The University Times - Issue 1

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The University Times Irish Student Newspaper of the Year

Trinity Twenty

The University Times Magazine

Interview with the Minister for Education: Page 6

special supplement

goes pigeon racing

TCD to pioneer radical admissions process » 40 Law school students to enroll in pilot scheme Louise Duffy News Staff ON 24TH of October, Trinity College University Council will be asked to approve a feasibility study on an alternative admissions criteria, the results of which may have major implications for the future of Irish third-level education.

The feasibility study will be submitted by College’s Senior Lecturer (Dean of Undergraduate Studies) and aims to establish whether attempts to radically reform undergraduate admissions practices in Ireland could be successful. The pilot scheme will involve the alternative allocation of around 40 undergraduate places in 2014, and could well set in motion an historic break-away from the current ‘points race’ method of admitting students to third-level education.

Under the scheme, the allocation of places would be based on a combination

of Leaving Certificate results, performance of students relative to others in their school (Relative Performance Rank), and other ‘contextual data’, likely to be ascertained by means of an application form. Th is application form would give students an opportunity to explain why they should be given a place on a particular course in Trinity for reasons other than traditional academic merit as determined by the Leaving Certificate.

The applications would be assessed by a fi nal review panel likely to consist of 40 people, including Trinity academics and admissions officers as well as external and international experts. Students would be given the option to apply for the alternative entry route via the CAO after selecting Trinity as one of their preferred colleges.

The main goal of the reforms is to be able to admit those with passion and flair for their chosen subject, and those independent and

» College hopes to increase diversity on campus

critical thinkers whose potential is not being identified by the largely rote-learning based leaving certificate, explained Senior Lecturer Professor Patrick Geoghegan, the driving force behind the reforms. ‘These are the people who will thrive at Trinity,’ he added.

Speaking to The University Times, Dr. Geoghegan explained that he also hopes that a new system would lead to increased diversity on campus. At present, all of Trinity’s top twenty feeder schools are fee-paying schools located in the greater Dublin area. However, due to the relative performance component of the scheme, we are likely to see schools with little tradition of sending students to Trinity make a bigger impact.

The relative performance rank would come into play, for example, where one student obtains 470 points and did the best in their school, and the other got 490 points but comes from a school in

which 490 was an average score. The proposal would justify awarding the place to the student with the lower score on the basis that the lower Leaving Certificate score may be more meaningful given the context in which it was achieved. The relative performance rank, however, will be only one scale used in the assessment, and all three modalities (Leaving Certificate results, RPR and the supplementary assessments) will play an equal role in the assessment.

It is also suggested that the new scheme would ease the difficulties of certain EU students attempting to gain a place in Trinity, as often the conversion of their results to Leaving Certificate points is unfavourable. The fact that this may be taken into account will be particularly significant to A-level candidates in Northern Ireland.

The scheme will run for at least two years. If it is a

Library budget to be cut by €792,000 Fionn O”Dea Deputy News Editor

Trinity College Library’s budget for the year is to be cut by a net sum of €792,645, The University Times has learned. The cuts will affect investment in books, periodicals and conservation among other areas but will not affect the salaries of library staff. The library’s opening hours, meanwhile, have avoided tampering, having been targeted at this stage last year.

The focus of the cuts is constrained by the terms of the Croke Park Agreement. The agreement guarantees that public servants will not have their salaries cut until 2014, other than those applied in 2009 and 2010, and protects public sector workers from compulsory redundancies until the same date. Despite recent calls from opposition parties in the Dáil to revisit

the agreement, Taoiseach Enda Kenny claimed early last week that it would not be subject to “unilateral renegotiation.”

The library, however, will continue to suffer from a decrease in staff numbers. By the end of the month, three staff members will have retired during this calendar year, with no replacements coming in. The library has lost over twenty staff members in this way over the last three years. Th is is as a result of the college-wide Employment Control Framework (ECF) that prohibits the replacement of lost staff.

The ECF is a tool for government to achieve their intended reduction of public sector numbers to 294,700 by the end of 2014, equating to an average annual reduction of approximately 3,300 between the years 2011 and 2014.

Speaking to The University Times after the last round of library cut-backs,

Library Keeper Trevor Peare commented that the loss of staff with only “bits and bobs” arriving as replacement meant that the library was suffering from a loss of institutional memory. He stressed that it was the absolute intention of library staff to keep the doors open at all costs, despite the necessity to move staff from the front desk.

The cuts are part of a continuing trend of cuts in College, reflecting decreased investment in the education sector and a desire for third level education to function as less of a burden on the public fi nances. The mandatory Student Contribution Charge currently stands at €2,250 and will continue to rise by €250 a year until 2015. Earlier this month, meanwhile, College announced plans to double the number of non-EU students studying in Trinity to 2,000, in part to boost revenue streams.

Towards the end of the last academic year, Trinity Library introduced a new self-service borrow/return system that allows students to conduct their business in the absence of library staff.

There is believed to be no correlation between these cuts and the library’s move towards increased self-service, however, the presence of such technology is likely to soften the blow on students caused by likely future cuts.

Despite the severity of this year’s cutbacks, returning students will also notice the new printing and copying service that has begun operation in the Library.

Payment for these machines is to be conducted electronically, meaning that students will be able to top up their accounts at a machine in a copying room or online.

Kopikat cards formally used to print in the library will be incompatible with the new system.

success, it will be expanded, with much higher numbers of students being admitted in this way. The results of the study will be sharedwith the other Irish Universities and Institutes of Technology, with many expected to follow suit with what is essentially a national pilot scheme. Th is prediction is made in light of the fact that the Leaving Certificate grading scale is likely to be reduced, which would lead to more instances of random selection if no supplementary assessment were available. Dr. Geoghegan and his team are particularly confident that if the scheme is successful, it will change undergraduate admissions in Ireland forever; ‘If this is successful, Trinity will have proved that there is a better and a fairer way of doing things.’

‘As Ireland’s leading university, we have a public and a moral obligation to attempt this.’

Early risers prepare for Freshers’ Week.

Photo by Louise Duff y

Ents records €15,000 loss Eánna Drury News Writer

Trinity Ents fi nished the 2011/12 academic year significantly over its projected annual budget, as the underperformance of several widely-marketed events and the cost of subsidising the club nights of many societies lead to a total loss of €15,000, The University Times can reveal.

The presiding Officer, Chris O’Connor, watched events such as the Rag Ball and the Freshers’ Ball incur large losses as established promoters, from Midnight to Signature Group, began offering student-friendly nights out at a low cost with which Ents could not compete.

The annual Freshers’ Ball, for years a staple of the Ents calendar, made a loss of €10,000. A late cancellation from English hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks, who had been booked to headline, forced O’Connor to book lower-profi le London rapper Wretch-32 as a replacement.

However, with the initial popularity of the event fading in light of such a high-profi le cancellation, O’Connor was forced to sell tickets at a

largely-discounted price in order to sell out the venue.

Similarly, the Halloween Ball, headlined by Nashville rock band Mona, sold out by offering tickets at a reduced rate but made a loss of €2,000.

Club nights also provedfi nancially straining, as professional promoters began aggressive campaigns to lure students away from nights organised by Ents.

Midnight representatives, for example, began giving out wristbands to Trin-

able to make enough of a return on the night and so we decided that switching our main clubnight to the Village was the best option. We faced some incredibly tough competition from the likes of Midnight and Signature Group and I think we did the best job we could have given the circumstances.’

Despite the heavy losses suffered by many events, some events exceeded expectations. The highly-succesful and costly visit of

O’Connor has said he’s very happy with the performance of Ents last year ity students queuing for Ents’ ‘Mondays at Club M’ night which entitled them to free entry to Midnight’s established Alchemy’ event.

Th is, coupled with the slowgrowing interest in Ents’ new club night ‘Madhaus’, caused O’Connor to make several drastic changes to maintain some competition with external promoters.

Speaking to The University Times, O’Connor said ‘We took a gamble on Madhuas and invested a lot of money in that night early in the year. However, we weren’t

Calvin Harris to Dublin in Freshers’ Week broke even, and €3,000 of profit was earned from the well-attended Summer Sessions.

Most positively, TCD students, their efforts driven by O’Connor’s team, managed to raise €12,000 for charity: Ents’ second-most successful Rag Week ever. Th is extremely impressive figure, however, was countered by a €3,000 loss by The Rag Ball.

While recognising the unsatisfactory reception

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of some events, O’Connor, while admitting to being ‘disappointed that we (Ents) couldn’t break even this year’, explained that he ‘was happy with how things went overall’, pointing at the success of many events in light of serious external competition as an example of the benefit an Ents officer can have on college life.

Commenting on the losses, O’Connor’s successor and current Ents Officer Dave Whelan emphasised that ‘it would be dangerous for Ents to make profit maximisation its primary aim.

Ents is a service to students and the feedback from them has been really positive. Our mission is to offer the best entertainment to students in a manner which is fi nancially viable.

Whelan also explained that Ents have altered the Freshers’ Week format in order to avoid some of the problems that arose last year. ‘’We’ve moved the Freshers’ Ball to the Monday of Freshers’ Week because, in the past, that event has been leaking revenue. I’m really excited for the coming year and I think Ents is going to lay down a strong marker this week’.

O h o

Th St pr

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 | The University Times

2

Contents

A week in the life of Trinity’s Twitterati

TIMESFEATURES

Neasa Conneally Eamonn Bell

Jack Leahy interviews Minister for Education Ruari Quinn, dicsussing everything from fees to THAT pledge.

Rachel Lavin takes an indepth look into prostitution in Ireland and talks to students affected by it.

Forget lectures and the library, Jack Danaher has an guaranteed exam success strategy.

TIMESOPINION

The Provost, Dr. Patrick Prendergast writes exclusively on the state of third level education in Ireland.

In his inaugural Economise This column, Lorcan Clarke discusses the economics of the CAO system.

Matthew Taylor outlines his vision for UT Opinion in Volume four.

TIMESSPORTS Conor Bates reports on DUBC’s fight night with the US Navy.

Carl Kinsella discusses the footballing world’s attitude to homosexuality.

Rory McCarthy reports on DUFC’s hard fought win over the US Navy at College Park.

The University Times

Magazine

UTzine goes pigeon racing

Nuns and black consciousness in South Africa An interview with H+ creator John Cabrera

Credits EDITOR Owen Bennett DEPUTY EDITOR Leanna Byrne NEWS EDITOR Jack Leahy FEATURES EDITOR Rachel Lavin OPINION EDITOR Matthew Taylor SPORTS EDITOR Conor Bates DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR Fionn O’Dea DEPUTY FEATURES EDITOR Molly Rowan Hamilton DEPUTY OPINION EDITOR Conor Murphy PHOTO EDITOR Cat O’Shea Magazine Editor Tommy Gavin Magazine Deputy Editor Michelle O’Connor MUSIC EDITOR Eoin Hennessy FILM EDITOR Robert O’Reilly CULTURE EDITOR Maria Giulia Agostini CREATIVE DIRECTORS Caelan Rush & Rob Boland WEB EDITOR Josh Roberts DEPUTY WEB EDITOR Vladimir Rakhmanin CHIEF COPY EDITOR Hannah Jean Ryan

Eamonn Lawlor

�neasaconneally

@lawlorlicious

Imagine what it must be like to be one of those people who just runs around the cricket pitch during their lunchtime. Imagine!

@eamonn_bell

There has got to be an economics thesis on the Nash Equilibrium at Ryanair boarding gates

Ah, the sweet taste of desperation and panic. Or as it’s otherwise known: Red Thunder High-Impact Stimulation Drink

David Whelan

Johanna Clancey

Chris O’Connor

@johannaClancey

@COCski

�davidrwhelan

What in God’s name is Sharon Ní Bheoláin wearing on the 6.1?

Need to get a road bike #cyclingiskey

Seen a group of yanks taking pictures of a Starbucks.

Probably the equivalent of us drinking in Irish pubs around the world

Students to vote on USI membership Una Kelly Online News Editor A REFERENDUM on whether Trinity College Dublin Students Union ‘should disaffi liate from the Union of Students in Ireland’ will be held alongside class rep elections in the fi rst week of October. Students will be asked to vote either ‘No’ to Trinity’s disaffi liation from USI or ‘Yes’ to disaffi liation.

Campaigning will begin at 11pm on the 23rd October, with Computer Sciences student and Trinity Young Fine Gael Secretary Mark O’Meara coming forward to lead the ‘Yes’ campaign and TSM English and History student Jack Leahy, News Editor of The

University Times, leading the ‘No’ campaign. Leahy will be stepping aside from his role at the newspaper for the duration of the campaign.

The referendum was fi rst proposed by Ryan Bartlett, TCDSU President 2011-2012, in December of last year, and officially called for by a motion at the last SU Council of the same academic year.

In an interview with The University Times last year he said, “I’m not convinced that the ‘Stop Fees, Save the Grant’ campaign has represented Trinity students and other colleges seem to have accepted that there is a different sentiment in Trinity.

Th is means that students have to ask whether or not

they want to continue being represented by USI.” Growing dissatisfaction became apparent last year with criticism coming from students at SU Council who asked if the “Stop Fees, Save

including USI President Gary Redmond, was much criticised, viewed by many as an embarrassing move by USI and that raised serious questions as to its political credibility. However, oppo-

Former SU President Ryan Bartlett proposed the referendum in the face of growing dissatisfaction with USI in Trinity

the Grant” campaign, and the November 16th national protest march had the genuine, mandated support of the student body. The occupation of the Department of Jobs by four SU Presidents,

nents of disaffi liation argue that Trinity students must maintain representation on the national stage, and a key question is whether TCDSU alone will still have the ear of the government of the day

Quinn to propose new EU wide ranking system Hannah Ryan Staff Writer IN AN exclusive interview with The University Times News Editor Jack Leahy, Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn suggested that he will use Ireland’s forthcoming presidency of the European Union to pioneer a new university rankings system based on the quality of education alone.

Commenting on this year’s University Ranking and the fear that QS ratings will show standards dropping in Irish universities again, Quinn attributed the worsening results to the “reputational damage” Ireland has suffered as a result of the economic collapse: “The rankings systems are inherently skewed in order to get a particular result from them. It’s one of the themes that I’m looking at in terms of getting a university rankings system based on the quality of education and educational outcomes across Europe during the Irish presidency that starts in January.”

He also stressed the importance of undergraduate education in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) subjects in developing the a smart economy. With CAO points skyrocketing from 2011 in maths-based courses, it seems that interest in these fields of study have soared.

While much of the increase has been gained from the 25 extra points offered to students who counted higherlevel maths among their top 6 results, this added incentive caused a surge in popularity of these subjects.

Points for Mathematics, Engineering and Computer Science rose dramatically across the board, while demand for many humanities and teaching courses either decreasing or staying the same.

“If we want to develop

a smart economy then we start fi rst of all with literacy and numeracy, then with changing the points system for maths, changing how maths is taught, so that you encourage and reward people who go in the direction of the STEM subjects,” Quinn stated. In the long term, funding will be withdrawn from other areas of education and redirected,

comments are disappointing and demonstrate the crude measurements government use to value the work in fourth level. To fi rstly indicate that postgraduate education is being utilised by ‘a very small cohort’ is confusing.

“His words regarding the smart economy proves there

Quinn has blamed the poor ranking performance of Irish universities on flaws in the ranking process along with the €19 million set aside to deal with “illiteracy and innumeracy”, towards developing mathsbased training.

Postgraduate study has already been affected. Th is year’s budget announced that the postgraduate maintenance grant would be scrapped, a measure that Tom Boland, chair of the HEA, labelled “incompatible” with the government’s aim of developing a smart economy. Quinn was dismissive, stating that many areas of study contribute little to a skilled economy: “I don’t think it is incompatible because an awful lot of the people who were doing postgraduate work weren’t necessarily in areas relevant to the smart economy,” Quinn asserted, further stating that “until such a time when we regain control of our own chequebook and our own national economy, we have to make the changes that I’ve made.”

The Minister went on to say that those who continue past undergraduate study enjoy an “additional advantage” which should not be funded by general taxpayers.

Martin J. McAndrew, President of the Graduate Students’ Union in Trinity, responded to Quinn’s statement, saying “The Minister’s

is a disconnected understanding in government to the benefits of postgraduate education. The skills and specialism in postgraduate research, in any field, will translate into benefits for the economy.”

The four-year degree, on the other hand, Quinn describes as “the new Leaving Cert relative to, say, 1950 [to which] access should be maximised as much as possible.” Asked if he considers current routes of access to third level education to be fair, he answered that “in terms of achieving an objective of getting a large number of people into education then it’s probably the most successful in Europe…

In terms of everyone in the country having an equal start in terms of the fi nancial cost then it’s not fair.”

Quinn outlined his shortterm plans to deal with this inequity, particularly focusing on the 42% of students who receive a grant. Th is will involve a reassessment in eligibility assessment, with a potential move towards including capital assets, such as farmland, in means testing. The prospect of such a measure being introduced has already sparked protest from organisations such as the Irish Farmers’ Association.

In spite of the pledge made by Quinn during the 2011 election campaign that Labour would not increase student contribution charges, a steady rise in fees is expected to take place over the next 3 years, stopping at €3000 in 2015. “If there had been a majority Labour government it would have been different,” Quinn said, stating that he does not believe that this has engendered cynicism among student voters. “Perhaps the most cynical people were the USI because they were dealing with different governments.”

With these fee increases the relevance of anti-fee lobbying from groups such as the USI is unclear. “I think the USI does much more than lobbying…Under the direction of the last two or three presidents that I’ve had to deal with [they] are much more coherent, much more responsible an organisation and they have a role to play; they’re partners in education.”

He described his hope that the organisation would become part of a “feedback structure”, particularly in relation to the Croke Park Agreement, which has led to the cutting of library hours and other ancillary services in universities.

Calling for a “Croke Park 2”, Quinn said that it falls to teachers and lecturers to protect their own salaries by “transforming the productivity”, and suggested that if they were to give the standard 39-hour working week rather than their current 22 hours of contact time, such cuts wouldn’t have to take place. The USI could be instrumental in holding third-level structures to “some kind of account” in this area.

and adequately represent students at a national level in the event of disaffi liation The result of the referendum will have fi nancial consequences for the TCDSU. Trinity students collectively contribute €78,000 per year in capitation fees to retain membership of the organisation. €5 of this comes from the €8 levy that most students opt to pay when they register each year. The other €3 is spent on activities and campaigns at the discretion of the local students’ union.

If Trinity students elect to diaffi liate, students may be asked to replace this levy with a levy paid directly to the SU for the purpose of national campaigning. Th is

levy is likely to be lowered from €8 with the consent of the College’s Capitations Committee.

A repeat of last year’s ‘That Th is House Would Disaffi liate From USI’ debate will be organised for the fi rst day of voting and will be a joint initiative of The University Times and the University Philosophical Society. Details will be announced in the coming days, though it is likely that the Phil’s Dave Byrne will return to the lectern to re-affi rm his opposition to TCDSU’s continued affi liation to USI.

Arts Block cloakroom to close Carl Kinsella Staff Writer The College plans to do away with the Arts Building cloakroom service and replace it with a new locker system, The University Times has learned.

While this development will not be immediate, Trinity Communications Office describes the College as ‘in the process of procuring’ the new lockers.

Th is step is regarded by the College as both a necessary and a positive one, allowing the current cloakroom staff ‘to provide more important services on Campus in support of academic activities’ at no loss of service to the students. Th is change has direct consequences for students of the Arts Building who will now have to purchase their own ‘self-service’ locker, rather than make use of a manned cloakroom on a daily basis.

The policy of reshuffl ing staff and shifting workers from one field of duty to another is a clear reflection of the College’s current fi nancial state as well as the restrictions imposed by the Croke Park Agreement which does not expire until 2014. Th is modification to staff closely follows comments by Mike Jennings, General Secretary of IFUT, who has been critical of Trinity College’s failure to uphold the binding recommendations of the Labour Court in the case of a

dismissed lecturer. While it has not been made clear the exact nature of the new roles to be fulfi lled by the former cloakroom staff, it is obvious Trinity seeks to increase its emphasis on aiding students in their academic endeavours.

However, The College fi nds itself in a quandary where it cannot make the current cloakroom staff involuntarily redundant, nor can it simply fi nance the addition of two new members of staff in the new academic-support positions mentioned by the Communications Office. The Communications Office further describes the ‘reductions in staff and budgetary allocations’ as a ‘challenge’, and paints this move as pivotal in maintaining efficiency in the face of a more austere budget.

As of yet the Arts Building cloakroom remains entirely in use and can be utilized by students beginning their academic year this week.

The Communications Office has not specified a date by which the new lockers are expected, though they have specifically described the new ‘self-service’ system as one that will eventually and entirely replace the cloakroom. No further specifics were offered regarding the price or location of the lockers.

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The University Times | September 18, 2012

Trinity slips to 67th in QS World University Rankings » TCD only Irish university in top 100 » Global launch takes place in » UCD ranked 131th Trinity’s Biomedical Institute » Provost praises Trinity’s reseach tradition Leanna Byrne & Fionn O’Dea Deputy Editor & Deputy News Editor

THE NINTH annual QS World University Rankings Press Launch Exclusive Release was hosted in Trinity College Dublin early last week. Th is year was their fi rst live global release with all presentations being streamed online. Trinity College has been ranked in 67th in the QS World University Rankings 2012, dropping two places from 65th last year. The ranking was received following TCD’s launch of the Global Relations Strategy.

The QS University World Rankings is an annual league table that purports to present a multi-faceted portrait of the relative strengths of the world’s top 700 universities. Either side of Trinity in the rankings, at 66th and 68th place respectively, are The University of Sheffield and The University of Texas at Austin. Other Irish universities to make the list include UCD at 131st place; Queen’s at 175th; UCC at 181st; DCU at joint 324th, with DIT and UL falling into the 401-450 bracket.

The process by which the

rankings were conducted was elucidated by Nunzio Quacquarelli, the Managing Director of QS, via recorded message. Quacquarelli said that the mix of objective and subjective indicators employed by QS helps them to keep their rankings, “contemporary and up-to-date.”

Whereas rigid criteria such as the ratio of international students are considered, QS also conducted a global survey of 28,000 employers with experience of recruiting from universities, in what was described as the largest ever survey on university quality, in order to determine which universities offer the most employable graduates.

Quacquarelli appeared adamant that the QS World University Rankings are superior to rival ranking systems, most notably The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, which, by comparison, place Trinity in 117th place.

Quacquarelli attributed their superiority to their commitment to transparency. Last year QS became the

fi rst University Ranking Authority to be independently audited by IREG, the Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence. Paul Thurman, a Clinical Professor at Columbia University, revealed that the, “stable, consistent and predictable” rankings that QS produce are crucial to their favourable reviews.

Commenting on the announcement, the Provost Dr. Patrick Pendergast said that, “today’s ranking confi rms Trinity’s position as Ireland’s premier university, competing at the highest international level. We are proud that we continue to represent Ireland in the top 100 universities of the world despite the decrease in state funding for higher education in Ireland and the increased global competition.

The continued increase in the impact of our research is particularly impressive with the highest score in the past three years.”

Notably, Trinity also achieved high scores in specific areas, including employer reputation, the

university’s academic reputation as a whole, and staffstudent ratio. “Th is is a real testament to the quality of Trinity education,” commented the Provost. Earlier this year, QS individual rankings also placed Trinity in the top 50 world Universities in four subjects and in the top 100 in fourteen other areas. These included English, Language & Literature, which was ranked at an impressive 14th place worldwide, as well as 38th in History and 40th and 45th in Geography and Politics & International studies respectively.

Provost Pendergast spoke highly of Trinity’s history and achievements in research. Recently, researchers have discovered three genes that have distinguished humans from chimpanzees, and an international humanities project that has been established between a number of universities and Trinity is currently investigating the industrial production of graphene. “Research is not something we will ever

The Provost, Dr. Patrick Prendergast at the launch of the QS World Rankings in Trinity’s Biomedical Institute compromise on”, Prendergast emphasised.

Pendergast also commented on the importance of Trinity’s international reputation. With the launch of the Global Relations Strategy prior to the Press Launch, Pendergast touched on a number of related topics such as, “thinking globally”. He spoke about connecting with 90,000 alumni spread across the globe and

talked about internationally diverse staff and students as well as touching on a number of exchange ideas.

The QS rankings are based on four data pillars - teaching, research, employability and internationalisation, a measure which is considered to indicate to prospective students a university’s commitment to facilitating students from overseas. Th is year, internationalisation

College spends over €2 millon on live animals

THE UNIVERSITY Times can reveal that College spending on animals for medical testing has exceeded €2 million since the beginning of the 2005/06 academic year. Over €600,000 was spent on rats, mice, pigs, and dogs for experimentation and research purposes in the 2007/08 academic year alone The purchases of animals for testing were made

by College’s BioResources Unit, the designated internal body for the provision of services to biomedical research. The Biomedical sciences are advertised as a College ‘priority project’ on the College website following the €131 million construction of the Biomedical Sciences Institute on Pearse Street.

The figures released to this newspaper are likely to once again draw attention to College’s much-criticised animal testing practices, which has been subject to significant campaign activity in recent years. In response to having ascertained these figures, a student animal rights activist claims to have been denied access to viewing the animal holding facilities by members of staff on the grounds that she is ‘a potential terrorist’.

In all, 6 rabbits, 41 dogs, 97 pigs, 25,598 rats and 66,297 mice were purchased by the BioResources Unit for testing purposes between

October 2005 and September 2011.

Particularly noteworthy is that the number of mice purchased for testing rose 417% between 2005 and 2010. Mice are considered to be the best model of inherited human disease and share 99% of their genes with humans, and as such they are commonly used in genetic research. Rats are commonly used for toxicology or cancer research, and College researchers have traditionally been pioneers in the latter in particular. 90% of animal testing worldwide is conducted on rodents and that this pattern is reflected in College’s internal practices is no shock in itself.

However, the scale of the expense is likely to enrage animal rights groups nationwide, for whom Trinity’s researchers have long since been a focal point of campaigning.

Renowned Irish author John Banville is among the many public figures to have expressed outrage at the treatment of animals by the College. While these figures do not imply mistreatment of animals on College’s part, the sheer number of animals purchased for medical purposes is likely to anger rights groups.

In an interview with The University Times, DU Animal Rights Society secretary Clementine Cubbertly expressed her organisation’s outrage at the figures, and called for a reappraisal of the credentials of the

veterinarians on the College’s Research Ethics Committee. She also claims to have been denied visitation of the facilities in which animals on the stated grounds that she is a ‘potential terrorist’ and that the society have on a number of occasions been asked to remove posters containing images of animal vivisection for their ‘upsetting’ nature: ‘If you look at the vets who sit on the College ethics committee, you will see that there is no balance; all support animal vivisection and have no regard for animal rights.

‘We, students, are being kept in the dark about College’s mistreatment of animals. If you knew, you’d be disgusted. I don’t just worry about these sickening numbers - I worry that animal testing is happening at all.

‘Animal rights are violated the moment that they are kept in captivity, yet we have been given a laughable poster ban for depicting exactly what goes on in testing facilities. If they are too “upsetting” then they should not be practicing this at all.

I have been denied the right to see what my university is doing because I am supposedly a potential terrorist’.

When asked if a member of College staff had referred to her by such a title, Ms. Cubbertly responded in the affi rmative.

IN AN exclusive interview with The University Times, Union of Students in Ireland president John Logue has described his plans to pursue fully exchequer-funded education by creating a ‘moral outrage’ surrounding waste in third-level institutions. Students will be encouraged ‘not [to pay] once more cent’ for their education while ‘excessive’ salaries prevail.

When asked about the changes he would make to the USI during his presidency, Logue responded that he wished to increase the efficiency of the institution, in part by changing the way campaigning is carried out.

In particular, he has stated that ‘the idea of the national

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Ciara Heneghan Comhfhreagraí na Gaeilge TÁ ‘SEOMRA na Gaeilge’ réidh le hoscailt i mbliana ar champas na Tríonóide don chéad uair riamh. Is spás caidrimh agus comhrá do lucht na Gaeilge sa

engagement’. He also stated commented on the inadequacy of Quinn’s postgraduate loan scheme – ‘St Joseph’s in Galway, they offered a 6% rate, and there’s one in Cork that offered 3%, so there are vastly more equitable systems out there.

We’re trying to create a short term solution by working with the Credit Unions, but also a long term solution.

We are going to try to implement some kind of alternative in possibly twelve or twenty-four months time.’

Worries were also expressed about the spending of college fees – ‘Institutions will always fi nd something to spend the money on, and it will inevitably not be improvement for teacher learning or quality and standards, it will be who has the best swimming pool, the best climbing wall, and that really worries me.’

When asked to comment on the upcoming referendum on Trinity’s continued membership of his organisation, Logue was optimistic – ‘It’s obviously keeping us on our toes and we’re trying to get big results, but it’s also a good way of seeing what is the opinion on USI, and we can take that to improve in the future as well…

No institution is always going to agree with what the representative body says, but we got together on the idea of graduate employment, on the grant, on quality assurance, of waste in the Institutions. There is so much more that unites us than divides us, and I think that it’s great that we have differing views. I think the overall picture is that we agree on so much more.’

Reachtaire an Chumainn Ghaelaigh, go bhfuil sé “an-tábhachtach go núsáideann daoine an seomra [chun] taispeáint don phobal gur rud láidir í an Ghaeilge sa choláiste, agus go bhfuil sé ag teastáil uainn. Chomh maith le sin, caithfidh daoine tuiscint gur seomra oscailte é, agus go bhfuil sé ann do gach duine, ní muintir an chumainn amháin.”

Beidh fáiltiú Seomra na Gaeilge ar siúl ar an gCéadaoin 19/09 ag 18:00.

march has become quite jaded’, and that it would be more effective to ‘create a moral outrage in the months leading up to the budget’.

Waterford IT president Kieran Byrne made headlines this month when details of his expenses and salary were revealed to the public, and Logue has described this incident as ‘just the tip of the iceberg’ in terms of exposure of institutional waste. The USI is also currently in the building stages of a new website called notacentmore.ie, which will attempt to document such waste, by explaining in a direct way why people are paying more for their education than they should be.

Another tactic that Logue described was the task force that the USI has set up to

create a five-year strategy towards fully exchequerfunded education. ‘If we turn around and say ‘we would like you to acknowledge the waste here’, add a right and a left wing to this taskforce, we can come together and say this is our coherent fi nding in our strategy, and [figure out] how to get back to the ’95, ’96 model of exchequer funded education.’ Logue notes that the USI might not seem to be doing enough, ‘because we don’t have the flashy march but we’re actually going to be doing proper lobbying, and effective lobbying.’

Logue also commented on the grant reform that the USI has been pushing for in the last five-six years – ‘what they tried to do with the adjacency rate last year was a crazy measure. It just wasn’t

Choláiste é agus beidh leabhair, nuachtáin agus foilseacháin i nGaeilge ar fáil sa seomra, mar aon le háiseanna tae agus caife.

Tá an Seomra lonnaithe i bhfoirgneamh an Phroinntí (Dining Hall), os cionn bialann an Bhutraigh. Téann tú isteach trí dhoras taobh thiar den Bhutrach, i mBá na Luibheolaíochta, agus suas ansin go barr an staighre.

Stiúraigh Pádraig Schaler, Reachtaire an Chumann Gaelaigh anuraidh, an feachtas ó tús a réime agus bhí coiste agus baill

an Chumann Ghaelaigh, chomh maith le foireann i Roinn na Gaeilge, ag obair go dian thar na blianta chun an dul chun cinn suntasach seo a eagrú. Fuair siad an nuacht ón Space Allocation Committee ag tús an tsamhraidh go mbeadh seomra acu faoi dheireadh don athbhliain. Rinneadh athchóiriú ar an seomra i rith an tsamhraidh agus anois tá an áis réidh do Sheachtain na bhFreshers.

Dar le Niamh Ní Chroinín, Oifigeach na Gaeilge, “léiríonn [Seomra na Gaeilge]

go bhfuil líon na nGaeilgeóirí faoi bhorradh sa choláiste agus go bhfuil an Ghaeilge, mar theanga, ag dul chun cinn i gColáiste na Tríonóide.” Beidh an Seomra ar oscailt i rith an téarma acadúil, Luan go hAoine, idir 9.00rn agus 4.30in, agus beidh imeachtaí eile á reáchtáil ann freisin. “Is iontach an rud é áis dá leithéid a bheith ar fáil agus tá súil againn go mbeidh an-rath ar an togra seo” a dúirt Aongus Dwane, ó Oifig na Gaeilge.

Dúirt Andrew King,

No plans for national student protest Vladimir Rakhmanin Deputy Web Editor

objective data, they remain nevertheless a critical resource for attracting, “internationally mobile students”. Trinity may see the slip in ranking as a hinder to its progress with its Global Relations Strategy, but the Provost remained resolute: “we owe it to our country’s international standing to achieve this [ranking] again, and we are determined to do so”.

thought through - if they’re going to do grant reform properly, at least give it a considerable period of consultation and thought.’

In the interview, Logue also responded to some of the controversy stirred up by a HotPress interview in which he appeared to undermine his mandate to campaign for a ‘free fees’ system.

In the interview for HotPress’s student special, the reporter asked him how he could justify advocating a graduate tax in the April preferendum on third-level funding. In the printed interview, Logue is credited with the statement that the graduate tax option was ‘the most equitable solution in the current climate’: ‘I’ve completely accepted the mandate. My main worry was that when I was listening, somewhat stupidly, to every higher education academic and staffer that I could get my hands on, they were saying ‘it’s not sustainable.’ As much as I was in favour of fully exchequerfunded education, I was really worried we were dropping off a cliff in terms of quality, and I made it clear to her at the time, and now when I get the article, there’s virtually no mention of what I said on exchequer funded education. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. It was irresponsible. I’d love to have had the context – I just don’t think the article was overly fair.’

Later on, Logue criticised the way the preferendum was held – ‘I think USI last year didn’t do enough to promote the preferendum.

They should have done it a lot earlier in the year where they had maximum student

» Student activist claims to have been called “potential terrorist” by College staff.

Jack Leahy News Editor

was heavily emphasised, and seemed to constitute the defi ning factor for excellency in higher education.

Even those universities recording a modest increase in rank, or simply maintaining their previous ranking, are notably being overtaken on this measure.

While the rankings have attracted criticism for their precarious balance between opinion and

e, nee” He ng ad ean a s“a c”. ’s is ng ed

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 | The University Times

4

Honorary professorship conferred upon Ek Tha Tiger director Elizabeth Brauders Staff Writer

The student housing crisis and an increased demand from international students has increased numbers seeking places in Trinity Halls

Daft.ie confirms student housing crisis Hubie Pilkington Staff Writer OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE that students are facing a ‘housing crisis’ in Dublin has been qualified by a recent set of statistics released by property website Daft.ie. The annual Daft Report states that there were 42% fewer properties available in the Dublin market this July than the same period four years ago. Meanwhile, rental properties have fallen by 25% nationwide.

With many more Dublin residents opting to rent as opposed to buying, the number of properties available to students has drastically decreased.; in the current economic climate many young professionals and families have turned to renting. Furthermore, the continued increase in students admitted to third-level courses, evidenced by the many CAO points increases on courses, has resulted in a situation whereby a larger number of junior freshmen

than normal will be unable to obtain lodging in university halls. Respectively, incoming and returning Trinity students of the new academic year are finding it particularly difficult to find housing.

In addition, student living costs have risen steadily over the past 4 years. With the average monthly rent for a double room close to Trinity estimated at just under €500, students can expect to pay nearly €6,000 on rent for a twelve-month contract.

Moreover, the recent grant boundary changes have seen drastic grant cuts for a significant number of students. Food, transport and utilities costs have also risen.

Meanwhile, research carried out by AIB has reported that the amount of disposable income available to students has fallen from €86 to €55 a week in the last four years, a decrease of 36%.

A number of students have expressed their difficult situations to students’

union officers in recent weeks. Speaking to The University Times, one student reported that having arrived at a house for a viewing, ‘there were nearly 50 people waiting see the house and try and get their name on the lease’, adding that ‘it is very hard to compete.’

current housing crisis. He stated that, due to the lack of accommodation available to students, many ‘prospective tenants may find that they have to live further out than expected.’ Furthermore, Rachel Barry of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union’s Accommodation Adviso-

and that students in cities like Cork and Galway are having little trouble finding lodging in the city centres.

In full, this lack of rental properties is having a significant impact on students trying to find accommodation. However, while it is difficult it is not impossible.

FILMING FOR Bollywood blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger began in Trinity last September, providing an Irish and Trinity backdrop to a Bollywood film for the first time.

One year later, the film has been released to audiences internationally to great success, generating 40% more revenue on its release day in India than the previous best-seller. In its opening weekend alone it grossed over €13 million and its director received an honorary professorship from the College.

The plot centres on India’s James Bond equivalent, a spy code-named Tiger, who arrives in Trinity to observe a professor suspected of aiding the Pakistani government. He instead falls in love with the professor’s caretaker, Zoya, beginning a relationship that leads them from Dublin to other international locations.

While the film appears to be a commercial success, it was met with mixed reviews from critics, both in India and overseas. While the location was generally praised, the pace of film has been challenged as slow, and the work of body doubles in action scenes is seemingly unconvincing at times.

An event was held that

coincided with the film’s release in Mumbai to celebrate a century of Bollywood cinema. The founder of Ek Tha Tiger’s production company, Yash Chopra, received an honorary professorship from Trinity College, presented by Trinity’s Vice Provost for Global Relations, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer. The professor of history made it clear that Trinity wishes to continue to strengthen its connections with India through the promotion of its culture; “Yash Chopra is one of the most influential filmmakers of our time. This Honorary Professorship pays tribute to a dazzling career that has spanned five decades during which Mr. Chopra has succeeded in breaking down geographical barriers by enamouring his Indian audience with overseas locations and bringing Indian cinema to the forefront of the global entertainment industry.

“This award has also promoted the possibility of a Bollywood module being developed for students at Trinity College Dublin’s School of Drama, Film and Music, further strengthening Irish educational ties with India.”

However, it is not just Trinity’s drama students who benefit from this Bollywood connection. It is hoped that this international exposure will increase interest in the university

overseas. The Communications office explains “The film has gone on general release … with an expected global audience of 100 million and is therefore viewed as a major means of promoting Trinity to prospective international students, … and a means of promoting it in particular to Indian students.” An increase in international students would lead to an increase in revenue for Trinity, as they are subject to higher tuition fees.

The university has also launched sixteen scholarships for Indian postgraduate students, available for students in all faculties, and continues partnerships with some of India’s foremost institutions of education including Delhi University, IISc Bangalore, IIT Madras and Thapar University.

Trinity’s enthusiastic participation displays an encouraging support for the Arts in a time of economic difficulty, and reflects Trinity’s longstanding reputation for excellence in the Arts. It is not the first time the college has provided a backdrop for the big screen, also featuring in Educating Rita, Circle of Friends and Michael Collins, reinforcing the Communications office statement that “the arts are always valued by the college, in whatever economic cycle.”

Rachel Barry of the SU Accommodation Advisory Service belives students are losing out to young professionals in the rental market

Another couple, recent graduates, spoke of their three-month house hunt ‘contending with families, young professionals and elderly couples.’ They later informed The University Times that they finally had to settle for a three bedroom property costing €2,000 a month.

Ronan Lyons, author of the Daft report, offered possibly the only solution to this

ry Service added that there has already been a ‘huge number of students requesting assistance in finding accommodation in Dublin’.

She added that students are indeed losing out to young professionals in the rental market in Dublin. Interestingly, however, she said that anecdotal evidence suggests that this housing crisis is confined to Dublin

Ms Barry advises that anyone having trouble should ‘modify their expectations’ - the size of the apartment, the distance it is from college, the room type or the area in which they are living – in an effort to guarantee lodgings for the coming academic year.

Salman Khan, the protagonist of Ek Tha Tiger

Phil set to steal Freshers’ Week limelight with guests

wd ds nt, kdng n us m e-

»» Laurie and Goldberg confirmed as guest speakers Hannah Boles Staff Writer ON WEDNESDAY 19th September, the University Philosophical Societyl will play proud host to not one, but two, international

Hollywood superstars in Whoopi Goldberg and Hugh Lawrie.

At 2pm Goldberg will address members of the Phil in

the GMB. As their Facebook event reminds us Whoopi is ‘one of the few people in history to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a

Tony’. In fact she is one of only eleven people to do so, joining the ranks of Audrey Hepburn.

Most people will recognise Whoopi from her role as Sister Mary Clarence/ Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act and Sister Act 2. For those of you that don’t recognise her face you will surely know her voice when you hear it, as the voice of Shenzi, one of Scar’s loyal hyenas, in Disney’s The Lion King. While Whoopi may have had her share of blockbusters, she is also a serious actress as her many awards attest. She made her acting debut in the film The Color Purple starring alongside Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. This impressive debut earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

While she lost to Geraldine Page she still managed to bag herself a Golden Globe for her efforts. Five years later she was once again nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Oda Mae Brown in Ghost. Once again starring alongside big names, such a Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, Whoopi stole the show, this time winning the 1991 Academy Award for

Best Supporting Actress.

Impressive as her film career has been, Whoopi Goldberg’s talents reach far beyond the silver screen.

She has worked in comedy greatly involved with Comic Relief she has co-hosted it along side Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, and in the 1990s starred in the comedy TV show Bagdad Cafe.

She has worked in theatre, both backstage and in the spotlight, winning her 2002 Tony Award for her work as co-producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Whoopi also sits on the panel of The View as a moderator.

Despite having won the showbiz ‘Grand Slam’ - an Oscar, a Tony, a Grammy and an Emmy, Whoopi Goldberg has also invested herself in a number of causes. Her work for Comic Relief was in support of America’s homeless.

Bob Zmuda on the Comic Relief website explains ‘Sayings like “laughter is the best medicine” were being tossed around. So why not build on that idea? Why couldn’t you use laughter to raise both money and the consciousness of the American people? And, with the help of a few friends, Comic Relief was born.’ Having used her

comedic talents for a worthy cause, Whoopi Goldberg has also shown her support for LGBT communities. In 2010, she launched the Give a Damn Campaign which is trying to raise awareness of the discrimination that many LGBT communities face.

Four hours later, at 6pm in the Exam Hall in Front Square, the Phil will once again host a renowned actor, none other than Hugh Laurie OBE. Educated in Eton and then Cambridge, Hugh Laurie first got into acting after joining Cambridge Footlights (for any new budding Freshmen actors, DU Players is our equivalent). In Footlights, Laurie met both Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry. In his final year at Cambridge, Laurie was President of Footlights while Emma Thompson was the Vice-President. That year, Laurie and Fry wrote The Cellar Tapes, which along with Thompson, they took to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and there won the first ever Perrier Comedy Award.

Having won this award The Cellar Tapes transferred to the West End and the careers of all three have been

growing ever since.

Laurie and Fry continued to work together throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Some of their collaborations include A Bit of Fry & Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster, while the BBC One drama Blackadder helped to make both men famous this side of the Atlantic. Laurie has since starred in numerous productions, including Emma Thompson’s rewriting of the classic Jane Austen novel Sense and Sensibility, as well as the successful American Stuart Little films. However it was the American TV show House that made Hugh Laurie a household name. With his highly praised American accent, Laurie plays the obnoxious, irritable doctor perfectly and won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Dr. Gregory House two consecutive years running.

Like Whoopi Goldberg, Hugh Laurie is a multi-talented individual and is both a published author and skilled musician. In 1996 he released his debut novel The Gun Seller which became a best-seller. More recently, in 2011, he released his first album Let Them Talk. On 23 May 2007, Queen Elizabeth

II honoured Laurie with an Order of the British Empire award (OBE) for his services to the British TV and film industry, particularly for his work in comedy.

Given the origins of Hugh Laurie’s career in his university drama society Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are still close friends (Fry was best man at Laurie’s wedding), something worth considering this week while signing up to societies - as well as his international reputation as Dr. House, this event is one that is bound to attract large number of students from across campus and has already drummed up a lot of excitement on social media sites.

For anyone eager to meet these two superstars, famous for their sense of humour as well as their acting skills, and hear what they have to say, the important information to remember is Whoopi Goldberg, 2pm at the GMB and Hugh Laurie, 6pm - although queueing earlier is advised to avoid disappointment - in the Exam Hall. The events are free to members of the society; membership costs €6 for four years.

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012 | The University Times

6

UTFEATURES

“In a majority Labour government it would have been different” Minister for Education Ruari Quinn remains a divisive figure among students. In this exclusive interview with News Editor Jack Leahy, Minister Quinn discusses everything from third level funding to the now imfamous pledge not to raise the Student Contribution Charge.

There are many reasons to praise Ruairí Quinn’s contribution to all levels of education so far, even if most of his reforms will not be realised until he has long since left office. However, it is in third-level education that Quinn finds his most vocal detractors as he toes the line between the ideal and the pragmatic; a personal preference for universal thirdlevel access irresolvably at odds with funding problems in Irish universities arising from the current economic difficulties. Up to 80% of the national education sector is said to be protected under the Croke Park Agreement; cuts have to come from the remaining 20%, leaving him with the fundamental political premise that not everyone can be pleased and the reality that no one ever will be. That’s before you consider the shadow cast by the intangible yet imposing International Monetary Fund.

Quinn is sovereign over a desperately small portion of his own portfolio, yet he appears uninterested in soliciting sympathy. As his press secretary conducts the perfunctory introductions, his body language reflects a rather bullish mood, ready to reaffirm his criticisms and defend his record in office. It’s hard to determine whether his pragmatism is cause or effect, but in any case it has ensured his preparation for me.

A defence of Quinn typically recognises that he is often the willing artist of the devil horns on his own caricature. That’s where I choose to begin, as I sense that many other students politicians and journalists have done before. Where else can you begin?

Specifically, I want to ask him about his decision to sign a pledge outside of Trinity College pledging not to increase third-level fees on the campaign trail for the 2011 election. The pledge lasted all of ten months before the annual budget declared a €250 rise. What was he thinking?

‘I don’t regret it. I was asked to do it, and it’s what I believe in. I don’t believe that there should be a financial barrier to entry into third-level education no more than there is to secondary education. It didn’t get into the programme for government and I did what I had to do.

‘If there had been a majority Labour government it would have been different but we didn’t get that. I was asked specifically to sign a pledge. Perhaps the most cynical people were the USI because they were dealing with different governments.

If I hadn’t signed it, it would have been a different story.

But there’s nothing certain in politics’.

Quinn is admired for his constructive if somewhat brash honesty. His comments alluding to his party’s coalition with Fine Gael reminds us of the difficulty faced by minor coalition partners in austere times: the current coalition’s difficulties are mirrored in the UK by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, while the Progressive Democrats and the Green Party remind us of the most extreme consequences of failed coalition. Given the difficulties that have emerged in recent weeks, it is hard to imagine any other politician speaking in such blunt terms about the sac-

the fee rises incrementally to €3,000 by 2015, the minister spoke of expanding beyond traditional regional clusters of quality education and achieving efficiencies but not of any direct financial assurances: ‘We will be this year publishing the response of the third-level institutions to the future landscape of third-level education in this country. I suspect - though I have no basis factually for this, rather I’m working from informed speculation - that these is massive duplication and over-supply in certain areas.

‘The reality is that around the seven or eight universities (if you include DIT) we have regional clusters for third-level education. It makes sense: people sleep in their own bed and their mammy still feeds them and it’s cheaper so we have to be aware of that in terms of access. We have to realign the third-level education system to eliminate a lot of the duplication that’s there.’

“Student loans are part and parcel of the landscape in many parts of Europe” rifices the arrangement has necessitated.

‘We [a hypothetical Labour Party majority] would still try and maintain that there would be no cash barrier to people entering into third-level education. At present, 42% of students at undergraduate level receive a grant, and at the moment the party are asking questions as to whether the basis upon which eligibility for these grants is assessed is fair.’

A belief in fairness was the foundation of ‘free fees’, introduced by Quinn as Minister for Finance in 1995 during Niamh Breathnach’s term in his current office.

The fee remission scheme was based on the principle of equality of access and opportunity, but the introduction of the ‘student contribution charge’ and its persistent rises have presented a challenge to that ideal. When asked how he would maintain access as

A proactive attempt to eliminate waste and duplication would certainly prove popular with the leadership of the USI, whose anti-fees campaign will seek to derive its force from national outrage surrounding waste and excessive salaries in the education sector. Like fellow Labour politicians Michael D. Higgins (President) and Pat Rabbitte (Minister for Communications), Quinn has a history in the student movement and was the first Minister for Education to recognise USI in legislation.

That third-level fees will rise to €3,000 by 2015 is all but set in stone; the minister refers to a future date when the country can ‘regain control of its chequebook’, the implication being that most fiscal decisions made before such a time will be influenced by external monetary authorities. With that in mind, questions have to be asked as to how effectively a

Fecal Matters Jack Danaher Contributing Writer

R

ENÉ DESCARTES. DAVID Hume.

(Derek?) Socrates.

Life’s great thinkers.

Some of the deepest men to have ever lived. Men who shared a common gift; an ability to ponder and

ultimately provide answers to questions concerning the human condition and its many intricacies. Their ideas are still being discussed today by academics, and forced on you by that one douche at the party in the Che Guevara tshirt.

So what was it that bound these men together, that single definitive trait they all shared, and, despite being born epochs apart, allowed them to generate thoughts so vivid and progressive that they would endure the sands of time? Yep,

Photo by Owen Bennett union can lobby the government. Speaking on the USI and its role in education policy, the minister was mostly positive, but suggested that last year’s seemingly impulsive series of occupations are best left in the student movement’s radical past. He described the organisation as ‘partners in education’ and seemed to encourage the organisation to maintain its respectability: ‘I think the USI does much more than lobbying. There were three stages to the student movement - I was part of the first one when we weren’t recognised and we were out on the street, and the only way you could dialogue was by confrontation and occupation. We occupied the school of architecture in UCD because we were set to lose our international recognition from the RIBA, which in the 1960s was the equivalent of an international degree.

‘I think now the USI, under the direction of the last two or three presidents that I’ve had to deal with are much more coherent, much more responsible an organisation and they have a role to play; they’re partners in education. These are people in the main in their 20s who can vote, so they should have a role in formulating policy in education and be taken seriously.

‘I’m the first Minister for Education ever to actually inscribe and recognise USI in legislation and recognise their role in formulating policy in terms of the qualifications legislation and

that’s the way to go.’

‘If USI were to do for student finance what it did for student travel or if it were to do something similar in the area of student travel, it could have the kind of constructive role that it has in many other countries. USI is a confederation of different students’ unions and often elections have descended into farce over non-issues.

If they don’t take themselves seriously then they can’t expect the rest of the world to take them seriously.’

There are significant hurdles to overcome in thirdlevel education, and funding is just one of them. In recent years, however, a correlation has been assumed between cuts to core funding and an almost unilateral fall seen by Irish universities in third-level world rankings.

Trinity is now 67th worldwide according to QS and is the only Irish university in the top 100. These rankings impact upon the notional pedigree of a degree, with the most likely impact of a fall being a slight decrease in the number of international students applying for places in the university.

Rankings season, which began last week with the announcement of the QS Rankings in Trinity College, typically heralds announcements from university heads advocating a diverse range of necessary funding alternatives to arrest what is now an annual slide. Quinn, however, is not satisfied with the perceptual nature of some of the ranking criteria and suggests that he will

use Ireland’s forthcoming EU presidency to look at alternative university ranking systems: ‘Well, first of all the rankings are a fact of life, just like tourists guides are - you get everything from the Lonely Planet guide to the Backpackers’ and everything else. The rankings systems are inherently skewed in order to get a particular result from them. It’s one of the themes that I’m looking at in terms of getting a university rankings system based on the quality of education and educational outcomes across Europe during the Irish presidency (of the EU) that starts in January.

‘The drop that Ireland has experienced in the QS, Times, and Shanghai rankings was related to one massive shift when you actually go into it: the reputational damage suffered by Ireland as a result of the economic collapse. Academic peers - of which I gather there were 35,000 in one cluster were asked ‘what is your impression of Ireland?’. Most of these people have never been to Ireland, and the drop in funding was nothing like the drop in perception.

Rankings aren’t going to go away, and I’m not trying to rubbish them, but I do believe that we should try and understand them.’

Perception has a definite impact on a university’s relative standing, but one of the more weighted categories is postgraduate education. Quinn sits on the Higher Education Authority, which is responsible for

third-level education policy in Ireland. At a students’ union training event in Athlone over the summer, HEA chief executive Tom Boland described the 2012 Budget’s scrapping of the postgraduate maintenance grant was ‘incompatible’ with the government’s aim of developing a smart economy. How does he feel about that?

‘Well, I don’t think it is incompatible because an awful lot of the people who were doing postgraduate work weren’t necessarily in areas relevant to the smart economy. They were certainly doing very interesting work for both themselves and certain sectors.

‘However, if we want to develop a smart economy then we start first of all with literacy and numeracy, then with changing the points system for maths, changing how maths is taught, so that you encourage and reward people who go in the direction of the stem subjects. That’s a 25-year project. Sure, I’ve started it, but I’ll be long gone by the time the first wave of that starts to manifest itself. Until such a time when we regain control of our own chequebook and our own national economy, we have to make the changes that I’ve made.

‘For graduate education, I don’t think it’s right in principle that general taxpayers would fund a very small cohort of students who, having gone to College and benefited from undergraduate education - which I think they should do because the fouryear degree has become the

new Leaving Certificate relative to, say, 1950 and therefore access to that should be maximised as much as possible - but after that the people who go into graduate studies have an additional advantage and I don’t think that the taxpayer should contribute to the cost of it.’

I sense the agitation of his secretary - this is, after all, one of the most soughtafter men in the country by people like me. My last question: Bank of Ireland are providing student loans.

Is this the way forward for funding third-level education?

‘We welcome it; student loans are part and parcel of the landscape in many parts of Europe as well as the United States. However, the student loan environment in the United Kingdom looks pretty malign. Will Hutton has written a review for The Guardian as to the impact of the student loan system in britain which reckons that UK students will be the most indebted graduates in the world, and that’s the last thing any of us want to achieve.’

A look at my watch confirms that I have spent only seventeen minutes in the company of the minister, but he seemed as determined as me to get through as much as possible in a necessarily short period. Typical Quinn: so much to do, so little time to do it. Like him or loathe him, you have to admire that.

you guessed right. Every day these men would drop trousers and take their rightful seat on the porcelain throne.

You see, in my personal experience (and, being a fan of fibre-rich foods, I’d consider myself a bit of an expert at this stage) the time of day when I’m deepest in thought is those few minutes when my anchor is being painstakingly lowered into porcelain bay (that’s the end of the metaphors for bodily functions, I promise).

Also, considering I have reddy hair and scrubby cheeks, I feel I represent a pretty accurate cross section of the Irish population, and thus any personal physiological occurrences, and experiences thereof, mirror those of society at large, which leads me to presume that anyone reading this executes their motions in the exact same way that I do. We digress.

As a tot I used to take a book in with me, but that lead to pretty long sessions

in the bathroom, and once I reached thirteen, spending forty five minutes in the bathroom was enough to arouse my mother’s suspicion that I was doing more than just reading. 45 minutes! Who was she kidding? When I was thirteen I couldn’t even last four. (Still can’t, mind you.) I was left to brave the bathroom sans literature, and so my journey down the rabbit hole began.

For a long time there was no practical application of my thoughts, I’d just sit there thinking about football or school beer and sex.

In fact, it was only last year I discovered the practicality of the phenomenon. On that occasion I happened to have an assignment due a few days later, and was struggling with a bout of writer’s block. There I was, perched on the throne, settling in for a couple of minutes of playing basketball with Tom Hardy (each to their own), when an idea for the assignment burst into being in my

head. I explored it further and by the time I had vacated Trap 2, and apologised to the guy walking in, I had an in-depth plan in place for the assignment. An epiphany of sorts, I suppose.

There’s a Top Tip for you: Having trouble studying?

Wolf down a bowl of AllBran and let nature take its course. You heard it here first, folks.

I’m sure right about now the cynics among you are doubting the existence of a link between activity in the bowels and stimulation of the frontal lobe (there’s a project for the anatomy department). To all those naysayers, likely of a similar ilk to those who iron their socks or use Flora instead of real butter, I feel there’s sufficient evidence to back this point up.

Take, for instance, the sculpture “The Thinker”

by Auguste Rodin. According to ever reliable source Wikipedia, “it is often used to represent philosophy”.

Wikipedia goes on to say “it depicts a man in sober meditation battling with a powerful internal struggle”.

Oh, did I also mention he’s squatting on a plinth bearing a strong resemblance to a toilet bowl?

Still not convinced? How about this. Children begin to experience cognitive development between the ages of 2 and 6 (Yes, I actually looked this up). This means that past the age of two, children are able to more quickly develop methods which allow to them to solve more complex problems than they could have previously done (obviously at age 2 these “complex” problems are things like whether they’ll watch Barney or William’s Wish Wellingtons, but to a one year old solving that kind of issue is Nobel Prize winning material).

Another reliable internet source, and also shortlisted for the Most Hilariously Ridiculous Website Name on the Internet Award, www.

pottytrainingconcepts.com tells us (in their “Tips” section) that the right time to potty train your child is anytime from 18 months up to 2 years.

Let’s recap. Humans begin to drop a deuce (I lied when I said it was the end of the metaphors) alone at around 2 years of age. Humans also begin to develop mentally at a much faster pace from the age of 2 onwards.

Coincidence? I think not.

And with the age at which children become potty trained getting lower and lower, according to a fact I just made up, the future’s looking bright.

So, armed with this knowledge, GO FORTH AND POO! Hopefully if more people stop talking shite and start taking them, the world will be a more learned place.

Anyway, I’ve an exam next week. 12 pints and a curry please, barkeep, and put a toilet roll in the fridge.

7

The University Times | Tuesday, September 18, 2012

UTFEATURES

Breaking the silence on prostitution The Minister for Justice recently announced that he would be accepting public submissions with regard to the direction of future prostitution legislation. Here, we analyse the background to this initiative and speak to a student formerly involved in prostitution.

Interview by Jack Leahy Words by Rachel Lavin At the start of the Summer Minister for Justice Alan Shatter announced that he would be accepting submissions for a public discussion on the Future Direction of Prostitution Legislation, sparking a controversial discourse on the nature of the sex trade in Ireland. Since his announcement in June, submissions have been spilling in from many different perspectives on prostitution in Ireland, from various interest groups but most importantly from sex workers themselves, shedding light on the dark underworld of prostitution in this country, straight from the source.

Prostitution itself, as in, the exchange of sexual services for money, is legal in Ireland. However, following the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act of 1993, the soliciting or importuning of another person in a street or public place for the purpose of prostitution, loitering for the purpose of prostitution and advertising brothels and prostitution was banned. On top of this, organizing prostitution by controlling or directing the activities of a person in prostitution, coercing one to practice prostitution for gain, living on earnings of the prostitution of another person, and keeping a brothel or other premises for the purpose of prostitution were also banned.

While banning the soliciting of sexual services in public removed prostitution from the public eye, it merely served to push prostitution

indoors and further underground. Pushing prostitution off the streets and behind closed doors has subsequently created the ideal situation for ‘brothel-keeping’ and ‘pimping’ which is believed to have increased significantly in the past decade. Furthermore prostitutes themselves became criminalized through their causal involvement in brothels and advertising.

Rather than serving to protect or alleviate prostitution, the 1993 legislation merely served to push prostitution off the public radar and into a self-perpetuating cycle of illegality and danger, unreachable and ungovernable, allowing Ireland’s sex industry to thrive.

The government is out of touch with the sex worker community which it has effectively ostracized and as such very little is known about the extent or nature of underground prostitution that has developed in the past decade. The security forces estimate there are about 820 prostitutes working each day in the Republic and Northern Ireland. According to research by the Immigrant Council of Ireland, 97 per cent of women involved in prostitution in Ireland are immigrants which would suggest human trafficking is ongoing.

Prostitutes of many nationalities now reside in Ireland and Ruhama, an organization opposed to prostitution, reported to the government in 2006 that they knew of over 200 women trafficked into Ireland. There has been a marked increase in people turning towards the internet and sites as a more effective

means of advertising and The Turn Off The Red Light campaign, who are for the criminalisation of the buyer of sex as opposed to the seller, claims 1,000 women, predominantly migrants, are offered for sex every day in Ireland through the internet. They also report that up to 90 per cent of women in prostitution want to exit, but feel unable to do so.

These figures are however mere estimates based only on the percentage of sex workers who come into contact with law enforcement and charitable agencies. The real numbers involved in the world of prostitution could potentially be significantly higher. The underground sex industry is steeped in darkness and the extent and nature of what really goes on beneath the indomitable red glow is unknown.

That is until recently. In an attempt to break down the barrier that exists between the government and women who feel isolated, criminalized and trapped in their role as prostitutes, Shatter’s ‘Discussion’ plan aims to break the silence.

The ‘Public discussion on the Future Direction of Prostitution Legislation’ invited those directly affected by prostitution to speak out in an open and safe platform, offering reform and protection, the chance to have their voices heard and their positions decriminalized.

Ruth’s story One of these voices, encouraged by the campaign to publicise the problems of

prostitution and highlight unknown areas, is fourth year student, Ruth*. Ruth has chosen to speak out to UT about the area of student prostitution in which she herself became embroiled.

As a first year student, struggling to find a job and buckled with debt, Ruth was targeted and coerced under the pretense of ‘escort’ work.

“I was on a night out and I got chatting to a man who kept buying me drinks. He gave me his number and told me he could make me a lot of money for keeping his clients company. He assured me it was harmless and at the time I didn’t perceive that he was after something else.”

Motivated by her financial insecurity Ruth accepted Paul’s* offer. “I made contact with him the next morning. I had five euro left for the rest of that week and several causal loans to pay off, including one not-socasual overdraft. I had to. I couldn’t not. He brought me for a fancy dinner that same evening - he was keen - and began to ask a lot of personal questions Towards the end, I was getting uncomfortable but then he mentioned fourfigure sums for a few hours of work. It seemed too good to be true and it turned out to be.”

Coerced into a meeting, Ruth soon realized that the situation was far more serious than she had initially suspected. “That next week, I met with a man Paul referred to as a ‘client’. I was only under instruction to keep him company, privately and that he was important. Then he started having sex with me. I can’t say I

hadn’t developed suspicions about the arrangement by this stage but I was still shocked. I felt violated but obliged to continue because of the situation I had found myself in and the prospect of pay. I closed my mouth and put up with it. I can still remember every minute of it. It makes me feel ill.”

When asked what kept her involved in prostitution Ruth admits it was the financial pressure of university that forced her. “The money. I needed the money.

I couldn’t but return. It was humiliating, but physically I was ok and it wasn’t a timeintensive job. Paul promised to keep me safe and I believed him. But no. He had other girls working for him so he couldn’t keep an eye on everyone. I was beaten quite badly a few times and a load of clients refused to use contraception. I never got pregnant and I’ve never been tested for anything.

I’m afraid to. There were bad nights, bad days and bad clients. Bruises, cuts,

and one broken bone. I had to do things that aren’t natural. Things that make me sick to think about. People who make me sick...made me sick.”

When we asked Ruth what motivated her to speak out and share her shocking account of such a difficult issue she responded “this happens. People will tell you that this country supports people in need but it doesn’t. It really doesn’t. I had a top-level grant but I still couldn’t keep up payments. I tried to get a less scandalous job for most of the year but I couldn’t. The fact is though, that if someone looks into this hard enough, they’ll find that I’m by no means the only one.

That has to be done. Someone has to make someone do something about this. I’m lucky now (that I have a job) that I could get out. Plenty of the girls won’t be that lucky.” Ruth recounts meeting many fellow students through her time as an escort. While Ruth was able

to escape the world of prostitution and find a better job to fund herself through college, she admits her time as a prostitute came at a much bigger cost.

When asked about the psychological effects of such work Ruth responded “it costs your sanity. I felt disgusting. I still do. You never ever get used to it. The lifestyle you can live as a student, compared to what you led before, makes it attractive. But no one enjoys it.

Not a single girl or guy in the business enjoys it. It makes you feel like the lowest form of human existence.”

While Ruth’s story is a harrowing one, her bravery in speaking out must be admired and is precisely the kind of submission that Minister Shatter hopes will shed light on a very dark underworld. With the courage of sex workers to speak out, the realities of prostitution can be uncovered, analysed, and reform implemented.

Women involved in prostitution reacted to this offer

en force and an unexpectedly vast number of submissions were received, so much so that the deadline on submissions had to be extended.

Mr. Shatter closed submissions on August 31st and now promises to review the variety of accounts in search of a better answer. The campaign has resulted in a community of prostitutes and ex-prostitutes speaking out about the conditions of their occupations, forcing the realities of the sex industry onto a public platform and under the Minister’s nose. It will be up to him as to if and how the government tries to bring the ‘oldest trade in the world’ to an end.

All names in this article have been changed to protect the identity of those involved.

Any readers adversly affected by the content of this article should contact the SU Welfare Officer at welfare@ tcdsu .org

Gender Balance in Trinity Hannah McCarthy & Ursula Ní Choill

‘

A SOCIETY THAT is without the voice and vision of women is not less feminine’, said Mary Robinson, ‘it is less human.’ Less than 14% of the Dáil are women.

Recognising that gender inequality at parliament level is unrepresentative of any society, half of the countries of the world use some type of electoral quota for their parliament. Rwanda, just above Sweden, boasts a parliament where over 50 per cent of the representatives are women. Ireland is falling far behind.

Despite having a larger female population (in the year 2010/11 the female student population made up 59.4%) the gender balance of many of Trinity’s biggest societies and publications echo that of the Dáil. This year none of the Top five Societies have female chairs.

Last year The Hist was the only top five society to have a female chair. Last year only one female acted as either Treasurer or Secretary on any of the Top five Society committees, and this pattern is repeated again this year.

Overall last year, male students occupied 70% of all chairperson positions in societies, 75% of all treasurer positions and 47% of secretary positions. Overall data for this year’s societies was not available at the time of publication.

Among the editorial positions of Trinity’s publications where so many journalists have honed their craft, women are similarly underrepresented. Last year, the editors of The

University Times, Trinity News, TN2, Miscellany, Icaurs and Piranha included just two women. This year only one of those editorial positions (Miscellany) is occupied by a woman. A reoccurring theme in Irish life is the absence of female editors and producers setting the narratives through which we engage with many of today’s pressing issues.

When you factor in that journalism and media are

TCD Law Soc), Mary Harney (Auditor of The Hist), Eamon Gilmore (President, USI), Michael McDowell SC (Auditor, UCD Law Soc), Minister Lucinda Creighton (Chair, Trinity Young Fine Gael), Dara O’Briain (Auditor, UCD L’n’H), Senator Ivana Bacik (President, TCD SU), Supreme Court Justice Adrian Hardiman (Auditor ,Law Soc, President UCD DU).

Last year male students occupied 70% of all chairperson positions” industries which place great emphasis on experience and the sort of practical skills that are gained through running and editing a student publication, these are worrying times.

Does it matter that female students are consistently lacking in leadership roles in Trinity’s societies, and in particular in the largest societies? In short, yes.

Academics are of course a vital part of any student’s personal development but the skills, contacts and experience that can be gained from managing the finances, committee and membership of a society provide an invaluable training exercise in the sort of challenges that face leaders and managers in the private sector and in government, albeit on a much (much) smaller scale. The main universities of Ireland all have major societies, clubs and organisations which have served as springboards for future political and public figures: Mary Robinson (Auditor of

Leaders do not spring forth perfectly formed. Education and life experience all shape the potential for leadership into real ability and effective skills, and of course a CV that says Chair of a major Trinity Society probably helps too.

In assessing why women are not progressing to the top positions in industry and government the entire route to the top must be examined to see where it is that potential leaders are falling through the cracks.

Gender quotas for political parties such as those introduced by the Dail this summer are an effective but, nonetheless, blunt instrument in addressing the reoccurring gender imbalance in Irish public life. Ireland’s particular parochial brand of politics means that experience in student societies, local interest groups and sports groups are, whether we like it or not, hugely important. Gender quota legislation alone is not going to solve the problem of a lack of

female participation in Irish public life.

It should be emphasised why it is necessary to address the gender imbalance.

Some suggest that surely we can’t have representatives from every group in society, simply to represent their views. They forget that women are not a group, let alone a minority group. There are women in all political movements, in almost every industry and from many cultural backgrounds in Ireland. They don’t stand in parliament to represent women. Women disagree on many issues. They are however, much more likely to raise certain issues. For example, not all women have the same views on abortion, but a parliament with a gender balance is more likely to discuss abortion. A Dail chamber with more female politicians would be likely to raise many issues that have yet to be seriously tackled in Ireland – sexual assault and gender based violence, reproductive health, childcare, domestic violence.

As Liz O’Donnell has stated: not improving women’s representation means our democracy is unfinished and uncomplete. New legislation is only a corrective step towards a more balanced parlimentary representation in wider Irish society. Within the university environment we have the task of examining what is dissuading female students from taking up top positions in our societies and how we can ensure talent and abilitiy is fostered no matter what gender the possessor of that talent and ability is.

A new era of tuition financing Daire Collins Staff Writer

B

ANK OF IRELAND have for the first time unveiled their College Finance Loan this year.

As it currently stands the loan is being offered in 25 colleges and universities across the country, including Trinity, UCD and DCU. Offering the opportunity “to spread the cost of your son or daughters’ university Student Contribution Charge”, the scheme pays the Student Contribution Charge directly to the higher educational institution for up to five years of study, not including repeating a year or dropping out.

Firstly the difference between BOI’s College Finance Loan and a student loan, like those offered in England, must be identified. This difference is vast. Although the state owns about 35% of Bank of Ireland, this scheme is not being offered as a public service. It is being run by a bank with the intention of turning a profit. In order to guarantee full-repayment,

this scheme is only being offered to parents of students, not to students themselves.

Only in exceptional circumstances will the loan be offered to other blood relatives.

A reduced interest rate of 5.1% APR is offered during the student’s time of study.

However upon graduation this interest rate is increased to 9.7% on the remainder of the principle amount to be repaid. The loan must be begun to be repaid immediately with a minimum of €100 a month necessary to continue receiving the loan. This minimum monthly repayment is increased to €155.38 upon graduation and will continue for three years at this amount or if it is fully paid off prior to this. Over a four year course if a person makes only the minimum repayments, the cost of the credit amounts to €1388.32.

This loan is a long way from allowing students to become independent of their parents during their college years. Currently as it stands, there is only a very limited market for this

scheme. Firstly, it is only applicable to parents/guardians of students, not students themselves. Thus, students will still have to rely on their family to fund their way through college.

Secondly most families that are unable to meet the registration requirements have an income which is below the €55,000 Student grant threshold. This loan does provide relief to a niche group, those who have multiple children in college or a burdened by heavy debt and therefore have limited cash.

This scheme fails where it could be most useful. Since it is only worthwhile to these cash strapped families, there should be an option to increase the amount borrowed to fund college related expenses. The contribution fee is just one of the many costs of attending university full time. Food, books and transport are in no way addressed in this College Finance Scheme. It is hard to imagine that any family is forced to avail of this scheme has the costs of all these extras completely

covered.

For Trinity students, there is another option for paying fees this year. The contribution charge may be split in two halves. The first would be due as per normal while the second due by the 31st of January. This option is not subject to a cost. While the payments are large, the time between them helps ease the burden on those paying the charge.

The mere existence of this type of scheme highlights the need for the government to take the initiative and create a student loan system which does not exist to make a profit but to provide an equal opportunity for all to attend university. The reasonably high interest rate (especially after graduation), the monthly repayments, the inability to increase the loan and the unavailability to independent students are all issues which need to be urgently addressed. It is quite likely that in the coming years there will need be big changes made to this scheme.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 | The University Times

8

UTFEATURES

It starts with a question mark Shelley Stafford offers an insight into the expectations of a Fresher student stepping through Front Arch for the very first time

I

FEEL AS IF I’m living in a poorly directed late night documentary entitled “Life After the Leaving Cert - Happily Ever After?” (The question mark included purposely by some wishy-washy marketing executive as a half-hearted stab at creating hype.) An observational piece, detailing the contrived hardships and foibles of a girls’ journey into university life, and, like any half decent protagonist, my outlook on the future is stumbling to-and-fro between concealed, trembling excitement and audible, whiny dread. Nowadays I spend long hours gazing into the middle distance (and the laptop screen), pondering Fresher’s Week, worrying about meeting new people, and hoping for the best. It makes for generic, clichéd viewing and satisfies my inner dramatic.

Orientation and orienteering are two very similar words, and I suspect that’s no mistake on the part of some witty linguist.

The unique and distinctive thing about Trinity is that I’ll be lost somewhere that’s incredibly familiar.

It’s shameful really that I have absolutely no idea as to where I’m going. It’s not as if there aren’t tours every twenty minutes, or that we weren’t shown around on the open day. For the first time in my life, I won’t

just be wandering aimlessly about the campus admiring the magnificent architecture, and the library sculpture that looks like the Death Star. I’ll be a part of the scenery and the flow of students, with a list of things to do, lessons to learn and people to see. I’ll even have that magical card that means I can go into the places where the hordes of tourists can’t venture! I’m contemplating printing off and laminating the TCD/Regular People English dictionary, and carrying it around with me like a fool. I suppose I’ll look as silly as sandals in Winter trawling through a sheet whenever somebody says something exotic, like “Michaelmas”, but at the very least I’ll be the prepared idiot. If there is such a thing. The sheepish optimist in me is hoping for cobblestones and giggles, azure skies, golden sunshine and a built in sat nav. But the same inner optimist has a monkey on her shoulder and a talking back-pack, so I don’t usually pay her much heed.

If this was really a documentary, there would most certainly be numerous close-ups of fumbling hands and darting eyes, and a muffled voice-over declaring that “this would be so much easier if I wasn’t so horrendously socially awkward.” Up to, and including this point, my entire

methodology on ‘making friends’ consisted of sitting next to someone who I reckoned looked friendly, for just long enough so that they felt compelled to talk to me. Perhaps it may be time to revise that procedure. What might have passed as cute or endearing six years ago could quite possibly be considered creepy now. “Hello” and “How are you?” mightn’t be a bad idea. Mostly I’m just frightened about being on my own again for the first time in over six years. It’s the perennial ‘small fish big pond’ conundrum that seems to roll around every so often in life. In my very worst mental picture there are thousands upon thousands of people milling about the Campanile and not a single soul will meet my eyes. Which is ridiculous. Especially seeing as everyone I’ve ran into so far has been simply lovely. It’s like the first day of Primary school all over again, except I’ve no grey pinafore, and my Mammy isn’t outside at the gate waiting for me. I think those first day jitters will always feel the same, whether you’re five or eighty-five. Only now there’s some unwritten and uncharted law that states we must appear aloof, cool and in control. Sadly I’m incapable of achieving all three simultaneously.

As an eldest child, the

Photo by John O’Connor majority of my knowledge of college life has been accumulated from American TV shows and overheard snippets of conversation. I envy people who have older siblings to hand over fistfuls of practical advice and guidance. For me, even the simplest things like registration and orientation are complete and utter mysteries.

I am the first person in my family taking those tentative steps into university life; I’m carving out my own path

for the future. It’s frightening, as if everyone expects me to have picked up all the skills and maturity that goes along with adulthood.

But I haven’t, and I don’t really believe anyone has yet. Perhaps that’s the wonder of college. We parade around as grown ups, chatting about rent and jobs and bills, and then, when nobody else is looking, we become the children we really are. Not enough cynicism for full-blown adulthood,

but just enough sense to be let out on our own. Someone please queue the cheesy shot of the rain gradually pattering to a halt, and the startling appearance of a rainbow.

Happily Ever After? I’m not quite sure yet. Maybe ask me that question again in six months time and I’ll have a better idea. Perhaps, at that stage, I’ll have a better clue of where I’m going, a couple of new friends to call my own and a real, working

notion of what college is about. Right now everything is baby steps, a smidgeon of excitement, a few drops of hope and a spattering of fear. All I have to move forward on is an orientation timetable and second-hand accounts of what to expect.

The best approach, for me anyway, may just be diving in. None of this “toe-dipping wincing because it’s cold” business. Simply taking a deep breath, and plunging straight into college life, and

believing that these really will be the most enjoyable, rewarding and memorable four years of my life. And so the screen fades to white, a familiar twinkly piano riff playing as the names drop off of the screen. This beginning starts with a question mark. The poorly directed documentary is really a work in progress. Oh, and can anybody tell me, do I need to bring a compass to orienteering week?

Do you think we’re better off alone?

Maynooth SU President Seamus Reynolds at last May’s controversial USI Special Congress Rachel Lavin Features Editor

O

N MONDAY, OCTOBER 1st, Trinity students will be faced with the significant question ‘Do you want TCD to disaffiliate from the USI?’, a contentious issue that is likely to divide campus in the coming weeks as students consider the benefits of their membership in the Union of Students in Ireland.

Founded in 1959, the USI is a national representative body for Ireland’s 250,00 students in third level education. It is a membership organization with 40 affiliated Students’ Unions around Ireland, North and South, representing students on a national level.

Politically, USI is the only organisation that is officially recognized by the Government to represent students on national bodies.

USI officers are the sole student representatives on the boards of several Irish educational bodies such as the Higher Education Authority, the Higher Education and

Training Awards Council and the National Qualifications Authority and with the National Union of Students in Europe.

Despite a 10 year period in the noughties, Trinity has otherwise been affiliated with USI since it’s inception 53 years ago. Every year, each Trinity student contributes five euro toward a total of €77,000 in funding TCD provides for the USI, which runs national campaigns on students’ behalf and organises large-scale sabbatical training for SU committee members and pink training for the LGBT community.

Trinity SU commands eighteen votes at the USI Congress, which is representative of each affiliated students’ union, apportioned according to the size of the student body in each union. Trinity SU also sends one voting member to the National Council – the executive body of the organization. The USI president represents the students then at a much coveted seat on the HEA and has access to the Minister for Education and senior education civil servants who give advice on various issues including

educational support, education legislation and good practice guidelines. The USI president’s role includes offering pre-budget submissions to government and representing students’ interests in front of several Dail committees.

For the majority of its membership with the USI, Trinity has avoided any serious dispute or dissension from the union. However, in recent years cracks have began to appear and last year relations between Trinity and USI splintered. Contention began over the USI’s constitutional reform which included a measure to increase the USI sabbatical officers’ pay for continued service. While the USI claimed officers’ salaries had simply been moved in line with the civil service pay scale, the event was labeled a PR disaster and questions were raised over the efficiency of communication between the USI and its membership and the perceived lack of consultation with student bodies.

The chasm steadily widened as the USI continued a vigorous Anti-Fees campaign despite Trinity students’ alternative views.

When the issue of ‘Free Fees’ was brought to ‘Preferendum’, the majority of Trinity students voted for Student Contribution as their favoured means of funding.

However, the majority national vote favoured Total Exchequer Funded Fees and this policy was cemented at a controvesial special congress last May. As the Freefees campaign continues, many Trinity students are left feeling misrepresented in their views and many feel that futile campaigning is being done on their behalf instead of realistic negotiations that reflect their views.

Criticism has come from students at TCDSU Council who have asked if the “Stop Fees, Save the Grant” campaign, and the November 16 national protest in particular, was ever fully supported by the student body, and merely inevitable compliance by TCDSU. Tension was further intensified following the USI’s botched attempts at occupying Labour HQ, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (in which the USI officers left voluntarily after approximately fifteen minutes when Gardai threatened to use pepper spray to remove them) last November. Trinity’s SU President was repordedly neither informed in sufficient time nor consulted for his support.

Following this string of failings, 250 signatures were collected by discontented Trinity students to mandate the SU to hold a referendum on disaffiliation. And so the question is now raised, do we think we’re better off alone?

Campaigning for the referendum will officially begin on Sunday the 23rd of September with the No side being led by Jack Leahy, a third year English Literature and History student, who

also acts as a member of the SU Executive and News Editor of this newspaper.

Mark O’Meara, a fifth year Computer Science student and prominent member of Young Fine Gael is leading the Yes side.

The campaigning, which will last for two weeks, will hopefully disseminate the pros and cons of disaffiliation and the consequences of breaking ties with the USI for Trinity students. Three of the main issues to be tackled are the possibility of reconciling Trinity students views on third level funding with the USI Free Fees mandate, the comparative efficiency of independently run sabbatical training and perhaps most importantly of all, how TCDSU plans to represent itself on a national level .

Speaking for the No side, Jack Leahy said of his campaign, “I don’t think it would be fair or reasonable to campaign on the basis that everything the USI has done for students in the last five years has been absolutely perfect, it hasn’t been, the students of Trinity know that What we are is essentially a group of people who believe that a collective student movement still has life in it and still has a really constructive role to play in the future of higher education. Ruairi Quinn said to me that the USI is a stakeholder in education policy. We can’t afford to sacrifice our voice as the Yes vote would have us do because there’s no other way to interact with the government on higher education issues and that’s our angle.”

When asked about the issues of the misrepresentative ‘Stop the Fess-Save the Grant Campaign’ he responded “The fees policy is not set by the USI Officer Board and it’s not set by Gary Redmond, which is what a lot of Trinity students seem to have thought in the

last few years. It’s set by the members. I genuinely don’t believe Trinity has ever or even in the last ten years made a constructive effort to contribute to USI policy making. You have the history of tension that Trinity itself put out there in some way that really isn’t constructive and can’t be very easily abolished.

But how does he propose we rectify this?

“I think there will have to be a campaign of reform in USI no matter what happens. The whole campaign will be calling for reform and trust in the USI. I think this campaign is contingent on continued effective perfomance in the USI because the USI has made a lot of effort this summer to make itself more relevant and more of an impact.

Leahy disagrees that Trinity SU can survive as a strong national lobbying body independent of the USI saying “ I don’t think it will, I don’t think they have the time” and that Trinity’s leaving the USI will profoundly effect it’s national representation.

When asked if he thinks certain areas will suffer, he replied “I think the training especially will. I think we’re probably operating at a slight net loss for our USI membership but I think it’s worth it. The training and support that our Welfare Officer gets is absolutely vital. I don’t think anyone, no matter how cynical they are about the USI or the Students’ Union or student politics in general will deny that the Welfare Officer’s is the most important student service and the training offered by the USI is hugely beneficial for that role. The possible loss of Pink training from dissafiliation is also very worrying”.

On behalf of the Yes side, Mark O’Meara said of his campaign “basically we’re

running a campaign for disaffiliation from the USI based on the simple fact that the USI is not representing Trinity students. We’ve seen it over the last year that plainly the USI is not following policies that Trinity students want and it’s not carrying out the actions that Trinity students want either . I don’t think Trinity students want to see the USI breaking into government buildings, they don’t want to see the USI breaking into the party headquarters and they don’t want to feel the USI is making fools of the people it is meant to be representing.”

O’Meara has full confidence in Trinity SU’s ability to manage independently and represent itself on a national level saying “I think Trinity SU already has the ability to represent Trinity students on a national level if not better than the USI. We’ve seen it recently with the cuts to post-graduate grants, where Trinity students acted by themselves to facilitate not the grants that they had but bring in a loan to allow Trinity students to access the funding that they need. And the USI came out against that and criticized Trinity students for helping those post-graduate students. So I think that in itself shows that Trinity Students’ Union is far more equipped to look after itself.”

As regards funding O”Meara responded “ Well we’re already paying the eight euro USI levy so if we paid that to the SU we could put it to far better use than the USI.” When asked about the training offered by USI O”Meara responded “I think training is a tiny issue when it comes to what the USI involves. I mean, we can find independent players such as DCU and UL that are quite happy outside of the USI. I’ve e-mailed them and they actually said they find

it an advantage of not being in the USI. They might feel a little bit limited with the connections they have but they’re claiming they don’t feel they’re missing out on training by not being members of the USI. DCU and UL are not looking to get back into the USI so they obviously aren’t missing the training that they provide. Trinity Students’ Union will be quite happy without the USI and if I’m wrong then we can just decide to rejoin again in two years. It’s not a definite result, we can always come back.”

When questioned on how Trinity would garner attention from politicians without a seat on the HEA, O’Meara responds “I would argue they (HEA) haven’t even paid attention to the USI either so I don’t see what the difference is there. The USI have achieved absolutely nothing so I don’t see their representation to the Minister for Education as being helpful. Trinity is more than capable of representing itslef on a national level.

And if the USI do come out with a campaign that we do agree with well then we can decide on our own volition whether or not we want to support that campaign. We don’t need to dedicate ourselves to everything that the USI decides.”

The future of Trinity SU’s relationship with USI is left for the students to decide.

A contentious issue, some see disaffiliation as inevitable given the events of recent years, while others think students, while critical of the USI, when challenged will stand by it. Alternatively, some believe the election will be an extremely tight vote, much dependent on the strength of the respective campaigns. Regardless of predictions, one can be guaranteed to expect a fortnight of heated debate ahead.

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Tuesday,September 18, 2012 | The University Times

10

UTOPINION

Opinion: A manifesto

LETTERS to the Editor

Letters should be posted to “The Editor, The University Times, House 6, Trinity College” or sent by email to letters@universitytimes.ie We cannot guarantee that all letters will be published. Letters may be edited for length and/or style.

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Smartphones and tablets on the college network

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Sir, It has recently come to my attention that smartphones and tablets are able to connect to the college wifi. The catch is that you have to have a staff card! This is a complete disgrace. Once again IS services are letting down the undergraduates and treating us like we’ve just stepped out of primary school.

I’m not sure what their reasoning is behind limiting our access to the wifi that we have paid for with our student contributions; however my understanding is that when you’re in college you should be treated with equality.

Yours, Laura Hannigan JS Science

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facts (though these inevitably lend weight to any argument). To put such stringent criteria on the articles to appear in this section would be to stifle their creative merit, to put too firm a hand on the free flowing words of Trinity’s finest. Excessive reliance on such pretentious props would just make the articles turgid and wan, stillborn communications from a live mind.

What, then, is the value of an opinion, any opinion?

It is entirely at the discretion of the reader. There are opinions which, in a largely humanist mindset, bear no relevance to anyone or anything. For example, an opinion piece on a second year theology student’s favourite flavour of jam would be of little interest to anyone barring exceptional, Orwellian calibre writing and a wit sharper than the subtle knife. We will be trying to present our readers with articles on issues of relevance or interest to them. In previous years, this section was over reliant on the re-hashing of foreign affairs related stories from national and

international news outlets.

It is my intention to downscale the prominence of this to a few articles per issue.

While tragedy undoubtedly ravages farther flung corners of our planet, we must focus on issues which will affect you and I as students of Trinity College directly.

It is for this reason that UT Opinion, in the summer months, has attempted to raise debates particularly on the issues of abortion rights and gay marriage. It was our desire to draw attention to them, in the hope of provoking a greater and more inclusive debate as well as exposing students to their often overlooked opponents.

These two series of articles were undoubtedly provocative, and they taught our editorial staff a very valuable lesson; that there is not always two sides to every story, and that one does not have to publish an unrepresentative and bigoted article in the pursuit of ‘balance’.

The challenge that they presented was indeed valuable, and my only recommendation to our readers is to suspend your offense and treat any article with which you do not agree as an exercise in knowing thine enemy.

The subject of offense and the offended is one which is of vital importance to what we are trying to do at UT

Opinion. It is with a heavy heart that I must relay the information that never, anywhere has there been codified the idea that the offense that one takes at a particular opinion supersedes the bearer of that opinion’s right to freedom of speech. It is absolutely not my job as editor to protect the readers from reading opinions that they find offensive, and that is not a criteria which I will be employing when judging the merits of a submission. If you have taken the time to read this article and are offended by this position, I suggest that you ruffle its pages and then write me a letter. While we can never achieve ultimate ‘fairness’ or ‘balance’, we absolutely maintain an open door policy to submissions and if you read an article with which you do not agree, we invite (nay, challenge!) you to write a counter article and send it to us. This is your paper, and you have a right to have your voice heard within its pages.

It is a great privilege to be young at this time of great change. We have the position, enjoyed by many but not all generations, of having been born into a world vastly different from the one in which we will die. Our lives will be shaped by the shifting values and abilities of humans the world over.

In this time of profound change, we as students, as the young who will face into this developing new world, must ensure that we keep our minds open to new and challenging opinions. We must also face, head on the opinions and views of the past; not by sweeping them away and disregarding them but by using them as justifications for why we want to build change. We must strive ceaselessly to drag the standards of public discussion away from the precipice on which they teeter. We must discuss issues which make us uncomfortable, issues which we have yet to fully comprehend and issues on which we are undecided. We must, where possible, present both sides of every story and attempt to present compelling arguments through which we can reach meaningful conclusions, and we must strive to elevate the level of public discourse in this college to the level which its history demands.

human being, what a monument to ignorance the person before us had become.

Imagine watching The Hills Have Eyes after snorting cocaine laced with human faeces and you might come close.

Gun control is particular anathema to those of conservative ilk in America, and so when we were asked by this woman what surprised us about America, Finn and I stated that it surprised us that people thought it was acceptable to legally own firearms. The stony silence that greeted us was deafening. The tension was palpable. Even the pretentious indie music in the pretentious indie bar that we had painstakingly sought out seemed to have hushed. There was no going back now; the battle lines had been drawn.

Eyes narrowed across the table. Hands moved slowly to intellectual pistols, fingers twitched on triggers (in a totally non-sexual way).

Her opening salvo was a predictable one: “The Second Amendment says I can have my gun”. We dodged easily and fired back with the fact the Second

Amendment (which protects the right to bear arms) is over 200 years old, predating modern firearms, including semi-automatic weapons (legal in most states).

Outraged at our having taken aim at the Constitution (a sequel to the Bible), she drew again and misfired: “We need to protect ourselves from other people with guns.” Our confidence building, we pointed out that she wouldn’t need to do this if no one had guns.

This volley hit home, but she was not to be discouraged.

She fired more wildly now.

Examples of massacres at

Columbine and Virginia Tech, as well a shooting just the day before in Texas soared over her head, dismissed as the sinister lies of the mysterious entity known only as “The Media.”

How exactly this phantom had duped us into thinking that weapons whose only purpose is to kill should be made illegal was not specified; had they perhaps lied about the body count in each incident? Sensing she was outgunned, she resorted to firing shot after shot of “Y’all aren’t from here”, her bombardment uncontrolled and indiscriminate. It was

clear that there was to be no winner in this duel.

We tried, dear reader. We tried to gently curb this crescendo of idiocy before it reached its peak, but our palliative pleas to “please shut up” went unheeded.

Finn even pulled out the big guns and resorted to that tried and tested Phil debating ace in the hole – he stated the three points he would make, made those three points and stated them again in his conclusion.

When even the most potent technique of Phil debating alchemy fails to turn ignoranium into gold, all hope

truly is lost.

I wish I could say that the standard of argument (on both sides) improved from there. I wish I could say that our adversory didn’t make a crude allegation about my having “a penis the size of a pencil” (a false and unfounded claim). I wish I could say that my retort offered something more enlightened than the allegation she fired at me. Alas, say this I cannot. The bar hushed even more, local patrons stared in stunned fury, and it was time to depart.

We’re not from here.

oppressor. He, along with his father, have been the dictators of Syria since the 1970s. They have led a systematic and brutal regime of oppression. Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad, acted as a precursor to his son, killing over 10,000 people in the Hama massacre of 1982.

For those of us who believe that human life should be valued and protected, intervention in Syria would appear to be straight-forward.

There is more than necessary precedent to justify intervention. From Lebanon in the 1970s, to Serbia in the 1990s, to Libya in 2011, the West has intervened when it was required. Sometimes this has required superseding the Security Council, as Kosovo so patently showed in 1998/9. Intervention shouldn’t be something the West should be afraid of.

There are pragmatic issues which must be dealt

with before intervention is countenanced. Who should lead the charge? This time around, it can’t be the US. In an election year, President Obama will do all he can to prevent military action by his troops. This does not mean, of course, that the US cannot provide key logistical and technological resources to any parties which engage militarily.

Thus, the mantel must pass to another nation. In the region, NATO has a key ally – Turkey. Turkey has already demonstrated its opposition of the Syrian government’s mass slaughter. This comes from both a repugnancy of the violation of the human rights of the Syrian people and an internal fear – if the Syrian violence escalated further it may spill over into Turkey’s borders. There is therefore a willing ally in fight against tranny.

The other main player must

be France. President Hollande, and former President Sarkozy, are and were vehemently opposed to the Syrian government. It was France, and not the US, which led the way against Colonel Gadhafi’s forces.

With the military power and expertise, France is in an ideal position to lead the intervention against Bashar al-Assad.

The intervention does not need to be in the form of a troop led invasion. As French writer Bernard-Henri Lévy has recently articulated, a Libyan-style no-fly zone would have a catastrophic effect on the Syrian Army’s ability to murder its own people. This could be followed by a humanitarian safe zone to relieve innocent civilians of the bloodshed.

With the political machinations which would follow in the Syrian government, combined with the

new support given to the Free Syrian Army, the rotten system of the Syrian regime would come tumbling down.

Some believe that intervention is not in the West’s best interest. The strong ties which the Syrian regime has with Iran would make any intervention a threat to regional stability. Intervention would cause more harm than good; that it would spark off a Middle East wide Sunni/Shiite war. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The strong ties between Iran and Syria are indeed a point of concern. Most international analysts posit that if Iran is capable of attaining nuclear weapons an arms race will happen in the region: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Israel are all nations which will feel threatened by a nuclearised Iran.

The best way of preventing

Iran from having the gall to nuclearise is to put pressure on the country, and there is no better way of doing this than by destroying the axis it has with Damascus.

Human rights aren’t just for you and me. They’re for everybody. It doesn’t matter which country you come from, which creed you adopt, or what colour your skin is. Everybody has a right to life and to the safety and security of their home.

This is a key reason for the establishment of the United Nations and the proclamation of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. The policy of every country, especially in the West, should be to promote such rights and not to allow tyranny to reign when it is preventable. The value of intervention is not imperial, colonial, or economic. The value of intervention is that it saves lives. To save lives in Syria, the West must act.

Opinion Editor Matthew Taylor outlines his vision for UT Opinion in volume four.

It seems to me that there has been a wind of change blowing through our society of late. Social issues, which had long lain dormant under the cozy blanket of Fianna Fail lethargy, have been dragged kicking and screaming into the public arena. The notion of rights, which has always been at the centre of the way we view our society, is being re-examined as the people’s definition of them broadens and the establishment’s narrows. Through the gap created by this dissonance pour opinions. So, the question presents itself; what is an opinion, and what is its value?

An opinion is often defined a belief which is based on grounds insufficient to produce certainty, a personal attitude, judgement or appraisal. It is therefore not entirely subject to the stringent factuality of news; it may be the emotive expression of a persons view on any given subject matter. Hence, it is not subject to the usual necessity of excessive citation of academic study, precedent or judicial weighing of

Good times with weapons Conor Crummey A letter from Atlanta “Y’all aren’t from here!”

This incendiary cry pierced the still Atlanta night. Its snarling orator foamed in outrage, her wild eyes bulging from her scarlet face.

This woman was possessed of a rage the likes of which we had never seen. She truly detested us for the blasphemous immoralities that had been allowed to escape our lips. Previous arguments on the existence of supernatural deities and the provision of healthcare to those who can’t afford it being a good thing had fallen on deaf ears, but they had not been met with this level of vitriol. No, only one debate could encounter such venom. My roommate (Finn Keyes, of Law Soc Maidens Debating fame no less) and I had made the fatal mistake of entering the arena of gun control.

I should perhaps preface the rest of this article by saying that what we encountered at this local bar was in no way representative of the people of the South. All had thus far gone swimmingly.

It was only our second day in Atlanta, and our encounters with the natives had

consisted of one party which endeavoured to fulfil every stereotype conceived by MTV – red cups were passed around, beer flowed freely from kegs, and beer pong was cheered on with shouts of “go hard guys” and “take it deep buddy”. One particularly animated gentle-

the Earth.

The conversation began harmlessly enough. The lady in question and her friend seemed pleasant, despite the usual hilarious jokes about leprechauns and Guinness. It is not then, that we were dealing with some embodiment of ev-

There was no going back now. The battle lines had been drawn man even decided to scream ‘This is the best party ever” at the top of his lungs, cap turned proudly backwards in defiance of how normal people wear their f**king hats, index fingers pointed aloft in praise of the mighty and powerful cliché gods.

No, the residents of Georgia had in general proven to be friendly and welcoming. But as the saying goes, one rotten apple makes you hope that the Mayan calendar is correct and humanity will soon be burned from

ery fictional portrayal of a ‘hillbilly’ ever committed to film. This creature seemed for all intents and purposes to be a normal functioning adult, albeit one with political views that could politely be called ‘traditional’. This made the transformation that was to come all the more shocking. For when the topic of firearms reared its ugly head, no twisted stereotypes, no illinformed preconceptions of rural America could ever truly convey what an awful

Justifying intervention in Syrian crisis Gary Hansell Staff Writer On 8 February 2012, bombs fell on the city of Homs, Syria. Due to the destruction caused, the city’s power supply was damaged. In a hospital in the city, the power went out. Eighteen premature babies died.

The brutality and repugnancy of this dreadful night in Homs is now a widespread event in Syria. Bashar alAssad’s forces, and his minority Alawite followers, have waged a brutal repression of the rebelling majority Sunni population. It’s a

battle between tanks and machine guns, helicopters and grenades, mortars and hiding places. In all, twentythousand people have been killed. The West, not for the first time, has watched from the sidelines.

It is now time for the international community to act. All diplomatic avenues of cessation have been exhausted. Russia and China (who along with France, the UK, and the US have veto power at the United Nations Security Council) have prevented any meaningful dialogue from occurring. The Annan plan, perhaps the only meaningful diplomatic solution, is in ruins. With

the violence conflagrating, and the death toll increasing, the only option which the international community has left is intervention.

The United Nations is the guardian of human rights.

It has, “the responsibility to protect civilians” inscribed in international law.

To do this there must be a just cause, the use of force must be proportional to the threat perceived, violence must be the last resort, and there must be a reasonable chance of success. It has already been shown that diplomacy is no longer an option. All the other conditions have been met in Syria.

Bashar al-Assad is a brutal

11

The University Times | Tuesday, September 18, 2012

UTOPINION

The economics of the CAO

Aoife Considine offers a college veteran’s advice to wide-eyed Freshers

Economise This

T

Lorcan Clarke Student Economic Review 2012 Committee member

T

his Freshers’ Week we welcome our incoming students in a year when an unprecedented 81% of Trinity courses have increased in points. Nationally, more Leaving Certificate students than ever, 40,000 out of 53,700 sought higher level education this year. The CAO system is to be reviewed by university academic councils and the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, in 2014. There is no better time to delve into depths of the mechanism which brought us all to this institution.

The CAO system operates in a very similar way to a free market economy. Due to this, by consulting basic economic theory on market economies, we discover some interesting insights.

Just like a market economy, the CAO system relies on the price mechanism to determine the allocation of scarce resources. It is essentially a market economy where prospective students are the buyers, their incomes are determined by Leaving Cert grades, courses are the products and colleges and universities are the sellers.

Put another way, if the government gave you a certain amount of currency for your Leaving Cert points and you brought that to a market where third level institutions were in stalls selling course places for as high a price as they could, you would largely get the same

No regrets now...

result. The CAO system just processes all this demand and supply information digitally.

Basic economics tells us that higher demand increases prices and higher supply decreases prices, as evidenced in the increased demand for science this year alongside no change in the number of places available, resulting in the points shooting up to 510.

‘Grade inflation’ occurs when higher marks are awarded year on year. Effectively, the Department of Education is increasing the number of points in circulation just as a Central Bank increases the supply of money in an economy.

Th is results in ‘demand-pull inflation’, whereby the larger amount of money competing for a fi xed supply of goods drives up the prices.

The extra 25 points for 11,000 higher level Maths students this year drove up the required points for many courses. Aside from the inflationary effect, it was clearly to the advantage of a particular group.

Th is is equivalent to the government subsidising a particular economic activity, such as farming. It had the desired effect, increasing the number sitting higher maths by 35%.

To account for international students, we must look to the economics of international trade. International students purchase our courses at a given

exchange rate. For example, for a student from the UK, one A* result in the A-levels converts to 150 CAO points.

If it is easier to earn an A* in the UK than it is to earn 150 points in Ireland then one could say the A-level currency is stronger.

In international trade, the economy with the stronger currency will be incentivised to buy the relatively cheaper goods of the weaker one, for example China keeps its currency artificially weak so the USA imports its goods. Given the higher fees paid by international students, it would make sense from Trinity’s perspective to offer them a favourable exchange rate.

The CAO system certainly has its appeal. There is a simple beauty in a nameless, faceless, anonymous price mechanism where one is judged on a sole criterion – academic achievement relative to their peers, with supply and demand adjusting to an equilibrium level of points for each course. To fi nd the failures of the CAO, we need only look at the criticisms of the market economy.

A common criticism is that markets can result in great inequality. In principle, inequality of outcome can be fair if it is meritocratic. On the contrary, inheritance propagates unmeritocratic inequality from generation to generation. However, one cannot give their child CAO points,

suggesting such a concern is avoided. Ireland is fourth in the overall international rankings for higher education attainment rates for the workforce. Two-thirds of all 18-year-olds now progress to third level. Such a rosy picture is not accurate, however, as parents can still give their children a greater capacity to ‘game’ the system, through advantages such as private or extra tuition.

A clean, meritocratic system does not exist in practice. Political mechanisms interfere with both market economies and the CAO system. Just as a strong labour union can push up the wages of their profession, so too can a Chemistry teachers’ union kick up a fuss about the distribution of A’s from markers, earning advantages for their subject.

The CAO system shares a remarkable amount of features of a market economy.

Taking a free market perspective can help us to understand and predict how changes may affect the dynamics of the system, but ultimately attempting to evaluate the merits of the system does not provide us with any obvious answers.

With Trinity now introducing a pilot system for some places on the law degree, which has alternative admission requirements outside of the CAO, perhaps practical rather than theoretical insight will prove more useful.

hey say your college days are the best of your life, and now, I’m not sure who “they” are but I’ve got to go with them on this one. As I enter my fourth year at Trinity, feels odd even to say it, I look back on my time spent with only the fondest, if somewhat hazy, of memories. It’s also said by this omnipotent “they” that you regret most the things that you don’t do; the boy you didn’t kiss, the best friend you never told you’re secretly in love with, the night you didn’t go out or the 9am lecture you didn’t attend where all the exam tips were given out; but it’s here that this “they” falter somewhat in their wisdom. Although there will be many missed moments in college you’ll regret for not doing, there will also be many others that you regret for exactly the opposite reason.

I have many regrets of course; many stemming from my fi rst year of college upon which I have the age old excuse of naivety and adolescence to blame it all on luckily. College is very different to school; I’ll give you that information free. Even though I attended a mixed school and was used to learning in the company of the male of the species, there was something new, exciting and hormone infused about the start of college. There were fewer rules, less restrictions, less boundaries, both in the proverbial sense and in the sense that you no longer had to hide your identity behind an aged school uniform.

It was a time when people came into their own and began to discover their niches. If at fi rst you don’t succeed, try, try, again. There

were a few stumbling blocks in my fi rst year, as there will be in yours, many I’m not proud of, but you’ll soon realise that you live and learn.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained; and this was the philosophy I lived by. It just took awhile to get the balance right, something you can only learn from experience and unfortunately, only through mistakes.

You will make mistakes, but it’s okay. Some may be as minor as deciding to cut your own hair and ending up looking like an Eastern

Trinity becomes very small very quickly, but if you just be yourself and learn from any mistakes you may happen to make it will soon become to you akin to an extended family. Don’t forget your friends from school though, well, the ones you were close with at least. I still live with one of my best friends I’ve known since playschool and while your college mates will be the ones making bets at your wedding, your close school friends will be the ones at the top table. Remember

Nothing ventured, nothing gained; and this was the philosophy I lived by European prostitute, a look that now graces your passport until you’re 29, and some may be so severe as to end friendships. Try to avoid the latter. You will make new friends in college, it’s not like school where you’re forced to be friends with the same seventy odd people for six years. College friends are the ones you have for life, the ones who’ll pick you up off the dance floor after a few too many jager bombs or more likely be laying there with you, the ones who’ll make you skip class to go to the Pav for mid-week cans to celebrate the fact it’s a Wednesday and they’re the ones who’ll be at your wedding making bets on how long your speech will be.

this.

It’s not easy to make all decisions wisely. Th is Fresher’s Week you will be bombarded by clubs and societies all urging you to join and to take part in order to have “the best college experience”. I of course joined them all in my fi rst year.

Th is is one of those regrets for something I did do. Due to the fact I had joined everything, I was blinded by the razzle-dazzle and I never got a chance to actually partake in anything at all.

It was only second year that I began to properly get involved, as it was much easier to make a learned decision. So take head, join what you want, by all means join everything, but don’t forget

that after you join, you also must attend things with the club or society. That is a regret of mine.

Know that regrets can be remedied. If you don’t get involved in fi rst year, there’s always second year, or third, or fourth, (or fi fth if you’re lucky enough to be doing engineering or medicine). You can also join things during the year, people are only too happy to include you, trust me. Regrets only remain regrets if you do nothing about them.

I’ve said that I have many regrets from my time spent in Trinity so far, but at the end of the day, I would not be where I am today had I not made mistakes and had I not had regrets. I fear I sound clichéd with all this but in the words of Stephen Fry, “It’s a cliché that most clichés are untrue, but then, like most clichés, that cliché is untrue.” So please, make mistakes, kiss the boy you’re not meant to, go out on a mad one the night before a 9am lecture, fall in love, fall out of love, fall up the stairs in the Arts Block; yes, you will most likely regret all of these things, but you will also learn much more from your regrets than anything your professors will teach you over the next four/five years.

“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, “It might have been.””

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012 | The University Times

12

UTOPINION

Said with authority Provost Prendergast

The state of third level education in Ireland This is the first installment of “Said with Authority”, The University Times’ Op-ed for Volume four. We will invite Trinity’s most prominent and influential academic and administrative staff to offer their thoughts on a range of issues affecting the College, from rankings to academic restructuring to the student experience. Here, Provost Prendergast offers his views on the state of the third level sector

I

Fearing failure makes up hopeless Conor Murphy Dep. Opinion Editor

S

ome people are coming into this college facing a repeat year, some don’t know it yet but they’re going to face their one failing year.

I, however, am a professional at failing. I had to repeat basically every academic thing I have attempted for these past four years.

There are plenty of you around that have a more normal one or two failures to their name. This is often not viewed as seriously as it can feel to each and every person who fails. There are benefits to having failed, we as individuals have put some of those harsh lessons that everyone needs to learn someday behind us. We’ve hopefully got more humility about success and intelligence branded into our brains. However we’ve also have had all that negative emotion to do with it hit us again and again.

There are different types of failure in our education system, and I’ve done them all

really.

The first type is the stereotype, the one where you just shrug your shoulders and do it again. I, like a lot of people, had to repeat the LC. This did not affect me at all really. I had been lazy and I knew I would get whatever

given an honest effort, grades a shot in the arm.

As we move into the future college applications will probably be helped by extra curricular achievements as well. Failure should be discouraged but it also should never be something to be

Failure is a strong word, it seems to indicate a shame where their is no need points I needed the second time around.

Some of you will be coming out of a repeat Leaving Cert and thankfully it has no strong social stigma attached since the points system is considered fairly tough and everything won’t go right for the best of us.

However we still have to minimise failure for those that make an honest effort.

Changing marking schemes like projects and continuous assessment of homework will all help to give peoples,

terrified of, fear only makes it harder to overcome your challenges.

When we fear failure then can become hopeless and repeat this lesson of failure so many times that it becomes part of us. It shouldn’t, we are young and we are agile. We can recover from failures much better than others who are older and have more life investment in a particular goal, they have families and mortgages. But some people don’t realise that failure can

really eat at who you are at all ages.

Failing the first year of college out of the blue can knock any energy out of you and knock you down. This hopelessness that the failure creates was exasperated for me by the fact that half way through repeating the year a delayed appeal came through and it turns out I hadn’t failed it in the first place. I was so far through the repeat year that the year couldn’t count for anything.

So it was this weird headless failure, all the emotion of failure, basically all the financial penalties and time delay and none of the reason behind it. So because of this I fought getting any lesson out of it because, in mathematical terms, I had not failed. This was ignoring the fact that I had still done far worse than I thought I had anyway, so it should have been a real failure to me.

The unjustness was what people will focus on and this can eat out any decent relationship you have with your school or career. I continued on to second year out of a sort of “screw you” to the people who marked me,

but the course was tainted.

Don’t let this happen, this sort of unjust failure (or unjust low grade) will happen to everyone at some point and it was so detrimental to not only how I viewed my subject and University, but still completely warps how I view art, architecture and those classmates I had around me at the time. I refused to see this and plowed on. As much as everyone says to persevere, knowing when to cut that cord is as important.

So after all this warped emotion the third and final (hopefully) great failure was the strangest one of all.

It is the type of failure that benefits you in more ways than you can imagine at the time. It was one of the best moments of my life. It was cutting loose of this anchor that had been dragging me back. It was a failure that I had been looking forward to without knowing it. It allowed me to move on and start again with something better and healthier.

Failure is a strange word, it seems to indicate a shame where there is no need. Everything fails eventually,

dictators, musicians, artists, journalists, movements, industries, empires, civilisations and students. Some of these have given up and are better for it, some persevere and have conquered the known world because of it.

These failures and choices we have made will be made again by some of you. Each and every year and each and every person is individual so there is no direct advice.

Most things like advice on how not to fail are cliches (treat college like a nine to five, “just do it”) and any advice I give on how to react to these are generalities (being honest with yourself), but there is one... experience that deserves a moment to itself.

Try not to make the failure your whole ego like I made it mine for two years; taking the failure that bit lighter is crucial. If you’re going to act like the world’s on your shoulders at least let humour pump a bit of helium into it. Whenever that (inevitably overblown) inevitable failure happens, smile and remember, at least you’re not as bad as that Conor guy.

Student movement at a crossroads Jack Leahy News Editor

T

here was something awkward, almost cringe-worthy, about a man as ostensibly middleclass and Fianna Fáil-ish as Gary Redmond staging an occupation in a government building.

The Union of Students in Ireland-led occupation of whichever government buildings were open when they got there raised more questions about the direction of the student movement than either of the last two national protest marches. Directionless, impulsive, ill-prepared and locked out of Labour HQ; the protest was a comical embodiment of criticisms of the modern student movement and they didn’t even know it.

Even to speak of a unified ‘student movement’ seems an anomaly, given the fierce divisions that dominate student discourse on third-level funding. The sense that

cracks are deepening within the politics of student representation is particularly acute in Trinity, where members of the students’ union are soon to be balloted on their continued affi liation to USI. That Redmond was scheduled to meet Labour Party Ministers the very next day following his occupation attempt is typical of the tension that divides the Irish student movement in 2012: between a radical history of protest and a present in which the Minister for Education considers the national students’ union a ‘partner in education’.

It is hard to justify an occupation when there is an open and legislatively-established dialogue between students and government, not least when that occupation did not have a student mandate. Yet, there are those who will claim that the movement has bureaucratised - that students have, of themselves, become complacent in their politics, submissive to the bourgeois, or generally dismissive of

action.

The history of the student movement is relatively short, but proud; founded in 1959, USI was, for decades, the unified voice of its members. Operating for many years without government recognition, leaders like Joe Duff y and Brendan Dorris expressed themselves and their students with emphatic demonstrations in the street and occupations that often brought short jail sentences.

The oft-drawn conclusion that the student movement has bureaucratised somewhat is an obvious conclusion of the simplistic and anachronistic comparison between the likes of Duff y and the likes of Redmond.

Countless column inches in student newspapers have been dedicated to that uniform statement of atavism, failing to account for vast differences in circumstance.

Joe Duff y and Gary Redmond, as representative as they are of their eras, occupied entirely different eras of political co-operation.

In analogical terms, Duff y shouted down the door that the law now holds open for Redmond.

With changes in recognition come necessary changes in approach. Gone are the days when an audience with a government minister could only be obtained by sitting on the floor of his office until he agreed to offer you a chair at the table. The USI - and students, by an extension of logic - are recognised as partners in education by virtue of their place on the Higher Education Authority, the statutory body for higher education policy in Ireland.

The student movement’s historic responsibility to campaign for a better future for those it represents is not diminished or compromised; it is enhanced by an ability to deliberate the focal issues of third-level policy with those whose recommendations carry the most weight in the sector. With this opportunity comes responsibility; the responsibility to campaign in a manner that does not publicly

undermine a representative’s credibility in the most senior of fora.

‘Bureaucracy’ is much more an advantage than it is a dilute because of the way Irish democracy has developed: decisions are increasingly made on the recommendations of statutory bodies and on the basis of the perceived ‘general will’, with all of the term’s postRevolution connotations, rather than directly mandated will of the people.

Th is line of thought does not condemn lobbying public and national representatives and drumming up national support for a cause through press releases or what have you. It does call into question occupations, sit-ins, sleep-outs and rail-climbings. These are the tactics of the voiceless; Wall Street would never have been ‘occupied’ had the protesters sat on the same board as the bankers against whom they protest.

These protesters had clout and respect in many quarters for their ability to challenge an institution and

way of life through the only method available to them.

The student movement in Ireland is at a crossroads; its substantial radical-leaning membership yearns for its history of spectacular and uncompromising demonstration, while its moderates and leaders from young political parties drive it towards the status of a bureaucratic lobbyist. The government afford students a voice through recognition of a body along the lines of the latter, and that is where the future of the movement must lie if any notion of student unity is to be preserved.

It’s time to embrace the politics of bureaucracy. If a leader of the student movement, future or present, can bring to this a potent public presence that endears the common voter to the student cause, then bureaucracy may be the best thing that’s ever happened to students.

thank the Opinion Editor of the University Times, Mathew Taylor, for the opportunity to share my views with our students on the state of third level education in Ireland. You are right to be interested in the quality of education, and how it compares to the education offered in universities around the world.

At its most fundamental level in terms of the quality of education and research, there are great strengths in the Irish third level system. The commitment of teaching staff to deliver at the highest levels despite historically low funding is to be commended; similarly I’m sure students are aware of the support provided by administrative staff and how essential it is to the success of your undergraduate careers.

So is the thirdlevel system in good shape? The answer is ‘Better shape than might be expected’. Yet, we are in a crisis. The fi nancing of third level education in Ireland is not going well. The government subsidy is continuing to reduce: more than 57% of funding is from the state and that element is shrinking. Correspondingly the student:staff ratio is increasing even though universities are managing to pay an increasing number of academic staff from non-state sources; in Trinity 20% of staff are now paid from non-state monies. Despite our best efforts, however, the student:staff ratio continues to increase way out of kilter with global norms.

As a former Engineering lecturer, I should give you a graph. It shows the number of students per staff member in Trinity, compared with the University of Edinburgh and King’s College London. In Trinity is has increased from 19:1 to 24:1 over the last four years. Th is is now about double – yes double! – what it is in Edinburgh or London.

Should we be worried. I think so. Because there is a denial about the extent of the problem, or that it can be sorted solely by making savings. Of course this is part of the solution – being more efficient – and Trinity is introducing new systems to ensure this, and will share services with other universities where this can create further savings. However we must also address the income side; and this will, in my view, involve addressing the subject of tuition fees. I hope the whole College community can achieve a degree of consensus about this issue because underfunded universities will short-change not only you – the students – but Irish society overall.

I like the quote of our great alumnus Edmund Burke.

He was a great politician in the House of Commons and influenced British policy on many matters, including most importantly abolition of the slave trade. He said “Mere parsimony is not economy. Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part in true economy”. His statue stands, , in front of the College.

Although the fi nancial challenge is the greatest challenge we face, there are other issues that affect the state of third-level education in Ireland and that we continue to focus considerable attention on, such as entry to university – is ‘access’ as open as it could be, or as open as we would want it to be in a country committed to equal opportunity for all? Another issue on all our minds is universities’ contribution to social and economic regeneration.

In a recent address to Alumni at the Graduate Reunion Banquet, I concluded by saying “…despite the social and economic crisis in Ireland, Trinity College Dublin is managing well: the values here are strong, there’s a streak of independence about Trinity that serves us well in these straitened times; the fi nances are difficult and require us to make daunting decisions - but as ever conscious of our mission, our destiny even, we face all challenges with a good deal of confidence, knowing that what we offer - high quality education in an environment of research and scholarship - is never more needed in this country, and in the world”. I am happy to conclude in the same way to you, our current students. I look forward to addressing the incoming Junior Freshman students at 2 pm on Friday 21st of September, and to working with all student representatives in the coming year.

13

The University Times | Tuesday, September 18th, 2012

UTOPINION

The University Times DEFINING THE PUBLIC INTEREST It is regrettable that at times, media outlets can cast aside an individual’s personal integrity and right to privacy in favour of a good story. Th is reality has for many years diminished the standing of national and intentional media outlets. And it is with dismay that one observes the same pervasive journalism rearing its head within this college.

With the advance of social media, Trinity is a more open place. Today we are more aware than ever before of what our peers are doing and what they have done in the past. We can closely scrutinize the activities of those students in elected positions and positions of responsibility across college. Th is can for the most part be considered a desirable state of affairs. It cannot be denied that the management of our representative and social bodies has improved with this unprecedented degree of public oversight.

However, such openness demands responsibility from those in the positions which can most benefit from it. Our media outlets have an obligation to respect the right to privacy of the students who fund and support their activities. It is unbecoming of student journalists that common decency is at times cast aside in the interest of boosting profi le and fueling a scandal.

In light of the recent phone hacking scandal in the UK and subsequent Leveson inquiry, one could contend that the journalism industry is at its lowest ebb in living memory. Journalists are widely seen as individuals to avoid, seen as callous and

MORE TO EDUCATION THAN JUST ACADEMIA

vindictive. Th is vignette is slowly making its way into the perception of student journalism within our community. Th is is a poor reflection on us as student journalists and is a perception which should prompt much soul searching amongst those of us involved in Trinity’s many student publications.

Our newspapers should not be seen as harbingers of doom. Students in elected positions in college societies and clubs should not live in fear that any transgressions they commit in their private lives will be spun out and sensationalized.

Th is newspaper respects the demarcation between what is public interest and what is interesting to the pubic. We must always strive to ensure the privacy of individuals is protected. Arguably, the only members of the student body who deserve some degree of scrutiny of their private lives are the five sabbatical officers of the Students’ Union.

These officers are elected and paid by the students of the College and in cases where aspects of their private lives impact negatively on the fulfi llment of their mandates as student representatives, our newspapers have an obligation to report the facts.

In the coming year, this newspaper will endeavor to respect the privacy of its readers while maintaining its role as a credible source of news and comment. The only means by which this newspaper can maintain the respect of its readers is to treat them with respect in return.

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”

By now many of you will have been exposed to the great celebration of the cultural and social fabric of Trinity that is the Freshers’ Week experience.

Th is college is home to over one hundred societies and almost fi fty sports clubs. We can boast the oldest debating society in the world, and indeed, the oldest continuously active rugby club in the world. Trinity’s two established student newspapers are widely recognised as the leading publications in their field in this country. Our Students’ Union, while often justly critizised on a number of issues, provides excellent pastoral and administrative services to its members.

In that context, both incoming and returning Trinity students are presented with a momentous opportunity. The college years are often dubbed “the best years of your life”. That statement is undoubtedly true, but in a more meaningful context than traditionally understood for most students. For most of us, our years in College can be considered relatively privileged. We have been afforded the opportunity to embrace a higher education experience; an opportunity we are obliged

to take seriously.

Those who consider College as merely a stepping stone to employment or as a necessary yet unremarkable facet of the modern educational experience in the western world will ultimately be disappointed.

Simply put, our education defi nes us as individuals. The word “education” is derived from the Latin “educatio” meaning to bring up or to draw out. The abstract and rigid ethos of a modern university tuition fails to endow us with what we are here to receive.

We are often told of the importance of “extra-curricular” engagement. Yet this can only be considered a loaded term.

The modern third level education model places broad engagement with a college’s clubs, societies, publications and representative unions as a desirable extension to taught tuition. Indeed, our university will always place precedence on academia.

Extra-curricular engagement in fields related to one’s degree are never considered alternatives or complements to essay and examination grades. Th is is a regrettable state of affairs. A university which fails to adequately foster engagement outside of

taught tuition is doomed to produce workers, not educated individuals.

Our education can liberate us from ignorance and the shackles of conformity. It is derived through experience. Influences and impressions gained from the Trinity experience will be instrumental in shaping our characters, and indeed our future.

In the broader context of life, lectures, essays and exams are of limited value. Indeed, as Oscar Wilde delightfully quipped “it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.”

We are here for more than just a degree; we are here for an education. Trinity’s own social fabric can offer us so much. By opening ourselves up to what Trinity has to offer; the rich tapestry of culture contained within these walls, we can truly stake the claim that our graduation parchments are more than just pieces of paper. Our education begins in Freshers’ Week. Embrace it.

Why national conventions still matter Dónal Kennedy Staff Writer

S

ince the mid-Nineteenth Century, both US political parties have held National Conventions several months before a general election in order to confirm their respective presidential candidates.

Prior to the 1980s, this often meant a half-week of fiery debate among prospective nominees and a true fight to secure the party’s support. Nowadays, however, the system of primary voting means that both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are decided long before the National Conventions take place.

Take this year for example: from day one of Barack Obama’s presidency it was obvious the Democrats would be running him as

an incumbent in 2012, and Mitt Romney has been the clear Republican favourite for over a year now. Sure, there may have been moments when Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain or even (God forbid) Rick Perry were the GOP’s flavour of the month, and libertarian hopeful Ron Paul certainly enjoyed his own fanatical if ultimately negligible voter base, but in truth the 2012 Republican candidate was always destined to be the ex-Massachusetts governor. What he may lack in charm and tact he more than makes up for in donor appeal. Romney himself is worth over $200 million, money he pays little (if any) tax on, and he understands the needs of corporations, Wall Street and America’s wealthiest individuals. Not coincidentally, these are the groups which donate most generously to Republican campaigns, safe in the knowledge that their

investment in less financial regulation, more freedom to engage in risky derivatives trading and lower taxes for the highest earners is money well spent. Balking at Cain’s downright reckless “999” tax plan, Gingrich’s questionable ethics and Paul’s vision of essentially gutting whole governmental departments and declaring paper money unconstitutional, those with the power to finance the Republican campaign went with a safe bet.

So, if the ticket’s already been decided why bother even holding National Conventions? The answer is pretty simple: this is around the time when those Americans who aren’t either completely politically engaged or totally apathetic actually start paying attention to the presidential race. Examining the format of the conventions, it’s not hard to see why. Each party assembles an all-star lineup

of speakers to volunteer their reasons for supporting the nominee over three televised nights of sparkling rhetoric, rousing patriotism and scathing criticism of the other party’s contender.

This year saw speeches from the likes of New

holds the better convention will see a crucial surge in the polls and, unsurprisingly, National Conventions are always held in one of the “swing states” where general election results are often decided on just a few thousand ballots. North Caroli-

Traditionally, the party that holds the better convention will see a crucial surge in the polls Jersey governor Chris Christie, former Presidents Clinton and Carter, and both presidential candidates as well as their running mates.

Traditionally, the party that

na, hosts of the DNC, and Florida, hosts of the RNC, are two such states.

To the undecided voter, the winner in this year’s battle for top convention was fairly

The myth of the Irish American Democrat Daire Collins Staff Writer

Y

ou would be hard pushed to find someone here who would openly admit that they would vote Republican in the US if they were eligible.

Certainly in this election the general consensus, not only in Irish media but broadly across Europe, is that the Republicans are a bit crazy, lie a lot and support some ideas which are just cruel.

Sure, a lot of people would support their pro-life stance, but we’re Irish; we don’t like to talk about that.

We love to identify with the Democratic party; the champion of the youth, Obama; the less aggressive foreign policies and the monetary issues they support. The memories of John F. Kennedy are stirred up as it nears election season and we all prepare to root for the home team. It’s like casually watching a championship football match. We don’t follow it all year, but

when crunch time comes around we shout, scream and pray our team wins.

And why wouldn’t we support the Democrats, look at all the Irish amongst their ranks: the legendary Kennedy family, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden and now we can even claim Barack as one of our own. Since we support these guys- they’re our guys after all- we assume that most of our distant American cousins are Democrats.

Well, we’re wrong. We’re also about fi fty years too late. Sure, the Democratic Party was originally the party of the Irish emigrant.

In the hay days of the 1860’s when the Irish were being recruited for the Democrats of Tammany Hall, the Irish even rioted for them.

It culminated in a race riot, in which an orphanage for black children was burnt down and 2,000 people were killed. Jump forward one hundred years and the Irish were still voting for the Democrats, when local boy JFK took the throne. His separation of Church and State drew some concerns, but he won a lot more Irish

Americans than he lost.

The change has come since then. There’s a growing trend of Irish-American republicans gaining

than Obama? Well, an obvious reason would be that he lacks the charm and charisma of Barack. Casual viewers are still reminded of the

There’s a growing trend of Irish American republican gaining public office state office and senate seats.

Bob McDonnell, Governor of Virginia, is just one example. Elected to the governorship in 2010, McDonnell is an avid gun rights activist and Pro-Life supporter, and has maintained an approval rating of at least 53% during his past two years in office.

Chris Christie, the aggressive Governor of New Jersey who is tipped to be going places in the Republican Party, is another shining example of an Irish-American influence.

How have we judged our American cousins so wrong? And why, as Irish people, don’t we casually support Mitt Romney rather

Obama fever which swept not just the US, but the whole world in 2008. His centrist views are more in line with our European counterparts than the apparent harshness of Republican policies.

Also, our American cousins are becoming more American than Irish. They may like to hark back to the Emerald Isle but in theory they could be only 1/16th Irish and claim an Irish surname and a relative who escaped the famine.

As these American-Irish became more American and settled they grew wealthier and gained more power within their communities.

Gone is the era of the poor Irish emigrant. One quick glance at the voting demographics shows the divide between rich and poor is staggering. The Republicans have maintained their key voting block of rich white males while minorities and women strongly favour the Democrats. The Irish-American vote is now no longer a distinct voting bloc; it has become part of that rich white male demographic.

The need for them to support the issues once so important in the 1950’s and 1960’s is gone. The need to support the social policies which were feeding so many of the incoming Irish Emigrants has grown less important . As the wealth of the Irish in America grew, their independence from government aid grew, and so too did their desire to have a government that helped the economy to prosper.

Just something to think about when watching on November 6th.

indisputable. While the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida may have confirmed in many Americans minds that their presidential candidate is, in fact, an American, that America is the greatest nation on Earth and that God smiles favourably on the stars and stripes, tangible political inspiration was pretty thin on the ground.

Although Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan’s speech contained some heartfelt and well-received personal anecdotes, he has come under fire for flat-out lying about issues which included Obama’s management of welfare, the success of the stimulus, $716 billion the President robbed from Medicare (the US’s popular social insurance for seniors) and his own plans to slash spending on programs that benefit America’s poor. In addition, many Republican speakers barely

mentioned Mitt Romney – whose own address was largely unremarkable – raising eyebrows about whether guests like Chris Christie were really just presenting themselves as early hopefuls for 2016. And the less said about Clint Eastwood’s rambling debate with “Invisible Obama”, the better.

On the other hand, Bill Clinton’s humorous and genuine (if overlong) dedication to facts and “arithmetic”, Michelle Obama’s humanising tales of the First Couple’s penniless college years and the President’s trademark wit and playful jabs at the GOP meant this year’s DNC looked and sounded a dozen times more cohesive and authentic than its Republican counterpart.

Though the Democrats may have some way to go to convince a disgruntled public that four years simply isn’t enough time to orchestrate the rebound of a collapsed

economy, their convention will at least have ensured that they have voters’ attention. If they can capitalise on an energised electorate by doubling down on their uncharacteristically aggressive campaign (targeting Romney’s missing tax returns and poor jobs record as governor), and ruling out any further economic decline between now and November 6th , the party of hope and change may just stand a chance of finishing what they started in 2008.

Otherwise there’s every possibility the Republican magic formula of tax cuts, deregulation and smaller government will hold just enough appeal for voters to give Mitt Romney a chance.

Whether that’s a chance America can afford to take is another conversation entirely.

Is there something getting you down?

Join the UT Opinion team.

Email opinion@universitytimes.ie

Ther Irish gain

Tuesday, September 18 2012 | The University Times

14

UTSPORTS

The elephant on the pitch Carl Kinsella discusses the footballing world’s attitude to homosexuality

Justin Fashanu, the Premier League’s only ever openly homosexual player To many, the beautiful game is a sanctuary from the harsher realities of the world we live in. It’s pure escapism, it’s a submission to something we can’t control, a permanent offer of hope. Even when we’re disappointed, well, “there’s always next weekend”. As soon as the match kicks off, you become part of something much greater than yourself alone. You become one brick in a bastion of support and anticipation and exhilaration and excitement. You are free from personal persecution, you are free from the pressure exerted by any political agenda, you are free from everything but a size-5 gliding across perfectly cut grass from boot-to-boot and your clenched-fist, edge-ofseat prayers that it’s your guys who are about to rattle the net.

Unless you’re, you know, gay or something.

The outside world is moving forward. The common perception of homosexuality is changing for the better. This summer, Liverpool FC became the first English club to send official delegates and representatives to march in the Merseyside Pride parade. Baby steps such as this are at

the beginning of every big change. It is big change that is called for, big change that is needed and even if it had arrived yesterday it would have been several years too late.

Since the inception of the English Premier League in 1992, the league has been home to 3,113 players.

Since that very same date, the league has been home to one openly homosexual player. In case you’ve never heard it, the story of Justin Fashanu is a harrowing one. Fashanu played for a plethora of clubs, exhibiting enough talent to be signed by legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough as the first £1 million black player in British football history. Clough was disgusted when he learned of Fashanu’s lifestyle outside of football, and his visits to gay bars, and made him train separate to the rest of the team. Fashanu soon left Forest and played for a host of different clubs, never settling down with one team, before finishing his career playing in America and New Zealand. Fashanu contended that his career in football suffered “heavy damage” on account of his open attitude to his sexuality, including

bitter criticism from his brother John, also a professional footballer.

It is worrisome that Justin Fashanu is the only openly homosexual player in top tier English football ever. It is far more worrisome that the only openly homosexual player in top tier English football ever was found dead in a lock-up garage on May 3rd, 1998, having hanged himself. If ever there has been an aspiring young footballer rising through the ranks at Arsenal, or Liverpool, or Man United, aching to tell his friends, or family, or his manager about how he truly feels, Justin Fashanu’s death was as clear a “Don’t do it, kid” as a young man could ever need. The proof is in the pudding. Not a single openly gay footballer since. Not necessarily because of Fashanu, just because that lad is well aware of what would come his way.

There is not an absence of evidence when it comes to homosexuality in English football, but there is insurmountable and conspicuous evidence of absence. PR-guru Max Clifford has confirmed that two major clubs have approached him in an attempt to “straighten up” the image of their players, as it were. Former Ireland international Tony Cascarino maintains that banter amongst team-mates would develop ‘an uncomfortable edge’ if one was to emerge as a homosexual. It’s easy to dismiss this view as unenlightened. It’s much harder to accept that football is not an enlightened culture and that Cascarino is completely right. Homosexuality exists in football, it is simply regarded as best practice to suffocate it before it gets the chance to surface.

Over time, we have all contributed to the culture that sees Frank Lampard face songs about his deceased mother from the stands whether he’s playing home or away. We’ve all kept our counsel as Jermaine Defoe endures chants about his murdered brother hurled from one vitriolic corner of the crowd. This is what

we’ve allowed football to become. A culture where punters (punters, not fans) will prey on any minor chink in a player’s personal armour – his wife’s sexual history, his children, and tragic events like Hillsborough or the Munich air disaster. To say that an openly gay player would face a torrent of abuse from that stands would be to say that Sergio Ramos’ Champions League semi-final penalty was ‘a wee bit wayward’.

A few years ago the FA launched their ‘Kick Homophobia Out Of Football’ campaign. If ever there was proof needed that football has missed a step, this was it. How can anyone claim that there’s homophobia to kick out of football? There’s no homosexuality in football for homophobic people to prey upon. And it’s no wonder. In 2005 when the FA suggested a debate on the topic of homophobia in football, all 20 Premier League managers declined to take part. Shades of this were seen again in 2010 when the league could not find a single top-flight player to star in their ‘Kick Homophobia Out Of Football’ advertisement. Not one. This is not a fear of homosexuality, or a lack of understanding. This is a sheer denial of its existence.

There is no plausible, palatable solution. Football has fallen light-years behind the prevailing attitude of modern society that, for the most part, acknowledges homosexuality as (at the very least) a viable way of life.

Progress demands incomparable bravery from the league’s homosexual players as well as unbridled support from their managers, team-mates and opponents.

Until there is an admission of this unspoken prejudice on the pitch, football will remain socially stagnant, the Neanderthal of the sports world. Only the broadest of shoulders could carry the initial burden of abuse, but this is the big change that is needed to restore football to its rightful purpose as a safe-house from life outside the turnstiles.

Lance Armstrong: Death of a salesman Gavin Cooney Staff Writer

Being told you have cancer, and a 50% chance of survival. Climbing the Alps with every muscle in your body screaming for oxygen.

Being challenged by a section of the media, suspicious of your great achievements.

Lance Armstrong never shirked a challenge. He was bold; he was brave; he was brazen. Armstrong, the ultimate American hero, could beat cancer, get back on his bike and ride through any storm. No doctor’s prognosis was too grim, no illness too debilitating, no Alpine peak too steep. Lance could conquer it all. Lance Armstrong never quit. Until now.

In August, the man in the yellow jersey raised a white flag in the face of his doping allegations. Armstrong’s decision not to fight the allegations by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) was the first time America’s great hero dodged a battle.

The entire saga is shameful. It has tarnished Armstrong, Pat McQuaid and the UCI and the large section of the media that bought into the myth of Lance Armstrong, and allowed this to cloud their vision of the clear indications that Armstrong was a drugs cheat.

The media and governing

body allowed themselves to be enraptured in the web of lies, a web spun by a cyclist who morphed himself into a living myth. The UCI, the world cycling governing body, had the chance to clean up cycling and eliminate the doping culture in the sport in 1999. That year, Lance Armstrong was returning to the sport having vanquished testicular cancer. Within two weeks of the tour, urine samples belonging to Armstrong were found to contain a banned substance. The UCI, preaching at the time of the importance of a clean sport, decided not to ban Armstrong.

Here was a cyclist who was the author of a fairytale, a man who could go from hospital treatment tables to podium. More importantly, here was a man who could make them rich. The UCI, along with Armstrong, concocted a story that the banned substance was part of a cream to treat saddle sores. They even backdated a prescription so that the story would be clear of suspicion. The UCI continued to defend Armstrong, and why wouldn’t they? Yes, it was morally wrong and ruining the sport that they were the global guardians of, but Armstrong was making them rich. In a bitter, twisted case of irony, Armstrong donated enough to

them to fund a drugs-testing machine.

The media also bought into the Armstrong legend.

Despite the clear indications of cheating throughout his tour victories, most of the media were fain to perpetuate the myth of Lance.

In doing this, they ignored the facts. In 1999, Armstrong came from nowhere to blitz a field of convicted drug cheats. Lazy Journalism’s genesis was based on the saying “Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story”, and that’s exactly what most of its purveyors did. The Armstrong legend had no place for cheating.

The few journalists that swam against the tide and wanted to expose Armstrong as a fraud, Ireland’s David Walsh and Paul Kimmage among them, were ostracised among other journalists and cyclists.

The reason most of the world fell to Armstrong’s feet was the American’s marketing abilities. He portrayed himself as the main crusader against cancer.

Armstrong managed to mythologise himself as well as any poet could. Anytime Armstrong was accused of doping, he could hide behind the shield of his excellent work for cancer. His self-promotion and self-mythologizing seemed to make him bulletproof. Most of

the media, the UCI and other cyclists were on Lance’s side. The Armstrong edifice seemed immaculate, it could never be torn down.

In recent years, fissures appeared. Teammates Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton accused Armstrong of doping, and USADA pursued a case against Armstrong.

Armstrong’s decision not to bring the case to court was the best of bad options for Lance, in doing so he prevented further diminishing his character and bringing down the UCI. In the end, it wasn’t about the bike. It was about Armstrong’s personality. His character was domineering, he sought control of everything. His self-mythologizing and selling of himself created the aura, the myth, the legend. He was cycling’s great puppet master, everybody danced to his tune.

The UCI cried conspiracy when USADA began their pursuit of their hero. He was the hero everybody wanted to believe was true, a Texan comic book hero. Armstrong’s descent from the pantheon is truly sad. He fought, he cycled, he lied, he cheated. He staged cycling’s very own death of a salesman.

American football blitzing Ireland Photo Gallery: DUBC vs US Navy in light of the recent US Navy vs Notre Dame American football game in the aviva, conor bates reflects on the growth of the sport on this side of the atlantic UP UNTIL a few years ago, the concept of American football in Ireland has been, if you’ll excuse the very early pun, a foreign ideal. With little TV coverage, little notion and, most importantly, little interest in the sport itself, the NFL managed to escape the radar of our sport mad island. That is not to say it wasn’t there. With a few US college teams playing exhibition games on our GAA and soccer pitches punctuating our most recent three decades, we have had sparse actual contact with the sport. Save for die-hard fans, the players on Ireland’s small number of American football teams and the everpresent American ambassador Dan Rooney enlightening us about his glorious Pittsburgh Steelers, no one took much notice.

In the last few years though, a number of factors have come together to make American football the fastest growing sport in Ireland.

For a start, the increased coverage of games by major networks such as Sky Sports, Channel 4 and ITV have seen figures actively watching and taking an interest in football rise dramatically in the last five years. In tandem with this growth in coverage, the NFL has also brought regular season games to Wembley Stadium for the past five years, with

the St. Louis Rams and New England Patriots scheduled to play there in October of this year.

Put simply, this has meant that people pay more attention to American football, and many people now follow teams, as they would a Premier League team, or their county side. For some people it is even more serious. In many ways, the Irish have truly fallen for American football since its increased exposure. This is evident in recent trends in Super Bowl viewership.

In Dublin, and around the country, many restaurants, pubs, sports clubs and other public establishments use late licenses to their advantage in hosting American themed Super Bowl parties.

Notably, a February haunt of Trinity students is Captain America’s restaurant on Grafton Street, who were pioneers in holding Super Bowl events.

With interest growing significantly in the last few years, the country now lauds American football as its fastest expanding sport.

The Irish American Football League was founded in 1984 and has progressed from its embryonic state to a rapidly developing league, featuring 11 teams from all around the island. There is also an ancillary development league, specifically for

new, emerging teams, which again shows the exceptional expansion of the sport within the country.

This move towards embracing American football has taken a grip on our own college. The American Football Club (DUAFC) was founded in 2008, and has gone from strength to strength under the guidance of committed players and coaching staff. The first major success came in late 2010, when the club were awarded their first major honour, the Irish College Bowl, beating out a strong UL Vikings team 12-6. Last season was another bumper year for the team; they received full DUCAC affiliation, retained their College Bowl by beating UCD 7-0 and made the playoffs for the first time in their history.

The college secured another giant step in its growth, and the growth of football in Ireland, by playing the New England Ironmen and part-hosting the Global Ireland Football Tournament (GIFT) in August.

GIFT is a multinational tournament where a number of high school and college teams play each other in competitive exhibition football. The games featured American, Canadian and British schools and were played on the same weekend as the Emerald

Isle Classic: the landmark game between Notre Dame and Navy. This game is possibly the best and most recent incidence of the sport permeating into Ireland, and should, like the other positive movements, signal an increase in interest, and potentially uptake, of American football here. In that particular game, Notre Dame easily defeated Navy by 50-10, and although the result was something of a blowout, the occasion was received fantastically by the Irish and the American fans who travelled.

On the back of the event, maybe Dan Rooney will open a few more motions to have a regular season NFL game played in Croke Park.

And while this would definitely help propagate our flourishing intrigue in the game, the country, and our own college, would take pride and pleasure in seeing increased numbers on the field, at home. As Ireland’s love affair with American football graduates, hopefully the sport will see further expansion in the league, and investment at the grassroots level, which would lead to the sustained growth and development of this fascinating sport.

Photos by Nadia Gativa

15

The University Times | Tuesday, September 18 202

UTSPORTS

Fairytale of New York Stephen Ludgate Tennis writer IT MUST be electric, it must be exciting, it must be pride, it must be sacrifice, it must be passion, it must be New York, it must be love.” The US Open began with this sentence illuminating the Arthur Ashe stadium on the opening night celebrations and the following 15 days turned out to be all that and more. 76 years to the day since a British male player won a grand slam championship, Andy Murray made history by following in the footsteps of Fred Perry and claimed the US Open crown, defeating world number two Novak Djokovic in a marathon 5 set encounter. Murray followed the same script as Perry by winning his first major in New York by beating the Australian Open Champion of that year in 5 sets.

Murray defeated Djokovic, the defending champion, in 4 hours 54 minutes, just one minute short of the longest US Open final in the open era. He also followed in the footsteps of his coach Ivan Lendl by winning his first

Grand Slam title at his fifth attempt, both losing their first four finals.

Andy Murray went into the 2012 US Open final trailing Djokovic 6-8 in their head to head record. One important fact however was that the winner of the opening set had gone on to win the match in 13 of their previous 14 meetings. The first set was incredibly tight and although neither player was at their best for much of it there was still some breathtaking tennis on display.

They exchanged early breaks and even with both producing more unforced errors than usual, they displayed their best tennis when they needed to. At 6-all, the first set went to a tie break that will go down in tennis folklore. Djokovic took an early 4-2 lead but at the change of ends Murray fought back to take control of the breaker.

He wasted 5 set points but finally sealed the set at the 6th time of asking to take a crucial one set lead, 12-10 in the tie break.

Murray looked visibly more relaxed after winning the opener and raced

into a 4-0 lead in the second set against an out of sorts Djokovic. But you can never count the Serb out and he battled back brilliantly to level the set at 5 games all.

Again it was Murray who held his nerve and broke Djokovic to take the second set 7-5 and win two sets in a Grand Slam final for the first time. Being two sets down seemed to inspire Djokovic and began to play sensational tennis in the third set, seemingly chasing down every ball that Murray hit. He took the third set 6-2 and then continued this form in the fourth set to take it 6-3 with Murray complaining that his legs felt “like jelly”.

There was genuine fear that Murray would let this slip, as he had done so many times before. With many of his most famous countrymen watching on from the crowd including Sir Alex Ferguson and James Bond himself, Sean Connery, Murray played like a man possessed in the 5th set to win the match 7/6, 7/5, 2/6, 3/6, 6/2.

Murray looked as shocked and relieved as he did overjoyed, while the excitement

Ryder Cup set to Stun in Medinah Billy Nash Staff Writer

IT MAKES the world go round. People spend their entire lives in the pursuit of it. Every day terrible atrocities are committed in the name of it. Rappers rap about it and people beg for it.

It is both a cruel weapon and a wonderful gift. It goes by many names. Almost everybody has some and entire countries are defined by its abundance. Whatever you

call it, money dominates life on this planet and has the ability to make or break an individual or a group. Nowhere is this more evident than in the world of modern sport. Be it ice hockey or motorsport, most amateur and all professional sports are dominated by stocks, shares and cash-hungry players.

Football is perhaps the most obvious example of a sporting body driven by commercialism and monetary gain, but it is very difficult these days to find a mainstream sport that has evaded the

claws of grey-suited greed.

Basketball, American football, baseball and rugby are all businesses these days, television and sponsorship deals dictate this trend. However, it must also be noted that such deals are (arguably) not inherently evil nor anywhere near being deemed ‘destructive’ to their respective sports. Indeed, by their very nature, the world’s main sports are reliant on said greed in order to continue to be mainstream. Such a simple paradox is more and more

of his team was plain to see with his mum Judy and girlfriend Kim breaking into tears.

For the most-part, the first week of the tournament went according to plan with all of the top seeds progressing as expected. Caroline Wozniacki however was shocked on the women’s side with a first round exit, compiling a forgettable summer for her. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga was the main casualty on the men’s side, the number 5 seed crashing out in the second round to the relatively unknown Martin Klizan. The second week saw many fantastic matches take place, including the quarter final between Sam Stosur and world number one Victoria Azarenka which went all the way to a final set tie break. It was by the narrowest of margins that Azarenka managed to see off the Australian. She progressed to the semi-finals where she beat Sharapova in three sets to advance to the final. Murray survived a scare against Feliciano Lopez but one of the biggest stories was Roger Federer’s quarter final loss

to Thomas Berdych in four sets. The Czech out gunned the Swiss world number one who failed to make the semifinal of a grand slam for only the fourth time in his last 34 outings.

The women’s final proved to be the best women’s final that the Arthur Ashe stadium has witnessed in its 15 year existence as home favourite Serena Williams

beat world number one Azarenka 6/2, 2/6, 7/5 to claim her 15th Grand Slam Championship.

Williams couldn’t miss a ball in the first set powering her way to a 6-2 lead with many feeling the second set would be no more than a formality. To her credit the Belarusian fought back to take the second set 6-2 and clearly unnerved Williams whose

timing was off; she began missing her shots where she had been finding lines in the opening set. Azarenka was playing nerveless tennis, going for lines and running Williams from one side of the court to the other, and continued in this vein in the 3rd set where she fought her way to a 5-4 lead. But when she stepped up to serve for the match, Williams found

her best form again and won the next three games to take the title, to the delight of the 23,000 fans present, her fourth US Open in all.

evident with each year that passes. Money matters more than anything these days.

Don’t get me wrong, I have not fallen out of love with sport and its discrepancies; I am just aware of the fallibility of my sporting heroes and have long discarded of my rose-tinted spectacles in favour of good-natured pessimism.

However, there are a few exceptional sporting events where even the omnipotent dollar cannot penetrate fully and where pride alone can factor as a substantial award in itself. An example of this is the Ryder Cup. Contested between the supreme male golfers of the USA and Europe, golf’s marquee biannual event is an emotional rollercoaster that gives today’s youth a glimpse into an oft-forgotten past, one which showcases what international golf was like without massive prize-money. Played out over a single weekend, twelve players from each team battle it out for the little gold cup sponsored originally by the eponymous caddie, Samuel Ryder, in 1926. Over the last eight decades or so the tournament has expanded and blossomed into one of the most captivating displays of professional comradery on the planet, so much so that television ratings have grown and grown with each match that passes. The competition has been a stage on

which some of the biggest names in golf, such as Ballesteros, Faldo and Nicklaus, have cemented their place in history. Perhaps just as significantly, Tiger Woods is yet to make a lasting impression on any of the five cups he has played in, although this may be partly down to the inability of his playing partners to perform in his presence.

For those of you not familiar with the history of the event, undoubtedly the most significant moment in Ryder Cup history came in 1979, when what was originally a Great Britain and Ireland selection expanded to include continental Europe, in order that the Blues could compete properly against a previously dominant series of American squads. And compete they have. Since the expansion, Europe has won eight matches to America’s seven. It is this competitiveness that has ensured the longevity of the competition and makes it an advertisers dream. The realist streak again emerges in this writer when we consider the irony that the flagship event in one of the world’s most cutthroat and lucrative financial markets is one that prides itself on not paying the competitors any official prize money. I say official because all the major players receive large sponsorship sums to use specific brands no matter what

competition they play in, thus allowing the grey-suits and the pros to continue under the auspices of a seemingly nobler and purer pursuit while still boosting their bank accounts. It is no coincidence that global brands such as Rolex are sponsors of both the tournament itself and key figures such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

In short, the idea of a tournament untainted by money is nothing but a very clever marketing illusion.

Such unavoidable grievances aside, this year’s tournament should be one to cherish. On September 28th at Medinah Country Club, Illinois, twenty-four of the world’s top golfers will go head to head in a series of mouth-watering clashes. Rory McIlroy’s recordbreaking form would seemingly give Europe an edge, but home advantage counts for so much in these events that this may not be enough.

Also, as has been proved so often in the past, no player can win the cup on his own. One of the beauties of the Ryder Cup is its ability to toss a ‘lesser’ player into the spotlight at crucial times, take for example Ireland’s own Christy O’Connor Jnr’s exploits in 1989 against the esteemed Fred Couples. It is, therefore, what stars such as McIlroy, Woods, Mickelson and Donald can contribute off the course that may make all the difference.

Ryder Cup weekends bring out the leadership skills that professional golfers are rarely allowed to exhibit on tour, due of course to the intense individualism and selfishness needed to succeed at the very top. Factor in the intense mental aspect of the game and the ability to cajole, comfort and bring out the best in teammates is a crucial characteristic that propels the very best onto a whole new level entirely.

Another aspect of the Ryder Cup that distinguishes it from ordinary tour events is the matchplay format it incorporates, in place of the more commonplace strokeplay format so familiar to even the most inexperienced of golf viewers.

In brief, this format gives inconsistent players a better chance against higherranked rivals, thus allowing for even more drama coming into Sunday’s finale. Unlike regular events, one disastrous hole does not mean the end of a golfer’s challenge, just the loss of one point. The importance of this variation from strokeplay to matchplay cannot be overestimated; indeed this means that each match (there are twenty-eight in all) becomes a head to head battle that lasts more than four hours, an intensity that few sports can match.

We can expect many things from this year’s Ryder Cup. Given the players

that have qualified or been picked by their respective captains, a tight opening two days is almost a certainty. Few would predict the result to be a foregone conclusion before the back nine of Sunday singles. The Europeans look very strong all the way down the team sheet and would have be strong favourites were the competition to be held on their home soil. However, because this is not the case the Americans are brought right back into the mix. A raucous, patriotic American crowd can potentially transform an entire day’s play, take as precedent Brookline 1999, when Team USA completed the largest comeback in the history of the event, spurred on by a hugely aggressive home crowd. The entire golfing world hopes that a resurgent Woods is paired against current World Number One McIroy in at least one match; such a pairing could produce one of the most explosive rounds in Ryder Cup history. However, this would be but a bonus in what already promises to be an exhilarating weekend in Illinois.

Murray has finally earned his place in the Grand Slam winners’ circle

Prediction: Europe’s experience and form to prevail and thus retain the trophy, score line 16-12.

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September 18th 2012

Inside Homosexuality in football Page 14

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Photo by Nadia Gativa

Powerful Navy outpunch DUBC Conor Bates Sports Editor

ON THE final day of August, the Dublin University Boxing Club (DUBC) played host to one of the most adorned and respected colleges in the United States; the US Naval Academy. In what was truly a huge event for the club, they gave a great account of themselves against a well drilled Navy squad, and performed equally admirably outside the ring, in raising valuable funds for the Mark Pollock Trust Before the fights, DUBC Captain, Chris Bayliss, was quietly confident; “We’ve watched some tapes of these guys. They’re very strong, but we’ve got excellent technique. We’re very comfortable biding our time and taking our shots when they come, in the later rounds.”

With the unconditional support of their Captain, the bouts began in earnest.

The team’s confidence carried through the pleasantries and into the first bout. Trinity’s Cian McGrenra took on Richard Gonong in the 54kg category. McGrenra opened

up well, using his superior reach to land some jabs to Gonong’s face. Gonong battled back well, mimicking the Trinity aggression, and turning his shots into fine combinations. As the bout progressed, both combatants were struggling in what was becoming a frantic fight. In the dying exchanges McGrenra took more of the opportunities presented to him, and won a very aggressive duel. Trinity took the opening bout of the night, and looked in good shape for the remainder.

In an exhibition match at the 57kg category, former ladies boxing captain, Gillian Muirhead, took on Lynn Harvey of Trinity EBA. Harvey was an incredibly powerful boxer and she struck very early with a series of strong blows. Towards the end of the first, the referee gave a count against Trinity.

The second round began with Harvey picking up where she left off, seeking uppercuts and making significant inroads with her jabs. Muirhead gave her all with very controlled technique and style, but brute

DUFC triumph in bruising encounter Final Score Trinity

19

US Navy

12

Rory McCarthy Deputy Sports Editor

TRINITY PLAYED their first home match in the unfamiliar surroundings of Anglesea Road due to the game being moved at short-notice from College Park. The

game played out at a frenetic and often unusual pace for a pre-season fixture, and finished with Trinity running out 19-12 winners.

Tries from new signings

strength proved the winner, as the referee stopped the fight with a minute left in the second.

Another exhibition at 57kg saw Trinity’s Luke Healy take on Craig Bonney of Trinity EBA. The match had an edgy start, with both fighters chasing each other to find their range. Again the EBA boxer hit very hard, landing ferocious right hands and forcing a count in the first. Healy acquitted himself, building strings of jabs and crosses together well, but Bonney was still doing more damage with his overwhelming straight right. In the end the fight was awarded to Bonney, but Healy can know that he only just came up short to a very impressive fighter.

In the second TrinityNavy bout, Kishan Nayar of DUBC took on Antonio Roa, at 63kg. Nayar possessed excellent discipline and technique, using his reach to poke through the Navy guard. Roa showed good footwork to overcome Nayar’s probing, and countered with force in an exciting first round. Where Nayar

held a reach advantage, Roa was the physically stroner of the two boxers and the American used his right cross to devastating effect when the two traded blows.

As the fight wore on the crowd became greatly involved, getting behind their home fighter. Despite their best wishes, Roa’s strength told, and the fight went to Navy, to level the score at 1-1.

The second ladies fight of the night saw Trinity’s Fiona Maleady take on Katie Kavanagh of CIE. In a quiet affair, the two fighters shared the spoils in the first two rounds. Kavanagh showed some dominance in the last round, with one or two volleys and combinations landing, which saw the fight awarded her way.

In the 71kg class, Chris Bayliss met Andre Moorehead in a nervy encounter.

The two boxers began edgily before the fight progressed into a great encounter. Bayliss beat through blocks with effective jabbing, while Moorehead preferred to attack with body shots. The fight grew in intensity and both men were rewarded for

their escalating effort; Bayliss landed many successful combinations of jabs and crosses. At the bell, Moorehead signed off with one last cross, which seemed to tell the story of the fight from a Trinity perspective; beaten by one punch. Navy won in a close contest.

At the same weight, Shane Farrell took on Mike Mourafetis. In a quieter contest than its predecessor, Mourafetis landed flurries of punches, despite Farrell’s orthodox blocking style.

Farrell attempt jabs with a quick-footed motion, but once again the Navy representative proved to be the stronger competitor. By the third round Farrell threw caution to the wind, but his opponent’s power saw him home. Navy now led 3-1.

Trinity’s most experienced boxer, James Annett, took on a Navy favourite, Noah Weintraub, at 75kg. The momentum of Navy’s success followed into the first round of this contest. Weintraub, a complete fighter, used power and technique to take the first round. Sensing that the fight

was escaping his grasp, Annett burst into life, responding with a similar mix of aggression and prowess. The contest became a furious, blow-for-blow affair, which saw Annett draw blood from Weintraub, forcing a prolonged stoppage. In the end, the crowd got behind their man, and the judges did likewise, awarding the fight to Annett.

In the penultimate exhibition, Navy’s RJ Garcia battled Mark Loftus of CIE at 75kg. Garcia, a diminutive powerhouse, built barrages of punches, landing countless body shots with a bulldog-like approach. Loftus could do little to combat this, as he found himself on the ropes on many occasions. He employed disciplined mechanics, but Garcia’s sublime force allowed him to dismantle his opponent with reasonable aplomb.

At 80kg, Ben Kavanagh of TCD did battle with Sean Hunt of Navy in a very even encounter. Both combatants came out firing, going jab-for-jab in an attempt to break down their

competition. The fight was balanced in most areas, with neither man able to gain the upper hand; each straight was met by a block, and vice versa. The fighters showed incredible resilience in the face of some powerful hits, and the audience appreciated the effort of both Kavanagh and Hunt. The decision went Hunt’s way, as he probably picked his shots marginally better, but take nothing away from Kavanagh, who did his teammates proud in the ring.

The final exhibition saw Angelo Lonero of Navy take on professional boxer Jim Rock, in the 81kg weight class. It was a hotly contested spar, as Lonero’s effort and aggressive shot building was countered by Rock’s clinical jabbing. After three intense rounds, both fighters shared the spoils.

In the climactic bout, Patrick Kerr took on Navy’s Keon Briscoe in the heaviest weight category; 92kg.

It was a frantic opening with both pugilists seeking killer blows early on. Kerr picked his shots well against tough opposition, landing a

number of straight punches. It was an onslaught from both men, as they blocked fierce hooks and rebutted with explosive jabs. As the contest settled down Briscoe began to land crosses and finally connected with some of his bigger punches.

The latter stage ascendancy was enough to swing the match Briscoe’s way, and give Navy a 5-2 win overall.

DUBC can be very proud of what they achieved. An overall loss for Trinity saw some great individual performances from both promising and experienced fighters. Some bouts were significantly close contacts that may have swung either way, and against one of the best boxing colleges in America, our representatives were agonisingly close to overturning some of the results. Equally, the club can be delighted with running a very successful event, for a brilliant cause.

Joe Coyne, Eoghan Kelly and Pip Blake were complimented by Dave Fanagan’s boot. However, the scoreline doesn’t reflect the ferocity and energy of the Navy team. Arguably one of the most conditioned teams to ever play DUFC, they tackled like brutes and competed consistently and fervishly at the breakdown causing endless problems for scrumhalf Angus Lloyd.

The set piece functioned well with Rory McCarthy putting aside his previous wobbles in Castle Avenue to turn in a strong performance out of touch. However, the scrum was shunted sixways from Sunday by a strong Navy front row.

Trinity knew that pace and fluidity would be the only way to tire and beat the Navy, however, lack of accuracy and clinical passing

prevented Trinity from pulling away with the game as they spurned chance after chance. Trinity through Fanagan, Lloyd and No. 8 Ryan Sheady ran the ball quickly and strongly, with Fanagan using his mesmeric footwork to dazzle and confuse the Navy defence. Too often Trinity failed to have players in support and saw the ball coughed up again and again.

The Navy for their part were no slouches and played a strong brand for running rugby, passing all the way to the touchline stretching Trinity’s defence. Using close support runners and superior size they would cause Trinity’s defence to get bunched around the ruck and over commit to the breakdown before releasing their fast strikemen and only for more accuracy

with the final pass the result could have been reversed.

Trinity to their credit kept playing but made their life exceedingly difficult knocking on ball after ball and missing many passes. This put further stress on the Trinity scrum which veered from dominant on some occasions to have the breaking point of a wet tissue on others.

This inconsistency will no doubt be addressed in the coming weeks by coaches Hugh McGuire and Malachy Bradley. Following a slow, laboured start from Trinity complete with aforementioned knock-ons and missed passes, Navy scored from a maul of a 5 metre lineout and Trinity immediately recognised they would be in for a tough battle. The pack especially the backrow of Coyne, Sheady and

Eoghan Kelly immediately pulled their socks up and coverered every blade of grass in an effort to secure quick ball. After solid buildup from a midfield lineout Blake crossed the whitewash and got Trinity off the mark. Just before the half, following a great line break from centre Johnny Meagher, Trinity were camped on the Navy tryline. The ball was turned over but as Navy went to clear, their kick was blocked down by Coyne who then gathered and scored to make it 14-5.

The supposed flood-gates never opened as the Navy true to their reputation refused to lie down and be turned over. Navy came out fired-up in the second half and signalled their intent with a thumping hit on Conor McGill off the restart.

From then Trinity fell into

bad habits of unforced errors and shoddy defensive lapses that should have been punished. Navy scored a late try to make it 19-12 and cause Trinity some concern. The try was probably the play of the day with Navy capitalising on a loose pass from Lloyd, who had an exceptional game otherwise, to score under the posts. Trinity clung on to the game and through a strange cocktail of luck, perseverance and mystery, won the match, though they made hard work of it.

The Navy side were commited and what they lack in a final element of technical ability they compensate for with sheer bloody-mindedness in contact and strong defensive structure.

No doubt a few Trinity players had sore bodies the following mornings.

A wonderful occasion

was made even more special by witnessing a Navy coach also a Lt. Commander in the United States Navy receive his promotion to Commander. The Navy brought a strong vocal crowd who never let up in their support of their side and the game itself. The crowds of people in town for the Notre Dame vs Navy gridiron game were treated to a great spectacle on and off the pitch. It was unfortunate that the game had to be moved to Anglesea Road, as it would have attracted an even larger crowd than the 200 plus present if it were played in college. Due to health and safety reasons, the match was moved at short notice, and it was the only disappointment of the day, as to have played the event in College Park would have been even more wonderful for both sides.

ll

Trinity Twenty Featuring this year’s hottest societies and the SU election speculation list

Jack Gleeson

David Fanagan

Gleeson is an international TV star, but his polite and friendly character would hardly give that away. As the character of ‘Joffrey Baratheon’ in HBO’s A Game of Thrones series, he has a following bordering on cult in America, Canada, and - curiously - Brazil. When he’s not filming the series in Belfast, Gleeson is part of the Collapsing Horse Theatre Company with onetime DU Players chair Matt Smyth and Aaron Heffernan. Last year, the company’s first production ‘Monster Clock’ was praised until it could be praised no more.

In his spare time, Jack is a scholar in Theology and Philosophy. A fake Twitter account in his name gained over 4,000 followers in a day, which is a lot more than the rest of us could hope for.

Power takes many forms, and being a big dick player gives you a good bit of sway around the Arts Block. David is your typical rugby-ledge and ladies man who always has a female hanging from his arm.

Not to mention the fact that he’s always dressed like he’s just about to slip out to Krystal after lectures. If Ross O’CarrollKelly had a brother his name would be David Fanagan. But don’t let that put you off.

The main reason Fanagan made it onto the list is because everyone loves him.

David Whelan

Jack O’Connor

Joel McKeever Joel has managed to keep a position on The Power List after coming in ninth with Jack Leahy last year. In first year McKeever was heavily involved in Players, Lit Soc and received the award for “Fresher of the Year” at the 2011 CSC Awards ceremony.

In second year he was the Publicity Officer for both Lit Soc and Q Soc. Joel is now in third year Single Honors English. He has taken on the role as the Head of the Q-soc and has the responsibility of representing LGBT students. His ambition for Q-soc is for it to reach its potential in support, inclusion, activism and creativity.

This entry is a testimony to the saying that ‘any publicity is good publicity’. Last year O’Connor made his name following the scandals with Midnight and their sexist advertising. Jack and a number of other Midnight promoters openly defended the promotions company on Facebook with controversial comments that provoked a boycott of Alchemy. O’Connor was also heavily involved with the proposed fraternity in Trinity, Zeta Psi. TCDSU has now blocked the fraternity from linking with the college, but Zeta Psi is to carry on regardless. It seems that a Dublin Frat House is on the cards in the near future. More recently Jack has taken on the role of a section editor in The College Times, another Midnight venture.

The Trinity Ball: you may not remember it in vivid detail, but you’ll sure as hell remember that you went and that you enjoyed it. Whelan’s organisation and responsibility for Europe’s largest private party itself qualifies his inclusion on this list, though he is more than just a oneBall man. Successive Ents officers have reformed the image of the position from that of a self-serving party-animal to a slick business machine serving to fuel the ever-growing Trinity Ents brand. Whelan fits that mould perfectly, and adds to it a work ethic and savvy that should help fulfil his aim of making Ents about more than just parties and Balls.

Tamara Conyngham Tamara has been part of the Dublin University Business and Entrepreneurial Society since her first year as DUBES rep. Having never lost an election, she is now Chair of one of the biggest societies in Trinity. With DUBES’ massive budget and an even bigger reputation we’re sure that she won’t let the denizens of the Ed Burke down this year.

Natalya Coyle

Damien Carr Damien Carr is the man with the plan the production plan, that is. As chairperson of Trinity Publications, ‘Damo’ as he is affectionately known, pulls the strings with all of the College’s newspapers and magazines bar this one.

Damien was involved in founding The Bull, Ireland’s only student financial publication which received a number of Student Media Award nominations last year.

A rumoured run for the position of Ents Officer now looks set to be cast aside by career aspirations, but it hasn’t stopped him from organizing a national media conference for students to be held this November.

Natalya Coyle’s achievements represent only the beginning of what will surely be a long and successful career, yet she is already the country’s most successful athlete in her field. She is quiet and unassuming yet fiercely determined, and the product of these qualities was a ninthplaced finish in the London 2012 Olympics as Ireland’s first modern pentathlete. Impressed? Well, factor in that she studies as hard as she trains and her absolute disregard for her 28th-place pre-Games ranking and you’ll quite rightly be blown away by her achievements.

Aisling Ní Chonaire This sabbatical officer who will interact the most with students on a pastoral basis is certainly deserving of her place on this list. Ní Chonaire has a campaigner’s zeal, the warmth of an old friend, and the authority of a welfare professional twenty years her senior. Throughout the year Aisling wil be helping to organise campaigns relating to mental health, sexual health, accommodation and healthy eating. She’ll be dishing out condoms, helpful advice and direction all year and is herself an invaluable student servant.

Rosa Langhammer Rosa Langhammer does a lot. The statement may sound simple, but it’s sound.

Having dedicated herself to the JCR Halls vice-presidency last year - and earned a lot of respect in the process - she’s now been let loose on societies. As PRO for the Cancer Society, she’ll be influential in growing the increasingly popular charitable society and attracting more volunteers. Langhammer is one of College’s most recognisable and approachable figures, and you’ll likely find her dashing about the arts block demonstrating her terrifying ability to manage a dozen projects at once.

Jack Leahy Jack Leahy’s CV reads like an employer’s wet dream. Part of the ‘zaga mafa’, Leahy can be found lurking around Arts Block or House 6 putting in his daily hack-hours. In his first year Leahy landed the position of Sports Editor on The University Times due to his sheer dedication. Now he’s taken on the role of News Editor along with positions on DU History and TrinityTV. In addition, Jack is the Finance and Services Officer for the Students’ Union, working closely with the Welfare Officer and the President. He well deserves his self-proclaimed title of ‘The Big Man’.

When plans were being made last year to host a debate between then USI President Gary Redmond and a Trinity student, there really was only once in-house debater deserving of the opportunity . If rumours are to be believed, Byrne will be facing off against John Logue in the second installment of the USI affiliation debate at the start of this term, which would be a massive affirmation of his status as College’s pre-eminent polemicist. He’s also the editor of the satirical magazine The Piranha so has further licence to cut people up as he pleases.

Dan Ferrick Ferrick, whose desire to hold the role of Education Officer has never really been a secret, endeared himself to the student body during an uncontested election campaign in February and will now represent the SU on more College committees than you’ve had hot dinners. Dan may be the man behind the scenes doing the casework, committee work and dealing with the Class Reps, but he’ll be loving every minute of it.

Freshers watch out, there’s a new President of the JCR (Junior Common Room).

The JCR is essentially a mini Students’ Union in Halls and has a considerable influence over first years. The most impressive thing about David is that he managed to become the President of the JCR in his second year. He’ll definitely be on the first and second year radar. If he doesn’t get the shift, nobody will.

Magnus Williams

Cian McCarthy & Sean Gill Dave Byrne

David Henry

As the chair and treasurer respectively of the Central Societies Committee (CSC), Cian and Seán are the men to whom all society officers in College report. Gill, the dapper and charming commander of the purse-strings, was overwhelmingly reelected to his position in March having excelled in 2011/12. Those who have worked with him - and there are many of those are invariably full of praise for his combination of approachability and knowledge.

McCarthy, a former ‘fresher of the year’, occupies the top job in societies and will continue to liaise with the CSC’s all-powerful Strategic Development Officer Joe O’Gorman to improve and enhance societies and their collective modus operandi.

Magnus Williams, or “Maggie” as he goes by, is one of Trinity’s more recognisble sons. Often seen chatting in the Arts Block smoking area avoiding all things academic, Williams boasts charm and charisma. His influence is widely recognised among Sophisters, with the Londoner having featured prominently behind the scenes in four successful SU election campaigns.

Jack Danaher Jack Danaher, a third year Law and Business student makes his first appearance in the Trinity Twenty this year. Danaher was a founding member of Fish Soc, a society that emerged last year with its celebrated fishing themed nights out. Danaher can only be described as a mad character and his towering presence is a familiar sight around campus. This man could easily be seen contesting the Ents race in the SU elections this year.

The top five

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Lorcan Clarke Sch.

Rory Dunne

So, it turns out that Dunne nabbed Number One. In recent years SU presidents have not been able to secure the number one spot on The University Times’ power list. However this year Rory might be a bit relieved to see his face at the top of the pyramid. What makes Dunne different from the rest? The simple fact is that he’s lived up to his promise that he will ‘get things Dunne’. We expect Rory to be a very public figure in Trinity this year and to use the power that 1,767 voters gave him to the full. With great power comes great responsibility - or so Spiderman says.

Being a scholar, the President of the Philosophical Society and an all-roundsound-lad is kind of a big deal in Trinity. That’s why Lorcan has come in second place. The Phil is unquestionably the biggest society in college at the moment. In the last five years Senator John McCain, Al Pacino, Naomi Campbell, and Stephen Fry have spoken in The Phil conversation room. Not only does Lorcan have a lot of power, he’s also got all the influence he needs over the incoming Freshers.

Jack Cantillon

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Where to start? If you’re a fresher then you might not know about The Horse Racing Society - but you will soon. Mister Cantillon is the brains behind the much-loved Day At The Races that were a huge success last year. Some were shocked to see Jack shy away from running for Ents Officer or lose the Law Soc elections, nonetheless Jack will no doubt continue to be a man about campus and has also been tipped to run for Ents this year.

Photo by Cat O’Shea

Trinity’s Best New Society in 2012, we became one of Trinity’s biggest societies with over 1,500 members in first year.

We’re home to Ireland’s largest student society event, the Spin 103.8 Race Day which will take place in 2013 on March 27th. We are giving away 10% discounts to all new members. Look out for Burrito Grand Nationals, Coppers Gold Cards, the Horse Racing Rave, jumpsuits, wristbands, DJ’s in horse boxes. What other society can guarantee the ride for €2?

Law Soc - Graham and Hannah McCarthy The 79th Session of the DU Law Society promises to be the most successful LawSoc yet. This year we’re introducing a new event, the Halloween Masquarave, which will be held in a secret castle.

Students will have the opportunity to win Capitol Hill internships through public speaking competitions. Speakers this year include Jeh Johnson, the legal advisor to Obama, human rights advocate and wife of former Prime Minister Cherie Blair.

5

Hannah McCarthy & Lydia Rahill

Aoife Considine

In third place is what we would describe as a power couple.

Since first year both Hannah and Lydia have stormed elections every year without fail. These law girls are not shy about running for positions. In Lydia’s case her hard work has paid off as she’s now the Chair of the Law Society. Although Hannah may have lost out in her bid to be Chair of the Historical Society she still holds a lot of respect and influence among her peers. It’s hard to forget the amazing job McCarthy did on the Trinity Arts Festival (TAF). This list recognises that positions aren’t all that matter. Unfortunately, Hannah was globetrotting and so missed out onour fab photo.

Number five was Queen of Halls in her first year and has propelled herself to Captain of DU Snow Sports this year. In recent years DU Snow Sports has drawn a lot of controversy surrounding its annual trips abroad. Two years ago the scandal surrounding the ‘Rock Boys’ grabbed the attention of national media . Well known and well liked, Aoife will be hoping to emulate the fun and avoid the scandals of ski trips past. In a nutshell, Aoife will be the Queen of Craic this year.

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Societies to watch out for Horse Racing - Jack Cantillon

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Fish Soc - Captain James Morris As the ninth moon rose in the year of the rabbit, amidst the swooning of mermaids and catcalls of whalers, the fruit of Davy Jones’ loins cast out bait and, feeling a bite, reeled in a decadent catch, one ne’er before sang of in salty seadog’s tales of yore, a catch so enchanting it would mete out a tear even from the eyes of old wizened Ahab himself, and thus FishSoc was birthed

Scan Soc - Jack Sheehan Roll up, roll up, for Trinity’s coldest, boldest and least old-est society! Dive into the Nordic experience like it’s one of those mental ice pools somewhere in the Norwegian badlands. Get ready for celebrations of all holidays Nordic, visits from northern notables and of course, the Second Annual ‘Totally Undiscriminatory Actively Inclusive Non Heteronormative Pan Gender Life Partner Carrying’ Competition.

The Phil - Glen Rogers Officially the Best Large Society in Trinity College, The Phil also boasts the title of the oldest student society in the world. The Phil hosts a debate each Thursday evening in the Chamber of the GMB, where guests and students wage war over the issues of the day. Celebrities drop in to accept The Phil’s Gold Medal almost every other week. If you’re looking for somewhere to meet the most diverse, friendly, and welcoming group of students Trinity can offer, The Phil is what you want. You’re guaranteed to make some friends for life.

SU election speculation list President

Ents

Tom Lenihan Andrew Nagle Jack O’Connor David Egan

Jack Cantillon Sean Reynolds Damien Carr Jack Danaher Becca Roche Orla Byrne

Education Lylas Adjhomani Sínead Laydon Eric Tebay Aisling Concannon Niall O’Mahony Welfare Stephen Garry Victoria O’Brien Aisling Concannon

Communications Matthew Taylor Elaine McCahill Leanna Byrne Alex Sloan Shauna Watson Ricky McCormack