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THE UNIVERSITY OBSERVER 1 February 2011
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Ragging behind Compared to other campuses, UCD’s Rag Week is relatively quiet. Sean Finnan asks why this is the case and how it could be about to change
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aking u p for a breakfast of last night’s half-empty cans of flat beer, trying to convince yourself that the hair of the dog actually works is the usual method of recovery for many students during Rag Week across the country. UCD’s Rag Week, however, lacks the reputation (or notoriety) that corresponding events in other universities conjure. It is a problem that most of the Dublin campuses seem to have where the universal bonding that brings a terrific atmosphere to the cities of Galway and Cork, is somewhat flat in here on our beloved campus and indeed around the Dublin area. Is it due to the size of UCD and the fact that the festivities seem to assemble in certain parts of the college (and yet are completely absent in other parts of the campus) that makes the event somewhat fragmented? Second-year Health and Performance Science student Niall McGovern spoke to The University Observer about the problem he perceives of Rag Week on campus. “I suppose a lot of people live at home in Dublin so there’s not the whole campus vibe, the same as down the country or whatever. There’s no deal about it. Nobody seems to really care about it. Down in Cork you don’t have lectures for the week so everyone is just hanging around the campus just having the craic.” Rag week, however, still has an important place in the college’s social calendar. Each year, hundreds of UCD students participate with their fellow classmates in raising much-needed funds for their charities of choice, usually in a manner of mayhem and fun. The University Observer spoke to UCD Students’ Union Ents Vice-President Jonny Cosgrove on why he believes this year’s turnout for Rag Week
We’re building a foundation this year so that within a few years, we’ll be at the same standard as the west
A student enjoys the finest festivities UCD has to offer last week on campus.
has surpassed previous efforts and how he is hoping that this week is just the start. “It’s going really well, I’m really happy. It’s going much better than the years before purely based on the fact of branching out and talking with the likes of Mike Pat and my predecessors. “What we’ve done is worked with the society’s council to make sure that everyone is involved. The Union touches so many people but everyone has their niches in the societies so between all the
different societies and different events, we have had hundreds of students involved with constant things happening on campus, rather than having something big and bold. We’re building a foundation this year so that within a few years, we’ll be at the same standard as the west.” Unlike Galway, for example, UCD has never had the problem of drunk and disorderly students wreaking havoc on local communities to such an extent that college authorities deemed it necessary to
cancel the week. In 2009, approximately 25 students were arrested. This reputation has transformed NUIG Rag Week into something of a pilgrimage in which thousands of students from all over Ireland endeavour to remain drunk and enjoy the fun of the highlight of Galway’s social calendar. Although this is certainly the highlight of any Rag Week, its reputation is not wholly positive. With previous years Rag Weeks being
Body and soul
something of a let down, UCD Ents’s main focus for this year is on getting a bit of a buzz round campus rather than just raising funds for charity. “The aspect hasn’t been on the whole raise-and-give element,” says Cosgrove. “Whatever we raise I’ll be happy with that. I think so far, still roughly speaking, there’s a few grand raised. If we raise a euro I’m happy, but were going to aim for over the three grand mark and have that build up from every year here on up. “It’s in aid of the UCD Community Outreach Fund which is a new fund myself and the societies have set up. Basically, it is a UCD-founded charity type thing. It’s a tester to see how it works out, but I think it’s going to be really good.” With societies such as Jazz Soc proclaiming this Rag Week to be their busiest in memory, it seems that there is a vibe emanating from the UCD campus. If this atmosphere can extend beyond the nucleus of the Student Centre, then perhaps a Rag Week worth comparing to the west will arrive.
With body language such a huge facet in daily life, Leanne Waters looks at what is being said in the conversations of the subconscious
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ody language is a concept that has been played around with a great deal in contemporary society. However, it is not a modern invention, nor is it an exclusive characteristic of the human species. The most accurate form of non-verbal communication, researchers have gone, as far to estimate that approximately 60 to 70 per cent of what we communicate to others is not through the use of words or verbal exchange. But rather, that we are constantly sending, receiving and subconsciously interpreting messages being exchanged via our body language – from posture, to gestures, eye movements and facial expressions; ‘reading’ one another’s body language can tell us the mood, feelings, attitude and even state of mind of our given company. Body language is a necessity in the animal kingdom. And yes, despite the beliefs of the self-convinced hierarchy among us, we too be-
long to this kingdom in which the utilisation of body language is anything but primitive. In 1995, Susan Falder compiled an article, “Animal Body Language”, which claimed the winning first place of the prestigious ASBA ‘Golden Bell Award” for K-8 Curriculum. In her research, Falder states that: “Kinesics, is the study of non-linguistic bodily movements, such as gestures and facial expressions (...) and is an important way to study different ways of communication within different species. Animals meet with others in various ways: through reproduction and the raising of the young, in defining and observing rank, through defending territory, and mutual warnings against dangers and enemies. “All this and much more depend on an animal understanding the moods and intentions of others of its kind, on adapting its own behaviour to these cues, and influencing the behaviour of others in turn. Since animals, unlike humans, have no words to communicate with each other, they use signs of all kinds. This non-verbal communication plays an important role for us humans, too, both as a complement to and a precursor, which means
one that precedes and indicates, suggests, or announces someone or something to come, of language.” So how important is body language in our personal exchanges as students? We have all had that moment wherein that physical boundary has been crossed in some shape or form and has thus resulted in our own discomfort. A perfect example of this discomfort and indeed the inspiration for this very piece would be the recently unwanted caress of this writer’s knee on a morning bus. Said moment – or something very similar – occurs for almost everyone, regardless of gender. For the most part, what sets these boundaries comes down to individual personalities, upbringing and moral disposition. However, it is a naive contention to disregard the instinctive nature of humans and animals alike in overshadowing and solidifying our physical perimeters with one another. This being said, anyone who has frequented the Coppers dancefloor can surely attest to the huge alteration that context can make in our physical linguistics among peers. How we conduct ourselves in our daily behaviours
Pictures speak louder than words as Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz demonstrate above.
understands and adheres to a socially accepted standard, in which awareness and consideration play a huge part. One would never, for example, proceed to ‘bump and grind’ mid-conversation over a cup of coffee, right? And yet throw a handful of Jägerbombs and the words “from the window to the wall...” into the mix and said advancements become the status quo. Granted, here we find that motivation also plays a monumental role in our personal conductions; if on the dance floor, one is hardly being motivated by their desire to talk current affairs and ‘really get to know’ someone. Furthermore, much aside from the affliction of our own youth, most of us belonging to the UCD alumni are Irish. According to the researchers of eDiplomat, whose objective is to accurately inform non-nationalists of Irish cul-
ture, Irish people are “interested in people and place great value on the individual. “They are naturally courteous, quick-witted and will go out of their way to welcome visitors to their country (...) Although they work very hard, the Irish are dedicated to a less stressful lifestyle that allows time for friends and family, a visit to the pub, a cup of tea, or just a bit of a chat on the corner.” This observation claims that we as a people “are not very physically demonstrative and are not comfortable with public displays of affection”; that the Irish “are uncomfortable with loud, aggressive, and arrogant behaviour”. Though entirely down to individual interpretation and the idiosyncratic nature of people, our demeanour and the messages we are sending out is certainly something under consideration for the next night out in Coppers.