The University Times - Issue 2

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The University Times Irish Student Newspaper of the Year

The University Times

A crash course in fine wine

Magazine meets Bunny the drag queen

Page 8

Security in high profile theft foil Owen Bennett Editor THE UNIVERSITY Times has learned that College Security were successful in apprehending a high profile theft suspect last week.

A source within College Security has labelled the apprehension ‘one of the biggest security coups in recent years’.

The individual was apprehended after a postgraduate student observed a woman acting suspiciously in the 1937 Reading Room. Speaking to this reporter, a college spokesperson stated that the woman ‘had interfered with a laptop that did not belong to her’. College also confirmed the individual in question is not a student of the college.

She was escorted to Front Arch security booth and subsequently arrested and detained at Pearse St, Garda Station. The individual in question was positively identified by College

Security as someone being sought in relation to previous alleged thefts on campus.

The Garda Press Office has confirmed that the woman, believed to be in her early thirties was charged with attempted theft. She appeared in the District court on 12th October and will appear again to answer charges on 2nd November.

The University Times understands that the woman was previously known to security staff and a CCTV image of her was distributed to security staff prior to her apprehension.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a member of College Security said the staff were ‘absolutely delighted’ to apprehend the woman. ‘She’s been on the radar of security staff, library attendants and our colleagues in other colleges for a long long time.’ He went on to praise the vigilance of those who helped apprehend the woman and said it

Getting Artsy: Trinity Arts Festival takes over the GMB for welcome exhibition

was ‘great to see the college community pulling together on this one.

‘There’s a lot of negativity toward College security most of the time. We’re trying our best to make sure campus is a safe place for the students and staff and thankfully, we’ve managed to sort this one out. We’ve had people coming up to the booth all week and there’s a great buzz among security.’

The theft of unattended laptops has become a major security concern in recent years. This arrest follows a heightening of security of late in light of a significant increase in the number of reported thefts on campus. During Freshers Week alone, close to €3000 worth of equipment was reported stolen from House 6. Increased instances of pickpocketing was also reported during that period.

Photo by Peter Halpin /DUPA

Societies may face code of conduct »» Only 23% of College buildings compliant with disability legislation.

»» Equality Office to push for action on diability policy »» CSC says responsibility for ensuring accessibility falls on College

Hannah Ryan News Staff AT A meeting of the Equality Committee on the 28th May this year, a suggestion was put forward by the director of the college Disability Service, Declan Treanor, that student societies holding events in rooms that are not fully accessible be financially sanctioned. This followed several complaints by disabled students who felt excluded from societal events.

The recommendation, since withdrawn, came despite statistics shown to the same committee concerning the current levels of accessibility around campus which suggest that it is often difficult for societies to secure suitable rooms. The 2011/12 report on Trinity’s progress relating to the Disability Act 2005 states that ‘the Built environment [of college] remains a priority with 23% of buildings compliant with Accessibility Legislation (Disability Act 2005), 40% accessible at entrance level only and 37% inaccessible.’

The GMB, built in the early 1900s and home to two of the college’s oldest student societies (the Phil and the Hist), is among those buildings accessible only on the ground floor. Furthermore,

included in these statistics are some historical and many older buildings around college which are more difficult to alter, and liability issues – as in most universities –prevent the majority of societies from holding events off-campus.

It was also accordingly at the same meeting that the Capitations Committee draw up a Code of Conduct for student societies, particularly relating to event accessibility. This committee, chaired by the Senior Dean, includes in its terms of reference a large number of stu-

Committee raised this last year and it is due to come up again at its first meeting this month.’

Commenting on the figures relating to accessibility, Treanor said that he had ‘queried’ them at the time of their publication, and the criteria on which they were based, denying that these are adequate grounds for holding inaccessible events. ‘I would find it hard to believe there wouldn’t be space on campus. There is now an accessibility map of college available, and societies can ring the office to

The Dean of Students, Amanda Piesse, has said any code of conduct needs to be developed by capitations to have validity

dent representatives who sit on the executives of the five capitated bodies.

Treanor announced his support for this move, saying: ‘With over 1100 disabled students studying in College, the need for inclusive clubs and societies is good for the whole community. I know the Equality

find available rooms that are accessible.’ Qualifying that the introduction of fines for non-compliant societies should be a last resort, he also said that when questioning ‘who is responsible’ for non-inclusiveness of events, it has to be noted that ‘if people want to be inclusive, they will try to be

inclusive.’

Joseph O’Gorman, Strategic Development Officer of the Central Societies Committee, said that ‘The CSC is cognisant of the need to consider the issue of accessibility to events… There is an average of 120 to 130 society events on campus over the five-day teaching week in parallel with an ever expanding full-time student lecture day and a growing number of evening courses and classes... Curricular activity is, quite naturally, prioritised over extracurricular activity. Much space available to societies is not accessible.

‘Most societies find it extremely difficult to find space for events and make do with what they can find.

The outcome of this is that not all society activity can be accessible.’ However, O’Gorman denied that a code was being set out, stating that ‘College is responsible for the accessibility of its buildings, not the CSC.’ ‘The CSC does not have in place, nor is it its intention to put in place, a system to fine Societies with respect to the accessibility of events because the degree of accessibility of the space to which

the Societies have access is beyond the control of the Societies and the CSC.’ Ian Beatty-Orr, Captain of the Dublin University Rifle Club, also commented on the subject of event accessibility: ‘Due to the old nature of campus many club and society rooms are inaccessible and so numerous that to avoid their use altogether is just not feasible. Sports clubs in particular often

construction of a larger fully accessible range with the space for us to expand our activities and accommodate disabled users comfortably.’ In any case the club, in its pursuit of having a ramp constructed, is ‘currently being hampered by the slow response from buildings, as after their speedy initial assessment they have yet to even provide us with an estim ate

Joe O’Gorman: ‘The CSC is cognisant of the need to consider the issue of accessibility to events.’ have specialist rooms and can’t conduct their sports in other locations, for instance we most certainly couldn’t shoot safely or legally anywhere on campus other than our current range. While we are pursuing the matter of having a ramp constructed into our current range it will never be an ideal venue for wheelchair users.

‘A much better solution for us and the disabled community would be the

of the cost.’

Amanda Piesse, Dean of Students, also commented on the subject: ‘I understand that the Equality Office is looking at training and awareness-raising solutions, and it is felt that if a Code of Conduct were to be developed it would need to be developed by the Capitation committee to have any validity: the Equality Officer would have a supporting

role.’

Treanor supported this need for equality awareness training for society heads, declaring that ‘societies cannot operate a selective membership. In many cases they are not making enough effort to attract student interest. Freshers’ Week will not suit everybody. Societies should vary the types of events offered, and perhaps appoint an equality officer.’

At present, a checklist for organising events is available on the college website which includes suggestions for making meetings and receptions inclusive, and the CSC’s ‘Officers’ Guide’, which instructs society officers on the running of their organisations, says, of accessibility: ‘Please bear in mind that we must cater for those students and staff members who may have mobility impairment of some kind, so when deciding about a venue’s suitability, try to ensure that the rooms you book are accessible to all.’ There is not, however, a system in place

The University Times

Editor: Owen Bennett Deputy Editor: Leanna Byrne Volume 4, Issue 2

to discipline societies for holding events in buildings and rooms that are difficult to get to.

The Equality Committee has noted that although student societies are not technically funded by College, rather by the student registration fee, they must still abide by the college’s policies. Karen Campos McCormack, the college Equality Officer, spoke at the Committee meeting regarding steps being taken to ensure compliance with Trinity’s Dignity and Respect policy and announced her support for creating further awareness about inclusiveness in student societies.

This newspaper is produced with the financial support of Trinity College Students’ Union. It is editorially independent and claims no special rights or privileges.

2

UTNEWS A week in the life of Trinity’s Twitterati

TIMESFEATURES The Bridge to Nowhere: Matthew Mulligan focus on the exploitation of young workers.

Our in-house win critic Hubie Pilkington offers a crash course in fine vino.

Shauna Cleary traces the history of free speech in Trinity

TIMESOPINION USI President John Logue gives details of the organisation’s new national campaigning strategy.

Euthanasia: Daniel O’Reilly wants to die on his own terms.

The emerging phenomenon of ‘Buttchugging’ is the impetus for Matthew Taylor’s analysis of physcial selfdetermination.

TIMESSPORTS Rory McCarthy reports on DUAFC’s victory over Enniskerry.

Fionn O’Dea comes to defence of the belueagured Giovanni Trappatoni Are you a blue or a red? Conor Bates and Stephen Ludgate go head-to-head on Formula One.

The University Times

Magazine

UTzine goes firework shopping Christchurch crypt fashion shoot Interviews with former Onion web editor Baratunde Thurston, screen queen Danielle Harris and Dublin drag queen, Bunny.

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

Howard Helen

Neil Fitzpatrick

Eamonn Lawlor

@howardhelen

@Neilfitz101

@Lawlorlicious

Just got back into my apartment, having being locked out since Friday. Reuinited with my toothbrush

Love this recent trend of adapting corporate scandals into musicals, Enron and now Anglo. Legitimate profits from corruption

Lads, he f**king jumped from space. Still can’t get over that!

Jack Cantillon

Aoife Considine

Alex Sloan

@AoifeConso

@AlexDSloan

@jackcantillon

Just saw two prisoners in handcuffs being marched through Trinity

Taking serious pride in the way these farmers are blocking the streets of Dublin

Coolest thing about the #websummit. The free food!

TCDSU to target Humphreys ahead of budget Jack Leahy News Editor

TRINITY COLLEGE Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) have been assigned the task of lobbying Dublin South East TD Kevin Humphreys in the build-up to the announcement of the 2013 budget on December 7th.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) last month announced a reformed budget campaign that would target specific TDs for lobbying based on their perceived vulnerability, political relationship with Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn, or a history of having spoken or voted against the government’s current policy on third-level funding.

Humphreys, whose constituency office is based in Ringsend, shares a constituency with Quinn and has been identified as politically vulnerable based on his having been elected on the tenth count of votes in the 2011 general election.

Furthermore, Trinity College Dublin is located within

Humphreys’ constituency boundaries, though if this was considered in assigning Humphreys to Trinity students then it was a matter of locational convenience rather than political agency as a lower number of Trinity students live in their College’s constituency than any other university in the country.

Speaking to The University Times, TCDSU President Rory Dunne outlined his knowledge of Humphreys, stating that he would ‘like to get to know a bit more about him’ before the campaign begins: ‘I’d really like to get to know more about him and to see what motivates him on the big issues. His past as a Dublin City councillor shows that he’s extremely passionate about his area and about his constituents.

He’s going to have a lot of new constituents in the constituency drawings; the constituency will include

Kevin Humphreys shares a constituency with Ruari Quinn, the Minister for Education Terenure and other areas that haven’t traditionally been strong for Labour. He might be feeling the pressure even more next time around.

‘I’d like to see an increased presence from Trinity students at his constituency

clinics and question and answer sessions. Beyond that, well I’d rather not publicly plan for him not being responsive. I’d like to think that he would be and then escalate things appropriately if he isn’t.

‘We’ll be lobbying in a

coordinated approach with other students’ unions to ensure that the students’ contribution doesn’t rise’.

Unfortunately for students hoping to undermine Humprehys’ position within his own constituency, the deputy has, in the last week,

been hailed in heroic terms after he came to the rescue of some of his Dublin South East constituents during last Monday night’s flooding by gaining access to hundreds of sandbags that were locked away.

Speaking to theJournal. ie last week, Humphreys explained that a significant number of sandbags kept in storage for the flood-prone seaside constituency were incoveniently under heavy lock, and that he managed to force access to them using a hacksaw: ‘Gaining access was difficult. The city council had not opened the boxes so we eventually got the locks off – by using a hacksaw and pickaxe – at about 7.45pm.’

The sandbags were quickly put to work and saved a number of homes on Gordon, Hope and Howard streets from being flooded.

‘In some ways, I was disappointed with the response to the floods on Monday evening,’ he said on Wednesday.

Engle resigns as Hist auditor Jack Leahy News Editor JOHN ENGLE will resign as auditor of the College Historical Society on October 31st after a vote of no confidence was passed at a meeting of the society committee. The motion arose at a formal discussion of the report of an ad hoc sub-committee investigating the circumstances surrounding a €2000 loan to Engle from the society over the summer.

The sub-committee, chaired by William Quill and which also included an ordinary member of the society and one former auditor, recommended that an impartial mediator be solicited to resolve the situation and asserted that resignations were undesirable.

Liam O’Neill’s resignation in the Michaelmas term of last academic year was the first for an auditor of the Hist in a half-century.

The report did not recommend Engle’s resignation, while acknowledging that his position may become ‘untenable’. Having perused the report at a meeting of its executive that evening, the Central Societies Committee reaffirmed its previous recommendation that Engle resign and its threat to withhold funding to the society.

At the same meeting, it was decided that the society’s bank account be frozen pending resolution of the matter. The previous threat is understood to have stipulated that the society would not receive its annual grant until Engle and Treasurer Emma Tobin had resigned, however this reporter understands that the CSC’s request for the Treasurer’s

resignation was ultimately withdrawn following discussions between the two parties.

Engle had agreed prior to the investigation, which involved 100,000 words of written submissions and 15 interviews lasting 25 hours, that he would accept its verdict as binding. However, a discussion of the report produced a motion of no confidence in which ten of the 14 voting members

of deportation.

He subsequently confirmed that the loan was also used to meet the cost of rent incurred while spending the summer in Dublin.

Ms. Tobin, who has since resigned from the society, gave notional consent to the loan but has confirmed that she was not a signatory on the account at the time.

The subcommittee’s report cleared Ms. Tobin of wrongdoing based on circum-

Engle will step down from his position as Hist auditor on October 31st

voted against Engle retaining the chair. A source present at the meeting informed The University Times that a number of committee members have pledged to resign regardless of the outcome of the vote.

The University Times understands that Engle offered to make a number of concessions regarding his own finances and those of the society, including removing his signature from the society accounts, but that these proposals were rejected by the society committee.

The subcommittee was established at a private business meeting of the society on October 3rd following the passing of a motion to ‘regret the actions of the auditor and the treasurer’. Speaking at the meeting, Engle – a US citizen – confirmed that he had taken a loan from the society to meet minimum balance requirements to satisfy immigration officials when faced with the threat

stantial considerations and there was little to no mention of wrongdoing on her part in the discussion on the motion to regret.

Ex-auditor Ó Néill, still able to deal with society finances at the time of the loan because the society accounts signatories had not yet been transferred to the new committee, signed a number of blank cheques for Mr. Engle on 26th June.

The report found that one cheque was used to lodge €2,000 to the account of Mr. Engle.

On August 21st, after Tobin’s signature was added to Engle’s on the society account, Engle repaid €1,000 of the loan to the society.

The remainder, according to the report, was used to fund ‘living expenses’ such as rent and flights to Belgrade for the European University Debating Championship. With the agreement of Engle, the report stated that this amounted to a

second loan from the society. The University Times understands that there had been a significant level of confusion among committee members as to whether Engle had borrowed €1,000 or €2,000 and the report appears to have clarified the exact nature of the loan.

Engle will remain as auditor until the end of a period in which a number of high-profile guests will address the society, including former The Onion editor Joe Randazzo. Engle has acted as a liaison between the society and the guests expected this month and The University Times is aware of only one opposition to the delay in his resignation.

Furthermore, the society’s traditional auditorial address, this year titled Pax Americana, is set to take place this week and it is understood that the event will proceed as had initially been arranged with an address from Engle in his capacity as auditor.

Engle’s girlfriend, who was a member of committee until her resignation this afternoon, spoke to this reporter last week to tell of her pride in Engle and express her disappointment in the manner in which the matter was resolved: ‘I don’t believe that resignation is in the best interests of the society and it would have been better, as recommended by the sub-committee report, to try resolve the matter by mediation.

‘If committee were still unwilling to support him thereafter then we could have looked at resignation.’

TSM student launches new political website Hubie Pilkington News Staff ON OCTOBER 11th a Trinity student launched an innovative new website aimed at creating a direct line between voters and TDs. Sarah O’Neill, a Philosophy and Politics senior sophister presented her website DailWatch.ie which intends to provide a neutral platform through which citizens can communicate with their representatives in the Dáil.

The launch, which took place in the National Library, Kildare street, was attended by some 40 people.

A panel of guest speakers included dignitaries such as Harry McGee, political correspondent for the Irish Times, Rúairí McKiernan, of the Council of State and founder of SpunOut.ie, and Dr Jane Suiter of the Board of Trustees.

The website enables anyone to ask any member of Dáil Eireann a question as well as accessing each TD’s voting behaviour and previous speeches. Its origins and establishment are in partnership with its’ German equivalent, ParliamentWatch, which boasts 300,000 unique users a month across Germany. DailWatch is predominantly funded by the British organisation The Rowntree Trust as well as

regular one-off donations.

Professor David Farrell, Head of Politics and International Relations in UCD, stated that ‘Dailwatch.ie will substantially contribute to the accessibility and transparency of the political system’.

Meanwhile, Ms O’Neill commented at the launch about the Irish people’s sense of disillusion and disenfranchisement stemming from ‘a lack of clarity and openness’ within the systems of government. She went on to say that she is confident that ‘Dailwatch. ie will create a constructive, positive and enduring relationship between voters and politicians’ describing it as a ‘necessary and timely development in Ireland’s new political narrative’.

Ms O’Neill gained the opportunity to found the website on the back of an internship with Ashoka Ireland and attended the Change Nation gathering. The gathering, where fifty entrepreneurs came together to form an innovation that identifies global solutions and adapts them to the Irish context, enabled her to learn of ParliamentWatch and soon she was approached to bring about the Irish equivalent.

UTNEWS Gorey hosts Class Rep training Una Kelly Online News Editor THE ANNUAL class rep training took place last weekend in Ashdown Park Hotel in Gorey with an estimated cost of €15,000.

The cost of the event includes a return journey from Trinity to Gorey, Co. Wexford, accommodation, lunch, dinner and breakfast for 250 students, as well as the hire of halls in the hotel, trained professionals to conduct parts of the training and evening entertainment in the form of a DJ and band.

However, it is understood that a significant amount of the cost of the event is financed by sponsors Bank of Ireland and Marathon Travel, with the former afforded a twenty minute slot at the event to address Class Representatives on the services provided by the bank for third-level students.

This year’s event saw Colm Jordan, former Union of Students in Ireland

president and ministerial adviser to Minister for Justice Alan Shatter, and Northern Ireland peace process negotiator Colm McGivern give tailored talks on effective representation and negotiation respectively.

This year saw the Students’ Union elect 357 class reps, a larger number than any other third-level institution in the country and the largest in the history of TCDSU. Training begins at 7.30am on the Saturday morning and lasts until 1pm on the Sunday. There are ten mandatory training sessions over the course of the weekend. Attendance at the event is contingent on each individual signing an agreement to meet the cost of any damages that he or she may cause.

Education officer Dan Ferrick said he believes it is a proportionate amount of the budget to spend: ‘€15,000 sounds like a lot and it is. But if we break it down to each student it is

less than €1 per student to train their rep.

‘Trinity’s Class Rep system is one of the strongest if not the strongest in the country. Attendance at our meetings by Reps is one of the highest in the country. Before the advent of offcampus Class Rep training SU Council has been cancelled due to lack of attendance and now since we started doing rep training this way we have never had to cancel council.

‘It is the network of 357 class reps this year which will make the biggest difference in students’ day to day life - from the Rep who knows to put the notes up online to the ones who make sure somebody gets to the Welfare Officer when they really need it.’

There were no reported incidences of significant misbehaviour from students at the event.

Colm McGivern, who briefed Reps on negotiation skills, has been involved in the NI Peace process and the war in Afghanistan. Photo by Sam Heavy.

Security staff Labour TD fires budget warning shot member investigated over GMB robbery Leanna Byrne Deputy Editor

Jack Leahy News Editor THE UNIVERSITY Times has learned that a member of security staff is under investigation by both the College and an Garda Síochána following the theft of up to €600 from the College Historical Society during Freshers’ Week. A society money box was reported missing before it was returned in suspicious circumstances.

The money-box, containing all the monies collected from a significant number of membership subscription fees, was reported missing one morning during the week-long festival having been left in a society room in the Graduates’ Memorial Building overnight.

Upon the discovery of a security key among the society’s freshers’ packs, suspicions were aroused as to who would have access to the building and its rooms after committee members of the Phil and the Hist had vacated the building on the evening on which the theft took place. The packs were located in the close vicinity of the box’s location prior to its removal.

The box was then

discovered in circumstances which prompted the society’s suspicions that an external agent to College was not responsible for the theft and a number of members of the society’s committee has spoken off the record to confirm that a security worker was being formally investigated in connection with the theft.

An internal investigation identified the key as that of a member of security staff with remit over the GMB. There had been reports that the member of staff in question had been permanently dismissed, though while refusing to comment the College Communications ffice confirmed that an investigation is ‘ongoing’ with regards College’s internal processes and an Garda Síochána.

Security staff moved this year to limit the number of committee members of the Hist, the University Philosophical Society and the Theological Society holding keys to the building, with one anonymous member of security staff asserting to The University Times that there had been ‘significant issues relating to the number of individuals who could

Check out the Mental Health Supplement in this edition!

access the building at any time of day or night’.

The incident is the third reported theft from a society room in the past twelve months and the second to have occurred in the GMB, Trinity’s Sci-Fi Society has become the second student society last year to have a considerable sum of money stolen from its society room.

Sources placed the theft in excess of one thousand Euro and given that the money was from membership signup fees during Freshers’ Week, the figure could be significantly higher.

The theft, which occurred during the third week of term, resulted in the cashbox containing the money being removed from the filing cabinet in the society room, which is on the top floor of house six. Hannah Lancashire, last year’s sci-fi auditor, stressed at the time that the filing cabinet, which is used to store DVDs, was a secure spot as it was locked.

Earlier last year, the Theological society reported cash and fliers stolen from the Bram Stoker Room, which it shares with the Phil.

LABOUR TD for Dublin North Central Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has been targeted by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) for a targeted lobbying campaign. The use of smaller, targeted protests aimed at local TDs and Senators perceived to be politically vulnerable or known to have spoken against the government’s current policy on third-level funding will replace the single large march that USI have hosted in previous years.

The protests in the constituencies of TDs and Senators will take place every week from 2nd of November to 5th of December before the announcement of the 2013 budget two days later.

The list of representatives include 13 TDs and 2 Senators. Each have been singled out due to electoral vulnerability; representation of a constituency which includes a USI member organisation; record of public statements that run counter to current government policy on higher education; position as education spokesperson; and being a constituency colleague of a strategically important TD. However, Ó Ríordáin does not believe that protesting

outside his own constituency will make any progress.

Speaking to The University Times during the week, the popular Labour TD said that it will take much more than just protesting to engage him: ‘If USI want to protest outside my constituency office there’s a lovely bakery next door. They’re a nice bunch and they do very nice cakes,’ said Ó Ríordáin.

‘I have absolutely no difficulty in meeting anybody.

But how do you engage with these people if they’re just protesting? If they want progress then they’re welcome to sit down and have a talk with me about it. I believe you get further if you engage with people on a one-to-one.’ Ó Ríordáin has recently been initiating talks with various Students’ Union Presidents to deal with their concerns over mental health and financial issues. He understands that students might be disappointed with how the registration fee has increased, but has been reminding students that Labour protected them against Fine Gael’s proposed graduate tax.

Another concern of students and their representatives is that the Student Assistance Fund, which is part

funded by the Higher Education Authority and the European Union, will be run out in 2013. The fund supports students in need and students who are struggling financially. It currently has €9 million to be distributed to students through the Students’ Unions.

Furthermore, he feels that the focus for education discussions should be directed at the primary and secondary students ‘hoping and pushing for the day when they could be able to get into third level institutions’. He keenly alerts us to the fact that about that €12,000 of state funding is spent per student at third level, whereas the government spends €6,000 per student at the primary level.

‘For me to be a member of this government and to introduce a national literacy strategy is something that I feel very strongly about.

I have choices to make. If it means an extra €250 for somebody that is not eligible for a grant versus a kid who doesn’t have any oral language skills to survive in Irish society and who is on a path to destruction and incarceration you have to make a choice. I wish it never came down to that. You’re entitled to disagree with me, that’s fair enough, but I

SU accounts released Leanna Byrne Deputy Editor THE STUDENTS’ Union account statement for the year ended 30th June 2012 has reported a surplus of €81,629, with an increase of 6.2 per cent from 2011.

According to the Treasurer’s Report the results for the current account show a slightly increased deficit of €22,721 due to increased expenditure. Ents recorded a significant deficit of €8,665 as it increased its expenditure from €104,452 in 2011 to €132,662 in 2012. The surplus on student services rose from €67,669 in 2011 to €78,209 in 2012.

The SU also spent €132,662 on welfare services, €44,457 on publications (including The University Times, SU website and SU diary) and €34,536 on executive expenses, that is to say the education officer’s budget for class rep training, SU Council, and other expenses related to managing the Union’s structures. Election expenses amounted to €9,300; falling from €10,411 in 2011. There was also a reduction in officer expenses from €57,348 to €54,211.

The Graduate Students

Union (GSU) expenditure was maintained at €15,000.

This payment was part of an agreement between the SU and its graduate colleagues that the undergraduate students’ union would contribute €15,000 a year towards the salary of a second postgraduate sabbatical officer. However, the burden

They show a surplus of €794 compared to a small deficit of €26 the year previous.

This surplus includes €3,000 in replacement of equipment and furthermore allows income from the use of the café’s pool table to be set aside for future expenditure.

‘These figures reflect the

Dunne: ‘Figures reflect healthy financial nature of the Union’

payment will now be split among the students’ union, the Central Societies Committee (CSC) and Dublin University Central Athletics Committee (DUCAC).

The SU bookshop continues to show a small surplus, reducing from €1,989 to €1,237. Last week it was announced that the bookshop’s hours will be cut from eight to three a day to reflect a general shift in buying habits in relation to books.

A new addition to the financial report is that of the JCR café on Pearse Street.

healthy financial nature of the Union and we are very happy with them,’ SU President Rory Dunne told The University Times.

‘I hope to maintain, or perhaps even expand the [operating] deficit with the view that the shop will generate additional revenue in the 12/13 financial year so that we may expand on Union activity in crucial areas where its needed most.’

It is anticipated that a small surplus of income over expenditure will be maintained in the long term.

would just ask them to appreciate my position. That’s a I feel where my heart is.’

USI President John Logue agrees that disadvantaged children should be priority in the education budget, but this week told The University Times that ‘the Minister is not making tough enough decisions’. He insists that USI will continue to push for improvements and longterm planning in order to keep ‘equity of access high by keeping fees low’. Ó Ríordáin also feels that his party colleague and Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn’s preelection promise to stop increases in the student contribution charge ‘was not a good idea’.

‘I’m not trying to hide around it or fudge it,’ said Ó Ríordáin. ‘It was a commitment that was made, but it shouldn’t have been made. I know where he was coming from, that it was a statement of intent.’

Despite this, Logue wanted students to remember that Quinn was ‘well aware of the situation’ and that he ‘did it to get elected’. Logue also believes that Labour are moving towards becoming a Liberal Democratic party.

One of the major topics for discussion in the

discourse surrounding the 2013 budget will be the national framework for public sector employment and pay. Ó Ríordáin is a supporter of the Croke Park Agreement, saying that it is essential to make the education systems better to make the reforms necessary even if it means spending 77 per cent of the education budget on pay and pensions.

‘Anyone that has criticised the Croke Park Agreement obviously hasn’t read it,’ he explained.

‘They don’t understand it and they don’t understand how the education system works. If you’re going to bring people with you, you have to do it in a very delicate fashion and with respect. It didn’t spark one day of industrial action. I think that’s a minor miracle. I think those who criticise it think that it’s an easy thing to throw aside. It’s a good agreement. It’s actually working.’

Last, he is against a cap on academic pay as he feels the ‘simple solution for getting more from those public servants since the dawn of time is a little thing called tax’.

Niteline launches instant messaging service Jack Leahy News Editor NITELINE, A confidential listening, support and information service for students in Dublin, has launched an instant messaging service through which students will be able to communicate with an anonymous volunteer without having to make a telephone call. This service and the standard freephone number will both be available seven days a week between the hours of 9pm and 2:30am after a decision was made to increase the service’s availability and to recruit more volunteers.

‘Online Listening’ will be part of a renewed promotional push from the service, which will be launched this week to coincide with Mental Health Week, the Student Union’s flagship welfare campaign week. The phonein service had until recently operated the same hours five days a week, but a sharp increase in demand and a change in perception surrounding mental health and its causes has seen its coordinators move to expand the service’s availability.

The service was

established in 1994 according to the model of the Samaritans helpline and is currently run by and for the students of Trinity College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the National College for Art and Design, and the affiliate institutions of those Colleges.

The peer listening and support serice is run entirely by volunteers from the student bodies of the Colleges represented by the service with support from each institution’s counselling service and from some students’ unions. A period of recruitment is set to begin to meet the service’s extended hours and new medium for interaction and Niteline is encouraging interested volunteers to keep abreast of developments on its Facebook and Twitter pages in the coming weeks.

In conversation with The University Times, Niteline’s anonymous publicity officer told this reporter that the development of an instant messaging service was something that the service had been trying to introduce ‘for almost ten years’ and that it brought Niteline ‘into the 21st century’.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 | The University Times

4

UTNEWS

SU Council passes USI reform motion

» New SU data protection policy passed. » President quizzed on voting arrangements for placement students Vladimir Rakhmanin Deputy Web Editor

Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald briefed attendees at the Children’s Referendum information evening

YFG host referendum information evening Fionn O’Dea Deputy News Editor

within the Irish adoption system, slamming a legacy of profit-motivated organisations that has left 6,000 in long term foster care, with 2,000 remaining in such care for over five years. ‘Th is referendum is about them’ she claimed, ‘it is symbolic as well as practical.’ She also highlighted the inequitable treatment of marital and non-marital children in Irish law.

The Minister was quick to shrug off concerns that a Yes vote would give too much power to the Government, claiming that rather than weaken families, a Yes vote would strengthen familial rights. She claimed that passing the referendum would simply give scope for ‘proportionate intervention, where the child’s safety or welfare is at risk. It’s not about power; it’s about protecting children from abuse and neglect.’

Following the Minister was Senator Van Turnhout who spoke of the journey thus far for Children’s Rights in Ireland. She claimed that it was not a new issue, but rather one fi rst raised in 1976 by then Senator Mary Robinson. Despite Robinson’s ‘call to action’ Ireland’s is a system ‘that systematically failed some of our most vulnerable children’ according to Van Turnhout.

‘Th is is our recent past. Th is is today in Irish households.’

The Senator addressed concerns regarding the

MINISTER FOR Children Frances Fitzgerald was among the speakers at an information evening on the upcoming Children’s Referendum, hosted by the Trinity branch of Young Fine Gael on Wednesday in Trinity’s Jonathan Swift Theatre.

The evening, also attended

by Senator Jillian Van Turnhout and CEO of Children’s Rights Alliance Tanya Ward, comprised of talks by each of the three guests, followed by a Questions and Answers session.

First speaker of the evening, Minister Fitzgerald said that the referendum, if passed could be a ‘statement from this generation to a future generation’ and ‘the most significant point in Irish Human Rights protection since Good Friday Agreement.’ She stressed the importance of a wellinformed public, lest people ‘become ambivalent, not vote or vote No.’ She spoke of her hope for a ‘balanced and clear referendum with the best interests of children at heart.’

The Minister rejected the notion that children are already suitably defended by general citizenship protections within the Constitution, claiming that ‘the consensus is that [current defences] are not enough.’

She also drew attention to current shortcomings

wording of the proposed amendment to the Constitution: ‘I would like to see it go further, go into certain areas such as a right to identity. There are 50,000 adopted people with no rights no their birth certificates, medical history or to trace their identity.’ Despite this, she assured those in attendance that the amendment will ensure that children are visible. She asserted that though we are right to be cautious whenever amending the Constitution, this amendment would be ‘every family’s safety net’.

The main change, Van Turnhout told the audience, coming from a Yes vote would be a government power to interfere earlier is cases of abuse or neglect.

‘The amendment doesn’t solve all the ills – no one’s claiming it does. But we can shine a light into every dark place in Ireland and say “Yes. Children have rights.”’

Last to speak on the issue, Tanya Ward pointed out that the referendum is a long time coming, claiming that the issue ‘has been on the cards since twenty years ago.’ Ward claimed that in the time since, the Courts have made the occasional statement regarding Children’s Rights but have expanded little.

She asserted that the wording of the amendment was merely ‘pretty fair and pretty balanced’ but is still ‘our best chance to protect

children.’ Much like Van Turnhout, she criticised past instances where children have been failed: ‘We can’t take away what has happened to children in Ireland. At the very least, we can draw a line in the sand.’

She spoke in detail about the case of Baby Ann, the child born to unmarried parents in 2004 who became involved in a lengthy dispute over parenthood after her natural mother attempted to withdraw her consent for adoption before it was finalised, as she was entitled to do. The case is singled out as a failure for the adoption system in Ireland. According to Ward, ‘nobody had the interests of Baby Ann at heart’, something she indicated could be prevented in the future by a Yes vote.

Both Minister Fitzgerald and Senator Van Turnhout drew attention to the polling date – a Saturday.

The Minister said that she hoped that students would make it home to vote in their homeplaces while the Senator pointed out that it was often student organisations that struggle for Saturday polls. Ward, meanwhile, expressed concern that people would take for granted that the referendum would pass.

The Referendum on Children’s Rights will take place on Saturday November 10th.

Múineadh na Gaeilge Pléite sa Choláiste Ciara Heneghan Comhfhreagaí na Gaeilge

sin gheal Sinn Féin go raibh siad ar son an Ghaeilge a chosaint agus a chaomnú i ngach bealach. Mar sin bhí an cheist ‘An ceart go mbeadh Gaeilge riachtanach sna scoileanna?’ le freagairt ag na grúpaí eagsúla cinnte.

Ní ghlacann Fiana Fáil go bhfuil fínise ar bith go ndéanfadh athrú stadáis na Gaeilge san Ardteist faic ach scriosú an teanga i rith glúin nó dó. Dúirt Joe Byrne (FF) go bhfuil ‘Fine Gael go hiomlán mí-cheart ar n bpointe seo agus caithfidh siad seo a adhmháil.’

Lean Byrne ar aghaidh chun a rá ‘Dar liom, tá an ceist go hiomlán faoi “stadás” - má tá an Ghaeilge ar chomh-chéim leis an

D’ÉAGRAÍODH DÍOSPÓIREACHT i gColáiste na Tríonóide ar an 15ú de Mheán Fhomhar chun Gaeilge sa chóras oideachas a phlé. Chomhoibriú a bhí i gceist leis idir na páirtithe polaitíochta Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil agus Fine Gael, chomh maith leis an gCumann Gaelach agus an Cumann Polaitíochta.

Tá suíomh ár dteanga náisiúnta sna scoileanna go mór i mbéal an phobail le cúpla bliain anuas. I 2001, d’fhoilsigh Enda Kenny an tuairim go mba ceart go mbeadh an Ghaeilge mar ábhar roghnach san ardteist, agus díreach i ndiadh lks dams ta Gerry A Reavey: e to Eugen ge 8 rofiled pa

E AGAIN

Ferrick, Education Officer, mentioned the unfortunate situation in his Sabbatical Report. Ferrick said that the delay was a ‘huge problem’, and mentioned the many late night phone calls involved in trying to get the system back on track. Despite the setbacks, he also stated that fi xed timetables

Elizabeth Brauders News Staff October 10th saw the launch of Trinity’s new rapeawareness campaign, which centres on the catchphrase ‘Don’t Be That Guy.’ One campaign poster features a young woman unconscious on a sofa surrounded by bottles of wine with the slogan ‘Just because she isn’t saying no, doesn’t mean she’s saying yes.’ Another shows a woman struggling to walk to a taxi emblazoned with the words ‘Just because you help her home, doesn’t mean you get to help yourself.’ Speaking at the launch, a representative for the campaign stated that these posters are intended to be powerful and simple, and to drive home the point that ‘the rape victim is never at fault, no matter what she chooses to wear, how much she chooses to drink, or where she chooses to go.’ Their aim is to shift responsibility from the victim, where society often chooses to place it, onto the perpetrator.

The Don’t Be That Guy campaign was fi rst launched two years ago in Edmonton, Canada. The reason why it has now become popular in other countries is that the following year, 2011, saw a 10% drop in sexual assaults in Vancouver. It seems that this rather revolutionary idea of targeting possible perpetrators, as well possible victims, really does make a difference. Critics of the campaign mention that it addresses only male on female rape, but it was announced that in the coming weeks the posters will expand beyond this point to include other possible attackers and victims.

In her speech, SU Welfare Officer Aisling Ní Chonaire said that this campaign was intended to break the feeling of shame that victims of sexual assault often feel. Ms Ní Chonaire then went on to share her own story of sexual harassment and assault whilst on a family holiday to Italy. Her message, that e Th 1

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USI fora’. These fi ndings will be presented to the Council during Hilary term. Mark O’Meara, campaign manager for the pro-disaffi liation team, has on numerous occasions since the referendum expressed his doubt that reform will be enacted.

At the same meeting of Council, substantial motions were passed in relation to data protection and the delay in receiving

were being worked on – this means that, for instance, a Junior Freshman will be able to see his or her fourth year timetable. He also noted that the system is currently functioning without experiencing any major problems.

In terms of the actual motion to seek a ‘comprehensive’ report into the reason for the delay, Dunne spoke of the ‘poor management’ involved – he also mentioned the fact that Trinity was given one year to implement this system, as opposed to the threeyear time period that is standard for the industry.

Despite the fact that most of the timetables were already determined over the summer, it took a very long time to migrate the data from the old systems to the new ones.

These delays essentially meant that ‘students were testers’ for the new system – he encouraged everyone to vote for this motion to make sure these events would not occur again.

New anti-rape campaign launched in TCD

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s e m i T y it s r e v i n eU N RIOT

Join the best news team in student journalism, Email news@universitytimes.ie to get involved.

The motion comes in the aftermath of the decision of Trinity students to remain affi liated to the Union of Students in Ireland in a referendum held along with elections for class representatives. The motion was proposed by Jack Leahy, Finance and Services Officer of the Union executive and campaign manager for the anti-disaffi liation side in the referendum.

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(SF). Dar leis “The Twenty Year Plan is dead in the water. It’s absolutely essential that infrastructure be created to accommodate Irish both in education and industry, and given the present level of funding, this simply isn’t possible.”

Bhí glór na bpáirtithe éagsúla cloisithe ag an slua agus faoi dheireadh, bhí sé soléir go bhfuil tacaíocht ilpháirtí ag an nGaeilge, ach go bhfuil na mion-tuairimí difriúl. Má tá suim ag éinne díospóireacht eile faoin Ghaeilge nó trí Ghaeilge a eagrú nó a mholadh, cuirígí ríomhphost chuig Oifigeach Díospóireachta an Chumann Ghaelaigh, Pádraig Schaler - diospoireacht@ cumann.ie.

In proposing the motion, he noted that despite the recent decision of Trinity Students to remain affi liated with the USI, there was still ‘significant discontent’ felt with regards to the organisation. It would therefore be useful to create a working group ‘to identify areas in which Trinity representatives can affect reform in

SU President Rory Dunne said it was ‘prudent and necessary’ for the SU to create a data protection policy to reflect the seriousness with which the union holds and maintains personal data.

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mBéarla, is féidir feabhas a chur uirthi. Má tá sé glactha nach bhfuil an tabhacht céanna ag bainnt lei, teipfear orainn.”

Bhí go leor cainte ag Byrne chomh maith ar an Stráitéis 20 Bliain, a d’fhoilsigh Rialtas Fianna Fáil i 2010. Mheabhraigh sé an slua gurb é athbheochan na Gaeilge mar teanga phobal i measc na ndaoine mar an dara aidhm atá ag Fianna Fáil ó bhun an páirtí.

Dúirt sé ‘le blianta beaga anuas, b’in é an Stráitéis 20 Bliain an doiciméad is mó - ó thaobh polasaithe de - a bhí foilsithe riamh.” Cé gur léirigh Byrne a bhród as an bplean a bhí ag a pháirtí, ní raibh an tuairim céanna ag Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

LAST WEEK’S Student Union Council saw representatives pass a motion to create a working group with mandate to investigate and recommend potential reforms within the Union of Students in Ireland and present its fi ndings to a later Council in advance of USI national congress in the late spring.

timetables through the new online student information system.

SU President Rory Dunne spoke on behalf of the data protection policy motion. He explained that because the Union holds so much personal information (mailing lists, for example), he considers it to be ‘prudent and necessary’ to create a policy which reflected the seriousness with which the union holds and maintains such data. Th is policy is compliant under the Data Protection Act 1998.

The delay of online timetables was a recurring topic during the Council – Dan

Posterss will be on display on noticeboards and in toilets around campus sexual assault or rape can happen to anyone, and that the stigma and silence needs to be broken, was reinforced by the words of Graduate Student Union Welfare Officer, Andrew McEwan, who also attended the event.

The current CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop spoke about the services offered by the centre. She made it clear that the centre provides support to both male and female victims of rape, and that for these victims often the most important service provided by the centre is simply listening to

their stories and believing them. The centre received roughly 10,000 calls in 2011 and in that same year escorted more than 300 people to the Rotunda hospital for sexual assault treatment.

Ms O’Malley-Dunlop also mentioned the prevalence of rape in Ireland, citing the SAVI (Sexual Assault and Violence in Ireland) report figures that 4 in 10 women, and over 1 in 4 men have been victims of sexual abuse in this country.

Along with the Don’t Be That Guy campaign, the Student Union tackles the problem of sexual assault

and rape by providing information in the college diary. It lists basic measures all students can take to prevent any type of attack, and includes the contact number and address for the Rape Crisis Centre, which is located at 70 Lower Leeson Street and is contactable by either email, rcc@indigo.ie, or their Freephone number, 1800 77 88 88.

Tuesday, October 23th 2012 | The University Times

6

UTFEATURES

The bridge to nowhere Matthew Mulligan investigates the state sponsored internship programme ‘JobBridge’ and the instances of youth exploitation it has facilitated.

I

NTERNING IS A part of life for many people, specific to certain careers. It’s a foregone conclusion that some writers for this paper have interned or plan on interning in news organisations, media companies and radio stations at some point in the future.

Doing so would give the intern countless contacts, experience, skills and maybe some direction as to where to go next with their career.

TCD has links on its careers websites to quality internships that can often be greatly beneficial to a student’s experience and career expectations. Interning can be a great way to start career experience with the benefit of a safety net.

Last year, the Irish government launched JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, in an effort to curtail unemployment figures particularly among the young adult sector. Perhaps the idea of JobBridge is noble; they proclaim benefits for employers such as ‘access to future employees’ and enhancement to their business by ‘offering an internship to motivated individuals with enthusiasm’. In return, the interns receive experience as well as monetary compensation; ‘an allowance of €50 per week on

top of their existing social welfare entitlement.

Yet JobBridge is being abused. Employers are advertising internships on the site which secure them free labour at the expense of the taxpayer. The website www. jobbridgetonowhere.tumblr.com highlights abusive cases. They are jobs that could be done by the longterm unemployed in return for adequate wages which in turn would help boost the economy as a whole.

Searching on the JobBridge website today, one can find an internship in a secondary school library where the skill requirements for the intern include needing the ‘responsibility for analysing books, ordering stock and tracking the movement of books’ as well as managing and running the school’s fully equiped [sic] library.’ Essentially ,the library seems interested in little more than an unpaid librarian.

It seems that the aspect of competition that numerous jobs could create if they were on the open market, has been lost. Actual employment looks better on a CV than an internship ever will, unless the internship was in a renowned corporation such as Google or Apple. Interning in small start-ups or

dot-com companies designing websites and graphic design provide the same problems. Have you interned in a quality design house or simply someone’s start up company? All that the government requires for a company to place a JobBridge advert is for at least one person to be on the pay roll and be paying PRSI within the company. One JobBridge advert was for a furniture shop that required someone with ‘web design skills’.

Potential interns should be aware that the company advertised could be a start-up which you would be building up for free.

Many cases have been noted where a ‘sales associate’ position has turned out to be a store assistant or a shop attendant; genuine jobs that could give people in need a steady cash flow were they able to get a part-time position. A bigger controversy erupted last year when Tesco Ireland, the Irish division of a multi-national, multi-billion euro company, decided to advertise Christmas positions with JobBridge which included 145 interns across 17 stores, for shelf-stacking for 6 months. Again, real jobs that could have given the chance of employment to others. The issue of what

Breaking the stigma Phoebe Gallagher Staff Writer

W

ITH AMANDA TODD’S video, silently telling the story of her own self harm which eventually leads to her third and successful suicide attempt, racking up over nine million YouTube views worldwide and counting, the once taboo topic of suicide is finally coming to the forefront.

The significant rise in suicides that has occurred in the last few years in many European countries has meant that a change in attitude has become a necessity as governments, charities and schools try to address the ever-pressing issue.

Since the fifth century, when St Augustine condemned suicide in ‘The City of God’ using Biblical justification, suicide turned to become the most abhorrent act in contrast to the indifference that it was perceived to be by the Stoics. It was only in 1961 that the Suicide Act was formulated in the United Kingdom which stopped prosecution of attempted suicide victims and even later in 1993 was this same law was enforced in the Republic of Ireland. This adjustment in the law parallels not

only the Church’s changed standpoint (it now allows suicide victims to be buried in consecrated ground) but also parallels how people’s mentalities have altered to one of a more accepting and sympathetic perspective.

The Central Statistics Office reported earlier this year a 7% increase in the number of suicides from the pervious year within Ireland, from 490 to 525 reported victims. 84% of the reported deaths were male. It is clear that the suicide rate is rising, in 2006, there were only 409 such victims.

In the last academic year Trinity experienced it’s own loss of three students, which brings the problem right to the fore, showing us its stark reality and also motivating us each do something about it. Suicide has become such an issue that on the Irish Times Website, a section exists specifically for ‘Stories of Suicide’ in which family and friends can share their experiences and bring attention to the cause of suicide prevention.

However, this is not just an Irish problem. Greece has reported a 40% increase in suicide this year from

previous years, a fact probably due to the sharp turn around of events from an affluent society to one that is indebted and immersed in recession. Indeed, the World Health Organisation states that it is the thirteenth biggest killer worldwide, with more than one million people dying by suicide each year. An emergency police service exists in America and is trained specifically for suicide rescue, helping nearly 600 people every year. All over the web, suicide chat-rooms exist which, in 2005, co-ordinated 91 suicide pacts in Japan. In London, it enabled a Mr Aston and Ms Williams to meet up two days after they met online and kill themselves side by side in a car in 2006. Control over websites such as these have been a battleground for governments to try and control.

Focusing in on the causes for suicide is a hugely varied landscape. Within Ireland, unemployment and recession have been big factors, but even before this, suicide rates were relatively high, thus demanding a richer analysis of the causes of suicide. Indeed, geographical factors may be in play as the Western Seaboard has experienced the highest suicide rates in Ireland for the last

Major employers such as Tesco have been accused of exploiting young workers under the JobBridge initiative constitutes ‘interning’ for social welfare payments is worrying.

If you are producing material or items of value for the place you are interning, surely you are entitled to an actual wage? This is not purely a JobBridge problem, as at least with JobBridge you are guaranteed social welfare. The problem couple of decades, perhaps due its rural dislocation.

The ‘My World Survey’ is the first national study of youth and mental health in Ireland, questioning more than 14,000 12-25 year olds over a period of five years.

It reported that 21% of those surveyed had hurt themselves without wanting to end their own life, but 7% had actually made a suicide attempt. The received help or rather lack of help that they received after the incident was minimal, with 36% of those who did try and find help saying that it was very hard to get the appropriate support needed. This support is paramount in stopping a suicide attempt happening again, as is shown in the case of Amanda Todd.

There have been many links made between alcohol, drug abuse and mental health, and this survey shows the shocking figures: nearly 6% of 18 year olds are put in the category of ‘Possible Alcohol Dependence,’ after 8% were found to be in the ‘Hazardous Drinking’ and 34% in the ‘Problem Drinking’ demographic. The deteriorating and addictive effect that alcohol abuse can have, and the path that it can lead one on, exemplifies the necessity for the Irish Government to do something about this relentless problem.

There is a vital need to address the issue of suicide.

Although society is moving toward the facilitation of an open forum in which this discourse can take place without restriction, it needs to happen fast, and proper implementation of the solution needs to address all age ranges of the population and address factors impact negatively on citizens’ mental health. Talking about suicide and raising awareness can help the prevention cause. In particular, young people and especially graduates need to be aware of this problem so that their expectations meet the reality, especially in this current unstable climate.

is made worse still, when internships have been made possible by the dismissal of a paid secretary or receptionist. When an intern stops learning skills and gaining experience and actually starts to add some real tangible value to the company or organisation or becomes intrinsic to the dayto-day running of such a

business, it is no longer good enough to expect them to work for free. In the UK the employment law indicates that once your work stops focusing on ‘training’ and you are doing the work that an employee would normally do then you are no longer (lawfully) an intern and are entitled to minimum wage.

This was exemplified in a

case where a journalism intern successfully sued her employer for £2,000 in back pay which she believed she was entitled to because of the class of the work she did while interning. The judge agreed and the National Union of Journalists was part of the campaign to bring the case to court. Worryingly, we are yet to see anything

like this in Ireland and as the economy remains in the doldrums, the exploitation of young workers may not be a transient phenomenon.

Trinity Goes International Haley Eazor Staff Writer It’s been one interesting summer for Trinity. There was the release of the bollywood film Ek Tha Tiger shot on campus. Bollywood dancers were swapped for American high school footballers and cheerleaders for an all-American pep rally. This upsurge in activity is not just a happy coincidence. It coincides with Trinity’s new Global Relations Strategy (GRS). But is Trinity becoming a brand, commercializing itself in order to get a gush of internationally students and their high-paying fees?

The GRS states ‘our vision is to be a university of global consequence, a university for Ireland on the world stage.’ This entails doubling the number of non-EU students over the course of three years. Currently, international students make up 7 per cent of the student population at 1,233 for the 2011/2012 academic year, the most up to date figures.

The general consensus holds that a global university is defined as one that can boast a student population from which 20 per cent are non-EU citizens. The mantle of a ‘global university’ is considered a necessary condition for a high rankings position and as such, Trinity is going very much international in its long term strategy.

Trinity is actively recruiting non-EU students. The new Vice Provost for Global Relations, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer has been touring the United States, India and Brazil in an effort to raise brand awareness.

In the middle of July, Suchita Ori was brought on board as a Trinity liaison in India.

Ori notes that there has been increased visibility as a result of the Ek Tha Tiger film, which has been seen by over 100 million people and features two of Bollywood’s household names.

American students are also being targeted. Trinity has embraced some western marketing tools, such as making recruitment videos. But Trinity hasn’t gone

to the full extreme of western commercialisation. As Ori explains, ‘We don’t really participate in education fairs which is really the commercial angle that western universities take.’ However, Ohlmeyer commented, ‘re-branding hasn’t even really begun (yet)’ The influx of cash is not the sole driver for the international students recrutiment initiative and rebranding according to Ohlmeyer.

It is an important aspect as the GRS itself states, ‘For nearly all of its existence, Trinity College Dublin has been self-sufficient and relied upon its own generated income.’ But this doesn’t necessarily equate to the college selling its soul. Trinity is planning to use the increased funding to improve the experience of international students, which will in turn benefit all students.

For instance, a ‘Global Room’ is being created, and expected to open in March 2013. This room will function as the new International Office but will be welcome to all students looking for an ‘international experience.’

There will be TVs streaming shows from across the globe in all languages. It can also be turned into one large screen for events like the Super Bowl. Ohlmeyer emphasized the importance of appealing not just to international students but also those interested in going on Erasmus or just looking for a place to hang with an international vibe.

But there are still concerns voiced by academics and students alike. Will the Irish students be displaced? Will the international students be of a lower quality since they are in such high demand? However, Olhmeyer explains, ‘The GRS benefits all students and members of college. We have heard the concerns, but internationalization will enrich the classroom experience. Exposure to different cultures can only enhance a Trinity environment.’

All we can be assured of is the fact that the GRS will usher in a new era for Trinity, both in terms of international perception and student experience.

7

The University Times | Tuesday, October 23rd 2012

UTFEATURES

‘If you don’t have a library, you don’t have a university’ Leanna Byrne in conversation with Robin Adams, the outgoing College Librarian and Archivist.

T

HE MOST VALUABLE thing about the Library is that everybody finds it to be one big secret.

This is all very confusing to the library staff. All the library tours, seminars and library guides in the world would have little or no effect on the undergrad mentality towards the library.

This year, the new selfservice system has been introduced; the digital library collection now holds 100,000 images of print and manuscript material in the library and we even have fancy seats. That said, they are all the positives. With the Global Relations Strategy just launched the library struggles to survive under a new funding scheme that will force them to fight to be noticed.

Librarian and College Archivist Robin Adams has been in this business for 35 years and is now set to take early retirement this year.

He explained how he went from his local library to the library in Queen’s University in Belfast. ‘Then after that I thought of it as a career and did postgraduate qualifications in Queen’s. I’ve worked in Queen’s, Cambridge, Glasgow and here.’

He started off by providing students and medical researchers with electronic information. He told me that it was just a job really, but the work he was doing proved to be the advent of electronic information. ‘Since then , technology has transformed the whole work flow,’ he told me. ‘How we’re taught, how we learn, how libraries operate and look has changed.

They behave differently and have become less informal.’

Surely with the advent of e-books and new information systems there is no need for the library building or even a librarian? He replied that of course in theory you could sit in your office or bedroom without ever needing to go into a building for information; but people still value a space that has a common purpose. As for the job of the librarian, Adams felt the ‘gung-ho approach is not always the best way of doing things, particularly in an academic library’.

Just last month the GRS was launched to ‘build on Trinity’s strong international reputation for research, teaching and innovation’.

But will it put a strain on the students’ most important resource?

‘It certainly will in some ways,’ he told me. ‘We will have students coming in with a very, very broad understanding of what a library is. The fact is we’re not prepared for that. It should be part of the strategy to bring people here particularly since these people will be paying significant fees so they will have certain expectations on its services so it’s up to us to come up to the mark and deliver.’

At the same time, it’s not easy to see how Trinity is investing in this resource with all the cuts being made. Indeed, this newspaper recently published a report outlining budgetary cuts of close to €800,000 for the coming year. He explained that the library boasts unexplored resources and that for a library that has been here for 400 years, we were are not short of materials.

Nevertheless, the library

Reforms pushed through under the Global Relations Strategy have placed further pressure on an already strained library budget cuts have pushed them to the limit.

‘It’s tough and it’s difficult in two ways really. Up until last June the library generated commercial income from its own commercial activities. The college would be given some money from that, but the rest was reinvested in library services.

Now money will all go to the college and be allocated by priorities. That means the library has a challenge because we now have to make the case that we are important to support research.’

He pointed out the college could do damage if they do not provide enough supporting infrastructure.

‘I think that’s a real problem and I feel that it will be a greater problem in the future. It’s important that any part of the university that is generating income should receive recognition of that and I think this will be a difficulty’.

Then, I boldly enquired whether or not the library

What the men think?

Continuing our analysis of female representation in College, Sally Hayden talks to some of the male representatives in our community and hears their thoughts on the matter.

A

NOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER referendum, another excuse for a debate. This one, held by the this newspaper and the Phil, discussed the possibility of an SU disaffiliation from the USI. Criticisms were levelled, personal insults were thrown, and Trinity students were labelled elitist snobs. All issues were raised, bar one. Where were all the girls?

Outside of the college environment, one of the reasons commonly given for a deficiency of females in high profile roles is their childcare needs. Today some women choose caring for their family over advancement in the workplace, but in the past this was the least of their problems. Up until recently many women lacked a decent education; and if they choose to marry, legislation barred them from staying on their career path.

In 2012, it is to be expected that a modern university environment, such as Trinity, exists removed from these past and current problems. Campus boasts a young and intelligent student population, a huge amount of diversity, and the vast majority of students don’t have children to worry about. However, proposing, opposing, and calmly presiding, the student politicos spoke, and not one of them was female. But is this an isolated example, or is it a symptom of a more complicated problem? Are female

students engaging or being represented at all in the Trinity system?

A simple glance around at some of the most influential students on campus would suggest that they’re not. Last year, 13% of the top-three leadership positions in the five biggest societies were held by girls.

This year little has changed.

From the big societies – the auditors of the Phil and the Hist, president of St. Vincent De Paul, the chair of Players, to those charged more with general representation such as the president of the TCD SU, president of the Graduate Students’ Union, and our national USI president, not one is female.

Outgoing Hist auditor John Engle recognises the deficit. ‘It is sort of a surprising phenomenon that still occurs that a significant majority of auditors and treasurers of societies in college are male... This is my fifth year in Trinity and I don’t remember ever seeing a female candidate for SU president, and I’ve rarely seen Hist auditorial candidates.

This last year was actually the first time where two of the three candidates were women.’

USI president John Logue agrees. ‘It’s been there for years and campaigns so far just haven’t quite got to the nub of the issue yet... there’s a massive gap there between the women who feel that they are capable of going for this and the guys that feel they are capable. And

there’s no actual gulf between their talent, it’s just a perception issue.’

As there is no question that any individual candidate has been unfairly elected, or that there is an issue with the system, the statistics are difficult to reconcile with personal experiences of elections. TCDSU president Rory Dunne echoes a common refrain; ‘It’s just

that first level, that first step, and if that’s really where it is I would be delighted to encourage women to run’.

Engle agrees that desire is really essential. ‘I think that there’s no block once they make the decision to get involved, I think the problem is whatever is causing women not to want to make the step to get involved in the first place. And I don’t think

‘The student politicos spoke, and not one of them was female’ the way it happened in the elections.’ However, when faced with the fact that his position has been male-only for the last nine years, he does admit that while there’s no tangible reason for this, there is possibly some sort of psychological barrier stopping women from getting involved.

Nevertheless, he doesn’t agree with getting women involved for the sake of it. ‘I wouldn’t say it would be a necessity. It would certainly be nice to see more involvement by women, but I wouldn’t feel that I would necessarily have to go above and beyond. To do these jobs in particular the desire to do it should arise from within.The electorate in Trinity, certainly from a student union level we would see as making good, sensible decisions, and we would respect it, so the issue of women’s involvement really just stems from engagement at

that’s the institutions in that regard that’s doing that, I think it’s sort of a cultural tradition that’s of somewhat being in a more deferential position. And it’s not a good thing, but I’d say that when women do get involved they do just as well.’

Logue says the tendency so far is for female contenders to avoid what are arguably the more influential roles. ‘We have a lot of women around the country who are in welfare roles but as to the roles that are considered more policy driven - the Education Officers, the Presidents - it’s just I think we need that critical mass.’

Not having a gender balance on a political level raises the question of the adequacy of representation. Engle vocalises this; ‘I think when you have a representative democracy you need to be able to assume that the representative that you elect to represent your

constituency is able to represent everyone’s interests.’

The question then is whether male leaders are aware that they need to be conscious of a deficit here.

After initially stating that he couldn’t see a problem in the current climate, Phil President Lorcan Clarke admitted that he found it difficult to conceive of a campus where the vast majority of all positions were held by women. ‘It’s hard to imagine what it would be like. I guess I’d think it was strange but if it was fair I wouldn’t have an issue with it. But yes, it definitely would make me ask those questions as to why there weren’t more men.

Do men not want to run for things? It would definitely make me ask the questions that I guess women ask at the moment. It’s hard to say how that would affect you in terms of even not being represented at that level, how would that actually affect your ambitions.’

Undoubtedly, there is a growing consensus that women are underrepresented in the corridors of power both within out college community and at a national and international level also. However, as we can see, there are diverging opinions regarding the causes of this phenomenon and indeed, the potential solutions to it. As females continue to remain underrepresented, the clamours for change will inevitably sound louder and louder.

cuts were necessary. He smiled wryly at me. ‘As I understood, everyone had to take a blow. I would say this, of course, that the library should be protected because if you don’t have a library, you don’t have a university.’

One cannot but admire his diplomacy. Finally, is he sad about leaving?

‘It has been great, or even fun, in a way. There’s been highs and lows. I found the diverse organisation invigorating. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that if a student has the time they should potter around and look at stuff that is nothing to do with their course. The other thing to say is that if

you want something, don’t be afraid to ask. It’s great to work with students because they tell you exactly what they want. That’s part of the reason why the library can be a change enabler.’

Tuesday, October 23th 2012 | The University Times

8

UTFEATURES

A crash course in wine Our in-house wine critic Hubie Pilkington offers some easy advice to help you choose a vino to suit every occasion.

I

T IS INEVITABLE that at some point in our lives we will be in a situation that involves wine. More often than not we don’t necessarily think about what we’re throwing down our gullets too much. However, there are those times when we have to. The times when wine seems like far more than just a bottle and, rather, a symbolism of character and culture. Whether we are forced to pick the wine for dinner with friends, required to shop for a party or are just getting a bottle for that nervous first meeting of the other-half’s parents, I think it’s fair to say that it is a task that many people resent.

But does it all have to be so stressful? The short answer is ‘no’. With a little bit of knowledge, anyone can be confident that the bottle of plonk that they are

people, there seems to be a social taboo around understanding the bottle. Nobody wants to appear snobbish and pretentious and, unfortunately, it’s very easy to seem that way when discussing wine. So how does one approach the seemingly vast topic of choosing vino?

The answer, I feel, is to contextualize. Firstly, though, some very basics.

There are six main categories of wine that exist – red, white, rosé, sparkling wine/champagne, dessert wine and fortified wine.

Each category is further distinguished by the grapes or cource they involve, known as the varietal. These varietal’s differ in taste immensely. Whether they’re sweet, dry, spicy, soft, fruity or have a bite, each wine holds it’s own general characteristics. It’s not surprising, then, to learn that there are some

clutching will go down quite nicely. The problem is, though, that being proficient in the realm of the grape comes with a sense of anxiety. This are, perhaps, for two reasons to this. Initially, when faced by a stack of different bottles, many of us just don’t know where to start. It all seems like a lot of work and, even then, you wonder whether ‘the one with the pretty label’ is even worth the money spent on it.

Furthermore, among young

75,000 different strands of wine.

The task at hand, therefore, might seem incredibly daunting. But no need to fear. The aim isn’t to be an aficionado, just to be able to pick a nice bottle for the right occasion. In order to do this, you’ve got to match the wine to at least one of two things – people and/or food. There is a certain person, time and place for each wine. In light of this, one must think about what one’s buying for before

‘Initally, when faced with a stack of different bottles, many of us just don’t know where to start’

going to the cellar. The first step towards this is choosing between red and white.

Red wine has played it’s part in many important historical events. It’s been the go-to grape beverage for centuries and that hasn’t really changed much. Reds are usually associated with dinners, gifts and firesides.

They compliment richer foods, warm the cockles and often go down very smoothly. However, it is often harder to choose a good red wine than choosing a good white wine so let’s narrow it down.

There are three varieties of red wine that can be deemed safe bets – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cote du Rhones and Merlot. They are all French and, possibly because of this, are all consistent. Cab Sauvs are often fruity and rich. Merlots’ are deemed the softer and more supple brother of the Cab but often with an oaky taste too. Meanwhile, the Cote du Rhone packs a bit more spice to its taste. Varying in the grapes that they are produced with, CDRs tend to have a large range of flavours however, one always remains – it’s earthiness, due to the soil of the region. These descriptions may sound vague and alien.

However, once you think about someone’s character, you can often find that there is a wine that describes them very well through it’s attributes.

With food, Cabernets are very good with richer meats such as game, duck and beef as well as every student’s “go-to” grub, Spag Bog. Merlots are for milder flavours of meat. Think chicken and

pork as well as richer tasting fish such as tuna steak.

Cotes du Rhone wines tend to go with many types of food but it has been noted that they are especially good with more informal meals such as pizza. They also go fantastically well with dark chocolate, complimenting the smoothness while also

tasty when by the pool in the Med or before exam week at the Pav (inevitably when the sun decides to show up!).

Furthermore, it’s light features enable white wines to go down particularly well and, for this reason, it proves popular when drunk as a pre-drink! However, white wine is not always an

‘White wine is predominantly preferred while basking in the sun’ adding to the course and spicy after taste.

White wine, on the other hand, is predominantly preferred while basking in the sun. The lightness of white wine makes drinking it chilled exceptionally

informal thing. Once again, though, to choose a good white wine we have to navigate through a maze of varieties. In light of this, there are three distinct whites that cover all the bases in terms of sweet-to-dry spectrum.

The sweetest of the three I have chosen is Chardonnay.

While there are a lot of quite nasty Chardonnay’s around there are those which go far.

Globally, there are different flavours to this strand of wine. American Chardonnays prove fuller and more oaky than the Europeans, while the Australian versions are a lot fruitier.

In my opinion, the Europeans’ strikes a better balance in flavour the their contemporaries but it is certainly a matter of taste. The middle ground, meanwhile, is the Sauvignon Blanc. As the leaner cousin to the Chardonnay, the taste is a crisper while maintaining a subtle fruitiness that can be compared to grapefruit and lemon. Lastly, the Pinot Grigio which boasts a very dry taste

that with semi-fragrant citrusy flavours. It’s dryness makes it the perfect wine to quaff in casual surroundings and under the sun.

In context of food, each of these takes their own field respectively. Chardonnay suits grilled meats and meats that have less complex flavours (such as chicken and pork). It also pairs well with hyper-flavoured fish such as anchovies, offsetting the strong taste with the sweetness of the grape.

Sauvignon Blanc, meanwhile, is the perfect match for the lighter fish dishes along with white meats. It is a great choice for a smoked salmon starter at dinner.

The driest of the wines here, Pinot Griogio, is for the lightest dishes. For students this is the best bottle to have

stocked in the fridge. It goes superbly with pasta and is ideal for easy-drinking.

So there you have it, a little aide for the next trip to the vinery. Whether it’s just for you and for mates or for a special occasion, the realm of vino should become a less daunting situation now. It all comes down to context.

But, if all else fails and you don’t remember anything from this, then it often pays to go for the French sounding one with the pretty label... just as long as the price is above €8 and it doesn’t involve the name ‘Marques de Leon’!

INTERESTED IN

PHOTOGRAPHY

On the ropes The Erasmus Programme, long the apple in the eye of many a Brussels Bureaucrat, is feeling the recessionary pinch.

Una Kelly Online News Editor Erasmus: changing lives, opening minds for 25 years.

This was the slogan chosen for the 25th anniversary of the world’s most successful student exchange programme. Since itss creation in 1987 over 3 million students have benefited from a study period or work placement in 33 different European countries. The European Commission called it their

all the current EU and international schemes for education, training, youth and sport, increasing efficiency, making it easier to apply for grants and doubling the number of participants in the schemes to almost five million. The proposal would need to be approved by the European Parliament and EU Member States during discussions on the fu-

‘The Erasmus programme has been hailed as one of the EU’s greatest success stories’ core strategy in combating youth unemployment.

The EU allocated € 3 billion to the programme for 20072013. Earlier this year the Commission announced its ‘Erasmus for All’ proposal, which would bring together

ture budget. It was all going so well.

Earlier this month, French MEP and head of the budget committee Alan Lamassoure said at a news conference, ‘The European social fund is bankrupt

and can’t refund member states. Next week it will be Erasmus, the student programme, at the end of the month, the Research and Innovation Fund.’ As it currently stands, students who go abroad in the first semester of 2012/13 will have no problem receiving their funding, however doubt is cast on the funding for any time beyond then.

Cue panic from students and committed Erasmus supporters in all corners of Europe. ‘Save Erasmus’ facebook groups, online petitions, demonstrations in Paris. In response to the media coverage the European Commission issued a statement under the heading ‘Erasmus students: don’t panic (yet)!’, assuring that they were working with the budgetary authority to make sure the importance of the programme is recognised.

Why does a student exchange programme attract such fierce support?

In an interview earlier this year Italian novelist Umberto Eco outlined his view: ‘The university exchange programme Erasmus is barely mentioned in the business sections of newspapers, yet Erasmus has created the first generation of young Europeans.

The Erasmus idea should be compulsory – not just for students, but also for taxi drivers, plumbers and other workers. By this, I mean they need to spend time in other countries within the European Union; they should in-

‘Personally, I can’t imagine that [these students] would be able to listen to a nationalist rabblerouser calling for war and just listen in silence. They would speak up. What’s more important: some of them are likely to

‘The academic and social benefits it brings to each individual last a lifetime’ tegrate.’

Eco’s idea of compulsory time abroad may be a little extreme, yet it is this characteristic of the programme – bringing together the continent’s youth – that has led to it being hailed as one of the EU’s greatest success stories at a time when much of the rest of it seems to have come crashing down around us. In a recent article in The Guardian, Philip Oltermann suggested the EU should dedicate the Nobel Peace Prize win to Erasmus, for all the benefits it has brought and the long term effects yet to be seen.

Writing about students who have gone on the programme, adapted to different cultures and made life-long friends with people outside their national borders he commented:

become leading figures in the media, in business and in politics over the next 20 years, and they will increasingly think outside national boundaries.’

The EU’s investment in the programme is an investment in its future, and that alone is surely enough to make Erasmus a deserving survivor of austerity cuts. The academic and social benefits that it brings to each participant last a lifetime, developing a crosscultural fluency. The future of the programme may be uncertain, but don’t hesitate to go. After all, it might just change your life.

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9

The University Times | Tuesday, October 23rd 2012

UTFEATURES

Trinity and the free press Shauna Cleary Staff Writer ‘A journalist: At all times upholds and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed./ National Union of Journalists Code of Conduct, 1936.

Since the establishment of Trinity’s first college newspaper in 1953, freedom of speech and editorial independence have remained at the forefront of all publications produced in the college. The significance of this independence stretches as far back as the first edition of Trinity News almost 60 years ago and continues its legacy to the modern day.

The history of the free press in Trinity College is not something which we

‘in a state of truceless cold war.’ Central to the dissatisfaction was that Trinity students believed the merger would eliminate the freedom of speech in the college, given the general feeling that ‘independence of thought and freedom of expression is very much less in UCD and that, following a merger, a clerical influence would be rife, and many of Trinity’s traditions would go under.’ Meanwhile, in 1965 the newspaper was forced to deny a threat to their independence by English advertising agency Achievement Publicity Ltd. The story claimed that an agreement signed by the chairman would allow the company to run the national advertising in Trinity News. Following the publishing of the story

by The Irish Times, TN was quick to reassure it’s readers that the move was only a precaution to avoid a finan-

‘The history of free press in Trinity is not something we can look upon in a frivolous manner’ can look upon in a frivolous manner. Archives from the mid fifties and onwards reveal the depth in which free press has remained a priority in the university. In 1967, attempts were made by then Minister for Education, Donagh O’Malley to merge University College Dublin with Trinity. Although the idea was initially met with interest, as time progressed one ex-President in UCD described the colleges as being

cial deficit for the paper and that ‘The terms of the agreement [would] involve no loss of independence whatsoever.’

This mid-sixties predicament was not to be the last threat to be made to editorial independence in the university and over the years, many other moves have attempted to eradicate the editorial freedom gifted to the college’s various publications. One only has to look

back to 2010, when attempts were made by the Senior Dean to empower himself with censorship rights over the newspapers on-campus.

The draft – which he produced himself – would allow him to remove any publication which he felt threatened the university and its students in order to ‘... prevent College being held liable for any wrong or injury occasioned by the publication.’ The motion was unsurprisingly not passed, however the attempt highlighted the value of the editors’ free reign and the responsibility involved in the position held by the senior editors.

Although Trinity News proved a popular publication in TCD, the need for a more mainstream newspaper which would reach a wider student audience, resulted in the establishment of The University Times in 2009. The newspaper was to be funded by the Students’ Union but would crucially be – and still remains - editorially independent from all college and student bodies. Although there had always been an SU newspaper, it was hoped that The University Times would take a more serious and professional stance on what the students really wanted to read. The controversy involving the Senior Dean in 2010 resulted in a motion on the Protection of Student Media being presented at the 2011 Student Union Council Meeting and was drawn up by then University Times editor Tom Lowe and seconded by 2011/2012 Communications Officer Ronan Costello. The motion noted the ‘value of student

publishing and media in representing student’s interests, both nationally and in college,’ and proposed that ‘All members of council who sit on college committees, including but not limited to the Capitations Committee, [should] support and promote the interests of student media…’ In keeping in line with the college’s policies on dignity and respect, it was expected that the newspapers would produce stories relevant to the students and staff of the university

and which would satisfy the general needs of the reader. Although this remains the objective for all college publications there remains a fine line between what the students need to know and what they want to read.

In essence, the whole cornerstone to the free press movement is that an individual should be allowed to express their opinions no matter how evocative or offensive they may be. This is often where the controversies surrounding the

editor’s publishing decisions are brought to the forefront. One only has to look to the 2010 DUSSC Skitrip story, the Zeta Psi fraternity investigation or the recent article against gay marriage to highlight the immense responsibility and often personal backlash that writers and editors have to endure when passing a story through for print. Concrete facts have to be presented in order to solidify the printworthiness of an article no matter how contentious it

may prove to be.

Although there are many misconceptions surrounding freedom of the press and freedom of speech in Trinity, history proves that it is an ethos which has stood the test of time in the university. With many controversies engulfing the college policy – most recently Kevin Myers in which he stated that ‘Speaking about freedom of speech at a place like Trinity is like discussing virginity in a brothel,’ and that TCD is ‘far from being in the

forefront of a campaign for free speech… [and] has been denying freedom of speech to “right-wing” speakers for some considerable time’ – it must be continuously stressed the importance of editorial independence. Unquestionably this freedom will be brought under threat again in the future, however if history is to prove itself correctly, it is not something that the college publications will be willing to give up easily.

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Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012 | The University Times

10

UTOPINION

LETTERS to the Editor

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

s” ned rs

An open letter of congratulations to the citizens of Europe

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Sir,

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In case you somehow have failed to have heard, the EU has won the Nobel Peace Prize; that is, the entire political economic organisation, consisting of 27 countries and four million km2. So if you’ve ever paid tax, been politically active or even bought a hairdryer from our fellow German cousins, that organisation includes you. Congratulations to all! Who would have guessed little Jimmy, who used to bully the fat kid, is now a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

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But why? Why do he, you and I deserve this great honour? Well for the past sixty years we have helped to create and foster peace in Europe, that’s why. There was that slight hiccup in Kosovo, but the US sorted that out. This Nobel Peace prize, while surprising to your “average EU Joe”, isn’t the most controversial one ever. There’s hundreds of articles out there citing how politicised it’s all become, and looking at other winners it’s hard not to agree. Other winners from previous years include; Al Gore, for his work with the environment; Henry Kissinger, who won for signing the Paris Peace Accords, despite sending numerous covert operations into sovereign states; And most recently, Barack Obama, who won after only nine months in office and having done nothing.

The odd thing about this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is that it is in relation to sixty years of achievements. Unlike its more conservative cousins; the scientific Nobel Prizes, who usually wait decades after a discovery to reward it, the Peace Prize is usually based on recent events. This is partly why it can be so controversial, as the consequences of the events have yet to fully develop. Although it’s a seemingly odd choice (and it’s very fucking odd), it could prove the conservative option. Although we won’t know for fifty years, the committee are apparently very secretive, to a degree with which only Norwegians can be.

So what’s in it for me you may ask? Well prize money that’s what!

Set up in 1900 after the death of dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel, the prize fund is still based on his original donation after his death.

Unfortunately the hard times have hit us all, and even those clever Norwegians haven’t been able to avoid losses. So this year, the prizes have been cut, just our luck, dropping from 10 million Swedish crowns to a paltry eight. But hey, can’t be too picky with what we get, we’re now on par with Mother Theresa. However there is a slight logistical problem.

As I said, the EU is big; in fact there are 495 million of us who are now recipients of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, 495 million more Nobel Laureates. Now 921,961.69, unfortunately, does not split evenly into 495 million. So firstly, we need to cut out some people, unfortunate but has to be done. The civil service approach seems a fair way, “Last in, last out”. That gets rid of all those pesky eastern European countries that were just jumping on the band wagon. Fifteen countries are left, including ourselves of course, giving each a grand total of 61,500 euro give or take.

Now each country can do what they want. Obviously sixty grand doesn’t go too far for the whole population. We could have a raffle, but there is no fun in that. What this country needs is some light hearted peaceful fun. Bingo provides just the right answer. Everyone gets a issued a card and we can all gather in a damp field on Saturday morning while a pleasant Norwegian man reads out a continuous stream of numbers. First person to get a Bingo takes it all, provided it’s used for peaceful purposes, like a holiday. While I haven’t worked out the logistics of it all, this method is just absurd enough to replicate the absurdity of the EU winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

Yours etc, Daire Collins, Joint Nobel Peace Laureate.

In Response to ‘Romney Rules: The Case for Mitt’ I hope Romney wins. Then the world can go back to hating America.

Brendan Gallagher This comment was orginally posted on The University Times website.

Daniel O’Reilly Staff Writer

Clarifying our abortion laws Conor Crummy Staff Writer

A

n age-old debate was rekindled last week in the fair land of Northern Ireland (or, ‘The Illegally Occupied Six Counties of the Artificial Statelet in the North of the Island of Ireland,’ for short). Voices on each side rose to fever pitch, as it was announced that sexual health organisation Marie Stopes would be opening an abortion clinic in Belfast, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.

Some proclaimed the opening of the centre a miscarriage of justice. Others, such as Fianola Meredith of the Belfast Telegraph, hailed clinic director Dawn Purvis for facing down ‘hysterical rantings of militant anti-abortion campaigners and fundamentalist politicians.’ Overall, the reactions toward this development has been emotionally and morally charged. What this article considers, however, is not the morality of the opening of this clinic, but rather the practical implications, if any, that this development will have for citizens on both sides of the border.

Northern Ireland is the only state in the United Kingdom not subject to the Abortion Act 1967. Abortions are strictly controlled and are only offered in cases where the mother’s life is at risk, or it can be shown (after assessment by two clinicians) that continuing the pregnancy will cause a ‘real and serious risk’ of lasting physical or psychological consequences for her. Tracey McNeill, vice president and director of Marie Stopes UK, stated recently ‘I would never, ever put teams of healthcare professionals or staff into a situation where they were doing something unlawful.’

Some, such as SDLP MLA Alban Maginness fear that

the opening of the centre could lead to ‘a culture of abortions.’ When I spoke with Mr Maginness and asked him to expand on this, he articulated his position as a worry that the opening of the clinic was ‘the beginning of a campaign to change the law and provide easier access to abortion.’

In truth, the clinic is unlikely to signal any change in the legal zeitgeist. Operating under current law, it is essentially a privatised version of a service already available under the NHS. When I contacted Breed-

provide a legislative framework as to how the law will be applied, despite an order by the European Court of Human Rights in late 2010 to do so. The consequence of this has been that even women who fear their life is at risk have travelled to the UK to obtain an abortion rather than seek one in Ireland. No woman wants to seek, and no doctor wants to administer, even a medically required abortion given the theoretical risk of criminal prosecution looming over him or her. No one, understandably, wants to

‘Clarifying the law in this area is essential to furthering a coherent debate on the issue’ agh Hughes, board director of the Royal College of Midwives Board for Northern Ireland, she opined that the cost of the procedure was unlikely to be an issue (abortions up to 9 weeks Marie Stopes UK centres cost around £450), as many women turn to their families and friends for money etc. She did, however, state that the prohibitive legal restrictions could be a limiting factor. ‘On one hand, some women who would previously have travelled to England can now have an abortion locally, however on the other hand, due to the narrow legal constraints within which abortion is allowed, the rise may not be significant.’

The problem in the South is the uncertainty as to how the law will be applied. After the X case, it is now legal to seek and obtain an abortion when the life, as distinct from the health of the mother, is at risk. Unfortunately, there has been no attempt to

be the legal guinea pig. An unfortunate corollary of the opening of the Marie Stopes centre may be a decrease of the pressure on the Oireachtas to enact a clarifying legislative framework.

Is this state of affairs then likely to change with the opening of the Marie Stopes centre? In truth, the answer is probably ‘not a lot.’

Though less economically prohibitive, the restriction of the centre by Northern Ireland law to performing abortions only up to nine weeks of pregnancy will likely be a limiting factor.

Many women may not even realise they are pregnant until sex to eight weeks of pregnancy. This, as well as the high burden that needs to be met, makes it likely that many if not most women seeking an abortion will still travel to England to obtain it, where abortions can be administered up to 24 weeks after gestation under the much less restrictive Abortion Act.

Unlike the south, Northern Ireland does have a legislative framework, such as it is, governing abortions (the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 1945). The question remains as to who, if anyone, will regulate the clinic. While there is actually no legal requirement for the clinic to be placed under the supervision of a regulatory body, this would serve to placate many who fear that Marie Stopes will attempt to push the boundaries. The aforementioned Tracey McNeil of Marie Stopes UK has stated that she would be happy to discuss how the clinic could be regulated.

Some have suggested that the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIU), a body set up to supervise the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, might take on the job. Health Minister Edwin Poots, however, has drawn considerable criticism after suggesting in Stormont on Monday that the PSNI might have a role in regulating the clinic, an idea that has found support in pro-life group Precious Life. The suggestion of having the PSNI regulate an abortion clinic rather than a regulatory body specifically set up to manage health and social issues is a ludicrous one. The continuing treatment of abortion by some groups as a criminal matter rather than a complex social, moral and public health question serves only to delegitimise those who stand on one side of this issue, and it holds back the public from engaging in serious dialogue on the matter.

Furthermore, while the situation is clearer in the north than in the south, many midwives and doctors have complained of operating in a similar legal limbo.

In 2009 the Department of

Health issued guidelines on abortion, after a Court order compelling them to do so in 2004. These guidelines were withdrawn, however, after criticism from various prolife groups and a judicial review finding that the parts of the guidelines governing conscientious objection and counselling were vague and unlawful. Since then no new guidelines have been issued. Now, the Northern Ireland Family Planning Association has been granted judicial review in January of 2013, in an attempt to compel the Health Minister to comply with the 2004 Order.

There are many who oppose judicial review of this matter, as they fear that it may liberalise the law. This too, serves only to damage the legitimacy of their cause.

Arguing that the judiciary should not review the law because they might not interpret it in the way you want is the argument of one who lacks conviction in their position. Such reasoning detracts from coherent, secular humanist arguments put forward against abortion, in the same way that the painting of the pro-life arguments as the rantings of totalitarian celibates is detrimental to the pro-choice argument.

Clarifying the law in this area is essential to furthering a coherent debate on the issue. Nathan Emmerich, in a blog much more thoughtfully devoted to the issue than this article, argues that ‘the reduction of ethical debates into dichotomous positions and attempts to answer moral questions for all is not tenable in modern liberal democracies.’

The question at issue is not one of moral absolutes.

If one consequence of the opening of the Marie Stopes centre is that politicians and citizens alike on both sides of the border come to realise this, a massive step forward will have been taken

On who’s terms should we die?

Daniel O’Reilly Staff Writer

I

magine a world where you are in constant pain, one in which every movement causes you discomfort and the activities you previously loved are impossible to either do or enjoy due to an incredibly debilitating illness. Would you consider taking your own life? What if you were told if you did a loved one may be prosecuted? This is the situation facing Marie Fleming, a long time sufferer of multiple sclerosis, who is challenging Irish law on assisted suicide in the hope that she will be able to die on her own terms. This follows from a similar case in Britain where Tony Nicklinson, a man who suffered from ‘Locked-In Syndrome’ following a stroke, took a case to the high court in Britain in an attempt to avail of

if someone has a chronic illness and feel that they can no longer live with it then they should simply be allowed to end their own life.

However, this is possibly too broad a definition. The anxiety and stress of living with a chronic disease can cause mental health problems which may make someone develop suicidal thoughts despite the possibility that their life could be fulfilled with appropriate help from medical professionals. Is it too much to ask of a loved one or a doctor to help someone die? The repercussions on an individual who has assisted someone in killing themselves could surely be monumental and how do we protect those brave enough to help a loved one in there time of most dire need? The griev-

physician assisted suicide.

When this bid failed he began to refuse food and died of pneumonia shortly afterwards. At what point does someone’s pain become so substantial that they wish to cease living? What other options are available for the terminally ill?

There are a huge number of considerations to take into account when looking at a topic as varied and controversial as assisted suicide. Subjective measures of the necessity of euthanasia seem like the most humane and obvious choice:

ing process is complex and often drawn out and even in normal circumstances, it also often contains elements of self-blame - ’could I have done anything to stop this from happening?’. How much worse could these sentiments be if you are in fact directly responsible for that person’s death even if you were acting in a way which you believed was the best course of action?

The various models for assisted suicide also differ in countries where it has been legalised. In Switzerland, the law allows for a

‘At what point does someone’s pain become so insufferable?’

The late euthanasia activist Tony Nicklinson loved one or medical practitioner to assist someone’s passing provided that it is an altruistic act and they do not profit or have any other motive for wanting the person dead. The Netherlands on the other hand requires the assistant to be medically trained and acting within the realms of due care, providing reasonable alternatives and only acting if a case is considered hopeless and terminal. The advantages of these models are that they allow the person to choose their time to die and gather family and friends to be around them at their time of passing and allowing them to die in a state that they wish to be remembered or believe will put their family’s mind at ease. Possibly the biggest disadvantage of a very liberal model (such as the Swiss model) is that its terms mean almost anyone can justify their choice in ending their own lives even in situations where they are not terminally ill or dying.

In the past, when someone suffered from a serious illness they were simply allowed to pass away in their home in peace but increasingly in the modern era people are put into cycles of futile care where they are maintained by artificial ventilation and kept heavily sedated. This often leads to an unpleasant memory of one’s loved one living their last hours breathing through a machine and hooked up to all manner of monitoring devices. This has perhaps precipitated people’s fear of death that is out of their control and left in the hands of doctors who perhaps do not wish to admit defeat. Assisted suicide is often an effective way of deciding when you go, on your own terms and without having to be kept alive or in a state of quasi-life for your friends and family to say goodbye.

Other options are available for the terminally ill, which are often ignored in

the euthanasia debate. Palliative care has evolved from comforting words and a large dose of painkillers into a truly holistic discipline and often paradoxically leading to an extension of life beyond the initial prognosis. People are free to engage with family and friends in settings which suit them (be that at home or at a dedicated hospital) and pass away in a dignified manner.

We live in a society that values choice. We choose our careers, our partners and almost every aspect of our lives. It is then a strange situation that we are ultimately unable to choose the nature of our deaths beyond a small number of options.

As the Tony Nicklinson and Marie Fleming cases reach their conclusions in the media and the courts, we may have to reassess this strange paradox and address how we ourselves want to die, on our own terms or on the terms of our final illness?

11

The University Times | Tuesday, September 18, 2012

UTOPINION

Free lunches really do exist Economise This Marc Morgan

A

simple idea, embodied in a proverb, is at the core of mainstream economic theory.

This is that ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch’. Essentially what this proverb intends to say is that one cannot get ‘something for nothing. In economic terminology ‘no free lunch’ represents the trade off (or opportunity cost) that must be made between two things that one values. This idea has had such powerful grip on modern economic thought that few have questioned its empirical content.

Yet modern economic literature and technological history appear to prove otherwise.

In his landmark 1957 paper on economic growth, Nobel-Prize winning economist Robert Solow claimed that it is the progress of knowledge that is the main stimulus to long term economic growth. He calculated that in the first half of the twentieth century almost 90 percent of productivity growth was attributed to ‘technical change in the broadest sense’. William Baumol, a contemporary of Solow’s, estimated in the 1960s that ‘nearly 90 percent…of current GDP was contributed by innovation

carried out since 1870’. Stanford economist Paul Romer in his 1990 paper concludes that a college-educated engineer working today is far more productive than one working a hundred years ago with the same skill level, because the engineer today

private sector reaps enormous benefits from public investment. For someone to assert that he or she has grown wealthy in America without the benefit of substantial public investment is pure hubris.’ Gates Jr. himself inherited crucial free

‘Individual genius is not so important in the innovation process’ can avail of ‘all the accumulated knowledge’ that went into solving problems over the last 100 years.

History also provides us with revealing testimonies.

Warren Buffet, the third richest person in the world according to Forbes, recently stated that ‘society is responsible for a very significant percentage of what I’ve earned’. Bill Gates Sr., the father of the wealthiest person in the United States and the second wealthiest in the world, similarly reported: ‘Success is a product of having been born in this country, a place where education and research are subsidized, where there is an orderly market, where the

knowledge, from Claude Shannon’s sophisticated mathematics of the 1940s, to the federal government’s development of the internet as a defence program in the 1960s, to the advanced operating system developed by Gary Kildall in the 1970s. All Gates had to do was lay the last piece of this great pyramid of technological innovation. The general consensus among the information technology community is that the personal computer would have emerged anyway, and in the same timeframe had people like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs not been born. The same may be said of social networking sites like Facebook, and

countless industrial and scientific innovations.

The central moral of all of this is that the individual ‘genius’ is not so important in the innovation process. What is much more fundamental is the development of knowledge which many individuals have contributed to through the ages and which, when they pass away, becomes the common inheritance of the current age. Such knowledge can certainly be classified as a “free lunch” to those that are ‘in the right place at the right time’, and a very nutritious one for the economy as a whole.

To further enlighten the evidence, what I have written here also forms part of this ‘free lunch’. It is inherited from two scholars, Gar Alperovitz and Lew Daly, who in turn received the more primitive elements of the theory from a previous generation of scholars, philosophers and social thinkers.

Butt Chugging and physical self-determination Matthew Taylor Opinion Editor Over the past week, I have been making small efforts around campus to raise awareness of a cultural phenomenon which is rising to prominence in America; Butt-chugging. What, you may ask, is Butt-chugging? It is defined by Urban Dictionary as “The act of ingesting alcohol through ones rectum…to increase the alcohol’s effect and the speed with which one becomes intoxicated.”* It is, therefore, an act as hilarious as it is dangerously stupid.

But while many of my colleagues thought little of the activity beyond a curious revulsion, it set my mind ablaze, not with possibilities, but with questions.

It all began for me with an article in ‘Vice’ magazine, where an intrepid reporter decided to test the

himself’. Reports from college students suggest that ‘Xander’ had ingested large quantities of white wine, using a rubber tube inserted in his anus. As a result, the fraternity has been effectively shut down and Broughton’s reputation (such as it must have been) has been irreparably damaged. One quick trip to YouTube later, I discovered that the process is well documented. One man was brave enough to ingest a full can of grape flavoured 4 Loko, another to use a broken bottle as a funnel. This is just the surface of a deep and disturbing underworld of ‘alternative’ drinking habits.

The question for me was not ‘why would someone do such a thing?’, after all; one has to fill the day somehow.

Xander clearly did it to be

‘Where do we draw the line over how much control we give individuals over their own bodies?’ process with white wine (appropriately named Sunset Blush), vodka and a home enema kit as well as our old friend Vaseline. His findings were interesting. Firstly, it was not as effective an intoxicant as he had imagined, and secondly, he discovered that vodka, while not discomforting on entry is certainly discomforting on exit. The impetus behind this experiment was the revelation of widespread use of Butt Chugging in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity in the University of Tennessee. A student, Alexander Broughton, was admitted to A & E with suspected alcohol poisoning and extensive injuries to his rectum which initially led to speculation of rape; he had ‘…no recollection of losing control of his bowels and defecating on

liked by his peers. As Emil Cioran wrote ‘Each if us is born with a share of purity, predestined to be corrupted by our commerce with mankind…each of us will do anything in order not to be doomed to himself.’ The question is where we draw the line over how much control we give individuals over their own body. It is no coincidence that the pages of this newspaper contain opinion pieces on the subjects of abortion and euthanasia. That is not to mention other pressing issues such as drug prohibition and prostitution which I shall deal with here. The debate over whether the individual or the state/society can dictate control over the body is one of, if not the most important rights issues of the age. It is a complex question of where

is the line between personal freedom and jeopardising others, and indeed at what point do we need to be protected from ourselves? Is Xander Broughton a person so stupid that the community has an interest in protecting him from himself?

Or does the community have an interest in allowing the evolutionary weak, such as Mr Broughton, to enema themselves to death?

It seems to me that the simplest metric is to judge at what point personal behaviour becomes detrimental to society as a whole. Would society be better served by decriminalising all drugs, thus clearing up our prisons while also allowing for medical treatment and product control? Evidence suggests that in countries where drugs are decriminalised there has been an observed decline in crime rates, well beyond the statistically inherent decrease brought about by the legalisation of an activity. That being said, we must ask ourselves whether society is served by allowing its members to be prey to their baser instincts. If society is simply a conglomerate of individuals brought together by mutual self-interest and collective self-preservation, then do we not have a sociological imperative to police and oppress our peers along the dictates of conventional morality? Or is it correct to allow an action because our shifting values perceive it to be acceptable? Drug use harms the individual not society, and decriminalisation does not necessarily lead to profligacy. As Dyaln Moran says, ‘I have limited sympathy for heroin users as you’d think they would’ve heard something bad about it by now’. People who want to take heroin are probably going to do it regardless of the law, so why have the law at all if it does not rob anyone else of their rights?

Prostitution is an occupation where one essentially grants the use of one’s body to another for a fee. I have no objection to prostitution as a profession, the issue is when

the individual prostitute has been coerced or otherwise forced into it. Legalisation would surely offer solutions to this, as a profession regulated like any other where worker’s rights would apply as well as health inspections and the lifting of stigma. In an episode of the West Wing I recently watched, that annoying feminist character with the crazy eyes that dated Josh Lyman states that she opposes the legalization of prostitution on the basis that no little girl dreams of being a prostitute when they are growing up. It is, therefore, a form of economic coercion. I doubt many children dream of working in a shoe shop, or as a bus driver or an IT consultant, yet here we are. Economic necessity drove those grown children into those professions, yet we do not shun them.

Shouldn’t we have the right to charge others for the use of our bodies? Or does society again have the right to tell us how they should be used?

As Cioran wrote, we are ‘predestined to be corrupted by our commerce with mankind’ which does not necessarily mean that we will corrupt mankind by our commerce with it. People are going to butt-chug, take drugs, have abortions and sell their bodies. Persecuting and prosecuting these activities blindly does not profit us at all. If an activity is to be judged by its impact on society, in real as opposed to philosophical terms, then surely the policing of the human body by others is the true problem. It drives activities into closets, behind closed doors, down backstreet alleys and out of mind. In this shadowy environment, their worst aspects flourish and their potential benefits die. Our bodies are the only things we will ever truly own. All interference with that is unnatural and transitory. It is all we come into the world with, and all we leave it with. We must have control over it, beyond the judgement and scrutiny of others.

Referendum fatigue? n recent times referendums have been held in Ireland far more frequently than they ever were in the past. The present Constitution was enacted seventy-five years ago, yet more than half of all the attempted constitutional amendments to it have been proposed since 1995.

It seems hard to believe now, but there was a time when referendums were almost a once in a decade occurrence. No longer. In the three years since I became eligible to vote I have voted on four separate constitutional amendments. This would have been scarcely believable to someone who became eligible to vote in 1958. They would have had to wait thirteen years before they would have voted in the same number of referendums.

On the 10th of November all Irish citizens will have the opportunity to cast their vote to approve or reject the Thirty-First Amendment of the Constitution, colloquially referred to as the Children’s Rights Amend-

could potentially lead to referendums on a variety of issues, and in July of this year the Minister for Justice and Equality Alan Shatter revealed plans for an amendment dealing with the courts system. On top of this, there is the possibility that the ongoing Eurozone crisis could result in some form of treaty change, something that would require yet another constitutional amendment.

But can such an abundance of referendums in so short a space of time lead to voter fatigue? Will people stop caring about the questions put before them? I don’t think so.

Earlier this year the Government held a referendum on the Fiscal Treaty in which only 50% of those eligible to vote actually cast votes. This was in spite of polls in advance of the referendum showing more than 70% of voters were in favour of a referendum being held.

Some might say that turnout was reduced by voters having voted in separate referendums eight months previously. Given, however, that turnout for the previous votes was not much higher at 55%, and that turnout for these was probably boosted by the holding of two refer-

ment. This will be the fourth amendment put before the Irish people in a period of little more than a year.

This, however, may not be end of this recent outbreak of constitutional change; further referendums in the near future are likely. The Coalition’s Programme for Government states an intention to hold votes on the abolition of the Seanad, as well as on the confidentiality of correspondence between constituents and public representatives, the promised Constitutional Convention

endums and a presidential election on the same day, this line of argument holds little water.

In the past Irish voters have shown themselves to be largely resistant to voter fatigue, at least when voting on constitutional questions. Where referendums have been held on constitutional issues within eighteen months of one another there is no noticeable trend of voter turnout being noticeably reduced for the subsequent vote; in fact on some occasions turnout has even

Eoghan O’Sullivan Staff Writer

I

‘Will people stop caring about the questions put before them?’

increased.

If referendum fatigue were something the Irish electorate suffered from then surely it should have been most pronounced on occasions where the same question was put to the people twice; the constitutional reform equivalent of the government saying to its citizens ‘Ah go on.’ Yet when

people and the political system, can the argument that giving voters more opportunity to participate directly in the democratic process will lead to them disengaging further really be convincing? I do not think it can.

Even if referendums were to occur more frequently than they do now, the idea that the burden of voting so of-

this happened with the Nice and Lisbon Treaties voter turnout was actually higher for the repeat votes; for the second Nice referendum voter turnout was up a striking 15%. Irish voters seem uniquely capable of generating more enthusiasm when answering a question at the second time of asking.

The divisiveness of the issues that are raised by a proposed amendment seems to affect voter enthusiasm far more than whether voters are tired of being asked what their opinion is. Since 1980, the referendums that have drawn the highest turnout have been referendums on abortion and divorce, emotive issues on which we know many people hold strong and diverging views.

Campaigns for such referendums have been bitter and divisive, and this seems to me to have driven voters to the polls in large numbers.

The lowest ever-recorded voter turnout for a referendum in Ireland was in 1979, when two amendments relating to an uncontroversial adoption issue and university representation in the Seanad were put to the people.

When asked to vote on such staggeringly uncontentious issues voter turnout was little more than 28%.

Given how many people complain about the disconnect between ordinary

ten will lead to voters staying at home is ridiculous. All voting requires is that peoples make a minimal effort to find out what they are voting on, as well as spending slightly longer away from home to make it to a polling station. It seems to me that people who would consider this an unreasonable burden are themselves being unreasonable, particularly if voters are being asked to vote on an important issue.

I think that if anyone were to be affected by referendum fatigue in the upcoming referendum it would be politicians. The prospect of campaigning for the third time in thirteen months, with the travel and media commitments that this entails, as well as the effort of getting their message across clearly and without distortion, is something about which I doubt many politicians feel much enthusiastic. I would also imagine they are not rejoicing at the idea of spending yet more money on campaign posters and pamphlets.

Yet politicians have a responsibility to ensure they run the best campaign they can; particularly, as in the present case, when it appears as though one side has overwhelming popular support.

‘In the past Irish voters have shown themselves to be largely resistant to voter fatigue’

Join the discussion Visit universitytimes.ie for the latest news, features and comment on the issues close to you.

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012 | The University Times

12

UTOPINION

Said with authority John Logue

A different kind of campaign

EU bailed out by Nobel Peace Prize Nicolas Bernard Staff Writer

O

n October 12 it was announced that the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to the European Union … Road trip! In Stockholm, all 500 million of us can collect our 8 million Swedish kronor, which must surely be worth all the euros in Europe.

Claustrophobia aside there will then occur one of the most boring and unending series of laureate-delivered lectures in history as all half billion of us speak in turn.

For the record, the prize was awarded to the EU “for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe”. Basically the EU gets a prize for not fighting itself. Granted the EU has been a force for peace within Europe, but does it deserve a prize?

There is a chequered history of precedent in awarding the Peace prize to organisations rather than individuals or small teams of individuals. The United Nations itself won the award in 2001. But take a moment to examine the following representative list:2001 The United Nations (U.N.) and Kofi Annan; 2005 I n t e r national Atomic Energy

Agency (IAEA) and Mohamed El Baradei ; 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr.;2012 The European Union and …

Historically, when an organisation wins the prize there is parallel recognition of an individual within that organisation. These are the people who wear the medal, shake the hands, and spend the kronor. Awarding the entire organisation is, in

Is there anybody within the organisation who has been there for 60 years? Maybe a cleaner, or the gardener. We eagerly await the December ceremony.

Is this award for the EU gardener in lieu of the imminent demise of the EU, in other words, before his job expires? With the unity of Europe under constant question and scrutiny, and with anarchic rebels tearing apart the founding lands of democracy and apply-

part, recognition that Mohamed El Baradei, Al Gore, and Kofi Annan did not work in vacuums, but with countless people behind the scenes. Only this year, the Nobel committee have anthropomorphised the EU by awarding some elusive structure of the organisation, and not anybody within that structure.

Perhaps this is all semantics, but by the EU’s own definition of itself, it is a union of countries and of people, for the people. Of course somebody will collect the medal. Debate (read fighting) within the union is now raging as to who best embodies 60 years of contribution.

ing toothbrush moustaches to heil Angela Merkel, it is perhaps with little surprise but a small tear that those amongst us who consider themselves judges of human greatness have decided they had best award this rag-tag union with a prize before we commit hari kari and spill open the belly of old Europe such that it bleeds red into the Med. Or worse yet, is the EU already dead? The Nobel committee broke the rules last year too.

Exception to the rule of pre-post-humous award occurred in 2011 when the prize for Physiology or Medicine had been announced but not yet awarded

‘Basically, the EU gets a prize for not fighting itself’

precisely as laureate Ralph Steinman parted ways with the world. Nobody would deem his award lucky, as death trumps Swedish kronor more readily than David Cameron vetoes an EU budget.

I suppose that in the plutocracy of the future there will be a Nobel prize for Google or for the idea of love, or perhaps the laws of physics … God Himself might even get a look in!

I’ll bet the Nobel committee would love to gild His breast. Modern corporations must rate themselves a chance now that the glory has been removed from the hands and pockets of the people and instead put into the foundational coffers of the structures themselves, those structures that are supposed to be representative of us the people trapped within them.

Perhaps in the not too distant future the Nobel committee might even award the prize to themselves! Indeed, what organisation has done more for the advancement of itself than they?

How much brilliance is motivated by the thought of Nobel gold around one’s neck?

Eight million kronor could motivate any underpaid academic. 2037 yet beckons.

But there is not just the obvious purse to be won.

Post-ceremony, laureates can be seen peacocking

around the circuit of tours, book launches and business ventures, and eagerly participating in the requisite autographing of bosoms.

Given the current state of affairs in Europe one can’t help but think that far from critiquing human development, the latest Prize for Peace is actually designing human development, for if the EU gains the muchneeded economic benefits and bosom signings along with the Prize, well … maybe that will keep the union intact despite this lack of tact.

For many, the Nobel Peace Prize has long been abused as a political tool.

The 2010 prize to the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was widely regarded as a staunch Western middle fi nger to the Chinese government. But then, as always, the individual was a recognised component of our collection. Recognition of individuality was integral in the context of Chinese Communism. Mandela’s prize was of course political in the sense that it was anti-apartheid … but he did spend half his life in a 4x4 jail cell in the dirt being pissed upon by the structure within which he was forced to exist. And dare we mention Obama?

Paranoia aside, it’s evident the Nobel dictators have only now, after how many years of fi nancial

turmoil, realised that most of Europe is dead broke. The nasty realisation must have precipitated within them the thought that in future years Europe might secede to Asian hegemony. And with an impoverished Europe the Nobel legacy might amount to a prize with no prize, an award with no award, and so just a pat on the back from our Chinese benefactors.

Of course, the Nobel Prize committee might say they can do as they please.

It is their prize to bestow as they see fit. But I say that since Alfred is long buried, and the Prize is now intertwined with global recognition of human endeavour, it is our prize, us the people.

For many it is our only exposure to any defi nition of intellectual greatness. Please don’t instill within us a feeling that greatness derives only from collectives, corporations, from principles or ideals.

I suppose it is to be expected from a committee.

But as in yesteryear, please Nobel committee, inspire us to be great by the simple act of showing it is possible to achieve personal glory.

Give an individual a piece of a fighting chance at peace.

When Angela met L. Ron Harry McHugh Staff Writer

M

ost of us know that Scientology is crazy. Founded in the mid twentieth century by a science fiction writer and quasi scientist named L. Ron Hubbard, whose followers believe they can talk to animals, move inanimate objects and leave their bodies at will, this religion even makes the Mormons sound sane. But just because we don’t agree with their beliefs, does it entitle us to ban it? The German government certainly think so.

In 2007 an effort was made by interior ministers of the 16 German states to ban Scientology completely.

The effort was abandoned in 2008 due to insufficient legal justification but that has not failed to dampen the appetite for religious suppression in of the cult. Th rough the use of “sect-fi lters” Scientologists fi nd it almost impossible to obtain employment.

They are also barred from

membership of any political party due to the uniquely German and completely irrational fear of Scientologist political domination.

As a result, Scientologist are constantly fighting legal battles in the courts. In 2010 an unnamed woman’s employment at a day care centre was terminated after her husband identified her as a Scientologist. She was suc-

are other religions not held to the same standard? Must a Catholic teacher prove that he or she will not burn any students should they be homosexual as sanctioned in Leviticus? Should a Muslim be required to prove to the courts that he or she will refrain from ‘slaying’ any non-believers (infidels) as sanctioned under some interpretations of the Koran?

Every single religious text expresses some sentiments of the most egregious nature. For mainstream re-

‘Government has no role in validating or legalising these beliefs’

cessful in her legal proceedings and was subsequently reinstated. She was, however, required to prove to the courts satisfaction that she would not enforce her scientologist beliefs on any students.

Why should she be obliged to do this, and why

ligions however, they are widely ignored.

Perhaps Scientology should be banned because the majority consider it to be nonsense right? There are many Christians who believe that Moses parted the seas with his hands or that Noah fi lled a boat with two

of every species. So, Scientology is hardly alone in demanding we suspend reason and logic. But even if it were the government should not have any right to outlaw it.

We do not elect representatives to curtail our rights and freedoms, but to extend them. We elect them to enact laws which protect us from majority rule. In a society in which the majority dictated the law, incremental legislation may not have been passed. Indeed, One’s personal beliefs should be held up to inspection by the government only if they encroach on the freedoms of others. There is however, zero “encroachment”. Scientologists are certainly not militant or racist, nor do they force you to join their church. Like most people, Scientologists are peaceful and mean others no harm.

They see tangible benefits in the philosophy they follow.

Scientology is simply being singled out for the bizarre nature of its teachings.

Ultimately, however, this should not be a question of

whether we disapprove of the teachings of Scientology.

The question we must answer is whether our government is armed with the power to discriminate against against a religious minority. When one holds personal beliefs that they con-

sacrificed their lives for the cause of religious freedom.

Some Scientologist leaders are indeed guilty of crimes of harassment and should be brought to trial and prosecuted. Most Scientologists, however, are guilty of no crime at all. Yet, German

sider to be a religion, it is not the role of the government to validate or legalize these beliefs. The subjugation of a religious group to systematic persecution is abhorrent in any society, and while we may have come to expect this behavior from the governments of Iran or North Korea; it is particularly disturbing that this is occurring in a democratic Germany. Th is is a country where men and women

law prevents them securing employment, engaging in the political arena and in some cases excludes children of Scientologists from education. Th is is a society I would be inherently uncomfortable in and rightminded people should continue to write and argue for the cause of religious freedom in Germany as vocally as possible.

‘The subjugation of a religious group to systematic persecution is abhorrent’

While preparing for the upcoming Budget campaign, it was difficult to avoid dwelling on one fact.

You’ve probably read or heard that the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, has said that he will increase fees to €3,000 by 2015. €250 every year between now and then. Assuming he’s still the Minister for Education by 2015, he will have increased fees by €1,000 since taking office.

Now here’s the part that I can’t help but fi xate on. Th is constitutes the largest fees increase made by a single Minister for Education since they were abolished in 1996. All from a man who signed a pre-election pledge not to increase fees by a cent. In this country one can be forgiven for being cynical and jaded when it comes to such promises, but the manner in which Quinn is betraying his word is quite staggering.

Fees, grants and the Budget may not be on the minds of Trinity students yet. However, the point above shows why we now need to focus our minds on the decisions that will be made in the Budget and how they affect us.

Almost three weeks have passed since Trinity students voted to remain affi liated with USI. During the course of that campaign we were made to account for mistakes made in the past and to explain what we’re doing differently this year. I believe that our Budget campaign, which you’ll hear a lot about over the coming weeks, illustrates USI’s ability to recognise how politics in Ireland works.

Our campaign is local. It’s in your town, in your college and in your home. We chose to make it local simply because Irish politics is still, to a large extent, parochial.

When running for USI President I said that we would abandon the national march in Dublin. One day of protest in the nation’s capital gave us significant media attention, but the political effect was minimal. Moreover, the Tell Your TD campaign, while innovative, was too scattershot in its inclusion of all Oireachtas members.

Th is year, we’re doing things differently. Over the coming month we will be co-hosting Public Meetings on the Cost of College with Students’ Unions around the country. Public representatives will be invited to these meetings and will take questions from students and their parents. Engagement with parents is key to the success of our efforts. They’re the main fi nancial stakeholders in this debate, not to mention the most effective lobbyists.

With the Public Meetings in full swing, the second part of our campaign will launch: Town Takeovers. Th is is the name we’ve given to the regional protests we’ll be organising with our affi liated Students’ Unions, including TCDSU. We have chosen thirty-two TDs and Senators who are either sympathetic to our cause or politically vulnerable and we intend to march on their constituency offices to demand that they stand up and oppose fee hikes and grant cuts. For Trinity, it’s Kevin Humphreys, who conveniently shares a constituency office with Ruairi Quinn.

Each protest will be heavily publicised by USI and we expect to receive significant media attention for them.

Tying all these events together will be the campaign website, which is due to go live this week. On the site, we’ve outlined simple ways for students, parents and local business proprietors to take ownership of the campaign. We want you to sign a letter to one or more of the targeted Oireachtas members. Once you’ve done that you can check a list of regularly updated campaign events and attend the ones nearest to you. We’ve also provided a Stand Up toolkit. In the toolkit are posters, a Facebook cover photo, a Twibbon and other materials for you to help us increase awareness of the campaign.

The site will be updated daily with news and quick facts about third level education. We want you to share these facts and educate your peers about what they stand to lose by not taking part in the effort to halt these fee hikes and grant cuts.

The statistics are grim. 39% of 15-24 year olds are unemployed. The maintenance grant has been cut by 12% since 2009 and you now have to live over 45km from college to qualify for the non-adjacent rate. It used to be 24km. When I started college, the registration fee was €900 and now they say it will be €3,000 by 2015. That’s an increase of 233%.

The cost of participating in third level education in Ireland is over €10,500 per annum for every student. If the Government continues to target students, it will increase dramatically. Parents with one child in college might be able to absorb this. But for parents with two or more children in college, it might mean a return to the days when a family had to choose which child would be given the chance to get a third level education and pursue their ambition to its highest level.

None of this is fear mongering. Th is is the reality we face ahead of Budget 2013. Yet there is a worrying trend of thought that says we should resign ourselves to the measures being taken by Quinn. Th is mindset will be our undoing. It is precisely because of the hard times we’re in that we need to mobilise in greater numbers than ever and buy-in to this campaign with unmatched enthusiasm.

Stand up for your education. Stand up for yourself and stand up for a generation that’s fed up with being punished for the mistakes of its elders.

13

The University Times | Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012

UTOPINION

The University Times HIST HAS MUCH TO ANSWER FOR

A FRESH APPROACH ‘Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’ Speaking at Class Rep training last weekend, USI President John Logue unveiled the organisation’s new campaigning strategy, centered on intensive lobbying of TD’s perceived as being ‘politically vulnerable’. Government TD’s from around the country are set to be targeted as USI embarks on a more dynamic campaigning strategy that sits comfortably with the workings of the Irish political system. Indeed, the organisation’s leadership appear to be playing the political game, taking advantage of vulnerable politicians’ inherent desire for political self-preservation.

The targeting of weak government members on a local scale has been a campaigning strategy which has worked tremendously well for a number of established national lobbying groups. The recent decision by the government to roll back on cuts to personal assistance hours for the disabled was heavily informed by the intensive lobbying by interest groups of Labour party TD’s. Moreover, in recent years there has been a spate of political defections from both this government and its predecessor, as vulnerable TD’s in contested seats choose to abandon the government ship rather than risk electoral annihilation. To put it simply, most of our elected representatives will crumble on any issue when enough votes are at stake. By showing them that their reelection prospects are contingent on the votes of students and families who will not countenance any more cuts to the grant or increases in the Student Contribution Charge, real progress may actually be effected.

In this context, the much promised reform of USI appears to already be under way. One of Trinity students’

major grievances with the organisation in recent years has been it’s uncompromising belief in the power of the National March. Th is failed campaigning tool has thankfully been cast by the wayside as the leadership begin to see past romantic notions of students taking on ‘the man’ through the medium of direct action. In the current climate at least, direct action has run its course. The annual National March has failed to prevent the consistent increases in the Student Contribution Charge in recent years. When something is broken, reason would normally dictate that one attempts to fi x it. It is a welcome relief to see the national students’ union facing up to reality and moving forward. In this climate, standing still is tantamount to going backwards.

A more sophisticated campaigning strategy that reflects the political reality will hopefully breathe some life into the student movement. The movement is undoubtedly maturing and is striving to replicate the successes of lobbying organizations such as the IFA and SIPTU, in whose actions pragmatism trumps ideology. There is no absolute methodology in national campaigning; the only strategy that should be entertained and executed is the one which will deliver results for those it is implemented for. The targeting of the politically vulnerable will do just that. In order to realise real progress in our cause and be taken seriously in the corridors of power, we must run with the big boys.

Many would consider John Engle’s decision to resign as auditor of the Hist one which brings a degree of closure to the loan scandal which has gripped the society in recent weeks. However, such sentiment is foolish. Far from restoring a sense of normality inside the four walls of the GMB, Engle’s resignation, and the circumstances that inspired it, lead one to believe that the internal political wrangling of the College Historical Society is of a very unsavory nature. Indeed, the events of recent weeks and they way they were handled, have done little to justify the society’s reputable stature both within Trinity and beyond.

To make these statements is not to dismiss the seriousness of Engle’s transgression; it is far from the position of The University Times to use its collective voice to shame or defend an individual in circumstances as unique as those that have become clear in recent weeks. Suffice to say that he was wrong.

In any case, few are those who have encountered the story of Engle’s €2,000 loan from the society from a position free of the shackles of affi liation and thought to bemoan the individual; certainly, entrenched loyalties and allocated prejudices have fueled the discourse thus far, but the number engaged in such a conversation is extremely small. For most of us, this is yet another example of a society that considers itself independent of the menial processes that defi ne, create, and regulate student societies.

To table a motion of regret at a meeting whose membership included Engle’s peers, girlfriend, and predecessors was a decision that demonstrates the society’s dangerous propensity to consider itself debaters fi rst,

members of the student community second. As a method of dispute resolution it is a farcical approach. As guilty as Engle is of perpetrating an enormous transgression, we are all aware that there are personal circumstances surrounding the matter that are incompatible with the charged atmosphere of the GMB chamber.

The orchestrators of that debate have demonstrated that the society’s unyielding loyalty is to its self-perception; that it must adhere to its traditions of debate above more plebeian calls for decency or sensitivity, which would certainly have dictated dozens of alternatives.

There is no other student society in which this approach would be considered acceptable and this is a sad category on which to be considered unique.

Engle is of course complicit in a collective sense of superiority; in refusing to accept the Central Societies Committee recommendation that he resign, he did serious damage to the society’s relationship with its tolerant captitator. Other members of committee seemed satisfied to value the society’s internal subcommittee and its inquiry processes over those of the CSC - that is, of course, until the subcommittee produced a verdict that was middle-ground.

If you are not yet convinced that this is shameful then we ask you this: how many reputable institutions in the public or private sector handle their business in such a manner, so publicly and so contemptuous of sector regulators?

If this is a society losing ground in relation to its major competitors then it is because of its enduring adherence to and respect for processes like this. The society, and its social structures, mst be dragged into the 21st century.

The Opinion Head-to-Head Is a degree necessary for a happy and comfortable life?

A

For

Against

Conor Murphy

Jawad A. Anjum

s we move forward into this utopian future of democratised information, it becomes more and more tempting every year to say the full degrees of yonder year are becoming less and less valuable. We all have access on our smartphone to a lecturer with a deeper level of knowledge and lectures better taught than the ones we sit in on every day.

There are many websites dedicated to this new age notion.These sites have aided me and all my classmates in developing a deeper knowledge of our particular fields. Stanford releases online all of its lectures in my field, Codecademy teaches me code, Khan Academy can teach me practically everything else.

However the important thing to realise is that the word consistently being used here is it develops a deeper knowledge of our fields. Not a broader one.

seek out those communities most niche to their beliefs. Even the more popular websites are an antidote to broadening consciousness; when has anyone last seen a quality debate on Facebook?

Most importantly, why should anyone think education under a twenty fi rst century model would be any different?

Any models mentioned tend to be self-directed, but if education is going to become this fluid body of knowledge that we dip into whenever we need, then we are going to spend all that time swimming in waters most familiar to us. Most of us would never venture beyond our intellectual and ideological comfort zone, remaining content to delve deeper and deeper into fundamental belief systems.

Th is is anathema to the quest for truth, a quest from which education derives its value. We should be going to college to be challenged.

The online community has always acted as a crutch rather than a formulator of beliefs. People consistently

Indeed, the aims of education are best satisfied by the face-to-face teaching model which has defi ned the

‘The online community has always acted as a crutch rather than a formulator of beliefs’’

philosophy of education for centuries.

Th is is not to say there aren’t alternate paths nor changes to be made.

There has most defi nitely

is a requirement for the academically minded. Those who do not enroll in degree programmes, either by choice or by necessity, must not be cast to the edge of so-

been a devaluation in level 8 degrees over the past number of years. They have not become more necessary but they have become more ‘automatic’, some people who can’t think of anything else but get one, as is their right but shouldn’t be their automatic duty. Level eight degrees are essential, they serve a purpose to drive thought and innovation at the highest level, but not everyone wants or should be strong-armed enough to do one. The proliferation of Arts degrees as the obvious choice perplexes those that do the degrees perceived as harder (and much more economically sensible) but bat for a lot less entry requirements or a lot less places.

Th is is quite a similar argument to one you could have over the Leaving Cert; it is not an absolute requirement for every person but it (or some other version of it)

ciety. Government has an obligation to provide and expand alternative routes to a comfortable life that do not amount to mere ticks in the box of social convention.

A comfortable life can be realised through the medium education in it’s broadest sense and the aggregation of job skills, neither of which necessitate a level eight degree. However, a university education has value in itself and in the current economic and social climate, university tuition remains a strong enabler and vehicle for progression.

‘University tuition remains a strong enabler and vehicle for progression’

O

f course university isn’t necessary for a happy and comfortable life. Why this topic is being brought up again is because the suffocating costs of education are particularly significant in times of bad economy. Off the bat, I’ll refrain from embarking on a philosophical digression on what a ‘happy and comfortable life’ could be interpreted as – though crucial to the context of the overall debate, there isn’t enough sheepskin in all of academia to cover our bases there. Here we’ll take it in the most general sense and, yes, that does include finances.

Arguments flouting statistics that depict degreeholders as earning more than others are flawed in that correlation does not imply causation. Here, in the case that the sample is skewed. ‘Book-smart’ people tend to go to college (a slight generalisation but bear with me); if they didn’t and went about their career of choice without the formal education, there is a likelihood they would still do just as well. The inextricable link we have synthesised between third level education and economic success is a hindrance to those not suited or motivated for formal education at that level.

I’m not dismissing third level education as a whole here just the notion that it’s

somehow necessary for everyone. However, we will continue to have large numbers of freshman students who don’t really quite know why they’re at college until there are credible alternatives. The cost of a year or two of ‘discovering yourself’ before dropping out at the rate of tuition fees is not a viable system. Not to mention the time and effort that could have been better utilised.

It is bizarre that we take it as a given that after school, you try to get into the best college you can when it should really be a conscious decision as to whether that is the course of action best suited to that particular person at that time. Alternatives do exist – from vocational courses, career-specific training, apprenticeships, and work-sponsored education among many others. Of the jobs expected to grow at the fastest rate over the next number of years in many countries, only a few typically require a degree.

In some cases, graduates fi nd themselves working in positions for which they fi nd their college education did not prepare them very well at all. Th is is often the case when the degree is viewed more as a special access card to an exclusive club rather than representing the knowledge and insight gained through intellectual rigour. In the worst case, a

graduate may be working in a position for which a degree is not even needed, in which case not only has the cost of education set them back financially but also cost them four years they could have spent improving themselves at their current position.

A point to note here is not having ‘level 8’ education does not equate to not having ‘level 8’ knowledge or thinking. Practically a hall of fame exists to prove this point, repeatedly. From the obvious entrepreneur dropouts like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs etc. to programmers, writers, actors and others amidst a medley of giants in human history stand true to this point. Also, noteworthy is that you can buy books, videos and all necessary course material to study the same syllabus as a ‘level 8’ degree without the constrictive structure imposed by educational authority. A university is after all, as Shelby Foote rightly said, just a group of buildings gathered around a library.

The cost of tuition is a whole other factor that we are lucky enough not to be dealing with in Ireland, yet at least. In other countries, notably the U.S., this plays a major role in deciding whether to go for a degree or not. Straddled with crushing student debt, can the graduate make the money to pay back the tuition? – i.e. Is

college worth it in the long run?

Of course, it’s not simply an accounting decision. Proponents will argue how university life instils a greater aesthetic appreciation, a more cogent thinking process, a greater ability to co-ordinate yourself socially and other such pseudo-intellectual claptrap. It is nothing short of an insult to imply all this could not be just as effectively achieved otherwise – the classroom is not the ideal learning environment, the one-way lecture is a highly inefficient form of disseminating information and as for socialising, well, university is placed squarely in a bubble, protected from all sides from the harsh reality of the dreaded ‘uneducated’.

Necessity is a strong word; you don’t need to get a level 8 degree to be happy in life. The world of standardised testing, syllabus-driven education and timetabled learning is by no means a prerequisite to a fulfi lling life in any aspects.

We should not feel chained to the status symbol of the almighty degree to give us meaning but use our own real experiences to shape and form our futures.

I’ll leave you with one of my favourites from the oft quoted Mark Twain: “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”

Something getting you down?

To join the UT Opinion team, email opinion@universitytimes.ie

Tuesday, October 23 2012 | The University Times

14

UTSPORTS

Lowry Set to Take Up Golfing Torch

In recent years, Ireland has been able to claim as her own a number of a world-class golfers. david gorman profiles the current rising star

Much has been made of the great successes of Irish golf in the past five years, beginning with Padraig Harrington’s historic playoff win over Sergio Garcia in the 2007 Open Championship, resulting in several Irish major wins and Rory McIlroy’s spectacular rise to become the number one player in golf. However, this has largely been the work of the golfers north of the border. Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell have all won majors throwing the Ulster Banner over their backs. The likes of Michael Hoey from Antrim have become strong European Tour players. Even the best recent young amateur prospects from the island have been from Northern Ireland; Paul Cutler, Dermot McElroy and the reigning British Amateur Champion, Alan Dunbar.

With McIlroy’s recent controversial comments about feeling ‘more British

than Irish’ and the bone of contention surrounding the nationalities of Northern Irish golfers for the Olympics, questions have been raised. Where is all the talent is in the Republic? Who would most likely partner Padraig Harrington in the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, as golf returns to the Olympic fold, if in a strictly political sense, the Northern Irish decide that they are British?

Shane Lowry’s victory on Sunday in the Portuguese Masters thus was an important one for golf in the Republic. It is now over three years since Lowry’s famous win at Baltray, Co. Louth to capture the Irish Open as an amateur. Since that win, there has not been a single winner from the Republic of Ireland on either major tour. This has been surprising, especially considering that Harrington has continued to compete at the business end of many big

tournaments, without finishing the deal. Now 41, Padraig cannot be expected to carry on the burden of expectation forever.

Many may have expected Shane Lowry to go onto bigger and better things after his Irish Open win as an amateur. Winning a full-strength professional event as an amateur is an exceptionally hard task, it is not something that Tiger Woods or McIlroy were able to achieve, for example. The most famous winner of a tournament as an amateur on the USPGA Tour is Phil Mickelson, who won the 1991 Northern Telecom Open as an amateur, and as is evident, Phil Mickelson is one of the best golfers of the last 20 years. This is the sort of company that Lowry shares in winning a Tour event as a professional.

It is not unfair to say that Lowry has not lived up to some of our heady expectations. We fondly remember

After his win in the Portugal Masters last weekend, Shane Lowry is now the Republic’s leading golfer him taking on Robert Rock, the touring professional in the final round of the Irish Open and winning. A final round comparable to any classic Hollywood underdog story. Maybe we got ahead of ourselves. Tour life has not been as kind to Lowry as it has been for the likes of McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. First of all, he had to sacrifice his winner’s cheque for the Irish Open to second placed, Rock. Secondly,

while it may seem natural for an Offaly man to shape the golf ball through a stiff Irish breeze and pouring rain, it is a different kettle of fish to become accustomed to the exhausting global travel and diverse landscapes of the European Tour, which visits four continents annually.

Lowry has certainly made enough to make a living, he has even played well enough to qualify to play in two majors but it is this win that will

open all sorts of opportunities for Lowry.

Lowry had to dig deep to emerge victorious in the Portugal Masters. He began the day at -9, four shots back off the leader, Austrian Berndt Wiesberger. Shane’s main challenge in the final round however, came from former Ryder Cup player Ross Fisher. When Fisher failed to get up and down for par on the difficult final hole of the Algarve course,

Lowry’s final round 66 was good enough for his first professional win. ‘It feels better than 2009 because I needed to go out there and shoot a score. I went into the back nine a few behind. I needed to do something special and I did.’ he said. Shane Lowry has the ‘everyman’ feeling about him, that endears him to many Irish people. It is akin to a Darren Clarke or a John Daly. He swears his way around the golf course

as he shoots a score, good or bad, just like the run-of-themill Sunday morning hacker. He beams when he hits a cracker like we would and he looks like he would enjoy a pint or two after the round.

A draw-back to the sportsman of character of yesteryear.

Lowry has cancelled his plans in his to attend Q-School, the qualifying school of the US PGA Tour.

As he rises to 74th in the Official World Golf Rankings, with a number of high ranking, big-money Asian events approaching; he can now realistically set his sights on a place in the top 50 of the world rankings. The top 50 of the world golf rankings is a sign of establishment at the top-end of the game. It secures invites to all four major championships and to each World Golf Championship. That would be a validation of the belief that Lowry and many followers of the Irish amateur game have shared since he came onto the Irish golfing scene with a win in the 2007 Irish Close Championship that Shane Lowry, the ‘everyman’, will become the star that the Republic has needed.

The Formula One Debate: Blue or Red?

Fernando Alonso Consistency. In one of the most wonderfully open Formula 1 seasons in years - a true testament to the intensely competitive nature of high-end motor racing the thing that is keeping Fernando Alonso in the fight is consistency.

As he currently sits in second place, a mere six points from the reigning champion, Sebastian Vettel, all Alonso needs to do is keep his head cool and he will undoubtedly walk away as the 2012 F1 Champion. With four races left, anyone who knows anything about Fernando will appreciate that this contender still has more left in the tank, and that realistically there is very little standing between himself and his third World Championship.

The stats speak for themselves. With 2 pole positions and 3 wins to his name, he is effectively already better than most competitors this season, and obviously only faces challenge from

the gifted Vettel. Where he topples the young German is in his dogged nature and dependable points finishes.

Of the sixteen races to date, Alonso has only failed to finish two races; forced to retire at Belgium (in a reckless accident perpetrated by Romain Grosjean) and in Japan (when Kimi Raikonnen forced the Spaniard to spinoff). In the other fourteen fixtures this season Alonso has recorded a point-scoring finish, including nine podium placings.

While Vettel is rightly lauded as one of the greatest drivers in modern racing, we must not forget that Alonso has been in that bracket for the last 8 to 10 years. This he has achieved through a never-say-die attitude and exquisite control in a Formula 1 car. Alonso is just as much the pinnacle of finesse and desire as Vettel, and in a close season runoff, his experience will pay absolute dividends in a bid to reclaim what was once

his. When all of the storylines have played out, Alonso’s ability to claw and grapple his way to the winner’s circle with a certain degree of style and panache, will leave him standing at the top of the table once again, where he has stood for the majority of the season.

In effect, that is one of the major points to consider; Alonso has led the season for the most-part. If anything is to cost him it is the spate of bad luck which has plagued the most recent races of his season. In Belgium the Spaniard nearly lost his head when an overtaking manoeuvre by reckless driver Romain Grosjean ended his race. In a similar but less dramatic fashion, Lotus’ Finn Kimi Raikkonen ran Fernando from the Suzuka Circuit in Japan on the first corner, in a race which saw Vettel claim 1st place.

In this sport, and more particularly, in this season, a six point margin may as well be nothing. Alonso has been

setting the pace for this instalment of the greatest motorsport competition in the world. Barring any more bad luck, Fernando Alonso will restore himself to the head of the table, and bring home the title he has not held in 6 seasons. When you consider the experience, the passion, the prowess and the confident demeanour that Alonso represents, these final four races will be nothing other than a formality to the wily and persistent contender. Throughout this season, there is no one comparable to the model of consistency that Fernando has laid out for himself, and as the climax quickly approaches, his hard work and fantastic skill will evolve once into sheer brilliance. If anyone can put an end to Vettel’s claim to a hat-trick of titles, it will be Fernando Alonso.

Conor Bates Sports Editor

Sebastian Vettel Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel is the odds on favourite to retain the Formula 1 Drivers World Championship which he won in both 2010 and 2011. Looking at recent form, there’s little evidence that can be found to suggest that he won’t.

Vettel won the Korean Grand Prix last weekend, with Red Bull recording their first one-two of the year. This lifts Vettel into the lead of the World Championship for the first time in 2012 leading Alonso by 6 points, which looked impossible just one month ago. It was Vettel’s third win in a row and there are lots of little reasons that add up to make what has clearly been a big step forward in performance in the Red Bull car.

The introduction of a new ‘double DRS system’, improvement in the rear suspension and a slight change in the make-up of the side panels of the car are all reasons for the Red Bull resurgence and although this

may lead to slightly greater wear on the tires as seen in Korea on Sunday, it looks to be a gamble which is very much paying off.

Vettel also has the mental edge over Alonso and this will count for a huge deal when the title race comes down to the crunch.

He has shown that he’s tougher than the Spaniard in recent times and the confidence of winning the last two world titles is really beginning to show in his driving. He knows his car is a couple of tenths of a second quicker than the Ferrari which means he doesn’t panic in races, even if Alonso does build a small lead.

The Red Bull team’s recent reliability record has been extremely impressive; thus he knows going into a race that if he doesn’t finish it’s probably going to be his fault and not the car letting him down!

He is optimistic about winning more races this season, but the young

German is also trying to avoid being over-confident.

When asked about leading the Championship, Vettel announced, “Better than if I were still behind. But what I think is important is that we have to keep things simple. That means that we have to concentrate on ourselves - because we cannot influence what others are doing and starting mind games now about what others will do in the next races is a waste of energy.”

With 100 points still up for grabs in the 2012 season, it’s clearly still a long way from over and Vettel is well aware of this. “It is obvious this season that things can change quite fast, so there is no guarantee that luck will stay on our side. So ‘keep on pushing’ should be our motto for the last four races,” One thing that may count against him is the competition in his own team as Red Bull have stated publically that Mark Webber will

be under no team orders to let Vettel through, should he need to pass his team mate in one of the closing races. It’s hard to imagine this happening in the Ferrari team, who have had no problems in the past with letting team orders dictate results and one just has to think back to the days of Schumacher and Barrichello to recall Barrichello allowing Schumacher through on the final corner to take the chequered flag.

All things considered however, there is no way that Alonso can fend off Vettel and for the remaining four races. I feel it is inevitable that the German will pick up his third world championship come the end of the season and become the youngest ever triple world champion in the process.

Stephen Ludgate Staff Writer

15

The University Times | October 23 2012

UTSPORTS

Frisbee Beginners Soar to Victory Brian Boyle & Conor Hickey Ultimate Frisbee Correspondents TRINITY’S ULTIMATE Frisbee Club won the annual Edinburgh Beginner’s Tournament on October 14th.

Hosted every year since 1991 by Edinburgh University, the indoor tournament saw 32 teams from all over Ireland, England and Scotland competing over two days for the gold, with Trinity College coming out on top. Geared towards players who are new to the sport of Ultimate Frisbee, Edinburgh Beginner’s is a mixed gender five-a-side, two-day tournament. Teams are allowed one experienced player on the pitch at a time.

Trinity entered the tournament seeded 19th out of 32.

Trinity’s first match on Saturday was against their hosts, Edinburgh University, who they managed to defeat 6-2 despite this being the first competitive match for most of the players. The second match of the day was against the second seeds in the tournament, Blaze, which ended in a 4-4 draw.

A tough result considering Trinity were winning 4-2 with just a few minutes left.

The third fixture was against an Edinburgh team that was declared ineligible as they fielded no beginner players. The result of this

match was an 8-3 loss for Trinity, a fair result considering the team they played against had years of playing experience. Due to their ineligibility this game ultimately counted as a win for Trinity, who won their group and were now promoted to the second seed in the tournament. The final match on Saturday was against fellow Irish college, and Dublin rivals, DIT. In a hard fought match by both sides, Trinity managed to come out with a 7-3 win, placing them into the quarterfinals on Sunday morning. DIT would go on to finish 13th out of 32 in the tournament.

Trinity took an early lead in their quarterfinal Sunday morning against Dundee, going up 4-0 after just a few minutes. However, Dundee fought back and managed to tie the match 6-6 as time expired, leaving a sudden death elimination situation. In the “golden goal” style overtime, Trinity player Richard Forrest managed to get open and catch a brilliant goal to give Trinity a 7-6 victory and move on to the semi-finals against Heriot Watt University.

By far the best team Trinity had played so far in the tournament, Herriot Watt

were winning for most of the game, including into the final seconds. However, down 8-7 with just a few seconds left, Trinity managed to force a turn over and Sven Stumpf scored a great goal at the death to force another overtime scenario. Starting the last point on defence, Trinity managed to force a turnover and Connor Henderson manufactured an unbelievable deep goal to win the match 9-8 and advance to the final against Glasgow.

The amount that each player had improved over the weekend was clear in the final as Trinity dominated the match from start to finish, never once losing the lead, and winning in the end 10-5. Every single player put in their best performance, especially Mary Lynch who as Trinity’s only beginner girl needed to play all day Sunday to keep the team eligible. Henderson was voted MVP of the final. Despite injuring his ankle in the semifinal he still remarkably played the whole final game.

This young side did their college and their country proud in becoming the first Irish team to win the Scottish tournament in over 10 years.

While the newest members of the club were busy in Edinburgh, some of the

older members were enjoying their first tournament of the year, the Cork Open.

Saturday dawned dewy and cold on the 9th Annual Cork Open. The field of sixteen this year included a slew of Irish clubs and colleges, as well as a team from Germany and one from France. The Trinity squad was down three key players who were playing for other clubs at the weekend and as such they looked for some of the younger players to step up. The collegiate outfit gave Rebel, a Cork based club, a run for their money in the opening points and got some turnovers from Enda O’Ceileachair and Dave Ferguson. Unfortunately they couldn’t convert and lost to the All Ireland Runners up.

UCC were next up and they took an early lead.

One of the standout plays of the game came when Dave Ferguson snatched an errant swing pass and put a soaring backhand to Enda O’Ceileachair for the score.

Despair struck the Trinity side as Captain Finnian Flood made a huge diving bid for a block and aggravated a back injury, and was thus ruled out for the weekend. Down another key player TCD struggled and lost to UCC. After a tough game against UL, Trinity had a

Trinity’s Ultimate Frisbee Beginners team celebrate fictory in Edinburgh crossover game against the new Limerick club PELT. This was make or break time for the college side as Trinity had to win to stay in the championship bracket. TCD got the deep game working and Leen Tangney took down three scores which

helped the team to trade offense with the embryonic Limerick club. PELT pulled away to 9-7, but in combative style Trinity pulled together and clamped the defense down. With turnovers and four clinical offensive series TCD pulled

out an 11-9 victory to get a quarterfinal match against Ranelagh. This proved to be the final step for the club on this weekend.

Despite Saturday’s successes Trinity struggled with the zone defenses in knock-out rounds and took

8th place overall on Sunday.

They also finished 4th of the college teams who took part, a fair result and a great learning experience for the clubs newer players.

Hurlers Slump in Second Half to Queen’s Final Score Trinity

2-12

Queen’s

3-14

Conor Bates Sports Editor It rained. It poured. It flooded. But not even the dramatic weather conditions of Wednesday would be enough to stop Thursday’s hurling league opener going ahead. With the Trinity home grounds of Clanna Gael Fontenoy and Santry both rained off, the unfamiliar surroundings of Ballymun played host to Trinity’s clash with Queen’s University, Belfast. The college team hoped that the astro pitch by the airport would be the ideal platform to build their

Division 2 season on.

While Queen’s opened the game with a point from a free, Trinity made the more prominent start. In particular, wing forward and Dublin senior Danny Sutcliffe was effective on the attack. He notched a number of points to his name from free-pucs and some creative solo play. Centre forward Cian also recorded a point as the two sides traded early scores. As the game passed 10 minutes, the physicality began to show through in

both teams. Queen’s maintained a very large full-back line, which they used to their advantage on a number of occasions, in particular holding off their respective markers and clearing the ball. Some fine clashes were also evident at the other end of the pitch, with Trinity’s full-back contingent and, notably, centre back Andrew MacDermott making some pivotal interceptions and strikes.

Sutcliffe was very prominent in the second 10 minutes; on a number of occasions he displayed his pedigree by catching the ball, turning his man and driving towards the goal.

The result was usually a point, to counteract the Queen’s attack. In the 18th minute Trinity’s attacking

ascendancy came to a head.

Corner forward Conor Donnegan showed prowess in plucking the ball from the air and powering past his man. As he encountered more defenders closer to the goal, Donnegan chose to attempt a shot at goal. As he was hooked, he drove his shot into the ground, and a deflection sent it into the net. Although the goal itself was somewhat lucky, the home team’s play to this point had warranted a goal.

They fortified their position moments later when a careening run from Paul Halley brought the midfielder inside the 21 metre line. He rifled a shot at the opposition goal, which the ‘keeper blocked away.

Conor Donnegan was on hand to poach his second

goal of the evening. Trinity brought their total to 2-7 by the half, with Queen’s only racking up 9 points. Trinity could have gone even further ahead, notably when a Conor Donnegan hand pass played a teammate through.

The ball however, skidded on the turf and crossed the line for a puc out. Queen’s also pressed on occasion.

In one instance, there was cause for concern as a corner forward rounded his man and bore down on goal. Thankfully, the visiting player lost control of the ball, and Trinity’s defensive unit duly cleared their lines.

The four point lead reflected well on Trinity’s performance. In some ways it was a one man show up front, with Sutcliffe doing the most damage, and

Donnegan chipping in with two efforts. The second half told a different story in terms of the home side’s fortunes.

Queen’s reopened the game with a more pointed attack, and they made an immediate impact. After just two minutes of the second half the Northern forwards overran the Trinity defenders and drove home a goal. The strike was low and hard, leaving Michael Doyle with no chance to prevent it.

They struck again eight minutes later with another fine strike resulting in a goal.

Other scores were sporadic, with Sutcliffe doing some damage, but on the whole, Trinity could not reproduce the rhythm they enjoyed in the first half. At this critical stage in the game Queen’s

began to pull away, and Trinity did not provide a proportionate response.

With ten minutes left, Andrew MacDermott made a marauding run into the opposition half, evading a number of tacklers before winning a free. Sutcliffe slotted the ball over from 25 metres to reduce the margin to one point. Once again though, the visitors’ retaliation was swift and costly. Another powerful drive from Queens’ granted them their third goal of the match.

Despite a save from Doyle, the ball struck the crossbar and found its way into the Trinity net once more.

Doyle was called into action a few minutes later, and this time his save was sublime. He batted the ball with his hurl before pulling it to

safety and clearing it from the goalmouth. As the game closed out, the damage had already been done in terms of the scoreline. With the last action of the game, Sutcliffe struck a free from 35 metres in an audacious attempt on goal. The Queen’s ‘keeper dived to touch it wide, and the game was brought to its end at 3-14 to 2-12.

If the first half display is anything to judge by, Trinity have a bright season ahead on the hurling front. However, the nine point swing in the second thirty minutes will be some cause for concern among the GAA club.

Nonetheless, Trinity know that they have the talent and strength to have a good run at this year’s league.

Caught in a Trap

Despite only losing a handfull of competitive games in his time as Ireland manager, Trappatoni remains under intense pressure.

Fionn O’Dea Deputy News Editor AS A country, we’re used to punching above our weight.

Renowned the world over for our welcoming friendliness and vibrant culture. literary giants, pints of Guinness, U2, Riverdance... Our

global reputation has contributed to an often deserved yet more often exaggerated sense of our own self-worth. Our unrealistic expectations of ourselves have helped garner a people all too quick to self-deprecate. We think too little of our achievements but are

lightning-quick to accentuate our failings.

We have come to think of Giovanni Trapattoni as an incompetent fool; public enemy number one. The man who has driven Irish soccer into the ground. We are spoilt by the standard of our national games and

by a rugby team in competition with only nine other high-level teams worldwide.

By individual excellence in boxing, golf and equestrian sports. We look down on our soccer team, meanwhile, at every opportunity, making the job of satisfying our over-zealous sporting

public nigh-on impossible.

Trap took over an Irish side trying to forget humiliation at the hands of Cyprus and a humbling by San Marino. Since then, he has led his side to consecutive playoffs in his two campaigns in charge, something we had not done in the three prior

campaigns. I’m not firmly in the pro-Trap camp (those that are are becoming harder and harder to come across), but I feel that we give the man too little credit for what we has achieved and still has the potential to achieve.

Our disappointing , indeed calamitous, performance this summer has seemingly caused people to forget that Trap succeeded where Kerr and Staunton failed by bringing Ireland to a major tournament. We may not play the best football, we may not perform convincingly, but we have consistently gotten results (under Trap, we have lost only two qualifying games in two and a bit campaigns).

We underperformed in the summer against some of the world’s best sides. The results were not pretty or in any way satisfying. But for a country of our size, with the players at our disposal, were they truly unpredictable?

As I mentioned, however, I’m not wholly pro-Trap. The evening before the German disaster, I sustained a nasty double fracture in my left arm. Consequently, I had to forego my ticket to see the boys in green to have reparative surgery. For better or for worse, I managed to make it back to my living room in

time to see the match. What transpired over the course of the game was significantly more painful than anything I’d experience in the proceeding 24 hours. I was furious and sickened. In the heat of the moment, I wanted Trapattoni gone.

At times, the man’s relationship with the players has seriously jeopardised the team’s future. Kevin Foley and Darron Gibson are in self-imposed exile, Stephen Kelly needed to be talked onto the plane to the Faroe Islands, while James McCarthy, Marc Wilson and Shane Long have all had public disagreements with the man of late. However, it appears that Trap’s stubborn, uncompromising attitude has given way to some extent. Wilson, McCarthy, Séamus Coleman and Robbie Brady have played increasingly important roles of late. While there is still some way to go (Ciarán Clark’s continuing absence baffles) it is not unthinkable that we keep the same man in charge until the end of this campaign. Whereas for some this is too little too late, the team of the coming era is starting to take shape.

There are also extreme monetary issues to take into account, as an Irish football fan I was relieved to

hear that Trap is being kept on. The FAI is an association in dire financial straits, we could not even afford the cost of a man of Trapattoni’s stature without the support of Denis O’Brien. Firing the manager and his backroom staff would mean paying out upwards of €1.5m, before the cost of hiring a new team is even taken into account. Yet there are some who believe that the answer would be as ludicrously simple as ‘Trap out/Redknapp in’. We can finish second in this group. We are not the favourites to do this but that is simply the inevitability of being third seed in a group. We have a manager under contract and have six points from nine so far, with a game against the top seed out of the way. When did this become an unacceptable position for Irish fans?

I’m not suggesting at all that we should be entirely be content with the status quo.

The humiliation of the Aviva Massacre will live long. I had hoped that the close call against Kazakhstan would be the kick up the backside we very much needed. But we still need to turn a corner. The team needs reparative surgery itself and Trap is our surgeon. For better or for worse.

UTsports

October 23th 2012

Twitter: @Sports_UT

Inside

The Formula One Head-to-head Page 14

Photo by Cat O’Shea/DUPA

DUAFC overcome Enniskerry in trying conditions Final Score DUAFC

1

Enniskerry YC

0

Rory McCarthy Deputy Sports Editor ANY MAJOR sporting event will always bring traveling fans. On Friday the 12th Ireland played Germany in a World Cup Qualifier that saw hundreds of German fans come to Ireland from some football and sightseeing. Trinity College with its historical artifacts like the Book of Kells, splendid architecture and statues of former Provosts will as such attract a great deal of sightseers eager to see our University. So on a Sunday morning a group of German fans with Lonely Planet guides, cameras and rucksacks wandered around the old campus of Trinity observing the many wonders that the history of this

establishment has to offer.

They also bore witness to Dublin University Association Football Club playing Enniskerry YC in College Park. These German tourists may have held notions about Irish football after seeing their technically brilliant and efficient national team swat aside any hopes for qualification or reduction in bailout terms. After seeing the fi rst-half between these two teams they may have contemplated catching the earliest fl ight abandoning all hope that Ireland could produce comparatively competent footballers. It shouldn’t upset these German tourists seeing Ireland mismanage both their

football team and fi nance budget. The Irish, as both their trade competitors and economic burden, should not look to achieve any success that undermines Germany’s hold on European power!

To this point, Trinity had won 4 of their 5 opening games, with 4 clean sheets to their name. They stood in second place, on a fi ne 12 points, with only a loss to table toppers Swords Celtic blighting their record.

Before the game, club captain Darren Burke noted the club’s brilliant start to the year: “It’s been a great start to the season for the club as a whole. All three teams are winning matches, so it’s been successful on all fronts.” Despite a fi ne pedigree in the team they were undeniably sub-standard in the exposition of this encounter.

The real reason for any poor play was essentially

Dónal Óg Cusack addresses packed GMB Jack Leahy News Editor ON WEDNESDAY 3rd October, DU Psychological Society welcomed the most reluctant of superstars in Cork hurling goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack.

A packed GMB heard Cusack’s address on the topic of ‘Becoming Yourself’.

The 35-year-old is widely famous in Ireland as a goalkeeper for his club Cloyne and his county Cork, and a political agitator within the world of hurling. It is an amateur calling but the fame that comes with it is useful in the business of business.

Cusack is also the fi rst openly LGBT high-profi le sportsman or woman in

Ireland, a status that would be burdensome to anyone but him. As PsychSoc chairperson Johanna Clancy succinctly introduces him, this is the man who ‘tore a hole in the fabric of stigma surrounding sexuality’ in Irish sport and Irish society.

The headlines that have welcomed his coming out have ranged from the ludicrous to the laudatory, but they all appear to have come as somewhat of a surprise to him. His invitation to speak sends him crimson red, and his eyes carefully monitor the GMB floorboards for the opening moments of his address.

Opening with a joke about his Cork accent to settle himself, Cusack launches into his twelve-step guide into ‘becoming yourself’, fi rmly rooted in a path divergent to his own.

Ironically, it is his unapologetic, no-fuss approach that has makes him so fascinating. His fi rst lesson is to ‘try and fi nd out why you’re here’, illustrated by his anecdote that when he asked how to get to Trinity earlier in the day, the locals’ advice was to ‘repeat the leaving and lose the accent’.

Number 2: ‘If you hate stereotypes, don’t celebrate

the conditions more than a desire to hoof the ball long and pray for a goal. The rain naturally made it difficult to control the ball and grip became an issue for the teams as players fell and lost balance on countless occasions. Trinity, as the game progressed, hit their natural rhythm and through captain Darren Burke, rightback Andy Cullen and left midfield Gus Shaw Stewart played deft football creating many chances that Niall Bannwell could have done better with. However in the fi rst half Trinity were also guilty of sloppy passing and laboured fi rst touches that too often spilled possession to the opposition. Enniskerry for their part were no better and the fi rst half played in wet and slippy conditions performed a big role in the difficulty both sides had in making any clear chances.

Jonas Loebbing had the best chance midway

through the second half when his chipped attempt went over the keeper; rather unfortunately, it also went over the crossbar. Trinity goalkeeper Ray O’Malley began to take shorter kickouts or went right to playing his centre-backs in an effort for Trinity to hold the ball and build some form of momentum. Cullen was particularly prominent in getting down the wing and putting in some good crosses.

To their detriment, too often the chance was spurned with a heavy touch or a header that was both off-target and lacked enough power to really trouble the Enniskerry defence.

Th rough the impressive Conall O’Shaughnessy and Conor Bobbett, the collegiate side were keeping things orderly and solid at the back and it was encouraging to see how controlled both players remained with the ball at their feet, with

neither averse to playing up the pitch or passing from deep. Trinity’s best chance of the half was a free kick from the left touchline that was played in by Burke.

Bannwell, who was guilty of letting good chances go to waste, probably committed his worst of the day in this instance. Unmarked, pointblank range in front of the goal he skied his kick over the bar. That brought to an end a fi rst half that both the players and the traumatized German tourists would want to forget about.

The second half was a much better affair from a DUAFC perspective with Darren Burke and Chris Allen ensuring possession was not squandered and both Shaw-Stewart, normally a central midfielder playing on the wing on this occasion, and Loebbing began to make marauding runs down their respective flanks. Finally with 60 minutes gone

Munster titles with transvestites’. Few understand the reference, but everyone accepts his advice that that’s all the room need hear.

The talk slowly and surely becomes more serious (‘judge other people by the way they judge people’, ‘how much you cringe looking back depends on how much you learn’) punctuated by his infectious humour (‘you don’t always have to be nice to Canadians’). He is well versed in life’s great educators, quoting a diverse range of philosophies from buddah to Robert Frost to Dónal Óg Cusack.

For a top sportsperson to out himself with such unblinking bravery is rare enough anywhere but Cusack has been the undisputed leader of just about any team he has ever played on. He has been outspoken on player welfare issues in hurling and Gaelic football, the leader of three strikes by

his own team and the lightning rod for more vitriol and abuse than most people could handle, regardless of their sexuality.

However, his very demeanour makes it clear that he maintains a blissful ignorance of the hype. As he says himself, ‘I worry so little about what other people think about [my homosexuality] that I forget that I meet people every day who have a problem with it’. Of fi fteen chapters in his book, only two make reference to his sexuality, a proportion he regards as fitting.

His lessons are a preliminary reporting of self-becoming because he knows that he has not fi nished learning; if he were to return in two years then he would not be rehashing the same speech.

He has lessons for his predominately useful audience, packaging them in that very caveat. ‘Do your time

here; it’ll change you. Move on, and other things will change you’ is a reminder to those of us dedicated to extracurricular pursuits that our world is still but narrow; ‘Being young is like being a kamikaze pilot that always manages to land’ resonates among the room, the whirr and click of minds almost audible.

Gloriously unaware of the effect he has had on the room, Cusack fi nishes by reminding us that ‘you can’t please everyone, not least in Trinity.’ Societies will certainly host bigger names and bigger egos, but few will speak to a room like Cusack did that Wednesday in October.

Loebbing sent in a corner that Bannwell ran onto and met with tenacity. Aimed low and hard the keeper had no chance and Trinity took the lead to make it 1-0.

From then on Trinity continued to press on but were unfortunate not to get more scores. After a questionable opening 45, the team had well and truly found their stride and were coping with conditions better than before. Paddy Doyle was yellow-carded for a late challenge and Burke did well to get up and play on after a cynical and heavy tackle from an Enniskerry substitute who lumbered into Burke recklessly. In the dying moments, Trinity avoided potential heartbreak as an Enniskerry free-kick was deflected for a corner. The game ran out at 1-0 and the DUAFC added another 3 points to their league tally.

After the encounter, Burke spoke to The University

Times, “It was a tough game and a hard fought win. To this point though it’s 14 wins for all of our teams from 19 games, so we’re happy. Today, we got another clean sheet as well, so for now, keep ‘em coming!”

It caps off a good week for Trinity with the First XI also beating RCSI 5-0 in the University Cup with Gus Shaw Stewart grabbing a hatrick with Paddy Meade and Shane Daly completing the scoring. Trinity are also now fielding 3 teams and the Second XI ran out 1-0 winners over Oldchurch FC with Eoin O’Driscoll scoring for them and the Th ird XI beat Blackrock College 2-1. On the 18th the team played their second University Cup game, away to Drogheda FE. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Trinity availing of an own goal from an Eoin O’Driscoll cross.

Photo by Lily McKillop