College Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 2

COLLEGE TRIBUNE CELEBRATING 25 VOLUMES

Volume XXV 27th September 2011

Issue 2

INDEPENDENT STUDENT MEDIA SINCE 1989

David O’Doherty talks to

Abortion Debate

collegetribune.ie How does unemployment affect your mental health?

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Sinn Féin exclusion causes troubles LISA GORRY

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embers of Ógra Sinn Féin staged a protest at the main gates of the university this week against their lack of representation in this year’s Freshers’ Tent. The party, which won 14 seats in February’s general election, has no official society recognized by the college.

Chair of the Sinn Féin Party in UCD, Simon MacGiolla Easpaig, told the College Tribune that this protest was all about seeking society status for Sinn Fein in UCD. “What we believe in is that the students have a right to a wide range of representation on campus”.

MacGiolla Easpaig also commented that the application was not to be reviewed in time for Freshers’ Week, leaving the party at a disadvantage compared to other political organisations.

“The process for official society recognition started last

November, when I [MacGiolla Easpaig] approached the various bodies dealing with Freshers’ Week and societies in UCD. Since then there’s been a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with trying to get documents together.” The party had assembled the relevant documentation by late July, however the group was informed that there would be a moratorium on the financing and resourcing of new societies The Recognition Committee, which reviews applications for society status, will not meet until sometime during term to review the party’s case. “Basically, we had no official society status and so couldn’t be present in the Fresher’s Tent this year.

Now what we’re saying is that in a situation where Fresher’s is at the beginning of term, the Recognitions Committee should have the Continues on page 3

Cillain Ó Maolmhuaidh, Simon MacGiolla Easpaig, Thomas Forde, Aaron MacDaid outside campus last Monday

USI “fires warning shot” at government

Redmond “not ruling out” another march DONIE O’SULLIVAN

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he Union of Students in Ireland are set to launch a “seven step” campaign in the run up to December’s budget that could see another mass student protest similar to last November’s “Education not Emigration” march.

Gary Redmond, President of the Union of Students in Ireland, told the College Tribune that a “large scale event” will take place if the Labour Party do not publicly agree to honour promises they made to students.

Labour pledged to freeze the student contribution at its current level and to oppose any cuts to the grant or the student assistance fund in the run up to the general

election last February.

“We are launching an escalating campaign that has seven different steps, each one gaining in seriousness and how much it affects the TDs, it will start with lobbying and work up all the way through various stages. The final stages haven’t fully been decided yet,” Redmond said.

The first stages of the campaign will involve the USI and Students’ Unions

across the country lobbying individual TDs and the creation of a website, similar to Tell-your-TD.com, whereby students can contact their public representatives directly.

Contined on page 2

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NEWS

News in Brief PETER HAMILTON CD begins school of architecture centenary celebrations UCD school of architecture has begun its centenary celebrations with the opening of a commemorative art installation at its school in Richview. The art installation is comprised of 2,000 colored marmoleum tiles each with the name of a student who has graduated from the school. The minister for education and skills, Ruairí Quinn TD, himself a graduate of the school of architecture, was present at the opening and added his name to the art installation. The installation was both designed and constructed by current students and can be seen suspended from the ceiling in the red room at Richview. Other celebratory events and projects will continue throughout the year.

UCD students and graduates help Dublin win the Sam Maguire.

The All-Ireland senior football final-winning Dublin side that collected the Sam Maguire last Sunday contained a number of UCD students and recent graduates. Rory O’Carroll (3rd Arts) played alongside former UCD men Michael Fitzsimons, Cian O’Sullivan, Michael Dara McAuley, Alan Brogan and Barry Cahill. UCD’s Gaeilic games Executive, David Billings, said “as a Dub and a UCD man I am thrilled that the Sam Maguire is back in the capital.” Other UCD students and Alumni who were on the squad were Colm Murphy, Craig Dias, Michael Savage and Paul Griffin. Dublin last won the Sam Maguire was in 1995.

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COLLEGE TRIBUNE 27th September September 2011 2011 27th

‘Run for class rep’ video causes controversy Tribune SOPHIE KELLY

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rendan Lacey, Campaigns and Communications Officer for the UCD Students’ Union has come under fire for his ‘Run for Class Rep in UCD’ promotional video. The video, posted on the September 15th, has reached nearly 3,000 views.

The video features Lacey dressed as a stereotypical ‘nerd’ being ignored and laughed at in various UCD locations while attempting to socialise with his classmates.

Lacey tells students they ‘don’t want him’ to be their Class Rep and need to get involved themselves. As Class Rep the student sits on the Union council as a representative for their constituency, as well as organising parties, trips and activities for their class.

The Students’ Union sees Class Reps as central to helping students feel integrated into university life. When questioned about the importance of integration in UCD, Lacey told the College Tribune “In a college of 24,000 students integration should be a top priority so students do not feel alone or isolated during their time here and instead live college to the full.”

Lacey’s video has had both positive and negative reactions from students. For

USI “fires warning shot” at government Continued from front Although Mr. Redmond would not confirm a public demonstration would definitely take place he did say the USI “are not ruling anything in or out.”

“We hope to never get to stage seven but if the government refuse to rule out raising student fees we’ll be forced to.”

Asked by the College Tribune if USI would consider using direct action to achieve their objectives Redmond said, “I won’t rule anything out. USI has participated in direct action in the past.”

“If any direct action were to take place, I’m absolutely not ruling it out, it would have to be in a controlled manner and that there would be no risk of injury to innocent students or members of the public.”

Redmond has spoken to Education Minister Ruairí Quinn on several occasions since the general election and said “I think the com-

some the video has raised questions about the inclusiveness of the union while for others the video is light hearted fun.

Posting on Facebook, one student asked “But isn’t this video just a form of bullying?

Making fun of people who find it hard to fit in. I think it encourages a bad sort of behaviour towards people who are a bit awkward and less socially developed”.

However, another student replied “no its [sic] just a laugh”.

Aoife, a second year arts student had a mixed reaction to the video telling the College Tribune “I found it funny at first but I think it also highlights just how cliquey the Union is.”

The UCDSU has been plagued with similar accusations in the past and the video raises the question of how inclusive and accepting

ment he made to me at the last meeting was that he was hopeful that he could freeze fees at the level they are at.”

Redmond said he would expect to know the Government’s position on education by mid to late October.

If the Labour Party’s pledge to students is not reaffirmed by then, USI will progress to the further stages of the campaign.

The “Education not Emigration” demonstration which took place on 3rd November last descended into chaos when some protestors broke away from the official route and staged a sit down protest at the Department of Finance building on Merrion Row. The Garda Riot Squad were deployed to deal with the situation and several students and Gardaí were injured.

Redmond added that if a march were to occur this winter he would hope to prevent the situation from getting out of hand, “If we were going to have a national demonstration we would have to put a contingency plan in place and also look at what we learned from last year.”

the Students’ union is.

When asked to comment on the inclusiveness of the Union Welfare Officer, Rachel Breslin told the College Tribune “This time last year I had no connection with the Students’ Union whatsoever and once I decided to get involved and help out with something I loved doing I felt instantly valued and I do think I am a testament to the inclusivity of the union - a completely unknown, quiet and shy 18 year old with no Union involvement can become a Sabbatical Officer in just 8months’’ All registered UCD students automatically become members of the Students’ Union. The Unions constitution lists its fundamental objectives in Article 2; one of these objectives is “To act as a representative body for its members and other persons registered as students of the

University.”

4th Year Science Student Ellynn commented “It’s our union yet most people I know wouldn’t even consider becoming involved because of how exclusive it is.” Lacey told the College Tribune that “we are trying very hard to find new ways to engage more with all students here in UCD.” Last year controversy also surrounded the Class Rep training when it was announced the Reps’ off campus training cost the union a total of €10,500. Lacey has promised in his officer manifesto to provide “more comprehensive training” to class reps ensuring they are “best equipped” to be reps.

It has not yet been made clear how Lacey will achieve this. Nominations for all constituencies closed last Friday and elections will be held on the 4th and 5th of October.

UCD ‘smart card’ set to launch CONOR FOX

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CD are set to roll out a new smart card, intended to be used to ease access to a number of campus services. Recently introduced in UCD, the UCard is being launched with the objective to have a common campus card which, according to the UCD website, will “serve the many current and future uses for cards in UCD.” All staff, new incoming students and students living in on-campus accommodation have been issued a UCard. Staff, Alumni and Students will receive unique versions, however for students the UCard resembles an ordinary student card.

There has not been an official time frame given by the university for when the UCard will be made available to all students.

The webpage states that it will be “rolled out to... students from September 2011.”

Lisa, a second year student,

stated that she’s “unsure of why a new card is needed or if [she] can use it yet.”

The card is linked to an UCard account in SIS web from where users are able to add money to their card and start using it for payments.

The card can be topped up with a credit or debit card with an upper limit of €100.

Excluding identification and attendance purposes, it gives access to appropriate UCD Residences as well as the libraries in UCD. It allows users to pay electronically for food in the Main Restaurant, laundry facilities in the Belgrove Soap Bar Laundry (although not the recently renovated facilities in Glenomena) and CopiPrint services on campus. Using your UCard to pay for purchases will, in some outlets, earn you loyalty UPoints which are converted into value for each Euro you spend. Discounts may also be available, for example, prices in the Belgrove Laundry are 10% cheaper when an UCard is used.

recieves McGrath imposter calls MATTHEW COSTELLO The College Tribune has received several phone calls from a private number as part of an apparent attempt to reveal the paper’s sources for the recent leak of Law Society emails. The anonymous caller, who identified himself as a respected RTÉ reporter in the conversations, asked for information about the paper’s acquisition of the series of emails which revealed the Society’s former auditor had made as-yet unfulfilled promises to secure a guest appearance from Hollywood star Martin Sheen.

Tribune co-editor Conor McKenna received two calls on Thursday September 15th, two days after the paper had appeared on campus carrying the exclusive.

“At about half five I got a call from somebody claiming to be called Pat McGrath. He said that they were interested in running a story as they missed out on one last year so they were interested in following it up.” McKenna did not have access to his laptop at the time and so asked if he could ring back later. The caller declined and said he would contact the coeditor later.

“I didn’t think anything of it. Later in the evening I’d heard nothing so I went for a walk.” While out, he received another call from the imposter who claimed to be from Morning Ireland.

Again he was asked about the source, specifically “whether it was sent deliberately or by accident”. Upon receiving a response the caller ended the conversation, saying he would be in touch.

“I got his address from RTÉ and sent Pat McGrath an email with a bit more information on the story.” Half an hour later, the real Pat McGrath called on an unblocked number. “There was a noticeable difference in accents. He said that he’d never heard of the story and that if I should hear from this person again I should let him know.”

McKenna claims the imposter “really pushed towards the source” and that the real McGrath “seemed to be” concerned about someone impersonating him.

No one from UCD Law Society was available for comment at the time of going to press.

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De Brún to “leave no stone unturned” in financial crisis response DONIE O’SULLIVAN

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at de Brún, President of UCD Students’ Union, is considering implementing n ew staff structures in the SU as part of a reform package that hopes the make the Union, and particularly its finances, more transparent.

Last week The University Observer revealed the SU were considering the possibility of taking out a loan when it emerged the student representative body had

found itself in debt.

The discovery was made in the absence of the SU Financial Administrator Dave Carmody who is currently on extended sick leave. The Financial Administrator is a university employee, permanently seconded to the SU, however, despite this, de Brún says “the financial administrator does not report to the university on the internal affairs of the Union.”

According to de Brún, “the role of financial administra-

tor is to oversee all financial affairs of the SU. The current financial administrator has also been financially responsible for both bars. This responsibility is separate from union work however as the union does not control the bars.”

Last month the Sunday Independent reported that external auditors had been called in to investigate the finances of the UCD Student Bar after it failed to publish accounts since 2004. One senior college source told the paper the failure to publish

accounts in seven years had caused “alarm bells to ring loudly.”

When asked by the College Tribune if Carmody was responsible for the current confusion regarding the state of the SU accounts, de Brún said “it would be inappropriate of me to comment on an employee who is on sick leave. Anyway, the current internal investigation into the accounts has yet to produce final results.”

De Brún, who has been

COLLEGE TRIBUNE very open and frank about the investigation, said “the number one priority is to stabilise the current financial situation and to implement new structures to ensure this never happens again.”

No sign of any current or former Union employees taking money illegally from the SU has emerged in the ongoing investigation. “The indications from our investigation is that there is no suggestion whatsoever of money being taken illegally.

It seems that any issues that arose have been due to inappropriate financial structures being in place.

However as I mentioned before, the investigation is not yet complete.”

Some have questioned how former SU Presidents like Paul Lynam, Gary Redmond and Aodan O Dea were seemingly unaware of any these financial problems. De Brún said “I cannot speak on behalf of any previous presidents,” but it is his “understanding that they were unaware of any financial problems.”

De Brún hopes to embark on a process of transparent comprehensive reform of the Union’s structures. He explained to the College Tribune, “I intend to incorporate the union as a company limited by guarantee. This move was approved by the Union Executive last Monday and work is progressing on it.

This move would mean that each year the SU would be legally obliged to produce externally audited accounts.”

“I would also intend to have a certain number of external directors who would come from financial and legal fields. This would ensure full financial accountability and stability. There are other moves which are still being considered such as implementing new staff structures.

I can’t go into that any more right now as no decisions

have yet been made there.

This is a long term project and certain aspects are down the line.”

Last year the College Tribune requested a copy of the full accounts of the SU however the paper was told on several occasions that the full accounts could not be made available as a significant amount of the information was “commercially sensitive.”

Some have pointed to this as a cause of the lack of transparency in the Union’s accounts as large bulks of income and expenditure cannot be published in full detail.

De Brún hopes to tackle this through reform, “Although not every detail has been ironed out yet, my intention is to leave no stone unturned in terms of our new financial structures. Every single student in UCD is a member of the SU and each student should have a right to see where their money is going.

“The only exception might be certain Ents events, as many contracts with artists contain non-disclosure clauses in relation to artists’ fees. It might however be possible to publish profit/loss figures for each event. Details like this will only be fully examined and decided upon down the line. I can say however that, wherever possible, every single aspect of the accounts will be published.”

Speaking to the College Tribune, Gary Redmond, UCDSU President 2009/10 said “the one thing I can categorically say is that for the whole time I was President theere wasn’t anything to intimate that the Union was in financial trouble.”

Redmond said at the end of his term he was advised by Dave Carmody, SU Financial Administrator that the Union was “financially sound and that it was not in any debt whatsoever.”

Sinn Féin exclusion causes troubles

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27th September 2011 NEWS

capabilities to meet before the term begins to review applications of new societies; that’s where we stand.”

Richard Butler, UCD Societies Officer, stated that, according to his records, “the society application paperwork from Sinn Fein was submitted in mid August 2011. The Recognition Committee has not yet met this academic year, and will meet later in the semester. This, and many other details, have already been communicated, on multiple occasions, to the applicants in this case. There is no possibility that the applicants are unclear about the details or timeframe of

was a party a few years ago and it was a recognised society, but it lapsed the year before last. We were pretty quick trying to get it recognised and do everything by the book; I expected to be joining an existing party.”

Thomas Forde, a supporter on the day and a second year student, expressed how he was “very disappointed that last year there wasn’t any Sinn Fein society. I know I’m not alone as a lot of people said it to me last year. I looked around and saw no stand in the Fresher’s Tent.

It leaves a big void, and I would like to see it filled.”

Lisa Connell of Young Labour said that they’d obviously like to see all political parties up at the Fresher’s Tent, “especially Sinn Fein as they’re a big party gain-

the process.”

Vice-chair of Sinn Féin in UCD, Aaron MacDaid, has called for reform in the application process. “I started a PhD about two and a half years ago, and maybe 12 months ago I sent an email to a few people [in UCD] assuming that there was a Sinn Féin organisation; we met regularly at the start, every couple of weeks, and Simon in particular was following up the procedures and getting everything in place; I was under the impression that we were told by the authorities that if we get these signatures we will be a party, but it seems the rules weren’t fully communicated to us.”

MacDaid continued, “There

ing force in Ireland, and they have got a Presidential candidate running”.

Kieran Cawley of Young Fine Gael expressed disappointment that Sinn Fein were without a stand this year, but conceded that “the powers that be in UCD decide and sure, whatever decision they make, that’s it”.

This view was echoed by Greg Moroney, of Ógra Fianna Fail. “At the end of the day it’s down to individual committees getting their own headquarters to organize the actual making sure they’re allowed be on campus; I suppose you have to respect UCD’s policy and if you don’t abide by that you can’t expect to be set up on campus.”

Continued from front

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NEWS

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COLLEGE TRIBUNE 27th September September 2011 2011 27th

Davies execution raises international criticism FRANCES IVENS

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n the 21st September 2011, the American State of Georgia executed Troy Davis. Davis died protesting his innocence, supported by international condemnation of the trial process under which he was found guilty of murder.

In 1991 Davis was found guilty by jury of fatally shooting off duty police officer Mark Allen McPhail in 1989.

McPhail was shot twice whilst trying to placate a disturbance in a Burger king car park. Four days later Davis surrendered himself for investigation but insisted he was innocent.

During twenty years on death row Davis’ execution was stayed three times, just hours before it was due to happen. In 2004 the defence filed petitions claiming key prosecution witnesses had recanted their original testimony. They claimed seven out of the nine witnesses admitted their statements were untrue or fabricated, and that they had been threatened or

pressured by the police when statements were given. One witness signed his statement but was later found to be illiterate.

In 2009 the US Supreme court ordered a federal judge to hear new evidence in favour of innocence. Professor Wilkes of Georgia University believes Davis’ attorneys made a fatal error at this point, namely failing to subpoena Sylvester Coles, a man other witnesses said was present on the night of the shooting.

As a result of this failure, the presiding judge refused to hear evidence of other witnesses who identified Coles as the killer. Davis therefore was not held to have successfully establish his innocence as required, a test condemned by Amnesty International, and his conviction was upheld, significant doubts over the reliability of evidence outstanding.

2004 onwards saw increasing international outcry against the management of Davis’ case, including per-

sonal appeals by the Pope and former President Jimmy Carter. Amnesty International, who see capital punishment as being “oppressive” and within the remit of ‘inhumane and degrading treatment’, campaigned on behalf of Davis for the past ten years. Last week Amnesty sent a petition containing over one million signatures to the body who had the power to withhold the execution, Georgia State Pardon and Parole Board.

An appeal made to the board by Davis’ attorneys was rejected on September 20th 2011, along with a request for a polygraph test, a response declared by some as ‘routine’.

In the week leading up to the execution Amnesty held rallies, including one in O’Connell Street, Dublin where campaigners, dressed in t-shirts bearing the slogan ‘I am Troy Davis’, worked to gain signatures. For Amnesty International Ireland the campaign for Troy Davis has personal significance, in 2010 Troy’s sister Martina

spoke in Dublin at the AGM. On the night of the 21st September a vigil was held at the Unitarian Church on St Stephen’s Green, beginning fifteen minutes before the scheduled execution time.

At midnight GMT Davis’ attorneys announced that the US Supreme court had placed a temporary delay whilst they considered the appeal. After four hours of deliberation the appeal was rejected. At 11.08pm local time in front of the McPhail family, Davis was pronounced dead - fifteen minutes after the administration of the lethal injection.

Pleading his innocence until the end Davis asked those present to ‘look deeper into his case to find the truth, and asked God to have mercy on the soul of his executioners’.

For those who have supported the contention that there was reasonable doubt in Davis’ case and who worked hard to get his voice heard, his execution was “devastating”. Words spoken at the vigil on the night of the

21st served to highlight how personal the fight had become. Their message echoed Troy Davis statement to Amnesty International the day before his execution.

UCD ratings slide SHANE SCOTT

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his year UCD has continued to fall in the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings.

UCD is ranked as 134 in the league tables; a fall from last year’s ranking of 114. In 2009 UCD was at number 89.

The trend has been followed by the majority of Irish Universities, with Trinity College falling from 52 last year, to 65 this year. NUI Galway has also dropped from 232 to 298. University of Limerick is stagnant at between 451-500, and NUI

Maynooth has fallen hugely from 401 to between 501550.

Both UCC and DCU are up slightly, improving from 184 to 180, and 330 to 326, respectively.

The QS World University Rankings receive significant coverage in many national and international newspapers and media channels, and is published annually between September and October. It is a world renowned university rankings system, and the implications of sliding down the table are serious.

So how are the QS rankings decided?

Our academic reputation counts for 40% of our grade.

Our “reputation” is ascertained from a global survey of 33,744 academics, who give their opinion on other universities.

20% is based on citations per faculty, as in how many papers our professors have published. A further 20% is awarded on the basis of faculty-student ratio, which is supposed to be an indication of teaching quality.

Only 10% comes from our employer reputation.

This takes into account the employability of graduates, using data obtained from a global survey of 16,785 employers.

The proportion of international students and the international faculty within the university are considered just as important as the employability of our graduates, and therefore also make up 10% of our grade. The more international students we have, the better our university is considered to be.

With regards to the academic community’s opinion, we were ranked at 159, well behind Trinity at 81, but ahead of UCC at 217. The fact that UCD is low in this category indicates that UCD’s reputation among the academic community is falling.

This may have an impact on the calibre of academic staff that UCD will be able to attract to the university in the future, and also our ability to retain top academics already in our employ.

UCD performed particularly poorly in the facultystudent ratio category, coming in last of all ranked Irish universities, at 232. DIT (163), Trinity (193), and NUI Galway (219) all placed ahead of UCD in this section. This can, in part, be explained by the 6% staff cut from December 2008 to December 2010.

All Irish universities were subject to this measure, and there is to be another cut of 2% in staff imposed until 2014, under the Employment Control Framework of the HEA. UCD’s standing in the academic world is therefore

suffering from a government policy of an increase in students, alongside a decrease in both staff and budget.

QS accepts that the faculty-student ratio is not an entirely satisfying way to measure teacher quality, but states that, “it speaks to the notion of commitment to teaching”, which they claim, “ought to correlate strongly, if not entirely, with the level of teaching quality”.

UCD, alongside every other Irish university, has also performed poorly in the citations per faculty section.

Trinity, at 220, is the only ranked Irish university. This indicates a lack of substantial research being undertaken by the academics of UCD and the rest of the Irish universities in comparison to other universities around the world.

In terms of the employability of graduates, UCD performed well, being placed at 51 alongside Trinity.

UCD performed the best of all the Irish universities in the international students category, which is related to

“The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davis’ who came before me and all the ones who will come after me.”

the amount of international students within the university. We have a ranking of 57, ahead of Trinity at 94. However this category has come under the most criticism, due to some academics arguing that the rate of international students does not indicate anything as to the quality of the institution they attend.

UCD also excelled in the international faculty section, which is based on the proportion of faculty members that are internationally based.

We are placed at 54, although behind Trinity at 29.

Most Irish universities performed well in this section, with six (TCD, UCD, NUIG, UCC, DCU, and University of Limerick) being placed in the top 100. The international faculty category serves as a strong measure of institutions with advanced international communications, and demonstrates a university’s international prestige.

Dropping in the QS rankings for two years straight, UCD’s competitive position is on thin ice. If UCD continue to slip down the rankings they will struggle to attract, and even retain, high calibre academic staff with international research reputations, which may, in itself, propel further descent in the University rankings.

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COLLEGE TRIBUNE

Survey shows UCD pro-choice UCD student poll shows referendum desired TIMOTHY POTENZ A College Tribune student poll has revealed that UCD students are pro-choice and think that there should be a referendum on abortion.

78% of the students polled are pro-choice, while an overwhelming 85% believe that a referendum is necessary.

The poll was taken to coincide with last week’s congregation of the European Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg. The Committee found that Ireland’s current abortion laws place women in danger of “a clear violation of their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.”

The Committee met in response to Ireland’s lack of action in the aftermath of the A,B, and C Case in December 2010. Three Irish

If there was a referendum how would you vote?

Don’t Know

5%

Pro Life 17%

Pro Choice 78%

women were denied abortion in Ireland, despite their health having been threatened by their pregnancies.

They took their case to the European Court of Human Rights and claimed that Ireland’s constitution, which provides “equal right to life of the woman” should have guaranteed them rights to an abortion due to their health concerns.

The Court ruled unanimously that Ireland’s failure to implement the existing constitutional right to a lawful abortion in Ireland when a woman’s life is at risk violates Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court unanimously found that Ireland’s abortion law violates women’s human rights and that Ireland must make life-saving abortion services available.

Now, ten months since this ruling, Ireland has made no moves to implement the Court’s decision. The Committee of Ministers last Wednesday announced they were “taking a firm line to ensure the ruling is now implemented” in order to guarantee that abortion is available to those women whose health is threatened by pregnancy.

Does UCD believe this is enough? According to this College Tribune poll, we don’t.

“To allow people to have their say I think we should have a referendum,” says Daniel Kieran, a 2nd Year Arts student.

Should there be a referendum?

27th September 2011

NO

15%

YES 15%

Changing the status of abortion would involve time and expense. The status of abortion is determined by our constitution. The decisions made by the Committee of Ministers is simply for the Irish government to implement the existing constitutional laws, namely to ensure the right to life of the mother is guaranteed when pregnancy threatens her well-being.

To actually change the constitution and legalise abortion would require a referendum. This would involve an information campaign and voting facilities being set up.

“As a women in her twenties,” says 2nd year Arts student Sarah Cumiskey, “I do feel that abortion should be legalized. We’re a 21st century modern state, we should be allowed the choice.”

The issue of modernity is ever-present with abortion.

While conducting this poll, this journalist noticed repeated comments about our laws such as “backwards” “behind” and “primitive.”

Irish society has changed extensively since the last major referendum on abortion, which was held on the 7th of September, 1983.

Since then, sexual freedom has proliferated. Attitudes to pre-marital sex have transformed, contraception

has become legal, the morning after pill has become cheap, and government funded consultation agencies such ThinkContraception are widely available.

Religious affiliations have also dropped greatly in that time. Calls have recently been made in UCD for funding to be taken away from the Chaplaincy, which was described by some students as a “waste of space.”

However, the Newman Society, a Christian student group in UCD, do not think that the rise in pro-choice attitudes is a knock-on effect of the drop in faith.

“I don’t think [the abortion issue] is necessarily tied to any particular faith,” said a spokesperson from the society. “I don’t think anyone has to be particularly faithful to have a viewpoint one way or the other.”

Asked why they believed 78% of UCD students are pro-choice, the spokesperson offered that “the amount of liberal viewpoints in the world is, at least in my perspective, in part due to a lack of desire to take responsibility for actions and consequences. I think the introduction of abortion would take away some of the consequences of sexual activity.”

Topics of sexuality were

Palestine’s bid for statehood ROISIN CARLOS

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alestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has formally asked the United Nations to recognise a Palestinian state, claiming that the Palestinian people are entitled to their own ‘Arab Spring.’

This unprecedented bid to the UN for the recognition of a Palestinian state on land occupied by Israel since 1967 comes after nearly two decades of failed peace talks. Israeli Prime minister

Binyamin Netanyahu has responded by stating that the Palestinians should “first make their peace with Israel and then get their state.”

Previous peace attempts included the 1993 Oslo peace accords and in March 2010 US attempts were made to launch “proximity talks” between Israelis and Palestinians when Israel announced the authorization of 6,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem, adding to the growing Jewish Settlements on land declared illegal by the International Court of Jus-

tice. More recently, in May of this year, Obama attempted to reopen negotiations by calling for an independent Palestinian state based on pre 1967 borders where the establishment Israeli settlements must be uprooted or compensated. While this brought Palestinian authorities back to the negotiation table, Israel rejected the terms of the negotiations, claiming that these new borders would be indefensible when Palestinian Hamas still do not recognise the Israeli state.

The state of Israel was first founded following the First World War, when the 1917 Balfour Agreement saw the establishment of British Mandate Palestine as a national home for the displaced Jewish people. Subsequently, some hundred thousand Jewish people emigrated by 1922, making the Jewish population grow by more than 11%. The next fifteen years saw more than 300,000 more emigrants.

Eventually the displaced Jewish population post World War Two led to Jew-

NEWS

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first liberalised in 1978 with the debate over the sale of contraception for marital couples. Since 1980, the amount of women traveling abroad for an abortion rose nearly every year steadily from 1980 until 2001 when it peaked at 6,673. In the last three decades, at least 147,912 women have traveled abroad for safe abortion services, according to statistics on the Irish Family Planning Association’s website.

The average cost of abortion in England is €670, not including flights.

“It is acknowledged that traveling overseas for an abortion is a burden both financially and psychologically,” an IFPA representative told the College Tribune.

“Women may sometimes feel criminalised in their own country.”

The psychological burden of abortion has gained increasing attention in recent years. In 2004 and 2006 two separate studies were done in America and New Zealand, respectively. Collecting information from over 50,000 women between them, the studies showed post-abortion syndrome, whereby women become clinically depressed after having an abortion, is a real condition that affects 42% of women who have abortions.

According to their website, the IFPA hold the opinion that rights to health, life, privacy, non-discrimination and to be free from cruel and degrading treatment are “unacceptably infringed” by Irish law. The website follows on to say that “the IFPA believes that abortion is an intimate aspect of private life.”

Through all the issues surrounding abortion- rights to life, to health, to non-discrimination, to freedom from cruel treatment, to travel, to information and so on- one issue is peculiar: the right to privacy.

In our student poll, the College Tribune asked students “would you ever have an abortion or consent to your partner having one?”

31.5% of respondents said No, and a further 26% said they did not know. Out of the pro-choice respondents, 45% would not get an abortion or do not know if they would ever do so.

“I don’t know whether I could ever do such a thing, but I wouldn’t stop others from doing it,” says Graham Flynn, a 3rd Year student of Engineering.

In 1984, Anne Lovett was found dead after having attempted to give birth in private in a graveyard. In 1992, in the infamous X case, the Attorney General sought an injunction to prevent a girl from traveling to England to get an abortion.

In the space of 19 years, have we become a society that is willing to turn a blind eye to acts that we ourselves consider immoral?

The decision made by the European Committee of Ministers last week marks the most recent development for the status of abortion in Ireland. The question remains to be answered as to whether or not it will be the last.

ish people making up onethird of the country’s population, on 6% of the land. The discontented Arab population eventually broke out in violent protest, reciprocated by the Israeli population, which would continue for the next century.

Attempts at peace processes have grown out of the conflict but the fact remains that little progress has been made. UN membership and recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state would have a great impact as the UN is the overarching world body and source for authority on international law. However, despite the US’s great effort and involvement in attaining peace in the region, Obama

has dismissed Palestine’s latest bid to be recognised as a UN member state, calling the proposal a “distraction” to attaining long term peace in the Middle East. Other member states remain deeply divided on the issue.

Would you ever have an abortion or consent to your partner having an one?

Don’t Know

26%

NO

YES

42.5%

31.5%

Poll conducted by Timothy Potenz and Róisín Carlos

To complement this article the College Tribune has asked Cliona Campbell, a UCD student who served time in the Israeli Army, and Claudia Saba, a proPalestinian activist, to write their opinions on the subject.

Their pieces can be found at www.collegetribune.ie

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features@collegetribune.ie

COLLEGE TRIBUNE FEATURES 27th September 2011 2011 27th September

Talking Heads:

Should abortion be legalised in Ireland?

YES SINÉAD AHERN CHOICE IRELAND

I

first became involved in campaigning for women living in Ireland to have access to abortion services in 2007.

My involvement was spurred by hearing the stories of Irish women who had secretly crossed the Irish Sea to terminate their pregnancies. All of these stories were very different, but had one common theme: all of these women were trying to make the best decision they could in difficult circumstances.

Crisis Pregnancy and abortion are a reality in Ireland. A study by the ESRI in June of this year reported that a third of women experience a crisis pregnancy at some point in their lives. 12 women a day provide Irish addresses in abortion clinics in the UK. We have no idea how many women use false UK addresses for fear of the stigma back home.

Since the 1992 abortion referendums, we have allowed women the right to information on abortion and the right to travel. They access this service and we pretend not to know about it.

Meanwhile Irish women are less likely to access counselling and aftercare than women in the UK, and they terminate pregnancies late.

The so-called “pro-life” referendum hasn’t stopped crisis pregnancy or abortion from happening.

In fact, the number of Irish women accessing abortion services in the UK rose year on year following the in-

troduction of the 8th amendment and only began to fall with the establishment of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency.

Abortion is a reality and we can’t hide behind the UK any longer.

The 8th amendment, like me, is approaching its 30th birthday and over both my lifetime, and the lifetime of the amendment, Ireland has changed significantly. Just one of the changes is access to the internet.

Now, with the click of a button, women can order abortifacient drugs over the net - we don’t know what’s in them, or where they come from.

Women who take them are less likely to seek medical attention if something goes wrong. Irish customs seized over 1000 such drugs in 2010 alone.

We cannot allow a rise in backstreet abortions in this country. We cannot allow Irish women to join the 70,000 women a year estimated to die due to backstreet abortion.

In 2007, when I first became involved in the campaign, I remember getting a phone call from a journalist late one Sunday evening as I came out of the cinema.

He was asking me to comment on a story that was breaking: a story about a 17 year old girl, in the care of the state, pregnant with a much wanted child who found that the foetus she was carrying was not going to survive.

She wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but the state would not let her. Miss D, as this woman became known,

is just one of the many hard cases that have come before the courts as a direct result of our failure to grasp the issue of abortion and legislate for it.

The most famous of these cases is probably X, a young girl who was raped by a neighbour, fell pregnant and became suicidal as a result.

She was ordered by the High Court to remain in the state for 9 months to block her from having a termination.

The Supreme Court later ruled that she had the right to a termination in Ireland as her life was at risk. The state has since held two referenda seeking to overturn this verdict: both have failed.

More recently, “C”, a woman in remission from cancer who feared the pregnancy would cause her cancer to reoccur, brought her case before the European Court of Human Rights.

Ruling on C’s case earlier this year, the ECHR told Ireland that we cannot continue to have a situation where our Supreme Court and our Constitution say that where life is in jeopardy a woman has a right to an abortion, when in practice, they must travel or face a lengthy court battle.

There have been too many women, too many legal battles and too many referenda on this issue. The issue cannot be left anymore to judges presented with hard cases; we simply must legislate before any more such cases come before the court.

NO DR RUTH CULLEN PRO LIFE CAMPAIGN

T

he campaign for legal abortion achieved its aim in Britain with the introduction of the Abortion Act in 1967.

At the time, it was heralded by many as a tremendous breakthrough for women’s rights and the claim was made that access to abortion would lead to a situation where “every child would be a wanted child”.

Almost 45 years later, both claims have proven to be manifestly false. Most early studies of the effects of abortion on women were limited to the immediate post-abortion period. Now long-term studies are giving a clearer picture. One such study was published in 2008 in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

It is a 25-year longitudinal study that shows that women having an abortion have elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance-use disorders.

The main author of this study, Professor David Fergusson, admitted: “I’m prochoice but I’ve produced results which, if anything, favour a pro-life viewpoint”.

Professor Stuart Campbell, from King’s College School of Medicine in London, commented recently: “There is something deeply moving about the image of a baby cocooned inside the womb. At 11 weeks we can see them yawn, and even take steps. Understand-

ably, these incredible images have influenced the debate on abortion. I pioneered the 4-D scanning technique in the UK and it has certainly caused me to question my own opinions.”

Those campaigning for abortion to be made legal in Ireland are trying hard to create the impression that Ireland is obliged to legislate for abortion following the recent European court ruling in A, B and C v. Ireland.

It is important to note the judgment in no way forces Ireland to legalise abortion.

In fact, the judgment fully respects the entitlement of the Irish people to determine legal policy on protecting the lives of unborn children.

The suggestion that because of this country’s prolife ethos pregnant women are denied necessary medical treatments is simply not true.

In fact, Ireland is a world leader in safety for pregnant mothers. The latest UN report on the safety of mothers during pregnancy found that, of all 172 countries for which data are given, Ireland leads the world when it comes to safety for pregnant women.

Women are safer in Ireland when pregnant than in countries like Britain and Holland, which permit abortion on demand.

Given our record in maternal care, the question has to be asked, why are some people proposing to blur the time-honoured distinction between necessary medical treatments in pregnancy and the deliberate targeting of the baby in the womb with

the aim of ending its life?

In Britain, a total of 66 infants survived NHS abortion attempts in one year alone.

These findings were published in 2008 as part of the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health, commissioned by the UK Government.

Rather than dying during the abortion procedure as intended, the babies in question were able to breathe unaided. About half were alive for an hour, while one survived ten hours. None of the babies were resuscitated or given basic medical care.

This is the brutal reality of legal abortion that is rarely if ever discussed.

Groups such as Silent No More are starting to lift the veil of secrecy around the abortion industry, as women come forward to reveal the full horror of their abortion experiences.

It is helping to expose the hopelessly inadequate justifications offered by proabortion advocates for the routine taking of innocent human life.

The fundamental basis of our society and its laws must be rooted in the principle that every human life has intrinsic value irrespective of age, sex, health, race, creed or any other factor that differentiates one from another.

Proponents of abortion want the unborn child to be an exception to this rule.

Instead of introducing an abortion regime in Ireland, we need to work together to build a more welcoming society for expectant mothers and their unborn children.

7 Deposit protection scheme- good or bad news for students? Hayley Maher investigates the new scheme proposed by the USI. features@collegetribune.ie

F

inding accommodation has for many years been one of the most stressful aspects of starting or returning to college in UCD. However, this year seems to have been a particularly bad year, with many students struggling to find somewhere to live near campus.

Sarah Walsh, a second year neuroscience student, drove the 140 miles from Galway to Dublin to view a house having called the landlord minutes after he had put the house up on daft.ie, only to arrive in Dublin and be told the house was already gone. “I arrived at the house and the landlord did show me around because he knew I had come all the way from Galway, but at the end he confessed that he had gotten a phone call from students who could come and view the house straight away and he had given the house to them.”

It has been questioned whether the calls from the USI for the government to introduce the Deposit Protection Scheme, promised in the programme for govern-

ment, might have a knock-on effect on the willingness of landlords to rent to students.

The scheme is an attempt to protect students from socalled “crooked landlords” by changing the current system so that deposits to a state-run deposit protection scheme.

Similar reforms have been implemented in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, which has led to a great reduction in the number of tenants unfairly losing their deposits. Unfortunately, no research has been done to see if there is a link between the number of properties put up for rent and the introduction of these schemes.

A survey carried out amongst the main rental agencies in the vicinity of UCD reveals that that opinions of estate agents and the landlords they represent is mixed in relation to whether a deposit protection scheme would have a positive or negative effect on the ability of students to find accommodation. Some agents feel that it could potentially make it harder for students to find accommodation as it might

COLLEGE TRIBUNE

27th September 2011

add another layer of bureaucracy to the rental market and create a disincentive for landlords to rent to students.

Students would also have to deal with getting the first month’s rent to one party and ensuring at the same time that the deposit was paid to another party.

On the other hand, some agents support the introduction of a deposit protection scheme, seeing it as something that would be a positive step in the relationship between landlords and student

tenants as it would simplify the existing landlord tenant relationship and would ensure landlords would not have to deal with the hassle of keeping students’ deposits themselves.

Gary Redmond, President of the Union of Students in Ireland, feels that the introduction of the scheme will not have a negative effect on the ability of students to find accommodation as the scheme will apply to all tenants, not just to students.

“At the end of the day it will

FEATURES

be up to landlords who they want to rent to, but certainly with such a large stock of accommodation out there it’s a renters’ market and certainly students have far more choice than they had a number of years ago.”

On the 25th of August the USI organised a student campout outside the Department for the Environment, Community and Local Government to try and pressure the Minister, Phil Hogan, into introducing the scheme.

The response of the Govern-

ment seemed to be that it would look at the introduction of heavier fines and levies on landlords who fail to return deposits, rather than introducing the deposit protection scheme favoured by the USI. However, Redmond said that the USI had met with the special advisor to the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Willie Penrose, last week. “What has happened is the Department for the Environment has asked the PRTB to go away and come back with plans by the end of October on how the scheme can be implemented, and certainly it’s the opinion of the Government that it is in the Programme for Government and that they will be implementing the scheme.”

The USI President stated that already the USI had two and a half thousand signatures from students calling for the scheme to be introduced and that the petition would be handed to the Minister in the coming weeks to keep up the pressure. The USI hope to have the scheme up and running by September 2012.

Collecting concessions: what your cards do for you Conor Fox examines the many discount cards available to students

O

ne of the main benefits of being a student is attempting to use your student card to get discounts at any available opportunity. Along with your official University College Dublin Student card, concessions are available in certain outlets and services with a Student Travel Card and some of the numerous society cards.

UCD recently launched a new UCD campus smartcard called the UCARD. The objective of this card is “to put in place a common campus card to serve the many current and future uses for cards in UCD.” It allows for electronic payments for food in the Main Restaurant, a 10% discount for Belgrove Laundry and is also for use with CopiPrint services on campus.

All new incoming students and students in on-campus accommodation have re-

ceived their UCARD at this stage; the remaining student body will be issued the cards on a phased basis.

Your student identity card enables you to get discounts in a large number of outlets in Ireland, including popular fashion retailers such as Topshop and New Look, cinemas and theatres.

Bus Éireann will allow you to purchase a student ticket with a valid Student Card on the condition that there is a photograph of the user.

On the Bus Éireann website, they publish a list of universities and colleges within Ireland whose identity cards will be recognised by Bus Éireann for entitlement to student fares.

Thankfully, our hallowed halls are mentioned.

The Student Travel card is another option for students.

It costs €15 if it is applied for on campus during the first few weeks of Semester One.

According to www.studenttravelcard.ie, it gives holders “exclusive offers and discounts.” One of the main features of this particular card is that a discount is given to students on Irish Rail services. You are only

entitled to a student fare on Iarnród Éireann if you are registered for a valid Student Travel Card; a Student Card is not accepted. Similarly, for a student ticket on Luas or Dublin Bus services, a Student Travel Card is needed.

After surviving the Fresh-

ers’ Tent and lightening your wallet of multiple two euro coins, it’s time to organise your society cards and examine what discounts each society offers you.

When first year Law with French student Sorcha Cusack was asked by the College Tribune what she thought of the society discounts she stated that “the people who are pitching it ... are like ‘oh, we’ve great discounts!’ and

then I realised afterward that it was the exact same.”

It’s a common complaint from many first year students who are unaware of the similar discounts available from most societies, something that older students are familiar with.

According to the auditor of QSoc, “everybody goes to the same places and what’s popular.” Michelle Creann, UCD LGBT auditor, was emailed by someone from the Students’ Union to inform her that they could have a Dicey’s discount.

In relation to the other concessions that society offers, she emailed places and then rang them to follow through on their deal.

The more specialised societies aim to offer discounts within the theme of their particular society as noted by Diana, auditor for ItalianSoc. Their card is “mostly Italian themed.” Similarly DanceSoc is aiming to get dance schools as they feel it is important to “get something within your society.”

Students are told to join societies to get involved and meet people, but as a first year BCL pointed out, “the discounts are a bonus.”

The Literary and Historical Society are one of the biggest and most active societies on campus. Christine Simpson, the current auditor, agreed that the sixteen

concessions they offer are a big incentive to join. “People who have no interest in getting involved in the society still get their €2 back [if they] use anything on the card.”

For older students, this is not a huge issue. Gemma Mahon, a second year Animal Science student, commented that she wasn’t planning on joining societies to get concessions for nightclubs (a discount generally available on most society cards) as “you can just get cheap list online, you’ve all these cards and never use them.”

After the rush of first year, older students seem to be more prone to joining societies which they wish to be active in, rather than to get free pizza.

It’s well known that students are regularly broke and always on the hunt for a cheap option. The multiple cards available to students offer them regular opportunities for discounts, however the big disadvantage according to Deirdre Potenz, a first year student, is that “there’s so many [cards] that I don’t know which one they’re on.”

88

FEATURES

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COLLEGE TRIBUNE 27th September 2011

SlutWalk makes its way to Ireland Following the global success of SlutWalks to date, Fiona Daly investigates the decision of NUI Galway’s Students’ Union to introduce the controversial protest to Ireland.

“

My little black dress does not mean yes!” This was one of numerous posters fashioned by men and women in Toronto in April this year, following divisive remarks made by a Canadian police officer whilst at a safety forum.

Speaking to students in Osgoode Hall Law School, the officer in question said: “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised.” His comments went on to create global outrage, initiating the creation of Toronto’s first “SlutWalk.”

Since that protest, many countries have followed suit with a number of similar demonstrations carried out in England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, South Africa, Sweden, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United States. It is now being reported that Ireland will also take part, with NUI Galway’s Students’ Union set to host the country’s first SlutWalk.

The core purpose of the

event is to tackle the lack of understanding when dealing with sexual assault. Commenting to thejournal.ie, NUI Galway SU Equality Officer William O’Brien stated: “The idea of the SlutWalk is to challenge the idea that raping a girl ‘dressed as a slut’ is somehow less wrong, less of a crime or less punishable than other cases of rape.” Victims of sexual violence are never to blame for the acts of their perpetrators.

Nevertheless, “provocative clothing” is still being used as an attempted justification for assault.

Last February, a judge in Manitoba gave a two-year conditional sentence without jail time to a convicted rapist, claiming the victim’s suggestive clothing gave signals that “sex was in the air.”

By introducing the SlutWalk phenomenon to Ireland, all involved are hoping to abolish any prejudice still experienced by victims when dealing with the authorities and elsewhere. O’Brien con-

tinued: “The point is that society, the state and law enforcement should in no way regard appearance or dress as in the slightest bit relevent [sic] in cases of assault both sexual and non-sexual.”

The use of the word “slut” has caused much controversy in itself, with many airing concerns over the appropriateness of the protest’s concept. When defined, slut is classified as “a person, especially a woman, considered sexually promiscuous.”

Primarily aimed at women, the term is derogatory and insulting, leaving many cautious of embracing it. Writing to Colm Hayes’ radio show on RTE 2FM, one listener said: “We will always be judged on

the way we dress...to dress like a slut, and [a woman] can define this word however she wants, but to the world it means provocative and sends out the wrong message.”

Whilst part of the objective is to raise awareness and generate discussion, many are debating the negative undertone of the event, as opposed to the issue at hand

itself. Another caller to the show said: “I don’t see the point in it. We need to be valued for who we are, not for what we wear.” Nevertheless, creators of the demonstration have defended its controversial name, embracing the opportunity for societal change. “The intent behind the word is always to wound, so we’re taking it back. ‘Slut’ is being re-appropriated.”

Regardless of whether the concept for the event is deemed appropriate or otherwise, it is impossible to ignore the facts when discussing rape in Ireland. In 2009, Rape Crisis Network Ireland produced an account of the National Rape Crisis Statistics for that year. It was reported that only 38% of adult survivors reported sexual violence to the Gardaí, highlighting the distressing uncertainty faced by many when determining whether to inform the authorities.

Sexual assault is the only crime where the victim is made to feel like a criminal

throughout the trial, echoing many organisers’ reasoning for bringing the SlutWalk to Ireland. It was also reported that 89% of all perpetrators were known to victims, completely undermining the attempt of using “suggestive clothing” as an excuse. Taking to twitter, the Rape Crisis Network Ireland has affirmed its support of the event, stating: “Galway SlutWalk. Perpetrators make choices about rape, not their targets.”

SlutWalk Ireland will take place on October 5th, starting at NUIG at 1pm. No official route has yet been confirmed. With the event’s official Facebook page rapidly growing in support, much can be said about our society’s handling of sexual assault victims by the sheer desire for reform. Rape is not about sex, it is about a need for power and control. It is only through raising awareness of such facts that those enlisted to protect will fully learn to differentiate between a victim and a criminal.

question: is nationality sufficient to exercise one’s right to vote?

It could seem useless to have vote in a country where you pay no tax, aren’t represented by its parliament, or governed by its laws. Northern Irish taxpayers’ money isn’t going towards the President. Giving the vote to people who are not resident in the Republic and are completely immune to the consequences of their votes may prove to be of no benefit to the 5 million people who will have to live with the conse-

quences.

Claims have been made that once Irish emigrants head abroad they absorb more radical political views.

If they were to receive the vote, it could result in more liberal and thorough discussion, inclusion of emigrants’ views, and possibly an interesting result when the votes are counted. It is clear that in the 21st century we can either view Ireland as confined within the borders of its state, or as all of its citizens on the island of Ireland.

Putting the resident into President With the presidential race heating up, Dawn Lonergan looks at the controversial issue of presidential voting rights for Irish citizens residing in Northern Ireland.

W

ith the presidential election coming up, one can’t help but look at the requirement of being a resident in the Republic of Ireland to be able to vote. According to law, those not “ordinarily resident” in the Republic Ireland on 1 September in the year before the voting register comes into force cannot cast a ballot in Irish elections.

Off the bat, that excludes those living in Northern Ireland with Irish passports.

This includes our current President, Mary McAleese.

She was able to run for and be President, but for many years was unable to vote for that post. She will also be unable to cast her ballot in the Presidential election once she returns to reside in her native Belfast.

Many people believe that Irish citizens in Northern Ireland have the postal vote just like American citizens living abroad. However, Ire-

land is the only country in the EU and one of fifty in the world that does not allow citizens without a fixed residence in a constituency to vote.

A postal vote is one of the options already available in Ireland to those without a fixed constituency, for example students living at college during term time. In Northern Ireland’s case, an international constituency could be established. A list system could be created to allow them to vote for whichever candidate they wished in any constituency.

The symbolism of voting in your home country cannot be underestimated. The role of President McAleese is largely ceremonial; more symbolism could be added to it by allowing the vote to spread to Northern Ireland Voting below the border could be seen as an extension of the connection formalised between the Republic of Ire-

land and Northern Ireland in the Good Friday Agreement.

In that, citizens of Northern Ireland were given the choice between obtaining an Irish or British passport. A vote below the border could compliment that.

Sinn Féin are campaigning to extend the vote to Northern Irish citizens like President McAleese. Simon MacGiolla Easpaig, chairman of UCD Sinn Féin, believes that the time is ripe to extend the vote. “In the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement and the increasingly good communication relations, now is the time more than ever for the political institutions to reach out to the Northern Citizens who expect and are entitled to legal protection, and yet they have no representation.”

A UCD lecturer feels that there is still time for this to happen in the future. “Those born in NI are eligible for Irish or British citizenship.

Thus, they might be thought to have some claim on the vote...however, this has been accepted on both sides only since The Good Friday Agreement - which only came after Mary McAleese became president in 1997.”

At the same time, it could be said that allowing Irish citizens resident in Northern Ireland to vote could create a further schism and controversy between Republicans and Unionists. Currently, all citizens resident in the Northern Ireland are able to vote in British elections. If Irish citizens over the border were allowed to vote, could it lead to further alienation of political groups?

One might claim that Northern Ireland is a different country in itself, either as part of the country of Northern Ireland or as part of the United Kingdom, which should not be allowed to vote in a separate country to itself. This puts forward the

features@collegetribune.ie

COLLEGE TRIBUNE 27th27th September 20112011 September

HEALTH

9

The cost of unemployment Aoife Harrison examines how the recession is affecting our mental health

T

he recent economic downturn has been the cause of many a sleepless night for far too many of us, but are these sleepless nights more damaging than we realise?

Times have been tough for everyone financially – we’ve all been counting the pennies – but times of recession are also challenging for a nation’s mental health, as was noted in a paper recently published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists entitled Mental Health and the Economic Downturn.

Research shows that one in four people will experience a mental health problem during their lives and at any one point one in six is living with a common mental disorder. Even more interestingly, and perhaps more relevant in our current economic climate, is that several studies conducted over the last number of years have shown a correlation between unemployment and mental ill health.

This is hardly surprising, as unemployment invariably leads to financial difficulties, which can cause an increase in stress and anxiety levels.

One must also take into ac-

count the strain of providing for a family alongside repayment of loans, mortgages and other crippling debts, which for many is a constant source of worry and financial pressure.

As more and more people find themselves out of work, there may be an increased demand for mental health services, making it easy to believe McCrone et al when they say that “[t]he costs of mental illness are currently greater than the costs of crime and are projected to double over the next 20 years” in their article, Paying the Price: The Cost of Mental Health Care in England to 2026.

According to the Institute of Public Health in Ireland, men are more affected by mental ill health as a result of unemployment than women.

Is this an ego-related phenomenon or are men less able to cope with stress or anxiety than women?

Many men’s confidence is rooted in their job or career and unemployment, or even the prospect of unemployment, can cause earth-shattering effects to their selfesteem.

A large percentage of men

Ask Annie Anything Dear Annie, I’ve just moved into Res and my neighbour has taken to wandering the halls in his underwear, what should I do?

Confused Fresher.

Dear Fresher,

Confused

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of UCD. Is this young gentleman hot or does he remind you of one of the lads from The Inbetweeners? A little less “fittie”, a little more “football friend”?

If he’s one of those

Prince Charming types, don’t complain - enjoy the view! However, if he isn’t… well, let’s just say… ‘up to standard’, then by all means report him.

In any case, a vicious attack by swans, should you choose to invade their territory; a naked boy that runs around Res at night and the ducks that invade Merville are a few things that you are sure to experience this year.

Annie x You can Ask Annie Anything by sending an email to askannieanything@collegtribune.ie

interviewed as part of the IPH study acknowledged a dependency on, or over-use of alcohol or other drugs.

However, it is the significant rise in suicide rates that is causing mental health organisations and practitioners alike the most concern. According to the IPH, the rate of male suicide in the Republic of Ireland increased between 2009 and 2010. For

the 12 month period ended June 2009, there were 379 male suicides. This figure rose to 427 for the 12 month period ended June 2010.

Depression and suicide are of course the severest and most extreme of the effects of the economic recession on mental health.

Reduced household income and loss of work is also associated with a wider range

of effects, including poorer nutrition, less exercise, increased alcohol consumption and the increased likelihood of debt.

The report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists also states that the economic downturn is exposing more people to known risk factors for mental health problems, such as major life changes, poverty, unanticipated dis-

ruptions in income, and uncertain and increasingly stressful work environments, as well as unemployment, debt and financial strain.

These not only influence psychological well-being, but may also contribute to relationship strain, less leisure time for those in work, and less money to spend on healthier foods and leisure activities for those out of work.

Furthermore, although many people are suffering materially and psychologically due to becoming recently unemployed and the financial strain this has put them under; others are suffering from the fear that they may be next. The fear of losing one’s job and the fear and anxiety about the subsequent financial strain could be causing as much damage to your mental health as actual job loss.

Difficult though it may seem, it would appear we need to worry less about the possible future and focus on the here and now. With World Mental Health Day upon us on October 10, 2011, perhaps it’s about time we all took a little time to take care of our own mental health.

10 TRAVEL

features@collegetribune.ie

COLLEGE TRIBUNE 27th September 2011

La vita bella: teaching English in Italy Alice Morris recounts her summer spent teaching English in Italy

T

he Italians know how to eat, dress, write an opera, paint a masterpiece, sweet-talk, and above all, how to welcome a stranger. However, it could be argued that English is not one of their many passions.

This summer I spent seven weeks teaching English to boisterous Italian youths around the towns and cities of Northern Italy. I was sitting in my Italian language class when my tutor casually mentioned a summer she had spent travelling around Il bel Paese as a paid English language tutor in English camps. After a lengthy, but ultimately successful application process (which involved lesson plans and ultimately revealed how little I actually knew about the English language), I packed my bags and headed for Italy.

Sanremo, also known as the “town of flowers”, is one of the main tourist towns in the Italian Riviera, famous for its casino (which we ventured into briefly) and warm Mediterranean climate

(though it rained more than usual during our time there).

It is also where ACLE (Associazone Culturale Linguistica Educational) holds its orientation weeks for those wishing to work for them throughout Italy.

ACLE has been running for twenty-five years, with the enigmatic and inspiring Arrigo Speziali at its helm.

Arrigo himself gives all new tutors the opportunity to experience his vast knowledge first hand with a guided tour of Sanremo’s old town, followed by a delicious pesto lasagne in one of Sanremo’s oldest restaurants.

Orientation itself was an eclectic mixture of short lectures giving an insight into ACLE’s energetic approach to teaching Italian children a language, which many have come to associate with rote-learning, and reabsorbing songs and games that I hadn’t thought about in years.

My fellow tutors were as varied and exciting as my timetable. People from all

over the English speaking world: the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Great Britain, met in Sanremo. I found myself with a group of Canadians, two New Yorkers, a lad from Las Vegas and a girl from Pennsylvania, who I’m still in contact with.

Following orientation, you may or may not be put “on hold”. This means that due to a shortage of camps, there is no work for some tutors. The first week after Orientation I was put on hold in the small mountain town of Bairdo, with views over the French Alps and the Mediterranean Sea. Arrigo’s interests are varied and one of his other projects, apart from fundamentally changing the Italian education system, is the renovation and revival of Bairdo, whose population was decimated during an earthquake in 1887. We ate on long wooden tables in the shadow of the ruined church and shared wine and ghost stories by lamplight. We hiked, got caught in lightning storms and wondered where we would be the following week.

My first camp was in a large private school in the centre of Milan and my first host family were not as hospitable as I thought they would be. Instead of living with them as planned, I was moved into my own apartment. I couldn’t really complain. The first week of lessons was tough. The children were good-natured, but spoilt, and the camp director didn’t have a clue. At the weekend, I took a trip to see Milan’s impressive cathedral, the fourth largest in the world, and Castle Sforza, where you can see Michelangelo’s last sculpture.

My final two camps were

in the countryside outside Venice. My new host family were a home away from home. For the first camp in Musano, I had a class of thirteen year olds. Their English, unlike that of the Milanese children, was terrible. Beyond the words to popular songs and certain less than savoury expressions, they didn’t want to speak English - and who could blame them?

Up until then, English had never been fun. It took a lot of coaxing and the odd Italian word before they started to enjoy themselves, but by the end we put on our own version of Romeo and Juliet (where Juliet shoots Romeo

after he cheats on her with Beyonce and Keisha).

My time spent in Italy was the experience of a lifetime: a rare opportunity to travel, live the way the Italians live and work with such fun-loving people. Applying can be lengthy and you’ll need to set aside some time for filling in forms and getting references.

Be sure to emphasise any experience with children. Visit www.acle.org for more details.

I have a feeling you’ll learn a lot more than you teach.

Newman Fund Have you a great idea for an event on campus? Why not try the Newman Fund for funding? The Newman Fund is a sum of money arising from that part of the Student Registration Charge which the university allocates to support organised student activities. It is designed to fund activities which are organised by individuals or groups, other than the recognised clubs and societies in the University, whose aim is to improve student life on campus. Any individual or group of students may apply for financial support for their project. The Newman Fund is administered by a committee of the Student Consultative Forum.

Successful applications last year provided support for: Seachtain na Gaeilge The UCD Musical SigFest – a celebration of the Sigerson Cup centenary Rás UCD The Health Science Sports Blitz As there is still a substantial sum available to distribute, further applications are now invited for grants from the Fund for the current session. There is no standard format for applications but they should include full details of the applicants, the use to which any funds granted will be put and detailed costings. Applications for support in this session must be submitted by September 30th at 5.30pm to: Elizabeth Cronin, Student Consultative Forum, Student Centre, UCD or email to: Elizabeth.cronin@ ucd.ie

features@collegetribune.ie

COLLEGE TRIBUNE

Ich bin ein foreigner Aoife Nannery gives us a glimpse of her year in Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin

B

erlin does not possess the cohesive, harmonising beauty of other capitals. It’s not poised like London, polished like New York, or showy like Prague. The architecture jars sharply, with ugly, smutty apartment blocks hulking over medieval churches, and chunky yellow-Lego trains chugging under antique bridges.

Anything that has been destroyed, or removed, or simply disintegrated with wear and tear is simply built over. Anything that remains is built around.

The skeletal remains of a monastery in Klosterkirchestraße, built in 1250, glares at the massive television tower, Fernsehturm, across the street. Berlin never pretends to be anything other than what it is. It lacks any kind of pretension. Turning some of the ugliest parts of its history into some of its most popular attractions is one of its most endearing qualities.

A classic example of

this is the Sunday market in Mauerpark, the former no-man’s-land between the Berlin Wall and West Germany. Once an unwholesome gash through the heart of the city, it’s now a massive green swathe, with a mini, semicircular amphitheatre where people sing karaoke every Sunday to a crowd of surprisingly tolerant onlookers. I sat gobsmacked, listening as a few hundred people roared the words to ‘Everybody’ by the Backstreet Boys without missing a beat.

This effortless blending applies to the Einheimischen - the natives. Businessmen in immaculate suits casually roller-skate along the footpaths, talking seriously on their Blackberries while twirling like urban ballerinas. Dirty, scruffy looking metalheads sit on the grassy verges and eat expensive-looking sushi, armed with chopsticks and effortless grace. Then there are the students.

They have artfully ripped

clothes, bohemian bicycles and make having a ballpoint pen stuck through one’s ponytail look easy. The coolest thing I own is a pair of Converse with strawberries on them and I daren’t wear

Dublin, the tangled web of multicoloured train lines on my map reduces me to sitting like an idiot in a funny-smelling hole in the ground where the train comes, drawing a line from

them every day, in case they think I’m trying too hard. I stick out like a sore thumb here. I have yet to acquire a leather jacket and a bicycle.

Short of wearing a fannypack, nothing screams “tourist!” more.

After the half-hearted public transport system in

my current place to my destination like on one of those drawing mats given to kids in Eddie Rockets.

The Germans have enough manners not to laugh, but I get my fair share of sympathising looks.

The most impossible of all tasks, actually talking to

27th September 2011

the Einheimischen, carries with it the same terrors as a first day of school. After twice having my grammar corrected by bunches of haughty adolescents while looking for directions, I swear privately that my necessary grocery shopping is going to be carried out using only smiles and the occasional wavy hand signal.

A Dictaphone, bought for me as a going-away present by my Dad to record my lectures, needs AAA batteries, as does my Mp3 player. (Yes, those ancient forerunners to iPods still exist and I still have one.) It’s remarkable enough to earn me a few strange looks, even in areas of Berlin that still haven’t managed to break away from post-Communist chic.

I walk into the most nondescript shop that I can find and try and make myself also look as non-descript as possible as I poke around.

I do a slow lap and come to the front: there are the shiny packs of batteries, behind the counter. Not wanting to point like an idiot, I clear my throat a little and smile at the middle aged woman reading a newspaper. She smiles back dutifully, bids

TRAVEL

11

me a tired “Hallo” and goes back to reading some critique of a female member of the Bundestag, or city parliament, who has earned the ire of the city Mammas by going back to work a mere 10 weeks after having her baby.

Come on missus, help me out here. “Excuse me please,” I mutter to her,” could I have a pack of batteries?” “Sure, dear,” she shoots back in lightning-fast German, reaching behind her to grab the batteries, taking my shabby fiver and drawing out my change without looking up from her magazine. I stuff them triumphantly into my rucksack, delighted with myself. She peers up for a second and proclaims -with beautiful English and an accent straight from a BBC broadcast- “don’t worry dear, you’ll pick it up.”

Three weeks on, standing with both a bicycle and a leather jacket (neither of which were mine, unfortunately), someone asked me for directions.

Of course I didn’t have the faintest clue where to point them to, but I was happy enough to give them my scribbly map.

A foodie’s guide to the Pacific Coast Highway Alissa Karpick recommends the best places to eat along one of America’s most famous roads.

A

n exhilarating driving experience, few roads in the world have as much to offer as the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).

Stretching south from northern California to Orange County, the most well travelled route is the 450 miles between LA and San Francisco. While there are other methods of travelling along this breath-taking route, driving is the hands down the best option. Though if you have thighs of steel, then walking or cycling are also options.

Onwards and upwards out of LA, heading north on the PCH, wave as you bypass Calabasas - home to the famous Kardashian family and star-studded Malibu. Approximately one hour later, you will arrive in Santa Barbara, a Spanish-influenced beach town, complete with views of some of the US’ finest oil derricks. Little organic food shops compete with bustling bars and Mexican restaurants for window space along Santa Barbara’s main street. Grab a coffee and an ice cream and stroll

along the beach for one of those “Woohoo - I’m in California!” moments.

Leaving Santa Barbara there are two options. The first is to head up to the mountains and straight into the clouds for a night in Lompoc. It’s an excellent opportunity to experience the 24-hour American diner first-hand (tip: go for the peach cobbler in Carrow’s).

The second option involves going into the mountains and deviating from the PCH to visit the Danish town of Solvang.

Packed to the brim with charming little bakeries and shops full of quaint k n i c k k n a c k s , Solvang is an extremely surreal but worthwhile experience.

Next is the small surfing town of Pismo Beach.

Breakfast is a must at the Old West Cinnamon Rolls bakery, which usually has queues out the door for their freshly baked rolls and coffee (it’s possibly the only place in America Starbucks hasn’t found yet).

The next stop, San Luis Obispo, has very few tourist attractions. However, even if you don’t consider

yourself a foodie you’re in for a treat, because the city hosts possibly the best farmers’ market in America. The weekly Thursday night market draws every award winning produce shop, rib house and performing music group to the main street for four hours of non-stop eating and entertainment. Roasted corn on the cob, fresh apple cider and hand-picked strawberries are just a sample of

some of the culinary delights on offer; although the best find has to be the authentic saloon-inspired BBQ restaurant F. McLintock’s.

Northwards on the PCH towards Monterey, the long and winding drive along the cliff side can be quite nervewracking; however, it is also home to some of the most amazing scenery America has to offer. While I wouldn’t recommend skipping this section, the inland equivalent along Highway 101 brings you into John Steinback’s world of blazing hot sun and farming life, complete with numerous places to stop and pick up huge punnets of the best strawberries for about seven euro. Monterey is worth visiting for their world famous aquarium alone. It also boasts some of the best humpback whale watching, but a full day should not be devoted to this town alone when San Francisco is just an hour away.

Home to all things wacky and wonderful, San Francisco is one of the great American cities and certainly one of the most picturesque. As is usual for a city of its calibre, there is already an obvi-

ous must-see list - but what isn’t on that list is the food.

San Francisco is home to so many restaurants that it would be impossible to sample them all.

At the Ferry Building, wander through the overpriced farmers’ market before heading down towards Fisherman’s Wharf. Here you will find the mouth-watering Boudin’s Bakery, the original home of sourdough.

If you survive the walk up to Lombard St. (the most crooked street in America), reward yourself by taking a stroll into Little Italy- San Francisco’s famed Italian quarter. For a light lunch, try some bruschetta and a cannoli for dessert; it’s quite a memorable experience.

On your last night in this culturally diverse city, I recommend paying a visit to my favourite all-American restaurant: the Cheesecake Factory. This restaurant sits atop Macy’s, overlooking the whole of San Francisco. If you don’t try one of the 40 cheesecakes on offer, you’ll be missing out on one of the greatest culinary indulgences of your life.

INSIDE Norris says “Up the ARAS” Dana sextape: All kinds of everything inside her Martin McGuiness deals with a snitch. Northern Ireland win Quidditch world cup.

Slut walk disappears amongst the UCD masses.

It’s Satire, STUPID!

For a better Ireland

S

enator David Norris is edging closer to the Áras, despite fears that his bid to get on the ballot paper would be defenestrated. While former IRA member Martin McGuiness faces down criticism from Justice Minister Alan Shatter who believes it would be inappropriate for him to head the Irish Armed Forces.

In the face of such turmoil, the Turbine believes that it is our political duty to weigh in on the upcoming election; lending our support to the candidate we feel can best meet Irelands needs at this turbulent time. This candidate is, of course, the illus-

trious and ever God-fearing Dana Rosemary Scallon.

Dana first represented Ireland on the international stage, becoming a national hero, when she won the 1970 Eurovision with “all kinds of everything”. The glittering lights of stardom, did not however seduce our Dana.

She selflessly entered politics aiming to better the lives of the Irish people up and down the land, and was, after an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1997, elected to the European Parliament in 1999.

Dana will now make a second bid for the presidency, standing for traditional Catholic values, something

SU Apply for a Mastercard

Weather in Saudi Arabia today is Sunni.

Weather in Iran today is Shiite

T

he Turbine can exclusively reveal that the bankrupt UCD Students’ Union has applied for several credit cards.

The Turbine obtained the information by hacking into the voicemails of UCDSU

President Patrick Browne and 2012 SU Presidential candidate, current Campaigns and Communications Officer Brendan “I knock over tables in Krystle” Lacey.

The SU revealed to their official newspaper, the Uni-

our country needs to see us through this time of deprivation, as in the 1930s. She is strongly anti-abortion and pro-rosary.

A vote for Dana is a vote for tradition. The same tradition that brought us such innovations as the Magdalene laundries and industrial schools, beloved institutions of Ireland, which kept our streets free of unmarried mothers and illegitimate children and made shopping in Penny’s a more pleasant experience. A vote for Dana is a vote for the good old days, the days of moving statues and vibrant Eucharistic congresses, though this time our leader certainly won’t be excommunicated.

We, the Turbine, appeal to our readers to dream with us of this Ireland and give Dana Rosemary Scallon your support in October. Remember Jesus will be voting for Dana on October 27th.

versity Observer, last week that they were in a “spot of financial bother.”

It has now emerged that Browne has applied for seventeen credit cards from various Irish financial institutions on behalf of the Students’ Union. A source that has “penetrated deep inside” the Union told The Turbine, “Patrick has applied for seventeen cards.

Two will be used to keep the Welfare fund running, one for Sam Geoghan’s hat collection, three for removing the smell from Jonny Cosgrove’s former office and one for Brendan Lacey’s subscription to the ‘Best of YouTube newsletter.’”

What the other credit cards will be used to fund is unknown however it is understood that the SU will adopt a new slogan from next month - “There are some things the capital grant can’t buy, for everything else there’s Mastercard.”

It is also believed that this year’s UCD Ball will be “brought to you by American

SWANCAM.1

Express.”

In a separate development it is understood Browne is to begin organizing a student club night in the Village/Whelan’s/ trendy-location on Saturdays to generate extra revenue for the SU. The night is supposedly designed to attract UCD’s “hipster” population and is to be called “I liked them before they went too mainstream.” It is understood only “really underground,” obscure and irrelevant music will be played and only card-carrying members of “Hipster International” will be granted admission.

Vouchers for CrackBird will be given to those who wear loafers without socks on the night.

Its not the first time a sabbatical officer has organized a club night, Gary Redmond, USI President and former UCDSU “everything” currently runs a club night called “I Love College” aimed at those in their late twenties who still go to the

Freshers’ Ball and show up on campus for Black Monday - it apparently has a roaring trade.

When contacted by The Turbine to see if he believed he was in anyway responsible for the UCDSU’s current financial woes, Redmond (who is on the run for going through a red light in LA, and stealing a small child on his J1) said “It is my strong and passionate belief that I may or may not be directly or indirectly or in no way directly responsible or associated with the alleged current UCDSU financial problems, there or thereabout.

I believe an infrastructure and a framework must no be put in place after an independent review by and advisory independent board who are independent and can build frameworks, and implement infrastructures.” **Redmond is understood to be taking a night course in Political Communication in Dublin Business School and regularly uses the non-word “shambolic.”

COLLEGE TRIBUNE - CELEBRATING 25 VOLUMES : The articles below featured in Issue 2.

editor@collegetribune.ie

COLLEGE TRIBUNE

27th September 2011

Dear Sir and or Madam, Upon reading your latest edition of the college Tribune, it has come to my attention that you are making false claims about the quality of your bi-monthly publication. You claim to have one of the two best newspapers in UCD. However, The university Observer and LHM magazine are both far superior. Studies have shown that your publication would rate about a 4 out of ten. The Observer and LHM would rate 7 out of ten and 6 out ten, respectively. This disproves your claim to be one of the best two newspapers in UCD. Also I question the qualifications of your cartoonists Daniel Daly and Olivia Carrington. Daniel Daly’s cartoons are regularily very offensive to a number of people.

The writing in your entire publication is quite shallow and pedantic especially in the article about An Taoiseach opening the new science buildings by Matt Costtello. Most of all, I am very annoyed about the practice of hyphenation of words because they would fit on the one line. It is very distracting and personally offensive to me and my person. The many misspelings in the Gaeilge section is also very disappointing to all of the UCD students.

Yours Faithfully, Melvin and the team.

Dear Melvin and the team, Thank you for your constructively critical analysis of this week’s issue. We have currently stopped all ongoing projects in order to carry out your suggestions. A highly skilled de-hyphenator is on his way from Hong Kong as we speak. As to the qualities of Mr Daly and Ms Carrington, myself and the editors concurred with your assessment and as such both have been terminated. Violently. Their replacements will be recruited in the next few days from the Rosemount Creche and equiped with the highest standard of drawing pencils and poster paints. I hope their offerings are to your liking.

As to your complain about Mr Costello’s writing being shallow and pedantic, I regret to inform you that this is merely a reflection on his personality and shows no signs of abating. He is also incurably English and as such would not know An Taoiseach if he hit him in the face, which in this editor’s humble opinion he would be most welcome to do.

I hope that these promises will go some way to restoring your faith in the publication you graciously deign to award third place in the panthon of University publications.

Interested in writing for the College Tribune? Contact editor@ collegetribune.ie or call into the office in LG20 in the Newman Building

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News Editor: Matt Costello news@collegetribune.ie Deputy News Editor: Timothy Potenz Features Editor: Sinéad Williams features@collegetribune.ie Turbine Editor: James Grannell Eagarthóir Gaeilge Ciarán O’Braonáin gaeilge@collegetribune.ie

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Editors: Conor McKenna and Ryan Cullen editor@collegetribune.ie

Sports Editors: Conall Devlin and Patrick Fleming sport@collegetribune.ie

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COLLEGE TRIBUNE

Seán Grennan, Graham Luby, Daniel Nolan, Daniel Cooney, Thomas Cullen, Keith Lematti, Donal Lucey, Darragh O’Connor, Julie Kirwin, Roisin Sweeney, Ciara Louise Murphy.

Olivia Reidy, Conor Manning, Lisa Gorry, Róisín Carlos, Shane Scott, Frances Ivens, Conor Fox, Peter Hamilton, Robert Nielsen, Sophie Kelly, Oisín Peat, Aoife Harrison, Aoife Nannery, Hayley Maher, Fiona Daly, Dawn Lonergan, Alice Morris, Alissa Karpick, Breadán Mac Ardghail, Ciarán Carey, Donal Fallon, Amy Eustace,

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Yours in utmost sincerity News Editor Esq.

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Music Editor: Aonghus McGarry music@collegetribune.ie Fashion Editor: Cathal O’Gara fashion@collegetribune.ie Arts Editor: Ciara Murphy arts@collegetribune.ie

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Sat Sep 24 15:24:57 2011 GMT. Enjoy!

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Across 6 A numeral or group of numerals (6) 8 To make vigorous or active (8) 10 Matured or hardened by circumstance or experience (8) 11 Mischievous rogueish child, often dressed in rags and homeless (6) 12 Possessions, especially movable objects. (5) 13 To hold back, restrain or refrain from giving. (9) 15 To make one’s own; adopt or embrace. (7) 16 Strong or vehement expression of disapproval. (7) 19 A natural body that revolves around a planet. E.g. a moon. (9) 21 Common American idiom meaning, “likewise” (5) 23 Scattered or sprinkled over a surface. (6) 24 Starts, sets forth, catapults or releases. (8) 25 Imparts secrets trustfully. (8) 26 Things happening or occurring. (6)

Down 1Many in number. (8) 2 Venue or location for event. (5) 3 Threadlike leafless organ of climbing plants, wisp of falling hair. (7) 4 To kill or butcher. (9) 5 To undo, loosen, or relax. (6) 7 To be overcome with intense emotion. (13) 9 A complex of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop toward greater instability (13) 14 Open, level space, especially one serving for public walks ordrives. (9) 17 Draws back or pulls away, e.g. from battle. (8) 18 In a state of bewilderment. (7) 20 A person who writes or composes a piece of, say, literature. (6) 22 A trick stratagem or artifice. (5)

Thanks to:

Regulars Crossword Editor: Daisy Onubogu Cartoonists: Dan Daly Olivia Carrington

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Deputy Arts Editor: Amanda Barton

Everyone who contributed to this issue, Datascope Printing, Cheryl Flood, MCD, Datascope Printing, UCD First Response, Ivan Griffin, Cian McKenna, Sarah Doran, Amanda Barton, Niall Mescall, San Marino, Cynthia Smith,

Copy Editor: Sarah Doran Designer: Cheryl Flood design@collegetribune.ie

UCDSU, Gary Fox, Sinéad Ahern, Dr Ruth Cullen Michael Phoenix, Eoghan Glynn, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Donie O’Sullivan, Matt Costello, Sinéad Williams, The entire cast of LOTR James Philip Grannell Esq, Peter McGuire, Mr McKenna, Ms Deane, Mr and Mrs Cullen

16 GAEILGE

gaelige@collegetribune.ie

COLLEGE TRIBUNE 27th September 2011

An Traenáil agus an tÁdh - Súil Siar ar Bhua na nDuibhlinneach Agus muintir na hardcathrach ag ceiliúradh an lae chinniúnaigh fós, labhraíonn Ciarán Ó Braonáin le réalta pheile Bhaile Átha Cliath, Rory O’Carroll.

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ar is eol do chách faoin tráth seo, d’éirigh le foireann Bhaile Átha Cliath an lámh in uachtar a fháil ar fhir Chiarraí i gCluiche Ceannais na hÉireann an mhí seo. Ach, le sé bliana déag imithe ón uair dheiridh gur iompair na Duibhlinnigh Corn Mhic Uidhir timpeall Pháirc an Chrócaigh cad é a bhí mar sprioc acu ag tús an chomórtais?

“Bhí sé mar aidhm againn imirt i gCluiche Ceannais na hÉireann”, arsa laoch cosanta Bhaile Átha Cliath, Rory O’Carroll. “Chailleamar sa chluiche leathcheannais in aghaidh Chorcaí anuraidh, mar sin bhíomar ag iarraidh

an cluiche leathcheannais a bhuachan i mbliana agus bonus a bheadh ann ina dhiaidh sin. Ba é an rud is tábhachtaí ná an cluiche ceannais a bhaint amach.”

Achan bhliain bíonn neart cainte ó phobal na príomhchathrach faoi Sam a thabhairt abhaile agus le fada an lá níorbh ann ach caint.

D’athraigh sé sin i mbliana agus dar leis an réalta óg bhí cúpla fáth le sin.

“Tá an-chuid cúiseanna, gan dabht, ach is í an phríomhchúis ná ár ráta oibre. Bhíomar ag traenáil ar maidin ag a leathuair tar éis a sé agus rinneamar 33 seisiún traenála i mí Eanáir. Freisin,

bhí spiorad san fhoireann i mbliana níos fearr ná aon bhliain eile. Bhí an t-ádh orainn freisin - in aghaidh Chill Dara agus an lá sin in aghaidh Loch Garman nuair a fuaireamar an cúl ón gcúl báire. Bhí an t-ádh orainn le cúpla rud sa chluiche ceannais in aghaidh Chiarraí chomh maith,” arsa eisean.

Mar atá le brath i gcaint na n-imreoirí uilig, is léir go raibh an-tionchar go deo ag an bhfoireann bhainistíochta ar dhul chun cinn na bhfear gorm le cúpla bliain anuas agus go bhfuil muintir Bhaile Átha Cliath go mór faoi chomaoin ag Pat Gilroy agus na hathruithe atá curtha i bhfeidhm aige.

“Tá neart déanta [ag Pat Gilroy leis an bhfoireann].

Ach is iad na príomh-rudaí atá déanta aige ná smacht a chur ar ár mbealach imeartha agus ár ráta-oibre a ardú go mór... Tá sé deacair dom cur síos ceart a dhéanamh air. Bhí obair Pat Gilroy agus Mickey Whelan mar chúis fhíor-mhór leis an mbua, tá an t-uafás oibre déanta acu le trí bliana anuas.”

Cluiche iontach iomaíoch agus drámatúil ab ea an cluiche ceannais féin agus is cosúil go raibh imreoirí Bhaile Átha Cliath chomh himníoch céanna le lucht

an Hill nuair a chuir Colm Cooper an Ríocht ceithre phointe chun tosaigh le sé nó seacht nóiméad fágtha.

“Bhí mé ag smaoineamh faoin gcluiche in aghaidh Chorcaí, nuair a bhí an-chuid ciceanna saora acu agus bhí an rud céanna ag tarlú in aghaidh Chiarraí. Bhíomar thar a bheith neirbhíseach faoi sin ach ag an am céanna tá saghas spiorad nua againn i mbliana is bhí dóchas ann freisin agus nuair a fuair Kev an cúl bhí na droch-smaointí sin imithe.”

Agus an raibh an tUasal O’Carroll é féin in ann breathnú air agus Stephen Cluxton ag déanamh na siúlóide fada suas chun na liathróide, leis an gcic saor cinniúnach a thógáil agus nóiméad amháin fágtha ar uaireadóir an réiteora?

“Gan dabht ar bith. Tá na ciceanna sin cleachta aige na mílte uaire. Nuair atáimid ag traenáil ag a seacht, tá seisean ar an bpáirc ag a sé ag cleachtadh na gciceanna. Bhí an-chuid muiníne againn nuair a shiúil sé suas.”

Tá an-taithí ag an lánchúlaí óg ar chluichí móra a bhuachan agus Craobh Chomórtas na hÉireann buaite aige le Cill Mhochuda na Crócaigh, chomh maith le neart eile le foirne

óga an chondae. Ach in ainneoin líon na mbonn buaite is cosúil nár shamhlaigh sé riamh go n-ardódh sé Corn Mhic Uidhir.

“Níor chreid mé go dtí an tseachtain roimh an gcluiche ceannais, chun an fhírinne a rá. Tá sé rómhór, tá sé dochreidte. Táim fós ag dul i dtaithí air...

Tá sé saghas difriúil leis an gclub mar tá sé sin le do chlann agus do chairde a bhí agat ó aois an-óg. Is rud speisialta é sin agus ní féidir comparáid a dhéanamh eatarthu... Ach an uair seo, tá sé dochreidte, tá sé ar scála níos mó - bhí daichead míle ag Cearnóg Mhuirfean an lá

tar éis an chluiche agus chuamar go dtí na Sceirí ina dhiaidh sin agus bhí cúig mhíle dhéag ann freisin agus léigh mé go raibh milliún duine ag féachaint air ar an teilifís, so tá sé ar leibhéal i bhfad níos mó.”

Cé acu an gcreideann sé nó nach gcreideann sé fós ach d’éirigh leis an Uasal O’Carroll agus a chomrádaithe an lá a thabhairt leo agus ardú meanman ollmhóire a thabhairt do phobail Bhaile Átha Cliath le linn na laethanta gruama seo, agus dá bharr táimid go léir thar a bheith buíoch díobh. Na Duibhlinnigh abú!

Filleann an Feall ar an Facebook-óir BREANDÁN MAC ARDGHAIL

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na leabhar 1984, scríobhann George Orwell faoi thráth a bhfuil gach pioc eolais faoin saoránach le fios ag na hudaráis. Níl a leithéid de phríobháideachas ann, coimeádtar súil ar a ndéanann gach duine agus is gnáthchuid den saol é an múnlú intinne.

Más coitianta leat an méid seo, is éard is cúis leis ná go maireann muid i linn a bhfuil gach rud fúinn ar fáil ar an idirlíon. Sonraí bainc, sloinne díomhaoin do mháthar, an cineál pornagrafraíochta is fearr linn, fiú – tá siad uilig ann.

Achan uair a dhéanann muid rud a chuardach ar Google, ar Youtube, fiú ar shuíomh ár n-ollscoile uaisle

féin, coimeádtar taifead air.

Ach murab ionann agus i ndomhan Orwell, ní hiad na húdaráis a shealbhaíonn an fhaisnéis sin, ach Google.

Coimeádann an comhlacht cuardaigh an fhaisnéis ar feadh naoi mí, ar mhaithe le modhanna cuardaigh a fheabhsú, dar leo.

Daoibh siúd atá mar chuid den 150m timpeall an

domhain a úsáideann Gmail, tá seans gur thug sibh faoi deara cheana féin go mbíonn na fógraí ag barr do bhosca isteach thar a bheith ábhartha lena bhfuil faoi chaibidil sna ríomhphoist ar do scáileán.

Is amhlaidh go léann Gmail do ríomhphost agus go soláthraíonn sé fógraí a thagann le hábhar na teach-

taireachta.

Ní hamháin go gcoimeádtar taifead ar a ndéanann muid ar an idirlíon, ach a bhuí le suíomhanna ar nós Facebook, ní féidir dearmad a dhéanamh riamh ar aon rud a dhéanann muid san fhíorshaol ach oiread.

Is oth nach bhfanann a dtarlaíonn i Vegas ann a thuilleadh. Faoin am a shro-

iceann tú abhaile tar éis oíche ar an drabhlás na laethanta seo, bíonn d’fhíorthuairimí ar do shaoiste oibre agus ar mháthair do ghrá ghil le feiceáil ar Facebook i lántaifeach HD – agus iad beirt ina “gcairde” leat, ar ndóigh! Ó 2005 i leith, táimid tar éis na mílte miliún pictiúr agus físeán dínn féin a chur in airde ar an suíomh sóisialta. Bionn muid lán sasta gach gné dár saol a roinnt go hoscailte leis na miliúin daoine – ár mothúcháin agus ár dtuairimí is láidre, agus an truflais is leadránaí agus is neamhthábhachtaí ar aon.

Ach dá maolódh riamh an fonn orainn gach uile smaoineamh linn agus íomhá dínn a dháileadh ar an saol, ní fhéadaimis fáil réidh lenár n-abhatáranna. Níl cead proifílí

Facebook a scriosadh; bíonn siad “díomhaoin” go dtagann muid ar ár gciall agus go gcuireann muid beocht iontu arís.

Nuair a tháinig 1984 ar an bhfód i lár an fhichiú haois, cuireadh buairt nach beag ar an saol mór go gtiocfadh Big Brother agus go scoibfeadh sé gach gné dár saol príobháideach.

Bhítí ag creathnú roimh thráth nach bhféadfadh duine maireachtáil gan súil ghéar agus taifead á gcoimeád ar achan imeacht leis.

Seans gur tháinig an Deartháir Mór fiche bliain níos déanaí ná a rabhthas ag tnúth leis, ach ní eagla nó drochamhras a cuireadh roimhe, ach fáilte chroíúil.

sport@collegetribune.ie

COLLEGE TRIBUNE

27th September 2011

SPORT

17

“No Experience Required” Ciarán Carey takes a trip to the centre of UCD’s Sports Universe

play for the enjoyment and the community around the sport.”

“No Experience Required” read the sign at the women’s rugby stall. This is the very beauty of college life and especially college sports.

So much of the first few months of college is new and although we may never know our way around the arts building or the location of the other lake, by joining one of the clubs you are guided through the basics step by step. Although, in this case, I think some experience of being a woman is needed.

Sean O’Gorman, former captain of the table tennis club, told me that “All of the committee members are coaches. So when we train we mix it up between practice matches and working on technique.” They’re obviously doing something right as they are looking for their twelfth consecutive varsity win.

American Football players Paddy Butler and Chris Scollard agreed that the passing of knowledge was vital for the smaller sports. “Most people will never have played before so it really is important. Our sport is so position specific so everybody has a responsi-

bility to pass on what they’ve learned” The Sports Expo is a veritable sports utopia where the club with the frisbee gets as much space as the one with the football but the same cannot be said of reality. The ultimate frisbee club’s hope of hosting a rookie tournament have been dashed by UCD’s slow response in allocating room and the American Footballers must wait until after the rugby season so that pitches are available.

Room is not an issue for the caving and potholing society as they have no interest in manicured fields and modern sports complexes.

“All is needed basically is a hole in the ground.

Its handy that a lot of the north of Ireland is basically a sponge” Brian Ferguson told me. Of all the videos displayed at the various stalls it was those at the Caving and Potholing stand that I found most arresting. “Junior cert geography come to life” was how Brian described it but not doing it justice.

There can’t be many better clubs to show you the beauty of Irelands interior.

With a recent match in Sweden becoming notable for a unique protest made by the spectators, Patrick Fleming examines a growing trend of unrest amongst sports fans.

years. Protests also took place over the summer in the US against the NFL lockout as matters of money threatened the future of the sport.

The common theme is that fans are feeling increas-

he common perception out there is that Scandinavians are a dispassionate people. They are stoic pragmatists with no place for mindless delirium. Certainly, the films of Ingmar Bergman are the first images to come to many when thinking of the sensibilities of Western Europe’s northernmost inhabitants.

It is for this reason that it was a surprise to see that possibly one of the most passionate displays of fan power in modern sport was made by supporters of two Swedish teams, AIK and Djurgardens, at last week’s Stockholm derby.

For the first ten minutes of the game, despite a near packed house, a deathly silence engulfed the Råsunda stadium. The old cliché goes that silence speaks volumes, but when that silence is coming from 35,000 normally

ingly let down by the sporting organisations they dutifully support, that a consideration for the diehard fan is being increasingly sidelined in favour of profit margins and swollen salaries. That is why it is heart-warming to

see a group of fans rise up like those in Sweden. To see fans make their voices heard by showing what it would be like if there were no voices should be sobering to those who are in power in sport, and should be a rallying cry to the millions of fans who are feeling victimised.

Part of the problem though lies with the average fan. We are far too willing to accept that we are merely consumers in a sporting marketplace. What makes the sporting market unique though is that loyalty to a particular team is far easier to exploit. That is why protests like these are so important. Since the diehard fans don’t simply have the option of bringing their business elsewhere they must find alternate ways of expressing their disgust.

With the course of modern sport continuing in a direction which has seen massive debt, bloated salaries, and the fans increasingly bearing the brunt of it, the average supporter could learn a lot from the way the Swedes have stood up against their form of oppression.

I

t was the pervasive smell of popcorn, not deep heat, that hit my nostrils on entering UCD Sports Centre Hall B for the Sports expo where the great and not so great of UCD sport gather to entice newcomers.

Unlike the stalls tented 200m away it wasn’t with swag and a membership card that the clubs hoped to attract novices but a chance of good times, great friends and maybe some glory.

The hall was full of energy and there were friendly faces all around, except for some of the more serious martial artists who apparently prefer a more intimidating look.

Sport inspires an enthusiasm almost unlike anything else and this enthusiasm was in abundance at the Ultimate Frisbee stand who were the first to nab me as I went by.

“The game is self refereed so a lot of emphasis is put on the spirit of the game,” explained Paul Barden.

“The club has been around for more than ten years and right now we have over fifteen international players. Of course not everyone reaches that level and most people

Down the Line T

rowdy and boisterous fans it is beyond deafening. All noise, movement and colour was muted as the game played out in what may as well have been a cold training ground.

And then, as the stadium scoreboard clock approached ten, a murmur of anticipation began to rise out of the morbid silence. It grew and grew like the pressure in a volcano until, on the strike of ten minutes, it erupted.

Cacophonous cheering and song suddenly filled the air.

The stands bloomed with the colours of both AIK and Djurgardens and as the game approached half time both ends became intense walls of flame and fire as flares were lit which then drowned the pitch in a thick fog.

Such a vivid display of fan power managed to highlight and consolidate myriad frustrations modern football has

had on the average supporter. Although the specific aim of this protest was to criticise the demonization of football supporters by the media and the Swedish Federation, it has wider themes which are relevant across a broad spec-

trum of countries and sports.

Although this protest is possibly the largest and most striking it is certainly not unique. Protests against the owners at Liverpool and Manchester United have gained notoriety in recent

18 18 SPORT

sport@collegetribune.ie

COLLEGE TRIBUNE 27th September 2011

State of the nation’s league DONAL FALLON

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he Irish are a ‘Sports Mad People™’ by all accounts. This is something one hears in times of great triumph, be it a returning golf star at Dublin Airport or a public celebration like that just witnessed in Merrion Square over Dublin’s heroics on the Croke Park pitch.

Soccer in particular is a game we often hear the Irish have a great love for.

Indeed, growing up in West Dublin in the early 1990s I can remember the kerbs of the capitals suburbs being painted green, white and orange to encourage Jackie’s Army on to victory (or at least a few respectable draws).

Thousands of us sold everything short of the kitchen sink to make it to Italy or America, and later Japan and South Korea in Celtic Tiger times. The ‘Green Army’ of Irish international football followers have built up the sort of commendable reputation money can’t buy, and it should also be remembered that every week thousands of us part with our hard-earned wages to avail of package trips to football stadiums up and down the United Kingdom.

For a people who supposedly love sport however, the elephant in the room is undeniably the domestic soccer league.

Indeed, until Shamrock Rovers made history in Belgrade by becoming the first Irish side to reach the group stages of a European competition, very little of the media focus on the domestic game related to anything but financial woes and uncertainties.

How a league can falter to such an extent as the League of Ireland has, in a country with such a passion for sport, is one party mystery and another clear

error.

Incredibly, there was a time when FAI Cup Finals at Dalymount Park could draw tens of thousands of supporters to that iconic and historic venue.

Dalymount is rather symbolic of where Irish football is today. Where once Pele and others graced her pitch in front of thousands, today she sits looking like a relic of East

young Drogheda United fans selling their toys and belongings to assist their club? Drogheda won the domestic league title in 2007. It didn’t take long for debt to knock on their door afterwards.

It is perhaps fair to say that University College Dublin AFC, based here on our very own campus, have become something of an in-joke to the League of Ireland faithful.

Indeed, on one occasion I heard the idea suggested that match reports from Belfield should not only include the names of the squads starting eleven,

who are normally geographically distant from football clubs should find one on their doorstep during their time here.

As Shamrock Rovers have demonstrated so well in Tallaght, the key is promotion. Promote, promote, promote. While a religious follower of another West Dublin side, preferring the red and white scarves of Dublin 8 to the green and white of Dublin 24, I still find myself often taken aback by the efforts of Shamrock Rovers to promote their club on a community level. It’s the sort of hard-

Ireland and indeed the clubs themselves to find new ways to promote the domestic game, but a certain amount of responsibility must rest with us ourselves.

It’s a tragic reality that the largest fixture in any League of Ireland sides calendar is the gloryfriendly with English opposition, often referred to as a ‘pre-season’, despite nearly always occurring mid-way through the domestic season.

If people want better quality football, there’s a need to help bring it about financially.

Saint Patrick’s Athletic supporters in the Belfield Bowl.

Berlin, her Connaught Stand considered unsafe for visiting supporters and her seats fading and terracing crumbling.

The one-time home of Irish football can today struggle to see a thousand paying punters pass her turnstiles weekly. The future of Bohemian F.C, a club founded in 1890, is precarious to say the least.

Bohs are not the only team to win the league in recent years to find themselves wallowing in financial misery.

Who could forget the newspaper story of two

but also take the time to name the home supporters individually.

The great misfortune of our on-campus side is undoubtedly the fact that at the age one enters university, if one has a real passion for the beautiful game they will most likely have a League of Ireland side close to their heart already.

Yet it remains undeniable the game in Ireland is centered around the major cities here, and Dublin in particular. By that logic, thousands of students

graft essential if we’re to move the game forward here at all.

The achievements of Shamrock Rovers in Europe will not change the fact that week in, week out stadiums up and down the island are seeing appalling attendances. If a portion of the money which leaves Ireland weekly for Old Trafford, Parkhead and the like remained in the country, perhaps it would not have taken quite so long for us to reach this point.

The onus is on the Football Association of

Who knows, perhaps one day away fans will stand on the Connaught Stand of Dalymount Park once more. Perhaps the best days for soccer in Ireland are still ahead. Time will tell if Shamrock Rovers heroics will translate into anything in a broader sense.

Donal Fallon is editor of the Come Here To Me blog, which deals with Dublin life, culture and the heartache that is a life following your local League of Ireland side.

Will NFL Eagles soar to victory?

CONOR MCKENNA

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he Philadelphia Eagles have been widely acclaimed as having one of the best teams in the National Football League this year. The end of the lockout brought a free-agency like no other and a series of decisions by Head Coach Andy Reid have left many of the team’s critics speechless.

A series of acquisitions from around the NFL have led to many referring to the Eagles as a Dream Team.

While Quarterback Michael Vick posted excellent stats last year, his season’s game time was staggered by injuries. Former Tennessee Titan Vince Young has been brought in to cover Vick, which as last week showed is necessary.

Vick’s targets have included DeSean Jackson but have been widened to include former New York Giant Steve Smith who received a total of eleven touchdowns over three years with the Giants and was once a favourite target of Eli Manning. Their run game was impressive last year rating fifth in the league with a game average of 145.2 yards.

The franchises defence has been improved with the inclusion of Nnamdi Asomugha, considered to be the best Cornerback in the game. Dominique RodgersCromartie aids him in the Corner position and completes the ultimate duo. The arrival of Casey Matthews (brother of Clay, Green Bay Packers LB) at line-backer will doubtless help the defence hold firm against the run and the pass game.

There are issues within the Dream Team however and the question on the mind of all Eagles fans is: Can Vick stay healthy? The Eagles had their worst fears confirmed in week two when Vick was knocked out the third quarter ensuring a last minute victory for the Atlanta Falcons. While their defence seems strong on paper there has been little time to build a strong bond between the players and holes have been exploited in last week’s game. Commentators expect a Super Bowl appearance from the Eagles, but it is unrealistic at this early stage to assume that because a team has great players that they will reach the league final.

sport@collegetribune.ie

COLLEGE TRIBUNE

27th September 2011

Failure to Fire

SPORT

19

Having suffered numerous setbacks and their most disastrous start to a season in decades, Amy Eustace examines the ongoing tale of woe that is Arsenal Football Club.

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he year hasn’t been kind to Arsenal fans.

Just when you think they’ve suffered enough, their beloved team sinks to new depths of humiliation. Arsenal’s sole win of the season thus far was a 1-0 victory over Swansea, but it wasn’t exactly a vintage performance. And no self-respecting Gooner would like to relive their 8-2 thrashing at Old Trafford any time soon.

But their collapse at Ewood Park last weekend was possibly the most uncomfortable to behold. With five games played, Arsenal lie seventeenth in the table, one point above the relegation zone.

It’s almost hard to believe that last December the North London side topped the Premier League table.

They seemed within touching distance of putting a halt to their trophy drought – now in its sixth year – when they reached the League Cup final, but Championship-

bound Birmingham took the prize instead. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s challenge for the league title disintegrated.

Summer came, and Wenger remained miserly as ever in the transfer market.

Lille forehead - er, I mean, forward, Gervinho, signed early on, but Arsenal proved to be their usual spendthrift selves.

The Cesc Fabregas saga raged on and eventually he would return to his native Catalonia, leaving Wenger without a playmaker of any decent standard, and leaving Sky Sports News staff wondering what they could possibly talk about for the next month.

Putting the cash from the Fabregas deal somewhere no one would ever find it, Arsenal got the season going with an unconvincing scoreless draw against Newcastle and a home defeat to Liverpool.

Samir Nasri, a rare bright spot the previous season, left soon after for the lure of Manchester City (and their

wondrously deep pockets).

It may be scant consolation for the Arsenal faithful, but if nothing else, Manchester United’s 8-2 win over Wenger’s side taught ‘le Professeur’ a lesson he needed to learn. Arsenal loosened the purse strings, securing Everton’s Mikel Arteta and German international defender Per Mertesacker, among others, on deadline day.

Following the win against Swansea and a draw at Dortmund in the Champions League, assistant manager Pat Rice declared that they had ‘turned the corner’.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, it was a clear case of speaking too soon, and that Blackburn disaster was just around the bend.

Defensively, Arsenal are a mess. Serious doubts exist over the abilities of Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou, while Mertesacker must settle quickly in the absence of Thomas Vermaelen due to injury. But with

doubts over Wenger’s future mounting – not for the first time – it isn’t implausible to think that perhaps Arsenal need a complete change of direction.

Wenger’s apparent inability to instil nerve into the

squad has seen them throw away many a lead (Newcastle last season, anyone?).

Unless you happen to be a Spurs fan, Arsenal lingering insecurely above the relegation zone doesn’t look quite right. But if you think

that the Blackburn defeat was their lowest ebb, you might want to keep in mind: if there’s one thing you can count on with Arsenal these days, it’s that well, you really can’t count on them at all.

Jacks Rule the Kingdom Seán Grennan relives the day that Sam Maguire made its long awaited return to Dublin hands.

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he Sunday before last saw two of the country’s top football teams contest the Senior All-Ireland Football Final in what was one of the most eagerly-anticipated matches the championship has seen in years. Both teams went into the match feeling that they were each in with a good chance of winning the biggest prize in Gaelic Football and taking the Sam Maguire trophy home to what they both viewed as its rightful home.

The match lived up to the hype and excitement that had been surrounding it for weeks. For neutral fans, it was one of the most exciting and best-contested matches in the championship in a long time. It was a far cry from Dublin’s semi-final showdown with Donegal in which the Ulster side were heavily criticised for their defensive and generally ‘boring’ style of play. Kerry meanwhile overcame a spirited Mayo team and ended up winning by a convincing nine points in their semi-final.

Their talisman Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper gave a master class as he scored a massive 1-7.

It was no wonder then that Cooper was singled out as the man to watch as far as Dublin were concerned.

And he did not disappoint.

He racked up an extremelyrespectable 1-3 in the final; enough to see him crowned as this year’s top scorer in the championship. This will have come as no consolation to the Kerry captain however, having eventually missed out on the title by a single point.

Stephen Cluxton was the man with the hopes of thousands of Dublin fans on his shoulders but he did not show this as he proved to be the coolest man in the stadium, scoring that single point that would end Dublin’s sixteen-year barren spell without a championship title. Although Kerry started very brightly with Cooper finding the net after nineteen minutes, it was Dublin who went in front at the break, leading by a point. If you’d told a Dublin fan in the 60th minute that they were go-

ing to be champions in ten minutes, you’d have been laughed at. Kerry seemed to be pulling away from Dublin as they managed to get four points in front.

However it was Dublin, with it’s strong UCD contingent including 3rd year Arts student Rory O’Carroll as well as graduates Michael Fitzsimons, Cian O’Sullivan, Michael Darragh McAuley, Alan Brogan and Barry Cahill that seemed to have the fighting spirit in them.

Maybe it was the long wait that inspired them to finish the way they did or maybe it was the hunger of the young squad. Kevin McMenamin came on and changed the game for Dublin, finding the net in front of a packed Hill 16. With only a few minutes left to play, man-of-thematch Kevin Nolan scored his first ever championship point as if he was a seasoned veteran to level the sides.

And the Dublin goalkeeper was summoned up by last year’s footballer of the year Bernard Brogan to take a 40 yard free kick and in doing

so, ate up stoppage time and floated his kick right between the two posts to send the city into jubilation.

Interested in writing or blogging sport for the College Tribune? Send an email to sport@ collegetribune.ie

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SPORT

COLLEGE TRIBUNE

sport@collegetribune.ie

27th September 2011

TRIB SPORT

No fun for Students at the seaside Carlisle Grounds Wednesday 21st September Bray Wanderers – 4 UCD – 0 PATRICK FLEMING

A

UCD Sports Expo

Clubhouse PATRICK FLEMING

Basketball Ahead of their opening game of the new Superleague Season against the DCU saints on Sunday, UCD Marian secured a confidence boost as they took the spoils in the Stuart Robbins Memorial Tournament in Limerick.

They beat the UL Eagles by a convincing ten points in the final after having staved off stiff competition in the pool stage from the Stu Robbins All Star team, Killester and

Neptune, who they beat in overtime. UCD will be looking to defend their National Cup title this year and also bring their success to the Superleague which begins this Sunday when UCD travel to DCU. Hockey The Women’s first team kicked of their season with a 2-2 draw at home to Railway Union on Saturday. Deirdre Duke scored on her debut for UCD as did Anna O’Flanagan to put UCD 2-1 ahead but a

late equaliser from Jean McDonnell meant a share of the points. Their next games are on Saturday against Loreto and Sunday against Trinity.

Meanwhile, the Men’s first team will begin their season this Saturday at home against Monkstown after their scheduled meeting last weekend against Railway was postponed. They go into the season having won their final preseason game against Portranne by a convincing 9-3 last Tuesday.

Football The other Superleague kicks off this weekend as

the first round of matches will be played on Saturday and Sunday. As in previous years, the format will consist of four leagues split between Saturday and Sunday and two cup competitions. The usual mix of amateur athleticism, misplaced enthusiasm and bizarre nomenclature are to be expected for the upcoming season.

And Finally The UCD Surf Club was the winner of the prestigious Best Stand award at the UCD Sports Expo held in the Sports centre last week.

Sean Houston hattrick combined with a dominating midfield performance saw Bray Wanderers easily past the Students at the Carlisle Grounds last Wednesday.

Bray displayed an immense amount of confidence going forward during the initial exchanges and it was no surprise when Bray broke the deadlock on eight minutes as a good move down the left allowed Jake Kelly to square the ball into the box where Houston was on hand to finish for his first of the night.

UCD responded strongly as they found some joy on the counter attack.

Their best chance during this period came from a free kick on the left when a good reaction save from Darren Quigley was all that stood between Stephen Doyle’s header and the equaliser.

Gary Dempsey was the fulcrum for most of Bray’s attacking football and he almost opened the door for Shane O’Neill to score with a perfectly weighted through ball but the striker’s header was dealt with well by the ever alert Barron.

Bray seemed to lose some of their creative impetus as the half rolled on and the game became more balanced. UCD’s Paul Corry almost had the teams going in at halftime all square as his low, driven shot from the edge of the box had Darren Quigley beaten but luckily for the Bray netminder it struck the post.

If the halftime scoreline was a little too close for comfort for the Seagulls then Houston’s second of the night only three minutes after the restart would have settled them.

This time, Houston rose highest to header home from Gary Dempsey’s corner.

After that Bray went into top gear, dominating possession and pummelling the UCD back four. Dane Massey had a glorious chance to put the game beyond doubt when he broke forward and played a neat one-two with Houston but could only put his final effort over the bar. Houston got his hat trick on 58 minutes when he was played through by Dempsey and coolly slotted his shot passed Barron.

Bray put in the fatal blow seven minutes later when Jake Kelly found himself on the end of a good move and the winger struck a confident left footed shot passed Barron to finish.

UCD finished strong despite the scoreline and the introduction of Chris Lyons added some energy up front. They managed to create a handful of chances, including a dipping volley from Graham Rusk, which just missed the target, but they couldn’t find a consolation goal before full time.

UCD: Ger Barron; Paul O’Conor, Mick Leahy, David O’Connor, Daniel Ledwith (Tomas Boyle, 61); Dean Marshall (Chris Lyons, 61), Robbie Creevy, Paul Corry (Barry McCabe, 69), Stephen Doyle, Darren Meenan; Graham Rusk.

Subs not used: Mark McGinley, Craig Mooney, Dean Clarke, Samir Belhout.