Trinity News Vol. 69 Issue 7

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Tuesday 28 February 2023

Ireland’s Oldest Student Newspaper

Vol. 69, Issue. 7

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WO DOOR DINEMA CLUB WILL HEADLINE this year’s Trinity Ball, Trinity Ents has announced this morning.

Trinity Ent’s revealed this year’s line-up through their Instagram yesterday morning, with acts such as Monjola, Somebody’s Child and Hannah Laing to feature on the bill.

Often described as “Europe’s largest private party”, Trinity Ball will take place on campus on Friday April 14. This may be the last Trinity Ball on campus for at least the next few years, with Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) telling Trinity News in January that construction works associated with the Old Library Redevelopment Project will mean access to two main ;/53-5<2.&/5&=+>2&?@@

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POLL CONDUCTED

BY TRINITY NEWS indicates a likely victory for László Molnárfi in the race for Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) President with a significant margin.

The poll also shows a significant lead for Olivia Orr in the Ents race, though less decisive than Molnárfi’s. The share of votes to re-open nominations (RON) in multiple uncontested elections is noticeably higher than is usual, indicating a heightened interest in this option after last year saw the

first ever return of a RON result in a TCDSU election.

Carried out between 21 and 25 February, the poll uses a representative sample of 509 students. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.0%.

President In the presidential race, László Molnarfi leads overwhelmingly with 58.4% of first preference votes, a greater share than all other candidates combined, including the option to re-open nominations (RON). Incumbent Education Officer Zöe Cummins and outside candidate Tilly Schaaf are almost tied on 18.3% and 18% of the vote respectively, while 4.9% of first preferences went to RON. A 4% margin of error indicates

that Molnárfi’s true lead is somewhere between 36 and 44 percentage points. Though the proportion of undecided voters is not insignificant at 28.1%, it is the lowest in any race, and is unlikely to affect results significantly when voting opens on Tuesday.

The elimination and later reinstatement of Cummins on the ballot is likely to have hurt her electoral prospects – it is important to note that she was eliminated for the majority of the time the poll was live – but the data indicate that it is not Molnarfi, but Schaaf, who gained from this.

Among 146 responses (with a margin of error of 8%) submitted between the launch of the poll and the announcement that Cummins had been disqualified, Molnarfi

gained 63.6% of first preferences, Cummins 26.2%, and Schaaf 9.3%. Schaaf ’s subsequent 8-point rise likely came at the expense of Cummins’ 8-point drop, while Molnarfi’s share decreased rather than inflated. With Cummins back on the ballot, it is possible that she will see a boost in numbers – however, a 45.2% plurality of Schaaf voters’ second preference currently go to Molnárfi, compared to only 16.1% for Cummins, indicating that Schaaf ’s elimination would likely cement his win.

Education Polling at 80.6%, Deputy AHSS Convenor Catherine Arnold is set for a straightforward win in her ;/53-5<2.&/5&=+>2&?@@

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Editor Deputy Editor Assistant Editor Managing Editor Online Editor Online Editor Life Editor Deputy Life Editor

Shannon Connolly Kate Henshaw Ellen Kenny Eva O’Beirne Shannon McGreevy Adam Balchin Ella Sloane Ella Bleu Kiely

News Editor News Analysis Editor Features Editor Comment Editor Scitech Editor Sport Editor Chair of Gaeilge Board

David Wolfe Aidan Cusack Lara Mellett Abby Cleaver Lauren Vrbanic Séaghan Ó Domhnalláin Holly Níc Thomáis

Head Photographer Head Videographer Head Copyeditors

Fern Kelly Marianna Mora Finola Murphy Ruth McGann

Get in touch at editor@trinitynews.ie

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uncontested bid for Education Officer, despite an unusually high RON vote at 19.4%. Arnold is slightly less popular among male voters, at 76.2% compared to 82.7% among women and 84.6% among non-binary voters, and is significantly less favoured by centre-right voters, among whom the RON vote is over 30%.

Though the proportion of undecided voters is relatively high at 45.83%, this is nothing unusual in polls on uncontested races, and Arnold can be quite confident of victory on Thursday.

Welfare & Equality In the Welfare & Equality race, Aoife Bennett can be even more confident, receiving 91.1% of first preference votes, with just 8.9% being cast for RON. Bennett is particularly popular among female voters, receiving 96.2% of first preferences in this category, compared to a slightly lower 84.3% among men.

Though the comprehensiveness of Bennett’s manifesto has been criticised for failing to mention students’ with disabilities or ethnic minority students, her emphasis on period product provision, sexual health, and consent training have gained her favour among the essential female vote in her race.

She appears likely to maintain continuity with previous Welfare &

Equality Officers, unlikely to stray significantly from the path set by predecessors Chloe Staunton and Sierra Müller-Owens.

Communication & Marketing Despite a minimal campaign, Aiesha Wong can be equally confident of victory as the sole candidate in her race, receiving 87.7% of first preferences. There is little differentiation among preferences across the board with voters, with Wong polling roughly equally across gender, faculty, and union experience.

Though she is a union-outsider Wong’s extensive comms-related experience puts her in a position to give the union a bold visual identity and comprehensive online presence.

Ents In a relatively smooth Ents race, polling shows Trinity Ents veteran Olivia Orr leading significantly with 48.3%, matching the combined vote of both Hist Ents officer Sam Kelly and return challenger Nadia, who are exactly tied on 24.1%. With almost 30% of voters undecided there is still room for change; however, more than half of both rival candidates’ second preference votes go to Orr, indicating a near-certain third count victory for her, after the elimination of RON and one other

candidate. Just 3.3% of voters intend to vote RON for Ents, the smallest in any race.

While Nadia polls evenly among men and women, female voters are almost 40% more likely to vote for Orr, with a 7% margin of error. Kelly interestingly polls almost 90% better among male voters than female, with a margin of error of 9%. Non-binary voters appear more likely to vote Nadia than any other candidate, though this sample is small and possibly not representative.

UT In a refreshingly uneventful race for Editor of the University Times (UT), sole candidate Clara Roche looks set for victory on the first count at 80.9% of first preference votes. Though also unusually high, the 19.1% RON vote is perhaps less surprising in this race than others, given the turbulence the paper has faced over the past 12 months.

Among a sample of 295 voters, male voters are more than twice as likely as female voters to vote to reopen nominations for UT Editor, though Roche’s vote breaks down fairly equally among all other voter categories. At 65.8%, voters are more decided than in any other uncontested race, indicating that it is being followed more closely than others.

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!"#$%##&$'()*+,$'-./$0#$ 1*,2-()*$!&()(03$4,-stage areas will be lost. Trinity Ball 2024 will likely be held outside the College’s walls.

This year’s theme is “Back to the ‘90s”.

Two Door Cinema Club are a band from Bangor, Belfast, and were formed in 2007.

Last year, Trinity Ball also platformed a number of student acts, which appears to be the case again this year, with DUDJ and the Trinity Orchestra due to perform at the event.

Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) hinted last week that students should expect to see some “familiar names”.

Two Door Cinema Club were featured on BBC’s “The Sound of … 2010” in December 2009, and were awarded the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the year 2010 on 3 March 2011.

Moncrieff is a singer from Waterford, moving to London at 19 to pursue his career. Elton John

once described Moncrieff as “one to watch”.

Tickets will go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday March 1, at 8:30 am.

Students who pre-registered for tickets will receive a link via email from TCDSU to buy tickets.

Trinity Ball has been held on campus every year since its inception in 1959, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 when the event was not held due to pandemic restrictions.

PHOTO VIA TRINITY ENTS

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Zöe Cummins is currently TCDSU’s Education Officer, on a sabbatical year before entering her Senior Sophister year as an astrophysics student. She was the TCDSU Convenor for STEM students, as well as President of Trinity SUAS Society. Following a disqualification notice from the ballot for a breach of election regulations, Cummins was subsequently reinstated on this year’s presidential ballot.

László Molnárfi is a Junior Sophister Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology (PPES) student running the position of TCDSU President. He is the current Social Sciences and Philosophy (SSP) Convenor and chair of Trinity Students4Change.

At Dining Hall Hustings, Molnárfi was highly critical of the union, but said that he believed in the “rebirth” of TCDSU.

Tilly Schaaf is a Junior Sophister general physics student, running for the position of TCDSU President. Describing herself as the breath of “fresh air” the Student Union needs, Schaaf chose to run for president as she had ideas piling up on how to improve the student experience, and they seemed “straightforward” to improve the “general efficiency” of things.

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Final year sophister philosophy and sociology student Catherine Arnold intends to “hit the ground running” as the potential education officer for the upcoming academic year.

Confident that they can “do the job well” Arnold feels that their study of philosophy and sociology influence how they would approach the trials and tribulations in their role as education officer.

Aiesha Wong is a Senior Sophister law and political science student.

She is the current chair of DU Dance, having previously served as public relations officer (PRO). She is the visual communications officer of DU Photography Association.

She served as a first-year Law class representative for TCDSU. At Media Hustings, Wong said that she “want(s) to promise things that are practical”.

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Nadia, in her final year of computer science, is running a second time for ENTs officer.

As a mixed-race Irish-Egyptian queer female, Nadia’s campaign is centred around representation, inclusivity and diversity. Nadia specifically addressed financial accessibility during SU hustings this week, and stated that “even a little bit can help someone”.

Sam Kelly is a Junior Sophister BESS student. He is the current Ents Officer of the College Historical Society (the Hist), having previously served as a ProRecords Secretary for the society.

Kelly has stressed accessibility and student safety during events as part of his campaign, prioritising daytime events and steward training.

Olivia Orr is a Junior Sophister PPES student. She is the current treasurer of Trinity Ents. She previously served as Entertainments Officer for Trinity Hall JCR. Orr has emphasised the importance of a dedicated welfare and accessibility officer on the Ents Committee to cement their inclusion when devising any Ents Events.

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Aoife Bennett is a Junior Sophister English studies student. She is research officer of the TCDSU Welfare and Equality Committee and served as the Welfare Officer of the Trinity Hall Junior Common Room (JCR). Bennett has highlighted the possibility of working with the CSC to provide greater diversity and inclusivity training.

Clara Roche is a Senior Sophister history and political science student.

Roche has previously worked in UT as Deputy Editor, prior to calls for the current editor’s impeachment, which led to some senior staff being sacked.

Trying to address internal issues in UT is central to Roche’s campaign, with her promising to appoint a ‘Board of Advisors’ to deal with them.

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HIS YEAR’S PRESIDENTIAL RACE APPEARS to be taking a traditional pathway: three candidates, one defined by her experience in the union; one defined by his stance against the union’s bureaucracy and disconnect from the student body; and a moderate outsider seeking meaningful reform.

Molnárfi’s campaign of highlighting issues within the union appears to be succeeding in winning votes from students he describes as “sick and tired”. In Trinity News’ poll of 509 students, Molnárfi leads the presidential race receiving the first preference of 58.84% of decided voters.

Candidates Zöe Cummins and Tilly Schaaf are head-tohead for runner up with 18.26% and 17.97% of decided voters respectively. While Molnárfi leads by a significant margin, it is important to note that over 28% of poll respondents remain undecided about their preferred candidate. This large cohort of undecided voters leaves room for other candidates to win a surprise victory over Molnárfi. A further 3.5% of students polled indicated that they would vote to reopen nominations as well as 5.7% of respondents who said that they do not intend to vote.

Among 146 responses (a margin of error of 8%) submitted between the launch of the poll and the announcement that Cummins had been disqualified, Molnárfi gained 63.6% of first preferences, with Cummins at 26.2%, and Schaaf 9.3%. Schaaf ’s subsequent 8-point rise likely came at the expense of Cummins’ 8-point drop, while Molnárfi’s share moderated rather than inflated.

Molnárfi leads among voters of all political leanings, t h o u g h , predictably, most strongly amongst left-wing voters, at 76.1% of that group’s

first preferences. Similarly, 69.1% of students who expressed a desire for the union to engage in more direct action cast their vote for Molnárfi, an indication that his promise to bring the union “back to the grassroots” has resonated with voters.

Molnárfi’s lead drops most significantly among voters who have previously held positions within TCDSU, an indication that his plans to transform the union are less attractive to those with “insider” experience. Though Molnárfi still leads this group at 46.4%, Cummins garners a significant 30.4%, compared to just 11.5% of other members of the student body.

A variety of candidates Leading the poll, László Molnárfi is a foreseeable frontrunner as the race’s most radical candidate.

Students are experiencing high costs of living and issues accessing student services, this desire for radical change is exemplified by protests in Front Square last October during which students demanded reform. The student body’s patience is waning and Molnárfi’s political involvement and chairing of Students4Change makes him well known for raising a voice against the issues which are affecting students most.

Molnárfi’s popularity in the poll suggests that students are seeking to bring about this change through their vote, something which the candidate’s hustings speeches promise. At Dining Hall Hustings last Monday, Molnárfi said that “we are all sick and tired” of our union “doing nothing”. The candidate’s vision of a “rebirth of the students’

union” is likely appealing to those who feel that the union should be taking a more hands-on approach to helping students, those who are sick and tired. This desire for change amongst Molnárfi’s voters is clear from polling results with the majority of the candidate’s supporters saying that the union should be taking more direct action for change.

Molnárfi is also the most popular candidate amongst students from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) with poll data indicating that 48% of respondents from the faculty intend to vote for the candidate. Voter turnout has been a long-term issue in union elections with AHSS students repeatedly making up the majority of voters.

This makes candidates’ popularity with this cohort of students key to a successful campaign.

On the other hand, polling data suggests that AHSS students do not intend to vote for Cummins or Schaaf in great quantities with 10.1% and 11.6% of the faculty’s respondents saying they will vote for each candidate respectively.

Without the support of this key group, winning the presidency will be difficult.

Zöe Cummins’ campaign is based on experience and the belief that she is “the most qualified” person to lead. While experience is certainly useful, Cummins has had a turbulent campaign being struck off the ballot as breaching EC rules, a decision which has now been successfully appealed.

Despite this temporary disqualification, Cummins’ team were given permission to continue campaigning during the appeals process. A temporary strike off the ballot is likely to

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the candidate’s support was at 26% of decided voters. Cummins’ support currently stands at 18.2%, a roughly 8% reduction. The decision, however, is unlikely to have had an impact on the election’s outcome. Cummins’ roughly 8% reduction in votes appears to have transferred to Schaaf who went from 9.3% of decided voters to 18%. This suggests that Molnárfi’s lead is unrelated to the EC’s decision.

Polling data suggests that, while Molnárfi is the most popular candidate amongst students from the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), the proportion of support for Cummins is highest amongst students from the faculty, with 23.5% indicating that they intend to vote for the candidate.

Polling suggests that over 40% of Cummins’ votes are likely to come from STEM students. This may leave the candidate vulnerable due to the faculty’s traditionally low voter turnout. If this cohort of students fail to vote, this candidate may struggle to secure the election.

Cummins’ campaign focuses on her experience as education officer. While experience in the union is certainly a useful tool for success, over 70% of poll respondents expressed their view that the union should be more involved with the student body.

Cummins may struggle to be elected as a result of this desire for change.

According to the education officer’s report, Cummins is yet to achieve her manifesto goals. As of this time in her term, only one

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Tilly Schaaf ’s campaign is based on the idea of being an outsider with the candidate saying that she is “a normal student”. At hustings, the candidate presented a variety of practical ideas to improve the student experience. These include College publishing exams’ past pass rates, as well as a more logical timetable.

Schaaf also states that “the students’ union is where you go to make change, so that’s what I’m doing”. Newcomer candidates often struggle to set themselves apart from the institutional experts who have concrete union experience to support their campaign.

These candidates usually use the underdog card to their advantage, however; they typically emphasise their potential to be a fresh start for the union, through offering an outsider perspective to long-running issues in the union, such as engagement and student support services.

Outsider candidates have also typically relied on stunts to set themselves apart and gain wider recognition from voters who are primarily involved within the union. 2020/2021 TCDSU President Eoin Hand was praised for his stunt in which he took a toaster from the union kitchen in House 6, and ran across campus to the Hamilton building while holding it. Schaaf, however, has not yet conducted a stunt, which may be a factor in her not standing out against other candidates, and thus placing lower in the polls.

Despite Schaaf ’s lack of a stunt, the candidate has shown herself to be approachable, opening hustings with a cheesy joke: “What does the cheese say when it looks in the mirror? Hallou-mi.”

Schaaf also appealed to voters through her informative, yet light hearted, campaign video.

Traditionally, union outsiders have struggled to win presidential elections, with Eoin Hand being an exception. Polling suggests that this is likely to be the case this year, with Schaaf placing last in the polls with approximately 18% of decided voters.

While Schaaf ’s campaign has possibly been boosted by voters redirecting their votes from Cummins, it is possible that her campaign has been overshadowed

by Molnárfi’s commitment to radical reform and Cummins’ past experience.

Differing views While all three candidates for the union’s next president have their differences, it is also important to recognise that many of their core values are the same. All three candidates agree that engagement with the union is an issue which must be addressed, with leading candidate László Molnárfi stating that he hopes to “bring the union back to the grassroots”. Molnárfi also criticised the union for measuring its engagement on “how many condoms or goodie bags are given out”.

Candidate Zöe Cummins also expressed her hope for students to be more involved in the union, expressing her support for

“grassroots campaigns coming from students from the bottom up”. Tilly Schaaf has also supported greater student involvement basing her campaign around being a “normal student”, and saying that the union needs “deeper respect for students’ ideas”.

One area in which the candidates appear to differ is in their approach to a referendum on Irish unity. While all three candidates appear to be in favour of a referendum taking place, it appears as though there are varying levels

of enthusiasm regarding the topic. Candidates Molnárfi and Schaaf were vocal in their support for a referendum, with Schaaf saying that “it is good practice for our college to have a culture of referendums”. On the other hand, Cummins expressed a more ambivalent view that more discussion was needed within the student body in order to carry out such a referendum. This hesitation compared to the previous candidate’s openness to such a debate suggests that the

likelihood of a referendum on Irish unity taking place is dependent on who wins the election.

Differentiation through delivery While all three candidates had their differences, they also shared similarities. All candidates advocated for key issues such as accessibility, improving student services, and support for those struggling as a result of the cost of living crisis. It is fair to say that each candidate hopes to improve the student experience and, in the words of current TCDSU President Gabi Fullam, create “a fairer college that prioritises students, and proactive student union”.

PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS BY EVA O’BEIRNE, ROSE HEANEY AND CORINNE MAHON FOR TRINITY NEWS

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U N N I N G UNCONTESTED FOR THE ROLE of education officer in the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), Deputy Arts, Humanities and

Social Sciences (AHSS) Faculty Convenor Catherine Arnold is expected to be elected comfortably to the position.

With 80.6% of first preferences in our Trinity News poll, the Deputy AHSS Convenor and Senior Sophister philosophy and sociology student is set for a straightforward victory in their uncontested bid for education officer, despite an unusually high re-open nominations (RON) vote of 19.4%. This is the highest The projected RON figure is almost twice that of the final RON percentage in last year’s education officer election, in which 10.5% voted to re-open nominations over the candidacy of Zöe Cummins.

Arnold received more outright support from female (82.7%) and nonbinary (84.6%) voters when compared with male voters on campus (76.2%), and is significantly less favoured by centre-right voters, among whom the RON vote is over 30%.

Though the proportion of

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undecided voters is relatively high at 45.8%, the highest of any of the six electoral contests, this is nothing unusual in polling for uncontested races, and thus Arnold can be quite confident of victory on Thursday.

Looking at the political beliefs of those polled, Arnold has the highest approval rating among the left, with 87.76% of People Before Profit voters giving Arnold their first preference. Students who would vote for Fine Gael in the next general election had the highest rate of RON as their first preference at 32%; this is 20% higher than the lowest amount of first preferences for RON from left-wing voters.

As is the case with most uncontested ballots at student union elections, the education race lacked the intensity and scrutiny of some of the more highprofile races this time around.

The election initially featured a second candidate, Senior Fresh political science student Elizabeth

O’Sullivan, who dropped out of contention early on in the campaign, saying that her “timing was not optional”. According to O’Sullivan, the role of education officer “requires a candidate who can dedicate time and resources which I unfortunately do not have at the moment”. O’Sullivan subsequently endorsed Arnold, saying they would “do the role justice”.

Though this left the race uncontested, this did not mean Arnold would have a completely unchallenged path to election. At the various hustings, the Deputy AHSS Convenor was probed extensively about their manifesto policies and commitments, and about their plans should they become education officer.

Key to Arnold’s platform is wide-ranging reform of the Student Union, and to the collegewide curriculum. Their manifesto calls for the delivery of a new TCDSU constitution and the introduction of Senates covering welfare and academic aspects of student life, replacing the existing respective Committees within the union that “produce long term policy on Academic and Welfare issues with input possible from all areas of the student body”.

When asked at the Media Hustings whether this was feasible given the waning student engagement with the union,

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",$3"4)/$56$-/)7*8/$0*10/)8$9:;$<"8/ with the SU IT technician” and plans to make this a “big project for the Education Committee”. If elected, Arnold will likely be able to pick up where Cummins left off in completing this proposed portal. Cummins also promised to introduce an internship portal to provide students with information on employment opportunities, which Arnold may also adapt if elected.

Postgraduate education and representation was also a major theme of Arnold’s campaign, with them promising to introduce two part-time paid roles for such students within the union, working “in conjunction with the sabbatical team”. At Hustings, they clarified they do not seek the integration of the Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation (PWO) with TCDSU, but that the union would be able to support postgraduates in areas the PWO “can’t fully engage on” with regard to the academic board, ensuring that students have a “voice in policy”. The creation of the new positions is, at the very least, a very clear policy, though that would likely hinge on constitutional change - something Arnold themself has acknowledged has been tried and failed on multiple occasions in recent years.

Despite these promises, according to polls, postgraduate students are the most likely group to give RON their first preference; 33.33% of PhD students wished to reopen nominations, while 42.86% of masters students preferred RON over Arnold, a 23.46% difference from the overall average RON voters in the education race.

When asked at Equality Hustings why their manifesto did not include any mention of LGBTQ+ students, Arnold acknowledged that they “overlooked” this area and that they think “that there are huge issues that are being faced by LGBT students”. They said they plan to “mediate” the process through which students can change their name and pronouns on Blackboard so they feel “supported in the classroom”.

“Holistic education” was a term frequently used by

Arnold to describe their intended approach towards the role. Speaking to Trinity News, they emphasised the need for “holistic” engagement between the union, College, and more types of students, emphasising that students needed to be supported

PHOTO BY CORINNE MAHON FOR TRINITY NEWS

Arnold said that the Senates would have “huge impacts for the engagement in and of itself ”, and would bring about a “feedback loop” that would allow students to better influence policy decisions.

However, the practicality of establishing these Senates in the first instance seems unclear, with the question of engagement continuing to hang in the balance.

For all the talk, the lack of a plan for incentivising student engagement with TCDSU was a deficit in Arnold’s campaign, and may tell us something about the lack of student engagement in the Education race altogether.

At the College-level, Arnold proposed the creation of a “road map” for departments to further the decolonisation of the curriculum. At the Equality & Council Hustings, they committed to completing “groundwork” over the summer should they be elected to the Education position, undertaking a “full exploration with individual departments” to implement the decolonisation process.

Departments have “realised they have loads of energy to decolonise the curriculum but they don’t really know the steps to go about it”, they told audience members at the subsequent Media Hustings last week.

Arnold also proposed to install an Erasmus portal that will provide students with information on their “destination university”. According to their manifesto, students on Erasmus will be able to “rate their experience on Erasmus and offer advice to incoming students” via the portal. In an interview with Trinity News, Arnold said that a student-led portal would mean students could travel confidently with realistic expectations and increased knowledge of their new academic environment.

Arnold was not asked about this proposal at hustings and therefore could not expand on the logistics of this portal.

Current Education Officer Zöe Cummins a l s o proposed an Erasmus portal in her own campaign last year. According to her latest report, she has “started data collection and building the infrastructure for the SU website

“past the front gate”. To achieve this, alongside the proposed Senates and support seminars for staff, they want to introduce more upskilling programmes for students, accessible to students via a “streamlined way of signing up” through the TCDSU website. At Media Hustings, Arnold explained that the streamlining of the provision of such services would alleviate issues created by the “lifestyle clash” that emanates from the current method of provision of upskilling programmes.

Though Arnold’s “holistic” vision for education certainly carries plenty of merit, it’s hard to quantify exactly to what extent these policies, if carried through successfully, would have a positive effect on the campus population.

There were some notable omissions from the conversation that have been mainstays of the education race in previous years - in particular, discussion around changes that would allow students to retake individual modules rather than having to repeat the year or go off-books.

Arnold is also yet to reference Schols in their campaign. Given the recurring discourse around the fairness and modernity of Schols exams every January and April, the lack of a nod to it in

the sole candidate’s campaign or hustings appearances is a strange one. Cummins promised to review Schols in her own manifesto when running for education officer; according to her most recent education report, she met with the vice provost and senior lecturer on the issue and confirmed that a review of Schols examination would take place this year.

Arnold’s campaign wasn’t exactly short of detail, the usual buzzwords and politicking aside, but it can be said that much of their policy platform is overly tailored to specific groups and ideas, and has fallen short on a number of college-wide academic issues that affect the wider student body. This may very well explain the higherthan-average apathy seen in the Trinity News poll, both in terms of the projected RON vote as well as the nearly one-in-two undecided voters in this race.

Despite Arnold’s emphasis on student engagement and promises to increase representation in the Union through their proposed senate and “holistic” approach, students who “strongly disagreed” that TCDSU is representative of their own student experience were one of the demographics most likely to choose RON as their first preference. 38.64%

of these students preferred to reopen nominations, nearly double the average amount of first preferences given to RON overall.

One of the education officer’s main roles is speaking on behalf of students regarding academic affairs on several College boards, as well as handling daily casework from students regarding module choices, assessments, and other academic issues. Arnold, if elected, will have the challenge of proving to these students that TCDSU can in fact represent their interests with them as education officer.

That shouldn’t demoralise the Arnold campaign, however, as the Deputy AHSS Convenor is still set to be elected by a comfortable margin to succeed the incumbent Cummins, barring any major shock on Thursday. As always, there are questions as to how effective the Education Officer can be in their role, in terms of carrying through with the promises they make at election time. Perhaps it was a smart move by Arnold to key in on certain issues they believe they can make an impact on in House 6, but with a victory on the horizon, only time will tell. !""#$#%&'() *+,%*$#&-) ./) 0'1#") 2%(3+)'&")4((+&)5+&&/6

8

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UNNING AS THE UNCONTESTED CANDIDATE for the role of communications and marketing officer, final year Law and Politics student Aiesha Wong has the support of 87.74% of votes in a poll conducted

by Trinity News during election week. The remaining 8.86% of votes in this category were spent on votes re-open nominations (RON). However, from the total of 455 votes, 42.64% remain undecided.

In previous years, Wong held the position of Public Relations Officer (PRO) for various societies, such as Trinity Women in Law, Trinity Women and Gender Minorities Review, and Trinity Law Outreach Society, among others outlined in her manifesto.

Support for Wong spans a wide range of Trinity’s student demographics and faculties.

Students identifying as nonbinary made up the largest base of support, standing at 59.1%, compared to 44.1% of male students and 50.93% of female students pledging their support.

Support across faculties for Wong’s campaign varied, with the largest branch of support from the students of Science and Technology, at 51.61% and Arts and Humanities, at 49.85%. These faculties are followed by 37.50% of Health Sciences and 36.84% of Multi-Faculty students pledged their support to Wong.

As one of four races which are running uncontested in this year’s election, Wong’s electoral campaign has evaded the scale of scrutiny faced b y other candidates. Coupled with her absence during council/ equality hustings, her policies and manifesto have not been dissected as thoroughly as with her counterparts, likely adding to the number of undecided voters.

However, with this considered, Wong has presented herself to be a capable and enthusiastic candidate for the role, steadfast

in how she believes the role should be managed, and aware that she represents “only one single perspective”, emphasising the importance of “demystifying the union” should she succeed in being elected.

During the first appearance of all candidates at dining hall hustings, a key aspect of Wong’s speech was the importance of giving the students union a “larger, more collaborative role across campus”, proposing that TCDSU would “feel like a part of every-day student life.” Facing the crowd at front square, Wong also spoke about her desire to “negotiate sponsorship that are student-focused,” commenting how having used the majority of TCDSU discounts available to her, she is aware as to how despite the discounts being “small or for simple things, they all add up”.

Wong expanded further on this in her interview with Trinity News saying: “As a working class woman, I’ve used every single discount at the union email.”

Wong also pledged her support for making basic toiletries to be available to students for free: “No one should have to pay for sanitary products and I think this is a doable thing as well, because we’ve had sponsorships that do that.”

Wong has also focused on amplifying minority voices in her campaign. “As a woman of colour, I wish to use the SU to highlight issues affecting minorities and disadvantaged i n d i v i d u a l s” Wong noted.

This is another aspect of her

campaign that has l i k e l y resonated with students.

,

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!"#$%&'()*+' %&$',%#'$-..)/,' )0'123245')0' 6),#$'"*'&'.)77' 8)*9-8,#9':;' </"*",;'=#>$' 9-/"*+'#7#8,")*' >##?3'<%#' /#@&"*"*+' 131A5')0'6),#$' "*',%"$'8&,#+)/;' >#/#'$.#*,')*' 6),#$'/#B).#*' *)@"*&,")*$ Throughout her campaign, Wong has emphasised the importance of improving transparency within the student union, advocating for more engagement from the greater student body. Commenting at media hustings how she believes the “main reason that people don’t engage with the union is because people feel it isn’t for them”, Wong aims to reform this by renewing the current social media policy of the union, and diversifying communication with students through alternate forms of media.

During her appearance at media hustings, Wong was questioned on her plans to reform the student union’s relationship with its sponsors, a key point in her manifesto. In her response, Wong highlighted the importance of “accepting sponsorships from companies that don’t go against the student union’s current policy”, adding her intention to include voices from the general student body through establishing an “anonymous place where people can give their feedback without fear of retribution”, seeking to approach the “subjective” nature of cancel culture as objectively as possible. Wong also noted that “there’s a lot of public outrage and being cancelled and cancel culture. It’s very hard because it’s very subjective sometimes.”

Wong emphasised that it is very

important to hear what “the actual student body thinks”. This is another incident where Wong was faced with a tough question and performed competently. Her focus on listening to students and general student-led approach to sponsorships may be fundamental in securing her the necessary votes to win.

Another area of her campaign which Wong has given great attention is the importance of diverse language use by both TCDSU and communications team. In her interview with Trinity News, Wong commented how “it would be nice to have translations for key updates,” identifying the Chinese and Indian student populations in College who may benefit from translation of TCDSU correspondence.

When questioned on the topic at media hustings, she outlined that she wanted “to promise things that are practical” adding that “there should be more focus on

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having Irish language workshops”, proposing greater inclusion of the Irish language “even if its just a dia dhuit”, - a stance very appealing to the Irish-speaking community within Trinity. Methods suggested by her to achieve this goal include collaborating with parttime officers within TCDSU to establish dedicated workshops for translation.

Also during Media Hustings, Wong was questioned on her plans to drive engagement with the union from the wider student body. A consistent theme in this year’s elections, Wong is pledging to use the communications and marketing role to drive engagement up. She noted that: “I think the main reason that people don’t engage with the union is because people feel it’s not for them.” Wong stated that in her own experience, she saw the members of the council as “people who did secondary school debating”. She believes her position as a relative

outsider to the union will be a key advantage for her in driving up engagement.

This outsider perspective may also be beneficial to Wong in engaging with voters that feel disenfranchised from the union. Though her race is uncontested this outsider perspective is clearly very attractive for students.

Also related to her goal to “d e m y s t i f y ” the union, Wong wants to expand the union’s online presence.

W o n g wants to modernise T C D S U ’s use of social media.

The union currently conducts most of its online activities on Instagram. Should Wong be elected she wants to expand into using TikTok and other platforms. She highlighted this at Media Hustings saying: “In terms of like a industry perspective, we should be having a TikTok, you know, we should be doing more reels and stuff.

And also, it’s just more accessible to people who can’t, you know, are visually impaired, maybe they need audio or something.” Given how many students use TikTok on a daily basis this is yet another example of how Wong aims to engage with the most students she can and in the most diverse ways in her remit.

When interviewed by Trinity News, Wong was asked to consider what the most valuable experience she would bring to the role. Calling on her background in various “creative outlets” and “legal based aid”, Wong was confident in her ability to “blend into whatever is needed” within the student union: “I felt like I had enough experience to be good at the job because I wouldn’t want to run for something that I didn’t think I’d be good at.”

Wong also addressed her plans to collaborate with other bodies on campus in her role, including partnerships with Trinity societies and publications: “I think a lot of the engagement for campus life outside of lectures comes from either societies or publications.

So it makes sense that the union should involve themselves a bit more collaboratively with those two bodies.” She wants to do this by promoting the “smaller publications” in the TCDSU email.

This again, appeals to voters who

are not engaged with the union but may be engaged with other activities on campus.

W h e n questioned on the potential for overstepping and controlling with the above partnerships, W o n g answered simply and

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competently. She assured that “you can support societies without taking them over” and noted that “the student’s union already collaborates with societies, and they do it in a way that doesn’t take over. It’s very easy to collaborate without controlling”.

Pending an dramatic upheaval of the current voting statistics, Wong appears set to secure the position of communications and marketing officer. Despite her absence from Equality/Council Hustings, Wong evidently has a clear understanding as to the importance of the role. Her clear communication of her policy and manifesto points bode well for the role of communications and marketing officer. Should she be elected Wong’s term seems set to be defined by transparency and inclusivity within the students union. !""#$#%&'() *+,%*$#&-) ./) 0'$+) 1+&23'45

PHOTO BY CORINNE MAHON FOR TRINITY NEWS

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With 91% of decided voters on her side Bennett is on course for a comfortable win !"#$"%&'()*"+ !"#$%&'(")

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IGHLIGHTING EQUITY DRIVEN C H A N G E , unopposed Welfare and Equality candidate Aoife Bennett received 91% of the first preference in last week’s Trinity News poll. With RON polling at only 9%, Bennett seems all but certain to be elected as the next Welfare and Equality Officer.

Notably, 42% of voters remain undecided but in the absence of significant opposition Bennett has emerged victorious. Welfare and Equality being an uncontested race is not unusual, from 20182021 the race was unopposed. In 2022, Chloe Staunton emerged victorious against opponent Cúnla Morris.

Across disciplines and demographics, Bennett’s support base remained fairly consistent.

54% of Arts students voiced support compared to 50% Science/Tech students and 63% Health science students. Male, female and nonbinary students are also similarly likely to vote for Bennett, at 56% to 46% and 45% respectively. The margin of difference, being around 19%, is minimal and thus her probable victory is representative of the general student population as a whole.

Throughout her campaign, Bennett has emphasised how her previous experience would inform her role as Welfare and Equality Officer. She previously served as Trinity Hall Junior Common Room (JCR) Welfare Officer, which gave her “e x p e r i e n c e dealing with casework and running wellbeing campaigns” a measure that likely instilled this year’s voters with confidence.

Ad d it i on a l ly,

she served as this year’s Research Officer for the Welfare and Equality Committee.

Bennett has also demonstrated her commitment to promoting the public good through other endeavours. Working for the UniCOV, she spent time at Trinity Hall to aid with Covid-19 testing kits. Bennett has also served as a copyeditor and contributing writer for Trinity News, writing about numerous issues such as the history of contraception and a freshers’ week survival guide.

These activities likely contributed to her popularity as Bennett has actively engaged with many voters.

Outside of college, Bennett also volunteers with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC), which may have helped promote an image of Bennett as an advocate for social change.

In this she fits well within the trend of Welfare and Equality Officers having relevant TCDSU experience; looking back to the two most recent officers, one served as Gender and Equality officer while the other was the union’s Disabilities officer and a member

of three committees.

Another marker of Bennett’s appeal may be her comprehensive plan for promoting greater sexual health across the college. She has proposed to “partner with HSE to further publicise at home testing kits and have a testing drive during sex week”. Among her other policies include measures promoting the implementation of consent workshops and queer sex-ed. Bennett, being a junior sophister student, has shown her ability to resonate with younger students as she intends to render these policies to establish “freshers traditions”.

Bennett’s has also registered with students in her promotion of lasting change to ensure student safety. When questioned on what she would do differently from past Welfare and Equality officers, Bennett said she will “reform the Dignity and Respect policy to make it a trauma-informed document with better reporting structures in place for students” which also may speak to a voter desire to see lasting change.

During last Tuesday’s Equality Hustings, greater inclusion measures seemed to be on everyone’s minds, with candidates prompted for their stances - or lack thereof - on representing the minorities within Trinity’s student body. Although Bennett’s

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manifesto did not mention ethnic minorities explicitly, voters present may have noted her composure as she voiced her strategy to promote equity, saying: “A big part of my manifesto is inclusivity and making sure everyone’s experience is at the forefront.” She also promised to consult the relevant officers regarding identities different from her own.

Bennett also emphasised her commitment to helping students living off-campus. Addressing questions on her proposed consent-workshop policy, she stated: “It is very feasible that it can be expanded, first at halls and then on campus.” She “doesn’t want any students to feel left behind” and proposed to “extend events and campaign weeks to James’ campus, D’Olier Street, TBSI, and Trinity Halls’’ while also continuing to “ advocate for Sliding scale accommodations” and “better transparency for oncampus housing”.

Of course, there remains the questions around the feasibility of Bennett’s policies. At the Equality Hustings, current Welfare and Equality officer Chloe Staunton asked whether bureaucratic hindrances will pose an obstacle to Bennett’s plan to bring free period products to Trinity. Although Bennett acknowledged that “there’s a big problem for getting

11

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&$5&4"&.-).-0$6-#1'2-$'&0$785'#*.($2'4funding for period products” and cited Scotland’s (Free) Period Products act as an example of successful lobbying on a national level, specific measures remain yet to be seen. In fact, students may remain sceptical for good reason as previous attempts to permanently secure free period products have not been expanded on by TCDSU. Bennett has also been questioned over notable absences from her manifesto during the campaign.

At the same Hustings she faced questions about the absence for students w i t h disabilities and ethnic minorities from her manifesto.

Bennet responded competently

reiterating her support for students with disabilities. She believes there is “a lot that we can do for now” and recommended holding “accessible office hours”.

Bennett also reiterated her support for ethnic minority students during Equality/Council Hustings. She intends to work with the ethnic minorities officer “to increase inclusivity for events”.

She also plans to consult ethnic minority students to promote an inclusive environment at welfare and equality meetings: “A big part of my manifesto is inclusivity and making sure that everyone’s e x p e r i e nc e s are at the forefront.”

For voters present at t h e s e Hustings this was a welcome reassurance from Bennett.

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In her interview with Trinity News Bennett expanded further on this acknowledging that facilities “campus and off-campus are both very inaccessible”, and she wants to focus on “long-term change” and get the “time, permission, and sometimes construction for meaningful change”.

Again, emphasising her focus on long-term change Bennett is pledging to “consult with students to identify the main areas of need in the college and off campus,” Bennett explains: “I would also work with Trinity’s Occupational therapists to do a report on accessibility on campus to lay the groundwork for long term change, so next year’s officer can continue to build on this work.”

!"#$%&$'()*$ *)+,-.)*$ /%01-,$*+22%()$ 1%324(-,$)%$ !5#$610-.1-7 8-19$*)+,-.)*$ 4.,$:;#$ <-4=)9$*10-.1-$ *)+,-.)*$>>>$ 89-$34(?0.$%&$ moreDuringquestions the Media Hustings, were raised ,0@-(-.1-A$0*$ pertaining to the logistics of her policies. Bennett defended her BC# proposals when asked which had the priority for implementation, saying that she believed the

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groundwork had been laid for many of the initiatives she wants to implement. She also defended the sustainability of her initiative to bring more free pads and tampons, stressing the importance of balancing these products with the more sustainable options like menstrual cups since “not every student will feel comfortable” with the latter.

However, she admitted that despite her intent to work with the CSC to promote diversity training, she has yet to make contact with their team. However, she confirmed that she “would like to work with them because there is a model in place already”.

She highlighted collaboration as one of her campaign’s core values, in addition to highlighting her experience since she carried out diversity training out at halls.

Although difficult to mandate, especially in her first year, she plans to ensure societies have “the right tools to encourage their society members”.

Also at Media Hustings, She also backed off from mandating diversity training. While this choice may have been justified by the knowledge that, as Bennett said, implementation will be difficult in her first year as Welfare and Equality officer, this may have been unsatisfactory for students hoping for a greater than verbal commitment. Even as these did not have a large impact on her standing in the poll, when elected, students will be keenly watching to monitor whether Bennett fulfils these measures.

Despite these concerns, Bennett’s campaign success looks likely even taking into account outside policy considerations. Her relatable and engaging approach during the race is another factor in the probable outcome. A social media video outlining Bennett’s policies was filmed in the style of a Vogue 73 questions video. In a tone many students may have found relatable, Bennett cited “the seagulls” as her least favourite part of Trinity life.

The poll results prove that students have great confidence in Bennett’s platform. From her interview to the Hustings, Bennett has registered as a charismatic candidate with a history of promoting welfare, a genuine stake in the community, and the prowess to address the fundamental issues of this year’s election: inclusivity, transparency and lasting change.

In her opening speech, she stated: “Welfare and equality is the backbone of any union.” As she finished her speech to a chorus of applause, it is clear why voters believe Trinity will in fact be “better with Bennett”.

12

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he race to be the next entertainments officer (ENTs) for Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) is as contested as ever, with Nadia, Sam Kelly and Olivia Orr vying for the sabbatical post.

Their campaigns have somewhat mirrored each other thus far - with accessibility, safety, inclusion, and Trinity Ball remaining the topics of highest importance.

Including undecided voters, third year Politics and Philosophy student Orr came just short of gaining half of decided voters, with 34.12% of first preference votes.

Tied for second place, Nadia, a final year Computer Science student, and Kelly, a third year Politics and Economics student both received 17.02% of the decided vote. 29.4% remained undecided on their voting preferences, while 3.3% wished to reopen nominations (RON). Only considering decided pollers, Orr received 48.34% of first preference votes, while Nadia and Kelly both received 24.17%. ,&-#./-#-'0)"#12 Considering Orr’s large lead, and the close race between second and third place, the race may seem to be over. However, Orr’s biggest threat, and closest rival in the poll, comes from the large number of students who are yet to decide their next ENTs officer. If either Nadia or Kelly are able to convince most of these students to vote for them, Orr’s path to the 2023/24 TCDSU ENTs officer will not be as surefire as it may seem. Although Orr is clearly far ahead, the dark horse that is the undecided vote means the sabbatical position is still anyone’s prize to take.

Similar to most years, the ENTs race has focused primarily on the manner in which the events will be run - ensuring inclusivity, accessibility, and safety. All three candidates have largely agreed on these main pillars. Apart from this, candidates have come up with diverging original ideas intended to revitalise ENTs and to excite the student body. Nadia has particularly emphasised her wish to host a monthly flea market for Trinity students to buy and

sell second hand clothes. Orr floated the idea of organising a Trinity’s Got Talent at Dining Hall Hustings, while Kelly has cemented that he wants to establish an Ents Handbook which will be distributed to all societies.

3..#22/4/*/"+' Throughout the campaign, each candidate has been questioned about their commitment to maintaining a high level of accessibility of their future ENTs events. The questions have varied from physical access for disabled students, to fiscal access for lower income students. Orr pledged to ensure that ticket costs will remain at the lower end of the scale, while Kelly has opted for a different approach - stating that he wishes to provide “more spectacular events” spaced out across the term calendar so that students will able to budget accordingly and “splurge” on their favourite type of event. At Equality Hustings, Nadia shared that she has struggled to afford the prices of tickets for ENTs events herself, particularly during freshers or refreshers week, and thus vowed to tackle this struggle facing many students.

Regarding the physical access of events, Kelly has repeatedly stated that “not every event is going to have every accessible option”.

While some see might this as an honest and pragmatic statement to make on the campaign trail, others may fear that this will lead to disabled students being left out.

However, Kelly has clarified that he does not want to “systematically exclude students”.

The candidates have all echoed the sentiment of not working with venues known to be inaccessible for disabled or less physically able students. Orr, as a current member of the ENTs committee, said that although this year she has focused more on n i g ht t i m e events, she wishes to install an

accessibi lity officer to the ENTs committee to focus on events for all students.

Nadia

and Orr have both made the campaign point of supplying free ear plugs at all ENTs events. When questioned on the monetary reality of this idea, Nadia said that her idea is “very, very affordable”.

Unlike other candidates, Orr has consistently provided plain-text, easy to read alternatives to her Instagram infographics, already showing her intent to provide accessible options for her work.

Kelly has stated that there needs to be more emphasis placed on a dve r t i s i ng a n d

informing students on the accessible options already in place, another action that has been questioned by those believing he may be avoiding facing the intricacies of a successful push

for accessibility.

In a push to make ENTs events more accessible for off-campus students or students on placement, Kelly has laid forth plans to use venues off campus, particularly one close to St. James’ Hospital.

5&.*62/0/"+'7&-'8/0#12/"+ Inclusivity and diversity are also major pillars of any ENTs campaign, and this year is no exception. An online submission “student form”, designed so students can be included in the event organising process and have their say in what type of events take place, was chosen by Orr as her favourite manifesto point. Nadia shared a similar idea, writing in her manifesto that she will “award 2 free tickets to the next event” to any student who’s idea she sees as the “most creative”. Kelly has centred his campaign around the idea of “ENTs as a facilitator of events”, explaining that he is interested in collaborating with as many societies as possible so that all students feel included.

When the question of LGBTQ inclusion in ENTs events arose, all candidates stated that they plan on hosting a drag show to ensure queer students feel included, and Orr added that she would host a pride parade on campus. Kelly specifically stated that he would

9

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Similarly, Nadia said she is “a strong advocate for human rights” and would “throw the hatecrimer out of all ENTs events”.

Nadia and Orr both responded to questions regarding the status of Gaeilge in ENTs events, with Orr pointing to her experience organising this year’s ENTs Céilí, while Nadia nodded to her work for the TCDSU Marketing and Communications department filming TikToks through Gaeilge in the Pav. Kelly again stressed his wish for ENTs to become decentralised, adding that he “wants to elevate [an Cumann Gaelach]”.

Notably, the inclusivity shown to ethnic minority students did not come up in any hustings, nor did it appear in any election manifesto. However, Nadia, who is the only person of colour in the race and who thus far has only been asked questions by white Irish people, has made the point of including a section in her manifesto to “ensure that College celebrate other cultural festivities” such as Chinese New Year, Eid, Holi, amongst others. !"#$%&' You would be forgiven for mistakenly thinking that the TCDSU elections were run by middle aged mothers for the amount of times safety was the biggest question about a night out. While some of the topics verged on the benign, such as the availability of buses, others were of a very serious nature - the growing instances of spiking, instances of hate crimes or discrimination on nights out, etc.

On the topic of safety at events, Kelly again raised his motto of transparency, claiming that “if people know what we are doing to keep them safe, and the procedures in place, and something does go wrong they are going to feel safer to come forward because it is less of an unknown”.

All candidates have emphasised anti-spiking cup protectors and first-aid trained stewards.

However, Orr specified that she wants student training courses to take place during both freshers and refreshers week, as well as the installing both a welfare officer and an accessibility officer in her ENTs committee.

Orr’s precise and specific answer may be a cause of her favour in the poll, as the electorate are more easily able to envisage her as ENTs officer. !()%"*+",*-*%& While the amount of waste produced

by ENTs is typically

brought up to candidates during elections, it has not appeared as much this year in hustings. Despite this, all candidates have made specific points for environmental sustainability in their manifestos.

Both Nadia and Kelly have stated that they will focus on lowering the waste produced by their ENTs events. However, Nadia has gone one step further in pledging to install a sustainability officer in her ENTs committee.

Orr has taken a slightly different approach, she wishes to promote Green Week on campus, and if elected will “collaborate with the environmental officer to bring in different people to talk about the importance of sustainability”.

One can see the reason for the varying success in the Trinity News Poll by treating this single issue as an emblem of the race as a whole. In his manifesto, Kelly was the most vague when laying out his plans for sustainability, writing that “ENTs should be as sustainable as possible”. Furthermore, his promise to implement “more sustainable practices” and to focus on “reducing plastic waste” leaves much to be desired.

Just like in the poll, Nadia can be ranked between the two other candidates for her position on sustainability.

Sweeping statements with no concrete plans to back them up, such as “minimising the waste produced at ENTs events is so important to me” have not particularly helped students envision her as their next ENTs officer.

Similarly to her speeches and answers made at various hustings, Orr has repeatedly been precise in her promises and concise in her plans. Planning to collaborate with the environmental o f f i c e r demonstrates h e r knowledge of the systems a n d supports already in place, as well as her ambition to use them in order to

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! "#$%&'"%& ()*+,'& *-&.(/'%& 01*2+3%2& 45&678/&#/& '50#3($$5& 41*+9"'&+0& '*&3(,2#2('%/& :::&#'&"(/&,*'& (00%(1%2&(/& )+3"&'"#/&5%(1& #,&"+/'#,9/ provide the best results for students. ./*+*%&'0"--' Orr has also been the strongest candidate on the issue of Trinity Ball 2024 - which may be the first one in recent memory to take place off campus due to building works on campus significantly reducing the expected capacity. She came out quickly in her campaign saying that she will fight to “keep the Trinity in Trinity Ball”. While claiming she has also explored other venues if this is not possible, such as the RDS, she maintains that the on-campus nature of the event is paramount. She thinks “there are a lot of different avenues [to] ensure that TBall will stay on campus next year”.

Kelly, on the other hand, immediately said that he is looking into other possible venues for T-Ball, and fighting for it to remain on campus has not been a major campaign point of his. He argued that “if we force Trinity Ball to happen on campus, we may be screwing over students by simply not having enough capacity”. He sees the fact that the ball may not happen on campus for the foreseeable future as an opportunity to raise more questions about the event’s accessibility and student input.

Nadia, who was not present at Media Hustings due to illness, is yet to clarify fully her position on this topicstating at Dining Hall Hustings that she wants to hold T-Ball at “a potentially bigger and better location”. However, she did not provide examples of this. Due to this existential question looming over the future of Trinity Ball, the issues around capacity, price,

and the lineup have not been as pressing this year compared to previous election cycles.

1/$)2$/)'"+3'4$#/$)2$/)' 5$$6) Freshers Week can serve as a momentous introduction to incoming Junior Fresh students.

However fundamental an experience it can be, it rarely appears as a large campaign issue due to the fact that people who will benefit from the next ENTs officer’s plans for Freshers are not currently in College, and therefore of course won’t be voting in this SU Election.

Most of the discourse surrounding Freshers and Refreshers Weeks is in relation to safety and inclusion, likely so the incoming set of first years learn first hand how to behave appropriately in these settings. The candidates have largely agreed to continue the likes of consent workshops, bystander/intervention training, and hosting a great deal of events all within the one week.

7"+3*3"%$8)'9/$:*;()' <=>$/*$+?$@'"+3'%2$*/' <=>$/*$+?$';#'%2$'<-$?%*;+' 7&?-$ Not unlike most SU Election races, most candidates running to be the next ENTs officer agree on the core principles of the race, and differ only slightly on how to satisfy these principles. Therefore, voters often look at the candidates’ experience in the field to judge whether or not they see them as qualified for the position. On top of this, the candidates’ handling of the election cycle, their performance in Hustings, as well as their information in, alongside the presentation and distribution of, their manifestos are often

telltale signs of their general ability.

Sam Kelly has stressed his status as a mental health advocate by reviewing his five years of experience working with youth mental health charity Jigsaw. His experience here is likely a main reason for his emphasis on the need for transparency in the ENTs safeguarding processes. Kelly has fared well on the campaign trail, typically answering questions confidently - albeit due to the alphabetical order of answering, he has typically had more time than Nadia but less time than Orr to think about his response.

However, where Kelly has lost momentum is his social media presence, he is the least followed ENTs candidate this year, with the least amount of posts, and the account itself follows less people than the other two candidates.

Nadia’s social media presence is arguably her biggest advantage.

She first stood out by posting a Mean Girls-inspired introduction video, mimicking the scene in which the high school students are asked their opinions on Regina George. Beginning the video with “Surprise bitch! I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me”, she took the opportunity to relay some of her campaign points. It ended with a student saying, “she ran for ENTs last year.

She lost… but it was awesome!”, a joke on her second run that is also expressed in her Instagram username @nadz4ents2. However, in a similar fashion to last year, she has struggled to react quickly in the line of questioning, appearing less confident than her opponents at Equality Hustings, though it is worth noting that she had less time to consider her answer than Kelly and Orr as she had to answer first. Similar to last year, she also did not attend some hustings and therefore had fewer opportunities to present her ideas.

Finally, Orr finds herself in the Goldilocks zone with both experience in event management and an experienced election campaign team. Orr’s social media is a preview to what she would be like as an ENTs officer if elected - she has shown a dedication to inclusivity, while maintaining a positive and lighthearted attitude. As a former JCR ENTs officer and the current ENTs treasurer, she is the candidate with the most experience in Trinity event organisation. If the undecided voters do not push towards Nadia or Kelly, this experience and attitude will likely bring Orr to a confident victory.

14

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ccording to a poll conducted by Trinity News, sole candidate Clara Roche is poised to become the next editor of the University Times (UT), with a share of 81.1% of the firstpreference vote.

While over a third of respondents (34.22%) indicated that they were still undecided, that can be expected in an uncontested race and does not necessarily reflect on the candidate. Of those who had decided, 19.13% intended to vote to re-open nominations (RON) which is the second highest number of RON votes in an uncontested race behind the education race (19.43%). This should not be surprising considering UT has faced significant scandal in recent years, with last year’s sole UT Editor candidate Mairead Maguire losing to a RON vote. This also indicates some frustration in the student population that not all of the races are uncontested.

Her support was largely consistent among all demographics. Her support among Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (AHSS) students was slightly larger than other faculties, at 54.94%. Among S c i e n c e , Technolog y, Engineering, a n d Mathematics (STEM) students, her support was at 48.31%, and among Health Science students it was at 52.17%.

Women were more likely (54.37%) than men (49.35%) to vote for Roche.

Roche is a fourth year history and politics student and has been involved in UT since first year. She has been a contributing writer, a staff writer, deputy societies editor, a

member of the Editorial Board and deputy editor for UT. She has also contributed to Evergreen Trinity, an environmental magazine, and worked with the Trinity Ability Co_Op as a student trainer and a member of the Schools Outreach Subcommittee. She played a pivotal role in severing the paper’s relationship with The Irish Times in October, which previously printed the newspaper. UT previously announced they were “actively exploring alternative arrangements” for printing in October 2021, and also pulled advertisements for The Irish Times student subscription.

Roche emphasised her experience with UT, saying at Dining Hall hustings that she has “the most experience and the strongest vision to make the paper the best it can be”. She pledged to use her experience “to make UT a welcoming place for the entire college community”. During my three years with the University Times, I gained experience writing and sourcing content for each section, building and maintaining sources, and managing and collaborating with a staff of over seventy writers.

Roche is one of four senior UT staff members to be sacked in October, after 32 members of staff signed a letter calling for the resignation of UT Editor Ailbhe Noonan. The letter alleged that N o o n a n ’s e d itors h ip w a s

“untenable”, saying she had been late for multiple

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!"#$%&'()*(' +%)+,'(%&'%)(' -+%&'.#(+' &/0&12&3$&' )34'+%&' (+1#35&(+' 62(2#37888'9%&' 0:&45&4'+#';(&' %&1'&/0&12&3$&' -+#'.)<&'=>' )'?&:$#.235' 0:)$&'@#1'+%&' &3+21&'A#::&5&7' meetings, or missed them entirely.

It also alleged that she did not have an “adequate plan” for their print run, and that she left staff members in the office during print weekend, not returning until the afternoon the next day.

Noonan accepted some of the criticism as valid, saying: “As regards the lack of contact with various section editors during print weekend: once again, going into print weekend was less organised than it should have been, and I should have had a better plan in place”.

“As soon as the issue was raised, I contacted the senior team to acknowledge the criticisms, draft a plan together, and to plan a meeting to help things go forwards more smoothly following print.” Noonan’s email, which fired Roche as the deputy editor, cited a “breakdown of trust and professionalism which cannot be repaired”.

While Noonan remained in place as Editor, UT continued to haemorrhage staff.

Following this incident, a smaller team of staff and less visible presence on campus may have left students unsure about the structure and value of UT, which puts student journalism in College in a tenuous position. The presence of two papers can ensure accountability, full coverage of all College news and participation for all students who wish to write. Roche has shown that she understands these concerns and plans to address these concerns.

Her slogan, “Clarify UT”, is based on manifesto promises to ensure

PHOTO BY CORINNE MAHON FOR TRINITY ENTS

At 81.1%, Roche is set to win comfortably, but she is still faced with repairing reputational damage of UT

transparency, accountability and integrity.

At the media hustings on Friday, Roche expressed the hope that many of the staff that have left would return “under different leadership”. She highlighted that many former staff had migrated to other publications on campus, and said that this experience could be brought to UT to “hopefully restore the quality of the staff ”.

When asked about restoring the paper’s reputation after “scandal

after scandal”, she said that she “definitely believes” that the paper’s reputation is redeemable.

Throughout the campaign and in her manifesto, Roche emphasised accountability, proposing to create a constitution for UT to codify the paper’s editorial and ethics policy. She also pledged to use her platform to call for a collegewide referendum to make the UT Editor impeachable, and speaking to Trinity News Roche said that because the UT editor is voted

15

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on by the student body, it is “only right” that they should have some say on how they’re performing and whether they’re happy with the running of the paper. In her manifesto, she stated that “if the Editor is democratically elected by the student population, they should be answerable to students in the same way”. She also pledged to organise regular town halls and College-wide surveys “to ensure that students have a platform to raise issues or share ideas that they have”.

She also aims to create a Board of Advisors consisting of a “a previous editor of Trinity news, a previous editor of UT, someone from the college with a legal background and someone on the college’s communications team”. Roche believes that this would assist in the creation of a constitution, and that this would be another step towards improving accountability: “If there was an internal dispute within UT or a problem that somebody outside of UT had with it, they could call on the board of advisors”.

At Council hustings, when asked how she plans to codify UT’s Editorial and Ethics policy, Roche said that she would make the writing of the UT constitution a “collaborative” process, also adding that if UT is able to build up a diverse staff, that they could help write a constitution that “highlights all voices”.

In her manifesto she proposed expanding UT’s social media presence to reach more students, by creating independent TikTok accounts for Radius, the paper’s culture supplement. She

GRAPHICS BY EVA O’BEIRNE, ROSE HEANEY AND CORINNE MAHON FOR TRINITY NEWS

highlighted that UT should be an “enjoyable environment” for students of all backgrounds” and wants to organise regular social events to encourage staff bonding. Roche said that she plans to reintroduce positions of Irish language editor, LGBTQ+ rights correspondent, and Ethnic Minorities correspondent, to ensure that UT’s reporting covers “the entirety of Trinity’s diverse population”. This will surely coincide with her addressing core staffing issues, along with other efforts such as social events, workshops, sign-up fairs, and possibly what she has called “moving UT’s presence outside of House 6”.

She also promised to “build upon the paper’s strong Irish language content” by expanding the section to include articles not related to College happenings or the language itself.

She emphasised accessibility throughout the campaign as a member of the Trinity Ability Co_ Op, pledging to reform the paper’s social media presence to include alt text and text to speech, as well as audio reads of long-form articles.

As House 6 is currently wheelchair inaccessible, she also said that she would facilitate alternative meeting locations on request, and at the Equality Hustings

suggested that an anonymous submission form may be a good way of protecting student privacy in a situation where UT needed to respond to accessibility on an “onrequested” basis with the Central Societies Committee (CSC).

She also pledged to collaborate with the Trinity Access Programme. When questioned on how to accommodate students with responsibilities such as parttime work, she said that she would promote a “more collaborative” working environment, and suggested “maybe having one student do the research and one do the writing”. She also said that she would appoint a Welfare Officer, and to also arrange a sensitivity training in order to help writers feel equipped to handle sensitive topics in a “tactful and appropriate way”.

Roche has also expressed an interest in ensuring that UT’s coverage is accessible and relevant to all students. She has praised UT’s coverage of postgraduate issues throughout the year saying: “hopefully the fact that we had such good postgraduate coverage this year will encourage postgraduate students to get involved”. Similarly, she stressed that postgraduate students have as valid of a “a need to contribute to the media as undergraduates”, and proposed

more widespread advertisement of available positions as well as the appointment of a “postgraduate correspondent to make sure that there’s somebody on staff to keep those issues covered”. Such a decision will likely make her popular among postgraduate students wishing for more representation. However, it is unsure whether this favour will have any significant impact, as postgraduate students have far lower voter turnout than undergraduates.

Because this is an uncontested race, it shouldn’t come to a surprise to anyone that Roche is set to win the UT election, and she has presented herself to be a competent journalist and editor. Should she be elected, the real challenge will start when she takes leadership of the newspaper. As it stands, UT faces severe staff shortages and serious legacy issues, not all of which are the fault of just one person. As a publication funded by the student body facing scandal, the quality of next year’s volume and the behaviour of the new editor will be monitored closely.

Time will tell if Roche can keep her manifesto promise of restoring UT’s reputation of “holding power to account”, and providing students with accurate, important and up-to-date information about

16

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ESEARCHERS DEOM TRINITY’S SCHOOL OF NURSERY AND MIDWIFERY have found indications that conversion therapy practices take place in Ireland.

The research provides an insight into how conversion therapy practices operate in Ireland. It also includes an examination of the growing body of recent international research literature in the area.

The study, which was commissioned by government,

will inform plans to ban the practice.

The study is the first of its kind in Ireland and involved 340 participants. The majority of the participants were cisgender, with 27 indicating they were transgender, and 35 indicating they were nonbinary, genderqueer, agender or genderfluid. The participants ranged from 18-77 years old.

11 respondents stated that they had been exposed to conversion therapy in the last five years.

Of this sample, just seven participants who were exposed to conversion therapy volunteered to be interviewed. Speaking of their experience with conversion therapy, one individual referred to it as “the worst time of my life”, while another noted attempting suicide on multiple occasions.

Of those interviewed, five gay men stated that they voluntarily partook in conversion therapy, while other participants in the survey stated that it was provided against their will. Five transgender participants indicated that they did not provide consent.

Dr Brian Keogh, associate professor in mental health nursing at Trinity and lead author of the study said: “While this is a small study, the combined survey results, qualitative interviews and literature review contribute to the growing international evidence that conversion practices are ineffective and can have a negative impact on people who are exposed to them”.

Announcing the report’s publication, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman stated: “I welcome the research published today which represents an important step towards legislating for a ban on conversion practices. Legislating to prohibit conversion practices is a continuance of the State’s assertion of the equal dignity of LGBTI+ persons and is a priority for me.”

The current Programme for Government contains a commitment to legislate to end the practice of conversion therapy, and the government has promised to introduce a ban within a year.

There are 14 countries in Europe that have already banned conversion therapy; including Germany, France and Malta.

Pádraig Rice of LGBT Ireland stated that a ban on LGBT conversion therapy will be “hard legislation to draft”, given suggestions that the State has no business banning individuals from freely undergoing conversion therapy.

Mr Rice rejected this argument, saying: “You can’t consent to torture, you can’t consent to really harmful practices that will do damage to you.”

Conversion therapy is an umbrella term that describes a range of practices which specifically aim to change or suppress an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity expression.

;*''-/-$1*$+-1<+3$=<:&3$+-:&.3($ 1*$>3.(=0*?3 College will now engage with the residents of Inishbofin to “identify the appropriate way of returning the crania” *55$)%!$))'%")/% 7./")%89:";411&1$5#$*23&$"%6* 0,+1*4#57/1&1*23&$"%

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HE SENIOR DEAN HAS ANNOUNCED that College is to return human remains to the island of Inishbofin, which were taken without the consent of the community more than a century ago.

In an email sent to staff and students last week, Senior Dean Professor Eoin O’Sullivan explained that “the decision to do this was approved today by the College Board following a period of research, analysis and public consultation about the future of the remains overseen by the Trinity Legacies Review Working Group”, of which he is chair.

The email continued to explain that further engagement with the community on Inishbofin will take place in order to “identify the

appropriate way of returning the crania”.

The remains are associated with ethnologist Alfred Cort Haddon and Trinity Professor of Anatomy Andrew Francis Dixon who in 1890, took the skulls of 13 people from St. Colman’s monastery in Inishbofin.

As is clearly documented in Haddon’s diary at the time, the partial skeletal remains were removed without the islanders’ consent.

Haddon’s research had an international outlook, collecting crania from the Torres Straits Islands and New Guinea. He also conducted experiments and collected crania from St Finian’s Bay, Co. Kerry and from the Aran Islands.

In 2009, College returned three Māori mummified heads and a skeleton from its collection to the National Museum of New Zealand, in line with a Māori wish to return them to descendants.

The Trinity Legacies Review Working (TLRW) group was established to document historical evidence on “specific legacy issues” in College and seek “evidencebased submissions” from the College community to make decisions for reform.

Last year, The TLRW sought submissions from the public in relation to the human remains from November 25 to December 7.

The TLRW is also reviewing the name of the Berkeley Library, also known as the X Library. According to the TLRW, George Berkeley’s “history as a slave-owner” is “welldocumented”. The TLRW closed public submissions on the issue on January 31.

!"#$%&''($)*+$,-'./.0'-$%*(12$%*3(.4-+&1.*3$)*+$3*3567$+-(.4-3%8$9-+:.1$)--( In an open letter to SFI Director General Professor Philip Nolan, the PWO said that nonEU students are “struggling now and cannot wait” for support *+")%,-./01($%234$.55' -,.($/*0,+1*23&$"%

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HE POSTGRADUATE O R G A N I S AT I O N (PWO), the recently a m a l g a m a t e d body representing

postgraduate students in Ireland, has called on the Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI) to allow the consideration of Irish Residency Permit (IRP) fees and health insurance towards non-EU students’ expenses claims.

In an open letter to the SFI’s Director General Professor Philip Nolan, the Committee of the PWO described the matter as an “issue of immediate concern” amidst government plans for a review into state supports for postgraduate workers and researchers.

The letter stated: “Non-EU postgraduate researchers face an inordinately large financial burden on an already small budget.”

“This is due to their requirement to renew their Irish Residency Permit at a cost of €300 a year, in addition to purchasing health insurance that can cost in excess of €600 a year.”

“In addition to the administrative burden that this places on these researchers, this

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brings non-EU researchers almost €1000 further beneath an already below-minimum wage salary.”

The PWO alleges that these incurrences are “pushing non-EU researchers to breaking point” amidst the ongoing cost of living crisis, with many students living in “precarious or unsafe housing” and relying on external support to cover basic needs.

“It is further tarnishing Ireland’s reputation as a great place to do research and damaging our position on the world stage,” the letter continued.

The union says that the “vast majority” of research centres affiliated with the SFI do not provide for the consideration of IRP fees and health insurance as “eligible costs” as part of students’ expense claims, despite budget underspends in many SFI centres and against the standard practice at such institutions.

“We are therefore asking you now to unequivocally advise all

SFI research centres and research training centres to consider IRP fees and insurance for non-EU researchers an eligible expense without delay,” the letter to Prof Nolan declared.

“The reality is that non-EU researchers are struggling now and cannot wait for the outcome of the review to potentially improve their welfare.”

“We ask you to take this opportunity to show leadership in your position as Director General and take this opportunity to improve the lives of the researchers you are responsible for,” the letter concluded.

Last week, it was confirmed that a planned Department of Further and Higher Education review into state supports for postgraduate researchers had been delayed to the second quarter of the year, having originally been scheduled for the first quarter. The PWO criticised the delay, labelling it “unacceptable”.

17

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ROFESSOR ORLA FEELY HAS BECOME the first ever female President of University College Dublin (UCD), it was announced yesterday.

The Governing authority of University College Dublin yesterday confirmed Professor Orla Feely as the next president of UCD. Feely will replace acting president Mark Rogers who has held the position since March 2022.

Her appointment sees her

become the 10th president of UCD and the first female president since the university’s foundation in 1854. Her ten year term in office will begin on 1 May 2023.

Feely is currently vice president for research, innovation and impact along with being a professor of electronic engineering. Prior to her appointment, Feely had been a member of the university management team since 2014.

Marie O’Connor, Chair of the Governing Authority welcomed Feely, saying: “Professor Orla Feely is an exceptional person who has the drive and ambition to lead UCD as a public university that values its community, that sets standards and embraces wider participation in order to make a real impact on society.”

O’Connor described Feely as an “outstanding university leader

with a distinguished academic track record in research and teaching”.

She also went on to thank acting president Prof Mark Rodgers and the “role he has played in leading the University since March 2022”.

Upon the announcement, Feely said she was “greatly honoured to be UCD’s next President and to lead the University into the next phase of its remarkable development” and hopes to “lead a UCD that makes a clear positive difference to the lives of our students through the educational experience we deliver”.

Feely began her studies at UCD aged 16, going on to obtain a masters and PhD in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Her PhD saw her win the J Sakrison Memorial Prize, and while at the University

of California she was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris, took to Twitter to congratulate Prof Feely on her appointment, saying “she is an outstanding university leader with a distinguished academic track record”.

The appointment sees seven of Ireland’s universities be led by female presidents. Until 2020 no Irish university had ever been led by a female president.

Professor Kerstin Mey became the first female president of an Irish university when she was appointed at the University of Limerick, while Linda Doyle became the first ever female president and provost of Trinity in 2021.

!"#$%&'$&()*%"'+,$,)-"&,./(0(+"&)1+(2)*",(3%04.0($,)+&)%$,*"&,$) (")567)-"&-$%&,)"#$%)829),.**"%(,)%$#+$1 USI expressed concerns about the lack of engagement with postgraduate researchers by the government review

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!"#$%&'(&)&*$+,&$ -.*+/01231+&$ 0&*&104,$ 4.5536(+7$ 30/&6+'7$6&&2*$ !"%'>"-)%1 !"#$%&'($&#)*+%&$,% ,&'-$162$0&8.05$ 162$9&$,.-&$ HE DEPARTMENT OF FURTHER AND +,&$0&)(&9$ HIGHER EDUCATION 9(''$2&'()&0$ has said that it will meet with postgraduate researchers 5&1*30&* to consult on the review of PhD

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invitations will be issued to representatives this week, with meetings to take place in the second week of March.

The Union of Students Ireland (USI) had written to government to express its concerns about the delay in the national review of state support for PhD researchers and the lack of engagement with researchers themselves.

They called for an update on the scheduling of meetings and for the department to outline a revised completion time of the review.

USI has reiterated the need for immediate engagement with PhD research representatives in the review process to ensure all concerns and demands are adequately addressed.

USI Vice President for Postgraduate Affairs, Waqar Ahmed said: “USI believes the postgraduate research community urgently needs help and reform, and we hope the review will deliver

measures to improve working conditions.”

Ahmed added: “We are committed to supporting the postgraduate research community and are looking forward to engaging with the review cochairs and other stakeholders to ensure the review is conducted in a transparent and inclusive manner.”

USI said that will submit its recently approved Postgraduate Researchers’ Rights Charter 2022 to the PhD review, which advocates for employee status for researchers, a minimum living wage, payment for all work and representation in decision-making bodies.

According to Vice President of TCD Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation (PWO) Eoghan Ross, USI has worked closely with the organisation on this charter.

The national review of state supports for PhD researchers was due to be completed early this year.

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The University of Galway’s Medicine Society have raised close to €30,000 for the Galway Samaritans by shaving their heads, with some 25 students shaving or dying their hair in aid of the mental health charity. MedSoc’s Auditor, Ciara Murray explained in a statement to SIN that, “we really want to help Samaritans to help our students with the money that’s being raised…

They really do save lives and we are just very happy to be involved.”

/.1+")'/%*0")1*+#8' Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast have announced a partnership on a new research project aimed at uncovering the untold stories of LGBTQ+ life from the early 20th century until the 1982 decriminalisation of homosexuality in NI as part of marking February as LGBTQ+ History Month. Dr Leanne McCormick of Ulster University explained that, “we are interested in both the negative and positive experiences to try and understand what it was like to be LGBTQ+ in the past.”

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Incumbent Dublin City University Students’ Union(DCUSU) President Thomas O’Dowd has been reelected for a second term in office following the conclusion of the Union’s annual sabbatical elections, beating challenger Brandon Perry by a comfortable margin of 2,036 votes to 496. In a referendum held alongside the elections, DCU students voted to remain affiliated with the Union of Students Ireland(USI) for a further year.

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Linda Doyle welcomed the awards, stating: “I warmly congratulate our twelve researchers on securing IRC New Foundations awards.”

Doyle continued: “These awards are an important opportunity for researchers to contribute evidence-based policymaking to society on a range of national and global challenges.”

The IRC’s New Foundations programme hopes to not only provide funding for new research but also to create better connections between researchers, government, and civic society organisations.

Doyle commented on these relationships, saying: “The New Foundations research funding programme aims to bring researchers together with civic society and Government departments to collaborate on projects that will have a tangible impact on societal issues.”

The IRC Director Dr Louise Callinan reaffirmed the importance of cooperation between researchers and policymakers stating: “The collaboration between researchers and policymakers represented in these awards aligns with the ambitions of Impact 2030:

Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy to strengthen evidencebased policymaking and deliver enhanced outcomes for citizens and society.”

“While New Foundations awards are relatively modest in value, they play a vital role in supporting and nurturing our research talent, providing an important step on the funding ladder to further awards nationally and internationally,” she continued.

Further information about the Irish Research Council and the New Foundations programme can be found on research.ie

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WELVE TRINITY R E S E A R C H PROJECTS have been granted funding from the Irish Research Council’s (IRC) New Foundations programme.

The programme seeks to assist government policy development by providing funding for research into issues facing the country.

Sixty-seven projects have been granted funding from the programme this week with those in Trinity including projects related to Alzheimer’s research as well as a research review of the Area Based Childhood (ABC) programme.

The programme will benefit all three of the university’s faculties with funding being granted to projects from the School of English to the School of Medicine. Provost

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MOTION TO ESTABLISH AN OffCampus Clinical Placement Committee

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“We are at a critical moment.

The blocking of a referendum as the accepted, constitutional route to independence is a democratic outrage. But it puts the onus on us to decide how Scottish democracy will be protected and to ensure the will of the Scottish people prevails.”

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PHOTO BY VICTORIA SALGNICK FOR TRINITY NEWS

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has been passed at last week’s meeting of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Council.

The aims of the committee include guaranteeing subsidised accommodation for students participating in Dublin-based summer placements, reducing costs incurred by placements, increasing the availability of counselling services for students on placements.

The committee will include the TCDSU Off-Campus Officer, who shall act as chair, as well as the President, who shall act as secretary, the Welfare & Equality Officer, the Education Officer, and the Health Sciences Convenor.

Five representatives shall be elected at the committee’s first meeting of the year, for therapies,

medicine, nursing, pharmacy and midwifery. Membership will be open to all off-campus Trinity students who participate in mandatory clinical placements.

Speaking to Trinity News before Council, TCDSU OffCampus Officer Hannah McAuley, who proposed the motion, noted that, “due to the nature of many courses, students of the health sciences often simply do not have the time to become highly engaged with the SU”.

McAuley said that this committee would “place power in the hands of students who, for too long, have been unheard, underfunded, and forgotten.”

Speaking at Council, McAuley spoke of the pressure put on students on placement: “There are students in our college working

46 hours a week and not getting paid… I know because i was one of them.”

The motion noted the “extreme mental, physical and financial strain” mandatory clinical placements impose on students pursuing health science degrees.

Sophister students on placement often assume the responsibility of “filling the gaps” in hospitals and health centres, roles traditionally taken on by paid health providers.

The motion criticised current measures in place to support students on placement, such as the SU Placement Grant. The motion asserted that the fund, which was created in 2017, is insufficient for students attempting to find accommodation in Dublin to attend summer placements.

“In marking this awful anniversary, we think of the scale of suffering by the people of Ukraine, of lives lost, opportunities stolen and whole towns destroyed. We are humbled by their brave and spirited defence of their country, and we commend their immense courage and resolve.”

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!"#$#!%&$'() | Tuesday 28 February

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TCD PWO called the increase “a step in the right direction” !"#$%&'()*+ !"#$%&'()*+

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OLLEGE IS TO INCREASE THE STIPEND for three internal postgraduate research schemes to €25k annually, starting from September.

Though the three programmes account for less than 15% of Trinity’s postgraduate researchers, Dean of Graduate Studies Martine Smith said that it is an important step “in a much bigger ambition”.

Board today approved a proposal to consolidate the Ussher Fellowships, the 1,252 Postgraduate Research Studentships and the Provost PhD awards, and to increase their associated stipends.

In an email announcing the change, College said that “none of the Trinity award schemes had to date offered a stipend that kept pace with the cost of living in Dublin” and acknowledged that “as a result, many PhD researchers have faced enormous financial pressures”.

The change, which forms part of College’s five-year Postgraduate

Renewal Programme, will apply to all new and continuing researchers on any of the three schemes.

In a statement to Trinity News, TCD Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation (PWO) said: “This is definitely a step in the right direction, and also a clear sign to other universities and funding agencies that the current stipend is far too low.”

“However, many of our demands in the Fair Researcher Agreement can only [be] achieved through an employment based model for postgraduate researchers. This includes access to sick and personal leave, and addressing the visa issues faced by

non-EEA researchers.”

The group also expressed disappointment that the increase does not cover departmental stipends provided by College.

The Fair Research Agreement, submitted to the government review of supports for PhD researchers included livable pay and employment status as key demands.

Smith said that College would continue to advocate for livable stipends for all PhD students through the national review, as well as through the Irish Universities Association (IUA).

Postgraduate workers’ unions have continually called for

researchers to be paid a living wage, demanding stipends of €28k a year, in line with the Minimum Essential Standards (MES).

Board also approved a proposal to waive the fee differential charged to Schools for postgraduate students recruited through Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Irish Research Council (IRC) and Health Research Board (HRB) awards. The waiver will be introduced for all new entrants “on a pilot basis” from September.

Smith said that both initiatives form part of a larger strategy “which is to transform the funding landscape for PhD researchers and to fundamentally review the

supports for PhD researchers and supervisors alike”.

The national review of state support for PhD researchers was initially due to be completed early this year, but has been delayed until the second quarter of the year.

The Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation (PWO) have called this delay “unacceptable” and called for the review to be completed according to the original schedule.

Government has promised consultation with PhD researchers on the review, with meetings due to take place in the second week of March.

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HOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE JOINED the Ireland For All solidarity march against racism and recent anti-immigration rallies last week.

Dozens of organisations

attended the protest which began at Parnell Square this afternoon, including the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU), the Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation (PWO), and Community Action Tenants Union (CATU), as well as political parties including Sinn Féin, Labour, People Before Profit, and the Social Democrats.

Speaking to Trinity News at the demonstration, TCDSU President Gabi Fullam said “it’s incredibly important to support those that come from vulnerable positions”.

Fullam added that it was vital “to form a cohesive stand against misinformation, fascist right wing lies” and against “the actual problems of our housing crisis, which are vulture funds and otherwise not refugees”.

She highlighted that immigration issues affect access to education for many, pointing to challenges faced by postgraduate students and workers in securing visas.

“We’re fighting for an equal world and that’s why we’re here today,” Fullam added.

Vice President of Trinity branch of PWO Eoghan Ross also highlighted these educational barriers, including “discriminatory practices” regarding non-EEA students such as “unfair” visa application processes.

He added that PWO was joining the march to protest problems faced by students and researchers across the board, “with housing, with access to health care, with any form of services”.

“The state has completely failed us. It has failed those that we are

trying to bring into this country to make it a more vibrant and innovative country, and they need to be told that that will not be tolerated anymore and that change needs to happen today.”

Children and families were among the huge crowds in attendance at the demonstration.

Protestors led chants in solidarity with refugees and migrants as they marched from Parnell Square to Custom House Quay.

Addressing protestors from a stage erected in front of the Custom House, activist Ailbhe Smyth said “it is so thrilling and heartwarming to see thousands and thousands and thousands marching today”.

“It sends one huge message to government that we mean business”, she added.

Smyth said that the “the hatred

and misinformation spewed” by far-right protestors in recent months is “driving a wedge in working class communities”, and declared “we will not stand for that”.

Speaking after Smyth, veteran campaigner and civil rights activist Bernadette Devlin McAliskey rejected the anti-immigrant slogan: “Ireland is full”.

“Before ‘an Gorta Mór’ [the Great Famine] there were 8 and a half million people on this island – and back then we didn’t have multi story flats.”

“Our problem is not that we have no room; it’s that we have a crisis of property, a crisis of capitalism,” McAliskey told the crowd.

“Ireland’s population is 2 million short of what it was; there’s plenty of room for 2 million more.”

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RINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN STUDENTS UNION (TCDSU) passed a motion last week calling for better transgender healthcare.

The motion mandates that the LGBT Rights Officer, President, and Welfare & Equality Officer to lobby for reduced waiting times at the Loughlinstown national gender service at St. Columcille’s Hospital. It calls for a review of the “invasiveness” of the questions asked to transgender patients seeking healthcare.

It further mandates that The LGBT Rights Officer (LGBTRO), President, and Welfare Equality Officer to lobby for the

implementation of an “informed consent model” as opposed to the current “pathologised care” of transgender patients.

Following an amendment from Gender Equality Officer Jenny Maguire, the motion also mandates the LGBTRO and Gender Equality Officer to campaign for the improvement of transgender healthcare during their term.

An amendment was also added by Maguire to mandate the Communications and Marketing Officer to include information on harm reduction for transgender students seeking healthcare.

The motion was proposed by

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EMBERS OF DU PLAYERS HAVE replaced genderspecific bathroom signs with gender neutral signs at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in a protest for inclusivity.

Students gathered outside the toilets of the theatre at noon today as DU Players Chairperson Faith Jones and TCDSU Gender Equality Officer Jenny Maguire removed the gendered signs from

the building’s bathroom doors.

The signs were removed by the students using a drill, in response to College’s reported silence on the issue of gender neutral toilets on campus.

Speaking at the demonstration, Q Soc committee member Daire Kelly explained that they had previously emailed the Estates and Facilities department on four occasions about the demand for gender neutral bathrooms, but received no correspondence in response.

Speaking before the signs’ removal, Jones said “because the building is gender neutral, the toilets deserve to be too”.

Maguire spoke of the previous establishment of gender neutral dressing rooms in the Players’ building, and that she believes “it’s about time that the rest of the building reflects this”.

She spoke of the “injustice” of limiting students’ access to services, as she stated that “all bathrooms in college should

be accessible to all students, regardless of their gender”.

Speaking to Trinity News following the demonstration, Maguire said: “It’s important that students protect other students.

So often in the bureaucracy of College, things get lost and things take ages…the bureaucracy just doesn’t work for students, so we’ve deemed it necessary to make it work for us”.

“We think it’s important that students take action into their own hands, and make College just that little bit better for everyone”.

This demonstration marks the beginning of DU Players’ annual “Women’s Week”. According to the society, this festival “aims to give a platform to those whose voice is not as easily heard” and “explore our relationships with gender”.

College has been contacted for a statement.

Upon publication of this article, two weeks after the protest, there was no comment from College.

LGBTRO, Niko Singband, and seconded by Welfare and Equality Officer, Chloe Staunton.

The motion regretted the long waiting times for care and treatment methods at Loughlinstown, which it claimed are “massively harmful to the mental health of the transgender patients that the gender clinic is supposed to help”.

It noted that the national gender service only serves 150 patients per year (on average three patients per week) due to understaffing while over 300 patients are referred per year.

It also noted that treatments such as hormone replacement therapy

(HRT) are given to cisgender patients with minimal medical intervention, while transgender patients are required to undergo psychological evaluation and “intrusive questioning” before receiving the same treatments.

Speaking at Council, LGBT Rights Officer Niko Singband said: “This motion is incredibly important to me because Ireland has the worst transgender healthcare in the EU. If I was Irish, I probably would not be standing in front of you all. We need to lobby the Irish government to promote transgender healthcare.”

The motion passed at Council with a 96% majority.

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Fill out our Google form on this QR code to be added to our writers groups!

More information on staff positions can be found at: www.trinitynews.ie/applications

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his year, I helped host the equality hustings of the 2023/24 TCDSU Sabbatical Elections.

Alongside some other SU officers, we curated a list of questions for the candidates. These were focused upon an array of topics, including racism on campus, support for access students, as well as questions focusing upon individual policy points across the various manifestos.

While putting together these questions, the three of us were purposeful in trying to ensure each candidate would be able to show off why minority students should vote for them, as well as their competency in discussing issues disproportionately affecting oppressed students within college. Unfortunately, I was left disappointed by the answers we received.

When asking candidates why their manifestos didn’t mention certain minority groups, we received essentially the same answer: “Oh well I, as a white/

cis/straight/neurotypical/etc. person, I cannot speak fully for this group”. This answer was not only received multiple times, but by almost every candidate in every race. The common theme seemed to be that each candidate would “consult” or “work with” the various parttime officers (PTOs) in the union that represent minority students.

These answers were incredibly frustrating and repetitive, so much so that I began directly saying “besides consulting PTOs” when asking a question on actions they would take. At council hustings later that evening, myself and the SU president went on to repeat this type of question, not once but twice, and yet received unsatisfactory answers.

Why was this? Why was the quality of answers so poor at a hustings centred around the crux of almost every candidate’s manifestos? When I was campaign manager last year for the current SU president, we had little to worry about when it came to the equality hustings.

Most of her manifesto was around issues of equality and justice - so it should be a piece of cake. She

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was running because she felt she would be best for the job, surely everyone is doing that, right?

Wrong. Well, at least that’s what I took from the equality hustings.

On the stage were candidates who majoritively lacked fundamental understanding on the processes currently in place within college to support minority students, as well as a lack of knowledge in how to be an activist for minority groups that they themselves are not a part of. It read to me that candidates simply pushing the burden onto minority PTO’s was out of fear of saying the wrong thing or getting cancelled, instead of using their privilege to be an ally for these students.

The idea of “consulting with” PTO’s when any and all issue comes up is not only unrealistic, but stands to undermine what it means to be a student representative. Sabbatical officers are there to act as full time officers of the union. They are chosen by the students in order to fulfil the roles that no full time student can fulfil. To rely on part-time officers to act as the sole voice for minority students, as proposed by numerous candidates at the hustings, is to take an active step against these students. To not have the knowledge in your position as a full-time, paid officer of TCDSU to fight for minority students in every room, in every meeting, within every conversation, is to undermine the position itself.

Sabbats are often one of the

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What are you to do when issues regarding minority students come up unexpectedly? Or if an issue requires a further lens of intersectionality in order to see issues that an untrained eye may miss? Ask them to stop and say “sorry! I need to grab a student from their chemistry lab!

I don’t speak for this group of students, #ally #recognise your privilege”. No. You should have the experience, knowledge and expertise in order to make fast decisions, as the role requires.

Of course, just as you would with any student issue, student consultation is important. There are issues you are unaware of, you must constantly engage with a students to ensure that the union is working as effectively as possible for every student. I am not saying to not talk to PTOs and student groups by any means. In fact, as someone that has been a PTO for the last two years, I wish I was contacted more. I had to bring issues to the table myself, which, as a trans person, can feel incredibly isolating. Almost every year candidates promise to reach out to PTOs, but it isn’t the reality.

To conclude, the choice to “talk” and “engage” is an easy promise. However, if it is your only promise, it serves little purpose. If you are a candidate that can’t advocate for every student, I struggle to understand why you are running, honestly.

Read. Go to a workshop. Do anything and everything you can to make sure you know what you are talking about before you start your campaign. Consultation is important, but you have to do the work yourself too. Sin é

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t the meeting of the Students’ Union Council on the 31st of January, 2023, there was a motion to hold a referendum on whether or not TCDSU should support a United Ireland. I spoke and voted against the motion, I’d like to better explain why. I support a United Ireland; yet I opposed this motion, both personally and in my capacity as a Class Representative with support from my class (after consultation).

I want to note this topic is a very complicated one, and I only had 30 seconds to speak in Council, hence my contribution being summarised with the quote that the barrier to students from the North attending Trinity “isn’t the border, it’s f***ing housing”.

I regret that I put that way, as soundbites can throw nuance out the window. It was late, I was stressed, and I had to rush through my points, but I don’t regret the substance. Maybe you’ll agree with me, maybe you won’t; but a lot of us on both sides of that council debate spoke about wanting constructive conversation on a United Ireland, so I’m starting one now.

To begin with the motion itself, I’d like to specifically focus on the last two sections: “Council recognises: that the reunification of Ireland will allow for better access to Trinity for Northern students, and will open up new opportunities for all the people of this island.

Council therefore resolves to put forward the following for Long Term Policy referendum: TCDSU expresses its support for the reunification of Ireland, and will actively and inclusively campaign for Irish unity with recognition for all communities on this Island.”

In council I made two points to respond to this. First there was the soundbite mentioned previously. Personally, I know students from the North who wanted to go to Trinity and the problem wasn’t the border, it was housing and transport. Both the Irish and UK governments have made active efforts to minimise the barriers to education for their students studying in the other country. But the fact is that we don’t have sufficient accommodation for students here and limited public transport links with and within Northern Ireland only makes commuting feasible from a few areas. Obviously there is a valid point that having

the same education system and college application process could make it a smoother process for students from the North, but this still ignores something very important. If we are proposing that we support unification on the grounds that the border is an educational barrier, we are ignoring students from the North that want to go to University in Britain, which will be harder if borders are the barrier this motion makes them out to be.

We would simply be proposing to move the problem based on our own ideology. That is inherently wrong and not what we should be doing as a Union. The proposing speaker asked “who are we to decide who is less entitled” to attend Trinity, but I saw this motion as suggesting we do exactly that but for other colleges by its own logic and have since found no reassurance otherwise.

In response to criticisms from myself and others, it was argued that in the end, the previous lines weren’t as important as the actual mandate coming from the motion, and we should vote based on that. While I sympathise with this point of view, I couldn’t agree with it. If the question of a United Ireland is as important as we all agree it is, we shouldn’t be passing motions with flimsy stated rationale, because at the end of the day this Union’s main decision-making body passed it. The language we use matters, and if we do this, we need to

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get it right. Regardless, it was a fair point to make, so, why do I think passing or holding such a referendum would be problematic in and of itself? There are two main strands to my thought on this; the undefined nature of the proposal and why this issue is different to others.

There was reference made to other issues TCDSU has taken stances on, such as supporting Marriage Equality and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions of Israel, it was argued that these stances gave precedent for this motion to fit what the Union already does. I argue otherwise. I think the political issues that the union takes stances on do and should satisfy at least one of two criteria. They may be objectively student-related; such as issues like housing, the cost of living, and various long term policies. These are clearly student issues because we are affected in a particular way as students, with a clear and direct remedy of the issue for students.

A United Ireland obviously has implications for students, but there is no guarantee of which side will be better for students.

More on that later.

Stances that don’t meet this criteria are moral issues, with clear outlines of what the union is campaigning for. TCDSU’s support of BDS was brought up as an example of a very political issue the Union has taken a stance on. You may disagree with me, but I argue these are very different.

They’re both related to complex political conflicts, but with BDS,

we are taking action against a state that attacks innocent civilians as well as pushing our college to divest from companies complicit in this violence. The College held shares in arms companies that supply Israel until very recently.

The question of a United Ireland is about a fundamental change on this island, both for those who support it and those who vehemently oppose it as well, and students have many other ways they can campaign for this should they choose to do so. We could play example chess all day on what the Union should/should not take a stance on, so what’s my other point?

We do not know what a United Ireland will entail, we just don’t.

There have been no negotiations, no agreements, no guarantee of any progress on the horizon.

This isn’t to say that there won’t be movement on this or that it’s irrelevant, but it is not clear yet in any way what a United Ireland will look like. So, when we ask the student body to support a United Ireland, what are we asking them to support? I don’t think it’s right to ask students to sign blank cheque mandates. There is a valid argument that there will never be clarity if we don’t engage in discussion; I agree. I believe that the SU should engage in discussion on what a United Ireland might and should look like if it happens, but this doesn’t and shouldn’t have to involve us signing up to it from the outset. If you think it does, then you don’t think a unionist can engage in these discussions.

Let’s not forget Unionists and thLet’s not forget Unionists and the undecided in this discussion.

If you want to achieve a United Ireland, you need to convince them. How would passing this motion achieve this? It will look to them like southerners blindly

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We should be focusing on getting details, that’s the only way you convince anyone.

I would enthusiastically support any motion mandating TCDSU to engage in constructive dialogue about what a United Ireland can look like from a neutral student-oriented perspective. The motion said to campaign “inclusively… with recognition for all communities on this Island,” surely this would be a better way to go about that, and when we do get more clarity on what this will look like for students, which I do sincerely hope we get, I would welcome a referendum. While soundbites and headlines are fun, when it comes to issues this complex and important, the devil is in the details.

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n January 2023, a secondary school in London announced that they were going to make massive cuts to the amount of essay homework assigned to students. They explained that an AI (artificial intelligence), chat generator ChatGPT had made essay work redundant. Teachers at the school were given groups of essays, some written by students and others written by the AI. The AI generate essays were given high A* grades, and the school decided that action should be taken to prevent plagiarism and cheating. AI such as ChatGPT has become a huge talking point on the internet recently. Other areas such as AI generated artwork have been targeted and criticised for plagiarising and exploiting artists.

The overarching argument is that AI will eventually take over.

That it will become harder or impossible to distinguish between AI work and human generated work. But is AI really as big a threat to academia and creativity?

The problem in handling perceptions of AI, is the use of the word ‘intelligent’. AI is not

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intelligent in the way that humans think and experience intelligence.

ChatGPT and other AI programs like it, function by compiling large amounts of information together and finding patterns between them. It then reproduces content based on the information it has compiled and grouped together.

The job of the AI in ChatGPT is to put words in the right order based on perceived patterns. It is, in short, a word predictor.

In this way, it can solve broad problems but not specifics. For example, a YouTuber Tom Scott, used ChatGPT AI to write code to solve a problem he was having in Gmail. The AI did produce code that worked, but it had to be amended by Scott himself. When he gave the AI a more difficult coding problem, one that would have required some ingenuity, it could not complete the task.

The point being, is that AI is not creative. It is not intelligent like a human, it cannot create anything that has previously never been created. Everything it creates is an amalgamation of other things.

Singer and songwriter Nick Cave was sent a ChatGPT generated song. Someone asked ChatGPT to write a song in the ‘style’ of Nick Cave. He pointed

out poignantly, that firstly the song was not very good. Secondly, he made a poignant point, which sums up the reason why AI will never replace academia, or creative pursuits: “Songs arise out of suffering, by which I mean they are predicated upon the complex, internal human struggle of creation and, well, as far as I know, algorithms don’t feel. Data doesn’t suffer.

ChatGPT has no inner being, it has been nowhere, it has endured nothing, it has not had the audacity to reach beyond its limitations, and hence it doesn’t have the capacity for a shared transcendent experience, as it has no limitations from which to transcend”.

This is the core reason that AI is not the problem we imagine it to be. It is not original. It is not creative, not the way a human is. In this example, without Nick Cave already having created a style of song, the AI would not be able to create it. It is a program, it is coded to perform a certain way, it cannot do anything that it has not been told or instructed to do. In this sense it will never truly cause problems for academia as a discipline, as it cannot produce or research anything new. However, it can cause problems with plagiarism and cheating within academic institutions.

What does this mean for academia? Well, right now it means that academics will have to start putting some effort into setting questions and reading essays. For example, a broad question that simply asks a student to compare two cases, or to broadly discuss a topic probably won’t work anymore. By asking more specific questions, while programs like ChatGPT can do a limited amount of work, they are not able to write an entire college standard level essay.

Alongside this, eventually a plagiarism check system will be developed to cope with it. Before AI, when regular plagiarism was the biggest problem academia faced, systems developed in order to cope and handle the problem. For example, Turnitin the plagiarism software used at Trinity. When an essay is uploaded to Turnitin, the programme takes the essay and logs it into its database. It then compares each line of the essay to all the other essays in its database.

Therefore if you have plagiarised, it will be able to highlight the sentences or paragraphs from another essay within its system.

It’s effectively the “Where’s Wally” of software, find and highlight.

The problem with AI like ChatGPT is that it does create new content. As opposed to other essay writing software, it will write different paragraphs each time and creates a pattern of words independently of other sources.

However, it still has its own style.

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A point to note is that the only people being truly hurt by ChatGPT are the students using it.

While it is slightly obvious, getting through a course or degree by cheating is not exactly beneficial.

An article in The Times highlights this, with a student who went to Oxford to study Italian claiming that he cannot speak a word and cheated in nearly all of his exams using AI and other methods.

This is of course a problem for the university, as giving out Bachelor’s degrees in Italian to students who cannot understand Italian is unadvisable. However, the person who is really harmed is the student, and it is their own fault. A question has to be asked about why people feel the need to not participate in their degree.

Getting a degree through using ChatGPT is an expensive and time consuming way to waste a university opportunity.

AI is not the problem that it seems to be at first. Like most technological advancements, it always sounds a lot more interesting than it actually is. As Jeff Goldblum says in Jurassic Park “Life finds a way”, and in this case the world will adapt to AI and find ways to work around it. Hopefully, it will eventually develop into something genuinely useful for society.

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!"#$%&'$&() *&*(*+(*#$,) are naturally an absolutely critical but from the date that the test ,-"./0)1$) device for keeping Irish roads was originally due to take place. safe, and making sure all cars If your test is delayed, your next 2"&,*0$%$0)(") rivers and aspiring being driven are fit to be used test is going to be expected at a drivers across the as such. They explained that the much sooner time than seems $*(-$%)'+3$) country are facing a steep backlog is due to a few reasonable. In light of these pile of obstacles as they causes, namely a serious lack of exceptional circumstances and 0%*#*&4)'"%$) try to get on the road, stay on staff and delays running back to causes, it seems that general rules the road, and be safe in doing so. the heights of Covid. Identifying like this might need to be looked +5"%0+1/$)(") Waiting lists for driving tests are the roots of the problem, they at for reform. up to a 19-week wait — about five have implemented an appreciable To ease anxiety for those on 6".&4)7$"7/$) months — and the 12 mandatory recruitment drive, and hired waiting lists, An Garda Síochána lessons to get there are steep in 50 new vehicle inspectors just and insurance companies have *&)(-$)2".&(%68) price, approximately 50 euros before the new year to counteract said that they will try to be "%)*&#$,()*&) per lesson, totalling between 500 the demand. Technically, if the understanding in a situation and 600 euros. Waiting times wait time for an NCT exceeds 28 where an NCT is overdue but 1$(($%)(%+#$/) for the National Car Test (NCT) days, a free test must be offered has been booked. While this have risen as backlogs caused by to the driver. While this would provides some comfort, an effort 2"&&$2(*"&,) Covid-19 are still affecting the likely be appreciated by patient to sympathise is not a promise of system. and inconvenienced drivers in no consequence, and the problem (-%".4-".() Currently, drivers across the this situation, no free tests have of this driving anxiety still stands. country have been taken by seemingly been offered as of yet.

With many dependent on their (-$)'"%$)%.%+/) surprise as they look to book There has been some confusion cars to go to work, college, to their NCT, only to find that the over how measures like this are bring kids to school and so on, 7+%(,)"9)(-$) next available appointments lie actually meant to work. The there is no question of the impact somewhere months in the future. priority list, a measure for when that having to go without driving 2".&(%6 Already in January over 31 centres a driver requires an NCT sooner for an extended (or even a short)

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across the country were facing backlogs exceeding five months.

The optimal average waiting time for an NCT, a number that has been achieved and held previously, is 12 days.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has acknowledged the backlog and put measures in place to hopefully have the average waiting time return to 12 days by May 2023. This is an encouraging promise and a positive sign that the priorities of the RSA are in the right place, given that NCTs

IMAGE VIA UNSPLASH

than the times available to them, should push a driver’s NCT forward to within the next four weeks. A promising tactic, but one that we have yet to see fully in effect, and yet to fully understand as it seems that this is the case for a significant number of drivers and would require a serious amount of tests to be pushed forward. Another technicality to confuse the situation, even more, is the typical structure of how NCTs operate. NCTs are not valid from the date of the NCT,

period of time would have for Irish motorists.

This rings true for those in the country even more so, where public transport is likely more scarce and unreliable, if available at all for rural communities. In certain areas, public transport has come on in leaps and bounds.

The cut in prices for young people using public transport has been a noticeably beneficial scheme, easing the pressure on young professionals and student pockets.

However, this only benefits

those who have reliable access to public transport in the first place. Typically, those commuting throughout more rural areas to work, college, and school depend on the use of a private car to make the journey or otherwise must spend money on private bus companies or taxis to get where they need to go. Understandably, this is a major motivator to start

driving. However, that is another thing more easily said than done in Ireland.

Waiting lists for driving tests are months in the waiting, and at a steep cost of 85 euros at that. Your test waiting time is dependent on where in the country you live.

Aspiring drivers in Cork and Carlow can expect a wait time for a driving test of 7 months, drivers in Cavan and Buncranna should expect a test invitation in 5 months, while drivers in Galway, Mullingar, and Sligo can expect a relatively shorter waiting period of just 3 months. Drivers in Drogheda and Dun Laoghaire can look forward to a lengthy waiting time of a whopping 11 months, and can confidently park any hopes of driving this side of 2024. For those who do not have a choice but to drive, a very frustrating obstacle has been thrown into the mix.

When beginning your journey of driving in Ireland, you are required to complete quite a few mandatory lessons (12 hours minimum). This, and the reasonably high failure rate of driving tests, is likely indicative of a safer, stricter system that thoroughly vets all potential drivers adequately before releasing them out to Irish roads, absolutely vital in any country. However, the issue is also with a system that is out of the affordability range of many young people in Ireland.

The pass rate from county to county ranges between 38.2% and 75.3%, the average pass rate being just over half at 53.2% in 2022. So, one in two people will fail their test the first time round, the test costing €85 each time — a sure motivator to pass sooner rather than later, and a disappointing and hefty fine to pay to retake your test.

Current NCT issues must be looked at to ensure that strategy is put in place should a steep backlog occur again, and some of the NCT rules — such as the next date being based on the previous test date — must be reformed.

The RSA is beginning to act, and hopefully their countermeasures will be clarified and widely implemented soon enough to secure their goal of returning the average waiting time to 12 days.

Driving lessons and tests should be made more available to young hopeful drivers, and potential government initiatives should be considered to either make driving more affordable to young people in the country, or invest in better travel connections throughout the more rural parts of the country for those who depend on cars the most. This is to ensure that more drivers can be confident in taking to the road safely in Ireland — or even taking to the road at all.

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'()*)'+,*-./ | Tuesday 28 February

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y decision to study at Trinity was the best decision I have ever made.

It changed my life completely, and for the better. I have made so many incredible friends and connections and thoroughly enjoy studying my favourite subject full-time. The time and attention certain members of staff are willing to give students is truly incredible. That being said, I have no desire to continue my education here at Trinity. Why? One word: institution. It is college governance that has alienated me.

Let’s begin with the Health Service. In February 2022 I contracted COVID-19 and was isolating in my room in Halls.

I was nervous; this was my first time getting the virus as I had been shielding a close relative since the start of the pandemic.

I was advised to call the health service to book a PCR test. Over the course of the day, I tried them multiple times. When I finally got through, they told me they could not help me at all and then promptly hung up. In terms of mental health services, one gets a maximum of eight counselling sessions. For many, including myself, that would not be enough. Friends of mine ration out their therapy appointments, going as little as they can as they worry about coming to the end of their sessions and then needing an appointment down the line. I decided to stay with my therapist from home and meet over Skype. Waiting times for appointments can be weeks or longer. An emergency counselling

appointment can take days to come through. Healthcare within a college is a very difficult and expensive thing to get right, but with my knowledge of college health I avoid it like the plague.

I would like to be at a university where if I really needed an appointment, I would have access to one.

Concerning access, let’s talk about the Academic Registry, a most curious Trinity institution.

There are three times in the year when one might really need to get in touch with them: when enrolling and getting results.

Every year, the Academic Registry is so overwhelmed by the volume of work at that time that it becomes very difficult to get through to them. I have sat on hold for over an hour, many times.

They can take days or longer to respond to an email during those periods too. This happens every

year, yet seemingly nothing can be devised to try to avoid this absolute chaos. Getting through to them at this time feels like a fight and I am tired of fighting. I just want to go to a college where someone is available to discuss my pressing academic needs within a sensible, reasonable window of time.

My issues with the academia at Trinity do not stop there. I study history. Currently if I were to submit an essay, even one minute late, I would get that grade capped at forty. One can reach out to the coordinator/ department to let them know that you are having issues, and then you could get your grade uncapped, or not. The harshness and lack of understanding makes submitting pieces of work quite anxiety inducing. I have also experienced my grade being capped when I was granted an extension and then having to go to the department to get them changed. My friends have had this happen too.

Talking about communication, this is something that does not seem to happen for students with learning disabilities. I have a registered learning disability

but none of the TAs or professors that I have interacted with ever have foreknowledge of this fact.

The onus is on me to go and individually talk to my TAs and the professors, to tell them of my disability and ask them not to penalise my work for things out of my control. This is tiring, this is annoying and this shouldn’t be my job.

This is my fundamental issue with Trinity: it is a college that only works in separate parts. The disability service is supportive and helpful but doesn’t communicate.

The health service is stretched, often out of reach even if the individuals who work in it can be of great help. The academic registry can be very efficient, at the times when it is not most pressingly needed. These are all parts of a college I love, but a college which pushes a lot of unnecessary stress on me. There seems to be no push from inside the institution for change. To stay I would need change, or at least the promise of it. Otherwise, I am not willing to put up with all this stress. I am tired of fighting for my college to do their job. I quite often wonder what, aside from lectures, I am paying for.

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!"#$%#&'"# (&)$*+),#"-."# "-+#)+/+)%#'0# Trinity’s students to ask about It would be disingenuous to 1.23.$4&$&4# their personal experiences claim that AHSS students are of student elections. Of the simply more interested in student $&#5677# or a week-and-a-half in 509 respondents, 105 were politics than STEM students. the early spring, Trinity STEM (Science, Technology, The actions and policies of the 8($)9$&4%# experiences electionEngineering, and Maths) students, student union affect every single fever. The Trinity College and 358 were AHSS students student in College, regardless of /+:%(%#7;<=# Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) (Arts, Humanities, and Social their degree. There is credible elections bring with them Sciences). The results of the evidence to suggest that the 8($)9$&4%#$%#.# hundreds upon hundreds of survey revealed a major disparity reason for the disparity between manifestos, flyers, and business in how students from different STEM and AHSS responses lies in ).:4+#0.1"':#$&# cards. For many, it seems like disciplines experience election the methods of campaigning that "-$% you can hardly move in some season. candidates utilise during election areas of campus because of Whilst the overall majority of season.

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all the hustle and bustle of campaigning. Speeches are given, questions are asked, answered, and obfuscated. It is a hectic yet exciting time around campus for both candidates and voters alike.

However, this seems to be the case for only a certain portion of the student population.

In early February, a poll was distributed by Trinity News to

students polled were registered to vote, only half of STEM students said that they were, compared to almost three quarters of AHSS students (72%). This is almost directly in line with the percentages of students who voted in the 2022 TCDSU Presidential election, with 57.1% of STEM students voting, compared to 72.2% of AHSS students.

The majority of students surveyed (58%) have said that they have never received a flyer from an election candidate.

If this seems improbable, considering the sheer volume of election manifestos and leaflets distributed, it helps to once again break it down based on degree.

Only a third, 33.3%, of AHSS students have never received a

flyer, compared to a staggering 71.9% of STEM students. Over half of respondents (52%) said that they believed that election candidates do not pay sufficient attention to their end of campus.

71.9% of STEM students believe that not enough attention has been paid to campaigning in

science buildings, whilst over two-thirds of AHSS students (66.7%), believe that the level of campaigning is adequate. Only one STEM respondent believed that candidates pay enough attention to their buildings. When given the option to explain their response, a senior sophister STEM student said that they believe “arts students generally visit [the] Hamilton less”. Comparatively, a junior sophister AHSS student said that there was “too much” campaigning, and that “it is impossible to get around the Arts Block come election time!”

When asked if they wanted more campaigning this year, while over half (53%) of STEM students said that they did not care, over a third (34.4%) said that they wanted more, and only 6.3% want less. Exactly half of AHSS students want more, but 11.1% want less campaigning.

The current student council is weighted 2:1 in favour of AHSS students. It is not unlikely that the levels of campaigning in AHSS buildings versus STEM buildings is a large factor in this. STEM students should not feel left behind during election season, especially since TCDSU is adamant in insisting that they represent “every student in Trinity College Dublin”. Their campaigns should also reflect this.

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+,-* 6%.2$#$4$#%.* %4$(#.-2*2#;* #.2$'.6-2* #.*1,#6,*'.* -"#$%&*6'.* 8-*&-9%:-"<* #.6(4"#.=* '*8&-'6,*%>* -$,#62*'."* >'#(4&-*$%* 6%994.#6'$-* 1#$,*2$'?* '8%4$* 1%&@#.=2*%>* $,-*7'7-&A*B* 6'2-*6'.*'(2%* 8-*9'"-*$%* $,-*6,'#&*%>* C48(#6'$#%.2 to review the case alongside the editor; if the editor is involved, they are also subject to an investigation by this board. The second section also outlines that if staff are deemed by the board to have violated the code of conduct, they will be asked to step down, or if it is deemed appropriate, they will be removed from their role by the editor.

Section three then outlines the instances in which an editor of Trinity News can be removed, and how an impeachment can be called. The constitution outlines six instances in which an editor can be removed, including a breach of ethics and failure to communicate with staff about workings of the paper. A case can also be made to the chair of Publications in relation to a violation of the code of conduct.

If staff believe their editor has committed any of the instances outlined, or breached the code of conduct, they must write to the chair of Publications with 15 signatories, calling for an impeachment vote. Upon the receipt of this email, the chair

of Publications will establish a board made up of two executive members of the Publications Committee, a former member of the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Council, and a former editor of Trinity News. The board will investigate the claims made in the impeachment letter over a two week period. If it is determined by the board, beyond reasonable doubt, that the editor failed to meet the requirements outlined, an impeachment vote will be called by the Chair of Trinity Publications. All editorial staff will be given a vote, and a majority vote will rule.

The fourth section then outlines for the resignation or incapacitation of an editor, should they no longer wish to, or are unable to, hold the position throughout their term.

Upon the editor’s resignation or incapacitation, the deputy or assistant editor will take over in the interim until such time as an Executive General Meeting (EGM) of all staff can be called.

This section also allows for the editor to take medical leave, for a maximum period of three weeks, or the duration of one issue.

The final section outlines the procedure in which an editor should be elected for Trinity News, and outlines the guidelines for a handover process. All editorial staff are given a vote in the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the election of a new editor, and a majority vote will

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s of last week, Trinity News has passed its first constitution, which outlines the rules and regulations for staff. Staff outlined in the constitution refers to editorial staff: our copyeditors, section staff, multimedia staff, senior staff and the editor themselves are all included in and subject to the document, which can now be found at trinitynews. ie/constitution.

Voted in by our staff, the constitution passed with a 100% majority. The constitution was written by myself, the current editor. A meeting was held with staff a week prior to the vote, to add, change or remove anything at the staff ’s request.

This constitution is for our staff, and any staff in the future, and should exist for them; everyone received a vote, and everyone’s requests for changes or additions were discussed in the meeting and a general decision on the request was made.

The constitution is to provide safety and clarity for staff, including the editor, of what is required of them, and what offences can have them removed from their position.

The constitution is broken down into five sections: Staff and Editor requirements, Violation of the Code of Conduct, Removal of the Editor, Resignation or Incapacitation of the Editor and Election of an Editor.

The first section, Staff and Editor requirements, outlines that staff and the editor are subject to the rules and regulations laid out in the TN Handbook, which is given to staff once they are hired.

It also outlines the necessity for the editor to consider conflicts of interests staff may have when they are being hired, such as society membership, to ensure fairness and integrity in our writing.

The second section, Violation of the Code of Conduct, outlines that all staff within Trinity News are subject to the code of conduct and ethics policy, which is laid out in the handbook. It outlines stipulations for staff when working within or for Trinity News, as well as identifying instances in which staff may be asked to step down. If there are multiple minor infractions of the code of conduct, or one major infraction, the editor may ask for a review of said staff member. This review involves an investigation board, with the chair of Publications, a past member of another student representative group and a past editor of Trinity News. As a paper made for the student body, we want representative members of the student body to have their say in the conduct of our staff.

This board will be established

decide the election.

We are in the middle of the TCDSU sabbatical elections, where students will decide who will organise their events, look after their welfare and safeguard their education for the next academic year. No matter who is elected on March 2, the TCDSU constitution guarantees these sabbatical officers can be removed from office via impeachment where necessary, protecting the student body against a sabbatical officer who is unable or unwilling to fulfil their role. A similar system should exist in our publications.

Here at Trinity News, we are of the opinion that no one, including the editor of a publication, should be nonremovable or unimpeachable. If you hold an elected position, and are responsible for any cohort of students on a day-to-day basis, you cannot be above reproach; we owe more than that to our staff and our audience.

We do not envision that an editor of Trinity News should ever need to be removed, or that staff should need to be investigated, but in an institution such as College where there is an entirely new network of staff roughly every four years, we cannot predict what will happen among future staff of Trinity News. We felt a responsibility to future generations of our paper to outline, and outline clearly, what they should do if these things do happen.

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As digital AI art is becoming more and more popular, the question of whether it can replace traditional art is a controversial topic for good reason :;0%<'+&*=

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n 1950, influential computer scientist Alan Turing, in his seminal paper entitled “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”, asked the question: “Can machines think?” What he called the Imitation Game, and has gradually become known as the Turing Test, was a test for the intelligence of a computer. The computer would pass if a human being was unable to distinguish its responses to typed questions from the responses of a fellow human being.

The scientists, philosophers, novelists, screenplay writers, and doomsday preppers of the twentieth century were concerned with this question of whether machines could out-think us. If they could out-think us, could they therefore destroy us?

Many the science-fiction tale has been written and rewritten about this potential end to humanity.

However, just two decades into the twenty-first century, with some of these old fears still valid but mostly rather sated, a new question is beginning to emerge: Can machines feel? Or rather, in the case of AI-generated art, does it even matter that machines cannot feel?

With the NFT craze dying down, the conversation about AIart is only heating up. Digital art generated by artificial intelligence, particularly by companies such as Stable Diffusion or Midjourney, has been accused of training their AI tools by feeding them images without artists’ permission. There are currently lawsuits ongoing against these companies for this

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=>2,#(#$+5#9% +$58%+.)(,%?&5"% <$),$+*'%'0-"% +'%@"+5AB!8% 5"$#+5#('%5)%9)% ')*#5"&(,%5"+5% 5"#%+9:+(-#% )7%'-&#(5&3-% 1()?.#9,#%"+'% ()5%;#5%9)(#% &(%+..%)7%&5'% ;#+$'%,)(#%6;C% &5%5"$#+5#('% 5)%$#<.+-#% 5"#%"0*+(% #4<#$&#(-#%)7% -$#+5&(,%+$5 very reason. However, whilst the issue of copyright and of ‘real

life’ artists getting fair pay and recognition for their work is an incredibly important issue, it is not the only problem that digital AI art raises.

Humanity has been bogged down on the question of whether computers think; most of us believe that our advanced consciousness is what separates us from animals, what makes us human. When in 1637, French philosopher René Descartes penned the phrase: “I think, therefore I am” it was a seminal moment in how we as humans view ourselves and our abilities. Humanity has defined itself on our ability to think; it has been our brains and our brains alone that have brought humanity from caves to fields to factories to the internet. But hand-inhand with the Earth’s scientific accomplishments throughout history has been the arts. Music, literature, and painting are practices as old as civilization itself. People’s passion for creating art did not stop once science began to advance. If anything, there are more people creating and sharing art than ever before.

AI-generated art, along with programs such as ChatGPT, threatens to do something that the advance of scientific knowledge has not yet done in all of its years gone by; it threatens to replace the human experience of creating art. There have been arguments made that this is not true. Some will argue that since computers are made by man, and the programmes that generate this digital art have been designed by man, then the

art created can still be credited to man. However, in ignoring or disregarding the artistic process of thinking, planning, sketching, failing, and trying again we lose so

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Whether someone draws using pencils, pens, paints or on an iPad, the creative process remains much the same. There have even been some arguments that AI-generated art can be used by people who are not gifted with artistic talent to create their own art. However, by completely bypassing this creative process, by dedicating less time, effort, and passion to a project, how can it be argued that this is a step in the right direction? There is no magical quick-fix to get better at football, singing, acting, driving, or any other hobbies or careers that people love. If someone is passionate about art, they will practise over and over again. The beauty of art is rarely in the first item produced, quick and a bit sketchy, but in the final product that has been created from the passion of someone’s heart and as a result of continuous practice and improvement.

Vincent Van Gogh’s work is objectively beautiful, but takes on a new, more emotional resonance when we consider his art in the context of his life and his journey.

Can a computer, even a very clever one, take its emotions and create beauty from brushstrokes that convey feelings from deep in its heart’s core? Or perhaps the core of its internal hard drive? Even if a computer program manages to create more beautiful works of art than anything else ever produced, which it is unlikely to do, something has still been lost.

Passion, love, practice, failure, resilience, talent, hope, tears, a hand and a brush.

28

Tuesday 28 February | !"#$#!%&$'()&

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f you’ve in any way dipped your toes into health and wellbeing over the last decade or so, then it won’t come as a shock to learn that shift work and in particular, the night shifts, do not promote the healthiest of lifestyles.

They require 24-hour attentiveness and service, but whom they are actually serving is unlikely to end up being the labourer. Whether you think this type of work is fair or not is another discussion.

However, just being aware of the basic health facts surrounding shift work can add to the wider conservation; besides reading the Marx quotation on shift work that you can find on every student’s favourite website, Wikipedia.

While it seems that what shift work actually is can vary a little, the general consensus is that shift work falls into two broad categories:

night shifts and rotating shifts.

While there may not be many of us who can say we have worked night shifts, myself included, there might be a good few out there who can recount working a shift from 2pm-10pm or 6pm-2am or 8pm4am, etc. Shifts that veer away from the typical 9-to-5, made famous by the Industrial revolution and the one and only Dolly Parton herself, could also be classified as ‘shift work’. Believe me, I am no fan of the 9-to-5 and instead operate on more of 10am to whenever schedule, but I know firsthand what starting a shift at 3.30pm and finishing a shift at 11.30pm can do to the body and your mind. And relatively speaking, that shift isn’t even that bad.

But what actually is it that makes shift work so bad for our health? Quite a range of things can come as a consequence of working rotating shifts such as a disrupted circadian rhythm, a significantly increased risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer. Perhaps the most interesting consequences are those which arise from a domino effect that knock out other vulnerable assets of health.

A disrupted circadian rhythm

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"#$%&'()*+ ,#%,-*#-.+ %/0(/12+-+ $#3.#4,-.(50+ #.,%)-$)*+%#$6+ 78+1)(-975#,+ $0.*%71)::: );).+,-.,)% can itself manifest as insomnia or hypersomnia and overwhelming tiredness which can in turn lead to depression, anxiety, and significant increase in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer deemed a disrupted circadian rhythm to be “carcinogenic to humans.”

Carcinogenic is a word you see tapered over cigarette packets

and sunbeds, not something you’d associate with bad sleep, however cancer, like many other things, can arise from a messed up sleep cycle. The mechanism by which is thought to be through the suppression of melatonin which occurs when we are exposed to light at night (LAN). Melatonin is a hormone released by a part of the brain and sends signals around your body, binding to its cells, and telling it what to do in order to align with the circadian rhythm.

Interestingly, since the 1980s, melatonin has been recognised as an enabler of DNA repair following DNA damage and believe me, you do not want DNA damage.

To say melatonin is an important biochemical is an understatement.

But what happens when melatonin is suppressed? Bad things —is that answer to that question.

That 2000s film with Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and McLovin [Superbad] is what happens. If melatonin is suppressed through a disrupted circadian rhythm from LAN exposure, damaged DNA goes under the radar and escapes the necessity of repair which can trigger mutations, causing cell proliferation, and ultimately induce tumour growth. Hence,

why you’d rather not have funky DNA floating about for very long.

All these dangers and risks involved with shift work undeniably hold some level of scariness and panic. But it’s hard to forget that even being a student, which feels like a full-time job when you’re out on the lash every second night in first year, can come with its own version of shift work. For example, waking up super late just to stay up later to study or pulling all-nighters one or more times a week may seem productive, but in reality are not healthy. Everyone is different when it comes to what times work best for them in terms of doing work or waking up, but in terms of our relative biology we are just not that unique. How much you might stray from the human average in terms of sleeping hours and how your circadian rhythm is set, is not going to be as drastic as 5, 4 or even 3 hours. So sometimes (and really most of the time) getting an early night and then getting out of bed around 7am or 8am after a relaxing 8 hour snooze-fest, might just help you out a lot in the long run. I say all this while writing this article at 2am, but hey — tomorrow’s a new day.

IMAGE VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Tuesday 28 February | !"#$#!%&$'()&

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ound three of this year’s GAA National Football League has just finished, which marks the halfway period of the league with each county only having four games left, along with a possible divisional final.

Division 1 Connacht football must be at an all-time high, with Roscommon, Mayo and Galway sitting in the top three positions. Roscommon really have been the team of the tournament so far, backing up their statement win over Tyrone with a low-scoring win over Galway and a confident 1-12 to 12 point win over a very tricky Armagh side. Headed by the youngest Bainisteoir in the country, 34-year-old Davy Burke, the Rossies seem destined to avoid relegation at least, something which has eluded them in their past four stints at the top flight over the last 8 years, or at the best have a stab at winning the League outright, something Roscommon

only did once in 1979.

Last year’s League and All Ireland Champions Kerry are having a tough time this year.

A first-round loss to Donegal along with Saturday’s heavy defeat to Mayo leaves them in an uncomfortable position: at least three games need to be won in order to guarantee their place in Division 1 next year, no easy task considering they are yet to play Armagh, Roscommon, Tyrone and Galway.

Division 2 Cork met Dublin in the Páirc on Sunday evening, where Dublin ensured a tight two-point win on a scoreline of 2-10 to 18 points.

Cork could have snatched the win, with captain Brian Hurley’s shot on goal hitting the crossbar at the final play of the game. Had Cork played like that on their first outing against Meath, it’s hard to see how Colm O’Rourke’s crew could have overcome them.

O’Rourke also won’t have been happy with Derry’s comprehensive win last Saturday, which put Derry and Dublin in pole position for promotion.

Kildare got out of jail against a very strong Clare side in Ennis.

Playing the last 20 minutes with only 14 men after Brian McCormack was sent off for a high tackle, the Lilywhites responded strongly with a goal chance being driven over the crossbar. Clare remained by far the dominant side, with Kildare trailing by 3 points with 4 minutes to go, but

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4 unanswered points gave the 2 points to Kildare.

Leinster football has been at a low ebb recently, with Dublin winning every Leinster title since 2011, but there is cause for optimism with Dublin’s fall to Division 2. Kildare gave Dublin a good match in Croke Park in round one, and likewise, Meath will be looking forward to welcoming them to Páirc Tailteann for the first time since 1988. Micky Harte’s Louth will also look forward to a novel enough match against them in Croke Park, but will more realistically be looking for wins when they play Meath in Navan and Kildare in Ardee.

Division 3 40-time Ulster champions Cavan are sitting pretty at the top of Division 3 after defeating neighbours Longford 1-19 to 0-11.

With six different point scorers and a goal from Oisín Brady, Cavan went into the dressing room at halftime ahead by 7 points. 2 points each from David McGivney and Joe Hagen kept the Longford scoreboard ticking over, but a 1-9 to 0-5 point deficit was always going to be a hard one to overcome. Buoyed by the return of Dara McVeety, Cavan will be aiming for a return to Division 2, with tough matches against Fermanagh and Down standing in their way.

Elsewhere,Fermanagh overcame Ulster rivals by 1 point in a tight contest in Ederney and Westmeath beat neighbours Offaly

by 2 points.

Division 4 The highlights of Division 4 this week had to be Wexford overcoming Leitrim in Wexford Park, as well a riotous meeting of Carlow and Laois in Dr. Cullen Park where four men, two from each team, were sent off. Laois’ Brian Byrne and Carlow’s Shane Buggy were shown straight reds for an off-the-ball incident on the ground, par for the course in a tense local derby. While ahead by a point at halftime, Carlow couldn’t hang on and claim a first win over their neighbours in 35 years.

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A summary of Round Three of the GAA Football League

31

!"#$#!%&$'()&| Tuesday 28 February

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MMA — Former two-time UFC champion Conor McGregor will soon make his return to the American company !"#$%&'(")"* !"#$%&'(#)*%'+,-%)*'

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onor McGregor is the world’s most famous martial artist. Indeed, his style in the cage and his extraordinary personality have propelled the Irishman to the rank of superstar.

Originally from Crumlin, young Conor was hard work from a young age. Passionate about football, the Dubliner very quickly became interested in martial arts and fighting. Thus, at the age of 12, the young man joined his local boxing club, the Crumlin Boxing Club.

Talented, the Irishman decided to embark on MMA. In 2007 Conor McGregor fought his first fight (TKO on Kieran Campbell).

From then on, nothing seemed to stop the native of Crumlin well determined to make a place

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UFC champion Conor McGregor was aiming bigger.

Indeed, the young man wanted to be the first double champion in the history of the organisation. Thus, after two fights against Nate Diaz, the Irishman faced Eddie Alvarez for the UFC lightweight belt.

At UFC 205, Conor McGregor delivered arguably one of the best performances in MMA history.

Technical, fast and powerful, the Irishman defeated the champion

by TKO in the second round. The first two-time champion in UFC history, the Dubliner is at the height of his glory.

After his coronations, Conor McGregor did not appear as frequently as before. Moreover, after his coronation in lightweight, the Irishman experienced a period of trouble. Indeed, in four fights, the Dubliner had won only once.

Now, more than a year away, Conor McGregor is determined to return to the top. The UFC has formalised the return of the superstar for the next season of the hit show The Ultimate Fighter. In this program, the Irishman will face Michael Chandler. The meeting between the two men should take place in the lightweight category.

Moreover, for the moment, no date has been revealed by the UFC. PHOTO VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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among the best.

With a record of 8 wins for only 2 losses, the Irishman was quickly recruited by the largest MMA organisation in Europe: The Cage Warriors. In this new organisation, the Dubliner wasted no time before being noticed. Indeed, in only 4 fights, Conor McGregor managed the feat of becoming champion of the English organisation in two different weight categories (featherweight/ lightweight).

McGregor’s name resonated on the international stage and the UFC, the most prestigious MMA organisation in the world, wanted the Irishman to join its ranks.

On 6 April 2013, the Dubliner made his debut in the American organisation and won by TKO after an incredible performance against Marcus Brimage. From then, the Irishman only won against opponents all more prestigious than the others: Holloway, Poirier, Siver. On 11 July 2015, Conor McGregor faced the dangerous Chad Mendes for the interim title in the UFC featherweight category.

A meeting that the Irishman will win by KO in the second round.

The UFC then decided to oppose the Irishman to the defending champion: José Aldo. While he was not the favourite before the meeting, the Dubliner defied all the predictions and won in just 13

Tuesday 28 February | !"#$#!%&$'()&

32

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t has not been smooth sailing for fans of some of the biggest names and brands in European football over recent years. It is nearly two years since the now infamous ‘European Super League’ proposal in which twelve top European clubs signed up to a new, exclusive league, a momentous episode in which football fans up and down the continent became acutely aware of the business interests and corporate greed permeating into

the beautiful game.

On the local scale, but by no means less significant, we find scandals ranging from Turin giants Juventus being deducted 15 points in Italy’s Serie A for financial irregularities to the chaos surrounding the 2022 Champions League Final in Paris and the incompetency of the authorities running it. Most recently however Manchester City, the dominant team of the Premier League for the last decade, have found themselves in hot water for breaches of financial fair play.

The Premier League, as the organising body of England’s top flight, conducted a four years-long investigation and have recently charged Manchester City with over 100 breaches of its FFP(Financial Fair Play) Rules, centring around inaccurate financial reporting to the League’s authorities and the misrepresentation of the remuneration several of their managers over an 8 year period received. In layman’s terms, the blue side of Manchester has been undercutting the amount of money involved in its financial operation.

Football has been slowly becoming more and more monetised in recent decades, with some believing the premier league’s inception in 1992 was the catalyst for this hypermonetisation of a beloved sport.

The growth of TV rights deals and their value has allowed clubs to profit exponentially in recent years, notwithstanding the introduction of sovereign owners of football clubs like Qatar Sports Investment(QSI), Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund(SWF) and Emirati owners like Man City’s own Sheikh Mansour.

Allegations towards City’s handling of its finances have not come from left field, either. UEFA, the organisation responsible for the overall governance of European football, investigated similar allegations and imposed a twoseason ban from the Champions League in 2020. While Man City got these charges overturned due to time-barring of evidence, the Premier League holds no statute of limitations and is not barred from revisiting prior seasons to uncover unruly conduct, if there belief that it has taken place.

There currently is no precedence to these charges within the history of English Association football, yet lessons can be drawn both from similar scandals across the football world, or the failure of some clubs to stay afloat. While occupying issues on the other end of the financial spectrum, examples like the now expelled Bury F.C.(as of 2019) and the recent financial troubles of Derby County have shown how ruthless football associations and in turn, the Premier League, can be when imposing domestic sanctions on clubs. Abroad, the aforementioned Juventus and their match-fixing scandal of the mid2000s has become synonymous with sporting sanctions, having been stripped of their 2004/05 Serie A title and their 2005/06 title, along with being relegated to the second tier of Italian football, Serie B. While unlikely to occur in Man City’s case, these scandals in particular will weigh heavily on the minds behind the Independent Commission tasked with assessing the League’s accusations, with compensation, expulsion from the Premier League or a points deduction all on the cards.

As a Liverpool supporter, I cannot help but cage my annoyance. City’s dominance over 9 seasons was, in my opinion, only matched by the miracles worked on Merseyside, with Liverpool competing against a team who have now been alleged of misconduct during their reign.

The hypotheticals fly about, the numerous times City beat the Reds to the title by 1 point. All of it now poisoned by the possibility that the team at the summit had used a helicopter to fly straight up, watching others climb with their icepicks.

It will likely take years for the case to be allowed to breathe in Court, but modern football can be fast, and City have been galvanised by unexpected allegations before.

Who’s to say they can’t go and extend their dominance again?

!"#$%&'()*%+ Trinity Basketball: Trinity men’s basketball became European Champions this week after soaring to victory in Paris.

Over the course of three days Trinity men’s basketball beat out a number of teams to win the title. Day one saw the men face off against Grenoble and Imperial College London, both resulting in victories.

Day two saw the men go up against Bristol univeristy and Science Po Paris. Both matches resulted in decisive wins for Trinity basketball.

It all came down to day three when the team faced off against Paris-Saclay university in the final.

As with the previous two days the Trinity men emerged victorios.

Meanwhile, the women’s varsity basketball team beat out UCD to secure their place in the semi finals of the College Basketball League.

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2

Tuesday 28 February | !"#$#!%&$'()&

!"#$%&'(&)'*+%*+,& An interview with DU Players legend Ultan Pringle The Trinity Ents committee’s ultimate guide to a night-out

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($)%*+,)+-$./0!"#$1%2%3%4 How song lyrics form our perception of sex and love

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Can work and student life actually be balanced?

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Gluten-free living in the land of pizza and pasta

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-.(%&,+"/ Editor-in-Chief Life Editor Life Deputy Editor

Shannon Connolly Ella Sloane Ella-Bleu Kiely

Arts & Culture Editors

Elena McCrory Oona Kauppi Emma Lueders

Deputy Editor Sex & Relationships Editor Deputy Editor

Ria Walls

Societies Editor Deputy Editor

Elisa Eckstein Ruby Topalian

Student Living Editor Deputy Editor

Julie Frisch Emma Rouine

Food & Drink Editor Deputy Editors

Maile Monteiro Eoghan Conway Katelyn Davis

Catherine Grogan

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=$$"&>$'"*% !"#!$"#!%&' %!(')*+(,+"&.)&&(+'%/0".' /1'2,(3(*&%,)4$' 56&0!/,".'5"&/,+(,' 728559'%!,/)#!' %!('(:0(,"(*.(&'/1' %!/&(';!/'&)<(,' 1,/3'%!('./*+"%"/* !"#$%#$&'()#*#+,&-.*/&()$*01%& 0"#$(*#/&2%#$*"#&"3&/%134.()2& (#5&/6*0*5(1&*5%($*"# remenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe and often underrecognised form of PMS. One student diagnosed with the disorder shared that whilst she often tries to explain it as “PMS times 100”, this doesn’t even begin to fully describe the complexity of having PMDD. For some, PMDD proves a completely debilitating condition. To shed some light on this little-known issue, I spoke to several people about their personal experiences with PMDD. The women I interviewed all described suffering from physical and especially debilitating emotional symptoms due to PMDD. Senior Fresher Kate Byrne shared the toll that it takes on her mentally in the two weeks leading up to her period: “I was having intense mood swings ranging from anger to extreme lows, but I couldn’t understand why I was feeling that way.” Kate recalls beginning to recognise a pattern in when these symptoms occurred, making the connection between these erratic mood changes and her menstrual cycle as her symptoms consistently ceased when her period came.

This led to a revelation when she “started googling stuff like ‘feeling depressed until period comes’ and found PMDD”. Another Senior Fresher shared a strikingly similar experience, also stumbling across PMDD online in her search to understand the symptoms she’d been having for over a year. She recounted, “I finally did a Google search of ‘why am I suicidal on my period’ and found out about PMDD.” Describing the effect PMDD had on her mental health, this student stated that “For a week or two of the month it would feel like the world was ending, and one small thing could set me off on a horrific spiral, and then the next week I would be completely fine.”

This exhausting recurring pattern is one that many of the interviewees and others with

P

PMDD are all too familiar with, and one that often plants seeds of self-doubt. Kate admitted to “constantly doubting myself all the time about it”, adding that “it’s hard to explain to people”, whilst another student explained that “because the depression isn’t something you’re experiencing all the time, you end up gaslighting yourself into thinking you‘re fine.” Interestingly, Kate raised the point that PMDD is not explicitly mentioned on the HSE website, feeding into this sense of doubt that follows many people experiencing symptoms as they attempt to carry out their own research online. The stigma that surrounds not only menstrual health, but also mental health, makes it even harder for individuals suffering from PMDD to seek medical advice and gain a diagnosis promptly. Luckily for both of the second-year students I spoke to, their female doctors instantly recognised what they were describing as PMDD, confirming their suspicions.

However, this is not always the case, and oftentimes PMDD can go undiagnosed for years.

Speaking to Trinity News, Senior Sophister Andrea explained that she has not yet received a diagnosis but is currently in the process of recording her symptoms so she has sufficient evidence to present to her doctor. She stated that “women’s health concerns are so often swept under the rug, minimised, or explained away, that I know I’ll feel more comfortable walking in with something of substance to back up my concerns.” Kate

also shared a similar concern, explaining: “I think as women we have it ingrained in us to keep quiet about this kind of stuff,” but stressing the importance of being open and talking “to people in your life about it.”

Describing how she eventually came to realise what may be the root of her severe symptoms, Andrea says that for her “it starts off as headaches, muscle pain and general physical discomfort but quickly develops into anxiety, uncontrollable rage, suicidal ideation and selfharm” recalling how she felt “lost, scared and confused until I made the connection that it was happening around the same time every month, and it was so incredibly freeing to realise that my behaviour was likely due to extreme sensitivity to hormone changes, rather than because I’m just a terrible human being.”

Echoing the thoughts of other interviewees, Andrea noted that most of the information and resources she has found “have been in the form of online communities and these are almost all America-centric as there is not much information out there surrounding PMDD in Ireland or how to go about a diagnosis over here.” Clearly, this is an issue that needs to be discussed and emphasised much more than it currently is; there is a lack of awareness of the disorder, not only in Ireland, but globally. It was only as recently as 2019 that the World Health Organisation officially

3

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et to the sound of a free soft tempo beat, the Busy Bodies video depicts a cartoon man and woman cuddling. A voiceover explains that “making a baby” happens when a man and woman, who are in a close relationship, show their love in a very special way — through sexual intercourse. While undoubtedly sex must be explained to children in a simplistic manner, this narrow definition presented to the majority of us in primary school set the tone for an entire generation’s view of sex — that it is for baby-making and not for pleasure, thereby giving the act a singular purpose and rendering anything outside of that inherently sinful or strange.

Indeed, when you google the

recognised PMDD, validating it “as a legitimate medical diagnosis worldwide and acknowledging our growing scientific and medical understanding of this little-known but debilitating condition.”

Past Trinity student, Caroline Flood, reached out to share her PMDD journey, explaining that it began when she “knew something was very wrong at 16 and I went to my GP who prescribed me the pill.” Recalling the excruciating road to officially being diagnosed, Caroline explained that this “took years of tracking my symptoms and showing mental health professionals the information that I collected.”

She added that “the cyclical nature of my premenstrual dysphoria” led her to “believe the only future option would be to have my womb and ovaries removed and induce menopause.” Inducing menopause is one form of treatment that is sometimes used in severe cases of PMDD. PMDD can have a dramatic impact on the daily lives of those who suffer from it, as many of our interviewees could attest to. Caroline shared how it affected her academics and relationships with those around her: “It affected my attendance and performance in school. I was always missing days and crying over my homework. It was part of the reason I had to leave Trinity twice. It made me super irritable so it would cause conflict with my family and made me not want to socialise with my peers.” Kate similarly emphasised the strain having PMDD places on your relationships: “PMDD can really affect your relationships with

people, since it pretty much dictates your behaviour and your mood.”

Hannah Ross, aged 28, recalled the toll it took on her relationships as well: “I started a new relationship at the beginning of 2020 and it became apparent how my PMDD symptoms were putting a strain on us. With friends and family I could hide it but living together made it almost impossible.”

Hannah’s experience with PMDD shared more similarities with the other women I spoke to, including her struggles with depression. Hannah shared that reaching out to her therapist about these feelings “has really helped me deal with the hard emotions while I’m experiencing PMDD.” For Hannah, “9-5 jobs aren’t feasible” and she explains that as she finds no “cure” she focuses instead on “creating a life that supports my PMDD.” The majority of the women who were interviewed revealed that they did not know anyone else who suffers from PMDD — a fact that can make the disorder all the more isolating. Hopefully there will be someone out there reading this and experiencing the same feelings shared by these individuals who can find comfort in knowing that they are not alone. By highlighting the experiences of those who live with PMDD and discussing menstrual issues more openly, we can raise awareness on this topic and help break down the stigma that surrounds it.

2

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the lingering cultural expectation makes it seem negative, in that you (especially in a society that has are losing something by having only come around to the idea sex for the first time. Do we call that sex isn’t inherently evil) anything else a loss when we do that the purpose of sex is only it for the first time? The language to make babies. Focusing on the that we use around sex is harmful, reproductive aspect of sex in sex especially for women. Even to this education and in our cultural view day there are associations with overlooks female enjoyment of sex, virginity and a person’s moral as only 20% of women can orgasm value, which is undoubtedly unfair from penetration alone. Female as sex does not make you a good sexual pleasure has long been or bad person — it is morally akin a taboo topic and the so-called to taking a walk or cooking dinner. “orgasm gap” — in that women are People’s definitions of having far less likely to finish than male sex for the first time vary from partners — is indicative of the person to person, especially for the sexual inequality in our society.

LGBTQ+ community. One person Another aspect of viewing sex having oral sex may constitute as penetration-only is its exclusion their first time, while for another of LGBTQ+ people. LGBTQ+ sex person it may not. can take a variety of forms and just because there may not be penetration does not mean that it is any less valid. Framing LGBTQ+ sex as only being legitimate sex if there is a phallic object involved is harmful because it further leads to the fetishization and othering of gay people. Sexual activity is as much about pleasure as it is about reproduction and the term shouldn’t be reserved for sexual activity that can lead to a baby.

When it comes to the notion

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of virginity, determining sex to be penis in vagina raises some questions.

What constitutes virginity? Our framing of the act of having sex for the first time or “losing your virginity” is problematic. Calling the experience “losing your virginity”

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We must remember that sex is a deeply personal experience and not something that can be up for public debate. What one person does may not match with your sexual preferences and that is perfectly ok. Human sexuality is complex and there is no exact recipe for how a sexual experience should go — as long as all is consensual, of course.

Reservation of the term “sex” for the specific penis-in-vagina type of penetration is just one of the conversations that we need to have around our attitudes when it comes to sex and sexuality.

Ireland has only very recently begun to broach honest and open conversations about sex and it is obvious that there is much left to discuss. The fairly open-minded Ireland that we live in today has come a long way from the society that banned contraception until 1985, but the conversation isn’t over — and we still have a long way to go.

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IMAGE COURTESY OF ULTAN PRRINGLE FOR TRINITY NEWS

!""#$%"&'()*&"+ speaks with Ultan Pringle about his theatrical journey in College

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ucked-up, crazy, and lovely is how Ultan Pringle summarises his time in Trinity. The playwright dripped with honesty and charisma as we spoke about his time in DU Players and how it shaped the person he is today over a cup of tea. At the beginning of his first year he was told by an older student to leave the society and learn his place, which only urged Pringle to become part of the Players furniture; Now a beloved relic.

The Donegal native grew up actively involved in the amateur drama guild. While working on a play at home, Pringle mentioned to the director that he was soon auditioning for drama at College: “He said to me, ‘well, whatever you do, don’t join DU Players. It’s such a clique and they won’t be nice to you.’ I remember thinking well, I have to join now!”

The Drama Studies and Classics graduate recalled: “it was a rocky start. But I was like, they [Players] have their own theatre?! I’m never gonna leave this place. I loved it and I loved that you could get free cups of tea. I loved washing the dishes in the sink. I loved going in and sitting down and awkwardly speaking to students much older than you who didn’t want to speak to you. I wanted to become part of the place.”

“There was definitely an idea around Players at that specific time where it had been really cool for a couple of years. There was this sort of barrier of entry and you almost had to prove you deserved to be part of DU Players.

It was so ridiculous. Continuing on with that society I wanted to see everyone be a part of it.”

Defining “cool” in one sentence in the College sphere would be strenuous, but Pringle, as far as societies were concerned, didn’t see the point in the matter.

“You should meet a friendly face, and that face should make you a cup of tea and tell you what’s going on. There were so many ways to be part of the society, which I thought was just so exciting and so fulfilling and wonderful.”

He was successfully elected as Chairperson in 2020, and joyously recalled a past member declaring that Ultan Pringle as Chairperson of Players would be “the death of the society.” His intention was to be that person in Players who made you a cup of tea (which I

can vouch for that he was). “You can choose to be supportive and treat people with kindness” — A lesson that more College societies need to learn.

“I thought, what’s the point of having this great, luxurious space if every member can’t be part of it? It doesn’t matter how trendy you are or if you’re making theatre that could win an Olivier Award.

You should have a place to put your plays on and be encouraged.”

Throughout his Players years, Pringle wrote and staged 11 plays, with his first piece entitled Hearts of Stone. “It was about a homeless man and a nun. It was as bad as it sounds. A nun looked kindly upon a homeless man and we discover he has a heart of gold. But like people hated me! I remember there was sneering and heckling during the show. I was just like, I’m going to put on another one and it’s gonna be even better than this.”

Now a founding member of LemonSoap Productions, a theatre company of young artists and makers invested in stories of depth, imagination and character, Pringle feels the work ethic required as a Players committee member is something he’s carried with him. “It’s hard to talk about my time in Players without adequately expressing how intense that committee can be. The committee would meet every Monday morning from 7am to 9am. You had two box office

shifts a week. Open and close the building. Some people were in there every weekend building shows and technically making sure everything was safe and working.

Every Wednesday night you had an event. It was a huge undertaking.”

However, it was the social connections bound in Players which he holds dearest, mentioning, “my closest friends now were made from lying on the tech floor of Players sobbing because it was so hard. These were the friendships that stuck.” All cast and crew who worked on his first professional production, It Is Good We Are Dreaming, came from College — “Would love to diversify a bit from that going forward…” Players was where he learned to work in the industry and collaborate, and describes it as being “the best education.” “Luke Dalton was in my first ever play in Players, he played the homeless man in Hearts of Stone. Then seven years on, he was in my first professional staged production.

Friendships became professional working relationships.”

From Players, he stresses that he began to understand important elements of leadership: “When you’re chairperson of a society that has 600/700 members and so many of them use the facilities you learn what you say, people listen to it.” Pringle explained that holding this sort of influential role found him consciously carrying himself

in a certain and considerate way. “Like if you gave any sort of compliment to a group who worked on a show it meant something, I know it would have to me. These people elected you to be in this position. I mean definitely there were times when I slipped up and said crazy shit. I love to say crazy shit.” He began to understand that what you say matters. He saw countless past committee members be horrid to students, and this rudeness put a stop to their involvement in Players — “That’s a disgusting way to be. It’s only a college society.”

Pringle also went on to be Secretary of the Central Societies Committee (CSC) in 2020 which he described as “really eyeopening.” He felt that he could pass on the energy he brought to Players to other societies in College. “I remember attending the Jewish Society AGM, and I was there having the craic with them and seeing how it all worked. It was incredible and I realised I was definitely in a Players bubble! There’s such a huge life to societies in Trinity and it’s so exciting.”

When asked if there’s any messages he tries to bring across in his writing now, he answered with one word: Generosity. “I’m really interested in writing that has a generosity of spirit. Also simplicity […] A word that

always sticks with me when I read is kind. And it kills me when I read something that’s really kind, and has compassion and empathy.

I try to include that in my own writing.” At the moment, Pringle is interested in performing his own work and discovering what that does for the text. “I tear myself as an actor, but I really want to see how I do with performing my own work. Like, can I be Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag? Is it an impediment on the work or is it an elucidation on the work to have the writer perform their own words?”

The day the curtains closed at College for Pringle, a lecturer said to him, “you didn’t do a degree in Drama, you did a degree in DU Players.” Despite its flaws, he believes it to be the best thing he ever did. “I would never go back!

But I’m really glad with my time there.” With our chat coming to an end, I asked if there was anything he’d tell his first-year self, to which he nonchalantly replied, “kiss more boys.”

Pringle’s latest upcoming project will be Piglet, starring Lora Hartin, coming to The New Theatre April 18-22 telling the story of a woman obsessed with revenge, fish & chips, and Jennifer Coolidge. Also, later on this year, Fruit, a six-part audio series exploring the trials, tribulations and flirtations of four queer women in Dublin today will premiere.

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!"#$#!%&$'() | Tuesday 28 February

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Tim Hayward, the Financial 1#&(!"%')(%&()*!( Times’ food critic and a proprietor said we need to look at *0'+%)#.%)5(%&64'),5( himself, “Hospitality with a small h not the

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he trope of the tyrannical chef is nothing new.

Screaming at sauciers, lambasting line cooks and whining at wait staff. In some kitchens, it’s a toxic culture that’s the special of the day.

Unfortunately, mistreatment and exploitation are about as common in kitchens as boxes of Maldon sea salt. The hospitality industry is one that is designed along the principles of efficiency, output and customer satisfaction. However, these goals are oftentimes prioritised at the cost of basic HR standards, and generally accepted workplace practices.

Of course, not all employers out there are autocratic oppressors but a prevalent harmful working culture is one that plagues hospitality.

Recent departures of high-level staff in Dublin restaurants, most notably in Richard Corrigan’s The Park Café, are proof of this.

Disagreements over rates of pay and a “high octane” environment were just two reasons sighted by over a dozen members of staff who left. Burnt-out and overworked staff are turning their backs on the industry which they adore.

Any passionate and seasoned server or chef will tell you that they love their industry, many couldn’t imagine themselves doing anything else, yet why is it that the industry doesn’t love them back?

Looking in from the outside, the hospitality industry seems like a welcoming one. Chefs with big personalities serving up even bigger plates of food. Postservice boozy lock-ins. Staff family meals before the first sitting of the evening. What’s not to love?

There are no set work hours, no clocking in and out or forty-hour weeks. Looking for a nine-to-five, forget about it. The kitchen isn’t the place for you. If you want an hour for lunch and multiple coffee runs, maybe look elsewhere. The hospitality equivalent is quickly scoffing down leftovers off a plate on your lap during that midservice dip.

Rule number one if you know someone working in hospitality.

Don’t ask them what time they finish at. The response you will inevitably get is; “I’m on till close”.

Ah, close, that mystical time situated in between the last pieces of cutlery being polished and half past a godforsaken hour. A shift ends when the work is done, not when the clock says so.

I really don’t think hospitality

capital H.” See the person behind that till and the pass.

That croissant you get on the way to your 11am lecture, which you consider early, was probably made by a pastry chef that was in the kitchen from 4am. The coffee you wash it down with, the product of someone who’s been sweeping floors and dialling in coffee beans from 6:30am. The kebab you drunkenly devour at three in the morning after too many vodka cranberries (yes, guilty as charged) comes at the cost of a normal sleep schedule for that employee. It’s a tough industry and restaurants are currently walking a tightrope just trying to stay in business. But how can an industry that prides itself in the care of its customers at times not even look after its own employees?

The emotional toll that hospitality takes on individuals is undeniable. Covid staff shortage, cost-cutting measures and the disregard for statutorily mandated breaks are pushing many to a breaking point. That server talking you through the menu might just be one more explanation away from packing it in — That’s the sixth time tonight I’ve had to explain what ceviche is, great, the tips better be worth it — Dream on. That 12.5% tip might just be going back to the owner to be “divided up” amongst staff. All things being unequal, the calculator produces a number almost as low as the food hygiene standards in your local chipper.

After a rough service and on the bus home you get the dreaded Whatsapp message: Would you mind coming in tomorrow? We are a bit understaffed. Tomorrow is your day off. Well, it was. You have heard the stories. Insulting chefs, patronising maître d’s and false promises. Long hours, short fuses, cold cut-throat attitudes and scorching pans seem to be a recipe for disaster. I think it’s time to give his recipe a revamp.

Speaking with Trinity News, a source said that upon asking for a day off she was told that she would either have to leave her job voluntarily or work as rostered.

Being an individual who enjoys their line of work and uses it as a safe space she chose to persevere.

The result of this; 3 months of work without a single day off. Each time when she requested a day off due to exhaustion she was told that she would be fired. The source went on to say that, “I ended up in ICU for a week with an advanced kidney

infection, my body had completely given in. Hospitality, as we know, is already an exhausting industry at times, let alone being forced to work continuously, with your job on the line.”

Yet why has it taken so long for HR to reach the hobs? The structuring of kitchens and restaurants certainly aids this crisis.

Small independent restaurants don’t have a HR helpdesk or a designated liaison person. Owners play the role of accountant, HR manager, runner of social media and chief disciplinarian.

Even in large hospitality groups bureaucratic systems hinder any real change and lines of inquiry.

The brigade systems that are

entrenched in the running of kitchens assert hierarchies and top-heavy power dynamics. It is a system implemented to streamline duties which prevents chaos.

What it does not take into account is its facilitation of abuse and domineering. Yet change, I hope, is on the way.

Newly implemented laws around the distribution of service charges and tips came into effect as of December 1st last year. The mental well-being service MyMind with funding from the Department of Health has just finished its Free Counselling Project for those working or having worked in sectors that have been significantly disrupted by Covid-19. Hospitality

included. Hopefully, more funding and projects like this will continue to be supported.

Conventional thinking about the brigade system and its applicability is changing. I can hear Escoffier turning in his grave.

Thank god though, the term garçon de cuisine never really seemed the most endearing to me anyway.

Change is as good as a rest. Maybe it’s time to change the way we look at the hospitality industry and give its workers the rest they deserve. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Well, maybe it’s time to give the kitchen a cooling-off period.

IMAGE VIA PEXELS

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hether you prefer to frequent Tesco or TikTok, one food group is particularly inescapable on shelves and online recently: protein. Recipes foreground how many grams of protein they include, yoghurts bear high-protein labels, and many influencers’ “everything I eat in a day” videos now bear the subtitle “(high-protein)”.

The global market for protein supplements is currently valued at nearly €20 billion and growing fast. However, most adults actually eat more protein than they need for a balanced diet. In fact, according to the British Heart Foundation, adults in the UK eat nearly double the suggested amount of protein daily. Though there seems to be no indication that over-consuming protein in this manner is overtly physically dangerous, it may be demonstrative of a collectively unhealthy attitude towards food.

The popularity of high-protein foods and diets might seem to have hopeful implications for how we are thinking about our bodies.

Eating lots of protein is associated with trying to build muscle, and the rise in protein shakes and other high-protein foods has coincided with an increased popularity of strength training among women.

So, perhaps this trend indicates that people are wanting to get stronger, rather than smaller.

However, I also find it troubling.

It reminds me of the phrase “strong not skinny”, popularised in the 2010s. The slogan seems constructive, focusing on making oneself more physically capable rather than attempting to shrink due to societal pressure. What was ironic, then, was how often this slogan was used in the exact same way that less seemingly body-positive mantras were used previously. It was used as a hashtag

by Victoria’s Secret models, who at the time conformed to a very specific — mostly very slim — body type. It was also used to encourage excessive exercising and did not reduce the obsessive focus on body image that our society has. The cult of high protein seems similar to me: a more digestible way of focusing on our food and our bodies. It is a faddy fetishization of a food group now that the phrase low-carb, so favoured in the noughties, has turned sour.

However, there may be another, more optimistic, facet to a surge in high-protein foods and supplements. As increasing percentages of the population try to eat less meat, or give it up completely, finding alternative

5

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amounts of meat. Further, a lot of the attractiveness of protein is that it keeps us fuller than other food groups. Obviously, this is a good thing — especially if you’re trying to reduce the money you spend on snacks at the Perch — but it can also be an excuse to reduce our intake of other food groups, like carbohydrates. A higher-protein diet does not automatically mean a healthier diet. In fact, an American non-profit found that a large amount of protein powders contain heavy metals like lead and arsenic.

High-protein diets also stem from the myth that we do not eat enough protein, when, as I have mentioned already, for most of us it is quite the opposite. A survey last year of 1000 adults in Dublin stated that nearly half think they don’t eat enough protein, or they are not sure how much they should eat. This was toted by various publications as concerning, not because people weren’t aware of how much they should be eating, but because this was taken to mean that Irish adults weren’t consuming enough protein. Actually, a 2020 study conducted by researchers at Trinity found that Irish adults on the whole should aim to eat less animal protein and more of other food groups, such as fruit and vegetables. Hysteria often arises around what we think our diets say about us or are doing to us.

Perhaps it is our anxiety around food, not the food itself, which is most unhealthy.

5

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Many people want to keep changing and improving their food habits in the belief that this will change and improve themselves, not least their bodies. This creates a space for healthy food trends which risk people eating according to the whim of the algorithm rather than their own needs. A focus on high protein is not necessarily bad for us — and if you enjoy a highprotein snack then by all means go for it! — but the reasons we lean towards it might be. Until our culture prioritises a balanced diet over one which fluctuates with what we decide we want our bodies to look like, I think we must learn to be a little more sceptical of the newest health trends.

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s successfully navigating the minefield of flatmate relationships purely a myth?

Sharing a living space can be tricky whether you live with your friends, family, or random strangers.

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent potential arguments from escalating.

We’ve all been there. You come back from vacation welcomed by a house of tension and hostility.

The dread of facing your flatmates is enough to make anyone want to stay on holiday forever. Something about walking into your kitchen and looking at the bread crumbs on the floor and the spilled curry dried on the stove makes your skin

crawl. Most of us look forward to finally getting out of our parent’s house and living independently — to let the world know that we will make it on our own and prove them all wrong. However, the reality can be disappointing. It can be hard to find common ground with your flatmate, from differences of opinions and habits to loud music and unsolicited advice (not to mention a lack of peace and quiet).

Is successfully navigating the minefield of flatmate relationships purely a myth? I walked around town meeting people in student accommodation to discuss this and talk about setting boundaries, resolving disputes, and maintaining healthy relationships with your flatmates.

People had conflicting opinions.

Disagreements over trivial matters such as taking out the bins can be solved, but it is more challenging when it involves someone disapproving of your social habits.

One person divulged that she has had her flatmate judge her on the people she hangs out with, creating a tense atmosphere between them.

“She always gives me an eye roll when I bring guys over. Once, she made a very ignorant comment

on how there are always guys in this flat even though it is an allgirls flat in front of a guy.” Living with an intrusive person who is always sticking their nose in your business as a flatmate can be a strenuous situation, especially if they are not on board with the idea of respect and mutual support.

Disagreements such as these can result in isolation and gaslighting, especially if you’re a freshman. It can constrict your mental space, suffocate you, and make you feel like you have nowhere to turn.

Not to mention that it’s the same cycle every year of holding your breath, hoping your flatmates this year would be more tolerable than the last. It’s like playing a game of Jenga: you carefully build up your tower of harmony, only to have it come crashing down at the slightest movement. There is incredible disheartenment when your expectations of a decent amount of tranquillity are destroyed — having the same disagreements and annoyances every year. Confrontational people definitely seem to have it easier, but the majority of us have spent our entire lives avoiding conflict and prefer to do the same when there

is a party going on in the kitchen, and you have a 9am lecture the following day.

No matter how difficult your

5

:;%;(77+;;<(,,=% /4.-042-/0% 23+%9-/+C+,5% '<%842942+% *+,42-'/;3-?;% ?(*+,=%4% 9=23D flatmate situation may seem, conflict resolution is key.

Establishing boundaries right away is essential; know what’s acceptable in terms of noise levels, cleanliness standards, guest visits, etc. and communicate these expectations clearly to your

flatmates. It is vital to ensure everyone feels comfortable expressing their needs and desires.

Being open and honest about expectations and feelings — even if they’re difficult — will help create an environment where issues can be faced without judgement and hostility. A harmonious flat dynamic is not impossible as long as you’re trying your best to communicate openly and honestly.

Everyone dreams about sharing a flat with their best friend or being close enough to their flatmates to relax and chat after a long day and find comfort in each other’s company. However, we must all be aware not to approach the situation with that mindset; rather, we must accept that there will be conflicts.

Moving into a flat expecting to find your ideal roommate only serves to cause excessive disappointment.

Hence, being realistic is the first step to building a foundation for a healthy relationship with your flatmate. With patience and consideration on both sides, it’s possible to find a way forward that works for everyone involved and show that successfully co-living with unfamiliar housemates is not just a myth!

7

!"#$#!%&$'() | Tuesday 28 February

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!"#$%"$$&'(( talks to Trinity Ents about their favourite night-time hotspots, from pubs and restaurants to sunset swims

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or those who made it through dry January — congratulations. For the rest of us seeking a break from the Workman’s smoking area, standing outside Grogan’s, secret Fred Again sets at Doyle’s, Pav Fridays, the Pav post-lecture (and pre-lecture), here is Trinity Ents committee’s alternative guide to a great night out in Dublin. )*"+"%,&-$./&01(%/21(1 A comment from the Ents treasurer Olivia: “If you’re looking for a few drinks and a bit of fun with your friends, Mother Reilly’s holds a great pub quiz every Saturday night, where the winning group gets eight pints of Guinness!” Also in Rathmines, Blackbird bar has a great range of board games such as 30 Seconds.

This bar also offers pizza from the restaurant Uno across the road.

Embrace the outdoors when the warm weather comes at the end of term: “during the summer a sunset swim at Seapoint (Blackrock) or any of the beaches further out is good fun too.” Taking a dip along the Dublin coast has grown in popularity and perhaps you too could pack the cans into a Tower Records bag and head out to Vico Baths like Harry Styles did in June last year.

Looking for student-friendly restaurants at relatively affordable prices? Olivia recommends “Sano Pizza, either in Ranelagh or Temple Bar, has to be the best pizza I’ve ever had, however be mindful that the menu is different in both restaurants!” If you like “incredible Japanese food at very good prices,” Olivia recommends Zakura on Baggot Street or Camden Street.

“The Zakura restaurants are also BYOB!” 34%5,&0(67&)86(1 “One spot I really like is The International Bar, specifically their comedy night, on a Thursday night.” On what he is most looking forward to this year, Adam says “Hopefully another Trinity Ents comedy night, we ran our first one on Wednesday in the Sugar Club and it was a great success and a sell-out show with DU Comedy Soc and Hardy Bucks actor and Comedian Owen Colgan. Watch this space for an increase in comedy nights as Trinity Ents are hoping to

make them a bigger thing; they’re intimate and accessible and hit a different demographic as the emphasis is often placed on DJ nights.”

If you’re interested in sport, Adam would recommend going to watch a football tournament: “I love the football, it has a great atmosphere; The League of Ireland is going to start back up on February 17 and there are six clubs around the Dublin area, where a tournament takes place every Friday night so you could go to Phibsborough for Bohemians or Drumcondra for Shelbourne F.C for around 10 Euro entry.”

There has recently been a notable change to the Dublin nightlife scene in 2023. The new licensing reforms implemented by the government enable nightclubs to remain open until 6am. “I suppose we will see a shift in how we go out, personally I hope it doesn’t mean we’re in nightclubs from 11pm until 6am, potentially there’s space for this in-between pre-drinks and the pub and maybe with cultural centres around town, maybe there’ll be more outdoor music or movies; I wouldn’t like to be in a nightclub for seven hours. “ Looking at the rave scene with the emerging popularity of Dublinbased DJ Collectives, Adam highly rates AE86 saying “they’re new and approaching from the garage scene, a reasonably untapped market so they’re bringing music from UKG and they’re brilliant because they’re one of the only garage nights in Dublin and they’re

getting big names in from the UK which is quite cool. Their next night is March 2, at Centre Point. and they did one just before New Years on 30 December at Wigwam featuring a cool female DJ, Gracie T. There are a lot more women now in the industry, which I feel in the past might have been maledominated, in Dublin it’s popping up. Puzzy Wranglers are a big Trinity collective, quite respected.”

Furthermore, Trinity Ents works alongside DUDJ for their events, particularly Pav Fridays and for events like the Refreshers Week party at the Sugar Club, where first years were on the decks.

“The DUDJ gives a platform to the students, and so does the Ents team, it enables first years DJing trinity events, it’s amazing.”

Adam concluded with this hot take: “Trinity-organised events should be cheaper for students.

Last year, Trinity Ents made a 28k net profit from student events.”

-*#"/(,&'"1/.&9(%1&:(; We started by talking about Eloise’s ideal night out: “Perfect night out would definitely be predrinks with friends at their flats or the Pav as you get to see so many Trinity peers. I’d then go to a fun bar like Whelan’s especially for live music and my favourite club/ bar hybrid would be Workman’s because I love the layout of it, it appears like a Dublin townhouse, with all the eclectic rooms and different music throughout. In my opinion, it’s an underrated spot; I think so many people talk about D2 and the Academy, but

Workman’s is far better. Ents do a lot with The Grand Social — it’s a great venue for events and they love hosting Trinity people there.” For up-and-coming places, “Bad Bob’s in Temple Bar is on the radar. It’s multi-story with different music and different bars on each floor.” Eloise gives her live music recommendations: “Open mic places are really good, as a first-year rep I’ve noticed so many first years are focused on going to clubs but in terms of actual socialising those are better, such as the open mic night in Mother Reilly’s Rathmines on a Thursday night — a lot of people from Halls sign up to sing or perform, some of my friends perform every week which I love to see.”

“I’d love to see if Dublin has any good rooftop bars, that’s one thing people should look into especially in the summer months.”

Eloise has plenty of recommendations for art and culture lovers as well: “I really want to attend the pottery classes on the northside at Imirt Cré-Pottery and Pints, my friends and I have seen it advertised on Instagram.” Pottery and Pints, like the Midnight Disco, changes its venue and was last held on February 16 in the Tara Building. This ticketed event offers a hand-built pottery session and is obviously accompanied by drinks, bound to receive interest from the growing trend in pottery and the current television series The Great Pottery Throw-Down. “There’s a few good art exhibitions in the galleries and museums throughout

town for the Spring season, and the Van Gogh Light Exhibition in Artane is an immersive display and worth a visit.” For vintage markets, “Fegan’s 1924 is a northside market open Thursday and Saturday evenings for a vintage sale, drinks included, you could go with friends and enjoy the live music” “The Midnight Disco events are good. I went to the first one they held last term. It’s under the radar, mostly attended by Trinity students as I know some of the DJs are Trinity students themselves and obviously their friends come to support them. It’s really cool because they do a lot of gigs in London, and it has a big Trinity element to it. Student DJs like Eloise Powell, Patrick Weaver, and DUDJ were involved when I went. There wasn’t a specific dress code, but everyone was very free in style, and everyone feels like they can express themselves. It’s nice that it’s exclusive and it only happens every couple of months, it’s like a big deal.” The penultimate Midnight Disco of the season will be held on March 16.

“Ents events are usually over 18s but in Dublin at the weekends some venues are over 21s and even over 23s and that affects the student population as there aren’t many college students over 23. That’s the one downside. To compare Dublin to Edinburgh on nights out, there’s so many bars that will do a student discount for 15% off which Dublin lacks. Imagine if the Pav did a student discount!”

8

Tuesday 28 February | !"#$#!%&$'()&

!"#$%&$'()*+,('-$.$/011$23$,)45$ !"#$%&'()"#(*%++,***3$#02+*6$105($*+)*7 !"#$%&'(")$talks to band Le Boom about touring, writing, and plans for the future

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e Boom performs for the crowd but their love for music is no performance.

“If ye weren’t here, we’d be doing this ourselves anyway,” are the words spoken to the audience by frontman Christy between sets at their December gig in the 3 Olympia. Le Boom is not a new band but they have recently been on the up, playing bigger gigs to larger crowds. Mid-interview, a woman walking by spots the lads and calls over, “You’s were deadly in the Olympia!” This growth, however, hasn’t diminished their love for smaller venues. Christy points to their Belfast show, which saw them play to a room crammed to the brim with only 200 people, as his highlight of the tour: “Belfast for me was the best one… the energy of that room. What more could you want? What more could anyone want? On my deathbed, I will go back to nights like that.”

The essence of Le Boom is captured by What We Do, their most popular song on Spotify with almost two million streams. When I first stumbled across the band on the Saturday night of Electric Picnic, I knew instantly that they were onto something good. Their sound and energy were more contagious than the cold I came home with that weekend — you would have to fight your head to stop it from banging to their beats.

The way they make the decks come alive is unforgettable; they bring the audience in to ride the wave of energy they have created. The set they played was heavier than the rain pounding down and despite

the torrential downpour and late hour, the crowd was heaving. The audience was alive, and Le Boom breathed that life into us.

Friday Night celebrates the release of dancing on the first night of the weekend till you can no longer stand, while Chiqueness in Paris laments the quality of the Guinness in Paris. (Christy admits in conversation that the song was originally called Shit Guinness in Paris, but the official title had to be changed as Spotify deemed it “offensive language”.)

Coupled with these celebrations of carefree and chaotic nights are the lyrics written by Andy, Christy’s brother. “I started writing about those nights in lockdown when it was just me and the lads I lived with spending our weekends together cos there was nothing else to do,” Andy explains. “And it wasn’t for an audience, it wasn’t for the Olympia, it wasn’t even to show friends,” Christy adds. Fastforward to today and Andy’s words are moving audience members to unexpected tears (I speak from personal experience…). He talks of an unreleased song that was performed live on the recent tour, and his experiences of losing friends to emigration which created the fabric from which the song’s lyrics were woven with. “It’s very specific, you and your story.

You can’t organise a five a side cos the lads are gone to Australia – that’s it.” Whilst the specifics of this story are personal to Andy and are emotionally moving for their honesty, he details a suffering of the Irish as old as the nation itself which still plagues the lives of the island’s citizens today. Yet in spite of the universality of his message Andy is not looking to make a political statement. Instead he is focusing on those things that he has lived and felt, “I’m not speaking for anyone else, just my own experience.”

At present, Le Boom are not signed to any label, and whilst Christy admits that “it’d be lovely

to be signed,” he is also quick to add that “if it takes away the feeling of sitting in the sitting room and writing, I don’t want it.

That’s what I want to preserve.”

Having viewed the music industry in the past as something he could “climb up”, Christy now identifies a fallacy in that mentality: “I got to a certain point and realised that all of that stuff like thinking you’ll be happier when you get there is a load of b****x. F*ck all of that.

Are you having the craic with your friends? That’s it. That’s where it starts and ends.” With many of their biggest songs being a result of collaborations, it is no surprise that Le Boom are intent on working with other artists in the near future. “I love collaborating because it pushes me out of my box. But I don’t love names,” he continues, “I want to involve friends and nice people.”

Having rung in the New Year performing to a sold-out Button Factory, Le Boom seems intent on carrying forth the energy that has been generated in 2022 into 2023.

“Next year is gonna be crazy. We’ve got gigs in Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid.” Christy mentions an artist’s residency in Paris that he has lined up for May. There is also talk of new music waiting to be released and the risks that accompany the sharing of new sounds. But the way Christy sees it is “worst case scenario people don’t like the new music and we just end up in a room banging it out to ourselves. So, worst case scenario, we’re grand,” he laughs.

If you want to see what Le Boom can do for yourself, they will be playing live Irish gigs throughout March in locations including Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, Galway, and Belfast. “So where do I see it going?” Christy muses. “Right now, if it ended tomorrow, I’d say that was class. But I don’t think it’s going to end tomorrow. I think it’s actually going to grow bigger.” If my opinion counts for anything, I would be inclined to agree.

*')+,$-'&&./$ sits down with Chief Operations Officer of Formula Trinity, one of College’s newest societies, Lucy Dale, about the society’s recent accomplishments to understand the work, challenges and motivation behind the society

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cience, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: The four pillars of STEM, and four main components of Formula Trinity. This incredible society builds, codes, designs, and engineers sports car driving systems. Even with their focus being STEM-driven, their team

includes students from all courses and subjects.

In an interview with Formula Trinity’s Chief Operations Officer Lucy Dale, Trinity News received an inside view on all of the work, inspiration, and challenges that lie within the society. Formula Trinity focuses on building a car to compete in an annual engineering competition in which the team competes with others to “design, build, test, and race a smallscale formula-style racing car,” according to Formula Student (the competition platform).

Founded in 2017, Formula Trinity has grown exponentially in the past five years and even flourished through the Covid-19 pandemic. Dale joined the society in 2018 when it was composed of just a handful of people and it now has over 100 members. Formula Trinity is driven by passion and has had to overcome many obstacles in the past few years such as Covid, funding, and space.

At the moment they are almost an entirely self-funded society and their time is given outside of college hours, while many of the teams they compete against receive college credit and funding.

Formula Trinity is looking for a permanent space to call home, but at the moment they are building out of a garage in Ireland. For previous competitions, the car was

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0",)"$1'/23"4 investigates unique arts and culture happenings in and around Dublin that you can take a trip to, from experimental performances to garlic-dipping workshops

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s February progresses, what is a hapless Trinity student to do? Whether you are becoming increasingly stressed, bored, blue, green, or even an alarming shade of neon purple, Trinity News is here to help. I encourage you to take a break from your regularly scheduled programming, get off campus, and check out one of these events happening in and around Dublin.

Look at pretty pictures

From February 24 to March 18, Dublin gallery and auction house Gormley’s is hosting an exhibition entitled Pop Art Pioneers. This exhibition explores the pop art of four key American artists: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, and Robert Indiana. Pop Art Pioneers is a promising endeavour for any student whose idea of a good time involves staring at a gigantic print of Marilyn Monroe’s face.

Learn about women If you are woefully uninformed on the topic, look no further. This gallery event is to be held at the Hugh Lane in celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8, although personally I think we should get at least a week). Art Historian Yseult O’Driscoll will lead a tour on the gallery’s collection of female artists. The Gallery also regularly offers academic classes such as Art Appreciation: Irish and National Art from the 1980s to Today, as well as classes to gain technical skills like stained glass and drawing from life — the perfect additions to your resumé.

Attend an experimental show The Project Arts Centre is an excellent venue for experimental performances and art events.

Ongoing shows include Manifest which opens on February 25.

9

!"#$#!%&$'() | Tuesday 28 February

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not taken out of the UK, so the group had to fly to Edinburgh to run their code and project. Being able to overcome these obstacles and still compete in competitions makes Dale proud of her team and excited to be a part of it.

Divided into three sections, Formula Trinity has a role in any course. Business and Operations focus on the formal side of Formula, taking care of the events, marketing, and financials. This brings in other courses such as English and business students, not just engineering. Autonomous mostly attracts computer science and engineering students as this department focuses on research and development of the car, in preparation for the big day.

Combustion, as their website says, “gets us the power”, meaning this team manages the engine and designs the intake and exhaust manifolds. The combustion group mainly consists of engineering students. If any students are interested, applications are available on their website and normally open at the beginning of the semester. Dale explained that the team is looking for dedicated and passionate members; this is the key to being part of Formula and what makes the team so great.

According to Dale, they need people “who are willing to put the work in.”

Joining Formula is an excellent way to make friends and become part of a close-knit group. Dale encourages new members to attend the group’s social outings to really get involved and jumpstart their Formula journey. Not only does this team teach engineering, but it also helps members “get used to real-world things.” With skills such as being able to plan group meetings, presentations, and defend your work, the work that members do in preparing their car for race day helps them “prepare for a realistic project.”

Last year, Formula entered in the Formula Student competition as two teams in the DDT (Dynamic Driving Task) division, where the vehicle is ‘system ready’ meaning the team selects their sensors and controllers. By competing in this category, the team is not required to manufacture their own vehicle and focuses on their software. Dale said the group was so proud of their accomplishment that “tears were shed when the car rolled out for the first time.”

This year, they are aiming to combine the teams and compete as one in the ADS (Automatic Driving System) category: the team competes with an autonomous (driverless) vehicle they have built completely themselves, which as Formula Student posts, is “intended for experienced, multi-

disciplined teams who are either developing existing FS cars to have driverless capabilities or vehicles they are building from scratch.”

Last year, only two teams competed in ADS; if Formula Trinity competes in ADS this year, they will be the first-ever Irish team to compete.

Formula Trinity is continuing to grow this year and looking to branch out to other parts of the college community, including the Arts and Humanities. Dale says that, “really cool things are coming up,” and they are “looking for a pretty successful competition after all we learned last year.” She encourages people to follow their socials and apply no matter what they’re interested in. Even though Formula is a high-stress-level project, Dale reassured Trinity News that the group’s vibe is more “relaxed” than one would expect, and that this is essential in keeping members working together towards a common goal.

Fellow students can follow their journey and support them in competition by monitoring their website, blog, Instagram (@ formulatrinity), or by reaching out. While the work they put in is tedious and time-consuming, it pays off when the group sees their engineering and hard work in action.

of the Ox in September. "#$%&'()#*')+,'-)./01& You can forget about Build-ABear; you’re in college now. Not to be confused with your mother’s favourite song, This Must Be the Place is an art cafe located about 6 minutes walking distance away from College. Recent events

include a workshop in which participants construct pot people out of clay and a board games social night. The events clearly veer on the quirkier side, as evidenced by the pot people and also an event on February 23 entitled simply, Create Your Own Vulva. You can stay updated on vulva and pot people creation by monitoring the café’s EventBrite page.

2%00'3$4$%$51.$), If staring at walls and constructing vulvas out of felt aren’t your ideal pastimes, you need not worry, the comforts of rural life await. As spring approaches, Wild Food Ways is offering spring foraging and wild garlic preserving workshops on their Cúl Bán organic farm. Learn to identify plants and eat a variety of scones accompanied by wild jams, and try out a three-course meal with wild and locally-sourced ingredients.

61#7/'$,'./0'8130')8'&1,70* As an Arts student, I’m unfortunately not qualified to give medical advice. That being said, the saying “laughter is the best medicine” is popular for a reason. Keep doctors and Trinity medical students away from you by attending a comedy show at The International Bar’s The Comedy Cellar. Held weekly on Sundays, stand-up events may be the perfect

remedy for seasonal depression.

Although I wouldn’t know — my degree qualifies me to be a barista, not your therapist.

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who seeks to challenge the status quo, don’t be afraid to subvert expectations. By that I mean, instead of your course reading, go to a reading at Books Upstairs. In February, authors June Caldwell, Sabrina Mandanici, Darragh McCausland, and Jessica Traynor will read selections from new release Running feet, Sharp Noses: Essays on the animal world. In particular, pieces that focus on “how animals affect our sense of self, our memories, our actions.”

Why would you go searching for lost time when you can spend it at Books Upstairs? =,405.$71.0'*)&0,.'%$80 In the coming month, acts playing in Dublin range from the mainstream (Lizzo) to indiemainstream (Alex G). But if you self-identify as the main character, this writer encourages you to skip the beaten path, venture on the less travelled road and go see a lesserknown band like intriguingly named THE BIONIC RATS. Why are the rats bionic and why do they play ska? That’s up to you to find out.

Note: some of these could in theory work as February date ideas. Results may vary. Trinity News is not liable for any side effects, break-ups, or statements such as “I can’t believe he took me to a garlic-preserving workshop.”

10

Tuesday 28 February | !"#$#!%&$'()&

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!"#$%&'())*&breaks down the lyrics of our youths that encapsulate the familiar feelings of love, lust, and heartache

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e are submerged in a world of music — the art of arranging sound to create some combination of harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise-expressive content. We are raised alongside it, in joviality and hardships alike.

The focal point of lyrical content covers a large spectrum: loss, inspiration, and nostalgia. Yet it must be acknowledged that the vast majority of songs are about romantic love.

It would be right to say that Taylor Swift raised a fleeting new generation of hopeless romantics, her strong songwriting capabilities capturing the feelings of being in love and the accompanying bliss placed upon one’s soul. Although her music seems to target downcast idealists, nobody could forget the moment in 2008 when Love Story made that pop culture-shifting debut, erupting through every open window. This song sincerely led five-year-old me to believe that maybe love was that easy. Lacking experience in my youth, music was the closest I could come to a basic grasp on the concept of love and was the most tangible means I had of deciphering its connotations.

Song lyrics often leave their imprint on the delicate and innocent young mind, introducing it to an unfamiliar jurisdiction that is largely out of reach at this particular life stage. In an attempt to cope with the foreign intensity, we return to what we know about love. When we are newcomers to the world of romantic love, our

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foundations are typically rooted in the knowledge of others’ experience, television and films, and naturally — perhaps most importantly — song lyrics. +(,)-.#/0&(&'12%/)&#/&3#2% There exists a quality to song lyrics that can detain a moment in time, an exquisite yet excruciating time capsule of the potent feelings attached to a memory. The event can be relived through songs, depending on one’s connection to its lyrics and essence, perpetuating the emotions and perhaps enhancing its lesson throughout the years. The ability to hold on to a certain feeling — or a certain time in one’s life — can be either a curse or a blessing in disguise, depending on your perspective.

It can be a reminder of the harrowing pain felt at the time of encountering the lyrics, yet can also act as a mark of growth, when you note how differently you may feel in relation to the lyrics now.

Or perhaps listening to a song that prompts a former pain, now returned, is a reminder that you have survived this experience before, and are strong enough to conquer it once more.

As I grow older I reflect pensively upon the lyrics of The 1975 that had a certain power over me in my youth, with songs telling a story: “Our love has gone cold, you’re intertwining your soul with somebody else.” I used to deliquesce into despair upon hearing the melancholic words of Somebody Else, as though they were being obliged down my throat, my gut twisting in grief at the time. Many years have passed and I’ve progressed through a myriad of cycles of heartbreak since. My life has changed so much — I have relived the revolution of hurt intermittently, and my anguish at heartbreak is no longer

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7(#/&41"&16.( ,)"++6.(12)4)( 6.,%#4(1/(-.( +,)4)&1("&8( :))6(#/-:/,1(%&( 12)(:"-%6%",%1.3( <"4(12/0'2=(-.( ./0&'),(4)6:(%4( +,/1)#1%&'(-) felt to the same extent. The song is now a reminder that there is still so much more life to live, people to meet, emotions to submerge oneself in, and losses to grieve.

Despite the hurt in my past, I constantly reapply these lyrics to my present and feel comfort in the familiarity, almost as though my younger self is protecting me today.

Some songs will always be tied to our first experience of something, whilst other lyrics forever exist to be recycled in similar situations at different times. They can mark growth through experience, and can always teach us something — again and again and again. +1241.)&#/&5%$10/#)#1/ Many people, myself included, can find solace in despair. Lana Del Rey’s Cherry describes love as feeling “like smiling when the firing squad’s against you, and you just stay lined up.” Hearing others express deep desire and love through lyrics can make one feel validated in their limerence or

devotion to another soul, allowing the listener to immerse themselves in the sensation of tenderness.

Negative feelings can even feel comforting when sung back to you, for they suggest that you are not alone in your dejection. Music that deals with heartbreak at its core tends to deal with sensations of inadequacy, guilt, and ultimately acceptance. In Decode, Sabrina Carpenter touches on her inability to accept situations that are out of her control, blaming herself for the entirety of a relationship’s downfall, despite expressing a desire to keep the flame lit: “But now I wonder why I let your confusion keep me up at night”. Love is overwhelming, and it can be difficult to show up every day when effort is not reciprocated. This is an aspect generally overlooked in many songs in which love is the main focus. These lyrics have the ability to alter one’s perspective, and serve as a reminder to accept whatever happens in a relationship — you cannot let another person’s inner conflict sway your entire life eternally.

6-%%.&78%/)#9$()#1/ In recent years, many more openly queer artists are entering the mainstream, with their music being accessible to a wider audience than it would have been in the past. Rather than designed for a certain audience, it is instead an anthem for those that simply want to feel seen. Individuals that generally feel excluded from the concept of love in the music industry can therefore feel validated by this music.

The open and honest vulnerability of modern-day lyrics is captured in I Wanna be Your Girlfriend by Girl in Red when she says, “I don’t want to be your friend, I want to kiss your lips.” Finding romantic love with

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>/-"&1%#(6/;)( 5%12("&/12),( 5/-"&(%4("( #)&1,"6(12)-)( %&(-0#2(/:(2),( -04%#3(.)1(%1( %4(&/1(%14(4/6)( +0,+/4) another woman is a central theme in much of her music, yet it is not its sole purpose, nor is it the most discussed aspect of her artistry.

Clairo sings “Pardon my emotions, I should probably keep it all to myself — I know you’d make fun of me,” when it comes to expressing queer love in Bags, yet eventually shifts to “Sofia, know that you and I, shouldn’t feel like a crime” in Sofia, thereby preaching self-acceptance and offering refuge to those in similar positions. She describes her discography as “learning to be comfortable in a place of the unknown and kind of just letting something be, and being okay with not knowing the outcome of something” when it comes to relationships.

It is with this progression in the music world that we can allow it to shape our understanding of the unlimited types of love the world has to offer and form the next generation’s concept of love — a world filled with self-acceptance, inclusivity and pride.

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!"#$#!%&$'() | Tuesday 28 February

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on a little white scale that looks more like it belongs in my parent’s bathroom than the College health centre. On the way to and from the examination room, I pass a door on which #HealthyTrinity hangs diagonally on it in big blue and green lettering.

I only knew the service existed because they sent out a reminder once that Trinity is a tobacco-free campus. I’d never bothered to check them out, mostly because I am weary of the word health.

I have a complicated relationship with health because the things I was taught to accept as truths when I was young turned out to be so wrong and yet became so ingrained in me that they very nearly killed me. When I say taught I don’t mean I went to a class and they told me to eat my vegetables; if only it had been that simple. What I’m referring to is the indirect messages I’ve been inundated with from as early as I can remember. Signs in the lunch queue of plates segmented by colour into different food groups, the size of each segment corresponding to how much of that food you should be eating,

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not have added up to an eating disorder. There are so many signals on College’s campus that, if this was two years ago and college had been in person, would have added to that tally. Healthy Trinity is one of them.

Searching up “healthytrinitydublin” on Instagram brings you to a wellcurated feed advertising addiction support groups, study tips, sexual and mental health care, and many other things no one in their right mind would rebuke. In a word: it’s very 21st-century-wholesome.

Every few posts, though, there’s a something about food — small, “healthy, balanced meals” for jet lag; a recipe for a spinach omelette pizza (because, when I crave pizza, spinach and eggs definitely do the trick) — but there is one particular Instagram reel that stood out to me. It’s simple; there is no room for interpretation. It’s meant to be a universal or common rule on what is healthy cloaked in the format of a cute little study tip: “Did you know that everyone should go vegetarian at least once a week?” Diet culture, a scheme that capitalises off diets and exercises marketed to everyone and destined (purposefully, I might add) to fail for most so they’ll move on to the next, in a sentence. Claiming that everyone will benefit the same from a given diet is very clearly wrong, but diet culture is so pervasive and normalised that we never actually stop to consider the potential harm caused by statements like this.

For the record, I myself do not eat red meat or poultry, but it took months of evaluation and re-evaluation to determine whether this was actually a healthy diet for me. So, I am not anti-vegetarianism, but I am antitelling people how they should live. If an 18-year-old me had read that post, I would have taken it at face value. On the rare occasions that I questioned my eating habits when I was really sick, I was always able to find something to convince me that, no, I am healthy, because I am doing something that everyone should also be doing. Everyone should be vegetarian at least once a week. It’s healthy for everyone, which means it’s healthy for me.

Eating disorders are disorders of extremes; if it’s healthy for

everyone to avoid meat once a week, it’s probably even more healthy for everyone to avoid meat always. Further vindication that I am okay; I am doing the right thing. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of a spiral. The buck doesn’t stop there because, for the perfectionist eating disorder, there is always a way to be more, to be better.

There are four benefits to vegetarianism according to Healthy Trinity. Tips two, three, and four I agree with: it’s cheaper, it can open you up to a more varied diet, and it’s better for the environment. Tip one: “You’ll be getting more nutrients, minerals, and fibre in your diet”— which is wrong on a few counts. Ignoring the fact that minerals and fibre are examples of nutrients and not separate entities, the flaw here is the idea that less meat means more nutrient intake. There is a serious potential for various nutritional deficits, notably protein. Per 100 grams, chicken has nearly 50% and beef about 25% more protein than tofu (from Tesco). Meeting

daily dietary needs is definitely doable, but less conveniently so as a non-meat eater. Although inconvenience doesn’t sound so bad, it’s easy to use as an excuse not to eat at all, especially for those with an eating disorder. I don’t have time; I’m too tired; I don’t need that much food anyway.

There are other little things. The “health food” vending machine in the arts building next to a vending machine with chocolate bars, crisps, popcorn, and soda, because that’s not confusing at all.

I won’t lie, I’ve gone over to get a Mars bar once or twice and opted for a dusty, tasteless Quaker cereal bar instead because it’s easier to pretend that I didn’t really want the Mars bar than having to cope with any amount of anxiety that comes with the alternative.

College recently posted an Irish Times article on LinkedIn bemoaning junk food with the caption, “junk food tastes too good and is too cheap, too efficient, and too convenient to resist,” which lands us back in the same place as the Healthy Trinity post. A lot of diet propaganda forces the idea that inconvenience is a necessary function of health which, aside from being untrue, motivates some to avoid eating in general. I am not here to argue that malnourishment is healthier than eating “junk” because I’ve been down that road, and it’s not. But, intentionally or not, that is what that article says and that’s the message Trinity promotes by reposting it.

Diet culture, advertised so frequently, has become unremarkable and unremarkable things are rarely questioned. If College captioned that article, “Junk food is making people fat and fat is bad,” then people

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So, do your keto-thing, your juice cleanse, but stop pushing it on others, because even if we all ate and moved the same, we would all still look different. It’s that simple.

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telling a bunch of six and seven!"#$%&'%(()**+ year-olds that the mac-and-cheese and hot dogs they were about to be ,-**)(&!"#$"%"&' served was unhealthy; my parents my brothers and I on the ()$*$+,-&'.)/01"2#+1' raising organic or otherwise “healthier” versions of things: Newman-O’s *2))2+$%"'324&"&' were our Oreos, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, our Apple Jacks. I didn’t 5/)"'12)5'+12*' eat McDonald’s chips or boxed mac-and-cheese until I was 18.

6//7 My ice hockey coach always

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omance, lust, desire: feelings which we connote with romantic relationships. However, for the co-dependent individual, these sentiments become muddled with obsession, addiction, and dependency. Where do we draw the line between codependency and genuine romance? How do we identify if our partners or if we ourselves are co-dependent?

Romance is linked to feelings of excitement, mystery, and seduction. Co-dependency within a romantic context is defined as an emotional and behavioural condition that arguably affects an individual's ability to have a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship. Co-dependent people often engage in relationships that are one-sided, emotionally destructive, and possibly abusive.

In other words, codependency, a person’s sense of self and their own wellbeing all depend entirely on the feelings and actions of their partner. Genuine romantic relationships, on the other hand, differ entirely from codependency, usually consisting of emotionally

independent individuals…

So, how do we recognise codependency in ourselves and others? The first sign of codependency is poor boundaries, which are often accompanied by people-pleasing tendencies. This can manifest as a repression of true feelings, leading to emotional outbursts or a need for external validation. You may find that you or your partner have a habit of oversharing, or identify with feelings of low-self-esteem. It’s common that those who are codependent idealise their partner and maybe even possess a sense of responsibility for their actions, in turn abandoning all responsibility for their own. The co-dependent individual has the potential of becoming passive-aggressive when their needs aren’t met, despite the fact they rarely openly express their wants and needs. Through these traits there is a loss of identity; the co-dependent becomes absorbed in the dramas, problems, and desires of their partner and usually is too giving in a material, financial or physical sense.

You may find your heart racing as you identify with some of the above traits, but what do these traits look like in a relationship? Do you try to control your partner’s emotions, or allow them to directly impact yours to a degree where you cannot regulate yourself? Maybe you emphasise the importance of your partner’s needs to a degree where you neglect your own. How about compromising personal boundaries to accommodate your partner? This compromise would present itself as allowing them to read your messages, spending

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!"#$%&' (#)#*(#*+$ ,*(,-,(./0$"/1$ +"#$)&+#*+,/0$ &2$3#%&4,*5$ )/11,-#' /556#11,-#$ 7"#*$+"#,6$ *##(1$/6#*8+$ 4#+9$(#1),+#$ +"#$2/%+$+"#:$ 6/6#0:$&)#*0:$ #;)6#11$+"#,6$ 7/*+1$/*($ *##(1 all free time only with them, and engaging in sexual activities out of fear or disappointing your partner.

Do you neglect aspects of your personal life which don’t directly involve your partner, such as hanging out with separate friends, engaging in personal hobbies, spending time alone, or fulfilling work and family commitments in their absence? Are you living your

life for you or for your partner?

While your lover should have many lines in the play of your life, they shouldn’t appear in every scene. If you do not maintain a personal life, you may find yourself conforming to who you think your partner wants you to be. This could manifest into not having your own opinions, attempting to adhere to unrealistic expectations, and even dressing or behaving inauthentically.

The volatility of a codependent relationship for both parties is undeniable, so it is important to ask what a healthy relationship may look like? Is it possible to share a life with someone while remaining an individual with independent emotions, needs and beliefs? In short, yes. Instead of trying to fix your partner’s issues, simply listen and be that shoulder to cry on. Through this you can express support while allowing your partner to solve their own issues. Believe it or not, this approach is far more efficient than taking responsibility for their problems. You must allow your partner to regulate emotionally.

There is a stark difference between empathising and absorbing. You can feel pity for your partner who is maybe experiencing grief, regret, or disappointment without personifying a therapist. The more stable or positive your emotional state, the better support you will be capable of providing. Alternatively, if you are the one who is down but your partner is thriving, don’t try and upkeep a façade that you are coping and happy. Verbally sharing how we feel is vital in a healthy relationship, but emotional transmission can be disastrous.

Observe without being controlled; at the end of the day your role is their partner, not their saviour. The beginning of the relationship is the prime time to set unnegotiable boundaries and learn those of your partner, helping you both to arrive at mutual agreements on the terms of your relationship in order to prevent future issues. Set the expectations at the beginning so they can be met throughout the course of the relationship.

That being said, it is never too late to introduce boundaries into any relationships in your life, be it familial, romantic, platonic or even professional. For this to become a reality you have to be verbal and express your emotions and needs to your partner. If you want the relationship to work, become acquainted with yourself, learn to enjoy alone time and never neglect your personal life; not all of your free time needs to or should be spent with your partner.

It is so important to maintain your personal life interests and identity for your well-being, but also to ensure that if the relationship ends you won’t feel that life has

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Naturally, we adopt the interests and beliefs of our partner; however, stay true to yourself and don’t conform to an idealised version of you. If your partner makes you feel that your authentic self is not sufficient - or alternatively is “too much” - then they most likely are not the right person for you.

Breaking co-dependent behaviours is far from easy, but it is possible. A good starting point is acknowledging the reality of your relationship without idealising the partnership or your partner themselves. Take responsibility for who you are, for your feelings, and for your actions. Recognise your partner as an individual responsible for their own choices, behaviours, and emotions. It’s vital to set clear boundaries ASAP and constantly uphold them.

Relationships are overwhelming; you can take a break, as despite what society insinuates there is no rush - no metaphorical clock is ticking. Learn to be by yourself and enjoy your own company.

Learn more about who you are as a person, what your wants and needs are,and ask yourself if you are genuinely ready to be in a relationship. Stability in our sense of self is the foundation for any stable and healthy relationship.

Your partner shouldn’t be your other half - they should be your other whole.

As tempting as the infatuation and romantic intensity of codependent relationships are, they cause irreversible damage in the long run emotionally and psychologically. After the honeymoon phase a healthy relationship still offers many benefits, and the same cannot be said for relationships of a codependent nature, which can sometimes go so far as to sabotage the potential for future romance.

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!"#$#!%&$'() | Tuesday 28 February

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pizza instead of going for the cheaper, more time consuming self-made bolognese, or taking the bus instead of walking so that I can read on the way. Even without the stress-spending induced by a packed timetable, Dublin is infamous for being pricey. This pushes many students to find a part time job — not for comfort, but as a necessity. In 2021 Eurostat found that goods and services in Ireland had a higher price point than any other EU Member State, being 44% above average in the EU. For those of us living in its capital, however disappointing the news, it is hardly surprising. Top it all off with eye-watering rent and one wonders how any student can afford not to work. But with schedules that make us look like assistant-less versions of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, can we possibly navigate the

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stresses of balancing work and college life?

It’s certain that people who work during college and those who don’t have an entirely different experience of third-level education. A lot of students in Dublin schedule every waking moment to fit in readings and assignments alongside the timetabled classes and lectures, all before heading off for a shift — having a good work-life balance is a privilege many can’t afford.

This can only create a divide in the student body, and more importantly a representation issue.

Trying to participate regularly in the many extracurricular, unpaid joys of campus life, such as student politics, societies, and events while also maintaining relationships with family and friends outside of college is virtually impossible when you have a part-time job. With this in mind, let’s examine how the proportion of students with what we will call ‘campus power’ — a position in the Students’ Union, a society or publication — correlates with the proportion of students that do not have to work in college.

While we might not expect ‘campus power’ to be worth much more than social currency, it still forms a vital element of the career opportunities available to us later. Nepotism in the workplace prevails; and the close-knit college communities which might open doors later on often form in the hours that other students spend doing a part-time job. On top of that Trinity offers financial rewards for being socially and voluntarily involved. If you are applying for on campus accommodation you will know what I am talking about. Not having been treasurer of a society, or part of the Student’s Union might deny you an important opportunity. With stakes this high, it seems an unfair responsibility to put on not only the working student, but also the chairpeople of societies, for example. The seriousness of being unable to partake in extracurricular unpaid campus activities because of parttime work is thus underestimated, and a cruel way of making

students perform and compete for something as fundamental as adequate housing.

This issue extends into other parts of Trinity’s structure.

Schols, for example, puts working students at a disadvantage as it grants lavish financial rewards for those students that have enough time to study both for their usual exams and an optional set. This seems completely counterintuitive; surely those most deserving of free, convenient accommodation and meals, tuition waivers and an annual stipend are the working students who barely have the time to devote to ordinary exams let alone optional ones?

I am not suggesting that academic merit should not be rewarded materially — but given the measures most students are forced to take to keep up with Dublin prices, perhaps a bigger proportion of scholarship rewards should be allocated for bursaries?

Investing in those unable to give all their time to their studies rather than investing in those already performing well academically makes more sense to me.

Balancing work and college life hence puts more than just one’s social life at stake — it also ironically jeopardises financial support. Carrying around a change of clothes and an apron as well as all your college work in your backpack is not only a physical and social strain, but also a financial one.

Even if we ignore the financial impact of having to balance work and college life, humans are social creatures; we should all have enough time to have some kind of a social life to avoid burnout.

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That being said, I have found that the jobs flexible enough to facilitate student commitments don’t always offer the most socially reliable environment. I used to work for a catering company, which was amazing for flexible hours — but I would never work

with the same people twice. That indeed sometimes became quite lonely.

Acknowledging these stresses in working students is incredibly important in order to create a more inclusive and well-represented college community. The bitter aftertaste that lingers after calling yourself a full-time student with a part-time job, when 50% of your ‘full-time’ is being occupied, must be dealt with. Potential tactics are as follows: some students secure employment within college, or some do remote work. However, most find themselves having to choose between sacrificing their college commitments or their work commitments. This is barely a choice given the soaring cost of living, which does not make room for students as a whole, let alone students who are carers or parents for example.

The challenges of balancing work and college seem bleak when we ponder them — a bit like trying to find a cheap cocktail in town.

Besides excellent organisation and high motivation, there isn’t much we can do to balance both without burning out. I think the thing to focus on as a community is spreading awareness of the challenges that come with being a working student. If we can acknowledge that in Dublin, many are forced to take on more than they can handle just to afford to live, perhaps we have a better chance at changing the classism that is woven into Trinity’s structure. To return to The Devil Wears Prada; asking for representation isn’t asking for much — it should be no more groundbreaking than florals for spring.

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here are several different accommodation spaces on campus, each with their own benefits and pitfalls.

Officially, you can’t get too specific in your accommodation application. However, if you’re feeling brave, you can always send an email requesting a specific accommodation, and the worst they can say is no. You should weigh up your options and consider where on this campus you can see yourself living. Even if you don’t mind where you live or don’t plan on living here at all, it’s still handy to know a bit more about the college you’re spending at least four years at.

Front Square and New Square Do you want to wake up and see the Campanile from your window? Do you want to hear the

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groans of students pulling an allnighter in the library from your front door? Front Square or New Square might just be the places for you.

One resident of Front Square told Trinity News, “I am fortunate to live in one of the biggest apartments on campus, and I do not take it for granted.” They explained they chose to live in Front Square as it had the least amount of construction at the time of moving. According to the student, “the loud traffic and general light pollution affected [their] sleep initially” but within a week of using earplugs, they were used to their new surroundings.

The student admitted that security “may be strict after hours”, but they appreciate the peace of mind: “It definitely makes me feel safer within my room, especially since I can hear any arguments that happen along College Green from my bed.”

Trinity News spoke to a student living in New Square.. The first thing they noted was that anyone who has come into their apartment immediately points out “how high the ceilings are”. The rooms in New Square reportedly “have so much character” and potential for decoration. Our Front Square resident described how they used their accommodation space to take a break from College: “Initially, I found it extremely difficult to turn off from college work as I remained extremely [physically] close to it.

But that changed once I made my room its own and decorated the kitchen.”

The New Square resident described the location as “prime”, appreciating that they are “right across from the library” and “in the middle of everything”.

Graduate Memorial Building (GMB) That big building by the Campanile doesn’t just house debaters — the GMB contains floors of dormitory-style accommodation consisting of an ensuite bedroom and shared kitchenette.

One GMB resident said that “the GMB is the best place to live on campus given its central location and the spaciousness of the rooms as well as having an ensuite”.

According to the student, having a shared space with so many students is a blessing and a curse: “With seven people to a flat you have a large number of flatmates who you can chat to. The only drawbacks are the small shared space that is the kitchen, there’s not a lot of counter space and only one hob and oven between seven people.”

Botany Bay The accommodation with the most whimsical name, Botany Bay is located near the campus tennis courts and consists of “two

single bedrooms, kitchen/living area [and a] shower/toilet”. Some apartments have three bedrooms, but the vast majority of the Botany Bay accommodation is for pairs of students. Having fewer roommates can make life a lot easier, but is there anything else you should know about Botany Bay? According to students, Botany Bay shares many features with Front and New Square: “great location for transport”, “noise was

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However, they also pointed out that having to sign in guests before midnight, a rule for all residents, “does take away a bit of autonomy and independence of living away from home”: “It’s understandable because of safety of course, but even a system to submit guests later would be something I think that should be considered, as if you have a friend who is drunk and is struggling, it would be nice to offer them a place to crash rather.”

Printing House Square The newest goose to lay the golden egg. Printing House Square was opened in the middle of the academic year last November, costing between €7,310 and €8,002 for 7 months. A full academic year in Printing House is expected to cost over €10,000 for 2023/24 residents. Is this brand new accommodation worth the increased cost?

One student told us that, “Printing House Square is amazing and there’s really little to complain about, like I’m very aware of how lovely it is.”

They acknowledged a few “teething problems” when

students initially moved in in November: “There were loads of teething issues at the beginning: our sink, hob and oven all broke in the first few weeks. We didn’t have a working oven for six weeks and I live with eight people. I think there were loads of issues originally, and it shouldn’t have opened as quickly as it did.”

Another student isn’t sure if Printing House Square is truly good value for money: “It’s crazy utilities can’t be included in the price of the accommodation when it’s so expensive already. And also that we have to pay for machines for washing and drying separately is nuts.”

In particular, they pointed out that their room is described as “king-sized”, but they do not have a king-sized bed. Instead, two beds are moved together: “the king sized bed was such a scam because basically it’s two single beds put together.”

“It has fallen below my expectations for sure, for what we’re paying. We’re certainly not getting the quality service that you would expect.”

Goldsmith Hall Goldsmith Hall is located at the corner of Pearse Street and Westland Row, where you’ll find residents strolling across from the main campus on the “sky bridge”. Currently set at €8,152 for one academic year, Goldsmith is cheaper than the accommodation you’ll find on the main campus.

But is the lower price worth it?

According to students, Goldsmith is the most varied accommodation from room-toroom, with flats holding between four and seven students. One student speaking to Trinity News said they “got lucky cause I have been in another friend’s apartments that are much smaller than ours. I also have a double bed while my flatmate has a single but we pay the same [price]”.

The resident also warned of the distance of Goldsmith to the rest of College: “A big thing I think is that we are off campus but have to use the washing and drying facilities that are behind the Dining Hall.”

“It’s crazy to me that they can’t put a few washing machines and dryers in Goldsmith for the residents. We have the most residents per any residential block.”

Nevertheless, this student still was pleasantly surprised by Goldsmith Hall: “When I got it a bunch of people were borderline commiserating me but I think that’s just people putting it side by side with some of the outrageously massive apartments.”

Pearse Street At €6,455 for the 2022/23 academic year, Pearse Street is the lowest-priced accommodation currently available. You might hear that this accommodation typically

goes to postgraduate students, but there’s nothing to stop you applying for it yourself as an undergraduate if you think it will suit you.

One Pearse Street resident told Trinity News that they are “pretty happy with it, especially given the price difference”. They pointed to the generous size of the bedrooms as the biggest benefit of Pearse Street.

However, from there, issues arise. The resident explained that they have 11 roommates, all of whom share a “kitchenette”: “You can cook in the kitchenettes cause they have little countertop ovens with hobs on top, but it is quite awkward and there’s not much space… Freezer space is also tight with 11 people sharing it.”

“There’s also no common area really like most other flats have, no communal sofas or coffee table, and the dining table in the kitchen only seats three people, with the kitchenettes not having any seating.”

Overall, Pearse Street offers a mixed bag of lower prices but less experiences: “It’s hard to complain with the price, the cons are mostly workable given you save like €3,000. It certainly does reduce the living on campus experience a bit though when it is harder to have people over or to get to know people in your flat.”

!"#$%&'()*' )*++,#-%.*/#0% 1234#02$%#64#-!& 7#64+&8((+#/0!& #9.454'4(+:& ;#6#+$+'!:&$'&'.#& <=4!.&8)!#)3&(>& 8(*#=+&?=' Over the course of a sixyear period, from 2016 to 2022, Cork-based artist Kevin Mooney collected work for the Revenants exhibition, on display from December 1 to March 5 at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA).

Curated by Sarah Kelleher, Revenants explores Mooney’s continued interest in a ‘speculative art history’ of the Irish diaspora through images of history, horror, and observation. Mooney uses the medium of painting to reimagine the pieces of Irish history that were overwritten by empire and colonisation, but also represents that altered history and what it means for the present Ireland.

15

!"#$#!%&$'() | Tuesday 28 February

!"#$%&'()%%*"+,+&-*+&*$.%*"/&0*12*3+44/*/&0*3/5$/6* 75*7$/"8*)%/""8*/*&+-.$9/)%*0%5$+&/$+1&*21)*:%"+/:5; spending a fiver on a packet !"#$%&'()*$+,-%&') that of gluten-free chocolate digestives as “self-care”. It’s been a !"#$%!&'"%&$%#()'*&+,& qualifies tricky world to navigate. But it is that has forced me to %#')-.&.(/'%-0,$%%& something cook things myself from scratch, and it has made me appreciate )-&1'#(* food a lot more.

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! "#$%&'('$#)#$ To give Dublin a fair assessment, *$+&,,-'$.-$ it’s not a bad city for gluten-free s a language student, food. I do have options. They are /0$1(.-/2-$ going on Erasmus was just very limited. It also means that something I knew would I complicate every lunch, dinner, #'-3)".3),"4$ be an integral part of my and takeaway night that my 5&'$6."#$ degree. Living in another country friends plan. They are very polite has many challenges; new culture, about it but I know that a lot of ,7$8)99.$ new people, a new university the places in Dublin that do offer system. However, for a student gluten-free options are a lot more ."#$8.-3.:$ living with a dietary requirement, expensive than normal – especially a whole other element is involved on a student budget. So, after two ".32(.660; in deciding where you want to live years of expensive groceries and

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for a year…

It’s important to note that a gluten-free diet is still something relatively new to me. I was diagnosed with celiac just over two years ago. That means that the news broke just before college that I could no longer have the traditional student luxury of a cheap bowl of instant noodles for dinner.

As a result, my past two years in Dublin have been spent hanging around the gluten-free section in supermarkets, convincing myself

my friends secretly resenting eating out with me in Dublin, the time came to study abroad. And where did I choose as my Erasmus destination? The land of pizza and pasta, naturally! Yes ok, ok, maybe not my smartest decision… Or was it?

After living here for a few months, I can say wholeheartedly that Italy is the perfect place for a celiac to live! One of the main reasons is that their outlook on food and eating is wholly different to what it is back home. Here, in

Ireland, we all enjoy a nice meal out of the odd time, but I think, especially for students, the motto is often that “we eat to live, we don’t live to eat.”

For Italians, their lives revolve around food. It is such an important part of the social culture when people come together to eat and chat. They also take great pride in their food and their native recipes. That interaction from “This Morning” between Gino D’Acampo and Holly Willoughby

always comes to mind when I’m talking to an Italian about food: ‘’If my grandmother had wheels, she would have been a bike’’ — Tell an Italian that you’re “putting your own spin” on their country’s recipe on pain of death (or on pain of very angry hand gestures).

As a result of this outlook on food, the Italians want everybody to be included in mealtimes and they want everyone to be able to try their food. Every menu I look at in a restaurant has an allergen index, so I don’t even have to ask the waiter what options they have.

Most places offer gluten-free pizza and pasta (for a slightly higher charge) and oftentimes they have a risotto, which is naturally glutenfree. The city that I’m living in this year has not one, but two whole supermarkets dedicated solely to gluten-free food, and every other supermarket has a good range of items to choose from. They even have a gluten-free Mc Donald’s burger! It’s paradise.

In Ireland it’s thought that every 1 in 100 people have celiac disease, however, the problem often goes undiagnosed and it can be mistaken for other bowel issues such as IBS. In fact, many people don’t discover they have celiac disease until they are in

$%0*=10+%5*)%+9/-+&+&-*7)+5.*.+5$1)8 In acknowledging the gaps in Irish history, he calls the viewer’s attention to tainted versions of the Irish body and psyche that are polluted and overburdened by a folklore made mutant and absurd.

The result is an exhibition that invites horror and awe through brilliant, monstrous images of the disfigured and rearranged human body. If the human body can represent the history of Ireland, Mooney imagines that history as oddly mutilated and reassembled.

Revenants simultaneously marks historical gaps and recreates Irish history, assigning figures and abstracted human forms to a new context. Mooney’s awareness of disparate traditions and his subsequent inability to reconcile them places him in an unusual artistic position. He is paralysed by these conflicted histories and superimposes history onto the familiar human body. Mooney’s new bodies become the things of horror and mystery, sometimes anatomised and at other times metamorphosed into mythological figures, often with multiple heads or no heads at all.

The most striking example of this is ‘Ilcruthach’ (2021), which depicts a bi-gendered, triple-

headed figure. A dark background focuses our attention onto the figure, who stands like the Vitruvian man with palms facing out and a linear body. This figure has three sets of hollow eyes, and the torso is overcome by curling, bubbling rivulets of folding skin as the two heads on either side droop and change to a sickening green. The new body in Mooney’s work is genderless and physically amorphous. It is shocking to look at and invites a strange horror and admiration for its nudity, sincerity, and state of constant transformation.

Mooney’s work in Revenants considers how Irish identity was created through the eyes of the Empire and how ghost stories can be as revealing to us as they are disturbing. One aspect of the exhibition that haunts its viewers is the presence or absence of humanoid eyes, from the headless eyes of ‘Peasant’ (2018) and ‘Orbs’ (2018) to five cyclops figures in ‘Blighters’ (2018-21). Anyone with an interest in motifs will have noticed Mooney’s striking use of eyes and eyeballs, hinting at the anatomisation of the senses.

In particular, sight because we observe paintings with the eyes;

it is the preferred sense for his medium.

However, Mooney also hints at the possibility and impossibility of observing history.

Mooney’s eyes are all-seeing; they do not stare into nothing but stare directly at you as you wander round the exhibition.

They unsettle but also hold you accountable. You are seen. The painting from which the exhibition

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takes its name, ‘Revenants’ (2022), is only recognisable as a portrait because of its two intelligent eyes. The faces in the exhibition are abstracted, recognisable only as somewhat human forms and shapes. Sometimes they are not recognized and, as Mooney desires, we lose the human aspect to the work.

These disconnected eyes create an unsettling and uncanny effect as you pass from room to room at the IMMA exhibition. They are traumatised eyes, paying witness to an odd loneliness and an isolated lamentation for lost pasts and futures. The two best examples of these watchful eyes are in ‘Orbs’ and ‘Peasant’. ‘Orbs’ centres on the portrait of a person wearing a dark red jumper with curly red hair.

The figure is completely swallowed in darkness while its eyes are given a sequence of growing pale circles ‘orbiting’ them and radiating outward. Behind the figure is darkness and silence. The eyes glisten in the painting and stare intensely at you, completely removed from any type of human face that would otherwise bring them a familiar comfort or recognition. For Mooney, it is better that we do not find that

their forties and fifties as routine testing is not carried out. In Italy, children are routinely screened for the disease once they begin to show symptoms. Italian law requires that gluten free food is available in schools, hospitals, and public places. You can even get a master’s degree in Celiac Studies. A 2019 report from the Italian Government noted that the diagnosis of celiac disease increased by 57,899 from 2012 to 2017. Italians are simply so much more aware of the disease and therefore have better equipped themselves as a society to accommodate these people.

I found Rome to be a great spot for gluten free food. Whilst I was surrounded by all of this beautiful art and history, I was tracking down the gluten free bakeries that I had read about online. They definitely exceeded my expectations. One tip I have is to look out for the Associazione Italiana Celiachia (AIC) accredited restaurants which you can trust to cater for your gluten free needs. So, if you are a celiac, I know it can be daunting but don’t let your dietary requirement hold you back from visiting one of the best countries in Europe for food. I promise you, you’ll love it.

comfort or familiarity in the face; rather, we realise the impossibility of recognising the other and instead become unsettled by them.

Much like the effect of staring at your own face in the mirror for long periods of time, the background is tuned out and the eyes come into intense focus. They are the centre of everything. ‘Orbs’ resembles the gaze of a great grey owl, or perhaps a barn owl. It has an animal-like intensity without the hollowness of staring at nothing.

‘Peasant’ is a similar painting, with two looming eyes lost behind a patternless cluster of orange marks and dashes. Behind the layer of marks is darkness, with a roundish shape that could be called a human skull. There are three eyeballs in this painting, two of which seem to be with one skull and another eye floating down below. A marked difference appears in the temperament of this work, in which the eyes are not gazing intensely, but with horror and fear. They are uncertain eyes, looming, troubled, and troubling to see. The layer of marks seems to separate us from the eyes like a sheet of glass, perhaps hinting at our proximity to history, always present but unreachable.

For more information about the IMMA exhibition of Kevin Mooney’s work, see imma.ie.

To look at more work by Mooney on his personal website, visit kevinmooney.org.

16

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