The College View Issue 5 by The College View

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

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Irish students forced to return from Hong Kong

he Global Office at University College Dublin is “still deliberating on what to do next” in order to get their students who are currently studying in Hong Kong out of the region, according to a source in the office. A number of students from UCD decided to take their studies to Hong Kong this term, studying at both Hong Kong University (HKU) and at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). However, amid violent protests in the region which have recently spilled over onto university campuses including that of CUHK, UCD Registrar Prof. Mark Rogers has requested they return home. Just last week, protesters barricaded the CUHK campus and fired

Highlights

24/7 mental health text line was launched by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) on Monday November 18th. The service allows a student to connect with a trained volunteer who can assist them with urgent issues including suicidal thoughts, abuse or assualt, bullying, relationship breakdown and self harm. The volunteer at the end of the phone will be either another student or another young person who has gone through training with the USI in order to be able to deal with these issues. While anyone could decide to become a volunteer with this service, USI Vice President for the Dublin Region, Craig McHugh said not everyone would be cut out for the job. “Anyone that would have the skill capacity could embark on becoming a volunteer but it is quite a rigorous process to do so...these are not just students sitting at a laptop coming up with any old thing to say, they’re trained in confidentiality, asked to sign off disclosure agreements, they’re all fully trained in that regard,” he said. While the volunteers are not professional counsellors McHugh said they are aware of the red flags and would advise a student to seek professional help if any of these flags were raised. However, counselling services are not something that are offered by the USI at present. “It’s not something that the USI would probably have the capacity to

do at the moment. Obviously we’d hope to look into the feasibility of these kinds of things but that’s not where we’re looking at going at the moment,” McHugh said. With research from the USI showing that among students who participated in the USI National Report on Student Mental Health in Third Level Education, just under a third of students have received a formal diagnosis of their mental health, USI President Lorna Fitzpatrick is urging students to reach out and seek help. “This is such an important resource for students, anxiety and depression is something that an uncountable amount of students suffer from on a day to day basis...we found that 34.4 per cent of students were put on a waiting list for counselling services for at least one week, this text line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” she said. The new service is also placing a firm focus on looking after the mental health of their volunteers, according to McHugh. T"he volunteers work in shifts and can choose for themselves when they’re comfortable working. If they’re not themselves or not feeling up to the job then obviously they’re not encouraged to do the job,” he said. “It is not a case that people are on call 24 hours a day seven days a week, this is very much managed with the volunteers mental health in mind also because you can’t take care of others if your not taking care of yourself." Students can text USI to 086 1800 280 to start a conversation with a volunteer.

Aoife O’Brien | News Editor @obrienaoife1

bricks and petrol bombs at police who arrived at the scene. “Both of these universities have been closed for the remainder of the term. We have recommended to our students that they return home, and working with our partner universities, we are providing them with the services and supports they need to do so,” he told TheJournal.ie. While DCU does not currently have any students studying in Hong Kong, nor do they have any agreements with Hong Kong institutions that facilitate student exchange, several other Irish universities do. Trinity College Dublin, NUI Maynooth, NUI Galway and UCD all have partner universities in Hong Kong, however, no students from NUI Maynooth went on exchange to the autonomous region this year. NUI Galway has taken the same approach as UCD and has requested their students (seven in total) return home and continue their studies in Galway, while Trinity College has tak-

en a different approach to the matter. A spokesperson for the Global Relations Office in Trinity said the university has been in “weekly contact” with their students there but that the office respects the “autonomy, independence, and decision-making of each student”. Therefore the university is leaving the ultimate decision up to the student themselves on whether they would like to stay in Hong Kong or return home. The violent protests in Hong Kong were triggered by the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill by the Hong Kong government. However, the crisis runs much deeper and it boils down to protesters wanting Hong Kong to be completely free from Chinese rule and influence. The protests have been going on for five months now and its latest phase has been played out on university campuses, likely triggered by the death of a Hong Kong University of Science and Technology student on November 8th.

Comment

Gaeilge

Features

Sports

Venice floods

Mná i ceol tíre

The season of SAD

Judy Bobbett

What it tells us about climate change pg. 12

Tá na mná i ceol tíre dochreidte gan aon dabht! pg. 15

How Seasonal Affective Disorder affects people pg. 17

The rugby player’s international debut against Wales pg. 21

Credit: USI

Megan Jones | Deputy News Editor @meganjones06

24/7 mental health text line launched by USI

Editorial

Contents

News Use it or lose it pg 4

Céad Míle Lies

Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque, Editor-in-Chief

Comment Does the Church still influence Irish society? pg 12 Features Self- care is a priority for young people pg 18

Sports Archers come to the fore at Intervarsities pg 21

Inside The Hype Arts Top TV shows of the year pg 3

Lifestyle Black Friday pg 10 Editor-In-Chief | Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque Deputy Editor-In-Chief | Áine O’Boyle News Editors | Tadgh McNally & Aoife O’Brien Deputy News Editors | Shauna Burdis & Megan Jones & Sally Madden

acism has always been a part of Irish society, but it’s only recently that some people have appeared to take notice. From Wexford’s by-election to a now infamous failed presidential candidate, racism has reared its ugly head into Irish politics. But almost anybody could identify those instances as racist. There has thankfully been a much needed pushback against these vile comments. But for some reason, statements from our own Taoiseach don’t face the same scrutiny. Shortly before the by-election racism scandal, the Taoiseach said “we cannot tolerate illegal entry” in reference to Albanian and Georgian migrants arriving in Ireland. The Irish Refugee Council has criticised Varadkar for naming countries. They said that picking out individual “nationalities is dangerous and to suggest that a country is de facto safe for all is very

dangerous”. Asking for asylum is always legal, so what’s being suggested is that these are not genuine asylum seekers, but instead “economic” migrants. In times like these, it’s important to keep in mind Ireland’s own history. Millions of Irish people have emigrated throughout history. Many Irish people continue to emigrate today. And the state seems to be concerned with ensuring that Irish citizens abroad are treated properly. When an Irish man was facing deportation from the US, the government was quick to come to his aid. And rightfully so. But why is this same compassion not showed for migrants in our own country? The Irish government is in no position to criticise the treatment of immigrants in other countries as long as it continues to ignore the plights of migrants here. Much has already been said about the direct provision system and the conditions asylum seekers have to live in. When the state treats those at the bottom so terribly, it is no surprise that racism has become an ever

increasingly talking point in our politics. Racists don’t care whether a person of colour is a citizen or not. For them, that is irrelevant. But it’s taken people discussing the racial abuse they’ve faced for much of Irish society to even accept racism exists on our isle. Former DCU alum Zainab Boladale recently opened up about the racial harassment she had faced. Those who attacked her cared not that she spoke better Irish than they did, instead they were fixated on the colour of her skin. My own mother is a migrant, and despite this, people still complain about foreigners to her. When she points out that she’s a foreigner, they’re quick to assure her that they’re not talking about her. Because they’re not - they mean people of colour. While xenophobia is most definitely also an issue in Ireland, the hatred that is most prevalent is racism. Until we accept that Ireland has a racism problem, we cannot even begin to solve it.

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

Jennifer Keegan | Contributor

ublin Bus have announced that two Dublin buses are becoming 24 hour routes from December 1st. The 15, which runs through the City Centre from Ballycullen Road in Knocklyon to Clongriffin and the 41, which runs from the City Centre to Swords, and services Dublin Airport along the way. These buses will run every 30 minutes between midnight and 5am. There will be no additional fares and leap card and cash fares will remain the same. The changes were announced by the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on his Twitter. It was a welcome change by many but there are still criticisms being made

about how long this plan has taken to come into fruition despite the years of lobbying for a 24 hour service. The routes that were chosen were due to the areas they were servicing such as the city centre and the airport. It will also cut costs for companies who pay for taxis for their staff to get to and from work. Anne Graham, the CEO of the National Transport Authority said that ‘The airport has become busier and busier, in recent years, and is itself a major employer. There is a clear demand for more transport options to the airport, not just for their passengers, but for the thousands of people whose jobs require them to be at work early in the morning or late into the night.” Ryanair worker, Katie Connolly Howlett, who can now use the 41 said that the new hours will financially benefit her ‘I finish after 1am which

means I no longer have to spend ten to fifteen euro on taxi home which saves me a huge amount every month’. Students will benefit too. Sarah Stanley, a student from IADT says that her long evening commutes are often spent in taxis home if she misses the last bus at 11.30pm. ‘It makes my way home about six times cheaper’. The introduction of these 24 hour routes however will result in the removal of the Nitelink services of the 15n and the 41n. The routes 33n and 49n are being changed to facilitate people who are affected by this service ending. These changes will also be made on December 1st. These changes are a positive aspect in the overall negatively received plan by the NTA to overhaul the current Dublin Bus plan which involves parts of the city losing garden space to make room for a new bus ‘corridor’.

by plagiarism software used by most higher education institutions. A new provision was added to the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Act 2018. Section 43a provides QQI with statutory powers to prosecute those who complete work for a student which is required for their programme of study and those who advertise cheating services. The subsequent network aims “to represent public and private higher education providers, and learner representatives to agree common definitions of academic cheating, identify good practice in dealing with cheating and develop methodologies for the reporting and prosecuting of instances of cheating.” Jessica Ryan, a Multimedia student, said cheating in higher-level education discredits the work of colleagues. “You’re just playing yourself in the long run,” she said. “It’s not fair on everyone else in your year if you

get good grades and a good job and you don’t actually have the skills or knowledge.” QQI heard from experts in the area of contract cheating such as Prof Michael Draper of Swansea University who published a report on the sharp rise in essay mills. Draper found that as many as 1 in 7 students may have previously had someone complete an assignment for them, potentially representing 31 million students globally. By 2017, there had been over 1000 cases of plagiarism in colleges in Ireland, according to figures compiled by the Irish Times. Real numbers are estimated to be much higher as UCC, UCD and Maynooth did not provide figures. Staff and academics in DCU previously warned students not to avail of services such as these when posters advertising assignments for money were posted across the campuses in November 2016.

Credit: William Murphy

Dublin Bus to introduce 24 hour routes

he body responsible for policing standards in higher-level education has launched a network to help agree on common ways to identify and prosecute cheating. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) launched the National Academic Integrity Network on Thursday 14 November in response to the growing trend of students using online “essay mills” and paying for bespoke assignments, essays and, sometimes, theses which it says is a threat to the integrity of Irish higher education. According to an article from QQI companies advertising these services claim their products are “plagiarism-free” as they are original pieces of work and reassure students that they do not breach plagiarism restrictions. Risk of detection is lower as such products are very difficult to detect

Credit: Flickr

Ryan Carrick| Contributor

Credit: Sonja Tutty

Crackdown on third-level cheating Awareness week promotes third-level education to all and use of paid-for essays

Aoife McMahon | Contributor ollege Awareness Week (CAW) is a national campaign that takes place from the 17th until the 23rd of November. It aims to promote the advantages of college to students from different backgrounds across Ireland. DCU Access were heavily involved this year and organised three main events throughout the week, while also visiting some schools. Their events included two presentations in DCU one for girls and one for boys that 400 students attended in total. They also organised an information session targeted at parents in Erin’s Isle GAA Club. This session was not only designed to provide information on their children accessing college but also for themselves returning as mature students. Head of DCU Access, Cathy McLoughlin, said the idea behind the talks was to show that “just because you’re from a disadvantaged background, or you’re seen from an area where people don’t traditionally go to college, or a school where people don’t go to college, that doesn’t mean that this has to apply to you.” McLoughlin said one of the challenges they face during CAW is that so many schools want them to come out and give talks and they are only a small team of eight. To solve this, they “tried to centralize it into us (DCU),

that way we can reach more people and also bring something the schools couldn't access like the industry speakers and academics.” They did, however, get a chance to visit Trinity Comprehensive School who invited them to give a workshop on Monday and their diaries are full of plans to get to some more schools before the end of November. DCU’s open days also took place the weekend before CAW started. The Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, highlighted the importance of CAW and emphasised the other pathways available to students through apprenticeships, traineeships and Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses. Minister Mitchell O’Connor said, “College Awareness Week provides us with a vital opportunity to showcase the range of options available to all our students looking to progress through the education system. It is important that we look to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who proceed to higher education.” The Minister drew attention to the increased number of apprenticeships available through the Government’s Action Plan to expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship and said, “Budget 2020 saw an additional €27 million to support the huge growth in apprenticeships and at the end of 2020 the apprenticeship population will have doubled over 2016 figures.”

News

Older people need to use USI will campaign it or lose it according to for free sanitary products in colleges DCU research

lder adults must continue to do strength training exercises in order to maintain any gains according to a new study led by researchers at the School of Health and Human Performance at DCU. The research, which was co-funded by the Irish Research Council and Medfit Proactive Healthcare, first studied a group of 53 adults doing supervised exercise over a period of 12 weeks. One year later, the researchers followed up to see what their body composition and physical and cognitive function was like. Lead investigator Doctor Brendan Egan told The College View that one year on, around 90 per cent of participants were still doing aerobic exercises. However, only one in five were still doing strength training exercises. “Everyone should be getting two sessions of strength training in per week,” he said. “And that becomes particularly important as we age because as you lose muscle function… older adults lose independence and their quality of life declines.” Strength training is a type of exercise that uses resistance to cause muscular contraction, which builds

week sessions, they exercised in Medfit Proactive Healthcare’s Blackrock gym, which Egan described as “intimate”. “There’s a spectrum of sort of gym environments, from the kind of example I’m giving of Medfit, up to the kind of Flyefit: everyone walks in, music blaring, powder is flying everywhere. It’s sort of the antithesis of what the older adult wants.” Egan also said that many of the participants enjoyed the social aspect of their training sessions. Twelve of the participants were interviewed in the study, and in general there was a preference for more community venues which were seen as “more welcoming” could “build a sense of camaraderie”.

Demand for places in DCU MSc of Psychology and Wellbeing expected to grow Beth Molloy | Irish Editor

he demand for places in the new MSc in Psychology and Wellbeing offered by DCU’s School of Psychology is expected to grow, according to the university. The programme which offers only twenty places a year is estimated to tract considerable interest over the course of the coming academic year. Applications for next year’s enrolment are expected to grow from the numbers who applied for a place in this year’s class. The programme is the first of its kind being offered in Ireland and according to DCU’s Dr. Sinead Smyth the MSc will offer “student’s an opportunity to benefit from the strong track record of wellbeing research in the school of Psychology at DCU.” The course is hoped to appeal too

many with a background in the study of psychology, in particular those who are looking to implement knowledge surrounding the factors that affect wellbeing into their work. The MSc is predicted to function as a springboard, encouraging its graduates to continue on to clinical research or professional psychological careers in education, mental health and clinical psychology. DCU’s Glasnevin campus welcomed the first intake of students into the course in September of this year. The programme can be completed on a full time basis over the course of one year and on a part time basis for the duration of two years. Fees for the course are €7,550 for full time participation or €15,300 for part-time involvement. Roughly three quarters of students enrolled in the course are full time, while the remainder are completing the course part time. The option to

pursue the programme at either a full time or part time is an alluring characteristic for those who are both recent graduates and professionals who might be considering a return to study. The MSc programme centres on the affects of psychological, societal, environmental, and physical factors on the wellbeing of communities, families and individuals throughout their lives. The course will provide graduates with an understanding of theory, policy and wellbeing. In a press release issued by DCU the programme coordinator Dr Sinead Smyth from the School of Psychology, said: “This is an exciting new programme, focusing on training psychology graduates to critically thinking about wellbeing from a conceptual, practical and research perspective.” The course joins the MSc in Psychology Conversion course as MSc programmes offered by DCU’s School of Psychology.

Niamh Quinlan | Deputy Lifestyle Editor

he Students Union of Ireland (USI) proposed a motion campaign for free sanitary products for students. The Union voted to pursue the motion put forward by USI Vice-President for Equality and Citizenship, Megan Reilly, at a national council meeting in Trinity College on November 15th. Reilly stressed the importance of the USI taking a stance on this topic: “Quite frequently what happens is student unions end up bearing the cost, because they, for years, have been providing sanitary products for students.” Students of DCU are happy with the proposed campaign. “I think it’s a great idea,” said one female student. “It’s one pressure taken off girls.” In October of this year, a committee chaired by the Department of Health was set up to try and tackle period poverty. One of the motions pushed by the Oireachtas to the committee and the government was to provide free sanitary products in public buildings. “When you go into a public bathroom anywhere, you don’t have to pay for the toilet roll and you don’t have to pay for the soap,” said Reilly. “And sanitary products are a complete necessity, so why are we being charged

for them?” The Irish Times found that, on average, women would spend an estimated €132.34 per year. A USI national council report found that people “will spend an average of €8100 in a lifetime on sanitary products.” A survey by Plan International Ireland in 2018 found that 50% of Irish women and girls between the ages of 12-19 struggled to afford sanitary products. The survey was conducted with 1,100 women and girls and also found that 109 of them were forced to use a form of “less suitable sanitary product” because of the current prices of period products in Ireland. Earlier this year, the UK voted to provide free sanitary products to primary schools from 2020 and have been providing them to secondary schools and colleges since the beginning of this school year. Reilly also put an emphasis on making sure sanitary products are sustainable. Currently Ireland is the only EU country to offer zero per cent tax on sanitary pads and tampons, however, the more environmentally friendly menstrual cups are taxed at 23%. However, she also emphasised that it should be a person’s choice: “Obviously, we can’t make everyone use the sustainable products,” she said, “but you can encourage it by also making them available for free.”

Credit: Rachel Power

| Editor-in-Chief @BrendanFKP

strength, anaerobic endurance, the size of skeletal muscles and bone density. Egan said that the researchers always intended to follow-up one year later, however, they made sure not to tell the participants until three weeks before the anniversary of their first workout session. “The idea there was we wouldn't give them too much opportunity to sort of try and get fit or anything like that,” he said. “If they knew they were going to get checked in on in a year’s time, that could have biased them.” As for why many of the older adults stopped doing strength training exercises, it was due to a number of key barriers. In particular, many of them disliked the gym environment. During their supervised twelve

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News

New revenge porn legislation will cover deepfake technology Sally Madden | Deputy News Editor

Credit: Cryptonomist

he Department of Justice has said it will seek to outlaw the use of deepfake technology in cases of revenge porn. Deepfake is a form of artificial intelligence which takes a person in an existing image or video and replace them with someone else's likeness, creating realistic fabricated content. The Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill, provides a six-month jail sentence upon conviction for the non-consensual distribution of private images. However, it currently makes no specific reference to deepfake technology, instead only covers intimate images that have been “altered.” The bill in question was put forward by the Labour Party in 2017. It was drafted in response to the Law Reform Commission Report, which suggested that legislation be provided to outlaw firstly, the online posting of intimate images without consent, and secondly, “upskirting” or “downblousing.” The government is now in the

process of drafting amendments to the bill, with the Department of Justice telling thejournal.ie that they will have to rethink the “definition of an intimate image.” “It is intended that such a definition will encompass image or videos that have been altered or created to make it seem like an individual featured in the image or video,” the Department said. Deeptrace, an Amsterdam-based cybersecurity company, published a report this year which found 96 per cent of the deepfake videos on the internet are pornographic videos. And

100 per cent of the deepfake content on pornography websites contain female subjects. By contrast, non-pornographic deepfake videos targeted a majority of male subjects. Giorgio Patrini, CEO of Deeptrace, said that it is important to protect ourselves against the harmful aspects of deepfake technology. “Deepfakes are here to stay, and their impact is already being felt on a global scale,” he said. “We hope this report stimulates further discussion on the topic, and em-

phasizes the importance of developing a range of countermeasures to protect individuals and organizations from the harmful applications of deepfakes.” Alan Smeaton, a commuting professor in DCU says that the University’s School of Computing’s current focus in relation to deepfake technology is on the creation of technology that would be capable of distinguishing deepfake content from legitimate content. Their current work is focusing on Euler magnification software, which involves visualising elements of the human pulse which are invisible to the naked eye but captured on camera, the logic being that deepfake videos would not contain the colour variations that the human pulses causes. “There is currently no software that can distinguish deepfakes from real videos,” he said. “We aren’t doing this because we want to save the world, or because we want to stop pornography, but because it’s a real challenge, and it matters,” he added. The Deeptrace report also found that the number of deepfake videos online has almost doubled since 2018.

USI votes to support student rent strikes Anja Zauers| Social Media Editor @anja_zs

Tadgh McNally | News Editor @TadghMN

REPORT SHOWS THE CHALLENGES OF ONLINE LEARNING FOR STUDENT AND TEACHERS

A new report by DCU’s National Institute for Digital Learning has highlighted the differences that come with teaching online. The report, which was launched by Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor, explains that interpersonal skills and a compassionate mindset is essential for online educators. The compassionate approach will help build trust between the student and teacher, and helps provide a more effective learning experience. As well as this, the report recommends that teachers have a stronger social presence, as it is difficult to build relationships online. For the teachers, development opportunities or courses that may be available to them should be made more flexible, so they do not miss out. As well as this, it recommends that the courses are carried out online rather than in classrooms.

Aoibhín Meghen | Deputy Arts Editor @hereisaoibhin

ANONYMOUS DONOR GIVES ONE MILLION TO UCC BUSINESS SCHOOL

Credit: University Times

he Union Students of Ireland (USI) has recently voted to support student rent strikes across the country. The motion was passed at USI’s national council on Friday 15th November which was held in Trinity College Dublin. Following the success of rent strikes in the UK and emerging rent strike groups in Ireland, the national student movement voted unanimously to support these campaigns focused on campus owned student accommodation in Ireland. “I do think this is an important move for USI, the situation is only getting worse for students and this kind of direct action could be of benefit. We have seen the success of moves like this in the UK so hopefully it can have a similar effect here in Ireland,” said Aisling Fagan, VP for Welfare and Equality in DCU. The decision was made after a lengthy discussion took place which saw student leaders from around the country give their opinion on what a rent strike might look like. President of USI Lorna Fitzpatrick shared their reasoning for holding the vote. “Currently, students are paying very high rents which are placing students in financial difficulty. This summer just before the RPZ's came into effect in College Owned PBSA, every

NEWS IN BRIEF

University increased the rent charged to students. We want to be able to support students who are interested in using this method to campaign to reduce the rent charged by their University.” Students' Unions have democratic procedures in place to ensure they are representing and carrying out the work that their members wish to see from them, with USI having promised to continue to support Students' Unions with motions to support rent strikes. Fagan explained what must be done if rent strikes are to go ahead:

“There are many potential implications for students such as the practicalities around withholding rent, conflict with landlords and potential evictions. If these are to go ahead, protection for students, good planning and practical solutions must be figured out before any moves are made.” When asked about how DCU can help their students, she said they “can continue to keep their on-campus accommodation costs as low as they can”, as DCU Campus Residences is the supplier of the lowest-priced on-campus student accommodation of

any institution in Dublin. USI is aware that colleges are in need of additional investment and actively campaign on that issue, however, they expressed their concern for students and how they should “not be used by colleges to fill the gap left by lack of government funding”. “We will be contacting student groups who are organising on campuses and supporting them in doing that. We will put together resources for them and will help in any way we can to support them achieve their goal,” Fitzpatrick said.

An anonymous donation received by Cork University Business School (CUBS) will be used to support scholarships, practical experience initiatives and entrepreneurship opportunities. CUBS received a $1 million anonymous philanthropic donation this week. The donation will allow the University College Cork (UCC) to invest in new initiatives that will improve the experience of business students in the university, according to the college. Thia Hennessy, Dean of Cork University Business School hopes that this funding will “support students in developing their professional skills, helping them secure employment. The fund will also be used to support students with exciting business startup ideas.” “This very generous philanthropic gift will allow us to focus on initiatives to improve the student experience in ways that we could otherwise not afford”, said Hennessy. At the moment 95 per cent of graduates from the business school find immediate employment according to Henessy.

News

Rachel Power | Advertising and Marketing Excutive @Rachel_M_Power

ublin City Council is to evict their first tenant this month, as a result of unpaid rent contributing to a rise in council debt. Almost €33 million is owed to the council in unpaid rent from its tenants which is the highest sum of money that an authority in Ireland has been left unpaid for. As a result of the high debt that the council face, tenants will have an increase of €160 in their rent prices annually. Focus Ireland and St Vincent De Paul were contacted to discuss the effect that this increase will have on homelessness figures across the country, but have yet to make a comment.

Fine Gael councillor Danny Byrne said that “it is completely unfair to charge extra rent to people who are paying while others do not pay.” “All the increases proposed in the budget - toll charges, parking charges, rent increases - none of these would be necessary if the council were competent in collecting rents,” he continued. In the space of ten years, the council is owed €13.3 million more in rent payments compared to 2009 figures. Dublin City Council stated that a lack of “relevant court rules” meant that the council were not authorised to evict tenants. Applications for repossession from the council could not be made until June 2017. The council has now made four applications of repossession, two of which have fully paid back their debt, one is making payments on a weekly basis and the fourth refuses to repay

and is now in the process of eviction. The council said that “it is always a last resort to evict,” but that this “level of non-payment in some cases will leave no other alternative.” Over 12,000 of the council’s tenants are behind on their rent payments, with 20% lagging by six months or more. The council expects extra insurance costs will rise to €11.6 million on roughly 25 Irish Water-owned properties, further adding to their costs. Increases of 36 per cent to the East Link Toll price as well as a 1.5 per cent increase in business rates were up for budget approval among councillors on Monday night, but decisions have yet to be made. Councillors have until the end of the month to reach an agreement on this budget or else they can be dissolved by the Minister for Housing.

Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque

| Editor-in-Chief @BrendanFKP

he National Council of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) voted to support bilingual signs in Northern Irish colleges, at a meeting held in Trinity college. According to the USI’s Vice President for the Irish Language Clíodhna Ní Dhufaigh, the aim of the motion was to show solidarity with Cumainn Ghaelacha (Irish language college societies) in Northern Ireland by having signs in both English and Irish. “Having bilingual signs, where Irish and English are on equal footing, allows for Irish to become a natural part

of a student's college environment,” Ní Dhufaigh said. Support for the motion was echoed by DCU Students’ Union’s (SU) Irish Officer, Sorcha Ní Chongaile. “The campaign for bilingual signage in Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University (UU) from students needed support from the national union at the end of the day, so in my personal view, feel it's a step in the right direction,” she said. According to Ní Dhufaigh, there was no objection to the motion and added that: “With Irish being seen as a controversial issue in the North, often being described as 'sectarian' or 'offensive', it is even more vital to treat the language as it should be treated - as a language - and not as a political issue as it has been in the past.”

Students in Northern Irish colleges are members of both the USI and the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom which collectively operate the Northern Irish student movement, the NUS-USI. Ní Dhufaigh said that the Presi-

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USI vote to support bilingual signs in Northern Irish colleges

She added that there are students in the North who are campaigning for language rights to be recognised and they should be supported by the USI. Ní Chongaile said that opposition is possible, but she’s hopeful the motion can be implemented in a way that suits most people. Meanwhile, Ní Dhufaigh said that the greatest challenge would be lobbying college authorities to erect bilingual signs on a campus-wide basis. “Both these unions [QUBSU and UUSU] and their Cumainn Ghaelacha have had enormous difficulty with college authorities delaying consultations, as well as the bureaucratic structures that have been put in place in order to delay or deter students from campaigning on these issues under the guise of 'good relations'” she said.

executive of NCBI. “Obtaining books and information in accessible formats should not be an additional barrier to achievement for students with a visual impairment in higher and further education”. The NCBI hope that the new digital library will increase the number of student’s with visual impairments and other disabilities attending Third level education. Just 1.8% of the student population are those with visual impairments and print disability, with NCBI describing this figure as “chronically low”. A recent graduate of National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Aoife Watson has experienced sight loss, and has said that university work was even more challenging for her, as the academic books and materials she needed was not available in an

accessible format for her. “It was so frustrating seeing how easy it was for other students to access the books that I couldn’t,” she said. “I know if I had access to the books I needed when I needed them, I would have achieved a higher overall mark in my degree.” “Given one in ten people have some form of dyslexia, we are delighted to be part of the Bookshare.ie initiative”, said Rosie Bissett, CEO, Dyslexia Association of Ireland. “It means students with dyslexia will be on par with all other students, thereby empowering them to reach their potential.” Bookshare Ireland will continue to increase the quantity of academic resources available to those with visual impairments and print disability, to further increase the number of students attending Third level education.

dent of the NUS-USI spoke on the importance of showing solidarity with Northern Irish students. “I myself made the point that bilingual signage is a natural part of our environment in the south and can often be taken for granted,” she said.

Digital library available for students with visual impairments and print disability Cian Dunne| Contributor

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ore than 500,000 academic books and other resources will now be accessible to students with visual impairments and print disability. Bookshare Ireland, the country’s largest digital library was launched on Thursday 14thof November by The National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), in partnership with the Department of Education and Skills. Students with visual impairments will be able to access these resources in their preferred formats, including DAISY Audio, DAISY with images, digital braille, PDF and Word. The organisation has stated that the range of resources and material available for those with visual impairments

was extremely limited. The new digital library now accessible means that for the first time ever, students with visual impairments, and other disabilities such as dyslexia, will no longer be

at a disadvantage in their respective courses. “We are acutely aware that studying in third level with sight loss is a huge challenge”, said Chris White, chief

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Dublin City Council to evict first social housing tenant

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CU’s Centre for Evaluation, Quality and Inspection (EQI) was commissioned by Educate Together to develop a “national Quality Framework for Ethos in Educate Together Schools”. Dr Shivaun O’Brien, a lecturer in the Institute of Education and member of the EQI, is leading the research project. She said Educate Together approached the DCU-based research centre to develop the framework. “We have a profile for this kind of work at a national level, particularly around the area of school improvement and selfevaluation.” “It’s basically a research project for them, and a training plan,” explained Dr O’Brien. The framework will help to set out “standards and statements of effective practice” for schools to use as

part of a self-evaluation process. Educate Together schools are state-funded and focus on equalitybased, child-centred education. The framework hopes to “support schools to self-evaluate”, and draft guidelines for the self-evaluation of ethos and will be tested in 21 primary and postprimary Educate Together schools over the 2019/2020 academic year. During this pilot phase, Dr O’Brien will conduct four training sessions for appointed school self-evaluation (SSE) leaders from each participating school to help them implement the self-evaluation process. The schools involved will also be supported by Programme Manager Sandra Irwin-Gowran, Ethos Guidance Officer Aoife Blood, and the Education & Support programme in Educate Together. According to the latest press release from the project, the feedback from the first of these sessions was very positive.

DkIT strike action called off as management pledge to work towards TU status

Calum Atkinson | Deputy Comment Editor @CalumAtkinson

lanned strike action by staff at the Dundalk Institute of Technology has been called off after management committed to pursue Technological University status. The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) said their strategic objectives had been secured. “Written commitments were made by DkIT management regarding the Teachers’ Union of Ireland’s concerns, including a written commitment to achieving Technological University status and an immediate engagement in the Technological University process,” said a statement by the TUI. 99.1 per cent of the 300 staff at DkIt that are represented by the TUI had backed the industrial action. Speaking to Talk of the Town, Dundalk IT President Dr Michael Mulvey said, “We are pleased to have reached a fair and considered agreement with the TUI which has resulted in the lifting of the proposed industrial action. “Consensus was achieved through open and meaningful dialogue with TUI members and all actions were mutually agreed in the best interest of the institute,” he continued. As well as agreeing to pursue Technological University status, DkIT management agreed to the withdrawal of a planned proposal to create a fifth academic school, a plan “sprung

unilaterally and without consultation,” according to the TUI. Further commitments were made by management to facilitate better consultation with staff. Concerns over the functioning of management bodies were also addressed. Labour Party senator Ged Nash raised the issues cited by DkIT staff to the Minister for Higher Education in the Oireachtas. After the dispute was resolved, Nash said he was “proud to have worked with the TUI to have the issues at the heart of the dispute addressed.” He continued, “Dundalk, Louth and our region need a Technological University, let’s make it happen.” January 2019 saw the first Technological University established in Dublin. Technological Universities will eventually replace the 14 Institutes of Technology around the country. DkIT are well behind others in this transition process. “All of Ireland’s institutes of technology are taking the next steps; all except DkIT are progressing towards Technological University status,” said the DkIT student’s union. “Institutes of Technology with smaller populations than us here in Dundalk are ready to reap the benefits of Technological University education. By remaining outside of the process, DkIT has already been disadvantaged, having been locked out of a potential 6.4 million euro slice of the recently announced 90 million euro TU transformation fund,” they said.

Dr O’Brien previously worked with Educate Together when she worked for Louth and Meath Education and Training Board. During her time there they helped to set up a post-primary school, whose joint patrons were the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board and Educate Together. “I would have been on the first

board of management of that school,” she said, “and been involved in recruiting the first group of students that went there.” According to their website, Educate Together operates 92 primary schools and 17 secondary schools, and caters for more than 30,000 students. The new guidelines developed by the

project will be implemented after the pilot phase, before the start of the 2020/21 school year. The DCU Centre on Evaluation, Quality and Inspection was established in 2006 and is one of the leading national research agencies on school evaluation, quality assurance and inspection.

the DRHE were able to move into permanent homes, meaning they act quickly to get available buildings. “Unfortunately, it’s not sustainable for us to consult in relation to delivering facilities because we need to respond quickly,” she said. “In this market, we go after everything, and we avail of every opportunity, and that’s what has happened with Avalon.” At the meeting, Independent Councillor Mannix Flynn said he felt betrayed by the Dublin City Council and that Aungier street area was in danger of becoming “saturated.” Responding to his statements, the co-founder of TRUST homeless services said in a letter to the Irish

Times, “From our long experience of working in the field, smaller units of accommodation appear to be much more beneficial, with emphasis on quality rather than on quantity.” And added, “A little bit of common sense would indeed be helpful to ensure we avoid the blame game that we have now become so familiar with.” Ronan Lynch, owner of Swan Bars across from the Avalon building, said the area already has four residential units for homeless people which they already face problem from. Speaking to the Irish Times he said, “…from the point of view of their own welfare as well as everyone around them. Putting 155 people in one unit is creating a ghetto.”

Proposed homeless hostel opposed by businesses Sonja Tutty | Images Editor @SonjaDeJourno

he opening of what would be the State’s largest homeless hostel for single men faced heavy opposition during a public meeting on November 20. The public meeting in Dublin city centre where a majority opposed the opening of the emergency accommodation for 155 homeless adults on Aungier Street, followed statements from surrounding businesses of seeking a High Court injunction. Avalon House was a backpacker’s hostel opened in the early 1990’s and currently sits above a Starbucks. Peter McVerry Trust and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) signed a lease on the building with plans of opening the homeless hostel in January. A proposal at the meeting to ask Peter McVerry and DRHE to cater for families rather than men was rejected. The meeting was soon cut short after those in attendance marched to the Avlon House to stage a protest. DRHE director Eileen Gleeson told the Irish Times the facility was vital in meeting the needs of rough sleeper and explained the hostel would be opening in January as the Peter McVerry Trust already signed a lease on the property. Gleeson added that there are three times more single people entering emergency accommodation than

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DCU research centre to develop new Educate Together framework

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Sustainability of Irish higher Harris meets NSAC education to be scrutinized for the first time after in EU review the cervical check

he Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD has announced that a contract has been awarded by the Structural Reform Support Service (SRSS) of the European Commission for an economic review to be conducted on increasing future sustainability of higher and further education provision in Ireland.While building on the Cassells Expert Group report from 2016 and following on consultation with the Oireachtas committee on Education, the SRSS review will undertake an economic evaluation of the future funding options for higher education in Ireland. A key focus will be finding the correct balance between higher education and other options to ensure learners have the right skills to be successful in the future jobs and careers. Awarding of this EU contract follows a period of close engagement with the SRSS of the European Commission, which provides support to all EU countries for their institutional, administrative and growth-enhancing reforms. This process involved the

submission of a formal application for support to the SRSS, finalisation of the terms of reference for the review and awaiting the results of the EU Commission’s procurement process to award the contract for the review.

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Conor Breslin| Sports Editor @ConorBreslin10

“This review of our third level sector is a vital piece of work. Support from the SRSS following a highly competitive selection demonstrates the value of the study, not only for Ireland but across the wider EU landscape,” said Minister McHugh. Following a meeting between representatives of the Department and the

successful consortium following the award of the contract, it is expected that work on the review will commence soon as well as a report made available to the Minister. Speaking to a member of the DCU PR sector, he described the contract for the economic review as great in the development not only in our University but for all third level institutions across Ireland as a way of progressing In terms of investment in higher education, the Department has secured an additional allocation of €153 million for higher and further education and training in 2020. This significant level of investment will be used to respond to demographic pressures to the government and also underpin a range of initiatives in the higher education sector, including key enhancements for teaching and learning, as well as providing skills-enhancing opportunities for individuals, sectors and regions most affected by the issue of Brexit. This funding builds on progress made in previous budgets. Overall the planned higher education spend has increased by 25% over the past four years. At €1.88bn, 2020 will see the highest level to date of spend on higher education in a single year.

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Róisín Maguire | Lifestyle Editor @roisin_maguire1

inister for Health, Simon Harris met with the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) for the first time on the 18th of November. The NSAC was established after the controversy of the cervical check scandal which involved several women suing the HSE for receiving incorrect smear test results. Simon Harris said “We have experts from areas such as the medical pro-

The most recent development in the Cervical Check scandal found that large numbers of previously missed abnormalities have been uncovered in the review of smear that were undertaken since cervical cancer screening began in Ireland. This review was led by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the UK and the full extent of individual results in unknown however it is believed that some cancers could have been prevented. Just over 1,000 women consented to have their slides rechecked and 221 women from the 2018 controversy are involved.

abour market participation is yet to return to pre-crisis levels due to young people remaining in education longer. According to a European Commission report, labour market participation (LMP) stands out compared to the EU average, despite several years of economic growth and employment levels reaching pre-crash levels. The report states there are two main factors that have impacted on the lack of improvement with LMP. One is the lower activity rate of people between the ages of 15 and 24, which in the past had been much higher. With more and more young people staying in education longer, the rate has now fallen in line with the rest of the EU. In 2017, 89.6 per cent of inactive young people cited education and training as the main reason for their inactivity. By remaining in education, the future activity and output could potentially be improved as they replace older workers. The report does clarify that the positive impact could be lessened due to the lower share of the working age population, which now sits at 15 per cent compared to 18 per cent in the previous decade. CSO statistics show that younger

groups have a higher standard of education in comparison to older cohorts. Over half of all people aged 25 to 44 have received a third level education, compared to only 30 per cent of people aged 60 to 64. As well as this, the LMP for people between the ages of 25 and 35 has shrunk over the last decade, despite the fact that they are usually the most active cohort. The Commission’s report explains that it fell by five percentage points due to a fall in birth rates that occurred in the 80’s. Activity for those over 55 increased however, after the increase in the age of eligibility for a state pension was

brought in in 2014. There is also scope for improvement in women’s engagement with the labour market. The gender gap in activity is 12 percentage points in 2017, compared to the EU average of 10. According to the report, female activity falls in their late twenties or early thirties due to family reasons. The report recommends that efforts to increase female labour participation would help to combat the effects of low engagement from the younger cohort. They recommend that the government promote accessibility and affordability of both childcare and disability services.

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Tadgh McNally | News Editor @TadghMN

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Students remaining in education longer impacts labour market

fession, the legal profession, health economics, journalism, politics and many more including two members representing the public voice.” Some members include the chair, Niall Higgins, professor of surgery in UCD, journalist Martina Fitzgerald and Anne Burke and Jillian van Turnhout both representing the public voice. Higgins said that one of the aims of the committee is “to propose new programmes and to restore public confidence in health screening, a strategy that has been proven to improve survival and reduce ill-health in many potentially serious diseases.” It was recommended within The Scally Report into the Cervical Check Screening Programme 2018 that the NSAC would advise the Department of Health and the Minister of new proposals for screening and of revisions to current ones.

For women that have been affected, the HSE will provide State support which includes counselling and a medical card. These supports are only available to the 221 women who were affected by the earlier review of smear tests. However, despite the improvements that this new committee will make, screening is not perfect. According to the Scally Report, for every 1,000 women screened, about 20 will have precancerous changes. The problem with this is that the smear test will only detect 15 out of these 20 women therefore 5 women with precancerous cells will be left undetected. Currently, the Supreme Court are deciding whether screeners should have absolute confidence that a smear test has no abnormalities before giving it the all clear.

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DCU expert does not believe British military will be prosecuted for war crimes

Focus Ireland to open family centre for the homeless in Dublin city centre

Ryan Carrick| Contributor

Aoife O’Brien| News Editor @obrienaoife

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t remains unlikely that a prosecution will be made against the British military despite evidence of war crimes being found, a DCU international law expert said. A BBC/Sunday Times investigation said it obtained evidence from the Iraq Historic Allegations Tribunal (IHAT), which investigated alleged war crimes in Iraq, and Operation Northmoor, based in Afghanistan, that the British military killed civilians. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has said that it may investigate the British military and takes these findings “very seriously.” However, Dr James Gallen, lecturer in the School of Law and Government at DCU, says that the statement by the Office of the Prosecutor is intended to have both legal and political effects but is unlikely to result in a prosecution. “I think the statement by the prosecutor that they would take it seriously is designed to indicate their jurisdiction is potentially engaged,” he said. “But they would also like to see the effect of creating political pressure upon the UK to engage in more meaningful investigations,” he added. IHAT and Operation Northmoor were

shut down by ministers in 2017 after a scandal involving Phil Shiner, a human rights solicitor who had taken thousands of cases to IHAT. Shiner was struck off from practising law amid claims he had paid an Iraqi middle-man to find clients. The year-long investigation by BBC current affairs programme, Panorama, claims to have found evidence of murders by a British SAS soldier as well as instances of death in custody, beatings and sexual abuse of detainees by members of the Black Watch. Dr Gallen said that the Office of the Prosecutor would like to see Britain reopen its own national domestic process as the British legal system can

be highly effective in terms of criminal prosecutions. “If they were to refuse to do so, and said “we’re done with this process,” despite these allegations … it would be very politically challenging for the ICC to achieve [a prosecution]. “The ICC is funded by the member states, the states who sign up to it,” he said. “So, you could imagine that that type of funding would be called into question if they were to go after a state such as the UK.” The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor has said it would “independently assess” Panorama’s findings, which could be “highly relevant” in their decision to launch an investigation in the UK.

victims are left without protection or justice.” This comes after cases of harassment have come to the public’s attention.

late social media platforms due to an increase in revenge porn and cyberbullying among youth. CEO of SpunOut.ie, a youth infor-

Most notably the recent jailing of a man who harassed female writers and journalists for years. One of the victims Sarah Griffin, voiced the impact the ordeal had on her life on Twitter saying, “I am a different person because this happened to me & because of the duration of this experience. I wonder what kind of person I could have grown into without this threat.” According to Crime Victims Helpline, confidential support to victims of crime in Ireland, “Harassment is unwanted pattern of behaviour that can leave you feeling intimidated, scared, annoyed and/or humiliated.” There have also been calls to legis-

mation website that aims to “educate and inform” young people, Ian Power has said social media platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat “must have a legal responsibility” to users. He said Spunout have encountered an escalation in the number of cases where organisations like these have not complied with young people’s requests to take down images. Power said SpunOunt.ie try to work with big social media organisations to try and encourage them to take more responsibility for the activities taking place on their platforms, but said that there are “limits” to how much they can work together.

ocus Ireland is set to open its first ever family centre for the homeless in Dublin city centre this Christmas. The centre which was announced at the launch of Focus Ireland’s urgent Christmas appeal will provide a place for families to feed their children, do washing and get help with homework according to the charity. The centre will be open before the new year the charity said. According to the appeal, new figures show that 12% of children in families currently supported by Focus Ireland’s

living in unsuitable housing is affecting children’s development. “We have seen babies that are unable to crawl as their living conditions are stunting their growth and development,” he told PA news agency. According to Focus Ireland while they have child support workers who try and help them reach their developmental milestones only nine percent of the children they work with have access to a child support worker. Speaking at the launch of the Christmas appeal, Sr Stan said that the new family centre would have support workers to work with these children. “The centre will also have specially trained Focus Ireland support staff to work with families to help get them out of homelessness as quickly as pos-

alls are being made for the State to address online harassment. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has warned that justice is not being served to victims of online harassment and that perpetrators are going unpunished. The group called for amendments to be made to the Non-fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997 which covers and criminalises harassment, stalking, coercion, threats and endangerment The act says that, “Any person who, without lawful authority reasonable excuse, by any means including by the use of telephone, harasses another by persistently following, watching, pestering, besetting or communicating with him or her, shall be guilty of an offence.” The ICCL has said that the “language [in the act] is not always directly transferable to cases of online harassment.” The group said: “The requirement that harassment consists of ‘persistently following, watching, pestering, besetting or communicating’ means the prosecution has to prove a pattern of harassment.” “The absence of effective laws criminalising online harassment means the perpetrators often go unpunished and

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Roisin Phelan | Features Editor @_roisinphelan

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Human rights organisation calls for the state to address online harassment in Ireland

family services were born into homelessness. Curretly there are 1,215 children in Dublin supported by Focus Ireland and 142 of these children were born into families who were homeless. Focus Ireland Life President and Founder Sr Stan, said it was “shocking and appalling” and “fundamentally wrong”, adding that the situation was “worse than ever” with almost 4,000 children now homeless in Ireland. There are now nearly 500 families and 1,000 children who are homeless outside of Dublin according to Focus Ireland advocacy manager Roughan MacNamara. According to MacNamara the stress of

sible. There will also be child support workers to work with children who are homeless,” she siad. “We have had to set up this centre to help families while they are homeless but the real answer is of course that we urgently need more social housing and better prevention to end this crisis,” she continued. Focus Ireland is also called for the Government to develop a specific family homelessness strategy because most services are aimed at adults and are not child-centred.

The UK porn block completely misses the point - but we do need to talk about pornography We can’t eradicate porn, but we can make it better, tells Clara Kelly

he UK porn block may have been dismissed, but the topic of pornography protection shouldn’t be removed from the public sphere just yet. Especially in a country with a history like Ireland's. Ireland’s deep-seated Catholic roots means that the discussion of sex and pornography is a very recent one. Only in recent years as the church’s grip on the country loosened, have people felt comfortable enough to openly have these types of conversations. Still, openly talking about such things will always bear a certain stigma. Simply put, such a rich history of sexual shaming, cannot be completely eroded in a matter of mere years. This can be a dangerous combination, as although Irish people are still avoiding the discussions, we as a whole, are watching porn more than ever before. When you contrast a country with an obvious lack of sexual education in schools, with a rise in the consumption of this type of content, the outcome can be bleak. While porn can be a positive thing, it certainly has it’s fair share of problems, and young people learning about sex through it is a big one. According to the 2018 SMART consent survey by NUI Galway, more than 53 per cent of boys in Ireland first watched porn under the age of 13. Meanwhile, research from a Nohilly and Farrelly 2017 report found that

although teachers would like to have more time to teach sex education, the subject is treated as a low priority, with exam subjects often taking precedence. Teachers expressed that they feel that the sensitive nature of the topic impacted this, alongside their own feelings of not being adequately trained. Creating a culture where

for a lot of kids, pornography is the easy option when it comes to sexual ‘education’. Especially LGBT+ students as the current school system completely disregard any sexuality except for heterosexuality. This combined with the fact that often these kids cannot simply go to their parents for the information they need, becomes hugely

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problematic. It can sometimes feel as if anyone who mentions the degradation of women, or flaws within the porn industry, is seen as prudish or anti-sex positivity. However, this is simply not the case. Acknowledging the downfalls by no means correlates to shaming participants, viewers, or sex workers of any

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Clara Kelly | Comment Editor @clarabkelly

When you contrast a country with an obvious lack of sexual education in schools, with a rise in this content, the outcome can be bleak

kind. It simply means, starting a very necessary discussion. Porn is a damaging first source of sexual discovery as it would have us all believe that STDs don’t exist and therefore neither do condoms, it’s never painful to skip foreplay and women will always be overjoyed when you initiate rough sex without prior consent. The lack of realism can make real sex where everything is not as dramatic or seamless, seem boring by comparison which can create real issues in modern relationships. The lack of representation can also contribute as the idyllic proportions we see in porn, are very rarely true to life. Producers of porn sites acknowledge that the industry oftentimes relies on and even thrives on taboos such as incest and forceful sex. Which for obvious reasons, can be equally troublesome. However, the solution isn’t as simple as a porn ban, hence why the UK’s concept never actually became a reality. While it has definite positives, like stricter age monitoring, there will always be ways to surpass those, and if anything may actually increase the risk of children reaching for even darker content on the dark web. There is no quick fix, but the best option is to educate children early, teach them about real sex in all its forms. And, for adults to reach for sites which show real couples having mutually enjoyable and consensual sex.

UK election: Is a Labour vote the best hope for stopping Brexit?

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Is the early lead actually a blessing in disguise, asks Ryan Carrick

Ryan Carrick| Contributor

espite revising a Brexit deal, Boris Johnson has missed the 31 October and the EU have agreed to extend the deadline to 31 January 2020. On 29 October, MPs voted for a general election to be held on 12 December to break the political impasse surrounding Brexit. But how has the media covered Brexit and the upcoming election? According to an article from October 2017 titled ‘Pro-Remain media and Brexit: unwise response to populism?’ by William and Martin Davison, the mainstream media have not given fair Brexit coverage in the post-referendum era. It says that “The Guardian, The

One thing has been made clear from the failed negotiations: you can have one of these things but you cannot have both Times and the BBC, for example, exude pessimism about what is admittedly the hugely challenging and controversial process of implementing Brexit.” This type of coverage could sway

wavering leave voters in the upcoming general election which could well result in the reversal of the 2016 outcome. The article goes on to mention how the media portrayed the Brexit negoti-

ations with the EU in the driving seat while the UK were a “supplicant”. It has been very clear in the media that the handling of Brexit by the UK government has been full of division and incompetence and this certainly isn’t unfounded. For example, the Irish backstop issue has been a gargantuan barrier to solving the Brexit conundrum. Fintan O’Toole discussed, in a Guardian article, how the British government promised two incompatible things: that there would be no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, and that all of the UK would be leaving the customs union. One thing has been made clear from the repeated deadline push-backs and the failed negotiations: you can have one of these things but you cannot have both. American journalism scholar

Maxwell E. McCombs said in 2014 that media exposure, such as reading a newspaper, offers a mediated view of the world, meaning the media’s priorities heavily influence the priorities of the public. Media coverage of Brexit has sometimes blurred the lines between campaigning and impartial journalism. The discontent of leave voters could be reignited if it were the case that the outcome of the upcoming general election resulted in the refusal to accept the judgement made in the 2016 referendum. With the coverage from the UK media in recent months, which has been largely pushing the agenda of remainers, it is becoming more likely for a general election result that would see a retraction of the referendum result. But is this a betrayal of democracy?

Comment

What the floods in Venice reveal about climate change

Rachel Power discusses the flooding in Venice, and what it reveals about global warming Rachel Power | Advertising and Marketing Excutive @Rachel_M_Power

world is in. Earlier this month, the world found out that the city of Venice had become flooded. Venice was built on over 100 tiny islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea in northern Italy. Millions of people go there every year to see it in person for its unique beauty and peculiar ways of life compared to those of us who live surrounded by land. But while Venice is a city of water due to its aquatic foundations this does not mean it should essentially be drowning itself. I’m a firm believer in climate change. A lot of people across the world believe in it too. But there are still so many who deny it has become a crisis, which is ridiculous at this point given the situation in Venice. Tidal waves hit Venice within the last week, the third of which just devastated the city. The only other known time in history that Venice flooded was in 1966. For over 50 years, Venice did not

flood. And now, suddenly, it has flooded three times in the space of two weeks. Heavy rainfall in Venice in early November caused the water levels to rise, increasing the tidal flow which caused this disaster for Venetian people. Reasons for increased rainfall are warmer temperatures which cause more water to evaporate and fall as precipitation, according to a Guardian article. Most commonly this falls as rain, and in this case, it fell into the region of Venice and surrounding areas. It’s clear we all need to act quickly to combat climate change.

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Credit: Shauna Power

ur planet is full of beautiful, unique places but we are at risk of losing them forever if we do nothing to change the state our

For over 50 years, Venice did not flood. And now, suddenly, it has flooded three times in the space of two weeks

This is not the first disaster the world has experienced this year. Over two months ago, the Amazon rainforest was burning, which struck a chord among a vast majority of people causing an outcry from around the world to do more. The same can be said about the effects the Venice flooding is having. We need to face up to the fact that try as we might, still enough is not being done. But it isn’t the everyday people who I think are to blame. It’s true that a small change makes a huge difference. The sudden change of heart about plastic straws to paper is heart-warming to see. But governments and big corporations are the main targets of this blame game. They continue to fail to see the damage they are doing to society and refusing to truly recognise our anger. While I don’t think that we are all doomed if nothing is done, I do think the world will be incredibly less beautiful which help us all to enjoy our lives. Our children will not have the same luxuries as we do which is heart-breaking to say. But this is the incoming result if we do not do more to make our governments listen. Now is a more critical time than ever.

Does the Catholic Church still influence Irish society? Aoife O’Brien| News Editor @obrienaoife

he institution of the Catholic church has caused anger and distress for many Irish people in recent times. People will argue that changes in legislation including decriminalising abortion, blasphemy and same sex marriage reflect a society that is no longer influenced by the Catholic church. However, our language and customs including phrases like ‘Goodnight and God Bless’ and ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph’ and rituals around marriage and death hint at a legacy that is left behind by the church. Having acted as a shadow welfare state for much of our history, many of the concepts and institutions that we rely on for the efficient running of society, exist only because of the Catholic church and its legacy. However, this level of control means that the consequences of church teaching are often still inflicted on those from other religions or no religion at all. Hospitals first began as a sustained

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Even today 90 per cent of Ireland’s 3,200 primary schools are owned by the church

social initiative via the church in the 4th century with the aim to heal and comfort the lowly, sick and diseased regardless of their religion or social circle. The Catholic church is still the largest non-governmental provider of health services in the world and own a number of Irish hospitals including the site for the new National Maternity hospital. By providing the land to the state at no cost the Sisters of Charity and by extension the church is enabling the provision of health care to women in need. However, there are numerous concerns over how the religious ethos could affect patients of the hospital with the church looking to forbid the morning after pill, IVF, vasectomies, sterilisation of women and abortion. The role of the church in education is equally strong. The first universities globally were pioneered by the church in the 11th and 12th century and it is from these institutions that modern science emerged. Even today 90 per cent of Ireland’s 3,200 primary schools are owned by the church. This has become an issue in our increasingly multi-denominational society as non-Catholics are

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Aoife O’Brien discusses the role the Catholic Church plays in modern Ireland

often left with no option but to send their child to a Catholic run school. However, it is also worth considering how far behind our education system would be if the church had not invested in these schools when the state could not. Even today, religious charities are having to step into areas where the state are failing us. This is particularly evident in the work of the Peter McVerry Trust providing services to the homeless or St. Vincent De Paul providing financial assistance, prison visits and social housing to alleviate the impact of poverty and social exclusion. Even where society have voted against the wishes of the Catholic church their influence still remains.

For women this means that while abortion is now legal in the country there are still areas where women cannot access the service. Despite the decriminalisation of same sex marriage, gay couples still cannot be married within the church and while many may not want to be, the stigma that still surrounds it as a result of religious ethos has isolated and estranged many families. Catholicism never claimed to be a religion for a perfect person. It came to call all sinners. But the institution of the church has a lot to answer for. And the roots of Catholicism both good and bad will be hard dug from the foundations of our society.

Comment

What Noel Grealish’s comments reveal about racism in politics

Roisin Maguire discusses the visibility of racism in Irish politics

n September 2019, Noel Grealish was recorded making racist remarks about people who live in direct provision centres. At a public meeting discussing the topic of a direct provision center coming to county Galway, he said, “These are people that are coming over here from Africa. . . to sponge off the system here in Ireland”. Since these comments, Grealish has not issued an apology but has been criticised by the Dáil. This is an example of many Irish people’s attitudes towards people who are seeking asylum, many of which are escaping war or death threats on their lives. Irish people’s attitudes on asylum seekers need to change. For example, I was on a bus from Dublin to Wicklow town where The Grand Hotel has been a direct provision center for a year, and where one woman questioned a young man living in the center. The young man explained to her that he had a place secured at UCD to which she replied “I didn’t think refugees could go to college in Ireland” and made sure to talk very slowly so

that he would understand. His English was perfect and he said that he had been studying it for most of his life, until war took him from his home. She still replied to this with “but you’re a refugee”. The people of Wicklow protested against this direct provision center and claimed that it would be bad for the businesses in the town. They had little care for the asylum seekers, whereas the people of Galway made a point of saying that they don’t believe these people should be living in these conditions. Last year, during the presidential election, Peter Casey landed himself in hot water when he criticised special provisions for travelers. He said, “They are not paying their fair share of taxes in society” and that they are “basically people camping in someone else’s land”. “Let’s call a spade a spade. Your house price doesn’t start going through the roof as soon as you get two dozen Travellers moving in down the street from you,” he said. Again, Casey did not back down on his comments and this is another example of racism in politics. This kind of behavior gets reported on but it’s up to other members of the Government to somehow censor it. These kinds of comments can result

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These kinds of comments can result in violence against both travellers and asylum seekers

in violence against both travellers and asylum seekers, seeing as Casey is influential for some people. The director of the Fundamental Rights Agency told the Irish Times that there were “worrying patterns” of behavior emerging after a four-year review including 6,000 migrants. A third of people in the survey said that they have faced discrimination

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Roisin Maguire| Lifestyle editor @roisinmaguire109

because of skin colour and 38 per cent said that they have been harassed. Racism is still a huge problem in Ireland, despite how much we pat ourselves on the back for how far we have come to improve our racist views. Racism in politics, in particular, is happening every year with no repercussions.

RTE’s troubles are not due to people evading licence fees but RTE evading quality programming Jonathon Lynam | Production Editor @jlynam99

n the 6th of November RTE announced that there would be widespread spending cuts across the company in order to reduce costs by 60 million over the next three years as they tried to deal with the financial situation they find themselves in. RTE and its personnel place a large part of the blame on the high rate of TV license fee evasion but perhaps RTE has themselves to blame for that. The license fee has become a tax for a service that many people don’t even use or want. The lack of original programming, along with the lack of quality of original programming they do shows that many would rather watch other channels and the original content they have compared to switching on RTE. The problem RTE has is that sport is shown for the most part on RTE 2

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RTE never actually jumped into the 21st century and still relies heavily on the nostalgia of shows

which operates at less than half the cost of RTE 1 and yet RTE 2 is often getting a lot more views. The reason for this is that RTE never actually jumped into the 21st century and still relies heavily on the nostalgia of shows such as The Late Late Show, Prime Time, Crimecall, and Nationwide, which is something that would never actually work long term as people grew tired of them. The station is now blaming the public who they are meant to be serving for their mistakes, not just blaming their own audience, but making them pay for their mistakes as well. As a public service broadcaster, RTE’s first objective should be serving the public at a rate that the public is willing to pay, not pushing for a broadcast license that will cost those who don’t have a TV screen and are thus very unlikely to be watching any of their content. The huge wage budgets that RTE pay their presenters are also not in the public interest but yet another example of RTE failing to see their importance in a world full of better alternatives

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Jonathon Lynam asks if RTE’s financial issues might be down to a lack of quality content

for content, and also of how badly run they are. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not calling for RTE to be abolished but just for them to rethink their strategy or perhaps think of a strategy because it seems they haven’t had one for some time. We must ask, where is the sense in paying Ryan Tubridy €495,000 when the production quality isn’t there to match? Maybe it’s time to give Tubridy and some of his presenter buddies the

boot and bring in some fresh faces which would also help reduce the €183.4 million they spend each year in operating costs and spend the money on some new ideas. Perhaps it is too little and too late for that. RTE may think that the Broadcasting license is the solution to their problem, but with an increase in funding the public will be expecting even higher quality programming than the standard that they were already failing to meet.

Are Americans to used to Trump?

Comment

Emma Nevin discusses the dangers of a growing acceptance of Trump’s misdemeanours rump’s statement that “I had a perfect phone call with the President of Ukraine” is just one of over 13,000 false claims the President has made since taking office, according to the Washington Post. It’s false, because not only was that infamous phone call imperfect, it was an outright breach of the powers of the presidency. Putting extreme pressure on Ukraine by halting military aid to start an investigation into Trump’s 2020 potential political rival is crossing a line that no president has ever (in the public’s knowledge) crossed before. So, logically, as outside spectators of the theatrics of US politics, you would assume that this scandal would cause Trump’s approval rating to plummet, but that isn’t the reality. According to a new Rasmussen Reports poll released, the President has a very decent approval rating of 47%. So even this phone call doesn’t have the public sold. What everyone thought would be the last straw for a country who has gotten so used to corruption during the last three years, has actually just turned into yet another unloaded gun instead of the smoking one the Democrats had hoped for.

The problem is, the public are getting so used to Trump and his various misdemeanors and controversies. That Ukraine phone call, where (if you read the transcript like Trump keeps telling us all too) you can clearly see that the President of the United States sought foreign interference in the 2020 election, would be a death nail for any other president. I believe there would likely have been a somewhat bipartisan effort to impeach him, but even if they survived an impeachment inquiry, they would have been murdered in their reelection campaign. Ever since he was Candidate Trump, the President has been doing and saying outrageous things that we’re all aware of. But as time has gone on, and he became more and more controversial, from firing Jim Comey to being responsible for children being locked in cages and separated from their parents, it seems as though the American people have become immune to all of his wrongdoings in a way that no other US president would have gotten away with. It’s almost like there’s a combination of voters who are just totally zoned out (consciously or subconsciously) to the very fundamentals of their democracy being tested by this President, and also voters who find Trump more and more appealing

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The problem is, the public are getting so used to Trump and his various misdemeanors and controversies

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Emma Nevin | Contributor

with each scandal that breaks. The moment when a Pennsylvanian ‘swing voter’ responded to Alisyn Camerota’s question of would she still support Trump if she shot someone with “why did he shoot them?” has definitely got Democrats and citizens of the world concerned about Trump’s very real chances of getting reelected. We’re living in a terrifying reality and the nightmare keeps getting

worse. It is absolutely shameful that a country who take so much pride and value in being the “Land of the Free” has allowed themselves to accept and condone frequent corruption on it’s highest level. If Americans don’t wake up and change their troubling acceptance of this president soon, the whole world is gonna be subjected to another term with this man, and that’s a really scary thought.

The poppy now feels like a symbol of military glorification

Calum Atkinson discusses the development of the symbol of the poppy in recent years

ranmere’s Prenton Park was the venue for an event that almost broke the internet. Before the FA Cup first round game could kick off, a giant poppy mascot waddled out of the tunnel to stand in the centre circle. The mascot stood solemnly and respectfully as a minute of silence was held for fallen soldiers. The remembrance poppy is a symbol that was first worn shortly after World War one and has been hotly debated in recent years. Most of this discussion though has centred around why one should or should not wear a poppy. There are fair arguments to be made on each side of that question. Poppies are sold by the Royal British legion, a charity that provides support to those who have served or are serving in the British Armed forces. Almost everybody that appears on British TV during the month of November wears a poppy, as is their right. One notable exception is Jon Snow from Channel 4 news as he does not believe he should be wearing symbols of any organisations while presenting the news. In the world of sport, the poppy is ubiquitous. Almost every footballer in England wears the poppy on their shirt with James McClean being the most high profile exception. McClean does

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There’s been a clear shift from remembrance and reflection to a type of triumphalism and glorification of the military

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Calum Atkinson | Deputy Comment Editor @CalumAtkinson

not wear the symbol because as he believes it would disrespect those killed in his hometown on Bloody Sunday. A phenomenon known as “poppy fascism” has become prominent in recent years where those who don’t wear a poppy are highlighted and set

upon, often receiving death threats. It’s simple or at least it should be simple. A person is free to make up their own mind on if they want to wear a poppy. The big question that we should be asking at the moment though is

why have all the ceremonies, events and traditions of remembrance like the poppy gotten so much grander in recent years. It feels as if there’s been a clear shift from remembrance and reflection to a type of triumphalism and glorification of the military. There is little real remembrance of the fallen or reflection on the horrors of war to be found these days. Who and what is behind this? One explanation is that it’s just a product of the society that we live in. Most people look at the issue in very black and white terms and see those who don’t wear the poppy as disrespecting the troops. There’s no nuance to the issue in their mind and thus the ceremonies and events reflect that lack of nuance. Another explanation is offered by some British army veterans who argue that the symbol is being used excessively to marshal support behind British military campaigns. Many are acting as willing participants in this process of rehabilitating the reputation of the British military and its past. The poppy, a symbol of selective remembrance. Some of the remembrance displays this year have been beyond parody. Ironically disrespectful to the very people they claim to so earnestly respect. It’s difficult to know how the commemorations will be even bigger next year but no doubt they’ll manage.

Bhí ‘Live Aid’ ceolchoirm spleodrach agus ní ligfear ar tharla i nDearmad go deo Rinne ‘Live Aid’ rud iontach le haghaidh gach duine

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ní d’aon ghnó a rinneadh an botún. Ón soicind a thosaigh an ceolchoirm bhí daoine ag screadach agus bhí an slua ag racáil an oíche ar fad. Bhí an banna ‘Queen’ thar cinn agus mhair a seit ar feadh fiche nóiméad. Bhí siad déithe an rac-cheoil agus tar éis níos mó na tríocha bliain tá an léiriú sin fós dochreidte.

Mná i ceol tíre Tá na mná i ceol tíre dochreidte gan aon dabht!

Courtney Fitzmaurice | Deputy Sports Editor @courtneyfitz100 Ní hé gach duine a dtaitneodh ceol tuaithe leis. Go traidisiúnta, bhí fir i gceannas ar cheol tíre, go háirithe ar an raidió. Dar leis tuairisc faoi University of Southern California Annberg Inclusion Iniative, is mná iad 16 faoin gcéad de na hamhránaithe tíre. Anois, tá a lán mná rathúla i gceoil tíre. Kacey Musgraves Bhain Kacey Musgraves Grammy as a albam Golden Hour sa bhliain 2019. Is amhránaí uathúil í Musgraves, mar canann sí faoi topaicí mar shampla LADT (Leispiach, Aerach, Déghnéasach agus Trasinscneach) agus raithneach. Is scribhneoir an macánta í agus tá creidiúint tiullte aici de bharr a bhfiul bainte amach aige. Catherine McGrath Rugadh Catherine McGráth i gContae an Dúin. Thug Taylor Swift inspioráideach di, agus chan sí

amhranaí Swift ar YouTube. Deireann sí faoi abhair mar shampla grá, caidrimh agus neamhspleáchas. Is ceoltóir í arch fhurasta dáimh a bheith agat lei. Sa bhliain 2017, bhí cnagshingil aici darb ainm Cinderella. Canann sí faoi buachaill a taitníonn lei. Chuaigh siad amach, ach bhí sé ag caint leis cailíní eile. Mothaigh sí faoi Cinderella ag an bál. Tá albam amháin aici darb ainm Talk of This Town, agus tá amhráin maith ar, cuir i gcás Wild agus Dodged a Bullet. Éireoidh go maith lei sa tionscal an cheoil tíre. Kelsea Ballerini Is amhránaí go hálainn í Kelsea Ballerini. Canann sí ceol pop tíre. Tá dhá albam aici, sin iad The First Time agus Unapologetically. Scríobhann sí faoi topaicí mar shampla féinmhuinín agus grá. Tá amhrán aici darb ainm Club, agus tá sí ag ceiliúradh cairdeas baineann. San fiseán ceoil, bhí cóisir ar Ballerini agus a cairde san ostán mar níor mhaith leo ag dul amach. Sa bhliain 2016, bhuaigh sí an gradam New Female Vocalist of the Year ar an

Sa seit bhí na hamhráin ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’ agus ‘We Are The Champions’, go bunúsach, na hamhráin dá gcuid is mó a raibh ráchairt orthu. Bhí ‘Live Aid’ iontach ar fad mar bhí daoine in ann ceol thar cionn a chloisteáil agus tacaíocht a thabhairt chomh maith. Féach ar an amhráin ‘Is This The

Spreagann ceol na mothúcháin agus bhí teachtaireacht láidir sa cheolchoirm seo

World We Created…?’ Chan Freddie é ag an gceolchoirm agus is amhrán deoirshilteach go maith é seo. Is docha nach raibh grua thirim sa slua! Spreagann ceol na mothúcháin agus bhí teachtaireacht láidir sa cheolchoirm seo. Scaip siad teachtaireacht an ghrá go gonta. Tá an smaoineamh seo tábhachtach sa saol an lae inniu, tá bearna idir muid féin agus daoine eile ag an teicneolaíocht. Caithfimid teacht le chéile chun na daoine bochta a cabhrú agus an teicneolaíocht a úsáid i mbealach eile. Táimid faoi dhraíocht ag an teicneolaíocht agus ag an am céanna tá béic impíoch ag teacht ó na daoine suaracha. Tá cumhacht an ceolchoirm seo dosháraithe ach bhí buntuiscint ‘Live Aid’ beagán dosháraithe freisin. Bhí troid chrua ag an lucht eagraithe chun cuir ina luí ar dhaoine riachtanas an bailiúchán seo. Ach thuig na daoine ar fud an domhain an tábhacht agus ní ar mhaithe leo féin a bhí siad. Bhí ‘Live Aid’ ócáid speisialta agus bíonn meangadh gáire ar dhaoine agus iad ag smaoineamh faoin am iontach carthanais seo. B’fhéidir go bhfuil beagán éada orm, ach ní raibh mé beo go fóill!

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Aithníonn a lán daoine Maren Morris mar tá amhrán cáiliúil aici le Zed, The Middle Academy of Country Music Awards. Beidh albam nua ag teacht an bhliain seo chugainn. Cassadee Pope Sa bhliain 2012, bhuaigh Cassadee Pope The Voice US. Ba í an chéad bhean a bhuaigh an comórtas. Tá banna ceoil punc aici darb ainm Hey Monday, ach anois tá siad bearna. Sa Feabhra, bhí albam nua curtha amach aici, Stages. Tá a lán amhráin iontach aici, mar shampla If My Heart Had a Heart agus I’ve Been Good. Sa bhliain 2019, thug siad camhuairt le Maren

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1985 i mí Iúil bhí an domhan i ngrá le ceol agus bhí gach duine ag caint faoin léiriú iontach a rinne gach uile ceoltóir sa cheolchoirm ‘Live Aid’. Bhí carthanas agus daonnacht an príomh teachtaireacht agus bhí an lucht eagraithe ag iarraidh airgead a bhailiú ar son na daoine bochta san Afraic. Bhí gorta na hAetóipe oscailt súl don gustalach agus bhí daoine ag iarraidh rud éigin éifeachtach a dhéanamh do na híospartaigh a bhí ag fulaingt de bharr go leor cúiseanna. Fuair breis agus milliún duine bás le linn an ghorta agus d’fhág an gorta lorg millteanach ar an tír ar fad. Bhí an daonra feirmeoireachta an earnáil is measa a buaileadh. Mhair an gorta ar feadh dhá bhliain. D’eagraigh na ceoltóirí Bob Geldof ón ‘Boomtown Rats’ and Midge Ure ceolchoirm déach, ceann amháin i Londain agus ceann eile i bhFilideilfia i lár mhí Iúil. Bhí cúpla ceolchoirm eile ar siúl timpeall an domhain chomh maith agus bhí beaganch gach duine eile ag féachaint ar an teilifís sa bhaile. Bhí buairt and dea-rún taobh thiar den ócáid charthanachta seo ach bhí iarracht den chonspóid ag baint leis i gcás an mí-úsáid airgid. Ach is docha

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Naoise Darby | Contributor

Morris. Tá lucht éisteachta dílis aici. Maren Morris Aithníonn a lán daoine Maren Morris mar tá amhrán cáiliúil aici le Zed, The Middle. Tá dhá albam aici, sin iad Hero agus Girl. Bhuaigh Morris Best Country Solo Performance sa Grammys i 2016 faoi a cnagshingil My Church. San amhrán seo, deireann sí go bhfuil religiún agus ceol cosúil. Deanann sí tagairtí faoi daoine clúiteach sa ceoil tíre, Johnny Cash agus Hank Williams. The Highwomen

Sa bhliain 2019, thosaigh Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires agus Natalie Hemby banna ceoil tír darb ainm The Highwomen. Thug siad inspioraideach ón banna ceoil sa 1980s, the Highwaymen, faoi Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings agus Kris Kristofferson. Thosaigh Shires an banna ceoil mar aithnin sí an claontacht inscne ar raidió ceoil tíre. Dar le Rolling Stone, tá an singil Redesigning Women ar ach dornán raidió ceoil tíre.

Sos cathrach: Liospóin

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Tá sos tuilte agat, seiceáil amach Liospóin!

Beth Molloy| Irish Editor

Credit: Andrew Becks

n bhfuil tú ag smaoineamh ar shos gheimhridh? Cad ina thaobh nach Liospóin? Is cathair álainn í caipiteal na Portaingéile. Tá draíocht ag baint leis an gcathair agus is uaidh atá an radharc is fearr a d’fhéadfá a shamhlú. Tá neart le déanamh i Liospóin! Tá cupla díolachán ar siuil anois ar eitilí agus tá margadh maith le fáil ar eitilí ach suíochán a chur in áirithe go luath. Chomh maith leis sin tá cupla ár asán ar phraghas réasúnta ar Airbnb.Tá ceann amhain suite go hidéalach agus níl sé ach €48 don oíche amhain. Tá sé sin an-saor amach is amach! Tóg leat do bróga siúil, beidh tú ag déanamh a lán siúlóide! Is féidir siúl chuig gach ait sa cathair. Tá siopaí agus sráideanna atá lán le daoine i ngach áit agus is liosta le háiremah an méid seipéal atá sa chathair. Tá clú agas cáil ar mainistir Jerónimos, is suíomh oidhreachta domhanda é. B’fhiú go mór triail a bhaint as an gceann seo. Is mór an lucht leanúna é Madonna agus theastaigh uaidh a mhainistir a cheannach! Tá cáil ar an gcathair as a bia. Is

cathair chalafoirt í Liospóin agus tá an cathair lán le bialann bia mara. Tá réimse leathan áiteanna le hithe agus tabhair cuairt ar Time Out Market chun an chuid is fearr den chathair a fheiceáil. Chomh maith leis sin tá aithne fhorleathan ar Liospóin as a chuid cácaí. Glaoitear orthu pastel de nata. Tá siad go-hiontach ar fad agus

bíonn sé blasta ag aon am den lá, fiú don bhricfeasta! Ag an am gnóthach seo den bhliain tá an cathair ag ullmhú don Nollaig. Tá margadh ollmhór ar siúil i lar an gcathair. Tá clú air as an táirgí úra agus áitiúla agus is fiú é cuairt a thabhairt ar.

Gaeilge

Tá alán músaeim i Liospóin freisin. Tá gach rud ó músaeim ealaíne go músaeim eolaíochta agus teicneolaíochta. Tá rud éigin ann do gach duine. Seoid amach is amach é Liospóin. Sin rud eile ba mhaith liom a dhéanamh sula bhfaighidh mé bás.

Tá draíocht ag baint leis an gcathair agus is uaidh atá an radharc is fearr a d’fhéadfá a shamhlú

An bhfuil mná tóghta i ndáiríre i gcúrsaí sláinte? Éagothroime san coras slainte. Tá mná fulaingt.

á seans níos airde, má mná thú, go mbeidh cógas imní nó síceolaíochta tughta dhuit. Tugtar an “gender pain gap” ar an feiniméan seo, in éineacht le go leor fadhbanna eile a a bhfuil mná á taithí i gcúrsaí sláinte. Tar éis an scannal le smearadh as an gceirbheacs, a raibh 209 mná pairteach de, tá sé soléir go bhfuil sláinte mná gan aird ar bith i níos mó cásanna ná sin. Tá go leor tuairisc déanta a theaspeáinin go bhfuil an domhan seo tar éis a bheith tóghta le fir ar intinn. Tá sé le fheiceáil i níos mó slí ná seo i gcúrsaí laethanta, le sonraí leighis agus sábháilteacht á dhéanamh le staidéir ar fir amháin. Tá fir cosúil le an duine bunúsach, agus mar sin tá drugaí leigheas agus trialacha sábháilteacht (i gcaranna, mar shampla) déanta ar macasamhail fir. Mar sin, níl fhios ag aoin duine cad iad na héifeachtaí éagsúla a bhfuil ar na gcúrsaí seo ar mná. Tá an méid sin hormóin agus próiséas coirpe difriúla ar mná go bhfuil doctúir agus

eolachtaí gan cliú dá laghad acu ar cúrsaí mná. I tuairisc ón Ríochat Aontaithe, fuair siad amach go bhfuil mná na daoine is dócha a théinn chuig an doctúir, agus mar sin is féidir le doctúir dhúiltiú an pian a bhfuil siad a chuir i láthair. Fiú le seo ará, níl mná ag dul chuig on doctúir níos mó ná fir - tá seans go bhfuil níos mó fadhbanna sláinte ag mná. Déanann sé seo ciall, mar bíonn sé ar mná dul go dtí an doctúir nuair a bhfuil siad ag iompar, ag fháil breithrialú saorga, nó ag déileáil le fadhbanna gínéiceolaíoch agus an tuille fadhbanna eile a bíonn ann i saol mná. Tá tuairiscí déanta, freisin, a bunú go mbíonn ar mná fanacht níos fhada ná fir nuair a tá siad san ospidéal agus tá pianmhúcáin á lorg acu, nó fiú más maith leo doctúir a fheiceáil. Bíonn taithí difrúil ag gach duine leis an slí a braithíonn siad pian. Is feidir do chosa a bhrise agus gan beagáin gearán agat, nó duine eile a chosa a leon agus tú á rá go bhfuil sé an pian is mó a bhí i do shaol. An bhfuil mná níos cúin nuair a tá siad i bpian? Nó an bhfuil sé seo fianaise eile go nach bhfuil siad tóghta dáiríre?

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Níl fhios ag aoin duine cad iad na héifeachtaí éagsúla a bhfuil ar na gcúrsaí seo ar mná Credit: Amanda Mills

Béibhinn Thorsch | Deputy Features Editor @BeibhinnJourno

The season of SAD

Áine O’Boyle | Deputy Editor and Arts Editor @aineoboyle99

or many of us, Sunday, October 27th meant waking with a glorious extra hour of sleep. Curled up in our blankets with whispers of the autumnal morning sun peeping through the window frames. But for many others, the end of Daylight Saving Time had different connotations. It represented the onslaught of the winter months, where you wake up to dark, cold and often rainy mornings, and head home from a day of school, college or work to the same dreary conditions. According to Mental Health Ireland, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that is estimated to affect between one in 15 people between the months of September and April, when the days get shorter and the evenings get longer. SAD tends to affect a majority of people situated in the northern hemisphere during the winter months, although a number of cases involving summer-type SAD have been established. Those within the age group of 18-30 are most susceptible to SAD, with the majority of cases being diagnosed following two consecutive winters of symptoms. The months of December to February, being both the darkest and the coldest throughout the year can be particularly severe for those suffering from SAD, leaving many to with a general low mood, a loss of pleasure or interest in activities and persistent fatigue. A research study examing how to cope with the changing seasons found that in contrast to nonseasonal depression, those suffering from SAD tend to experience hypersomnia or exessive oversleeping rather than insomnia and an increased appetite accompanied by exessive carbohydrate cravings and weight gain rather than loss of appetite and weight loss. Other atypical depressive symptoms

common to SAD include an afternoon or evening slump in mood and energy Currently, SAD characterises between 10-20 per cent of depression cases, with a population survey of US adults finding that SAD prevalance generally increases with latitude and ranges from 1.4 per cent in Florida to 9.9 per cent in Alaska. Subsyndromal SAD, more commonly known as the “winter blues’” is even more prevalent than SAD and ranges in prevalence from 2.6 per cent in Florida to 19 per cent in Alaska. In follow-up studies of patients suffering from SAD, it was found that between 28-44 per cent of these SAD patients then went on to suffer from nonseasonal patterns of depression or

Credit: Sathishaa Mohan

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that is estimated to affect between one in 15 people between the months of September and April, when the days get shorter and the evenings get longer.

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young people are generally more susceptible to developing SAD, particularly in countries with pronounced seasonal changes incomplete remission throughout the summer months. Between 14-38 per cent of those surveyed went from having SAD to the ‘winter blues’ or into complete remission, and 22-42 per cent continued to have pure SAD. It was also found that young people are generally more susceptible to developing SAD, particularly in countries with pronounced seasonal changes. From a scientfic or medical perspective, the cause of SAD is yet to be established, but several potential causes have been proposed, from photoperiodism, referring to the response of an

organism to seasonal changes in day length, to changing levels of serotonin or phase-shifts. Mental Health Ireland has proposed several treatments for SAD, from maximising your exposure to daylight to prescription drugs and over-thecounter treatments. It is recommended that those of whom suffer from SAD get up as early in the mornings to take advantage of the available daylight. It is also recommended to surround yourself with supportive, caring people and to take time off to look after yourself during this period of time. For those that find that making

healthy and positive life changes during this period simply isn’t enough, going to visit your GP is the next step. Many GP’s will prescribe medication to combat these depressive episodes, along with the advice to take supplements such as Vitamin D. It is also recommended to avoid the consumption of alcohol and drugs during this period, as they will decrease your mood even further. Speaking on Claire Byrne Live on Monday, November 11th, Dr Harry Barry discussed the use of ‘light therapy’ to combat the ‘winter blues’ or SAD.

He said: “During the winter time, our serotonin system, due to lack of light, shrinks.” “We also have longer periods of darkness, and the thing about darkness is that it causes us to produce a chemical in our brain called melatonin and that makes us sluggish and feel down and flat.” Dr Barry recommeneded the use of a dawn simulating light to boost your serotonin system first thing in the morning. “It’s almost like mimicking daylight,” he said. “It comes on 30 minutes before you wake up and it gradually increas the amount of light so eventually it’s almost like sunlight coming up and you feel fresher and more alert.” The dawn simulator is designed to stop melatonin production in the morning, to stop us from feeling groggy and sluggish. The HSE recommends light therapy as a treatment for SAD, alongside cognitive behavioural therapy, or for more severe cases, antidepressants. Treatment of SAD generally depends on the nature and severtiy of the various symptoms one might experience, for some, a combination of various different treatments will be used to ease the symptoms.

Features

Self-care is a priority for young people, now more than ever

oo ne y eR Ch lo it:

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I think that self care is not only beneficial but vital. You can't pour from an empty cup as they say

was the winner for 25-44 years old. The research also had a series of statistics on physical health, including cancer and heart disease. Aviva Life & Pension representative Karen Gallagher commented on the research saying, “It is evident that people are conscious of the need to look after their mental health however, it is not always possible to prevent issues arising and a level of protection should be in place”. It is clear that young people are more conscious of their mental health now than they were decades ago. As a result, more may be practicing selfcare or mindfulness. Psychotherapist Amy Plant told The College View , “I think everyone is becoming more aware of their mental health because it’s becoming less stigmatized and words like mindfulness, self-care, anxiety are used much more frequently.” “I do think that 18 - 24 year olds are more aware of their mental health than a 35 year old now would have been when they were 18. Mindfulness, yoga and meditation are being introduced into schools and there are innumerable podcasts, apps etc focused on mental health.” Plant, who practices in the Dublin area said that from her own experience 18-35 year olds are “more comfortable talking about the fact that they are in therapy.” “I think they are less likely to view it as self-indulgence and more necessity. I think older generations were likely taught that self-care was selfish.” Self-care for the mind can be compared to exercise for the body. A regular ritual that helps the mind to work better, and feel better. Mental health affects your wellbeing to the same extent as physical health, and has been proven to impact

irst thing every morning Louis Maxwell writes in his journal. The Dun Laoghaire Institute Of Art Design and Technology student has made a conscious decision to start everyday with a purposeful to do list. Aspects of self-care are intertwined effortlessly into his daily routine and as a result, it does not hinder his productivity. For example, even while travelling he is able to make use of his time. “I cycle everywhere so I use that as a time to deep breathe and set my intentions for the day.” Maxwell attends weekly yoga classes that have become the “highlight” of his week and he ends every day with a “sleepy meditation” before bed, something that benefits his ability to have a deep, full nights sleep. New research carried out by Aviva has shown that 57 per cent of 18-24 year olds are targeting looking after their mental health and reducing stress levels amongst their top three priorities. The research was published online on November 10th of this year. It interviewed a representative sample of 2,000 adults aged 18 and over, but quantified the final data into age groups. The data showed that looking after mental health is the top priority for 18-24 year olds. In comparison, the priority for those ages over 45 was to get more exercise and spending more time with family

New research has shown that 57 per cent of 18-24 year olds are targeting looking after their mental health and reducing stress levels amongst their top three priorities

Roisin Phelan | Features Editor @_roisinphelan

physical health. According to Mental Health Ireland, depression has been linked to a 67 per cent increased risk of death from heart disease and a 50 per cent increased risk of death from cancer. Plant agreed with this link between

mental and physical health saying “As for self-care I would say it’s vital for well being. If you don’t practice self-care you’re literally not looking after yourself and that can’t really ever be good.” Although self-care can often be viewed exclusively as things like mas-

sages, baths, journaling, listening to music and exercising, Plant highlighted that “self care also includes things like implementing emotional boundaries, not taking on the emotions and issues of others as if they were our own, being cognizant of how we speak to ourselves and our self esteem and self worth and not constantly putting the needs of others above our own.” “I think that self care is not only beneficial but vital. You can’t pour from an empty cup as they say,” she said. Many things have normalised the discussion of mental health in society, one which was not acknowledged as outright in the past. Student Union campaigns, Mental Health Societies, television shows, films, musicians, social media, and education have all helped to open the conversation up to all generations, however, young people for the most part have taken the lead on the discussion. DCU student Dara Browne agreed with this saying “it’s a big topic nowadays and I think the younger generation are really good for making mental well-being a priority. I think mindfulness has definitely become more normalised.” Similar to Maxwell, Browne includes mindfulness in her daily routine. “I always take a few minutes out of my day to practice mindfulness so I can feel in control and clear my mind a bit... I think is so important because we can so easily get caught up in everything we have going on and forget to take a minute to just take a step back and take a break.” Plant said she is pleased by the uptake in self-care and mindfulness and said “I think the stigma [around mental health and self-care] is certainly lessening and that’s because these topics are much more out in the open. Secrecy has a tendency to breed shame.” “We could be sitting next to a person who is experiencing the exact same feelings as us but if we’re too afraid to discuss it then we’ll think that we’re completely alone,” she said.

Features

Abuse and harassment, all part of the job

Despite many workers speaking out on the abuse they have experienced while working in the hospitality industry, the Restaurants Association of Ireland rejects findings on the issue.

Sonja Tutty | Images Editor @SonjaDeJourno

Credit: Sonja Tutty

hile working on New Year’s Eve DCU student Gemma Robotham was serving the restaurant’s 70-year old owner. He complimented Gemma’s dress since it was one of the days that staff did not have to wear uniform, and then invited her to his hotel’s nightclub. She responded by saying, “Sorry, I’m only 18 and [the nightclub] is over 21s.” But, he assured her he could get her into the club, which was renown as a place where husbands cheated on their wives. A recent study by Dr. Deirdre Curran showed widespread harassment in the hospitality industry with 55 per cent of the survey respondents saying they had witnessed or experienced harassment. 75 per cent said they had experienced verbal abuse and one respondent said, “I have often been sweared at, called stupid and useless same as my other colleagues at work. My boss would throw punches at the wall, threw a chair at one of the workers and insult the way I look and talk, apparently I sound like a robot.” In her survey she asked who perpetuated abuse in the workplace and “overwhelmingly it was someone in a position of power like a chef, owner, or manager. They were asked if they experienced abuse who did you report it to, overwhelmingly the answer: nobody.” She said in an Oireachtas Joint Committee meeting. Robotham began working at the restaurant when she was 17 and experienced no harassment for the first few months. But when she turned 18, her manager and co-workers began commenting on her appearance. “When I was 17 my manager would never say the f-word around me or anything sexual, but once you turned 18 the atmosphere in the place changed, almost to say it was okay now because I was overage. ” On a particular shift, she was left to close with the manager’s brother-inlaw who was 28. Usually, the waiters would leave before the kitchen staff, and having finished the closing-up procedure she told him she would be clocking out. But, he told her they still had to fold the napkins – a task often left to do when the restaurant is very quiet. As they folded the napkins, he slid his hand up her leg. Since that evening the roster began to change so that she was closing with him more and more often and on a separate occasion, he pressured her into kissing him. But despite these events and him frequently grabbing and verbally harassing her, he insisted it was a joke

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That was just the culture in the place… I was just used to it

and Robotham struggled to tell people about her experiences. This was due in part to the normalisation of sexual harassment, as his behaviour was brushed off because, “he was just a messer.” She added, “I felt there was a certain level of responsibility on me not to be seducing this older man, but it was also so normalised... I just didn’t want to make a big deal of it.“ It was only when a new co-worker spoke up against the manager and threatened to seek legal advice, that she understood how unacceptably she and her female co-workers were being treated. However, the restaurant was a small business, so there was no HR manager. She explained that was one of the reasons she never reported the harassment. She also never attempted to report it to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). “Going through reporting and trying to prove it would probably be more traumatic than the actual harassment itself.” She added, “That was just the culture in the place…I was just used to it. I was also always just scared of [reporting] because my hours could be cut and I would rather have this sexual harassment kind of environment rather than a hostile environment.” Curran’s research affirms this

experience and says commonly employees won’t report ill-treatment. But even if they do only 15 per cent of those who reported said the action was taken to address the issue. However, surveys with selfselecting participants such as Curran’s, do not represent the wider population unlike large surveys with randomly selected participants. While her research does not offer concrete evidence staff are treated poorly in every hospitality workplace, it definitely portrays a serious systematic problem. “It’s a screaming issue that needs to be addressed.” She said in an Oireachtas Joint Committee meeting. DCU Student, Courtney Fitzmaurice used to work in a takeaway restaurant and said that one day in the staff breakroom – a small room – she was alone with a delivery driver. He asked her to add him on Facebook, and being too intimidated to say no, added him. He had a different name and very few friends on his profile, and began to text her constantly. He would text her about going to work events, even if she would not respond. “I felt intimidated to go into work in case I was alone with him, and it was one of the reasons I left the job soon after.” She said. In the Oireachtas meeting, Curran

added that sexual harassment is a very common experience for female employees in hospitality and quoted a survey respondent who said, “I was told to suck my manager’s penis because I couldn’t bring them the lemons fast enough.” However, the Irish Hotel Federation disagreed with her findings and in a statement to The Irish Times said, “Irish hotels have a well-earned reputation for excellence as employers and are committed to best practice employment standards in looking after their employees.” The Restaurant Association of Ireland also rejected her assertion of widespread sexual harassment in the hospitality sector. Their chief executive, Adrian Cummins said Curren’s research is incomplete and contests with how she carried out the research. But, personal testimonies from Curran’s survey and other women in hospitality show a clear problem. Robotham suggested that for change to happen there has to be a major shift in attitude towards harassment, as the procedures in place seem to fail or are too hard to access. Similarly, one of Curran’s survey respondents said that bullying and harassment cannot be accepted, “The excuse ‘Sure, that’s the industry’ is not good enough.”

Long shifts, short breaks, and illegal rosters

Features

Dara Browne | Video Editor @dara_b_

orker rights and employment laws are things that a lot of students are not fully aware of. Clara Kinsella used to fall into this bracket. Kinsella, a waitress at a hotel, has the difficult job of living up to the expectations of managers who believe a part-time worker and full-time student only needs a three-hour break between shifts. The second-year Biological and Biomedical Science student at Trinity College has worked in the hotel and country club in County Dublin for two years and has found a family among her fellow workers. The wait staff and other employees of the hotel often enjoy a night out in Cafe Bar in Swords, or a pint in Chalk Bar at the end of a long day. However, this is sometimes impossible to do due to illegal rostering of work times. “For example, I’d be rostered from 4pm until midnight but there would be a wedding on so I would be expected to stay and work until 3.30am or 4am,” said Kinsella. “I’d be expected to stay late and work that shift but I would never be asked, and I feel like I have to do it and I can’t say no because there’s such a family vibe between all of the staff members. “We get on really well, and if you

don’t work late, there’s nobody else to do it and you’re leaving your friends who are left there with more work, and who will then have to stay way later. You’re not damaging the managers, you’re damaging your friends, and that’s the most upsetting thing.” Kinsella described the illegal hours as being “normal at this point” and says that the feeling of obligation to stay way past her rostered hours for the benefit of others is becoming very taxing. “You really take one for the team a lot in there, which is quite annoying.” On top of the illegal rostering hours and expectations to work long into the night without complaint, Kinsella can’t catch a break either; at least a legal one. According to the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, workers are entitled to 11 consecutive hours’ rest in any period of 24 hours between shifts. However, according to the hotel and Kinsella’s experience, this rule does not apply to them. “After working the wedding for 12 hours, I could be rostered again at 7am for the breakfast shift, so that’s a three-hour break between my shifts. I can barely go home and have a nap, grab a bite to eat before I have to go and do another eight-hour shift that same day.” As stated on Citizens Information, workers are entitled to a 15-minute break after working for a period of four and a half hours, and a 30-minute break for a six-hour work period.

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I would never go to my manager or boss to confront them about work conditions or pay because I wouldn’t know how to go about doing it

Credit: PxHere

Many students are afraid to confront their managers and respective bosses about their work conditions

“In my contract, it says that I get a half-hour unpaid break, a half-hour paid break, and a 15 minute paid break; so, that’s an hour and 15 minutes in total for a break throughout the day,” Kinsella said. “I actually only get an hour and a half-hour unpaid break, which isn’t fair, and sometimes I don’t get a break at all. Or, I get my break at the end of my shift and instead of letting me just go home, instead, I have to sit and wait in the canteen before I can leave.” An important thing to note regarding break periods is that a break at the end of the working day is “not acceptable and does not comply with the Act.” Many students are afraid to confront their managers and respective bosses about their work conditions. Clare Tuite, third-year Children’s and General Nursing at DCU, can attest to this matter. “I would never go to my manager or boss to confront them about work conditions or pay because I wouldn’t know how to go about doing it,” said Tuite. “I’d think ‘what if I come across as rude or entitled or like I’m looking for a pay rise and there’s people who’ve been here longer than me?’ and also; it’s just a part-time job. “I really would not be aware of my rights as a worker. I’ve only ever been informed of my hours, I wouldn’t even be told about my pay. In my most recent job, I was never told what I would be paid per hour and they didn’t even give me a copy of my contract

either which you’re supposed to get and I didn’t even know.” Tuite suggested if there were some sort of induction for new employees starting a job to inform them about their rights as an employee and not just the role and duties of the job at hand, it would be a huge help. “There shouldn’t be that fear of going to a manager to say you’re not happy with the work conditions or pay and I think it’s definitely something that would make a huge difference to me.” On the other hand, Kinsella has said that she knows about her worker rights, but nothing is being done by her employers to change. “My manager would just get annoyed if I brought it up and I would only be making the situation worse. I think nothing is being done, not because the managers don’t care, but because a lot of jobs like mine are so understaffed that the managers are also overworked to an extent and without a Human Resources department, the responsibility is being passed onto them which they have no time to deal with.” Kinsella added, “I should feel lucky to have a break at all when sometimes my managers don’t get one.” Without the resources, like an HR department, to aid workers in trying to improve conditions for themselves and co-workers, it seems that part-time working students are fighting a losing battle when it comes to improving work conditions.

Sport

Archers come to the fore at Intervarsities

Dublin City University Archery Club fortified their status as one of the most prominent clubs on the university circuit, securing three podium finishes on home soil

wenty archers represented DCU in the intervarsity event with there being a mix of advanced archers and beginners competing at the first competition on the Irish Student Archery Association League circuit. In all over two hundred people took part in the event, each given 60 arrows, with 600 being the highest possible score. DCU archers compete in different categories, each category being represented by its own team: Recurve, Barebow and Compound, with the only variance being the shooting style. Student and Public Relations Officer for the DCU Archery Club, Kealan O’Connor claimed second place in the Recurve Intermediate Men’s category. Speaking to The College View about his feat, O’Connor was pragmatic and looking to build on what he hopes will be a successful season. “My performance was definitely not to my usual standard. It’s nice to take second place for the club but I’m capable of doing much better. My goal is to be finishing at the top whenever I can,” he said.

Having started off the season promisingly with a score of 521 at the Trinity Open, O’Connor finished on a score of 478 at intervarsities which he feels could be improved: “It would have been a decent score for me last year but it’s no longer where my standard should be,” he said. The challenge of organising an event can take its toll and O’Connor felt that played its part in his performance. “Trying to organise and run a competition for over 200 people and also compete at the same time is easier said than done and the mental fatigue caused me to make too many mistakes,” he said. However, O'Connor elected to look to the future and aimed to prevent such matters from hindering him again, saying: “It has given me an opportunity to reflect on the experience and I will be putting in more mental training in order to prevent this issue in the future.” While competing in the men’s intermediate category, O’Connor harbours intentions of making the step up. “I know that I have the potential to be competing with the top archers in the advanced category and the experience and training that I gain over the course of this year will hopefully bring me closer to them," he said.

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Finishing with a good result whenever I can, is just one step on my way to that goal

Credit: DCU Archery

Daniel Phelan | Contributor

"Finishing with a good result whenever I can, is just one step on my way to that goal,” he added. Elsewhere, DCU students Oskars Veide and Tara McMullan claimed third place in both the Recurve Advanced Men’s category and Women’s Compound category respectively.

The second intervarsity event of the season is due to take place in Institute of Technology Carlow. Fourteen archers from DCU Archery Club will take part from the Recurve, Barebow and Compound teams and they will be looking to build on their strong opening.

DCU Karate in rebuilding stage after Trinity competition

DCU Karate narrowly missed out on becoming champions at the Karate Intercollegiate Competition held in Trinity College Dublin earlier on in the month Anja Zauers | Social Media Editor @anja_zs

Credit: DCU Karate

he annual event was held in the Trinity College Sports Centre on November 2nd where five colleges battled it out, hoping to bring home gold. The Cup is one of the biggest events of the year for the Karate circle, as they prepare for Intervarsities next April. Universities across Dublin took part in the championship, including Trinity, Technological University Dublin, UCD, NUI Maynooth and DCU. The competition consisted of four categories altogether: Individual Kata, Team Kata, Individual Kumite and Team Kumite. Kata, meaning "form", are sequences of movements that are put together in an overall pattern that must be memorized. Kumite, on the other hand, involves partner work or sparring.

DCU Karate sent three competitors, Sam Wheeldon, Robert Collins and Matthew Brennan along with the support of their injured coach Ryan Doyle. “The three of us would attend our club sessions but we would also meet up along with other members of the club and spar for a few hours, twice a week,” said Collins, competitor and who is also Vice-Chair of DCU Karate. Sam Wheeldon, made a quick work of his opponents in the early stages narrowly missing out on the final, picking up a bronze medal in his individual category for the DCU team. Both Robert Collins and Matthew Brennan fought as a team in the Kumite category but lost out by one point in their final rounds, receiving silver medals after hard-fought victories. “Every time we compete, we’re going for gold and although this wasn’t the outcome, the three of us won medals at the event and there’s plenty we can learn from it. DCU was the All Ireland Champions in 2017 and

the ultimate goal is to get back to this level” said Collins. “Due to only having three competitors at the event we were heavily outnumbered by the winners of the cup, UCD, who collectively tallied up more points from picking up more medals across the numerous categories,’ continued Collins. UCD won the All-Dublin Cup for the second year in a row bringing home 15 out of the 18 Gold medals on offer. DCU karate is firmly focused on getting ready for the All-Ireland Karate Intervarsity Championship which will be held in April of next year after hosting it in 2019. The Intervarsity event which will be held in the UCD Sports Centre is aimed at all students attending a third-level institute in Ireland. However, in the meantime, the club is working towards belt gradings and plan to compete at any opportunity they get.

Sport

Trampoline club jumps to victory Ní Iceadha won a silver medal in advanced ladies’ section

CU Trampolining Club came out victorious winning the varsities club trophy in Limerick last weekend scoring in the top 75 per cent of the competition as well as club member Niamh Ní Iceadha winning best form in the entire competition. The DCU trampolining team competed against six universities around Ireland in what is “the first big trampolining competition of the university year.” “I never seen a higher level of shock on people’s faces when they announced that we won, we aren’t a big trampolining club compared to others such as UCC or UCD so it’s a fantastic achievement for us,” team member Ní Iceadha said about the win. Ní Iceadha wasn’t only successful in the team event but also placed second in the advanced ladies’ section of the competition. She competed against 18 other women from around Ireland, which is double the number of women she competed against last year. The Dublin native said she was “originally disappointed” with placing second but then realised she had received the best score she had ever scored in a routine. Ní Iceadha was unfortunate with her tariff score on the day but won best form overall.

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I [had] never seen a higher level of shock on people’s faces when they announced that we won “Best form is definitely the thing I like winning the most, in trampolining you score on tariff and form but I’m not great at the higher tariff stuff, but I know I’m good at form,” Ní Iceadha told The College View. Ní Iceadha started trampolining when she was in fourth year of secondary school in her local club ‘Super

Credit: DCU Trampolining

Aoife Breslin | Contributor

Sonic’. She considers herself “quite a competitive person,” competing in many competitions over the years. This year Ní Iceadha placed first in nationals with her club.

“I won gold at nationals this year and also won gold in the qualifiers for nationals. Our team also won the overall competition which was a huge success for the club,” Ní Iceadha said

when asked about competing. Ní Iceadha hopes to continue her journey in trampolining by learning more skills and developing her synchronised trampolining and her double mini trampolining ability (DMT). “I would love to learn more skills in DMT and also increase my synchro, which is synchronised trampolining, so I would love to find a strong synchro partner for that,” Ní Iceadha said. Varsities was Ní Iceadha’s last competition competing as an advanced lady as she has now moved up to the next category which is elite ladies. “It is a lot harder, with a lot more somersaults, but I can’t wait to try it and push myself with something new,” said Ní Iceadha. DCU’s trampolining club has been doing very well this year with many new students joining the club. They can already see its successes rising as there is a high demand of club members wanting to take part in competitions. Last year the club went to the Sisto Junior Trampolining Open in Scotland, which is one of the international competitions they attend. Three members of the club competed last year, but already they have 11 students wanting to participate in the competition this year, showing the growth of the club.

Judy Bobbett makes Irish rugby debut

s a young child obsessed with the game of rugby, representing your country is always the dream, and for Judy Bobbett, that dream was fulfilled as she earned her first Ireland senior cap when she lined out in the second row of Adam Griggs’ side that lost to Wales in their home November Test in UCD. It’s been a memorable few months for the DCU EPL student, who earned her first Leinster senior cap only three months ago. Also a well renowned and talented GAA goalkeeper and 2018 Meath minor captain, the Blackrock star joined Nichola Fryday in the second row and was the only uncapped player in the starting side. Rugby runs in the blood of this Meath native as Pat Bobbett, Judy’s grandfather, was one of the founding members of their club Ashbourne RFC, while her father Charles Bobbett is also a long-term member. A last minute try for Wales was a sucker-punch for Griggs’ side at the UCD Bowl, but once the initial heartbreak of defeat subsided, Bobbett was able to savour the moment for what it was and what she achieved, being one of 15 women to represent her country

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I’ve had great days in sport, but nothing will beat the feeling of representing your country for the first time

in front of her family, friends, former Meath GAA teammates and lovers of rugby. “I’ve had great days in sport, but nothing will beat the feeling of representing your country for the first time. It was unfortunate we didn’t get the win but we will learn from our mistakes and kick on for the Six Nations in 2020,” Bobbett told The College View. Bobbett’s career has come on a long way from the days of running out as a mascot for the Ireland team in the Six Nations back in 2010 to following the Ashbourne team as a child. That experience only added to her desire to one day pull on the green jersey and

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Conor Breslin | Sports Editor @conorbreslin10

develop into strong ball carrier and dynamic addition to the Irish scrum. “I knew if I wanted to be successful, I would have to give 100 per cent to rugby. Before I was giving 50/50 to both GAA and rugby but if I didn’t stop playing football, I know for a fact I would not be where I am today as a rugby player,” said Bobbett. She has since risen through the underage system in exciting fashion having captained Leinster Under-18’s last year, and her performance in the Ireland pack against Wales provided a glimpse of why she is so highly-regarded, some say she performed like she has been playing with the Ireland seniors for years.

Rugby runs in the blood of this Meath native Through her work-rate, application and overall rugby knowledge, Bobbett impressed the management team during training camps in Scotland and France to earn a start against the Welsh, with the Blackrock College lock being one of four new caps in Griggs’ match day 23. For Bobbett she has since returned to her club as well as finding a balance with her degree in DCU. She still trains with her Irish teammates three times a week in preparation for the 2020 campaign and the hope of reaching the ultimate target of a Grand Slam, something Ireland hasn’t done since 2013.

Sport

Conor Breslin | Sports Editor @conorbreslin10

CU’s Fiona Tully and Meadhbh Ní Dhálaigh were in typically dominant form in taking the 40x20 Women’s Open Doubles title for the third year in a row in Galway. Overcoming UL’s Doireann Murphy and Ella Donnellan 15-3, 15-3, they demonstrated great power and teamwork to show that they are still the team to beat in this competition! It has been a busy few months for Tully as this comes little over a month after the Roscommon native won both the Doubles and Ladies Singles Open tournaments at the Irish Collegiate Handball Association in Wexford were she defeated fellow DCU competitor Aoife Holden and won the Doubles tournament alongside her current teammate Meadhbh Ní Dhálaigh. On top of that Tully won the US Open Doubles championship title played in the famous Los Cabolleros

complex in Santa Barbara California last July. Speaking on their recent win in Galway, Tully acknowledged how great it was to get another Doubles title under her belt for the third year in a row alongside a partner she admitted was very comfortable and easy to play alongside. “Going into a tournament as the title holders, there is a lot more stress because you are the favourites and you know people are expecting you to deliver. However, I feel we played better this year with a lot more confidence and free flowing play,” Tully told the College View. The next step for this duo will be a trip to Texas in February 2020 to compete in the US Handball Association Colleges Competition. “It is a fantastic achievement to represent your college at any level especially if its outside Ireland. My most recent victory in the US was when I won the US Doubles championship last July so I know the standard that is at this level and the quality you

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I feel we played better this year with a lot more confidence

Credit: DCU Handball

Tully and Ní Dhálaigh make it three in a row in Galway

have to bring if you want to win,” said Tully. Both Tully from St Coman’s and Ní Dhálaigh from Na Fianna know all too well what it is like to represent DCU at this tournament as both women won the Doubles tournament in Missouri in 2018 with Tully also beating her teammate Ní Dhálaigh in the singles final. However, 2019 proved a disappointing year at this tournament over ten months ago in Minneapolis as both ladies lost the doubles final with Tully also losing the singles final to Ciana

Ní Churraoin. For Tully, her ambition now is to get into the top two in the Irish ranking. The final year arts student is currently ranked third, however a rankings competition will take place in Tyrone next month, just before Christmas to determine the ladies’ rankings going into the 2020 season. Caitriona Casey and Martina McMahon, currently hold the two spaces in the Irish rankings and Tully knows the effort it will take to push either of those players off their podium.

Fast start to the year as DCU Athletics retain Road Relay in Maynooth

he DCU men’s Athletic team were victorious at the debut inter-varsity competition of the year, The Road Relays in Maynooth on the 16th of November. DCU were determined to retain both men and womens titles which they won last year, despite both teams having a few late withdrawals of athletes from the competition due to injury and sickness. The men’s race consisted of two 1-mile legs, and two 2-mile legs with an extra 3-mile in the middle, with an A, B and C team representing DCU. All three teams started off with a strong and tactical run, placing in the top ten after fine legs from Conor Duncan, Cian McBride and Ruarcan O’Gibne. Cathal Doyle took over from Conor Duncan and took charge over-taking five teams that were in front, putting DCU men’s A team into first place. This set up Cormac Dalton strongly for the dreaded three-mile run in the middle of the race.

Credit: DCU Athletics

Katie Lowry | Contributor

Chairperson of DCU Athletics Cian McBride said, “this is the leg every year where the men’s race is won and lost.” With two athletes tailing Cormac from NUIG and UCD, who represent Ireland on a regular basis, the Mullingar AC athlete needed to maintain a composed head in order to continue the narrow lead. Brian Fay was up next on the 2-mile leg who remained calm under huge

pressure from UCD who were following in second place. The last 800 metres showed off Fay’s fitness and speed creating a 12- second gap back to UCD. The final leg was run by 2nd year athlete Colin Smith who stepped up his game to record the fastest 1 miler of the day in the men’s race and secure gold for the DCU men’s A team. Both the B and C team continued

their efforts to place highly securing a credible 4th and 9th position. The ladies started at 12:45 with 3 teams representing DCU again, determined to retain their title. Aoibhinn McGoldrick started strong leading from the gun and continued to do so even with the early pressures from Trinity and UCD, giving Jodie McCann a three second lead. Jodie continued the tight lead with a

superb run and smooth changeover to Lauren Tinkler, who embarked on her 2-mile run where the competition got extremely tough. Two of the top distance runners in Ireland representing TUD and UCD ran alongside Lauren tightly in a pack. The TUD runner exemplified her speed and overtook Lauren, who continued to battle hard. Nadia Power was up last for DCU who stormed around the last mile of the day and the Irish runner claimed the fastest 1-mile leg of the day recording a speedy 5.14 for the lap. DCU ladies A finished a plausible second place just behind Trinity College Dublin who were just too fast on this occasion. Both B and C battled across the course in Maynooth with the B’s securing 6th place and the C team coming 17th. “Overall it was a great day for the DCU Athletics Academy who headed back to North Dublin with a set of gold and silver medals,” said Cian McBride. The next event for DCU Athletics Academy athletes will be at the IUAA Indoor Athletics Championship in Athlone in February.

INSIDE

Trampoliners bounce to Shannonside success

Roche on top of her game at National Senior Boxing Finals

enee Roache took home gold in the National Senior Finals at the National Stadium on Friday the 8th of November, defeating Isabella Hughes 4-1 on a split decision. The Mayo native, boxing out of Dublin City University, received a walkover in the semi-finals the previous week due to an opponent missing weight, this did not, however, hinder her in the week leading up to the final. Despite missing out on an opportunity to perform, and having weighed in for a semi-final bout that did not take place, Roache had looked a “wee bit drained” afterward according to coach Terry Keegan. However, with a week to prepare for her bout against Hughes, she began to peak and looked increasingly sharp as the final approached according to Keegan. Having been instructed by coaches Keegan and head coach Derek Ahern to keep the fight on the outside and throw long shots, Roache and gradually took control of the fight, demonstrating well her loyalty to strategy. Making use of her length, the southpaw fighter boxed long and looked to take advantage of the open stance match up, by firing her straight left hand over Hughes’ jab, a shot which landed throughout the contest. Despite a close first round, Roache began to take over in the second and had increased success in the third, as the straight left hands started to add up. “The first round was pretty close, but I think Renee landed the cleaner shots. In the second round she did very well, she definitely had a lot of success in the second and third round, she was pretty dominant” said Keegan. In the end, despite Hughes being awarded one round on the scorecard, it was fairly routine for Roache, who came away with a split decision. Naturally, Roache was delighted with her performance, and was looking forward to challenging for more titles in the future, with DCU; “The national seniors is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the boxing calendar, and to win the female 60kg title on Friday night was an amazing experience. This is my second national title to date as well as a few underage Mayo and Connacht titles. I hope to win a few more titles for the club in the future,” she said.

“

In the second round she did very well, she definitely had a lot of success in the second and third round, she was pretty The national seniors is one of the most dominant prestigious tournaments in boxing, and to

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Fellow DCU boxers Faolan Rahill and Jennifer Lehane also competed in the tournament, both of whom bowed out before the finals. Having had members of the club represented at both the National Novices and National Seniors, the focus for DCU boxing shifted to the National Elites, which began on the 15th of November. In the preliminary round of the Elites, Terry McEntee had a strong showing against eventual finalist Aidan Walsh but ultimately lost out on a technicality. At the end of the third round, the judges declared the fight a draw. This led to each judge voting for an eventual winner to progress, a process known as a “countback”, a practice that is uncommon in amateur boxing. Walsh’s hand was raised and he is due to compete in the finals. Despite the disappointment of

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Ruarri Carberry| Contributor

win the female 60kg title was an amazing experience McEntee’s exit, head coach Derek Ahern was happy with the display of his pupil against one of the favourites to win the competition from the beginning. McEntee’s instructions were to intelligently press the fight, and the Monaghan native managed to do this despite a strong opening round from Walsh, who boxed well and repeatedly tried to tie up his opponent and prevent the fight from unfolding. The second round would see Walsh get a public warning for “blinding with his lead hand”, a tactic of extending the arm outward, to cover McEntee’s line of vision.

McEntee upped the pressure in the second and took this momentum into the third, which he dominated according to coach Ahern. Having worked with McEntee for the past three years, and seen nothing but improvement in that space of time, Ahern has little doubt that there is a lot more to come from the Monaghan man in the future. “I have no doubt that Terry is going to win an Elite title, but we’re going to have to put it back until next year”, he said. This sentiment was shared by the Monaghan fighter, who indicated that he was going to return to training and

focus firmly on the future: “I have a busy year ahead. The Ulster Elites are in January, the Third-Level championships are usually in March and the National U-22 championships are in July”. Having only made the jump to 69kg, this year, DCU Boxing is confident that further work with DCU Sport’s high-performance manager Stephen Bennet, Ken Robinson and the rest of the strength and conditioning team, will ensure McEntee is well-positioned to perform even better in the events ahead.