TRINITY REMEMBERS THE FALLEN POPPY DAY MEMORIAL NEWS 5
AN UNBIASED EYE TRINITY’S ART COLLECTION GETS LOANED OUT
EYES ON THE PRIZE
RUDDY HELL, IT’S ARMANDO IANNUCCI FEATURES 10
CRASH BANG WALLOP
Two
PATRICK PRENDERGAST OPINION 16
TRINITY NEWS Est 1953
Funding cuts cause widespread distress Difficulty financing Masters programmes Number of students too high in sectors Morale has plummetted, say staff Caitriona Murphy College News Editor
HEADS OF Schools and Departments have labelled funding cuts “crippling”, “dire”, “woeful” and “inadequate” in a survey carried out by Trinity News last week. The survey aimed to assess the current funding situation in Schools and Departments, and to identify the
Lock-out in Halls
effects of funding cuts. Trinity News agreed to respect the anonymity of respondents where requested. The survey identified several key issues in funding. Respondents highlighted widespread difficulty in developing Masters and postgraduate programmes due to lack of funding, inabilities to invest or upgrade equipment, module cuts and “taking
on more students than is compatible with good pedagogy”. The moratorium on hiring has prevented the replacement of staff who have left or retired. Staff that remain have been assigned additional teaching hours as a result, whilst in other departments, modules have been cancelled, resulting in fewer choices for Junior and Senior Sophister students. The lack of choice also means that tutorial groups have now become much bigger. The survey found that several departments feel that there are now too many students to support in courses, and a lack of administration
and secretarial staff has left a huge burden on lecturers. Many administration staff have been working evenings and weekends “We are treading water and hoping we do not sink.” – Prof Peter Simons to meet the demand. Peter Simons of the Philosophy Department said: “We are unable to plan decently for the future excellence. We are treading water and hoping we do not sink”.
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The aftermath of the march: USI claims victory as the Government states that registration fee will not double
Reg. fee will not rise to €3000 USI President now under fire TCD SU back USI
Caitriona Murphy College News Editor
A GATE from Trinity Hall to Temple Road has been closed by College between the hours of 9:30pm and 6:00am, following a complaint made by a resident of the area. The resident wrote a letter at the end of September to Gardaí and sent a copy to the Provost, complaining of excessive noise and disruption between 10pm and midnight. College responded last week by closing the gate for the entire night, cutting off access to the Luas from that area of Halls. Commenting on the issue, the Communications Office stated that College “takes its responsibility to its neighbours very seriously” and “took
Caitriona Murphy, Aine Pennello College News Editor and Staff Reporter
THE THREAT to double the registration fee has subsided, following protests led by students this month.In an article published in the Irish Times following the student marches, a rise to €3000 was ruled “off the agenda”. Paul Gogarty, Green Party education spokesman, stated that “An increase to €3000, or even €2500, is untenable” – Paul Gogarty
“In quite a few cases residents have risked injury while trying to climb over the gate.” – Plunkett McCullagh the initiative to discuss the issues raised by the Temple Road resident with the Gardaí as part of its ongoing relationship with the Community Gardaí in the area.” The gate is now closed on a “pilot” basis until it can be assessed whether this lowers the noise. Trinity News did not receive a response from the Communications Office to its question about whether any student representatives had been consulted before this decision was made. Students were informed of the situation through an email sent out by Warden Brendan Tangney. Plunkett McCullagh, President of the Halls JCR, stated that “it is a poor solution to the problem”. He said that while the JCR is aware that there is noise, it is caused by “a small number of individuals”. He said that the closure of the gate has proven to be a huge inconvenience and may be dangerous. “In quite a few cases residents have risked injury while trying to climb over the gate. We have advised residents against trying to climb over the gate, but the danger remains there while the gate is locked”. He stressed that College should find an alternative solution to the issue.
The moratorium also prevents promotions, meaning junior staff and part-time staff have no prospect of advancement. This has left a feeling of “low morale”. Departments also claim they are relying too heavily on adjunct professors. Simons said that “we are unduly relying on adjunct teaching. This cannot be good for the students or the department in the long term”. Funding cuts have also prevented the replacement of outdated equipment and the purchase of new materials, an issue that has seriously affected the
“This year, in the light of the huge economic pressures we face, a rise is unavoidable. But talk of an increase to €3000, or even €2500, is untenable and would have an immediate negative Continued on page 3
SS Students protest outside the Dáil on 3 November. Photo by Aoife Crowley
Female staff face “glass ceiling” for promotions Kate Palmer Deputy Editor
THE GENDER and Promotions Report reveals that women continue to be underrepresented in College and struggle to be promoted. Published by the Equality Office, the report surveyed female staff members, who comprise 53 percent of all Trinity’s employees. From 2006 to 2007, 18 percent of female staff occupied a Head of School position, compared to 82 percent of men. Only 20 percent of Fellows of the College are women. None of the College Deans are female. The Equality Office concluded, “The survey indicates women are significantly underrepresented in College senior positions and decisionmaking positions, with the consequent
loss of women’s input into the future development of the College”. The Equality Office claim there is a “marked labour segregation in the distribution of staff by gender in different areas and types of employment in College, in particular “It’s clear from the report that positive efforts will need to be made” – Sen. Ivana Bacik in administrative and other support grades”. Despite this, the general profile of staff and students in College has been steadily evolving. Half the College staff is currently female, as is almost two thirds of the student population. Speaking to Trinity News, Senator
Ivana Bacik agreed that there is a “glass ceiling” which female academics face during their career. Bacik commented, “I would agree with the report’s findings on barriers and obstacles facing women. It’s clear from the report that positive efforts will need to be made.” The report also issued a number of recommendations for implementation by College. These were taken from a study by Professor Barbara Wright, Women Academics and Promotion (2002). Out of a total of 12 recommendations, seven have been either fully or partially implemented. In response to the recommendations, Bacik says: “I do welcome them, especially the concept of setting targets. But I think more follow-up work will need to be done to specify what those targets will be, and to
ensure the allocation of responsibility to individual College officers and committees.” Among the recommendations that have been carried out is an extension of the College crèche opening hours from 8:00 to 18:00 during the academic year. A recruitment monitoring program has also been set in place, along with a revision of maternity procedures by which staff now keep State maternity benefit in addition to a “top-up” by the College. Two pilot mentoring schemes are currently being rolled out as part of the recommendations. The Early Career Mentoring Initiative is a new support service aimed at new and recently appointed academics in their first three years of service. A Momentum
Vol 57
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Issue 4
23 November, 2010