The University Times www.universitytimes.ie
September 21st, 2009
ELECTRIC PICNIC: BRAY TRAGEDY FRESHERS’ WEEK SPECIAL Hubie Davison on the Irish media’s hour of shame Opinion p16
Emma Keaveney looks back at one of the highlights of the summer. Culture p12
Everything you need to know from what the societies are doing to how to survive financially Features p7
Sports fee spending under scrutiny
Library to close Sundays Alex Joyce News Writer
Questions raised over allocation of student sports centre levy funds to other projects Carl Doherty News Writer AN INTERNAL College memorandum sent to the Treasurer of the Finance Committee from the Director of Sport, Terry McAuley, states that eight per cent of sports centre income is being used to create a capital redevelopment fund. This fund is used by the Department of Sport to fund short and medium term sports projects. The majority of the Sports Centre’s income is comprised of membership and the annual student charge of €77, a charge which was approved by student referendum in 2007. McAuley’s memorandum states that there are 508 staff members, 994 graduate members, and 196 public members of the sports centre. Asked if the annual student charge should be used to fund Department of Sports projects McAuley made no comment, instead he issued a statement through the College Communications Office:
‘The Department of Sport budgets are agreed and approved annually by Finance Committee and Board and an eight per cent development fund is set aside to refurbish existing sports facilities and to provide seed funding for new capital projects.’ The text of the referendum put to the students in 2007 reads ‘Do you vote for TCDSU to support the introduction of an annual student sports centre charge of €70 to be paid with the registration fee for open membership of the sports centre for all students?’ The Students’ Union Education Officer, Ashley Cooke said that the student charge ‘should only be used to pay for membership of the sports centre.’ The charge has increased from €70 to €77 since it was introduced in 2007. The referendum that passed the charge requires that it be managed by the Treasurer’s Office in consultation with the Students’ Union and that
the charge is to be linked to inflation. The College says that the annual charge only accounts for fifty per cent of the cost of running the sports centre and the additional money is raised from ‘staff , graduate and public memberships and hire of the facilities off peak, sale of equipment, classes and courses and sponsorship’ The College figures say that €600,000 has been raised for the redevelopment fund so far. In McAuley’s memo he indicates that €164,000 has been allocated to the redevelopment fund for Department of Sport’s projects in 2008/09. The actual allocations for the distribution of the fund are not available but the estimated costs of the projects are detailed in the memo from the Director of Sport. The largest of these is a €1.25 million cost for the construction of a new boat house Continued page 2
Trinity students John Gallagher and Matthew Smyth’s comedy show ‘A Betrayal of Penguins’ sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe for a 23 day run this August. The penguin suit (pictured) was unfortuantely stolen in the venue in Edinburgh, and should be returned to the performers, care of The University Times. Photo: Lucy Nuzum
SUNDAY OPENING hours of the library are under review by the Librarian. Asked about this the Keeper, Trevor Peare (Readers’ Services) and Jessie Kurtz, Deputy Librarian said they had to ‘look at the library budget’ and make decisions in that context. The Students’ Union Education Officer, Ashley Cooke said that the Students’ Union ‘was very concerned with any reduction in library opening hours and services.’ The library website showed a reduction in counter services for checking in and out books; it is shown as closing at 16:45. When asked, the Keeper and Deputy Librarian said that this was a mistake on the website and there was no intention to close counter services more than fifteen minutes before the close of the library. The mistake has since been changed on the website. Cooke says he is preparing a document on the comparison of opening hours in Irish universities, in which Trinity is joint last with seventy one and a half hours per week along with NUI, Maynooth. He intends to show this to the Library Committee when it meets in mid-October. Asked why Trinity is performing poorly in library open hours compared with other universities in Ireland the College said that Trinity has larger libraries and more books to manage which makes running the library here more expensive. The College has placed the the construction of a twenty four hour study space, which will incorporate the swipe access computer room and part of the lower floor of the Ussher library, on the Director of Buildings Office’s project list. This will cater for more than a hundred people. The Students’ Union has issued a statement saying that it will ‘not be happy with any reduction in library opening hours or services without the provision of an after hours study space.’ In a meeting the Vice-Provost Prof. Prendergast, Chair of the Library Committee, he told the Students’ Union that he was unaware of a reduction in the Sunday opening hours. Cooke stated that ‘any attempt to make a decision on library service before the Library Committee meets in October will be strongly opposed by the Students’ Union.’
Anger with Ducac Health charges coming? drives clubs to revolt Mary Kate Collins Deputy Editor
Robert Donohoe Editor-in-Chief A NUMBER of College sports clubs are attempting to reorganize their governing body, The Dublin University Central Athletics Committee (Ducac). They say that they are dissatisfied with the way that Ducac is structured. There was a meeting of thirty five sports club captains in May which was chaired by the current Students’ Union President Cónán Ó Broin who says he was ‘acting outside his capacity as Students’ Union President-elect.’ At this meeting the clubs discussed the problems they
Dr Trevor West, Trinity Director of Sport had with the way Ducac was being run. Among their main concerns was what they perceived as a lack of representation for students on the Ducac executive. The minutes of the meeting
show that the clubs were unhappy with the current executive structure whereby there is two executives, a student executive and a regular executive. However, it is noted in the minutes that ‘students are perfectly entitled to run for any position on the Ducac executive.’ The clubs have agreed a programme to reform the Ducac structures and make it student run. The clubs have formed groups with similar clubs for example a GAA group and martial arts group, and nominate from their groups one member for a position on the executive. There are fifteen such groups. They have agreed to elect
the ticket that is proposed when all the groups nominate their choice for the executive. This is intended to ensure representation of all clubs on the executive. The details of the nominees are not yet available. The new executive will be mandated to rewrite the Ducac constitution to reflect the changes agreed at the meeting in May. The minutes of the meeting say the new executive ‘will make the accounts more accessible to the clubs.’ The new executive will also be required to make all club captains meet with the Continued page 3
UNIVERSITY College Dublin has introduced a health charge for students during the coming academic year. The fees will apply to students seeking GP and nurse services. Previously these services were free, however due to the current economic climate the College stated that they were unable to maintain these services free-of-charge. From September 7th last students
have been charged €25 to see a doctor, €10 to see a nurse and €40 for a psychiatric consultation. UCD stated however that the student counselling service would remain free. UCD Students’ Union have supported the decision, after being consulted by the college authorities, that it was a necessary move, ‘UCD has to balance its books and cutbacks have to be made across the board’ said president of UCD students’ union
Gary Redmond. Students will not have to pay on the spot, rather their accounts will be charged and they will have to pay it within ten days. Redmond went on to say that; ‘A UCDSU Welfare fund will be able to provide the money if students are unable to pay the charge. This is to ensure vulnerable students would be protected.’ In a separate issue at NUIG, where there was much speak of a health charge also, college authorities updated
the Health service information on the website to include a charge for students. The charge was €5, yet many of the students’ parents demanded that the charge be removed. The college grudgingly did so yet stated that the introduction of a fee was a very strong possibility in the near future. Trinity will not be introducing a health service charge, however there has been speak of it. Continued page 2
The University Times Editor: Robert Donohoe Deputy Editor: Marykate Collins Volume 1, Issue 1 ISSN: 2009-261X Phone: 01 646 8431 Email: info@universitytimes.ie Website: www.universitytimes.ie
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