University Observer Volume XVIII - Issue 3

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volume xviii · issue iii · www.universityobserver.ie

opinion

Observer Editorial

OTWO

Ruairí Quinn Is the Presidency an writes exclusively for the University Observer on Educational Reform

irrelevant position?

WHY ALMOST 25 MILLION PEOPLE LISTEN TO

MARC MARON

PGDE students misled over course level EU to spend four million on intra-EU job placements Confusion over re-naming of PGDE . Students unaware of Level 8 classification

Kate Rothwell Deputy Editor An EU budget of four million euro is to support an expected 2,000 to 3,000 intra-EU job placements in 2012-2013.

The programme, entitled ‘Your first EURES job’ (YfEj) is an element of the European Commission’s ‘Youth on the Move’ initiative, and was first proposed as part of the EU 2020 strategy. It is now classified as a ‘preparatory action’, which is defined as “a scheme designed to prepare proposals with a view to the adoption of future actions”.

In a document received from the European Commission by the University Observer, the scheme was described as “an ‘Erasmus-style’ scheme to foster youth job mobility across the EU-27 countries.”

Financial support will be provided, in the form of flat-rate financing, for both employers and job-seekers involved in the scheme. A European Commission spokesperson explained to the University Observer how the scheme will support jobseekers travelling abroad for the purposes of an interview or starting a secured job, but will not cover the exact expenses incurred. “The objective is to provide them with a contribution (fixed amount) for the travel and subsistence costs if they make an interview trip abroad and/or for moving to the country of destination if they get a job abroad. The scheme will not cover actual costs.” The maximum cost of an average job placement is estimated to be 1,800 euro.

All jobseekers aged eighteen to thirty from an EU member state will be eligible to participate in the scheme. The “young people” within this age group are described as hav-

ing “the potential to be more mobile than middle-aged or older people.”

The EC spokesperson explained that the scheme is not graduate-focused.

“YfEj is not exclusively tailored for labour market entrants or for graduates. All young people aged eighteen to thirty, national of any of the EU-27 Member States and legally resident in any of these countries can apply, irrespective of their level of qualifications, work experience or social/economic background.”

The scheme looks to be particularly beneficial for jobseekers from countries in economic difficulty, as employment rates will be taken into consideration.

“Labour market needs and labour supply offer will determine where recruitment projects will be carried out.”

While all employers in the EU member states are eligible to apply to the scheme, SMEs (small and medium enterprises) will be prioritised as they “represent ninety-nine per cent of enterprises in the EU and account for about seventy per cent of new jobs.”

A call for proposals “to select labour market organisations with the necessary employment expertise and management capacity to implement the preparatory action at European level” was launched on August 22nd of this year, and final proposals from applicant organisations who will “act as job brokers, i.e. provide intermediation employment services targeting young jobseekers, job changers and employers” will be submitted this Thursday, 20th October. The proposed activities of the scheme are expected to be initiated before March 2012.

Read Kate Rothwell’s analysis of this story on page 6.

UCDSU President Pat De Brún in talks with PGDE students Chief Photographer: David Nowak Katie Hughes News Editor Students pursuing what they believed was a Level 9 Post-Graduate Diploma in Education were notified last week that their course would be renamed the Professional Diploma in Education and that the course was now officially ranked at Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) scale.

The branding of the Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), formerly the H. Dip, as a Level 8 course is not a University issue but an international one. It comes from the Bologna Process, which aims to standardise higher education across the European Union. The NFQ and Bologna Framework were aligned in 2006.

If the initiative is not rolled out at the same time across Europe, students feared that employment prospects of those who graduate with a Level 8 degree might be in danger when compared to those of students whose universities did not implement the change for two to three years and who are still graduating with a perceived Level 9 degree.

In an e-mail sent by Head of the School of Education, Prof. Ciaran

Sugrue, students were notified that the Irish Universities Association (IUA) had “already been in contact with the relevant UK and international bodies to ensure that they understand that the H.D.E., the P.G.D.E ., the G.D.E. and the P.D.E. are all the same qualification”.

The e-mail also stated that the decision applied to all graduates over the past several years.

Prof. Sugrue informed students that the change of title of the programme was officially ratified by the Academic Council of the University on September 22nd, and that the decision “was consistent with one already agreed by all of the Registrars across the universities, but until such time as the decisions were made, it was neither possible nor appropriate to make any announcement to that effect”.

The decision was made to “inform students as soon as possible” so that students would hear the information from UCD itself as the department “was aware that similar announcements were being made or about to be made in other institutions”.

The e-mail clarified that the PGDE has been a ‘floating’ qualification since the establishment of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) though it was assumed to be a

Level 9 course due to the programme being labelled as “post-graduate”. Due to the allocation of Level 8 status to the programme, the name of the course was consequently changed “to reflect the Level 8 status”, a move agreed between “the authority, the Registrars, and the IUA”.

The announcement caused major concerns in terms of grant applications; a student is eligible to qualify for a grant providing they continue up through the NFQ scale, for example taking a Level 9 course after a Level 8, but not if they pursue a qualification at a level at which they have previously qualified. These concerns were since allayed as the legislation involved makes an exception for teacher training grant allowances.

Students’ Union President Pat de Brún stated that there were major concerns with regard to communication; “there is no excuse [for] how it was communicated to students, there is also a question of legitimate expectation – all of these students have a receipt from their fees that they paid for the PGDE and are now being told that it’s not that”.

Read Katie Hughes’ analysis of this story on page 6.

Dublin Bike scheme on Campus within five years Katie Hughes News Editor The Dublin Bike Scheme (DBS) is set to expand to UCD within the next five years. Students’ Union Campaigns and Communications Officer Brendan Lacey has been lobbying the National Transport Authority (NTA) since the start of the summer to ensure that service would expand to UCD, “I have a commitment from them now that it will be at the gates of UCD in five years time”.

The scheme will not be able to be implemented any earlier due to the excessive costs that setting up a pop-up system in UCD would incur, “everyone would just leave the bikes here in UCD then you have to ferry them back so that’s why they’re saying [the DBS] has to grow naturally”.

Lacey is also investigating setting up a bike scheme compatible to that of the DBS in the nearer future, which would then be able to merge with the official system once it had expanded sufficiently.

“I’m trying to investigate whether it’s feasible for us in UCD to co-pilot

a scheme that would just be a UCD bike scheme where we get our own stations but it would be compatible with the DBS … it would basically be for cycling around campus or just home for lunch or whatever, it could work off the UCard system; it’s something that I don’t yet know [whether] it is feasible or not.”

However, Lacey has encountered problems with the alternative idea, “I’m trying to find out who made the original bikes – for some reason it’s a nightmare to find out. What we’re trying to do is try and get the same

bikes and stations that the DBS uses or ones that are compatible so when the bike scheme arrives, they could still use what UCD has, it would be interchangeable”.

If the idea of setting up UCD’s own bike scheme was to come to fruition, the Students’ Union would seek the University’s financial aid as well as external funding, “finances and budgets are tight this year so we can’t afford to build a bike scheme; my idea would be to seek funding from the likes of advertising space, very similar to how the DBS originally

worked; also, through the use of the bikes, there would have to be a small charge for the maintenance of them but hopefully over time it would come to cover itself”.

The initiative to push for the implementation of a bike-scheme in UCD was “born out of frustration with the parking problem … we’ve got over 20,000 people to try and fit into 3,000 parking spaces, it doesn’t matter what scheme you come up with … it’s not going to solve the problem … what I want to do is try and encourage people to use alternative methods to get here”.

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The University Observer · 18 October 2011

Observer News

NEWS IN BRIEF Preparations for Fashion Show begin

news@observer.ie

by Katie Hughes

USI attempt to break world record The Union of Students In Ireland (USI) is working with the organisation See Change and with Students’ Unions across Dublin to beat the Guinness World Record for ‘most people to contribute to a story’ in an effort to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

On October 26th, students from participating colleges in Dublin will come to Trinity College between 10am and 8pm to sign a line in a scroll donated by the Irish Times. The story will be one surrounding mental health, with each line being projected on a screen for clarity.

A Guinness World Record Official will be present throughout the day to monitor progress and notify the students as to whether their efforts were a success.

See Change is an organisation that works to reduce the stigma around mental health. The organisation will be helping to pay the cost of the initiative.

UCD Students’ Union Welfare Officer, Rachel Breslin, will be organising a time and place where UCD students who want to participate will gather before going in together.

Breslin stresses the importance of attending the event, “it would be great if we could get all the SUs in Dublin sending people because it shows that we’re all co-operating and that mental health is something we can work together towards”.

Placements in Asia Offered to Irish Graduates One thousand placements in Asian companies, colleges and language schools are being offered to Irish business students. Chairman of the programme, Fred Combe, likened the scheme to a Masters programme which injected Irish talent into Asia.

Combe believes Mandarin to be the “language of the future”, which is why those partaking in the programme will be intensively involved with the language for nine months. Beijing, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Dubai will all play host to Irish graduates.

This is part of the scheme to expand the Farmleigh Fellowship Program initiative; international companies have offered €400,000 and the Government has offered €200,000 as a part of the expansion.

The scheme is run through University College Cork (UCC) with Denis O’Brien, Liam Casey and Terry Clune all being key sponsors.

Co-founder of Singapore-based pharmaceutical company DPS, Gerry Creaner stated that the Irish “already know how to do business in Europe and the US, the next generation must learn how to do it in Asia”.

Businessman and sponsors, Denis O’Brien, echoed Mr. Creaner’s sentiments, stating that Asia was the “next United States”.

Keith Wood visits UCD Students studying the Rugby Management Scheme of Sport and Exercise Management took part in a question and answer session with former Lions and Ireland hooker Keith Wood earlier this month. Woods’ visit marked the introduction of the first module of the Rugby Management Scheme.

Director of the UCD Centre for Sport Studies, Dr John Shuttleworth, explains the purpose of the programme, “this unique programme is for professional players seeking to upgrade existing qualifications, players planning retirement at the end of this season who wish to remain in rugby in a management capacity, and those rugby club management personnel wishing to enhance their management skill set”.

He continued to say that the programme, which is supported, amongst others, by the IRFU and Leinster Rugby, “also supports community rugby club management which relies on a range of personnel, both volunteers and professionals, who may wish to take advantage of one or more modules focused on their specific role within the club”.

The programme is compatible with Irish players as well as those from other nations, who want to develop their studies before or after retirement.

Katie Hughes News Editor Preparations have begun for the UCD Fashion Show, which is set to be held on February 21st and 22nd 2012 in the O’Reilly Hall. The proceeds from the show will go to the Marc Owens Medical Fund. This is the second year in a row that the Fashion Show is being run after a two-year absence.

The fashion show is going to be primarily funded by sponsorship, as well as being supported by the Newman Fund as a community development project. Sponsorship for the event is currently being sought, “at this stage, we are trying to get our title sponsors on board, all of our sponsorship proposals have gone out – the Fashion Show is not reliant on funding from the SU, it’s reliant on funding from sponsors so we’re doing our best to get the money in place” asserts production manager Jason Masterson.

The Fashion Show will be held shortly after the Community Musical as the two separate projects share resources “in order to save significant amounts of money” as the equipment is kept on site for two weeks, explains Masterson.

“Once the Community Musical ends, we spend about eighty hours in the O’Reilly Hall during that weekend – the musical ends at eleven at night, by

3am Sunday morning it is taken down and then we’re all back in at nine the following morning to turn what was the Musical into the Fashion Show.”

Criticism arose in previous years regarding model selection, however Masterson stated that “there are no criteria for a model, other than being a UCD student; there is no height requirement, weight requirement, any of that”. Prior to the Fashion Show all of the fifty to sixty selected models will be expected to take part in a Bodywise seminar.

The models will be selected on their “presence” according to Masterson, “it’s the same kind of thing you look for in an actor, it’s the ability to hold attention, literally to hold a room – it’s based on their presence, if you will”.

The Marc Owens Fund was founded to raise money to help meet the extensive expenses of seeking medical treatment in the United States for DCU Business student, Marc Owens.

Owens suffers from aggressive Stage IV soft tissue sarcoma. €275,000 of the required €1 million has been raised to date. “The idea of the fashion show is to make as much money as possible for the foundation,” says Masterson.

Committee interviews were held last week, with a task group from last year’s team making the selections.

Model auditions are being held on November 14th and 15th.

De Brún suspects price increases in Kylemore outlets Katie Hughes News Editor Students’ Union President Pat de Brún has set up a meeting with Kylemore representatives following student complaints of price increases in outlets across campus, despite a contractual one-year price freeze.

“I did a walkabout myself to each of the outlets that are open on campus this week and while some of them seem to have complied with the price freeze, I was concerned that some may have not” stated de Brún.

However, he is not definitive as to whether the price increases have indeed

taken place; “I haven’t compiled any definitive information in terms of discrepancies with prices but having used these outlets myself for a number of years I felt certainly that some of them were more expensive than they used to be, which was a huge concern; specifically, I was in what is now the Java Arts Café and …

I felt it had gone up”.

“Hopefully I am mistaken and the contract has been met but if the prices have gone up it is a contractual issue and it was part of the tender agreement.

I don’t want to jump the gun and say that they’re blatantly in breach because I haven’t done up the final facts and figures yet and until then I don’t want to

go condemning anyone”.

The SU met with Kylemore earlier in the year, “they wanted to meet with us to allay some of our concerns because we had been quite vocal in our condemnation of the tender process and our concerns about competition; it was a productive meeting, they certainly showed a willingness to engage with the student body, they made assurances that prices would not go up, they cited examples such as in UCC they have the tender and students seem quite happy there” explains de Brún.

De Brún is also meeting with Kylemore to discuss the group’s contribution to the Welfare Fund, “the figure has not been finalised, which is one of

the reasons we want to meet … in fairness it was something that was brought up at the meeting which I wasn’t expecting to hear at the time but we haven’t met since so I would hope to hear more on that when we do”.

The reason behind the donation is unclear, “I think it’s part of their contract”, reasons Brún, “that they have to engage with students and help student life, it seems that they try to engender the company ethos of engagement with the different areas they’re working with”.

De Brún will also be making an inquiry as to why the café adjacent to the library, previously a 911 outlet, has yet to be opened.

Student protest planned for November 16th Katie Hughes News Editor The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is organising a protest for November 16th. Students from universities across Ireland will march in Dublin city centre in protest against the possible increase in fees and the reduction in the student grant.

The Government has not made an official announcement of any intentions to implement changes in the education budget but according to Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn, “there isn’t a single item of expenditure across the country that isn’t going to be affected in some way or other”. UCD Students’ Union Campaigns and Communications Officer Brendan Lacey insists, “it’s on the agenda”.

A similar march took place last year on November 3rd to protest the same two issues as well as that of graduate unemployment. However, Lacey believes that the difference between the two years “has to come from students”, and that this year “it’s not just going out for a day of marching and chanting – students need to realise that this is a real and genuine threat now, its not like before where we had a government on its last legs being crippled by a banking crisis, this is a government who has secured its position”.

Despite the aggressive breakaway group that occupied a government building last year, the organisers of the protest intended for it to be a peaceful one. However, Lacey asserts that the

message behind the coming protest is that “we’re not afraid to be more aggressive, we’re not afraid to be a little bit more radical, obviously in a planned, safe and controlled manner … I think in order to be successful, we can’t afford to be nice about it … it needs to be way more in your face”.

There will be a big push coming in informing students about the march, this will include “town hall meetings, assemblies, we’ll be going around res … there needs to be a genuine buy-in for students that this is a real threat we’re facing”.

Lacey admits that if a student is personally unaffected by the prospect, it is difficult for them to be a part of it but he encourages students to understand that “this is [the Government] bringing back fees and putting students out of college.

“I don’t like those generic mass terms, ‘so many people will be put out of college’, I know that there’s any number of students, not just nameless faceless students but friends of mine, friends of yours, friends of anybody who reads the paper. It’s your friends, it’s people who you sit with in lectures, people you go for coffee with that will not be coming back.”

The demonstration this year will, “where possible”, be carried out on a budget. Students will be encouraged to paint their own t-shirts and banners, unlike the t-shirts that were printed for last year’s event.

Lacey concludes; “It’s a shameless, shameless increase … it’s crippling the future, it’s robbing all of us of the opportunity of a future”.

NEWS

3

UCD’s Science Society presented a €13,100 cheque to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin on October 11th.

The money was raised during the 2010-2011 academic year through various fundraisers such as the Science Ball, Cycle to Galway and Jock Walk.

Current auditor Conor Dowdall was happy with the donations received and the success of the event, “last year, based on economic downturn and everything, we still managed to raise over €10,000 which I think was pretty good”.

Last year’s auditor, Justin Brayden, also stated that the society was more than happy with the money raised despite a drastic fall from previous year’s efforts – in 2010, the events raised in excess of €34,000. “I think it was very tough on a lot of students, everyone saw reductions in ticket sales and stuff like that so I’m pretty happy with the result”.

Brayden continued to say that “there are a couple of other cheques, single cheques, that are for €960 but they’re not all raised through Science Society events. They’re donations we get throughout the year and whatnot”.

Science Day has been running for

over twenty years under the auspice of a committee. However, the Science Day committee sought societal recognition in 2010, with last year being the first session of the Science Society. For the last number of years, Crumlin has been the charity to which proceeds were donated.

The society was left without an auditor for the second semester of last year due to Breyden’s work placement outside of Ireland. He was adamant that this did not have an effect on the fundraising efforts but that the overall reduction in student spending was caused by the recession.

“My move to Edinburgh wasn’t planned, I was to take up a job in Dublin but I had to move to Edinburgh because of requirements from the company. Obviously we needed to re-jig the committee and all that but the committee are more than capable. I think with the year that was in it, I don’t think any society did overly well”.

The society, who signed up just under 800 members during Freshers’ Week, remains optimistic about the coming year and is planning traditional events such as Science Day, the Science Ball, the annual cycle to Galway as well as various nights out throughout the year. The society’s latest event, the Pubathon, took place on October 13th.

Over 250 tickets were sold for the event.

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

LMFAO tickets sell out in forty minutes Laura Scanlan Tickets for the LMFAO gig in the Student Bar on November 7th went on sale in the Students’ Union shop under the library at 11am and at 2pm last Monday, the 10th October. The tickets from each batch sold out in thirty and ten minutes respectively.

The decision to split the sale of tickets was taken to “give people who had lectures at eleven a chance” according to UCD Student Union Ents Officer Stephen Darcy. Demand for tickets was high with the total time for ticket sales being “well under an hour”.

Darcy was unable to confirm if this is the fastest selling Ents event on record as the Union is still looking into the matter. However, he commented that “it seems to be and it definitely is in the last five years”.

While Darcy was unsurprised at the event selling out, “I knew it would sell out”, he had not anticipated the sheer demand for tickets by students; “the demand for tickets after it sold out is phenomenal still, I’ve never seen anything like it for a UCD gig – it’s absolutely crazy”.

Despite the high demand, Darcy would not consider moving future Ents

events off-campus to allow for a larger capacity than the eight hundred and fifty person scale of the Student Bar. While he feels that this might be considered the ideal thing to do he also recognises the importance of having events on campus, “I think it’s very important that our student bar gets our students into it rather than bringing them to a venue in town, I just think it’s better to keep stuff on campus”.

He stressed the importance of the LMFAO event being for UCD students.

While there was no limit on the number of tickets students could buy, he points out that only one non-UCD student can be signed in at a time: “If you were buying for five of your friends outside UCD you’re going to need UCD students to sign them in”. He says this measure was put in place to “keep it as much as possible a UCD gig”.

It appears that forward planning was the key to securing such a large act, as Darcy states that he had the event in mind since SU election time last March and that he began organising it as soon as he began his term as Ents officer in June.

To deal with the high volumes of students in the SU Bar Darcy affirms that extra security measures will be implemented “as per the law”.

Science Society raises €13,100 for Crumlin

Aoife Brophy

Plans for UCD cinema screenings underway Aaron Kennedy UCD’s cinema, which is currently under construction, is set to open its doors alongside the new Student Centre in April.

The cinema hopes to show both blockbuster and smaller, independent productions, “our aim is to be at the heart and soul of the Irish film industry as much as we can”, asserts Acting Arts Manager Jason Masterson.

He hopes that the cinema will be screening new Irish films, such as In Between The Canals, which stars two students from UCD’s Dramsoc. “We also want to support our own UCD students who graduated here and who are going to be in films and be involved in films and there is a huge amount of that that goes on.”

Negotiations are currently taking place with art house as well as mainstream distributors, “our aim would be to have an art house program running daily, and also having a delayed mainstream program running”.

The delayed mainstream program would involve showing major blockbuster movies four to six weeks after their official release in mainstream cinemas. Showing the films at the same time as their national release would involve having to compete with larger cinemas, resulting in higher prices, something that is out of the question according to Masterson, “we want to put in a student price that is right for

our students”.

Student Centre manager Dominic O’Keeffe confirmed that prices would lie between €3.50 and €4, remarking “we’re buying out the rights of all DVDs so we can actually show it for free … if you go on delayed viewing the price goes down, so if we show a premiere you have to pay €12 for it but if you see it on delay its only €4”.

Masterson is pleased with the progress in the construction of the cinema, “we have chosen our projectors and gotten our sample seats in and its all going to look very nice. The whole shape is in place so now we are just waiting for it to be furnished and painted, and we are getting all the equipment in after Christmas”.

The management of the cinema falls under the Student Centre management structure, “as we all know there [are] student representatives and also societies – the Film Society obviously have an option to take two to three nights a week to use it for their students”.

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NEWS

INTERNATIONAL

NEWS IN BRIEF

by George Morahan

College enrolment in UK falls for first time since 1999 A poll by the Association of Colleges (AoC) has found that the number of teenagers enrolling in British colleges has fallen for the first time in twelve years. The survey of 182 higher educational institutions showed a 0.1 per cent decrease in incoming students, representing a reduction of 600 from the last academic year.

Although a quarter of colleges saw the numbers of students fall between five and fifteen per cent and just under half had had seen a decline, forty-two per cent of colleges reported an increase in teenage enrolments.

Overall there are 40,000 fewer sixteen to nineteen year old freshers in England this year compared with 201011 and the blame has been levelled at the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), a grant aimed at helping students from low-income backgrounds.

The Department of Education has set up a new £180 million-a-year fund as a replacement for the EMA and announced a bursary scheme for the students in poorest financial circumstances in March. However, the chief executive of the AoC, Martin Doel, reported that a “significant number” of colleges were concerned that “the government is making education for the over-sixteens too expensive for all but the richest students.”

Georgetown students given more influence over college services Students at Washington D.C.’s Georgetown University have taken part in forums to voice their issues with university administration. The universityled forums have been named the Hoya Roundtables and allowed students to share their grievances with university representatives.

Christopher Augostini, the new Chief Operating Officer (COO), set up the forums as a way of getting student feedback on a range of university services. He said that “the goal is for there to be constant communication.”

After taking over as COO in the summer, Augostini held a meeting with student leaders of campus organisations.

Student housing and campus technology numbered amongst the many issues they brought to his attention and the decision to hold open forums was made

by Augostini and his assistants in early September. Augostini has stated that he will focus on the issues most commonly raised by students, and the university has also set up a survey for students, so they can pick out the most pressing issues and submit questions and comments as well. According to Augostini, the ulterior aim behind the project is to emphasise university services that support students, proclaiming that “we’re here to serve students and the administration.”

Toronto’s college paper to become online-only The University of Toronto’s student newspaper will eschew their traditional printed edition in favour of becoming an exclusively online publication. The Bulletin, which focuses on university life, research developments and new programmes, has found that most readers prefer the online version, with only ten per cent of readers favouring the printed newspaper.

Michael Kurts, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing at University of Toronto stated that efficiency was the main factor behind the transition, saying that “with such a large organisation, it is necessary to give out the appropriate information as efficiently as possible.”

Kurts went onto say that “we are now able to put out the issue twice a week, therefore allowing us to publish more up-to-date stories. As well, with the removal of paper usage, production time is significantly decreased.”

As part of the move, the production team has also started work on increasing the quality of its video and photographic content and plan on incorporating more multimedia content into the online edition.

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

UCDSU to publish magazine for residences George Morahan UCD Students’ Union Welfare Officer Rachel Breslin has announced the creation of a magazine aimed at students living in UCD residences. The publication will be geared at informing students of upcoming events and helpful campus services, with Breslin stating that it would “convey information about the SU, convey what’s out there in the college, and advertise the events we want to run on residences so residences become more of a community.”

The SU is currently looking into sponsorship for the magazine “so it would be cost effective”. Breslin was sure to reiterate the Union’s priority of expenditure

efficiency. “We’re looking at eight pages, not full colour, but a coloured cover and also to get photos of the events in it but they will be black and white. We want to keep the costs down but keep the quality of the writing and the information as much as possible.”

Despite the immediacy of social media which is prominently used by the SU, Breslin believes that a singular publication does hold some advantages. “It’s sort of a one stop shop of all sorts of information that we can’t put in one Facebook group. It’s not just the calendar.

Having one source of information that goes into residences on a monthly basis with what you can do and what’s out there for them would be very helpful.”

Breslin made it known that the first

issue would be published in November, but said that she was “not sure exactly when in November, depends on securing sponsorship, depends on what we want included.” However, she and UCDSU Communications Officer, Brendan Lacey weren’t anticipating many problems, saying that she doesn’t “think that it’s that complicated to organise and I want to get it done this year.”

In addition to the magazine, Breslin also announced the creation of the ‘Res Report’, initiated due to problems experienced by students checking into residences before the semester began. Breslin said she felt a lot of the difficulties faced were “due to residences and the procedures that were in place regarding check-in,”

and because of an “IT system crash when the continuing students were checking in earlier on it the year ... it was so time-consuming, particularly at orientation week when there were students back.”

Campus residents can send their complaints to res.report@ucdsu.ie and they will be relayed to university authorities. “What we’re doing is compiling these reports so we have a document which is fully comprehensive and identifying all of the things that we want to change rather than bits throughout the year.” Breslin is hoping to have finished the report by October 21st and will be arranging meetings with university and residences authorities “as soon as possible.”

important, “it’s sort of like a reference point” explains Dr Quinn, “it was the best candidate for producing high-energy emissions, that’s why we targeted that one in particular; there are other pulsars which we could look at but this was the best candidate to detect high energy emissions”.

The study is particularly significant because the TEV gamma rays detected were the highest energy emission ever recorded from a pulsar. According to Dr Quinn, “this emission goes well beyond what is expected from theoretical

models”.

As a result of these findings, “we have to go back and revisit our understanding of pulsars”. Aside from the theoretical implications that this will have in the field of astronomy, there are potential applications in industry and elsewhere. Namely, it could “have an implication in medical physics and other areas” says Dr Quinn.

Dr Quinn recalled the origin of the project, “going back about twenty years, it was a very small collaboration and UCD was one of the institutions that developed a new technique in astronomy; since then, we’ve joined with 20 other universities throughout the world and we have built an array of four telescopes that are located in Arizona, that search for gamma ray emission on various objects”.

Over fifty news agencies have picked up on the finding, something that Dr Quinn hopes could potentially see renewed interest in astronomy. He states that astronomy “is an excellent way to encourage kids to have an interest in science and results like this, that profile Irish scientists, are very good for Irish children to become interested in science.”

Dr Quinn continues to say that “after one hundred hours of observations with our telescopes focused on this object”, the research is not yet complete.

Over the coming two years, the team “will probably take more data on it with our existing telescopes” before they can move on with their findings.Auditor of the Film Society, Natasha Walsh, was particularly annoyed at the lack of notice of the changes, “we weren’t told until we went back and everything was changed; it was then I was worried because I wasn’t really sure how things had changed”. However, overall she takes a positive stance on the new system as “we did find that the AV equipment in the Ag building is far superior to that in the Arts building, so, in many ways, it’s worked out for the better”.

UCD Services had not commented at the time of going to press.

Highest energy gamma rays detected from pulsar by UCD graduate David Farrell An international study led by three scientists including UCD Physics graduate, Andrew McCann of McGill University, and carried out with over one hundred scientists from various institutions across the globe, including UCD, has found the highest ever energy emissions from a pulsar.

In 1054 A.D. the remains of a star exploded, leaving behind the Crab Nebula. At the centre of this was the

Crab Pulsar, which is a neutron star that spins at twenty-two revolutions per millisecond. The study focused on TEV gamma rays from the Crab Pulsar.

Head of the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) group in UCD, Dr John Quinn, explained that “a pulsar emits, like a lighthouse, a flash of radiation as the star spins”. It was these flashes of radiation that were the gamma rays studied by the team.

In the field of gamma ray astronomy, the Crab Pulsar and Nebula are very

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

School of Mathematics moved off campus Katie Hughes News Editor UCD’s School of Mathematical Sciences was relocated to the Radio House in Belfield Office Park on Beaver Row on September 23rd.

Head of the School, Dr Patrick Murphy, deemed the facilities in the new location comparable to those in the Science Hub, where the School was originally located, despite initial “teething

problems with telephone and computer connections, and with cleaning”.

Lecturers from the School of Mathematical Sciences deliver lectures in all of the buildings on campus, though none in Belfield Office Park, thus necessitating a movement between the two locations every time a lecture needs to be delivered. “The average commuting time appears to be approximately twenty minutes each way and this clearly introduces a disruption into our

working day,” stated Dr Murphy.

Due to a swipe card system operating in the new location, undergraduate students do not have access to the building. This problem has been managed by reserving a seminar and teaching room in the Agricultural Science Building, as well as meeting students by appointment on the top floor of the library, which is where the school office has been relocated.

“In the short term this obviously leads to inconvenience but we hope in the long term that this will lead to a better school with far superior facilities”.

The school is expected to move back to Science Centre North in September 2013 once it is redeveloped.

Mental Health Day Hanna-lil Malone UCD Students’ Union marked World Mental Health Day on October 9th by running several events in the Student Centre. The SU hoped that the diverse events would involve students with a variety of interests and promote dialogue about the importance of positive mental health. World Mental Health day is a global occurrence aimed at promoting mental health awareness, education and advocacy.

The day commenced with a ‘Note to Self’ campaign run by Reach Out, an Ireland-based mental health charity. Students were encouraged to write positive notes to themselves, family or friends which would be posted out at exam time as a “pick me up when you’re down” explains SU Wefare Officer Rachel Breslin. Approximately 250 notes were written during the three hours that Reachout were stationed in the Student Centre.

A comedy event was run in association with UCD’s Comedy Society in the Astra Hall. Breslin explained that

Voxpop:

the event promoted the message that “mental health issues were just the negative, the difficult times, it’s the positive times doing things that make you happy”.

The most successful and well-attended event of the day was the screening of parts of the RTÉ’s documentary, ‘I See a Darkness’, organised in association with First Fortnight and Suicide or Survive. The documentary followed the lives of three families who had been affected by suicide. Breslin noted that “even though it’s not spoken about enough or as much as it could be, [suicide] is something that people really do understand the impact of, and obviously everyone has been affected by it in some way”.

The day finished with Republic of Loose playing in the Student Bar. The gig was organised with support from the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), as part of a series of events being run during the week, including gigs in GMIT and Waterford, the aim of which was to “bring mental health to national attention” .

Despite the final turnout not achiev-

ing expectations, Breslin stated that the important part was “that people were coming and that was people who wouldn’t usually have attended a mental health event”.

The success of the events lay in the diversity of students they catered for, Breslin explained; “there was something for everybody to get involved with, for everyone to interact with and engage with, I’m more than happy with the publicity it got”.

More events are planned for Mental Health Awareness week which takes place from the 21st to the 25th of November.

Class Rep Training costs €3,500 less than 2010 Edward Mahon Class Rep training took place in Avon Rí, Blessington on the weekend of the 7th to 9th of October.

UCD Students’ Union Campaigns and Communication Officer Brendan Lacey was pleased with the event, “I thought it went really well, I was really happy with the reps this year, they’re a really good bunch; they took on the workload, they seemed really up for doing the work this year”.

The finances of class rep training and whether the costs merited the result have, in previous years, been a contentious issue. However, Lacey insists that he did everything in his power to keep the costs down for this year’s event, “it was a case of scrimping all the pennies we could, finding the cheapest place, finding a place that could accommodate us … in Avon Rí they didn’t have rooms but we were given houses so we could put more people in [them], we could just literally ram [people] in”. €11,000 was spent on class rep training last year, and is down €7,500 to €8,000 this year “we’re getting there every year in terms of saving the cost, I know there’s a big issue with the cost every year … that was as good as I could possibly do”.

Lacey finds that the newly elected reps have been effective in the week following training, “they’ve all been out lecture addressing, they’ve all been

setting up their Facebook groups, all the things we asked them to do to help them communicate with their class.

I’m really impressed by them so far – they’ve all been really on the ball”.

Events held during the week included “bonding and breaking the ice exercises” on Friday after arrival, modules, including ones from each of the Sabbatical officers on Saturday and talks from their programme officers, as well as a ‘how to be a good class rep’ lecture on Sunday.

Communications company Carr Communications, described by Lacey as “one of the top communication companies in the country”, were brought in specially “to do a lot of public speaking and communicating because I wasn’t happy with the level of communicating previously”.

A major focus was put on classes being informed in the lead up to council as to what motions were coming up and encouraging reps to know what the “feeling of their class is like, is there any motions that they have any particular interest in or want to say anything on”, as that is something Lacey feels the Union has fallen down on in the past, “class reps tend come with their own opinion, it’s something we were massively discouraging them from this year”.

“I think it was on par [with previous years]. I was really happy with it.

All the reps seemed really happy with it and all the people returning seemed really happy with it, that’s the only indication I can go on.”

How much financial support do you think parents should give their children at third level?

by Colm Ryan Photographs: David Nowak

“It depends on their travel costs and if they‘re living at home or not.

I think it really depends on the situation”

Stephen Corry Masters in History

“Maybe college fees and if they’re paying rent they could kind of contribute to that, but I’m still living at home, still sponging, so I couldn’t really tell you”

Marianne Kennedy 2nd Year Irish and Music

“I think they should be helping them with rent, I don’t think they should be giving them money to go out. If the child wants to do that, go out and earn the money”

Collette Klein Final Year Psychology

5

NEWS

“Some people get too much.

I know some people who get €100 from their parents maybe, a week. That would be a bit much. It’s hard getting a job though. ”

David Keegan 1st Year Arts

“At the moment I get very little, I like to be independent. I work weekends and during the summer. I get a third level grant so I’m kind of selfsufficient”

Darragh McEvoy Masters in Early Modern History

“Coming to college and being in third level is sort of growing up so, you have to fend for yourself and depend on yourself”

Carly McKernan 1st Year English History Linguistics

6

NEWS

News Analysis

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

A Level of Respect Following the controvesy surrounding the reclassification of the PGDE program, Katie Hughes examines the confusion and miscommunication between UCD and the students the change affects

T

he National Qualifications Authority was established in 2001 to develop and maintain the National Framework of Qualifications, to facilitate the access and progression through the span of education and to promote the maintenance of the standards of awards.

Under this framework, educational qualifications were given levels, e.g. the Leaving Certificate was set at Level 6, an Honours Bachelor’s Degree and Higher Diploma at Level 8 and a Masters and Post-Graduate Diploma at Level 9.

The Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) had not previously been set at a particular level, but was perceived by students to be a Level 9 qualification due to its name. Therefore, the re-naming of the degree to a Professional Diploma in Education and its conceived ‘downgrade’ to a Level 8 NFQ qualification was seen by students as having the potential to devalue their degree and give it less academic significance than those

awarded in previous years.

However, from communication with the university, it can be deduced that the change will in fact have little significant impact on students. Grants will still be paid out and the qualifications of 2012’s graduates will be on a par with those preceding them.

In a statement posted on the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland’s website, an assurance is made that student financing through the grant system will not be affected, “the adoption of the new title by the universities will not … affect student entitlements under the existing Student Maintenance Grant Schemes.

This has been confirmed in the 2011 Student Grant Scheme”.

The change was carried out as part of a European Union directive to standardise higher education across the EU. As a result of this, all students qualifying with a PGDE or similar degree would be on the same level when it came to employment.

An issue that remains is the manner in which students were informed of the change. It would appear that there was confusion among UCD’s School of Education itself as to the level of the degree students would be leaving with as, according to students, the announcement defined a change being made specifically from a Level 9 to a Level 8 qualification and a change in name. The change in the name of the degree was made to reflect making the degree a Level 8 qualification. Surely this is indication enough that students were correct in perceiving the degree to be Level 9 to begin with.

The students in the PGDE course are all adults who have completed some form of an undergraduate degree and many have completed a Masters; they are qualified professionals. Why did the University then deem it appropriate to treat them in such a condescending manner? What made it appropriate for a member of staff from the School of Education to stand before

them and casually inform them that the name of their course, for which they had registered in December, had been changed and that its qualification now stood at Level 8?

It is an embarrassment that students were mislead for so many years over the qualification they were receiving. To name the degree a PostGraduate Diploma in Education when the NQF clearly stated on the diagram that defines levels and corresponding degree titles, which is no doubt familiar to all PGDE students at this stage, that a Post-Graduate Diploma gave a Level 9 qualification, is a disgrace.

The question consequently arises as to why the degree had no level assigned to it in the first place. The idea of a “floating” qualification for so many years is absurd. Between the academic years beginning 2006 and 2007, universities across Ireland renamed their Higher Diploma in Education as either a Postgraduate Diploma in Education or Graduate Diploma in Education. Why

EU Opportunities As the European Commission implement a new employment scheme, Kate Rothwell and potential implications of the ‘Your first EURES job’ initiative

I

t doesn’t take an economist to see why the European Commission’s latest job creation initiative may come under fire in Ireland. The ‘Your first EURES job’ scheme will provide financial support for young European jobseekers doing interviews and taking up positions in EU states other than that in which they reside, or as some people may see it, pay for them to emigrate.

This blunt description of the scheme is not incorrect, but it does distract from the positive impact that the initiative looks set to have. Much of any current Irish media reportage which touches on recession and emigration tends to be pervaded by an overpowering sense of doom and an increasingly anti-EU sentiment but this, for once, is a positive news story.

We are constantly reminded of the scores of people who are leaving this country for lands as far-flung as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. They have to save up relatively large amounts of money in order to make the journey, and once they reach their destination and secure a job – a feat which is not always as easy as promised – they will have to put aside their hard-earned savings in order to fly back and see their family every one or two years. YfEj will encourage job seekers to look for positions that are somewhat closer to home. That is not to say that moving to Germany or Sweden is the same as working in Galway or Sligo, but there is a notable difference between the cost of a transatlantic flight and that of a regular European Ryanair booking.

Taking advantage of a potential job opportunity abroad does not mean being tied to a new country of residence

for life. The YfEj placements will be a minimum of six month’s duration, but if employees choose not to stay any longer than this, the experience of working in a foreign country could strengthen their chances of securing a job when they return home. Most employees widen their skill set while working abroad, as they often learn or improve a third language and adapt to

another culture, as well as adjust to a vastly different working environment.

Of course we must not just look at this scheme from an Irish jobseeker’s perspective. Applicants from other EU states could well find their work placements in stronger areas of employment in Ireland, such as accounting or IT. The YfEj scheme will focus on matching understaffed employment sectors

then at this stage, was a level not assigned and why was the degree instead given a misleading name?

Students would not be inclined to check what degree of qualification they were receiving when it was supposedly clearly laid out for them in the title. Because of this, the frustration and anger that PGDE students across Ireland are feeling as a result of the recent announcement is completely understandable. Nothing but shock can be displayed at the sheer disorganisation that has now been revealed to have been exhibited in the international education system over the past number of years.

Despite an e-mail sent out by the Head of the School in an effort to reassure students that their degrees will be held to the same esteem as those of the years preceding them and that their grant status will stay fixed as it was, they remain unsure as to what exactly their futures hold and what opportunities their qualification will bring them.

able contention, and understandably so, when those under thirty are far from the only age group who are in examines the aims, criteria need of new job opportunities. In a Q&A document published by the European Commission it was stated that this restriction was due to eighteen to twenty-four-year olds being statistically proven to be the age group that is “having more difficulties in getting a foothold in the labour market.” This is a valid claim, but the extension of the age group to an upper threshold of thirty will not impress those who exceed it.

Yet if the age limit is taken out of the equation, the scheme appears to be remarkably open in terms of who can apply; it does not disqualify anyone from applying on the basis of “qualifications, work experience or social/ economic background.” Those of us involved in university life tend to focus on established graduate schemes and often view post-graduate education as a necessity; it may be of more benefit to us than we realise to look at the bigger picture and appreciate that those whose career path does not include third level education are just as deserving of the chance to compete for such opportunities. Whether graduates will be as tempted by opportunities with SMEs abroad as they are by big name graduate schemes closer to home however, remains to be seen.

‘Your first EURES job’ is a largescale project which may cause some controversy, but in reality will only affect a small number of participants – two to three thousand people is a relatively small figure once it is spread in some countries with an oversupply across twenty-seven member states. of labour markets in others, so that The scheme is not without fault and it is not a case of jobs being ‘stolen’ its overall impact may be minor but from national workers. We are all in the initiative is to be admired; not only the midst of a financial Euro-crisis; does it offer young jobseekers greater we must all be content to assist one access to international employment another where we can. opportunities, but it encourages them The age limit on the scheme, which to look further afield for exciting oprestricts eligibility to those aged eightions they may otherwise never have teen to thirty, may also cause consider- considered.

7

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

Observer Features

From Exam Scripts to Spreadsheets

With the traditional job market waning, Westley Barnes goes in search of the new wave of UCD-educated entrepreneurs

A

university environment offers a gateway to the fundamentals of career-oriented education as well as introducing many to the pro and cons of a flexible academic work schedule. However, an often overlooked aspect of a campus community is that of the many networking opportunities and insights into market niches that can emerge from a student perspective.

Taking full advantage of the award schemes and department-based initiatives made available to them through the Dublin university network, several students are bucking the current economic trends by drawing inspiration from particularly student-related concerns.

Nova UCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre

“It can be both,” he muses. “I suppose it was good for me because you’re learning a lot about the whole ‘business’ thing and then you’re starting to put it into practice. Say, for example, you’re

“I have received amazing support from UCD, especially Nova UCD over the last two years ... with business advice, support and mentoring as well as the odd article published” Rhona Togher, Restored Hearing One issue that consistently affects the personal lives and attitudes of students is that of contraception. This inspired Safetext.ie, set up by UCD Business and Law student Chris Rooney with his business partner and fellow student Liam Ryan. Safe Text offers a discreet way of reminding women via daily text messages to take their contraceptive pill.

The idea for the business came to Chris after talking to Liam’s sister, who works as a GP. “From there we decided to research this possibility and found that this was actually a problem. There was no service we could find that catered for issue either in the Republic or further abroad,” Chris explains. “We thought that given the technological and informative savvy of young people today we could solve this problem essentially by way of an online tool.”

Bearing in mind that the service they aimed to provide concerned such a sensitive issue, the pair decided that texting provided a far more subtle means of reminding their clientele.

Chris explained why texting offered the most convenient method. “Safe Text is a service which is both reliable and secure while remaining subtle.

Rather than say setting an alarm on your phone, a text message is a far more discreet reminder, say if you’re sitting in a lecture hall and an alarm goes off on your phone; its far more likely to attract unwanted attention than a text is.”

The advantages of the service emerging within the spectrum of a university society quickly became apparent to Chris. When asked if Safe Text had received support from UCD’s various institutions, Chris is quick to note the campus’s enthusiastic response.

“Absolutely ... I talked to [Former Welfare Officer] Scott Ahearn who was pivotally helpful in promoting us. In fact, the launch of the service coincided with the Sexual Health awareness and Guidance Week.”

When asked about whether managing the demands of a business while studying for exams was particularly stressful or whether these young entrepreneurs found the college environment a suitable starting point in beginning to reach their target audience, Chris highlight the difficulties and opportunities involved in the process.

linked up to managing and accounting as part of a business degree, that all starts to come alive when you actually decide to go and do it, particularly when you go and show a slide of financial accounts to investors.”

Chris found the most encouraging aspect of all this was recognising how important initiative was. “I’ve found there’s an awful lot of legwork you can do on your own initiative, so if you have a concept, write it down, find out what is unique about it and what the potential demand is for it. If you give yourself the space for developing the idea within two months you could assess if it’s worth developing further.”

Another issue affecting the everyday lives of students is the prospect of finding a job once they’ve finished their degrees. Lorna Purcell, a graduate of UCD’s Smurfit Business School in Blackrock, is now tackling that issue with founder Serena Mizzoni, a former Trinity student, through the recruitment agency GenePool. Their business specialises in helping former students at both post-graduate and undergraduate levels maximise their employment potentials.

Much like Safe Text before it, GenePool first came to life as an enterprise which led a niche existence online, before using the college environment to increase its exposure and development.

“Working on your own initiative to open doors for you can have surprising results. Serena and I have put [ourselves] in the most ridiculous situations just to get our business noticed by important investors,” explains Lorna when asked how they achieved this exposure. “There’ve been times when we just walk into meetings saying ‘we really shouldn’t be here, but...’ and it’s paid off. Without being too brash, you should talk to anyone who might be interested because there’s no other way to spread the interest around.”

In GenePool’s case, this interest led to linking up with the Undergraduate Awards of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This link was designed as a an introductory method to entice Ireland’s high academic achievers into preparing themselves for the jobs market from as early a stage in their academic lives as possible. As Lorna explains, “the idea was when a student enters into the Un-

dergraduate Awards that they would be encouraged to sign up to Genepool as a way of encouraging them to get their CV to a recruitment agency, which would make them instantly more viable to the jobs market once they finish their degrees.”

Lorna also admits that the link creates valuable exposure for the company but asserts that it is equally beneficial to the students who wish to avail of GenePool’s services. “It’s also a way of advertising that we, as a recruitment agency, have access to the best students who we can get into placement straight after they leave UCD. That’s where we’re at; we’re trying to sell the talent that we have through the company.”

Understanding the importance of honing the essential skills to meet the requirements that employers seek remains an essential part of the companies development, as displayed by plans to offer training in crucial areas. “We’re also developing courses for undergraduates who want to improve on their presentation skills, and to help graduates improve on their interview skills for when they enter the jobs market.”

In the future, Lorna feels they will be able to expand their client base beyond university alumni, and sees that as the next development stage. However, for now, Genepool’s agenda rests firmly on developing the employment potentiality of university graduates.

“We are mainly targeted at graduates, both undergraduates and post-graduates. Ideally we’re using the link to the Undergraduates Awards as a way to encourage people to set up and review their CVs [so as] to be able to understand what’s required in that capacity in order to be, without trying to sound too corny, the best that they can be.”

This emergence of UCD educated entrepreneurs is testimony to UCD’s history of supporting student enterprise initiatives. Nova, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, works with UCD students to support entrepreneurship at a number of levels.

According to Michael Whelan, Communications director a t Nova UCD, “the development of a cul-

ture of innovation and entrepreneur- opening doors for Restored Hearing. “I ship is critical. By hosting a range of have received amazing support from events Nova UCD is promoting aware- UCD, especially Nova UCD over the ness and embedding the ethos of in- last two years ... with business advice, novation and entrepreneurship among support and mentoring as well as the the next generation of innovators and odd article published,” Rhona states. entrepreneurs.”

“It was a huge honour receiving runner Whelan goes on to explain that Nova up in the Campus Company Developoffers a range of programmes to help ment Programme. Particularly, being students define their concept and then in a competition with your lecturers prepare a detailed business plan. The and then winning [was] lots of fun. programme is now in its sixteenth year They have provided the company with and has helped just over 170 new ven- a base here in UCD and I don’t know tures since it was created. One example what I would have done without them.” of a business set up by a UCD student Rhona is also adamant that the difwhich has benefitted from Nova’s as- ficulties apparent in running a business sistance is Restored Hearing. The com- while studying for a degree act as a furpany has developed SOMTUS, a form of ther learning curb, as they can at times prove frustrating. “Running a business while studying for my undergraduate will probably be the hardest thing I will ever do. The long hours and mountains of work are never-ending, yet this has definitely been the most fun I have ever had.”

The idea of starting up a business while studying for a degree can seem daunting at first, but behind the headlines of falling business growth and university funding are stories of indiLorna Purcell, GenePool viduals rising to the challenge. If there is a common theme to the stories of online sound therapy, which alleviates Chris, Lorna and Rhona, it is that the the effects of temporary tinnitus after college environment, with its combinaonly one minute. Particularly helpful in tion of free time and a strong support the cases of sound-rattled concert-go- network, is the perfect time to test ers, the company has found an impres- your aptitude for entrepreneurship. As sive level of success from the time of its Lorna herself explains, “the likes of founding and was the 2010 runner-up Nova UCD and other departments are in Nova UCD’s Continual Professional so helpful in supporting student busiDevelopment competition. ness initiatives but they’re not getting Second year UCD Physics Student as many young people as they could Rhona Togher is quick to mention how provide their support for. If you have integral the support the busi- an idea which you think has potential ness received was in just go for it. What do you have to lose?”

“If you have an idea which you think has potential just go for it, what do you have to lose?”

8

FEATURES

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

With the continuing popularity of ‘Occupy’ protests across the world, Evan O’Quigley takes to the streets of Dublin for some firsthand experience

NOT QUITE THE REVOLUTION O

n Saturday the 8th of October 2011, several hundred people gathered outside the Central Bank of Ireland on Dame Street for the latest of several ‘Occupy’ events. This now global phenomenon began with

“I’m familiar with the assemblies internationally, it’s a transnational movement,” says Tom, before continuing that word being spread by ordinary people was what gave the event its “popular legitimacy”.

In a similar vein, Sebastian discovered the event via Facebook and was motivated to join in after “watching the protests in the United States, in New York, the police were spraying [the protesters], there were a lot of things going on that were not being reported in the mainstream media.” Despite Gardaí presence on the day, there were no problems in this regard.

Beyond national laws, there were three self-prescribed rules for the protest. These were that no political party or trade union banners be represented at the march; no violence be allowed; and no alcohol or drugs may be consumed. The gathering is purely independent and, to ensure it is truly for the ordinary people, has no affiliations with political parties or organisations.

Tom agrees with this apolitical sentiment. “What’s happening over the world is people are gathering around the same banner, and generally that being an apolitical banner. We’re setting aside previous sectarian identities and freely associating as people, and I consider that in the world, [to be] historically important.” Neither he nor Sebastian are involved with any political parties or organisations, as the online event page suggests.

However, this has not stopped some organisations, such as the ‘Enough Campaign’, trying to get involved.

While over seven hundred people

clicked ‘attending’ on the Facebook event page, it appeared that only half as many actually turned up. Nevertheless, Tom remained positive. “Many protests such as this start off small” commented Tom. “The important thing in a lot of countries is that it has gone beyond a narrow chasm of activists, primarily essentially leftists, but this is a movement that welcomes all regardless of politics.”

Sebastian also felt the demonstrations were likely to create a positive outcome. “I think it will be a [success in the] long run. It needs to [gain] momentum but once people realise that this is a global thing that’s going on, and not just confined to Ireland, I think we will see not just an Irish revolution, or a European revolution or an American revolution, but I think we will see a worldwide revolution.”

Before this can happen, Sebastian believes that the public need to reassess their priorities and understand what the real issues in our societies are. “People ... need to start selfeducating. Most people pay attention to Coronation Street, or rugby, football, The X Factor. This is not helping us; this is distracting us from the important issues.”

Occupy Dame Street, while not quite being the revolution that some were hoping for, does reflect a growing apathy with mainstream politics and a demand for change. After years of politics focused on parties and individuals, it is somewhat refreshing to find Irish people who are willing to put personal politics aside and stand up against what they believe to be a common injustice.

“If we don’t provide chips on a day we would lose so much business, financially Whelan, it would kill us.” Head Chef at the FirstGreg Restaurant

events that happen all over campus every week. McCabe says they have a “commitment to cater for all menu preferences and dietary needs” and explains that just over a year and a half ago the Vegan Society approached them and, since then, the restaurant provides a vegan dish every day.

He continues that they cater for “low fat, wheat free, gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free” while all their meats are now Halal prepared and, since last summer, they have stopped buying frozen produce. Although McCabe believes that they provide a large range of foods, most of which are healthy, he does point out that they are not the students’ “minders”.

Greg Whelan, Head Chef of the First Restaurant, agrees with McCabe’s sentiment, saying “we provide so much different choice, but we cannot force people to eat what they eat.” Although Whelan comments that the carvery has seen an increase in sales over the years, chips are still a strong favourite. The First Restaurant currently holds the Happy Heart catering award, which is given to institutions that offer a range of healthy options.

However, it will most likely not receive the award next year because, to be eligible, institutions cannot serve chips twice a week. “That is going to be totally impractical for us,” argues Whelan. “If we don’t provide chips on a day we would lose so much business, financially it would kill us.” He explains that, though they are “primarily not in this to make profit” and offer “a service to the students and academic staff”, financial issues do have to be taken into consideration.

Students tend to opt for cheaper, faster and subsequentedly unhealthier options but the increase in sales of other foods, such as the carvery, is a positive step. Of course, having healthy options is important but, as the Restaurant management quite rightly points out, students still have to make the choice to eat healthily. Breslin will be running campaigns throughout the year to raise student awareness and help students to understand their food options. Striking the balance between money and nutrition is key. Keeping this balance will mean students can have a fatter wallet but a slimmer lifestyle, something that will tickle most students’ tastebuds.

first name be used. “I feel the aim of assembly is to bring people to gather in a public area, and see what it is that comes out of that.”

Sebastian Van Ooijen, another volunteer, agreed with Tom but felt

“Most people pay attention to Coronation Street, or rugby, football, The X Factor. This is not helping us; this is distracting us from the important issues.” Sebastian van Ooijen, participant. the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protest in New York City last month and has since spawned many copycat demonstrations.

However, many wonder what the actual aims of the demonstrations are, and what the agenda of its organisers is.

What exactly was ‘Occupy Dame Street’ and what were they looking to achieve?

According to its Facebook group, the event sought to “show solidarity with those [abroad] and express a growing sense of frustration with social inequality and corporate greed among the people of Ireland”. Having spoken to protesters at the event, it would appear that this description of their aims is relatively accurate.

“It’s all about togetherness” says Tom, who requested that only his

With the continuing popularity of ‘Occupy’ protests across the world, Evan O’Quigley takes to the streets of Dublin for some firsthand experience

the protest could go further still. “First of all I think awareness. To share our ideas, share our knowledge about what’s going on,” Sebastian stated before explaining that in his view, the biggest problem is the European Union’s involvement in the country’s financial affairs. “We need to get out of the EU, not just Ireland but other countries too, so we can control our own money.” No matter what they manage to achieve, he emphasised that the demonstration in Dame Street aimed to “serve the rest of the people, not just to serve the wealth of a few bankers and corporate elites”.

The event was not publicised in the traditional sense, and relied on word of mouth and social networking.

Your Money or Your Health Following recent government proposals to tax high-sugar foods, Faye Docherty explores campus approaches to healthy eating

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ast month it was announced that For students, eating the right foods territory when students first move away the government is considering and being aware of their nutrition can from home. Having never cooked meals the introduction of a sugar tax. If be the last thing to cross their mind. for themselves before, easier options this is implemented, many people will Some students may be be unsure of the take greater preference. Breslin says undoubtedly begin to re-examine what benefits that come with healthier eating, “students often tend to revert to buying foods are available to them, especially while others choose to ignore them in snacks, buying stuff that’s easy. We are when they eat outside the home. order to prioritise other interests. Any on the go all the time, between activites Restaurants, newsagents and cafés will business that deals with students on and lectures and social events, so it’s have to start reassessing what they sell a daily basis will know that money is easy to take the quick option.” Even and provide to customers. Yet if this always a concern, and when it comes if students still live at home, they can attempt by the government to sway to food, healthier options can simply become victims of unhealthy snacking the population’s eating habits is not be unaffordable. As Student Welfare and rushed lunches, eaten while implemented, should institutions such Officer Rachel Breslin, explains hurrying from to one lecture to the next. as UCD, where thousands of people are “students will often budget for other Students involved in societies and fed every day, re-evaluate the food they things ahead of food and healthy eating.” activities that go on well after the last currently provide anyway?

A kitchen can also be unchartered lectures of the day can end up finding

Photograph by David Nowak themselves eating all three meals on campus. This makes it crucially important for there to be a large range of food available, something Breslin emphasises. “I really want to introduce more healthy options in UCD and most of all to make them affordable so they are not more expensive than the unhealthy options, because that would put people off.”

Michael McCabe, the Manager of UCD Catering Services, strives to provide varied and healthy foods in the First Restaurant, Cafe Infusion Sandwich Bar and the new Rendezvous Restaurant. His staff also cater for

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

FEATURES

9

Postcards from Abroad: Sydney Balancing a love of pies with the burden of keeping Australia beautiful, Ebony Lawless gets to grips with local crazes

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know that people would expect melting pot that the land of crocodiles someone currently living in the land has become. Historical claims aside, I down under to speak of sunshine, can tell you that the Australian pie is a surfers and BBQ’s. Unfortunately, I can- masterpiece. not. This is Sydney in springtime and Now there is probably many a UCD accordingly all of the above delights ap- student shaking their head, wondering pear to be in hibernation. It’s October, what on earth I’m talking about, init’s cloudy and temperatures are barely credulous as to how any pie could beat reaching fifteen degrees; certainly not a Charlie’s after a night in the Palace. what I signed up for. Worse still, locals Believe me, I was once such a person. feel the need to consistently remind me The first time a classmate told me to that this is the worst spring in decades. try a Pie Face (essentially the chipper Murphy’s Law I guess. of Sydney) I thought to myself “give me Don’t get me wrong, BBQs have been a three in one any day”. However, that had, surfers on Bondi have been spot- first post-night out eating session may ted and there has been a good dousing have changed my life, and the lives of of sunshine, but that is all in the past. all those with me, forever.

On these somewhat lacklustre days, as I Our devotion to the humble pie is struggled through an extortionate num- such that I’ve witnessed fully rational ber of end of semester research essays, I human beings (well, drunken Irish stusought solace in something which will dents in particular) get off that last bus never leave you. Even after abandoning home because the driver, in the absence my mammy in search of kangaroos (and of good faith and general human decenof course an education), there remains a cy, forced them to choose between home common comfort - food. and the pie. Let’s just say the long walk In this respect, Australia is a rather home is worth it every time. odd place. Sausages are made from In addition to a love of pies, the beef, cans of soft drink are supersized Australians also have a great love for and pints are shrunk into schooners. exercise. This forms a rather unlikely Ridiculously, a pepper (or capsicum in paring. It was with great dismay that, the local lingo) costs almost as much shortly after the consumption of copias a beef steak and significantly more ous amounts of pies, I began to notice than a fillet of ‘roo. Doesn’t sound all a new advertising campaign entitled that amazing, does it? Well, thankfully ‘Keep Australia beautiful’. Building off there is one saving grace – the pie. Pies the back of such classic shows as Ausare defined as a traditional Australian tralia’s Top Athlete, this campaign emfood, something few food types can phasises the importance of (lord help boast given the ethnic and cultural me) the gym.

The University of New South Wales, you see, is conveniently located in the rather aff luent suburbs of Eastern Sydney. Unfortunately, as per similar areas across the world, I find myself surrounded by a rather unsettling mixture of yummy mummies, ladies who lunch and, worst of all, joggers. The height of fashion is upmarket jogging gear, and it’s worn by women who are unbelievably toned for those who coffee and lunch daily. I blame the ridiculous ‘toning footwear’ technology.

Similar outfits would be a source of shame back home where exercise is, and will remain to be, an activity for the exception rather than the rule.

I mean, I doubt you’ll see herds of fitness fanatics swarm Grafton Street any time soon. Yet on George Street, the Sydney equivalent, just avoiding the joggers is quite a workout.

In an attempt to keep up with the general population (otherwise known as peer pressure), and to avoid the shame of letting the Australian side down, I found myself buying jogging gear. My end goal is of one day running as beautifully and gracefully as only the truly fit and toned can. Needless to say, after the grand total of two completed runs, I have massively improved my beauty over the past three months.

In fact, if you ask me, my job is done, which means it’s probably right about time for a pie by now. I wonder if Pie Face is still open?

Tragóid an euro:

ón bhfís dhóchasach go géarchéim gan deireadh

Agus tubaiste airgeadais na Mór-Roinne ag dul in olcas lá ina dhiaidh lae, caitheann Séamas Ó Meachair súil ar na forbairtí sa chath um an euro a tharrtháil

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á beagnach deich mbliana ann ó tháinig an t-airgeadra aonair isteach le mórchuid mustair agus mórdhála ar fud na hEorpa ar Lá Caille na Bliana 2002. Ceapadh ansin gur aisling a bhí i tabhairt isteach na mbonn agus na nótaí bainc euro. An t-athchóiriú airgeadais ba réabhlóidí is ba fhadradharcaí san Eoraip ó ré na hImpireachta Rómhánaí i leith a bhí i gceist. Dealraíonn sé anois, áfach, nárbh aisling a bhí ann, ach tromluí uafásach gan deireadh.

Is iomaí buntáiste a bhaineann leis an airgeadra aonair ar ndóigh. Is léir sin láithreach do dhuine ar bith a thaistealaíonn ar an Mór-Roinn. Is féidir taisteal ó Heilsincí na Fionlainne ó thuaidh go dtí na hOileáin Chanáracha ó dheas, ó Liospóin na Portaingéile san iarthar go Leafcóis na Cipire san oirthear agus na boinn chéanna inár bpócaí againn. Nach mór an trua agus an íoróin mar sin go gcaitear airgead a shóinseáil fós agus muid ag dul ó Thuaidh go Béal Feirste!

Ba mhór an faoiseamh é an tairgeadra aonair don lucht gnó chomh maith. Agus deireadh le rataí luaineacha malartaithe, bíonn sé i bhfad níos éasca do chomhlachtaí Éireannacha trádáil a dhéanamh ar bhonn trasteorann. Mar aon leis seo, bíonn rogha níos fearr ag an tomhaltóir ar ndóigh.

Agus na buntáistí soiléire uilig a bhaineann leis an euro, is mór an trua nach bhfuil an córas ag feidhmiú i gceart. Tá níos mó ná dhá bhliain ann ó bhris an ghéarchéim maidir le fiachas ceannasach amach sa limistéar euro, agus níl deireadh léi go fóill.

Tá an chuma ar an scéal go bhfuil an tAontas i bponc arís ina dhiaidh do pharlaimint na Slóvaice vótáil i gcoinne aon athbhreithnithe ar an gciste tarrthála. Creidtear go nglacfaidh an tSlóvaic leis an mbeart agus go gceadófar ag an deireadh thiar thall é.

Ach tá sé ró-dhéanach – tá an dochar

Merkel, Berlusconi, Sarkozy: an féidir linn brath orthusan chun géarchéim an fhiachais cheannasaigh a réiteach? déanta.

Cruthaíodh an tionscadal Eorpach chun comhoibriú agus dlúthpháirtíocht a ghiniúint san Eoraip tar éis an Dara Cogaidh Domhanda.

Agus is do na buanna sin a sheasann na híomhánna de dhroichid ar thaobh cúil na mbancnóta euro. Ach tá ceannairí na hEorpa ró-thógtha lena staid féin sa bhaile, agus faraor géar, ní raibh an comhoibriú sin le feiceáil le déanaí.

Tá brú á chur ar Cameron ag eite dheis a Pháirtí Choimeádaigh. Tá Sarkozy buartha leis an imní mar gheall ar thoghchán uachtaránachta na bliana seo chugainn. Tá Merkel ag iarraidh cáin-íocóirí na Gearmáine a cheansú.

Agus Berlusconi... Bhuel tá seisean róghafa lena chuid scannal gnéis!

Tá ceannaire daingean diongbháilte ag teastáil go géar uainn. Slánaitheoir

le neart dúthrachta agus díograise chun cobhsaíocht a thabhairt chuig an limistéar euro arís. Ach cé atá i gceannas ar an Eoraip agus muid in am ghátair? An féidir linn brath ar Barroso agus Berlusconi chun géarchéim an fhiachais cheannasaigh a réiteach? Ní bheinnse ró-dhóchasach!

Bhí rendezvous ag Merkel agus Sarkozy ag an bhFoirgneamh Seansailéireachta i mBeirlín ar an 10ú lá den mhí seo. Príomh-toradh an chruinnithe sin ná go bhfuil siad ag moladh athruithe ar Chonradh Liospóin chun míchumais struchtúracha an limistéir euro a réiteach. Reifreann eile le teacht mar sin b’fhéidir? Beidh Rialtas na tíre seo ar bís faoi sin.

Is iomaí deacracht atá ag bagairt orainn na laethanta seo. Tá comharthaí dóchais ann in Éirinn. Ach is áb-

har mór-imní í an staid sa tír eile atá faoi na cláir AE-CAI, is í sin an Ghréig.

Caithfear na fadhbanna san earnáil baincéireachta Eorpach a réiteach sula n-imíonn siad ó smacht chomh maith.

Tá obair dhian le déanamh chun an euro a tharrtháil, tá an iomarca ar an

láthair agus tá muid go léir ag brath ar a chéile in uair na hanachaine seo.

Beidh cruinniú mullaigh an G20 ar siúl i gCannes na Fraince ag tús mhí na Samhna. Beidh réiteach inghlactha aimsithe ag ár bpolaiteoirí faoin am sin le cúnamh Dé.

Gluais: an t-airgeadra aonair ................................................ the single currency boinn ................................................................................................................ coins trasteorann .................................................................................. cross-border tomhaltóir ........................................................................................... consumer géarchéim ..................................................................................................... crisis ciste tarrthála...........................................................................bailout fund comhoibriú ..................................................................................... co-operation dlúthpháirtíocht ............................................................................. solidarity in am ghátair.......................................................................in a time of need AE-CAI ...................................................................................................... EU-IMF

10

FEATURES

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

World of Words S

econd year English student Leanne Waters’ place in the world of writing will be cemented on the 1st November when her autobiographical story and first full-length work, My Secret Life: A Memoir of Bulimia (Maverick House), will hit the shelves. The book focuses on Leanne’s two-year struggle with bulimia and her eventual path to recovery.

Leanne explains that she has always been interested in creative writing, however she discovered that her creativity could not be unlocked until book had when her publishers, Maver- age, Emily began working on the novel her own personal struggle with the ick House, became involved. This led in her final year of school and went on eating disorder was put to paper. “I re- her to revise the book with an aim to to rewrite it after meeting with literary alised that until I wrote this story, I’d making it as honest and unembellished agent Marion Gunn O’Connor from the never be able to write any other story. as possible. She was encouraged to re- publishers Transworld. The reworked It would permeate its way into every write the book in a way that would al- version led to her being signed to a other story and would undermine any low the reader to gain a psychological three-book deal with the publishers, authenticity those stories had or I had insight into the mindset of a person and requests to have her work translatas a writer.” with an eating disorder. ed into German, an incredible success The process of writing After four months of story for a first time writer. was difficult at first given writing, Leanne comEmily’s novel also began as a perthe painful nature of the pleted the book on the 1st sonal project, but she began to pursue memories but, as she August this year. She has the idea of getting the book published confronted them, writnow returned to being after receiving encouragement from ing immediately became a student at UCD, com- her mother. Additionally, Emily found easier and almost therabining this with doing her college experiences to be a source peutic. “Once I picked promotional work, such of inspiration for the novel. “[UCD] was up the courage to write as appearing on Gráinne definitely an inspiration … my friends about certain things Seoige’s show Modern coming up to me and saying ‘you won’t that won’t be very pleasLife and The Late Late believe what happened the night being to read and certainly Show next month, and up- fore, don’t tell anyone.’ Of course it’s in weren’t pleasing to write loading a series of video the book.” … it flowed because I was blogs available via the Emily hopes to go on to write and the one doing it, I was book’s Facebook page. Al- publish more books, however she is the one there.” though her struggle with also aware of the financial instability Those close to Lean eating disorder domi- this career path can lead to. “You get anne were wary when nates the first book, Le- this advance and it seems like this huge she first began writamount of money, but then ing the book because of “I realised that until I wrote this story, you realise that technically fears that resurrecting I’d never be able to write any other story” it’s over a year’s wage and such recent pain would Leanne Waters, Student Author you mightn’t get paid again harm her recovery, but for another two years ... I she believes that ultimately it was anne was keen to emphasise that it is not think you need the day job just in case.” worthwhile because of the liberation the only story she has to tell and hopes to Having originally thought of doing she felt on its completion. “A lot of bu- expand her repertoire in the future. a Higher Diploma in Education after limia revolves around cycles of fastAnother successful student writer is graduation, the publication of You and ing, binging and purging … now that final year English and History student I has changed her plans, and Emily will this book has been written, this is the Emily Gilmore Murphy. Her novel, You now be taking a year out after graduafinal purge.” and I, focuses on the trials and tribula- tion in order to travel. Emily also exAlthough originally intended as tions of two university students in Dub- plained that this would involve taking a personal project, Leanne became lin and will go on sale next year. a break from the sometimes gruelling much more aware of the potential the Having loved books from an early experience of writing, in order to go in

In a time when blogging has turned everyone into would-be authors, Anna Curran meets two UCD writers who have succeeding in turning their hobby into a lucrative career

Re: Constitution

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he Ireland of the 1930s is almost unrecognisable in comparison to the Ireland of today. It was a time of censorship, strong religious values and, for most, a time of poverty. Since then there has been a growing movement to widen the definition of the family, anger in the wake of reports of clerical abuse and, while we may be in the middle of a recession, it is hard to compare the rural economy of previous decades to the more urban economy of today.

With this in mind, it is interesting to examine whether a constitution written in 1937 can really cater for the needs of the Irish population in the twentyfirst century. After all, if the answer to that question is no, then one wonders about the purpose of having a constitution at all. Does it make sense to have a document to provide permanency of law if it goes out of date so quickly?

Professor David Farrell, who teaches a module on political reform in Ireland, believes that there are urgent

“[UCD] was definitely an inspiration … my friends coming up to me and saying ‘you won’t believe what happened the night before, don’t tell anyone.’ Of Emily Murphy, course it’s in the book.” Student Author

search of a more stimulating environment and inspiration for future projects.

From James Joyce to Fintan O’Toole, UCD has a history of producing successful writers and it is encouraging to see the continuation of this tradition.

Of course, both Leanne and Emily are only just beginning to cut their teeth in the literary world but they are making inroads and offer a shining example of the creative talents the UCD community has to offer.

With the Irish Constitution receiving criticism in light of the presidential race, Elizabeth O’Malley examines the scope for constitutional reform

issues which need constitutional reform. “We’re in the middle of a crisis, to the State a support without which the worst crisis in our history but not the common good cannot be achieved” the first crisis in our history … What are articles that previously banned di- as an example of values that while percaused the last crisis was the failure of vorce, strongly prohibits abortion, and haps legitimate in the 1930s, but should our political institutions.” He recom- state that marriage is between a man not be legally enshrined today. mends that the Senate be overhauled so and a woman. While most of these isThis criticism is also raised by Rathat it is legitimately elected, that min- sues have in fact been addressed to var- chel Patterson, who argues in her theisters give up their seats upon being ious degrees, many argue that religious sis, ‘Women in Ireland: Change Toward appointed to allow for greater separa- matters don’t have a place in our most Social and Political Equality in the 21st tion of powers, and that parliamentary binding source of law. Campaign for a Century Irish Republic’, that the lancommittees have more investigative Secular Irish Constitution believe that guage of this particular provision was powers in order to hold the govern- “a modern secular Constitution would “aimed to preserve the power and status ment to account. allow all citizens, whether religious or of the male in Irish society.”

But the structure of political insti- nonreligious, to live together as equals The issue of rights has been one tutions is not the only thing that has with the State being neutral on matters which has been closely examined by been cited as needing urgent overhaul. of religion.” the courts. The Constitution provides The 1937 Constitution had significant The Labour Party, who are propos- for a number of specific rights, includinput from the Catholic Church, with ing that a new constitution be intro- ing the right to property, the right to Archbishop John McQuaid being one duced by the 1916 centenary, highlight your good name, and the right to equalof the co-writers of the document. In- other perceived faults with the current ity before the law, but where other cluded in our Constitution is a pream- document. For example, they point to rights have not been specifically stated ble which states that all powers of law the provision which “recognises that by the Courts have used the wording ‘the are derived from God. Also featured her life within the home, woman gives personal rights of the citizen’ to fill in

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the gaps. These rights which have been ‘discovered’, such as the right to bodily integrity, are known as unenumerated rights. Given that the courts have acted to protect these rights in the absence of specific provisions, this is not an urgent issue.

Court intervention and referendums have, for the most part, kept the Constitution from completely falling behind the times. However, it appears that with the current economic crisis and the long overdue debate on religion in our Constitution, that now is the time to discuss reform.

Professor Farrell believes that any reform needs to be done in stages. “The risk of doing everything in one go is that the urgent things … will get lost in that quagmire. It should be something done in stages so that the most urgent aspects of fixing our government be done now, in the next year or two. In parallel, we should start a larger discussion about a change in our Constitution.”

Unlike the previous Constitution, which had the input of just a few people, the proposed constitutional reform should be headed by experts, as well as individual Irish citizens chosen in a similar way to juries. We as a nation need to consider what we need from our most important legal document.

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

FEATURES

11

A Very European Education With next year’s application process starting shortly, Matt Gregg explores the ins and outs of the Erasmus exchange programme

“I notice that students increase in their maturity and independence. I think that students who spend time outside of their comfort zone [benefit]” Ruth Redehan, UCD International Study Co-Ordinator

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niversity is a time full of opportu- your shell a bit more.” want to put that pressure on them.” nity. There are opportunities to This personal development side of Indeed, the financial burden is the learn, to make lifelong friends or Erasmus is certainly something that most often cited reason for students experience different points of view. All Ruth Redehan, one of UCD’s Interna- choosing not to take the year out. “One things going to plan, students leave with tional Study Co-ordinators, emphasis- reason for not going would be finanhugely diverse experiences and a breadth es when explaining the benefits of the cial,” concedes Ruth. “With the Erasof knowledge that stands them in good programme. “I notice that students mus programme there is a small grant stead when they leave the student world. increase in their maturity and inde- that comes from the European Union, Though there are no set ‘must-have col- pendence. I think that students who and it varies from country to country lege experiences’, spending a year else- spend time outside of their comfort and from year to year, but on averwhere in Europe through the Erasmus zone [benefit],” says Ruth. “Basically age it’s €1,500 for the year, so that’s a exchange programme has become an they’re learning how to do things inde- help, but it doesn’t cover all the costs. increasingly popular decision. pendently for the first time themselves; I mean it also involves spending an exImproving or acquiring a foreign they don’t have their normal support tra year in college, it involves paying language is probably the most evident reason for students to go abroad. Indeed, the majority of students who major in languages at UCD find that their time abroad is the tipping point between studying a language and knowing a language.

One such student is Jack Good. Now going into final year French and Politics, he spent last year studying at the prestigious L’Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (Science Po). Upon his return home, Jack found his French had improved dramatically and comGraham O’Brien, Final Year German and Geography Student mented that “just living over there, doing the day-to-day things like getting structures such as family to rely on. I your student contribution and your your baguette from the local boulange- definitely think that that’s a big result student centre levy for the year when rie or ordering things online through of going on Erasmus.” you’re abroad, so financial reasons can French was really beneficial.”

“A lot of the students also will tend be a reason why students chose not to Although there are clear linguistic to have great travel opportunities. If go.” benefits to be gained from going on you’re going on exchange to Europe Beyond the high personal cost of exchange, it is not the only reason to you’re only a short train ride away from Erasmus, the other major concern for take part, and exchange courses taught another country, or a cheap flight, and Graham was that he felt his Gerthrough English are also available. “I so a lot of the students come back with man was not good enough to learned some Czech but it’s quite dif- travel stories,” Ruth adds. survive a year in Berlin. “Gerficult,” explains Aoibheann Duffy, who This is an advantage that Jack glee- man was and, still is, restudies straight Law and spent last fully confirms, commenting, “There’s ally difficult. I found that year in Prague. “But from the course, it so many different places you can go I wasn’t really getting the gave me a different perspective. It was and see. I think now is probably the most of it,” he states before more European and it was interesting best time to go because you are in the continuing that, although people to compare two countries and, because structured environment of a university often hear of people’s great Erastheir country is quite new, see how where you’re going to meet people the mus experiences, people are not they established their state and consti- exact same age and in the exact same often as aware that people have tution.” situation as you and so if you are think- negative experiences too.

Aoibheann’s experience illustrates ing of going away it is kind of having “I wasn’t the only one who wanta core goal of the Erasmus exchange the comfort blanket of that structure ed to go on Erasmus but never did, programme and explains the origins of around you.” and I think either two or its name. Formalised in 1987, the proHowever, as is sadly most often the three people who gramme was named after the Dutch case, these great experiences come actually did go on Renaissance philosopher Desiderius with a considerable price tag attached. Erasmus came Erasmus, who was a keen proponent “I would say it does cost quite a lot of back prematureof pan-European study as a means to money, and to be aware of that, and ly, whether it ensure that education did not become I mean I had to work two summers was health dogmatic. By offering European stu- straight to save up to do it,” explains reasons or dents the opportunity to experience a Jack. “I’d certainly say there are some whether it different education system, the Eras- [financial] realities you’ll have to face was homesickness or whatever,” explains Graham. “But I was told that the Erasmus had the reputation where you’ll learn the language in no time and nobody ever comes home with a bad experience. Well, I have all my friends now home from Erasmus and some of them have very, very mixed stories.”

“It is quite expensive to go on Erasmus.

It can be around €8,000 and I wasn’t going to have that burden on myself or my parents because my parents have recently been made unemployed so I didn’t want to put that pressure on them”

department as well, because they will advise you based on the vast, vast experience that they have.”

Ruth echoes Graham’s advice and urges students to get in contact with the International Office as soon as possible. “The final, final deadline is the 17th of February. That’s the deadline to fill in the details on the application form but contact with the academic coordinator should be done from now.

If a student is in any way interested in going on Erasmus they should attend one of our upcoming talks. If a student thinks ‘Oh, I couldn’t go because of one reason or another’, we are here to help them with their decision.”

Jack simply recommends that students watch the film L’Auberge Espagnole to understand. “It’s a bit of a classic [and] it just showed that you have a great time over there and you get to meet all these different nationalities, which I’m sure every Erasmus student tells you and you’ve heard a million times, but it really does make a huge difference.”

The International Office works hard to help students work through potential obstacles and UCD can proudly state that it sends more students on exchange than any other English-speaking university. Although the problems of homesickness and financial burdens must be considered and acknowledged, the opportunities that the Erasmus exchange programme offers clearly outweigh them. Taking a year out to study in Europe is often derided as a vacation halfway through your degree, but it is much more than that. The college workload may sometimes not be as intense but that is not to say that no learning is done. Exposure to different cultures or having to tackle unusual situations is as much a part of learning as exams or essays ever will be.

“Just living over there, doing the day-to-day things like getting your baguette from the local boulangerie or ordering things online through French was really beneficial” Jack Good, Final Year French and Politics Student

mus programme hopes to encourage … so it may be difficult for some people a pluralistic approach to learning and, to go away, but the rewards are so great consequently, improve the education that I wouldn’t dismiss it immediately.” available to all EU citizens.

These high costs were certainly a Jack agreed that the Erasmus ex- factor that heavily influenced final perience certainly improved his edu- year German and Geography student cation and helped him approach final Graham O’Brien’s decision to stay in year with confidence. “[Science Po] is Ireland. “Originally when I came [into one of the best politics colleges in Eu- UCD] back in 2008 I was on a BA Inrope, so the standard of teaching and ternational programme so there would the standard of the students was really have been a certainty of me going away great. In terms of coming back here it for a year. Last year actually, would put me in a really good position.” have been the time I would go away,” Nevertheless, it was outside the lec- says Graham. “But in June 2010, I deture environment that Jack felt the big- cided that a year away wasn’t for me gest gains were made. “It’s kind of hard because of various reasons, other than to quantify,” he muses when asked to just the financial ... I mean it is quite clarify what he means. “But even doing expensive to go on Erasmus. It can be this interview, I feel much more com- around €8,000 and I wasn’t going to fortable now than I maybe would have have that burden on myself or my parperhaps a year ago because you really ents, because my parents have recently do have no choice but to come out of been made unemployed so I didn’t

A year on from his decision, Graham is still caught in two minds as to whether his decision was the right one. All the same, he is keen to encourage students considering doing an exchange to use all the resources at their disposal before deciding whether or not to go abroad. “I’d say, get out a piece of paper and do a pros and cons list.

Now I know how old-fashioned that sounds but you’d be amazed at how it helps. And talk to your parents about it, they’re the best people in the world for advice,” he says. “In fact, actually a funny thing about it was, the night that I decided not go was their twentyfifth anniversary and I told them during the dinner that I didn’t want to go, and they had the biggest smiles on their faces, because they were proud of me for making such a mature decision. So my advice to [students] would be just to talk to the parents and consult the

“From the course, it gave me a different perspective. It was more European and it was interesting to compare two countries and, because their country is quite new, see how they established their state and constitution” Aoibheann Duffy, Final Year Law Student

opinion.

12

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

Is the Presidency an irrelevant position?

With the Presidential election just over a week away, Conor O’Nolan and Hannah Dowling debate the importance of the Presidency to modern Ireland

yes.

no.

Hannah Dowling

Do you know the contents of Arti- defender of Ireland against the cles twelve to fourteen of the Irish invasion of the European econoConstitution? Can you name any mists. Gay Mitchell is claiming to of the important pieces of legisla- be a “fighter” with all the passion tion of the last ten years? Can you and vigour of a Teutonic accountremember if you ever took an oath ant. The candidates speak in tired and swore allegiance to the United clichés with repetitive and bland States? If the answer to any of the mantras of inspiration and change above is no, you should consider because that is all the candidates running for President. can do, as the President isn’t inOf all the information that is be- volved in the everyday running of ing uncovered during this election, the country. It’s like a considerably one fact is becoming increasingly less glamorous Rose of Tralee comapparent: the Irish Presidency is ut- petition. terly irrelevant. Bar Michael D. HigIn this struggling economy can gins and David Norris, none of the we really afford the expense of candidates know what the job of this pointless role? At a time when President actually entails. the Government is cutting supThe Presidency is largely a cer- port for essential services in eduemonial role; the hand-shaker-in- cation, health and social welfare, chief has no major political power can we justify spending a salary of or say in the running of the coun- €200,000 plus on a cheerleadertry. The President is essentially just in-chief? While it’s not going to a figurehead, similar to the Queen, drastically reduce our debt, the but while the Monarchy is a Brit- amount of money spent on the ish institution that is intertwined in office of the President should be its nation’s history, the President spent in supporting the people, not is a personality politician changed the “house of the people”. every seven years. Indeed, before I am not proposing that we storm Mary Robinson was elected in the Phoenix Park, but when the idea of 1990’s, Áras an Uachtaráin seemed reforming the constitution comes to be a retirement home for Fi- into discussion we should take the anna Fáil politicians. While there’s opportunity to evaluate the role of no denying that Mary McAleese the President and whether there is did a great job during the Queen’s a need for this office. For now we visit, could the Taoiseach not have can be treated to such illuminating performed those duties, as he did information as the facts that Martin when Obama visited?

McGuiness shops at ASDA, Mary There are two constant defenc- Davis has a wardrobe modelled on es for the Presidency, the first of a Special K advert, and that Michael which being their role in protecting D Higgins is literally reaching out to the constitution against new legis- the public on a platform. Until then lation. Isn’t it the job of the Attor- I remain convinced that the Presiney General to make sure that the dency is a pointless job. laws being passed are constitutional? The second defence is that they Rebuttal by act as Ireland’s ambassador all over Conor O’Nolan the world, travelling abroad repre- The main problem with this argusenting Ireland and strengthening ment is that the writer is confusing international relations. That sounds ignorance with disinterest. Disinlike the job description of the Min- terest in an institution that up unister for Foreign Affairs, countless til very recently was a closed book Irish Ambassadors and at times the isn’t exactly outrageous, and while Taoiseach. Indeed, most of roles it has been a great deal more open of the President could be filled by in the last twenty-one years, there the Ministers of the day. While our is still work to be done in exposing Presidents have certainly proved the general public to the work of themselves to be nifty gardeners the president. and ribbon cutters, Enda Kenny A candidate’s apparent misunlooks like he knows which way to derstanding of the job does not hold a pair of scissors. render the role irrelevant by any To understand how useless the stretch of the imagination. The conjob of President is, all you have to stitution explains what they have do is look at the ever-growing cir- to do, but what they fill the rest of cus that is the presidential elec- their time with is left fairly grey. tions. While the TV debates are Take Sean Gallagher for exambeginning to feel more like a grim ple. As President, assisting in job line-up for a panto, what has ac- creation isn’t overly far-fetched. He tually become obvious is that the seems to have some degree of inmajority of the candidates are fluence in the business world. He struggling to understand the office won’t save the country’s economy, of the Presidency. Sean Gallagher but suggesting that he’s totally constantly talks of creating jobs, helpless is ridiculous. The same mistaking the Presidency for the applies for all candidates. Presihead of the IDA. Dana, gushing like dents might be charged with some an ageing Disney princess, seems ceremonial jobs, but they are very to be labouring under the assump- much capable of affecting change tion that the Presidency will be the from their office.

“The Presidency is largely a ceremonial role; the handshaker-in-chief has no major political power or say in the running of the country” “It is extremely easy to dismiss the role of the Presidency in this country if you aren’t aware of the role that the President plays”

As a general rule, it would seem that Irish people have a tendency to be quite politically apathetic.

For example, a mere 38.6 per cent of the population voted in the referendum that resulted in the adoption of the Constitution of Ireland. With a response as low as this for the adoption of the foundation stone for all law in the country, perhaps the Irish people as a nation are not overly concerned with what it is that this document contains. This lack of interest is part of the reason why some people seem to believe the role of the president is insignificant.

While I will happily acknowledge that the role is largely ceremonial, the Irish President has several important functions.

The President performs an imperative role when it comes to passing laws. They are charged with ensuring that all bills passed by both houses of the Oireachtas are in agreement with the Constitution. They have full discretion to reject any bill which they find to be unconstitutional, and in the case that they’re unsure, have the power to refer the bill to the Supreme Court for its constitutionality to be tested. If the Court finds it to be unconstitutional, the entire bill fails and does not get passed into law, but if the Court deems it constitutional, the President must sign it and it can never be revisited in a court of law again.

I think it is extremely important that there is one person who does not represent political party views with this responsibility; they are charged purely with maintaining the Constitution.

There is another discretionary power available to the President under the Constitution, in certain circumstances. If a majority of the Seanad and at least a third of the Dáil petition the President, he or she may refuse to sign a bill if it is of national importance and refer it to the people of Ireland for a vote. This is another power that the President can use to directly influence lawmaking in Ireland.

The President is also responsible for convening and dissolving the Dáil. If a Taoiseach loses majority support in the Dáil, he is compelled to resign unless he requests the President to dissolve the Dáil. The President can, in theory, refuse to dissolve the Dáil and the Taoiseach would be forced to resign immediately.

This is a power that has the potential to completely reshape the government.

The President also serves the obvious role of a figurehead for diplomacy, meeting with leaders of various countries on a regular basis. While the President may not have a massive role in the running

Conor O’Nolan of the country, they do represent the country both nationally and internationally.

On a national basis, the president also helps to create a sense of community spirit. Mary McAleese opened a community resource centre in Crosskeys, Co. Cavan in 2002 in a small ceremony which had old ladies frantically scrubbing the place from top to bottom for weeks beforehand.

What did the President do at this ceremony other than give a short speech and shake a few hands?

Nothing, except she made every person who was involved in the project feel that their efforts were worthwhile. No value can be placed on the effect she had here.

It is extremely easy to dismiss the role of the Presidency in this country if you aren’t aware of the role that the President plays.

While his or her position isn’t vital to the day-to-day running of the country, the influence they hold nationally and internationally is immeasurable.

Our two previous Presidents were exceptionally well-equipped to serve in their administrative roles as both came from distinguished law backgrounds. They both have also been exceptionally well-liked and approved of by the Irish people. Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese made minorities more welcome in Áras an Uachtaráin and helped advance the peace process with their inclusive nature, proving that the role of the President is anything but irrelevant.

Rebuttal by Hannah Dowling

While I agree that the Marys Robinson and McAleese have been great ambassadors for Ireland, they are the exception to the rule.

Apart from these two presidents can many people name the rest of those who have held the office?

With regards to the President and legislation; since 1937, the President has referred a bill fifteen times, with the Supreme Court striking out a bill on seven occasions in seventy-four years, a percentage that is just slightly higher than Gay Mitchell’s. Could this power not be transferred to the Seanad instead?

It is true that the President can be a great cheerleader domestically and internationally, but is the role really a necessity?

Do they not perform the roles of what our ambassadors, ministers, council of state and Taoiseach are being paid to do? I do not agree that diminishing the role of the Presidency means not to comprehend the role they perform; I fully understand the constitutional role of the Presidency, and simply do not think it necessary.

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

OPINION

13

TRIA L BY MEDIA With high profile court cases receiving more publicity than ever, Maitiú mac Seoin takes a look at the nature of the media circus

O

n the third of October, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito won their appeals overturning their convictions for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher. The final verdict has brought to an end one of the most notoriously incompetent trials of living memory.

The investigation has been found to be shoddy, inconclusive, and wracked with allegations of gross misconduct by Italian investigators. The lead investigator, Edgardo Giobbi, claimed he knew Knox was guilty hours after the murder by the ‘provocative’ way she put on protective shoe covers: “We were able to establish guilt by closely observing the suspect’s psychological and behavioural reaction during the interrogation.

We don’t need to rely on other

kinds of investigation.” The mini- harangued by journalists and no Knox’s trial was acutely affectmal physical evidence linking the area of her personal life went un- ed by the coverage. The judges two to the scene has since been examined. Whether due to being were not sequestered, had free found to be false, contaminated Italian or not being a notably at- access to the claims of the media or circumstantial. The process of tractive woman, Raffaele Sollecito circus, and seemed to have made Italian law may need to undergo was largely ignored. up their minds before the trial severe review, but nothing has This sort of obsessive and intru- even began. Even while admitbeen more shocking than the me- sive trial coverage is not unique. ting that there was no evidence, dia circus which has surrounded It was also in evidence in the tri- they were convinced of her guilt.

Amanda Knox in the four years als of Michael Jackson, both in The accusations of drug use and since the murder.

2005 for child molestation and promiscuity reportedly doomed The story had international ap- the ongoing trial over his death. her in their eyes, and as she was peal. It took place in Italy, with an The current case revolves around declared not guilty Judge Claudio attractive American student and whether Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Pratillo Hellmann declared that her Italian boyfriend accused of Murray, committed involuntary the sentencing “is the result of killing a young English girl. The manslaughter by administering an the truth that was created in the media was obsessed. Each coun- overdose of sedatives to the star. proceedings. But the real truth try had their angle. The American As with Knox, the media cover- may be different. They may be press portrayed her as an inno- age is constant. Not a day goes by responsible, but the evidence is cent girl, trapped in a nightmare without footage of the trial, or in- not there.” Jackson was similarly abroad by European incompe- formation about the prosecution disadvantaged in his 2005 trial; tents. Scores of documentaries or defence council being broad- there is no person in America who and TV dramas followed. The Ital- cast to the world. could be considered impartial on ian and British press defended Seeing the coverage of that the subject. A lifetime of media their own and painted Amanda case, you cannot help but be hounding meant that any potenas a sex-crazed liar. The Italian struck with the thought that re- tial juror would bring a lot of prepolice leaked information about gardless of guilt, it is impossible to conceptions, good or bad, to the satanic rituals, Amanda’s sexual get a fair trial under these circum- deliberation. history (which they obtained by stances. The judge and jury would When the media gets hold of falsely telling her that she was have been bombarded day in and an angle they will wring any bit HIV positive), and bizarre mo- day out by damning articles and of public interest out of it to sell tives for the murder from jealousy salacious rumours. There is sim- stories but when it concerns an to a drug-fuelled rampage. The ply no way to claim that the judge, ongoing media trial, serious quespress lapped it up, dubbing her jury or even the lawyers didn’t tions must be asked about the ap‘Foxy Knoxy’. They created their have their opinions coloured by propriateness. Super-injunctions own stories by digging through the presence of so much cover- are frequently imposed by foother Facebook photos, using any- age. So many journalists try to ballers having affairs and compathing from a picture of her in a make their name with these sto- nies injuring people, such as the Halloween costume or posing in ries, so many newspapers feature famous Tafigura case. If it’s acfront of an antique gun as ‘evi- promised ‘exclusives’, there was ceptable to prevent the media redence’ for her homicidal tenden- simply too much coverage to ig- porting to prevent the defamation cies. Footage of Amanda being nore. Everyone who picked up a of the guilty, why is it not imposed hugged by her boyfriend outside paper, watched the news or even on those still awaiting the verdict? the crime scene or shopping for just browsed the internet became Trial by media is all-consuming, clothes were made to seem sala- intimately informed about the and we all lose out when justice cious, her friends and family were trial. sells papers.

Rank Incompetence

With the recent publication of the 2011/2012 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Colm O’Grada looks at how relevant rankings are in a climate of economic cutbacks

I

n a strongly worded statement, Mike Jennings, General Secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, claimed that small changes in university ranking are being taken out of proportion and that they are not reflective of a university’s true value.

The Times Higher Education rankings are calculated on a wide variety of criteria, taking into account both teaching and research within an institution. Based on the five categories of Research, Teaching, Industry Income, Citations, and International Outlook, they are designed to examine all aspects of a university’s performance. Each of these categories contain further sub-categories, essentially looking at the university at quite a detailed level.

The top ten spots on the list are fairly predictable, with wellknown and prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Caltech, Oxford, Cambridge and MIT all featuring.

In fact, the high end of the list is dominated by universities in North America and the UK, with twentyeight out of the top thirty located in those regions. Major Irish universities feature in the top 400 list, with UCD at 159 and Trinity at 117.

The IFUT’s argument with these rankings is understandable; how can you reduce all the qualities of a university, with its diverse range of subjects and experiences, down to a single metric? Small changes in rankings are given inflated importance and taken out of the context of a global university market composed of over 17,000 institutions. To feature in the top 400 list alone places an institution in the top three per cent of institutions worldwide; minor changes in position at these upper echelons of academic performance are surely not of great consequence.

The ability of Irish universities to remain competitive and well placed, despite aggressive cutbacks to both funding and staff numbers, underlines the fundamental strength of our institutions and their resilience to current economic challenges. With research funding cut dramatically, and competition for such support at an all time high, it is harder for academics to continue to produce high quality output. This funding issue also affects citation rates, as when publication rate falls, the number of citations a university receives will also drop. In addition, with a fall in the hiring of new academic staff, the ratio of students to staff increases with a subsequent impact on teaching ability.

Despite these facts, UCD remains in the top 200.

The last year, however, has seen a drop in position from 94 to 159. The opinion of the IFUT smacks of defensiveness and fails to address the real issues; cutbacks to Irish university funding, whilst not crippling, are having measurable detrimental effects to multiple aspects of university performance. As one of the most prestigious universities in the country, a country with a proud and strong history of renowned academic institutions, it is only right that we seek to compare as favourably as possible with the best the world has to offer. In some ways, the argument of the IFUT is moot; the Times Higher Education rankings are globally recognised and arguably the most influential such metrics in the world. Their validity as perceived by vested interests such as the IFUT is not of importance; what is important is how our universities are perceived on a global stage and thus, how the

credentials of our graduates are compared to those from foreign institutions.

It is simply objectionable to accept as inevitable that economic hardship will impact our academic competitiveness at a time when strengthening our country’s knowledge base is of paramount importance to improving our economic outlook. It is interesting to note that of the various criteria measured by the Times system, one of our greatest weaknesses is in the area of Teaching, scoring only 25.2 per cent. Even compared to institutions with a similar overall rank, this is noticeably low and is particularly relevant to the thousands of undergraduates who leave UCD each year to compete with those from overseas universities in what is now a global job market.

The solutions to our growing funding crisis are neither obvious nor painless. If Ireland is to compete at the very highest level of academic achievement, radical steps must be taken to reform and renew not only our individual universities and the funding systems that they rely on, but also the national third level framework, and how each such university is defined. ‘Good enough’ isn’t good enough when the strength of our workforce depends on having elite graduates to take the prestige and reputation of our institutions with them into the working world. We can argue about the relevance and validity of such ranking systems at length, but when global perception of academic institutions is so heavily influenced by these simple metrics, we must make it our business to strive to achieve as best a report card as we can.

14

OPINION

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

Censor Sensibility

political favours? Apart from that In other countries such as North image being completely hilarious, Korea and Cuba, the internet is it would be shocking to think that more or less banned altogether, he could actually get away with it. for fear that freedom of informaOf course while Berlusconi has tion would lead to a breakdown been able to control the televised of the political systems in place in media, he has not been able to the respective countries. control the web; that is, until reIreland is also no stranger to web cently. Unfortunately for Silvio, he censorship. In 2009 Irish internet doesn’t own the internet, which is service providers were given legal why he is bringing in new laws to warnings by several major record stop Italian websites such as Wiki- labels including EMI and Univerpedia from being able to inform sal to implement a system which the voting public of the gargantu- would cut off the broadband conan list of crimes and misdemean- nections of people found to be ours attributed to him. downloading music illegally. This Wikipedia themselves released led to Eircom’s ‘three strikes’ policy, an open letter to the Italian peo- and the blocking of the popular torple reading “Today, unfortunately, rent site ‘thepiratebay.org’ to Eirthe very pillars on which Wiki- com users. The company’s actions pedia has been built – neutrality, were criticised by many as infringfreedom and verifiability of its ing on the liberties of Irish people. contents – are likely to be heavily The United Kingdom is also compromised...” embarking on a course of censorWhat is most worrying about ship, with four of the UK’s biggest this story is the mere idea of in- internet service providers set to ternet censorship being imposed make customers have to ‘opt in’ to by a government. The Italian Wiki- viewing sexually explicit websites folk were right to shut down the when they register their internet, site before this legislation went as part of a government attempt into place. It is greatly damag- to crack down on online pornograing to the idea of individual free- phy. While this writer is of course dom, which appears to now be in not defending or condoning porjeopardy in Italy, unless this law nography, one must look at the is withdrawn and the it.wikipedia. wider picture and realise that if org site is reinstated. governments and service providThis isn’t the first case of Inter- ers continue to interfere with the net censorship on a national scale. web, it may be soon enough that In China, Google is heavily self- they have much more control over censored in order to comply with what websites people view on a the rulings of Communist leaders daily basis, for better or for worse. and allow the corporation to do Restriction of web-pages in business in the state. Looking up countries with democratic sysinsults about German Chancellor, is simply to do with media control. Chinese history for instance, on tems, although far rarer than in Angela Merkel. The seventy-five- The Berlusconi family have long google.cn, China’s port for Google, dictatorships, is now beginning year-old Premier is no stranger controlled the ‘Mediaset Empire’ will return largely different results to become a worrying issue. The to controversy; he has long been which includes the top three na- than the rest of the world’s ver- Italian Wikipedia fiasco must be known for his alleged affairs with tional TV channels in Italy. He has sion of the search. Searching ‘Ti- taken very seriously if freedom underage prostitutes, offensive also been highly involved with the ananmen Square’ on google.com of information is to be respectremarks about other politicians ‘public service’ national broad- brings up sites about the mas- ed across Europe and the wider and connections with the Italian caster, Radiotelivione Italiana, sacre at the top of the first page, world. Instances such as this could Mafia, among an entire stream of effectively monopolising Italian however searching “Tian’anmen lead to further information being other accusations too long to list. media control. Can you imagine if Guangchang” on the Chinese suppressed by governments, if This does beg the question, Enda Kenny controlled RTE, TV3 Google portal returns pages from we remain apathetic towards the why, in spite of all of this, would and TG4, and in his spare time Trip Advisor among others, none decisions to remove pages they people continuously vote this slept with prostitutes and took of which mention one of the most deem ‘inappropriate’ from the man back into power? The answer money from gangs in return for violent tragedies in China’s history. World Wide Web.

Following the shut-down of the Italian Wikipedia, Evan O’Quigley examines the growing trend of internet censorship

T

he Italian Wikipedia has recently closed in protest against an attempt by everybody’s favourite Euro-deviant, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, to bring in a new law requiring websites to correct any content deemed harmful to a person’s image. This bill was first conceived after the leaking of wiretapped conversations featuring the Italian leader admitting that he is only the prime-minister in his “spare time” and making sexual

Lowering the guard As the Guardian opens yet another facet of its production to the wider public, Emer Sugrue examines the effect that user-generated content has had on the media

L

ast week the Guardian embarked on an interesting experiment. Abandoning the protective aura of secrecy that usually surrounds upcoming news stories, they have decided to open up their news feed to contributions from the public. People can now see exactly what stories the Guardian staff are working on, and using the Twitter hashtag #opennews, send on tips and ideas. The Guardian’s aim is to restore the public trust in media in the wake of recent scandals by lifting the veil on the news process, thus hopefully boosting interest in the work they do.

This innovative move plays into the wider trend of democratisation in the media. While once content was decided by shadowy figures behind closed doors and public opinion was limited to the vaguely mocking readouts in Points of View, the views of the many are now impossible to ignore. The opportunities to contribute to media output has exploded in the last ten years with the rise of the internet; every broadcast, newspaper, magazine and website begs you to ‘send them your views’. Call them, text them, email them, tweet them because your views are so important and deserve airtime.

The communication revolution of the last decade has also led to a decline in traditional media. To try and stem the huge financial losses caused by falling circulation and advertising revenue, job cuts have become common. Earlier this month the New York Times, RTÉ and the BBC announced job cuts, with the latter eliminating nearly 2,000 positions, and several papers in Paris failed to print over a number of days last week due to strikes over planned redundancies. Barely

one round of lay-offs has finished before another is announced. However, these cuts don’t come with a decrease in output. On the contrary, they scrabble for new and innovative forms of communication. It’s now standard for a newspaper not only to have a website, but videos, podcasts, blogs, Facebook, Twitter and live-feeds, all of which need to be maintained. Twenty-four hour coverage is no longer the preserve of television.

The workload for the remaining workers has gone through the roof.

Whereas a staff writer might once have had to turn in two or three articles in a work day, allowing time to follow up leads, make calls and research their stories, they are now expected to submit up to ten. It’s no wonder that the practise of reprinting press releases has become endemic. Research by Cardiff University discovered that fifty-four per cent of news articles use PR-created stories or text, while much else is bought in from news agencies such as Associated Press and Reuters.

The remaining gaps are plugged by the public.

While it’s of course not the fault of unpaid public contributors that so many journalists are being laid off, it is part of a vicious cycle which helps make these cuts feasible when demand for content is so high. There simply isn’t the time or resources to research and write enough to fill all the necessary spaces, whether in print or broadcast.

Turn on Sky News and see how they spend time counting down the top ten YouTube videos, or what percentage of radio shows are just DJs reading out text messages. Have a look at how much of a news site is taken up with polls, comments and

forums. As free content is made available, it allows space to be filled more easily and cheaply. When space-filling is cheap and writers are expensive, it’s not hard to see why cut-backs are made where they are. The Guardian’s move plays into this; if it’s successful and the tweets flood in with stories, it may start to look quite tempting to budgetconscious bosses to cut loose those researchers whose work loads are now lightened. Perhaps next they will start asking for full articles for free; just so as to express the public’s view of course.

While newspapers may want to demystify the news process, this actually increases mistrust of the media by positioning trained media professionals as ‘others’. They are seen as elitist, the non-public who don’t care about you and tell you what to think rather than ordinary people working in an office, writing reports on events rather than reports on clients. The third millennium has been marked by an obsession with the man on the street, where scripted television been tossed aside for the far cheaper reality TV, and where the public sing and cry and humiliate themselves for our amusement. Everything is becoming like Wikipedia: user generated. We are not terribly far away from ‘reality news’.

As more and more jobs are cut and journalists are stretched to breaking point, the work becomes rushed, shoddy, poorly researched and largely plagiarised. People stop reading, circulation falls further and more jobs are cut. With just the bare bones - a skeleton staff of overwhelmed, overworked and undervalued writers - how can things go on? Send us your views.

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

health

&

15

science

With the 2011 Nobel Prize winners awarded earlier this month, Conor O’Nolan discusses the work of this year’s winning entrants

Eyes on the Prize Physiology or Medicine

Chemistry The prize in Chemistry was this year awarded to Dan Shechtman, an Israeli scientist, for his work on crystals, more specifically his discovery of quasicrystals. His work completely redefined the previous definition of a crystal, which had massive implications for the field of structural chemistry as a whole.

A crystal was originally described as a regular pattern of atoms, each atom having a very fixed relationship with its neighbour and being part of a unit called the ‘unit cell’, which is repeated periodically to form the structure of the compound.

On the eighth of April 1982, Schechtman heated up a mixture of aluminium and manganese oxides until they were glowing, and then cooled it rapidly. He then looked at this material using electron microscopy (a technique which allows scientists to view materials at an almost atomic level), paying particular attention to the symmetry of the material. The results he recorded were groundbreaking. He had observed some data that made absolutely no sense whatsoever, as the symmetry of the crystals was completely impossible under the then definition of crystal.

Schechtman’s findings were initially ridiculed by the scientific community.

He was asked to leave his research group and Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling told him his results were ridiculous. It took him years to get his experimental research published, however, his “impossible” results were then proved to be correct and went on to change the definition of a crystal drastically.

When he eventually got his results published, Schechtman still had no idea what the crystals actually looked like inside, because he couldn’t find a pattern that would fit the symmetry which was given by the result. Another crystallographer who was familiar with some unusual mathematical research on patterned tiles suggested that the layout of the crystal was that of a Penrose tiling - an aperiodic pattern using only two shapes that will never repeat itself.

When this research finally got the recognition it deserved, it was hoped that it would lead to many incredible technological advances, but as it happens quasicrystals have limited practical use, but have some application in things like razorblades. However, this research is a key example of science for science’s sake; it was questioning the very fundamentals of its field. It was thought to have been ridiculous and showed that many scientists often refuse to accept what may bring their own beliefs into question.

The prize for Physiology or Medicine went to three scientists this year; Ralph M. Steinmann receiving one half and Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann being awarded the other half. They received the award for their cumulative contributions to the field of immunology.

Beutler and Hoffmann were recognised for their discovery of receptor proteins. Receptor proteins are part of the body’s early immune response that recognises micro-organisms and activates innate immunity. Innate immunity is non-specific immunity, it acts very quickly, trying to stop the infection and has no memory.

Steinmann is credited for discovering dendritic cells of the immune system. These cells activate and regulate the body’s adaptive immunity, which is one of the later stages of a human’s immune response. The adaptive immune response is a bit more elaborate than the innate response. Along with fighting the target pathogens, the adaptive system has the ability to attack and remember certain pathogens, this allows the body to develop progressively more powerful immune responses each time the body is exposed to pathogens already encountered.

Together these scientists helped understand how immune responses were triggered. The components of the body’s immune response were gradually discovered in the twentieth century, but until this recent work was carried out, it was unknown how the response

Physics

was triggered. If the activation level is too high, the body would respond too late (if at all), but if the activation level is too low, the body would constantly attack itself, so this work helped other scientists understand why the body responds in some situations and why it doesn’t attack itself in others.

This has meant that new methods for fighting disease, such as simple vaccines which stimulate the body’s immune response to attack tumours, have been developed and scientists also now have a better understanding of why the body attacks itself when affected by inflammatory diseases.

The award was unusual this year in that it was announced that Steinmann had won the award three days after he had died. The committee were unaware that he had died at the time of the announcement. A Nobel Prize is usually not awarded posthumously, but the committee decided that the prize would still be awarded to Steinmann.

Send in the Clones

After recent research leads to the creation of stem cells using cloning techniques, Sara Holbrook writes about the work and some of its implications

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wo weeks ago there was a serious breakthrough in stem cell research. It was revealed that scientists in Chicago had discovered a way to clone human cells and make them into stem cells. This latest achievement, published in the journal Nature, proves that personalised stem cells can be created from adult human cells. These stem cells can then be used to repair damaged areas in the body.

‘Stem cells’ is a phrase that is often heard in the news, usually with some sort of controversy surrounding it, but do most people actually know what the phrase means? Stem cells are the body’s master cells; they are the basic source material for all other cells. In theory a stem cell could be planted in the heart and could repair the damage done by a heart attack. Stem cells are the latest great hope in the medical

world as they have the ability to morph into any other type of cell in the body.

Up to now embryonic stem cells, meaning leftover eggs from fertility clinics, were bought and used by researchers. The problem with embryonic stem cells is that they do not contain the DNA of the person receiving them.

This means that they can be rejected by the body’s immune system, the same way that donated organs are sometimes rejected. This new study showed that human eggs have the ability to transform specific adult cells back into stem cells. So to break it down, a skin cell can be implanted into a human egg and it will be reverted to a stem cell. It could then be implanted into the eye in order to restore vision.

One of the major complications is that when a person’s cell is inserted into the human egg, the egg’s DNA

must be left in place in order for it to multiply. This means that there are two chromosomes from the adult’s cell, plus the chromosome already in the egg. This is problematic as embryos that do not have the correct number of chromosomes often cannot develop at all. Scientists are going to have to come up with a way to create embryonic cells which only have donor DNA. Of course there is a moral conflict surrounding this new research, and many say that embryos should not be abused in this way when they have the potential to keep multiplying and developing into foetuses. Even with the dissenting voices, however, the potential cannot be ignored; this is only the first step in a long process of using stem cells to cure diseases such as heart disease, blindness and diabetes.

Nobel prizes in physics are awarded to people who completely redefine our understanding of the world we live in, and the winners this year are no exception. Saul Perlmutter took half of this year’s award while Brian Schmidt and Adam Reiss received the other half for their incredible research on the expansion of our universe.

When Einstein published his theory of general relativity, he believed that the universe was static and non-expanding, which was quickly shown not to be the case a few years after publication. This would mean the gravitational force of the universe is not strong enough to stop the universe expanding.

The then assumption was that the universe was continually expanding, but at a progressively decelerating rate.

In the early twentieth century, Henrietta Swan developed a technique to measure the distance of pulsing stars called cepheids by measuring their light intensity. This then became a standard way of measuring the distance of stellar objects.

Two teams, one headed by Perlmutter and the other headed by Schmidt collaborating with Reiss, raced to find the most distant supernovae (exploding stars) possible, to try and determine the current rate of expansion. What they did not expect to discover was that the universe’s expansion is in fact accelerating. These results were groundbreaking, and fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe.

The acceleration is believed to be caused by dark energy, a theoretical form of energy that is found throughout all space, making up about seventythree per cent of the universe’s energy density (the rest is thought to be made up of about twenty per cent of the mysterious dark matter and a mere four per cent of ‘normal matter’ i.e. atoms, etc).

This research has told us much about both the evolution and the potential fates of the universe. One theory is that in billions of years the universe will become so spread out that the light of neighbouring galaxies will not be visible to each other.

16

THE OBSERVER GUIDE TO SURVIVING HALLOWEEN In this instalment of our survival guide, Conor O’Nolan imparts invaluable advice to help you survive everyone’s favourite pagan holiday. Observer Science and Health – mothering you so that your mother doesn’t have to

FACE PAINT Face paint is the key element of innumerable Halloween costumes.

It might seem relatively innocuous, but face paint, especially its cheaper varieties, can do nasty things to your skin.

If you’re going to use some, test it a day beforehand to make sure you don’t have a reaction to it. Don’t use it near your eyes and clean it off properly whenever you go to sleep. If you do get a reaction to it, wash it all off with some saline, because plain water won’t clear it all off quickly. If the irritation persists, go to a doctor!

COSTUMES Halloween festivities come with some common risks that people rarely take into consideration. People are generally too concerned with looking the part rather than really thinking about the potential dangers of the night. Two things to take into consideration; how warm your costume will keep you, and how visible you are.

Halloween night, being, as it is, towards the end of the year means that the sun will set at 16:56 (allowing for the clocks going back on the 29th of this month). If you’re wearing a dark costume, it wont be easy to see you, so when you’re travelling to wherever you’re trick or treating that night, try to be careful as drivers won’t be able to see you.

Similarly, being so close to winter, it’s starting to get cold outside. Try to plan a costume that will keep you warm when you’re outside. That ‘sexy’ bunny costume you’re planning won’t be so sexy when you have hypothermia at the end of the night. Carry a coat - it won’t look great, but it’s better than being sick.

SCIENCE & HEALTH

Doctor, Doctor?

Fourth year medical physics PhD student Daniel O’Brien talks to Alison Lee about his postgraduate study of radiation and how he hopes to help the world of medicine What is the official title of your PhD? Optimisation of Small Field Dosimetry.

In layman’s terms, what does that mean?

My project is about improving the accuracy of radiotherapy, specifically when “small fields” are involved. Small fields are very narrow beams of radiation.

Brief ly explain the background to your work.

Small fields have become more important in recent years as more advanced treatment techniques have become widespread. As the fields get smaller, their properties change for a variety of reasons and the uncertainty in the dose delivered by the beam becomes higher. There is an international effort to improve the accuracy of small field dosimetry and I’m contributing to this.

Describe your typical “day at work”.

I’m not sure there is such a thing.

Every day can be very different depending on what I’m doing. Most of my research is conducted at St. Luke’s Hospital in Rathgar. A large chunk of my work has been focused around computer simulations, which means a lot of coding and computer work. However, some days I also use the radiotherapy machines themselves (which are medical linear accelerators, kind of like much smaller versions of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN) to perform experiments with actual radiation beams. Hospital life involves

going to meetings, working on the computers, trying to get access to machines whenever they’re not in use, bouncing ideas and problems off of the other physicists there.

The staff are really friendly. When I’m in UCD I demonstrate to third and fourth year physics students in the lab. Sometimes I get to use specialist equipment in UCD which I don’t have at the hospital.

What, for you, is the most fascinating thing about your field of study?

My field of study is Medical Physics and I think the most fascinating thing about it is the fact that it uses physics to actually improve people’s lives, even to help save them. It’s an extremely practical and hands-on field of physics and it’s also very rewarding.

How could your work make a difference to this particular scientific field, and to the world in general?

My work will hopefully help to refine international best practice protocols for dealing with small fields. This could enable a broader range of treatment options available to patients with cancer in any radiotherapy treatment centre around the world.

What undergraduate degree course did you do and where?

I did the omnibus science degree course in UCD, specialising in physics in third and fourth year and ending with a BSc (Hons).

What made you choose to do a PhD? I came to college to do science and to be a scientist. A PhD meant brand new research! There really wasn’t a plan B. In your opinion, what are the best and worst things about being a postgraduate?

The best thing is the freedom you

have. You are very much independent and this allows you to take ownership of your project. This can be a little overwhelming at first but the experience you gain from that is invaluable. It does however become all-consuming, particularly towards the end. That can be frustrating but I feel it’s worth it.

How do you feel your PhD will affect your career prospects?

A PhD certainly opens doors. You really do obtain a broad range of skills from a PhD, from computer skills and teaching skills to problem solving skills, specialist knowledge and experience with wide range of equipment (simple and complex), all of which can be valuable in many other lines of work. You can also become acquainted with many distinguished people in your field.

I feel my PhD has certainly opened many more doors than I realised when I first started.

Student Assistance Fund 2011-2012 Applications for the Student Assistance Fund 2011-2012 are now available to access through your SIS account. This scheme is funded by the Department of Education and Science with assistance from the European Social Fund. It is means tested and funding will be targeted at those students who are in most financial need.

Students who are currently registered at UCD to a full time course of at least one year are eligible to apply. Please note that students who have completed a degree, and are registered for a second degree at the same level, (e.g. students undertaking a 2nd Bachelor, Masters or PhD degree) are not eligible to apply.

FIREWORKS Fireworks are something that have been consistently demonised by Irish authorities (the main reason being that they’re illegal, and also somewhat dangerous), and if you’ve seen pictures of firework burns, you’ll understand why.

If you’re going to be using fireworks, read the labels, follow the directions and stay sober. Alcohol impairs your judgment severely and you could just end up getting hurt.

If you do get burned by a firework, take care of the burn. If it’s fairly minor, cool it and wrap it in some gauze (nothing with cotton in it). If you’re in a lot of pain, take some painkillers (following the recommended dose!) and get it checked out as soon as possible.

If it’s bad, call an ambulance with your unburned hand and get the professionals to sort you out.

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

Closing Date

Tuesday 15th November 2011 at 12.00 noon

For further information contact your Student Adviser or SU Welfare Officer

You must submit your fully completed application including relevant supporting documentation by 15th November at 12 noon.

No late or incomplete applications will be accepted.

If you are considering making an application, you are strongly encouraged to request the appropriate financial documentation (e.g. P21, etc) from the relevant source immediately as there are usually delays in obtaining this information.

Application is a three part process as outlined below:

Part 1

Read the guidelines for applying to the Student Assistance Fund. The guidelines can be found here: http://www.ucd.ie/studentadvisers/financial.html

Part 2

If you believe you may be eligible the application may be accessed through your SIS account under the Student Services tab. Please complete Part 2 of your application on-line and print it out.

Part 3

of the application process requires applicants to submit the printed application along with hard copy financial documents (copy) and receipts (original) to a Student Adviser. Only fully completed applications will be accepted.

17

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

Evolution of Life

Aging may be unavoidable, but the science behind it is something which is not yet fully understood, writes James Kelly

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geing as a concept is so familiar to us that we hardly question it at all. Assuming life-long health and a little luck, we’re born, we grow and develop, we decline, and then we die. As it’s extremely impractical (read impossible) to be born fully-grown and ready for the world, a stage of growth and development is obviously necessary. Decline with age, senescence, is where it all gets confusing. The grand architect of life, evolution, saw fit that we should eventually perish. My question is: why?

Putting the idea of God’s will aside, historically, ageing was thought to be analogous to wear and tear. We were just worn down eventually, like a dull knife or a rusted gate. However, with greater scientific understanding this idea was eventually disregarded. Unlike the knife and the gate, we are not closed systems subjected to increas-

ing entropy (disorder) by the laws of thermodynamics. We could develop, maintain and repair ourselves. Following even more scientific endeavour, evolution was discovered and formalized. Could knowledge of our origins elucidate the murky waters of ending?

Possibly.

Before going any further, an understanding of evolution is necessary. Evolution is the process by which different kinds of living organisms have developed and diversified from earlier forms throughout the history of the Earth. It is important to remember that evolution is not a goal-driven process, but rather the result of the accumulation of random advantageous changes over generations. I only mention advantageous changes, as those that inferred no advantage or disadvantage usually resulted in the death of the organism, through being out-competed for re-

sources. The development of organisms then, is the result of the acquisition of useful genes; genes being the replicable and transmittable units that give rise to physical traits.

The first to attempt to explain senescence, with reference to evolution, was August Weismann. The German evolutionary biologist, who was practically a contemporary of Darwin (being only twenty-five years his junior), theorised that decline and death were necessary in order to support the population, i.e. the old decline and die to make room for the young.

While this theory has much appeal, offering a reason for senescence, it fails to explain how senescence as a trait could be required; how it would infer an advantage on the organisms containing ageing genes, allowing them to out-compete individuals lacking the ageing genes, and as such

propagate. Weismann abandoned this theory before his death.

In the 1950’s, the next major theory of ageing was proposed by Peter Medawar. Known as ‘mutation accumulations’, the theory posited the idea that as nature is a highly competitive place and as almost all animals die before they attain old age, there would be no selective pressure for acquiring traits that combated senescence. Following from this, it was theorised that a number of semi-lethal and lethal genes may be responsible for senescence and the resulting death. As these genes only cause an adverse effect later in life, the organism would be able to reproduce and pass the genes on before they died from the effect. As such, these genes would not have been removed by natural selection. While this would remain an important concept in all subsequent theories of aging, Medawar’s theory

the muscles and tendons reattached and grew into the metal. Another technology Fitzpatrick has utilised is the ‘ITAP’ (Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prosthetic). These metal implants were drilled into Oscar the cat’s delicate ankle bones; no mean feat in itself. Their success is based on their coating of hydroxyapatite, a substance that encourages the skin and tissue to grow around the implant, forming an infectionresistant seal.

After his hilariously irreverent but inspirational presentation Fitzpatrick spared a moment to share some thoughts with the University Observer. On being asked why he chose to be a vet, he replied “I got offered Veterinary Medicine and Medicine on the same day, and I was feeding

Chief Photographer: David Nowak

The Bionic Vet

Noel Fitzgerald, a pioneer in the field of developing bionic limbs for animals, spoke to Alison Lee about his incredible contributions to the world of veterinary medicine

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hat do Oscar the cat, Roly the bulldog and Mitzy the German shepherd have in common? They (and many others) have been saved from almost certain euthanasia by UCD veterinary graduate Noel Fitzgerald, dubbed the ‘Bionic Vet’ by the BBC. Oscar had his two back feet severed by a combine harvester, but Fitzpatrick used pioneering neuro-orthopoedic technologies to make him a new pair of lower limbs.

Roly’s hind leg was eaten away by cancer, but Fitzpatrick implanted a new hip and femur into this limb, allowing him to walk normally in just nine weeks. Mitzy had her foot trampled by a horse - but the bionic vet had the answer, implanting a titanium prosthesis below her ankle joint which allows her to enjoy life like a normal dog.

Fitzpatrick shared these stories and many others with current UCD vet students in a two-hour talk on

Thursday, October 13th. He also shared the secret to his success: his willingness to embrace new technologies pioneered by human doctors and his ability to modify them to the needs to veterinary patients. In Roly’s case, he collaborated with human surgeon Gordon Blunn of University College London’s Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science to create a prosthetic, which so accurately mimicked Roly’s real leg that

“You don’t have the right to tell someone what to do for their dog and cat. It’s their choice.” silage to cattle that particular day…

I looked at the cows and I though ‘I can’t be bothered with people’s little problems … I just thought I’d have a nicer time with animals.’”

Some people may not describe Fitzpatrick’s hectic life as “nice” - he had been in surgery until 3am the night preceding his talk - but it would be hard to find a person more passionate about his vocation. “I’m extremely lucky because not only do I get to do what I love every day, but also I get to do all kinds of different surgeries every day, which I wouldn’t be able to do if I was a human doctor,” he explains.

By now some readers may be feeling somewhat sceptical; why bother doing complex surgeries on animals when there are humans out there who don’t have access to medical treatment? Why put ignorant creatures though pain and suffering when their limbs could be amputated, or they could be put to sleep? Is it ethi-

overall is discredited (mostly due to its inability to explain the need for certain genes only in later life).

A few years after Medawar, George C. Williams proposed his theory of ageing, ‘Antagonistic Pleiotropy’. The main tenet of Williams’ theory was that genes with an advantageous function in early life later had a detrimental function, making their exploitation a trade-off. An example would be a gene that enhanced fertility in early life but may result in decline later on. This theory fits in with modern genetics in that there are genes that have different effects, even at different stages in life.

However, when breeding experiments were carried out using fruit flies selected for long-life, it was observed that the flies produced not only lived longer, but were more fertile. The theory also falls down when we consider that there are certain genes whose only apparent effect is to cause senescence.

The final major theory posed was the Disposable Soma Theory, in which Thomas Kirkwood argued that ageing was the result of economising resources. He suggested that metabolism, reproduction and repair and maintenance competed with minimal resources, and that repair and maintenance lost. While this theory seems plausible, it’s contradicted by research carried out since the thirties. The wellestablished principal of caloric restriction states that organisms subject to reduced food intake (though not malnourishment) show slower ageing.

While each of the major theories offered were subsequently shown to be fundamentally flawed, they gave us greater insight into the ageing process and allowed scientists room to expand based on convergent research in the related field. No proper theory has been posited since Kirkwood’s, but the topic still gets eluded to often, resulting in a mesh of ideas presently afloat in the scientific sea. The prevailing opinion today is that some mechanism of nonprogrammed ageing is responsible for senescence, meaning that each individual’s ability to maintain and repair itself is what dictates the degree to which senescence affects it. Hopefully greater understanding in the areas of group selection and genomics will result in a complete theory of ageing.

cal to charge people so much money to fix their pets? Fitzpatrick faces these criticisms on a daily basis, but his devotion to animal welfare is obvious and he will never do surgery the sake of it; one of the core values of his practise is “we will never advise intervention because it is possible, but only where it is warranted and justified”. However, during his talk he explained that many commonly performed veterinary orthopaedic procedures don’t have a good outcome, and not all animals cope well with amputation. Therefore it makes sense that new techniques be developed and trialled - what is lacking is people who “think outside the box” and who are brave enough to actually implement essential changes in practise. If people are willing to spend money on their pet’s health and wellbeing, why shouldn’t they?

Fitzpatrick states; “You don’t have the right to tell someone what to do for their dog and cat. It’s their choice.

My job is to give them all the options, lay it out for them and let them make up their own minds.”

Fitzpatrick doesn’t just borrow techniques from human medicine he believes that the work vets do can benefit mankind, and he’s right; to give just one example, ITAP technology, first used successfully in animals, has since been used to develop a prosthetic arm for a woman injured in the 2005 London bombings. This crossover between companion animal and human medicine could prove invaluable, as the lab animals traditionally used to research human medicine may not be good “models” for many human diseases.

Some might find Fitzpatrick’s ideas a little eccentric, but are they really? After all, his work has been documented by the BBC in a six-part series, and his state-of-the-art practise in Surrey boasts MRI and CT scanners, and over ninety employees.

He is an associate professor in the University of Florida, and his surgical breakthroughs have been published in scientific journals. Maybe attitudes towards animals and veterinary medicine are changing - but often change can be for the better.

18

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

Minister Ruairí Quinn T.D. on Educational Reform

As questions are raised about the quality of the CAO system, Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn T.D. writes exclusively for the University Observer to express his views on the changes that need to be made to our Education system

erlings!

G reetings Gutt

Talleyrand Ah, another week, another major sexual scandal from our elected representitives. That last-days-of-Caligula-esque bastion of sly under the tablecloth handjobs and missing lampposts, Class Rep Training, has, like so many of its reps, come and gone. And what a weekend it was. The essential skills every Class Rep needs to know were well and truly drilled into them by Brendan “The Jackhammer” Lacey.

All the necessary knowledge was imparted; how to set up a Facebook events page, how to work the SU photocopier, and that you don’t actually ‘blow’.

Like salmon swimming passionately upstream and up some skanky PRO’s skirt, our trusted representitives have been getting more bum than the Science department stairwell. In Talleyrand’s time, he’s heard many young, eager politicians described as ‘thrusting’, but never before have I heard them described as forceful, vigourous, and moist. Talleyrand has it on very, very good authority that a certain unnamed Irish Officer and a certain unnamed Gender Equality Officer held many important, high-level closed-door meetings, which at least one party claimed were highly successful. In other news, Talleyrand’s little birds told him that a certain unnamed Ag Pro got a third-class ticket on the Orient Express. Congratulations to all involved.

But ol’ Brendan ‘Occupy the Couch!’ Lacey has bigger fish to fry then some damp PROs. With the introduction of evil fees, or “paying for your education” as it’s known in other countries, Lacey has been forced to prove his worth and show that his students, unlike his new officers, won’t take it sitting down. Vladimir Ilich Lacey is set to hang the red flag from the very heights of the Student Centre roof, and looks forward to bathing in the blood of all those foolish enough to oppose him. Like all the great warlords of history, all Khan Lacey needs is his men, his keen intellect, and a large and regularly rotating harem.

This campaign might make make Brendan “Public Enemy” Lacey the busiest Sap-bat, surpassing Rachel “Stiff Upper Lip” Breslin at the top of the ‘most frantic’ lists.

Also busy this week is Sam “Stop Calling Me Squidward” Geoghegan, who is setting up a brand new Education campaign, ‘Sam’s Literary Massif ’, which is essentially a baseless attempt at making friends masquerading as a book club. The first book on the agenda is Twilight: New Moon, and they’ll be meeting at his house, next Tuesday, at six-ish.

He’s not lonely. Who told you he was lonely?

If there’s one person who’s happy about this new use of the Ed-Heads time, it’s old Brezzo, who finally gets to take those expensive Chubb locks off her bins; in fact, word is that it was her idea all along. It was never going to be easy for the first female SU Officer in all these years, but at least now she can rest easy knowing that no longer will she find love letters attached to dead cats in her green bin. The worst part is, they’re not even recyclable.

Stephen “Faster then a Speeding Bullet” Darcy has had a really, really good week. Not only has he sold out an Ents event in the fastest time since records began, but he’s found a new leave-in conditioner that makes his hair even more luxurious. Not to mention Cheesefest, which features Vengaboys, Five (Talleyrand refuses to adhere to your moronic nomenclature), and both of S Club, all of whom put together might make a full band. According to the youth of today (or at least the youth of five years ago masquerading as the youth of today), this represents one of the biggest ‘coups’ UCD has ever seen – that is, until Lacey gets his way.

Finally, what has our illustrious President Pat de Brúnusconi been up to this week? Well, let’s just say that, between you and me, he’s been fucking a lot.

Talley-ho!

Talleyrand

Minister Quinn launching the Intel lecture series of the Irish Academy of Engineering in the Clinton Auditorium The above photograph was taken by David Nowak

When I spoke at the McGill Summer School in July, I expressed my strong views on the combined impact of the Leaving Certificate and CAO system on the teaching and learning in second level schools.

There is no doubt that the curriculum and methods of assessment used in our second level schools need to be reformed. We need to move away from the tradition of rote learning and ensure that students can develop essential life skills. I am determined to make that happen.

It is also my view that we cannot look at curriculum reform in isolation. I believe that reforms at second level will be incomplete unless we also consider

level have increased significantly.

Geography and Biology are cases in point; more students take geography at higher level in the Leaving than the combined totals taking physics and chemistry. Agricultural Science has recorded a forty-two per cent increase at higher level since 2008.

We have not seen such dramatic increases in subjects like mathematics, physics or chemistry. Of the science subjects, only biology features in the top ten most popular subjects at higher level. The number of students taking higher level maths has actually decreased in recent years.

I think it’s fair to say that there is a perception across the student popula-

changes to the CAO points system for selecting students for admission to higher education institutions.

There are fundamental questions to be asked about the current system and what it rewards. Are we rewarding students for taking subjects that may be less relevant to them but useful for points? Are we rewarding them for making calculated judgements on the quickest route to maximum points?

Are we sufficiently rewarding students for making informed subject selections that enhance their learning and their skills for the future?

It is ironic that the very system we use to select students may be undermining those qualities we value in our higher education students – their ability to think for themselves, to create and innovate, to initiate and to question. During its thirty-five years in existence, there has been substantial commentary and debate on the CAO system and the impact of the ‘points race’.

The Irish Second Level Students’ Union recently described the points race as putting “our young people to the pin of their collar physically, mentally and emotionally.”

It is clear that the competitive pressures of securing places on higher education courses is having a direct backwash effect on the teaching and learning in our second level schools. It has been accepted for many years that the CAO system encourages students to choose subjects to get points, or more accurately, they often avoid taking subjects that are perceived as difficult.

An excellent piece of analysis carried out recently by Dr. Seán McDonagh shows that subject choice by senior cycle students follows distinct patterns.

Dr. McDonagh’s paper confirms that in the past few years the numbers of students taking certain subjects at higher

tion that time is better spent optimising performance in other subjects rather than tackling difficult ones.

The introduction of bonus points for higher level maths, which commences next year, aims to incentivise students to engage with mathematics at second level. But this is no panacea either.

While we must be prepared to think in terms of radically new approaches and alternatives to the current arrangements, we also need to be conscious of the need to maintain public confidence in the integrity and fairness of any selection system. Despite all the criticism, we must not forget that the CAO has served us very well and enjoys widespread public confidence and support.

The issues involved do not lend themselves to simple solutions. I want a very public debate because any changes that might ultimately be proposed will have to enjoy public confidence, and will need to be based on a degree of broad consensus.

We must also identify the extent to which there is a consensus on the strengths and shortcomings of our existing system, and to identify the extent to which we can create a consensus around any ideas for reform. The recent joint conference hosted by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the Higher Education Authority was a starting point for public debate on this issue.

The website www.transition.ie, set up as part of the conference, is intended to draw in wider inputs to the debate and I would encourage everyone with an opinion on this topic to provide their input through the website. The website will be open for comments until the 26th October.

The HEA and NCCA will present a report to me on the outcomes of the conference and it will, I hope, point to a consensus on the next steps forward.

“While we must be prepared to think in terms of radically new approaches and alternatives to the current arrangements, we also need to be conscious of the need to maintain public confidence in the integrity and fairness of any selection system”

“It is ironic that the very system we use to select students may be undermining those qualities we value in our higher education students – their ability to think for themselves, to create and innovate, to initiate and to question”

19

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

Observer Editorial

Quotes of the Fortnight

editor @ universityobserver.ie

“We are consumers of a product, and that product is simply mystified and glorified under the high-minded banner of education”

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ll too often, people expect too much from UCD. Not in security, which due to recent (alleged) cutbacks is stretched to debatably irresponsible levels. Not in accessibility, with many sections of the campus still essentially off-limits to the physically disabled. Not even in the teaching, which, although I can give nothing but stellar accounts of my department and its staff, is somehow quantified as a meagre 25.2 per cent by the Times Education Rankings. In these cases, it is perfectly reasonable to expect a higher quality of service from our beloved alma mater. Where it is not prudent to expect more from UCD is in compassion, thoughtfulness, and even respect towards its students. People forget far too often; far from being the Platonic University, far from being the educational City on a (admittedly concrete) Hill, UCD is a business, first and foremost.

UCD and its higher-ups need make no apology for spending cuts, no matter how biting. The University does not ‘owe’ us money to start up our own new clubs or societies, regardless of how much we may find the idea of a moratorium on society spending abhorrent, or how much we may find the idea of a ‘Nap Soc’ appealing. The University is in no way contractually or morally obliged to provide us with a pool hall, regardless of how much we may miss the Trap and its faulty, outdated arcade games.

The University is not even obliged to provide us with a running track for the

Letters to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@universityobserver.ie or by mail to The editor, The University Observer, UCD Student Centre, Belfield, Dublin 4 The editor reserves the right to edit any letters.

All letters are subject to editorial approval.

the

UCD Ball, however vociferously its students might react to the concept. UCD itself is obliged to provide you with an education, and that is all. As undergraduates, we are customers, who the University views as nothing more than clients, from which the highest possible figure can be rung. As postgraduates, we are investments, which in a few short years the University can rely on when the annual A l u m n i fund cashgrab rolls around. We are consumers of a product, and that product is simply m y s t i fied and glorified under the highminded banner of education.

What we can expect from our University, however, is to be treated with the fundamental level of respect that any other client would receive in the context of any other business. Far too often, the University treats its customers with the patronising superiority of a primary school teacher angrily scolding the one boy in class who does not play well with others. The University has to make difficult decisions, and like any other business today, has to make considerable financial cuts, but that fact does not demand that the

treatment of those it will affect be callus, secretive, or worse, condescending.

I am reminded of a similarly themed scandal, just over a year ago, when thenTaoiseach Brian Cowen was caught on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, his voice hoarse and his responses rambling and factually incorrect. What struck this Editor as most appalling about the event was not Mr. Cowen’s alleged intoxication, but rather it was the vain and immeasurably patronising defence presented by both himself and his ilk; that the Taoiseach had long suffered, and nodoubt suffered terribly, at the cruel hand of ‘congestion problems’. As the leader of a country, this Editor imagines that one might encounter stress, and as such, would be utterly forgiven the occasional night of indulgence. One might show less clemency, however, when that fact is poorly concealed, in what amounts to a display of utter disregard for the intelligence and maturity of the electorate.

Similarly, the University clearly has little faith in its adult consumers’ capacity to stomach the realities of the educational business model, and as such, feels the need to both obfuscate from, and

“The University, as far as it is concerned, does not owe you the provision of the products you desire beyond that which you entered on your CAO form”

Having read this weeks article in relation to the vandalism, following the Ag Soc fundraiser in the Goat, I was disappointed with the pretense that this is a common occurrence at Agricultural events. Using irrelevant quotes you clearly (and successfully) made an attempt to make a mockery of the faculty and it’s hardly fair or appropriate, especially on the majority that were not involved. The situation was bad enough to begin with but thanks for jumping on the bandwagon.

Fantastic journalism!!

Volume XVIII Issue III Telephone: (01) 716 3119/3120 Email: info@universityobserver.ie www.universityobserver.ie The University Observer is printed at The Guardian Print Centre, Longbridge Road, Manchester M17 1SN.

It is the policy of the University Observer to rectify any errors as soon as they arise.

Queries and clarifications can be addressed to info@universityobserver.ie.

Yours etc, John Kearney Editor Jon Hozier-Byrne

Sports Editor Daniel Keenan

Deputy Editor Kate Rothwell

Music Editor Cormac Duffy

Art and Design Director Conor O’Toole

Film Editor Dermot O’Rourke

Otwo Editors George Morahan Aoife Valentine

Fashion Editor Sophie Lioe

News Editor Katie Hughes Features Editor Matt Gregg Opinion Editor Emer Sugrue Science & Health Editor Conor O’Nolan Chief Science & Health Writer Alison Lee

Food & Travel Editor Elaine Lavery Online Editor Ryan MacKenzie Contributors Stephen Allen Ciara Andrews The Badger Steven Balbirnie Westley Barnes Lizzy Beecham Aoife Brophy Richard Clune

Rachel Breslin

“There are no criteria for models, other than being a UCD student” Jason Masterson on model selection for UCD Fashion Show

“Class reps tend come with their own opinion. It’s something we were massively discouraging them from this year” Brendan Lacey

“I think with the year that was in it, I don’t think any society did overly well” Justin Breyden on the Science Society raising more than €20,000 less than last year

Clarifications & Corrections

To whom it concerns,

University Observer

talk down to, its students at seemingly every available opportunity. Kylemore’s takeover, even monopolisation of every non-SU dining space on campus can be explained perfectly rationally. Despite the moral implications of a sharp leftturn in the University’s competitiveness policy, it was clearly a lucrative move, or such a momentous (and predictably controversial) shift would not have been made. Driving out the small business owners who had invested heavily in their respective outlets was an unimportant, subjective ethical issue when compared to the financial necessity the University is purportedly facing. The same rule applies for the blatant circumvention of last year’s student-mandated SU redaction of the ban on Coca-Cola products, by signing an exclusivity deal with Britvic. The University, as far as it is concerned, does not owe you the provision of the products you desire beyond that which you entered on your CAO form.

What they do owe you, however, is the basic level of respect any business owes its clientele, and it is a debt that recently the University has been unwilling to pay. It is this blatant disregard for the intelligence of its students that motivates the handling of everything from the aforementioned exclusivity deals, to the treatment of the students affected by the re-designation of the Post Graduate Diploma in Education, as described in News this issue. Without the customers there is no business, and the University would do well to bear that in mind.

“Everyone wants to be a world record holder, I want to be a world record holder”

An error has been brought to our attention with regards the article Ashes to Ashes in last issue’s Otwo. As was rightly pointed out by one reader, Mr. Feargal Sharkey’s name was misspelt, and he does not in fact currently perform with the Undertones. Furthermore, we incorrectly asserted that UK Music represents record labels, whereas in fact they represent the UK’s commercial music industry. We are happy to clarify this.

Dixon Coltrane Anna Curran Faye Docherty Donna Doyle Hannah Dowling Richard Drumm David Farrell Sally Hayden Sara Holbrook James Kelly Matthew Jones James Kelly Aaron Kennedy Ebony Lawless Gareth Lyons Robert MacCarthy Jim Maher Edward Mahon Hanna-lil Malone Eimear McGovern Stephen Miller Matthew Morrow Mystic Mittens Saoirse Nì Charagáin Gordon O’Callaghan Colm O’Grada Elizabeth O’Malley

“We’re not afraid to be more aggressive, we’re not afraid to be a little bit more radical, obviously in a planned, safe and controlled manner”

Caitriona O’Malley Evan O’Quigley Mike Palmer Ruairi Robertson Colm Ryan Laura Scanlan Greg Talbot Talleyrand Cian Tolan Jack Walsh Killian Woods Illustrator Olwen Hogan Chief Photographer David Nowak Photographers Ciara Andrews Caoimhe McDonnell Special Thanks Peter, Ian, Tim, Malcolm, Ade, Jonathan, Dave, Emma, Ged, Bob, Steve (and the robots) at GPC

Brendan Lacey

Manchester Eilis O’Brien Dominic Martella Colm, Sabrina and Rory at MCD Promotions Bernie Divilly at PIAS Giselle Jiang Dominic, Grace, Charlie, Jason, Gary, Stephen, Mark, Sandra, Paul and all the Student Centre Staff Very Special Thanks Amy Bracken, Donna Doyle, Bríd Doherty, Paul Fennessey, Bridget Fitzsimons, Danielle Moran, Joe Murphy, Dave Neary, Quinton O’Reilly, Rob Lowney, Ruth McCourt, Gav Reilly, Natalie Voorheis and all other friends and family who have supported and encouraged us during our third issue.

20

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

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The University Observer · 18 October 2011

SPORT

21

Ireland’s Off-Season With an ageing squad, Daniel Keenan looks to the future of Irish rugby, and the 2015 World Cup

Ireland will lose many of the socalled Golden Generation, including O’Driscoll, before the next World Cup

I

reland took their natural place in playing just 6 games for Scarlets. Kidthe quarter-finals of the Rugby ney’s cautious policy could see him pick World Cup on Saturday 8th Octo- O’Gara and Wallace ahead of younger ber in Wellington, with an expectant players desperate for game time in an crowd at home bearing a 6am start in Irish jersey. Should Kidney only be order to watch. Two hours later, the planning another two years in Irish sun had risen over Ireland, but was set- management, he may stick with what ting on the World Cup careers of some he knows, rather than take a risk on the of the country’s best players. unproven players.

Come the next World Cup in EngKidney also has a big opportunity to land in 2015, Ireland will have lost improve Ireland’s back play after the two of their most iconic pairings, Paul departure of backs’ coach Alan GaffO’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan ney. A more expansive game is needed in the second row, and Gordon D’Arcy to progress and this will be dependent and Brian O’Driscoll in the centre. on Kidney’s choice. Jonathan Sexton, It is hard to fathom Irish rugby at twenty-six, could reasonably be Irewithout O’Driscoll and to exit the land’s out-half for the next six years, so World Cup with hopes of a final so high the need to find a player to fill his boots is a devastating way for him to finish is not as urgent as in other positions. his fourth World Cup. Ireland’s loss to Gareth Steenson had a promising spell Wales was far from a catastrophe - they with Exeter Chiefs last season, but with were simply outplayed by a vibrant and any Irish manager reluctant to pick clinical Welsh team - but the result is Aviva Premiership players, it seems it hugely damaging to Irish rugby. will be a battle between Ian Keatley, Declan Kidney will remain in the Ian Humphreys and Ian Madigan for job until the end of the 2012/13 season, which coincides with the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, giving a clear indication that Kidney could be the next Lions coach.

Should Kidney get the job, and not carry on as Ireland manager afterwards, it would mean a switch in management halfway through a World Cup cycle; this wouldn’t just mean a change in manager, as Gert Smal (forwards’ coach), Les Kiss (defence coach) and Mark Tainton (kicking coach) could follow Kidney. Such a complete uproot of staff would only unsettle a squad building for a World Cup, and new coaches bring new styles, which take time to adapt to and put into practice.

David Wallace, a dedicated servant of his country and a favourite of Kidney’s, has not ruled out playing for his country again, and Ronan O’Gara seems to have side-stepped his retirement, despite saying he was “done with Ireland in a few weeks.” Their commitment to their country is admirable, but there is a problem with both of them making themselves available to play.

Kidney is a very conservative manager. It’s worth noting that Sean O’Brien was making powerful runs for Leinster two years before he was capped competitively; Wales’ George North was capped by Gatland after

the back-up. Even at that, Humphreys best unit, it’s ironic that the back row is will turn thirty during next year’s Six the main area of concern. Stephen FerNations and hasn’t been impressive for ris once more produced staggering perUlster in the last few months, while formances in green, but one has to wonMadigan will see much less game time der how much more his body can take. at Leinster with the return of Sexton.

He is one of the most amazing athletes Keatley is the most likely candidate, and at twenty-four, still has time to develop into an international standard player if given the chance. He has continued his good form from his Connacht days at Munster, but it’s unlikely that he’ll ever reach the standard of Sexton, and the return of O’Gara could Ireland has ever produced, with a comsee him switch to centre. bination of pace and brutal strength as The second rows, meanwhile, are well as a huge work rate and technical past their prime. With Donncha skill, but his career has been blighted O’Callaghan (aged thirty-two) and by long injury lay-offs. His body seems Paul O’Connell (thirty-two on Thurs- incapable of taking the stress he puts it day) both pushing on, the need for a under and his long term international lock is of huge importance for Ireland. future is a doubt.

Short-term solutions are obviously to Sean O’Brien became an internaplay O’Connell, O’Callaghan or Cul- tional sensation during the World Cup len, or move Kevin McLaughlin to the with his bruising runs, while Heaslip second row, but Ireland will be in mas- had a fairly solid showing. Ireland’s sive trouble if they continue to play downfall was their lack of a genuine their ageing stars and neglect their openside flanker. Considering the youth. O’Connell should be retained, World Cup’s four semi-finalists all posfor his leadership skills if not his undy- sessed top quality openside flankers, in ing commitment to any game, and he Richie McCaw, David Pocock, Julian would serve as the perfect model for Bonnaire and Sam Warburton, the roll any upcoming lock. The human penalty of the No 7 cannot be played down. machine that is Donnacha O’Callaghan With the hindsight of the Welsh has to be replaced quickly however. game, where Warburton was key to Munster’s Ian Nagle is the only young stopping or slowing so many Irish atcontender at the moment, and even he tacks, it seems that the result against doesn’t seem ready to step up to the in- Australia was more down to Pocock’s ternational stage. Ulster’s Dan Tuohy absence than Irish ingenuity. will get the nod ahead of him.

Ireland don’t have, nor have ever Devin Toner, at 6”10, is a huge line- truly had, a groundhog player: an openout option, but is ineffectual at carry- side flanker who will work tirelessly to ing ball and is too often caught out in rip and turn over ball, to make dozens defence. However, with the amount of of tackles and clear rucks. ball carriers in the Irish pack in the Leinster’s Dominic Ryan is the form of Sean O’Brien, Stephen Fer- only potential openside flanker, with ris, Jamie Heaslip, Cian Healy and the Shane Jennings now at thirty and soon-to-be eligible Richardt Strauss, failing to ever make a big impact for Toner could be a viable option should his country. Though he may not poshe improve his defensive work. sess the attributes of the likes of WarLike Strauss, Leinster lock Steven burton, Ryan simply has to start playSykes may qualify to play for Ireland in ing for Ireland in the near future. Joe the future, should he see out his three- Schmidt used him sporadically last year contract with the European cham- season, mostly in the Celtic League pions. Since he’ll be turning thirty-one and off the bench in the Heineken just before the next World Cup, his Cup. Such is the nature of club rugby, progression will have to be monitored Schmidt could afford not to play an closely, as he could be a massive asset to out-and-out openside in Ryan, prethe Irish team, since there are few oth- ferring to play better ball carriers. er young locks making a breakthrough. With the feverous competition in Considering it is probably Ireland’s the back row at Leinster, with Hea-

slip, O’Brien, Ruddock, Jennings and McLaughlin, Ryan may have to play for Ireland even if he is on the bench behind fellow Irishmen at Leinster.

The task of replacing O’Driscoll and D’Arcy is made easier only because of

D’Arcy needs to be dropped; his form has slipped in the last year and he won’t make the next World Cup. choice. Earls has been groomed by Kidney as the heir to the No 13 jersey, but Tommy Bowe and Luke Fitzgerald both have the ability to play there. Nevin Spence is an exciting centre prospect at Ulster, with both he and Darren Cave capable of playing inside and outside centre.

D’Arcy needs to be dropped: his form has slipped in the last year and he won’t make the next World Cup. O’Driscoll should be slowly faded out on the other hand, since he has so much still to offer both on and off the field, but this should allow for more of a mentor role, in order to allow players to develop. Should he be kept on as the fulcrum of Ireland’s play, Irish rugby will suffer in the long-term.

The World Cup pairing is difficult to predict with so much choice, and much will come down to form and chemistry.

Earls has looked more at home on the wing, so a more natural centre may be utilised, with Luke FitzGerald likely to be given one berth. Cave and Spence could well fill the other, but should Earls be the man chosen to go forward, then a complete reshuffle of the back three will be needed.

Andrew Trimble and Tommy Bowe could easily both feature in the World Cup in 2015, but there will be a need to consider as-of-yet untested wingers like Craig Gilroy and Andrew Conway, who have impressed in appearances for Ulster and Leinster respectively.

Rob Kearney’s ability to play on the wing is another possibility which should be explored, with Felix Jones an option at full back.

Ireland’s rugby future is uncertain, dependant on whether untested players can step up to the mark and whether they will be given the chance to do so. Australia threw caution to the wind after their 2007 World Cup failure, and rebuilt their squad; Ireland need to do the same.

22

SPORT

SPORTS DIGEST Women’s Hockey UCD’s women’s team have continued their excellent league form, securing victory over Loreto in Division 1, with Ireland Under-19’s football captain, Dora Gorman, getting on the scoresheet. UCD were able to replicate this display against Cork Harlequins in the first round of the Irish Senior Cup, putting four goals past ‘Quins, with Chloe Watkins, Deirdre Duke, Anna O’Flanagan and Nicola Gray all scoring. They will face a stiffer challenge in Round Two as they were drawn against Munster Champions, Catholic Institute.

UCD were then away to Armagh on Saturday, and in a game which they dominated, came out with a 3-0 win. Deirdre Duke scored the opening goal in the twenty-third minute, but UCD spurned several opportunities in the opening two quarters, as they went in only 1-0 up. Goals from Leah Ewart and Hanna de Burgh White, in the third and fourth quarter respectively, both came from short corners, ensuring another league victory.

Men’s Hockey UCD men’s hockey team finally got their season under way against YMCA in the league, stuttering to a 3-0 defeat, followed by a 2-1 defeat against Monkstown. UCD left their poor league form behind them in a much stronger performance in a 5-1 demolition of Bandon however, where Patrick Shanahan scored against his old team and Shane O’Donoghue grabbed two goals. UCD now progress to the second round, where they will face tough opposition in Glenanne.

Gaelic Games

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

Survive and Thrive

With the end of the season in sight, Gordon O’Callaghan talks to UCD AFC manager, Martin Russell

A

t the beginning of the 2011 season, many pundits predicted that Martin Russell’s young side would struggle to retain their Premier Division status, having lost thirteen first team players from last season. Russell set about rebuilding the squad after a successful return to the top f light, and comfortably guided the Students to safety.

Having achieved their primary goal of survival at the expense of Galway United, the Students have turned the Bowl into something of a fortress, winning their last five home games. Russell is delighted to have avoided the drop, especially considering the relative riches of other clubs.

“I am glad that we still have our Premier Division spot so that any young aspiring player who wishes to pursue his football aspirations alongside an academic pathway can still look to UCD AFC as the ideal platform to do so … When you consider the resources of the other clubs in recruiting more established squads, our young group have managed to make sure that we are still a Premier Division side and that’s great.”

The UCD manager is content with the college set-up of education and football, but feels the team doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Small attendances at matches, particularly during the summer when there are fewer students around campus, and the fact that UCD were one of the only Premier Division teams not to be given a televised game, have a big effect on the club’s income.

“I think most people who understand the football scene here realise what good work the club

achieves with its programme, combining top class football with a first class education. I don’t think that we get enough support to help our programme grow and this is down to many factors, like sponsorship of scholarships, gates and TV exposure.”

The job of a football manager is never an easy one, and as manager of UCD, Russell has his own unique issues. While he admits that his job is largely the same as other managers in the league, there are some differences; “Obviously the development philosophy that is the ethos of the club means that I work with young players who are learning to mix it with the big boys. We have to deal with this in terms of allowing them more time to develop. Also our net in which we attract players is a smaller one than other clubs: we ideally recruit players who also value an education, other clubs don’t tend to care to what players do as long they do well in football.

So they have a bigger pool to collect from.”

As is the case with all clubs in the Airtricity League, it is hard to

be difficult to predict,” Russell says. “We will hopefully retain the core of this squad, but as has happened in previous seasons, we are vulnerable to losing some players who are offered more attractive terms elsewhere.”

Robbie Creevy has left the squad to spend a year abroad, but Russell is hoping that the likes of David O’Connor, Samir Belhout, Sean Russell and Robbie Benson will be able to form the core of the UCD side over the coming seasons.

“Those players mentioned along with the rest of the signed players will all have the opportunity that UCD AFC provides. The more experience they get at the highest possible level should benefit them, but critically they must continue to commit in doing their best in training and games to continue any real development.”

Russell hopes to use this season as a building block for a higher league position next year, as well as improve the quality of play.

“The aim for next season is to improve on our final league position, and play an even more entertaining

“The development philosophy that is the ethos of the club means that I work with young players who are learning to mix it with the big boys” predict what will happen between this season and next, but the migration of players is all but a guarantee, with Chris Lyons and Hugh Douglas linking up with the squad for next season.

“Off-season always sees the movement of players, and that can

brand of football that can also be competitive in all competitions.”

After a solid season from the Students, which even saw them overcome Villarreal in a friendly, hopes are high around the Bowl for an even better 2012.

UCD student and captain of the Dublin Under-21 hurling team, Liam Rushe, has been nominated for the 2011 GAA GPA Young Hurler of the Year. This follows a tremendous year for Dublin hurling across all levels, with Rushe captaining the Under-21 side to the All-Ireland Final where they lost to Galway. He will be up against Declan Hannon of Limerick and Pauric Mahony of Waterford. The awards are handed out at the banquet event in the Convention Centre on the 21st October.

Rugby This year’s Australia 1984 Rugby Scholarships recipients were David Lynch, recipient of the Eddie Thornton Scholarship, Danny Kenny, recipient of the Finbarr Costello Scholarship, and Kieron Moloney, recipient of the Adrian Burke Scholarship. These scholarships are awarded annually to elite undergraduate or postgraduate players who will play an influential role in the UCD RFC First Team Squad. The Australia 1984 Scholarship Fund was established in 2009 and honours the contributions and continuous involvement of three UCD RFC alumni to rugby in UCD; Finbar Costello, Adrian Burke and Ned Thornton. These scholarships are named after the UCD RFC First XV of 1984/85, who toured Australia and were the last UCD RFC team to have made an appearance in the Leinster Senior Cup final since 2010. The selectors of the rugby scholarships include two members of the 1984 team, Bobby Byrne and Declan Gardiner. The scholarships were made possible through the contribution of John Gardiner, captain of the 1984/85 team.

by Matthew Morrow

The Badger Does Darts

Martin Russell has guided UCD to survival, after a tough season back in the top flight.

The Badger unearths the world’s worst sport.

T

he Badger is confused. Once again he finds himself in a mental maze that no amount of digging or third-person references will help him get out of. Were the Badger not immortal, he would have a lot of questions for the God of Sport when he died. You see, the Badger has just discovered that darts is a sport.

Now the Badger may hate many things; wheelie-bin locks, Michael Longley’s poetry, any TV3 documentary, footballers who wear hairbands, but right at the top of the list is darts. The Badger always just thought it was an excuse to get men into a pub, so imagine the Badger’s shock when he found out that this hogwash of a pastime is a sport, and that one of their ‘sporting events’ was taking place in Dublin.

Is the Badger mad in thinking that a sport requires some sort of movement?

The Badger was annoyed enough that snooker and bowling are sports, but darts really stepped on the Badger’s tail.

Is it so much to ask that a professional athlete have some form of physical fitness? That diabetes cannot be used as a legitimate excuse for an athlete not to compete? Yes, fat people need sport too (they need it more by definition), but is it too much to ask that they not be ushered into a sport where you burn as many calories drinking your pint as you do playing the game? Surely Andy Reid can be their motivation, not Phil “The Ironic Nickname” Taylor.

Darts players cannot get past the Badger’s list of what it takes to be a sportsperson; if your body fat percentage is more than your age, you shouldn’t be a professional athlete. If hydration during training is a pint of lager and a whiskey chaser, you shouldn’t be a professional athlete. If you’re Robbie Savage, you shouldn’t be a professional athlete.

So when The Badger turned up to the Citywest Hotel, where the World Grand Prix Darts was being held, to laugh at the men dressed like Charlie Sheen, he wasn’t surprised to find others had joined him. What he was surprised about was that they turned up to cheer these men.

Among the Badger’s kind, these men would have been eaten long ago because of their inability to outrun predators, but among a race of drunken humans, they are hailed as gods, and good ones too, not those useless Mormon gods.

What is there to cheer for? The Adonis on stage mastering the incredible technique of throwing a piece of winged metal at a circle? The ability to multiply numbers by two or three really quickly?

Or is it endearing to see people who are clearly not athletic become athletes, for these people to punch above their weight (though the Badger doubts that there’s anyone above their particular weight) in the world of sport, and share the same generic title of “athlete” with Usain Bolt?

The Badger realises that all this discrimination will lead to more allegations of Nazism, so will finish with a compliment to darts. The Badger’s lack of opposable thumbs means that overweight drunk men can beat him in a “sport.” Kudos to them: theirs truly is a triumph of the will, in a sport that will (unfortunately) last a thousand years.

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

SPORT

Between Estonia and a Hard Place

In the build-up to another qualifier, Mike Palmer assesses the Republic of Ireland’s chances of progressing to Euro 2012

23

Killian goes down undeR The University Observer’s resident New Zealand columnist, Killian Woods, offers further insight from the Rugby World Cup

O

nce again the Republic of Ireland find themselves in that in-between place of football: the play-offs. Only two matches away from what would be Ireland’s first major tournament in ten years, there is a cautious optimism about the team and their chances this time. Firstly they must first defeat Estonia over two legs, and since it is the Irish soccer team, it will surely be a difficult tie.

The qualification campaign has been a mix of determination, pragmatism, dogged defending, good luck and characteristically ugly football. It was certainly never pretty to watch, but the results speak for themselves; a runnerup spot was as good as the team could have ever hoped for, considering their limited capabilities. Though there may have been rumours of a possible upset against Russia in the group, they were effectively diminished after being completely outplayed over a year ago in the Aviva Stadium.

The performances have been left wanting however. Confined by the tactical straitjacket imposed by Trapattoni, there is seemingly little inclination to use possession to attack the opposition. The team sits very deep and content themselves with sporadic attacking bursts, which only occasionally result in clear-cut goal chances. Set pieces or long balls up the pitch tend to be the prime method for attaining a goal. Unfortunately for the neutral spectator, this does not make for compelling football.

Although Trapattoni has been criticised for the brand of football he plays, he has instilled a belief in the Irish camp that they can get results. The Irish team has few technically gifted players, but does contain players capable of grinding out results. Trying to change to free-flowing football by bringing in the likes of James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman would show up Ireland’s technical weaknesses in other areas of the pitch, so Trap sets the team out with tactical astuteness, by playing choke football. The end result isn’t pretty, but it is effective.

Regardless, all signs point to a continuation in this strategy for the matches against Estonia. In Ireland’s last play-off, against France, they went out overly cautious and lacking intent, subsequently losing 1-0 at home in the first leg. To continue with this formula would not serve Ireland well, and Trapattoni’s strategy to sit deep and keep men behind the ball, with only occasional advances on goal, does not suit the big game mentality of a play-off. It may have served the team well in qualifying, but won’t serve the team as well over two legs in a knockout round.

The only competitive exception to the ultra defensive rigidity of Trapattoni’s Ireland was that infamous night in Paris nearly two years ago. The players instilled within themselves a confidence and self-belief that was always lacking throughout the qualifying group matches, and somewhat unexpectedly brought the game to the French.

Ireland were playing under very different conditions in that particular play-off; they were trailing by an away goal, knowing that their only option was to score. Against a team like France, there were no illusions as to our chances of progressing through to the World Cup, and hence not such a huge expectation. The level of expectation will certainly be different this time around.

Drawing Estonia in the play-offs was undoubtedly the most favourable draw Ireland could have hoped for, and they will go into the game as favourites.

Ireland are never comfortable with the favourite’s tag however, and underestimating the Estonians would be a dangerous misstep.

The recent performance against Slovakia at home could testify to this.

Ireland went in as favourites, knowing

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset

T

Giovanni Trapattoni has guided Ireland to two straight qualifiers, but questions still remain about his playing style a win would further improve chances of automatic qualification, or at least a second place finish. However what followed was a dreadful stalemate in which neither team could score.

up front to replace Keane looks to be Simon Cox, who all but guaranteed himself a starting berth after his manof-the-match performance against Armenia.

As well as that, in their penultimate qualification game against Andorra, Ireland scored two goals in the first half before sitting back to allow the clock to run out. They created few goal-scoring chances in the second half against a team 174 places lower than them in the rankings.

With the Republic of Ireland missing Kevin Doyle through suspension and Robbie Keane likely to miss out because of injury, Trapattoni will have some selection problems ahead of the first leg against Estonia in Tallinn on November 15th. His preferred choice

Wholesale changes for the Estonia game are improbable, but with Doyle out of action, Cox’s probable partner will be Stoke’s Jonathan Walters, rather than Shane Long. Walters looked lively when he came on against Armenia, while Long seems to have fallen out of favour with Trapattoni.

In October 2000, under the management of Mick McCarthy, Ireland won 2-0 in Lansdowne Road against Estonia, before beating them by the same margin the following year in Tallinn. Trapattoni and the Republic of Ireland will be hoping for history to repeat itself.

The qualification campaign has been a mix of determination, pragmatism, dogged defending, good luck and characteristically ugly football

he robustness of a sport must be established and maintained by its governing body. FIFA has been consistently subjected to criticism for mismanagement and failing to govern football, and suffers from a tarnished reputation for its shortcomings. Unfortunately rugby is falling into a similar pattern whereby its governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB), is instigating disrepute in the game.

Dealing with the administrative requirements of a sport is comparable to the gentle, but firm, grip needed to handle baby chicks. Hold too tight and it will be crushed, but too loosely and the chicks will slip out of your control.

At the moment, the IRB are effectively strangling the sport and stunting its progression through a series of decisions that sees them stuck in a feud with the teams and players they are meant to represent.

Rugby is usually held up as a wholesome alternative to many sports due to the broadminded nature of its approach towards respect for referees and gamesmanship exhibited by the majority of players. However, considering the confusion surrounding fundamental aspects of the game, such as its laws and governing authority, it is hard not to feel that the game is tainted, with the antagonising agent being the IRB itself.

Fundamentally it is the application of their attention to detail that is the main cause of the heightened disputes with players and nations. Too much attention is being fixated on miniscule aspects of the game, such as reprimanding players for breaching advertising procedures, and not enough on clearing the perplexity surrounding the laws, particularly involving the breakdown.

The All Blacks captain Richie McCaw shouldn’t be troubled by questions in the lead up to a World Cup quarter-final about how Northern Hemisphere referee Nigel Owens is going to interpret the laws of the breakdown and fringes of the ruck. This is an unnecessary concern for any rugby player. Yet at the moment we are continually preoccupied pre-match about the possible side effects a contest will endure due to referees having their own exclusive understanding of fundamental laws of the game.

Laws in sport should be outright and definitively leave no argument from any party as to their implementation. Yet through the laws committee, the IRB have managed to cause unmitigated confusion which results in referees managing crucial aspects of the game, such as the ruck, in their own unique way.

There should be abrupt measures

taken to clear this misunderstanding, but instead the IRB’s first priority as of late focuses on managing seemingly frivolous facets of the game. At first it sounded like a believable joke, but England centre Manu Tuilagi and Samoan winger Alesana Tuilagi being reprimanded, and fined $10,000, for wearing unapproved mouth guards that breach tournament advertising regulations typifies how the IRB’s intentions are skewed.

The IRB’s priorities are equally questionable regarding key decisions made in structuring the fixture schedule of the tournament. Blatant prejudiced tendencies against tier two and three nations have been distinctly evident. This preferential treatment of the tier one teams has resulted in teams like Tonga, Canada, Samoa, Fiji, Japan, Romania, Georgia, Namibia, Russia and the USA having to endure quick turnarounds between games.

Canada, Samoa and Georgia, for example, were forced to play only four days after their first pool games on the 14th of September. This short recovery time had huge consequences on the three teams and their ability to consistently field their strongest starting XV throughout the tournament.

It also granted their opponents an unfair advantage. France, Wales and England had eight days of preparation, four days more than their opponents.

The IRB are entrusted to facilitate fair play in the game, however, they openly afforded tier one teams greater recovery times at the expense of tier two and three countries.

Admittedly, the IRB were in a difficult position, and were under time constraints that restricted the length that could be allocated for the pool stages. However, pandering and favouritism to tier one nations is not the way any sport progresses, and rugby will never develop into a popular worldwide brand if such unequivocal bias exists.

The process required to resolve the matter at hand must begin with the IRB itself. As an entity, it must treat all members as equals and promote healthy competition in the sport through a fairly structured competition and judicial process.

The problem is that the IRB see no issue with merely warning England officials for switching match day balls between Jonny Wilkinson’s kicks.

They recklessly allow a Welsh referee to officiate the South Africa vs Samoa game, a match that had huge repercussions on Welsh progression in the tournament. They allow a situation to arise where Samoan players have to fund their own flights home from the Rugby World Cup. They are clueless.

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OSbserver P O R T

The University Observer · 18 October 2011

UCD Marian shoot for Neptune but reach the Star UCD Marian opened their home campaign with a tight loss to Bord Gáis Neptune but grabbed an away win against Belfast Star, reports Ryan Mackenzie

Belfast Star

Bord Gáis Neptune

UCD Marian

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he Students entered their first home game of the new season on the back of a loss away to college rivals DCU, and no doubt wanted to get back on track with a win. Their opponents, a very good Bord Gáis Neptune side, had other ideas.

UCD started brightly with an impressive dunk off a rebound from their new American signing, Donnie Stith, to open the scoring. Stith is a twenty-sixyear-old forward who played college basketball at Tulane University in New Orleans - an NCAA college. Since then he’s been somewhat of a journeyman; prior to joining UCD Marian over the summer, the 6”7 American played for clubs in Malaysia, Austria and at home in the US. His skill and strength make him a force to be reckoned with under the boards and his wealth of experience brings some invaluable leadership to the side. He was brought in to replace fellow countryman, James Crowder, who recently left the club to play for Ovarense in Portugal. Crowder led the team in scoring last season and played a vital role in their successful national cup campaign – picking up the MVP award in the final. They’re big shoes to fill, but early signs indicate that Stith is capable of filling them.

Stith isn’t alone when it comes to talent on the UCD squad. Point-guard Conor Meany is arguably the team’s best player and the backbone of the side. Last season Meany led the team in assists and his on-court chemistry with Crowder

UCD Marian

New UCD recruit, Donnie Stith, dunks during their loss to Bord Gáis Neptune. Photographer: Caoimhe McDonnell was a major part of Marian’s success. He will need to develop a similar relationship with Stith if UCD are to achieve the offensive success they enjoyed last season.

Early signs indicate that Meany is set to have another good season. He combined with Stith in the opening quarter to help keep his side in the game, as Neptune asserted themselves on the game and bossed their way to a first quarter lead of 18-24.

Neptune led early and never really looked back. They were spearheaded by an American of their own - Ronald Thompson. Measuring 6”9, Thompson is a physical presence and UCD strug-

gled to contain him. He controlled the boards well on offense and defense enroute to a game high of twenty points.

Despite trailing for the vast majority of the game, UCD matched their opponents in almost every area, defending well and moving the ball fluidly when in possession. They even contested the boards well. However the students shot poorly; numerous offensive opportunities were squandered by poor shooting and their opponents made them pay by clinically executing most chances that came their way.

In fact, Neptune’s offense appeared to be based entirely around shooting from outside. They successfully shot

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fter a comprehensive 35-13 beating at the hands of Dungannon, UCD were hoping to bounce back against UCC at home.

The game started slowly, with both sides creating very few opportunities, until UCD slowly began to build momentum and piled on the pressure after a knock-on by UCC. An early opportunity arose for UCD in the ninth minute after excellent build up play. UCD found themselves close to UCC’s five-metre line, but failed to capitalise as the UCC defence held firm.

A moment of inspiration from UCD winger and Irish Under-20 international Sam Coghlan-Murray would make the difference between the two sides in the opening twenty minutes, as he touched down in the sixteenth minute. Niall Earls converted to make it 7-0.

Small errors snuck in to UCD’s forward play from time to time, as penalties began to mount up for infringements. UCC took advantage and put their first points on the board through the boot of Brian Kingston in the twenty-sixth minute.

UCC began to play with confidence and put heavy pressure on the UCD defence with some exquisite back play.

Pressure paid off for the Cork side when

UCC

Buccaneers

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openside flanker Brian O’Callaghan touched down on the thirty minute mark to make it 10-7 after a Brian Kingston conversion.

This would soon be hampered by two quick-fire penalties struck by Niall Earls which sent UCD into the break with a 13-10 lead.

It was the Cork College who got out of the traps quicker in the second half, as magnificent build-up play from UCC saw them quickly approach the UCD try line, but a knock-on proved costly in the end.

UCD became frustrated as the penalty count began to build up, but against the run of play Sam Coghlan-Murray broke away from the UCC defence to score his and UCD’s second try of the game.

UCD became complacent after the try, giving away a penalty which Kingston duly kicked to make it 18-13. Collidge responded in kind however, as substitute James Thornton kicked two penalties to leave eleven points between the teams.

A late penalty awarded to UCC for a high tackle, which Kingston struck over, was merely a consolation as the game finished 23-16.

After a solid victory over UCC, with performances to match from Niall Earls

and Sam Coghlan-Murray, UCD travelled to Athlone to take on Buccaneers on Saturday, but couldn’t maintain their winning ways as they went down 24-18 to their Connacht opponents.

UCD got off to a bad start by giving away a penalty in front of the post in their own twenty-two, which Jack Carthy stuck over for the home team. Things went from bad to worse for the away team as they fell off tackles in midfield to allow Carthy to break away and slip it to Denis Buckley, who powered under the posts from 5 metres out. UCD were 10-0 down after Carthy’s conversion.

Poor kicking was a feature of UCD’s play in the first half, as Earls failed to find touch on several occasions, as well as fullback Michael Twomey having two kicks blocked down.

Earls got UCD on the scoreboard in the seventeenth minute after Buccaneers went off their feet, but after poor hands coming out of defence, Buccaneers turned the ball over before spreading it wide where players were lined up to finish the ball. Denis Buckley dived over in the corner for his second, but Carthy was off target from the conversation.

UCD got their first real attack of the

With an ageing squad, we look at the future of Irish rugby

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three-pointers while relying on Thompson to do the dirty work for them under the net and capture any shots that missed the mark. It was when this tactic began to fail that UCD clawed their way back into the game.

By the end of the third quarter the students were only a point behind and looked to have all the momentum. Neptune’s shooting faltered and Thompson was all they had in terms of an inside game. UCD began to frustrate the American, who became visibly aggravated as time went by. Luckily for the visitors, they regained their clinical shooting from the arch and looked to close out the game.

Their fans and their entertaining new mascot, who paraded the stands of the Sports Centre, lifted the home side as they mounted a comeback. It proved to be too little to late, as their opponents killed off the threat with their consistent shooting. The result ended in a ten point victory for Neptune at 75-85.

UCD then travelled to Belfast to take on Belfast Star. Off the back of two defeats, they needed a win to get their season on track and duly delivered.

Daniel James and Donnie Stith both finished the game with nineteen points.

UCD bossed the opening exchanges, going into the half-time break five points up with the score at 34-39.

UCD never looked like taking their foot off the pedal and though Star controlled the game in patches, led by the impressive Scott Summersgill who also finished with nineteen points, they were no match for UCD, who won 64-72.

Mixed start to the season for Collidge UCD

INSIDE...

UCD

page 21 The Badger on why darts is nothing but a load of bullseyes

page 22

With the end of the soccer season in sight, we talk to Martin Russell

page 22

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game in the twenty-fourth minute but the ball was knocked on in the Bucs’ twenty-two, as UCD were once again poor in the contact zone. Bucs looked to use their superior scrum as an attacking platform as Collidge gave away a free kick directly from a scrum. A grubber kick down the wing was latched onto

by Twomley, who was isolated and lost the ball. Another quick grubber kick into the try zone was jumped on by Paul Harte, to make it 20-3 at half time after Carthy missed another conversion.

The game looked to be over but just two minutes later, after Carthy’s upand-under was dealt with well by UCD, Tom Fletcher found space and brilliantly avoided several tackles to touch down in the corner, to bring Collidge back into the game at 20-8 after Earls failed with the conversion.

UCD started the second half brightly with James Thornton on for Earls at half-time, scoring a magnificent penalty from the ten-metre line in the forty-second minute, and landing a second penalty eight minutes later after Bucs didn’t roll away.

Collidge went within three points of their opponents after Gareth Halligan slowed the ball illegally, resulting in a

yellow card for the hooker and another three points for UCD. They dominated the set plays from there, winning a penalty and a free kick from scrums, as well as pillaging several line-outs throughout the game.

Sam Coghlan-Murray almost put UCD into the lead after good work from the pack gave Collidge clean ball, which released Coughlan-Murray but the winger went into contact when he probably should have kicked, and was put into touch.

This was UCD’s last real attack of the game as Bucs counter-attacked, eventually winning a penalty which was scored once again by Carthy. UCD won two penalties late in the game but were so deep in their own half that they couldn’t make anything of them, as the game finished 23-17.

With two away losses and a home win, UCD sit in eighth place in the league, but are improving since their loss to Dungannon. Their second half performance in Dunbarry Park was impressive and were it not for the exquisite kicking of Bucs’ fly-half James Carthy, they probably would have won the match.

by Daniel Keenan and Aaron Kennedy