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MSU’s Student Paper
Monday 14 January 2011 – Issue 4, Volume 2 – Free!
Editor: Rob Munnelly, theprint@nuimsu.com
Referendum on MSU Constitution Called Proposed constitution is “first step towards Union independence” Copies available online at nuimsu.com and from the Students’ Union building Referendum will take place in Arts Block on Wednesday February 16th
Details of the proposed new constitution
On Wednesday the 9th of February, Union Council approved a referendum to adopt a brand new Constitution for Maynooth Students’ Union. A constitution is a complex but vitally important document. It essentially defines the Union, and this new document will make the Union better at doing its job. More representative, more competent, better equipped to deal with the 21st Century demands our members have from a students’ union. The referendum is happening this Wednesday, the 16th of February in the Arts Block between 9.30 and 6. Continued on Page 14
Chill: A before and after
Local underground dump on fire
Why you really, really should vote in the General Election
An abandoned dumping ground in Kerdiffstown, near Naas in central Kildare has caught fire and it cannot be extinguished. On the 18th of January the Environmental Protection Agency was informed of a serious fire at the Kerdiffstown dumping ground. The site has been used as a dump for decades, but was officially licensed from 2003 to last year. Following expert examination, the fire was classified as a “below-surface fire” meaning that somewhere beneath a 2 million-tonne pile of waste 50 acres in size, something spontaneously combusted and the fire service are unable to put it out. The dump is less than a mile from some 1,000 residences and the fumes have contaminated an area of 5 miles from the core fire. The effects are being keenly felt by the surrounding community and the Society of St Vincent de Paul have been forced to temporarily close their
On the third of November, 40,000 students from every corner of the country marched from the Garden of Remembrance to Government buildings, and if you’re reading this, there is a very good chance you were one of them. I was one of a lucky handful who stood onstage overseeing the massed crowd as they chanted in unison “I am a vote.” We never thought that day how important that phrase would become so soon. We marched that day because we are sick of constantly being targeted, constantly being hit up for spare change by a government that is too afraid to ask anyone else. We have been bled dry, and we marched in the hope that someone in power would listen and for once value the societal impact students and the educated have for society. Ultimately, students are a soft target, and young people’s concerns Continued on Page 11
holiday home for the elderly nearby. As the dump was an illegal tip until 2002, it is not known what has caused the fire, but similar blazes abroad have been known to burn for years. Kildare County Council has stated that they may have to evacuate nearby housing estates if the conditions disimprove dramatically and the EPA have placed toxin-meters around the site to monitor atmospheric pollution. Quoted in the Irish Independent a spokesperson said “The fire service cannot put it out, and it is not known when it can be put out.” It is believed that international experts have been flown in to inspect the fire and make recommendations to the EPA and Kildare County Council on appropriate responses. Closed last year by Highcourt order The EPA have warned in the past that Kerdiffstown dump is in such
Editorial
Toxic substances escaping from Naas dump are major hazard ramshackle order that there is significant potential for a catastrophic explosion from the gases. Neiphin Trading Ltd, who owned and operated the site have gone into liquidation along with all its associated businesses either in receivership or woundup. Dr Thady Nealon, the director of Neiphin, was formerly an inspector with
the Agency but is now being pursued to answer questions about the site. The dump has also been polluting local water supplies for decades, with an estimated 50 million litre runoff of toxic waste entering the water supply, close to a major tributary to the Liffey. Local residents are naturally furious.
MSU helps 400+ students register to vote A sack of forms, a member of An Garda Síochana and more stamps than you can shake a stick at - these were the ingredients of a well-received campaign by MSU to registers NUIM students to vote in time for the upcoming general election. Prior to this, MSU had placed instructive posters about campus with registration forms beneath. So y’all better vote.
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News
Eye On: Trampoline Soc The NUIM Trampoline Club had a very productive first semester. We held our annual Bounceathon on the 18th of October, and it was extremely successful this year, raising €1,100 for Trócaire. We had one bed moving nonstop for 24 hours from 11am on the Monday to 11am on the Tuesday, and we all had an amazing night! On the 22nd of October we went to Cavan along with UCD, DCU and TCD for our annual intensive training weekend. The four clubs locked themselves in a sports hall with four trampolines, a big sound system, food, drinks, and sleeping bags, and bounced from the Friday until the Sunday. A really great weekend had by all!! NUIM had a very successful run at the Intervarsity compe-
titions in November too, with Sinéad Lillis, Cedric Montanuy and Paul Maher all placing in the competition, taking home gold, silver and bronze medals respectively. We’ve never done this well before, and we’re hugely excited to carry on this momentum into second semester. Well done tramps! We held 4 training sessions a week, every week, getting ready for the competitions this semester, and training up a load
of freshers to competition level from no experience at all. We’re feeling pretty confident about our team now! We held some joint training sessions with the Ultimate Frisbee club, something we hope to be doing again in the future. We had a go of the frisbees and they had a go of the tramps, we’d love to hear from any other clubs that would like to collaborate!! This semester we’ll be traveling to Scotland to represent NUIM in the Scottish Student Trampoline Open, competing with colleges from all over Ireland and the UK, and again at the Irish Trampoline Student Open in Dublin. We’ll also be hosting our first competition, as the Dublin Championships come to Maynooth!
Eye On: Equestrian Club The Equestrian Club is looking forward to intervarsities this month. Hosted by Waterford Institute of Technology, the competition is being held in Kilkenny from the 18th to the 20th of February. A total of 23 members are travelling down for the weekend: a number of competitors forming two showjumping teams, two showjumping individuals, a dressage team, a prix caprilli team and the remainder of those travelling are our ever enthusiastic supporters. We are very confident with our teams this year as the competitors showed a very high standard at trials last week. Hopefully we can improve on last years efforts at intervarsities which - being honest - shouldn’t be hard as we didn’t
Welcome to International Students Angelique Griffith Yank Welcome to semester two, everyone. Of course, we’re all just thrilled to be back. College is a wonderful thing, despite how much we all hate waking up in time for our lectures, completing assignments, or studying. I would especially like to welcome our new international students who are studying here for this semester. As an international student myself, I know you all must be very excited, and understandably so. You’re in a new country, and there are a ton of new things that you’re eager to do. Being at NUI Maynooth, you’ll learn so much, and not just in your lectures. Here, you will learn (very quickly) that your Irish friends will make fun of you to show they like you. You’ll learn that nothing ever starts on time. You’ll learn to carry around an umbrella and to get used to the mud and loud wind. If you’re one of the lucky ones, you will learn to balance
We advise against drinking too much.
do all that well. Fingers crossed! In other news, we’re really excited about our planned fundraiser!
We’re hosting ‘Take Me Out’ on the 7th of March in the SU Venue Bar. Tickets will be €5 and its sure to be a great night!
your academic and social lives. You’ll learn to have fun, if you don’t already know how. Most importantly, you will learn that coming to Maynooth is possibly the best decision you’ve made in your life. Being here in Ireland, there are probably tons of things you want to do. As a seasoned firstyear, there are a few things I would recommend. First, get out and see the country in which you’ll be residing for the next couple of months. No, that doesn’t mean take repeated trips to Dublin. Hop on the train or bus and go to different cities (I personally recommend Galway; fabulous place, ‘tis). Take advantage of the quiet weekends when everyone goes home. Explore Maynooth in all its wonder. Roam around South Campus and find out what different buildings are. *Disclaimer: do not trespass, because if you do, I will not stick up for you when you get in trouble. Second, take advantage of the things that the college has to offer. Join different clubs and societies. Attend events in the SU. Audition for a play. Write for The Print, whatever your little hearts desire. And if you have questions about your time here, the International Office is the first stop for all international students. The lovely ladies and gentlemen that work there would be more than happy to help out with whatever you need. Besides the International
Office, other good points of contact are the Academic Advisory Office, for when you don’t know what to study, and the Career Development Office, for when you don’t know what career you want, as well as tons of other student services readily available on campus. Third, attend your lectures and seminars, because, as a student of the university, I am obligated to give out this advice. But seriously, go to class. Lectures, while they are oftentimes boring, are full of vital information you’ll need to pass exams. I’d tell you how you could avoid attending lectures and still get the same information, but that would be too easy. Hey, I’m not here to give out answers, just advice. And besides, I would be a bad fellow student if I encouraged laziness. Lastly, have fun. Studying abroad is a unique experience, and it is up to you to make the most of it. Maynooth is a veritable hub of culture because of its high population of international students, so make an effort to get to know people from different countries. All the adults say that when you’re in college, you make lifelong friends. Well, it’s true, so make as many friends here as possible. Well, those are all the fabulous tidbits of info that I can impart on you for now. I hope you all have a great time during your stay here in Maynooth! Angelique Griffith
Maynooth Star Earns First International Cap
Cillian Shields Has a beard Chris Moone of second year, NUI Maynooth has earned his first cap playing for Ireland. On the 8th of October 2010 he played for the Ireland fans team against Russia’s fans team. The game ended in a 1-1 draw but Moone says Ireland had the better of the play but failed to take their chances. The Irish goal came from the penalty spot but his proved to be the only way in which the Ireland team could hit the back of the night, as the Russians were hard to break down. The draw was a great result overall, with the Russian team having a lot of experience regularly playing against other countries’ fans teams, but this game was the first that Ireland had competed in. The game took place in Irishtown stadium on the same day as the two nations’ Euro 2012 qualifier that Russia won 3-2. Chris, who studies Business Management, is a huge Republic of Ireland football fan and getting onto the fans team was surely the next best thing to playing for Trapattoni’s army. National pride was very strong that day as the team sang Amhrán na bhFiann before the match without the forgotten backing track. Their guests however brought a recording of their own national anthem and had it played through the loudspeak-
ers at the stadium. The players were also rewarded international caps the same way professionals are. Moone along with the rest of the team received his at a presentation in Dublin on the night of the recent Ireland vs. Norway friendly game. FAI chief executive John Delaney held the presentation for the team with a Q&A as well as with refreshments. Noel Mooney, head of League and Marketing was also present. On the 8th of February the Ireland fans team also hosted their Welsh counterparts to be held side by side with the professionals’ Carling Nations Cup. Moone started in this game and played very impressively, earning his second international cap in the process. Upcoming games include those against Scotland and Northern Ireland to round off the Carling Nations Cup, and there are also the Euro 2012 qualifiers for the team to look forward to. Twenty-year-old Moone also has an interest in coaching and partook in the recent FAI kickstart coaching course here at NUI Maynooth. This course coupled with his experience in training a local underage team back home in Kildare is sure to give him a great platform to work on should he choose to go into professional football management. He currently isn’t playing for a club but will soon join Kildare Town who will welcome the services of an international player quickly establishing himself.
Taking place in the John Hume Building over the weekend of the 19th and 20th of February, Epic Con returns for it’s 3rd year! With amazing guests including Dr. Dr Dale Seslick who featured on RTÉ’s The Panel, RPG’s, competitions with amazing prizes and *ahem* cosplayers. It’s a weekend not to be missed! Tickets start from €6! This years charity of honour is Match it for Pratchett. Visit www.epiccon. info for more information
Tennis court lights working again The Print is pleased to report that the tennis court lights are now operable. The Sports Centre reception can enable the locker wrist bands (which are available at €10 each), or student cards issued from the 2011 academic year, to operate the lights. When you swipe your wrist band or card, the tennis courts will be lit for 60 minutes. A timer unit has been set so that the courts cannot be lit after 10pm at night, as the floodlights interfere with the residents in the surrounding apartments. Therefore, the last swipe (turning on the lights for 60 minutes) will only be accepted before 9pm. A light sensor has also been installed so that the lights cannot be enabled during daylight hours.
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Monday 14th February 2011
INSIDE
Rafting, wrestling and charity - these are just some of the things you sign up for when you get involved in M.U.C.K
STUDENT NEWS
Muck-y Stuff It’s a whole new year and M.U.C.K is welcoming back members both old and new, as we gear up for what is going to be a busy few weeks ahead. First up, we are now in possession of a much needed new trailer, able to carry many more boats than the last, meaning we can accommodate for larger trips, with the biggest of all, Inter-Varsities, merely days away. This year its set to be one of the best yet as hundreds of kayakers descend on Cork city for the event. So a big thanks to our equipments officer Heather Reid, for finding the materials and the people needed to build the trailer from the ground up. Next up, as mentioned before, we have Inter-Varsities fast approaching, an important date in the Irish kayaking calendar which caters for paddlers of every level. Whether you fly along on flat water or whether you brave the white water course, the polo pitch or the freestyle feature, you will be alongside some of the country’s finest paddlers, whether you yourself have been kayaking ten years or ten days. There is something for everyone at
varsities and we are proud to have so many new participants this year. It is sure to be an exceptional weekend this year as CIT and UUC team up to bring together a three day event encompassing every aspect of the sport, while also providing fantastic entertainment. The fancy dress theme this year is Fairy Tails, so no doubt that the entire weekend will have a whimsical air about it, with perhaps the strangest of sights being none other than our own Justin Cullinane, who is preparing to don tights to lead his own band of lost boys. It just remains to be seen whether we can convince him to wear the wings as well. All in all, whether on and off the water (supporters are more than welcome), the weekend of varsities is shaping up to once again be the best weekend of the year for everyone who takes part. The teams have been chosen, the training has been done and the costumes have been decided, now only one question remains, who has the duct tape? Lastly, in the midst of excitement
MSU Amnesty takes action 4 in the name of mental health
You can’t really tell but, out there in the waves, are some crazy people. for a new term, for varsities and for our shiny new gear, we remember another event lurking just beyond the horizon that will soon be upon us, Charity week M.U.C.K wrestling! Always interesting, M.U.C.K wrestling provides you with the chance to have a laugh and vent your frustrations while indulging in a free mud pack, as well as possibly earning the satisfaction of being cheered to victory by your friends and peers. A team sport, M.U.C.K wrestling pits teams, of one guy and one girl, against each other, victory to those that
MSU Enters 12 Catagories for Student Media Awards
Maynooth Young Fine Gael Off To a Busy Start Semi-frozen hands and woolly scarves were the recurring features of Monday night for one group of students on the first night back after the exams. While most people were at home getting ready to go the Roost or the SU bar, Maynooth Young Fine Gael were in Leixlip, hot on the campaign trail. Fine Gael Councillor Anthony Lawlor had enlisted the help of YFG Maynooth to canvas the Leixlip area, and despite the numbing cold and the current climate of suspicion towards all things political, the group took to the task with gusto. Many of the students were new to canvassing, but a strong presence from other supporters of Lawlor’s, including his election manager, Mark Finan, meant that it wasn’t long before Maynooth YFG were confident canvassers. Contrary to widespread opinion, the group did not experience hostility from citizens in the area. The overall mood of the people was one of disillusionment and anger at the present state of the country and lack of faith in political parties who do not put Ireland first. Several residents in the area commented on the fact that it was a welcome sight to see the youth of the
country actively involved in working for a better, stronger country. The night was the first of many planned canvassing trips by the Maynooth branch of Young Fine Gael as the date
inspire the most enthusiastic applause from the crowd. Both die hard wrestling fans and those without a clue(accounting for the vast majority of participants!), battle it out and more often than not end the match rolling in the mud, incapacitated by uncontrollable bursts of laughter. This year we are focusing on making M.U.C.K wrestling a bigger event than ever before and we hope to raise as much as we can for the chosen cause. So in the spirit of all things charitable, generous and M.U.C.Ky, I encourage you all to join in and get involved, all are welcome to compete. As a final word we look forward to what is set to be another fantastic year for M.U.C.K. Hopefully this semester will be as full of friendships and fun as the last, with the club continuing to grow bigger and better than ever before. New members are always welcome, whether you’re a complete beginner or live for the sport, email us at muck@ nuimsu.com for more information and don’t forget to look for us on facebook, just search M.U.C.K.
of the general election (25th February) rises ahead on the horizon. MSUYFG are a political group and do not reflect the political views of MSU. MSU is not affiliated to any political party.
They said this day would never come. After years in the wilderness, we here in the SU reckon that we’re finally up to winning some of these. We believe that The Print and the people who have helped to make it what it is have a fairly decent stab at winning our first ever - that’s right, ever - Student Media Award. We’ve never had anything close to being good enough to win, but this year we think we’ve got what it takes. And so it is with great pride that we enter: Best Student Paper: The Print; Best Student Blog: Come Here To Me; Best News Photographer: Neil Fraser and Lisa Whelan; Editor of the Year: Rob Munnelly; Features Writer of the Year: Donal Fallon; Journalist of the Year: Donal Fallon; Layout and Design of the Year: The Print; Photographer of the Year: We’ve loads of peoples’ names down; Sports Writer of the Year: David Tuohy and Cillian Shields; The People’s Choice Award: The Print; Journalism of the year Relating to Suicide: Cathal Óg Donnelly; and Features Writer of the Year with a focus on Arts and Pop Culture: Keith Broni. There hasn’t been a year in the last ten when we’ve had a hope at one of these. But 2011 is our year.
Music Soc top Clubs and Socs league With a few smashing events behind them (the Variety Show was super), and with a few more planned for semester two, Music Soc have risen to the top of the Clubs and Societies League Table. On their heels is the Amnesty Society, who have had a few great campaigns this year. These guys, when they campaign, are almost impossible not to spot. Their new logo, introduced this year, is also smashing. Tied for third place are Yoga Soc and Tea soc. Tea Soc is one of the most inclusive and open societies on campus - due in no small part to the extremely broad barriers to entry, I.E., liking tea - and their weeky tea sessions in the Common Room aren’t to be missed. Similarly, Yoga Soc has done a great job building on last year to become one of the most active and dedicated societies on campus. Winner of the Sudent Observer’s chat-up line of the year - “Free sword, sir?” - fencing has become one of the most active clubs on campus and is
cheerleaded by none other than our Clubs Officer Kyle O’ Regan. He’s mad for the fencing. Dance have really gotten their act together this year, taking part in intervarsities left right and centre. They also practice a wide range of dance styles, including ballet, hip-hop and Irish dancing. Playdo. We love what they can do with cardboard. And tinfoil. Or any material you can throw at their McGyver - like Art Attack talent. Not afraid to publicly humiliate you in the bar, Snooker and Pool have done extremely well this year to place 7th in the League. Everyone’s favourite Roscian Player’s have put on a few great shows this year. Still looking forward to One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, guys. MUCK. They do the activities you’re not brave enough to. Trailing the Top 10 is Archery. They, um, shoot bows and arrows and stuff. We assume.
NUI Maynooth Researchers point way to free city-wide broadband
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We asked PlayDo for 200 5 words...
NUIM Student on the ballot in CavanMonaghan
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Student ShowCase: The Awesome Photography of Andrew Carrol
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NEWS NATIONAL 58,000 young people to emigrate this year, mostly graduates
Coughlan accused of ‘cynical’ 8 new plans for 400 schools Tánaiste Mary Coughlan rant at school principle
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NUIM academics, 2nd-level students and more address FEE national meeting
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Nurses begin campaign against pay cuts
COMMENT Equality 101: an introduction to the discourse of equality WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE Worrying suicide trends continure; plus, information on depression and RAK Week
An introduction to the proposed new MSU constitution
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SU Report - if we didn’t do anything then we wouldn’t have anything to write about, 22 eh?
Get involved
Clubs and Socs League Tables Club or Society
Points
Music Amnesty Yoga and Tea Fencing Dance Playdo Snooker and Pool Drama MUCK Archery
489 438 420 360 332 331 318 315 310 303
theprint@nuimsu.com
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Monday 14th February 2011
MSU Amnesty takes action in the name of mental health This semester, MSU Amnesty is campaigning for the realisation of the right to the highest attainable standard of mental health in Ireland. Unlike the more familiar forms of discrimination, like racism, sexism and ageism, there is no ‘-ism’ to describe discrimination on the grounds of mental health. There have been many reports about Irish society’s attitudes towards mental health problems. The sobering statistics are widely available - we have heard that nearly half of us don’t think people with mental health problems should have the same rights as the rest of us, and that four in ten don’t think they should have children. Shockingly as well, it is the day-to-day experience that can cause the greatest anguish – prejudicial treatment by friends, family, neighbours and colleagues that feeds into the larger process of social exclusion. It denies people with mental health problems their right to live a full life in their communities and denies us as a society the vast and rich contributions people have to offer. In our country there is no clear evidence of overt direct discrimination by the state in its laws, policies or practices. The real issue however is the hidden, indirect discrimination and inequality people face. Our Government must act to address direct and indirect discrimination and achieve full equality for people with mental health problems.
To help you take action to end mental health discrimination MSU Amnesty will be holding many different events involving petition signings, speaker events, movie nights and a fundraising comedy event on campus for you to take part in.
NUI Maynooth Researchers point way to free city-wide broadband Scientists at NUI Maynooth have devised a solution to what is a major challenge for cities worldwide – the provision of widespread, free, effective broadband for all their citizens. For more than 10 years, this has been a goal of cities in their drive to support the ‘smart economy’ but it had remained elusive due to technological limitations. “It’s a very complex problem and a decade of research internationally had failed to provide any real progress. The key was to stop looking for complex solutions, think differently about the issue and come up with simple answers to the issues”, said Professor Doug Leith, Director of the Hamilton Institute at NUI Maynooth. Professor Leith said broadband would be the enabler of modern communications and business and that while free broadband has always been a logical and desired goal for society, it had proven unexpectedly difficult to provide. He pointed out that London has a new commitment to having free municipal broadband available time for the 2012 Olympics, while Dublin has had it as an objective in recent years. The two main barriers to creating successful municipal wireless networks are Interference and Fairness. In order to effectively cover a city, it is necessary to provide many WiFi transmitters in close proximity to each other. However, as all are constantly broadcasting and receiving, these transmissions interfere and collide with each other, resulting in poor quality connections for most users. It has also been very difficult to allocate bandwidth evenly between users, meaning a small number of lucky users monopolise most of the resource available, depending on their location, type of computer and other factors. Professor Leith and colleagues Ken Duffy and David Malone, developed a new mathematical framework to analyse the functioning and behaviour of radio signals in these situations, and from this new perspective have developed software programs which circumvent the Interference and Fairness issues meaning the WiFi transmitters operate effectively. The software has been proven in trials and the NUI Maynooth team is currently preparing for large scale demonstrations in early 2011, in association with industry partners. They plan to bring the software to market during the year. The Hamilton Institute, based at NUI Maynooth is a world leading multi-disciplinary research centre, focused on the bridge between mathematics and other disciplines, including information technology and biology.
President McAleese receives three recipients of the NUI Maynooth John O’Connell Award 2011.
President of Ireland, Mary McAleese received the NUI Maynooth, John O’ Connell Award recipients. Amongst the recipients were student Donal Bligh, a graduate of the Professional Diploma in Community and Youth work. Donal overcame a number of personal difficulties including the recent amputation of one of his legs. He demonstrated insight and capacity to work successfully with marginalised groups and young people. During his Diploma he undertook work placements with Bradóg Regional Youth Service and Priorswood Community Development Programme where his ability to develop creative responses to issues of inequality and isolation were highlighted. Donal hopes to resume his study in 2012. The John O’ Connell Awards recognise outstanding individuals working to create a just, equal and inclusive society. The Awards are named for John O’Connell, teacher, organiser and advocate for the marginalized in Ireland and globally, who died in 1999.
Groundbreaking European role for Institute based at NUI Maynooth
With European spend on ICT expected to reach over €600 billion in 2011, the European Commission has contracted the Innovation Value Institute (IVI), housed at NUI Maynooth, to conduct a groundbreaking research project which will strengthen and further professionalize the vital role of the CIO (Chief Information Officer) and ICT professionals in European business, public sector and academic organizations. IVI is inviting all interested parties to engage with the research project.
NUIM offers new online electoral mapping system to help candidates
The All Island Research Observatory (AIRO) at NUI Maynooth is providing general election candidates and political parties with free access to an online socioeconomic mapping portal with rich information that can revolutionise their approach to policy formation, decision making and campaign planning. The portal will allow election candidates to quickly analyse data for all 43 constituencies relating to potential voters; population demographics; socio-economic status; deprivation indexes; economic status; housing; transport; social class; marital status; religion; industry; households; and education. The system will also allow political strategists to analyse and compare electoral districts within their constituencies in drawing up manifestos, and provides up to date information such as the fluctuations in Live Register data at social welfare office level, and localised information on unfinished housing estates, planning permissions and housing development. It will allow election candidates to access micro-level data on their constituencies while on the canvass trail for the 166 seats in the Dáil. NUI Maynooth is contacting all political parties with information on the AIRO system. AIRO is a project from leading NUI Maynooth research institutes NIRSA (the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis) and NCG (National Centre for Geocomputation). The AIRO electoral system will allow political party strategists to formulate campaign plans based on the most up to date statistics and data, to quickly analyse the socio-economic breakdown of the 43 constituencies, and to be able to compare areas within and between constituencies. The system compiles data centrally in a user-friendly format such as CSO statistics, census outputs and Live Register information. With the Dáil now dissolved, almost 400 candidates are declared to run for election so far. At the political party level, election strategists may be under time pressure to get their canvassing teams organised and mobilised and the AIRO system will allow them to easily break up their constituency and devise a campaign plan based on up-to-date socio-economic data and demographics. “In recent years we’ve witnessed politicians adopting communication channels such as Twitter and Facebook.”, Rob Kitchin said.
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Monday 14th February 2011
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Idea: ask a society to write a bit about themselves for the student paper. Note to future editors: think twice about exactly what you’ve asked them to do.
We asked PlayDo for 200 words... We should have been more specific We were asked for 200 arty words:Acrylic, achromatic, applique, airbrush, animation, albumen print, armature, batik, bisque, beard-hats, blue-tack, blending, balloon shaping, asketry, beads, brayer, canvas, camera, crayons, cardboard, chalk, ceramic, cotton, cloth, candles, card making, chenille, castle fair, chroma, cartoons, collage, calligraphy, celtic art, carving, chisel, crosshatching, charcol, cibachrome, crochet, clay, composition, crackle glaze, contour, dry brushing, distemper, die
cutting, decoupage, drawing, doodling, easel, etching, embroidery, embossing, encaustic, enamel, exhibition, form, felt, fingerpainting, fimo, frame, feathers, firing, fresco, glaze, gallery, gesso, graphite, glue, googley eyes, gouache, GLITTER, glass painting, hue, hatching, highlight,henna, impasto, ink, impressionism, jewellery, kiln, knitting, lithograph, lino printing,landscape,line drawing, light graffiti, life drawing, lace, leatherwork, monoprint, mosaic,medium,
mirrors, manga, museum, marble, modelling, markers, masks, macrame, make up, mural, newsprint, needle art, oil, oxides, origami, pastel, paint, porcelain, posters, portfolio, pottery, photography, pressed flowers, pastel, pipe cleaners, papier machee, moulds, plaster, photoshop, play-dough,pigment, paper, pencils, paintbrush, perspective, parchment, quilling, raku,realism, ruler, rock painting, renaissance, reduction, ribbon, silk painting, string, sewing,
sketching, scissors, shading, scrapbooking, sponges, stickers, stained glass, stippling, stencilling, symmetry, sellotape,stamping, sand art, still life, stencil, tempera, tshirt art, textiles, tapestry, templates, turpentine, tie dye, tripod, tile art, underpainting, vellum, watercolour, waterscape, wax, weaving, wreaths, wool, yarn. An ARTicle by Playdo. (to find out what these mean and how to do them..come to Playdo! Email playdo@nuimsu.com)
NUIM Student on the ballot Darcy, 21, Politcal and sociology student of NUIM Maynooth is running as the youngest canidate in the general election in the Monaghan/Cavan region. Her comment is as follows: “I hope to reach out to younger voters to encourage them to take on their civic responsibility of voting in order to have a say in their future. Without doubt this is the most important election in generations; the policies determined by the next government will have a profound effect on our lives. This generation of young people are at risk of losing their voice – older politicians may be in a position to implement policies now, yet won’t be around to feel the long term effects on the current generation and their children in the future . Now, more than ever, is the time to be stood up and counted, precisely why i have decided to run. As a young person myself, I fully understand and empathise with the disillusionment felt among young people - and the challenges our generation
face due to the broken system that has been left to us through years of political, economic and ecological mismanagement. Our main concerns are for our future. Will there be a job for me when I graduate? Will I have to emigrate like my friends? The Greens are the only party offering REAL solutions to our economic and environmental problems by interlinking the two.”
DARE and HEAR
to aspiring students who are school leavers and from backgrounds of a socio-economic disadvantage. Both of these innovative programmes are approved by the Department of Education and Science and aimed at bolstering third level attendance among their respective target demographics. Between them, they received 1.650 offers last year. NUI Maynooth’s current quota among first year undergraduates is 4% for both programmes. Information regarding both schemes is available at www. accesscollege.ie.
The 22nd of January saw the short-term opening of a number of application clinics for students wishing to avail of the DARE and HEAR access schemes. DARE (or the Disability Access Route to Education) is a relatively new programme (of which NUI Maynooth is a participating institution) allocating college places to disabled students on a reducing points basis. Its sister programme, HEAR (the Higher Education Access Route) offers a similar solution
New way to buy and sell books, laptops, etc on nuimsu.com Rob Munnelly VP Comms & Dev Last Wednesday, MSU launched an online forum NUIM students to advertise (or ask for) books, laptops, grinds and accommodation. This solves a few problems at once. Most importantly, it creates a one-stop-shop for anyone looking for or offering for sale one of these items. This means that students won’t need to put up posters, messages on Facebook or posts on Boards.ie to sell on their books (etc.) This makes it much, much easier for everyone involved. Second, it also frees up a tonne of space on noticeboards around campus. To date, if a student was selling a book or offering a room they had to print off dozens of A4 ads (typically) and post them all over the Arts Block and JH noticeboards. This was a pain in that a) the ad was lost in the mess, b) it was a lot of work for a simple problem, c) most ads just got ripped down when the noticeboards got full, d) there was less room for club or society announcements, e) if a student was looking to buy something second-hand, they had to roam
around North Campus and trawl through the notice boards looking for the item. This new project, as well as creating a central space for trading amongst students, makes noticeboards available for more club and society related activities. Market.nuimsu.com is super easy to use. We deliberately chose the forum style so that even a total computer novice can figure it out. If anyone has trouble, they can view the video tutorial on YouTube. First, it’s available only to NUIM students. You need an @ nuim.ie address to register with the site before you can post on it. This is also a great security measure - we know exactly who is (say) offering accommodation, so no hidden identities / weirdo stalkers. Second, it’s really easy to figure out. It does a small number of things well. If you post in the wrong place (for example, you post an ad for a book in the ‘Laptops’ section) it’s two simple steps to move your post to the correct area. Third, it has a search function so you can just search for the title of the book (or whatever) you’re looking for instead of browsing. This is a million
times easier than wandering like a nomad around Arts and John Hume. Fourth, like Facebook, you can send private messages to people. You can also add people to these conversations if threeways are your thing. Fifth, it has a Facebook-like ‘Wall’ where you can see all recent activity. Sixth, we have a three-strike rule: break the rules twice and you’ll be permanently banned the third time. So don’t take the mickey. Seventh, you can customise
your own profile with a profile picture, etc. This pre-supposes the forum taking off and Club and Soc functionality being built in in the future. We’ll see how it goes. Eight, you can give yourself a nickname - ‘Eoin’ is a lot more personable the EOIN. QUINN2013@NUIM.IE. In time, we hope to replace the noticeboards completely as a means of advertising. (And now I can tick off another twenty percent of my manifesto.) Rob Munnelly
What it does Buy *Books *Laptops *Grinds *Accommodation
Sell *Books *Laptops *Grinds *Accommodation
Student talent showcase: Photos by...
Andrew Carroll
THE
6Snovember News
Monday 14th February 2011
THE
News
Monday 14th February 2011
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Fairs Day Two Students get another chance to take up hiking, debating or a vegetarian lifestyle
Press Release USI Launches Campaign to Prevent Slashing of Nurses Pay The Union of Students in Ireland (USI), the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), SIPTU & the Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland have staged a series of lunchtime protests last February 9th as part of a campaign against Government plans to cut payments to pre-registration nurses and midwives. The lunchtime protests took place from 12.30pm -1.30pm at 13 hospitals nationwide. The action forms part of USI’s campaign to reverse pay cuts to working 4th year pre-registration nurses and midwives, who replace paid qualified staff on wards for the final 9 months of their degree programme. The Government has decided, without consultation, to phase out their pay over the next four years until they are completely abolished from 2015 onwards. This will force pre-registration nurses to work full-time on wards, providing direct patient care, for no wage. The protest coincided with talks at the Labour Relations Commission in response to a claim, by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, to reverse these pay cuts, which are in breach of the Croke Park Agreement and the EU Directive on Information and Consultation. The lunchtime protests were attended by pre-registration nurses and midwives and students from all four years of the undergraduate programme and supported by qualified colleagues. There was no disruption to patient services during the demonstrations. The hospitals where the protests were held are as follows: *Tralee General Hospital *Mayo General Hospital *Cork University Hospital *Mid West Regional Hospital, Limerick *University Hospital Galway *Tullamore General Hospital *St James Hospital, Dublin *St Vincent’s, Hospital, Dublin *Beaumont Hospital, Dublin *Waterford Regional Hospital *Sligo Regional Hospital *Letterkenny General Hospital *Louth County Hospital, Dundalk Following these protests, USI will take part in a protest march and rally at 11.30am on February 16th. The rally will commence at Parnell Square, Dublin, and proceed to the Department of Health, where a letter, calling on the in-coming Minister to reverse this decision, will be presented. Meetings are being arranged with the leaders of the five political parties, directly following the march. At these meetings we will be asking them to confirm, if they were in government, that they will reverse this pay cut. The response from each political party will subsequently be made known to the 6,000 members involved in this campaign ahead of the general election. Following these two days of action, if there is no resolution, the INMO will ballot all 4th year pre-registration nurses and midwives for a withdrawal of labour with industrial action commencing in early March. In addition, this unilateral pay cut: *will be the subject of payment of wages claims to the Rights Commissioner Service for breach of contract; and;
F
airs Day two - with it’s awesome publicity poster - took place a few Wednesdays ago in the Arts Block. The event formerly known as ‘Clubs and Socs Day’ is designed to students the chance to see all the clubs and societies strut their thing and to see what activities they might like to get involved in. In the desperate attempt to pimp their wares, it’s not unusual for a club or soc to find some creative outlet for displaying to the public their particular expertise. One of our favourites this year was the invitation from Fencing: “Free sword?” Trampolines, robots and giant flags are just some of the spectacles worth dropping along for. Add to these the copious amounts of free sweets, earning it the nickname ‘Maynooth Diabetes Day’, and you’re just a ringmaster short of a circus. Crayola also features heavily in the event. A good deal of the event took place in front of the SU’s giant welfare posters, detailing the effects of STIs, depression, bulimia and so forth. Uncomfortable. Perhaps. But you’ll thank us later when you know what those red bumps mean and that you should get to a doctor pronto, tonto. Most clubs and societies reported an
increase in membership following the second run at Fairs Day. Ultimate Frisbee really made the effort with their giant, Art Attack-esque signage at the front entrance to Arts Block. Maynooth Christian Union also got into the spirit with their own display. Our friends from the Galway Cycle came out in full force to rope people into their - we agree, excellent - cause. Towards the back of the Arts Block were Suas, pimping their charity. We hope that the chap in the photo (middle-right) finds a way to reattach his head to the rest of himself.
*will be referred for investigation under equality legislation. USI President, Gary Redmond, said: “The Union of Students in Ireland will campaign tirelessly until these cuts are reversed. Pre-registration nurses are an integral part of the public health service in this country. The Government’s intention to gradually eliminate wages for student nurses is wholly unacceptable. It represents gross exploitation of these hard working nurses in Irish hospitals. It is unfair to expect people to work, the full roster and range of duties, while replacing qualified staff, for no pay. USI will not stand by while the Government try to introduce slave labour into the health sector. If these draconian cuts are not reversed, nursing will become a career solely for the privileged, whose families can afford to support them through their training. This plan by the Department of Health and Children comes without any consultation and is in complete breach of the conditions explicitly stated in the Croke Park Agreement. This decision is nothing more than an attack on the lowest paid workers in the health service. This will not, be tolerated or accepted by the USI. We will continue to campaign to protect the right of Ireland’s pre-registration nurses and midwives to fair pay and working conditions.”
THE
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News
Monday 14th February 2011
The Student Support Bill finally enacted as one of the last acts of the Seanad before its dissolution on the 1st of February. From 2012 the grants system in Ireland will finally begin to be repaired.
A smelly dump is on fire in Kerdiffstown. It’s leaking and fuming and nobody really knows what to do about it. The latest report is that the fire has been extinguished, but who knows. Smelly fire is the worst kind of fire.
ThePrint@nuimsu.com To get involved with your student paper, fire off an email to theprint@nuimsu.com. We do home news, national student news, fun stuff, serious stuff, usefull stuff, social stuff anything to do with students.
58,000 under-25s to emigrate this year Findings spark memories of the 70K who left Ireland in 1989 Conor O’ Brien National News Editor
Majority will be college graduates
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May be nail in coffin for ‘knowledge economy’
ecent findings by the National Youth Council of Ireland have uncovered that 2011 will see over 58,000 people under the age of twenty-five depart Irish shores for pastures new. What’s more, many of these migrants will be college graduates, hinting that the brain drain inflicting our recessionstruck nation will continue for some time yet, with many of this largely college-educated demographic indicating a shortage of available work as their chief motivation for leaving. Of the total sample, 70% claimed they would leave Ireland should their future prospects not improve over the coming months. The estimate is almost as high as the approximately 70,000 people who left Ireland in 1989, the worst year for emigration in what was a testing decade for the country. But the new findings are scarcely more consoling, particularly given the fact that much as it was at the end of the ‘80’s, a high percentage of those leaving are tertiary educated reaching nearly 30% by the end of that particular decade, and fears are now rampant that the current en masse exit of educated young people could yet surpass that. Such a loss of highly educated and innovative young workers could yet prove highly
Fine Gael plan to create 100K jobs under scrutiny from opposition Youth Work Ireland calls for implication of extensive educational and training programmes 70% of sample asked claimed they would leave Ireland in next 12 months if prospects don’t improve Emigration was a major theme of USI march detrimental to any attempts made by Ireland to establish a ‘knowledge’ economy over the coming years. Notably, the looming threat of emigration was a major theme of November’s USI march on Leinster House, with various banners bearing the flags and names of such potential destinations as New Zealand and Australia popular with unemployed graduates. These countries, together with Canada, the United States and the UK remain the most popular host nations for young Irish migrants. Prior to this pro-
65,300 people left Ireland in 2010 test (which had an increase in college fees and decrease in college grants as its primary focus) the USI organised a smaller demonstration on the 3rd of August last year focused specifically on the growing rates of unemployment among graduates, which at that point stood at over 68,000, more than thrice the corresponding
figure of 2008. The study has also found that the feelings of despair, hopelessness and powerlessness associated with their unemployment only supplies young people with further incentive to pack their bags and leave, with 90% saying that their present unemployment had a detrimental effect on their sense of well-being. In total, 65,300 people left Ireland in 2010 and the figure for this year (with the inclusion of those over twenty-five) could yet be even higher. Numerous groups have attempted to put pressure on
the government to curtail this worrying trend, rightly fearing its long-term negative implications for the nation. Among these is Youth Work Ireland, an organisation which has called for the implication of extensive educational and training programmes as a viable solution to address immigration, believing that the widespread absence of such programmes and places leaves young people with little or no option but to emigrate. Of particular concern was the growing number of people transitioning from short to long-term
employment. Fine Gael have used this crisis as part of the crucible against which to help launch their five-point plan which aims to increase employment nationwide and rejuvenate the nation, this being at the core of their campaign to form a government following the upcoming election. If successful, the implication of the plan will create approximately 100,000 jobs, although its validity and viability have come under scrutiny from the party’s opposition. Conor O’ Brien
USI aims to register 50,000 students to vote in general election
Coughlan accused of ‘cynical’ new plans for 400 school repairs
Aimed primarily at first- and second-year undergraduates
Upgrade due for about 10% of nation’s primary schools
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he Union of Students in Ireland (USI) announced in January its ambition to have 50,000 third level students registered to vote come election time. Aimed primarily at first and second year undergraduates not yet registered to vote, (according to USI president Gary Redmond) its campaign took the the form of a bus tour which visited every third level institution in the country over a two week period, arriving at NUI Maynooth on Monday the 7th of February. Upon visiting the campus, a stand was set up at which students could register to vote, with the presence of a Garda (as was the case at every stop on the tour) serving to validate the signatures. The campaign was launched through X-Factor style auditions held outside Leinster House on the 28th of January at which a selection of students judged the credentials of each candidate. The USI has cited this election as among the most important in the history of the country for young people, who it believes have been ignored for
far too long and as they will be shouldering the debt lumped upon the nation by the “mistakes of the current generation” have the entitlement “not to tolerate a single second more of lacklustre governance” from their leaders. The USI has been open about its willingness for young Irish people to become more politically involved, and although this project is an acknowledgment that more is to be done, the organisation generally believes that students in Ireland are “well informed” and willing and able to decide the future fate of the country, with its over 40,000 strong march on Leinster House in November testament to the degree of interest shown by young people in politics and their eagerness to express their displeasure at the current state of affairs in Ireland. As recently as 2009, only 71.2% of 18-25 year-olds in Ireland were registered to vote, with the figure being significantly lower for those aged 18-21, the typical age for a first and/or second year undergraduate and thus the target demo-
graphic of the USI’s campaign. The UK has suffered from a similar problem in recent years, with over half of its young people not being registered to vote in March 2010. This compelled its Electoral Commission to team up with Facebook last year in a bid to increase the number of registered voters among the under 25 age group, which proved highly successful, enabling Facebook users to download registration forms from the site free of charge. In the United States, despite a paltry 20.4% of under 30’s voting in the 2008 presidential election, the numbers of votes cast by young people of typical college age was found to be significantly higher in precincts where on-the-ground registration campaigns took place. In total, over 80% of young people registered to vote did just that. The USI will certainly be hoping for a similar (if not superior) return from its equally innovative and hands-on approach, hoping that bringing registration to the students will entice them have their voices and opinions counted come polling time. Conor O’ Brien
Peer Mentoring for Students with Mental Health Problems
U
CC’s Disability Support Service has recently launched a peer to peer mentoring service for students with mental health problems. The UCC Genio Peer Mentor programme is an innovative and unique program that hopes to tailor support to
students by enhancing their academic, social and personal development in conjunction with empowering students to become independent learners. The program, which will be implemented in 2011, has recruited and trained 13 mentors. These mentors will be
ormer Minister for Education along with numerous other portfolios - Mary Coughlan has been accused of a “cynical political exercise” after she announced nearly 400 school building projects. The announcement means that an extension, refurbishment, or completely new school building is on the cards for 10% of the 4000 schools in the country. The schools are all at different stages of the planning process. Nearly 100 of the projects are appearing for the first time. Gaelscoil Barra in Cabra in Dublin has been waiting for a new school building for the past fifteen years and has now for the first time been included in the list. However, principal Sean O Donaile has said that he would not believe anything until the school’s totally unsuitable and unhealthy pre-fabs have been replaced by bricks and mortar. Gaelscoil Barra is one of 102 projects where briefs are to be formulated this year before a further process will commence where a design
team is appointed. About half of these schools are appearing on the list for the first time. Included in the list is a new school for Carrabane, Athenry, Co Galway, a new school for Naomh Padraig, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, dozens of new schools or extensions of refurbishments in Co. Cork and an extension of the Educate Together school in Skerries, Co. Dublin. The former Tánaiste has also announced that 42 schools could progress to planning permission with a view to preparing tender documents for 2011 or 2012, adding that the remainder will go to tender this year, award contracts, continue with building or progress through the system. She also confirmed that nine new post-primary schools would open between 2012 and 2016. However, Labour education spokesman Ruairí Quinn said the announcement represented the first cynical campaign promise of the election campaign. “The days of making
such grandiose promises to hundreds of communities around the country, in the run-up to an election, is the politics of yesteryear, and should, like the political culture of a morally bankrupt Fianna Fail, be consigned to the dustbin of history,” he said. A spokesperson for the former minister has denied that the announcement was related to recent political developments and said that she had fully intended announcing her school building programme in January. “It is testament to the wide-ranging and progressive nature of the programme that she has outlined that political opponents are attempting to dampen the enthusiasm with which this announcement is being greeted across the country,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson also added that “It represents a considerable investment in education at a time when falling construction prices mean that a great deal more can be achieved for less.” Leonie Delaney
matched with first years and will provide weekly mentoring for them throughout term time. “We anticipate that this programme will increase the retention rate of students with mental health difficulties in higher education and enable them to enjoy a rich and fulfilling college experience”, said
Mary O’Grady, Disability Support Officer. The aims of the project are to Design a peer mentoring demonstration project; Implement a peer mentoring program by training mentors in their support of mentees Evaluate and document the outcomes and effectiveness of
the project; Facilitate students’ engagement with community mental health services to encourage mutual integration. The programme has been funded by the Genio Trust and is to be run through the Disability Support Service in UCC. Leonie Delaney
THE
News
Monday 14th February 2011
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Tánaiste Mary Coughlan rants at school principle Minister for Education rang principle at school over comments he made publicly Conor O’ Brien National News Editor Tanaiste and Minister for Education Mary Coughlan has once again found herself coming under unwanted scrutiny after making a furious phone call to the deputy principle of a Dublin primary school. Aodh O’Mairtin, deputy principle of Gaelscoil Bharra in Cabra, found himself at the receiving end of verbal lambasting from the under-fire Minister following an article in the Irish Independent critical of her department. Gaelscoil Bharra is severely underfunded and has consisted entirely of prefabs for the last fifteen years, the duration of time for which it has been waiting for construction work to begin on new, more adequate buildings. Understandably, staff at the school were unconvinced by the Minister’s promise to include the school in a list of 400 projects to be given special attention and allocated new facilities, viewing this as one of many empty promises. When principal Sean O’Donaile made his scepticisms known, making no apologies for his insistence to believe the Minister’s guarantees only when he saw bricks and mortar, their publication saw the infuriated Tanaiste take time specifically to call the school and give him a piece of her mind. Ironically, as a result of being absent through sickness that day, Mr. O’Donaile was unable to receive the Minster’s call and so it was his deputy Aodh O’Mairtin who had to take the brunt of her wrath, although she did insist on establishing contact with the principle in the foreseeable future.
School principle happened to be off sick He told The Print, “The Department of Education has failed us miserably over the last 15 years.”
NUIM Academic, 2nd-level students and more address FEE national meeting.
Students Rob Munnelly, Ruaidhrí Boland and Karl O’ Dwyer preparing to protest the Minister last November When contacted by the Print with regards to the incident, Principle O’ Donaile was unable to comment on the content of the phone call itself, but did have the following to say; “The Department of Education has failed us miserably over the last 15 years. The Minister for Education is ultimately responsible for the education of the children of this country and should be ready to accept criticism of her department – schools are
entitled to complain to the media.” Mary Coughlan added the job of Minster for Health and Children to her present portfolio in January following the resignation of Mary Hearney. Notably, this is not the first time she has been the recipient of considerable negative attention. The sentiment against her was utterly venomous at November’s USI march on
Leinster House, with many students condemning her among those responsible for the increase in college fees and the subsequent reduction of third level grants. More recently, her plan for the allocation of 400 special school “projects” (of which Gaelscoil Bharra is one) has been accused of cynicism in some quarters. Embarrassingly her own general knowledge has also been called into question having claimed that Einstein,
not Darwin, conceived of the theory of evolution. Furthermore, her involvement in a number of LGBT controversies during her tenure as Minster for Social and Family Affairs also saw her come under fire. Her proposal to allocate extra Leaving Cert points to Honours Maths students has drawn both compliment and criticism. Conor O’ Brien
Student nurses begin campaign of resistance against ‘slave labour’ cuts Aidan Rowe Final Year Student The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has launched a campaign of resistance against plans to cut the pay of 4th year nursing and midwifery students to zero by 2015. At present, 4th year students of nursing and midwifery receive 80% of the minimum salary of full-time staff during their 36-week work placements. During these work placements, student nurses take on the full duties of qualified nurses and are required to work a full roster
including long 12 hour days, night duty and weekend shift patterns. Under the government’s latest round of health cuts, these payments will be abolished as follows: 2011 – 76% of the minimum point on the new lower scale; 2012 – 60% of the minimum point on the new lower scale; 2013 – 50% of the minimum point on the new lower scale; 2014 – 40% of the minimum point on the new lower scale; and 2015 onwards – no payment
whatsoever. This means that nursing/ midwifery students who begin their studies in 2011 will have to undertake nine months unpaid nursing/midwife work in order to obtain their qualification. This cut forms part of the government’s plan, announced in its four-year plan, to cut entrylevel salaries in the public service by 10 per cent. INMO general secretary, Liam Doran said that this proposal “devalues, to the level of slave labour, the nature of the essential direct care given
during this 36 week rostered placement. No one can seriously expect people to work, the full roster and range of duties, for no pay.” “We will fiercely resist this attack on these young professionals which amounts to nothing more than gross exploitation,” he continued. The campaign of resistance will have three initial phases as follows: 1. February 9 Lunchtime protests by pre-registration nurses and midwives, from all four years of the undergraduate programme, from
12.30-1.30p.m. at 13 hospitals across the country. 2. February 16th Protest March and Rally, commencing at 11.30a.m., at Parnell Square, Dublin and proceeding to the Department of Health where a letter, calling on the incoming Minister to reverse this decision, will be handed in. 3. Following these two days of action, if there is no resolution, the Organisation will ballot all 4th year pre-registration nurses/ midwives for a withdrawal of labour with industrial action commencing in early March. Aidan Rowe
Dramatic slowdown in mature applicants for 3rd level education Rob Munnelly VP Comms & Dev The number of mature applicants competing for a place in college has dropped dramatically, new figures show. The trend in growth of mature applicants over the last few years had been expected to continue. Original government targets of a 17-20pc mature student intake can now not be met. This year’s intake is likely to be closer to 13pc. It was the close of the initial deadline for CAO applications that revealed that the number of people seeking college places this year are level with last year about about 72K.
This number is the aggregate of around 46,000 current Leaving Cert students; 14,000 to 15,000 mature applicants; those with further education qualifications; and others. The final tally will not be known until after the late closing date of May 1. 2010 saw a rise of 3,000 in the number of applications this presumed to be a direct result of those over the age of 23 who have become recently unemployed and have decided to upskill.
Local mature student - and looker - David Ennis, who’s picture we use for any story about mature students
Speculation There is still speculation over the cause in the drop - a change in the maintenance
grant, the rise in the student registration fee and the success of the Labour Market Activation (LMA) fund have all been attributed to the levelling off of applicants.The LMA gives access for the unemployed to part-time higher education while allowing them to keep their welfare entitlements. In the past, mature students were entitled automatically to the higher non-adjacent rate of up to €3,250, but following recent legislation most have now had their circumstances degraded so as to receive the lower rate of a maximum of €1,250. Rob Munnelly
Donal Fallon Final Year Student Free Education for Everyone held a successful national meeting in the Teachers Club, Dublin on February 5. Among those who addressed the meeting were Andrew Flood, who spoke about his experiences as a student activist in the 1980s and what can be learned from the period, Colin Coulter, who works here at NUIM with the Department of Sociology, Lorcan Gray, a student activist with FEE in UCD, and Shane Donnelly, the young Clondalkin student who led a walkout there in opposition to the recent budget cuts to education. Activists from UCD, TCD, NUIM, NUIG, Castlebar secondary schools, IADT, Queens in Belfast, Derry secondary schools and more besides make up the bulk of the campaign, and students came from many of these institutes to debate issues around building a campaign that can win. It was decided by FEE to actively campaign against the Graduate Tax option being proposed by Fine Gael in the south, and to continue to resist cutbacks on both sides of the border. Colin Coulter spoke at length about the Hunt Report and what it means for Irish education. With students becoming ‘clients’ in the eyes of universities, this was an excellent and insightful talk which informed students of the growing links between big business and education. Andrew Flood’s story of a THREE WEEK occupation at Trinity College Dublin may well have put the activities of today’s student activists in context! His talk and recollections offered both ideas and lessons to today’s student left. So far this year, FEE have been most active in Derry, where local secondary school students continue to fight for the EMA and against savage cuts. In the south, it was agreed student activists will soon need to decide how best to oppose a brand new set of education cutbacks. Such meetings as occurred in the Teachers Club will become much more frequent!
10 Snovember
National News
THE
Monday 14th February 2011
New Year, New You Get fit when it suits you with early morning or lunchtime pilates class or evening tribal fusion bellydance classes in the Students’ Union.
accounts @nuimsu.com
Classes are open to the staff & students of NUI Maynooth and are also open to members of the local community
The Equal Status Act 2000 came into force on the 25th October 2000...
Pilates Monday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday
1.00 - 2.00p, 8.00-9.00am 9:30-10:30am 100-2.00pm
www.lmhrireland.com Migrant Rights Centre Ireland www.mrci.ie Refugee Information Service www.risi.ie
Mature Students
Fiach O’ Neill It was amended by the Equality Act 2004 on the 19th July 2004. The Acts relate to discrimination based on the following 9 grounds: Gender, Marital Status, Family Status, Age, Race, Religion, Disability, Sexual Orientation, Membership of the Traveller community.
Equality and Diversity
When used in a legal, policy or political sense, equality is shorthand for equality of opportunity or equality of rights. It is therefore best interpreted as meaning equal fairness rather than uniformity (2+2=4, 2 when added to 2 is the same as 4). If we do treat everybody the same, then we are reinforcing existing inequalities, and if we focus on sameness, then the difference becomes a problem. Valuing Diversity means avoiding falling into the trap of seeing difference as a problem to be solved. Diversity is an asset to be celebrated, rather than something to be worried about. If we adopt this broader view of equality as being about equal fairness, then we can see that Equality and Diversity are entirely compatible. Equality involves treating people fairly regardless of any differences between them. Diversity involves valuing difference and the specific contributions people make. This strengthens equality, in the same sense that recognizing differences are not necessary problems means that we can treat people differently, without necessarily being unfair to them. In effect, the move from a narrow, predominantly negative and defensive equal opportunities approach to a broader and positive diversity approach amounts to focusing on developing a culture of commitment rather than compliance. That is, issues of treating people fairly and with respect and dignity should not be seen as compliance issues (How do we avoid breaking the law?), but rather as commitment issues (How do we generate commitment to valuing people for the rich diversity of what they bring to the workplace, community and to society more broadly?).
Gender
Women continue to earn on average 17.8% less than men for every hour worked and this figure remains stable. Women are still very under-represented in economic and political decision-making positions, although their share has increased over the last decade. The division of family responsibilities is still very unequal between women and men. The risk of poverty is higher for women than for men. Women are the main victims of gender-based violence and women and girls are more vulnerable to trafficking of human beings. The point can be made that men and women are often very different, however, it is also important to point out that difference should not be equated with inferiority and gender differences can easily become stereotypes and we have to be careful not to fall into this trap. We should not over generalise gender patterns, nor should we treat them as prescriptions of how people should behave. Often the lines between the male and female gender stereotypes are blurred. Men and women aren’t always treated equally in our society e.g. represen-
Similarly to the point made above with International students, 3rd & 4th level institutions take in vast amounts of mature students who are horribly underrepresented both at a local, and national level, meaning that their voices are scarcely heard. Ageism is in many ways a hidden form of discrimination, as it tends to receive far less attention than the more established ‘isms’. We are still, sadly, in the early days of the anti-ageist practice and therefore still have a long way to go. Aims The National Access Office, NIMSO and AONTAS links need to be strengthened between the Access Programmes around the country. An increase in affordable accessible childcare and daycare for mature students needs to be lobbied for. The myths and misunderstandings associated with age need to be challenged and a platform from which to challenge age discrimination needs to be provided. All 3rd & 4th level institutions need to fulfil the recommended intake of mature students.
Equality 101 tation in decision making structures at local, regional and national levels, and discrepancies in salaries between men and women still exist. Aims The issue of domestic violence in youth relationships needs to be highlighted, and in particular to highlight violence against men. Women need to be promoted in decision making positions and empowered to run for election. The differences in pay between men and women in Irish workplaces need to be eradicated. The government and relevant organisations need to work on the issue of recognising gender reassignment. Websites Amen www.amen.ie Feminist Open Forum www.feministopenforum.com National Womens Council of Ireland www.nwci.ie Womens Aid www.womensaid.ie Marie Stopes www.reproductivechoices.ie The Women’s Health Council http://www.whc.ie
International
3rd & 4th level institutions take in thousands of international students every year and yet these students are horribly underrepresented both at a local, and national level, meaning that many of the problems they face are scarcely dealt with. As it stands at the moment the government is more interested in the economic benefit these students can provide, than the skills and experience they can offer.
The focus should not be on the amount of money these students bring to the Irish economy, but rather promoting Ireland as a study destination. For example non EEA students face increasing barriers in seeking employment in Ireland after graduation as the period for finding employment after exam results is only 6 months, therefore deterring students from considering Ireland as a worthwhile place of study. Aims The international student population needs to be represented to all relevant bodies in the drafting, monitoring and changing of new immigration and visa proposals, including lobbying for positive changes where needed. The number of international students involved in representation structures in local student unions needs to be increased through empowerment and education. A better deal for international graduates under the third level graduate scheme for non EEA members needs to be lobbied. The costings of all fees charged to international students need to be transparent, and advertised well in advance of students arriving in Ireland. Where possible, a lobby for a decrease in the amount charged to international students. Necessary supports need to be provided to ensure International students have a positive student experience. Websites Integrating Ireland www.integratingireland.ie Irish Council for International Students - ICOS www.icosirl.ie Love Music Hate Racism Ireland
Websites AONTAS The National Adult Learning Organisation www.aontas.com One Parent Equality Network www.oneparent.ie One Family www.onefamily.ie Age & Opportunity www.olderinireland.ie Age Action Ireland www.ageaction.ie Friends of the Elderly www.friendsoftheelderly.ie/
Disabilities
Disability discrimination has become a legal issue in recent years and organisations may see the issues primarily in terms of compliance with legislation. Disability is a subject that generally evokes a sympathetic response – and this can be a significant part of the problem, people’s caring response can be a potential barrier. This needs to be challenged and the foundations for a more fair and enjoyable learning experience need to be laid to encourage people to perceive disability issues from a different perspective. Aims Awareness needs to be raised among students of their rights and among lecturers of their responsibilities under current legislation and to publicise services which are available to students with disabilities. The government and HEIs need to be lobbied to oppose the cuts that are and will be effecting students with disabilities. More funding needs to be lobbied for to be allocated to the fund for Students with Disabilities; More campaigns need to be put in place on ‘hidden disabilities’. Awareness needs to be raised in 2nd level of the disclosure of disabilities on the CAO form. Websites Association for Higher Education Access & Disability www.ahead.ie Disability Action Northern Ireland www.disabilityaction.org Disability Federation of Ireland www.disability-federation.ie Dyslexia Association of Ireland www.dyslexia.ie GET AHEAD - The National Forum for Graduates with Disabilities www.getaheadblog.wordpress.com Irish Deaf Society
Tribal Fusion Bellydance Tuesday Wednesday
9:30-10:30am 100-2.00pm
www.irishdeafsociety.ie Irish Wheelchair Association www.iwa.ie National Council for the Blind in Ireland www.ncbi.ie National Disability Authority www.nda.ie Arts and Disability Directory www.artsanddisability.com
Sexual Orientation
This has only relatively recently featured as a legal matter, the implementation of the Employment Equality Regulations 2004 has raised awareness of the need to take seriously problems associated with discrimination on the grounds of a person’s sexual identity, however it will be important to establish that good practice in relation to this issue is not just about legal compliance. The focus need not to be solely on the law, a broader perspective focusing on the complexities involved provides a sounder foundation for valuing diversity rather than simply seeking legal compliance. Aims The introduction of civil marriage for lesbian and gay couples needs to be lobbied for, which includes the right to raise a family and protection rights to their children. The issue of increasing mental health issues among the LGBT community needs to be highlighted and informing the LGBT Community of the issues surrounding illegal drug use and abuse of alcohol. A safe space on campus needs to be ensured for all LGBT students e.g. LGBT societies, LGBT Rights Officers, or Welfare Officers, to provide an opportunity for staff and students to reflect on how to promote equality in this area. The issues of homophobia need to be highlighted but in particular bi-phobia and trans-phobia on campus. Websites Belong to www.belongto.org Gay & Lesbian Equality Network www.glen.ie LGBT Noise www.lgbtnoise.ie MarriagEquality www.marriagequality.ie National Lesbian & Gay Federation www.nlgf.ie Gay Switchboard www.gayswitchboard.ie/ GLEN (Gay and Leasbian Equality Network) www.glen.ie Lesbian education and Awareness www.angelfire.com/oh/leanow/
Travelling Community
Work needs to be done with ITM and Pavee Point to focus on problems facing students belonging to the travelling community in particular to opportunity, participation, integration and the stigma they face when entering and participating in 3rd or 4th level education. Economic Work needs to be done on campaigning on the student support bill, access programs and grant systems to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to attend and remain in 3rd and 4th level. Religion Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any religion. Freedom of religion is considered by many people and nations to be a fundamental human right. It is enshrined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Awareness needs to be raised of the legal requirements relating to religion and to promote a better understanding of religious equality.
THE
National News
Monday 14th February 2011
Why you should vote are routinely cast aside by TDs and Ministers. That is realpolitik. Students and young people don’t vote in large enough numbers to make us important to people whose single foremost preoccupation is re-election. On Monday afternoon last, an extraordinary sight met anyone walking through the Arts block. A queue of 400 young people waiting for the Garda to sign the form and register to vote. Finally, it seems the sleeping giant of youth political interest has awoken. Step one was to register to vote, and that having been achieved, there is now an imperative to use that vote, and wisely. When I say vote wisely, I don’t mean don’t be hung-over when you’re in the polling station, I mean learn who is asking you to vote for them. In some ways putting your name on a ballot paper is the single greatest act of arrogance any person can commit – make them prove they deserve your vote. If a candidate calls to your door, ask them about education, poverty, unemployment, foreign aid, gay marriage, whatever it is you care about. If their answer is unsatisfactory don’t vote for them – regardless of them coming from the family party. That is not a good enough reason
NUIM proposal “harebrained” - IFUT "Hare-brained" - these where the words used by the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) used to describe NUIM's suggestion that staff who deal with the public should wear name tags. tNUI Maynooth made the suggestion during talks about implementing the Croke Park deal, which are being held separately between unions and the country's seven universities. The proposal had aimed to save money, and make the university more accountable and to provide better services to students. If implemented in full, it would have meant that academics and other staff dealing with the public would be obliged to go around with identity tags. NUIM has furthermore requested that that all voicemail messages be acknowledged within four hours. Staff are being told to use voicemail facilities attached to the inhouse phone
to vote for someone. If their answer sounds good, make sure they aren’t just trying to get out of an awkward corner. These people’s job is to represent your interests, so it is very important to make sure they actually believe what they are saying. Read manifestos and election literature. Watch TV debates. Listen to local radio and attend local debates. At the end of this process you
system in a "professional manner". Other measures to improve the nature of staff contact with the public that were suggested that when they use email they have to use the signature facilities and include their name, job title and contact details. All staff will also take part in an annual evaluation which will determine whether they receive an incremental on their pay scale. The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) and other unions are involved in separate discussions with the seven universities involved. IFUT general secretary Mike Jennings said the union had been assured by the departments of Finance and Education that the purpose behind implementing the agreement was to save money. He said he would not discuss some of the "hare-brained" proposals put forward by the universities.
might be shocked to realise that you actually support “X” party rather than “Y” party. That’s ok. That’s the process. Most importantly of all. On the 25th of February, go home and VOTE. We have received a concession from the University that you will be allowed to go after 12 noon. Everyone realises this is an epochchanging election. Make sure you are part of it and VOTE! Aengus Ó Maoláin
11
Student
Wine Guide So, having started at a level all too high in the last issue of The Print with my assumptions of what we all know about wine, I decided to try a different approach.
Wine
(n) fermented grape-juice as an alcoholic drink
Fermentation
(n) the breakdown of a substance by micro-organisms, such as yeast, usually in the absence of oxygen, especially of sugar to alcohol (For Arts Students, this means “gone bad/off”, much like the milk on your coco pops this morning. I’d like to add I do not assume that you don’t understand the term as you don’t do science, but as with your abundance of free time, one is simply led to believe that you have in fact drank the very word from your head-which on that achievement, mazel tov)
Grape-Juice
(W*) I have by far underestimated your intelligence, you can in fact read. Now, assuming you actually need to be told what this is, please for your and my own health, stop reading, pick up your Dutch Gold and go away, before I hurt myself trying to hurt you. (*= Warning, e.g. “I’ll shove this corkscrew so far up your....”)
Now, building blocks set in place, welcome to all those with a sense of humour and a curiosity about wine. I’ve picked a few wines from the Wine Mill, as there is a good selection in there, with most wines well under the mark of 20 quid. A big bonus of the Mill is that the staff are a friendly bunch, the owner will be all too happy to try and pick out a wine to suit your tastes and budget. That all aside I’ll press ahead to the wines. (Side note to those without the sense of humour but so much dignity that you said you’d continue despite the crudities- I assumed you understood the last few sentences as all the words are small. Also the one big word “selection” is most likely one you are acquainted e.g. selection box)
1.
Segada, Portugal 2009 White, Mix of Chardonnay and Arinto grapes; Best Old World Wine Under €8 Irish wine Show
€7.99
Tasting notes: Syrupy apple body to the taste, however that’s short lived until a sharp citrus after taste kicks in. All in all this is a very cheap and chirpy wine. It’s similar to Pinot Grigo in terms of the apple notes; for anyone familiar with the Italian all rounder, but beware the citrus kick will be unpleasant if you are not that hot on citrus. I might dispute the award, but would not slash the wine too much; it’s a good bottle for €8.
2.
Segada, Portugal 2008 Red (Merlot and several local grapes)
€8.99
Tasting notes: Typical merlot autumn fruit plum and cherry (these two are a normally pairing), not very well defined difference between the two, feels as if they compete on the palate and this take away slightly, there is a lovely coco note present too, it changes from a more strong dark chocolate to a softer note as the wine opens up. A side note about the tasting of this wine is it was recorded in crayon by a friend, as I screamed notes across a room. There is some slight reasoning into the providing of this window into my neurotic life, the wine was enjoyed more in a larger group. From experience better memories are had if wine is drunk with a group of friends. It can make all the difference in a wine tasting mediocre and pretty good. This aside, this wine is massively underrated. At €8.99, it’s a real bargain. It has all the typical notes of a pure merlot (a much underrated grape) with the added quirkiness of the chocolate note. A nice finishing point
2. 3.
Petit Fumé, AoC, 2008 White (Sauvignon Blanc)
€15 Tasting Notes: Crisp and clean wine, brilliantly structured fresh apple and citrus (again), with lovely mineral notes, finishing with acidity to clear the palate after each mouthful. Sauvignon Blanc has risen to popularity of late- especially with the rise of New Zealand wine. While New Zealand is now regarded as the King of Sauvignon Blanc, I feel that this title is fairly undermining of the French examples. With the regulations in France, the wines produced are reliable, while slightly expensive, they rarely fail to impress. This sounds similar to the Segada, but see it as this the Segada is a slutty trampish wine, fruits everywhere, and a right auld kick! This is sleek; it has distinct fruit notes and subtle hints to leave you curious. Its greatest drawback (being students) is the price. However remember it is on offer, so it’s well worth picking up as a treat before Christmas! I’d also add, with wine it’s a rare example of getting more than you paid for!
Rob Quinn
THE
12
Sorta-news
Monday 14th February 2011
Worrying suicide trends continue Suicide accounts for 1 in 59 deaths in Ireland Suicide rate of 10.8 per 100,000 in 2006 is lowest it has ever been Suicide has exceeded road traffic deaths since 1997 Suicide and road traffic deaths are two highest reasons for premature death in Ireland Provisional suicide rate for 2007, 10.6 per 100,000 suggests there may be an increase in the suicide rate when 2007 data is finalized Suicide accounts for one in three deaths of males that were stated as “deaths by external cause” One in every 38 male deaths is a result of suicide One in every 143 female deaths is a result of suicide Suicide accounts for one in five deaths of females that were stated as “deaths by external cause” 34 taxi drivers have taken their own lives in the last two years, which is
Age Pattern of Suicide Rates Frequency of suicide highest of men in 20’s Early rather than late 20’s Highlights public health view that years of potential are lost (health economic term used to describe the extent of premature mortality associated with different causes of death based on the age pattern of death) These worrying statistics and data tables are of a great concern to everyone. We need to encourage healthy mental health, be proactive about
The term eating disorder is a very general term to describe a wide range of disordered eating patterns. However there are 3 main classifications:
PEOPLE CAN AND DO GET BETTER
Anorexia Nervosa A person will make determined efforts to attain and maintain a body weight lower than the normal body weight for their age, sex and height
Statistics Statistics specifically relevant to Ireland are limited. The Department of Health estimates that up to 200,000 people in Ireland may be affected by eating disorders. An estimated 400 new cases emerge each year, representing 80 deaths annually According to a 2007 study of Irish children and adolescents, 1.2% of Irish girls may be at risk of developing anorexia nervosa, with 2% at risk of developing bulimia nervosa
They may exercise excessively and may engage in purging behaviours.
Bulimia Nervosa A person will make determined efforts to purge themselves of any food eaten, sometimes following a binge, and often following ‘normal’ food intake. They will engage in high-risk behaviours that can include fasting, excessive exercising, self-induced vomiting, and/or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics or other medications They may maintain a body weight within the normal range of their age, sex and height. As a result, bulimia is often less obvious than anorexia and can go unnoticed for longer.
Binge Eating disorder A person will engage in repeated episodes of bingeing without purging They will likely gain considerable amounts of weight over time They find themselves trapped in a cycle of dieting, bingeing, self-recrimination and self-loathing. Typically a person does not fall within just one category but fluctuates between the three. An eating disorder can be very destructive, both physically and emotionally, and people can get trapped into the destructive cycle of the eating disorder without knowing how to cope with it. An eating disorder is not just about food and weight, but also about a person’s sense of who they are. The distress of a person experiencing an eating dis
Recovery Begins With: a will to change an acknowledgement that the eating disorder is a problem working to build up a strong sense of self and a new, healthy way of coping that does not need the eating disorder to feel safe
Pieta House Old Lucan Road, Lucan, County Dublin. Phone: 01 601 00 00 E-mail: mary@pieta.ie Website: www.pieta.ie
a clear indicator of the stress and pressure taxi drivers are under, due to problems with licensing etc. There have been a number of problems up the north where taxi drivers have been in situations where they have had to pull people back from the ledge, as they are commonly out at night and passing bridges etc off the beaten track.
About eating disorders
They will be preoccupied with thoughts of food and the need to lose weight
Useful Contacts
HRB data shows that in the case of child and adolescent psychiatric admissions in Ireland in 2008, eating disorders represented the second highest level of diagnosis at 18% International studies have found: Eating disorders are most prevalent in females in the 15-40 age group, where up to 0.5% may develop anorexia and up to 2% may develop bulimia Binge eating disorder affects up to 4% of the adult population. Of those defined as medically obese, up to 30.1% have been found to be affected by binge eating disorder The aggregate annual mortality associated with anorexia are more than 12 times higher than the annual death rate due to all causes for females 15-24 years old, and more than 200 times higher than the suicide rate of females in the general population.
Men and Eating Disorders It is estimated that 10% of cases of anorexia and bulimia are male, though more recent studies suggest this figure could be as high as 25% Cases of binge eating disorder are much more equally divided, with up to 50% of cases occurring in men There has been a 67% increase in the number of men treated for eating disorders in the UK in the last five years
Eating Disorders and the Media 71.4% of Irish adolescents feel adversely affected by media portrayal of body weight and shape, with more than a quarter (25.6%) believing it to be far too thin A three year study of adolescent girls in Fiji found that purging behaviours had increased from 0% to 11% within the first three years of television being introduced to the Nadroga province. The odds of using extreme weight-control behaviours (such as vomiting or using laxatives) are 3 times higher in the highest frequency readers of magazine articles about dieting and weightloss compared with those who did not read such magazines
Senior Help Line Third Age Centre, Summerhill, County Meath. Telephone: 046 9557766 E-mail: info@seniorhelpline.ie Website: www.seniorhelpline.ie
discussing problems and encourage friends and family who may be feeling worried or sad to talk to someone. Kellie Fagan, Mental Health Soc
RAK Week! Think a couple of weeks back. Anything stand out? Yes? Let me guess… A bunch of very happy people you’ve never seen before giving out hugs to every randomer they see? Strangers opening the door for you or offering up their seat to you? Music drifting across the cool air followed by the coins jingling in the charity buckets? Or maybe you spotted the bear who hugged students and lecturers alike, danced, and then hugged some more and ended up squished by people in the biggest group hug that ever took place in Maynooth? (Guess what the bear did then… Yes, gave out more hugs, while rambling around the engineering building. We figured those people need love too.) Did you get one of those little sheets with a random act of kindness penned down on it and then went and did it? If so, we’re proud of you. Oh, who’s ‘we’ you say? The Mental Health Society, the people who brought you all the aforementioned events and more. We were the bunch of (coffee-powered zombies) people who brought the international RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS WEEK to NUIM. Was about time too. It was happening all over the world, why not here? But R.A.K week was not about us. Sure, we spurred everyone on and got the ball rolling, but the real credit goes to people like Louise, who offered to walk an old lady across the road and then after a nice chat, she realized they’re neighbours and made sure the lady knew that if she ever needed anything she could come to the girl for any sort of help. Or people like that girl from Galway who don’t even go here who jumped on the wagon and started giving out hugs. People like Lyndsey and Paula who busked for us even though their throats were killing them and Paula had a gig next day (and of course Tom whose throat wasn’t killing him). People who pointed their friends out to us when they needed cheering up or a ‘happy birthday’ song. People who donated ten euro for the Make a Wish Foundation without even being asked. There are also a lot of ‘thank you’s to be given. To all the buskers, not just the bunch mentioned earlier but to everyone who turned up and did a great job. To jugglers who were providing great entertainment to passers by while freezing their fingers off. Thank you to Corey for a tour of the engineer building she gave to the bear and her impromptu de-stressing strangling exercise for the rest of the committee. To Veggie soc who outdid themselves on those kindness cupcakes and to all the hug volunteers who kept the organisational committee almost sane. Most of all a huge thank you to all of you who participated. Remember: Be Kind, Pass it on. Ruta Lankelyte
Spunout 4th Floor, The Halls, Quay St, Galway City Telephone: 091 533693 Email: info@spunout.ie Website: www.spunout.ie GLEN Tower 1, Fumbally Court Fumbally Lane Dublin 8 Telephone: 01 4730563 Email: admin@glen.ie Website: www.glen.ie BeLonG To Youth Services Parliament House 13 Parliament Street 1st/2nd floor Temple Bar Dublin 2 Telephone: 01 670 6223 email: info@belongto.org Website: www.belongto.org Young Social Innovators 3 Dawson Street Dublin 2 Telephone: 01 6458030 Email: info@youngsocialinnovators.ie. Website: www.youngsocialinnovators.ie Crosscare, The Red House, Clonliffe College, Dublin 3 Telephone: 01 836 0011 Email: info@crosscare.ie Website: www.crosscare.ie Teen-Line Ireland, First Floor, St. Dominic’s Shopping Centre, Old Bawn, Tallaght, Dublin 24. Telephone: 1800 833634 E-mail: info@teenline.ie Website: www.teenline.ie ISPCC 29 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2. Telephone: 01 676 7960 E-mail: ispcc@ispcc.ie Website: www.ispcc.ie
Console House 68 Ardpatrick Road Navan Road Dublin 7 Tel: 01 8685232 Fax: 01 8685233 Helpline 1800 201 890 E-mail: info@console.ie www.console.ie GROW Ormonde Home, Barrrack Street, Kilkenny. Phone: 056 7761624 Infoline: 1890 474 474 E-mail: info@grow.ie Website: www.grow.ie Mental Health Ireland Mensana House, 6 Adelaide Street, Dun Laoghaire, county Dublin. Phone: 01 2841166 E-mail: information@ mentalhealthireland.ie Website: www.mentalhealthireland.ie Samaritans (Ireland) 4-5 Usher’s Court Usher’s Quay, Dublin 8. Phone: 01 8781822 Helpline: 1850 60 90 90 SMS Texting: 087 2 60 90 90 E-mail: jo@samaritans.org Website: www.samaritans.org Bodywhys PO Box 105, Blackrock, County Dublin. Phone: 01 2834963 Helpline: 1890 200 444 E-mail: info@bodywhys.ie Website: www.bodywhys.ie Shine Ireland 38 Blessington Street, Dublin 7. Phone: 01 8601620 Helpline: 1890 621 631 E-mail: info@sirl.ie Website: www.sirl.ie Aware Defeat Depression 72 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2. Phone: 01 6617211 E-mail: aware@iol.ie Website: www.aware.ie Barnardos Christchurch Square, Dublin 8. Phone: 01 4530355 E-mail: info@barnardos.ie Website: www.barnardos.ie Living Links The Secretary, Living Links 5 Lower Sarsfield Street, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. Phone 067 43999 E-mail: info@livinglinks.ie Website: www.livinglinks.ie
On Depression
Mental Health Society
Whether you call it depression, the blues or any other term it can affect everybody, including you. We have to question what depression is precisely. Depression has many definitions but within relation to us it’s defined as “a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity”. Whether that statement means or relates to us the symptoms tell the true meaning. Whether it is a feeling of hopeless or helpless to a lost interest in activities you usually enjoy and a severe usage of drugs depression is evident. Statistically 12% of people will have a depression that they will turn to psychiatry for help. Martin Seligman describes depression as “the common cold” in psychiatry. So it’s most certainly not an uncommon thing and it can be helped/treated. So depression is never the end but only a bump in the road that we can overcome. Aaron Kemp
Sorta-news
13
Referendum 2011 A NEW, BETTER UNION
THE DETAILS Article One: Name Name “The name of the Organisation shall be Maynooth Students’ Union. The name of the Union in the Irish Language shall be Aontas na Mac Léinn, Má Nuad.”
I think that pretty much says it all. Under the 2008 constitution we are still called NUI Maynooth Students’ Union, implying an exclusion of SPCM members.
Article Two: Aims and Objectives This is a list of what it is the Union is for. While the list hasn’t changed much we have merged some objectives which overlapped, and added a few
principles which are common in other unions worldwide (such as the democratisation of higher education).
Article 3: Membership Under the 2008 constitution, only full time students were members of the Union, meaning about 2,000 students in Maynooth were not members. Including these students in our membership strengthens the Union’s negotiating abilities and increases the scope of our ability to represent the full campus (and off-campus) student
community. We have also created something called honorary membership, which is a facility for honouring people who have done good things. Separate from the University’s honorary doctorate scheme, students can now celebrate people we feel are deserving of an honour.
Article 4: Rights & Obligations of Members This has not been significantly altered
Article 5: Government of the Union Two changes here. The Executive, through the President have been empowered to function without Union Council during the period between the 1st of July and Union Council’s first meeting in October. There is also
a new caveat on intellectual property, meaning that anything created by an officer or staff member of the Union while carrying out their duties remains the property of the Union, not of the individual.
Article 7: Union General Meeting These articles have changed only very insignificantly.
Article 8: Union Council
blessed with dedicated and excellent ROs in the past, but it is now time to split the job into two separate posts. The subcommittees of Union Council have changed slightly to get into line with the new officer structure.
Article 9: The Executive The current executive has three sabbatical officers, five topical officer and three special representatives. The new exec will have four
Sabbaticals: President
sabbatical officers, one topical officer (Oifigeach na Gaeilge), four faculty representatives and two special representatives.
Exec 2011
Vice President for Clubs, Societies and Union Development Vice President for Services, Events and Communications
Science and Engineering Representative
Vice President for Welfare and Equality
Social Sciences Representative Theology Representative
Topical Irish Language and Cultural Affairs Officer Faculty Reps Arts, Celtic Studies and Philosophy Representative
Specifically there were serious issues around the legalities of the document, and problems with staffing and employment. We also have to complete the re-branding from NUIMSU to Maynooth Students’ Union, officially including our members in St Patrick’s College, as well as students who are studying for NUIM or SPCM degrees, but not on Maynooth campus (including Kilkenny and Froebel). There were also some very careless typographical errors which exposed the Union to some serious problems. For example: Article 10.3 and 12.1 aren’t there at all, and article 12.5 appears twice. Technically this means neither the Executive nor Clubs and Societies Council are valid constitutional organs of the Union. There was also the impenetrable numbering system, i.e. Article 17.6 (b) (iii) [which has to do with RON appearing on election papers]. Aside from just fixing these problems, we had an opportunity to re-imagine the Union, as a modern organisation – a blank slate. To that end there are some major changes to our methods and organisation in the new document. For ease of reference I’m going to work through the document in order, highlighting the changes from the 2008 document and explaining why they are there. Sometimes the changes will be minor re-phrasings or spelling corrections, these will be ignored so this doesn’t turn into a thesis. At other times the changes are major, and I will go into some depth discussing them. In all, there are 17 articles and eight schedules of the proposed constitution.
VOTE Over the next few days there will be many people available to discuss the changes to the constitution with you if you have any questions. Ask your class rep, a member of the exec, a club or society president or read the new constitution online and make up your own mind. There will be a public meeting at a time to be confirmed where the President will give a full presentation on the new constitution and answer all your questions. Get a copy of the constitution: Online, In the SU, at the Stands around campus.
Functionality of the exec has changed slightly also, the exec now must meet occasionally during the summer
months, allowing the exec begin its work in July, rather than waiting until late September.
Article 10: Officers of the Union
Article 6: Referendum
The structure of Union Council has changed a good bit. The members of Union Council now have the right to elect their own Chairperson and Secretary. Up until now the Returning Officer has filled this role, but his / her job is to run elections. We have been
The 2008 Constitution (the current one) was a minor revision of a document from much earlier. Some problems people had with the Union then were fixed, but the structures were effectively left unchanged. I have a copy of the constitution from 1982 on my desk, and things haven’t changed all that much since then!
Special Reps First Year Representative Postgraduate Representative
I don’t want to get into too much detail on the officers of the Union – that’s for another day, and these articles can be read by those interested without me boring everyone else in this article with them. However, the faculty reps require some explanation. These allow a new means of representative accountability, and
allow a cleaner pathway for concerns of individual students to reach the sabbaticals. Also these four officers are without specific additional portfolio, allowing them engage more fully in the Union’s broader campaigns.
Article 11: Impeachment and Discipline This article is now a legal means of dealing with serious breaches of discipline by elected officers. I
sincerely hope it is never needed, but it is important that it exists.
Article 12: Clubs and Societies Council This article has been significantly strengthened, allowing clubs and socs have more of a say in how their
money is spent, and making the whole capitation procedure more transparent.
Article 13: Board of Trustees Due to the complex nature of the SU’s evolution it has been extremely difficult in the past to ensure our legal independence. This new Board of Trustees replaces the existing trustees of the Union, who are employees of the University (Bursar and Registrar), and insists that the Union is selfdetermining.
The Board has been designed to ensure oversight and is based on elements of DITSU Ltd. and NUI Galway’s board of directors. The Board is now theoretically capable of incorporating to safeguard Union services. The duties of the former Guardianship of the Constitution have been merged with the Board.
Article 14: Elections and Resignations. Article 15: Policy. Article 16: Interpretation and Amendment of the constitution. Article 17: Revocation and Enactment.
}
These articles have not changed significantly
Welcome Back!
Welcome Bac
Awesome photographer Lisa Whelan and charming St. Pat’s Rep Shmick Hughes, in a beautiful attempt to get their fellow students back into the Maynooth spirit after the Christmas break, got photos of almost every business in the town with a Welcome Back sign. We had a different sign, but then Lisa made a far better one.
ck Photos Aontas na Mac Léinn
Maynooth Students’ Union
THE
18
Opinion & Comment
Monday 14th February 2011
Bullying on Campus Have you ever been bullied? Or indeed have you ever been a bully?
Fiach O’ Neill Research carried out in 2008 by the Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, found that 30.2% of students (30.3% girls, 30.1% boys) reported that they had been bullied in the previous couple of months. In addition, 24.9% of students (11.5% girls and 30.9% boys) reported that they had taken part in the bullying of others at school. This situation is by no means unique to Ireland. It is very worrying because wherever it occurs bullying has such a serious negative impact in both the short term and the long term on targeted students. Indeed, if this kind of behaviour is allowed to persist it can have a very negative impact on the bully too. Bullying takes place in various forms in every
primary school, secondary school and every college and university campus. It is very hurtful to those who are targeted, even when it appears to be relatively harmless. If it is not dealt with it can be very undermining, indeed so damaging as to result, perhaps years later, in suicide. Bullying is a blight on any educational institution and must be dealt with effectively in order that it can be a safe place for all its students. There can be no alternative.There seems to be a scarcity of both materials and specific tried-and-trusted systems to assist staff members and schools in dealing effectively with bullying behaviour. This may explain why many staff members feel less confident in dealing with bullying than they might otherwise be.
Anti-Bullying Basics: the Three “R’s” Recognise, Reject and Report Bullying For an anti-bullying campaign to be most effective it can not be merely reactive, responding to incidents of bullying behaviour. If it were, research suggests that most incidents would not be reported and so not dealt with. To be effective an anti-bullying campaign must be proactive, trying to develop a universal culture in which bullying is Recognised, Rejected and Reported. This is ulti-
mately what reduces bullying and this echoes the findings of research from other countries where there has been some success in dealing with bullying. Based on this belief, a two-strand approach to bullying can be used, one focused on raising awareness about the nature and unacceptability of bullying and the other focused on responding to bullying incidents by following specific steps.
needs to be done will be done to facilitate the work of the Anti-Bullying Team, whether in relation to making announcements or facilitating the holding of Anti-Bullying meetings, making prize-money available for student anti-bullying competitions and allowing placement of posters and other materials around campus. All staff-members, including non-teaching staff, need to be made more aware of the nature of bullying, its impact on students and the signs by which to recognise it so that they can become “the eyes and the ears”
of the Anti-Bullying Team. Ideally they will then report every suspicion they have of bullying to the Anti-Bullying Team without judgement - leaving the Anti-Bullying Team to carry out an investigation to find out if their suspicions were justified and if so to deal with the situation. The Anti-Bullying Campaign as a universal campus operation encourages students to take its work, whether awareness-raising or incident-investigation, very seriously.
Campaign Workload It is believed that there is nothing more important a staff member will ever do than creating a safe happy environment for their students. A campaign to deal effectively with bullying is essential if this is to be achieved. This is a fundamental ethos of most campuses and the beliefs of staff members as well as being enshrined in university, college and school mission statements and antibullying policies. It is also required under health and safety legislation. Bullying can be minimised and in the process bullies can be reformed, bystanders can become
more vigilant and supportive of targeted students and the lives of targeted students can be made a lot happier. There will probably always be some bullying in schools, as elsewhere, but a culture of the Three “R”s can be developed in schools, a culture where bullying is Recognised, Rejected and Reported. Students and Staff can respond effectively to such reports. But they are not a “quickfix” solution to bullying. They depend for their effectiveness on the willingness of students and staff to use them proactively to deal with bullying.
Useful Websites Anti-Bullying Centre http://www.abc.tcd.ie/
Reach Out http://ie.reachout.com/
Anti-Bullying Ireland http://antibullyingireland.nfshost.com/
Raising Awareness - examining and explaining the nature and variety, causes, consequences and unacceptability of bullying Many students, whether involved in bullying behaviour or not, do not recognise or understand bullying or the various forms it can take. (For example, they do not realise that, if they tease a student just twice in a day and consider this to be “harmless,” if several other students do likewise then that student is “teased” many times that day and each individual contributes to the student having a miserable day.) Students need to be made more aware of what bullying is and how to recognise it so they will make a personal commitment not to get involved in this kind of behaviour. Many students do not understand the harmful and damaging nature of bullying. They may genuinely think what they observe or do themselves is harmless or they may pretend to think so. Bullying behaviour has certain causes and students as well as staff members need to be given the opportunity to try to understand some of these if they are
to respond in a helpful way when incidents occur. For example, some students involved in bullying behaviour are themselves being bullied. Students need to be made aware that the consequences of bullying behaviour are always bad for those who are bullied though this is not always obvious at the time. Sometimes students do not realise that even if the targeted student appears to make light of the bullying behaviour or to think it is funny or to “slag” the bully back, it is still unfair. It is wrong to put a fellow-student in a position of having to work out a defence strategy like this to deal with bullying. By raising awareness of various kinds of bullying behaviour and their unacceptability, and highlighting some of the signs by which they can be recognised, students become more aware of bullying behaviour and are more likely to report it either spontaneously.
Investigating bullying - initially a “No-Blame” approach but the behaviour is taken very seriously All instances of suspected bullying behaviour on campus must be investigated with a view to establishing the facts and bringing any bullying behaviour to an end. In such an investigation the priority must be to try to ensure that the bullying behaviour ends permanently - that there is no backlash against any of the parties involved. We begin by avoiding blame and anger and treating bullying behaviour as a “mistake” that can and must be remedied. This is vital. Bullying almost always takes place out of sight of teachers but students usually know about it. We need students to report bullying or no one may ever know about it. However, even then students will usually not report bullying if they think they will get someone in trouble. They must be reassured that their reporting it will not get anyone in trouble. It is vitally important, then, when investigating a bullying incident, to emphasise that the intention is to talk to anyone involved in the bullying, to explain to them how harmful it is and to seek a
promise that it will stop. If that promise is forthcoming and is honoured there will be no penalty and that will be the end of the matter. In this environment students are more forthcoming with information about bullying behaviour. Since the intention is not to punish anyone students are not “ratting” or getting someone into trouble when they report bullying but rather, getting them out of the kind of trouble they would be in if it continued.However, if a student chooses to break that promise and continue the bullying behaviour, it can no longer be considered a “mistake” and a sanction may follow for that breach of promise. Confidentiality must be guaranteed as long as promises are not broken - no other staff member, apart from the members of the anti-bullying team, has access to the information, as long as a perpetrator of bullying behaviour who has promised to stop this behaviour keeps that promise. The focus is on a change of behaviour for the future and not recriminations about the past.
Role of Staff and Management On the basis that “many hands make light work” an effective Anti-Bullying Campaign needs to be driven primarily by a group of student representatives and staff, possibly five or six, who become recognised as the “Anti-Bullying Team”
on campus. Reflecting the workload that is taken on by the Co-ordinator of a successful Anti-Bullying Campaign, if possible this role should be associated with a “Post of Responsibility.” The enthusiastic support of staff is vital, so that whatever
Rant Rant Rant Rant Rant Rant Andrew Carroll Polymath There isn’t much more that I hate, than easily avoidable deaths and ridicoulous scenarios in film and television. I was watching an episode of ‘Home & Away’ recently, and there was a particular scene that just did my nut in. Picture this; a woman has been going on for weeks about her ‘end date’, as a friend of hers who recently died has predicted the date of her death. As you can see, she’s into all that tarot card reading and fortune telling stuff. So, this particular day was the date that she was going to die, but yet, she just left the house anyway, to have a walk about, and almost got run over by a car in the process. But what happened next was just so stupid. She decides to take a walk down one of those wooden piers. There’s a woman on the phone, with a pram, and a man in a boat, about to pull off. The woman with the child actually has the pram at the edge of the pier, and decides to turn around on the phone, because it’s not like your child should be your first priority for safety, especially since you’re on the phone. So, the man in the speedboat unties his boat, and off he goes, and the boat pulling off causes the pram to roll off the edge of the pier. So, our stupid friend shouts to the woman that her baby is about to go in the drink, but she doesn’t hear her; only when our good friend dives in after the baby does the woman turn around and convincly say “Oh my g#d!” a few times. So, the woman on the phone grabs the top of the pram while our friend Marilyn is in the water, pushing the pram up, and then takes the baby out, and hands the baby to the woman, who runs off. Yes folks, she leaves Marilyn, the woman who saved her child, who for some
reason can’t swim, to drown. So, this woman runs to the diner (doyhnawh!), where Marilyn’s fella just so happens to be, and he’s a doctor, and he does some pretty hardcore CPR on the child. Then Mr. Doctor asks the woman what happened, and she tells him that a blonde woman jumped in to save the child. So, off he runs, and dives in, a pulls Marilyn up out of the water. Fortunately for Marilyn, in the next episode, we find out that she did indeed die, since her heart stopped (dun dun dun!!!), but they revived her. I almost wished that she had died, because she could have just swam to the shore, or held on to the pier, but I was even more annoyed at the stupid woman who just left her there! What idiot wrote this stuff?! Did they actually think that an audience could see this as realistic?! I certainly didn’t buy it. If I was in that woman’s position, I’d have my eyes and hands on the pram at all times. And what about that man in the boat? Well, I suppose that he was too far away to notice the commotion, but he’s still an idiot, just because he was written into the tripe that was that scenario. I hope that he died slowly in a horrific boat accident, which involved an exploding boat, getting half eaten by a shark, floating to the surface and then being nibbled on by piranhas; sap. I think the most easily avoidable death of all time in a movie is easily ‘I Am Legend’. I assume that everyone reading this has scene, otherwise if you do care, then stop reading. This movie also has a ridicoulous scene. At one point Will Smith gets caught in a trap made by the zombie things. So, after he cuts himself down, he wrecks his leg (if I remember this whole scenario correclty), and he’s dragging himself away. But wait a minute; the zombies come out at night! And so do their zombie dogs. Will Smith’s dog is there though to save the die, and also his gun (I think; I haven’t seen the movie in years). This scene is pretty tense, and the scene before it, because Will Smith
has placed mannequins around the city to try and prevent himself from going insane, which is powerful stuff I suppose, and the whole thing of how he got trapped, is that a mannequin was moved somehow. The zombie dogs try to get to Smith, but they can’t, because they can’t go into the sunlight, or it wrecks them. So, as the last beam of sunlight is getting smaller, the dogs are waiting to run and bite Smith and his dog. The music’s really tense, and seeing the beam of sunlight getting smaller is tense also, but the thing is, couldn’t the dogs have jumped through a small bit of sunlight? They tried when it was a massive beam, but they got burned, but they could have jumped through when it was only half a foot or soemthing! Stupid dogs! I can partially forgive this, since animals don’t really think logically in the way that humans do; we’re amazing. Maybe it was a case of an elephant growing up with a small rope tied around its leg, and this conditions them to believe that they can never be free, even when they’re massive and could break the rope no problem. But what I can’t forigve in this movie is when Smith sacrifices himself at the end, for no reason at all! Ok, so there’s the other two random survivors (a woman and child) who he had stumbled upon previously. The zombies hae had enough, and they’ve broken into the house, and they’re breaking things. So, in the basement, Will Smith has a massive plexi-glass door to temporarily protect them, and there’s a fortified coal chute behind them. So, he puts his two friends in there (woman & child), and has some grenades, and blows himself and the zombies up, after giving the woman a vile of the cure for the virus. But here’s the thing; he would have easily fitted in the coal chute with them! Who cares about the comfort of it?! He could have just pulled the pin before closing the door, and also survived; what a fool. And don’t even get me started on ‘Buried’....... Andrew Carroll
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Opinion
Monday 14th February 2011
Why I’m not voting for anyone over 40 And why Irish politics is the 50s versus the 60s Rob Munnelly Editor A few weeks ago Helen McKendry announced that she was to run against Gerry Adams in the country that her mother Jean, murdered by the IRA in 1972, is buried in. Her manifesto had no personal plan for broadband, health, education or local services. As her husband put it, “We are interested in stopping the bearded wonder.” This, like your typical Dáil debate, sounds like old generals fighting yesterdays war. In this election foresight must usurp nostalgia. Catholic versus Protestant, DeValera versus Collins, east versus west - our civil war politics need to die. Ireland can’t afford another Dáil whose worldview was formed during the Troubles. Any chance Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael have of winning the civil war is long gone. But our politics is still divided over the fault lines of who did or did not sign the Treaty. The Treaty was signed. It’s done. Nobody cares anymore. Let’s move on. Watching the three largest parties duke it out is like watching the 50s versus the 60s - two irrelevant cultures fighting for no prize. I defy anyone under 30 to listen to Jackie Healy-Rae talk about anything - no, anything - and cringe that Ireland’s infrastructure in 20 years will have been in some part inspired by some similar parochial Methuselah. The strongest non-parochial “parish pumps are so 1940s” party, The Labour Party, seem to create policy in opposition to the older culture. This without any real understanding of where the country’s infrastructure needs to go next - they still have whole section on their site dedicated to fighting sexism against women (only.) Part of the problem is this: older people vote in greater numbers than younger people, so their passions trump ours. Many residents of rural areas have nothing resembling access to broadband - one of the members of the Student Union Executive included but the strongest rural uproar we’ve seen in years was against Gormley’s (fairly tame) legislation to ban the Union Stag Hunt.
Sick of Ireland’ Civil War politics? Yeah. Me too. underinvestment. We rely on attracting the big American technology multinationals Google, eBay, Microsoft - yet Labour’s proposal’s for ‘fixing’ broadband in Ireland are limited to forcing broadband companies describe their crippled service honestly. On average, Labour’s front bench was nearly 47 when broadband came into Ireland. Your average TD will not have to live with the long-term consequences of their party’s decisions about the country. Fine Gael are promising to throw nearly two billion at the problem, but are short on members who know the first thing about broadband infrastructure. Their spokesperson, Leo Varadkar, enjoys the beefy but curiously diverse briefing of ‘Communications and Natural Resources’. This eclectic mix of responsibility for broadband, the postal service and petroleum does not inspire confidence for the future.
Galway Cycle News pro@galwaycycle.ie Participation Encouraged The Galway Cycle open meeting is scheduled Tuesday 15th February, CS1 at 7:30pm. At this meeting you can register for the cycle if you have not already done so and collect your sponsorship card. There will be a short talk from Pieta House, this year’s charity, and there will be a chance to get some information about the cycle weekend. This is the perfect opportunity to meet the other people you’ll be spending the “best weekend of the year” with! Registration for GC2011 is filling up FAST. We’re actually in danger of boiling over this year folks, so if you are keen to come on the weekend, make sure you register soon to be guaranteed a place on the weekend! (www. galwaycycle.ie) The Annual Galway Cycle soccer tournament is going ahead on the 19th February, so get in and register a team by emailing soccer@galwaycycle.ie. It will be taking place from 11:15am on the All Weather Pitches/Astro Pitch on the North Campus. The cost of entry for a squad of 10 is €100. Prizes on the day will include the most coveted Staunton Shield (of course), pride, cúpla
buidéal beoir (for the over eighteens) and cúpla cupán Mi-Wadi (for the under eighteens). We hope to see you all there! In other big news we have managed to secure a Bar-Ex for the 28th February. We are going with a circus type theme for the evening complete with jugglers and fire and people juggling fire! We have a host of great bands lined up to provide entertainment and the union will be having their usual €3 drink promotion. Keep an eye out around the college in coming weeks for more information on the bands. It’s shaping up to be a great night!
galwaycycle.ie
There’s also a user experience issue. Most students who commute to college or work every day do so via public transport. Most older people drive. The Dublin / Kildare commuting experience has to be one of the worst outside of 19th century Russia, but it’s been decades since the average TD has taken the bus anywhere. Every party manifesto is a cookbook of short-term solutions for almost every area of government. A five-year plan for broadband, a two-year plan for the road network system, etc. An older generation is less likely to predict future trends in human behaviour. Ireland doesn’t have all the resources of everyone in the world, so it needs to choose what horses to ride thoughtfully. It needs to get good at identifying trends in its citizens’ behaviour in their infancy and build around them. But time and again the Irish
Hostelling in Ireland Patrick McDonnell Yank
Old politics is old
It was “an attack on rural life” (Bernard Durkan), on the “traditions of those living in rural Ireland” (Phil Hogan), on “ordinary, decent people ... [who] are being terrorised” (Mattie McGrath), on “rural Ireland and its traditions” (Johnny Brady) And so forth. It’s also selfish. Voting for the latest incarnation of a political dynasty for any reason other than policy makes it less likely that my bus, 200 miles away, will be on time. My grandparents are voting for some diamond geezer with zero accomplishments because “he’s a gentleman.” The things people choose to care about baffle me. And this warped political kaleidoscope impairs how we solve problems. It’s the worst kind of distraction. And it distracts us from really tackling the next generation of problems. Like broadband. Ireland ranks 51st in the world for broadband from gross
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political class has proven itself hopeless at demonstrating even a basic understanding of the modern world. Hint: just because I’m following you on Twitter doesn’t mean I’m voting for you. Hint hint: if the train times posted on the wall of the station matched the ones on the website that would be great. Thx. Irish politics is a legacy product. The form of the next Oireachtas will be what it is not because it’s the best form of government we can think of today but because it’s always been that way. It’s time to throw it out and start from scratch. A blank sheet of paper is one of the scariest things in the world. But it’s what Ireland has to start from if we’re serious. Decisions are made by those who show up. I am personally asking you to show up. To any candidate under 40: ring those doorbells, fight this election and Ireland will win. Rob Munnelly
Among the many small puzzles of the Irish hostel is that there isn’t anywhere much to put yourself when not sleeping. ‘Single bed’ means just that one unit of ‘bed’ in a bedroom barren enough make you wonder if you’ve rented an igloo for ten hours. But the whole cross-country hostelling trip is a tier of disquieting thoughts. One of those disquieting thoughts is the realisation that what you’ve really signed up for is a series of visits to bedrooms. The bedroom is a strange place. There is no space within the house where we spend more time doing less, and doing it mostly quietly and unconsciously, and yet it is in the bedroom that many of life’s most profound and persistent unhappinesses are played out. If you are dying or unwell, exhausted, sexually dysfunctional, tearful, racked with anxiety, to depressed to face the world or otherwise lacking in equanimity and joy, the bedroom is the place where you are most likely to be found. In Ireland, however, the rooms I visited and beds I slept in differed only in their varying severity of their fractured relationships with reality. At every stop on a round-Ireland hostelling trip is the curious inclusion or omission of some bizarre take on what the guest might want or expect. The hostel on South Campus is a revealing example of this. One of those vexing moments of understanding that you have left reality at the desk and tumbled sideways into a guest house inspired by a picture of a fire drill at a lunatic asylum is when, warming to your room for the night, one decides to make tea. The kettle supplied with the room had about 10 inches to its power cord, and the only available socket was an inch from the floor behind the bed. Thus, the first step in the brewing process in the South Campus hostel is not to find the sugar or boil the kettle or find a cup or anything normal. The first step is to drag your bed into the middle of the room and sit the kettle on the floor, where you later join it because there is nowhere to sit. I’d love to meet the person who approved this. I can’t imagine thinking that this was a sound plan and not having some other ideas worth hearing. And there is a direct, exponential relationship between how far along one goes West and the level of madness one can expect from an establishment. My room in Galway had only a bed and a small porcelain statue of a golden retriever in the corner. I have nothing against dogs, porcelain statues or the slightly leftof-centre hostelkeeper’s taste in room furnishings, it’s just that and this seems to be true all over the country - there exists a curiously fragmented take on what the guest might want or expect in their room. Many times a hostel doesn’t altogether match up with what was advertised. One hostel in Carlingford, for example, was advertised as being operated by capable humans, but upon testing seemed to have been left in the sole charge of a dog. We arrived through the front door to find a labrador sitting atop the desk wearing a small sign around his next saying ‘Let me smell your key’. Our email said Room 33 and, sure enough as we took the key from the rack and let the dog smell it he guided us (with varying levels of ambiguity of direction) to our room. Long story short: your country is weird.
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Monday 14th February 2011
THE
Opinion & Comment
Monday 14th February 2011
The Epidemic of Young Male Suicide in Ireland Cathal Donnelly The troubling issue of youth suicide in Ireland is one which necessitates close attention from not only policymakers but everyone in society. While youth suicide in Ireland is on the rise, the fact that the vast majority of suicide victims are young males between the ages of 15-30 is worrying to say the least. Young males are vastly under represented in national suicide figures. The rate of young male suicide has risen dramatically over the last number of decades. In 1977 the suicide rate of men aged 15 or over was 8.9/100,000 population; by 1996 this number had risen to 17.38/100,000 population. Suicide statistics in Ireland are compiled by the CSO (Central Statistics Office). However they rely upon county coroners to provide the details of these deaths therefore many suicides nationally are not recorded. This phenomenon leads to an increasingly skewed version of the statistics. However, the fact is that even with the loss and confusion of data young males are bearing the brunt of the rise in Irish suicide rates. Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, the author of ‘Preventable Death: The Scandal of Male Suicide in Modern Ireland’ argues that Youth suicide shouldn’t be treated as purely a medical issue but a gender issue. Without taking away from the fact that many young women take their own lives each year, he argues that because national
suicide figures are overwhelmingly male, young male suicide is almost an issue within the issue of suicide itself. Therefore he proposes that a greater wealth of sociological rather than medical knowledge should be sought surrounding the phenomenon and that conclusions and methods of prevention be formulated from the resulting research. At present 8 out of 10 suicide victims in Ireland are young males. What is causing so many young Irish men to choose death over life? Of the many different factors cited by health authori-
ties and independent studies on the issue, some are more prominent than others. Aside from the obvious issues of underlying mental illness, personality disorders or substance abuse there are many sociological factors that are often omitted from reports on the subject leading to greater confusion as to what should be done to prevent this needless loss of life.The issue of gender socialisation in Irish society is one which directly affects the willingness of men to access help services and express their emotions in a meaningful manner. Irish society has come
a long way in the last few decades. However the “masculinity factor” remains as strong as ever. It is simply not acceptable for men to discuss their feelings in Ireland. Men are expected to remain “strong” and maintain a “stiff upper lip” attitude to their emotional well-being. Studies show the main barriers to the use of mental health supports among young men are their fear of embarrassment, anticipated shame and apprehension con-
cerning confidentiality.v Those living in a rural environment are generally more prone to depression and are more likely to be victims of suicide than those living in an urban setting. A report by the Young Men & Positive Mental Health Project points out that the social and geographical position in which these men live leads to feelings of isolation. Poverty and economic hardship coupled with changing farming
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methods along with a sense of lower status within the urban community were also cited as contributing factors. There is a worrying lack of knowledge about mental illness and emotional well-being amongst young men in Ireland. Young men when they feel depressed or isolated do not know who they can to turn to. Mental health promotion is the key to alleviating this dreadful problem. Young men need to know that they can talk to people about their emotions and that there is always someone to which they can turn. Subjects taught at second level such as SPHE and other programmes are not sufficient, and the Government are not responding appropriately to the issue. The fact that mental health services only receive 7% of the national health budget at a time when suicide rates are rising is astounding. All of these social factors come under the same umbrella - which is the stigmatisation of mental health issues in Irish society. Stigma is arguably becoming one of the biggest killers of young people in Ireland and must be addressed as quickly as possible. Health promotion organisations and we as individuals can go a long way to help prevent suicide and the silent suffering of those who feel like they have no hope.If we promote knowledge on the issue it is possible to end the reluctance of young men from seeking help. We need to be advocates for our friends and families and make it known that mental health issues can affect anyone at anytime and they don’t spell the end, they can be beaten. Help eradicate stigma in Irish society. Be that person who lends a helping hand and together we can beat suicide.
MAYNOOTH MEDICAL & DENTAL CENTRE FREE medical consultations for NUI Maynooth students Medical, Dental, Counselling, Physiotherapy & other services available Walk in, late evening & weekend appointments Please Call Lo Call: 1890 703 703 Email: info@primacare.ie Website: www.primacare.ie Opening hours Monday – Thursday 9.00-2.30 4.30-7.30 Friday 9.00-2.30 Saturday 9.00-12.00
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Report
Monday 14th February 2011
Maynooth Students' Union
President’s Report VP Comms & Dev Aengus Ó Maoláin On new year’s day we passed the half-way point of our terms of office and over the Christmas break some time was afforded to us to reflect on what has been a highly successful first semester overall. A great deal of the fruits of our labour in that six-month period will now begin to be noticeable during this semester. Particularly urgent successes on-campus include some major changes to the proposed parking scheme, a concrete plan to replace the blue chairs in the arts block and the opening (finally) of Chill, the SU’s new on-campus café. Off-campus, we have seen the Student Support Bill finally enacted as one of the last acts of the Seanad before its dissolution on the 1st of February. From 2012 the grants system in Ireland will finally begin to be repaired. Four years of student campaigning made this possible, and the Presidents’ signature on the Student Support Act 2011 is a huge victory, and proof conclusive that when the student movement concentrates on something, it will be achieved. Our concern that the collapse of the Government would kill the act has been proved unfounded, and we now have the luxury, if that is the right term, to start negotiations with the new Government with a fairly clear slate. The imminent general election focuses the mind somewhat. I will never forget the power of standing on stage on the 3rd of November watching 40,000 students chanting in unison “I am a vote.” The sad reality is that many of that crowd are not registered to vote, and our primary effort was to register as many as possible. Thanks to both the Trojan effort of a handful of hardy volunteers and USI’s voter registration road show, something in the region of 800 Maynooth Students have registered to vote before the deadline last week. Thanks must be paid to Dennis and Gavin of Maynooth Garda Síochána for their generous gift of time to sign and stamp about 500 forms in three hours on the 7th of February. The next step is to ensure as many students as can actually go home and vote. The election being on a Friday is helpful, and thanks to Professor Chris Morash, Academic Council has agreed to end all non-essential academic activity on the 25th at midday to facilitate the mass exodus this will require. Every other SU in the country is engaged in a similar process, and the help of Academic and Support staff organisations has been of great assistance.
The final element of the General Election campaign has been the General Election Candidates Debate, co-presented with the Bizz Society. By the time you read this it will have happened, but I am looking forward to our five candidates introducing themselves to our members and getting people more informed about the issues at the ballot box. After six months work, my last meeting of 2010 finally broke the back of a major non-visible problem we’ve had for years. The student levy has expired and the Union will now begin negotiations for the next ten years of student facilities in NUI Maynoooth which must be completed by June of this year at the latest. Other facilities issues include the continued expansion of recycling facilities and the chronic delays being suffered by the canteen construction team. There is little enough we can do about snow, but we are doing our best to have it open its doors no later than mid-April 2011. While you were all doing exams I was working on our commercial services. At the beginning of my term of office the Union was operating one shop and one bar. Already we have doubled that to two shops, a café and a bar. By the end of the year, I am aiming to have doubled that again. This is excellent news as the more we offer, the cheaper we can make it all. My one-liner during my election campaign was “better cheaper services for you” and we are definitely getting there. Controlling such a large portfolio of commercial services however is a delicate balance for an organisation that changes its management every year. To that end, I am delighted that the new Constitution is going to referendum this week, and I encourage you all to vote yes. The old (2008) constitution was a good document in many ways, but poor in very many others. Our new constitution, as well as fundamentally changing the Union’s representative structures also dramatically increases our capacity to handle large-scale corporate services. It is a modern constitution for a modern Union, and ultimately will make the union better at doing what it does, and more responsive and capable of change in the future.
Rob Munnelly Just a guy ploughing through his manifesto. 1. The copy of The Print you’re reading is the one we’ll be submitting for the Student Media Awards. We’ve never had a hope in heck before but this year I think The Print team have done an amazing job. I like our chances. We’re up against some heavyweights - Trinity News, The University Observer and a few other papers that are in their tenth or eleventh year running. And I think we’ve done pretty well for a first run. You might notice that it’s gotten a new look. NUIMSU hasn’t had a student paper in years and we’ve spent the year experimenting, buying up software, playing around with colours and typefaces and picture settings and we think we’re one step closer to a lasting product. Much kudos has to be given to Keith Broni especially for making it all happen. There are too many others on the team to name here, but you know who you are. It’s thanks to all you that this issues is as good as it is - and we think it’s pretty good. 2. I got a massive chunk of my manifesto completed this week, mostly thanks to the incredible efforts of Karl O’ Dwyer. Karl, we’d be lost in the tall grass without you. With Karl’s help we’ve solved a few problems at once. Market.nuimsu.com is now live and making it a million times easier for students to buy and sell books, laptops grinds and accommodation as well as freeing up tonnes of space on noticeboards around campus.
4. On new year’s day we passed the half-way point of our terms of office and over the Christmas break some time was afforded to us to reflect on what has been a highly successful first semester overall. A great deal of the fruits of our labour in that six-month period will now begin to be noticeable during this semester. Particularly urgent successes on-campus include some major changes to the proposed parking scheme, a concrete plan to replace the blue chairs in the arts block and the opening (finally) of Chill, the SU’s new on-campus café. 5. We got the FTP permissions from the Students’ Union offices. In layman’s terms, we can actually do something with nuimsu.com now. Our first step was setting up the student market, and within a few weeks we hope to have the full thing up and running. We’ve been prevented - no, really, this isn’t an excuse - from updating the website. In fact, the new one had been set up from my mother’s aging laptop back in Dublin. But now we can do it ourselves. Watch this space. 6. I have an upcoming meeting with the Computer Centre if anyone wants to report / bitch about anything. Yes, we already know about the login problems on the Windows 7 machines. Peace out.
Get involved
I would like to finally thank the Exec, the Constitutional Review Committee and all who contributed to the collation of the 2011 draft Constitution. It is an excellent document, and I believe it will stand as one of MSU’s core strengths in the years to come. Now, on the 25th of February, go home and VOTE!
theprint@nuimsu.com
Much Love, Aengus Your Union President
Finance Officer
Societies Officer
Clubs Officer
Declan Meenagh
Sinead Mawe
Kyle O’ Regan
So, the exams have just finished and we’re back to another Semester. We’re also on the brink of what is probably the most important election in the history of the state. Students traditionally don’t vote so we’re considered a soft target. Together, we all made the march a huge success, 45,000 students marching on the streets of Dublin was a truly awesome achievement, but we need to keep the momentum up. It’s important to talk to all the candidates at the doors. Tell them your a student, and you value free education. Tell them about your experience of education, the grant cuts and cuts in services. Tell them what you need to succeed in education. Tell them about the cuts in minimum wage and how that effects you. One final point on the elections, vote! There’s a group of people who are convinced that politicians are all the same and there’s no point in voting, or by not voting they’ll change the country. If you don’t vote, your saying that your happy with the policies of the current government. The only way to change the country is by voting. As Plato said: “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors” In other news, I’ve set up a green committee, and it’s working very well, let me know if you’re interested in in getting involved, finance@ nuimsu.com. We’ll bring our first group if recommendations to Union Council soon. Thanks to everyone on the committee, there are some great ideas. I’ll be doing the price comparison survey of union services and other shops in Maynooth this semester. I’ll publish the results in the print when there available.
3. The Comms office - again, with the brilliant efforts of Keith Broni - has designed 16 posters in the last three weeks. Incredible. I’m particularly proud of the Fair’s Day Two poster. If anyone wants a giggle, check out Kyle O’ Regan’s attempt at a poster for the next Clubs and Socs Council. It’s basically the opposite of what we’ve done so far, but with the notable improvement of including a ‘picture’ of Sinead Mawe.
Back again! We’re back again for the second half of of the year, and, for me, my last semester (hopefully) of my degree here. Eep! But enough about me. Last week saw over 35 clubs and societies lining the walls of the Art’s block for Fair’s day take 2 for a hectic but fun few hours. Kudos especially to Ultimate Frisbee for adding that little extra colour to the day- tip of the hat to you Papa Smurf! Hopefully you got a chance to join some new societies, and that this semester you make it part of your plans to get involved. If you missed it, or you couldn’t find the society you wanted to sign up to- fear not! Send them an e-mail, and I’m sure they’ll only be delighted to add you as a member. Elsewhere in the world of societies, I’m trying to use this first few weeks before my assignments pile up to try and get a few things done. Amongst other things, I’m taking a look at the sample constitution with a view to making it more userfriendly, and more relevant to societies. I’m also going to be looking at the capitation form for new societies up for recognition. Ideally, it will provide similar information regarding planned events and the make-up of the society, but removing the whole money aspect (since unrecognised societies don’t get capitation). Not exactly Oscar worthy work, but hopefully these little things will help make setting up and running societies that little bit easier. Oh, and there was Clubs and Socs council, which we had to bring forward so we could discuss the new constitution before the referendum. Busy, busy, busy... Until next time!
THERE IS NOW A CLOCK IN THE SMALL SPORTS HALL!!!!!!! Now this may seem like a very silly thing to get excited about, but consider this: for the past 3 years we have been asking for a clock in the sports hall, and now there is one. The Beatles and U2 were wrong – Happiness Is NOT a Warm Gun, Happiness is a Big Clock behind a plexiglass shield – expect lyrics next week. Facebook. I love you Facebook. I think its fair to say that most of this years Clubs and Socs events that I have organised has been done via Facebook. Take Fairs Day 2 for example. It took me mere hours on facebook to do something that would have otherwise taken days via email. Also how good did the Arts Block look while packed with Clubs and Socs plying their wares? Finally – there are two C+S Events left where Rob will have my face adorning Posters. Do you have any suggestions on a theme? Contact us!
1st Year Rep Ruaidhrí Boland I am sure that many of you remember my key election promise of vowing to ensure that First Year Rep becomes a full voting position on the Executive Committee of Maynooth Students Union to ensure that the 2000+ first years get the full representation that they deserve. I
am delighted to say that I have delivered on that promise. The proposal been presented to Union Council and voted on and passed with a comfortable majority. The new MSU Constitution has been presented to UC and is now going to referendum. Kudos to Aengus, Rob, Liz and the Constitutional Review Committee for this fantastic document. I have been campaigning tirelessly to ensure that all first years receive the representation that they deserve. I am happy to report that many first years have been contacting me with regards to assisting them with their issues and I hope that you will continue to contact me if you have any issues that I can help with. My office hours for this semester will be as follows: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday:
15.00 15.00 14.00 16.00 16.00
All will take place in the SU Executive office in the Your Clubhouse. Facebook. I love you Facebook. I think its fair to say that most of this years Clubs and Socs events that I have organised has been done via Facebook. Take Fairs Day 2 for example. It took me mere hours on facebook to do something that would have otherwise taken days via email. Also how good did the Arts Block look while packed with Clubs and Socs plying their wares? Finally – there are two C+S Events left where Rob will have my face adorning Posters. Do you have any suggestions on a theme? Contact us!
Download the Rape Crisis Apps
www.rcni.ie/apps know how to help a friend RCNI
@RCNIRELAND
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26
teh Tech
Monday 14th February 2011
NUIM Library iPhone app, exact purpose uncertain The Print team spend many confounded minutes staring at device screaming “WHAT’S THE POINT?” Sue Denim Afraid of nothing I’ve been saying for some time that the university should have a crack at an iPhone app and one for the vastly superior Android OS too... I guess. I think it would certainly help to tie together all the loose ends of the NUIM weby-verse, showing users upto-date campus maps to help them find the way to some of the more cryptically named halls and classrooms dotted around the campus, show their personalized timetable, help them search the library catalogue and tell them when their books are due to be returned. Hell, even giving them their assignments and when they’re due on Moodle. Well, we can dare to dream I guess. Then I learned of their plans to do it. At first glance I approved. But when it was explained to me what the app would do, I implored them to stop. They didn’t... “Nuim Library Services” is not really an app: I thought at first that it was drawn on my screen by a 3-year old with crayons. But if we were to refer to this innocent drawing by an innocent youth as an ‘app’, then it is the worst conceived and implemented iPhone app I have ever had the displeasure of using. It has - and I want to be clear about this - no purpose. It ‘does’ - and I use the verb loosely - five things. (Note: at the time of review, we couldn’t get the app to work
at all on the latest version of iOS. Basically if you buy an iPhone today and download the app, the app won’t work.) The first thing it does is it tells you what it does (Okay thats a lie: the first thing it does is crash, but you can get it to work by pressing the lock/ unlock button about fourteen billion times. This thing should really come with discount coupons for blood pressure tablets.) Laying the issue to one side that most users won’t download an app unless they already know what it’s supposed to do, this ‘feature’ is less pointless than disappointing. It barely does anything. If you’re lucky. The second thing it does is to let you search the library
Finding books: exactly as easy / difficult with the new app
At a Glance: Sony NGP Silvian Dragan Tech Writer Sony has announced the launch of the next generation of portable gaming console codenamed the Sony NGP (Next Generation Portable.) This new console is packed with the latest technology and promises to offer the best in entertainment and gaming capabilities while being future proof for many years to come, described by Sony as: “packed with technology and features, matching the power of the PlayStation 3.” According to CNET’s first impression this highly anticipated console “looks like a great handheld console, thanks to its powerful and innovative hardware system” and Sony revealed their 5 key concepts behind the NGP’s design as: “Revolutionary User Interface, Social Connectivity, Location-Based Entertainment, Converging Real and Virtual (augmented) Reality.” So what will Sony manage to squeeze into this little package this time around that will make it the best and most technologically advanced hand held device as promised? For starters it will be faster, way faster than
anything before it .At its core, it will be armed with the ARM Cortex A9 (quad core) processor. So fast that the director of the Metal Gear Solid series Hideo Kojima has demonstrated playing what looked like a version of the PS3’s Metal Gear Solid 4 on the NGP. Games such as Call of Duty Black Ops are also rumoured to be released for the Sony NGP. We are hoping of course that these very high specs will not become out-dated by the time it will be released which is estimated to be just in time for Christmas (probably November 2011). Sony has removed the UMD drive from the NGP; instead the games will now be stored on a flash card which looks very similar to the standard SD cards that we all know and love. However we all know Sony and the fact that they don’t stick with the standards available instead preferring to make their own, so although these game cards look very similar to SD cards, don’t be surprised if they are something horrible, proprietary and impossible to find in stores or online. Having said that, the NGP will also incorporate the PlayStation Network where you can directly download and pur-
catalogue. This is fucking hilarious. Apps exist to be a more usable version of something you’d otherwise need to use the browser or an actual computer for. They’re designed especially for the precise area of the small space of a phone screen. That’s why we use apps for some things and the browser for other things. And everyone will admit that library.nuim.ie is not build for the limited screen real estate of a mobile phone. Despite this, when you enter a search term and hit ‘Submit’ the app yanks you out of it, opens Safari, and searches for the term there instead. Thus defeating the point of the app in the first place. The only useful feature is also unusable. Stupid thing number three: library opening hours. This, in theory, is actually useful. You’re in Arts Block with with iPhone or iPod considering whether or not to visit the library. Who knows if its even open? Flip out the device and check. But even this is hampered by poor design. The vast, vast, vast majority of iOS (iPhone or iPod) users in
chase games, then playing them directly on your NGP straight away. However the problem of internal memory capacity will arise in this case, since games are very large and most Solid State memory is limited and expensive. We are hoping of course that the internal solid state drive of the NGP will be at least 64GB and possibly 128GB or higher, otherwise storage of games plus music and videos will push any internal memory to its limits very quickly. I only hope that Sony will allow users to back up their purchased games on a computer and also incorporate memory expansion slots; most likely a Sony Memory Duo. Regarding connectivity, the handheld is equipped with the standard internal Wi-Fi as well as 3G capability which will allow the NGP to be always connected on the go. This will most likely be incorporated by a SIM card slot. This is a good feature for those willing to pay extra money each month to stay connected on the go. However you will not be able to use the NGP like a mobile phone, but we hope that a Skype or another VOIP type application will be available to download from the PlayStation Network. The PlayStation Network will most likely wish to copy the success of the Apple and Android App stores which allows third party developers to develop a very wide range of
college here rely on WiFi - rather than expensive mobile internet - to use the device online. So most students, for example, can’t browse the web on the train / bus with it. Despite this fact, the “NUIM Library Services” app needs to connect to the internet every single time you want to check library times, rather than just working from the device’s internal calendar. This is beyond a simple oversight. Clearly zero thought was devoted to understanding how the average student might use it. As we arrive to the fourth out of five ‘features’ of the app, we realise that there isn’t anything that the app actually does well. Moronic Idea No. 4 is the ‘Contact’ feature. It’s almost impossible to describe this in writing, but for some reason they decided to go against convention and not give you the little go button on the bottom right when your tying in the last field of information, this works differently to every other iPhone app and really breaks up the flow as your trying to use it. Then you have to put away the keyboard and search for the fucking submit button. It might sound like I’m being pedantic, but that’s really annoying, to the point where it might be far less annoying to write an email or dispatch a carrier pigeon. I’m not knocking the library, they just so happen to be really good at being a library, so good in fact that I think you should go over to it and find a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary and Thesaurus (REF 423 OXF) and pick out your own synonym for ‘terrible’. 0 out of 5 Stars There’s a lesson in this: something bad is not better than nothing. I only hope that by releasing this completely pathetic attempt they haven’t screwed up our chances of getting a real app down the line.
applications as well as allowing for Online Gaming. Sony will of course focus mainly on entertainment such as games, music and movies as well as social media applications. These of course are already the most popular type of applications for the iPhone and Android devices. The NGP boasts a brilliant 5’’ wide screen OLED (960 x 554 pixels) multi touch front screen and it also features a revolutionary back multi-touch pad, which will make it easier to use multi-touch features while holding the device. It will of course incorporate the standard PlayStation Controls (including dual analogue sticks) and a six-axis motion sensing system comprised of three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer and three axis electronic compass which will allow the NGP to be fully sensitive to any type of tilt, rotation, movement, etc. An integrated GPS will also be included along with the standard stereo speakers and built in microphone setup. The gaming battery life is not yet known but it is estimated to be at around 5-6 hours of gameplay. The price is also not yet released; estimates are from $300 up to $600 making it the most expensive portable game console ever. Such a high starting price could hurt the NGP’s initial sales and popularity, but time will tell if it will be able to compete with Nintendo 3DS.
by Neil McCaffery
1Gbps Wi-Fi Coming Soon To a Billion Devices Not only is 1Gbps technology heading for your Wi-Fi network by next year, it will also be instantly popular. The new 802.11ac 1G Wi-Fi standard hasn’t even been ratified by the IEEE yet and In-Stat predicts that by 2015, consumers will have bought nearly 1 billion devices that use it. 1G Wi-Fi,
which will use radio spectrum in a range below 6GHz, will be embedded in mobile phones, e-readers and automotive “infotainment” systems.The study predicts that Mobile devices with embedded Wi-Fi will make up most of the market. In 2015, shipments of mobile phones with embedded Wi-Fi are projected to approach 800 million. I just hope that it doesn’t gobble up the ‘ole phone and laptop battery.
Spinach Could Be Used For Hydrogen Fuel
If Popeye had been researching alternative fuels in his spare time, he’d have probably come up with something like this. Researchers from Oak Ridge
Confession: There’s an app for that
National Laboratory in the US have developed a system that converts solar energy directly into hydrogen using the common spinach plant. Although Hydrogen has a huge potential as a future ecologically safe fuel, I’m still not sure we’ve over come the storage problems. Hydrogen tends to be highly explosive.
Pope Benedict XVI has recently encouraged priests to blog and promoted Christian “Netiquette”. Now apparently the Roman Catholic church has sanctioned a ‘Confession App,’ available through iTunes for $1.99. Apparently it doesn’t replace ‘traditional,’ in-person confession (you still must see a priest for absolution.), but walks one through the process, even suggesting sins you may wish to confess.
Robot Jet Fighter Takes First Flight The US Navy has begun testing the X-47B, a Tailless Flying Robotic Overlord, which requires neither puny human pilot nor extraneous flesh bag with a remote control. First flight was 29 minutes, climbing to a height of 5000 ft. Next step: landing on an aircraft carrier and after that the enslavement of humanity during a robot uprising and I for one welcome our new robot overlords.
Oxford Tests Universal Flu Vaccine A universal flu vaccine has been tested by scientists at Oxford University. The new vaccine targets proteins inside the flu virus that are common across all strains, instead of those that sit on the virus’s external coat, which are liable to mutate. If used widely a universal flu vaccine could prevent pandemics, such as the swine flu outbreaks of recent years, and end the need for a seasonal flu jab. Though there is no indication is this is effective against the deadly man-flu.
Mozilla Aims To Release Four Firefox Versions In 2011 Mozilla is planning to release four new versions of its open source browser by the end of this year. That means Firefox 4, Firefox 5, Firefox 6, and Firefox 7 are all slated to ship in 2011. Mozilla was originally planning on having Firefox 4 out by the end of last year, but it had to delay the release. The last release was Firefox 4 Beta 10 but there are still probably two more betas, at least one release candidate, and of course
a final build. It’s clear Mozilla no longer thinks this model is a good one, and wants to accelerate its release cycle, much like Google did with Chrome.
THE
Kids’ Corner
Monday 14th February 2011
27
Sudoku Easy
Medium
Hard
Evil Pisces 19 February - 20 March People say you make your own luck, but carrying around a sign that says “I’m needy and helpless” is probably not what they had in mind. The thought of you losing your mind is making you lose your mind. If you ever get out of that hole, the chances are that you’re still going to be a neurotic plague of badness
Crossword 1
by Grace Crehan
by Miriam Keogh
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3 4 6
5 7
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9
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13 14 15
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23 24
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Taurus
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20 April - 20 May Other people are not as crazy as you make them out to be. Gambling is something that may get the better of you, shortly. Remember, gambling doesn’t always mean forfeiting money but can also take the form of running an amber light, crossing the road when it appears to be safe, and not having medical insurance. These 3 “gambles” may occur to you, and others around you, simultaneously
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21 March - 19 April Smiles help the world go round, especially when the smiles are accompanied by dirty big wads of cash. Cold hard cash. In fact, forget the smiles, just give everyone money. The rate of absorption into your skin will increase three fold today as Mars combined with Jupiter to create... well, whatever is created to allow for that. I suppose. When asked if you’re OK today, you may feel tempted to respond with physical violence.
Scorpio 24 October - 21 November Your mind is filled with thoughts of sexual inadequacy and hey, maybe you’re right. By agreeing to read this horoscope you may be bringing on yourself several levels of suffering and/ or pleasure. If you agree to this, please stop reading now. Or carry on, depending on whether you’re willing to take that chance
16 17
Aries
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34 35
Cancer
Across 10. The gift of now (7) 11. Leave the former thing (4) 12. This beast describes many words (9) 14. Teach to run on rails (5) 16. The friendly beverage that's cleverer than you (9) 18. President beef (6) 21.Tess and Company go late night shopping (5) 23. Gladiator of fast food (7) 24. Wear this island (6) 27. I'll be back at the end (9) 29. How low can advertising
Down go? (4) 30. Old farm of fast food (9) 32. Speedily fasten (4) 33.Soft drink of addicts (4) 34. This piece puts the 'L' in chess (6) 35.Creative building piece (4,5)
1. Hoarse cries on the gaelic pitch (5,4) 2. Guineas for good stout (8) 3. Jim’s nasal workout (9) 4. Brewery of fibs (7) 5. Optical Telecommunications Device (6) 6. Fornication by the seaside (3,2,3,5) 7. Historical warriors cider (8) 8. Look carefully at this timepiece (5) 9. Delicious Italian Town (5) 13. Gathering of scholars (8,5)
15. Sickly internet sensation (5) 17. Sci-fi hair show (6) 19. Breakfast dish (9,3) 20. Leaping clothing (6) 22. Moaning drink (4) 25. This box allows you to see the cosmos from your living room (3) 26. Gulliver’s prefered search engine (5) 27. Correct it to enter (6) 28. This tv doctor is at home (5) 31. This town is filled with doubles (6)
22 June - 22 July You are not anyone’s “bitch”. Whilst we are not all superhuman, some of us are at least able to go to sleep without pissing ourselves in the night.
Libra
23 September - 23 October You’re generally hopeless with money, so this week should come as a shock to you. I sense a feeling of delight in you. When things are looking down, sit yourself down on the nearest swivelling chair and spin. If that doesn’t raise a smile, then I’m all out of ideas.
Aquarius 20 January - 18 February When trying to take the top of a bottle of paracetamol, you may find yourself contemplating destroying the universe. Lots of different shades of grey help you know that metal objects are 3 dimensional.
Capricorn 22 December - 19 January When there’s work to be done, there’s no shame in procrastination. If you’re missing an element to your life, why not choose tin? Gloomy times lay ahead
Leo
23 July - 22 August Don’t believe anything you read today. Be wary of emails claiming to be from PayPal or eBay - they are almost certainly your “most like a junky” friends trying to get a rise out of you. In fact, they’re probably watching you from a webcam placed somewhere around the room you’re currently in. We’re 99% sure that’s where these scam emails come from - people YOU know. After a car crash you will see a light at the end of a tunnel. Do not be vexed, this only means the car is facing the other way.
Virgo
23 August - 22 September Cysts are a sign of overworking as much as anything else. Relax today whilst a loved one lances your soppiest boils. There may be trouble ahead...but while there’s moonlight and music and love and romance, the blow caused by the venereal disease you are about to become infected with, will be somewhat softened. You are not the person you once were, try to reflect those changes in your general appearance and, please, smile for a change.
Sagittarius 22 November - 21 December In other countries, how you’ll feel about this afternoon could get you arrested and shot... at dawn, without a blindfold, and with a stinging sensation in the groin. Parrots can be annoying as well as beautifully coloured. Rawwr! Parrots can be annoying as well as beautifully coloured. Rawwr! Rawwr! Parrots can be annoying as well as beautifully coloured. Rawwr!
Gemini
21 May - 21 June If you’re ignorant are you blessed? Only with ignorance, my stupid friend. Go with the flow and let people take advantage of you.
xkcd.com
Doodle Space
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28
Culture
Monday 14th February 2011
Queer Eye for the Maynooth guy Shmick Hughes St. Pat’s Rep I have been shocked recently at the lack of lads making an effort for a night out in Maynooth. As Dara O Briain said while doing a gig in Vicars St recently, the amount of effort girls are going into nowadays is amazing, and they all look stunning; but the lads are as shit as ever! Going out wearing manky t-shirts and trunks! I have taken it upon myself to sort this serious crisis for the future procreation of our country that is fucked enough as it is at the minute without this shit too. By following these few simple tips you will be doing your patriotic duty as an Irishman, sure weren’t Collins and Dev two of the best dressed men in the country in the 20’s? Invest in a trimmer for “designer grooming”(Also comes in handy with beach season fast approaching) or make sure you are clean shaven; no one wants to kiss something which bares more resemblance to a hobbits foot then a face. Aftershave is a very important part of our arsenal against the “man smell”. Why should you then only apply it once before you enter the lion pit? Always
carry a small vile of this sacred nectar with you while looking for that (un)lucky lady. If you, like a good many Irish men, have a problem with perspiration while a night out, we got just the solution for you. Exercise! But if you, like a good many of Irish men see exercise as a quick march to the pub, then there is an alternative. You can simply sweat-proof your clothes. Wearing dark-coloured tops is a common sweat-proofing strategy and it’s a valid one. It’s also effective. Fit is also important. Wearing fitted muscle t-shirts isn’t wise here; opt for a little breathing room so you can facilitate the regulation of your body’s temperature (unless your built like pop-eye, then it doesn’t matter if you smell like a parson street bathroom.) Put yourself in her shoes, not literally of course. Those nasty Nikes won’t even get your through the door and this is quite literal because most place have dress codes. First impressions really are everything, you don’t want your feet to let you down, they will do enough of that on the dancefloor. Invest in
Indie Know: Not Squares Keith Broni Assistant Editor
A
nother issue of The Print, another Irish band worthy of your time, attention and money. Meet Belfast trio Not Squares, who recently released their debut album ‘Yeah OK’ in the ever-impressive Richter Collective label. Consisting of Mike Kinlock (vocals / synth / bass), Keith Winter (vocals / drums) and Ricki O’Rawe (more vocals / more synth / another bass), this of thirty-somethings deal in what’s been described by some as “thrash-dance”; a heavy bassdriven cymbal-crashing electro sound that features more
cowbell than even Christopher Walken can handle. They’re also academics; one’s a Doctor of Philosophy and two are architects, with one of the two studying for a PhD himself. The band originally formed in early 2008 following a bit of drunken banter outside of the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, which resulting in all there agreeing that “Belfast needs a party band!” Originally conceived as a four-piece post-punk outfit with Rachel Keenan tacklingsynthesisers on her own, the band quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with within the Belfast music scene.
a nice pair of shoes that are not too formal, but that you don’t wear in the gym. If she does it, its only fair you do too! Dress your age. This can take many forms. We all know that guy who goes around wearing the Dev hat and pretending he’s gods gift too philosophy. Don’t be this guy, but don’t hate him either. Instead think of him as the catalyst for thing to come with that girl you’ve been perving on all night. Don’t dress like a pint of Guinness, you might find this attractive, but most girls don’t. Think much more along the lines of a vodka martini. No band t-shirts! I’m really serious about this, it attracts the wrong sort of girl, just ask Kurt Cobain (oh wait . get my point?) These simple little things you can do are much more likely to land you a great girl, more likely then filling her full of vodka so that she can make out the Black Label Society t-shirt your wearing. It’s cheaper as well. Well that’s enough of me saving the future of my country for one day.
By December they had already snagged some airplay and a live session on Radio One NI. This wasn’t, however, any of the current members’ first stab at taming the fickle mistress of the music industry. Both Keith and Michael had previously performed as part of Tracer AMC, an instrumental rock band who had released two albums and become popular in Japan (sorry, Adebisi Shank; they beat you to it!). Ricki had also played bass in
two popular underground Belfast bands: The Killing Spree and Gaju. Following on from their on-air exposure, a limited edition demo EP entitled ‘Wrok’ was committed to cassette (yes, cassette) and sold at gigs. This was then followed by a double A-side 7” single: Ay Yo Pa / IYOUUSIT. It was soon after this that Keenan left the band, emigrating to California.
Yet instead of attempting to continue on without synthesisers, which up to this point had been more of a sonic supplement than an integral part of their sound, the three remaining members began toying with a battered old synth Ricki had originally purchase when first entering college. The songs that emerged from this experimentation (three in particular ‘Asylum’, ‘Bi Kan Na’ and ‘Don’t Do Nothing’) marked the onset of a heavier electronic sound than before (the aforementioned “thrashdance”). Following a performance with Richter Collective act Bats, the band were signed by the label and began work on ‘Yeah OK’, produced by Vinny McCreith (Adebisi Shank, The Vinny Club). Playing festivals such as Latitude, Reading and Leeds while recording the album “here and there” across Belfast, the LP was eventually
released in November 2010 to much critical acclaim. Since then, the band have nabbed themselves a string of gigs supporting fellow Northerners Two Door Cinema in Belfast, Galway and Dublin. Not Square debut ‘Yeah OK’ can be streamed it its entirety here: notsquares.bandcamp.com. You can also purchase a digital copy of the album via the same link. Although the band don’t currently have any tour dates announced, it’s unlikely that this will remain the case for long. *Music video for ‘Asylum’: goo. gl/mS1kq *Music video for ‘Release The Bees’: goo.gl/ELJO0 *Live performance of ‘Asylum’ from Radio One’s United Nations in Cardiff: goo.gl/ emLX6 Keith Broni
Volkswagen Commercial: The Force
Jedward Dances to Single Ladies
Klávesnice mocná zbra!
Human Scoreboard (Hong Kong)
Old Spice | Scent Vacation
THE CUTEST damned thing trending online. Seriously, if this doesn’t send a gushing, heart-melting smile to your face then there’s no hope for you. If you don’t like this video, never have kids. If you’re not a soulless monster, however, then you’ll get such a kick out of this. We won’t spoil the ending for you, but most of the video consists of a child dressed up as Darth Vader roaming about the house trying to use ‘The Force’ on things - the dog, a teddy and his lunch. It won’t make you buy the car, but it’s awful cute.
Absolutely the most hateinducing video on the internet. Feeling indulgent? Follow in Darth Vader’s (left) footsteps and know what it truly is to want to murder someone. This twisted form of awful, pointless entertainment is enough to make you want to smash your keyboard through the computer screen while foaming at the mouth. What makes it worse is that over 51,000 people have watched it, and you just know some of them enjoyed it. Humanity has no hope. Give up now.
We have no idea - not the least idea - what’s going on in this video. But it’s trending in the Czech Republic with a quarter of a million views. After watching it a few dozen times, we surmise that the two lads are playing World of Warcraft, and then one of them unexpectedly hits the other guy with his computer keyboard. The part where the guy gets hit is looped about a hundred times. If any student who speaks the language can drop in an explain to us what’s going on, we are happy to listen.
This would be impressive if it wasn’t a terrifying lesson in the power of mass hysteria. It’s a video of this: an unbelievably well synchronised human scoreboard. It’s actually amazing. About 500 Chinese boys and girls, through the different colours on their clothes, make shapes to show the score, messages, animations and the word ‘Lion’ a few times for some reason. Well worth watching. With 16 million views, it’s popular. Except in China, ironically, where Youtube is banned. Pity.
Best one yet. We’ve been wondering how Old Spice Guy was going to top his previous - let’s face it, amazing - videos, but he did. From the sand on the beach to the ice on the mountaintops, then from underwater to the top of a piano, everyone’s favoritesmelling Alpha Male has topped his own charts. We’ve no idea how the team managed to produce this video, but it’s one of those that makes you sit back after watching with that warm glow of admiration. And a lust to buy some Old Spice.
200,000 years of human evolution... caught on camera With the passage of another three weeks, another innumerable amount of amusing videos have been uploaded to YouTube. Here you’ll find a selection of some of the best videos of the summer, just in case you missed them by (heaven forefend) actually venturing outside your house.
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Culture
Monday 14th February 2011
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Interview: The Heathers
Keith Broni chats with one half of Ireland’s favourite harmonising twins
D
ublin-based duo Heathers have become one of Ireland’s most beloved talents in the last couple of years. Consisting of harmonising twin sisters Ellie and Louise Macnamara (with the latter also on swift strumming guitar duties), the two began writing music together in 2007 and recorded their debut album, ‘Here, Not There,’ right before sitting the mock examinations in their Leaving Cert year. Since then, they have gone on to tour America, perform at Oxegen, Electric Picnic and the Arthur’s Day celebration, open for Paolo Nutini and become the current sound of Irish tourism. Just last week The Print was able to catch up with Louise; a Maynooth student herself in her final year of Music Technology. The success of 2010 definitely seems to be already spilling into 2011, if January is anything to do by: a performance at the Eurosonic Festival and being named Steve Lamacq’s “favourite new band” on BBC6. Any solid plans for the rest of the year? “Well we’re both still in college, ya’know. I’m here in my final year and my sister Ellie is doing primary school teaching in Froebel in Blackrock, which requires a lot of commitment. So that’s got us pretty busy at the moment, but we’re definitely trying to balance the two. We’re actually doing more stuff in Europe than in Ireland at the moment; we’ve got a tour of Switzerland planned for April and we’re going back and forth between the UK and after Eurosonic we got offers for gigs at other festivals so that’s something else in the works.” Striking the balance between touring and completing college work can’t be an easy feat. Wasn’t Eurosonic right in the middle of our January exam timetable? “Yeah! It’s crazy because we were told in November that we’d got chosen by 2FM to play Eurosonic, which was a pretty big deal for us. It was us, James Vincent McMorrow and… Sacred Animals, I think. And our manager had already said to get the times and dates of the exams as soon as possible because we also had Scottish dates planned; we’d played Celtic Connections in January too, which was the week after Eurosonic. And I knew my exams were going to be in and around that time but the exam timetable wasn’t out until December so I couldn’t find out. I was kind of panicking coming up to Christmas, ya’know; trying to think whether or not I’d be able to do it. But thankfully all of my four exams were in the space of two days; the two days right before Eurosonic! So luckily I was able to fly over the day after my exams and play.” You mentioned in an interview on TV3 coming up to Christmas that yourself and Ellie have been singing together since an early age, excluding a few performance-shy teenage years. I’m guessing you come from a very musical family. “Yeah, our family are very musical. My parents started us on piano lessons when we were around five or six and both of sing themselves. My
brother has been in bands since we were young and even my little sister sings. And when we were younger we’d always have a lot of family get-togethers where everyone would eat a large meal, the adults would have a few drinks or whatever and then everyone would have to sing. So we were kind of forced into it! And when we were younger we loved it, but as we got older, yeah, we got a bit shy and didn’t particularly enjoy it. But around the age of seventeen we started singing together again.” What was it that prompted that prompted this reunion, of sorts? “Well when we were around fourteen we started going to gigs; mostly local DIY / punk gigs. We eventually started helping put on these kind of gigs through the scene in the Greystones, Bray and Kilcoole area, and then we started playing at the gigs ourselves.” So it was the local DIY counterculture that rekindled your desire to perform? “Definitely. And the way we got into that in the first place was that our brother had always been in bands. He’s always been a huge influence on our taste in music. So the fact that he was in bands, that all of our friends could be in bands and it was right there in front of us, it made us believe that we could possibly do the same thing. But it wasn’t like we planned out that we’d make a band, release some music and see what happens or whatever. It was just that I started to learn guitar when I was in fourth year and I’d written a song. And then I just went into Ellie’s room since it was next door and she put harmonies to it. I think we put two songs up on MySpace and got a really great reaction and then we started playing house shows and it all built from there. Our third gig ever was with a band called Ghost Mice in an abandoned place in Killarney. Chris (vocals / guitar) from Ghost Mice owns a record label called Planet X Records; it’s a small DIY record label in the US. We’d only about five songs written by then but he really liked our music so asked us if we could write enough songs to make an album to release on his label. We ended up releasing it as a split between his label and the Hideaway Label in Ireland and then he asked us to tour the States with them after we finished our Leaving Cert. This was all when the Leaving Cert was going on. So when we finished our Leaving Cert, a couple of days after we flew to Chicago to tour, which is absolutely crazy. Now that I think of it, it all just kind of happened; we didn’t really think about it while it was happening. We just went with it.” So was the music an escape from the toils of the Leaving Cert? “Yeah, definitely. I mean, we recorded our album the week before the Mocks. When Ellie and me were studying, we used to just take a break and try writing a few songs. That’s what it kind of became: a break from the pan of studying!” I’m sure it can occasionally be difficult being in a band with your sister. “It’s difficult at times, because we’re around each other
constantly and then to write music together… I don’t know; in ways it’s a good thing and in ways it’s a bad thing. The good side of it is if I write something and Ellie doesn’t like it, I understand. And although we might get into a small fight, we’re sisters so we have to get on. I’d find it much more difficult to be in a band with friends and tell them I didn’t like something. I actually wouldn’t be able to tell them if I didn’t like something; I’d just be terrified that I’d offend them or something! But whereas with Ellie, we can both just say how we feel about something and we’ll understand it and if we have a fight it’s not the end of the world because we’re sisters and…” Mom and Dad’ll tell you both to cop on? “Yeah!” Earlier you mentioned the Hideaway record label, which was run by current independent candidate for Dublin South East Dylan Haskins. How did you get to know Dylan? “He was really good friends with our brother and was part of that big collective of people working to put on those gigs around Bray and Kilcoole, so we just started hanging out with him.” With you and your sister eventually being featured in his short documentary of the DIY counterculture, ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves’. In this documentary you say that your experiences with the movement will stay with you “for the rest of my life.” What’s your relationship with the DIY scene now that you’ve achieved mainstream success? “Well we’re definitely not going to just pick up everything and run away. We still definitely believe in DIY culture. But there’s a lot of different views in DIY and I think some people have this notion that if we start playing bigger shows we’re going to “sell out”. Me and Ellie for a while there were kind of terrified that people would be like that. For example, when we were offered to play Oxegen two summers ago, for a good few weeks we were like ‘Jesus, should be play this or not?’ Will people hate us? They’ll think we’re complete sell-outs. But DIY to us is about being yourselves, writing music and having that kind of community where you don’t have to have these big record labels to write, release or play music. You don’t have to have tons of money. It can all be done with friends helping you out and you can still go and do things like Oxegen and tour with Paolo Nutini or whatever.” Do you think it’s become a means to an end in a country where there isn’t actually a major record label decided to representing our acts? “I think people are definitely realising that you don’t need big record labels and loads of money to be able to release music and tour the world. I mean, look at Adebisi Shank, who’ve toured Japan. It can be done with people just working together, which I think is great.” Having ‘Remember When’ featured on the Discover Ireland campaign advertisement was obviously when things really
began to kick off for you two. How did that come about? “We were actually sent a MySpace message from a guy called Deek Avine. At this stage we didn’t have any proper e-mail address or website or anything, but we started getting a lot of attention after that so we kind of had to get things in place to be able to answer all the e-mails! So Deek approached us; he works for a company that source out songs for ads. He told us that Failte Ireland were looking for a song for their new campaign and he thought ‘Remember When’ would fit great. It was absolutely amazing because having your song represent tourism in your own country... We were delighted to get it! And of course it opened our music up to a much wider audience. We were so happy to do it because, as we’d talked about in the process of it happening, we felt we’d have to be supportive of any ad that featured our music. I mean, I wouldn’t really have liked to have our song on a McDonalds ad or something like that.” You recently performed in Whelan’s, debuting a lot of new material. Is there any provisional date for a second album kicking about? “I’d say 2012. Possibly late 2011, early 2012.” Now that you’ve received more mainstream success, do you plan to take a different approach in recording the new
album? “Well, as you know, the last album, ‘Here, Not There,’ was just guitar, vocals and a bit of cello that we recorded in our friend’s bedroom. It was very, very basic. And although we don’t want to stray completely from that or completely change our sound, one thing we’ve always wanted to do is bring in more instruments and see how they work. We’ve been doing that gradually. In terms of the actual recording; I’m studying Music Technology here and from doing that and from listening to a lot more music and learning about different recording procedures and techniques and stuff like that… I don’t know; we’d go a bit more professional than recording in a friend’s bedroom! We’ll see what happens though. We’re got a couple of new songs written and I don’t think we’re completely straying from the style of music we were playing. You see, those songs on ‘Here, Not There’ were written when we were 17 and I think we’re matured a lot since then, as both people and musicians. We’ve been writing a lot more and listening to a lot more music and listening to a lot more types of sounds in general. “ You spoke there about the additional instruments that have been cropping up at more recent gigs. Are these added musicians just friends you’ve
drafted in to help develop your sound? Do they have any input on the creative process? “Yeah. The guitarist is actually our brother. It’s great having him on board because he’s been such a great influence on us all of the time. And of course there’s Paddy on cello; he’s just amazing, he just improvises a lot of the stuff when we’re working it out. But although they do have some input, Ellie and me do write most of the material. I’ve written a lot of the cello parts and the electric guitar parts on the new material, like.” I’d say having the additional musicians on stage has made some of those festival performances a little less intimidating. “Oh God yeah. Especially when’re you’re on after a full band. I remember Electic Picnic; it was just me and Ellie going onto this massive stage. Especially when it’s a while forty minutes set of just guitar, vocals, sometimes cello. But when it’s just the two of us singing you’re just terrified that people will just get board of the whole thing!” Although judging by their recent level of success, it definitely doesn’t look like people will be getting bored of the Heathers any time soon. Here, Not There’ is available for purchase on the bands official website, heathersmusic.net
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THE
Monday 14th February 2011
VP Comms and Dev Rob Munnelly shares with us his character-building experiences from the world of retail
The Cries of Retail Of all the things I am not very good at, dealing with customers is perhaps the most outstanding. I am constantly filled with wonder at the level of patience that others exhibit without any evident difficulty that is pretty much beyond me. For three years I worked full-time in retail - two in a small newsagents and one in a giant supermarket - and I can tell you in five words: working in retail is awful. The typical conversation with a confused customer has a detrimental effect on one's blood pressure. It opens your eyes to the seemingly limitless depths of human stupidity. I had this brought home to me one day behind the till in the newsagents when a lady tried to pay for her shopping with a Tesco Clubcard. Some observations: 1. We are not Tesco's; 2. We only accept cash; 3. Even if we were Tesco's and did accept debit and credit cards, you still can't pay with one, it's just a loyalty card. For Tesco's. People are, in short,
easily confused. There also exists a culture among our senior friends when, informed that their requested service is impossible and potentially illeagal, of "Ah sure you will." No, I won't. I'm not lying to you when I say that something is impossible. For example, it takes about two years before a new shop is allowed to operate a Lotto machine that lets you pick your own numbers; most have to settle for selling QuickPicks for the first 24 months. But old folks don't believe you. You are a liar. Obviously you have everything to gain by denying them their chance at a fortune. No, we can not take custom Lotto slips.
If your friend Betty said we take them here then Betty is a liar. No, really. Honestly. I am telling you the truth. The machine you are talking about does not exist. No, we have not been taking them for years. If your friend Betty said we take them here then Betty is a liar. Please, please believe me. We have not acquired a new Lotto machine since the last time you asked me. No, I will not print of thousands of QuickPicks until the machine happens to randomly generate a ticket with the exact 6 numbers you want. The odds of you getting those numbers are the same as winning the Lotto. Leave them to their own devices for five minutes and they'll only harm themselves or you. I once spent an hour with a plastic spoon trying to poke a two Euro coin out of a coffee machine because some loon was under the mistaken impression that one inserted money into the 'coin slot' (air vent.) Even without coming into contact with anything as dangerous and unpredictable as a coffee machine, many seem to take the cause of accidental public displays of idiocy into their own hands. One Easter, as she was in the queue, one sagacious lady remembered that she had left her wallet in her handbag. And here’s where the trouble started. The zip on the bag was jammed. So she pulled on it and yanked at it, with grunts and frowns and increasing consternation. She kept this up for some time but it wouldn’t budge, so she pulled harder and harder, with more grunts. A child could guess what happened. Abruptly the zip gave way. The side of the bag flew open and eve-
rything within — newspaper cuttings and other loose papers, a 14 - ounce tin of pipe tobacco, magazines, passport, English money, film — was extravagantly ejected over an area about the size of a tennis court. She watched dumbstruck as a hundred carefully sorted documents came raining down in a fluttery cascade, coins bounced to a variety of noisy oblivions and the now-lidless tin of tobacco rolled crazily across the concourse disgorging its contents as it went. “My tobacco!” she cried in horror, and then changed the cry to “My finger! My finger!” as she discovered that she had gashed her finger on the zip and was shedding blood in a lavish manner. (People are not very good around flowing blood generally, but when it’s their own — well, I think hysterics are fully justified.) Confused and unable to help, her hair went into panic mode. Sometimes I think that people dream up inventions themselves at home and then come into the shop to see if we happen to sell this abstract contraption they've just thought of. One afternoon a tall guy with a grey beard comes in and asks, “I need those plastic things... that you put on your fingers... to protect your fingertips...”. There followed a long, long pause as we both just stared one another down, pondering our next move. "I think they’re red...” “Do you mean thimbles?" "No..." "Latex Gloves?" "No..." "What do they look like?" *Shrugs* "...they're not big." Human ignorance also gets put on horse-show levels of display in the retail environment. Nothing is more degrading than when someone whistles to get your attention. Or when a gentleman asks you from the far side of the shop at the top of his voice how much something costs and, to your suggestion that he observe the price tag below it, replies "I ain't here to read no sign, bitch." My favorite was when people would temporarily abandon the bus stop outside to come in and ask me, "When is the next bus?" You may not believe it madam, but I've not had time to step outside and internalise the bus timetable. Perhaps tomorrow. My years of shop work are behind me now. But I'll always remember the definitive pointless question ever asked of me. One sunny morning a lady stepped in, approached the counter and asked: "Excuse me, is this 'the shop'?" Rob Munnelly
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31
Monday 14th February 2011
to my superman, glenn.. happy valentines day! :) cant wait to go to venice with you, you’re the best! its been an amazing 18 months so far! i love you, hugs n kisses, maeve xox’
To: Colly Walsh
Review
Roses are red Violets are blue If I was a hooker I wouldn’t charge you!
by Thomas VS Donal
Love, Cougs x
From Derek to Sarah “Are you for Coco Pops?”
Thomas Rapunzel, the heroine of the picture, is a young girl who has lived her entire life in a secluded tower under the watchful eye of Gothel, a nasty, greedy old bitch who, masquerading as her mother, keeps Rapunzel locked away so that only she may harness the mystical I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-botox youth-restoring properties of Rapunzel’s long ‘n’ luscious locks of blonde hair. Desperate to experience the world outside, our heroine enlists the help of Flynn Rider (yes that is his awesome awesome name), a wanted thief with handsome features and a God complex, after a chance meeting. Then the movie happens. Then you leave. That’s how it works. So....any good? For Disney’s fiftieth feature film (a fact that the producers proudly emblazon across the screen before the film starts), it looks like they’ve pulled out all the stops to make this their flashiest, slickest and most spectacular movie to date. Well, either that or the $260 million that it cost to make this movie was just burning a hole in their pockets. Being frank, the CGI lookin’ shyockin’ pritty. Special praise goes to the team that did Rapunzel’s hair. It just plain ol’ looks real! Now I’m not traditionally one to be impressed by flashy new technology that often (Avatar bored me into a coma) but daaaaaaamn! I actually found myself not minding that the budget of this movie could have instead been used to solve world hunger and buy every orphan I the
world their own theme park. But all the pretty graphics are just icing on the cake. This is not a movie to try to hold you on pretty pictures alone. Almost every aspect of this movie is done to an extremely high standard. The dialogue is witty (by Disney standards anyway), the pacing is beautiful (there is not a single moment where the movie feels like it’s in a lull) and it’s genuinely funny on a level that appeals to children, parents and, most importantly to you who’s reading this i.e. a jaded, cynical and soulless college student who likes Radiohead. The characters are, for the most part, extremely likeable. Special mention should go to Zachary Levi for his portrayal of Flynn Rider. Putting it bluntly, Disney now has its’ own Han Solo. Another special mention should go to the fact that Disney went and had the plain ol’ good taste to not include any pop culture references in the movie, a trend that seems to hang around animated movies like a bad smell these days. Personally, I blame Shrek. It was a good movie and all but if I ever see another kids’ movie that has a Pulp Fiction reference or a song with T-Pain or some crap then I might just <insert token witty drastic response here>. Movies just started using them as a crutch to prop up movies that didn’t have any damn story in them but not so in Tangled! Instead, the film relies on a great script, amazing set pieces and pacing the jumpy-action-ruaround bits with
the talky-wordy-speaky-singy bits (y’know like movies did before all the fancy CGI, but now I sound old). The whole plot is a nice 21st century update of the whole ‘once-upon-a-time-blahblah-blah-happily-ever-after’ formula with a few nice touches that I won’t mention here (cos’ spoilers be not cool). But of course, very few movies are perfect… Bear in mind, that what I’m about to say is mostly me being a knit-picky little bitch but this wouldn’t be a review if I didn’t mention any problems that the movie has. These are pretty much entirely problems that you either won’t notice or care about. Well, I didn’t care about ‘em at least. Firstly, the music ain’t great. The lyrics just don’t give children any credit (I’m not expecting Bob Dylan here, but for the love of God, Disney…) and I can hardly remember a single note of a single tune in it. It never pretended to be a musical, but if they’d removed pretty much every song from the movie I don’t think I would have thought it was missing something. Also the relationship between the characters Rapunzel and Flynn seems to develop at a weird pace that isn’t really related to the events going on around them. But, like I said, that’s me knit picking. If you actually watch this movie and think that any of those complaints are real issues at all then congratulations. You have no soul and never discovered the true meaning of Christmas. So, yeah. It’s good and stuff. Go see it. Just sayin’.
Donal Rapunzel, the heroine of the picture, is a young girl who has lived her entire life in a secluded tower under the watchful eye of Gothel, a nasty, greedy old bitch who, masquerading as her mother, keeps Rapunzel locked away so that only she may harness the mystical I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-botox youth-restoring properties of Rapunzel’s long ‘n’ luscious locks of blonde hair. Desperate to experience the world outside, our heroine enlists the help of Flynn Rider (yes that is his awesome awesome name), a wanted thief with handsome features and a God complex, after a chance meeting. Then the movie happens. Then you leave. That’s how it works. So....any good? For Disney’s fiftieth feature film (a fact that the producers proudly emblazon across the screen before the film starts), it looks like they’ve pulled out all the stops to make this their flashiest, slickest and most spectacular movie to date. Well, either that or the $260 million that it cost to make this movie was just burning a hole in their pockets. Being frank, the CGI lookin’ shyockin’ pritty. Special praise goes to the team that did Rapunzel’s hair. It just plain ol’ looks real! Now I’m not traditionally one to be impressed by flashy new technology that often (Avatar bored me into a coma) but daaaaaaamn! I actually found myself not minding that the budget of this movie could have instead been used to solve world hunger and buy every orphan I the
world their own theme park. But all the pretty graphics are just icing on the cake. This is not a movie to try to hold you on pretty pictures alone. Almost every aspect of this movie is done to an extremely high standard. The dialogue is witty (by Disney standards anyway), the pacing is beautiful (there is not a single moment where the movie feels like it’s in a lull) and it’s genuinely funny on a level that appeals to children, parents and, most importantly to you who’s reading this i.e. a jaded, cynical and soulless college student who likes Radiohead. The characters are, for the most part, extremely likeable. Special mention should go to Zachary Levi for his portrayal of Flynn Rider. Putting it bluntly, Disney now has its’ own Han Solo. Another special mention should go to the fact that Disney went and had the plain ol’ good taste to not include any pop culture references in the movie, a trend that seems to hang around animated movies like a bad smell these days. Personally, I blame Shrek. It was a good movie and all but if I ever see another kids’ movie that has a Pulp Fiction reference or a song with T-Pain or some crap then I might just <insert token witty drastic response here>. Movies just started using them as a crutch to prop up movies that didn’t have any damn story in them but not so in Tangled! Instead, the film relies on a great script, amazing set pieces and pacing the jumpy-action-ruaround bits with
the talky-wordy-speaky-singy bits (y’know like movies did before all the fancy CGI, but now I sound old). The whole plot is a nice 21st century update of the whole ‘once-upon-a-time-blahblah-blah-happily-ever-after’ formula with a few nice touches that I won’t mention here (cos’ spoilers be not cool). But of course, very few movies are perfect… Bear in mind, that what I’m about to say is mostly me being a knit-picky little bitch but this wouldn’t be a review if I didn’t mention any problems that the movie has. These are pretty much entirely problems that you either won’t notice or care about. Well, I didn’t care about ‘em at least. Firstly, the music ain’t great. The lyrics just don’t give children any credit (I’m not expecting Bob Dylan here, but for the love of God, Disney…) and I can hardly remember a single note of a single tune in it. It never pretended to be a musical, but if they’d removed pretty much every song from the movie I don’t think I would have thought it was missing something. Also the relationship between the characters Rapunzel and Flynn seems to develop at a weird pace that isn’t really related to the events going on around them. But, like I said, that’s me knit picking. If you actually watch this movie and think that any of those complaints are real issues at all then congratulations. You have no soul and never discovered the true meaning of Christmas. So, yeah. It’s good and stuff. Go see it. Just sayin’.
From: Aoife Browne Happy Valentine’s Day Bab! Love Aoife x
To: David Ennis To David Ennis in my English Lectures I had to write this to save conjectures! What inspired this amorous rhyme? Two parts vodka, one part lime!! Just like the night we met, The vodka, red bull and we were set! So Valentine please be mine, And stay together for all time! I’m not normally this sentimental, Please don’t be too judgemental. Life is good and life is grand So now just find me and hold my hand! Anonymous this must stay, because if I told you I’d be facing judgement day!! To Danielle It was a warm September day when we first met, And at that moment, destiny was set. After months of longing and pain, Courage was found in the December rain. Soon my hopes and dreams fled, You had chosen another instead. A spark was found again, But once more, my dreams were slain. All I look for is a chance, To prove we could be different from any cheap romance. To Cranky: If I was a flower growing wild and free I’d want you to be my sweet honey bee.
Happy Valentines Day Daniel, you have been amazing through everything and I can’t thank you enough. I hope you have a lovely day, and I promise I will love you forever. Lots of Love, Darien xxxx
“Our eyes locked on the dance floor, My heart beat like it never had before, Thoughts ran through my head, This isn’t like facebook, no witty thread. Then the nerves subsided, When our pale lips collided, And I was lost in the intensity of the kiss, Dazed in Mantra; living in pure bliss. Since then we have been awfully quiet, Awkward friends, while my heart’s in riot, But darling, sweet love divine, Make me happy and be my valentine”
From your secret admirer. To: David Ennis Dave Ennis You are my knight in shining armour, You are my Lancelot. Fighting dragons is such hard work: Is that why you never dance a lot? From your secret admirer!
To: Dylan Cold hands, cold feet, you love me still every day you spend with me you live me still for everything you give to me for everything I am, I love you forever Love, Evey Evey, I lust after your juicy welcome when I come home from a busy day behind the curtains. You surround me with warmth and let me fill you with joy. First thing in the morning and last thing at night we are ourselves together. Never let me leave you. Love forever, Dylan.
Dearest Michelle McDonald: Have a Miserable Valentines Day! Love you always, Kieran Murphy. To: Aoife McCarthy “I dropped a tear in the ocean. The day that I find it is the day I will stop loving you.” To: Emer Gilmartin I feel the magic each time we hold each other, each time we cuddle, and each time we kiss, I never want to let you go for fear of losing you, You’re everything that I’ve ever wanted, You have opened the doors of my heart and now I wait for you to walk through. Love, Mr. P
What’s On
Stuff to do in the next few weeks American Tribal Style Bellydance
Ten week course of classes begins on Tuesday 8th February & costs €100 for the full ten weeks. The classes start at 5.30pm & will be 90 minutes long in the Students’ Union. Places are limited and will be held on a first-come, first served basis. In order to reserve a place, please pay a deposit of €20 at the SU Front Office. Full payment must be received before classes commence. The ‘ATS fundamentals’ classes provide a full understanding of the basics of American Tribal Style including: Posture Warm up and stretches Puja/Moving Meditation Basic slow and fast movements: Taking each move and breaking it down into its component parts. Identifying the muscle groups used to create the move Drilling and repition to create muscle memory Improvisational Choreography: Combining the moves learned to create unique and spontaneous performances Lead and Follow: Incorporating cues and transitions with the movements to enable group work Zil patterns: Incorporating the use of zils (finger cymbals) into the dance. Formations, chorus work, duets, trios and beyond. COMING TO CLASS? – what you need to bring: Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Bring a long sleeve top for warm up/cool down. Bring a scarf to accent your hips. We dance barefoot. You can wear socks or suitable dance shoes if you’d prefer. ZILS will be introduced in week 4. Links and advice on where to get them will be provided. The decision whether or not to bare your belly is yours. A pad and pen for notes Plenty of water!
SHAG Week - Feb 14th - 18th
Monday S.H.A.G. packs will be given out in the arts block at 12. Boots will be giving out information in the Arts block. Stag and Hen night in the Clubhouse, 3euro drinks / 2.50 cans, party games WIN VIP EXAMPLE TICKETS!!! Wee for a Wii -free STI testing in the Medical centre, get entered into a draw for a free Wii console! (day 1) Tuesday Amnesty Int. and LGBT soc host Rape crisis network talk 1pm in meeting rooms three and four in the Students’ Union. Boots and Pro-life stand in the Arts Block. Wee for a Wii -free STI testing in the Medical centre, get entered into a draw for a free Wii console! (day 2) Wednesday Dublin AIDS alliance, Marie Stopes and Boots in the Arts block from 11am - 2pm. Sexual Health Magician in the Venue from 1pm - FREE goodies sponsored by Durex. Biology Soc Sex Quiz in the Venue at 7.30pm - Win sex hampers and other goodies Thursday S.H.A.G. ball - Example.
LGBT Coffee Meetings
Two meet-ups a week in Chill: the first on Mondays from 5pm until 7pm, and the second on Wednesdays from 2pm until 4pm
Dance Soc
Hi guys! We would like to welcome new members that signed up during Club and Socs Day 2! You made the right choice and we hope to see you in many classes! Here is a copy of our new timetable: Monday: Ballet 3-4 Tuesday: Male Hip Hop 11-12 Hip Hop 12-1 Advanced Irish Dance 1-3 Wednesday: Beginner Irish Dance: 11-12 Contemporary 1-2 (Main Sports Hall!) There are more classes to be added during the semester! All classes take place in Small Sports Hall. We charge €2 per class (Adv Irish Dance €3 for 2hrs), but you can also buy a semester pass for €25! Also, if you wish to come to Dance Intervarsities (2nd-3rd March in UCC) as a supporter or if you’re performing and didn’t make to the meeting last Thursday, could you please email back or text Katie (087 7716771) your details - name, student no, email, mobile no, style of dance. Hope to see you all in classes! Love, Dance Society
Spotlight (Style Society)
Our fashion show is taking place on the 9th March the in the Glenroyal hotel with after party in mantra. its in aid of make a wish foundation. :)
St. Vincent de Paul
Soup Runs: MSU SVP have soup runs every week for our members to partake in every Wednesday and Thursday meeting at 6 pm at the John Hume Building where we make our way into Dublin City Centre by Bus and then we split into groups giving soup, sandwiches, food and clothing to the homeless of Dublin and advice on shelters if they so ask for such information. Nursing Home Visits: MSU SVP have weekly nursing home visits to the Nursing home in Maynooth for our members meeting every Tuesday at 5pm at the John Hume Building. We organize quizzes, art and music sessions, and help out with activities in the home and organize regular parties for the patients.
Juggling Soc
While we do have events planned (basically 24hr juggling again) I’m not sure when yet. I know it’s during RAG week but it remains to be seen what day (Hopefully Wednesday) For now we just have training as usual so 7-9PM tuesdays, Callan Building and 4-6PM thursdays Small Sports hall.
Aikido
The largest Aikido course in Ireland will run in Maynooth 26/27th March. The instructor is H. NAMBA 6th dan Shihan from Aikikai Hombu dojo (World Aikido, Hq. Japan).
Law Soc
We have our Inaugural Intervarsity Moot Court Competition taking place on the 15th of April, which will see some of the top competitors from Universities across Ireland, coming to Maynooth to compete against the best NUIM has to offer, the event is being sponsored by Matheson Ormsby Prentice Solicitors. We will be having a trip to Belfast in March where we will be visiting Stormont and many other places of interest. We will also be hosting various Law Firms and will be having an informational evening on Wednesday the 9th of February where we will be giving students information on how to go about applying for summer internships for both the legal and business section and will be answering any questions students might have, we will be providing both alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments on the night as we are aware that it will help with the turnout.
Rovers Soc
Lugnaquilla Hike Rovers will be climbing the highest mountain in Wicklow on Sunday 13 February Night Hike Overlooking Dublin We’ll be travelling up to the Dublin mountains in the evening to check out the breathtaking views of the city at night and go for a well deserved drink afterwards. Rock-climbing A second course for beginners will be advertised soon, as well as more advanced climbing for those who have some experience. Camping Keep an eye around campus for posters & more information
Ultimate Frisbee
Regular training Monday 2-4pm Large Sports Hall Fitness training Tuesday 630-730pm Beside the Astro pitch Regular training Thursday 2-330pm Large Sports Hall (Will be moved outside once weather improves)
Trampolining
Training Times Monday; 11 - 2 Tuesday; 7 - 8:30 Wednesday; 6 - 8 Thursday; 12 - 3:30 and we welcome new members at any stage. The First Weekend in March (3rd - 7th) Maynooth Tramps will be going to Glasgow to compete in SUSTO (Scottish University Trampoline Open) where we have 13 going!. Any one wanting to join can send us an email or come along and have a bounce!
Literary & Debating
Debates Every Tuesday 7 JH2, Literary Events every Thursday 7 JHT3 Debate Tuesday 15th of February, “This House Would make it a criminal offence to intentionally misrepresent major aspects of your personality or personnel circumstance to Sexual Partners”
Cuallacht Ghaeilge
Dé Luain 14ú Feabhra - Lá Oscailte i Seomra na Gaeilge (Foirgneamh na nEalaíon) idir 12 nóin agus 3 i.n. Gach Máirt - Tráthnóna Oscailte, tae agus caifé saor in aisce, Comórtas Wii. Idir 4 i.n. agus 7 i.n. Bothántaíocht - oíche chraic agus cheoil! 24ú Feabhra. Beidh ríomhphost ag dul amach faoi i gceann tamaillín. Muna bhfuil tú i do bhall, beidh sonraí ar leathanach ‘Cuallacht na Gaeilge’ ar facebook! Scríobhfar aon athruithe ar imeachtaí na cuallachta ar an leathanach facebook.
Omega Soc
Taking place in the John Hume Building over the weekend of the 19th and 20th of February, Epic Con returns for it’s 3rd year! With amazing guests including Dr. Dr Dale Seslick who featured on RTÉ’s The Panel, RPG’s, competitions with amazing prizes and *ahem* cosplayers... It’s a weekend not to be missed! Tickets start from €6! This years charity of honour is Match it for Pratchett Visit www.epiccon.info for more information
Chaplaincy notices Mass in St Mary’s Daily Mass in St Mary’s Oratory, South Campus, Monday – Friday at 12.05. SVP Valentine’s Day Cake Sale Monday, Feb 14th, 11am Arts Block Election of SVP PRO and Welfare Officer Tue 8th Feb at 6pm, Hume Building, upstairs. All welcome. Youth 2000 Prayer meeting, Mondays, 6pm in St Catherine’s, starting Mon 14th Feb. Contact Steven 0871313434 www.youth2000.ie All welcome. Suas 75 million children worldwide have no access to education. Suas aims to make a difference. Suas course –‘Introduction to Development‘ starts Monday 14th Feb and runs for 6 weeks. 6-8pm, Classhall A, Arts Block.Apply online at www.suas.ie. Leaflets available at Chaplaincy Office, posters around campus. More info on website. Lenten Mass in Arts Building Where: The Quiet Room When: Every Wednesday in Lent Starting Wed 9th March at 12 noon All staff and students welcome. ‘As I see it’ A student think-in on Wednesday 16th February at 6pm sharp in JH2. All welcome. Please bring your friends. Come. Listen. Talk.
Maynooth Christian Union
Friends of St. Raphael’s We are going to be heading out to Raphael’s tonight, Tuesday 8th Feb for our first night back after a long Christmas break! So if you fancy coming along we will be meeting, as usual, at 7pm at the old campus gates and we will be dropped back here for 9pm. New members always welcome.
Tuesday February 22nd Speaker from Dublin Christian Mission speaking on practical challenges (i.e with homelenessness).
Lectio Divina in An Tobar Student Services Building from 5- 6pm Resumes Wednesday 3rd Feb and continues each Wednesday. Tea/coffee at 4.45pm. All Welcome. For more information email Margaret. mcconalogue@nuim.ie
Tuesday February 15th Showing of “Amazing Grace” film about how William Wilberforce’s Christian convictions overturned slavery in Britain.
Tuesday March 1st “Has Physics Disproved God?” Dr. Peter van der Burgt (Physics Dept NUIM / Christians in Science). After all speakers there will be tea / coffee / general chatter in the Student Common Room.
Amensty Soc
We meet every Wednesday at 6pm in Classhall E in Arts Block
Drama Soc
‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ Aula Maxima, Doors at 7.15pm, €3 members / €5 non-members. ‘The Mercy Seat’ Aula Maxima, Doors at 7.15, €3 members / €5 non-members.
French Soc
French Society has a debate coming up with Trinity on the 23rd of February which all Maynooth students are invited to attend. However, they should email french@nuimsu.com just in case there is an influx of demand :) Also we are planning a trip to Belguim that will be booked in the next however people need to let us know ASAP if they want to come along. the provisional dates are 12 to 15th March. Finally we are headed to the Jameson Film Festival on the 26th to see an epic French movie. Open to everyone!
The Quiet Room Take time out to drop into the Quiet Room in the Arts Building any time for peaceful reflection. When you enter the Arts Building from Hume, take a right and the Quiet Room is down at the end of the corridor. Maths Support Centre The Maths Support Centre offers free non-judgemental help with Maths for all NUIM undergraduates. A full description is available at http://supportcentre. maths.nuim.ie/ If students have any queries regards Maths they can contact supportcentre@maths.nuim. ie Opening hours are: Monday 2-6pm, Tuesday 3-8pm, Wednesday 3-6pm, Thursday 2-6pm and Friday 10-12noon. Counselling Service Student Services Centre North Campus Opening Hours Mon. – Fri. 9.30am – 1.pm & 2.00pm – 5.00pm Drop in Service during term 2.00pm – 2.30pm Phone 7083554 Self Referral to the Service is welcome and encouraged. Meditation Next meeting Monday 14th at 5pm in the Quiet Room, Arts Building, North Campus. Everyone welcome! Galway Cycle Soccer Tournament 7-aside soccer tournament, 19th Feb beginning 11.15am. Team entry is €80 if registered before February 13th and people can email soccer@ galwaycycle.ie for details. Sponsorship cards for GC2011 are now available. Medical Centre New Walk in Clinic Daily walk in clinic held strictly between 9.30am -10.30am. This clinic is for those who are ‘sick on the day’ only. It is hoped students will find this useful and that it will help to cut down on the waiting times to see us. Student Services Centre. Nurses Pauline & Kathleen & Dr. Helen: 10-1pm & 2-4pm. Appointments, contact Rose, 01-7083878