UT Equality & Diversity Supplement by The University Times

Equality & Diversity

Supplement Tuesday 19th November 2013

Equality & Diversity Week The Importance of Being Equal Laura Harmon, Vice President for Equality and Citizenship in the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), argues that we are still far from an equal Irish society.

La Belle Vie en Russe Sharon Griffin gives us an insight into the highs and lows that come with leading the life of a mature student in Trinity.

Being Muslim in Trinity

Fighting for our rights

Edmund Heaphy interviews a Trinity Muslim student Sarah Quidwai to ask her about descrimination and practising her faith as a student in Trinty.

Samuel Riggs talks about descrimination, homophobia and how it is far more difficult for members of the LGBTQ* community outside of third-level education.

Tuesday 19th November 2013

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HOW EQUAL? “Trinity College builds on its four-hundredits position as one of the great universities of the world, providing a liberal environment where independence of thought is highly valued and where staff and students are nurtured as individuals and are encouraged to achieve their full potential.

>> which has always been stressed through-

in both research and teaching, to the eneach of its students and to an inclusive Collife. At no point should you feel superior or of the City of Dublin, the country and the inferior to another individual. For hundreds of years Trinity College Dub- of cultures, backgrounds and religions and the world to study in Ireland’s capital. Each ethnicities and social groups enter through very talented writers on areas such as bewhich highlights this university’s intentions

these honest and pertinent stories. This people who live slightly different lives to

Shauna Cleary Supplements Editor

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Tuesday 19th November 2013

MONDAY

WEDNESDAY

E & D Week in James’ Hospital 11am Launch, Front Square 6pm E & D Film Festival - Persepolis, Global Room 7.30pm GSU Fundraising Table Quiz in aid of Enable Ireland

TUESDAY

1pm - 3pm Lunch & Stammtisch w/ Germanic Society, The Eliz Rooms, first floor House 6. 5.30pm Trans* Day of Remembrance Event w/ Q Soc: Candlelit Spoken-Word Event, The Rose Garden (Weather Dependent 7pm Speak Your Mind with S2S, Global Room

THURSDAY 6pm E & D Film Festival - Ek Tha Tiger, Global Room

FRIDAY International Men’s Day with DUGES on Campus 11am -2pm International Men’s Day Drop-in Conversation with DUGES, The GMB

Enable Ireland on Campus

5.30pm - 7pm Equality Fund Showcase 7pm E & D Film Festival - Edward Scissorhands, The GMB

Pink Training Delegation leaves for Belfast

7.30pm Ciorcal comhrá - caint as Gaeilge agus seisiún ceoil traidisiunta. Seomra Na Gaeilge, Coláiste Na Trinóide.

3pm E & D Film Festival - The Untouchables, Global Room.

Tuesday 19th November 2013

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Laura Harmon on

The ImporTance of BeIng Equal Marriage equality, reproductive rights, equity of access to education, the rights of students with disabilities and mature students, gender equality, and voter registration are key campaigns that Laura works on. She is the organiser of Pink Training, the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender training event for third-level students in Europe. Laura is a graduate of University College Cork. As a student, she was a member of the first UCC Equality Working Group, Auditor of the LGBT Society and the UCC Amnesty.

ink for a girl and blue for a boy. From the moment we are born, assumptions are made about us based on the gender we are assigned at birth. Certain expectations for how we will behave are set. We are labelled and stereotyped. As we grow up, all of this continues throughout our lives. We are influenced by television and by what attributes the media portray as ‘normal’ for the gender you were assigned. We are influenced by our teachers, by the books we read, by the toys we play with, by the language used by others to describe things. We internalise a lot of this. Sometimes we don’t even notice it happening. In many ways, we are imprisoned by it, afraid to step out of our assigned roles for fear of rejection or stigma. It takes courage to truly be yourself. And the further away you are from the gender-norm

or the hetero-norm, the harder it is likely to be. Our society promotes heterosexuality and opposite sex relationships as normative. We’ll never have an end to discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans* or Queer (LGBTQ) persons unless we tackle gender inequalities, until we stop viewing gender identity and expression as something linked to the one we are assigned at birth. True equality can only be achieved when society broadens its view of gender and sexuality. Not only will this benefit LGBTQ persons – it will benefit all of society, irrespective of gender. The idea that men should be strong and not show too much emotion is discouraging for males who want to talk about a problem or difficulty they are facing– this is just one example of how gender stereotyping affects our lives. I’ve often heard it said that

I’ve often heard it said that LGBTQ people should be grateful for getting any legal recognition at all

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Tuesday 19th November 2013

Pictured: Laura Harmon speaking at USI National Congress 2013

LGBTQ people should be grateful for getting any legal recognition at all. Perhaps they feel we can just sit back and that in time equality will just come to us. We only have to look at other movements that created large shifts in how our world is constructed – the suffragette movement, the struggle for civil rights in the US – none of these fights for equality were achieved by sitting back; every step on the road to equality was hard won. Yes, there have been significant advances. Homosexual acts between men were only decriminalised in Ireland in 1993. The Civil Partnership Act of 2011 affords many of the same rights as civil marriage but with some gaping omissions (like the complete lack of protection for children of same-sex couples). Language is important too. If Civil Partnership had all of the same rights as civil marriage, it would still be lesser because society places a huge significance on ‘getting married’ and affords a high status to couples who are married for which there is no equivalent for civilly partnered couples. A draft Gender Recognition Bill was published this year but it doesn’t go far enough, requiring couples who are married to

True equality can only be achieved when society broadens its view of gender and sexuality divorce if one wants to have the gender they identify with legally recognised. According to the proposed Bill, you also have to be 18 to have your gender recognised. We still have the lifetime ban on donating blood for men who have sex with men, despite the advances in screening and the lesser deferral periods for those in other high risk categories. We still have Section 37 of the Employment Equality Act which allows schools to discriminate because of religious ethos. This means that LGBTQ teachers are largely invisible in Ireland. In fact, 34% of LGBTQ respondents to a 2011 ‘Supporting LGBT Lives’ study reported experiencing homophobic comments by teachers There are very few supports available to young people who are estranged from their fami-

lies, which is not an uncommon occurrence for young LGBTQ people whose families cannot accept them when they come out. Our social welfare system and many student supports often assume that students and young people receive support from their families. The society we live in is not healthy for LGBTQ people and this has a knock-on effect on their wellbeing. We know from the ‘Supporting LGBT Lives Study’ that 80% of LGBT respondents had been verbally abused because of their LGBT identity. We know that 40% had been threatened with physical violence, 27% had self-harmed and one in five had attempted suicide. Over a third of those aged 25 years and under had thought seriously about ending their lives

within the past year of completing the survey. Mental wellbeing is a huge issue for LGBTQ young people and students yet our healthcare system still carries the presumption that people are heterosexual and identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. This makes disclosure and discussing health issues unnecessarily difficult for LGBTQ people. In the Union of Students’ in Ireland’s 2013 ‘Say Something’ study on students’ experiences of violence, LGBT students account for 15% of respondents. The survey data suggests that LGBT students were more likely to have experienced the behaviours examined in the study than non-LGBT students with 22% of LGB students having experienced some form of physical violence compared to 14% of non-LGB students. For Trans respondents, data suggests even more pronounced levels of students experiencing physical and sexual violence. Students continue to lead the way on making Ireland a better place for LGBTQ people. College LGBTQ societies like Trinity’s QSoc are providing vital supports and social outlets for LGBTQ students on campus and it’s great to see these societies going

from strength to strength every year. USI celebrates the 21st anniversary of Pink Training this month – the largest training event for students on LGBTQ issues in Europe. Students are playing a large role in campaigning for gender recognition and they will be a vital force in the referendum campaign on marriage equality in 2015. By being ourselves and embracing diversity and by standing in solidarity with those whose rights are being denied – we will eventually realise an Ireland that values all of its citizens equally, regardless of gender or orientation and allows them the freedom to be themselves without fear. While we have made significant advances in recent years, it’s clear that some things have changed and some things have stayed the same. I’ll leave you with the following quote from a Ladies’ Home Journal article in 1918: “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”

Illustration by Stephen Lehane

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Tuesday 19th November 2013

LA BELLE VIE EN RUSSE Sharon Griffin tells us about the highs and lows of life as a mature student in Trinity College

eing a full-time stay at home mother until the age of 28 never dispelled my interest in Russia and the Russian language. Due to familial ties with the country, I decided to take up the language as a hobby around the age of 50. My interest in the language grew and I contacted the Russian Department in Trinity in the hope of partaking in one of their night time courses. Ultimately, this didn’t suit, so I re-thought the whole thing and investigated applying to become a full-time mature student. Hopefully I can outline to people the highs and lows of life as a mature student as I am now in my second year in Trinity College, studying Russian and French. Thankfully I have many more positive things to relate than negative, but there are also pitfalls, which in hindsight I could have avoided. Having applied and been interviewed by both the Russian and French department, I was both lucky and very grateful to be accepted onto the T.S.M. course. It was going to be quite a challenge as I had actually sat my Leaving Certificate in 1977. However, I felt I was looking forward to the challenge and I was absolutely delighted to be accepted. A week before college began I was called in with all of the other mature students for an Orientation week. I had hoped to get to know people during this week, but it didn’t really materialise that way. Despite showing up every day I would have to say that unfor-

tunately it wasn’t a very beneficial use of our time. People from various societies came to speak to us, including a member of the Mature Student Society who told us different things that were available to us as mature students. We were taken around a large part of the college on a guided tour but here is where the problem lay. We were taken to the library and told a lot of information which was all too much to take in at the time. We were shown a machine and told something vague about putting money in to have credit for your photocopying. The problem was the fact that we were shown all of these things from a distance and we were given no opportunity to physically attempt them ourselves. Consequently, when we went to use these things at a later date, there was a lot of fumbling around and botched attempts at using them. We were taken to the Sports Centre and spent a lot of time there, looking at the facilities, which perhaps may have been useful for some people but not

for me. On one of the days of the orienteering week, they were kind enough to put on a lunch for everyone. This was actually great, because it meant you could sit with people, get to know them, find out what they were studying and just generally acquaint yourself with other mature students. There was a small cohort of mature students within the main body who had all come through an access course together, and that for them was great, as they already knew each other. That being said, they certainly didn’t exclude anyone else. The mature students were very wide ranging in age, I’m guessing from the people in their 20’s to people in their 70’s. My feeling is that this Orientation week would have been better spent if we could have used the time that week to physically try out things for ourselves, like logging onto computers, printers, copying, scanning etc. I feel this would have made the transition much easier. Fortunately for me I have sons in their twenties who could help out with those problems at home, but other mature students may not have that. However that is one of the few criticisms I would have. Moving on to the positive, in both French and Russian I appear to be one of the few - if not the only - mature students in both departments . This initially proved for me to be a huge disadvantage coupled with the fact that there were problems with timetables the

This Orientation week would have been better spent if we could have used the time that week to physically try out things for ourselves

I would say it is something that I would hugely recommend for anyone who is prepared to go through the initial hard times year I started so I always seemed to be unclear as to where I was supposed to be. Naturally, all the young people were getting to know each other and also they too were busy finding their way around which meant I had to figure out a lot on my own. I do think the people who came through the access course together found that part easier. However all that being said, I can report nothing only good things about either my fellow students or my Professor’s and/or teaching assistants. They have been superb, without exception. After an initial slow start and lots of mistakes I got my bearings. I asked for help from both the academic staff and my fellow students. The academic staff could not have been more helpful. No matter what it was they helped every time, including flagging things I should be watching out for. The Professors took a special interest and that really helped. The secretaries in both departments were always interested in what I was doing and offering help where it was need, along with friendly chats. Both the Russian and French departments were fantastic to me. At this point I should say the same of the other staff in the college, especially the women in the Arts Cafe and the Cloakroom. They are always on for a friendly chat. With regard to the other students as I got to know all of them everything fell into place. I tried not to bother them with too many questions, but often when they would see that I was a bit overwhelmed they would offer

their assistance which was most welcome. They did things like coming to the C.L.C.S. room with me to show how everything worked and I especially remember one day when I was totally overwhelmed by copying sound files, a German guy in my class, sitting beside me just whispered over to me “give me your memory stick”. I gave it to him and he handed it back a minute later saying “that’s done now”. We all know who he is. They progressed from helping me, to including me on their trips across the road for lunch, to emailing me reminders of things I needed reminding about andand through their inclusiveness I settled comfortably into the course. I am currently motoring along, without too many problems, thanks to the support of the staff and students. In conclusion I would say it is something that I would hugely recommend for anyone who is prepared to go through the initial hard times. It has been a huge and dramatic change at my age. I come to college every day, I bought a monthly bus ticket for the first time in a hundred years and I now know my way around the computer fairly well. I am frequently exhausted, but that’s okay because I am lucky enough to love both of my courses. I am filled with admiration at how versatile, generous and talented these students are and I look forward to the day when hopefully I will see them doing great things and I will be able to say, “Yes he/she was one of my college buddies”.

Tuesday 19th November 2013

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BEING MUSLIM IN TRINITY Edmund Heaphy interviews Sarah Quidwai and asks her what it’s like to be a Muslim in Trinity College

reland is progressive, tolerant, and welcoming. That’s the initial impression. The only opposition to the €40 million Islamic centre planned for Clongriffin was related to traffic concerns — which came as a surprise to international media — and from the outset, Ireland’s 50,000 Muslims seem to belong here just as much as everyone else does. But as with a lot of initial impressions and perceptions from the outset, if you look deep enough, there’s often an uneasy feeling that maybe everything isn’t just as it seems. That’s why I spoke to Sarah Quidwai, a committee member of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), to gauge the reality of living in Ireland as a Muslim, and just what it’s like to be a Muslim student in Trinity. After studying pharmacy last year, Sarah’s now a first-year medical student. Born in Dublin, both her parents are Pakistani. The obvious question was if she’s ever had any problems with her Islamic background, especially given that she wears a headscarf: “Yeah, I mean I, personally have never, ever had any difficulties whatsoever in that regard. I wear a headscarf, but I didn’t start wearing a headscarf until I was in fifth year, so it mightn’t

have been obvious until that point. But even before that I’m of a different skin colour as well. But, no, I’ve never had any sort of issues. I’ve never been treated any differently to any other Irish person. My name is Sarah as well so I don’t know if that makes a difference. I know actually that I’ve never, ever been treated any differently.” Sarah admits that the first time she has even felt slightly awkward was about two weeks ago, in a minor incident where she felt she was being viewed differently because of her headscarf. But she is quick to downplay this incident — it doesn’t seem like a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. A ban of the burqa — which, like the niqab, covers the face — came into effect in France in 2011, and caused uproar throughout Islamic communities all over the world.

Even though Sarah wears a hijab, which doesn’t cover the face — and thus doesn’t come under the remit of France’s ban — I felt it was important to find out how she would feel if a similar ban was introduced in Ireland. “I’d have a huge problem with that. Anyway, I can’t say much about the burqa because I don’t wear one at all, and I don’t know people who wear one either, so I don’t have much of an opinion on that. But with the headscarf, I would actually be furious. “My view would be that if women can take off clothes, then they should be able to put them on as well. You spoke of France, so let’s go back to France. There are nude beaches where it’s OK to walk around 100 per cent naked yet you get fined for being covered up. It doesn’t make any sense, in that way.” Sarah makes a valid point: if there is no coercion, then I would definitely agree that it’s illogical, grossly unfair and ridiculous to pass a law banning something which has become such a right that we take it for granted — the right to wear what we please. Thankfully, there is no prospect of a law like that in Ireland, and even if there was, it’s very likely it would only ban the type of garments that cover the face. Adamant that it’s the twentyfirst century and we’re past that, Sarah insisted that no-one is forced to wear the burqa — certainly no-one she knows — and even if they are in other parts of

“My view would be that if women can take off clothes, then they should be able to put them on as well”

the world, she thinks it has little to do with religion: “I don’t deny that women are oppressed in certain parts of the world — I can’t argue with that — but I don’t think it has a lot to do with religion. I honestly don’t.” And that is true: women’s rights are their own issue, and it just so happens that religion, and particularly Islam, is used as an excuse for the lack of them in the Middle East. Sarah’s experiences in Trinity seem just as positive. And as with pretty much every other type of diversity issue, this gen-

first goal of the MSA is simply for everyone to know each other — to create an actual community of Muslim students, rather than of disparate individuals and groups. And the MSA, as Sarah says, “understands that people have a lot of questions” when it comes to Islam, which is the reason for Islam week, where they organise stalls in the Hamilton and the Arts block, and where they hold lectures about Islam as well as question-and-answer sessions. I wondered, however, whether the MSA manages to stay a bit closed off, as some sort of enclave separate from the rest

“I don’t deny that women are oppressed in certain parts of the world — I can’t argue with that — but I don’t think it has a lot to do with religion. I honestly don’t.” eration seems to prove time and time again that we are more progressive, accepting, tolerant and liberal than ever, and anything negative seems to stem from totally innocent ignorance rather than anything malicious. Sarah says that “religion doesn’t come in to things, and I’m openly a Muslim, and it doesn’t really come in to my day-to-day experiences.” And with most of these issues, it seems that everything to do with them often just become creeping normalities. Sarah, like all practicing Muslims in Trinity, prays five times a day in the college’s prayer room. And in the event that she has to leave her friends to go and pray, she’s greeted with the mundane and totally accepting “yeah, OK, cool.” Sarah got involved with the MSA just so she could be “that bit more at home”, and this year, she’s a committee member. The

of student life, and whether they are really open to discussion about the issues and questions surrounding Islam. Sarah was quick to refute any notion of being closed off: “We’d be really delighted to have people coming into lectures, talks and discussions — people who are not Muslim — we love that sort of stuff. We really do.” I certainly don’t get that closed-off impression: it really does seem that they’re doing great work, and Sarah was very willing to talk about her experiences, which are almost all positive. It turns out that in this case, maybe Ireland’s reputation as a country open and tolerant of everyone, be it with the LGBT community or with minority religious groups, may be well deserved.

Illustration by Fionn Rogan

Tuesday 19th November 2013

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Samuel Riggs Opinion Editor It’s important not to forget that it is this that we are fighting against - this awful idea that somehow, the person we choose to love makes us less of a human being

he first time I experienced homophobia was when a firework was thrown at my head; I was 16 years old. I had just finished an evening of study, and I was walking from the front gates of the school to a park about half an hour away, where my stepfather was waiting to pick me up. As I turned the corner on to a road I took daily on my route, there was a flash in the corner of my eye, followed by a loud bang. I remember heat, dazzling lights and a massive pressure that was enough to throw me to the floor, where I landed with a crash in a drain. As I began to get to my feet, I heard a peal of harsh laughter through the ringing in my ears, a girl and some boys, followed by a shout of “faggots out!”, and the sound of their speedy departure. I took a moment to collect myself, before getting to my feet, collecting my bag and my books, and going on my way. I sustained no physical injuries from the attack thankfully, which is bad aim on behalf of the pitcher, but it does make the lyrics to Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ ring a tad hollow. I never spoke of the incident again; not to my parents, and not to anyone but the closest of friends. The reason? There was a shame in it somehow. The worst part was that, deep down, there was a feeling that I deserved it somehow; how dare I be born different and disrupt the status quo of a place where people are so uniformly the same. It wasn’t the first I had experienced, and it wasn’t the last - while this may have been the most violent attack, being egged from a car was definitely the most humiliating. The reason I didn’t tell anyone wasn’t out of fear of confronting whoever did it - it was a fear that I wouldn’t be believed. Or worse, that I would be believed, but that it wouldn’t be taken seriously. But whenever it was taken to authorities, be it teachers or shop-owners or, really, any kind of adult in charge, the response was always the same - ‘boys will be boys’ or ‘they’re just havin’ the

craic’ were regular responses used to placate me, and thus, I felt as though there was no point in letting anyone know about this one - it would just be Sam, ‘complaining again’. Life moved on for me, college happened, and the world opened up to me; but every now and then I return to this incident in my memory. I feel as though sometimes we’re sequestered away inside of the TriniBubble - that strange phenomena that you find only in our university, where the outside world somehow seems to operate on a plane that exists paral-

We have the opportunity to set an example for the world, and become a frontrunner in the field of LGBT* equality. Let’s not waste it

lel but separate to our own. We forget in this college, where most of the people are refreshingly liberal (at least to this once-small-town boy), that we don’t have to step far from our front door to find experiences of people who have had disturbing and worrying encounters with people who seem to think of equality as some kind of joke; people who think that because of someone’s sexual orientation, it legitimises your decision to throw an explosive at their head. That’s not to say that the problem doesn’t stretch worldwide, of course. In Uganda, being gay is punishable by death - that said, this year, a group of brave souls held the very first Pride Parade in this hostile environment. Just last month in Egypt, fourteen men were arrested, being suspected of having engaged in ‘homosexual acts’ in a ‘gay friendly’ bar. In Turkey, where military service between the ages of 18 and 40 is enforced, engaging in homosexual acts is deemed as a ‘psychosexual’ illness, and anyone who IS gay or bisexual may be required by law to provide proof of their sexual orientation before they complete their military service, a degrading and completely needless exercise in humiliation. In a country where the question of marriage equality is scheduled to come before the population in less than 2 years, it’s important not to forget that it is this that we are fighting against - this awful idea that somehow, the person we choose to love makes us less of a human being. That somehow our sexuality, or our gender identity, or our gender expression somehow belittles us in the eyes of others. That among all the qualities that make us who we are, somehow what we do in bed is what defines us. This is an issue that crosses borders and clashes heads, but we can’t afford to stick our heads in the sand about it any longer. In Ireland, which has modernised so rapidly within the past 20 years, it’s an issue we must confront and strive for - we have the opportunity to set an example for the world, and become a frontrunner in the field of LGBT* equality. Let’s not waste it.

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Tuesday 19th November 2013

Shauna Cleary Supplements Editor For many students who work one or two or sometimes even three part-time jobs, they are constantly struggling to meet rent payments, purchase course materials and have some if any sort of a social life

“

Grant cuts slashed”, “Late grant payments put financial strain on students”; for those who are fortunate enough to come from a financially stable household, these are just headlines which are thrown around in the media and to which not much thought will be given. However for thousands of students in Dublin and around the country these stories merely highlight the harsh reality of the financial strain they face each year. The shocking truth which is certainly thought but rarely spoken is that without financial support from the government, scholarship funds or credit union and bank loans many students would not be able to continue or begin their journey through the academic system. This year alone almost 65,000 grant applications were assessed by SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), the leading Grant body in the country, and almost 8,000 students – myself included - were said to be ineligible to receive a grant. In my case, I am completely financially independent of my parents, I work a weekend job to pay my rent and utilities in Dublin and I live off the money which I have saved from working during the summer. Despite my financial independence, I was deemed ineligible for a grant as I am under 23 years of age and thus whether independent or not I am seen as dependent on my parents’ income. I’m sure my case is just one of many but luckily for me, I get by on what I earn. Unfortunately for many students who work one or two or sometimes even three part-time jobs, they are constantly struggling to meet rent payments, purchase course materials and have some if any sort of a social life. Students around Ireland rejoiced on Budget Day this year as it was announced that the Maintenance Grant which had been cut every year since 2009 would remain unchanged. This coupled with the enhancement of the Back to Education Allowance for mature students almost overshadowed the fact that the Student Contribution Fee is to rise to €2,750 next year before spiralling to €3,000 by 2015. The question needs to be raised: how much more fi-

nancial strain students can withstand trying to cope with the rising fees every year, before being forced to discontinue with their studies? Rising university charges are not the only expense students have to deal with. The lack of housing in Dublin in 2013 has seen house prices soar and for the majority of students, these prices are simply unachievable and have added pressure to their increasing amount of worry surrounding academic life. For a house or apartment at a reasonable distance to college, students can be expected to pay up to €600/€700 a month. Students who commute

The main point that needs to be stressed is that there are facilities available to students in college if they feel under any financial strain

do not escape the rising prices either with transport fares also on the increase. A monthly student ticket from Dublin Bus has risen from €81 in 2011 to today’s price of €91.50. So what support services are available to students in Trinity? One of the most popular paths students opt for are to sit the Scholarship Examinations. Four months of extra study and hardship offers a potential prospect of free accommodation on campus for the remainder of the Scholar’s education, free Commons, and free fees. Although the Schols exams aren’t for everybody, for those who are academically gifted or even just willing to put in the hard work, the financial gains of sitting these exams cannot be overlooked. Moreover, there are various scholarships and prizes which can be awarded to students throughout the year. Lack of publicity can be rewarding for those who are up to date on the awards as it results in little competition. One of November’s prizes, “The Lucy Gwynn Prize” offers €1200 to the student who produces the most honest and appealing letter on why they should receive the financial support and their academic achievements to date. Although the deadline closed on the 15th of this month, it is certainly something which students should be on the lookout for in the coming years along with the other prizes on offer. Fee concessions and benefactions are also available to undergraduate students in college and a means-tested Student Hardship Fund also provides aid to students in financial distress. The main point that needs to be stressed is that there are facilities available to students in college if they feel under any financial strain. Whether it’s applying for the assistance or just speaking to the Welfare or Education Officer about your problems, the Student’s Union and college services are here to help you. No problem should impact negatively on your education. Although we can’t promise the rapid reduction of fees or the convenient increase of grant payments, we can promise that a problem shared is a problem halved and that together, there is a solution for your financial woes.

Tuesday 19th November 2013

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DO NOT PET!

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Tuesday 19th November 2013

Hectare, not Hector N Hectare tells us all about his dreams to become a Trinity graduate and his life helping out as a Mobility Service dog for his master Stephanie

ew to Trinity since September 2012, I got used to my new life quickly. Lectures on Monday from 9am to 6pm in the NIID building in College Green was all right. I slept most of the time and did not listen to the lecturers. I also slept in the ATIC room in the Ussher library. So peaceful that I even snored! After all, I did not come to Trinity to get an MSc in Disability Studies, but my master did. Let me introduce myself. Hectare is ainm dom. My name is Hectare. Mon nom est Hectare. I only understand French. You may wonder why I say my name in Irish. Well, because my master is learning Irish. I should learn Irish as well. Suigh síos. Sit down. Then, I will have a reason to get a degree in languages from Trinity. I’ll be able to wear the Oxford cap at graduation day. What a nice picture it would be to have me and my master wearing the Oxford cap. Anyway, I came from Canada with Stephanie Martin, my master. I have been helping her since 2009. Stephanie has Friedreich’s Ataxia, a degenerative disease affecting her balance and motor skills. She needs help to walk so she does not lose balance and fall. When people see me, many of them think I am a guide dog. I was trained to be a service dog. I got my training from the MIRA Foundation in Quebec. This foundation trains dogs for people with visual impairments, people with physical disabilities, and children with autism. MIRA even trains dogs to pull wheelchairs! If you want to know more about the MIRA Foundation, go on their web site at www.mira. ca. In Ireland, there are the Irish

Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Irish Dogs for the Disabled, the Irish Dogs Therapy, and the Autism Assistant Dogs Ireland. Dogs are not only companions anymore, but they help people with disabilities. As some of you already know me, I am very friendly. However, it is best not to pet me while wearing my harness because I am working. I need to concentrate in order to be efficient and to help Stephanie walk. If you distract me, I tend to forget that I am wearing the harness and there to help Stephanie. Please, do not touch me and talk to me while I am working for Stephanie’s sake. Stephanie struggles to keep walking. She wants to use her wheelchair as little as possible. The other day, she was waiting to take the lift in the Arts block. A lady came and waited to take the lift. She started talking to me. Stephanie stopped her straight away. She said “Do not touch the dog, or else I will fall. My legs are very weak”. The lady must have thought Stephanie was abrupt. Stephanie has a hard time understanding the behaviour of people towards me. She gets frustrated.

No one can imagine how much she suffers. She often has numb legs and would collapse on the ground. She continually tells herself “Keep on walking”. Life is not always easy for her. I must admit, she has more strength than me. Whenever I have walked for more than 10 minutes, I want to lie down. And whenever I get a chance, I lie down. There is a saying in French “Tel maître, tel chien”. In English, “Such master, such dog”. Maybe I am like my master after all, full of strength! Yeah. When people see me walking with Stephanie, they are amazed. People say “Look at the gorgeous dog.” Mummies say to their children “Look at the wow wow.” I know I am gorgeous. Unique, I am all black with white on my chest, a mix of Labrador and Burmese Mountain Dog. Now that I have a new vest written on it “Mobility Service Dog, Do Not Pet”, I hope people will read the sign before coming to see me. To all of you who are dog lovers, I understand how hard it will be not to pet me anymore. However, keep in mind that I am helping Stephanie. Simply, just ignore me.

Please, do not touch me and talk to me while I am working for Stephanie’s sake.

Tuesday 19th November 2013

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RELIGION & THIRD LEVEL

by Emily Murtagh

an religion still hold weight in current ethical debates? Academically, as a theology student, and personally as a Christian, my answer is unequivocally yes. Yet, no one is naive to the fact that we exist as a nation where church is an institution that for many has left them with nothing but a healthy Confirmation cache and a bad taste in their mouth. Out of this place of hurt and anger can the truths of the God, whose purported servants failed so many, be rescued and reinstated in the public debate in an enriching way? The first step to this rescue operation is a clear distinction between faith and religion. This is not necessarily a rejection of church structures. Rather it is a realisation of the possibilities of dialogue with those who hold an ethical vision based on a relationship with God. This relationship arising from and manifesting itself in faith, hope and love stands in opposition to a legalistic following of a particular church’s doctrine perhaps driven by secondary social or political agendas. Here I will be focussing on Christianity, because regardless of one’s personal views, it is our cultural and religious heritage and to diverge into the particularities of other world religions’ ethical visions would unfortu-

nately be to assume a higher level of knowledge than I possess. In my own experience, having a strong religious faith today is seen as somewhat of a novelty. People are happy for you to go about your life as you please, as long as the evidence of your faith is mostly free baked goods (we make good cake) and generally being somewhat of a nice person. However, once religion is referenced in relation to the tough ethical questions our generation must wrestle with, the majority of people are unimpressed. This is not surprising given that for so long the religious argument in the public sphere has been characterised by what it has stood against - the “whats” have been established without an accurate portrayal of the “whys”. The “why” of the person of faith in the arena of public debate must always be first and foremost a love overflowing from a belief that Christ Himself first loved us. The love that we are called to is agapé, unconditional love, and if it is an observable reality then there is nothing more powerful as the starting point in addressing any major ethical question. The religious position also holds weight in expressing ideas that are hard to articulate in the secular sphere. Even Jürgen Habermas, postmodernist philosopher well known for his po-

sition as a methodological atheist, has a regard for the wisdom that can be gleaned from the religious traditions in the face of our most problematic ethical questions today. He believes that “intuitions which had long been articulated in religious language can neither be rejected nor simply retrieved rationally”. An example of this is the idea of mankind being created in the image of God - the imago Dei (theologians are more than aware that everything is better in Latin). This idea, arising from Genesis 1:26 should stand as a central component to the ethical vision of the Christian. It emphasises the sacredness of all created beings. It maintains that regardless of race, gender, class or intellectual capabilities, every human being is radically equal in the eyes of God and therefore should be viewed as such by His followers. How much more beautiful a world could we inhabit if we lived according to this vision? In an age where high profile moral philosophers such as Peter Singer continue to redefine the very notion of personhood and to redraw what makes a person worthy based on their cognitive potential, Christian ethics can stand as a viable conversation partner in challenging these notions before they get assimilated into the national moral con-

sciousness. To give just one such example of how this idea plays out, let’s look at the abortion question. In a society where abortion is legal, definite statements are made about the national perception of what gives a person worth. In the UK, 90% of pregnancies which would have resulted in a child with Down Syndrome are now terminated, according to research at Queen Mary, University of London, 2009. For a person of faith to stand against abortion is not a question of some sort of church dominion over women’s reproductive choices but rather it is part of a wider desire to defend and love all people, particularly those who society has neglected or demeaned - mothers, fathers, women, men, children, families. Again, it is with sadness that I note that a failing on our part to live up to this vision is well observable and the ideal is far removed from the harshness and condemnation of a few that has managed to somehow make “pro-life” a dirty word. Obviously this is just one point in this huge discussion, which cannot be expanded upon within the confines of this article. There should exist within the heart of a believer a rejection of limitations as to the meaningful change we can make in all aspects of society in the face of the knowledge

of the grace and power of God at work in the world, despite the rather obvious incompetence of the human person. All things considered, it would seem that faith perspectives still have a crucial role to play in current ethical debate. As issues that once stood as black and white diffuse to fifty shades of moral grey, each person of faith or of none must undergo thorough self-examination as to the what and the why of their ethical decisions. Those with distinctive beliefs in an age of relativism stand to create an interesting and much needed dialectic for all to arrive at their own positions. Can people of faith stand with enough integrity with the way they live their lives to be respected when they seek to translate the convictions of their hearts articulately? The Bible calls on believers to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”. (1 Peter 3:15b). Can the average Liberal be truly... liberal... and open-minded as to the possible wisdom that exists within religious traditions? Can those of faith step up to the plate once more and express their vision in the public sphere with love, compassion, humility and intellectual conviction? It is my sincere hope that it can be so.

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Tuesday 19th November 2013

LIVING WITH A DISABILITY Colm O’Donnell talks about what it’s like being a student with a hearing difficulties

iving with my disability is something that’s obviously not new to me. I’ve been half deaf since before I can remember. It happened when I was four, or five. It’s pretty interchangeable in the stories I tell anyway. I was very sick, the doctors never gave a definitive diagnosis, to hear my parents tell it, but their best guess was meningitis. I don’t remember much of it, but definitely have a few flashbacks to hospital scenes. I made a friend in the childrens ward I’ve never seen since, I often wonder what happens to those friendships made at an age when the only thing you have in common is illness and proximity. I think that it is an inevitable consequence of having a disability that you spent an inordinate amount of time taking the piss out of yourself. After all, if I can’t laugh at myself, who can. Most of my friends rip it out of me all the time too, but thats never been anything I’ve had a problem with. They usually know where the line is. It’s something everyone with a disability has to deal with in their own way. There have been times where I’ve struggled with something

because of my hearing and the last thing in the world I want to hear is another deaf joke, despite how well intentioned it might be. Everyone with a disability has the right to not have it put in the spotlight if they don’t want it to be. There is a time in the morning, before I’ve heard a single sound, before I put in my hearing aids, that I can sense what it would be like if I lost the rest of my hearing. I’ve no idea how I would deal with that. I haven’t the remotest idea how to Sign; despite promising myself for the last ten years to learn some. When I turn on my hearing aids and the world comes to life - the rustling of fabric on skin, the sound of the birds or whatever is coming through my window, people moving around in the next room, another day burst into life. I don’t know that I’m appreciative enough of just how amazing this piece of technology is, but I guess that will happen when you’ve had them all your life. And that leads me to the main point of this piece: how do I live with my disability in college? How does it affect me? It’s a complicated answer by necessity, because it’s a very complicated question.

I think that it is an inevitable consequence of having a disability that you spent an inordinate amount of time taking the piss out of yourself

By way of explanation, this is my second attempt at college, having previously tried Business and Spanish (badly) I’m now progressing well in an English course. I had registered with the disability service first time round and I haven’t done so this time. When I got accepted to Trinity I was invited up to a meeting with the disability service to assess what supports I might need to avail of. This was a great insight into all the technologies that were available to those that have hearing difficulties. I will say that the support that I received from the disability service was second to none; especially as I went through a difficult time in my first course. Nothing they did has any relationship with why I haven’t registered with them in my new course. I’ve grown to realise that for myself, the most important thing is to not be defined by my disability and to succeed without people needing to know about it. This isn’t to say that I won’t register with them in the future. In fact, I probably will. I just needed to get through a year of college without having my disability taken into account. To prove to myself that I could.

Tuesday 19th November 2013

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