TRINITY NEWS
P4
Hilary term, Week 2
CollegeNews
News Trinity says farewell to Matt Briefing ADAM LARRAGY NEWS REPORTER
O’Riordan bids on Trinity Ball 2008 acts Students’ Union Entertainments Officer, Ed O’Riordan has bid on the headline acts for this year’s Trinity Ball according to sources close to the process. Following a sell-out event last year, headlined by the well received Ash and CSS, O’Riordan will have a tough act to beat. He says he is “very confident that this Ball will be the best that Trinity has seen. The acts I have bid on will appeal to a massive range of people”. According to O’Riordan this year will see a good balance “between guitars and decks” and will feature acts that have been in the headlines this year. “I have been in talks with MCD since my election and they are ready to put in the money needed to make the Ball great” says O’Riordan. He also adds that he has been listening to what students want from the Ball. Rumours always abound regarding the headliners for Trinity Ball and this year will be no different. The one persistent rumour of recent years is that the Killers have expressed an interest in playing the event. O’Riordan says he cannot rule any acts out at this point and suggest “students should keep an eye on Trinity News and the Record over the next few weeks for details of the acts to play”. (Gearoid O’Rourke)
Trinity News photographer wins prize Trinity News staff photographer Madeleine Carrouee has won a nomination to represent Trinity in an inter-university photography competition. The competition is for the European Year of Equality 2007 and the winning photographs will be published in a calendar that will be distributed to 25,000 staff and students in the seven participating universities. (Conor Sullivan)
Eternal student Matteo (Masahiso) Matubara, known popularly as “Matt the Jap” to students, died of natural causes in his home off Mount Street, aged 73. He was found by Gardaí on 20 November, shortly after 9 am., after food outside his door was left untouched for a number of days. A sum of money thought to be around €40000 was found in a plastic bag in his room. The Gardai contacted Matt’s niece Akiko through the Japanese embassy and she flew to Ireland to identify the body. There was some delay due to Matt’s surname being more correctly rendered as Matsubara. Matt was cremated on 18 December at Glasnevin Cemetary and his ashes will
Triennial election to powerful CSC position approaches: Incumbent confident of victory DEIRDRE ROBERTSON STAFF WRITER The College body that controls the funding of all student societies is holding elections for its influential Honarary Treasurer position in Trinity term this year. The Dublin University Central Societies Committee, one of the five capitated bodies that represent students within the College, is responsible for all student societies. It also organises the administration and ticket sales of the Trinity Ball. This year’s annual elections will include nominations for the three-year position of Honorary Treasurer. Joseph O’Gorman, an Assistant Junior Dean, currently holds the position of and is responsible for overseeing the bank accounts of the larger societies including the University Philosophical Society and the College Historical Society. Mr O’Gorman has held the position for two sessions and faces little competition for the role due to his
“extensive experience”. His is the only position on the Committee which has a term of three years, a condition that slightly disadvantages students wishing to apply, as they would have to resign on graduating. In 2004, Patrick Cosgrove, then President of the Phil, was the only possible contender for the position. However, the CSC strongly advised him not to run, saying he was on a year off books and could not prove that he would return to Trinity the following year. He commented, “I knew I wasn’t going to beat Joe…but I didn’t see any harm in running.” CSC elections affect most Trinity students as the Committee controls the funds of all 99 societies in college. Mr Cosgrove suggests that the current situation “does nobody any favours” and that Mr O’Gorman should be officially hired on a permanent basis. The current Chair of the Student Services Committee, Dr Amanda Piesse, could not comment on this, as the suggestion has never been put to her before. There is currently no
remuneration for holding a position on the CSC, but there are numerous receptions and dinners, often at high quality restaurants. Responsibilities of the Honorary Treasurer include overseeing the funds to larger societies and working with the Treasurer on the Committee’s overall finances. In Hilary term, the Honorary Treasurer must also prepare a report including the audited finances of the previous year. Any student or member of staff is eligible to run, but according to the Constitution, “the Honorary Treasurer shall normally be a member of the College academic or administration staff” and is the only position that does not hold a vote. Elections take place at the AGM in mid-April this year and anyone wishing to stand must apply one week in advance. The position of Honorary Treasurer requires somebody who will be available long-term and has to be nominated by two Treasurers of recognised societies. Mr O’Gorman has “no intention of not standing” this year and as of yet, there are no known contenders.
be interred in the Matsubara family plot in Japan. Matt was born in Tokyo and came to Trinity following time spent studying in Paris and Norway in the 1980’s. He studied in Trinity with the support of the Saudi Arabian government and was conferred with a Master of Letters in 1987. Titled “Rihala Al-Islam Islamic journeys”, Matt’s thesis is listed as open access in the College library catalogue; however, it may not be consulted by order of the Graduate Studies Department. The Dublin University Central Societies Committee paid tribute to Matt: “Known to generations of Trinity College graduates and students as a ‘college character’, Matteo was a seemingly constant and eternal fixture at student events and meetings, and his passing conjures up a
sentiment of not-quite-thesameness.” Joe O’Gorman, CSC Honorary Treasurer and Assistant Junior Dean said, “Matteo was the last of a number of eccentrics who pottered about college over the years and whose only real link to the place is the most important: they were known by generations of students for whom, in many ways, they formed a nostalgic link with their time in college. People who can’t remember what they read for the whole of second year have a clear memory of Matteo.” A memorial to mark his passing was held in the Edmund Burke Theatre on Thursday 6 December. In a letter President Mary MacAleese paid tribute to Matt as “intriguing, enigmatic personality” and “a striking figure in the college landscape.”
College to produce book on a year in the life of Trinity NIAMH NÍ MHAOILEOIN STAFF WRITER A book is being produced entitled The Trinity Year which will record a modern view of Trinity College and college life. It will be a heavily illustrated publication giving a broad insight into the life of the College in the course of a year. The book is due to be published in 2009 by Gill and Macmillan. According to Caoimhe Ní Lochlainn of College Communications, “The book will include as many aspects as possible of the contemporary College experience. It will not be inclusive of all aspects of College activity, but will concentrate on the unexpected”. An Editorial Committee chaired by the Chief Librarian and including representatives from across the College has been formed to oversee the production of the book. When it has been completed, the book will sell primarily through the Library Shop, although it may
also be used by the College as a suitable gift or memento. Author Fergus Mulligan and photographer John Jordan have been commissioned to work on the project. Fergus Mulligan is an historian and alumnus of the College,who specialises in Irish interest publications. His other work includes The Founders of the Royal Dublin Society, Travel Ireland by Train and One Hundred and Fifty Years of Irish Railways. John Jordan is a well-known Irish photographer who specialises in still life and on-location photography. He has been previously commissioned by such clients as Castle Leslie, Clearys and Bord Bia. There already exists a wide range of publications about Trinity, dating back many years and reflecting the enduring fascination with the goings-on of the College since its foundation. These include academic histories, accounts of certain students, professors and Provosts, histories of clubs and societies and of buildings, such as the library or chapel.
Your View Would you use 24hr Library opening hours if they are introduced? Compiled by Martin McKenna and Gearoid O’Rourke (BLU, Sunday 13th Jan, 15:00)
Jessica
Packenham-Money JS Mental and Moral Sciences Definitely! I tend to work late in the evening so more flexible opening hours would suit me. Look at what most major universities have — Libraries that stay open late into the night.
Matthew Byrne
Maxime Poupin
Anna D’Arcy
Sinead Fortune
JS English & Philosophy
JS Sociology
M.Phil History
SS English Studies
I would most definitely use it. A lot of my lectures are in the late afternoon and evening so it would be great if I could go to the library and work late after them. It would make things so much more convenient for me.
I would like the Library to be open for more hours. Now I only use it in the afternoons but if it was open 24hours I would definitely use it. I think it is a really good idea.
I think it is a great idea even if only around exam times. I am lucky because I can use the 1937 Reading Room but most students don’t have that luxury. I also think that the Library needs to have lending facilities all the time
Students need a place to study and that is not always available at home or in lodgings. Also it is bad form that the Book of Kells has better weekend opening hours than the actual Library.
collegenews@trinitynews.ie