The College View Issue 1 by The College View

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

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. Est. 1999 .

Seven new accommodation buildings planned on Larkfield’s remains

Credit: DCU Coady Architects

Tadgh McNally & Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque | Editors @thecollegeview

Trinity provost threatens to cut student numbers Sally Madden | Deputy News Editor

he provost of Trinity College warned that it may need to cut its student numbers in order to regain its previous international

ranking. The suggestion comes amid calls for increased Government funding after TCD dropped 44 places in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. TCD Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast told the Sunday Business Post that State funding per student was down from an average of €9,000 ten years ago, to just over €5,000 today. Meanwhile, student numbers at the college have risen from 8,000 in the 1980s to 18,000. Dr Prendergast explained the university may have to cut its Irish student numbers by 5 per cent in the next 10 years, but added it would be regretful to do so, saying “we are here to serve all our students.” President of the Union of Students in Ireland, Lorna Fitzpatrick has said

Highlights

that while third-level education is underfunded, TCD’s suggestion that it may cut student numbers to recover its international ranking is using students as “pawns”. “Two wrongs don’t make a right,” she said. Fitzpatrick also added that international rankings can be “problematic because of what they are measuring and how they are measured.” On Prendergast’s reference to specifically cutting Irish student numbers, Fitzpatrick says that international students are being used as “cash cows,” as they pay higher fees. Trinity remains the only Irish university in the top 200 of the UK-based Times Higher Education rankings but it has plummeted from 120th place last year to 164th. A similar fall next year would mean that no Irish university would be ranked in the top 200 in the prestigious Times Higher Education listings. The rankings are based on a range of measures including the staff to student ratio, research volume, income and influence, links to industry in terms of innovation, inventions and consultancy views and the ability to attract international students and staff. Irish universities are blaming cuts

to funding for the slip in international recognition. While there has been a €350 million increase in third-level education funding since the publication of the Cassells report on options for future funding of third-level education in 2016, state funding remains 43 per cent below what it was a decade ago. However, the number of students attending Irish universities is expected to continue to rise over the coming decade, according to Jim Miley, director-general of the Irish Universities Association (IUA). “That bulge in student numbers will continue to grow over the next decade with an estimated 40,000 extra students to be catered for by 2030 as compared with 2015. “In that scenario, the funding problem will get considerably worse unless there’s a significant step-up in investment to support our growing student base.” “There is now unanimous support for a comprehensive programme of investment amongst employer leaders, unions and students with Ibec, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, USI and Chambers of Commerce, all advocating significantly increased state investment,” he said.

Comment

Gaeilge

Climate Change Will protests make any difference to our future? pg. 11

Beatha teanga í a labhairt

an Gaeilge agus imreoirí CLG na mBruiséile pg. 15

CU logged planning permission to build a new student accommodation complex with seven buildings, ranging from five to 10 storeys tall. Larkfield, sports pitches and the car park beside them will all be demolished to make way for the complex, which is planned to be finished in the 2023/2024 academic year The complex will consist of 1,240 beds, which will be contained within 213 “cluster units”. In each “cluster unit”, there will be between five and six individual bedrooms as well as a shared living and kitchen space. According to the design statement, all student rooms will contain “an ensuite, full size double bed and study desk with integrated storage”. USI Vice President for the Dublin Region Craig McHugh welcomed the news, but expressed concern with the interim loss of Larkfield’s 252 beds. He said: “There’s a price to pay when you knock down student accommodation.” DCU’s Chief Operations Officer Declan Raftery said one option is to construct some of the complex before demolishing Larkfield. One apartment in Larkfield currently costs €5,665 for the academic year. Raftery said he couldn’t disclose how much the accommodation would cost when it’s completed. Raftrey added that they were very concerned about the cost of student accommodation. He also said: “I think it’s a bit unfair we’ve been penalised now with the residential tenancy bill that now our rates are capped despite the fact they’re way below the market rate”. McHugh said there was no justification for the price to be more expensive. He added that “Yes proportionally they’re [DCU] the cheapest… they’re not affordable rates.”

Alongside the accommodation, there will be retail spaces available inside the complex. The central management, which currently resides inside the DCU Sport complex, will also be moved to new offices within the new accommodation. Within the design plans, there are multiple shared spaces that would be made available for students who live within the complex. The planning design statement says, “It is a place of comfortable, casual seating where people could engage in leisure activities from gaming to knitting and reading to napping.” With the demolition of the 123 adjacent parking spaces, new basement level parking would be built increasing the total spaces to 176, of which five will be disabled parking spaces. Only 5.4 per cent of the increase in student accommodation are provided with a car parking space. The plans also include bike racks, with space for 620 bikes. The sustainability strategy for the complex includes plans like solar panels. According to the planning design statement they will have “highly insulated and airtight constructions with high-efficiency heating systems installed.” Water reuse is also planned through rain harvesting, which will provide water for toilet flushing and irrigation requirements. The secretary of DCU’s sustainability society, Ríonach Hurley said the sustainable aspects of the plans were “a really good idea”. “If we’re building new, we might as well build sustainably and incorporate more sustainable practises into the building… things like solar panels and using rainwater as wastewater, that’s a really good idea,” said Hurley. In the last few years, DCU has built a new student centre, extended the Stokes building and redeveloped the Mall. McHugh said "It's a campus that loves construction."

Features

Sports

Music Therapy

Jonny Cooper

The research linking music and mental health pg. 18

DCU was the key to Dublin’s success pg. 21

Editorial

Contents

News DCU students begin Ireland’s first Primary teaching course through Irish Sign Language pg 3 Comment Wattpad and teen romance novels give young girls toxic ideas about relationships pg 12 Features Dyspraxia: the difference a diagnosis can make pg 20 Sports Claire Feerick hoping for Olympics pg 23

Inside The Hype Arts Ariana Grande in Dublin pg 2

Commute at your own risk Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque, Editor-in-Chief Dublin is the second most expensive city in the world for public transport according to a new Deutsche Bank survey. The average cost of a monthly ticket in Dublin is $128.10, or €117.08. As someone who spends €120 a month on public transport, I can smugly say that I’m finally above average. Joking aside, were it not sadly unavoidable, I wouldn’t use public transport. I’m not saying €120 a month should provide me with a golden chariot and an on-call butler (although that would be nice), but having buses show up on time would be a good start. Moreover, paying for disrespect feels particularly egregious. Back in August, the National Transport Authority (NTA) launched an anti-racism campaign. Unless you’re blind, you’ve probably witnessed racism in some form or another on a bus or on the Luas. The fact that it’s become so prevalent that a campaign had to be started should in of itself speak volumes. But posters can only do so much. People need to speak up when they see something. Of course that’s easy to say. We’d all like to believe

that we would intervene – myself included. But that’s not always the case. Perhaps we want to protect ourselves. Maybe we’re not totally sure that they did say something offensive. Maybe you’d just prefer not to get involved. But I can tell you from personal experience that getting accosted on public transportation is humiliating. To have all these people watching you – and I mean actively watching you – get harassed is embarrassing. And there’s a reason I’m calling for ordinary people to step in instead of suggesting that security or the guards should intervene. It’d be nice to believe that discrimination is a top priority for Dublin Bus and Transdev (the Luas operators), but recent stories would suggest otherwise. Last Friday, a man was pulled to the ground and restrained by two uniformed Luas staff members. The incident is still under investigation, but it doesn’t take a detective to decide it was an excessive use of force. Although I’d argue any use of force by Luas security is probably an excessive use of force. From their uniform, you may get the false impression that

Luas security disarm bombs. In reality they mainly deal with 16 year olds using child leap cards. What a great way to spend €120 a month. Public transportation as it currently exists in Ireland is inefficient, unreliable and incredibly frustrating. And the fact that it’s so expensive is the cherry on top of a crumbling cake. Like most things, it’s also made so much worse by the housing crisis. As rents continues to rise in Dublin city centre, people are forced to the suburbs in the hopes of finding something reasonably affordable. Well, affordable in the broadest sense of the word. But of course, most jobs are still in the city centre, so people have no choice but to hop on a bus, or a train or a tram. In 2018, figures from the NTA showed a record number of people using public transport. As long as living close to your place work or study remains an impossibility, those numbers are only going to continue to rise. And our already pitiful transport system is only going to get worse as it’s put under more strain. If we’re going to have to put up with that, at the very least, we all deserve a cheaper ticket.

Arts Editor | Áine O’Boyle Deputy Arts Editors | Aoibhín Meghen & Peter O’Neill Lifestyle Editor | Róisín Maguire Deputy Lifestyle Editors | Kevin O’Meara & Niamh Quinlan

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News

Niamh Quinlan | Deputy Lifestyle Editor

our students have begun their studies in primary teaching through sign language this week in St. Patrick’s College, DCU. Aisling O'Halloran, Kevin Dudley, Sinéad Leahy and Aimee Ennis McLoughlin started their training as a deaf primary school teacher on the 23rd of September this year. This pathway is the very first of its kind in Ireland. The pathway into the course is exclusively for students who communicate through Irish Sign Language (ISL). The course is the same as a regular Bachelor of Education degree in primary teaching, and the deaf students will be in lectures with their hearing peers. The four students will be exempt from all Irish-language modules and will be taking ISL-based modules. Other hearing student will also have the option to partake in ISL modules.

“[The programme] something that the deaf community have wanted for a long time,” said Dr Elizabeth Mathews, who developed the pathway. Intensive work on the project began in 2011, when Dr Matthews first joined the movement. It’s being funded by the Higher Education Authority through their Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) scheme. Involvement from charities such as the Catholic Institute for Deaf People, the Irish Deaf Society and Chime helped over the years to get the pathway up and running. Aimee Ennis McLoughlin, one of the four students, has described the opportunity as “a dream come true” and is looking forward to her next four years. For a young girl who “always wanted to be a primary school teacher from the age of 4-5 years”, this course is what she had been waiting for. While Aimee said she's noticed that it’s very new to the students and staff to be teaching and studying alongside deaf students, she has also noticed a large interest in learning sign language amongst the other students and is

Credit: DCU

DCU students begin Ireland's first primary teaching course through Irish Sign Language

pleased to see it. Minister for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, officially launched the Bachelor of Education in Irish Sign Language in January. The four students will be a part of the course while it’s still a pilot basis this September. It's planned that there will be a subsequent intake of students

from 2023 onwards. There is a drive at the moment to try and diversify the teaching population,” Dr Mathews also said, “and this is just one of those projects.” The PATH scheme also provides funding to lone parents, first time mature students, travellers and students who are blind or have a visual

The average student has less than €10 disposable income per day Shauna Burdis | Deputy News Editor @ShaunaBurdis

Credit: Sonja Tutty

ew research from the Bank of Ireland revealed that Irish students have an average income of €9.20 a day or €258 a month, while 35 per cent have less than €100 of disposable income per month. The study also shows that one in three students rely on their parents to pay their college fees, which can reach a height of €3,000 per year. The survey was carried out as part of Bank of Ireland’s Financial Wellbeing programme. Half of students surveyed revealed, that living at home is the most common type of financial support given by parents. With 23 per cent of those who do not live at home requiring financial assistance from their family. Half of students also share accom-

modation with three to four other people, with 50 per cent of those living with people they have never met before. According to the students surveyed, this leads to conflicts about living standards such as keeping the kitchen tidy. A third of those admitted to bringing their laundry home and 28 per cent clear the kitchen cupboards of food before returning home for the weekend. A quarter of students who live away from home receive financial help from their parents to pay for rent, while 22 per cent of parents pay for utility bills such as electricity and gas. Almost two out of three students work at least part time to support themselves while they study. With 8 per cent working full time while they complete their third-level education. From the students surveyed by the Bank of Ireland, 80 per cent say they make an effort to save throughout the year with €184 being the average amount saved per month. Most of those surveyed are saving for student

impairment. Executive Dean of DCU’s Institute of Education Dr Anne Looney described the new course as “groundbreaking” and put emphasis on the importance of deaf primary school children being taught by a fluent ISL user.

life expenses like college fees, cars and summer holidays. The low average of income is not stopping students from pursuing their social life, as 19 per cent have admitted to skipping meals to pay for college nights out. Subscription services are also popular with 82 per cent saying they access them regularly for music and entertainment. Commenting on the research, Rory Carty, Head of Youth Banking at Bank of Ireland said, “College life is complicated. From finding affordable accommodation to making time for studies, students in Ireland are working part-time and trying to enjoy their social life too”. According to Carty, the Bank of Ireland’s Financial Wellbeing programme aims to inform and educate students on spending and saving in ways that benefit them and suit their needs. According to a survey carried out by the Irish League of Credit Unions, more than half of students in Ireland skip lectures to attend paid work, this increased from one in five in 2017. Due to the demand for student accommodation and high rent prices, many students are commuting to college while one in four revealed they have their travel expenses paid for by their parents. Second Year Journalism student, Lauren Allen commutes from Westmeath to DCU and stated “this year I have decided to commute from Athlone to college due to the cost of living in Dublin. Everything from travel, accommodation and food is more expensive in Dublin than at home. Commuting saves me so much money”.

News

USI marches for access to education Tadgh McNally | News Editor @TadghMN Credit: National Union of Students in Ireland

march by The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) to promote access to education for all is scheduled to take place on October 3rd in Dublin City Centre. The march is the first planned action in a campaign known as Break the Barriers, which aims to lobby the government on key student issues ahead of the looming General Election that is expected to take place in 2020. The protest will gather at The Garden of Remembrance and will make its way through the city, and end at Merrion Square South. For students in DCU who want to attend, buses will be available for €2 and leave the Helix at 11am. USI President Lorna Fitzpatrick explained to The College View that there wasn’t just one central issue at play for the march.

“Access is about more than getting in the door, it’s being able to achieve what you wish to achieve, and being supported to achieve that while you’re in education,” said Fitzpatrick. The cost of living for students is continually rising, and many supports that used to be available still haven’t been reinstated since the recession ended.

The USI also want to see change brought to the eligibility of the SUSI grant, as well as making the rates coincide with the high cost of living. Craig McHugh, the USI Vice President for the Dublin Region, worries about those who are ineligible for SUSI, but who’s families still cannot afford the cost of college. “Going to college is a serious,

serious burden [for families],” said McHugh. According to Fitzpatrick, the USI have presented to an Oireachtas committee around the idea of making the eligibility of SUSI grants more flexible. Alongside this, they want to see adjustments being made to the adjacency grant, and bringing the distance back down to 24 kilometres from 45 kilometres. In the USI’s pre-Budget submission, they estimate that restoring the SUSI grant to pre-2011 levels would cost €14.9 million. For adjacency grants, the cost is higher at €26 million. One of the key sticking points for the USI with this march is that Ireland has the second highest fees in Europe, costing 3000 per year. After Brexit however, Ireland will move up to the highest fees within the European Union. The pre-budget statement proposes that there be a 500 euro reduction in the student contribution fees, which is estimated to cost 38 million.

Recently, Fine Gael announced that if they are returned to government after the next general election, they would be putting a freeze on college fees. McHugh however, said that the move was nothing more than “political posturing” by the government. “To believe we live in a context where that’s something positive, is utterly bizarre,'' said McHugh, “we should be talking about how we’re going to fund things”. In a statement, Fitzpatrick said that government ministers are out of touch with the student population, and have created obstacles to obtaining third level education. “A general election is coming, and we will see this Government in the ballot box,” said Fitzpatrick. Currently, the USI represent over 374,000 students across Ireland, 95,000 of which they have registered to vote.

STIs on the rise among young Irish people Megan Jones| Deputy News Editor @meganjones06

Credit: Chloe Rooney

reland is currently experiencing an increase in the number of sexually transmitted infections with over 8,000 new cases of chlamydia diagnosed since the beginning of this year. The five most common STIs - chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, gonorrhoea and HIV - are all on the rise in terms of annual detection rates since 2013, according to HIV Ireland. Young people aged 15-24 are at most risk of contracting an STI. According to HIV Ireland, in 2017 people in this age bracket accounted for 50 per cent of chlamydia diagnoses, 39 per cent of gonorrhoea cases, and 38 per cent of genital herpes cases. In response to STI and HIV diagnoses, the HSE national condom distribution service have been supporting sexual health campaigns. The service gives out free condoms and lubricants to third level colleges, festival and nightlife venues, NGOs and community organisations. Every year, the USI holds a SHAG (Sexual Health Awareness and Guidance) week to encourage safe sex practices among third level campuses. This surge in STI cases is down to more people having unprotected sex and less people getting checked for these STIs. Irish research carried out by leading condom brand Durex found that 68 per cent of people aged between 18 - 24 have never had an STI check. Sarah, a final year student, admitted to being one of the 68 per cent who has never been checked for an STI.

“I would like to get checked for peace of mind but I’ve just found it really difficult to in the past,” she said. “Everywhere seems to have only specific times for appointments which makes it difficult when you’re a full time student with a part time job,”. Currently, students in DCU are

offered free “provisional” STI checks. The “provisional” checks involve swabs for females and urine tests for men, which would detect if the person had contracted chlamydia or gonorrhoea. A “full” STI check is available to DCU students at the cost of €40,

which involves one doctor consultation followed by an appointment with a nurse. This appointment includes blood tests as well as the swabs or urine testing, to detect any sign of HIV, Hepatitis or Syphilis. Many common STIs do not show any symptoms. According to St

James’s GUIDE Clinic, 70 per cent of women and 50 per cent of men with Chlamydia are asymptomatic. A DCU student who wished not to be named spoke about her frustration when it comes to getting checked. “It might not seem like a lot but for a student working part time €40 is a lot of money, especially when you have no symptoms,”. There are three STI clinics in the city centre which all offer free checks - St. James’ GUIDE Clinic, STI HIV Clinic at the Mater Hospital and the Gay Men’s Health Service STI Clinic. However, these appointments are available only at limited times and go by “ticket systems”, requiring people who wish to avail of the services to be at the clinics early in the morning and be prepared to wait in the clinic for a number of hours. It is also not guaranteed that you will be seen on that day. St James GUIDE Clinic has recently offered an online appointment system where you can make an appointment if you have no symptoms. However, on the day of writing St James GUIDE Clinic had no available appointments and gives no indication of when appointments will be available.

News

he Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said non-binary students had the highest levels of extremely severe anxiety in their Student Mental Health report. The report on third level student’s mental health said non binary students experience the worst anxiety, followed by female students at 41 per cent and male students at 28.9 per cent. They also found that sexual orientation and gender identity plays a significant role as 66.7 per cent of pansexual students who took the survey had severe anxiety and transgender students followed with 61 per cent. Students who identified as gay were the least likely to suffer from severe anxiety, excluding heterosexual students. Regarding depression, 56.1 per cent transgender students and 51.7 per cent pansexual students suffered from severe depression. Gay identifying students were within the ‘normal’ range of 27.5 per cent. USI Welfare Officer Roisin O’Donovan said that colleges should make mental health a strategic priority and

that colleges can assist LGBTQ+ students with representation on college committees. She added that, “having the option for students to identify as non-binary in forms [and] online surveys … and training for both staff and students around LGBTQ+ matters and pronouns in particular,” will help. DCU LGBTA+ Trans and Non-Binary Officer, Shane Barr agreed that staff should receive training and students should be able to express themselves. Barr added that people should recognise the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity and that they both need their own considerations as, “LGBT is not a one size fits all policy.” “Trans, intersex and pansexual students statistically suffer the most anxiety and depression because there is a greater fear of being misunderstood and rejected by their peers, discrimination and a concern for their overall safety.” The report also found that 20 per cent of students who took the survey did not have someone to speak to about their mental health and showed that 59.2 per cent of students would not confide in a helpline. Fortunately, 76.1 per cent of

NUI Galway becomes University of Sanctuary Roisin Butler | Contributor

ational University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) is now the sixth thirdlevel institute in Ireland to become a designated University of Sanctuary. The initiative, which originated from the City of Sanctuary movement in the UK in 2005, aims to make third level education accessible for refugees and asylum seekers in Ireland. There is also an emphasis on making higher education more open to the Travelling Community. Universities of Sanctuary Ireland (UoSI) states on its webpage that it wishes to develop “a culture of welcome and inclusion for all those seeking sanctuary” and that they aim to “spread this culture of welcome across the institutes of higher education all over the island of Ireland.” Those living in Direct Provision centres have considerable difficulty availing of third level education in Ireland. Young asylum seekers must spend three years in an Irish school, an amendment made early on this year by the Government. A minimum of five years was previously required and all applicants for third level must have completed their application to remain in Ireland. Refugees do not qualify for the free fees initiative and are unable to access the SUSI grant. The Universities of Sanctuary provide full scholarships for students

in direct provision. Each third level institute has a fixed number of scholarships on offer per academic year. The other five members include University of Limerick (UL), Athlone Institute of Technology, (AIT) University College Cork (UCC) University College Dublin (UCD) and DCU. Trinity College Dublin (TCD) is not currently a University of Sanctuary but does facilitate four scholarships per academic year for students in Direct Provision. The School of Ecumenics in TCD is an honorary member of the project. DCU was Ireland’s first college to become a University of Sanctuary in 2016. One student availing of the scholarship, Shepherd Machaya (33) was faced with a deportation order last in October 2018. Shepherd, who at the time was a second year Manager of Information Technology and Information Systems student in DCU, managed to successfully extend the order and was supported by the DCU Student Union. The online “Save Our Shepherd” campaign was launched by the DCU Student Union and a petition urging Minister of Justice Charlie Flanagan to revoke the order gained an estimated 14,000 signatures. Speaking to the Irish Examiner last year, DCUSU President Vito Moloney Burke praised the campaign efforts, stating that “if we can keep pushing the department and the relevant ministers we can really make some noise here and hopefully get it over the line.”

students were aware of mental health support services on campus, and over one-third said their student union was the lead informer of these available services. 33.9 per cent of students said that these services found it helped improve their college performance and 23.5 per cent said it helped keep them in college.

In addition, the report said students studying abroad suffer from less anxiety, depression, and stress than those studying in Ireland. O’Donovan said that though she isn’t certain she, “would take a guess and say if they went to a country where rent and cost of living was much lower compared to Ireland, that may have an impact as they would be

under less financial pressure but I can’t say that for certain.” Alongside the rising cost of student accommodation and housing The Irish League of the Credit Unions reported that 74 per cent of students have to work during college to cope with costs and 55 per cent are subsequently missing lectures for work.

Irish Rail encourage commuters to stagger their journeys Emma Nevin | Sub-Editor @emmaa_nevin

rish rail is encouraging travellers to make changes to their daily commute times in an attempt to ease overcrowding on the Dart during rush hour. The company has launched a new website called peak times.ie, to give passengers information about which trains are busiest and at what times you will be able to find a quieter train. This is in the hope that travellers with time flexibility will stagger their commute and take the pressure off the Dart services at their peak times, while also making passengers’ journeys’ more comfortable. Peak time.ie will show commuters who are in a position to alter commuting times how a change of even 10 minutes in some instances will find quieter trains,” an Irish Rail spokesperson said. The focus of this initiative is on the morning rush hour, which sees an average of 14000 passengers travelling during this period, compared to 10000 in the evening. One in six of all weekday Dart journeys are made between 8 am and 9 am, with the Northside towards city centre direction being the busiest. The website is expected to expand over the coming months to include information about trains in the Greater Dublin Area. It was launched this month as their services are now significantly busier due to third-level stu-

dents being back in college. UCD Business and French student Niamh Moore described using the Dart at rush hour as “fairly grim.” “You barely have enough space to breathe”, she said. “People often need to get off the dart momentarily in order to allow flow through the carriage and let people get off at each stop.” But staggering her commute is not an option for Niamh.

“If I need to be in college for 9 am, I have to leave the house before 7 am and if I take a Dart even ten minutes later than I usually would, I risk getting a later bus and being late to my lecture. I imagine most students/workers are in the same boat.” There were 20.9 million journeys on the Dart last year - up 10 per cent on 2017 - and 22 million expected this year.

Credit: Joy Nwagiriga

Sonja Tutty | Images Editor @SonjadeJourno

Credit: USI

USI report finds high anxiety levels in some LGBTQ+ students

News

35 college places deferred DCU 19th in world following rechecks Roisin Maguire | Lifestyle editor @roisin_maguire1

Credit: Sonja Tutty

Shauna Power | Contributor

“not want them penalised in any way, through no fault of their own”. Christy Biji, a Monaghan student, who received her Leaving Certificate results in 2016 said she would have “benefitted from this change” as she knew of the time it took to receive rechecks and therefore decided not to go ahead with it. As a result of this, she was not offered her first choice and had to move abroad to study medicineeven though she knew that she was due an upgrade.She said; “I was told it tookweeks and I had a limited time to accept my second choice so I had to go with what I was given in case I was left with no choices.”

Credit: Bella Finn

he number of late CAO offers has more than doubled this year leaving 35 students who received a results upgrade with a deferred offer into their first choice course. This is a result of the number of students who applied for a recheck of their Leaving Certificate results doubling, meaning the university of their choice could only offer a deferred place for the 2020 school year. The overhaul of the appeals system is a result of a student, Rebecca Carter, whose results were wrongly totted up resulting in her missing out on a place in UCD. This Wexford student then won her High Court case to have the appeals process sped up and she was offered her place in veterinary medicine in UCD. The appeals process was then sped up by three weeks and Mr Justice Richard Humphreys, the judge who dealt with this case, said that this was “highly unfair” and that this “cannot happen again.” As a result of this, CAO offers were made earlier this year, which meant more students had the time and opportunity to appeal their grades. Contact has been made between the universities and the Department of Education to give these 35 students a place in their first choice course. The number of students waiting has now fallen to six, however efforts are still being made to see this through. The Minister for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor said that she knows students work very hard to get the required Leaving Certificate points and she does

ublin City University has been ranked 19th in the world and first in Ireland for its graduate employment rate, according to the 2020 QS Graduate Employability Rankings released September 19th. The graduate employment rate measures the number of graduates in full or part-time employment within 12 months of graduation. It is one of five indicators measured by the QS rankings, which place DCU in the 301-500 band overall, at 429. DCU business school graduate David Doyle said ‚‘‘My time in DCU really prepared me for work in the real world. Courses are very practical which helped with finding a job outside of college’’. The 2020 QS Graduate Employability Rankings seek to compare the employability outcomes of higher education institutions across the world by considering Employer Reputation (30 per cent), Alumni outcomes (25 per cent), Partnerships with employers per faculty (25 per cent), Employer/ Student connections (10 per cent) and Graduate Employment rates (10 per cent). A total of 758 institutions were included in this year rankings. In comparison to DCU, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) placed 92nd in the graduate employability rankings and 108th over-all. University College

Dublin (UCD) placed 78th in the rankings and 185th overall. While these figures indicate the university sector is stable, there has been a drop from where Irish colleges were 10 years ago when both TCD and UCD featured in the top 100. Funding within the education sector has been an ongoing issue. A recent report, Education at a Glance 2019, found that Ireland invested 3.5 per cent of GDP in primary, second and third-level education compared to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) average of 5 per cent. In July, The Irish University Association (IUA) released their pre-budget submission for 2020, calling for €377m in funding In a Press Release, Jim Miley, Director General of the IUA said‚‘‘As Ireland positions itself as a knowledge economy of the future, while also preparing for both the challenges and opportunities Brexit presents, our universities are more important than ever’’. ‘‘We have already seen the impact of this underfunding with Irish universities falling in the international rankings’’, Miley continued, ‘This investment is urgent now that our student population will increase by more than 25 per cent in the next decade’’. The highest ranking third-level institution in the employability rankings was Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which also topped the QS World Rankings this year for the eighth year in a row.

Trudy Feenane | Contributor

he Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is calling for legislation that would ensure tips in food outlets are given to staff and not put towards company profits. Regina Doherty, Fine Gael politician and Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection is supporting them by preparing legislation that will ban employers from putting the gratuity money back into company profits or using it to meet minimum wage payments. Upon gaining approval from the government regarding the proposed bill, Doherty stated the new legislation will make bosses “clearly display, for the benefit of workers and customers, their policy on how tips, gratuities and

service charges are distributed”. The push for legislation comes about following controversy over the Ivy restaurant’s policy on tipping. Last November, management issued a notice declaring staff could no longer take payments from the public due to their inability to “follow procedures and consider the whole team”. In the notice, made public by RTE LiveLine, The Ivy declared that only management would take payments from customers as a result of the “greed” and “continued bad manners” shown by the front house staff asking guests to pay with cash and not card. Representatives from the USI took part in a demonstration outside the restaurant this month, with USI Vice-President for the Dublin Region Craig McHugh saying “We’re here today to stand in solidarity with workers in the Ivy.” McHugh explained the benefits of

this legislation for employees stating “staff deserve their tips, the idea behind a service charge added to the money you pay for your food not going to those providing the service is ridiculous.” “The service charge rolled out by The Ivy does not go directly to the staff it goes straight into company profits: paying in cash means it will go to staff,” he said. McHugh stated that employees may receive less than their contracted wage from their employer if their pay is supplemented by tips from customers. Speaking on the current practice of employers using tips to supplement pay, McHugh stated “it is entirely unacceptable. Those that resist such a change would be standing against the hard-earned fruits of workers who are already severely underpaid as The Ivy refuses to become a living wage employer”.

Credit: Joy Nwagiriga

USI calls for legislation to protect staff tips

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IT Tralee receive funding to keep doors open

DCU spends €32,632 flying academics across the world Aine O’Boyle | Deputy Editor @aineboyle99

CU spends €32,632 flying academics across the world to meet with partnered universities and to recruit international students. These figures were obtained by the Irish Times under a freedom of information request. The money that DCU spent on flights largely went towards premium economy flights along with several business and first-class flights. DCU was not the largest spender when it came to luxury flights, with UCD spending almost €1 million on premium fare flights across the world. According to The Irish Times, records show UCD staff booking flights of more than €6,000 for a single fare. Such flights included trips to Kuwait, racking up a bill of €6,419, a trip to Shanghai coming in at €5,269 and a seat to Brisbane costing €5,155. When asked by the Irish Times for details on all non-budget and non-economy flights, UCD revealed details of 400 business class flights, each costing several thousand euro and totalling at a cost of €960,000. These flights took place during the financial year of October 1st, 2017 to September 31st, 2018. And UCD declined to comment on the purpose of each flight. Some of the more unusual air fares

included that of a trip to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, costing €1,152. A number of business class flights were also booked for travelling to locations within the European Union with a flight to Paris costing €2,338 and a flight to Bremen in Germany costing €655. “It is worth noting that we generally only approve business class flights for staff who are travelling long distances to recruit international students for UCD,” a spokeswoman told The Irish Times. Trinity College Dublin (TCD) racked up the second highest bill on air fare, coming in at €259,084 in total. €150,000 of these flights were in correlation to TCD's links to Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) with which it runs its joint degrees in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, radiography and radiation. “The vast bulk of the flights were for Dublin-based Trinity staff who teach part-time in Asia and help to generate significant financial surpluses for Trinity,” a spokeswoman said. “These fly-in staff teach for intensive teaching periods at the campuses of SIT as well as their normal teaching in Dublin.” University College Cork said it spent €96,978 on business class and premium flights last year while NUI Galway spent €36,700. NUI Maynooth declined to release details on individual flights.

It has also been found that the new Kerry Sports Academy, located in the northern campus of IT Tralee, was facing a capital deficit of between €3 million and €4 million. The sports academy opened in May of 2019 and cost €19 million to build. However, that sum of money came from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport but also donations from philanthropic foundations and individuals. This week, IT Tralee has also received more funding of €25,000 from the Irish Science Foundation (ISF) to host Kerry Science Week from November 10th-19th. This is a nationwide-initiative taking place in several other counties and will consist of free public activities.

Credit: IT Tralee

ive million euro in emergency funding has been provided to IT Tralee from the government, in order to keep the institution afloat. The issue is suspected to be mainly due to the fact that the university is overstaffed. In a university of about 2,800 students, there are approximately 350 staff working. IT Tralee has also experienced a decline in their student population in recent years. In what the Irish Times called, “an independent study” that was done early this year, it was found that the number of full-time students had dropped by more than 15 per cent between the academic years of 2014/2015 and 2017/2018. Despite this drop over the three-year period,

the number of full time staff has remained the same. IT Tralee and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) have been working in close communication on the financial stability of the institution. It was not stated as to whether the sum of money will need to be repaid to the State. The university had previously been running on deficits of €1-€2 million per year, a study released in January found. Public accounts showed that in 2016, the institute had overdrawn their accounts by €1.6 million. The HEA had been monitoring this closely, and this week they and the government approved the emergency funding. The HEA provides many grants to the universities of Ireland, for buildings and equipment, with the agreements and approvals of the Department of Education and Skills.

DCU finishes its mall makeover Isabella Finn | Illustrations Editor isabellafarfalla

s part of DCU’s 20162021 Campus Development Plan the main mall or “public realm” on the Glasnevin Campus has been completed. The mall public amenity space that stretches from the Henry Grattan building to the U has been under construction since November 2018. This development has been specifically designed to complement the new U building by providing a more pedestrian friendly route to the new campus store, Londis, the Sports Centre and on campus student accommodation. The public realm’s new features include 9,000m squared of developed public amenities with native semi mature trees and new shrubs. Cross tracking paths have been paved to help the flow of foot traffic

to specific destinations. The space also includes new bike railings and an assortment of coloured benches, some which are fitted with USB ports for charging mobile devices and tablets. As well as the Mall, the Business School Square and the South Access Road were also included in the 2016-2021 Campus Development plan which the University committed a considerable investment. The mall has seen a more dramatic renovation in comparison to the Business School Square which has only been developed by cross tracking paths. The Stokes Building still has wire construction barriers constricting the traffic flow at its entrance. For a large amount of students the majority of their university experience has been on a construction site with the daily appearance of hard hats and JCBs. Third year Media & English student Niamh Martin said “we had to hang

out in the canteen - we didn’t have the U. But now this space is the centre of the campus, you’re not in NuBar, the canteen or in a lecture hall, we have this space outdoors.” Second year Communication student Andrew Gibbons said “I’m lucky that I only started when the U first opened, and honestly I don’t see how the campus functions without it, I think new students will say the same about the outside space next year.” The new campus store facing the public realm mall is encouraging students to use this outdoor space. Among its t-shirts, reusable cups and soap merchandise, the campus store is selling DCU branded flying frisbees to students. Weather permitting, students have been making use of the new space, resulting in the canteen becoming a quieter environment as students have somewhere else to socialise. Although the frisbee trend is yet to catch on.

Credit: Sonja Tutty

Niamh Quinlan | Deputy Lifestyle Editor

DCU launch free online Irish course Beth Molloy| Contributor

free online Irish language and culture course was launched by Dublin City University on Monday the 16th of September. The course entitled Irish 101: An introduction to the Irish Language and Culture was launched by DCU in partnership with FutureLearn, an online organisation that offers a range of short courses. The course will cover a variety of cultural topics including Irish mythology, Ogham and information about Gaeltacht areas in Ireland. By the end of the four week course participants will be able to discuss their home and social life and hold conversation about Gaelic sport. The course is aimed at anyone who is interested in learning to speak Irish

and learning more about Irish culture. A high standard of Irish is not needed in order to complete this course. The DCU website explains that participants will "gain an insight into the language of Ireland and the people who speak it". Despite the official start date of the course being the 16th of September, you can still register to participate until the course is no longer available online. The course asks that those who are taking it allocate four hours every week to learning. The course has been developed by DCU lecturers including Ciarán MacMurchaidh, Caitríona Nic Giolla Mhichíl and Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl. Caitríona Nic Giolla Mhichíl is an Irish and History teacher while Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl is an associate professor of Information Technology at DCU. The course itself is funded by the National Lottery in collaboration with

The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and is a part of the Government’s twenty year strategy for the Irish Language. The course was first launched last November as part of the National Library’s Open University and is now available on the DCU website. Caitríona Nic Giolla Mhicíl told the College View that there are “learners from 135 countries worldwide who the course has reached and over 45,000 students worldwide have completed or currently taking the course.” “There has been a great interest in the course to date” she said. “the course aligns with the strategy that the university has for online learning and it’s reaching learners all around the world.” A new series entitled 'Irish 201', which will be aimed at those with an intermediate level of Irish is to be launched online at the end of October.

DCU students devoted to Shite Nite

CU’s Nubar held the first ever “Devotion” on Tuesday, September 24th, marking the end of eleven years of “Shite

Nite” . Like it’s predecessor, the event attracted hundreds of students with it’s classic 70's ,80's and 90's soundtrack. Despite the change in branding, Devotion’s tagline reads “different name same shite” and NuBar’s General Manager Vinny McNelis con-

firmed that the night’s events haven’t changed. The new name originates from Devotion Nightclub in Galway, a popular location with students, where McNelis worked twenty years ago . When asked why “Shite Nite” had been renamed he told The College View “I felt at the end of last year it was getting a bit stale. Eleven years was long enough to call it one name”. “The people don’t care as long as they’re looked after and enjoying themselves" he said. Despite this, the introduction of “Devotion” has caused some mild controversy among students .

Credit: Shauna Power

Jamie McCarron | Contributor

DCU Masters in Climate Change, Policy, Media and Society student, Amy Donohue, launched a Change. org petition to reverse the name change. At the time of writing the “Change it back to Shite Nite” petition had amassed 68 signatures in a week. Donohue said: “Maybe they thought it was time for a revamp, but it’s clear that students prefer the original name". "I’ve been going to Shite Nite since I was a first year, so for them to rebrand with a worse name is disappointing. It doesn’t have the same ring to it" she said. It is unconfirmed whether all of the petition’s signatories are current students or if some are simply nostalgic alumni. The pushback from this change in NuBar mirrors 2017’s successful campaign to reverse the removal of one chicken goujon from the menu’s portion of five. Donohue’s appeal for the return of Shite Nite has been reported on by both Joe.ie and Lovindublin.com with Lovindublin’s Eadaoin Fitzmaurice stating in her article that the rebranding of “one of the most famous student nights” is “unforgivable.” Regardless of the name change, NuBar’s first official “Devotion” was attended by 420 people out of NuBar’s 570 person capacity. McNeilis said this is a typical turnout for the event showing that for most students the change is inconsequential.

DCU SU and Drama soc host DCU's Festival of the Arts

Credit: Dara Browne

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Kasey Leigh Mc Crudden | Contributor

CU’s Freshers’ Week resumed with a bang this week at DCU’s ‘Festival of the Arts’, which kicked off at 12pm in the U on Glasnevin campus on Tuesday September 24th. The inter-society event aimed to highlight the enrichment and culture that the arts can bring to university life and was co-hosted by DCU Students' Union and DCU Drama. The festival included performances and showcases from eight different arts-based clubs and societies. The day began with a short opening address from Chairperson of DCU Drama, Kate Gurren who thanked everyone in attendance and spoke about the contribution of the arts to college life. “Societies like DCU Drama, Glee, Dance, give you an opportunity to break apart from the normal for a little while, and to work with like-minded people, who you may not have even met before, and create something brilliant,” she said. This was followed by a performance from the Glee Society. Glee was formerly a subgroup of the music society but have established themselves as an independent society this year. Chairperson of DCU Glee, Róisín Phelan said musical performance, “helps you become more confident in

your own work, for example, doing presentations.” With music in NuBar courtesy of DJ Soc, and exhibition stands in The Hive showcasing the work and achievements of DCU Media Production Society, FotoSoc and Dance Soc; a wide variety of talent was on display. Eurovision Society showed a selection of some of the show’s “best and worst moments”, while the South Asian Music and Arts Society showed the Indian Romantic Comedy “Love Per Square Foot”. The newly formed Alternative & Indie Music Society (AIMS) provided musical performances in the Venue. A spokesperson for the society spoke to The College View about their plans for the rest of the year, “expect more open mics, karaoke nights and collaborations with our friends in societies like DCU Drama and Games Society” they said. For further information and for the chance to sign up for all clubs and societies, students can visit the DCU clubs and societies fair next week. The fair takes place in the Sports Complex on Glasnevin campus on September 30th and October 1st and in the auditorium on St Patrick’s Campus on October 2nd. Students will also be able to sign up for anything they missed at the Annual General Meeting of the relevant society.

Parents need loans for compulsory school iPads

DCU's Teachers Inspire shortlist announced

Credit: Teacher Inspire

Sonja Tutty | Images Editor @SonjadeJourno

Roisin Maguire | Lifestyle Editor @roisin_maguire1

ublin City University launched a new programme that will recognise the transformative role of teachers around Ireland. The Teachers Inspire Programme has shortlisted 20 teachers or former teachers from Ireland who have been nominated by past pupils to highlight the enormous contribution made by teachers in society. From over 400 entries, 20 teachers, five from each province, have been selected because of how they dealt with serious social challenges within their job such as homelessness, mental health, immigration, unplanned pregnancies, gender identity support, community regeneration, and climate change. DCU’s president, Prof Brian

MacCraith said; “We received stories of teachers who have played - and continue to play - a key part in helping individuals and whole communities adapt to change.” Some of the teachers included: Seamus Cassidy, a former Christian brother who had the timetables changed in the local convent schools so that girls could access his honours maths classes which were not available to them before this. Denise Dowds, a teacher at Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana who was nominated for her work on promoting climate action in students. Donal Enright, a teacher at Desmond College, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick. Enright was chosen for his work in mentoring students for the BT Young Scientist Exhibition and for promoting an entrepreneurial spirit amongst his students. Jim Collins, who retired as Principal of Iniscealtra National School in Mountshannon, Co. Clare last year.

Collins was nominated for encouraging students to set up savings accounts and grow their own vegetables. Elaine O’Malley, an Acting Principal in Merlin Woods Primary School in Galway who was nominated for the support she provided for a family who became homeless. This campaign will come together on the 27th of September at a gala dinner in which these teachers will be acknowledged and celebrated for their work. Teachers will be presented with the Desmond Awards, named after businessman and philanthropist Dermot Desmond, who has generously supported the initiative. Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD said: Throughout Ireland, teachers go above and beyond to give their students the best possible learning experience. They not only teach, they motivate, encourage and inspire.”

he Irish League of Credit Union (ILCU) stated a significant increase in parents seeking loans for laptops and tablets. Some secondary schools have introduced mandatory technology, including iPads, and are advising parents to take out loans to cover this extra cost. The Times reported that a school in Phibblestown in West Dublin invited Blanchardstown credit union to give a presentation where parents were invited to sign up to the credit union to pay for laptops costing from €449 to €569. Twitter user, Mike Lyons said in response to an Irish Times article about parents refusing to buy iPads for students, “I also resent two private entities making money from families for bad science i.e. iPad suppliers and credit unions.” In a survey carries out by Student Enrichment Services Ltd. they found that 66 per cent of students who use tablets in school said that it interfered with their studies. While no Leaving Certificate students used tablets in school, 31 per cent would like schools to use them. However, 80 per cent of Leaving Cert students also said they prefer studying from a textbook.

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There are no official figures to say how many schools in Ireland now require or use iPads, but Wriggle one of the largest firms that supply iPads manages up to 40,000 devices for pupils in over 100 secondary schools. The ILCU did not give a comment, but told The Times Ireland, “A growing number of schools are now using tablets within the classroom. Most credit unions will assess these loan applications as an education loan, which is often offered at a substantial discount to the standard rate.” As these devices become an increasingly common and mandatory school item it only adds to the ILCU’s recent survey on the financial burden of back to school shopping for many parents. The survey stated that 77 per cent of primary school parents and 83 per cent of secondary school parents found back to school shopping a financial burden this year. This is an 11 per cent increase from the last year. It added that the average debt for secondary school parents is €357 and primary school parents have an average debt of €274. A quarter of these parents have turned to a moneylender and borrowed an average of €439. The survey also mentioned that 43 per cent parents have had to sacrifice spending on family holidays to prepare for these costs, compared to only 34 per cent stories who had to do the same last year.

Irish Government urged to deny the medicinal use of cannabis Emily Clarke | Contributor

T Credit: Public Domain Pictures

he Irish Government is being urged to deny the medicinal use of cannabis, due to suggested links between the drug and

violence. Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter, claims in his controversial book ‘Tell Your Children,’ that the legalisation of the drug will lead to an increase in cannabis-linked violence and mental illnesses. Berenson says there have been increases in driving accidents and psychiatric admissions in four U.S.A States since they have legalised cannabis. Berenson claims that the idea that

cannabis has medicinal purposes has little scientific basis, and urged the Irish Government to “stand up for science.” “Cannabis has been tested in more than 25,000 clinical trials around the world, and it does not work for almost any of the conditions it is supposed to help,” he said. “We don’t pretend alcohol or garlic are medicines, so why should we pretend cannabis is?” “Governments don’t have to listen to public opinion when it comes to science. And the science on cannabis says it is not a medicine,” says the former reporter. The National Institute of Drug abuse claims that there are ongoing trials with marijuana extracts to treat illnesses and conditions such as HIV,

multiple sclerosis (MS), mental illnesses, cancer and more. However, The National Institute of Drug also warns that the long-term use of recreational marijuana can worsen the symptoms of patients with schizophrenia and is linked to mental health problems. THC the ingredient in Cannabis responsible for the ‘high” associated with marijuana consumption can be used to treat pain, nausea and muscle problems, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Berenson is due to speak in the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) this Wednesday at 6.30 pm in an RCSI MyHealth lecture. This will be followed by a panel discussion about both sides of the medicinal cannabis debate.

Marching for climate change is great, but will it really achieve anything?

Roisin Maguire| Lifestyle Editor @roisin_maguire1

illions of people, both young and old took part in climate change strikes in what is estimated to be the largest of this kind of demonstration. The demonstration was inspired by none other than Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist who is known for raising awareness in global warming. The purpose of these strikes was to get the attention of government all around the world to introduce policies and regulations in large companies who seem to produce the most damaging effects of climate change. Last year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that we must keep the temperature of the planet at or below 1.5C and to achieve this we must cut our carbon dioxide emissions by 45 per cent within 18 months. Angela Merkel recently announced a $60 billion climate change package in order to regulate Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions. However, without large countries like America and China doing their bit for climate change, some say the efforts of smaller

countries above futile. However, with every article that is written about climate change, there are many climate change deniers who believe that climate change isn’t real. Then there are those who believe the protests will achieve nothing. TheJournal.ie created a poll after the strikes were held, asking readers if they believed the movement impact government policy globally and 60 per cent of people voted no. Students and their parents, however, were hopeful that these strikes would urge political leaders to make a difference. Students from not just Dublin, but from Cork also held protests chanting “no planet B” and “system change, not climate change”. Ireland was the second country in the world to declare a climate emergency however government are being criticised for not implementing rules to combat this. Many people are skeptical whether these demonstrations will make a difference in government seeing as no efforts have been made. Blackrock college barred students from protesting however many students ignored this and attended the protests anyway. One twitter user commented that students would not be protesting if the demonstrations were

held outside school hours indicating that young people were only doing it for a day off school. Internationally, students and workers gathered to protest and Thunberg spoke at the New York protest saying Why should we study for a future that is being taken away from us. That is being sold for profit.” She criticised governments from all around the world saying that they are all the same and use words instead of actions.

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Some scientists say we have 12 years to save the planet and others say that we have 18 months.

Credit: Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque

Roisin Maguire tells how we need to do more than march, to create real change for the planet

“Everywhere I have been the situation is more or less the same. The people in power, their beautiful words are the same…The empty promises are the same. The lies are the same, and the inaction is the same.” Whether or not these protests will make a difference in the eyes of the government is unclear, however, one

thing is clear; young people are taking a stand for their future.

The Irish government are giving tax breaks to corporations, while ordinary people suffer

Lucien Waugh Daly asks why our government is willing to fund corporation tax breaks, but not it’s people.

Lucien Waugh Daly|Podcast Editor @revolucienary

o even the least informed onlooker, or to a passing tourist, it’s quite a conundrum of hypocrisy that in present-day Ireland we witness a grueling crisis of homelessness and poverty. We see an inhumane system for processing international refugees and a minimum wage far below what our workers deserve, amongst other issues. Yet our government has spent millions in legal fees defending the right of one of the world’s largest corporations to not pay back to the state the billions of euros in tax breaks it was illegally given. It is, to be honest, a little pathetic, a little embarrassing, and it sets the

stage for a near future where corporations are greater global powers than nations, making their own rules and looking on bemused as the system is, with little resistance, rigged in their favour. Tax is one of the basic pillars of democracy; we all pay tax. Reactionaries on the right like to label people availing of social welfare as ‘spongers’ who don’t pay tax. It’s not true. We all pay tax. According to the European Commission, the Apple corporation (through their supposedly Irish-based Apple Sales International) have been paying a rate of tax in Ireland that fell from approximately 1% in 2003 to 0.005% in 2014. Given that our 12.5% corporate tax rate is famously low and is a major attraction for multinationals to set up shop here, the notion that a company as swimmingly profitable as Apple

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I pay tax every time I buy a bag of crisps, you pay significantly more tax when you upgrade to the latest iPhone

would – through various loopholes -contribute so little to the state in return is quite a joke. One can argue that, obviously. Apple brings employment to Ireland. And yes, that’s important. But when it’s not implausible that the collective income tax of their workers is relatively equitable to their payments as a corporation (a corporation that operates on an unprecedented global scale), we have to admit something is wrong. A strong left-wing government would have no issue putting their foot down and ensuring that Apple and all of their ilk start to pay their fair share, without necessarily scaring them off our island. Yet Fine Gael and their doormat facilitators in Fianna Fail would never want to upset lovely, generous Mr. Apple. They’re far too worried about Ireland’s reputation as a haven for those

who want to be wealthy without consequences when they should be more concerned about our reputation as a haven for those seeking a haven from persecution who are being thrown into our cruel direct provision system. It’s not even as if Ireland’s only appeal to Apple is in our cowardice on seeking tax money. We have a bright, educated and productive workforce and possibly the most ideal location imaginable for global ease of movement, right at the center of the world with several excellent airports linking to the EU, the US and the UK. We’re not going to scare them away just by asking for our money, please. Modern Ireland was built on strong principles, compassion and ideological independence: we fought too hard to escape British rule to so easily allow ourselves to fall under Silicon Valley rule.

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Wattpad and teen romance novels give young girls toxic ideas about relationships Clara Kelly discusses how teen romance novels, often paint toxic ideas of what relationships should be for young women.

hen Stephanie Meyer released Twilight back in 2005, she also paved the way for toxic romance to plague the pages of young adult fiction books on a global scale. The best selling book was based on the premise of an aggressive and at points controlling male lead, who preys on an innocent and often inexperienced female lead. And so too has been the formula, many young adult writers have stuck to since it’s release. Of course, books that portray toxic relationships were not new. However, undoubtedly due to the overwhelming success of the series, many young girls were increasingly reading stories that showcased toxic ideas of what a relationship should be. After other authors saw the success of Meyer’s series, and perhaps in part due to fan-fare for it, many copy-cat novels came to be. These often followed the same premise, and structure. One of the most popular examples, Fifty Shades Of Grey by E.L James, was actually a fan-fiction of Twilight, so the similarities make sense. Albeit, some themes such as sexuality, toxicity and the controlling and abusive nature of the male lead, meant the book ended up with Twilights dangerous undertone. But with almost

no other plot and a lot more venomous ideas. And these stories were only heightened by the rise of fan-fiction books such as Fifty Shades. It meant soon creators on literary sites such as Wattpad were not only getting published but getting movie deals too. After, a book by Anna Todd about a controlling and manipulative relationship between two teenagers,

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They are teaching girls that men who desire to control them, love them had massive acclaim, even scoring a film on streaming platform, Netflix, in 2014. The movies take classic horror movie, virgin and whore complex and amplify it. Often portraying virginal and timid women as the heroine of the story, while trashing any more confident or provocative female characters

Credit:Flickr

Clara Kelly| Comment Editor @clarabkelly

as the worst form of villain, in the process. So not only are they teaching girls that men who desire to control them, love them. But teaching young women to shame each other while doing so. While there are cases such as Beth Reekles. The Welsh teen first came to public attention last summer after her debut novel, which she released at merely 15, due to Wattpad, was released on Netflix. In cases like Beths, some could

argue the platform is encouraging young women to not only read, but to create. And that the toxicity is merely a form of self-expression that will wither in time. But when you realise of all the authors I have listed, only one of them was a young author, it becomes a much more sinister case. Older authors such as E.L James and Anna Todd, know that their books are being consumed by young people. Especially Todd and other Wattpad au-

thors, who like her, write stories based in high-schools and colleges. These stories often feature predominantly teenage characters, targeting young audiences and pushing on them negative ideas of romance at a formative age. The romanticising of abusive romantic scenarios in the name of monetary gain, especially from older authors, must stop and empowerment, must start.

Why we should let the Canadian PM say sorry Shane Brennan| Deputy Sports Editor @shanebrennan247

mage conscious Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, once the liberal darling of western leaders, found himself in world headlines. Canadian media, with the help of the rival Conservative Party, revealed photos of Trudeau dressed in blackface at an Arabian-nights themed party in 2001, along with at least two other similar incidents. The whole ordeal raises serious questions about Trudeau’s ability to have moral authority when confronting race issues that still plague a society which often prides itself on being progressive. The message from his main political rival, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer is clear; the photos prove that Trudeau is not fit to govern. The leader of the third-place New Democrats Jameet Singh, an observant Sikh, has questioned how one could “look someone in the eye who’s mocked the

lived reality… that so many Canadians have lived”, adding that Trudeau sets a bad example for children growing up in a diverse country. One thing is undisputed in the whole case, what Trudeau did was wrong. It was wrong when minstrelism was popular, it was wrong in 2001 and it is wrong now. The PM himself has described the actions as racist in a series of apologies given on the campaign trail after the pictures were released just a month prior to federal elections. These apologies don’t seem enough for many Canadians, after all the “lived reality” of racial inequality and abuse Singh speaks of is a harrowing one. It’s hard to blame them for being angry, but what we have to remember is that Trudeau’s actions weren’t designed to cause damage to any ethnic minority, it’s more of a massive blind spot in his social awareness that he says he has moved on from. If he had done this while in office,

or even while he was an MP, I would be a part of the #Trudeaumustgo brigade, it’s just too damaging to your reputation and not enough time would have passed where voters could be confident he has grown to understand his own blindness better. But the Arabian nights photograph happened 18 years ago, before his entry into politics, and in a world where race relations issues are proving to be ever more divisive we must allow this to be an example where mature conversations about attitudes create growth and understanding and not division. We see it as an injustice when someone is judged or loses out on opportunities because of mistakes made in the past, we all believe in second chances and value redemption. Forcing Trudeau out for an insensitive act made 18 years ago would not solve anything, it would just reduce the capacity for a society to address its racial issues by removing peoples tolerance for remorse and reconciliation.

Credit: Wiki Media

Shane Brennan discusses how we should react to Justin Trudeau’s past actions

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Is Dublin City losing its heart?

Ross O’Boyd | Contributor

t can be considered Reithean in some ways, looking back at the “good old days”, where people knew each other, and lament at how the world today is not what it used to be. Trying to take an objective view of the past in the same areas is the equivalent of opening Pandora’s box. In the book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” by Jane Jacobs in 1961, she details how modernism has shaped urban planning by prioritising the car over all other forms of transport. Almost sixty years since the publication of that book, the effects of modernism are still being felt today, with car culture dominating as a symbol of personal freedom to go anywhere. Yet, people now bypass smaller places, shops, and restaurant bars in large quantity, you blink and you miss it as you speed past.

This has played a major part in shaping Dublin today. Likewise with globalisation , people have the need and want to go to trusted brands that they can find everywhere. If they have a coffee in Galway from a multi-national coffee chain, they know they can likely find an identical tasting cup in Tokyo or New York City. On the other hand, independent shops can no longer compete with the race-to-the-bottom prices of larger stores, with economies of scale meaning the more you buy of a product or sale space, the cheaper it will be. Therefore, with this societal change, it seems a horrid place to be a local seller. Take for example Dublin City Centre. A place teeming with life, good public transport links, countless shops, restaurants, bars and pubs. It is an extremely accessible and diverse city. However, you would be hard done by to find a place exclusively in Dublin, except scavenging the backstreets and likely only through word of mouth. You have to get the branding

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Independent shops can no longer compete with the race-tothe-bottom prices of larger stores

Credit: National Library of Dublin and Robert Linsdell

With Dublin city increasingly wiping out its roots in favor of modernization, Ross O'Boyd asks, is it losing its heart?

spot-on for your place, whether it be business or housing. Street sellers and otherwise cannot access this kind of funding for enticing consumers through advertising as they try to maintain their income for increasing rent prices. While larger companies can spend thousands on advertising, discounts and influencers, unless you get a discounted coup of a famous name popping in one day, but that is ideally rolling the die. There has been a response by communities to enable local people to shop more in their surrounding areas.

Campaigns such as the “Streets are For People” get people to walk slower, making it more likely for them to stop at local shops which has a massive effect on smaller business. Furthermore, there has been a general societal push back by locals becoming more conscious to shop in local, family-orientated businesses. Dublin may not be losing its heart, but its certainly facing a need for a diet to improve its cardiovascular health in a local sense, by taking a few exercises of policy to keep people local.

Do I really want to spend the rest of my life in Dublin? Calum Atkinson discusses Dublin’s lack of opportunity when it comes to younger people

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Put simply, Dublin is an incredibly dysfunctional city in many of the key aspects

very important question but strangely one that I had not spent much time considering until recent months. Moving into the final year of college has really made me consider my future. I think I always just assumed that that future lay in Dublin but now I am having more and more doubts, and I am not alone. Put simply, Dublin is an incredibly dysfunctional city in many of the key aspects to be considered when deciding where to live. The most obvious example of this being the housing crisis. A crisis that

sees over 10,000 people without a home and that puts people renting under massive pressure. A recent report stated that Dublin is the fifth most expensive city in Europe to rent in, placing it ahead of cities like Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid and Berlin. I grew up in Dublin and have a great love for many elements of the city but this report just illustrates how laughable the situation has become. We have to pay more to live in the city with the spire than they have to pay to live in the city with the Eiffel Tower. Do I really want to stay in Dublin and pay these extortionate rents?

Or would I be better served moving abroad to a city with more affordable rents where I would have a higher standard of living. Dublin can also be quite a chaotic and stressful city to spend much time in. When I’m stuck on the bus in grid lock traffic on D’Olier street it gives me time to think about how other European cities have got it right where we’ve got it wrong. The city is uncomfortable and cramped to walk through and it seems to be perpetually under construction. We’ve given too much space to cars and not enough to bikes and pedestri-

Credit: Piqaels

Calum Atkinson |Deputy Comments Editor @CalumAtkinson

ans. The public transport system has been invested in but I’ve yet to see much improvement. All these things add up to a fairly unpleasant experience. I have family and friends living in Dublin who I’d always want to be close to but other than that there are few reasons I can see to stay in Dublin. There are some more intangible things that make Dublin special but I don’t think they can outweigh the massive problems. People always mention the culture and nightlife when talking about Dublin but even that sector is not in great shape. A number of popular pubs and clubs have closed in recent years which has meant Dublin has lost some of its appeal. Don’t get me wrong, there are still places I enjoy going but I fear if this trend continues there’ll be fewer and fewer places to go. The points I’ve made are centered around my personal experience, that of a student nearing graduation. If I look ahead I couldn’t even imagine the complications and difficulties having children would bring. The fact is people continue to leave Ireland en masse. We have one of the highest emigration rates in the EU and 50,000 people emigrated from Ireland in 2018. In the last few months for the first I’ve begun to think I might be one of those numbers in the future.

Comment

Trinity’s ranking drop is due to the government

Why we should legalise marijuana

Lack of funding from the government is why Irish universities are failing, says Clara Kelly

t seems everybody wants to know how and why Trinity, of all places, could have suffered the worst fall among any of the world’s individually ranked universities. However, Trinity’s overall score did not fall. In fact, it increased by a small margin. The problem is that more than 40 universities in other countries scores rose at a much faster rate. Many universities are improving faster than their Irish counterparts, and if things progress like this, Ireland will soon join a small percentage of western countries with no universities in the top 200. And the blame will rest mostly on the Government. Our education system is flawed, struggling to make ends meet due to lack of government funding at all levels from primary to third level. Despite all of the lovely new changes here at DCU and other Irish institutions, abroad, things are progressing at a much faster rate. Even in DCU, the new facilities we came back to this semester, required multiple terms where students had to walk past construction work on campus. And even now students face outrageous wait times to rent insufficient amounts of camera and other equipment, that is often, quite dated. The money issue is impossible to disprove, OECD figures show that only one

other EU member state spends less on third-level education than Ireland. This lack of investment comes at a time when we have rising numbers of young people, meaning we are throwing away our talent pool and sending our educated young people abroad in the process.

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Our education system is flawed and struggling due to lack of government funding at all levels

It’s not just a shortage of money, Ireland doesn’t have a sufficient research strategy to help universities progress. Public money previously used to fund original research is now mainly going towards other things. The failure to back individual researchers has had a knock-on effect on university reputation and rankings for not only Trinity but a lot of universities. Ireland has funded only a dozen such grants in three years and all of them were funded by the Irish Research Council, and the fact is, it would be impossible to keep up with state-of-the-art universities, with mediocre funding. Ireland has used tax advantages in recent years to attract investment, but such advantages won’t always be available in the future. It takes just one look at the current situation with Apple to tell us that tax breaks may be fleeting, making universities and Ireland’s future, something that has never been more crucial to invest in. Many countries in Europe have came back from a similar ranking hit. Germany, 13 years ago, attempted to reverse a decline in the rankings with a new excellence strategy that highly funded colleges. And there are now eight German universities in the top 100. Meaning the possibility of Trinity and other colleges climbing the rankings is not impossible, however, it is, in the government's hands.

Credit: Flickr William Murphy

Clara Kelly | Comment Editor @clarabkelly

At the end of June, Minister for Health Simon Harris signed legislation which allowed for medical consultants to prescribe certain cannabis-based treatments. Unsurprisingly this cannabis can only be used for medical reasons. While some may view this as a small step towards legalisation, Harris certainly doesn’t seem to think so.

Brendan Fernando Kelly-Palenque | Editor-in-Chief @BrendanFKP

n fact, back in May of this year, he said just that. In the Oireachtas Health Committee, he said: “There are no plans to legalise cannabis or any other illicit drugs in this country.” So at least for the foreseeable future, it appears that recreational marijuana will remain a pipe dream. But why? If you are found in possession of cannabis or cannabis resin, you are guilty of an offence. If it’s only your first time getting caught, you could find yourself on the receiving end of a €2,500 fine. On your third offence, you’re looking at a possible prison sentence of up to 12 months. Again, I have to ask why? What does our society think our prison system should be for? Locking up people for non-violent drug offences? Surely not. First, from a purely practical standpoint that is an absolute waste of taxpayer’s money. Statistics from the Irish prison service state that it costs the state €1,842 per week to jail someone. Can we justify spending close to two grand a month to lock someone up for owning cannabis? Some people believe prison is to protect the rest of society from dangerous individuals, while others would argue that it should rehabilitate these individuals. Even if we were to imagine the worst-case scenario where someone is hopelessly addicted to marijuana, it’s hard to argue that locking them up is the best treatment. Similarly, you’d have to be a fearmonger to believe that someone is inherently violent because they smoke marijuana. In reality, the Health and Safety Authority’s (HSE) National Drug Treatment Centre makes it clear that marijuana does very much the opposite. According to their website: “Getting 'stoned' on cannabis makes users feel relaxed, talkative and happy”.

So it’s probably safe to say that weed isn’t illegal because it’s converting our youth into violent criminals. It’s important to keep in mind just who’s being locked up. According to a 2008 study done led by UCD professor in criminology Ian O’Donnell: “the most deprived areas in the country had 145.9 prisoners per 10,000 population, compared to 6.3 in the least deprived

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What does our society think our prison system should be for? Locking up people for non-violent drug offences? Surely not areas.” It also found that several Dublin suburbs had higher prisoner ratios for all crime sub-categories, naming places like Fettercairn, Jobstown and Palmerstown. Laws such as the one which makes cannabis illegal leads to a system in which people in disadvantaged areas are more likely to be imprisoned. This is not say those in advantaged areas do not use weed – they very much do. However, they are not the ones who are ending up in prison. Cannabis should be legalised – people who use it are not inherently violent and its illegality is more likely to affect the most vulnerable people in our society.

Trasnachas agus dlúthphartaíocht san aois nua Cian O hEidin | Eagarthoir na Gaeilge

dh chun tosaigh do gach ceann do na dearbhuithe atá léite amach átá fíor in a tsaol. Bhí go leor díospóireacht i ndiadh an fís ag pléascadh ar an idirlíon faoi na dearbhuithe seo, agus má raibh phribhléidí i gceist nó míbhuntáistí, ach le sin, caill go leor daoine pointe an fís: sa saol, ní bhíonn an deis céanna ag daoine seasamh taobh le taobh, agus is í ról na daoine le hárdán, a ghuth a úsáid chun na ghuthanna agus na scéalta do daoine níos imeallaithe ná hiad in a gcomhluadar a hardú. Tá neamhchothroime chumacht i gceist i ngach comhluadar mar gheall ar na phribhléidí agus míbhuntáistí a mbíonn ag daoine sa chomhluadar. Mura dtuigeann daoine an tionchar go bhfuil ag siúd ar daoine in a measc, thosaíonn na fadhbanna seo ag scarradh an comhluadar. Luann an rapálaí Stormzy na fadhbanna nuair nach dtuigeann daoine go bhfuil comhthéacs agus cúlra ag chách, mar shampla, i ‘Don’t Cry for Me’ ó Gang Signs & Prayer: “Man are out here beefin’ like we ain’t broke enough / Swear these brothers ain’t woken up / Like what have I done to deserve this life? / I got brothers in the pen that I’ll never see again / Got my brothers dem servin’ life / And I know that you think that it serves ‘em right / But I come from a place where you burn or die / Or we turn and ride / So don’t blame us when we turn to the dirt, we tried/ I just pray we fly” Nuair a thosaíonn daoine á lorg daoine nach bhfuil ag bheith ‘woke’ go leor in a gcomhluadar, rud átá ag éirí níos

coitianta sa ‘Call-Out Culture’ atá le feicéail sa lá atá inniu ann, is minic nach fágann daoine aon spás chun ceistiú nó thuiscint cén fáth nach bhfuil na daoine seo chomh ‘woke’ leo agus geartar iad ó chómhrá go minic gan fiú ag baint triail as miniú leo céard a bhí cearr leis na dtuairmí go raibh acu.

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Do gníomhaithe éagsúla ar an eite chlé, bhí an freagra soléir Imríonn aicme ról mór i ngach gné don saol agus is léir, mar a luann Stormzy thuas, go gcaithfidh sé a bheith mar chuid den comhrá anseo, ach táimid chun é a fhágáil ar taobh amháin chun léiriú cad a dtarlaíonn nuair a ghearann tú amach diospóireacht i ghrúpaí imeallaithe agus nach ardaíonn tú na guthanna do na daoine is imeallaithe sa chomhluadar. I focal amháin, is í an uaisliú do polaitíocht na féiniúlachta agus an trasnachas atá tú fágtha le. Feictear í ró-mhinic anois, mar le na meáin sósialta, tá an

deis (go teoiriciúil) ag chuile duine ardán a bheith acu, ach in ionad na daoine is imeallaithe a hardú, is minic go gcuireann na daoine le chumhacht sa gcomhluadar ina thost iad, agus in a háit, ardaíonn siad na daoine atá is lú imeallaithe chun iomhá phríomhshrutha a chuir ar an gcomhluadar, nó níos measa fós, leanann siad ar aghaidh ag léiriú an comhluadar sa bealach is a mbíonn na hinstitúidí príomhshrutha á dhéanamh é, ag atreisiú an íomhá síud le blianta le teacht. An dara cheist go raibh le freagrú againn, faoin ról atá le himirt ag aicme i diospóireacht trasnach, atá an topaic do caibidil i leabhar Darren McGarvey: Poverty Safari. Táim chun cúpla do na pointí do a tráchtas a léiriú, agus mo smaointe fhéin orthu freisin. Úsaideann McGarvey sliocht ó scríobhnóireacht Henry Bell i Bella Caledonia chun an caibidil a oscailt, ina bhfuil an argóint déanta ag Bell ná nuair a gcuireann daoine streachailt aicmeach thar aon cos ar bolg atá curtha ar daoine eile, ní athraíonn na struchtúir do chumhacht ar daoine imeallaithe, fiú sa gluaiseacht í féin. Dar leis, fiú muna bhfuil polaitíocht na féiniúlachta foirfe, tá sé níos fear ná an rogha eile: polatíocht an streachailt aicme an fichiú haois. Do go leor daoine, mé féin san áireamh, nuair a smaoineann siad faoin polatíocht don am siúd agus na fadhbanna leo, smaoineann siad ar an scannáin Pride ó 2014. I measc go leor do na gníomhaithe ag tús an scannán, tá fadhbanna soléir

Credit: DCU

an aois nua, cloistear go minic ó gníomhaithe agus polaiteoirí ar an eite dheis agus ar an eite chlé faoi polaitíocht na féiniúlachta, ó thaobh amháin, cé chomh amadach is atá an coincheap dó agus ón thaobh eile, cé chomh amadach is atá na daoine ag ceistiú í. Tá sé soléir le feicéal cé chomh tábhachtach is atá sé do dhaoine, go harraithe daoine atá tar éis a saol a chaitheamh ar imeall an sochaí, daoine imeallaithe le na tréithe céanna leo a fheiceáil le hardán poiblí, sa pholaitíocht, san ealáin nó sna meain, atá ag úsáid an ardán siúd chun labhairt faoin saol a mbíonn ag daoine imeallaithe cosúil leo. Smaoinigh faoi an áthas a mbíonn ar daoine nuair a osclaíonn duine LADT+ faoi choim suas faoi na deacrachtaí do ag iompair timpeall faoi cheilt, nó nuair a labhraíonn daoine gorma faoi na fadbhanna a bhíonn acu mar gheall ar ciníochas, nó le mná agus fuath ban, ach ní minic é go thagann daoine amach faoi níos mó na saghas amháin do an idirdhealú a mbíonn daoine ag fulaingt le gach lá. Do gníomhaithe éagsúla ar an eite chlé, bhí an freagra soléir. Trasnachas a bhí an ainm a chuireadh ar an coincheap go raibh chun polaitíocht na féiniúlachta a shábháil, mar ainmnigh trasnachas na bealaí éagsúla in a mbíonn idirdhealú mar in gcéanna do ghrúpaí imeallaithe. Mar choincéap déanann sé go leor ciall do daoine, mar go bhfuil daoine ag fulaingt mar gheall ar na cumhachtanna céanna, ba chóir dóibh seasamh taobh le taobh chun na cumhachtanna seo a friotú. Ach tá fadhb an-thábhachtach leis an bealach seo do ag tuiscint trasnach. Níl na daoine ag troid ar son an comhionannas cothrom le thosnú. Cinnte, tá daoine ag fulaingt mar gheall ar na cumhachtanna céanna, ag níl gach éinne ag fulaingt an méid céanna. Mar sin do daoine imeallaithe a bhfuil trasnach ó nádúr, ní mbíonn an deis céanna acu seasamh taobh le taobh le daoine eile ‘níos lú imeallaithe’. Is as seo a thagann dhá smaointe deacra atá le phlé ag éinne atá ag iarraidh nach mbeidh na fhadbhanna céanna ag trasnachas is atá ag polaitíocht na féiniúlachta. Cén tionchar atá ag phribhléid ar gníomhaíochas trasnach. Cén ról atá ag aicme le himirt i díospóireacht trasnach? Gan dabht tá an físéan idirlíne cáilúil faoi pribhléid feicthe ag go leor daoine, eagraíonn duine rás le $100 mar dhúis ach roimh a thosnaíonn an rás, deirtear leis an slua dhá chéim a bhoga-

le feicéail le fuath ban agus homafóibe ar taobh amháin agus aicmeachas ar an taobh eile, ach nuair a thosnaíonn siad ag ceistiú na réamhthuairim atá acu faoina cheile, is feidir leo athrú na bealaí go bhfuil siad ag iompair le chéile. Má fágann tú an lucht oibre amach as trasnachas nó ghrúpaí imeallaithe eile amach as an díospóireacht ar aicme, scarann thú ghrúpaí atá cheana féin leochailleach. Níl an rogha, mar a luann Bell, idir dhá bealach scriosach amháin, mar is feidir le daoine polatíocht nua a chruthú, a baineann triail as a bheith oscailte do gach taithí don saol. Luann McGarvey feiniméan míchompordach nach labhraíonn mórán gníomhaithe ar an eite chlé ansin: idirdhealú trasnach. Is rud é go bhfuil feicthe ag go leor daoine ina gcuid gcomhluadar i dtreo comhluadar eile, ach do mórán daoine tá sé ró-gheis le phlé. Is teorainn ol-mhór seo do aon pholaitíocht nua ionchuimsitheach agus ní fhéadfadh le daoine sóchaí ionchuimsitheach a cruthú gan é a choiméad i gcuimhne. Fiú nuair a luann daoine an fadhb do idirdhealú trasnach, níl sé chun miniú le gcomhluadar eile na fadhbanna atá ann leis an bealach atá siad ag déiláil leis an chomhluadar, tá sé chun iad a ‘glaoigh amach’, rud nach bhfuil ag déanamh aon maitheas d’éinne. I bhfírinne, déanann sé díchumhachtú ar daoine atá imeallaithe agus leochaileach le tosnú, agus in ionad iad a spreagadh chun athrú, is minic go cuireadh iad ina thost.

Gaeilge

Beatha teanga í a labhairt: an Gaeilge agus imreoirí CLG na mBruiséile

Cén ceachtanna an feidir le gaelgóirí foghlaim maidir le conas úsáid na gaeilge a spregadh ó imreoirí CLG na Bruséile? Labhaireadh leo chun fáil amach faoin saol atá ag gaelgóirí thar sáile. Cian O hEidin | Eagarthoir na Gaeilge

Credit: Cian Ó hÉidín

agus is í amach as an meon sin go dtagann an gné beomhar don teanga atá le feiceáil sa Bhruséil. Cuirfear drámaí ar fáil trí Ghaeilge, agus bíonn ciorcail comhrá ar siúl gach seachtain, ach is í leis an gclub CLG ann, Craobh Rua CLG, go bhfeictear an tionchar atá ag an meon seo is soléire.

Nuair a shiúlann tú tríd na geataí ag páirceanna rugbaí an VUB, campas pléimeannach Ollscoil Saor na mBruséile, nuair atá traenáil CLG ar siúil, is minic go gcloisfeá an gaeilge go díreach, dá mbeadh beirt comhghleacaithe ag léiriú an nuacht nua ón oifig an lá siúd, nó le duine eile ag

comhaireamh go deich agus iad ag searradh. Chomh maith le sin, cloistear í fiú idir dhaoine mar “modh chumarsáide” i rith cluiche, “ionas nach

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an Ghaeilge níos minice sa Bhruséil ná i Sligeach nó fiú i [mBaile Átha Cliath] Credit: Cian Ó hÉidín

2007, aimníodh an Ghaeilge mar teanga oifiigiúil de chuid an Aontas Eorpach, agus le sin, thar tamall, thosaigh na hinstitiúidí Eorpacha ag cur poist ar fáil do ghaeilgeoirí. Timpeall an am céanna, bhí club beag CLG sa Bhruséil, a thosaíodh i 2003, ag fás go tapaidh. Nuair a athríodh stádas na Gaeilge san Aontas i 2013 go teanga oibre iomlán, ag cruthú na céadta poist le bheith lionta sa Bhruséil sa phróiséas, tháinig an chéad céim mór eile maidir le n-úsáid na Gaeilge sa Bhruséil. Dá mbeadh duine ag iarraidh fáil amach cén fáth a n-úsáidtear an Ghaeilge go minic sa Bhruséil, ní feidir breathnú ar an lucht oibre amháin, ach ar na hÉireannaigh ar fad sa Bhruséil, agus fiú thar sáile go ginerálta. Luann daoine go minic go n-úsáidtear a gcuid Gaeilge, cibé leibhéal atá acu, níos mó thar sáile, má tá siad ag iarraidh comhrá príobháideach a bheith acu ar tram nó ar óiche amach, mar shampla, nó chun focail maslaithe i nGaeilge a míniú go dtí a chairde idirnáisiúnta don chraic. Mar sin, tá sé níos éasca tuiscint a bheith againn ar cén fá atá Éireannaigh thar sáile níos oscailte Gaeilge a chloisteáil ina gcuid saol pearsanta ná a bhíonn daoine in Éirinn go minic,

mbeadh éinne ábalta” iad a thuiscint dar le Marla De Chondúin, múinteoir bunscoile agus imreoir peile lonnaithe sa Bhrúséil. Bíonn imreoirí bainteach leis an gclub go minic ó gach áit sa domhain freisin, agus is minic go

múineann na gaeilgóirí cúpla focail leo chun go mbeadh an deis acu blas beag a fháil don gné sin do chultúr na hÉireann. Ach ní hamháin mar “teanga rúnda” go n-úsaideann imreoirí CLG na mBruséile a gcuid gaeilge, dar le Tomás Mac Giolla Bháin, imreoir peile is iomána sa chlub. Dar leis, úsaideann sé “an Ghaeilge níos minice sa Bhruséil ná i Sligeach nó fiú i [mBaile Átha Cliath]”. Luaigh Aodháin Ó Murchú, imreoir eile sa chlub, an rud céanna, go bhfuil fiú “neart daoine nach [labhraíonn sé] ach gaeilge leo, taobh amuigh den obair agus más gáth leis, lastigh den obair”. Léirigh Caoimhe Ní Shúilleabháin “gur [is leis na imreoirí an club]”, mar nach bhfuil an coiste daoine ar leith, ach gur imreoirí iad freisin, agus mar sin go dtuigeann na himreoirí gur is iad “spiorad” an chlub. Mar sin, bíonn chuile duine páirteach maidir le heagrúchán an chlub, ag ullmhú ceapairí agus ag togáil na cúil an óiche roimh comortais, nó ag díol di agus ticéidí crannchuir ag an féile Naomh Phádraig nó an óiche céilí, na ócáid tiomsaithe airgid mór atá ag an gclub. Is feidir an paisean seo don chultúr a feiceáil tríd an chlub ar fad, ach go háirrithe i measc an club ógra, Club Gaelach na gComhphobal Eorpach sa Bhruséil. Eagraíonn an chlub rás óige trí Ghaeilge, chomh maith le traenáil agus gníomhaíochtaí éagsúile eile trí Ghaeilge timpeall Seachtain na Gaeilge gach bliain. Bíonn ceol agus amhránaíocht Éireannach agus Gaelach ar siúil ag na comortáis a eagraítear freisin, rud a bhíonn páistí agus daoine fásta páirteach le i gcónaí. Is am an-tabhachtach atá ann faoi láthair don Ghaeilge, mar tá níos mó agus níos mó daoine ag ionsaí stádas ár teanga náisúinta, agus le tréigean na tuaithe, tá níos lú agus níos lú daoine óga ann chun ár nGaeltachta a choiméad beo. Le sin, bíonn mórán díospóireacht idir ghaelgóirí faoi cad atá le dhéanamh acu chun úsáid na Gaeilge a spreagadh sa ré nua, agus is fiú féachaint ar an Bhruséil mar shampla don bhealach é sin a dhéanamh. Ní teanga ar pháipéir í an Ghaeilge, ní raibh sí riamh, agus is tríd ár gcultúr, an CLG, ár éaláin, ach go harraithe trí bhéal - ba chóir go mbeidh muid ag múineadh í go daoine, ní hamháin trí seomrai ranga agus scrúdaithe. Beatha teanga í a labhairt, rud a thuigeann gaelgóirí agus Éireannaigh na mBruséile go maith.

Corporations are the leading cause of climate crisis Béibhinn Thorsch | Deputy Features Editor @BeibhinnJourno

here are less than two decades left to limit the damage causing the climate crisis according to an overwhelming majority of experts, yet the focus continues to stay on the behaviours of individuals (and their use of plastic straws and disposable coffee cups) instead of that of the proven biggest contributors corporations. A 2019 report published by the Carbon Disclosure Project revealed that a group of the world’s biggest companies have valued the climate risks to their business (representing around US$17 trillion in market capitalisation) at almost US$1 trillion. The full report covers 6,936 companies and analyses the risks and opportunities related to the climate breakdown reported by companies in 2018. Nicolette Bartlett, the Director of Climate Change at CDP said, “Our analysis shows that there are a multitude of risks posed by climate change, including impaired assets, market changes and physical damages from climate impact, as well as tangible impacts to business bottom lines.” The UN also released its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report this year, with recommendations including that corporate action can no longer be delayed if we want to see significant change for the future of the planet. The Carbon Majors Report (2017) was reported on extensively in the media, as it was revealed that 100 companies had been the source of more than 70 per cent of the world’s global emissions since 1988. Pedro Faria is the technical director at environmental non-profit the CDP, which published the report in collaboration with the Climate Accountability Institute. Faria said the report “pinpoints how a relatively small set of fossil fuel producers may hold the key to systemic change on carbon emissions,”. The report was compiled from publicly available emissions figures and characteristically focuses on fossil fuel producers (such as oil companies) rather than large scale greenhouse gas emissions (many of which are caused by the burning of fossil fuels). The report uses 1988 as the year in which it begins taking its figures, as this is

the year the IPCC was established. Since then, ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, and Chevron have been among the highest emitting investor-owned companies. The report clearly states that the scale of total emissions associated with these companies has contributed significantly to the climate emergency crisis as a whole. If the same rate of fossil fuel extraction continues it is likely to have catastrophic consequences for life on earth by the end of the century - in only 80 years time. To hold these companies to account, it is vital that the spread of news reaches the general public and inspires them to take action and call on the companies they buy from to move forward in their climate goals. In Ireland, researchers such as DCU lecturer David Robbin’s work has found that less than 1 per cent of news coverage in Ireland is covering the climate breakdown. He says this is following an international pattern. He has also said that depending on how different Ministers speak about the climate breakdown, and what their particular

Credit: Pixabay

With little time left to change the course of humanity, the largest contributors to global emissions will need to alter their ways in order for tangible change to occur.

was more about individual responsibility, what people can do to tackle the issues.” Coverage has, it seems, leaned away from holding accountable corpora-

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Coverage has, it seems, leaned away from holding accountable corporations which have been proven time and again as having the most negative influence on the worsening issue of climate change. concerns are within the issue, frames how the topic is spoken about. For example, he said “When Eamon Ryan was minister, the framing emphasised the economic opportunities of climate change, the technology and how businesses could benefit. When John Gormley was minister, the frame

tions which have been proven time and again as having the most negative influence on the worsening issue of the climate crisis. Approximately 204 companies, including Apple, Facebook, Google and Ikea, have committed to 100

per cent renewable power under the RE100 initiative. RE100 is a global corporate leadership initiative led by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP, bringing together influential business with a goal to accelerate change towards zero carbon grids, at global scale. They work to increase corporate demand for renewable energy. There are some oil and gas companies also investing in green energy, with even Shell in 2015 setting up a renewable and low-carbon division to invest in these areas. Group Chief Executive, Ben van Beurden, has however not begun moving towards a slowdown in the high oil and gas investment of the company, which is still driven by consumer demand. Van Beurden said “The big challenge, both for society and for a company like Shell is how to provide much more energy, while at the same time significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions.” Speaking on behalf of Greenpeace UK, senior programme advisor Charlie Kronick said “The future of the oil industry has already been written: the choice is will its decline be managed, returning capital to shareholders to be reinvested in the genuine industries of the future, or will they hold on, hoping not to be the last one standing when the music stops? Overall, changing consumption patterns on a large scale may influence companies to change their own production patterns in line with a more sustainable consumer. While some

have argued that at least those who can afford to make certain lifestyle changes have a responsibility to limit global warming, individuals are in fact statistically blameless when placed on a scale next to these companies. Particularly those who live in poorer countries have contributed almost nothing (certainly nothing out of the ordinary) to the climate crisis, and have very little power to enact the structural changes that other countries are being asked of. Governments hold the keys to enact legislation that could potentially regulate companies to remain within sustainable emission limits, and keep in line with environmental protection standards. The Climate Accountability website states that their vision is for a world protected from the social, economic, and environmental damages of climate change. Richard Heede, co-founder and co-director of the Climate Accountability Institute has said, “They’re [these companies] are producing the fossil fuels we use… it’s the consumers that produce the carbon dioxide: they may be corporations, airlines, shipping lines, households, utilities.” “They’re [these companies] obliged by capitalist theory to maximise short-term profits for their shareholders...they have the largest burden in addressing the problems they have helped to create, through their wealth and the decisions they have made to support the carbon economy over the course of their lives.” Heede added.

Features

How music impacts mental health Research has proven that there is a correlation between certain types of music and a reduction in stress, and because of this many organisations have begun to offer music therapy to individuals suffering from mental health conditions.

Roisin Phelan | Features Editor @_roisinphelan

Music in all its countless genres and styles has transcended centuries of life on this planet and has displayed its power to influence and move people on a daily basis. According to a study by Nusbaum and Silvia entitled Personality and the Experience of Chills From Music, 90% of people have felt chills going down their spine when listening to music. Can this power do more than just superficially lighten the mood, can it change someone’s life and really impact their happiness and mental health? According to a study by the College of Nursing at Kaohsiung Medical University of Taiwan, music therapy has been found to reduce psychological stress, and separate research reviewing 23 studies covering almost 1,500

patients found that listening to music reduced heart rate, blood pressure and anxiety in heart disease patients. With research such as this proving that there is a correlation between certain types of music and a reduction in stress, many organisations have begun to offer music therapy to individuals suffering from mental health issues as an alternative option for treatment. One of the leading organisations offering music therapy in Ireland is Music Therapy Ireland. First established in Limerick in 2010, the organisation provides music therapy to a variety of “vulnerable populations that need additional support” such as people with dementia, emotional and behavioural conditions, autism, ADHD and brain injuries. Music Therapy Ireland believe that music can act as an appropriate intervention for those who are finding it difficult to cope within their lives. They have also begun to lead the way by offering their services to those who are affected by a mental health condition such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, impulse control and addiction disorders. The music therapy can take place one on one or in group sessions and can help to “restore some equilibrium” in the lives of those affected by a mental health condition. One study carried out in 2013 entitled ‘The effect of music on the human stress response’ found that music does provide a calming and ‘equilibrium’ effect. In the study, 60 female volunteers took part in stress tests. Some of these volunteers were made listening to relaxing music, such as an acoustic instrumental before the test. The study then saw that the volunteers who had listened to this music performed better than those who hadn’t. Cormac Timlin, is a second year DCU student who says music is a

big part of his life and his happiness. When he’s having a bad day, his solution is to put on upbeat “happy music”. “I put on a song and it’s maybe something like three minutes but at least in the duration of the song I’m forgetting about whatever and having a good time.” Timlin said that he finds it hard to talk about how he feels, but being able to sing and listen to music helps him to express his emotions. “I know what I want to say in my head but I just wouldn’t say it because I would be too embarrassed to say it… singing helps me to express emotions without having to talk about it

because obviously that’s a problem,” said Timlin. For this reason, he thinks music therapy could be beneficial to both him and people in a similar situation to him. Diane Martin, a student at BIMM spoke to The College View about her desire to study Music Therapy in the hopes of administering it in her future. She believes that “it can help many people”. “It’s for people struggling with mental, physical, physiological problems, anything really. If you spend some time with them, listening to their favourite songs, singing some songs or helping them write a song it takes their

mind off the pain and suffering for just a little while and are happy.” Martin said that it is the boost in happiness and energy that patients feel after music therapy that allows individuals with both mental and physical conditions to relax and heal. While music therapy has not overtaken conventional methods of treating mental health conditions it is becoming an alternative option which people are both intrigued by and willing to try. With promising results thus far, music therapy is an option that the public of Irish are beginning to trust and rely on.

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It takes their mind off the pain and suffering for just a little while and they are happy

Credit: Need Pix

t’s a friday night, a couple dozen people are in a dark, clammy room, most with a drink in hand and all swaying to a familiar beat. The live band perched on a shelf of a stage kick start their set with a crowd favourite. The atmosphere lifts through the roof immediately, drinks are put to the side, friends drag each other to the front and the dancefloor fills. This single piece of music, just a song written by a few friends, performed just for the fun of it, had the ability to lift the energy of every single person in that room. The impact and power it had was clear to see.

Features

Opt-out organ donation system on the cards for Ireland

Brendan Fernando Kelly-Palenque | Editor-in-Chief @BrendanFKP

reland currently has an opt-in system wherein people have to consent first. In all cases, the medical team has to request the next-of-kin to donate the organs of a dead person. According to Citizens Information, in practice the consent of next-of-kin is accepted, while their refusal is not contested. An opt-out system would assume that everyone consents, however Harris said that the bill would have a clause which will ensure relatives have the final say. This is known as a soft opt-out system.Whether or not this will actually increase the number of organ donations is not clear. Ireland already has one of the highest rates of donation according to the Beaumont Hospital Kidney Centre – with 20.3 donors per millions of populations (pmp). Data from the International Registry in Organ Donation and Transplantation (IRODAT) shows that Spain had a deceased organ donation rate of 46.9 pmp in 2017 – higher than any other country in the world. Spain also has a similar soft opt-out scheme similar to the one Harris wishes to bring in. They’ve had this system since 1979,

but it took 10 years for the donor rates to actually go up – which also happened to coincide with a new national transplant organisation. Sweden also has a soft opt-out system but statistics from IRODAT show that it has a lower actual deceased donor rate than Ireland. It’s possible that Harris’ bill could increase successful organ donations in Ireland, but that may have nothing to do with a change to the consent system. The bill would put regulations on how to remove, retain, store, use and dispose of human tissue from a dead person. Organ donation could also be increased if a hard opt-out system was implemented. A hard opt-out system would assume consent and take the organs of the deceased regardless of the families’ wishes. The BBC Reality Check team found that hard opt-out systems increases donor rates by up to 25 per cent. Chairperson of DCU’s Mental Health Society Dean O’Reilly was in favour of a hard opt-out system in general. “If a person does not opt-out of the system… the organ donation [would] already happen but that doc-

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There’s no point in my organs being in the ground if they can save somebody’s life.

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Ireland already has one of the highest rates of donation according to the Beaumont Hospital Kidney Centre – with 20.3 donors per millions of populations (pmp).

tors would… not ask for permission, but discuss with them [the deceased’s family] how the organ donation will happen,” he said. He also made it clear though that he believes opting out should be an easy process that doesn’t require people to jump through several hoops. O’Reilly is an organ donor and holds a “gift of life” donor card. Donor cards serve as consent in Ireland’s current opt-in system. Beyond logistical reasons, O’Reilly has personal reasons for being opting-in. He said: “My mam’s sister had cancer and she got an organ donated to her and so now she’s got to live for another 10 -12 years.” Chairperson of DCU’s LGBTA society Fergal McGuirk has also opted-in to the system, but he’s consented through a note on his driving licence. He said: “There’s no point in my organs being in the ground if they can save someone’s life. Or even to help scientifically.” Donating a deceased body for medical research involves more than just carrying a card or a licence though. Those who wish to do so should contact one of five colleges which contain

a medical research school: UCD, Trinity, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, UCC and NUIG. That said, through opting-in five organs can be donated in Ireland: hearts, lungs, livers, pancreases and kidneys. Ultimately, organ donation is very much an altruistic act – as noted by the director of Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland, professor Jim Egan. He said: “I wish to acknowledge that every transplant performed is as a result of the generosity of a deceased donor family at a time of great personal loss”. Whether it’s through a new consent system or regulations, Harris’ bill could save lives if passed. In the meantime, those who wish to become an organ donor should get a donor card from the Irish Donor Network or the Irish Kidney Association.

Features

Dyspraxia: the difference a diagnosis can make Any one of us could have an ‘off day’; we might

Credit: Chloe Rooney

drop things haphazardly, trip on the curb of a pavement, struggle to remember things we had planned to do that day or even find it hard to focus in conversation.

Catherine Gallagher | Contributor @Cather_i_ne

e are human, it happens and it can happen any given day of the week. But imagine if some of these things were occurring every day? You might feel frustrated, but these are some of the various symptoms of dyspraxia. Dyspraxia, also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), is when the brain has some difficulty with some aspect of planning, sequencing and organising movement. Take for instance to pick up a pen – there is a sequence of movements that happen in your arm, co-ordinating with your hands to bring it where you want to go. The condition is distinct from other motor disorders such as cerebral palsy and stroke. DCD is a non-progressive condition but may change over time depending on environmental demands, accessing support or introducing new strategies.It is often confused with dyslexia, a specific learning difficulty which makes it hard for some

people to learn to read, write and spell correctly. With that in mind, there is a 50/50 chance of dyslexia being present for an individual diagnosed with dyspraxia.

Symptoms:

Similar to other conditions, dyspraxia is a spectrum. One person may have a collection of symptoms and the other may have a completely different set. Some of the symptoms include poor balance, poor fine motor skills, difficulties with vision, motor planning and perception problems, poor awareness of body position in space, difficulty with reading, writing or speech, poor social skills or issues dealing with emotions and behaviour.

‘People thought I was being disruptive’

Jane Madden is a third-year Business Studies student at Trinity College Dublin and she is currently on Erasmus in France. She was diagnosed at the age of 14, “For ages people thought I was being disruptive or that I couldn’t concentrate,” she explained. While her co-ordination is affected to a degree, Madden believes that her

difficulties lie more academically and in the maintainence of relationships. The latter has improved for her she said: “It has gotten better because you learn how to deal with it. If someone was just to meet me they might think ‘well she’s just more quirky or a bit bizarre.’” Madden believes that the level of support is not the issue, but rather the lack of awareness: “I am in France now and when I went to the disability services here they had not even heard of the condition. To be fair to Irish society, it’s well known in comparison to other countries.” In terms of support at third-level, Madden avails of extra time in exams and a special centre to sit them in. “For me, I didn’t become fully comfortable (with my disability) until I came to college. I became involved with disability campaigns. I realised that in order to break down the stigma – you have to share your story.”

Support

Dyspraxia affects approximately six per cent of the population. Occupational therapists are one of the key

professional players who can assist children and adults to manage their condition. Maureen Ryan is an occupational therapist with the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI). She specialises in paediatrics, with a particular interest and specialism in dyspraxia. “I would have worked in New Zealand in the mid 90’s. At that time I can remember coming across dyspraxia which was very well supported in New Zealand but in the services here in Ireland I had never really come across it before.” Ryan said. In terms of being able to recognise the signs and symptoms, she explains, “There are internationally agreed criteria for dyspraxia which Occupational Therapists follow. The Occupational Therapist must consider if there is any medical issue that could explain the movement difficulty, so a review with the medical doctor is an essential part of the diagnosis.” Some of the intervention that an Occupational Therapist could provide would include, with examples: motor skills practice (handwriting, tying laces, using cutlery), cognitive strategies, posture and balance (improving the person’s ability for sitting at a desk) and school level support. Working collaboratively as a “team” from parents, to teachers and Resource Teachers to Occupational Therapists, Ryan says, is very important.

A ‘relief’ with a diagnosis:

Dyspraxia usually emerges in early childhood but many people are not diagnosed until their mid-teens or twenties. “There is often a relief when people are diagnosed,” Ryan said, “because they know then it is not a case that they are not trying enough. “Time after time I see that is the identification that is the biggest support you can give to someone. It is to say ‘this is not all in your head, there is an issue there and it is manageable.’ Similar to dyslexia, dyspraxia is not a

barrier to achievement – you just need that extra level of support.”

Benefits of early intervention:

Undoubtedly, early intervention in diagnosis is of huge benefit to an individual. Lee MacGuire (31) was diagnosed at five years of age. “My parents knew something wasn’t quite right because I was slower reaching milestones than that of my older brother. I was 14 months before I learned how to crawl, 18 months before I learned how to walk and 36 months before I could complete my first full sentence,” Maguire explained. When Maguire started school, there was difficulty in following tasks assigned by a teacher – handwriting for example. Once he received his diagnosis he was able to avail of occupational therapy on a weekly basis in Enniskillen as the family lived in Co. Monaghan. Maguire emphasises the fact that academic supports can help to propel a student to reach their potential. He went on to achieve a BA in International and Sociology in Irish Folklore at University College Dublin. He continued his students to attain a Masters of Literature in Irish Folklore. During his studies he studied Atlantic Folklore in Reykjavik, Iceland, for a year. He accredits his level of achievement and increase in confidence to achieve his goals, “. I was told way back that it would be highly unlikely for me to be able to drive and I actually passed my driving test on the first attempt.” On a day-to-day basis, social interactions and finding a long-term role in employment to match his skillset prove to be difficult. He has recently became a classroom assistant to assist students across the autism spectrum. “I try not to let dyspraxia hold me back,” he concluded.

Sport

Jonny Cooper claims DCU football was key to Dublin’s success

Six-time All-Ireland winner Jonny Cooper claims that DCU GAA has played a key role in Dublin’s five in a row success.

he Na Fianna man recalls how DCU’s footballing success in the early 2010s played a huge role in the development of his career to become one of Jim Gavin’s most trusted lieutenant’s in the full back line. “I can still recall an email from then DCU manager Niall Moyna. I was in sixth year at the time. He wrote to me saying he would help me out any way he could. I still admire that personal touch it had. I wasn’t probably the best academically so I always appreciate how much people like Niall Moyna and Declan Brennan helped me in my time at the University,” Cooper told The College View. 16 players on the Dublin panel were DCU students including Bernard Bro-

gan, Philly McMahon, Evan Comerford, Sean Bugler and Jonny Cooper himself. Cooper, who won an U21 All Ireland in 2010 didn’t get the immediate call into the Dublin senior panel, but on the back of that success along with two Sigerson Cup victories he knew there was something big to come. “I suppose that success was the launch pad for me. I was playing with such great players at DCU, you learn from them and know if you want to compete and win at inter county or university you have to perform at the highest level,” said Cooper. Cooper, who has played 6 All-Ireland finals in five different positions was sent off by referee David Gough in the first match against Kerry, leaving Dublin with 14 men for 40 minutes of the game. “You can talk about fine margins but at the end of the day it was a red card. Hindsight is great thing because now

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I was playing with such great players at DCU, you learn from them and know if you want to compete and win at inter county or university you have to perform at the highest level

Credit: Sportsfile

Conor Breslin| Sports Editor @CVSport

you can say I probably should have been subbed off sooner but Jim placed his trust in me like he always does,” Cooper said. Dublin went on to win a historic five All-Irelands in a row defeating

Kerry in a replay by six points, leaving it up for debate whether they are the greatest team of all time? “I don’t know; I suppose that’s up for the experts to decide on,” Cooper said.

Credit: Jenny Egan

DCU Graduate Jenny Egan ranked number one in the world Courtney Fitzmaurice | Deputy Sports Editor @ courtneyfitz100

gan, who studied athletic therapy and training, said she was delighted that her world cup and world championship 5000m sprint results combined led to being ranked as the best. “I hope that it will be the start of many more great results in the future.” In August 2018, Egan became the first ever medalist for Ireland at the ICF Senior Canoe Sprint World Championships after she won a bronze medal and is one of Ireland’s most successful athletes. “That was a really special moment for me, my family, my club and our country. It’s always been a major goal

of mine to get on that podium and it was so special because I was the first athlete to do it.” Egan also won the first goal medal for Ireland at the ICF Senior Canoe Sprint World Cup 3 in 2016. Egan has yet to qualify for the Olympics, but she said that the setbacks she’s faced in her career have made her appreciate success more. “In every walk of life, everyone has some setbacks. Be it school, college, family - sport is no different to that. Of course you’re gonna be really sad and tired and have your tears because you’ve worked so hard and you don’t understand why it hasn’t worked out,” she said. “I think if you have a passion for something, everything else will come together because no matter what happens you love your sport and you’ll continue then to try and achieve in the future.”

DCU alumnus Jenny Egan was ranked number one in the world in the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Canoe Sprint world rankings 5000m

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It’s extremely important for young girls to be able to see female athletes competing

Egan got involved in the sport from a very young age as her mother and father were both canoeists, along with her brother Peter. Egan is coached by both her brother Peter and her fiancé Jon Simmons, and she said her training is quite intense. She trains six days a week with three sessions per day. “It’s a full time job. It’s not just the training you do on the water, it’s everything else. You’re always thinking about what you can do to improve.” Egan mostly trains with men as there are no other women in Ireland at her level who compete internationally in sprint canoe. However, she also attends training camps abroad with international women’s teams. “It’s good for me to get away to train with girls to be able to compare myself because they’re the ones I’m

going to be competing against.” Egan is the only athlete on the Sport Ireland Women in Sport Steering Committee, and she said that along with initiatives like the 20x20 campaign are essential. “It’s extremely important for young girls to be able to see female athletes competing. That’s why women in sport events need to be televised so that young kids can see them,” she said. “They need to be in the media all the time.” “It’s my responsibility as an ambassador for my sport to do as many different media opportunities that I can so young girls can see me and hear what I’ve achieved.”

Sport

Weekend Rugby DCU GAA hoping to bounce back after a a welcome disappointing 2019 season challenge to DCU Sigerson manager Paddy Christie and Ladies squad Fitzgibbon manager Eoin Roche hope to rebuild their squads and push for silverware this season after a disappointing GAA All Ireland campaign last year in both codes.

Shane Brennan | Deputy Sports Editor @ShaneBrennan247

he newly established DCU Ladies Rugby Club began their inaugural season in the Leinster women’s Division 1 with a 43-12 home defeat at the hands of Terenure’s CYM Rugby Club. The defeat though does not deter the optimism shown by DCU’s Rugby Development Officer Rob Mullen, who said that after the success enjoyed by last year’s ladies rugby sides that “for them to develop as players they needed to be challenged”. “I think going into weekend rugby is a massive challenge for the girls, which will only benefit them… we want to push on and play more competitive games,'' he added. The DCU side will be looking to build on the successes of a strong 2018-19 season, which included a Sevens title, which was won by a large margin, and five trophies out of five competitions, including an all-Ireland tier 1 cup and a division 1 title. “We’d expect to win (the Sevens tournament) again, we have five girls on contract with the Ireland sevens at the moment,'' Mullen said, but expressed how entry into weekend rugby will lead to a closer, more competitive season for the Ladies’ team and add to the experience players gain in college competitions. Meanwhile the Mens team look forward to starting their league campaign

at home to reigning Brendan Johnston cup winners IT Carlow on Wednesday 9th October. “It's important for the lads team to get off to a good start in the league, it’s been quite disappointing in the league the last couple of years so that’s our main priority,” Mullen said. “Maybe we can get a few wins under our belt and then push on and try to get a good cup run” he added. The DCU men's team fell to a narrow defeat in last year’s Brendan Johnston cup to Ulster University, a side noted my Mullen for having Ulster inter-provincial players in their arsenal, and will hope to progress past the quarter finals in this year’s competition. As for the league DCU look forward to visiting Ulster University in November, as well as facing tough opposition on the road at Limerick IT and Garda College, the latter getting the better of DCU 47-24 in last years’ Division 1 campaign. Mullen hopes that the incoming freshers can make an impact that will spur DCU onto stronger performances. “We want to recruit good players and we want to get good players into college so that they can contribute to the team,” he said. “We have, for example, Jordan Finney coming in this year who has played at the Leinster u18s and u19s, players like him will only improve the squad,” he added.

CD footballers stormed away in the second half to beat DCU Dóchas Éireann by ten points on a torrential evening in Belfield in the Sigerson Cup quarter final last February. Following the recent years of quarter-final heartbreaks during the realm of legendary manager Niall Moyna, Paddy Christie, in his second year in charge believes his team has learned from their mistakes to finally now gather a team with enough experience to finally seek success at the highest grade of third level football. “There is always big demands for GAA to be successful in DCU. It is a high standard of football and you always have to be mentally and physically ready for the challenge as a player,” Christie said. DCU last won the Sigerson championship back in 2015. However, Fresher’s football in DCU has been striving in the past number of years, making four finals in a row, winning three of them. “Fresher football has produced some great players in the past few years with Kieran Dwyer, Luke Towey, Sean Bugler and David Garland all coming

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from Fresher football to starting on the Sigerson team,” said Christie.

We are very lucky to have the players we have, so we want to build momentum from the start While DCU football may not have been at its best over the past number of years, the same cannot fully be said for the DCU hurlers who finished last year’s campaign as league champions under the guidance of manager Eoin Roche who feels hurling is the strongest it’s ever been in DCU. “The fact we are hosting the Fitzgibbon final this year I think will

highlight how hurling is on the rise. We want to make hurling one of the top sports in the University and one of the strongest hurling colleges in the country,” Roche told the College View. The hurlers unfortunately were not able to replicate the same success in the Fitzgibbon cup as they did in the league and were ultimately knocked out by UCC in the semi-finals by one point due to a debateable refereeing decision to award UCC a last-minute penalty which UCC scored to send them to the final. “We shouldn’t have been in the situation we were in; I think UCC were perhaps the better team on that day, we missed a good few chances, but if we played the way we know we can we honestly could have been home and dry early on,” said Roche. Eoin Roche who guided DCU to their first ever Fitzgibbon final back in 2018 knows that there is also a need to rebuild his panel after the loss of many key players who were essential to his success over the past two seasons. “We lost a lot of players this season, so the young players will be coming in and hopefully adapt very quickly to the squad, but we are very lucky to have the players we have, so we want to build momentum from the start, so our first aim is to retain the league” said Roche.

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Credit: Isabella Finn

Conor Breslin| Sports Editor @CVSport

Sport

DCU to focus on tactics in the weeks ahead Shane Brennan| Deputy Sports Editor @shanebrennan247

CU Head Coach Johnny McDonnell believes last year’s freshers team will bolster DCU’s chances of soccer success, saying that “the freshers that we had last year were a good group… they should gel in well with what we had last year. “We still have our core group of what we had last year as well, so it’s about putting them together and getting them ready,’’ he added. The Freshers side comfortably won the CUFL Division 4 title in a campaign that saw them post a 13-1 victory over Drogheda IFE and a 9-0 victory over Dunboyne College. With the players making the move to the senior side, who play in the premier division, former Shelbourne and Drogheda United Boss McDonnell weighed up their future opponents. “UCD are always favourites,

basically, but they’re going through a bit of a change at the moment and some of the lads they had the last 4 or 5 years have gone on… but they’ll always have a very strong team,’’ he said When asked if DCU are going to stick to a style of play McDonnell said “I don’t go with the philosophy thing, you have to work with what players you have and have a few plans… I have an idea what way we are going to play and the structure of the team. “It’s important over the next couple of weeks that our training sessions are geared towards style … it’ll be very tactical training,” he added. DCU’s Soccer Development Officer Fran Butler echoed McDonnell on the strength of rival UCD and talked about the merits of college football. “UCD are fantastic in my opinion, you have so many players coming through the Collingwood Cup and even when you look at the big matches, Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers for example, you had 5 or 6 players who played and won Collingwoods,” he said. Last season DCU lost 2-1 to eventual champions UCCin the quarter-final of the Collingwood Cup. Butler said he “wasn’t expecting a whole lot in the Collingwood” last season but was “very impressed with the performance the lads put in”. “We conceded a couple of early

goals but proceed to absolutely batter (UCC) for the last 50-60 minutes, made it very difficult for them, we were unlucky; hit the post a couple of times, hit the crossbar, and based on our league performances I wasn’t expecting that” Butler said. “Hopefully a year on we can hold our own again and build with the new group”, he added. One thing that will affect performances, however, is the level of experience players have before being recruited to DCU. “In the last couple

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Hopefully a year on we can hold our own again and build with the new group

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McDonnell hopes freshers can help DCU play a winning style of football

of years we’re not getting as many players in DCU playing football in Airtricity League first teams (but) everything is cyclical,” Butler said. “There is a younger profile in the League of Ireland now… and we see ourselves as a development pathway especially because league of Ireland caters up until u19… but if you’re 20, 21, 22 there’s still time to develop,” he added.

Claire Feerick hoping for Olympics qualification the club the following year. She was a horse rider for several years, but decided she wanted to try something different. “During the camp I was the only one not to fall out of the boat. That was like a challenge in itself, to not fall out of the boat. I just enjoyed it so much.”

Courtney Fitzmaurice | Deputy Sports Editor @courtneyfitz100

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that we’re part of the history in Irish rowing.” “The US was an amazing experience and it was my number one goal this time last year.” she said. Feerick said that her training routine is quite intense and requires dedica-

Credit: World Rowing

CU student Claire Feerick deferred her third year of college to focus on preparing for qualifiers for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The sports science student said it was a difficult decision to make, but she feels it was the right choice. “I’ve spoken to everyone and I’ve asked peoples opinions and they’ve literally all just said “you have nothing to lose, just go for it.” Feerick moved to Cork last Friday, where she is training full time for the Olympic qualifiers at the end of April. Claire will head to training camps abroad every month, often travelling back and forth from Italy. In July, Feerick and her teammates won a silver medal at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Florida. They were the first Irish women’s crew in a sweep event to take a medal at a world championship. “I didn’t actually know until we came home that we were the first ones to do it. It’s a good feeling to know

tion. When she was in college, she’d train at 6am in the morning, go into college for lectures and then head to her club, Neptune, at Islandbridge in Dublin for more training. Feerick joined a rowing summer camp at Neptune in 2012, and joined

I’ve had people as young as 13 or 12 years of age and they’re all girls and they just love me being around because I’m an inspiration to them

Feerick said that the success of the women’s rowers has inspired girls to get involved in the sport. “I’ve had people as young as 13 or 12 years of age and they’re all girls and they just love me being around because I’m an inspiration to them and I’ve had them come up to me and say “you’re amazing, I want to be like you”, she said. “ Even just hearing that gives me that sense of pride that I and everyone else on Rowing Ireland’s women’s team is doing something for all the women back here. We need an equal playing field.” Feerick was involved in the Get Going Get Rowing campaign, where indoor rowing machines are brought into secondary schools. Two weeks ago Feerick visited her secondary school, where she said the students were inspired to see a past pupil doing so well. Feerick said that with time, DCU rowing club will be able to compete with the likes of Trinity and UCD. “I know DCU’s rowing is not as well formed as Trinity and UCD, they’re huge in their rowing, but I think with time we could hopefully be up with them. Even the year I was there our novice squads were beating the likes of Trinity and UCD.”

INSIDE Jonny Cooper and DCU’s role in Dublin’s Five in a row success, and Johnny McDonnell wants soccer side to focus on tactics

Enda Fitzpatrick is a once in a generation coach, says Niall Moyna

Former DCU Football Manager Niall Moyna, has expressed his concern over the decision not to pursue an extension to Enda Fitzpatrick’s position as the university’s Athletics Academy Director

Conor Breslin| Sports Editor @CVSport

ever met.” In an email to Brian MacCraith, DCU president, Moyna also outlined his belief “there are a number of compelling reasons” to extend Fitzpatrick’s tenure: “Prior to 2004, DUC never placed in the top-5 of an athletics championship; since then, 190 team titles have been won, along with hundreds of individual titles, and in those few short years have surpassed the outstanding record of UCD, achieved over 110 years. “I have no hesitation in stating that this record ranks Enda as the most successful coach in the history of Irish third level sport. Enda is a popular, successful, well-respected, much-admired, and much-loved coach, who has played a major role in developing sport in DCU. He would be viewed as

a superstar coach if he was working in an American university. “I believe that allowing Enda to leave DCU under the present circumstances would reflect poorly on this university. You simply cannot put a price on Enda’s role over the last number of years where he has played such a part in transforming the lives of so many young men and women.” Moyna, whose interest in sport is spread between Gaelic football and athletics, set up the DCU Athletics Academy with Fitzpatrick in 2003; in recent years he has managed the DCU senior football team to four Sigerson Cups. He was also selector on the St Vincents team that won the All-Ireland club football championship in 2008, and part of the Dublin senior football backroom team that has won

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You can’t put a price on that, and it would reflect very poorly on DCU if he was let go. I just cannot comprehend it

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itzpatrick, who was not given an extension to his position back in May reapplied for the role but did not pursue it. Moyna also suggested that the departure of Fitzpatrick “would reflect poorly on this university”, and described Fitzpatrick as “the most successful coach in the history of Irish third level sport”. DCU athletics club gathered over 2,300 signatures on the petition to retain Fitzpatrick last May. Fitzpatrick, a former international 1,500m runner and sub-four-minute miler, has held the position since 2003, on a secondment basis, having previously worked as a teacher in Holy Faith secondary school in Clontarf. DCU maintain the position was only agreed on a temporary secondment, and following a recent directive from the Department of Education, no extensions were being considered. “I am extremely disappointed with that decision,” Moyna said. “Enda Fitzpatrick is a coach that comes along once in a generation. He’s a unique individual, was an elite athlete himself, and is also the most student-centred individual.” “You can’t put a price on that, and it would reflect very poorly on DCU if he was let go. I just cannot comprehend it. They had nine years to regularize this position, why are they doing it now? If he was in America, he would be a superstar, or as I said to someone else, we’re getting rid of an academic Nobel laureate. “It’s so, so difficult to get really good people in sport, and it’s not just what he’s done in athletics, that stands on his own two feet. It’s how he interacts with the students. Why would you want to get rid of someone like that? I just can’t understand it, and my worry is that it is doing reputational damage to this wonderful institution.” Mickey Whealan has also recently stood down as President of Athletics in DCU citing differences in management between himself and the running of sport in DCU. Whealan has cited his support for Fitzpatrick and said that “Enda is one of the best coaches I have

the All-Ireland senior football title in 2011. Fitzpatrick has stated his hurt at the way things were conducted but is trying now to put it behind him. With the recent resignation of Mickey Whealan, Fitzpatrick has stated, “DCU need to be careful or they will be soon back to the situation they were in before 2003, competing for the sack of it and winning nothing.” After the signing of the petition in May, Fitzpatrick reapplied for the role. “I was left on a waiting list for the entire Summer. I found this extremely disappointing considering I worked for the college for almost 15 years. They finally got back to me in late August saying I was on a short list but by then my mind was made up. I wasn’t going to go back,” said Fitzpatrick.