The College View Issue 4 by The College View

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

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Trispace catering staff seek better working conditions | Editor-in-Chief @BrendanFKP

atering staff at DCU sent a letter with their workplace grievances to DCU’s governing authority members. Trispace is in charge of the catering services in DCU. DCU’s website states they are “a company wholly owned by DCU.” The College View was given access to the letter by a Trispace worker who wished to remain anonymous. “Most Trispace workers are employed on part-time contracts. But even full-time employees are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. [The] vast majority of them are paid minimum wage,” it said. The anonymous worker said that some of the staff have been working with Trispace for over a decade and are paid minimum wage. The letter also detailed a number of issues with Trispace’s rostering system, which was described as “humiliating”. “Rosters are unpredictable and subject to change daily. Depending on company needs, hours are cut, sometimes drastically to just a few hours a week, and in other months, employees

are expected to work 15 or even 17 hours a day,” it said. A Labour Court hearing was held on November 6th, however the anonymous worker said the judge referred the case back to the Workplace Relations Commission. This was because conciliation had already started. Trispace responded to the worker’s letter with an offer to catering assistants. The company proposed a new starting rate of €10.10 an hour compared to the previous rate of €9.80. In addition, this pay would progressively increase by 20c for every additional year’s work - up to ten years. Thus, workers who have been with the company for 10 or more years would be paid €12.10 an hour. It is worth noting that the minimum wage was set to increase to €10.10, but was delayed by the government due to the possibility of a no-deal Brexit. Trispace also offered additional annual leave days for staff depending on how long they’ve worked for the company. “If a staff member wishes to accept the offer, the terms will be implemented in November’s payroll and will be backdated to 1 August 2019,” Trispace said in their response. “Please note, if the Labour Court further enhance the offer outlined above, any staff member

who has accepted the current proposal will receive the enhanced offer and will not be at a loss.” “SIPTU [Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union] doesn’t recognise this offer,” the anonymous

worker said. However, they added that some staff have accepted the offer. “They think you’re just a body behind a counter,” another anonymous Trispace worker told The College View.

Several members of DCU’s management were contacted by The College View for comment, but none were available before the publication of this issue.

Credit: DCU Rooms

Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque

DCU student Mehwish Saqib appeals deportation order to the High Court Aoife O’Brien | News Editor @obrienaoife1

CU University of Sanctuary student Mehwish Saqib has appealed a deportation order against herself and her family to the High Court. Saqib and her husband along with their three children were initially issued with the deportation order on Wednesday October 30th. They have appealed the deportation order to the High Court but a decision

Highlights

had not been made on the appeal at the time of print. DCUSU and DCU students gathered outside the Department of Justice and Equality on Tuesday November 12th. Speaking before the protest, Saqib spoke about her anger at the situation. “I feel like it’s so unfair. Living in direct provision is really difficult...we are struggling to make a good future and contribute to society and they saw our struggle and they ignored it.” Saqib and her family have been living in direct provision in Ireland for four and a half years and were initially

placed in the Old Convent direct provision centre in Co Mayo, where their youngest son was born. During their time in Mayo they were living in a shared house in the centre with three other families. “It is very cramped there,” Saqib said. “Everything was done in the same room, we were eating and watching TV and sleeping in the same area. “The laundry is full of clothes and the kitchen is too messy. I feel like I’m crying all the time because I live here and I can’t do anything about it,” she continued.

Saqib and her family applied for a transfer out of the direct provision centre in Mayo to Dublin so that they would have more opportunities and a year later the request was finally approved. They now live in the direct provision centre in Mosney and while they have their own house they were presented with new difficulties. “We are like a machine there. At 9 o’clock we have to pick the toiletries, if you don’t pick the toiletries then you can’t get them. At 3 o’clock we have to queue and ask for milk or bread or eggs or something,” she said.

Saqib said that she feels like they are expected to beg for everything that they need and described the constant routine as “humiliating”. Despite her difficult experiences in direct provision Saqib still hopes to remain in Ireland. “My hope is my children study here, we want them to make a life and career and have good jobs and have a good life,” she said. Returning to Pakistan is not an option for the family according to Saqib who fears her family will be killed if they return.

Comment

Gaeilge

Features

Sports

Sex Education

Lucinda Kinghan

The culture of shame and stigma about sex and sexuality in Ireland pg. 20

5v5 rugby tournament in Ireland

Meghan Markle How private can the lives of public figures be? pg. 12

An Feiniméan De ‘Jaws’

Tá an scannán ‘Jaws’ samhlaíoch agus an-chorraitheach. pg. 15

pg. 23

Editorial

Contents

News Revised Bus Connects scheme announced pg 3 Comment Twitter’s ban on political advertising pg 11 Features Parents in third-level education pg 17

Sports DCU Ladies at Hockey Intervarsity pg 22

Inside The Hype Arts Kanye tries his Kanye best pg 4

Power in a union

Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque, Editor-in-Chief

inimum wage was set to increase in January to €10.10 an hour, until the possibility of a no deal Brexit put that on hold. Regardless, an increase of thirty cents - while nice - is not nearly enough. According to Living Wage Ireland, the current living wage is €12.30 per hour. It is not a radical idea to suggest that, at the very least, people should earn enough money to live properly. Ultimately, it comes down to what society values: employers or employees. On an individual level, it is true that most workers are replaceable. If a company decides to fire one person, it’s going to hurt that person a lot more than it’ll hurt the business. But as the saying goes, “there is power in a union”. If workers band together, suddenly the employees find themselves with the upper hand. Most

companies cannot fire most or even half - of their workforce without it being a huge loss. The ability for workers to organise and fight for their own rights is incredibly important, and attempts to restrict this ability should be met with aggression. The labour rights we have today are as a result of direct action by trade unions. As long as we live in an unjust society, there will always be workers demanding more. And that’s exactly the case right now in DCU. Trispace catering staff wish to have better working conditions. These are the people in the canteen cooking, cleaning and serving hundreds of students and academics every day. If DCU aspires to be a university of inclusion and equality, then the least it can do is pay its workers a living wage. Yes, they may not be under any legal obligation to do so. But they do have a moral obligation.

There are those who will argue that perhaps DCU doesn’t have the funds to afford such an undertaking. And perhaps that is true. But evidently DCU could afford to completely redo the Mall. And apparently they can also afford to build a new student accommodation complex. Student accommodation is of course a massive issue, and I’m not suggesting that the proposed housing plan should be scrapped. Rather, I’m saying that the claim that DCU can’t afford to pay their catering staff a living wage should be met with heavy skepticism. Many students will work a minimum wage job while they’re studying. And it’s quite likely that many of us will continue to work in a minimum wage job even after graduating. And with the ever increasing cost of rent in Dublin, that’s a scary prospect. For this reason alone, solidarity should be shown to the Trispace workers.

This issue’s sub-editors: Lauren Allen, Alex Barrett, Shauna Burdis, Ryan Carrick, Emma Costigan, Róisín Cullen, Ruth Delaney, Kirsty Dowdall, Cian Dunne, Courtney Fitzmaurice, Tara McGahan, Aoibhín Meghen, Emma Nevin, Kinga Piotrowska, Rachel Power

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News

Study finds one DCU explore the role of parents and students in school third of our evaluation waterways are littered Sally Dobie | Production & Podcast Editor @Sarah_or_Sally

in Belgium (Flanders), Ireland, Portugal and Turkey tell us about DEAPS in their schools”. This study looked at what the case studies from the three countries said about the impact of DEAPS, and concluded that it was difficult to tell whether the role of parents and students in school evaluation was a “meaningful emerging role” or an “elaborate pretense”. According to the DEAPS website, their long-term aim is to “transform the ways in which we consider what is important in education systems and bring inclusion and involvement to the centre or European education.” They also aim to make the voice of parents, students and management bodies heard. The DEAPS project is funded by the organisation Erasmus+ and will run for three years, ending in August 2020. There are around 20,000 educational stakeholders involved in the project throughout Europe.

The Bus Connects system is built around the concept of prioritising key ‘spines’ that run towards the city and a system of orbital routes that connect them. Spines are very frequent routes made up of individual bus services timetabled to work together along a corridor. There had been seven spines under the plans announced last year but an eighth has now been added. The new ‘H’ spine will run from the city centre along the Howth Road towards Howth and Malahide The plan also includes 10 orbital routes which are designed to significantly reduce the need for passengers to travel into the city centre. Orbital services will also operate around the city, providing connections

between suburbs and town centres, along with connections to rail, Luas and other bus routes. According to the NTA the new plan will see bus services increased by 22% meaning almost one million people will be within 400m of a bus service operating every 15 minutes or better, an increase of about 30 per cent on current numbers. They also stated that 650,000 people will be within 400m of a service operating every 10 minutes or better, an increase of 35 per cent. The proposed network was due in place at the end of this year however the NTA have now said that it will be implemented between 2021 and 2023, to ensure “a manageable level of change for customers and bus operators”.

Bus Connects scheme revised after complaints Aoife O’Brien | News Editor @obrienaoife1

hanges to the Bus Connects scheme will not impact on the “integrity” of the plan, despite more routes going through Dublin city according to the National Transport Authority (NTA). According to statement released by the NTA “the redesign of the network was a key measure of the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016-2035.” The idea is to provide a more coherently planned, higher capacity, more understandable network, delivering a better overall bus system for the Dublin region. The redesign came after the NTA recieved an unprecedented number of complaints through a public consultation following the initial announcement of the scheme in July 2018. The biggest single complaint from people related to the loss of existing services. A further 26 percent of complaints expressed concern about having to make an interchange to complete a journey. Almost a third of people were worried about the Bus Connects plan not providing them with sufficient access to schools, colleges and hospitals. The NTA said it is confident it has addressed the concerns of “all but a small minority” of those who responded.

Credit: Aoife O’Brien

report by the DCU Water Institute and Earthwatch has shown high levels of litter in Ireland’s waterways. The study found that over one-third of locations surveyed were littered, including places previously thought to be pristine like Glendalough’s Upper Lake in Wicklow. The WaterBlitz is a study which asked citizen scientists to test numerous water bodies in locations around Ireland. It took place over four days in September, 20th to 23rd. The project encouraged Dubliners to test the water in rivers, lakes, streams and canals around the capital so that a snapshot of the health and state of Dublin’s waterways could be taken. Anyone was able to register to be part of the WaterBlitz on the Earthwatch website. After registering, they could either go to The DCU Water Institute to receive their testing kit, or it would be sent out to them in the post. Over the four days in September, the citizen scientists could test their local water bodies as many times as they wished and put the results into the Freshwater Watch app and Earthwatch then compiled a report from this data collected.

The study proved to be a success with 373 water samples taken over the four days in 30 different catchment areas. The initiative is not only for Dublin, but included studies in London, Paris and Luxembourg, too. Dublin had the lowest levels of pollutants out of the four surveyed according to DCU Water Institute. The study found 18 per cent of rivers tested had high levels of nutrient nitrates, which are often found in water when fertilisers are present. Nutrient nitrates can cause previously healthy lakes or rivers to “become choked with algae” which results in the ultimate elimination of other forms of aquatic life. Project Lead Dr. Susan Hegarty linked the recent Boil Water Notices to the WaterBlitz study: “We’ve seen in the last week how fragile our water ecosystem is, with over 600,000 people in Dublin, Meath and Kildare having to boil their water due to a plant malfunction… indicating the supply is contaminated with animal or human waste,”. Hegarty added that litter is clearly a big problem in our water bodies and DCU Water Institute hopes to “build year on year on the work carried out in the WaterBlitz to establish a more complete picture of the health of Ireland’s water bodies and how they are faring over time,”.

Credit: Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque

Megan Jones | Deputy News Editor @meganjones06

report was released last month that explores the role of parents and students in school evaluation, as part of a huge European Union-funded project in which the DCU Institute of Education is involved. The “Making meaning of Distributed Evaluation and Planning in Schools” report was launched on October 18th at a conference on School Evaluation in Ankara University, Turkey. The conference was attended by over 200 members of the academic community across Europe. The Distributed Evaluation and Planning in Schools (DEAPS) project aims to “address issues of capacity in schools in the areas of school evaluation and quality assurance,” in the hopes of enhancing social inclusion and decreasing the problem of early

school leaving. It is the largest project of its kind to be undertaken in Europe. The report is an overview of the first four studies conducted on the DEAPS project, including studies from institutes in Belgium, Turkey, Portugal and Ireland. Dr Martin Brown of the DCU Institute of Education and research director at the Centre for Evaluation, Quality and Inspection (EQI), is the project coordinator for the DEAPS, and spoke at the event alongside representatives from Ankara University, the Institute of Viseu in Portugal and Antwerp University, Belgium. Dr Brown said because of the project and the report, they now have a “clearer picture” on issues with engagement in school evaluation. “This is ultimately transformational at a local, regional, national and international level and provides a blueprint for future engagement at all levels” he said. At the event, Dr Brown presented a study titled “What DEAP case studies

DCU partners with McVerry Trust for homelessness report Tadgh McNally | News Editor @TadghMN

Trust. The report, which was led by DCU’s Educational Disadvantage Centre (EDC), looks at the disadvantage that males between the ages 18 and 38 have faced within the education system. The study cited how 25 per cent of the participants had experienced bullying while they were in school. On top of this, 35 per cent would face verbal abuse on a weekly basis. The total sample size of this study was 51 people, but there were 171 eligible participants identified by the report. According to the report, there was a marked difference in their experience between primary and secondary school. In primary school, 72 per cent of the sample said they had an overall positive experience, while for secondary 53.1 per cent said they had a fine

Credit: Garry Knight

ixty-three per cent of homeless males have suffered a traumatic childhood experience according to a new report by the Peter McVerry

or negative experience. Alongside this, 24.5 per cent of the sample said they were temporarily excluded from school through suspensions, while 12.2 per cent had multiple suspensions. 18.4 per cent had been expelled from school at some point during their education. Despite this, the report also found that 79 per cent of the men wanted to

continue on with further education. They did mention some barriers to further education. The main barrier was their current lack of accommodation but addiction, drug use as well as health issues were also included. The report also sets out a number of recommendations that would help alleviate the issues, such as providing better funding for emotional counsel-

ling and other therapeutic supports for children who have suffered trauma. Other recommendations include creating an interdepartmental advisory group to develop a National Strategic Action Plan to meet all the educational needs of children and young people in care. Authors of the report were surprised however, as learning difficulties didn’t factor in as strongly as they had expected before carrying out interviews. Sarah Murphy, the lead author on the report explained that the men who were surveyed also wanted to see more social supports as well as emotional and social education. At the launch of the report, Fr Peter McVerry spoke about how the education system is a “most unjust system”. We need to ensure that every child has a positive education experience…. We need a fundamental reform of the education system”, said Fr McVerry. Dr Paul Downes, director of the EDC and an author of the report, explained that the Peter McVerry Trust wanted them to focus on males between 18 and 38 due to it being the largest cohort that access homeless services.

UL expand campus to increase student numbers by 4000

major expansion plan at the University of Limerick (UL) expects to grow student numbers by 4,000 and create 330 additional jobs over the next five years, according to UL President, Dr Des Fitzgerald. Dr Fitzgerald Launched the university’s five year strategic plan, 'UL@50', on November 1st. He said with the right support and backed by significant investment, the plan will bring staff numbers up to 1,930, to support rising student numbers. The plan will also lead to an additional 4,000 students on top of the current student number of 16,000, with an emphasis on postgraduate and International students. The increase in jobs and influx of students are expected to bring an additional €30 million to the city. The launch took place on the site of the planned new UL City Campus in the former Dunnes Stores site on Sarsfield Bridge. The site was acquired from Dunnes Stores earlier this year and is at the heart of the university’s development plan. The proposed campus will be the subject of an international architectural competition in order to achieve the

"most progressive, grand, effective and ambitious design possible" said Dr Fitzgerald. He said they had already begun identifying all possible sources of funding including government, philanthropy and their own sources "to get us to a place where we can begin to plan what is possible." "We have a lot of hard work ahead to raise the substantial funding that will do justice to the opportunity here, but we are determined that the UL City Campus will be a flagship for our University and our city," Fitzgerald continued. The university will also shortly launch a development plan for the 360 acre campus in Castletroy, just outside Limerick city.

One of the university's main priorities during the next five years is to increase its national and international academic reputation through increased research and education. Director of the International Education Division at UL, Josephine Page said, "International students create important cultural, diplomatic and economic links between Limerick and the world. By attracting international talent, University of Limerick ensures a culturally-rich setting for domestic students to prepare for the global work environment." Dr Fitzgerald said, "In this strategic plan we make clear that the university here must aspire to be amongst the leading universities in these islands and we will achieve that by putting

Credit: Higher Education Institutions

Shauna Power | Contributor

academic excellence at the heart of our plans’’. The coming years will also see a revolution in teaching styles and philosophies. "The teaching model which has characterised universities for a hundred years is coming to an end. We want to put flexible learning spaces and tech-enhanced teaching models at the heart of our education and training. We will develop new curricula, new learning modes and a cross-disciplinary sharing and exchange approach with a particular focus on enterprise and entrepreneurship,” he added. Dr Fitzgerald also said UL would deepen its commitment to Limerick and the West with a strong focus on business and enterprise. The university began as the National Institute for Higher Education in 1972 with just 113 students and 7 staff. UL Chancellor Mary Harney said that the coming 50th anniversary propelled UL to great ambition during the development of the new strategic plan. She said, "By matching the ambition and drive of our founders, we will ensure that the university reaches its fullest potential over the coming years".

News

NEWS IN BRIEF Tadgh McNally | News Editor @TadghMN

DCU PUTS GRIFFITH AVENUE LAND ON MARKET FOR 35 MILLION A 10-acre plot of land has been put on the market by DCU for 35 million euro. The plot, which is located south of the Glasnevin campus, is on Griffith Avenue. According to the Irish Times, the land was bought in the 2000’s but DCU had difficulties integrating it into the campus so decided to sell it. The land itself is also within five minutes walking distance of the proposed Metro North station. Speaking to The Irish Times, Cushman and Wakefield agent Kevin Leonard said that approximately 600 residential properties could fit on the site. In a tweet, the USI’s Vice President for Campaigns, Michelle Byrne questioned why DCU haven’t built student accommodation there. “Why is this campus land being sold off when we still need well over 20,000 student bed spaces”, tweeted Byrne.

90 MILLION IN FUNDING MADE AVAILABLE FOR TECH UNIVERSITIES Over the next three years, a 90 million Euro fund is to be allocated to technological universities (TU’s) across Ireland. Announced by Ministers Joe McHugh and Mary Mitchell O’Connor, the fund will be used to support institutions that want to reach TU status, as well as existing TU’s. According to Minister McHugh, their objective is to have a TU in every region in Ireland, allowing for more choice and better access for students. “TUs will offer a deep and broad range of teaching, from apprenticeship to doctoral degrees”, said Minister McHugh. The funding will be broken down into 30 million a year, with 16 million coming as part of TU investment. The remaining 14 million will come from re-prioritized funding. Recently, both Athlone IT and Limerick IT merged to form a TU in the midlands. President of Limerick IT, Professor Vincent Cunnane said that it was “generationally significant for the Mid-West”.

News

Condom vending No Fine Gael candidates to stand in UK elections despite push from YFG machines introduced in universities

Credit:Jonathon Lynam

Beibhinn Thorsch | Deputy Features Editor @BeibhinnJourno

Sally Dobie | Production & Podcast Editor @Sarah_or_Sally

ine Gael decided not to run candidates in Northern Ireland for the UK election, despite requests from Young Fine Gael. A representative of the political party said they have no plans to run candidates in Northern Ireland for the UK election in December, but representatives from the Irish and Northern Irish branches of Young Fine Gael believe the centre-right point of view needs to be represented. Last week Young Fine Gael sent an open letter to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar asking if Fine Gael had plans to contest the upcoming election, and if the candidates would be committed to taking their seats in Westminster if elected. The DCU branch of Young Fine

Gael said Fine Gael having candidates in Northern Ireland would “represent a revitalisation of the nationalist community”. “We hope that this will open the way to Fine Gael gaining representation in the governing of Northern Ireland,” they said, “that we can build up our party in the north, and to further our message of constitutional nationalism on the sensitive topic of Irish unity.” Jude Perry is the chair of the Queen’s University branch of Young Fine Gael in Belfast. He said it is important to represent the people who do not identify with the two prominent parties in Northern Ireland, and Fine Gael could “offer a pro-European, centrist viewpoint”. He said if the party were to stand in Northern Ireland, they would ensure the Good Friday Agreement was respected during the Brexit negotiations, and hoped if elected they would take

their seats in Westminster. Perry, who joined Young Fine Gael at age 16, stressed the importance of young people being politically active. “I know people under the age of 16 can’t vote but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a say in the way the country is run,” he said. “We’ve seen across the water that decisions made by older generations can definitely impact people of my generation.” The DCU branch of Young Fine Gael agreed with this sentiment. A spokesperson said they “need young voices to speak on the big issues of our generation and politics is a great way for people to effect change.” Leo Varadkar was also a member of Young Fine Gael while at college. “I think it shows that if you’re really passionate about making change and engaging in activism for your community then you can rise up to any high office in the land”, said Perry.

This is an increase from the 41 “self-declared Irish travellers” attending university, college or further education in 2016. The Education Indicators for Ireland Report is the first of its kind, combining data from across the education and

training system including access to higher education and aims to provide a “snapshot of our education system.” Minister for Education and Skills, Joe Mchugh said in a press statement: “It is important to constantly review the impact that our policy initiatives

ondom and lubricant vending machines are planned to be introduced across third-level colleges, according to Minister for Health Simon Harris. “In 2018, more than 409,300 condoms and 288,000 lubricant sachets were delivered through the National Condom Distribution Service to organisations working directly with people at increased risk of unplanned pregnancy or STIs.” the Minister said while speaking on the release of a report by the Working Group on Access to Contraception. The Working Group was established by the Minister this year to consider the issues relating to enhanced access to contraception, following the recommendation of the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment. “The challenges associated with expanding access to contraception are a microcosm of the wider challenges facing the health service around Government funding, eligibility, integrated care, primary care staffing and workforce capacity and so on,” the report said. The report supported progress towards “a more integrated health system, providing care on the basis of need and not ability to pay and where there is a meaningful and significant expansion of community-based care.” The report concluded that the “policy initiatives in support of

improved access to contraception may be justified and warrant further exploration, despite reservations that would seem to exist from an economic perspective.” The group presented three different approaches to expanding contraception. Option A was the introduction of a state-funded contraception scheme “covering those items now available under General Medical Services (GMS) as well as the copper coil”. This is the option which is said to cost €80-€100m per year. Option B was the expansion of the GMS scheme as it related to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) to all women, estimated to cost €30-€40m per year. This option “was opposed by most stakeholders who wish to retain individual choice… women will have different contraceptive needs and preferences at different stages in their life.” Option C was the introduction of a state-funded contraception scheme targeting younger women, aged 17-24. This would possibly cost around €18€22m and is based on the evidence that younger age groups are more at risk for crisis pregnancy and are more likely to find the price of contraception a barrier to accessing it. The main drawback to this option is clearly that it does not address any cost barrier that may exist for older women and is likely to be more complex. The provision of free contraception to younger women could be seen as the first stage of a phased, longterm approach to steadily improve access to contraception to all.

Sally Madden | Deputy News Editor

ust 61 travellers were enrolled in third-level education in 2017, according to a new report from the Department of Education and Skills.

Credit: Sathishaa Moyan

Only 61 travellers in third level education are making at each level of the education system and I think these indicators go some way to achieving that.” The report also found that the percentage of young people from disadvantaged areas attending third-level education has more than doubled since 2002. While only 22.6 per cent of 20-year olds from disadvantaged areas were students in 2002, in 2017, 47.4 per cent of them were enrolled in some form of third-level education. However, there are still considerable disparities in third-level participation based on postcode. For example, 99 per cent of students in Dublin 6 attend college compared with just 15 per cent in Dublin 17. It was also found that there are just over 10,000 postgraduate research students in Ireland in 2017 (10,015) with 6888 full-time PhD students of which 3,590 were females. Of the 1,150 masters research students in 2017, 644 of them were male compared to 506 females. In 2017, DCU was given the Athena Swan Bronze award, an EU backed initiative which aims to increase the number of women in academia, particularly in senior positions.

Although no Irish university has yet been headed by a woman, and the number of women occupying senior positions remains low some progress is being made, with five of the Republic’s seven universities having achieved at least 40 per cent gender balance on executive committees since 2015. Celine Crawford who works in DCU’s public relations department, says that a key part of the DCU Access strategy is outreach and engagement. “DCU Outreach targets all under-represented groups as specified in the National Access Plan including students from the Traveller Community,” she said. Additionally, DCU’s 2017-2018 Access Impact Report highlighted the importance of post-entry support for minorities like the travelling community. “From our research; continuous personal, academic and financial support impact greatly on students’ success, from increasing retention to achieving higher results upon graduating University. Currently, 93% of Access students complete their studies and 53% go on to Master’s level or higher,” it said.

News

rinity students will withhold paying their rent which is due in January, as part of TCD students’ ‘Cut the Rent’ campaign. “Cut the rent” campaign is a student run initiative that was launched on 26th September to protest against rising rents and the housing crisis, according to their launch statement on Facebook. “Faced with poor conditions, high rent and a squeeze on access – we have a choice to make, fight back now or be walked over. We need to cut the rent.” The campaign group is calling on tenants living on-campus to withhold paying the second instalment of their rent unless the group’s demands are met.

“The deficit of student beds and crisis in student accommodation have not been addressed by the government or by third level institutions” a statement from “Cut the Rent” groups reads. “Many young people are locked out of education altogether, while others struggle to meet the costs of fees, rent and life in Dublin; skipping classes and losing sleep to work or taking on debt just to get by.” Clara McCormack, a student in TCD and member of the ‘Cut the Rent’ campaign group, said that the group wants to see huge changes in terms of accommodation for students in third level education. “I know people who have to commute from places as far away as Longford or Wexford every day because they can’t afford to live closer to college,” she said. “People are missing lectures so they can work their part-time job because

they have to pay rent; universities should facilitate education by making accommodation accessible and pro-

USI and SIPTU launch postgrad charter

he Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and SIPTU have partnered up together to create a Postgraduate Working Rights Charter highlighting and protecting the working rights of postgraduate students in third-level education. The charter, which was issued on Wednesday, 30th October, was launched to encourage colleges and universities to ensure postgraduates are being paid for their work. At the launch, SIPTU and USI representatives called for an end to precarious working conditions for postgraduate students. USI Vice President for Postgraduate Affairs, Sara Dowling explained how the charter is ‘incredibly important as it bridges the gap on the grey area that many Postgraduates (particularly PhDs) experience – falling somewhere between a student and an employee on

behalf of the Institute.’ The 14 point charter includes points relating to proper access to work supports and research facilities, advocation for the Living Wage for all hours worked, access to affordable and sustainable accommodation, and proper representation by Students Unions’ or Trade Unions where appropriate. It also recognises that a postgraduate student should be paid for hours worked as part of their degree and that they are entitled to receive a statement of their terms of work. Ms Dowling also added that ‘Postgraduates who complete their courses while engaging in working capacities are severely underrepresented when it comes to their rights, often facing neglect and isolation as a result, as well as major personal, academic and financial pressures’. The charter was developed in response to a survey carried out last year for postgraduate students which highlighted their precarious working environments and lays out what the

trade Union Movement along with the Student Movement in Ireland expect from HEI’s. In a statement SIPTU Sector Organiser, Karl Byrne shared how ‘postgraduates are doing precarious work to earn their degree and are not being recognised by their institutions as workers. Because of this, these postgraduates are given no stability of wage, leading to a serious crisis in their standard of living. ’ USI President, Lorna Fitzpatrick shared her disgust at how postgraduate students are treated, ‘We are sick and tired of hearing the horror stories that come from postgraduates such as their conditions as workers and the lack of stability in their employment.” and added that these students need to be ‘treated fairly with respect in their workplace.’ The introduction of the charter hopes to highlight and better support students working in a professional capacity as part of or in line with the completion of their degree.

Credit: Union of Students Ireland

Anja Zauers| Social Media Editor @anja_zs

viding more grants and subsidies to students who need it.” ‘Cut the Rent’ campaign was

inspired by students at UCL in London and the group hopes to “inspire students elsewhere in Ireland to do the same.” According to Trinity News, the college turned over a €10.9 million profit on housing in 2018 and “still continued to drive up rent prices this year; a room in Goldsmith Hall costs almost €400 more than it did last year.” The campaign group’s Facebook page released a video recently about students being “priced out” of campus accommodation. “We can’t let college get away with huge, unjustified price increases as they continue to record enormous profits each year for on-campus accommodation.” Earlier this week, a protest was held outside Provost Patrick Prendergast’s on-campus home, campaigning against the rising costs of accommodation on campus grounds.

The National Transport Authority is encouraging people to walk

Kirsty Dowdall | Contributor he National Transport Authority launched a campaign this week that encourages public transport users to cut their commute short and add a ten-minute walk to their journey by getting off the bus a stop earlier. The NTA collaborated with Healthy Ireland to introduce this campaign which Transport for Ireland described as “a first step in taking a more joined-up approach across Health and Transport.” Dublin Bus Driver David Byrne hasn’t received much information about the initiative. “The drivers haven’t really been told much about that but I do think it’s a good idea,” he said. “Although regardless of how jam-packed my bus is I’d never leave anybody regardless of how old or how fit they are on their own at a bus stop, if people who can walk a bit longer get off and did that it will obviously be good for their health and help prevent the overcrowding I see on the bus every single day” The pilot campaign will assess what will motivate commuters to add more physical activity into their daily commute. According to the NTA, the shortterm benefits of this are “potentially reduced stress levels, a boost in

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Dara Browne | Video Editor @dara_b_

Credit: Aoife O’Brien

Trinity students go ahead with Cut the Rent campaign

energy, and improved concentration and mood,” National College of Ireland student Ciara Doyle has already started walking a portion of her long commute. “I come into Bus Arás early every morning for college,” she said. “I used to get another bus from here to college but it just seems stupid to me to be spending money going to a gym and classes at home when I can just walk to college from here and do some exercise every day without really thinking about it” Doyle said many of her friends have followed suit and meet her at Bus Arás in the morning and they go into a cáfe or restaurant on the way to college for breakfast or lunch as part of their walk. Many public transport users have become very reliant on the service Byrne explains. “Some people get on and only travel one or two stops before getting off again,” he said. “I understand when it’s elderly or disabled people but a lot of the time it’s just young people being lazy. A lot of them pay fares for longer journeys as well – which seems completely pointless doesn’t it” Anne Graham CEO of the NTA told joe.ie, “We are proud to take part in this campaign as walking is a key aspect of sustainable travel, one that the NTA focuses on as part of its future plans.”

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Shauna Power | Contributor

second boil water notice was issued on November 4th for the greater Dublin area, amid reports from the EPA that the Leixlip Water Plant is still not managing risks posed by contamination. According to Irish Water, due to heavy rain, turbidity (cloudy water due to suspended particles levels) in the source water for the Plant exceeded acceptable levels, causing a second boil water notice within 10 days. The provider said that the decision was taken by the HSE, Irish Water and Fingal County Council as a precaution ‘to protect the health of customers supplied by Leixlip Water Treatment Plant’. In a report on October 30th, The

EPA said that there was a failure at the plant to respond to numerous alarms activated by the level of turbidity in the water source at the Kildare plant. This led to the first Boil Water Notice on October 21st which affected 615,539 people. “The level of treatment at Leixlip water-treatment plant is currently not proportionate to the risk posed by the River Liffey source water,” The EPA said in the report assessing risks at the plant. “This indicated a significant risk to the safety of the water supply because the treatment barriers for the removal of cryptosporidium were compromised and there was a risk of breakthrough of microscopic parasites into the water supply”. Speaking about the Boil Water Notice, Eamon Gallen, Irish Water’s

General Manager said, “Irish Water acknowledges and apologises for the impact and inconvenience caused by this Boil Water Notice to homes and

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Water Plant responsible for boil water notice not managing contamination risks

businesses. We are very disappointed that a Boil Water Notice has to be imposed again but as we outlined the last time, our number one priority is

the public health and the safety and well-being of our customers”. DCU Aviation Management student, Sinead Hatt said, “It’s one of our basic rights, to have safe and drinkable water. As a student, I’m having to buy bottled water with money that I need for other things.” At the monthly Dublin County Council meeting on November 4th, Councillors criticised Irish Water following the second Boil Water notice. Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan said it was an “absolute travesty’” and “unacceptable that Irish water would bring us water not fit to drink in Dublin”. Lord Mayor Paul McAuliffe agreed to a proposal from several councillors that he would seek a report from Irish Water on the Issue.

LGBTQ+ kissing protest takes place outside Dail

embers of the LGBTQ+ community “shifted” outside the Dail on Wednesday November 6th to encourage the Government to introduce hate crime legislation. Ireland is one of few European countries without hate crime legislation, targeted crime on members of specific communities is treated the same as a regular dispute. These two types of crime are different, the motivation behind hate crimes can be used as a threatening message to the rest of the chosen community, inciting violence on a person because of who they are. The LGBTQ+ community have expressed that ‘message crimes’ have a rippling affect across

the whole community. “Shift The Hate Away” was strategically and peacefully used by the LGBTQ+ people to show intimacy in public and to feel safe while also making a political statement. The kissing protest outside the Dail using the hashtag #ShiftTheHateAway comes after the anti-homophobia, biphobia and transphobia campaign called #CallItOut. The “Call It Out” campaign asks for cisgender and heterosexual contemporaries to act when they witness LGBTQ+ prejudice by verbally getting involved. However hate crime incidences are on the rise in Dublin in particular. On October 15th Marc Power, a gay man from Coolock, was subjected to a premeditated and targeted hate crime. He was assaulted after a fake profile on the gay dating app Grindr was used

to lure him from his home to his local cinema where his attackers were waiting for him. He was then beaten by a group of four people with weapons. Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has welcomed the idea of introducing hate crime legislation stating, “Hate motivation for crime results in vulnerable groups and individuals being targeted simply for who they are. That is not acceptable to me or the Government, and I know that it is not acceptable to the Irish people.” The #ShiftTheHateAway hashtag appeared on many TD’s Twitter pages and most notably by The George Dublin, the famous gay nightclub’s account. The page tweeted “Come join us like our lives depend on it! #ShiftTheHateAway”, which, depending on the severity of the hate crime attacks, could be true. DCU LGBTA Society Chairperson,

Fergal McGuirk, said “– one can’t even quote a public statistic on hate crimes in Ireland because of the lack of legislation. “Shift The Hate Away” was a brilliant idea to make people

aware if this issue. Hopefully now the government will take notice and action.”

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Isabella Finn | Illustrations Editor @isabellafarfalla

Mary McAleese elected Chancellor for Trinity

ormer President Mary McAleese has been elected as Chancellor for Trinity College Dublin after receiving a large number of nominations from the Senate. McAleese, who was president of Ireland between 1997 and 2011, was elected unopposed as the new chancellor as no other candidates were put forward. She replaces Mary Robinson, who is also the former president and was elected as the first woman chancellor in 1998. The former president is “hugely excited” about the position going on to say “I never thought when I first walked through the door here in 1975 and I was so overwhelmed, that I’d be

coming back as chancellor”. During her time as president, she addressed many issues, specifically in relation to social equality and justice.

She is a current member of the Council of Women World Leaders which touches on equality. McAleese has previous history

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Joy Nderitu| Deputy Video Editor @ _joyire_

with Trinity having held the position of Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology between 1975 and 1987. The Belfast native holds an honours degree in law and became the first pro-vice-chancellor of Queen's University Belfast in 1994. Since being elected as chancellor, the former president has sold out the Edmund Burke Theatre twice, addressing certain issues such as the Irish state and the Catholic church. She expressed her views on how she believes that Pope Francis doesn’t make women a priority and the exclusion of women from priesthood. When questioned about Brexit, McAleese gave a lecture on how she believes that Brexit will have implications for a reconciled Ireland as well as church-state relations. She argued her point on how repeating the past is

not good for the future. Her position as chancellor will involve overseeing important ceremonies such as commencement ceremonies when various degrees in Trinity College are awarded, as well as deciding who is awarded honorary Degrees. Professor McAleese is said to be coming into office later on in the year when she makes a statutory declaration. Her inauguration will be held at Trinity College Dublin where she must make a declaration to the Provost of Trinity. Provost of Trinity, Dr Patrick Prendergast said: “Trinity College Dublin is honoured to have an academic of such great distinction as Professor Mary McAleese as Chancellor of the University of Dublin”.

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Plan to combat effects of Calls for rent climate change on health deposit protection scheme launched

it:

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conditions and those suffering from social deprivation will be among the most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis. According to the World Health Organisation, climate change is “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century”, estimating that it will cause an extra 250,000 deaths per year from 2030-2050. By the year 2038, it is predicted that the Irish population will have grown from 4.92 million (in 2019) to 5.68 million, putting a considerable strain on the already oversubscribed health sector as it attempts to tackle the climate crisis. The plan expects that many of the issues posed to Ireland by the climate crisis will relate to extreme weather conditions such as high precipitation, storms and floods. The 2016 census stated that 40 per cent of the Irish population reside within 5km of the coast, making almost half of the population vulnerable to flooding and various health issues posed by high precipitation. The plan states that as of yet, data relating to the health impacts of extreme weather conditions such as flooding has not yet been recorded in a systematic way, something of which this adaptation plan will address throughout its implementation.

he Department of Health has developed a Climate Change Adaptation Plan to identify the main challenges posed to the health service by the climate crisis. The plan was developed by a joint department team of HSE officials and doctors, following on from a public consultation. According to Minister for Health, Simon Harris: “Without decisive adaptation action, climate change will have profound impacts on the health and well-being of our people, on the smooth delivery of our health and social care services. “The health effects of climate change will be felt particularly by our most vulnerable citizens, including the elderly, children, those with pre-existing conditions, the urban poor, farmers and those living in coastal areas.”

The plan for the health sector is one of 12 adaptation plans developed under the National Climate Change Adaption Framework (2018). It outlines six climate scenarios with profound health impacts: UV/sun exposure, air pollution, windstorms, heat/heatwaves, high precipitation/ flooding and extreme cold snaps. The plan is set to examine the main risks posed by climate change between

Áine O’Boyle | Deputy Editor @aineboyle99

the period of 2019-2024, when it will be reviewed again. According to research conducted in 2017, those with pre-existing medical

Ryan Carrick| Contributor

orty students were left waiting for €20,000 worth of rental deposits for almost 2 months from Hazelwood Student Village, Santry. According to the students, they were promised that their deposits would be returned to them by September when they moved out of Block A after rent prices suddenly increased by 41 percent. When contacted, Hazelwood Student Village said that the delay in returning of deposits was due to the poor state of the apartments when tenants moved out. “Some deposits have been delayed being returned until we could identify who had left the rooms in a bad state of repair,” a spokesperson for Hazelwood Student Village said. The accommodation is managed by Home Estates and Lettings Agency and all contact made by the tenants in Block A in relation to accommodation was made through the agency. One of the students affected, Ana Carolina Solis, said she moved out of her apartment during the final week of August 2019 and proceeded to ask for her deposit on several occasions. “I was asking the agency for my deposit but they always told me that they were going to give my deposit back this week. It was the same response week after week,” she said.

Following an article published by the Irish Independent, the deposits were returned to the students. In a statement, Affordable Housing Cllr Joanna Tuffy said that this case shows the urgent need for a rental deposit scheme which Fine Gael have refused to introduce now for over three years. "A tenancy rental deposit protection scheme was passed into law in 2015 by the Labour Party but since then Fine Gael have refused to introduce it despite repeated calls for a scheme,” Tuffy said. Ms. Solis said that a protection scheme is necessary as there is a lot of people in a similar situation who do not know how to go about having their deposits returned. “A lot of people have contacted me asking me what to do,” she said. “In our case, I think it was easier because there were about 70 of us in the same situation. But there are a lot of people who are on their own and don’t know what to do.” Similarly, in May 2018, a landlord who was renting 24 apartments to Brazilian students in the Hazelwood complex had not returned deposits to nearly 40 tenants three months after he lost the contract for running the complex.

Áine O’Boyle | Deputy Editor @aineboyle99

CD has been named the Irish University of the Year in the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020. Trinity College topped the overall rankings for the 18th consecutive year, with their dominance in the areas of research income per capita and entry standards trumping that of other third-level institutions across the country. Students in Trinity scored an average of 520 points in the Leaving Certificate, coming in considerably higher than that of UCD which ranked second highest for average leaving certificate points at 483. According to Sunday Times journalist, Alastair McCall, the gap for

highest overall ranking is considerable closing in on Trinity with UCD and UCC scoring considerably higher in the areas of student satisfaction and coming in joint second place overall. This year Trinity dropped 44 places in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, coming in 164th, with many attributing this slip in international rankings to the lack of government funding in the higher education sector in Ireland. In terms of overall student satisfaction in Irish Universities, UCD and NUI Galway came in joint first place. UCD had previously bet all other institutions in the Irish Survey of Student Engagement 2018, proving that students there are more satisfied with their overall college experience. UCD President, Prof Andrew Deeks said: “We are very happy to be university of the year because it comes after

a period of hard work,” With this achievement under its belt, UCD plans to increase its numbers over the coming years, expanding its student body by a quarter to accommodate 6,600 more full-time students. A faculty recruitment drive is also underway with hopes to expand its teaching staff by 42 per cent. DCU came in sixth place on the Irish Good University Guide for the second consecutive year. Earlier on this year, DCU ranked in the top 100 University Impact Rankings, recognised for a strong performance on climate action, sustainability, health and wellbeing. The average points for entry to DCU courses is 457, with 78.4 per cent of students graduating with a first-class honours degree or a 2:1. DCU also has a graduate employment rate of 97 per cent, ranking

Credit: Benita Ewans

UCD tops Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020

19th in the world and first in Ireland according to the 2020 QS Graduate Employability Rankings released in September.

In terms of IT’s, Athlone scored highest overall in the area of student satisfaction, placing it in seventh place overall.

Measles makes your immune system’s memory forget defenses against other illnesses Roisin Maguire | Lifestyle Editor @roisin_maguire1

Ryan Carrick | Contributor

Credit: Flickr

ew research shows that measles makes your immune system forget how to fight off other infections. The current measles outbreak is showing a new, unexpected side effect. DCU is currently experiencing this outbreak however it is also happening in the US. According to CBS New York, the measles virus is erasing the memory of a person’s immune system making it difficult to fight off other germs. This means that children who have suffered from measles find it difficult to fight the common cold or strep throat. Scientists have called this “immune amnesia”. This leads to a serious amount of problems for people who have not received the MMR vaccine. A child can then develop life-threatening pneumonia as a result of having measles and their parents might not think of connecting the two. In the journal “Science”, a blood test called VirScan was used and they analyzed the antibody repertoire in children before and after natural infection with measles virus as well as in children before and after measles vaccination. They found that the measles infection had greatly diminished the immune memory in children who had the

Pub owners struggle to combat drug usage

virus but this was not seen in children who had received the vaccination. According to the World Health Organisation, measles resulted in 110,000 deaths globally in 2017 and the measles vaccination resulted in an 80 per cent drop in cases between 2000 and 2017. Adults who have not received the vaccination as a child can receive the vaccination from their GP and the HSE urged adults in 2018 to double-check if they received two doses of the vaccination. If they have only received one dose, they are being encouraged to receive the second dose to prevent the spread of measles. It is known that people temporarily lose immune memory after being exposed to measles however they usually get this back after time. However, according to Elledge Lab in Boston,

two months after exposure the children had lost 20 per cent of their antibody mix and some lost 70 per cent of their protection against specific bugs which greatly limits their ability to fight this if they encounter it again. Speaking to Christy Biji, a medical student, she said: “Measles is a highly contagious disease and the vaccine against it has proven to work so why people choose to not vaccinate their children is beyond me” Around 10 days after a person is subjected to the virus, they will begin to experience symptoms. These include cold-like symptoms, such as runny nose, watery eyes, swollen eyelids and sneezing, red eyes and sensitivity to light, red-brown spotty rash and greyish-white spots in the mouth and throat.

dependent drinkers are at a greater individual risk of experiencing alcohol related harms they account for only 27 per cent of alcohol related harms in the population. These harms could be harm to finances, health, work or study, friendships or social life, home life or marriage, having been in a physical fight, an accident, and being stopped by the police. Monthly and occasional binge drinkers accounted for 59 per cent of these alcohol related harms in society. Monthly and occasional binge drinkers account for 62 per cent of drinkers in society, consuming 70 per cent of all alcohol sold in Ireland. Low risk drinkers, who did not engage in binge drinking in the last year and who are not dependent on alcohol

make up 31 percent of drink consumers in Ireland and accounted for 14 percent of alcohol related harms. According to Head of the Evidence Centre at the Health Research Board, Jean Long this study affirms the pre-

here is very little that pub owners can do within the confines of the law to combat drug use on the premises, according to a pub owner in Dublin City Centre. Pius O’Connell, owner of O’Connell’s on Bachelor’s Walk in Dublin City Centre, says people of all ages have used drugs in his bars, from teenagers up to those who are in their fifties. According to recent figures from the Health Research Board, the number of people being treated for cocaine use is up 50 per cent from last year. “It’s become so acceptable,” Mr. O’Connell said. “Twenty years ago, if it was found that someone was taking cocaine, it would be the worst crime to hit the parish in years!” Mr. O’Connell says he looks out for particular behaviour when trying to monitor and prevent people taking drugs on his premises. “I just call it ‘buzzing’,” he said. “When they’ve taken some form of drug, they’re absolutely buzzing. One of the things I notice is that they start walking around a bit. They’re up and down, in and out.” Mr. O’Connell also owns the Kingswood Lodge in Tallaght, where he says he has taken action against drug dealing and using.

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“The action that I have taken isn’t legal,” he said. “I’m accusing people of certain things and I really don’t have the evidence to back it up. But you know what’s going on.” His comments come after pub owners in Waterford met to discuss tackling the growing issue of drug use on their premises. Sgt. Gavin Sheahan of the Divisional Drugs Unit said that cocaine is one of the most popular drugs while ecstasy and MDMA remain “the biggest amongst students.” Ketamine is also popular among this cohort. A DCU student, who did not want to be named, says many students rely on drugs to have a good night. “They can’t go and have a few pints with friends which costs 15 quid but they’ll spend 150 quid sorting their stuff,” he said. “Very rarely do they drink exclusively. Some people are more into losing themselves rather than having an enjoyable experience.” Earlier this year, 26 drug-related arrests were made at the Trinity Ball, a student event that has become synonymous with drug use. €1,400 worth of drugs were seized, according to Trinity News. The number of controlled drug offences have increased by 16.5 per cent from 17,304 to 20,153, according to the Central Statistics Office.

Low and moderate risk drinkers account for the majority of alcohol related harms

onthly and occasional binge drinkers account for 62 per cent of alcohol related harms in society according to a study published by the Health Research Board HRB. The study examined how alcohol related harms are distributed across four categories of drinker in Ireland - low risk drinkers, occasional binge drinkers, monthly binge drinkers and dependent drinkers. The study found that the majority of alcohol harm in Ireland arises from low and moderate risk drinkers and not from dependent drinkers. According to the HRB, while

vention paradox theory which states that the majotiry of alcohol related harms in the population are caused by low and moderate risk drinkers. “We wanted to establish if this prevention paradox applied in an Irish

Credit: Winniw Liu

Aoife O’Brien | News Editor @obrienaoife1

context given Ireland has one of the highest per capita rates of alcohol consumption and binge drinking in the European Union,” she said. According to CEO of Alcohol Action Ireland Dr Sheila Gilheany, “The findings in this study demonstrate that alcohol-related harms in Ireland are distributed across the population, providing support for a population-based strategy to reducing alcohol consumption.” The said that the study highlights the need for “rapid implementation” of the Public Health Alcohol Act. Despite being passed in 2018, “none of the provisions in the Act have yet been implemented,” Gilheany said. The first measures of the PHAA to be implemented will come into effect in the coming weeks.

What Twitter’s political advertising ban means for us Roisin Maguire discusses what twitters move to ban political advertising means for us

witter’s CEO Jack Dorsey announced that it will ban political advertisements by November 15th. The purpose of this move is to stop politicians from advertising false statements on the social media platform. Dorsey tweeted that “political message reach should be earned, not bought” and he gave a few reasons for this. He said: “A political message earns reach when people decide to follow an account or retweet. Paying for reach removes that decision, forcing highly optimized and targeted political messages on people.” This then puts pressure on Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO to do the same for Facebook and improve the situation of constant misinformation across the social media platform. Facebook is currently involved in a controversy after Nick Clegg revealed that politicians are exempt from Facebook’s third-party fact-checking

program, meaning politicians can easily spread whatever they please. Facebook is protecting those in power so they are of course feeling pressure from Twitter’s latest move. Twitter already had rules and regulations around political ads. In 2018, Twitter created regulations for direct political ads and issue ads meaning that account holders must apply for certification which allows Twitter to verify their identity and their promoted tweets will be marked with either “issue” or the name of the campaign. In Dorsey’s Twitter thread he made a comment about Facebook saying: “We’re working hard to stop people from gaming our systems to spread misleading info, but if someone pays us to target and force people to see their political ad…well...they can say whatever they want!” He ended the tweet with the winky face emoji. The problem with this new move is that Twitter has the final decision on what political ads have earned their reach and what ones have paid their way to this influence. However political ads are all very different and it is difficult to determine

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The problem with this new move is that Twitter has the final decision on what political ads have earned their reach

what will be banned from Twitter. Twitter’s policy and legal lead, Vijaya Gadde, said that an ad that refers to an election or a candidate and ads that advocate for or against legislative issues are examples of what will be banned. This new move will make it difficult for newcomers to make it into the media since journalists find tweets that have a lot of likes and make those tweets newsworthy therefore this ban is preventing this from happening. It is still up to Twitter to decide

Credit:Pixabay

Róisín Maguire | Lifestyle Editor @roisin_maguire1

what is political, therefore this new regulation might not be fully enforced as legislative issues is a very vast topic, for example, health care, birth control and many other issues like these are considered political. Twitter is deciding for its users what they believe is political which creates a bias because everyone has their own opinions on what should and should not be

allowed onto our timelines Realistically, this move will only have a small effect on how much politics is seen on Twitter because these political messages are allowed in tweets anyway. Perhaps, instead of completely banning political ads, Twitter should promote transparency within political ads and tweets

The attitude towards transport in Ireland makes travelling by car an easy choice Shane Brennan discusses how Ireland’s transport prices, are driving up car sales

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Shane Brennan | Deputy Sports Editor @ShaneBrennan247

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reland’s overpriced and under-performing public transport system holds very few benefits when pitted against the comparative luxury of independent traveling by car. For many commuters traveling by car is actually better value, and by the looks of things, we aren’t going to see many swift changes to the transit status quo. Ever since making the move back to the big smoke I find it even more shocking how expensive it is to live in Dublin. This is the second most expensive city in the world for public transport according to Forbes, with an average monthly ticket coming to $128 (€115), but yet it’s hard to see what value we get out of that pricing. The only comfort I got reading this year’s charts is that we aren’t subject to the extortion that Londoners pay (€160 per month average), but it still

begs the question; what are we paying for? Ireland is one of only two countries in Western Europe without an underground railway system, and the closest we have, the aging DART, is begging commuters to stagger their journey times to reduce the stress on

the system at peak times. Irish public transport is not quick either; I stay in Tallaght during the week and my commute to DCU on public transport can range from an hour and a half, if I’m very lucky, or over 3 hours if I leave at peak times (usually it averages at about the 2 hour mark).

The “car is king” attitude leaves commuters going for their keys instead of their leap cards, and why wouldn’t they?

The journey by car is only 25 minutes, 40 if the M50 is bad, and if you get free parking the much quicker option is also the cheaper one, unlike in other cities such as New York where the public transport system is so robust it’s quicker and cheaper than using a car, so much so that many don’t even bother to buy one. The great thing about underground trains is that they don’t have to wait for the traffic lights to go green, they just go. The DART meanwhile is on the same tracks as a slew of other rail

services, the Luas lines are slow once the trams hit the city streets, the Heuston rail corridor is sluggish because it is not developed enough to handle its demand, and don’t even start about buses. Meanwhile, we are forever finding ways to make sure our roads are the best there is, take the recent investment in Mayo as an example or the widening of the M7. The Green Party suggested a couple of weeks back that public transport should be free for students, meanwhile, Luxembourg, the only other western European country without an underground, is preparing to make all public transport free. If we are serious about meeting climate targets and improving the quality of life for our citizens we ought to be doubling our investment in the public transport system while, at the very least, halving the fees. Driving should be the option chosen out of necessity, not convenience, and public transport should be the default for commuters.

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Meghan Markle: how private can the lives of public figures hope to be? Shauna Power | Contributor

eing members of the British Royal Family, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry should expect a lack of privacy, but at what point does this become too much? Anyone who follows the Duke and Duchess would understand why they would want to maintain their privacy, but are they beginning to take this too far? The birth of the Duke and Duchesses’ firstborn was an eye-opener for most fans of the family as we were used to other royals allowing the public an insider look at their newborn, but Archie was kept out of the spotlight. They regulated the hospital stay, intriguing the world and left us wondering is this what the new wave of royals will be like. When Kate Middleton gave birth to her children, the world knew their names and photos circulated very early on. Markle and Prince Harry only shared a picture of Archie’s face on fathers day, about a month after his birth. Of course, as parents, it is natural to protect your newborn from

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We are living in a 24/7 media age, the couple are setting a precedent and a warning that they will fight for their privacy

prying eyes but as one the most famous couples in the world, what more can they expect? If you take a moment to consider the life the Duke and Duchess lead, it is understandable why they want to keep everything as private as possible. During Princess Diana’s divorce with Prince Charles the press tormented her, Markle has been objectified and Prince Harry himself lost out on privacy growing up. Why wouldn’t they want to push the press out of their lives as much as possible? They have already experienced breaches of privacy. Splash News took a helicopter above their house to capture the couple, They’ve had to tighten security to deal with tourists roaming the grounds in Frogmore and they’ve both also recently sued major British newspapers in regards to privacy issues. Nobody in the Royal family is free from scrutiny but coverage of Meghan, in particular, has not been the kindest. Harry explained the issue on the newly created website sussexoffical. uk saying ‘There comes a point when the only thing to do is stand up to this

Image Credit: WikiCommons

Shauna Power asks, in a social media age, how private can a public figures life ever really be?

behaviour because it destroys people and destroys lives’. He continued, ‘I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces’. With privacy issues like these already arising, we can’t blame them for being so secretive. They are a part of one of the most famous monarchies in the world and therefore everyone expects to know everything about them. Think about yourself, would you feel

comfortable with the world knowing everything about you and your family? We are living in a 24/7 media age, the couple are setting a precedent and sending a warning that they will fight for their privacy and will employ the legal power to do so. At the end of the day, they are normal people who live an abnormal life. They deserve the respect we would give to anybody outside of the public eye.

Votegate in the Dáil - and why it matters

Political intervention is the solution to problems such as Votegate, says Tadgh McNally

Tadgh McNally |News Editor @TadghMN

96,189 euros a year, with governmental ministers making up to 175,699 euros per year. It’s a fairly routine part of their day to day work as a TD. No ordinary citizen can send someone to vote on their behalf, so why should TD’s be any different. All TD’s are elected representatives of their constituents, and the public should be able to trust the work that they are doing is being done fairly. The controversy that Votegate has caused has cast another shadow over politicians and given the public an-

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The solution to a lot of these problems is only available through political intervention

Image Credit: Flickr

hroughout the history of the Dáil, TD’s have always been exceptionally good at pushing other TD’s buttons. For Votegate, the only difference is they weren’t pushing the oppositions buttons. Early in October, the Irish Independent published a story that detailed how Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley had placed six votes while he was outside the Dáil chamber. It was found that another Fianna Fáil TD, Niall Collins had pressed the button believing that Dooley was still in the chamber. Upon the discovery of this, stories of how other TD’s had placed votes for one another steadily began to drip into the national media. Whether it was Lisa Chambers voting twice on one motion or Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy getting another TD to vote for him while he was on the opposite side of the chamber. Even the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar confirmed that he had voted for someone else who was in the chamber at the time. It wasn’t just a one-party issue, it was something that the entire Dáil had taken part in. No matter what way you look at this, it’s incredibly sloppy work by our public representatives. The average backbencher TD makes

other reason to distrust what they say and do. Voting is a central part of a functioning democracy, and when a situation like Votegate causes concerns about the legitimacy of any of the votes, there should be some alarm at the situation. While it isn’t as pressing as some other issues that Ireland is facing currently, like the housing crisis and the mounting number of homeless across the country. The solution to a lot of these problems is only available through political intervention though, and an untrustworthy voting system could lead to situations where an important piece of legislation doesn’t pass due to a few dodgy votes. Thankfully, in the aftermath of the controversy, a report that was compiled by the Dáil clerk has said that all members must now be seated before the voting starts and that the party whips are now responsible for checking the votes and ensuring that there are no errors within the voting. Actions such as this one are definitely a step in the right direction and hopefully, and one which will hopefully follow through into subsequent Dáils. TD’s should still be held accountable for the mistakes they make. It’s simply reckless behaviour by those who should be holding themselves to a higher standard.

Comment

The Democratic Party can’t afford to make the same mistake again

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders should not be overlooked again, says Peter O’Neill

here’s a reason that Bernie Sanders has never joined the Democratic Party. The fact of the matter is that it’s an institution that is beholden to capital and wealth and not any of the liberal values it espouses. This is why Elizabeth Warren is being thrown up as the main front runner by so many of the media class with a vested interest in the party. Having stoked the flames of the Mueller Report coverage and exaggerated Russia’s influence on the 2016 election, Rachel Maddow and other journalists have rewritten the reasons for Hilary Clinton’s loss. In doing this, figures close to America’s political centre can ignore Sanders’s popularity and the reasons behind it. He’s authentic, with a voting record to back it up going back to his time as the mayor of Burlington in Vermont. He views American society as completely unequal and has a vision to change it. Ultimately though, the fact that we’ve been talking about nominees since half a year before the first primary is ridiculous. Statistics show that unfortunately most people don’t engage politically until very close to the actual time of voting. Essentially they

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He views American society as completely unequal and has a vision to change it

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Peter O’Neill | Deputy Arts Editor @PON_Records

are waiting a week before to google the candidates and make a quick pick. This is why the recent media portrayal of Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren as having momentum seems merely an attempt to increase the profile of these two candidates while ignoring what should be the Democrats’ true base, the working class. By tilting the balance of power to Hilary Clinton at every opportunity in the 2016 and ignoring disenfranchised potential voters, the Democrats lost to what is the least popular president ever. Although both these candidates,

Warren, in particular, have nowhere near the same baggage as Clinton did, they both do not represent ordinary people well. Buttigieg is coming from the centre of the party, and Warren’s support for Medicare For All seems unlikely, to say the least, as she has not officially backed it. Trump’s election showed that Americans are fed up with inequality and the status quo in America even if it meant doing a deal with the devil. They knew he was corrupt because he admitted it, Clinton did not and that made a huge difference.

We’re a long way from the final candidate to be chosen to face Trump, so this could all be shown to be a completely ill-judged analysis with Warren sweeping to victory and bringing forward reform after reform when she’s elected. However, history has shown that the electorate can often smell a fraud, and even when they can’t like in the case of Obama, their record when they leave office while making it all the harder to keep up the pretense of radical change when none ever occurs. This is why a candidate like Sanders cannot afford to be shafted yet again.

A lack of trust in major institutions is behind protests across the world From Chile to Hong Kong to Beirut, Calum Atkinson discusses recent protests around the globe

e have seen mass protests in Chile, Hong Kong, Catalonia, Beirut and Baghdad in just the last few weeks. The causes of each are very different, but it seems a lack of trust in major institutions is at the heart of each situation. The protests in Chile were sparked by a 3 per cent increase in fares for public transport. This led to hundreds of thousands of Chileans taking to the streets to protest not just the fare hikes but also the broader economic and political problems in Chile. Chile is one of the most unequal societies in Latin America due to decades of neo liberal policies. One per cent of the population in Chile controls 26.5 per cent of the country’s wealth. This creates a sense among a significant segment of the population that political institutions and the media only work to maintain the status quo

and protect the interests of the elite. The military is also looked at suspiciously in Chile due to the country’s past. In a major escalation, the military was deployed to deal with increasingly violent protests. Thousands of protesters have been injured and over 20 killed. There seems to be no end in sight in Chile as protesters demand the resignation of the president, the drafting of a new constitution as well as many

other reforms. Protests have also been taking place in Hong Kong in recent months. They began as a movement against a bill that would allow for extradition to mainland China but have grown into something broader and bigger. Protesters have no faith in many of Hong Kong’s major institutions. Many don’t trust the local government and want the city leader Carrie Lam to resign. As protests continue, they also

demand an independent investigation into alleged police brutality, an amnesty for arrested protesters and universal suffrage. Hundreds of thousands were also mobilised in Catalonia in recent weeks after the Spanish Supreme Court, the highest court in Spain found Catalan secession leaders guilty of sedition. Spanish police charged the demonstrators in an attempt to disperse them leading to violent clashes. Those in

Credit: Eoghan Boyne

Calum Atkinson | Deputy Comment Editor @CalumAtkinson

Catalonia who favour independence have no trust in Spanish institutions, whether it be the courts, police or government. Protests in Beirut began in response to a set of regressive taxes imposed by the government including a tax on Whatsapp calls. The protesters are from all areas of society and the protests are non-sectarian. People are fed up of a political system that is drowning in nepotism and corruption that doesn’t represent the interests of the majority. Roads were blocked by protesters in Baghdad in recent weeks also in response to corruption in political institutions and a mismanaged economy. Security forces fired live rounds at protesters and hundreds have been killed. The discontent of large sectors of the population has been seen clearly in major protests all across the globe in recent weeks. The context of each case is different but central to each is a feeling that major institutions are not acting in the best interests of the majority.

Comment

Why is Merkel’s popularity in Germany dwindling? Katie Lowry discusses why support for Angela Merkel is falling

erman Chancellor Angela Merkel will be remembered as the leader that brought Germany through one the worst recessions the world has seen in recent years. However it seems now that she is losing her grip of the people. In 2005, Merkel formed a grand coalition that saw her become chancellor. Merkel’s party themselves gained control over 15 provinces. Her ability to bring the country to new found prosperity following one of the toughest recessions seen worldwide led Merkel to another term as Chancellor. The 2013 election was a historical win with Merkel’s CDU and its sister party winning 41.5% of the vote, leading to a total of 311 seats. The years between the 2013 election and the 2017 election were more difficult. In 2015, Merkel adopted an open door policy to aid refugees from war stricken countries such as Syria. These refugees reportedly totalled more than 1.4 million. A rise in support for the right wing party AFD was seen. Their message was anti-EU and anti-Merkel. Merkel remained in power after the

2017 election but there was a swing of 8.6 per cent in favour of other parties. The election saw a rise in voters for the right wing AFD at 12.6% which was a huge rise of 7.9 per cent. This has been linked to Merkel’s immigration policy. Following the election, Merkel shifted her focus to addressing climate change. However, these proposals flopped in eyes of the public as the

€60 billion climate package was seen as vastly inadequate to properly reduce the countries green house gases. This has led to a fall in Merkel’s poll lead over the Green Party. Merkel’s coalition received 32.9 per cent of the vote at the last election but recent polls show them languishing at 25 per cent. This data coincides with a recent opinion poll which states that more than half of Germans no longer

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These issues attract criticism from opposite ends of the political spectrum and that has caused a dramatic fall in popularity for Merkel

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Katie Lowry| Contributor

want Merkel to continue as chancellor. Merkel’s term as chancellor of Germany totals almost 15 years. This time has been marked by touch decisions that were made by the Chancellor that enabled Germany to enter an new wave of prosperity. However, recent decisions with regards to immigration and an unambitious plan to tackle climate change have not been popular. These issues attract criticism from opposite ends of the political spectrum and that has caused a dramatic fall in popularity for Merkel in the eyes of the German people. As her term ages, her popularity is falling with more and more of the German people wanting change. This change can take many forms, whether that is in the shape of the right wing, anti-immigrant AFD or the radical left Green Party. The rise in popularity of these party seems to show the thoughts of the German people around the keys issues that have impacted the country in recent years. The people seem to want a new Chancellor, reform of immigration laws and a change in the way they are tackling climate change. All of these issues combined together are why Merkel and her coalition are no longer popular.

Gay Byrne: The man to shape and question Irish society Conor Breslin examines the life and work of TV presenter Gay Byrne

hether it was introducing Boyzone to the world, debating the use of contraceptives in Ireland, discussing trauma during the troubles in Northern Ireland or simply giving a prize to

everyone in the audience, Gay Byrne was the man to question and shape Irish society. For over six decades Byrne dominated Irish broadcasting with his quick wit, intelligence, friendly attitude and professionalism. During a time of conservativism and religious dominance in Ireland, it wasn’t until the introduction of RTE television in 1962 when the mind-set of many Irish people began to change. The rulebook

of “old Ireland” was thrown away and society was questioned, and it was Byrne who asked many of these questions live from the hot seat in RTE studio one for 37 years. What started as a short summer slot on RTÉ television, The Late Late Show soon grew into one of the world’s longest running chat shows and gave rise to some of the most memorable moments in Irish history. This era was long before the days

Credit: RTE

Conor Breslin | Sports Editor @conorbreslin10

of RTE Player, Youtube and satellite TV. It was a time when homes only had one television with one channel and no repeats. For Byrne, it was his job every Saturday night to capture the audience, be different and provide entertainment for the nation, entertainment the people could not and would not ignore. No topic was ever too hard hitting for Gaybo to debate and question, from corporal punishment to same sex marriage, from the GAA ban on foreign games to compulsory Irish, from homosexuality to pornography, form divorce to prostitution. Byrne could see what the people wanted. It was a generation of young Irish men and women who wanted to experiment outside tradition, who wanted to do what they wanted how they wanted to do it, who wanted answers to the most difficult questions. Many of Irelands most powerful would rather these topics not questioned. However, Byrne was not going to be pushed aside easily. He was not a radical but he could see Ireland was changing. It was through his discussions that the flood gates opened which to a new Ireland that escaped the traditions of the past. The Late Late Show under Byrne’s tenure had many controversial moments. Some you wouldn’t think twice about in this day and age, others broke stories of the most shocking secrets in Irish life.

Byrne faced controversy as early as 1966 when the Bishop of Clonfert condemned The Late Late Show as immoral and Gay Byrne as a promoter of “filth”. Byrne asked a woman what colour her nightdress was on the first night of her married life. The woman first implied it was “transparent” before saying that she might not have worn an item of clothing to bed that night at all. Other memorable moments included Fianna Fail TD Padraig Flynn revealing to the nation the “difficulties” in his own life of owning three houses and having a salary of £100,000 and columnist Terry Keane revealing her affair with former Taoiseach Charles Haughey. Byrne’s handling of a famous interview with Annie Murphy on her affair with Bishop Eamonn Casey was criticised. Byrne retired from the Late Late in 1999 after 37 years but didn’t retire from public life, becoming chairman of the Road Safety Authority and hosting other shows such as “The Meaning of Life” and “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” As a presenter, producer and broadcaster, Gaybos passing closes a significant chapter in Irish broadcasting and Irish culture. In Irish life there was no one who changed society more in 20th century Ireland and there was no one that could lead light entertainment into such impactful territory.

Bróinse i mBaile Átha Cliath Beth Molloy | Irish Editor

Credit: Beth Molloy

á an radharc bróinse ag dul ó neart go neart agus tá bialanna agus caiféanna i ngach áit beo. Tá an iliomad acu ann! Ní haon dochar do phléisiúr féin a dheanamh anois is arís. Roghnaigh mé cúig áiteanna bróinse den scoth i mBaile Átha Cliath. Feach síos ar an chun inspioraid a fhail.

Suite i Tír an Iúir, is é Foam Coffee House ar an liosta ar dtús. Bíonn bróinse ar fail i rith an lae acu agus is féidir bord a chur in áirithe. Díolann said béilí ar phraghas réasunta agus nuair a bhí mé ann, bhí uisce ag teacht ó mo cuid fiachla nuair a chonaic mé an biachlár. D’ordaigh mé an tósta francach agus caoineog torthaí. Nuair a shrioc an béile ar an mbord, bhí sé clúdaithe le síoróip mhailpe. Tá an dearadh taobh istigh úr agus comhaimseatha agus is fiú cuairt a

thabhairt air. Ansin, Póg. Tá sé suite laistigh den chathair le bialanna i Siúlán an Bhaitsiléara agus ar Shráid na Teamhrach. Díolann said bia sláintiúil agus ar bheagán calraí. Bíonn ceapaire, caoineoga agus bróinse ar fail gach lá. Mar sin féin, is iad na spisialtachtaí atá iontu ná pancóga próitéin. Tá an praghas tosaigh do pancóga ná €10. Tá rogha leathan ann, d’fhéadfá leamhachán, cíobhaí nó uachtar cnó coco. Tá atmaisféar suaimhneach ann. B’fhiú go mór triail a bhaint as an gceann seo! Ná bí gan Brother Hubbard. Ní féidir an suíomh a shárú le bialanna i Shráid Harrington agus Shráid Chéipil. Tá biachlár mealltach ag an mbialann seo. Tá rogha de thrí cineálacha leite ar an biachlar. Clasaic, suáilceach agus caor. Comh maith leis sin, tá mias tionlacain ar fail cosúil le abhacád, uibheacha friochta, ubh scallta agus arán gan ghlútan. Tairgeann said pancóga séasúrach go hiontach. Má tá fonn ort féin, tá suíocháin faoin spear ar fhail. Tá Meet Me in The Morning suite in áit lárnach ar Shráid Pleasants.

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Bialann siopa beag den seandéanamh atá ann agus tá raon leathan bia ar fail ar an biachlár

Bialann siopa beag den seandéanamh atá ann agus tá raon leathan bia ar fail ar an biachlár. Tá táirgí orgánacha ar fail agus tá an bia sláintiúil. Tá an bia an-bhlasta, ceann amháin is fear na an ‘Hash’, seo é prátaí McNally, biatas, ubh scallta agus uachtar gear. Tá praghas €12 air seo. Ba choir duit an donnog cnó coill. A leithéid d’aoibhneas! Suite ar Shráid Sheoirse Mhór Theas is é San Lorenzo bialann níos mó ardleibhéil. Chuirfeadh biachlár na bialainne uisce le do char. Tá rogha iontach béilí acu. Tá sé beagán daor ach úsáideann an bialann comhábhair ardchaighdeáin. Tairgeann said rudaí cosúil le tacos bróinse agus Coco Pops tósta francach brioscánach. Tá sé sin dochreidte! Tá béilí veigeatóracha ar fáil cosúil le ‘Veggie Breakfast’ seo é prataí, muisiriún, trátaí, spionáiste, asparagus, uibheacha friochta agus anlann trátaí. Tá sé seo thar a bheith blasta! An chéad uair eile a bheidh sibh faoin mbaile féach ar na háiteanna seo!

Naoise Darby | Irish Editor

n torann gránna, an fuil agus putóga ag snámh san uisce gorm agus eite in aice láimhe. Tá an radharc seo ón scannán fíor cáiliúil ‘Jaws’, ceann de na scannáin ab fhearr riamh. Bíonn faitíos ag daoine nuair a bhíonn siad san uisce mar gheall ar an stiúrthóir scannán Steven Spielberg. Chum John Williams fuaimrian cumhachtach corraitheach. Tá an príomh ceol téama inaitheanta do go leor daoine, idir liath agus leanbh. Tá an cheoil aitheantais cosúil leis an fharraige, tá luas gasta agus mall, bog agus glórach le feiceáil i rith an píosa. Níor raibh an scannán seo éasca go praiticiúil, bhraith an stiúideo scannánaíochta go raibh an obair ag dul sa treo mícheart. Ach bhí aisling ag Spielberg, d’éirigh leis, de neart tola. Cruthaítear atmaisféar mealltach, mistéireach sa scannán ón tús, agus tá an mothúchán ceanna sa fuaimrian. Tá teideal uafásach ar an píosa tar éis an cheoil aitheantais, “Chrissie’s Death”. Ligean do dhaoine a cheapadh go bhfuil gach rud go breá don scannán ar fad. Tá uachtar reoite i nóiméad amháin agus scéin sa nóiméad eile. Is cóiriú é an scannán seo ar an leabhar. D’athraigh Spielberg go léir

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Leis an dul chun cinn sa teicneolaíocht tá rudaí nua atá scanraitheach ach níl aon rud in ann scéin an uisce neamhchinnte a sáraigh

rudaí ón leabhar, tá an- éagsúlacht idir na charachtair. Tá Martin Brody nó ‘Chief Brody’ beagán difriúil sa leabhar. Sa scannán bhí sé éasca ionbhá a léiriú leis. Is scannán fíorspéisiúil é, chuirfeadh an scannán gliondar ar do chroí beagnach caoga bliain ina dhiaidh an eisigh. Is ea an radharc deireanach an ceann is fearr i mo bharúil féin, tá an teannas agus an práinn inmhothaithe. Déanann an scannán laoch de Brody ach is féidir an siorc bán mór é a mharú agus d’fhéadfadh sé sin tarlú am ar bith. Ach tá raidhfil aige agus chuir sé umar scúbadóireacht i mbéal ‘Jaws’. Cúpla soicind níos déanaí, tá an siorc marbh agus tá an tromluí millteanach thart. Bhí mé faoi dhraíocht ag áilleacht an cheoil agus an siorc ag titim tríd an uisce dorcha, marbh go deo. Bhí an scannán seo thar a bheith rathúil ag an am. Bhí an buiséad seacht milliún ach timpeall an domhain tháining siad ina sluaite chun é a fheiceáil agus thuill an scannán timpeall ceithre chéad milliún. Bhí an-rath go deo ar an scannán sna pictiúrlanna. Thosaigh an scannán seo ár oibseisiún le siorcanna agus an faitíos gan bhunús go bhfuil gach duine ag snámh i bhfarraigí atá beo le siorcanna. Is docha go bhfuil Éire sábháilte sa chás seo. Tá an scannán seo fadbhunaithe inár gcultúr agus tá an tóir atá air ag dul i méid i gcónaí. Leis an dul chun

Credit: Kevin Dooley

An Feiniméan Marthanach De ‘Jaws’

cinn sa teicneolaíocht tá rudaí nua atá scanraitheach ach níl aon rud in ann scéin an uisce neamhchinnte a sáraigh. Tá dothuarthacht scáfar don glúin ‘Instagram’ ach béidir tá sé sin i gcás an uimhir atá acu de ‘is maith liom’ ar

na meáin shóisialta! Tá ‘Jaws’ dochreidte mar tugann an scannán luathrabhadh don lucht féachana, ach cosúil le híospartaigh an siorc, is féidir an scannán seo teacht aniar aduaidh orainn.

Gaeilge A Feabhsú

Gaeilge

Troid i gCoinne Neamhord Mothachtálach Séasúrach Bealaí chun an intinne slainte a fheabhsu i geimhreadh

Is féidir linn é a shábháil

á an teanga seanda seo andeacair, is streachailt bhuan é domsa. Tá buneolas agam ar an nGaeilge ach is breá liom an teanga gleoite seo. Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste, ná Béarla cliste. Tá botúin dosheachanta: Caithfidh tú díriú go hiomlán ar an iarracht ach is iontach an gaisce é nuair a bhíonn aon sórt feabsú déanta agat. Tá sé ciontach nuair a bhíonn crua a chur ar dhuine ach seanscéal agus meirg air. Tá sé tábhachtach tosach maith a dhéanamh. Cleachtadh le do chairde: B’fhéidir go bhfuil sé seo deacair agus leadránach duit! Níl gach duine ag iarraidh caint faoi Love Island i nGaeilge. Ach is féidir na focail a fhoghlaim le chéile, tá sé buntáiste nuair a bhíonn tú ar do laethanta saoire gan amhras ar bith. Céard faoin teilifís?: Má tá spéis agat i sobalchlár, tá an t-ádh ort inniu. Tá an clár Ros na Rún thar cinn agus tá sé iontach le haghaidh do chuid obair cluasach. Is féidir an dá thrá a

fhreastal, siamsaíocht agus oideachas. Léitheoireacht: Féach ar na leabhair sa sraith Harry Potter, aistríodh na leabhair go Gaeilge. Nílimid ag dul i muinín leithscéalta níos mó. Tá neart deiseanna againn an teanga a labhairt agus tá an teanga seo an-tábhachtach dúinn i gcás ár gcultúr agus ár féiniúlacht Éireannach. Bród agus grá: Caithfidh tú glac leis an dteanga agus an stair a fhoghlaim chun grá agus bród an teanga a spreagadh. Dar liomsa is í an Ghaeilge an teanga is galánta ar an domhain agus caithfimid rud éigin a dhéanamh faoin laghdaigh. An Córas Oideachais: Tá seans ag an rialtas rud éigin a dhéanamh, rud práinneach. Caithfimid athrú ó bhun a chur ar na bpolasaí oideachais agus an teanga a fhoghlaim ón tús. Nascann teanga daoine le chéile agus tá an teanga seo ag meathlú. Cá bhfuil an fearg on phobail? Tá an seanfhocal seo thíos oiriúnach sa chás seo, ‘Ní neart go cur le chéile’. Tá an rialtas in ann cuir in aithne acht gaelscoil, mar sin beith gach uile dalta in Éirinn líofa sa teanga. I 2040 beidh an Gaeilge rathúil, níl ann ach smaoineamh.

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Credit: Public Domain Pictures

Naoise Darby | Irish Editor

Beth Molloy | Irish Editor

Credit: Maria Belhassan

Tá seans ag an rialtas rud éigin a dhéanamh, rud práinneach

á an geimhreadh ann. Tá na laethanta ag éirí níos gairide agus tá sé ag éirí níos fuaire. De bharr an bhua sin tosaionn roinnt daoine ag fulaingt le droch slainte intinne. Seo é neamhord mothachtálach séasúrach. I measc rudaí eile is feidir neamhchodladh agus fadhbanna fócasú ar na comharthaí. Chomh maith le sin, b’fhéidir go bhfuil tú ag mothú spadánta, faoi smúit nó seas gur thug tú faoi deara go bhfuil athrú ann le do bia nó gloite. Téimis in gleic leis na fadhbanna seo anois. De réir an Sláinte Intinne na hÉirinn, bíonn duine as gach cúig cinn déag ag fulaingt le neamhrod mothachtálach séasúrach idir an mí Mheán Fómhair agus mí Aibreáin. Tá go leor le freagairt ag an aimsir sa tír seo. Tá sé tabhachtach i rith an geimhreadh gur faigheann daoine go leor solas nadurtha. Ba chor go mbeadh ar daoine go bhfuil siad amuigh faoin aer nuair a tá an ghrian ag taitneamh. Tá ról an- tábhachtach ag vitimín D sa troid in aghaidh neamhord mothachtálach séasúrach. Is fiú dua a chaitheamh cupla euro san forlíonadh vitimíní. Mar aon le sin, is rud maith é teiripe solais. Tá tú abalta boscaí solais a cheannach. Is féidir leis na soilse seo

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Tá go leor le freagairt ag an aimsir seo

dúiseacht tú ar maidin. Feidhmíonn an solais mar an ghrian sa maidin agus lasann sé suas an seomra. In aineoin an oícheanta agus maidineacha dorcha an gheimhridh tá sé tábhachtach gnáthamh codlata maith a bheith agat. Buailimis bóthar. Déan iarracht aclaíocht rialta a dhéanamh. Má tá an aimsir uafasach buail an meaisín reatha nó dean iarracht ar ióga. Faigheann ióga réidh le strus fisiciúil agus intinne. Smaoineamh ar dul ar laethanta saoire. Éalú ón an dorcha agus an fuar. Tá sé tábhachtach saol sóisialta maith a choinneáil. Bualadh le cairde go minic agus déan pleananna chun dul amach le daoine. Ná bí i bhfolach sa teach agus ina gcónaí istíl mhaireachtála neamhghníomhach. Cabhraíonn siúlóid mhaith chun do cheann a ghlanadh. Má tá tú fós ag mothú go dona faigh cabhair. Uaireanta, bíonn leighes no cóireáil ag teastail chun an slainte a fheabhsú.

DCU is lacking supports for student parents Student parents in DCU struggle to find time to study, integrate with their peers, and support their families while attending the university

eán Power said, “I was already in college when my wife became pregnant.” Power is the father of a little girl, and also a final year journalism student in DCU. His daughter was born in May, just after he had finished the second year of his course. DCU does not have any extensive policies on parents who are studying at their college, particularly for fathers of young children. There are some policies in place if a student becomes pregnant, and some policies on breastfeeding, however, once the child is born there seems to be no further support for parents. Power said that now he struggles the most with finding study time while managing his parental duties. “It can be difficult, particularly because I’m in my final year. I’m in college Monday to Wednesday and for the rest of the week I’m in Arklow, Co Wicklow looking after my daughter when she’s not in her creche, so it can be hard to find study time.” he said, noting also that having support at home has been key to finding the right balance. Yvonne Keenan-Ross, a multimedia student in DCU, has two kids - Luke

(17) and Carla (14). “I drop the kids to school in the mornings and then I go to college, luckily most of my lectures don’t start until 10… It’s a bit harder than the other students in the class because they don’t have the responsibility of parents,” Keenan-Ross said. Keenan-Ross has found during her time in DCU that it is difficult to mix with others in the course, as a mature student. “You will be excluded. There will be nice kids in the class, most of them won’t want anything to do with you. There’s around 60 of us in the class, I’d say a handful of those kids have ever even said hello to me… I’m not asked to participate in anything, not asked into groups,” There is a Mature Students Society in DCU which meets regularly, mostly to help with the feeling of exclusion often noted by mature students, however not being able to integrate fully with your class is a struggle which has few solutions. “You think you’re going back to college life and you’re going to have all this social life, the staff in DCU are lovely, it’s not the college experience like when you were leaving school… you just have to put up with the fact that you’re older and that 90 per cent of the people in college don’t want to have anything to do with you.” Keenan-Ross said. In contrast to DCU’s policies, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has

a full policy on supporting “student parents and pregnant students” that extends much further. In TCD’s policy, they state that “(the) College believes that being or becoming responsible for a child or dependent adult should not, in itself, be a barrier to a student succeeding in, or completing a programme of study.” TCD has a student parent group that meets during term time, crèche and daycare facilities on campus, and maternal/paternal/adoptive leave While TCD does not have any specific breastfeeding facilities, they do have a “breastfeeding friendly campus”. In this one regard, DCU does better as it has put in place facilities on campus for breastfeeding. These breastfeeding facilities were of little help to Power. “The first 2 years of college were very difficult for me as I went through some extenuating circumstances… I really wish I could have been involved with the college paper, radio, societies... just really have been immersed in the college life but unfortunately that part was out of my control,” he said. All DCU students, including parents who are studying, can avail of DCU student supports. These include counselling, which has a reputation for its long waiting lists and a lack of support for more serious and diverse mental health issues. There are also online self-help resources, and workshops on campus covering

multiple topics aimed to support your mental health. The DCU website also links to external supports students can access. “Thankfully my wife is supportive and helps me so much when she’s not in work… As long as you have the support and help from your family and friends it will truly fly by.” If you do, however, become pregnant while studying at DCU there is some structure to create plans to accommodate for how your life may

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I drop the kids to school in the mornings, and then I go to college

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Béibhinn Thorsch | Deputy Features Editor @BeibhinnJourno

change and how your studies may be affected. “A student who becomes pregnant during the course of her studies is advised to consult with a Student Advisor in the Student Advice Centre… to discuss all aspects (academic, personal and financial) of her pregnancy.” states the DCU Student Pregnancy Policy. The policy does suggest deferring as an option, and says “The University will respect the student’s wishes as far as this is practicable....”. Risk assessments are asked to be carried out for students involved in strenuous activity or lab work in their programme. DCU could benefit from further daycare facilities for young children, as in DCU for health & safety and to avoid disruption of classes or study, students are not technically permitted to bring a baby into classes or areas where other students could be disturbed. The DCU Student Pregnancy Policy is only reviewed every five years, with the most recent revision in 2018. DCU does have some policies in place also to support students financially through the Higher Education Authority (HEA) which they say “may cover fees in a repeat year where evidence of complications in pregnancy are provided” however they also say the student must investigate this herself. As for first-hand advice for parents who are studying, Seán Power said “I’d tell any other parent who was thinking of returning to education that it’s so worthwhile... I decided to return because it’s so important for me to get this degree for many reasons, namely that it will hopefully help me get a full-time job and provide for my family.”. “I’d just advise new parents to do what I did and defer for one year to give yourself time to become accustomed to parenthood because it’s certainly a shock to the system at first!” Power said, saying that deferring was the best option for him at the time. Keenan-Ross believes that it is important to be passionate about what you choose to study. “You get into a routine and it just gets easier if its what you want to do, it might be a good idea to do a PLC first just to get you back into the swing of things, to give you an idea academically of what’s required of you before you go back in and do a degree,” she said. “If you don’t love it you won’t be able to commit to it, you can only make those sacrifices if you’re doing something you’re really enjoying doing.”.

Features

Apprenticeships grow in popularity but not in pay

Continuing your education in an academic environment may not be the answer for all, however, the draw to apprenticeships in recent years may be a reason for increasingly uncompetitive pay

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...many believe they should be afforded the same benefits as students, such as discounts on travel

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given travel expenses by his company he still believes an allowance to pay for college should be given: “Different apprenticeships have different wages, luckily with the company I work for they pay my travel expenses, so that helps out big time but most companies don’t. You do a good bit of work for €295 a week and are expected to overtime as an apprentice and don’t get paid a lot extra if you even do get anything. “We have to pay a €2,000 to go (to college) and after being on those wages it’s hard to save up that money,” he said. Apprentices in Ireland are exempt from applying for a SUSI grant, meaning they must rely solely on their income to pay for the academic part of their qualification. Most apprentices must also pay for their accommodation if they are going to college, despite not being given the choice to choose which college they attend and the rising costs of student accommodation across the country. One apprentice said they work 20 hours at the weekend in order to save money for their fees and potential accommodation costs for college as well as working 40 hours a week minimum in their apprenticeship. Quentin O’Reilly, a metal fabrication apprentice from Wicklow said that nearly half of his weekly wage

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ontinuing your education in an academic environment may not be the answer for all, however, the draw to apprenticeships in recent years may be a reason for increasingly uncompetitive pay. Apprenticeships in Ireland have become increasingly popular in recent years, seeing a 25 per cent increase from 2016 to 2017 alone. As the Leaving Cert points requirements and expectations of third level institutions increase, many students are taking the route of on the job learning and steering away from the classroom. School leavers also have far more options for apprenticeships than they did in 2008, where there were mainly craft apprenticeships such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical or motor mechanics. Apprenticeships in other fields have since opened up such as auctioneering, hospitality, finance, food and ICT. Many employers such as EBS and Aerlingus are actively seeking out female apprentices and going to girl’s schools to plant the seed in their heads as to why an apprenticeship might be the best route for them to take. Apprenticeships in Ireland typically have a minimum requirement of 50 per cent on the job making these the perfect alternatives for school leavers who want to leave the classroom behind them as much as possible. Most apprentices interviewed said that they chose to do an apprenticeship instead of going to college as they felt they would perform better doing something more practical and they found it easier to learn by doing than in the classroom. Director of apprenticeships and work-based training at Solas, Shauna Dunlop told the Irish Times that apprenticeship enrolments fell as low as 1600 in 2008 when the recession hit. They have risen to over 1600 in recent years, with pay being the most attractive draw. But despite the attractive incentive of being paid for their efforts while getting their qualification, many believe they should be afforded the same benefits as students, such as discounts on travel. According to Solas, the average goss pay a phase two craft apprentice earns in Ireland can range from €195 to €323 per week, depending on which industry they have chosen to pursue. Sean Kehoe, an electrical apprentice from Wexford said that despite being

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Lora Doyle | Contributor

pays for his digs while in college. “I don’t feel the wages I receive are enough for the hours and the graft I put in through a working day, especially first year rate. Receiving €270 a week in phase two and having to pay €120 a week for digs makes life tough from week to week,” he said Some of the apprentices interviewed also said they are often asked to do overtime or work on jobs without the supervision of their employer and they are seldom paid any extra for doing so. However, there are some apprentices and students who believe the wage they are given is enough for most people and grants and discounts should be left solely to students who are in educations full time. Dean Gilroy, an electrical apprentice from Dublin said he does not see why apprenticeships should be afforded the same benefits as students considering they get paid for the work they do. “Everyone has their own stuff going on but I don’t see why we should get things like that. I think in some cases people should be eligible for a grant for half of the (college) fees even if they met certain criteria because first year apprentices get paid about €250 a week and a lot are paying to travel to work

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but everyone is different,” Dean said. Gilroy also noted that most universities give apprentices student cards while they are studying. UniDays, an online platform where students can verify themselves to various retailers in order to get discounts will also give apprentices these discounts as long as their university has given them a student card. Kirsty Dowdall, a final-year journalism student, believes that the discounts and grants given to students should be exclusive to them due to the fact that apprenticeships are paid while students must rely on grants and parttime jobs to pay for their degrees. “I get that they’re apprentices and it is a form of learning but it’s more of a job. They’re getting paid while they’re learning as opposed to students who are often paying their way through college and don’t have the luxury of being able to spend their money on themselves. It’s a tough one but at the same time it’s not that different to just being a part of the working world,” Kirsty said. Apprenticeships can be a great way for students to receive their qualifications without the hurdles of the CAO points system and the commitment to four more years in an academic environment. However, there is a gap in terms of the pay most apprentices receive for their efforts and the cost of living. It is unclear if there will be any efforts made to combat this by either SOLAS or the Higher Education Authority.

Features

Ireland’s protesters against direct provision

Direct Provision has been repeatedly criticised by migrant rights groups due to the length of time people remain in centres while their asylum applications are processed, the conditions of centres and the psychological effects on those living in these centres

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Conor Breslin| Sports Editor @ConorBreslin10

In 2016, figures from the EU agency, Eurostat, showed Ireland was at the bottom of the league for accepting refugees.

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uring the month of October, Sinn Fein TD Martin Kenny said he had received death threats after he spoke out in Dáil Eireann against far-right elements in Irish society using antiimmigrant rhetoric. Kenny’s remarks were spurred by the aftermath of the 2019 Grays Incident in Essex, and recent protests against the building of a Direct Provision centre for over 100 asylum seekers in his own home constituency in County Leitrim. On October 28th, this boil up began to spill over when Kenny’s car was set ablaze outside his family home in Aughavas. While nobody was harmed and the incident was condemned by politicians from all different parties across the country, protests seemed to continue in preventing asylum seekers from entering their hometown. Historically, thousands of Irish men and women have left their homes and lives to scatter to the four corners of the globe in hope for a better tomorrow. While they built their new lives they often did so through great hardship and discrimination, only for them to leave behind a better future for their family. Overtime eventually the image and racial perception of the Irish abroad changed radically and became overwhelmingly accepted. This week nearly 400 local people have signed up to man round-the-clock protest shifts in Ballinamore against plans to house up to 130 asylum seekers in the town. According to the Journal.ie there are currently 38 existing direct provision centres operating at full capacity and an additional 1,400 people are being housed in 34 emergency accommodation centres. The department is expected to spend €120 million on direct provision this year, a 50 percent increase on last year, with the majority of the money going to private operators. To illustrate the scale of accommodation required, over 1,000 people currently live in emergency accommodation. By comparison, 800 people live in Mosney, Co Meath, by far Ireland’s largest Direct Provision centre. People in Ballinamore do have genuine concerns about the services they have in such a small town being impacted by the sudden arrival of a relatively large group of people. However, the attack on Martin Kenny takes this story to what many believe to be an unacceptable and deplorable level. While there are locals who are legitimately annoyed at the lack of consultation before asylum seekers

arrive, there is also a sinister element infiltrating the protests. Just this week a motion calling on the Department of Justice to amend the plan of accommodating 130 asylum seekers in Ballinamore town has been passed by Leitrim County Council. Fine Gael Councillor Reynolds Flynn has stated that Ballinamore is not saying no to the asylum seekers, and said that she had the utmost sympathy and empathy for them. However, she felt strongly that the number being proposed is too many. She said they are being asked to take the equivalent of 15 percent of their population and that instead perhaps 3 percent would be more acceptable. In Achill, The Achill Head Hotel was earmarked to provide emergency

short-term accommodation to 13 women who have come to Ireland seeking international protection. However, the plan has been postponed due to ongoing protests. Fianna Fail Councillor Paul McNamara said locals believe the Achill Head Hotel is not a suitable location for emergency accommodation. “We are happy to integrate asylum seekers looking to start a new life into our villages and local schools in a different manner. We as a community are deeply disappointed that we were not afforded the opportunity to do so,” McNamara said. The story of Ireland and asylum seekers is nothing new and has a long history. In 1999 Deirdre McCarthy conducted an RTE interview with then

twenty-five-year-old Nigerian lawyer Irene Oshodi-Glover who stated at the time that since her arrival in Ireland she said she has experienced nothing but racial insults and accusations of coming to Ireland for financial benefits and allowances. In 2016, figures from the EU agency, Eurostat, showed Ireland was at the bottom of the league for accepting refugees. That year Ireland also had the highest level of refusals for asylum seekers in the EU, turning down more than 90 percent of those who arrived here seeking refuge. In that 12-month period, Ireland received less than 10 percent of asylum applicants to similar-sized EU states. Denmark, with a population of 5.4m, accepted 21,000 asylum

applicants; Norway, with a population of 5m, accepted 28,000 applicants. Ireland is recorded by Eurostat as receiving only 2,780 applicants in 2016 and just over 3,000 in 2018. According to the Journal.ie, since 1999 there has been a sharp increase in the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland. In favour of asylum seekers, Direct Provision has been repeatedly criticised by migrant rights groups due to the length of time people remain in centres while their asylum applications are processed, the conditions of centres and the psychological effects on those living in these centres. It’s estimated that over 60,000 asylum seekers have been placed in Direct Provision since its introduction.

Sally Madden | Deputy News Editor

t age 15, Jack Cooley sat in a transition year sex education workshop and felt like a sexual pervert. What if a question he asked made his peers realise he was gay? What if his family found out? The volunteer running the workshop had just said that while homosexual men and women said they had sex, they didn’t really. “Real sex”, she said, was between a man and a woman. At age 11, his teacher had told the class that sometimes boys had “crushes” on boys but made it sound like once his hormones calmed down, those feelings would disappear. “At first, this relieved me because I thought my own feelings would go away with time, but then made me become more panicked as I got older and my feelings didn’t go anywhere,” Cooley, who is now 20 years old and studying in Queen’s University Belfast, said. He says that the lack of information given to children and adolescents about LGBTQ+ issues during his sex education added to the sense of isolation he felt at the time. “I felt I was doomed to live my life in secrecy… It just made me feel like an “other” who only really existed outside of regular society and would never understand what it is to be a real person,” he said. Unfortunately, Cooley’s experience is not an isolated one. Sex education was officially introduced to Irish schools in 1999 and hasn’t been reviewed since. Caroline West, a doctoral Scholar in Sexual Studies at DCU says that the government’s failure to update Relationships and Sex Education is a result of a culture sexual repression. “Sex education in Ireland is lacking in adopting a comprehensive approach that empowers people to make decisions about sex when they are ready to have sex. A comprehensive approach

Sex Education in Ireland Sex education was officially introduced to Irish schools in the 1999 and hasn’t been reviewed since

provides information on contraception, consent, pleasure, and communication skills,” she said. “It has been 20 years since Ireland introduced RSE to the Irish curriculum. I think a review has not been a priority for governments as anything to do with sex was generally avoided. We have had a culture of shame and stigma about sex and sexuality in Ireland for a long time.” “But Ireland has changed socially and culturally and there is more openness now to discuss these topics in a calm, informed way,” she added A review conducted by the government in April of this year found that Ireland’s current sex education was largely abstinence-based, with much of it focusing on the risk factors involved with sexual activity and the biological aspect of reproduction. According to the review, students, like Cooley, felt that they received little information about LGBT issues, information about unhealthy relationships, or consent. The review was based off answers from more than 5,000 students, teachers and parents, along with in-depth consultations with almost 25 schools.

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We have had a culture of shame and stigma about sex and sexuality in Ireland for a long time

Following the publication of this report, the Education Committee said that consent was only “touched upon” in the current relationship and sex education, and recommended that it become an integral part of the RSE curriculum. RSE programmes also seem to fail some girls in regards to educating them about menstruation. According to a study conducted by Plan International Ireland, 15 per cent of girls didn’t know what was happening when they first got their period. An additional 43 per cent said they had no idea what to do when it started. Abbey Downing (20), who attended both primary and secondary school in Skerries, said that by the time she was ever taught about menstruation in school, she had already had her first period. “By the time we got that talk majority of girls in the class had already gotten their periods and were just like ‘we know what it is’,” she said. As a gay woman, she also feels let down by the lack of LGBTQ+ content in her SPHE class, saying: “It probably would have been a lot easier for me to understand what was happening

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in my mind and for the future, it would have been nice to know.” However, efforts are being made to reform this. The Provision of Objective Sex Education Bill was published in April 2018 and was sponsored by Solidarity-People Before Profit TDs Ruth Coppinger, Paul Murphy and Mick Barry. It is currently making its way through the Oireachtas and contains provisions for education on consent, gender, sexuality, termination of pregnancy and contraception. If passed, the bill would amend the Education Act 1998 to ensure that the rights of students to receive factual and objective information on relationships and sexuality regardless of the school’s ethos. Under current legislation, schools are entitled to tweak the sex education programme according to their ethos because of laws which protect their characteristic spirit. However, this bill is not guaranteed to become law. While the government has not opposed it so far, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have expressed concern that enshrining curriculum requirements in legislation could limit changes to curriculum and teaching in the long-term. The Provision of Objective Sex Education Bill recently attracted attention, when Neil O’Mahony, a Renua local election candidate in Galway City East claimed that children between 0-4 years old could be taught about masturbation if the bill became law. O’Mahoney was proven to be mistaken and the sex education bill will not lead to children between the ages of 0-4 being taught about masturbation. Reflecting on his sex education now Cooley, who is open with and proud of his homosexuality, says he’s simply angry. “I and other queer kids could’ve avoided years of self-hatred and depression had the adults in our lives just been a bit more tolerant. It also breaks my heart to think that there are still kids in school today feeling like that.”

Sport

Shinty U-21 glory as DCU Fencers take home Gold and Ryan represents Ireland Bronze in Cork against Scotland

ast year’s series took place in Inverness so the Irish team held the home advantage this year with the games taking place in the National Games Development Centre in Abbottstown, Saturday, November 2nd. The Limerick and South Liberties clubman got a call from manager Willie Cleary just over a month ago asking did he want to represent his country in the series. For Ryan, there was only one answer. These international matches between Hurling and Shinty teams have been taken place since 1896. Historically, Scotland has been the more victorious team. Shinty was derived from the same roots as hurling with there being very little dissimilarity differentiating the two sports. The gameplay is almost identical with exception of the ball never being picked up and only goals can be scored in shinty. In the international series, to make the contest a just one, the Irish players are not permitted to pick up the ball or have the ball in hand, therefore, catching is against the rules and punished by awarding the opposition a free. Ryan found this to be rather challenging, “Not being able to catch the ball made it really difficult. Every time you got it [the ball] you kind of had to find an outlet and get rid of it straight away because if you hold onto it too long you run the risk of getting a belt”, he said. As a result of the rule, the tempo of the game was quite intermittent in comparison with that of a hurling match, with the gameplay being slowed down as rucks for the ball would form. Approaching a new game and new rules was certainly challenging, Ryan credits his managers for gaining insight and knowing what to expect from the game. They gave us good tips, we were warned how physical it would be heading into the match so we weren’t surprised, and it was physical,” Ryan said. That physicality showed and it was to the detriment of some of the play-

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Ireland dominated, scoring four goals in the opening ten minutes of the second half

ers, “it was quite dirty and there were a lot of injuries”, Ryan added. The Limerick man was joined on the team by fellow DCU teammates James Dolan from Kildare and Donal Burke from Dublin. Representing his country was a proud moment for the Accounting & Finance student and something he always wanted to achieve, “It was very good obviously and to do it in my last year of eligibility, playing with other lads from around the country, you never really get to do that,” Ryan told The College View. The Scots led 4-1 to 1-9 at half time, however, once proceedings got back underway Ireland dominated, scoring four goals in the opening ten minutes of the second half. The Irish defence looked indomitable after the break, allowing the visitors to register only a solitary point as Ireland went onto win 7-11 to 4-2. Unfortunately, the U-21’s did not set the tone for the Ireland senior team who ended up losing out to Scotland by a score of 5-11 to 0-04.

Gabriel Berg and Kevin Ledwith both won medals in the Schull Novice Cup Conor Breslin | Sports Editor @conorbreslin10

CU Fencing has recorded one of their best tournament victories in the last few years as they took home Gold and Bronze in the Schull Novice Cup last week in UCC. Beginner Gabriel Berg, who won bronze at the Novice competition in Galway last March, impressed this time around by taking home Gold, whilst Kevin Ledwith took home bronze. The Schull Novice is a competition for beginners in fencing who have less than two years’ experience, with DCU sending 14 members to Cork to compete on November 2nd and 3rd. Kevin Ledwith spoke to The College View saying, “I’m extremely surprised and happy with the result. I went into the placement matches 7th and 3rd overall in the men’s épée. I’ve been training hard three times a week and thankfully the result paid

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Credit: Brian Ryan

Daniel Phelan | Contributor

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DCU student Brian Ryan was part of the Irish team that came out on top in the annual Under 21 Hurling Shinty International clash with Scotland

I’ve been training hard three times a week and thankfully the result paid off

off.” Speaking to DCU Fencing captain, Brigita Armonaite said, “this is one of the best results DCU has had in a long time. It is especially great since we have hired a new fencing coach this year, James Bardon, who has done a fantastic job, and we expect many more impressive results in the coming months.” Due to fencing being a minority sport in Ireland, many of the competitors who join the club in DCU are beginners, so much of the training is revolving around learning the basics of the game with a certain level of fitness done at the start of the year. “We train three times a week with a lot of work on the basics. We try and master our footwork, stances, lunges, defence and counterattacks. Due to the fact DCU is one of the last universities to start back in the college year, we have to quickly get all beginners up to speed in preparation for the Schull Novice Cup,” said Armonaite. For Irish fencing, all eyes will be on DCU next semester as the Intervarsity Fencing Championship, the biggest event of the year for university fencing will be held in the Glasnevin campus next March, while DCU are also hoping to continue to run their own competition, The Winter Blaze. “I have been to the Intervarsity’s for past three years now, last year DCU came fifth in NUIG which I found was a good result. For Irish fencing it is one you just want to be a part of,” said Armonaite. The Analytical Science student also added that, while DCU Fencing hope to run their Winter Blade competition this year, like last year they have no venue currently to host it but are expecting to bring the event to the National Pentathlon centre in Blanchardstown. For club organizer and former 1964 and 1968 fencing Olympian Michael Ryan, the event will happen and fall into place, it’s just currently at a working progress.

Sport

Rebuilding DCU squad struggle to pass IT Carlow

arlow Institute of Technology beat the DCU ladies’ rugby side with considerable ease as early scoring aided their way to a 40-27 win, despite a late surge for DCU. On a showery night in Carlow the game began as it would eventually go on, even in the set piece, beset by handling errors and with plenty of space in the backfield. The first demonstration of all these came after three minutes; DCU came to within two metres of the tryline thanks in part to great ground gain from centre Sophie Gibney. However a knock-on by DCU meant that the games first scoring chance ended in a scrum for Carlow. The scrum itself was disciplined and neither side was overpowering, but IT Carlow scrumhalf Nicole Kirwan released winger Jane Ryan after the scrum, Ryan finding space to run from behind their own 22 to score the games first try under the posts, leaving an easy kick for Natasja Behan to convert. After the restart DCU showed some promise, highlight plays including stealing an IT Carlow lineout and good box kicking to bring the play to the five metre line. However Carlow stole a DCU lineout at the five, but the momentum was gained again after fullback Kirara Kasahara ran well to

bring the ball and the pressure back to Carlow’s defence. After a short series of plays number eight Nikki Gibson brought the ball over the line, however it seemed that a try was prevented, but after a long discussion by the referee a penalty try was awarded to DCU, the conversion attempt missed by Sophie Gibney. For the remainder of the half the momentum of play swung Carlow’s way, a converted try soon after the restart was followed by a fantastic piece of play by Aisling Brosnan, who broke a tackle and released Bethany Sharpe on the left wing for an excellent try before the half, which ended 19-5 due to the missed conversion attemp. DCU needed to begin the second half strongly to have a chance of unsettling the home side in search for victory, but the opposite happened as IT Carlow scored straight from the off. DCU couldn’t control the ball after the kick off, and 2 phases later flanker Jessica Schmidt was over the line to secure the bonus point try for carlow, which Behan duly converted. It went from bad to worse for DCU, great inter-linking play from the back trio of Sharpe, Brosnan and Meabh O’Brien made great use of space and missed tackles by DCU, culminating in a try by Brosnan who found a gap at the halfway mark to run i the sore, which was again converted by Behan. DCU struck back, however, to seize their second try, making great use of the brawn and strength of the forward line as they went to the maul to finish

off a fine period of play, the conversion attempt missed by Gibney from a difficult angle. IT Carlow then went 40-10 ahead before the 60 minute mark, DCU again losing possession after the kick-off to invite Carlow pressure, which ended up in a try by forward Michelle Femmi, the conversion good once again from Behan. DCU improved on many aspects of their game for the rest of the match, the previous trend of missing tackles and needing multiple players to make a successful defensive stop seemed to be replaced by stronger tacking. This renewed momentum inspired a powerful display by the forwards to drive over DCU’s third try, touched down by Makayla McCormack and converted by Gibney. With time running low DCU looked to come out of the game with a bonus point, and did so right at the death, a strong period of play behind the IT Carlow 22 finished as McCormack, filling in the number eight role in the scrum, picked the ball up from the scrum to cross the 5 metres that separated DCU from their bonus point. DCU then ended the game with a fifth try, a fantastic pass to Eimear Corri gave her space to run on the left wing to touch down in the corner, the difficult conversion attempt only barely missed and was last kick of the game. The late surge displayed the potential this DCU team have, but was too little too late to gain anything more than a bonus point.

DCU Ladies triumphant at Hockey Intervarsities in Kilkenny

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Katie Lowry| Contributor

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Shane Brennan | Deputy Sports Editor @ShaneBrennan247

It was a great tournament for DCU hockey with our men’s team reaching the final and the ladies winning.

CU Ladies Hockey team claim The Chilean Plate with a close 5-4 victory against CIT in the final in Kilkenny, alongside DCU Men who came runners up The Irish Universities and Colleges Hockey Association hosted the Hockey Express All Ireland Mauritius and Chilean Plate competitions on October 27th and 28th in Kilkenny College School. DCU’s men and ladies’ hockey teams competed alongside the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, NUI Maynooth, Carlow Institute of Technology, UL, NUI Galway, Athlone Institute of Technology and Technological University Dublin all competing in the annual intervarsity plate competition. The Ladies started off their campaign with a convincing 12-1 against Maynooth and the men followed in similar style with a 6-0 win also against Maynooth. DCU men took their turn hitting double figures in their second match winning 10-3 against RCSI. This was followed by a tight game for the men against NUIG in the semi-finals where they were defeated 2-1. All was not

lost as NUIG were forced to withdraw, making DCU the finalists. DCU ladies beat RCSI 5-2 in the semi-final to move swiftly into the final where they faced CIT. In an exciting and nail-biting finale DCU were triumphant in a 5-4 victory with goals from Alannah Rothwell, Kim O’Hare, Hannah Moynihan, Emma O’Sullivan and Claire Byrne. However, CIT got their revenge in the men’s final beating the boys from North Dublin 4-3 in another close match. DCU’s goalkeeper turned striker, David Lawless scored a phenomenal drag flick into the top corner in the final as well as clinching 10 goals in the tournament, making him DCU’s top goal scorer. DCU’s Men’s Captain, Will Eickholt said: “It was a great tournament for DCU hockey with our men’s team reaching the final and the ladies winning. We have a lot of new talented players this year and it is clear DCU hockey is going from strength to strength.” Irish international Sarah Torrans graced the pitch on both days of the tournament alongside Caitlin Sheerin and Katie Fearon who are also on the Under 21 Irish panel. The trio shone on the pitch throughout the weekend with their skill and touch of class.

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The team has really come on in the last few years and I’m really pleased with the results. “The team has really come on in the last few years and I’m really pleased with the results. Thanks to all the teams for participating and IUCHA for running such a successful tournament once again,” said Chairperson of DCU Hockey Sarah Kelly. The second intervarsity hockey competition will take place in February and is a mixed event, the location is not yet confirmed.the five metre line. However Carlow stole a DCU lineout at the five, but the momentum was gained again after fullback Kirara Kasahara ran well to

Sport

Kinghan represents Ireland at inaugural Rugby X Tournament in London

he tournament was set up by an English entrepreneur. For the ladies team it was based on points and not on knockout stages. The Irish ladies team put up a good fight but unfortunately were not successful in either games against England or the USA. The home nation would go on to be the victors winning the tournament in sudden death 1v1 against the USA. “We did put up a good fight but it didn't go our way losing both games. We didn’t have a lot of practice playing 5v5 leading up to the tournament and I think you could probably tell that when we were playing,” Kinghan said when asked about the X tournament. Lucinda who is only 19 years old has made several underage appearances for Ireland and this year has been capped twice for the Irish senior ladies squad in 7v7 and now in 5v5. She got her first senior cap for Ireland last summer in Ukraine. “I was only capped once for Ireland before and that was in Ukraine last summer. Rugby X was my second time representing Ireland,” Kinghan said. “It is such a privilege to represent Ireland, to be named as one of the top to represent your country in rugby is amazing, it is such a great opportunity and a lot of fun.” Currently Kinghan is contracted in

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Credit: Lucinda Kinghan

Aoife Breslin | Contributor

It is such a privilege to represent Ireland, to be named as one of the top to represent your country in rugby is amazing

playing 7v7 but said that she “enjoyed the new adventure” of playing 5v5. However she prefers to play 7v7 as it is what she is used to. Kinghan usually plays in the forward position on the pitch in 7v7 but takes up the wing position in 15v15. The Monaghan native started playing rugby at the age of fourteen, she joined her school rugby team and fell in love with the sport shortly after. “I started when I was fourteen, my older sister started playing first and of course I had to copy her,” Kinghan told The College View. With the Irish ladies rugby team Kinghan trains four days a week and trains with DCU the other days. Kinghan hopes to have a big future in rugby so she realises how much work and time she must invest into the sport. “I plan to stay playing 7’s and hopefully get a few more caps for Ireland, I want to be a bit more dominant on the world series. I would love to make my debut on it and be one of the main players, then hopefully make the Olympics,” Lucinda said when asked about the future. DCU ladies rugby has been very successful in recent years. They won the All-Ireland championship last year and are now in division one of the All-Ireland League. They are currently sitting comfortably at second in the league.

Women’s Football can be hard, but it’s worth it on cup final day DCU’s Lynn Craven talks about the high standards in women’s football

Shane Brennan | Deputy Sports Editor @ShaneBrennan247

CU Student Lynn Craven was among the successful Wexford Youths ladies team that ran out victors in the FAI Cup Final against Peamount United in the Aviva Stadium. Craven, who started the 3-2 thriller as a Wexford full-back said “every player in the league wants to be in the Aviva on that day because of the build up and the hype” and added that “It was a good game of football and it shows well for women’s football that the goals from both teams were very good.'' Although delighted with the win, Craven still desires for Wexford to keep up their high standards. “We’re thrilled, but to be honest it probably

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DCU has a good standard, it’s not that you’re going for just a little kick about, it’s competitive football

wasn’t a good year for us because we always have high standards after winning the treble last year, one trophy is not as we hoped” “It was the last trophy, we had to win it or else the 2019 season would have meant nothing, next year our goal is to get the treble,'' she added. The match was held as part of a double-header with the men's final, where Shamrock Rovers beat Dundalk on penalties, and although the men’s game grabbed the next day's headlines Craven says that female footballers put in the same level of dedication. “We’re training at the same times as them and we’re not given much in return whereas the men’s team could be getting paid, getting expenses covered for them, where a lot of us are paying ourselves to improve,” she said. “We all make sacrifices, a lot of girls have missed family weddings, I leave for training at 4 O’Clock in the day and I’m not back until maybe half

10 so it is a lot of commitment, but it’s all worth it in the end when you're winning, days like that you don't get back,” she added. Despite the success at national level Craven still sees the benefit of Third Level football for players, saying that “DCU has a good standard, (and) is good for a lot of girls who aren’t training with clubs”. “There are a lot of players who are playing national league football, so it’s not that you’re going for just a little kick about, it’s competitive football, and it helps because when you go back for preseason it’s not like you’ve been sitting around doing nothing” she added. The level of competitiveness in Women’s football is a contentious issue, with a divide in the league being visible between top teams like Shelbourne, Peamount and Wexford when compared to teams like Kilkenny United who, according to The Irish

Independent have had just one win in four years. On this Craven said that there are upcoming teams who threaten to make their mark on the top sides. “The league doesn't really reflect how good Galway are… Galway is one of the fixtures that everybody hates going to, and then you’ve Cork coming next aswell” she explained. “However, I do think there is a huge gap with the Kilkenny’s and the Limerick’s, and if they were better teams it would make ourselves better because we are playing higher quality games, the games you want to play,” she added.

INSIDE

DCU Fencers take home Gold and Bronze in Cork pg 21

Kilkenny ace Adrian Mullen wins GAA Young Hurler of the Year Award Conor Breslin | Sports Editor @conorbreslin10

back here again soon in an All-Ireland Final,” said John Mullane. Mullen hit three points from play in his teams Leinster final defeat to Wexford and four points from play in his All-Ireland semi-final win over Limerick in Croke Park last Summer, this moved him into odds of 1/10 to collect the Young Hurler of the Year award later this year. “We as a team were wrote off by people at the start of the year, but thankfully I’m surrounded by a fantastic group of players who all believed in themselves and a brilliant manager Brian Cody,” Mullen said. Speaking on the All-Ireland final loss to Tipperary last August, Mullen and his Kilkenny teammates have been looking forward to the future. “It didn’t go our way unfortunately

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You dream of winning awards like this. It’s why we play the game

Credit: Seanin Ryan

t’s not too often you will hit the spotlight in your first season of intercounty hurling, but Kilkenny star Adrian Mullen did just that as he took home the Young Player of the Year award last weekend at the GAA All Star Awards. The honour capped a brilliant individual year for the forward who took the hurling prize as odds on favorite ahead of Limerick’s Kyle Hayes and fellow DCU teammate Rory O’Connor from Wexford. Mullen also scooped an All-Ireland club title with Ballyhale Shamrocks as well as the Club Hurler of the Year award last spring. Speaking on winning his award Mullen told The College View that when his name was called out, his body nearly collapsed. “I couldn’t believe it, it is such a fantastic honour and a great way to finish out the year.” he said. The Ballyhale man who won a second Kilkenny county title just over two weeks ago admitted being a small bit “shell shocked” at the enormity of the achievement. “You dream of winning awards like this. It's why we play the game. When you have footballers like Stephen Cluxton coming up to you to shack your hand and congratulate you, you then know what an honour to win an award like this is,” said Mullen. Every great championship season needs a great newcomer or upcoming star and Mullen has only been player senior club hurling for two years and county senior hurling since May but has enjoyed a stellar debut season and established himself as one of the most important players in Brian Cody's Kilkenny attack alongside fellow Ballyhale men TJ Reid and Colin Fennelly. Mullen has been one of the key men for Kilkenny in the latter half of the campaign. The young forward was hooked before half time by Brian Cody in the narrow Leinster round robin loss to Galway but bounced back to play an instrumental role in the upset win over Limerick in the All-Ireland semi-final. Speaking to Independent.ie last Summer, Waterford legend John Mullane stated that the 20-year-old Mullen is one of the most crucial players that Kilkenny have got. “He is only 20 and that’s a big thing when you’re a player at this level because you have no fear and you’re carefree. You do what you want because you feel you’re going to be

on the day but ever since the final whistle went last August, we have been setting our sights on 2020. I just love playing for Kilkenny and I can’t wait to get back to it. The matches against Wexford and Limerick, you live for them days. The thing for next season is how can we improve in training? How can we get better and not make the same mistakes as we did last season?” Mullen will not have long to celebrate however, as his club Ballyhale Shamrocks are back on track, in hot pursuit of a another Leinster championship after defeating James Stephens in the Kilkenny county final by nine points little over a fortnight ago with Mullen adding a point to the scoreboard.