The University Times

SUPPLEMENT

NEWS

OPINION

Year in Review

Kells to Make Move

Armchair Advocacy

Trinity College is set to move the Book of Kells from its long-standing position in the historic Old Library to a new exhibition space in an effort to increase commercial revenue news, page 3 »

Aisling Curtis on charity campaigns and apathetic altruism that seem to be prevalent among the social media generation where charity is more about awareness than change in opinion, page 13 »

The annual Year in Review supplement recapping the highs and lows of the year gone by. We give insight into the year’s top stories and ask students about their year.

Magazine We take the free Scientology personality test

www.universitytimes.ie

Volume V, Issue VIII

Accommodation Charges to Increase Further for Coming Academic Year Fiona Gribben SENIOR staff writer

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he College’s Finance Committee made the decision on March 18 to increase the charge for College accommodation by 4% for the next academic year. The new increase will apply to all student accommodation, including Trinity Hall - the majority of which rooms cater for incoming first year students.

This is the second year in a row that the cost of College accommodation has risen.

The Director of Commer-

cialisation in Trinity reportedly suggested a more dramatic increase of 11% but this was rejected by the Committee.

A statement from the college explained: “The increase is due to costs in relation to the provision and refurbishment of student accommodation. These additional costs include the introduction of property tax and the refurbishment of student accommodation, including houses 38 and 40 which provide 30 bedrooms. The current increase will be used to defray those costs.”

Last year the rental charge for Trinity College accommodation increased by 3.7%. Ac-

cording to the statement from College, the majority of the increase was related to the impact of the property tax which was introduced in the Finance Act of 2012. Prior to this, the last increase of 4% applied to charges for the academic year 2010/11.

Speaking to The University Times on the issue, Students’ Union President Tom Lenihan said: “I disagree with the decision as it represents yet another hit this year against students. It is a cynical move that has been made simply because we are in an accommodation crisis in the city and College feel they can exploit that.”

Lenihan refers to successive contentious decisions made this year by College including a cut to the amount of funds allocated to capitated bodies in College and the decision to house third-year incoming scholars in Trinity Hall.

The beginning of this academic year was fraught with anxiety for many students as an unprecedented accommodation crisis hit Dublin.

According to a Daft.ie rental report, released last Summer, the number of available properties in Dublin had fallen from 4,212 in 2012 to 2,394, a continued on page 2

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Tuesday 1 April, 2014

Vote to Decide on How Students Will Pay for Sports Centre Preferendum on Sports Centre charges to be held in September alongside Class Rep Elections in September.

Darkside Nicolas Jaar speaks with DUDJ

Catherine O’Callaghan staff writer

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Photo by Rob Nolan FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

Nicolas Jaar speaks to Dublin University DJ Society The renowned international DJ spoke to the society in the GMB Chamber last week ahead of his group Darkside playing at Hidden Agenda

The Cost of Controversy around Russia

Why Should We Pursue Third-level Education?

Daniel O’Brien discusses the controversy surrounding the visit of the Russian Ambassador PAGE 10 »

Fionn Rogan questions one of the sacred cows of modern Ireland and asks: why college? PAGE 11 »

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SPORT

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MUSIC

FEATURES

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PHOTOS

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CULTURE

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M20

OPINION

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FILM

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WEEK IN SOCIETIES

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EDITORIAL

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FASHION

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ONLINE NEWS

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Editor: Leanna Byrne Volume 5, Issue 7 ISSN: 2013-261X Phone: (01) 646 8431 Email: info@universitytimes.ie Website: universitytimes.ie

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

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

Michelle Tanner, Head of Sport and Recreation dated that “if the preferred option of said preferendum differs from the current longterm policy...a referendum be held asking students to adopt that option as the new long term policy of the union with a yes or no option.”

A number of concerns regarding Sports Centre funding were noted by Council while discussing the preferendum. One such concern was the increased pressure on

continued on page 2

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After Council Vote, TCDSU to Actively Oppose Tobacco-free Trinity Initiative Kayle Crosson & Hannah Ryan

NEWS

mandate to hold a preferendum regarding Sports Centre charges has been passed by the Students’ Union. The preferendum, to be held in September 2014 alongside Class Representative Elections, will contain up to four student levy options. The motion was proposed at SU Council by Trinity College Students’ Union Welfare Officer Stephen Garry and seconded by Tom Lenihan, SU President.

The options contained in the preferendum are to be determined by the Union Forum, and be “guided by insight gained from the President and Welfare and Equality Officer in consultation with the Sports Centre.” One option must be the current long-term policy and none of the options can result in no levy being charged. Council also man-

“

Within the prevailing economic conditions, the current charge puts us under pressure to increase commercial activity that ultimately jeopardises student usage

services capable of creating revenue through commercial means as a result of the college’s commercialisation strategy. Also noted was the importance of protecting, maintaining and improving student services as solely student services, regardless of the current commercialisation pressure.

Additionally, it was noted that consultation with the Sports Centre indicated that its current method of funding, through the current charge of €77 per student, is no longer viable in the long term in order to avoid increased external membership.

While no specific increase in the levy was put forward at Council, Welfare Officer Stephen Garry has stated that it is likely that an increase in the charge to €120 may be proposed. He also suggested that there may be an option to increase charges for students who wish to use the Sports Centre during peak times.

On the numbers of external members of the Sports Centre, an additional source of revenue, Head of Sport and Recreation Michelle Tanner told The University Times: “At present we do have quotas for all categories of non-student

A

t the Students’ Union Council meeting on March 25, a motion was passed for the Union to actively oppose the Tobacco-Free Trinity initiative. Consultation on this issue is continuing in College, regardless of the referendum held in February in which students electorally decided to oppose the ban of smoking on-campus.

The results of the referendum have recently become somewhat controversial, as Dr David

McGrath, Director of the College Health Service, denounced the deciding power of the vote, claiming that the wording of the question posed to students showed that it was not determinative of College policy. Dr McGrath also highlighted the fact that the referendum results only expressed the opinions of 4013 students and neglected the views of staff throughout the university.

Students’ Union President, Tom Lenihan, said that he will happily support the decision the students made. “The Students’ Union are going to be pulling out of the consultation process

shortly. The motion was just to clarify how we were going to act on the way students voted. We firmly believe that a vote cast by 4,000 students is far more representative than a survey with only over 1,000 students.”

In light of the results of the student vote in February, the TFT Committee is now considering an alternative compromise on the issue: having designated smoking areas in the college.

The Committee will bring a recommendation on the issue to the College Board for a vote before the end of term. However, Welfare Officer Stephen Garry maintains that “we have a major-

ity directive from students to not support the initiative”, regardless of its form.

The University Times contacted Garry for commentary on the form which the Union’s active opposition will take but he was unavailable for comment due to the sensitive nature of the subject. However, a representative stated that the Union will now pull out of the TFT consultation process, which has been ongoing throughout the year. It was explained that: “The Oversight Commission read into the referendum result as not supporting continued on page 4

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The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

News

Online this Week Visit www.universitytimes.ie for the full stories Downton Abbey Creator Julian Fellowes at the Phil Creator, Executive Producer and Writer of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, received the Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage from the Phil for his contribution to film, theatre and television on Thursday 20th March. Fellowes spoke on a range of topics, from his path to success as a writer to Downton’s characters and the drama’s recent controversial storylines.

TCDSU to Propose USI’s Disaffiliation from the European Students’ Union

« continued FROM page 1

Trinity Alumnus Supports ‘Wings for Life’ World Run 2014 The ‘Wings for Life’ World Run 2014, the Irish stage of which was launched outside the Berkeley Library earlier this year by adventure athlete Mark Pollock, will take place on May 4. All proceeds from the race will go towards Wings for Life, a foundation that funds research into finding a cure for spinal cord injury (SCI). Belfast-born Pollock, an alumnus of Trinity, was joined at the launch in January by Leo Varadkar, among others

TCDSU Joins Demonstration Against Graduate Social Work Scheme Social Work Action Network (SWAN) Ireland were recently demonstrating outside Dáil Eireann to oppose the graduate social work scheme. An emergency motion to oppose this scheme was recently passed by Trinity College. The demonstration was called in response to an announcement by Gordon Jeyes, Director of the new Child and Family Agency (TULSA) relating to one-year training contracts.

Trinity to Launch Inaugural Trans* Training at Smock Alley Theatre Friday the 21st of March saw the launch of the inaugural Trans* training by the Irish Trans* Student Alliance in association with the Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) in the Smock Alley Theatre, with a performance of Unicorn with a Cape.

TENI will also re-launch their Stop Transphobia and Discrimination (STAD) campaign at the performance. Unicorn with a Cape is a piece of drama designed to confront the complexity of gender identity.

Sports Centre Under Pressure to Increase Commercial Revenue with Increased Fees

USI VP for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance, Cat O’Driscoll (second from left), at the 27th ESU Convention in Brussells.

Aisling Curtis SENIOR staff writer

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rinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) is set to propose a motion that would see the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) disaffiliate from the European Students’ Union (ESU). The motion will be put forward at Annual Congress, taking place in Athlone from March 31 to April 3.

The proposal for disaffiliation was first suggested by Stephen Garry, Welfare Officer for TCDSU, during a presentation on USI and ESU at the USI National Council in January. However, if the motion passes at Congress it will not directly result in disaffiliation.

Instead, it would lead to the removal of the clause within USI’s constitution that automatically asserts ESU membership. This would create an environment within which

USI could implement disaffiliation procedures.

In a joint statement to The University Times, Garry, along with Tom Lenihan, President of TCDSU, and Education Officer Jack Leahy, described their concerns as including the failure of ESU’s actions to have “meaningful consequences”, the various costs associated with USI membership of ESU, and the recent information that USI has had to join “a Eurovisionstyle ‘voting bloc’ with some Nordic unions” due to the “prevalence and strength of such arrangements in ESU decision-making”.

The statement mentioned the failure to see a return from ESU membership and its expense, as annual costs consist of the €6,000 membership fee, as well as expenses for the three or four meetings that USI officers must attend.

TCDSU believes that Irish students have not benefited from ESU membership whatsoever in the six years of partnership,

citing the “pitiful share” of the European Youth Guarantee as an example of a meaningless outcome from ESU. Joe O’Connor, President of USI, told The University Times that the motion at Congress will decide USI’s stance towards disaffiliation, adding that USI is happy for people to express their views and instigate discussion on ESU’s role.

However, from a personal standpoint he expressed worry that disaffiliation would have negative effects for both USI and national students’ unions. “Ireland more so than others has seen decisionmaking have a huge impact [in recent years],” he said. “We must engage at a student level [and] become more of a player on a European stage.”

Also speaking from an individual perspective, Cat O’Driscoll, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurances at USI, has outlined a number of serious consequences of disaffiliation.

As well as losing international representation – which would deprive USI of “the mechanisms to feed into national decisions and hold the officers to account” – Ms O’Driscoll has also emphasised the notion that “together we are stronger”, referring to the many issues that Irish students have in common with their European counterparts, including fighting higher fees and the commodification of higher education “whilst working towards greater access, mobility and equality”.

The ESU currently represents 47 national students’ unions from 39 countries.

Through these unions, it acts on behalf of over 13.5 million students, and cites its aims as including the promotion of students’ social, economic, educational and cultural interests at a European level, with a particular focus towards the European Union, Council of Europe and UNESCO.

memberships but we have capacity challenges particularly within the Fitness Theatre.

Within the prevailing economic conditions the current charge puts us under pressure to increase commercial activity that ultimately jeopardises student usage. There is a recognised need to increase the students’ Sports Centre charge so we can deliver better services and facilities for students. We have consulted with the SU and will continue to do so to find the right solution.”

Stephen Garry expressed similar concerns, commenting that: “The Sports Centre is first and foremost a student service.

The current college commercialisation strategy poses a real threat to this status and we are exploring every avenue available to ensure that this strategy does not impact negatively on the student experience.”

The charge for the Sports Centre has not increased since the academic year 2009/2010, after being introduced in 2007/08 at €70 with the proviso that it would increase yearly in line with inflation. In December 2013, The University Times reported that a proposal that the mandatory charge be increased from €77 to €87 had been tabled and rejected by the Capitation Committee. The proposal had been made by Ms Tanner, a representative of DUCAC on the Committee.

Students’ Union Elects First-Ever Sport & Exercise Officer Sarah Ledden staff writer

Accommodation Fees to Match Market Rates After Decision by Finance Committee « continued FROM page 1 decrease of 43% in one year.

Many students were forced to couch-surf for a number of weeks until suitable accommodation could be found, often paying exorbitant fees disproportionate to the property rented.

Currently the cost of oncampus accommodation is between approximately €4074 and €4874. This will now rise to between €4237 and €5069. A student would have to pay between roughly €4025 and €5250 to stay in Trinity Hall; this will increase next year to between €4186 and €5460, depending on the room type. In the last two years College accommodation has risen on average by €175.

The decision follows another unpopular announcement made by College in February, in which the accommodation rights of Scholars were targeted.

The majority of on-cam-

pus accommodation has traditionally been allotted to final-year students or scholars; however The University Times learned of a decision made earlier this year by Provost Prendergast to house all newlyelected third-year Scholars in rooms in Trinity Hall. The decision was reportedly made without any committee-based procedure, bypassing the Working Group on Residential Accommodation, nor was the Scholars’ Committee consulted on the matter.

The Finance Committee is a principal committee of the Board of the College, responsible for all matters relating to the financial affairs of Trinity encompassing the areas of strategic financial planning-related issues. Its chair is the Provost, Patrick Prendergast, and other members include the Vice-Provost, the President of the Students’ Union and an accountant from the Treasurer’s Office.

T

he motion to introduce a Sport and Exercise Officer to the Students’ Union was passed by class reps at last SU Council last week, with History student Conor Clancy being elected to the position.

The aim of the new position is to promote and encourage the student body to engage in recreational exercise and physical activity with the help of the Sports Department.

Previously these duties were assigned to the SU Welfare Officer, with initiatives such as the gym buddy scheme and bike renovation scheme run being run this year.

Speaking to The University Times about the new position, Welfare Officer Stephen Garry stated that he does not see the new position as a separation from the Welfare office.

“The Welfare office will continue to work on these issues, but it’s useful to have an officer dedicated to an area where we felt further focus would be beneficial,” he said. “Good physical health has a multitude of benefits and is often intrinsically linked with the maintenance of

Photo COURTESY OF TCD COMMUNICATIONS

The launch of the tenth Trinity Health and Sports Week last Monday in Front Square

positive mental health.”

Conor Clancy, elected Sport and Exercise Officer, told The University Times that his focus is on “recreational exercise as a part of life” and expressed a desire for College sports facilities, such as Botany Bay, indoor courts and

College Green, to be more accessible for students.

Clancy feels that there is a desire among students and staff to maintain an active lifestyle, however “co-operation between the two is often difficult”; he believes that his role will be instrumental in

helping to resolve this.

Clancy said that while College facilities are available for students to access, many students are discouraged either by a lack of awareness or the expense of booking.

As part of his role, he hopes to campaign for

these spaces to be available free of charge for students during off-peak times. This would “promote the presence of casual and diverse exercise on campus while simultaneously maximising the use of our facilities to the benefit of the student

body and refraining from creating a financial burden on the college.”

Clancy commends the “excellent participation in non-club activities” of students, mentioning events such as Cancer Soc’s 24hour Relay for Life, 5-aside tournaments and Quidditch tournaments as demonstrations that “students are eager and willing to participate”.

Clancy also praised calendar events such as Health and Sports week and RAG week for getting people involved, but feels that weeks such as these should not be isolated.

“My view is why should this be limited to only a few weeks a year?” he remarked.

In addition to this, Clancy hopes to inform and aid students in submitting applications to generate new sports clubs and related events. He has experience with working through the “complicated process” of setting up a club and feels that providing students with guidance through this process will “encourage students to raise their voice about the kind of sports and sporting events they want to see”.

Clancy also advocates increased inclusion of students with disabilities in sports in the coming year.

3

The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

News

College in Discussions to Relocate Book of Kells to New Tourist Space Hannah Ryan NEWS EDITOR

T

he University Times has learned of discussions between the Library and College authorities surrounding a number of proposals which have been put forward to increase Trinity’s commercial revenue.

Among these plans is the potential relocation of the Book of Kells from the Old Library to a new exhibition space. This would result in tourists being charged a second fee to view the Book, greatly increasing the college’s tourist-related income.

The proposed exhibition space which would house the Book of Kells would be created beneath the Berkeley podium. The library is reportedly opposed to these plans, due to the frequent flooding which occurs in that area. Acting Librarian Jessie Kurtz told The University Times that it is “difficult to speculate� as to what the consequences of such an exhibition space would be for the Library, as “plans are currently still under consideration around any possible changes to the location of the Book

of Kells�. “The Bursar is leading these discussions, which are ongoing, with final approval by the College Board being the ultimate aim for the Trinity Visitor Experience Masterplan,� Mrs Kurtz stated. “The aim has always been to ensure the curatorial responsibility for the Book of Kells; the conservation of the Old Library building and its collections; and the enhancement of the visitor experience.�

Mrs Kurtz also offered comment on the effect such a project might have on the attractiveness of Trinity for tourists. “The Book of Kells and the Long Room will always be a centrepiece for tourists to Trinity College and this along with the possible creation of a new exhibition space will enhance the visitor experience,� she stated.

Asked if the Library plans to oppose the college’s plans, Mrs Kurtz refuted this, stating: “The Library is playing an active part in the discussions with the Bursar to ensure the College’s objectives are realized in the context of the Library fulfilling its curatorial role for the collections; building; services to Trinity staff and students; and service to the tourists who visit our College.�

Recently, the College Board also

Photo COURTESY OF TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

approved a recommendation which prohibited College services from retaining any income they generate.

Funds accumulated are now held by the college and redistributed “in support of teaching, learning and

research� throughout Trinity. As a result, the Library can no longer fund itself from the revenues of the Old Library and the Library Shop. Commenting on this decision, Mrs Kurtz said: “The Library supports teaching,

learning & research and as such has access to these funds for its initiatives and strategic objectives. In addition, the Library’s budget, which had previously been dependent on this income, has been regularized, providing the

Library with certainty around its annual spend.�

Head of Research Collections and Keeper of Manuscripts at the Library, Bernard Meehan, was unwilling to comment on the proposals.

Board Gives Preliminary Approval to the Use of ‘Trinity College, the University of Dublin’ Despite Opposition Fellows left “in the dark� as to exact decisions made by Board.

Clare Droney SENIOR STAFF WRITER

F

ollowing a meeting of the Board of Trinity College regarding the proposed name-change to ‘Trinity College, the University of Dublin’ on March 26, The University Times was informed by a spokesperson for Trinity that “The Board of the College gave preliminary approval to the new logotype today�. This emerges despite extensive opposition to the move among a number of internal groups.

College said, of the consultation process regarding the name-change, which it claims is an important aspect of Trinity’s ‘Identity Initiative’: “The Board also decided that the new logotype be taken out to the College community for discussion and consultation. This is consistent with a pattern of College-wide research and consultation already established by the Identity Initiative team.�

Asked about the college’s response to the protesta-

tions of the Fellows regarding the rebranding, which were covered in The University Times earlier this year, Director of Communications & Marketing Bernard Mallee said: “The consultative process on the Identity Initiative has been extensive, and our deliberations with the College community continue because this is a shared identity. Our consultation with many internal groups, including with Fellows, has been very constructive, and it has helped us improve the work we have been doing on a new logotype for College.�

However despite claims of a cohesive identity within Trinity and a “very constructive� consultation process, several bodies within the college, notably the Fellows and the Students’ Union, have raised objections to the proposed name. The name-change was rejected by the SU Council at a recent meeting and in light of the new developments, SU President Tom Lenihan told The University Times: “The process has been a war of attrition in order to break down any opposition to the change. Students have rejected the proposals from the initiative and any consultation from students has been disregarded.�

Similarly, Dr Eoin O’Dell, a Fellow of Trinity College,

stated: “I am not sure that I would say that the consultation between the College and the Fellows on this issue has been ‘very constructive’ at every stage. For ex-

“

The consultative process on the Identity Initiative has been extensive, and our deliberations with the 13College community continue because this is a shared identity.

Bernard Mallee, Director of Communications and Marketing

ample, we felt it necessary to send our memorandum to the Provost in February because we did not think our views were being listened to at that stage.�

The memorandum in question was issued for the attention of Council and Board but was not circulat-

ed to those groups. In it, the randum that there are cirAn Initiative in Identity Fellows argued that where cumstances in global marthe name ‘Trinity College keting, especially within Dublin’ already has “strong the remit of the Global Current Logotype recognition and historic Relations Office, where awareness�, such as in ex- the term ‘university’ is of isting local, European and great importance, so that Anglophone markets, for using a formula like ‘Trinall academic purposes, and ity College, the University Trinity College identity: General Use (non-stationery) for all bibliometric activi- of Dublin’ makes a great a ties, it should continue to deal of sense, we think that be used. It is believed that there are local, European the Board decided last week and Anglophone markets New Logotype Pre-approved by Board to continue to use the name and academic purposes 31 Trinity College, The University of Dublin - Identity Development ‘Trinity College Dublin’ for for which the traditional formula ‘Trinity College bibliometric purposes.

Dr O’Dell further com- Dublin’ should continue to mented: “We are, of course, be able to be used, and we Trinity Colourways - Revised Colours Blue and White very grateful that some hope that Board’s decision The University of Dublin Requirements for the new Identity of the concerns which we on Wednesday allows for that.â€? raised in that memoranTrinity College, The University of Dublin - Identity Development Yesterday, 13 the Provost, dum were addressed by Trinity College, The University of Dublin - Identity Development Current University Shield New Two-colour Shield Board on Wednesday, and Patrick Prendergast, sent an we look forward to play- email to all members of the ing our part on the further college community, resultconsultation relating to the ing from negative responsOur proposed identity must: College & University logo- es to the new logotype that ĹĽ %H IRUZDUG IDFLQJ ĹĽ 5HVSHFW FHOHEUDWH WKH SDVW Proposed can be seen via social media type.â€? ĹĽ 7KH VLPSOLFLW\ RI WKH ZKLWH V\PEROV ĹĽ %H ĆŽW IRU SXUSRVH DFURVV DOO FKDQQHOV Blue Ĺ› RƲLQH RQOLQH against the blue of the Shield not Dr O’Dell continued: “It is as well as in national meWhite ĹĽ )ROORZ EHVW SUDFWLFH only creates a modern, crisp and ĹĽ %H DFFHVVLEOH dia outlets at the weekend. unclear as yet as to whether ĹĽ %H VFDODEOH legible version of the Trinity College ĹĽ 8WLOLVH UHDO HVWDWH WR PD[LPXP HĆŹHFW IRU Board has taken further Prendergast claims that the identity but also treats the identity in stand out ĹĽ %H HĆąFLHQW HĆŹHFWLYH FRVW HĆŹHFWLYH the same streamlined manner as decisions, such that one College Board “agreed that to reproduce many of the competitive set or the other of these us- final approval [would] not %H LQ OLQH ZLWK WKH DJUHHG FUHDWLYH GLUHFWLRQ ages should be a default to be given until the College which the other is an excep- community was informed tion. So until we get the of- and consulted.â€? He also anNew Book: “Open rather than closedâ€?

Old “Traditional� Bible ficial minutes of the meet- nounced a townhall meeting, or the Provost makes ing regarding the Identity an official communication Initiative to be held this to the College Community, Friday in the Stanley Quek we are a little in the dark Theatre in the Trinity Bioabout this. But it is an im- medical Sciences Institute. portant issue. “For example, whilst we Additional reporting by Edmund accepted in our memo- Heaphy & Leanna Byrne 35

4

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4

The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

News

Trinity Cancer Society Surpass Targets for Daffodil Day

Opposition to Tobaccofree Trinity Dismissed

by College Authorities

Sinéad Baker DEPUTY ONLINE EDITOR

« continued FROM page 1

T

rinity Cancer Society raised almost €5,400 on Friday 28th of March for the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day. These proceeds will be given to the Irish Cancer Society, where the money raised shall be used for cancer services, research, fundraising and governance.

Fifty-two Trinity students volunteered to sell daffodils, pens and keyrings both on campus and in surrounding areas including the Arts Block, the Hamilton, Front Arch, Nassau Street and Pearse Street Dart Station.

President of Trinity Cancer Society Sarah McAvinchey told The University Times: “I’m delighted that our year has ended on such a high. We have worked really hard to allow Trinity students to get involved

[the proposal], but not opposing it. Therefore it was necessary for Council to decide whether we would actively oppose it by pulling out of the consultation process. When Stephen brought it to the Executive, they decided that there needed to be a motion.”

The TFT initiative has sought to evaluate the feasibility of a smoking ban on Trinity grounds partly through assessing smoking habits within the college. From a survey conducted as part of this research, it emerged that 82% of Trinity students “never smoke” and only 7% identify themselves as “daily smokers”.

this year and it just shows with all of the volunteers we had on the day and the amount raised.

We can’t wait to keep it up for next year to make cancer soc even bigger and better than ever!”

The Irish Cancer Society has set a target to raise €3.5 million this Daffodil day according to the Irish Cancer Society’s Chief Communications Officer, Kathleen O’Meara. These funds will go towards services including the Care to Drive service, a confidential door-to-door collection service which drives patients to and from hospital appointments and services for patients who have received a cancer diagnosis as well as their family members and significant others.

Last year the Irish Cancer Society saw a 50% decrease in Daffodil Day donations due to torrential rain, yet they hope to meet this year’s targets with the help of the bright and dry weather.

staff writer

T

rinity College engineers and researchers recently unveiled their prototype robot to Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations’ specialised agency for information and communication technologies, at a special event held in Trinity’s Printing Rooms.

The unveiling drew much praise for Trinity’s engineers from both Touré and the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, who then pledged €50,000 for the further development of the prototype.

The robot, nicknamed ‘Robbie’, was built for Cork teenager Joanne O’Riordan, who is one of only nine people worldwide living with tetraamelia, a condition in

which the sufferer is born without arms or legs. In April 2012 O’Riordan addressed the UN at the ITU’s ‘Girls in Technology’ conference and issued the challenge for someone to build her a robot. Taking up this project is Assistant Professor Kevin Kelly, from Trinity’s School of Engineering, along with a team of young engineers.

Dr Touré, who was behind the ITU’s initial donation of €50,000 to this project, said after the unveiling event: “Joanne’s courage and energy are formidable – and her enthusiasm for the power of information and communication technologies to help her overcome her challenges and engage with the world around her is truly inspiring.” He also commended the team of engineers, branding them “simply phenomenal”, and requested information on any further research, so he can continue to assist in sourcing funding.

Self-dubbed as “one of the most active societies of 13/14,” the THEO have held a wide variety of events this year, from trips to talks from guests and paper readings. One of the primary incentives they give for running for the committee is their large operating budget. Fair.

PHOTo BY SINÉAD BAKER FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore donating to Trinity Cancer Society Committee member Paul Meagher

Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda

Tuesday Trinity FM AGM – 8pm, Eliz Rooms, House 6 Not only will former Society of the Year TFM be running elections for a new committee on the night of their AGM, they will also be holding a karaoke night in tandems. This event pretty much sells itself.

The Phil AGM – 5pm, The GMB In a break from the tradition of smaller societies of electing their committees on the night, the Phil and the Hist have a very competitive election process prior to the AGM, using the night itself as an evening of reminiscing, crying, and letting it all out. And drinking questionable punch.

“

Wednesday Environment Society AGM – 8pm, AP 2.03

There are huge challenges when trying to do this with a robot in a domestic environment.

Primate evolution spanning 65 million years has got us where we are now whereas we had three months

bre of Dr. Touré was very gratifying.” He touted the prototype as a significant step in an ongoing process to deal with the issues faced by “people who, for various reasons, can’t currently do things that most of us take for granted, like fetching objects, turning on and off lights, and making a phone call”.

The next problem is then “a matter of integrating other technologies and advancing the state of the art in other areas to take it to the next level”.

However, he is optimistic about the future, saying that with enough time

Europa AGM – 7pm, Global Room

Theological Society AGM – 7pm, The GMB

Speaking to The University Times, Kelly said, “To have our work endorsed by someone of the political and scientific cali-

Conor McGinn, Chief Engineer, Project Research Team

Monday

The first of this week’s AGMs is Europa’s. The European language and culture society is commonly known as the society solely for European Studies students, and is often run entirely by second year EuroStuds before they go away on Erasmus. A non-ES victory is one to be cherished – go for it.

Rwandan President Pledges €50,000 for Trinity Robot Dónal Ring

This Week in Societies

The Environment Society has had a very active year, with beach clean-ups, bingo nights, Earth Hour celebrations, and gardening in the Trinity Community Garden.

Given the College’s constant pursuit of Green Flag status, the society get a lot of support from the upper echelons of Trinity administration.

Anna Harrington

In the Supplement Robbie the Robot was built for Cork teenager Joanne O’Riordan, who has a condition called tetra-amelia, a very rare congenital disorder which meant she was born without arms or legs

and resources, the project should reach the stage where the robot can assist people like Joanne with everyday household tasks.

Conor McGinn, Chief Engineer and design lead of the Trinity project research team, said: “There are huge challenges when trying to [do] this with a robot in a domestic environment. Primate evolution spanning 65 million years has got us where we are now whereas we had three months to build something!”

Kelly attributes the positive result of the project, despite many difficulties, to the hard work and quality of the team, prais-

ing them as ‘great ambassadors for Trinity’. He says that he felt compelled to meet O’Riordan’s challenge, calling her ‘inspirational’. He admired her UN speech on women in technology, saying it’s “something I feel strongly about”, and cited his interest in robotics, “in particular those working with and for people”, as a factor in his decision.

The prototype is a humanoid robot, with features like a head, torso, legs, and arms, and when fully extended it stands at 140cm, though it can adopt a kneeling position to match Joanne’s height.

In order to communicate

with people the head has a face on an LED screen, which can blink and display emotions. Instead of hands the machine has flexible grippers, which are balloons filled with coffee granules. These devices act like a liquid under normal circumstances, but lock into place when the air is removed.

By pressing the balloons against objects and creating the vacuum, Robbie can use this method to pick them up.

The project is set to continue with funding coming from a range of sources, believed to include the fundraising of telecoms billionaire Denis O’Brien.

The Top Stories of the Year Shauna Cleary lists the top stories from 2013/14 according to the traffic they recevied on www. universitytimes.ie. You might be surprised. S4

An End of the Year Rant Colm O’Donnell looks back at the year pessimistically. Between cuts to capitations and increases in student fees, the glass is not even half empty. S10

In the Magazine Inside the Institute of Education “Above even its reputation for excellent grades is the Institute’s notoriously strict class regime, yet for those of us outside those Leeson Street buildings very little is known regarding the class structures.”

— Charlotte Ryan M8

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The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

In Focus Taking a Look at a Haitian Holiday

Leanna Byrne Editor

Entrepreneurs Hugh Brennan and Myles McPartland are trying to convince students that Haiti is the next big tourist destination.

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think it is safe to say that Haiti is nowhere to been seen in the Trailfinders travel booklet. Nobody has ever thought it might be nice to get away to Haiti for the weekend. Between the earthquakes, the odd hurricane and a danger of cholera it’s no wonder tourists are more comfortable flocking to the Canary Islands for a bit of sun.

Although travelers are united by their desire to get away from it all, how and where they want to spend their holiday varies. While one traveller’s toes might curl at the thought of inter-railing or sharing a seat with chickens on a tractor in Thailand, ‘risk travelers’ relish at the sense of the unknown. For some, travel is more than just a pool and a deckchair - it’s an adventure.

Destination Haiti was established

by Hugh Brennan and Myles McPartland as an “adventure travel business” in 2013. The unlikely pair met while

living in Haiti for over two years.

Hugh was volunteering with the Red Cross and Myles was managing over 1,500 people as the Head of Organizational Development at Digicel Haiti.

While exploring the mountain trails every Sunday, the two fell in love with the land and decided to partner together to spread the word about this unexplored paradise.

Last week, Myles and Hugh paced the at a stand in the Arts Block littered with brochures filled with picturesque visuals trying to convince students of this once in a lifetime opportunity.

“We use a lot of words very loosely, like beautiful and paradise, but you have to see this,” Myles said. “It is unspoilt, undeveloped. Nobody has been there. The water is just crystal, and it’s warm. I wish I was back there sometimes!”

However, Destination Haiti is not an easy sell. Visiting one of the poorest countries in the world, where 80 per cent of the population live on less than $2 a day, is not the average punter’s cup of tea. Neither is the thought of having to get a cocktail of injections to make sure you come back in one piece. For Hugh and Myles, their task is to convince holidayers that it’s all worth the perceived risk.

“There is so much beauty there,” explained Hugh. “It is a country that I know, in one generation, is going to be transformed to the most sought after tourist destinations in the world.

We’re trying to persuade people to come now and see it when it is completely unspoilt.”

Both Hugh and Myles went on to explain that the unspoilt, idyllic Caribbean is not the only attraction. According to Hugh “the people are what bring you back”. The hardworking, proud nation have captured their heart by inviting them into their homes and treating them like old friends despite the language barrier.

“Myles was Max out there because Myles is a difficult enough word to say,” laughed Hugh. “Hugh they could not say. I was ‘huge’. What they do is they put ‘mister’ before it, and if they put mister before it then they can pronounce it. So out there my name is mister hugh and this is max.”

Not only that, but the Haitians who reside in the mountainous regions live in a matriarchal society where, as Myles warned, nothing goes without consulting the women.

The two are also adamant that by transforming Haiti to a tourist destination it can help address the economic disparity.

“The Haitians have made the best of what they’ve been through in terms of the disaster and they deserve for things to pick up,” said Hugh. “The point is, with people coming to Haiti as tourists they can make a real difference. If we can attract 20 people per month to come to Haiti for a year, we’ll create half a million US dollars for the economy. That’s simple maths based on a spend of approximately $200 per person per day, which is roughly what you’re going to spend on your accom-

modation, your food, your transport, your drinks and ‘touristy’ spends.”

So, what’s in store for a tourist on a Haitian Holiday?

“We’re going to try and stay away from traditional, defined holiday,” said Myles. “We’ll ask what they want to do. Do they want to go to the beach, the mountains, visit the cultural side of Haiti, or do you want to visit the aid projects? It is very much tailored. If we start saying to people that we’re going to bring you into the mountains for four or five days then you might get fed up.”

Whether it’s a five hour walk in the Chaine de la Selle Mountain Range

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If we can attract 20 people per month to come to Haiti for a year, we’ll create half a million US dollars for the economy.

or a trip to Northern Haiti, Hugh and Myles believe they can use their indepth knowledge of the country to help their clients make the most out of their holiday. Unfortunately, a trip to Haiti doesn’t come cheap as everything can cost up to about €3,000.

This includes flights to New York and then to Haiti, accommodation, transport and other general expenses.

“It’s not a cheap holiday, but nowhere is a cheap holiday. We’re into doing things cheap, but we’re not interested in doing tents,” said Myles.

For those of you interested in finding ‘the new Thailand’, this could be the one for you.

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It is a country that I know, in one generation, is going to be transformed to the most sought after tourist destinations in the world.

Still Struggling More than 350,000 Haitians are still living in tents in scattered camps; many of those who have moved out have returned to substandard housing in hillside shanties and seaside slums. A cholera outbreak that has killed more than 7,500 people since October 2010 remains a threat, with cases spiking after each tropical storm. Epidemiologists blame poor hygiene at a military base of the UN peacekeeping mission for the outbreak, though the UN has denied responsibility.

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The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

In Focus

Aisling Curtis Senior Staff Writer

Aisling Curtis interviews IranianAmerican writer and scholar of religions Reza Aslan.

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orn in Iran, Dr. Reza Aslan travelled to the United States at the age of seven with his family, fleeing the Iranian Revolution. An internationally-bestselling author and scholar of religions, Aslan is one of the most eminent religious historians and human rights activists of the day: he has published a number of popular religious works; founded AslanMedia, a social media network about the Middle East and the world; co-founded BoomGen Studios, a transmedia storytelling factory; and serves on the board of directors for the Ploughshares Fund, Narrative Four, PEN USA, and the Levantine Cultural Center.

Aslan grew up in the Islamic tradition, but converted to Evangelical Christianity at the age of 15. This decision came from a “deep emotional place”, a consequence of being confronted with the Gospel story at a time in which he had no other spiritual edification. However, upon entering university he stumbled across a different Jesus - a Jesus of history, rather than faith. Though he separated himself from the Church, he retained a profound interest in this Jesus of history both from an academic and spiritual perspective, even following his rediscovery of the Islamic faith.

This interest and passion for the historical story of Jesus the man remained with Aslan throughout his academic career, eventually culminating in the internationally-acclaimed Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, a work that discusses Jesus the man instead of the miraculous Jesus Christ. His conception of Jesus differs from the popular notion, characterised by the figure of a poor, pious, uneducated man, who started a movement on behalf of the weak, the dispossessed and the marginalised, fighting the powers of his time and ultimately sacrificing himself in the name of the disadvantaged. Discussing his decision to portray this

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Thinking about Jesus’ actions done through human motivations makes him the most extraordinary man that has ever lived

The Life and Times of Reza Aslan humanised version of Jesus, Aslan stated that “thinking of him as walking through a self-prescribed path that was written before the beginning of time, that’s not extraordinary, [however] thinking about Jesus’ actions done through human motivations makes him the most extraordinary man that has ever lived”. Instead of attempting to provide a fresh perspective to a topic that has already been considerably discussed, Aslan wrote the book in order to produce a synthesis of the thick academic work from the past two centuries, in order to make it accessible and appealing for a popular audience. “My desire was to break this [academic literature] open and invite everybody else into the conversation”, something he calls unquestionably the most “satisfying part” of the whole experience.

Alongside popular academic writing, Aslan has also advocated for peace and human rights in the Middle East, throwing light on the importance of eliminating the “good versus evil” rhetoric that has dominated conversation about religious fundamentalism, stating that it is vital that the war be brought from a cosmic to an earthly plane. He has cited George Bush and Tony Blair as primary catalysts in the propagation of such an image of the war on terror.

“These are the two gentlemen who were primarily responsible for presenting that viewpoint, and we [have] replaced them with two people - Cameron and Obama - who are not comfortable with that language in the same way”. He commended the US military on their part in rooting out the

Fox News Interview On 26 July 2013, Aslan was interviewed on “Spirited Debate,” a Fox News webcast by anchor Lauren Green about his book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.

Green was “unsatisfied with Aslan’s credentials,” and she pressed Aslan, questioning why a Muslim would write about Jesus.

The interview lasted about ten minutes and focused “on Aslan’s background more than the actual contents of the book.

“overt Christianisation”, which has led to less extreme attitudes towards fundamentalism; however, he also recognised the importance of confronting the core grievances “such as the desire for free political participation” that have spurred terrorist movements forward.

Speaking from an Islamic platform has allowed Aslan to advocate for peace, but also to write from an insider’s position about Muslim topics, such as in his bestselling, No god but God: the Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam, which discusses the history of the Islamic faith. However, his openness about his religion has brought him substantial derogation from a number of camps, as exemplified in his viral interview with Fox News. Asked whether his Islamic faith has helped or hindered him professionally, Aslan emphasised the lack of “calm, confident, Muslim voices speaking rationally about the Middle East” within an academic context. He has faced substantial criticism, a consequence of writing about the controversial subject of religion; both himself and his wife receive regular death threats. Nevertheless, Aslan believes his religion has helped him in his career.

The rights to Zealot have been acquired by Lionsgate, with David Hayman, producer of the Harry Potter series and Gravity, set to produce the film. Aslan is currently working on his upcoming book, a history of “where our ideas of God came from, how they have evolved, and where they are going in the future”.

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The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

In Focus

Saying Goodbye to a Year on Erasmus Sophie Guillermin-Golet Contributing Writer

After a year on Erasmus in Trinity, Sophie GuillerminGolet gives us an insight into what it’s like spending a year in a strange university.

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ime is flying. Time is even currently running out as Muse sing. Yes, I know that we hear such affirmations way too often. Yes, I know, so many people already wrote to say that life is a ‘bittersweet symphony’. I know that it is not something that you want to think about. We are way too young for this, right? Let’s save

this depressing reflection for our old days, when we all ramble.

However, dear fellows, let me ramble for a few words. I need it, and I am pretty sure I am not the only one. Let’s be melancholic during a minute, before going back to our usual selves. This week, for the first time, someone asked me: “So, did you enjoy your time here?”. It suddenly struck me: there are only a few weeks left to this amazing year I am living. Holy crap!

A year spent abroad is terribly particular. Before living this experience, I must confess that I did not always understand the nostalgia of those who were coming back, who were talking about this distant country which became their home with stars in their eyes. Of course, I knew that it was an exceptional year, but I did not know in what ways it was.

In September, I did not need a lot of time to finally put my finger on one particularity of this stay, what makes it at once magic and tragic: it is temporary. As soon as we arrive, we have in a corner of our mind

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As soon as we arrive, we have in a corner of our mind the date of our departure

the date of our departure. So, in order to make the most of these months, I did what all Erasmus and Visiting Students must do; I buried it in the darkest depths of my mind, and I began to live with this intoxicating sense of urgency.

It looks as if the Erasmus year is the year of all excesses. From now on, I understand why. We have to live everything faster, in a more intense way than before. Friendships begin and end in the blink of an eye. We laugh harder. We also (there is no need to deny it) party harder.

And guess what, we even managed to get some work done.

Each feeling is intensified.

Each beautiful moment seems even more amazing than back at home. Each heartache seems worse than ever. It is obviously knackering, but I would never change these moments for anything.

In fact, these last months I really felt like a privileged person.

It is something that we all have

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We are lucky to have the possibility to go abroad and to discover a new country

to keep in mind, and that also Irish students who will be Erasmus students next year, will have to keep in mind.

We are lucky to have the possibility to go abroad, to discover a new country, to travel, to expand our knowledge about ourselves, to attend a university like Trinity. Moreover, I met people coming from all around the

world, from various social backgrounds, and I learnt so much with them, and thanks to them.

It is of course way too early to say goodbye. The end of this wonderful era has not come yet.

There are still so many things to look forward to. But I can already thank all the people who made this year possible.

So, I raise my pint of Guinness to all Trinity Students, Irish and

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The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

In Focus

Brew Your Own

Home brewing is back, previously confined to the student digs of the 1970s and 1980s, the move toward microbreweries and craft beer has pushed the ‘old skill’ back into fashion. Daire Collins takes you through the basics and background of this easyto-learn yet impressive skill.

Daire Collins Deputy Features Editor

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t’s now easier than ever to make your own homebrew beer. Online shopping has resulted in hundreds of speciality stores, supplying all types of equipment, kits and information for everyone from the uninformed beginner to the advanced som-

melier. For the beginners, introduction kits, with everything you need to brew and bottle can be bought from €80 upwards.

As with most hobbies, you can dive in the deep end and spend thousands creating a copper barreled, microbrewery in your garage, yet even with the basics, the beer turns out surprisingly good. Those looking to start should make sure their kit includes; a fermenting barrel with grommeted hole for an airlock, a graduated cylinder

and hydrometer for calculating the percentage, a tap for pouring and bottles for bottling, of course along with the actual ingredients for making the beer.

On paper, with airlocks and hydrometers, it all sounds like it would lead to a steep learning curve, yet with the canned ingredients in starter kits, it’s almost impossible to go wrong.

If you can work the hob you can make drinkable beer.

Unexpectedly, my first brew was not perfect. I foolishly

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The further you go down this rabbit hole, the less this beer is going to taste like the cans of Bav from the Pav

filled my fermentation barrel up with too much cold water, so that when I put my yeast in (the essential ingredient that creates the alcohol), it was way too cold and didn’t interact correctly. Even with this mammoth mistake, my first batch of Weiss Beer came in at a 3.9% alcohol and was quite drinkable, to most people’s surprise. This success out of disaster has spurred me on, to see what else is out there and to keep brewing.

Moving on to my second

batch, I realised how hard and how much preparation temperature control takes, as the yeast only works as it should within a certain range. I also realised, that even though costs can be kept low, as with every crafting hobby, there is the urge to upgrade and spend more.

What should have been a second batch of beer, costing me €25 for the ingredients, resulted in purchasing a second barrel for bottling, extra tubing for siphoning and a bottle capper

and caps. I’m currently waiting to taste the difference, but I know already that for batch number 3 a lot of restraint will be required not to purchase some other piece of equipment that soon appears ‘necessary’.

It turns out that homebrewing has a whole community surrounding the process of turning grains into tasty beer. The further you go down this rabbit hole, the less this beer is going to taste like the cans of Bav from the Pav, and the more you are going to start talking about hops and IPAs. However, for those less interested, the whole process of home brewing beer still can open your eyes to the world of possibilities when it comes to beer.

Trying new beers, and having a favourite that’s not Heineken or God forbid, Carlsberg, is becoming the new norm and in my opinion rightly so. With just a little research, one realises there is so many options out there, for all occasions. And even with these options at your fingertips, there’s no need to be a snob. I would be first to admit, that in the right circumstances, shit beer becomes the shit.

Nothing beats that first can, be it Tennents or Bavaria, on the cricket pitch in the height of ‘exam’ weather.

Even within the college community, homebrewing is on the rise. Anecdotally speaking, many students are taking to putting out their own craft beers.

It’s a perfect way to beat the system, once you sink in those first set up costs, and manage to contain that urge to buy every possible piece of equipment, it can be quite cheap.

A ingredients kit costs about €20-25, with the possible need to add the cost of a bag of dextrose sugar at the end. This makes at least forty 500ml bottles of beer and costs about 8 hours of your time in total.

So it may not be worth quitting your job and setting up a speakeasy, but if you’re interested in delving into some of the more unusual tastes of beer and learning about the processes behind the world’s most com-

The Matter of Synthetic Biology Ann Quinlan Contributing Writer

This exciting field is evolving so rapidly that no widely accepted definitions exist. We answer the most basic questions around this dynamic science.

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ince this new science is becoming more and more difficult to grasp, let’s start off with the basics.

What exactly is ‘Synthetic Biology’?

It is a nascent field of biology, which like a biological organism itself, is constantly evolving; it is new, it is adaptable and it appears to offer lucrative financial and innovative social rewards. It enhances our quantitative comprehension of the natural world and allows us to gain insight into the biological principles underlying it.

Due to its scope and novelty, definitions of synthetic biology are numerous and cumbersome, so it is easier to imagine its scientific approach being more, ‘It pays to play with DNA’ rather than the traditional dictates of classical science.

According to SyntheticBiology.org, it is “a) the design and construction of new biological parts, devices and systems and b) the redesign of existing natural biological systems for useful purposes.”

Synthetic biologists are interested in the origin of life, creating innovative biomolecular solutions, and redesigning natural systems to produce targeted outcomes.

Essentially, synthetic biologists view organisms as systems capable of manufacturing and being programmed. DNA is considered a sort of instructional software, amenable to artificial manipulation and thus it applies the engineering paradigm of systems design to biological systems.

A report conducted by NEST (New and Emerging Science Technology) a High-Level Expert Group from the European Commission affirms that such biological programming can “produce predictable and robust systems with novel functionalities that do not exist in nature.” Thus, synthetic biology differs from bioengineering and current recombinant technologies; genes are not just inserted from

one existing system to another, instead whole genomes are constructed and programmed from scratch.

Taking this concept and implementing it in our own ecosystem, we see how tumour-killing bacteria may be built, or adding genes to fungi for growing biofuels may be developed.

So, what are its applications?

The applications of synthetic biology are multi-faceted, sci-fi style, geek-out-inducing exciting. Its potential sweeps from medical (diagnostics and therapeutics), to environmental (remediation, sensors and energy production) and even commercial (food processing, agriculture and biochemical manufacturing). The economic response to synthetic biology is also a reason for celebration, with academic and industrial sponsors queuing up to be involved in this expanding sector.

Just last month, the international pharma-

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The emerging science will test natural parameters

ceutical giant Pfizer signed a three year collaborative agreement with the Synthetic Biology Center of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jose Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos, group senior vice president and head of BioTherapeutics Research and Development at Pfizer spoke of “reaching a key inflection point where advances in synthetic biology have the potential to rapidly accelerate and improve biotherapeutics drug discovery and development, from early-stage candidate discovery through product supply, which could bring better, more effective therapies to patients more rapidly.”

Similarly, NEST discloses, “It is obvious that Europe should invest in this area, in order to create the necessary intellectual and physical infrastructures, and capture a share of the valuable intellectual property that is at stake.”

How is it relevant to Trinity’s science, medical and engineering students and graduates?

Well, it is a budding area of scientific research with outcomes, packing clinical and commercial punches across a global platform.

Prospective employment opportunities and postgraduate education options in this field are promising and are certain to demand a steady flow of appropriately trained and informed individuals capable of performing extensive analytical, precise and evidence-based

research.

As summarised in NEST’s report, “What is needed, and is not established in the US either, is a framework for coordinating the current research, fostering a community of researchers (particularly among younger scientists) and creating a forum for the establishment of clear goals, shared tools and agreed standards”. A synergy of scientists from assorted disciplines (nanotechnology, engineering, statistical analysis, biology, genetics, organic chemistry) will be required to collaboratively design and redesign products and organisms.

Such integrated inter-disciplinary knowledge and pooling of resources will serve to enrich the greater scientific community.

Issues of industry policy, self-regulation, biosafety, licensing, monitoring and associated bio-ethics are all valid concerns yet to be ironed out in the field of synthetic biology. The question of public mistrust and inadequately distributed information must also be addressed. Undoubtedly humans are most fearful of what we do not understand and of our own untapped potential, thus synthetic biology is sure to encounter many obstacles throughout it’s progression. The emerging science will test natural parameters in a myriad of novel and exciting techniques some may find disorienting or even disturbing. The implications for synthetic biology cannot be ignored, and the significance cannot be underestimated as the potential is unparalleled.

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The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

The Cost of Controversy Controversial speakers bring more style than substance.

Daniel O’Brien Staff Writer

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n Tuesday April 1st , Trinity’s Society for International Affairs will host a Q&A with the Russian Ambassador to Ireland, Mr. Maxim Peshkov. The society deserves credit for getting such a prestigious guest on what I assume was fairly short notice, given the speed with which recent events have propelled Mr. Peshkov’s homeland to the forefront of international politics. The relevance of the subject should make this event especially interesting, and even more so if the Ambassador is as candid with his responses as his audience will be with their questions. As that is unlikely to be the case, however, it may be worth reconsidering the implications of inviting such a controversial speaker. More generally, events like this should cause us to think about how actions within the ‘Trinity bubble’ can spill over into the outside world.

When Mr. Peshkov arrives, it will ostensibly be to speak and answer questions about Russia’s current actions in Crimea and their effect on international relations. I expect, however, that very few of his words will deviate from the script handed down to him from Putin’s desk. Like any politician, Mr. Peshkov has a strictly defined public image for both himself and his country that must be maintained. The only reason he would even make an appearance like this is out of self-interest; the chance to spread Russia’s PR-doctored version of events trumps the risk of awkward questions that can be cleverly evaded. Furthermore, given the likelihood of some form of controversy or protest leading to national media coverage, Mr. Peshkov has secured an ideal public platform for his message.

The Ambassador is undoubtedly an interesting and relevant speaker for the university to host, but it is worth remembering that such events are rarely a one-way favor for the benefit

of Trinity students.

A similar controversy occurred roughly two years ago when the University Philosophical Society invited the uniquely divisive Nick Griffin to speak at one of their debates. The ensuing media storm, along with threats of physical violence from farleft groups, eventually forced the Phil to cancel his appearance. That outcome was doubly advantageous for Mr. Griffin; he got publicity for agreeing to come, and again for being rejected, without actually having to say or do anything. The original rationale for his invite was somewhat dubious.

It’s unlikely that he would have contributed anything to the discussion apart from offensive, rehashed talking points and headline-grabbing quotes, and the opportunity to ‘engage’ with him intellectually would have been minimal at best. Like with Mr. Peshkov, it risked devolving into the type of controversy that fuels intense media coverage and accomplishes very little else.

Both of these cases involve significant ‘real world’ considerations that should factor into the decision to invite a speaker. An invitation implies an endorsement of the value of (though not necessarily agreement with) the views expressed by that guest. In the first case, that means accepting the Russian Ambassador’s revisionist history while his country destabilizes Europe in a way not seen since the lead up to World War II. In the second, it means furthering the credibility of a man who denigrates the most vulnerable groups in society while risking plausible threats of violence against Trinity students. Big-name guests can certainly be worth a degree of controversy, but only if the unique benefits of hearing and engaging with their ideas in person outweigh the risks and implications of their presence.

This university and its student societies are right to promote interesting and thought-provoking discussion, but the pursuit of this goal does not occur in a vacuum. Controversial speakers often bring more style than substance by keeping the spotlight on themselves, or at least turning it in a direction that benefits their agenda.

Their presence is the selling point; their words become a secondary concern. It’s easy to lose sight of it when facing the excitement of securing a big-name guest. But it is important to remember that these events are twoway streets with consequences that extend beyond the physical and intellectual confines of this university.

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The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

Mandela House, 6 Trinity College, College Green, Dublin 2 Phone: (01) 646 8431 Email: info@universitytimes.ie Leanna Byrne, Editor Vladimir Rakhmanin, Deputy Editor Conor Murphy, Online Editor Edmund Heaphy, Creative Director Colm O’Donnell, Editor-at-Large Hannah Ryan, News Editor Ludovic Dawnay, Features Editor Samuel Riggs, Opinion Editor Conor Bates, Sports Editor James Bennett, Magazine Editor Shauna Cleary, Supplements Editor Michelle O’Connor, Copy Editor Cailan O’Connell, Multimedia Editor Andrew Murphy, Photo Editor

How Charitable is our Charity?

Freedom of the press is meaningless unless somebody actually uses it

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he University Times was established five years ago to uphold the most important principle of all great newspapers: the freedom of expression. It is the most basic and valuable doctrine the media should cherish and its influence cannot be underestimated. The thing is: many people hold up these principles in times when they’re not needed. And many people would talk about how it’s important that we have these freedoms. Yet as soon as some scenario comes into play – a scenario where these freedoms are necessary to effect change – we hit roadblocks when these very same people try to limit them.

As such, these freedoms are entirely meaningless unless somebody actually use them.

Looking back on the past five years, the editors of this newspaper have not yielded when this freedom is attacked. More recently, we have seen the need for student media to give students unbiased media that that allows for the dissemination of information and opinion. As Robert Donohoe, the founding editor, put it in his first editorial: “We allow good ideas to defeat the bad, lies to see the truth”.

What is written on these pages is free and fair. We have given students the liberty to express their views and opinions and will continue to steadfastly stand by this right. We promote the unhindered exchange of ideas between peers in the College as it is only through public and open debate can we be assured of the truth.

The freedom of expression has also given us the tools to question and to impart information with those that deserve to be informed. We must not only ask the tough questions, but the questions that need to be asked despite how straightforward they might seem. As students struggle to have their voice heard by the decision makers in college, we stand for your right to be heard and to hold the authorities to account. We stand for a student’s voice. We print what is right to print, and this year we have fought hard to protect this right as it in turn protects the members of this College.

Volume five of The University Times is coming to an end and we hope that we have served the students of Trinity in the best way that we can.

As we look back on the last five years, we also look towards the next five.

Much has changed as each year brings new developments, new opportunities and fresh conflicts. Yet, we push forward with the hope that our core principles will stand the test of time.

To the future editors of this newspaper: hold this principle close to your heart, because without it, seeking the truth is an impossible task.

WITHOUT INTERVENTION, COSTS COULD HAVE HIT STUDENTS MUCH HARDER

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n a controversial decision made at College’s Finance Committee, it was recently revealed that the charge for College accommodation will be increased by 4 per cent. This applies to all accommodation, including Trinity Hall. This is the latest move made by College that has had a harmful effect on students, including the accommodation charge for Trinity Scholars in February and the cuts to all of Trinity’s capitated bodies in November. Not to mention all of this is happening in light of the severe accommodation crisis. According a report published

by Daft.ie, over last year the number of available properties fell from 4,212 to 2,394, which is approximately 43 per cent.

President of TCDSU, Tom Lenihan, has gone on record to say that he “disagrees with the decision as it represents yet another hit this year against students. It is a cynical move that has been made simply because we are in an accommodation crisis in the city and College feel they can exploit that.”

Despite the fact that this move seems like it is entirely negative, we must not forget that there is a silver lining to these events. It was reported that the Director of Commercialisation in Trinity suggested far more dramatic cuts for the students of Trinity. The price was meant to increase by 11 per cent. Thankfully, despite this recommendation, the College’s Finance Committee decided to only increase the price by 4 per cent. Is this a significant figure? Perhaps not. But it does show that, perhaps, at least one area of College has the students’ interests at heart here, despite the immensely unpopular decisions made over the past few years.

I don’t think any of us are happy with the cost-cutting that occurred recently. It does seem, though, that by not raising the charge to the maximum amount, the College is trying to reduce the price’s impact on the students. This is a positive step. A small step, but a significant one when you look at the bigger picture. I think we are all hoping that this is the first in many decisions that recognises that in a College, the students come first and that cost-cutting measures should not begin with the people who are the primary stakeholders in this organisation.

www.universitytimes.ie

Aisling Curtis Senior Staff Writer

O

nce we would have called it armchair advocacy, but though it may still be from armchairs this new activism occurs in an online realm.

It consists of the indignant and passionate militancy of a Facebook population who are both more exposed to and more numbed by the horrors that infiltrate our world than any generation that has come before. Our daily digital forays bare remote crimes to distracted eyes; disease, death, drone strikes flicker past on our Twitter feed, gone and instantly forgotten.

Student apathy has been overused and overtalked: we’re all sick of hearing about how lazy we are. In response, we often resentfully point to the many occasions when we have helped the less fortunate: some of us went to Ghana or Kenya as part of school trips to help the people there; others will join the SUAS programme, and spend a summer in India housing those who need it most. Many of us actively participated in that infamous KONY campaign. Most recently, #makeupfreeselfie has raised significant funds for cancer research organisations worldwide.

There is an element of the aggrieved upon facing such accusations: see, we say we do help.

Our efforts may not involve a vast amount of personal sacrifice, but still they exist. And, truth be told, they do raise some of that intangible component that charities so rabidly seek: awareness. Statistics suggest that over half of American young adults heard about the KONY campaign in the days following its viral release. And if word of mouth is anything to go by, Irish teenagers are largely aware of the #makeupfreeselfie trend that has sprung out of nowhere, buoyed

by the twin oars of personal vanity and public concern. With several million in donations towards Cancer Research, it can’t be denied that its effect has been substantial and far-reaching; without such displays from bare-faced women and cosmetic-painted men, cancerfighting charities would be a few million short, and nobody could possibly argue that that would be a good thing.

But does this nebulous “awareness” absolve us of the niggling catches inherent in these campaigns? There is a dark side to contemporary Western charity, one that is rarely discussed, because to disagree with the virtuousness of these crusades is to disagree with the concept of charity itself. To be the person who stands up and says, “really, how much do these help?”, is to be the Scrooge in the corner, hoarding her pennies and sneering at others’ good deeds. Nevertheless, I must ask: how much do these help? While #makeupfreeselfie has raised several million – and there’s no denying the impact that this money will have – still this upsurge in donations is simply a swell in an ebbing tide; it’s unlikely the charities will see the donations continue in the weeks to come, once a new righteous cause rears its head. And yet, you may argue, it is still beneficial: it encourages donation from those who might not otherwise call these charities to mind. These campaigns get people talking; they bring forgotten causes to the fore. But does this talk and these actions and this thinking solely help those we claim to support - or does it help ourselves?

Modern charity is less about donating and more about doing: taking pictures of yourself without makeup, sharing a graphic photo via Facebook pleading for likes, jailbreaking out of the country in support of Amnesty and SVP, travelling with SUAS to construct houses for those in need. But do we help, or do we hinder? I wonder whether the influx of wealthy Irish teenagers into rundown Indian villages does much other than give such teenagers a chance to see “the other side of the tracks”: inexperienced, unused to the culture, they try to help, building houses without any professional knowledge of construction beyond the basics

“

The concept of giving has become an act of giving to ourselves.

#makeupfreeselfie The online campaign, which sees contributors posting a picture without makeup and donating to charity, began in the UK where more than €2m has been raised for cancer research.

The campaign soon travelled to Ireland where over 121,000 people have picked up their mobiles and donated via SMS. Despite this, the trend has come under scrutiny as it was started by a British cosmetic company called Escensual. com when they launched their ‘DareToBare’ campaign to raise money and awareness for breast cancer care. Some would argue that although the trend claims to empower women to show their true selves, the campaign actually does the opposite by reinforcing the stereotype that women are all about vanity.

of how to lay a brick. A friend who lived in India told me that often Indian builders would come at night to fix the work done by visiting students during the day. Though their intentions are undoubtedly pure, filled with the desire to truly evoke change, it must be asked whether the several thousand euro they raise – much of which goes towards their own flights and accommodation and insurance costs – might be put to better use by professionals within the countries themselves?

Professionals who would benefit from the wages and the work, communities who would thrive due to the knock-on effect of employment and improved facilities and all the things that SUAS could bring them, without the tag-along of young activists, eager to see the dirty underbelly of the world.

The concept of giving has become an act of giving to ourselves.

We afford ourselves the opportunity to visit disadvantaged areas, to jailbreak away to Sydney and Munich and Dubai under the righteous guise of charitable action, to post carefully-blurred photos of ourselves in all our raw makeup-free glory, for the sake of cancer research and a donation that you don’t require a picture to provide. Though it’s true that these campaigns strike a match to our attention, they catch fire in a fleeting, enthusiastic blaze that swiftly dies down, their brevity leaving little lasting effect. It seems far more that their impact is upon us: the experiences that we walk away with stick, more long-lasting than what we leave these charities with. It may be a consequence of our individualistic society, and the notion that nothing should be for free; but we are reluctant to donate for the sake of donation itself, perhaps because it affords us nothing in return.

The old adage “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” seems to be more true than ever before. Of course, if this is the new conception of charity, then naturally it’s better than no charity at all. But I have to ask: why do we need to see a return on our charitable downpayment? Why can’t we give purely for the sake of it, for the altruistic knowledge that someone has benefited from the money that we can spare?

12

The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

Abolish Exams

The Virtues of Keeping a Diary

Tom Myatt Senior Staff Writer

“

As exam season begins to unbutton its trousers, ready to slap us in the face, we must begin to ask ourselves some serious questions. Did Descartes provide a sufficient theory of human consciousness? What is the largest catch that Fish Soc have ever caught (excluding that 20-stone man someone shifted in Diceys)? Will the History Department learn what the ‘internet’ is?

And is the Student “Worker” Marxist Revolutionary Society accepting funds from the North Koreans?

Probably not – to all of these questions – but we have a moral duty to probe.

But here’s a question I can say yes to: should we abolish exams?

So that we have none at all. Ever?

Besides from being much more of a laugh, there’s actually some worthy reasoning behind this. So the column today is a proposal: all the ways students shall be examined from 2015. Here lies the future to Trinity’s success – accomplishing Paddy Prendergast’s wet dream of showing the world how fucking awesome we are.

Back when I was 14, my 3rd year Drama teacher, Mr. Smythe, decided not to force exams in our faces, opposing what he was legally required to do. Instead, we had to argue, to really start shouting at him; and he’d try to retaliate. He’d then grade us on it. Naturally, this was the highlight of our year, and I managed to use the phrase “fuckbag” three times. In retrospect this was probably because he couldn’t afford a dominatrix anymore because of his divorce, and was desperate for his next kick of humiliation. He also had a restraining order to stop him seeing his kids.

But it wasn’t the worst of ideas, sexual thrills aside. Debating is also meant to be good for the brain and confidence or something too, but to swear at a teacher induced a sense of liberation – true freedom.

This in Trinity would be gas. You’d stand up in a lecture and call your professor out for being an asshole.

The most fun we’ve ever had at college – let’s face it – has always been alcohol-induced. In fact, if you search ‘student’ in the Oxford English Dictionary, you will find: “Noun. A form of subhuman whose dietary requirements solely comprise of pop tarts, burritos, and Bavaria cans.” Sure most of us get wasted before exams anyway.

So here’s a form of examination (that I also played, when I was 15): We take shots. More shots. Then more. And again. The last person whose mind and body hasn’t collapsed beyond the point of ever being able to completely repair,

after passing out so badly – who’s so drunk that you have no hope of speaking in the next 3 months – gets a first. To be worthy of a 2.1, you have to be able to say “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” after 10 drinks.

The brilliance of this scheme is that it prepares us for the coffeedriven, cocaine-induced, aggressively-tempered elite world that we’re going to get sucked into. If you can’t go out with your fellow bankers and not get wasted after 18 hours of shouting down rich people, you’ll fall behind… So those that can cope will get the job! Perfect reasoning.

The one thing worse than exam season must be the constant work we put into essays through the year. As Bobby Sands must have once said while starving in prison, “I’m not having fun.” So here is the most radical proposal, and you’ll have to hear me out on this one: Social Media.

The internet is full of shit. From pictures of people’s dogs to emotional messages for bullied kids or something, and videos of ‘look how caring I am because I’m giving a homeless man a sandwich #SouthAfricanNekNomination’.

Before the nomakeupselfies, this bollocks never helped anyone, but they always impressed everyone about how far they managed to spread their rubbish across the world. So, Trinity students will amaze everyone by being the global driver of shit by making shit just to see how far that shit can be thrown. Not literally, of course.

The post with the most likes and shares wins, and a first is given for, say, 10,000 likes. This will be pretty funny, but DU Players will probably always gain a landslide. The ability to ‘go viral’ is probably important in a modern, technological career, and this again chimes in with Pendergast’s innovation message. All students not undertaking shouting or drinking-based assessments will have to do this.

This programme is probably going to make Trinity awesome. From being the place of drunken chavs that it is now, our once-great college will be elevated to the level of Plato’s Philosopher Kings. The finest academic minds from across the globe will flock to us. Conversations you’ll overhear in the hallways will be encompass politics, art history, Rousseau, the undervalued place of Neville Chamberlain in British History, or how to down 12 shots in the most efficient way possible. In short, we can pull this off. We just need to persuade ‘the Man’ to see the light.

“.”

Stephen Cox Staff Writer

I

had run out of lined paper for college and searching my room for more, my eye eventually fell on an A4 pad on my shelf. The copybook looked unused from the outside.

However, on opening it I found it was half-full of old lecture notes and revision from almost exactly two years ago, as I was preparing for my first year exams.

Reading old college work is curious. You can’t help but smile at your own cringe-inducing points— which you probably thought were pretty good at the time—and wonder how you ever got away with writing such rubbish in your essays. Stranger still is the effect this involuntary memory has on you; I found myself, as a cynical third year, almost wishing for a return to the callower days of Junior Freshman life.

Nonetheless, finding the old notes wasn’t enough; I wished I had something more to go on, something to intensify the nostalgia rush. Of course, reliving this time would have been easier had I been inclined to keep a diary back then. This led me to consider what moves us to record our daily lives, and whether there is any place for the old-fashioned, handwritten diary today. In a world where handwritten letters are a novelty, is there any place left for cursive chronicles of everyday happenings? Certainly the Internet has had a large role in the waning influence of the personal journal. When blogs and web diaries meet the same needs, when typing is so much quicker than writing by hand, what is there to say in defence of the old-school journal?

I find there is something pleasing about the pen to page action carried out in writing, something that will hopefully ensure the future of personal scribbles in the digital age. That said, keeping a diary requires discipline. I’ve always liked the idea of keeping a transcribed account of my day-today life, but my attempts to create one have, thus far, been largely unsuccessful. My first try was inspired by reading the first Adrian Mole book at eleven or twelve, but my attempts to emulate one of fiction’s most amusing diarists was abandoned after a few days. My most recent effort, a reading journal, was begun only as a bid to aid my terrible memory for the plots of

novels; I’ve not even been reading much of late, and I still have two to fill in. A notebook I kept during my Erasmus last year turned out slightly better. However, after writing entries faithfully during the first term, there was a grand total of three passages to account for my last five months in Spain, my ebbing enthusiasm steadily killing the notebook off. It is unclear if my lack of devotion to the diary is connected to the instant messaging culture of today. Diaries certainly require patience—perhaps I’m just not cut out for the methodical dedication needed to keep one.

Written accounts of routine events have been kept all over the world for thousands of years. Possibly the most obvious example today is that of Anne Frank, whose compiled, posthumously published accounts of life in hiding from the Nazis made her famous throughout the world. That Diary of a Young Girl continues to be read and studied is testament to the power personal records can have; even a collection of the most

humdrum details can make for entertaining and heartrending reading. The best-known early modern diarist was Samuel Pepys, whose decade’s worth of journals vividly describe life in mid-seventeenth century London. Pepys’s use of a secret code for the frank depictions of his extramarital affairs underlines the function of the diary as a highly personal device, a place where we can convey our innermost thoughts; whether he would have wanted the diaries in public circulation is another story.

Numerous authors and public figures have kept diaries that were later published, sometimes after their death. While most of us don’t have future publications in mind when we’re putting our prosaic scribblings to paper, I suspect that at least some of the desire to record our lives is so we can read over them a year or two later and laugh, usually at ourselves. I flick through my Erasmus half-diary from time to time and chuckle at my bumbling attempts to settle in to life in another country. Issues that

seemed earth-shattering at the time are often exposed as trivial with the benefit of hindsight. Maybe rereading old journals or even old homework is just us trying to convince ourselves of our greater maturity, of being cooler than we were at the time of writing. Speaking for myself, I can’t help but feel that, since I scrawled those French grammar notes back in first year, in some ways not all that much has changed.

In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest Gwendolen Fairfax quips ‘I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.’ Maybe not every diary’s purpose is to scandalise, or even to be interpreted by their author or by others. Nonetheless, the reading (or rather, rereading) experience they offer is strangely enjoyable. I am conscious of extolling the virtues of a procedure in which I have relatively little practice; after waxing lyrical about the benefits of keeping a diary, perhaps I owe it a return with new enthusiasm.

Let’s Not Test the Loyalty of Those Who Believe in Ireland Edmund Heaphy Creative Director

H

e’s the billionaire who wasn’t. And only because he gave away his billions to charity. Chuck Feeney, described as the man who “gave away a fortune without anyone knowing”, is one of those guys who realises the magnitude of the things you can accomplish if you really don’t care who gets the credit. Considering he has given over a billion to the University of Limerick, maybe “accomplish” isn’t quite the word to use. Giving a billion away isn’t just an accomplishment. As far as philanthropy goes, a billion is a

triumph so great that it’s pretty hard to get your head around.

Feeney’s not alone. Just have a look at the American Ireland Fund. Against all odds, there’s a whole bunch of people who seem to believe in this little country of ours. They believed in it when peace seemed impossible in the North.

They believed in it in the eighties when there really wasn’t much to believe in.

Sure, they really believed in us when the Celtic Tiger roared. But they’re still with us now. As far as they’re concerned, there’s even more to believe in today because they’ve seen what Ireland looks like when we’re at that peak and because there’s this great big pile of potential that needs to be tapped again. It’s just waiting, I suppose.

That’s why it’s mortifying to see people like Loretta Brennan Glucksman – someone who has raised nearly

half a billion for Irish charities – speak about her sadness and confusion after learning that perhaps we’ve been pushing their amazing loyalty to the limit.

After flying to Ireland at her own expense to hear Frank Flannery speak at length last year about lobbying the government to introduce taxation initiatives to stimulate philanthropy from tax exiles, Glucksman was devastated to find out that he was actually being paid tens of thousands by Rehab Ireland to do his work. Meanwhile, she continues to work tirelessly – and most notably, for free – promoting the interests of Ireland all over the U.S. Let’s not beat around the bush here: while overall, we might be a pretty good (if not great) bunch of people, we also have quite a fair few – like

Flannery et al. – who seem determined to take advantage and ruin it for the rest of us. And the rest of us, well, let’s just say that we’re not that great at letting those who believe in us know that we actually are pretty damn grateful for the work they’ve spent their entire lives doing. Maybe the problem might even lie with us not recognising what it is that we should be grateful for.

Because even if we’re to look at this from a purely financial “balance sheet” point of view, our educational institutions would be a lot worse off if it wasn’t for the generosity of people like Feeney and Glucksman. While bestowing them with honorary degrees, and getting Enda Kenny to speak at luncheons on St. Patrick’s Day goes some of the way, the most logical thing to do is to start with common decency and try to figure out what the hell it is that they

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Maybe the problem might even lie with us not recognising what it is that we should be grateful for.

see in us. Looking from the inside in – even taking a glance at the Oireachtas report, it’s pretty hard to figure why on earth we seem to deserve their generosity. Our politicians seem inept at best and inherently corrupt at worst.

Just where are all these people so deserving of their life’s work? Glucksman has raised millions for scholarships, libraries, research, galleries and the restoration of college buildings and we’re pushing our luck by spending hundreds of thousands changing the bible in our crest to an open book and undervaluing the very scholars that she has dedicated her life’s work to.

Glucksman says that it’s going to take years to rebuild “any sort of trust or confidence” in Ireland when it comes to philanthropy. Yet there’s something we can do now: let’s say thank you for an amazing life’s work.

13

The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

PHOTO BY SAMUEL RIGGS FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

Why go to College?

“ Fionn Rogan Deputy Opinion Editor

W

hy go to college? Why pursue a third-level education?

Why indeed? The Irish are the second best qualified young people in Europe. Nearly fortytwo percent of our twenty-five to thirty-four year olds hold some form of third-level degree.

One might wonder then ‘what exactly have the Irish achieved with this near-peerless level of

Going to college isolates the student and insulates them to a certain degree from a harsher reality.

PHOTO BY ANDREW MURPHY BY THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

‘education’?’ Which might lead one to question further ‘what exactly is the intrinsic value of a college education?’

It’s an interesting question that isn’t asked enough in Ireland. Pursuing a third-level degree has become one of the sacred cows of modern Ireland and to question its worth is to unceremoniously slaughter it. However I feel compelled to ask ‘is it worth anything?’ Why do I go to college? Well the only means of answering that is to examine the aims of the student. What is the student looking to achieve from going to college? Did they realise in their Leaving Cert year that they possessed a certain zeal for education and consciously decided to pursue a 3 or 4-year course of enlightenment in their chosen field, be it in arts, science, business…etc.?

I would wager that a frighteningly large degree of the Leav-

ing Cert horde each year are led unwittingly into a college degree because they have been made ignorant of every other path available to them. To opt for an apprenticeship or even to pursue a career as an entrepreneur straight after school is to risk being marginalized by an education-obsessed society.

If it can be inferred that a number of students are currently pursuing a third-level degree as a direct result of this paradigm then perhaps the more appropriate question than ‘why do I go to college’ would be ‘why does society want me to go to college?’

The optimist would suggest that someone should go to college in order to mature and become a well-rounded person. They receive a specialized education that prepares them for employment in some sector that requires an expert knowledge or specific training.

Letter from the Editor

The social aspect of college allows them to experiment and develop into a multi-dimensional and informed adult. It all sounds very pleasant and beneficial to society as a whole, even if it might suggest that those who do not attend college could never become wellrounded people. The pessimist and cynic however might view a college as an exaggerated and expensive baby-sitting service that shelters young people from the real world where failing to fulfill one’s responsibilities carries very real and frightening consequences such as unemployment, debt, perhaps even poverty. I often joke that I have two years left before I enter the ‘big bad world’ so I can admit there is some truth to this appraisal.

Ultimately, as with most disputes both sides are right and wrong. The optimist makes a compelling argument for going to college. It sounds like a wonderful and sensible life choice however it places too great an emphasis on the necessity for a third-level degree to succeed in life and work. Education does not guarantee intelligence or innovation and despite several institutions attempts to do so, characteristics such as entrepreneurship and cop on cannot be taught. NUIM (National University of Ireland Maynooth) actually offers a level 8 course in Entrepreneurship. That is a laughable notion.

The cynic offers a legitimate counter-argument. Going to college isolates the student and insulates them to a certain degree from a harsher reality.

However the cynic fails to recognise the benefits of young people being exposed to an environment designed for the free exchange of intellectual thought and discourse. If a college education cannot guarantee intelligence for all it can at least hone and focus those who already possess a certain capacity for deeper thought and analysis.

As a nation we should ask ourselves more often ‘why go to college?’ I believe everyone should have the opportunity to go to college but this does not mean I think everyone should go. As a society we need to reevaluate and consider a broader spectrum of options for a post-Leaving Cert existence. There is a prodigious number or reasons for going to college but equally there are a great deal of other things to do also.

Leanna Byrne Editor

T

he thread that has connected many of the major stories in College this year is the relationship breakdown between the top tiers of the university and the student populace. Students are a distant priority behind money, reputation and this perceived progression towards becoming a dynamic, modern university.

At the beginning of the academic term we learned of decisions to cut the funding allocated to capitated bodies in College by 5 per cent for 2013/14 and a further 5 per cent for 2014/15. These cuts will amount to €60,000 each for the CSC, SU, GSU, DUCAC and Publications.

The argument that was given is that for a long time these sections of College have not taken a cut, whereas everyone else has tightened the belt. Of course the idea that College is crying the poor mouth just as they announce their intention to invest €70 million in a new Business School is laughable.

However, the most deplorable thing about the cuts was how those affected were informed. Moray McGowan, Senior Dean and Chair to the Capitations Committee, was footed with the task of sending out an email to all members of the Committee to inform them about the decision. The cuts had been approved by the College Board in June of last year, and he was informed about them five months later, in December.

With the influence of under-the-counter committees growing, student representation is being marginalised year on year. The College Board serves as a rubber stamping exercise to pass through decisions that have already been made. Sure, the minutes will show that our representatives that sit on Board were opposed to whatever recommendation put forward, but what difference does it make? This makes for a dangerous trend as students are locked out of any committee that wields some kind of authority.

I’m sorry, but did we miss something? What is the point of student representation at Board level when the discussion of decisions that directly affect us are only a byproduct of the minutes of a report that somehow gets pushed through without proper discussion. To get to where they want to go, College have decentralised the decision making process which leaves students with little or no power.

It is sad to say that student involvement at the decision making level has been diluted as College push for some kind of warped ideal of what a university should be. Whether it’s Tobacco-free Trinity’s total disregard for the recent referendum results or the Identity Initiative’s survey that could have been plucked straight out a scene of ‘Yes, Prime Minister’, a student’s input is no more than an nice bit of window-dressing for the reports.

Trinity is set to launch its new five-year strategic plan later this year and there is a biting irony that ‘student life’ is one of the strategic pillars. Any strategic document that ignores the main stakeholder in the university would not be worth a toss, but there is little hope that what’s on paper will be put to practice. That pillar has already crumbled.

Fear and Loathing in the Ussher Tower As exams looms closer, students will soon be battling it out in the oversubscribed libraries.

James Bennett Magazine Editor

I

t’s that time of year again. The clocks have gone forward (#grandstretch), the bow ties are being ironed for Trinity Ball, and you’re skipping that last week of lectures that you should probably definitely go to. It is April.

April in Trinity however, is not like April anywhere else.

It is at once a godsend and a torture. If you are one of those students that feels like you picked up a glass of red wine in October and are only putting

it back down on the table now, then April is College giving you one merciful last chance to get your shit together. It is most unfortunate therefore, that the one month where you decide to read all the books is also the month when looking out the window makes your heart cry tears of pure gold for the beauty of the world.

But at least you can take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. From here on in, the libraries of this university will be packed with panicked students frantically trying to come up with a new angle on Madame Bovary, or learn the names of all the bones in the human knee. The only problem is, you need to sit down while

“

We are the top university in a modern European nation, and we don’t have enough seats.

doing these things. And there just aren’t enough seats. We are the top university in a modern European nation, and we don’t have enough seats.

First of all, let’s just pause and acknowledge how monumentally stupid this is. We can spend a hundred thousand euro on a new name and logo, but we can’t buy some more tables and chairs. Tables and chairs are two of the most basic pieces of technology that exist. They have existed for thousands of years. However, here at Trinity College, the University of Dublin, we do not have enough tables and chairs.

This lack of basic furniture is destroying our collegiate atmosphere. We should be help-

ing and supporting each other in the stressful lead up to exams, but instead we become monsters who will step over the dead bodies of our friends for a desk in the Ussher. Soon, people will begin arriving at the 24-hour room before dawn to secure a seat. And if you arrive in the Hamilton library after nine o’clock, you can forget about it. Levels of passiveaggression skyrocket. You will see people bitterly coveting unattended desks with books left on them, and then after a suitable time period elapses, flinging said books from the desk and claiming it for themselves.

It takes two to tango though, and we must acknowledge the disgraceful behaviour of those

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Without the immediate addition of more chairs and tables, Trinity will become a den of spite and oneupmanship.

who take three-hour lunch breaks and expect their desk to be waiting emptily for them when they arrive back full of burritos and a begrudging resolve.

Without the immediate addition of more chairs and tables, Trinity will become a den of spite and one-upmanship.

This is supposed to be an environment where people inspire and learn from each other. If we don’t even have a place to sit down and read a book without people flying into bitchy passive-aggressive rages, this cannot happen.

All joking aside, it cannot be that hard for a world-class university to invest in some furniture.

14

The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

Sport Sport: The Best Alternative to Exam Stress Hours of watching seventy men thwacking a small white ball on a large green canvas is an im-

“

It will be there to distract you and lull you to sleep at night, after a long day with your head in the books.

Conor Bates Sports Editor

E

aster has the propensity to be a very stressful time of year. Essay deadlines amass and pass in great quantities, the impending exam rush is the main fixture of all your thoughts and somewhere in the back of it all there are lingering, fleeting brainwaves about summer plans to break the pattern. While the strains of exam season can certainly be enough to break a person, there are a number of techniques favoured to fracture the hours in the library, to winddown from a day’s study or to just generally take your mind off things for a while; endless tea breaks and TV show boxsets are among the favourites, with exercise surely completing a very competitive top three.

The benefits of exercise during exam season cannot be espoused enough. Boosts in serotonin, mental stimulation from physical activity and a good old fashioned breath of fresh air are very valuable to anyone under the weight of books, reports and projects at this time of year. But what if you don’t have enough time? What if you left your jogging gear at home?

What if you just generally pre-

Snooker: the ultimate sporting relaxant?

fer your sporting involvement with a greater element of comfort and sedation? The answer is close at hand.

The run-in to the Premier League looks fairly exciting this year. With, realistically, three teams battling for glory in what is often deemed the best league in the world, there will surely be something worth casting your eye over on a Saturday afternoon or evening. This will undoubtedly prove to be a favourite outlet of sports based procrastination/relaxation for most pundits, given the popularity of the English game in Ireland, and worldwide. However, recent years league roundups have shown us that viewing soccer may not be the most relaxing pastime. Sergio Agüero’s

last minute title winning goal, for example, gave most of us palpitations, and the level of nervous energy associated with

“

Even the repetitive clack of snooker balls is familiar to the sound of a wellplaced golf shot. the game may not be the most helpful when we’re in an already wound-up state. Perhaps something a bit more placid would be more suitable.

An appropriate alternative?

The Masters at Augusta is a good place to start. Regarded as the most prestigious of the four golfing majors, the Masters pits the world’s best golfers against each other, and one of the consistently toughest courses in the game. Augusta National, in Georgia, provides the legendary home to one of the biggest challenges in modern golf, and the tournament is always a competitive affair. The nice thing about golf, however, is that while the competition is real, and at times fierce, the traditional nature of the game always means it is tempered. Watching the Masters holds the same competitive sporting value as watching a cup final, but with an incredible degree of serenity.

This is added to by the stun-

Playing the System

DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR

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hen football fans across the world tuned in to watch the FIFA World Cup draw on December 6 last year, many would have been surprised to see Switzerland among the eight seeded teams for the competition while teams like the Netherlands and Italy missed out. The draw, which took place in the Costa do Sauipe in the Brazilian state of Bahia saw the world’s top seven teams according to the FIFA World Rankings (in October 2013); Spain, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Uruguay and Switzerland along with the host nation, Brazil, seeded in the top pot. The advantage of being in this pot is that they could not be drawn with another seeded team in the group stages. But in order to understand how Switzerland found themselves in this pot while the Netherlands, Italy and England among other missed out on being among the seeds, we must look at how FIFA compile their world rankings.

When compiling the rankings, FIFA have to compare all teams from different parts of the world, which is difficult because they all play hugely differing numbers of games. This means they have to take the average across all of the games a team has played and this is where the ranking can begin to become slightly skewed. The rankings include averages of

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How Rankings are Calculated Each team is awarded a score for each match they play based on the result (M), the importance of the match (I), the opponent (T), and the confederation from which the opponent is from (C): M × I × T × C. (M): A team will receive 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss.

(I): A friendly is worth 1 point, a World Cup qualifier or confederation-level qualifier is worth 2.5, Confederation level or Confederations Cup match is worth 3 and FIFA World Cup match is worth 4.

(T): Points are awarded based on the strength of the opposition. The No. 1 ranked team is worth 200 points decreasing on sliding scale to the 150th ranked team who are worth 50 points and all teams below are also worth 50 points.

(C): Points are awarded based on the strength of the confederation where Europe/ South America are worth 1, North and Central America, Caribbean 0.88, Asia/Africa 0.86 and Oceania 0.85.

So when the Netherlands beat Brazil in the quarter finals of the World Cup in South Africa, they would have earned the maximum number of points; 3 × 4 × 200 × 1 = 2,400.

The Masters doesn’t allow too much procrastination: four days

Health and Sports Week a Great Success

Stephen Ludgate explains how the FIFA World Rankings are calculated Stephen Ludgate

ning backdrop provided by the south USA. Dixieland provides the viewer with an array of natural beauty to complement the well-polished fairways.

mense pleasure, and the voice of Peter Alliss in the BBC commentary box will also serve to soothe those fans in search of some recuperation from the woes of study. However, it is not the climax of sporting procrastination; the issues being that it only lasts four days, and it’s on quite late in the evening, meaning that even the most enthusiastic punter may have found themselves too tired to indulge in the occasion. There is a higher pinnacle in the grand order

of sports.

The ultimate sporting relaxant, to be prescribed for any student under the exam cosh, is the World Snooker Championship. Starting from a rather coincidental point, there seems to be something calming about hitting a white ball with a stick.

Similarly, the baize covered tables provide a green centrepiece for the play. Even the repetitive clack of snooker balls is familiar to the sound of a well-placed golf shot. There is no doubt that the two sports do their bit in terms of stress reduction, but snooker’s dignified pacing is truly on its own in terms of tranquilising the ever-worrying scholar.

Again, for those who like their sport on the competitive side, there is no shortage of talented maestros in the realm of snooker, and one viewing of the World Championship will confirm this in earnest. In fact the balance and contrast between the casual safety play and the exciting pot-shots is one of the most enjoyable things about the top echelon of snooker.

What makes it different from the Masters, in terms of a student relaxation process, is the accessibility; for two weeks, the snooker will be on the television all day, every day. The snooker will be there to accompany all of your tea/coffee/ general breaks away from the rigours and stresses of study. It will be there to distract you and lull you to sleep at night, after a long day with your head in the books. Most importantly, it will be available for your enjoyment, to see who is crowned this year’s world champion. For this, we are grateful.

games played in the last four years with the most importance placed on the last year.

So say for example that the Netherlands had played a friendly against a team outside the world’s top 150, for example Indonesia. The maximum number of points available for this game would be far lower than that for a World Cup game – 139.5 to be exact. No matter how comprehensively the Dutch won this game the amount of points they earned would not change.

So if they had played this game in 2013, it would have had a huge impact on their ranking despite dominating their qualifying group. Unfortunately for Dutch fans this is exactly what happened in June of last year.

Had they not played that game the Netherlands would have been one of the top seeds for the 2014 World Cup. It was a similar story for Italy who played San Marino in a friendly on May 31 last year, a team that had only ever won one game in its history. Had this game not happened, Italy may well have been in the world’s top eight also. England’s draw with Ireland in 2013 also had quite a large impact on their ranking points, which will bring joy to many Irish football fans, and a stalemate with Brazil in the same month ruined their chances of being in the top pot

for the World Cup draw. It’s also interesting to note that Switzerland played the fewest friendlies of any team in the world’s top twenty.

Similarly hosting a major event can cost countries a large number of ranking points as they are denied the chance to play competitive matches in the build up to the competition. In June of 2013 Brazil found themselves floundering at 22nd in the rankings until their Confederations Cup win elevated them back to 9th.

When the draw was made back in October, the BBC created a world rankings table excluding friendly matches which saw Italy, Brazil and the Netherlands jump into the top eight while Colombia, Uruguay and Switzerland fell out.

While international friendlies can create enormously huge revenue for national associations in sponsorship and TV rights, when so much money is spent on their national teams’ collective success, perhaps more thought should be put into the friendlies they play and when they play them in order to maintain their ranking. The last team to win the World Cup who was not one of the eight seeded teams was Argentina in 1986 and that came courtesy of Diego Maradona and the ‘Hand of God’.

rinity Health and Sports Week kicked off in style last week, with a group of very committed students forming a ‘smiley face’ in the middle of Front Square writes Conor Bates.

This was quite an endeavour at the time, as the rain poured down above them.

Health and Sports Week, a campus-wide initiative, is aimed at helping to introduce, educate and provide a healthier lifestyle to students and staff members of the college. The event, now in its tenth year, had a central theme of happiness, as the main focus. Dublin senior footballer, All-Ireland Champion, Denis Bastick, joined the group to launch the week.

Martina Mullin, the college Health Promotion Officer, spoke generally of the week long initiative: “We chose happiness for this year’s Health and Sports Week theme because what makes us happy, makes us healthy and there are so many opportunities to be happy in Trinity every day.

The College’s clubs and societies and sports facilities offer people the opportunity to get fit and healthy, learn new activities and socialise and students are studying subjects that they find fascinating. We’re delighted with how many great activities there are in this year’s programme for people to experience.”

The week was considered

to be a resounding success, with many people turning up to the events offered across campus.

The activities were as diverse as the sporting diaspora on campus, and gave a very good reflection of the value of sport in terms of fitness and health. Talks on quitting smoking and diet, were matched by a number of clubs running free ‘tryit-yourself- events. These included some of Trinity’s most successful clubs, such as squash, orienteering and trampolining, in a variety of different styles.

The sporting initiatives continue across campus during the exam period, with the very popular Campus 5K taking place on the 9th of April.

Photo COURTESY OF TCD COMMUNICATIONS

Celebrations as part of the launch of the tenth Health and Sports week

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The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

Sport

Sport in Brief Athletics Maria O’Sullivan claimed gold in the women’s intervarsity cross-country championship, adding another success to a good year for DUHAC. Maria was followed immediately

by Becky Woods, who took silver. Claire McCarthy and Sorcha Humphreys arrived in eighth and tenth, respectively, giving them 21 points overall, and a team win. This is the first time TCD’s ladies have retained the ‘Cheetahs’ Trophy since 1981. The men’s team were less fortunate, finishing sixth in their category. Trinity placed fourth in the overall combined competition.

American Football Trinity opened the season strongly with a landmark win over collegiate rivals UL Vikings. After beating them earlier this year in the College Bowl, Trinity began their league campaign with a 34-9 home win. Quarterback Dan Finnamore threw for three touchdowns, two of which were long efforts, caught by Daniel Murphy. Tight end, Alex Gurnee, caught the other TD from close in. Rob McDowell rushed for one touchdown and scored Trinity’s other touchdown from a kickoff return.

DUCAC Two additional pinks were awarded in March, bringing the total for the year to six. Rugby players Brian du Toit and Patrick Lavelle were given Trinity’s most prestigious sporting award for their achievements on the pitch.

Soccer DUAFC have cemented their place as favourites to take the Senior Division 1B trophy with comprehensive home wins over Swords Celtic, Lucan United and Garda FC. Despite a 2-1 away loss to Wicklow Rovers, Trinity are nicely poised in the top echelon of the table. They also hold a number of games in hand. The most probable of DUAFC’s challengers for the crown are third place, Swords Celtic, who also have games in hand. The away game against Swords should be decisive for DUAFC, but having already dispatched the north Dublin side, they will have nothing to fear.

Rugby Trinity’s ladies rugby team brought home the Division II intervarsity crown after beating Waterford IT 22-12 in the final. The win caps a good year for the women’s game, after narrowly failing to retain the Kay Bowen Trophy earlier. The men’s team could only gain a losing bonus point against a very powerful Terenure side. Jack Dilger did the majority of the damage for Trinity in a 22-17 loss against the league leaders. Trinity buried this defeat with a rousing comeback against Belfast Harlequins. Down 5-10 at the half, Trinity scored twenty-six unanswered points to take a bonus point win against the northern outfit. The men’s U-20 team reached the final of the JP Flanagan League Pennant after a comprehensive 27-19 victory over Belvedere last weekend.

Cycling Mark Donnelly-Orr claimed victory in the A4 Boyne GP on March 16. Donnelly-Orr made a number of breakaways from the peloton, proving his quality time and again, before striking a killer blow and taking the win. The result now also means that Donnelly-Orr will be upgraded to the higher standard A3 class of rider. In mountain-biking, Colin Burke claimed the bronze medal at the Men’s Student Championships. The event, held in Ticknock, is a part of the Cross Country Cycling Intervarsities.

Squash DU Squash Club won the Division 1 men’s league after beating Aer Lingus 11-9 in their most recent fixture. Trinity will play Aer Lingus again, in April, to decide the outcome of the cup.

Golf The men’s golf team reached the last four of the Colleges Match Play Tournament. Held at The Heritage Golf Club in county Laois, the team could not get past University of Ulster, crashing out in the semi-final stage.

Climbing Dublin University Climbing Club placed 3rd nationally, coming first in the advanced male (David Fitzgerald) and second in the beginners female category (Aine Tubridy).

Conor Bates

Seventh Heaven for DUFC as Fencers win IVs David Byrne FENCING Correspondent

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or the seventh consecutive year the Frank Russell Cup has returned to Trinity College, making it the 37th time in the sixty year history of the intervarsity championships.

DUFC’s fencers and supporters showed that a combination of hard work, determination, and heart could overcome the sternest of challenges.

Three weapons were fenced on each day of the competition.

On Saturday, DUFC competed in men’s épée (ME), men’s sabre (MS), and women’s foil (WF); the competition was fierce.

The fencers arrived at UCD as a team, focused solely on the task of defending the title. Club Captain Max Milner delivered an impassioned team talk, with roars of support for Trinity echoing throughout the hall.

ME was an extremely tightly contested weapon, with the competition including UCD olympian Arthur LaniganO’Keefe. Trinity’s ME team nonetheless did extremely well, and there were some excellent individual performances.

Among them was Niall O’Brien, who ranked third overall in his weapon and carried the team with consistent results throughout. Two defeats, to Queen’s Belfast and UCD, meant that the ME team finished in third.

Their five hard earned victories would prove crucial to the overall result of the championships.

The men’s sabreurs started

spectacularly, comfortably winning their first match against IT Carlow, 5-0. This fine form continued, winning their next three matches. UCC proved too strong in the fifth round, however, taking the match to 5-3 to hand our MS fencers their only loss of the day. They bounced back immediately, winning their remaining matches to finish in second place. The highlight was a highly creditable comeback victory against UCD to dramatically swing results in DUFC’s favour at the end of the day.

The WF team was the team to watch on Saturday. They could do no wrong. Livi Flynn captained from the front by not losing a single bout throughout the day. Conceding no more than two bouts in any of their matches, the WF team was unstoppable and won their weapon at a canter. They deserved no less.

The fencers arrived early on Sunday morning, full of determination and fight from the day before. Another team-talk echoed the sentiments of Saturday, leaving the fencers focused and ready for the challenge that lay ahead.

Women’s épée opened with a bang against UCD in DUFC’s opening match. Hearts were pounding throughout this crucial match, which, so early on in the day, would have a huge outcome on the trophy’s home for the following season. Any fears were somewhat misplaced, however, as Trinity pulled off a sensational 5-4 win. With arguably the most difficult match of the day behind them, the WE

team’s confidence was sky high as they went on to win their remaining five matches, conceding only one bout. Clodagh McCarthy Luddy was undefeated, and ranked second overall. Novice Camille Hindsgaul ranked third, dropping only two bouts, and captain Emily Greenan ranked fourth overall.

TCD’s fencers seemed to have drawn the short straw in terms of fixtures on Sunday. WE’s first match was against UCD, their toughest opponents. Likewise, the women’s sabre team were handed a tough opening match against UCC. The challenge proved too much, with UCC defeating DUFC 5-2 on their way to winning their second sabre title of the weekend. Trinity’s WS team were undeterred in spite of this and proceeded to win all their remaining matches en route to finishing second in the weapon. The highlights were a thrilling 5-4 victory over Dundalk IT and a resounding 5-0 thrashing of UCD. MF hit the ground running, winning their opening match against University of Ulster 5-0.

They emulated this fantastic form against Queen’s Belfast in their second match, and went into their third match, against UCD, full of confidence. A symphony of support roared with every point won, culminating in a 5-0 demolition of a thoroughly disheartened opposition.

There was to be no stopping the MF team as they dropped just one bout all day. Their match results – 5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 5-1, 5-0, 5-0 – are not far off perfect, rounding off a thoroughly successful

PHOTO BY Andrew Brown

championships for the club. The overall individual rankings are a testament to the sensational performance of our Men’s Foilists, with Max Milner first, Killian Hanlon second, and Ian Kenny third.

With thirty-three victories overall, DUFC won the 60th

Inter-Varsity championships by a five match margin, making it lucky number seven, and a seventh title in a row – thirty-seven successes in total. Next year looks promising, and hopefully DUFC will be able to report on yet another success in twelve months’ time.

Trinity Host Women’s and Developmental Frisbee Intervarsities Rory McCann & Caoimhe Quigley

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ast weekend Trinity hosted Women’s Frisbee Intervarsities and Developmentals (a tournament aimed at beginners, in which only two experienced players are allowed play). These competitions were held side-by-side with a total of eighteen teams participating and with all four seasons making appearances in the form of wind, sun, rain, and hailstones, it was an action packed day out in Santry.

For the women’s first match against UCC2 the sun was shining, the wind was howling and Trinity women were excited to get started. Although Cork’s second team had some strong players, Trinity played a stormer. Some fantastic long throws from the Trinity side, both with and against the wind, saw Trinity clean up with a comprehensive 10-0 victory to start the day. Trinity Frisbee continued their excellent form against Maynooth, who had seen DUUFC playing and were able to counter Trinity’s offence more effectively than UCC2. Despite this Trinity worked hard against Maynooth’s

strong defence and despite Maynooth’s best efforts, the home women pulled off a 6-1 victory.

Trinity were now only one game away from the final but to get there they would have to overcome rival Dublin college, UCD, a team that had beaten the Trinity ladies only the Tuesday before in a friendly. This was a close game with heavy wind affecting both teams, however, a few extra players joining the Trinity ranks who had been missing on Tuesday helped DUUFC take an early lead from which UCD were unable to recover. Trinity fought the UCD girls off to secure a final score of 6-4 and a place in the final against UCC1.

Just as the final began the wind faded briefly.

UCC took full advantage of this lull and put some early scores on the board before the tirade resumed.

The wind suited the Trinity team and allowed them to get some scores of their own on the scoreboard, however Cork maintained their two point lead as the Trinity team chased them on the scoreboard. It was a low scoring game, due to the savage wind and hail, making the Frisbee tough to manage, and some very aggressive defence from both sides. Unfortunate-

ly, DUUFC were unable to recover from UCC’s early lead who won the game 5-3 leaving Trinity in second place.

Despite the end result the star player of the final was on the home team.

Women’s captain Aideen Costello won MVP of the Final, a very well deserved award that reflected her amazing performance and intensity throughout the match.

In many of the women’s games, the wind was a deciding factor and for the developmental team this was very true as well, particularly in their first game against DCU. Trinity won 5-3 and it was the ability of players such as David Stokes and Dara O’Halloran to throw the Frisbee long against the wind that proved to be the deciding factor in this fiercely contested game.

The next two games did not go quite as well for Trinity Frisbee. In their match against Queens, DUUFC encountered different defensive tactics in the form of a zone, as well as a change in the weather; lashing rain added to the driving wind. The weather made Queens’ well drilled zone very hard to beat and they took an early lead which they maintained for the rest of the game. Trinity

faced UCC X next, and although the sun came out, UCC took an early lead which their fast athletic side maintained for the rest of the game. Trinity’s defence improved significantly as the game went on and they made UCC work much harder for their scores in the closing stages.

Unfortunately these two losses meant that Trinity were now unable to win the competition and they would have to fight their way up through the lower tiers. Their next game against NUIG got off to a bad start as Trinity went down by two points after a few turnovers against NUIG’s zone

defence. However, Trinity had learned from their mistakes against Queens and soon managed to work the disc up patiently through Galway’s zone and began putting scores on the board. Galway got to within one point of winning the game but a lovely hammer into the endzone

by Conor de Barra was caught by Gavin Chandra to level the teams. Trinity played excellent defence on the next point to get the Frisbee and then through more patient offence worked the disc into the endzone to get the winning score.

In the final game, Trinity played DIT to see who would take seventh place

out of the ten teams in the competition. DUUFC went up by three points early in the game but after a severe hailstorm, and a series of injuries on both sides, DIT caught up and got to within one point of Trinity. Thanks to some excellent defensive play, which included a remarkable interception by Will Armstrong on the edge of his endzone, Trinity managed to halt the DIT comeback and take seventh place.

Although the Developmentals result was disappointing, the runners-up finish for the women’s team is a very positive result for a team who have competed well all year.

PHOTO BY Lau Jiaying FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

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The University Times | Tuesday 1 April 2014

Sport Sally O’Brien Rowing Correspondent

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ew intervarsity matches in the college calendar have as long a history, or a greater grudge associated with them than the Colours University Boat Races. Taking place on the River Liffey from O’Connell Bridge to St. James Gate, the Colours Race between Novice and Senior Men’s and Ladies Crews from UCD and Trinity represents the beginning of the year’s racing between the two universities.

Although not counted in the domestic rowing league, the outcome of the race is hugely significant, and possession of the Gannon Cup (Senior Men), Corcoran Cup (Senior Ladies), Dan Quinn Shield (Novice Men) and Sally Moorhead Cup (Novice Women) has been hotly contested since the 1940s.

The Race is traditionally held on St Patrick’s weekend as part of the St Patrick’s Day Festival and in conjunction with the other celebrations. Preparations, however, begin for the hopeful crew members long before this, in late August before the opening of Michaelmas term. The senior crews had been training six to seven days a week, and often twice a day, to prepare for the competition to get in the boat let alone the race itself, while our new novice rowers were busy learning to row under the watchful eyes of Ladies’ coach Andrew Coleman and our new Men’s Development Coach, Charlie Cunningham.

Crews were selected in early February after a rigorous selection process that left many disappointed, but reflected well on the great depth of talent in both DULBC and DUBC, which is a testament to the clubs. Training for the selected crews began in earnest, with outings in the chosen 8s at least daily, as well as weights and technical and tactical sessions. Due to the bad weather this winter, neither college had any experience racing the other, but despite this UCD were heavy favourites in both Senior races.

A few nights before the main races, Trinity took to the water in the men’s novice second 8s challenge, the Goonan Cup. The tournament, while something of a preamble to the main event on the weekend, was a hearty

Colours Titles Split in Dramatic Day on the Water

Photo by Peter Wolfe FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

competition nonetheless. Trinity ran out winners on the night, in Islandbridge, giving them a boost going into the main races on the Liffey. This also bodes well for the future of rowing in Trinity, as some of these athletes will be making the jumps up through the ranks, in years to come.

Sunday March 16 dawned bright but breezy, with a strong headwind and flow beating down the Liffey against the competing crews. Following a coin toss by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Leinster House the previous

week, Trinity had opted to race on the North Station in all races. The day kicked off with the Novice Ladies race, won by Trinity for the last three years.

Unfortunately Eoin Craven’s strong UCD crew took an early lead and held the Trinity ladies off until the end to claim the Sally Moorhead Cup. Following last years DUBC novice men’s encounter with the Liffey wall, much was at stake in the Dan Quinn Shield.

Although UCD took an early lead, the DUBC men clawed back to win a fantastic race and reclaim the Shield, and

level the overall scores for the weekend at 1-1. The Senior Races followed, the high point of the day, with a huge amount at stake for both colleges.

DULBC Senior ladies had not seen the Corcoran Cup return to Dublin 2 since 2010 and with an almost entirely new line up in the 8, had much to prove over a heavier, stronger UCD crew. And prove it they did, from the beginning of the race, taking a length

by Capel Street, and extending this lead to a massive 5 lengths by the finish. The Senior Men also had much at

stake, having been unable to reclaim the Gannon Cup from UCD in the past 6 years. DUBC were up, but barely, from the start, maintaining a lead into the last 500m, when UCD started to claw back. With 150m to go, disaster struck as DUBC captain Luke Acheson, having given his all, collapsed unconscious in the four seat, leaving UCD to row over the line first. Acheson was rushed to St. James’ Hospital and has thankfully returned to full health after the race. Drama was truly at a premium on this day.

Following the races, all competitors, coaches and supporters decamped to the Arlington Hotel for the Colours Luncheon, kindly organised by UCD. The trophies were presented to the winning crews, who then enjoyed a fantastic night of long overdue celebrations for Trinity. Overall, a fantastic days racing, and a spectacular opening to the university racing calendar was had. All crews are looking forward to going head to head again in two weeks time at the University Championships.

Trinity Runs Away from Rhinos Kevin Hogan CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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fter winning the Shamrock Bowl Conference (SBC) season opener with a 34-9 victory over the University of Limerick Vikings, Trinity were intent on continuing as they started in their second game of the season. The reshuffling of the IAFL conferences meant that Trinity would face the West Dublin Rhinos for the first time since their 2012 season, a game in which DUAFC triumphed.

Both teams fought consistently for four quarters, although Trinity ultimately prevailed in a 27-0 victory.

Quarterback Dan Finnamore, playing in his first season at the top level in Ireland, has now undoubtedly settled into the SBC and the Trinity outfit. He found a target in the swiftfooted wide receiver, David Lunn, who

caught a pass in the first quarter for a touchdown. Running back Rob McDowell, true to form, also punched in two impressive rushing touchdowns.

McDowell has left his mark on the IAFL in the past number of years, and a game rarely passes without him making an impact on the scoreboard.

One of the pacey player’s touchdowns was assisted by a devastating block from tight-end, and former QB, Alex Gurnee, flattening two of the Rhinos defenders.

Trinity’s disciplined and tight defence, which has been a hallmark of their success in recent years, kept pressure on the Rhinos throughout, allowing them only one first down during the entire course of the game. Not to be outdone on the scoring front either, they also recovered a fumble which was returned for a touchdown by Alex Gurnee, playing in something of a utility role on defence, in the second quarter. Safety

Colm Ryan also made a critical interception and return during the fourth quarter, which gave Trinity’s offense key field position to run in McDowell’s second touchdown of the game, and his fourth of the season.

Despite what the scoreboard would suggest, and the impressive Trinity play, the game was tightly contested.

The Rhinos’ defence was characteristically tough and challenging, keeping the pressure on the offense throughout, recording a sack on Finnamore and forcing him to scramble on one occasion for yardage. Trinity only managed to execute one extra point conversion and were forced into punting on fourth down multiple times.

The Rhinos’ offence were stymied however, and they ultimately failed to put points on the board. An error on their goal line, and some reactive DUAFC defending, resulted in a safety being scored for Trinity, adding another two points to the collegiate effort.

The only real blight on the DUAFC performance was the occurrence of technical fouls. Throughout the game Trinity were plagued by penalties, with two touchdowns being disallowed due to minor infractions, one of which was an ineligible jersey number on a lineman, and three substantial drives downfield also being negated due to penalty calls. Trinity maintained composure and did not become unnerved however, performing right up to the final quarter.

With less than two minutes on the clock and the scoreboard at 27-0, Finnamore took a knee and sealed the victory for TCD. This leaves Trinity with a perfect 2-0 record beginning the season, but there is still a difficult road ahead, with upcoming games against the Carrickfergus Knights and the Belfast Trojans. The Trojans were the winners of the Shamrock Bowl in 2012 and 2013. While results against the

Photo COURTESY OF DUAFC

Knights have been extremely positive while consistently improving, the Trojans squad of the last two seasons are a different prospect for DUAFC. Trinity last faced the Trojans in the final of the Atlantic Cup in June 2013, which resulted in a 23-0 loss.

Trinity’s next game is against the Carrickfergus Knights. It will be

their third consecutive home game, at the Santry Sports Grounds, and is followed by a tough away trip to Craigavon, before the exam break. If DUAFC can take two wins from these two encounters, they have absolutely every chance of repeating their recent achievements, in terms of reaching the playoffs.