Wednesday, March 20th, 2019
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Data protection questions raised as list of students’ emails and modules made available AN OVERSIGHT in DCU’s Loop portal may have inadvertently revealed the names of students who did not vote during recent student elections. The alleged lapse also allowed the email addresses and module information of up to 18,000 students to be visible to all other students. A ‘Participants’ page within the Student Union (SU) section of Loop displayed names and profiles for all students with access to student voting resources. The list showed a “last accessed” timestamp which identified 4,499 students who visited the SU module on Loop, where online student voting occurs, between 10am Tuesday March 5 and 3pm Thursday March 7 last. A further 11,007 students who have not visited the page since elections began (and thus may not have voted) are identified. 2,607 students were recorded accessing the page in the days after voting closed. According to results issued by the DCUSU Returning Officer, 4,134 students cast votes in this year’s SU presidential election. Joan O’Connell, a member of DCU’s Data Protection Unit, told The College View on Thursday last that the matter was under investigation and declined to comment further. In a separate statement several hours later, a spokesperson for the university’s communication team stated: “The University can confirm there was no breach of general data protection regulations in relation to the student Loop platform in the recent student elections. “DCU is fully committed to ensuring that all staff, registered students, agents, contractors and its own data processors comply fully with data protection legislation regarding the processing and confidentiality of any personal data held by the University and the privacy rights of individuals under the legislation.” On Friday the ‘Participants’ page of
the SU Loop page was disabled, replaced with the message: “Sorry, but you do not currently have permissions to do that (View participants).” However, up to 17,000 email addresses remained visible via the ‘Participants’ page of the Library E-Tutorial for Students (LETS) module in Loop. A section of Loop’s Edit Profile page allows control over who can view a student’s email address. However, The College View can confirm that when this setting was toggled to “Allow only other course members to see my email address,” email addresses remained visible to non-course members via the SU voting and LETS modules. The College View has identified other potential issues within the university’s e-learning platform. Moodle, the open-source software which powers DCU’s Loop portal, issued detailed GDPR compliance recommendations ahead of tight EU data protection measures introduced last year, including the use of its new Data Privacy and Policy plugins. However, the “Policies and agreements” plugin on student profile pages viewed by The College View on Loop is currently empty, displaying the message: “For any questions about the policies please contact the privacy officer.” According to Moodle’s GDPR FAQ: “Installing the developed plugins alone will not be enough to meet the GDPR requirements. Correct configuration and implementation of the required processes and procedures is also required.” Online voting for student elections was first introduced at DCU in 2015. An eVoting system was also considered and contracted in 2011 “but ran into data protection issues” and was abandoned according to a poster which described the launch of the present system. The document includes “totaly [sic] anonymity for voter” among a list of benefits of the current implementation. The DCU communications team informed The College View that learning management systems are designed us-
Features
Sports
Richard Herlihy Contributor @thecollegeview
Finding love: the cunning craft of matchmaking Page 18
DCU Swimming win thirteen golds at intervarsities Page 21
Over 10,000 climate activists in Dublin alone, which were mostly children, took part in the global student strike over how climate change is being addressed.
Credit: Cáit Caden
ing the principles of social constructivism, “which enables student - student collaboration in addition to student to
lecturer interaction. This involves sharing of profile information which under the ‘lawful processing of data’ princi-
ple of GDPR is covered by ‘service of contract’ with the university.”
Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque Deputy News Editor @BrendanFKP
were asked if they thought DCU Students’ Union should adopt a stance in solidarity with Palestine and if the union should campaign for the decriminalisation of the possession of drugs for personal consumption. Chairperson for the Students for Sustainable Drug Policy society Declan Moore said: “I’ve spoken to Podge [Sheehan] a couple of times since the incident and we’re still quite in the dark about what’s going on.” Podge Sheehan is the Democracy & Development Officer for the Office of Student Life at DCU and announced the student union election
results. The College View reached out to Sheehan for comment but was unable to get a reply before publication. He previously told The College View that “I have no information on that at the minute, but as soon as I do I’ll be disseminating that”. Stephanie O’Toole, the chairperson for Student’s for Justice in Palestine society, hopes to see this issue resolved as quickly as possible. “Last Thursday was the time we all had been building for and for us not to have our ‘moment’ on the steps in the U was disheartening,” she said. Read more on page 7...
TEU investigates referenda results
THE Teaching Enchantment Unit (TEU) has began an investigation into the referenda polls closing an hour earlier than they were intended to. Referenda results were supposed to be announced along with the student union election results on March 7th. However, students were unable to vote on Loop for the last hour of the referenda. Two referenda were held. Students
The College View would like to issue a sincere apology and retraction to Emma Tunnicliffe, who was misquoted in the article ‘Show me the minutes’ in The College View last issue. Our reporter misquoted Tunnicliffe who was speaking at the recent Class Rep Council about unavailable executive minutes and not CRC minutes as stated in the article. We would also like to apologise to Chairperson of CRC, Helen Wade and Secretary of CRC, Mary Walsh who were unfairly represented in the article. Walsh has worked hard to provide minutes at the CRCs, and we acknowledge the hard work and dedication by both Wade and Walsh put into running the CRCs. We would like to sincerely apologise to all parties impacted by the article and retract the story. Thank you.
Editorial
2 INSIDE The Hype
Editor-in-Chief Callum Lavery
Film/TV The girls are back in town Read on page 6
Food
Grub Guide: Muliano Read on page 12
Editor’s piece Music
Rest in peace Keith Flint! Read on page 2
Editorial Team
Editor-in-Chief: Callum Lavery, Deputy editor: Gabija Gataveckaite
Illustrations editor: Roise McGagh
News editors: Cáit Caden, Ellen Fitzpatrick & Emily Sheahan Deputy News editors: Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque, Catherine Gallagher, Roisin Phelan
Images editor: Alison Clair Deputy Images edit: Michael Walsh
Production editors: James Nolan & Rachel Halpin Features editor: Gabija Gataveckaite Deputy features editor: Ciara O’Loughlin Arts editor: Aoibhín Bryant Deputy arts editors: Sarah Barrett & Aine O’Boyle Lifestyle editor: Lorna Lawless Deputy Lifestyle editors: Beibhinn Thorsch & Eoin Harte
Chief Sub-editor: Roisin Cullen
Podcast editors: Lucien Waugh Daly, Niamh Dunne & Ian Brennan Sub-editors: Ellen Butler, Róisín Phelan, Sabrine Donohoe, Clara Kelly, John Morley, Eoin Harte, David Kelly, Alex Barrett, Emma Costigan, Becky Ferris, Anja Zauers, Roisin Maguire, Shauna Burdis, Ruth Delaney, Sara Rountree, Dáire Denby, Tara McGahan, Lauren Allen, Natasha Lynch, Thomas Hamilton Contacts
Gaeilge editor: Clíona Hughes Deputy Gaeilge editor: Jordan Hussain
editor@thecollegeview.com
Sports editor: Gerard Grimes, Deputy sports editors: John Morley & Hugh Farrell
features@thecollegeview.com
Opinion editor: Orla Dwyer, Deputy opinion editor: Clara Kelly
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STUDENT media has been placed in the spotlight in recent weeks as questions arise about the ethics of certain college publications. This debate began with the legally questionable covert recording of students on Trinity College campus by one of their student newspapers: The University Times. The University Times were caught recording student, Ben Arrowsmith, president of the university’s society: The Knights of the Campanile. The paper were investigating allegations of hazing by Arrowsmith and other members of the society. Editor of the paper; Eleanor O’Mahony defended the papers actions following the investigations. Likening the recording of students to similar investigations by the Irish Times and RTÉ. However the investigations were not similar, as investigations carried out by the national media outlets named were not carried out in sources homes. It is The College View’s opinion that covert recording of individuals outside of a work environment or while representing a government or company is highly
unethical and we stand with Trinity News, who has severely criticized their rival publication. Editor-in-Chief and Contributing Editor of Trinity News, Niamh Lynch and Rory O’Sullivan said in an editorial on the University Times scandal.: UT’s actions constitute a serious ethical breach of the highest order. However, what makes things worse is that they have completely failed to show remorse for them… the current editorial team have disguised the gravity of their actions by hiding it within a news article. About half of the article is devoted to a defence of the paper’s actions rather than reportage of a story.” The College View promises that such behavior will not occur while under this current editorial team and hope that it will not occur ever. This is the second last edition of the paper under the current editorial team, we have published some great stories from society misbehavior, to updates on the SU and #SaveOurSheperd campaign to today’s front page article by contributor Richard Herlihy. We look forward to going out with a bang in our final issue in two weeks time.
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News
INTRA portal last updated 12 years ago Gabija Gataveckaite Deputy Editor @gabysayshey THE INTRA portal system was last updated 12 years ago, information released to The College View has revealed. According to a Freedom of Information request, the INTRA portal used to allocate students placements was updated on ‘several occasions up to 2007’. The portal was initially set up in 2001 and is utilised each academic year by students across DCU across the humanities, business, engineering and computing and science and health faculties. Speaking to The College View, the DCUSU VP for Education and Placement Craig McHugh explained that the the portal was not updated due to a shortage of funding. “Due to a shortfall in funding, the portal was not updated - although there has been will from most corners of the university to do so. It was originally designed by students some 15 years ago and it is now expected to be updated by late 2020. I was informed of
these plans back in October by a senior member of the INTRA office,” he said. “A number of students have had their issues with the portal, its speed and in general with the process. However, it would be unfair to not mention that these are also frustrations shared by the office itself and that we have maintained a close relationship to try source solutions to these,” McHugh added. He explained that funding will update the portal and seek to provide a better experience for both students and staff. “Essentially, the funding that is now expected to be allocated to update the portal should certainly pave the way for a much smoother experience for staff, students and the incredible partner companies that work with DCU to provide students with such opportunities,” he said. “This grievance really can be linked to the critical underfunding of our higher education system which has faced serious cutbacks in the last decade and has not recovered since,” McHugh concluded. The INTRA portal is a tool provided by the INTRA office at DCU. It is a piece of software which is used by students to submit their CVs, apply for
DCU Dance did not disappoint at intervarsities Roise McGagh Illustrations Editor @ roisemcgagh
DCU Dance reclaimed their title at the dance intervarsities hosted by Technological University Dublin on March 7th in the National Boxing Stadium. They placed in all categories apart from Jazz and came first in Mixed Dance. “Mixed piece is our pride and joy because out of the past nine or 10 years we have won eight times and we came second last year to UCD,” said Chairperson Chloe Demoulder. < “I wasn’t around last year and we came second, so I kind of felt pressure to get the gold for mixed piece again,” said the mixed piece choreographer, Hayley Smyth. We brought home the bacon anyways, there are colleges out there who don’t place at all,” she said. “There were other choreographers that choreographed other sections. I oversaw the whole thing, did the group sections, the transitions and put everything together,” said Smyth. "For contemporary, we came in third place and we all just burst into tears, because that was the first time contemporary has ever placed, or the first time I remember hearing of it placing,” said Demoulder. “We were so so happy with that because it was really different to what we had one before, we had the black duct tape across our mouths, so that was tough to dance with,” she continued.
They came second in Irish dance and third in Hip hop with an all-girl squad. It’s the first time DCU have had no males on the Hip-Hop team for several years. There was a stage and sound rehearsal at the venue the day before the event. “We were kind of disappointed when we got there because the stage was really really small," said Demoulder. “We love having everyone there to support all the squads. Irish are always first and they barely get a good crowd so we made sure everyone was there," she added. Rehearsals for the competition ran just after Christmas for two hours on a Wednesday and Thursday. Dancers were practising on top of their usual weekly rehearsals. The Monday and Tuesday [before the competition], it was like crazy long 10 hour rehearsals,” said Demoulder. When asked about next year Demoulder, who is a final year, said it was scary trying to find people to take over the roles of Events and Chairperson in the society, but she feels it will work out. “I'm actually in final year but I would love to do my year of grace. It's really good to be involved in and I'll definitely miss it now,” said Smyth. She said that the dancers haven’t slowed down after intervarsities and that they have the "best dance crew event coming up on April 1st and we have the Clubs and Socs ball on the 28th. We’ll be performing our mixed piece hopefully at that.”
The portal was initially set up in 2001 and is utilised each academic year by students across DCU across all faculties.
placements and arrange interviews. The portal has received criticism by students for its functionality. Students have complained that the portal automatically logs them out every 20 minutes after the initial log in, where unsaved work is lost. Third-year physics and astronomy student Sean Goodwin is currently on placement and used the INTRA portal
extensively in semester one for submitting his CV and arranging interviews. In his opinion, the portal is ‘completely outdated’. “It makes the whole process of INTRA way more difficult,” he said. “Something as simple as notifications or an email if you have an interview aren’t available, you’re forced to constantly check the portal daily or risk
Credit: Alison Clair
getting locked out of your account for missing an interview,” he added. “I think one of the worst things about it would be the impression it leaves on employers. They use the portal just like we do, what impression does that give them of DCU? Surely not a good one,” he concluded. The INTRA office was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
Ógra Shinn Féin ask Ireland's entry for Eurovision to withdraw Ciara O'Loughlin Deputy Features Editor @Ciara_olo
ÓGRA Shinn Fein DCU has publicly asked Sarah McTernan, Ireland’s representative in this year’s Eurovision, to withdraw from the show. The 2019 song contest will be held in Israel this year as they were crowned last year’s winners. It has always been a tradition that the winning country hosts the contest the year after. However, complaints have risen about the contest being held in Israel. Israel is an apartheid state and one the people of Ireland do not want to be seen to support. Please, Sarah for all the children murdered by Israeli bulletins, don’t go,” Ógra Shinn Féin said on their Twitter account, as they urged
Sarah not to represent Ireland. Ógra Shinn Féin DCU stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine, and in turn disapprove of our country taking part in an event which will negatively affect the Palestinian people,” Amy Collins, Chair of Ógra Shinn Féin told The College View. “Two days after the Eurovision last year, 62 Palestinians had been murdered by Israeli forces. Innocent Palestinian people are murdered every day at the hand of Israeli soldiers. The world must know the ugly truth about Israel if we are ever to put a stop to it,” she added. Along with recent SU elections, students were also asked to vote in two referendums. One of these being on whether DCU SU should hold an active stance of solidarity with Palestine and boycott imported goods from Israeli
Sarah McTernan is an Irish singer-songwriter from Scarriff, County Clare.
settlements in Palestine. Students were asked to either vote in favour or opposed to the following: “Do you think DCU SU should adopt a stance in active solidarity with Palestine by aligning the Union with the Palestinian call for BDS?” BDS stands for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement. It seeks to put pressure on Israel to advance the rights of Palestinians. Results for the referendum should have been announced at 5pm on Thursday, March 7th along with the SU results, but they were not. This was due to polling becoming unavailable for both referenda an hour before POLLING was supposed to close. DCU Students for Justice in Palestine told The College View that they do not know when the results will be released.
Credit: Evoke.ie
News
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Irish student's strike with others around the world over climate change Cáit Caden News Editor @AreYou_Caden_Me THOUSANDS of children demanded that the Irish Government listen to their concerns on climate change, as they marched through Dublin and gathered outside the Dáil last Friday Over 10,000 climate activists in Dublin alone, which were mostly children, took part in the global student strike over how climate change is being addressed and chanted that the Irish government should “learn to change or learn to swim.” “We watched the video of the girl named Greta who inspired us very much,” said 10-year-old Chloe Harrington, on how she and her classmates became interested in this issue. “Pollution and fossil fuels” are what Harrington believes are the biggest threat to the climate. Over 2083 places in 125 countries on all continents and an estimated 1.4 million people took part in the student strike around the world. The majority of these people were students, who were joined by their parents, NGO’s and other environmentalists The global movement was the initiative of Swedish 16-year-old envi-
Over 10,000 climate activists in Dublin alone, which were mostly children, took part in the global student strike over how climate change is being addressed.
ronmental activist Greta Thunberg. The strike which happened in Dublin was just one of 37 that happened across Ireland on March 15 After the thousands marched through the city and braved varying weather conditions throughout the day, they stopped at Molesworth street
opposite the Dáil. Here, activists aged 18 and under took to a solar panelled stage to speak about how the Irish government were failing to seriously address the climate crisis. “Today isn’t just an excuse to doss,” said speaker Beth Doherty who delivered a powerful speech to the crowd
DCU study looks into sibling impact of child sexual abuse Ellen Fitzpatrick News Editor @elinfizpitryk A DCU led study is looking into siblings’ experience of child sexual abuse (CSA) and the impact it has on relationships between them and other family members. The study is being conducted by research team Dr. Rosaleen McElvaney, Assistant Professor in Psychotherapy and Dr. Simon Dunne, Assistant Professor of Psychology. This study will focus on exploring the siblings’s experience of somebody in the family being sexually abused and the impact of upon discovering it had happened. The study will also heavily focus on the effect within relationships between siblings and other family members. To date, not much research has been carried out in the area of sibling effects of child abuse yet is more focused towards the impact sexual abuse has on the individual child. “Siblings of victims of childhood sexual abuse are often overlooked by support services and under-studied in research,” Dunne said. “This means that very little is known about how disclosures of childhood sexual abuse have an impact on them and their relationships with other family members, including their relationships to victims of childhood sexual abuse themselves,” he added. McElvaney said that the reason this study was decided on was because
Credit: Cáit Caden
in Dublin. “I’m not a politician, I’m a 15-yearold terrified by the reality of climate change and terrified by the fact that the people behind us [in government buildings] are doing nothing to stop it,” she continued. One of the major issues discussed
DCU STEM subjects see huge rise in CAO applications Ellen Fitzpatrick News Editor @elinfizpitryk
A new study by DCU will explore siblings’ experiences of someone in the family being sexually abused.
“siblings are an invisible group and yet we know from clinical experience that they can be significantly impacted” and their main aim for the study is “to raise awareness about the impact on siblings and influence policy and service developments so that siblings can access the support they need in dealing with the aftermath of CSA.” The study will be done through an online survey which will be anonymous and only those who are comfortable to answer questions and willing are encouraged to partake in the study. The study also allows to you skip over questions you may not want to answer or finish it early for the same reason. The survey will ask for information such as who was sexually abused
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while in childhood, information as to the type of abuse the sibling experienced and who it was by, how the information was made known and how it has been dealt with since the event. The survey is expected to last between 20 and 30 minutes to complete and they are hoping for around 150 participants. “This is a neglected population, yet siblings themselves and those working in the field are only too painfully aware of the ripple effects of sexual abuse on the family unit. We hope that this study will raise awareness about the impact of sexual abuse on family relationships and give siblings a voice - sexual abuse hurts everyone,” McElvaney said.
was the stalling of legislation which would ban oil exploration off Ireland’s coast. Ireland is one of the worst offenders for not addressing climate change according to findings from the watchdog Climate Change Advisory Council. In an annual report by them last year stated that Ireland is increasing its rate of emissions by two million tonnes a year despite being one of Europe’s worst for emissions prior to this. The Council recommended that a carbon tax be introduced however Minister for Finance and Expenditure did not include one in his budget. “Take it seriously," said Green Party TD Catherine Martin on what the Government need to start doing to tackle climate change, while she was attending the strike with her children. "Stop these snazzy tweets and snazzy announcements and then do nothing. One thin that’s very simple is to change the 2 to 1 investment of roads over public transport. That needs to be the opposite way,” she told The College View. Government have made some changes such as becoming one of the first countries in the world to divest public money from fossil fuels.
DCU has seen a rise in those wanting to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) based subjects, according to the first preference CAO applications. DCU has also seen a steady rise in humanities and language-related courses in the CAO figures that were released on March 9th. Over 73,000 people applied to the CAO this year which has seen an increase of 391 people since 2018. “We are delighted to see the growth in applications for DCU’s STEM, Humanities and Language options, which shows the strength of our offering across a wide spectrum,” said DCU President Brian MacCraith. Applications to engineering programmes are up nationally by 11 per cent while in the university. These figures have risen by 23 per cent for Common Entry Engineering and 13 per cent for Electronic and Computer Engineering. Science and health-based undergraduate programmes have also seen a huge rise in applications, with 58 per cent rise in Psychology, 43 per cent in Actuarial Mathematics and 29 per cent in Analytical Science, showing an increased interest in these areas. “The continued popularity of DCU reflects the university’s reputation for
an excellent learning experience and high levels of employability,” MacCraith said. Humanities nationally increased by 41 per cent, while languages rose by 20 per cent. The new DCU language course, Bachelor of Education in Irish Sign Language, saw 16 first preference applications. The course allows those who are deaf or hard of hearing and use Irish Sign Language to enter primary teaching. The highest increase for humanities-based courses was in the BA in Social Sciences and Cultural Innovation, which saw a 95 per cent increase in applications, double the figure from the previous year. Law and politics courses also saw a sharp increase with the Bachelor of Civil Law (Law &amp; Society) up 19 per cent. The Joint Honors with Politics also saw a rise in applications with it rising by 35 per cent. “DCU is number one in Dublin, and in the top two nationally, according to the HEA’s latest graduate employability rankings. I have no doubt this is also a strong consideration for students when choosing DCU,” MacCraith added. Although these courses each rose in applications, arts-based courses dropped by 6 per cent nationally with fewer Northern Irish and British applications yet an increase in those coming from the EU.
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Shanowen accomodation are offering more beds for the upcoming year Orla Dwyer Opinions Editor @orladwyer_
SHANOWEN Square student accommodation is advertising twin and double bedrooms for the upcoming academic year and has lowered the price from last year. Current rates for the 2019/2020 academic year advertised on the Shanowen Square website range from €189 per person for a twin room to €250 for a double bedroom for single occupancy. “More beds being available is a step in the right direction, however, the prices are still just as extortionate,” said DCUSU VP for Welfare and Equality Aisling Fagan. “From weekly rates between €189€250, this is still completely out of price range for students. We will be continuing to put pressure on the Government to implement rent caps for purpose-built student accommodation as this is just not good enough,” she continued. It is unclear how many twin and double-bed rooms will be added to the complex or how this will be achieved. Shanowen Square did not reply to requests for comment in time for publication. This appears to be the first time in recent years the student accommodation complex is publicly offering twin and double bedrooms instead of the standard single ensuite. A double bed
Shanowen came under scruitny in recent years for their rent prices. Recently they annouced they will be oferring more beds for the upcoming academic year.
ensuite costs €9,250 for the academic year while the single ensuite costs €8,325. A non-refundable security deposit of €400 is currently required to book a room with Shanowen Square. Applications for next year opened on March 11th and are still open as of publication. Protests were held last year after Shanowen increased their yearly price for a single room by 27 per cent from the previous academic year. A petition received over 19,000 signatures in support of lowering student accommoda-
tion prices. However, the price of around €9,000 for the 2018/2019 year remained in the complex. Third-year biotechnology student Daniel Cox is currently living in Shanowen Square but will not be booking a place again for next year. "I'm not applying because it's simply not worth paying for,” said Cox. “When you look at other student accommodations that are similarly priced, they have good facilities, nicer interiors, and games rooms that foster
Credit: Alison Clair
community. Meanwhile, Shanowen has basic facilities. “Its community is non-existent. And its washing machines break all the time," said Cox. Shanowen Square also advertises rooms in Gateway Student Accommodation in Ballymun priced at €205 a week. Rates for DCU Hampstead on-campus accommodation for the 2019/2020 academic year are priced at approximately €670 a month for a single room.
DCU co-ordinated project awarded €1 million in funding Róisín Phelan Deputy News Editor @_roisinphelan
FUNDING of over €1 million euro has been awarded to a DCU co-ordinated project. A sum of €1,138,781 was awarded to the project from the European Commission’s Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) under their recent call, Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). This call “manages, maintains and coordinates the relevant language resources in all official languages of the EU and CEF associated countries.” The project entitled ‘Providing Resources in Irish, Norwegian, Croatian and Icelandic for the Purposes of Language Engineering’ is being led by DCU Professor Andy Way. Way is the current Deputy Director of the ADAPT Centre in DCU and originally began working in DCU in 1991. According to Way’s website, between indirect funding, and industry investment over €110 million will be invested into the new research project. Way will lead DCU’s School of Computing alongside the National Library of Norway , the University of Zagreb, the University of Iceland and
Funding of over €1 million euro has been awarded to a DCU co-ordinated project.
Iconic. All parties will work together in their separate locations throughout the research project. Iconic Translation Machines Ltd. is a software company which focuses on language technology. It is based in Dublin and was originally founded “as
a spin-out company from Dublin City University.” The company says they “make translation practical for new industries...that are not traditionally accessible to language technology.” The aim of this project according to
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DCU is “to improve the quality, coverage and performance of automated translation solutions in the context of current and future CEF digital services.”
What's happened since Shanowen Shakedown?
Alison Clair Images Editor @aliclair_
ALMOST a year on from the 'Shanowen Shakedown' campaign, legislation has not been implemented to put Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) under the 4 per cent rent caps that Rent Pressure Zones are subject to. DCU Students' Union held the protest Shanowen Shakedown last year, followed by other students' unions in Ireland such as UCC and NUI Galway holding protests of their own, against rising rent prices in student accommodation. Rent Pressure Zones are designated areas where rent can only be increased up to 4 per cent a year. Dublin City is one of these pressure zones, however, Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) is not included in these rent caps. This time last year TD Eoin Ó’ Broin introduced The Residential Tenancies (student rents, rights and protections) Bill 2018 to ensure that students are protected against steep rent increases. The bill is currently before Dáil Éireann, in the third stage of passing through the Oireachtas. “PBSA that is being currently built is being built as luxury accommodation, with extortionate rents that is being aimed at international students, that have already paid significant loans in order to pay for it," said Union of Students in Ireland President Síona Cahill. “Students who live in PBSA are licensees and not tenants so, therefore, they have no tenants’ rights. Owners of PBSA accommodation can effectively put up the rents in the space of 24 hours," said Cahill. "Legislation is needed urgently. The government are open to it. We need the government to put PBSA under the 4 per cent rent caps, as it makes sense.” Student accommodation near the DCU Glasnevin campus, Shanowen Square, is advertising its apartments as €6993 for a shared room, €8325 for a single room ensuite and €9250 for a double bed, for the academic year 2019/20. Shanowen Square is one of the highest priced accommodations around DCU and charged €9,095 for the 2018/19 year. This price was an increase of €1,755 from the 2017/18 academic year according to the SU’s figures. The other accommodation in the Shanowen area, Shanowen Hall's, prices is slightly cheaper. It charged €8,725 this year, an increase of €1,591 from the 2017/18 academic year. Shanowen Square is also offering a “deal” for lower rent for students that lived in their complex last year. They opened up offers to their existing residents earlier than the rest of the public. They are charging a rate of €8140 for a single room ensuite, knocking €185 off the price. Both complexes require a deposit of €400 which is non-refundable if the accommodation is successful, but refunded if not. “In comparison to the accommodation I lived in the first semester, Shanowen Square is definitely worth the money. My last house had 11 tenants and we had been broken into so the fact that Shanowen has 24-hour security gives me peace of mind," said Sinead O’ Farrell, final year communications student in DCU. "Although saying that, it is pricy and I am lucky I won’t have to live in student accommodation next year.” USI is still holding strikes and looking for legislation to be passed to cap student accommodation under Rent Pressure Zone regulation.
News
Unions on both sides of the of border campaign for NI abortion rights Emily Sheahan News Editor @emilyaine_s
SINCE the Eight Amendment was repealed in the Republic of Ireland at the beginning of this year, focus has shifted to Northern Ireland where abortion remains illegal. The movement to decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland has been supported by the National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI) and the Union of Students’ in Ireland (USI). On International Women’s Day, NUS-USI and USI led a ‘Students for Choice’ march in Belfast. “NUS-USI members have been involved in campaigns for abortion rights across the island of Ireland since at least the early 1990s,”said NUS-USI Women’s Officer Rachel Watters. “The student movement can help drive the campaign for abortion rights
by mobilising students and young people to demand that political representatives (whether in Westminster or Stormont) to reform our abortion law and end the decades-long denial of bodily autonomy,” said Watters. Northern Ireland remains the only country in the UK where abortion is still illegal. The maximum sentence is life. “A united student voice can have a tremendous impact on the fight for free, safe, legal and local abortion access in Northern Ireland: we have seen the power of student pro-choice campaigning in the campaign to repeal the 8th amendment, in the US before Roe v Wade and in the ongoing Argentinian campaign for abortion reform,” said Watters. “I believe that we can achieve a similar moblisation in Northern Ireland, although we face considerable barriers to abortion reform due to the absence of devolved government at Stormont and
Credit: Sabrine Donohoe
Continued from page one... “Ultimately for me, the announcement (when it comes) is a short term impact and we are hoping the outcome of this referendum will prove to have a long term effect.” Moore said that the issue could be brought up at the next Class Rep Council (CRC). If that were to be the case, O’Toole said that: “we are hoping as elected students they respect the votes that were legitimate up until 2pm and considering the circumstances they all discuss with that in mind.” Ógra Shinn Féin campaigned for DCU to stand in solidarity with Palestine. Their chairperson, Amy Collins, also wishes to hear news as soon as possible. “If it being dealt with at the next CRC is the quickest way to figure it out, so be it,” she said. The next CRC, or Class Rep Coun-
cil, is due to take place on Wednesday, March 20th. Final year international relations student Fiona Monks also campaigned for a “Yes” vote in the Palestinian referendum. Should it be discussed at the next CRC meeting, she believes there should be a clear dialogue between class reps and their classes first. “Obviously there will be reps that have strong personal opinions on this referendum but I hope they put their views aside and accurately represent the views of their class,” she said. To avoid a similar issue in the future, Moore suggested reintroducing a paper ballot alongside the electronic voting done on Loop. When asked by The College View if that would be feasible, Moore said: “I don’t see why a small polling station shouldn’t be set up in the U for election days. Most people will probably still
the Tory-DUP confidence and supply agreement at Westminster.” The UN Human Rights body Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has called the law in Northern Ireland a “grave and systematic” violation of Northern Irish women’s rights. Abortion is permitted where there is serious threat to the mother’s life or her physical or mental health. Last year, 12 women were permitted abortions in Northern Ireland. 900 travelled to England and Wales. “The new abortion services in the Republic of Ireland are quite inaccessible to students living in Northern Ireland because NI residents must pay up to €450 and travel across the border twice (because of the mandatory 3 day waiting period) to access abortion care in the south,” said Watters “This is not the free, safe and legal care that we campaigned for or that Minister Simon Harris promised to deliver. The student movement north and south must challenge this.” A bill was introduced on October 23rd, 2018, by Labour MP Diana Johnson among others. It passed the first stage of the House of Commonswit 208 votes in favour, 123 against. The bill would amend the current law relating to abortion in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It would “remove criminal liability in respect of abortion performed with the consent of the pregnant woman up to the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy”. It would make termination of pregnacy after 24 weeks or a non-consentual termination illegal. “The most important thing is to remember that repealing the 8th wasn’t the end of the campaign for abortion rights and that collectively, we still have a lot of work to do to ensure that everyone on the island of Ireland can exercise bodily autonomy,” said Watters.
use the online option but an alternative for people who would rather use a paper ballot or for when incidents like this occur is vital.” Moore was not able to confirm if the
7
DCU students win award to work as volunteers in developing countries
Five students overall have been chosen as volunteers, with each student going to one of Mexico, Vietnam, South Africa, Guatemala and Ecuador.
Eoin Harte Deputy Lifestyle Editor @EoinHarte98 THREE DCU students have been chosen to go on the EIL Explore Access Awards, which will give them the opportunity to do voluntary work abroad. Amy Donohoe, Mairead Redmond and Helena Coogan were the three DCU students who received the award. Five students overall have been chosen as volunteers, with each student going to one of Mexico, Vietnam, South Africa, Guatemala and Ecuador. Recipients of the award are provided with an eight-week volunteer programme, return flights and insurance as well as accommodation and meals for the duration of the programme. Mairead Redmond, a final year business student in DCU, talked to The College View about how she became involved with EIL Intercultural Learning. “I always had a keen interest in helping the less fortunate and I had researched other volunteering opportunities but all of them required you to raise funds of up to €3000. “I knew this would not be possible for me but then it was like the law of attraction was enforced in which an email about the EIL opportunity came up that included all expenses paid for Access students,” Redmond said. While Redmond is nervous about
drug referendum reached its vote quota to be considered legitimate. But he believes had the polls remained open for the last hour, it would have reached its quota.
Credit: EIL Intercultural learning Facebook
going abroad for eight weeks in the summer, it’s an opportunity that she felt was too good to miss. “The furthest place I have travelled is Tenerife and all other places I have travelled are in Europe so it will be a very new experience adapting to the culture and language,” Redmond explained. Amy Donohoe, a final year journalism student also received the award and was equally excited to be going abroad for the summer. “I’m really excited for this trip, as I’d consider it a once in a lifetime opportunity. I haven’t left Europe in my life and I would love to see and experience a new culture. “I probably will get a bit homesick during my trip, but I know I am so lucky to be one of five people in the country to win this EIL Access award. “I originally applied to the EIL program in first year through the DCU Access program and my application was unsuccessful. “I applied two years later because I had a friend who was a part of the program last year and she had the time of her life, and I felt more confident with my application this year as I had more voluntary experience and society involvement behind me,” Donohoe explained. EIL volunteers can expect to head abroad between June and August, with exact travel dates and destinations yet to be confirmed.
Loop was down between 2-3pm on Thursday, March 7th. Credit: App Sliced
The College View reached out to the TEU for comment, but was unable to get a response before publication.
8
News
UK students will still pay EU fees post-Brexit
Minister says sexual harassment are experiences too common for third level students Catherine Gallagher Deputy News Editor @Cather_i_ne
It was previously understood that EU fees would only apply for UK students starting undergraduate courses in 2019, and after that international fees would apply.
Ciara O’Loughlin Deputy Features Editor @Ciara_olo BRITISH and Northern Irish students studying in the Republic of Ireland no longer need to worry about an increase in tuition fees. A proposed amendment to the Brexit Omnibus bill will ensure their eligibility for EU fees should a Brexit deal pass. It was previously understood that EU fees would only apply for UK students starting undergraduate courses in 2019, and after that international fees would apply. Tuition fee for eligible EU students in recognised courses in Irish universities is the same for Irish students who aren’t eligible for the SUSI grant, which is a €3,000 student contribution fee. “I think the fact we can avail of EU fees is fantastic. There was a worry
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of us paying around €12,000 in international fees when we only live a few hours up the road. It is a relief that I can finish my degree without the worry of paying high fees,” said Louise McLarnon, a first year DCU student from Belfast. “I hope it also might encourage Northern Irish students to Dublin. Universities in the North will lose EU funding so their fees will probably be higher, which might entice people. The other thing is we need a soft border, otherwise students won’t come down,” she said. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and the National Union of Students (NUS-USI) have both welcomed the amendments included by TD Thomas Byrne, which are set to become law. The USI has said that the amendments will put an end to speculation on the status of UK students, primarily from Northern Ireland, planning to study in Ireland. “We’re delighted to welcome this
amendment, which goes some way to protecting students from the UK from the chaos and adversity Brexit is likely to bring. Many students who had their hearts set on studying in Ireland will now be able to breathe a sigh of relief and get stuck in to making plans,” USI President Síona Cahill said. NUS-USI President Olivia Potter-Hughes said she is delighted that one of their concerns regarding Brexit has been mitigated. However, there are a number of issues that they are still concerned about, including continued student and academic mobility cross-border on the island of Ireland, mutual recognition of qualifications from the UK and EU and maintaining protections and rights within the 1998 Belfast agreement. “We would anticipate if fees stay the same numbers would also, but this is dependent on what implications Brexit will have on physical cross border mobility, which is as yet undetermined,” she told The College View
idea of the scale of the issues that are there, cause we have a lot of anecdotal stuff in relation to different parts of the sector.” While not able to point to any specific issues in DCU, Byrne said SIPTU would look at any issues that arose on campus. Amongst a number of other demands, SIPTU are calling for all directly employed staff categories and grades to have permanent, secure employment with access to progression, sick pay and pension. They also want to end the ‘exploitation’ of postgraduate labour and a proper and secure grading structure for all teaching staff agreed with the unions. Speaking at the launch of the campaign last week SIPTU Education Sector Chair, Maggie Ronayne, said: “Women are disproportionately im-
pacted by the spread of precarious work practices in the education sector in Ireland from cleaners to catering staff to temporary administrative staff to lecturers.” “The focus on gender equality in higher and further education has largely been on the promotion of more academic women to senior roles. However, precarious employment be it hourly paid, fixed term contract or outsourced working, is also an enormous but largely overlooked problem in the sector. Tackling precarious work is crucial to achieving gender equality and pay equity,” she continued. The campaign comes as the HEA report also notes that only 30 per cent of DCU professors are women. DCU appears to have a somewhat better track record in gender equality at the upper echelons of the university
HARASSMENT and assault are experiences “too common” for third-level students, according to Minister of State with responsibility for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor. The Minister made the comments in a keynote speech – It Stops Now - at the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) conference in Liberty Hall on March 7th. In 2018, Mitchell O’Connor facilitated a workshop on consent and how to tackle sexual violence in third-level education to higher education (HE) representatives, student unions and other stakeholders. She subsequently established a working group who are expected to report at the start of April. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) President Síona Cahill was invited along with Vice President Damien McClean for Welfare to sit on the working group. She believes that sexual violence and harassment across university campuses “happens in silence.” “One of the key problems that we found is that institutions have continuously avoided collecting any data on the issue of sexual harassment. They don’t want to hold the data. For instance, I am aware that DCU received Freedom of Information Act request from a journalist within the last year in relation to how many sexual harass-
ment cases had been brought to the university. It was communicated that it was a small number. “The reality is that it is not a small number, DCU is not collecting the data. Instead of looking after students directly, they are sending them to the guards and they are treating it as a criminal case. But that’s no good to the student sitting in class with the perpetrator,” said Cahill. Tara Brown from NWCI, Project Coordinator for Ending Sexual Harassment and Violence in Third Level Education, also sat on the working group. Speaking to The College View, Brown said: “We were really delighted to participate in that process. It was the first time that we have been looking at this issue within HEIs on a national basis and creating a framework in order to tackle the issues. We have seen a huge movement in tackling sexual violence and harassment over the last two years.” She said that as part of the project, sexual violence and harassment was looked at as a gender-based issue, “The biggest deciding factor of whether you are going to experience sexual violence and harassment is simply just by being a woman. Women aged 18-29 experience the highest rates of sexual violence in Ireland – as well as women with disabilities and anyone from ethnic minority backgrounds or the LGBT community.”
Unions work towards securing equality for women Brian Mahon Contributor @thecollegeview PART time work and unfair work practices are common across third level institutions, a leading trade union has claimed. The campaign also aims to highlight the fact that women are overwhelmingly the victims of these precarious work practices. A Higher Education Authority report for DCU states that 77 per cent of professional, management and support staff who work at DCU who are paid less than €45,000 are women. Education organiser for SIPTU Karl Byrne said the union was “trying to put together some information” and that “the campaign is about trying to get an
The Minister spoke about the prevelance of sexual harrassment among third level students on International Womens Day.
with the Governing Authority retaining an almost 50/50 gender balance and the Executive Committee also retaining an even split between the sexes. In response to queries about how DCU was addressing the gender divide a DCU spokesperson said: “DCU consistently strives to advance gender equality amongst all aspects of university life. The commitment to gender equali-
Credit: Fine Gael
ty is encapsulated in DCU’s Strategic Plan 2017 – 2022…The University has undertaken many initiatives to promote gender equality such as DCU Women in Leadership Lecture series.” The spokesperson added that DCU President Professor Brian MacCraith has committed not to serve on a public conference unless there is at least one women on the panel, not including the Chair.
Science and Health
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Measles outbreak reported in North Dublin Cáit Caden News Editor @ AreYou_Caden_Me
ANOTHER measles outbreak was reported in North Dublin earlier this month, marking the fifth officially documented case of the illness in Ireland since the start of February. The HSE confirmed there was an outbreak of measles in North Dublin which was affecting both children and adults. “We have a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine against a highly contagious disease. A vaccine that has saved almost a million lives every year over the last two decades,” said UNICEF Ireland’s Executive Director Peter Power when talking about the rise of measles. UNICEF stated that there was a 244 per cent growth in measles cases in Ireland from 25 in 2017 to 86 in 2018. Measles symptoms are similar to the flu such as a runny nose, high temperature, red eyes and a cough. Another sign which is definitely symptomatic is a red rash which looks like several brown and red flat spots joined together, that spreads from the head down the rest of the body. This rash can start a few days after being infected with the illness which can last up to a week. Other symptoms are diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain. Measles is more contagious than
Ebola, tuberculosis or influenza and once someone is infected there is no specific treatment. However, the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) is a proven preventative measure to stop the contraction of the illness in the first place. “Measles may be the disease, but, all too often, the real infection is misinformation, mistrust and complacency. We must do more to accurately inform every parent, to help us safely vaccinate every child,” said Power. Power add also stated that “almost all of these cases are preventable” yet “children are getting infected even in places where there is simply no excuse.” A vaccine uptake rate of at least 95 per cent with two doses is required to halt endemic transmission of the virus and consequently eliminate measles, according to the HSE. In order to get protection from measles, The Department of Health stated that children should get the MMR vaccine ay one years of age and any children over that age and not vaccinated should be brought to their GP to be vaccinated A second dose of the MMR vaccine is then needed when children are in junior infants at school. Also, any adult under 40 years of age that never contracted measles or was vaccinated against it should go to their GP. Those older than 40 are at less of a risk of contracting the illness, however,
Measles case increased across the lobe on a dramatic scale in rencent years.
they are also urged to see their GP if they have not been fully vaccinated and have yet to catch the illness. As measles becomes a worldwide epidemic, various anti-vaccination groups have also become more vocal in recent years. In 2019, the World Health Organisation World Health Organization called the anti-vaccination movement a top 10 health threat. This was prompted after measles cases across the globe rose by 30 per cent. This includes countries where the virus was eliminated at one point. Social media contributes to the anti-vax movement as there were various ads on Facebook on misleading information on vaccines. One of the major myths which anti-vax people use when debating the benefits of not vaccinating children is the link between vaccinations and autism, especially with the MMR. This theory has been widely debunked by medical professionals. Italy is taking extreme action to stop the spread of measles by banning non-vaccinated children from attending school and requiring them to show proof of being vaccinated. Parents can be fined up to €500 for sending their unvaccinated child to an Italian school. Officials say vaccination rates have improved since this measure was introduced.
Credit: NHS
Number of drug related deaths shows need for injection facilities, says minister
“Those who inject on the streets are at even greater risk,” said Minister for Health Promotion Catherine Byrne.
Mikey Walsh Deputy Images Editor @Walshy_mikey IRELAND needs supervised injection facilities to reduce deaths and drug overdoses, said Minister for Health Promotion and the National Drugs Strategy Catherine Byrne, on March 8th Figures released in the National Drug Related Deaths Index showed that 736 people died in drug and alcohol-related deaths in 2016, 305 more than in 2004. Byrne said the figures released by the Health Research Board “are deeply concerning.” ”They represent tragic loss of life and are a stark reminder of the devastating impact of drugs on families and communities,” she said. The report showed that 85 per cent of people who died from poisoning died of opioid poisoning, and 31 per cent of those had injected in a public space. “These figures emphasise the need for a Supervised Injecting Facility. I am acutely aware of the harm caused by injecting drugs. Those who inject on the streets are at even greater risk. The Supervised Injecting Facility, when up and running, will be a major step towards reducing deaths from drug overdose,” said Byrne There are already over 100 safe injection clinics worldwide in countries such as Canada and Switzerland. The Supervised Injecting Facility will allow drug users to inject with clean needles in a sterile environment under the supervision of healthcare professionals and aims to reduce drug litter and open injecting on the streets. Byrne said that the Drug Related Deaths Figures highlight the importance of treating drug and alcohol misuse as a public health issue with the HSE National Service Plan 2019 prioritising the expansion of community-based healthcare services. 65 per cent that died from injecting drugs did so in Dublin City. 55 per cent of those who died from poisoning in-
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volving opioids were alone at the time of death. “The facility is Government policy and it is crucial that it opens as soon as possible.” The location of Ireland first safe injection site faced pushback from local businesses last year after it was announced that Merchants Quay Ireland, which already offers services to those with addiction and homelessness issues, was going to be to facilitate injecting drug users. Since the introduction of safe injection sites in Switzerland in 1990, new cases of opioid use have fallen from 553 to 17 in 2016 and HIV and AIDS diagnoses in injecting drug users fell from 48 per cent of users to 15.9 per cent. The Minister also acknowledged alcohol as a major contributor to the figures with 132 people dying from alcohol poisoning in 2016, 20 more than the previous year. “The Government is actively tackling alcohol as a public health issue. The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 aims to reduce harmful drinking and to create an environment where children won’t be exposed to alcohol products or advertising.” The Act, from November 2019, will prohibit the advertisement of alcohol at public transport stops and within 200m of a school, early years centre or local authority playground. Byrne expressed her concern for non-poisoning deaths attributed to drugs and alcohol, noting that of the 93 people who died by hanging, 75 per cent had a known history of mental health problems. She said that the HSE is developing an integrated mental health and addiction programme after receiving €1 million from the Department of Health in 2019, which is set to rise to €2 million in 2020. The new programme is aimed at expanding mental health services to hospitals and communities for people with addiction issues.
Science and Health
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Employment and healthcare costs among challenges faced by those living with neurological conditions Catherine Gallagher Deputy News Editor @Cather_i_ne
UP to 78 per cent of individuals living with neurological conditions in Ireland who are currently unemployed state they had to give up work due to their condition, a report has found. Over 600 participants, largely made up of people with neurological conditions took part in the Neurological Alliance of Ireland’s (NAI) survey between November and December 2018. The findings were subsequently published on March 11th on foot of the body’s Brain Awareness Week. In Ireland, there are 800,000 people living with neurological conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease as well as rare and genetic conditions. The survey posed questions in relation to access to benefits and entitlements, expenditure, the impact of living with a neurological condition and employment. In relation to employment, 57 per cent reported that they were currently working, with 76 per cent of this cohort highlighting that the impact of their condition poses either some or significant difficulties in the workplace. Out of those currently unemployed, 78 per cent conveyed that this was due to their neurological condition. “It’s very hard to understand what is going on just from our survey. There is more research needed on this to see what are the reasons why people are having such difficulties in the workplace,” said Mags Rogers, Executive
HSE waiting over two years for new medicines to be approved Lorna Lawless Lifestyle Editor @thecollegeview TEN new medicines approved by the HSE have been waiting to be approved for over two years. These medicines had been blocked on the basis of price following an investigation by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics in Ireland. They are in a group of 15 new medicines that are reported to have used up almost the entire new drugs budget for 2019 only three months into the year. The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association which represents companies investing in the research and development of new drugs have concerns about the length of time is takes for medicine to get approved. IPHA chief executive welcomed the new medications but emphasised the concern in time scale for approval: “it’s clear that the approvals system for new medicines doesn’t work and funding is neither predictable nor adequate”, ac-
NAI is an umbrella organisation representing over 30 bodies to advocate for the rights of people living with neurological conditions.
Credit: NAI Ireland
Director of NAI. Rogers further explained, “On the other side, we don’t have a vocational rehabilitation framework in Ireland. We don’t have an actual policy or a programme in place to get people back to work and retain work once they have a disability.” Respondents were also asked about expenditure with regards to healthcare supports and the amount of these payments on a monthly basis. A total of 50 per cent stated they pay for GP services out of their own pocket, MRI scans (37 per cent), consultant neurologist (31 per cent) as well as physiotherapy and medications (26 per cent).
Furthermore, 30 per cent of respondents have waited more than 12 months from the initial noticeable onset of their symptoms to go forward to having a consultation with a neurologist. A three-year implementation framework was published last month by the HSE as a means of putting together a strategy for neurorehabilitation. However, in the report released by NAI, it states more commitment is needed. “The main issue is that there is no funding committed with it,” said Rogers, “They (HSE) launched a three-year plan, but there is no commitment. So it’s not going to make any difference, it’s just a plan.”
“I am not convinced from the responses that I have received from the Minister and Taoiseach on the floor of the Dáil that those who are representing us as a state are approaching the matter with a ‘can-do’ point of view. It appears to me that they are kicking the can down the road,” O’Caoláin told The College View. In a written letter, the HSE stated Spinraza would cost over €20 million per patient over a five year period €600,000 for the first year followed by €380,000 per year after that. Biogen, the company that produces the drug, said that these figures are out of date. O’Caoláin added that “we are only one of two remaining EU member states who have not yet recognised Spinraza as a drug for reimbursement. It’s not something that Ireland should be proud of.”
SMA has four different types: ‘1, 2, 3 and 4’, which are based on the age of onset and the level of movement and functionality achieved. Type 1 is the most severe form and makes up around 60 per cent of SMA cases found in children. Up to 95 per cent of children living with Type 1 who do not receive treatment die before two years of age. On February 28, SMA Ireland, a patient organisation representing people living with the condition, held a protest outside Leinster House to call on the HSE to revert its decision. “In the next two years, there is definitely going to be someone born with SMA Type 1 in Ireland. As things are now, that person is going to die and it is completely unnecessary,” said Anton Mannering, Interim Chairperson of SMA Ireland. “Essentially, I think those figures
cording to The Irish Times. The drugs approved in this group include two leukaemia drugs- Amgen’s Blincyto and Pfizer, Besponsa, a drug for aggressive skin cancer called Bavencio and a drug called Translarna used to treat victims with Duchene’s muscular dystrophy, which helps them continue walking. All these drugs which were approved were developed by major pharmaceutical companies such as Johnston &amp; Johnson’s Actellion business, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Amgen. Three drugs were not sanctioned by the HSE in this approval system. These include Spinraza which is the only drug currently available to treat spinal muscular atrophy, Tagrisso which has been in the system 36 months, according to The Irish Times. According to O’Connor, the deal made with the government to regulate prices on the public is saving money. “That deal has delivered hundreds of millions in savings. But there has been no improvement in speed of access for medicines”.
Ten mecidines have been on the waiting list for two years already.
Credit: Flickr
HSE decide not to reimburse spinal muscular atrophy medication Catherine Gallagher Deputy News Editor @Cather_i_ne THE decision of the HSE not to reimburse the only approved drug for a rare genetic condition has been labelled as a “manufactured delay” by a Sinn Féin TD. On February 25th, the HSE confirmed it would not reimburse Spinraza, a drug known to help treat those living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). The condition is a life-limiting and debilitating disease that results in progressive muscle weakness and loss of movement. Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson on Disability Rights and Older People Caoimhghín Ó’Caoláin, said that “leaving groups of young children behind is unforgivable.”
The drug company that produces Spiranza said the HSE’s figures on the cost of the drug were out of date.
were released (by the HSE) in order to create the impression that this was a legitimate decision,” said Mannering, “to change the press narrative away from the fact that they have failed to reimburse the drug.” Mannering finished by saying, “The
Credit: SMA Ireland
HSE has an opportunity to put this right. The government has the opportunity to influence and have public oversight. If we have to go to the Dáil again, we will. We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that our children and all people with SMA are treated.”
Business and Tech
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IT Sligo set to receive €13.7 million in investment James Nolan Production Editor @JamesNolan97 THE Department of Education and Skills announced a €13.7 million capital allocation towards significant building upgrades in IT Sligo. The funding is set to be provided under Project Ireland 2040, which commits exchequer investments of €2.2 billion in Ireland’s higher education infrastructure over the coming decade. The capital investment, which is being provided by the Higher Education Authority, will facilitate the consolidation of the recently established Yeats Academy of Arts, Design and Architecture, as well as the formation of a North Campus Creative Hub. The Creative Hub will aim to allow art, design and architecture students to optimise the commonalities of the various disciplines in a fit for purpose, collaborative environment. The development is seen as an integral component in the master plan of IT Sligo to grow to 10,000 students. Minister for Education Joe McHugh said that the announcement demonstrates the government’s
commitment to the Project Ireland 2040 initiative, stating that the funding is part of a broader programme focused on essential campus upgrades. “The funding announcement for IT Sligo demonstrates the Government’s commitment under Project Ireland 2040 to advancing significant infrastructure investment in the higher education sector. The funding is part of a broader programme focused on essential campus upgrades and refurbishments.” “The funding announced today will facilitate a significant upgrade of the existing North Campus in IT Sligo, and will also support IT Sligo as a member of the Connaught Ulster Alliance in working towards Technological University status. Minister of State with Responsibility for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor said she was pleased with the announcement as IT Sligo continues to be a leader in the areas of online and blended learning. “IT Sligo has been, and continues to be, one of the leaders in the areas of online and blended learning. I am pleased that this investment will support the institute to further expand opportunities in this area, particularly in relation to science and engineering courses.”
Capital investment of 13.7m announced for IT Sligo under Project Ireland 2040
“The funding will facilitate the repurposing of decanted space on campus, enabling IT Sligo to enhance its online, lifelong and research learning provision. The upgrade and modernisation of existing higher education infrastructure will continue
Credit: IT Sligo
to be a key focus of investment under Project Ireland 2040,” added Mitchell O’Connor. IT Sligo student Dylan Martin has said that the announcement has been met with excitement around campus. “It’s a very big deal for students
here. We are excited to hear about the funding. The college is looking to compete on a national level with other institutions and universities, and this investment will aid students in reaching their full potentials and thus achieving this goal,” said Martin.
ASAI receive over 100 complaints about Instagram content Orla Dwyer Opinions Editor @orladwyer_ OVER 100 complaints were made last year about issues relating to influencer created content across different social media platforms, according to the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI). Most of these complaints regarded uncertainty over whether material posted by influencers was marketing communications or an advertisement and how clearly this was stated through hashtags and the caption of the post. “ASAI has been actively engaged in the area of influencer and advertising for over the past three years to ensure that brands and bloggers /influencers are aware of their responsibilities under the advertising standards Code,” Deputy Chief Executive of the ASAI, Michael Lee told The College View. A number of wellness bloggers and influencers have been making sponsored posts about products such as vitamin and gut-health supplements in Ireland and abroad. There have been few complaints made about influencers and health supplements to the ASAI so far. Instagram is commonly used by marketing companies and influencers to promote products. A Quintly study from June 2017 analysing 740,000 social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram found that Instagram had the best interaction rate among the three platforms. According to Statista, 38 per cent of
Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland is scrutinising Instagram influencers who promote products that claim to be beneficial for health
Instagram users worldwide as of 2018 are aged between 13 and 24. This is a key demographic for influencers and companies that advertise using social media. Section eight of the ASAI Code states: “Marketing communications that contain nutrition or health claims should be supported by documentary evidence substantiating that they meet the conditions of use associated with
the relevant claim, as specified in the EU Register.” This online register shows all of the health and nutrition claims permitted in the EU and the terms and conditions attached. Kim Kardashian came under scrutiny in May 2018 when she posted a picture of herself on Instagram eating an appetite suppressing lollipop. The company selling the lollipops is banned
Credit: Alison Clair
from advertising on social media in the UK, according to the BBC. The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK posted in a 2017 decision that the ‘Flat Tummy Tea’ company could not make claims through online influencers that their tea helped with water weight, as some influencers were stating in their sponsored posts. An example of a permitted nutrition claim under the EU register is that a
food claiming to be high in protein is only correct if more than 20 per cent of the energy value provided by the food is from protein. Section 12 of the ASAI code relates to slimming products used in marketing communications. It states that any claims made about the “effectiveness of a slimming plan, method or product should be backed by reputable and robust practical trials on human subjects”. It also states that advertisers should be able to show that their diet plans are nutritionally balanced. According to TheJournal.ie, ASAI CEO Orla Twomey said the trend of wellness is going to continue because “we do see that trends that start in the States [spread here], apart from medicines, which won’t happen”. Vox reported in February that Instagram influencers such as Louise Roe have started promoting medication in their posts. Roe was reported as having a paid partnership with Celgene, a biotechnology company that makes psoriasis medication. However, advertising of medicine in Europe has stricter regulations than in the US where advertisements for prescription medications are permitted and common. Not all of the complaints sent to the ASAI last year were valid. The ASAI investigates cases where posts are marketing communications in an informal or formal manner. Formal cases are brought to the Independent Complaints Committee for adjudication, the results of which are published on the ASAI website.
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Bus Éireann wants more women in the driver's seat Beibhinn Thorsch
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
@BeibhinnJourno
BUS Éireann are holding open days to actively encourage more women drivers to apply for roles that are available nationwide “Traditionally the majority of our drivers have been male but that is changing, and we want to encourage more women to consider it as a career option,” said Bus Éireann PR Manager Joe Sheridan. One of the main faces the company are using to promote the inclusion of women in their company is driver Rhonda, who has been driving with the company for 12 years. “When I was a young girl, I saw a female Bus Éireann driver and thought one day I would like to do that. I then took the plunge and got my bus licence and with no driving experience, said Rhonda. "I arrived into Bus Éireann for an open day 11 years ago and was hired. It was by far one of my best decisions.” Heather is another driver, who has been working with Bus Éireann for only the past year. “I love having the opportunity to drive outside of the city on a daily basis,” she said of her experience in the role. The change to this traditionally male-centred role has been growing, with Dublin Bus graduating their first all-female class of drivers from their
Only 3% of Bus Éireann's drivers are women, according to figures released in 2015
training centre in Phibsborough. This came after some previous controversy involving women bus drivers on Dublin Bus, one of which was told she was "too short" to drive and was awarded €6,000 from the Equality Tribunal for gender discrimination in 2010. At the time, Dublin Bus confirmed that there may be some men who had been hired who had also not met the height restriction. In 2015 just 3 per cent of Dublin Bus drivers were women. The first female
bus driver for Dublin Bus was hired in 1980. Until 2014, Dublin Bus had not recruited drivers for a period of six years and during this time the number of women drivers fell. Ingrid Doyle, who has worked as a driver with Dublin Bus for over 15 years, said she thinks there are a number of reasons why women have shied away from driving jobs with Dublin Bus. “It’s shift work... and for women with children that’s really difficult, especially women with small kids,” Doyle explained. She
Credit: Bus Éireann
said the job does often come with some verbal abuse from customers, and is very difficult to get used to at first. Overall female employment in Ireland is roughly equal until there is a permanent drop-off between the ages of 29 and 39.7, according to IBE. Women with children and partners are 5.5 times more likely to do all or most of the household work than men in the same family situation. In 2016, 51.5 per cent of women compared to 67.8 per cent worked in the labour force.
Future Jobs Ireland launches aiming for long-term economic development James Nolan Production Editor @ JamesNolan97
THE government recently launched the Future Jobs Ireland initiative with the aim of “preparing now for tomorrow’s economy.” The initiative is the first in a series of annual reports which outlines the government’s longer-term ambition for economic development under five pillars. The five pillars include; embracing innovation and technological change, improving SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) productivity, enhancing skills and developing and attracting talent, increasing participation to the workforce and transitioning to a low carbon economy. Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, emphasises that the ultimate aim of Future Jobs Ireland was to focus on sustaining high quality jobs. “There are 390,000 more people at work since 2012. As we approach full employment, it is now time to shift our job focus. It’s no longer a question of more jobs, instead we must focus on growing highly productive and skilled people creating and working in highly productive and sustainable businesses.”
“While Future Jobs Ireland is a national framework, it will have a regional impact. We will enhance the powers of Local Enterprise Offices to ensure any gaps for indigenous businesses are addressed. We want to ensure that all businesses, regardless of size, are supported,” said Humphreys. Future Jobs Ireland will aim to support Irish businesses, as well as investing in the development of people, aiming to make Irish workers more flexible and versatile in relation to the advancing changes in the workplace. To aid with these developments, the report includes; a national consultation on the extension of flexible working options to all employees commencing a strategy for remote working, developing a public service to assist people returning to work, incentivising employers to provide early learning and care facilities, doubling participation in lifelong learning by 2025 and developing training for emerging technologies among other initiatives. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar complemented how far people have come in the last eight years, but stressed there was no room for complacency. “I want Ireland to be a country
The initiative is the first in a series of annual reports which outlines the government’s longer-term ambition for economic development under five pillars.
where people work to live not live to work. Businesses need to consider new ways of attracting and retaining talent through remote and flexible working options, so that people in places like Cork don’t have to commute to Dublin to work for Facebook, Apple or Google.” “By confronting head on the challenges we face in the world of work, we can ensure we are able to prosper from the transformations that are
Credit: dbei.gov.ie
coming. We can face the future with confidence because of the preparations we have made today,” said Varadkar. Future Jobs Ireland was informed by extensive engagement across Government Departments and with stakeholders, who will continue to collaborate to develop further deliverables for inclusion in Future Jobs Ireland 2020.
Business and Tech
News in Brief
Non-academic students enjoy school more, research shows STUDENTS who enjoy non-academic subjects are more likely to engage in school life, according to a study led by University of Limerick (UL). Dr. Enrique Garcia Bengoechea from the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences in UL is the lead researcher in the study which found that pupils who enjoyed physical education and the arts engaged more in school life and activities. “At this point, we think that the more holistic nature of physical education and arts education, compared to “core” academic subjects such as maths, sciences, and language arts, may help explain that of all curricular factors considered in our study, enjoyment of physical education and arts education were the strongest contributors to student engagement among the study participants,” Bengoechea said. “For example, physical education and arts education typically provide opportunities for initiative, creativity and social interaction that other academic subjects do not provide. In addition, physical education can be considered more ‘holistic’ due to the circumstance that not only the “mind” but also the “body” is involved,” he added.
New plan to reduce waiting list times labelled as “knee-jerk” reaction
A new plan to reduce waiting list times for patients has been cast as a “kneejerk reaction by” Sinn Féin’s Health spokesperson. The Scheduled Care Access Plan (SCAP) was published by Minister for Health Simon Harris to reduce waiting list times for patients waiting for more than six months. The aim is to treat patients who require highly demanded procedures by the end of 2019. The focus is on ten different procedures for this year including cataracts, hip and knee replacements, and tonsillitis. This would be offered in private hospitals and in public hospitals if spaces are available. Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on health Louise O’Reilly said that the SCAP was a way for money to be taken from public healthcare and put into the private sector. “This plan, and it’s hard to see it as a real plan at all, won’t work, it’s a short term, knee jerk reaction with little or no thought and it will go the way of all Harris’ other ‘plans’ such as the scoliosis plan to tackle waiting time announced in 2017,” said O’Reilly.
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opinion
The importance of speaking to journalists Sources refusing to speak to journalists leaves untold perspectives in an era of fake news accusations, writes Gabija Gataveckaite.
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Gabija Gataveckaite Deputy Editor @gabysayshey
he mission statement of The Washington Post, the newspaper that broke Watergate, is ‘Democracy dies in darkness’. The slogan lies in its masthead, right underneath the title. It first appeared in 2017 and references the paper’s legendary coverage which had tidal repercussions; not just Watergate, but the Pentagon Papers and now, Donald Trump. For a story to exist, there must be sources. They can be ordinary citizens, politicians, officials or academics- but there must be sources. In the age of Trump bellowing ‘fake news’ at any reporter he has a distaste towards, it is crucial, now more than ever, that when contacted, sources have a duty to respond to reporters and give their version of the truth. When sources decide to keep quiet, to ignore the email, leave the call unanswered or miss the coffee date, journalists are unable to share their side of the story. A fresh perspective and a piece of the puzzle is suddenly missing. This is especially important for rookie reporters and student journal-
ists. Sources, especially members of the public who have not dealt with the press before, may be reluctant to respond to journalists, especially if they seem inexperienced. However, experience doesn’t come overnight and takes many, many years to build. If sources blatantly refuse to speak to reporters, that experience can never be built and the truth can never get out there, the other side can never be heard and democracy dies, both in darkness and in silence. While declining to speak to journalists can be explained for members of the public who may wish to preserve their privacy, it is inexcusable for politicians,
People can be reluctant to talk to the press.
Credit: Gillian Hogan
budding or not, or those running for public representation. In a student sense, those running for positions in Students’ Unions should make time during their campaign to speak with reporters, students or otherwise. Their viewpoints on certain issues may not necessarily be highlighted in 500 words of a manifesto, and speaking with a journalist may prove to be crucial in discussing topics which may not be raised otherwise. In 2015, the ‘Brown Daily Herald’, a student newspaper in Brown University in the US, faced backlash for publishing two racist opinion pieces, for which it later apologised. However, student activists on the campus used the newspaper’s
past as a reason for declining to speak to reporters. In an article written by the ‘Brown Daily Herald’ news editor for ‘The Atlantic’, former ‘Herald’ editor-in-chief Rebecca Brill stated: “We were trying to fix this thing that was a valid critique of us, but the people who were critiquing us weren’t letting us talk to them.” Before social media, the main tool of communication with the masses was through the media. Politicians would ring the local paper whenever they wanted their photograph to make its pages or arrange radio interviews. Now, politicians don’t have to go through all that hassle to reach thousands, they can simply tweet. However, in the era of fake news and misinformation, journalists are more important than ever to fact check, verify information and contextualise stories. Declining to speak to reporters is counter-productive, as valuable sides of the story are left untold, fresh perspectives are lost, and the opportunity to do some valuable journalism is wasted. The solution? Answer the phone call, reply to the email, attend the coffee date, speak to the reporter. It’s the very least we can do.
Criticise those running for positions of power
Although it is always important to be nice, it is equally crucial to be critical of those running for or holding roles of authority, writes Orla Dwyer.
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Orla Dwyer Opinions Editor @orladwyer_
veryone’s a critic these days, and for good reason. With reams of information at our fingertips, it has never been easier to criticise and fact-check what people are saying. Criticism is a necessary part of society and an important aspect to remember when it comes to those running for positions of power. People put themselves forward for positions of power and authority, however small the role may be. Although they likely care about a cause, the welfare of their constituents or a movement, power remains a key part of the position and motivation. Most people have no problem criticising politicians because they usually don’t know them or can distance themselves enough to keep a level head about their policies. In the world of student politics, however, this can prove difficult. People usually canvas for friends they have known for several years. They feel very confident in their ability as a friend and potential leader. Some-
body can be a truly lovely, kind-hearted person, but a terrible politician with problematic policies worthy of criticism. Many politicians have partners, children and lifelong friends. Are they exempt from criticism? More criticism of SU candidates and officers should be vocalised about their
proposals and how suited they are to the roles. If we all sit back and regard candidates as just students trying to do their best, however true this may be, a popularity contest can instead prevail. The wrong type of criticism can be made, aimed at something entirely unrelated to somebody’s political career
Criticism is key when it comes to those running for positions of power.
or aims. For example, when the video of American Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dancing in college went viral, some critics said it was unprofessional. Although she was mostly met with support, this criticism should never have been drawn as the video had nothing to do with her politics.
Credit: Jonny Matthew
Similarly, in the world of student politics, somebody’s personal history should never be brought to the criticism unless it pertains to the role they are trying to fill. Any personal attacks about a candidates’ personality or appearance should also be left out of the conversation. Much like protests held outside TDs’ houses, telling someone they are a horrible person on Twitter is not a fair part of any election process. For anybody to argue that these people shouldn’t be criticised out of niceness is ridiculous. Criticism is an essential part of the democratic process. If a student criticises a candidate for their manifesto, plans for the role or their suitability for the position, how is this unfair? It is not the same as a student complaining about their classmate, candidates put themselves forward into the eyes of the student body. They are voluntarily running for a position of authority and power, usually alongside other students competing for the same role. It would be strident for us all to be a bit more critical of those running for positions of power. Don’t let niceties get in the way of our democratic process, whether for the Students’ Union or the Dáil.
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Opinion
The pros and canines of buying or adopting a dog A dog is for life, and by adopting your mutt instead of buying from a breeder, this life is made all the better, writes Clara Caslin.
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Clara Caslin Contributor @thecollegeview
dog is one of the greatest gifts in life. They bring an abundance of love and joy. When deciding to get a dog, the question is really whether to adopt from a dog shelter or buy one through the likes of the Irish Kennel Club? I have had four dogs in my lifetime and all of them have bought through the Irish Kennel Club, who hold a register of purebred dogs in Ireland, issue export licences, pedigree certificates and transfer of ownership certification where required. Buying a dog comes with pros such as getting to meet the parents of that dog, knowing that the dog is vaccinated and micro-chipped, knowing the exact breed and getting official papers for the dog. All of that is great, but after the recent death of my childhood dog of nearly 15 years, it got me thinking about how important it is to adopt a dog instead. Dogs Trust recently announced that they had received 370 requests from people looking to surrender their dog between St Stephen’s Day and the end of January. Dogs Trust Executive Director Suzie Carely said in a statement: “It is ex-
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By adopting a dog from a rescue, you are saving a life.
tremely worrying to see an increase in the number of dogs and puppies being surrendered or abandoned after Christmas. Unfortunately, many rescues in Ireland put dogs down due to space issues. They need the support of the public to find new homes for these dogs. By adopting a dog from a rescue, you are saving a life. When you adopt a rescue dog you can choose the dog that suits your household. Most rescues will spay/neuter the dog before you take them from the rescue to prevent them from having puppies. When you buy a dog, it is up to you to do this. It can also be very expensive to buy a dog, costing over €1,000 for certain breeds. When you adopt a dog, you give a donation to the rescue, which helps to
Adopting a dog through rescue centres has many benefits.
fund the work they do for other dogs. This is vital to rescues that mostly depend on this money to carry out the work that they do. Dogs Trust’s fee for rehoming a dog is €160, but the dog is vet checked, micro chipped, vaccinated and neutered. By adopting, you aren’t supporting puppy farms, you can get almost any breed and you’re helping to keep the unwanted pet population down. You
open up a space in the shelter that can be filled by another future pet. There’s something very special about raising your dog from a puppy, and this is still possible from a rescue, but older dogs should not be disregarded. They settle in quite quickly, they’re easier to train, they enjoy easy living and can be trusted in the house. The love they will give will undoubtedly be unconditional.
Credit: Alison Clair
Before you make the decision of getting a dog, you need to remember that they require a lot of care and responsibility. Don’t be impulsive and take a dog home at the wrong time. Get well educated on how to properly raise a dog. You need to have a lot of time, they can’t be left alone for long periods and need plenty of exercise.
Dehumanisation: Stop calling people junkies The term ‘junkie’ is a way for people to distance themselves from the issue of addiction, writes Donal Corrigan. Donal Corrigan Deputy Video Editor @thecollegeview
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ost of us are guilty of saying it. “Did you see that gas video of that junkie?”, “Look at the state of that junkie”, or the line from Dublin rap duo Versatile’s song ‘We Sell Brown’, where they proclaim: “We’re the rea-
Junkie is a dehumanising and distancing term.
son your ma’s a fat junkie.” The video has over 2.5 million views. Junkie is a word many of us use everyday. It brings a distinct image of a certain type of person into our head. It’s the backbone of a good story, the punchline of a joke or a slag we use with our mates. It’s about time we realise how dangerous this rotten word is. The casual nature in which we use this word highlights two problems with our society. We don’t understand addiction and labeling is still poisoning our
society. Labels like this are used to distance ourselves from people, not to understand them. It’s a lot easier to make a caricature of someone rather than sympathise with their problems. If we can think of someone as a junkie, we no longer feel responsible for them. Yet when someone close to us suffers from addiction, this word would not even cross our minds. So where do labels come from and why do we use them?
Credit: Orange.biz
In sociology this practice is known as the labeling theory. It sets out that labels come generally from people of the opposite social status as you. The label is created by people higher up and passed to down the social or economic rungs of society. For example, plantation owners in America labeled their slaves with a host of names that probably sat better in their conscience than ‘a human being in captivity’. It is easier distance yourself from a group of people for your own personal gain with dehumanising nicknames. This sinister practice has been inflicted on almost every minority. From the LGBT community to Jewish people to African Americans, all have been reduced to a variety of degrading words. You yourself probably have a label that other groups of people have referred to you as at some point. Where does the word ‘junkie’ fit into all of this? If labels are given by the opposing group, why do we see ourselves as the opposite of people suffering from addiction? We simply don’t understand addiction. Labeling is our cosy blanket of ignorance that protects from the cold reality. Addiction is a sickness. It’s a
reaction to pain, to abuse and to loneliness. It is commonly misunderstood that substances such as heroin are addictive purely because of their chemical structure. Consider what is going on around the needle and not what is in it. Think about the person’s environment that brings them to the needle. During the Vietnam War, 20 per cent of American soldiers were addicted to heroin, according to a study. There should have been an epidemic when they returned home but this heroin crisis never happened when they came back. 95 per cent of them went into remission when they returned. Why? Drug addiction is often times a reaction to your environment. Most of us are not addicts because we have something to get out of the bed in the morning for. We have friends, family, exams and jobs. “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection,” said Swedish journalist Johann Hari. So are people without human connection merely junkies? You can wrap yourself in a blanket of labeling and ignorance or you can get out of bed and start understanding addiction.
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gaeilge
Derry Girls - an seoid is luachmhaire dá bhfuil ag Éireann Insíonn John Morley dúinn faoin séasúr nua den chlár agus cé chomh ábhartha is a bhfuil sé sa lá atá inniu ann
An múrach Derry Girls i nDoire
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John Morley Deputy Sports Editor @JohnMorleysport
á Derry Girls teachta ar ais i dá mhíle agus a naoi deag agus tá an dara sraith chomh greannmhar mar an chéad ceann Is clár teilifíse í Derry Girls a thugann léarmheas aoire dúinn ar saol na Caitlicigh i dTuaisceart na hÉireann díreach tar éis na trioblóidí i ré comhaontú maithe Dé hAoine. Sa chéad eachtra sa sraith nua, tá na cailíní ag dul go dtí ionad cluichí lena buachaillí Protastúnaigh ó Cóláiste Londáin Doire. Tá na cailíní ag iarraidh buachaillí ón taobh eile den phobal a phóg ar an oíche amach san ionad cluichí agus tosaíonn said ag plé cad a cheannóidís do na buachaillí Protastúnaigh. Tar éis comhrá saefóideach le máistir an tsiopa tagann na cailíní ar réiteach don fhadhbh atá acu. Ní chaithfidh siad aon airgead ar na Protastúnaigh. Nuair a sroicheann siad an ionad tá an bean rialta marafach ann chun smacht a chur ar na cailíní agus James, Deirfiúr Michael. Bíonn aoir ciniciúil á rá ag deirfiúr Michael ó thus deiridh na heachtra seo mar is gnáth agus tá sé níos grean-
Credit: Rachel Halpin
nmhar fós toisc go bhfuil an múinteoir ó Choláiste Londáin Doire ann chun cabhair a thabairt di ó thaobh an ghreann. Léiríonn an seó seo, go háirithe an eachtra seo, an codarsnacht idir na Caitlicigh agus na Protastúnaigh i mbealach suimiúl agus magúil. Suíonn an sagart óg dathúil síos lena daltaí óna scoileanna difriúla chun suaimhneas a chur chun cinn leo. Afách, níl siad ábalta smaointí a fháil faoina rudaí atá mar an gcéanna idir na Caitlicigh agus na Protastúnaigh. Ag deireadh na cluiche tá an bord difriúl lán le focail agus níl rud ar bit har an mbord comhchosúil. Tá an bean rialta agus na daltaí déanta leis an cluiche leadránach agus míníonn siad é sa bhealach a fhreagraíonn siad an cheist faoi chomhchosúil. “Déanann na Protastúnaigh máireáil, déanann na Caitlicigh siúlóid,” a deir cailín amháin. Is gnéith í reiligiúin i rith an chlár seo ach tá níos mo faoi saol na hÉireannaigh curtha chun thosaigh sa sraith seachas reiligiúin. Is clár seo a téann fada isteach i gcultúr agus saol na hÉireannaigh i mbealach greannmhar, ciniciúil, fírineach. Tá an chlár seo níos fearr ná na
cláranna traidisiúnta faoi Éire cosúil le Father Ted toisc go bhfuilimid ábalta an seó seo a crediúnt. An tslí a théann na cailíní go dtí seomra na buachaillí i lar na hoíche gan mórán moille mar shampla. Is suíomh iontach í seo atá chuile déagóir in Éirinn in ann a thuiscint. Críochníonn an eachtra le troid mór idir na scoileanna agus ansin tá siad in ann focal amháin a chur ar mballa chomhchosúil. “Tuismitheorí”. Chomh maith le sin, is iontach an íomha atá cruthaithe faoin máthar Éireannaigh sa chlár. Bíonn na máthar ag tabhairt amach faoi na cailíní nuair atá siad ag tógáil na brioscaí Nollag agus ag tabhairt amach faoi na máthar eile nuair nach bhfuil clú acu cad is spraoi le rudaí aiteach a dhéanann siad. Mar shampla, chaitheann máthair amháin eachtra le frustrachas mar níl sí ag iarraidh a babhla a tabhairt ar ais arís. A srón ag cur isteach uirthi. Sa dara eachtra den sraith tá saol na Caitlicigh magaithe go profeisiúnta. Nuair a fhágann an múinteoir nua aimsire an scoil tagann na cailíní suas le pleann. Goideann siad dealbh naofach mar ceapann siad go mbeidh sé ar Bean rialta Micheal Ms Le Brún a thabhairt ar ais chun na deailbhe a fháil. Ag críoch an scéil tá an dealbh scriosta agus tá sé ar na cailíní agus a
dtuismitheoirí íoc as. Níos measa fós ní bhfuair Ms Le Brún bata agus bóithre. D’fhág sí an scoil chun post níos fearr a thosú. Tá na téamaí agus na suime atá pléite sa chlár seo an tábhachtach sa lá atá inniu ann le Brexit ag teach tar nós na goaithe agus Tuaisceart na hÉireann i lár na fadhbhanna. Níl sé ach fiche bliain ó deireadh na troiblóidí agus tuigimid nuair atámid ag féacháint ar an chlár seo cé nach bhfuil an tsaoil chomh grána mar a bhí sé le linn na troiblóidí, tá bóthar fíordheacair agus crua os comhair romhainn. Má atá imeall crua idir Tuaisceart na hÉireann agus Dúisceart na hÉireann braitheann daoine go mbeidh na troiblóidí ar ais agus go mbeidh roinnt daoine sásta faoi toisc nach mbeidh siad in ann cónaigh le himeall crua ina saol. Sa dara eachtra téann na tuismitheori go dtí an pictiúrlann. Rud a tugaimid mar an gnáthrud. Go tobann, tagann na póilíní isteach agus cabhraíonn siad na tuismitheorí le aire faoi bagairt buama. Is iontach an rud é an comhaontú maithe Dé hAoine, tuigimd an mead seo tar éis Derry Girls. Tá an suaimhneas i dTuaisceart na hÉireann leochaileach agus tá sé ar na polaiteoirí an phreasach seo a cheartú go héifeachtach toisc go bhfuil an suaimhneas seo i dáinséir.
Muna bhfuil imeall soar in Éirinn ní bheidh na teamaí sa seó seo greannmhar, beidh siad an gnáthrud arís. Tá sé níos fearr a bheith ag gáire faoin caitheamh simsire ná a bheith ag dul siar go dtí iad. Beatha saoil na daoine I dTuaisceart na hÉireann ar na polaiteoirí chun é seo a cheartú. Ach muna a bhfuil siad ábalta, is iontach an sampla í an chlár chun na rannáin atá léirithe sa seó a chur faoin gcré. Mar a deir Bobby Sands “Beidh ár díoltas gáire ár bpáistí”. Is léír dom go bhfuil gach mac máthar ag gáire tríd na cláire seo agus go raibh an cheart aige.
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tá sé ar na polaiteoirí an phresach seo a cheartú
Gaeilge
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Cad a tharla i rith Seachtain na Gaeilge?
Pléann Ruairí Mac Aodhagháin na heachtraí ar fad a tharla i rith SnaG
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Ruairí Mac Aodhagháin Contributor @thecollegeview
e Seachtain an Gaeilge thart, is críoch é de cheann de na seachtainí is tábhachtaí i bpobal na Gaeilge. Bhí bliain den scoth aici i mbliana, mar a bhíonn i gcónaí, anseo ar champas agus lasmuigh de. Bíonn an oiread sin imeachtaí ar siúl gach bliain, idir mhaidineacha caife agus ceolchoirmeacha. Déantar iarracht tionchar Sheachtain an Gaeilge a scaipeadh ar fud fad na tíre. Thosaigh Seachtain na Gaeilge i Mí Feabhra i mbliana leis an seoladh oifigiúil i Muineacháin. Ní amháin imeachtaí a eagraítear chun an féile a cheiliúradh. De ghnáth bíonn ambasadóirí ag Seachtain na Gaeilge chun an féile a chur chun cinn i measc an phobail agus a scaipeadh i ngach áit. Roghnaítear meascán de chainteoirí líofa agus daoine le roinnt Gaeilge le freastal ar chuile dhuine. I mbliana bhí Linda Ervine, Oifigeach forbartha teanga in Oirthear Bhéal Feirste, Sibéal Ní Chasaide, amhránaí ó Ráth Chairn, Michael Darragh Macauley, peileadóir Bhaile Átha Cliath agus Tracy Clifford, láithreoir 2FM mar ambasadóirí i mbliana, le taithí éagsúil acu uilig.
Seachtain na Gaeilge
Cabhraíonn ambasadóirí go mór leis an bhféile toisc gur féidir le daoine ionnanú le duine éigin acu agus ionnanú le mianta na féile. Anseo sa choláiste, bhí neart imeachtaí ar siúl againn do Sheachtain an Gaeilge. D’éirigh linn Oíche Scannáin a eagrú le FilmSoc, bhí ‘Pizza & Plé’ againn sa Seomra Caidrimh (in áit Tae & Plé) agus bhí Painéal na nGael againn le triúr íontach againn ag labhairt faoi réimse scéalta. ar an bpainéal bhí Aoife Ní Déisigh, Oifigeach na Gaeilge USI, Ciara Ní É, Youtuber & file, agus Niamh Ní Chróinín, bainisteoir Raidió Rí-Rá agus Láithreoir
Spin1038. Ar an 14 Márta freisin, bhí Bál na Gaeilge ar siúl san Óstán Skylon i nDroim Conrach, agus oíche den scoth a bhí ann. Bhí béile, fáiltiú prosecco agus neart damhsa ar siúl. Ní hé Seachtain na Gaeilge tús agus deireadh an scéil maidir le Gaeilge a úsáid go poiblí, bíonn sé in úsáid ag daoine go laethúil mar theanga baile, oibre nó sóisialta. Ceist mhór choitianta a bhíonn ag daoine ná conas an Ghaeilge a úsáid níos minicí mura bhfuil siad líofa nó fiú beagáinín cuthaileach faoina leibhéal féin. Modh atá á spreagadh faoi láthair mar bhealach chun do chúpla focal a
úsáid gan an strus ná chun focail nó frásaí a úsáid in áit Béarla go laethúil i gcomhthéacsanna simplí. Mar shampla, abair ‘go raibh maith agat’ leis an oibrí a ullmhaíonn do chicken fillet roll duit ag an deli, iarr ar an tiománaí bus tú a thógáil chuig ‘Sráid Uí Chonaill’, nó abair ‘más é do thoil é’ agus tú ag ordú na cannaí Jack Slatts sin ag Shite Night. Ní gá an teanga a choinneáil laistigh den gcoicís atá ann le Seachtain na Gaeilge. Téigh amach agus bain triail as, seans maith go n-úsáidfidh daoine eile leat í.
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Credit: Seachtain na Gaeilge
Téigh amach agus bain triail as
Conas do chuid Gaeilge a fheabhsú
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Seán Ó Nualláin Contributor @thecollegeview
n fhadhb leis an scoil ná an aidhm atá acu agus iad á teagasc. Tá scrúdú le déanamh agus mar sin feictear ar an nGaeilge mar ábhar in ionad teanga. Mar sin dírítear ar ghnéithe ar nós na gramadaí agus conas scéal a chumadh san iomarca agus fágtar na gnéithe eile, gnéithe a bheadh go mór i gcabhair na teanga, ar leataobh. Tá roinnt moltaí agam maidir le snas a chur ar do scileanna cumarsáide inár dteanga dhúchais. Más ea go raibh tú riamh ar choláiste samhraidh sa Ghaeltacht, tuigfidh tú go díreach cén fáth go bhfuil sé seo ar bharr an liosta. Seo an áit a d’athraigh mo mheon féin maidir leis an teanga. Ní raibh mórán deiseanna agam an teanga a labhairt ar scoil seachas sa rang Gaeilge, ach nuair a bhí sí timpeall orm an t-am ar fad ní raibh rogha agam ach an teanga a úsáid. Oibrím le coláiste samhraidh agus chonaic mé na scoláirí is laige agus iad nach raibh fonn orthu an teanga a labhairt ag úsáid na teanga roimh dheireadh an trí seachtaine. Níl daoine ag smaoineamh faoi scrúdaithe, bhí siad ag smaoineamh faoi spórt, damhsa, an trá agus cuid mhór rudaí eile. Bíonn daoine fiú ag brionglóid as
An Seomra Caidrimh ar Champas Phádraig
Gaeilge ann! Má tá tú fós sa mheánscoil agus tá tú in ann, seo an deis is fearr a bheidh agat tú féin a thumadh sa teanga. Mura bhfuil tú fós ar scoil, ná déan dearmad go bhfuil daoine eile sa chás céanna leat ó thaobh na teanga de. Tá
Credit: FontsInUse
a lán daoine amach ann le suim sa teanga agus tá seans mór ann go bhfuil grúpa áitiúil a bhailíonn go rialta chun an teanga a labhairt. I mo chás féin, ní raibh a fhios agam go dtí an bhliain seo chaite go raibh Gaelphobal i mo cheantar féin a chuireann cuid mhór
imeachtaí ar siúil i rith na seachtaine. Bheadh iontas ort an méid imeachtaí atá ag dul ar aghaidh sa tír seo trí mheán na Gaeilge, agus nuair atá tú á húsáid go sóisialta, foghlaimíonn tú rudaí i ngan a fhios duit. Tá tithe tabhairne, caiféanna agus gnóthaí eile atá
dátheangach taobh amuigh den Ghaeltacht atá thar barr do dhaoine atá ag iarraidh a stór focal a fheabhsú. Chomh maith leis sin, piocfaidh tú suas cúpla nath nua agus tiocfaidh feabhas ar do chuid ghramadaí go neamhchoinsiasach. Tá raon iontach acmhainní ar fáil d’fhoghlaimeoirí ar líne, ó na haipeanna foghlaim teanga go dtí na suíomhanna nuachta Gaelacha chomh maith le suíomhanna atá ar fáil i nGaeilge. Is féidir fiú Minecraft a imirt trí Ghaeilge. An fhadhb leis an idirlíon áfach, ná ceann de na láidreachtaí is mó atá aige; sin go bhfuil an méid sin eolais ar líne, bíonn tú ag bá sna roghanna. Beidh ort do cheachtanna féin a phleanáil amach nó síniú suas do cheann de na cláir idirlín ar nós ‘Irish 101’ atá ar fáil ag FutureLearn. Tá sé deacair tú féin a spreagadh uaireanta, sin an chúis go bhfuil sé seo ag bun an liosta, ach ní féidir a shéanadh gur acmhainn thar mholadh beirte é an t-idirlíon nuair a úsáidtear i gceart é. Leis na rudaí go léir sin ráite, tá méid áirithe oibre a bheidh ort cur isteach, go háirithe má tá ag súil le do chuid Gaeilge a feabhsú píosa beag níos gaiste. Bain sult as an eispéireas a thagann leis an bpróiséas foghlaim teanga, ansin beidh tú ag iarraidh leanúint ar aghaidh agus diaidh ar ndiaidh feicfidh tú cé chomh mór is atá an difear idir an caighdeán a bhí agat bliain ó sin agus anois!
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features
Living on a prayer
Chapel is a place of worship for young people who believe in God, but don’t want to associate themselves with the Catholic church.
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organisation. These teams bring this service to life each week, but also constantly organise events to entice other young adults to attend. Currently, the Chapel group are doing a campaign called ‘More Love, Less Fear’. Karen Jeffrey- the leader of the campaign team outlines that it’s about “getting the message of Jesus out to our city.” According to Ms Jeffrey, the idea behind the campaign is based on the verse 1 John 4:18. During this campaign they have put out promotional videos, but also have started a sticker campaign throughout the city’s landmarks and universities which you can follow on Instagram. “Having faith is so important to me because it helps remain full of joy and peace through the trials of life. Chapel is a reminder of that joy and peace for me, seeing people my own age facing similar struggles coming together in a safe space to worship and praise together is really encouraging to me,” said Shannon, a DCU student studying Law.
Lorna Lawless Lifestyle Editor @Lorna_Lawless
very Wednesday night on Pearse Street, students make their way from college campuses across Dublin to a gathering called
Chapel. St Mark’s Church is transformed weekly into a haven for young adults who have a Christian faith. Each week at 7:30pm, students make their way through the double-doors into a warm colourful room which is buzzing with chatter and boppy music. Young people from all walks of life, backgrounds and worldviews are welcomed straight away. “Chapel is a community of young adults who believe that real hope and purpose is found in Jesus. No matter where you are on your journey of faith, there is a place where you can belong,” 27-year-old Phil, a leader in the Chapel group explained. The atmosphere is saturated with the sound of people catching up and meeting for the first time. The space is different than what you would typically expect for a church. It’s an open with airy feel and has a large stage lit up with blue and purple spotlights, which could resemble a concert venue if it weren’t for the cross lit up directly in the centre. Music, which sounds a little like grime rap, is blaring at the back of the incredible amount of voices throughout the space, while everyone drinks their coffee at ease. Laurie, a 23-year-old an electrical engineer who works in the city centre, gave the lowdown on the events for a normal night. “You come into the hall and there’s usually a tea or coffee, and someone to say hi, then there’s some time to mingle before the countdown timer comes on the screen to signal that it’s time to grab a seat...it’s usually pretty packed.” Each week the night consists of an initial half an hour of mixing with and meeting people. Following this, there is a worship set consisting of three to four songs depending on the night. Attendees are encouraged to participate in prayer and sing along with the songs whilst raising their hands. The usual routine begins with a speaker, usually a leader in Chapel, a speaker from another church or a member of the congregation themselves. They bring the biblical message for that night. The message is based on a few verses and is explained over the course of 30 minutes. Aisling, another leader in Chapel, works as a Irish Sign Language Interpreter based in Dublin. “Everyone is welcome to Chapel, and everyone is valued no matter where we are in our faith journey.”
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I needed somewhere I could grow a deeper faith and be around people who wouldn’t judge me
The group meets weekly in St Mark’s Chruch in Pearse St.
“Chapel allows people to hear about the love God has for them, and the incredible purpose he has created them for,” she says. “I know it can be hard for us as a society to even consider having a faith, even myself growing up in the local Catholic church I didn’t really understand who God was, or what he could do for me in my everyday life. It wasn’t about being a good person or doing
good deeds, it was about giving all my failure and faults over to God and allowing him to work in me.” There is a sense of a revival in the place. It’s evident that there is a new chapter for Christianity in Ireland, with over 200 young people attending this service weekly. Julie is studying in Dun Laoghaire spoke about why she travels in every week in rush hour traffic after being in college all day.
Credit: Chapel Dublin
“Chapel for is me is like a mid-week pick me up, where I stop focusing on my own problems, and focus on Jesus instead,” she says. “I needed somewhere I could grow a deeper faith and be around people who wouldn’t judge me but helped me understand.” I am informed multiple times that the core of this group is the team. Over 15 teams are playing different roles in this
Crowds of young people walk towards the prayer team at the end of the night during the last song. The service closes promptly at 9:00pm, but the attendees seem happy to linger and discuss the nights events. Come 9:30pm, the spotlights on stage are switched off, the music phased out and the double-doors close to finish the night, the light of the cross is left on. The chatter dies down and I watched as the students took Dublin Bus back to their respective colleges and home places. Some heading towards Maynooth on the train and some back to Greystones on the DART, there is great diversity in the gathering. Young people travel home after the gathering of the Chapel group with a sense of community which they can’t get anywhere else in Ireland.
Features
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Swiping left, swiping right: the Finding love: the cunning craft of matchmaking Ireland’s oldest matchmaker tells tales from the trade
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Clara Caslin Contributor @thecollegeview
hen you touch Ireland’s last traditional matchmaker’s 160-year-old matchmaking book with one hand and close your eyes for seven seconds, envisaging love, legend has it that you will fall in love within six months. Willie Daly is a third generation traditional matchmaker and is the only one left in Ireland. He explained that the matchmaking gift has been passed down through the family. “I inherited the gift from my father and his father before him,” he said. Having practised for 50 years, he claims that he has matched over 3,000 couples in his lifetime. The traditional tools that he uses are his intuition, an understanding of human nature and subtlety. He lives on a small elevated farm with horses, ponies and donkeys within view of the world famous Cliffs of Moher in county Clare. Matchmaking is one of Ireland’s oldest traditions, which began in Lisdoonvarna, county Clare, when visiting gentry came to ‘take the waters’, which is a physical venture into healing, cleansing and rejuvenation. Here, they would look to match their sons and daughters with someone suitable from the upper class. The busiest time of the year for the Babhdóir, the Irish for matchmaker, was during Shrovetide, which was the marrying season in Ireland. It began
credits:took Tomekah George right after Illustration the Epiphany place on January 6th. This was because Ireland had misinterpreted a Church ruling set in November in 1563, which prohibited weddings during Lent. It was taken for granted that Shrovetide was the proper time to marry and Shrove Tuesday became the most favoured day of all. Now, most weddings in Ireland take place on a Saturday but a few decades ago, marriages in Ireland would be performed on any day of the week except Saturday and Sunday. Matchmakers were responsible for arranged marriages. In some cases, the couples would have known each other since childhood. Families would also try and match couples that they thought were compatible but sometimes the future bride had no option and could end up marrying a man that was up to 30 years older than her. Once a union was arranged, there would be a date, which was always chaperoned. The girl’s parents would send a younger sibling, who would pick flowers but they were really there to make sure that no advances were made. These escorts were known as daisy pickers. The tradition of matchmaking was common in Ireland until the 20th century, with individuals located all over the country. Matchmakers were almost always male. Today, the largest matchmaking festival takes place in Lisdoonvarna every September. It attracts upwards of 40,000 romantic hopefuls. The current matchmaker at the festival is Daly. When a person searching for love contacts Daly, he gives them a matchmaking form to fill in and return to him. The form is then placed it into his
160-year-old lucky love matchmaking book, which he says has special romantic powers. The ancient book has been passed down through the generations to him. “If you touch it with one hand and close your eyes for seven seconds, envisaging love, you will likely fall in love within six months,” Daly said. “If you touch it with both hands while closing your eyes for seven seconds, envisaging love, you will likely be married within six to nine months and if you are already married, you will likely recreate the first two weeks of your honeymoon,” he added. His matchmaking is a lot different to online dating, which he believes “is cold and a machine”. “These days people need human interaction more than anything, sure isn’t everyone just looking for the simple thing of love and happiness? People are so blessed to be born and to be alive so don’t be afraid to fall in love and be loved in return, it’s magic and free,” he said. A more modern take on matchmaking is the agency Intro Matchmaking located on Grafton Street in Dublin. Intro is a fully registered, Irish owned introductions service that launched in 2011. Feargal Harrington and his wife Rena Maycock, who were introduced by Feargal’s brother, came up with the idea of setting up the company when they were out walking their dogs. They wanted to become the most private and confidential matchmaking agency for
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These days, people need human interaction more than anything people who are looking for long-term relationships in Ireland. People inquire to the agency by phone or email. The agency will then explain their policies and how they operate to make sure that they can meet the client’s expectations and make sure that they are realistic in what they’re looking for. They have 3,500 people on their books and the reason Feargal thinks that they’re so successful is because they turn away more people than they take on. “If we took on every single person that comes to us and we couldn’t meet their expectations then we’re sending
people on dates with people it would never work out with,” he said. “The three biggest issues for Irish people to get over are unwillingness to travel, academic snobbishness and age expectations. That’s why there’s two million single people in the country because people are so stuck in their ways,” Harrington explained. “Irish people are brutal at communicating. They think ‘ah sure it’s easier to be in a relationship than not’ and ‘ah sure we’ll see how it goes’. The ‘ah sure’ attitude in Ireland is what leads people to a lifetime of being single,” Harrington added. They were surprised by the amount of 20-year-olds coming in because they didn’t expect it but the ones that have are very health conscious, driven and their career is lined up for them. They aren’t drinkers or smokers and are looking for someone similar. “It’s all well and good for people to go online to the likes of Tinder and Plenty of Fish or whatever else, you can be whatever you want,” he said. “You can do whatever you want and you can have as many profiles as you want, so there’s no verifying the actual genuine nature of the individual,” said Harrington. While traditional matchmakers like Daly rely on romantic powers to find people their other half, those looking for love can also revert to the wonders of technology in the hopes of finding their significant other in today’s hectic world.
Features
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trials and tribulations of modern love Losing love: the dangerous rise of revenge porn When sweet nothings turn into bittersweet vengeance rust is an aspect of relationships that is essential, from the very beginning. It is an agreement between two people which allows them to engage in a safe, comfortable relationship. It can take time to build, or it can be an immediate. When a relationship ends, parties can be left feeling hurt, vulnerable and sometimes, angry. While some sides may want to seek revenge, the digital age has made this easier than ever before. In the immediacy of a single post on social media, an individual’s entire reputation can be destroyed in a single photograph. The term beginning to be frequently used for scenarios where nude photographs are posted without prior consent after a relationship ends is ‘revenge porn’. Recently, calls have been made for criminal consequences for those who carry out revenge porn. Anna, who’s real name has been changed to protect her privacy, is a 19-year-old girl who’s reputation was on the line last year after her ex boyfriend threatened to post her nude photos online when she tried to end their relationship. She explained that she and her ex-boyfriend had an unhealthy relationship, in which he was “jealous frequently and very emotionally manipulating.” Throughout their year-long relation-
ship, she said, “he always joked about it [posting her nude photos] but I obviously never took it seriously, I completely trusted him when I sent them.” “Every time I tried to leave the relationship there was always a threat,” she said, “and the most daunting one was to do with the photos. He had a lot on me, and I guess he still does.” She said the threats made her feel “extremely violated and unsafe.”
blaming the person for taking the photos is simply victim blaming
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Róisín Phelan Deputy News Editor @_roisinphelan
“It wasn’t until months later where I felt safe enough to finally block his phone number without fearing he would post something.” Thankfully, her former partner never did post her images, however, she said his threats still cross her mind daily. “The scary thing is he probably still has all that stuff on me, but I can only hope he is smart enough not to go there with it... I can only hope it doesn’t catch up with me in the future.” According to a survey of 1,606 people between the ages of 18 and 30 carried out by Cyber Civil Rights Ini-
tiative in the US, 23 per cent of respondents had been victims of revenge porn at some point in their lives. 93 per cent of these people reported experiencing significant emotional distress and 51 per cent said that they had considered taking their life. Caroline West is a PhD candidate and holds an MA in Sexuality Studies at DCU. She agreed that nude photos have a degree of power, but emphasised that “it is not necessarily nude photos that have the power to ruin lives and relationships. Rather it is the people who violate consent and share these images that are the ones at fault.” West described revenge porn as “a form of sexual violation... blaming the person for taking the photos is simply victim blaming,” and said that focus needs to be on “the actions of the consent violator.” “The issue isn’t why people take nudes, but why people think sharing them without consent is acceptable,” she said. West added, “we urgently need legislation in this area. Victims need to remember they are not the ones at fault and to contact the Gardaí if they are being threatened with leaks or if it has happened.” Currently in Ireland, there is no specific legislation covering the offence of revenge porn. A charge of harassment covered under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person’s Act is sometimes used to prosecute offenders. However, Anna told The College View that, “anything porn related is only really protected if the person is
Illustration credits: Tomekah George
underage, the courts don’t care much for someone over the age of 18.” The Labour Party are attempting to change this by introducing the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017, which is currently before the Dáil for examination. Section 4 of this Bill would make distributing an “intimate image without consent” an offence. If passed, it would criminalise taking or threatening to “distribute or publish” an intimate image of another without their consent and causing “alarm, distress or harm” to the other person. This offence would be punishable by a “Class A fine” or various terms of imprisonment depending on the intentions of the offender, upwards form six months. Mark, a 20-year-old student spoke to The College View about his experience with a threat of revenge porn. Due to the sensitive nature of his experience, his name has been changed. He said, “from what I understand there’s no real set repercussions because it doesn’t go to court that often, it’s more kind of along the lines that you’ve to sort it out yourself, and for me that isn’t good enough.” He met someone on the dating app Grindr and they began talking regularly
and sharing nude photos. As things progressed, “it kind of emerged that he was sending them to his friends,” he said. Mark confronted the man who he thought he could trust and the response was terrifying. “He said ‘send me a f*cking video or every single one of those gets posted online’,” remembered Mark. “I was like floored...I hadn’t even met the chap yet, I just put my full trust in him, and I really shouldn’t have done that, but I felt so helpless and there was no one that I could really contact,” said Mark. He told The College View that he thought the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill would help victims of revenge porn. However, he said that it would be “extremely hard to prove that I didn’t want them shared, because I’m sending them myself.” He described the act of threatening to or the posting of other people’s nude photos without their consent as “malicious”. “I don’t think there is ever a non-malicious reason to do this, it’s never going to not be malicious,” he said.
Features
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Youtube, the architect of its own downfall
The world’s biggest video platform has faced a series of controversies over the years, the most recent affecting its creators.
Youtube stars like Philip DeFranco, h3h3productions and PewDiePie have been vocal in their criticism of the platform.
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Richard Herlihy Contributor @richardherlihy
candals are once again threatening to swamp the world’s most popular video platform as critics circle and a backlash from advertisers and content creators grows. Will a second so-called ‘adpocalypse’ lead to a clear out of amateur and semi-pro video uploaders from the platform? Last month, Matt Watson stumbled across “the wormhole”. “Over the past 48 hours I have discovered a wormhole into a soft-core pedophilia ring on Youtube,” wrote Watson in the description of his now infamous YouTube video. In his 20-minute analysis, titled ‘Youtube is Facilitating the Sexual Exploitation of Children, and it’s Being Monetized’, Watson lays bare a network of insidious videos fuelled by YouTube’s recommendation algorithm. He demonstrates how just five clicks from the site’s homepage leads him into a highway of autoplaying, suggestive videos of children and thousands of predatory comments. Watson believes YouTube is inadvertently helping paedophiles “to connect with each-other, trade contact info, and link to actual child pornography in the comments.”
Adpocalypse 1.0
This isn’t YouTube’s first rodeo. In 2017, YouTube faced some of its biggest tests. The platform was struck by a wave of boycotts by advertisers. Ads were pulled en masse following revelations that YouTube had allowed the monetisation of ads containing hate speech and extremist content. A raft of major companies joined the exodus, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi,
and even the UK government, leading to what has become known as the ‘adpocalypse’ among YouTube’s creator community. Highly popular content creators such as Philip DeFranco, h3h3productions, and PewDiePie - who receive an outsize share of the platforms’ creator ad money - reported plummeting revenues following the ad boycott. DeFranco said in a video that his ad earnings initially dropped by 80 per cent, before averaging out at 30 per cent - pushing him to seek out other ways of earning money like crowdfunding. But the worst would come later in the year. “Someone or something or some combination of people and things is using YouTube to systematically frighten, traumatise, and abuse children, automatically and at scale,” announced writer James Bridle in a 2017 Medium post. From June, users and critics like Bridle began to sound the alarm over ElsaGate. They identified thousands of videos marked “child-friendly” - many appearing in the YouTube Kids app - which contained inappropriate and sometimes violent and sexual themes. In one example highlighted by the BBC, a video depicted an imitation of Peppa Pig having her teeth painfully extracted by a dentist. More noticeably, alongside these niche, malevolent videos were a wave of hugely popular, yet bizarre videos. They featured child-friendly characters like Elsa and Spider-Man, wordlessly carrying out mundane tasks, or taking part in jarring, adult scenarios such as being kidnapped or buried alive. Initially, the videos had the trappings of a vast conspiracy. But other critics, like Ben Popper writing for The Verge, suggested the bulk of videos featuring children’s characters - one
particularly strange video depicted a pregnant Princess Elsa struggling to climb stairs - had emerged as a trend of “adults dressing up in costume and acting out weird, wordless skits [that had] become a booming industry on the world’s biggest video platform.” As the YouTube algorithm picked up on these videos (possibly signal-boosted by bot networks being used to drive ad revenue), the trend exploded. In one case, the New York Times reported a counterfeit cartoon channel in Vietnam called Super Zeus TV which had “a team of about 100 people” pumping out imitation videos of popular children’s characters.
The purge
YouTube’s reaction was swift and merciless. In November 2017, the company announced to BuzzFeed News that it had deleted 150,000 offending videos.The platform also introduced a controversial policy of automatic demonetisation for videos falling foul of new AI-powered filters. Ads were shortly removed from two million such videos and 50,000 channels operating under the guise of family-friendly content. YouTube had previously imposed a new minimum of 10,000 views per channel for uploaders to monetise content. But it upped the ante in late 2017 by stipulating a further minimum on video uploaders of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time within the previous year for uploaders to qualify for ad money.
Counting the pennies
Many of YouTube’s most popular creators with dedicated fan bases have since hopped on alternative ways of earning money from their content - such as partnerships or offering voluntary or exclusive subscriptions via
Patreon. But the adpocalypse and other controversies have only added to the squeeze on earnings for small and medium creators. Wide-ranging automatic demonetisation has left smaller creators with no income. Writing in Bloomberg, author Chris Stokel-Walker penned a piece titled ‘Success’ on YouTube Still Means a Life of Poverty. According to research by Mathias Bärtl of Offenburg University in 2016, Stokel-Walker believes the partner model of YouTube has already become almost exclusively closed to all but the largest of stars.
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Some combination of people and things is using YouTube to systematically frighten, traumatise, and abuse children 96.5 per cent of those uploading five or more videos to the platform earn less than the American poverty line according to estimates in the study. Even the top 3 per cent of YouTubers, Stokel-Walker claimed, could still be in poverty as over 1.4 million views per year might still only amount to about $16,800 in ad revenue - a figure from the time prior to the adpocalypse.
Credit: Alison Clair
Adpocalypse 2.0
Fast forward to February 2019 and the debate sparked by Matt Watson’s “wormhole” video. During his takedown, Watson called out several companies whose ads appear on children’s content in which paedophiles appear to plague comment sections. In a rerun of the first adpocalypse, major brands have begun to pull ads once again - including Disney, Fortnite-producer Epic Games, Nestlé, and AT&T (who had only just started to run ads again following a two-year hiatus prompted by the original controversies). YouTube, too, has reacted hastily using its automated detection systems to disable comments on videos where predatory comments have appeared. “Over the past week, we disabled comments from tens of millions of videos that could be subject to predatory behavior,” announced the platform in a blog post detailing the new measures. But critics say the move has now led to a shutdown of comments on virtually every video that includes young children. “I just got an email from Youtube saying they will be disabling comments on my channel. Is this really happening?” writes YouTube creator Chadtronic in a tweet shared 16,000 times. “We’re letting the less than 1 per cent steer the entire direction of the platform? Should all of Twitter be shut down next because a few predators simply EXIST? Incredible.” While YouTube scrambles to safeguard its largest content creators and protect its image, the platform’s small and medium creators may be left counting the pennies.
Sport
DCU Swimming win thirteen golds at intervarsities
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Nine of DCU’s swimmers have also been selected to represent Ireland in the upcoming Celtic Nations competition.
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Róise McGagh Social Media Editor @roisemcgagh
CU swimmers swept up at the Irish National Intervarsity Championships this year. The team of 31 from the Swimming and Waterpolo Club DCU travelled to Belfast and brought home 13 gold medals in total to Dublin. It was held on the 1st and 2nd of March in Queens University and gathered 250 swimmers and twelve universities for the event. “Varsities was very good for us this year, we flew in the relays. I don’t think there was an event that we entered that we didn’t medal in or win out,” said Chairperson Daire McEvoy. Nine DCU swimmers were selected from the championship to represent on the Irish intervarsity team at the Celtic Nations competition between Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Brendan Hyland, Colin Gorman, Ciaran Dunne, Daire McEvoy, Clodagh flood, Niamh Kilgallen, Robbie Powell, Ben Griffin and Cian Colvin will compete for the team on the 13th and 14th of April in Cardiff. “Four of those being scholarship
swimmers but five being solely from the DCU swimming club, which is huge for the club swimmers,” said Brendan Hyland, DCU Head Coach. “I was delighted for them.” DCU came in second to UCD again who have a new training facility giving them an edge up. Individually there were nine gold, two silver and three bronze from DCU who also won four of the five relays at the event. UCD won overall with 467 points, DCU came next with 327 and UL was third with 224 points. “We have definitely gotten better, it’s the highest point score we have had,” said Hyland. Each event is scored by 10 points for first place, nine for second and so on. Two swimmers can score for an event.
“ if we had the same
size squad there would be no question of us winning everything
“We probably win the most medals. What happens is DCU will get a load of gold medals but then our next swimmer
Credit: David Kiberd
Brendan Hyland in action for DCU
won’t fill up all the spots.” The Intervarsity Championships is the clubs third competition of the year. The two others were before Christmas, a friendly in NUIG and an intervarsity in UL. Competitors had around 6 weeks to prepare for the final gala between January exams and the competition. “The only thing that’s really getting
us at the minute is the fact that UCD have a massive squad and we don’t, but if we had the same size squad there would be no question of us winning everything. “Because we do have, I think, higher quality swimmers than UCD,” said McEvoy. Hyland said that around 10 of the
swim team come from St. Patrick’s campus and the distance hasn’t stopped the influx of students from all parts of DCU coming to train. Hyland is a final year Accounting and Finance student and hopes to pass the baton of coach on to first year engineering student Robbie Powell, another scholarship swimmer for DCU.
DCU Ultimate runners-up in Development tournament DCU Ultimate’s development side lost to UL Ninja’s for the second year in a row.
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John Morley Deputy Sports Editor @johnmorleysport
he DCU Ultimate Frisbee team came second in the Men’s Developmental Ultimate Frisbee Intervarsity’s, a tournament comprising of mainly beginner players, in Belfast this month. The competition rulesets dictate that out of the seven players playing, two must be in second year and five must be in first year. For the second year in a row the men’s development side lost to their rivals the UL Ninja’s by the smallest of margins with the game going to universe point. “It was a serious effort from the beginners to get to the final even though we were a very inexperienced side playing together for the first time,” said Sean Fitzgerald, the DCU Ultimate club treasurer. “We lost the final to UL who beat us 7-6 in seriously windy conditions,” he added. The UL Ninja’s have been great rivals of this DCU side in all codes of the sport, with the Ninja’s getting the upper hand in most of their previous meetings in the past two years by narrow margins.
DCU Ultimate team
“Me and Mark were the co-captains for it,” said Fitzgerald. Mark Cunningham, the club secretary, and Fitzgerald have been involved with the club for the past two years and are continuing the club’s
Credit: DCU Ultimate / Facebook
resurgence that started under the coaching of Fiona Mernagh. Fitzgerald highlighted the benefit DCU’s Sutton contingent made to the young squad as players who had played the sport form secondary school.
“Donnchadh Mac Aodha and Ryan Alexander both played a little in secondary school at St Fintans High School in Sutton so they were great to have and will definitely be big players for us in the next couple of years,” he
said. “Everyone really did great given the lack of experience,” he added. DCU suffered a shock defeat in the mixed outdoor Intervarsity’s, as the defending champions crashed out at the quarter-final stages to rank fifth overall. “We won last year, we were just unlucky to lose our quarter final this year and then we won our last couple of games to finish 5th,” said Fitzgerald. Looking ahead to the Men’s outdoor Intervarsity, Fitzgerald is confident that his DCU charges can make a big impact against Ireland studded UL and Trinity teams. “For men’s we got to the final last year and we’re definitely looking to at least push for top 4 this year but Trinity and UL are both seriously strong with lines full of senior and U24s Ireland player’s, so they’ll be tough to beat,” he said. As the mixed results of 2019 have come in, Fitzgerald acknowledged the drop in big experienced players from the club this year and highlighted the need for new blood to allow the club to be successful towards the end of the year and beyond. “[We are] very inexperienced overall but improving a lot. We are always looking for more people to play of course just for the sake of better numbers for training but in general the club is in good shape,” he said.
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DCU ease to O’Connor Shield victory over NUIG DCU won the O’Connor Cup Shield with a comfortable 3-18 0-6 win over NUIG
Eoin Harte
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Deputy Lifestyle Editor
@EoinHarte98
he DCU ladies Gaelic Football team claimed the O’Connor Cup Shield with a victory over the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) in the final. DCU were comfortable winners over their western rivals, scoring 3 goals and 18 points to NUIG’s 6 points. Team captain Laura McGinley spoke to The College View about the team’s shield success and their season as a whole. “You never know what is going to happen when it comes to championship games. As a team we didn’t have any expectations of what the score line was going to be. “We just focused on our game plan and playing at the highest standard that we could,” McGinley said. Despite winning the cup in 2018, DCU lost their opening two matches against University College Cork and eventual cup champions University of Limerick. This left them in the shield final, and while McGinley was happy to get the win against NUIG, it’s not where the team wanted to be “Of course, it’s great to win any silverware but I suppose coming from winning the cup last year it is different. The four teams that were at the weekend were all very competitive and I think it is always going to be a challenge to win the cup. “This year was really about small margins and unfortunately we just
Credit: DCUGAAAcademy / Twitter
DCU’s O’Connor Cup side before the shield final.
didn’t make them. We are definitely building on to next year,” McGinley said. While expectations were high after last season’s successful campaign, it was always going to be a tough ask to retain the cup after a number of departures in the team. “Last year we lost eight or nine of our starting players, compared to only losing two this year, so we knew that it was going to be a tough year to have so many first years in. “It is hard to get any team to gel as
quick as the college season is but the younger girls really stepped up to the mark and did really well. “Although we didn’t finish off the season as well as last year, we were really happy with the progress that we
We were really “ happy with the progress we made as a team
made as a team and so was the management,” McGinley explained. Although DCU didn’t manage to hit last year’s goal, the captain felt that the members of the team could hold their head up high. “Last year we won the league and the cup and this year we won the shield so in terms of silverware no it was not better but in terms of development as a team this year we took a lot of strides. “After basically starting again as a new team we came so far throughout the year and I think that was really im-
portant for the girls,” McGinley said. McGinley has one year left in her degree at DCU and is looking to reclaim the O’Connor Cup in her final year with the side. “It was an honor to captain the team especially for your college. The management were really supportive and so were the girls. “I think it’s important to communicate with the management and also with the team. With the amount of first years in they were definitely keeping me on my toes.”
DCU Junior footballers eager to claim All-Ireland glory DCU secured a 3-13 to 2-12 win over Dundalk at the Leinster Higher Education Final
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John Morley Deputy Sports Editor @JohnMorleysport
he DCU Dóchas na hÉireann junior footballers won the Leinster Higher Education final by four points, beating Dundalk Institute of Technology in the final. Kevin McKeon has captained the side to the feat from midfield and admitted that with the team’s success comes the pressure for silverware. “When you’re one of the last college teams left for DCU trying to get a bit of silverware it adds a bit of pressure,” said McKeon. “It’s been kind of a disappointing year for how the Sigerson team has done and how other teams have done, the hurlers were very unlucky,” “Representing your college, you want to do well and hopefully we can just push it on,” he added. McKeon and his teammates have been instilled with great belief under the management of David Neary and he doesn’t believe the added pressure will affect their game. “At the same time, we’ve had the attitude if you just go out and listen to the lads and listen to David Neary that it should be fine,” he said. After overcoming Dundalk by 3-13 to 2-12, McKeon delighted in making
DCU celebrate after winning the Leinster Junior title.
amends from their Leinster semi-final defeat to the same opposition last year. “Dundalk had beaten us in the Leister semi-final last year, so it was good to get a bit of revenge there,” said McKeon. “We probably could have won it a bit more comfortably, but we put the foot off the gas when we were a good bit up,” “At the same time, I always thought we were going to win, we have a great side there,” “It was a tough game, conditions weren’t great,”
Credit: DCUGAAAcademy / Twitter
“I think we were fully deserving of our win,” he added. In preparation for the All-Ireland semi-final McKeon has praised the character and energy of his teammates. “It’s a very well-balanced team, there’s guys from every province there,” he said. “A lot of lads would have played minor and U-21 for their county, so the actual standard of the team itself was quite high,” “There’s a good spirit in the squad because the majority of the work we do is kind of just ball work,” he added.
Talking regarding the unique nature of the collegiate game McKeon highlighted the importance of in-team familiarity. “It’s just about trying to get to know the other guys you are playing with
“
If we show up on the day everything should be okay
and its been very positive when we get back every weekend,” he said. Tactically Neary’s men have played a very attacking brand of football as their score lines would suggest and McKeon praised his manager for this. “It’s very positive from a management point of view that we kind of go fifteen on fifteen,” he said. “The forwards try to press and obviously there’s a lot of intensity in the forwards and that makes it easier for everyone else,” “We know we have good players there and good forwards that can win games so everyone kind of trusts each other to do their job,” he added. McKeon highlighted that the team’s powerful forwards have been crucial in their success. “Thomas McGowan is very good. He’s been the free taker the last few games and he’s been very accurate from the frees,” he said. “Tomas Fahey and Tommie Keane are flying in the forwards, Keith Murphy has been doing very well,” “We know ourselves if we show up on the day everything should be okay,” he added. The team were unfortunate to lose midfielder Conor Murray to a head injury in their semi-final against UCD. McKeon and the team wish him a speedy recovery and described the Roscommon senior as a “huge loss” to the team.
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Greene and Becker represent Ireland at European Indoors Joseph Ojewumi, who graduated from DCU last year, was also on the Ireland team in Glasgow.
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Ireland U20’s win Grand Slam
Ian Brennan Podcast Editor @IPJBrennan97
wo athletes currently studying in DCU represented Ireland in the European Indoor Athletics Championships held in Glasgow on the 1st to the 3rd of March. Cillín Greene made his senior debut on the international stage whilst Sophie Becker added to her 400m relay appearance in Berlin last summer, racing individually on this occasion with both athletes competing in the 400m. Joseph Ojewumi also made his international debut in the 60m, with the DCU athlete competing for the college this year one year down after graduating last year. Becker ran an excellent heat with a time of 53.99. Unfortunately it was not enough to see her through to the next round. Greene was unfortunate in his race, being bounced around and ultimately falling over pre-race favourite Jan Tesar of the Czech Republic and was unable to finish his heat. Despite his misfortune, Greene was thrilled to have represented his country. “The experience was second to none. This wasn’t my first international competition, however. I have been at numerous international competitions at u18 and u20 level. “Having said this, it was my first senior cap for Ireland which was a big step up from previous competitions at
DCU Rugby Scholarship student David Hawkshaw was part of the Ireland U20 side who won the Grand Slam with a 26-17 win over Wales in Colwyn Bay. Hawkshaw captained Ireland in the opening games of the tournament until he was ruled out for the remainder by injury.
DCU fall short to NUIG in All-Ireland Freshers Final
Cillin Greene races for Ireland at the European Indoor Athletics Championships.
junior level. The whole atmosphere and mentality is completely different that usual.,” Greene told The College View. Greene has high hopes for his future, with major international competitions on his agenda. “Short term hopes are aimed towards the European u23 championships in July which are in Sweden. “I am unsure yet what my preference will be between 200m and 400m but closer to the time I’ll make a decision. “Long term, the Olympics are always in mind, whether they are achievable is another question. They are so difficult to make but I guess that is every athlete’s dream goal so I will give it my best.” Head of Sport and Wellbeing in the college James Galvin was proud of the
achievement all three athletes from the college. “I want to congratulate these athletes on their achievements at this early stage of their careers. This augurs well for their further development and their ambition to compete again on the international stage,” he said. “Sophie raced to another sub 54 second run in her heat of the Ladies 400m while Joseph represented his country in the 60m. We are immensely proud of Sophie, Cillín and Joseph on this significant milestone in their career as we are of all our student athletes.” Galvin hopes that this success can inspire further development within sports clubs in DCU, saying, “We in DCU are continuing to develop programmes and
Credit: Sam Barnes / Sportsfile
supports to ensure our talented athletes are developed in every way possible and I look forward to working with our clubs to further these aims.” Greene himself sees the improvement in his training as the reason he has been able to make the leap to senior competition internationally, especially with getting used to the Dublin environment and a new training group. “Taking the step into senior level has just come down to training intensifying and adopting a more serious mentality about the sport. “The workload has certainly increased but I’m surrounded by the best athletes and coaches in the country and utilizing this has been the most important factor.”
DCU Fencing win three medals at novice competition Focus for DCU Fencing now turns to the Intervarsities at the end of March.
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Gerard Grimes Sports Editor @GerardGrimes11
hree DCU fencers won their first competitive medals recently, at a novice competition that was held in Galway. Steven Morris, Clodagh O’Donnell and Gabriel Berg all won bronze medals at the competition for the club. There are a number of novice competitions held through the academic year. These competitions are only open to fencers who have less than two years of experience in the sport. Clodagh O’Donnell joined the club at the clubs and socs fair in first semester after talking to members of the club and explained how the sport has been a big part of her first year in college. “I got into the sport when wandering around the clubs and socs fair at the beginning of semester one, it was unusual and I liked that. “I got talking to the guys at the stand who were encouraging and positive about going to a training from a social aspect as well as a physical one, which was great for me being a first year,” O’Donnell said. “Overall, I’ve had an amazing first year at DCU and fencing has been a big apart of that, from being able to go
Sports Roundup
Steven Morris, Clodagh O’Donnell, Gabriel Berg.
to Cork and Galway, meeting new people from other colleges and building confidence of my abilities in the sport though competing. “Our team is small but we have a great group dynamic, and honestly, I just enjoy forgetting about college for a bit and stabbing my friends,” O’Donnell told The College View. The club don’t have the same number of members as they did in first semester but club secretary Lee Licayan praised those who have continued with the sport. “We don’t have as many members as we did at the start of semester one which is natural in any club or society.
Credit: Kevin Ledwith
“However the ones that have continued with the sport, like Clodagh, have gotten significantly better, especially in the past semester,” Licayan said. He admitted that he hadn’t expectations on the fencers to come away from the competition with medals. “Winning three medals for the club was never on my mind going into this competition but I really underestimated their growth and dedication as fencers. “Winning your first medal in any sport is something to be immensely proud of and from both a committee and personal perspective, I couldn’t be happier for them,” he explained. DCU’s last competition of the year
will again take place in Galway at the end of March, as they compete in the intervarsities. They have had success at this competition in the past and Licayan, despite not having big expectations, may be surprised again. “Our focus right now is the Intervarsities. We’re not expecting to achieve any major victories but with the recent success of our novice fencers, I might be one again surprised. “Our goal for next year is to acquire and retain more members in order to develop the presence of the club within DCU as well as continue to train our current fencers to the highest standard possible for future success,” he said.
DCU fell to a narrow one point defeat in the All-Ireland Fresher football championship final against NUIG, losing out on a 2-13 1-15 scoreline. The final had been level at the break (NUIG 2-5, DCU 1-8) but NUIG pulled into a four point lead with just minutes to play in the second half. DCU fought back as NUIG were shown a number of black cards but the Galway side held on to win by a point. A full report from Conor McKenna can be read on The College View website.
Battle to represent Ireland at World Cross Country Championships DCU’s Jamie Battle is one of six athletes selected to take part in the upcoming World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark on the 30th March. Battle, of Mullingar Harriers AC will compete in the U20 men event alongside Bantry AC’s Darragh McElhinney. Ireland have two Senior Women competing, in the shape of Kilcoole AC’s Fionnuala McCormack and Dunboyne AC’s Sara Treacy. The team is completed by the two Senior Men athletes, Clonmel AC’s Sean Tobin and Kevin Dooney of Raheny Shamrock AC.
Lennon named in Ireland U21 squad for Luxembourg qualifier DCU and St. Patrick’s Athletic midfielder has been named in Stephen Kenny’s first competitive 23-man squad. Ireland will take on Luxembourg in Tallaght Stadium on March 24 in their first European qualifer. Lennon is one of eight League of Ireland players named in the squad. Darragh Leahy, Trevor Clarke, Liam Scales, Dan Mandoiu, Neil Farrugia, Zach Elbouzedi and Aaron Drinan are the other home based players included.
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INSIDE DCU Ladies GAA won the O’Connor Cup Shield with a comfortable 3-18 0-6 win over NUIG.
DCU Women’s Basketball lift Division One title DCU Women’s Basketball beat rivals Ulster University 73-60 to win the Division One title.
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Gerard Grimes Sports Editor @GerardGrimes11 CU Women’s Basketball last week lifted the NBCC Women’s Division 1 league title with a 73-60 win over Ulster
University. DCU had finished second in Division 1 North, behind Ulster University, with both teams progressing to the semi-final stage. They started the season with a 62-59 win over Trinity College Dublin before suffering their only defeat, a 63-54 loss away to Ulster University. However, DCU followed that up with three wins on the bounce, winning 77-46 in UCD and 62-53 against Letterkenny IT. The final game of the league season saw DCU romp to a comprehensive 94-32 win over DIT. DCU were drawn against IT Carlow in the semi-finals after Carlow had topped the Division One South table, winning all five of their group games. DCU progressed to the final though, beating IT Carlow 73-41, to set up a final with Ulster University, who beat University of Limerick 69-63 in the other semi-final. The final saw DCU race into a 20 point (48-28) half time lead. Ulster looked to get back into the game in the final two quarters but it was DCU who
DCU celebrate winning the Division One title.
ran out 13 points winners on a 73-60 scoreline. “We travelled up to UUJ (Ulster University Jordanstown) in November. It was one of our first games of the season and playing in their home gym was always going to be tough. “We’ve been having tough battles with UUJ for the past number of years and their American scholar Kollyns Scarbrough was excellent and really hurt us that day,” DCU’s Megan Connolly told The College View. “We only lost by a small margin and
Credit: Michelle La Grue Photography
we knew that if we got the chance to meet them again in the final we had to make some adjustments to stop her and then we could come away with the win. “Coming up to the finals we worked really hard as a team to get everything right and our coach Mark Ingle put in some new defences for us to use on the day. “It feels great to be able to get the win and come away with the silverware. We’ve played UUJ in our last 3 All-Ireland finals in the last 2 years between Varsities’ and League and we’ve
been fortunate to be able to come away with the wins on all 3 occasions,” Connolly said. American Scholar, and MVP in the final, Samantha Hyslip echoed Connolly’s thoughts on their battles with Ulster University and wasn’t surprised by their fightback in the second half of the game. “They beat us in that first game. They played very well, and we did not play to the best of our ability in that game. They are a great team with a lot of talented players that play well together.
“So we knew that meeting them again would be tough and we needed to come prepared. Winning the game was super fun and rewarding. Really nice to be able to represent DCU in that light,” Hyslip said. “They are a very good team, so it’s no surprise that they fought until the final seconds. We did give ourselves a nice lead for a while, but they came back strong in the third quarter. “I think that because we started so well in the first half, it really set the tone for the rest of the game,” Hyslip explained. Hyslip and DCU teammate Adaysha Williams are both part of the Sport Changes Life programme, and are studying, playing and coaching in Ireland. “It is such a pleasure and honor to be a victory scholar. Adaysha and I are getting an unreal experience in Dublin playing basketball, earning our masters, and coaching some local players. “The programme prides itself on using the opportunities we have been allotted through basketball in our lives to give back to the communities throughout Ireland,” Hyslip said. Intervarsities are next on the horizon for DCU, with the teams focus set on a third consecutive title. “We’re going to stay focused and train hard and Coach Ingle will have us ready to hopefully come away with a third Varsity’ title in a row,” Connolly said.
DCU Athletics defend cross country titles
DCU men’s team won their sixth consecutive title while the women’s team took home their third consecutive title. Hugh Farrell Deputy Sports Editor @HughFSports
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CU placed first in the IUAA Cross Country Championships in Galway on the second of March. Three of the male competitors placed in the top five positions with three of the women grabbing the top three places. DCU’s men’s team won their sixth consecutive title while the women’s team took home their third consecutive title. The event took place in Saint Mary’s College on a stormy Saturday. Cathal Doyle, who placed 4th in the men’s event, described it as being “as cross country as you get with mud, hills, wind chill and more heavy winds.” He went on to describe the event saying that the event was a real grind. “Head down and get through was a lot of people’s tactics really as you had no choice, nothing sexy about cross country.”
Emma O’Brien came first for the women and said, “DCU had a great win overall with the boys and girls both winning and that it was especially nice for the women finishing in a 1,2,3.” Nadia Power, who placed third, explained the benefit of having such a strong team. “It feels really good and it’s made easy by the fact we all train together so our race plan was to help each other during the race and run as a group. “Running beside the other girls definitely helped me concentrate and stay high up in the race so and led to me entering the last 500m feeling stronger than expected and having a kick.” The success wasn’t a big surprise for some with O’Brien saying “I wasn’t that surprised with the results. There is a great running group up here in DCU. Everyone works hard and pushes each other on. That showed on the day.” The success of the club also stems from Enda Fitzpatrick and Anne Buckley according to many of the athletes with Avril Deegan who placed second saying, “I don’t think DCU athletics
Nadia Power in action during the Cross Country.
would be as successful as it is without Enda Fitzpatrick and Anne Buckley. “The amount of work and time these two put into every athlete is second to none,” with O’Brien saying, “The coaching staff are really supportive to the athletes and are open to all levels
Credit: Kevin Clancy
coming to the trainings. “They offer group training sessions, advice when needed and access to physios and physiological testing.” Cathal also described Enda as a “very knowledgeable coach with some great times under his belt.”
While the event is the only IUAA meet of the year, many of the athletes will aim for the IFAM international meet in Belgium in May with others hopefully going on to represent Ireland in European U23 Championships in Sweden in July.