advocating for the prevention of homelessness, describes licensees as one of “the most vulnerable groups renting in Ireland, with very limited rights. Licensees are those who are renting a room from an existing tenant of a property. In these cases, normal landlord and tenant laws do not apply and the licensee is left very vulnerable with little to no protections legally in place”. The advocacy group further adds “we see more people coming to our service who are licensees being taken advantage of by the person they are renting from. The licensor

in these instances is often not the homeowner but is a “head tenant” who sublets the rooms, with or without the homeowner’s knowledge. The clients have no recourse to the RTB (the Residential Tenancy Board) if there has been any misconduct by the licensor, such as deposit retention, eviction with little notice, rent increases and even intimidation”. As students cannot contact the RTB with issues they incur within Trinity’s student accommodation, there is little room for mediation and recourse in issues concerning guests, provision of services and unannounced visits from security staff. Claire Stafford, an English and French student in Goldsmith Hall, highlighted the consequences of living without proper tenant protections. “We had no heating or hot water at all, or disrupted heating and hot water, for weeks, and I’ve heard similar stories from Botany Bay and New Square”, she admits. “We are not entitled to any reimbursement of the utility fees we pay on top of our extortionate rent.” PHOTO BY ALEX CONNOLLY FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

PHOTO BY SINÉAD BAKER FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

She says, “the accommodation we had fairly paid for was rendered unusable, and we were all smothering with flu sympt9foms that were certainly exacerbated — if not directly caused by — the lack of heat in the apartment.” Even when the heating works as planned, she says, it is shut off during the night, ostensibly to save money and reduce carbon emissions. While she agrees that the latter is important to students, “it cannot be at the expense of student welfare”. Stafford agreed with Molnárfi’s assessment that the policy is “paternalistic and condescending”. She pointed out a double standard in College requesting so much information about prospective guests,

“including their gender and their relationship to you”, when the institution itself “has never provided a reasonable explanation for the policy”. Her friends are in agreement, she says, that the policy is in place to prevent “one-night stands”. She argued that because the policy is only in place at nighttime, she assumes that College are “moralising” to students in not allowing overnight guests. Stafford pointed out the difficulties, however, in mobilising students to effect change. “Most of the people who live on campus are in fourth year”, she said. “They’re so busy, and it won’t affect them next year.” But the efficacy of collective ac-

tion was demonstrated last month, when, following the Book of Kells blockade, College agreed to a rent freeze on its student accommodation for the 2023/24 academic year. A spokesperson for the College said that this decision was “reached in the context of an awareness of the pressures students are facing”. Student may join Molnárfi’s Renters’ Solidarity Network, the WhatsApp group of which is accessible via the Google Form linked on Molnárfi’s Twitter (X). Molnárfi announced it will be used to “coordinate campaigns around the collective issues we face”. The University Times has contacted Trinity Accommodation for comment.

Licensees are one of the most vulnerable groups renting in Ireland, with very limited rights. Licensees are those who are renting a room from an existing tenant of a property. Normal landlord and tenant laws do not apply and the licensee is left very vulnerable with little to no protections legally in place.

College Counselling Criticised for “Cruel” Wait Times, Too Few Counsellors and Lack of Diversity Within Staff « CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 2016-17 and a 2014-15 Board report on Student Counselling. Data from the October 12th, 2023 Mental Health Event held by the Risk Office revealed that 20 per cent of nonEU/EEA postgraduate students and 17 per cent of all non-EU/EEA students use Student Counselling. Students wishing to access regular counselling services must first attend an assessment appointment, and wait times for these initial assessments have grown from a little over one week in 2017/18 to just over two weeks in 2021/22. Wait times for these assessment appointments peaked during the first year of pandemic, when they were marginally higher than they are now. If the initial assessment appointment qualifies the student for regular counselling, the incurred wait time has almost doubled from three weeks in 2017/18 to five and a half weeks in 2021/22. This figure peaked in the 2020/21 academic year, at close to two months. An external review of College Counselling from earlier this year noted that now, “many students are seen every two to three weeks instead of weekly”. A detailed breakdown of waitlists in 2022/23 showed reductions

in waiting times from 1st to 2nd semester as well as a reduction from the 2021/22 times but also revealed that the maximum wait time for a counselling appointment (wait time for initial assessment included) was 54 days in 1st then 49 days in 2nd semester. Wait times in the year 2021/22 were found to form their peak around exam time. TCDSU noted in the document that emergency appointments are not included in the above calculations, as they are processed and attended on the day they are requested. A demographic breakdown revealed that 1,990 undergraduate students, roughly 13 per cent of the cohort, accessed the services in 2021/22, compared to 650, or 10.1 per cent of, postgraduates. TCDSU found that EU and non-EU students accessed the services at roughly equal rates, at 12.2 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. The number of full-time counsellors has increased by 50 per cent from 2018/19 to 2022/23 with the number of full-time administrative staff increasing by 22 per cent. In the year 2021/22, Trinity counsellors saw more clients than 99 per cent of the 626 student counselling services included in the relevant dataset. During the same year, emergency appointment clinics saw a “sharp” 86 per cent increase in appointments from the year 2020/21. Also, on average, 25-30 per cent emer-

gency appointment attendees had a repeat emergency appointment, except in the year 2021/22, when this figure was close to 60 per cent. The document made reference to the results of a survey conducted by Students4Change (S4C) last year. Several students reported waiting four to six weeks, even up to over two months, for an appointment, and S4C later protested for more funding to the College Counselling Services. At the recommendation of the BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) advisory group, the report explored the ethnic breakdown of the College Counselling staff and found that “all College Counselling staff members are white”. Trinity was named as the 16th most international university in the world by Times Higher Education in 2023. The report also states the need for a “dedicated off-campus student counsellor” of which there currently is none. The report found that in the last ten years, the ratio of counsellors to students has increased from 1:2300 to 1:5500, yet still falls short of the “recommended safe ratio” of 1:1000 to 1:1500. TCDSU attributed this to “various administrative, staffing or logistical challenges”. Despite improvements in the staff-to-student ratio, the waitlists show a “steady, and then a significant increase” since 2015. According to TCDSU, this suggests that

the service “is not resourced to handle the influx of student demand”, which has increased due to the pandemic and “will keep being high due to external socioeconomic factors” such as the worsening cost-of-living crisis. The report confirmed that demand for counselling services peaked during “high-pressure” assessment periods, described as “pinch points”. It also laments that “staffing numbers have not increased adequately as student numbers increased”, expressing particular concern over the aforementioned 54 and 49 day maximum wait times through the 1st and 2nd semesters of 2022/23, describing the service as “not equipped to handle all student needs”. The report states that “the College Counselling service exists on the assumptions that it is not there for significant long-term support”, as a student’s time in college is finite. However, “there would be an expectation that support is given quickly within these constraints”, and in this light, “the waiting lists are too long”. The report further pointed out that the HSE waiting lists of over one million people contribute to a higher use of College services. The report recognises College’s attempts to “alleviate” some of the issues surrounding understaffing and waitlists with its Stepped-Care Model, which relies on, amongst

other therapeutic techniques, Online Resources, the S2S Mentor and Peer Support Programmes, Workshops and Group Therapy. However, due to the continued concerns with staffing and waitlists it does not see such a model as “a substitute for a well-resourced counselling service”. The report referred to the wait times for the service “cruel” and the external review from earlier this year expressed a similar concern about the length of these wait lists. The report also requested data for the College Health Services, but found their reporting to be “sorely lacking” in comparison to the College Counselling Services. In response to a Freedom of Information request concerning a demographic breakdown of Health Service visitors College Health Services attributed their lacklustre reporting to a lack of IT infrastructure; “We are currently trying to build this data into our software systems and it is currently being developed by our software provider.” The TCDSU, however, “understands from approximations” that College Health is used 3.5-4.5 times more by international students. The report reveals 5462 students and 216 staff were seen by the College Health Service in 2022/23 and out of 8637 total appointments just under 35 per cent were emergency, so seen on the same day, and the remaining had an average wait time

of almost two weeks, with a maximum wait time of 3 weeks. Also included are some student testimonials concerning their interactions with both College Health and College Counselling Services. Some note how they had to try for numerous days to have someone pick up their phone call or keep calling for “3 hours” to get through on one day. Others noted lengthy waits to get prescriptions or be seen for gaining access to antidepressants, apparently as long as 3 months for the latter. A key issue the report highlights is how, despite an increase in Government student mental health funding from €3 million to €5 million per year since the COVID-19 pandemic, funding is only allocated on a yearly basis which leaves “these services unable to plan for the future”. The TCDSU joins the USI in calling for “multi-annual funding of €6 million a year” which they argue will “maintain core counselling services” and help “to implement” the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework. The report concludes on the point that there is mental health “crisis” affecting students which is shown by the alarming number of students who had tried to take their own life (10 per cent of 8290 respondents as seen in the Jigsaw My World 2 survey), 54 per cent of whom tried to access help afterwards and of those 48 per cent found it ‘difficult/very difficult’ to access said help.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

NEWS

TCDSU, BDS Blockade Front Gate Entrance in Protest of Trinity’s Ties to Israeli Universities Clara Roche EDITOR

n Wednesday, November 8th, he Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and the Trinity branch of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement blocked access to the front gate entrance in protest of Trinity’s ties to Israeli universities. The blockade was accompanied by a flag drop, wherein members of societies based in House 6 have hung Palestinian flags from the windows. That morning, Emma Matthews, the Administrative Officer for the Central Societies Committee (CSC), circulated an email advising societies against participating in the protest. Addressing students outside House 6, TCDSU President László Molnárfi condemned Trinity’s ties

to Israeli universities which “[create] the technology that, when put into practise, translates into bombs dropped on Gaza and innocent people being killed”. Trinity has links with various Israeli universities, including the Weizmann Institute of Science, which supports the development of Israel’s nuclear arsenal, and Tel Aviv University, which has developed war technology for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Molnárfi pointed to the letter signed by 600 academics, including 70 Trinity professors, calling for Irish universities to sever ties with Israel. He said: “Despite this, we have received nothing. We have received no response from them.” As a result of the “vested interests at play”, Molnárfi continued, “we must force their hands” in the form of a blockade. The group then moved to the front gate, where a Palestinian flag

was used to block entry. TCDSU Ethnic Minorities Officer Hamza Bana led the crowd in chants including “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Linda in her ivory tower, this is called people power”. Speaking to The University Times, TCDSU Communications and Marketing Officer Aiesha Wong said: “Every day, people in Gaza are worried about bombs dropping on their heads. They have no food or water and no help while this crisis is happening. The biggest inconvenience people have today is not being able to walk out of the front gate entrance.” She implored passers-by to “use that to reconsider what you can do to help other people”. TCDSU Welfare Officer Aoife Bennett stood on College Green distributing flyers to passers-by about the motivation behind the protest and advising them on alternative ways to enter Trinity.

PHOTO BY ALEX PAYNE FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

Societies Advised Against Academics Call to Cut Ties Participating in Protests with Israeli Institutions Leah Downey DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

rinity’s student societies were advised against participating in the TCDSU protest on Wednesday, November 8th. Trinity student societies received an email that morning from Emma Matthews, the Central Societies Committee (CSC) Administrative Officer, in advance of the TCDSU flag drop in solidarity with Palestine. It advised societies that on an individual level, students “are completely within [their] right to participate in any demonstration/ protest etc that you wish to”. However, societies “are not in a position to take a stance on any issue outside of their aims and objectives”. This does not apply to certain societies such as political parties and Amnesty International. Societies that receive financial support from the CSC were reminded that “your opinions cannot be expressed under the guise of your society, unless it is explicitly within your society’s aims and objectives”. The email continues, stating that “stance/opinions” held “outside the remit of your society” cannot be

shared via the society’s social media account. The TCDSU had contacted a number of House 6 societies asking to use their windows for a flag drop outside Front Gate. The CSC states they “do not wish to hinder the work of TCDSU in any way”, adding that they have spoken to them regarding the issue, adding that “they understand”. In spite of the email, Palestinian flags could be seen hanging from the windows of a number of student society rooms. This comes after the Council Forum voted on November 7th to support a motion that would campaign to remove the honorary doctorate rewarded to President Biden in

2016. The motion passed unanimously after a passionate introduction from Keeley Jenkins, who stated, “if Trinity won’t take a stand, it is up to students to take a stand”. A representative for the CSC said, in a statement to The University Times: “The CSC, both students and staff, sympathise with the desires of students and societies across college to participate in protests and show solidarity with causes that are meaningful to them. Despite our own personal and political beliefs, we must still enforce rules that are of benefit and are integral to the administration of all 120+ societies in Trinity”. PHOTO BY ALEX PAYNE FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

“genocidal incitement and intent”. They also point to “leading Jewish and Israeli scholars of Holocaust and genocide studies have called this ‘a textbook case of genocide’”. In addition, 800 international lawyers and genocide scholars, after the first week of Israel’s bombardment, felt compelled to sound the alarm about the possibility of a genocide being underway, as well as the United Nations human rights special rapporteurs who “warned of the risk of genocide against the Palestinian people”. Though they acknowledged the “criminal attacks against civilians” carried out by Hamas on October 7th, they said that “international law” does not permit the response from Israeli forces which had been, “the systematic bombardment and collective punishment of civilians in a besieged occupied territory”. This, they add, has led to the deaths of over “9,000 Palestinians inside Gaza, including some 3,760 children”, which is more than the “annual number of children killed in the rest of the world’s armed conflicts combined”. Whilst many are dying as a result of Israel’s military bombardment, the letter states that others in Palestine are dying from “the lack of fuel,

Hosanna Boulter NEWS EDITOR

n Saturday, November 4th, hundreds of Irish academics, including 57 from Trinity, co-signed a letter calling on Irish universities to “suspend” ties with Israeli institutions until the “occupation of Palestinian territory is ended”. The letter included at least 57 signatures from Trinity academics, though many academics’ official positions within Irish colleges are not stated. The letter states that the “scale and severity of Israel’s current war on the Gaza Strip has exceeded all previous levels of violence in the prolonged and brutal Israeli occupation of Palestine”. They added that it is a “campaign of ethnic cleansing” and “genocidal violence”. The academics bring in many sources to back up their claims of genocide. They begin by referring to the “dehumanising language and tropes widely used by Israeli leaders in reference to Palestinians”, which they conclude is evidence of the Israeli government’s

water, electricity and medical supplies due to the deliberate blockade” by Israel. Drawing attention to the current situation in Gaza’s hospitals, the letter states that they are “barely able to function”. Even if the current conflict is brought to a halt, the academics do not want anything “remotely approximate to business as usual continuing”. The academics want to see an immediate end to the “many Irish universities and EU-funded research projects that have active collaborations with Israeli universities”. They quote the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel in stating that Israel’s universities are “major, willing and persistent accomplices in Israel’s regime of occupation”. They also allude to the discrepancy between the experiences of universities in Gaza and Israel, as multiple “Palestinian universities in Gaza have been destroyed by the Israeli airstrikes, with some 70 academics and 2,000 students among the civilians killed”. The letter ends by stating that anything less than the fulfilment of their demands for a suspension would “amount to tacit support for crimes against humanities”.

« CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 potential of philanthropic donations in the future. In the document, TCDSU reaffirmed its position that “students should not be subsidising government underfunding” and that College should not “keep reaching into the student pocket” to cover the financial costs of inadequate state funding. The Union called upon the college to “work harder” in challenging the government and finding creative solutions. In September,

Provost Linda Doyle urged students and staff to support the College’s call for more funding for the higher education sector ahead of the budget in October. Earlier this semester, on September 13th, TCDSU and the Trinity branch of the Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation (PWO) blocked access to the Book of Kells to protest College’s decision to raise the price of student accommodation by two

per cent, the maximum legal increase permitted in Rent Pressure Zones. In October, TCDSU President László Molnárfi sent an open letter to the Provost demanding a twoyear rent freeze, which was signed by 591 students. In a statement to The University Times, TCDSU President László Molnárfi called the rent freeze “a celebratory moment for students and the Union”. He expressed grat-

Molnárfi called the rent freeze “a celebratory moment”.

itude for the support and solidarity shown by students, staff and media, noting: “This would not have happened without pressuring College.” He added: “While this is a great step forward in making housing affordable and improving access to third-level education, the work has only begun.” He reiterated his commitment to campaigning for affordable housing and an inclusive education system, saying: “We need to keep organising and take inspiration from the occupations, sit-ins and rent strikes in the student movement in the North and in the UK.”

PHOTO BY ANNA MORAN FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

College Agrees to Rent Freeze for 2024/25 Academic Year

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

NEWS

TCDSU Votes to Establish a Housing Rights Officer, Formalise Relationship with CATU Alex Payne ASSISTANT EDITOR

pproved at the third student council of this year on November 7th, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) is to adopt a formalised partnership with CATU, and elect a Housing Rights Officer, in moves that will see an increase in collaboration and direct action between the students’ and housing rights unions and a dedicated position to raise awareness of housing rights and movements. As previously reported in The University Times, the motion to adopt a CATU-TCDSU partnership was dropped at the first council of this year, from the combined motion of establishing a Housing Rights Officer and adopting a CATU-TCDSU partnership. Objections were raised concerning how the Housing Rights Officer’s responsibilities

were inextricably and too politically linked to working with CATU. Now separated, the motions both passed with a strong majority. TCDSU President László Molnárfi, in proposing the motion to establish a Housing Rights Officer, described the new position as “relatively uncontroversial”. The responsibilities of the role will include assisting Union Forum and Sabbatical officers in organising housing-related campaigns, with a focus on renters’ rights and conditions of rental properties. In proposing the adoption of a CATU-TCDSU partnership, Molnárfi encouraged members to vote in favour of the motion in order to “connect to a wider housing movement”, asking Council: “How else are we supposed to challenge, to stand up to the housing crisis?” The Community Action Tenants’ Union (CATU), established in 2019 and which currently has at least 2,000 members, seeks to represent tenants and strongly advocates for direct action in its Union Guide.

In a statement to The University Times, CATU Ireland Communications Officer Harun Šiljak said he was “delighted” to hear of the formalising of the CATU-TCDSU partnership. He said: “Formal partnership will help strengthen the student housing movement, allow more students to get organised more easily, and empower the student body to have clear and fair demands for the improvement of their housing situation.” “Students’ position in the housing crisis is specific, and although they share many issues with other demographics, the particular challenges, inextricably linked to the state of third level education and operation of colleges and student accommodation enterprises, ask for specific solutions.” He concluded: “This partnership will see the active student community conscious of the housing and other linked crises grow, create support networks and extend the horizons of what is possible.” The Memorandum of Agreement

TCDSU Votes to Create Full-Time Irish Language Sabbatical Officer Clara Roche EDITOR

concerning the partnership, which was approved by the CATU National Committee, TCDSU President Molnárfi and TCDSU Council, includes the following aims: “promoting CATU materials as requested on the platforms of the TCDSU”; “al-

lowing CATU to present at Freshers Fair and having stands in College buildings”; “exchange of information regarding campaigns of both TCDSU and CATU where it may be felt this exchange can mutually benefit each other’s memberships”;

“offering venue and meeting rooms to CATU if administratively possible”; ‘“coordinating door-knocking activities with CATU and TCD student members” and “inviting CATU to class representative trainings or other trainings”.

TCDSU to Campaign to Withdraw Joe Biden’s Honorary Doctorate

nications and Marketing Officer Aiesha Wong, were set to speak in favour of the motion, but the vote was moved forward following the passing of a procedural motion, due to the raucous applause each speaker received. Following the passing of the motion itself, a constitutional referendum will now be held.

Leah Downey DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

A PHOTO BY SINÉAD BAKER FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

rinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) has voted to establish the position of a full-time Irish language sabbatical officer and to implement a long-term Irish language policy. The motion, proposed by Oifigeach na Gaeilge Pádraig Mac Brádaigh, was passed at the third council of the year on November 7th. This marks the first time since 2014 that a motion to create an additional sabbatical role has been approved. The position of a sabbatical officer would replace the existing Irish language part-time officer (PTO) position, and “act as the primary representative for Irish speakers and Irish language issues” within the Union. Such an officer would “develop Irish language policy,

strategy and targets” in line with governmental goals. The proposal was preceded by a presentation from the College Irish Language Officer, who spoke in favour of the motion, urging the Union to lead by example in strengthening the university’s links to Irish culture and heritage. The current Oifigeach na Gaeilge, Pádraig Mac Brádaigh, pointed to the precedent set by the University of Galway, which appointed its first Irish Language Officer in 2021. He called the motion an “incredible opportunity” to solidify the status of the Irish language within the Union and to fight for the civil rights of Irish speakers. TCDSU President László Molnárfi spoke in favour of the motion “as an international student” and “not as the TCDSU President”, calling upon the Union to create opportunities for international students to learn the language and connect with Irish culture. Three others, including Commu-

PHOTO BY ALEX PAYNE FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

t the third student council of the year on November 7th, members voted in favour of the motion to withdraw the honorary doctorate degree of the US President Joe Biden, citing concerns over his and his country’s continued support of Israel. Calling it “hypocrisy” and a “dereliction of duty to the oppressed people of Palestine”, the Union Forum (UF) sees the continued honouring of Joe Biden by College as “in conflict with both the values of the university [and] the stance of the student body”. The motion was proposed by TCDSU President Molnárfi and seconded by Deputy STEM Convenor Sé Ó Heidhin. The motion acknowledges the Union’s long-standing support of the Boycott, Divestment,

Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. It also notes the Union’s support of Trinity BDS and TCDSU decision to deliver a letter to the Provost’s office “demanding that College end all ties to the Israeli war industry”. TCDSU also expressed concern on the possibility of Shannon Airport being used by American planes and how that could compromise Ireland’s neutrality. The motion was delivered by the Part-Time Officer (PTO) for Students with Disabilities, Keeley Jenkins. She argued in favour of the motion, saying that “thousands of innocent Palestians are being killed at this very moment” and that Trinity “has not condemned the killing of innocent civillians”. She continued that “if Trinity won’t take a stand, it is up to students to take a stand”. Jenkins criticised Biden’s “funding [of] war crimes”, stating that “[Biden] who constantly bangs on about his irish heritage clearly has no idea what the Irish people went through”. The motion passed

unanimously without pushback. In the wake of the Hamas attack on October 7th, Biden released an official White House statement reaffirming his support for Israel: “We stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack.” Since this, he has requested $14.3 billion to fund Israel’s military defence, including their air defence system, the Iron Dome. He has since offered $100 million in humanitarian aid to assist the people in Gaza and the West Bank, entering through the Rafa crossing. Biden visited Trinity in 2016 to receive an honorary doctorate “awarding his contributing to world politics”. The ceremony was overseen by former Provost, Dr Patrick Prendergast, and the then Chancellor Mary Robinson. Following the ceremony, President Biden was accompanied by Dr Prendergast to the Library of Trinity College Dublin on a visit to the Long Room. .

Welfare Officer Looks to Tackle Period Poverty on Campus Alex Payne ASSISTANT EDITOR

n her report to student council on Tuesday, November 7th, Aoife Bennett, this year’s Welfare Officer of the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) presented her ‘Proposal for College to Fund Free Period Products in College Bathrooms to Tackle Period Poverty on our Campus’, which was presented to the Student Life Committee (SLC) meeting on the same day. According to the Government’s Period Poverty in Ireland Discussion Paper, period poverty is defined as:

“Inadequate access to menstrual hygiene, including period products (e.g. sanitary towels and tampons), washing and waste management facilities and education. Adverse consequences include recurrent exclusion from activities of daily life during menstruation and health impacts resulting from exclusion and use of unsuitable products.” Bennett points to the popularity of last year’s TCDSU-run free period product initiative for staff and students on campus. Receiving funding of €7,000 from the TCD Association and Trust, a body which provides grant support for College projects where funding is not available from mainstream resources, all period products bought were

depleted in “just over a month”. The initiative set up dispensers for the products over ten locations on campus and they were restocked by the housekeeping department. The proposal points to the partnership between the TCDSU and Estates & Facilities team, saying it makes a continuation of the project “logistically feasible”. In terms of funding, the proposal bases its projections on the fact that €3,500 worth of period products lasted 18 days across 10 locations via 10 separate dispensers. Therefore, if the same usage were to continue across the year, at a cost of €195 per day, a College-funded scheme would cost just over €71,000 per year, potentially reaching near

€350,000 if College were to cover the cost of period products for all students and staff. The proposal implores College to become an active party in supporting menstruators, stating: “By Trinity tackling period dignity head-on, it can directly tackle stigma and shame around periods for its students and staff, thus making our College a more inclusive place for members of our academic community from all backgrounds and putting it at the forefront of the fight for gender equality.” The report also references other Irish Universities’ comments regarding their providing free period products. University College Dublin say: “If

a student risks missing class due to lack of accessible period products and facilities, it creates an unnecessary inequality; we can mitigate this impact with free provision.” The University of Limerick is “proud to join the fight against period poverty” and the University of Galway’s Deputy President describes their scheme as a “strong symbol of progress and how we can work together, with our students, to ensure better outcomes and respond to need”. The scheme was approved by the SLC on November 7th. It will now be submitted to College Board for approval and implementation. PHOTO BY ALEX CONNOLLY

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

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Council Rejects Suggested Constitutional Amendment to Turn TCDSU “Radical” Alex Payne ASSISTANT EDITOR

efeated by only two votes, the motion to change the manner in which the TCDSU pursues its aims from “independent of political ideology” to “radical” drew a lengthy debate and revealed division amongst Union representatives. At the fourth Student Council of the year on November 21st, Literature and Cultural Studies Convenor, Niko Evans, proposed, in the Motion to Amend Section 1.4 of the Constitution, which sets out the aims and principles of the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), that Council replace the wording, “The Union shall pursue these objectives independent of any political, racial or religious ideology” with “The Union shall pursue these goals in a radical and egalitarian way, without intervention or control by outside parties”. If the motion had passed, the wording would not have immediately changed but would have been put to a student-wide referendum as is customary with constitutional changes. Earlier in the day, the Electoral Commission (EC) released a series of Instagram stories via the TCDSU Instagram account detailing some “non-partisan, factual information” to clarify their interpretation of the current wording of Section 1.4 of the TCDSU Constitution and what their interpretation would be if the wording were to change as proposed above. Currently, the EC interprets that

the current wording “restricts the political stances the Union can take” but does permit the TCDSU to “take political stances” provided they “are not principally motivated by a political ideology”. It also stated that the wording “does not mandate the Union to be apolitical”, explaining further that previous ECs “have permitted mandates and long-term policies on topics that were regarded at the time as political, including, but not limited to, BDS, abortion information, apartheid, and the 27th Amendment”. The EC also added that “the term, “radical”, is an ill-defined term and would create further interpretation issues for future Electoral Commissions”. If the motion had passed, the EC stated that: “the Union would be permitted to take a greater number of political and religious stances. This could include endorsing political or religious organisations.” Preceding the debate at Council, both the TCDSU Welfare Officer, Aoife Bennett, and Chair of the EC, Conor Casey, stressed the need for students speaking in favour or against the motion to be “respectful” of their fellow council members. In proposing the motion, Evans argued that “of all the misspelt words and vague sentences in our Constitution, this is by far the most vague”. He perceived the wording to not reflect the current and past actions of the TCDSU, describing the Book of Kells process as “explicitly political” and believing that “the students of College are ready for this”. Omar Saood, speaking against the motion, expressed concerns

Campaign Launched to Reform Students’ Union Clara Roche EDITOR

campaign entitled ‘TCDSU4ALL’ has been launched amid “concern for the increasing politicisation” of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU). The launch included the creation of an Instagram account by the same name. In a statement circulated following the launch of the campaign, the group, who identified themselves only as Trinity College students, called for a “fundamental reform” of the Union following the “increasingly erratic and unrepresentative behaviour” of its representatives. Citing its support of the “contro-

versial” Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, the group said that the Union “should represent all students”, and “should not perpetuate extreme and divisive positions which follow the agenda of specific ideological or political organisations”. The statement contended that “TCDSU should be barred from cooperating with political entities” on the basis that such cooperation “increases division among students and adds to tension on campus”. The group also wish to reverse the long-term policy of Union support of the BDS campaign, which was mandated in 2018 following a referendum. The campaign further called for the right to dissociate from the Union, of which membership is currently mandatory.

about future interpretations of the word radical, saying: “This could have negative implications upon a minority community. ‘Majority rules’ is my concern.” A Psychology class representative brought forward Procedural Motion E to amend the wording of a motion, requesting that “radical” be replaced with “political”. This brought a staunch rebuttal from TCDSU President László Molnárfi, who argued: “To be a student is to be radical, to be against the status quo. We shouldn’t be afraid to use the word radical.” Upon voting, the Procedural Motion failed to pass. TCDSU Education Officer Catherine Arnold then brought forward Procedural Motion K to refer the motion to the next Council. She said that there “needs to be more consultation of the wording brought to this motion” and argued that the recently established Constitutional Review Working Group (CRWG), which she chairs, was expressly set up for this purpose. Mólnárfi again defended the motion, saying that “we do not know what the CRWG would come up with” and that “our solicitor has approved the wording”. Other concerns were raised including whether the TCDSU could promote religious ideology if the wording changed to which Casey replied: “Protected characteristics would still be protected under 1.4, but yes.” Jenny Maguire, last year’s TCDSU Gender Equality Officer, argued that “the current wording puts our ability to support students in jeopardy”, claiming that a change to radical action “allows us to take broader steps to support minority groups”.

PHOTO BY ALEX PAYNE FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

When it came to a vote, 56 voted in favour and 30 against, which is 65 per cent and 35 per cent respectively. In order to call a student-wide referendum on a constitutional change, a 66.6 per cent majority is needed. Mólnárfi posted an Instagram story shortly after Council highlighting that the motion still received a majority and only failed to pass by two votes. He is now calling for students to add their signatures to a document to change the wording which, provided it reaches 500 signatures, would trigger a constitutional referendum. In a recent interview with The Mancunion, he said his “faction has a lot of support”. Questions remain over the momentum of support for this con-

stitutional change. Issues raised at council will have brought doubt into the minds of council members, and if this constitutional change does find its way to a referendum, there will be strong arguments from both sides. Education Officer Catherine Arnold will feel justified in her arguments for a more drawn-out review process of constitutional change in her future work with the CRWG, but she gave no indication of her preferred wording when speaking at Council. The new campaign group TCDSU4ALL released a statement the following day saying it “celebrates” the result. They believe the defeat shows “the student body rejects a politicised Students’ Union”, adding that they see “political neutral-

ity as a strength of the Students’ Union”. TCDSU4ALL also “condemns” the statements of the TCDSU President that the group sees as expressing “disdain for the neutrality of the Constitution and the limitations it imposes on his power”. The group also “deplores the president’s unprofessional comments regarding the Electoral Commission, a body we consider to be vital in interpreting proposed constitutional amendments and keeping students informed of their content and compliance with the Constitution.” The TCDSU4All statement is signed by Maximilian Z. Garely, Antoin Fletcher, Fabian Eichmeier, Leonard Kruger, Riccardo Rasini and other members who wish to remain anonymous.

Analysis: Students’ Confused Relationship with Social Media is Denigrating Discourse Hosanna Boulter NEWS EDITOR

t the beginning of each Students’ Union council, one of the presiding officers will tell those assembled that they may join in on the conversations happening at the meeting by using the hashtag #yupcouncil on Twitter (X). During the second council, Chair Conor Casey reminded those present not to misuse the hashtag, as “it won’t be tolerated”. When one glances at the posts made during the second council, it is not difficult to see why Casey warned members against its misuse. One GIF depicted

a guillotine with the caption: “When you break the constitution #yupcouncil.” This tweet may have been in reference to accusations made by members of the Electoral Commission (EC) that President László Molnárfi had acted outside of his constitutional boundaries. The GIF attached may have been a mixed reference, firstly to the author’s belief that Molnárfi should be removed from office, and secondly to a saying the Chair ends each council with: “The guillotine has fallen.” However, even a cartoon of a guillotine blade falling risks being interpreted as an incitement of violence. Such rhetoric may further divisions already apparent within the Students’ Union, and may result in less work done in ser-

vice of the student body. Each council meeting has a strict time limit — members of the Union must vacate the theatre by 9pm. Casey pausing proceedings to maintain discipline takes time that could be better spent. The Twitter profiles of Union officers tend to present a confusing combination of the personal and the political. One is likely to find a mix of threads pertaining to serious issues regarding the working of the Students’ Union, alongside casual commentary about music, movies and everyday life. Social media for students has become both a platform for meaningless memes but also a vehicle for expressing support or disdain for the ideological developments that shape our present. The profiles of Students’ Union members prove no exception. While social media is a valuable tool for people to air their grievances about the workings of student politics, perhaps there are existing mechanisms within the Union to better bring these concerns to attention. Twitter is not a perfect platform. Accountability is limited and abuse is common — issues that have amplified since Elon Musk’s takeover last year. While council meetings are designed to be moderated, no such me-

diator is guaranteed on Twitter, and the intersection between the personal and the political allows debates to easily devolve into emotionally charged exchanges that may hinder constructive dialogue. Due to character limits, crucial context and necessary nuance are often sacrificed. Thanks to the public nature of such platforms, this in turn may damage ordinary students’ perception of the Union and decrease their engagement, which risks obstructing or delaying the occurrence of important work. Of course, all students are within their rights to use social media as they see fit, and this article is not intended to suggest otherwise. But perhaps a separation is necessary for those representing their peers. Some Students’ Union officers have set up separate profiles for personal and political use, and this strategy may prove useful in ensuring an earnestness in political debate and allowing for more freedom and personality to be expressed in private. Certain disagreements should probably be preserved for council meetings, to avoid the denigration of student discourse into a popularity contest or a 140-character punchline.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

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Analysis: Who Speaks for the Students’ Union? Alex Payne ASSISTANT EDITOR

n early October, the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and the Trinity branch of the Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation (PWO) became embroiled in an online argument concerning allegations of harassment directed at the PWO by TCDSU, following the alleged behaviour of certain members of the PWO towards polling clerks during the class representative elections. The PWO criticised the TCDSU-run elections as “disenfranchising PhD students en masse”. They also argued that the paper balloting system was flawed due to ballots running out and there being no online alternative. In response, TCDSU issued a public statement maintaining that bal-

lots were pulled due to “election interference”, further claiming that members of the PWO were harassing polling clerks. The official statement was released by the Communications and Marketing Officer, Aiesha Wong. Speaking to The University Times at the time via email, Molnárfi said that he did not authorise the statement and that he was dissenting from it, indicating disagreement and a potential disconnect within the Union itself. As a result, an interpretation of the TCDSU constitution was requested from the Electoral Commission (EC). Parts of the constitution set out the role of the sabbatical officers, and as is stated within the constitution, any member of the Union can request interpretation from the EC. Following the request, the EC presented a report at the second council of the year reminding the president that the Comms Officer oversees the Union’s internal and external com-

munications. The report stated that the Comms Officer is “authorised to manage press releases” in order to “maintain the integrity of the Union’s identity”, concluding that “the President does not have a final say on the publication of press releases”. This raises the question of who — if anyone — does? The conclusion that the EC drew from the constitution presumably lies in the chapter concerning the role of the Comms Officer. However, while the constitution states that the Comms Officer’s duty is to “manage” Union communications, it does not ascertain whether they can do so without conferral with other sabbatical officers. Similarly, the chapter outlining the role of the President states that the President is “to act as the primary representative for the members of the Union”. While this implies that the President can speak on behalf of Union members, it does not clarify whether they can do so without con-

sultation with the Comms Officer. In comparison, the constitution of the University College Dublin Students’ Union (UCDSU) contains a more explicit clarification as to who speaks on behalf of the Union. It states that one of the duties of the President is to act as the “primary spokesperson” of the Union. However, the UCDSU does not have a Comms Officer or any equivalent position, reducing potential confusion over who speaks for the Union. The DCU Students’ Union constitution contains similar wording to that of TCDSU, describing the duty of the President as “taking the lead role in representation” of the Union. Similar to UCDSU, the DCUSU does not have a Comms Officer, and so no other official could hold responsibility for managing external communications. What all three constitutions do not reveal, however, is how external communications should be managed. It is not clear how student rep-

PHOTO BY ADAM RAINBOLT FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES PHOTO BY ALEX CONNOLLY

PHOTO BY THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

resentatives should release official statements or how consensus on those statements should be reached. The internal dissonance that arose as a result of the conflict between the PWO and TCDSU raised an important question as to whose position takes precedence if the President and the Comms Officer disagree. The constitution fails to satisfactorily answer this question, referring to the President as the “primary representative” of the Union while maintaining that the Comms Officer

should manage communications. Perhaps the solution is not to determine which sabbatical officer’s opinion holds more weight in a time of dissent, but rather to establish a precedent for how consensus should be reached when such dissent occurs. The constitution should clarify whether consensus is needed before either the President or the Comms Officer release a statement on behalf of the Union, and if so, the time frame in which this consultation should occur.

Member of the Provost’s Council Linked to Mining Company Hosanna Boulter NEWS EDITOR

rinity’s website describes how “the Provost’s Council brings together a network of leading international Trinity alumni and supporters who will act as advisors to the College. Council members are based in Ireland, UK, France, Germany, US, Middle East and Asia. Their business interests include finance, manufacturing, retail, investment, property, law, film, and new ventures”. One of the people who sits on the provost’s council is John Macken. John Macken’s biography on the website describes him as having “held the positions of President, CEO and Director of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd (Turquoise Hill Resources) during his tenure between 2003 and 2012”. Though Macken has since left Ivanhoe Mines, in 2015 Amnesty International published a report into alleged abuses and law-breaking taking place at a mine that Ivanhoe had interests in, called Myanmar: Open for Business? Corporate crime and abuses at Myanmar copper mine. The report found that Ivanhoe had, “profited from and in some cases colluded with the Myanmar authorities in serious human rights abuses and illegal activity around the Monywa

“

copper mine complex”. Some of the allegations made by the report pertain to the time that Macken was in the positions of President, CEO and Director of Ivanhoe. While the report does not directly name John Macken, though it does refer to a number of unnamed directors of Ivanhoe Mines. The report details that in 2007,

The sanctions that may have been breached involve a joint venture that Ivanhoe mines entered into with a Myanmar governmentowned enterprise in 1978. The joint venture was to develop the copper deposits at Monywa, a city in central Myanmar. In 2010, Ivanhoe Mine’s 50 per cent interest in the Monywa project was taken over by the military company the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. (UMEHL), a union of conglomerates run by the Burmese Military, and the Chinese state owned enterprise, China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO). Amnesty also alleged that “the process by which the Monywa project was transferred to UMEHL and NORINCO has never been publicly disclosed”. Amnesty alleged that Ivanhoe Mines had prepared for this sale by divesting its interest in the Monywa project in 2006 by establishing the Monywa Trust, described by Amnesty as an “independent third party trust”, to which Ivanhoe mines transferred its interest in the Monywa project along with other Myanmar assets. In response to Amnesty, Ivanhoe Mines stated that the purpose of the Trust was “to facilitate the future sale of the Myanmar assets and to ensure that the process did not involve a breach of economic sanctions relating to Myanmar”. Searching in multiple jurisdictions for the whereabouts of the

Profited from and in some cases colluded with the Myanmar authorities in serious human rights abuses and illegal activity around the Monywa copper mine complex Ivanhoe may have breached international economic sanctions agreed by a number of countries placed on Burmese high ranking officials, government departments and a number of Burmese businesses for alleged human rights abuses.

Trust, Amnesty believed “the Trust was registered in the British Virgin Islands, a British Overseas Territory and established secrecy jurisdiction”. Ivanhoe Mines claimed to Amnesty that it had “no involvement” in the Myanmar joint venture (MICCL) after February 2007. However, Wikileaks published US Embassy cables that revealed “the company remained involved in discussions about the sale of the Myanmar assets in 2008”. Also revealed on the cables was involvement in the negotiations “by a well-known ‘crony’, Tay Za”. Amnesty also found that the Trust was not an “independent entity”, and that Ivanhoe Mines had set up a protector company in Barbados that had oversight of the

Trust. Ivanhoe Mines nominated an employee to sit as a director on the board of the protector company. According to Amnesty, “these facts were not disclosed in Ivanhoe Mines’ public filings before US and Canadian regulatory bodies”. As UK law applies in the British Virgin Islands, Amnesty suggested that “the Trust may have committed an offence”, if they made funds or economic resources available to Tay Za or UMEHL. In “its oversight of the Trust, and related failure to regulate the Trust’s sale of the 50% stake in MICCL”, Amnesty also argued that “Ivanhoe Mines may also have breached applicable Canadian economic sanctions”. Amnesty concluded that Ivanhoe Mines “set up a Trust to allow it to

dispose its stake in MICCL in a manner which would enable it to evade any public scrutiny and applicable sanctions related to Myanmar”. As a next step Amnesty called on Canada and the UK to initiate criminal investigations into the issue. Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. has maintained that, contrary to Amnesty’s findings, “In February 2007, an independent, third-party trust acquired Ivanhoe Mines’ (now Turquoise Hill Resources) former 50% interest in the Myanmar Ivanhoe Copper Company Ltd., which owned and operated the Monywa Copper Project. The change of ownership ended Ivanhoe Mines’ business involvement in Myanmar”. Those who serve on the Provost’s Council may be removed from it at any time by the Provost. PHOTO BY IVANHOE MINES

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

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Counselling Service Advertises New Minority Supports Amid Diversity Acknowledgement Alex Payne ASSISTANT EDITOR

ollowing questioning from The University Times, Trinity’s Counselling Service is now advertising external resources for mental health support for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) related issues for the first time. As of 10:20am on Thursday, November 23rd, the page advertising ‘External Support’ on the Counselling Service website advertised external services pertaining to ‘abuse and assault’, ‘addiction’, ‘body image and eating’, ‘budgeting and financial’, ‘victim support’, ‘family support’, ‘legal advice’, ‘mental health’, ‘sexual health and family planning’, ‘sexual orientation/gender identity’, and ‘suicide and self-harm’. Following questioning from The University Times surrounding the ex-

cess has been achieved with the HEA who are now sponsoring students in the doctorate in counselling psychology.” Upon further questioning relating to issues of race, the Counselling Service clarified on Wednesday, November 22nd: “Recruiting BIPOC/ BAME counsellors is one of the best ways to meet the needs of Trinity’s black, Asian and other ethnic minority students”, and It has been a “strategic aim” of the service to hire more BIPOC/BAME counsellors for a number of years. The Counselling Service also stressed that “it is vital that non-BIPOC/BAME mental health practitioners are firmly grounded with theory, skills and language to meet the unique needs of their BIPOC/ BAME clients to ensure a truly therapeutic environment, and to guard against the re-creation in the counselling office of the institutional and interpersonal dynamics that traumatise people of colour”.

istence of external services for ethnic minorities, the list was updated to include ‘BAME supports’, namely Black Therapists Ireland. This year, the Counselling Service has no counsellors of colour on staff. In an initial statement to The University Times on Tuesday, November 21st, a representative from the Counselling Service said: “This year it has not proved possible to have a counsellor of colour on staff, due to turnover or work visas ending, but we have a wide diversity of cultures in our staffing.” The statement continued: “Trinity is acutely aware of the importance of diversity in its counselling services, given the diversity and international nature of its staff and student body. There is a wider problem in Ireland with access to psychology and psychotherapy training.” “In fact Trinity staff have been to the fore in urging more state funding of training for counsellors from diverse backgrounds and some suc-

EDITOR

rinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) President László Molnárfi has launched RateMyElective.ie, a website through which Trinity students can review electives and exchanges. Molnárfi announced the release of the website on his LinkedIn on Monday, November 13th, statingwriting: “With RateMyElective.ie, students can recommend modules and give feedback to other students by leaving reviews with level of dif-

ficulty, workload, how enjoyable the course is, and any other details.” He continued: “You can browse and find cool electives, or electives to avoid. You can filter by difficulty, workload and stars, etc. and see how others found Trinity electives!” While the release of the website was promised in his manifesto, it is not an official TCDSU initiative. The website is open-source, meaning the original source code is freely available and other students can redistribute and modify it. The website was programmed and designed by Molnárfi himself, Computer Science student John W Kommala and Trinity alumnus Shaun Pearce.

Leah Downey DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

he Union of Students in Ireland (USI) released a statement on November 20th,, International Transgender Day of Remembrance, saying that the “Irish government has blood on its hands due to the inaccessibility of transgender healthcare in Ireland.” The statement continued on to call for a “complete overhaul of how trans people are treated by the health system in Ireland”, saying that the current model “falls far below international human rights standards.” At present, those seeking to access gender-affirming care are liable to wait for up to five years to even begin accessing the service, with GPs being unable to prescribe hormone replacement

David Norris to Retire in January Clara Roche EDITOR

niversary edition. In 1967, Norris graduated from Trinity with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Language. During his time in Trinity, he was elected a Foundation Scholar and served as the editor of Icarus, Ireland’s oldest literary magazine. The Cathaoirleach, or Chairperson, of Seanad Éireann, Jerry Buttimer, led tributes for Norris, saying that he and other members of the LGBTQ+ community owe him a huge debt of gratitude. Following his retirement, Norris will divide his time between Ireland and Cyprus. His retirement will trigger a by-election within the Seanad.

mental health difficulties, and as such creates specific mental health challenges for people of colour. BIPOC/BAME populations often experience a higher burden of disability from mental health issues”.

therapy (HRT) to their trans and non-binary patients. Using figures from the Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI), the USI states that “78% of respondents thought about ending their life while transitioning or on a waiting list”. A further 40 per cent said they had made at least one suicide attempt. James Curry, the USI Vice President for Equality and Citizenship, stated, “The TENI survey, and numerous other research projects around the world, have shown us that transgender people who are not receiving healthcare or are left on long waiting lists are very much at risk of selfharm and suicide. On Transgender Day of Remembrance, we remember trans people who have lost their lives to this risk or to the violence that many face for being trans”. “We also need to continue to fight for better healthcare, so

that our trans community can access the care they need. In the TENI research, 75 per cent of respondents that were able to access care said that starting their medical transition had made their lives ‘better’. Without change, this Government has blood on their hands.” The statements concludes with the USI calling on National Gender Service; Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly; and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and

Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, requesting the implementation of the World Professional Association for Transgender Healthcare (WPATH) Standards of Care, which follow an informed consent model. The USI demands that “there must be a stark improvement in the standards of Trans healthcare in Ireland, starting with following the informed consent model and allowing GPs to provide Hormone Replacement Therapy to their patients.”

USI and TCDSU Call to Cut All Ties with University Ranking System Alex Payne ASSISTANT EDITOR

I PHOTO BY SEANAD INDEPENDENT GROUP

ndependent Senator David Norris has confirmed that he will retire from the Seanad in January 2024, capping a career as the longest-serving senator in Irish history. Norris was first elected to the Dublin University constituency in 1987, the electorate of which comprises students and graduates of Trinity College Dublin. He is the first openly gay person to have held public office in Ireland, and he is credited with having dismantled Ireland’s anti-homosexuality laws following his foundation of the 14-year ‘Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform’. Following the culmination of the campaign at the European Court of Human Rights, the law criminalising homosexuality was overturned in 1993. Norris announced his retirement in an interview published by Trinity News as part of the paper’s 70th an-

imbalances, and advocating for institutional accountability”. “Racism, whether experienced interpersonally or institutionally, causes trauma for people of colour. Trauma is the root of most serious

USI Calls for Overhaul in Government’s Approach to Gender-Affirming Care

Molnárfi Launches RateMyElective.ie Clara Roche

It detailed the current “trauma-informed” approach to working with students, saying it does so “from a position of cultural humility that involves self-reflection, acknowledging and seeking to mitigate power

n a motion passed at USI Council on November 2nd, student representatives are called for College governing bodies to “re-evaluate their participation in university rankings” and withdraw from those they see as unfit. Arguing against the “neoliberalisation of our institutions”, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) used the example of Utrecht University’s withdrawal from the Times Higher Educa-

tion World Rankings for 2024 to highlight their perceived issues with partaking in a ranking system which the USI describes as an “inherently biased”. The Times Higher Education World Rankings bases their comparisons of universities on the metrics of ‘Teaching’, ‘Research Environment’, ‘Research Quality’, ‘Industry’ and ‘International Outlook’. The first three receive the greatest weight between 29 and 30 per cent each. The USI and TCDSU take the most issues with the sub-metrics of ‘Research Reputation’, which makes up 62 per cent of ‘Research Environment’, and ‘Citation Impact’, which makes up 50 per cent of ‘Research Quality’. Both the USI and TCDSU argue

that an institution’s colonial and imperial beginnings brings an unfair advantage to certain universities, including Trinity. In a letter to the Provost, TCDSU states: “University rankings can reflect colonial legacies through historical advantages, language dominance, networks, access to resources, cultural biases, diversity, educational hierarchies, and research focus, favouring former colonial powers and perpetuating inequalities in higher education.” USI argues: “The requirement to conform to a paradigm stands at odds with the needs of local contexts and individual countries, as well as to the principles of academic freedom: Both highlight the poten-

tial effect this has on graduate prospects, with the USI saying the “inherently biased” system “influences the desirability of alumni within the job market” and TCDSU agreeing it does not create “a world of fair chances”. The TCDSU letter continues: “A world in which university candidates evaluate their worth against the ability to attend ‘top-scoring’ or ‘lower-scoring’ institutions, is not a world that promotes personal development and self-esteem.” USI is mandating that all third-level institutions “re-evaluate their participation” in the system”. TCDSU is calling for the same, and “should it be possible, withdrawal from data provision to ranking markers”.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

NEWS

Student Spaces Remained Open Amid Riots in City Centre, Temporary Bedding Provided Clara Roche EDITOR

mid the outbreak of riots in Dublin city centre, House 6 in Front Square, where the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) is based, remained open for students who were unable to get home safely. In a statement, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) said: “Please steer clear of the area and look out for each other.” In an post shared by the TCDSU account, Ethnic Minorities Officer Hamza Bana said: “I strongly advise against going into town the next few days, ESPECIALLY over the weekend as there might be a chance for the far right to mobilise again.”

He continued: “If any students are stuck in town, contact the TCDSU as House 6 is open for anyone who is unsafe.” The College Historical Society (the Hist) echoed the TCDSU’s statements in an Instagram story of their own, saying: “The GMB is open and anyone who would like to is welcome to come into Hist Convo to stay safe and warm for the next few hours.” During the protests, a double-decker bus, a Luas and a Garda car were set on fire near the O’Connell Bridge. All Red and Green Line Luas services were suspended. In a statement, College said: “Because of the disturbances in Dublin city centre, Gardai have instructed Trinity College Dublin to close all gates. Kinsella Hall, GMB and 1937 Reading Room remain open to keep

students safe. Please stay safe. We will provide updates as we can.” A later email issued to all staff students read: “We are still monitoring the situation of the disturbances in Dublin city centre. Trinity’s gates remained closed at the moment.” College thanked students for their patients.” The email continued: “We are preparing for students and staff to remain on campus overnight if the need arises. Temporary bedding is being organised.” “Please note that students will not be negatively impacted if they are delayed arriving to lectures tomorrow as a result of this evening’s events.” On the morning of Friday, November 24th, College confirmed that it would remain open as normal and that graduation ceremonies would go ahead as planned. PHOTO BY RTÉ

Provost Doyle Thanks “The Very Best of Trinity” Following Riots

TCDSU, CSC Condemn “Horrific” Riots, Highlighting Supports

Leah Downey DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

rovost Linda has released a statement addressing the violent riots that erupted in Dublin City Centre on Thursday, November 23rd, condemning the “horrific attacks” and “unacceptable scenes”, adding that such crimes “have no place in a democratic country.” The statement continued on to say that the decision to close the gates of Trinity came from the Gardaí. Following this, “several hundred students and a number of staff had to spend the night on makeshift bedding in locations across campus.” In the email sent to all staff and students on Friday, November 24th, the Provost acknowledged the significant solidarity that emerged from all aspects of the college, calling it “the very best of Trinity.” She specifically acknowledged the efforts of the Trinity College Dublin

PHOTO BY ALEX CONNOLLY FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

Students’ Union (TCDSU), members of various societies, college residents and all other students and staff “who found themselves on campus, all working together”. The results of the civil unrest has led to a decision to postpone the annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, which had been scheduled for Monday, November 27th. The Provost also linked the supportsoffered to students and staff affected by the crisis. The Provost continued the

statement to affirm Trinity’s values, stating the college “has long been a force for progressive values in Irish society.” “I want to recommit our university to the core principles of inclusion, welcome, diversity, equality, tolerance and respect.” The email concluded with an acknowledgement of the uncertain times in our society and a promise that the university will continue to stand for the aforementioned values unwavering.

Arts Block Roofing Under Repair Following Recent Wind Damage Alex Payne ASSISTANT EDITOR

fter damage due to high winds on September 20th 2023, Estates & Facilities have installed netting around the outside of the sixth floor of the Arts Building of Trinity College Dublin until remedial work begins. A spokesperson for College replied said in a statement to The University Times on Wednesday, November 15th: “Due to high winds on September 20th, 2023, one of the soffits to the overhanging roof of the Arts Building was damaged.” A soffit, in this case, is a horizon-

tal, aloft underside of the section of a roof that projects over the exterior wall. The statement continued: “As a matter of urgency, the Estates & Facilities Department made the area safe and also engaged a structural engineer to immediately assess the damaged area and environs.” “Their advice was to install heavy duty netting as a temporary measure to the adjoining five ceilings to avoid any risk of future damage, should there be a further failure.” It is not clear whether students were at risk as a result, but further risk has been mitigated by the installation of the netting. Due to the arrangement of the Arts Building, any piece of roof that may fall, even without netting, would either land

on the roof of the fifth floor facing Nassau Street, which is inaccessible to students, or onto the roof of the fourth floor which projects out into Fellows Square under the sixth floor roof. What is most concerning following the damage is that, having engaged a structural engineer and carried out further inspections, College now feels it is necessary to replace the ceilings of the Arts Building. This will no doubt incur significant cost and could disrupt any classes and carried out on this floor. It may also disrupt the work of the Classics Department and the Trinity Research in Social Sciences (TRiSS) team, whose offices are on the sixth floor.

PHOTO BY EMER MOREAU FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

Clara Roche EDITOR

n a statement released regarding the riots that took place in the city centre on Thursday, November 23rd, the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) has released a statement condemning the “hateful” actions that occurred following the stabbing of several people on Parnell Square. In an email sent to all students on Friday afternoon, TCDSU Comms Officer Aiesha Wong said: “The weaponisation of a tragic event to justify xenophobia and the destruction of our city is unacceptable. The Irish have had a culture of emigration for over a century and have made our homes across the world; there is an inherent hypocrisy in saying Ireland is full.”

Wong continued on behalf of the Union, writing: “We are incredibly proud of our campus community working with and coming together in a beautiful act of solidarity to provide food and shelter for the 100+ students who could not get home last night.” She gave special thanks to members of the College Historical Society (the Hist), the University Philosophical Society (the Phil) and the

Central Societies Committee (the CSC), as well as “other societies and students who volunteered their rooms as places to stay overnight”. The CSC, in communications sent to all student societies, similarly thanked the societies for their hard work in allocating spaces last night and strongly advised societies against holding events that evening. The TCDSU email concluded with a list of supports that affected students could access, such as Niteline and the College’s Emergency Counselling Service. An earlier email sent to students in the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy by Convenor Mark Soller highlighted similar resources, condemning the events as “tragic, pathetic and terrifying”. Soller added that he was engaging with staff in “pushing for leniency across the board”. Several lecturers across departments have extended office hours and essay deadlines to accommodate students affected by the crisis

PHOTO BY ANDREW MURPHY FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

NEWS

TCD Professor Linked to Oil Company Complicit in Human Rights Abuses Hosanna Boulter NEWS EDITOR

r Chris Nicholas, an assistant professor in the Department of Geology, has been revealed to have extensive links to the oil company Pharos Energy Plc., which is alleged to have been complicit in a series of human rights abuses. Pharos Energy Plc, previously known as SOCO International, is an oil and gas exploration and production company with headquarters in London. Dr Nicholas worked for the company for three years from 2010 to 2013. He worked for their operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo where he prepared exploratory maps for the exploration and production of the Lake Edward Region of Virunga National Park. The corporation’s activities in the

Virunga National Park were controversial from their inception and have since been mired in scandal. Initially there was strong local resistance to the plans to explore for oil and gas as the excavations would have put the livelihoods of local communities at risk. This national park is also a UNESCO designated world heritage site, and is home to a quarter of the world’s mountain gorilla population, the habitat of which would have been threatened by the proposed exploratory excavations. Many conservationists, including the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and David Attenborough, had criticised Soco for its attempts to drill in the park. In 2014, WWF staff and others who had campaigned against oil activities in Virunga said they began receiving threatening calls and text messages, including death threats, from unknown numbers. These threats related to a series of public statements about the negative

impacts of oil. This followed the attempted assassination of Virguna’s national park’s chief warden and the death of two Congolese park wardens earlier that year. SOCO has always denied any involvement in threats to activists and park staff. After the project was cancelled, a litany of alleged human rights abuses came to light. An investigation was carried out by Global Witness, an international NGO that investigates and exposes environmental and human rights abuses in the oil, gas, mining and timber sectors, and tracks ill-gotten money and influence through the global financial and political system. The investigation stated that cheques and receipts seen by Global Witness showed that the company had paid over $40,000 in just two weeks to a Congolese military officer accused of bribery and violence. The officer in question, Major Burimba Feruzi, and the soldiers under his command are accused of ordering

the beating and detention of SOCO’s opponents. Furthermore, locals claim that two fishermen resistant to SOCO’s presence were killed by soldiers connected to company security. The Global Witness report added that evidence seen by them suggested that SOCO was paying the salaries of the soldiers near the company’s base at the time of the alleged murders of the fishermen. Additionally, in the filming of the Oscar-nominated documentary Virunga, Feruzi was caught on camera offering a $3,000 bribe to a senior Virunga National Park Ranger. Global Witness closed their report by calling for SOCO to face criminal investigations into allegations of wrongdoing by its contractors. These calls were echoed by Tess Munt in 2015 who was then the head of a cross-party anti-corruption group of British MPs. The Church of England also sold its stake in SOCO in light of these accusations of bribery, corruption and human rights abus-

PHOTO BY ALARMY

es in Virunga. The Church had asked SOCO to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations but, at a SOCO AGM in 2015, the company refused to publish the scope or outcome of the inquiry. Whilst SOCO eventually admitted that they did finance the soldiers who guarded its base who were under the command of Feruzi and are accused of murder, it has called any allegations of bribery and intimidation “false and inaccurate”. Specif-

ically in response to the murder of the two fishermen SOCO’s then deputy chief executive, Roger Cagle, denied responsibility for these actions to the Telegraph newspaper, saying that the soldiers were “not associated with SOCO. They’re assigned to us. We can’t tell the army to go and kiss off”. Although these allegations came to light after Dr Nicholas had left SOCO, he supervised an M.Sc. funded by the company in 2020.

Cash Donations Stolen History Department Adopts From TCD Cancer Society Anonymous Cover Sheets Hosanna Boulter NEWS EDITOR

n early November, Trinity’s Cancer Society had its metal lockbox forced open and funds stolen out of it. The lockbox was being stored in the society’s room in House 6. As is the case for many societies, the Trinity Cancer Society’s room is shared with a number of other societies. The lockbox was easily identifiable as belonging to the Trinity Cancer Society as it was covered in the society’s stickers. The society said that although the majority of their donations were electronic, as the society purchased a card reader last year, the funds inside were cash donations

from recent events the society had hosted which were due to be deposited in the bank later. In a statement to The University Times, the Trinity Cancer Society said that the donations only made up a small amount, “in comparison to the enormous amount raised this year by our volunteers and through the generosity of Trinity Students, we will not allow money meant to help those seriously ill with cancer, including young children, to be stolen without consequence. The matter has been reported to the Central Societies Committee, Trinity College Security, and An Garda Síochána”. An investigation into the stolen funds is currently underway by An Garda Síochána and the society told The University Times they are confident the perpetrator or per-

petrators will be brought to justice. The society added a plea: “for the person(s) that took the money to return it immediately, or face even more serious consequences. These donations support life-changing care, life-saving treatment, and in the saddest of instances; end-of-life care.” In response to this security breach, the Central Societies Committee (CSC) changed the locks on the door of the society room from where the funds were stolen. In addition to pledging to install a more secure safe to ensure the future safety of the society’s cash funds. The University Times has reached out to the CSC for comment.

Hosanna Boulter NEWS EDITOR

he History Department has changed its cover sheet to mean that students no longer are required to state their name when submitting work. When submitting a piece of written work to a humanities department, a student must add the correct cover sheet for their department and year group. Students typically fill out these cover sheets to include information about who the student is – typically this means including their name and student

number, as well as information about the module they are submitting their work for, such as the module name and number and who the module supervisor is. This decision by the History Department means that students’ work will be marked anonymously by them as the only identifying factor of the work they have submitted is their student number. When reached for comment about why this change had been made, Joseph Clarke, Head of Department for History, told The University Times that “this change to the essay cover sheets is to ensure that every aspect of the assessment process, from the initial student submission to the final publication PHOTO BY SINÉAD BAKER FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

Survey Exposes Accommodation Scams, Sex-for-Rent Schemes Clara Roche EDITOR

survey conducted by the Irish Council of International Students (ICOS) has found that 13 per cent of international students in Ireland have fallen victim to accommodation scams. A further five per cent have been offered reduced rent in exchange for sex, or seen an advert from a landlord seeking such an arrangement. Of the 819 international students surveyed, 10 per cent reported paying more than €1,000 for their accommodation each month. The same percentage of students said that it took them more than 100 days to find accommodation in Ireland, and the same percentage of respondents lived more than 15 kilometres away from their college or school.

The survey represented international students from 74 countries. Of the respondents, 46 per cent were in higher education, and 54 per cent were English language students. Of the English language students, 81 per cent reported sharing a room, compared to 31 per cent of those in higher education. 55 per cent of all international students said that their mental health has suffered as a result of the housing crisis and the lack of affordable education. The Executive Director of the ICOS, Laura Harmon, said that the effects of the housing crisis on international students is placing the country’s reputation at risk. She said that progress from the government is “too slow” and that the situation “requires urgent action”. In a statement, Harmon said: “Ire-

land needs clear student accommodation and international education strategies that focus on ensuring that students who study here have safe, affordable places to live.” She highlighted “the evidence of predators seeking sex in lieu of rent”, calling for “urgent legislation to clamp down on this” in particular, as well as “a range of other serious issues”. Earlier this year, Minister for Higher and Further Education Simon Harris announced the introduction of low-interest loans to colleges across the country to create additional beds for students. The loans, which will be provided in collaboration with the European Investment Bank and the Housing Finance Agency, will cost an estimated €434 million.

10% of international students reported paying more than €1,000 per month in rent

of marks, is fully aligned with College’s policy on anonymous marking for moderatorship work”. Though the College instituted a policy on anonymous marking for moderatorship last year, other departments have not taken the decision to remove the requirement for students to put their names on submitted work. For instance, among others, Classics, English, Global Business and Psychology departments all still require students to state their names when submitting work. It is unclear how these departments make the marking system anonymous after students submit their written work with their name on the cover sheet. The idea behind this policy of anonymous marking is to promote equality and transparency in education as, in theory, it removes any assumptions that the person marking the work could make based on the name of the student. It should mean that students’ work is marked purely on the merits of the work itself. Nevertheless, how effective this policy actually is remains an ongoing debate among education experts. of their demands for a suspension would “amount to tacit support for crimes against humanities”.

Dublin, Cork and Galway Among World’s Best Cities for University Hosanna Boulter NEWS EDITOR

n Tuesday, November 21st, the annual Campus Advisor report was published listing the 50 best cities in the world for higher education tudents. Three of the cities named are in Ireland. Galway received the best ranking of any Irish city on the list at seventh. In another ranking by The Campus Advisor, published on Tues-

day, Galway came first for Student Friendliness. The other Irish cities named in the ranking were Cork and Dublin. Cork placed 22nd and Dublin placed 38th. Dublin scored an 3.96 out of 5, 4.20 for Student Friendliness, 3.18 for Cost of Living, 4.27 for Nightlife, 3.95 for Public Transport, 4.17 for Amenities and 3.96 for Safety. Dublin’s lowest score came for its cost of living, reflecting the struggle for affordable housing that many students are experiencing. Dublin also scored significantly lower than

the other cities in terms of safety, scoring 3.95 whilst Galway scored 4.79 and Cork 4.54. This reflects the significant increase in assaults and other violent crimes in Dublin as reported in the Garda’s Dublin South Central Division Report for 2022. The Campus Advisor allows current students and graduates to upload ratings and reviews for their college. Students can rate their college based on a number of metrics such as course, campus facilities and academic staff. Last year Dublin did not rank although Galway placed 24th.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

NEWS

Arts Council Funding Breaks Down Barriers for Emerging Irish Artists Sarah Browne LITERATURE EDITOR

unding for the Arts has increased rapidly since the pandemic. In the 2019 Budget, the government allocated €75 million to the Arts Council. This year’s budget is almost double that at €134 million. So where is this recent injection of funding being directed and how does it benefit upcoming writers trying to break into the industry? Establishing yourself as a writer is no easy task. For most, writing full-time with no other consistent income is not an option. The large majority of artists take on jobs completely unrelated to the Arts in order to find a means to an end, but when asked, ‘what do you do?’ respond ‘I’m a writer’. Writing consistently when much of your time and energy is devoted to work devoid of any benefit other than a source of income can prove to be not only difficult but also disheartening. Until a writer is paid for their work in a journal or through an advance on a publication, much of it remains financially valueless. As a result, we lose many talented writers to more stable careers and, for those that remain, opportunities to dedicate themselves wholly to their

craft are few and far between. Arts Council funding, however, is there to tackle this vicious cycle. In 2021, the Arts Council announced the English Language Literature Bursary Award – the first of its kind to be introduced in Ireland. The aim of the award is to “provide writers and picture book artists with the time and resources to think, research, reflect, create and write”. The first roll-out of the award favoured mid-career professional writers with a “demonstrable publishing track record, having published at least one full collection, novel or picture book with an independent, recognised publisher”. In conjunction with the Bursary, the Arts Council also announced the Agility Award. While sharing the same objectives to aid artists in developing their practice, work and skills, the Agility Award differed somewhat in being targeted towards writers at any stage of their career, with the Council stating that they were “particularly interested in applications from more emerging literature artists”. The difference between the two lay in the fixed amount they offered: the Agility Award was capped at €5,000 per artist while the Bursary offered up to €20,000 per annum. With such a successful first round of both awards, they were continued into this year and, despite the disappointment expressed by Prof.

UCD Launches New Bike Lending Library Clara Roche EDITOR

niversity College Dublin (UCD) has launched a bike lending library, the first of its kind in Ireland. The UCD Energy Institute has partnered with the UCD Library to launch the scheme, which will allow students to use the existing library services in UCD to loan e-bikes and folding bikes free of charge using self-service bike bunkers. The pilot programme is one of three research projects funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), designed to facilitate a shift towards more sustainable commuting patterns in higher education institutions. Speaking at the launch of the scheme, Dr Francesco Pilla, the academic lead of the programme and a professor at the UCD School of Architecture, Planning & Environmental Policy, said: “The Bike Library is about democratising cy-

cling. Cycling shouldn’t be a privilege, but a right for everyone.” He continued: “The UCD Bike Library is not just about lending bikes to staff and students, but also about finding new ways to give people access to sustainable mobility options and contribute to a greener future.” Referring to climate change as a “wicked” challenge, he said that the bike lending initiative placed citizens at the centre of the solution. The scheme is part of a wider initiative by Dr Pilla, which offers free bike leases to parents and pupils in schools, GAA clubs and community centres. The project, which will run for two years, aims to provide a framework for bike lending libraries in other higher education institutions and organisations of similar sizes. Vice President for Sustainability, Professor Tasman Crowe, said: “If UCD were a town or city, it would be the 9th largest in Ireland. As a university community, it is therefore incumbent upon us to provide innovative solutions like this to the sustainable transport needs of staff, students, and wider society.” PHOTO BY VINCENT HOBAN FOR UCD

PHOTO VIA PROJECTARTSCENTRE.IE

Kevin Rafter, Chair of the Arts Council, that the announced budget was on the “lower end of what had been sought to address increased costs in the arts sector”, the €134 million announced was enough for the second round of the Bursary award to be extended beyond the initial eligibility requirements. As of June 2023, the roll-out of the award was extended to include any professional writer, with a concerted effort on the part of the Council to “support excellence for the widest population”. By extending access to the Bursary, Round 2 provided emerging writers with growing track records

an opportunity to ‘buy time’ and focus their energies on progressing even if they had not previously been earning an income continuously or exclusively from their craft. Unlike Round 1, applicants were not required to have had a collection or novel published. Instead, the adjudicating committee would look at their track record for a proven sustained engagement with creative writing (i.e. stories, essays and poems published in journals) to identify those applicants who they believed could benefit most from the Bursary. Recipients received either €10,000, €15,000 or €20,000 de-

pending on the scale of their proposal and the amount of time they intend to devote to it. The amount received was intended to grant time to the artist and to be used towards any other costs “intrinsic to supporting the development of the artist’s practice” which could include fees for mentors or collaborators or materials needed. Applicants were assessed based on artistic quality, how they meet the objectives of the award and feasibility. The Arts Council received a total of 1,159 applications and has offered 537 awards, many of which went to artists in the early stages of their careers. Following the an-

nouncement, Arts Council Director Maureen Kennelly highlighted the importance of the award in granting artists the resources necessary for development: “[t]here is no such thing as ‘overnight success’ in the arts. That is why it is crucial for the Arts Council to support artists to buy space and time to develop their practice”. With Round 3 of the Bursary expected to be rolled out next summer, the Arts Council have expressed their hopes to extend the award to all artists who meet the requirements in need of funding. This considerable expansion of the award would mean that those who are hoping to pursue a career in the Arts could do so with financial security and support. By guaranteeing Irish authors an income for their work, the government would be providing a basis for artists to wholly pursue their passion with time and confidence. It would provide writers with tangible proof that a career in the Arts is not solely an aspirational dream but realistic. For graduates, it opens doors to the possibility of building a career within the subject they studied. The potential of these resources cannot be understated. However, this expansion requires additional budget funding and so will prove as a crucial test of the government’s promise to “place the arts at the heart of Irish life”.

Trinity Access Programme Celebrates 30 Years with Contemporary Art Exhibition Clara Roche EDITOR

he Trinity Access Programme (TAP) celebrated its 30th birthday this month with the ‘Essence of Student Life’ exhibition in the Exam Hall. The exhibition, which ran from November 14th to November 17th, featured works from 19 contemporary artists on the theme of student life. Activities at the exhibition include artist walkthrough sessions. TAP is designed to support students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds in their progression to higher education. In its 30-year histo-

ry, over 3,000 undergraduate students have entered Trinity through the programme, including former TCDSU President and current Senator Lynn Ruane. Artists participating in the showcase included Salvatore of Lucan, winner of the 2021 Zurich Portrait Prize, who said of his paintings: “Exploring home, identity and relationships, I try to create expansive domestic scenes where realism meets the uncanny, and the familiar broaches the magical.” Another artist, Fraser Holden, discussed his piece “about the issues we had in the nineties that are as relevant to today’s students”, describing university as “the one time in your life when you decide your destiny on so many levels”. All pieces went up for sale at

PHOTO BY PAUL SHARP

the De Veres auction house, and at least 50 per cent of revenues raised will be used to support TAP. Wendy Crampton, the Director of the Trinity Access Programme, said in a statement: “This exhibition is dedicated to all TAP students who, over the past 30 years, have made our university a more diverse and

richer place.” “Through art, we want to celebrate the journey of students from all walks of life. This exhibition highlights the talent of the artists who have generously donated their works. It showcases our diverse community on campus through exceptional contemporary art and explores the essence of student life.”

Irish Authors Some of the Most Studied at American Universities Clara Roche EDITOR

rish authors Jonathan Swift and James Joyce are some of the most studied writers for English Literature degrees across the United States. A study of the Open Syllabus database conducted by the lan-

guage learning platform Preply found that Swift and Joyce featured in the top 10 most studied authors on university reading lists, at fourth and sixth respectively. Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels (1726) earned a Bachelor of Arts at Trinity in 1686, aged 18. Joyce graduated from the now-defunct Royal University of Ireland in 1902. The study also found that,

whilst female authors featured more on reading lists overall, they were underrepresented in the “most-read” list, with seven of the 10 most studied authors being male. Swift’s A Modest Proposal (1729) is the seventh most studied text at American universities. The most studied text is The Canterbury Tales by British author Geoffrey Chaucer. This year, four Irish authors

earned nominations for the Booker Prize, contributing to a total of 37 throughout the prize’s history, the most of any country per capita. Sebastian Barry, nominated for On God’s Time, studied English and Latin at Trinity. Gaby Wood, the chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, observed that “literature is both familiar and respected in Ireland”, as “the practice is supported by the government”.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

IN FOCUS

Institutional Racism in Colleges and the Fight for Inclusive Counselling Services

Alex Payne speaks to the founder of Black Therapists Ireland and an Assistant Professor in Psychotherapy at DCU to analyse the enduring effects of racism in College counselling.

Alex Payne ASSISTANT EDITOR

nstitutional racism is a topic that comes up again and again in historically and predominantly white countries. Its effects are felt in the discrimination experienced by persons of colour in these countries, and so these persons of colour are often led to seek mental health support. Trinity’s counselling service defends its training and abilities in supporting persons of colour and combating incidents of racism, but what can it do better? In conversation with Ejiro Ogbevoen, Dr Ray O’Neill and Jimena Alvarez, The University Times tries to elucidate the nuances of Trinity’s particular place within institutional racism as well as the therapeutic environment it offers to students in need. The Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) defines institutional racism as “forms of racism expressed in the practice of social and political institutions”. It further explains that it manifests in the way “institutions discriminate against certain groups, whether intentionally or not, and [to] their failure to have in place policies that prevent discrimination or discriminatory behaviour”. The primary methods of discrimination that result are “unintentional prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness, unconscious bias and racist stereotyping”. The combination of structural racism, which the INAR defines as “the fact that society is structured in a way that excludes substantial numbers of people from ethnic minority backgrounds from taking part equally in social institutions”, and institutional racism creates “the conditions that make forms of individual racism seem normal and acceptable, making discrimination more likely”. On March 20th 2023, following a National Race Equality Survey of all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and a series of stakeholder consultations, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) of Ireland launched its Anti-Racism Principles for Irish Higher Education Institutions. This publication includes a lot of definitions of terminology, understandings and acknowledgements of the structural and institutional manifestations of racism in HEIs

“

which is an important step in reducing discrimination and may give HEIs the impression that they are doing ‘enough’. But, according to Dr Ray O’Neill, Assistant Professor in Psychotherapy in the School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health at Dublin City University (DCU), asking if enough is being done is not the relevant question. The relevant question is: “What can we be doing more, what can we be doing better?” O’Neills interest in advocating for better representation and awareness of minorities in psychotherapy training comes from his own experience as a gay man trying to reach out to mental health support in late 80s and early 90s Ireland. “I’ve always had a sensitivity to how people from various backgrounds can experience mental health services. I have brought my sensitivities to other minoritised experiences.” In reference to Ireland, O’Neill highlights how the country’s unique recent history contributes to incidents of racism. “The Ireland I grew up in is an Ireland in which everyone left. There was no racial diversity.” He also described how Ireland has been “outwardly horrific” in terms of racism in the past but has now turned to a tolerant phase and is working towards the idea of “genuine inclusivity”. However, given the recent racially aggravated riots across Dublin and rising incident rates of racism according to the INAR’s re-

fered racialisation itself at the hands of the British Empire but has also racialised Travellers and Roma communities. These views are thought to “still bear the hallmarks of ancient anti-Irish racism” exacted by the British but also form part of any racist’s attitude when it comes to the “dehumanisation of all minorities”. Minorities are discriminated against due to historical racism as the histories “continue to be reflected in the structures and institutions of those societies, in their laws and legacies, and in the language and cultural attitudes which persist”. Trinity College Dublin is not only a persistent physical remnant of empire and colonialism and as a western university perpetuates mostly western ways of thinking and learning, but also exists as a demographically unique society within wider Irish society. This represents a unique challenge for those that have grown up in this country, or other countries that are affected by institutional and structural racism, and find themselves in positions of power within this university to equip themselves to deal with a substantially different population to that which they have been surrounded by their entire life. O’Neill questioned: “How do you counterbalance decades, if not centuries, of imbalance?” The latest figures show just less than 5 per cent of Ireland’s population to be non-white whereas, according to Trinity’s most recently available Annual Equality Monitoring Report, that of the academic year 2019/20, White Irish represented 46% of successful applicants and other White applicants represent 9%, suggesting that 45% of the student body at Trinity are nonWhite. It said that “no reliable data” on staff ethnicity was available but suggested that 10% of staff are nonWhite. No other specifics were given on any other ethnicities, just White and non-White. These numbers have contributed to Trinity being named the 16th Most International University by the Times Higher Education rankings 2023, down from 12th in 2022. Being the 16th most international university is something the Provost, Linda Doyle, celebrated as “one of our greatest strengths”, referencing the benefits of “international collaboration and dialogue”. Speaking to The University Times, Jimena Alvarez, a third year Politi-

EJIRO OGBEVOEN, PHOTO VIA THE IRISH INDEPENDENT

The Ireland I grew up in is an Ireland in which everyone left. There was no racial diversity. porting system, it is clear to see how long periods of outward racism and emigration coupled with the rapid turn to immigration and growth over the last 25-30 years have left Ireland in a unique position of trying to accommodate persons of colour and reckon with its past at the same speed and effectiveness of predominantly white countries which have had more sustained periods of nonwhite immigration and integration. The INAR also references historical racism as an important contributing factor to an individual country’s incidents of racism. It defines this type of racism as “to do with the specific histories of domination and subordination of groups (racialisation) in any given society”. Ireland is somewhat unique in that it has suf-

DR RAY O’NEILL, PHOTO VIA GCN

cal Science and Economics student born and raised in Peru, expressed her concerns about how the international community is catered for at Trinity. She praised her general experience, but highlighted key areas in which she believes International students are being neglected. Alvarez also recently took part in two events attempting to educate counsellors about the needs of international students. At a Trinity-held event where secondary school counsellors came to talk to international students, she welcomed their interest in her experience as an international student but was not asked anything in particular about her ethnicity. She also noticed a slight recoil and awkwardness in the room when sex was mentioned, so could only imagine the response if racism was brought up. At a panel discussion run by the Council of International Schools, held in Dublin last week, she was invited to talk about university services for international students. A key question she mentioned from the discussion was: “If you were in power, what would you do differently?” Whilst this kind dialogue is no doubt important in the evolution of the international experience in Dublin, Alvarez says she “gets tired” constantly being asked how others need to change, wondering why those in power need to keep asking this question. Across the two events she noticed a lack of discussion about “the ugly topics counsellors don’t want to talk about”, and that grouping all international topics under the umbrella term ‘diversity’ can often do more harm than good. Diversity is also not a term that Ejiro Ogbevoen, founder of Black Therapists Ireland who also works closely with the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP), agrees is the best way to tackle racism. “I stand solely behind race. Everybody brings in diversity, and guess where race goes to? The bottom, again.” “It’s almost worse not to be seen, which is what the system is doing.” Ogbevoen mentions a panel discussion, to which she was invited, discussing Mental Health for Black and Minority Ethnic people. The panel consisted of four white people which at the last minute was changed, upon her asking why there were no persons of colour, to feature one black student. “Disrespectful” is

how she describes the last minute change, questioning, “where does the power lie? The white person cannot do it for the black person. You have to put the black person there. The space needs to be occupied by a black person.” When it comes to counselling for persons of colour, Ogbevoen states: “The most important thing that people talk about is not being able to explain yourself. When you’re in therapy you’ve come to speak to somebody who already understands the culture, the nuances of where you’re coming from…you’re not there to teach the therapist anything.” Without proper training, she says a white therapist can miss “the point of why the client is there”. And when the topic of racism comes up, “knowingly or unknowingly, the white person can become defensive, if the person is not aware of their bias”. Even if the issue the client is bringing is not to do with racism, speaking to a therapist of colour can “take the journey through racism, through that lens for you to arrive at where you need to be, for it not to be dismissed at all”. Ogbevoen describes race as something that often “obstructs the real problem” in a therapeutic environment, “it’s never really only about race”. She continued: “A therapist needs to be aware of cultures and what certain things mean without jumping to their own conclusion of what it should be,” she continued, “there’s power in being white, there’s power in being a therapist, in the therapeutic space, and not being aware of that can be harmful to the client.” O’Neill suggests a potential remedy to this problem is allowing a safe space for therapists to address their own prejudices: “One of most important things is to bring the negativity into the room. Let’s not be politically correct and get nowhere. Let’s talk about our own racism and misogyny, for example.” A feature of training within counselling services is weekend or halfday workshops, such as those run by the counselling service at Trinity. However, O’Neill explains that “a weekend workshop isn’t going to fix anything”. He cites a need to be more “invitational” to persons of colour and “to see difference, to celebrate it, to recognise it”. Using a blanket term like diversity can come from a fear of addressing one’s own

racism, which O’Neill argues results in a “blindspot, as opposed to wilful neglect”. “It’s really important to see colour, do not remain colour blind. Positive discrimination is very impactful.” Ogbevoen, in response to a question regarding structural and institutional racism within universities, said: “In the universities’ educational system, and the mental health space as a whole, the idea that everybody should be able to work with anybody, is present. In the minds of most white people is that ‘as long as I treat you without hostility, I am being good to you’, and many people do not understand the systemic aspects of racism.” She thinks there may be a tendency to “continue to protect what exists” within university structures and that instead those in power should be asking: “Are we willing to give what it takes for that change?” It can often take someone to “step back” and admit that what they may see as an “ideal” situation, “isn’t exactly ideal”. As part of her work with the Diversity and Inclusion committee at the IACP, Ogbevoen describes how they are trying to “improve services as well as training to to help the training be more inclusive but also relevant to what society is at the moment”. She describes the issue of race in particular as “a tricky one,” continuing, “if you look at all the points of discrimination, race is the only one in which the white person is not in a disadvantaged place”, because “the white person does not see themselves in a disadvantaged position. It has to be acknowledged that there’s not one paradigm when it comes to therapy. And acknowledging as a white person that there are other people in the world that do not hold your view and perception of life that goes through the white lens.” “Once people come into contact with that structural racism, people feel threatened and upset that it exists. And so they run away from it.” White people need to be aware of “the fact is that you are white, the fact is that this system exists to support you”. “But you can also use being in [the system] for something good as opposed to hiding and running away.” It is incumbent on Trinity, if they are providing a counselling service, to ensure that they are providing one that caters to its unique student population. Counselling is a hard enough job in itself and the counsellors at Trinity can count themselves as some of the most caring members of this institution but, if the issue of race is not fully acknowledged and promoted through learning and guidance led by those with lived experiences of racism, the risk of thoughtlessness and ignorance towards students and staff of colour looms heavy over the College. There is a tragic irony in Trinity’s celebration of its diversity given the alienation and discrimination felt by its Persons of Colour (POC) community. Its recent reckoning with the College’s colonial past is a step in the right direction, as is the continued and increased presence of the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team and the recent advertisement on the Student Counselling website of Black Therapists Ireland. But, Trinity needs to keep asking itself what it can do better, what more it can do, and not rest satisfied that it is doing ‘enough’ for the wellbeing of its students of colour.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

IN FOCUS

How Empower Her* Voice Dublin are Fighting Street Harassment with Chalk and Conversation

Following the overnight success of their campaign against street harassment, Esme Dunne and Grace O’Sullivan reflect on their journey so far and what is still to come for EH*V. Sáoirse Goes DEPUTY EDITOR

s I sit down with Esme Dunne and Grace O’Sullivan, two of the founders and core members of the Empower Her* Voice Dublin, in O’Sullivan’s Botany Bay living room, I’m instantly bathed in the warm familiarity of female company and the easy comfort of a warm catch-up. This very energy is the central ethos around Empower Her* Voice, a community which aims to supply “a place to rest your bones”, following their Instagram bio, providing a community for women and people of marginalised genders. Delving straight into the conception of the community, Dunne, a fourth-year English Studies student at Trinity, explains that “Empower Her* Voice itself was started at my school” as a society which was “passed down from year to year”. Running the club in her final year of secondary school, Dunne explains that it “consisted of selling t-shirts at school events and running talks”, despite being “obviously quite lowkey”. After leaving school, Dunne went on to become a director in the London branch of Empower Her* Voice. When she arrived in Dublin for college, Dunne recalls, “I was telling my friends about it, and everyone was really interested. And I really missed it, I really missed that community”. She continues, noting, “even at school, in those talks, it was a really special space and really empowering. I was excited about what we could possibly do with it in Dublin”. In November 2021, Empower Her* Voice hosted a launch party, in the Workman’s cellar. Selling around 180 tickets for the event, Dunne explains, “we had three acts playing and a raffle”. The event, which was hugely successful, made over €1000, which the group donated to Women for Refugee Women, a charity that supports refugee women and campaigns for a fairer asylum system. From this launch party, Empower Her* Voice became “a team thing”, as Dunne remembers: “Kitty [Astor] helped me do the launch and Sully [O’Sullivan] came on immediately”. They also interviewed Niamh Leadbetter, who subsequently came on as events coordinator for the organisation. “It’s kind of been the four of us” from that point onwards, notes Dunne. Explaining the community-based nature of the platform, O’Sullivan

explains, “we’ve been big on drawing and life drawing classes, as well as creating a really good space for women to just have fun”. Emphasising their targeted demographic as women and people of marginalised genders, the fourth-year PPES student further notes that the exclusion of men “sounds a bit harsh, but it’s really important in the room. The

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weekend, we met with Wigwam and they’ve implemented changes. That is such a short time period. I feel like we achieved so much”. “I feel like we achieved so much because we had a direct goal”, adds O’Sullivan, “with small achievable steps”. Reflecting on their journey so far, Dunne admits that “it was definitely a learning curve”, in terms of finding

The standards that you’re holding this statue of a woman to, she’s let you down because of your expectations of her appearance. energy that we have at our events, it’s so safe”. The format of their classes, as Dunne elucidates, is “12 to 15 people sitting in a living room or a table in an event space”, providing an intimate and safe space. She continues, noting “we’ve had men at some of them and the men that we had were lovely. It’s not about they themselves or about their character, it’s about the energy when there’s no men in the room”. Likening the energy to “old women knitting”, she digresses that “it’s really hard to communicate the actual energy, but it can be really beautiful”. Acknowledging it as a conscious choice made from the outset to not have men at their more intimate events, Dunne stresses that “we love having men at bigger events like our exhibitions and our talks, it doesn’t impact that environment because I think it’s a bigger space”. She continues, asserting “when you’re just sitting and you’re just being and you just know that everyone in that room has experienced things that you’ve experienced – you’re not even talking about them, you might just be chatting about your day or the guy you’re texting – but you’re all the same. It’s very liberating”. Touching on their goals for Empower Her* Voice, the pair stress the importance of setting out realistic objectives. Dunne elaborates, “I think when you’re doing something like EmpowerHer*Voice, when you’re advocating for something, or you’re protesting or being an activist or you’re creating community, an ultimate goal is a really hard thing to choose. You can get lost with it”. In this sense, Dunne explains “it’s easier to think of short-term goals”. She continues, “that’s why we were so excited about the stuff with Wigwam because we posted that last Friday, we got a lot of attention over the

a niche and putting on events that was right for the community as well as its audience. As O’Sullivan notes, “I think we see what people enjoy, or what we enjoy, as opposed to thinking of what we might do in the future”. With a candid openness, she adds that “we’re constantly learning and evolving with the people that are with us and come to our events”. Through this trial and error process of creating events which resonate with themselves and their audience, Dunne explains “we didn’t just do the classes and think like ‘this is our thing’, we did the one class and found that people loved it, so that’s what we do”. This experimental dabbling in different kinds of events led Empower Her* Voice to host a club night at Sound House last November. As the pair reminisce with mild embarrassment, Dunne remembers “it was awful”, while O’Sullivan softens the blow, explaining “we’re just not club promoters”. With a laugh, Dunne continues, joking that “Dublin doesn’t need another DJ collective and none of us are DJs”. She continues, clarifying “we’re really good at building intimate community spaces and advocating for causes that we care about. We were focusing too much on raising money, rather than building community, and that’s where we got mixed up”. This memory sits in their minds as a necessary failure, enabling growth, as Dunne elucidates, “we learnt so much from that, like I don’t regret it”, while, on a lighter note, O’Sullivan adds: “personally, I had fun that night, I just don’t think it’s for Empower Her* Voice. It was really important for us to realise what we actually wanted to do”. In the last few weeks, Empower Her* Voice has grown massively following a campaign against street

harassment, aptly named ‘chalkback’, where the group go around the streets of Dublin, writing theirs and their followers’ experiences being catcalled on the street. After posting a picture of their chalk work in front of the statue of Molly Malone on November 2nd, which read “groping isn’t good luck”, Dunne recalls, “we had 760 followers and as of now we have 2,330. We doubled in a day and then we just kept growing”. Their momentum does not seem to be slowing, as they have since gained another thousand followers, amounting to their current standing of just over 3,300. Explaining the conception of this campaign, the pair mention the Instagram @catcallsofnyc as their inspiration for the idea. Dunne remembers following the account since she was around 16, elucidating that “when I was first getting into feminism a lot of it was through Instagram, because that’s where I was seeing the most explicitly radical thought”. Citing a sort of Eureka moment when having the idea, Dunne says: “honestly, we were sitting around and I was like ‘I don’t know why we didn’t think about this ages ago’”. Looking back on the moment which prompted this inspiration, Dunne reveals “it sounds funny, but Sully and I were sitting by the Molly Malone statue, because honestly we felt like we were bodyguarding her, because we were just pissed off at the whole thing”. O’Sullivan continues, explaining that “we didn’t even know where to sit, so we were like, why not sit in front of her and make sure no one can touch her?”. As a man walked past, the pair heard him say “she’s not as pretty as I thought she was going to be”, prompting their outrage. Dunne notes, “I was baffled” that this is “the standards that you’re holding this statue of a woman to”, that “she’s let you down because of your expectations of her

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PHOTOS VIA @EMPOWERHERVOICE ON INSTAGRAM

want to go in, but we also just weren’t allowed in”. In the direct aftermath of what happened, O’Sullivan confides that the organisers of the event, both the chairperson of FashionSoc and the Trinity Ents Officer, contacted the club. “It was wildly unproductive”, O’Sullivan discloses, “they haven’t taken anyone seriously, not even the person that booked them”. Speaking to her decision to chalk outside the venue, she explains “it was such a good idea to chalk, I’m really happy that we did it”. After posting a picture of O’Sullivan outside Wigwam, next to the chalked message of what the bouncer said to her, she explains “it gained a lot of traction”. The venue runs events through an external company of promoters, called Bodytonic. One of their representatives subsequently contacted Empower Her* Voice via Instagram and, as O’Sullivan asserts, they acknowledged how badly the situation had previously been handled, to the extent that “she hadn’t heard about it until now”. Dunne further underscores this mishandling: “it’s appalling because she needs to be told that”. The pair then met with the Body-

It’s indicative of a bigger issue that’s going on, not only with Wigwam, but across nightlife, not only in Dublin. It’s endemic. appearance”. As the pair regrouped with Astor afterwards, Dunne explains “we just started getting really angry”, digressing with a humorous tone, their idea to “chalk about it”. She further notes, “I texted Sully, because she had just had a horrible experience and asked her how she felt about writing outside of Wigwam and she was like ‘let’s fucking do it’”. Walking me through her experience at Wigwam, O’Sullivan tells me it happened at Trinity Fashion Society (FashionSoc) and Trinity Ents’ Freshers’ Week Pink Party. She recounts, “I was in line and was groped by this man”. Luckily, O’Sullivan was with two of her best friends, who helped her deal with the situation. However, when mentioning it to the bouncer, she remembers him saying “well, what did you do to instigate it?”. Overarchingly unsatisfactory on a variety of levels, O’Sullivan further criticises the nature of this response, noting “he didn’t have to say anything, he could have just kept quiet. He could have just ignored me really. Anything would have been better than that”. Following this debacle, O’Sullivan and her friends were denied entry into Wigwam: “We didn’t really

tonic representative and the day manager at Wigwam. Dunne elucidates, “we went in really not knowing what to expect, with the possibility of going in all guns blazing”. She continues, revealing “they were so receptive, so apologetic, so understanding and eager to make positive change”, taking all their suggestions on board. Following their meeting, Bodytonic sent Empower Her* Voice their code of conduct, which the pair reviewed and sent back with their notes, as Dunne notes, “it was really amazing to be part of the conversation”. They also sent over all the comments and DMs they had received concerning Wigwam, Dunne clarifies “we are concerned with what happened to Sully, but it’s indicative of a bigger issue that’s going on, not only with Wigwam, but across nightlife, not only in Dublin. It’s endemic”. Given that the Pink Party was an event held during Freshers’ Week, O’Sullivan further stresses the potentially damaging nature of such a culture, “so many first years came to that party, so many people came alone”. She continues, “I was so lucky to have my friends with me, I’m so lucky I’m older. Can you im-

agine if someone said that to them? An 18-year-old, by themselves, just trying to make friends in their first week of college? Potentially so traumatising”. Speaking to the response they have gotten to the campaign, Dunne immediately confirms it has been “overwhelmingly positive”, despite a few naysayers. O’Sullivan explains, “we had just gotten this message insinuating that by calling out Wigwam for their security’s poor behaviour, we were going to destroy Dublin nightlife. And, obviously, I understand the fear for that, but, at the same time, that’s nothing to do with us”. Building on this, Dunne expands, “we don’t want to boycott anything, we’re not trying to shut anything down, we’re trying to change it. We appreciate good intention, but we need action”. As if in perfect sync with one another, O’Sullivan adds, “if Dublin nightlife isn’t safe, I’m not concerned about destroying it, I want it be safe”. Amidst the overwhelming amount of stories they have received, Dunne stresses the need for specificity to be able to get the most effective response, “the issue we have with the Google Form, with the ones that have been linked to the Garda especially, is that people say they were groped on a night out and then they go to the police but they don’t tell us where or which police station”. Despite the difference between targeting a club and the Garda, Dunne emphasises their aim to continue chalking outside Garda stations: “it’s important to raise the awareness and start the conversation and it makes the Garda change the way they act. It makes people rethink or more open to going to the Garda, because I know people are scared about it because of past stories. So I think if it makes people feel comfortable to report things, that’s a big win for us”. In terms of their plans for the upcoming year, Dunne highlights, “we’re really gassed with the attention that we’ve got for the chalking, so we’re going to continue to call our clubs. We hope that in doing so we will start more conversations, we hope that those clubs will be as receptive as Wigwam have been in changing their policies and increasing the safety of their customers”. Empower Her* Voice also plan to keep organising classes, with Dunne revealing that “with the increased engagement we’ve had, we’re hoping to have people who’ve never been to a class come to those”. They also hope host another exhibition in March. Finally, O’Sullivan expresses their desire to “just keep up with the chalking. I think it’s great, we’re raising awareness, giving people a voice that don’t feel like they have one”.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

IN FOCUS

How a Dublin-Based Business Has Masterfully Merged Fashion, Technology and Sustainability

Clara Potts interviews Eoin Cambay, CEO and founder of Swan, to discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming fashion eCommerce through virtual fitting rooms. Clara Potts FASHION EDITOR

n the dynamic landscape of consumer behaviour, the allure of digital retail has become a global phenomenon as shoppers prioritise choice, control, and accessibility now more than ever. According to the Central Statistics Office, over 81% of internet users in Ireland purchased goods and/or services online in 2022, rising 2% from 2021 and expected to increase further this year. Let’s face it: we are all players in the continuous global game of online shopping. With eyes fixed, we bow to our screens, eagerly awaiting the latest sale or new season. By exploring the realm of internet shopping, we are freed from the confines of store hours, and experience happiness associated with increased serotonin levels. Whether we make purchases from the comfort of our beds with a mug of coffee in hand, amidst the chaos of travel delays, or enduring the mayhem of an overcrowded bus (in desperate need of a will to live); what marries these scenarios is the act of scrolling. It has become a common habit: we fill up our online carts with multiple sizes and colours of the same items with the intent of returning at least one garment after our at-home try-on. Known as bracketing, the practice of substituting store fitting rooms with the convenience of our own homes and purposefully ordering an excess of clothes online, with the intention of returning items in the quest for the perfect fit or style, may appear harmless. However, it signifies selfishness and a lack of environmental responsibility. Capturing and sharing try-on hauls, a source of immense satisfaction, fuels a desire for approval. Yet, this quest for affirmation results in escalated clothing returns and increased human-made waste. The bracketing trend persists due to a lack of awareness about the contribution of returns to landfill waste. Addressing this issue from supply chain and production to consumer awareness can prompt necessary adjustments, mitigating the environmental harm caused by excessive purchases and returns. The Business of Fashion has estimated that fashion companies

will double their investments in technology to between 3 and 3.5% by 2030. Such figures indicate that businesses are embracing advanced systems to strengthen their supply chains and accept greater environmental responsibility. This year alone, labels such as Zara have implemented a €1.95 fee for returns, a measure which aims to address the environmental impact linked to excessive clothing returns. Rather than being a passing craze, AI is here to stay. And it is revolutionising how we interact with fashion. Integrating and embracing its possibilities offers improvements in consumer experiences, from personalised recommendations to virtual assistants. The benefits of the technology are also apparent in virtual fitting rooms for eCommerce, guaranteeing that clothing fits perfectly before customers make a purchase. This enhances both the overall customer experience, ensuring shoppers are satisfied and freed from the inconvenience of returns, but also ensures fewer returned garments and therefore less items sent to landfills. One visionary is behind a Dublin-based AI business that is transforming eCommerce. Speaking with The University Times, Eoin Cambay, CEO and founder of Swan, discussed the development of his virtual fitting room, and its role in the fashion industry. Swan is launching custom measurements this month to combat standardised sizing as a central cause of consumers’ clothing returns. Cambay emphasised the importance of personalised, custom, or bespoke garments to eliminate returns and support environmentally conscious fashion, urging us to “think [of] Cher’s closet from Clueless” when considering the beneficial alliance between AI and fashion. The interview has been edited for concision and clarity. What was your mission at the beginning of your business, Swan? The goal was to make buying clothes online personal for shoppers and profitable for brands. For those unfamiliar with Swan, its use and importance in the Fashion industry and eCommerce more widely, please can you explain its

purpose and intended use? Currently, fashion eCommerce is not a far cry from the Sears catalogues from the 1900s. Part of this is aspirational. However, while shopping online brings more choice and convenience it is greatly inefficient. Selling standardised sizes to people with non-standard bodies without the ability to know how the item will fit makes little sense. With Swan, consumers can size themselves from a short body scan on any phone, providing sizing suggestions based on their proportions and the garment they are viewing. Aspirational does not necessarily mean achievable. Do you expect to face many challenges? Swan isn’t aiming to change people, but simply make them look their best. We’re building Swan Try-on so that brands retain creative control over how their clothes are shown, the only difference is that the model is you. Please can you briefly outline how consumers should complete the short body scan? You can complete the scan on any phone by clicking the button or banner. There’s no need to download anything it runs on the site without slowing it down. You place your phone on a table or any flat surface, step back until you’re in frame and spin once. It’s super simple. On what platforms is Swan accessible and how does the technology support fashion brands? We sell Swan as an integration to fashion brands. It sits on their site, usually a product page or banner on the home page. Currently, you can add Swan to Shopify stores, with more integrations coming next year. The first customer to go live with Swan custom is a personalised wetsuit brand from LA. Your website states Swan is an ‘AI Virtual fitting room for fashion eCommerce.’ Described as a technology that aims to reduce returns and therefore contribute to revenue expansion, have you considered the environmental benefits and possibilities of your technology? SWAN HQ

PHOTO BY CONOR MULHERN

Sustainability is a core aim for Swan. As much as half of the clothes returned are burned or landfilled. Not to mention the shipping, and cut-outs from production which are incredibly wasteful. Fashion brands have an opaque window into how their customers fit into their clothes. With Swan, brands can know whether an adjustment to a measurement could be better for customers, meaning fewer returns, more wear, and better inventory planning. While it is true that eCommerce kept the fashion industry afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic, a move to online sales also means increased transport emissions and packaging waste. How do you view the relationship between eCommerce and sustainable fashion? How does Swan aim to combat these difficulties? E-commerce can power more sustainable fashion. Buying higher quality clothing that is more flattering, be it in terms of cut or body shape, reduces waste. Buying in a physical store is hardly a win- the clothes must get there, and so do

you. Most emissions are generated during production, so the target should be only to create what will be worn. Karl Lagerfeld’s observation in 2016 marked a shift in the use of technology in the fashion industry as he stated, “Even if you don’t like the idea: technology rules the world because it changed the world.” How do you view the relationship between fashion and technology? Do you think the two are compatible? Fashion is often considered the intersection of art and commerce, and technology is best defined as doing more with less – it is inherently deflationary. Lagerfeld is right, yet it’s not just fashion; technology is simply the frontier of what we can do as humans. In 18th century England that meant textile mills now it means AI. Fashion’s role is to present ourselves to the world as we want to be seen. As the world changes, so does fashion. Undoubtedly it is both exciting and scary to consider what the inter-

section of digital and real worlds means for the fashion industry now and in the future. That said, AI is no longer just a tool used by fashion designers but is an independent thinker connected globally to all fashion and art. While it aims to deliver suitable garments for the right price at the right time, we must ask at what cost? In your opinion, what is the cost that consumers pay for this? It is free and takes only a minute. It’s more sustainable with less transport, packaging, and returns, which is a massive improvement on the status quo, which sees waste, returns, and inefficiency normalised. ________________________________ AI now extends beyond convenience. So, in this new era of technological synergy with fashion, scrolling has become not only a means of consumption but a conscious choice towards an environmentally responsible industry. As we continue to click, scroll, and innovate, fashion’s future is moulded by the integration of AI, offering a glance into a world where style and sustainability exist harmoniously. CLUELESS, DIR. AMY HECKERLING (1995)

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

IN FOCUS

The Seasonal Affective Disorder Epidemic Ella Sexton explores the causes, symptoms and impact of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the winter season, outlining practical tips for coping and resources for support. Ella Sexton DEPUTY FEATURES EDITOR

s we enter the winter season and the days get progressively colder, we may internalise and reflect this slightly ‘moody’ weather in a way that is not necessarily beneficial for our mental health. Although this may just be seen as the ‘Annual Winter Blues,’ once this stretch of sadness grows from weeks to months, it could be a different issue altogether. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has symptoms similar to depression, the difference being that it only occurs during certain times of the year, more often than not in the winter. According to the NHS, almost 12 million people across Northern Europe experience this, so it is certainly not an uncommon phenomenon. Due to its notoriety, it is important to address it with the recognition it deserves as it can easily be misdiagnosed on a personal level as one “being a bit dramatic” when this mood disorder trickles into all aspects of life. ‘But how do I know if I have Seasonal Affective Disorder?’ is probably a question floating around amongst those who’ve heard mentions of this confusing mental health condition. For clarification purposes, the HSE has outlined numerous symptoms that can be identified in those experiencing this disorder. These include persistent low mood, a loss of interest in previously enjoyable things,

low self-esteem, increased anxiousness, irritability, and withdrawal from social activities. Other symptoms such as constant lethargy, difficulty concentrating, and increased appetite are also signs of SAD. The distinguishing factor here between SAD and regular depression — as the indicators are similar — is that the individual is usually happy or in a good mood during the spring and summer months, contrasting with the despair felt when the weather changes. It may be hard to pinpoint, but if you notice a regular pattern of going from feeling jolly and having more lust for life to being more dreary as soon as the weather changes, it may be beneficial to look into Seasonal Affective Disorder. The huge reason that Seasonal Affective Disorder occurs is due to the lack of sunlight during the winter. The Mayo Clinic explains that although “the specific cause of Seasonal Affective Disorder remains unknown…[a] decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body’s internal clock and lead to feelings of depression”. It is because the body needs sunlight for the circadian

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rhythm (also known as a ‘sleep cycle’) to occur efficiently. For the majority of people, it is easier to wake up when the sun has risen and it is bright outside and fall asleep when it is dark. With the sun rising later each day until the winter solstice, it is still quite dark until around 9am. Adding to this, the weather is already pretty miserable in Ireland at this time of year (as I’m sure everyone is aware) so even when there is a little bit of brightness in the sky, the clouds and rain take away from it. This means we not only have less sun, but we are experiencing the same type of weather day in and day out, making the days blur together in some endless loop of grey. As a result, the body is producing more melatonin as the outside indicates it is ‘time for bed,’ when in reality it is 7am on a Tuesday. Due to the new abundance of melatonin, the body reacts by becoming more lethargic throughout the day and having the constant urge to rest. Of course, this can be very frustrating with exam season coming up as getting college work done is becoming a main priority, but there are ways to help ease

Persistent low mood, a loss of interest in previously enjoyable things, low self-esteem, increased anxiousness, irritability, and withdrawal from social activities.

PHOTO BY KYLE HOGEY

the effects of SAD if implemented regularly. The biggest piece of professional advice that is given to those suffering at this time of year is to avoid taking naps as much as possible. Seemingly harmless, naps can exemplify the other symptoms of SAD much more and may even be the reason it occurs in the first place. Your body will start to build up a ‘napping schedule’ if naps are taken regularly so that when you come home from work or college, you will be heavily reliant on one. Instead, aim to push through this urge and have a little bit of caffeine to sustain energy levels to ensure your body slowly adjusts to the darkness. A fascinating piece of information that I know some of you will be delighted to hear is that we actually should be getting up to two hours more sleep per night during this season. According to Healthline, “Research-

ers are reporting that humans need more sleep and more deep sleep in the winter than in other seasons” — so do not feel guilty for a little lie-in if it prevents you from taking that tempting nap in the afternoon! When it is bright outside, make sure to get out. This doesn’t mean that you have to go for a long walk (although that is good too), but just try to get some sunlight to aid your body’s circadian rhythm and make sure that you are getting some Vitamin D. If you feel you aren’t getting enough sunlight, maybe try adding Vitamin D supplements to your diet to help balance your mood since “nearly 40 per cent of the geo-mapping study population [of Ireland] were either vitamin D deficient or insufficient” and without this vital vitamin, there’s a higher chance of depression and mood swings. Lastly, push yourself to get out of the house and do things that usually bring

you joy. Schedule in time to meet a friend, bake Christmas cookies, have a bath, go for coffee in town and browse the shops — it does not matter. What matters is that you put in the effort to feel better where you can, because if you can’t control the weather or the seasons, at least you can be in charge of making the most of this shift and making it a time to self-centre and redirect – just in time for the New Year. Current Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union Welfare Officer, Aoife Bennett, has also kindly shared some thoughts about generally looking after one’s health for the winter months and lead-up to exams. Bennett states: “As the nights get darker and workloads pick up, college can start to feel a bit overwhelming. During this time, it is so important to look after yourself in whatever ways work for you. If you aren’t sure what works for you, chat with others and see what they do for self-care. You might find something that works for you. The biggest tip I can give to anyone who is not feeling their best at the moment is to be kind to yourself and ask for help. Whether it is talking to a friend, family member or a professional, I encourage you to reach out to someone for support. If you aren’t sure who to go to, please drop me an email or pop into House 6 and we can have a chat, I’ll make tea. I will be happy to listen and help you figure out what supports might work for you in College; whether it is Student Counselling or S2S peer support.”

Reusable Cup Iniatives are Drops into Warming Oceans Amélie McGowan speaks to student activists and politicians about the effect of popular environmental iniatives. Amélie McGowan DEPUTY OPINION EDITOR

rop a €2 deposit for a reusable cup at the Perch Café, and you’ve stopped global warming in its tracks. It’s true: the Greenland Ice Sheet is no longer blending into the ocean, Nixon has reversed the EPA, and the Carolina Parakeet is flying once again. Now we can’t exactly tell you why, you just have to trust that once you put that deposit down, Mother Earth will bow at your feet. That, and a 10 per cent discount on all coffee you buy with that sweet, little reusable cup. From October 16th through 20th, Trinity Green Campus hosted the ‘Climate Action & Biodiversity Week’. Each day of the week was host to a new endeavour, starting with a meat-free Monday, a herbarium tour, tree planting on Wednesday, panel discussions, and finishing with a biodiversity pub quiz. It isn’t creating a Green New Deal, but catering events towards college students and taking 10 per cent off their drinks to incentivise recycling cups accomplishes awareness at the very least, if nothing else. But how far does awareness take us? Nicole Hennessy, from Trinity Green Campus, notes a chasm in Trinity’s sustainability: “There is very rarely encountered any sort of climate denialism or any lack of knowledge around the subject,” she said, “there’s a lot of buy-in.”

Despite this, “there isn’t much individual action being taken on very simple things.” Trinity Green Campus is working diligently as a committee of staff and students with an overriding input into policy, and far fewer limitations than most societies have. They reached a motion about Ryanair just days after voting in a new committee board, are working on reducing plastic usage in the Pav, and are studying contamination in Trinity’s waste streams. But, we can applaud the work of organisations like the Green Campus while still feeling inadequate as individual consumers. It’s the ageold question that lies in the gap between young 20-year-olds buying their first compost bin, and ExxonMobil Corp deciding where to emit their CO2. Whose shoulders should climate action be on? It’s the debate between collective and corporate action. Fourth-year environmental sci-

ence major Nathan Hutchinson Edgar says small actions are good, up to a point, “I think they are necessary, but if they’re done without changing other stuff at a bigger scale…” By focusing on the occasional reusable cup or the “proper disposal methods” we turn a blind eye to the much bigger, much more injurious villains, like the corporations releasing tonnes of fossil fuels into the air each day. He continued: “We’re talking a lot about future change and how we take these small steps and that’s [...] the approach that environmentalism has taken for the last like 30 years and it hasn’t worked. We are in a worse position now than we’ve ever been. Globally, 9 million people die every year from fossil fuel pollution. It’s not like a coming crisis, it’s a present crisis.” And small actions like recycling? Not a “panacea”, as Hutchinson Edgar puts it. “It’s in a way a form of offloading the problem onto the small consumer who PHOTO BY BRIGIT’S GARDEN

is quite disempowered in the first place.” To say that Trinity’s students are solely performative is deficient. But as students we can only do so much. With school, jobs, and other responsibilities, students don’t have the time or means to look for the most sustainable choices. That isn’t to say collective action has no benefit. In fact, Nicole Hennessy sees student action much differently. “Businesses only function based on their consumer behaviour. Consumers don’t change their behaviours and continue to enable all of it. Then those businesses will have absolutely no incentives to want to further their changes and do it now.” It’s true that the relationship between consumers and companies is symbiotic. Consumers depend on companies to supply goods that meet their needs, while companies rely on consumers to buy their merchandise, driving revenue and growth. But corporations are ultimately the ones who gain profit. David Hackett, Environmental Services Coordinator and Vice President of The Green Campus Committee, noted the direct result of the Green Committee’s efforts. In the last ten years, Trinity has reduced its water usage by 40 per cent, and is currently replacing each light fitting with the newest LED systems, along with many other accomplishments. It’s difficult to motivate students, however. The Student Union Cafe in Goldsmith Hall participated in ‘Meat-Free Monday’, and saw a drastic decrease

in sales. “It’s hard to take part in environmental efforts like this when we’re student-run,” barista Nour Hachemian notes. “It’s really hard

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is largely an affluent prerogative. We have the ability to switch from whole milk to oat milk, from agricultural wasteland to local farms,

By focusing on the occasional reusable cup or the ‘proper disposal methods’ we turn a blind eye to the much bigger, much more injurious villains. to make money at the end of the day.” Like SU Cafe and other local businesses, profit tends to become more unreliable with sustainable choices, but Hachemian sees hope in these smaller actions, “We can’t change minds. I think one day is not enough to change that much, but it’s a start, you know?” The term Greenwashing has become increasingly popular in recent years. According to Business News Daily, Greenwashing is “when an organisation spends more time and money on marketing itself as environmentally friendly than on actually minimising its environmental impact.” People love to see action, or at least the performance of it. Most emissions don’t come from reusable cups, and according to Hutchinson Edgar, “Recycling to a large degree is this kind of excuse for the fact that we’ve produced so much waste in the first place.” Green consumerism is a privilege. Environmental sustainability

and from synthetic to organic. Yes, we recycle, but as developed countries, we also emit the most greenhouse gases and create the most urbanised cities. We use recycling and ‘shopping local’ as a bandaid for wounds of our own making. It’s rare that Trinity, or any other top-down university, would not be steered by government policies. As a university, we are limited, only semi-autonomous. We can sell reusable cups, but we can’t replace the school’s windows with high UV protection windows. And even if we could make Trinity a green utopia, it would still remain a bubble within a large, urban, city. Power resides in multiple hands, but mainly in our institutions. As Hutchinson Edgar says, social change has to be “more of a movement and less of painting the word sustainable and green in front of the word business – [It’s] like painting a peace sign on a nuclear warhead.”

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

COMMENT & ANALYSIS

Racism, Mental Health and the Urgent Call for Change in Trinity’s Counselling Service Kiran Singh CONTRIBUTING WRITER

hen I moved to Ireland in my late twenties to begin medical school, I expected a friendly and welcoming atmosphere based on the country’s warm international reputation. However, as a brown American woman with over six years of living and travelling abroad, I was shocked by the unexpected challenges of racism and sexual harassment. What surprised me even more was the difficulty I encountered in seeking support through Trinity’s Counselling Services to process these experiences. With time I have come to find that the far majority of Irish people are incredibly kind and hospitable to both immigrants and expatriates alike but, unfortunately, not everyone reflects these welcoming attitudes. Only a week after my move to Dublin, I was greeted by a milk carton splattering at my feet, launched by a group of Irish youths who followed it up with racial slurs during my twilight walk home. On another day, while biking home from class in broad daylight, I was followed by two men in a white van for ten blocks catcalling me and making references to the colour of my skin. A few weeks later, when running to catch a bus home after a late-night study session, I was chastised by a Dublin Bus driver for being out late. When dropped off at my stop, he blew kisses and made sexual gestures towards me. On the day of my last exam of the first semester of my programme, I brushed past a seated man in preparation to get off at the next station on a crowded Luas carriage. Unprompted, he hurled insults at me; phrases such as “go back to your country” and “stop stealing our jobs”, in between being called an “ugly woman”. The effect of these micro-aggressions was insidious. I noticed my behaviour slowly changing as the school year progressed. I began to think twice about what I was wearing in the mornings, would feel anxious before stepping outside my door, and a honk by a car on the street while biking to class would provoke feelings other than just whether I was in the way or not. Over time, this discomfort started to ex-

tend beyond specific moments, permeating my sense of self and safety. I felt uncomfortable in my skin and that I did not belong in my environment. I’ll be honest, it was not easy to accept the fact that these incidents were truly affecting me. After all, I had grown up in the United States, a country grappling with its systemic racism, I have lived in four different countries, and have spent most of my adult life backpacking and travelling the world. I endured a childhood of struggling to accept my identity having grown up in a mostly all-white neighbourhood in Los Angeles, California. Over the past six years, I have grown to become proud of the colour of my skin and my identity as a person of colour. I kept telling myself, this should not be affecting me as much as it was. Just move on. Push past it. However, after several sleepless nights of tears and anxiety, where the shadows of these experiences unwillingly and repeatedly played on the backs of my closed eyelids, I knew I needed to seek help. I turned to Trinity’s Counselling Services, hopeful that someone could help me process what I had been through. What I encountered, however, was far from the empathetic and culturally competent help I needed. While Student Counseling did promptly respond to my outreach, my explicit request for a therapist of colour who could comprehend and validate my unique perspective as a

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emergency appointment with the on-duty counsellor. The counsellor’s compassionate response was a testament to her empathy but, as the session unfolded, it became apparent that empathy alone could not provide the necessary support for what I had experienced. By the end of the session, I had spent more time explaining and justifying what I had experienced and its effect on me rather than focusing on processing my emotions and experiences. In a moment when I needed someone who could validate and genuinely understand the nuances of my experiences, the realisation hit hard - Trinity was not set up to deal with my experiences of racism. For further help, I was offered sessions with an external service, Inspire Wellbeing, rather than Trinity’s Counselling Service, due to overwhelming student demand. However, this time, when I reached out to InspireWellbeing, I was told that there was no “coloured” person on staff. I had to explain to the person triaging me the historical associations of segregation and discrimination that came with calling a person ‘coloured’ as opposed to a ‘person of colour’. Why was I having to do this? In the ensuing appointment, the therapist explained away the aforementioned incidents of racism I faced by telling me that the various perpetrators would have found me “beautiful” and “interesting”. Although I appreciated her well-mean-

This discomfort started to extend beyond specific moments, permeating my sense of self and safety. I felt uncomfortable in my skin and that I did not belong in my environment. visible minority revealed a disheartening truth – there was no therapist of colour on staff. It was disheartening to realise that, in a diverse and globalised world, the counselling services at Trinity had not prioritised cultural competence in their staffing. Considering the resources available, I still proceeded with an

ing attempt to make it seem like it wasn’t my fault, she seemed reluctant to fully address my racialisation by those men and steered dangerously close to victim blaming. I do not know if this is because she did not understand me or if it was an unfortunate and unconscious symptom of a potential institutional issue

PHOTO BY ALEX PAYNE FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

within Ireland to avoid the topic of race but at the same time use it to excuse the behaviour of others. The importance of mental health support for students cannot be overstated, particularly for those navigating the complexities of studying in a foreign country. It is incumbent upon educational institutions to recognise the diverse backgrounds of their student body and provide counselling services that reflect this diversity. Trinity must acknowledge and rectify the gaps in its mental health support system. It should never be satisfied that enough is being done and question what more it can do and what can be better about the way it currently operates. This includes continuing to invest in training for counsellors that fosters cultural competency and sensitivity to the unique challenges faced by international students, especially those who encounter racism. A key part of this is ensuring that counsellors are introduced to those who have lived experience of racism through their training and also allowing counsellors to discuss their thoughts about their own unconscious bias when it

comes to race. Additionally, the university should actively work towards diversifying its counselling staff to ensure that students can access therapists who share their cultural backgrounds. Having a therapist of colour can make a significant difference in providing a safe space for students to process their experiences and receive meaningful support. I see that the Trinity Counselling Service has recently added Black Therapists Ireland to their advertised external services for students. Perhaps they could come to a similar arrangement with them as they have with Inspire Wellbeing so that Trinity can provide a service, free to students and staff, for persons of colour to see a therapist of colour, especially if Trinity does not have any counsellors of colour currently on its staff. This would represent a step forward in enacting positive change rather than a reactionary response to complaints. My decision to write this article and share my experiences with racism is not just a cathartic exercise but also an attempt to break the silence surrounding the University’s

lack of resources to help students dealing with racism. I know that many people, including myself, grapple with the aftermath of discriminatory incidents but may lack the courage or confidence to voice their experiences. In fact, I sat down to put the finishing touches on this article at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute after class on Thursday November 23rd, 2023, completely unaware that racially aggravated riots were consuming Dublin as I typed. I became aware of what was happening just moments before I was forced to leave the building by security in the midst of the riots with no mention of safe areas or resources I could avail of to protect myself. At the same time, pubs not two kilometres down the road were locking in their patrons for their own protection. The events of Nov 23rd, 2023 emphasise the timeliness and urgency of sharing these stories. As the city grapples with the aftermath of race riots and anti-immigrant sentiment, my experiences become not just personal anecdotes but a testimony to the broader societal issues that demand attention and change.

The Struggles of Students of Colour in College Counselling Tolulope Babatunde CONTRIBUTING WRITER

y name is Tolulope Babatunde (M.Ps.S.I.), (M. BTI). With a background in psychology, an MSc in global healthcare management, and ongoing postgraduate studies in applied clinical psychology and cognitive behavioural therapy, I feel a pressing need to address the unfortunate prevalence of racism in higher education. Ireland, historically valuing education, has seen a shift towards mental health concerns in recent years. Students of colour face unique challenges that demand urgent attention, especially regarding mental health support. As the only Black student in my class and sometimes building, I’ve personally encountered racism both on campus and at my workplace.

Clients sometimes perceive me as incompetent basically because of my skin colour and I have had to prove myself in class that I am equally as intelligent as my colleagues based on their presumptions when case studies are been given out that I am not equal to the task. These and many more experiences highlight the isolation and discrimination students of colour endure. Such incidents, from being regarded as different to covert exclusion, necessitate an exploration of the impact on mental well-being. Counselling, a fundamental com-

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ponent of mental health care, is universally vital. It provides a safe space for individuals to navigate their emotions and challenges, fostering self-discovery and promoting mental health. It is crucial to emphasise that counselling is not exclusive to any ethnicity, breaking down cultural stigmas surrounding mental health. Students of colour face disparities in accessing counselling services due to cultural stigma, lack of representation, and unfamiliarity with available resources. To foster an inclusive environment, there must be

There must be equal availability of counselling services for every student, irrespective of their background.

equal availability of counselling services for every student, irrespective of their background. Addressing cultural competence and breaking the stigma is pivotal in creating an inclusive mental health support system. Students of colour display remarkable resilience, working twice as hard to prove their intelligence amidst double standards. The weight of expectations and racial biases necessitates acknowledging and celebrating their strength and perseverance. Their ability to excel academically despite systemic challenges is inspirational and deserving of recognition and support. Quality counselling is indispensable for students of colour, addressing unique challenges rooted in systemic biases and cultural misunderstandings. Cultural competence among counsellors is vital in creating a safe and supportive environment. By recognising the impor-

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By recognizing the importance of cultural competence, we invest in the emotional well-being and academic success of students of colour. tance of cultural competence, we invest in the emotional well-being and academic success of students of colour. A diverse counselling staff, including individuals from different ethnic backgrounds, enriches the support system. This not only breaks down cultural barriers but also creates a safe haven where students feel understood and supported. It enhances empathy, relatability, and effective communication, contributing to a more inclusive counselling environment. Addressing the unique needs of

students of colour in counselling services is paramount for fostering an inclusive and supportive university environment. The key lies in recognizing their experiences, advocating for cultural competence, and actively creating an environment where every student feels heard and supported in their mental health journey. A proactive approach is crucial to ensure the well-being and success of all students. It’s time to bridge the gaps, break down barriers, and build a campus environment that truly prioritises the mental health of every student.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

COMMENT & ANALYSIS EDITORIAL: College Should Assume the Best in its Students

he differences between certain professors’ late work policies always make for interesting conversation between students across courses. Some are misguided, others downright despotic, though all promise fairly strict consequences for students missing work. The fact that these policies differ so much is a problem within itself. A student in the School of English can wait up to a week after their due date to turn in an assignment and still receive up to 90 per cent of what their original grade would have been. They can also appeal to their professors and be granted a hearing to explain their tardiness. If the excuse is up to par, they suffer no deduction. The Department of History, on the other hand, outlines clearly in the Senior Fresher handbook that it will give its students no more than 40 per cent on the submitted material if it is late. This applies to all material, whether it be large final examination essays or take-home quizzes. With many courses in the Arts Block still engaged in a toxic relationship with the 100 per cent final exam, it is no wonder that a late submission can completely derail one’s college prospects. There is then, of course, the issue this presents. Unlike in the past, where the College often inhabits, the consequences to failing one’s course are increasingly severe. If one does fail a course and make another attempt, they are stricken with fee increases to make matters even harder. With this and the rising cost of living, the rising of College fees, and the job market’s increasing dependence on university degrees in new hires, failing out of one’s course is more expensive than ever. With this all in mind, the situation is made even more dumbfounding by the fact that College found a sustainable solution to this issue, but buried it once COVID measures ended in Ireland. The automatic right to deferral allowed students to defer their course load until a time when they could safely retry what they would have otherwise failed. It was sustainable, in that it gave students extra options aside from either failing or finding a way to eliminate the many extenuating circumstances that are preventing them from passing. Surely it cannot be the opinion of the College that all the possible extenuating circumstances in one’s life are trumped by the prospect of graduating university.

EDITORIAL: College Counselling Has Room to Improve

How the Media’s Approach to Murder is Failing Irish Women Clara Roche EDITOR

ast year, this newspaper reported on the death of Ashling Murphy, a 23-yearold teacher and musician who was murdered while on a run in Tullamore. At her vigil, feminist campaigner Ailbhe Smyth addressed the crowd, saying: “The violence against women and girls must stop … the killing of women must end.” In the months since, nearly 20 women have died a violent death in Ireland, according to the Women’s Aid Femicide Watch. One such woman is Claire Collins of Kilnaboy, Co. Clare, who was discovered dead in her bedroom on Thursday, November 9th. Her husband Joe smothered her before dying by suicide. The Irish Independent interviewed Claire’s former employer, who described both her and her husband as “lovely people”. The Irish Times covered the tributes to Joe, quoting his cycling club in saying “it is hard to imagine our spins without [him]”, and according to the Sunday Independent: “Joe Collins was a keen cyclist, a member of a local club who said they will miss him terribly. All of the neighbours said Claire was a huge loss, too.” A huge loss, too. The decentering of women from stories of their own deaths is a familiar feature in coverage of femicide. Recent reporting on the trial and conviction of Jozef Puska, Ashling Murphy’s murderer, focuses on everything from his education to his internet history. The fascination with the psychological profile of murders, rather than the personalities and pursuits of their victims, risks sensationalising stories of abuse and disconnecting episodes of murder from the patterns of violence that precede them. The consequences extend beyond

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PHOTO BY MARK CONDREN

for victims of domestic violence and draw attention to the signals of early-stage abuse. According to Women’s Aid, one in four women in Ireland will experience domestic abuse. Every day, the organisation’s helpline receives close to 50 calls, a number that surged during the pandemic. While modern Ireland has made great strides in the domain of women’s rights, from the closure of mother and baby homes in the late 1990s to the legalisation of abortion in 2018, what remains is a deeply embedded culture of violence against women. Depictions of domestic violence in the mainstream media shape both collective understanding and public policy relating to the epidemic, and at present, news outlets in Ireland are failing women through their inadequate and distorted coverage. Dr Jane Monckton Smith, a criminologist specialising in domestic homicide, identified an eight-stage homicide timeline outlining a pattern of coercive control before an abusive relationship culminates in homicide and/or suicide. Coverage of femicide in Irish media rarely examines these pre-existing patterns, instead framing murder as an

The media must shift their attention to spotlight resources for victims of domestic violence and draw attention to the signals of early-stage abuse. the victims themselves. A man who was mistakenly identified as Murphy’s killer recalls having his “life ruined” by the racial abuse and death threats he received online. The media must shift their attention to spotlight resources

isolated and “out of character” incident in an otherwise functioning family. In the aftermath of Claire Collins’ death, the Irish Independent ran the headline “We don’t understand what happened” — the words of a lo-

PHOTO BY EMER MOREAU FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

cal priest. Following the murder of Clodagh Hawe and her three sons in Co. Cavan at the hands of her husband, initial reporting centred around the latter’s career and contributions to his community. At the time, Margaret Mar-

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ferent, and that other men were like him”, Ryan told The Guardian. The brothers were concerned that the memorialisation and humanisation of their father in the media would serve a similar purpose for other abusive men.

It contributes to a culture of victim-blaming, erasure and exaggeration. tin, then the director of Women’s Aid, criticised the coverage as reinforcing stereotypes of victims and perpetrators. “There is a disconnect between an act like this and someone who is seen as a pillar of community, who is well-liked or seen as respectable”, she said. “But our experience dealing with women feeling under threat every day is that it is not just people involved in criminal activity who are capable of this. It does not matter how rich, educated or how welloff they are. Abusers cut across all social classes.” In England, Ryan and Luke Hart, whose father murdered their mother Claire and younger sister Charlotte, outlined the impact of such sympathetic media coverage of male murderers. The Sun quoted locals who described their father as “a nice guy”, while The Daily Mail published assertions that he was “always caring”. Another article argued that the murder of a woman by her husband was “a twisted act of love”. Later, Ryan said: “It was very difficult to read that they were sympathising with a man who caused Mum and Charlotte misery their entire lives.” Investigators found evidence that their father had searched for articles about men who murder their wives. “I think he wanted to feel that he wasn’t being dif-

“You know people around the country are also reading it, and those ideas are being driven into their minds. It reinforces in the abuser’s mind that what they’re doing is OK.” Dr Anne O’Brien, a lecturer at Maynooth University, describes domestic violence as a “public problem” and a “systematic, continuous and patterned power play of control”. When the media misrepresents it as individual, isolated and unpredictable, it reduces the incentive to address it on a legislative level. It contributes to a culture of victim-blaming, erasure and exaggeration. In 2019, at the launch of the Femicide Watch, Women’s Aid representatives issued recommendations to the Oireachtas on improving the media reporting of intimate partner femicide. Similar guidelines have been implemented with success in other countries. A Rhode Island report concluded that, following the development of a handbook in collaboration with journalists and advocacy groups, the use of expert advocates as sources doubled while the inclusion of bystander commentary — like the local priest who lacked understanding or the cycling club who mourned the loss of Joe Collins — decreased. News outlets in Ireland must work alongside organisations such as Women’s Aid and the National Women’s Council to establish a precedent for researching and reporting on cases of domestic violence and femicide. Framing domestic violence as a social problem by including statistics and avoiding stereotypes will improve public awareness of the issue, and increase the level of support that advocacy groups and affected individuals can receive from the State. Ashling Murphy and Claire Collins are two of the 270 women who have died in violent circumstances in Ireland since 1996. It is crucial, now, that the media contributes to reducing this number through responsible reporting that fosters informed and empathetic public discourse.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

COMMENT & ANALYSIS

The Issue with the Student-to-Staff Ratio Extends Beyond the Rankings

Mandela House, 6 Trinity College, College Green, Dublin 2 Phone: (01) 646 8431 Email: info@universitytimes.ie Clara Roche, Editor

Sophie Coffey OPINION EDITOR

s the first semester draws to a close, my friends and I have found ourselves trawling through applications for jobs, graduate programmes or postgraduate degrees. A common denominator amongst these applications has been a recurring request for a minimum of one academic reference. From the perspective of a prospective employer this is both a logical and straightforward requirement. However, as it turns out, from the perspective of the student, this is far from a straight forward tick-the-box exercise. While there are some variations across courses and disciplines, the common thread agreed upon by my friends and I was that many of our professors would struggle to pick us out of a lineup. Thankfully, despite some of my criminally bad essays, this is unlikely to be necessitated. However, it would be handy for them

to be able to identify me sufficiently so as to be able to provide a reference. The applications guidelines of many postgrad opportunities recommend finding a suitable academic reference who can comment on your academic potential and integrity. Compliments to many of my past professors if they could comment on which of their classes I was in. In fairness I am the height of mediocre. Thus far there is nothing exceptional or appalling about my academic record. In a large lecture hall I generally aspire to do the opposite of stand out and cringe if I’ve forgotten to turn the volume down on my laptop, never mind the heart attack ensued at having to answer a question. Subsequently any lecturer who has taught me in the context of a large group teaching situation, would understandably struggle to compose an appropriate reference on my behalf. This is the stage in my reference search where I would turn instead to my tutorial: the small classes designed for student contribution PHOTO BY PAUL SHARP

and engagement. There is no doubt that these classes offer greater scope for individualised contributions. But smaller does not equate small and these classes frequently remain upwards of thirty students. Combined with the limitations of a tutorial schedule comprising of ten classes per semester, this still leaves little room for a teaching assistant or lecturer to become well acquainted with every student. In absolutely no way is this intended to be a criticism of my professors at all. Instead, it is an observation on a larger scale gleaned across my fresher and sophister years. The structure of tertiary education is poles apart from its primary and secondary predecessors for many reasons and this is evident in the changed dynamic between educator and student. As with most circumstances there are differences between courses and disciplines. My sophister English professors who I see twice a week in seminar style classes would be able to identify me with relative ease. However, as a joint honours student I would incur significant difficulties in sourcing a faculty member who could provide a reference for me should I chose to further my career in the social sciences instead. In this way, the differing schedules and structures across courses disadvantage some students over their peers. However, while there are different levels to which students are affected by this, the issue is far-reaching across College. In a quote to the Business Post, Trinity’s vice-provost Professor Orla Sheils acknowledged that College remain “dismayed by the lack of progress on our student-staff ratio”. The current ratio of 18:1 has remained unchanged since 2018

despite an aim to reduce it to 16:1 by 2025. A university is intended to serve its students not, itself, but the dialogue around improving the student-to-staff ratio consistently correlates with publications of ranking tables. The rankings can only ever evaluate from a distance and concentrate on statistics and quantitative measurements. Data tables are unable to encompass the daily learning experiences. The negative impacts of an ill-balanced studentto-staff ratio are highlighted every time the rankings are released but students and staff face the associated challenges even after the headlines have moved on from information released in the tables. The Irish Times reports that the national student-staff ratio is 23:1 in contrast to the European average of 15:1. Staff are required to manage growing quantities of students alongside the developing responsibilities that accompany this. Equally students are further disengaged from the personal aspect of college. Watching a PowerPoint and submitting a critical response could be achieved with any YouTube video and its associated comment section. The separation between online material and university endures in the quality of teaching and the real connections between students and their peers and educators. The purpose of college is to facilitate students to develop both answers and questions. College is not solely designed to be a passive education process. The greatest benefit can be attained when it combines experts in their fields with newcomers. College is at its most effective when facilitating a shared arena between wisdom and wonder, but achieving this will require consistent efforts to reduce the student-to-staff ratio.

Sáoirse Goes, Deputy Editor Phoebe Pascoe, Assistant Editor Alexander Payne, Assistant Editor

Hosanna Boulter, News Editor Wynslow Wilmot, Features Editor Ella Sexton, Deputy Features Editor Sophie Coffey, Opinion Editor Valentina Milne, Sports Editor Cleo Daly, Magazine Editor Emma Fitzpatrick, Magazine Editor Sajal Singh, Deputy Magazine Editor Ellen Duggan, Assistant Magazine Editor Barrett Ellis, Radius Editor Ella Hussey, Radius Editor Maisie Greener, Assistant Radius Editor Joshua Hernon, Political Correspondent Charlie Hastings, Chair of the Editorial Board Aoife Kirby, Copy Editor Sarah McCarthy, Copy Editor Elizabeth O’Sullivan, Copy Editor Princess Omozusi, Creative Director Róisín Newman, Social Media Manager

Elly Christopher, Art Editor Clara Potts, Fashion Editor Eloise Sherrard, Deputy Fashion Editor Hanna Valila, Assistant Fashion Editor Sarah Murnane, Film & TV Editor Ella Parry, Food & Drink Editor Pearl Biggers, Deputy Food & Drink Editor Sarah Browne, Literature Editor Molly Wetsch, Deputy Literature Editor Sadie Loughman, Music Editor Eliora Abramson, Societies Editor

Corinne Mahon, Photographer Gareth McCrystal, Photographer Maisie Norton, Photographer Ella O’Brien, Photographer

The Problem with Personality Tests Clara Roche EDITOR

m I an extrovert or an introvert? You tell me. I am a chronic conversationalist. If you have ever had the misfortune of watching a film with me, you will be familiar with the phrase: “How should I know? I’m not the bloody director.” In my company, a dinner date will turn into a sleepover, followed by a morning coffee and a late lunch. An exchange of pleasantries will easily devolve into an hour-long discussion about contemporary music and childhood memories, and by the end of every smoke break you’ll know my medical history and my mother’s maiden name. I have never felt the social anxiety that seems to plague so many of my peers, and I wish I could live to see my own funeral because my ideal party involves everyone I know in a room together, talking about me. Yet, all of my hobbies are decidedly solitary, including the card game I play every night before I go to sleep. As a child, I was often chastised for reading books at

the dinner table, and even now, my journal knows more about me than any ex-boyfriend ever did. I sometimes shower three times a day so I can soak up album releases alone, and twice I’ve taken jobs on the other side of the city because I like the idea of a long commute. I don’t leave my room in the morning until I’ve done the crossword and the New York Times Connections, and I would decline an invitation to a birthday party if there was a watercolour painting I was particularly inclined to complete. Where does this leave me, and why is it important? I was raised in the golden age of personality tests, when knowing your Hogwarts house was more important than knowing your own blood type. My friends and I sacrificed Microsoft Excel lessons to spend our sessions in the computer room finding out which Disney princesses we were, certain that in gaining this self-awareness we could move towards self-acceptance. While that age of Buzzfeed innocence is over, the search for aesthetic identity continues. On dating apps, we demarcate prospective partners from one another through arbitrary delin-

eations such as star signs and pet peeves. On TikTok, we label ourselves through niche and transient archetypes based on song lyrics and fruit. The impact of personality tests bleeds beyond social media and into the professional world, where organisational psychologists hire and fire people because they’re an ENFP, like Rihanna, or an INTJ, like Friedrich Nietzche. The appeal of such markers is clear. While writing this article, I concluded that I am a total Carrie Bradshaw, that Harry Styles is my soulmate, and that I’m in my Evermore era. Personality types pave neatly packaged paths towards identity and community, and the tests themselves offer us the opportunity to distil our lives into digestible soundbites and clear-cut stories. This is an attractive alternative to the messiness and confusion that accompanies our actual experiences. In real life, though, people are best defined not by their characteristics, but their contradictions. My friend Lauren, for example, is practical and discerning, with a track record of perfect grades. She is also the least punctual person I know. My mam, who is sensible and straightforward to a

fault, is deeply superstitious. She never overspends, and while she keeps the cleanest house south of the River Liffey, she never leaves it without her opal ring, and she salutes at every solitary magpie she sees. My friend Sinéad, a loud and charismatic DJ who befriends everyone she meets, is terrified of public speaking, and Sáoirse, who could deliver a PowerPoint presentation on postmodernist literature with no preparation, is equally conversant with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The people I love are an ever-evolving array of discrepancies. Their personalities, rather than slotting neatly into categories or “which character” quizzes, are mismatched mosaics, wonderfully inconsistent and eternally surprising. Yes, I could tell you that I’m an extrovert, and you could correctly deduce that I’ve never left a bar until last orders, but would you know about the six-step skincare routine I carry out when I get home, or the chamomile tea I drink from stolen pint glasses? Would you know that I love scrapbooking as much as I love stand-up comedy? Maybe I’m an ambivert. Or maybe it’s my Capricorn moon.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

COMMENT & ANALYSIS

Trinity Cancer Society’s Christmas Appeal Fiachra Mooney CONTRIBUTING WRITER

hristmas is one of the most magical times of the year and is known for being a season for fun and cheer. It is a time for being with loved ones, in the warmth and safety of your home. For most of us, it is probably the most idyllic and loved period of the year. As Andy Williams puts it; “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Sadly, this is not always the reality for an increasing number of people. Christmas can bring additional levels of stress, and at times sorrow, when factors beyond our control seem to hold us back from the ideal Christmas we all hope for. Indeed, far from winding down for Christmas, the workload of many charities only increases at this time of year. The worsening weather conditions combined with the increased level of spending required and expected at this time of year, means that many people are pushed to the breaking point. Charities endeavour to ease the

burden of many families going through difficult times. They work hard to step in and aim to make Christmas as joyful as it can be. The very same applies to Trinity’s charities. And it is in the festive spirit that the Trinity Cancer Society is this year appealing for toys for children suffering with cancer around Ireland. Around 200 children and teenagers under the age of 16 are diagnosed with cancer every year in Ireland. Many face diagnoses of leukaemia or tumours affecting their brain and nervous system. There is no prevention, and often, there is no cure. No child should have to spend Christmas sick and in hospital. Unfortunately, for far too many children this is the reality of the Christmas they will face. In order to bring some much needed festive cheer to children suffering with cancer in hospitals all over Ireland, Trinity Cancer Society is running a present drive for Childhood Cancer Ireland. Childhood Cancer Ireland (CCI) is a charity founded by and led by parents of children who are cancer survivors and fighters. The presents

and cards collected will go to children in CCI shared care centres in hospitals around Ireland. So, how can you help? We are asking for small toys in new condition (below €15). Easy options to source the style that we are looking for include the Lego and Disney stores on Grafton Street or Mark’s Model’s on Hawkin Street. There’s also Arts & Hobby, and Cogs the Brain Store in the St Stephen’s Green Shopping areas and Smyth’s Toys in the Jervis Shopping Centre. If you do not feel you have the time or means to purchase a present, but would still like to help, you can donate to our Toy Fund. The Toy Fund will be used to buy toys for children in the CCI shared care units. And if you want a break from the library, Cancer Soc will also be running Christmas card making with Trinity FLAC and TCD Vis Arts in the Arts Workshop. The overarching aim is to remind the children that there are people out there who care, and who are thinking of them as they go through this extremely difficult time. Details on all the fundraising efforts can be found on our Instagram page, @tcdcancersoc.

We know that Christmas is a demanding time of the year for students facing exams, and the financial pressures of the festive period. We recognise that everybody is already stretched as it is. But if you can spare anything, it will go a long way to helping children and families going through a very difficult time. On the note of thankfulness, we would like to thank all of the Societies and clubs that have helped us so far this year in the fight against cancer: Trinity Ents, Law Soc, Formula Trinity, DUCSS, TCD GAA, VTP, DU Players, Hispanic Soc, Psych Soc, The (Phil) Eliz, SMF Women in Business, Trinity Business Review, DUGES, DUDJ and Fashion Soc. With their help, we have managed to double the amount of money raised compared to last year, with well over €4000 raised. That’s not to mention those that have entered our mullet competition and those currently braving the cold winter air for their Naked Calendar shoots. And of course we would like to thank all of the students who continue to give generously, without whom none of this would be possible.

And in the Christmas spirit of sharing, we also want to point out the amazing work done by our friends in Trinity VDP who are providing warm food to those sleeping rough, and raising funds for St Vincent de Paul. Equally there is incredible work put in by the Voluntary Tuition Programme providing

grinds at the St Andrew’s Resource Centre. There is also huge effort across societies running valuable awareness campaigns such as FLAC, DU Amnesty and STAND. More volunteers are always welcomed by all of us! Merry Christmas from the Trinity Cancer Society, and a Happy New Year.

Trinity Cancer Society is appealing for toys and running a present drive for Childhood Cancer Ireland. Details can be found on Instagram: @trinitycancersoc PHOTO BY ALAN BETSON

Balancing the Pressures of Christmas and College Phoebe Pascoe ASSISTANT EDITOR

ince I can remember, my family have eaten Christmas dinner on December 24th, the main attraction of which is not the turkey, but the scratch cards that my grandma lays on the table to do before we dig in. At college and away from home, Christmas becomes a time to create new traditions: watching the lights turn on in Front Square or learning not to mix Baileys, mulled wine and mulled cider (take it from me). But, for students, the festive season is also exam season. My first deadline this year coincided with the release of the John Lewis Christmas advert, and my last essay is due the same week as Christmas Day. As assignments snowball towards the end of the Michaelmas semester, so do social events, be they socie t y

balls or pub crawls. Every degree the temperature drops in the Ussher seems to be another sign to abandon work and celebrate. And by celebrate, I mean drink. College is already associated with alcohol – students drink more than their peers not in tertiary education. So is Christmas. The consumption of alcohol rises during late November/December, and in Ireland the Friday before Christmas is when the most alcohol is drunk all year (a 114% increase compared to a normal Friday). Although the vast majority of Trinity students say they don’t feel pressure to drink, there is undoubtedly pressure to be social (even if it does only stem from your own FOMO). The desire to do well can rub up against the fact that most socialising around this time of year will involve the offer of something alcoholic. This obviously comes with some side effects. It’s not simply the choice between an evening at the pub or in the library; a hangover becomes a headache in more ways than one when you have deadlines looming and can’t afford to take a morning – let alone a day – off. Speaking of things students can’t afford… Christmas is notoriously expensive. With the price of a pint in Dublin as it currently stands, time-honoured traditions like Twelve Pubs become more of a burden on your budget than they are on your liver. Even socialising without drinking can be expensive, since tickets to society events span a wide price range, and earlier sunsets might necessitate taxis home from nights out. Increasingly, the statistics show that young people are drinking less, and it makes sense. Avoiding alcohol is undeni-

ably a good idea. It benefits your physical and mental health, as well as your bank account. A few of my friends don’t drink at all, and it never makes them less fun to be around. But for those of us who do drink, I wonder whether Christmas makes this indulgence less healthy not because consuming alcohol is harmful in itself (though it is), but because the combination of Christmas and College makes it difficult to do this in moderation. The structure of the college semester doesn’t really reward balance. All-nighters are as ubiquitous among students as a battered pair of Doc Martens, in part due to essay deadlines and exams falling thick and fast in the same couple of weeks. As an English student, all my modules except one this year rely on a single essay for 100 percent of my grade. This doesn’t really support working slowly and steadily, as much as I try to get started early. When students are stressed — as nine in ten of us are — spending large amounts of time in the library can help give the illusion that we are in control of our work and futures. I also think there is a certain pressure at Trinity, and no doubt other universities, to be working away late in the library because you know others are, regardless of whether it makes you more efficient. Christmas, also, has never really encouraged doing things by halves. When this means more decorations and Mariah on the playlist, I’m all for it. But combined with everything I’ve just mentioned, it seems this time of year encourages either abstaining or indulging completely. If you’re not drinking most nights, or saying no to certain social offers because you have work to do, then you’d better make it count on the night you do let yourself go. 60.2 per cent of 18-24 year olds in Ireland binge drink monthly, and I would hazard a guess that this increases around the holidays. Living in an expensive city also encourages drinking vast amounts quickly, as prinks become essential not only to start the night off right

but to avoid bankruptcy. It might seem like putting more focus on studying would reduce the amount we drink, but (conveniently, perhaps) I don’t really see this as a sustainable solution. The more pressure we put ourselves on the academic or social front, the more the other suffers. Allowing ourselves to blow off steam is important, and trying to restrict this only increases the likelihood of burnout, and adds pressure to occasions that are meant to be fun. Equally, being able to “just stay for one drink” or leave a night early on occasion if you have work to do shouldn’t be seen as boring because “it’s Christmas”. Trying to do everything is impossible, and Christmas and College can’t always be neatly wrapped together with a little bow. But socialising – and potentially a drink or two – doesn’t have to be an enemy to academics. Seeing it as such just puts more pressure on ourselves in both realms. This year, I’m going to try a new tradition of finding some balance between the different pressures of the festive season.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

COMMENT & ANALYSIS

Learning to Drive in Ireland Will Drive Me Mad Sophie Coffey OPINION EDITOR

aving completed all 12 of my mandated driving lessons (and about 12 extra…) I have come to one particular conclusion. Learning to drive in Dublin will drive me mad. Getting a licence is one of those very grown up things that our childhood selves aspire to with envy and anticipation. We perceive it as another rite of passage on the route to being a “real” grownup. Unfortunately, like many of our expectations for adulthood, the reality is underwhelming. When I was younger, my naïve assumption was that learning to drive would be as straightforward as turning 18, sitting through a few lessons and sailing through a test. Now, at 22, I can confirm this is not a remotely

accurate depiction of my efforts to attain my licence. Turning 18 was not the green light to drive that I anticipated. Instead I faced an assortment of obstacles that offered me an unexpected insight into the privilege that encompasses learning to drive in Ireland. Typically the first connotation when referring to something as a privilege is the financial aspect and learning to drive is no different. Initially there is the theory test fee (€45), the cost of the learners permit (€35) and the charge for the vision check (€20). This totals spending at €100 without even sitting behind the wheel of the car. However, these initial charges are minor when contrasted to the next round of expenses. The cost of lessons typically ranges from anywhere between €35 to €70 per lesson and with a minimum of 12 required, this wracks up an unavoidable bill of hundreds of euro.

DÚN LAOGHAIRE DRI VING TEST CENTRE, PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

This figure is usually matched if not exceeded by the price of learner driver’s insurance. When I was first considering learning to drive I realised that the gaping hole in my ambitions was that I had no access to a car to practise in. It became apparent that my options were to either save up for a car or attempt to pass a test with my experience limited to whatever I could achieve within the constraints of lessons. By pure chance, I faced this conundrum around the time of the 2020 pandemic when I happened to be working in an essential sector and as a result earning and saving more than anticipated. I spent the following twelve month period focusing on building my savings and eventually managed to save up sufficiently. The next obstacle was to find a suitable second-hand car available within my budget, but a shortage of new cars was limiting the availability of second-hand cars. After six months of searching I was ecstatic to have the keys to my own little car. I was less ecstatic when the bills arrived for my tax and NCT. And I very nearly did a U-turn on the whole concept when it came to the transaction of almost €1,500 to cover my insurance policy. I consoled myself and my bank account with the thought that at least now, I could finally make a start on the actual task of learning to drive a car. I would love to say that I flew through my lessons with the grace of a gazelle. However, my initial experience behind the wheel would be better associated with the imagery of a deer in the headlights. Eventually, I—and my passengers—graduated from terrified to slightly-less

terrified and I was able to apply for my test. I applied seven months ago and my test is currently estimated to be a further five months away. Ultimately, this means 12 months of paying for maintenance driving lessons and being charged the price of a learner’s insurance policy. Although considering that payment in full is a requirement to be added to the waiting list I should perhaps be grateful the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is minding my €85 — it’s serving me as a savings account rather than as a testing service at present. With published figures verifying a 51 week waiting list for my test centre, the five months I waited for a theory test now feels like a bargain. The months I have spent attempting to get my licence have been fraught with my frustration and I am reminded of it every time I pay for a taxi or walk home in the dark evenings. However, even at this I am

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PHOTO VIA THE GALWAY ADVERTISER

in more rural parts of the country and areas not served by a bus route. Learner drivers in these areas bear the brunt of the long waiting lists as opportunities for job prospects and increased independence are hindered by waiting times. If the driving test centres were

My naïve assumption was that learning to drive would be as straightforward as turning 18, sitting through a few lessons and sailing through a test. still aware that I possess enormous privilege. Living in Dublin means that while my complaints about public transport could fit into an entirely separate column, the transport available to me far exceeds anything available outside of the capital city. The independence aspect of learning to drive is reinforced

run by a private corporation then they would likely find themselves facing regulations and criteria to maintain their contract. Earlier this year, Applus, the operator of the National Car Test (NCT) faced fines and penalties due to the backlog of testing. Ironically, despite the fact that over 70,000 people are await-

ing a driving test from the RSA, the fines facing Applus were applied by the RSA. At a Dáil Éireann debate in October, Cork TD Deputy Michael Collins raised the point that the RSA is in breach of its contract and highlighted the “RSA’s official target of a maximum ten-week wait for a driving test”. At 51 weeks, the wait time for the Dun Laoghaire test centre exceeds this target by over 500 per cent. A well intentioned friend from abroad recently asked why despite being 22 I didn’t have my licence yet. It’s not the first time I’ve had this question and it won’t be the last. The query is genuine but it overlooks the personal obstacles of time and finances and the structural obstacle of the testing infrastructure in Ireland. It has now been 12 months since I took my first driving lesson and while I am not yet authorised a licence, I must be at the very least, deserving of a certificate verifying my patience.

Stories and Jobs: The Work of Being a Student Becky Long COLUMNIST

tories are important. That might seem like an obvious thing to say, especially coming from someone who makes their living (literally) teaching the value of stories. But it’s true. As human beings, we’re wired to understand the world through stories. Everything, from science to history, advertising to finance, cooking to healthcare, just works better if we can recognise it as a story. Think about it. Reading makes us more empathetic. Reading helps us realise that we’re not alone in the situations we’re attempting to survive, that we’re not the first person to think the way we think – and we won’t be the last. Stories, then, open up the world to us. And it’s our inherent duty as human beings to embrace that openness and to look. To look as far as we can into the world, and to stay looking, even

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keep looking – and to make sure what needs to be seen is seen. And in college, you learn on the job. Everything is new – and sometimes it feels overwhelming. You’re constantly challenged, inspired, dev-

Reading helps us realise that we’re not alone in the situations we’re attempting to survive, that we’re not the first person to think the way we think – and we won’t be the last. when we want to turn away. The job of students is to think. To find out new ways to see the world. The job of students is to look and

astated, transformed … and sometimes you just go to the Pav and wait for it to be the weekend. It’s all part of the job.

And I say that being a student is a job, not because it’s a chore (and certainly not because you get paid for it, because you don’t, not really) but because the work is worthwhile. Hard work usually results in change and change is usually needed. You’re learning how to be who you’re supposed to be, who you want to be, and that’s surely one of the most noble pursuits you can undertake? But that noble pursuit comes with its own particular challenges, its own peculiar obstacles to overcome. The cost of living is simultaneously one of the most banal and existential phrases in the English language. How much does it cost to live? Well, a lot, as it happens. The daily, compounded stress of trying to figure out how much you have left to spend on food after you’ve

paid your rent, the awful netherspace that marks the gap between the moment you run out of cash and the second your grant hits your account – and it’s always too late. Sometimes you’re trying to study in a room that’s so cold and damp you feel like a Victorian orphan in a Charles Dickens novel. Sometimes, hours (and hours) of your day are lost on the commute, and you become so familiar with that particular stretch of motorway that it breaks your heart. You don’t get to go to that gig in town with your friends. You don’t get to go for pints after lectures. Everything just feels hard. And yet, you still do the job. You do the thinking, you do the listening. You do the work. I met my best friend in the queue for registration on my first day in Trinity. She was – and still is – from the United States, and she’s the reason I know it snowed in Wisconsin on Halloween. I think about that first moment of our friendship frequently, while also trying to gaslight myself into thinking it was only yesterday and not more years ago than I care to remember. I think about how fate can find you in a second, how other people can change your life just by existing. We became parts of each other’s stories that day in Front Square, and we’ve been writing fan fiction about each other ever since. The books we studied during our degree still bind us together, in equal parts literary trauma and creative enlightenment. There are stories that are now embedded into my soul that I never would have found on my own, stories that now shape the way I see myself and my place in the world.

That’s the power of stories. With the concept of a connected beginning, middle, and end, we have the framework for an identity. Because what is selfhood except a sense of yourself in time? Who you were in the past, who you’re trying to be in the present, who you might somehow be in the future. That’s a story. And it’s your story. I remember thinking, as most students do at some point in their degree, what was the point? Had I made the right decision? What other choice could I have made? (This may or may not have happened directly

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embrace concepts as though you’re the first person to have ever heard them. To bring your consciousness, your particular context into communion with the wild expanse of knowledge that university offers you – and to make something new out of it. Because only you can do that. Because no one else is you. When I think about it, I’ve had a lot of jobs in Trinity. I’ve been a student (many times). I’ve been a facilitator, I’ve been an outreach coordinator. I’ve been a lecturer. I’ve seen a lot of different sides to this old, old place, and I’ve seen it be remade

You’re constantly challenged, inspired, devastated, transformed … and sometimes you just go to the Pav and wait for it to be the weekend. after a particularly challenging poetry tutorial where my brain ended up feeling emptier rather than fuller following some fairly unlively discussion). And the answer came surprisingly quickly. The learning was the point. The reading and the work and the writing was the point. That not one single second was wasted time. Because I was learning how to think for myself. By pulling apart some of the most famous and obscure stories ever written, I was figuring out what I wanted to think about the world. I was learning how to articulate myself. I was learning the value of my own thoughts. I was doing the hard work of building opinions. I was doing my job. Because the job of a student is to create the world all over again. To

by every person who walks in under Front Arch. If Trinity itself is a story, we’re all adding words and sentences as we go along – so not only are we part of the story, the story is part of us. Trinity might seem like an intimidating place to be. Where you have to know the right people, and the right things to say. Where some people speak in a code that you can’t possibly understand, because you don’t even come from Dublin, never mind the leafy suburbs that seem to be the most common postcode in your year. But you belong here. You worked hard to get here – how hard, only you will ever really know – and you’ll work hard to stay here. You belong here. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The University Times Monday 27 November, 2023

SPORT

DUBES Charity Boxing: An Insider’s Account of the Boxing Experience Third-year student Ashling Bourke writes an exclusive account of the transition from friend to fighter and the rigorous training that the spectacle of boxing demands. Ashling Bourke CONTRIBUTING WRITER

rowing up a dancer, I never thought that I would be stepping into a boxing ring, even less that my friend would be my competition. But somehow, I was convinced that I should learn how to punch in aid of charity. After six weeks of training, I’m gearing up to box my friend at DUBES White Collar Boxing. The looming fight night was daunting for someone who has never played a contact sport. But the Head On Boxing Academy trainers were excellent in breaking everything down to complete basics

ASHLING BOURKE AND LISA O’BRIEN, PHOTO VIA GOFUNDME

and ensuring safety was at the forefront of everything we did. It was comforting to know that hurting each other was never the goal; raising money for charity was.

Singing up to the fight night with my friend was quite daunting. I worried our friendship might not survive the punches thrown at training. However, being at the multiple

trainings a week helped bring us closer together, which was a welcome surprise. I know that whatever happens in the ring tonight, I’ll leave the ring with a friend and not an enemy, no matter how many punches are thrown. While it was tough finding the time to make it to training and focusing on my fitness again, the real challenge for me was getting into the right headspace. It was hard flipping the switch between chatting and having fun on the way to boxing to punching that same person in the face. I had to separate the training from our friendship to hit my friend. The physical aspect was relatively easy once I figured out how to become a boxer mentally. Movember is a cause dear to my heart, so I was eager to raise money

in aid of them. Movember’s primary goal is destigmatising men’s mental health as well as bringing awareness to testicular and prostate cancer. It’s great to know how supportive the Trinity community in raising money for Movember. I never realised how much my friends would pay to see me fight someone, so raising the minimum contribution was easier than I thought. Watching the tickets sell out so fast was amazing, knowing that the proceeds are going towards the DUBES Movember team and that we are making a difference while having fun. I’ve had a great time these past six weeks getting in shape, learning a new sport, and making new friends. As fight night began, I could feel the tensions rising. The crowd’s energy was unreal and fed so well into the

energy in the ring. My fight was second to last, so every fight and bad hit made me more nervous. Stepping into the ring was a feeling like no other; the crowd’s roar and the support of friends were both incredible. The rounds flew by, adrenaline keeping me going and helping me throw every punch. Focused on offence for the first round, my friend got in a few good shots. I only remember the hit of one nasty punch post-fight. Keeping the energy up in the following two rounds, I got good head and body shots when my opponent’s guard was down. After three tough rounds, I was announced the winner, but I’m sure the judges had their work cut out for them making that decision. I loved the boxing experience and am looking forward to returning to the ring in the future!

DUFC Train with Leinster Rugby Professionals Flossy Whittow CONTRIBUTING WRITER

rinity’s DUFC Senior team took on the Leinster boys for a spectacular training session, at College Park earlier this month. The Trinity boys came out in full force, dominating the initial play, and keeping up an impressive speed against the professional side of Leinster. This was a particularly special evening for Head Coach Tony Smeeth, who has been working with DUFC for 25 years. He has never seen anything like this happen before:

‘What I love is, the Leinster guys seem to be enjoying it, I thought it would be a bit of a chore for them, but it wasn’t, I mean look at them..’ he says pointing to Joe McCarthy, a Global Business student as well as a phenomenal 2023 World Cup forward. After a productive session Joe said ‘it’s good to come back to train here, because I played here in college and all the way up, so it’s really cool to come back … a lot of us here are just back from the World Cup, so this is our first week integrating back in.’ He went on to say that this sort of thing was good for the club, helping the game grow is incredibly importantly for Leinster, who are ‘looking to start the season off well,

How Ultimate Frisbee Reached New Heights Valentina Milne SPORTS EDITOR

nce a niche sport, ultimate frisbee has experienced a meteoric rise at Trinity. Influenced significantly by American culture, this dynamic sport has captured the attention of an increasing number of students each year. At Trinity, the club has seen a surge in membership, drawing students from various backgrounds and interests. The appeal lies not only in the sport itself but in the vibrant community it fosters. Being a member of this society is more than just a sport; it’s a social endeavour that brings together individuals for whom camaraderie and fun are as crucial as the game itself. Liam Sarsfield, the club’s social secretary, shed light on the multifaceted nature of Ultimate Frisbee at Trinity. He emphasised how training sessions are not only about honing skills but also about fostering friendships. “Our training sessions involve practicing the niche parts of the sport and lots of

game play, then often there will be a group that goes to the pub to grab a drink after”, Sarsfield shared. Despite the growing popularity and the camaraderie it cultivates, the club faces challenges. When asked about areas for improvement, Sarsfield highlighted the need for greater recognition from Trinity College itself. “I would love to get more training sessions on the cricket pitch so more people would become aware of our sport, but I don’t think the college would like this”, he lamented. This limitation restricts the club’s visibility and potential for growth within the university. It’s remarkable to witness how this sport has flourished in recent years, attracting diverse individuals and creating a close-knit community. With increased acknowledgment and support from Trinity College, the Ultimate Frisbee club’s success could rise exponentially, expanding its reach and impact within the university. As Sarsfield aptly puts it: “It’s amazing how much this sport has grown in the past years, but there’s still so much potential for it to flourish further”.

with everyone back in.’ The session started off with a brief from the coaches. Despite not advertising the session, there was a large and excited crowd of students and visitors. Next to me was an American man who played here 48 years ago. He told me that he comes back as frequently as possible, always making sure to catch up with the Trinity rugby scene. He described the game as something verging on artistic, saying it was beautiful to watch at this level. He could not believe how long it had been since his time and commented on the huge amount of talent on both sides. He was in good company with Provost Linda Doyle, who had also come to watch this ex-

hibition of truly fantastic rugby. The boys started off with live drills, and some unstructured play, which has become an increasingly essential feature of training. While the well oiled sequences are useful for efficient play, and maximum scoring potential, the teams that dominate the stage of today’s rugby are those who have honed skills in the unpredictable, unstructured play. They must react quickly to whatever is thrown at them under immense game pressure. A serious level of skill is needed for this and was an impressive execution of talent. Spirits were high after the session. Normally when Leinster head

to other clubs, ‘they have been very much their second string, where as they had all their Irish players here tonight, it made it very good..’ said Tony, with the only real difference being the endurance of stamina throughout the session, where the professional boys undoubtedly took the lead. Having the full squad back together was fantastic. He proudly said that Trinity started off on fire: ‘we came out really good, but it’s actually keeping it there, you know, and that’s the difference, obviously they are pro, they are full time, whereas we are more two three nights a week, we do our gym, but they are top class, they are world class!’ Despite this, the evening

was most certainly not mismatched - McCarthy noted that the Trinity team, ‘challenged us a good bit’, and played well. The session will force the university team to play to their full potential against a professional side. Trinity are now one of the top five teams, playing in the highest non-professional division in Ireland. Alongside this, the Leinster boys had five of the world 15 for the year, picked at the World Cup. The Trinity boys left impressed with the sheer speed of the Leinster side, who’s prowess, and capability made watching rugby seem nothing short of exhilarating. Prospects are looking high for a highly anticipated game on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham and Me Matthew Keeley CONTRIBUTING WRITER

rowing up, all I ever wanted to be was a footballer. The bright lights and deafening roars of thousand-seater stadiums. The rapturous acclaim, fame and glory. The ecstatic eruption of emotions that come with scoring a goal, a last-minute winner, as crowds of adoring fans chant your name. This was all I ever dreamed of, the only thing I wanted in life. However, this childhood fantasy would come to a bitter and crushing end at the age of 12 when my local team were entered into a tournament in Barcelona to test our ability against Spanish opposition. We lost the first game 27-0. It was after the 19th goal sailed into the net that I realised I probably wasn’t going to become a professional footballer. It was all over. The dream was dead.

Humbled, I soon moved on to other lofty ambitions, like being a writer for The University Times. The notion of becoming a footballer would forever in my mind seem implausible, unattainable, impossible. Until I heard about Jude Bellingham. For those of you who may not know, Jude Bellingham is a professional footballer from England who plays for Real Madrid, the preeminent football club in the world. He recently transferred from German club Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around €103 million and scored 13 goals in his first 10 games for the team, breaking a club record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo. He is unanimously considered to be one of the best players in the world and a drunken Spanish man compared him to Jesus a few weeks ago on a night out. Oh, and he was born on the 29th of June, 2003. I, too, hold the distinction of being born in 2003, only I was brought into this cruel, dark and unforgiving world 94 days before young Jude. If it wasn’t

already evident at this point, my name is not being sung by thousands in the Estadio Bernabéu and I am not being likened to spiritual deities by inebriated Spanish gentlemen. No, instead I’m just me. A pathetic excuse of a man utterly unworthy of love or affection. At least that’s what my girlfriend calls me in the bedroom. I always contextualised age with football growing up. I remember being at my cousin’s 29th birthday and thinking ‘this guy’s only got a few more years left in his prime’. Anyone aged 36 or above seemed absolutely ancient, almost on their last legs like Gerrard or Giggs. Now, I’m struggling to find the will to go to my 9am lectures while a guy younger than me is the star player for the biggest football team in the world. He even has an Irish passport as well. As ridiculous as it sounds, I find it hard not to compare myself to him in some sense. Not that I could have ever reached his heights or achieved what he already has at such a young age,

not in a million years. Nevertheless, I can’t help but daydream of some sort of alternate timeline in which our places are swapped. Jude Bellingham is living the life I always dreamt of, the life that so many dream of. He made it his reality, through hard-work, determination and a blessing of immense natural talent. He is everything I ever wanted to be, and I am not. And that’s ok. Dreams change, ambitions change, people change. Though I am not a superstar millionaire footballer, I am more than I ever thought I would be. More than I ever thought I could be, at a certain point in my life. I reminisce sometimes. I remember a little boy scampering around the house causing havoc for his poor parents. Kicking a ball against his bedroom wall, an oversized jersey falling past his knees as he pretended he was Messi or Ronaldo or any of his footballing idols. While he never got to be quite like any of his heroes, I hope that he would still be proud of the man he has become.