SUPPLEMENT
STRATEGIC PLAN
OPINION
The Sex Issue
Old Strategies and New
Geoghegan on Intemperance
Trinity’s new five-year strategic plan gets torn apart and reviewed by our team of in-depth and opinion writers, and we look at whether strategic plans actually mean anything at all in strategic plan, page 5 »
Professor Patrick Geoghegan – the architect of Trinity’s admissions study – responds to an Irish Times op-ed and accuses it of taking a cheap shot at the students admitted by the study in opinion, page 15 »
We take a frank look at everyone’s favourite subject: sex. Indulge your carnal desires and get talking about some of the rarer sex issues that still need talking about.
Magazine High Fashion Horror presents itself in the strangest of ways
www.universitytimes.ie
Volume VI, Issue II
Tuesday 21 October, 2014
Funding Cuts put Student Counselling Service at Unprecedented Risk Sinéad Baker CO-EDITOR-AT-LARGE
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oncern has been expressed about the future of the ability of the Student Counselling Service to continue to provide its services at its current standard, The University Times has learned. These concerns come as funds to the service are due to be cut, and as the number of students using the service continues to grow. According to the draft counselling service annual report, dated September 2014, “unprecedented funding cuts and steady referral increases pose a significant, on-going
“
risk” to the service. Similarly, the Student2Student (S2S) programme, Trinity’s peer mentor programme which assigns an older student as a mentor to every Junior Freshman student, and is run by the counselling service, “remains at risk as funding is not consolidated”. The Student Counselling Service provides support to TCD students in terms of counselling for both personal and academic issues. The service co-ordinates the Student2Student peer mentoring programme and Student Learning Development (SLD), which provides support including exam success and self-management techniques. For the academic year 20132014, the counselling service
I can assure you that the Service will do the best it can within its resources to find ways of responding to students’ needs Deirdre Flynn, director of the Student Counselling Service reached 5,700 students, of which 1,904 students received counselling support.
Eight Staff Cut from Philosophy Department Jack Leahy NEWS EDITOR
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he Department of Philosophy has been forced to cut eight members of staff as a result of budget cuts, The University Times has learned. The cuts come as a senior College source within the faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences warns that cuts to be imposed in this academic year have the potential to do “irreversible harm” to
Speaking to The University Times, Deirdre Flynn, director of the counselling service, confirmed that the situation with regard to budget cuts was not “fully clear”, saying: “I understand that there will be reductions on all budgets across the College. As the exact budget cuts have not yet been confirmed, I don’t yet know what the impact on service levels will be”. She further confirmed that: “I can assure you that the Service will do the best it can within its resources to find ways of responding to students’ needs”. These fears come at a time when the counselling service is being used more than ever before. In the year 2011/12, the service saw 1,305 counselling clients, 1,542 in the year
2012/13 and 1,904 clients in 2013/14. In December 2013, The University Times reported that a growing number of students were using the service, with the percentage of Trinity students seeking help from the counselling service increasing from 4.39 per cent in 2005/06 to 7.7 per cent in 2011/12. Due to these increased numbers, and the potential staff shortages that could result from vacancies, resignations, illness and maternity leave, and which “threaten service quality”, over fifty students waited longer than three weeks for an initial appointment with Student Learning Development (SLD). CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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Scholarship Changes to Include General Paper Paul Glynn SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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lans to introduce a “general paper” for students taking the Foundation Scholarship exam have been put on hold by the College until the 2015/16 academic year. The Undergraduate Studies Committee had initially approved the introduction of a general paper in May. The general paper is set to include several essay-type questions to be answered by students in a dedicated exam, and the original concept presented to the committee involved questions not linked to any one subject. The Senior Lecturer, Gillian Martin, has since advised
academics that a general paper should examine material that is related to the candidate’s discipline, but is not on the set curriculum. The move is part of College’s mission to limit the number of Scholars and ensuring the consistency of the scholarship across disciplines. In 2013 it was decided that only senior freshmen students could sit the examinations in an effort to reduce the associated cost. The idea of a general paper was introduced by Dr Patrick Geoghegan, College’s Senior Lecturer at the time, on May 21 2014, with the hope of implementation during 2014/15, at one of the committee’s last meetings of the year. However, due to the proximCONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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Lower Resources Mental Health Week Begins Amid Cuts
teaching activity. Cached web pages show that in April 2014 the Department of Philosophy employed fifteen members of staff on an ‘adjunct’ basis. As of the start of term, that number is five, with two others retained as teaching assistants. One former staff member told The University Times that the faculty is operating “on a shoestring”, and that he foresaw no immediate reinstatement for him or the other members of former staff. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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The Provost’s Manifesto and the Academic Mission
Changing the Definition of the S-Word
Sinéad Baker examines the multitude of promises that the Provost, Patrick Prendergast, made in 2011 when running for election PAGE 14 »
Aisling Curtis says that we should consider other manifestations of smartness – and not just 625 points in the Leaving Cert PAGE 17 »
Photo by EDMUND HEAPHY FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES
The Student Counselling Service As Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union’s Mental Health Week begins, unprecedented cuts to the service become apparent.
NEWS
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SPORT
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MUSIC
M14
FOOD & DRINK
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Jack Leahy
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NEWS EDITOR
FEATURES
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STRATEGIC PLAN
OPINION
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FILM
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SOCIETIES
EDITORIAL
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FASHION
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ONLINE NEWS
Editor: Samuel Riggs Volume 6, Issue 2 ISSN: 2013-261X Phone: (01) 646 8431 Email: info@universitytimes.ie Website: universitytimes.ie
This newspaper is produced with the financial support of Trinity College Students’ Union, but maintains a mutually agreed policy of editorial independence.
Focus on Funding and Curriculum in Strategic Plan
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To contact The University Times write to: The Editor, The University Times, 6 Trinity College Dublin 2
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reformed undergraduate curriculum and the continued diversification of income sources are among the high-level objectives of the 201419 College strategic plan, The University Times can reveal. The plan also asserts that Col-
lege will “maintain, but not grow, its proportionate share of student enrollments”, putting an end to speculation that the College would seek to reduce student numbers and move towards a privatised admissions model. The 83-page document seen by The University Times details the strategic priorities of a number of key areas in College, from research and funding to student life and diversification. It is the first
such document of its kind to be produced during the provostship of Dr Patrick Prendergast and will be launched by Taoiseach Enda Kenny at a ceremony on Wednesday. On the subject of income, the document anticipates a further decrease in exchequer funding of between 9 and 25 per cent. Accordingly, the financial strategy which underpins the new strategic plan considers cost reduction and suf-
ficiency in addition to increased globalisation, commercialisation, philanthropic donations, and online education courses. With regards to curriculum, a number of extensive reforms are proposed. Skills of critical thinking, problem-recognition, problem-solving, adaptability, and effective communication are to be embedded into disciplinary CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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News
llege2 in scussions Relocate ok of lls to New urist Space
The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
News
rsity Times has learned ssions between the Lind College authorities number of proposals een put forward to ins commercial revenue. plans is the potential he Book of Kells from y to a new exhibition ould result in tourists a second fee to view tly increasing the colelated income. ed exhibition space house the Book of Kells ted beneath the BerkeThe library is reportto these plans, due to flooding which occurs Acting Librarian Jessie University Times that o speculate� as to what ces of such an exhibiuld be for the Library, currently still under around any possible e location of the Book
of Kellsâ€?. “The Bursar is leading these discussions, which are ongoing, with final approval by the College Board being the ultimate aim for the Trinity Visitor Experience Masterplan,â€? Mrs Kurtz stated. “The aim has always been to ensure the curatorial responsibility for the Book of Kells; the conservation of the Old Library building and its collections; and the enhancement of the visitor experience.â€? Mrs Kurtz also oered comment on the eect such a project might have on the attractiveness of Trinity for tourists. “The Book of Kells and the Long Room will always be a centrepiece for tourists to Trinity College and this along with the possible creation of a new exhibition space will enhance the visitor experience,â€? she stated. Asked if the Library plans to oppose the college’s plans, Mrs Kurtz refuted this, stating: “The Library is playing an active part in the discussions with the Bursar to ensure the College’s objectives are realized in the context of the Library fulfilling its curatorial role for the collections; building; services to Trinity sta and students; and service to the tourists who visit our College.â€? Recently, the College Board also
Online this Week PHOTO COURTESY OF TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
approved a recommendation which prohibited College services from retaining any income they generate. Funds accumulated are now held by the college and redistributed “in support of teaching, learning and
research� throughout Trinity. As a result, the Library can no longer fund itself from the revenues of the Old Library and the Library Shop. Commenting on this decision, Mrs Kurtz said: “The Library supports teaching,
learning & research and as such has access to these funds for its initiatives and strategic objectives. In addition, the Library’s budget, which had previously been dependent on this income, has been regularized, providing the
Visit www.universitytimes.ie for the full stories
Library with certainty around its annual spend.� Head of Research Collections and Keeper of Manuscripts at the Library, Bernard Meehan, was unwilling to comment on the proposals.
College Confirms Departure of Communications
rd Gives Preliminary Approval to the Use of ‘Trinity College, Director University of Dublin’ Despite Opposition Bernard Mallee, the Director of
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a meeting oard of Tringe regarding name-change ege, the Uniin’ on March ersity Times by a spokesnity that “The College gave proval to the today�. This ite extensive the move ber of inter-
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Trinity College, The University of Dublin - Identity Development
In a Year, Demand for Accomodation Assistance Doubles
Trinity An InitiativeCollege in Identity– various logotypes Communications and MarketCurrent Logotype ing for TCD, is due to leave his position effective from the end of this month. The consultative New Logotype Pre-approved by Board Afterprocess details on the of the new Identity Initiative Trinity ColĂĄiste na proposed Eleanor O’Mahony has been logo for the colTrĂonĂłide College extensive, and Trinity Colourways - Revised Colours Blue and White The University of Dublin lege our were leaked by both CONTRIBUTING WRITER deliberations with the College The community University Times and Current University Shield New Two-colour Shield continue the Irish Times, because this is a Mallee faced shared identity. Symbol Book Symbol increasing criticismBook from both emand for the TrinBernard Mallee, Director of students and ity College Dublin StuCommunications and Fellows as well as maMarketing jor news outlets. dents’ Union (TCDSU) Bible Replaced with an ‘Open Book’ Accommodation Advisory Service has more than doubled since last year, The University Taking Steps Towards Marriage Equality Times has learned. In 2013, 997 It’s a simple fact that those under students used the service com25 overwhelmingly support the pared to 2,005 this year. The introduction of equal marincrease reflects what is an escariage for gay and straight lating rental crisis in Dublin. The service, which is now couples, but it’s also true closed for 2014 and is due to reothat those under 25 are the pen in January 2015, opened this least likely to vote. Cormac year on the 5th of August and Shine spells out what stureceived 750 emails, 571 phone dents can do if they want calls and 578 visitors during its to make a difference in the first nine weeks of operation. spring referendum and breaks The service hired another down the SU’s endeavour to get as company, collegeliving.ie, to many people to register as possible in preparahelp provide accommodation tion for next spring. for TCD students in order to deal with this increased demand. This company secured It’s A Chaplain’s Life 60 extra beds in Marino Student Accommodation. Ian Mooney, Sarah Galvin interviews Julien TCDSU Welfare Officer, also “Joolsâ€? Hamilton, Trinity’s distributed 20,000 flyers to methodist chaplain, about what the Chaplaincy can do for students. While it may not be the first place that pops to mind when one needs to destress and socialise, Galvin takes a look at how people from all religions use House 27 for more than its Nutella sandwiches on a Tuesday.
tions of the Fellows regarding the rebranding, which were covered in The University Times earlier this year, Director of Communications & Marketing Bernard Mallee said: “The consultative process on the Identity Initiative has been extensive, and our deliberations with the College community continue because this is a shared identity. Our consultation with many internal groups, including with Fellows, has been very constructive, and it has helped us improve the work we have been doing on a new logotype for College.� However despite claims of a cohesive identity within Trinity and a “very constructive� consultation process, several bodies within the college, notably the Fellows and the Students’ Union, have raised objections to the proposed name. The name-change was rejected by the SU Council at a recent meeting and in light of the new developments, SU President Tom Lenihan told The University Times: “The process has been a war of attrition in order to break down any opposition to the change. Students have rejected the proposals from the initiative and any consultation from students has been disregarded.� Similarly, Dr Eoin O’Dell, a Fellow of Trinity College,
stated: “I am not sure that I would say that the consultation between the College and the Fellows on this issue has been ‘very constructive’ at every stage. For ex-
“
ed to those groups. In it, the randum that there are cirFellows argued that where cumstances in global marthe name ‘Trinity College keting, especially within Dublin’ already has “strong the remit of the Global recognition and historic Relations OďŹƒce, where awarenessâ€?, such as in ex- the term ‘university’ is of isting local, European and great importance, so that Anglophone markets, for using a formula like ‘Trinall academic purposes, and ity College, the University for all bibliometric activi- of Dublin’ makes a great a ties, it should continue to deal of sense, we think that be used. It is believed that there are local, European the Board decided last week and Anglophone markets to continue to use the name and academic purposes 31 Trinity College, The University of Dublin - Identity Development ‘Trinity College Dublin’ for for which the traditional formula ‘Trinity College bibliometric purposes. Dr O’Dell further com- Dublin’ should continue to mented: “We are, of course, be able to be used, and we very grateful that some hope that Board’s decision Requirements for the new Identity of the concerns which we on Wednesday allows for that.â€? raised in Trinity that College, memoranThe University of Dublin - Identity Development The Identity13Initiative has dum were addressed by Trinity College, The University of Dublin - Identity Development Board on Wednesday, and been ongoing since August we look forward to play- 2013, with a focus on how ing our part on the further Trinity is perceived by interconsultation relating to the nal and external audiences. Our proposed identity must: College & University logo- Its aim is to establish a ĹĽ %H IRUZDUG IDFLQJ ĹĽ 5HVSHFW FHOHEUDWH WKH SDVW Proposed “more consistent identityâ€? type.â€? ĹĽ %H ĆŽW IRU SXUSRVH DFURVV DOO FKDQQHOV Blue Ĺ› RƲLQH RQOLQH Dr O’Dell continued: “It is and a “shared narrativeâ€? for White ĹĽ )ROORZ EHVW SUDFWLFH ĹĽ %H DFFHVVLEOH unclear as yet as to whether the college to replace the ĹĽ %H VFDODEOH ĹĽ 8WLOLVH UHDO HVWDWH WR PD[LPXP HĆŹHFW IRU Board has taken further “fragmented, disjointedâ€? stand out ĹĽ %H HĆąFLHQW HĆŹHFWLYH FRVW HĆŹHFWLYH decisions, such that one entity which currently exto reproduce or the other of these us- ists. In doing so, those in%H LQ OLQH ZLWK WKH DJUHHG FUHDWLYH GLUHFWLRQ ages should be a default to volved with the Initiative which the other is an excep- have proposed to eliminate tion. So until we get the of- variations of the name of ficial minutes of the meet- the college and conform ining, or the Provost makes stead to one title. The unian oďŹƒcial communication versity is currently referred to the College Community, to by a number of names, we are a little in the dark including ‘Trinity College about this. But it is an im- Dublin’, ‘Trinity College’, ‘The University of Dublin’, portant issue. “For example, whilst we ‘Dublin University’, and accepted in our memo- ‘TCD’. 4
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ample, we felt it necessary to send our memorandum to the Provost in February because we did not think our views were being listened to at that stage.� The memorandum in question was issued for the attention of Council and Board but was not circulat-
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Trinity Professor Shane O’Mara Wins ₏1.2 million Research Grant Shane O’Mara, a Trinity Professor of Experimental Brain Research, has become the first Irish recipient of the Senior Investigator Award which recognises and supports exceptional world class researchers. Professor O’Mara, currently the Director of the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, will be working in partnership with Professor John Aggleton of Cardiff University after they jointly received the Senior Investigator Award. They aim to greater understand brain systems by exploring the effects of brain damage on memory loss and how interactions within the brain support memory.
Student Counselling Service, Including S2S, at Risk Due to Unprecedented Funding Cuts and Increased Demand ÂŤ continued FROM page 1 According to the report, the counselling service has also lost its full-time co-ordinator which has resulted in a decrease in workshop service provision. The report also outlined the importance of the service to students. In a feedback survey circulated to counselling clients, over half cited counselling as a factor in remaining in Trinity, and over 70 per cent said services offered by the counselling service were a factor in helping them develop skills applicable to future employ-
ment. Speaking to The University Times, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union Welfare Officer Ian Mooney said that: “The student counselling service is a vital service for all students in Trinity. Cuts to the service would have a very damaging effect on many students who rely on the service to receive support throughout their time in Trinity and, in some cases, to stay in College�. The report suggests that, in order to combat these developments, they plan to investigate supplementary funding and to undertake a full quality review.
households in local areas to appeal to them to rent out rooms to students which resulted in 200 extra beds being provided. However, Mooney believes that this is ‘a short-term solution to a long-term problem’. The service was set up by Orlaith Foley, an ex Welfare Officer of TCDSU, who continues to co-ordinate the service with the current Welfare Officer, Ian Mooney. Two other students are employed by the service. It serves to advise students on how to go about searching for accommodation. It also connects students to landlords, families renting rooms (‘digs’), and other students who are looking for accommodation. This year the Accommodation Advisory Service noted a trend in higher rent prices. According to a report by the service, students paid an average of â‚Ź550 per month for accommodation, excluding utilities. Mooney claimed that more students chose to live in digs this year as it was the affordable option. He also added that some students had been victims of scams, ar-
riving in Dublin to find themselves without accommodation and their deposits paid. According to daft.ie, the availability of accommodation in Ireland went down by 40 per cent this year. With more young professionals choosing to live in Dublin and the rise in student numbers, there has been an increasing number of people searching for accommodation with a limited number of places available. Provost Patrick Prendergast expressed concern about the availability of accommodation at a Q&A hosted by TCDSU and the Phil on Monday 6th October. He told students that different properties were being looked at for purchase by the college as part of a plan to build more student accommodation. The Dean of Students has confirmed that Oisin House, on Pearse Street, will be refurbished to provide 300 rooms for students. These new installments should serve to ease the problem within a few years but the service remains concerned about 2015.
Philosophy Department Loses Eight Adjunct Staff ÂŤ continued FROM page 1 While he sympathised with the “hand-to-mouthâ€? existence of particular departments, he commented that this only “adds to the uncertainty already inherent to the tenuous academic survival of non-permanent staffâ€?. Adjunct staff typically work on short-term, parttime contracts in supplement to other academic activity. As employment control frameworks restrict the number of staff in full-time employment, they have been used in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences faculty to deliver essential module components like lectures and tutorials. Such frameworks in the public sector were imposed as a condition of the EUIMF bailout and restrict the number of staff hired on core state funding. Neither Faculty Dean Darryl Jones nor the College Communications Office responded to a request to clarify the level of cuts faced by schools in the faculty. However, a wellplaced source within the
faculty spoke on Thursday to express their concern that a faculty already at “breaking point� would suffer irreversible harm should planned cuts be implemented. The source also expressed concern for the Department of Drama, who are understood to have been operating with reduced staffing levels for a number of years, and Social Work, whose plight was highlighted in an external review and reported in The University Times last month. Speaking to The University Times, Head of the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy and Chair of Moral Philosophy, Peter Simons, confirmed that the Philosophy department had been forced to operate without the additional staff due to budget cuts: “The drop in numbers is indeed due to a budget cut. Responsibility is not univocally attributable: all instances above School level, from government to faculty, have had a hand in enforcing or being forced to accept cuts, the ultimate perpetrators being irresponsible bankers.�
Up to ₏25,000 Spent on College Board’s Move from Paper to iPads Carla King-Molina JUNIOR EDITOR
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t the cost of up to â‚Ź25,000, the Board of Trinity College Dublin has invested in an app which will allow it to conduct its business electronically using tablet devices. The move to digital documentation was approved at the September 17th meeting. The College has cited benefits such as environmental and financial gains as well as more efficient use of college resources and staff. Informal estimates place the cost of the development at between â‚Ź15,000 and â‚Ź25,000, depending on the sophistication of the cloud element of the technology. However, iPads will not be
provided for and Board members are asked to meet the price of the tablet from their own individual budgets. The office of the Secretary to College will purchase the devices on behalf of members, who can choose to loan the device for the duration of their term. Board members are usually allowed to claim all expenditure relating to the performance of their duties but less than â‚Ź100 was claimed in the last academic year. Several similar apps that enable board members to access meeting agendas and documents exist on the market but security appears to be a serious priority to the College. Indeed, Apple iPads are the tablet of choice following an analysis of security, accessibility, and distribution imperatives. Various factors make an im-
pact on the price of developing the app, with anything from app icons to the aesthetics of the app itself actually affecting the cost. Despite the costs of the application, the Board has affirmed its importance for circulating Board documentation efficiently and, after exploring the practices of other educational providers, this became the preferred option. Training for Board members has also been organised as the rollout is managed by the Secretaries Office but overseen by the College IT Security Officer and IS Services. A dual system of document circulation will be followed for the month of November to lessen any issues arising due to the changeover. Electronic circulation has only been planned for the December
meeting of the Board, and in addition to the training sessions, IS Services will be on hand for 45 minutes at the beginning of each meeting to answer any user queries. If the Executive Officer Group
agrees that the application has been a success, a review will be conducted in the next academic year where the group will decide whether the application should be rolled out to all Principle Committees of the College.
Scholarship Exams to Include General Paper from Next Year ÂŤ continued FROM page 1 ity of the next scholarship exams, the need for a period of departmental consultation to establish an effective means of incorporating the paper into each course (particularly in two-subject moderatorship and multidisciplinary courses), and time needed to make amendments to the College Calendar in light of these changes, the paper’s introduction has been delayed until at least the 2015/16 academic year. A memorandum distributed to the Undergraduate Studies Committee by Dr Geoghegan proposed that the general paper “would consist of 24 questions, with candidates required to answer 3 over 3 hoursâ€?, further noting that “the questions will not generally be based on any specific course of study, but will be along the lines of the Entrance Fellowship examination taken by students at All Souls
College, Oxford�. The memorandum included a sample general paper, with twenty-four exemplars of broad questions to be answered in an essay format, including “Should intellectuals tweet?�, “Should prisoners be allowed to watch television?� and “Should tackling corruption be the first priority for developing countries?� Students would have been asked to answer any three of the questions on the paper. Amy Worrall, Secretary to the Scholars, and Gillian Crowe, Assistant Secretary to the Scholars, raised a number of issues with the general paper. They argued that it would be better suited to students used to essay-based learning in College, and that such a paper would show students’ excellence on a broader level, rather than strong academic achievement specifically in their chosen field. On the issue of the latter, Worrall said: “In principle, we have no issues with the concept, but
“
It’s looking for exceptional candidates who will join a long list of distinguished alumni who became part of the College’s body corporate such as Edmund Burke Prof. Patrick Geoghegan, former Senior Lecturer [we] do think that Scholarship is grounded in the ability to perform to an academically excellent standard in your chosen field. As such, we have voiced concerns about the manner in which a general paper might be
implemented.� Worrall further added that the general paper “must be carefully introduced and monitored and possibly in conjunction with other alterations to the format and/or running of the Scholarship Examinations.� Despite their concerns raised about the proposed addition to the Schols exam, reactions among the scholars have been fairly positive, with Worrall further remarking that: “We are however very happy with the level of consultation and involvement that we have and will continue to have on the proposal as it develops.� It would appear that the Scholars are not alone in their objections. The idea was met with some consternation when first proposed, and the minutes of the most recent meeting of the committee note academics’ “unhappiness that the policy was going ahead despite the strong academic arguments in opposition to a general paper
which had been raised at various fora. “ In the memorandum to the Undergraduate Studies Committee, Geoghegan says that the Scholarship exam “is explicitly intended to be ‘a searching examination’, and is not just looking for the cohort of first-class candidates who might be found in an end-of-year examination, but a subset of that group, exceptional candidates who will join a long list of distinguished alumni who became part of the College’s body corporate such as Edmund Burke and Mary Bourke (Robinson)�. The implementation of a general paper would, according to Geoghegan, allow for the college to “be more confident about the caliber and the consistency of the Scholarships it creates�. The issue of establishing the general paper, as well as other issues, will be raised again at the next two meetings of the Undergraduate Studies Committee in late October and November.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
News
Joe Duffy Launches Med Day Patrick Lavelle COLLEGE AFFAIRS EDITOR
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MED DAY PHOTO
Former Students’ Union President and broadcaster Joe Duffy meets with Consultant Microbiologist Tom Rogers, Antoinette Perry from St James’s Hospital, current Students’ Union President, Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne, and medical students involved with Med Day.
ed Day – Trinity’s largest single fundraising event – was officially launched last Thursday by Joe Duffy in the Biomedical Science Institute. Run by Trinity fourthyear medical students, Med Day sets out to raise money for different medical causes and “to give back to the hospitals and patients that provide much of our practical training”. Med Day’s patron, broadcaster and former Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) President, Joe Duffy, commended the participating students saying “here we have students taking initiative, and using their energy and talents to generate funding in times where no one has money for themselves, never mind
charity”. He spoke of the patients who “assist in teaching students because they know that one day, the student will take up the mantle” and called the initiative “a humble act, one the patients themselves may not be aware of”. The launch was well attended by students, staff and guests alike. Students had the opportunity to meet some of this year’s beneficiaries, Professor Tom Rogers and Dr. Antoinette Perry from the Microbiology Department and the INM in St. James’s Hospital respectively. TCDSU President and medicine student Domhnall McGlackenByrne was also present. Supported by AIB, the proceeds from this year’s event will go to Palliative Care and Superbug Therapy in St. James’s Hospital, as well as Prostate Cancer Detection and Crohn’s
Treatment. The committee hope to raise in excess of €50,000. The annual oneday fundraising event will take place on November 7th, when over 600 medical students will take to the streets of Dublin to collect money. Funds are also being raised through other methods such as on-campus fundraising activity, a talent show and raffle. Now in its thirteenth year, Med Day has raised over €500,000 since 2002 for local health services and has become an important day in the calendar of the School of Medicine, getting staff, students and consultants alike involved in fundraising efforts. Proceeds have helped improve outcomes for patients, be it by helping to purchase up-todate equipment, or by helping to increase awareness of the health issues at hand. Last year approximately €46,000 was raised.
Geoghegan Rebuts former CAO Manager’s Criticism Paul Glynn SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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ormer Senior Lecturer Patrick Geoghegan has rebutted criticism of Trinity’s pilot scheme in third-level admissions. Former general manager of the Central Applications Office (CAO) John McAvoy claimed in the Irish Times that Trinity’s alternative admissions feasibility scheme, which was introduced this year for some admissions into History; Law; and Ancient and Medieval History and Culture, was to the detriment of students who would have obtained
the points necessary for these courses under traditional admission circumstances. The study allowed admissions administrators to consider contextual data relating to an applicant in addition to prior academic attainment. Participants in the study were also assessed by their performance relative to their classmates and a personal statement. According to McAvoy, the Leaving Certificate points-based system is fairer for admission into thirdlevel education. McAvoy criticised TCD’s incorporation of a personal essay into the application, stating that personal expression can be equally seen in a student’s Leaving
Reformed Undergraduate Curriculum and and Focus om Income Sources in Strategic Plan « continued FROM page 1
Certificate English examination. He adds that the credibility of such essays could be questionable, and asks: “Exactly how will Trinity become better acquainted with the student by reading an essay? Assuming that the student wrote it”. McAvoy also questioned the scheme’s assessment of students’ “special circumstances” such as illness, achievements and extracurricular involvement, claiming that it would be difficult to compare the circumstances and achievements of one student to those of another. Speaking to The University Times, Dr Geoghegan, who devised the scheme in 2012 under the direction of the Provost during his tenure
and multi-disciplinary programmes, while under the ‘Trinity Education’ policy document students will soon be required to undertake an independent research project in their final years. The document also promises a closer working relationship with industry,
as Senior Lecturer, dismissed the article, claiming that “the general reaction to the feasibility study has been overwhelmingly positive, including from the Minister for Education in her recent interview to the The University Times”. He added that: “As part of the study we wanted to gauge public reaction to it, so in a way John McAvoy’s piece is now part of that study, and it has been very helpful in that way in identifying some of the old-fashioned concerns and insecurities about attempting to reform the points race”. Geoghegan further stressed that the key factor in the implementation of the admissions scheme on
but stops short of committing to replicate popular integrated internship programmes available in DCU and UCD. Other priorities include the cultivation of entrepreneurial skills, reformed assessment models, and the renewal of a commitment to a “research-inspired cur-
riculum”. The commercial element of the plan details the proposed development of a ‘Trinity Visitor Experience’ which would focus on maximising the revenue drawn from the College’s various literary and historical collections. The College also intends
a trial basis was that it was “completely anonymous, free from any kind of external influence, was independently assessed, and has followed international best practice and approaches used in leading international universities to test if there is a fairer and a better system than the current one”. He added that students who achieved places in the scheme “excelled in an incredibly rigorous and robust process”. Geoghegan addresses McAvoy’s claims further in an op-ed piece in this newspaper. Prof. Patrick Geoghegan
to develop its access and diversification policies, with the objective of increasing the representation of minority groups by 7 per cent to an overall 30 per cent of the student body. This objective extends to the existing global relations strategy, which is to focus on attracting non-EU students.
EDITORIAL PAGE 15 OPINION PAGE 15
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Strategic Plan In a special four-page section, we review the contents of the new strategic plan in depth, and look at how Trinity has done in following up on the objectives of the 2009–2014 Strategic Plan. SPECIAL PAGE 6
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Grades Are Based on Merit, College Insists Patrick Lavelle COLLEGE AFFAIRS EDITOR
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here is “internal consistency” in the awarding of first and upper second-class honours degrees across the past ten years, Trinity College Dublin has said. The comment has been offered as a response to a recent Irish Times report that Trinity students are more likely to graduate with a first or 2.1 degree than students in any of other Irish universities. It stressed that in each of these years, “the degree award represents the students’ achievements, based on merit”. In response to a request for com-
ment by The University Times, a College spokesperson said that it is “important to note that the work submitted for a degree award represents the students’ achievements, based on merit.” “The work submitted for a degree award (including examinations and continuous assessment) is subject to external scrutiny in the form of external examiners who are discipline experts, serve for a period of three years and are appointed from leading universities”. Last week, the Irish Times reported that 71.7 per cent of Trinity students had graduated with a first or upper second-class honours degree over the past ten years. In some departments these figures rose significantly fur-
ther, with over 80 per cent of Trinity law graduates receiving a first or 2.1, and with only eight out of 301 psychology graduates failing to achieve such degrees. Addressing the psychology figure, College said: “Psychology in Trinity attracts exceptionally bright cohorts of students, who in the four years of the degree, achieve a very high standard which is vetted by a wide range of external examines. We repeatedly ask these external examiners from a range of respected academic institutions, who read and double-mark exam papers and research projects, to check whether the degree classes awarded are justified. Uniformly and consistently they say they are”.
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Rather than diminishing the hard work of thousands of students each year, perhaps attention should be turned to the employers fuelling the trend, where a potential employee’s competence and worth are apparently the sum of their degree award. Katie Byrne, TCDSU Education Officer
Responding to the article which she felt “seems [falsely] to imply that these grades are not a genuine reflection of academic ability”, Trinity College Student’s Union Education Officer, Katie Byrne, said that to refer to these reported figures “as ‘Grade Inflation’ is rather misleading and pretty insulting to any student who has worked their fingers to the bone for 4 years to achieve their degree”. She added: “Rather than diminishing the hard work of thousands of students each year, perhaps attention should be turned to the employers fuelling the trend, where a potential employee’s competence and worth are apparently the sum of their degree award”.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
News
Library Plans Innovation and Research in Strategy Sarah Ledden SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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igitalisation, multi-disciplinary collaboration and adaptive development are fundamental over the next five years to allow the library to adequately function and compete as a 21st-century research library, according to documents obtained by The University Times. In accordance with the university’s Strategic Plan, library staff and researchers are preparing for changes to represent the university’s strategic priorities, such as technology-enhanced education, exploratory innovation and entrepreneurship, to improve Trinity’s national and international appeal. The Library aims to identify the needs of students and researchers through longitudinal observational studies of physi-
cal and virtual interactions and user feedback. This information will be used to create a versatile environment which reflects the expectations and the changing behaviours of users based on technological advances in teaching, research and study methods. The library intends to develop in light of the expectations of students, staff and researchers and align with the academic priorities, as outlined in the University Strategic Plan, and research needs of the university Schools. The perception of the library by external audiences will also strongly influence the design of these developments. Digitalisation of the library is highlighted as a key attribution to Trinity’s success. The library intends to facilitate this digital progression by expanding the available online catalogue and digital resources, increase efficiency and effectiveness of search tools and advance the infrastructure and access to digital
collections to increase global access. It also hopes to enhance and expand the range of online services, tutorials and support available for research, teaching and learning. Expansion of virtual tours and content of exhibitions for external audiences would also be a vision of the digital advancement of the library. The priorities of the library over the coming years include more constructive use of space, both for student use and exhibition presentation, and increased preservation of research collections. Spaces within the BLU, Hamilton and Sterne libraries will be reconsidered to foster different styles of teaching and learning and promote student experimental and collaborative learning. With a vision that the library should become a core of the Trinity College community, it is hoped that the library can facilitate both study and social zones for both international and local students. A large part of the strategic development of the Trinity College library concerns audience perception and presentation of library services to visitors, researchers and potential students to increase the appeal and reputation of Trinity College and connect the public with the academic life of the university. One of the challenges set by the plan is to define the visitor world-heritage experience uniquely from the context of a university.
This development of the visitor experience could implement the reallocation of space to include the creation of an exhibition hall in the Berkeley Library to showcase student-curated exhibitions and Trinity content and the removal of temporary exhibitions from the Long Room to facilitate increased conservation. It is also proposed that TCD academic research is displayed more publicly through screens around campus. Key considerations for the library to enable these improvements is the adoption of a risk-based approach and creating adequate funding strategies. It is outlined that each strategic priority will be individually risked assessed and reviewed to identify it’s potential impact and probability of success and achievement. Risk assessment and management of collections will be of an internationally recognised standard to minimise the risk of damage and mitigation of collections and content of the library. One of the biggest risks the Library hopes to avoid is risks to the university if the library is not taken to the next level to compete as a 21st learning space. An intricate funding strategy is to be developed in the coming months but it is expected that entrepreneurial partnerships,collaboration with the government, identification of national and international grants, as well, as investigative income generation methods will be considered.
In the Supplement What Gets You Off? Sinéad Loftus takes a look at some of the more unconventional things that influence attraction. S6
Passion In The Kitchen Our Food Editor Robert Greene brings you the best recipes and aphrodisiacs to spice up your life in the kitchen and the bedroom. S8
The Cost of Pornography Jane Fallon Griffin casts a critical eye over the pornographic business and the darker side of the sexual experience. S10
In the Magazine The LGBT Lonely Hearts of Lisdoonvarna “This is a way of redefining Irishness. To show you don’t have to be GAA-playing, Aran jumper-wearing, Guinness-drinking man. It’s a nice illustration that we are all just the same.” — Panti Bliss M8
Former Politics Society Chair to Contest Ógra Fianna Fáil Position Catherine O’Callaghan SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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ohn Keating, a final-year student of Business, Economics and Social Studies, has announced that he will be contesting a major position in Ógra Fianna Fáil. Keating, last year’s chairperson of the Politics Society, will contest the position of Policy and Campaigns officer at next
month’s National Youth Conference. Keating told The University Times: “Ultimately I decided to run for Ógra’s Policy and Campaigns officer as I felt that the organisation has to transform this office from one which dictates Ógra policy to members to one which facilitates memberdriven policy. “ In his initial Facebook post announcing his intention, and in speaking to The University Times, Keating outlined the
main ways in which he plans to improve Ógra Policy and Campaign structure. These included empowering Cumainn – local branches – to give them the ability to turn ideas into policies and campaigns, reaching out to groups who specialise in youth issues in order to incorporate their expertise into Ógra campaigns and, according to Keating, “thereby improve the likelihood of successful policy interpretation.” Keating also stated that he
believes in consolidating what Ógra stands for with an easily accessible policy book: “I firmly believe that Ógra as a political movement needs to consolidate what we stand for.” “Too often there is confusion over our official stance on a number of key policy areas and ultimately I believe this hurts recruitment and leads to friction within the organisation. Such a move will create debate, but this is not something to be purposely avoided as debate
Trinity Academics Awarded Teaching Hero Prizes Paul Martin CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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wo Trinity academics were recently awarded Student Led Teaching Awards. Dr Nicola Marples of the Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences and Professor Stephen Connon of the School of Chemistry received the “Teaching Hero” awards at a special ceremony in Dublin Castle on 30th September. The awards, in their inaugural year, seek to recognize teaching staff in higher education institutions and “celebrate the impact that teachers in Higher Education are having on their students’ learning at a key transition”. Dr Marples said that she was “delighted to get the award, though somewhat embarrassed”, saying that there were many other deserving winners in the School of Natural Sciences. The awards differ from other already-existing awards given by different bodies in that they are awarded by students who nominate the teaching staff individually. The awards do not seek to replace other pre-existing awards or recognize achievements already within the realms of other awards. Instead, the awards seek to reveal the way in which students experience excellent teaching and recognise teaching staff for their positive interaction with this experience. Dr. Marples appreciated in particular
USI PHOTO
the student-led nomination process: “The students are the best placed people to know which lecturing techniques work and which ones don’t, so I was very pleased that the nomination process was entirely centred on the students’ opinions. It’s nice to be recognized by those you set out to help.” The awards were established by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Working with the USI and other student groups, the Student Led Teaching Awards are awarded to up to two teachers from various higher education institutions across Ireland. Following the individual student nominations, local working student groups identi-
fied the ‘Teaching Heroes’ from each institution who would receive the award. 23 ‘Teaching Heroes’ from 27 institutions were honoured at the awards ceremony. Trinity Students Gina Mcloughlin and Emmet Sheerin presented the Teaching Hero awards to Professor Connon and Dr. Marples at the ceremony in Dublin Castle. Attending the ceremony were USI President Laura Harmon and Minister for Education Jan O’ Sullivan TD. Also at the ceremony was former President Mary McAleese, who is Patron of the National Forum. Ms. McAleese delivered the keynote speech which highlighted the importance of inspirational teachers to higher-level education.
and engagement on the values of Ógra will ensure that our official policy will be able to adapt, in real time, to the values of Ógra members.” The Policy and Campaigns officer sits on Ógra’s Central Officer Board, which is responsible for running the organisation. Ógra Fianna Fáil was founded in 1975 as the youth wing of Fianna Fáil, The Republican Party. Membership is open to anyone between the ages of 16 and 30, either in higher education in-
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I firmly believe that Ógra as a political movement needs to consolidate what we stand for John Keating
stitutions or in any constituency around the island of Ireland. Keating has served on staff for The University Times, previously co-directing the groundbreaking 1,131-person poll during The Leadership Race last February, which accurately predicted the results of each sabbatical officer race. Elections for Officer Positions are held at the National Youth Conference, taking place this year on the 7th and 8th November in Clane, Co. Kildare.
The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
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The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
Strategic Plan NEW STRATEGIC PLAN
First Strategic Plan Since Financial Crisis in Changing Landscape Plan shows ever-increasing will to be a major player in community, national, and international spheres. Dónal Ring, Sinéad Baker and Jack Leahy
Enhancing and Diversifying the Student Experience The College has ambitions plans to reform the curriculum and further globalise the student body.
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he first section of the strategic plan is divided up into three sections: “Strengthen Community”, “Promote Student Life” and “Renew the Trinity Education”. The section is particularly student-focused, addressing issues such as the curriculum and the transition from second to third level education, creating a more diverse student community and enhancing the “student experience”. The section begins with “Strengthen Community”, which primarily deals with students. Trinity plans to look at its policies with regards to admissions and access in order to “create a diverse and cosmopolitan community”. College plans to increase the number of students from “under-represented groups enrolled in undergraduate courses” to 25% by 2019. Diversifying the types of students that enrol in Trinity, including those from different parts of Ireland and other EU countries, is of central importance to these plans. The College’s plans to increase the number of non-EU students are outlined here, a strategy which has received considerable attention over the last few years. College plans to increase the number of non-EU students in Trinity from 7.8% in 2012 to 18% in 2019. This shall be achieved in the second phase of the Global Relations Strategy. The advantages of this development that are listed include preparing “all students for a life of global citizenship” and introducing “students to a global dialogue”. Among the high-level internationalisation objectives is the establishment of affiliate campuses abroad. A tentative venture into this territory was made last year with the foundation of Science Gallery International, which saw the opening of Science Gallery exhibition spaces in Moscow and Mumbai, while the College partners with Singapore Institute of Technology in the awarding of physiotherapy and occupational therapy degrees. Emerging nonEU super-economies like Brazil, Russia, India, and China are likely to be among the prioritised locations. Addressing the difficulties faced by the transition from second to third-level education is included in the plan. College plans state that the number of students continuing from first to second year will increase from 84% in 2012 to 90% in 2019, although it does not outline its strategy for achieving this increase. College is to place a new emphasis on online learning, and is to increase the number
of student online learners to 1,000 across up to twenty courses. These will focus primarily on postgraduate students and continuous professional development courses and address pedagogical developments and revenue imperatives. The educational experience is to be changed to reflect the changing nature of education in the 21st century, including a flexible curriculum, and a global reach via MOOCs – open-access courses that will be provided in the areas where Trinity has recognised global excellence. Curriculum reform is dealt with in its own dedicated section, and the plan promises wide-ranging changes to the College’s teaching and learning strategy. With the objective of ensuring “that our curriculum evolves in light of new discoveries in disciplinary knowledge”, the plan denotes a desire to maintain a strong research-led foundation and capitalise on the innovation, prowess, and academic quality of staff members. Student-led and peer-to-peer activities are to be expanded, “through which critical life-skills are developed”. Reform of assessment and learning outcomes leads the agenda. In recognition of the evolving demands of industry and other stakeholders beyond the skills of traditional academia, students will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in teamwork, communications skills, and independent research throughout the course of their degree. Such learning outcomes will be embedded across programmatic curricula, regardless of the specific modular route chosen by a student. In the case of independent research, within the term of the strategic plan students will be expected to complete dissertation or final-year projectstyle projects in their final years. The idea has ruffled academic feathers but is a major priority of the plan’s leadership. This is linked to College’s new Innovation and Entrepreneurship Strategy, in which employable skills such as creativity and risktaking are to be introduced into the curriculum and partnerships with business to be improved in order to provide opportunities for exchange, internships and placements. Connections with alumni are to be strengthened in order to create “mutually beneficial relationships” for both future and current alumni. This is to be achieved via initiatives such as the Global Graduates Forum, founded last year, and further opportunities for social and professional interactions. Alumni are to engage with College at a school level, interacting with current staff and students in order to “support internship and other career opportunities for our students and graduates”. The opinions of alumni are to help to form College policy by serving on advisory boards to offer “strategic input for the future direction of the college”. Under “Promote Student Life” the plan focuses on the transition to university. A series of “programmes, resources and services” will be introduced in order to ease the journey from second to third level education. A First Year Experience Officer is to be introduced to work in this area, and skills on studying and
Education & Teaching The plan places little focus specifically on improving teaching practices. The document contains one reference to improving first year pass rates, however that is mentioned in the context of bringing in more international students rather than changes in existing structures and practices within college. There is a general push towards developing the online and alternative portion of
education. Specifically, there is an emphasis on developing Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and courses like Continuous Professional Development courses, which are often evening classes. There is a passing mention of e-portfolios for students, however no specific details are offered. — Conor Murphy
on the transition to higher education are to be added to the first-year curriculum. The Student Charter is also to be rewritten. New buildings are to be introduced, and old ones to be refurbished, in order to create space suitable for small-group teaching as well as more collaborative studies. These spaces are also to include catering spaces and seating. The document does not specify what buildings are to be worked on. Very importantly, the number of student residences owned by College is to be increased by 2,000 on and near campus, including the planned refurbishment of Oisin House to include student rooms. The plan highlights the importance of the student experience, that’s provided by services such as the Tutorial Services and college tutors, as well as extra-curriculars which “enhances both the intellectual and personal development of students”. Trinity’s academic timetable is to be developed in order to facilitate involvement in clubs and societies, and officers of clubs and societies are to be given “training and professional skills development”.
A University of Global Consequence Research, partnerships, and creative arts are central to designs on international impact.
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he second section of the strategic plan focuses on Trinity’s research and innovation, and deals with how the University will be structured to best mobilise its resources and make an impact on the global scene. It’s separated into three subsections, each one setting a goal to be achieved within five years. These are to “Activate Talents”, “Build Valuable Partnerships”, and to enact “Research for Impact”. In keeping with the line the Provost has taken during his leadership so far, there is a heavy emphasis on entrepreneurship and competing to become regarded as a world-class University. It begins with “Activate Talents”, asserting: “Trinity’s position as a University of global consequence will only continue to be secured by academic, administrative, and support staff capable of deliver our mission”. To maintain and improve human resources, a strategy called Excelling Together has been drafted. This aims to identify the most important positions in executing the College’s missions, and pledges to draft top international academics and staff. It aims to better research methods, citing maintenance of the teacher-scholar model and improvements in the tenure-track and career path systems for teaching fellows and researchers as future targets. The plan recognises the needs to adapt to the requirements of modern students and for academics to “up-skill continuously to keep pace with new technologies and pedagogies”. To meet this need, the current Centre for Academic Practice and Student Learning (CAPSD) will be replaced by a Teaching, Learning and Research Academy, although any practical difference between the two is left unexplained. The piece discussing Trinity Governance is mostly concerned with continuing current commitments, such as engaging with the HEA to achieve previously agreed objectives and liaising with relevant government ministers. It briefly details the history of Trinity’s self-governance and pits it as a key factor in ensuring academic excellence. There is a line that could be interpreted as supporting further privatisation, stating that when activities may best be carried out through private means “these opportunities are fully assessed and operationalized if they are supported by the business case”.
Research
That there is a whole section dedicated to research demonstrates College’s commitment to the field. All faculties, and different types of research, are addressed. The document specifically states that the focus and priority in research will be those areas that the College thinks they will be particularly competitive on in an international basis. To do this they are targeting at least 25 European Research Council awards
The second subsection, called “Build Valuable Partnerships”, details Trinity’s goals regarding entrepreneurship and innovation, identifying I&E as “central features of Trinity’s future activity”. It aims to establish the Trinity Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub and expand the role of the School of Business before 2019. Here more concrete objectives are offered than in the previous subsection, such as promises to double direct research funding and a number of Innovation Partnerships Awards: a programme through which promising projects can receive up to 80 per cent of the cost of research and development. The College is set to strengthen research and enterprise collaborations, aiming to advance current connections with institutions such as The European Province of the Christian Brothers, the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Carlow College, and to continue to seek new partnerships throughout Ireland. The subsection includes a small piece on Trinity as a creative arts catalyst, which strongly links creative expression with “entrepreneurial mindsets”. The plan includes improving creative spaces as a goal, hoping to set up The Connector, a new multi-purpose creative space, and Trinity Creative. The latter is a programme for current creative assets and aims to connect research, education, and practice, and includes the Graduates Memorial Building under “History and Philosophy”. The subsection ends with a commitment to strengthen the partnership between Trinity Health Ireland and the Dublin Midlands hospital group, reinforcing its reputation as a centre for health care and research excellence. However, no areas of possible change are identified, it merely explains and promises to uphold pre-agreed plans. The final part of section B, “Research for Impact”, shows more content and less padding than the previous two subsections, recognising effective research as “a crucial attribute for a University of global consequence”. It details a plan to complete a comprehensive review of the College’s twenty one research themes, to identify those that are currently seen to be “of truly international significance” or show future potential to be. Other criteria are the presence of a large breadth of staff, significant recognized contributions, and the existence of a research mission addressing a question that is thought to be of benefit to society. Areas performing well in this review will be prioritised and will be given more access to funding, strategic-staffing programmes, and other College resources. The fate of research themes deemed less useful on the global stage is left implicit. Section B includes positive developments in College infrastructure. The Estates and Infrastructure Development Plan specifies intent to improve research environments and facilities, by building a new structure called E3 that will house the Engineering and Natural Sciences, and to create a new Cancer Institute that will “consolidate cancer-related activities, including cancer care, research, and education on
and further funding from the Horizon 2020 programme. The plan states that it intends to identify one major research topic to focus on in the next year, a “Global Research Question”, this is intended both as something that can be done in tandem with other institutions and a topic that will receive considerable attention. — Edmund Heaphy
one location”. The plan also says it will improve Library facilities. The idea for a Global Research Question (GRQ) is introduced with the grand statement: “Universities around the world constitute the largest group of researchers with the freedom to address the great questions facing the future of humankind”. Attention is directed towards an as-of-yet unspecified GRQ, to be announced in the first year of the plan, that will improve Trinity’s reputation abroad and “have a long-term positive global impact”. The research addressing this goal is set to be completed in conjunction with numerous partner institutions, which also have yet to be determined. The end of section B begins by asserting, in an unmistakably defensive tone, that a University like Trinity “cannot but recognize the importance of international rankings, notwithstanding concerns about their limitations”. Targets to improve Trinity’s current standing are set out, and include placing Trinity in the top 100 of at least one major university ranking and the top twenty in European rankings. The plan specifies measures that will be taken to achieve this – priority will be given to highperforming research, efforts will be taken to ensure at least 25 European Research Council awards, and a discipline-specific mentoring scheme will be introduced.
Citizenship, Security, and Civic Responsibility The plan seeks to protect College’s historical prominence and traditional values.
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he final section of the 2014-19 strategic plan details the College’s imperatives to “Engage Wider Society”, “Demonstrate Institutional Leadership” and “Secure Trinity’s Future”. It uses the grandeur of the campus and the historical prominence of figures associated with the College as a premise to assert the role that Trinity will play in national and global cultural, social, economic, and political discourse. “Engage Wider Society” talks of building on the College’s tradition of “engaged citizenship”, pledging to offer staff, students, and alumni a platform to broadcast their achievements in education and research to a global audience. This shall be achieved through effective use of media channels, cross-promotion opportunities, and the cultivation of structured opportunities for students and academics to engage with world leaders on important questions. Considerations of revenue and collection management have resulted in the ‘Trinity Visitor Experience’, which promises to create a more sophisticated visitor infrastructure. As one of Ireland’s foremost visitor attractions, over one million people – tourists, prospective students, alumni, and visiting faculty –
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The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
Strategic Plan
PHOTO BY Sergey Alifanov FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES
International Students The College plans to increase non-EU students ratio drastically. This will have two major benefits from the perspective of the College: to greater spread and name the name and knowledge of Trinity College abroad, and to increase its income. While they pay vastly more than Irish students, for many non-EU students education in Trinity, and in Ireland, Irish education is seen as better value than in countries where higher education is not funded by the ex-
visit the College every year. Fulfillment of the plan will see more collections opened to the public, each with their own entry price, and the addition of tourist amenities such as cafés, toilet facilities, and merchandise. The College’s stake in Dublin’s reputation as a city of global consequence is reflected in its plans to play a central role in the capital’s development. The strategic plan announces the foundation of the Trinity Creative Initiative, which aims to strengthen the College’s relationship with indigenous creative institutions in order to act “as a catalyst for the creative and cultural arts in the city”. There are sustainability imperatives too, and the College intends to work closely with Dublin City Council to promote this agenda. Such activities, it is hoped, will constitute Trinity’s part “in advancing Dublin’s reputation as a global city”.
chequer. Trinity has set itself the ambitious goal to increase the proportion of non-EU students to 18 per cent by 2019. It is important to note that the number of students is expected to grow in proportion to the increasing demand for third-level education. The document also includes the vague goal to increase “the percentage of underrepresented groups enrolled to 25 per cent”. — Conor Murphy
Broader policies for the recognition of College’s civic responsibility will be enacted by the Community Liaison Officer, whose role as a community ambassador for the College is to be enhanced. Such an enhancement will involve representing the College to Dublin City Council’s Strategic Finance Committee, vetting College’s increasing number of building projects for community impact, and engaging the local community with Trinity’s academic activity. Under “Demonstrate Institutional Leadership”, the College delineates its aspirations to play a leading role in global discourse on sustainability, equality & diversity, and the Irish language. The plan asserts that the College’s purchases and redevelopments will comply, where possible, with the highest standards of energy efficiency. This imperative will also be
reflected in research and advocacy activities. It is asserted that “commitments to equality and diversity are values on which Trinity’s excellence relies”. Accordingly, the College projects a “leading role” in sectoral and national initiatives to promote diversity and inclusivity, with specific focus on the employment and retention of persons with disabilities. With regards the Irish language, a few small paragraphs explain a renewed commitment to Irish-language events on campus and the continued promotion of services and events for Irish speakers. Civic engagement is also prioritised and the plan has clear aims to embed a culture of volunteering and public service among the College community. To achieve this, there will be a sharpened focus on facilitating opportunities for partnerships between the College and local groups - a recognition of the potential for experiential learning that volunteer activity allows. As with other primary objectives, this is to be supported by research, cross-community dialogue, and a will to inform national discussion on policy frameworks. The final consideration of the plan is towards “Securing Trinity’s Future” – not in the urgent financial sense, but in terms of defending the values upon which Trinity has historically thrived. Recognising the College’s status as “a major social and cultural institution”, the College iterates its desire to play a significant role “in the creation and development of a more just society”. The plan advances the virtues of global citizenship, quoting the great European humanist Erasmus in his longing to be “a citizen of the world”. To this end, the College plans to cultivate academic, corporate, and philanthropic partnerships with institu-
tions across the world, as well as promoting the sustainability of global activities “in balance with national interests”. It emphasises the central role of independent thought and the promotion of pluralism in achieving this. The mission to “formally analyse [College’s] public identity” was a prominent and, ultimately, controversial feature of the 2009-14 plan, and is reaffirmed in the updated version. One of the few specific and immediately actionable goals of this section is the completion of work on visual identity and logotype that began with the infamous “Identity Initiative”, which sought to modernise and ensure consistency in College’s visual identity. The new plan once again cites the value of public perception, professionalism, vision and ambition in marketing strategies and how these factors can affect the College’s long-
term prosperity. The plan ends with a brief thought on implementation. Certain financial bases are cited as essential, including the generation of a historical cost surplus of between two per cent and three cent per annum by 2018-19, a partial re-balncing of funding sources, and the growth of the College’s endowment fund to more than €180m. This section of the plan is broadly ambitious, but recognises the importance of “aligning all the groups that make up the wider Trinity community behind this plan, ensuring there is a common vision and a common understanding, by creating a fully elaborated “case for support””. The plan is to present the case for such to the public within twelve months in order to strengthen the base of the plan.
Campus Many of these plans are outlined very thoroughly as they have been in the pipeline for a while, including the planned development of the new Business School on the Luce Hall site. This fits into the College’s plan to increase emphasis on entrepreneurship and related skills, and to expand the role of the school. Also mentioned is the “Trinity Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub” which will be a subsection of the new school of Business. It
is stated that this will be a centre for several incubator programmes, including Launchbox. The only other significant development on campus will be E3 – the Engineering, Energy and Environment Institute – due to take the of place of the prefabs currently sitting across from the Lloyd Institute. Campus is also expected to be further opened up to both tourists and the city. — Sinéad Baker
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The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
Strategic Plan
OLD STRATEGIC PLAN
Five Years Later, Trinity is More Streamlined and Involved
In the objective cases, Trinity has stood up to the plate, but there are far too many less specific and subjective cases. sion laid out was that of providing increased leadership while also remaining aware of the needs of a transforming society. Regarding actions, TCD officially aimed to create the Innovation Alliance, build a Trinity Academic Medical Centre, and promote Dublin as a capital city renowned for its culture as well as its academic and innovative capability.
Aisling Curtis Senior Staff Writer
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pon commencement of the 2009-14 strategy, the former Provost, John Hegarty, applauded the success of the previous strategic plan, announcing that Trinity had emerged as a research-focused institution that lead the way on a national and international stage. For the following five years he laid the framework for a highly-specific plan to foster education, research, and innovation, and allow Trinity to compete at an international level. On the 9th of December 2013, current Provost Patrick Prendergast – who oversaw much of the previous plan in his role as Vice-Provost and Chief Academic Officer – formally launched the planning process for 2014-2019. As this strategy launches on Wednesday, and as the College community moves into a new five-year era, there is a need to examine the previous plan and its various goals: what it intended, what it successfully did, and what it failed to do. The subjectivity of a number of the plan’s visions and missions must necessarily exclude them from an objective evaluation. For example, the hopeful vision statement, expressed as a desire that “Trinity College Dublin will further strengthen its reputation as a university of global consequence” is difficult to measure in an impartial way. Whether or not the 20092014 plan achieved that lofty goal can be argued elsewhere. However, many of the targets laid out were concrete, intentionally achievable aims, whose success and failure can be calculated in neutral terms. Dr. Hegarty and his Planning Group chose to organise their ideas according to four major themes, purported to reflect the major shades of Trinity’s activities: education, knowledge generation and transfer, student experience, and engagement with society. They also included a fifth group, related to how the strategy would be fully implemented by administrative and support systems. Under this thematic umbrella sat a wide range of actions, forming a comprehensive aggregation of the various challenges faced by the college community. An objective and dispassionate review of the data available to The University Times would suggest that, although a number of the aims were achieved, Trinity fell short of many of the actions it proposed in 2009. However, it must be noted that Trinity’s income has significantly diminished in the last five years: a fall of 22 per cent between 2008 and 2013. Although student fee contributions increased by 24 per cent, state grants dropped by 47.8 per cent: a loss that has likely played a significant role in curtailing Trinity’s ability to provide its planned services to students and staff.
The TCD/UCD Innovation Alliance Aiming to be a joint collaboration of two major institutes of higher education, the TCD/UCD Alliance had the official intention of creating a “smart economy” that would allow interactions between the two universities and wider government groups. The proposed International Enterprise Development Hub – intended as a partnership between government agencies, business organisations, and the venture capital community – has not yet been launched. According to the Provost’s 2014 Strategy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Hub will feature in the new Business School, due to be opened in 2017. The Alliance has successfully launched the Innovation Academy, a space for PhD students to work together creatively and innovatively and earn a Postgraduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship which is jointly awarded by TCD, UCD, and Queen’s University, Belfast.
A Trinity Academic Medical Centre The AMC intended to foster excellence in medical education and training, and deliver toptier medical research. The plan acknowledges the significant overhaul required in order to implement the centre – not just at a university level, but also in terms of overall improvement of academic medicine models – and called the risk level of the venture “considerable”. In 2014, the Trinity Academic Gastroenterology Group resurrected this project, collaborating with AMNCH, St. James’ Hospital, and TCD to launch the development of an academic research centre that will promote world-class research in the gastroenterology domain.
Dublin as a City of Learning and Culture It’s nearly impossible to measure the impact of Trinity’s initiatives on the growth of the city’s subjective reputation. Trinity intended to play a major role in the Dublin: European City of Science 2012 initiative, and the event was by all accounts successful, hosting five Nobel laureates and 600,000 attendees. A number of high-profile events were held in the Science Gallery over the course of the year-long event. Additionally, Trinity has allied with RCSI over the previous two years to host Discover Research Dublin in concordance with European Researchers’ Night. Up to 5000 people were forecast to attend in 2014.
“The College does Education not need a revolution “Our vision for 2014 is of a university providing further leadership in education while bebut a re-affirmation ing fully responsive to the changing needs of society.” of core purpose and The 2009 plan emphasised Trinity’s intention to ensure excellent teaching standards direction.” and maintain the repute of Trinity degrees. For this sector of the strategy, the specific vi-
Broadly, the plan hoped to increase student
numbers by improving access and introducing new courses. Specifically, they hoped to increase total student numbers by 15 per cent. In 2007/08 (figures are unavailable for 2008/09) there were 15,716 registered students and this figure rose to 16,646 in 2012/13, an increase of only 5.9 per cent. However, this is still an improvement on the 1.3 per cent growth over the 2003-2009 years. Courses and Student Body Composition A substantial reconfiguration of Trinity’s educational manifesto was proposed, aiming to prioritise departments that have a particular relevance in Ireland’s social and economic landscape. Work is currently going ahead on the School of Business, a structure that will cost 70 million and intends to improve the College’s innovative and entrepreneurial resources, while also driving job creation across campus and in Dublin city centre. Very specifically, the college intended to raise the student body to 18,000. Although 2014/15 academic enrollment figures are not yet available, it is highly probable that this was not achieved.
Quality Assurance and Improvement Student evaluation of their modules was due to be made compulsory however, as of May 2013, this had not occurred in even one College department. Additionally, the plan set out a comprehensive review structure that intended to pilot reviews by alumni and allow staff to participate in university lecturer teaching courses, as well as launching an improved student administration system. Although it appears that pilot reviewing and staff teaching courses have not yet been implemented (this could not be concretely verified by The University Times), the new student administration service took the form of the Academic Registry, established in July 2013 to provide students with a streamlined and integrated service. In support of major student activities, it deals with topics including undergraduate and postgraduate admissions, lecture timetables, study abroad, examinations, research degrees, fees, and more student-specific domains.
Learning Technologies Hoping to improve staff implementation of learning technologies in their teaching and research the plan cited a number of training programmes to increase computer literacy. Information Systems Services (ISS) fills this function, responsible for planning and supporting College’s computer services. They provide online and in-person IT Training, and have substantial resources available to Trinity’s staff.
Further Educational Actions The plan also laid out a number of other highly-specific aims, that The University Times will cover briefly below. Many of these are subjective criteria that cannot be polarised as a success or failure due to a lack of cohesive data. For example, TCD aimed to develop the breadth, depth, quality and uniqueness of its courses – criteria difficult to evaluate in a dispassionate review, as opinions on the effectiveness of this endeavour naturally vary. They also intended to provide more small-group teaching space, increasing the number of collaborative programmes with other universi-
ties, modularising graduate courses, sponsoring more PhD studentships, and enhancing the international reputation of a TCD PhD. The success of these programmes is a judgement for each individual to make. TCD also wished to raise international student numbers, a goal that the Provost has been very vocal about. In 2013, 8.7 per cent of students were from EU countries aside from Ireland, which is only a 1.7 percentage point increase from 2008. In 2013, 4.3 per cent of students were from North or Central America, an increase of 1.3 percentage points from 2008, and 5 per cent were from other international locations, an increase of two percentage points.
Knowledge Generation and Transfer “Our vision for 2014 is for a College where the excitement of scholarship and scientific discovery will be further embedded in the Trinity culture” Alongside a research matrix depicting specific school and departmental research avenues, the 2009-14 strategy focused heavily on designing a research-centric “Sustainable Society”, while also attracting world-class talent and having an impact at a global level. TCD aimed to place significant emphasis on training new academic staff, which was accomplished through the pilot Early Career Mentoring Initiative implemented in 2012. Funding of three million euro was obtained in 2009 in order to hire twenty new academic staff per year in 2010 and 2011– it is unclear whether this was achieved. However, overall numbers of academic staff have declined in the past five years: 828 academic staff were employed in 2008, versus 785 in 2013, a five per cent decrease. Perhaps justifying this, the numbers of research staff have increased by 22 per cent, from 536 to 655. TCD also wanted to explore new avenues of quality research, particularly those pertinent on a global scale. It seems this has been relatively successful, as Trinity ranks number one in Ireland, 61st in the world in QS World Rankings, 46th in terms of International Faculty, and 42nd globally based on research performance. Trinity also features in the top 1 per cent of research institutions in 18 fields, an improvement of 150 per cent between 2004 and 2013, according to Reuters’ Essential Science Indicators. In September 2012, TCD also launched its Global Relations Strategy, intended to amalgamate Trinity’s various international strategies and allow it to become a place of “global consequence”. Consistent with this, Trinity researchers have been active through the Trinity International Development Initiative, which has encouraged research in Africa and Asia. Almost 300 study abroad, exchange, and mobility options are available for students and staff, overseas offices in China, India, and North America, and over 95,000 alumni from 130 countries.
Student Experience “By 2014 the experience Trinity offers students through clubs and societies will be further enhanced with a new student centre. Student services will be student-centred, flexible, and well-coordinated. We will have found further innovative ways to promote student engagement in clubs, societies, and volunteering.” Opening a student centre was a major cornerstone of the plan. However, this was rejected by students in a 2011 referendum due to concerns about cost. Emphasis was placed
upon the value of student services and their continued cultivation, with the plan calling them a “mainstay in the [student] experience”. However, funding allocations to capitated bodies are to be cut by 10 per cent over two years, following an announcement in December 2013. This will reduce by €60,000 the budget of Dublin University Central Athletic Club (DUCAC), the Central Societies Committee (CSC), the Trinity College Students Union (TCDSU), the Graduate Students Union (GSU) and Trinity Publications. Intentions to improve student health and psychological services have been successful, following the improvement of the Student Counselling Service. The Student2Student service has also expanded to include all incoming first years and the Student Learning Development community has launched a variety of workshops regarding essay writing, exam support, and academic advice. The strategy also included the goal of increasing numbers for student exchange. At present, 26 non-EU college-wide exchange universities accept students, with many more Erasmus opportunities also available. The Erasmus grant provides students with considerable aid towards their exchange. Although no grant exists for non-EU opportunities, the Provost has approved a €1000 travel bursary for students going to Asia from 2014/15. Many other student-centric aims are, again, only subjectively accessible. For example, the maximisation of learning opportunities outside the classroom, increased learning support and the easing of new students into the College community are goals that are difficult to assess by virtue of statistics or new programmes. That said, the cuts to student services and the difficult economic climate have likely hindered their implementation.
Engagement with Society “Our vision for 2014 is for a College where activities under the banner of Engagement with Society are seen as core elements of our mission. They will play a leading role in developing Dublin as an exciting and rewarding place to live and work—a city of culture and ideas, the vibrant capital of an open society.” In its engagement with society, the 2009 plan aimed to improve access to Trinity through the Trinity Access Programme, offering University Access Courses and the Higher Education Access Route. This has continued to allow non-traditional students to enrol in otherwise out-of-reach programmes. Trinity also hoped to increase leadership in public debate. This has been, to an extent, achieved through the recent public-access history course, which is freely available and boasts 10,000 enrolled students. Various other actions included emphasising civic engagement, improving involvement of alumni, raising awareness of sustainability on campus, and catalysing new scientific initiatives in the city. Some of these - the Science Gallery, for example - have been more successful than others.
2014 onwards By all accounts, the 2009-14 plan did transform TCD into a more involved and streamlined institution, providing plenty of the programmes and initiatives it said it would. However, many of the more subjective elements of the plan are difficult to assess, and so its success or failure depends largely on an individual perspective of what constitutes a fruitful strategy. Additionally, some aspects – research, for example – were far stronger than others, something that the 2014-2019 plan vitally needs to address.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
Strategic Plan
OPINION
A New Plan: A New Outlook?
Colm O’Donnell argues that the new strategic plan contains both positive content and other commitments that should get alarm bells ringing. Colm O’Donnell
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aving had a chance to examine the incoming Trinity strategic plan 2014-2019, one thing that’s been bothering me is the nature of its recurring five year stint. It doesn’t quite feel right, as if its missing the point somehow. It seems like the plan is trying to bring Trinity to a point where it would ideally be now, and that in five years time we’ll still be the same distance behind where we should be. While obviously being aware that such plans need to be implemented on a step by step basis, with an element of gradual change, if Trinity is truly to modernise, and join the ranks of elite universities, change is going to have to happen much quicker than it is currently planned for. Every year it seems like we are subjected to reports of Trinity falling down the rankings of various different publications lists of Higher Education Institutions, and every year the same reasons are cited for the poor performance, and it sucks, it really does. Every student wants to feel like they are part of an institution which is improving, something that they can contribute to, something that they ARE contributing to. With each new strategy produced, and they have been numerous in recent years, an equally increasing aura of des-
peration emanates from the administration. That is not to say that these strategies are a bad idea, but rather that they seem to be produced to make students, alumni and others believe that the documents themselves reflect change, rather than a guideline for future change. Furthermore, change for its own sake is a dangerous idea, and one the College has been accused of in the recent past, with the much maligned ‘Visual Identity’ initiative, which the report notes is still ongoing, a heady example. It will be pertinent to see whether the College will find the balance between ‘Heritage and Innovation’ it so nobly claims it is aiming for. The single most vital thing to take from this document is Trinity’s need for money, lots of it, and sooner rather than later. The College has a stated aim to improve revenue streams through ‘Internationalization, Commercialization, increased Philanthropy, and Online Courses.’ The latter two I take no issue with, it’s partly common sense, and partly trying to catch up to a world where the American method of funding elite universities reigns supreme. One crucial element in alumni donations to American Institutions is the pride in which alumni take in the place they attended third level education – something which is evident through any number of factors, the most visible of which are their donations, and their wearing of university branded clothing. (It has long baffled me why Trinity branded t-shirts and sweatshirts have been deemed almost exclusively the domain of tourists and visiting students.)
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It seems like the plan is trying to bring Trinity to a point where it would ideally be now, and that in five years time we’ll still be the same distance behind where we should be.
Internationalisation is another fulcrum of the strategic plan, and it is something which I support, as should we all. Because to be surrounded by talented young minds from all over the globe is a noble goal, one worth striving for, and Trinity should always aim to be creating as diverse and intelligent a student population as possible. However, I have a number of misgivings with how the College presents its aim to achieve such, and were I a prospective International student (particularly one from outside the EU) it would be very difficult to assume that I was wanted for any other reason than to increase a particular revenue stream. Continuing the talk about revenue streams, the College seems set on further exploiting the resource that is our beautiful campus itself. There is an aim to ‘work in partnership with Dublin City Council to connect the campus sites in an increasingly more open relationship with the city.’ I strongly hope that this doesn’t dilute the experience of being a student in Trinity. There is nothing nicer than passing through the Nassau St, Lincoln Place or Front Arch entrance and feeling the calm surrounds of our campus, and the quiet within. The College needs to decide at some point whether the tourist experience on campus is more important than the student one. Many a student can be heard lamenting the hordes of invaders come exam time and May, and these cries are only going to become more frequent if the campus is increasingly made available for exploration and sightseeing.
I don’t want to be seen to be completely against the strategic plan, however, as there are a number of interesting and welcome points. The general aims of advancing the College into the modern era of online education, and developing a University structure capable of dealing with that era, are all to be welcomed. There is also a definite improvement in the description of the ideal relationship between alumni and the College. The view that deciding to attend Trinity should result in a lifelong connection, which can continuously be mutually beneficial, is both exciting and long overdue, and I fervently hope that something of this nature comes to pass. This was exemplified last year with the Trinity Global Graduate Forum, which was an excellent development. There is also an exciting note about the possibility of developing campuses abroad and, while no particular locations are mentioned, it is certainly something which would be an interesting development for the College to take – though it would require a large amount of initial capital for investment. This strategic plan is going to take Trinity to the brink of the next decade, and it is impossible to predict what kind of environment, be it financially, internationally or other, that the College will find itself in then. This is our plan for the next five years and, sure, it has flaws, but I hope that, despite the money scavenging, many good things come of it. Colm O’Donnell is a former Editor-at-Large of The University Times
Do Strategic Plans Result in Tangible Realities?
“ Daniel O’Brien Opinions Editor
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n Wednesday, October 22nd, Irish prime minister Enda Kenny will visit Trinity to announce the College’s forthcoming five-year strategic plan. While it is reassuring to know that the administration is still thinking that far ahead, that may be the only notable thing about this unveiling. The plan will certainly contain all the requisite flashy buzzwords: ”“innovation”, “transforming”, and “knowledge transfer” are among my favourites. In case you’re wondering, I didn’t just randomly choose those terms. They are all contained within a single line of a different strategic plan, specifically the one that has guided Trinity through the tumultuous period of 2009-2014. Observing the current state of the university in light of the lofty ambitions set five years ago provides the proper context in which to consider these types of plans. The biggest problem with planning five years ahead for anything, let alone an internationally recognised university, is that doing so assumes a level of control that is impossible to implement in practice. Goals like “securing additional recurrent funding sources” or “providing support for high-performing sports men and women” must have seemed fairly realistic in 2009. But now, five years later, privatisation is still being debated and more international stu-
It seems like the plan is trying to bring Trinity to a point where it would ideally be now, and that in five years time we’ll still be the same distance behind where we should be.
dents are being courted to meet funding gaps. Meanwhile, our high-performing sports men and women practice in the smallest gym of any university in Ireland, and our off-campus sporting facilities are deemed to be badly in need of repair. These realities do not necessarily imply a failure or oversight by the administration (although that may still be the case). Rather, they show just how radically external factors can alter the context in which the College operates. The various knock-on effects of the recession and austerity measures, on a governmental, societal, and personal level, have left us facing strangely familiar problems. At the point where we accept that no one, in this university or elsewhere, can accurately plan five years into the future, the strategic plan begins to read less like a list of goals to check off and more like a public relations exercise. The plan presented on the 22nd will be useless in five years, just as its predecessor is unlikely to be a fixture on the Provost’s desk today. The significance of both documents lies in the signal that is made through their announcement: the values they prioritise, as well as how they change, reassert, or reject values held previously. It is unlikely that the overarching themes of the forthcoming plan will surprise those who are familiar with the Provost’s frequently stated goals. This document will merely codify what he has been saying for at least the past year, and is therefore not worth getting worked up over. The day-to-day flow of student life will not be changed by this announcement, just as it was not changed five years ago. The more important battles will occur on a micro level, where strategic idealism meets tactical reality. Students must be prepared to challenge each and every change that unfairly threatens their interests. The long-term outlook for students will be determined by the success or failure of the administration in meeting its goals in an ever-shifting global context, not a single document.
PHOTO BY Sergey Alifanov FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES
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The University Times | Tuesday 21st October 2014
In Focus Arts Students Vulnerable in Murky Internship Waters The University Times Education and Work Survey underlines the need for action on the legality of unpaid internships.
Survey Shows the Vunerability of Students to Internships and the General Desire for a More Job-focused Course
Conor Murphy Features Editor
Although many students are satisfied with their course, many find the focus on internships and jobs to be a big worry
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ver the last two weeks The University Times conducted a survey of students in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty (hereby referred to as Arts and Humanities) and the Engineering, Mathematics and Science Faculty (hereby referred to as Engineering and Science). The survey covers the attitudes of Trinity students to their education, pay rates for internships they have undertaken and the expectations that students have for any internships they might take.
their course is, half of all students thought their course was not jobfocused enough. This sense is a little bit stronger in Arts and Humanities, with an 8 per cent difference at 54 percent compared to 47 per cent for Engineering and the Sciences. The level of those who felt there was “Too much job focus” was at 5 per cent in the Engineering Faculty and 3 in the Arts Faculty – absolutely minimal in both. This is interesting in light of College plans to introduce more entrepreneurship and work experience opportunities into courses. Internships As one would expect, Engineering and Sciences has a higher percentage of people who took an internship at some point, at 42 compared to 29 per cent for Arts and Humanities. However, for internships, Engineering and the Sciences rate the quality of their work more highly and get paid more while expecting vastly better pay from their placements.
A Note On Statistical Significance
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We surveyed 100 Engineering and Science students and 200 Arts and Humanities students and a limited number of Health Science students. Therefore, the figures comparing the first two faculties are by far the most statistically significant
Education First, let us start on a good note. A strong 92 per cent of Trinity students surveyed would recommend their course to a friend. The faculty that the student is in has only a small significance: Engineering and Science has a two percentage point lead over Arts and Humanities in this regard. In reference to how job focused
For the internships that students have already undertaken, 7.8 per cent of Engineers were unpaid compared to 36.8 per cent of Arts students. If you counted all pay under minimum wage, including the rate of pay of zero euro per hour, then it levels out a bit more, with 52.6 per cent of Engineering and Sciences in this category and 63 per cent of Arts in this category. The inverse is then that half of the Engineering faculty get paid at least minimum wage for their internships, which is obviously a significantly higher number than that in Arts and Humanities, which is at 37 per cent. One explanation for this is how well Engineers rate their work. 67.4 per
69.4% of people who would take an unpaid internship would need some family support
cent of Engineering and Sciences rate their work in internships as being at least partially of the quality/effort of a full time employee, while 44 per cent of Arts students rate theirs as of that level. Highly noteworthy is that, legally, internships that are roughly equivalent to any full time employee should be paid at least minimum wage. Using this standard, 49 per cent of internships that pay less than minimum wage are probably illegal (noting that they rated their own work). These numbers mean that 28.7 per cent of all students who took an internship took up an internship that was probably illegal. Privilege through Internships It’s important to note the privilege that is inherent in this system. Any industry that is based on unpaid internships will automatically be a system that filters out more working-class people. This system is kept alive by the strong acceptance by students that unpaid internships are a fair or necessary thing in their respective industry. The most striking difference in this whole survey is in the answers to this question. Only 3.8 per cent of Engineering and Science students say they would take an unpaid internship but an incredible 77.3 per cent of Arts and Humanities students say they would – twenty times differential. In relation to how people would be able to take an internship that doesn’t pay well, it inevitably shows that a lot of students would rely on their family. 69.4 per cent of people who would take an unpaid internship would need some family support to get through a three month internship. 51 per cent would be relying on their family completely. These results show the hold that internship culture has over students, in particular those that study Arts and Humanities. That so many students would be willing to undertake an internship that is likely to be illegal is an interesting reflection on what students feel they need to do to further their career. However, in light of increasing College rhetoric around increasing the employability of students, it is important to note that most students are currently happy with their courses and half think that their courses emphasis on getting a job is about right.
No-one Knows If Your Internship Was Legal Ciara Cosgrave Staff Writer
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n the 30th of April 2014 The University Times reported on the cancellation of the unpaid internship which was circulated by Trinity College Law School. After probing into why the internship was unpaid, the responding company replied by simply withdrawing the internship. The controversy over the legality of unpaid internships was thus brought to the steps of this university and continues to be an issue of much contention, particularly within the Law School itself. As part of a large survey we completed two weeks ago, we also delved into the issue of internships and especially how unpaid internships have a classist divide. Dr Desmond Ryan, lecturer of law and Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning, confirmed that the Law School intend to form a policy on this matter later this year. As the target market for these schemes, the issue is most pertinent for us, the student body. The recent survey by The University Times revealed that some 52.6 per cent of the engineering faculty and 63 per cent of the arts faculty that had undertaken internships were paid below statutory minimum wage or nothing at all. The question now becomes: are many of these internships are actually legal? First of all, one must attempt to define what exactly an intern is from a legal perspective. The struggle with this reveals an almost self-fulfilling prophecy. There is no statutory definition of an intern. Major Dublin Solicitors Byrne and Wallace defined the role as “an individual who is engaged for a period of time to observe and gain experience in a particular business or profession”. However, it is truly a grey area of the law. While the lack of legislation is somewhat advantageous, the line between intern and employee is too often blurred. This line disappears completely when you lend the word employee to an intern’s work. However, the statutory definition of a contract of employment is broad and so the focus
in figuring out that line falls on case law. From case law two things generally identify “employment”. If both of these are present, the intern becomes an employee. If the owner/supervisor controls your work, and what you do and there is some agreed return for that work (pay/benefits), then that is employment. This opaque definition leaves ample room for the Courts to interpret a single case based on the facts. Thus, many unpaid internships could easily be recognised as employment contracts. These unpaid internships now turn to the tumultuous area of illegal employment. However, what happens if the intern has waived their rights from the onset? By agreeing to free labour in exchange for the experience they will divulge, does it constitute consideration in the eyes of the law? Our survey revealed that some 77.3 per cent of arts and humanities students would engage in a three month unpaid internship. Consequently, it is easy to conclude that the vast majority of arts students consider it a necessary exchange for their careers, and are thus very vunerable to abuse. However, from a legal outlook, just because one has placed a personal value over your own rights, the employer cannot subvert a preexisting legal duty. The employer is obliged to pay the statutory minimum wage, which currently rests at €8.65 an hour, for any ‘working hours’. Consideration does not require an equity of arms, or for the benefits exchanged to be mirrored, but it does require that existing legal duties are not bypassed or compromised. While there has been no case to date arising on this issue in the Irish courts, we can somewhat gauge how it may play out based on examples in the UK. In 2011 Keri Hudson took a claim against TPG Web Publishing under the UK equivalent of the National Minimum Wage Act. The facts of the case played out as what first appeared to be an agreed unpaid internship on Keri’s part, but escalated into a complete abuse of power by the employers. Hudson found herself working in cramped conditions with a supervisory role over another six interns. The UK Employment Tribunal subsequently found that Hudson was engaging in what the court prescribed as ‘real work’, which can
be matched with the Irish concept of ‘working hours’. The harsh truth is that, without fitting employment regulations, what may be a coveted internship in a prestigious firm is often little more than an abuse of power. Some argue that it must be taken into consideration that, with the financial crisis, firms simply don’t have the resources to facilitate paid internships, but really there is no excuse for unpaid work of any kind. They bar working class people from entry into an industry. If you need unpaid work to support your business, it is likely that your business is unviable in the first place. Many loopholes in payment for employment, such as the JobBridge scheme, are backed by legislation, but this does not justify any private companies acting the same way. Companies have a very simple mandate towards their employees: an hours work deserves an hours pay. Experience is not payment, as that costs a company nothing to give out. There is a general acceptance, however, that if your work doesn’t actually translate into work for the company (you’re not giving the company financial benefit by your presence) then there is no reasonable obligation on them to pay for your presence. Even after the much-publicised death of 21-year-old Moritz Erhardt, a Bank of America intern, just last year, the UK has not yet introduced any reform on intern practice. So, the likelihood is that little to no legislation will be introduced anytime soon in Ireland. While this case questioned working conditions, and not issues of remuneration, the fact still remains that an internship is not a loophole in the law to license illegal employment. The call for reform is obviously necessary. Not just to subdue the outrage following the death of someone so young, but it is necessary due to the fact that so many of us are willing to engage in this type of work. One cannot put a monetary value on experience. The reality is, however, that rights endowed by statute are non-negotiable. To allow this practice to go unlegislated is to enable employment rights for interns to regress, to what in some cases can only be described as slave labour.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21st October 2014
In Focus
Who holds the Power in the SU? Katie Boucher Senior Staff Writer
Katie Boucher trys to untangle the bureaucatic web that is the SU structure.
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he Students’ Union (SU) is a representative body that aims to provide a channel of communication between Trinity students and the college authorities. While most students have heard of it, for many, little is known about how it is run aside from a vague understanding that the five Officers elected annually are somehow involved. So, here’s a guide to what power is where in the SU. Regular Students and Class Reps (Hoodies for Everyone) Having spoken to a number of those involved, all of whom were more than willing to chat, I came to realize that the SU is not quite the arcane organization I envisioned it to be. Structurally, it can be visualized as a pyramid, with the people on each tier representing a larger number of students from the tier below. The base is composed of the entire student body, as every Trinity student is automatically a member
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Possibly the most important role does not belong to students of the Students’ Union. This means that they can attend the Council meetings that occur approximately every six weeks, but are not permitted to vote. Every 50 students are represented by a class rep, who is elected by others in their course. This means that bigger courses such as Science and Bess might have multiple class reps. Technically, class reps have a number of democratic duties to uphold. For example, voting on a variety of different issues at the monthly Council meetings, and their main role is to relay issues their course is experiencing to others on the Council. However, realistically, the success of a class rep will not be judged based on how active they were in student council, but whether or not they arranged class hoodies and organised class trips. School and Faculty Conveners (Fight for your school) Above the reps are the school conveners, for example the Languages convener or the Business convener. They are essentially the “head” of all the class reps in their school, and their duties involve going to meetings with the school staff, as well as attending council meetings. Any problems or issues that arise within the school are supposed to be relayed to them. These school conveners are in turn represented by the three faculty conveners and their respective deputies. With regards to the actual
power these conveners have, the answer is not exactly clearcut. The conveners that agreed to chat with me had contrasting opinions. Some argued that they can start the year with the best of intentions, going to school and faculty meetings with a notebook full of well-meaning suggestions and comments, only to be ignored by the staff members. Some admitted that administration can be fairly dismissive of their concerns, so over the course of the year, the spirit of the convener tends to be slowly but surely eroded away. However, others argued that while Trinity can be tied down in bureaucracy, the majority of College staff wants to listen to the students, and occasionally will introduce small but effective changes based on recommendations by the Faculty conveners. One example of this is the issue of essays being handed back late; after a number of complaints about this last year, a deadline has been introduced. While not exactly groundbreaking, this does indeed enable the Faculty conveners to contribute to a few little changes that enhance student life. Union Forum (Many, many things) The Union Forum, which was formerly known as the Executive, is comprised of the aforementioned faculty conveners, along with the Chair of Council, the Secretary of Council, and a number of other officers who each represent a different social issue within the Student population. The Chair of Council, Kieran McNulty, has the dual responsibility of being Chair of Council plus Chair of the Electoral Commission. This means he runs Council meetings, and ensures that Election rules are being followed properly. The Secretary of Council, Jason Leonard, is in charge of organizing Council meetings and taking minutes. He is also chair of the Oversight Commission, which ensures that all officers are fulfilling their Constitutional duties. The other officers include the LGBT Rights Officer, the Mature Students Officer, the Gender Equality Officer, the Disabilities Officer, the Student Parent Officer, and the Sports and Exercise Convener. Each of these Officers tries to ensure that their particular issue is represented and taken into account by the student council and at Union Forum meetings which hapeen once a week. Sabbatical Officers (The one’ that’s actually a job) The Sabbatical officers are elected by the whole student body each year, in what is usually an intense and competitive leadership race. Acting as a Sabbatical Officer is a fulltime paid position, so those who achieve the role are usually either former students or else have to take a year out of their studies. The five positions are SU president, Welfare Officer, Education Officer, Communications Officer, and ENTS officer. Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne is the current SU president. His role gives him the title of “Chief Administrator”, which means he is in charge of overseeing the overall running of the SU, running Campaigns, and acting as the “Public face” of Trinity students. He also must represent the students on a variety of College committees, the most important
of which being College Board and Finance Committee. Board, as he puts it, is the “be-all and end-all”, so his presence at the meetings in which any decisions made are “irreversible and unchallengeable”, is crucial. The Welfare Officer, Ian Mooney, deals with all areas of welfare, such as physical and psychological health, accommodation and finance. He is also involved with the Student Loan system, the Student Hardship fund, and the running of a number of different weeks on campus such as Mental Health Week. The Education Officer, Katie Byrne manages the academic aspect of student life. Her duties include organizing the running of class rep training and SU council, and liaising with tutors. The Communications Officer, Samuel Riggs, manages the social media feed, the SU website and all publicity for the SU, both in and out of college. He is also editor of The University Times. Finally, the Ents Officer, Finn Murphy, is in charge of organizing events such as club nights and the annual Trinity Ball. The Sabbatical Officers meet daily, and also sit on many of the College committees. Simon Evans (The Power Behind the Sabbtaical Thrones) There’s a common idea that governments never bring big change (for good or bad) because the civil service is the constant. The SU is the same, except the constant here is Simon Evans, the Administrative Officer. Someone who, according to his Zoom profile, has been Administrative Officer for “longer than anyone cares to remember”, he delivers a degree of continuity within the union by providing for the Sabbatical Officers during their crossover and throughout their year. He manages the financse and accounts of the union with the President. Though often the budgets are a mystery to the officers, they request everything item by item. With his vast experience of working with TCDSU throughout the years, he also tends to spend much of his time advising the Officers about how to carry out particular actions. Simon is widely praised by students in the SU as being an invaluable asset to their team. However, this raises the question of why very few people outside the SU have heard of him, given that setting the budget is arguably the SU’s most important tasks. While widely popular and well respected within the SU, does his presence as someone who uses his years of experience to guide the decisions and actions of the SU diminish the power of the Students themselves? It cannot be denied that his role is at least partially necessary: students have no experience of running a €1m-turnover organisation, an organisation that changes its members annually. Simon acts as a constant within this state of flux. The greatest benefit being TCDSU has never gone bankrupt, as happened to UCDSU recently. However, considering that the SU is an organisation that markets itself as a union for students, by students, it is perhaps necessary for them to acknowledge that possibly the most important role does not in fact belong to us, as students, but to a man who has been working with the College for over 20 years.
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Review: Witness for the Prosecution Paul Behan Societies Editor
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his week, DU Players treated Trinity to a delight of mystery and murder, brandy swilling lawyers and courtroom confessions, all for free! A hybrid of the classic and unsurpassable Agatha Christie murder mystery and the fast paced and gritty Law & Order, Witness for the Prosecution merged the tried and tested with the modern and exciting. Directed by Shona McGarry and Grace Nuttall, the play follows Leonard Vole, a naive and good-natured man, as he is accused of the murder of the wealthy and lonely Ms Emily French, to whom he has been a friend and confidante. A triumph of this play comes in the interaction between defence attorney Roberts and Leonard Vole. Roberts, played by Pete Danelski, masterfully weaves between skilful interrogator and the more human, apprehensive reality of the precariousness of this case, of the defendant and of his one alibi. We are also treated, in this mash up of genres and meeting of eras, to comic interludes and enjoyable, laugh out loud moments. Leonard Vole, played by Jack Brophy, succeeds in making the audience both laugh and gasp through a performance which covers the spectrum of emotions and makes a wonderfully engaging main character. Credit must also go to characters like Detective Hearne, played by Tom Cantillon, and Carter and Wyatt, both played by Nick Papidimos, for their ability to amuse even in the midst of the seventeenth plot twist, as we continue to be
sucked deeper into their world. I should have warned against this at the start but this review contains spoilers, massive ones. That is because in the last two minutes of the play, all the logic and trust we have in the characters is completely blown away. In the most hectic scene imaginable, we become aware of Leonard’s actual guilt, through the explanation of the woman who loved him unconditionally all along, and of Leonard’s cheating and emotionless ambivalence towards Romaine. We see her heart breaking at the realisation of the effects of this. Finally, we see her at breaking point. As Leonard embraces his secret love Greta, Romaine’s hand reaches for the knife and Leonard is no more. The audience, having followed this whirlwind revelatory passage, are all on the edge of their
seats. The scene, and indeed the play, ends. From the discussions overheard in the intermission, it was a conclusion that no-one was expecting. The whiplash-inducing twists and turns brought laughter, exclamation and applause to the crowd. While this sequence possibly could have done with an extra five minutes of explanation and drama to elucidate it fully, all those leaving the theatre could not wait to discuss it – shocked and duped by the play and the players, but entirely happy to have been taken along that road. There is something immensely satisfying about it being caught completely unaware by a story, something that nowadays is quite rare and so all the more enjoyable. In a word: excellent.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21st October 2014
In Focus
Benny Elliot Ben Butler Senior Staff Writer
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’m a pretty lazy guy at the best of times. Sure, I do marathons, but they’re usually more of the House of Cards variety than those with Asics and singlets. I’m also not much of a dancer. I’ll blindly bop along and belt out the lyrics to ‘Shake it Off’ in Coppers like the next fellow, but my relationship with dancing has been akin to my relationship with McDonalds: only investigated when I’m drunk and in the early hours of the morning. Despite this, I’m always imbued with this sense of wide-eyed optimism at the start of every year. Maybe it’s that I’m just back from summer, fresh from the few glorious months of freedom. Or maybe it’s that I feel I should be working, but haven’t yet been hit with heaps of assignments. So, it was the Sunday before Freshers’ Week and Conor, the Features Editor, posted in our group. I promptly decided to embrace my short span of enthusiasm and signed up for dancing. And thus, let me take you to that fateful Wednesday, Irish dancing. Why Irish dancing? Monday was hip hop, Tuesday was contemporary, and I don’t think I’m ‘street’ or sleek enough to do either. Even having never gone to Irish college, and missing out on the ceili summers at this stage I still figured I could pull it off alright. Sure, your top half never moves, right?
Halfway there already! Wednesday, 2.50pm: In another of my new college year resolutions, I’d started using the calendar on my phone to schedule lectures and the like, with notifications popping up ten minutes before. ‘Irish Dancing Class, Good luck’. I’d been up since seven manning the Enactus stand, which doesn’t seem like a lot but you really feel being awake for seven hours when you’ve only slept for three. Luckily, Cup Café had provided us with coffee that day and I had pretty much hooked myself up to it like an IV drip. I stumbled up to Botany Bay and threw on the ‘danciest’ clothes I have, a tshirt, a pair of way-too-skinny-tothe-point-where-I-can-never-actually-wear-them-in-real-life sweatpants, and my Ethnic Threads hoodie. I felt like I was on the way to some sort of Bieberesque boyband audition. Since I figured the aim of this was to make me look as ridiculous as possible, we were well on the way without even setting foot in the class. I arrive up to the class to the delight of at least the only other guy. Claire cheerily welcomed us all to the class. With a solid 10:1 girl/guy ratio, and a pretty heavy international contingent, it was shaping up to be an interesting group. We started with a brief introduction to the history of Irish dancing, and then the real stuff began. Shoulders back, feet pointed out, this was all new. Claire and the DU Dance Committee, please forgive me – what follows will be a pretty hopeless description of what we did. Having only
into pairs…” AGH. Who do I go with? It’s times like this when your brain forgets that you’re a 21 year old college student and immediately reverts back to awkward 12 year old. AGH I HAVE TO HOLD HANDS WITH A GIRL, AND I STILL HAVEN’T COMPLETED GTA VICE CITY. Luckily, proximity decided the pairs. Now in tandem with a nice Erasmus student, we proceeded with the routine. Luckily, being a boy in Irish dancing is a handy enough gig,
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Sure, your top half never moves, right? Halfway there already!
had two and a half hours sleep the night before (a lethal combination of LawSoc night out and early morning gazebo-pitching), my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders. After a few basic ‘jigs and reels’ (I’m using jigs and reels in the most colloquial way pos-
sible: as the technical terms flew way over my head with all my focus solely on trying not to fall over), Claire put us through our paces in what I could only describe as like running through those little ladders you see at football training sessions. But, despite my in-
ability, I was actually really enjoying it. The music is fantastic and there was a lovely atmosphere in the group. And I was just about settling into it when Claire uttered the scariest sentence that a boy in a dance class can hear: “Ok so if everyone could just split up
a lot of it is helping make the girl look good whilst looking equal parts exuberant and stoical. At this stage, the class was coming to an end, and the hangover was hitting me hard, so I was happy to finish up, but I left the class feeling a little exhausted and mainly exhilarated. Chatting to Lindsay, DU Dance’s lovely Style Liason Officer, afterwards I realised that I did actually really enjoy the class. Now that it’s October, the laziness has kicked back in, though I would definitely recommend the classes, or just getting involved with DU Dance. Lindsay, Robyn, and everyone I met on the committee were super nice and encouraging. Will I be back? Who knows, but maybe the jigs will come out next time I’m in Coppers.
We’re Not So Different, You and I Charlotte Ryan discusses the isolation some mature students face, and how they’re choosing to reverse it. English Studies SF student, states: “Initially I had no expectation other than to be excited by the fact that I had achieved something great by being offered my place at Trinity, a lifelong dream opportunity which I’d believed I’d missed”. Just like any other student, Marian’s giddy pride was tempered by what new challenges lay ahead: “I was
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To see how other people stand on an issue that you feel strongly about, it’s a really nice experience
ILLUSTRATION BY Caoilainn Scouler FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES
Charlotte Ryan Deputy Features Editor
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t was outside of a lecture room on a cold Tuesday morning that I had my first conversation with a mature student on my course. Amanda Gannon was already chatting animatedly to a small gathering of fellow students when she complimented my matching red lipstick and nails, immediately winning my utter adoration. Even though she
effectively made the first move in a social situation that was still foreign to us first years, a year later she still reflects on how relieved she was that I was so forthcoming. While manoeuvring the social scene in college is undoubtedly difficult for many students, it was only then that I considered how much more taxing it would be for a mature student given the perceived lack of common ground. It’s with this in mind that the new opt-in Pin initiative has been launched in Trinity. The opt-in pin was conceived by Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Mature Students’ Officer for 2013-14, Janet Mulroy, during her
time in the position and the pin has been put into practice this year. Although Janet has passed the position onto Margaret Whelan, she remains largely in charge of the project. The pin acts as a tool to help mature students integrate themselves better into the areas of college they want to be active in, and to alert the college community to this desire to be approached and included in a way that an age difference might restrict. “We are going to be marginalised by virtue of our age,” says Janet, “so I wanted something subtle that would empower the student”. Just as with other students, when a mature student comes
to college for the first time there is a sense of excitement and optimism that too often is quashed by the difficulty of navigating social life. Amanda Gannon, a SF English Studies student, recalls feeling that intoxicating first rush of anticipation when walking through Front Square: “I was definitely very excited to be starting college having waited several decades for the opportunity to pursue my passion for literature”. While the circumstances certainly differ from the average student fresh off the CAO conveyor belt, the same sense of expectation rings true for mature students. Marian Hyland, another
very optimistic and curious as to what would be expected of me”. Indeed adjustment was necessary when faced with the academic demands of College. The panic felt by most students at long reading lists, prices of textbooks, essay seasons and the apprehension of an exam format you’re not yet used to was made worse by the demands of family and home life: “Academically it did take some time to retune my old grey matter for college work, and trying to balance all my other obligations – two teenagers, a house to run and a semi-employ – required military type strategies,” states Amanda. Marian felt the same level of pressure, exacerbated by the loss of her mother in Hilary term of her first year though she says her course tutor and department head “offered a great degree of understanding and support”. It’s to be expected that with such responsibilities a mature student’s social life would suffer, but more often than not their social life is interrupted purely by being older. As Margaret Whelan says, “There is often a ste-
reotypical image as to what a college student looks like, some mature students fit this image but many do not and this group is often overlooked when student events are being run”. Margaret even recalls being mistaken for a lecturer in tutorials, “On one occasion a man continued to talk to me despite the fact that I told him I was a student”. Janet maintains that it’s down to your personality and “how far you’re willing to put yourself out there”. Though, as with any first experience in a new social scene, one bad experience can almost destroy your confidence. Luckily, Amanda’s first time socialising with a fellow classmate was a positive one: a girl on her course invited her out for a burrito, that most sacred of social institutions. However, the sad fact remains that a mature student can often be isolated from social circles. Marian recalls how at the start she “often felt very alone and vulnerable” but states that “in turn this helped me gain a greater threshold of resilience, a vital element for us matures!” An integral part of the college experience for many people is the thrill of socialising: a student should never have to develop a thicker skin just to get through it, mature or otherwise. It is this issue that the opt-in pin is directly trying to remedy through both its simplistic symbolism and backing network of students that illustrate just how eager mature students are to be considered in college affairs and events. As it stands, this year’s batch of pins have already run out, signifying how welcome the initiative is. It’s also a positive sign for how it may be established in the College system in years to come. Janet is eager to insist that the pin is also not just reserved for mature students, but for anyone that identifies with the message of the pin, which is arguably a lot more than one might think. Mature student issues, those of representation and participation, are essentially the same as larger student issues and it’s time to start treating them as such.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21st October 2014
In Focus
The Human Side of the Accomodation Crisis Lying, begging and borrowing a couch to try to have a roof over your head. Rossa James Gallagher brings us through the hell of a desperate property search which for some is still going on. Rossa James Gallagher Staff Writer
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his was what I saw when walking down Grafton Street last week, hanging around the neck of a young man: “I am a student, homeless in Dublin. If anybody knows anything, anything at all about where I can find accommodation, please talk to me.” I had seen this message a thousands times before, plastered all over Facebook. I’d seen it on Dublin rental websites and accommodation services, on online forums and in chatrooms. But to see it scrawled in permanent marker on a scrap of cardboard, hanging by a string around the neck of a young man no older than myself, is a stark reminder just how grim househunting has become for students in Dublin. I’m no stranger to househunting myself, having lived in different areas of Dublin for each college year. While it has never been easy to find a place, and it’s always been stressful, persistent search generally churned forth a couple of feasible options. One month’s deposit and a landlord reference and you were grand. That is, until now. My experience of househunting this summer was a potent mixture of compromise, desperation and begging. I’d swear I’d never go back there, and please god don’t make me go back there, but here I am, going back there. The plan was to find a threebedroom, somewhere habitable and as close to the city center as we were last year, in Smithfield. We felt confident that we’d be able to get something within a month as we were able to start looking before the international students arrived and the CAO offers were in. We took the search seriously, signing up to alerts from daft, contacting Trinity and joining every Face-
book page with any relevance to the hunt. Those pages are a pretty good way of gauging the level of interest in properties and one thing became very clear, very quickly: You want housing in Dublin? Get in line. Landlords were being inundated with texts, calls and emails. Every single property that went on the market had dozens of people throwing themselves at it, with some of the city center locations getting well over a hundred applicants. Dublin, you see, and the country at large, is suffering from a chronic shortage of housing. Recent figures published by the TCDSU Accommodations Advisory service details a 40% reduction in nationwide housing availability. Throw in the rising rent prices – up 25% on average in the city center – as well as slashes to maintenance grants, and you get some very unhappy students.
Lying to get a Home So, rent prices were going up. Fine. We could deal with that. Housing was in short supply. Sure, we had the whole summer to search so we could manage that, too. What we weren’t prepared for, and what stymied the hunt at every turn, was the fact that we were students. We began to notice a trend. We’d find a place, contact the landlord and offer to move in immediately. Landlord would seem delighted, ask us about ourselves and if we were working. We’d reply that we were students, but also working. Then, landlord would a) cut off communication like a lover who’d become bored or b) inform us that unfortunately the place had just been rented, like some sort of lover that was also a potential landlord but reluctant to rent to students. Oh yeah, and there was the other landlady with a lovely three-bed in Rathmines who,
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The legendary hospitality of the Irish apparently does not extend as far as a readily available roof over your head
ILLUSTRATION BY Mary Corbally FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES
upon learning that we were students, said that we would need to provide four months rent up front, as opposed to the usual two. It was clear what we needed to do: lie. Students won’t cut it anymore. This city is made for yuppies, so yuppies we must become. It was time to re-write our cover letters, the ones we attached to every application – this time with our hyperbole pens. My part-time job became full-time, ‘working in a call center’ became ‘involved in market research’, and we avoided the word ‘student’ like the plague. We got employer references on top of multiple landlord references (my dad played the part of weirdly enthusiastic previous landlord for a while, under a fake name). We even got our respective banks to give us forms that expressly stated that we were not broke or in danger of becoming broke anytime soon.
Young Feminism in Dublin “ Sophie Jane Andrews-McCarroll Contributing Writer
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hat do ‘Gone Girl’, an Equality Budgeting Campaign and the latest and greatest rap music in the Dublin scene have in common? Before you shrug on, let me enlighten you. Welcome to feminist Dublin, where people of all ages, backgrounds, and gender identities discuss, socialise and create. The ultimate goal here is a society free from social stigmas and inequality. Last Tuesday night found me at the Axis theatre in Ballymun, where I was witness to a truly powerful piece of theatre, ‘Made from Scratch’, a moving portrayal of women living in poverty. It was produced and performed
by the Y Factor, one of Dublin’s most vibrant and active feminist youth organisations. The piece I saw was testimony to the effectiveness of the campaign in giving a voice to the people and issues which tend to be overlooked. The efforts of the cast and crew resulted in a moving depiction of how poverty affects all aspects of living: from social circles and personal health, to having a bed to sleep in or enough food. The performance was followed by a discussion panel, which provoked debate (and a bit of banter) while dealing with the pretty heavy topics broached in the play. We were also treated to a performance by the wonderful TemperMental MissElayneous. Elayne Harrington, or TemperMental MissElayneous, is a Dublin rapper whose poetry provides young feminists with a refreshing alternative to mainstream music. She is also involved in the Y Factor, but tries to reach a wider audience through her music. “I feel a bit
To see how other people stand on an issue that you feel strongly about, it’s a really nice experience
like I’m preaching to the converted here” she tells me when I approach her after the performance, gesturing around to the groups of people lingering after the show. She tells me that, in addition to her rap, she has been involved in the RTÉ show ‘Connected’. ‘I hate television, I hate it” she says, but she recognises the importance of the media in public perceptions.
The Y Factor began as an initiative of the National Woman’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) three years ago and has since gained huge momentum. Among other initiatives, they were instrumental in the first national student gender conference, which took place in NUI Galway in February 2014. Chiefly concerned with providing a platform for young men and women to have their voices heard, the Y Factor also have a healthy online presence. In their own words, “The Y Factor has been set up to empower and support [young people] to have their voices heard in the continuing movement for equality.” This is played out in the active Facebook and Twitter pages which post on everything from the recent budget announcements to repealing the 8th Amendment (and the added bonus of an occasional rap). However, they’re not all about virtual campaigning. Youth involvement and activism is what the Y Factor is all about, and this is something really emphasised
by the inspirational Sadhbh. At seventeen years old and one of the original members of the Steering Group, Sadhbh helped lead the post-show discussion panel – surely an inspiration to any aspiring activist. Getting involved in such a movement isn’t difficult either – there are numerous evenings, performances and events that take place during the year and they are always recruiting activists for their Steering Group. But the Y Factor isn’t the only feminist organisation in town. The Irish Feminist Network (IFN) was established by a group of Trinity Master’s students in May 2010. It was the result of a lack of youth involvement in the feminist movement and aimed to provide a forum for young women and men to discuss views and talk about what they would like to see being campaigned on. Since its foundation four years ago, they have been active on a number of different issues including an equality budgeting campaign,
We were walking, talking references. On top of this, we’d been contacted with other friends who were looking for a place themselves and thought we might have a better chance looking together. Strength in numbers mentality. By the time we eventually found a place (this story has a happy ending, many don’t), the search had been expanded to include 3, 4, 5 or 6 bedroom places. In the end, it took us nearly 3 months and I consider us the lucky ones. The TCDSU Accommodation Service has been working flat out: the number of people who have contacted them in recent months has passed over 2000, over twice the previous year. I met with Tom Duffy, an American student who has been staying in Isaac’s Hostel on the Quays for nearly a month now, to find out what the situation is
like for international students trying to find accommodation, in a word, hell. He explained to me that he has been staying in the hostel whilst trying to find a place, but the search has been far from easy. He’s been to fifteen viewings, emailed over 200 applications for various rental offers around Dublin, and has been forced to rely on friends’ couches on the weekends when his hostel runs out of vacancies – which is most weekends. Tom has met dozens of students like himself, all caught without a permanent place to live. The legendary hospitality of the Irish apparently does not extend as far as a readily available roof over peoples’ heads. To anyone still searching for a home and especially to the young fella with the cardboard sign (on the off-chance that you’re reading this) don’t let the search beat you down.
which is lobbying for an audit to take place pre-budget focusing on vulnerable sectors of society potentially to be affected by cuts. Also on the agenda is a campaign on sex and consent, with a particular emphasis on education. Looking forward, the Network is hoping to start a consultation process with followers and members to give a more public voice to the direction the network is taking – youth involvement is very important to the IFN. “It’s one of the most important things the network can have really” says Emer, one of the coordinators. “Even the experience of people who are leaving school and entering university and work at the moment is so different from how it was ten years ago, we really need to make sure that everyone is kept abreast on how things are changing and on what issues and themes are important for young people today.” She also mentions the importance of young men in the movement: “For young men, I mean, there are a huge amount of pressures as well, based on the kind of gender stereotypes that we have at the moment: peer pressures to be tough, to
be strong. It’s a different stereotype, but it can be very oppressive as well”. Getting involved in the IFN can take many different forms. Emer talked enthusiastically about the monthly book club – “anyone can go along, you don’t have to have read the book… we’re reading ‘Gone Girl’ as the film is out at the moment.” The general meetings take place in the first week of the month, the next one will be on the 10th November in the bar in Boswell’s. Getting involved in events and discussions can be deeply rewarding: “To talk to other people, to see how other people stand on an issue that you feel strongly about, it’s a really nice experience. You probably won’t all agree on issues, but that’s how new campaigns and initiatives get started: just having a chat and realising it’s all possible.” The IFN also look for writers for their blog – another way to get your feminist voice heard in a more formal context. If you want to be a part of this movement, don’t be afraid to come out and get involved. The fourth generation of feminism isn’t going to be the last, but it will define the future of gender equality.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
Predatory Spending
Students struggle with responsible budgeting, and that’s a bigger problem than you think.
Daniel O’Brien Opinions Editor
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he shortcomings of the payday loan industry are well documented and, for the most part, obvious and uninteresting. For those needing a refresher, such firms offer loans to those unwelcome elsewhere, either due to low income, bad credit, or more often both. A necessary result of this business model, though, is that payday loans charge a far higher rate of interest to account for their increased risk. The problems that ensue are largely predictable. What’s far more interesting is the story, documented by BBC earlier this month, of an unemployed 20-yearold student who got caught up in this mess. Elliott Gomme lied on his loan application, in order to secure £120 for a holiday, because his bank would not offer him overdraft (his account was empty). A few months later, he now owes more than £800. If you’re keeping count, there are at least three things majorly wrong with
that story, and arguably none of them are the fault of the lending company. Lying about income or employment status, in any context, is wrong and often illegal. Spending 120 quid on a holiday when you have literally no money is fiscally irresponsible. And procuring that money through a loan, knowing that you have no current or future source of income, is at the very least dumb, if not morally wrong. It’s the equivalent of borrowing money from a friend with the knowledge that you will never pay them back. It’s also known as stealing. But somehow Mr. Gomme has convinced both himself and a reputable mainstream news outlet that he is the real victim. “They were ringing me every day,” he says. “They were telling me how much I owe and that there was added interest,” he continues, seemingly unaware that this is exactly how loans work. I apologise if this all sounds unfairly critical of the man in question. The reality is that this story accurately reflects the financial illiteracy of most students, not just the one unfortunate soul who made headlines. And although the problem is apparent, the solution may be far more difficult to find. Students are notoriously vulnerable to certain types of marketing, e.g. anything based on the idea of low prices. But as a demographic with disproportionate financial responsibilities relative to experience han-
dling money, reckless mistakes are both common and, as shown above, potentially devastating. The problem is that such mistakes are far less obvious than we might assume. For example, if Club A is offering 3 Jaegerbombs for a tenner (or any other amazing drinks deal), that is not a logical reason to go out that night if you didn’t already intend to do so. Rather, it’s a reason to choose Club A over Club B if you’ve already decided to go out. Otherwise you’re not getting a bargain on drinks. You’re getting ripped off to the tune of an entry fee plus drink costs (both pre- and in the club), plus the inevitable taxi ride home. One or two nights of this in a single week means any chance at successful budgeting has been lost. Students are by now well aware of the struggle to spend responsibly while enjoying some of their last years of relative freedom. But how much are we to blame for this situation? Personal finance education is hardly a fixture of primary or secondary education, and at third-level it is almost non-existent. Where such classes do exist in American high schools, they are too often viewed with disdain: meant for those directly entering the workforce and not suitable for those attending college. Equally troubling is the low rate of success such programs face even when they are implemented. Virtually all academic literature on the subject has concluded that spending
ILLUSTRATION BY Caoilainn Scouler FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES
on financial literacy education makes little difference in long-term outcomes. The thinking is that financial behaviour is similar to eating habits, easy to criticise and difficult to change. But the implications of that conclusion are worrying. Financial literacy is one of the more prominent ways in which wealth and income inequality perpetuates itself. While it’s fun to imagine the children of the uber-rich spending irresponsibly, it may be more helpful to remember the upper middle class families passing on knowledge of stocks, bonds, and 401k’s. Young peo-
Agóidí: An Bhfuil Ciall ag Baint Leo sa Lá atá Inniu Ann? Is í cosaint ár gcearta daonlathais an rud is tábhachtaí, dar le Benn Ó hÓgáin
Benn Ó hÓgáin Comhfreagraí Gaelach
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á breá a bhí ann an Satharn seo caite, agus bhí mé ag ligint mo scíthe sa choláiste. Bhí gach rud mar is gnáth go dtí nach raibh sé, go dtí go raibh torann glórach ag teacht i mo threo. Deirtear go raibh 50,000 duine ann, ag máirseáil i gcoinne na dtáillí uisce. Tá a fhios againn cinnte go mbeidh na táillí uisce againn go deo anois, is cuma cén ruaille buaille a dhéanann An Páirtí Sóisialach. Tá breis is €180 milliúin caite ar Uisce Éireann, an chomhlacht fo-stáit a bheidh i gceannas ar an uisce, gan trácht ar an obair atá déanta maidir leis na meadracha, atá taobh amuigh de gach uile doras. Aon huair a bhíonn máirseáil mar seo ar siúl, bíonn dearcadh diúltach agam faoi. Cén mhaitheas atá ann, deirimse, nuair atá a fhios againn nach dtiocfaidh aon fheabhas ar an scéal? Tá feachtas ag Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ) le deanaí dar teideal ‘Education Is…’. Is é bunphrionsabal an fheachtais seo ná go bhfuil oideachas ina earra poiblí. Cúpla lá roimh an agóid uisce, bhí mic léinn ag máirseáil ar son a gcearta oideachais, agus ar son an fheachtais ‘Education is…’, agus bhí breis is 6,000 duine a bhí ag an gceann sin. Ach an ndéannann sé sin aon
PHOTO BY Tomasz Szykulski FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES
mhaitheas, don dream atá i gcoinne na dtáillí uisce, nó do na mic léinn? D’fheadfá a rá go bhfuil sé go maith gur féidir linn ár dTeachtaí Dála a chur ar an eolas maidir le tuairimí an phobail. D’fheadfá a rá go bhfuil gá le feachtas ar nós an chinn i gcoinne na dtáillí uisce fíorthábhachtach ó thaobh an daonlathais de. Tá maitheas ag baint leis na ráitis thuas. Ach ag an am céanna, má táimid ag iarraidh ár bhfód a sheasamh ar son ár gcearta, tá orainn a bheith i bhfad níos gníomhaí mar tír ná atá muid faoi láthair. Lig muid don rialtas a pholasaithe a chur i bhfeidhm gan srian. Ní raibh muid mar sin i gcónaí. Má smaonionn tú siar ag scannal na
cartaí leighis i 2008, ghlac 15,000 seansír páirt i slógadh taobh amuigh de Dháil Éireann. Sheas na mílte i gcoinne ginmhillte, agus i bhfabhar an rud céanna. Ní raibh an slua céanna ann le haghaidh oideachais. Tá breis is 164,000 mac léinn sa tríú leibhéal, ach ní raibh ach 6,000 sásta seasamh ar son a gcearta ar na srádeanna. Deir daoine go bhfuil na huimhreacha sin ard: níl siad. An fhadhb atá againn ná gur cuma le daoine óga augs ní chaitheann siad vótaí. Mura gcaitheann tú do vóta, is chuma leis an Dáil fút. Is é sin an fáth gur thug siad na cartaí leighis ar ais do na seanóirí, ach go bhfuil táille ranníocaíochta an mhic léinn ag dul suas an bhliain seo chugainn.
D’fhág lucht an uisce ródhéanach é, bhí an t-airgead caite, agus an plean socruithe cheana féin. Ach na mic léinn? Tá deis fós againn troid ar son an gearradh siar atá déanta le blianta beaga anuas. D’fheadfá an scéal a bheith i bhfad níos measa — dar ndóigh, ba mhaith an buiséad a bhí ann ó thaobh an oideachais de ar an iomlán — ach d’fhéadfadh rudaí a bheith i bhfad níos fearr. An chéad uair eile a bheidh máirseáil ar siúl, beidh an-mheas agam ar na daoine a glacann páirt, is cuma an aontaím nó mura aontaím le ceard atá á rá acu. Is í cosaint ár gcearta daonlathais an rud is tábhachtaí. Ansin, B’fhéidir is féidir linn an domhan a athrú.
ple from less affluent backgrounds often have less exposure to such concepts. Like with weight and eating habits, that doesn’t mean the cycle is unbreakable, just that certain parts of society are vastly disadvantaged in where they start off. Universities are useful for transferring human capital uniformly, in the sense that all admitted students are taught the same thing, regardless of social class or income. But it is often seen as too difficult or even undesirable for them to attempt to equalise cultural capital, i.e. the type of knowledge linked with a higher standing in
society. Some attempts are made at Trinity through things like the Career Advisory Service, which offers classes on job interviews, CV writing, etc. They’re admirable, but they fail to get at the heart of the issue. All students face new financial and academic challenges upon entering university, but they rarely weigh these challenges equally. Whether through formal education or simply promoting financial awareness, we should ensure that students know their ability to manage money will be at least as important as their degree for future career success.
The S-Word Aisling Curtis Senior Staff Writer
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hen somebody is called smart we immediately know what that means: an inherent attribute that is for some hopelessly unattainable, and for others a label they’ve been dogged with since their first childhood spelling bee. An attribute that is a slur in some circles and the greatest compliment in others, its very fabric replete with expectation to achieve in a certain academic way. But shouldn’t we consider other manifestations of being smart? Take, for example, somebody with a deep and encompassing knowledge of the Harry Potter world. Maybe they don’t get straight A’s in their Leaving, and maybe their vocabulary isn’t as extensive as they’d like, and maybe Kiev could just as easily be the garlic chicken as the capital of Ukraine - but they can tell you the intricacies of seven books, eight movies, and an exhaustive backdrop of details and tidbits and themes. Are they not just as intelligent as the traditional maths nerd? In 1967, the developmental psychologist Howard Gardner challenged the prevailing theories of the time by proposing a Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which argued that people process information in different ways - eight, to be precise. Instead of domination by one ability - a general intelligence that is the basis of modern IQ tests he believed that intelligence could be divided into these different areas, all largely independent of each other, with individuals expressing a blend of types rather than a single manifestation. It’s the kind of theory that appeals to us on a fundamental level, which is why we should be wary of it. And – perhaps unfortunately – the empirical evidence is not strong, relying heavily upon subjective judgement and a feeling
of “rightness” rather than testable proof. But critics don’t disagree with the notion that people can be smart in a range of ways, only with the methodology and the strictness of calling these traits “intelligences” when “intelligence” has generally been defined as the skills associated with school. On a rigid theoretical level, Gardner has been dismissed, but on a broader, more subjective plane the crux of his ideas carry weight. Although they may not manifest on a general intelligence test, musical, spatial, linguistic, interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities can bestow a greater operational smartness upon a person than any ability to classify shapes into patterned rows. What’s more, even Gardner’s questionable intelligences can only be extrapolated to those of us who hail from the Western world. In other cultures, what’s considered ‘intelligent’ can be nothing like smartness here. In Zimbabwe, intelligence is being cautious, particularly in social relationships; in Zambia, it’s obedience and responsibility; Asian conceptions of intelligence include determination, and even feelings and opinions. Our notion of intelligence in Ireland is just that: ours. Not everybody’s. Which means we can allow it to change. We place value on specific types of knowledge and certain skills, often for the lone reason that such skills are culturally esteemed. Is somebody who can learn a vast array of testable facts really more intelligent than somebody who can recall each celebrity couple of the last ten years, or somebody else who knows every up and down of the World Cup? A freer interpretation of intelligence would allow more potential, more diversity, a greater array of skills to the ones we’ve been taught to revere. More smart people empowered by their own intelligence – no matter what strange, unexpected flavour of intelligence that might be – might even make the rest of us smarter, too.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
Mandela House, 6 Trinity College, College Green, Dublin 2 Phone: (01) 646 8431 Email: info@universitytimes.ie Samuel Riggs, Editor Edmund Heaphy, Deputy Editor Jack Leahy, News Editor Sinéad Baker, Co-Editor-at-Large Cormac Shine, Co-Editor-at-Large Conor Murphy, Features Editor Daniel O’Brien , Opinion Editor Carl Kinsella, Sports Editor Rachel Lavin, Magazine Editor Jane Fallon Griffin, Deputy Magazine Editor Tom Myatt, Supplements Editor Esmé Montgomery, Copy Editor Benedict Shegog, Photo and Illustrations Editor Caelan Rush, Creative Director
Defending Trinity’s Challenge of the Admissions System
Professor Patrick Geoghegan, the architect of Trinity’s admissions feasibility study, responds to former Head of the CAO, John McAvoy, who calls the admission of 25 students from the study an “ill-judged action”.
Praise for Challenging the College Admissions System
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hy should we continue to accept the imperfect? A recent article by John McAvoy in The Irish Times stated that in 1999, the Points Commission of the Irish government found the Leaving Certificate exam to be preferable to any alternative admissions method to third level education. But the fact remains that the CAO system comes under constant criticism within Irish society. With regards to the recent feasibility study in alternative admissions undertaken by Trinity, McAvoy postulated the question: “Has Trinity discovered something that eluded the Points Commission?”. Our response would be that a lot of things have changed in fifteen years. The economy is entirely transformed – we have gone from bust to boom and back again, and the needs of our graduates from secondary school and third level alike are completely different. As any third-level student will tell you, the Leaving Certificate in no way prepares you for the world of third level education. When the system allows you to gain a high mark by rote-learning an essay for a subject like English, in which creativity of thought and difference of opinion should unquestionably be encouraged, there is a very definite sense that you need to re-examine the structure of the state examinations system. Similarly, it seems strange that an admissions process which takes into account none of the personal aptitudes of the applicant for study and learning can be considered the most preferable mission to third level, where self-directed study and innovation are keystones of the academic experience. But, of course, Trinity can by no means guarantee that the feasibility study will be successful – there is simply no way to measure the quality of these graduates in comparison to those who have taken part in the Leaving Cert for years to come. But then this raises the question, how do you measure the success of a programme like this? What constitutes failure, when it is essentially granting third level education to people who, before, may not have achieved access? Students who have partaken of this new form of admission will be system for entering their Junior Sophister year by the time the project comes under review in 2016/2017, and will surely be able to provide an insight into how it has affected their third level experience thus far, positive or negative. Trinity must be commended for attempting to find an alternative to the accepted status quo of the Leaving Cert – we cannot shrink from change, but must instead always seek to evolve our systems in order to match the changing demands of students and the economy on what we expect from our graduates.
Universities Deserve Praise for Success in Spite of Climate
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hat Trinity, like all Irish universities and higher education institutes, is falling in global university rankings isn’t exactly breaking news. Whether or not these rankings actually accurately capture the strength of a university and the quality of education you would receive by attending it – and there is debate about what rankings actually capture – when our universities fall in the rankings, people begin to panic. But these rankings typically ignore many of the core purposes of the universities, such as the quality of education and teaching. When looking for a university, one of the first things one would want to know is what level of education you can receive for the amount of money you are willing to pay. A new way of looking at the worth and strength of a university is needed, and the Tionchar project, which analyses the efficiency and impact of the Irish higher education system, and features Trinity Professor Brian Lucey as Principal Investigator, has found that third-level institutions in Ireland deliver some of the best value for money globally. That institutes of higher education in Ireland provide a very good education for the fraction of the price of equivalent schooling in other countries is certainly something to sing about, and a testament to the resilience of the institutes during a very difficult time. We need to remember that, when Ireland falls in the rankings, it does not necessarily imply that the quality of education being provided is also being diminished. Perhaps our expectation of receiving education which is primarily funded by the exchequer in Ireland means that we forget about the advantage we have: receiving an excellent education at the fraction of the cost of comparable institutions. However, regardless of the accuracy of rankings, they remain important for attracting both students and investment. Ireland’s fall is typically attributed to the lack of funding to the education sector, yet the fact that Ireland has managed to keep four universities in the top 300 globally is an extremely impressive feat. As the Provost recently pointed out at the recent Irish Universities Symposium on the performance and sustainability of Irish Universities: “On a per academic basis, Trinity’s annual budget is 45 percent lower than that of the average top 200 university”. It’s almost frightening to think that, if universities were ranked on budgets, Ireland would not have a single university in the top 300. This does not mean that we should be content with an inadequately funded higher-education sector. Yet, despite all of our complaints about the cuts to our education budget, we should not forget to praise those who have managed to keep the quality of our education so high when, compared to the rest of the world, we pay so little.
www.universitytimes.ie
Patrick Geoghegan
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hen Trinity launched its admissions feasibility study it hoped to provoke a debate about the way we admit students to third-level, what is fair, and whether it might be possible to do things in a better way. A central part of the study was to see how people would react to change – if a holistic system could have the same level of public confidence as the dreaded ‘points system’, which is respected as much as it is detested. This week we certainly got our debate, when the former general manager of the CAO (he retired back in 2004) launched as astonishing and intemperate attack on our study in the pages of the Irish Times. Perhaps such an insular and suspicious response was inevitable, given that he had dedicated his life to administering a system that very few people have kind words to say about. Of course, by attacking the study, the author of the article has now become a crucial part of it, as we evaluate public reaction to his criticism. I suspect he will not appreciate the irony.
The truth is that the CAO has been our partners in this exciting project from the beginning. At the launch of the study the current general manager of the CAO, Ivor Gleeson, described it as ‘a project of national significance’, and noted that ‘The new admissions route being tested in this feasibility study has the potential to bring about a significant change to the system of third-level admissions in Ireland [for the first time] in over thirty years’. The reason I feel compelled to address the issue in The University Times is because the headline chosen by the Irish Times (referring to ‘guinea pigs’) was a cheap shot at the 25 students we have admitted through our new admissions route, and crossed the line. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. Far from being guinea pigs undeserving of their places, these are enthusiastic and able students, excited by learning and by the opportunities before them, with ability and potential that goes beyond a narrow points total, and we are very proud to have them in Trinity. They were selected in a completely anonymous process after a rigorous and exhaustive process, chaired by an independent retired judge (Dr. Yvonne Murphy), and which was monitored by lead-
ing experts and observers. Three scales were used to evaluate the applicants – their Leaving Certificate results; their performance in the
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The headline chosen by the Irish Times (referring to ‘guinea pigs’) was a cheap shot at the 25 students we have admitted through our new admissions route, and crossed the line.
Leaving Certificate compared to others in their school (the Relative Performance Rank); and an anonymous personal statement – and it was a robust process that withstood external scrutiny. But the key point is that they were admitted as part of a feasibility study to test if there was a fairer and better mechanism to admit students to third-level rather than just relying on points alone. We are trying to see – on a small-scale
and in a strictly controlled way - if things that work well in an international context (and Harvard and other leading universities advised on the development of the study) might also work in Ireland. What is the point in being Ireland’s leading university if we are not prepared to lead on educational issues, especially when the current system has so many flaws and the issue affects so many people? As the Minister for Education, Jan O’Sullivan, said in her interview with this paper on 21 September, it is right that we do this work, and we have been encouraged by the support we have received from the Department of Education and Skills, from our own students and alumni, and from members of the general public. In a way, Trinity is the only university in the country that could do this work. It is precisely because our courses have such high demand, and going to Trinity has such great prestige, that we have the moral authority to lead on this issue. We also have a moral responsibility. Rather than cursing the flaws in the current points system, Trinity is attempting to provide some light on one of the most controversial parts of Irish higher education. We do not claim to have solved the problem of the points race, but we stand over the decision to attempt to solve it, rather than sitting back and accepting the status quo purely because that is the way it has always been. Lots of people are afraid of change, and fear can be used to stop progress, and smother innovation. Whatever the results of this study we should be proud of Trinity for having had the courage of its beliefs and for leading on this subject rather than cowering in the shadows. Professor Patrick Geoghegan is the former Senior Lecturer and Dean of Undergraduate Studies and helped develop the admissions feasibility study.
As the Science of Learning Advances, it’s Natural for Grades to Follow Olly Donnelly Contributing Writer
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ore Irish students are getting firsts and 2:1’s than ever before, according to statistics in the Irish Times, with Trinity being top of the pile. Over the past 10 years, 71.7 per cent of TCD graduates have received a first or a 2:1. This is much higher than the national average: at the University of Limerick, for example, that number is 50.2 per cent. Trinity claim this is because of the “exceptionally bright cohorts of students” that the college attracts, which is about as close to a compliment from the Provost as most of us will ever get. However, some are accusing Trinity (and others colleges) of “grade inflation”, essentially giving out better grades over time because being nasty is hard and examiners, as we all know, have hearts of gold. So this “grade inflation” thing, why is it happening, and is it really all that bad? The sceptics among us would point out that grades getting better and better looks suspect, claiming that the tests themselves are getting easier, and the quality of students or the work they do is fairly constant over time. This is an argument heard so often in the
UK that it’s almost a parody of itself. The occasional balding Tory backbencher, groaning about the exams having been harder “back in my day” is almost as much of a Newsnight stalwart as Jeremy Paxman’s own cynicism, though only the latter was ever useful. Yes, more people are getting top grades in the GCSE and A-Level system now than say, 20 years ago, but the reasons for this are less obvious, and certainly less insidious, than easier exam papers or softer marking. Teaching, for example, has come on a lot in recent decades, with students being encouraged to think independently, rather than just rote learn. Both in school and in college, this is an incredibly valuable skill to have, and is making for the most articulate, conscientious cohort of graduates the world has ever seen, with future generations standing only to gain further from advancements in teaching skills. Furthermore, as students in 2014, we have access to a lot of things that people back in previous decades would not have benefited from: digital library catalogues, smartphones, Wikipedia, even half-price lattes from Insomnia during exam time. With all of this advancement, one would expect us to be getting better and better at studying while we’re at university, and better grades thus seem natural, rather than an unusual devel-
opment. I personally don’t know how I would make it through my course without Google Books, Evernote, or Spotify. Additionally, lecturers are becoming better at providing us with information. We take things like Powerpoint and Blackboard for granted, whereas in the past, readings were obtained by actually going to the library (the horror!), catching up with lectures missed due to a particularly bad hangover was a nightmare, and the only blackboard in use was dependent on the availability of chalk and erasers. What I’m getting at is that we have an easier time learning than any generation preceding us, and with the deck stacked so heavily in our favour, a higher standard of work is inevitable. With the fact that our generation is naturally producing better work having been established, should we be rewarded for that work with higher grades? Some would argue that we shouldn’t, owing to the fact that students in the past had a harder time, and were just as intelligent. If it was much more difficult for Mum to get a 2:1 than it is for you now, how can it be fair that you get that grade and they don’t? While I understand this line of reasoning, I feel compelled to disagree by simply acknowledging what a degree actually is, i.e. a “qualification”. A degree is a certificate showing
you are ‘qualified’ in something, and to what level. If you go to a job interview with a first from today, against someone with a 2:1 from 20 years ago, you’re still more qualified, even if they had a harder time getting their grade than you did. Although you had far more advantages to help you get to where you are, those advantages have also improved the standard of your work, and that’s what really matters in the labour market, not how easy or difficult it was for you to get there. I sympathise with those graduates of times gone by who feel their degrees are being “devalued” by higher grades today, but I also have to disagree. Their qualification should be worth the same as it was, but the ease of getting there is what’s changed. Today’s students shouldn’t be punished. The UK has seen a recent backlash to apparent grade inflation, with GCSE and A-Level grades being artificially deflated for the past few years as a result. As someone who missed two separate A-Level grades by less than a percentage point, I feel like a victim of this backlash. If it comes to Ireland, and to Irish colleges, I won’t be alone in this respect. I hope I won’t be the only one to speak out against it either. If someone ever says your good grades are because of inflation, shrug it off. You’re worth more than that.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
The Provost’s Manifesto “Never put the raising of funds above the integrity of the academic mission of Trinity College”
Sinéad Baker Co-Editor-at-Large
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he Provost, when running for election in 2011, compiled and distributed his manifesto entitled “A Vision for Trinity College Dublin 2011–2021”. The ideas articulated in this manifesto were popular – indeed, it would be strange for him to be elected if they weren’t. Prendergast was one of five candidates that ran for the position, although it’s interesting to note that the student vote went, not to Prendergast, but to Professor Colm Kearney, a former senior lecturer. That the contents of Prendergast’s manifesto were popular enough to get him elected, but that the last few years have seen a barrage of complaints about the way that College is run and the decisions that have been made, is something that merits examination. Indeed, that the Provost, at a Q&A with students two weeks ago in the Graduates’ Memorial Building with The Phil and TCDSU, opened by stating that he was “happy to be held account [sic] to achieve what I said I would do in my manifesto” would imply that an investigation into the content of his manifesto, and how his actions since live up to his promises, would be welcome. Again, however, it’s interesting to note that the Provost’s manifesto is not easy to find. The website on which he hosted his manifesto, patrickprendergast.com, no longer exists, for instance. The manifesto is divided into three primary sections: ‘Trinity Values that Shaped Me’, ‘My Vision for Trinity’ and ‘My Commitments to You’. In it, he makes commitments to students, makes promises with regards to how ideas and decisions will be communicated throughout the College and sets out his aims for the future of College finances.
Commitments to Students Prendergast correctly predicted that “income to the university through both state funding and student fees [was] likely to be remodelled in the immediate future”: non-exchequer funding comprised 64 per cent of college income for the academic year 2010–2011 and this figure rose to 73 per cent in 2012–2013. The state is investing less in higher education and College has had to diversify income as a result. In light of this, Prendergast asserted that “it is essential that this is done in a way that is fair for students”. Many recent developments, however, have unquestionably been unfair to students. The student levies that were proposed last year – such as a €250 fee for supplemental exams regardless of how many exams you had to sit – were definitely unfair, especially considering that the introduction of the levies had nothing to do with direct increases to the cost of the things they were charging for. For example, €382 of the student contribution – which everyone already pays – goes towards exams and is already enough to cover the costs for both examination sessions. By randomly picking services to charge students for College appears to have been using
students as a way of filling gaps in the budget. Four of the six of these proposals are now to be significantly revised, but this came only after outcry from students and an email campaign ran by TCDSU which targeted members of Trinity’s board, who were to make the final decision. Prendergast asserted the importance of the “student experience” in his manifesto, stating: “The Trinity student experience, both inside and outside the classroom, transformed my understanding of myself and the world”. Yet, it’s undeniable that decisions made by College have only harmed the experience. What is defined as the student experience, at least outside of the classroom, would vary from student to student: for some it would be society involvement, for others, sports, or the chance to be involved in student politics or publications. However, I would argue that life in societies, clubs, publications and the unions – the capitated bodies – has thrived in spite of College decisions rather than because of them. The cuts to these bodies were well publicised last year: funds allocated to capitated bodies were cut by 5 per cent for 2013-14, and again for 2014-15. Reducing the funds available for these bodies that serve to provide many aspects of the student experience can be interpreted as hypocritical for someone who hailed, and continues to hail, their value. Furthermore, vital College services such as the library and health center remain underfunded and inadequate for the size of the student population, which is only expected to grow. The price of on-campus accommodation was increased by 4 per cent for this year, and charges for using the health centre were proposed. That only some of these charges or fee increases were actually introduced in
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Reducing the funds available for these bodies that serve to provide many aspects of the student experience can be interpreted as hypocritical for someone who hailed, and continues to hail, their value.
the end does not take away from the hypocrisy of them being put forward: for the Provost to hail the student experience from when he was in Trinity, and then to not only fail to invest
Sinéad Baker critically examines Provost Patrick Prendergast’s 2011 election manifesto, looking at four critical areas. ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA FINNEGAN FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES
in it, but to actively try to take away from it, certainly merits criticism.
Communications and Transparency Of course, decisions like these are no longer breaking news – they were extensively covered when they broke – but that they stand in conflict with the promises Prendergast made when he was elected is a worrying sign. What they show is the way in which decisions that affect staff, students and College as a whole, have been made: with minimal communication and consultation from those at the top. Prendergast’s manifesto saw him make the explicit commitment to improve communications within the College, yet many large decisions are made within College are made in a way which violates the Provost’s promise to “expand the emphasis on communications in our institution, creating a rapid reaction unit to monitor, respond to, inform and shape debates that concern us”. Certainly, Prendergast has invited and lead new debate on issues facing higher education, and should be commended for opening the debate with regards to the funding of third-level education at the recent symposium of the Irish Universities Association (IUA). It’s interesting to note that, in his manifesto, Prendergast said Trinity, under his leadership, would leave the Irish Universities Association if it was
necessary to “differentiate the role of Trinity from other Universities in Ireland.” That Prendergast is now chair of the IUA can, perhaps generously, be seen as strategic – because acting as chair allows him to lead national debate on issues around education. But it is a bit dubious to assume the chair of an organisation that, when running for election, you said you’d seriously consider leaving. Despite this success in leading national debate, internal communications have been neglected in order to push through controversial decisions made by the College. The existence of Planning Group, a college decision-making body chaired by the Vice-Provost which does not make its minutes available to the College community or have any student representation, is evidence of this mentality. Planning Group was set up in 2008, which, of course, was before Prendergast became Provost, but while he was Vice-Provost and thus chair of the group. This mindset can be seen across the board. Well-cited examples include the capitations committee receiving “no formal notification” of the cuts to their budget until five months after the decision was made, the Fellows’ criticism of the lack of consultation around the Identity Initiative, and the decision to house third-year Scholars in Trinity Hall that was made without consulting the Working Group on Residential Accommodation or the Scholars’ Committee.
Even those student charges proposed last year were only emailed to Board members from the Finance Committee the evening before Board – the agenda for which is typically circulated at least five days before the meeting. That these proposals were only put forward in the summer, when the majority of students were not around to protest the decision, could be seen as an attempt to catch the students’ union off guard and to minimise the effect of any objections by students. Prendergast promised to “communicate personally with students and their representatives, holding regular monthly meetings with SU and [Graduate Students’ Union] sabbatical officers”. Last year, he repeatedly broke that promise: other than meeting last year’s student representatives at Board, which is his legal obligation, Prendergast only met them at their initial meeting. before the first meeting of Board, and to talk about the appointment of the Dean of Students. When news broke of the cuts to the capitated bodies, TCDSU were told to meet with the Vice-Provost instead of the Provost. That this year he has now responded to criticism for these actions by actually meeting with representatives from TCDSU and the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) – on a monthly basis, as promised – is highly commendable, and something that students should hope to see continued in upcoming years. Indeed, when I spoke to TCDSU President Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne about the development, he said that “this level of dialogue is unprecedented in the current Provost’s tenure.” When questioned in previous years, Prendergast’s response had been along the lines of “no-one ever asked”, but, as McGlacken-Byrne commented: “The fact is, whether or not student representatives had the courtesy of extending an encouraging invitation for the Provost to fulfil something he explicitly promised to do is ultimately irrelevant. The obligation to forge lines of communication rests with those who govern and not the governed.” At the Q&A, which notably was the Provost’s first time addressing students since 2011, Prendergast, with regards to the lack of consultation with students on these charges, commented that they “were a bit ham fistedly done, and I wasn’t happy with that myself.” But, of course, those decisions were made in a year where the Provost did not meet with student representatives. To complain about how a decision was made, when it was made by someone who reports directly to him (the Vice-Provost), is to deny responsibility. And it’s especially hypocritical considering that this decision was made in the same way that decisions under his leadership were made in many other instances. In terms of logistical promises, the Provost’s commitment to “open the Provost’s Office, moving [it] to a more accessible part of College” has
not come to fruition, although it is important to note that Prendergast is only three years into a ten-year position. In order to “increase transparency of governance”, Prendergast promised to “publish the Provost’s diary”, and, regardless of whether or not this diary has been published, if students are unanimously unaware of its existence it is safe to say that the measure has failed in its purpose of increasing transparency in the College. Access Prendergast publicly supports the notion of making Trinity as accessible
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Indeed, to promise to continue to recruit academic staff, against all evidence that this would not be possible, may even be interpreted as a ploy to get votes.
as possible, and has hailed the work of programmes such as Trinity Access Programme (TAP), which encourages groups typically under-represented in higher education to go to university. Prendergast, in the opening of his manifesto, referred to previous Provost AJ McConnell as an “inspiration” as he “transformed the university from being an essentially private College to one that had full participation in Irish life”, promising to “continue in this mission”. But many of Prendergast’s actions have, if anything, had the potential to narrow Trinity’s accessibility. Reports circulated to attendees at last year’s Global Graduate Forum revealed that Trinity considered a degree of privatisation, a move which would limit access to Trinity to only those who could afford it. Then-TCDSU Education Officer Jack Leahy claimed this change “would constitute a complete abdication of Trinity’s 421-year claim to the brightest minds in the country”. To introduce any measure of privatisation would contradict the commitment expressed in the manifesto to “ensuring that access to higher education is maintained for all, regardless of parental or personal income”. At last week’s Q&A, the Provost clarified his position: “It’s not my purpose in being Provost to ensure Trinity is privatised. My purpose and my duty is to ensure that we are funded”. For Prendergast to state that privatisation is not “his purpose”, as in, the objective of his position, doesn’t do much to soothe any fears that might come from the assertion in his manifesto that he will “advocate for the re-introduction of tuition fees on the basis of alleviating the funding crisis in universities”. This statement directly contradicts his stated desire to ensure “access to students based only on academic ability”. The increasing cost of student services will only increase the cost of going to, and staying in, Trinity. For Prendergast to hail access services such as TAP, yet not advocate systems which would keep students in college, ignores many of the harsh realities for students who are struggling to stay in Trinity. These proposed charges, those that have been approved and those that are to be reviewed, have certainly not been “done in a way that is fair for students”.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21 October, 2014
Prendergast must be commended for his work in alternative admissions, on the back of his manifesto promise to “explore admissions criteria beyond a purely points-based mechanism”. This August, twenty-five places in Trinity were offered to CAO applicants who took part in the College’s pioneering feasibility study in alternative admissions. This has established Trinity as a pioneer in terms of access, and in questioning the pervading systems in Ireland that decide who gets to College. Prendergast’s promise to “review the exam process to ensure a system flexible enough for exam methods that best suit each discipline” has been an ongoing project within Trinity over the last few years. Professor Patrick Geoghegan, who up until this year was the Senior Lecturer, worked on the concept of the Trinity Education, visiting the majority of the schools to review methods of examination and assessment across the College. It’s also important to note that the new strategic plan for Trinity, due to be launched on Wednesday, has renewed Prendergast’s commitment to renew and reform the curriculum and forms of assessment.
Staffing The Employment Control Framework, which sets down strict limits for the number of staff appointments made in third-level institutions as well as setting pay grades for all staff, has created many problems with regards to replacing retiring staff and expanding academic posts as student numbers increase. The framework could potentially account for why, as of June 2014, only ten Ussher posts – tenured academic positions in Trinity that are not funded by the exchequer– had been appointed despite a manifesto promise to appoint “another 40 new-blood Ussher posts” within two years of his election and “thereafter sustainably grow the number of academic staff to reduce the staff:student ratio”. At last week’s Q&A, Prendergast commented that student numbers have not been increased in order to keep the staff-to-student ratio “at the right level”. Student numbers, however, are only expected to grow as more students enter higher education, and the ratio is only increasing – the ratio in Irish universities stood at 1:15 in 2007, increasing to 1:19 today. That the framework was only introduced in 2011, which is the year of Prendergast’s election bid and subsequent appointment, could potentially account for his conviction in asserting that Trinity “cannot allow existing staff to go unreplaced”. Though, in light of the framework and the lack of details in his manifesto as to how he intended to achieve the hiring and replacing of staff, the promise really only seems naive. Even though the framework was new, it cannot be argued that Prendergast was unaware of it. His manifesto explicitly promises to “stand firm against the inequity of the employment control framework, fighting to reinstate promotions and appointments”. Indeed, to promise to continue to recruit academic staff, against all evidence that this would not be possible, may even be interpreted as a ploy to get votes. It’s also important to note Prendergast’s assertion that he was “determined to make staff morale one of [his] priorities in office”. Although it certainly cannot be said that all staff are unhappy with his leadership, it’s fair to say that many staff members are unhappy with how decisions are made in College. Staff have expressed dismay at the lack of consultation
that has gone into many of the decisions made over the last few years, the most famous of which is the widely publicised Identity Initiative which saw the Fellows submit a memorandum to the Provost criticising the proposed name change of Trinity College Dublin and the lack of consideration of any consultation with groups around the project. It’s interesting to note that, in his manifesto, Prendergast referred to his appointment as a Fellow as “the honour which had most meaning for [him]”, yet that at times he then failed to consult with the Fellows and, in other cases, disregarded their views entirely, suggest he may be forgetting these roots.
Finances and Administration Moreover, many of Prendergast’s promises with regards to College’s finances have been set aside. Most famously, he stated that, for Trinity to meet the challenges it faces, it “doesn’t need consultants’ reports or taskforces”, yet €3.72 million was spent on consultants’ fees last year. Prendergast stated that “reform of administration and support services will increase efficiency, reduce cost, and most importantly, it would free up academic staff time” and although the new academic registry, which centralises academic support services, has increased the College’s efficiency, it hasn’t been so successful on the costs front: the now-shelved levies proposed in June were supposed to generate €800,000 to plug a massive funding hole created by these administration projects. With this new academic registry and START system, which serves to reform the College’s administrative structures, Prendergast has certainly began to fulfill his promise to “deliver the long-promised reform of Administration and Support services”.
In The End It is likely there are very few people who would envy the Provost’s position. To have the responsibility of making decisions that affect the entire College community while being so visible at a time when government funding of Trinity is decreasing and there are restrictions on introducing new staff is certainly not an enviable position. However, it is crucial to recognise that Prendergast wrote his manifesto in 2011, which was a time when the realities of the recession were truly settling in. In the opening to his manifesto, Prendergast exhibited an awareness of the economic crisis and the effects that this will have for both the future of higher education and of Trinity College, with the very first line of his manifesto stating that his time in office “will begin amid a social and economic crisis unlike any seen for almost a century.” Given his previous post as ViceProvost, Prendergast was undoubtedly aware of both the university’s financial position and the restrictions on hiring new staff. This means that we have to question how Prendergast ever intended to fulfill many of the promises he made in the first place. In light of this, it’s disappointing that some of these promises we made in the first place. Although this article does not deal with every promise Prendergast made, with the College’s Strategic Plan due to be announced on Wednesday, and with Prendergast due to attend the second council of TCDSU, we will hopefully get further insight into the direction in which the College is heading for the remaining seven years of his tenure.
A New Class For a New Age
Letter from the Editor
A growing sector of workers lack both job security and room for career growth.
The defining problem of our generation? Trying to make young people realise the power they hold.
Ciar McCormick Deputy Opinion Editor
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here is a growing class of people. They live a nomadic existence. They have temporary jobs and zero hour contracts. Their labour is transitory. They are doing an internship without a definite job at the end. These workers are suffering from the increased casualization of work. They find it difficult to build a career. They barely make a living wage from the work they do. This class of people are growing in size but not influence. They are not a class, strictly in a Marxist sense, yet as they are divided, and can only be united in fears and insecurities. They do precarious work. They are the precariat. The term precariat was first coined in the 1980’s in France to describe temporary and seasonal workers. The word is an amalgamation of precarious and proletariat. It can be defined as workers who exist without predictability and security. The precariat lacks all aspects of social security. Guy Standing, an economist and professor of Development Studies at SOAS in the University of London, has written seriously about the topic of precarious work. His book The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class describes precarious workers as “an agglomerate of several different social groups, notably immigrants, young educated people, and those who have fallen out of the old-style industrial working class”. He provides greater analysis of their place in society by calling them by the name of “Denizens: people with restricted rights, largely living towards the bottom of a ‘tiered membership’ model of society.” The traditional working class is based around fixed workplaces and a working day. Precarious workers don’t have these luxuries, so they cannot reap the benefits that organised labour movements made in the twentieth century. There is no union for a temporary employee. The precariat are a consequence of the neo-liberal economic model, a result of increasingly flexible labour markets due to globalisation. This flexibility has four elements: flexibility of wage means a race to the bottom in regard to wages in the labour market, flexibility of employment makes it easy for firms to change employees, job flexibility gives firms easy manoeuvrability to internally change an employee’s job within the company, and flexibility of skill makes it easy for firms to adjust workers’ skills through internal education. This flexibility only benefits companies. The flexibility of the labour market thrusts the transferring risks and insecurity of the labour market from companies to the workers. This precariat class is closer to home than you may think. Precarious work is not only done by manual labourers but is becoming increasingly common in both blue and white collar workplaces. This new class of the precariat transcends the traditional class division of bourgeois and proletariat. It is becoming more common that youths finishing third level education are being forced into precari-
ous work, either through unpaid internships or through low-security entry positions. Academia is another new frontier for precarious work. 3rd Level Workplace Watch, a watchdog group, claims that teaching assistants, tutors, junior lecturers and researchers are all vulnerable to exploitation by universities in Ireland, such as our own Trinity College, due to the precarious element of the work provided. TLWW note that permanent jobs at University level are increasingly disappearing in favour of low-paid, temporary employment. Temporary work comes without security, proper remuneration or benefits, and renders invisible this labour that the university relies on to function. These precarious employees often teach core modules in departments or can be the essential members of research projects. There appears to be a paradox between the critical thinking and liberal egalitarian views that universities profess and the exploitation of postgraduate students who do a majority of the day-to-day work for a tiny income. The development of this new class does have a silver lining though. It can re-invigorate the political left in a new way, forcing it to branch out from the old traditional unions. At the same time, it can draw on the roots of these labour movements to provide this new class of workers with the dignity they deserve. This will allow for a refreshed left that doesn’t yearn for a lost past but embraces the future, one that can fight for security beyond the workplace. Perhaps a basic citizen income? That’s what Guy Standing suggests. Every progressive movement is built on the anger, needs and aspirations of a major class. The left must embrace this emerging class of precarious workers to reassert itself on the political stage. A progressive agenda has already been started by organisations such as the We’re Not Leaving movement, which has engaged with the idea of precarious work. There has also been commendable work done in the United States to set up the International Workers of the World or the Wobblies, who were “founded to organise the workers not the job.” Students and staff alike should recognise the dangerous future precarious work can bring, and should be self-aware of whether they have slipped into this class. The precariat are already beginning to mobilise, but solidarity involves collective action. Precarious workers are growing a collective consciousness of common vulnerability. We can go one step further, by standing together against this precarious cliff, calling for a better future.
Samuel Riggs Editor
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eople use the term “the defining problem of our generation” far too freely for my liking. It seems that every few weeks, there is a new problem that our generation must deal with. Whether it’s LGBT* rights, ebola, the financial crisis, or simply fixing what the generation before us broke, if you’re anywhere between the ages of 18 and 25, you must get used to the responsibility of fixing all the world’s problems being placed squarely on your shoulders. This is a lot of pressure for our generation to take, whether as a collective or not. All of a sudden, we’re being touted as the saviours of the human race – the secrets to curing cancer are locked inside our heads. We are tasked with exploring the reaches of space, bringing the world back from the brink of financial ruin, and trying to repair the state of our broken ecosystem all at once. Simultaneously, we seem to be the cause of the majority of the world’s social problems. Drunken, stupid, spoilt and indifferent, we are to blame for sex on TV and rising costs, whilst simultaneously never seeming to lift a finger, considering we’re so lazy? You need only look at the new collective noun that has sprung up in common vocabulary to understand how synonymous we have become with social unrest – “youths”. Youths are responsible for the very worst in society, surely quoted on the title page of almost every redhead tabloid from here to John o’ Groats at least once a week. They are the cross-class enemy of the 21st century, indiscriminate in who they target, and unrestrained in their ability to wreak havoc: the energies of youth put to destructive effect. Last week, I had the chance to attend the One Young World Conference here in Dublin as an observer, and I can guarantee you there wasn’t a “youth” in attendance. My initial reaction to the conference was one of indifference – I assumed it was another ego-boosting circle jerk, where jumped-up young business students would go in order to “network”. I realised early on how wrong I was, how jaded I have become thanks to the media’s portrayal of my own generation. I’ve been indoctrinated into the idea of the uselessness of ‘youths’ to get anything right. There were people there who were changing the world in no small way. From the activist who was chaining herself to trees in order to save the rainforests in Malaysia, to the young woman who invented a new fertilizer in order to protect the tea industry in Turkey, I found myself inspired to try harder to change the world. Not in order to live up to the expectations placed on me by others, but instead to fulfil my own potential as a young person with the virtues of drive, ambition and commitment to bringing about positive change. While it’s true that we have been lumped with the parallel expectations of saving the world and being its destroyers, the fact that it’s acknowledged we could achieve both speaks volumes on the power of youth. The defining problem of our generation is not fixing individual problems around the world, but instead harnessing our collective power in the right direction.
ILLUSTRATION BY Mary Corbally FOR THE UNIVERSITY TIMES
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The University Times | Tuesday 21st October 2014
Sport Bleeding the Hype Dry
Has a violent football match reignited a fire in the Balkans? John Bethell Contributing Writer
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Jack Leahy Senior Editor
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famous scene in The Simpsons episode ‘The Homer They Fall’ involves world heavyweight champion Drederick Taytum engaged in a press conference. Asked his opinion of next opponent Homer Simpson, Taytum responds ‘I think he’s a good man. I like him. I got nothing against him, but I’m definitely gonna make orphans of his children.’ Committed followers of the cult TV classic will be aware that Taytum, to the point of his lisp, bankable alter-ego and criminal record, is an unadorned parody of Mike Tyson. But it’s hard to imagine that a parody of game-talking Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor would sound all that different, save for his accent, a hybrid of Crumlin and California. McGregor has cultivated a persona that belies him as an artist. He’s the ultimate urban street kid - all thug life and pseudo-philosophy - who threatens to annihilate the opponents that he smugly belittles for the shape of their head or physical condition. Habitually mined as hype-building gold, his brand of pre-fight trash-talking is an invaluable entertainment commodity. UFC is well-placed to capitalise and its promotion regularly foregoes decency and sportsmanship for the sake of a fast buck. As a result, successful prizefighting is no longer necessarily about how well someone can fight, or even their level of in-ring pizzazz. It’s about savoir faire – an alternative rat-race to the top of the pay-per-view pile. That McGregor’s paydays and ratings are as high as they are right now is a vindication - if not a moral endorsement - of his approach. Despite never having beaten a top-five fighter in his division, the Dublin fighter is one of UFC’s prized promotional assets. What he lacks in highest-level achievement he compensates for with an innate capacity to fast-track himself to into the top-level mix. It is an approach that jars with fellow professionals –Chad Mendes ac-
cused him of ‘trying to get to the top without doing the work’. McGregor himself isn’t all that bothered about accusations of running his mouth in a manner unbecoming of a professional, telling Setanta Sports last month that he ‘doesn’t need any more friends from the sport’. The same interview showcased something of McGregor’s insidiously playful attitude towards pre-fight build-up. When asked about his particular brand of hype-building, he simply fed the language of the question into his trash-talking algorithm and produced the kind of banalities that the interviewer should have expected. For McGregor, every public occasion is an opportunity to reaffirm the same jaded quips deriding the resemblance his opponents bear to Simpsons characters. There’s nothing inherently harmful, psychologically speaking, to McGregor’s limelight conduct, But UFC bosses need only to look at the withering audiences for professional boxing to learn the consequences of an escalating thuggish preamble. The UFC has recently imposed a code of conduct, advising fighters that derogatory conduct including offensive language invites disciplinary action. At the moment, though, the sport is too fractured and zygotic to regulate in such a manner. While a respect agenda would be welcomed, sanitisation would not. There is a balance to be struck. UFC President Dana White knows there is a fine line between the hype and sales
that trash-talk can generate and the guttural inaccessibility brought upon boxing by David Haye and Tyson Fury, among others. Mixed martial arts is, after all, far from gentile. It’s absolutely a sport based on extremes – from its very notion to the characters that inhabit it. Hand-wringing over such skulduggery must be tempered in accordance. Yet, with instant media either at their disposal or pointed ubiquitously in their direction, fighters suddenly have an unfettered platform. It’s important to ask: is that beneficial, or should freedom of speech be compromised in a bid to future-proof the sport? Mike Tyson perfected this idea of a bankable alter-ego. In 1997, once his second career had begun to unravel, ‘Iron Mike’, a one-time ring terror left trading on reputation, adapted accordingly. He unleashed a grotesque caricature of himself that titillated sufficiently in order to buy him some time. In enabling a culture that craves controversy, maybe the only thing these fighters are guilty of is ingenuity. That there is an appetite for such material reveals more about society than it does combat sport. Whenever months of fevered backbiting finally results in a Conor McGregor fight, that nothing could live up to the hype invariably produces an anti-climax. Lower-grade opponents and the choreographed showmanship of it all can only get him so far. He’ll have to start walking the walk where it matters.
port is usually something which brings people together – it provides us with an enjoyable distraction from the mundanity of daily life and provides ample conversation fodder for any social situation. In 1914, it was a football match organised between England and Germany that brought about a temporary, albeit not ubiquitous, ceasefire and a welcome respite for both sides. On Tuesday night, however, it was a football match that reignited the Albanian-Serbian conflict and sparked fears that the incipient, relative peace that has been seen in the region might be even more short-lived than previously thought. The political significance of the matchup could not be doubted. Serbia and Albania have had a long history of embittered mutual hatred and significant ethnic and religious tension. This tension centres around Kosovo, a disputed area (populated largely by Albanians) which was incorporated into Serbia as a result of the Ottomans’ defeat in the First Balkan War (1912-1913). While the ethnic and religious division between Kosovans and Serbs existed from this point, it was not until 1989 that Kosovo’s autonomy was specifically targeted - with its province status rescinded it was brought under the direct control of Belgrade. It came as communism was collapsing in Europe and this saw increased nationalism in Yugoslavia, (made up of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia.) All this culminated in a 1999 war between the Albanians and the Serbs, after which NATO wrenched Kosovo from Serbian hands. Since 2008, Kosovo has been a recognised state (by 108 UN members), independent from Serbia as the Republic of Kosovo - while Serbia still claim it as their own Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. This has been the outcome of more than eight years of conflict in the 1990s; collectively termed the Yugoslav Wars, the conflict is often termed “the most bloody since World War Two,”
and has become infamous for the brutal crimes against humanity that it witnessed, including ethnic cleansing, rape and genocide. Combatants from both sides have since been held accountable for such crimes, but arguably the most brutal action was the July 1995 genocide which occurred at Srebrenica in the Bosnian War, which resulted in the murder of more than 8000 Bosniaks, mostly men and boys. Indeed, the then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan described the massacre as “the worst crime on Euro-
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Hooligans in one corner of the aptly named Partizan stadium burned a NATO flag, while chants of “Kill the Albanians,” from Serbian fans were heard virtually throughout the match. pean soil since the Second World War.” In the warm up to the match, a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier in Belgrade, Serbian officials warned that no away fans would be permitted to enter the stadium, and any Albanians attempting to do so would be arrested. As such the Albanian players, (of whom eight are Kosovars, who cannot form their own team because Serbia and its allies have blocked Kosovo’s entry into international football organisations) landed in Belgrade surrounded by Serbian police, while Albanian journalists were stopped and searched at the airport because they were wearing clothing decorated with Albanian insignia. By no means a normal start to an international football match! Even before English referee Martin Atkinson blew the whistle for kick off, aggressive chants were emanating from both sides. Hooligans in one corner of the aptly
named Partizan stadium burned a NATO flag, while chants of “Kill the Albanians,” from Serbian fans were heard virtually throughout the match. Bottles, batteries, flares and other objects were hurled at the Albanian players. But towards the end of the first half, a low flying drone was flown above the pitch, bearing a flag depicting “Greater Albania,” an area incorporating all parts of the Balkans where all ethnic Albanians live. This prompted a scuffle between Stefan Mitrovic of Serbia, who downed the drone, and the Albanian midfielder Bekim Balaj. This initiated a pitch invasion, as Serbian fans rushed onto the pitch to attack the Albanian players, prompting them to quickly flee to the dressing rooms (but not before another barrage of objects were hurled at them in the tunnel.) Though some Serbian players protected their Albanian opponents as they fled the pitch, the sheer number of pitch invaders (including one Ivan Bogdanov, an infamous ultra-nationalist Serb football hooligan) rendered the pitch highly dangerous. Consequently the Albanian players stated that they were unable to continue, and the match was abandoned. Bizarrely, Serbian media sources claimed yesterday that the pilot of the drone was the brother of Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, Orfi, when the culprit was later found to be an Albanian fans’ Facebook group, “The Smugglers.” Who piloted the drone is now a moot point, because the events of Tuesday have demonstrated to the world that Balkan tensions are still very much alive. And though UEFA decided to fine both sides, at the end of the debacle seven Albanian players had been injured and, as their captain Lorik Cana explained, it was “a miracle” that no serious injuries were inflicted. In light of Serbia’s poor record on crowd control and racism in football, the charges levied on it by UEFA of “setting off fireworks, crowd disturbance, pitch invasion and insufficient organisation”, could mean that its future games may be played behind closed doors. One thing is for certain, though: UEFA’s pre-match evaluation that Albania and Serbia have “normal diplomatic relations” will have to be rethought.
Plucky Ireland Gain Vital Ground with O’Shea Strike Davy Gorman staff writer
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93rd minute John O’Shea goal against Germany gave Group D a different complexion as Ireland followed up their 7-0 rout of Gibraltar with a fantastic 1-1 draw with Germany. Joss converted his hundredth cap from milestone to folklore with one flick of the boot and secured a vital away point in what promises to be an exceptionally tight qualification group. The Gibraltar game was a mere formality and the only question that was posed was how many goals Ireland could score. Robbie Keane scored a hat-trick to close in on Gerd Muller as European football’s all-time top international scorer but the main gain from the night was the genius and flair of Norwich’s Wes Hoolahan who was at the focal point of every great Irish move. Gibraltar, with a population around the same as county Leitrim, were incredibly limited and a convincing win was the very least that was expected of Ireland. As for the game in Gelsenkirchen,
there is only so much analysis of the game itself that can be done. Some pundits have highlighted the importance of the introduction of Wes Hoolahan on the pitch with fifteen minutes to go. They wouldn’t be completely wrong in asserting this. Hoolahan was denied an equaliser by a block on the line with six minutes remaining and kept the ball well when he came on. To quote former Real Sociedad manager Juanma Lillo, ‘Human beings tend to venerate what finished well, not what was done well’. What Ireland were doing was not drastically different in the last fifteen minutes, they were still playing, by-and-large, a direct game with limited effectiveness, it is just that one passage of play considerably changed the overall outlook of the match. There is no denying that Ireland’s result was fortunate, it was essentially a smash-and-grab draw. John O’Shea’s goal was Ireland’s only shot on target in the entire game. But that is also why O’Shea’s late goal so thrilling for Irish fans. Ireland never looked like scoring. Before the game, the bookmakers gave 6/1 for Ireland to get even a draw out of the match. Even the injuries of key Ger-
man players such as Bastian Schweinsteiger, Marco Reus and Sami Khedira can only lessen the achievement of getting a result against Germany on their turf so much and the Irish players got just rewards for their battling spirit. In particular, this is where Irish stalwart John O’Shea deserves his dues. For the majority of the game against Germany, it was typical O’Shea. Steady and unfussy in defence, rarely spectacular, the Waterford defender helped to contain the Germans to a single goal. He scored two goals for Ireland in ninety-nine games before the Germany game, no matter how thorough the German preparation may have been for the match, there was no way that they could have predicted the eventual outcome. Centre-back O’Shea stole a yard on Mats Hummels just outside the six-yard box to flick in a wonderful volley worthy of any striker that the four-time world champions have produced. Yet this was not a one-off moment for O’Shea. For a career that prides itself on the reliable and the unremarkable, John O’Shea’s career has been littered with unforgettable moments.
Who could forget the nutmeg of Portuguese legend Luis Figo or O’Shea’s replacement goalkeeper heroics, nicking the ball off Robbie Keane in a one-on-one in the Premier League? It could be argued that following this result the Germans have been dragged into a four-way battle for qualification but the German qualifying history is exemplary, their talent pool is endless and if their injured players return they should top the group. While the Germany game was a great morale-booster and the squad will be high on confidence, Ireland will be wary of their main opponents in this undoubtedly tricky group, Poland and Scotland. The two teams played out a highquality 2-2 draw in Poland which had followed a 2-0 win for Poland against Germany. Poland’s results and Scotland’s clear progress places massive importance on the next game for Ireland, the November encounter with Scotland at Celtic Park. This will be Ireland’s most important game so far, facing a direct rival. Ireland should also have Everton pair James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman returning to look forward to which should immediately improve the Ireland side.
In the meantime, the lingering issue will be the Wes Hoolahan dilemma. Will manager Martin O’Neill go for Wes Hoolahan in the hole with McGeady and McLean on the wings or will he look to contain against Scotland and play Walters on the wing? The trend so far – Hoolahan for home matches, dropped for away matches – suggests that Walters
would start against Scotland at which point Ireland’s ability to get any sort of control over Scotland would come into question. A draw away from home would be a decent result against Scotland but whether O’Neill sets his team up to play for that result or really takes them on remains to be seen. It is all to play for next month.
Waterford defender John O’Shea has been herladed for his 93rd minute equaliser scored against Germany in Euro 2016 qualifiers.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21st October 2014
Sport
Ruckin’ All Over The World Ross Mullen FINLAND Correspondent
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inland currently sits 98th in the International Rugby Board World Rankings, four places above the bottom. Countries ranked higher than Finland include Swaziland, the Bahamas, Zambia and Tahiti. Rugby trails significantly behind football and ice-hockey in terms of popularity, and with a population of just under five and a half million, faces an uphill struggle to attract players and fans. However, the sport is only in the early stages of infancy and recent events such as the 32-10 victory over Norway, indicate a bright future for the sport. I arrived in Helsinki at the end of August as an exchange student. I had been in contact with Helsinki Rugby Club (HRC) beforehand about training with the team, and hopefully getting some game time. Due to the severity of the winter in Finland, the rugby season takes place from May until September. When I arrived, Helsinki were currently on a 6 game unbeaten streak with 3 games left until the inevitable semi-finals. There are 10 teams in the top division of the Finnish Rugby Championship, with a further 5 in the second division, while the Ladies division contains 6 teams. While this may appear small at first, it is quite impressive considering HRC was only formed in 1999, while the first ever National Championship took place in 2002. Helsinki Rugby Club encompasses an eclectic array of nationalities: native Finns, to numerous Brits, a collection of French, an Italian, a southern hemisphere contingent, an American and then me, the solitary Irishman. From the outset you can tell the club is based on a strong sense of community, which can be said for Finnish rugby as a whole. For those involved in the sport, their commitment stems from a simple love of the game and desire for it to flourish in this country. The growth of the game from its humble beginnings is a testament to the work carried out by entire rugby community within Finland. I was anxious at my first training session: the sheer size and bulk of my Nordic counterparts was enough to make me doubt my desire to continue playing rugby abroad. While the overall skill level might not match home, it is more than made up for in pure strength and willingness. For the majority of native Finnish players, rugby has been a sport adopted in latter years rather than ingrained from a young age. Whereas many Irish people will have experienced the game in some fashion from childhood, for Finnish people it is a foreign concept. Youth rugby is almost non-existent, but this is currently undergoing a significant transformation as representatives from clubs are visiting schools to introduce the game while
underage setups are also being developed. However, the dominance of ice-hockey is not completely negative. The physicality necessary for that game translates well to rugby, meaning the transition for Finnish people is focused on developing a skill set with less need to worry about their eagerness for physical contact. My first game was against Kuopio, a city located in the north of Finland. Once again, HRC strolled to victory with a 39-15 win. The concept of rugby values is deeply embedded in the culture of the game in Finland. Speeches from the opposing captains are made directly after the game while cans of beer are casually tossed around before the team heads for a sauna together in typical Finnish fashion. Saunas are a core aspect of Finnish life, with most homes having their own personal one, but the event differs slightly from that back in Ireland. No clothing is allowed, whatsoever. No bikinis for women, no swim shorts for men. Not anticipating the stark nature of the experience, I bottled the first time. After reaching the changing rooms of the swimming pool and sauna I quickly made a haphazard excuse as to why I had to leave, one which I duly paid for at the pub later on.
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We had just won the Finnish National Championship, the highest level of rugby in Finland. Not bad after a month in Finland! Our next game was away in Tampere. The youth of the sport in the country was reflected by the uncouth posts which were positioned on the deadfall line rather than the try line. Similarly I was told another club simply attached gaudy posts atop the permanent football goals, giving kickers a much easier task! We secured our semi-final place with a tight game, most notable for our collection of four yellow cards in quick succession, leaving us to defend vigorously with 11 men. A matching victory by the La-
dies team against the opposition set up a double-header, HRC v Tampere in the men and ladies semi-final. Our ladies team emerged victorious with a last minute try in the morning, so the pressure was put on the men to repeat the achievement. We duly succeeded with a 24-0 victory which failed to reflect the tense affair. After this game, I was unable to hide from the sauna. While strange at first, I stripped accordingly, finding it easier to simply follow suit rather then question the oddity of the culture from an Irish perspective where nakedness is not something that sits comfortably. My reservations were eased when a fellow foreigner turned to me and said “Don’t worry mate, I’ve been here years and I still don’t get it!” Nonetheless I carried on, braving the sauna with nothing more than a square of paper to sit on. Even though my awkwardness swiftly subsided, the sauna experience is something I’m still not completely sure about. While fine among friends and team-mates, the prospect of sitting naked alongside strangers does not appear quite as pleasant. The season culminated in finals day where we would meet Warriors, a team which also hailed from Helsinki
and could count themselves as the most successful rugby club in Finland having won five consecutive championships from 2008 to 2012. However, it was a day where the blue and white of HRC would triumph over the yellow and black of Warriors. The entire programme of the day encapsulated the family nature of the club I could now proudly consider myself part of. Breakfast was had at our local sponsors in morning, the Woolshed, where the mens and ladies teams ate together alongside a multitude of supporters, past players and family. The finals took place in Porvoo where HRC nobly proceeded to a deserved 12-5 victory. This ended the longest stretch in Finnish rugby between one national championship and a successive one: 11 years. It was also the first time a team had gone unbeaten for an entire season, an incredibly difficult feat to achieve at any level. We had just won the Finnish National Championship, the highest level of rugby in Finland. Not bad after a month in Finland! Celebrations ensued on the pitch in Porvoo as bottles of champagne erupted, one players even finding his young son’s jacket drenched despite it being a blissfully sunny day! The coveted ‘Poika’ (trophy in Finnish) was
filled and refilled as all involved enjoyed the taste of victory which closely resembled a concoction of wine and beer. The festivities continued in Helsinki and was a memorable night for all involved, even more memorable for those audacious enough to take a local drunk tattoo artist up on his offer of free tattoos for the team, all of which were carried out inside the bar. After much deliberation, I thankfully declined. Rugby in Finland is modest, but is growing at a strong rate. Clubs such as HRC all around the country are committed to developing and nurturing the sport. From my short experience thus far, it is clear the talent and structure does exist for Finland to continue the progress it has made over the last 20 years. Focus has moved from simply fielding teams and having a league to developing its own local talent. The influx of foreigners has obviously been instrumental in the rise of Finnish rugby, but the concentration being directed youth and juniors is integral to the prosperity of the game. It is impossible to know for definite what state the sport will find itself in in the future but one thing is certain: Finnish rugby is growing and will only continue to do so.
DU Sailing Host Successful Sailing Event Amelia O’Keeffe contributing writer
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U Sailing Club have been having a great year so far, with a brand new committee, coach and training strategy. This year, the first event of the IUSA sailing calendar was hosted by DUSC. The event took place on the 11/12th October in Carrickon-Shannon, a completely new location to the college sailing world. As it transpired, Carrick-on-Shannon represented unchartered waters for all competitors – it became ap-
parent over the course of the weekend that no one present had ever sailed there before. However, having the event in Carrick turned out to be a great decision. The location was convenient for all the different universities commuting to compete (UCD, DCU, RCSI, DIT, UCC, UL, NUIG) and the fact that we were sailing on a river meant that there were great viewing opportunities for the racing. The teams were divided into three fleets – gold, bronze and silver. Teams, consisting of 3 boats, 6 people, raced against each other in a round robin, which would decide who went
on to quarters, semis and finals. Saturday morning started out disappointingly with no wind and fog. However by about 1pm, this gave way to blazing sunshine and enough breeze to hold the first 25 races of the competition.The afternoon ended with music from our DJs Nick and Conor. On Sunday, there was even less breeze than the previous day. Races that usually take 5-8 minutes took 25. However, our excellent race committee persevered and managed to complete another 25 races of the round robin. By this time, there was no time to move
into quarter-finals, so we went straight to the finals of the gold fleet. For the silver and bronze fleets, the winner of the round robin became their overall winner. There was a very close final between UCC1 and UCC3 for Gold. A great breeze kicked in for this race making it the most titillating of the weekend. UCC3 came out on top with a win in the first 2 races of the best-of-three finals. Fantastically, TCD2, led by our captain Scott Flanigan, took third in the Gold Fleet. In even better news, TCD 3 and TCD 7 won Silver and Bronze respectively.
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The University Times | Tuesday 21st October 2014
Sport DUCC Put on a Show to Win Novice Race Dermot Cooney and Mark Donnelly-Orr
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nytime DUCC has locked horns with UCD, we have always been the underdogs. They had more and stronger riders. However, this time would be different. With three of our finest riders for the championship race, Bennett Thomson, Dermot Cooney and Mark Donnelly-Orr, we were in a position to put up a dauntless fight. In the challenge event, we have the pride of introducing one of our new riders, Paul Mannix to the peloton. On the 11th October 2014, the AllIreland Intervarsity Cycling Road Race Championships took place in Corkagh Park, Clondalkin, where a cycling specific track would determine the champion. The course consisted of a 1.3km circuit, which was pan flat except for a very slight drag coming over the finish line. Other than that it was a great track with perfect road quality, safe corners and sharp and sweeping turns. This race can be summed into a few words: jaw dropping. Never before have our mouths been pulled open at the sight of the effort of a single rider on the domestic scene. Mannix changed that precedent. Straight from the gun, he put in a savage attack into the peloton. At first, they didn’t perceive him as a threat. But after six or seven minutes of racing, people started to try and bridge to Mannix. After a few laps, they failed. Within five laps of the finish, he lapped the field, and all he had to do was sit in and wait. He had already won. However, this wasn’t enough for him. In the DUCC tradition of putting on a show, he moved to the front and continued to put on the hurt. He did all this in runners, and not cleats, which further had the spectators (riders waiting for the start of the championship race) standing in shock and awe. The Championship event consisted of 45 minutes of racing and another 3
laps on top of that. The championship race comprised of A3, A2 and A1 riders, with UCD coming in overwhelming force of 7 riders. One of these riders being Séan McKenna; the top ranked A1 rider in Ireland. We had no doubt he was he man to beat, but we wouldn’t let that deter us. Racing was fast and aggressive from the gun, with McKenna breaking away early from the peloton to get a solid lead in hoping to lap the field, something DUCC did in the challenge event. Donnelly-Orr was not satisfied sitting around waiting for McKenna to wear himself out, he had to do something. He and his large frame attacked
and began the unrelenting pursuit for McKenna. He entered the all too familiar pain cave in his attempts to intercept McKenna. After a chase that lasted no more than a lap, DonnellyOrr had him in his sights. The two began to work well together increasing the lead they had over the peloton trying to make a bridge to the breakaway as difficult as possible. Due to McKenna’s immense power, whenever Donnelly got onto his wheel, it didn’t provide much of a respite. He had to stay in the red to keep his wheel. As the remainder of our riders realised what was happening ahead, we then took the role of suppressing any at-
tacks from the peloton to give the breakaway the best possible chance of succeeding. With Cooney in what turned to be the winning break, Thomson and Donnelly-Orr chased down every attack the peloton attempted. Thomson soloed off the front and was followed by another rider, but soon sat up in order to preserve DUCCs chances of a medal. Once they were reabsorbed, the DUCC riders in the peloton stayed to the front riding a controlled pace to enlarge the already difficult gap. This left the peloton to fight for minor placings in the race.
DUCAC Outraged by Quality Committee Proposals Carl Kinsella SPORTS EDITOR
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he College’s Quality Committee will meet next week to discuss DUCAC’s concerns regarding the quality review report of the Department of Sport and Recreation released earlier this year. The committee, which is responsible for drafting policies for the introduction of quality processes across academic and administrative areas of the college and overseeing their implementation, made several ultra vires recommendations within their report and breached the parameters of their jurisdiction, according to the agreed comments of the DUCAC executive. DUCAC composed an official objection to many of the suggestions made by the report, with the primary foundation of their argument being that ‘particular areas of the report are outside the remit of the review body’, and thus they feel the report should not be approved by College. The DUCAC Executive identified five specific recommendations within the review report which pertain to the activities and functions of DUCAC, which they believe undermine DUCAC’s role as an independent entity. Chair of DUCAC, Professor Cyril Smyth, upon being asked what DUCAC anticipates in the wake of the Quality Committee gathering to re-examine their report in light of DUCAC’s objections, could not comment as he felt bound by the confidentiality of meetings he had attended in the matter. However, the agreed comments of the DUCAC Executive paint a clear picture of dissatisfaction over both the content of the recommendations as well as the Quality Committee’s apparent reluctance to consult with DUCAC. In its explicit references to DUCAC, the review report asserts that it is ‘essential’ for the two sporting strands in Trinity College to be entwined together, proposing to merge the Department of Sport and
Recreation with DUCAC. The report justifies this measure by asserting that: “as it currently stands, the overall organisational structures for sport in Trinity, could reasonably be described... as complex, cumbersome, somewhat artificial in context and completely outmoded”. The Review Team further drew upon the suggestions of KPMG in their 1996 report Sport in Trinity: A Strategic Plan for the Next Decade, which had also prescribed a single governing, sporting structure. Despite the clear vehemence that DUCAC should be subsumed into the Department of Sport and Recreation, DUCAC itself was not reviewed by the Quality Committee’s review team.
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DUCAC’s executive remains adamant that for the college to accept the report would be a severe blow to the ‘Trinity experience’ and would severely undermine DUCAC as an independent body. All in all, the review report makes one key recommendation bolstered by seven supporting recommendations for the improvement of sport in Trinity. Five of these recommendations have specifically displeased the DUCAC Executive, including the key recommendation that ‘An influential, high-level Task Force for Sport be established as a matter of urgency by the College Board’. The task-force in
question is rejected by DUCAC on account of the content of the supporting recommendations, such as the creation of a ‘Sports Club Development Unit’ and the early appointment of a ‘Sports Club Development Manager’. DUCAC purports itself to be significantly involved in the development of Trinity’s sports clubs, rendering the suggestion unnecessary and possibly ill-founded, as DUCAC was not reviewed by the Quality Committee. The fourth recommendation of the report was that responsibility for the planning and provision as part of the Sports Club Development Unit to be placed fully under the remit of the Head of Sport. Such a move would reduce DUCAC’s role enormously, and represent a seismic shift in the nature of college sports from largely voluntary and often student-based to primarily bureaucratic and dominated by the college’s paid administration. DUCAC have expressed displeasure that their panel was given no opportunity to formulate or present its views to the Quality Committee during their brief consultation, which took place during the making of the report. DUCAC sees its role as being integrally involved in sports club development, and as such cannot be overlooked during the construction of such policies. DUCAC contends that it has been so overlooked by the Quality Committee’s report that the report went so far as “list future roles for co-ordination and modernisation that DUCAC is already performing”. This includes monetary elements, such as reporting funding and finances to the Chief Operating Officer and Capitation Committee as budget-holder officer accountable for all sport related matters and funding. DUCAC’s accounts are currently independently audited. Whether or not the Quality Committee, and indeed the College, takes DUCAC’s critique on board remains to be seen. DUCAC’s executive remains adamant that for the college to accept the report would be a severe blow to the ‘Trinity experience’ and would severely undermine DUCAC as an independent body.
Up in the breakaway, Cooney realised what the two UCD riders were doing. They were trying to wear him out, a difficult feat. Knowing this, he eased the pace in the final lap trying to get them to work, but to no avail. At 300m to go, Cooney launched his attack for the win, hoping to shake UCD off his wheel and prevent him from being boxed in. But what he feared happened. In the final corner, he went in at high speed to keep as much momentum as possible coming out of the corner. UCD cut on his inside, interfering with his line and they rode in for the win, with Cooney coming over the
line with 4th. With the winning break half a lap ahead, one rider went long to snatch 5th place, with the remains of the peloton sprinting for the remaining places. A UCD rider attempted to outsprint Donnelly-Orr for the line, leaving him with 7th place. Our tactics throughout the race were near perfect with us riding aggressively and aided us in gaining an excellent result for this time of year. From the day, we won the challenge event, and 4th place in the Championship race, so in all a great close to a record breaking season, with riders claiming over five wins throughout.
Sport in Brief Hockey DU’s Men’s Hockey First XI started their season on the 6th October with a win against Weston. A goal each from Jonathan Lewis and Conor Stephens christened the College’s new hockey pitch and sent Trinity top of the table. The team’s second fixture was a drubbing of Monkstown with goals for Martin de Neuville, Connor Montgomery and Stephen Ludgate. The lads kicked on this weekend with a 9-2 away demolition of Railway Union.The Ladies Hockey Division 1 team have had a similarly successful start to their season, pipping our early season whipping-boys Railway Union 1-0 on the opening day of the season, following that up with a 1-1 draw against Old Alex.
Basketball Our Men’s A Basketball team have had a wildly successful start to the new year. By the end of September, they had already bagged their first silverware of the season, winning the Mary Bracken Memorial Shield in County Longford, dispatching with the Castlerea Kings, the Drogheda Bullets and the Longford Falcons comprehensively in the process. Trinity defeated the host team, the Longford Torpedoes, in a comfortable final, with Trinity player Eli Morris taking the tournament MVP award. Since then, the lads have gone on to win their first two league games of the season, beating the Dublin Lions 63-39 and taking a much tighter 87-78 victory over FBC, with Morris the top scorer in both games so far.
Ladies Boat Club Following a wonderful rowing performance at Gravelines last month, Ruth Morris stormed to victory once again, winning the Senior Women’s Title Dublin Sculling Ladder, by over 20 seconds in seven minutes and 39 seconds. Morris finished 24th on the overall ranking table, a very impressive finish indeed.
Trampolining Trinity’s trampolining team took bronze on two occasions at this weekend’s Munster Open in Cork. Danny Finn finished third in the Elite Men’s category, with Zoe Greene matching her team-mate’s performance in the Intermediate Ladies, shoring up a solid start to the year.
Carl Kinsella