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The University Times | Tuesday, March 20 2012
TIMESOPINION
The University Times S
THE END OF VOL. 3, THE FUTURE FOR STUDENT MEDIA AND FAITH IN THE UNIVERSITY TIMES
even issues in one academic year. That’s how many editions of The University Times we produce per volume. It’s not a lot. Indeed, with a little more effort and lot more money, another two, maybe three, could be produced. But in that sentence is the reason why you don’t see more hard copies of UT in a year. Money. It’s true that UT is in a privileged position in comparison to our friendly competitors, Trinity News. The Students’ Union generously underwrites the cost of each issue and we get whatever advertising we can to mitigate that cost. This year we’ve stretched the generousity of the SU by producing numerous, expensive supplements. That our readers seem to have enjoyed them is justification enough for producing them. But were we to suggest producing two or three more full editions per year, we would be swiftly put in our place. Trinity News used to produce twelve issues per year. One every fortnight, like clockwork. That was when advertising revenue was reasonably easily obtained. Deals could be struck with generous patrons such as the Irish Times, who would then cover most of the printing costs for the year. But now the Irish Times has trouble enough of its own and is in no way inclined to put
aside several thousand euro per year to subsidise a loss making venture. So, the vital question for student newspapers is: if the Irish Times can barely sustain itself, what chance do we have? Very little, is the answer. Without increased subsidies from College bodies, newspapers like Trinity News, with its illustrious history, will face the same financial difficulties each and every year. And each year they will get worse and worse. It’s hardly revelatory to say that the print news media is in decline. But whereas large national newspapers can still get by on advertising revenue, student newspapers (worthy vanity projects that they are) are surely going to capitulate to increasing printing costs and reduced revenue. However, our meagre revenue streams and non-profit mindsets may also be our salvation. Mainstream newspapers were reluctant to embrace digital media because they didn’t see how they could make the same money from it as they were making from print advertisements. To this day, newspaper sites make a fraction of what their print counterparts reaped in their heyday. But this shouldn’t be a concern for student newspapers. If a few euro can be made from selling ads on a site, great, but
that isn’t the priority of a student newspaper that is re-positioning itself as an online news source. In this respect, the University Times has performed well over the past couple of years. With the transition to a simple Wordpress site, UT’s website was easily and frequently updated with content. In the past month alone, the site has received over 140,000 page views and our best stories are being broken online, because they simply can’t wait for the next newspaper to go into production. There again we see the increasing redundancy of student newspapers. How much news can a newspaper which comes out every three weeks have, that its website hasn’t already covered? It may not be long before UT and TN are online-only vanity projects. UT’s news stories have been the subject of much discussion of late. Legitimate complaints were made in the aftermath of the frat story being posted online. One simple error undermined what should have been a larger debate about what kind of culture we want to encourage in Trinity. This error was forgiven by some readers when the charter of membership surfaced a week after the original story broke. However, the retraction and correction of the story remain
online and will continue to do so. In the Facebook wars that broke out during this furore, a couple of seemingly serious people made a worrying suggestion. They contended that the University Times should not bother itself with stories that attract the large number of readers that the frat story or the Alchemy story had done. The fact that UT is a free sheet newspaper and therefore, as has been acknowledged above, not subject to the commercial pressures of mainstream newspapers seemed to be a perfectly reasonable justification for it to produce a gentle community newsletter every once in a while, shovelling out re-written press releases. Never daring to tread on anyone’s toes, or risk causing offence. Pandering to the various interest groups around college, both student-led and in College authority. Maybe this contention sprung form their experience of the national press. Investigative journalism is an expensive and risky business at the national level. Libel suits and the time it takes to put a story together have all but killed it off. Wherever this notion stems from, we truly hope that UT never becomes the soulless pamphlet that these commentators would see it become. Of course, the stories we break are insignificant on any larger scale,
but on a local level we strive to do what a healthy national press should be doing. Namely holding interest groups to account. Moreover, the UT team has not grown because we’ve tread lightly in College. It has grown because students who want to become journalists see it as a place where they can learn some of their trade. For representatives of these college interest groups to suggest that UT kneel in contrition and give up its only mission is disingenuous at best. There are over 16,000 students in this university, most of them pass through here without attempting a climb of the greasy SU or society poles. However, as they may have paid membership to a society and have certainly paid a levy to the SU, they deserve to know if either organisation is up to no good. They also deserve to know if College is acting in their best interests, making the best use of their money and generally performing as it should be. For three years now, the University Times has served this purpose as best it can. It does so because the thousands of students who keep their head below the parapet want to read these stories. Indeed, deserve to read these stories. I hope my successor sees things the same way. Good luck to you, Owen.
What do you think of men? In light of the controversy over Midnight promotions and the subsequent furore over the fraternity, Max Sullivan asks people who deal with gender issues what they think of men In 1981, a writer for Status Magazine, a publication aimed at women, asked a number of prominent males what they thought of women. Some responses were forward-thinking. Others were, you know, of their time. Here, subjects and objects have been reversed, as women, but also some men, answer the question “what do you think of men?” “People judge you based on what you wear. If you dress like a slut, people will think you’re a slut.” I heard a father say this to his preteen daughter as she roller-bladed, and he walked, into a Spar in Dublin’s city centre. Having come from the Siren Magazine launch, Trinity might have seemed to have a less objectionable environment for women. Then again, similar sentiments were expressed by some Midnight representatives during the scandal over their “If you’re not up for it, don’t cum” advertisement for the nightclub, Alchemy. And even closer to home, Trinity students recently set up a necessarily sexist and elitist organisation variously referred to as “Theta Omicron”, “The Dynasty” or simply “the frat”. So, I couldn’t help but deviate from Status’ simple formula: some of the interviewed also gave their thoughts on the Zeta Psi chapter.
Senator David Norris The question is too general. A few billion men on the planet - they are all pretty various I should imagine. The same is true of women.
Louisa Miller, TCDSU Welfare Officer I generally take one person at a time
and make a judgement based on the knowledge I know about them, whether it be a man or woman. Both men and women have brought joy and misery to my life, in small ways and in large ways. Both men and women have shown to me time and time again how generous and helpful people can be. In relation to the Fraternity I think that any organisation that actively excludes a whole gender is one based on discrimination and inequality. It is extremely disappointing to see such an organisation come to light in a University renowned for being so progressive and historically active in promoting equality and access. I think it’s a shame to see that we are going backwards.
Senator Ivana Bacik That’s a very interesting question! My answer of course is that I love men and indeed some of my very best friends are men. I would be concerned about any emergence on the Trinity campus of the sort of sexist and elitist culture that can be generated by certain fraternity groups on American college campuses.
Rachel Barry, TCDSU Education Officer Whenever I think of men, I usually think of my father, who is a great role model in my life. I admire his passion for his work, his huge work rate, his appreciation of scholarship and his loyalty to his family - not qualities which I think are necessarily ‘masculine’, but rather those which I try and aspire to in my own
life. I think that sums up my position on this question really - it’s very hard to tell someone ‘what I think about men’ because I don’t think that you can have an opinion on a ‘gender’ when what makes someone who they are is not their gender (or gender identity/presentation) but rather their personal qualities. An organisation that has discrimination of any form as one of its core values has no place in Trinity College. Obviously the fraternity comes within this, as the constitution of Zeta Psi prevents women from joining. I have listened to both sides of the argument, but I’m unconvinced by the assertions that the fraternity is an opportunity to do philanthropic work, etc: If TCD students want to do philanthropic work, or make new friends, then there are plenty of opportunities in college to do so. The creation of a sorority would not mitigate the harm done in creating this divisive culture - in fact, we have seen the harm that a ‘separate but equal’ notion can have in the Black Civil Rights movement. I have nothing against the people involved on a personal level, but I am disappointed that they have set up a divisive society in a college that prides itself on equality and inclusivity; and still more disappointed at the amount of people that don’t see the harm that these kinds of societies create.
Nicola Byrne, Founder of 11890 Directory Inquiries I think I can give you a different answer every day depending on the mood I’m in but what I’ve worked out, at least what I think I’ve worked out, is that men in general don’t
want to be burdened with all the crap that women want to off-load on a daily basis, that’s something you should keep for your girl friends or therapist. So if you want good relationships with all the men in your life, the best thing to do is to be present in their company and enjoy good conversation and have fun! However you define fun is your business!
Matthew Corbally, Auditor, DU Gender Equality Society If I was to pick one thing I loved/hated about men in Ireland, it would be the particular kind of black humour and irrelevant banter that is popular among Irish Men, and the prohibition of any serious discussion of feelings and emotional problems that exist within male culture.
Jean Sutton, Co-Editor, Siren What do I think of men? I have never really considered that question before. I suppose I don’t think of them, at least not in such an abstract manner. Men are my father, brother, uncles, cousins, classmates, coworkers and friends. Some are my antagonists. Most don’t belong under the same umbrella. In relation to the ‘fraternity’ I don’t have any comment to make. I doubt the young men involved expect my approval or care about my condemnation.
Fiona Hyde, Co-Editor, Siren All men are bastards.
Illustrated are Ivana Bacik (above), David Norris (above left) and Fiona Hyde (below left). Illustrations by Kerstina Mortensen (mortenk@tcd.ie).
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TIMESOPINION