by Jon Hozier-byrne · editor

UCd have confirmed that security staff are now equipped with security cam-eras and may film inside Student resi-dences, as may residential Assistants who request the use of a recording de-vice. this confirmation was made after reports gathered by the University Ob-server from students living on campus asserted that their apartments have been filmed by UCd personnel in the past week.

Students’ Union President Pat de brún further corroborated this asser-tion, saying, “once we heard some an-ecdotal evidence of this, we began ac-tively investigating it via the res reps and other sources, trying to get some accounts, and that process is ongoing ... i’ve heard five or six reports ... this is something that i would regard as extremely serious. i think it’s a human rights issue and i think if it is happen-ing the fact that no consultation and no notification has taken place isn’t ac-ceptable.”

A spokesperson for UCd stated, “Se-curity staff have recording devices as part of their equipment, and they may be used to record incidents on campus. if attending to a reported incident in a student apartment, security staff must be accompanied by an rA at all times.

the University Observer

v o l u m e x v i i i · i s s u e x i · w w w . u n i v e r s i t y o b s e r v e r . i e

Students’ Union shops making loss

UCD confirms security and RAsmay film inside Student Residences

opinionHead to Head: tHe Fees

PreFerendum

OTWO

by KAtie HUgHeS · newS editor

the Students’ Union has recently re-ceived its accounts for 2007/2008 from the accountancy firm hired last year to prepare a full financial representation of the past number of years.

the accounts revealed that the Union had begun to lose money at around the 2007/2008 point, which was followed by a four to five year decline, leaving them up to €1 million in debt in 2012.

UCd Students’ Union President, Pat de brún explained that the losses were divided fairly equally between the shops and ser-vices, and the remaining Union activities, “there was nothing huge that jumped out apart from that this was the point in time where it should have been nipped in the bud. this is where the red flag should have been raised and actions should have been taken.”

in 2006, the Union, not including Union services, incurred a loss of €18,000, which increased to €38,000 in 2007. de brún jus-tified the losses, saying that losses along the scale of those sustained in 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 would have been budgeted for on an understanding that a surplus from the shops would have contributed to covering the Union’s losses. However, on closer examina-tion of the shop accounts for 2007, a €2,500 loss was found to have been made, which in-creased to €47,000 in 2008; this discrepancy showed that the shops’ final balance and the Union activity deficit for the year did not rec-oncile. As the accounts for each year are not yet available, the years do not correspond, they merely give a level of trend.

de brún attributed the €47,000 loss in 2008 to the inclusion of the earlsfort terrace shop in the accounts. At about this time, many students, including those from the School of Medicine, would have moved from earlsfort terrace to the belfield campus, which would have con-tributed to the loss, “it’s natural that these things would happen in business, that contributory factors would reduce income or increase costs, but it’s the fact that not enough seems to have been done to tackle it at the time and it was left to increase.”

According to de brún, “in an ideal situ-ation, and what could have been expected at that point, would be that the loss in the Union would match the profit in the shops but we’re seeing a situation where a loss in the Union is actually less than the loss in the shops. So … you can quite quickly see how over a period of five years a deficit to the scale that we’re faced with has accumulated.”

As full accounts have yet to be published, it is not yet possible to pinpoint the exact year the losses became more significant, “i’m working under the assumption, and it’s quite an educated assumption, that the trends were downward in both the shops and the Union in each successive year. So, if you were to take the losses from the shops in 2008, this is just the information we have, and the losses from the rest of the Union in 2007, that together would be in the region of €85,000 to €90,000. if that goes up by a few percentage points the following year, it looks like it has been exponential.”

the final 2011 accounts are expected in early April, with previous years’ ac-counts being released up to that date.

Students’ Union release 2007/2008 accounts

s p o r t

Michael D. Higgins

Shane Byrne talks about serious

injuries in rugby

Students report the filming of residences without permission

UCD confirm security personnel and RAs may film inside student residences

SU investigates allegations of filming

Students’ Union President describes filming as “a human rights issue”

An rA may separately request the use of a recording device themselves when they are attending incidents in student residences, but they must alert those in the vicinity when such devices are in use when attending an apartment.”

the spokesperson for UCd also af-firmed “recorded incidents are only viewed and used as support materials when incidents are investigated under the License to reside or the Student Code.”

this conflicts with the account of one student living in residences, who claimed, “there was one incident at about four o’clock in the morning a week ago ... a security guard came in, said ‘what’s going on here, you’ve been making noise’, and proceeded to come into the house. He walked around with

a camera ... he walked around and filmed all our stuff.”

the student, who wished to remain anonymous, went on to say, “there was nothing really to warrant what hap-pened at the time ... there was no noise going on, there was no reason for them to come up here in the first place.”

when asked whether the member of the security staff was accompanied by an rA, the student stated, “it was just the security guard.”

de brún also stated that this was not the first time the filming of student res-idences by UCd personnel has been re-ported. “this is something which came to our attention first back in the sum-mer, we heard some kind of rumours or reports that this was happening, and

we were extremely concerned ... we were told that it was not going to be im-plemented, that they were looking into it and that they trialled it, but that it wasn’t going to happen, and it wouldn’t happen without notifying students first via the SU ... there has been no contact with the Students’ Union about that since, and it’s something we felt very, very strongly about. i think it’s a huge invasion of privacy and it’s something i’m really concerned about.”

when asked what course of action the SU would take regarding the mat-ter, de brún stated, “the first port of call is to find out exactly what the situ-ation is, and how this was allowed to happen. the next step is to stop it, as soon as possible.”

Belgrove Student Residences Photographer: Conor O’Toole

by KAtie HUgHeS · newS editor

the Students’ Union shops across cam-pus have been found to be making a “significant but not insurmountable” loss. Following the engagement of an external accountancy firm to prepare the Students’ Union’s accounts for the past number of years, an exact log of the various shops’ performance this year has been kept.

UCd Students’ Union President, Pat de brún stated that “we’ve got that in-formation in the last week and based on that, we’ve immediately engaged with the staff. the fact is that the shops are currently in a loss-making situation, the extent of which is to be finalised; certainly, as soon as we got this infor-

mation, we’re factoring it into the over-all business plan.”

the extent of the loss is remaining confidential for the time being, “for no other reason other than we’re trying to work with our staff to improve things. it’s a very serious challenge that we’re faced with but at the end of the day there’s a lot to be positive about.”

due to construction works taking place in the Science hub, a thirty to forty per cent reduction in sales has oc-curred in that particular outlet. with further building work to take place, the unit will no longer be available to the Union in the near future. Accord-ing to de brún, no definite decisions have yet been made with regards the Science Centre unit, “we don’t want to

act unilaterally on this, we want staff to be involved, we want everyone to work together on this plan.”

de brún expressed hope for the shops, saying that “we’ve a 25,000 per-son captive audience, we’re in a unique position where our rent is low. we have a huge amount to offer our students and our customers, and we’re in a po-sition where our turnover is already very high. we just need to look at our margins, we need to look at our range of products, we need to do more mar-keting, market research, customer care – areas like this will really boost our margins. it’s the little things that can make the difference, and we’ve seen that already with little changes we’ve been trying to make.”

He continued to say that while pro-viding a value for money service to staff and students alike was a priority, the shops would have to begin to con-tribute to the Union budget as opposed to deducting from it, as is currently the case.

de brún concluded by acknowledg-ing the challenges ahead, but expressed his faith in the future of the Union’s retail operations, “there’s a huge chal-lenge in front of us and everyone is aware of that, but i have huge faith in the potential of our retail operations, i see a bright future for them. things haven’t been done perfectly in the past and it will take a certain amount of work to get to a point where we can be happy.”

The University Observer · 27 March 20122

Observer newsnews@universityobserver.ie

News iN Briefby CAtHerine MUrnAne

UCd Law students dominate the Advocate competitionon March 9th, final year UCd Law students Julia Lawlor and greg ben-son were deemed champions of ‘the Advocate’, McCann Fitzgerald’s All-ireland business and Law Challenge. the competition, which has an intake of sixteen teams, sees students partake in competitive mock trials regarding is-sues of commercial law, with the ulti-mate prize being a summer internship with McCann Fitzgerald, along with a shared cash prize of €3,000. this year, half of the chosen teams were made up of UCd teams, with four of these teams progressing to the semi-finals.

benson credited the Law School’s recent introduction of practical based modules such as Advocacy & Moot-ing for the increased student interest in competitive mooting, while Lawlor noted it has created an atmosphere in the Law School where “more people are talking about moots and feel encour-aged to enter competitions.”

the final, which saw Lawlor and benson compete against current third year Law students, neal Flynn and bri-an McCormick, took place in the Four Courts. the moot was judged by Jus-tice Peter Kelly, Chairman of bord gáis Éireann, rose Hynes and Chairman of McCann Fitzgerald, John Cronin. Cronin extended his congratulations to Lawlor and benson, describing them as “worthy winners … we were very impressed with the calibre of all of the entries this year and are excited at the potential these students have shown.”

Irish universities dis-appear from top 100

this year’s times Higher education world rankings did not see a single irish third-level institution attain a spot in the world’s top one hundred universities.

the prestigious publication, formu-lated by 17,554 academics from 149 dif-ferent countries, qualitatively ranks the world’s universities based on their con-tributions to research and teaching.

only four years ago, trinity College was ranked amongst the top fifty, with UCd maintaining a comfortable position in the top one hundred. while a gradual descent in irish institutions’ rankings has occurred over the last number of years, this is the first time that no irish institution has made it into the top one hundred. rankings editor at the Times Higher Education magazine, Phil batty, noted the disappointment that the irish state would feel for failing to maintain its previous positions, “many nations see having a top one hundred institution not just as a source of national pride but also a symbol – encouraging inward in-vestment for attracting the best brains in the world.”

with both the government and uni-versities alike hoping to attract foreign students to help boost revenues in ire-land, further competition is caused by the increased number of Asian univer-sities attaining positions on the higher end of the scale. with ireland and other countries such as the UK falling further down the rankings, Asian universities, particularly those in China, have at-tained a higher ranking than last year. both tsinghua University in beijing and Peking University rose five places, be-ing listed twentieth and thirty-eighth respectively.

the top twenty continues to be made up of four countries; the US, the UK, Canada and Japan, with Harvard main-taining its position in first place.

UCd gets involved in daffodil dayDaffodil Day took place across Ireland on Friday, March 23rd. A correspond-ing event was held on Thursday in UCD, co-ordinated by both staff and students, and marked an occasion for funds to be raised for the Irish Can-cer Society, a non-profit organisation that aims to provide essential support and information facilities for cancer patients.

UCD Student Adviser for Arts, Aisling O’Grady, noted that great efforts were made this year to get students involved in the event. A decision was also made to run the event on March 22nd instead of the 23rd, the day the national event takes place, as there are less people on campus towards the end

rAg day ‘raises a grand’by JACK wALSH

the newly re-developed UCd rAg day took place on March 20th, with

events and acts taking place in and around the UCd student bar. Admis-sion to the event cost students a do-nation of €3.

UCD Professor behind restoration of James Joyce’s guitar

by KAtie HUgHeS · newS editor

UCd School of Philosophy’s Professor Fran o’rourke is behind the restora-tion of James Joyce’s guitar, which has been on display at the Joyce tower Mu-seum in Sandycove for the past forty-five years.

Professor o’rourke explains the de-cision behind the undertaking, “i was invited to present a seminar on Joyce and irish song. the professor borrowed a guitar from a luthier, who specialises in restoring 19th century stringed in-struments. Many of those in his work-shop were identical in appearance to the one in the Joyce tower in Sandy-cove. it was immediately obvious that Joyce’s guitar should be restored. i of-fered the curator robert nicholson [the arrangement and sponsorship of] the restoration.”

despite currently suffering from pneumonia, Professor o’rourke record-ed a couple of verses of one of Joyce’s fa-vorite songs for the rtÉ evening news bulletin within hours of the restoration being completed. “it was an interest-ing experience, some of Joyce’s dnA must still lurk within the grain of the fretboard,” joked the professor. He con-tinued to say, “repair work was made possible by the generous hospitality of the Conservation department of the na-

tional Museum at Collins barracks.”the restoration was carried out by

english luthier, gary Southwell, using the equipment and facilities of the con-servation department of the national Museum at Collins barracks in dublin. Southwell has previously restored in-struments for Sting and made guitars for Paul Simon.

the guitar, estimated by Southwell to have been made in the 1830s, was donated to the Joyce museum by James Joyce’s friend from zurich, Paul rug-giero, in 1966. the guitar is famous due to a photograph taken by ottocaro weiss in 1915 of Joyce playing it in zu-rich.

Southwell explained that “As far as the guitar itself is concerned, it’s not from any great maker of the past or anything like that … it would have been a fairly standard instrument of the pe-riod. obviously the interest about it is that it was James Joyce’s guitar.”

Professor o’rourke has interests in Plato and Aristotle, as well as the use made by James Joyce of philosophy and irish song, on which he has lectured in Uppsala, istanbul, warsaw, Milwau-kee, belgrade, Sofia and thessaloniki.

Professor o’rourke is expected to play the guitar at a series of upcoming recitals to be held in newman House during bloomsweek.

Coder Dojo launches at UCDby CHriS green

on March 30th, UCd will initiate its own chapter of the Coder dojo move-ment, with sixty children already signed up and a waiting list of another forty. the initiative was launched by Cork teenager James whelton as an after-school club dedicated to teaching his peers the basics of computer code.

the UCd chapter is being spon-sored by the UCd innovation Acad-emy. Academy facilitator Margaret Ledwith stated that, “[Coder dojo is] just mushrooming ... when i say it’s a phenomenon i mean look, there’s one in indonesia. in the two weeks since i was on here there’s been another five in the UK.”

“we wanted to bring this to UCd, and also to offer the resources of the inno-vation Academy in supporting this, be-cause we thought it was very important. the University is all about outreach to younger students. it’s important to get these kids on campus and give them an experience of the University.”

Following two recruitment e-mails, thirty-two volunteers have signed up to date, ranging from undergraduates and Phd students to academic staff; “we need volunteers who aren’t necessarily coders but who will help with the administra-tion because this is very intensive in terms of organisation, to check that rooms are available, to get set up, to register the kids, to manage waiting lists, and to do a lot of the social networking around twitter [etc].

then we need the more technical mentors who will teach code from basic HtML, to advanced HtML, possibly to Python, Ja-vaScript, CSS, that type of thing.”

As Coder dojo is a movement of free cod-ing clubs, all of the mentoring and teaching is done voluntarily and the students signed up learn for free. Funds for rooms, heat, light and wi-fi access are donated by the in-novation Academy and UCd.

the essence of Coder dojo is that it provides children with a fun environ-ment where they can learn the basics of computer programming and develop the skills required to design web pages and games, and “to support innovation and entrepreneurship in the younger generation in ireland and to showcase the fact that young irish kids are ex-

tremely talented and extremely skilled given the right environment to learn.”

the mantra of Coder dojo is “Above all: be Cool”, and while volunteer teach-ers lead the classes, the philosophy is one which strongly encourages cooper-ation between coders in an atmosphere where intelligence is respected and en-couraged. while organisers are pleased with the response so far, they encour-age anyone with an interest in teach-ing code or simply helping out to get in touch at dublin-ucd@coderdojo.com.

of the week. A number of students were involved

in the event, but O’Grady extended par-ticular gratitude towards Philip Bourke, marketing executive of UCD AFC, for both his and the team’s involvement

in the event. “The football team made a great impact on the day, even using their mascot to promote sales of the badges and buttons.”

the amount raised at this year’s event has yet to be confirmed.

UCd gets involved in daffodil day

Final figures for the amount raised have yet to be announced, however UCd Students’ Union ents officer Stephen darcy is confident that the change in the layout of the initiative ensured the day reached its goal of “raising a grand”; “it looks to be that it’s a more efficient way of doing it, there’s less money spent, the idea was to spend the least amount to raise the most, and we certainly achieved our goal of raising a grand, so in that respect it was a success.”

darcy commented on the variety of events available for students to take part in on the day, “i just looked at all the things that people would find interesting and would like to see and stuff that we hadn’t done yet. i saw what was possible and what wasn’t, to try put as many of them into the bar and around the bar as possible.”

the day centred on a continually changing line up, with several bands performing free of charge, including the Curtain thieves, taxi for 5, Mojo gogo, and the featured headlining act dJ rankin.

darcy explained the reasoning be-hind having a high-profile act such as dJ rankin performing on the day,

“that was the focal point of our adver-tising just to draw people in and ob-viously we were a bit sketchy bring-ing in the new concept and all, so we figured that we would bring in some-thing that was and had been success-ful this year and that wasn’t overly expensive, and dJ rankin fit that bill perfectly. there was a good 700 peo-ple at the bar in the end to see him so it was really good.”

Advertising was primarily rout-ed to the ents Facebook page, with flyers distributed on the day of the event. darcy commented on the ad-vertising, stating that “ideally it should have been done maybe in January i think, but we hadn’t come up with the full concept by then, so maybe that’s something that eoin [Heffernan, incoming ents offi-cer] will put in next year, and think about.” However, despite the later advertising, he insists that “more people were involved with this years rAg event, and more importantly more people were aware.”

darcy has provisionally decided to approach the Mark owens Medical Fund, as well as wishing to donate to Childline, Cystic Fibrosis ireland and the bone Marrow trust fund.

The University Observer · 27 March 2012 3news

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TCD vote for graduate loans and tax over “free fees” News iN Briefby KAtie HUgHeS · newS editor

USi Await Verdict of Court Casethe case in question went before the High Court on February 24th and 25th and was in relation to the cut in the maintenance grant as a part of budget 2011.

Prior to the budget, a student had to live more than twenty-four kilometres from their university or college, or be a mature student, to get the non-adjacent rate for the grant. Following the bud-get, the distance increased to forty-five kilometres, affecting 25,000 students across the country: 18,000 traditional students and 7,000 mature students. these students lost, on average, €1,500 each.

USi President gary redmond stated that the case was centred on two main points: that students had a legitimate expectation and that the Minister of education had breached the Student Support Act, which contained a line stating that “any student receiving a grant shall continue as if this act had never been enacted”, according to red-mond.

redmond went on to say that the Minister had said at the time that “public transport had improved so sig-nificantly in ireland that each student should be able to commute forty-five kilometres every day; each of the stu-dents that we had there demonstrated that it was impossible to do so.”

USi hopes a verdict will be released in the next two to three weeks.

rainbow week takes place in UCd rainbow week, run by Students’ Union Lgbt officer Jamie black, took place on campus last week. black was pleased with how the week went.

A pride march and mock wedding took place on the last day of the cam-paign, starting outside the Student Centre and culminating in a wedding at the Lake. “the point of that was to cel-ebrate Lgbt culture and to help raise the visibility of the Lgbt community on campus, that we’re proud of who we are. the mock wedding was at the lake, just to show people that marriage is not equal for Lgbt people – they cannot get married.”

the march was originally supposed to be held on tuesday, but had to be re-scheduled due to timing issues when a speaker ran late. However, despite the re-arrangement, there were between thirty and forty people at Friday’s march.

black was happy with the line-up of speakers during the week, “we got Siob-han Maguire, the Lgbt rights officer for USi to come in, there was a talk on transgender issues and we also got the director of Marriage equality to come in. i’m really pleased with the line-up of speakers that we had. Hopefully the students found it very informative and took something away from it.”

UCd scientists find method to determine success rate for embryo used in iVFA team of scientists in UCd have dis-covered the potential success rate an embryo has before it is placed back in the womb through in vitro fertilisation (iVF).

the Conway institute’s dr Louise brennan explained the process, “we analysed samples of the follicular fluid surrounding the immature ovum or egg before it was retrieved for iVF. we identified clear metabolic differenc-es between the follicular fluids from women who successfully achieved pregnancy as a result of iVF to the flu-ids from the women who did not.”

the fluids come from a woman’s ovaries and surround the egg. they contain metabolic information that can allow determination of which embryo is more likely to implant in the uterine wall and lead to pregnancy.

However, dr brennan stated that the test cannot be used as part of regular iVF treatment just yet, “before the test can be regularised for use during iVF, our results need to be validated across a larger cohort of women undergoing treatment, and we are hopeful that the results obtained from larger samples will support our initial findings.”

UCD DramSoc hosts ISDAs

by deniS VAUgHAn

the sixty-fifth irish Student drama Association festival (iS-dAs) is currently being hosted by UCd’s dramSoc. the festival will take place over the duration of eleven days, from March 21st to 31st.

there are eleven colleges taking part, each of which has rep-resentatives that sit on the iSdA council, the forum for discus-sion and decision making of the association. the colleges are UCd, dit, it tallaght, nUi Maynooth, nUi galway, UCC, Ma-ter dei, dCU, trinity College, Queens University, and the Uni-versity of Ulster.

Forty-seven events will be taking place during the festival, of which twenty-three are shows. UCd dramSoc will perform four shows: two, blue remembered Hills, Someone who’ll watch over Me, and the walworth Face.

Awards for the festival include best overall Production, best director, best Actress, best Actor, best Supporting Actress, best Supporting Actor, best Set, best original Script, best Lighting, best Props, best ensemble and best Sound. there is also the possibility of two discretionary awards. Last year UCd won awards for best Supporting Actor, best Actress, best original Script, best ensemble, best director, and best overall Produc-tion.

dramSoc auditor, eoghan Carrick, has said that he is hope-ful that UCd will repeat the success they had at the festival last year, “we do have high hopes. we wouldn’t set up the shows if we weren’t entirely behind them, but it all depends on the qual-ity of the other shows. it’s a different thing every year because unfortunately the festival itself is when you get to see other colleges’ work, so you don’t really know until the awards night when the judges announce the winners. but of course we have high hopes.” the award ceremony will be held on March 31st, the last day of the festival.

Carrick praised the staff at UCd for their support in the lead up to the festival, “organising a festival on a campus where you’re building two theatres is never going to be an easy task, but the Societies Council and a lot of the staff and services have all been really good, so while it’s been difficult co-ordinating between those different people it hasn’t been the most difficult thing in the world.”

dramsoc are currently looking for Venue Managers and Front of House Managers to assist with the running of events. Anyone who wishes to get involved with the festival can e-mail theatre@ucddramsoc.com.

A mock wedding took place as part of UCD LGBT’s Rainbow Week Photographer: Jon Hozier-Byrne

by KAtie HUgHeS · newS editor

tCd Students’ Union recently passed a referendum showing a preference for the stance of tCd SU on fees to be first-ly for a loan system, then a graduate tax, and student contribution respectively.

the poll was cast to determine the way in which tCd delegates should vote at the upcoming Union of Students in ireland (USi) congress, where they will be asked to vote on USi’s funding position. the congress is expected to take place from April 2nd to 5th, with

the vote taking place on April 3rd, and the result being announced on the 4th.

According to USi President gary redmond, the question will be asked of delegates because “at a time when the Minister has announced that fees will be €3,000 in three years’ time, we felt that it was time to ask students what USi’s funding policy should be … it’s a completely democratic move by USi to ask its members what they think the funding positions should be.”

redmond continued, “there would be nothing worse for USi than going

ahead with a policy that is one hundred per cent exchequer funding, or free fees, if that’s not what the membership wants, and if it is, at least we then have a renewed vigour for it.” the result of the preferendum will be the position of USi and will supersede any previous USi policy.

while redmond declined to comment regarding the option he would be speak-ing for, he stated that “USi’s key objective is that education, particularly third and fourth level, should always be accessible to everybody based on academic ability,

not financial means. is it fair to expect a family to come up with €3,000 for every child that wants to attend college on top of all the other needs? is the €3,000 a barrier to education?”

tCd SU President, ryan bartlett, was pleased with the result as it was “a validation of the approach we took this year … i think the situation we have right now isn’t really working for anybody.”

250 delegates are registered to at-tend congress this year – every univer-sity gets two delegates then one extra delegate for every 1,000 students.

Ents Mystery Tour clash with Relay for Life“unfortunate”

by MAtt gregg

Students’ Union entertainments officer Stephen darcy has stated that it is “un-fortunate” that the ents Mystery tour is now scheduled to take place on the same day as charity event relay for Life.

darcy insists that the clash was “not a conscious thing” and that all other alternatives had been explored. the Mystery tour had originally been or-ganised to take place on wednesday March 22nd but had to be re-arranged following a cancellation by one of the tour’s three venues. it will now take place on wednesday the 28th of March, the same date as relay for Life.

relay for Life Chairperson, UCd stu-dent Sarah thomas, expressed her dis-appointment at the “unfortunate clash” and stated “it would have been nice if they had reconsidered [the date].”

“it’s unfortunate, but i have a job to do as well,” explained darcy, “i can’t avoid having UCd events fall on the same night as charity events as there are always charity events on … there are just not enough days in the week.”

According to darcy, the clash will not have too much impact on either event, “people who are committed to relay for Life won’t be going on the Mystery tour.”

thomas echoed darcy’s sentiments, stating that “our teams will still be coming”

and that she believes relay for Life will be successful “regardless [of the clash].” She added that the initial shock at the clash was perhaps “unjustified” and there was “no need to fight about it” because “we’re both probably going to have successful events”.

UCd will be the first irish university to host a relay for Life event in aid of the irish Cancer Society. teams of between ten and twenty volunteers are required to have at least one member running at all times during a twenty-four hour pe-

riod, from 5pm on March 28th to 5pm on March 29th. the event will be held at dev-lin Park; the astroturf gAA pitches oppo-site the Student Centre.

there will be various activities and events provided for visitors not partici-pating in the relay during the twenty-four hour period. thomas estimates the number of relay participants to be 280 but hopes the event can attract “any-where between four and six hundred people” during peak college hours.

The University Observer · 27 March 20124 news

VoxPoPS by MAtt gregg · PHotogrAPHS by AoiFe VALentine

dara Keegan Arts

“the only experience i’ve had is when they came to check how tidy my room was. i was asleep, which was a little awkward, but i guess they kind of have to?”

brian reilly 2nd year Ag. Science

“i hate security,they’re rats. they just always seem to be dick-heads with no buzz about them.”

guillermo Alvarez erasmus Student

“on campus, it’s nil. then on res, it’s too much!”

ellen Kelly 1st year Actuary

“they’re actuallyreally good at keeping out the people who shouldn’t be in res & stopping people fighting & drinking irresponsibly.”

Aaron Sweeney 3rd year Astrophysics

“i ran into them once after i jumped into the secret lake and

they were pretty sound. they did their jobs but didn’t let the

power go to their heads so fair play.”

Harrison omorodion Science

“it’s grand, i’ve never really had to worry about it. i see them walking around sometimes and that’s cool.”

O b s e r v e r v o x p o p s

iNterNatioNalNews iN Briefby KAtie HUgHeS · newS editor

UC berkely campus shops removes bottled waterthe Cal Student Store in University California berkely has stopped selling bottled water following a referendum being passed last spring calling on cam-pus outlets to phase out water bottle sales. the shop has reported no loss in revenue, stating that healthy alterna-tives were put in place of the no longer available bottled water.

the ASUC Senate passed a bill last year promoting the national Take Back the Tap campaign, and set 2014 as the goal year for eliminating the sale of bot-tled water on campus.

the Take Back the Tap campaign is run by Food and water watch, an organ-isation founded in 2005 to ensure that food, water and fish consumed is sus-tainably produced, safe and accessible.

the Take Back the Tap campaign pro-motes the use of tap water over bottled water; it aims to encourage people to use tap water as it is cheaper, more environ-mentally friendly, and equally safe, if not more so, than bottled water.

Health Matters Manager for the Uni-versity Health Services, trish ratto, stated that while decreasing demand for bottled water is a positive step, the complete elimination of bottled water on campus was not a goal shared by the University, “i think there will always be someone that is a visitor to campus that could need to buy a beverage.”

UCLA students march against campus discriminationSixty students from the University of California Los Angeles protested on March 8th in response to campus dis-crimination. the march was organised by various campus groups including the Asian Pacific Coalition, the Afrikan Student Union, the Muslim Students’ Association and Latino sororities and fraternities.

the protests were against offensive clothing being sold by Associated Stu-dents UCLA between 2010 and Febru-ary 2012, as well as a hate-crime com-mitted last week when an apartment door was vandalized with sexual and racist slurs.

the students were calling for an of-ficial condemnation of the sale of the of-fending shirts, as well as demanding that the administration support the adoption of a UCLA diversity requirement.

University of Virginia students commemorate enslaved workersthe Memorial for enslaved Labour-ers Committee from the University of Virginia held a candlelit march across campus to commemorate the work of enslaved individuals in building and maintaining the University.

the national organization of Mi-nority Architecture Students, the La-tino Student Alliance, the Asian Stu-dent Union and the Minority rights Coalition all supported the candlelit ceremony.

Chairperson of the Commit-tee, Anna Funtelar, stated that “[the march] is not meant to replace a physi-cal memorial. we will march every year until a memorial is constructed and maybe every year afterwards.”

History Professor, Prof. Claudrena Harold, stated that “the University of Virginia has a rich, complex history, to-night makes us, as a community, appre-ciate that diversity.” She described the march as a movement “to have a deeper understanding of history [that would] strengthen [the University’s] status as a place where history is taken seriously.”

A slave memorial is currently in place at the University of Virginia, in the form of a plaque in the sidewalk bricks. A movement was established in 2009 following community concerns raised over the infrequent presentation of the history of slavery at the Univer-sity.

According to their website, the purpose of the commemoration was to “symbolically recognise the lives of the enslaved laborers by gathering sup-porters at the heart of the University, until an acceptable physical memorial is established.”

the University of Virginia was founded in 1819 by thomas Jefferson, and is currently the only University in the United States designated as a UneSCo world Heritage Site.

WhAt Do yoU thInk of SeCUrIty on CAmPUS?

Tight security in place for larger-scale UCD Ballby KAtie HUgHeS · newS editor

Security at the UCd ball this year will follow the same format as in 2011, al-though it will be applied on a larger scale due to the licensing for the num-ber of ticket sales almost doubling in comparison to the capacity of last year’s event.

UCd Students’ Union ents officer, Stephen darcy, stated that security functioned well last year, which is why it would remain the same, “we were very happy with last year’s security and there were no major incidents, so the same plan will apply this year, just on a larger scale.”

despite the cancellation of the UCd ball last year and subsequent change of date to the easter weekend, 3,500 stu-dents were in attendance. this year, up to 6,500 tickets are going on sale, with over 2,000 already having been sold at time of going to press.

darcy explained that with the devel-opment of the UCd ball over the years, from being held in the Student Centre car park, to the playing field beside the Quinn School of business, and now on the running track, the levels of security have grown, “it has to … it went from being in the Student Centre car park to being one of the biggest private parties in europe so as the event grows, the se-curity has to grow.”

According to darcy, no major securi-ty issues have occurred in recent years, “nothing more than is to be expected

from six to eight thousand drunken stu-dents. but going forward, our security has gotten so much better, obviously, since the inception of the ball because it’s had to, as it’s grown rapidly.”

An outside event management com-pany, Fusion, which was also employed last year, will be providing security at the event. there are no final figures yet as to the total number of security per-sonnel that will be present on campus on the day of the ball.

the University will close at 1pm, at which point all buildings will close and students and staff will have to vacate the belfield campus. the main gates are expected to open at 3pm, at which point students possessing a UCd ball ticket will be allowed onto campus before being searched for the possession of alcohol, which, as it is strictly prohib-ited, will be confiscated if found. two to three bars selling beer and wine are expected to be on site. no spirits will be sold.

the same security system as last year will apply to students living on campus in residences. the Union and event management team will be work-ing with UCd security to secure res us-ing a wristband system. residents will receive a wristband the evening before the ball, which will grant them access to the apartments, “you can’t be bring-ing in your mates and having parties on campus as it would lead to mayhem. it goes against the whole closing the cam-pus thing, it’s just a safety precaution.”

Health Sciences Ball Cancelledby AoiFe VALentine

the Health Sciences ball, which was due to be held in the burlington Hotel on March 30th, has been cancelled. the event, which was established last year by the then Students’ Union Health Sciences Programme officer, Aoife nic Shamhráin, was being or-ganised by a committee chaired by this year’s Progamme officer, Aidan Conroy. He took the decision to can-cel the ball after ticket sales weren’t as high as expected.

UCdSU Campaigns and Communi-cations officer, brenday Lacey said that, “Having spoken to the organisers, the reason it was cancelled was because unfortunately tickets just weren’t mov-ing. there didn’t appear to be enough interest at this time of the year, i think [due to] assignments and obviously a lot of the nurses would be on place-ment and there’s midterms coming up. i think the dates just didn’t work out in the end, unfortunately.”

the event was a success last year and it had been hoped that it would become an annual event, but Lacey emphasised that the committee were hoping to try again next year. “it was its first year last year and it did really well, but un-fortunately it just doesn’t seem to have had the same pick up. i think they’re

still trying to get something together … [Conroy] says he’s very keen to get the committee back together and take another bash for next year, essentially getting started a lot earlier.”

According to Lacey, no one was at fault for the ball’s cancellation. “At the end of the day these aren’t paid people; they’re not professionals. Sometimes workloads and things can get the better of people and it just hasn’t worked out. no one’s to blame.”

despite the fact that the ball was be-ing organised by a member of UCdSU executive, and tickets were being sold by Health Sciences class reps as well as the SU shops, Lacey stated that, “it’s an independent Health Science event … it’s not something that falls under the duties of the Health Science Pro-gramme officer essentially. it’s some-thing that in Health Science, they just do themselves.”

Although the ball was supposed to take place this week, according to Lac-ey, it did not make a loss. “there wasn’t any money lost. i don’t believe there had been any deposits or anything put down.”

tickets for the event had already gone on sale at the time of cancellation. A full refund is being issued to any stu-dent who had purchased a ticket.

Conroy declined to comment.

UCD research team involved in recent findings from Velociraptor remainsby eMiLy LongwortH

Scientists from UCd were part of the international research team which re-cently published findings on the recov-ery of ancient Velociraptor remains. the Velociraptor is a relatively small, land-bound dinosaur that lived seven-ty-five million years ago. the fossils have been analysed by specialists in pa-laeogeography, palaeoclimatology and palaeoecology, and they indicate that a pterosaur – a giant, flying reptile - was most likely the last meal of the Veloci-raptor.

the fossil remains feature a “well preserved 75 mm long pterosaur bone lodged in the upper part of the Velo-ciraptor ribcage”, this being the area in which the velociraptor’s stomach would have been. As this is the first time that bones from a pterosaur have been recovered in the digestive tract of other dinosaur remains, there has been much analysis from the research team over the circumstances of the find.

dr david Hone from the UCd School of biology and environmental Sciences commented on the findings, saying “it

would be difficult and probably even dangerous for the small theropod dino-saur to target a pterosaur with a wing-span of two metres or more, unless the pterosaur was already ill or injured.” these findings support the hypoth-esis that velociraptors were inclined to scavenge on carcass remains in their vicinity, as opposed to only fresh meat.

the findings also imply that small non-avian dinosaurs would be capable of swallowing relatively large bones, a feature that is observed in modern-day crocodiles, but not many other new-world animals outside reptiles.

“the surface of the bone is smooth and in good condition, with no unusu-al traces of marks or deformation that could be attributed to digestive acids,” says dr. Hone, “So it’s likely that the Velociraptor itself died not long after ingesting the bone.”

the bone remains were found in the gobi desert in Mongolia. the full research team included scientists from the national Museum of nature and Science in tokyo, the Museum of natu-ral Sciences in okayama (Japan), and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in Ulaanbaatr (Mongolia).

The University Observer · 27 March 2012 5

gramme is that it allows people to acknowledge their disability, and not have to under-emphasise it. rath ex-pressed the same sentiments regard-ing the area of disclosure, “if you have a physical disability, it may be quite ob-vious to the employer and they might want to know how you deal with it on a daily basis and how it affects you – that can be a very positive thing for an employer, that you gave these cop-ing mechanisms and learning skills to deal with [your disability]. However, in some cases employers are actually afraid to ask that question because they’re not sure, in terms of equality Law, if that’s okay. on the other side of it, the graduate is also afraid to broach the subject as there may be a number of mind-sets going on: ‘why should i have to?’, ‘if i mention this am i going to be making myself seem less employ-able?’ … the wAM program deals with issues like disclosure as well as giving the supports you need to get the job done correctly.”

According to rath, one of the most prominent problems faced by gradu-ates with disabilities is that when they go to seek work, they find that they lack sufficient substantial work experience. the wAM programme provides work placements for graduates with dis-abilities in order to give them that ex-perience. “the fantastic thing is that a lot of the graduates ended up getting jobs out of these placements, which is really fantastic … for any student with a disability, there are a lot of concerns when entering into the workforce, as personally, when i started working, i had lots of concerns. this placement offers the opportunity to have a buddy or a mentor who will work alongside you and who will meet you regularly, and i would have loved to have done this program myself.”

wAM Project Coordinator, Mary Quirke, confirmed that the wAM programme is unique in both ireland and europe, a fact that Senator Con-way finds very worrying, “really and truly there should be lots of different programs, even in different areas of employment. i would like to see wAM programs tailored to the financial ser-vices, to manufacturing: i would like to see it extended significantly. FÁS may have done pilot projects in the past but wAM, in my view, is by far the most successful and the one with most longevity.”

over €1 billion is spent on disabil-ity in ireland per annum; €350 million goes towards advocacy groups and €650 million to organisations provid-ing support services. According to Sen-ator Conway, a significant proportion of this money is wasted on rent, prop-erty rates and the wages of chief exec-utives and senior staff. because of this, the government is currently undertak-ing what he calls a “value for money” audit on services for people with dis-abilities to see exactly how much they are directly benefiting, the results of which should be seen in the next few months. Conway states that in previ-ous years money was “thrown” at vari-ous causes, however “in the present-day economic situation, where things are difficult, and different, and every

penny has to be accounted for, people engage for better policy as the money will be spent properly.”

A Private Members’ Motion was recently passed, calling on the govern-ment to publish the audit and create an individualised budgeting of the funds. this would involve an individual with a disability being given an allowance for his or her special need and they would decide which of the services to go to, creating competition within the sector. According to Senator Conway,

“it would mean that the person and his or her family would have choice, which they don’t have at the moment. if there’s a service in your area, you’ve no choice but to use it. that service may unfortunately not be fit for pur-pose, but if there was choice, if people had the power, if the state were pro-viding money for that person [you could choose one that would be suit-able].”

Having progressed through Uni-versity and become elected to Clare County Council and the Senate, Sena-tor Conway believes that while they may face difficulties, students with disabilities can achieve their goal of employment. “i think that any young person who is in college with a dis-ability should most definitely believe that they will gain meaningful em-ployment in their chosen discipline, same as anybody else. i suppose that i am a classic example: i was in UCd with a serious vision impairment, i was a member of young Fine gael in

Observer Featuresfeatures@universityobserver.ie

Disability is an ex-tremely broad term applied to a vast number of mental and physi-cal conditions, and it carries a certain stigma that often

leads to those with disabilities fac-ing odds unlike those without them. in an ideal world, everyone would be able to avail of the same opportuni-ties, however this is a goal yet to be achieved when it come to disability, as employers often see a person’s dis-ability before their qualification. yet while employers’ attitudes towards and perceptions of disability are a con-tributing factor as to why graduates with disabilities have a more difficult time finding jobs, sometimes these students’ inexperience in career skills, such as compiling a good CV or en-gaging in an interview, can also affect their prospects.

instances of ableism, i.e. discrimi-nation against disabled people, are still taking place in ireland, in some cases directly against students with dis-abilities. graduates with disabilities can defy such discrimination by show-casing their skills through internship programmes such as the willing Able Mentoring (wAM) programme. the wAM programme was established by the Association for Higher education and disability (AHeAd) seven years ago under european eQUAL fund-ing, although it is now funded by the irish employment authority, FÁS. the programme places graduates with dis-abilities in paid internships in lead-ing companies such as Abbott ireland, Microsoft and o2. Students taking part in the programme are assigned a ‘buddy’ or mentor with whom they can share any concerns or feelings they may have throughout the course of their placement. Former UCd stu-dent and current UCd Health Charges Administrator, Vivian rath states that wAM is the “only programme that deals with graduates with disabilities,” adding that “it’s hugely disappointing that [with] the national internship Programme, Jobbridge, entrants with disabilities are ineligible. that sug-gests that there’s a mind-set there that hasn’t been changed. that’s why pro-grammes like these are so crucial.”

UCd alumnus and current oireach-tas member, Senator Martin Conway began his career as a student in UCd, where he arrived with sixteen per cent vision. He was one of the founding members of AHeAd and commends the work being done by the wAM programme, acknowledging the tri-als faced by graduates with disabili-ties in finding employment, “it’s a big challenge getting through university, to ensure that barriers are removed and that the pitch is level, but it is an equally big challenge for getting meaningful employment when you are up against able-bodied colleagues who also have the expertise and quali-fications.”

the Union of Students in ireland disability rights officer, gerard gal-lagher, explained that one of the most significant benefits of the wAM pro-

UCd, i had a political ambition, i went back down to Clare and got elected to Clare County Council and now i’m in the oireachtas as a Senator. So, there’s absolutely no reason, where there’s a determination and willingness, to not work at it. it can happen.”

disability services available to stu-dents at third level are often more ac-cessible than those found in the work-force. At third level, once a student makes their disability known to the services available, they are, in theo-ry, catered to. Finding and accessing help is much more self-driven in the workforce, although it is not often as extensive as employers feel it will be. Senator Conway explains, “there needs to be a realisation among em-ployers that if they were to provide the little supports, the loyalty they would get back would be enormous

… once the simple things are made available, whether it be a computer package to enhance print, whether it’s just making sure that someone has a comfortable chair, it can be as simple as that.”

Very often, no accommodations have to be made at all as the extent of the person’s disability allows them to use systems, which they have learned from college “such as using high-lighter pens, how they managed and structured their work, or how they communicate, and they will put those systems in place for themselves,” says Quirke.

According to gallagher, the stigma

surrounding the employment of peo-ple with disabilities has decreased in the last ten years. However, he also states that a recent survey by the national disability Authority has in-dicated that “attitudes to disability in irish society have become harder, people have become harder on people with disabilities, and have become more reluctant to see people with disabilities in the same cast as their kids.” this worrying trend, coupled with the fact that people with dis-abilities have suffered the most in terms of redundancy and loss of work since the recession, makes it crucial for students with disabilities to be prepared, says rath, “the way to do that is to build as many transferable skills as possible … graduates with disabilities need to be thinking about work long before they start applying for jobs as there are a few extra chal-lenges. And they are challenges, but challenges are there to be overcome.”

there are currently approximately 5,500 students with disabilities in higher education in the republic of ireland. However, these students will not stay in higher education forever, they will eventually progress onto their respective career paths. it is only through speaking openly about dis-abilities and achieving despite disabil-ity that employers will become more open to the idea of employing staff with disabilities. According to galla-gher, “we’re not there yet, but we’re getting there.”

Working for equal employ

Having overcome the hurdle of being accepted into and earning a degree at their University of choice,

graduate students with disabilities still, like all students, face the mammoth task of finding full-time, meaningful employment. In the second in

our series on disability, Katie Hughes examines the difficulties many graduates with disabilities face

Photographer: Caoimhe McDonnell

Pictured: Senator Martin Conway Photographer: David Nowak

The University Observer · 27 March 20126 feaTUres

if you’re reading this i’m assuming you’re irish. Strange as it may be, this is also a reason to go to Canada. if you arrive here with an irish accent, people instantly love you. Seriously. you have a friend wherever you go. People go out

of their way for you, solely based on your nationality. i have gotten a free taxi ride (one of the days i was lost, lazy and couldn’t find the amazing trans-port system), dozens of free coffees in cafés (“don’t worry about it dear, my

costs as much as one journey. not only that, but most of the transport is twen-ty-four hour, and this service costs the same as transport during the day. i’ve only had to get a taxi once since i ar-rived. it’s amazing.

Why toronto? that was a question i was asked a sur-prising num-ber of times when people heard about

my year abroad, and it was definitely one that confused me. obviously not a lot of people have been here. but why not toronto is a more appropriate ques-tion, really. Let me tell you why.

this place is cheap. you may have heard otherwise, and it may not be as cheap as some countries i’ve been to, but compared to dublin you are making an absolute killing on every purchase you make. Pretty much everything is far cheaper than you can get at home. there’s no way i could have lived like i have on what i had if i had been still in dublin. i would have declared my-self bankrupt in three months. For ex-ample, you can get steaks for as little as three dollars (just over two euro), and the student bar in toronto has pitchers for just ten dollars. that’s only seven euro, folks. think about it.

then there’s the public transport system. it’s fast, reliable, clean, and nothing at all like our own. you can get anywhere quickly; buses arrive on time (people who get the 17 bus will prob-ably salivate at that thought); and you can obtain ‘transfers’ when you get on any form of transport, a little ticket that allows you to get onto the next form of transport for free. that means if you have to get three buses and a streetcar to make it to work or college, it only

grandmother was irish”), free drinks, an offer of free accommodation for a month (just after i was put up in the penthouse), and countless other things. it also helped me get a job. it’s incred-ible really. i could go on, but i think you get the picture. they love us.

there’s also the weather. Someone told me they would never go to Canada because of the horrible winters. i don’t want to go back to ireland because of the horrible weather all year round. the winter was not bad at all. Snow beats rain any day, in my opinion, espe-cially in a country that actually knows how to deal with it. Paths are clear, roads are clear, so you only have to deal with the snow in fun scenarios like building forts or pelting children with snowballs. not only that, but it is cur-rently mid-March, and it’s almost too hot to go outside. the temperature will be in the high twenties all week, and is likely to only get better for the next six months. that’s right. A real summer, six months long. Sign me up.

Finally, there’s poutine. what’s that, you might ask? i know i did when i ar-rived. then i was given a plate of it, and i’ve never looked back. imagine a plate of chips, smothered in hot gravy and lumps of melting cheese. i don’t know why we don’t have poutine in ireland. or everywhere, for that matter. it is amazing. Come for that alone.

the people are nice, the city is beau-tiful and i really could go on all day. i won’t, but i will say this. whether Can-ada or not, try and go on a year abroad. it’s the best thing i’ve ever done. i managed to find the coolest landlord ever, who ended up being a great friend i’ll miss immensely. i’ve met the nic-est people, the most amazing girl, seen some unreal places, and have had some great adventures along the way. what-ever might hold you back, forget it. go for it. trust me, you won’t regret it. oh, and it makes your degree stand out too.

Postcards from AbroadIn the very last of his Postcards to those left in the motherland, Niall Spain concludes his year abroad, and sums up what it is that makes Toronto so special

Toronto

Brendan Foley (EU and Constitutional Law)

Philip Burke (Equity & Trusts)

Pamela Morton (Faculty Manager)

Trish Cronin (Property Law)

Mark Cockerill (Company & Criminal)

Courses also enrolling for the School of Psychology and the School of Arts include:Diploma in Psychology, Diploma in Counselling Psychology, Diploma in Criminology & Criminal Psychology, Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, CPD Courses in Motivational Interviewing, Diploma in Journalism, Diploma in History with Myles Dungan, Diploma in Family History with Myles Dungan, Diploma in Creative Writing, Diploma in Children’s Book Writing & Illustration, Diploma in Digital Marketing

Dame St, Dublin 2 & Templeogue, Dublin 6W1850 252740 info@citycolleges.iewww.citycolleges.ie

Brendan Foley (EU and Constitutional Law)

Philip Burke (Equity & Trusts)

Pamela Morton (Faculty Manager)

Trish Cronin (Property Law)

Mark Cockerill (Company & Criminal)

Philip Burke, Brendan Foley, Mark Cockerill, Patricia Cronin, Ronan Lupton, Ciarán Lawlor, Pamela Morton

Introducing City Colleges’ School of Professional Law Prizewinning TeamOur lecturers have taught a remarkable 10 Law Society of Ireland’s Entrance Examinations 1st place prize winners, and have managed the success of over 15. We are now enrolling for Law Society of Ireland’s Entrance Exams (FE-1) and King’s Inn Preparatory Courses. Courses commence on 5th June 2012 from our Dublin locations, and online throughout the country.

The University Observer · 27 March 2012 7feaTUres

For Kelsey, prayer provides one of the foundation stones of her faith.

“At the very basic, prayer allows me to open up a conversation with god. it allows me to focus, because i don’t think about other things, i just focus on the thoughts that are in my mind, i can present things that are [making me] anxious … of saying to god, these are the things that i’m struggling with. but there’s also the ability to sit, be quiet and to listen, and that’s very much where the dialogue begins and where you can start to see that god is telling you things. Prayer is a way to connect with my spirituality. it is a way to centre myself and … to always come back to the way in which He asked me to live.”

All four felt their faith benefited them in various ways, with Kelsey explaining that her faith offered her

“a peace, a sense of security really, because i believe that my creator is there to protect me, is there to help me.” dave highlighted the benefits of self-reflection through prayer. “Say i’m really stressed about an exam, what can i do? i can just take a bit of time to just pray and relax, and i can kind of feel that i can get on with it. i wouldn’t be as stressed as i would be before.” Aneeq felt the primary benefit was moral, explaining “ev-erything you do, you become more aware that god is there with you, and that god is watching you. when you are a believer in god, Muslim means

‘one who submits to god’ … it becomes harder to do something that’s wrong.”

in an increasingly atheist soci-ety, it can often be hard to envisage what it means when people describe their ‘relationship’ with god. Kelsey believes that her relationship with god “has two elements really. one is very personal and that is born of an attentive prayer life really; i spend time reading the bible because those are the words … that is the message that He has given to me and is what he’s using to ask me [how] to live my life. but then there’s also a commu-nity aspect of that as well in which i’m asked, and also possess the desire to, express that faith in a very basic sense that is of living that faith. if god is love, i’m to live in love and therefore that translates into actions that express love.”

Kelsey believed that the best way of describing her god was as “love,

and anyone who lives in love lives in god, and god lives in him.” Although the relationship shared with their god bore many similarities, Aneeq’s description of god differed slightly.

“in islam there’s the concept of the ninety-nine names of god, which refers to his ninety-nine attributes,” he says. “there’s all-powerful, all-knowing. it’s not all just about love [as in Christianity], it’s also the most just, the greatest in punishment, at the same time as being the most lov-ing.”

Unsurprisingly, all four respon-dents have found there are certain challenges involved with being reli-gious in an increasingly atheist soci-ety. “it makes me angry sometimes,” explains Jonathan. “i went to watch a stand-up comedian and he was completely ripping everything out of Christianity, and i was getting pretty annoyed.” dave, a fellow Method-ist, added that they had no problem with people questioning their faith, but just wished people would be con-siderate of their perspective when they did so. “if you like anything and someone publically mocks it, it’s not nice,” he explained. “i think it is good that there is the freedom to do it, but you do kind of wish they’d have more understanding.”

this sentiment was shared by

Articles about re-ligion abound throughout the world of student journalism. often they are debates regarding the non-existence or exis-

tence of god, or about religion’s place in society. while it cannot be denied that students who adhere to any faith are becoming an increasingly small minority, how do those who still be-lieve in an all-powerful being feel to be religious? in order to gain an insight into this, the University Ob-server talked to students from a vari-ety of different backgrounds who all have one thing in common: a passion for their faith. we spoke to Kelsey Korabic, Co-Auditor of the newman Society and roman Catholic, dave nicoll and Jonathan Steinegger, two Christian Methodists members of the Christian Union, and Aneeq Ahmed, Sunni Muslim and Auditor of the islamic Society.

we asked each of our interviewees to sum up what they felt was most important about their faiths. Kelsey felt what really stood out was “the longevity of the history. the roman Catholic faith can trace itself back all the way to Jesus Christ, at the very centre, at the very origin … to me that’s very meaningful because it can connect myself when i go to worship in mass with 2,000 years of other people worshipping.” dave and Jonathan echoed this sentiment and believed the differences between different Christian traditions were not so significant. dave felt, howev-er, that there should be an emphasis placed on the relationship with god rather than on organised worship. “i think some religion seems sort of le-galistic, [i.e.] ‘if you do this, you go to heaven’. i think [Methodism] is more

… relationship as opposed to religion. A living relationship with god as op-posed to a strict set of rules.”

Aneeq described islam as “in itself is a relatively simple religion. it’s the belief in one god, one all-powerful, all-knowing god that created ev-erything … As a result, he sent down rules and regulations and you abide by them.” He went on to highlight how any act carried out with good intentions and within god’s law is considered an act of worship in is-lam, and that worship is not limited to prayer.

All respondents were quick to emphasise the importance of prayer in their day-to-day lives. Aneeq ex-plained that “the thing in islam is that you have to pray five times a day. it’s sort of like, you wake up in the morning and you have to pray. then in the afternoon at one or two, you’re busy with your day, but you have to take five minutes out to pray. ev-erything you do, ‘a few hours later i have to go pray’ is still on my mind constantly, my connection with god.” in slight contrast, david mused that prayer was an important part of life but “not just something you set aside time for, you should be thinking about it throughout your whole day.”

both Aneeq and Kelsey, with the lat-ter explaining that she did not mind when people sought to discredit her faith but that it became distinctly

“uncomfortable” when they mocked or belittled her. “i think it’s a great avenue for growing in faith … but if they’re not interested in listening to my side of things, that would make things more difficult,” she said. “i would feel very sad that they were unable to be respectful of my differ-ence of opinion and unable to have a dialogue with me about why i believe what i believe.”

Aneeq added that it was some people’s refusal to engage in a debate on religion that was more irritating than those who sought to discredit their beliefs. “it really depends on how they do it,” he said. “i basically want to talk to them and argue with them. i love debating.” Aneeq con-tinued that, often, people would dis-miss his faith out of hand without re-ally examining what it meant to him.

“Usually when i hear [islam is violent], i laugh. when i see it on youtube, i do laugh,” he said. “i can’t help it be-cause … they’re seeing it from a very different point of view and they’re taking people’s beliefs and leaving it at that, without understanding what it really is.”

Perhaps surprisingly for ireland, a country with an overwhelmingly Christian heritage, dave found that he too often had to explain many as-pects of his religious belief. “i’m sur-prised how some people don’t seem to get what Christianity is about,” he said. “i know many people in my class that have grown up in ireland, and yet they still might not know why Jesus is integral to the faith.”

when it came to questions con-cerning whether they had ever had doubts in their own faith, the re-sponse was more mixed. Aneeq did not feel he had any significant doubts but “sometimes you’d find something and you’d be like ‘well that’s weird’ and then you go look up on it … before i would have doubted [my] belief in god when i was younger, but now it makes sense. if i have any problem with anything i can reason it out, or i can do research on it. in islam you don’t believe in blind faith, every-thing has to make sense, there has to be a logical reasoning behind it.”

dave expressed difficulties with

old testament bible passages involv-ing war, but did clarify that he “can’t get away from the fact that i believe god is there and god is with me.” Kelsey reported trouble with cer-tain mysteries, namely Jesus’ god-Human duality and transubstantia-tion in the sacrament. “the way that these two elements can both be the same at the same time, it’s a difficult thing to wrap your head around,” she said. “i think doubting is an essential element of faith, again going back to the reasoning that if you never ques-tion what you believe, how are you to learn more about it and further ex-pand that faith?”

Many disagreements exist be-

tween people of differing religious backgrounds, and much of it stems not just from arguments of fact and reason, but from differences of ex-perience. while arguing about facts and logical reason is important and desirable, we should remember that religious belief is not simply based on facts, it is also often based on power-ful personal experiences, which play a large role in defining a person’s re-ligious belief. while examining these personal experiences of faith, we cannot objectively learn what truth is behind them, but we can learn a little of how it feels to be religious. in un-derstanding the perspectives of those who hold beliefs that are different to our own religious or non-religious standpoints a little better, we can do much more to further understanding.

In God they trustIn the lead-up to the Christian celebration of Easter,

Jason Quigley and Matt Gregg talk to students about what it’s like to be religious in an increasingly secular society

Once the height of newspaper production technology, the Linotype machine became obsolete in the Photographer: Conor O’Toole

Kelsey Korabic,

Co-Auditor of the

Newman Society

“I think doubting is an essential element of faith, again going back to the reasoning that if you never question what you believe, how are you to learn more about it and further expand that faith?”

Dave Nicoll, Member

of the UCD Christian

Union

“If you like anything and someone publically mocks it, it’s not nice. I think it is good that there is the freedom to do it but you do kind of wish they’d have more understanding”

Aneeq Ahmed, Auditor of the

Islamic Society

“In Islam you don’t believe in blind faith, everything has to make sense, there has to be a logical reasoning behind it.”

The University Observer · 27 March 20128 feaTUres

Saol na Gaeilge Beo Beathach - i Nua-Eabhrac!

Bliain i gCumhacht

is níos mó ná bliain ó shin a vótáladh lucht Fhianna Fáil as oifig tar éis dóibh beagnach ceithre bliana déag a chaitheamh i dtithe an rialtais. bhí an slad a rinneadh orthu níos

measa fiú ná mar a bhí na scolardaigh is creidiúnaí ag tuar agus ruaigeadh a gcom-hghuaillithe bochta sa Chomhaontas glas as teach Laighean gan trua gan taise. don chéad uair riamh i stair na Poblachta seo bhí níos mó suíocháin dála ag na Léinte gorma ná mar a bhí ag a sean-naimhde.

Fiú sular críochnaíodh comhaireamh na vótaí, chuaigh Fine gael agus an Lucht oibre i mbun cainteanna chun comhrialtas a chur le chéile. dúradh linn go rabhamar ar thairseach ré nua. i ndáiríre áfach, bhí rialtas lárnach dea-sach tofa againn i gcomharbacht ar ri-altas eile lárnach deasach agus ba léir go han-sciobtha nach raibh aon chlaochlú radacach tagtha ar chúrsaí.

Ar feadh tamaill bhí gach rud huncaí deoraí mar a déarfá. bhí cuairt le tab-hairt ag an taoiseach ar an oifig Ubh-chruthach i mí an Mhárta. bhí seachtain na gcuairteoirí againn i mí na bealtaine agus deis ag enda roinnt bolg le gréin a dhéanamh leis an mbanríon agus obama.

Ansin i mí iúil fuair sé ardmholadh as an ionsaí fíochmhar a rinne sé sa dáil tar éis tuairisc Chluana a bheith foilsithe. i bpobalbhreith an tseachtain sin léirigh tromlach mór de phobal na hÉireann muinín a bheith acu as an taoiseach úr-thofa. níorbh fhada áfach go raibh tré-imhse mhí na meala thart.

tar éis an tsamhraidh bhí cúrsaí measctha go leor don pháirtí sóisearach sa Chomhrialtas. nuair a d’fhógair an tánaiste go rabhadar chun Ambasáid na Vatacáine a dhúnadh, ba níos mó de cháineadh seachas moladh a fuaireadar. bhí gliondar croí ar an Lucht oibre áfach

nuair a toghadh Mícheál d chun an Árais. Agus bhí an lámh in uachtar acu san fhothoghchán i mbaile Átha Cliath thiar chomh maith. Cúpla seachtain níos deire-anaí áfach, díbríodh an teachta dála nua de chuid an Lucht oibre as an bpáirtí agus d’fhág an tAire willie Penrose an Chomh-Aireacht go hachrannach.

tar éis tamaill ba léir go raibh cúrsaí ag filleadh ar a seanbhealaí agus go raibh na polasaithe céanna ag rialtas Uí Chi-onnaith is a bhí ag an seanrialtas. Cúpla seachtain roimh nollaig scriosadh suair-ceas na hAidbhinte le ceann de na cái-naisnéisí ba sheirbhe i stair na Poblachta seo agus mar is gnách b’é an dream daoine is leochailí inár sochaí ba mhó a buaileadh. ní raibh an rialtas in ann neamhaird a thabhairt ar an fhírinne lom a thuilleadh. Ar fud na tíre bhí tui-smitheoirí ag streachailt chun bronnta-nais nollag a cheannach dá gcuid páistí agus ag iarraidh gach uile phingin a choigilt chun an morgáiste a íoc.

i gcomparáid leis an rialtas a d’imigh rompu áfach, ní féidir a shéanadh go bhfuil a gcuid roghanna srianta go leor. Maidir le polasaithe airgeadais is ag an Chiste Airgeadaíochta idirnáisiúnta agus An banc Ceannais i bhFrankfurt atá an cinneadh deireanach agus níl cead aighnis ar bith ag an rialtas. Le linn an fheachtais toghchánaíochta chuir Éamon Mac giollamóir bealach an Lucht oibre i gcomparáid le “bealach Frank-furt.” bhuel dealraíonn sé anois gur an dá thaobh den aon bhonn amháin iad.

Ceann de na tosaíochtaí is mó a bhí ag an rialtas nua ná íomhá agus clú na tíre seo a fheabhsú thar lear agus tá mo-ladh tuillte ag an taoiseach gan amhras as ucht a bheith chomh gníomhach ar an stáitse domhanda. dhá lá i ndiaidh dó a bheith tofa ina thaoiseach bhí Ó Ci-onnaith i mbun comhraic le hUachtarán na Fraince nicolas Sarkozy ag an gcruin-niú mullaigh sa bhruiséil agus é ag co-saint ár ráta cánach corparáide.

bhí go leor daoine go mór in amhras faoi cheannaireacht Uí Chionnaith, ach bliain tar éis do theachtaí áirithe ina pháirtí féin iarracht a dhéanamh fáil ré-idh leis, bhí sé ag tabhairt óráide os com-hair na mílte ar Fhaiche an Choláiste, agus an tUachtarán obama in aice leis!

Agus bliain amháin bainte amach ag an gcomhrialtas nua, caitheann Séamas Ó Meachair súil siar ar an méid atá curtha i gcrích acu ó thángadar i gcumhacht

tá rudaí athraithe go mór dom ó thosaigh mé le staidéar na gaeilge i gColáiste na hollscoile, baile Átha Cliath i 2007. tar éis céim sa ghaeilge agus sa bhé-

arla a bhaint amach, bliain a chaitheamh i dteach na gaeilge in Merville (5-6 abú!), bliain mar ionadaí ranga, ceann mar oifigeach na ndán agus ansin Máistreacht i Scríobh agus Cumarsáid a dhéanamh ann anuraidh, táim ag múineadh na gaeilge i nua-eabhrac faoi láthair! tá míle buío-chas le gabháil le CobÁC as mé a stiúradh sa treo seo agus mothaím uaim go mór na daoine, an roinn, an campas agus an chraic.

Chuir mé isteach ar an scoláireacht Fulbright i mí eanáir anuraidh, chun teacht anseo mar FLtA, nó cúntóir teagaisc teanga. oibrím ar feadh fiche uair a chloig in aghaidh na seachtaine.

Múinimse i gColáiste Manhattan, Co-láiste Mount Saint Vincent agus Co-láiste Lehman go príomha agus iad uilig lonnaithe sa mbronx. tá cúig rang agam san iomlán, idir bhuntho-saitheoirí agus daoine atá beagnach líofa agus caighdeán ard scríofa agus tuisceana acu, cé go mbíonn easpa cleachtadh cainte acu go minic.

déanaim an-iarracht imeachtaí a ea-grú i gColáiste Lehman. bhunaigh mé Cumann gaelach, chuamar ar thurais go cluiche pheil ghaelach agus chun

‘the Pipe’ a fheiceáil, chomh maith le hoícheanta a chaitheamh ag caint faoi agus ag féachaint ar fhíseáin faoi mhio-taseolaíocht na hÉireann, rud a bhfuil an-suim acu ann thall anseo. bhí Lá le gaeilge againn ar an 22 Márta, le céilí ar siúl againn san amharclann agus an-

sin d’fhéachamar ar an scannán ‘Kings’, toisc gur ‘Mí Stair ghael-Mheiriceánach’ atá anseo go hoifigiúil i Mí an Mhárta.

tá an ghaeilge láidir go leor sna Stáit Aontaithe, rud nár thuig mé sular tháinig mé anseo. is féidir an ghaeilge a fhoghlaim in 87 áit ar fud na tíre. An-seo i nua-eabhrac tá Club Leabhar lái-dir ann, do chainteoirí líofa agus is Meiriceánaigh an-chuid dóibh. bíonn imeachtaí ar siúl ag an gConsalacht agus ag institiúid an Léinn ghael-Mheiriceánaigh in ollscoil Chathair nua-eabhrac. eagraíonn daltaí na gaeilge deireadh seachtaine gaeltach-ta go minic, beidh mise tar éis a bheith i mo mhúinteoir gaeilge ag ceithre cinn dóibh roimh an samhradh. Caithfidh duine ar scoláireacht Fulbright iar-racht a dhéanamh dul i dteagmháil leis

an méid grúpaí gur féidir leis nó léi.tá go leor eagraíochtaí anseo do

na hÉireannaigh freisin. tá thart ar 8,000 Éireannach anseo go mídhleath-ach. deir siad liom nach féidir leo carr a fháil, nach féidir leo dul ar eitleán, nach mbíonn árachas sláinte acu. Má fhaigheanns duine éicint sa bhaile bás, ní féidir leo imeacht abhaile. Má fhilleann siad ar Éirinn, tá gach se-ans go gcaithfear i bpríosúin iad ar an mbealach ar ais go Meiriceá (ach go háirithe i ndiaidh 9/11). tá cosc ar fhil-leadh ar Mheiriceá ar feadh deich mbli-ana má bheirtear ort agus tú anseo go mídhleathach.

Socraíonn siad comharsanacht dóibh féin. tá an pheil ghaelach an-láidir, tá go leor foirne thart. tá mise i mo chónaí in áit darb ainm wood-lawn, tá sé díreach cosúil le bheith ar ais in Éirinn. is féidir liom tayto, rockshandy, bisto agus anraith Knorr a fháil anseo, bricfeasta ceart Éirean-nach a fháil maidin domhnaigh i ndi-aidh oíche Shathairn agus canúint na hÉireann amháin a chloisteáil don lá ar fad. is tábhachtach an rud é do chom-harsanacht féin a chruthú as baile, mar atá go leor dár gcairde féin ag foghlaim na laethantaí seo san Astráil is dócha.

bíonn deacrachtaí agam amantaí, go cinnte. d’iarr cúpla duine orm, céard é a dhéananns tú? nuair a dúirt mé go múinimse gaeilge, dúradh liom cúpla uair, ‘níl a leithéid de theanga ann!’. is deacair an rud é a chloisteáil nuair a mhothaíonn tú go bhfuil an duine ag scriosadh amach cuid lárnach duit féin. bhí fear eile ann nár ghlac leis an smaoineamh go raibh orainn scoile-anna scairte a bheith againn. Caithfear a bheith cúramach leis na rudaí seo

a mhíniú agus an fhírinne a scaipe-adh faoinár dteanga, ach go háirithe i measc mhuintir Mheiriceá, an lucht a bhfuil an t-airgead acu le caitheamh in Éirinn fós!

Cúpla pointí fánacha mar fho-cal scoir: Caithfidh tú a bheith cúra-mach gan míolta leapa a fháil nuair a shuíonns tú sa phictiúrlann i gcónaí. ná fág do sparán i do dhiaidh ar an traein. ná tóg go pearsanta é nuair a labhraíonn lucht nua-eabhrac go borb leat. ná téigh chuig an áit chéanna faoi dhó, mar ní chaithfidh tú. Mothóidh tú as áit thart ar Central Park muna bhfuil iPhone agus madra beag agat.

Más féidir leat cara doiminiceach a dhéanamh riamh, déan é, is iontach an lucht iad agus is breá leo an chraic cosúil linne. Ceapann na heaspáinnigh gur chuir siad féin tús le liathróid láim-he, áfach, toisc go bhfuil sé níos coitian-ta anseo i nua-eabhrac, ach go háirithe sa mbronx ná mar atá sé in Éirinn, bígí ag faire amach chuig an ngadaíocht sin freisin!

ní fhágfainn an teach anois gan mo chártaí gnó a bheith agam (muna bh-fuil cártaí gnó agat i nua-eabhrac, ní fiú do dhaoine aithne a chur ort ar chor ar bith, feictear dom!). Agus mothaím go bhfuil mé i “Sex and the City” ar a laghad ceithre huaire sa tseachtain, gach seachtain.

Mholfainn go hard na spéire daoibh uilig smaoinigh ar chur isteach ar an sco-láireacht Fulbright, nó ar an gceann le Fondúireacht ollscoil Éireann Cheanada. Cé go bhfuil an-ghrá agam d’Éirinn, tá mé fíorshásta as baile freisin agus tá an méid sin le foghlaim gur maith an rud é píosa taistil a dhéanamh nuair atá an deis againn anois. tapaígí an deis!

Agus iarrachtaí á ndéanamh aitheantas Gaeltachta a thabhairt do cheantair i mBaile Átha Cliath agus i mBéal Feirste, léiríonn Madeleine Ní Ghallchobhair – iarmhac léinn de chuid na hOllscoile seo – go bhfuil teanga ársa na nGael ag dul ó neart go neart i Stát na hImpireachta chomh maith

go deimhin bhí míchlú ar an tír seo de dheasca na géarchéime eacnamaíoch-ta. Le hiarrachtaí an rialtais le bliain anuas áfach, tá Éire le feiceáil ar ais i lár an aonaigh san Aontas eorpach. rud a chabhraigh go mór le feabhas a chur ar íomhá na tíre seo ná Fóram eac-namaíoch Éireannaigh an domhain a tharla i mí dheireadh Fómhair agus bill Clinton i measc na ndaoine a bhí i láthair. rud eile a bhí thar a bheith dearfach mai-dir le poist nua a chruthú chomh maith ná an chuairt a thug Leasuachtarán na Síne i mí Feabhra.

Ar ndóigh bhí mana ag Fine gael ro-imh an olltoghchán: “Éire a chur ar ais ag obair”, ach bliain níos deireanaí tá leibhéal na dífhostaíochta níos airde ná mar a bhí riamh. De réir na bhfigiúirí is deireanaí ón bPríomh-Oifig Staidrimh tá beagnach leathmhilliún duine i scuainí dóil gach seachtain agus an tríú ráta is airde dífhostaíochta againn as na balls-táit ar fad de chuid an Aontais eorpaigh. Sa Spáinn agus sa ghréig amháin atá cúr-saí níos measa.

An mhí seo caite d’fhógair an tAire Post, Fiontar agus nuálaíochta plean

gníomhaíochta chun téarnamh agus cruthú fostaíochta a chur chun cinn. dúirt richard bruton go gcruthófar 100,000 post nua roimh 2016 faoin bplean. Céim chun tosaigh a bhí ann gan dabht, ach bhí an clár thar a bheith gann ar mhionsonraí caithfear a rá.

is léir, go háirithe i bhfianaise na mé-ide a deimhníodh i dtuarascáil Mahon an tseachtain seo caite, nach bhfuil mórán muiníne ag an bpobail as a bpolaiteoirí. Mar sin beidh sé spéisiúil a fháil amach an baothchaint í an mhéid atá geallta ag an rialtas maidir le hathchóiriú po-laitiúil. tá sé ráite ag an taoiseach go bh-fiosrófar an córas toghcháin a athrú agus

go mbeidh reifreann ar siúl maidir leis an Seanad a dhíothú, ach beidh i bhfad níos mó ag teastáil chun meas agus muinín an phobail a thuilleamh in athuair.

Le níos mó ná míle duine óg ag fágáil na tíre seo in éadan a dtola gach seachtain agus na céadta míle eile fágtha in umar na haimléise i scuainí an dóil, ní háibhéil a rá go bhfuil cnoc mór fós le dreapadh ag an rialtas. níl aon amhras faoi thrombhrí na hoibre a bheidh le déanamh acu chun fadhbanna ollmhóra na tíre a réiteach. d’ainneoin ar baineadh amach acu go dtí seo, tá an dul chun cinn mall go leor, ach “tús maith, leath na hoibre” mar a deirtear!

gluais:na scolardaigh ........................................................................... the punditsclaochlú radacach ........................................... radical transformationAn Oifig Ubhchruthach .................................................... The Oval OfficeTuairisc Chluana ......................................................... The Cloyne Reportis leochailí .......................................................................... most vulnerableFóram Eacnamaíoch Éireannaigh an Domhain ......................................... .......................................................................... Global Irish Economic Forumbaothchaint ........................................................................................ idle talk

The University Observer · 27 March 2012 9

Observer opinionopinion@universityobserver.ie

Putting a price on the truthIn light of the publication of the Mahon Tribunal report, Aoife Valentine considers whether such inquiries are worth their price tag

With the pub-lication of the Mahon Tribunal re-port comes the realisa-tion that

perhaps it was all simply a waste of time. The Tribunal, which was set up as the ‘Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments’, was essentially established to investigate claims of political corruption within the planning system. It had over 400 witnesses come before it and hav-ing sat for a total of over 900 days over the course of its near fifteen-year duration; it is the longest run-ning public inquiry the Irish judi-ciary have ever undertaken. Since 1997, it has racked up a legal costs bill in excess of 250 million euro, and the final report has seemingly revealed nothing the general pub-lic haven’t been virtually certain of for many years now.

The majority of the reports key findings involve many of the big-gest names in the Irish political sphere over the last couple of de-cades. According to the report, Padraig Flynn, former Minister and EU Commissioner, “wrongly and corruptly” received an alleged payment of 50,000 pounds from Tom Gilmartin, which he used for his personal benefit. Former TD and Fianna Fáil deputy, Liam Law-

lor was allegedly given 40,000 pounds by Frank Dunlop and fur-ther received 41,000 pounds from Owen O’Callaghan. The Tribunal found that Lawlor’s relationship with both parties was entirely cor-rupt, and various other payments he claimed were ‘political dona-tions’ from Arlington PLC were anything but that. The report also asserts that O’Callaghan also do-nated some 80,000 pounds to the Fianna Fáil party while lobbying for state subvention for a devel-opment in Neilstown, having been pressurised to do so by various political figures. Former TD, GV Wright allegedly accepted 5,000 pounds from Christopher Jones, which was deemed corrupt, along with similar findings in relation to eleven councillors. Most notably however, the Tribunal fell short of a finding of corruption for former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, holding him to have failed to truthfully ac-count for over 165,000 pounds, despite dozens of supporting testi-monies from friends of Ahern sup-posedly offering him ‘dig-outs’.

This is not, it would seem, an acceptable conclusion for the Irish public, especially given the extreme length and astonishingly high costs of the Tribunal. It would appear that at the very least they expected that Ahern would be hung out to dry, and his reputa-tion destroyed beyond recogni-

tion. Instead, Ahern has barely re-ceived a slap on the wrist.

It is the findings relating to Ahern which have particularly es-tablished a feeling that the Tribu-nal was merely an incredibly ex-pensive white elephant; that the entire inquiry was a giant circus, in which legal teams had a field day, safe in the knowledge that former Minister for Finance, Charlie Mc-Creevy had chosen not to provide stipulations to curtail their fees should the tribunal last more than a couple of months.

We must then factor in that the Gardaí cannot use any part of the re-port to prosecute anyone involved, and must instead mount their own independent investigations, gather-ing evidence themselves and using the report merely as a vague guide on who or where to go to next. Any offence they find to have been com-mitted must be an offence under the law in place when it was alleg-edly committed, and twenty years ago you could not make inferences when a public official received mon-ey, as you can now.

With all this considered, one would be forgiven for question-ing what the point of opening the inquiry was in the first place. It is very simple to say that no tribunal is worth the amount of money this one has cost the state, but was there really any other option? To condemn its existence based on its cost surely suggests our pri-orities are not set entirely straight. Not only does it represent a very pessimistic approach to the ac-countability of those in power, but also it is quite a sad state of affairs to consider ourselves better off without the truth, especially when it concerns the failings of Irish de-mocracy for the last thirty years.

The cost of this Tribunal simply reflects the way the country has been run for far too long, however, and we can’t but acknowledge that the electorate consistently reward-

As an increasing number policies that some would

deem misogynistic are put forward in the United States,

Cormac Duffy examines what has been dubbed

America’s ‘War on Women’

tial provision of contraceptives in front of a House Committee that had previously only spoken to re-ligious leaders, conservative talk show pundit Rush Limbaugh used it to brand her a ‘slut’ and a ‘pros-titute’. The move brought sweeping condemnation across the left and among women’s groups, as well as some half-hearted condemnation from the right.

This issue is constantly dragged

to the fore. When the cancer charity Susan G. Komen Foundation with-drew funding from Planned Parent-hood over its role in providing abor-tion, it caused a stir that showed it to be putting politics above re-sults. The two leading candidates in the Republican primaries, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, have both declared they want to cut all government funding for Planned Parenthood if elected. It has been the primaries that have dragged these issues into the spotlight too, particularly Rick Santorum’s vocal espousal of his anti-abortion and anti-contraception views, as well as former candidate and Texas Gover-nor Rick Perry putting a spotlight on anti-abortion measures such as mandatory ultrasound viewing.

An online campaign spearhead-ed by lobby groups Move On and Emily’s List has exposed a broad front of anti-women policies being pursued, ranging from a bill in Con-gress that redefines rape, to one that uses the IRS to monitor pay-ment for abortion to prevent it be-ing paid for by government-funded healthcare plans.

Attempts on the right to flip the campaign, saying that what women really care about is jobs and the state of the economy have entirely missed the point, not least because amazingly, citizens can care about a multitude of issues. What needs to be realised about the war on wom-en is that it is not a passing affair, but an indictment of a culture’s at-titude to reproductive rights.

Look at the issue of contraception provision. Yes, Republicans can argue that religious institutions such as hospitals and schools need not allow healthcare plans that go against their beliefs, but that does not remove any duty on governments to fill that gap. That a worrying trend opposing the provision of contraception in general exists shows the misinformation that can be perpetuated. Even if you oppose the use of contraceptives on moral or religious grounds, they are often prescribed for vital healthcare reasons that should not be ruled out by law, and you still do not get an entitlement to limit other’s access to them.

That abortion, even forty years af-ter Roe v. Wade, is still a highly con-tentious issue at the very heart of the culture wars probably explains its lo-cation in a perpetual legal grey area. While all states must allow it, many are pursuing ways to undo this, and others are simply making it hugely difficult for women to access this right, using everything from manda-tory ultrasounds supposed to reveal the humanity of the foetus and wait-ing periods for women to consider the decision. There is nothing worse than the duality that exists when citizens are unable to receive what is their legal right without being mor-ally condemned by the state for it. The Supreme Court has ruled that women have a fundamental right to bodily autonomy, and individual states, let alone individual politicians, should not be using emotional ma-nipulation to limit that autonomy un-til a consensus is reached.

Like the anti-contraception cam-paign’s focus of religious freedom of institutions as a proxy fight, the anti-abortion campaign is target-ing the idea of federal funding. They do this despite an executive order during the original healthcare de-bates that meant no federal fund-ing for abortion would occur. The arguments being brought in are distinctly American ones; that there is no right to these services and that individuals should not have to see their taxes spent on something they are morally opposed to. To the first complaint we simply look at the fact that freedom is not always increased with less state involve-ment. The use of federal funding to provide individuals with access to often essential services that they would otherwise not have in certain economic circumstances certainly improves their lives in freeing them from a constraint. To the second, we simply say that any tax system could never function efficiently if it went only where the payer wanted. But the fact, plain and simple, is that defining women’s rights is firmly on the US political agenda, and those who wish to expand them rather than stunt them with anachronistic ideals certainly have the stronger case, and hopefully, the more elect-able one.

the War on Womening symptom of the unending cycle of culture war into an all-out, highly publicised conflict, but several key moments have placed the issues on centre stage.

The seemingly unending at-tempts by the right to derail the inevitable full implementation of Obamacare have found a new angle with which to attack; the mandated buy-in to contraceptive-providing healthcare plans by religious insti-tutions, primarily Catholic hospitals (something from which, at the time of going to print, Obama appeared to be backing down) as well as the state’s role in providing them. When Sandra Fluke, a student and activ-ist, testified in favour of the essen-

From the country that brought us such me-dia-friendly pseudo-conflicts as the War on Terror and the War on Drugs, we have now been brought a more

subtle, insidious conflict that is rag-ing in the political sphere of the United States. What numerous ac-tivists, politicians and media groups have dubbed the Republican Party’s War on Women is a many-headed hydra of reactionary policies seek-ing to roll back advances for wom-en’s rights, particularly reproductive rights, for a multitude of dubious motivations. It’s difficult to pinpoint the sudden spillover of an underly-

ed this brand of politics, even when the details of the morally question-able actions of the politicians top-ping polls were in the public do-main. It is ultimately this that the Mahon report should change.

The Report is particularly shocking not because people were unaware that this was going on, but because we were unaware it was so “endemic and systemic,” and the consequences for nation-al politics are severe. It is embar-rassing for us as a nation that so many in the past turned a blind eye to what was going on un-abated around us. These findings have undoubtedly caused incon-ceivable damage to public trust and electoral confidence, but if it took fifteen years and a consider-able costs bill to force the public

to take their head out of the sand, perhaps it was indeed worthwhile.

Exposing this morally bankrupt culture in Irish democracy in such a way that the electorate can’t ig-nore will force the voting public to perhaps consider their choices a little more carefully, and to take issues of integrity into account at the ballot box. The information we gained from the inquiry is in-valuable, once we act upon it. It is unlikely we will ever see a Tribu-nal like this again. If publishing the findings of the Mahon tribunal has done nothing more than prevent such widespread abuses of power again, by laying out the astonish-ing practices over the last thirty years in a manner which cannot be brushed under the carpet, it has been entirely worthwhile.

The University Observer · 27 March 201210 OpiniOn

On April 11th and 12th, UCD Students’ Union will hold a preferendum to decide its official stance on the issue of fees and funding for third-level education. Elizabeth O’Malley, Catherine Murnane, Conor O’Nolan, Jack Walsh and Karl Gill examine the advantages of each of the available options

Head to Head: Preferendum Special

Under a graduate tax system stu-dents would repay the cost of their university educa-tion through extra taxation. The rate

of tax is proportional to their earn-ings and suggested rates are quite low; the scheme proposed by the National Union of Students in the UK includes rates of between 0.3 per cent for the lowest earners and 2.5 per cent for top earners. In practice this would cost a teacher seven pounds of their income per week. This is compared to the nine per cent students pay on average of their incomes under student loan schemes. This scheme could either be capped after a number of years or levied throughout their

working life. There would be no upfront costs at the point of entry. Repayments are interest-free.

This system is the fairest sug-gested for a number of reasons. Unlike our current system, which is forcing students out of educa-tion because of financial difficul-ties, entry to university will not be based on whether you can afford it; everyone will be able to attend. The government in turn won’t have to pay grants except for maintenance fees. This will reduce barriers to further education.

Unlike the student loan scheme, students will not be deterred by the prospect of personal debt once they have left university. It will not compromise the next gen-eration’s ability to get reasonable loans or mortgages. There is also

less of a temptation to emigrate under this system; most people don’t consider future income tax ‘debt’ and there are very few peo-ple who emigrate in order to take advantage of lower tax elsewhere. The rate of tax is also minimal. There are fewer problems for stu-dents after they have graduated.

This system is proportional, taxing those who can afford it most. Those who leave education and find it difficult to get high-paying jobs will not have to pay a huge amount. It takes into ac-count a student’s future earnings rather than their parents’ income. This eliminates the problem we currently have under our means-tested system, in which an individ-ual’s parents may either be unable or unwilling to pay for university

even if they can afford it. Those who gain the most from their edu-cation will give the most back.

A graduate tax would also raise more money than our system of registration fees as graduates will pay back the full cost of their de-grees over time. Depending on whether the system is capped it could also mean that students repay their fees many times over, raising significant revenue for in-vestment in education. All plans for a graduate tax have suggested ring-fencing funds. Money raised would go toward maintenance grants, facilities and services. This is a long-term solution for funding higher education.

Admittedly there could be dif-ficulties in implementing such a system. The time and cost of set-

ting up this scheme as well as the lag before graduates begin earn-ing are practical issues. How-ever we must remember short-sighted ideas such as increasing registration fees or student loan schemes will only deter people from entering education. This will lead to less money being earned by those people and the economy benefiting even less from their tax payments. An edu-cated workforce is also a signifi-cant factor in attracting foreign direct investment. This can be seen as a long-term economic investment as well as ensuring that all students can avail of their right to education. Overall, the graduate tax is the fairest and most rational way of paying for our third level system.

Graduate Tax by Elizabeth O’Malley

When stu-dents were polled by The Exam-iner in 2011, f i f t y - o n e per cent fa-

voured the introduction of a stu-dent loan scheme over any of the other models mentioned here. The loan scheme, which has been in-troduced in over sixty countries worldwide, is implemented by the State without a guarantor. When availed of, students receive loans to cover the cost of their education throughout their time in college, only facing repayments after the graduation robes have been well and truly tucked away.

So what made every second student that responded to that poll support the student loan scheme?

The first reason would most likely be the equality of access to education that it provides. The ‘free fees’ scheme of the last government, although alleging to achieve this, merely eased ac-cess for those who could already comfortably afford third-level ed-ucation. A student loan scheme removes money from the mana-gerial role it currently holds in the Irish education system, postpon-ing payment until graduates are in a position to afford it. Under this scheme, graduates are not instan-taneously burdened with repay-ments on completion of third-level education. Rather, it is only when graduates attain a job and rise to a particular point on the salary scale that they must begin to pay for the education that has led them there.

A student loan scheme pro-

vides funds upfront for all, and also eliminates a variety of issues associated with our current grant scheme. Since our last budget, postgraduate students who would have previously qualified for a stu-dent grant now only qualify for the €2,000 fee grant, a figure which doesn’t even cover the costs of the contribution fee. When deter-mining eligibility for this grant the focus is placed on the income of the applicant’s parents, but this does not necessarily translate to the finances the student them-selves has access to. The student loan scheme provides up-front fi-nance for students, regardless of family circumstances, even when their grant application fails. This enables them to complete their education without the fear of their financial assistance being reduced,

without the fear of having to leave college without their degree. The strengthened awareness that this scheme gives students of the costs of their education, along with the responsibility it places on them to use it wisely, will undoubtedly heighten its value in Ireland. By delaying repayment until employ-ment, the scheme emphasises the important role third level educa-tion plays in ensuring access to the workplace.

It is also important to remem-ber that our government will want rapid returns from these loans over the coming years. As the state will receive no revenue from their graduates until they have attained suitable jobs, the scheme will act as one of checks and balances on our government. Employers will choose the best candidate with the best

education, regardless of what state they come from, and the scheme will motivate our government to constantly improve the education system to not only ensure that we supersede competing institutions, but to see that we can also reap the financial benefits it provides.

So far our government has taken a twisted stance on equal access to education. By raising the con-tribution fee and simultaneously cutting the grant, those who were struggling to get in have now been locked out. A student loan scheme which provides finances upfront, only views education as valuable if it provides you with employment, and places the value of education directly in the hands of those re-ceiving it is a viable alternative and a worthy winner of this fifty-one per cent majority vote.

Student Loan Scheme by Catherine Murnane

The University Observer · 27 March 2012 11 OpiniOn

In 1997 fees for third level ed-ucation were abolished and replaced with a registration fee of 150 pounds (190 euro). Every year but one since 1997, this fee has gone up. Now, as most of us know, we have a

registration fee of 2,250 euro. Ob-viously this figure is impeding ac-cess to education for those of us who cannot afford it. So what is the solution? Some people think that because our policy is not working, we must have the wrong policy. However, I want to argue that our current policy is perfect but our strategy for achieving this is flawed.

The current UCDSU/USI policy is that the state should pay for third level education through pro-gressive taxation. However, the aspect of ‘progressive taxation’ is

often neglected in rhetoric and in our demands. Progressive taxation is when those who have larger in-comes pay more tax and receive quality public services in return. We do not have progressive taxa-tion in Ireland.

Every year there is a lobby of Students’ Union representatives who try to educate individual TDs on the benefits of free education in Dáil Éireann as a way of en-suring equal access to college is achieved. A successive line of SU reps, who are often not convinced of the arguments for publicly fund-ed education themselves, present-ing policy documents to politicians as a plea to lower our fees has failed. The student movement in this country looks weak and is not taken seriously.

Why is it that the farmers, trade unions and businesses can be tak-en seriously as lobby groups but the Union of Students in Ireland are simply brushed off by the pow-ers that be? Well for one, unlike USI, representatives of other large lobby groups are mostly not mem-bers of one of the three main po-litical parties, but also our strategy of lobbying makes us, on a national level, as students, look soft.

The Students’ Unions in this country were founded on the ba-sis of free access to education and communicated their message through mass meetings, protest and peaceful civil disobedience in the name of not only student’s rights but also women’s rights, gay rights and plenty of other econom-ic and social issues. USI officers in

the past were people who knew about political activism and were predominately youth members of the Worker’s Party. Today SU offi-cers can be seen posing for elec-tion pictures with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs.

So why is free education so im-portant? Just like free primary and secondary education, third level education is a public good. Having more educated people is of great benefit to both our society and our economy. If we had fees or a loan scheme students would pick courses on the basis of cost rather than on the basis of genuine inter-est in a particular discipline.

Besides the fact that it is un-fair to add an extra taxation onto people for simply having a degree (regardless of income), having a

graduate tax in a time of high emi-gration is economic lunacy.

A loan scheme would leave people in huge amounts of debt before they even have a job. In other countries such as the US or UK, loan schemes have not worked and have added significantly to the gap between rich and poor.

There is pessimism within our Union. People don’t think that peo-ple power, with the right kind of leadership, can work. Some people think that within the current eco-nomic circumstances it is not possi-ble to have people freely attending education. Strong, serious lead-ership is needed, not a change in policy. What we need is energy, vi-brancy and to use our youthfulness and creativity to challenge unequal access to third level education.

Following the UCD Students’ Union’s de-cision to hold a pref-erendum on fees it is necessary to discuss and showcase all avail-able options voters

will be privy to, no more so than the choice of maintaining the way fees are currently implemented, via stu-dent contribution and registration fees, which currently sits at 2,000 euro, excluding local levies.

This system spreads the costs of higher education between the ex-chequer and the student, or indeed their family. The contribution fee has been set for all those who do not qualify for its payment due to not fully meeting the requirements set out in the maintenance grant system, a system which examines

the socio-economic background of a student, such as yearly household income. The aim of the contribu-tion fee is to finance non-academic services such as student activities, health services and student support services. If the fee was discontin-ued universities would be required to find money for these services elsewhere, or cut them altogether. The registration fee’s origins coin-cide with the ‘free fees initiative’, created by then Education Minister Niamh Bhreathnach, introduced as the ‘registration fee’ in 1997, after it received approval by Dail Eireann in 1996. The Minister’s introduction of the fee was a result of heavy lobby-ing of Students’ Unions and other student service providers at that time. The advantages that are prev-alent within this system of dealing

with the situation of third level edu-cation are clear and easily visible at a glance. The means-tested main-tenance grant system introduced, although competitive, ensures that those on the lower scale of socio-economic backgrounds who have been approved by the set require-ments of the testing system will have the fee paid for on their behalf by the government. This mainte-nance grant has allowed many stu-dents to enter into college life who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to do so.

It has been speculated that should a one-hundred per cent exchequer funded system be put in place, it would leave no room for the maintenance grant, and as such would leave many out in the cold. Perhaps the most attractive

method in terms of equality of ac-cess, it certainly holds regard with those who do receive the grant and perhaps those who don’t in com-parison to paying upfront full fees, and it can also be argued that this system is favourable for less well-off students in comparison to the proposed idea of the student loan scheme, with students from lower income groups seen to prefer to avoid future debt, also taking into consideration the idea that gradu-ate loans may be subject to annual interest, arguably outweighing, in monetary terms, increases in the student contribution fees.

The admittedly shocking rise in student registration fees, initially beginning at 150 pounds (190 euro) with the 2012 charge is set at €2,250, in comparison to future

taxes and possible loan interests observed within other available options is a serious issue that must be weighed up, and it should be considered a very real possibil-ity that long term taxation can be a more demanding form of pay-ment. An upfront payment may seem to be a more cost-effective approach, despite the initial and unappealing sting of paying a large sum in advance. The current system also ensures that all stu-dents pay a set amount, regardless of their course choice, and as such does not evoke the pitfalls that could potentially arise from stu-dents choosing a course that may be more expensive, as courses that may cost more will not be seen as attractive options to prospective students.

Fully Exchequer Funded by Karl Gill

Student Contribution/Registration Fee by Jack Walsh

The government needs to make dramatic cut-backs in an attempt to plug our ever-grow-ing deficit, and there is one sector that is heavily funded and

can easily be cut: third-level edu-cation. The reintroduction of full, upfront college fees would prob-ably have no adverse effects on the education system in Ireland; in fact it could improve the educa-tion available.

The argument that the introduc-tion of full up-front fees would be a barrier to the access of third level education is somewhat disingenu-ous. There is little or no evidence to suggest that the free fees initiative introduced in the 1990s increased participation levels from members of low-income families. It is hard to imagine that the reintroduc-tion of undergraduate fees would really impact the uptake of third-level places. Put simply, those who want to go to college will find a way to go to college. Secondly, it is unlikely that there would not be some description of a loan scheme set up to help people pay for fees, either run by the state or by the individual colleges in partnership with a bank.

A system in which those who can afford to pay for their educa-tion actually pay for their educa-tion should be introduced. The only particular hurdle involved here is that there is no function-al, existing system in place. The

county/city council grants system is broken; there is no question of that. However, aside from the in-herent difficulties, restructuring the current system could poten-tially save taxpayers millions and possibly make access to education ‘fairer’, as those who need mon-etary support for third level edu-cation could be granted it instead of giving it to students who don’t actually require it.

Of course, there is the argu-ment that charging high-income families for education is unfair be-cause they already pay more tax than lower income families. Un-fair or not, it is likely to be a nec-essary evil. The current austerity measures have adversely affected everyone’s finances to some de-gree, and while further impositions might seem harsh, they may be essential if Ireland is ever going to escape the massive level of debt it is currently facing.

Aside from the fact that univer-sal access to education probably wouldn’t be affected, the standard of education received in third-level institutions under full fees would most likely improve. If students have to pay a significant amount of money for their education, they are in a much better position to demand quality from universities. As it stands, lecturers are allowed stay in the university’s employ re-gardless of their ability to teach, especially if they contribute a significant amount in terms of re-search.

If students have to pay, it can be expected that the quality of lec-turing in the college will become a more important factor in choosing a third level institution. Currently, in private institutes, close attention is paid to the standard of teaching; lecturers who are not performing to a high enough standard are re-placed. This would not only stop academic staff becoming compla-cent in their roles, but it would also force colleges to compete with each other in a meaningful way, not just trying to attract students on the basis of better sports facili-ties or a superior social scene.

Funding for colleges would also improve, as colleges would no lon-ger be faced with problems like not being able to afford books for their libraries, and redevelopment works to buildings would happen as they need to happen as op-posed to being subject to quick fixes.

Finally, the inherent value of third level education would change. If a student is paying up-wards of 6,000 euro for a year of college they now have a financial incentive to perform better. Not only this, but it would stop peo-ple going to college purely for the sake of going to college. Peo-ple will be more likely to enrol in courses that they have a genuine interest in or that could increase their employment prospects. It would be very hard to justify con-tinuing a course that you don’t en-joy at such a high cost.

Full Upfront Fees by Conor O’Nolan

The University Observer · 27 March 201212

s c i e n c e & h e a l t hAs curious as a shark

The idea that great white sharks are ferocious man-eaters who will tear any unsuspecting human who has the misfortune of fall-

ing overboard a ship or wading too far into the ocean to pieces is a far-spread misconception. ‘Shark-attack’ movies such as Jaws and Adrift have propa-gated these myths instead of portray-ing sharks as a curious species eager to learn more about the waters they live in. Unfortunately, this can prove to be a rather morbid curiosity, which at times leads to the loss of human life.

Sharks are sharp-sighted animals whose underwater vision has been equated to that of a human’s above water. this indicates that great white

From an early age, humans are conditioned to fear

sharks. Katie Hughes explains that the great

whites may not actually want to hurt us, but are

in fact simply curious

sharks are unlikely to mistake humans for prey. However, should a swimmer or surfer be wearing a dark wetsuit, the shark may mistake them for a seal. if this occurs, the shark is mostly likely to release the human promptly and swim away. because of this, deadly strikes on humans are very rare, though still lead to substantial injuries.

Humans are not a shark’s ideal snack for a number of reasons. Primar-ily, we are a very bony species; the great white shark already has a very slow digestive system so the ingestion of hu-mans would inhibit it even more. Seals have considerably more fat and less bones than humans – sharks require a high fat diet in order to maintain their body temperature and keep their brain

warm in cold waters. the way in which the shark executes

its bite is the same for both prey and objects that arouse their interest. How-ever, the force with which it strikes and how it approaches the object are the factors that differentiate between the two; whereas a shark would approach a human it is curious about in a leisurely fashion before biting and swimming away, it would be more likely to swim up at prey from a considerable distance below, which may lead to the shark propelling itself out of the water with the prey clasped between its jaws. this

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differentiation illustrates that when in-vestigating a human, the shark’s goal is not predation but mere inquisitiveness.

when taking a bite, the great white shark first raises its head so that its snout is located at a forty-degree angle to the body. the jaw, gums and upper teeth then protrude from the mouth and drop down. this movement of the mouth can take place as a shark’s jaw is attached to the skull through a tis-sue connection, as opposed to skeletal fusion. to protect itself from potential thrashing or an attack by the object, the shark rolls its eyes back in its head. to enclose its target, the shark’s upper jaw and head drop down, before it vio-lently shakes using the body as leverage to rip off a chunk of flesh, or perhaps surfboard.

Very often, visual inspection of an object is enough for a great white shark to satisfy its curiosity. occasion-ally, these sharks have been found to stick their heads out of the water in order to inspect what was taking place around them above the water’s surface. However, tactile evidence is, at times, required. the strength with which a great white shark bites is different for prey and objects it wants to know more about. it uses its serrated teeth as a forceps to grab an object it is curi-ous about: it bites down ‘gently’ to keep it in place, though the gentleness the

shark thinks it is exerting may in fact cause lacerations for humans, severe loss of blood, or even possibly the loss of limbs. it has been found that great white sharks are capable of exerting a force of three tonnes per centimetre squared on an object.

great white sharks are very well adapted to their environment and to maintaining their status at the top of the marine hierarchy. their skeleton is made of cartilage, not bone, which makes them more flexible, allowing them to twist a full three hundred and sixty degrees. they have a sense which enables them to detect the electromag-netic field emitted by moving animals, the sensitivity of which reaches down to half a billionth of a volt, and their colouring also camouflages them, their white underside allowing them to blend into the light above them while their dark top disguises them using the dark water below.

in the past twelve years, sixty-six unprovoked shark attacks have taken place, with fourteen being fatal. if hu-mans really were the prime targets of great white sharks, there would have been considerably more fatalities to date. while a great white shark will not be replacing the goldfish in your tank anytime soon, it is a species that does not merit the compulsively predatory and man-eating status imposed upon it.

Danien Hirst’s The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living

The University Observer · 27 March 2012 13science & HealTH

PhD student Paul Lavin speaks to Conor O’Nolan about his work in cancer research and the career prospects that his PhD can lead him to

doctor doctor

What is the official title of your PhD?

‘the characterisation of cyclophilin A as a novel regulator of cytokinesis.’

Explain the official title in English, please.basically, it’s looking at a protein that’s involved in cell division. Cell division is a really important process in cel-lular health, and of course in cancer. when cell division goes wrong, if it happens too much, you get cancerous lesions and cancers. So the protein i’m interested in, cyclophilin A happens to be over-expressed in a lot of cancer lines. So the idea is that if we look into this protein, we might be able to use it as a therapeutic target, to treat a wide variety of cancers rather than just one.

What undergraduate degree course did you do?i did a degree in genetics here in UCd.

What made you chose to do a PhD?Ultimately, i want to become a lecturer because i quite like teaching science and getting my passion across. Much like a lot of people i had a fantastic secondary school teaching in biology who imparted that passion on to me so i kinda want to do the same to others. there’s the whole idea that one day you might be sitting there in the lab, looking down a microscope or looking at a graph and you get that moment where you realise you’re the only person in the entire world that has ever existed that knows this particular piece of information, which is pretty awesome.Describe your typical day of as a PhD student.there is no real typical day, but i gen-erally come in at around nine o’clock. you tend to do different projects; in a year’s time i’ll be doing something entirely different. general stuff you’d be doing, with me at any rate: you set up your experiments, you might have to treat cells with a drug to see what effect they have, or see if they’re ready

for treatment with another, amplify some dnA using PCr to get it ready to clone it into a vector, you can then put it into a cell to see what happens. it’s most definitely not a nine to five job, more often than not i don’t leave here before six o’clock and often it can be closer to seven or eight o’clock before i leave. Sometimes people stay in all night depending on what they’re doing.

What is the best thing about research?the best thing is what i mentioned earlier, that you’re on the edge of hu-man knowledge, one day you’ll be look-ing at something and realise you’re the only person to know this. it’s kind of a bizarre sensation that out of all the people who’ve ever existed that you’re the only one to know. And of course, making things glow in the dark is pretty cool.

What is the worst thing about research?People say that science research is troubleshooting. when you do something and it doesn’t work, you have to figure out why it doesn’t work, then you try changing something and it still doesn’t work. For example for my fourth year project i spent three months doing something which all the textbooks describe as a week-long thing and it just didn’t work. then one day it did work, which was fantastic, but those two, three months were re-ally frustrating, because you were just doing the same thing over and over again.while reading my manual, i scratched the back of my head, forgetting that i was holding a beaker of acid and poured it down my back. it was dilute acid, so i was okay, but all first year students are now warned not to be as stupid as me.

How could your work make a difference to the world?well i’m in the position where i’m working in cancer, and everyone knows someone who has been af-fected by it. Hopefully, so little is known about this protein in terms of cancer that going on into the future, we might be able to figure out ex-actly what role it plays in cancer, and using this we might be able to target it and use it as a treatment for cancer. not just one cancer like breast can-cer, but multiple cancers like lung, liver, brain etc.

How do you hope your PhD will affect your career prospects?Ultimately i want to become a lecturer, and when you become a lecturer you not only lecture but also you run your own lab, with your own interests. So to really break into this career you really need a Phd because you need published works. once you get published works and get your doctorate (hopefully!), you need to do a postdoctoral research job for two or three years, in your own area of interest and get some more papers published. during this time you might do one or two lectures for the lecturer supervising you, so you get more learning and teaching experience, then you start applying for posts. during my Phd i’ve been demonstrating in labs, so i’ve been improving my teaching skills and i’ll be presenting my work to international conferences, so my ability to speak well will be greatly improved. For me, it’s all working towards lecturing, but the great thing is that if at the end of four years i decide lecturing isn’t for me there are loads of doors open for me.

NUI Awards 2012

Ollscoil na hÉireann / National University of Ireland49 Cearnóg Mhuirfean, Baile Átha Cliath 2 / 49 Merrion Square, Dublin 2

Teileafón / Telephone: +353 1 439 2424 Facs / Fax: +353 1 439 2466 Ríomhphost / Email: awards@nui.ie

Full details and application procedures for all NUI Awards and Scholarships are available at www.nui.ie/awards

Three NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowships

Each valued at €80,000 (over 2 years).

Two are offered in the Humanities; including the inaugural Dr Garret FitzGerald Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities.

One is offered in the Sciences. Closing date: 27 April 2012

NUI Travelling Studentships

Tenable for up to 4 years, valued at up to €64,000.

The Studentships are designed to fund postgraduate studies at doctoral level.

Four in the Humanities and Social Sciences.Two in the Sciences. Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI E J Phelan Fellowship in International Law

Valued at €25,000 (over 18 months).

This Fellowship is offered to NUI graduates at an advanced stage of their doctoral studies inany area of International Law.

Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI Awards 2012

Ollscoil na hÉireann / National University of Ireland49 Cearnóg Mhuirfean, Baile Átha Cliath 2 / 49 Merrion Square, Dublin 2

Teileafón / Telephone: +353 1 439 2424 Facs / Fax: +353 1 439 2466 Ríomhphost / Email: awards@nui.ie

Full details and application procedures for all NUI Awards and Scholarships are available at www.nui.ie/awards

Three NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowships

Each valued at €80,000 (over 2 years).

Two are offered in the Humanities; including the inaugural Dr Garret FitzGerald Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities.

One is offered in the Sciences. Closing date: 27 April 2012

NUI Travelling Studentships

Tenable for up to 4 years, valued at up to €64,000.

The Studentships are designed to fund postgraduate studies at doctoral level.

Four in the Humanities and Social Sciences.Two in the Sciences. Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI E J Phelan Fellowship in International Law

Valued at €25,000 (over 18 months).

This Fellowship is offered to NUI graduates at an advanced stage of their doctoral studies inany area of International Law.

Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI Awards 2012

Ollscoil na hÉireann / National University of Ireland49 Cearnóg Mhuirfean, Baile Átha Cliath 2 / 49 Merrion Square, Dublin 2

Teileafón / Telephone: +353 1 439 2424 Facs / Fax: +353 1 439 2466 Ríomhphost / Email: awards@nui.ie

Full details and application procedures for all NUI Awards and Scholarships are available at www.nui.ie/awards

Three NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowships

Each valued at €80,000 (over 2 years).

Two are offered in the Humanities; including the inaugural Dr Garret FitzGerald Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities.

One is offered in the Sciences. Closing date: 27 April 2012

NUI Travelling Studentships

Tenable for up to 4 years, valued at up to €64,000.

The Studentships are designed to fund postgraduate studies at doctoral level.

Four in the Humanities and Social Sciences.Two in the Sciences. Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI E J Phelan Fellowship in International Law

Valued at €25,000 (over 18 months).

This Fellowship is offered to NUI graduates at an advanced stage of their doctoral studies inany area of International Law.

Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI Awards 2012

Ollscoil na hÉireann / National University of Ireland49 Cearnóg Mhuirfean, Baile Átha Cliath 2 / 49 Merrion Square, Dublin 2

Teileafón / Telephone: +353 1 439 2424 Facs / Fax: +353 1 439 2466 Ríomhphost / Email: awards@nui.ie

Full details and application procedures for all NUI Awards and Scholarships are available at www.nui.ie/awards

Three NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowships

Each valued at €80,000 (over 2 years).

Two are offered in the Humanities; including the inaugural Dr Garret FitzGerald Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities.

One is offered in the Sciences. Closing date: 27 April 2012

NUI Travelling Studentships

Tenable for up to 4 years, valued at up to €64,000.

The Studentships are designed to fund postgraduate studies at doctoral level.

Four in the Humanities and Social Sciences.Two in the Sciences. Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI E J Phelan Fellowship in International Law

Valued at €25,000 (over 18 months).

This Fellowship is offered to NUI graduates at an advanced stage of their doctoral studies inany area of International Law.

Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI Awards 2012

Ollscoil na hÉireann / National University of Ireland49 Cearnóg Mhuirfean, Baile Átha Cliath 2 / 49 Merrion Square, Dublin 2

Teileafón / Telephone: +353 1 439 2424 Facs / Fax: +353 1 439 2466 Ríomhphost / Email: awards@nui.ie

Full details and application procedures for all NUI Awards and Scholarships are available at www.nui.ie/awards

Three NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowships

Each valued at €80,000 (over 2 years).

Two are offered in the Humanities; including the inaugural Dr Garret FitzGerald Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities.

One is offered in the Sciences. Closing date: 27 April 2012

NUI Travelling Studentships

Tenable for up to 4 years, valued at up to €64,000.

The Studentships are designed to fund postgraduate studies at doctoral level.

Four in the Humanities and Social Sciences.Two in the Sciences. Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI E J Phelan Fellowship in International Law

Valued at €25,000 (over 18 months).

This Fellowship is offered to NUI graduates at an advanced stage of their doctoral studies inany area of International Law.

Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI Awards 2012

Ollscoil na hÉireann / National University of Ireland49 Cearnóg Mhuirfean, Baile Átha Cliath 2 / 49 Merrion Square, Dublin 2

Teileafón / Telephone: +353 1 439 2424 Facs / Fax: +353 1 439 2466 Ríomhphost / Email: awards@nui.ie

Full details and application procedures for all NUI Awards and Scholarships are available at www.nui.ie/awards

Three NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowships

Each valued at €80,000 (over 2 years).

Two are offered in the Humanities; including the inaugural Dr Garret FitzGerald Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities.

One is offered in the Sciences. Closing date: 27 April 2012

NUI Travelling Studentships

Tenable for up to 4 years, valued at up to €64,000.

The Studentships are designed to fund postgraduate studies at doctoral level.

Four in the Humanities and Social Sciences.Two in the Sciences. Closing date: 30 March 2012

NUI E J Phelan Fellowship in International Law

Valued at €25,000 (over 18 months).

This Fellowship is offered to NUI graduates at an advanced stage of their doctoral studies inany area of International Law.

Closing date: 30 March 2012

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The University Observer · 27 March 201214

Observer Job Opportunitieseditor@universityobserver.ie

EditorApplications are invited for the position of editor of the University Observer for the academic year 2012/2013.

The Position:the editor of the University Observer is responsible for all aspects of the newspaper. the editor is responsible for the management of the newspaper, the publication and distribution of the newspaper, the content of the newspaper, and is responsible for the co-ordination of the newspaper’s writers. the editor is responsible for all internal appointments (with the exception of the deputy editor and the designer) within the newspaper as well as any disciplinary matters that may arise (with the exception of the deputy editor and the designer).

the position of editor of the University observer is an extremely demanding one and applicants for the position should be aware that the role involves working unsocial hours in a highly pressurised environment.

the position includes working alternate weekends.the editor is responsible for all deadlines being met by the

newspaper.the University Observer is editorially independent from the

Students’ Union, as enshrined in the Union constitution. the editor has complete authority over the content of the newspaper, proviso to the standard regulations governing newspaper content (e.g. libel etc).

the editor is appointed for the full academic year, 2012/2013.the position includes working alternate weekends.Applicants should note that no formal training is offered to the

successful candidate.

The Candidate:the candidate should exhibit a serious commitment to journalism. ideally, the candidate should have at least three years experience working for a newspaper or media organisation.

it is preferable but not essential that the candidate is/was a registered student of University College dublin.

the position is a full time one and the candidate should be aware of the pressurised environment under which newspaper editors operate. the candidate must be in a position to prove to the interview panel his/her ability to meet fixed, non negotiable printing deadlines whilst working at speed and under pressure.

the candidate should exhibit a clear sense of duty towards the newspaper, combined with sharp commercial acumen.

A strong knowledge of social media is essential in order to manage the demands of the University Observer website.

Remuneration:wages currently stand at €500 per issue minus taxes (twelve editions of the paper are normally published). As well as this, expenses incurred during production of the newspaper may be reclaimed. in addition, the successful candidate is currently entitled to a commission rate on all net revenue secured from advertisements placed within the newspaper. this is currently under review.

Application Procedure:Applicants for the above position must submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae and a detailed proposal outlining how the candidate intends to operate and manage the University Observer. the proposal must include a comprehensive outline of strategic changes that can be made to improve the newspaper. Specific areas where the newspaper can be improved should be dealt with in some detail. the applicant should also outline his/her proposals for the day-to-day organisation and management of the newspaper.

Applications should be sent to the following address:Mr Jon Hozier-byrne,the University Observer,Student Centre,University College dublin,belfield,dublin 4.

Applicants with further queries should contact Mr Jon Hozier-byrne, at 01 716 3120, weekdays during business hours.

Shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview, where they will be expected to answer any questions raised in relation to their proposal. Members of the interview panel will include the current editor, two previous editors of the newspaper, a financial representative of the Students’ Union and the Union President.

note:• Applicants are only permitted to enter this competition individually. Joint applications will not be accepted.

• Canvassing members of the interview panel will lead to an automatic disqualification.

• no formal training is offered to successful candidates.

Closing date for applications is 5pm, 27th April 2012.

Deputy EditorApplications are invited for the position of deputy editor of the University Observer for the academic year 2012/2013.

The Position:the deputy editor of the University Observer, upon direction from the editor, is responsible for all aspects of the newspaper. the deputy editor, subject in all matters concerning the newspaper to the direction of the editor, shall be responsible, with the editor, for the management of the newspaper, the publication and distribution of the newspaper, the content of the newspaper and is responsible for the co-ordination of the newspaper’s writers.

the position of deputy editor of the University Observer is an extremely demanding one and applicants for the position should be aware that the role involves working unsocial hours in a highly pressurised environment.

the position includes working alternate weekends.the deputy editor is responsible for all deadlines being met by

the newspaper.the University Observer is editorially independent from the

Students’ Union, as enshrined in the Union constitution. the deputy editor has authority over the content of the newspaper, subject to the standard regulations governing newspaper content (e.g. libel etc).

the deputy editor is appointed for the full academic year, 2012/2013.Applicants should note that no formal training is offered to the

successful candidate.

The Candidate:the candidate should exhibit a serious commitment to journalism. ideally, the candidate should have at least three years experience working for a newspaper or media organisation.

it is preferable but not essential that the candidate is/was a registered student of University College dublin.

the position is a full time one and the candidate should be aware of the pressurised environment under which newspaper editors operate. the candidate must be in a position to prove to the interview panel his/her ability to meet fixed, non negotiable printing deadlines whilst working at speed and under pressure.

the candidate should exhibit a clear sense of duty towards the newspaper, combined with sharp commercial acumen.

A strong knowledge of social media is essential in order to manage the demands of the University Observer website.

Remuneration:wages currently stand at €450 per issue minus taxes (twelve editions of the paper are normally published). As well as this, expenses incurred during production of the newspaper may be reclaimed. In addition, the successful candidate is currently entitled to a commission rate on all net revenue secured from advertisements placed within the newspaper. This is currently under review.

Application Procedure:Applicants for the above position must submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae and a detailed proposal, outlining how the candidate intends to operate and manage the University Observer. the proposal must include a comprehensive outline of strategic changes that can be made to improve the newspaper. Specifics areas where the newspaper can be improved should be dealt with in some detail. the applicant should also outline his/her proposals for the day-to-day organisation and management of the newspaper.

Applications should be sent to the following address:Mr Jon Hozier-byrne,the University Observer,Student Centre,University College dublin,belfield,dublin 4.

Applicants with further queries should contact Mr Jon Hozier-byrne, at 01 716 3120, weekdays during business hours.

Shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview, where they will be expected to answer any questions raised in relation to their proposal. Members of the interview panel will include the current editor, two previous editors of the newspaper, a financial representative of the Students’ Union and the Union President.

note:• Applicants are only permitted to enter this competition individually. Joint applications will not be accepted.

• Canvassing members of the interview panel will lead to an automatic disqualification.

• no formal training is offered to successful candidates.

Closing date for applications is 5pm, 27th April 2012.

Art & Design DirectorApplications are invited for the position of Art & design director of the University Observer for the academic year 2012/2013.

The Position:you will be responsible for the design and layout of the newspaper, working in conjunction with the editors and contributors. the position will require work at alternate weekends, whilst working hours during the week are flexible. Although this work is highly demanding it is also highly rewarding. the successful candidate would be expected to constantly strive to improve the overall design of the newspaper. the University Observer’s design has been honoured at the Student Media Awards, winning best design & Layout.

the Art & design director is not responsible for any content, but rather its presentation. the Art & design director is to report to the editor and deputy editor.

The Candidate:the successful applicant will have good computer skills and be proficient in Adobe indesign as well as Adobe Photoshop. A good working knowledge of Apple Macintoshes is essential. experience of Adobe inCopy is desirable. A personal interest in graphic design and typography would also be preferable. the successful candidate will possess the ability to meet tight deadlines and manage a large workload. you must also have the ability to meet technical guidelines from printers and have a basic knowledge of the four colour printing process.

Remuneration:wages currently stand at €450 per issue (twelve editions of the paper are normally published). As well as this, expenses incurred during production of the newspaper may be reclaimed. this is currently under review.

Application Procedure:Applicants for the above position must submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae and be able to provide a portfolio upon request. A design proposal, outlining a design plan for the University Observer’s next volume, is desirable but not essential.

Applications should be sent to the following address:Mr Jon Hozier-byrne,the University Observer,Student Centre,University College dublin,belfield,dublin 4.

Applicants with further queries should contact Mr Jon Hozier-byrne, at 01 716 3120, weekdays during business hours.

Shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview, where they will be expected to answer any questions raised in relation to their proposal. Members of the interview panel will include the current editor, two previous editors of the newspaper, a financial representative of the Students’ Union and the Union President.

note:• Applicants are only permitted to enter this competition individually. Joint applications will not be accepted.

• Canvassing members of the interview panel will lead to an automatic disqualification.

• no formal training is offered to successful candidates.

Closing date for applications is 5pm, 27th April 2012.

nearing, as we are, the end of another academic year, it is as opportune a mo-ment as ever to reflect on the year past, and as such,

on the campus and the University of which we are all a small part. For many of us, these last few weeks represent the very end of our time in UCd, the conclusion to a long winded love-hate relationship, one that, in this editor’s case, has lasted half a decade. in a re-cent issue, we published an opinion piece in which two contributors debat-ed the motion ‘is UCd a university to be proud of?’, and we subsequently ran an online poll asking our readers that same question. when i went to cast my vote, i hesitated. belfield has been extraordinarily good to me, and has al-tered my relationships, my career, and myself immensely for the better, but i was still halted on that one small, yet incredibly important issue: can i say i am proud to have come here?

earlier this year, i had the pleasure of interviewing roddy doyle, himself an alumnus, who stated emphatically

that he felt no warmth towards the campus, nor any of the reverance that Americans seems to feel towards their alma mater. one might suspect that few current students would contradict him. UCd does not seem to inspire any real sort of collegiate patriotism in its students, certainly not with the same earnestness a red-and-blue clad trin-ity undergraduate might have for their academic institution. to value, respect, or even like UCd is simply not the done thing.

Perhaps it is the campus. the Fritz Lang-esque architecture does little to promote the traditional and perhaps somewhat fictive feel of an academy. Perhaps it is the administration. All too frequently, particularly in this era of budget cuts and fiscal fastidious-ness, the quality of the undergraduate experience has been little more than an afterthought; one needn’t look fur-ther than the front page for such an ex-ample. Perhaps it is the SU. there has, most pointedly in years gone by, been a common perception that our Union served as little more than an exclusive

boys club, with little to no bearing on the lives of the average student. there is no shortage of failings for which UCd is most definitely accusable; no visual arts community or society of any kind, libraries that cannot afford to purchase new books, and perhaps most damning of all, that same culture of apathy, of begrudgery, that pervades a vast part of our academic lives.

of all the minor grievances i have had with UCd, this, for me, is the most poisonous. it extends from a distrust of anyone who puts themselves for-ward in any walk of society or col-lege life, to a disdain for those who raise their hands too readily in lecture theatres. it is a culture of disquiet around anyone who strives, in which apathy is a degree of currency, and is seen as both justified and justifying in the context of our University’s short-comings. it amounts to nothing less than a campus wide culture of fail-ure. whether it serves as some form of explication for the comparatively low levels of student involvement is immaterial; it only truly serves to un-

dermine the wholly good and positive work that a vast many students and staff perform here every day.

on any given day in UCd, there are film screenings, sporting events, talks, mixers, concerts, debates, guest appearances, and a minimum of two plays being performed, and that is be-fore you factor in the most active and frequent student media in the coun-try, and the small matters of lectures. there is a small but remarkably high quality classical museum nestled in the newman building that remains criminally overlooked. Almost every activity one might turn a hand to is open and freely available to any stu-dent with the impetus to pursue it. However monotonous the concrete or alienating the populous, our time here is nothing short of a gift, an opportu-nity that we, and we alone, have the choice to capitalise on. it is up to the individual to make themselves proud, not of the institution, but of what one chooses to make of the vantage point our University provides. i hesitated, but i voted yes.

Observer Editorialeditor@universityobserver.ie

Quotes of the Fortnight

“It’s a human rights issue”

Pat de Brúnon security filming on res

“Love doesn’t have any boundaries”

Jamie Black on the purpose of rainbow

week’s mock wedding

“Nothing more than is to be expected from six to eight thousand drunken students”

Stephen Darcy on security incidents at

previous UCd balls

“It’s certainly no reason to do with LGBT versus the wider student body”

Brendan Lacey on why it is sometimes difficult to

engage students in campaign weeks

“I’m no accountant myself”

Pat de Brúnon reading information from the

prepared accounts

editorJon Hozier-byrne

deputy editorKate rothwell

Art and design directorConor o’toole

otwo editorsgeorge MorahanAoife Valentine

news editorKatie Hughes

Features editorMatt gregg

opinion editoremer Sugrue

Science & Health editorConor o’nolan

Chief Science & Health writerAlison Lee

Sports editordaniel Keenan

irish editorSéamas Ó Meachair

Music editorCormac duffy

Film editordermot o’rourke

Fashion editorSophie Lioe

Food & travel editorelaine Lavery

Chief games writerSteven balbirnie

online editorryan MacKenzie

Copy editorsgeorge MorahanAoife Valentine

Chief Photographerdavid nowak

ContributorsCiara Andrewsthe badgerelizabeth beechamKevin beirneStefan brackendixon ColtraneStephen Connollyrory CreanKarl gillChris greenniamh HynesAaron KennedyColm Lakesemily Longworthgareth Lyonsrobert Mac CarthyCoire McCrystaleimear McgovernMystic Mittensemily MullenCatherine MurnaneMadeleine ní ghallchobhair

elizabeth o’Malleyevan o’QuigleyJason Quigleyniall Spaingreg talbottalleyranddenis VaughanJack walsh

illustratorolwen Hogan

PhotographersCiara AndrewsCaoimhe McdonnellConor o’tooleed Scannell

Special thanksPeter, ian, tim, Malcolm, Ade, Jonathan, dave, emma, ged, bob, Steve at gPC Manchestereilis o’briendominic MartellaColm, Sabrina, rory and guy at MCd Promotions

Mary-Kate at PiASPriscilla at Universalgiselle Jiangdominic, grace, Charlie, Jason, gary, Stephen, Mark, Sandra, Paul and all the Student Centre Staff

Very Special thanksAmy bracken, Sarah doran, donna doyle, bríd doherty, Paul Fennessey, bridget Fitzsimons, danielle Moran, Joe Murphy, dave neary, Quinton o’reilly, rob Lowney, ruth McCourt, gary Kealy, gav reilly, natalie Voorheis, the person who invented toast and all other friends and family who have supported and encouraged us during our eleventh issue.

the University Observer

Volume xViii issue xi

telephone: (01) 716 3119/3120email: info@universityobserver.ie

www.universityobserver.ie

the University observer is printed at the guardian Print Centre,

Longbridge road, Manchester M17 1Sn.

Letters should be sent by email toletters@universityobserver.ie or by mail toThe editor, The University Observer,UCD Student Centre, Belfield, Dublin 4

the editor reserves the right to edit any letters.All letters are subject to editorial approval.

Clarifications & Corrections

Letters to the

editorit is the policy of the University Observer to rectify any errors as soon as they arise.

Queries and clarifications can be addressed to info@universityobserver.ie.

“However monotonous the concrete or alienating the populous, our time here is nothing short of a gift, an opportunity that we, and we alone, have the choice to capitalise on.”

15The University Observer · 27 March 2012

Felicitations Fuckwits,Thank Talleyrand, the year is nearly

over. Soon, gone will be the lake-dwelling would-be Sap-bats, gone the riotous would-be farmers, and gone, thank merciful Me, gone the would-be Fine Fáil dustbin-dwellers. Gone, at last, for a few brief months at least.

That is not to say your loyal correspondent is finished, not by a shot longer than the one Stephen “I give up” Darcy pours into his eyeball every morning, as he puts it, “to give him hope.” No, dear reader, Talleyrand is a like a proud lion, masterful over his domain, and those around him his dutiful lioness brood, fit for little more than buggery and being chased by wild game hunters.

Top of the ‘nobody cares bulletin’ this week is Baby Lacey, or Paddy “I know, I

can’t believe it either” Guiney, who has already begun his political posturing by joining the LGBT in their Gay Pride Parade. Never before have you seen a man look so uncomfortable, with a forced grin tighter than his clenched Arts hole.

As for the usual suspects, word around the horrordor is that our own SU President may claim himself competent enough to protect our assets, but is not able to protect his own bicycle. Yes, Pat “My Thumb Weally Hurts” De Brún has had his bike stolen from right under his very nose, from inside the SU corridor. Should anyone find Rachel, she is to be returned to her office immediately.

As for the sluttiest lioness of them all, Brendan “Emma Fortune doesn’t look so shit now” Lacey, keen not to buck the trend, has not been up to much. Working

hard to prove that the SU decision to cut the C&C position was the correct one, Lacey has been sitting in his office (often, it should be noted, with a softer hack on his lap), making good use of your Union contribution. Keep working at this rate, and there’s a position in USI for you, although be warned, it’s not as riveting as the position you’re currently maintaining.

Finally and forlornly, Sam “Nineteen minutes of names no one cares about” Geoghegan has at last gotten that big breakthrough he’s been looking for. Yes, that’s right, there will FINALLY be a Student Card printing machine in exam halls. Oh yes, the dog days are well and truly over, my friends. With as big an accomplishment as that this year, who needs a second accomplishment?

Talley-ho!Talleyrand

Talleyrand

The University Observer · 27 March 201216

APRIL 10th & 11th

There are 7 Convenor positions to elect as well as:

- The Graduate officer. - Oifigeach na Gaeilge(Irish Language Officer).

This is your chance to make a difference to your College, to your University and to shape your SU.

If you are:

A Leader // Driven // Organised // Interested in making a difference in your college.

THEN YOU SHOULD RUN!

EXECUTIVEELECTIONSRUN FOR ELECTION IN UCD SU!NOMINATIONS OPEN NOW

CLOSING 5PM FRIDAY 30TH MARCH!

The University Observer · 27 March 2012 17spOrT

6 NatiONs6 LessONs6 PLayers

Wales aren’t all that… yet

despite finishing fourth, wales won over the neutrals at last autumn’s world Cup. they were rightly seen as young, dy-namic and a force for the future. now that they have racked

up a grand Slam, many people think their time has come, but that’s a premature conclusion.

wales almost lost their opener despite ireland’s complete under-performance, could have drawn with england if referee Steve walsh had remembered that he was playing offside advantage to england prior to going to the tMo, and could have lost to France had Les bleus not done everything in their power to lose.

wales have the potential to be europe’s best team for the next few years. Players such as warburton, north and Lydiate are immensely talented, but this year’s result must be put into the context of how it was achieved.

Kidney will not pick on form

Kidney is repeating the mistake of the o’Sullivan era; picking players on reputation and past relationships, not on form. donnacha ryan has kept donncha o’Callaghan out of the

Munster team all season, yet Kidney opted to start the latter for the entire tournament, and also ignored Ulster’s dan tuohy entirely. gordon d’Arcy retained his place despite his poor form for over a year, while Keith earls was chosen at centre despite proving time and time again that he lacks the size to play there, and is a far more valu-able asset on the wing.

Perhaps most damning of all was his half-back cover choices. the call-up of tomás o’Leary ahead of isaac boss and Paddy wallace as out-half cover for the cancelled French game, ahead of potential fu-ture no 10’s like ian Madigan or Keatley, reeked of favouritism. the ethos of eddie o’Sullivan was that it was harder to lose your place in the team than to break into it, and a similar situation seems to be developing under Kidney. Club form means nothing at

international level

out of the eight quarter-finalists for the Heineken Cup, three are irish, two are French, while Scotland, england and wales all have a solitary representative. yet, ireland finished third

behind both wales and england. the introduction of regional teams in welsh rugby, which re-

duced the amount of clubs from nine to five, is often pointed to as an explanation for why welsh players underperform for their club when compared to the national team, as players do not feel the same pride of playing for their local club as players in other countries do.

ireland’s inconstancy at international level, despite being backed by two of europe’s best clubs, must come down to poor management, as the national set-up in wales and england can produce stronger national sides, despite the inadequacies of their clubs.

stuart Lancaster, english Messiah?

before the tournament began, the rFU’s line was that Stuart Lancaster was being put in place until a more experienced and recognisable name could be found. that may have all changed.

Under Lancaster, england demolished ireland, disposed of France in Paris comfortably enough and could have avoided defeat against wales had it not been for poor refereeing.

it would be easy for england to get carried away with this cham-pionship and offer Lancaster the job on a full-time basis. it would not necessarily be a mistake, but it would definitely be a risk. Keep in mind that england were defending champions going in to this com-petition and only beat Scotland and italy thanks to Charlie Hodgsons’ charge-downs. A lot can change in a short time in rugby, something an experienced coach like nick Mallett can deal with better.

scotland vs. italy: the Wooden spoon Cup

Since the competition expanded to include italy in 2000, only once has the dishonour of the wooden Spoon been the burden of a team other than Scotland or italy. For all their possession

and territory, Scotland’s inability to score tries led to their first white-wash since 2004.

italy played the typical italian game: they were built to frustrate, but failed to dominate opponents as they would like to. the wooden Spoon was avoided simply because of Scotland’s ineptitude, not be-cause of italian talent. both teams lack the necessary star power to excel at the highest level, although the emergence of david denton and edoardo gordi will give fans on either side something to look forward to in the future.

Lions 2013

this time next year, we will have a pretty good idea of who is go-ing to Australia for the summer with the Lions. Although his-tory tells us that you can’t pick a team a year in advance, there

are strong indicators from this year’s Six nations on who will make the plane. the 2009 tour saw a record fourteen irish representatives, but the number should be slightly lower next year.

warren gatland is set to be the coach, so we can expect a strong welsh contingent. the battles at half-back and in the back-row will be the most interesting to watch as they will be dictated by the kind of game the Lions wish to play. the talent pool from which to pull is much greater in the back-row, but the out-half position should be the most pivotal.

rob Kearney

For some, Kearney was ire-land’s player of the tour-nament. Although overall

Stephen Ferris had a stronger tournament, Kearney did show signs of his old self. He is once again one of the most reliable players in world rugby under the high ball, taking ball after ball with aplomb. you have to wonder why anyone kicks to him any more.

Unfortunately, Kearney’s defensive game was not as finely-tuned as his attacking game and he was at fault for many of the tries ireland conceded. obviously these types of defensive errors can occur occa-sionally, but if Kearney is to be mentioned amongst the best in the world, he must learn not to lose concentration in defence during long spells of inaction, much like a goalkeeper in football.

Dan Lydiate

often the talk over the last few months about wales’ back-row begins and ends

with Sam warburton’s sudden rise to prominence, but toby Faleteu and dan Lydiate are both young and extremely dynamic. Lydiate’s nickname is the “Silent ninja”, a fitting explanation of his contribution on the field. He is only twenty-four years old, but is still the oldest member of the welsh back-row.

His announcement as Player of the tournament was not just a vic-tory for him, but proof that you can be a selfless team player while still being the best player on the pitch. He worked tirelessly every minute he spent in a red jersey, and did every single thing that was asked of him with the kind of maturity few players ever find.

richie Gray

richie gray looks like Scot-land’s only hope for a Li-ons test in Australia next

summer, although he faces very stiff competition from all coun-tries. it is absolutely astonishing that he is only twenty-two years old. equally impressive is his size, standing at 6’10”. to his credit, how-ever, gray’s game is about so much more than that. He is incredibly aware for a player of his age. His combination of both mental and physical quickness, as well as his soft hands, gives him that extra di-mension that separates a good player from a great player.

Gordon D’arcy

gordon d’Arcy’s decline con-tinued in this Six nations, a point he is aware of, judg-

ing by how he was forcing plays all tournament long. d’Arcy has been an incredible servant to irish rugby over the years, but his positive influ-ence on games has been diminishing for two or three years, and has been accelerated over the past year in particular by o’driscoll’s injuries.

Ultimately, d’arcy’s game has been built around his quickness, and his comfort with his centre partner. Unfortunately for him, he has been without both this year. His confidence is low, which has affect-ed his decision-making both offensively and defensively. barring an injury crisis or a sudden and dramatic reverse of form next year, this year’s Six nations should be his last, with talents such as McFadden, o’Malley, Cave, and barnes looking like ireland’s future.

Donnacha ryan

So ireland’s “next big thing” at second-row is a twenty-eight year-old Munster

man. Many were baffled by ry-an’s exclusion from the starting team in favour of the very man he replaced at Munster. An injury for Paul o’Connell gave ryan the op-portunity he needed to shine, and although his nomination for player of the tournament showed a huge flaw in the system, he deserved his man of the match award against Scotland.

Against england, he displayed a passion and tenacity that was sorely lacking in the rest of the team, as he was still hitting every tackle and every ruck as if his career depended on it.

Owen Farrell

owen Farrell seems set to be england’s new golden boy. At only twenty years of age,

he carries the weight of expectation of not only playing the most pivotal position for one of rugby’s biggest nations, but also of his father’s past.

Farrell made his competitive debut for Saracens just eleven days after his seventeenth birthday, a record at the time. interestingly, he made his international debut just five years after his father did. in his first Six nations, Farrell managed to score sixty-three points and start every game. Although he cannot dominate as totally as george Hook would have us believe, he is still an extremely impressive play-er, regardless of age. He could be england’s out-half for the next three world Cups.

The University Observer · 27 March 201218 spOrT

Former ireland and Lions hooker Shane byrne talks to Daniel Keenan about life-threatening injuries and the Legends Charity game

The badger has been known to throw biblical references around: Jesus was this, mary was that,

you can stick your bible such-and-such a place. while the badger is far from religious, he does enjoy a good biblical tale, like when King solomon cut a baby in half or when Goliath killed David. so when the Parable of the Prodigal son played itself out in football, the badger was always going to sit up and take notice.

Carlos tevez made his unexpected return to the manchester City first team this week. upon seeing him play against Chelsea, the badger realised how Fabrice muamba’s heart felt, such was the shock the badger received. the badger was even more shocked to see him coming on ahead of beanpole Dzeko, a man who has not lit up the world since arriving at eastlands, but thirteen goals in fourteen starts isn’t exactly bad, and he has been loyal to the club.

so why has roberto mancini killed a fattened calf for a man who has spent the last five months as a professional mardy bum, operating flights between buenos Aires and manchester whenever he feels like it? Has mancini finally tightened his little blue and white scarf to the point where it’s cutting off oxygen to his brain? Having sat around for the last few months, tevez now resembles a fattened calf more than a footballer; his only discernable talent is his terrier-like work rate, which he’s unlikely to exhibit for a club he shows such blatant animosity towards.

the badger has to agree with sir Alex Ferguson, who said that tevez’s return reeked of desperation on man City’s part; it’s clear to both Ferguson and the badger that mancini is attempting to replicate the bible, to perhaps get some good voodoo for his title challenge. superstition is the only reason anybody would bring Carlos tevez back into a team. should they win the title, the badger does look forward to seeing the open-top ark cruise around manchester.

the badger is sick of hearing about and seeing tevez, and not just because of that thing on his neck. the badger has lost any respect for the man, and it is his greatest wish that tevez just jumps on a plane and goes to Argentina, much like the badger’s German grand-uncle did in 1945.

sports Digestby ryaN MaCKeNzie

basketballUCD Marian lost to DCU Saints in the National League semi-final last week to end what has been a disappointing league campaign from a team that miraculously won the National Cup title last year. A final score of 82-55 is evidence of just how one-sided this game was, with big signing American Owen McNally unable to turn the tide.

The Students had a poor season all round, winning only six regular season games and los-ing in the opening round of the National Cup, a competition they won last year against an impres-sive UL Eagles side that went on to win both the Cup and League titles in an outstanding year for the Munster men. Coach Fran Ryan will be hoping to improve on this disappointing season next year and bring UCD Marian back to the success they have enjoyed in the past.

Cross Country runningUCD Women’s team won their first National Cross Country title in twelve years after they topped a competitive group that includ-ed old rivals Trinity. Ciara Magee-an, Ciara Everard, Laura Shaugh-nessy and Ellie Hartnett won the 5k event to end a long drought in UCD’s track success. The victory was even more pleasing given the recent removal of the UCD running track, proving that the exceptional talent in UCD can still compete at the highest level, a concern that arose after the track was closed.

Meanwhile, the Men’s team finished third in the 10k discipline, with DCU taking the spoils.

rugbyUCD’s under-21 rugby team won their first JP Fanagan Trophy in six years after beating St. Mary’s at Templeville Road. Collidge won convincingly by a score line of 27-10 and a few favour-able results elsewhere helped them on their way to a welcomed league title. They finished with forty-eight points for the season, two ahead of second place Old Belvedere. The result was also a remarkable milestone for coach Vinnie Hammond, who had won the title as a player back in 2006 when UCD last hoisted the trophy.

rowingBoth the Men’s and Women’s rowing teams representing UCD at this year’s colours meet eased to victory over Trinity. The Wom-en’s team won their twentieth Corcoran Cup since the introduc-tion of the trophy, while the men made it to number twenty-eight.

in any sport, losing is seen as just about the worst consequence of playing the game. but in the last two weeks, perspective has been gained in the face of trag-

edy. AFL and gAA legend Jim Stynes passed away last week, after a long bat-tle with cancer. Fabrice Muamba’s car-diac arrest during bolton and totten-ham’s FA cup clash sent tremors around the world, and showed how meaning-less sport is in the grand scheme of things.

the match was subsequently aban-doned, and for once the Premier League and the football community came to-gether to wish Muamba a speedy recov-ery, with david Moyes even offering to call off the midweek tie against bolton, to allow the bolton players to deal with the situation sufficiently.

Muamba is now recovering from the ordeal, but for any fan of football or sport in general, the event should be re-luctantly remembered to put perspec-tive on the game.

in a high contact sport like rugby, in-juries are unfortunately part and parcel of the game. while many professionals retire with niggling injuries or persis-tent pain, there are the rare few from both amateur and professional codes of the game who suffer a much worse fate. Head and spinal injuries leading to paralysis are issues for a small but sig-nificant group of players.

A day before the england vs ireland Six nations game, the ireland Legends lined up against the england Legends at the Stoop in London. the money from the game went towards the irFU and rFU Charitable trust to help seri-ously injured players. the game was or-ganised four years ago by ex-Leinster, ireland and Lions hooker, Shane byrne and Len dineen.

the game precedes the annual meeting of ireland and england in the Six nations, with ex-irish and english playing for the Stuart Mangan Cup. Stuart Mangan was injured whilst playing rugby, and was paralysed from the neck down; the Legends game was set up to help Stuart, who required 24-hour medical care, but since his passing in 2009, the game has become a dedica-tion to him.

“the Legends match is for the in-jured players throughout the game. it’s even more poignant for us because one of the guys who played for us for two years, Alex bennett, got injured and hurt his neck in a game a couple of months back,” says byrne. “when these injuries do happen, and it’s such a tiny per cent of players, it’s good to know that these charities are in place and offer the players the best of treatment. we’ve raised a couple of hundred thou-sand over the last few years, and it all goes to the right place.”

“the idea is that this becomes part of the ireland v england weekend, that people come to watch the Legends game on the Friday night, and then go to the full match. that it becomes part of their routine.”

Awareness of these kind of injuries is one of the goals of the charity: “All the guys of our era (part of the amateur era) would’ve been aware of the game becoming more physical and needing to

improve your physical condition to pro-tect yourself. it’s about knowing where not to put your head at times.” bernard Jackman has spoken out about concus-sions in his autobiography and how they can occasionally be passed off as a minor problem, despite the implica-tions of not dealing with it properly: “the problem is, with rugby players, they’re extremely physical players, so unless something happens that’s going to keep them down, they’re going to want to play. that’s when you need the medical staff to step in and overrule the player,” says byrne.

the game itself took place on Friday March 16th, ending in a win for eng-land, making it 2-2 in the overall test. the primary aim of the game is to raise money for injured players, but byrne is keen not to play down the seriousness of the play: “it’s classic rugby, there’s huge interest in it, because basically you’re cheering for all the rugby play-ers you’ve cheered for the last ten years. the game is taken very seriously, but it’s played in good spirit.” with former stars like Mick galway, eric Miller, Malcolm o’Kelly, nick Popplewell, Jus-tin bishop, Kieron dawson, Anthony Foley and Jason robinson, it would be hard for the game to remain uncom-petitive. “we’re going to have to recruit some newly retired players who still have some gas in the legs to beat eng-land next year.”

iNtervieW

The Badger gets Biblical on Carlos Tevez

WheN the GaMe NO

LONGer Matters

“The Legends Match is even more poignant for us because one of the guys who played for us for two years, Alex Bennett, got injured and hurt his neck in a game a couple of months back”

The University Observer · 27 March 2012 19spOrT

With a poor European performance from England’s top clubs, Colm Lakes looks at the present decline of the Premier League

Gone are the days when the Premier League could claim to be the best league in the world, and receive very little dispute. while

some pundits still claim it to be the pinnacle of club football, the evidence on the pitch suggests otherwise. the Spanish La Liga is now the envy of eu-rope. the two kingpins, barcelona and real Madrid, are far ahead of the rest of europe in terms of quality. italian foot-ball has gone through its period of de-cline and can now see a light at the end of the tunnel. even the French league is beginning to catch up, with teams like PSg investing a fortune, but the eng-lish league has past its best days in eu-rope for the time being.

it is hard to fathom the english decline when taking a look back to the Champions League semi-finals in 2007, where there were three english teams and one italian team. in 2008, there were also three english teams, and an all-english final. 2009 had three english teams in the semi-finals too, but significantly barcelona pre-vailed to win the final against Man-chester United. this began a period of dominance over europe for the Span-ish giants, who are now the top dogs of football, nudging Sir Alex Ferguson’s men from the top. A year after this, the semi-finals were absent of any eng-lish teams, and a year after that only United got that far. this season Chel-sea will need to be at the top of their game to beat a tricky benfica side, or else it will be another year without an english influence on the semi-finals.

this decline was not unpredict-able. the big four have been dis-banded, Liverpool dismissed to the realms of mid-table mediocrity, and with that there are less experienced teams in europe. Arsenal are hang-ing onto their Champions League position with thanks to robin van Persie. Chelsea have an aged squad. their owner’s policy of sacking man-agers within a year is preventing any

period of transition from occurring. it takes time for new players to gel and for young players to mature into their roles, and time is the one thing a Chelsea manager lacks.

of the other english teams in eu-rope this season and last, both Man-chester City and Man United failed to get out of their groups. United were placed in a group which many con-sidered to be easy. to finish behind benfica and basel poses a lot of ques-tions about a team who are supposed to be one of europe’s finest. City were unlucky to be placed in such a dif-ficult group, but finishing third will ultimately go down as a failure. For a squad of the quality of Man City to be out of both european competitions in March can only be seen as a sign of complacency. United and City both went into their europa League ties as strong favourites, and both were de-served losers.

wenger’s youth policy is a proven success, provided he receives patience and loyalty from his senior players, but looking back upon the last decade, it’s clear this is not the case. Picture where Arsenal could be if they had the likes of Ashley Cole, Mathieu Flamini, Samir nasri and Cesc Fabregas still in the squad. wenger was forced into spending money in the summer as worries of a sub-standard squad sur-

faced in early season. However, for Arsenal to be more potent in europe they must hold onto the likes of Jack wilshere, Aaron ramsey and Alex oxlade-Chamberlain. they were beat-en well by AC Milan in the first leg, a club who are supposed to have slipped behind all english teams in the euro-pean pecking order. Similarly, Chelsea scraped through against a very im-pressive napoli.

it looks as though tottenham Hotspurs may be in the Champions League again next year, but should the english job come calling for Harry redknapp, there’s a strong chance that they will be without the manager who has brought them from the relegation zone to challenging the top teams. it seems unlikely that any manager would be able to maintain their prog-ress, especially when it appears that redknapp is struggling to bring them any higher than they’ve already come. For the other hopefuls, Kenny dalglish needs a summer of wise investments if Liverpool are to make a return to the Champions League anytime soon. it seems likely that these teams will all be rejuvenated in the next few years, but it seems difficult to think that any-one could reign in europe while the current barcelona team are together, functioning with the remarkable form they currently display.

OPiNiONThE miGhTy will fAll

“The Big Four have been disbanded, Liverpool dismissed to the realms of mid-table mediocrity, and with

that there are less experienced English teams in Europe”

After their narrow win over Napoli, Chelsea are the only English team left in Europe this season

StUDent CAPItAL fUnD

Students are invited to apply now for a grant from the Student Capital Fund. The Capital Fund is a sum of money arising from surplus funds generated in the operation of a number of student facilities – particularly the student bars - and is administered by the Student Consultative Forum.

Applicants are not confined to recognised clubs or societies but grants are available strictly for capital projects and not for current funding. (Applications for funding for current expenditure may be considered by the Newman Fund).

All applications or queries can be emailed to:Elizabeth.cronin@ucd.ie or sent by post to the Forum office, Student Centre, UCD, to arrive not later than Thursday, 5 April 2012, 5pm.

Already this year, the fund has provided support for:

furniture for the student area in the Agriculture Buildingequipment for Sports Clubsreplacement computers for student mediaDisability access facilities

The University Observer · 27 March 201220

UCD 3

Glenanne 3

InsIde...We take six lessions from the 6 Nations, but no silverware

page 17

On the sixth day, God created The Badger; and saw that he was all right

page 18

Shane Byrne talks to Observer Sport about sports injuries

page 18

UCD AfCMark McGinley, Daniel Ledwith, Ciaran Nangle, David O’Connor, James Kavanagh, Paul Corry (Hugh Douglas 84), Paul O’Conor, Barry McCabe (Mark Langtry 62), Robbie Benson (Cillian Morrison 62), Graham Rusk, Chris Mulhall

DundalkPeter Cherrie, Ben McLaughlin (Cian Byrne 71), Derek Foran, Liam Burns, Nathan Murphy; Paul Walsh, Chris Shields, John Mountney, Stephen McDonnell (Dan Cunningham HT); Michael Rafter, Shane O’Neill (Chris Reilly 65)

despite a late fight back, UCd AFC left dundalk with no points on Friday night, writes Aaron Kennedy

as well as dundalk’s first goal of the sea-son. dundalk did not hesitate to punish UCd further as they went on to double their tally four minutes later. o’neill found himself at the back post and scored with another headed goal for dundalk to make it 2-0.

the Students did not go out without a fight however. in the sixty-eighth min-ute, referee Phil Caschera awarded a pen-alty having adjudged that nathan Mur-phy fouled rusk in the box. the striker calmly stepped up and put the ball past Cherrie to set up a very interesting final

ObserverS P O R T

twenty minutes. dundalk fans sat ner-vously on the edge of their seats as UCd continued to fight.

the Students pushed for a late equaliser but failed to capitalise on their momentum, most notably a glorious headed chance for rusk. dundalk gave themselves a much-needed win which, in truth, they deserved on the balance of play.

the Students have been in poor form since their opening day win over Cork City. they need to start picking up wins if they are to improve on last season. Currently in eighth place in the Premier division, they play Monaghan United on Friday in the belfield bowl.

Hockey has never been at the forefront of ire-land’s sporting culture, but last week the eyes of the country turned to

belfield to witness ireland’s last gasp loss to Korea in the Men’s final of the olympic qualifying tournament. with a rare berth on prime-time television, and a packed stadium, the game can only be a good advertisement for irish hockey, despite the result.

Coming off the back of a big win against Chile and a 12-0 demolition of Ukraine, which included a hat-trick from timmy Cockram, ireland faced Korea, the world’s sixth ranked team. goals from Peter Caruth and Cockram were cancelled out by nam young Lee and a Hyun woo nam penalty. As the game seemed to be ticking towards ex-tra time, Korea struck; with just two seconds remaining on the clock, nam young Lee got the vital touch to the Ko-rean Hail Mary shot into the irish ‘d’.

Although the referee consulted the video umpire about the goal, the atmo-sphere of both the fans and players gave a feeling of inevitability to the goal be-ing confirmed. ireland’s Men’s olympic dream had ended.

the following day, it was the turn of the UCd Men to try and upset the odds in belfield, against table-topping glenanne. the differences between the two teams were stark; while the Students went into the game knowing that the relega-tion play-off game was all but an inevi-tability, glenanne have been fighting off stiff competition from Pembroke and Monkstown at the top of the table.

UCd shocked their visitors when Shane

o’donoghue made a well-timed run to knock in UCd’s first goal of the afternoon. nick burns made it 2-0 just before half-time, but glenanne soon struck back.

A two goal salvo from eddie o’Malley, one from a corner, drew the sides level and it seemed as if glenanne were starting to pull away from their less experienced opponents. in the fi-nal minute of the game, Paul Fitzpat-rick latched onto the ball from a corner, sending it into the back of the UCd goal, giving glenanne a 3-2 lead.

with little time left on the clock, UCd

highlight to what was an exhilarating week of hockey in UCd. breaking out of the bottom two is now an impossible task for UCd at this late stage of this season, with just one game remaining. Clontarf sit three points behind the Students, with six points separating UCd and Fingal, who are in eighth place. while UCd will be pleased to have taken a point from the league’s top team, a win would have been a welcome relief for them, and following the week-end’s loss to Pembroke, UCd have now failed to win in their last ten games.

attempted a shot straight from the restart, which eventually resulted in a corner for the home team. Shane o’donoghue got enough of the ball to send it into the back of the glenanne net for 3-3, to conclude another exciting end to a game in belfield in the space of two days.

UCd made the short trip to Serpentine Avenue in ballsbridge on Saturday to face another title chasing team, Pembroke. they will not have such pleasant memo-ries from this encounter, going down 5-1 to a very impressive opposition side.

the glenanne game was a fitting

After a season of highs and lows, UCD Marian fall to the remarkable form of UL Eagles, reports Colm Lakes

Wins remain elusive during climactic week of hockey at UCD

Students fall to third straight defeat in Dundalk

St Patrick’s weekend proved to be a frustrating time for UCd as they lost to bray wander-ers at the belfield bowl. two second half goals from captain

danny o’Connor helped bray to their first victory of the season in a 3-2 win over the Students. Veteran striker Jason byrne headed bray ahead on the half hour mark after an error by UCd defend-er david o’Connor. two penalties were awarded to UCd, both for fouls by Conor butler, and were converted by graham rusk either side of the half. However, this was not enough for a college win, as o’Connor’s second half double proved to be the Students’ undoing. the belfield outfit’s poor run of form continued this week with a 2-1 loss to dundalk at oriel Park.

the Lilywhites picked up their first win of the season in a tense encounter under the lights at oriel Park. the home side netted their first goal of the season in the fifty-first minute when Chris Shields nodded home from a nathan Murphy free kick. Shane o’neill made it two for the home side, when his looping header beat Mark Mcginley and doubled the Louth team’s advantage. A late penalty from UCd’s graham rusk, twenty-two min-utes from time, was not enough to secure a point as dundalk came out the victor.

the game was slow to start, with both sides creating few chances. the first real signs of play came in the twenty-first minute, when chances at either end came about in quick succes-sion. intricate passing play between Michael rafter and o’neill saw the ball fall at the feet of Stephen Mcdonnell in a promising position in the penalty area. His neat chip flew over Mark Mc-ginley’s head, but hit the bar and was eventually cleared by a combination of Ciaran nangle and Mcginley.

UCd then pressed their opponents at the other end, almost catching the Lilywhites’ back four out. Chris Mul-hall ran through on goal but had his shot saved by Peter Cherrie. dundalk pushed for an opening goal, and Mc-ginley reacted well to deny a powerful shot on goal from rafter.

dundalk came sprinting out of the traps for the second half, scoring the vi-tal first goal of the match in the fifty-first minute. Murphy whipped in a fantastic ball from a free kick and captain Chris Shields headed home confidently for his,

Photographer: Ed Scannell

Dundalk 2

UCD AFC 1

Photographer: Caoimhe McDonnell